The Toronto Financial Services Alliance (TFSA), a public/private initiative to improve Toronto’s competitiveness, is eager to work with governments to make Toronto a leader in the global financial industry.
Janet Ecker, president of TFSA, welcomes the provincial budget while confirming the group’s commitment to help Toronto grow as a financial services hub.
“Having the Ontario government’s support as a partner is key if we are to achieve this objective,” says Ecker. “The government’s willingness to work with us to set up a Global Integrative Risk Management Institute is an important step.”
She says the organization is keen to work with the federal and provincial governments and the financial services sector to help build on Canada’s reputation for having a safe and sound financial sector.
The budget’s educational and training initiatives are important to Ontario’s ongoing competitiveness, says Ecker, while underlining the province’s talent advantage in the financial services sector. “As the government rolls out its plans to create more spaces in colleges and universities, to attract international students to Ontario, and to retrain Ontarians through the second career strategy, we hope they will include financial services as a vital area of focus.”
The TFSA wants the scope of the existing apprenticeship program to include skill sets necessary to the financial sector and its affiliated service providers. It supports the province’s continued efforts for the creation of a national securities regulator.
It also highlights the need for improving Ontario’s tax competitiveness, a key factor in trying to attract highly mobile financial services jobs to Toronto.
(03/26/10)