Jan 31-Feb 11 - Kiddie Sunshine Centre Cultured Herb Market
Feb 2 - Altona Curling Club Drive Through Burger Fundraiser; 4 to 7 pm Pioneer Centre Loop
February 4, 11, 18, 25 - Altona Elks Chase the Ace - Altona Hotel - 6:00-7:45
Feb 5 - Furever Friends Lunch for 2 - Pioneer Centre Loop, 11:30 am
Feb 8- Altona & District Chamber of Commerce Board Meeting - Altona Hotel Meeting Room, 12 noon
Feb 13 - Painting Workshop - Gallery in the Park, 2 to 4 pm
Feb 24- Big Brothers & Big Sisters of Pembina Valley, monthly Trivia Night Fundraiser - Altona Hotel
Atlas Steelco - Nicole Friesen
Precision Design - William Brillinger
Register your Manitoba-based business with Retrain Manitoba to access funding up to $2500 per employee for training and professional development purposes.
Invest in your workforce by helping your employees get the skills and knowledge required to foster innovation and adapt to the changing business needs due to the pandemic.
The Manitoba government is partnering with Manitoba Chambers of Commerce and Economic Development Winnipeg to launch Retrain Manitoba, a $12.5 million workforce skills development grant program that will help Manitoba to move to the next stage of economic recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic. Employers can apply for training funding up to $2,500 per employee, up to a maximum of $75,000.
As the province's largest business advocacy organization, the Chambers from across Manitoba are committed to advocating on behalf of Manitoba businesses to ensure they receive the support they need as they continue to deal with the considerable challenges associated with COVID-19.
On Jan. 11, 2022, on behalf of the Manitoba Chambers of Commerce, President & CEO Chuck Davidson drafted a formal request to Premier Heather Stefanson containing recommendations related to rapid testing and compensation for restricted businesses amid the extended public health orders in Manitoba.
1. Design a comprehensive rapid test strategy and distribution plan that will ensure the provision of rapid tests to businesses throughout the entire province quickly and efficiently, once the shipment from the federal government has been received.
2. Ensure that those Manitoba businesses required to reduce capacity limits as a result of COVID-19 health orders are financially compensated.
The Altona & District Chamber of Commerce Annual General Meeting will be held virtually in March. See details soon.
We are looking for new Members to serve on our Board of Directors. If you are interested or you know anyone interested in serving, please contact the Chamber office at 204-324-8793 or email manager@shopaltona.com for more information.
Calling For All Outstanding Chamber Bucks
Do you happen to have a stash of Chamber Bucks gathering dust somewhere? There is a significant number of Bucks that are outstanding since the beginning of the program. They are still valid and redeemable at all Altona Chamber of Commerce Member businesses.
Maybe you have been saving up for a big purchase but now is the time to spend them. We are in the process of cleaning up our spreadsheet and would like to have as many as possible redeemed and recorded as we get ready for a new streamlined Chamber Bucks Management System.
Please Call 204-324-8793 if you have any questions.
Membership in your Altona & District Chamber of Commerce is not just an expense on your budget but an investment in you and your business/organization.
You should have received your Membership renewal invoice via email in early January. Thank you to those Members who have paid already and ask those who have not to consider the value of your Membership.
In 2021 we chose “Shop in Altona & District” as our theme for the year. Chamber Bucks is the ultimate Shop Local promotion but ONLY Chamber Members can redeem Chamber Bucks. In 2021 $217,000 was sold and $199,627 was redeemed. All of this was spent at Altona & District Chamber Member businesses!
The Chamber was fortunate to access federal and provincial Shop Local programs to assist many of the businesses hardest hit by restrictions and to provide some fun for the community members as they shopped locally.
Our Members used the information we provided to access federal and provincial funding and recovery programs, and many pivoted to alternate products to be able to continue.
Social Media played a huge role in our promotions this year with daily posts on Instagram and Facebook as well as Twitter and LinkedIn to promote Chamber and Member events, activities, and promotions. We published a monthly emailed newsletter with many updates during the month as well. The Digital roadside Sign outside the Civic Centre is constantly updated to reflect community interests. Twenty-one Members were interviewed and highlighted in the Chamber Spotlight in our local newspaper twice per month. Another promotion on Social Media and our Website (www.shopaltona.com) was “Bright Spots in Covid” where seven owners/managers were interviewed to show the versatility of our Members.
We also assisted with Fundraising efforts of our Member Organizations, including the Elks Boo-Hoo Drive Through and Calendar, Library Expansion, YFC, the Station year end, Furever Friends Cat Rescue, Big Brothers/Sisters Trivia Nights, Pembina Valley Pregnancy Care Centre Awareness and Altona Community Foundation Giving Challenge.
Lobbying efforts for our Members is very important to the Chamber of Commerce and to this point, we participate in many Zoom meetings including the closing of the Altona Hospital ER for six months. A letter was sent to MLA Josh Guenther outlining business interest in this decision. We were concerned that this closing would negatively impact Altona’s ability to attract new businesses and new employees to the area. The Altona & District Chamber of Commerce holds memberships in the Manitoba Chambers of Commerce, Chamber Executives of Manitoba, Canadian Chamber of Commerce, Chamber of Commerce Executives of Canada and Chamber of Commerce Professionals. Virtual and in person meetings with these organizations provide opportunities for education and to learn about new and upcoming programs to share with Members and to provide feedback to provincial and federal government Ministers.
Is your local business looking for full-time permanent workers? The Rural and Northern Immigration Pilot (RNIP) can help! RNIP provides a pathway for employers to hire skilled foreign workers to address labour shortages and contribute to Altona/Rhineland’s economic, social, and demographic vitality.
This program can help you attract and retain the essential workers you need so your business can thrive.
RNIP enables eligible employers to make full-time permanent job offers to skilled foreign workers who can help fill identified labour gaps in our community.
Regional Connections is excited to announce an online job fair for the Pembina Valley area for the 3rd of March 2022 and would appreciate your participation as an employer.
The event will bring job seekers all around Manitoba who have the essential skills and are suitable candidates for jobs in the Pembina Valley area. It will be an opportunity for employers to recruit and potentially meet their hiring needs.
They understand the shortage of employees faced by businesses in our region and will have a morning event and an evening event on the same day. The plan is to have employers cut across sectors at each event. The first event will commence at 9 am, and will wrap up at 1 pm, while the second event will kick off at 2 pm and end at 6 pm.
For registration, kindly send an email to rcemployment@regionalconnections.ca and share your company's log to be used to publicize the event. They will give preference to employers who signify interest early to choose what session they would like to be in, but will work towards having each sector represented in each event.
Employers will have the option of making a video to publicize the event and share critical information ahead of the event.
If you know businesses that will benefit from this event, please do not hesitate to share this information with them.
For further conversation or to share ideas that will be beneficial for the event, please feel free to share them with the Employment team at Regional Connections.
