Apply for a $2,500 Digital Main Street Grant to grow your business online! Canada's Innovation Corridor Summit returns May 30! Check out this week's Community News & Events.
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Chamber News & Updates
Minister Tassi Kicks Off Economic Development Week Hearing from Chamber Members
This week, the Honourable Filomena Tassi, Minister responsible for the Federal Economic Development Agency for Southern Ontario will be visiting companies across the Greater Toronto Area, Hamilton, and Mississauga to celebrate the important work both businesses and the federal government are doing to invest in and build a strong, growing economy that will strengthen the middle class and create well-paying jobs.
As part of Economic Development Week, today, the Hamilton Chamber of Commerce hosted Minister Filomena Tassi, M.P. Hamilton West-Ancaster-Dundas, Chad Collins, M.P. Hamilton East-Stoney Creek, and Lisa Hepfner, M.P. Hamilton Mountain for an engagement with our membership at Mohawk College Stoney Creek Campus. This engagement provided the opportunity for Hamilton-area businesses to reflect directly on the actions the federal government is taking to support economic development for organizations of all sizes.
Thank you to our local elected officials and our members for the robust discussion this morning.
Canada's Innovation Corridor Summit Returns on May 30 in Kitchener
Regional connectivity and collaboration fuel success in the modern global economy. As a member of Canada’s Innovation Business Corridor Council, we’re proud to announce that the 6th annual Canada’s Innovation Corridor Summit will be taking place on May 30th at Bingeman’s Conference Centre in Kitchener, Ontario.
Under the theme Competing to Win: Planning the Future We Need, the 6th Annual CICS, presented by the University of Waterloo will bring together key decision-makers from business, government, and the associations sector, to discuss how the Movement of Goods and People, Sustainability and Talent, have the potential to transform the corridor.
We invite you to join us as we inform and drive regional transformational actions that shape the corridor’s future as a world-class region measured by talent, productivity, and quality of life.
Our Chamber is a proud supporter of Digital Main Street and has worked to help Hamilton small brick and mortar businesses receive over $1 million in grant funding through the program.
Looking to enhance your website? Hire a digital marketing agency/person? Increase your online ad buy? Learn how this $2,500 grant can be used to enhance your digital capacity to grow your business online.
All businesses who received a grant before June 21, 2022 are encouraged to reapply!
Smart Prosperity Institute's Hamilton Housing Report, "Who Will Swing the Hammer?", in Partnership with the Hamilton Chamber of Commerce & the West End Home Builders’ Association
Metro Hamilton (Hamilton, Burlington, and Grimsby) is facing a paradox: it needs to double home building to address a housing shortage and accommodate population growth, yet high home prices and rents risks pricing out the workers needed to build those homes.
Failing to address the housing shortage will not just cause living in Hamilton to become less affordable, but it will also strain the social and economic viability of the community.
With an aging population, the region must attract and retain experienced workers to replace those retiring. It will need healthcare workers to care for an aging population and education workers to ensure Hamilton is a viable option for families with children.
Check out the reportto learnmore about how our community can help address Hamilton’s attainable and affordable housing shortage.
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Community News & Events
Ontario Partnering with Collective Arts Brewery to Help Restore the Forest at Balsam Lake Provincial Park
Ontario Parks is collaborating with Hamilton Chamber of Commerce member Collective Arts Brewing for a second year to produce a limited-edition specialty craft beer, Trail Loop. The proceeds from this partnership will directly support vital reforestation work at Balsam Lake Provincial Park near Kawartha Lakes.
Trail Loop gives Ontarians a unique way to support the protection and restoration of the province’s natural spaces. This collaboration will allow Ontario Parks to plant native tree species, such as Sugar Maple, Paper Birch, White Cedar and Red Oak, and remove invasive species, which will support habitats and the overall enhancement of the park’s ecological resilience.
This is the second year of partnership between Ontario Parks and Collective Arts Brewing. In 2022, the collaboration raised nearly $6,000 for the Balsam Lake project. The Balsam Lake Provincial Park reforestation project aims to plant over 1,000 trees.
In order to complete maintenance on the Lincoln M. Alexander Parkway (LINC), the City of Hamilton will be closing the LINC in the eastbound and westbound direction for three days beginning on Friday, May 26, 2023.
The eastbound closure will be in effect from Golf Links Rd to the Upper Red Hill Valley Parkway off-ramp leaving the eastbound LINC, and the westbound closure will be in effect from the Red Hill Valley Parkway to Mohawk Rd. While working in the westbound direction, access to the Highway 403 on-ramps and the Rousseaux St off-ramp will be maintained with access available from the Mohawk Rd on-ramp. The Golf Links Rd on-ramp will be closed.
Dates for the work are weather permitting, however at this time are planned for:
Eastbound Friday, May 26 at 8 am until Monday, May 29 at 4 am
Westbound Friday, May 26 at 10 am until Monday, May 29 at 4 am
Celebrate Bike Day at City Hall June 1 and Look Forward to Hamilton’s Largest Open Streets Event June 18
Join dozens of community members on Thursday June 1 as the City of Hamilton kicks-off Bike Month with a morning ride-thru at City Hall. There will be traditional Bike Day refreshments, including coffee and snacks, bike tune-ups provided by New Hope, new 2023 Hamilton Bike Maps, and a limited supply of 2023 Bike Month t-shirts! Cycle Hamilton will also be hosting group rides from across the City to help you get downtown.
Can't make it to City Hall? Just register and pledge to cycling in June for your chance 1 of the 3 prize packs which includes a $100 VISA gift cards.
The fun continues throughout June with a brand new photo contest, the City’s largest Open Street event yet on King Street and cycling workshops for older adults.
On Sunday, June 18, 2023 from 10 am to 2 pm, King Street East will be closed to vehicle traffic and opened for residents to walk, cycle, roll up and down the street. The street will be transformed into additional public space with physical activity stations and other activities. The City of Hamilton is currently working with Business Improvement Associations (BIAs) and other local businesses and organizations to make this event a success.
More events will be added over the next few weeks, be sure to check out hamilton.ca/bikemonth for updates, or follow Smart Commute Hamilton on social media.
Celebrate Hamilton Newcomer Day on This Friday!
All Hamiltonians are invited to join in welcoming newcomers in Hamilton on Friday May 26, 2023 from 2:00-7:00 pm at Hamilton City Hall.
Newcomer Day is an annual event held in May that welcomes newcomers to Hamilton, helps them understand and access a wide range of services, and celebrates their contributions to Hamilton.
This year the Hamilton Immigration Partnership Council (HIPC) is excited to feature a wide range of offerings including:
Canadian Citizenship ceremony
Information and services fair
Live entertainment from up-and-coming newcomer artists
Food trucks and local vendors
Family-friendly activities and offerings!
Register for Sustainability Leadership’s 11th Annual General Meeting & Sustainability Leadership Awards
The 11th Annual Sustainability Leadership Awards are taking place at the RBG on Thursday, June 1 (AGM: 1:00-2:00 pm, Awards Celebration: 2:00-5:30 pm). This event will include the release of the Annual Impact Report 2022 and announce the winners of the Sustainability Leadership Awards.
Government Announces Lower Credit Card Transaction Fees for Small Businesses
The Government of Canada announced it is delivering on the Budget 2023 commitment to lower credit card transaction fees for small businesses by finalizing new agreements with Visa and Mastercard, while also protecting reward points for Canadian consumers offered by Canada’s large banks.
These new agreements will help more than 90 per cent of credit card-accepting businesses in Canada qualify for lower rates and see their interchange fees reduced by up to 27 per cent from the existing weighted average rate. These reductions are expected to save eligible Canadian small businesses about $1 billion over five years.
For qualifying small businesses, Visa and Mastercard have agreed to:
reduce domestic consumer credit interchange fees for in-store transactions to an annual weighted average interchange rate of 0.95 per cent;
reduce domestic consumer credit interchange fees for online transactions by 10 basis points, resulting in reductions of up to 7 per cent; and,
provide free access to online fraud and cyber security resources to help small businesses grow their online sales while preventing fraud and chargebacks.
Small businesses will qualify with each credit card network individually. Specifically, small businesses with annual Visa sales volume below $300,000 will qualify for the lower interchange fees from Visa, and those with annual Mastercard sales volume below $175,000 will qualify for the lower fees from Mastercard. Non-profit organizations with transaction volumes below these thresholds will also benefit from reduced rates.
The new rates will come into effect in the fall of 2024 to allow time to complete the required system updates.
Ontario Expands GO Train Service to Niagara, Adds More Express Options to Lakeshore West Line
The Ontario government is increasing GO train service between Union Station and Niagara Falls, with more express service between Hamilton, Burlington and Toronto.
Starting May 20, weekday service to Niagara Falls will increase by two daily roundtrips and weekend service will increase by one daily roundtrip, for a total of 21 roundtrips per week. As part of these enhancements, GO trains will also resume service to St. Catharines VIA station.
The province is also adding four additional weekday peak express trips in each direction on the Lakeshore West line, offering more travel options between Hamilton, Burlington and Toronto.
Industrial Facility Call for Proposals Now Open: Green Industrial Facilities and Manufacturing Program
Last week, the Honourable Jonathan Wilkinson, Canada’s Minister of Natural Resources, opened funding applications for industrial facilities under the Green Industrial Facilities and Manufacturing Program. This $194-million initiative allows for industrial facilities to receive up to $10 million per proposal, directly supporting industry in implementing energy efficiency projects within individual facilities.
The program aims to maximize energy performance, reduce GHG emissions and increase competitiveness for industry in Canada. Specifically, it targets industrial facilities in Canada seeking cost-shared financial assistance to implement energy efficiency and energy management projects, from now until March 2027.
