The Quesnel & District Chamber of Commerce is proud of two of our members: Mr Mikes and Crooked Leg Ranch. These two businesses have been working together to help each other out.

In an effort to help raise funds for the animals, Crooked Leg Ranch is always looking for fundraising opportunities and events. Some of these events include their Badminton Tournament which took place this summer, a dog wash (taking place on Aug 28) and a garage sale (also on August 28th) as well as the Santa Pet Portraits at Total Pet. They accept bottle donations, and have raised enough money through these donations so spay/neuter 9 cats.

As for Mr Mikes, they have always been a dedicated member of this community. When the opportunity to help a Quesnel charity group raise some funds, Mr Mikes wasted no time in partnering with Crooked Leg Ranch for the Mikeburger Madness event. $1 from every Mike Burger sold is being donated to Crooked Leg Ranch, and if Quesnel’s Mr Mikes outsells the other BC restaurants, they will match the money raised and donate that to Crooked Leg Ranch.

Currently Quesnel’s Mr Mikes is in second place! In order to help the donation money be given to Quesnel’s own animal rescue, rehab, and sanctuary for unwanted animals, please head to Mr Mikes today and purchase a Mike Burger. The sales are close, and until Aug 29th we have a chance to steal the first place prize.

To make the deal even sweeter and entice Quesnel’s citizens that much more, Mr Mikes is offering you HALF PRICE Mike Burgers on August 26th after 8:00 pm. Come in for an evening burger and enjoy knowing that you’re helping a great case, and doing so at a great price.

At the Chamber, we are proud to see two of our members working together so cooperatively for the greater good of both the community, as well as each others businesses. This kind of camaraderie between businesses is what we like to see, because we all need to support our local businesses. We would like to thank Mr Mikes for their dedication to the community of Quesnel. They have done an excellent job and we know they will continue to excel in the future. Also a thanks to Crooked Leg Ranch for their active volunteer work.

If any businesses or individuals feel they have something to contribute to the Crooked Leg Ranch Society, go to their website at www.crookedlegranch.com and get in touch with one of the wonderful ladies who make it possible. If you’re business acquires a large amount of pop cans and bottles, why not donate them to CLR? They are willing to pick them up, all you need to do is make a phone call. Crooked Leg Ranch has saved countless animals and continues to fight for the humane treatment of all creatures, big or small.

Crooked Leg Ranches Upcoming Events:

Garage Sale - August 28th @ 747 Allison Avenue, Quesnel
Crooked Leg Ranch Society will be holding a garage sale 8am - 4pm

Dog Wash - August 28th @ 151 Lewis Drive, Quesnel
Crooked Leg Ranch Society will be holding a dog wash at Fauna's Pet Grooming 8am - 2pm

https://app.e2ma.net/app/view:Join/signupId:1417299/acctId:1407748
 

The Quesnel & District Chamber of Commerce is excited to announce the launch of “Shop Quesnel.”

We have initiated a targeted email marketing campaign that highlights different businesses each month that will reach people both in Quesnel and out of town, offering great deals on products and services to the customers. The Chamber has initiated this Campaign as part of our commitment to developing Quesnel’s economy. The purpose of this Campaign is to increase awareness about the products and services that we have available in Quesnel, and to encourage people to spend their shopping dollars here.

This campaign is a joint initiative between the Chamber, QCEDC, and the 3 Business Improvement Associations. Each participating organization will be sending an email flyer once a month (for a total of 4 flyers) to a list of interested customers, highlighting their member businesses. If you are not a member of one of the BIA’s, for as little as $8.33 a month you can join the Chamber of Commerce and get access to our marketing campaign.

If you want to gain access to insider deals and information on neat products and services the Quesnel area has to offer, sign up for our newsletter at www.quesnelchamber.com and start receiving updates. Or, keep your eyes open for the clip boards placed around Quesnel and put your email address down, and we will make sure you start receiving the Shop Quesnel Flyer. We believe that Quesnel offers a wide range of products and services that not all of us know about, so through this campaign we are not only trying to raise awareness on what Quesnel has to offer, but we also want to get good deals for customers, and create more business for store owners.

Each E-flyer will consist of professional photographs of unique and interesting products or services offered by member businesses, with website links to each business where applicable.  As a member business you may also offer promo codes, coupons, or discounts that are only available to email subscribers, in order to track the effectiveness of this kind of campaign, as well as provide an incentive for customers to act promptly.

All businesses are invited to participate in this completely free initiative. Members of one of the Business Improvement Areas are already gaining access to the E-Flyer, and so are Chamber of Commerce Members. Members of both the BIA’s and the Chamber will be featured in two separate flyers. If you’re not a member of the BIA’s and would like to feature your fabulous business in the Shop Quesnel flyer, call the Chamber of Commerce today, we can set you up with an advantageous membership.

To be featured in the e-flyer, contact us to answer a few questions. Once we know the nature of the products you wish to feature in the flyer we will schedule an appropriate slot, and send a photographer to take a picture of your unique product or service.

In order to assure that we are creating a top quality e-flyer for both our businesses and customers, we have hired Adboom Studio for the design, and administration of the e-flyers. AdBoom Studio is the local marketing company that will be managing the project and will handle the photography, as well as the list management, creation and distribution of the email flyers.

We would like to request that members of the Chamber who are interested in participating in the Heart and Stroke Foundation's Big Bike to contact the Chamber of Commerce either by phone or email.

We are trying to put together a bike of 29 people who will represent the Chamber of Commerce, and who better to represent Quesnel's business than our members. Register soon and ensure a seat on the bike.

Contact us at

250-992-7262

qchamber@quesnelbc.com

Program details:

Dates: Sept 13 2010 to June 2011

Location: College of New Caledonia, Quesnel Campus

Schedule: Monday to Friday, 9-4.

Program Overview:

The Administrative Assistant Certificate program provides an excellent educational foundation in automated office systems for employment in today’s business, government and industry. Courses include business communications, microcomputers, desktop publishing, office procedures, financial records, and a work placement. This program is offered on a full time or part time basis.

go to www.cnc.bc.ca/quesnel or call CNC at 250-991-7500 for more information.

The Chamber is proud to announce that our 100th Annivesrary Memorabilia Book is currently  available! The Observer has distributed the book, and it is also available for pick up at both the Chamber Office and the Visitor Center. There is no cost. We would also love to hear what you thought of the book, and we really hope that you enjoy reading it as much as we enjoyed making it!

100 years in Quesnel- and always steady progress!!

Rocky Mountaineer Vacations

First RMV Train of the Season

May 12, 2010

6:30 pm

The Quesnel Visitor Centre is coordinating the greeters again this year and hope that your group/organization will be able to come out and showcase the diversity of our community.  Quesnel is a unique and friendly place to visit and we want the guests on the Rocky Mountaineer Vacations train to return to our city and enjoy all the attractions and adventure the area has to offer.

The decision by Rocky Mountaineer Vacations to stop here puts Quesnel on the world stage.  The guests on this luxury tour are from all over the world.  This kind of opportunity is rare and we are taking action to ensure the guests experience exceeds their expectations.

Once again we are asking that your group/organization, if able to, block off one week to greet the train.  If your group is only able to greet a certain day we can work with that as well. We need one contact number to communicate with and to inform the group if the train is delayed.  Each greeter has a chance to win 2 free tickets on the Rocky Mountaineer Vacations Train; which can be used as a fundraiser for your organization or a great reward for yourself

 For more information please contact Patty at the Visitor Centre at 250-992-8716.

                  May                                                                     June                                                       July

August                                        September

April 1st marks a new year for Chamber of Commerce membership.  If you would like to participate in the Member to Member program, please ensure you have your form back to the Chamber by April 20th. 

As well, if you pay your membership before May 1, 2010 you DO NOT have to pay the HST portion of your membership. 

Cost of Membership until May 1st is:

                                  Membership Investment                       GST                  Total

Small Business           $100                                                    $5.00                   $105.00

2-5 Employees           $150                                                     $7.50                  $157.50

6-10 Employees         $175                                                     $8.75                  $183.75

11-20 Employees       $200                                                     $10.00                $210.00

21-40 Employees       $350                                                     $17.50                $367.50

41-100 Employees     $500                                                      $25.00               $525.00

100 + Employees       $700                                                      $35.00                $735.00

After May 1st, 2010 as regulated by Revenue Canada there will be HST of 12% on the Membership Investment Cost

We would like to invite you to come see us at our new location at 335 Vaughan Street (across from the arena).  Our new contact information is 335 e Vaughan Street Quesnel, BC V2J 2T1 and our new telephone number is (250)992-7262.

Women’s Business

April 14, 2010

8:15 am – 9:30 am

Getting to Know Your Business

The first 8 businesses to RSVP will have an opportunity to showcase their business and highlight some of their unique products at our April Women’s Business meeting. Each of these lucky businesses will have available a table to show product and 5 minutes to present.

Business would be required to:

?         Have fun

?         Bring a door prize

?         Set up own table

?         Promote new product or sales

?         Present to a friendly audience for up to 5 minutes

This is your opportunity to showcase who you are and what your business is. Deadline to participate in showcasing is April 3, 2010.  I will send out a quick email on who our lucky 8 women are which business they are from.

For more information and to RSVP call Patty at 250-992-8716

The Quesnel & District Chamber of Commerce has moved our office in conjunction with Community Futures to 335 Vaughn Street.  Our new telephone number is 250-992-7262.

We are pleased to have our 100th Anniversary Memorbilia Book published in April and the new Communtiy Directory will be completed in May.

Membership investment renewals will be sent out April 1, 2010.

Please note that the Chamber is moving away from the monthly luncheon series to a quarterly evening networking and CEO lecture series.

BC Fast Facts

• Capital city: Victoria on Vancouver Island
• Population: 4.1 million (concentrated in Vancouver, population 2.1 million, and Victoria, population 345,000)
• Canada's third most populated province (after Ontario and Quebec)
• Only province in Canada to experience a "West Coast special": ski and golf in the same day
• Westernmost of Canada's 10 provinces
• History: Entered Canadian confederation in 1871
• Total Area: 944,735km sq/364,764mi sq
• Highest Point: Fairweather Mountain, 4,663m/15,299ft
• Lowest Point: Pacific Ocean, sea level
• Longest River: Fraser River, 1,368km/850mi
• Largest Lake: Williston Lake (reservoir), 1,761km sq/680mi sq
• Largest Island: Vancouver Island, 32,137km sq/12,408mi sq
• Provincial Flower: Pacific dogwood
• Provincial Tree: Western redcedar
• Provincial Bird: Steller's jay
• Provincial Gemstone: Jade
• Provincial Motto: "Splendour without diminishment"

Photos by Holly Durocher- for more information please contact Holly at the Chamber of Commerce, 250-747-0125.

Congratulations to the fabulous winneres of the 16th Annual Business Excellence Awards.

and the winners are....

Retailer of the Year- Westside Liquor Store

Tourism Excellence Award- Cariboo Rivers

Employee of the Year- Dennis Baptiste, City of Quesnel

Home Based Business of the Year- Magnetic Creations and Gemstones

Customer Service Award- Fraserview Pharmacy

Community Spirit Award- Salvation Army

Business Person of the Year- Audry Steinbach

Go Green Award- Green Tree Health and Wellness

Young Entrepreneur Award- Nicole England, Booster Juice.

CONGRATULATIONS!

BC Chamber Applauds Provincial Environmental Certificate for the

Prosperity Gold-Copper Project

______________________________________________________________________

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Vancouver, January 14, 2010 - Chambers of Commerce from across the province welcomed

the announcement today that Taseko Mines Limited has received an environmental assessment

certificate for its proposed Prosperity Gold-Copper Project from the BC government.

"BC has not opened a major new metal mine in over 10 years, this is a very important first step

in showing that BC is open for business", said John Winter, President and CEO of the BC

Chamber of Commerce. "The natural resources sector remains an integral part of the economy,

despite being hard hit by the market downturn in 2009. This announcement is very encouraging

for the sector in 2010."

The project is located approximately 125 kilometres southwest of Williams Lake. It is expected

to produce70,000 tonnes of mineral ore per day, contribute approximately $340 million to

provincial GDP annually, $400 million in provincial revenue and $43 million to local and

regional government over the 20 life of the project.

Before the project can proceed, there are a number of benchmarks it must reach, a further federal

environmental assessment being one of them. Several First Nations were consulted as part of the

assessment.

"This is more positive news for BC's economy and job market. This project will contribute to

job growth both in the local economy and across the province, in addition to the positive impact

the mine will have for business and revenue generation," said Winter. "We encourage all parties

to continue moving forward on this critical project."

For further details contact;

John Winter

President and CEO, BC Chamber of Commerce

W               604 638 8113         604 638 8113

C               604.376.3577         604.376.3577

E jwinter@bcchamber.org

The Business Excellence Awards are coming up fast! Jan 23rd the event will take place at the Saint Ann's Hall. There are less than 30 tickets left, so don't waste anytime and come to the Visitor Center today!

The Chamber of Commerce has decided to include a fundraiser with the event. Have your photo taken and the proceeds will go to Quesnel's own wonderful and hardworking animal rescue, Crooked Leg Ranch. www.crookedlegranch.com

New Chamber employee Holly Durocher is writing a weekly column in the Quesnel Observer. The column appears every wednesday and will help keep Quesnel's community up to date on events as well as provide interesting pieces of our towns history.

The Chamber of Commerce is excited to be starting of 2010! We have our AGM, the Business Excellence Awards, Torch Relay and many other exciting events coming up!

The Business Excellence Awards (BEA's) are going to take place on January 23rd at Saint Ann's Hall. The theme for 2010 is "Putting on the Ritz." Tickets are $50 each and are available now for purchase at Quesnel's visitor center. There are only approx 40 tickets left so make sure you get yours before it's too late!

Our Annual General Meeting (AGM) will be held at the Quesnel Museum on January 27th from 7-9pm. The event will consist of a Wine and Cheese and a friendly scavenger hunt that leads participants through the fascinating displays in the Quesnel Museum. This is an excellent networking opportunity for the people of Quesnel.

The Olympics are almost here! Quesnel is welcoming the Olympic Flame to our city on January 29th. Dress in Red with your red Olympic Mitts and join together on Reid Street to Celebrate.

The Ministry of Small Business, Technology and Economic Development is hosting a Small Business Roundtable Consultation in your community. This is part of the Ministry’s commitment to engage the small business community around the province in a continuous dialogue to identify opportunities and actions to strengthen the small business sector.

• October 15^th, 2009
• 5:00 pm – 7:00 pm (light refreshments provided)
• Quesnel Seniors Centre
• 461 Carson Avenue
• Quesnel, BC V2J 2B2
• (250) 992.3991‎

The Quesnel & District Chamber of Commerce is in favour of the BC government announcement of the harmonization of the Provincial Sales Tax (PST) with the Goods and Services Tax (GST) effective July 1, 2010.

• Basic personal income tax credit increased to $11,000 from $9,373 effective January 1, 2010. This represents an increase of 17% and now means that anyone earning an income of $118,000 or less will pay the lowest personal income tax rates in Canada, up from $116,000; and
• Full provincial rebate for residential energy.

• $32 million for expedited infrastructure projects in partnership with the federal government under the Build Canada Fund (this is in addition to the $150 million previously committed);
• $50 million to stimulate additional commitments from the federal government under the Infrastructure Stimulus Fund
• $31 million to settle the Maa-nulth Final Treaty; and
• $39 million in one-time funding for marketing strategies across Canada and the US, focused on the opportunity presented by the 2010 games.

• A more severe and prolonged US recession
• A higher than forecast Canadian dollar
• Slower than expected global demand reducing demand for BC exports