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A policy resolution first put forward by a committee of the Sarnia Lambton Chamber of Commerce has become the basis for a pilot project being used to teach high school students the financial skills necessary to succeed in the new global economy.

It was the Economic Policy Development Committee that first proposed the initiative, which was taken up by the Ontario Chamber of Commerce. The committee first envisioned that financial literacy be taught as part of a mandatory Business and Commerce course. The Ontario Chamber had given its nod to the idea in 2013 and again in 2016.

The government’s action to start this pilot project in 28 schools is part of a promise to improve financial literacy education, which is very much aligned with what our Chamber had proposed.

Education Minister Mitzie Hunter, in making the announcement of the pilot project, said students “need to learn how to be resilient and adaptable in a world where the only thing that is constant is change.”

Four different subjects will be part of the pilot project, which involves 28 schools. Those subjects include financial literacy, entrepreneurship skills, digital literacy, and career and life planning. The feedback of teachers will be incorporated into a new curriculum design which will then be implemented across the province in 2018.

The news is also evidence of the impact the local Chamber has on improving the competitiveness of business, said President & CEO Shirley de Silva, congratulating those who worked on this file. “We’re rightly very proud of what our members do and this is certainly a great moment to remind ourselves of how we make an impact on an ongoing basis. This is proof positive that good ideas, especially those as impactful as this one, are worth pursuing.”

The Chamber welcomed the Minister’s announcement in this letter sent on April 4, 2017.

Mike Schreiner, leader of the Green Party of Ontario, was in Sarnia this week to discuss issues that are important to this area in a roundtable with influential local leaders.

Michael Kooy, Chair of the Board of Directors, represented the Chamber during the discussion. He called on Mr. Schreiner to lend support to some of the key issues the Chamber is working on, including advocating for the Oversized Load Corridor, financial literacy curriculum in schools, and a realistic approach to climate change programs such as cap and trade. Other topics discussed include appropriate regulations, jobs and innovation.

Mr. Schreiner indicated that although the Green Party doesn’t currently hold any seats in the Ontario Legislature, they work every day with the government and opposition to influence policies.

The Sarnia Lambton Chamber of Commerce continues to bring together members and elected officials so they can discuss matters that are important to business. The most recent example of this was a lunch hour discussion with MPP Bob Delaney, Parliamentary Assistant to Glenn Thibeault, Minister of Energy, on Friday, March 17 at the Chamber’s office.

Delaney spoke briefly to attendees about the Ontario government’s recently announced “Fair Hydro Plan”. Delaney then answered questions posed by Chamber members and heard their stories.

One of those attending was Kathleen Mundy, owner of several area Little Caesar’s Pizza locations and member of the Chamber’s Energy Committee and Board of Directors. “The concerns we have are around electricity costs that are such a proportionally high part of our costs and which impact on our bottom line, shrinking it to the point where there’s no fun in being a small business anymore,” said Mundy.

Shirley de Silva, the Chamber’s President and CEO, said Friday’s visit was the second involving political representatives in recent weeks, the first being from Andrea Horwath, head of the Ontario New Democratic Party, who visited at the end of February.

The Chamber will also meet with the Green Party of Ontario’s leader, Mike Schreiner, when he visits Sarnia-Lambton during an upcoming tour through southwestern Ontario. A Community Roundtable is being hosted by the local association of the Green Party of Ontario and the Chamber encourages members to attend.

The Community Roundtable will take place on Tuesday, March 28 at 1 p.m. at the Lochiel Kiwanis Centre. It is open to the public. Topics to be discussed include the state of the local economy, electricity prices, education and small business.

Premier Wynne says that electricity prices are “unfairly high” and that current rate payers are bearing a disproportionate cost stemming from decades of energy mismanagement by previous governments of all stripes.

Many Chamber members would agree that electricity prices are too high. We’ve heard many stories about difficult choices, like whether to lay off employees or take out loans in order to pay the electricity bill.

So, when the Chamber heard that the government is cutting electricity bills by 25% (including the 8%  HST cut already announced in January), we wondered, does the plan go far enough to help struggling businesses?

The rate reduction, made possible my remortgaging the Global Adjustment will extend the period of electricity contracts from 20 years to 30 years. It’s estimated that $25 billion will be saved over 10 years, but another $14 billion will be paid in interest for the extended “mortgage”.

There’s additional relief coming for farmers, the less affluent and rate payers in remote areas.  The Industrial Conservation Initiative will be extended to mid-sized manufacturers. Energy conservation programs will continue.  Another significant promise is to freeze rates so they will not increase beyond inflation for 4 years.

Questions remain: is this a fair solution to “unfairly high” hydro rates? Is the NDP plan any better? What solutions will the PCs propose? The Chamber will be watching this issue closely now and until the next provincial election, currently scheduled to be held on or before June 7, 2018.

In separate letters to MPP Bob Bailey and MP Marilyn Gladu last week, the Chamber shared its priorities for consideration in this year’s provincial and federal budgets.

At the provincial level, investment in high speed broadband, allowing small business owners’ children access to student loans and reducing the public sector’s total compensation premium were highlighted as key solutions to improving productivity and economic growth. The “oversized load corridor” project was also mentioned in the letter, available here as a key infrastructure project that would help create local jobs and boost our economy. The full pre-budget submission can be accessed here.

The Chamber advised MP Gladu to consider 10 ways to build Canada’s economy, as recommended by the Canadian Chamber of Commerce in this report. Read the letter to MP Gladu here.

Opposition by business groups, including the Sarnia Lambton Chamber of Commerce, has struck home, with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announcing in the House of Commons that the government will not, after all, tax employer-sponsored benefit plans.

A government report on tax expenditures, released last year, had indicated that such a tax would add $2.9 billion to revenues in 2017, prompting the opposition.

Locally, that response came in the form of a letter sent by the Chamber to local Members of Parliament (Marilyn Gladu of Sarnia-Lambton and Bev Shipley of Lambton-Kent-Middlesex) with a copy to Finance Minister Bill Morneau.

“We are gratified as a Chamber that the government has recognized how this kind of taxation could have quickly cascaded to the point where it becomes a hardship for Canadians,” said CEO Shirley de Silva. “On behalf of our members, it’s important that the Chamber steps up before actions like a proposed tax on health benefits become a reality.”