Calgary Chamber recommendations to the Government of Alberta on Budget 2025

The Honourable Nate Horner

President of Treasury Board and Minister of Finance

Sent via electronic mail to: tbf.minister@gov.ab.ca

Re: Recommendations for Budget 2025

Minister Horner,

On behalf of the Calgary Chamber of Commerce and our member businesses, I am pleased to provide you with our formal submission to the Ministry of Treasury Board and Finance regarding Budget 2025.

The Calgary Chamber is encouraged by your government’s commitment to supporting Alberta businesses while prioritizing fiscal responsibility. Strategic investments in carbon capture, agri-tech and agri-food processing and the Alberta Indigenous Opportunities Corporation remain critical to our economic success. Moreover, advancing the government’s fiscal framework through predictable tax rates and continued focus on reducing debt and investing in the Heritage Savings Fund has allowed for a credit rating upgrade and the lowest debt-to-GDP ratio of any other province in Canada. Balancing strong fiscal leadership while bolstering investment in Alberta will remain key to ensuring continued economic prosperity.

To ensure we leverage Alberta’s positive outlook and economic strengths, businesses – across all sizes and sectors – must continue to be top of mind. The most recent Canadian Survey on Business Conditions shows rising costs continue to hamper business’ success, with over 68 per cent reporting cost-related concerns as a top issue. In particular, affordability has become a significant challenge for many small businesses, impacting their ability to attract and retain talent, manage operating expenses and invest in their growth – ultimately impacting their viability. With over 95 per cent of Alberta businesses considered small, addressing this concern is critical. In Budget 2025, the Government of Alberta must continue to implement policies and put forward investments that address these challenges.

In consultation with our members, who represent over 400,000 employees in Calgary and beyond, we are pleased to provide the attached submission detailing recommendations from Calgary’s business community. We encourage the government to:

• Increase support for small businesses, including eliminating the small business tax and addressing rising costs to ensure that the more than 167,000 small businesses across Alberta remain competitive.
• Create a stable and predictable policy environment to ensure Alberta is seen as having the investment certainty required to unlock private capital in key area sand is a competitive place for entrepreneurs and business owners to start and scale.
• Invest in infrastructure to support a growing population, including housing, transit and supply chains.
• Grow our talent pool by investing in post-secondary institution, supporting credentialling for newcomers, and funding on-the-job training.

Thank you in advance for your consideration. We look forward to working with you and your colleagues to accelerate a sustainable and prosperous future for all Albertans.  

Sincerely,

Deborah Yedlin 
President & CEO  
Calgary Chamber of Commerce