Latest news with #ChamberOfCommerce
CBC
5 hours ago
- Business
- CBC
Q+A: Why the Yukon Chamber of Commerce could go out of business
Chambers of commerce aren't exempt from the same economic laws as their members —if expenses are higher than revenue, your days are numbered. That's the situation the Yukon Chamber of Commerce now finds itself in. Members will vote next month on whether to wind down the organization, or try to keep going with a new board. Managing director Patti Balsillie spokes to Yukon Morning host Elyn Jones about the situation. This interview has been edited for length and clarity. So we laid out some of the reasons that the chamber is is considering shutting down. Tell us more about the Yukon Chamber and how you got to this place. There's loosely 17 to 20 trade-related non-profit organizations designed for advocacy that are all trying to vie for additional member benefits and services and programs to attract revenue. This is not a situation that happened in three months. Since COVID, I think business communities have had to decide how and where to spend their money and they're looking for strong value and non-redundancy. So I think the state of today is an operational model that didn't respond to those changes. Where does the chamber's funding come from? Twenty per cent of revenue or less is member revenue. So if you imagine any NGO office having at least one staff person, that's $100,000 in wages and rent etc. So when you have more members, you need to diversify revenue streams from event sponsorship, delivery of services, anything that might have a fee for service and of course Yukon government funding. Over time, I think the momentum behind the role of the Yukon chamber has been distracted with fundraising and finding its relevancy. Forty years ago there was not the plethora of NGOs and today we're in a very noisy space. I, as a small business person, have five industry memberships right now either for professional development or networking or advocacy, and it's not sustainable. Would it make more sense in your mind to have one umbrella organization that would advocate for all those groups? Is that what you're proposing? I'm not proposing anything. I'm getting out of the way to let the membership decide. The owners of the organization are those who vote and pay membership. And so the members meeting is June 11th. It's their call on how they want to proceed. We have a motion to dissolve. Should they not support that motion, there needs to be an 'OK, then what?' And it needs to have a volunteer tsunami behind it. The current organization, the current board on their behalf, they are extremely disappointed to have to arrive at this place. It's been really tough and they've rolled up their sleeves to say, 'What do we do? If not this, then what? How do we not take responsibility?' We also have businesses to run and families to look after. How much of an issue has has member turnover been? I'm gonna say it's been a 50 per cent or greater turnover with resignations by board members for all kinds of reasons including business is busy and they have to pick their time. Volunteer hours are at a premium right now. Why is having a Yukon Chamber of Commerce important? We have over 10,000 people living or more living outside of the City of Whitehorse who are also running businesses and facing challenges with roads or waste or taxes or labour and they need an advocacy voice. And the Yukon chamber came into play in 1985 because of that. Today those businesses remain, their challenges are different yet similar and they need a leadership voice.
CTV News
6 hours ago
- Business
- CTV News
Chamber of Commerce honours top local businesses at gala
Northern Ontario Watch Sudbury's business elite gathered at the Caruso Club on Thursday, dressed to impress, to celebrate the Chamber of Commerce's top honourees — including Best Place to Work, Business Start-up, Company of the Year and Entrepreneur of the Year — recognizing outstanding community contributions.
CTV News
12 hours ago
- Business
- CTV News
Greater Sudbury Chamber celebrates business excellence at awards gala
Sudbury's business elite gathered at the Caruso Club on Thursday to celebrate the Chamber of Commerce's top honourees.
CTV News
2 days ago
- Business
- CTV News
B.C.'s fast-tracking bill heads for final vote, facing criticism to the end
A motorist drives towards U.S. Customs and Border Protection inspection booths at the Peace Arch border crossing in Blaine, Wash., across the Canada-U.S. border from Surrey, B.C., on November 8, 2021. (Darryl Dyck / The Canadian Press) VICTORIA — Controversial legislation to fast-track infrastructure projects in British Columbia goes to a final vote in the legislature on Wednesday night, after attracting condemnation from First Nations leaders and environment and business groups. Speaker Raj Chouhan is expected to cast the deciding vote in favour of the government's Bill 15. The bill responding to American tariff threats promises to speed up public and private infrastructure projects, including mines, but has faced opposition from critics who say it lacked proper consultation with First Nations and others and represents government overreach. The British Columbia Chamber of Commerce is among the latest critics, calling on Premier David Eby to delay the bill until after the spring sitting of the legislature that ends Thursday. It says in a letter Tuesday that while it supports the streamlining of project approval and permitting, it wants the government to spend the summer meeting critics including the private sector to discuss their concerns. The government says it will consult broadly when drafting regulations that invoke the legislation, which has received support from the Greater Vancouver Board of Trade. Legislators are also scheduled to vote Wednesday on bills to speed up the permitting of renewable energy projects and transmission lines, remove internal trade barriers and authorize the budget. The NDP government has a one-seat majority in the legislature, where Opposition B.C. Conservatives, two Greens and three Independents are expected to vote against Bill 15. This report by Wolfgang Depner of The Canadian Press was first published May 28, 2025.
BBC News
3 days ago
- Politics
- BBC News
Rostrevor: Cable car plan may move to Kilbroney Forest Park
A new location for a proposed cable car route in County Down is being considered after a plan to build it on Northern Ireland's highest mountain was blocked. Newry, Mourne and Down Council had hoped to install a cable car at Slieve Donard until the National Trust refused to lease land it manages for the project. On Wednesday, the council confirmed it was now "exploring" the possibility of moving it to Kilbroney Forest Park in Rostrevor instead. The cable car concept, also referred to as a gondola, has divided opinion for several years, with environmentalists objecting and some businesses arguing it would attract visitors to the area. The council said the new cable car route was yet to be determined but confirmed it would not pass through the ancient oak woodland in Kilbroney. "Environmental sensitivity will continue to be a core principle of the proposal," the council added. It said the updated proposal had secured the support of Warrenpoint, Burren and Rostrevor Chamber of Commerce who described it as "a game-changer". The chamber said it would "create a compelling tourism offering in the district, while also encouraging visitors to continue their journeys into the heart of the Mournes and beyond". The cable car or gondola plan is officially known as the Mourne Mountains Gateway would receive central government funding through the Belfast Region City Deal (BRCD). Politicians had expressed concerns that the blocking of the plan at Slieve Donard would put millions of pounds of BRCD money at risk. A new addition to the Finn McCool legend? Rumours that the focus of the Mourne gondola project could be moving from Newcastle to Rostrevor began circulating in south Down in the last couple of is understood a number of meetings have taken place with political and business leaders discussing the possibility of moving the scheme effectively from one side of the Mournes to the this end BBC NI asked the council to comment on the rumours earlier this Wednesday, they confirmed that the matter is indeed being the council press release does not state a proposed route for the ride, a number of sources have told BBC NI that they believe the preferred terminus to be in the vicinity of a landmark called Cloughmore (the Big Stone). The huge granite boulder was deposited on the slopes of Slieve Martin during the last ice age and forms part of the legend of Fionn mac Cumhaill (Finn McCool). There is already a mountain drive through Kilbroney to a large carpark just a couple of hundred yards below Cloughmore. A series of popular downhill mountain bike trails already operate in the for its part, is already gearing up for the opening of the nearby Narrow Water Bridge just a few miles away. There is a fresh focus on tourism on this side of the Mournes – whether this means the gondola will be welcomed or rejected is a question locals will now be considering. Why did the National Trust decide against the cable car at Slieve Donard? The National Trust is responsible for the land in the Eastern Mournes Special Area of Conservation including Slieve Donard and Thomas Quarry - the site previously earmarked for the proposed gondola station and a visitor proposed £44m project would have involved the development of a 1km cable car structure from Donard Park up to the disused in April there were almost 150 wildfires in the Mournes, which had a devastating effect on habitats in the mountain a statement on 1 May, the trust confirmed the proposed project would "risk placing additional pressures on already degraded upland habitats".It would therefore "not be considering a lease at Thomas Quarry".At the time, Newry, Mourne and Down District Council said the trust's decision was "particularly frustrating".
