Exploring Employment Precarity and Poverty in Niagara

Building and maintaining an engaged and productive workforce is a challenge for employers, made more difficult by employment precarity. The impacts of precarious employment can be serious not only for workers but also for businesses. Reducing the incidence of precarious employment and mitigating its effects are essential for building workforce security and growing business value.

On May 15, Niagara Connects and Poverty and Employment Precarity in Niagara are hosting a webinar discussing precarious employment, the impacts of precarious employment on both workers and employers, and the key practices to increase workforce security. Presenters include Lori Kleinsmith from Bridges Community Health Care and Damin Starr, owner of Damin Starr Commercial Enterprises.

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Welland Church Finds New Home at Seaway Mall

February 24, 2019 marked a turning point for the Welland Be In Christ Church. “Firefighters were dispatched at 7:06 p.m. Sunday when multiple callers reported smoke and flames coming from the church. Heavy smoke blew northeast from the blaze, creating poor visibility on side streets… Firefighters cleared the scene at 2:23 a.m., 7½ hours after they arrived,” reported the Welland Tribune.

Although the firefighters “did an awesome job containing the fire,” the damage remaining left the parish of the Welland Be In Christ Church without a place to gather. Earlier this month Welland Be In Christ Church opened up office space at Seaway Mall, giving their three pastors the ability to continue overseeing the daily operations of the Church as well as counselling services.

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Help Niagara Kids Get a Jumpstart in 2019

Since 2005, Canadian Tire’s Jumpstart Charity has helped 2 million kids across Canada get in the game and get active. A national charity with a commitment to local communities, Jumpstart ensures 100% of customer donations go directly to help kids in need, ensuring that money raised stays where it is donated!

On October 6th, Canadian Tire Bank is proud to be hosting their 4th Annual Jumpstart Run for Kids. This year, they have added an exciting new partnership program and are inviting select local organizations within the Niagara Region to participate.  This year’s event will take place at the St. Catharines Museum and Welland Canals Centre and will include a certified course with professional timing.

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Business Matters Brews Up Conversation on Craft Business

Geoff Dillon plans on talking a lot in 2019. He has a story to tell, but as Ontario’s first craft distiller, it’s a story he hasn’t felt compelled to share until now. Since opening Dillon’s Small Batch Distillers in Beamsville in 2012, Dillon has seen the proliferation of what he calls “phoney craft” spirits hit the market. It’s liquor produced by large companies on behalf of distillers branding themselves as artisanal.

Their bottles are adorned with quaint, eye-catching labels, and the booze is sold significantly cheaper than Dillon’s spirits made in small, time-consuming batches. But consumers willing to pay more for Dillon’s gin, vodka, or peach schnapps get local fruit in every bottle and help to keep 18 people employed at the small business, he explained. “I’m telling that story a lot this year,” Dillon said. “Please listen and care.”

Read more in the Brock News

Niagara College Many Hands Project Raises More Than $40,000 for Pathstone Mental Health

Students and faculty from Niagara College’s Event Management program celebrated the successful completion of their 2019 Many Hands Project with a donation for mental health services in Niagara. As a result of this year’s Many Hands Project, $40,800 was donated to Pathstone Mental Health — a community-based organization that provides innovative and effective treatment for all children in Niagara diagnosed with mental health issues.

The funds were announced at a Many Hands Project reveal ceremony held at Branscombe Mental Health Centre in St. Catharines on April 15. The donation included $35,858 raised by NC student fundraisers and $5,000 from Canadian Tire Bank, a sponsor and long-time supporter of NC’s Many Hands Project.

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Grant LaFleche Named Ontario’s Journalist of the Year

St. Catharines Standard reporter Grant LaFleche was named top journalist of 2018 at the Ontario Newspaper Awards held in Toronto on April 13. “It’s an honour to be named journalist of the year by our colleagues in Ontario newspapers, particularly when you consider the amazing and vital work done by journalists across the province,” said LaFleche.

The awards recognize the work of journalists and photographers at daily newspapers throughout the province. “I think the kind of work we did on the All Chair’s Men shows why local newspapers are so vital to communities, especially in this era of spin and propaganda. The work is neither cheap nor easy but it’s incredibly important,” said LaFleche.

Read more in the St. Catharines Standard

CAA Niagara’s Worst Roads Campaign Past Halfway Point

A road in rural Fort Erie is considered the worst place to drive in the region, so far. Weeks into CAA Niagara’s Worst Roads campaign, Sider Road in the Stevensville area of the town has received the most online votes. McLeod Road in Niagara Falls, the second-worst in last year’s road-shaming contest, sits in second place on this year’s list.

More than 700 votes from across the region have been received since March 26, with 86 per cent of participants indicating “potholes and crumbling pavement” as the reason for their selection, says CAA Niagara in a news release. This year’s campaign runs until midnight April 26.

Read more in the Niagara Falls Review

Ladies’ Night Out Fun-Raiser Returns for 12th Year

Get your tickets now for the 12th Annual Ladies’ Night Out Fun-Raiser in support of the Welland Heritage Council and Multicultural Centre. This event sells out every year, so get your tickets now!

The evening features music by The Johnny Chimpo Band, vendors, a family-style dinner, door prizes, raffles, a silent auction, a cash bar, and more. The evening’s fun takes place at the Croatian National Home, 6 Broadway Avenue, in Welland on May 2; doors open at 6p.m.

Get Tickets

Register Your Team for the 2019 Welland Dragon Boat Festival

In 2002, community partners presented the first Welland Dragon Boat Festival. Twenty-four teams and 600 competitors took part in the inaugural event. Dragon Boat racing is among the fastest growing water sports in the world. Put a team together with your office — all you need is a sense of fun & adventure, and a minimum of 16 paddlers.

Dragon Boating is user friendly and practically anyone, young or old, at any fitness level can quickly adapt to and develop a passion for this sport. Personal satisfaction, team development and friendship are just a few of the key words attributed to this sport by some of its participants.

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Cultivating Competitiveness: Turning Agri-food Regulatory Reform Promises into Action

Providing employment for 246,000 Canadians, food and beverage processing is the largest manufacturing industry in the country. As a result, Canada is the 5th largest agricultural commodity exporter and 11th largest exporter for manufactured food products in the world.

In a recent report from the Canadian Chamber of Commerce’s Regulate Smarter series, they outline how the success of Canadian farmers and food manufacturers is connected to the performance of the regulatory systems that govern their activities. They take a close look at the major inconsistencies and outline what the government needs to do now to deliver on immediately.

Read more in Regulate Smarter

The Carnet: A Passport For Your Goods

Do you know what a carnet is? Chances are you do not, but that does not mean you and your business will not need one at some point. The Canadian Chamber of Commerce has been providing the sales industry, the media, as well as sports and entertainment organizations with nearly 4,000 carnets a year to help them bring their goods across international borders duty-free and tax-free.

Just as every Canadian travelling out of country needs a passport, equipment and goods often times need one as well. Carnets can be used in 78 different countries; virtually all goods are covered with a carnet, except consumable or disposable items. Once a carnet is issued, it is good for a whole year, and it can be used multiple times. A carnet replaces most custom documents and streamlines the process of clearing customs.

Read more from the OCC

OCC Makes Recommendations to Boost Cannabis Sector

On April 18, The Ontario Chamber of Commerce made several recommendations that address issues affecting the Ontario’s booming marijuana industry, including having a common excise stamp to help cannabis makers ship their products smoothly. The OCC also recommended bolstering Health Canada so that it can issue licenses to facilities at an “accelerated rate’ without compromising the inspection process.

Later this year, Canada will allow sales of new classes of cannabis products, namely edible cannabis, cannabis extracts and cannabis topicals, and the OCC believes the government needs to strike a balance between prioritizing public safety and eradicating the illegal market.

Read more from Reuters

If you’re thinking of adding group benefits to your company, there are a lot of good reasons to put your Chamber membership to work for you. Not the least is exclusivity: only members have access to the Chambers of Commerce Group Insurance Plan®.

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.

GNCC REFERRAL PROGRAM

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.