With Albertans heading to the polls shortly, your Calgary Chamber took some time to review the policy platforms of the major parties and assess their sensitivity to the needs of the Calgary business community.

As a non-partisan, policy-focused organization, our aim here is to highlight the elements of each party platform that, in our view, would help support a vibrant, competitive economy. Conversely, we would be remiss to simply glaze over those aspects that we feel compromise the interests of business, and for that reason, a healthy dose of criticism is sprinkled in.

Take 10 minutes to read your Chamber's thoughts on all five parties' platforms and what a vote for each represents to Alberta business.

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Tuesday, May 12, 2015
3:30 pm – 8:00 pm
University of Calgary
169 University Gate NW

Are you a small- or medium-sized business owner? Then you won’t want to miss this incredible half-day of hacks, inspiration and development powered by ATB Business. Hear from top business minds, learn new strategies to grow your business and even network with your next new great client.

Panelists include:

• Ernest Barbaric, Digital Marketing Consultant, Ernest Barbaric
• Michael Sikorsky, CEO and Co-founder, Robots and Pencils
• Devin Wagner, Managing Director, Grant Thornton
• Wellington Holbrook, Executive Vice President, ATB Business & Agriculture

Don't miss this exciting opportunity to Rev up your business.

Tuesday, May 19, 2015
11:30 am – 1:30 pm
Hotel Blackfoot
5940 Blackfoot Trail

The agriculture and food industry is a strong economic driver in Alberta and across Canada. Serving as Canada’s Agriculture Minister of Agriculture and Agri-food for nearly eight years, Minister Gerry Ritz will provide insights into the Federal Government’s transformational agricultural agenda including a focus on trade, competitiveness, market freedom and transportation.

Join us for a timely discussion on how producers, business and government can work together to maximize opportunities in a growing global marketplace.

Last week we threw open our doors for our annual AGM and Open House, and we'd like to thank everyone who joined us to make it a resounding success. In case you weren't able to make it, here are the highlights from the AGM:

• Watch our snapshot video on the tremendous year 2014 was at the Chamber
• Read the 2014 Report to Community: Steadfast

We also handed out awards to three fantastic Chamber members: 

• Hamish Knox, Sandler Training, 2014 Chamber Volunteer of the Year
• Ben Van Sant, Chair of our Tax & Economic Affairs Committee, and President of Whitehall Energy, Ian Anderson Committee Chair of the Year Award
• Watch Russ Girling, President and CEO of TransCanada, accept the Sherrold Moore Award for outstanding leadership and dedication to the Calgary business community.

Thursday, May 21, 2015
11:30 am – 1:30 pm
Calgary Chamber
600 237 8th Avenue SE

At the intersection of natural resource development and First Nation communities, stands the need for consultation and partnership. As a result, building bridges between these communities continues to be vital to the success of our economy.

Dr. Mark Dockstator, President of the First Nations University of Canada and a member of the Oneida Nation of the Thames, will look at the increasing legal obligations related to consultation and the rise in enforceable and constitutionally protected rights for Aboriginal peoples.

Join us for an engaging, and important, dialogue on better ways forward for industry and First Nations.

Nearly four years ago, Calgary Business Diversity was founded by Arlene Flock, the late owner of Flagworks, and Dino Truant, with Roman Real Estate Services. The goal was simple: create a space where companies outside of the energy sector could meet, network and support diversification.

To create new opportunities for members and provide a strong policy voice for diversifying our economy, Calgary Business Diversity has joined forces with the Calgary Chamber. This partnership will yield a dedicated stream of member events and advocacy for the group under the Chamber's umbrella.

To learn more about this partnership or to find out how you can become involved, email membership@calgarychamber.com

Monday, June 29, 2015
12:00 pm – 8:30 pm
Earl Grey Golf Club
6540 20th Street SW

It’s hard to find a better place to build, deepen and strengthen business relationships than at the Calgary Chamber’s annual Leaders Classic golf tournament presented by TELUS. After all, where else would you have the opportunity to network and share business tips with some of the most influential business and political leaders in Calgary?

Attracting top community builders as well as special guest celebrities, this tournament is really about high-level networking at its finest.

Join us and other top business professionals for Calgary’s most prestigious business golf tournament.

When you try to share an Instagram photo to Twitter, instead of sharing the photo itself, it embeds an easy-to-miss link to the photo in the tweet. The secret to sharing the full photo? If This Then That. 

IFTTT is a service that creates "recipes" to allow for cross-platform content sharing. Once you setup an Instagram-to-Twitter recipe, every time you post a photo to Instagram, that same photo will be posted to Twitter.

Including photos in tweets can generate up to 35 percent more retweets and 18 percent more clicks, so you’re missing out on a good chunk of engagement if you’re not sharing photos.

Learn more about how to use IFTTT recipes to boost your business' social media presence. 

Wednesday, May 6, 2015
7:30 am – 10:00 am
Calgary Petroleum Club
319 5th Avenue SW

Most employers know that a workforce with good mental health is linked to lower medical costs, as well as less absenteeism and presenteeism. And, most employers also know that a mentally unhealthy workforce is associated with increased loss of productivity.

What employers may not know, however, is how to get from A to B:  How to change a mentally unhealthy workplace – or a marginally healthy one – to a healthy workplace. Where to start?

Join CMHA in partnership with the Calgary Chamber for a workshop on building socially supportive work environments for employees working through mental health challenges.

• Alberta developers and builders concerned with city charters
• The "billion dollar" mistake that wins big on social media
• Tax deadline extended due to CRA blunder
• 5 things your emails should include to get people to read and respond
• When an emerging market is no longer emerging

Thursday, May 14, 2015
12:00 pm – 1:00 pm
Calgary Chamber
600 237 8th Avenue SE

As a Chamber member, you have exclusive access to special discounts and programs through our Business Savings Program.

Designed to save your business time and money, we actively pursue partnerships that provide services relevant to the success of your business. This workshop will feature presentations from First Data and ESSO on the new lower member rates they offer on merchant services and gas. 

Join our Member Services team for a Business Savings Workshop to learn how to get the most value from your membership.

Thursday, April 30, 2015
12:00 pm – 1:00 pm
Glenbow Museum
130 9th Avenue SE

Our partner, Capital Ideas, fosters the exchange of practical know-how among Calgary and Edmonton entrepreneurs. They aim to create a marketplace of ideas for seekers and sharers of business expertise. The latest installment of their event series is focused on unlocking the secrets behind how local entrepreneurs financed the growth of their companies.

Panelists include:

• Kevin Davies, founder of Hop Compost
• Brenda Mahoney, co-owner of Vin Gogh Paint & Sip Studio
• Matthew Protti, co-founder and CEO of Blacksquare Inc

Join Capital Ideas for some hands-on advice on entrepreneurial financing.

After starting with just one building over 30 years ago, Boardwalk Rental Communities has grown to include over 225 properties across Canada.

With a clear mission to provide resident members with quality rental communities, a vision for the future and a commitment to five core values, they have dedicated themselves to building better communities. 

Learn more at Bwalk.com

These Prestige members have shown a substantial and unwavering commitment to supporting the work of the Calgary Chamber. We thank our Prestige members: Suncor, TELUS and Nexen for helping to make Calgary a better place to live and work for all.