January Member of the Month: Ontario Power Generation

As one of the five companies to emerge from the
dismantling of Ontario Hydro, Ontario Power Generation (OPG) has made its electric presence felt in Timmins. As one of the largest power generators in North America, OPG is proving it has a permanent stake not only in Timmins but in all of northeastern Ontario.

With 140 employees in the Timmins area, the company has worked diligently to make the city a great place to live, play and work for its employees and the community alike. As such, OPG has become involved in countless community initiatives, be it sponsoring sports teams, working with local food banks, or providing assistance to special groups such as the Timmins YMCA, Science Timmins and the Timmins and District Hospital.

Click here to read the full story.

Tickets now available for YP Awards Gala

Tickets are officially on sale for the Young Professionals' second
annual Awards Gala to be hosted on February 15, 2012 at the Porcupine Dante Club.

This year's awards will feature six awards that celebrate the contributions Young Professionals make to the community.
The event will also feature live entertainment, cocktails,
desserts and an evening of networking.

To download your ticket order form, click here (French).

For more information on the event, click here.

To download a nomination form, click here (French).

Timmins gets into the holiday spirit with new 100th anniversary ornament

Just in time for the holidays, and with the city’s centennial
just weeks away, the Timmins Chamber of Commerce has officially released a new ornament celebrating Timmins’ 100th anniversary.

Cast in pewter, this festive version of the Timmins centennial logo is a unique, timely holiday reminder of the community’s many years of memories and strength.

Click here for full story.

Chamber presents budget recommendations

On December 12, Christine Leclair, president of the
Timmins Chamber of Commerce, provided city council with its members' opinons on what should be included in the next municipal budget.

The Chamber's main recommendations were:

• stimulating local spending;
• planning adequately for the future;
  
• and identifying municipal efficiencies.
  

Early Bird Draw winner announced

Congratulations to John Delost, of John Delost
Construction Ltd., our 2011 Early Bird Draw winner.

Members who paid their dues prior to October 31, 2011 were automatically entered in the contest.

Delost won two confirmed space return tickets to anywhere that Air Creebec flies, courtesy of Air Creebec.


For full size photo, click here.

Porter Airlines touches down in Timmins

Porter Airlines will begin servicing Timmins with three flights a day in early 2012, announced company CEO Robert Deluce at a press conference at the city’s Victor M. Power airport on October 13.

The move ended years of speculation and anticipation within the local business community that Deluce, who was born and raised in the area, would return to his roots with his Toronto-based company.

Timmins is now the fourth Northern Ontario city to see the arrival of Porter, following Thunder Bay, Sault Ste. Marie and Sudbury.


Click here for full story.

Canadian Chamber adopts Timmins Chamber's FedNor policy

Making FedNor an independent agency is now a
policy position for the Canadian  Chamber of Commerce (CCC) after it adopted a resolution written by the Timmins Chamber of Commerce during its annual general meeting, held September 17-19 in St. John’s, Newfoundland and Labrador.

Entitled “Creating Equality in Federal Economic Development Agencies,” the Timmins Chamber resolution dealt with FedNor’s status as the only such initiative in the country to be a program within Industry Canada, rather than a standalone agency. This status prevents the public from measuring FedNor’s performance or spending as its numbers are folded into Industry Canada’s reporting.


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Provincial cuts to wood supply threatens forestry jobs, warns Timmins Chamber

Countless forestry jobs in Northern Ontario are being threatened by a provincial proposal to drastically reduce access to wood in the Abitibi River Forest (ARF) over the next 30 years, the Timmins Chamber of Commerce warns.

From Timmins to Cochrane, from Iroquois Falls to Elk Lake, much of the northeast will be affected by the Ministry of Natural Resources’ proposal to immediately reduce industry access to the ARF’s supply of spruce, fir and pine by 24 per cent – a number that jumps to 65 per cent within 20 to 30 years.
 
According to many of the Chamber members affected by this move, the reduction will seriously threaten what few mills remain in the northeast following years of industry hardship.

Click here for full story.

Far North Act changes needed, say northeastern Ontario Chambers of Commerce

The province should reconsider how development is handled in Ontario’s Far North if it is to properly serve the region’s communities, First Nations, and business, according to the Chambers of Commerce of Timmins, Sudbury, North Bay and Sault Ste. Marie.

In a joint statement issued September 9, the four chambers agreed that the Far North Act, as passed by the Ontario government in October 2010, fails to consider the needs of those who are most affected by it. 

Click here for full story.