Young Professionals meet in Lloydminster ....

May 23, young professionals gathered at The Sticks to network, meet new people and enjoy some appetizers. This second Young Professionals Under 40 gathering, sponsored by the Chamber of Commerce, was a social and professional event open to all young professionals who work in Lloydminster and area. The event connects young professionals to one another and to the Chamber of Commerce and other business resources.  The success of these events determine that more will be held in the future. 

The Chamber of Commerce Golf Tournament is tomorrow at the Lloydminster Golf & Curling Center. This tournament is very popular every year, but this year especially so. We ended up with an overfull tournament and folks on the waiting list. Maybe has something to do with the extra long winter we had. Everyone is anxious to get outdoors and enjoy our world class golf course right here in Lloydminster.  If you were unable to join us for this tournament, be sure to think about coming out to the Nine & Dine which we hold in August at our beautiful rural golf course, Rolling Green. 

I'm off to Drumheller this week for the Alberta Chambers of Commerce Annual Meeting and Policy Session where I will present three policy resolutions on behalf of our Chamber. Highway 17 Upgrades, Physician Development and Ports To Plains Transportation Corridor.  In addition, I will be part of a panel presentation talking about our success in attracting young people to our board and the value and gifts  that our Chamber has received by having so many young people involved. We will also be having a discussion about the Temporary Foreign Worker Program and the recent changes to the program. Alberta Chamber has mobilized the Prairie Caucus to respond to this program that could have devastating effects on western businesses and the entire Canadian economy. 

MP Leon Benoit was in town last Friday to discuss the Hire - A - Vet program with Chamber members.  The Government will act more as a clearing house for this program, rather than put resources behind it to encourage businesses to participate. Mr. Benoit was also asked to answer questions regarding the Temporary Foreign Worker program and went away from the meeting with a very good idea about how it will effect Lloydminster businesses and how strongly apposed Lloydminster businesses are to the withdrawal of the Accelerated LMO as well as the clause to devise a plan to transition to Canadian workers. I asked the question if the government knows if we actually have enough skilled workers to fill the labour shortage. It is my understanding that as baby boomers retire, those who were never born behind us will not be here to pick up the slack. Mr. Benoit stated that there was strong public opinion that the TFWP was being abused and so the changes were a reaction to that. When asked where this public opinion was coming from, a definitive answer was not given.  What's best for Canada ...............  or what's best for the government?  The Lloydminster Chamber has alerted both MP, Gerry Ritz and Mr. Benoit that we are interested in hosting a Consultation meeting here in Lloydminster that we understand the government will undertake over the summer to discuss the TFWP and what needs to be done to make it work better. 

Till next week ...........

Pat

Lloydminster will soon have an addition to its skyline ....

Congratulations to Platinum Corporate member Synergy Credit Union who broke ground this week at the location of their future building on Highway 17. 

The Chamber has been working with the Alberta Chambers of Commerce who have spearheaded a Prairie Caucus response to the changes to the Temporary Foreign Workers program which will affect many or our members. Consultations will be happening over the summer and Lloydminster Chamber has requested a spot as host of one of the consultation sessions. 

Towards the goal of assisting members with the labour shortage in the region, the Chamber will host a noon luncheon with MP Leon Benoit  who will be in the City on May 24th to discuss the Federal Hire a Vet program. This could be one way to fill some of the vacancies. I spoke with Mr. Benoit by phone last night and he said he will be willing to answer questions about the Temporary Foreign Worker program at that time as well.  If you are interested in this event, call the office. 

The Chamber board is pleased to inform members that the two policy resolutions presented at the Saskatchewan Chamber AGM & policy session in the Battlefords last week were approved to go forward to government. The two resolutions titled,  Upgrades to Highway 17 and Physician Development are important to our area and to both the provinces of Saskatchewan and Alberta. I will also present these resolutions at the Alberta Chamber Policy Debate in Drumheller later this month along with a third resolution entitled Ports to Plains Transportation Corridor. If you are interested in reviewing the complete policy document, call the Chamber office. 

Till next time ....

Pat

Breakfast with Honorable Cal Dallas ..

Chamber President Michael Holden with the Honorable Cal
Dallas, minister of International and Intergovernmental Affairs.

Chamber Executive Director with Honorable
Cal Dallas and Honorable Richard
Starke at the breakfast this morning. 

Those who attended the breakfast with Minister Dallas this morning learned a bit more about ways that businesses and companies can get  assistance with expanding into international markets.

Day of mourning recognized ...

Deputy Mayor, Rob Saunders leads the ceremony for the Day of Mourning  remembering those who have lost their life in workplace accidents.

Deputy Mayor Rob Saunders assists with the lowering of the flags at City Hall  to half mast as the attending crowd participated in a moment of silence.




 

Young voices join the conversation about their future.....

Yesterday Chamber staff members Karin Winter and Serena Sjodin worked with Leadership students at LCHS, inviting them to be part of the conversation about their provinces’ futures.

The students received information about the Shaping the Future report and had a chance to give their thoughts about its recommendations for the future.

The purpose of the initiative is to get students thinking about the path to the best possible future for their city and provinces, and to help them understand the power of their voice to bring about change.

Add your voice to the conversation at: www.guidethefuture.net

Under 40 Young Professional event held ..

The first ever Chamber of Commerce Young Professionals Under 40 event took place last night downtown at The Root Community Emporium. About 40 community members from a variety of businesses gathered to meet some new people, share ideas, and network in a casual environment.

Mike Holden, the Vice President of the Chamber of Commerce, greeted those in attendance and drew names for door prizes. Amanda from The Root also addressed those attending and gave an update.

Feedback on the event has been positive and there are plans to host another event of this nature in the spring. For more information about the Young Professional Under 40 event, contact the Chamber office at 780-875-9013

Another event that the Chamber is working hard to get off the ground is the Scotch Doubles curling spiel. Curling is becoming more popular across Canada. You don't need to have curled before or even have any of the required equipment to get involved. Scott Manners, Saskatchewan's representative at the Brier last year will be on hand with some of his curling colleagues to give some instruction prior the the 'spiel starting and/ or to participate in some fun skills activities. 

Till next time .....Pat

The Chamber of Commerce has the best staff in the world. They are usually always upbeat, positive, industrious, creative, hardworking and fun to work with. I was however concerned that on blue Monday last week they might suffer from the lack of sunlight that has been prevalent this year so I asked New Cap Broadcasting to help me keep their spirits high and as usual, New Cap came through,  with coffee, doughnuts and flowers delivered to our office. Thanks Greg and Brad and the rest of the crew at New Cap for all you do for our community.