The Williams Lake & District Chamber of Commerce is The Voice of Business in Williams Lake & area.
We promote the well being of business in Williams Lake & District; and foster a work, stay and play at home atmosphere to all residents.
Welcome to our newest member: Husky Gas Station. We look forward to meeting you all at the General Meeting!
We invite members to attend our Annual General Meeting and Election of Officers during Small Business Month. This will be held Thursday, Oct. 25 from 11:45 a.m. — 1 p.m. at Signal Point Restaurant. Cost to attend $15 for members and $20 for others.
Our guest speaker is Maureen Kirkbride, chair of the BC Chamber of Commerce. In addition, there will be a special presentation to the 2012 Business Excellence Awards recipients by the Business Development Bank. Keith Viger, account manager will be making the presentation.
Interested in receiving up to $1,500 for training to improve the efficiency or productivity of your business? The Micro Business Training (MBT) Program is 100 per cent funded by government, and offers courses in Bookkeeping, Marketing/Sales, Management, Computing, Websites & Social Media. This is a project through the BC Chamber of Commerce. Call us 250-392-5025 or visit www.BCMicroBusiness.com, review the Eligibility Checklist, then submit the online Application Form.
The Provincial Government has announced new PST information resources for BC businesses. There will be three ways businesses can have their PST questions answered:
• One-on-one consultations with a ministry tax specialist - submit a request online.
• Calling with questions toll-free to 1-877-388-4440
• Emailing questions to CTBTaxQuestions@gov.bc.ca.
A new provincial sales tax notice, General Transitional Rules for the Re-Implementation of the Provincial Sales Tax, has also been issued. The transition rules describe how and when PST applies to transactions that straddle April 1, 2013 (the date we go back to the PST), and coincide with the federal transitional rules. Registration for PST will start on Jan. 2, 2013. For more information please refer to the recent government news release or their new PST information site: www.PSTinBC.ca.
The Chamber will be looking at ways to assist members to make this transition easier perhaps in the way of local workshops. If you are interested in taking part in this type of format, please let us know and we will put you on a waiting list for workshops.
Thanks to everyone who attended the meeting with Minister of State for Small Business Hon. Naomi Yamamoto. It was great to have her in our city and the roundtable meeting went well. We also did a walkabout in the downtown talking to members about their businesses.
Tourism Williams Lake, a tourism committee under the umbrella of the Williams Lake Chamber, has been working hard to create a website which is directly linked to the Visitor Centre and Facebook page. We are offering special marketing opportunities for businesses and invite you to check out the site tourismwilliamslake.com. It is great to see the committee start up again after seven years and we look forward to other projects.
Some events coming up: Seats are available now for the Thursday Nov. 1 WorkSafeBC Small Business Workshop from 9:00 am – 1:00 pm including lunch. Cost to attend is $25 per person. Registration is required and deadline is Oct. 29. The annual Made in the Cariboo Craft Fair Nov. 24 at the Tourism Discovery Centre 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. space is still available call 250-392-5025
BUSINESS PROFILE FOR October 2012
Cariboo Chilcotin Coast – “A Land Without Limits!” Cariboo Chilcotin Coast Tourism Association is a Destination Management Organization who has been promoting tourism and economic development for the businesses and communities of our region since 1962.
Governed by a board of directors, who are elected by local businesses, Cariboo Chilcotin Coast Tourism provides expertise in marketing, travel media relations, travel trade and community tourism development. In addition to delivering programs on behalf of Tourism BC, your team also works with the BC Film Commission and other partners to attract economic opportunities, grow awareness and increase skills training at the local level. For more information or to share your thoughts contact Amy Thacker, CEO at amy@landwithoutlimits.com or 800-663-5885.
