On Wednesday, July 15th, the Honourable Charles Sousa, Minister of Finance for the province of Ontario met with a select group of prominent Dufferin County business and community leaders at Hockley Valley Resort, in the Town of Mono. Hosted by the Greater Dufferin Area Chamber of Commerce, acting Chamber of Commerce Chair Joe Andrews of Humber College, welcomed the business leaders and Minister Sousa to this unique and interactive session.
In his opening remarks Minister Sousa addressed the audience, speaking of the province’s commitment to growing a vibrant and robust economy. Key points addressed by the Minister, both in his remarks and in response to questions from the audience, were the government’s focus on streamlining bureaucracy and administration to support the needs of small business across the province; the importance of improving and upgrading infrastructure, including electricity and natural gas, to ensure the competitive advantage of Ontario businesses; recognizing the importance of agriculture in the overall priorities of the government; and acknowledging that high speed connectivity was a critical element in ensuring rural communities across the province are equipped to support a strong business sector.
Following his address to the audience, Minister Sousa took the opportunity to answer questions from audience members, and discuss specific issues one-on-one with guests in the audience, in an informal setting.
The Greater Dufferin Area Chamber, representing the business community in Dufferin, and supporting the economic development priorities of the County of Dufferin, is proud to present opportunities such as today’s luncheon to showcase Dufferin County to our provincial and federal leaders, and to provide a forum for business and municipal leaders to discuss issues that are important to our region’s businesses.
The Greater Dufferin Area Chamber of Commerce’s Acting Chair, Joe Andrews, commented that “the issues affecting businesses in Dufferin County are critical to everyone in our community, and providing the opportunity to bring important matters forward to our provincial and federal governments is a critical role that the Chamber of Commerce is proud to play within Dufferin County”.