2015-03-13 Warden's Luncheon Speech

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Working together, the Chamber and the Development Corporation are taking a leadership role on all these vital issues and we are fortunate to have such close collaboration among these two key regional organizations. Two weeks ago, the Chamber hosted a well -attended breakfast sponsored by the County of Essex, the Town of Tecumseh, Red Sun Vegetable Growers and Sunset Produce on an emerging agri-food issue facing our region. It's called PACA - The Perishable Agriculture Commodities Act. This Act is designed to ensure financial protection to agri-food suppliers in the event of non- payment. The US government has asked the Canadian Government to adopt similar legislation in Canada. If Canada doesn't, our small and medium agri-food suppliers to the U.S. here in Essex -Windsor and across Canada could face very difficult financial burdens as soon as this growing season - if not sooner. We appreciate the Chamber's leadership and aggressive advocacy and look forward to working with our local MP's and MPP's to resolve this important issue. I was honoured to have been elected Warden in 1993 and 2010 and am humbled to have been elected Warden for the County of Essex again in December 2014. 1 feel privileged that Essex County Council has provided me with their support and confidence, allowing me to serve as Warden for the next four years. In February, Essex County Council passed its first budget of the term and now it is time to get down to work. There are six new members on Essex County Council and eight returning members. I think we have the makings of a great team. We are still getting to know each other a bit, but I am sure we will gel soon and hit our stride before you know it. Over the next four years, I would like to see the County of Essex focus on two primary priorities — first, continue to get our fundamentals right and, secondly, focus on broad-based community development. Although I have identified each of these as separate issues, I think you will agree they are very much intertwined. I know I have said it before, but I remain as committed as ever to seeing Essex County and our entire region recognized as a pre-eminent place to live, work, learn, invest, play and visit. There have been considerable gains across Essex Windsor since the economic downturn of 2008 — 2009. Our economic base has diversified and we continue to play to our strengths in advanced manufacturing, agriculture and agri-business. However, economic turbulence remains all around us. While the Federal and Provincial unemployment rates have stabilized at around 6.6% and 7.0% respectively, locally, the rate has remained stubbornly high at around 9.4%. With the impact of the decrease in world oil prices and the falling value of the Canadian dollar, the Canadian economy is expected to grow at only 2% for 2015. As oil production in Canada declines, the importance of manufacturing in Ontario, along with a cheaper Canadian dollar is expected to buoy the Ontario economy with growth projected to be in the 3% range. Despite this positive provincial outlook, the sluggish local economy, still heavily dependent upon traditional manufacturing, is anticipated to register economic growth only at around 2%.