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23 | W aterloo C hronicle | T hursday,A pril 11,2019 w aterloochronicle.ca You and/or your child may be eligible to take part in a research study looking at a potential new drug to treat adenoviral conjunctivitis. • The study will be conducted at the University of Waterloo Optometry Clinic and includes 5 visits over a 13-day period. • Participants will receive a modest compensation up to $260 on completion of the study • All study-related procedures and visits will be provided at no cost. To register of for more information please call 519-888-4742 (Mention the study name HARMONICA)Do you have redness, watering, or irritation of the eye that began within the past 4 days and may be due to conjunctivities (pink eye)? The much-discussed federal carbon tax became effective for Ontario resi- dents and businesses on April 1. As the fall federal election approaches, the carbon pricing debate is expected to continue and will be a major issue for voters in all regions of Can- ada. The Canadian Chamber of Commerce believes that a carbon tax can only be successful if it is part of a broader strategy to ad- dress climate change and cannot be useful if it is im- plemented unilaterally and adds an extra cost of doing business. Climate policy must be part of the broader national conver- sation around Canadian competitiveness. That dis- cussion must include con- crete action to address the decline of foreign direct in- vestment in Canada, and our inability to move for- ward on major infrastruc- ture projects. Carbon pricing needs to be revenue neutral and en- sure that the overall regu- latory burden on business is reduced. This will lead to the dollars being generat- ed by a carbon tax eventu- ally being directed back to business to invest in inno- vation and technologies that reduce their carbon emissions and energy costs. There is reason to believe a well-executed carbon pricing policy has the potential to reduce the overall costs to business through the reduction or elimination of duplicative regulatory burdens. The federal budget de- livered recently by Fi- nance Minister Morneau created more concerns for Canadian and local busi- ness. Major corporate tax cuts implemented by the United States in late 2017 have largely been unad- dressed in Canada leaving Canadian business be- hind. Generally, media and private sector analysts concluded there is nothing in the latest federal budget for the national business sector, and confirming the Canadian Chamber posi- tion that a carbon tax alone without regulatory and tax reform could be detrimen- tal to the Canadian busi- ness climate. Overall, the federal budget failed to address the fundamental issues that undermine the ability of Canadian business to create more jobs including taxation, regulatory bur- dens and red tape. Emis- sions regulations and re- ductions must be ap- proached in a manner that balances the environment, the economy and energy affordability. In addition, to ensure Canada remains competitive against inter- national jurisdictions that do not have carbon pricing, policy-makers must look to other sources of cost re- ductions in Canada's regu- latory environment that impact business competi- tiveness. The federal government has also not released any details related to rebate programs that are de- signed to offset the costs to small and medium -sized businesses. Until these de- tails are announced, em- ployers will be paying a disproportionate share of the costs of emission re- ductions. I encourage all busi- nesses to analyze the de- tails of the new carbon tax and examine the implica- tions for your operations. If the numbers do not add up and the liabilities ex- ceed the benefits, inform your local Members of Par- liament and seek answers for your concerns. This is an important national is- sue for Canadian business. Ian McLean is president and CEO of the Greater Kitchener-Waterloo Cham- ber of Commerce. BUSINESSES STILL ASKING QUESTIONS ABOUT CARBON TAX OPINION THE CARBON PRICING DEBATE WILL BE A MAJOR ISSUE FOR VOTERS, WRITES IAN MCLEAN IAN MCLEAN Column FIND MORE LOCAL EVENTS AT WATERLOOCHRONICLE.CA