**TIMMINS CHAMBER OF COMMERCE NEWS RELEASE**

To provide candidates with strategies for a thriving city, the Timmins Chamber of Commerce has released A Timmins That Works: Business Priorities for the 2018 Municipal Election, a policy platform focusing on cost control and business growth.

Built by the Chamber in consultation with local firms and entrepreneurs, A Timmins That Works outlines the business community’s most pressing recommendations for building a strong economic future beyond the Oct. 22 municipal election.

“By issuing our top municipal priorities months prior to the election, and just weeks before the July 27 nomination deadline, we hope that this document will be used by candidates as they build their own platforms and seek to better understand the specific interests of our businesses,” said Jamie Clarke, president of the Timmins Chamber of Commerce.

“This is crucial, because businesses are the backbone of Timmins’ economy. By helping them to invest and succeed, while also focusing on fiscal responsibility, our next municipal council can truly create a strong, sustainable future.”

With these goals as its foundation, A Timmins That Works outlines eight specific recommendations for a strong, sustainable city. These include:

• Careful selection and management of large projects. Given the number of large-scale initiatives in the works and on the horizon, Chamber members continue to urge due diligence at all stages, from selection to planning to implementation. This should also include a full and public assessment of the city’s ability to bear all related costs, and an accounting of what those costs might look like over time.
• Targeted, transparent budgeting. The tight margins involved in municipal budgeting increase the importance of pursuing specific, aggressive low-tax targets. Through firm and publicly accountable decision-making, the city should also seek to replenish reserves and address municipal debt.
• Competitive business tax ratios. At a time where various assessment categories continue to face additional challenges, it is important to maintain tax ratios at current levels to ensure that the sustainability for businesses and to ensure they can continue to support the community in ways big and small.
• Business climate improvement. In recent years, the city has worked with the Timmins Chamber to identify and implement improvements for a number of municipal departments and processes that are relevant to business, such as purchasing, permitting, and the Victor M. Power Airport. That same dedication to continuous improvement should continue in the coming term in order to provide the best possible customer service.

“These priorities are not only a summary of what our members consider to be important for today; they also represent the ambitious direction we hope all municipal candidates will consider over the next four years and beyond,” said Clarke. “We may not always agree, but we all share a goal of making Timmins a great place to work, live, and play. That kind of respectful, collaborative approach on the issues is crucial, because together, we can build a Timmins that works.”

Interested candidates are encouraged to download A Timmins That Works: Business Priorities for the 2018 Municipal Election at the Chamber website at https://tinyurl.com/ATimminsThatWorks.