Canadian Chamber of Commerce News Release: 6/8/2021
| Facilitating Safe Cross-border Travel Between the United States and Canada |
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| Today, we, along with the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and fellow business associations, released a joint statement addressing the need to revisit the restrictions on non-essential travel across the Canada-U.S. border. |
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| Release of Labour Data Shows a Light at the End of the Tunnel for Some, Continued Economic Scarring for Many |
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Last Friday’s release of Statistics Canada’s Labour Force Survey numbers held no surprises as the labour market stagnation continues amid lockdowns in key provinces like Ontario, Quebec and Alberta.
As these provincial economies begin to gradually reopen, the next few months could be unsurprising as a sharp rebound in employment is widely expected. Turning our attention to getting Canadians back to work will be a welcome reprieve.
But the coming rebound in jobs is not a recovery in jobs. The rate of unemployment as a result of COVID-19 is roughly 70% greater than that of the Great Recession where it took more than 10 years for the labour market to fully recover. It’s more than likely a labour market recovery from the pandemic could take years if not decades.
What is different this time is the precipitous permanent closing of businesses. With more than 100,000 businesses now permanently closed, the ability to add new jobs is greatly supressed. |
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| Time Is Running Out: Be Heard at the UN Food Systems Summit |
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We are co-convening the North America Best Small Business dialogue on June 16. This dialogue is curated by Wasafiri in partnership with the UN Food Systems Summit. Other co-covenors include the U.S. Farmers and Ranchers in Action, the International Chamber of Commerce and the International Agri-Food Network.
A highly interactive discussion, there will be one to two breakout sessions to enable participants to discuss and exchange experiences, challenges and ideas for the business and policy solutions needed for SMEs to become major contributors to positive transformation of the food system.
The dialogues are a direct pathway for small businesses to be heard and participate in the UN Food Systems Summit. If you would like to participate or provide input, please contact Jarred Cohen today. |
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ICYMI: Reconnecting with Jo Phillips, CBRN Small Business Relief Fund Recipient and Women in Business Panellist
We recently caught up with Jo Phillips, co-owner of Jo(e) Social Media, CBRN Small Business Relief Fund recipient and member of the Lacombe & District Chamber of Commerce, to talk about her business one year later and her upcoming role as a panellist at our Women in Business Summit. |
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| “Female leaders, business owners and entrepreneurs have been disproportionately impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. The Women in Business Summit will help all Canadians understand what needs to change, what has changed, what needs to remain and what a new normal looks like for women in business.” |
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| Our Women in Business Summit is not just another conference for women; it's about mobilizing the entire Canadian business community to apply its ingenuity to find the bold solutions needed for Canada to compete in a changing economic landscape. We encourage you to share this event using our toolkit. |
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Chamber Members Finding Community through Their Local Chamber
Find out about one of our chamber managers, Kristi Meeks, of the Assiniboia Chamber (MB).
More Information.
Albertan Leads National Effort to Unshackle Canada's Cannabis Industry
Find out about one of the co-chairs of our National Cannabis Working Group, Nathan Mison, and his thoughts about the review of the federal Cannabis Act in a recent piece in the Calgary Herald.
Read More. |
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Avricore Health Partners with Shoppers Drug Mart® to Improve Access to Healthcare for Patients
Our member Avricore Health recently launched a pilot program to give patients access to its innovative point-of-care blood screening and health-data management platform, HealthTab™, at select Shoppers Drug Mart locations.
Through this pilot program, patients will have greater access to earlier diabetes detection and preventative screening services for at-risk individuals.
More Information.
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| Rapid Testing Initiative Keeps Growing |
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Chambers in a number of regions are rolling out the Chambers of Commerce Rapid Testing Initiative whereby rapid testing kits can be ordered through local chambers of commerce and then used by SMEs as an early detection system for COVID-19 in their employees. While not a definitive test, administering these tests on site allows anyone who is asymptomatic to be further tested through local health resources. The program gives peace of mind for business owners and employees and avoids costly work shutdowns.
A shoutout to the Ontario network of chambers who have been full bore on this initiative for a month. There are some impressive stats coming out of this program. The Oakville Chamber of Commerce has delivered more than 20,000 kits since the program began, and the Timmins Chamber of Commerce has delivered close to 17,000 kits in its region, representing over 200 businesses and 3,600 employees. The Chatham-Kent Chamber of Commerce has worked with three smaller chambers in its region (Tilbury, Ridgetown and Thornbury) to reach the SMEs in Chatham-Kent.
The program has also rolled out in Alberta, through the Alberta Chambers of Commerce, with more regions coming on stream soon. |
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| Consider adding one or more of these events to your calendar! Chamber and association members, these events are FREE! We encourage you to share them with your stakeholders. |
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Working Together for Community Recovery, with Suncor
June 16 | 1:00 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. ET | Virtual |
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What lessons have we learned from the pandemic? How can government and business work together for community recovery? Join Suncor and the Suncor Energy Foundation, Community Foundations of Canada and the Mikisew Group of Companies to learn about:
- A pandemic response and recovery case study
- How businesses and government can work together for community recovery
- Opportunities ahead for Canadian business
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Women in Business Summit: Empowering an Inclusive Recovery
June 23 | 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. ET | Virtual |
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Our featured panel will discuss the critical responsibility employers have to fill their talent and skills gaps with underrepresented members of the Canadian population in order to build back a better and stronger economy.
To see a full list of our Women in Business Summit speakers, visit: Chamber.ca/event/women-in-business-summit/. |
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The Value of Innovation in Challenging Times
On-demand Webinar |
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Join Amazon Web Services for an on-demand webinar designed for Canadian SME innovators and change-makers.
AWS Head of World Wide Digital Innovation, Richard Halkett, will share Amazon’s innovation methodology, blueprint and the principles AWS has used to create different lines of businesses, including Amazon Kindle and Alexa.
You will learn:
- How technology fuels Amazon’s pace of innovation
- How to use these principles in your organization to innovate faster and at scale
- Best practices you can use in your organization to solve problems, delight customers and bring big ideas to life.
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| Get Excited: It’s Time to Talk about ATA Carnet! |
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Seriously though – borders are starting to reopen, and Canadian businesses will be ramping up their efforts in the international business community.
If you export goods that will be returning to Canada (for example, you have a salesperson attending a trade show in London), you need a Carnet to make your life easier as you cross international borders and deal with customs. Did you know that in Canada you can only obtain a Carnet from our organization? That’s right — and our team of export experts are ready to guide you through the Carnet process!
Did you also know:
- Carnets are accepted in over 78 countries.
- The same Carnet can be used for multiple trips.
- Carnets replace most customs paperwork, resulting in a simplified process for you and your team.
- Carnets allow customs arrangements to be made prior to departure from Canada at a predetermined cost, in English or French, and in Canadian currency.
- Carnets facilitate the temporary importation of goods and reduce duties and taxes.
Carnet is one of the import/export services we offer to businesses to help them grow in Canada and around the world. |
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