At 3:15 pm this afternoon, Minister of Finance Joe Ceci will present the 2015-16 provincial budget, which will be the NDP’s first crack at a comprehensive fiscal plan for the Province of Alberta. As we anticipate this pivotal budget, there are some key questions to consider:

• Will the budget manage the deficit or exacerbate it?
• Will it address the inaccessibility of early-stage capital investment for small businesses? 
• Will the government revise our revenue model and reduce our dependence on oil revenue?

Read our latest blog to find out what the business community will be watching for this afternoon.

Tuesday, November 17, 2015
5:30 pm – 7:30 pm
Milestones Grill + Bar
107 8th Avenue SW

In a special edition of our Fast-Growth Champion series, we're welcoming to the stage some of the 2015 Small Business Week Calgary Award winners. These promising entrepreneurs will give you a peak behind the curtain of their innovative businesses, and share some of the challenges they’ve faced growing it from a "that sounds too crazy to work" pitch to what it is today.

You'll hear from:

• Greg Habstritt, President, Vets to Go, Breakout Business Award winner and ATB Small Business of the Year
• Brittney Ramsay, President, Britt Land Services, Customer Service Excellence Award winner
• Additional speakers TBC

Join us for an unforgetable evening with some of our city's biggest small business stars.

What a night, what a day, what a week! On October 22, 2015 we hosted the largest Small Business Week celebration this city has ever seen at TELUS Spark.

From stimulating breakout sessions and the biggest Expo we've ever had, to the crowning glory of a stupendous Awards show, #SBWYYC 2015 was a triumph of entrepreneurial spirit.

Read our latest blog on the brightest moments of Small Business Week Calgary.

Thursday, November 26, 2015
5:30 pm – 7:30 pm
DIRTT Environmental Solutions
7303 30th Street SE

Please note that Business After Hours events are member-only events. If you are not a Calgary Chamber member, please contact us at membership@calgarychamber.com.

Your offices are a reflection of your company's culture, and our next Business After Hours at DIRTT can help you figure out how to strike the right balance between form and function.

As you network with some of our city’s finest businesses professionals, you'll explore DIRTT's unique showroom and learn how you can build out your workspace to improve productivity, effiency and creativity.

Join us to learn how a change of space can bring about a change of pace in your business.

Calgary requires a well-educated, literate workforce to grow our economy. But approximately 23,100 kids in our city between the ages of 0 to 4 suffer from low literacy skills. In partnership with Calgary Economic Development, the Calgary Public Library Foundation and Place2Give Foundation, we are proud to introduce Give to Grow, an iniative to improve early childhood literacy in Calgary. 

We'd like to invite the business community to join us in investing in our future workforce. Participation is as easy as putting a book donation bin in your business, volunteering some hours or making a small donation online.

Head to GiveToGrow.ca to download your small business toolkit to find out how you can get involved today!

• The 5 things a strategic marketing plan must include
• The secret to going big these days is staying small and local
• Vets to Go named ATB Small Business of the Year
• What to say at networking events to eliminate awkward moments
• The best credit card for your business

Wednesday, November 18, 2015
11:30 am – 1:30 pm
Calgary Chamber
600, 237 8th Avenue SE

This event is an exclusive benefit of our Growth and above members.

In this Leaders Lunch, ATB Financial's Wellington Holbrook will break down what it means to operate as a small or medium-sized business in Alberta's new normal. He'll unpack which industries are resilient during the downturn, the impact of small and medium-sized businesses on our local economy, and when is the right time to invest in these innovators.

Join us to better understand how to survive in Alberta’s new normal.

We all know it’s important to be “digital” in today’s marketplace—but what does that mean?

Yes, it involves understanding technology, but it’s also about taking thoughtful risks with digital initiatives, whether you’re launching a new product, automating core processes or using new tools to speed up the pace of work and decision making. It’s about learning and adapting.

Answer this assessment from Harvard Business Review to guage how digitally savvy your team is.

November 23 – 24, 2015
Hyatt Regency
700 Centre Street SE

The 6th annual Calgary Women in Leadership and Business Conference is a 2-day professional development event for leaders and entrepreneurs. The event is designed to engage delegates with speakers and peers during 12 workshops, keynotes and panel discussions. Barb Stegemann, one of the Top 100 Most Powerful Women in Canada, will be the opening keynote speaker for the conference on Monday, November 23, 2015.

Use one of the following promo codes to get a full conference ticket for $1195:

• Use CCOCVIP before October 29, 2015
• Use CCOC@WILB after October 29, 2015

View the full program.

For not-for-profit and micro-business rates, please contact Ildi Arlette at ildi@resultscontinuum.com or call 403 234 7004.

For more than 100 years the innovative ideas from Siemens have helped make Canada a better place. From the Atlantic to Pacific oceans, more than 4,500 employees in Canada work together to provide answers that last in the fields of electrification, automation and digitalization.

Since it was federally chartered in 1912, Siemens has stood for innovation, quality, reliability and internationality. The company has 39 offices and 12 manufacturing/assembly facilities across Canada.

Learn more at Siemens.com

You can’t afford to make mistakes with employee compensation. Pay below market and run the risk of losing valuable employees and limiting your ability to attract talent. Pay too much and impact your HR budget. Annual compensation surveys can help you know if your salaries and total rewards are competitive.

As a Calgary Chamber member, you can save 15% off any of WCBC’s 10 compensation reports.

Take advantage of exclusive compensation report savings today!

These Champion members have shown a substantial and unwavering commitment to supporting the work of the Calgary Chamber. We thank our Champion members: ATCO Group, Cenovus Energy, Encana, ENMAX, Imperial, Shell Canada and Tervita for helping to make Calgary a better place to live and work for all.