eNews
January 12, 2021
UPCOMING EVENTS
Members' Meeting: State of the City
February 3, 2020 | 11:30am-1:00pm

Guest Speaker: 
Mayor Gale Katchur, City of Fort Saskatchewan

Join us for the State of the City Address presented by the City of Fort Saskatchewan's Mayor Gale Katchur. Thank you to our sponsor, Givens LLP.
Procurement Series:
Provincial Government
Date: January 14, 2021
Time: 11:30 AM - 1:00 PM MST


On January 14th, please join us for the Provincial Government Procurement session. Michelle Watson, Director, Procurement Resource Centre and Fran Seary, Manager, Training and Development at Procurement Services will join us to discuss the launch of their 1GX Site, a new suite of business solutions that make it easier to do business with the government.

Please join us to learn about the launch of this program and more about provincial procurement, the opportunities and the process, on January 14th from 11:30 AM - 1:00 PM.
Procurement Series:
Federal Government
Date: January 21, 2021
Time: 11:30 AM - 1:00 PM MST


On January 21st, please join us as Kris Ruiter, A/Chief, Stakeholder Engagement for the Office of Small and Medium Enterprise, Western Region comes live through ZOOM to share the tips, tricks, and best practices on federal procurement.

Kris will discuss how to register as a supplier to sell to the Federal Government and how to find the opportunities that are available. He will go through the details of the process and we will then break into industry groups while he and his colleagues break down how best to find the available and future opportunities within each of their industries.
Chamber Membership Focus Groups

Things have changed for businesses exponentially over the last year and we spent the majority of 2020 reacting to the pandemic and working hard to be a resource for you. Now we are reviewing our
programs and the value-added initiatives for our members to ensure they continue to be relevant for you, and address your existing and future business needs. The changes that you needed to make in your business to address the challenges of 2020 may have highlighted specific initiatives that the Chamber could offer that would be beneficial in the success of your business that have not been available or that you may not know about. We are hosting focus groups with the intent to learn directly from you what you need!

Essentially, the Chamber is looking forward and strategically positioning ourselves to be the best possible resource for you in the current environment and moving into the future. We have set up four different group sessions by industry, however, if you are unable to make these sessions or don’t feel comfortable discussing in a group setting, Kyla is happy to set one-on-one appointments the week of January 18-21st.

As our Board of Directors head into strategic planning sessions at the end of this month, we hope to gain insights that will shape us into the most effective Chamber for business needs right now.

The sessions will be about 45 minutes in length and are as follows:

- Tuesday, January 19 1:00 pm
- Tuesday, January 19 2:00 pm
- Thursday, January 21 2:00 pm
- Thursday, January 21 3:00 pm

If you have any questions or would like to set up a one-on-one session please contact Kyla at
Want to learn more about Women in Business and get involved? Attend one of our events or sign up for the WIB newsletter HERE!
Women Uncorked (Virtual)

Please join us for our monthly Women in Business Uncorked. We have missed you, and though we cannot meet in person, we have gone virtual and hope you will join us!  

Join us on Wednesday, January 27th for some conversation and connection. Thank you to our host, Jennifer Hillmer from Chartwell Emerald Hills!

Due to popular demand, Women Uncorked will now be held on the fourth Wednesday of every month!
Women in Business Speaker Series 2021:
The Power of Vision Masterclass
with Katalyst Coaching

Location:
Zoom (a link will be provided upon registration)    

Date/Time Information:
Tuesday, January 19, 2021 | 12:00 PM - 1:00 PM

Fees/Admission:
Members: FREE | Non Members: $20 +GST

Women in Business is proud to introduce our Speaker Series 2021. On the third Tuesday of each month we will have an impactful presentation for our members and their guests. The purpose is to help you excel in your business with the tools you receive through these interactive presentations that are FREE for our Chamber members!

Join us for this 1-hour masterclass where Katherine Loranger of Katalyst Coaching will be sharing 3 strategies that you can put into use right away to gain greater clarity and confidence in yourself and your ability to live a life that you absolutely love! You’ll be able to use these strategies right away to help you accelerate your results while enjoying increased work-life harmony.
Women in Business Speaker Series 2021:
Get Visible, Get Video
with Modern Muse media

Location:
Zoom (a link will be provided upon registration)    

Date/Time Information:
Tuesday, February 16, 2021 | 12:00 PM - 1:00 PM

Fees/Admission:
Members: FREE | Non Members: $20 +GST

To Zoom or not to Zoom record? Hold the phone? Or more accurately HOW to hold the phone…still…in a tripod, so you’re not taking your viewers through a remake of the Blair Witch Project. Nausea is the last reaction you want to evoke in your potential client.
 
When you’re used to looking people in the eyes, it’s awkward to have to eloquently emote into a tiny camera, but, like everything else, practice makes perfect as well as some tips and tricks to refine this art including framing, lighting, sound and equipment. 

With the entire business community taking to the internet to network, your video has to grab attention in a memorable, professional way and Jesse can show you how! 

Join, award-winning television producer, Jesse, for a free webinar of tips of tricks on how to level up your video! 
NEWS AND UPDATES
The second payment (an additional $15,000!) for the Small and Medium Enterprise Relaunch Grant is now available! Visit HERE for more info!
Additional Funding/Grant Opportunities:
  • Looking for funding to train employees or potential employees? Check out the Canada-Alberta Job Grant (CAJG) program to skill up your workforce. CAJG offers funding to help train current and new employees - unemployed trainees could be eligible for 100% training cost reimbursement! Find more information and application forms at www.alberta.ca/canada-alberta-job-grant.aspx
  •  Are you looking for resources to be more Energy Efficient? Emissions Reduction Alberta (ERA) developed the Energy Savings for Business Program a funding opportunity to support small and medium-scale industrial and commercial businesses is awarding up to $55 million for cost-saving and emissions reducing projects. The program will help Alberta businesses reduce emissions, decrease operating costs, grow their operations and become more competitive, while creating skilled jobs and boosting economic recovery. For further information see https://eralberta.ca/energy-savings-for-business/
  • The Driving Back to Work Grant Program allows unemployed Albertans to take the Mandatory Entry Level Training (MELT) program to earn a Class 1 driver’s license to start careers as commercial truck drivers. Further program details can be found here https://www.alberta.ca/driving-back-to-work-grant-program.aspx
  • Small business owners impacted as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic can apply for loans through the Regional Relief and Recovery Fund (RRRF) available through Community Futures. To see eligibility and apply online see RRRF apply
  • Applications for the Canada Summer Jobs program are now being accepted - get your applications in early! See further details at: https://www.canada.ca/en/employment-social-development/services/funding/canada-summer-jobs.html
  • Coming soon! The Innovation Employment Grant to encourage economic growth by supporting small and medium-sized businesses that invest in research and development (R&D) with a grant worth up to 20% of qualifying expenditures for more info see https://www.alberta.ca/innovation-employment-grant.aspx
For more information about available Local, Provincial, and Federal Grants, Incentives, and Programs, visit HERE!
ACC calls on government to safely reopen shuttered businesses

EDMONTON — Ten months into the COVID-19 pandemic, the Alberta Chambers of Commerce is calling on the Alberta government to find ways to safely reopen closed businesses wherever possible. The call comes after Premier Jason Kenney announced last week that current COVID-19 restrictions will remain in place for at least another two weeks.
 
"Our position has always been—and will continue to be—that Alberta's government take action informed by the advice of the chief medical officer of health," says ACC President and CEO Ken Kobly. "At the same time, we're nearly a year into this pandemic and many businesses have been forced to endure months of shutdowns. This is simply not a sustainable situation for our job creators or our provincial economy."
 
Kobly says that there have been success stories of government working with industry to facilitate limited reopening, pointing to new guidelines that have allowed Alberta registered massage therapists to resume work under certain guidelines as an example.
 
"As I've said many times before, public health is and must continue to be our number one priority. And we've seen examples of government and industry coming together to find safer ways for Alberta business to operate," says Kobly. "Albertans are keen to get back to work. Unfortunately, the more time that goes on, the less likely that becomes. Time is of the essence to find ways to safely keep our economy going."
Alberta Chambers of Commerce 1.7.2021 UPDATES:

Mandatory health measure extension and return to in-person learning

All students will return to in-person learning, as planned, on Jan. 11. Mandatory health measures will remain in effect across the province until at least Jan. 21.

Alberta’s vaccine roll out exceeds 26,000 doses to date

As of Jan. 4, 26,269 doses of vaccine have been given to health-care workers and residents of continuing care facilities. At more than 56 per cent of vaccine doses in stock administered, Alberta is 61 per cent above the national average.
Discuss COVID-19's Impact on Business with the Industry Strategy Council
Tuesday, January 19 | 1:00 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. ET

Please join the Honourable Perrin Beatty, PC, OC, President and CEO of the Canadian Chamber of Commerce along with Monique Leroux, Vice-Chairman of Fiera Holdings Inc. and Chair of the Industry Strategy Council, Murad Al-Katib, President and CEO of AGT Foods, and Ben Cowan-Dewar, Co-founder and CEO of Cabot Links to discuss the Industry Strategy Council and Canada’s economic competitiveness.A smooth economic recovery will require continued collaboration between the public and private sectors in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. Within this context, the federal government created the Industry Strategy Council. This council serves as a forum where experienced business leaders share perspectives regarding the impact of COVID-19 on key sectors of the Canadian economy.

Join us for this special webinar and hear these important insights and recommendations on structuring our economic recovery to benefit all Canadians —long after the current pandemic has passed. 

Click here for more information on the Industry Strategy Council.

Some Alberta business owners disappointed with extension of COVID-19 restrictions

With the province's COVID-19 restrictions being extended until Jan. 21, some Alberta business owners face another difficult two weeks ahead of closed doors.

On Thursday, Premier Jason Kenney announced that current provincial restrictions that were put in place to slow the spread of COVID-19 will remain for at least another two weeks.

That means many businesses will remain closed, including personal services like hair and nail salons or tattoo shops, indoor recreation facilities like gyms, arenas, pools and community halls, and entertainment businesses like movie theatres, amusement parks and museums.
Oil sands study shows drop in emissions, but researchers urge caution

A study that gave researchers unprecedented access to internal company data of three Alberta oil sands operations has shown a decline in greenhouse gas emissions, but the authors warn it cannot – and should not – be used to paint a sweeping picture of the entire sector.

The study, published late November, brought together researchers from the University of Calgary, University of Toronto and Stanford University, who assessed a vast array of open-source and confidential emissions data at Canadian Natural Resources Ltd.’s Horizon project, Imperial Oil Ltd.’s Kearl site and MEG Energy Corp.’s Christina Lake facility. They found that current emissions at the three sites are 14 per cent to 35 per cent lower than reported in previous studies, and that new technologies could further decrease those upstream emissions by 14 per cent to 19 per cent compared with current technology.

Researchers hope the paper can help inform Canadian emissions policy as the country pursues its goal of reaching net-zero emissions by 2050, potentially tying in with the Clean Fuel Standard recently drafted by Ottawa. But they also say data show that Canada must do a lot more to meet that goal.
For up-to-date local news and updates from the City of Fort Saskatchewan, visit HERE to read the CityPage.
Interested in Running in the City’s 2021 Municipal Election?

Candidates can be nominated between January 1st and 12:00 PM (noon) on September 20th, 2021 by submitting the required documents included in the Candidate’s Nomination Package to City Hall.

The nomination materials, as well as general election information can be found at fortsask.ca/election

Read this news update.
Want to learn more about Get in the Loop? Visit: www.fortsaskchamber.com/getintheloop

GetintheLoop is Canada’s leading mobile offers platform and is in more than 70 markets across Canada, providing local businesses with a simple-to-use mobile platform to reach interested and active consumers on their smartphone. Users simply download the free app and opt-in to receive curated local offers, information and experiences from local businesses including retail, restaurants, spas and salons, and service providers.

GetintheLoop has adapted their platform during this unprecedented time to provide local businesses with a real-time ability to promote their businesses' evolving products, information, and services to local residents who are safely social distancing.
Welcome New Members
Fort Saskatchewan & District Chamber of Commerce | www.fortsaskchamber.com