January 5, 2018 | Submissions? email brad@gncc.ca |
2018
EVENTS
Business After 5
Hosted in January by The Keg
January 9, 2018 • 5:00pm—7:00pm
9th Floor, Embassy Suites
6700 Fallsview Boulevard
Niagara Falls
Lunch & Learn: The Business Case for Creating Inclusive Workplaces
January 24 • 12:00pm—1:30pm
Big Marco’s Italian Restaurant
274 Fourth Avenue
St. Catharines
State of the City St. Catharines
January 30, 2018 • 4:30—7:00pm
FirstOntario Performing Arts Centre
250 St. Paul Street
St. Catharines
Business After 5
Hosted in February by Yoga by Sarah
February 6, 2018 • 5:00pm—7:00pm
400 Scott Street
St. Catharines
Save the Date!
WINspirational Women: A Conversation with Dr. Suzanne Johnston
February 8, 2018 • 7:00pm—9:00pm
Lundy’s Manor Wine Cellars
9941 Lundy’s Lane
Niagara Falls
State of the Region
March 28, 2018
Location and time to be announced
Save the Date!
NEW MEMBERS:
DECEMBER 2017
Please join us in welcoming the new members who joined in November 2017.
MEMBERS
OFFERS
Event Partner Special Admission for GNCC Members:
Discount pricing of $150 + Ticket Fee & HST
($75 off General Admission)
Tickets |
MEMBERS
IN THE NEWS
Christmas Feast Feeds Hundreds at Gord’s Place
They were lined up by the hundreds, an hour before Hector DeDivitiis planned to open the doors of his downtown St. Catharines restaurant. The owner of Gord’s Place rushed to bring his hungry guests inside on the wintry morning, to enjoy a delicious Christmas Day meal prepared by Niagara College students.
“Last year we fed over 500 people, and we’ll do that again,” he said, while serving a steady line of hungry guests during the annual Spirit of Christmas Dinner at Gord’s Place.
Niagara Real Estate Forecast Remains Bright but Balanced
The Niagara real estate market is expected to stay strong heading into 2018 — and that’s not necessarily good for people wanting to buy their first home. The market has levelled out in recent months after prices increased on average 30 per cent from January to May 2017, says Brad Johnstone, broker of record for Royal LePage Niagara.
He says the value of property in the Niagara region typically increases by two to five per cent per year. “Last year was the best year in all of history (for the Niagara market),” Johnstone added.
Elimination Draw Supports Surgical Program
Niagara Health Foundation is happy to announce the return of a popular Welland tradition — the Annual Elimination Draw — which will be taking place on January 31 at the Croatian National Home. Bundle up in your Après Ski gear and join them for your chance to win a share of $3,000 in prize money.
All proceeds will be directed towards the purchase of urgently needed equipment for the Surgical Program at the Welland Site of Niagara Health
Employer Information Session
The Job Gym is offering employer information sessions on employment standard on January 30. A representative from the Ministry of Labour will lead the seminar on the upcoming changes to the Employment Standards Act.
Sessions are free for Niagara employers. The session is offered at 10:30 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. at the Welland Job Gym. Space is limited — register today.
Welland Girl Designs Niagara Health Holiday Card
A Welland girl is taking home top prize as winner of Niagara Health’s annual holiday card contest for kids. Emma Noel, 12, designed a card featuring carollers cheering up patients during the holidays by singing outside hospital. An airplane in the background sports a banner that reads “be kind.”
Emma’s winning design is featured on Niagara Health’s holiday greeting card. The cards are distributed across the region. This year was her last chance to enter because the contest has a 12-year-old age limit for children of Niagara Health employees.
Winter Picton East Raises Funds for Red Roof Retreat
Niagara’s Finest Hotels is proud to announce the first annual Winter Picton Street East, an event to benefit Red Roof Retreat. The event runs every Sunday and Thursday on Picton Street in Niagara-on-the-Lake.
Tickets are on sale for $35 each, with $5 from each ticket going to support Red Roof Retreat. Call 905-468-5715 to order your tickets while supplies last.
River Lions Paint the Court Pink
The Niagara River Lions painted the court pink on Jan. 3. They were raisin funds and awareness in support for women’s cancer. “It’s bigger than us, it’s bigger than basketball,” said guard Jaylen Tate, who wore a special edition pink uniform along with the rest of the River Lions.
“For those women that fight for their lives every single day, we pay tribute today and we show a lot of respect to that,” added Jaylen.
Bowlers Needed to Make 165 Big and Little Matchups
Niagara’s Big Brothers and Sisters have 165 children “anxiously” awaiting a chance to be matched with a caring adult mentor. That reality lies behind a new fundraising program announced Thursday at the kickoff of the Tim Hortons Big Brothers Big Sisters Bowl for Kids Sake campaign.
The campaign, launched at the Meridian Centre in St. Catharines, aims to raise $165,000 in order to speed up the process of matching ‘littles’ with ‘bigs,’ as they’re known in the Big Brothers Big Sisters world.
January is Alzheimer Month — Join the Walk for Memories
Behind every person with Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias, there are hundreds of people dedicated to helping. The Alzheimer Society is the leading not-for-profit health organization working nationwide to improve the quality of life for Canadians affected by Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias and advance the search for the cause and cure.
On January 21, the Walk for Alzheimer’s Make Memories Matter will take place at Brock University. The walk is just one of several events to be held in January, including documentary screenings, public forums and seminars.
Please visit gncc.ca for more stories. Have a submission? Send it to brad@gncc.ca
NETWORK
NEWS
Canada’s Jobless Rate Hits Four-Decade Low as Hiring Surges
Canada’s unemployment rate plunged to the lowest in more than 40 years, suddenly raising the odds of a Bank of Canada rate hike this month. The jobless rate fell to 5.7 per cent in December, Statistics Canada said on January 5 in Ottawa, the lowest in the current data series that begins in 1976.
The number of jobs rose by 78,600, beating expectations and bringing the full-year employment gain to 422,500. That’s the best annual increase since 2002. While most of the new jobs in December were part-time, the bulk of new hires in 2017 were full-time.
Standing Committee Recommends Amendments to CASL
A government standing committee has made recommendations for revision of Canada’s Anti-Spam Legislation to provide clarity to organizations, including assisting them in interpreting and applying the law.
The Standing Committee on Industry, Science and Technology (INDU) made 13 recommendations in its report, released last month. The theme of INDU’s recommendations was clarification, says David Elder, who practises communications, competition and privacy law with Stikeman Elliott LLP in Ottawa.
Opinion: Minimum Wages Can Make for Maximum Consternation
As headline numbers go, 60,000 is a grabber, particularly when paired with the words “jobs lost.” Ontario’s minimum wage is $14 per hour as of this week, and increases are in the works across the country. Estimates vary concerning the jobs likely to be lost — or more precisely, the employment that would otherwise have been created under last year’s conditions.
But the 60,000 figure carries the imprimatur of the Bank of Canada, contained as it was in a research note written by central bank analysts. And it jibes with the complaints of Ontario business owners who say they are having to cut back workers’ hours to meet their new wage costs.
RENEWING MEMBERS:
DECEMBER 2017
The following members renewed their membership in November 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
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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.
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