Vaughan Chamber of Commerce Chronicle Online

Dear Members,

I am honoured to be your incoming Chair for 2010. I live and work in Vaughan and have been a member of the Vaughan Chamber for a number of years. I have served as the Chair of the Policy Committee, and as a member of the Executive, on the Nominating Committee, and currently as the Chair of the Business Achievement Awards.

My business is a sole-practitioner land use planning/consulting firm and aerial photography company with numerous land development projects throughout southern Ontario. With one employee, me, I qualify as a true "small business".

I would like to welcome all of our new Board members as well as those returning to serve another term. We are fortunate to have a very talented and enthusiastic group of individuals who bring valuable expertise and experience from a variety of professional and personal backgrounds. I would also like to urge all members of the Chamber to participate actively on committees and to attend Chamber functions to get the most from your membership.

During the next year there are a number of important events and activities happening in Vaughan that the Chamber intends to participate in to ensure that the voice of business is at the forefront. We will be involved with the planning of the new Vaughan Metropolitan Centre as the arrival of our new subway connection gets closer to reality. We are monitoring that process and intend to have input on behalf of the business community as plans and policies for this are finalized. We will also be partnering with the Vaughan Business Enterprise Centre in conducting seminars on the Harmonized Sales Tax to assist businesses as we move forward in this new business environment.

This is an election year for municipal council and we will be hosting a Mayoralty debate. Preparation for this event is a key activity of the Policy Committee and the debate will occur on September 29th. If this year's debate is anything like the previous one, it should be a standing-room-only raucous event.

We are excited about our upcoming Golf Tournament which will be at a new venue this year, The Country Club in Woodbridge. This event will occur on June 28th and we look forward to all of you attending.

I am very much looking forward to the support from, and working with, our dedicated and professional staff that we are fortunate to have in the Chamber office. Our President and CEO, Deborah Bonk, is one of the top Chamber CEO's in this country, having been recognized as such by her peers. I am sure that Debbie's leadership and dedication will make my job much easier and rewarding during my upcoming term.

Thank you to all our members who take the time to participate in Chamber activities. You are the glue that holds our Chamber together.

Sincerely,

Michael Manett

Chairman of the Board of Directors