Our Speaker, Dr. Sandip Lalli

Yegana Alasgarova introduced Dr. Sandip Lalli, President and CEO of the Calgary Chamber. She opened her remarks by noting that the Calgary Chamber is an advocate for "the business of business", and noting the chamber and our club are rarities in having hundred year histories.

 

Dr. Lalli's presentation stressed that the business environment is becoming more complicated, with businesses being forced to navigate multi-layered government interventions in the marketplace. A moratorium on bitumen-carrying tankers on the north coast of British Columbia and Bill C-69, which is currently being reviewed by the Senate of Canada, are just two examples of the regulatory hurdles being imposed by governments. As a result, 2019 is shaping up to be a perfect year for Calgary businesses to implement creative solutions to the problems we are facing.

 

On January 24th, the Calgary Chamber released its non-partisan recommendations for political parties to consider in the upcoming provincial election campaign. Developed with input from business leaders, the chamber’s platform recommendations are based on five principles.

A lively discussion, including questions about municipal tax rates and runaway spending, plans to deal with the high vacancy rates in downtown office towers, and the ways the Calgary Chamber could assist businesses in embracing new technologies, followed Dr. Lalli's prepared remarks.