September 16, 2016 | Submissions? email brad@gncc.ca |
UPCOMING
EVENTS
Savour Niagara
September 22, 2016 • 6:00pm—10:00pm
Niagara District Airport
Niagara-on-the-Lake
Lunch & Learn
7 Ways to Make your Customer Experience Sweeter than Christmas Morning
September 27, 2016
Best Western Hotel and Conference Centre
2 North Service Rd., St. Catharines
Business After Five
October 4, 2016 • 5:00pm—7:00pm
Royal LePage
Niagara Real Estate Centre
33 Maywood Ave., St. Catharines
No registration required
Table Talks
October 13, 2016 • 12:00pm—1:30pm
Johnny Rocco’s Italian Grill & Restaurant, 6889 Lundy’s Lane
Niagara Falls
Women in Business Awards
October 14, 2016 • 11:00am — 2:00pm
Crowne Plaza
Niagara Falls
Niagara Economic Summit
Mythbusting Niagara’s Job Market
October 27, 2016
White Oaks Resort and Conference Centre
Niagara-on-the-Lake
NEW
MEMBERS
Please join us in welcoming the new members who joined in August 2016!
MEMBER
OFFERS
MEDIA
PARTNERS
GNCC
ADVOCACY
Chambers Call For A Free Market In Recreational Marijuana
In partnership with the GNCC, the Ontario Chamber of Commerce has appealed to Premier Wynne to reject an LCBO-based model for the distribution of recreational marijuana, and to open the market to regulated, private-sector distributors and retailers.
The GNCC is spearheading this initiative, and successfully proposed a policy resolution at the OCC’s 2016 Annual General Meeting which led to the issuing of this letter.
Inter-Municipal Transit Working Group
Since January 2016, the Inter-municipal Transit Working Group along with Dillon Consulting has been developing options for an integrated transit system that works for all of Niagara.
Over the summer months the team has consulted with the business community and top regional employers for their input into the future of inter-municipal transit in Niagara. Strong support was shown for cooperation and transit integration.
Ontario in the Red — Part I
The Ontario government owes a lot of money, currently over three hundred billion dollars. Why did they borrow all this money? Who did they borrow it all from? Is it too much to handle, and do we need to panic?
In this first edition, we’ll look at the size of the debt and what it means to our members.
Port Colborne City Council Waives Sidewalk Encroachment Fees
After previous advocacy work from the GNCC, Port Colborne City Council directed staff to review the sidewalk encroachment fee schedule in the city.
On top of the highest property taxes for neighbourhood stores anywhere in Niagara, these fees were making it hard to do business in the city.
President Clinton, Canada, and You
Since we’re almost certain to have a President Clinton in 2017, and not a President Trump, what would that mean for Canada and Canadian business?
What we can probably expect is mostly a continuation of Obama-style governance and policy. On balance, that’s not a bad thing.
The Canadian Free Trade Agreement
It’s not NAFTA. It’s not CETA. It’s not TPP. This is a new free trade agreement just for Canada, between the provinces and territories. What is it, and what does it mean?
On July 22nd, the 13 premiers reached an agreement-in-principle on the Canadian Free Trade Agreement (CFTA) at Whitehorse, Yukon…
MEMBER
PARTNERS
Members
In the News
Take control of your financial future
Nicolle Lalonde, Financial Advisor for Edward Jones is presenting a free seminar to help you sharpen your spending and saving strategy.
The Bring Balance to Your Budget seminar is on September 27 from 1pm to 3pm at the Pelham Public Library
Discover Disc Golf
The St. Catharines Disc Golf Club was formed in 2014 by a group of local disc enthusiasts who saw the need for a local course. Now the course is almost ready for play!
After hundreds of hours and contributions from more than 25 small businesses, the St. Catharines Disc Golf Club is ready for its ribbon cutting
PAC celebrates with Culture Days
It’s hard to believe that after a whirlwind first season, the FirstOntario Performing Arts Centre is gearing up for their first birthday.
To celebrate, they have crafted a special day filled with guided tours, workshops and interactive activities on October 1st.
Lions’ Eye Care Niagara Commits to Raising $200,000 for Ophthalmology at Niagara Health
On September 13, OneFoundation for Niagara Health System hosted a kick-off event at Niagara Health’s Welland Site to celebrate Lions’ Eye Care Niagara’s new commitment to raise $200,000 for the purchase of a new microscope for Ophthalmology at Niagara Health.
The new microscope will replace one of two existing microscopes at the Welland Site. The new microscope contains advanced and accurate technology that will help Niagara Health’s team of ophthalmologists perform delicate ocular procedures on patients, including cataract, cornea and glaucoma surgeries.
Niagara Leaders Breakfast celebrates Canada’s 150th
Join Niagara Community Foundation on November 3 for this year’s Annual Niagara Leaders Breakfast.
The Niagara Community Foundation will also be celebrating the launch of new, exciting initiatives to celebrate Canada’s 150th. Joining us for the celebration, Governor General’s Meritorious Service Medal recipient and Peabody Award winner Jowi Taylor will share the story of Six String Nation with attendees!
Niagara College awarded $1.9M in funding to assist region’s food and beverage innovators
Niagara College will continue to expand its services and equipment for Niagara’s food and beverage innovators as a result of the September 7th announcement of $1.75 million over five years from the federal government to create a Technology Access Centre (TAC) for the Canadian Food and Wine Institute Innovation Centre.
The Hon. MaryAnn Mihychuk, minister of Employment, Workforce Development and Labour, delivered the news as part of a nationwide announcement of grants through the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC).
Stand Out, Win Trust & Gain Credibility
Join author and TED Talk Alumni Mark Bowden for a new Inspirational Speaker Series presented by Barbara Devine, founder of Professional Image By Design.
This is a unique opportunity to hear a world renowned expert and author on Human Behavior, Body Language and Communication. Mark is highly entertaining and will share his world class communication techniques that teach how to use the most influential nonverbal language to stand out, win trust and gain credibility every time you speak.
Let Them Fly! Disc Golf Tournament
St.Catharines Right to Life wants to invite you to try out a fun “new” sport! (It’s been around for 40 years) — Disc golf! It’s like regular golf, but played with frisbees!
This is your opportunity to learn how to play, almost everyone coming will be a beginner! The tournament will be held at the Centennial Gardens Disc Golf Course in St. Catharines. All proceeds go to St. Catharines Right to Life.
Superhero Run for Niagara Children’s Centre
Grab your cape for the 2nd Annual Superhero Run|Walk in support of Niagara Children’s Centre!
The Superhero Run|Walk is an interactive day of fun featuring Superhero Race Marshalls, fully-accessible child-friendly activities, inflatables, food, and more.
Network
News
Keep Ontario Working
You may be aware of the Ontario government’s Changing Workplaces Review and the impact the interim reports proposed changes could have on Ontario’s competitiveness and the ability of businesses in the province to create jobs and grow the economy.
Now it’s time to take action: the OCC is preparing a formal submission to the Special Advisors calling for an evidence-based approach and a full cost-benefit analysis of any substantial change accepted through this Review by the Government of Ontario.
Trade Trouble: Two Years of Zero Growth
It’s not easy being a trade-dependent country in a sluggish global economy. Canada’s export numbers are flatter than Saskatchewan — we’re heading for zero growth two years in a row!
And the Canadian economy is being pulled in two different directions by the widening divergence between commodities and manufactured goods.
Speech from the Throne Expands Industrial Conservation Initiative
In the Speech from the Throne, the Ontario Government recommitted to jobs and growth as their top priority.
They also confirmed that next year’s budget will be balanced, delivering on the Government’s promise to eliminate the deficit by 2017-18.
Ontario’s Labour and Employment Laws are Changing
Ontario’s Ministry of Labour is currently undertaking a review of the Labour Relations Act (LRA) and the Employment Standards Act (ESA) through its Changing Workplaces Review (CWR).
The Special Advisors that oversee the Review have released their Interim Report and it contains a number of policy options that could negatively impact workers’ rights
Building the Skills to Pay the Bills (and Rule the World)
What’s the best way to improve the skills of the Canadian workforce? Consider that 65% of children now entering grade school will end up working in careers that haven’t even been invented yet and that a young person entering the workforce today will change jobs 15 times in her career
Canada has excellent colleges and universities, but none of us really know what skills are needed in the future. How, then, can we prepare people for a lifetime of learning and new ideas?
5 Minutes for Business: The End of Growth
It’s August, and everyone’s least favorite summertime ritual is here—it’s the annual revising down of global growth forecasts.
The trouble is rich countries: they’re just not growing fast enough. From jobs and wages to pension returns and tax revenue, we depend on growth in the 3%–range. We expect it to return and, every year, we’re disappointed.
Renewing
Members
The following members renewed their membership in June 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 in to your account. You can add and update your offer any time you wish!
