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Ontario Fall Economic Statement

Ontario’s Fall Economic Statement sets the stage for the spring election

Ontario’s Fall Economic Statement, released late last week, was clearly drafted with the province’s upcoming spring election in mind. With a focus on infrastructure and economic development, the statement is aimed at positioning the Progressive Conservatives as the party focused on economic growth, which is their traditional political wheelhouse. But it was also a decidedly […]

paid sick days

Ontario launches paid sick days for employees affected by COVID-19

After months of lobbying on the part of the medical community and various labour groups, the Ontario government this week proposed amendments to the province’s Employment Standards Act, 2000, to provide up to three paid sick days for employees that need to miss work for reasons relating to COVID-19. Under the Worker Income Protection Benefit, […]

Boardroom Meeting

COVID-19 Federal and Ontario Relief Measures: An overview

It’s already being called the defining economic and social crisis of our generation. The coronavirus pandemic has wreaked havoc on the global economy. In Canada, organizations and their leaders are scrambling to make payroll, retain clients and employees–and remain operational–as revenue plummets and uncertainty impacts strategic decision-making. The federal and provincial governments have taken swift […]

Ontario Finance Minister Rod Phillips

Ontario tables $17 billion COVID-19 stimulus package with economic update

The COVID-19 crisis and ensuing shutdown of entire economies across the globe has sent governments scrambling to respond. From providing aid to individuals to supporting devastated businesses, stimulus packages have been organized at an unprecedented pace to boost market liquidity, mitigate shocking spikes in unemployment and stave off an even more widespread recession. It’s in […]

Maple Leaf

What Ontario’s Fall 2019 economic update means for your business

The business community in Ontario just received a modest, yet business-friendly, tax reduction courtesy of Doug Ford’s Progressive Conservative government. The move is a step towards achieving balanced budget while looking to encourage economic activity within the province Specifically, Wednesday’s Fall Economic Statement announced proposals to reduce the small business Corporate Income Tax rate to […]

Ontario slashes spending for small business programs

The bad news continues to flow for entrepreneurs across Ontario. The Doug Ford government has lowered the axe once again on programs that support the growth of small and medium-sized businesses across the province, this time targeting Ontario’s Small Business Enterprise Centres (SBECs). Several programs served up by the centres, including Starter Company Plus and […]

Ontario’s innovation ecosystem faces substantial funding cuts

Less than two weeks after I outlined a coming review of Ontario’s innovation tax credits and “other R&D tax incentives” by Doug Ford’s Progressive Conservative government, news broke in recent days that Queen’s Park is moving to cut several important innovation programs for entrepreneurs, as well as at least one designed to help start-up businesses […]

Ontario budget 2019: Key highlights

With the first budget of its majority mandate, Doug Ford’s Progressive Conservative government delivered a moderated strategy for achieving budgetary balance, while largely maintaining—and in the case of education and health care, even increasing—current program spending levels. In the months leading up to the budget, the government had already delivered on several campaign promises that […]

Ontario budget 2019: ‘Open for Business’ moves from campaign slogan to governing mantra

When Doug Ford swept into power last year, he promised that Ontario would once again be ‘Open for Business.’ The new Progressive Conservative premier went so far as to plaster his campaign slogan on highway signs at the Ontario-U.S. border. It was a not-so-subtle, all-caps reminder to our American friends of his commitment to undoing […]