Advocacy efforts bring about change in 2011

Think of business as a plant – in order for it to survive and thrive you need to create the right conditions for growth. That’s where we come in.

To make life easier for businesses, the Chamber advocates all levels of government to adopt the policy positions identified by our members. Throughout 2011, we were incredibly successful in making your ideas a reality, and solving some of the city's greatest business challenges. Let's take a look at some of the highlights.

Many policy suggestions made by the Chamber have become municipal priorities that will guide the direction of Calgary for years to come. During the 2010 civic election, we talked to businesses to find out what mattered to them. We then developed policy positions and worked with local elected officials and administration to implement change throughout 2011. Through this collaborative approach, nearly two-thirds of city council’s 2012 – 2014 priorities strongly align with Chamber positions. This is a huge win for business in Calgary.

It’s important to keep the City of Calgary’s spending in check. No matter how great the demands for City services, if we constantly exceed our ability to pay, we risk running into the same problems as our municipal counterparts in the U.S. and Europe. More...

A streamlined tax system saves businesses money and makes it easier for them to operate. Calgary, however, levies two types of taxes on the business community: a business tax and a non-residential property tax. More...

Finding an affordable home to live in can be a big part of whether or not you move to a city for work. To improve Calgary’s ability to attract and retain workers, the Chamber led a business coalition. More...

To help bring provincial spending back to a more sustainable level, the Chamber submitted its pre-budget recommendations to the Government of Alberta in November 2010. More...

Canada’s economic engine is the energy industry. Right now every province and territory has its own set of policy goals and regulations around the energy industry. This creates a fragmented system that misses an opportunity for greater cooperation when it comes to accessing new markets. More...

Concerns over labour shortages, absent since 2008, were once again on the radar in 2011, with the Government of Alberta estimating that the province will be short 109,000 workers by 2016. More...