Calgary businesses should expect lingering challenges in 2019: Calgary Chamber of Commerce

Calgary’s business community faced some major challenges in 2018, including higher taxes and wages along with regulatory changes, and the head of Calgary’s Chamber of Commerce expects the tough times may not be over.

“2019 will start with challenges as well,” president and CEO Sandip Lalli said.

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Lalli, who sat down with Global News for a look at the year that was, said the biggest hurdle Calgary, Alberta and Canada will have to overcome is the lack of competitiveness, which she said is curtailing growth.

She added it’s not a business problem, rather a government one.

“Business knows what business needs to do,” Lalli said. “We just need government to do what it needs to do, which is policy.”

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The head of the chamber also said if all levels of government get their policies aligned, business and investment will follow.

As for diversification, Lalli said that is a very over-used word, and while Calgary and Alberta need to diversify, she added we should not lose sight of our most important resource: energy.

“That’s who we are.”

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