From the CEO’s desk: Fueled in Fredericton

I had the privilege of representing the Whitby Chamber of Commerce at this year’s Canadian Chamber Executive and the Canadian Chamber of Commerce conferences and AGMs, in Fredericton, New Brunswick. It was a tremendous week full of engaging speakers, learning opportunities, policy debates and resolutions. It was wonderful to do so with our Board Vice-President, Kyle Paterson.

It reminded me that the chamber network is fulsome and exceptionally strong. That united, our voice has significant influence in our community, province and country. I appreciated the comradery: the idea of asking a question, people sharing their responses and simply instructing you to take the idea, use it and make it your own.

I’ve returned reenergized and full of some interesting programming ideas I’ll be running by the team, including ways of engaging our not-for-profit members, students, and creating more dynamic content on our website and in social media. Other concepts included new money-saving programs for our members and way to leverage media more effectively. Watch for upcoming evolutions as we test, collect your feedback and deploy!

A considerable amount of time was spent in the realm of advocacy. From meeting with Minister Morneau and engaging in a spirited question and answer session, to more than six hours of hours of policy resolution meetings to determine our focus and priorities for the coming year on a national level, the conversations were singularly focused on representing business interests.

I’m happy to provide greater detail and discuss key learnings with any of our members, so please do not hesitate to connect with me.