On February 28, 2017, the Ontario Chamber of Commerce (OCC) sent an open letter to Premier Wynne regarding Ontario’s interest arbitration system.
While the OCC and their member network, including the Dufferin Board of Trade, greatly value the contributions and protections that emergency services personnel provide to our communities, we recognize that the costs of these services have increased at over three times the rate of inflation annually since 2002.
The letter highlights that the cost escalation resulting from settlements is unsustainable, particularly in an era of fiscal restraint in which municipalities are greatly restricted in their options to generate new revenue.