Happy New Year from the Chamber

It's time to wind down a little and for the board & staff at the Chamber to take some R & R. It's been a busy year.
* Began active participation in the Lloydminster Business Incubator project
* Planning started for Business Education Month 2011- Monthly meetings
* Participation  in LEDA
* Monthly participation in Drug Strategy Committee
* Participation in the Canadian Chamber Executive Committee
* Monthly business mixers
* Partnership with RCMP to provide buisness security workshops
* Political Action Committee meets monthly and develops policy resolutions
* Attended Farm Credit Canada luncheon & brought greetings
* Nominated local business to Alberta Awards of Distinction
* Particpated in EARN breakfasts
* Coordinated  two Community Leaders Meetings
* Attended APEGGA Annual Meeting & Dinner
* Participated in Canadian Chamber conference calls
* Particpated in Alberta Chamber Political Action committee meetings
* Participated in provincial and federal budget input meetings via conference call
* Hosted luncheon with MInister Cheveldayoff
* Participated in Lakeland College awards night
* Attended Leckie & Assoc. 25th Anniversary
* Coordinated two Labour Standards workshops
* Particpated in the Youth Centre strategic planning session
* Participated in Sask Tourism Ready to Work program lunches both spring and fall sessions
* Coordinated an MP's luncheon
* Operated the Travel Alberta Centre from May long week-end to Sept long week-end
* Attended the Saskachewan Chamber and Alberta Chamber AGM & spring conferences & presented
   policy resolutoins
* Attended HUB workshop in Lac La Biche
* Participated in the Lloydminster parade
* Attended Servus Credit Union member appreciation night
* Attended retirement evening for Bill Kondro
* Coordinated a very successful golf tournament
* Did the management & administration for Streetscapes Co. the downtown business district
* Attended Husky Oil open house
* Attended Community Futures AGM
* Attended budget breakfast with MLA Lloyd Snelgrove
* Attended Interval Home AGM
* Partnered with Rotary to bring in several speakers
* Met with and supported through advertising the Sure Shot III movie
* Particpated in the Lakeland College student welcome barbecue with LEDA & Century 21
* Met with the County of Vermilion River, RM of Britannia & RM of Wilton.
* Attended the Canadian Chamber AGM & Conference & presented our policy resolution
* Attended the Immigration Gateway Open House
* Attended Alberta Chamber roundtable in St. Paul
* Presented business awards in 10 categories at the Business Week gala
* Coordinated a very successful Christmas Trade Show
* Made presentation to the Hotel/Motel Assoc.
* Coordinated a Chamber strat planning session
* Awarded four scholarships to deserving students
* Participated in three Emergency Services Luncheons
* Hosted the MLA/MP dinner with the Community Leaders Group
* Fielded over 3000 calls and made referrals to buinesses, events, organizations, and provided info
* Welcomed over 800 visitors to the office and provided information and referrals
* Manaaged the common areas of the Community Services Centre and provided sevices to over 30 non   
   profit organizations.
* President & members participated in a business trip to China
* Promoted and supported Lloydjobs.com
* Provided a web presence on http://www.lloydminsterchamber.com/ for 550 members
* Produced and distributed an e-newletter twice per month providing advertising opportunities to members
* Provided networking opportunities, support, & referrals to members

Wow! this is just a few of the things the Chamber has been busy at over the year. Your Chamber works for you every day. Being a Chamber member is just good business.

To comment on this blog, set up an account with google and comment away.

Till next year,
Pat

Merry Christmas to All

Well this is my first attempt at blogging. Thank-you to our slightly younger staff for assisting me to get this set up. I hope that this can be an effective communication tool to keep our members more fully informed about the work that the Chamber is doing in our community & region.

The Political Action Committee (PAC), lead each year by our Vice President, (2010-Kevin Lundell) works very hard at determining what the policy direction will be for our Chamber. We have a very active and contributing PAC with lively discussions and debates. This committee is also responsible for ensuring that our government leaders are invited to participate in our discussions a couple of times a year.

The Community Leaders Group has been meeting under the coordination of the Chamber for the past two years. This group made up of Senior Management & Elected officials from Prairie North Health Region, Lloydminster Public School Division, Lloydminster Catholic School Division, Lakeland College, City of Lloydminster and Chamber of Commerce meets to discuss the challenges that we face in our community, offer supportive input, and brain storm solutions.

A very successful Leaders Dinner was held with our two MP's, Gerry Ritz & Leon Benoit & our two MLA's Tim McMillan & Lloyd Snelgrove in early December.  Having our provincial and federal leaders in the room with our local leaders served to provide an opportunity for our community leaders to have a frank and open discussion about some of the special challenges that Lloydminster faces, and to offer some suggestions about how our government officials might assist us to resolve some of the issues.

The Lloydminster Chamber of Commerce applauds the federal government after the recent announcement by Minister of Agriculture, the Honorable Gerry Ritz that the Government of Canada will invest up to $3 million for a series of pilot projects that will investigate and help better position provincial meat processors to move their safe, high quality product across the country while keeping with Canada's high federal food safety standards.

Since 2005, the Lloydminster Chamber has been encouraging the federal government through 5 different resolutions, to promote a common sense approach to cross border movement of food products and in particular meat, especially in Lloydminster.

In 2005 the first resolution entitled “Promoting Interprovincial Trade in Meat Products” was presented to the federal government as well as one entitled “Accommodating the sale of Alberta & Saskatchewan food products within Lloydminster.”  In 2007 the resolution entitled “Enhanced Domestic Markets for Agricultural Products” was first introduced and was re-introduced in 2010. 2008 saw a policy resolution on “Reducing Barriers to Interprovincial Trade” brought before the federal government and in 2009 a resolution on “Meat Inspection and Food Safety Standards” was presented. All of these resolutions, authored and approved locally, and then promoted up through the Canadian Chamber, all spoke to the need to be able to move products freely across the border.

“It affects so many areas of our commerce and community” said Pat Tenney, Chamber of Commerce Executive Director. “Alberta producers weren’t allowed to sell their Alberta slaughtered chickens at a Saskatchewan farmer’s market. Saskatchewan Elk or buffalo producers couldn’t sell their Saskatchewan processed jerky at an Alberta farmer’s market … so Lloydminster has two Farmer’s Markets, one on the Alberta side and one on the Saskatchewan side.  This is just one small example, but is typical of this resilient and innovative community and region that has had to find ways to continue to do business in spite of the restrictions.

Our local Chamber was also part of the hearings that met in Saskatoon to look at the possibility of Saskatchewan entering the trade agreement with Alberta & BC. Tenney stated. “After all, where else in Canada would you find a community that lives this issue everyday of our lives.” We thank our MP’s Gerry Ritz & Leon Benoit for the work that they have done to move this agenda forward and to MLA’s Lloyd Snelgrove and Tim MacMillan who talk our border talk when we can’t be there to present it ourselves.  The Chamber looks forward to the results of the pilot projects that should go a long way to standardizing new inspection procedures that will make our meat processing plants the best in the world. 

This is rather a long first blog. I am excited about the work that the Chamber does in and for our community. If you would like to get involved, just give me a call.