SUMA Update: Speaker Highlights

Monday February 3, 2014

 

These are some of the highlights of the day.

·         More than 1,000 delegates in attendance

President’s Address

·         Working towards more group purchasing

·         Infrastructure funding is a priority

·         500 car loads in 2007 to 128,000 in 2012

·         New policing model to address traffic and bylaw infractions

Premier’s Address

Infrastructure

·         An ‘all of the above’ approach to infrastructure development

·         P3 projects are needed

·         Infrastructure is a priority – ~$800,000,000

·         Spend $2.5 billion over next couple of years

Human resource

·         More apprenticeships available

·         Grad retention program to be continued

·         Greater education investment

·         An “all of the above approach” to HR

Competiveness

·         Lean bureaucracy

·         Competitive royalty fees

·         Competitive labour prices

·         Freer trade including uranium agreements

·         Competitive taxes

Innovation

·         New technologies encouraged

International Engagement

·         Education and open markets

·         Most strict foreign worker protection legislation

·         Keystone will mean about $300 million in increased revenues for the province

Fiscal Responsibility

·         Revenue sharing is predictable

·         Expected to have 2^nd fastest growing economy in Canada

·         Third fastest for 2015