Local News That Matters: Green Mail September 29 from the Chamber is here

Chamber Events

E-M-L Candidates on TV & now streaming online
The All Candidates Rogers TV program co-produced with the Chamber is being broadcast daily this week in a variety of time slots on the Rogers Cablesystem, as well as online. We hosted all five Elgin-Middlesex-London candidates in a 60-minute program featuring questions from two local media representatives; myFM Radio News Director Andrew Buttigieg and St. Thomas Times-Journal reporter Jennifer Bieman. Chamber CEO Bob Hammersley served as host and moderator for the show.
For all dates and times of the broadcast on the St. Thomas Rogers Cable system, consult the St. Thomas schedule at www.rogerstv.com
NEW: Rogers has made our program available for online viewing. You don't have to be a Rogers customer to access the show; it's available for viewing by anyone and everyone at your convenience. To access the show, click here.

Tomorrow - September 30
- A special pre-Business After 5 Event

Executive Briefing - Canadian Centre for Product Validation

Fanshawe College is in the process of constructing a 20,000 square-foot facility to house the Canadian Centre for Product Validation. Its purpose is to assist the private sector in bringing new products to market by providing local validation and testing facilities.
Dr. John Makaran, Director of the Centre, will be providing an Executive Briefing at Fanshawe College's St. Thomas/Elgin Regional Campus, 120 Bill Martyn Parkway, on Wednesday September 30 at 3:30 p.m.
Attendance is limited to 50 people and, as of this morning, a few seats are still available. To confirm your attendance please call Debra Burgess at 519-633-2030 Extension 223 or connect directly via email. Our monthly Business After 5 event immediately follows this briefing and we're inviting all attendees to stay for it.

Business After 5 - Tomorrow, September 30

Our September edition of Business After 5 takes place at Fanshawe's St. Thomas / Elgin Regional Campus at 120 Bill Martyn Parkway. (See above for a special pre-event invitation)
Mark the date now and plan to join us for an exceptional connection opportunity. Mix and mingle with your business neighbours and enjoy complimentary hors d'oeuvres, your favourite refreshments, and some great door prizes. The Bistro and Railway City Brewing Company will be at your service with tasty hors d'oeuvres and your favourite refreshments.

Special features at our event include site tours and a special 3D printing display.

As always, admission to Business After 5 is free and open to anyone and everyone from any business or organization that is a Member of the Chamber. Plenty of parking in the large lot behind the College and on Bill Martyn Parkway. Enter via the main front door.

Tomorrow's great door prize line-up includes:
- an iPad Mini 2 (16GB), value $400
- 2 free registrations to Fanshawe's Intro to Wine Tasting course March 18 & 25, value $175
- 2 free registrations (as above)
- 2 free registrations to an 8-week intro course on Conversational Spanish. Course starts October 13, value $175
Additional prizes include gift cards and gift certificates

National Small Business Week October 18 - 24
Business Sample Show - Wednesday October 21

Exhibitor Registration Open Now
Call the Chamber office for details at 519-631-1981 or check the info posted in the Events section of the Chamber website

Space is filling quickly for the Chamber's annual Sample Show. We're pleased to confirm tasty (and FREE) food samples will be offered by four vendors again this year - one in each corner of the hall.

Tim Hortons
Boston Pizza
Legends Tavern
The Bistro

Here's a sampling of some of the other vendors and businesses to be on display:

GoodLife Fitness for Women
Staples
LCA Systems
GasTech
St. Thomas Public Library - 3D printing display
Sparkle CARSTAR Collision
ARC Financial
myFM Radio 94.1
St. Thomas Energy
Kilbank Metal Forming & Turning
MarkIT Solutions
Elgin Audiology

All exhibitors are eligible for cash awards in competitions for Best Display and Best Interactive Display. Our popular Passport Program for attendees returns as well with a $500 cash prize to the winner. At deadline time for this issue of Green Mail, less than 20 exhibitor spaces remain available.
Space is assigned (or you can choose) on a first come/first served basis.

On-Line Calendar List Growing Rapidly

If you're ever wondering what's coming in the Chamber's calendar, look no further than our website.
Our main page always features our events in a column at the right side of the page. Just click on any listing for details on each event. The calendar has grown rapidly in the last week with events now listed to next February. As always, we will continue to showcase individual events over the near term here in Green Mail as well,

Business News & Updates

Proud to be #StThomasProud

The Chamber is very happy to share a note from our inbox, via Sean Dyke at the St. Thomas Economic Development Corporation:

Good morning,
It is with great pleasure that I announce that we had the honour of winning a national marketing award for the #stthomasproud campaign. Recognized for excellence in Online Community Outreach, this award is really one for our community as a whole rather than simply the EDC, although I will thank our team of Cindy Hastings, Ronda Stewart, Tara McCaulley and Megan Pickersgill for all their hard work to ensure that the community has had an opportunity to make their voices heard.
I also want to thank Mark Girdauskas for all of the time and effort he put in to help us spread the word of this positive campaign.
I’ve attached a news release from the Economic Developers Association of Canada and a photo of the award.
Just because we won, though, doesn’t mean the work is over. We are looking to continue to push this campaign over the next year and continue to let people know that we are proud to be in St. Thomas and we could use your help. Please take a moment to make a short video or take some photos that represent why you’re proud of our community and post it on www.stthomasproud.ca. Little by little, it’s making a difference and it is an honour to be a part of it.

Let’s tell the world.

Regards,
Sean

Sean Dyke, Ec.D. CEcD
General Manager
St. Thomas Economic Development Corporation
sdyke@st-thomasedc.on.ca
www.st-thomasedc.on.ca
519-631-1680 ext. 4104
Cell: 519-319-9604

We've chosen not to post the EDAC news release (because Sean said it all quite well) but we can't resist posting a photo of the Award. Hope you don't mind us saying we're proud to be proud!
And don't forget to add #StThomasProud to your own online activities via Twitter and social media. When we all use that hashtag, the net worth or the community promo is amazing!

Cap and Trade: New Report Released This Morning

The Government of Ontario’s decision to develop and implement a province-wide cap and trade system comes at an important time in the global climate change landscape. After a period of relative inaction, a number of national and sub-national jurisdictions have moved ahead recently with strategies to reduce their greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. According to the International Carbon Action Partnership, there are currently 17 emissions trading systems in operation worldwide and an additional 15 in various stages of development—a rapid increase from just four in 2010. Ontario’s business community supports action to address climate change. If designed correctly, the government’s proposed cap and trade system could present some significant opportunities for Ontario.

Over the past few months, the Ontario Chamber of Commerce has been working with its Members and the broader business community, many of whom have practical experience in other jurisdictions that currently employ carbon pricing policies, to identify their top concerns regarding Ontario’s proposed cap and trade system. The St. Thomas & District Chamber of Commerce is working with, and supporting, our colleagues at the Ontario Chamber and in dozens of Chambers across Ontario in the creation and distribution of a new report we call Clean Profits: Pricing Carbon and Protecting Ontario's Economy Under Cap and Trade. In this report, we have translated these concerns into a set of recommendations for government. Underlying these recommendations is a common message: to design an effective cap and trade system, businesses need to be part of the solution. Among our top recommendations are for government the direct the cap and trade proceeds in a way that helps businesses in the transition to a lower-carbon economy, and to ensure that the structural realities of Ontario’s economy are reflected in the design of the system. As of yet, few details of the cap and trade system have been released publicly. Without knowing how the system will impact their bottom line, businesses looking to grow and invest in Ontario face a difficult decision-making environment. The business community understands that the design of a cap and trade system takes time, but it is important that the government make an effort to minimize this uncertainty.

Minimum Wage Rises Thursday
Ontario's general minimum wage goes up 25 cents per hour to $11.25 per hour, effective this Thursday, October 1. It has been $11 per hour since June 1, 2014. The student minimum wage rises to $10.55, up from $10.30 per hour. That rate applies to students under 18 years of age and working 28 hours per week or less, or for work they perform during a school break or summer holidays. The minimum hourly wage for liquor servers climbs from $9.55 per hour to $9.80.
As a result of changes proposed by the Ontario Chamber of Commerce, adjustments in the minimum wage are tied to the rate of inflation, reviewed annually, then announced by the Ontario government each year by April1 for implementation on the following October 1.
For any additional information on the minimum wage, employers and employees can call 1-800-531-5551 or go online to: ontario.ca/minimumwage

St. Thomas & District Chamber Sponsoring Spirit Awards...

They're almost a tradition! myFM's annual Spirit of St. Thomas Awards will be presented on the Friday of National Small Business Week. That's Friday October 23 and you're invited to the show. It runs 7:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. in St. Thomas at St. Anne's Centre on Morrison Drive.

This is an awards program like no other. It's lively, it's fun, and it's a rock 'em / sock 'em approach to celebrating 50 things that are great about our community. Who builds the best burger? What's the name of St. Thomas' favourite insurance agency? Who has the #1 local website?

The 2015 Spirit of St. Thomas Awards are truly the ultimate People's Choice Awards because all of the nominations, then all of the voting, are all up to you. Nominations are now closed. Voting begins next Monday, October 5, at www.stthomastoday.ca Once you're there, click on the COMMUNITY Voting takes place until 18.

The Spirit of St. Thomas Awards recorded over 225,000 votes last year. Help us top that number and celebrate the spirit of our community. And make plans to join everyone for the award presentations on October 23.

Business Plan Competition - 2 days left to enter

The County of Elgin and the Elgin Business Resource Centre (EBRC) are proud to announce “Enterprise Elgin”. The St. Thomas & District Chamber of Commerce is proud to join-in as a supporting sponsor.
Enterprise Elgin is a new business plan competition designed to foster business development in the County of Elgin through new business initiatives as well as business expansions. Contestants may submit business ideas in any field, including services, manufacturing, distribution, health care, Internet, consumer products, retail, technology, and other fields of commercial endeavor. Every submission will be reviewed by their selection committee and the top 5 submissions asked to present in the final round of the competition in a special event during National Small Business Week on Thursday, October 22.
The winning contestant will be awarded a prize package worth thousands of dollars! It includes cash and in-kind business services designed to take the winning entry to the next level. At deadline time for this issue, the winner's prize had a value of $7,000 and, as more project support is confirmed, is expected to reach $10,000.
The Enterprise Elgin Competition is directed at for-profit businesses including start-ups as well as expansions of existing companies.
Contestants in this competition must agree to locate the company’s principal place of business in Elgin County (outside city limits) at the time of the award.
Business Plans and/or Expansion Plans are being accepted by the organizers from now to next Wednesday, September 30, 2015. The top 5 entries will be invited to make a 15-minute presentation in the final round of the competition at the New Sarum Diner reception hall. A panel of judges from the Elgin County business & Economic Development community will evaluate the finalists’ presentations with the winner being announced at the conclusion of the event on Thursday October 22, 5:30 – 7:30 p.m.
Submissions can be made through any local EBRC office in Aylmer, Dutton or St. Thomas.
Staff at the Elgin Business Resource Centre are also willing to provide free assistance to any individual or business considering an entry in Enterprise Elgin. They can offer assistance in creating a business plan or provide a business plan template. For complete details, please contact the Elgin Business Resource Centre at 519-633-7597 or visit www.elginbusinessresourcecentre.com
Enterprise Elgin has been created by The County of Elgin and The Elgin Business Resource Centre.

This initiative is made possible through sponsorship and support from these businesses and organizations:
Elgin Innovation Centre
Redding Designs Inc.
Meridian Credit Union
St. Thomas & District Chamber of Commerce
Aylmer & Area Chamber of Commerce
Blackcat Concepts

The Benefits of Chamber Membership

Our Esso Fleet Fuel program reduces your gasoline price by 3.5 cents per litre at more than 1,000 Esso stations in Canada and over 18,000 Exxon or Mobil stations across the US. You can now register as a business or organization, or as an individual. For details just click here.

Two great group insurance plans... One for people, one for property and vehicles:
Perhaps you've seen our ads in the last few weeks on BNN, the Business News Network, promoting our national Chambers of Commerce Group Insurance Program. It brings huge savings on personal insurance such as life insurance and drug/dental plans. Get in the pool! Last year, we welcomed 3,200 new businesses choosing the Chambers Plan for their employees. At April 1, we included 30,506 businesses and 132,543 employees across Canada as Chamber Plan customers. ARC Financial Group, with offices in St. Thomas and London, is licensed to handle all local sales and service work on the Plan on our behalf. See their website for more.

Our NOVEX Group plan brings big savings on property and vehicle insurance. It's offered locally through Reith & Associates Insurance and Financial Services. For more information on our Novex group plan and the new my Driving Discount call 519-631-3862 or CLICK HERE.

Lower Rates EXCLUSIVELY for Chamber Members
Credit Card & Debit Card processing & services worth switching to!
Switch to the Chamber's plan today or tomorrow and get a free terminal for 6 months

You can go to it, or it can come to you!
Did you know anyone in your office can get Green Mail?
It's easy to get and won't cost you a dime.

Our weekly Green Mail newsletter is posted for viewing and download on the Chamber's website, and in our social media via Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn.
If you prefer a direct subscription link, get your own copy of Green Mail via email every Tuesday. Visit the Chamber website and just add your email address to the box on the left and you will receive Green Mail every week. It's free, and easy.

Having trouble getting your message or event heard in St. Thomas and area? Turn up the volume with Green Mail’s advertising available to Members only.
Advertising & Promotion in Green Mail
The Chamber welcomes all Members to consider using our weekly Green Mail newsletter, or a separate stand-alone version we call Green Mail Exclusive, as a promotion or communications tool for announcements, business activities and community events.
Green Mail may include up to 3 paid ads or announcements in any issue. Weekly distribution sees each issue reach 2,200 to 2,500 individuals via direct email subscriptions and through posts of each issue on the Chamber website, in our Facebook Group and on our Facebook Page, via Twitter and through the Chamber’s Group on LinkedIn.
An ad in Green Mail can be any size, up to the equivalent of a standard 8 ½” by 11” stationery page. Green Mail Exclusive can also carry anything up to the equivalent of a full 8 ½” by 11” stationery page.
Submission deadline for any Green Mail issue is 12 p.m. Friday for release the following Tuesday at 7:30 a.m. All submissions should be provided in a ready-to-publish form, preferably as a PDF, JPEG or PNG file. All content will be formatted to width not to exceed 620 pixels.
Price per insertion in Green Mail is $75. Price per insertion as a Green Mail Exclusive transmission is $125. All submissions are subject to HST. For bulk or long-term ad placements, contact the Chamber's CEO.
Community Service / Public Service?
The Chamber routinely receives dozens of requests each month for ad space to be donated in support of special events and activities. In weeks where our limit of 3 paid ads has not been reached, the Chamber can consider placements for eligible not-for-profit and community services or activities at a reduced rate of $35. It is not possible to donate space.

Your Chamber... Right Now & 24/7

Give us a look, and give us a LIKE, and we will give you news you can use 24/7.
The St. Thomas & District Chamber's public Facebook page is a place to go for regular updates on local business news and community issues as they happen. Click here for a quick connection. Every week you'll find a path to share and connect to an on-line version of this weekly Green Mail newsletter and, whenever there's news that can impact your business or organization and/or your employees, we post it there.
LIKE our page and stay connected!

Here's the lowdown...

Low, down here at the end of our weekly Green Mail, we try to offer up a nugget or two of information that you might find useful in business or social circles.

If you've ever tired of the ongoing news stories that say this or that is bad for you, you're not alone. Take comfort by checking this piece we found via the New York Times. Click here.

The St. Thomas & District Chamber of Commerce distributes this update on events to coincide with news, plans and events throughout the year. You have received this information as a primary contact designated by your business or organization, or because you have requested a copy.
Please feel welcome to share the information with your colleagues. Copies are also posted for viewing or download on the Chamber's website, through links on social media in our Twitter and Facebook groups and pages, and in the Chamber's LinkedIn Group
Our goal is to inform, not annoy.
If you do not wish to receive this update please let the Chamber know.
Contact us by email or call 519-631-1981

This week’s edition of the Chamber’s Green Mail is sponsored by myFM 94.1
St. Thomas