No One Goes Hungry Cooks Up Huge Concert

Niagara’s music scene will fill plenty of plates for a marathon No One Goes Hungry fundraiser on December 2. Eight bands will take the stage at Chuck’s Roadhouse in Niagara Falls starting at noon and play well into the night. Among the lineup is The Madhatters, Brad Battle, Triple Crowns with Serena Pryne and a special appearance by Ron Hawkins of Lowest of the Low.

For No One Goes Hungry founder Carey Benvenuti, it’s the final big bash for what has been a pivotal year. And she needed help. “(Mark and Paul Saxton) from Revel Realty, they said, ‘We want to do something to help you feed people,’ and I was like, ‘I don’t have any more energy to do anything,’” said Benvenuti. “Honestly, they looked after everything for me.”

Read more in the Niagara Falls Review

The Printing House Recognized as North America’s Most Forest-Friendly Printer

As a result of ongoing environmental initiatives, The Printing House was rated North America’s most forest-friendly printer (up from #2 in 2017) in Canopy’s 2018 Blueline Ranking, the only comprehensive assessment of the environmental performance of North America’s printers.

This ranking was achieved by reducing the use of papers that contain ancient and endangered forest fibre, working to advance forest conservation solutions, supporting the development of new environmental papers, and bringing a high degree of transparency to their sustainability initiatives.

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Community Crew Seeks Board Members

Community Crew is dedicated to providing healthy lunches and hope to children in need. They believe that every child should have access to healthy foods, especially during the school year.

Their Board of Directors is seeking individuals with knowledge and experience in governance, accounting/finance/business, public affairs and communications, strategic planning, or government relations. Application deadline is Thursday January 31, 2019. For more information, or to apply, please email Sarah Pritula, Director, at sarah@communitycrew.ca.

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Christmas Market Returns to Ridley College

Shoppers hitting up Ridley College’s Christmas market this weekend will not only be able to cross some items off their shopping list, they’ll also have the chance to help students in the community. The market, organized by the Ridley College Family Guild, is a fundraising event that supports scholarships and bursaries for current and prospective Ridley College students.

It got its start more than a decade ago in the basement of the headmaster’s home and has grown to a two-day, communitywide event with nearly 80 local artisans and vendors in attendance. The event also features food trucks, Métis painting workshops with dot artist Brian Kon, pictures with Santa, and a big raffle draw.

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Small Scale Farms and Micro Communities

Small Scale Farms is a collaborative organization that recognizes food production is an important ecosystem service that is central to human welfare. They are hosting a discussion on November 30 on micro-communities, farming, currency, poverty, and action planning.

Please join Renee Delaney and the Small Scale Farms crew at 5621 Elcho Road in Wellandport to discuss the many options moving forward. For those of you interested in learning something new, or just learning about Small Scale Farms, you’re sure to love this gathering.

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Free Smoking Cessation Help for Niagara Residents

Free quit smoking patches are available from Niagara Region for a limited time. The STOP (Smoking Treatment for Ontario Patients) Program offers eligible participants in Niagara five weeks of cost-free nicotine replacement therapy and smoking cessation information to help them in their quit attempt.

The STOP Program is led by the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH), and is funded by the Ontario Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care as part of its Smoke-Free Ontario Strategy. Niagara Region Public Health is collaborating with CAMH to provide the STOP program in Niagara.

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Niagara Winemakers Earn Lifetime Achievement Award from Ontario Chamber of Commerce

When Donald Ziraldo and Karl Kaiser began the groundwork for what would become Inniskillin Winery in Niagara-on-the-Lake back in 1975, little did anyone know the pair would soon set the Niagara wine industry on its head; 43 years later, Niagara wines are known and loved around the world, and Ziraldo and Kaiser have earned accolades at the Ontario Business Achievement Awards.

Ontario Chamber of Commerce president Rocco Rossi said Ziraldo and Kaiser were a perfect choice as the first-ever recipients of the OBAA’s Lifetime Achievement Award. “Their determination to create the highest quality wines not only transformed the Canadian wine industry but demonstrates the innovation, entrepreneurship and hard work of the businesses built in our own backyard,” he said.

Read more from Niagara This Week

Canada’s Agrifood Export Goal Should Be Greater Than $85 billion

While the agrifood strategy table bettered the federal government’s agrifood export goal by $10 billion, that might not be an ambitious enough target, says Saskatchewan farmer Lee Moats. One of the biggest obstacles is the mass of federal and provincial regulations the sector has to cope with, he said.

The regulatory burden, detailed in the Canadian Chamber of Commerce report Deaths by 130,000 Cuts released in May, is a problem for the entire Canadian economy, Moats said. “Everyone across the economy is talking about the country’s debilitating regulatory environment.”

Read more from National Newswatch

USMCA Signature Is A Step Forward But Major Obstacles Remain

Today’s signing of the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement is an important step toward greater economic certainty, but significant work remains before Canadian businesses can be satisfied, says the Canadian Chamber of Commerce in a statement.

“While the agreement falls short of what North American business sought, it generally maintains tariff-free access for Canadian products, retains the labour mobility provisions, strengthens intellectual property protections, and ensures Canada has access to the most crucial aspects of dispute settlement.”

Read more from the Canadian Chamber

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.