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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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.
PLEASE NOTE: This week's session, Yes, We're Open for Business (and How to Make Sure Everyone Knows!) presented by Argyle HAS BEEN POSTPONED and will be rescheduled to a later date. Our apologies for any inconvenience.
MORE UPCOMING SESSIONS:
May 6 - Psychological First Aid for Businesses and Employers presented by Alberta Health Services at 10:00 AM REGISTER HERE
To view last week's session, Boost Your Brand with Canva presented by Image Design, please click here.
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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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CHAMBER COFFEE BREAK
The next Grande Prairie & District Chamber of Commerce Chamber Coffee Break for members is Friday, May 7 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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SUSTAINABILITY / ESG: Telling Your Sustainability Story
The Grande Prairie & District Chamber of Commerce would like to once again thank ARC Resources Ltd. for their presentation "Sustainability / ESG: Telling Your Sustainability Story" last week.
We'd like to extend our appreciation to Marie Jurcevic, Taryn Bolder and Cindy Park for their information and discussion.
If you missed the session or would like to review it, please click here for the link to the recording. Use the passcode BX7O#Gq!
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Thank you to everyone who participated in our virtual conversation with Rachel Notley. To see the discussion, please click here and use pass code 6gg&75YR.
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Contact our office for more information on the Partnership Plan:
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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.
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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During the session, President and CEO of Alberta Health Services (AHS), Dr. Verna Yiu, and her team will be sharing the AHS 10-year vision and key priorities for health care in Alberta. Click on the image for registration. |
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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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Our congratulations to Grant Berg Gallery on being named a finalist in the Indigenous Business category for the Alberta Business Awards of Distinction. Our best wishes to all the other finalists as well! |
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Increasing access to Alberta’s rapid testing program
Businesses and service providers that want to access free rapid tests from the Government of Alberta will no longer be required to have a health-care provider oversee their screening program.
Alberta will be working with Alberta Chambers of Commerce to develop a program specifically for chamber members. Details will be available soon.
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Relief for businesses now available
The Small and Medium Enterprise Relaunch Grant program has been reopened for a new payment to businesses affected by the April 2021 public health orders. Eligible organizations can now apply for this additional COVID relief funding.
Application intake for the program is open until May 31 with a budget of $350 million.
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Issues facing Tourism webinar
The Alberta Chambers of Commerce were joined on a webinar last week by three Tourism industry leaders to discuss issues and opportunities for recovery of the industry:
- David McKenna, President of the Banff Jasper Collection
- Alisha Reynolds, Vice President of the Sandman Hotel Group
- Brett Ireland, CEO of Bearhill Brewery
There was great discussion around recommendations for how government can help the industry recovery and drive economic growth for Alberta and the nation.
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Paid COVID-19 vaccination leave
Alberta government has passed legislation that amends the Employment Standards Code to for working Albertans to access paid, job-protected leave to get each COVID-19 vaccine.
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Female founders of Alberta tech companies 50 per cent higher than global average
Alberta has more than 3,000 tech companies and the rate of female founders is 50 per cent higher than the global average. These are two findings in the Alberta Enterprise Corporation’s 2021 Alberta Technology Deal Flow Study that reveals the number of technology companies in the province has more than doubled since 2012.
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Federal budget 2021: Minister Toews
President of Treasury Board and Minister of Finance Travis Toews issued a statement on the federal government’s 2021-22 budget.
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Ken Kobly, Alberta Chambers of Commerce President and CEO commented on Federal Budget 2021 in the ACC statement following the budget being tabled in the House of Commons.
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Share your thoughts on labour protections in Canada before April 30
To ensure that labour protections keep up with the rapid pace of change, the Government has launched an online consultation to better understand:
• the experiences of gig workers in federally regulated sectors, including those who work through digital platforms like delivery or freelance applications; and
• how federally regulated workers could benefit from a “right to disconnect” policy.
The consultation will be open until April 30, 2021.
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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)
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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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VACCINE RESOURCE HUB
The Canadian Chamber of Commerce Vaccine Resource Hub provides businesses with a one-stop-shop to help in building vaccine confidence amongst their team. This includes practical guidance for how employers can speak with their employees about vaccinations.
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WORKPLACE RECOVERY TOOLKIT
The Canadian Chamber of Commerce Workplace Recovery Toolkit includes the latest information and best practices for businesses to operate safely.
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Email info@gpchamber.com|Phone 780-532-5340 | Fax 780-532-2926
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