The Greater Niagara Chamber of Commerce (GNCC), an organization representing over 35,000 employees, travelled to Kelowna, BC, late last month to speak on behalf of Niagara’s business community at the Canadian Chamber’s Annual General Meeting. As the mouthpiece for local professionals and businesses, the GNCC proposed a series of obstacles Niagara Region currently faces, as such issues may also burden other communities across the country. The topics discussed this year will hopefully make it on to 2014′s national agenda.
The theme of this year’s general meeting was “A Canada that works and plays.” Though not explicitly apparent by the title, the meeting held between Sept. 28 and 30th, 2013, identified Canada’s skill shortages and tourism faults. Both of these problems agree with the GNCC’s current initiative, the Blueprint for Economic Growth and Prosperity. Essentially, this action plan focuses on five main areas:
(1) Establishing an effective and efficient “Open for Business” culture
(2) Implement Infrastructure that will encourage growth and diversity in Niagara
(3) Foster innovation, incubation and entrepreneurship
(4) Construct a “21st-century” workforce in Niagara Region
(5) Increase investments that will improve the overall economic condition of the region
The Canadian Chamber of Commerce is Canada’s largest business association, acting as a mediator between federal and municipality economies. Their current network spans 450 boards, consisting of over 200,000 businesses across the country.
