Chamber: Ontario’s 2023 Budget Supports Greater Productivity and Workforce Development

(Toronto – March 23, 2023) – The Ontario Chamber of Commerce’s (OCC) President and CEO, Rocco Rossi, issued the following statement in reaction to the provincial government’s 2023 budget, Building a Strong Ontario.

“We appreciate the government’s focus on fiscal responsibility while maintaining growth-enabling investments that support greater productivity,” said Rocco Rossi, President and CEO of the Ontario Chamber of Commerce. “Particularly, we welcome the Government of Ontario’s continued efforts to address labour shortages, including in health care and the skilled trades, and support business investment in key sectors like manufacturing and mining.”

Several measures announced in the province’s budget are welcome news for Ontario’s business community. These include:

• Further steps to address labour market challenges by boosting immigration through the Ontario Immigrant Nominee Program and removing barriers to foreign credential recognition through the Ontario Bridge Training Program.
• Creation of additional pathways into health care jobs through the expansion of the dual credit program which will provide secondary students with opportunities to start their careers as nurses, personal support workers, medical laboratory technicians and paramedics sooner.
• Introduction of the Ontario made Manufacturing Investment Tax Credit to support local manufacturing companies in investing and expanding in Ontario, strengthening provincial supply chains.
• Investments in mental health through an additional $425 million over three years for mental health and addictions, including a five per cent increase in the base funding of community‐based mental health and addiction service providers funded by the Ministry of Health.

The OCC looks forward to continuing to work with the Government of Ontario on other areas of importance to its members, such as:

• A comprehensive health human resource strategy and integrated health data system to improve health care capacity and outcomes.
• Additional supports for small businesses through scaling digitization funding and training programs and improving access to private capital and credit.
• Climate adaptation and mitigation strategies with clear targets, measures to strengthen communities’ climate emergency preparedness, and support for businesses in the transition to net-zero.
• Removing interprovincial barriers to trade and labour mobility by signing mutual recognition agreements and/or unilaterally recognizing standards in other parts of the country, where appropriate.
• Taking further action on Ontario’s supply chain vulnerabilities through trade-enabling infrastructure investments and programs to help small and medium-sized enterprises adopt risk management and diversification strategies and supporting modernization.

“We look forward to continuing to work with the Premier and Government of Ontario to advance business prosperity on behalf of our members,” added Rossi.

READ THE OCC’S BUDGET SUBMISSION HERE.

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About the Ontario Chamber of Commerce
The Ontario Chamber of Commerce (OCC) is the indispensable partner of business and Canada’s largest, most influential provincial chamber. It is an independent, not-for-profit advocacy and member services organization representing a diverse network of 60,000 members. The OCC’s mission is to convene, align and advance the interests of its members through principled policy work, value-added business services and broad engagement to drive competitiveness and economic growth in the province.

For more information, please contact:
Andrea Carmona
Manager, Public Affairs,
Ontario Chamber of Commerce
andreacarmona@occ.ca | Mobile: (647) 234-0255