business community tremendously. ... security when they use the Petro-Canada SuperPassTM credit card. With this card ...
the Advocacy Networking Education
Is Manufacturing Dead?
From the Canadian Chamber of Commerce, June 2016
It’s not easy being a manufacturer in Canada. Not only do you have to deal with a fluctuating currency, skills shortages and soaring electricity costs in Ontario, you also get your feelings hurt by gloomy economists and journalists who constantly carp about your imminent death. For years, Canada’s manufacturing sector has been described as ailing, depressing, in crisis, faltering, and on a road to nowhere. Even the Bank of Canada has described manufacturing as disappointing, mainly because of the decline in employment and still modest gains in investment. Should we throw in the towel and refocus our efforts on exporting pop stars like Justin Bieber and Drake? Not so fast. Canada’s manufacturing exports shot up 13.5% in 2015 (autos rose 15%, aerospace grew 14%, industrial machinery climbed 8.4%). The jobs numbers remain gloomy, but over the past decade manufacturing employment has been declining in every country in the OECD. Canada has maintained the most jobs out of any country in the G7. Output is rising, but employment is not, so let’s ask a different question: Is manufacturing the new agriculture? Imagine if 70 years ago, you had predicted that farmers (at the time our most common occupation, employing a third of Canadians) would become so incredibly productive and efficient that just 2% of our population would work in agriculture, and these folks would
voice of business
be able to feed us AND produce millions of tonnes of surplus for export to other countries. Sounds crazy, right? That’s exactly what happened (In 2015, 1.8% of Canadians worked in agriculture and exported $61 billion.) as back-breaking labour became automated and advances in fertilizer and genetics drove crop yields to the stratosphere. A similar transformation has been underway in manufacturing for decades. Toronto used to have a “garment district” between Bathurst and Spadina, and Montreal had its “rag trade” on rue Chabanel with tens of thousands of workers in tight rows hunched over sewing machines. Those jobs are mostly gone, and today, instead of a textile industry, we have a fashion industry with incredible designers like Roots, Lululemon and so many others. The design, marketing, logistics and management are highly paid and done here while the clothes are mostly assembled by machines or overseas. And today, incredible advances in manufacturing technology, from robotics to 3D printing to artificial intelligence, are making manufacturers orders of magnitude more productive than anything we have seen in history. It’s an exciting opportunity, but highly competitive. If Canadian manufacturers try to compete on costs with countries like China and Mexico, then Canada will lose. But if we invest in new technology and lead in innovation and in R&D, then we can succeed and win in manufacturing. This is why we should be so excited about General Motors announcing 1,000 highly skilled, new engineering jobs that will focus on self-driving cars. That’s the future of manufacturing: deploying Canadian brains to innovate and create new products. And Kingston needs to seize this opportunity to harness the young people learning here, give them a private opportunity to create new products and stay here, contribute and really make our City prosper. Manufacturing is not dead, it’s being reborn.
Celebration Member Benefit Programs Spotlight Fuel Savings with Petro-Canada The Chamber is pleased to offer its members a number of different types of benefits. Here are this month’s featured benefits:
PrintFusion has been a member of the Chamber for over 10 years and I find that the exposure has increased our awareness to the business community tremendously. I enjoy networking at the many events throughout the year, this also helps us find great local suppliers. Personally, I have been a member since coming to Kingston 25 years ago. Raymond P. Maher, PrintFusion Inc.
The Greater Kingston Chamber of Commerce has entered into a partnership with Petro-CanadaTM in which members receiver significant savings, convenience, control, and security when they use the Petro-Canada SuperPassTM credit card. With this card, members will save 2.4 cents per litre on posted pump prices.
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Event Calendar
Chamber Women’s Open 2016 Thursday September 8th, 2016 Marketplace Open: 9:00am 11:00am & 4:00pm - 5:00pm Registration 18 Hole: 10:00am,Tee Off 11:00am Location Colonnade Golf Club, 2789 Woodburn Rd., Joyceville Presenting Sponsor: Shoreline Thousand Islands Casino Putting Contest Sponsor: Upper Canada Office Systems Rise n’Shine Sponsor: Tim Hortons, J.E. Agnew Food Services Ltd. Event Host: Colonnade Golf Club
CONNECT - The Business Expo 2016 Thursday September 22nd, 2016 2:00-7:00pm Location Rogers K-Rock Centre, 1 Tragically Hip Way, Kingston Presenting Sponsor: Iron Mountain Canada Corp. Host Venue: Rogers K-Rock Centre
Business Mixer - “Small Business Week Celebration Mixer” Thursday October 20th, 2016 5:00 -7:00pm Location The Cataraqui Golf & Country Club, 961 King St. W., Kingston Event sponsor: BDC, Business Development Bank of Canada Event host: The Cataraqui Golf & Country Club
Business Achievement Awards Chairs Gala 2016 Thursday November 3rd, 2016 Cocktail Reception: 6:00pm Dinner: 7:00pm Award Ceremony: 9:00pm Location The Ramada Inn (formerly Days Inn, KBCC), 33 Benson Street, Kingston Tickets Available: Chamber Members: $100.00 plus HST Non-Chamber Members: $150.00 plus HST
Train Your Employees at 1/3 of the cost with Canada-Ontario Job Grant Contact our Employer Services Team today to discuss a customized training solution for your business and to get support for your funding application. Call KEYS Employer Services today to discuss a customized training solution for your business and to get support for your funding application.
