Today, the Government of Ontario passed Bill 66, Restoring Ontario’s Competitiveness Act, 2019, brought forward by the Honourable Todd Smith, Minister of Economic Development, Job Creation and Trade.

Specifically as it relates to open tendering in particular, the Hamilton Chamber of Commerce is ecstatic to see that the Ford government has amended the Labour Relations Act to explicitly deem public bodies, including municipalities, school boards, hospitals, colleges and universities, as “non-construction employers.”

On January 18, 2019, a report went before the General Issues Committee (GIC) at Hamilton City Hall. The City’s five-year review of Development Application Fees recommended an increase in Tariff of Fees for Development Applications. City staff were directed to consult with the development industry within the next 30 days and come report to GIC.

The Hamilton Chamber of Commerce represents our members and their collective interests on the City of Hamilton’s Open for Business Sub-Committee.

This sub-committee is tasked with reducing red tape and improving efficiency in municipal government.

We are pleased to see that further progress has been made in approval times within the Planning and Economic Development Department.

In 2017, the Chamber launched a membership survey, which circulated from April 24th to May 15th. 

The Chamber then convened a series of focus groups aimed at formally engaging key sectors within the Chamber membership and to further explore concerns raised within the membership survey, to investigate key areas of concerns and develop recommendations.

On December 6th, the Government of Ontario  proposed legislation, Restoring Ontario’s Competitiveness Act, 2018, announced by the Honourable Todd Smith, Minister of Economic Development, Job Creation and Trade.

The Hamilton Chamber of Commerce is pleased to see that the provincial government implemented legislative change, recommended by the our policy staff earlier this year.

As of October 17th, recreational cannabis was legalized across Canada by the Federal Government.

Presently, Ontarians can access recreational cannabis online through the Ontario Cannabis Store (OCS.ca).

As of April 1st, 2019, the private retail model for cannabis that will launch across Ontario, in municipalities that opt-in to physical retail locations.