In this issue:

Farmer Appreciation Join us for Parade of Lights on Dec 4th

Insight · Influence · Connection · Exposure · Access

DECEMBER 2014

CHAMBER CONNECTIONS

“The Weyburn & District

Chamber of Commerce

represents the interests

of its Members by

advocating for a

healthy community,

both economically

and socially.”

Ted Hillstead awarded Builder Award at ABEX!

CHAMBER CONNECTIONS

DECEMBER 2014

Business Leadership Dedicated to Economic Vitality and Quality of Life

Questions? Comments? Concerns?

Please feel free to contact us at:

11-3rd Street NE Weyburn, SK S4H 0W1 Phone: 306 - 842 - 4738 Fax: 306 - 842 - 0520

info@weyburnchamber.com www.weyburnchamber.com

Proudly Serving our Members Since 1940

Follow us on Twitter and Facebook!

Congratulations to Ted Hillstead! Ted Hillstead

was awarded the Roger Phillips Chamber

Builder Award (from Bruce Anderson, Chair of

SK Chamber of Commerce, pictured here with

Ted) at the 31st Annual ABEX awards, held on

Saturday, November 1st. Congratulations Ted!

Also, congratulations to Weyburn Chamber of

Commerce members who were finalists - PAR

Contracting Ltd. and Streamline Oilfield Services.

Seasons Greetings from the Board of Directors

and Staff of the

Weyburn & District

Chamber of Commerce.

The Weyburn District Planning Commission

Loonie Business

We hear about it almost daily now but do people really know what does it all add up

to when the Loonie goes on a skid? Most consumers in their day-to-day lives don’t

consider the impact of fluctuations in the dollar because their interactions are done in

domestic currency. It’s important for everyone to know that for business, when you drill

down even slightly there are some clear winners and losers in the Lonnie game.

Winners: The real winners with a weak Canadian dollar are manufacturers and

exporters that sell their product in the US. Simply put, a falling Loonie results in higher

demand for exported goods.

Canadian oil producers will say that the impact from the current drop in oil prices has

been softened somewhat by a weaker Canadian dollar as Canadian producers get higher-

valued U.S. dollars for what they produce.

Tourism may also see some benefits, as more Americans come north to take advantage of

the favorable exchange rate. There’s nothing more welcoming to foreign visitors than a

devalued Canadian dollar.

Losers: For local consumers, it means paying more for almost everything — from

fruits and vegetables to TVs and cars. Businesses that rely on foreign products will feel

the brunt of the impact, and costs to domestic buyers will go up. Historically this

results in a reduction of consumer spending.

The same goes for cross-border shopping and travel to U.S. While more travelers may

be coming up from the US, fewer Canadians will cross the border to go shopping. Tour

companies, delivering Canadians to their hot winter holiday destinations will feel the

pinch and likely have to pass on some of those costs to consumers.

Foreign investment levels will also generally come out on the losing side of currency

depreciation. To simplify, foreign investors generally look for stability to mitigate

exchange losses and a strong currency for their investment returns.

While the reports on the overall impact vary depending on which “expert economist” you

hear from there is one certainty, the immediate impact can either be very good or very

bad depending on which side of the table you’re sitting. How’s that for certainty? ◘

CHAMBER CONNECTIONS DECEMBER 2014

Tell us what you think! The Weyburn Chamber of Commerce Member Survey is now

online. Please take the time to visit www.weyburnchamber.com,

and follow the link to the survey.

Just remember - only one survey per member!

CHAMBER CONNECTIONS DECEMBER 2014

CHAMBER CONNECTIONS DECEMBER 2014

Southeast Regional Education & Industry Council

The Weyburn Chamber is proud to be part of the founding of the new

South East Regional Industry & Education Council (SERIEC). With partners

from the Southeast Cornerstone School Division, Southeast Regional College,

and area Chambers, the SERIEC will work to strengthen connections between

education and the business community. To this end, initiatives will focus

on ensuring that students are equipped with the necessary job readiness

skills while improving on opportunities for advanced education and training.

Across the country, labour and skilled labour shortages are regularly

identified as a barrier to growth and success for businesses. Recently, the

Canadian Chamber of Commerce released a report entitled “A Battle We

Can’t Afford to Lose: Getting Young Canadians from Education to

Employment”, that highlights the importance of aligning our education and

training systems with labour market needs and gave recommendations for

doing so. In our province, there are two other formalized Industry

Education Councils in Regina and Saskatoon supported by the Ministry of

Education and Ministry of the Economy. As well, the Sask Chamber has

formally supported, through a policy resolution in 2014, the

recommendation to establish other Industry Education Councils in all regions

of the province.

The Weyburn Chamber of Commerce recognizes that the largest group of

labour force entrants each year is our youth. Creating a conduit for

connection between students and employers will serve to create solutions to

current labour shortages and meet the ever evolving needs of the labour

market in the future. ◘

INFORMATION SESSION - Labour Market Recruitment Mission

The Saskatchewan Ministry of the Economy (ECON) Immigration Services

Branch, will lead a delegation on a skilled labour recruitment mission in

March 2015 at the Working Abroad Expo in Ireland (Dublin/Cork) and

Poland (Warsaw). For more information, check out the website.

The mission will support Saskatchewan employers in filling critical

vacancies in the labour market.

Interested employers are invited to attend an information

session for more details. Sessions will include information on:

The Working Abroad Expo

Immigration

Recruitment process

Mission expectations and logistics

Two information sessions will be held:

Regina: Wednesday, December 10, 2014

Ramada Plaza Regina – Canadian South Room

1818 Victoria Avenue –

Time: 10:00 AM

Saskatoon:

Thursday, December 11, 2014

Travelodge – Concorde 1 Room

106 Circle Drive

Time: 10:00 AM

Confirmation of attendance is required no later than

Friday, December 05, 2014 @ 12:00 PM.

To RSVP:

Gisele McCarthy

Employer Relations Specialist

E: gisele.mccarthy@gov.sk.ca

T: 306-933-7936

CHAMBER CONNECTIONS DECEMBER 2014

Welcome new Chamber Members ….

Shield Power Corporation

A certified electrical company with over 30 years of

underground electrical installations. Their staff includes

journey powerline men and a journeyman electrician.

Chad Kish or Ryan Bousfield

306-897-7788 306-897-7787

shieldpowercorp@hotmail.com

Ardell Bookkeeeping Service

With oilfield and agriculture knowledge, Ardell

Bookkeeping Service is a full-cycle bookkeeping

service, including invoicing, bill payment, GST, PST,

WCB, payroll, and financial reporting.

Ardell Waldner

306-842-2787

ardellbookkeeping@sasktel.net

Suncoast Enclosures

With 23 years in business, Suncoast Enclosures

provides custom built screen rooms, 3-season rooms,

screen walls, privacy walls and louvered roof.

Don Larwood

306-761-1801

don@suncoastenclosures.com

www.suncoastenclosures.com

Weyburn Chamber of Commerce presents

21st Annual Parade of Lights

Thursday December 4th

Lineup at 6:15 pm

at Crescent Point Place

Parade starts 7pm

Registration deadline:

Monday, December 1st

The Parade is a great way to show off your business! No Santa Claus on your entry. The Chamber

supplies the only Santa Claus in the parade and he is the Grand Finale.

Lights really do make a difference! Candy to be handed out as weather conditions may

make it slippery. You are certainly welcome to hand out candy while walking beside your float.

FIND OUT HOW TO

ADVERTISE WITH US

CONTACT US TO PUT YOUR BUSINESS HERE

306-842-4738

CHAMBER CONNECTIONS DECEMBER 2014

AT

On November 18th Chamber members met

at the MNP office for everyone’s favorite

event Business After 5. It was a great

opportunity to network with other business

people and meet the staff of MNP. Thanks

to MNP for the hospitality!

Business After 5 is a networking event of

the Chamber and hosted by a member

business. If you would like information on

hosting a Business After 5 event contact

the Chamber office.

On November 4th, the Weyburn Chamber of Commerce hosted the

annual Farmer Appreciation Night to a sold out crowd of 240

attendees. The focus of the event is the importance of the

agriculture industry. Chamber President Rod Gill told the crowd,

“Today is one of the most exciting times in the history of

agriculture in this province. Beyond the amazing advances in

technology – the shift in the business is what is sometimes most

interesting. … Producers aren't seen solely as land-workers

anymore. They are international sellers, exporters, traders,

operators, and much more.”

As the evening’s entertainment, John

Gormley spoke to the sold out crowd at

Farmer Appreciation Night. Gormley spoke

about the impact agriculture has had on the

history of the province. Reading excerpts

from his book, The Gormley Papers - I’m

Right and You Know it!, Gormley entertained

the audience with funny anecdotes and left

us pondering some “Life Lessons”. With his book available for

purchase, Gormley met many of the attendees while signing their

copies of his book.

Closing the evening was the presentation of the Golden Sheaf

Award to the Leguee Family Farm. Starting in 1978 with 640

acres this operation has grown into a 12,400 acre grain, pulse,

oilseed farming partnership today. The operation has always

strived to keep up with new opportunities through technology and

advanced farming practices. Each family member has a strong

commitment to community and volunteer activities. Check out

their blog site –

A Year in the Life

of a Farmer.

(Leguee Family Farm shown here). Photo courtesy of Weyburn Review.

Thank you to all those who attended and our sponsors, Parrish &

Heimbecker, Cenovus Energy, Young’s Equipment, South County

Equipment, E.Bourassa & Sons., and Southern Printers. ◘

On Friday, November 21st at 1:00pm,

the new location of SARCAN officially

held their grand opening. The new

building is located at 1800 Ebel Road,

on Weyburn’s east side.

CHAMBER CONNECTIONS DECEMBER 2014

Save with a Group RRSP

Do you want to help your employees save for retirement, but dread the administrative work of managing a plan?

Under the Chambers of Commerce Group Insurance Plan, employers have access to FutureStepTM, a group Registered Retirement Savings Plan (RRSP) provided

by Manulife, specifically designed to provide employers choice and flexibility in a plan, while being easy to set up and manage.

Simple to administer, with no administration cost to the

employer, FutureStep is available to companies with as few as

two employees. The plan offers best-in-class investment options,

education and online services.

With regular contributions, a FutureStep plan provides immediate

tax relief to your employees, which in turn increases their

savings. Not only will employees’ money go to work sooner, low

management fees allow them to build greater retirement income

for the future.

The plan includes fast and easy online enrolment and ongoing

online administrative support, including live support from a

customer service centre and licensed financial specialists.

For even greater flexibility, Futurestep® is also available with a

Deferred Profit Sharing Plan (DPSP) option, allowing you, the

employer, to contribute to the plan based upon the profitability

of your business.

As a business owner, you understand the importance of attracting

and retaining valuable employees. Knowing your employees are

your key competitive advantage, a group retirement savings plan

helps businesses like yours be competitive and take care of your

employees’ future financial needs. ◘