Merit Contractors Awarded St. Catharines Police Station Contract

Congratulations are extended from the Greater Niagara Chamber of Commerce’s members and Board of Directors to Merit Contractors, especially to Past Chair Ian Kowalchuk, for being awarded the contract to build the new Niagara Regional Police station in downtown St. Catharines. Merit Contractors has been in business since 1984.

The new police station will go up on the south side of Welland Avenue between Geneva and Niagara streets. The building will replace the dilapidated detachment at 68 Church St., which was built in 1963 and has more than exceed its useful life.

Read more in the St. Catharines Standard

A New Way to Trade it Forward

Charities across Canada need our support. Often they can’t afford certain products and services because they don’t have the money. Many businesses have idle inventory on their shelves or have slower periods throughout the year when they aren’t busy. What if we could take this extra stuff and time and make it work for charities?

That’s the premise behind BarterPay It Forward. The CEO of BarterPay and The BarterPay It Forward Foundation, John Porter, joined CHCH News along with the CEO of Imagine Canada, Bruce MacDonald, to explain this new undertaking.

Watch the video on CHCH 

Brock Professor to Lead 2021 Canada Summer Games

After reviewing dozens of resumes from qualified applicants from across the country, Doug Hamilton didn’t have to look far to find the best person to lead efforts to prepare for the Canada Summer Games. Hamilton, chair of the 2021 Canada Summer Games Host Society board of directors, announced Tuesday that Barry Wright, an associate professor at the Brock University Goodman School of Business, has been brought on as the organization’s new chief executive officer

“Barry has some great experience in the sports world and in the organizational and corporate world with respect to his education, but he also has some really important community connections,” Hamilton said.

Read more

St. Catharines Hosts Committee Open House

The City of St. Catharines is holding a Committee Recruitment Fair for residents to learn more about the opportunities to make an impact in their community. People interested can come network and chat with current staff liaisons from various committees to learn more about what each committee is involved in.

Recruitment will be open for the following committees: Downtown Development, Arts and Culture, Recreation Master Plan, Museum, Environmental (Green and Clean City), Town and Gown (enhancing communications, policies, and relationships among Brock University, and Niagara College students), Accessibility, and more.

Find out more

Local Composer Debuts New Work with Chorus Niagara

Chorus Niagara will debut a brand new musical by St. Catharines composer James Moffett for its next concert March 2. “Legacy,” a dramatic work commissioned by Chorus Niagara, will form the first half of a show which also features Arthur Honegger’s seldom-heard “King David.”

Moffett says he was inspired to write the piece from years of watching his mother perform in Chorus Niagara, along with the singers who have performed under artistic director Robert Cooper through the years.

Read more

Rankin Construction Buys Port Tower Property

Port Dalhousie has been hit with a jolt of optimism. The news St. Catharines-based Rankin Construction is buying the long-stalled controversial condo tower property in the commercial core had many people in good spirits Tuesday.

“I opened a bottle of champagne even though we make beer here,” joked Wolfgang Guembel, founder and president of Lock Street Brewing Co. Many politicians, businessman and residents on social media expressed confidence that a local owner with Rankin’s reputation will lead to a workable solution for the property.

Read more

Statscan Could Fill Public Data Gaps if Ottawa Increases Funds, Chief Statistician Says

Canada’s chief statistician says the agency could fill some of the country’s key data gaps if the federal government gave it more money to do so and defended his record at the helm of Statistics Canada against criticism that the country’s approach to public data is too restrictive.

His comments come as a broad range of civil society groups and prominent Canadians call for urgent improvements to the country’s public data regime in the wake of a Globe and Mail investigation showing that Canada lacks crucial numbers for understanding its government, business landscape and most vulnerable people.

Read more from The Globe and Mail

Business Advocate Supports New Automotive Plan For a Stronger Ontario

On February 14, Rocco Rossi, President and CEO of the Ontario Chamber of Commerce, released a statement in response to the Ontario Government’s new plan, Driving Prosperity: The Future of Ontarios Automotive Sector. The plan focuses on continuing leadership in automotive assembly and parts production, and in the development, commercialization and adoption of advanced manufacturing and mobility technologies.

“The automotive industry is critical to our economy,” said Rossi. “We have long called on the government to cut red tape, encourage innovation, and improve skills development within the automotive sector. Today’s plan is a welcome step in creating a more competitive environment and ensuring Ontario can be a leader in the automotive sector for years to come.”

Read more

OCC Releases 2019 Ontario Economic Report

Each year, the Ontario Economic Report presents the collective voice of the members of the Ontario Chamber of Commerce through the Business Confidence Survey, the Business Prosperity Index and the Economic Outlook. The report provides a snapshot of the past year and a look at the year ahead.

This year, the report focuses on building economic opportunity for Ontario and is aimed at shaping and informing future public policy. In 2019, the OCC will be engaging its members, government and other leaders to explore the issues outlined in the OER and develop the necessary solutions to drive forward a stronger Ontario.

Read the 2019 Ontario Economic Report

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.