Tuesday May 14 2013
11:30 am – 1:30 pm
The Westin Calgary
320 4th Avenue SW

Canada is a country rich in natural resources, but there is only one among them that can really be said to create wealth and prosperity for Canadians: entrepreneurs.

At a time of great global economic uncertainty, debt and deficits, Canada needs innovative entrepreneurs now more than ever. Nowhere is that more true than in Calgary, an entrepreneurial capital of Canada. Pretty much 90 per cent of businesses in the city are considered small businesses with less than 50 employees.

Join us as Canada’s Minister of State for Small Business and Tourism Maxime Bernier discusses his vision of entrepreneurialism and the measures the federal government is adopting to help unleash the productivity of entrepreneurs throughout the country.

Learn how the government is helping small businesses become drivers of economic growth.

Monday May 6, 2013
Keynote: 11:30 am – 1:15 pm
Workshop: 1:30 pm – 3:30 pm
Hotel Arts
119 12th Avenue SW

The Canadian urban Aboriginal population is an untapped source of expertise and knowledge for potential Aboriginal-business partnerships. By exploring strategies on how business can tap into the urban Aboriginal population, companies can meet their employment needs while creating positive labour market outcomes for the community.

Join us as National Chief of the Congress of Aboriginal Peoples Betty Ann Lavallée discusses strategies businesses can use to engage the urban Aboriginal workforce.

Following Lavallée’s keynote presentation, there will be a panel that explores the content of her talk in greater depth with representatives from social services, education and business.

Only 80 spots are available to attend the panel. Reserve yours today.

Changes announced on April 29 to the Temporary Foreign Worker (TFW) program are a knee-jerk reaction to the experience that was brought to light with RBC, and miss the mark of both that experience and the entire reality of changing labour dynamics. 

These changes are laid against a backdrop of demographics and rising wage rates. Changing demographics are resulting in a labour shortage where many occupations are in high demand and employers simply cannot fill the vacancies. This is why many employers are turning to the TFW program.

Learn why the recent TFW changes are not supportive to Canadian or Calgary businesses.

Wednesday May 15, 2013
5:00 pm – 7:00 pm
Canada’s Sports Hall of Fame
169 Canada Olympic Rd SW

Business After Hours is one of the best networking opportunities in the city.

These mini-trade shows give Calgary Chamber members the opportunity to display their products or services, discover new businesses and network with other people in Calgary’s business community. Each event typically attracts 10 exhibitors, and anywhere from 30 to 90 guests.

This Business After Hours will be hosted by Canada’s Sports Hall of Fame, which has on display an extensive collection of more than 2,000 sports-related artefacts. View the extensive sports collection, state-of-the-art interactive exhibits and learn how you can host your next team building or corporate event at Canada’s Sports Hall of Fame.

Enjoy free appetizers with the purchase of your ticket.

The Calgary Chamber has a policy and government affairs team that is constantly working to make Calgary a more business-friendly city. However, to the average person the concept of policy work is a pretty hard thing to wrap your head around. It’s not the kind of thing that is easy to understand in terms of what it entails and how it makes life better for business.

Because of that, the policy team put together a day of events on April 22 to show the rest of the Chamber’s staff just how multifaceted and tangible policy work can be.

Gain a better understanding of the impact of policy work.

Thursday May 16, 2013
7:30 am – 9:30 am
Centennial Place, West Tower
Foothills / Ten Peaks room
Suite 300, 250 5th Street SW

The exempt market is a good way for small businesses and start-ups to gain access to the capital needed to start or grow their business without the expense of a formal listing on a stock exchange or having to disclose a full prospectus. Learn the ins and outs of raising money through the exempt market during a two-hour breakfast seminar with Neil Hutton and Ryan Franzen, corporate partners at McLeod Law.

This is a must-attend event for start-ups, small businesses, real estate developers, emerging oil and gas companies, as well as companies who are generating cash flow and looking to take the next step in their development.

Learn how to raise capital to grow your business.

Last week, Calgary city council debated what to do with $52 million in tax room left on the table by the province, deciding eventually to leave it up to the public decide through a six-week consolation period.

The Calgary Chamber believes this money should be used to reduce the tax burden placed on business and has sent a letter to city council and Mayor Naheed Nenshi voicing this opinion. In the weeks to come we will also be presenting our position to city council to discuss how it will help make Calgary a great place to live and do business.

Learn how this measure will relieve the business tax burden.

Tuesday May 28, 2013
11:30 am – 1:15 pm
Hyatt Regency Calgary, Imperial Ballroom
700 Centre Street SE

Alberta’s population is exploding. It could hit just under 6 million by 2041 with most of that growth occurring in cities. This places greater pressure on cities like Calgary to meet the demand for critical services and infrastructure, such as water and wastewater management, garbage collection, policing, and public transit.

Alberta Municipal Affairs Minister Doug Griffiths is working to address the strain placed on cities by undertaking a major overhaul of all major municipal legislation through the drafting of the civic charters initiative and the rewriting of the 17-year-old Municipal Government Act. Both of these documents will change the way local governments work – and affect our way of life and ability to do business.   

Learn more about the government’s work on this important file.

Music is one of the truly universal things that make people all over the world feel good. It’s also a great tool which can help a business sell ideas, services and products.

The Society of Composers, Authors and Music Publishers of Canada – or SOCAN – gives businesses the freedom to use any music they want through licenses that provide access to virtually the world’s entire repertoire of copyright-protected music. These license fees are then distributed back to the songwriters and publishers who are entitled to it.

Discover more about how music licensing can benefit your business.

Wednesday May 29, 2013
11:30 am – 1:30 pm
Hyatt Regency Calgary, Stephen Room
700 Centre Street SE

Insured losses in Alberta have eclipsed those in other provinces, and are hundreds of millions of dollars each year. Extreme events such as major hail storms, wildfires and flood are threatening individuals, communities and businesses. Welcome to the new era of severe weather. Is your company prepared?

Join us as Don Forgeron, president and CEO of Insurance Bureau of Canada, which represents 90 per cent of Canada’s property and casualty insurers, discusses how business and communities need to manage the risks to life and property from severe weather.

Learn what your business needs to know to adapt to the new era of severe weather.

As demographic forces promise to reshape the labour market in Alberta and beyond, recruiting, hiring and retaining internationally educated professionals is emerging as a crucial component of long-term workforce planning. Engaging this talent pool poses questions about cross-cultural communications, diversity, regulatory compliance and certification.

The Human Resources Institute of Alberta has developed a series of workshops designed to address these fundamental questions and educate participants on how to access this pool of available talent. These sessions will provide a better understanding of the steps involved and the resources available to ensure success.

Learn more about how to tap into the resources of International Educated Professionals.

Thursday May 23, 2013
11:30 am – 1:30 pm
The Westin Calgary
320 4th Avenue SW

Alberta is in a bind. Our oil and gas producers need to get their products to new and existing markets and the best way to do that is through pipelines.

Join the Calgary Chamber and the Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers for a panel discussion with senior executives from three of Canada’s largest pipeline companies – Enbridge, TransCanada and Kinder Morgan – on the challenges and opportunities involved with getting Alberta’s oil and gas to market.

Learn what’s being done to break the pipeline bottleneck.

At Brookfield Residential, our passion is creating the best places to call home. An innovative land developer and homebuilder, we are known for delivering thoughtfully designed communities and homes, and for providing an exceptional customer experience. We believe that well-planned communities and well-built homes enhance lives, and we work hard at creating them. We do our research to listen to the needs and wants of our customers so that the homes and communities that we built are filled with unique attributes that make everyday life more enjoyable.

With more than 55 years of local experience, first as Carma and now as Brookfield Residential, we have become an Alberta industry leader. We invite you to take a look at what we have to offer and let us know what you think.

For more information, please visit Brookfieldrp.com

TransCanada bites back at U.S. agency
Pipeline giant TransCanada has accused the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency of attempting to interfere in Canadian sovereignty by recommending the State Department explore ways the U.S. can get involved in reducing emissions from Canada’s oil sands.

New website helps businesses access addiction services
Alberta Health Services has launched a new website to help employers learn about a wide range of supports they can access to help employees who are experiencing serious difficulties resulting from alcohol and drug use.

Oil sands vital to future prosperity
A recent study by the University of Calgary says more work is needed to educate Canadians on energy issues to prevent the prospect of having a population that is divorced from the process of wealth creation via the responsible development.

Encana chairman changing after 11 years
When Encana replaces interim president and CEO Clayton Woitas this summer, he will be promoted to chairman.