Policy & Advocacy Council

The Hamilton Chamber’s advocacy efforts are reflective of the priorities of our membership and wider business community, further developed through the professional expertise of volunteers on our Policy and Advocacy Council and its task forces – and then implemented by Chamber staff.

Policy & Advocacy Council Year in Review (2021)

$3.4B in Federal & Provincial Funding Secured for Hamilton LRT

After years of effective advocacy alongside community partners, the Hamilton Chamber was instrumental in securing $3.4 billion in financial commitments from the federal and provincial governments to construct the 14-km Hamilton B-Line Light Rail project. This investment will catalyze development and job creation that will be crucial to our region’s post-pandemic recovery. Additionally, this commitment marks a crucial milestone in the planning of additional investments required to complete the full implementation of Hamilton’s future rapid transit network.

Provincial Transportation Investments to Keep Our Economy Moving

In 2021, the provincial government confirmed its investment in a few long-standing transportation-related advocacy priorities for the Chamber. These include commitments to construct the Morriston Bypass and make improvements to existing Highway 401 infrastructure, to widen and further improve safety along Highway 6 South near the John C. Munro Hamilton International Airport, and to operate a two-way, all-day GO Train service along the Lakeshore West line to Hamilton’s West Harbour GO Station.

Energy Harvesting Project with Hamilton Community Enterprises

Following our Industrial Waste Heat Recovery Project that identified opportunities to capture and utilize waste heat in Hamilton’s Bayfront Industrial Area, the Chamber has teamed up with Hamilton Community Enterprises to dive deeper into high potential opportunities to apply local streams of industrial waste heat to the existing and prospective community- facing district energy loops. This study will help document the long-term benefits of this carbon-cutting innovation coupled with electrification and other initiatives transforming Hamilton’s industrial landscape.

National Resolution on Renewing the Canada – U.S. Relationship

The Chamber received a national endorsement from the Canadian Chamber of Commerce on our resolution focused on “Renewing the Canada – U.S. Relationship, which sought to establish frequent stakeholder consultations between the Federal Special Committee on the Economic Relationship between Canada and the United States and Canadian business leaders to ensure strategic alignment of national priorities for both countries. Of particular focus is the emphasis on ensuring mutually agreed-upon strategies to pursue net-zero and to facilitate made-in-North America solutions, and that existing trade agreements provisions are upheld.

2021 Federal Election Campaign Advocacy

During the 2021 Federal Election Campaign, the Chamber engaged in significant advocacy activities including meetings with candidates, distributing materials related to regional economic priorities, and participating in broadcast debates. In its engagement activities, the Chamber emphasized several priority areas including the need for ongoing COVID-19 pandemic recovery supports, significant investments in resources to facilitate our economy’s transition to net-zero, workforce upskilling opportunities and incentives, and to address rising affordability challenges related to housing and childcare services.

Hamilton Just Recovery Community Coalition

Over the course of the pandemic, the Chamber has worked alongside other community organizations and leaders under the umbrella of the Just Recovery Community Coalition. This initiative has brought together a diverse group of our community’s brightest leaders and their organizational expertise to help inform a post-pandemic recovery for the City of Hamilton. The Coalition has issued a policy paper and conducted advocacy to the City identifying key recommendations to facilitate an inclusive post-pandemic economic and social recovery for all Hamiltonians.

PAC Council Members

  • Richard Koroscil (Chair), Korlon Strategic Services
  • Jaimie Lickers (Board Rep), CIBC
  • Larissa Fenn, Hamilton Oshawa Port Authority
  • Anne Tennier, Canadian Centre for Occupational Health & Safety
  • Aaron Levo, Hamilton Health Sciences
  • Aaron Scheewe, Capital Hill Group
  • Nick Switalski, McMaster University
  • Henry Wegiel, ArcelorMittal Dofasco
  • Alyson Rowe, St. Joseph’s Health System
  • Michael Frisina, Alectra Utilities
  • Regina Foisey, Mohawk College
  • Dan Salvatore, CN
  • Ed Fothergill, Fothergill Planning and Development
  • Bianca Caramento, Bay Area Climate Change Council