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, and our municipal, provincial, and federal government partners.
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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We've teamed up with the City of Grande Prairie to deliver a series of free instructional workshops to support current business needs.
The goal of each session is to cover a specific topic in detail which will allow businesses to leave with a skillset or ability to action the content covered.
The first five sessions in the series will focus on supporting businesses’ digital goals in marketing, photography, and cyber security and include:
• Product Photography Tips & Tricks - Chris Beauchamp
Thursday, January 28 – 10:00 a.m.
• Google My Business - nine10
Thursday, February 4 – 3:00 p.m.
• Cyber Security - Tertius Genis
Thursday, February 11 – 10:00 a.m.
• Facebook Newsfeed Optimization - nine10
Thursday, February 28 – 3:00 p.m.
• Food Photography 101 - Chris Beauchamp
Thursday, March 4 – 10:00 a.m.
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The Grande Prairie & District Chamber of Commerce invites you to attend a Chamber Group Plan information session on Wednesday, January 27, 2021 from 10:00-11:00 AM. The event will be virtual. All registered participants will receive a Zoom link to access.
Representatives from the Chamber of Commerce and Canwest Group Benefit Consultants will be on hand to answer questions about our Group Insurance Plan. NO PURCHASE REQUIRED! This is an information session for Members and anyone interested in joining the Chamber.
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GetintheLoop is the fastest growing franchise in Canada and has the largest network of local merchant offers in the country; a professional platform serving hundreds of thousands of members, all while empowering small business owners with simple and affordable tools to make their local marketing efforts easier and more effective.
Our Chamber invites all businesses in our area to become partners as a part of your recovery efforts and experience firsthand how it can work for you. Chamber Members receive preferred pricing on the monthly subscription rate. Join as a partner and start creating your offers now! https://www.grandeprairiechamber.com/getintheloop/
We encourage everyone to download the free app to start accessing our partners' offers on GetintheLoop and we look forward to working with our Member businesses who will benefit from this platform.
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Third and final round of digital marketing training open for applications
The hands-on and in-depth digital marketing training program developed by local partners is now accepting applications for its third and final cohort. The program will assist eligible businesses in the Grande Prairie area impacted by COVID-19 in the development and execution of their own digital marketing strategies.
Earlier this year the City of Grande Prairie, County of Grande Prairie, Grande Prairie & District Chamber of Commerce, and Community Futures Grande Prairie and Region partnered with nine10 to develop and deliver a Digital Marketing Training program. The program equips businesses with knowledge and practical training in digital content strategy, web design tools, social media, and search engine optimization.
Businesses accepted into the first two cohorts represent various sectors, including accounting, mechanical repair, retail, personal care & health services, construction, food & beverage, and oil & gas service.
The third cohort will be hosted in a virtual format to comply with provincial health measures and allow delivery to begin as soon as possible with minimal disruption. A series of tools and platforms will be utilized to ensure the experiential and hands on nature of the training is translated into the digital format.
Due to the experiential and hands on format of the training, space is limited. Applications for the program will be accepted until January 22. Successful applicants will be notified by January 27 with training running from February 8 to March 31.
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EXPLORE INNOVATE GROW
Join Growing the North's VIRTUAL Economic Development Conference
February 16, 17, 18, 2021.
The Growing the North Conference is an annual event organized and hosted by the following partners:
- City of Grande Prairie
- County of Grande Prairie
- Community Futures Grande Prairie & Region
- Farm Credit Canada
- Grande Prairie & District Chamber of Commerce
- Grande Prairie Regional College
- Grande Prairie Regional Innovation Network
- Grande Prairie Regional Tourism Association
- Municipal District of Greenview
THANK YOU TO OUR SPONSORS TO DATE:
PLATINUM: Grande Prairie Regional Innovation Network
GOLD: Aquatera
Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers
Farm Credit Canada
Municipal District of Greenview
Nauticol
SILVER: International Paper
BRONZE: BDC
Edmonton Chamber of Commerce
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Nominations Now Open for 2021 Women of Influence Awards
The Women of Influence Awards were created to commemorate International Women’s Day in Grande Prairie. The 2021 theme is #ChooseToChallenge. It is a call-to-action to challenge and call out gender bias, discrimination and stereotyping and seek out and celebrate women’s achievements. These awards are a way to celebrate women’s achievements and promote equal opportunity for all.
To make a nomination, please fill out and submit the nomination form at cityofgp.com/womenofinfluence. Nominations are being accepted until Monday, February 15, 2021.
This year's reception will be held virtually via Zoom on March 5, 2021 from 12:00 p.m.- 1:00 p.m. Register for the free event in advance at cityofgp.com/womenofinfluence. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.
Stay tuned on our social pages for a guest speaker announcement in February!
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County of Grande Prairie Business Support Network presents Disney's Approach to Business Excellence
The County of Grande Prairie Business Support Network is pleased to announce that Disney Institute will be offering an exclusive 5-hour Disney’s Approach to Business Excellence live online course on February 3 at 10 AM.
Presented live online by Disney Institute leaders, Disney’s Approach to Business Excellence offers the opportunity to build knowledge and discover proven Disney business insights from their chain of excellence. The presentation will include Disney best practices in leadership excellence, employee engagement and quality service that can be adapted and applied to your own profession, team or organization to achieve greater results.
If numbers are insufficient by January 21, the event will be postponed so please don't hesitate or delay in registering!
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Letter to Prime Minister: Enbridge Line 5
The ACC issued a letter to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau in support of the continued operation of Enbridge's Line 5 pipeline.
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Limited provincewide changes to public health measures
While indoor gatherings remain prohibited, up to 10 people will be allowed at outdoor social gatherings. Personal and wellness services will be allowed to open by appointment only. Funeral ceremony attendance will be increased to 20 people, with mandatory masking and two metre physical distancing. Funeral receptions are still not allowed.
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COVID-19 UPDATE FOR BUSINESSES
New businesses that began operations between March 1 and October 31, 2020 that meet the updated 30% threshold can now apply for the Small and Medium Enterprise Relaunch Grant starting February 4, 2021. Businesses may be eligible for up to $15,000 in support.
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Alberta Urban Municipalities Association Webinar with Alberta, Sherwood Park and Grande Prairie
Chambers of Commerce
Alberta Urban Municipalities Association (AUMA)'s Webinar – Trends, examples and lessons learned - Streamlining local governments – is rescheduled to Thursday, January 21, 2021.
Join speakers, including representatives of the Alberta, Sherwood Park, and Grande Prairie chambers of commerce, to discuss collaboration between chambers and municipalities to support local businesses and create jobs.
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ABAD 2021 nominations and submissions now open!
Alberta businesses deserve celebrating, especially after the challenges so many of our local businesses have faced this year.
Show your appreciation for your favourite Alberta businesses by nominating them for the 2021 Alberta Business Awards of Distinction in one or more of this year's 13 categories:
The closing date for nominations and submissions is February 14, 2021. Finalists will be announced Spring 2021.
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FAQ on Claiming Work-from-home Expenses
The Canadian Payroll Association, has made a Q&A document available for download that answers commonly asked questions about the simplified process for claiming workspace-in-the-home expenses on your 2020 tax return.
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Applications for Canada Summer Jobs now open
The employer application period for the 2021 Canada Summer Jobs (CSJ) program is now open. Applications can be submitted until Friday, January 29, 2021. For more information on CSJ, including the eligibility criteria and application guide, visit Canada.ca/Canada-summer-jobs, a Service Canada Office or call 1-800-935-5555.
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WEBINAR: Cannabis Act Review: Medical Cannabis and Cannabis Health Products | January 20, 2021
The Cannabis Act, which came into force on October 17, 2018, requires that the Minister of Health initiate a review of the Act by October 17, 2021, three years following the legalization of recreational cannabis for adult use. In advance of the federal government’s review of the Act, the National Cannabis Working Group will be leading an industry-led review of the legislation. This webinar will focus on medical cannabis and cannabis health products.
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Tax year-end filing for businesses
What you need to do to prepare for your year-end
The Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) is hosting a free webinar to help employers prepare and file their information summaries and tax slips at their tax year-end. Topics to be discussed in the webinar include:
- what the tax year-end is;
- remittances and year-end filing;
- who is subject to year-end filing;
- how to ensure proper year-end filing;
- how to report certain COVID-19 relief measures announced in 2020;
- year-end forms (T4, T4A, and others); and
- GST/HST and TD1 considerations
This webinar is for you if you’re:
- a business with remunerated employees; and/or
- a business using the services of non-employee worker or contractor.
You’re invited to submit your questions about year-end filing before the webinar is broadcast. To do so, please visit the registration site on January 18, 2021 between 06:00 EST and 20:00 EST.
The webinar is on Wednesday, January 27, 2021, at:
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Important CBRN Resources
The Canadian Business Resilience Network website remains up-to-date with access to resources to help businesses, families and communities persevere through the coming weeks and months. Please feel encouraged to make the most of these resources and share them with your networks.
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Email info@gpchamber.com|Phone 780-532-5340 | Fax 780-532-2926
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