9 | O akville B eaver | T hursday,S eptem ber 19,2019 insidehalton.com 1276 Cornwall Road, Unit C, Oakville Ontario, L6J 7W5 T: 905-845-0767 • F: 905-845-5552 • www.haxelllaw.com • lawyers@haxelllaw.com Personal Professional Service at Competitive Rates Buying? Selling? Re Call us for a quote at 905-845-0767 ext. 223Jameson Glas GOLDGOGOGOGOGOGOGOGOLDLDGOLDLDLDLDLDLD 905-845-0767 ext. 223Jameson Glas Pud bySteveNease The Oakville Chamber of Commerce, in partner- ship with the Ontario Chamber Network, re- leased a new report, The Great Mosaic: Reviving Ontario's Regional Econo- mies. The report outlines how government of all lev- els can work with industry to unleash the potential of Ontario's regional econo- mies and reinforce the competitiveness of the province as a whole. "We are only as strong as our weakest link and our ability to prosper depends on the strength of our dif- ferent regions. Economic and population growth rates in the Greater Golden Horseshoe and Ottawa have far surpassed those in other areas of the prov- ince," said President and CEO of the Ontario Cham- ber of Commerce Rocco Rossi. "Our communities - and the province as a whole - risk falling behind if we do not leverage the rich and diverse competitive advan- tages of our local econo- mies." The Great Mosaic: Re- viving Ontario's Regional Economies examines the opportunities and chal- lenges faced by different communities across the province and offers a framework for thinking about the present and fu- ture of Ontario's regional economies. The chamber urges pol- icymakers to take a mod- ern and comprehensive ap- proach to economic devel- opment by leveraging the existing competitiveness advantages of Ontario's re- gions and implement delib- erate strategies to support long-term growth in com- munities across Ontario. The report makes 17 rec- ommendations to strength- en the well-being of Onta- rio's regions. Key takea- ways include: • The most cost-effective way to drive economic de- velopment is to cultivate talent, trade, and infra- structure. Governments should make it a priority to upgrade transportation and energy networks, mod- ernize their regulations and business supports, of- fer dynamic education andfer dynamic education andf training opportunities, and encourage labour mobility. • Building regional ca- pacity for innovation is fundamental to productivi- ty and growth. This means improving commercializa- tion and technology adop- tion, strengthening region- al innovation centres, ex- panding broadband inter- net access, and facilitating cluster development. • Modern governance of economic development should empower a wide range of stakeholders in- cluding businesses, post- secondary institutions, and not-for-profit organi- zations outside govern- ment. Regional collabora- tion, economic reconcilia- tion with Indigenous peo- ples, and the use of data are all critical to mobilizing lo- cal assets. In the face of technologi- cal transformation and globalization, the Oakville Chamber of Commerce be- lieves Ontario has what it takes to succeed and we are optimistic that the prov- ince can successfully navi- gate the modern economy if we work together to un- lock the economic poten- tial of our communities. Faye Lyons is the Oak- ville Chamber of Com- merce's vice-president of government relations and advocacy. UNLOCKING OUR ECONOMIC POTENTIAL OPINION ADDRESSING REGIONAL IMBALANCES CRITICAL TO ONTARIO'S FUTURE, SAYS LYONS FAYE LYONS Column PROMOTE IT TODAY FOR FREE INSIDEHALTON.COM/EVENTS HOSTING A THANKSGIVING EVENT? MAKE IT A SUCCESS!