As the Thunder Bay Chamber of Commerce ends off 2022, they will move into the new year focused on building stronger business through advocacy, engagement and empowerment activities.
The chamber had a busy year that saw their membership grow substantially, well exceeding pre-pandemic numbers, said Charla Robinson, president of the business group.
“Numbers dropped in the last couple of years because of COVID because businesses were really struggling,” she said. “Membership revenue is what keeps us operating. We don’t receive government funding for our operations.”
The chamber has made progress with initiatives at the federal, provincial and local levels.
Immigrant work
program expanded
Standing with the Community Economic Development Commission and other partners in Thunder Bay, they helped push the federal government to expand the Rural Northern Immigration Pilot so that they could offer it to all Northwestern Ontario communities.
“That expansion of the program will allow so many more businesses that weren’t eligible in the first few years to be able to access the workforce through that program,” Robinson said.
“The government listened. We were thrilled to be a small part of that success and we’re looking forward to continuing to bring more immigrants to our community to make a new home and to provide the workforce that is so desperately needed.”
The chamber broached the Ontario and Canadian chambers of many local issues to help gain government support for Thunder Bay to advocate on their own behalf.
“Particularly with the Ontario chamber, we put forward some policies around supporting biomass and we know that those conversations are moving forward in a positive direction,” she explained. “At both levels, we talked a lot about mining and the need for government support and collaboration and funding to help to build the mining infrastructure that is so necessary. We want the federal and provincial governments really focused on critical mineral strategy so that it will bode well for our region and our community.”
Despite rapid COVID-19 test shortages early in the year, the chamber continued to offer rapid test kits for business at no cost to the owners.
“So far we’ve given over 35,000 rapid test kits,” said Robinson, adding that they still distribute kits in Marathon, Greenstone and Atikokan.
Zoning bylaw changes
On the municipal front, the chamber is excited about the zoning bylaw changes that were approved by Thunder Bay city council, something that the chamber had been working on since 2018.
“We’ve been actively engaging with city administration, even before they started the bylaw review, for a more fulsome reinvention of how zoning works. They took up the challenge and built a brand new zoning bylaw,” Robinson said.
During the 2022 municipal election, the chamber initiated its successful Say Yes campaign, which enticed all election candidates to say “yes” to the expectations of the business community as they stepped into their municipal roles.
Earlier this year, 76 businesses were nominated for the 2022 Chamber of Commerce Business Awards, with 12 business owners walking away with awards.
“We’re in the process of collecting nominations for the 2023 awards,” Robinson said.
Another successful chamber initiative, now in its second year, is the Choose Thunder Bay First campaign. More than 160 retailers have become involved, with a presence on social media and mainstream media, which helps spread the message to shop local.
Meanwhile, Robinson says they are starting to see a bit of easing of supply challenges, depending on the industry.
City budget concerns lingering
With the municipal budget coming up, she anticipates a significant chance that the tax levy will increase more than it has in recent years as one of the challenges ahead.
“That is something that is uncertain at this point and definitely a concern for businesses that are seeing increased costs,” she noted.
Also, Robinson says challenges around crime and drug addiction need to be addressed through collaborative work that supports experts who are developing possible solutions.
Moving forward in 2023, she says they have exciting events planned to showcase businesses and build relationships, including the Prosperity Northwest conference in February and a new festival in July.
“We will keep working to support the needs of our business members through these uncertain economic times,” Robinson said.