On Tuesday, November 26 I had the pleasure of attending the ACC Fall Board meeting and Deputy Ministers’ Dinner in Edmonton. The sessions during the day were very timely and informative, followed by an evening Q & A with the Deputy Ministers.

Initial results from the Alberta Perspectives Survey, which focused on red tape reduction, were shared. Across the province, the top three barriers to business identified at a municipal level included municipal franchise fees, mill rates and permitting fees. The survey also showed that business confidence has decreased 20% since the first survey was conducted in June. Please stay tuned for full survey results to be released.

Another educational session included succession planning for Boards, organizations and businesses. Succession planning is an ongoing process that must take a long-term approach. There are many variables to consider and it should be something all businesses/organizations plan for.

Over lunch, Honourable Tanya Fir, Minister of Economic Development, Trade and Tourism discussed recent Alberta trade missions, growth sectors for the future (artificial intelligence, tourism and film/TV) and the 10-year tourism strategy.

2020 is knocking on our door and we are pleased to start the year with 2 great events:

• On January 21, we are partnering with Community Futures Big Country on an Instagram Workshop
• On January 29, join us for our first Lunch & Learn of the year with Drumheller-Stettler MLA Nate Horner. Tickets are $20 for Chamber members and $25 for nonmembers, lunch is included. Register here.

Stay tuned for details on more Lunch & Learn sessions and our Annual General Meeting in March!

Get informed before election time! The Drumheller and District Chamber of Commerce invites you to attend a Political Candidates Forum for the upcoming Federal Election. Thursday, October 3rd at the Badlands Community Facility (upstairs). Doors open at 6:30pm, forum begins at 7:00pm. You’ll have the opportunity to meet and hear from candidates in the Battle River-Crowfoot constituency.

If you cannot attend but would like to submit a question for any of the candidates, you can do so online here. *Deadline to submit is 2:00pm on October 3rd.

More information on the Federal Election can be found at https://www.elections.ca/home.aspx

Go straight to the Battle River-Crowfoot information page on Elections Canada here.

Rules & Regulations

1. The Chairperson for the forum will be Mr. Jeff Hall, President of the Drumheller and District Chamber of Commerce.

2. The facility will be opened at 6:00 p.m. for the candidates and their campaign workers in order to provide enough time to get organized for handing out or setting up pamphlets and literature. PLEASE NOTE: Set up of campaign literature will be allowed on tables in the banquet hall on a first-come first-served basis.

3. No signs may be posted in the banquet hall; nor attached to any walls, doors, etc.

4. The doors for the public shall open at 6:30 p.m.

Each January we publish a special edition of our newsletter which looks back on the previous year. Please check out 2019 in Review (it should download a PDF) for a comprehensive look at what your local Chamber was up to in 2019!

On Wednesday, March 18 the Town of Drumheller gave a live Economic Update featuring members of the Town's Emergency Operations Centre and Mayor Heather Colberg. During the update, Mayor Colberg provided some business tips and ideas to assist and inspire local businesses during this challenging time. The powerpoint slides including her suggestions can be downloaded here.

Has your business made a 'pivot' to stay afloat during this time? If so we would love to hear about it so we can share ideas with the business community. Please email the Chamber with further details.