ISSUES

2005/2006 PRIORITY ISSUES

The Ajax-Pickering Board of Trade has a strong Government Relations committee, led by Warren Hurren of Hurren Sinclair and MacIntyre, that monitors the priorities of the membership of the Board as determined through an annual survey. 

Ongoing issues are also kept on the Committee’s radar to ensure that the business perspective is always considered.  The Board has close ties with the economic development departments in both municipalities with representatives from Ajax and Pickering on the both the Board of Directors and the Government Relations Committee.  The Board also enjoys a strong working relationship with the Region of Durham, our local Members of Provincial Parliament, and our local elected Federal representatives.

1. Economic Development

• Helping existing businesses to grow and prosper
• Assisting in the attraction of new businesses to Ajax & Pickering
• Ensuring  that employment lands are not converted to non-employment uses

2. Health Care

• Assisting in the recruitment of physicians to the community
• Lobbying for the expansion of the Rouge Valley Hospital – Ajax

3. Education

• Working with the educational sector to ensure the future supply of skilled labour.
• Promoting access to education for employees (i.e. distance learning initiatives, upgrading skills)
• Promoting the Digital Leadership initiative to help make local students the most computer literate in the world.

4. Transportation Issues

• Lobbying for the extension of Hwy. 407
• Lobbying for the extension of Hwy. 401
• Lobbying for the expansion of transit services through our business areas.
• Lobbying for the widening of Hwy. 7

5. Community and Social Development

• Need to work with governments to ensure appropriate social and recreational services are available to retain and attract employees
• Need to address safety within our business areas

6. Environment

• Ensuring a coordination of efforts between government towards environmental sustainability
• Monitoring the expansion of the Duffins Creek Pollution Control Plant

7. Energy

• Lobbying government to ensure competitively-priced sources of electricity for the future
• Lobbying government to provide incentives for business prepared for any emergency
• Monitoring government to ensure a reliable source of energy for the future
• Providing on-going information to our members regarding new issues in this field

8. Government Relations

• Providing access to information  about government funding & incentive programs
• Lobbying for the need for balanced budgets with all levels of government

9. Airport Development

• Need to establish a timeline for final resolution of this issue.
• Need for an airport in north Pickering
• Need for an environmental assessment for the airport development

10. Emergency Preparedness

• Lobbying all levels of government to ensure that appropriate plans are in place for emergencies.
• Providing information on how to make your business prepared for any emergency.

In addition to monitoring the ongoing issues, the Ajax-Pickering Board of Trade, by way of the Government Relations Committee, endeavours to educate and inform its members on how to ‘take care of business’.  An Emergency Preparedness workshop that included presentations from all levels of government, from municipal to federal, was very well received, and plans are under way for a follow up event.  Attendees took away a template for creating their own emergency plan and learned what partnerships are in place in their own municipality.  

Although blackouts, terrorism or severe weather are obvious threats to business, they aren’t the only concern for owners or supervisors.  Emotional Wellness in the Workplace focused on an issue to which no one is immune, either by personal or arm’s length experience.  In partnership with Sun Life, Ontario Power Generation and the University of Ontario Institute of Technology, The Ajax-Pickering Board of Trade presented this seminar on the awareness, management and financial impact of emotional wellness as it relates to business.  We were also fortunate to have Hockey great Ron Ellis and Durham’s own Dan Carter share their personal experiences. This too was very well received and it is our intention to offer at least one such event per year.        

The Ajax Pickering Board of Trade is a non-partisan organization, yet we ensure that our membership is kept informed on upcoming elections and issues, by hosting All-Candidate Information Sessions for every Municipal, Provincial and Federal election.  

Our parent companies, the Ontario and Canadian Chambers of Commerce represent 57,000 and 177,000 business respectively and also provide valuable information and support at all levels of government and provide the Board with regular updates and newsletters to share with our membership.

Our members utilize the Priority Survey to share their concerns, opinions and ideas so that the APBOT can represent their views to all levels of Government.  Through regular contact with Minister of Public Infrastructure Renewal, we were instrumental in securing the funding for the redevelopment of the Rouge Valley Health System, Ajax site.   We continue to ensure business representation on all levels of government.  We have provided representation on the Duffins Creek Water Pollution Control Plant, as well as the Southeast Collector Trunk Sewer, and will also have a seat on the Highway 407 Corridor (Seaton) Steering Committee (employment lands study) to determine the terms of reference for and consultant for the project. 

Our Volunteer Board of Directors and the many volunteer committee members work tirelessly to ensure that the voice of business is heard.

The Ajax-Pickering Board of Trade