Representatives in the local business community are upset with the federal government's lack of a plan when it comes to supporting businesses through the current economic downturn.
Representatives in the local business community are upset with the federal government's lack of a plan when it comes to supporting businesses through the current economic downturn.
"The businesses aren't going to be able to do much without some help from the federal government and they just aren't providing it right now," said Tom Allan, President of the Bonnyville Chamber of Commerce.
Allan feels there needs to be more money invested in infrastructure in the province to help create more jobs in the region and offset the effects of the low price of oil. He would love to see the Energy East pipeline project move forward, or at the very least, see the federal government inject some funding into the Lakeland.
"Providing infrastructure dollars would go a long way. There are projects, such as the waterline and road construction, ready to go. The town, MD and City of Cold Lake all have projects planned but they need funding to more forward. Without the funding everything kind of stalls," said Allan.
He has noticed the region take quite a hit over the past year with a ton of workers leaving the area and dollars being spent locally dropping dramatically.
The Alberta Chamber of Commerce (ACC) shares the same views as the local chamber, feeling that the federal government has really forgotten about businesses. Ken Kolby, ACC President and CEO, is calling for more details to be released regarding the federal budget, feeling there is currently little to no information available.
"We've been going over the various documents and it's tough to put together a clear picture of where we're going or how we're going to get there," said Kolby. "What is clear is that commitments to businesses have been put on the back burner by this wait and see budget."
The ACC took the time to provide the government with a series of pre-budget recommendations, outing what they felt needed to be addressed to help Alberta. These suggestions included finding ways to strengthen Canada's tax environment, reducing trade barriers, developing a way to attract and retain global talent and adopting a proactive approach in policy design. These ideas fell on deaf ears, as they were not worked into the 2016 budget, leaving the ACC a little sour.
"It's tough to get behind a budget that touts innovations and creating a new economy when we can't get a pipeline from the west to the east in this country, let alone to markets that will pay more for our products," said Kolby. "I'm pretty skeptical of a vision to be a global innovation leader while we continue to import oil and gas despite having an abundant local supply."
The 2016 federal budget included plans to put off the planned reduction to the small business tax rate, which would have seen it drop from 11 per cent to nine per cent. Planned reductions to unemployment insurance premiums have also been scaled back.
The federal government also listed no plans to inject capitals dollars to areas, which are in desperate need of economic stimulus - areas such as Alberta, which has been hit hard by the economic downturn.
"The government, both provincially and federally, they have to step up and help the local economy. What I have seen out of the Federal budget is that it is not doing anything for this area," said Allan.
The local chamber of commerce is planning on discussing ways they can try and lend a hand to the businesses in the region at their next meeting to see if some of the current pressure being felt by local businesses can be alleviated.
"We are looking at ways we can assist some of the small businesses in the area. There is nothing right on the table but it is definitely a priority on our radar," said Allan.
The Bonnyville chamber will also be waiting with anticipation for the 2016 provincial budget, which will be released on April 14.
