The 2022 Grande Prairie & District Chamber of Commerce Annual General Meeting, Awards and Chair Salute is scheduled for Thursday, December 1 from 5:30 - 9:00 PM at the Holiday Inn & Suites Conference Centre. 

Doors open at 5:00 PM with dinner at 5:45 PM. The Annual General Meeting will begin at 6:30 PM.

The AGM will include a review of our activities and financials over the past year, a proposed membership dues restructure, and election of our 2023 Board of Directors. A reminder that each Chamber Member business in good standing is entitled to ONE vote. 

The meeting will be followed by networking prior to the Awards and Chair Salute program which will begin at 8:00 PM. Door prize draws and more networking will end the evening. 

The cost to attend this Member-exclusive event is $60 + GST. Please click on the registration link to provide your information PRIOR TO THE END OF THE DAY ON NOVEMBER 24.

Contact the Chamber Office by phone at 780-532-5340 or email info@gpchamber.com for more information.

The # 1 Reason Why Loyalty Programs Fail... And What You Can Do About It 

The insider's guide to establishing a loyal customer base without breaking the bank.  

The Grande Prairie & District Chamber of Commerce invites you to join us for an interactive hour of insightful, insider secrets on how to achieve your own loyal customer base, whether you are just starting up or have been wanting to connect & engage more with your current customers.  

CEO and Founder Matt (Matty) Crowell of the award-winning and highly sought-after marketing & loyalty platform GITL has a proven track record of successfully helping over 6000+ businesses connect to millions of local consumers in their markets across Canada. 

Matty will share the ins & outs of how to:  

• Boost profits in recessionary times: How to engage customers during slow times and how to use promotions to drive new customers.
• Reduce marketing costs & time: associated with digital marketing and finding new customers.
• Increase repeat sales by building a customer loyalty strategy
• Live Q&A at the end 

There is no cost to register  

Open to all local businesses in the Grande Prairie district and region. 

November 23, 2023 

10:00 am - 11:00 am (MST) 

Via Zoom

Register Now  

The Grande Prairie & District Chamber of Commerce welcomes our members and invited guests to a Business After 5 Mixer hosted by the Bear Creek Funeral Home on Thursday, November 29, 2022 from 5:00-7:00 PM. The address is 11802 99 Avenue, Grande Prairie.

Join us for an evening of networking, appetizers, refreshments and door prizes as well as finding out more about the host Bear Creek Funeral Home.

There's no cost to attend but registration is required for catering and capacity purposes. 

Many business owners are faced with the impacts of quickly changing technology on a daily basis. Digital technology can be leveraged to provide value to business customers and assist a business in achieving their goals. 

The Federal government has allocated $4 billion in funding to support businesses through the Canada Digital Adoption Program (“CDAP”). The program is intended to help businesses get their offerings online to increase their e-commerce presence and/or help businesses digitize their operations. Through CDAP, a small or mid-sized business can access up to $15,000 in grant funding from the Federal government to work with a professional services firm, like MNP, to build a digital transformation strategy. With this strategy and roadmap, businesses may have an opportunity to obtain a further $100,000 interest free loan to help pay for any implementation projects, with which MNP can assist too.

Join presenter Tom Minogue, business advisor in MNP's Grande Prairie office, to learn more about the CDAP program and how MNP can assist your business!

Wednesday, November 30, 2022

2:00-3:00 PM

Online via Zoom

No cost to participate but registration is required to receive the link.

For rate information, contract terms and design guidelines, please contact Kim Brown by phone at 780-532-5340 or email kim@gpchamber.com

CITY SEEKING PUBLIC INPUT ON EVENTS STRATEGY

The City of Grande Prairie is currently seeking public input into the development of a City events strategy.

Each year the City hosts, participates in and funds dozens of events aimed at bringing people together and celebrating our many cultures and holidays. The events strategy is being developed to maximize the benefits of local events for residents and the economy, while identifying gaps and areas of improvement.

An online survey is available for residents to share feedback at engage.cityofgp.com/events until November 25.

The survey asks respondents to share their values and interests and to identify what barriers may exist for attending city events. The feedback collected will help build the framework for the events strategy that will guide how events are created and executed in our community going forward.

Events are an important part of supporting a strong quality of life and building an engaged and connected community that celebrates the identity and culture of Grande Prairie.

The City thanks all respondents for their feedback and helping build a bright future for events in the community.

View on cityofgp.com

The Queen's Platinum Jubilee Medals nominations open

The Alberta Chambers of Commerce is honoured to have been chosen to distribute 15 medals on behalf of our network and we request your assistance in providing worthy nominees from your community.

Nomination Deadline is November 28, 2022 at 11:59PM

Submit nominations from your community

Labour Shortage Solutions: Information on the Temporary Worker Program in Canada

Canada expands employer compliance requirements to increase protection for foreign workers while workers from 16 new occupations are now eligible for permanent residence. The Temporary Foreign Worker (TFW) Program allows employers in Canada to hire a foreign worker when no Canadians or permanent residents are available, allowing employers to continue to grow and succeed.

Learn more about the Temporary Foreign Worker Program and compliance regime at our information session with Service Canada on December 5, 2022, at 2:00 PM.

Register for the event

Funding boost cuts industrial emissions

Alberta has a strong role to play in reducing emissions through technology and innovation. By working with Emissions Reduction Alberta, the province is making up to $50 million from the TIER fund available for the new Industrial Transformation Challenge. This call for proposals, announced at COP27, looks at clean opportunities like mineral and metal extraction, electrification and managing methane emissions.

Learn more

Upcoming Employment Standards live webinars

Employment Standards webinars (including live Q&As) are scheduled for the following topics:

• Employment Standards in Alberta – Administration and Enforcement: Tuesday, November 22, 2022 at 1:30 p.m.
• Employment Standards in Alberta – Vacation Pay and General Holiday Pay: Thursday, December 8, 2022 at 1:30 p.m.

For more information, or to register for one of the sessions, please visit alberta.ca/employment-standards-webinars.aspx.

Just about every community has an entrepreneur in the early stages of building a business.

If you're an entrepreneur or if your job is to help these individuals find programs and resources, then you'll want to join in to learn about a FREE program designed to connect experts, resources and like-minded people in the tech space.

The Alberta Catalyzer Program is open to ALL founders launching and growing a tech-driven business.

Register for this FREE webinar and learn how this program can help entrepreneurs in all stages of their journey.

Webinar Wednesday Series 

Good economic development includes collaboration and one of EDA's strengths is to create these connections. 

Their Webinar Wednesday series is designed to be a platform for partners and stakeholders to deliver information pertinent to your company or organization.

Each Webinar has a question and answer session so you can have your say. 

You also have the opportunity to suggest a topic or speaker by clicking the button below. 



Share Your Ideas Here

The Financial Wake-up Call

Are you struggling to define your business's financial goals? You're not alone. Many entrepreneurs flounder without a clear plan for their finances. But it doesn't have to be this way! Nail The Numbers has helped over 10,000 entrepreneurs define their financial targets and create a detailed plan for achieving them. On November 23, in this live coaching session, we'll show you how easy it is to take control of your finances with the right data and numbers.

Walk away with these three eye-openers:

1. The current rate of return you're making on your business investment
2. How much your business needs to be paying you monthly
3. The real value you need to build into your business's bottom line

Register Now

Small Business Cash Flow

As a business owner, it's important to ensure you're getting the most bang for your buck when it comes to pricing your products and services. This short video will guide you through two key calculations that can help improve your cash flow.

Watch Now

Branding Your Small Business



Are you in the process of branding a new business venture? Or are you rebranding your existing business? Here are our top 4 branding blogs. 

1. Building a Brand: Where do you come in?
2. What is a Brand Kit, and Why Do You Need One?
3. The Difference Between Logos, Visual Identities and Brand Insights
4. 5 Tips for Branding Your Commercial Workspace

Level Up Series: Story & Content

On December 1, discover how to map your digital marketing and social media tactics for the year ahead, alongside your monthly sales themes and goals. Also,  Learn today's top tools to aid in your content creation and scheduling and how to iterate your plans based on data insight and analysis.

Register

Level Up Series: The Marketing Mix

On December 15, discover the trending digital tactics for the year ahead and where your greatest opportunities lie. Also,  the customer journey as your guide, determine the physical and digital marketing touchpoints required to take your prospect from cold lead to hot customer.

Register

Why Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Matter

November 24

11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. ET | Virtual

The Ontario Chamber of Commerce is hosting this free virtual event on best practices and strategies to foster inclusive workplaces.

Register Now

Preparing Your Business for an Economic Slowdown

November 24

12:00 p.m. to 1:00 p.m. ET | Virtual

Canada’s economic growth is slowing. Is your business ready to navigate the upcoming turbulence? Learn the right strategies and tools to help you avoid dangers, understand how your business is trending and spot opportunities to keep growing by attending this event staged by BDC.

Register Now

UPCOMING WEBINAR

Statistics Canada is delighted to invite you to our free upcoming webinar.

• 2021 Census Webinar Series: Education, Labour, Language of work, Commuting, and Instruction in the minority official language

What is the 2021 Census of Population Webinar Series?

We will be presenting a 2021 Census of Population Webinar Series, which is based on our most recent census, held on May 11, 2021. The webinars will be presented after the major data releases scheduled between February 9 and November 30, 2022 and will share information on census concepts, data products, and resources available from the 2021 Census.

Please note: Advanced registration is required.

2021 Census Webinar Series: Education, Labour, Language of work, Commuting, and Instruction in the minority official language

Description:

On November 30, Statistics Canada will be releasing the seventh and last set of results from the 2021 Census of Population.

This release will focus on:

• Education in Canada
• The changing dynamics of the Canadian labour force and how people get to work
• Instruction in the minority official language

The census webinar will provide you with key information including:

• Concepts and definitions;
• High-level national, provincial, and territorial findings; and
• Instructions on how to access data products and resources online

Following the presentation, Statistics Canada officials will be available to answer questions.

This is an introductory webinar; it may be too basic for advanced data users.

Language, Dates, Times, and Registration Links

• English: December 7, 2022, from 1:00 p.m. to 2:30 p.m., Eastern Time

Self-Register: English Webinar on December 7, 2022