chamber connections - Weyburn Chamber of Commerce
Transcription
chamber connections - Weyburn Chamber of Commerce
OCTOBER 2014 CHAMBER CONNECTIONS In this issue: Retail Expo Register for Luncheon with Sunrise CF Nominate for Golden Sheaf Award Insight · Influence · Connection · Access · Exposure CHAMBER CONNECTIONS OCTOBER 2014 MESSAGE FROM THE CHAMBER Welcome to the second edition of Chamber Connections. The feedback we received from our Members after our first edition was positive, so we’re pleased to keep going! Speaking of feedback, the Chamber is looking to gather your thoughts in our on-line survey. You’ll find information about it and the link on our website. Please take a few minutes to tell us what you’re experiencing so that we can ensure we’re meeting your needs. And – you’ve probably heard – we’ve got Farmer Appreciation Night all ready to go again! This year looks to be one of the best in recent memory as we welcome back our good friend John Gormley. Additionally, we welcome new partners Parrish & Heimbecker to Farmer Appreciation Night. Get your tickets early, because this one will sell out even quicker than usual. Thanks for another great month and let’s get back to business. “The Weyburn & District Chamber of Commerce represents the interests of its Members by advocating for a healthy community, both economically and socially.” Jeff Richards General Manager Follow us on Twitter and Facebook! Congratulations to our Chamber Members that are Finalists for the ABEX Awards on Nov. 1st in Regina Streamline Oilfield Services and PAR Contracting Ltd. Good luck! Questions? Comments? Concerns? Please feel free to contact us at: 11-3rd Street NE Weyburn, SK S4H 0W1 Phone: 306 - 842 - 4738 Fax: 306 - 842 - 0520 [email protected] www.weyburnchamber.com If you are interested in attending the ABEX awards this year, contact our office for more information or go online to register at http://chambermaster.saskchamber.com/events/details/abex-awards-2014-142 Proudly Serving our Members Since 1940 Business Leadership Dedicated to Economic Vitality and Quality of Life SaskJobs—an important resource for business Posting a job vacancy today is much different than it was even ten years ago – and its likely going to continue to change. There are a number of job websites including saskjobs.ca, localjobshop.ca, monster.ca, and even facebook. Add to that, the newspapers and local job boards and it can seem overwhelming. One website, is important to use – and that is saskjobs.ca. Saskjobs listings are often used as the measuring stick for many agencies, including Government, to guage opportunities and job shortages. We often hear saskjobs mentioned in news releases and it is the website that the Government of Saskatchewan uses when promoting Saskatchewan as a place to live. Certainly you should advertise your vacancies on any (or all) of the venues mentioned above, but please make sure that you’re accessing saskjobs.ca too. If you would like more information on Saskjobs.ca, please call Wendy at the Chamber office, or stop in and see her. This is of good value as you look to staff your business. ◘ Minimum Wage to Increase on October 1st Saskatchewan’s Minimum Wage will be increasing by $0.20 to $10.20/hour on October 1st. The Government of Saskatchewan has been working to introduce regulations that will provide for regular indexing of minimum wage every year. It is their expectation that minimum wage increases will be announced before June 30th for implementation on October 1st of the same year. The Chamber has long lobbied for planned and meaningful minimum wage increases, rather than arbitrary and irregular increases. These are positive moves from Government. Since 2007, Saskatchewan’s minimum wage has increased from $7.95 to $10.20 – an increase of 28%. Well ahead of the rate of inflation. ◘ Tell us what you think! The Weyburn Chamber of Commerce Member Survey is now online. Please take the time to visit www.weyburnchamber.com, and follow the link to the survey. Enform – Welcome to Weyburn by Ken Evans, WREDI Chair and Guest Columnist Earlier this month, we helped welcome Enform Canada to Weyburn. Enform is the energy sector’s advocate and leading resource for the continuous improvement of safety performance. Their work is to help companies achieve their safety goals by providing practices, assessment, training, support, metrics and communication. We worked hard to attract them to Weyburn and that hard work paid off. Having national organizations move their offices to Weyburn is something that Weyburn Regional Economic Development Inc (WREDI) believes is paramount to growing Weyburn’s economy. Helping quality companies grow quality jobs in the Weyburn region is on the top of our to-do list and we will continue to meet with businesses inside and outside of our community so that we can be sure we have an environment where business succeeds. WREDI sends delegations to the Global Petroleum Show in Calgary, and starting in 2015 that event will be annual, and we will continue to promote Weyburn every year at that show. The energy sector is important to our economy and we’re working to support it every chance we get. In closing, I would like to again extend a warm welcome to Enform and we look forward to more events like this in the future. Ken Evans Board Chair Just remember - only one survey per member! CHAMBER CONNECTIONS OCTOBER 2014 Square One: Saskatchewan’s Business Resource Centre In Saskatchewan, the industries of entrepreneurship and small businesses see immense growth year after year. Since 98% of companies in the province are small businesses, Square One strives to be Saskatchewan’s centre for entrepreneurs and small business owners. As a small organization ourselves, we understand how important a support service can be. That’s why our office provides a convenient “walk ins welcome” policy, along with self-serve or assisted services. Our Business Information Officers will also correspond over email or telephone in order to meet the needs of our clients from across Saskatchewan. Our services include: Market research (demographics, competitive analyses, trends, benchmarks etc. in North America) Business registration assistance and understanding business structures Assist with Information about starting, planning, financing, managing and growing your business Providing sample business plans and other business document templates Understanding Federal, Provincial and Municipal regulations Referrals for Financing For more information, please call 1-888-576-4444 or visit www.squareonesask.ca Attention Saskatchewan Businesses Have your say on the new Multi-Material Recycling Program! Multi-Material Stewardship Western and the Ministry of Environment are looking for your feedback on the Multi-Material Recycling Program and small business policy. If your business supplies or distributes packaged goods and paper to households, visit us online to learn more about the program and potential consultation meetings. Please submit your feedback by October 14, 2014, at saskatchewan.ca/recycling ◘ Square One is supported by Western Economic Diversification and the Saskatoon Regional Economic Development Authority, and is a member of the Canada Business Network. These supporters help us make a positive impact on the province’s small business sector. CHAMBER CONNECTIONS OCTOBER 2014 Access to Markets - Impacting Weyburn & Area The oil industry has certainly ballooned in our area over the past few years, and the Chamber expects Weyburn to be a strong player in the energy sector for many years to come. As with all industries, market conditions fluctuate and have impacts that create highs and lows. Something that we’re seeing right now is a bit of a plateau as oil producers are finding it hard to get the oil they currently produce to market. This is influencing their decisions to drill new wells. It not only impacts drilling, it also impacts revenue. The lack of access to global markets often forces our producers to accept lower prices. The Canadian Chamber estimates this to be as much as $50 million each day to Canada. A few things we can all admit: The world will be in constant need of oil for many years to come. Canada can no longer rely on the US as the destination for nearly all exports. Tomorrow’s growth in energy consumption lies largely in Asia. We can provide that energy. The US is expected to drastically reduce its oil imports while Asia is expected to increase its imports by a far larger ratio. The fact is simple. Canada needs to build the infrastructure to safely connect our supply with international demands. Continuing to be responsible and innovative we can create more opportunities. The record of oil and gas transportation in Canada is excellent. Although it sometimes is hard to imagine how oil transportation impacts Weyburn’s economy – we can see how it does, and your Chamber is supporting the Chamber network and partnering in the lobbying effort. ◘ CHAMBER CONNECTIONS Payroll Taxes - REDUCED! The Chamber has been lobbying for a reduction in the payroll taxes and we were very happy to hear that the Government of Canada has listened. The Small Business Job Credit will apply to Employment Insurance (EI) premiums paid by small businesses in 2015 and 2016. The credit will be calculated as the difference between premiums paid at the legislated rate of $1.88 per $100 of insurable earnings and the reduced small business rate of $1.60 per $100 of insurable earnings in each of those years. Since employers pay 1.4 times the legislated rate, this 28-cent reduction in the legislated rate is equivalent to a reduction of 39 cents per $100 of insurable earnings in EI premiums paid by small employers. Any firm that pays employer EI premiums equal to or less than $15,000 in 2015 and/or 2016 will be eligible for the credit in those years. As an example, a small business employing 14 employees, each earning $40,000, would ordinarily pay about $14,740 in EI premiums in 2015. However, since the total EI premiums paid by the employer are less than $15,000, it would be eligible under the Small Business Job Credit for a refund of about $2,200. You do not have to apply. The Small Business Job Credit will be automatically administered by the Canada Revenue Agency, which will determine eligibility and calculate the amount of the credit. Once calculated, the credit will be applied against any outstanding debt and then the remaining amount, if any, will be refunded to the small business. This measure is expected to save small employers more than $550 million over 2015 and 2016. ◘ OCTOBER 2014 Welcome new Chamber Members…. Pet Valu Rhineland Cutlery For all your pet needs - from food and supplies to a grooming area right in the store! Melanie Adderley 306-842-1666 Weyburn Red Wings Come out and cheer on Weyburn’s SJHL Hockey Team - the Weyburn Red Wings! [email protected] petvalu.com Rhineland Cutlery is the newest line of premium cutlery created to be the most balanced, Ryan Gibney [email protected] ergonomic and beautiful knife ever seen. 306-842-3717 weyburnredwings.ca Alyssa Slinn 306-552-9117 [email protected] rhinelandcutlery.com This year’s show had the addition of door prizes and “Featured Vendor” spots where Jeff went “live on location” four times in the hour to draw visitors to the vendor’s booth. Retail Display of E.Bourassa & Sons On September 19 & 20, the Chamber of With the extras of Commerce held its 2nd Annual Retail Expo & Sale KG Hotel/Fitzgerald’s Lounge featuring Last Mountain Distillery’s Dill Pickle Vodka, at the Curling Rink. With over 30 exhibitors Whiskey and Vodka from Weyburn and area, this year’s show was well Brothers Pub & Grill serving pizza, wings and received by vendors and the public alike. Greek Salad Young Fellows Wives serving lunch and Thank you to our exhibitors and sponsors that desserts helped make our event even better! See you all Images by Gillies photo booth Retail Display all helped the show to include fun, shopping and next year! ◘ of Pharmasave food! Breakfast with the Chiefs held on September 10th A great turnout for the Breakfast Series event for members on September 10th. Police Chief Marlo Pritchard (shown here) & Fire Chief Simon Almond both spoke. Information was shared on the latest counterfeiting schemes and the value of the volunteer fire fighting base within Weyburn. Thank you to our breakfast sponsor, Prairie Sky Co-op. ◘ See you at the next member event - Luncheon with Sunrise Community Futures! CHAMBER CONNECTIONS OCTOBER 2014 Member Luncheon with Sunrise! Explore the opportunities for business in expert markets. October 23rd, 12:00 - 1:30pm at Weyburn Travelodge Panel presentation and discussion with: Chad Fleck, President & CEO of Saskatchewan Trade and Export Partnership Representative from Canadian Trade Commissioner office A successful exporter from southeast Saskatchewan will share his own experience and insight on how to reach foreign markets. Attendance is free for chamber members, but registration is required. Space is limited. Register on-line at weyburnchamber.com Sponsored by: Tuesday, November 4th at McKenna Hall Featuring Speaker John Gormley Cocktails at 6:00 Supper at 7:00 Program to follow Presentation of the Golden Sheaf Award Reserve your tickets today! Tickets: Upcoming Events Oct 23 Oct 23 Nov 1 Nov 4 Nov 27 Dec TBA Luncheon with Sunrise E. Bourassa & Sons Grand Opening ABEX Awards Farmer Appreciation Night Parade of Lights Breakfast with the Planning Commission CHAMBER CONNECTIONS Chamber Members - $35 Proudly sponsored by: Nominations for the Golden Sheaf are now being accepted! OCTOBER 2014 10 Feature About Our Employee Benefits Plans 10. NO MIMIMUM FIRM SIZE: Your company is eligible to apply even if it’s a one-person operation. 9. NO INDUSTRY RESTRICTIONS: All for-profit businesses are eligible to participate in Chambers Plan as long as they are members of a participating Chamber. 8. GUARANTEED APPROVAL: With three or more full-time people, you can choose options that guarantee coverage to you and your employees. 7. GUARANTEED RENEWABLE: Chambers Plan guarantees your firm can renew coverage as long as you pay your premium each month. 6. RATE STABILITY: Claims are averaged over more than 25,000 companies just like yours. Higher than usual claims one year? You won’t be singled out for a price increase. 5. NOT-FOR-PROFIT: Chambers Plan operates under the direction of the not-for-profit Chamber Insurance Corporation of Canada, by Chamber people, for Chamber people. 4. OUTSTANDING SERVICE: The Plan’s service center works in concert with your exclusive, local Chambers Plan advisor to give you answers to all your questions. 3. FAST, ACCURATE PAYMENTS: Most health and dental claims turn around in 48 hours. You can opt for pharmacy card and electronic dental claim submission, and even direct deposit to employee bank accounts. 2. YOU CHOOSE THE COVERAGE: Every firm participating in Chambers Plan has a custom benefit program, based on the coverage the owner selects. CHAMBER CONNECTIONS 1. YOU CONTROL THE COST: Why pay for a package with benefits you don’t want when you can customize? Customization puts you in control so you get top value for your dollar. For more information, visit http://www.chamberplan.ca ◘ OCTOBER 2014