Unleashing Economic Potential of Northern Ontario’s Economy Critical to a Stronger Ontario

(Sudbury – September 18, 2019) Today, the Ontario Chamber of Commerce in partnership with the Greater Sudbury Chamber of Commerce hosted a panel discussion and launch event, “Northern Ontario’s Innovation Ecosystem.” This is one of three events being held across the province on strengthening Ontario’s regional economies to reinforce the prosperity of the province as a whole.

“Innovation is fundamental to economic competitiveness in the 21^st century. In Northern Ontario, traditional industries such as mining and forestry are adopting new technologies to increase their productivity, attract high-skilled workers, and improve the quality of their outputs,” said Claudia Dessanti, Policy Analyst at the Ontario Chamber of Commerce. “Our communities – and the province as a whole – risk falling behind if we do not leverage the rich and diverse competitive advantages of our local economies. That is why we’re here to discuss what innovation means for different industries in Northern Ontario and opportunities to strengthen Sudbury’s long-term capacity for innovation.”

Last week, the Ontario Chamber of Commerce released its latest report, The Great Mosaic: Reviving Ontario’s Regional Economies. The report urges policymakers to take a modern and comprehensive approach to economic development by leveraging the existing competitive advantages of Ontario’s regions, such as Northern Ontario, and implement deliberate strategies to support long-term growth in communities across the province.

“The Greater Sudbury Chamber of Commerce will continue to work with our members, government and stakeholders to ensure that our community and regions across Ontario can remain competitive in a rapidly changing economy,” said Bryan Welsh, Chair of the Greater Sudbury Chamber of Commerce. “Efforts to drive forward economic development and innovation are critical to the prosperity of businesses and job creators in Greater Sudbury.”

Resources

• Read the OCC’s report, The Great Mosaic: Reviving Ontario’s Regional Economies here.
• Read full list of recommendations from the report here.

For more information please contact:

Ariel Benjamin
Communications Coordinator
Ontario Chamber of Commerce
arielbenjamin@occ.ca | 647-243-3561

Syed Raza
Policy and Communications Manager
Greater Sudbury Chamber of Commerce
syed@sudburychamber.ca | (705) – 677-573

About the Regional Economic Development Mini-Series
The Ontario Chamber of Commerce is hosting three events in Sudbury, Peterborough and Hamilton, bringing together private and public sector stakeholders to discuss how government can build upon regional economic development policy and strengthen the long-term capacity for innovation across the Province.

About the Ontario Chamber of Commerce
For more than a century, the Ontario Chamber of Commerce (OCC) has been the independent, non-partisan voice of Ontario business. The OCC’s mission is to support economic growth in Ontario by defending business priorities at Queen’s Park on behalf of its network’s diverse 60,000 members.

The Greater Sudbury Chamber of Commerce
Over the past 120 years, the Greater Sudbury Chamber of Commerce has been led by 65 community leaders and provided an opportunity for hundreds of dedicated and passionate business leaders to volunteer their skills and experiences on committees, task forces and panels. The Greater Sudbury Chamber of Commerce is Sudbury’s leading business organization, providing maximum opportunity to its members by being the driving force behind community growth and economic prosperity.

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