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Policy Initiatives Letter to the Honourable Dalton McGuinty

January 5, 2009

The Honourable Dalton McGuinty
Premier of Ontario
Legislative Building
Queen's Park
Toronto, ON
M7A 1A1

Dear Premier McGuinty,

I am writing on behalf of The Biotechnology Initiative (TBI), the leading voice for biotechnology in Ontario. TBI represents all facets of the biotech community in Ontario, including large and emerging companies, researchers and consulting organizations.

Attached to this letter is a letter from the Chair of BIOTECanada addressed to Ministers Clement and Flaherty seeking changes to (i) the federal income tax treatment of accumulated non-capital tax losses, (ii) exempt new investment from future capital gains and (iii) change the processing of refundable SR&ED credits. Given the prominence of the biotech sector in Ontario, relative to other Canadian jurisdictions, implementation of the changes proposed will be substantially beneficial to the industry in Ontario. We urge you to support these proposed changes and to raise these issues during the Meeting of First Ministers on January 16, 2009.

As you would expect, there are a number of policy initiatives within the jurisdiction of your Government that could complement actions being taken by the Government of Canada to help the sector weather these difficult times and position it to grow as the economy strengthens. We have been consulting with the business leaders within our sector and will be transmitting to you shortly under separate cover some of our current thinking.

Let me end this letter by taking the opportunity of wishing you and your family a very happy and prosperous New Year. We appreciate the support of your Government for the biotech sector in Ontario over the past years and look forward to working with you and your team to make the sector an even greater success in the future.

Yours Truly,

The Biotechnology Initiative


Grant Tipler,
Chair and President


CC: Minister John Wilkinson
Dale Patterson, Chair TBI GR Committee

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