CHAMBER PAST PRESIDENTS ADVOCATE IMPROVEMENT
Kelowna: Eighteen Kelowna Chamber Past Presidents joined current Board Chair Dan Price earlier this week for breakfast and to exchange informed comments on policy issues ranging from housing to transportation infrastructure, from crime’s impact on business to the escalating cost of doing business.
“The wealth of knowledge in this group is remarkable,” said Price, “and we are keen to take advantage of a Chamber resource conversant with both the problems of the day and potential solutions.”
There were calls by the Past Presidents to have the Chamber take a more outspoken position on key issues affecting Kelowna, most notably, the rising cost of doing business. Lack of housing for employees, combined with the Employer Health Tax resonated with the group.
Another issue raised was that while Canada needs immigration, there is no coherent plan for housing this new population in the midst on an ongoing housing shortage.
Also, there was a call to build on the positive results of increasing the number of women in trades. There is an opportunity to provide more information at the high school level of the benefits of considering a trades career in good, high paying jobs for an underserved cohort.
The group gets together annually and is a sounding board for the Chamber as it builds its advocacy plans for the upcoming year.