Tuesday E-mail - May 11, 2010

What Is The Chamber Doing For You?


Business After Hours at The Ridge at Manitou

Located on Lake Manitouwabing, 20 mins north east of Parry Sound, The Ridge at Manitou offers fantastic golf with amazing beauty and promises a truly memorable golfing experience!
If you wish to golf before the Business After Hours, The Ridge is offering 18 holes for $75, including cart!

Join your host, The Ridge at Manitou at 160 Inn Road, McKellar on Wednesday, May 19 from 5:00 pm-6:00 pm to expand your business network. Beverages and snacks will be provided. Bring your business cards along to participate in a door prize draw and to ensure all of your new contacts know exactly how to reach you!

RSVP to info@parrysoundchamber.ca or call (705) 746-4213 to confirm your attendance for Business After Hours & to book your tee time – we look forward to seeing you there!


Business on the Bay

Join the Chamber of Commerce, Georgian Bay Country and the Georgian Bay Women’s Network for the Annual BUSINESS ON THE BAY networking cruise. This year’s event will be held Wednesday, June 16 from 5-6 pm onboard the Island Queen. This free 1 hour networking get together leaves the Town Dock in Parry Sound promptly at 5 pm, so don’t be left behind!

The cruise offers the opportunity for area businesses and their front line staff to get to know each other, share ideas and information about the upcoming summer season and to learn more about what others in the area have on the go. Get to know what’s happening with your fellow businesses and wow customers this summer with your knowledge of the area. Special thanks to the Island Queen for their generous support of this annual networking program.

Please RSVP to Anna Marie Harris at (705) 378-5105 or annamarie@gbcountry.com to confirm your participation.


What’s Happening In Our Community?


YMCA Peer Mentoring Program

The YMCA Employment Resource Centre is pleased to announce that they will be delivering new employment programs in Parry Sound including programs intended to provide unemployed older workers with programming aimed at increasing their employability, reintegrating them into the work force, and ensuring they remain active and productive labour market participants.

The objectives of the program are to prepare older workers for new and immediate employment and to increase employability of older workers in communities where there is little likelihood of immediate employment. Employers realize that older workers can make a significant contribution to the success of their organizations and businesses. Older workers are an asset offering maturity, experience and commitment.

Local community service agencies, employers, community leaders, local government and First Nation community leaders are invited to learn more and offer input towards the design of the program. Your contributions are critical to the success of the program.

The YMCA Employment Resource Centre will hold an information session and discussion on program details on May 19, 2010 at 10 am. Please RSVP your intention to attend to Dawn Rouse at 746-8480 by Monday, May 17th.


WSIB Training Course

The Parry Sound Family Health Team and the West Parry Sound Health Centre have worked together to organize a WSIB training course to be held in Parry Sound.

Course: Basic Certification Course for Joint Health and Safety Committees (JH&SC)
Date: Tuesday, June 8 and Wednesday, June 9
Location: West Parry Sound Health Centre
Facilitated By: Comp Advantage Inc.

This WSIB-approved Basic program is offered in a two-day classroom format (minimum 10 participants, maximum 25). Part One, Basic Certification provides an overall knowledge of health and safety that applies to all workplaces. Basic Certification must be completed prior to the Worksite Specific Training required by your workplace. All JH&SC members should be adequately educated in order to carry out their duties as noted in the OSH Act. The Basic Certification course is a great course to ensure your JH&SC members have knowledge in the fundamentals of Health and Safety. This course is also of benefit to Supervisors and Managers not on the JH&SC.

Basic Training provides training in:
• Health and Safety Law
• Hazard Identification and Control
• Investigation Techniques
• Prevention Resources

Registration for your employee(s) must be sent by fax (773-4632) to Lynne Gregory at the WPSHC no later than May 20. Please include:
• Name of Participant
• Indicate Worker Member or Management Member
• Name of Organization/Business and main contact
• Address and phone

A cheque for $275 payable to West Parry Sound Health Centre must be forwarded to the attention of Accounts Payable, Finance Department, WPSHC, 6 Albert Street, Parry Sound, Ontario, P2A 3A4 no later than May 25. Cost includes all materials and a copy of the OHS Act.

NOTE: If a minimum of 10 participants are not registered and payments received by May 25, the course may not be held. If the minimum of ten participants are booked, any cancellations
after May 26 or later will not receive a refund.


Glow and Grow Wednesdays in May

Contact North and the PARO Center for Women’s Enterprise have teamed up to offer the following workshops:
• Sustainable Livelihoods Model
• Developing Personal Creativity
• The Art of Negotiation

The PARO Centre for Women’s Enterprise provides programs and services to women across Northern Ontario who are ready to start, grow or build new opportunities. (The sessions are designed for women as PARO is an organization that works with women.) The video-conference sessions are available free of charge to Parry Sound residents though Contact North distance education delivery system.

The Contact North Center is located at 60 James Street, suite 201. Please register by e-mailing buildingbridges@paro.ca. There is no registration fee.


What Are Our Members Doing?


Community Living Tees Up

Community Living Parry Sound will be hosting their 11th Annual Charity Golf Tournament on May 26, 2010 at Rocky Crest Golf Club. With the return of the Million Dollar Shootout and even more prizes, this year’s event promises to be their best yet!

The support and generosity of the participants and local businesses over the past eleven years has resulted in close to $100,000 being raised in support of local Special Olympic athletes, Community Inclusion and Volunteering opportunities. If you are interested getting involved in this worthwhile event, please call: Kyle Turriff at 705-746-9330, ext. 255.


Congratulations Spring Jam

Can-Am Spring Jam 2010, held April 29-May 1, generated approximately $200,000 in business for the local economy. Approximately $3,600 was also raised for the Kelly Shires TraX4 Breast Cancer Campaign, the first year for this charity fund-raising portion of the weekend.
Congratulations to the organizers, sponsors, volunteers and participants for showing how successful and important to the local economy an event held outside of the traditional summer tourism months can be.