Peterborough Blogs
Voice of Business: We Need Urgent Action to Tackle Our Substance Abuse Crisis
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An average of eight people die every day in Ontario from drug poisoning, that’s 3,000 people every year.
It’s an issue affecting communities across Ontario.
The Peterborough and the Kawarthas Chamber of Commerce is echoing the comments of the Ontario Chamber of Commerce (OCC) in its latest policy primer Beyond Emergency Declarations: Charting Ontario’s Course Through the Substance Use and Overdose Crisis.
In fact, our local chamber is leading a new Chamber working group under the OCC involving chambers of commerce and boards of trade from across the province to share best practices and find meaningful solutions to one of the biggest issues we’re dealing with.
In a press release about the new policy primer, OCC President and CEO Daniel Tisch says:
“Businesses across Ontario find themselves near the frontlines of an evolving social crisis that they are ill-equipped to manage. With rising security costs and dwindling customer traffic, they see risk to their employees, their customers, and their future. Our report also highlights high fatality rates in some sectors, such as construction. Without urgent action, our province faces devastating, long-term socio-economic harm.”
The goal as stated in the report is to frame the ongoing conversation about addiction management by simplifying the complex narrative surrounding substance use, bridging the knowledge gap among stakeholders and emphasizing the need for evidence-based, community-informed solutions that prioritize public health principles, prevent mortality, and improve recovery outcomes.
The report itself is only seven pages and packed with good information. It’s well worth a read, but I’ll pull out a few key points.
Peterborough is well above average in our number of opioid deaths. While Ontario averages 17.6 deaths per 100,000 people, Peterborough sits at 53.2. All of those with higher rates are in Northern Ontario in places like Thunder Bay, Timmins and Sudbury. The report notes that addictions issues are hitting northern, rural and First Nations communities particularly hard.
Content provided by the Peterborough and the Kawarthas Chamber of Commerce.
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Peterborough & the Kawarthas Economic Development Have Announced Dissolution
/The Kawarthas Economic Development (PKED) Board of Directors has formally announced its intention to dissolve the corporation announced on Monday morning.
The establishment of the Greater Peterborough Area Economic Development Corporation (operating as PKED) in 1998 resulted from the 1997 GPA 2020. Photo courtesy of the PKED.
The decision came following written notice that The City of Peterborough and Peterborough County intend to change the delivery models of economic development and tourism and will not renew the tri-party Memorandum of Understanding between the City, County and PKED, which expires on Dec. 31 according to a press release.
The Board of Directors formed a dissolution committee and decided to cease operations by the end of the year in compliance with the Ontario Not-For-Profit Corporations Act.
“As reports on new economic development and tourism models are being considered councils in June, we eagerly await the opportunity to review them and to identify opportunities for service continuity for the businesses and clients that rely on PKED,” said Burton Lee, PKED board of directors chair. “As a high-performing economic development agency, the health and vitality of the local economy are at the core of our mission, and our team has a vested interest in supporting a mutually beneficial transition.”
According to the PKED, since last fall, the Board of Directors has been seeking clarity on the municipalities' plans. During that time, PKED was working towards a smooth transition to a new economic development model, with limited disruption of services to businesses, investors and visitors.
“The critical value of our team's knowledge, expertise and relationships with local, regional, national, and international partners, businesses, investors, and media cannot be understated,” said Rhonda Keenan, PKED's President and CEO. “It is our hope that the new models will include positions for our existing team of passionate and dedicated economic development professionals to continue serving the business community and attracting investment to the region.”
PKED is in the process of winding down operations for the second half of the year as stated in a press release.
“There will be a significant disruptive impact if these plans do not factor in the vast number of existing projects, programs and initiatives that PKED has developed,” said Lee.
PKED's Letters Patent and the tri-party MOU reflect that purpose and funding structure according to a press release. They continue to add that the City’s and County’s decision eliminates PKED's core funding structure. As a result, PKED cannot have the capacity or resources to deliver economic and tourism services on behalf of the region.
The dissolution resulted in the delivery of termination notices to staff and the provision of notice to vacate PKED's offices and the regional Peterborough & the Kawarthas Tourism Visitor Centre located in the Venture North business hub in downtown Peterborough, effective at the end of this year.
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Check Out The Business Beat This Week Featuring Little Lake Cemetery, AON Inc., Canadian Canoe Museum and Four Mayors Breakfast
/PTBOCanada is delighted to be running the Business Beat columns each week here, spotlighting new businesses and startups in Peterborough and the Kawarthas. Here is this week’s edition…
Jeff Wakeford is retiring after 38 years at Little Lake Cemetery and Highland Park Funeral Centre.
He’s trading in his suit for a set of golf clubs. The team thanked him for his many years of hard work, wisdom and outstanding service to the community. Little Lake Cemetery offers a full range of funeral, cremation and cemetery services. They also operate Highland Park Cemetery and Crematorium and Highland Park Funeral Centre.
AON is hard at work in Havelock.
Construction has begun on a new 128 bed long-term care home, called Station Place, which is planned to open in August of 2025. This new facility is expected to bring 140 jobs to the region. In preparation for this, they’re holding a career expo on June 27 at 6 pm at the Havelock Centre. They have opportunities for experienced professionals, students, recent graduates, and those looking for a new challenge. At the expo, AON will share more about what opportunities will be available, what qualifications will be required, and what you can do to become qualified for the specific roles available.
After much anticipation, the Canadian Canoe Museum is open.
Drop by 2077 Ashburnham Dr. and check out the beautiful new location on the shores of Little Lake. Take in the new exhibition space and see the collection of more than 600 watercraft and learn their stories. Grab some coffee and a sandwich at the new Silver Bean Café location. Get some first-hand experience and explore the water yourself in a rented canoe or kayak.
The Peterborough and the Kawarthas Chamber of Commerce is holding a Four Mayors Breakfast on Thursday at 8 a.m. at the Burleigh Falls Inn.
The event will include Mayor Carolyn Amyotte from North Kawartha, Mayor Sherry Senis from Selwyn, Mayor Heather Watson from Douro-Dummer, and Mayor Terry Lambshead from Trent Lakes. The event will include a full buffet breakfast, networking time, and a moderated discussion on local business issues with the mayors. Get your tickets at pkchamber.ca.
Check Out The Business Beat This Week Featuring East City Condo, DBIA, Kawartha Gymnastics and Living Well Senior Showcase
/PTBOCanada is delighted to be running the Business Beat columns each week here, spotlighting new businesses and startups in Peterborough and the Kawarthas. Here is this week’s edition…
TVM Group has opened its new nine-storey East City Condo building at the corner of Armour Road and Hunter Street East, on the former St. Joseph’s Hospital property.
They refer to it as rivalling Toronto’s most upscale offerings. The building features a contemporary interpretation of the original hospital legacy with masonry architecture. The site of the new building was formerly a parking lot. Parking is underground and includes a host of electric vehicle chargers. Find out more and book a tour at eastcitycondos.com.
The Peterborough Downtown Business Improvement Area has a new location and a new executive director.
The organization has moved into the Venture North building at 270 Water St. into unit 202A. They have also hired Nour Mazloum as their new executive director, taking over from Terry Guiel who left the organization in the fall. Nour brings experience and expertise from her time at Kingston Economic Development Corporation where she has worked for the last five years including the last two years as the marketing and communications manager.
Kawartha Gymnastics has a new location scheduled for a grand opening on June 15.
The new location is at 1575 Chemong Rd. in Peterborough. At 14,500 square feet, it’s twice the size of the old location. This new, bigger location will allow them to reconfigure the floor plan, enhance their equipment and training environment, and expand their programming and membership. The new building is going through some upgrades including a 30 by 20 in-ground foam pit.
The Living Well Senior Showcase is almost here.
Join us June 19 at the Peterborough Sport and Wellness Centre for one of the largest seniors trade shows in Canada, featuring more than 100 exhibitors and two dozen workshops. Some booth spaces are still available for local businesses looking to participate. Chamber of Commerce membership is not required. The show provides a good opportunity both for those planning to retire and those well into their retirement years to see what the local business community has to offer. Learn more at pkchamber.ca.
Voice of Business: The Voice of Businesses Across the Country
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Chambers of commerce are your local voice of business. We meet with businesses, non-profits, charities, governments, and local stakeholders to identify barriers to economic growth and opportunities and push for that change.
While the issues vary between chambers and the communities they serve, they are far more similar than different. As a result, we work well together to take local grassroots ideas and issues and amplify them as an advocacy effort to municipalities, the provincial and federal governments, as well as other industry associations.
Most of the 1,000 members of the Peterborough and the Kawarthas Chamber of Commerce do not have the resources to employ professional policy analysts and economists to research and draft effective policy proposals nor do they have the resources to hire government relations specialists and lobbyists to bring it to the attention of decision-makers.
That’s where the chamber network comes in. Across Canada there are more than 400 chambers and boards of trade working with 200,000 businesses to amplify the local issues that affect business across the country.
Recently, chambers from across Ontario met for our annual convention and policy debate. We discussed, debated, and ultimately approved 28 new policy resolutions on behalf of businesses across the province, including three submitted by our chamber. This brings our total to 103 policy resolutions in our 2024-2027 compendium. We have recommendations spanning everything from student housing to training people to work on electric vehicles to investments in life sciences. These policy resolutions are all topics we feel are relevant to businesses across Ontario. They are now a focal point for advocacy not just for the Ontario Chamber of Commerce, but all of us local chambers.
Here are the summaries of our additions to this year’s policy compendium:
Enforcing fair property tax ratios
Issue
Businesses in Ontario pay much higher property tax rates than residents, despite using fewer services. The Ontario Municipal Act requires municipalities to tax commercial and industrial properties at a ratio of 0.6 to 1.1, but many municipalities have no plans to comply.
Recommendations
That the Ontario Chamber of Commerce urge the Government of Ontario to:
Enforce existing property taxation ratios set out in the Ontario Municipal Act Reg. 386/98: Tax Matters – Allowable Ranges for Tax Ratios by withholding provincial support — including access to provincial funding streams — to municipalities that:
are not taxing commercial and industrial properties at the required rates or
are not actively transitioning to the required rates based on a plan that specifies gradual decreases on a timeline approved by the Province.
Making Ontario more competitive for permanent residency
Issue
Ontario is less competitive than other provinces when approving permanent residency for new Canadians. This impacts our ability to attract talent at a time when we desperately need to increase our workforce.
Recommendations
That the Ontario Chamber of Commerce urge the Government of Ontario to:
Make Ontario more competitive for securing permanent residency by:
Tailoring the Ontario Immigration Nominee Program to target candidates who fall outside the federal criteria with an emphasis on those already working in Ontario, including establishing a program for those with long-term work experience in Ontario as a pathway to residency.
Reducing employment criteria barriers, including:
a. Providing clarity on what NOC codes will be invited in the future or eliminating the requirement to select a specific job or occupation from a list altogether.
b. Lowering the revenue requirement and requirements for a specific number of employees for businesses to allow for smaller businesses to sponsor permanent residents.
Opening up the Student Job Offer Stream program to students in one-year programs.
4Improving the functionality of the OINP website, providing a more up-to-date and user-friendly experience.
Maximizing Growth in Built Areas
Issue
Historic downtowns in cities across Ontario are full of underused mixed-use buildings. These multi-storey buildings have commercial space on the bottom and un- or under-used residential space in the upper floors. Inquiring about updating to once again have people living in these buildings can trigger expensive inspection processes on buildings that were built long before building, fire, and accessibility codes. Those that do try to develop these spaces are often met with unrealistic costs to meet heritage preservation and accessibility regulations, leaving empty housing in the heart of our towns and cities.
Recommendations
The Ontario Chamber of Commerce urges the Government of Ontario to:
Designate the Downtown Revitalization Program be used for a pilot project that allows private building owners and municipal officials to study and assess, using an independent consultant and without punitive action, the needs of a building or series of buildings in a downtown core.
Implement a policy for municipalities that will allow for the redevelopment of upper floors of aging mixed-use downtown buildings for use as residences that takes a fiscally responsible approach to heritage preservation and accessibility standards.
Content provided by the Peterborough and the Kawarthas Chamber of Commerce.
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Peterborough Downtown Business Improvement Area Appoints New Executive Director
/The Peterborough Downtown Business Improvement Area (DBIA) has appointed Nour Mazloum as its new executive director, effective June 10, announced on Monday.
Mazloum has experience in marketing, communications and community engagement. Photo courtesy of DBIA.
