7 minute read
ADVOCACY IN ACTION
LOCAL & REGIONAL
MISSISSAUGA TO BE AN INDEPENDENT CITY
After many years of debate under Mayor Bonnie Crombie and former Mayor Hazel McCallion, Mississauga will become a stand-alone, independent city. On January 1, 2025, the Region of Peel will be dissolved while Brampton and Caledon will also become stand-alone, independent municipalities.
There are many topics to address in the coming 15 months. What will happen to the key areas of responsibility at the Region of Peel? These include the police, water, and waste management. Leaders of Mississauga, Brampton and Caledon have spoken in favour of continued joint oversight of currently shared responsibilities, but time will tell whether local leaders can find common ground to fund these services.
PEEL TRANSITION BOARD APPOINTED
To provide guidance on how to navigate the dissolution of Peel and the creation of three independent cities, the Government of Ontario appointed a five-person transition board. The members of the Board are professional in their respective fields which include municipal government, law, policing and government finances.
MBOT will be actively engaged in issues to be addressed by the Peel Transition Board. Watch for a planned MBOT submission to the Board on areas of concern to the Mississauga business community.
MISSISSAUGA COMMERCIAL TAXES
One of the issues that MBOT will watch closely during the process to become an independent city is property taxes. Commercial property taxes were increased 4.04% in January 2023 while the inflation rate was 6% at that time. With anticipated savings for the City of Mississauga as a result of Peel dissolution, MBOT will continue to advocate for commercial tax increases no greater than the rate of inflation. Inflation numbers in 2023 have fluctuated between 2.8% and 5.9% with the annual inflation rate registering in July at 3.3%. There are many factors that influence property tax rates; amidst all the economic pressures domestically and globally, MBOT will continue to push for fair and reasonable increases for commercial property taxpayers.
PROVINCIAL
MINIMUM WAGE INCREASED
On October 1, Ontario’s general minimum wage increased from $15.50 per hour to $16.55 per hour. The $1.05 per hour increase represents a 6.8% increase; this compares with an inflation rate that ranged from 2.8% to 6.9% during the 12 months from October 2022 to July 2023. The Mississauga Board of Trade supports the Ontario Chamber of Commerce’s advocacy at Queen’s Park on this issue where they have made the case that the minimum wage should be increased roughly at the rate of inflation.
MORE HOMES BUILT FASTER ACT, 2022
Housing affordability has become one of the most critical issues facing governments in Canada. Elected officials from all levels of government are regularly posed questions about how housing supply can be increased.
This challenge resonates with many demographic groups ranging from low- to middle-income families, newcomers and across different regions in Canada. The Ontario Government enacted the More Homes Built Faster Act nearly a year ago, but the debate about its implications continues. Municipalities have voiced significant concerns about the loss of development charges. Moreover, urban planners have pointed out that transportation infrastructure has not kept pace with population growth, which is a well-known problem for residents and businesses in Mississauga. Some initiatives are well-positioning cities like Mississauga such as the Hazel McCallion Line and the Dundas Bus Rapid Transit line.
Regardless of how these issues will be resolved, MBOT will remain on the front lines advocating for a strong role for the private sector to solve the housing crisis and meet the housing needs of generations to come.
WORKING FOR WORKERS ACT, 2023
There are many issues addressed in the 2023 legislation, including:
• job protection for reservists if they are deployed to emergency operations in Canada;
• higher fines for corporations that violate the Occupational Health and Safety Act;
• requiring employers to provide 8 weeks’ minimum termination notice for workers who work solely from home;
increasing fines for employers who confiscate foreign nationals’ passports or work permits; and, requiring employers to provide employees with information about their job such as pay, location and hours of work and the date by which that information needs to provided.
Two areas of the legislation that have been highlighted in chambers’ advocacy include:
• helping foreign-trained professionals become licensed in Ontario; and,
increasing access to skilled trades by allowing high school students to transition to full-time skilled trades apprenticeship programs.
FEDERAL
MP RECHIE VALDEZ IN CABINET
Summer 2023 saw Mississauga-Streetsville MP Rechie Valdez appointed to the federal cabinet as Minister of Small Business. Mississauga could not be more fortunate in being the home community for Canada’s minister for this portfolio. Look for MBOT to be engaged with Minister Valdez on issues of concern to the business community.
FEDERAL BUDGET DELIVERED; MINISTER ALGHABRA SPEAKS TO MBOT
The federal government’s 2023 budget included significant investment for industry in Mississauga. Initiatives supporting numerous sectors as well as the supply chain and transportation infrastructure all contribute to the local economy in Mississauga.
Subsequent to the budget’s release, the then Minister of Transport and current MP for Mississauga Centre, Hon. Omar Alghabra spoke to MBOT. Topics included effective and efficient supply chains, climate change, all-day GO train service on the Milton Line, as well as sustaining and growing airports like Toronto Pearson.
MBOT engages often with decision-makers in all levels of government on policies or areas of support, as these investments ensure that Mississauga continues to grow economically.
CEBA LOAN EXTENSION DEADLINE
The Mississauga Board of Trade is happy to support the extension of the deadline for Canada Emergency Business Account (CEBA) loan repayments. The federal government has said that outstanding loans as of January 1, 2024, will become a two-year term loan with a 5% interest rate. The loan is to be paid in full by December 31, 2025.
Many industry groups, local and provincial chambers of commerce as well as the Canadian Chamber of Commerce have called for the current repayment deadline to be extended to the end of 2025.
Why should the CEBA loan deadline be extended?
As of July 2023:
49% of small businesses are still making below normal revenues;
50% of food service operators are currently operating at a loss or breakeven in comparison to 12% prepandemic; and,
45% of Canada’s tourism businesses are likely or somewhat likely to close within the next three years without government intervention into their mounting debt load.
Moreover, as of May 2023, only 21% of CEBA loans had been repaid. The vast majority of businesses that received CEBA loans will have a sizeable debt load that will be difficult to pay if the deadline is not extended beyond the end of 2023.
IMMIGRATION NUMBERS INCREASED: 500,000 BY 2025
The Government of Canada is aiming to admit half a million immigrants by 2025. This policy goal is rooted partially in the Canadian economy’s need for more workers, especially in industries experiencing labour shortages. Chambers of commerce from across the country – along with the Mississauga Board of Trade – have long advocated for increased immigration of people in specific professions, skilled tradespeople, and workers with expertise in specific industries. This is vital for the Canadian economy to meet its labour market needs.
Through chambers’ advocacy, the federal government has responded. Additional reasons for increasing the number of immigrants are rooted in the public policy challenge of an aging society. There is a strong need to increase the number of taxpayers to fund government in the decades to come.
BC PORTS STRIKE
Recent years have shown how fragile the world’s supply chain is. Problems have ranged from inadequate supplies of personal protective equipment during the pandemic to a ship running aground in the Suez Canal, and, this past summer, a port workers strike in BC.
MBOT was supportive of the Canadian Chamber of Commerce’s efforts to end the BC ports strike. In the lead up to the strike (which began on July 1), the Canadian Chamber voiced its concerns about a possible strike damaging the supply chain. Once the strike began, many companies struggled, including some in Mississauga. Whether it was a problem acquiring parts for manufacturing locally or an inability to bring fresh produce from farms to market, the economy was compromised. The Vancouver Board of Trade estimates that the strike resulted in a disruption of $10.7 billion worth of goods. With the labour dispute now resolved, it is expected to take months to address the backlog of goods that accumulated during the strike.