Upper Ottawa Valley Chamber of Commerce Newsletter
  E-Chat - Fall 2019 Issue
In This Issue
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                       DEAR CHAMBER MEMBER                         
                    
From the desk of the Executive Director...

Where has the year gone?  Wasn't it just January?  Here we are in late fall and once again getting ready for the Holiday Season. 
  
We have had a fairly busy late summer and early fall.  In September we held our 2nd Mayor's Business Breakfast with Mayor Bob Sweet, we had Breakfast with the Dean and our first ever Butter Tart Festival and Contest. We also held an All Candidates Meeting for the Federal Election.  We also partnered with other organizations to bring you two events that happening during Small Business Week. There were also a couple of Business After Hours held.

Now planning will start for next year's events.  The first event to happen in the new year will be our Annual General Meeting in January (please watch for details). If you are interested in becoming a Board member we will be putting out a call for applications in a couple of weeks.

If you are out and about please feel free to stop in to the Chamber office at 613-732-1492 for a chat and maybe a cup of coffee or tea.  I'm always happy to sit and have a chat with my members.

Lorraine MacKenzie, Executive Director

It will soon be membership renewal time so we ask that you p lease keep the Chamber office updated with any changes in your business.  We especially want to know if you have moved locations, have a new email, new contact person etc. Email is the main communication tool we use so please make sure we have yours. 

It is important to keep up to date on your membership in order to take part in the advantages. If you would like more information on what the chamber can do for you, please feel free to contact Lorraine at the office.

As a member of the Chamber there is an opportunity for you to host a Business After Hours event. Here are some tips on making your event a success.
  
The Chamber has a Facebook page. Click Here and make sure to like our page for new updates.
   

Chamber News
 
1st Butter Tart Festival and Contest
WOW! What a successful event.  On Saturday November 9th, 2019 the Upper Ottawa Valley Chamber of Commerce held our 1st ever Butter Tart Festival and Contest. We sold 3612 butter tarts in 3 and a half hours. We definitely need more butter tarts next year! We didn't count the number of people that came through, but there were definitely a lot of people. We are estimating well over 2,000 and some actually drove from Ottawa to attend. Even some of our  vendors were from outside the Ottawa Valley one was from Oshawa and we had inquiries from another from Wasaga Beach.

Thank you to the Town of Petawawa who was a sponsor and to the team of volunteers that helped make this dream come true.

Contest Winners
We had a total of 15 competitors entering 36 different butter tarts to be judged.  Our judges were Petawawa Mayor Bob Sweet, Jayne Brophy (Pembroke Mall), Greg Biesenthal (Riverview Heights Retirement Residence), William Grandy (The Shed) and Jamie Law (Law & Orders and Board Chair of the Carleton Place & District Chamber of Commerce).

There were 2 divisions: Professional and Home/Amateur Bakers.  Each division had 3 categories:
Traditional (Plain, Raisin, Pecan, Maple Walnut, Coconut)
Valley Style (Still a butter tart but with one or 2 non-traditional ingredients added in)
Specialty (Diabetic, Keto, Gluten Free)

Professional Division: Traditional Category
1st Place Blue Ribbon - 
The Cottage Cup , Golden Lake (Plain)
2nd Place Red Ribbon - 
Eganville's Finest , Eganville (Plain)
3rd Place White Ribbon - Eganville's Finest, Eganville (Pecan)

Home/Amateur Division: Traditional Category
1st Place Blue Ribbon - Cathy Malette, Foresters Falls (Plain)
2nd Place Red Ribbon - Allan Boudreau, Cobden (Plain)
3rd Place White Ribbon - Tanya Labelle, Franktown (Raisin)

Professional Division: Valley Style
1st Place Blue Ribbon - Eganville's Finest, Eganville (Maple Bacon)
2nd Place Red Ribbon - 
Cupcake Goodness , Oshawa (Salted Caramel)
3rd Place White Ribbon - The Cottage Cup, Golden Lake (Chocolate Chip)

Home/Amateur: Valley Style
1st Place Blue Ribbon - Kristy Barton, Pembroke (Banana's Foster)
2nd Place Red Ribbon - Christine Lefebvre, Ottawa (Maple Bacon)
3rd Place White Ribbon - Cathy Malette, Foresters Falls (Sea Salt Caramel)

Professional Division: Specialty Category
1st Place Blue Ribbon - Eganville's Finest, Eganville (Diabetic)

Home/Amateur Division: Specialty Category
1st Place Blue Ribbon - Margaret MacDonald, Burnstown (Gluten Free Raisin)
2nd Place Red Ribbon - Margaret MacDonald, Burnstown (Gluten Free/Dairy Free)

Upcoming Chamber Events
 
Best of Iceland - April 2, 2020
If Iceland is on your bucket list then consider joining the UOV Chamber of Commerce on our next trip.  Limited seats are still available so don't miss your chance contact us now.


Trip Itinerary

January 2020 - Annual General Meeting - Details to be announced

May 8th, 2020 - Annual Business Excellence Awards - Details to be announced

Chamber Member Events

Cookies for a Cause - deadline to order is November 29th
To place your orders please email [email protected] (no phone calls please)



Nov 30th - Sugar.Society - Two Year Celebration
12 - 4 pm

December 3rd -Grand Opening - Ottawa Valley Power Play
Open House from 3 - 6 pm

Dec 3rd, 4th, 5th - Joint Health & Safety Certification - St. John Ambulance Renfrew County



Dec. 5th - Algonquin College's Pembroke Campus Proudly Presents a Special Screening of The Fruit Machine, a Film by Sarah Fodey
6 pm - 8 pm Commons of Pembroke Waterfront Campus
The Fruit Machine is an award-winning film by Sarah Fodey that documents the hunt for and purge LGBTQ military, RCMP, and Public Service personnel from the beginning of the cold war to the 1990s.
This event is open to the public.
To register


Dec. 7th - Christmas at the Farm - Forest Cove Farm
& Country Market
Saturday Dec. 7th, 10 am - 6 pm
32129 Highway 17, Chalk River
10 - 11 Cinnamon Buns
11:30 - 1:30 Food Provided
12 - 3 Onsite Professional Photographer for festive family & individual shots
12 - 3 Visit from Santa
3 - 5 Make your own S'mores
All Day Festivities:
Walk the 12 Days of Christmas, best enjoyed when lit up (outdoor adventure)! Festive Music, shopping, warm drinks and numerous #selfie spots!
Join us for a fun filled day of delicious food, music, entertainment and more. There will be tons of giveaways, gift with purchase, discounts and promotions throughout the day!
our Country Market is decorated and filled with gift giving ideas, stocking stuffers and more!
See you at the Farm!

Dec 7th - Merry Little Christmas Festival in Downtown Pembroke
1 - 8 pm


Attention Pembroke Businesses - Dec 10th

     

Chamber Member News

Pembroke Regional Hospital & Members of Its Health Care Team Awarded for Championing Organ and Tissue Donation

The Pembroke Regional Hospital has been receognized by the Trillium Gift of Life Network (TGLN), Ontario's organ and tissue donation and transplantation agency, for its oustanding efforts to integrate organ and tissue donation into quality end-of-life care in 2018/19.  To continue reading...

Patients With Life-Limiting Illness Now Benefit From a Palliative Approach to Care - PRH
In past practice, an individual with a life-limiting illness would be actively treated until no more could be done, at which point they would be classified as "palliative" and cared for with comfort measures while awaiting death.

However, over the last five to 10 years, medical professionals have recognized that a sudden shift to "palliative care" wasn't the best approach, and wasn't of benefit to the patient or the individual's family.  To continue reading...

Wise Move Realty Merges with Re/Max Pembroke Realty Ltd.
Both Hazel Ladouceur and Cindy Sell will continue to provide real estate services but with added advantages under the Re/MAx global brand.  Their office remains in the same location at 3468E Petawawa Blvd next to Scotiabank and as usual, the coffee is always on. 
Cindy's new email is  [email protected]
Hazel's email is  [email protected]




Community Events/News

Champlain Trail Museum 4th Annual Christmas Market
Champlain Trail Museum is holding its fourth annual Christmas Market on Sunday December 1st, 2019 from 10 am - 4:00 pm. Tour the museum and start your Christmas shopping! There will be a variety of products for sale from participating vendors. There will also be a raffle draw and refreshments for purchase. 
Admission is free.
For more information please phone 613-735-0517.


Register your workplace for the Radon Workplace Challenge !
 
The Radon Workplace Challenge is an opportunity for employers to take a leadership role in protecting the health of their employees and their families. Interested organizations across Canada are invited to take the pledge and participate in the Challenge  by sharing information about radon and encouraging their employees and networks to test for it. All participating workplaces receive educational materials and support - and each year, the first 200 to register will receive two free test kits.
 
To find out more information and register your workplace for the Radon Workplace Challenge,  please visit RadonWorkplaceChallenge.ca.

Pembroke Symphony Orchestra 
Don't miss the annual Pembroke Symphony Orchestra Merry Christmas Special December 14 at 2 p.m. at Festival Hall. With special guests Canadian Military Wives Choirs Petawawa (Ivan Barney, Director) & Michelle's School of Performing Arts enjoy an afternoon of seasonal favourites including The Nutcracker Suite. Remember kids 12 and under are FREE. 







Member Benefit of the Month

Ontario Chamber of Commerce
 
On November 6, the Government of Ontario released its 2019 Fall Economic Statement which provides an update on the government's finances and announces commitments for the upcoming 2020 Budget.

 See the OCC's full response to the Fall Economic Statement.

WHAT DOES THIS MEAN FOR ONTARIO BUSINESS?
Our rapid policy update outlines specific commitments that the government announced regarding:
  • Small Business 
  • Competitiveness
  • Regional Economic Development
  • Industrial Electricity
  • Transportation 
  • Climate Change
  • Cannabis
  • Contraband Tobacco
  • Beverage Alcohol
If you have any further questions, please contact Daniel Safayeni, Director of Policy
 


Canadian Chamber of Commerce
The Shortest Decade: Addressing the Coming Climate Crunch

The United Nations' Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change has been unequivocal: without significant action to limit global warming to a 1.5 degrees, humans will increasingly suffer from the effects of extreme weather events, disease and the loss of habitable land. Canada simply cannot achieve its climate goals unless the government can successfully establish the investment environment that will allow Canada's business community to offset emissions elsewhere through energy products. Canada's business community will be a driver in effective and responsible climate action. We hope our policy makers will be able to say the same.

 
To find out more, read this month's 5 Minutes for Business

As a Chamber Member we are happy to include your event in our newsletter. Please submit to the Chamber office. Please feel free to contact us if you have any questions.
  
Sincerely,
  

Lorraine MacKenzie - Executive Director   

Upper Ottawa Valley Chamber of Commerce

177 Alexander Street

Pembroke ON K8A 4L8

Phone (613) 732 - 1492