| Linda
Ford officially took over from Wayne Waters (Waters
& McDonald Associates), now the Immediate Past President,
on July 1, and will serve for a one year term as President
until June 30, 2008.
As the new President of Brampton’s leading business
association, Linda brings a wealth of business knowledge
and experience, and extensive community leadership,
to this important role representing local business.
Ford has been a resident in the Brampton area for 40
years, developing a strong business career, particularly
in the employment services field. In 2000, she co-founded
Access Career Solutions Inc., a very successful full-service
human resources services firm, located at 2 County Court
Blvd., Suite 302.
Linda has been a very active member of The Brampton
Board of Trade since starting her own company, first
joining the organization’s Governing Council in 2001,
and participating on numerous Board committees, including:
Policy & Government Relations; Business Development;
and Youth & Business. On the Board of Trade’s Executive
Committee, she has held positions as Director at Large
and President Elect & VP of Membership for the past
three years.
Over The Brampton Board of Trade’s 120 year history,
Linda Ford will serve as its third female President,
with prominent Brampton business women Maria Britto
(Re/Max Realty Specialists Inc.) and Heather Picken
(Lawrences LLP) having held the position previously.
In addition to contributing to the Board of Trade,
Linda has been Vice-Chair of the Brampton Outstanding
Business Achievement Awards Committee, an Ambassador
in the City of Brampton’s Ambassador Program, Immediate
Past President of (BPW Brampton) Business and Professional
Women’s Association, and volunteer in support of Brampton
Safe City Association, the Brampton & Area Community
Foundation and Sheridan College. She has also been a
long standing member of the Human Resources Professional
Association of Ontario and the HRPAP (Peel) Chapter.
Participating within the Brampton community has been
a passion for Linda. She believes that it is very important
to actively work towards building a positive social
and economic environment that is going to contribute
to the overall success of her businesses and the enrichment
of the city where she works.
Linda Ford attributes her professional and business
success to strong commitment to customer service that
she believes is also integral to the ongoing success
of The Brampton Board of Trade. “As a membership-based
organization, The Brampton Board of Trade must continue
to be responsive to the needs of its members, to strive
to continually identify and inform the interests of
business, and to advocate effectively to help businesses
prosper,” says Ford. “The strength of our organization
and our voice for business comes from the support of
an increasing number of businesses. Any one operating
or doing business in Brampton, that have management
and employees living here, should be a member of The
Brampton Board of Trade, and support us in supporting
their business.”
Linda looks forward to the year ahead with great optimism.
“We have ambitious plans, and a dedicated and enthusiastic
group of volunteers and staff that are committed to
strengthening our association, its programs and services,
and advocacy,” says Ford. “The Brampton Board of Trade
is a highly respected organization with a long established
history of leadership that I am extremely proud to be
serving as its President.”
Media Contact:
Sheldon Leiba
Chief Executive Officer
Phone: (905) 451-1122
Fax: (905) 450-0295
Email: sleiba@bramptonbot.com
Keep Peel Memorial
Hospital open BBOT tells Premier
Click
here to read the letter
In a strongly worded letter to Dalton McGuinty, BBOT
President Linda Ford has urged the Premier to keep Peel
Memorial Hospital open, calling the closing a “health
care crisis” for Brampton.
“Hospitals are a responsibility of the provincial government,
and as such, your government is accountable for ensuring
that Brampton has adequate hospital care that is commensurate
with our large and growing population, and with the
higher levels of service provided throughout the province.”
Even when Brampton Civic Hospital opens with 479 beds,
a ratio of one bed for approximately every 1,000 residents,
“it is clear that even with a new $900 million hospital,
Brampton will be under-serviced in hospital care - unless
Peel Memorial Hospital remains open,” Ford said.
In 1985, Mississauga had a population 100,000 less
than Brampton has today when Credit Valley Hospital
was built, and the Ministry of Health of the day saw
fit to keep Trillium Hospital open.
“Brampton expects and frankly deserves the same level
of care.”
The letter urges the Premier by way of Order in Council,
to commit funds and provide a directive to keep Peel
Memorial Hospital open.
“We appreciate that time is required to fully assess
and develop an appropriate redevelopment plan for Peel
Memorial Hospital for 2009, but this process can occur
while the hospital remains open. It is viable that Peel
Memorial can remain open in the interim at some functional
level, and The Brampton Board of Trade would be pleased
to participate in developing such options. There are
many examples where hospitals have been redeveloped
while continuing to deliver health care services, without
closing. A commitment in funding is needed to ensure
that this occurs, and will send a strong signal to the
community of Brampton that we will have two hospitals.”
Ford said it is “unreasonable and onerous” to expect
our community to raise more than $250 million for Brampton
Civic and then contribute to Peel Memorial. She says
additional costs associated with building Brampton Civic
have forced the community share at 30 per cent to increase
from an originally agreed upon $120 million to $250
million.
“The fact that we have exceeded $100 million in fundraising
to date demonstrates that the Brampton community is
meeting its original obligation. However, many potential
contributors in our community, both individual and business,
want to ensure that they are contributing to the two
hospitals that we have been promised - not just one.”
She said despite commitments, made by the previous
provincial government and the McGuinty government that
Brampton would have two hospitals, the definitive answer
is still unknown.
“It is abundantly clear that Brampton has for too long
been severely under-serviced with the hospital care
that we have been receiving. Our residents and businesses
expect and demand nothing less than two hospitals.”
Ford urged the Premier to “immediately demonstrate
a commitment” to two hospitals in Brampton.
“There should be no further debate about Brampton receiving
the level of hospital care that we deserve,” she said.
POLICY PRIORITIES
SURVEY REPORT
Click
here to download the report
Transportation infrastructure, traffic gridlock and
growth management are of vital importance to Brampton
Board of Trade (BBOT) members, according to a survey
of key policy issues that most concern the business
community.
Related to growth management, is a strong desire to
see local political decision makers preserve employment
lands, attract more business, develop jobs, and rein
in residential development.
The BBOT’s Policy & Government Relations Committee
initiated a Policy Priorities survey to poll BBOT members
on key policy issues of concern. The survey was delivered
electronically to BBOT members in November and the findings
are based on the responses of 94 business leaders, representing
member businesses and organizations of various sizes
and sectors.
The survey was comprised of a combination of 10 open
and close-ended questions, and respondents had an opportunity
to provide additional comments. The full survey report
is available online at www.bramptonbot.com
The report says transportation, traffic gridlock and
growth management are the issues most likely to affect
economic development and quality of life in Brampton.
Employers also raised concerns about a looming shortage
of skilled labour and the need to better capitalize
on the growing pool of skilled immigrants that are settling
in Brampton. Editor’s Note: See Page 3 for related story
on The Brampton Board of Trade’s Skills Without Borders
project, which explores labour needs in North Peel and
Barriers to Hiring Skilled Immigrants.
The Policy & Government Relations Committee, recently
renamed from Public Affairs Committee to reflect the
broad-based nature of the work performed, asked members
to help it focus on the top local/municipal issues.
Transportation infrastructure was identified by 76%
of respondents as a “top five” priority, followed by
crime/safety (58%), growth management (54%), government
accountability (53%) and property taxes (48%).
48% of respondents also identified the redevelopment
of the Peel Memorial Hospital as a much-needed second
health care facility in a large and growing city as
a “top five”. And 46% said downtown redevelopment should
be a priority to create an attractive and vibrant economic
and community centre.
Preservation of Employment Lands and Economic Development,
including lack of commercial/industrial space, attracting
large business to Brampton were also high priorities
for business leaders.
The survey also asked respondents to rank the top five
provincial and federal issues.
Health Care, education, transportation, taxation and
government accountability were ranked as the top provincial
issues. Government accountability, taxation, health
care, the fiscal imbalance between Ontario and the Federal
Government and the environment were identified as the
top five federal issues.
Overall, business believes that government should and
must do more to support business development and be
less of an impediment through its policies, regulations
and actions/inactions.
When specifically asked to list any “unique policy
areas or issues,” where The Brampton Board of Trade
could be a leader, respondents answered:
• Transportation/Traffic Gridlock
• Growth Management
• Taxes/Taxation (personal and business)
• Employment Integration of Immigrants
• Preservation of Employment Lands
• Brampton Downtown Development and Revitalization
• Health/Hospital Care
Of the respondents, 99% strongly agreed or agreed that
policy advocacy is “a very important function” of The
Brampton Board of Trade. And 77% indicated that they
were well aware of The Brampton Board of Trade’s involvement
in the area of policy advocacy.
“We’re pleased that our members believe that policy
advocacy is a key function of the Board of Trade and
that a significant majority are aware of the work we
have done on their behalf,” says Sheldon Leiba, CEO
of The Brampton Board of Trade. “This focus is entrenched
in our Mission and Strategic Plan.”
“The Policy Priorities Survey results will be extremely
useful to our Policy & Government Relations Committee
as they develop priorities for our business advocacy
work. We also want to keep an open dialogue with members
so that we can continue to be their voice with government
and other agencies,” Leiba said.
|
