By: Faye Lyons, Vice President of Government Relations & Advocacy  

On behalf of our members the Oakville Chamber of Commerce recently headed to Queen’s Park to engage with legislators as part of the Ontario Chamber of Commerce Advocacy Day 2023.

The annual event is an opportunity for the grassroots chamber network to speak to government directly on business-related issues that are most important to the business community.

This full-day event brought together leaders from Chambers of Commerce and Boards of Trade from across Ontario. Together, the representatives met with politicians, key political staff and senior government officials to address policy priorities for Ontario’s business community.

Oakville Chamber staff participated in roundtable discussions with 4 Ministries. Key issues for Oakville that were brought to the attention of policy decision makers included funding for transportation infrastructure projects, namely the Royal Windsor Interchange and Kerr Street Underpass, labour shortages and future workforce needs as well as the need for affordable housing.

Advocacy Day at Queen’s Park provided an excellent opportunity for the Oakville Chamber to move our advocacy agenda forward with key decision makers in Ontario.

These conversations continue to be an integral role for the Chamber as we continue our advocacy work on behalf of our business community. To that end, we look forward to the upcoming Ontario Chamber Annual General Meeting and policy conference with the network where we will continue to share ideas on how to foster a competitive business climate and strong, prosperous communities.