| March 31, 2017 | Submissions? email brad@gncc.ca |
UPCOMING
EVENTS
Business After 5
The Club at White Oaks
April 4, 2017 • 5:00pm—7:00pm
253 Taylor Road, Niagara-on-the-Lake
WINspirational Women:
A Conversation with Georgina Black
April 12, 2017 • 7:00pm—9:00pm
Ridley College, Ross Morrow Theatre
2 Ridley Road, St. Catharines
Table Talks
April 20, 2017 • 12:00pm—1:30pm
Big Marco’s Italian Restaurant
274 Fourth Ave.
St. Catharines
Chair’s Luncheon
April 21, 2017 • 11:00am—2:00pm
Americana Conference Resort & Spa
8444 Lundy’s Lane,
Niagara Falls
Lunch & Learn: How to Reach Today’s Unreachable Customer
A sales and marketing strategy for today’s small businesses
April 25, 2017 • 12:00pm—1:30pm
Coppola’s Ristorante
203 Carlton St.,
St. Catharines
NEXTNiagara Social
April 27, 2017 • 5:00pm—7:00pm
Hosted by Lookout Point Country Club
209 Tice Road
Fonthill
NEW MEMBERS:
FEBRUARY 2017
Please join us in welcoming the new members who joined in February 2017.
GNCC
ADVOCACY
GNCC IN
THE NEWS
St Catharines joins call to re-think Niagara Falls casino selection process
Councillors for the city of St Catharines have unanimously passed an official motion asking the OLG to halt the current process for selecting a new service provider to run two area casinos.
“We urge the government of Ontario to consult with local stakeholders as much as possible in this process,” Mishka Balsom, Chief Executive Officer for the Greater Niagara Chamber of Commerce, told the newspaper. “Failing to do this would have significant negative consequences for Niagara.”
CEO makes case for improved public transit across Region
Mishka Balsom, CEO of the Greater Niagara Chamber of Commerce, delivered a statement to Niagara’s regional council on March 23, just before the council voted to move forward with more consolidated transit services for the Niagara region.
“On behalf of Niagara’s businesses, we ask you to endorse and support this plan and to help move our community forward.”
Region signals strong support for consolidated transit plan for Niagara
Regional politicians overwhelmingly threw their support in principle behind a new consolidated model of intermunicipal transit for Niagara Thursday night, in what was referred to more than once as a momentous decision.
“This is going to be a day to remember,” said Welland Mayor Frank Campion. “It’s going to change people’s lives.
Niagara wins Canada Games bid
There was complete silence at FirstOntario Performing Arts Centre. When the word Niagara came across the live feed from Toronto, the room exploded.
“It is great news for us,” said Mishka Balsom, president of Greater Niagara Chamber of Commerce, who attended the viewing party at the St. Catharines arts centre.
Budget 2017: Innovation investment is welcome, but Canada must do more to reduce the cost of doing business
On March 22, the Government of Canada released its budget for 2017-2018. The Greater Niagara Chamber of Commerce was glad to be a part of the budgetary process and to provide our input through Niagara’s Liberal Members of Parliament, Vance Badawey and Chris Bittle.
Businesses in Niagara and throughout Canada have identified skills and training as one of their biggest challenges.
Ontario’s Fair Hydro Plan: how will it impact your business?
The announcement of Ontario’s Fair Hydro Plan left many employers uncertain about the implications for their business.
Through correspondence with senior officials at the Ministry of Energy, the OCC has been diligently engaged to help better understand the impact of the announcement on behalf of our membership.
MEMBERS
IN THE NEWS
Niagara Region to Host 2021 Canada Summer Games
Ontario is pleased to announce that the Canada Games Council has selected Niagara Region to host the 2021 Canada Summer Games.
In August 2021, Niagara Region will welcome approximately 4,600 athletes from across Canada to compete in 17 sports over the course of two weeks.
Facing Climate Change
On April 3rd from 1—2 p.m., Niagara Sustainability will be organizing a free Facing Climate Change Webinar.
Environmental Commissioner of Ontario, Dr. Dianne Saxe, will provide an overview of her annual greenhouse gas (GHG) report, Facing Climate Change.
Goodman program creates the next generation of business leaders
It’s been said the function of a leader is to produce more leaders. Jason MacLean knows just how to do that.
The manager of training, development and client services for the City of Niagara Falls offers his staff professional development opportunities through the Centre for Innovation, Management and Enterprise Education (CIMEE) at Brock University’s Goodman School of Business.
CanAmNow: the region’s premier cross-border business development and current affairs forum
Get a candid view on how changing federal priorities and NAFTA negotiation can impact goods, people, and business crossing the border.
CanAmNow brings together the key leaders and stakeholders from both sides of the border to capitalize on the economic potential of the international golden horseshoe.
What does it mean to be powered by Purpose?
To be part of a purpose-driven organization? Attend Leadercast Niagara 2017 to have these questions answered at a one-of-a-kind learning event.
Gain great insights on leadership and personal development from renown leadership experts all at a great location and great price!
Playhouse Build & Auction benefits Kristen French Child Advocacy Centre Niagara
Niagara’s top builders will compete on April 30 to see who can build the best playhouse.
Featuring Sherry Holmes from Holmes Makes It Right, the event will see the playhouses auctioned off afterwards to the high bidder. Proceeds go to the Kristen French Child Advocacy Centre Niagara.
Prom Project dresses students to the nines
Students looking to save on their prom will have the chance to get completely outfitted for the big day at no cost.
Education Foundation of Niagara and PenFinancial Credit Union have collaborated to host the ninth Prom Project Niagara.
Brock joins celebration of Niagara’s 2021 Canada Summer Games win
Brock University joins its community partners and neighbours in celebrating the news that Niagara has been selected to host the 2021 Canada Summer Games.
In the end, Niagara edged out strong bids from Ottawa, Sudbury and Kitchener-Waterloo-Cambridge.
Jon Kimura Parker to perform for Bravo Niagara!
Bravo Niagara! presents celebrated Canadian pianist Jon Kimura Parker, OC, in recital at St. Mark’s Anglican Church. His diverse program “Passion and Pictures” features works by Beethoven, Ravel, and more.
The Bravo Niagara! concert series also features Coco Ma on April 8 and Justin Kauflin & Alfredo Rodriguez on May 6.
NETWORK
NEWS
Budget 2017 — let’s not “wait and see”
The funniest line on Budget 2017 officially goes to John Ivison who said reading the federal budget was like being “relentlessly flogged with warm lettuce.”
The runner-up comes from one of our NDP friends who described it as the “Seinfeld Budget” (a show about nothing), and Andrew Coyne gets the honourable mention for “a wealth of bafflegab and buzzwords.” Why is everyone so harsh?
Allan O’Dette resigns as President & CEO of Ontario Chamber
On March 9, Allan O’Dette announced his decision to resign as President & CEO of the Ontario Chamber of Commerce to the Board of Directors. After five years of success in this role, Allan will be moving on to a new opportunity that will be announced shortly.
During his tenure, the OCC achieved considerable success in establishing the OCC as leader and change agent for Ontario under the umbrella of Emerging Stronger. Allan made strengthening the relationship between the OCC and the Chamber Network through customer focus and enhanced communication a core priority.
Ontario Economic Report released
Last month, the OCC released the inaugural Ontario Economic Report, a landmark agenda aimed at shaping and informing future public policy. The OER includes entirely new economic analyses that demonstrates the difficult economic environment faced by Ontario businesses and consumers in 2017.
The report includes the results of the OCC’s new Business Confidence Survey conducted in partnership with Fresh Intelligence, a Business Prosperity Index, and an Economic Outlook for 2017. These datasets, viewed together, reveal broad challenges to Ontario’s economic health.
RENEWING MEMBERS:
FEBRUARY 2017
The following members renewed their membership in January for another year. Thank you for supporting the Chamber — and supporting business in Niagara.
MEMBER
PROGRAMS
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
Try the purest, freshest water available — one month absolutely FREE. Experience the taste of clean water AND discover why so many homes, schools, and businesses love H2Only… it’s the service. No contracts, no set schedules. You call, we deliver the following business day. That simple since 1995.
Contact: 905-934-0966
sales@h2only.ca www.h2only.ca
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 into your account. You can add and update your offer any time you wish.
MEMBER
PARTNERS
