WESTERN E-NEWS June 2021
Dear Members,

Prince Edward Island is moving forward and has introduced a five-step re-opening plan for summer/fall 2021. Public health and travel measures will remain in place until 80% of eligible Island residents are fully immunized and herd protection is achieved and the threat posed by the virus decreases. As more Island residents are fully immunized, the province will transition from the current public health state of emergency to easing restrictions, and finally to living with COVID-19 sustainably over the long term.
For more detail please visit the website at Moving Forward in 2021.

The Chamber has been busy with the Labour Market Project and following up with membership renewals. We have lost eight members since COVID-19 for various reasons. We are often asked by businesses "Why is it important to join the Chamber?" The answer is the Chamber is designed to enhance your business so that will prosper for futures generations. The Chamber can help create opportunities for your business to grow. We do this by offering several member benefits programs for you to take advantage of. For more details click on Benefits of Membership. If you would like to become more engaged in Chamber activities please reach out today!

Don't forget to sign up for our free Member Meeting Mixer on June 17, at Briarwood Coastal Cottages & Lodge; 5:00 PM Social Hour / Vinny's Pizza & Ceasar Salad, 6:00 PM Rural Labour Market Needs Assessment Survey Presentation, 7:30 PM bonfire if the weather permits.

Cheers to sunny days ahead,

Tammy Rix, CEO
West Prince Chamber of Commerce
Moving Forward
Re-Open Strategies for the Maritimes
Prince Edward Island will begin taking steps to re-open the economy. The steps of the plan range from June 6 - September 12, 2021 and will require 80% of Islanders ages 12 and up to have received two vaccine doses prior to fully reopening.

After September 12th, most public health measures will be relaxed for Islanders though some isolation and testing measures for unvaccinated and partially vaccinated travelers will likely apply.

For more information on PEI's reopening plan, click here.
New Brunswick has unveiled the provincial plan to re-open the economy.

New Brunswick has announced that as of June 7, if 75% of New Brunswickers over the age of 12 have one vaccination shot, people in Atlantic Canada will be allowed to enter without needing to self-isolate with the exception of individuals arriving from Nova Scotia.

New Brunswick's re-opening plan ranges from June 7 - August 2, 2021 and will see public health measures eased between those dates.

For more information, click here.

Nova Scotia released the provincial Coronavirus (COVID-19) reopening plan overview plan on May 28, 2020.

Reopening phases will take 2- to 4-weeks and are based on vaccination rates, COVID-19 cases and hospitalization numbers.

Information and an overview of how Nova Scotia will gradually start reopening with a 5-phase plan is located: https://novascotia.ca/coronavirus/reopening-plan/
Newfoundland and Labrador has announced the provincial plan to ease restrictions with an aim to welcome fully vaccinated Canadians to the province by July 1, 2021.

The full plan to ease restrictions in Newfoundland and Labrador can be found here.


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Looking out for your Financial Future
A discussion with Dan MacDonald Financial Advisor/Owner
Drop by our new office at 18 Gard Road to see our new headquarters and say hi to the staff. Thanks in advance for your support.
Chamber Fundraiser with part proceeds going to two graduating Westisle students enrolled in a post-secondary business program in 2021! You can purchase tickets simply by contacting the chamber office; comment on the Facebook post or in person at participating businesses. Tickets are $10 each or 3 for $25.
Special thank to our participating Businesses!
O'Leary Building Centre
Gaudet's Engine Repair
D & M Tools
Cascumpec Bay Oysters Co.
Welcome Chamber Summer Student Kailee Skerry
Kailee Skerry resides in Alberton with her mom and dad Cindy & Trevor and her brother Lucas and sister Alexie. She will be entering her 2nd-year at UPEI Business Program. Kailee has been hard at work in the Chamber office gaining business work experience and especially enjoys working on the Sage Cloud Accounting Program. We wish you all the best in the fall Kailee. Kailee was one of the Chamber Bursary Award recipients from 2020.
Welcome New & Renewing Members 2021

Acadian Machine Works
A.C.OA.
A&L Laboratories (NEW)
ADL
AG IoT Technology
Alberton Fisheries
Alberton Pharmachoice
ASTA Safety
B.P. Cooke Enterprise Ltd.
Backwoods Burger
Bell Canada
Bideford Parsonage Museum
Blois Rennie Farms
Blue Sky Farms
Bob's Pharmacy
Bradley Handrahan Accounting
Brian MacNevin Tours
Briarwood Coastal Cottages & Lodge
C&M First Aid Services
Callaghan Farms
Canadian Potatoe Museum
Casa Barra Farm
Career Bridges
Cascumpec Bay Oyster Company Ltd.
CBDC West Prince Ventures
Coastal Seawall Industries
Community Hospitals West
Community Inclusions
Cottage Co & Me Creations
Cox & Palmer
Craig Wood Products Ltd.
CU Financial Management
D&M Tools
Daniel Christopher Sales & Services
Dennis Motors
Dillon's Convenience Store
Diverse Electric
Don Murphy - Century 21
Donald Buchanan
E.R.C Concepts Ltd.
East Coast Security Services
Eastlink (NEW)
Elmsdale Corner Gas
Eugene's General Store Ltd.
Elm Grove Centre
Fabric Crafts & More
Farmboys Inc.
Ferguson Funeral Home Ltd.
Five Star Shellfish
Foodland
G&L Apartments Inc.
Games West PEI
Gaudet's Engine Repair
Glendairy Holsteins
Gorril Produce Ltd.
Great Canadian Dollar Store
Greco Pizza
Green Diamond Equipment
Green Gables Alpacas
H & R Block
H.F. Stewart + Sons Co. Ltd.
Harper's Automotive
Herb Dickison
Hickey & Hyndman Insurance Ltd.
HMS Office Supplies
Holland College
Homeland Electric Inc.
Hope Centre Clubhouse, CMHA
Huntley Horizon
Hutt Brothers Limited
Innovation PEI
Innovative Smart Security Solutions (NEW)
(Formally Goilath Security)
Jaxon Naturals
JC Handyman Services & Sales
John McInnis
Journal Pioneer (Saltwire)
June Ellis Artist
K.W. Liquidation
Kenny's Restaurant & Dairy Bar
Kevin's Front End Service
Key Murray Law
Kildare Lodge
Kildare Seafood Products Inc.
Leslie Hardy & Son's Ltd.
Lisa Enman Photography
MacAusland's Woollen Mills Ltd.
MacLean Farms Ltd.
MacLellan Properties
Maple Leaf Curling Club Inc.
McCain Fertilizer
McInnis Home Improvements
Medicine Shoppe Pharmacy Alberton
Medicine Shoppe Pharmacy O'Leary
Melioray Creative Services Inc.
Mi'kmaq Confederacy of PEI
Mill River experience
Monaghan Export Inc.
Montrose Meats (NEW)
Morrison's Truck Salvage
Moth Lane Brewing
MRSB Group
Noonan Petroleum
North Cape Coastal Drive
North Port Towing
O'Leary Autoparts
Support Local Businesses in PEI
PEI's small business community is going through a rough time. They need your support more than ever. The West Prince Chamber of Commerce is asking you to support small local businesses in PEI.
#ShopLocal #LiveLocal #LoveLocal #SupportSmallBiz
#SupportLocal #LoveLocalPEI

Thank you members for your continued support! #222 Members Strong




Member Highlight: Blue Sky Farms

Blue Sky Farms Greenhouses, Open May 24, until quantities last. They grow high-quality vegetable plants, annual flowers, and perennials for your gardens. Bring your own planters and they will plant them for you. They will get ahead start in their greenhouse.
Location 2967 Beaton Road, Coleman, PE Take coastal road #14 towards West Point, turn off direction Brae Harbour, second farm before Catholic Church. Phone Sabina 902-807-0027 or Kees 902-807-9049 

Happy Canada Day!
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O'Leary Building Centre
O'Leary Community Health Foundation
O'Leary Community Sports Centre
O'meara's Heavy Equipment
Oulton Apartments
PEI Business Women's Assocation
PEI Career Development Services
PEI Professional Bookkeeping Services Inc.
Profits Race Trac Gas & Coffee Shoppe
Ramsay's Appliance Repair
Regal Cresting
Richards Bait and Tackle (NEW)
Royal Star Fisheries
Rural & Regional Development
Rural Community Learning Inc.
Sari Sari Retail
Saunders Variety
Sea Tracker Dockside Monitoring
Select Auto Parts
Scotia Bank
Shirley's Cafe Inc.
Spyce Hair Design
Stewart Enterprises
Sweet Farms Inc.
The Cooperators
The Cork & Barrel
Tignish Co-op Assc. Ltd.
Tignish Dental Clinic
Tignish Initiatives Corporation
Town of Alberton
Town of O'Leary
Town of Tignish
Transportation West
Tri-County Marine Ltd.
Triple L Auto
Trout River Industries
Tyne Valley Tea & Company
United Way PEI
Up West Fire Fries
Valley Pearl Oysters
Visual Printing
VMS Animal Health
Wallace Properties Ltd.
Wee the West Childcare
West Prince Bookkeeping
West Prince Dental Clinic
West Prince Family Violence Prevention
West Prince Graphic
Western Truss (NEW)
Wholistic Fitness & Health
Wind Energy Institute of Canada
Yara Canada
You Move Physio
Your Digital Coach
Chambers 5th Annual
Golf Fundraiser
Come out and have some fun! You're invited to tee off with the Chamber on Friday, September 17 at 1:00 PM. Our 5th Annual Golf Outing Fundraiser will be held at St. Felix Golf Course. A big thank you to Paul Martin and his staff for accomodating us and our title sponsor Credit Unions.

Not a golfer but would like to support our efforts; be a Hole Sponsor. Thank you members for your continued support and contributions. Many local businesses look forward to a fun staff day and getting to know others in our communities. I look forward to hearing from many of you soon.  
Atlantic Chamber Appears Before House of Commons Committee on Citizenship and Immigration
The Atlantic Chamber of Commerce appeared as witnesses before the House of Commons Standing Committee on Citizenship and Immigration to provide testimony on Labour Market Impact Assessments and the Temporary Foreign Workers program. Their statement discusses the importance of collaborations with government, business, and communities to assist immigrants and international students as they attempt to connect with the workplace.
Should you have any questions please don’t hesitate to contact Autumn Tremere at agtremere@gov.pe.ca<mailto:agtremere@gov.pe.ca
Input wanted from Islanders on Rural Public Transport
The Government of Prince Edward Island is looking at options for establishing a rural transit service for the province. https://www.princeedwardisland.ca/en/news/input-wanted-from-islanders-on-rural-public-transit

Part of this work involves conducting a public survey to gather feedback on what Islanders expect out of a service like this, what the uptake will be, and what features it should include.
The feedback from this survey will ultimately help shape how the service looks and functions and will be integral in ensuring that a solution is developed that meets the needs of those who will use it. The survey will be open until June 21.
Community Energy Solutions may cover up to 50 percent of the total energy efficiency upgrade cost, up to $25,000. These incentives could help with energy savings projects like upgrades to heating systems, optimizing ventilation, thermostats and controls, and more.
Incentives are equal to the lower of the following:
  • 1x annual savings
  • 50 percent cost of the project
  • $25,000
If your organization has any special projects in mind, make sure you let your energy auditor know. Once your energy audit is complete, you will get a list of project recommendations along with estimated savings and costs. Most projects that reduce energy consumption will qualify. For more details click here: