Store hours fight wins award for Sudbury chamber

The Ontario Chamber of Commerce granted the Greater Sudbury Chamber of Commerce its 2015 Advocacy Award for the local chamber's efforts to deregulate store hours in the city.

The chamber received the award at the 2015 Ontario Chamber of Commerce annual general meeting in Cornwall, held from April 30 to May 3.

“We are honoured that the OCC (Ontario Chamber of Commerce) has recognized our advocacy work at the provincial level,” said Geoff Jeffery, chair of the Greater Sudbury Chamber of Commerce, in a press release. “This is really a testament of how engaged our members and the Sudbury public are in advocacy and policy issues in the community.

"We look at this award as motivation to do even better next year in providing value-added benefits to our members in terms of our policy work.”

Last year in the lead up to the 2014 municipal referendum, the chamber registered as a campaigner and launched a simultaneous education and fundraising campaign through its deregulation committee to advocate for the removal of bylaws restricting store hours in the community.

The Advocacy Award is one of two awards presented to chambers of commerce for excellence in leadership and delivery of impactful innovative programs and services.