In this Week's Sault Ste. Marie Chamber of Commerce Newsletter:



Sault Ste. Marie Chamber of Commerce updates

• Join us for Take 5 at Dumanski Office Interiors / Compass Imaging next Thursday!
• The Talent Opportunities Program offers up to $5,000 in wage subsidies to hire an eligible post-secondary student
• A post-Take 5 perk for Chamber members from Spark Rehabilitation
• SME businesses! Access over 60 FREE courses in Skills Bridge until August 31st (EXTENDED!)

Ontario / Canadian Chamber updates

• Ontario Chamber event: The Pivot Point - Talent, Skills & Ontario's Competitive Edge
• Canadian Chamber submission as part of FINA pre-budget consultations in advance of the 2026 federal budget 
• Recession or Resilience? An Unexpected First Quarter GDP Contraction Points to an Uphill Battle

Business Funding & Resources

• Steel and Aluminum Industries Support Program - Financial support to help manage rising tariffs

Business insights & Workshops

• Upcoming workshop: Business Insurance Essentials
• PODCAST: No Permanent Friends: Trade Power, and the New Geography of Economic Security
• Upcoming webinar: Social Media in 2026 - Where to Focus and What to Forget
• Algoma U launches Reality Checkpoint – XR Solutioning Live (Workforce Edition)

Benefits of Belonging to the Chamber

• Chamber members enjoy HR expertise at their fingertips with HR Covered

Take 5 at Dumanski Office Interiors / Compass Imaging

Come hang out with fellow Chamber members on Thursday, June 11th from 5pm to 7pm at Dumanski Office Interiors / Compass Digital Imaging. Tour the facility, check out new equipment and new innovations in digital printing. Meet some vendors and enjoy some great networking!

Take 5 is FREE for Chamber members, their guests, and for prospective Chamber members.  Advance registration is required.  Get your team together and join us!

The Talent Opportunities Program offers up to $5,000 in wage subsidies to hire an eligible post-secondary student

Are you an employer hiring post-secondary students on quality work-integrated learning (WIL) placements, such as cooperative education and internships, related to the student’s field of study?

The application portal is now open for the Summer 2026 term (May – August 2026)

If so, you may be eligible for a wage subsidy of up to $5,000 per student!

The Talent Opportunities Program (TOP) is an initiative of the Ontario Chamber of Commerce designed to help employers hire college and university students on quality WIL placements related to the student’s field of study. Employers hiring eligible students may receive a wage subsidy up to 50% of the wages (to a maximum of $5,000) for each placement (‘net new’ requirements apply to businesses of 100 or more employees).

IMPORTANT: Once you apply, please be sure to contact the Sault Ste. Marie Chamber of Commerce and advise us so that we can follow up on your behalf. E-mail info@ssmcoc.com and include ‘Talent Opportunities Program application’ in the subject line.

Visit www.sparkrehabilitation.ca Email info@sparkrehab.ca Call 705-253-2354

FREE, unlimited access to curated training content EXTENDED until August 31, 2026 - Get started to today!

SME businesses! Access over 60 FREE courses

in Skills Bridge until May 31st August 31st

The Ontario Chamber of Commerce (OCC) and the Sault Ste. Marie Chamber of Commerce invite you to explore Skills Bridge, a program developed to help businesses upskill and reskill employees.

Powered by Magnet, Skills Bridge was created by the OCC in partnership with the Diversity Institute, and with funding from the Future Skills Centre and the Government of Canada, to address skills gaps in small- to medium-sized businesses.

Until August 31, 2026, you and up to 10 employees can access over 60 courses on the Skills Bridge learning platform at NO COST.

Courses cover areas such as AI, Management; Customer Service; Sales and Marketing; Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI); Digital Skills (Excel, SEO, Social Media and E-Commerce) and more.

What can you expect?

• Top-notch programs tailored to upskilling your employees
• Flexible learning accessible anytime, anywhere, at your own pace
• Earn certificates of completion on some of our most popular courses
• Easy management and tracking of your employees’ course progress through a custom dashboard

Learn more about Skills Bridge programs here or click the link below to register your organization today.

The Pivot Point: Talent, Skills & Ontario's Competitive Edge

As AI and digital transformation reshape every industry, demand for future-ready talent continues to accelerate. While nearly 90% of jobs now require digital skills, many organizations continue to face significant gaps in workforce readiness. This is no longer simply a workforce challenge; it is a business competitiveness challenge.

Join the Ontario Chamber of Commerce, our Skills Bridge team, and Northeastern University Toronto on June 11, 2026, as we explore what institutional agility looks like—and how your organization can remain competitive in an AI-driven economy.

This event is free, but registration is required to attend. Click the links below to reserve your spot in person or online.

Canadian Chamber submission as part of FINA pre-budget consultations in advance of the 2026 federal budget 

If the theme for 2025 was strengthening Canada’s resilience in the face of external trade threats, then our collective focus for 2026 must be on fostering Canadian competitiveness.

The urgency we bring to this issue will determine not only our ability to preserve Canada’s economic security today but also whether we establish the conditions for sustained growth that the next generation of Canadian business leaders will rely on. 

Recession or Resilience? An Unexpected First Quarter GDP Contraction Points to an Uphill Battle

(May 29, 2026) The Canadian economy unexpectedly dipped into a technical recession in the first quarter, declining 0.1% at an annualized pace. This was well below economist consensus estimates of 1.5%. The resilience narrative has seemingly evaporated. 

Canadian Chamber of Commerce Principal Economist, Andrew DiCapua, says the weak domestic conditions will be a clear concern for the Bank of Canada and should eliminate the likelihood of rate hikes in the near-term. 

Steel and Aluminum Industries Support Program -

Financial support to help manage rising tariffs

The federal government has announced $1.5 billion in new support for businesses impacted by U.S. tariffs, including a $1 billion Business Development Bank of Canada (BDC) financing program and a $500 million top-up to the Regional Tariff Response Initiative.

This new funding is intended to help businesses manage rising costs, strengthen liquidity, and adapt operations in the face of ongoing trade pressures. 

This is an important step in providing businesses with near-term relief and supporting longer-term resilience. As implementation rolls out, ensuring these programs are accessible and responsive to business needs will be critical.

Business Insurance Essentials Workshop -

Thursday, June 25th, 1pm - 2:30pm

Join a local insurance professional for a practical workshop on understanding business insurance and risk management.

Participants will learn about common insurance options available to entrepreneurs, key coverage considerations, and strategies to help protect their business from unexpected challenges. There will also be an opportunity to ask questions and discuss real-world scenarios. 

PODCAST: No Permanent Friends: Trade Power,

and the New Geography of Economic Security

(May 26, 2026) – In the mid-season finale, host Marwa Abdou, Senior Research Director at the Canadian Chamber of Commerce Business Data Lab, sits down with two of the world’s leading trade policy voices: Wendy Cutler, Vice President at the Asia Society Policy Institute, and Deborah Elms, Head of Trade Policy at the Hinrich Foundation. Together, they unpack how the global trading system is being rewritten in real-time as countries increasingly reorganize trade around resilience, strategic alignment and economic security. 

Canada’s Economy, Explained will resume in September. Subscribe to the podcast on your preferred platform to make sure you don’t miss our next episode!  

Listen to the full episode wherever you get your podcasts.

Spotify: https://hubs.ly/Q04gkfxZ0

Apple Podcasts: https://hubs.ly/Q04gknkC0

Catch up on previous episodes: https://hubs.ly/Q04gcP3k0

Webinar - Social Media in 2026

Where to Focus and What to Forget

The Thunder Bay Chamber of Commerce invites businesses across Northwestern Ontario to a webinar where social media strategist Autumn Wilson will explain what’s working on social media right now.

Backed by real data, Autumn will share the practical and simple strategies beyond following trends. You'll learn what to focus on in your marketing and what you can stop doing so your social media marketing attracts the right people. A recording will be shared with all registered attendees.

This is a no-cost event.

Date and Time: Tuesday, June 23rd, 2026. 12:00noon to 1:00pm Eastern

Platform: Zoom

Reality Checkpoint – XR Solutioning Live (Workforce Edition)

Algoma University’s National Centre of Excellence for Immersive Technologies is launching Reality Checkpoint – XR Solutioning Live, a new online series where one faculty expert and one industry leader tackle real XR challenges in a structured, practical format.

The inaugural session takes place on Tuesday, June 9, 2026, from 9:00 AM to 10:00 AM EST.

Theme: XR for Workforce Training & Onboarding

Format: Online only

Broadcast: The session will be recorded and broadcast on YouTube

The session will feature: Dr. Randy Lin, Assistant Professor @ Algoma University and Michael Rosas, President ofVirtualware North America

Employers, workforce training professionals, XR solution providers, industry leaders, innovation teams, and ecosystem partners are invited to attend. We also welcome workforce training and onboarding challenges to be explored during the session.

Register, submit a challenge, and learn more at https://luma.com/fdawgdev

Chamber members enjoy HR expertise at their fingertips

Sault Ste. Marie Chamber of Commerce Members now have access to select complimentary HR expertise for their business from the largest Canadian-owned human resources provider in the country, HR Covered.

The Chamber’s affinity program with HR Covered includes several human resource offerings at no-charge, including:

• Unlimited access to the HR Hub library containing 1,000+ HR documents, policies and forms for all jurisdictions in Canada. Chamber members can click here to register.
• Access to engaging webinars on various HR related topics. Chamber members can click here to explore the HR Covered webinar schedule and sign up for the ones that interest you.
• Compliant policy manual to protect your organization. HR Covered will create and review your new manual, address legislative compliance, and pinpoint any HR vulnerabilities. Chamber members can click here to book a 45-minute meeting to have a customized manual created for your business today.



HR Covered is the preferred partner of the Canadian Chamber of Commerce.

The Sault Ste. Marie Chamber of Commerce represents the interests of 600 plus business and agencies in Sault Ste. Marie and has been serving the needs of this community since 1889. The Sault Ste. Marie Chamber of Commerce will lead the way as the voice of business, advancing economic prosperity for its membership and the business community.