Chamber Submits Letter re: Canada Border Services Agency Office Closure
The Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) recently announced that it is proposing to move its Peterborough office to Trenton effective April 1, 2001. This has ramifications for a number of Peterborough businesses who will now have to travel over 100 km’s to do a simple transaction. With the current expansion of the Peterborough airport, The Chamber is asking CBSA to delay its decision, in order to establish how the airport expansion will affect the levels of service required, and to explore alternative ways
of delivering CBSA services. Click on the following link to view the letter submitted by the Chamber.
Letter to Canada Border Services Agency
Protectionism
At its Board meeting June 6, 7, 2009 in Edmonton, the Board of Directors of the Canadian Chamber of Commerce expressed its support for efforts by the federal, provincial, and territorial governments to pursue bilateral discussions with the United States to ensure that companies from both countries can bid on government procurement contracts. The Canadian Chamber issued the media release below.
Meanwhile the Chamber of Commerce of the USA has written a letter to President Barack Obama expressing their concern over the growing protectionist policies being written into the American stimulus funding initiatives. See the link below.
Canadian Chamber USA Chamber
County Signage By-law
The County of Peterborough is proposing changes to the current Signage ByLaw. If you own property within the County, this may apply to you.
Click on the link below to see a memo from County staff highlighting the proposed changes. We are providing the proposed changes to you so that you are aware they are being discussed at County Council in the near future. The first two pages of the document feature a brief summary of the changes by Chris Bradley and should provide a quick overview.
Please note, regarding change #5, which would only allow one sign per business, we asked for clarification from Paul Hurley, Manager of Technical Services with the County. He emailed the following clarification “Our bylaw doesn’t regulate signs attached to buildings those fall under the jurisdiction of the local Townships. It relates to free standing signs erected adjacent to a County road. Also, within urban areas (Lakefield, Bridgenorth, etc.), our bylaw does not apply and signs fall under
the jurisdiction of the local Township.”
County Signage Bylaw
Prosperity Round Table Report to Council
The Prosperity Round Table initiative released a report to Peterborough City and County Councils at a special joint council meeting in December. This document is serving as a work plan for the various task teams moving forward. Click here to read the report.
Ontario Fact Sheet May 2009
The Economic & Revenue Forecasting & Analysis Branch, Office of Economic Policy of the Ontario Ministry of Finance has updated the fact sheet for Ontario, as of May 2009. The fact sheet includes information on population, trade (international and interprovincial), economy, exports and imports. For your convenience, we have included a link to the fact sheet for Ontario, located on the Ontario Ministry of Finance website below.
Ontario Fact Sheet 2009
Protectionism
At its Board meeting June 6, 7, 2009 in Edmonton, the Board of Directors of the Canadian Chamber of Commerce expressed its support for efforts by the federal, provincial, and territorial governments to pursue bilateral discussions with the United States to ensure that companies from both countries can bid on government procurement contracts. The Canadian Chamber issued the media release below.
Meanwhile the Chamber of Commerce of the USA has written a letter to President Barack Obama expressing their concern over the growing protectionist policies being written into the American stimulus funding initiatives. See the link below.
Canadian Chamber USA Chamber
Tax Harmonization
Harmonized Sales Tax is a dramatic change in taxation for the Province of Ontario. The Chamber of Commerce Network has been advocating for a single tax since 2004. Unfortunately the initiative has become somewhat Political, resulting in a significant amount of miscommunication and misunderstanding. The links below will provide some information on HST.
Comprehensive Tax Reform Package
Finance Budget 2009
Download Tax Harmonization Facts and Figures
Examples - Tax Harmonization Website Ontario 2009 Budget
Ontario Fact Sheet - November 2009
The Economic & Revenue Forecasting & Analysis Branch, Office of Economic Policy of the Ontario Ministry of Finance has updated the fact sheet for Ontario. The fact sheet includes information on population, trade (international and interprovincial), economy, exports and imports. For your convenience, we have included a link to the fact sheet for Ontario.
Ontario Fact Sheet
Work Sharing Might Help You Avoid Layoffs
The Work Sharing Program is an Employment Insurance program through Service Canada that enables employers to avoid layoffs by shortening the work week by one to three days, and paying reduced wages accordingly. Service Canada then arranges EI for eligible employees to cover the reduced hours. Here is a link for more information.
Government Affairs Committee Minutes
The Government Affairs Committee is a new initiative designed to bring together all four levels of Government (City, County, Provincial and Federal) on a regular basis to compare notes and share information Click below to read the minutes:
May 15, 2009
June 26, 2009
September 11, 2009
January 15, 2010
April 23, 2010