City Hall Recognizes International Overdose Awareness Day For Aug. 31 With Flag Raising Ceremony

In honour of recognizing those who lost their lives to drug use, a purple flag was raised at City Hall in honour of International Overdose Awareness Day held every August 31 on Thursday morning.

Photo courtesy of The City of Peterborough.

The City of Peterborough with Moms Stop The Harm, Peterborough Police and Peterborough Paramedics were in attendance for the event.

Family and friends grieving the loss of a loved one; healthcare workers and support services extending strength and compassion and first responders are also recognized on Aug. 31. The day also highlights the importance of eliminating the stigma and discrimination against anyone who uses drugs.

According to Peterborough Public Health, between Jan. 1 and July 31, Peterborough paramedics responded to 182 suspected opioid-related 911 calls and drugs were responsible for 232 emergency department visits. There have been 43 people suspected to have died from drug poisonings as stated in a press release.

Photo courtesy of The City of Peterborough.

On Thursday, Moms Stop the Harm Peterborough is hosting a memorial event at Millennium Park from 1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. It features stories from family members who have lost loved ones, as well as information about substance use, overdose prevention, and harm reduction training. 

Prior to the event, community partners will be hosting flag raisings and harm reduction and naloxone distribution pop-ups throughout the City of Peterborough.

These pop-ups can be found at the following locations:

• Flag Raising – Peterborough City Hall
  Aug. 24 @ 10:00 a.m.

• Peterborough Public Library
  Aug. 25, 2023 @ 1:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m.
  Aug. 29, 2023 @ 1:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m.

• Peterborough Square
  Aug. 28, 2023 @ 1:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m.

• Peterborough Public Health, 185 King Street
  Aug. 30 @ 10:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.

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Hometown PTBO: Riley Watson On Winning Three Gold Medals In Rowing at the 139th Royal Canadian Henley Regatta

This week on Hometown PTBO, Pete Dalliday talks with competitive rower Riley Watson about his performance at the 139th Royal Canadian Henley Regatta, his training regimen and his post-secondary rowing future.

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Registration For the Ennismore Curling Club Is Open

Registration for the 2023-2024 season of the Ennismore Curling Club is now open.

Photo courtesy of the ENnismore Curling Club.

Curlers can register online for League Curling, Learn to Curl and Friday Drop-In Curling.

In-person registration and a club social is taking place on Sept. 15 at 7 p.m. at the club, located at 555 Ennis Rd. in Ennismore. Participants are invited to get a drink and catch up with their friends during this night.

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Things To Do In-and-Around Peterborough This Weekend; Aug. 25-28

Here are some things to do in Peterborough City and County this weekend from Aug. 25 - 28!

4th Line Theatre Presents: The Cavan Blazers

Millbrook’s 4th Line Theatre presents ‘The Cavan Blazers,’ written by Robert Winslow and directed by Kim Blackwell. 

It is a gritty, intense play that has the audience on the edge of its seat from start to finish. This drama chronicles the religious conflict between Catholic and Protestant Irish settlers in Cavan Township in the early to mid-nineteenth century. Violence erupts when a Protestant vigilante gang known as the Cavan Blazers tries to stop a Catholic settlement from being established.

When: Aug. 25 to 26, 6 p.m.

Where: 4th Line Theatre, Millbrook

Tickets: Youth (5-16), $45 and Adults, $50

Live Harness Racing at Kawartha Downs

See horses and drivers in the sulkies race around a five-eighths mile track at Kawartha Downs. Bet on your favourite horses and enjoy the dining experience while you see the horses circle the track.

When: Aug. 26, 7 p.m. - 10 p.m.

Where: Kawartha Downs

Tickets: Free

St. Joseph's Bargains & BBQ

Mark your calendars for Aug. 26 for the St. Joseph’s at Fleming Foundation’s FIRST EVER fundraiser “ BARGAINS & BBQ” Yard Sale and lunch. This will take place out on the St. Joseph’s at Fleming terrace.

All proceeds will go to St. Joseph’s at Fleming Foundation, to help raise money for our not-for-profit home.

When: Aug. 26, 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.

Where: St. Joseph’s at Fleming (659 Brealey Drive)

Tickets: Free

Lang Pioneer Village Corn Roast

Join the harvest season at the Corn Roast at Lang Pioneer Village Museum.

The family-friendly day has historic demonstrations, live music, and plenty of fire-cooked corn. Tour with a free horse-drawn wagon ride and tour the historic village.

The village will teach visitors how corn was used back then with examples such as corn bread, popcorn, dried corn, corn soups, and corn relish in the Fitzpatrick House, and sample some Johnny cake with maple syrup in the Milburn House.

The village will have demonstrations including threshing, bagging, fanning mill and corn grinding.

Traditional music is being performed by Lotus and Luke from the Weaver Shop porch.

A corn-on-the-cob eating contest taking place on the Village Green. Corn crafts and corn hole by the Ayotte Cabin are some activities that will be run.

When: Aug. 23, 10 a.m. - 4 p.m.

Where: Lang Pioneer Village

Tickets: Adults- $15, Students & Seniors (60+) – $10, Youths 5 to 14 Years of Age – $7, Children Under 5 Years of Age – Free, Family Pass (includes 2 Adults and up to 4 Youths) – $40

Tragic Tales – Little Lake Cemetery

On this tour, you will hear about the tragedy of the Turnbull Building collapse and discover details about the 1916 Quaker Fire that you may not know. Additional stories center on the untimely demise of little Freddie McMaster, the amazing life and career of strongman Daniel McDonald, and the burial of Col. Alexander McDonell, a Catholic, who was supposed to be interred outside St. Peters Cemetery but now has a prominent place near the Little Lake Cemetery Chapel.

When: Aug. 27, 3 p.m. 4:30 p.m.

Where: Little Lake Cemetery

Tickets: Free

Art Gallery Of Peterborough Presents: Reciprocity: Alice Teichert

Alice Teichert’s paintings are known for their holographic depth and unique luminosity, for their visual poetry and multi-faceted proximity to music. In this survey exhibition spanning four decades of practice, Teichert uses line, shape, and colour to push the edges of legibility to open new realms of dialogue.

Multidisciplinary artist Alice Teichert studied music, philosophy, visual poetry, visual arts, and printmaking in Belgium and France. She works from her studio in Port Hope, Ontario, Canada. Since 1989, she has built an international career with over 30 solo exhibitions in France, Canada, Switzerland, Germany and Australia. Known for her bold colours and layered transparencies interspersed with script-like line drawings, Teichert’s paintings are noted for their holographic depth. Her works are held in many corporate, private, and public collections including the MacLaren Art Centre, Global Affairs Canada, the Musée de la Ville de Valence (F) and the Museumsquartier of Lübeck (D).

When: Aug. 25 to 28, 11 a.m. - 5 p.m.

Where: Art Gallery of Peterborough

Tickets: Free (donations are accepted)

Chemong Lodge Presents Conman's Second Annual Lobsterfest

Join Chemong Lodge for the Conman's Second Annual Lobsterfest in support of Oceans Initiative!

We welcome you back to the Lodge for a day filled with Live Music and Entertainment, Family Fun and lots of Lobster in support of a cause that's close to our hearts.

You'll enjoy freshly caught East Coast Lobster and specialty food & beverage stations featuring Primal Cuts & Dr J's BBQ. Plus, we'll have an amazing live music lineup, a bouncy castle for the kids, a charity silent auction, and we'll finish it all off with fireworks!

Come one, come all and be a part of an amazing day of family fun for an amazing cause!

When: Aug. 27, 1 - 8 p.m.

Where: Chemong Lodge

Tickets: $24.99 for children, $49.99 for adults

Peterborough Farmers Market

Buy directly from the farmer who grew it, raised it, harvested, or foraged it! Sixty percent of our vendors are primary producers who have gone through a third party inspection process to verify they grow 100% of what they sell. The remaining forty percent include bakers, prepared food vendors, artists and community groups.

Enjoy a festive market atmosphere with Peterborough’s finest prepared food vendors, artisans and musicians. 

Come find us every Saturday to find local produce, delicious takeaway meals and goodies, and artisan wares. We look forward to seeing you there!

When: Aug 26, 7 a.m.- 1 p.m.

Where: Morrow Park

Pick Up Some Produce at The Peterborough Regional Farmers’ Market

We invite you to listen to the sounds of our local musicians while visiting our 100+ vendor outdoor market May 1 to October 31, rain or shine in the Morrow Building parking lot. From November 1 to April 30, we are located inside the Morrow Building just south of the parking lot.

The establishment of a central market area for individual trade or sales has been a feature of societies all over the world for centuries. This trade has taken place in Peterborough for the past 190 years. This efficient method of commerce (ie. producer, direct to consumer) has gained much interest in recent years as small businesses have grown. We at the Peterborough Farmers’ Market are proud to be part of this popular phenomenon.

As producers of local food and crafts, we stress freshness, quality and value as we deal each and every week with our market patrons. Come and enjoy this traditional shopping experience.

When: Aug. 26, 8 a.m. - 1 p.m.

Where: Quaker Foods City Square

Fifth Annual Lock & Paddle

Parks Canada’s fifth-annual Lock & Paddle event is welcoming back paddlers and spectators at the Peterborough Lift Lock National Historic Site of Canada this Saturday at 3 p.m.

This year’s theme ‘Lift Your Spirits,’ invites paddlers and attendees to show us what makes them happy! Paddlers get to experience going down the Lift Locks and paddling through the canal. This free all-ages event invites anyone to decorate their vessel, wear a costume or have fun.

To participate, registrants can go apply online.

Beginners or those with accessibility needs can enter the waterway at the Visitor Centre on-site at the event. Canoes can be launched at the following places:

• Beavermead Campground - 2011 Ashburnham Drive, Peterborough (Five-minute paddle to Lock 20)

• Rogers Cove - 131 Maria Street, Peterborough (Five-minute paddle to Lock 20)

• Millennium Park - 130 King Street, Peterborough (20-minute paddle to Lock 20)

• Del Crary Park - 100 George Street, Peterborough (35-minute paddle to Lock 20)

• Peterborough Lift Lock Visitor Centre - 353 Hunter Street East, Peterborough (Drop-off only)

There is no parking available at the Peterborough Lift Lock or Peterborough Lift Lock Visitor Centre (except for vehicles with Handicapped Accessible signage). A paddle craft drop-off option is available at the Peterborough Lift Lock Visitor Centre.

Parking options nearby:

• Trent-Severn Waterway Headquarters (2155 Ashburnham Dr.)

• Eastgate Memorial Park (2150 Ashburnham Dr.)

• Beavermead Campground (2011 Ashburnham Dr.)

• Rogers Cove (131 Maria St.)

This is a smoke-free and alcohol-free event that will happen rain or shine.  

When: Aug. 26, 3 p.m.

Where: Lift Lock

Tickets: Free

Six Nations Chiefs Sweep Peterborough Lakers To Win the MSL Championship In 10-5 Win

The Peterborough Lakers ‘Drive For Five’ comes to an unfortunate end as they got swept by the Six Nations Chiefs with a 10-5 loss in Game Four at the Peterborough Memorial Centre on Wednesday night.

Photo courtesy of the Peterborough Lakers.

Six Nations came out firing to start the game as league MVP Lyle Thompson continued where he left off in this series scoring the first two goals of the game. Austin Staats also on a tear this postseason scored the next two for the Chiefs and Six Nations was riding a 4-0 lead halfway through the period. Kiel Matisz finally got Peterborough on the board with his third goal of the playoffs with 8:13 left in the period. No more goals were scored and Six Nations were looking to sweep the Lakers with the 4-1 lead into the second.

The Lakers had an early power play in the period but it went the other way as the other Staats brother Randy got into the mix and scored shorthanded for a 5-1 lead. More special teams troubles plagued the Lakers as Shayne Jackson scored on the power play for Six Nations to put Peterborough’s deficit at five. Six Nations tacked on another two goals including a hat trick from Austin to round out the period and Peterborough was in danger, trailing 8-1.

Peterborough’s offense started to work as they drew first blood in the third period thanks to Matt Gilray’s seventh goal of the playoffs. Eric Fannell countered with his own for Six Nations but Peterborough went on a three-goal run to try and mount the seemingly impossible comeback with 8:54 left to play. Unfortunately, the Lakers could not get anything past Chiefs goaltender and 2019 President’s Cup MVP Warren Hill and Tim Edwards put the dagger into the Lakers with an insurance marker with 3:16 left to play. The Chiefs shrugged off the Lakers and won convincingly 10-5 and captured the MSL Final championship.

Landon Kells gets the loss for the Lakers in net and Hill gets the win for Six Nations with a sweep of Peterborough.

With the win, Six Nations are MSL champions, their first title since 2016. They play the winner of the Western Lacrosse Association final between the New Westminster Salmonbellies and Langley Thunder for the Mann Cup in British Columbia.

Austin Staats was given the Shooter Davis Award for the MSL Final’s Most Valuable Player.

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Peterborough Petes Introduce Dave Lorentz as New Team President; Dave Pogue Steps Down From Role After Seven-Year Tenure

The Dave Loretz era began as he was introduced to the public as team president in a press conference at the Peterborough & District Sports Hall of Fame on Wednesday afternoon.

(From Left to Right) Petes Board of Directors Rod McGillis, Dave Lorentz, George Gillespie and Dave Pogue. Loretz becomes the second team president to ever play for the Petes behind the late Pat Casey who passed away peacefully last Saturday. Photo by David Tuan Bui.

Lorentz takes over the role after former president Dave Pogue announced his retirement at the Petes 2023 Awards Banquet on March 28. The latter remains on the Board of Directors as Past President and Alternate Governor after a seven-year tenure with the Petes.

“I think it's time for a different voice. Eventually, you could become white noise in certain circles so it was time,” explained Pogue. “I've got some other ventures that I want to concentrate on and I'm going to start on the board assisting Dr. Bob Neville at the league level because I've made some good relationships with other owners in the league and just trying to work on bettering the Petes within the league and certainly to get a new facility.”

Pogue has fully endorsed Lorentz as the new team president and says he will be able to maintain the high standards and championship aspirations that the team exhibited last year when they captured the OHL title.

“Dave helped create that standard. We have been working very hard as a group to get to this point and 17 since our last championship, we've learned a lot over those years and Dave has been part of the driving force there,” he said. It won't be 17 years before we win another one, I can tell you that.”

Lorentz played three years for the Petes from 1987 to 1990 and was captain of Peterborough’s 1989 OHL Championship team. The team made deep playoff runs including a championship in the 1988-89 season. Lorentz wants to maintain the current atmosphere and mentality as team president to win another OHL Championship and hopefully a Memorial Cup title.

“I think building a culture of winning, building a culture that you're going to go for it when you have the opportunity and be successful builds champions,” he explained. “I'm expecting in the near future that we will do this again because I really want a Memorial Cup ring.”

Lorentz added that he did not want to change much in terms of the face of the organization but to put an emphasis on the Petes to foster a positive experience for everyone in the company.

“My focus is going to be directed to the players and the staff, trying to find ways that we can enhance their experience in Peterborough,” he said. “As a former player and alumni, I want those players coming here to experience the best that they can because not all of them are going to make the pros but they're going to go on to great careers. If we can provide them with every opportunity to achieve their goals then that's what we need to do.”

Single-game tickets for the Petes go on sale this Friday at 9:30 a.m. through the PMC Grant Thornton Box Office.

Fans can get tickets by visiting the Grant Thornton Box Office in person, calling (705) 743-3561 or going online.

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Peterborough Requires More Hospital Beds and Staff To Meet Healthcare Demand Over Four Years Says CUPE

The Canadian Union of Public Employees’s Ontario Council of Hospital Unions has released a report addressing healthcare needs in Peterborough over the next four years in a presentation at the Peterborough Public Library on Wednesday morning.

Doug Allan, CUPE research officer (left) and Michael Hurley, OCHU/Cupe president (right) providing a presentation of their presentation; ‘The Hospital Crisis: No Capacity, No Plan, No End.’ CUPE represents 40,000 hospital workers across the province. Photo by David Tuan bui.

Their presentation, ‘The Hospital Crisis: No Capacity, No Plan, No End’ highlights the crisis in the Ontario hospital sector (including Peterborough) over the next four years. CUPE claims it will only worsen unless the provincial government makes significant investments to improve staffing levels and capacity as a result of their research according to Michael Hurley, OCHU/Cupe president.

“The hospital has identified the province with a critical lack of staffing,” he said. “It's a significant number of positions that need to be filled in the Peterborough Regional Health Centre.”

CUPE estimates that staffing levels and bed capacity must improve by 22 per cent, averaging at least over five per cent a year. This results in Peterborough needing 493 additional staff and 107 more beds.

They continue to criticize Ontario Premier Doug Ford’s current trajectory and plans, claiming those needs will grow by less than three per cent over the same duration.

“We are in a deep crisis with no signs of improvement as we continue to fail patients and workers alike,” said Hurley. “You've got services being reduced because of staff shortages, you've got patients being treated on stretchers because of lack of capacity, you've got people waiting for services for long periods or being turned away from services, you’ve got people being discharged prematurely. It’s unacceptable.”

CUPE continued to want the provincial government to repeal Bill 124 to properly pay healthcare workers their fair share and remove the cap on their wage increases.

“With inflation, because it drives up revenue at a comparable rate — that's inflation — the government has benefitted from very significant revenue increases and of course they've underspent their budgets on healthcare,” explained Doug Allan, CUPE research officer. “Hospital funding right now is about $25 billion across the province so five per cent of that per year would be $1.25 billion.”

Citing Stats Canada’s data, OCHU/CUPE says hospital staffing levels have only increased by 0.4 per cent annually since 2020 but patient needs necessitate a corresponding increase of 5.2 per cent annually.

CUPE continues to claim that healthcare staff have been burdened with heavy workloads, which combined with wage suppression, led to high turnover rates. The cite that vacancy rates in the first quarter of 2023 increasing by about 300 per cent since 2015. 

“The ongoing retention and recruitment challenges will only worsen if the government fails to address working conditions and compensation,” said Hurley. “Staff-to-patient ratios are extremely poor and getting worse. There are so many patients as demand for hospital care continues to grow, and the workloads continue to intensify. The conditions are so unsatisfactory that staff feel like they are failing patients and they just can't do it anymore.”

The report continues to mention that Ontario has 38 per cent less inpatient staffing in hospitals compared to the Canadian average. It says there would be 33,778 more full-time staff including inpatient workers and support staff if the province maintained pace with the others.

More full-time work, improvement in real wages and banning the use of agency staff were CUPe’s recommendations to help remedy the situation.

Since 2022, there have been more than 145 emergency room closures due to staffing shortages in 2023 according to CUPE.

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Innovation Cluster and Cape Breton University Partner for Social Innovation Microcredential Course

The Innovation Cluster Peterborough and the Kawarthas (ICPK) has partnered with Cape Breton University's Centre to launch the Social Innovation microcredential that focuses on creativity, design thinking, innovation, and social business models, announced on Wednesday.

Participants will have the opportunity to learn alongside Jasmine Alam, a renowned expert with a Ph.D. focused on Social Innovation in a sector that is currently experiencing tremendous growth. Photo courtesy of Innovation Cluster.

The four-week course is held on Thursdays from 4 p.m. - 6 p.m. beginning on Sept. 7 until the 28th.

The course is being offered at a cost of $500 per participant and at a discounted rate of $250 to ICPK clients.

“Our partnership with the Innovation Cluster is an exciting step towards fostering social entrepreneurship in Canada,” said Jasmine Alam, Cape Breton University director “The course reflects our shared mission to engage and equip innovators to create social impact while also being profitable.”

“The alliance between the Innovation Cluster and Cape Breton University further fosters our commitment to build a prominent and vibrant centre for the incubation of innovation,” Nicole Stephenson, Innovation Cluster interim CEO. “Their exceptional program in social innovation aligns seamlessly with our goal to drive innovation-focused economic growth and continuously provide new opportunities for our clients.”

The program offers four modules with a pitch competition at the end where participants can obtain funding for their ideas. Innovation cluster is inviting current Trent and Fleming College students, alumni and aspiring entrepreneurs interested in social innovation enterprises to participate.

Registration is open and anyone interested can enroll online. Upon successful completion, a badge will be issued by Cape Breton University with the Innovation Cluster.

“This partnership is about more than a course; it's about building a community of innovators,” said Alam. “By working together, we are confident we'll witness a significant rise in social entrepreneurial activity.”

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Lineup Set For Fourth-Annual Big Band Day in Peterborough at Millennium Park On Sept. 16

Five bands are set to take the stage at the fourth-annual Big Band Day in Peterborough at Millennium Park on Sept. 16.

Electric City Swing at Princess Gardens during its 25th anniversary in April. Photo by David TUan Bui.

The free concert runs from noon to 5 p.m. with each band getting 45-minute sets with 15-minute periods in between acts.

The concert focuses on the music of the Big Band Era with composers such as Duke Ellington, Count Basie, Louis Armstrong, Glenn Miller and many more. It covers pop, rock, gospel, funk and classical genres and more contemporary composers.

Line-up:

• Noon to 12:45 p.m. - Peterborough Concert Band

• 1 p.m. to 1:45 p.m. - KnightShift

• 2 p.m. to 2:45 p.m. - Northern Spirit Big Band

• 3 p.m. to 3:45 p.m. Electric City Swing

• 4 p.m. to 4 :45 p.m. - Ron Marenger Big Band

The outdoor event is weather-dependent with no rain date scheduled.

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Voice of Business: Policy Matters: Regulatory Reform

Guest column from the Canadian Chamber of Commerce

We talk a lot about regulatory burden here at the Canadian Chamber of Commerce because it is consistently one of the biggest barriers to economic growth that we see across sectors.

So, what *IS* it exactly?

In a Nutshell

“Regulations” are the government rules that legally dictate what businesses are allowed to do when it comes to producing, manufacturing and selling their goods and services.

The OECD lists three general types:

• Economic regulation is meant to improve the efficiency of delivering goods and services to markets and customers. It can include government-imposed restrictions on things like prices, quantity, service and imports and exports.

• Social regulation is meant to protect the well-being and rights of society. It can include protection of the environment, health and safety in the workplace, workers’ rights, and consumer protections against things like fraud.

• Administrative regulation relates to general government management of the operation of the public and private sectors. It can include regulations relating to taxes, business operations, distribution systems, health care administration and intellectual property rights.

The Policy Problem

Well-designed and well-implemented regulations can be one of the government’s tools to grow the economy and help keep Canadian citizens and our environment safe.

Unfortunately, Canada has a complex network of overlapping regulations from all levels of government that make a lot of things more expensive and difficult than they need to be for businesses.

Complying with all these layers of regulations is also time-consuming, and combined with inefficient and unpredictable regulatory processes, Canadian businesses are not set up for success. Every hour and every dollar spent dealing with redundant paperwork and confusing compliance issues is an hour or dollar not spent on running and growing a business. This is especially true for small businesses, which often lack the specialized staff and financial resources of larger companies to deal with regulation and compliance.

Let’s look at a few examples of how regulatory burdens can impact the economy:

Transportation

The approval process for trade-enabling transportation infrastructure projects can take upwards of 10 years due to inefficient regulatory processes. By stalling on the approvals that would put shovels in the ground on projects like twinning railways, increasing bridge capacity and modernizing shipping ports, Canada and Canadian businesses lose out on billions in annual revenue. We need to be able to get things

like food, fuel, fertilizer and critical minerals to domestic manufacturers, ports and international markets. If we can’t move Canadian goods, we can’t sell them, and that’s bad news for everyone.

Interprovincial Trade

Nearly 25 per cent of businesses who trade interprovincially cite red tape as a major obstacle to doing business within Canada. Over decades of regulation-making, provinces and territories have introduced differing rules and standards that impact nearly every sector. They affect areas like trucking and transportation standards, food packaging and labelling standards, professional certifications and securities regulation. As a result, businesses have to deal with different sets of rules and processes in each province, and for many, this causes serious barriers to business or opting out of interprovincial trade all together – this reduces Canada’s GDP by billions of dollars every year.

Net-zero

A predictable, consistent regulatory framework is crucial for Canada to hit its net-zero targets. Key words – “predictable” and “consistent.” The transition to net-zero can’t happen overnight and businesses need time to prepare, make the necessary investments and gradually adjust their operations. Unfortunately, Canada’s convoluted, shifting goal posts and regulations make long-term business planning extremely challenging. This uncertainty also impacts our ability to attract the kinds of global investments we need for our natural resources sector to help develop clean fuels like natural gas, hydrogen and sustainable biofuels. We need to convince investors that Canada is a safe bet – the uncertainty around net-zero regulations is doing anything but.

Talent & the Workforce

In a global economy, regulatory burdens are especially problematic. The more red tape a business runs into in any given country, the less likely they are to stay– they can take their business and job opportunities elsewhere. And where the opportunities go, so too does the talent. Canada is at risk of losing not just businesses, but the next generation of talented and innovative workers to other countries.

Canada and the United States

The United States is our primary ally and trading partner – a huge amount of goods come and go across the border every day – which makes regulatory differences between the two countries especially problematic. Different rules or processes create unnecessary supply-chain slow-downs and add costs for exporting companies. We also compete with the United States for investment. We want companies to open headquarters here, create jobs for Canadians and contribute to our economy – but when they can do that at a cheaper price tag and with less of a headache south of the border due to more business-friendly regulations, all Canadians lose.

Policy Soloution

Considering Canada’s alarmingly low level of economic growth – our GDP is projected to grow by only 1.4% this year and 1.3% in 2024 – we literally can’t afford the regulatory burdens facing Canadian businesses. The solution?

Regulatory reform (aka regulatory modernization).

A modern, streamlined regulatory process is a thing of beauty, removing barriers and allowing businesses to stay competitive and maximize their growth while protecting the welfare of Canadian citizens. This looks like improved environmental, social and economic protections, while simultaneously increasing investment growth and the number of jobs for Canadians – win-win!

We can’t just talk the talk when it comes to regulatory reform – we need to see real action that will move the needle.

What’s Next?

Concerned about regulatory burdens and want to know how your business can act? Here are a few ways to get involved:

• Write or request a meeting with your federal MP(s) or provincial/territorial government representative to voice your concerns if your business is being impacted by regulatory burdens.

• Consider joining your local chamber of commerce or board of trade. By joining, you can add your voice to the development of policy and advocacy positions that drive business success.

Content provided by the Peterborough and the Kawarthas Chamber of Commerce.

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