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.