Policy & Advocacy

The OCC’s Climate Action Series and climate report, aim to build awareness and promote Ontario’s leadership in the green economy, emphasizing the importance of climate adaptation measures to protect communities from severe weather events and natural disasters.

On May 5, 2025, the Government of Ontario announced an investment of an additional $5 million to help communities prepare for and respond to emergencies through the Community Emergency Preparedness Grant. This funding will support local training, purchase of critical equipment and improve infrastructure to support community resilience in the face of future emergencies.

The OCC called on the provincial government—through a letter to Ministers Lecce, Sarkaria, and Surma on April 15—to prioritize strategic infrastructure investments and leverage tax levers that could strengthen Ontario’s manufacturing sector. Specifically, we recommended dedicated funding for industrial infrastructure, site readiness, and workforce development, as well as enhancements to the Ontario Made Manufacturing Investment Tax Credit. We stressed that these measures are essential to improving supply chain efficiency, attracting new investment, and protecting high-value, trade-exposed jobs across Ontario. These priorities were also reinforced during the OCC’s participation in the 2025 pre-budget consultations.

On May 5, 2025, the Ontario government announced two major commitments aligned with the OCC’s recommendations:

1. $1.3 Billion Investment in Manufacturing Infrastructure:
   The government unveiled a $1.3 billion package to support Ontario’s manufacturing sector, including funding to modernize critical infrastructure, enhance site readiness, and expand workforce training programs. This investment is expected to safeguard over 100,000 jobs, increase productivity, and position Ontario as a North American leader in advanced manufacturing.
2. Enhancement and Expansion of the Ontario Made Manufacturing Investment Tax Credit:
   To further protect manufacturing jobs amid rising global uncertainty and the impact of U.S. tariffs, the government is enhancing the Ontario Made Manufacturing Investment Tax Credit by increasing the rate from 10% to 15% for Canadian-controlled private corporations and expanding eligibility to non-Canadian-controlled corporations through a non-refundable With these changes, eligible businesses could receive up to $3 million per year credit. With these changes, eligible businesses could receive up to $3 million per year in tax relief for investments in manufacturing-related buildings, machinery, and equipment. Read the release: Ontario Investing $1.3 Billion to Protect Manufacturing Workers and Jobs.

The OCC has repeatedly called on the Government of Ontario to invest in post-secondary institutions, including by enhancing research funding to bolster the province’s position as a leader in innovation and its ability to attract top-tier global talent. Funding can enable researchers to engage with and study cutting-edge technologies, elevating our capacity for knowledge creation, mobilization, and commercialization. These perspectives were outlined in a March 19 letter to Ministers Quinn and Bethlenfalvy, and echoed in a meeting with Minister  Bethlenfalvy on April 22.

On April 25, 2025, ​the Ontario government announced it is investing $75 million in 162 research and innovation projects across the province. This funding supports advancements in key sectors such as life sciences, clean energy, and advanced manufacturing, with the goal of driving economic growth and job creation. The investments are part of Ontario’s commitment to fostering homegrown innovation and ensuring the province remains competitive in the global economy. Read the release: Ontario Driving Homegrown Innovation in Key Sectors

Through its Culture Sector Initiative, the Ontario Chamber has advocated for sustained investment in festivals, events, and cultural activities to drive economic growth, support local businesses, and enhance community well-being. Strengthening Ontario’s cultural sector is critical to fostering regional economic development, attracting visitors, and creating jobs—particularly in sectors that were hit hardest by the pandemic. Continued investment will help ensure that arts and culture remain key drivers of Ontario’s competitiveness. Read the OCC’s full report: OCC Arts and Culture Initiative

On April 24, 2025, the Government of Ontario announced an investment of $20 million through the Experience Ontario 2025 Program to support festivals and events across the province. This funding will help organizers deliver vibrant experiences that attract visitors, support local businesses, and showcase Ontario’s diverse communities. These investments will create jobs, boost regional economies, and strengthen Ontario’s cultural and tourism sectors, directly aligning with the OCC’s calls for targeted support for arts, culture, and events as outlined in our Arts and Culture Initiative. Read the full release: Ontario Investing $20 Million to Support Festivals and Events Across the Province

The OCC has long advocated for the urgent need to strengthen Ontario’s postsecondary education system to build a resilient workforce and drive economic growth. As outlined in our April 15, 2025 letter to Ministers Quinn and Piccini, and reinforced in our 2024 Provincial Budget Submission, we are calling for increased base operating grants, fully funded enrolment expansion, and greater investment in research to ensure institutions can deliver high-quality education, address labour shortages, and support innovation. In particular, the Ontario Chamber has emphasized the need to boost skills training, reskilling, and upskilling initiatives in partnership with government, industry, and academia. These investments are essential to securing Ontario’s long-term economic competitiveness.

On April 22, 2025, the Government of Ontario announced $750 million in new investments for the postsecondary education sector. The announcement introduces financial support for institutions, measures to enhance accountability and sustainability, and initiatives to ensure students continue to have access to high-quality education. These investments will fund up to 20,500 science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) seats per year, building a skilled, made-in-Ontario talent pool connected to the provinces colleges and universities to address talent gaps, and ensure students graduate with the skills employers need.  Read the full release: Ontario Protecting Workers and Jobs by Investing in Postsecondary Education

The OCC has been a vocal advocate for the development of the Ring of Fire, emphasizing its potential to significantly bolster Ontario’s economy. In January 2025, the OCC released a statement in support of Ontario’s plan to accelerate strategic resource development, highlighting the importance of addressing challenges such as access to capital, workforce gaps, and regulatory approvals. The OCC has been a staunch proponent of streamlining of regulatory processes, particularly in the Ring of Fire, to realize Ontario’s potential, provided that environmental integrity is ensured and Indigenous and treaty rights are upheld. Through the OCC’s Mining Initiative, the chamber continues to work with a diverse range of industry stakeholders to understand the challenges the sector faces and opportunities to unlock Ontario’s mining potential.

On April 17, the Government of Ontario introduced the Protect Ontario by Unleashing Our Economy Act, 2025. If passed, this legislation would cut red tape and duplicative processes that delay and increase business risk during the development of critical infrastructure, mining and resource development projects including in the Ring of Fire. Streamlining the process for permitting and authorization will serve to minimize delays, lower costs and speed up the approvals process.

The OCC has been a long supporter and advocate of dismantling barriers to interprovincial trade and labour mobility. The Chamber has called for the province 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. Most recently, the Chamber collaborated with Canada’s provincial and territorial chambers of commerce to call on all provincial premiers to commit to strengthening the Canada Free Trade Agreement (CFTA) by expanding regulatory harmonization and removing remaining protectionist barriers, as well as accelerate credential recognition for internationally trained professionals, including engineers, physicians, nurses, paramedics, and laboratory technologists. Read the OCC’s 2024 Provincial Budget Submission and the Chambers of the Federation Agenda.

On April 16, the Premier of Ontario, announced new legislation to break down interprovincial trade and labour mobility barriers. The Protect Ontario through Free Trade within Canada Act, 2025, if passed, would make Ontario the first province to remove all its CFTA exceptions, allowing certified workers and goods from across Canada to move freely. This move is expected to create jobs, attract investment, and reduce consumer costs by up to 14.5%. Read the release: Ontario Unlocking Free Trade Within Canada

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.

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.

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.

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.