Diabetes Documentary Earns TARA Award

Type Undefeated is a documentary that shares the stories of athletes living and excelling with Type 1 Diabetes. The documentary features the founder & president of I Challenge Diabetes Chris Jarvis as well as researcher Dessi Zaharieva. The TARA Awards are announced annually by Ryerson’s RTA School of Media.

“I am honoured to be in such a well made story that captures the challenges of living with this disease and the heroic adults, teens, kids and parents who get back up after lows, ignorant comments and tactfully manage one of the most precise diseases to be undefeated,” said Jarvis. “Being undefeated does not mean you don't get knocked down. Each of the people in this documentary and the director of it have been. It's what we do in those moments that makes you a champion.”

Watch the Documentary

Southbrook Vineyards is Helping Save Monarch Butterflies

Monarch butterflies, those beautiful pollinators that make a miraculous 4500 km migration from Canada to Mexico each fall, are considered a threatened species due to habitat loss. In Canada, these pollinators only lay their eggs on milkweed, as it provides the exclusive food for the larvae. Milkweed itself is in decline, largely due to farming practices such as the use of herbicides and the elimination of hedgerows.

To help, Southbrook would like to send you milkweed seeds picked from their vineyard to plant in your garden and help restore the habitat of the monarch butterfly. If you are interested, you can order your seeds at no cost on Southbrook’s website. If you are local, stop by the winery to pick up your seeds.

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Saving Lives: Register as an Organ and Tissue Donor

April is BeADonor Month. Today, more than 1,600 Ontarians are waiting for a lifesaving organ transplant, and every three days someone will die waiting. Niagara Health and Trillium Gift of Life Network, Ontario’s organ and tissue donation and transplant agency, are encouraging residents to register as an organ and tissue donor.

“We’re grateful for our partnership with Trillium Gift of Life Network and the lives that have been saved because of others’ decision to be a donor,” said Heather Paterson, Niagara Health’s Director of Clinical Services. “Registering your consent for organ and tissue donation will give hope to those waiting.”

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Women’s Place of South Niagara Recruiting for Board of Directors

The mission of Women’s Place is to stop abuse and violence against women and children by providing safety through the provision of shelter, counselling, education, advocacy and community partnerships.

Women’s Place is currently seeking candidates to fill vacancies on their board of directors. Individuals wishing to volunteer their time to advocate for and make a meaningful contribution to the quality of life for women and children escaping domestic violence are invited to submit their application online.

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Niagara Eye Care Centre Hosting Open House

Completed in early 2019, the Niagara Eye Care Centre is a nearly 9000 square foot multi-practice opthalmology clinic serving patients from the Niagara Region and beyond. It is one of the largest community-based eye centres in the Golden Horseshoe, with a goal to provide world-class opthalmic care in a state-of-the-art, custom-built clinical facility.

To celebrate their opening, the Niagara Eye Care Centre is hosting an open house on April 16, 2019 from 6:00pm to 9:00pm. They are also lauching The Gallery @ NECC, a new contemporary art gallery housed within the centre, featuring a variety of works from emerging and established local artists.

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Leadership Niagara Accelerates in 2019

Effective February 25th, 2019, Leadership Niagara is proud to announce that its Community Leadership Program has updated its name to Accelerate Civic Leadership. Accelerate Civic Leadership is an immersive 9-month program delivered by some of Niagara’s best leadership experts.

The program takes mid-career professionals and established leaders to the next level and is facilitated through a combination of professional coaching, highly engaging and dynamic learning activities. Participants are also able to join a growing network of alumni that supports and guides the community.

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A Fresh, New Banking Alternative for Digitally-Savvy Canadians

Starting on April 2, every Canadian who has ever felt frustrated or underwhelmed by their banking experience has an entirely new and exciting option available to them — motusbank: a full-service bank providing Canadians with an exceptional digital service offering, as well as access to some of the most competitive rates and fees in the country.

“This is a truly momentous and exciting day, not only for our organization, but also for the millions of Canadians who have told us they are eager for an attentive, competitive and digitally-friendly alternative to the Big 5 banks,” said Bill Maurin, President and CEO of Meridian and motusbank.

Read more from Cision

Artificial Turf Field Coming to Youngs Sportsplex in Welland

A new artificial turf field is coming to Youngs Sportsplex in Welland. On April 2, Welland city council approved spending $1.3 million to convert a natural turf field at the River Road complex to artificial turf. Funding for the new field was approved in the 2018 city budget.

The city will also spend $95,250 to upgrade to high-efficiency LED lighting through a Welland Hydro rebate program, which could result in $16,658 a year in energy savings.

Read more in the Welland Tribune

Niagara Health President Suzanne Johnston Stepping Down

After nearly five years as president of Niagara Health, Suzanne Johnston is retiring. On Tuesday, Johnston, 62, announced she will leave her post June 30. “I think it can be hard to find the right time to leave,” she said in an interview. “But I think I nailed it.”

Johnston, who has been working in health-care administration since 1988, said the upcoming appointment of a new Niagara Health board of directors and the impending construction of the south Niagara hospital signalled a good time to step down.

Read more in the Niagara Falls Review

Regional Chair Jim Bradley Delivers Straight Talk at the State of the Region

There were no confetti cannons or smoke machines. Regional Chair Jim Bradley delivered a practical message packed with facts at his first state of the region address Wednesday. That formula helped Bradley become the second longest-serving member in provincial legislature history with a run of 41 years and cabinet positions in the governments of premiers David Peterson, Dalton McGuinty and Kathleen Wynne.

“It is this topic of teamwork where we will be spending most of our time today,” Bradley told a sold-out luncheon crowd at Scotiabank Convention Centre in Niagara Falls. “Of the Region’s most recent successes, it is clear that working as a team, and pursuing a shared vision, is what has allowed us to move past our limitations and become something bigger than ourselves.”

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Business Council of Canada Explores American Partnership

In the current context of debates around the United States - Mexico - Canada trade agreement, it’s important to highlight Canada’s positive economic impact on the United States. The Business Council of Canada designed an interactive map to help citizens on both sides of the 49th parallel to better understand this dynamic.

This interactive map provides a national, state, and congressional-level view of Canadian investments and business activity in the United States, demonstrating the importance of a strong partnership.

Explore the Map

Canadian Chamber Discusses China’s Decision to Ban $2 Billion Worth of Canadian Exports

The House of Commons agriculture committee is debating a Conservative motion to compel testimony from Foreign Affairs Minister Chrystia Freeland, International Trade Minister Jim Carr and Agriculture Minister Marie-Claude Bibeau to address what they say is a broader political crisis with China that's affecting the livelihoods of Canadian farmers. China says it has found hazardous organisms in the shipments of two major canola exporters, Richardson International Ltd. and Viterra, Inc.

The Canadian Chamber of Commerce says China’s canola decision has no basis in scientific fact. Mark Agnew, senior director of international policy for the chamber, says he trusts the assessments by Health Canada and the Canadian Food Inspection Agency that Canada’s crop is safe.

Read more from the CBC

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To contact your local insurance rep, call Jim Garrett or Cindy Haines at 905-468-8575

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MEMBER 2 MEMBER SAVINGS PROGRAM

Many other Chamber of Commerce members feature discounts and special offers — tailored specifically for other GNCC members. Check out the full Member 2 Member database. If you’d like to add an offer for your company, sign in to your account. You can add and update your offer any time you wish.

BUSINESS SAVINGS PROGRAMS

The GNCC offers many business resources that are regionally, provincially or nationally endorsed – programs offered to Chamber Members through the OCC (Ontario Chamber of Commerce) or the CCC (Canadian Chamber of Commerce). Affinity programs include the Chamber Group Insurance, FedEx savings, Gales Gas discounts, Desjardins payroll service, Chase Paymentech and FirstData merchant services, etc. For more information click HERE.

If your organization is interested in partnering with the GNCC on an affinity program, please feel free to reach out to Mishka Balsom, CEO, at mishka@gncc.ca.

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From the beginning, the GNCC has grown because of your word-of-mouth support.

This Referral Program is our way of saying thanks.

Get your choice of a $25 Starbucks Gift Card for every new member you refer and who joins the Chamber -OR- $50 in GNCC Cash for every new member you refer and joins the Chamber towards GNCC ads, sponsorship or event tickets.

More program information HERE.