TIMMINS – A new Chamber of Commerce survey released in Timmins on October 18 measures what the business community thinks about the health of the local economy.
Officials say 135 businesses responded to the survey that asked 27 questions.
The survey found that half of the respondents have a positive outlook on the years ahead.
"We're really pleased with the report. Confidence and growth for Timmins has exceeded our expectations so yeah everything is good. And it came at a really good time with small business week starting next week," said Val Venneri, Timmins Chamber of Commerce President.
In terms of what business owners think affects their businesses the most, 88% said access to skilled workers.
Not far behind that is a high concern for public safety.
Three-quarters of the participants say their customers are feeling deterred and business is hindered.
Timmins Police hope two new initiatives focussing on more street level and mental health outreach will help but say they also need more input.
"The manner in which we deploy our officers is heavily dependent on calls for service. So we map out where those events are occurring, and the times of day, so that a measured response can be deployed in an efficient manner by the Timmins Police Service," explained Marc Depatie, Timmins Police Service.
Business owners would also like to see lower property taxes and fees, because in the event of an economic downturn, more than eighty percent of them also say they'd eliminate making charitable donations.
MADD Timmins suggests it's important that businesses research how contributions would be spent.
"Luckily for our Timmins MADD chapter, every single penny that we receive stays in Timmins. It doesn't leave our community, it doesn't go to a head office, it's not spread out throughout the country so each member of our community benefits from it," said Amy St. Amour, MADD Timmins President.
Survey results are prompting the Chamber to recommend more interaction with the city, more participation with workforce strategies and more guidance for owners who want to revitalize their businesses.
