LEADERSHIP: Business calls for Ontario resources strategy

[caption id="attachment_1003723406" align="aligncenter" width="538"] Chris Hodson, Cameron Grant, Bill MacRae, Tom Laughren, Kevin Edgson, Nick Stewart (first row), Derek Nighbor, Rocco Rossi, Mayor Steve Black and Paul-Emile McNab gathered in Timmins for a resources roundtable on May 28. (Image: Eacom Timber Corp.)[/caption] TIMMINS, Ont. – Earlier this week, representatives from Indigenous business, mining, mineral exploration, forestry, local government and others issued a call for the Ontario government to develop a provincial natural resource strategy with specific actions. The need to develop such a strategy was the primary recommendation that emerged from a roundtable discussion on May 28, just days before Ontarians go to the polls. The  participants agree that Ontario businesses face many challenges that must be addressed by government if the provincial economy is to grow. They noted that the resource industries are important to improving living standards and the well-being of all who live there. The participants recommend that the new (or returning) Ontario government take the following steps to get started:

• Reduce energy costs;
• Lessen the regulatory and administrative burden;
• Improve skills training;
• Build capacity in Indigenous communities; and
• Support Northern Ontario infrastructure projects.

"A strong natural resources sector in Ontario provides skilled jobs for northern communities, including Aboriginal communities, and helps to ensure a prosperous economy. At a time when Ontario is facing a skills mismatch, our next government must take bold action, working with the natural resource and northern communities, to address current challenges and provide a pathway forward for industry leadership in the global marketplace," said Rocco Rossi, Ontario Chamber of Commerce president and CEO. Among the participants was Chris Hodgson, president and CEO of the Ontario Mining Association. Send him an email at chodgson@OMA.on.ca.