THUNDER BAY – BUSINESS – The Thunder Bay Chamber of Commerce is wrapping up a successful conference with the Canadian Chamber of Commerce. The event was held from September 20 – 24 at the Valhalla Inn with 350 delegates from across the country in attendance.
A key focus of the conference was the debate of over 60 resolutions, held on Sunday and Monday. The Thunder Bay Chamber was successful in garnering national support for its two resolutions which addressed the following local concerns:
- Immigration: small communities are challenged to fill many low-skilled positions which are not eligible to support immigration through the current Express Entry program. The resolution calls for a pilot permanent residency category for low-skilled positions with labour shortages that permits international workers in these positions in small communities to qualify for permanent residence.
- Air Crew Duty Restrictions: Proposed changes to aircrew duty hours threaten service to our most remote and northern communities and undermine the maintenance of safe, affordable and accessible air travel. The resolution calls for a delay of implementation of these regulations until meaningful consultation is held with the industry to assess the impact on short-haul and regional air providers; the government is able to conduct an analysis of the impact of the changes on rural and northern communities; and, air service providers have had sufficient time to develop and implement policies and procedures to address the regulatory changes.
Charla Robinson, President of the Thunder Bay Chamber of Commerce says, “We have had an extremely successful weekend, both as hosts of the Canadian Chamber of Commerce and through the adoption of our two policy resolutions. Our sincere thanks go out to all the sponsors, volunteers and local businesses who have worked so hard to make this weekend such a positive experience for our delegates.”
