The Battlefords Chamber of Commerce has waded in to the 2016 provincial election.
They have joined the Sask. Chamber of Commerce in promoting OnTrack 2016 — a recommendations document outlining 31 ideas within eight major categories, all issues facing the business community.
The categories are titled top 8 Opportunities for Continued Growth. According to a news release from the Chamber these include recommendations on ways to strengthen the province’s taxation and fiscal framework, support infrastructure enhancement, build and use water resources, attract and grow investment, strengthen the education system, accelerate northern economic development, use alternative service delivery and enhance workforce skills training.
Important issues for the Chamber include integration of entrepreneurship and business skills training in all levels of Kindergarten to Grade 12 education, changing the assessment cycle from four to two years, moving to a dual-rate personal income tax structure of nine and 12 per cent and creation of a comprehensive water resource strategic plan.
“The ideas within OnTrack 2016 affect the way that all the people in this province live, work and invest,” said Steve McLellan, CEO of the Saskatchewan Chamber, in a statement.
“As a province, we have seen very positive changes in our economy and our culture, but the work isn’t done. We want to see the next government continue the economic momentum, and believe it is imperative to stay on track with this progress and, so, we created these suggestions, and categorized them into eight general areas.”
The Chamber is inviting people to read the full OnTrack document, which can be found at www.saskchamber.com.
The document has the full backing of the Battlefords Chamber. Battlefords Chamber president Jay Bottomley says, “locally we support the OnTrack 2016 package, specifically items such as ‘changing the assessment cycle used to calculate property values from four years to two years.’ This is a very important discussion as we work through issues of commercial taxation in the Battlefords that impact our businesses.”
