Golfing season is in full swing ...

The Chamber golf tournament has been full for awhile now. Hope you got your team in and will be joining us on Tuesday for one of the first, and certainly one of the best golf tournaments of the season. Once again, Tim Dyck, our Chamber Group Insurance agent,  is the title sponsor and joining us for the day is the Regional Marketing supervisor for the Chambers Group Insurance from Calgary, Ken Willoughby and his assistant, Garret from Edmonton. We will have some of the same fun games - Marshmellow shot across the mush line, Chip to the Cooler sponsored by MNP and the 'closest to the MLA' sponsored by Tim McMillan. Put that together with some great hole sponsors, outstanding prizes, breakfast sponsored by Cliff Rose for Clothes and JDG Construction, Champagne orange juice starter compliments of Peg & Gary over at Chatter's Hair Salon, the Mulligan draw sponsored by Mayor Mulligan & AHHA Moments and a delicious steak barbecue ... WOW.. what a great day. Proceeds from the special games and the fairway barbecue will once again be donated to the Drug Strategy Committee.

The Travel Alberta Visitor Information Centre is open and Jenna, Chelsey, Jordyn and Julie look forward to meeting everyone at the June mixer or stop on out and say hi and get your travel information for your vacation in Alberta this year. With the price of gas, it might be a good idea to check out some of the great things to do and see right here in our home province. They can help you to choose some events and sites right here in our region.

You should all have received your special Chamber e-newsletter with the request that you take a few minutes and set up your letter concerning health care issues in Lloydminster and send it off to your MLA with a copy to the Chamber office. There is a place in the letter for you to tell your story about any concerns you have encountered with your health care needs in Lloydminster. This in an opportunity for our MLA's to hear real stories from real people and your chance to let your voice be heard. This will assist them when they go to bat for our community. If you haven't received your newsletter, go to the Chamber website http://www.lloydminsterchamber.com/ and link up from there.

We are very pleased to be hosting the Alberta Premiers Council on the Economy in Lloydminster on June 22. If you would like to attend, please call the Chamber office at 780-875-9013.

The Alberta Chamber Executives conference will also be held in Lloydminster in July. We will host about 40 Chamber executive directors from both provinces for three days of professional development. We will also be doing all we can to inform them about our community so that they can take that information home with them and spread the word that Lloydminster is indeed a great place to visit.

I will be away on vacation from June 1 to the 12 so I will catch up with the blog when I get back.

Till next time....
Pat

On the road again .....

It has been a while since I have written in this blog. Every year in May my car gets a good workout. I attended the Saskatchewan Chamber AGM & policy session in Regina  the first week of May and the Alberta Chamber Conference & policy session in St. Albert May 12 - 14. In between I took the Travel Alberta Visitor Information Centre staff on a familiarization tour of areas in the region.

At the Provincial policy sessions I presented the Lloydminster Chamber resolution on "providing support for quailty, regulated pre-kindergarten programs to faciliate a timely return to the workforce for parents". This resolution was adopted by both provincial chambers and will now move forward to the provincial governments. Visit the Alberta Chamber website to view the adopted policy resolutions.

The All Candidates Forum for the federal election was well attended. We had seven of the nine candidates out to answer questions from our community and members.  I attended the grand re-opening of the Golf and Curling Centre. The dedications to Peter Cushner and Anne Townsend were moving and so well deserved. 

We enjoyed having a practicum student from the Lakeland College Events Coordinator course working with us for six weeks. Eleana assisted us with many tasks and we hope that her experience with us was helpful and fun.

The Downtown Clean-up breakfast was well attended and Streetscapes is grateful to all of the industrious workers from several businesses in the downtown who were out with their brooms, garbage bags and weeding gloves, helping to make our downtown a bit cleaner. A delicious breakfast was enjoyed at the Central Suite hotel.

The United Way and Midwest Communications business mixer was held on May 11th. About $116,000. was handed out to the United Way member agencies.

As a board member of the Lloydminster Economic Development Corporation I attended a planning session on May 17th. This was an opportunity for this new organization to set some goals for the next few months.  That same day, prior to the Chamber board meeting, the board toured the Lloydminster hospital. Thanks to Tricia and Georgina for helping us to understand the complexities of operating a health care centre in our border city.

We have had contact concerning our sister chamber in Slave Lake. Annie is fine, her office and her home has been spared but devastation is far reaching. The Lloydminster chamber has offered some of our facilities for use by any businesses from Slave Lake who may be staying with relatives in Lloydminster. A spare desk and computer can be used if necessary. Other assistance is being considered by the board in cooperation with the Alberta Chambers of Commerce.

Remember the deadline for Business Awards nominations is coming up. Get your nominations in before June 15th and if you know a student who is considering further education in an agricultural field, alert them to the JA McLean and Dunstan scholarships administered by the Chamber.

Till next time ....
Pat