JOIN US TOMORROW: Business Smarts Webinar - Scotiabank Women Initiative TM
Tuesday, June 15 | 12:00 Noon - 1:00 PM | Virtual
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There is still time to join us for this specially designed workshop for women entrepreneurs and business leaders. The Scotiabank Women Initiative TM is a comprehensive program helping women take their businesses to the next level, through Access to Capital, Mentorship, and Education.
The Sisterhood of Business Women is an interactive workshop geared to women business owners. The unique financial challenge these women face is twofold: balance running their business plus personal obligations like preparing for retirement. This engaging workshop will bridge the two by working participants through the beginning stages of an integrated financial plan.
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Federal Opposition Leader Erin O'Toole Joins Regional Townhall
Friday June 25 | 12:00 Noon - 1:00 PM | Virtual
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The Kelowna Chamber of Commerce joins Okanagan Chambers and Boards of Trade in hosting the Honourable Erin O'Toole for a regional townhall. The leader of the Conservative Party of Canada will share his vision for Canada’s future focused on rebuilding our economy and safely getting Canadians back to work in every sector and in every region of our country.
This is your opportunity to have your voice heard directly by the Leader of the Official Opposition of Canada and hear what his priorities indicate for Okanagan organizations that are facing significant challenges as a result of COVID-19.
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MEMBER NOTICE: Kelowna Chamber Quarterly Membership Meeting
Thursday June 24 | 12:00 Noon to 1:00 PM | Virtual
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Join us for our first Quarterly Membership Meeting on Thursday June 24 @ Noon to 1:00 PM as the new Board provides members an update on their priorities. You'll also hear from our special guest speaker Airport Director at YLW Sam Samaddar who will speak on the future of YLW and Canada's Aviation Industry. Those tuning into this online session will get a better sense of the work their Chamber is doing to help businesses in our region survive the pandemic as we shift towards the road to recovery. Registration required. Complimentary for Chamber members.
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JULY OC SPEAKER SERIES: What 5G brings - Transforming Business and City Services
Wednesday July 7 | Noon - 1pm | Virtual
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5G in the Okanagan Valley offers a business landscape of the future with an ecosystem of connected intelligent devices capable of overhauling business processes and accelerating innovation.
Now is the time for businesses to know what's coming, what's already here and how to leverage 5G. Rogers for Business has been leading the way with cooperation across government, the telecommunications sector and broader industry. Hosted by Rogers for Business this session’s speakers and subject matter experts will offer insight into what those new technologies could be and how we are starting to see them come to life today.
Join us to learn more...
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ON THE BLOG: How To Turn Social Media Into Business Media
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Wondering how to transform social media sites like Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter into powerful marketing tools for your business?
If you're like most small-to-medium sized business owners, you know that your clients, customers, and prospects are already spending a significant amount of their day browsing through their social media feeds, but did you know exactly how much time?
Read this week's blog to learn more about how you can turn your social media channels into powerful business tools.
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CERTIFIED CHAMBER MEMBER AD |
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BC Moves To Step Two of Restart Plan |
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Beginning Tuesday June 15 BC will transition to Step 2 of BC’s Restart plan, including lifting restrictions on travel within B.C. Provincial officials stated better days are in sight, but we must continue to do our part, get vaccinated, keep our layers of protection strong and work together to put this pandemic behind us.
We can now increase our much-needed social connections a little bit more. Whether it is travelling to visit family in B.C., having a small wedding or watching your child’s soccer game.
Public health safety protocols, such as mask wearing in all indoor public spaces and physical distancing, will remain in place. Step 2 includes:
- B.C. recreational travel – non-essential travel ban lifted. Out-of-province non-essential travel advisory continues;
- maximum of 50 people for outdoor personal gatherings;
- maximum of 50 people for indoor seated organized gatherings (e.g., movie theatres, live theatre, banquet halls) with safety plans;
- indoor faith gatherings – a maximum of 50 people, or 10% of a place of worship’s total capacity, whichever number is greater – with safety plans;
- maximum of 50 spectators for outdoor sports;
- liquor service at restaurants, bars and pubs extended until midnight; and
- indoor sports games (no spectators) and high-intensity fitness with safety plans.
To view the updated B.C. restart plan four-step graphic, CLICK HERE
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COVID-19 Paid Sick-Leave Reimbursement Program |
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If your workplace does not have an existing sick leave program, you can apply to be reimbursed by the Province for up to three days of wages paid to workers for COVID-19 related sick leave. The reimbursement program is available for sick leave taken from May 20 until the program ends on Dec. 31, 2021. The application for employers to apply for the BC government’s COVID-19 Sick-Leave Reimbursement Program will be available on WorkSafeBC’s online services portal mid-June.
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Kelowna Chamber joins other Chambers and Business Associations in Calling for Vaccination Paid Time off Support |
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More than 30 Chambers including the Kelowna Chamber along with business associations from across Canada have written to the federal government asking for its support to help businesses give employees paid time off to get vaccinated. The faster we're vaccinated, the faster we can return to normal.
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Available to Download: A Resource Guide for Small Business Resiliency |
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The Kelowna Chamber has been supporting the BC Chamber of Commerce in the development of a Resource Guide for Small Business Resiliency. In partnership with the provincial government and funded by the Ministry of Advanced Education and Skills Training, the Resource Guide for Small Business Resiliency has critical information collected in focus groups and from consultations with different sectors and industries from all economic regions across British Columbia including the Okanagan. You can access this free guide through our #OkWeGotThis COVID-19 Resource Centre at the link below.
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2021 Global Economic Outlook: Road to Recovery
Wednesday June 16 | 10:00 AM - 11:00 AM | Virtual
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While the road to recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic continues, Canadian businesses still face major challenges and a grim economic outlook. In this new webinar, 2021 Global Economic Outlook: Road to Recovery, EDC’s Vice-President and Chief Economist Peter Hall will discuss how you can navigate your business through its biggest challenges towards a more prosperous future.
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UPDATES & EVENTS IN OUR NETWORK |
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City to Raise Flags After 215 Hours at Half-Mast |
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After 215 hours at half-mast to honour the 215 children buried in undocumented graves at a former residential school in Kamloops, flags at City properties will return to full-staff on the evening of June 10.
Communities across Canada have chosen to mark the confirmation of this long-suspected tragic legacy by counting each hour for each lost innocent life in Kamloops, knowing the discovery of more undocumented burial sites is possible across Canada in the months and years ahead.
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City: Apply for your Home Owners Grant through the Province |
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Kelowna property tax payments and Home Owner Grant (HOG) applications are due Friday, July 2, 2021. Property owners are reminded that, if eligible, they can only apply for the Home Owner Grant through the Province of BC at gov.bc.ca/homeownergrant or by calling 1-888-355-2700.
This is a new process, which was implemented on Jan. 1, 2021, whereby the Province is managing all aspects of their Home Owner Grant program, including the application process.
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BDO's Top 40 Over 40 program celebrates remarkable individuals in our community over the age of 40 as a means to showcase mentors, champions and role models who encourage and foster the future leaders of our community.
The program is now closed for both nominations and applications. We thank all participants for their support – stay tuned for our Top 40 Honourees’ Profiles which will run through the week of July 26, 2021.
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GURINDER SINGH | ElectricGo
Gurinder built ElectricGo from the ground up and has now partnered with some of the larger education institutions and chains including Kwantlen Polytechnic University and Waves Coffee. Gurinder has grown ElectricGo through partnerships in cities throughout North America including Orlando, Florida. His energy and resilience is contagious, and he delivers excellence each time he engages with a new partner. ElectricGo has recently expanded to Kelowna and region, taking advantage of the pandemic’s effect on entertainment to offer alternative pastimes.
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TESSA RUSSELL | Your Laundry Fairy
After her first Master's degree, Tessa worked in financial services recruiting as a consultant for many years in NYC. She then decided to return to grad school and earned a Master's of Divinity studies degree. She worked as a chaplain in a hospital part time and was licensed as an EMT and an emergency medical dispatcher. The diversity of the work that she has done combined with her studies, gave her the courage and foresight to invest in her own dreams as an entrepreneur. She currently owns two businesses here in Kelowna--Your Laundry Fairy, which is a laundry pick-up and delivery service and Your Food Fairy, a new venture not yet opened, which will offer curated produce boxes for individuals and families at an affordable price point in the Kelowna area.
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Revenue-to-Debt Tipping Point: Potential for a Wave of Closures Post-COVID |
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We all know sectors like travel and hospitality will take longer to return to pre-pandemic revenue levels, but their growing debt load might set the stage for a large number of businesses permanently closing their doors after Canada is fully vaccinated.
In the March 2021 Canadian Survey on Business Conditions (CSBC), half of businesses in the hardest-hit sectors (such as travel, tourism and hospitality) reported they were unable to take on any more debt, compared to 34% of businesses from across all sectors. The most recent CSBC shows that employers in the accommodation and food services sector were three times as likely to lay off staff over the next year due to depressed consumer demand. Last week the Canadian Chamber released a 12-point plan to help policymakers tailor their supports for the hardest-hit sectors.
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Quarantine Hotels One Step in Travel Resumption Plans but More Steps Are Necessary |
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Last week’s announcement of changes to eliminate quarantine hotels for fully vaccinated Canadians is a welcome move in the gradual resumption of international mobility. This was a welcome sign, but the federal government has more work to do like providing a national reopening strategy that includes a plan for border measures with clear metrics.
The Canadian Chamber also urges the federal government to accelerate work on digital vaccine certification to support safe international mobility.
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Need to add someone else in your organization to our mailing list? Drop us a line!
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KELOWNA CHAMBER OF COMMERCE | kelownachamber.org |
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