DELTA, BC (May 17, 2012) KidSport Delta is the charity of choice selected by Delta Cable as the primary sponsor of one of Delta’s longest running golf tournaments. The 24th Annual Delta Chamber Golf Tournament is grateful once again for the support of Delta Cable through its sponsorship and is looking forward to supporting the local charity.

The annual tournament at Beach Grove Golf Club in Tsawwassen on the afternoon of Friday, July 6 will be aiming to attract 120 golfers for the afternoon event and evening dinner.

“The tournament is a fun event and all are welcome. It’s a great business networking opportunity for those who wish to take advantage of that on the golf course or at the dinner, which general manager Gord Sarkissian and the Beach Grove team produce so well,” says Delta Chamber Executive Director Peter Roaf. “We welcome back Delta Cable as primary sponsor and the many local businesses which are hole sponsors and contributors to our fund-raising auctions. There are various ways businesses can build their exposure in Delta before, during and after the event. And we can’t think of a better cause to support than KidSport Delta.”

The annual golf tournament is one of two major events for the Delta Chamber during the year. It not only provides an opportunity for business networking, it generates additional revenue to support member services to make local businesses stronger through a business network. It also supports the voice of business as the Chamber speaks up for local members on issues or opportunities to governments and communities at the local, regional, provincial and national levels, ranging from taxation and red tape to transportation, manufacturing and agriculture.

“The golf tournament proceeds help us give a voice to our members across Delta, BC and Canada on the many challenges to small and medium sized businesses,” says Roaf. “So we encourage people from business and the community to sponsor and register to play golf or attend the dinner so we have a strong voice for a small business here in Delta.”

KidSport Delta is a local chapter of KidSport BC, a not-for-profit organization that provides financial assistance for registration fees and equipment to kids 18 and under. KidSport believes no kid should be left on the sidelines and all should be given the opportunity to experience the positive benefits of organized sports. KidSport Delta believes strong communities are built, in part, by community and corporate investment in healthy active lifestyles for children.

Wayne Rothenberger, Regional Manager for Delta Cable, says:  “Delta Cable is delighted that we can support KidSport Delta this year through proceeds from the Delta Chamber’s annual golf tournament.  We believe that when a child becomes involved in sports a whole new world opens up to them and opportunities for learning and growth, which they may not have previously received, becomes available.  Through KidSport Delta we are pleased that every child in Delta will be afforded these opportunities.”

Registration for the golf tournament and dinner is available through the Delta Chamber of Commerce website at www.deltachamber.ca and the golf tournament link under Upcoming Chamber Events. The Early Bird Rate is available through May 31 so sign up soon. For more information please contact the Delta Chamber office at admin@deltachamber.ca or 604-946-4232.

Robert Allaby, of Tilbury-based Mapei, a company which markets globally in the  manufacturing of total systems for the installation of floor coverings in commercial and residential construction, is chair of this year’s golf tournament committee. He is joined on the committee by Dave Hamilton, Delta Optimist, Sujay Nazareth, Rapid Tech Computers, Grace Bukowsky, Captain’s Cove Marina & Cove Links, Linda Edwards, Dog House Band, Leane vanBeusekom, Royal Bank of Canada, Rob Pope, Canada Plus in Annacis Island industrial park, Gord Sarkissian, Beach Grove Golf & Country Club, Lindsay Eldridge, Nurse Next Door, Marco Goco, Investors Group, and Shanna Wilkinson, Schill Insurance in North Delta.
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CONTACT:
Peter Roaf
Executive Director
Delta Chamber of Commerce
604-946-4232

Chambers across Canada have indicated that skills was the most critical issue facing our members — finding labour; accessing people with the right skill sets; ongoing training and more.

Our Canadian Chamber of Commerce is now seeking opinion of members across the country on a number of these themes under the skills umbrella. The short surveys (5-7 minute) will provide depth and insite into the Canadian Chamber’s skills work so that there is real-time input during that process.

Members, please contribute to our advocacy for small- and medium-sized business by responding to these surveys. Short backgrounders on each survey topic can be found at the Top 10 Barriers to Competitiveness website.

Surveys:
Post secondary education: please respond to the survey at: http://bit.ly/Top10survey1
Life-long learning: please respond to the survey at: http://bit.ly/Top10survey2
Older workers/persons with disabilities:  please respond to the survey at: http://bit.ly/top10survey3
Integration services for immigrants: please respond to the survey at: http://tinyurl.com/bma68o5
Immigration: please respond to the survey at: http://tinyurl.com/d24qr68

The final surveys in the series to be released soon are:
May 22 – Early childhood programs
June 4 – Skills trade
June 18 – Aboriginal workforce development

All surveys will remain open until the end of June.

More than six out of every 10 Canadians have no workplace pension plan. That’s why our Canadian Chamber of Commerce has been a long time supporter of Pooled Registered Pension Plans – or PRPPs – as a way for small- and medium-sized businesses (SMEs) to help their employees save for retirement. PRPPs will also provide individuals and self-employed Canadians with additional options to save for their retirements.

PRPPs will offer lower administrative fees than are associated with larger pension plans and the flexibility that businesses and individuals require to choose retirement savings solutions that fit their needs and resources. More information on how PRPPs would work is available from the Department of Finance.

Bill C-25, the federal legislation that will establish a federal framework for PRPPs, is moving now through Parliament. The federal government’s legislation sets the framework for PRPPs for federally-regulated employers (including telecommunications, banks, transportation) and the tax rules at the federal/territorial and provincial levels.

The government’s goal is to have legislation and regulations for PRPPs in place this year and it hopes the provinces and territories will use their legislation and regulations as a model to ensure consistency across Canada. Quebec has announced it will tabled its PRPP legislation, and other provinces, including BC, may follow suit.

Comments from small- and medium-sized business about the PRPPs received by the Canadian Chamber of Commerce include:

“As an SME that does not presently have any retirement pension plan options for its employees, but is definitely interested in an opportunity to do so (in a manner) that would be effective and efficient….”

“…would be a great option to attract new talent to our business. A pension plan draws a lot of the skilled people that we need to the larger corporations and this would be a nice edge to add to a great business.”

The Canadian Chamber is urging all governments to make PRPPs a reality. PRPPs can give many businesses, individuals and the self-employed additional retirement options, and many millions of Canadians who currently lack adequate retirement savings will benefit.

Updates on this legislation to follow.

To assist small- and medium-sized businesses in training and retaining staff, our Canadian Chamber of Commerce continues to offer the eLearning program of courses it started several years ago. Good employees are extremely valuable and the best seek new challenges and ongoing learning. With eLearning, employee skills improve and turnover is reduced by preparing and training staff for new roles and/or increased responsibilities.

The Chamber eLearning Centre provides its world class online training curriculum 24/7 to anyone with a PC with an Internet connection – and it does so at very reasonable costs! Timing and location can be determined by the employee/employer.

Employees can take training on-the-job or even from home. There are hundreds of topics offered, covering:
• health and safety
• accounting and fi nance;
• customer service
• human resource management
• business communication
• leadership, management and supervision
• marketing and sales
• desktop computing training and a lot more!
Free sample courses are available at www.chamberelearning.com

To fill job vacancies in Canada with qualified workers immigration holds considerable potential. Our chamber networks across Canada have identified this opportunity as part of our Canadian Chamber of Commerce’s action program on Top 10 Barriers to Canadian Competitiveness.

To assist with the recruitment and retention of foreign workers, the Foreign Credentials Referral Office at Citizenship and Immigration Canada has developed the Employer’s Roadmap to Hiring and Retaining Internationally-Trained Workers. 

This tool provides employers with national and regional resources to:
• increase businesses’ competitiveness
• bridge cultural differences
• access immigration programs
• assess work competencies
The Employer’s Roadmap also offers five videos that feature employers sharing the benefi ts they experienced from hiring internationally trained workers.

Targeted at small- and medium-sized businesses, the second of four skills-related webinars, on recruiting, hiring and integrating skilled immigrants, is available through our Canadian Chamber of Commerce network at no charge to view at your convenience.

Finding workers with the right skills is a big challenge for small and medium-size businesses. Employers are finding it is increasingly hard to find Canadian-born skilled workers. The reality is that the immigrants are becoming the source of all new net growth in Canada’s labour force.

Once you realize you need to consider immigrants as potential employees, the question is how to find and recruit them.

In this webinar, you will learn where to turn when looking to hire foreign workers, and which organizations are available to assist employers find and retain employees from outside Canada. You will hear about the experiences of other Canadian businesses which have attracted and hired immigrants.

Try it now at no cost >>click here>>

Targeted at small- and medium-sized businesses, the first of four skills-related webinars is available through our Canadian Chamber of Commerce network at no charge to view at your convenience.

The webinar addresses how essential skills in the workplace can make a difference. It also covers how to find support  for skills upgrading support. Try it now at no cost >>click here>>

Topics covered:
1.    Essential skills, productivity and competitiveness: the Canadian imperative
Presenter: T. Scott Murray, DataAngel Policy Research Inc.
2.    My employees don’t have the essential skills they need! So what? Now what?
Presenter: Janet Lane, Literacy Alberta
3.    Practical solutions for your business
Presenter: Lindsey McIntosh, Office of Literacy and Essential Skills, Human Resources and Skills Development Canada

Learn the Six Keys to Marketing Success and maximize the opportunity to gain exposure for your business and increase sales. Join us for this interactive workshop led by Women’s Enterprise Centre and learn how to integrate the six keys to marketing into your business. One of the challenges of owning a small business is to know how to market effectively on a tight budget. Marketing is most effective when it is both strategic and creative.  In this workshop you will learn the best ways to ensure your marketing dollars and efforts are targeted  to attract the customers you want for your business. Come and network and learn with other enterprising women.

Dawn McCooey completed a Master of Arts degree in Leadership and Training at Royal Roads University, and has worked in the adult training and development field for over 20 years. In her role as Business Advisor at Women’s Enterprise Centre  she provides business advisory, training, and facilitation services to business owners around the province.  Dawn’s first book, Keeping Good Employees on Board, published by Morgan James Publishers, was released in October 2009 and is featured on Amazon.com and Barnes & Noble.

Victoria, April 17, 2012 – The BC Chamber of Commerce welcomed the comprehensive Responsible Resource Development Plan released today as one that would streamline the approval process for major resource projects with a view to creating a ‘one project, one process’ framework.

“BC’s economic future will depend on the strength of our resource industries”, said John Winter, President & CEO of the BC Chamber of Commerce.  “Far too many projects have had to navigate a maze of processes and departments that did nothing to improve environmental protection but did everything to chase away investment.”

The changes announced today will see a reduction in federal agencies responsible for project reviews from 40 to 3, define timeframes for the review process, and most importantly will allow equivalency with provincial processes to ensure that a project goes through one process rather than two.  These changes will provide potential investors with far more certainty around the approvals process than currently exists.

“In BC alone there are literally billions of dollars in BC projects that are stuck in limbo, having been approved by the province but still waiting for federal approval,” continued Winter.  “These projects represent both jobs and economic prosperity for communities across the province.  These changes will not only see these projects move forward, but will also attract new investment to BC and Canada.”

The BC Chamber is the largest and most broadly based business organization in the province.  Representing over 120 Chambers of Commerce and 32,000 businesses of every size, sector and region of the province the BC Chamber of Commerce is “The Voice of Business in BC.”

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For further details contact;

John Winter
President & CEO
BC Chamber of Commerce

T 604.638.8110
C 604.376.3577
E jwinter@bcchamber.org