OCC’s 2026 Ontario Economic Report: Business Confidence Remains Low but Steady
Business confidence in Ontario remains low but steady after the first full year of tariff impacts, according to the Ontario Chamber of Commerce’s (OCC) 10th annual Ontario Economic Report.
The OCC released its flagship, evidence-based assessment of Ontario’s economy, combining its annual province-wide Business Confidence Survey with forward-looking analysis.
Top 3 key findings
- Business confidence sits at 23 per cent, signalling resilience but not recovery; 52 per cent are not confident in Ontario’s economic outlook
- Rising costs remain the top barrier to investment, with concerns related specifically to input costs, prompting many firms to pause or scale back capital projects
- Simplified and lower taxes, stable regulation and clear long-term policy signals are seen as essential to attracting domestic and international investment