B.O.S.S. Features Young Professionals – March 20th

Join the Chamber on Tuesday, March 20th at the Royal Canadian Legion Branch 77 in Lakefield for its next Business Owners Sharing Solutions (B.O.S.S.) session, featuring some of the Chamber’s Young Professional Award recipients.

The panel will include:

• Erin McLean of McLean Berry Farm
• Lisa Besseling of Stony Lake Furniture Co, and
• Matt Logan of Logan Tree Experts.

The BOSS session will be moderated by Julia Wood, the Economic Development Officer for the Rural and Agriculture sectors at Peterborough & the Kawarthas Economic Development (PKED).

Prior to joining the team at PKED, Julia was the vice president of a not-for-profit organization that advocates for a stronger post-secondary education sector in Ontario and Canada through evidence-based policy development. Julia’s passions for education and youth empowerment have continued to play an important role in her career, as she now supports young entrepreneurs in starting and growing their businesses.

As a long-time local and rural resident, Julia is excited to promote Peterborough & the Kawarthas as a desirable place to live, work, play, and invest for young professionals.

The BOSS seminar is being held at the Royal Canadian Legion Branch 77, 10 Nicholls Street, Lakefield from 7:30 to 9:30 a.m. on Tuesday, March 20th. A hot breakfast will be provided by Jack’s Family Restaurant. Cost to attend is $15 for Chamber members and $25 for future members. Register now.

The Chamber thanks its professional development sponsor, Lynn Woodcroft, Sales Representative with Royal LePage Frank Real Estate.

Save the Date: Volunteer Breakfast on April 18th

The Annual Volunteer Appreciation Breakfast is taking place on Wednesday, April 18th at Burleigh Falls Inn.

The cost is $20+HST and free for Chamber volunteers. All are welcome to attend.

This year’s guest speaker is Sarah Burke of Habitat for Humanity Peterborough & Kawartha Region. The event will run from 7:30 to 9 a.m.. Register now.

Earn a Free Chamber Membership

The Chamber is excited to announce a new initiative where you can earn your membership for free! There are two ways you can do this:

• Pay your membership dues within 30 days of the invoice date and be entered into a draw for a free membership next year.
• Refer a new member and once they have paid, you will earn 10% off next year’s membership. Refer 10 new members and yours is free.

For more details, contact the Chamber office at 705-652-6963 or email membership@kawarthachamber.ca.

Pharmacare Must Address Outstanding System Gaps, Maintain High Quality Coverage

The Ontario Chamber of Commerce (OCC) has released Principles for an Effective Pharmacare Program, a policy report that provides guidelines for the federal and Ontario governments to follow when considering reforms to pharmaceutical coverage, which has implications for both governments. The report highlights five principles against which new pharmacare proposals can be tested to ensure an effective and sustainable program.

In its budget, the federal government announced it will begin consultations on a pharmacare program with former Ontario Minister of Health and Long-Term Care, Dr. Eric Hoskins, leading the initiative. With increasing demand for national pharmacare in Canada, the OCC has engaged in its own consultations over the last few months with a diverse group of health, life sciences and insurance stakeholders to develop and endorse the test of principles.

Read more.

RTO8 Partnership Allocation Guidelines and Applications Now Available

RTO8’s 2018-19 Partnership Allocation program is launching on April 1st, but you can now review the requirements and submit your application.

The 2018-19 Partnership Allocation Program Guidelines document is available for download now. Please read this document prior to submitting applications or discussing your project ideas with Kawarthas Northumberland staff.

Applications are reviewed and approved on an ongoing basis, so it is recommended that you plan ahead and submit them as early as possible. Applications can be submitted immediately, but will not be reviewed until the program officially begins in April. General applications are due by November 16, 2018 or until funds have been depleted.

Learn more.

Red Tape Challenge: Tourism

The Province of Ontario wants to hear your thoughts on how to cut red tape and make it easier to do business in Ontario.

Participate in the Red Tape Challenge and help the province identify the business regulations that need to be updated, improved or eliminated. They are currently consulting on regulations that apply to the tourism sector, but welcome ideas from those who work in other fields.

The consultation period ends on March 31st. Learn more.

Feedback Requested: Pupil Accommodation Review

In June 2017, Ontario launched its Plan to Strengthen Rural and Northern Education in which the Ministry of Education committed to revising its Pupil Accommodation Review Guideline (PARG) and Community Planning and Partnerships Guideline (CPPG).

The amended PARG will be posted to the ministry’s website for six weeks, until March 23rd. After gathering further input, the final amended PARG will be released later in the spring.

All school boards and municipalities are encouraged to review the draft. Learn more.

Order Tree Seedlings By March 23rd

Otonabee Conservation is pleased to offer the Tree Seedling Program to watershed landowners.

Through the program, you may order trees and shrubs from a selection of species that you can plant to reforest land or add to the biodiversity of your forest property.

Tree Seedlings can be ordered through the online ordering system, or by contacting the Otonabee Conservation office by email at treesales@otonabeeconservation.com or by phone at 705-745-5791.

Maplefest Begins March 10th at McLean Berry Farm

There is nothing quite as sweet as springtime and McLean Berry Farm proves this every year at their annual Maplefest.

At Maplefest, there are a ton of fun activities for the entire family. Whether it’s going for a wagon ride, eating pancakes with fresh maple syrup or seeing how the sweet stuff is made, there is something for everyone.

Maplefest runs March 10th and 11th, 17th and 18th, and 24th and 25th from 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. at McLean Berry Farm (2191 16th Line, Lakefield).

For more information on activities and events, visit www.mcleanberryfarm.com

Oxford College Open House March 10th

Oxford College of Arts, Business and Technology in Peterborough is hosting an information session on Saturday, March 10th from 1 to 3 p.m.

You can learn about the college’s programs, including Advanced Esthetics and Spa Operations, Massage Therapy, and Video Game Designer.

Free refreshments, massage, and face painting will be available, with prizes to be won. For more information or to reserve your spot, call 705-742-5565. Learn more.

A Retail Makeover for Your Business

Do you need a fresh perspective on how to make your retail business attractive to customers?

Join the Peterborough DBIA and Peterborough & the Kawarthas Economic Development as they welcome retail expert, Barbara Crowhurst for a morning session that will have you evaluate your business and consider how you generate traffic, engage more customers and generate higher revenues.

The session is taking place on Tuesday, March 27th from 8 to 11:30 a.m. at the VentureNorth Board Room (Lower Level), 270 George Street N, Peterborough. Tickets are $10.

Learn more.

Understanding and Keeping Employees Workshop

A free workshop for employers is taking place on Wednesday, March 7th from 4 to 6 p.m. at Agilec Employment Services (20A-863 Chemong Road, Brookdale Plaza, Peterborough).

This event will provide you with information on the Bridges out of Poverty framework as well as the variety of financial incentives available for employers in our community.

Space is limited, register here.

Learn more.

Municipality of Trent Lakes Meetings and Workshops

Buckhorn Greenspace/Streetscape Survey

The Trent Lakes Economic Development Committee is hosting a public meeting on Wednesday, March 7th from 7 to 9 p.m. at St. Matthews Church (1937 Lakehurst Rd., Buckhorn) regarding the Greenscape/Streetscape Design Plan for Buckhorn.

Comments and input are welcomed from the public for this exciting new venture to revitalize the downtown core of the hamlet of Buckhorn.

Public Meeting – Proposed Changes to Building Permit Fees

The Council of the Corporation of the Municipality of Trent Lakes will hold a public meeting on Tuesday, March 20th at 3 p.m.in the Council Chambers to consider proposed changes to Building Permit Fees imposed under Section 7 of the Building Code Act.

The purpose of this meeting is to give the public an opportunity to review the proposed revisions to the Building Department fee schedule.

All are welcome to attend the public meeting and/or make written or verbal representation either in support of or in opposition to the proposed fees.

Small Business Workshop

Trent Lakes Economic Development Committee Small Business workshop about Occupational Health and Safety is taking place on Wednesday, March 14th from 7 to 9 p.m. at Cavendish Hall (18 Community Complex Dr., Trent Lakes).

County of Peterborough 2018 Recognition Awards Nominations – March 15th deadline

Nominations for the County of Peterborough 2018 Recognition Awards close on Thursday, March 15th.

Nominations will be accepted for any resident or group residing in the County of Peterborough who has raised the profile or made an extraordinary contribution to our community.

Nomination forms are available online.

Upcoming Events

• Paint Nite at the Buckhorn Community Centre – March 7th
• Free Senior Skating, Lakefield – March 9th
• Public Skating in Apsley – March 10th
• Free Income Tax Clinic – March 15th
• Performing Arts Lakefield, Motus O presents The Prisoner of Tehran – March 23rd

For more information about the businesses and events listed above, please visit the Kawartha Chamber of Commerce & Tourism website at kawarthachamber.ca.

All photos supplied by Kawartha Chamber of Commerce except where noted.

Six entrepreneurs are moving forward to compete for the grand prize in the 2018 Bears’ Lair entrepreneurial competition.

Bears’ Lair chair Diane Richard announced the six businesses on Tuesday night (March 6) at The Venue in downtown Peterborough, at an event where 20 semi-finalists had an opportunity to showcase their businesses.

A panel of local judges (Rhonda Barnet, Chief Operating Officer of Steelworks Design; Geordie Konrad, Co-Founder of Konrad Grou; and Nicole Verkindt, Founder & CEO of OMX) selected the six finalists in two categories: innovation and goods and services.

The innovation finalists are ViSmart, Transit One, and Kavtek, and the goods and services finalists are Full Tilt Cycle, Percheron Plastic Inc., and Indigo Green.

“The diversity of business ideas continues to grow as well as the quality and detail of their business plans,” Richard says.

The six businesses who will go on to the final pitch event on Wednesday, April 18th at The Venue, where they will compete for over $40,000 in cash and business support services donated by sponsors.

“This year will be a record cash prize for the two winners thanks to our new Bear’s Lair Supporter campaign,” adds Richard. “This initiative wouldn’t exist without the overwhelming support of our event sponsors who provide the resources to accelerate the competition to the next level”.

This year’s sponsors are Community Futures Peterborough, Peterborough & the Kawarthas Economic Development (PKED), Innovation Cluster, The Peterborough Region Angel Network, Mega Experience, Workforce Development Board, Part Time CFO, Fox Law Professional Corporation, kawarthaNOW.com, Savino Human Resources Partners, Greater Peterborough Chamber of Commerce, Diatom Consulting, Sofie Andreou and Associates, Cody & James, Women’s Business Network of Peterborough, Ashburnham Realty, and WeDesign.

At the final pitch, the six finalists will face cross-examination, challenging questions, and feedback from the judges before a live audience. The judges will score their pitches based on innovation, commercialization, diversification, business plan quality, and the benefit to the local economy.

Free tickets are available for the final pitch event, but you must register in advance at bearsptbo18.eventbrite.ca — where you can also support Bears’ Lair by making a donation that will go directly to the cash prizes for the winners.

Since its inception in 2000, Bears’ Lair has made $165,000 in cash and business support services available to local entrepreneurs.

With International Women’s Day (IWD) on March 8th, this is a week when women around the world share stories and celebrate what it means to be female.

In celebration of IWD, FastStart Peterborough hosted this month’s E-Connect yesterday (March 5) in a new panel discussion format that featured four fierce female founders.

Jeannine Taylor, co-founder and publisher of kawarthaNOW.com, was one of the four panelists, along with Rhonda Barnet (co-founder of Steelworks Design), Lindsay Brock (founder of Amusé Coffee), and “serial entrepreneur” (and personality about town) Peggy Shaughnessy.

Special guest Maryam Monsef, Minister of Status of Women and MP Peterborough-Kawartha, introduced the panel and pointed to the focus on women in the recently announced 2018 federal budget. Monsef also pointed to the need for more role models for young women.

“If you can’t see her, you can’t be her.”

The four role models were blunt when asked if they had to make any sacrifices to get where they are today.

Barnet, who is the first female chair of the Canadian Manufacturers and Exporters (CME) national board of directors, said the only way to succeed as an entrepreneur is to make sacrifices.

“But when my daughters look at me and tell me what a great example I am, it makes it all worthwhile.”

Taylor, a media trailblazer by any standard having launched an online news publication way back in 1995, said she has no regrets.

Instead, she’s garnered a lifetime of learned experience — and a lot of followers. She’s grown her media brand to reach 2.5 million unique viewers per year, with almost 10,000 followers of the @kawarthanow Instagram account.

“After 10,000, that’s when the magic happens.”

“We all make sacrifices. Getting out of bed in the morning is a risk,” Shaughnessy said to laughs.

The former nurse and current PhD candidate, café owner, and health consultant characterizes herself as “the drywaller of social services. I’m there to fill in the gaps.”

Brock, who just opened a pop-up satellite café in the VentureNorth building, said there have been times when she thought she was “missing life” as her friends began to have children. But she’s doing exactly what she wants to do and feels respected in the community.

“It’s all about personal integrity and being genuine. I’m in favour of community over competition.”

“Being ethical generates respect,” Taylor added. “Our brand is respected because we try to always take the high road.”

“Like Jeannine, I believe it’s about ethics,” Shaughnessy said. “I often say your job doesn’t end when you go home: people see how you live your life. My life story is my brand, and that gives me confidence.”

“I draw confidence from being in my shop,” Brock said. “When I’m behind the counter, I come to life and feel that’s where I belong. I love my customers and that makes me feel confident.”

Barnet, who turns 50 this year, said, “I’ve been treated very well as a woman, I’ve been noticed, and it’s served me in a positive way. I thank all the men in my life who have elevated me.”

The CME recently completed its survey of women in manufacturing and found that women feel they need to work harder to gain respect in business.

“And whether or not this is a reality or a perception, it still needs to be addressed,” Barnet added. “When I joined the CME board it was all men, but I was quickly elevated to become the chair.”

Taylor said there is definitely ageism in the digital age, and that working in media means working in a male-dominated landscape.

“It really shouldn’t make a difference if you are a woman or a man in a leadership role.”

Still, she said, “We’ve only had the vote for 100 years — think about that.”

Host Rose Terry, Marketing Manager at the Innovation Cluster, ended the panel discussion on a lighter note, asking the female founders: What would you tell your teenage self?

Barnet said, “I’d say the 15-year-old math geeks become 50-year-old math goddesses.”

“Everything I’ve been through made me who I am today so I wouldn’t say anything to 18-year-old me,” Shaughnessy answered.

“I agree with Peggy,” Brock said. “I took myself too seriously at 18, so I might have said ‘Lighten up,’ but then I wouldn’t be where I am today, doing what I want to do, so instead I’d say: ‘Keep doing what you are doing! You’re good at it!'”

Taylor deadpanned: “Buy Google (stock).”

The evening rounded out with some questions from the mostly female audience of about 50 people, including the age-old question: How does one achieve work/life balance?

Shaughnessy said simply: “You don’t.”

“Your family is a part of your business and your business is a part of your family,” Barnet replied, adding that an advisory board is part of her “secret sauce.”

Brock said a decent day timer, and scheduling things down to 10 minute slots, has really helped her stay balanced … plus seeking outside advice.

A young woman who recently went into business with her fiancé in construction asked the panel, “How do you get away from that notion that you are the woman behind the man?”

The panelists all looked at each other with a smile.

“My husband is the man behind the woman,” Barnet answered to applause. “It’s never been a better time to be a female entrepreneur.”

All in all, it was a great kick off to International Women’s Day (IWD) week in Peterborough.