Fuelling Our Business Community |
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Thank you to everyone who came to our Midnight Madness Mini-Market! We loved being able to provide retail space for our fifteen vendors and we also want to say a great big "Thanks!" to our safety sponsors, Integrity Spinal Care and Safety Buzz Campus. It was a wonderful start to the holiday season and we encourage everyone to show our local businesses support and make this a Local First Holiday Season! |
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We held our Presidents' Reception, Membership Appreciation and Annual General Meeting last week. Thank you to everyone who attended virtually!
This past year has been challenging but we've got a great Board to keep a steady hand on the wheel as we continue Fuelling our Business Community.
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Newly elected Chamber President, Marcus Campbell, spoke with the news and stressed the importance of businesses revisiting hazard assessments and making sure safety protocols were in place so that they can protect their business, employees, customers and the public.
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We were excited to be at the Grand Opening for the Chic Crafter this past weekend in Redcliff. Any day we can use our big scissors is a great day!
This new business showcases the talents of our local artisans under one roof. What a wonderful addition to our local business community! Congratulations and we wish you many years of success!
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The Government of Alberta's first annual report on red tape reduction highlights the red tape burden that Albertans have to deal with which is expressed by the baseline count. The Alberta government has a baseline count of almost 671,000 regulatory requirements with a goal to reduce these requirements by more than one-third by spring 2023. Read more or read the full report.
What a wonderful response we got to the ShopHERE powered by Google initiative; over 20 businesses have already signed up for an e-commerce site! We are compiling a list of local experts in photography, web and graphic design for the participating businesses who may need these resources before building their site. Are you a student enrolled in business, web or marketing, that wants work on the ShopHERE powered by Google initiative. Apply here.
Although the holidays may look different this year, a little planning will help ensure you and your family have everything you need to celebrate the holiday season. To help support retailers and remind Canadians to plan ahead this year to ensure they have everything the need to celebrate the holidays safely, the Retail Council of Canada, in collaboration with Cineplex and Interac have launched the Shop Early, Shop Safe campaign. Please share the video, download the posters and help spread the word.
Invest Medicine Hat is pleased to announce the newest commercial business district, YXH Gateway, located at the Medicine Hat Regional Airport. Recognizing the significant role airports play in economic development, the City enhanced the airport entrance with landscaping, sign installations, and other infrastructure upgrades prior to COVID-19, and is now promoting commercial and industrial real estate opportunities. More information.
Recently, the Alberta Chambers of Commerce conducted a survey asking for input from members if they would support stronger enforcement of personal health measures and restricting social gatherings. See the results.
Want to know what else happened that you need to know?
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Across the Canadian prairies this pandemic year, farm families have reported record shattering yields of wheat, oats, barley, and other commodities — a much welcome change of fortune following a protracted period of drought.
Nowhere is the bumper crop more bountiful than in Southern Alberta, according to Neil Townsend of Farmlink Marketing Solutions.
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Community Builder Spotlight:
Ultra Shine Building Maintenance Inc.
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Ultra Shine Building Maintenance Inc. became a member of our Chamber last year. Their vision and mission centers around the importance of relationships and supporting community growth. These are the very foundations that underpin our Community Builder membership. We look forward to partnering with Ultra Shine to support our community and ensure a safe a prosperous environment for our businesses and the public. Thank you for your commitment Ultra Shine and for your investment in our Chamber as a Community Builder! |
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Help Prevent the Spread of COVID-19 |
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In the spring we released a video stressing the importance of preventing the spread of COVID-19. We thought it was appropriate to release this version of the video now as case numbers on the rise. We are urging our community to look out for each other and help protect those who are must vulnerable in our region. |
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Part of our Annual General Meeting on Thursday included a look at membership milestones over the past year. We celebrated businesses and organizations that have had continuous membership with us for 10, 20, 30, 40, 50, 60, 70 and 90 plus years. We also recognized a centennial milestone!
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Through the ShopHERE program businesses are able to set up an online store for FREE. If you haven't already got an online store and are thinking that you would like to expand into e-commerce now is a great time to explore those options. Contact APEX for more information.
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Save the Date for State of the City |
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Workshops for your Business |
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Canada’s leading business organizations issued a joint letter to Canada’s premiers urging them to work together to provide coherent and consistent direction and guidelines across all levels of government in the fight against COVID-19 |
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The Alberta Chambers of Commerce continues to hold weekly meetings with the provincial Chamber network and this past week we had the opportunity to hear from the Insurance Bureau of Canada.
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We met with Michele Evans, Assistant Deputy Minister, Tourism and Economic Development with the Ministry of Jobs, Economy and Innovation on November 19th and learned more about the Small and Medium Enterprise Relaunch Grant. The provincial government has provided $70 million of the $200 million allocated for the SME Relaunch grant and 15,000 businesses have received those grants. The average payment processing time is 14 business days, but 78% are paid within 10 calendar days. There are some applications that take longer if a manual review is required but they do have a quick turnaround time. During our conversation we suggested the government consider hosting regular webinar sessions with AHS with a business focus to allow businesses the opportunity to ask questions and seek clarification.
We also had a conversation with Minister of Advanced Education
Demetrios Nicolaides. During the meeting we asked the minister about work integrated learning opportunities for post secondary students, micro credentials and expediting the recognition of professional credentials. The minister stressed the importance of expanding internships to students, including those that may not be an obvious fit with business, such as liberal arts students and had also let us know that the Minister of Labour was aware of the issue regarding professional credential recognition and that this was an issue that the government was working on.
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The Small and Medium Enterprise Relaunch Grant offers financial assistance to Alberta businesses, cooperatives, and non-profit organizations that were ordered to close or curtail operations, and that experienced a revenue reduction of at least 50%, as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. More information. |
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The Student Work Placement Program gives post-secondary students across Canada paid work experience related to their field of study.
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Let's Make This a Local First Holiday Season! |
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The holiday shopping season is here!
This year it is more important than ever to put Local First. We've got a few different ways to help our businesses in this holiday season.
Christmas Shopping Coupons
We'll be launching our coupons on Thursday with a special edition of the 'Voice'! Watch your inbox and feel free to share on social media!
If you don't have a Christmas Shopping Coupon then make sure that you participate in our 12 Days of Local First starting on November 30th! We'll be profiling a dozen categories of businesses on social media and we want businesses to share with us their sales, promotions and unique gift ideas!
And remember to have your Local First YXH decal in your window. Don't have one? Just email Chantel. |
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Welcome to our New Members |
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Looking for help? Post your job openings today! |
Did you know that you can post jobs and find jobs on our website? As a member you have exclusive access to the Info Hub which allows you to customize your directory listing, list sales and advertise your job openings.
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Part 1 - Transform Your Stress: The Resilience Advantage
November 25
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Part 2 - Transform Your Stress: The Resilience Advantage
December 2
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With increased COVID-19 infections will you wear a mask and limit your social interactions?
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Last week's poll results:
With increased COVID-19 case numbers will you be downloading the AB Trace Together app?:
Yes: 11.1% No: 77.8% Already downloaded: 11.1%
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Find more updates on our social media |
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