This week brings some winter weather to our area and an increased focus on our Shop Local Brantford-Brant program. We are also pleased to welcome Nathan Blackmore, a student at Assumption College School in Brantford, as our high school co-op student this fall. Nathan will be working on some financial literacy projects, which will likely require some member outreach in areas of financial planning and cost of living research. He will be helping with some back-of-house efficiencies and technology recommendations as well.

Staff are excited to present the 15^th annual Wine, Women, and Shopping event on Wednesday, November 24^th and are finalizing plans for the Annual Open House at the Rope Factory Event Hall on Tuesday, December 7^th from 5:00-8:00 p.m, featuring Shaun Mulrain and multiple door prizes and delicious food from our membership. Be sure to plan to drop in, under up-to-date safety protocols.

Have a warm week, and see you soon.

Thank you,

for our Annual Women in Business - Wine, Women, and Shopping event being held Wed. Nov. 24^th at the Best Western.

A huge shout out to BMO as our Lead Sponsor.

Our Entertainment sponsors include Brant Regional Real Estate Association, Enterprise Brant, Lynden Park Mall, Millards, and Seasons Brantford Retirement Community. Thanks to them, we have the privilege of being entertained by Brantford’s own Graham Chittenden.

Helping us celebrate our 15^th Anniversary are the following vendors:

We look forward to seeing you!

There is nothing better than the ability to tell your video story, so why not take advantage of the Shop Local program? We are offering short professionally shot and edited videos to tell your story. It won't take much of your time at around one hour per shoot. Spots are limited and first-come, first-served - so schedule yours today!

Please contact [email protected] to schedule your video shoot.

The Chamber of Commerce Brantford-Brant is hosting a testimonial contest where participants can shout-out their favourite local business for a chance to WIN a $100 gift card to local restaurants like Devlin's Country Bistro and Catering, Hudson Public, Sociable Kitchen and Tavern, Big Smoke Burger, and Mercasa Little Italy Eatery.

Contestants will be entered to win a prize each time their testimonial is published to our social media platforms. If YOUR business receives a shout-out, we will publish a paid social media post about your business to get your name out there!

To submit a testimonial, head to our website. For any additional information, please contact [email protected].

While Canada’s pre-pandemic federal debt hovered at around 40% of GDP, it has surged due to pandemic spending, exceeding 60% by early 2021. This debt will have long-term consequences for our economic agility and our nation’s next generation.

Finding alternatives to raising taxes is not easy, but it will limit the financial distress faced by households and businesses as we enter a period of economic recovery. Government of all levels must look for bold and creative solutions to our nation’s debt by, for instance, addressing lost tax revenues from illegal markets.

Illegal markets are a substantial source of lost tax revenue for Ontario and its municipalities. Contraband tobacco alone results in $750 million per year in lost revenue for the province. Meanwhile, Ontario’s illegal cannabis market still accounts for over half of household spending on cannabis three years after legalization. This represents both an economic loss and a public health concern. Untaxed economic activity is also prevalent in the lottery and gaming sector and in industries where cash transactions are common such as automotive repairs and construction.

Join us for an exciting panel conversation on why governments must seize the opportunity now to tackle Canada’s underground economy to support economic recovery and growth!

Desjardins is providing 150 grants of $20,000 to locally owned and operated small businesses across Canada.

This grant is for businesses with between 1 to 50 employees that have been registered for at least one year.

For further eligibility requirements, click here.

To apply for a grant, click here.

Northern College’s Food Service Worker program. This incredible 210 hour course is FREE, flexible online anytime learning. Individuals who do the course get their food handling certificate. The next cohort is starting Dec 13, and anyone interested in taking it or wanting to refer people can reach out to us at [email protected]