Chamber of Commerce Brantford-Brant
Linking economic prosperity with quality of life.
April 26 | Issue 69
|
|
In this issue...
Business Excellence Awards | Business Before Basketball
Welcome, New Members! | Honouring Kevin Finney | Tourism Brantford Relocates! Canada Digital Adoption Program | Mental Health Week 2022
|
|
Welcome to the last week of April! A very busy news cycle this week. The Chamber was proud to attend the announcement of 60 new teacher education spaces at Laurier Brantford on Tuesday, April 27th, with support for additional French language and STEM based educators.
President Paul Bisanti and staff will be attending the Ontario Chamber of Commerce AGM and Policy Convention this weekend, learning more about Chamber development and the many policy priorities of the Chamber Network across the province, including our proposed policy advocating for a provincial strategy on Addictions, Homelessness, and Mental Health.
Looking forward to seeing you next week at the 38th Annual Business Excellence Awards!
Dave
|
|
Don't Miss It! Upcoming Chamber Events |
|
|
38th Annual Business Excellence Awards |
|
The last chance to register is Friday April 29th!
|
|
|
|
Business Before Basketball!
The Hamilton Honey Badgers invite members of the Chamber of Commerce Brantford-Brant to their Business Before Basketball Co-Chamber networking event ahead of their home opener.
The Honey Badgers provide world-class entertainment and the highest quality pro basketball experience outside of the NBA!
Join us for this unique networking experience at 5pm, and then enjoy the game afterward!
May 25th, 2022
Networking: 5-7pm | Tip Off: 7pm
Early bird tickets: $25 per guest
|
|
A warm welcome to our newest member! |
|
|
Together with Kevin Finney’s family, the City of Brantford and Brantford Sports Council are pleased to dedicate the annual Sportsmanship and Dedication Award in Kevin Finney’s honour. This award goes to a male or female athlete in Brantford who demonstrates sportsmanship, dedication and fair play.
Please consider helping support this award in Kevin Finney’s memory by donating on the Eventbrite link from the Brantford Sports Council. By doing so, this award will carry on in his name and each year a member of the Finney family will be invited to present the award to its recipient.
|
|
Updates From the Chamber Network |
|
|
Tourism Brantford’s Visitor Services relocates to the
Wayne Gretzky Sports Centre
|
|
Tourism Brantford’s Visitor Services has relocated to the Wayne Gretzky Sports Centre at 254 North Park St.
The new, accessible Tourism Information desk is located inside the main entrance, adjacent to the Arena Information desk, and welcomes visitors and residents looking for trip ideas, directions and exclusive branded souvenirs.
“We are excited to welcome visitors to our new location inside the Wayne Gretzky Sports Centre,” says Sara Munroe, Manager of Tourism, Culture & Sport.
|
|
|
“Our new location offers a number of enhanced services including: extended hours of operation to service visitors during busy tournaments, a motor coach welcome program, branded Brantford merchandise available for purchase and much more.”
The hours of operation for the winter season (October 1 to May 14) are Monday to Friday, 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. and Saturdays, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. The hours of operation for the summer season (May 15 to September 30) are Monday to Saturday, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Sundays, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. On tournament days, the Tourism Information desk will be open until 6 p.m.
The Visitor Services team can be reached through Tourism Brantford’s main line at 519-751-9900, the toll-free line 1-800-265-6299, or through email at tourism@brantford.ca.
|
|
Interac Report
The Big Shift: Consumer Power and Payment Choice
|
|
More Canadians are shopping online than ever before. How can retailers adapt?
Between 2009 and 2020, in-person transactions conducted with cash fell from 54% to a mere 17%. Since the start of the pandemic, a permanent shift has taken place towards online commerce. This is not only affecting payment choice but overall purchasing behaviour and consumer expectations. Canadians now expect choice with respect to how they shop, how they pay, and how they pick up and return goods.
A new report by Interac, called The Big Shift: Consumer Power and Payment Choice, explores how businesses can retain customers and increase sales by providing a frictionless online buying experience.
|
|
Canadian Digital Adoption Program (CDAP) |
|
The Canada Digital Adoption Program (CDAP) can help get your business online, give your e-commerce presence a boost or help digitalize your business's operations.
The program offers two grants:
The Grow your Business Online grant helps small businesses take advantage of e-commerce opportunities.
- You can access a network of e-commerce advisors for advice and support
- You can get up to $2,400 to buy new e-commerce tools
The Boost Your Business Technology grant helps small and medium-sized businesses adopt new digital technologies.
- Use a free digital assessment tool to evaluate your own digital readiness
- Get up $15,000 to consult a digital expert and develop a digital adoption plan for your business
- Get up to $100,000 in interest-free loans from BDC to implement your digital adoption plan
- Leverage a subsidized work placement to bring on a recent graduate or student to help with your digital transformation
|
|
"It's All About Empathy"
To learn more about Mental Health Week 2022 and how you can participat, click here.
|
|
Supports for Local Businesses |
|
|
PROVINCIAL:
For a full overview of programs provided by the Ontario provincial government, click here.
|
|
FEDERAL:
For a full overview of programs provided by the Canadian Federal government, click here.
|
|
|
Chamber of Commerce Brantford-Brant
brantfordbrantchamber.com
519-753-2617
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
