Thank you for supporting the Grande Prairie & District Chamber of Commerce! This WEEKLY email highlights information and updates from our Chamber, the Alberta and Canadian Chambers of Commerce, our municipal, provincial, and federal government partners, and more.
Be sure to watch for our weekly Member Marketplace newsletter on Thursdays featuring sales, promotions, accomplishments, events, and general awareness of our membership. Email tom@gpchamber.com for info.
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Labour Market Study Highlights Opportunities in the Grande Prairie-Greenview Area
Findings from a regional labour market study providing an in-depth understanding of labour market conditions and identifying current and future gaps in skills, training and workforce development were released last week.
The study covered an area comprised of the City of Grande Prairie, County of Grande Prairie, MD of Greenview and surrounding communities. The Regional Labour Market Needs Assessment was led by the Grande Prairie & District Chamber of Commerce, in partnership with the City, County, Greenview, and Alberta Labour and Immigration.
The partners will use this critical study to further support and plan for a strong and balanced labour force that will sustain current and future economic growth.
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Federal Budget 2021 Webinar – Tax Considerations for Business Owners
The Grande Prairie & District Chamber of Commerce invites you to join MNP for highlights of the 2021 Federal Budget on Tuesday, April 20 at 11:00 AM.
As provinces navigate lockdowns and the roll-out of vaccines nationwide, this year's budget is one of the most widely anticipated and important budgets of our time. This discussion will provide business owners further insight to understand, prepare and navigate the proposed changes. This is the first Federal Budget tabled since the October 2019 Federal Election.
There is no cost to participate but registration is required to receive the Zoom link.
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The Grande Prairie & District Chamber of Commerce and the City of Grande Prairie have teamed up to deliver highly tailored instructional workshops to support current business needs in a virtual series called Serving Up Knowledge. The goal of each session is for business leaders or owners to leave with a skillset or ability to action the topic that is covered.
Our next session is Boost Your Brand with Canva presented by Image Design on Thursday, April 22 at 10:00 AM.
Learn to use the Canva app for easier, faster, marketing solutions that you can do yourself.
No cost to participate but registration is required to receive Zoom link.
MORE UPCOMING SESSIONS:
April 29 - Yes, We're Open for Business (and How to Make Sure Everyone Knows!) presented by Argyle at 10:00 AM REGISTER HERE
May 6 - Psychological First Aid for Businesses and Employers presented by Alberta Health Services at 10:00 AM REGISTER HERE
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CHAMBER COFFEE BREAK
The next Grande Prairie & District Chamber of Commerce Chamber Coffee Break for members is Friday, April 23 at 10:00 AM.
These virtual networking events take place every second Friday and offer an opportunity for our members to meet or reconnect online.
The informal event is intended to be a light-hearted discussion including ice-breaker introductions, questions of the day, and current news topics of interest.
For more information, contact our office by phone at 780-532-5340 or email cindy@gpchamber.com. |
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Alberta’s Future: A Virtual Conversation with Rachel Notley
Our province is in the midst of a generational economic shift as we face the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. As we look ahead to the post-pandemic recovery, it’s time for Albertans to come together to overcome the economic challenges we face as a province. On Tuesday, April 27 at 12:00 PM, join Rachel Notley for a conversation about how we can create a new economic strategy and build a more resilient and diversified economy in Grande Prairie and across the province.
No cost to participate but registration is required to receive the Zoom link.
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Alberta Health Services is hosting a virtual COVID-19 community conversation for North Zone Chambers of Commerce and businesses on Thursday, April 29, 2021 from 3:00-4:30 PM. Following an update by North Zone Medical Officer of Health Dr. Kathryn Koliaska on the status of COVID-19 in Alberta and AHS’ response - including vaccine safety, she and Shane Hussey, North Zone director of environmental public health will answer questions from participants.
Please feel free to submit any questions you may have when you register, or email them to Community.Engagement@ahs.ca with the subject line "North Zone". This will help us to design a presentation that reflects your key concerns.
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The Government of Alberta Ministry of Jobs, Economy and Innovation and the Grande Prairie & District Chamber of Commerce invite you to a virtual presentation of Alberta's Economic Recovery Plan on Tuesday, May 4 at 2:30 PM.
Minister Doug Schweitzer will be speaking on Alberta’s Recovery Plan and the look ahead for our economy. At a high level, the Minister will address Alberta's plan to grow our existing sectors and expand into new industries. Additionally, the Minister will discuss the government's plan to attract investment to Alberta and support a strong economy post-pandemic. For more information, see https://www.alberta.ca/assets/documents/alberta-recovery-plan.pdf .
There's no cost to participate but registration is required to receive the Zoom link. REGISTER HERE
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Contact our office for more information on the Partnership Plan:
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The Edmonton Chamber of Commerce is offering the Edmonton Trade Accelerator Program (TAP) to businesses in Grande Prairie. TAP familiarizes participants with exporting resources to support the development of a customized export plan with the mentorship of industry experts.
More than 60% of Edmonton graduates are actively exporting to international markets and have experienced an average revenue growth of 24% one year after completing the program. Over $1.7 billion in export revenue has been generated nation wide by TAP graduates one year post-graduation.
We are in the process of recruiting candidates for the Grande Prairie session starting on May 10. If your company is interested in joining the program, we highly encourage you to apply today as registration closes April 26.
If you have any questions, please reach out to John Gerum at the Edmonton Chamber of Commerce at jgerum@edmontonchamber.com or 780.409.2128. You can also visit the Edmonton TAP website which lists the eligibility criteria as well as alternate dates at www.edmontonchamber.com/TAP.
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Family and Community Support Services (FCSS) Hosting Free Drive-In Movie Event to Honor Local Volunteers
Area municipalities are showing their appreciation to volunteers in the community with a free drive-in movie event on April 23 and 24 brought to you by their Family and Community Support Services (FCSS) departments.
The event is open to all residents in the region who have volunteered in some capacity at any organization over the past year. Volunteers can register for their ticket at https://www.eventbrite.ca/o/grande-sunset-theatre-8487141008. Registration is free and only requires indicating which organization(s) the attendee has volunteered for.
The event is being screened at dusk at Evergreen Park’s Grande Sunset Theatre and features the movies Hotel For Dogs and Instant Family. Gates open at 9 p.m. and movies begin at 9:30 p.m.
Limited tickets are available.
Volunteers are welcome to bring their families with them, however as it is a drive-in movie event, there is a restriction of seatbelt capacity per vehicle and attendees must remain in their cars during the movies.
A food truck will be on site or volunteers may bring their own snacks. Volunteers must watch the film from their trucks. They can leave for washroom and to purchase food.
FCSS teams in the City, County, Beaverlodge, Wembley, Sexsmith, Hythe, and Municipal District of Greenview are proud to collaborate on this appreciation event to thank volunteers for continued efforts to make communities in the region better places to live.
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County of Grande Prairie Business Support Network
presents Todd Hirsch: Four Economic Rules to Unlearn - and what it means for Alberta in 2021
Please join the County of Grande Prairie Business Support Network on May 4, 2021 for guest speaker, Todd Hirsch, Vice-President and Chief Economist for ATB, as he talks about Four Economic Rules to Unlearn... and what it means for Alberta in 2021. REGISTER HERE
As with most things in life, economic dogma is full of "truths" that many of us accept unconditionally. But as we move through the pandemic, some of our old ways of thinking about the economy need to be challenged. What does this mean for Alberta in the second half of 2021? And what can we expect next?
CGPBSN partners: Community Futures Grande Prairie, County of Grande Prairie, Grande Prairie & District Chamber of Commerce, Grande Prairie Regional College, Grande Prairie Regional Tourism, Peace Wapiti School Division, TLR Enterprises, Western Cree Tribal Council.
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Pilot Project - Service Excellence Blue Pin Program
The County of Grande Prairie Business Support Network is excited to offer a brand-new customer service certification program through Grande Prairie Regional College.
Customer service in your business is a major factor in keeping loyal staff who enjoy their work. During these exception economic times, having the staff who excel at customer service may mean the difference between keeping repeat customers and closing the doors on your business.
The Service Excellence Blue Pin Certificate is an employee retention strategy that focuses on training and customer service skills to front line professionals, management and supervisory staff. Providing the tools to your staff to provide exceptional customer service helps your workforce perform as a team and give awesome experiences to customers.
Participants will receive a certificate and lapel pin to signify completion of this program and participating businesses will receive door signage showing involvement in this customer service excellence program.
Funding for 100 participants (75 front line, 25 managerial/supervisory) is available through the County of Grande Prairie Business Support Network (BSN) for Employers looking to certify their Front Line and/or Management Staff and for unemployed or underemployed Albertans looking to further enhance their customer service career opportunities by completing the entire Customer Service Excellence Blue Pin program.
Funding for the certification program is made possible by grant funding from Alberta Labour and Immigration and the Destination Marketing Fund.
Please note that in an effort to support businesses of all sizes, larger organizations may be limited to the number of employees eligible for funding.
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Do you want to help recharge first responders, essential workers and volunteers in your community in under a minute at no cost to anyone?
On April 21, 2021, the Invest In You Today team is doing a 100% free Virtual Excellence Summit for essential workers, first responders and volunteers. You are invited to take one minute to share the link to this learning experience with the essential workers, first responders and volunteers in your world.
Together, we can help recharge up to 1,000 first responders, essential workers and volunteers on April 21, 2021!
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Are your leaders performing at their best or could they use some new tools to lead more effectively in the 2021 hybrid normal?
From the team that brought you the ACC Disney Excellence Summit…next month we bring you:
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The #1 Business In Leadership Training
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The World’s Most Influential Leadership Expert's Top Trainer
Investing in leadership skills is paramount to your personal and company’s success.
Recharge your leadership for every area of your life at less than $1 per work day. This special event at this price will not happen again. Over 68% sold out.
If you are a restaurant or gym owner and/or restaurant or gym employee in our community - your May 4-6 Leadership Excellence Summit Ticket is ON US. 'Be Our Guest' Disney Style.
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ACC issues letter to Premier Kenney in response to latest provincial health measures
The Alberta Chambers of Commerce sent a letter to Premier Jason Kenney and all UCP caucus members. The letter requests an immediate meeting with the premier to discuss the government's decision-making process and data around public health orders.
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More COVID recovery aid for Alberta’s small businesses
Alberta’s government is expanding the small business relaunch grant to put more money in the hands of job creators when they need it to survive the end of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Alberta government is offering small businesses affected by the most recent public health orders another payment of up to $10,000 from the Small and Medium Enterprise Relaunch Grant.
Alberta businesses affected by the latest public health orders will be eligible to apply for another payment in the second half of April. This additional payment will also be available to new businesses that began operating between March 1, 2020 and March 31, 2021, as well as hotels, taxis and ride-sharing services.
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Save The Date:
Tourism Webinar in partnership with ATB and MNP
April 22, 2021 @ 3 pm MDT
Join us on April 22 at 3 pm MDT for an Alberta Chambers of Commerce-hosted Tourism Webinar, presented in partnership with ATB and MNP.
With economic uncertainty continuing in Alberta, ATB and MNP have partnered to create a comprehensive content series aimed at deepening insights around the challenges and opportunities of post-pandemic recovery first discussed at The Alberta Economic Recovery Summit.
This ACC-hosted webinar will focus on Alberta's tourism sector and will feature a panel of industry experts. More details to follow!
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Webinar invitation: GST/HST registration
What you need to know if you provide taxable goods and services
The Canada Revenue Agency is hosting a free webinar to help businesses determine when and how to register for a GST/HST account. Topics to be discussed in the webinar include:
- what GST/HST is
- provincial and territorial GST/HST rates
- who needs to have a GST/HST account and how to get one
- taxable supplies
- GST/HST obligations
- GST/HST returns, filing deadlines, and payments due dates
This webinar is for you if you’re a:
- business owner
- self-employed individual
The webinar is on Wednesday, April 28, 2021, at 8:00 AM in French (Register now) and at 11:00 AM in English (Register now)
You’re also invited to submit your questions about GST/HST registration before the webinar takes place. To do so, please visit the registration website on Monday, April 19, 2021, between 6:00 am EST and 8:00 pm EDT. We’ll answer as many questions as we can during the webinar.
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OHS Code review engagement: Minister Copping
Minister of Labour and Immigration Jason Copping issued a statement on the public engagement for the Occupational Health and Safety Code (OHS Code) review. Albertans are encouraged provide their input through an online survey, which is open until May 10.
New resources:
Updated resources:
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Engaging with Albertans on a modern coal policy
Alberta has appointed an independent committee to lead a comprehensive public engagement to inform the development of a modern coal policy. Albertans are invited to share their thoughts in an initial survey. The survey is available online and will be open until April 19.
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Free webinars offered by Employment Standards
Webinar Date & Time:
Wednesday, April 14: 10 – 11 AM
- Overview of employment standards, with a focus on general holiday pay changes, and vacation pay
Each webinar includes a live Q&A chat session to give participants a chance to ask questions to employment standards education specialists.
If you are unable to attend a live webinar, you can find recorded webinars online.
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Tax information for northern residents
April 9, 2021 | Ottawa, ON | Canada Revenue Agency
If you live or operate a business in the north, you may be able to receive benefits and credits by filing your income tax and benefit return.
Most Canadian income tax and benefit returns for 2020 are due on April 30, 2021, and the deadline to pay any balance due for individual income tax returns is also April 30th. Self-employed individuals and their spouse or common-law partner have until June 15, 2021 to file their return, but must pay any amounts owing by April 30, 2021. Filing your return on time every year allows the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) to determine if you’re eligible to receive certain benefit and credit payments.
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COVID-19 and Industry: A Conversation with the President of the Public Health Agency of Canada
April 20 | 3:00 p.m. to 3:45 p.m. ET | Virtual
Please join Canadian Chamber of Commerce President and CEO, Perrin Beatty, and the President of the Public Health Agency of Canada, Iain Stewart, for a fireside chat and live Q&A on the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
The Government of Canada recognizes the important role industry has played during the pandemic and the opportunities for partnerships between governments and industry in the pandemic response.
Topics to be discussed will include vaccination, return to work, borders and other emerging issues. Participants will have an opportunity to ask questions during the live Q&A portion.
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COVID-19 and Your Business
Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada wants to help ensure businesses have the latest and most relevant Government of Canada information on vaccines, financial supports and COVID-19 safety in the workplace, including workplace testing. We encourage you to check out the links to government resources included here and to share this with your network and employees.
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Email info@gpchamber.com|Phone 780-532-5340 | Fax 780-532-2926
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