Jan. 23 2015
Whitehorse Chamber E-Bulletin “The Voice Of Business”
February 18-22nd 2015
In This Week’s Edition for Jan. 23rd 2015..... 1. Yukon College Signs Training Agreement With Supply Chain Management Association. 2. New Shipping Discount Program for Whitehorse Chamber Members 3. Wholesale Pricing Announced For Yukon Liquor Licensees 4. Yukon Quest Sponsorship 5. Office Of The Procurement Ombudsman - Missed Out On A Federal Contact? 6. City Of Whitehorse - Curbside Recycling Survey Results 7. Yukon Tourism Training Fund 8. ‘Ready, Willing and Able’ A Hidden Labour Pool - Breakfast Meeting 9. Yukon Chamber of Mines - Yukon Night 10.City Of Whitehorse Update 11.Pathways To Wellness
Wholesale pricing announced for Yukon liquor licensees WHITEHORSE— Effective February 1, Yukon outlets licensed to sell liquor products can purchase them at a wholesale price of ten per cent off retail. “This government strives to create an environment where local businesses can thrive and grow. Licensees have asked for wholesale pricing so they can become more competitive,” Minister of Finance Darrell Pasloski said. “Prior to this change, licensees purchased liquor products at the same retail price all Yukoners pay at the liquor store.” This pricing change will benefit 140 Yukon owned and operated licensed businesses including hotels, bars, restaurants and off-sale outlets. “Introducing wholesale liquor pricing for the hospitality sector will help its financial position, which means a healthier Yukon economy,” Minister responsible for the Yukon Liquor Corporation Stacey Hassard said. “Wholesale liquor pricing is a small but significant adjustment to a sector that employs approximately 870 Yukoners.” This new pricing strategy provides the hospitality industry with support that is similar to other sector-specific initiatives offered by the Government of Yukon. “It is logical to provide those buying product in volume with a wholesale discount,” Yukon Chamber of Commerce Chair Rich Thompson commented. “This is consistent with many other Canadian jurisdictions and is a very welcome move when economic times are tough and food and beverage operators are struggling just to survive in many cases. The Yukon Chamber of Commerce heartily applauds the government for listening to business issues and moving at pace to make necessary changes.” -30-
Sponsorship Sponsors play a vital role in the continuing success and annual running of the Yukon Quest International Sled Dog Race. Sponsoring the Yukon Quest creates a unique opportunity to showcase your company’s brand in front of a dedicated audience of tens of thousands of race fans, volunteers, members, educators and participants. Sponsor Rights and Benefits provide excellent corporate exposure, unparalleled hospitality opportunities, a compelling internet presence, and a direct tie in to the Yukon Quest’s loyal support base. Visit our Yukon Quest Sponsors Page
The level of your Sponsor contribution determines the range of Rights and Benefits. Upper level Sponsorship Agreements are custom tailored to meet your specific corporate marketing, public relations and Business-to-Business goals. To see our sponsorship packages click on the following links: • 2015 Start Bib Sponsorship • 2015 Finish Bib Sponsorship • Sponsorship Package - $5,000 or less • Sponsorship Package - $10,000 and more To get your sponsorship going, please contact the Yukon Quest:
Alaska Marti Steury Executive Director questdirector@mosquitonet.com
Yukon Laurie Parris Executive Director executive.director@yukonquest.com
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Missed!out!on!a!federal!contract?! !
You!and!your!team!have!spent!hours!or!days!preparing!a!bid!for!a!federal!solicitation.!Your!company!has!invested!time! and!money!to!respond!to!the!requirements!listed!in!the!request!for!proposal!(RFP).!Then,!on!a!sunny!Monday!morning,! you!open!a!letter!from!the!department!you!submitted!your!bid!to!and!it!says!that!the!contract!has!been!awarded!to! another!company.!What!do!you!do?!! If!you!are!like!most!suppliers,!you!want!to!know!where!your!bid!fell!short! and!why!the!contract!was!not!awarded!to!your!company.!You!want!to! understand!the!weaknesses!of!your!bid!so!you!can!avoid!repeating!the!same! mistakes!in!the!future.!!In!short,!you!want!a!“debriefing”.!So!you!call!the! number!provided!in!the!letter!but!are!told!the!department!has!no!further! information!to!provide!regarding!the!award!of!the!contract!and!considers! the!regret!letter!a!“debriefing.’’!
When a federal organization notifies a company they are not the recipient of a contract and only provides the name of the “winning” company and value of the contract, this should not be considered a debriefing.
Since!opening!its!doors!in!2008,!The!Office!of!the!Procurement!Ombudsman!(OPO)!has!heard!from!many!business!people! left!frustrated!by!not!knowing!why!their!bid!was!rejected.!In!these!instances,!one!of!OPO’s!priorities!is!to!let!business! people!know!their!rights!and!responsibilities.!! As!a!business!person,!for!example,!you!should!know!that!you!are!obligated!to!honour!the!rules!of!the!bid!process!and! provide!information!in!good!faith!with!the!belief!that!it!is!complete!and!accurate.!You!should!also!know!that!the!Access%to% Information%Act!(the!Act)!gives!any!Canadian!the!right!to!request!access!to!any!government!record,!with!a!few!exceptions.! One!of!those!exceptions!is!the!Act!does!not!grant!access!to!third!party!information,!such!as!the!details!of!a!competitor’s! bid,!without!their!consent.!! Both!the!North!American!Free!Trade!Agreement!(NAFTA)!and!the!World!Trade!Organization!U!Agreement!on!Government! Procurement!(WTOUAGP)!include!requirements!in!general!terms!to!disclose!information!to!unsuccessful!bidders.!!Federal! policy!(i.e.!Treasury!Board!Contracting!Policy)!also!states!that!debriefings!should!be!provided!to!unsuccessful!bidders.!!So! even!though!departments!and!agencies!may!not!be!obligated!to!provide!a!debriefing,!doing!so!is!both!a!good!business! practice!and!the!right!thing!to!do.! Debriefings!should!take!place!after!a!contract!is!awarded.!Federal!organizations!should!notify!unsuccessful!bidders!as!soon! as!possible,!provide!the!name!of!the!“winning”!company!and!the!value!of!the!contract.!However,!for!a!debriefing!to!be!of! real%value!it!will!also!explain!the!factors!and!criteria!used!to!evaluate!the!bids!and!enable!the!unsuccessful!bidder!to! understand!where!their!bid!fell!short!or!why!it!did!not!result!in!a!contract.!This!information!can!be!provided!by!telephone,! in!writing,!or!faceUtoUface.!! In!the!end,!debriefings!benefit!both!you!and!the!department.!!They!should!provide!you!with!an!understanding!of!how!to! better!prepare!future!bids.!Debriefings!can!also!help!the!department!improve!its!contracting!processes!by!enabling! suppliers!to!share!their!opinions!with!government!officials!about!what!works!and!doesn’t!work!in!the!contracting!process.!! If!you!have!any!concerns!or!thoughts!to!share!on!debriefings!or!any!other!aspect!of!federal!procurement,!give!OPO!a!call! at!1U866U734U5169.!!OPO!can!answer!your!questions!and!inform!you!of!your!options.!OPO!is!here!to!help.!! ! For%more%information%on%OPO’s%services%and%activities,%visit%their%website%at%www.opo<boa.gc.ca%and%follow%them%on% Twitter%(@OPO_Canada%&%BOA_Canada).! ! !
Contact: Media Relations Phone:
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
335-1186
Tuesday, January 13, 2015
Release: 2015-01
CITY RELEASES CURBSIDE RECYCLING SURVEY RESULTS WHITEHORSE – The City heard from over 1,900 residents in response to its online residential curbside recycling collection survey. “The response to this survey was impressive,” said Mayor Dan Curtis. “We can see that Whitehorse citizens care about recycling in our community. We understand people are concerned about costs, and we are working with our partners to make sure this service is as cost-effective as possible,” Curtis added. The survey results are posted at www.whitehorse.ca/recycle. Here are some highlights: 96% of respondents voiced their support for recycling and 85% are in favour of the City’s waste diversion goal of 50% less waste by 2015; 69% of respondents agree that a curbside collection service will make it easier for them to recycle, while 18% disagree; 52% are willing to pay a fee to cover the costs of recycling, 29% are not willing to pay, and 19% are not sure; 57% would prefer bi-weekly collection, 20% support weekly and 13% choose monthly; 68% are willing to separate materials in order to save $1to $5/month; and 11% of residents would like the City to maintain the status quo. “These survey results will help inform the design of a new curbside recycling program,” said Deputy Mayor John Streicker. “This is valuable feedback. The next step is to seek more input from the private sector for the design of this program.” The City will soon publicly release a Request for Expression of Interest for recycling collection and processing services. For more information on the survey or recycling, visit www.whitehorse.ca/recycle. -End-
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! ! Are!you!working!in!the!tourism!industry?! ! Apply!to!YTTF! ! Next!Intake!Deadline:!February!20th,!2015!
! ! If!your!courses!and!training!are!applicable,!you!could!receive!funding!for!up!to! 75%!of!the!eligible!costs!to!a!maximum!of!$3,000!!If!you!are!seeking!entryA level!skill!development,!seasonal/wilderness!training,!or!professional!skills! development!for!a!career!in!tourism,!you!could!be!eligible.!Businesses,! nonprofits,!and!organizations!wishing!to!provide!training!to!the!tourism! industry!may!receive!up!to!a!maximum!of!75%!of!the!cost!of!implementation!to! a!maximum!of!$5,000.! ! ! ! Remember!that!you!must!apply!to!the!fund!before!training!begins!and! application!approvals!will!occur!only!4!times!a!year.!! ! Contact!Gina!Bethell!at!668A3331!or!visit!www.tiayukon.com!! for!more!information!and!applications!
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Ready, Willing and Able A solu on linking you to a hidden labour pool you might be missing out on. We invite you to join us to a end a breakfast presenta on to hear more about a new program designed to support Yukon businesses, non proďŹ t organiza ons and government departments in accessing a pool of stable, reliable and dedicated workers that you may not have considered. People who have a disability represent one of the largest sources of untapped labour in todayâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s economy, and yet many people who have a disability remain either underemployed or unemployed. We are told that some Yukon employers and businesses are not aware of this pool of poten al workers. Those who are aware may be uncertain about how to recruit, train or accommodate workers with a disability, and some employers are interested but have concerns about issues of costs or whether people have the skills necessary to perform jobs that are available. Ready, Willing and Able represents a new na onal funding program which is coordinated na onally by the Canadian Associa on for Community Living, and delivered locally by a network of 13 provincial and territorial Community Living Associa ons. Join Minister of Educa on Elaine Taylor and speakers from other Yukon business leaders as they share their own experiences, and hear more about how RWA can support your sta ng needs by: iden fying job opportuni es within your organiza on that may be cost e ec vely and safely completed by a person with a disability providing funding and comple ng all the paperwork required to support a new employee with a disability who needs accommoda on such as job coaching, custom so ware or other technology, or specialized training for your exis ng sta providing the ongoing support needed to ensure a con nued successful rela onship between your business or organiza on and your new employee
When: 8:00 9:00 am Thursday, February 26th, 2015 Where: Westmark Hotel, Conference Room 1 RSVP by calling 667 4606 or email yaclwhse@northwestel.net
Employment Central Your Job Search Headquarters
January 23, 2015
Cooking Classes Prepare for Valentine’s Day supper with our Candlelight Delight Class! View the full 2015 Winter Active Living Guide and program highlights at whitehorse.ca/ activeliving.
Family Literacy Day Join Family Literacy Centre staff on Sunday, January 25 at the Canada Games Centre for an afternoon of snacks, activities, storytelling and fun! See full details at whitehorse.ca/events.
Next City Council Meeting The next Regular Council Meeting is January 26 at 5:30pm in City Hall Council Chambers. View whitehorse.ca/agendas for Council and whitehorse.ca/CASM for CASM meetings.
Sidewalk Snow and Ice Removal Be a good neighbour, please clear your sidewalks within 48 hours of a snowfall. Businesses have until 11 am the following day. See full details at whitehorse.ca/snowandice.
Plan It Newsletter Stay informed about planning, engineering, and sustainability activities. View our January newsletter at whitehorse.ca/planit.
Monitoring of City Facility Fire and Security Alarms This Invitation to Tender is open for submissions by 4pm on Friday January 30 and can be viewed at whitehorse.ca/tender.
Upcoming Grant Deadlines The Festival and Special Events Fund deadline is January 30 and the Environmental Grant deadline is February 16. See more details for all Council grants at whitehorse.ca/grants.
Recycling Collection and Processing Services This Expression of Interest is open for submissions by 4pm on Friday February 13 and can be viewed at whitehorse.ca/eoi.
Rendezvous Preparations Underway Look out for our window paintings at City Hall, the Municipal Services Building and the Canada Games Centre!
whitehorse.ca
Pathways to Wellness e-Tips conversation • connection • commitment
Eating Mediterranean style
Contact Info: Contact us at www.yukonwellness.ca/ contactus.php
Our Location 201 - #1 Hospital Road, Whitehorse, Yukon Mail: Pathways to Wellness, H-1 Health and Social Services Yukon Government Box 2703, Whitehorse, Yukon Y1A 2C6 E-mail: yukonwellness@gov.yk.ca Like Italian and Greek food? That's good news, because recent findings suggest that the Mediterranean diet is pretty good when it comes to healthy eating. But let's be clear on what we mean by a Mediterranean diet. It's •
High in olive oil, fruits, vegetables, whole breads and pasta, beans, nuts and moderate amounts of fish and chicken, and • Low in dairy, red meats, processed meats and sweets. A recent US study looked a fire fighters as a group at risk for being overweight. The researchers found that fire fighters whose diet most closely resembled a Mediterranean diet had lower cholesterol levels, weighed less, and burned more energy. But the biggest difference is that those who ate a Mediterranean diet consumed fewer sugar sweetened beverages and fast foods. If you are a wine drinker, you'll be pleased to know that wine with dinner, in moderate amounts, is also part of a Mediterranean diet. Buon Appetito!
Jan: 867-667-3674