Dear valued Chamber member,

During the past year, the Calgary Chamber of Commerce and our volunteer Chamber committees successfully advocated an increased number of innovative public policy solutions aimed at improving the business climate on behalf of our members.

We also enhanced our Public & Government Affairs bench strength, adding greater depth with three new staff - a lawyer, an economist, and a political scientist - all with significant public policy backgrounds. The department also implemented a strategic communications approach to better publicize our policy and advocacy efforts - both internally, and to key stakeholders and partners.

This expanded internal capacity and dynamic committee refocusing has positioned the Chamber to better capitalize on our volunteers' expertise, and allowed the Chamber to offer a range of new ideas to address the priorities that you've identified by our annual membership priority survey.

Outlined below are highlights of the Chamber's 2007 accomplishments, listed by the priorities that you gave us at the start of the year - or you can click here to go right to the 2007 results summary.

2007 Member Priority #1: Labour shortages

• Chamber Unveils 3-Point Provincial Budget Strategy to Attract the Next Wave of Talented Workers
  Nov 30 - The Calgary of Commerce advises the Government of Alberta in its 2008 budget to make personal income and small business tax rates more competitive, institute a budgeting and savings framework that secures the 'Alberta Advantage' for the future and ensure quality and sustainable service delivery through controlled spending policies, to attract the next wave of highly skilled workers.
• Read the Chamber's Provincial Pre-budget Submission
• Engaging older workers: The Chamber's approach
  Jul 30 -The Calgary Chamber of Commerce recommended changes to the Canadian Pension Plan, Old Age Security, and RRSP programs to remove disincentives and encourage older workers to continue in the labour force, as part of a submission to the Federal Expert Panel on Older Workers.
• Read the Chamber's submission to the Federal Expert Panel on Older Workers
• Chamber Welcomes New Canada-Alberta Immigration Deal
  May 15 - A new Canada-Alberta immigration agreement aims to welcome 5,000 more newcomers to Alberta per year. Particular initiatives that the Chamber has advocated for, and the government has taken action on, include:
  • Improved processes for temporary foreign workers to speed up approval times;
  • Increased use of the provincial nominee program; and
  • Expanding the trade investment and labour mobility agreement (TILMA) signed between Alberta and B.C.
• Chamber efforts improve temporary foreign worker program
  Apr 10 - During a breakfast speech at the Chamber, Monte Solberg, Minister of Human Resources and Social Development acknowledged the work of the Calgary Chamber of Commerce to enhance the temporary foreign workers program.
  "The Chamber was very instrumental is asking us for these changes…and asking us to be responsive to our labour markets. I want to thank the Chamber for helping drive that change," said Solberg.

2007 Member Priority #2: Infrastructure deficit

• Steering city toward change
  Sep 27 - To attract the best and brightest, the Chamber's Renaissance Calgary project calls for reliable, efficient, and accessible road and public transit systems. Great cities have a sense of pride and ownership in their transportation options.
• Greater density will make Calgary work better
  Sep 07 - The Chamber is a strong advocate for a denser city, because dense cities function more efficiently and economically. It is cheaper to deliver basic services such as water, gas, and electricity.
  Denser neighbourhoods support better programming at schools - art, religion, sports, French Immersion --without the additional cost of buses. Fire engines and police stations serve many more households and emergency response vehicles are able to reach homes within their seven-minute response times. This saves lives, and saves 25 to 30 per cent of taxpayers' money.
• Sustainable funding for municipalities, but no new taxes
  April 04 - The Calgary Chamber of Commerce urged the Minister of Municipal Affairs Ray Danyluk to approach municipal financing in a way that does not increase, but actually reduces the existing tax burden on Albertans.
  "The Chamber supports a predictable, stable, and sustainable source of revenue to deal with infrastructure needs," said Heather Douglas, President & CEO of the Calgary Chamber of Commerce. "But our tax burden is already too high, so proposals to enhance the long-term sustainability of municipalities must achieve a zero increase, or decrease in taxes."

2007 Member Priority #3: High levels of taxation

• Chamber's Federal Budget strategy to position Canada as 'the' destination for investment and skilled workers
  Dec 12 - In a federal pre-budget submission released today, the Calgary Chamber of Commerce urges the government to help solve Alberta's labour shortage by improving personal income tax competitiveness, altering retirement programs to encourage older workers to remain in the labour force, and setting the right fiscal conditions to attract entrepreneurs and highly skilled professionals to Canada.
• Read the Chamber's Federal Pre-budget Submission
• Chamber efforts result in $60 billion tax cut
  Nov 12 - On the eve of Halloween, the federal government announced that personal and corporate taxes would be reduced over the next six years, resulting in $60 billion in savings for Canadian taxpayers. The Calgary Chamber of Commerce played an important role in securing these tax savings for members.
• Chamber advises 'no new tax increases' to Municipal Affairs Minister
  Oct 24 - Chamber representatives urged the Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing, Ray Danyluk, to provide municipalities with sufficient revenues without increasing the overall tax burden during a meeting to discuss Calgary's infrastructure needs.
• Chamber members offer provincial budget feedback to Finance Minister
  May 01 - While many Calgarians were preoccupied with the Flames playoff run in mid-April, members of the Chamber's Tax & Economic Affairs Committee were focused on Alberta's fiscal future. The group met with the provincial Minister of Finance Lyle Oberg the day after the budget was released. "We reiterated our call for greater fiscal restraint, tax reductions, and lesser reliance on non-renewable resources revenues," said Geoff Pradella, Vice-President of Public & Government Affairs of the Calgary Chamber of Commerce.

2007 Member Priority #4: Municipal affairs 

• Chamber's Renaissance Calgary Blueprint makes an impact during the municipal election
  Nov 27 - Through a seven part Op-Ed series, a weekly electronic newsletter, and release of its Renaissance Calgary Blueprint, the Calgary Chamber of Commerce rolled out a new, more prominent (than ever), and more effective results-oriented Municipal Election issues and advocacy campaign in October 2007 calling for concrete changes to the way we live, work and manage our city.
• Read the Chamber's Renaissance Calgary Blueprint
• Calgary losing business battle
  Sep 13 - Calgary businesses pay 6.1 times the residential mill rate or 61% of municipal tax (receiving less than half back in services from the city). Edmonton firms shell out 51% (or 4.1 times the residential mill rate). While this province prides itself as a low-cost jurisdiction to do business, Calgary is losing the business battle of Alberta.

2007 Member Priority #5: Affordable housing

• Chamber to investigate the impact of government land use and development policies on broad market affordability
  Dec 05 - Local and provincial governments have the ability to influence land prices and development patterns through their processes. The Chamber is undertaking research to compare land use and development practices across jurisdictions to identify tools, strategies, and recommendations for improvement.    
  This project is made possible through a $30,000 research grant from the Alberta Real Estate Foundation. The report will be released in the spring 2008.
• A suite solution to Calgary's housing challenge
  Jul 19 - The Calgary Chamber of Commerce asks the City to give landlords (in every community) the right to build secondary suites in their homes -- providing they meet the municipality's rigorous fire, safety, and zoning regulations. Basement apartments help homebuyers qualify for mortgages, help pay the mortgages and rising living costs. Granny suites offer cosy homes for elderly parents.
  The Chamber recognizes that secondary suites could quickly and effectively alleviate the housing affordability shortage in our city and address the critical labour shortage in every sector of our economy. This makes better use of existing infrastructure, reduces demand for new development, and properly constructed suites increase property values. Requiring owner-occupancy on these properties removes the biggest concerns of existing neighbourhood residents.
• Chamber provides solutions to Alberta Affordable Housing Task Force
  Mar 06 - A targeted response to specific problem areas, rather than wholesale changes to the broader development and building markets, was the key message in a written submission by the Calgary Chamber of Commerce to the Alberta Affordable Housing Task Force.

Additional Public & Government Affairs Initiatives

Alberta Royalty Review
In February 2007, the Government of Alberta created an independent panel to solicit input, and examine whether Albertans were receiving a fair share from energy development through royalties, taxes, and fees. After receiving the Panel's report and recommendations, the government decided to alter the royalty system to secure a larger share of royalties and to share in more of the upside of oil & gas prices. The Chamber was an important voice of reason and balance in this discussion, representing a wide range of industries.

As part of the Chamber's presentation to Royalty Review Panel, the Chamber urged no changes and outlined the potential impact to small and medium-sized businesses.

Read the Chamber's submission to the Royalty Review Panel.

As the government contemplated the report from the Royalty Review Panel, the Chamber offered strategic approaches to implementation in order to protect the economy from a dramatic loss of confidence and investment capital.

Read the Chamber's strategic approaches to implementation of new royalty regime.
 
The Premier acknowledged the candour, comments and detailed analysis of the Chamber's efforts in a November 23 letter.  

New Provincial Budgeting and Savings Framework
With Alberta now debt-free, the Chamber has advocated for a new budgeting and savings framework to turn today's energy wealth into tomorrow's prosperity.

In 2007, we advised the provincial government to save 35 per cent, on average, of non-renewable resource revenues in the Heritage Fund and other endowments. In a pre-budget survey of our membership, over 90 per cent of respondents indicated that the government should save at least one-third of all resource revenues.

The Chamber believes savings will allow the government to rely less on volatile commodity revenues to fund expenditures, preserve Albertans' living standards through a build up of the Heritage Fund, and secure funds to establish centers of research excellence.

The Financial Investment Planning & Advisory Commission (FIPAC) was struck to review Alberta's savings approach and existing funds. The Chamber was among a select group of organizations and individuals invited to participate in private consultations with FIPAC members.

Read the highlights of the Chamber's submission to FIPAC.

Read the Chamber's detailed submission to FIPAC.

Expanding Our Influence - Alberta and Canadian Chambers of Commerce
Through participation in the Alberta Chambers of Commerce and the Canadian Chamber of Commerce, our local Chamber has another avenue to raise issues provincially and nationally.
Below is a list of the policy resolutions authored by the Calgary Chamber of Commerce in 2007 that have been adopted as policy at the provincial and national Chamber of Commerce levels. The resolutions address members' priorities of labour shortages, taxes and affordable housing, among others.

• Alberta Chambers of Commerce
  1. Solutions to Alberta's affordable housing challenge
  2. Eliminate interprovincial trade barriers through expansion of the Alberta-B.C. Trade Investment and Labour Mobility Agreement (TILMA)
  3. Harmonization of Alberta and federal corporate income tax collection
  4. Reform of Alberta's health care system, including the advocacy of healthy workplaces
• Canadian Chamber of Commerce
  1. The Aging Workforce: Removing Disincentives and Creating Incentives to Continue Working

Results Summary

Municipal

• Newly re-elected Mayor Dave Bronconnier congratulated the Chamber on the unveiling of Renaissance Calgary.
• The City of Calgary looks to encourage more compact development as part of the "Plan It Calgary" initiative, a long-term strategy for land use and transportation. Increased density and a world-leading transit system are elements of the Chamber's Renaissance Calgary blueprint.
• City Council is committed to campaign finance reform, a key recommendation of the Chamber's municipal election strategy. Commentators identified this as an issue originally Chamber-led.
• Three new city counsellors were elected in 2007, mirroring the Chamber's call for change.
• Substantial increase in voter participation in this election (33 per cent) vs. 2004 (20 per cent) - voter engagement and turn-out being key messages and initiatives of the Chamber throughout this campaign.
• No new municipal taxes. New taxes were originally proposed by the Mayors of Calgary and Edmonton in March.
• City Council plans to raise property taxes by 4.5 per cent next year, half that of Edmonton. Fiscal responsibility was a critical foundation of the Chamber's policy and advocacy work this year.

Provincial

• Positioned labour shortages as a top priority at the provincial level, leading to the implementation of critical changes to the Alberta and federal immigration deal.
• In the 2007 budget, the provincial government committed to save a third of all budget surpluses.
• The new royalty framework will commence in 2009, incorporating key elements of the Chamber's royalty implementation plan including a commitment to saving a third of additional royalty revenue, a transition period and no introduction of an Oil Sands Severance Tax.

Federal

• Maintained labour shortages as a top priority at the federal level.
• The Chamber's recommendations on the removal of disincentives for older workers have been cited by the federal Human Resources & Social Development Minister.
• The Canadian Chamber of Commerce adopted our recommendations to better engage older workers in their submission to the Expert Panel.
• The long-standing call for business tax relief helped secure $60 billion in federal tax cuts in the most recent economic statement.
• Changes to improve the temporary foreign workers program have now been adopted, and credited to the Chamber's advocacy efforts.
• Encouraged a new Canada-Alberta Immigration deal that came into being in 2007.

Media Impact

• Published 30 opinion editorials in the Calgary Herald and Calgary Sun.
• More than 525 mentions of the Calgary Chamber of Commerce in local and national print media - averaging almost two per day.
• Approximately 200 Chamber policy-related articles - which translates to Chamber policy commentary every other day this year!

Information and Feedback
Your membership support is what allows us to continue to focus on improving the business environment, while you continue to focus on building business success. Membership in the Calgary Chamber of Commerce also allows you to pool resources with other business leaders to create a more effective and efficient advocacy organization - one that in the past year has seen a level of attention and impact for the Chamber that builds significantly on past successes, contributes to high profile public discourse, and produces better public policy results.

More information on our policy and advocacy efforts and the Chamber's new policy team is available on our website. I welcome your feedback on any of the issues that we've reported to you about in these updates, or others that you think the Chamber should undertake.

I can be reached at 750-0406 or by email at gpradella@calgarychamber.com.

Yours truly,

Geoffrey M. Pradella
Vice President, Public & Government Affairs
The Calgary Chamber of Commerce

Our Mission
The Calgary Chamber of Commerce is a volunteer driven, not-for-profit, and non-partisan advocacy group whose mission is to lead and serve the Calgary business community, valuing its diversity.

On critical and emerging issues in public policy, the Chamber acts as the leading forum for debate, and advocates public policy solutions that improve the business climate on behalf of our members.