Your Weekly Tune Up
Removing red tape barriers to spur innovation
Alberta Innovates has removed almost 60 percent of unnecessary regulatory requirements to support businesses and entrepreneurs.
Through initiatives completed by the Jobs, Economy and Innovation ministry and Alberta Innovates, the regulatory requirements removed have cleared barriers to job creation, supporting innovation and modernization for the technology and innovation sector.
Alberta Innovates is a provincially funded corporation that provides funding and other supports and services to stimulate and grow research and innovation across Alberta. Read More
Working safely in the heat
The Government of Alberta released an article informing workers to keep in mind the hot temperature during the summer months. When the temperature is up, proper health and safety practices can help protect workers from heat-related injury and illness. Employers and workers should be aware of the early signs of heat stress and treat it immediately. Get more information
What employers can do:
- provide plenty of cool drinking water
- reduce physical activity demands on workers, change the work location to a cooler, shaded area, and create a cooling station where workers can rest
- use a work/rest schedule with extra breaks if needed
- allow workers to acclimatize by gradually increasing the time spent working outdoors or in other hot environments
- schedule physically demanding jobs for cooler times of the day
- start the work day earlier when it’s cooler and end the work day before the heat hits its peak
- train and educate workers to recognize signs of heat stress.
Moving forward with new highway rest areas
Interested parties may now submit proposals to bring commercial safety rest areas one step closer to construction. Alberta’s government is providing the opportunity to develop government-owned highway safety rest areas along major highways. The request for proposals stage is the next step in building these commercial safety rest areas. Read More
- Commercial safety rest areas timeline:
- Summer 2022 – Negotiated RFP posted, procurement underway
- Winter 2022 – Deadline for interested parties to submit proposals
- Late 2023 – Alberta Transportation to review and evaluate bids, negotiate and execute a contract with the successful proponent
- 2024 – Expected construction start
Fuelling Our Business Community
The Business Ethics Award is sponsored by Better Business Bureau
We are very proud to feature the Business Ethics Award sponsor of the 2022 Business Awards - A New Era of Roaring Success: Better Business Bureau (BBB). BBB is dedicated to fostering honest and responsive relationships between businesses and consumers instilling consumer confidence and advancing a trustworthy marketplace for all.
Interested in helping us celebrate a New Era of Success? Become a sponsor. Contact Us 403-527-5214
The Power of Community
Business Link Life as an Entrepreneur
Small business ownership can be an exciting career choice. This video covers the basics of what to expect on each step of your entrepreneurial journey. You’ll learn about the 3 key roles you will play in your business along with the challenges and rewards of each role. Discover how to identify when you’ve outgrown a role and how to build a business that works for you.
Business Link partnered with Community Futures Alberta for this project.
Enriching Your Business
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Fill Up On Funding
Start-Up Canada Navigating Government Funding and Programming
Startup Gov Roundtable #3 in partnership with Innovation Canada, part of Innovation, Science, and Economic Development Canada (ISED). Through the Startup Gov program, entrepreneurs, community leaders, and ecosystem partners have the opportunity to meet with key government officials. The purpose of the forums is to provide entrepreneurs with the opportunity to share their perspectives and advocate for the conditions required for entrepreneurial success in Canada. Read More about the Results From this Forum
Second Call For Women Entrepreneurship Strategy’s Ecosystem Fund
Launched under Budget 2018, the Government of Canada's Women Entrepreneurship Strategy (WES) aims to increase women-owned businesses' access to the financing, talent, networks and expertise they need to start up, scale up and access new markets.
The WES Ecosystem Fund was designed to provide non-repayable contribution funding to projects led by non-profit organizations that would help close service gaps and strengthen capacity within the women entrepreneurship ecosystem in Canada.
Through this call, the WES Ecosystem Fund will prioritize projects which support activities in areas of strength for women entrepreneurs (e.g. care economy, retail and service sectors) or projects which provide services to women entrepreneurs in rural and remote areas or the North.
Advocacy in Action
Designated Industrial Zones
The Designated Industrial Zone (DIZ) pilot project announced by the Government of Alberta on August 12th in Alberta’s Industrial Heartland will reduce red tape and streamline regulatory approvals to help attract new investment and create good jobs for Albertans, making that zone more competitive by addressing application backlogs, increasing efficiency and transparency, and supporting economic development, while achieving environmental outcomes.
Combined with other government initiatives that support the petrochemical industry, such as the Alberta Petrochemicals Incentive Program and ongoing red tape reduction efforts, the Designated Industrial Zone has the potential to help attract billions of dollars in capital investment and support thousands of direct and indirect jobs by 2030.
The Industrial Heartland Designated Industrial Zone framework is on track to be formally implemented on October 1, 2022. Following the end of the pilot phase in September 2024, the government will assess lessons learned and best practices to determine how they could be applied to other potential designated industrial zones in Alberta.
Why is this so important for us as a Chamber and region? Our Chamber has been advocating for Industrial Zones since 2019-2020, as we see the potential to ease investment attraction and work with the province to promote our region as a DIZ. You can view our positon here, which has also been supported by the Alberta Chambers of Commerce. Our hope is that our region can work to become one of the next DIZ designations.
It’s Just Talk on Just Transition
Last week, two members of the Canadian Chamber of Commerce policy team co-authored an op-ed on the just transition to a low-carbon economy. David Billedeau, Senior Director of Natural Resources, Environment and Sustainability and Nicholas Palaschuk, Economic Policy Researcher, pulled together this analysis.
Is the concept of a “Just Transition” just talk?
While Ottawa continues to—rightfully—move forward with its net-zero ambitions, key elements of how Canada decarbonizes remain undefined.
Concern over Anticipated EI Hikes | Letter from Canadian and P/T Chambers
The provincial/territorial chambers were co-signatories on a Canadian Chamber of Commerce letter to Canada’s Minister of Employment, Workforce Development and Disability Inclusion Carla Qualtrough to express our collective concerns about the anticipated increases in the EI premiums mentioned in Budget 2022.
According to the budget, rates might rise by 15 cents over the following three years (in 5-cent increments, from $1.58 to $1.73), after which they would stay at that level until the fund’s balance was restored.
Next Level Events
2022 Business Awards – A New Era of Roaring Success
“A New Era of Roaring Success” was chosen as this year’s theme to signify the ‘Roaring 20’s’ of this century. Similarly, to the 1920’s, our 2020’s are the beginning of a united force in supporting and strengthening our local economic prosperity. As we navigate the ‘Roaring 20’s’ of this century we celebrate our businesses, past and present, that have weathered the challenges and have emerged with new ideas, innovative practices, and even stronger connections.
This year the Chamber will be hosting the Business Awards at the Esplanade Arts & Heritage Centre, Friday, October 14th, 2022. The event will start around 5:30 pm where individuals can network, enjoy 1920’s Jazz, Cocktails, and Appetizers. Guests will then proceed to the Main Theatre room at 6:30 pm where the Award Ceremony will premier. Tickets are officially on sale; tickets will be priced at $97 per person (Membership discounts will be given via discount code). Save October 14th in your calendars and join us as we celebrate a New Era of Roaring Success within our businesses and the community.
Other Resources
Other Events
Aug 10-11: Traction Conference | Register
Aug 17: Women in Non Profit Organizations | Industry Advisory Circle | Register
Sep 21: Women in CPG | Industry Advisory Circle | Register
Oct 20: Startup Day | Learn More
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