Blogs ~ May 2017

Meet the Drumheller and District Chamber of Commerce

Chamber Staff Celebrate 15 Year Anniversaries            

The Drumheller and District Chamber of Commerce celebrated the 15th anniversary of two of its staff members on May 1, 2017. Heather Bitz, Executive Director and Kathy Little, Support Services Manager joined the organization in a full time capacity on May 1, 2002. Over the years, both have served in various capacities with the organization. Ms. Bitz has served as Executive Director since February 2006 and Ms. Little has been in her current position since April 2005.

Katrina Marsh and Hendrik Brakel discuss the latest 5 Minutes for Business: Fast and Furious—Negotiating NAFTA.

The Canadian Chamber of Commerce, in partnership with Garda World, invites you to attend a conference aimed at rethinking Canada's police services delivery model on June 1. A New Era of Public Safety and Security: Innovating the Service Delivery Model will be the opportunity for sector experts, police service representatives and elected officials to examine how to continue to keep the public safe, while keeping costs under control. Find out more in this video.

By the Hon. Perrin Beatty, President and CEO of the Canadian Chamber of Commerce and the Hon. Christian Paradis, Senior Vice President, Strategic Development, Protective Services at Garda World

When we visit the dentist’s office, the individuals working there are not all dentists. The reasons for this are obvious to us: we want to free up the professionals so they can focus on providing the services that only they can perform.

In our police forces, on the other hand, trained and qualified police officers are required to perform tasks that have nothing to do with their essential duties – chores for which their expertise is not at all required, from routine administration to non-essential procedures. Can we really afford such a mismatch between duties and qualifications in our police services?

Now that the Trump administration has notified Congress that it plans to renegotiate NAFTA, in this edition of 5 Minutes for Business, Hendrik Brakel, our Senior Director, Economic, Financial and Tax Policy, considers what will happen over the 90-day consultation period and whether it’s possible to renegotiate NAFTA within the next 18 months.

Canada, Mexico and the U.S. want NAFTA 2.0 wrapped up right away. Read this edition of 5 Minutes for Business to find out if Hendrik believes politics will get in the way of a negotiating a better, modern deal that will benefit Canadian businesses.

By the Hon. Perrin Beatty, President and CEO of the Canadian Chamber of Commerce and the Hon. Christian Paradis, Senior Vice President, Strategic Development, Protective Services at Garda World

When we visit the dentist’s office, the individuals working there are not all dentists. The reasons for this are obvious to us: we want to free up the professionals so they can focus on providing the services that only they can perform.

In our police forces, on the other hand, trained and qualified police officers are required to perform tasks that have nothing to do with their essential duties – chores for which their expertise is not at all required, from routine administration to non-essential procedures. Can we really afford such a mismatch between duties and qualifications in our police services?

Today, the U.S. administration triggered the renegotiation of the North American free trade agreement. We’ve been waiting for this and we’re ready. NAFTA has been a positive agreement for all three countries involved but it is over 22 years old. A number of improvements can be made, and we look forward to working with the Canadian government to get a better, modern deal for Canadian businesses.

We intend to focus on digital trade, e-commerce, worker mobility and regulatory cooperation as the main areas of improvement for a new NAFTA. This agreement was negotiated nearly 25 years ago, and the economies of all three countries have changed considerably in that time. Many of the changes that we want to see in this document will also benefit businesses in the U.S. and Mexico, which is why we think we can end up with a better agreement for Canadians.

Ransomware attacks are a global epidemic, with the latest WannaCry attack infecting computers in 150 countries. Last Tuesday on Facebook Live, Scott Smith, our Director of Intellectual Property and Innovation Policy, discussed how government and business can work together to stop cybercrime.

Watch the interview and read our report Cyber Security in Canada: Practical Solutions to a Growing Problem.

Ottawa, May 18, 2017 –“We’ve been waiting for this and we’re ready. NAFTA has been a positive agreement for all three countries involved but it is over 22 years old. A number of improvements can be made, and we look forward to working with the Canadian government to get a better, modern deal for Canadian businesses,” said the Hon. Perrin Beatty, President of the Canadian Chamber of Commerce, reacting to the U.S. Administration’s triggering renegotiation of the North American free-trade agreement.

Scott Smith, Director of Innovation and Intellectual Property Policy discusses the Cyber Security in Canada. Read his latest report Cyber Security in Canada: Practical Solutions to a Growing Problem.