Pender Island Chamber of Commerce Newsletter
Dear Chamber Members,

We hope everyone is doing well and relaxing into summer, and staying warm! We can't believe how cold it's been.

Perhaps you are run off your feet, but as visitor numbers are down due to a request from the Southern Gulf Island's in general, we hope you are finding the numbers manageable and enough to keep business going.

We are in Phase 3 of the Restart Plan for British Columbia. Congratulations! It still feels a bit like we are waiting to see what happens, but we can look around the world and feel good about what we have achieved in our Province.

We'd like to welcome new members, Eco Source Septic, owned and operated by Chris Carrier, and Yoga Nest, owned and operated by Ella Sokolosky. You may wonder how you can do yoga with COVID, but Ella is offering classes on her Buck Lake dock and via an online platform.

There's a special new resource for non-profit organizations. There are links to learn more about recruiting student volunteers for the summer, and one for students to check their eligibility to see if they can receive government funding to pay them for the work they are doing.

NEW: The Community Resource Centre has updated their job board, and you can now submit a form. Visit their website, https://www.sgicommunityresources.ca/, and click the Jobs tab or Submit a Job in the drop down list.

We live on a small island and you may feel that you are 'networked' out, but if you are seeking more business support, reach out to your fellow Chamber members via our Private Member Facebook page or reach out through the Small Business Owner's of BC Facebook page.

We are hosting our Annual General Meeting on July 29th at 10:00AM via Zoom. You've received your invitation in a separate email, but here is the link again. AGM Zoom Invitation We have one new board member joining us. If you are interested and want to inquire about joining the board, message Mamie at mamielht@gmail.com

Take care everyone and reach out if you need anything.

Success in Business,

Mamie, Marty, Sherrie and Tania
Pender Island Chamber of Commerce Board and Staff
WELCOME TO NEW MEMBERS
We would like to give a WARM WELCOME to our newest members. You can learn more about them on our website.

Eco Source Septic - Available for regular pump-out business and emergency calls for sewage back-ups. Providing all levels of septic service from system design and installation to septic tank pumping and servicing.

Yoga Nest - O ffering yoga lessons on private Buck Lake dock and via an online platform. Visit website for contact details.
RESOURCES
There are an overwhelming number of information but there's so much available right now for businesses. I hope you find something that works for you. What's your best go to place for information and support?

WorkSafe BC - WorkSafe COVID19 and returning to safe operations information. Also, WorkSafeBC has a COVID-19 Safety Plan App and fillable PDF you can download here . 

Island Comeback program - This service is 100% free to local businesses and island organizations. You can sign up and sell gifts cards and receive donations. You can sell gift cards only or ask for donations only.

UPDATE: Island Comeback is now an official community partner with BC Ferries. BC Ferries will r aise awareness about the Island COMEBACK project and encourage vendors and customers to visit the Island COMEBACK site. They have over 200,000 weekly followers.

Digital Economy Rapid Response Recovery Program - Entering or expanding into the digital economy doesn't happen overnight. Do you know a business, non profit, solopreneur who is online and wanting to do more? What about a business who needs to pivot and go "online"?
Free, no obligation program from the Island Coastal Economic Trust.

Tourism HR Canada - COVID-19 Tourism Workforce Recovery Toolkit

B.C.'s Response to COVID-19 - We are in Phase 3 of the Restart Plan. Check back often for the latest updates.

Small Business BC - Free small business support from Small Business BC, funded by the provincial government. T he B.C. Business COVID-19 Support Service has served more than 4,200 businesses through phone, chat and email since its launch in April 2020, and has had more than 200,000 visits to its COVID-19 web page.

Canva - Make your own posters with Canva. Plenty of COVID-19 related images.

Ministry of Health Signage - Education and Awareness Tools for your business

Rural Island Economic Partnership Hub - The hub, with links to everything else.
Pender Island Health Care Society - COVID-19 Counselling services
The mental health team at the Pender Island Health Care Society is available for phone appointments, and can be reached by calling Ulla (250-539-0325) or Elizabeth (250-539-0905). They will be very happy to assist you with mental health support related to COVID-19 or mental health in general.

Recruiting Student Volunteers for Non-Profits and Charities
The coronavirus pandemic has increased the demand for services from charity and not-for-profit organizations in your community. By registering with the Government of Canada’s new I Want to Help platform, you can connect with student volunteers to help you provide essential services to Canadians. Volunteers recruited through this platform may be eligible for the Canada Student Service Grant.

A student can check their eligiblity for the Canada Student Service Grant here: Become a Volunteer!
Networking and Support
The Pandemic is Rewriting the Rules of Retail
Retailers need to stop expecting business to return to “normal.” 
There’s no going back to how it was anytime soon. Even before the Covid-19 pandemic and economic crisis, brick-and-mortar retailers had been fighting a fierce battle against Amazon and other e-commerce players. Those challenges have now accelerated at staggering speed.
Survey - Pulse Check Number 4
Break Your Business Model
The BC Chamber has been tracking the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on BC businesses via a series of 'pulse checks' in partnership with the BC Business Council, the Greater Vancouver Board of Trade, The Mustel Group, and all of you. Survey results are shared directly with government. Share your story by filling out the survey.
As the COVID-19 pandemic marches on,  Brian Vendramin  predicts a full 20 per cent of businesses won’t weather the storm, and those that do will have to take some risks.
His advice to entrepreneurs? “If it’s not broken, break it.”
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Pender Island Chamber of Commerce
Tania Honan, Administrator
Phone: 250-999-6371
Email: info@penderislandchamber.com