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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Grande Prairie Regional College will become Alberta’s newest polytechnic, providing residents of the Peace Region access to a broader range of learning and employment opportunities.
This new designation will support the development of a highly skilled and competitive workforce. Polytechnic status enables Grande Prairie Regional College to create programming that will better support students, businesses and local industry – including apprenticeship education, certificate and diploma programs and high-quality degrees.
An official new name for the institution has not yet been chosen but is expected to be announced in the coming months.
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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.
LEVERAGING INSTAGRAM FOR YOUR BUSINESS
Thursday, May 13
10:00-11:00 AM
Presented by nine10 Inc.
Instagram is a powerful tool for your business, but only if you know how to leverage its tools to your advantage. In this workshop, learn about Instagram Stories, Reels, Live Videos, and IGTV and how using these features properly can increase performance and engagement on your content.
MORE UPCOMING SESSIONS:
May 20 - Step Into Mobile Marketing with GetintheLoop presented by GetintheLoop 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, May 28 at 10:00 AM.
These regular virtual networking events 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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Seeking Partners for our Brand-New Information Series: Community Pulse
The Grande Prairie area has a robust and diverse economy. The Community Pulse series is designed to provide updates and insights from a variety of the industries, sectors, and organizations that make up the fabric of our unique and incredible community. Join us for our 12-week series, helping us to share valuable information about our region and the people who make it special. Partnering with the Chamber provides great value in helping members to bring topical information and insightful presentations to the Grande Prairie business community.
We have a variety of partnership opportunities available; contact Cindy for more information by email, cindy@gpchamber.com or call the office 780-532-5340.
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FEATURED CHAMBER MEMBER VALUE ADDED BENEFIT
Our highlighted Chamber Member value added benefit this week is UPS.
Make the most out of your Chamber membership and take advantage of some of the most competitive rates available on shipping services with the UPS Members Benefit Program. We’re excited to share this opportunity with you and enhance our members’ savings through UPS*.
See how you’ll save:
Small Package Services
- 50% off shipments within Canada
- 50% off shipments to the U.S.
- 50% off shipments to worldwide destinations
- 50% off imports into Canada
Freight Services
- Savings start at 75% off heavyweight, LTL (Less-than-Truckload) shipments over 150 lb.
Also Included
- 30% off brokerage entry preparation fees
- FREE Automatic Daily Pickup (Weekly service charge waived)
- FREE UPS On-Call Pickup®
- FREE UPS Access Point® Locations within Canada
- FREE Freight Collect 3rd Party Service (Surcharge waived)
Plus, UPS is committed to providing value that goes beyond cost and on-time delivery. Customized solutions and reliable services for shipping, tracking and billing drive greater efficiency and streamline internal processes.
Put logistics to work for you. You can receive these discounts even if you already have a UPS account. It’s free to sign up and there are no minimum shipping requirements.
*Incentives are based on the daily rates in the UPS Rate and Service Guide. The member understands that actual rates for shipments may vary and be less.
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New Members for Month of March & April:
Dan the Stickman Ltd.
DRL Mechanical Ltd.
Drop the Shop Auto Inc.
Gaelan Sterr Enterprises Ltd.
Gel's Beauty Hub
Grande Prairie Minor Baseball Association
Northern Talent
RBN Supervision Ltd.
Solomon Okhifoh
Surepoint Technologies Group
The Eye Doctors at Grande Banks
Milestone Members:
5 Years
Inland Concrete
Kal Tire (Clairmont)
Red Rock Urban BBQ
Tanks Direct
Teepee Creek Stampede Association
The Jump Yard
United Rentals
10 Years
Fusion Business Solutions Inc.
Rotary Club of Grande Prairie
TMG - The Mortgage Group
15 years
Canadian Natural Resources Ltd.
Factors Western
Fundamental Technologies Ltd.
Tower Oilfield Services Ltd.
20 Years
Geo Con Surveying Ltd.
MLA Travis Toews Grande Prairie-Wapiti Constituency
Toyz Game Emporium Inc.
30 Years
Investors Group Financial Services Inc.
Micro Computers Plus Ltd.
PLEASE NOTE: We no longer mail out your Member Certificate. Members can pick up hard copy at our office or we can email you a digital copy.
Directory Listing Enhancing- email leah@gpchamber.com with your updated contact information, representatives, email addresses, logo, etc.
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Contact our office for more information on the Partnership Plan:
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Downtown construction is progressing east on schedule.
The contractor has completed the installation of new underground pipes at the intersection of 100 Avenue and 100 Street. The intersection is temporarily paved with asphalt until crews return to install the permanent roadway along the entire construction zone later this summer.
Traffic Impact
This past weekend, the intersection of 100 Avenue and 100 Street opened to north, south, and westbound traffic.
Tomorrow, on May 12:
- The intersection of 100 Avenue and 99 Street closes to traffic.
- 100 Avenue between 99 Street and 98 Street closes to traffic and parking, however the east half of the block remains open to local traffic only for those seeking to access the downtown Co-op parking lot.
Visiting Downtown
The City of Grande Prairie encourages residents to continue to support local businesses throughout construction.
- Pedestrian access remains available along 100 Avenue between 100 Street and 98 Street.
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Residents may park for free at one of the parking locations shown on the Downtown Parking Map below and walk to their destination. The map is available for download on the City website.
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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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for more information and to apply!
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Alberta Chamber of Commerce Vaccination Information Session
Alberta Jobs, Economy and Innovation, in partnership with Alberta Health, is pleased to invite Alberta Chambers of Commerce and its members to an information session on Wednesday, May 12 at 5:00 – 6:00 PM.
During the session, Dr. Deena Hinshaw, Alberta’s Chief Medical Officer of Health, and Trish Merrithew-Mercredi, Assistant Deputy Minister, Alberta Health Public Health and Compliance Division will provide an overview of the vaccines that are approved, Alberta’s approach, vaccination program goals and roll out. The aim of this session is to ensure Chamber members have the most up-to-date information and understanding of the overall priorities and processes for vaccination of Albertans.
Please Register in advance for this webinar (Pre-registration closes on May 12 at 2:00 PM):
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New COVID-19 restrictions to stop the spike
On May 5, additional restrictions came into effect for regions with at least 50 cases per 100,000 people, and at least 30 active cases. These restrictions will be in place for at least 3 weeks and will be extended if necessary. Province-wide restrictions remain in effect for all other communities.
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All Albertans 12+ eligible for the COVID-19 vaccine
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SMERG - Spring payment portal is now open
The application portal for the third Small and Medium Enterprise Relaunch Grant (SMERG) is open! SMERG offers financial assistance to Alberta businesses, cooperatives and non-profit organizations with fewer than 500 employees that have faced restrictions or closures due to COVID-related public health orders, and have experienced revenue losses of at least 30 per cent. Hotels, taxis and ride-sharing services are also now eligible for this payment. Eligible organizations will receive a payment of up to $10,000.
Application intake for the program is open until May 31 with a budget of $350 million.
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Creating forestry jobs in Northern Alberta
Norbord Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of West Fraser Timber Co. Ltd., is the successful recipient of 51,000 cubic metres of unallocated deciduous AAC within Forest Management Unit G16, about 70 kilometres northwest of Grande Prairie. Bigstone Cree Nation is the successful recipient of 21,000 cubic metres of unallocated coniferous AAC within Forest Management Unit S22, about 300 kilometres north of Edmonton.
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Bringing the Forests Act into the 21st Century
Changes made to the outdated five-decade-old Forests Act will bolster Alberta’s competitive forest sector by supporting reliable and consistent access to trees. These changes come at a time when North America is experiencing record demand for wood products.
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New rent support for Albertans between jobs
On May 1, Alberta’s government launched a new Temporary Rent Assistance Benefit paid directly to tenants for up to 2 years for eligible Albertans who are below the local income thresholds and are currently employed or have been employed in the last 24 months and are not receiving social assistance.
The Rent Assistance Benefit, formerly the Direct to Tenant Rent Supplement, reopened on April 1. This long-term benefit provides stable support for Albertans with the lowest income across the province.
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Startup Pitch Event – Deadline Approaching!
Time is running out to get your application in for the Inventures 2021 international startup pitch competition, happening September 22-24, live in Calgary. Don’t miss this golden opportunity to get in front of some heavyweight VCs and angel investors!
Pitch finalists will receive free registration to the Inventures conference, access to professional coaching and a chance to WIN $10,000 in funding! Startups will also receive tons of exposure to investors from around the globe.
The submission deadline for Inventures Startup Pitch is May 14, 2021 at 11:59 PM Mountain Time.
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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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What you need to know if your employees use their personal vehicles for work-related travel
The Canada Revenue Agency is hosting a free webinar to help employers calculate, pay, and report automobile allowances for their employees.
Topics to be discussed in the webinar include:
- Definition of automobile allowances
- What is a reasonable per-kilometre allowance?
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Why do you have to complete Form T2200, Declaration of Conditions of Employment?
- Employment expenses your employees can deduct
- How to report these allowances
- When to exclude advances from employee income
- What should your logbook contain
This webinar is for you if you're an employer who:
- provides automobile allowances to your employees
- asks your employees to use their personal vehicles for work-related travel
You’re invited to submit your questions about automobile allowances before the webinar takes place. To do so, please visit the registration website on Monday, May 17, 2021, between 6:00 am EST and 8:00 pm EST. We’ll answer as many questions as we can during the webinar.
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News from the Canadian Chamber of Commerce
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GOVERNMENTS NEED A TRAVEL RESTART STRATEGY NOW
The Canadian Chamber of Commerce issued a statement about resetting plans for travel post-COVID. It is imperative Canadian governments set out their plans for safely restarting travel, including details for how health credentials will be used.
Along with our statement, we outlined key elements that need to be included in any strategy, such as clear metrics for targeted travel restrictions, coherent rules across all modes of transportation and replacing broad quarantine measures with regulations based on a combination of testing, vaccination and other actions to protect public health.
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Managing Mental Health as a Canadian Business Owner during COVID-19, with RBC
Every day should provide you with an opportunity to check in on the well-being of yourself and your employees. With this past week marking Mental Health Week in Canada, it’s a good time for business owners to check in on their own and their employees’ psychological well-being. RBC has outlined four steps business owners can take to manage through this uncertain time.
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Executive Summit: Re-globalization in a Business-led Recovery
May 12 | 10:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. ET | Virtual
Join us on May 12 for our Executive Summit: Re-globalization in a Business-led Recovery, which will bring together government and private sector representatives to discuss how global economic developments are affecting Canadian companies.
This half-day virtual event will explore the global economic landscape, including Canada’s and the U.S.’s place within the changing global environment, along with the role of e-commerce and cross-border data flows in the aftermath of the pandemic.
The Summit will also feature a fireside chat between U.K. Minister for International Trade Ranil Jayawardena and Canadian Chamber President and CEO Perrin Beatty. They will discuss the upcoming Canada-U.K. trade initiatives and the U.K.’s G7 Summit.
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Join Canada’s 5G Revolution, with PwC Canada
May 20 | 1:00 p.m. to 2:00 p.m. ET | Virtual
All industries will feel the effects of the shift to 5G, with the transformation going far wider and deeper than we appreciate. It will become the underlying fabric of an ecosystem of connected intelligent devices capable of overhauling business processes and accelerating innovation, while further blurring industry boundaries.
Right now, there’s a window of opportunity for Canada to more firmly leverage 5G as an investment catalyst. This will require cooperation across government, the telecommunications sector and broader industry. Interested in learning more about how we can collaborate to deliver 5G networks? Join this webinar to find out more about 5G, what it means for industries and how companies can not only understand 5G, but also identify the commercial opportunities.
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Vaccine Resource Hub
While the choice to get vaccinated is ultimately up to individuals, the Canadian Chamber of Commerce new vaccine resource hub’s goal is to equip businesses of all sizes to play their part to get Canada to herd immunity. Consider it a one-stop-shop for vaccine information and resources.
The Canadian Chamber resource page is organized so that the level of information you need is available. You can view:
- Vaccine 101
- Vaccine Distribution
- Business Tips
- Talking to Your Employees
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Email info@gpchamber.com|Phone 780-532-5340 | Fax 780-532-2926
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