May update

The Chamber continues to buzz with activity.  In April, we held a successful Business Excellence and Citizen of the Year Awards Banquet, as well as a well-attended All-Candidates Forum.  A quick note to watch out for next week's edition of the 100 Mile Free Press in which our 2 page Chamber Opportunities will be featured. 

In today's update:

• Communities in Bloom;
• Chamber Coins program;
• upcoming Chamber dates;
• new Tourism web tools;
• Youth Skills BC update;
• BC Lawyers' Directory.
  

Communities in Bloom
Following the community clean-up last week, the Committee is now preparing for a plant sale on Saturday May 28, venue and timing to be announced.  The Chamber is actively encouraging interest from Chamber members to be part of this 'Let's Get Growing' event.  Local Chamber members are encouraged to sell at the event: plants, pots, soils are all needed (small fee will be charged).

The judging for the Communities in Bloom competition will be on July 20th and requires sponsorship support from Chamber members. Business leaders are encouraged to donate a hotel room for 1 night, a breakfast and a lunch as well. A town barbeque is planned for evening of July 19th. Sponsors for burgers, hot dogs, refreshments, etc are encouraged.

This is a tremendous opportunity for the Chamber and its members to showcase what we have and what we are all about. Let's participate!

Chamber Coins Program
The Board of Directors at their last meeting resolved to discontinue the Chamber Coins program, given low participation rates in recent years.  The Chamber will not be selling any further Chamber Coins.  The Board is therefore requesting all retailers to please redeem what stock they may have.  Chamber Coins will be honoured for another year, until May 1 2012.  The Board is currently in the process of developing a new shop local strategy.  Please forward any suggestions you may have to Chamber President Vern Peever.

Upcoming Chamber Dates

Wednesday May 18 -   Chamber lunch at the Happy Landing, 12 noon
                                        Speaker still to be confirmed - watch for next week's update

Thursday May 19 - deadline for submitting parade entry forms
Saturday May 21 - Little Britches Rodeo Parade
Saturday May 28 - Let's Get Growing - Communities in Bloom
Wednesday June 8 -  Chamber lunch at the Red Rock Grill
                                    Northern Development Initiative Trust (NDIT) information session

New Tourism Web Tools:
Tourism BC Announces new online Tourism Industry Resources
As part of the Ministry of Jobs, Tourism and Innovation, Tourism BC’s mandate is to support and promote the business of tourism throughout the province. Tourism BC is structured to develop and deliver programs and services that attract visitors to British Columbia and help ensure that the quality of their vacation experience keeps them coming back for more. In partnership with the Cariboo Chilcotin Coast Tourism Region, they work closely with communities in our region.

Tourism BC has a number of NEW resources available to assist tourism operators, communities and sectors in growing and developing their businesses. Explore the collection of tools by clicking the following link to the new Tourism Industry Resource area of the Tourism BC website: www.tti.gov.bc.ca/industryresources. They aim to continue to grow this resource so watch for updates on new content.

Youth Skills BC Update
Reminder to all businesses about the $2000 Hiring Incentive from Youth Skills BC
44 businesses have received $2000 to hire youth throughout BC. 73 BC youth have attained employment and 16 are getting additional training.
The YSBC application process has proven to be easy to use with a turn-around time of 2 - 4 business days.
Go to http://www.bowmanemployment.com/ysbc  to see if you're eligible for this BC Hiring Incentive.

BC Lawyers' Directory
The Canadian Bar Association BC Branch publishes annually the BC Lawyers' Directory, a comprehensive and up-to-date listing, both alphabetically and geographically, of all lawyers including corporate counsel and lawyers in government. Extensive listings of law-related organizations, courts, judges, commissions and other professional services make the Directory an invaluable resource.  Each year more than 10,000 lawyers, judges, legal assistants, legal secretaries, government officials, businesses and community groups purchase and use the BC Lawyers' Directory.  Print Directory order form available here: http://www.cba.org/BC/OnlineDirectory_Documents/directory_order_form.pdf.