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TRANSCRIPT
In this issue:
Farmer Appreciation Join us for Parade of Lights on Dec 4th
Insight · Influence · Connection · Exposure · Access
DECEMBER 2014
CHAMBER CONNECTIONS
“The Weyburn & District
Chamber of Commerce
represents the interests
of its Members by
advocating for a
healthy community,
both economically
and socially.”
Ted Hillstead awarded Builder Award at ABEX!
CHAMBER CONNECTIONS
DECEMBER 2014
Business Leadership Dedicated to Economic Vitality and Quality of Life
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
Proudly Serving our Members Since 1940
Follow us on Twitter and Facebook!
Congratulations to Ted Hillstead! Ted Hillstead
was awarded the Roger Phillips Chamber
Builder Award (from Bruce Anderson, Chair of
SK Chamber of Commerce, pictured here with
Ted) at the 31st Annual ABEX awards, held on
Saturday, November 1st. Congratulations Ted!
Also, congratulations to Weyburn Chamber of
Commerce members who were finalists - PAR
Contracting Ltd. and Streamline Oilfield Services.
Seasons Greetings from the Board of Directors
and Staff of the
Weyburn & District
Chamber of Commerce.
The Weyburn District Planning Commission
Loonie Business
We hear about it almost daily now but do people really know what does it all add up
to when the Loonie goes on a skid? Most consumers in their day-to-day lives don’t
consider the impact of fluctuations in the dollar because their interactions are done in
domestic currency. It’s important for everyone to know that for business, when you drill
down even slightly there are some clear winners and losers in the Lonnie game.
Winners: The real winners with a weak Canadian dollar are manufacturers and
exporters that sell their product in the US. Simply put, a falling Loonie results in higher
demand for exported goods.
Canadian oil producers will say that the impact from the current drop in oil prices has
been softened somewhat by a weaker Canadian dollar as Canadian producers get higher-
valued U.S. dollars for what they produce.
Tourism may also see some benefits, as more Americans come north to take advantage of
the favorable exchange rate. There’s nothing more welcoming to foreign visitors than a
devalued Canadian dollar.
Losers: For local consumers, it means paying more for almost everything — from
fruits and vegetables to TVs and cars. Businesses that rely on foreign products will feel
the brunt of the impact, and costs to domestic buyers will go up. Historically this
results in a reduction of consumer spending.
The same goes for cross-border shopping and travel to U.S. While more travelers may
be coming up from the US, fewer Canadians will cross the border to go shopping. Tour
companies, delivering Canadians to their hot winter holiday destinations will feel the
pinch and likely have to pass on some of those costs to consumers.
Foreign investment levels will also generally come out on the losing side of currency
depreciation. To simplify, foreign investors generally look for stability to mitigate
exchange losses and a strong currency for their investment returns.
While the reports on the overall impact vary depending on which “expert economist” you
hear from there is one certainty, the immediate impact can either be very good or very
bad depending on which side of the table you’re sitting. How’s that for certainty? ◘
CHAMBER CONNECTIONS DECEMBER 2014
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.
Just remember - only one survey per member!
CHAMBER CONNECTIONS DECEMBER 2014
CHAMBER CONNECTIONS DECEMBER 2014
Southeast Regional Education & Industry Council
The Weyburn Chamber is proud to be part of the founding of the new
South East Regional Industry & Education Council (SERIEC). With partners
from the Southeast Cornerstone School Division, Southeast Regional College,
and area Chambers, the SERIEC will work to strengthen connections between
education and the business community. To this end, initiatives will focus
on ensuring that students are equipped with the necessary job readiness
skills while improving on opportunities for advanced education and training.
Across the country, labour and skilled labour shortages are regularly
identified as a barrier to growth and success for businesses. Recently, the
Canadian Chamber of Commerce released a report entitled “A Battle We
Can’t Afford to Lose: Getting Young Canadians from Education to
Employment”, that highlights the importance of aligning our education and
training systems with labour market needs and gave recommendations for
doing so. In our province, there are two other formalized Industry
Education Councils in Regina and Saskatoon supported by the Ministry of
Education and Ministry of the Economy. As well, the Sask Chamber has
formally supported, through a policy resolution in 2014, the
recommendation to establish other Industry Education Councils in all regions
of the province.
The Weyburn Chamber of Commerce recognizes that the largest group of
labour force entrants each year is our youth. Creating a conduit for
connection between students and employers will serve to create solutions to
current labour shortages and meet the ever evolving needs of the labour
market in the future. ◘
INFORMATION SESSION - Labour Market Recruitment Mission
The Saskatchewan Ministry of the Economy (ECON) Immigration Services
Branch, will lead a delegation on a skilled labour recruitment mission in
March 2015 at the Working Abroad Expo in Ireland (Dublin/Cork) and
Poland (Warsaw). For more information, check out the website.
The mission will support Saskatchewan employers in filling critical
vacancies in the labour market.
Interested employers are invited to attend an information
session for more details. Sessions will include information on:
The Working Abroad Expo
Immigration
Recruitment process
Mission expectations and logistics
Two information sessions will be held:
Regina: Wednesday, December 10, 2014
Ramada Plaza Regina – Canadian South Room
1818 Victoria Avenue –
Time: 10:00 AM
Saskatoon:
Thursday, December 11, 2014
Travelodge – Concorde 1 Room
106 Circle Drive
Time: 10:00 AM
Confirmation of attendance is required no later than
Friday, December 05, 2014 @ 12:00 PM.
To RSVP:
Gisele McCarthy
Employer Relations Specialist
T: 306-933-7936
CHAMBER CONNECTIONS DECEMBER 2014
Welcome new Chamber Members ….
Shield Power Corporation
A certified electrical company with over 30 years of
underground electrical installations. Their staff includes
journey powerline men and a journeyman electrician.
Chad Kish or Ryan Bousfield
306-897-7788 306-897-7787
Ardell Bookkeeeping Service
With oilfield and agriculture knowledge, Ardell
Bookkeeping Service is a full-cycle bookkeeping
service, including invoicing, bill payment, GST, PST,
WCB, payroll, and financial reporting.
Ardell Waldner
306-842-2787
Suncoast Enclosures
With 23 years in business, Suncoast Enclosures
provides custom built screen rooms, 3-season rooms,
screen walls, privacy walls and louvered roof.
Don Larwood
306-761-1801
www.suncoastenclosures.com
Weyburn Chamber of Commerce presents
21st Annual Parade of Lights
Thursday December 4th
Lineup at 6:15 pm
at Crescent Point Place
Parade starts 7pm
Registration deadline:
Monday, December 1st
The Parade is a great way to show off your business! No Santa Claus on your entry. The Chamber
supplies the only Santa Claus in the parade and he is the Grand Finale.
Lights really do make a difference! Candy to be handed out as weather conditions may
make it slippery. You are certainly welcome to hand out candy while walking beside your float.
FIND OUT HOW TO
ADVERTISE WITH US
CONTACT US TO PUT YOUR BUSINESS HERE
306-842-4738
CHAMBER CONNECTIONS DECEMBER 2014
AT
On November 18th Chamber members met
at the MNP office for everyone’s favorite
event Business After 5. It was a great
opportunity to network with other business
people and meet the staff of MNP. Thanks
to MNP for the hospitality!
Business After 5 is a networking event of
the Chamber and hosted by a member
business. If you would like information on
hosting a Business After 5 event contact
the Chamber office.
On November 4th, the Weyburn Chamber of Commerce hosted the
annual Farmer Appreciation Night to a sold out crowd of 240
attendees. The focus of the event is the importance of the
agriculture industry. Chamber President Rod Gill told the crowd,
“Today is one of the most exciting times in the history of
agriculture in this province. Beyond the amazing advances in
technology – the shift in the business is what is sometimes most
interesting. … Producers aren't seen solely as land-workers
anymore. They are international sellers, exporters, traders,
operators, and much more.”
As the evening’s entertainment, John
Gormley spoke to the sold out crowd at
Farmer Appreciation Night. Gormley spoke
about the impact agriculture has had on the
history of the province. Reading excerpts
from his book, The Gormley Papers - I’m
Right and You Know it!, Gormley entertained
the audience with funny anecdotes and left
us pondering some “Life Lessons”. With his book available for
purchase, Gormley met many of the attendees while signing their
copies of his book.
Closing the evening was the presentation of the Golden Sheaf
Award to the Leguee Family Farm. Starting in 1978 with 640
acres this operation has grown into a 12,400 acre grain, pulse,
oilseed farming partnership today. The operation has always
strived to keep up with new opportunities through technology and
advanced farming practices. Each family member has a strong
commitment to community and volunteer activities. Check out
their blog site –
A Year in the Life
of a Farmer.
(Leguee Family Farm shown here). Photo courtesy of Weyburn Review.
Thank you to all those who attended and our sponsors, Parrish &
Heimbecker, Cenovus Energy, Young’s Equipment, South County
Equipment, E.Bourassa & Sons., and Southern Printers. ◘
On Friday, November 21st at 1:00pm,
the new location of SARCAN officially
held their grand opening. The new
building is located at 1800 Ebel Road,
on Weyburn’s east side.
CHAMBER CONNECTIONS DECEMBER 2014
Save with a Group RRSP
Do you want to help your employees save for retirement, but dread the administrative work of managing a plan?
Under the Chambers of Commerce Group Insurance Plan, employers have access to FutureStepTM, a group Registered Retirement Savings Plan (RRSP) provided
by Manulife, specifically designed to provide employers choice and flexibility in a plan, while being easy to set up and manage.
Simple to administer, with no administration cost to the
employer, FutureStep is available to companies with as few as
two employees. The plan offers best-in-class investment options,
education and online services.
With regular contributions, a FutureStep plan provides immediate
tax relief to your employees, which in turn increases their
savings. Not only will employees’ money go to work sooner, low
management fees allow them to build greater retirement income
for the future.
The plan includes fast and easy online enrolment and ongoing
online administrative support, including live support from a
customer service centre and licensed financial specialists.
For even greater flexibility, Futurestep® is also available with a
Deferred Profit Sharing Plan (DPSP) option, allowing you, the
employer, to contribute to the plan based upon the profitability
of your business.
As a business owner, you understand the importance of attracting
and retaining valuable employees. Knowing your employees are
your key competitive advantage, a group retirement savings plan
helps businesses like yours be competitive and take care of your
employees’ future financial needs. ◘