PEMBROKE – The Upper Ottawa Valley Chamber of Commerce (UOVCC) is hosting a Meet the Candidates event on Tuesday, May 29 at 8 a.m. at the Petawawa Quality Inn and Suites. All business leaders are encouraged to attend this event. Everyone is welcome but it will have a business focus.
“This is event has been planned for businesses to come out and meet the candidates that running in the upcoming Provincial election on June 7th,” stated UOVCC Board President Maria Church.
Due to the tight timeline, it will be a less formal event. Each candidate will have time to introduce themselves and their platforms to those in attendance and then a Question & Answer session will take place.
“It is our hope that business (people) come out so that they can ask questions about issues affecting their businesses to the candidates for their response,” said Ms. Church. “We decided to do the informal question and answer session rather that a formal debate.”
The Ontario Chamber of Commerce (OCC) and the whole Ontario Chamber Network have called on all political parties to commit to reducing input costs and the regulatory burden felt by businesses across the province. In the Ontario Chamber Network’s Vote Prosperity platform, strengthening business competitiveness is not only fundamental for employers but also the success of the entire province.
With industry struggling to compete under increased costs and regulations, the OCC and the UOVCC would like Ontario’s next government to establish a publicly available analysis of the cost of doing business, as well as adopt a robust approach to reducing red tape.
“Our members have made it clear: the rising cost of doing business is hindering their growth and Ontario’s prosperity,” said Ms. Church. “Ontario has a competitiveness problem and bold action is required by our next government to address these challenges. That is why the OCC and the UOVCC are calling on all political parties to adopt our plan to reduce the regulatory and cost burden on Ontario businesses.”
Continuing, she said, “There is a direct relationship between the ability of Ontario’s entrepreneurs to invest in themselves, in their people, and in their communities and our collective ability to prosper. In this election, for Ontario to win, we must ensure that the connection between a strong private sector and a prosperous society is not lost.”
In October the Ontario Chamber, along with its 135 chambers of commerce and boards of trade across the province, released Vote Prosperity, a platform outlining the business community’s priorities for the upcoming 2018 provincial election.
For more information about the Ontario Chamber Network’s Vote Prosperity platform please visit:
http://www.occ.ca/vote-prosperity2018.
