**TIMMINS CHAMBER OF COMMERCE MEDIA RELEASE**

With the provincial election just weeks away, the Ontario Chamber of Commerce (OCC) and the Timmins Chamber of Commerce today called on all political parties to commit to reducing the cost of doing business and to cutting provincial red tape.

These are key requests that the province’s Chamber network continues to make through Vote Prosperity, a policy platform released in October, outlining priorities for a pro-growth agenda for this election and beyond. “Our members have made it clear that the growing, cumulative burden of doing business in Ontario is harming their ability to grow and thrive,” said Jamie Clarke, president of the Timmins Chamber of Commerce. “Bold action is required by our next government to address these challenges to help protect Ontario’s economy, which is why the OCC and the Timmins Chamber are calling on all political parties to adopt our plan.” According to Vote Prosperity, Ontario is currently the most regulated province in the country, thereby harming economic prosperity and its businesses’ ability to compete in the global marketplace.

The first pillar of this platform identifies the need for strengthening business competitiveness, which and calls on the government to:

• Allow Ontario businesses to purchase surplus electricity at rates equal to or better than the exported price to other jurisdictions.
• Conduct and publish the results of a comprehensive review of the electricity sector, including an objective economic impact analysis assessing the full range of inputs that make up the Global Adjustment, and then pursue cost-reducing measures based on the results.
• Pursue efforts to reduce Ontario’s greenhouse gas emissions in a manner that effectively mitigates risk to business competitiveness.
• Work with federal and local levels of government to establish a publicly available analysis of the cost of doing business in Ontario.
• Reinstate scheduled reductions in the Corporate Income Tax, standardize the Business Education Tax and reduce the Employer Health Tax.

“It is crucial for Ontario’s broader economic health that our entrepreneurs are able to invest in themselves, in their people, and in their communities,” said Clarke. “we must ensure that the connection between a strong private sector and a prosperous society is not lost.”

To help inform the public on the parties’ stance on these and other issues, the Timmins Chamber of Commerce is hosting a Candidates Debate on Wednesday, May 23. To be held at O’Gorman High School from 6:30 p.m. – 8 p.m., this free public event will feature: • Mickey Auger, Ontario Liberal Party

• Jozef Bauer, Ontario Libertarian Party

• Gilles Bisson, Ontario New Democratic Party

• Yvan Genier, Ontario PC Party

• Gary Schaap, Northern Ontario Party.

For more information about this event, visit the Timmins Chamber website at www.timminschamber.on.ca
To learn more about the Vote Prosperity platform, visit www.occ.ca/voteprosperity2018