Daily Update: June 24, 2020

Supports for Business

The Big Spend

On July 25, make a purchase from a local small business, add your name to the big spend list, and share on social using #TheBigSpend. Find out more information about this initiative and promotional materials.

Investing in Net-Zero Energy Residential Buildings

Canada’s Minister of Natural Resources, announced an investment of over $2,445,000 toward the construction of energy-efficient residential buildings across Canada. The funding will support a project led by the Canadian Home Builders’ Association (CHBA) that will enable seven housing builders to construct net-zero energy and net-zero energy ready residential buildings in British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan and Ontario. Read the press release.

Supports for Individuals

Provincial government introduces Bill 29, the Local Authorities Election Amendment Act

If passed some of the proposed amendments to municipal and school board elections include:

Ensuring campaign surpluses over $1,000 are donated to charity, instead of requiring municipalities and school boards to open trust accounts to hold them
Allowing Albertans to support and donate to as many candidates as they choose, up to $5,000 per candidate
Removing the definition of “political advertising” from the act
Allowing candidates to self-finance up to $10,000 a year for their campaigns.
Increasing the limit that potential candidates can raise outside of the campaign period from $2,000 to $5,000 annually
Making it so candidates do not have to file any disclosures before election day
Candidates who receive contributions of $50,000 or who spend more than $50,000 will be required to have a chartered professional accountant review their financial statements before submitting them to the municipality or school board.

Read the press release.

Community Supports and Resources

Investing in Wildland Fire Research

Canada’s Minister of Natural Resources, announced an investment of $5 million towards the development of a Wildland Fire Research Network in Canada in collaboration with the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC). They will work closely with the Canadian Partnership for Wildland Fire Science, based at the University of Alberta.

To increase Canada’s expertise in wildland fire science, this network will invest in the development of 68 wildland fire professionals in master’s, PhD and post-doctoral fellowship programs. Through the network, they will have the opportunity to innovate in fire management to reduce the risks of Canada’s wildland fire.

This project is part of the Emergency Management Strategy (EMS) for Canada announced in Budget 2019.

Advocacy

Commentary: The Great Quickening, The Implications Of COVID-19 On Digital Currencies And Our Financial Institutions

Like so many things today, the future of Central Bank Digital Currencies (CBDCs), and Bitcoin for that matter, is anyone’s guess. But smart money may be betting on, well, smarter forms of money to come out ahead. If this comes to pass, Canada will need to ensure its approach to CBDCs is streamlined to improve its economic competitiveness, support more precise fiscal policy and, above all, ensure it can navigate an increasingly uncertain global order. Learn more.

New Resources

RECORDING: COVID testing and stage 2 relaunch with GOA

Economic Development Minister Tanya Fir and Labour Minister Jason Copping hosted a town hall on June 19 on COVID testing and Alberta's relaunch. The recording is now available via Dropbox.

Truth And Reconciliation Roadmap

The Canadian Chamber of Commerce supports members in building relationships that will help their businesses thrive, and building relationships with groups that are often under-represented in business is not only the right thing to do, it’s critical to our national competitiveness and well-being. Informed and respectful engagement between businesses and Indigenous peoples is one aspect of this, which is they are congratulating the The Winnipeg Chamber on its Truth and Reconciliation Roadmap (TRR). TRR serves as a guide to provide businesses with the focus and resources to achieve engagement and assist the business community in demonstrating the role it must play in reconciliation.