DAN ROGERS
KELOWNA – The Kelowna Chamber trekked to Prince George this week to join business leaders from across BC to discuss policy issues important to the province’s economy. The local Chamber had four resolutions they sought support for and all four were passed. Kelowna policies adopted by the BC Chamber included:
- Improving Primary Care and Saving Healthcare Dollars with Physician Extenders/Physician Assistants
- When We Build It, They Will Come: An Aerospace Innovation Cluster in BC Outside the Lower Mainland Will Benefit New Business in BC & Canada
- Accelerating Transportation Infrastructure to Serve One of the Fastest Growing Regional Economies in Canada
- Share a Handshake: Move People and Cargo Across Borders & Reduce Redundant Paperwork
“This was quite the experience for me as a new Chamber President,” said Pamela Pearson who was attending her first annual BC Chamber of Commerce conference. “I had little idea what to expect and was immediately immersed in a room full of policy experts, dissecting new ideas to take forward to government, and debating the finer points of recommendations for change. It was a great learning experience.”
Chair Pearson was joined at the provincial conference by fellow Board Director Maryse Harvey and the Chamber’s Executive Director Dan Rogers. Rogers noted that the Chamber continues to seek action from the province to:
- Recognize physician extenders as it builds a plan to address the massive family physician shortage in the province.
- Continue to work with stakeholders to help the airport and the aerospace industry in the Okanagan accelerate its recovery while setting the stage for long-term growth.
- Ensure appropriate levels of capital spending on transportation infrastructure in the central Okanagan which has been identified as one of the fastest growing regions in the country; and,
- Put pressure on the federal government to expedite action to improve the efficiency of cross border commercial traffic to improve supply lines and indirectly help address rising inflation
Dan Rogers is Executive Director of the Kelowna Chamber of Commerce