It was another year of success for the Greater Kitchener Waterloo Chamber of Commerce at this year’s Ontario Chamber of Commerce Annual General Meeting. All five of the policy resolutions we submitted were debated and passed by the OCC members. The resolutions will be the focus for lobbying efforts by the OCC staff and local […]
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According to StatsCan Waterloo Region’s unemployment rate as of March 2015 dropped to 5.7% from 6.9% year-over-year. That drop represents thousands of new jobs and millions of dollars in economic growth in our community. According to a Workforce Planning Board of Waterloo Wellington Dufferin, the industries that are pushing this job growth in Kitchener, Waterloo, […]
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Media reports from the 2015 federal budget tabled by Finance Minister Joe Oliver on April 21 indicate that two sectors have emerged as winners – manufacturers and small business. This analysis is significant for the Region of Waterloo, where one in five jobs is directly related to manufacturing. Local companies will benefit from the ten- […]
Read moreAccording to StatsCan over 1.8 million self-employed Canadians work from their home. Renting or leasing an office space for a finite amount of time is often cost prohibitive for entrepreneurs or small teams that work remotely. At the same time these entrepreneurs often need a physical space to host meetings, create a productive routine, or […]
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It’s National Volunteer Week from April 12-18th and I’d like to thank the nearly 400 volunteers that help the Chamber staff throughout the year. Thank you to our volunteer event committees, advocacy committees, Health Care Resource Council, and all of the other volunteers that help make the Chamber run. Volunteers help build our community up […]
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The Chamber is excited to be participating in Sustainable Waterloo Region’s 30 Day Carbon Cleanse through its Regional Carbon Initiative. For the next 30 days the Chamber and our staff will be taking part in a series of sustainability challenges to lower our carbon footprint. Each week during the challenge there is a targeted theme. […]
Read moreCongratulations to locally-based software company Beagle Inc. on becoming the first Canadian startup to join the Microsoft Ventures Accelerator program as part of the program’s second cohort of businesses. Beagle is joined in the cohort with 13 other top-level startups out of over 600 companies from across North America who applied to be part of […]
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I’ve been there. Walking into a networking event for the first time and feeling that onslaught of anxiety surge through your body as you walk up to a small group of people chatting whom you’ve never met before. Let’s face it, networking for the first time is tough. But networking is a natural part of […]
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We live in an entrepreneurial region. It’s hard to walk around and not walk past someone who has started a business. They’ve taken the plunge into entrepreneurship for their own reasons and they have had unique experiences along the way, but they all go through nearly the same type of emotional journey along the way. […]
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The dominant current provincial issue for Ontario business is the proposed Ontario Retirement Pension Plan. My column on Dec. 16 of last year discussed Bill 56, the legislation tabled by Assoc. Finance Minister Mitzi Hunter. Opposition from business has been growing, primarily in relation to the potential cost of a pension plan and its impact […]
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