On Monday, March 25, the Ontario Chamber Network held its fourth annual Advocacy Day at Queen’s Park. Advocacy Day is a forum to share ideas on how to foster a competitive business climate and strong, prosperous communities.

It was a great opportunity to engage with MPP's from both sides of the legislature and our very own MPP Todd Smith recognized the staff from the Bay of Quinte Chambers of Commerce during Question Period.  In the afternoon there was a Town Hall with members from the NDP Caucus followed by one with the PC Caucus.  Quinte West Chamber participated in a round table on Red Tape and Regulatory Burden Reduction with Deputy Minister Giles Gherson who was really interested in the concerns from our local business communities.  He agreed that the culture within the government needs a change of direction, they should make inspections less punitive and more geared towards helping businesses achieve compliance.  This is good news as many businesses complain about the ridiculous fines they have to pay and the unnecessary inspections that don't achieve anything.

The day ended with a reception for everyone involved and many MPP's stopped by to engage with the Chamber Network and Premier Doug Ford delivered a strong, positive message for Ontario Businesses.

Canada’s tax system is simply not working anymore. Canadian Businesses say it is deterring investment and driving it elsewhere. The general worry is that tax system is affecting our ability to bring labour, talent and skills to our economy. Our members tell us it will affect their ability to expand and compete, leading to slower economic growth.

After decades of cutting and pasting, navigating our bloated and byzantine tax code is a significant challenge for local businesses. Small businesses in particular do not have dedicated departments to grapple with complicated tax filing or manage the onerous burden of dealing with the Canada Revenue Agency.

The tax system has real costs for businesses in terms of both time and money. Canada needs a Royal Commission on tax to conduct a whole-of-system review and build a new system from the ground up.

This comprehensive review should look at:
• Broadening the tax base to explore the most effective tax policy solutions.
• Adjusting the tax mix to better promote business investment and economic growth.
• Bridging the digital tax divide to ensure a fair and equitable tax system.
• Further simplifying the tax filing experience with digital filing solutions.
• Legislating a Taxpayer Charter of Rights to hold CRA accountable.
• Providing a representative for small business to resolve conflicts with CRA.
• Conducting regular comprehensive reviews to keep the tax system up to date.

We need a Royal Commission to fix our tax system because it is cumbersome, inefficient and a burden on business. This requires a combination of prudent government spending, simplifying a byzantine tax code and getting the tax mix right.  READ MORE

Participate in a Chamber Poll :  Do You Support a Full Review of the Tax System

The Unsavory Pancaking of Canada’s Climate Regulations: A High Cost Climate Strategy Canadian Businesses Find Hard to Swallow, the latest report in our Regulate Smarter series, shines a light on the “pancaking” of climate-related costs and regulations. These added costs are almost exclusively put on the shoulders of business owners, particularly the country’s small- and medium-sized businesses.

To learn more on how Canada’s regulatory system is a mix of complex, overlapping rules from all levels of government that has created a costly and uncertain environment to run a business, visit RegulateSmarter.ca.

We are excited to have a full house tomorrow evening at Occasions By The Bay to celebrate our Business Community and  the 2019 Honorary Lifetime Member, Mark Phillips.

SEO (Search Engine Optimization) is one the most important marketing channels for small businesses. Unfortunately, when it comes to SEO there is a lot of misinformation out there. In this workshop, we aim to fix that. This workshop takes a look at how SEO affects your small business, and give practical tips for how you can improve your SEO for little to no cost. 

Submissions and comments provided to the Ministry of Labour are part of a public consultation process to solicit views on and to facilitate the Ministry’s development of proposed new regulatory requirements related to the Pay Transparency Act, 2018. This process may involve the ministry disclosing submissions, comments, or summaries of them to third parties during and after the public consultation period. However, personal information in the ministry’s possession, such as names and contact details, will not be disclosed except as required by law.

To Learn More About The Pay Transparency Act, 2018 and which businesses will be affected CLICK HERE

Conveniently located in downtown Trenton,  our bright and spacious meeting rooms are affordable and can be rented on a 1/2 day or full day basis.

No experience is necessary!  To register your team or for further information, please visit our website www.trentoncurlingclub.ca or email us at trentoncurling@hotmail.com.”

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