The Greater Sudbury Chamber of Commerce, in partnership with the Canadian Chamber of Commerce, has released a report warning that businesses and communities in Canada’s rural and northern regions will be unable to reach their full potential without infrastructure investments, and especially digital infrastructure.
“Coverage gaps in Canada’s rural and northern areas result in lost productivity and stifle innovation. Other major economies are looking at advanced network technology and the business opportunities that lie therein. We can’t afford not to invest in a more inclusive and competitive digital economy,” said Perrin Beatty, [resident and CEO of the Canadian Chamber of Commerce, in a press release.
The chamber’s report, titled “Positioning Canada to Excel in the Information Age”, examines the challenges facing Canadian companies in a rapidly changing digital economy and makes recommendations to improve access and advancements throughout the country.
“Lack of digital and other infrastructure continues to be a barrier to growth for many of Northern Ontario’s communities,” said Michael Macnamara, chair, Greater Sudbury Chamber of Commerce, in the press release.
“Government must prioritize infrastructure investments to keep businesses connected and make sure they can be at the forefront of innovation.”
The Greater Sudbury Chamber of Commerce is also calling on the federal government to support continued investments in highway infrastructure and to commit to investments alongside the provincial government to develop infrastructure that will support the Ring of Fire. The chamber has long advocated that such investments are critical in developing a northern economy.
Positioning Canada to excel in the Information Age is part of a larger report, “Stuck in Traffic for 10,000 Years: Canadian Problems That Infrastructure Investment can solve”, outlining several infrastructure challenges that government must target to place Canada on a more equal playing field.
