Call for Nominations open for Gala & Awards
The call for nominations is now open for the BDC Business Person of the Year Award & the Business Excellence Award. Nominations will be received by the Chamber until April1st, 2022. Awards will be presented at the 2022 Truro & Colchester Chamber of Commerce Annual Gala & Awards taking place on April 21st at the Best Western Glengarry. The cost is $65 for members and $75 for future members. To reserve your seat, call (902) 895-6328, email [email protected] or visit the Events Calendar.
Nomination form for BDC Business Person of the Year Award
Nomination form for the Business Excellence Award
AGM announced for March
Join us as we welcome a new slate of officers, and to learn about Chamber activities.
March 9th
AGM at 11 am
Truro Legion - 42 Brunswick St, Truro
Luncheon at 12pm
$30 for Members and $35 for Non Members
Guest Speaker
Arnold Hagen
Owner of Harris Home Hardware (Truro & Bible Hill) and Truro Mall
Speaking on his Development Projects in the area
To register click HERE
Download our Health & Wellness Kit for Business today!
Health & Wellness Kit for Business
Health and Wellness programs support employee well-being
Designing and managing an employee wellness program is an important step in improving the health and productivity of employees and potentially improving the overall cost of employer-provided health care.
The Truro and Colchester Chamber of Commerce is partnering with the Truro and Area Community Health Board Wellness Funds program, and several local groups to support the business community in establishing health and wellness programs for their staff.
Within this Workplace Health & Wellness kit, we have provided local and global resources to build a workplace wellness program, a sample plan and activities to inspire you to try new things while also offering challenges with incentives to boost participation.
Download the Health & Wellness Kit for Business HERE
Download the Health & Wellness Activity Kit HERE
Truro Winter Long John Festival Live Entertainment Fund
Live Entertainment Fund
Downtown Truro will be glowing with community spirit this winter when a light show transforms Civic Square into a winter wonderland. The light show is a new addition to the Truro Winter Long John Festival, made possible by funding from the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency and a three-way partnership between the Truro & Colchester Chamber of Commerce, the Town of Truro, and the Downtown Truro Partnership.
As part of the celebration, businesses can apply for the Live Entertainment Fund. The funding program is open to venues that provide live music as part of their customer attraction strategy. This may include bars, cafes, restaurants, and other types of business.
To apply for this funding or for more information, click here.
COVID-19 Government Program Updates
COVID-19 Government Program Updates
NEW ATLANTIC IMMIGRATION PROGRAM
The new Atlantic Immigration Program will launch on January 1, 2022. The permanent program builds on the strengths of the Atlantic Immigration Pilot Program and retains the core objective of attracting skilled immigrants to Atlantic Canada to address demographic and economic needs, as well as to continue to increase retention in the region. Key features of the permanent program include:
• All employers designated under the pilot will be required to be re-designated under the permanent program.
• Under the permanent program, all designated employers are required to complete mandatory on-boarding training provided by the federal Department of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada.
• Mandatory inter-cultural competency training will also be required for all employers, prior to endorsement, unless the employer is deemed by the province to be exempt from the training.
Should you or any of your member businesses or organizations have questions about the new Atlantic Immigration Program and/or the use of other immigration programs to help meet labour needs, including the Nova Scotia Nominee Program, please reach out to our employer support team at [email protected].
Additional details about the AIP program are available at: Atlantic Immigration Program website.
ELIGIBILITY UPDATE TO THE SECTOR IMPACT SUPPORT PROGRAM
The Sector Impact Support Program will provide a one-time grant of up to $7,500 to help small business owners in industries such as restaurants, bars, gyms, live performing arts facilities and recreation facilities. Eligible applicants will now be able to choose a grant amount based on either the gross payroll cost or gross revenues of the business in November 2021.
The Program will open in early January 2022: Coronavirus (COVID-19): Sector Impact Support Program - Government of Nova Scotia, Canada
PAID SICK LEAVE RELAUNCHES TO SUPPORT NOVA SCOTIANS
Nova Scotians who have been impacted by the fourth wave of the COVID-19 pandemic may qualify for up to four paid sick days with the relaunch of Nova Scotia's COVID-19 Paid Sick Leave Program.
For more details: https://novascotia.ca/news/release/?id=20211222003
FEDERAL GOVERNMENT TEMPORARILY EXPANDING TWO BILL C-2 PROGRAMS
The federal government announced its intention to temporarily expand eligibility for the Local Lockdown Program and Canada Worker Lockdown Benefit. This will help to ensure Canadians are protected and workers and businesses get the help they need to sustain them through new and necessary public health restrictions.
For more details: Temporarily Expanding Eligibility for the Local Lockdown Program and the Canada Worker Lockdown Benefit - Canada.ca
Live for Local Rally begins!
The Live for Local Rally was a contest aimed at promoting shopping local that ran until December 17th, 2021. You could upload a receipt from any business in Colchester County to earn an entry for our amazing prize giveaways. If you uploaded a receipt from one of our “Participating Businesses” you received two entries.
Congratulations to our winners!
| Weekly Prize Winners | |
| Name | Prize |
| Becky Cowrly | Coffee Lovers |
| Alison Wilson | Nintendo Switch |
| Julie Stone | Get in the Spirit |
| Rosalind Belland | Charm Diamond |
| Alyssa Moraze | Gas & Go |
| Sherri Webb | Winter Car Care |
| Miranda Rock | Kirk Saint |
| Deanna Lumax | Stay & Play |
| Deborah Lusby | Stay & Play |
| Elizabeth Spence | Hub Cycle Ski |
| Lindsay Mattinson | Self Care |
| Kathy Schedler | Masstown Market |
| Grand Prize Winners | |
| Penny Ferguson | Truro Mall |
| Yvonne Kerr | Downtown Truro |
| Chris Connolly | Home Makeover |
| Sue Murray | Inglis Jewellers |
| Nicholas Stokdijk | Berry’s |
Chamber one-on-one interviews with 41st Election Candidates
Chamber Biannual Newsletter
The Truro and Colchester Chamber of Commerce have release there biannual Newsletter.
Topics covered:
- E-commerce 2.0 Project
- President's Message
- Advocacy
- Project Promotions
- Virtual Gala & Awards
- Events
View the newsletter here.
We're Moving!
We're Moving!
We have some very exciting news to share that we hope will benefit many of our members in the year to come.
After 14 years based at the Marigold Cultural Centre, the Chamber office is on the move!
We will be transitioning to our new location during the month of December. As of January 1, 2021, our new home will be 105 B Walker Street, Truro.
This move will enable us to offer a new opportunity to our entire membership. While the plan to relocate our office has been in the works for more than a year, the need for increased space to support social distancing for staff and patrons during COVID-19 has become a necessity.
One of the most popular requests we received in 2020, since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, was from members asking if we could provide a safe space for them to use highspeed internet which they may not be able to access from their businesses or remote work spaces.
Our new location will include a spacious meeting room and private office for the use of our members at no cost (some restrictions apply) through a generous sponsorship of Wilsons Heating.
In January, any member wishing to use the meeting space for business purposes such as staff meetings, training, interviews, etc. can book it by emailing [email protected] (Depending on availability and public safety protocols.)
We look forward to meeting with you at our new location in the New Year!
Take care,
Sherry Martell
Executive Director
Truro & Colchester Chamber of Commerce