– Carmen Sparg is the Executive Vice-President, and President-Elect 2017 of the Kelowna Chamber of Commerce. To find out more information about the organization please visit www.kelownachamber.org.
KELOWNA – Kicking off with the Wedding Expo and an after hours Business Networking in September, the Kelowna Chamber is undertaking another busy season of events, speakers, sponsorships and advocacy for, and on behalf of, our members.
Of course, September also included the Canadian Chambers AGM and Convention in Regina, which I am sure many of my colleagues will be writing about, as well. I flew from Kelowna to Regina on Friday September 16, and the activity never stopped until I stepped onto the plane to come home on Tuesday.
We covered a myriad of topics from Google strategies for member retention to insights on the US election. In between, we had some enlightening workshops on Canadian trade infrastructure; protection measures against online fraud; and a musical look at Community Success.
I thoroughly enjoyed the gala dinner and yes, barely made it to my flight Tuesday. I was honoured to attend, and look forward to updating our board and members on some of the policy submissions and voting results.
Colleagues from Chambers across Canada suggest policy resolutions every year at the annual general meeting. These start as local issues, discussed by individual chambers, then elevated to national status – such as removing barriers to business – there were seventy resolutions tabled this year. All were discussed; many were re-worded, and passed.
Too many to summarize here, but a few highlights: a made-in-BC policy initiative passed to establish greater competition in the airline industry; liberalized air access; and a greater capacity for the movement of labour and goods. The outcome is aimed at solidifying Canada’s position as a global hub for aviation traffic. The Greater Westside Board of Trade brought forward their first policy resolution, which passed: Supporting Canada’s Air Travel Industry Through Lower Fees.
There was extensive discussion on Maximizing the Economic Benefit of Recreational Marijuana, Policy number 22. There was also a policy discussed and passed on remediation: A Remediation Standard for Legal and Illegal Substance Affected Properties. Strict regulation was included in the revised phraseology.
BC-based initiatives included a softwood lumber trade agreement; a free trade agreement with India; affordable pension environment; return to demand-driven immigration; increased government support for responsible resource development; and improved access to the Canada Job Grant.
A final note on the gala dinner at the Canadian Chamber AGM: I was honoured to accept the “Accredited Chamber of Commerce with Distinction Award 2016-2019” on behalf our Kelowna Chamber. Lots of work went into winning the Award over the past two years, from our CEO Caroline Grover, Operations Manager Dicky Dack, the Board Governance Committee (all volunteer hours!), and staff.
And all of us from BC are thrilled that our new Canadian Chamber Chair is Duncan Wilson, Vice President, Corporate Social Responsibility, Port of Vancouver. Deeply experienced in working with public engagement and marketing, he will be a tremendous BC representative at the highest level of the Canada Chamber over the coming year.
In other news, October sees our Chamber partnering in a workshop about Millennials: how they respond to marketing, to work/life balance issues, what they see and want in terms of owning their own homes, starting and running businesses, starting families. We also host our 29th annual Business Excellence Awards on October 13 at the Delta Grand.
We have 30 finalists in ten categories this year, plus announcing our Business Leader of the Year one week in advance of the event. This awards night is always a high point of our Chamber year, and staff and volunteer judges have worked on the project since last April.
Friday October 28, we are honoured to host as a luncheon speaker, Dr Santa Ono, the new president of the University of BC. Dr Ono will be invested as President and Vice Chancellor on November 22, so we really do get a sneak preview of the thinking of this eminent pioneer in biomedical research and experimental medicine.
Born in Vancouver, and most recently the first Asian-American president of the University of Cincinnati, Dr Ono says: “One of the most compelling reasons I was drawn to UBC was the depth and breadth of its academic research, and I am deeply committed to advancing that research by working collaboratively with some of the world’s leading scholars.”
In November, we host two of our local MLAs and both our MPs. This panel luncheon promises to be lively and informative, and as always, we look forward to the questions from the floor. It will be just three weeks into the federal government’s second year in power in Ottawa, and in the run-up to May’s provincial election here at home.
December as always, will bring a flurry of business-related social events, as many of our 1350 members celebrate another (successful) year in business, and the temporary pause for friends, family and social and travel-related relaxation. The work-life balance: important for all of us, and after this event-packed fall season, a lifestyle choice we all embrace.
Did I mention we also are hosting between now and the holidays, another three after hours networking events, four Business Smarts seminars, at least two Young People in Business mixers, our monthly Book Club, Women’s Leadership Network events (multiple), not to mention kicking off our Top Forty program sponsored by BDO?
It’s a real departure this year: we’re featuring our Top Forty Over Forty, and wrapping up our summer-long “Women to Watch” feature program with an October celebration of all our nominees. Thank you to our Volunteers and Staff for making it happen! Our membership retention rate is also at a comfortable 89%. I know we’re doing most things right.