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Want to find more customers? GBOC can help

by Fatema Bhabrawala in Members, News

As a business person and Chamber member, you have probably benefited from meeting clients at a Business After Five or learned from other members about changes to government regulations. You may have saved money on merchant services and office supplies or had lunch with the Premier of Ontario. Now you also have the opportunity to learn from the chamber network about how to grow your business and increase sales beyond the Canada/U.S. border.

The Global Business Opportunities Community (GBOC) is a network of Sarnia Lambton Chamber members and partners who are experts in global exporting. Their experience includes mentoring businesses, developing an export plan, understanding government funding opportunities, marketing your company, participating in trade missions and much more.

GBOC is inviting interested companies to contact them if they have are considering exporting as part of their business plan for the first time, or if they are wondering how to increase their sales abroad. They can do so by emailing gboc@slchamber.ca.

By reaching out to GBOC, Chamber members will receive free support from this network of chamber members with real-world experience in exporting as well as senior government bodies (Global Affairs Canada -Trade Commissioner’s Office, Export Development Canada, Ministry of Economic Development and Growth), business accelerators (TechAlliance, Sarnia Lambton Research Park and Sarnia Lambton Economic Partnership) and local partners the City of Sarnia, County of Lambton and Lambton College.

GBOC is in a unique position to facilitate conversations that can set the stage for future business beyond the borders. Shirley de Silva, President and CEO of the Chamber, said the initiative is one that speaks to the overall development of the business community and membership in GBOC reflects that mission. “We have resources in our membership that are ready to help prospective exporters and we’ve already identified a few prospects with whom we’re talking about how we can help in that regard,” said de Silva.

John Wood, GBOC’s Chair for close to two years, echoes de Silva’s assessment. “Exporting may seem like a daunting task, but we believe there are a significant number of companies here, many of them very entrepreneurial, who would find this business building activity to take them to an entirely new level, all with a little extra help when it comes to identifying the steps required to succeed,” he said.

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Comment now on federal food policy

by Fatema Bhabrawala in Advocacy, Members, News

The Government of Canada is preparing a new Food Policy for Canada that addresses issues related to the production, processing, distribution, and consumption of food.

Business owners and members of the public are being encouraged to help shape the policy by responding to a national survey that focuses on the following themes:

—Increasing access to affordable food;
—Improving health and food safety;
—Conserving our soil, water and air; and
—Growing more high-quality food.

The online survey, which can be accessed HERE, will be available until Thursday, August 31.

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Chamber readying responses to ‘Tree Bylaw’ and ‘Transit Levy’

by Fatema Bhabrawala in Advocacy, Members, News

The Sarnia Lambton Chamber of Commerce is preparing to respond to two City of Sarnia proposals, a proposed Tree By-law and the Transit Levy, although businesses still have time to give input themselves.

The responses come after an invitation from the City to weigh-in and will highlight the concerns raised by businesses during discussions with the Chamber and via the email speakup@slchamber.ca. The Chamber’s comments are likely to be made public within the coming week, although opportunities remain for businesses to add their voice to the Chamber’s response document.

Members can find out more about both issues by reading the Your Guide to Sarnia’s Tree By-Law and Your Guide to Sarnia’s Transit Levy By-Law. Comments can be sent directly to the City via these email addresses: trees@sarnia.ca and transittax@sarnia.ca

The Chamber continues to review proposed legislation and regulations at every level of government, including the municipalities in Sarnia and Lambton County, as well as at the provincial and federal levels of government.

Through its membership in the Ontario Chamber of Commerce and the Canadian Chamber of Commerce, the local Chamber has further opportunities available to incorporate ideas and data on how businesses around the province and the country are impacted by proposed legislation.

“It’s these important linkages that further add value to our local members,” said Shirley de Silva, CEO and president of the Sarnia Lambton Chamber of Commerce. “While there are certainly local issues that are key to us, through our growing relationships with the OCC and the CCC, we become even stronger.”

 

 

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Chamber offering ‘toolkit’ to help employers develop a mentally healthy workplace

by Fatema Bhabrawala in Members, News

The Ontario Chamber of Commerce, in affiliation with the Sarnia Lambton Chamber of Commerce, has released a toolkit—Working Towards Mental Wellness—that is designed to help employers develop their own mentally healthy workplace.

The Sarnia Lambton Chamber of Commerce is a member of the Ontario Chamber Network.

Some 1 in 5 Canadians of working age living with a mental health problem or illness and the lack of appropriate support at their place of employment has created what the Chamber says is a “mental health action gap.”

A recent survey of Ontario Chamber of Commerce members found that 81 per cent of employers believe spending on employees’ health and well-being is a good investment. At the same time, only 40 per cent of businesses have a formal mental health strategy in place.

The Sarnia Lambton Chamber of Commerce encourages employers to follow the new toolkit in developing their own mentally healthy workplace.

“This is an initiative that can be one of the most impactful, in a positive way, that employers can take,” said Shirley de Silva, CEO and president of the local Chamber. “The toolkit offered as part of our affiliation with the Ontario Chamber of Commerce is a great place to start, with clearly stated benefits from a healthy workplace, definitions of what a healthy workplace looks like, and the steps businesses should take to take meaningful action in addressing mental health in the workplace.”

De Silva said leadership, strategy and resources are all part of what is required to build a mentally healthy workplace.

“Fundamentally, however, organizations need to foster a culture at all levels in their organization that supports the goal of a mentally healthy workplace,” added de Silva.

The Chamber toolkit lays out three initial steps for employers to start taking action on mental health in the workplace:

—Setting expectations. Identify your organization’s unique needs and solicit employee buy-in for change. Ask yourself what you are doing each day to model mental wellness at work.

—Creating a supportive environment. Make sure all employees feel welcome and able to talk about their mental and physical challenges without fear of judgment or reprisal, by encouraging culture change at all levels of the organization.

—Maintaining the conversation. Regularly measure the health of your organization to ensure that mental wellness strategies are not left on the shelf, and link action taken to results.

More resources to help employers build their own mental health strategies can be found on the Ontario Chamber of Commerce website.

 

 

 

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Chamber speaks up on Bill 148: “Too much, too fast”

by Fatema Bhabrawala in Advocacy, Members, News

Tuesday, July 18, 2017—The Sarnia Lambton Chamber of Commerce has taken a “too much, too fast” stance on the Ontario Government’s Bill 148  in a written submission to the Standing Committee on Finance Economic Affairs as part of consultations on the bill.

The proposed legislation—formally known as the Fair Workplaces, Better Jobs At, 2017—will “have profound negative consequences for Ontario, including job losses, inflation, and business closures,” said the letter, which was sent to the Standing Committee following a consultative session held in London, the location nearest to Sarnia-Lambton, on Monday, July 17.

Chamber President and CEO, Shirley de Silva, and Manager of Advocacy, Monica Shepley attended a Bill 148 hearing in London on July 17, 2017. With them are MPP for Sarnia-Lambton, Bob Bailey, who’s also a member of the Standing Committee of Finance and Economic Affairs, Mayor of Brooke-Alvinston Don McGugan who presented at the hearing, and his wife, Anne McGugan.

The local Chamber will host its own Town Hall Meeting to discuss Bill 148 on Tuesday, July 25 from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. at the Royal Canadian Legion, 286 Front Street N., Sarnia.

The Town Hall Meeting will feature Susan Houston, a labour lawyer and partner with Matthew Dinsdale Clark LLP in Sarnia; Jason McMichael, president of the Sarnia and District Labour Council; and Karl Baldauf, Vice President of Government Relations with the Ontario Chamber of Commerce.

It is free to attend, open to the public, and coffee will be provided. Those wishing to attend are asked to pre-register online at www.slchamber.ca.

In particular, the Chamber cites a 23 per cent increase in the provincial minimum wage, with a total of 32 per cent increase in 18 months.

“By comparison, Seattle has allowed 4 years for a 36 per cent wage increase,” the Chamber letter says. “How are small businesses expected to offset such a rapid increase in costs?”

Chamber officials say many businesses have said they will be forced to increase prices and cut costs, including jobs.

“Some fear the reforms will force them to close their businesses entirely if they can’t adjust quickly enough,” said the letter.

The letter points out that other changes proposed, including equal pay for temporary and part time workers and scheduling, “will carry significant new costs for employers.”

The Chamber is urging the Government to commission an independent economic impact analysis before third reading of the bill, referencing the fact that the “Keep Ontario Working” coalition of business sector associations is commissioning its own analysis.

“We strongly urge you to review (that analysis) when it is completed in August,” the Chamber letter said.

The letter in full, including comments from local business owners, can be seen HERE.

For more details, read “Your Guide to Bill 148“

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Feds want input from businesses ahead of NAFTA renegotiation

by Fatema Bhabrawala in Members, News

With the formal notification of the U.S. Congress’s intention to initiate negotiations related to the North American Free Trade Agreement, Canada is undertaking what it is calling a “broad consultation process with Canadians.”

The government is particularly interested in hearing about what aspects or elements of NAFTA have worked well for Canadians and should remain “as is” and where changes or improvements could be desirable.

Businesses are able to provide feedback through an online consultation form. The link to the form can be found HERE.

 

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Ontario Looking for Input: Consumer Protection Act, 2002

by Fatema Bhabrawala in News

The Ontario government is inviting participants to respond to the proposed changes to the Consumer Protection Act, 2002. These changes would implement door-to-door marketing and contracting restrictions passed in Bill 59; the Putting Consumers First Act (Consumer Protection Statute Amendment); 2017. The government is open to comments on the proposed changes and looking for input on the transition process for businesses.

For more information click here. Responses are due by August 21, 2017 and can be submitted online here.

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Giving electricity customers a voice: Ontario Electricity Customer Panel

by Fatema Bhabrawala in News

The Electricity Distributors Association (EDA) and its member local distribution companies have launched the Ontario Electricity Customer Panel. The initiative is a first-ever online opinion panel exclusively drawn from electricity customers in the province who have agreed to participate. The goal is to establish an online community so electricity customers can express their opinions on such public policies as pricing, conservation and local power generation that can inform relevant decision makers. To join the panel, or to find out more information, visit www.YourVoiceHasPower.com.

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