Businesses ask for government ‘concierge’ help

Chamber of commerce report outlines hurdles of small firms seeking support in Ontario

Small businesses are asking the province for a “regulatory concierge service” to make it easier to deal with the three levels of government — one of several recommendations outlined in a new report from the Ontario Chamber of Commerce.

“(The) Ontario business community is calling on all three levels of government to co-operate and collaborate. . . . If I hear one complaint repeated every day across communi- ties, it’s small enterprise and their inability to navigate between the levels of government,” said president and CEO Allan O’Dette at a Queen’s Park news conference Monday.

“I think that in the 21st century . . . we have an expectation that governments work together collaboratively to help enable business to grow and prosper in this province.”

The report is based on consultations with hundreds of small-business owners who “expressed that they find it incredibly difficult to navigate the regulatory framework,” it says.

“Small businesses would appreciate better customer service in its dealings with the government. As economic drivers of their communities, they should be able to access supports and get their questions answered in a speedy fashion.”

The chamber of commerce is recommending the provincial government, along with local governments and Ottawa, create a service that could include online help as well as phone support.

Brad Duguid, Ontario’s minister of economic development and growth, said such a service is “very much in keeping with the direction we are going in terms of our business support services. We have just recently set up that very same type of service for businesses that are looking to expand or invest in Ontario” with a single contact to “smooth over all the other challenges they may have with other levels of government and between ministries.”

The province is also in the midst of its Red Tape Challenge, an online survey seeking input on how to streamline regulations in several sectors. The Ontario Chamber of Commerce, which notes that small businesses employ three million people in the province, also raised alarms about rising energy prices and called that “the greatest source of frustration.”

During the legislature’s daily question period, Progressive Conservative Leader Patrick Brown noted that the report found “some 38 per cent of small businesses say hydro prices are the No. 1 obstacle they face to remain competitive in Ontario, and one in three small businesses have said hydro prices will lead to them delaying and cancelling investments and expansions in Ontario.

“This government has lost touch with Main Street Ontario and the hard-working people who create jobs,” he said.

Ontario’s chamber of commerce raised alarms about rising energy prices, calling that “the greatest source of frustration” for business