The president and CEO of the Windsor-Essex Regional Chamber of Commerce heads to Toronto armed with a list of suggestions to make cap and trade work for Ontario businesses.
Matt Marchand will be one of many chamber presidents taking part in a Queen's Park Advocacy Day at the Ontario Legislature. He'll meet with government officials, both elected and not, and talk about the concerns businesses in Windsor-Essex have as the province moves ahead implementing its climate change policy.
Already high hydro rates are expected to increase, but Marchand says there may be ways the Ontario government can offset those costs.
"It could be tax relief. It could be regulatory relief," he says. "We want to provide ideas. We want to provide opportunities. We want to provide suggestions to the government how best we can both implement our respective agendas."
In one sit down, he'll moderate a meeting on manufacturing with Deputy Minister of Economic Development, Giles Gherson. That discussion will focus on what a provincial strategy will look like and how Ontario can become a centre of advanced manufacturing.
Marchand says he's grateful the government is opening up to business.
"Every step is an important one but with the calibre of individuals -- that we're meeting with, [it] sends a very important message to us that they value our input."
