AURORA BUSINESSES
UNCERTAIN ABOUT THEIR ECONOMIC FUTURE
Aurora businesses are feeling less certain about their
economic outlooks compared to one year ago, according to a survey of 2,200
Ontario businesses (63 Aurora-based businesses) in Emerging Stronger 2014. Emerging Stronger 2014 is a
business-driven economic agenda released by the Ontario Chamber of Commerce,
the Mowat Centre and Leger Marketing. The report identifies the immediate steps
that government and the private sector must take to enhance Ontario’s economic
competitiveness and encourage job creation in the province.
“According to our recent regional economic outlook,
Aurora businesses are uncertain what the next few years will bring,” says Allan
O’Dette, President and CEO of the Ontario Chamber of Commerce. “While they are
feeling slightly more confident in Ontario’s economy, they’re increasingly
worried about their own economic prospects.
“There are actions that government and business can take
to boost our economy and business confidence,” adds O’Dette. “But right now
there is uncertainty in Ontario’s business climate, possibly as a result of
potential changes to the pension system and rising energy costs.”
Among the survey’s findings for Aurora are:
- 64 percent of businesses are confident in their own economic outlook, 10 percentage points below the provincial average.
- 54 percent of businesses plan to expand in the next five years, below the provincial average of 58 percent
- 37 percent of businesses believe that Ontario’s economy is headed in the right direction, below the provincial average of 42 percent.
- 54 percent of the region’s businesses are confident in economy, 6 percentage points above the provincial average.
PREDICTING MINIMUM
WAGE
Recently the Aurora Chamber of Commerce was contacted by
the local media to comment on the increase in minimum wage and what it would
mean to the general membership. Many media outlets predicted that the minimum
wage would increase as high as $14.00 an hour. For many small businesses that
would be devastating!
We contacted six members involved in the sale of products
and services to find out what they thought of the potential increase. Most
said, “It would be devastating.” and “I might as well close the door right
now.” The comments were all similar.
In June 2013, a Minimum Wage Advisory Panel was put into
place to examine Ontario’s current minimum wage policy and provide advice to
the Government on an approach for determining minimum wage in the future.
The Ontario Chamber of Commerce (OCC) submitted a
document to the Panel in September 2013 called Predictable, Transparent, Fair
on behalf of the member Chambers. At the end of January, the Government
announced that they would tie future rate increases to inflation or the
Consumer Price Index (CPI), as the OCC had recommended. In addition, the Panel
recommended:
1. Minimum wage should be revised annually, and a minimum of four months’ notice of any wage change should be provided.
2. The Government should undertake a full review of the minimum wage rate and the revision process every five years. This review should be conducted by a panel of stakeholders and a neutral chair.
Shortly after reviewing the Panel’s report the Government announced that minimum wage would be increased from $10.25 to $11.00, effective June 1, 2014.
The Aurora Chamber, in media interviews, agreed with
minimum wage being tied to CPI, but did express concern for about the increase
in the rate to $11 an hour in the short-term. Although concerned whether some
local businesses could sustain this increase, the Aurora Chamber acknowledged
that it was a very positive move by the Government to give six months’ notice.
The Chamber also expressed its uneasiness that businesses would have to
re-focus their goals and financial predictions for the current year in order to
meet the challenge of increasing wages.
WHAT’S HAPPENING
LOCALLY?
CIP to Help Move
Downtown Development Forward
The Mayor and Town Council held a public meeting at the
end of January for the presentation of the draft Aurora Promenade Community
Improvement Plan. Sierra Planning and Management has been retained by the Town
of Aurora to prepare a Community Improvement Plan (CIP) for the Aurora
Promenade Area.
The CIP has been designed to promote private property
investment in the Aurora Promenade to help achieve the vision and objectives
for the area as outlined in the 2010 Town of Aurora Official Plan and Aurora
Promenade Design Strategy. According to the Town of Aurora’s website (www.aurora.ca/promenadecommunityimprovement),
CIP financial incentive programs will help support the future development of
the area as the ‘heart’ of Aurora - where the community “meets, interacts,
celebrates, shops and entertains.”
A CIP is a vehicle for facilitating revitalization and
redevelopment efforts in a defined area(s). A CIP is a tool available to
municipalities under Section 28 of the Planning Act that allows municipalities
to establish grants, loans and other programs to encourage private sector
investment in development and renovation projects which seek to improve areas
in accordance with local goals and priorities.
Please contact Fausto Filipetto, Senior Policy Planner at
the Town of Aurora, at ffilipetto@aurora.ca
or 905-727-3123 ext. 4342 for further information. This is a real opportunity to move the
downtown area forward.
Cultural Master
Plan for the Town of Aurora
As CEO at the Aurora Chamber of Commerce, I am a member
of the Cultural Master Plan Working Group. It was a very positive experience
working with the group, consultants and members of the community at the
visioning session held at the end of January.
The session was well attended and the excitement during
the small group exercise was almost deafening. We could definitely tell that
culture in Aurora is very important.
The Plan will establish a cultural vision for the Town as
well as identify broader economic goals. It will contribute to realizing one of
Town Council’s values that “is to continue to support a sustainable community
that embraces a balanced quality of life including arts, culture and
recreation.” Support and input from Chamber members is vital to the success of
this plan. Watch for ongoing updates and visit: www.aurora.ca/auroraculture
Don’t Forget:
Canada’s Anti-Spam Legislation comes into force on July 1, 2014
Did you know that you cannot add the names of contacts
from the business cards collected at a Chamber event to your email list unless
you receive prior consent from the individual?
Verbal consent can be given but you must keep a record of when consent
was given. All electronic marketing messages will need to include information
that identifies the sender and enables the recipient to withdraw consent. There
are many other requirements of the Act, which I was not aware of even though
familiar with the legislation. Compliance is mandatory and applies to commercial
electronic messages (CEM). A CEM is defined as encouraging participation in a
business transaction or activity, regardless of whether there is an expectation
of profit.
The objective of the law is to bring into force
legislation that is intended to deter spam and other damaging and deceptive
electronic threats, including identity theft, phishing and spyware. (Source:
Government of Canada, Canadian Anti-Spam Legislation)
The Chamber will be holding their second session on this
legislation on May 21. Watch for further details. The fines for sending unsolicited
emails are high. EVERYONE needs to attend!
Judy Marshall, CEO
Aurora Chamber of Commerce
905-727-7262
