Chamber News

This week marked my 6^th month in the Log Cabin and I’ve finally had the opportunity this past couple weeks to start going through the history in the office and start defining what the future of the Chamber initiatives will look like moving forward.  I am still striving to understand where and how you find value as a member so we can be sure to invest our energy in those initiatives you appreciate.

Of course, many of you still say it’s the connection to the community and other businesses – so I do hope you will join us next Thursday, August 17 for our mingle at Kool Koatings!  Belleville has some amazing stories and Bryan’s is one you’ll enjoy hearing AND seeing!  Adam from the Brake Room is joining as a co-sponsor with something from his shop – so we get to celebrate two of our members at once!  Don’t forget to bring your business card (and if your card is picked – be ready to tell us about what you do!)

Start checking the calendar for our upcoming mingles and breakfasts – the schedule will be coming out over the next few weeks as summer comes to a close and we all get back to business!

Of note – we do have Karl Baldauf coming from the OCC next Friday, August 18 – register here – and if you have a story to tell about how the Fair Workplaces Act will impact your business, please come and share!  (Register as a non-member – the session is free!) 

The Ontario Chamber of Commerce (OCC) will be issuing an Economic Impact report on Monday and amendments to the Bill must be received by Wednesday – but there is another report that will explain those numbers with your stories in early September.  If the goal with the Fair Workplaces Act is to put more money in the pockets of the underemployed or underpaid – we are increasingly concerned this plan will not fix that problem. 

We have also been alerted by the Canadian Chamber of Commerce (CCC) and a local member to the proposed changes to federal tax changes that will impact small businesses significantly.  MP Neil Ellis is prepared to receive documentation and impact statements and meet with any concerned business owners – we’re working on setting that up now – if you’re interested, please let me know.  Roli Tipper, of Tipper Financial Services has forwarded a couple of articles that I will link to our Member Input page.   If you’re not sure how this will impact you, your family, retirement plans, etc – this is a good place to start.  Chambers across the country have members very concerned so I want to be sure we pass this information on to Neil in a constructive way.

I hope to see you next week!