201412

December2014

Season’s Greetings From the Board of Directors & Staff at the Prince Albert & District Chamber of Commerce Prince Albert & District Chamber of Commerce December 2014

Social Media www.facebook.com/princealbertchamber

Prince Albert & District Chamber of Commerce

Get in Touch Tel: 306-764-6222 Email: chamberpa@sasktel.net

A Message from the CEO, Merle Lacert Hello All, I would like to acknowledge the recent success that Fred Matheson - Ted Matheson Men’s Wear here in Prince Albert recently achieved. As winner of the Community Cornerstone award at the recent Saskatchewan ABEX Awards, Fred has been recognized for his business values, which focus on networking, marketing and true engagement with the community in which you operate. Congratulations!

The Prince Albert and District Chamber of Commerce is in the midst of accepting nominations for our 25th Annual Samuel McLeod Business awards. We hope to recognize many of the outstanding business in our community. Nominate a business today. Full information is available here.

The Prince Albert & District Chamber of Commerce has continued its focus on the value and critical importance of infrastructure in our region. We recently partnered to commission a report by V-Max Management Canada, titled “Regional Business Case for a Second Vehicle Crossing over the North Saskatchewan River, Near the City of Prince Albert, Saskatchewan”. This report confirms many critical points, some of which may have been previously known, but the report more clearly identifies these stats, risks, and the economic importance and value to the region & province. The Prince Albert Chamber and its partners will be hosting a summit in the New Year to further relay these critical insights, please watch for details. A few brief insights into some of the points include: approx 75% of vehicle crossings originate from outside our community, further restrictions can create a varying degree of impacts from minimal to detours that require using the next available crossing at a distance of over 100 km outside Prince Albert, to where an outright closure could have a financial impact of 1.8 million/ day.

These points clearly signal the need for a second crossing and our region and province must begin planning for this. What is of great concern is the current attention our existing Diefenbaker Bridge is receiving. The 2013 Stantec report outlined recommendations for maintenance that would cost over seven million dollars.

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December 2014

BOARD OF DIRECTORS Board Chair Shelley Cannon Wilcox and Chovin Law Offices Past Chairman Mike Mitchell Tyrone Pest Control 1st Vice Chair Jayne Remenda Prince Albert Tourism & Marketing Bureau Secretary Treasurer Gord Jahn MNP Board Appointed Robert Bratvold Saskatchewan Rivers Public School Division Elected Board Members Greg Breeze, Affinity Insurance Bruce Vance, Prince Albert Raider Hockey Club Shayne Lazarowich, Prince Albert Multicultural Council Ian Litzenberger, Medicine Shoppe Pharmacy Meghan Mayer, Salon Six

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Chamber Presents Tax Recommendations The Prince Albert & District Chamber of Commerce was pleased to present a summary of our 2015 Tax Recommendations to City Council in early November.

The work and expertise required to compile these recommendations comes from many sources. The Chamber’s Government Affairs Committee lead the development of the recommendations, with input from sources such as our membership, other Saskatchewan Chambers, the Saskatchewan Chamber of Commerce, as well as various research papers that focused on taxation or taxation competiveness.

The Chamber continues to advocate for a comprehensive strategy that will not only support the growth and expansion our community seeks, but attract it as well.

As demonstrated in a recent report by CFIB – “Communities in Boom” - Competitive Tax Ratios have been proven to drive growth. The benefits of implementing competitive tax ratios are measured in the growth that occurs in the cities and municipalities that completed this change. Some Saskatchewan cities & municipalities that embraced competitiveness through tax ratios include Saskatoon, Regina, Moose Jaw, Swift Current, Estevan, Melville and Battleford. Strengthening and growing existing businesses and being competitive to attract new business is the only way we will see sustainable growth in our population and grow our residential base.

The Chamber’s 2015 Tax Recommendations included:

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The City reduce the gap on the current municipal ratio of 4.30 for the commercial sector. As the impacts from property tax affect the behaviours of business, and is directly linked to business growth and investment.

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To continue engagement with community & regional stakeholders for continual short & long-term planning. This planning is critical not only leverage the strengths of the diverse groups, but to provide the focus and strength that is needed to propel our community & region forward.

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In regard to capital needs such as Infrastructure, Civic Facilities, and Health Care, continued planning and collaboration will be required to find the best models to leverage the resources and abilities that the City of Prince Albert does have.

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As Council and Administration have previously identified the importance of growing our tax base, we are puzzled by the lack of support to create a functioning Economic Development body within the City of Prince Albert. The Chamber encourages the City of Prince Albert to become proactive in its efforts to grow our business sectors. We must look to direct our growth through planning and attraction and not continue to achieve growth by default.

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The Chamber acknowledges the challenges and competing needs our community faces. As such, we recommend continued efforts and due diligence to leverage all expenditures to extract as much value as possible and increase the productivity of our municipal government & administration.

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Ted Matheson Men’s Wear recognized at 2014 Saskatchewan ABEX Awards One of Prince Albert’s oldest and most-recognized local businesses celebrated a big win last month. Ted Matheson Men’s Wear received its first-ever ABEX Award at the Saskatchewan ABEX Awards in Regina on November 1.

Fred Matheson, owner of Ted Matheson Men’s Wear with the ABEX Award he won at the 2014 Saskatchewan ABEX Awards.

The win was a first for the business, which has operated in Prince Albert’s downtown area for 85 years.

Ted Matheson Men’s Wear took home a trophy in the Community Cornerstone category, which recognizes a Saskatchewan small business with deep roots and a longstanding support for the local community. Four other businesses were nominated for the Community Cornerstone award, including small businesses in Carlyle, Meadow Lake, Melfort and Saskatoon.

For the first time, the Saskatchewan Chamber of Commerce, which administers the awards, used an online voting system to determine the winner of the Community Cornerstone award. Voters were encouraged to watch a short video about each of the award finalists and then vote daily.

Owner Fred Matheson was in Regina for the awards ceremony Nov. 1. He said he was grateful for the support the business received in the weeks leading up to the awards ceremony, and in the days after the winner was announced. Matheson, who joined the business with his father and uncle in the mid-1980s, said he was fortunate to learn from more experienced business owners and benefit from local business organizations such as the Chamber of Commerce.

“It makes me feel proud knowing we are known as a Cornerstone (but) this is not my award,” Matheson said.

“It really is a nice, community award.”

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While he is always working to improve his business by following new fashion trends and new products, Matheson said there are some things in business that never change. He said a handshake and a personal phone call can never replace the advancements of technology when it comes to customer service.

“Everybody wants to have a successful business, but it’s still important to get out there and meet people,” Matheson said.

“You have to change with the times (but) the simple things, you still have to treasure those.”

A Message from the CEO, Merle Lacert Continued from Page 2 Clearly, we need a second bridge, but will our first one last until we can get all required parties to come together to complete the critical planning, to move our region into the future with a strong focus on creating stable infrastructure? The Diefenbaker bridge is currently lacking a functioning asset management plan that would actively complete the required maintenance and strengthening efforts needed, to ensure this first bridge will last until the end of its projected useful life.

What is clear is that our Region and Province can’t bear the economic costs of not achieving the critical infrastructure that will drive and support our future growth. Through focused efforts, the Diefenbaker bridge requires maintenance to slow the deterioration while the region and province plan for a second bridge that could be eight to 14 years down the road.

The Chamber has many priorities and recently completed our 2015 Tax recommendations to the City of Prince Albert. We also enjoyed the opportunity to meet with administration and council to gain insights into the 2015 budget. It looks like the city’s budget results are in; a 2.57% increase on the mill rate for all sectors, and adjustments on how the Municipal Roadways levy and the Snow Management levy are allocated to the commercial sector. This adjustment will look to transfer some of the heavy burden from smaller business to larger businesses. While the majority of our community’s businesses are small, these levies continue to place an unfair and unsustainable burden on our the commercial sector and the longterm costs can be measured in reduced investment and attraction that is so greatly needed to grow both our commercial sectors and our community.

Well, the New Year is close at hand, and with it we will continue to focus on our priorities and look to contribute to planning that will focus on our community and region’s critical priorities.

On behalf of the Chamber board and Staff, I wish everyone a very safe and enjoyable holiday season. Take time to enjoy family and friends and where possible, think of those less fortunate. There are many opportunities to assist others this holiday season.

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December 2014

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Nominations now open for the 25th Annual Samuel McLeod Business Awards

December 2014

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Businesses Benefit when Staff Volunteer For many employers, volunteering is seen as a drain on that most precious of resources – time.

So often, staff are scrambling to accomplish all that needs to be done in a day that there is no time to take “time off” to volunteer. But what if volunteering was seen as an investment rather than an expense? Are there benefits for a company to encourage their staff to get involved?

According to a British survey in 2010, there is an inherent value to companies and their staff when they support a cause, contribute time or offer in-kind donations. Besides the obvious benefits of brand and community recognition, a culture of corporate volunteering pays off in an increase in staff skills and knowledge.

As boomers retire and take on volunteer projects they have waited so many years to get involved in, today’s younger employees are attracted to companies that include a community engagement component. Over 60% of those surveyed said the opportunity to participate in corporate-sponsored charitable activities would impact on their choice of employer.

Of course, employers must be conscious at all times of the need for balance between the social benefits of volunteering and the benefits to the bottom line. So how do the two co-exist and support each other? To understand, it is important to look at the different volunteering opportunities that exist and how each can contribute to the businesses in question.

The most common type of volunteering is that of working directly with community members through programs such as student mentoring or delivering Meals-On Wheels. These help staff improve their communications, interpersonal and problem-solving skills. It also improves their coaching skills - important to note if these employees are to be team leaders in the workplace.

Unlike other projects that involve several employees being absent from their offices at the same time, employers can adapt to having one or two staff members away from their desks on a scheduled basis. Their contribution may involve as little as a couple hours every month, but the gains from that investment and the skills developed far outweigh the losses. The study showed that “among those who seek to develop new skills through volunteering, almost twothirds believe they are performing better in their job as a result of their involvement.”

Employees involved in student mentoring projects report more confidence and skills in areas such as adaptability, leadership, teamwork and the ability to build relationships and networks.

When adding up all these gains, employers can realize savings in the areas of recruitment, training, sick leave, development and succession planning.

The Volunteer Services Department of the Prince Albert Parkland Health Region welcomes corporate groups or their individual staff members to volunteer in any one of our facilities. To discuss Volunteer Opportunities in your community, please contact us at 306-765-6010 or email us at volunteers@paphr.sk.ca.

December 2014

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Chamber Members in the News Best Wishes! To Merv Bender, who announced his retirement after 37 years with the Prince Albert Community Service Centre in Prince Albert.

Merv will officially retire in June.

Kudos to Original Joe’s in Prince Albert for joining the Mealshare movement. Order a select item from the menu and a meal will be donated to someone in need.

Special thanks to Affinity Credit Union, which doubled its donation to Hope’s Home Prince Albert. Affinity doubled its donation to $10,000 to fund extensive upgrades to the facility’s backyard play area.

Congratulations! To John Murray, who is retiring as CEO and Director at the Wapiti Regional Library, which includes the John M. Cuelenaere Public Library.

Rewards Membership Encourages Customers to Shop Local A group of local business owners are working together to promote business in Prince Albert.

The group, including a number of Chamber of Commerce members, are participating in the Prince Albert VIP Rewards Membership program, which offers discounts at local businesses to customers who purchase a $59 VIP card.

The rewards membership is the idea of Kevin Buyan and Erin McAuley, owners of Fringe Lash Lounge in Prince Albert and members of the Prince Albert & District Chamber of Commerce.

The couple launched the program Dec. 1 in an effort to encourage consumers to shop locally.

Five per cent of the proceeds from VIP membership sales will go toward local charities.

The Prince Albert & District Chamber of Commerce would like to recognize our local Chamber members who have already signed on to take part in this initiative. They include; Bison Café, Burkitt’s Flowers, Calypso Bay, Fringe Lash Lounge, Frontrunner Footwear, Gene’s Sports, MartIt Signs, Salon 6, SaskPro and Ted Matheson

The Prince Albert & District Chamber of Commerce promotes local business through support, advocacy and networking. The Chamber is happy to offer our members the ability to promote discounts and deals through the ‘Hot Deals’ section of our website.

Contact us to find out how the Chamber can help you promote your local business.

December 2014

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Chamber Hosts Priority Saskatchewan Roundtable with Lionel LaBelle

Members of the Prince Albert & District Chamber of Commerce had the opportunity to meet with the new head of Priority Saskatchewan, Mr. Lionel LaBelle last month.

Mr. LaBelle has been appointed senior vicepresident with Priority Saskatchewan, a branch of SaskBuilds.

The November 17 roundtable was a chance for local Chamber members and business owners to learn more about the SaskBuilds program and the types of tenders and projects the program supports. A number of Chamber of Commerce members, from a range of local industries, took part in the roundtable discussion.

December 2014

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Parkland Ambulance Celebrates 40 Years of Service Our story begins in 1974 with the formation of Parkland Ambulance Care. With foresight, dedication and hard work, Michael, Wayne, and Barry Dutchak started what would become a longstanding community business partner. From humble beginnings with two ambulances, Parkland Ambulance became a strong and patient first-orientated health and emergency service caring for one of the largest geographical areas of Saskatchewan.

Over the past 40 years, Parkland Ambulance has evolved from a “scoop and run” mythology to professionally-trained paramedics and state of the art equipment bringing the best possible mobile health care right to your door.

With every success story there are the visionaries. One of the visions was to treat every patient as if it was one of your own family members, to treat the people you work with as family members, and treat everyone as you would want to be treated.

Being successful is not just working hard to get to the top but it’s working hard to stay at the top!

This means building a strong foundation and a team culture that is positive, caring, and community-minded. Giving back to your community is a direction consistently taught to employees by the management team. This cannot be accomplished without dedicated employees who spend countless hours donating time to all kinds of events and putting their community first.

These communities do not just include the city of Prince Albert, but also surrounding rural towns, villages, First Nations and resort communities. An example of building communities and community partners, Parkland Ambulance Care was one of the major fundraisers and organizers to bring in one phone number to call for emergencies (310-5000). This was until 9-1-1 was brought in, an initiative Parkland Ambulance Care also supported.

In the late 1980s, Parkland Ambulance began training people in rural communities to respond to medical and trauma emergencies prior to an ambulance arriving on scene. First responder programs have grown to include several communities and First Nations. We have first responders who have volunteered with the community group for more than 20 years. That is second to none!

Parkland Ambulance Care continues to grow in many ways. From 1974 with one base, two ambulance vehicles and two employees; move ahead several years, add a few more staff and before you know it, we have two bases, over 60 employees, 13 fleet vehicles, UTV rescue vehicle, mobile disaster trailer, and a regional state-of-the-art communication center with trained emergency medical dispatcher/operators taking calls and dispatching for three health regions.

Parkland Ambulance Paramedics have worked shifts in the Victoria Hospital emergency room when requested. They can be seen volunteering at just about any community event. Paramedics attend Raider Games to provide medical assistance if required, train with Prince Albert City Police for tactical paramedics and volunteer for habitat for humanity building projects, including all female paramedics and staff at our regional communications center. And the list goes on and on.

We continue to grow, learn and improve every day and as we do we always keep in mind “patient first” and “community support” through all the volunteer activities. In 2014, Parkland Ambulance Paramedics and Emergency Medical Dispatchers have put in $$$$ in volunteer hours.

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Big Brothers– Big Sisters Launches Volunteer Campaign Big Brothers - Big Sisters needs your help this season to find 20 mentors in 20 days! Big Brothers – Big Sisters of Prince Albert is looking for volunteers to mentor children in Prince Albert.

You can give the gift of mentorship. Currently, there are 30 kids on the waiting list in Prince Albert with some, especially boys, having to wait up to two years to be matched.

Big Brothers and Big Sisters wants to get 20 mentors in the month of December. Help them reach their goal by volunteering today. Apply on our website and help brighten up a child’s holidays!

Big Brothers Big Sisters of Prince Albert & District has been creating friendships since 1973. We started out matching Big Brothers with Little Brothers and have grown to include a variety of different programs that serve both boys and girls. We are proud of our achievements and continue to strive to be on the leading edge of the Big Brothers Big Sisters movement in Canada.

Vision: Every child who needs a mentor will have one.

Mission: Big Brothers Big Sisters of Prince Albert is a community-supported organization committed to the healthy development of children and youth and their families through quality volunteer, mentoring relationships.

Big Brother/Big Sister Match In-School Mentoring Couples Match Go Girls

Game On!

Group Mentoring

December 2014

Be matched one-on-one to a Little Brother or Sister ages 5-15 years.

One year commitment. 3-5 hours a week.

Mentor a child in a school environment. One hour a week for the school year.

Married or Common Law couples get matched to a Little Brother or Sister. One year commitment. 3-5 hours a week.

Female Mentors lead a weekly group which addresses topics of active living, balanced eating, and feeling good through games, selfreflection, and group discussion. Seven week commitment.

Male Mentors lead a weekly group that provides boys and young men with information and support to make informed choices about a range of healthy lifestyle practices. Seven week commitment.

Accompany kids on the wait list to monthly activities.

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Redhead Equipment Expands, Acquires Moker & Thompson Redhead Equipment has announced the acquisition of Moker & Thompson in Prince Albert and Melfort. The deal, which came into effect Nov. 1, means Redhead Equipment will now have seven locations across the province. All locations, with the exception of the company’s Regina branch are Case IH dealers, Redhead Equipment said in a news release.

Redhead Equipment is one of Saskatchewan’s largest equipment dealers. Gord Thompson, who co-owned Moker & Thompson with partners Alan Weenk and Arron McLean, said the move is a good one for the company and will allow them to expand as they work to meet the increasing needs of customers.

Gord Thompson is staying on with the company and is the new Ag Sales Manager with Redhead Equipment– Prince Albert.

“This is a great opportunity for everyone involved,” he said in the release.

“Despite their tremendous success, Redhead Equipment’s corporate culture is still focused on giving back to the community and creating personal relationships with their customers and staff. We’re excited to join forces and continue this growth together.”

Redhead Equipment has seen steady expansion since it started 65 years ago and President and CEO Gary Redhead said the Moker & Thompson dealership is a good addition to the team.

“Moker & Thompson was a top-notch dealership, with a dedicated and experienced team and an equally loyal customer-base,” Redhead said.

“By adding their regional agriculture expertise to our existing footprint, we’ve enhanced our industry presence and expanded our service capability to our customers across the province.”

The new branches of Redhead Equipment will remain in the same location in Prince Albert, at 3802 Fourth Avenue East. Redhead Equipment employs more than 470 people in its seven locations around the province.

Click here for the full news release.

December 2014

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Chamber Partners with Deloitte, RBC & Police to talk Business Fraud Prevention A recent fraud prevention workshop showed local business owners how to protect their businesses from thieves. The business fraud prevention workshop brought together experts from RBC, Deloitte, the economic crime section of the RCMP and the Prince Albert Police Service. Attendees heard about the various types of business fraud, including cheque fraud and Internet scams, which are common.

Dianne Lazurko, treasury solution specialist with RBC, said small business owners can help protect their investments by doing a daily reconciliation, insuring cheques have security paper and keeping a close eye on cheques in the office. She also urged attendees to change their passwords regularly and never share them.

Lazurko said the repercussions from business fraud can affect your business, including lost time and loss of reputation.

“We don’t think that they’re going to come into our company,” she said during the luncheon.

“It’s embarrassing and it’s really no fault of anybody’s, but who’s winning?”

Diane Lazurko, Treasury Solution Specialist with RBC, spoke at a business fraud prevention lunch and workshop Nov. 20 at the Prince Albert Travelodge.

Bill Matiko, partner financial advisory with Deloitte, told attendees that fraud often happens in small businesses with one bookkeeper. He said addiction issues or low employee morale are some factors that drive people to commit fraud. Matiko also urged business owners not to leave signed, blank cheques in the office.

“It’s a convenience, but it can backfire,” he added.

RCMP Cpl. Ken Aspen said fraudsters are organized and able to work from anywhere in the world. He said it is important for business owners to be aware of fraud risks and for police organizations to work together.

“There are so many ways people are targeted and people keep trying,” he said.

“They want to get your information and they want your money.”

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Business Advice from Square One We will hold a series of one-on-one appointments once a month to provide entrepreneurs with complimentary tax and accounting guidance. To learn more, click here or Contact Square One! Appointments must be booked in advance.

Be Prepared: First Aid Requirements for Saskatchewan Employers As a small business owner, it is important that you are able to keep your employees safe.

Having an emergency response plan will ensure you can act fast in the event of an injury. All employers need to meet obligations such as supplies, recognizing hazards and providing First Aid and CPR. Read more here.

Did You Know....

Many municipalities offer small business development incentives. For example, the Saskatoon Regional Economic Development Authority (SREDA) administers the tax abatement program for the City of Saskatoon. Call you municipal office to check if there are business development incentives for your regional community.

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WHITROW STOBBS & ASSOCIATES Professional Accountants

December 2014

RELIABLE ADVICE & SOLUTIONS 144 12th St. East Prince Albert Phone: 306.764.2773 ...ACCOUNTING...TAXATION...CORPORATE SERVICES...

Prince Albert & District Chamber of Commerce

 Financial

Statements  Corporate

Tax  Audits

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Chartered Accountants & Business Advisors As a proud member of the Prince Albert community, our team of chartered accountants and business advisors continue to grow to meet your unique needs.

National in scope and local in focus, we take the time to understand your challenges and deliver personalized solutions that help you achieve your goals.

Our diverse services include: 

Assurance

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Consulting

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Corporate Finance

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Corporate Recovery & Insolvency

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Enterprise Risks

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Investigative & Forensic Services

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Succession

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Tax & Specialty Tax

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Valuation & Litigation Support

For more information contact a local MNP advisor at 306.764.6873 December 2014

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WELCOME NEW MEMBERS BP Accounting Services Fringe Lash Lounge Congratulations to renewed Members for November Absolute Identification Security

P.A. Vision Centre

Canadian Prairie Bison

Prairie Recreation Parts & Accessories

Carlton Trail Hearing

Prince Albert Metis Women’s Association

Century 21 Prestige Real Estate

Prince Albert Photocopier

Deals Plus

Quality Hotel

Farm Flavor

Ring Appraisals Ltd.

Grand Trunk Developments Ltd.

SaskPro Crossfit

Grayling Business Consulting

Special Event Tents

Greenline Spray Foam Insulation

Terry Mason Real Estate

Lone Star Parts

Trailrunners Pet Resort & K9 Training

Marquis Audio Video

Westburne Industrial

MNP My Pharmacy Original Joe’s Restaurant & Bar

Thank you!

Your continued support of your local Chamber makes it possible for us to work on your behalf, and we want you to know we value your commitment!

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Calendar of Events << December 2014 >> Sun

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Give a Little Life Day

Small Business Christmas Party

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Coats for Kids with Geroy Simon

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Chamber of Commerce Christmas Social

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Prince Albert & District Chamber of Commerce

SaskPro Event in support of PA Food Bank

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The Chambers of Commerce Group Insurance Plan is the #1 plan in Canada!

For employee benefits, covering over 25,000 small businesses across the country.

ALL types of businesses are eligible for the program no industry exclusions! Call 306-922-4414 today to find out how much money your business can save!

December 2014

Prince Albert & District Chamber of Commerce

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Chamber Staff

Prince Albert & District Chamber of Commerce 3700 â&#x20AC;&#x201D; 2nd Avenue West Prince Albert, SK S6W 1A2

Merle Lacert CEO Danica Jesse Executive Assistant

T: 306.764.6222 F: 306.922.4727 www.princealbertchamber.com

December 2014

Charlene Tebbutt Communications Coordinator

Prince Albert & District Chamber of Commerce

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