Ontario Chamber of Commerce, the WSIB and local chambers across the province kick-off Small Business Week
TORONTO, October 16, 2017 – The Trent Hills Chamber of Commerce, in partnership with The Ontario Chamber of Commerce (OCC), and the Workplace Safety and Insurance Board (WSIB), is celebrating, Small Business Week with its signature campaign Small Business Too Big Too Ignore that highlights the important contributions small businesses make to Ontario’s economy and local communities.
During Small Business Week, the OCC, the WSIB and local chambers will be hosting events across the province to actively engage small businesses in discussions about the top obstacles impeding their growth and the ways in which these challenges can be overcome.
“Small businesses are the backbone of the Ontario economy and the heart of the Trent Hills community”, said Jeff Hamilton, Chair of the Trent Hills Chamber of Commerce. “Over the course of Small Business Week, The Trent Hills Chamber of Commerce will be engaging with small businesses to show them that we recognize the significant role they play in our community and to discuss how we can support them to ensure they are not ignored.”
To kick-off Small Business Week, the OCC, the WSIB, and the Government of Ontario hosted dozens of small businesses from across the province at a roundtable with the Hon. Jeff Leal, Minister Responsible for Small Business. The OCC and Minister Leal also announced the launch of Small Business Access, a valuable program the Government of Ontario is creating to help small businesses access support, information and resources when navigating Ontario’s regulatory environment.
“Small businesses constitute a large proportion of the OCC’s members and are powerful economic drivers in their local communities and across the province,” said Richard Koroscil, Interim President and CEO, OCC. “Ontario’s small business community faces an array of challenges and we need to ensure we are supporting them. Small businesses are truly too big to ignore.” Last year, the OCC published a report, Obstacles and Opportunities: The Importance of Small Business in Ontario, which identified many obstacles small businesses in the province face including key infrastructure gaps, access to talent, and concerns about the rising costs of doing business.
To help raise awareness about the importance of Small Business Week, the OCC and local chambers have partnered with the WSIB;
“Here at the WSIB, we value the time and effort small business owners put into contributing to local economies, and perhaps more important, making their dreams reality,” said Tom Teahen, President and CEO of the WSIB. “That’s why we’re proud to be partnering with the OCC for Small Business Week, to help share information and advice on workplace health and safety to small businesses throughout the province.”
Small businesses are fundamental to Ontario’s economy. They make up 98 per cent of all Ontario businesses and 30 per cent of the provincial GDP. Small businesses employ over 3 million Ontarians and account for over two-thirds of all private sector workers.
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Media Contact:
Nancy Allanson, Executive Director
Trent Hills Chamber of Commerce
705-653-1551