Call for nominations Small Business Week 2015
Call for nominations
Chamber of Commerce to recognize outstanding businesses at awards luncheon
TRURO - The Truro & Colchester Chamber of Commerce will honour five local enterprises during its Small Business Week awards luncheon in October.
To highlight the importance of small business, the chamber is hosting several events in Truro and the surrounding area from Oct. 20 to 23, bringing the business community together to share achievements, network and showcase information and supports for local entrepreneurs.
"Small businesses contribute immensely to the economy and social fabric of the communities they operate in,” said chamber president Andrew Lake. “Small Business Week celebrates those businesses that excel in the delivery of their products and service."
Lake is pleased to announce Laurel Broten, president and CEO of Nova Scotia Business Inc., the business development agency for the province of Nova Scotia, will be the special guest speaker at this year’s awards luncheon. Broten is a former Bay Street lawyer, Ontario Cabinet Minister, public policy expert, advocate and mother of twin boys, Zachary and Ryan.
She earned both a Bachelor of Arts and a Bachelor of Science degree from McMaster University, followed by a juris doctorate from the University of Western Ontario. Upon graduation, Broten was selected as a law clerk to Madam Justice Claire L'Heureux-Dubé at the Supreme Court of Canada. She has extensive experience in cluster economic development and job creation with positive impact on creative industries, food processing as well as the green energy and clean tech sectors.
Award nominations are currently being accepted in the following categories: New Small Business of the Year, sponsored by WBLI Chartered Accountants; Small Business Achievement, sponsored by PWC; Export Achievement, sponsored by Nova Scotia Business Inc.; Small Business Innovation, sponsored by RBC; and new this year is the Excellence in Community Development award sponsored by the Town of Truro.
Nomination forms are available from the chamber office at 605 Prince St. (Marigold Cultural Centre), Truro; online at www.trurocolchesterchamber.com and the Truro and Colchester Chamber of Commerce Facebook page.
Click here to view nomination forms:
New Small Business of the year
Excellence in Community Development
Print the form, fill it in, scan/email it using [email protected] or drop it off at the chamber office in a sealed envelope. Nominations will be accepted until Oct. 9.
The award luncheon will be held at the Holiday Inn on Wednesday, Oct. 21, beginning at noon. Reserve your seat in advance by calling the chamber office, 902-895-6328; tickets cost $25 for chamber members and $35 for future members (tax inc.).
Watch the chamber website and Facebook page for a schedule of chamber-hosted events and details on other small business week events in the area.
Small business week events hosted by the Truro & Colchester Chamber of Commerce:
Oct. 20 – Young Entrepreneur showcase. This event is designed to foster entrepreneurial spirit in youth, while connecting them to resources in the community. This event will be held at the Marigold Cultural Centre, 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. This event is sponsored by BDC.
Oct. 21-Small Business Week awards luncheon, Holiday Inn, 12 p.m., featuring Laurel Broten, president and CEO of Nova Scotia Business Inc. Tickets cost $25 for chamber members and $35 for future members (including tax).
Oct. 22- Women in business breakfast. This free event will provide an opportunity for women business owners to network and learn about important resources in the community to build their business. Guest speaker will be Tanya Priske of the Centre for Women in Business. This event is sponsored by BDC.
Oct. 23- Social Media 101 and Q and A, lunch and learn with Michelle McCann of Bold and Italic Social Communications at Nook and Cranny, Prince Street. Cost is $8 per person, seating is limited and pre-registration is required. This event is sponsored by Elegant Steps.
Watch the chamber website and facebook page for updates, or call 902-895-6328.
Watch the chamber website and facebook page for updates, or call 902-895-6328.
Change of federal debate venue
Change of venue for Cumberland–Colchester federal election debate
TRURO – A federal election debate hosted by the Truro & Colchester Chamber of Commerce on Oct. 6 is being moved to a larger venue.
The event, featuring all five candidates running in Cumberland-Colchester, will now be held at the Dalhousie Agricultural Campus Alumni Theatre inside Cumming Hall, 62 Cumming Dr., Bible Hill.
The debate was originally scheduled to be held at the Marigold Cultural Centre in downtown Truro.
Incumbent Conservative MP Scott Armstrong will join Liberal candidate Bill Casey, NDP Wendy Robinson, Green Party Jason Blanch and independent Kenneth Jackson on the debate panel.
Chamber president Andrew Lake will moderate the hour-long evening debate. Doors will open at 6:30 p.m. and the debate will get underway at 7 p.m.
The event is open to the public, sponsored by the Nova Scotia Association of Realtors.
The chamber is soliciting questions in advance of the debate from the businesses community, as well as the general public, by email until 12 p.m. on Oct. 5. Questions should be sent to [email protected].
The Truro & Colchester Chamber of Commerce represents more than 400 member businesses and has been the principal voice for business in the Colchester region for 125 years in matters of economic, social and political importance.
Brookside abbatoir expansion good news for farmers
Michael Isenor, manager of NorthumberLamb in Bible Hill, is looking forward to entering new markets with its new federal inspection licence designation.
Abattoir expansion good news for local farmers
BIBLE HILL - A newly completed expansion at a Bible Hill abattoir is good news for local sheep farmers.
Michael Isenor, manager of NorthumberLamb on Brookside Road, said during the past three years about $700,000 in upgrades and renovations have been completed at the facility through government partnerships.
The abattoir has been processing lamb since 1982 with its provincially inspected products being direct marketed to stores across the province.
Isenor said while the locally produced lamb was making its way onto grocery stores in Nova Scotia there was lots of room to grow markets outside the province once the abattoir received a federal inspection licence.
“The big issue with that is the bigger stores, like Loblaws and Sobeys, sell through their warehouses,” said the manager. “Because we’re not in their warehouses they send lamb to stores from Australia, New Zealand, Quebec, Alberta and others.
“That put us in kind of a handicap spot.”
He said the key to entering new markets outside the province was to become federally inspected, a milestone NorthumberLamb achieved on July 6 after three years of upgrades.
“As far as barriers, now we don’t have any barriers to ship anywhere in the world,” Isenor said.
While NorthumberLamb is currently working with grocery giants to enter their warehouse distribution centres, Isenor said there has also been increased demand for lamb in restaurants and specialty stores.
“We have a lot of restaurants in the Halifax area that sell lamb. People try it then want to buy it themselves.”
Last year the facility processed about 5,800 lambs, however, the previous year – the best on record – saw about 6,300 lambs processed.
Isenor said with the new federal inspection lincence they are aiming to process 10,000 lambs annually.
He said the new interest is a great benefit for sheep farmers that are currently producing more than the market in Nova Scotia can hold. Historically, when there were more lambs then markets, they would be shipped to auction yards in Ontario, adding expenses and cutting profits by 10 to 25 per cent.
“It’s definitely an advantage to having them marketed here.”
Chamber urges government to reduce red tape to welcome more immigrants, refugees
Chamber urges government to reduce red tape to welcome more immigrants, refugees
TRURO - The Truro & Colchester Chamber of Commerce is urging all levels of government to streamline immigration and refugee services with a focus to increase settlement in rural areas.
For 148 years Canada has been a welcoming place for immigrants and refugees from around the globe. However, for many refugees the dream of seeking safe asylum while attempting to escape violence in their home countries is ending, tangled in bureaucratic red tape.
"Nova Scotians have expressed a desire to increase the number of immigrants allowed to enter the province each year,” said chamber president Andrew Lake. “History has shown the contribution of immigrants to the culture and economy of the province to be invaluable.
“Unfortunately, barriers to immigration as demonstrated through the recent Iraq and Syrian refugee crisis further highlights this country’s need for immigration reform.”
Recent media reports have captured images and stories about the plight of hundreds of thousands of Syrians attempting to flee their homeland ravaged by war often ending in tragic circumstances.
According to the United Nations Refugee Agency website there is an estimated 16.7 million refugees around the world.
The province of Nova Scotia recently donated $50,000 to support the Syrian refugee relief effort. While Lake applauds the provincial government for offering support on behalf of Nova Scotians, he would like to see greater collaboration by provincial and federal governments aimed at reducing wait times for processing refugee applications for resettlement removing people from harm’s way.
He points out that community based organizations such as the Colchester Immigration and Refugee Partnership, supported by local churches, has hosted a number of refugees while offering support that has encouraged them to remain and build new lives in this region.
Truro and surrounding area has the greatest retention rate of refugees in Atlantic Canada.
Lake urges the federal government to expand immigration and refugee services focused on ensuring there is a regional strategy to fairly apply resources required to meet settlement needs for newcomers in all regions of the country.
Chamber to host federal election candidate debate
Please note: The location of this debate has changed. It will now be held at the Dalhousie Alumni Theatre, same date and time.
Chamber hosting federal election candidate debate
TRURO – All five federal election candidates running in Cumberland-Colchester will participate in a debate in Truro on Oct. 6 hosted by the Truro & Colchester Chamber of Commerce.
Incumbent Conservative MP Scott Armstrong will join Liberal candidate Bill Casey, NDP Wendy Robinson, Green Party Jason Blanch and independent Kenneth Jackson on the debate panel at the Marigold Cultural Centre, 605 Prince St.
“The debate offers the community an opportunity to engage with the candidates, learning their position on a variety of topics relevant to local constituents,” said chamber president Andrew Lake. “It’s one of the many beautiful aspects of living in a democratic society; voters have an opportunity to make their voice heard by the candidates, shaping their decision on Election Day."
Lake will moderate the hour-long evening debate. Doors will open at 6:30 p.m. and the debate will get underway at 7 p.m.
The event is open to the public and is sponsored by the Nova Scotia Association of Realtors.
The chamber is soliciting questions from the businesses community, as well as the general public by email until 12 p.m. on Oct. 5. Questions should be sent to [email protected].
The Truro & Colchester Chamber of Commerce represents more than 400 member businesses and has been the principal voice for business in the Colchester region for 125 years in matters of economic, social and political importance.
2015 Small Business Awards call for nominations
Oct. 21, 2015 - Small Business Awards Luncheon at Holiday Inn
Nominate your business or the business of someone you know and appreciate!
The Truro & Colchester Chamber of Commerce will honour five local enterprises at its award luncheon during Small Business Week. Award nominations are currently being accepted for the following categories: New Small Business of the year, Small Business Achievement, Export Achievement, Business Innovation and, a new category this year, Excellence in Community Development. The awards will be presented on Wednesday, Oct 21, 2015 at 12 p.m. (noon) at the Holiday Inn.
Click here to view nomination forms:
New Small Business of the year
Excellence in Community Development
Then print, fill in the form and either scan/email it to us using [email protected] or drop it off in a sealed envelope at the Chamber Office, 605 Prince Street, Truro (Marigold Cultural Centre).
Lunch and learn to promote benefits of business-education partnerships
Businesses reap benefits from educational partnerships
TRURO – There are many rewards for local businesses willing to host students, says Robert Langille, head of the Cobequid Educational Centre’s Career Exploration Program (CEP).
Langille is aiming to introduce the local business community to the benefits of the CEP workplace-education partnership on Thursday, Sept. 10 during a free lunch and learn event sponsored by the program’s student- run café, and co-ordinated by the Truro & Colchester Chamber of Commerce.
“My program is probably the most hands-on program in the province,” says the department head.
“These kids are getting a real-world lesson on what it’s like to own a business and be a professional.”
During the senior high program students learn a variety of skills ideal for placements in commercial cooking, property maintenance and retail businesses.
Langille says one of the greatest benefits to businesses hosting students as part of the CEP program is connecting employers to potential employees.
“They just need someone to believe in them and push them to be the best they can be,” said Langille.
The CEP program is one of three community-based learning programs offered within the Chignecto-Central Regional School Board at its three Colchester County high schools. Participants at the lunch and learn will also gain insight into the Options and Opportunities program.
The event will be held at noon at the CEP Café inside the Cobequid Education Centre, 34 Lorne St., giving business people an opportunity to learn more about these valuable education programs.
"It's a win-win situation,” said chamber president Andrew Lake. “ Students get exposed to the demands of different jobs prior to pursuing a career and/or post-secondary education.
“Employers get introduced to a pool of potential employees where the student skills and work ethic can be assessed on a trial basis, with the potential to develop into a future employee.”
The chamber hopes the event will bring exposure to the merits of the program in an effort to foster a partnership between the business community and local schools. There is no cost to participate, however, people are asked to register by calling the chamber office at 902-895-6328 or emailing the events co-ordinator at [email protected]