Abbotsford News Friday, February 21, 2014 A31

Alina KONEVSKIABBOTSFORD NEWS

What would make Ab-botsford a better place to work, live, and play?That’s the question the Abbotsford Chamber of Commerce and its part-ners are bringing to the community in the next few months.The chamber is launching a project called Abbots-ford 2020 on March 1. The community visioning exercise encourages resi-dents to contribute their thoughts on how Abbots-ford should look in the year 2020. The result will be a report that will serve as an anchor for discussion and action during the Nov. 15 municipal elections and the review of the Offi cial Community Plan.“What we’re trying to do with this is bring our community together to fi gure out what the vision is for Abbotsford by the year 2020,” said chamber president Mike Welte. Welte thinks that the Ab-botsford chamber might be the fi rst to launch such a project in western Canada. The local group borrowed the idea from the Winnipeg Chamber of Commerce, whose Mani-toba Bold project became

widely adopted and the fi nal report was used by the community to hold politicians to account.“What we learned from that project (in Winnipeg) is that there are a lot of people in the community who want to have their

voice heard but don’t necessarily have the forum to do it,” said Welte. “Through projects like this, a lot of community leaders emerge that don’t often have their voice heard. We’re quite excited to bring together a diverse

group in Abbotsford to fi gure out what the vision would look like for our communities.”The chamber has joined forces with a broad range of stakeholder groups to include as many people as possible into the discus-

sion. Partners include Abbotsford Community Foundation, University of the Fraser Valley, School District No. 34, Fraser Valley Indo-Canadian Business Association, and the Abbotsford News. Residents can participate

in the project in two ways. The fi rst is to visit the offi cial website, www.ab-botsford2020.com, which will launch shortly. The site will feature a question-naire that residents can submit online or print and submit a hard copy to the chamber. The other option is to attend one of the forums. Many of the participating agencies will host their own gatherings, with dates to be announced in the coming months. The Abbotsford Chamber of Commerce will host one for members on March 20.The ideas will be com-piled into a fi nal report by September 2014. The cost of Abbotsford 2020 is ex-pected to be minimal, and the chamber is providing all funding.Welte encourages resi-dents to start thinking about their ideas to make Abbotsford the best place to live, work, and play.“For a grassroots project like this to be successful, we need to hear your voice and see your partic-ipation in the Abbotsford 2020 project,” said Welte. “The simple question is, ‘What’s your bold idea for Abbotsford?’”

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A bold vision for AbbotsfordThe Abbotsford Chamber of Commerce is leading the

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Mike Welte, President of the Abbotsford Chamber.

A32 Abbotsford News Friday, February 21, 2014

abbotsfordchamber.com

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“Because council members need more than just papers in a binder!”

Getting results for B.C. business

The Abbotsford Chamber would like to welcome 13 businesses

February 17, 2014, marked the be-ginning of Chamber of Commerce Week, an opportunity for Chambers of Commerce across British Columbia to showcase their hard work on behalf of business communities across the province.This year, Chambers are celebrating the theme of “Leadership in Action” – a theme which highlights the leader-ship Chambers bring to their business communities, working hard to enhance B.C. as a business-friendly jurisdiction with strong opportunities for all British Columbians.And this leadership delivers results. Just this month, the Abbotsford Cham-ber and B.C.’s Chamber network, work-ing in partnership with the B.C. govern-

ment, was able to deliver a signifi cant win for B.C.’s businesses: key, busi-ness-friendly changes to a recycling regulation that had caused concern in business communities across B.C.

Thanks to the hard work of Chambers in B.C., working closely with a respon-sive government, more than 99% of B.C.’s businesses will face no red tape or fees under this recycling regulation, which deals with packaging and print-ed paper.And that’s just one of many positive changes that the Chamber network has led for B.C. businesses. Among many areas of impact, B.C.’s Chambers have been a key voice:• encouraging balanced budgets at all

levels of government;• calling for solutions to B.C.’s skills gap;

and• encouraging municipalities to actively

support local economic development.

P R E S I D E N T ’ S M E S S A G EBOARD OF DIRECTORS20

14

N E W B U S I N E S S E S :

Mike Welte, President of the Abbotsford Chamber and Naomi Yamamoto, Minister of State for Small Business.

Joshua BachVICE PRESIDENT

Kenda AllenDIRECTOR

Hilary BeardDIRECTOR

Mark DanaDIRECTOR

Suzanne GreeningDIRECTOR

Sara LawsonDIRECTOR

Brandon KelleyTREASURER

John MacDonaldDIRECTOR

Rick RakeDIRECTOR

Parm SidhuDIRECTOR

Cameron WilsonDIRECTOR

Doris Woodman-McMillanDIRECTOR

Mike WeltePRESIDENT

• Arrow Leadership Int’l Ministries

• Canadian Blood Services

• Canon Canada Inc.

• Country Tire

• Envision Financial (Town Centre Branch)

• Fraser Pacifi c Enterprises Inc.

• Homes & Land of Abbotsford/Chilliwack

• Miller Accounting & Financial Advisory

• Mt. Lehman Electrical Services Ltd.

• Power Zone Academy

• BMO Nesbitt Burns

• Neale Internet

• Taves Family Farms - Applebarn

Becoming a member of the Abbotsford Chamber of Commerce provides substantial benefi ts to generate more business and reach the heart of your community.

Continued on page 04

The Voice of Business for Abbotsford.

Abbotsford News Friday, February 21, 2014 A33

abbotsfordchamber.com

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1. Do you know exactly how much money you need to get through retirement?

2. Have you considered how and when to take Social Security to maximize your benefi ts?

3. Are you minimizing taxes so you can keep more of the money you make?

4. Is your estate protected so you can pass along more of your wealth to the people you love?

5. Is your portfolio getting the best returns with the least risk possible?

Cameron WilsonCIM® , FCSI®, PFPc, Investment AdvisorChartered Investment Manager (CIM®)Fellow of Canadian Securities Institute (FCSI®)Offi ce: 604-870-7109 • Cell: 604-217-5621CameronWilson.ca

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RBC Dominion Securities Inc.* and Royal Bank of Canada are separate corporate entities which are affiliated. *Member-Canadian Investor Protection Fund. RBC Dominion Securities Inc. is a member company of RBC Wealth Management, a business segment of Royal Bank of Canada. ®Registered trademarks of Royal Bank of Canada. Used under licence. ©2012 Royal Bank of Canada. All rights reserved.4

A B B O T S F O R D C H A M B E R F E AT U R E D B U S I N E S S

Benefi ts you can useSave with a group RRSPDo you want to help your employees save for retirement, but dread the administrative work of managing a plan?Under the Chambers of Commerce Group Insurance Plan, employers have access to FutureStep™, a group Regis-tered Retirement Savings Plan (RRSP) provided by Manu-life, specifi cally designed to provide employers choice and fl exibility in a plan, while being easy to set up and manage.Simple to administer, with no administration cost to the employer, FutureStep is avail-able to companies with as few as two employees. The plan off ers best-in-class investment options, education and online services.

With regular contributions, a FutureStep plan provides immediate tax relief to your employees, which in turn in-creases their savings. Not only will employees’ money go to work sooner, low manage-ment fees allow them to build

greater retirement income for the future.The plan includes fast and easy online enrolment and ongoing online administrative support, including live sup-port from a customer service centre and licensed fi nancial

specialists.For even greater fl exibility, Fu-turestep® is also available with a Deferred Profi t Sharing Plan (DPSP) option, allowing you, the employer, to contribute to the plan based upon the prof-itability of your business.As a business owner, you understand the importance of attracting and retaining valuable employees. Know-ing your employees are your key competitive advantage, a group retirement savings plan helps businesses like yours be competitive and take care of your employees’ future fi nan-cial needs.For more information contact IGL Financial Solutions Inc. at 604-855-1990 or iglfi n@shaw-cable.com.

The Annual General meeting of the Abbotsford Chamber of Commerce will be held on Wednesday, March 19, 2014 at the Rancho, 35110 DeLair Road, Abbotsford B.C. The meeting will be called to order at 12:01 p.m.Registration is available at: www.abbotsfordchamber.com/Events/details/2014-march-agm-luncheon-with-honourable-ed-fast-605

If you are unable to attend the AGM to cast your vote(s) for board elections and wish to vote via proxy, please request a “Voting Accreditation Form” for your company. A personalized form will be sent for you to complete and return.

If you are a member in good standing and are interested in running for election, the deadline for nomination (by two other members in good standing) is March 5th.

Call La Vonne @ 604-859-9651 for a nomination form.

Chamber of Commerce

ab b o t s fo r d

Notice of the Annual General Meeting

1. Do you know exactly how much money you need to get through retirement?

2. Have you considered how and when to take CPP and OAS to maximize your benefi ts?

3. Are you minimizing taxes so you can keep more of the money you make?

4. Is your estate protected so you can pass along more of your wealth to the people you love?

5. Is your portfolio getting the best returns with the least risk possible?

Cameron Wilson CIM® , FCSI®, PFPc

Investment AdvisorChartered Investment Manager (CIM®)Fellow of Canadian Securities Institute (FCSI®)Offi ce: 604-870-7109 • Cell: 604-217-5621cameron.b.wilson@rbc.comcameronwilson.ca

FREE Customized Retirement Income Analysis

For your free customized retirement income analysis, please contact me today.

RBC Dominion Securities Inc.* and Royal Bank of Canada are separate corporate entities which are affiliated. *Member-Canadian Investor Protection Fund. RBC Dominion Securities Inc. is a member company of RBC Wealth Management, a business segment of Royal Bank of Canada. ®Registered trademarks of Royal Bank of Canada. Used under licence. ©2012 Royal Bank of Canada. All rights reserved.4

A34 Abbotsford News Friday, February 21, 2014

abbotsfordchamber.com

BusinessmyE N G AG I N G C O N S U M E R S • B U I L D I N G C O M M U N I T Y

CHAMBER TEAM MEMBERS20

14

La Vonne BandsmaOFFICE MANAGER

Lavonne@abbotsfordchamber.com

Carole JorgensenEVENT COORDINATOR

Carole@abbotsfordchamber.com

Allan AsaphEXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

allan@abbotsfordchamber.com

Published 10 times per year.For advertising in this special section please call 604-853-1144 or email m.molner@abbynews.com

ABBOTSFORD CHAMBER OF COMMERCE207 - 32900 South Fraser Way

Phone: 604-859-9651 Fax: 604-850-6880lavonne@abbotsfordchamber.com

As members of the BC Chamber of Commerce, Chambers throughout the province are part of B.C.’s most extensive business policy develop-ment process. This process brings B.C. businesses’ innovative ideas and on-the-ground insights to B.C.’s deci-sion makers, and helps shape an ever more business-friendly province. Chamber network policies span from fi scal and tax policy to infrastructure to industry-specifi c issues. Here in Abbotsford, your Chamber has brought together business and community leaders to move forward in a number of initiatives that are having a direct impact on business in

the community:• Inter-municipal Business License pilot project - which allows local contractors to work from Surrey to Hope without the additional burden of obtaining a separate license in each jurisdiction;• Micro Business Training Program – this Canada/BC Labour Market Agreement program allowed mi-cro-business owners to apply for up to $1,500 for general business train-ing in a variety of areas. Eighteen local businesses received fi nancial support making the Abbotsford Chamber one of the top 5 contribu-tors to this program’s success; • Mayor’s Task Force on Economic Prosperity – this community ven-

ture brought representation from a variety of local business and de-velopment interests including the Abbotsford Chamber and the City’s Economic Development Advisory Committee together with the Mayor, members of City Council and City staff . The fi ndings of the Task Force were presented to Council in the Economic Development Action Plan and are currently being worked on by the City.So as B.C. celebrates Chamber Week, don’t miss the opportunity to swing by the Abbotsford Chamber and celebrate the leadership, energy and can-do attitude that B.C.’s Chambers bring to our communities.

Continued on page 04

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UPCOMINGCHAMBER EVENTS

7th Annual Fraser Valley Chambers of Commerce Business ShowcaseWednesday, April 16, 2014 at 2:00 p.m. - 7:00 p.m.

TRADEX, 1190 Cornell Street, AbbotsfordPresented by the Fraser Valley Chambers of Commerce:

Abbotsford, Chilliwack, Cloverdale, Langley, Mission, Maple Ridge-Pitt Meadows,Surrey and South Surrey-White Rock

You are invited to attend the Fraser Valley’s most inclusive networking event of the year! Complimentary admission includes appetizers and a cash bar.

Want to exhibit? Chamber Member exhibit space starting at $199.Non-Member exhibit space starting at $299.

If you’d like a major impact at the show, consider becoming one of our event sponsors. You’ll get a HUGE space for display in a PREMIUM location at the event and be RECOGNIZED in all promotions.

Only two sponsorship spots left - call the Chamber offi ce today!

For registration call (604) 859-9651 or visit our website: www.abbotsfordchamber.com

G O O D M O R N I N GA B B O T S F O R D B R E A K F A S T WITH FINANCE MINISTER MICHAEL DE JONGDATE: Monday, February 24TIME: 7:30am - 9:00amLOCATION: Ramada Plaza & Conference Centre C H A M B E R C O N N E C T I O N S DATE: Thursday, February 27TIME: 4:30pm - 7:00pmLOCATION: Abbotsford Sports & Entertainment Centre C H A M B E R C O N N E C T I O N SDATE: Thursday, March 13TIME: 4:30pm - 7:00pmLOCATION: Best Western Plus Regency Inn

& Conference Centre C H A M B E R L U N C H E O N & A G M WITH HONOURABLE ED FASTDATE: Wednesday, March 19TIME: 11:30am - 1:30pmLOCATION: The Rancho A B B O T S F O R D 2 0 2 0 B O L D F O R U MDATE: Thursday, March 20TIME: 7:00pm - 9:00pmLOCATION: Matsqui Centennial Auditorium

All events require pre-registration. Visit www.abbotsfordchamber.com to register.