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Canadian Chamber backs Northern-conceived resolutions

The business concerns of two Northern communities were recognized by the Canadian Chamber of Commerce (CCC) this week, with the passing of resolutions designed to help lobby the federal government for change.
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The Sault Ste. Marie Chamber of Commerce had a resolution regarding the steel industry successfully adopted by the Canadian Chamber of Commerce this week.

The business concerns of two Northern communities were recognized by the Canadian Chamber of Commerce (CCC) this week, with the passing of resolutions designed to help lobby the federal government for change.

Resolutions drafted by the Timmins and Sault Ste. Marie Chambers of Commerce were adopted during the CCC’s annual general meeting in Regina, Sask., held Sept. 17-19.

Two resolutions put forward by the Timmins Chamber of Commerce were approved.

The first asks for clarification on the “roles of all parties involved in the duty to consult and accommodate Indigenous peoples on any projects that would affect their constitutional rights.”

A lack of clarification leads to uncertainty, which leads to the stalling of resource development projects, the Timmins chamber contends.

In the second resolution, the Timmins Chamber asks for action on the issue of seasonal roads in remote and Northern regions.

Winter roads built of ice and snow are essential to those communities to move goods, but shorter winter seasons have resulted in less time the roads can be used. The Chamber is seeking solutions, including a possible all-season road.

The Sault Ste. Marie Chamber of Commerce, in concert with the Chambers of Commerce from Hamilton and Windsor-Essex, successfully tabled a resolution asking for action to help combat the slumping steel industry.

Among other recommendations, the policy asks for a coordinated steel manufacturing strategy and measures that would “encourage domestic steel content to be used in all provincially and federally funded projects.”

Sault Ste. Marie’s Essar Steel Algoma has been under creditor protection since November, 2015, and the Indian-owned company is currently seeking a new buyer. Early this September, the company announced layoffs from its Sault plant, impacting between 75 and 80 workers.

These resolutions now become official positions of the CCC, which represents 200,000 businesses across the country, and will be used in the organization’s lobby efforts.