By Doug Draper
Businesses across Niagara, Ontario – fed up with a parochialism they feel is keeping this region from moving forward – are moving forward with the creation of their own ‘Greater Niagara Chamber of Commerce’.
In a media release circulated this March 24, a recently established steering committee for an “advocacy group” made up of more than 40 businesses across the region, said it has received a good deal of support from business owners and others for a body that truly speaks with one voice for Niagara when it comes to attracting more jobs and business.
“We received a lot of positive feedback” says Mike Watt, vice president of Walker Environmental, of the response the group has received since it first made its intentions public a few weeks ago. “It’s time for a stronger regional business voice – and that message has resonated with business.”
“We have been in discussions with the local Chamber network (in Niagara) for the past eight months,” adds Steven Megannety, a Niagara Falls resident, a member of Kealey & Associates Inc. and founding member of the new Greater Niagara Chamber. “We understand clearly how each Chamber perceives their role within their respective municipality, and we are not interested in challenging that. We are, however, committed to building a regional voice for business in Niagara.”
In its media release, the steering committee for this new chamber said that in the coming weeks it “will be releasing details of its organizational structure, continuing its meetings with municipal chambers, and finalizing its governing conventions by appointing a board of directors.”
Nancy Diamond, vice-chair of the St. Catharines & Thorold Chamber of Commerce, told Niagara At Large that her chamber has been holding discussions with the new body and feel it is moving in a “positive” direction. “We need a regional voice in Niagara,” she said, but it remains to be seen how the idea of a ‘Greater Niagara Chamber’ is going to unfold.
In the meantime, Niagara’s regional government is still in the middle of deciding what to do about one of its partner bodies, the Niagara Economic Development Corporation (NEDC), which many critics argue has done a poor job of working together with five economic development offices for the municipalities of St. Catharines, Niagara Falls, Welland, Port Colborne and Fort Erie to draw new business to the region. Many of these critics point to unemployment rates in Niagara that remain among the highest in the province and country.
At this March 24 regional council meeting, the region’s chair, Gary Burroughs, announced that he is launching a task force made up of a handful of staff, regional councillors, including Grimsby councillor and former regional chair Debbie Zimmerman and St. Catharines regional councillor Al Caslin, and members of the business community to recommend ways the region can do a better job of promoting economic development.
The task force has been given a 30-day deadline to do its work.
What remains in question is how far members of the regional council, including the mayors of the 12 municipalities sitting on it, are willing to go to create a body that will speak for all of Niagara, rather than one part of it or another, when it comes to attracting new business in the region. In the weeks and months ahead, we shall see.
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Niagara At Large 
I don’t have any expertise in this area except to comment that I have been concerned about the NEDC for over twenty years. I have seen sinecure positions created within, and little output or effect on Niagara from this organization. It seemed to be a organization where management kept feathering the nest in one way or another. I recall a document that was produced by NEDC over twenty years ago, which was filled with pages that stated “this page left intentionally blank”. Yes I saw it. Then there was that really useful exercise in ‘branding’ Niagara with an ‘n’ logo with various insets like a wine glass and so on. How did that help our region economically? Speaking just as a curious taxpayer here.
Thanks for allowing the small rant.
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Can we all say “NHS”, or new St. Catharines Hospital, or “Urgent care” for Port Colborne and Fort Erie? Who is to say that all the emphasis will not be spent on the north end and the southern tier can come visit any time they want. By the way, bring your money, too. I may seem to be very skeptical of a “Niagara anything” but as they say “once burnt, twice shy”.
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Pingback: Niagara, Ontario Businesses Move To Create A Region-Wide Chamber Of Commerce
Hypothetically, a broad based Chamber isn’t a bad idea. I was a member of the Kitchener-Waterloo Chamber for 9 years in the 90’s and it was generally a positive experience. What I did notice how that Chamber transformed itself into the 2nd largest in the province with some worthwhile advocacy issues. In the early 90’s it was dominated by the old boys sitting around drinking scotch in Westmount Country Club. Then the new kids started showing up, high tech and software people- translation- younger and smarter.
Niagara doesn’t have that same dynamic and has a very limited market for expansion. The tendency is to protect your turf as opposed to looking externally coupled with the proverbial elephant in the room St. Catharines.
I live in Port Colborne so have a great deal of concern for St. Kitt’s dominance in anything like this. The new hospital is one example but look back in recent history and see how close Welland came to losing Niagara College due to machinations in the north.
Take the example of Welland that has high commercial/industrial tax rates coupled with high water/sewage rates. The buy in cost for a new plant is relatively inexpensive but over 10 or 20 years those costs skew in favour of Halton, Peel or Waterloo. The advocacy we’ve heard from business here is about development charges. That’s largely irrelevant as an upfront cost but our current structure is expensive from an operating cost over the long term.
That’s a fairly simple analysis but I’ve yet to hear any of the proponents of this even talk about these fundamental problems.
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The Chambers of Commerce are’ nt my favourite people I have dealt with these people 25 years ago when I and the then president of the Black Creek Community where the Friendship Festival started, gave and worked on a presentation for a Fort Erie months of work , we were suposed to get $15.000 for all our hard work, we made a presentation to the FE Chamber after all that and after the presentation, Louis Ziff said here is $500 dollars, thats all we have. they were getting $120.000 dollars per year of tax payers funding for a decade.a good deal for them but a lousy deal for the FE taxpayers. They hate unionized corporations and benefits for the hourly workers and espouse the Conservative party line on everything, these are the folks that got us FREE Trade, and sent our jobs to Mexico.
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I have worked as a volunteer for many community organizations for many years, and agree with George Jardine that we have a very partisan group among Chamber of Commerce folk. I see it still, as one group I am with has to constantly ‘correct’ statements of claims from one Chamber employee as to just who and how many people his organization represents. There is much inflated talk at the C of C level, I fear, and much of it needs a little objectivity. Just one taxpayers comments again.
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I grew up in Niagara Falls and have seen many, many changes over the years and unfortunately Niagara Falls looks the worst I’ve ever seen it right now. There are so many, too many delapitated and vacant buildings on our main streets that I’m sure it has left many tourist and out of towners with mixed feelings about this world renowned city Niagara Falls. While our region has breath taking natural beauty it is veiled by a blanket of greed and sloth. I could rant on this subject for hours, dont worry I wont, as I believe Niagara has a world of potential and it breaks my heart to see it fall apart. I have at least 30 unique and inovative business ideas which I am certain would employ local residents, bring in tourism and make the area a more pleasant place to visit however I am not certain whom I could present my ideas to, would this new chamber also be involved in creating new business as well? If anyone has any advice as to who I should talk to about presenting these business ideas your comments would be greatly appreciated, thank you!
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