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