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Dear Member,
Welcome to the first 'Your Voice' e-newsletter! The focus of this bi-monthly e-newsletter will be to update you on what your Saint John Board of Trade, the Chambers of Commerce Network and fellow members have been doing on advocacy and other news. See how your voice is having an impact in our community.
Municipal Pre-Budget Submission
On November 3, 2011 the Saint John Board of Trade sent a letter to Common Council outlining recommendations for Council to consider during the 2012 pre-budget deliberations. To view a copy of the letter click here.
Municipal Plan
On November 4, 2011 the Saint John Board of Trade submitted a letter to Common Council providing the Board's feedback on the draft Municipal Plan. To view a copy of the Board's submission and for other information on the Municipal Plan, visit the Board of Trade's webpage dedicated to the PlanSJ process.
U.S. Consul General Roundtable
Your Saint John Board of Trade helped organize and participated in a Roundtable with the Consul General of the United States of America, Mr. Anton Smith, the American Chamber of Commerce in Canada, and Deloitte on November 3, 2011. The Executive Roundtable Dialogue focused on Conducting business with the United States - issues and priorities. To view photos of the roundtable discussions click here. Thank you to our host, Deloitte, and sponsor, The State of Tennessee!
Energy
Members are encouraged to visit the Saint John Board of Trade's webpage dedicated to the Energy sector. The page has links to other pages on the New Brunswick Energy Commission, Shale Gas, and Nuclear Power. You can view the Board of Trade's recent application to the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission as an intervenor for the NB Power's Power Reactor Operating Licence renewal for the Point Lepreau Generating Station.
Health
In addition to the Primary Health Care submission made to the Hon. Madeline Dube in August 2011 the Saint John Board of Trade held the fifth annual Residents & Clerks Mixer on October 26 at the Peter Buckland Gallery. Thank you to our partners: Enterprise Saint John, Medical Education at the Saint John Regional Hospital, and Scotiabank for helping us welcome the residents and clerks to our business community!
Retail
On October 21, 2011 our Retail Forum invited members from the retail and hospitality related sectors to participate in a Town Hall to discuss issues of importance to them. The Co-Chairs of the Retail Forum, Dwight Daye and Kiera Fraser, hosted the Town Hall. Many issues were discussed including potential training for retail and hospitality related sector members. The Forum hopes to provide training opportunities in the new year. Make sure to visit the Events Calendar often for upcoming sessions!
Transportation
The Saint John Board of Trade is conducting a survey of our members in conjunction with Saint John Airport to identify what flights and services our members would be interested in, as there are two opportunities that currently exist for improved/expanded air service. Please take a moment to fill out the online survey by clicking: http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/SJAirservice
Please note, the survey will close on Thursday, November 17th.
Workforce
New surveys show Canadian businesses and older workers want to connect. Surveys conducted by the ThirdQuarter national pilot project found Canadian businesses are planning to hire within the next two years – and they want many of their new employees to be older workers. To view some of the results of the survey and find out more information on the ThirdQuarter pilot project click here.
Canadian Chamber of Commerce News
At the 2011 Canadian Chamber of Commerce Annual General Meeting held in St. John's, Newfoundland this past September, many policy issues were debated and voted on. The policy issues that were passed have been compiled in the 2011 Canadian Chamber of Commerce Policy Resolutions Book.
On October 18, 2011 the Canadian Chamber of Commerce published a Policy Brief as part of their Economic Policy Series titled Major Crisis of Confidence Grips the Global Economy. To view a copy of this Brief click here.
Perrin Beatty, President and CEO of the Canadian Chamber of Commerce (CCC), headed the Canadian delegation to the G20 Business Summit (B20) in Cannes, France between November 2 and November 4 where he stated the G20 leaders need to act now. To view a copy of the news release from the CCC click here.
Statement by the Hon. Perrin Beatty, President and CEO of the Canadian Chamber of Commerce in reaction to Finance Minister Jim Flaherty’s speech at the Calgary Chamber of Commerce. Click here to view a copy of his remarks.
Member News
ACOA and partners like Enterprise Saint John present 'Going Global Workshops' on Nov 21 in Saint John.
The City of Saint John has been designated one of the Smart 21cities by the Intelligent Community Forum.
On October 19, 2011 Irving Shipbuilding was awarded the National Shipbuilding Procurment Strategy contract to build combat vessels worth $25 billion.
The New Brunswick Information Technology Council released a report to the provincial government the potential growth for the ICT industry in New Brunswick.
WorksafeNBhas announced their 2012 assessment rates with a 15% decrease in the average assessment rate.
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In This Issue
Board News
Upcoming Events
What our members are saying...
“A recent policy resolution put before the Canadian Chamber of Commerce had potential to negatively impact government perception of internal trade issues with a direct impact on Moosehead Breweries. The Saint John Board of Trade brought this to Moosehead’s attention and helped draft and solicit support for an amendment that addressed the Company’s unique trading position. The amendment passed easily at the Chamber’s AGM. We are grateful for the Board’s interest and invaluable assistance with this matter.
”Joel Levesque
Public Affairs Counsel for Moosehead Breweries Limited
Committee Spotlight
Government Affairs Committee Co-Chairs: Jonathan Calabrese, Deloitte and Sean Hanlon, Dillon Consulting Limited
The mandate of the Government Affairs Committee is to provide leadership in identifying federal, provincial, and municipal issues of interest and concern to the business community; develop policy positions and strategies to promote these positions to government officials, the New Brunswick Chamber of Commerce, the Atlantic Provinces Chambers of Commerce, and the Canadian Chamber of Commerce for consideration and approval by the Board of Directors. The Committee also assists in ensuring the Saint John Board of Trade fulfills its role and responsibility to represent and lobby on behalf of the business community.
Most recently, the Committee drafted the municipal pre-budget document that was submitted to Common Council on November 3, 2011.
To get involved with a Saint John Board of Trade Committee, Task Force, or Member Forum contact Erinor Jacob-Levine at ejacob@sjboardoftrade.com or 634-4158.
Upcoming EventsNovember
November 22 - HR on Demand (more)
November 30 - 27th Annual Outstanding Business Achievement Awards Dinner (more)
December
December 7 - New Member Meet & Greet
Contact Information
Imelda Gilman, President
igilman@sjboardoftrade.com
506-634-4157
Erinor Jacob-Levine
Policy & Research Officer
ejacob@sjboardoftrade.com
506-634-4158
Get Connected with us on Social Media!!
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