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December is here! As the holiday season rolls in we want to send you our best wishes along with a final update for the year.
Please be advised of our
Holiday Office Hours
:
Dec 23 .................. Open 8:30 am - 12:00 pm
Dec 26-30 ............. Closed
Jan 2 ..................... Closed
Jan 3 ..................... Open 8:30 am - 4:30 pm
*During our office closure you can reach the Payment Issue Hotline at 250.469.7353.
There has been talk in the community concerning
Interior Health's initiative on introducing a Safe Injection Site located on Leon Avenue downtown. We support the Downtown Kelowna Association's stance on the issue.
Read our media release here.
In other news, as we near the end of the year it's time to think about membership renewal. Pay your membership dues by
midnight December 31, 2016
and be automatically entered into a draw for you and up to 19 of your co-workers to attend our All-Inclusive Ski Day at Silver Star Mountain Resort!
We are excited to tell you about three special events on the calendar for January:
- Our All-Inclusive Ski Day, graciously hosted by Silver Star Mountain Resort
- Women of Wine Luncheon. Men and women are invited to attend a Kelowna Yacht Club dining experience, moderated discussion and tastings.
- The Business & Food Sector Outlook Workshop, hosted by the Conference Board of Canada, bringing you an in-depth look at the economic conditions in our region.
Before we wrap up events for 2016, we invite everyone to attend our final event of the year,
Commerce ConneX, generously hosted by
THE KEG Kelowna
THIS EVENING
, December 8th, from 5-7 pm.
Best Regards,
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November's New Members
Click on each one to learn more about our newest members!
November's Member Upgrades
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Members' in the News
Recognizing our Members' good news
- Congratulations to several of our members on being nominated for this year's Small Business BC Awards! These members are: Accelerate Okanagan, Central, Cryo Care, Fermented Dining, Greenstep Solutions Inc., Infuse I.T., Mint Magazine, MOGA Moms, Okanagan co+Lab - Kelowna Coworking Space, Okanagan Mobile Hearing Services Inc., Rambow Mechancial LTd., and Volinpsire. Winners will be announced shortly.
- A new Bloomberg TV show, Biz 1 on 1 with Randy Lennon, is in town involving several of our members! Congrats to Steve Harvey of Business Finders Canada, Gene Bernier of Cheeky Monkey Media and A.J. Hassi of Vantage West Realty who will be sharing their knowledge and expertise on business. The show will begin airing in January 2017.
- The Stone Sisters Group who have been included in Real Estate Professional Magazine's Top Teams list, recognizing 100 of the best real estate teams that are excelling in the industry!
- Both MNP and Paradigm Mortgage Corporation took home honours for working to be mentally healthy workplaces at the CMHA Kelowna Annual Mental Health Voices Awards Breakfast held November 28, 2016.
Congrats to all!
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Have Your Say in Our Communities Vision
Imagine Kelowna
The first phase of
Imagine Kelowna
, an initiative to build a new, long-term strategic community
vision, is coming to a close.
There's still time to get involved in
shaping Kelowna's future. Here are five ways you can participate:
-
Host a conversation
. Organizations, non-profit groups and clubs are invited to take part in hosting their own visioning session and submitting results online.
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Have your say online
. Complete the online submission form, post an idea wall or use the hashtag #imaginekelowna.
- Read the blog series to hear what community leaders are saying.
- Attend an event, such as On Point Series #4: Getting Unstuck hosted by Urban Systems.
- Spread the word. All residents are encouraged to share information about this initiative with their contacts.
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Commission on Tax Competitiveness
Provincial Commission on Tax Competitiveness echoes BC Chamber recommendations
The BC Chamber of Commerce is pleased to see its recommendations included in a new report by the independent Commission on Tax Competitiveness. This report is
calling for provincial tax changes that could help B.C. businesses be more competitive, increase investment and enhance B.C.'s standard of living.
The final report makes four recommendations on improving B.C.'s Tax Competitiveness
:
- Exempt business capital expenditure, including machinery and equipment, from PST in the short-term.
- Exempt business use of electricity and other energy, software and telecommunications services from PST when there is fiscal capacity to do so.
 In the long-term, engage the public in a process to consider and design a made-in-B.C. Value Added Tax.
- Introduce a framework within which major investors and municipalities can negotiate long-term property tax arrangements to increase certainty in the short-term.
To read more, visit:
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Cut Hiring Costs Over the Holidays
BC FundCONNECT offers hiring incentive
Thinking of hiring before the New Year? Sign up for the
Get Youth Working! Program
to save
hiring costs.
Hire a youth age 29 or under before the end of
December to take
advantage of
the $2,800 hiring incentive and up to $1,000 to purchase training for your new hire.
If you have the perfect candidate in mind or are still in the hiring process find out now if your business is eligible.
Complete this short Employer Application Form and BC FundCONNECT will confirm your eligibility.
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TONIGHT
Commerce ConneX
@ THE KEG
Our monthly networking reception has a new name! Join us
TONIGHT for a festive evening hosted by
THE KEG Kelowna.
Thursday December 8th
5:00 to 7:00 p.m.
1825 Underhill Street
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Early Membership Renewal Contest
Pay your membership dues by 12 am December 31,2016 and be automatically entered into a draw for you and up to 19 of your co-workers to attend the All-Inclusive Ski Day at Silver Star Mountain Resort.
Deadline: 31 December 2016
12:00 a.m.
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Luncheon:
Women of Wine Panel
Join us for this unique luncheon where three women leaders in the wine industry - Ann Sperling, Elaine Triggs and Sandra Oldfield - will engage in discussion moderated by John Schreiner about their varied roles and outlook of their businesses. Tastings from their respective wineries to follow.
Tuesday
January 24th
11:45 to 1:30 p.m.
Kelowna Yacht Club
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IT'S BACK!
All-Inclusive Ski Day @ Silver Star Mountain Res
ort
Back by popular demand; but this time with a new host and a new mountain resort experience for members!
Wednesday January 25th
11:45 a.m. to 6:30 p.m.
Silver Star Mountain Resort
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Luncheon:
Mayor Basran on the
State of the City
Kelowna has seen significant growth, change and innovation, both in business and in the way we communicate with each other, under the leadership of Mayor Basran. Attend this annual event to hear his address.
Wednesday February 8th
11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.
Coast Capri
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Workshop:
Western Business & Food Sector Outlook
In partnership with the Conference Board of Canada, the Kelowna Chamber of Commerce invites you for an informative morning session at the Coast Capri Hotel where one of Canada's renowned economists gives attendees the opportunity to take a deep dive into the numbers that continue to drive the Kelowna and BC economy for 2017 and beyond.
Thursday January 26th
8:00 am - 12:15pm
Coast Capri
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Call for Nominations
If you or someone you admire is OVER 40 and should be recognized for their great works, drop us a line and nominate them to be featured on the front page of the Business Section of an edition of the Daily Courier, a monthly feature in Kelowna Now, as well a mention on the AM1150 morning show. This is your chance to spread the word about your business and good works in the community!
Nominations Close:
Monday, January 30th
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