‘Times of opportunity’: Optimism abounds at Ontario Chamber meeting in Windsor

Representatives from dozens of chambers of commerce and boards of trade are in the city for an annual general meeting.

It’s billed as an event that will feature an inside-look at how businesses are “navigating Ontario’s evolving economic landscape” with a special focus on “trade-exposed industries” like the automotive and greenhouse sectors.

And yet, in his opening remarks, President and CEO of the Ontario Chamber of Commerce (OCC) Daniel Tisch offered a message of resilience.

“I’m so fundamentally optimistic because I’ve never seen more unity in our business community and in our country. I’ve never seen more engagement in our chamber network. I’ve never seen more urgency from our politicians, and I’ve never seen more determination to turn talk into action,” Tisch told the audience.

In an interview with CTV News afterward, Tisch said the tariff threat has mobilized politicians to start acting on dissolving interprovincial trade barriers, something the OCC has been lobbying for, for some time.

“This a battle that we’ve been fighting for a long time as the Ontario Chamber, it’s been one of our core policies for many years,” Tisch said. “We’re very proud that just last week, the Ontario legislature received the very first bill of this new parliament, which is focused on bringing down and dismantling interprovincial trade barriers.”

Tisch believes Ontario businesses want to stay in the province and expand here with or without the threat of tariffs.

They just – according to Tisch – need some help from government to make sure the companies have access to electricity, natural gas, and a skilled workforce.

“We’ve been a little complacent because we were reliant on the trade relationship with the US. But actually, we have tremendous economic advantages as a province, as a region, as a country,” Tisch said.

He hopes Friday’s event will teach their members how to “support businesses at these challenging times that are also times of opportunity.”