It’s All Fun & Games Until Someone Gets Punched in the Face

Join Underdogs Boxing Club at 7pm on Friday, May 3, 2019, to gather with friends, play games, and — if you want — take a bout on the hand pads with one of the Underdogs coaches. The night will end with a sparring session between Underdogs founder ‘Princess Killer’ Laura Ip and one of the boxing club’s members.

Underdogs Boxing Club is a non-profit organization that uses recreational boxing to help individuals realize their strength, better understand the relationship between mind and body, and connect with others in a fully inclusive environment.

Find out more

Tee Up for the Peter Saracino Alzheimer Golf Classic

On June 5, the Alzheimer Society Niagara Region will host their annual Peter Saracino Alzheimer Golf Classic at Peninsula Lakes Golf & Country Club in Pelham. Early bird registrants will be entered to win a special prize if they complete their registration by May 3, 2019.

The day includes 18 holes of golf, access to a driving range, use of a golf cart, hole contests and silent and live auctions. Each golfer also receives a gift, a free drink on the course, lunch, and dinner served with wine.

Find out more

Getting Started with Diversity and Inclusion

Organizations that embrace diversity and inclusion have a competitive advantage over those that don’t. In fact, Forbes recently reported that diverse, inclusive companies are 35 percent more likely to have financial returns above national industry medians. While the business case for diversity and inclusion is clear, the roadmap for getting started often isn’t.

The Buffalo Niagara Partnership is hosting a premier event on diversity and inclusion; this day-long symposium is designed to help CEOs, business founders, owners, human resources professionals, and managers get started. Hear from national best practice experts and leave with real-world, actionable tips, information, and inspiration to help you get started with diversity and inclusion initiatives at your own organization.

Find out more

Thorold Auto Parts & Recyclers Welcomes Families for Earth Day Celebrations

Every day is Earth Day at Thorold Auto Parts and Recyclers. The Thorold firm is famous for its state-of-the-art auto part reclamation and recycling programs. The company has invested hundreds of thousands of dollars in environmentally friendly equipment and practices, prompting tours of the Thorold facility by industry experts for ideas and inspiration.

Owner Frank Serravalle enjoys holding Earth Day celebrations, where kids and parents can take part in fun activities at the “Imagination Station” which includes painting bird houses built by staff, face painting, wagon rides, refreshments and watching the car crusher in action.

Read more in the Thorold News

Announcing the 2019 40 Under Forty Recipients

The Business Link Media Group is honoured to present the recipients of the 16th Annual 40 Under Forty Business Achievement Awards. The list includes:

• Matthew Aiello, Qube Escape Rooms
• Karley Brooks, Brand Blvd
• Joey Burke, Niagara IceDogs
• Lisa Carlomusto, Dental Hygiene of Niagara
• Emily Allan Dakin, Brock University
• Michael De Prophetis, STORM Hair Group
• Melissa Donald, Verge Insurance Group
• Helen Duffy, Caddle Inc.
• Madison Fuller, Niagara College
• Jennifer Gauthier, Women’s Place South Niagara
• Adam Hynam-Smith, Dispatch Restaurant
• Josh Knoester, Canadian Elite Basketball League
• Chris Lorence, Brand Blvd
• Alex Pedersen, Niagara Casinos
• Scott Plugers, KPMG
• Krystal Riddell, Essentials Cremation and Burial Services
• Stephanie Sabourin, Niagara Regional Police
• Chrissy Sadowski, Community Care St. Catharines-Thorold
• Mathew Siscoe, St. Catharines City Councillor
• Joshua Tonnes, Brock University
• Jennifer Vida, Upper Canada Consultants
• Nick Visser, DJB Chartered Professional Accountants
• Annie Wilson, FirstOntario Performing Arts Centre
• Tanner Wilson, Brand Blvd
• Dr. Stephanie Yurkewich, Brock University

See the Nominees

Are You The Next Trivia Master?

Do you have what it takes to be the next Trivia Master? Port Cares 3rd Annual Trivia Night, in support of the Reach Out Centre, is happening on Friday, May 10, 2019. Gather your friends and brush up on your facts — it’s about to get serious.

Tickets are $20 each and include prizes, pizza, and munchies. A cash bar is available. The evening’s fun takes place at Brebeuf Hall, 300 Killaly Street East, in Port Colborne. Teams of 8 to 10 players are recommended.

Find out more

Backyard Axe Throwing League Hosts Open House

The mission of the Backyard Axe Throwing League is to show people the power of being good to each other — using the axe as a tool to build community, inspired by our backyard roots. They are holding an open house with free axe throwing on Friday, May 3 at 4437 Queen Street in Niagara Falls.

Stop by any time from 6pm to 10pm to learn how to throw an axe and have a great time with friends and family. No reservations are required.

Find out more

Work Starts Early for Annual Playhouse Build and Auction

Work started early on a project that’s one of the biggest fundraisers of the year for a Niagara children’s agency. The fifth annual Playhouse Build and Auction was held on April 28, but Niagara College students got a head start by cutting and preparing materials in advance of the big day. It’s an important event for the Kristen French Child Advocacy Centre Niagara, which helps children and families impacted by child abuse.

These are no ordinary playhouses — previous entries have been modelled on tents, jungle gyms and Old West-style structures. The designs “continue to amaze the public,” said Susanne McCarroll, resource development co-ordinator at the Kristen French centre.

Read more

Filling the Void in Niagara Housing Data

The Canadian Centre of Economic Analysis has filled an information void by creating a database of Niagara’s demographics and housing needs. The database contains detailed geographical mapping of demographic, housing and income trends in all 12 municipalities.

It’s a collection of raw numbers that could help Niagara in its endless search for a solution to an affordable housing crisis by giving decision-makers in-depth data on our housing stock. “There is no existing source of data with accurate assessment of current and future demand for public housing,” said Doug Giles, Niagara Region’s director of community and long range planning.

Find out more

Complex Tax Returns Costing Canadians Billions

As Tuesday’s income tax deadline approaches, a new study by the Fraser Institute says the increasingly complex tax returns Canadians have to file to the Canada Revenue Agency is costing them billions of dollars annually, just to fill them out correctly.

“A growing web of complicated rules and changes has made the tax system more difficult for Canadians to understand, which affects the cost — in time and money — of compliance,” said Finn Poschmann, co-author of the study Tax Complexity in 2019: Can it be Tamed?

Read more in the Toronto Sun

Chamber of Commerce Warns Regulatory Red Tape Still Hurting Agri-Food Sector

Regulatory red tape is continuing to impede the competitiveness of Canada’s agriculture and food industry, the Canadian Chamber of Commerce says — and it wants the federal government to do something about it before the next election.

In a new report released on April 25, the Canadian Chamber of Commerce said it wants the federal government to “immediately end its siloed development of regulations” currently earmarked for the agri-food industry.

Read more in iPolitics

Comprehensive Economic Trade Agreement Issues Hindering Canadian Grain Exports

Non-tariff related trade barriers are continuing to impede this country’s grain industry from reaping the full benefits of the Comprehensive Economic Trade Agreement between Canada and the European Union, a new report from the Canadian Chamber of Commerce says.

“The experience in the crop sector has been mixed in comparison to total Canadian exports to the EU,” reads the report, titled CETA Issue in Focus: Opening opportunities in the Canadian crop sector.

Read more

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 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.