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Windsor-Essex Regional Chamber of Commerce reacts to 2024 Federal Budget

Windsor, April 18, 2024 — The Windsor-Essex Regional Chamber of Commerce approaches the 2024 Federal Budget with cautious optimism as it reflects on the government of Canada’s promises and priorities. The Chamber sees key benefits that will help our region while looking beyond to greater challenges of the local and national economy.

“We are pleased with some key elements that will be positive for our region” said Rakesh Naidu, Chamber President & CEO. “New funding to reduce the costs of electric vehicles and funding to develop charging infrastructure are a key part to making sure that the transition over to EVs is as smooth as possible for consumers and businesses.”

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Windsor-Essex Regional Chamber of Commerce Partners with Elavon to Provide Members with Merchant Services Savings

The Windsor-Essex Regional Chamber of Commerce is thrilled to announce a new partnership with Elavon to provide Chamber members with discounts for merchant Services. Elavon is an industry leader used by major retailers such as Costco Canada to provide payment and other merchant services to businesses and organizations.

“As more and more business is dependent upon the convenience of the cards in our wallets, this is an essential need for any small business that serve the public” said Chamber CEO Rakesh Naidu. “The Chamber is always looking for ways to provide members with great value for their membership and this new partnership will support our member businesses with greater savings on enhanced merchant services.”

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Windsor-Essex Regional Chamber of Commerce Successfully Advocates for Businesses at Canadian Chamber AGM

The Windsor-Essex Regional Chamber of Commerce is delighted to have the support of Chamber network partners across Canada for its policy resolutions submitted for the Canadian Chamber of Commerce’s (CCC) 2023-2026 Policy Compendium. These resolutions are aimed at streamlining the immigration to workforce pipeline and updating tax provisions for commercial vehicles.

“After reaching out to our Chamber partners locally and across Southern Ontario, we are pleased to see support for our policy resolutions at the national level,” said Chamber CEO Rakesh Naidu. “The resolutions we put forward are designed to help bolster the Canadian workforce and address with the challenges businesses across the country are facing.”

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Windsor-Essex Regional Chamber of Commerce Responds to Canada Emergency Business Account (CEBA) Announcement

The Windsor-Essex Regional Chamber of Commerce is pleased by the announcement that the Federal Government is giving businesses an extra year to repay their Canada Emergency Business Account (CEBA) loans.

“While these loans were a lifeline for businesses during the pandemic, many are still recovering from its effects,” said Chamber CEO Rakesh Naidu. “In the wake of COVID-19, many businesses are still dealing with high inflation, labour shortages, and supply chain challenges. The CEBA loan repayment at the end of the year was a challenge that many businesses might not have been able to handle.”

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Windsor-Essex Regional Chamber of Commerce Successfully Advocates for Local Sectors at Ontario Chamber AGM

The Windsor-Essex Regional Chamber of Commerce is delighted to have the support of our Chamber network partners for our policy resolutions submitted for the Ontario Chamber of Commerce’s (OCC) Policy Compendium, 2023-2026. These resolutions covered our burgeoning wine sector, the evolving auto industry, and growing international student population.

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Canada’s 2023 Budget Must Address Declining Productivity

With the economy facing global headwinds, Canada needs competitive investments in innovation, productivity, and sustainable economic growth. However, growth cannot occur without significant and sustained investments from the private sector – and those dollars will flow where productivity is highest. Today, the Windsor-Essex Regional Chamber of Commerce and the Ontario Chamber of Commerce (OCC) released the 2023 Federal Budget Submission to lay the path for business predictability and competitiveness.

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Chamber: Ontario’s 2023 Budget Must Focus on Growth Enabling Investments

According to the Ontario Chamber of Commerce’s (OCC) Ontario Economic Report (OER), Ontario business confidence has dropped to a record low in 2023. Labour shortages, inflation, health care system vulnerabilities, and fears of a potential economic contraction are dampening confidence in the province’s economic outlook.

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Ontario’s Tourism Industry Needs Comprehensive Growth Strategy

While domestic and inbound tourism improved in the latter half of 2022, the industry is not expected to fully recover from the pandemic until 2025 – a situation that looks grimmer as a recession approaches, cost of living goes up, and consumer spending behaviour shifts. Ontario’s tourism sector is calling for a comprehensive strategy to address ongoing impacts of COVID-19 border closures, capacity restrictions, and structural issues.

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Cross Border Chambers Welcome End of ArriveCAN and other Border Measures

The Windsor-Essex Regional Chamber of Commerce is delighted with the Government of Canada’s decision to end the mandatory use of the ArriveCAN app and other border restrictions. The Detroit Regional Chamber joined it’s Canadian counterparts in applauding the Canadian government’s decision.

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