ST. JOHN’S/CNW/ – Perrin Beatty, president and chief executive officer, the Canadian Chamber of Commerce, and Elyse Allan, president and Chief Executive Officer, GE Canada, and Chair of the Canadian Chamber of Commerce, released recently a report entitled: The Business Case for Investing in Canada’s Remote Communities at the Canadian Chamber of Commerce’s annual general meeting in St. John’s, Newfoundland and Labrador.
During the first half of 2011, GE Canada sought the perspectives of businesspeople through roundtables in communities across Canada and an on online survey. At the same time, the Canadian Chamber of Commerce consulted with several of its members and other stakeholders.
“Canadians have to start looking at our remote communities differently”, stated Beatty. “Our collective economic wellbeing and our international competitiveness could well depend upon the public policies adopted today that leverage the economic possibilities of many of these communities and their potential to contribute to our nation’s wealth”.
MAIN FINDINGS
If all Canadians are to fully benefit from the potential of our remote communities, the federal government must take the lead in developing a long-term strategy that paves the way for remote communities to reap the rewards of economic development. While this long-term work is underway, the Canadian Chamber proposes more immediate measures the federal government – working alone, with the provinces/territories and/or with business – can take to create the policy environment needed to encourage private sector investment in remote communities.
This policy environment needs to include the following:
• skills and training programs flexible enough to accommodate the economic realities of individual communities and the alternate training models that may be required to deliver effective results in partnership with business whenever possible;
• effective transition support for those leaving remote communities to pursue studies in urban centers;
• tools to allow Canadian businesses and stakeholders in remote communities to familiarize themselves with each others’ business practices, governments, agencies, laws and regulations;
• a reduction in business’ regulatory burden by adopting a standardized “one project-one assessment approach” that harmonizes federal and provincial/territorial statutes and regulations;
• looking to the possibilities associated with extending broadband telecommunications to remote regions-and business models for delivering the services associated with them-as a model for engaging the private sector in other types of infrastructure construction and services delivery. This includes the government acting as a lead user and creator of demand;
• assisting stakeholders to pool their resources to address infrastructure gaps through using online tools, pilot projects and considering commercial applications for public infrastructure projects; and
• addressing the “investment vs. subsidy dilemma” for investing in remote communities. There is the perception that public dollars used to improve infrastructure in remote communities are subsidies.
The Canadian Chamber of Commerce helps shape public policy and decision-making to the benefit of businesses, communities and families with a network of over 420 chambers of commerce and boards of trade, representing 192,000 businesses of all sizes.
