2024 Provincial Budget Submission

Chamber: Productivity Must Be Front and Centre in Ontario’s 2024 Budget

Brockville and District Chamber of Commerce and Ontario Chamber Releases 2024 Provincial Budget Recommendations

(Toronto – March 14, 2024) – Ontario’s economic prosperity is threatened by inflation, infrastructure backlogs, regulatory barriers, skills gaps, and fears of a slowing economy. To address these challenges, the Brockville and District Chamber of Commerce and Ontario Chamber of Commerce’s (OCC) 2024 Provincial Budget Submission provides recommendations focused on closing Ontario’s productivity gap through a principled growth strategy.

“Businesses across Brockville and area are continuing to feel the effect of the pandemic,” said Pamela Robertson, Executive Director. “Budget 2024 must lay the groundwork for strong economic growth, building the infrastructure and workforce of the future, and modernizing regulation to ensure Ontario can attract investment and nurture entrepreneurship.”

Some key recommendations include:

Empowering Ontario’s workforce and addressing labour shortages by supporting a financially sustainable post-secondary education sector, advancing upskilling and reskilling initiatives, and scaling evidence-based interventions to support the participation of equity-deserving groups in the labour market.
Cultivating business competitiveness and sustainable growth by improving access to private capital and credit for small businesses, removing barriers to interprovincial and international trade, and supporting key sectors such as clean energy, cannabis, and tourism.
Investing in resilient, healthy communities by tackling primary care and broader health human resource crises, combating growing rates of mental health and addiction challenges, and expediting the implementation of Ontario’s life sciences strategy.
Building strong foundations through infrastructure by leveraging partnerships to build and preserve affordable housing along the continuum, investing in energy generation, transmission, and distribution infrastructure, and continuing to accelerate broadband rollout across the province.

“In 2024 and beyond, productivity must be Ontario’s priority,” said Daniel Tisch, President and CEO of the OCC. “Capital will flow where productive capacity is highest, and we want it to flow to Ontario. That’s why the budget must focus on policies that support immediate growth while investing in an educated workforce, long-term infrastructure, and healthy, sustainable communities.”

Recommendations outlined in the OCC’s budget submission were developed in consultation with businesses of all sizes, labour unions, postsecondary institutions, non-profit organizations, industry associations and close to 150 chambers of commerce and boards of trade.

The Brockville and District Chamber of Commerce represents more than 300 members and has been the community’s business advocate since 1906. Our mission is to support and enhance business to build a strong economic community through proactive leadership in advocacy and relevant programming.