Chamber News - Budget Discussion, Ribbon Cutting, Mixer, Business Quickies and more information for businesses!

The Grande Prairie & District Chamber of Commerce cordially invites you to this exclusive Chamber members only event on Friday, March 24, 2023 from 9:00 - 11:00 AM at Centre 2000.

Please join us as we host the Honourable Travis Toews, MLA for Grande Prairie-Wapiti, Minister of Finance and President of the Treasury Board, in discussing the 2023 Alberta Budget.

There is no cost to attend but registration is required.

This event is only open to Active Chamber Members.

The Grande Prairie & District Chamber of Commerce welcomes you to a Ribbon Cutting set for Thursday, March 16, 2023 hosted by Ballad Consulting Group.

The location is 8507 112 Street, located in their new office.

The Ribbon Cutting ceremony is scheduled for 4:00 PM. This event runs from 3:00-7:00 PM. Come celebrate with Ballad Consulting Group with some food and drinks. There's no cost to attend and no registration is required.

Are you a TTN? (tongue -tied networker)
Does the mere thought of networking cause you anxiety?
Would you rather go skydiving without a parachute than attend business networking events in a roomful of strangers?
Just need to brush-up and learn some new networking skills?

The Chamber of Commerce in partnership with our Chamber Champions are proud to invite you to our first of three Business Quickies.

Business Quickies are designed to be a relaxed & safe interactive way to learn new networking skills & speed networking with a small group of other Chamber business members in a stress-free environment.

You will: Learn the do's & don'ts of networking, learn how to talk about yourself and your business in an engaging, memorable and compelling way, practice with some speed networking* and walk away more confident when breaking the ice.

Cost $25.00 per person includes a variety of breakfast treats and coffee

Limited space available: 18 seats maximum

This is event is for Chamber Members only.

The Grande Prairie & District Chamber of Commerce welcomes our members and invited guests to a Business After 5 Mixer hosted by the Northwestern Polytechnic (NWP) Students Association on March 30, 2023 from 5:00-7:00 PM.

NWP is located at is located at 10726 106 Avenue, Grande Prairie.

Join us for an evening of networking, appetizers, refreshments and door prizes as well as finding out more about the host NWP Students Association.

For more information, visit Home | NWPSA

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

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

You’re invited to attend the free webinar

“Grow Your Own” Healthcare Professionals: Post-secondary Pathways in Northwestern Alberta

Learn how you can start growing your community’s next generation of healthcare heroes right here at home!

Date: Tuesday, March 21

Time: 6:00 – 8:00 p.m. MST

Location: Zoom

Learn more and register now at Eventbrite.co m

This community conversation is proudly presented by AHS and the Lesser Slave Lake, Peace and True North Health Advisory Councils, in partnership with the Rural Health Professions Action Plan (RhPAP).

COMMUNITY GROUP FUNDING APPLICATIONS NOW AVAILABLE

Community Group Funding applications for the 2024-2025 funding cycle are being accepted by the City of Grande Prairie until April 30, 2023. The funding is available for programs and services that benefit the community and its residents.

Recommendations for funding allocation are based on community need and a community group’s ability to respond to that need. Grants are provided on a one-year or two-year cycle beginning in 2024.

For more information about Community Group Funding, including the application form and submission process, search and select ‘Community Group Funding’ at cityofgp.com/funding.

Application Support Sessions

The City of Grande Prairie is offering virtual and in-person Community Group Funding application support sessions in March. The sessions will help applicants ensure all necessary paperwork and supporting documents are included with their applications and will provide answers to any general application questions.

Application support sessions are taking place on the following days:

Virtual session: March 27 from 6 p.m. to 7 p.m. via Zoom (pre-registration required).
In-person session: March 28 from 3 p.m. to 4 p.m. the Grande Prairie Museum located at 10329 101 Avenue (no pre-registration required).

Pre-registration for the virtual application support session is available by contacting grants@cityofgp.com.

View on cityofgp.com

2023 Political Action Day & MLA Dinner

Tuesday, March 28, 2023

Meet one-on-one with key government officials to discuss the current economic climate and advance the business community’s interests at Political Action Day and MLA Dinner – Tuesday, March 28th downtown Edmonton.

Registration closes on March 17

Get your tickets

Business Transition Forum

Alberta Chambers of Commerce President & CEO Shauna Feth will be moderating a panel called ‘Growth By Acquisition: What You Need to Know Before Buying a Business’ and the Business Transitions Forum in Calgary at the Telus Convention Centre on April 12th.

Get funding on new tech for your business!

The Canada Digital Adoption Program (CDAP) is celebrating 1 year of helping thousands of businesses like yours get funding for expert advice and new tech products for their business. Get in on the action!

The program includes all of these features:

Up to $15,000 in grants to hire a Digital Advisor who will produce a tailored plan for your business
Up to $100,000 in 0% financing with BDC to buy technology that will make your business more efficient
Up to $7,300 in subsidies to hire a young worker with the skills to help you implement new digital tools

Apply online in under 10 minutes.

Canada's Total Mom Pitch

The Fifth Annual Canada's Total Mom Pitch

You could be the next business owner to access $50,000 in funding and support! Applications close March 20.

Apply Today

(ATB Entrepreneur Centre)

5 Ways to Drive your Business by Telling Stories

Gather a deeper understanding on how to refine your business and drive profits. Leave this session with information you can act on and apply to your business right away. March 23, Register Now.

Level Up Series: Digital Advertising

March 23

It’s never been easier to learn marketing—and make a positive impact on your business. Join our FREE webinar series, where Kelly Doody will walk you through the essentials of Facebook Ads Manager, LinkedIn Campaign Manager, and Google Ads.

Level Up Series: Recurring Revenue

April 6

Learn how to package your products or services into a scalable digital form, and the infinite possibilities once you do. You’ll also map a plan for continued future-proofing of your business with an increased focus on digital channels and broadening your audience base beyond existing borders.

Small Business SEO: How To Grow Your Business’s Traffic

A good small business strategy starts with a clear idea of who your target audience is and how your offering is different from that of your competitors.

Good SEO is no different. Small businesses compete directly against larger competitors in the realm of search results. But by knowing your niche and using resources effectively, small businesses can still win the attention of people searching for information related to their business.

Keep Reading Here

Future of Restaurants - by Square

The Square Future of Restaurants report will help you understand the top trends, the changing landscape and expectations, and the tools and strategies that define the next era of the restaurant industry.

Local Services Ads now supports more businesses

As a local business, it’s important to stay connected to your community, especially when they need a hand from someone they can trust. Like if they need to see a dentist right away, their teenager is anxious about their next math test or their dog is (long) overdue for a trip to the groomer.

That’s where Local Services Ads comes in. And now, more than 70 types of businesses can use Local Services Ads to reach people who need help from someone nearby.

With Local Services Ads, you can advertise your services at the top of Google Search results pages and receive quality phone calls, messages and appointment bookings in the areas you choose. Plus, you can easily track performance and manage your leads, including listening to call recordings with potential customers

Learn more here!

The Importance of Paid Advertising in a Digital Space

Mar 21, 10:00 AM EST Online

Advertising in the digital space can be complicated, especially with different ad formats, multiple platforms, budgeting, and running your own business! If you are not sure where to begin, or are confused on what kind of ad to run, this session is for you!

Optimizing for Search Engines - Understanding SEO Basics

Mar 28, 10:00 AM EST Online

Often you will hear about needing to optimize for search engines or SEO. But what is it, and how does it impact your digital presence? In this webinar, the Digital Service Squad will explain search engine optimization and the best tactics you as a business can use towards increasing your ranking in the search engine result pages.

EXECUTIVE SUMMIT SERIES

Net-Zero | March 28 | Join us in-person or virtually

Join a unique conversation on Canada’s path to a net-zero future, one year after Canada released its 2030 Emissions Reductions Plan.

Learn More and Register

Level up Your Organization’s Cloud Security with These Five Actions

Recent cloud adoption numbers show that the days when companies were doubtful about cloud computing are long gone. Having a weak cloud security posture is not an option. Risky not only for your organization but also for clients and you could face penalties if client data gets compromised.

Here are five actions you can take to improve your organization’s cloud security and avoid trouble.

April 1 is Coming and so is our Annual Beer Tax Hike

You may remember our Freeze the Alcohol Tax campaign when we called on the federal government to repeal the automatic tax increase or, at the very least, freeze it. Well, guess what? On April 1, the tax is set to tick up again as it does annually. This is an automatic inflation-based annual beer tax hike, and this year, with peak inflation, a massive hike of 6.3% federal beer tax hike will push prices and inflation upwards harming brewers, the hospitality sector and consumers along the way.

Our member Beer Canada has launched a new campaign, Here for Beer, in advance of this year’s hike. You can become a beer advocate.

Learn More

Businesses – Tax information

What’s new with the Confirm My Representative service for business owners

With the Confirm My Representative service, businesses now have to sign in to My Business Account to confirm or deny pending authorization requests submitted through Represent a Client or EFILE. If no action is taken by the business owner or their delegated authority within a 10-day period, the request will be canceled.

As of February 2023, sole proprietors who meet certain conditions and have the same representative for their business and personal taxes may not need to register for My Business Account and use the Confirm my Representative service. When certain conditions are met, new authorization requests submitted electronically by their representative will be approved automatically.

The CRA is aware that some business clients are not able to register for My Business Account to confirm an authorization request. In this situation, once the representative has submitted an authorization request, the business owner may contact the CRA at 1-800-959-5525 for more information and assistance.

To learn more about this service, please go to Confirm my representative’s authorization request.

Find webinars for business in the CRA Business Video Gallery

Businesses have unique needs. Understanding your tax obligations and the different requirements you may face when making changes to your business is important. Access webinars and transcripts from the CRA Business Video Gallery to help you manage your business’s tax affairs.

The CRA is pleased to announce it will be hosting the following webinar on March 29, 2023:

GST/HST Filing responsibilities for businesses

Webinar details and registration information will be posted on the CRA’s social media accounts and on the CRA’s Upcoming events webpage.

Does the new Underused Housing Tax affect your business? Here’s what you need to know

Canada has a new 1% annual Underused Housing Tax on the ownership of vacant or underused residential housing in Canada. The tax usually applies to non-resident, non-Canadian owners of residential property, but in some situations, it also applies to Canadian individuals and corporations. If your corporation is an “affected owner” of residential property in Canada, you must file a return for the Underused Housing Tax by April 30, 2023, for each property you owned on December 31, 2022. To determine if the Underused Housing Tax applies to you or your business, please visit Canada.ca/cra-uht

Visit our Website