The OCC is Ontario’s largest, most inclusive, and credible business network.
A respected voice among government decision-makers, the Ontario Chamber of Commerce is Ontario’s non-partisan business advocate. The OCC undertakes the province’s most pressing policy issues on behalf of our members, and advocates for evidence-based solutions that will foster economic growth in the province. The OCC’s work is based on the belief that a strong business community is the foundation for a prosperous Ontario.
Together with our 60,000 members, the Ontario Chamber Network makes up Ontario’s largest, most inclusive, and credible business network. Learn how you can become a part of this powerful network.
Determining our agenda
The OCC conducts research and develops policy that aims to attract investment and business growth in the province. OCC members drive our policy work, shaping our advocacy through a policy resolution process. Each year Ontario’s Chamber Network gathers at our Annual General Meeting (AGM) & Convention to debate and define the resolutions that inform advocacy efforts for the coming year. See our current policy compendium tabled from our latest AGM.
The OCC also leverages the expertise of our board of directors and corporate membership through a policy committee and task force that helps to shape our policy priorities and processes.
Advocacy Wins
Historic Investments in Passenger Rail
The OCC has long been a proud supporter of transportation investments that drive regional economic growth, tourism and job creation. Investments in Canada’s rail infrastructure would benefit Ontario significantly, driving economic development along passenger corridors, reducing carbon emissions and offering more transit options for commuters and travellers. Such investments are particularly vital given Canada’s population growth and unprecedented demands on our existing transportation system. Read the OCC’s 2024 Federal Budget Submission.
On February 19, 2025, the Prime Minister announced that Canada is developing a high-speed rail network in the Toronto-Quebec City corridor. This rail network will span approximately 1,000 kilometers and reach speeds of up to 300 km/hour. Once operational, this project will cut travel times by half. This infrastructure investment is projected to boost Canada’s GDP by up to $35 billion and create over 51,000 jobs during construction. Read the release.
Improving Interprovincial Labour Mobility for Skilled Tradespeople
In the OCC’s 2024 Provincial Budget Submission, we called on the government to take bold national leadership on interprovincial trade by signing mutual recognition agreements and/or unilaterally recognizing standards in other parts of the country, where appropriate, to promote trade and labour mobility.
In August 2024, the Government of Ontario signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Government of Nova Scotia to improve interprovincial mobility for skilled tradespeople, including post-journeyperson certification. The Province continues to seek new ways to improve the labour supply and create the opportunity for qualified skilled tradespeople to become certified in Ontario and address labour shortages.
Reducing Red Tape and Improving the Movement of Goods
In several letters, submissions and engagements with federal and provincial government representatives, the OCC has highlighted that the lack of consistent or harmonized regulations across provinces and territories harms productivity and workers. The OCC has called on governments to address labour shortages in the trucking industry, particularly acute for small business operators to support economic growth and prosperity.
In September 2024, the Government of Canada launched a pilot project to mutually recognize regulatory requirements in the trucking sector. This coalition Ontario, Nova Scotia, Manitoba, Prince Edward Island, Saskatchewan, Alberta, Newfoundland and Labrador, Northwest Territories, Yukon, and Nunavut. Under this new trucking pilot, participating provinces and territories will commit to recognizing each other’s regulatory requirements, even where differences exist allowing trucks and the goods they carry to move across Canada more effectively, without compromising safety and security measures. Read the release.
Province Launches Next State of Life Science Strategy
In our 2024 provincial budget submission, we called on the government to drive innovation in Ontario’s life sciences ecosystem. Specifically, we highlighted the need to expedite the implementation of the province’s life sciences strategy and prioritize investments throughout the ecosystem. In October 2024, we sent a letter to Minister Fedeli and Minister Jones calling for the government to accelerate the implementation and broaden the scope of the Province’s life sciences strategy. As a member of the Life Sciences Collaborative, we collectively voiced the need for government to champion investments in life sciences and support Ontario’s economic recovery in the report, Building Ontario’s Resiliency: Empowering the Life Sciences Ecosystem.
In October 2024, the Government Ontario announced the next phase of Taking Life Sciences to the Next Level, Ontario’s life science strategy. This includes a $146 million investment to spur the sector’s growth of which up to $46 million will go towards the Ontario Biosciences Research Infrastructure Fund, helping to boost research capacity at postsecondary institutions and affiliated research hospitals. Read the release.