Saskatchewan Chamber of Commerce looking forward to an active 2015

Without a doubt the provincial business community was put to the test in 2014 and showed the amazing resilience this province was built on. The year started with a crisis in rail transportation, then mid-year we saw a massive and surprising overhaul of the Temporary Foreign Worker Program, and the year ended all with an oil price plunge that will have a spiralling economic impact in the coming year. There were also some very important legislative and policy changes by the provincial government that were welcomed by business.

Through all the ups and downs this year brought, the Saskatchewan Chamber of Commerce has been working hard to backstop, strengthen and build a better environment for our businesses.

“2014 threw a couple curve balls, but we also saw some major successes. In the coming year, we anticipate the full implementation of the Environment Code and Employment Act, both of which were very positive pieces of provincial legislation which passed in 2014,” said Saskatchewan Chamber CEO Steve McLellan. “The Saskatchewan Chamber worked hard to see these progressive pieces put in place and we know our businesses will feel the benefits over the long term.”

The Chamber began 2014 with a strong focus on infrastructure. The enablement and expansion of Public -Private Partnerships (P3s) is an effort that Chamber has promoted very seriously as it offers a viable solution to some of the province’s infrastructure deficit. Therefore, the Chamber hosted the second annual Saskatchewan P3 Summit, bringing more than 335 people from across the country together to learn from the experts in the field.

Also on infrastructure, the Chamber commissioned the Conference Board of Canada to conduct an analysis of The Impact of Rail Access on Saskatchewan’s Export Potential. The conclusions of this report will outline Saskatchewan’s potential future demand for rail access, the costs of access limitations as well as potential solutions to enable better access. “2013/2014 offered the province a wake-up call to the impact transportation access can have on our economy and we are ready to learn from it, hopefully it is a history we won’t repeat as our economy continues to grow,” added McLellan.

In addition to infrastructure, McLellan noted that last year, the Chamber was very active on the Temporary Foreign Worker issue, attending national conferences, meeting with the federal minister and the Saskatchewan Federal Conservative Caucus on the issue, as well as holding six meetings with groups of members. “Immigration will continue to be critical to Saskatchewan’s workforce, and, although it will not compensate for the number of temporary foreign workers the province was previously bringing in, we will see increased numbers through the Saskatchewan Immigrant Nominee Program in 2015. A measure advocated for by the Chamber”, he explained, adding that the Saskatchewan labour market should see some easing this year, despite the dramatic cuts in 2014 to the Temporary Foreign Worker program.

“We expect more First Nations and young workers to enter the workplace, both in full and part time jobs,” McLellan said. “Also,

we believe there is an opportunity to bring more former Saskatchewan residents back to the province or attract other Canadians and we will look to assist with this migration in the coming year.”

Building on the strengthening of our labour pool, the Saskatchewan Chamber of Commerce’s Labour Market Task Force will continue its work to create a much more user-friendly and time-sensitive labour market information system for businesses and employees to access. And with the launch of Saskcareers.ca, a project in which the Chamber has encouraged, the province now has a portal that will bring students information on potential educational and career paths, while connecting business with these students; an essential foundation to building such a system.

The continuance of a balanced provincial budget and the province’s shift to the use of summary statements were also welcome news and advocacy wins for the organization, McLellan said. The Chamber anticipates a tight provincial budget in the spring, but believes the government understands the challenges businesses faced last year, and while the promised reduction in the corporate tax rate may not be implemented, the Chamber is looking for some small niche initiatives to help businesses.

Looking beyond the basics to the next big potential in our province, the Chamber turned its attention north in 2014. The organization’s Northern Business Task Force, made up of representatives from companies and organizations that operate in northern Saskatchewan, travelled to our province’s remote north and brought back as series of recommendations focused on finding creative solutions to accelerate northern Saskatchewan’s economic and social development. “Getting these recommendations implemented will be one of our key activities in 2015,” continued McLellan.

“And last but definitely not least, the Chamber’s work around the federal election scheduled for the fall of 2015 and the provincial election, anticipated to be in the spring of 2016 will keep us very busy. 2014 was an exciting year– and we’re looking to make 2015 even better.”

The Saskatchewan Chamber of Commerce represents the interests of 10,000 businesses across the province through Chamber Network. The mandate of the Saskatchewan Chamber is to make the province a better place to live, work and invest.

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For further information, contact:

Steve McLellan, CEO
Saskatchewan Chamber of Commerce
Ph: 306.352.2671
C: 306.533.7686

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