The Greater Fort Erie Chamber of Commerce,
The Chamber of Commerce Niagara Falls,
The Port Colborne-Wainfleet Chamber of Commerce,
And
The Welland/Pelham Chamber of Commerce
are pleased to present:

The Mayors of South Niagara Luncheon

With presentations by:

Mayor Dave Augustyn of Pelham
Mayor Vance Badawey of Port Colborne
Mayor Jim Diodati of Niagara Falls
Mayor April Jeffs of Wainfleet
Mayor Doug Martin of Fort Erie
Mayor Barry Sharpe of Welland

Topic: State of Southern Tier

April 12, 2012

Italian Canadian Cultural Centre (223 Bell Street, Port Colborne)
Registration at 11:30am

Chamber Members: $25.00 per person (HST incl.)
Non-Chamber Members: $35.00 per person (HST incl.)

Please make all cheques payable to the Welland/Pelham Chamber of Commerce.
Please note: 72 hr cancellation notice is required to avoid penalty.

R.S.V.P. By Phone (905) 732-7515, Fax (905)732-7175, or Emailchamber@iaw.on.ca

Mark your Calendars!

On Wed. Jan. 25, 2012 the Township of Wainfleet is hosting the first Business After 5  of 2012 at their township headquarters at  31940 Hwy #3 in beautiful downtown Wainfleet!

The event is from 5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m.

 Wed. Jan. 25, 2012

 Refreshments will be provided.

Don’t forget to bring your business cards.

We are looking pretty good for a 110 year old institution!

Our organization was founded in 1902, and was incorporated in 1930 under the Board of Trade Act.

Help us celebrate this year by getting actively involved in the Port Colborne-Wainfleet Chamber of Commerce.

• Volunteer at a special event ..maybe Lobster and Laughs?
• Join a committee …..maybe the newsletter or marketing or website review committee?
• BUY A MEMBERSHIP IF YOU DON’T ALREADY HAVE ONE!
• sponsor a new member ..help us grow our Chamber by inviting a new company to join the Chamber ( at your expense) It’s a good investment!

We are now accepting nominations for the Port Colborne – Wainfleet Chamber of Commerce’s Annual President’s Awards Reception.

Each year we honour business, citizens and youth for their hard work in our communities!

You can download a nomination form in PDF format below or you can drop in to the Chamber and pick up a form or you can email the Chamber and we will send you a form!

• 2011 Nomination Form for Business of the Year
• 2011 Nomination Forms Citizen of the Year
• 2011 Youth Citizen of the Year Nomination Form

Submission deadline is Jan. 31, 2012.

If you have any questions please contact Edith or Brooke at the Chamber office at 905-834-9765.

The Business Link News ( Niagara ) is now accepting nominations for the 2012  40 under 40 Awards.
Nomination forms are available with all of the guidelines listed.

Please think about your business friends and partners in Port Colborne – Wainfleet and nominate a winner!
40 under 40 Nomination Form 2012

Wainfleet and Port Colborne mayors came looking for questions.

They got them.

With a shift in format, the Port Colborne-Wainfleet Chamber of Commerce’s Quarterly Mayors Breakfast now encourages comments from chamber members rather than speeches from the politicians.

Vance Badawey and April Jeffs heard views about community improvement plans, police and vandals, road construction, septic tanks and stinky beaches.

Badawey encouraged the business community to use community improvement plans. In the right conditions, they can receive up to $10,000 from the city and $10,000 from Niagara Region for improvements, such as new facades, he said.

Port Colborne has five CIPs: for Main St., the downtown, the east side waterfront area, brownfields and industrial lands.

Badaway also asked for guidance, wanting the business community to indicate which CIPs should get budget priority.

He was advised to exercise caution, if it means tearing up a street for reconstruction as part of any improvement.

“We are still in somewhat of recession,” said one of the business owners. “You should hold off for a year or two.”

While Wainfleet has no CIPs, Jeffs said she has just heard from the region about a rural version of a program for farms, such as restoration of a barn, from the region. She will get more information on it.

Badawey got an earful about vandalism in downtown Port Colborne and a lack of enthusiasm from police officers about vandalism and break-ins. The mayor said it was important merchants contact police so they can track problems and watch for patterns.

“They log and record all calls,” he said.

If there are specific difficulties with individual police officers, people should contact him. He sits on the Niagara Regional Police services board.

The mayor cautioned the group of about 50 assembled at the Guild Hall breakfast not to blame young people alone for the problems.

“We want to engage the community youth and give them more responsibility as community members,” he said, adding the city plans to build a skate park but hasn’t selected a location yet.

Algae buildup in Reebs Bay and other beaches along the Lake Erie shore of Port Colborne and Wainfleet drew a question about the cause of that problem.

Jeffs and Badawey said it was a combination of reasons that go beyond local sewage and agricultural runoff.

“I don’t think senior levels of government are doing enough,” Badawey said.

A few years ago, a natural management plan for the north shore of Lake Erie was being developed, “but it has been dropped.” Now, he said, “we have become the beneficiaries of a lot of crap.”

Jeffs said Wainfleet is working with Niagara Peninsula Conservation Authority to do testing.

“There are a lot of theories about the cause of algae buildup,” she said.

Meanwhile, the township this spring will begin testing sceptic systems along the lakeshore. It’s about to hire an inspector and will probably hold an information session to inform property owners about the process and their responsibilities, she said.

Jeffs and her council were elected a year ago on a platform to stop the so-called “Big Pipe” plan for a sewer and waterline along Lakeshore Rd. As an alternative, inspection and replacement of faulty sceptic systems was suggested.

In reversing the Q&A, Badawey asked the chamber for its opinion on the new Greater Niagara Chamber of Commerce, to which the St. Catharines-Thorold chamber will be the first to merge.

Vice-president Patti Sterling said the Port Colborne-Wainfleet chamber is not interested in blending into a regional chamber that would reduce the local agency to a business council.

“Business in Niagara should speak with one voice,” she told the mayor, “but it doesn’t have to be through one chamber.”

The supporters of a regional chamber dismiss the role the chambers play in serving their members, such providing information and insurance, she said.

“They would call this breakfast event small stuff.”

Stirling said regional chamber backers are just interested in becoming a big lobbying body.

There are other ways to do that, she said, adding the local business community already has lobbying groups.

In an interview after the meeting, Badawey said the question-and-answer format, which the chamber started using last quarter, is a good way to gather information and clarify matters.

wcampbell@wellandtribune.ca

Monday, December 12th at 6:30 pm, the  Economic Impact Report from Canal Days will be discussed at City Council.

Michael Harker, Senior Partner with Enigma Research Corporation (the company that created the report) will also be at the Council meeting to present the report and field any questions you may have.

For further information:

Michelle Idzenga
Administrative Assistant, Manager of Community Services

City of Port Colborne
Telephone: 905-834-1668 ext. 232
Fax: 905-834-2072

On