Another year has almost come to an end and for the Lloydminster Chamber it has been a busy and productive year.

Lloydminster Chamber of Commerce

Political Action Committee Year in Review

2012 saw an extraordinary number of achievements for the Political Action Committee. PAC meets monthly with 8 – 10 members around the table each meeting. The Chamber ED and one board member are also involved with the Alberta Chamber political action committee that meets six times per year, primarily by conference call.

We began the year in January with a visit to the Deputy Minister’s in Edmonton. This was a similar meeting to the one that was held the previous September with the Deputy Ministers in Saskatchewan. It was an extremely cold day, however 12 Community leaders   met for lunch and discussion with the DM’s on a number of topics concerning our community. Mayor Jeff Mulligan indicated at the Chamber AGM that these meetings opened some doors for our municipal leaders as they strive to provide necessary linkages between the two provinces.

Our Chamber was involved in the widespread consultations held by the Saskatchewan Chamber in the areas of employment and labour legislation that helped shape the provinces new act. A policy resolution that began in Lloydminster on Photo Speed Enforcement has moved a bit closer to completion with word that photo speed enforcement will soon be implemented within construction zones in the province. While this is good news, more work needs to be done to see this selected issue to a complete resolution.  The premier’s Saskatchewan Plan for Growth followed many of the recommendations of the Saskatchewan Chamber’s Growth Strategy bringing good news for the business community, and discussion was restarted on the process which had been used to eliminate the Saskatchewan Film Employment Tax Credit.

On the Health Care front the Chamber has been actively involved over the year. Beginning in February we were active in the Community Engagement committee who was tasked with reviewing and validating the statistical data that was being gathered about our Health Region. This culminated in a community open house held over two days in November.  In addition the Lloydminster Chamber presented a policy resolution concerning the practices and obligations of the College of Physicians and Surgeons in both provinces with the result being that in October the CPSA & the CPSS along with the Rural Physician Action Plan CEO  met in Lloydminster for a number of meetings with community leaders and advisory committees as well as Physicians and the public. The Lloydminster Chamber continues to lead a Health Care Policy committee in Alberta looking at the policy resolutions that will be presented in May to the Alberta Chamber policy debate.  Several of the Chamber board members have been on hand to welcome and be introduced to new doctors and prospective new doctors to the community. 

A board member and one of the staff have taken a lead in continuing the discussion started by the Premiers Council on the Economy last year. Lakeland College business students developed a website entitled “Shape the Future” and meetings with school principals has been held to determine the best way to begin the discussion with high school and middle school students. In addition, meetings will be set up with Onion Lake First Nation principals to further the discussions in that community.

Two Candidates Forums were held this year. One for the Alberta provincial election in April and the other for the Civic election in October. These were very well attended and feedback was very positive about the organization and moderation of these events.

We were in attendance at the Lloydminster Public School Division strategic planning session in May.  This is an excellent opportunity to stay informed about and have input into the educational issues and needs as well as celebrate the real successes of our school division.

In May staff attended the Saskatchewan Conference on Business and the Alberta Chambers conference that includes the policy debate and the adoption of the provincial resolutions. Lloydminster presented resolutions at both conferences.

Also in May PAC hosted the Saskatchewan Post Budget Tour breakfast and in November they hosted the Leaders group and the MLA’s at a meeting. As well in November, PAC hosted the State of the Province address breakfast with the Honorable Tim McMillan. MLA Richard Starke was also in attendance.  In July, staff and board members attended the Treaty Six flag raising at City Hall. In August, several board members attended the Lloydminster Charter presentation and in December staff & board members attended the signing of the Lloydminster Charter by both provinces.

In September Chamber president and staff attended the Canadian Chamber Conference in Hamilton and participated in the policy session at the national level. Several important policies were adopted that could affect our local region.

In November, the Chamber along with Alberta Works hosted a Social Policy focus group to enable members to have input into the social policy framework for the next three years in Alberta

This focus group was well attended.

In December, the Policy Development round table was held with several areas of policy concern brought forward. Resolutions will be drafted for debate at the policy session in January or early February.

PAC has been busy and is working hard for our business members.

Michael Holden, Chamber Vice President is the Chair of the Political Action committee 

I take this opportunity to wish each of you a very Merry Christmas and all the best for the New Year.

Till next time........

Pat

Chamber president, Leana Ross was a lucky prize winner. Leana and I attended the grand opening of the ATCO Electric Operations Center. What a wonderful building with so many environmentally friendly ideas. The tour was very educational and the state of the art equipment and design was exciting to see. ATCO has been a member of the Chamber of Commerce for many years and we are so pleased that they have chosen to locate their Operations Center in our City. It was very evident that the staff and management alike are so pleased to have a building where they can all work together in one place. Congratulations ATCO Electric.

The Chamber was pleased to host the October After Hours Connect at the Cheesiry west of Lloydminster. This is a unique country business that makes cheese from sheep's milk. Dozens of different kinds and flavors. It was a rare opportunity to have a Connect at a business location, out in the country on the day of our first snow fall for the year. Thanks to the Cheesiry for welcoming us and I encourage you to have a visit yourself.




The All Candidates Forum for the upcoming Civic Election,  held at the Civic Center Auditorium last Thursday night saw over 300 Lloydminster and area residents out to hear what the 16 candidates had to say. The Forum staff did a great job of keeping everyone on track and ensuring that all candidates had their voice heard. There were a number of topics discussed and candidates stuck around after the forum to talk with voters.

I am very pleased to say congratulations to Gladys Jack the recipient of the Chamber president's Lifetime Achievement Award. Gladys received her award at the Chamber's Business Awards Gala last week at the Vic Juba Theater   Gladys has been a resident of Lloydminster since 1949 and her and her husband Bob owned and operated Bob Jack's Sheet metal for many years. Gladys has contributed to the Lloydminster community in so many ways. Her love of music and her talent at bringing the very best out in people, especially young people, has allowed her to lead many musical groups including the Joy Singers and the  Grace United Bell Choir. Gladys has also been very involved in music festival and in the life and work of her church. and community.

Upcoming for the Chamber -
* Public Meeting with the College of Physicians & Surgeons of Alberta & Saskatchewan - Oct. 31 -  
   Stockade Center at 7:30 pm
* Coffee Break & Immigration meeting with Ireland and the Alberta & Sask. Immigrant Nominee Program -
   Nov. 2
* Breakfast with the Honorable Tim McMillan, MLA for Lloydminster on Nov. 23rd. *
* Christmas Expo Trade Show - Nov. 18, 19, 20 - Alberta Building - Lloyd Ex.
For info on any of these events call the Chamber office.

Till next time .....
Pat

Lloydminster Chamber now accredited

Steve McClellan, Chair of the Canadian Accreditation Council,
Pat Tenney, Executive Director and Leana Ross, President
Lloydminster Chamber and Pat Horgan, Chair of the
Canadian Chamber of Commerce

I spent most of the last week in Hamilton at the Canadian Chamber Executives Conference followed by the Canadian Chamber Conference. This was five days of networking, learning and policy setting. Our president, Leana Ross and I were pleased to be head table guests at the Power of the Network luncheon where we were  presented with our accreditation with distinction certificate from the  Canadian Chamber Accreditation council. While it was a rigorous exercise to become accredited, we now have a useful orientation and succession planning tool and our members can be assured that we are operating in a way that meets a national standard.
I was thrilled to hear Frank O'Dea, founder of Second Cup, speak on the topic of Hope, Vision & Action. It would be great to be able to bring Mr.O'Dea to Lloydminster to share his incredible rags to riches story with our community. Perhaps that is a project.

Over the past few weeks we have been collecting questions from our members that will be used at our All Candidates Forum on Oct. 18th. This forum is an opportunity for the community to hear from the sixteen candidates vying for a seat on City council.

A policy resolution presented at the Alberta Chamber of Commerce policy session in May concerning the licensing of Physicians in Lloydminster has resulted in the College of Physicians & Surgeons of Alberta and Saskatchewan visiting our community on Oct. 31st. The Colleges are interested in learning more about our very interesting city and the challenges that we face in providing health care to our bi-provincial community. A public meeting will be held at 7:30 that evening. Watch our newsletter and the local media for more information as we approach the date.

I hope everyone will take the time to attend our October Business Connect at the Cheesery (west of Lloydminster) on Oct. 10th, and our Business Week Awards Gala on Oct. 17th. Tickets for the Gala are available at the Vic Juba Theatre box office.

The Job Fair held in conjunction with Alberta Works is filling up for Oct. 11th. We have advertised this event right across Canada so a good turn out of potential job seekers is anticipated. Wainwright is also holding a job fair on Oct. 4th and we have been doing advertising together.  Our region is how the rest of the world looks at us so it is important to work together towards our next economy, our next community and our future Chambers.

Till next time ......
Pat

Summer is almost over ......

The Chamber Nine and Dine  Connect held at Rolling Green Golf Club was well attended and lots of fun. The most "fives" award was presented by Chamber marketing coordinator, Serena,  to our Chamber president, Leana Ross and her team mates Melinda Haggert from the Health Foundation and Victoria McLean from  Synergy Credit Union. We couldn't have asked for better weather, sunny & warm with a slight breeze to keep the mosquitoes away. A beef on a bun supper was enjoyed after the nine hole Texas scramble event.

Chamber Finance Executive, Elaine Lawrence was in fine form and just missed winning the longest drive.

The Chuckwagons are in town and the Chamber staff got into the spirit and dressed western for the week. Check out the painted windows at the office welcoming the drivers and fans to town. Streetscapes also painted up a window downtown on the Border Paint store. It's great to see our members getting involved in this huge revenue booster for our City businesses. Good luck to all of the drivers for a successful and safe meet.

Our Chamber is teaming up with Alberta Works to provide a job fair opportunity for our members. Oct 11 is the date for the job fair in Lloydminster. We are advertising outside our region in the hopes of attracting job seekers from other provinces. Wainwright is holding their job fair on Oct. 4 so perhaps with the two fairs happening close together, we may have luck attracting from afar. Be sure to call the office and sign up your booth, Only 50 spaces available. Check the Chamber website at www.lloydminsterchamber.com for more info.  

That's it for this time ....
Pat

Treaty Six Flag Raising

Chamber Board Member, Rob Saunders joins the dignitaries at the Treaty
6 Flag Raising Ceremony at City Hall today.

Chief Wallace Fox & Mayor Jeff Mulligan
lead the procession of dignitaries at the
Treaty 6 Ceremony.

Busy, rainy days of summer.....

Harvesting a Major Win 

The decades-long monopoly of the Canadian Wheat Board comes to an end Aug. 1 with the enactment of the Marketing Freedom for Grain Farmers Act. This legislation fulfils an Alberta Chamber of Commerce (ACC) policy, which arose out of Red Deer in 2001. The winds of change have been blowing in Alberta's agri-business in preparation for the 2012 harvest. The new act means western farmers will, for the first time, gain the opportunity to sell their own grain crops, as befitting business people who market internationally. It also plows the way for greater value-added and investment opportunities in an open-market system. Brad Severin, ACC Policy Chair    
As a Lloydminster Chamber of Commerce member, our members are also members of the Alberta Chamber. Your local Chamber sits on the ACC policy committee and has input into the policy development and adoption of the Alberta policy resolutions. The above policy resolution which was taken to the policy debate of the Canadian Chamber by the Alberta Chamber, and adopted there, and subsequently taken to the Canadian government,and  is just one more way that your Chamber membership works for you. 

Over 40 Executive Directors of Alberta Chambers of Commerce met in Brooks last week for their annual professional development summit. This is a great opportunity to learn from one another as well as from the professional speakers. It was just one year ago that the Alberta Chamber Executives were in Lloydminster learning from our local professionals and getting to know our City better. I enjoy this time of networking and fun & supportive camaraderie with my colleagues from across Alberta & Saskatchewan. 

Northern Gateway -- CALL TO ACTION  On Monday, our members will receive a Call to Action advocacy package designed to assist chamber members interested in writing Letters of Comment to the Joint Review Panel, which is seeking public input on the Enbridge Northern Gateway Project. The deadline for the Letters of Comment is Aug. 31.  I encourage members to provide comment on this project as it is viewed as critical to Alberta's sustained economic success because it will diversify our markets for crude oil. This advocacy thrust is based on the ACC recently adopted policy, Northern Gateway Pipelines Project.  Our float entry in the parade was very well done thanks to our awesome staff and board members. I missed the parade once again due to the ACE conference, however I heard that the parade was colorful and interesting, the two breakfasts held by Leckie & Associates and City of Lloydminster/NewCap were delicious and the Lloyd Ex did their usual bang up job of hosting record crowds at the fair. When I am away from our City and visiting with folks from other municipalities, I fully appreciate what we have here ... a forward thinking city council and administration, hardworking and progressive organizations, honest and integral business leaders and friendly and helpful people. Who would want to live or run a business anywhere else? I have been busy this week, along with Karin, our resident photographer, visiting with and taking pictures for our Business Awards presentation. It has been interesting and fun meeting with nominees and getting a tour of their business or organization. I hope that everyone will come out and celebrate with us in October during business week when we showcase our nominated businesses and announce the recipients of the Business awards.    New West Partnership blows in more benefits for business  Alberta, B.C. and Saskatchewan have launched a new streamlined system of business registration. As of July 1, businesses only have to register in one of the provinces to operate in each province. The system was created under the New West Partnership, which is a venture among the three provinces to eliminate barriers to trade. ACC's longstanding policy, Elimination on Interprovincial Trade Barriers, seeks this kind of collaboration.   Till next time ....... Pat

Congratulations to the Lloydminster Handivan Society and RE/MAX of Lloydminster on their partnership to provide wheel chair accessible transportation services to our community. Transportation services have become increasingly important as our city grows and prospers. It is great to see one of our Chamber members applying an interesting marketing opportunity  in partnership with a long standing community organization like the Handivan Society to provide for this essential service. 

What a great time we had at the Lloyd Ex last Thursday when they hosted the June noon hour Connect. Corinne and Mike updated everyone on the upcoming Lloydminster Exhibition and great food and "fair" games were enjoyed by those in attendance. Our fearless leader, President Leana Ross, takes a lesson in wild cow milking. 






The Community Leaders Group met with the  Honorable Tim McMillan and newly elected MLA Richard Starke last week. A good discussions was held about several areas of interest to our community. 

Be sure to watch for the Chamber of Commerce and the Streetscapes Co float entry in the parade next week.

I will have to miss the parade again this year as our Alberta Chamber Executive Director's professional development summit is held those days in Brooks.

Till next time......
Pat

Busy time at the Chamber ....

The Chamber had their "spin to win" booth in the very busy and successful Downtown Streetfest on June 9th. If you answered a question about the Chamber correctly you won a prize.  The local talent that was showcased at the festival main stage was fantastic. Our region has some wonderful bands, singers &  dancers. The fashion show was enjoyed by all and the food booths, children's games and farmer's market was a real hit. The SPCA booth with some of their animals who are looking for there forever homes was very popular with the children.
Congratulations to the Streetfest committee for another great downtown event.

Congratulations to the organizers of the Downtown Street dance, celebrating the beginning of summer, that was held on Friday night. I've heard from a few people who attended that it was a great event. All of these events held in the downtown will only help to make people aware of the very interesting downtown in Lloydminster.

Our Chamber Connect held at the Travel Alberta Centre last Wednesday was well attended with some really great door prizes provided by many of the attractions around Alberta. Jordyn, Justin, Jill and Travis , our Travel Alberta VIC staff were on hand to welcome visitors and answer questions about Alberta.

I joined President, Leana Ross and Board member Rob Saunders at the 100th Anniversary of ATCO Gas providing services to Alberta, held at the Sales Pavilion on the Exhibition Grounds last night.  Local manager, Ron Paskevich and his staff did a great job of providing barbecue hot dogs and burgers along with Blue Flame kitchen lemonade. The ATCO Gas entertainers did an interesting and entertaining job of providing the history of ATCO Gas through music, dance and song.  Congratulations to ATCO Gas on this milestone.

We still have one opening for a summer student to work for six weeks during July & August helping with clean-up in the downtown. If you know someone who might be interested, please ask them to give me a call. They must have completed grade 11 to be eligible.



Till next time .....

Pat

Rob Saunders congratulates incoming
ACC board chair, Tab Pollock. 

The past two weeks have been busy with the annual Provincial Chamber Conferences. The Alberta AGM & Policy Session was held in Sherwood Park and attended by myself and board member and city liaison, Rob Saunders. Our policy resolution on Physician Licensing in Alberta sparked lively debate and a commitment from several other Chambers in the province to work with the Lloydminster Chamber to write a comprehensive policy resolution covering the licensing of medical professionals who are utilized to their full scope of practice. This work will begin over the summer and will be presented at next years policy session.

The Saskatchewan Chamber Conference on Business was held in Saskatoon. Two policy resolutions were presented. Photo Speed Enforcement as well as the resolution on Licensing Doctors in Saskatchewan. A local businessman, Daryl Howell was also elected to the Saskatchewan Chamber Board of Directors.

This morning I was on hand to help register golfers for the 20th annual Chamber of Commerce golf tournament. Over 144 golfers took to the course for a beautiful sunny day of fun and fellowship The day kicked off with champagne orange juice provided by Chatters Hair Salon and breakfast compliments of Cliff Rose for Clothes and JDG Construction. . Marya Pettigrew from the Lloydminster Business Accelerator was on hand with a "beat the pro" contest and the Drug Strategy committee promoted their marshmallow drive contest. Tim Dyck and Staff from Chambers Group Insurance Plan, the title sponsor of the tournament, were busy cooking up smokies and burgers at the fairway barbecue. It looked to me like everyone was having a great time.

Congratulations to the City of Lloydminster for putting together a successful bid for the Scotia Bank Hockey Day in Canada. This will be an exciting event for our City in 2013.

Till next time ........
Pat

Community working together .....

I was pleased to be part of a group of Lloydminster Public School Division staff and community stakeholders yesterday for the annual LPSD strategic planning session. The room was full of dedicated staff from teachers, principals, students,  central office staff to bus drivers, custodians and parents/caregivers. Joining in for the day were leaders from all community sectors. It was an opportunity to look at and celebrate all of the excellent work that has been done over the past couple of years towards the goal of providing educational excellence for all students, and there is much to celebrate indeed. A stable funding structure will ensure that all students in Lloydminster no matter if they reside in Alberta or Saskatchewan, will receive the same level of educational services. This has taken a lot of hard work by  LPSD board and staff as well as the City of Lloydminster and  the provincial governments. Although there are still areas that need work, we can be very proud of our LPSD.

Once again this year, the Lloydminster Drug Strategy Committee and the Lloydminster Community Youth Center will be holding their Marshmallow Drive at the Chamber Golf Tournament on May 29. This is always a fun and popular game with the funds raised going to a great cause.   In addition, the Lloydminster Business Acceleration will have a "Beat the Chairman of the Board" game on the putting green. In case you don't know, Bob Mottram, is the Chair of the Business Accelerator board. They will have some give-away's and you will be able to learn more about this new and important organization in our community. Early bird registration deadline is Monday, May 7th so don't delay, get your registration in right away.
2012 REGISTRATION FORM 

I will be off to the Saskatchewan Chamber of Commerce 'Conference on Business' and AGM and Policy Debate next week in Saskatoon. We have two policy resolutions going forward. One on "Addressing the Difficulty involved in Obtaining a License/Permit for Physicians in Saskatchewan"  and the other on "Photo Radar Speed Enforcement". If these are approved at the Saskatchewan Chamber level,  they will be taken forward to government by the Saskatchewan Chamber.

A reminder about the Guide The Future project that is being lead by Dabir Naqvi. I hope that you will take a minute to have a look at the website developed by the students at Lakeland College and do the quick two question survey that is on the website. www.guidethefuture.net

Till next time ......
Pat



        
    

Federal MP visits Lloydminster .....

Mayor Mulligan, Chamber ED Pat Tenney, & Chamber Board member Linda Rutley were among those attending  the press conference held by MP Leon Benoit today.

Our members cite Canada’s regulatory red tape as one of the greatest barriers to their future prosperity. The Canadian Chamber called on the federal government to tackle this barrier, as well as nine others that make up our list of the Top 10 Barriers to Competitiveness. As a national federation we  urged the government to find the proper regulatory balance to allow business to grow and prosper while ensuring proper regulatory oversight. We pressed the government to implement the recommendations provided by the Red Tape Reduction Commission and to create a streamlined, one-stop online portal for government regulatory services to reduce business compliance burdens and costs. We also urged Ottawa to accelerate approval reviews for natural resource projects of significant size. The government responded by laying out a plan of action in its 2012 budget.
Taken from the Canadian Chamber "Connect"

Vegreville Lloydminster MP Leon Benoit  held a press conference today to announce the federal government's plan for Responsible Resource Development


The president of the Treasury  Board will develop an action plan to address the Red Tape Reduction Commission’s recommendations in the coming months to deliver better regulations that reduce frustration and lower costs for Canadian business.
 The government is committed to reforming the regulatory system in the resource sector so that reviews are conducted in a timely and transparent manner, while safeguarding the environment. The government will bring forward legislation to achieve the goal of “one project, one review” in a clearly defined time period. The government will also make new investments to improve regulatory reviews, streamline the review process for major economic projects, support consultation with Aboriginal peoples, and strengthen pipeline and marine safety.
 The government is committed to implementing the Canada-United States Action Plan on Regulatory Cooperation. The plan contains 29 initiatives to align the regulatory approaches between Canada and the United States in areas of agriculture and food, transportation, health and personal care products, chemical management, the environment and other cross-sectoral areas, without compromising health, safety or environmental protection standards.

MP Leon Benoit, Chamber Board member Rob Saunders and Chamber ED discuss the new  resource development plan .
The government's plan is to streamline the regulatory processes.

For more information on this announcement you can reach Mr. Benoit at his office at 1-800-463-1194 or by going to:
http://actionplan.gc.ca/eng/feature.asp?pageId=448   

Albertans out in full force .......

The All Candidates Forum held last night at Lakeland College was very well attended. It is great to see that people are interested in this election, that they are paying attention and that they care about the issues and are willing to come out and ask questions of the candidates. Candidates in attendance included Ray Stone with the NDP; Richard Starke running for the PC party; Danny Hozack with the Wildrose Alliance and Richard Yaceyko who is running as an independent. Corena Ganton with the Liberal Party was unable to attend.

Check out our Chamber Chatter vignettes that we have been producing with NewCap Broadcasting. Our members have assisted us by talking about various aspects of the Chamber. We will be producing one a week for twelve weeks and they can be viewed on Thursday during the evening news broadcast.
http://www.lloydminsterchamber.com/news_event_details.aspx?n=339

Mayor Mulligan stands in front of a work of art at the Civic Centre. The Border of Greatness mural was unveiled just prior to the Allan Cup week and Serena and I were pleased to be there when it was uncovered to show the world some of the ice sport history that we can be proud of in our community. Be sure to stop by and pick out those who you recognize and read through the history back to the early 1900's. Great research and artwork done by local people and local company.

Congratulations to Libbie Young Centre on the grand opening of their new facility. I took a tour and was impressed  at the capacity that the Centre will now have to serve individuals in our community who live with a mental illness.

Our Border Kings have been doing well so far in the Allan Cup tournament. I have seen several out of province  license plates and the town is just a bit busier. I wish them luck in the rest of the tournament.  Staying with hockey, don't forget to enter your team for the Streetscapes/Rotaract road hockey tournament in downtown Lloydminster next Saturday, April 28th. Call Serena at the Chamber office to enter and be sure to come on downtown and watch the action.

Till next week .......
Pat

Volunteers make our City the great place it is .....

I was privileged to attend a portion of City Council Meeting yesterday where Mayor Jeff Mulligan recognized Marlene Schonheiter for her long service to Streetscapes Co. Marlene was involved with Streetscapes from the very beginning, even before the bylaw was adopted by the City making it a self supporting entity that works to market and beautify the downtown. Marlene has participated in all aspects of the work of Streetscapes chairing the Marketing & Beautification committee for many years. Marlene has been a passionate supporter of the organization encouraging her colleagues to participate in the downtown clean-up each year.

the root, emporium was the location for this years Streetscapes AGM. This new eclectic restaurant downtown was also chosen as the recipient of the Best Interior Renovation when the Pride Awards were handed out. There were about 40 downtown Streetscapes members on hand to review the annual report and the financial reports as well as recognize Larry & Rob Olynyk for their work on restoration project for the clock on the heritage building at the corner of 50th AVe. and 50th Street.

Lloyd Wine Outfitters received the award for Best Exterior Renovation. The Furniture Clinic received the

Best Seasonal Display award

The Chamber of Commerce has taken on the challenge of continuing the dialogue on "Shaping Alberta's Future" that began with the Premiers Council on the Economy luncheon hosted by the Chamber in Lloydminster last June. The full document can be found at www.alberta.ca/premierscouncileconomicstrategy.cfm

The students of the Lakeland College Business Class - Speical Projects assisted the Chamber by producing a website which will be going live in the next week and by presenting this information to about 125 of their fellow students. The challenge of the premier to the council and the council to communities was:

> What must Albertans begin to do new to sustain prosperity through the next three decades and beyond

> How can we ensure our children and grandchildren enjoy even greater opportunity than we have - that we hand future generations a legacy of "a better Alberta".

> What will it take to  make the Alberta of 2040 the place for creative and committed citizens to live, work, raise families, contribute to and enjoy society.

I hope that you will contemplate these questions and consider how you might participate in "Guiding the Future" of Alberta right here in Lloydminster. Check out the website at  www.guidethefuture.net   any time after April 16th.

Till next time .....

Pat

At the Annual Meeting of the Chamber today, Corine Price was recognized for her five years on staff at the Chamber of Commerce. Corine has been involved in almost all aspects of the organization and is appreciated for her willingness to assist wherever needed. Corine contributes to the over all decision making with enthusiasm and thoughtful consideration and her creative talents are used to produce the e-newsletter each week.

His Worship, Mayor Jeff Mulligan swears in president, Leana Ross and
vice-president, Michael Holden. Other members of the board include past president, Kevin Lundell, Wendy Plandowski, Chris Parsons, Linda Rutley, Marlene Fithen, Angela Rooks, Rob Saunders and Dabir Naqvi.  The board meets monthly and governs the organization by providing a strategic framework within which the staff carry out the operational functions towards the goals of the Chamber.

Amanda Mazzei from the firm of Wilkinson Livingston Stevens presented the annual financial statements at the AGM. The Chamber finished the year in a solid financial position. The Chamber board thanked the membership and corportate members for their tremendous support of the Chamber. 45% of the Chamber revenue is provided by membership with 28% raised through management contracts such as the Travel Alberta Centre, Streetscapes Co. and the management of the Community Services Centre. 27% comes from fundraising and Afinity Programs.

Amanda Mazzei with assistance from board member Marlene Fithen draw the name of the winner of $1,000. from the names entered into the draw from all the nominees for the the Gold Star Service with a Smile award whose employers were members of the Chamber in 2011. The lucky winner was Myrna Jalbert from Radiology Consultants Associated. Congratulations to Myran and to all of the nominees who received recognition for providing exceptional customer service during 2011.

The small chamber that I joined 15 years ago is not so small anymore. Working with a knowledgeable and supportive board and skilled and loyal staff makes my job very enjoyable. I have been blessed to hang out with this Chamber team this past year. If you are a Chamber member you can rest assured that this Chamber is one of the strongest in the country due in large part to the boards that have striven to do what is best for our business community. Every major decision that is made is carefully talked about and thought through with an eye to the future.  I look forward to working with our new president, Leana and with our new and returning board members and of course with our steller staff. For a look at the Annual Report check out the Chamber website later this week.

Till next time,

Pat



What's in it for me? ......

Business owners often wonder what the Chamber really does and how they can get involved. Here are some suggestions.

Participate on a committee. Political Action or Membership Relations.

Meet and work with some knowledgable people, opportunities to learn from seasoned business people, have a say in how your chamber operates. And it's fun. Fill out one of the surveys sent out from time to time or just give the Chamber office a call to relay your suggestions or concerns

Attend one of the Noon Hour or After Hour Chamber Connects. These networking opportunities are informative, beneficial to your business in terms of getting your name, product and service out to the community. If a business is a member, all employees of that business are welcome to attend as well.

Spend a fun day networking at the annual Golf Tournament in May held at the Lloydminster Golf & Curling Centre or participate in the after hours Nine & Dine at the Rolling Green Golf Course in August. Attend one of the educational workshops sponsored by the Chamber during Business Education month



Nominate a business for the Business Excellence awards. There are many businesses in our community who deserve to be honored but that will not happen unless they are nominated by someone like you. Attend the Awards Gala and show your appreciation for those who have set the bar high and who the Chamber president recognizes with a life time achievement award. 

Promote your business by providing a prize for one of the many events and contests held by the Chamber. The Chamber Connect, Christmas Trade Show, Golf Tournament and many more. There are lots of ways to get involved. Check out the Chamber website http://www.lloydminsterchamber.com/ follow us on Twitter and Facebook and keep in touch with the work of your Chamber by following the e-newsletter sent out at least twice per month.

ACHIEVE RESULTS. A STRONGER VOICE.

Lloydminster will be in the spotlight again ....

Wow! Lloydminster has a Brier participant. Congratulations to Scott Manners and his team for their excellent showing at the provincial playdowns. They will be wearing our Saskatchewan green and white at the Brier in early March. I know it is a lot of hard work and sacrifice to get to this elite level and I wish them good luck as they represent our province and our City.

The Allen Cup is coming to Lloydminster in April and our City will be preparing for that event. Streetscpaes will be participating with daily game draws for Downtown gift cards, a street hockey game, decorating of storefronts and downtown promotions. I hope everyone will get involved and support this national event.

Business Education month kicks off on February 29ths with breakfast in coopertation with EARN.Check out the Chamber website at http://www.lloydminsterchamber.com/news_events/business_education_month/index_bem.html for all the events and workshops. The Impact Sales workshop is a special addition this year done in partnership with Relay Distributing. This excellent sales workshop can be offered to our members at an affordable price because it is held locally and sponsored by one of our members. Hope you will take advantage of this opportunity to train your staff in the art of sales.

Streetfest date has been set for June 9th. This downtown festival has been running for two years and has just gotten better each year. If you are interested in participating as a vendor or in organizing a part of the event call the Chamber office.

Our Chamber continues to be involved in the Health Care Community Engagement committee. It is important for our Chamber to monitor the progress of the Health Care Advisory Committee to ensure that our businesses are represetned. We know that Health Care issues effect our businesses and we will continue to work on your behalf to have a voice at the table.

Be sure to come out to the new "Noon Hour Mixer" which will be launched at the Lloydminster Golf & Curling Centre. Facility manager, Kyle Mulligan, assures us they have the best chef in town and he invites you to come out at noon  on Thursday, February 16th for lunch. At this time he will introduce the new golf pro and show off some of the Taylor Made Adidas & Ashworth 2012 product line.

Well I'm off to the Chamber Connect at Lakeland College sponsored by the College and the Lloydminster Rotary Club. This is a great opportunity to meet some of the students who may be your next employee or the next busness leader of this community. Hope to see you there.

Till next time...

Pat

Participants hard at work at the Policy Development Roundtable

We had a great turn out for our Policy Development roundtable on Jan. 17th. All ages were represented, with a diverse industry representation as well. These roundtables are valuable in that they assist the Chamber board and Political Action committee to get an idea of the issues faced by our business members. The PAC committee works all year addressing the issues raised by the members and seeking out policy areas that need to be addressed. I also sit on the Political Action committee of the Alberta Chamber of Commerce and have just recently begun dialing into the meetings that have been initiated by the Sask Chamber.

On January 18th, a team of Community Leaders lead by the Chamber ventured out in the cold to attend a meeting in Edmonton with the Deputy Ministers at Government House. Health, Education, Advanced Education, Seniors Care, Economic Development and City Government were all represented along with Chamber business members. This was a great opportunity to help the deputy mininsters to understand Lloydminster a bit better and to consider the challenges and complexities of our day to day operations whether that is City Council managing our City, businesses working in our bi-provincial environment, health and education trying to ensure equitable programs and services for all of the citizens who get those services in Lloydminster and emphasizing the "real" area served by Lloydminster as one city serving regions in two provinces.  I believe the meeting was successful and now we will begin work on phase III which will be to bring the Deputy Ministers from both provinces to Lloydminster for a special Lloydminster focused summit.


Mayor Mulligan, David Fan, Leanne Sauer, Brian McCook and Scott Musgrave in conversation as our team waits for the arrival of the Deputy Ministers.

Business Education Month will be holding a sales and marketing workshop in March. Normally to get this calibre of workshop, you would send your employees out of town for a day or two. What makes this workshop so affordable, is the workshop will be coming to you. For less than $300. you can have your employees attend a first rate workshop, with no extra travel and accomodation costs. Watch the Business Ed Month partner's workshops for more information on this workshop.

The new "Mix and Munch" noon hour networking events will begin in February. They will be held on the 4th Thursday of the month at noon and we look forward to meeting some members who are not able to make it out to the after hours Chamber Connect.

Till next time ......

Pat

Isn't this winter great ....

Wow! Who needs to go south with this kind of weather. Haven't even pulled out the winter boots yet. Sure makes the winter shorter.

The Chamber has been a strong supporter of the Regional Business Accelerator and it looks like they have an interesting workshop coming up - The Inventor's Toolkit, "Navigating to Commercialization"  I talked to Janet last night at the Chamber Connect and she let me know that it wasn't just for brand new inventors, but for those looking to move to the next level as well. January 19th is the date and more information can be had at events@smallbusinessinformation.ca.

The Chamber Connect held at Digital Connections last night was well attended. Troy and his staff were great hosts serving the wine and cheese. Congratulations to Michelle Duzchek on winning the "most frequent attendee" at the Chamber Connect in 2011. Michelle's prize was $500.00 in Chamber bucks to be spent at any one of our 580 Chamber members.

Congratulations as well to the Gold Star Service With A Smile recipients. Kayla Marcy from Fabutan Sun Tan Studio, Melinda Bottorff from Safeway Pharmacy and Vickie Lamb from Marketplace Solution were all recognized for giving exceptional customer service.

Next Tuesday, January 17th we will be hard at work developing the policy resolutions for 2012. Come out to the lunch time event and assist your Chamber to set the policy direction for the next year. Call the Chamber office to register. On Wednesday, January 18th our Community Leaders will be off to Edmonton to meet with the Deputy Minister. In September 2011, the Leaders Group met with the Deputy Minister's in Saskatchewan and Phase 3 will be getting the provincial DM's together in Lloydminster so that our Communnity Leaders can work together with them to solve some of the complex issues that we encounter trying to do business, run an organization or a municipality in this border city of ours.

 Business Education month is in March. There are several good speakers coming to town for both the kick-off event on Feb. 29th, the Women's wrap up event on March 28th and for the workshops in between. The Chamber will hold their annual Labour Standards workshop on March 8th. Stay tuned for the complete line up of events coming soon.

Dabir Naqvi has been working hard with his committee to continue the dialogue on the work done by the Premiers Council on Economic Strategy. A class of business students at the college will also be working with us on this project and we are excited to be meeting with them on Feb. 17th.

Perhaps I will see you out to the   open house at the new Thorpe Recovery Centre tomorrow. It looks impressive from the outside, and I am looking forward to seeing the rest of it. It is exciting that we will have a facility of this kind serving our community and our provinces.

Till next time....
Pat