Congratulations 2012 Business Excellence Award Nominees!
These community-wide awards, hosted by the Penticton Chamber of Commerce, recognize businesses and persons in Penticton and area that have achieved excellence in the community through their own abilities, efforts and initiatives. Recipients of a Business Excellence Award are businesses or persons that display a significant and sustained commitment to positive business development, economic growth and diversity within the region. The 2012 Award Nominee List is:
Community Booster Award Sponsored by Prospera Credit Union
Dave Del Rizzo
PGCC Ladies and Men's Clubs
South Okanagan Children's Charity
Hospitality/Tourism Business Award Sponsored by Tourism Penticton Society
Ramada Group
Loco Landing Adventure Park
All She Wrote Consulting
Grape Escapes Wine Tours
Hoodoo Adventure Company
South Okanagan Events Centre
Service Excellence Award Sponsored by Pattison Sign Group
Plaza Cleaners
Expert Hearing Solutions
Nurse Next Door Home Healthcare Services
Kemp, Harvey, Kemp Inc.
Grape Escapes Wine Tours
Willow Community Midwives
Stewart Thomas Group - Trevor Nelson
Isshin Sushi Bar & Asian Dining
Okanagan Auctions
Shoppers HomeHealthCare
Industrial Business Award Sponsored by Greyback Construction Ltd.
Waycon Manufacturing Ltd.
Structurlam Products Ltd.
Britco LP
Canadian Home Builders' Association-South Okanagan
Valley Comfort Systems Inc.
Slimline Manufacturing Ltd.
Retailer Excellence Award Sponsored by Penticton Western News
British Columbia Wine Information Centre
Shoe Biz
Shoppers HomeHealthCare
Grant King Men's Wear
David's Tea
Leggott's Classic Guitars
Government Street Liquor Store & Wine Shoppe
Maple Leaf Spirits
New Business Award Sponsored by Valley First
Sirf Web Marketing Strategies
Saint-Germain Café Gallery
Grape Escapes Wine Tours
Farm Bag Fundraiser
Okanagan Auctions
The Terry Isaac Gallery
Young Citizen of the Year Sponsored by Downtown Penticton Association
Cheline Lacroix
The Penticton Vees
Young Entrepreneur Sponsored by JCI-Penticton & JobOptions-WCG
Max Picton
Jennifer Vincent
Business of the Year Sponsored by HSBC Bank Canada
White Kennedy Chartered Accountants
Grape Escapes Wine Tours
Global Spectrum Facility Management Canada
Valley First
Royal LePage - Locations West
Business Leader of the Year Sponsored by TD Canada Trust - Small Business Banking
Barb Haynes
Paul Crawford
David MacCoubrey
Jan Rustad
Join us, Saturday February 9, 2013 at the Penticton Trade & Convention Centre for the 2012 Business Excellence Awards Banquet where we celebrate the achievements of nominees and announce the overall category winners. Tickets, $70+HST until 5pm January 18th and $85+HST after that, are available for purchase during regular Chamber office hours by calling 250.492.4103 or visiting us at the Wine Information Centre located at the corner of Eckhardt and Vees Drive (formerly Railway Street). Ticket deadline is 4pm Friday, February 1, 2013.
PST registration for businesses has started
Minister of State for Small Business Naomi Yamamoto, has announced businesses that sell or lease taxable goods, or sell software or taxable services in B.C., are now able to register to collect the tax.
The Penticton Chamber is hosting two seminars on January 24, 2013; one in the morning from 8:30a - 10:30a, the other in the afternoon from 2:00p - 4:00p; both at the Penticton & Wine Country Visitor Centre located at 553 Vees Drive (formerly Railway Street) in Penticton. These seminars are free but registration is required. Call 250.492.4013 to register.
For more on all the details of the transition visit www.pstinbc.ca.
Transition for Elimination of Penny starts February 4, 2013
Pennies will start exiting circulation starting February 4, 2013 when the Canadian Mint stops production. Cash payments or transactions will need to be rounded, either up or down to the nearest five-cent increment. Cheque and electronic transactions do not need to be rounded as they can be settled electronically to the exact amount. Business owners and staff should all be familiar with these rounding guidelines. Visit http://www.fin.gc.ca/1cent/index-eng.asp to find out more.
BC Chamber News
Improving Customer Service
Consumer Protection BC is offering a free, simple online dispute resolution (ODR) tool to help resolve consumer complaints quickly and efficiently. The steps in the ODR tool are: (1) Disputes are initiated online by the consumer; (2) Your business receives an email invitation to participate; (3) Both parties enter information and upload any documentation relevant to the dispute; (4) Together, the two parties work towards an acceptable resolution; (5) If required, mediation services can be requested by either party. ODR offers the opportunity for your customer to feel heard and communicate to you what they are seeking as a solution from the convenience of a computer. Take a look at the platform at resolveyourdispute.ca or call Consumer Protection BC at 1.888.564.9963.
Music Licencing & Your Business: Different Rights; Different Collectives
The Society of Composers, Authors and Music Publishers of Canada (SOCAN) and its predecessors have existed in Canada for well over 80 years - so the idea of businesses compensating songwriters and music publishers for music played in the workplace is not new.
However, under a relatively new addition to the Copyright Act record companies and performers are also entitled to compensation for public performances of their work. The organization that administers this right in Canada is Re:Sound (formerly the Neighbouring Rights Collective of Canada [NRCC]). Much like SOCAN, the tariffs that apply to their members' work are set by the Copyright Board of Canada, to whom they must apply for approval of their tariffs each year.
Please note that the two organizations are not affiliated, and you are encouraged to find out more by visiting www.resound.ca or the Copyright Board of Canada's website at www.cb-cda.gc.ca/.
For all the latest BC Chamber of Commerce news releases, letters, editorials and information, bookmark http://www.bcchamber.org/news/index.html
Canadian Chamber News
The Canadian Chamber of Commerce recently issued a report entitled Developing the Economic Potential of Canada's Territories in which it argues that the federal government has a critical decision to make regarding Canada's territories if it is to leverage their full social and economic potential. The report is based on discussions with more than 80 business people and government representatives across the territories.
Covering 40 per cent of Canada's land mass with just over three per cent of our population, Canada's territories punch above their weight economically. In 2011, Yukon and Nunavut had the highest and second highest gross domestic product increases in Canada-at 7.7 and 5.6 per cent respectively. However, some business people say the cost of doing business in the territories today is five times higher and the effort of operating is 10 times greater than in the provinces. This has a direct effect on the territories' competitiveness.
The federal government must take the lead in developing an integrated, long-term strategy and business case that creates the conditions for full economic participation by the territories and all of their peoples. In our report, we offer a series of recommendations for paving the way.
For all the latest Canadian Chamber of Commerce news releases, letters, editorials and information, bookmark http://www.chamber.ca/index.php/en/news/
