Gala Chair Andrea Duggan and BBOT President Wayne
Waters, are ready for a night of dancing at the
annual President’s Gala April 13.
Photo by Ken Hay |
Gala Chair Andrea Duggan says “Dancing
” promises to be a fun evening. “Whether you like to
waltz, jitterbug, disco, tango, samba, mamba, the freddy
and the stroll or twist and shout…it will all be there
for you!” So dust off your dancing shoes and come on
out for an evening of fun.
Damien and New Hollywood will have you dancing the night
away!
This year we are pleased to welcome our title sponsor
RBC Royal Bank.
As always, The Brampton Board of Trade will donate
a portion of the evening’s proceeds to local charities.
This year’s beneficiaries will be the Big Brothers/Big
Sisters of Peel, Wellspring Chinguacousy and the William
Osler Health Centre – Brampton Memorial Hospital.
Every guest will receive a personal souvenir photo
by Ken Hay and a free martini bar will be provided compliments
of The Staffing Edge. Entertainment will feature New
Hollywood, sponsored by Bell.
Brampton’s most extensive silent auction and live auction
is always a highlight and a great way to promote your
product or service, so call the BBOT to make a prize
donation.
The Gala invitations have been mailed, so please invite
your co-workers, friends and clients to join in on the
fun! What a great way to spend an evening - dining,
dancing and networking. Registration is $125 (GST incl.)
for each attendee. A special thank you to Brasmith Printing
Inc., Scanorama Graphx and Kwik Kopy for their kind
sponsorship of invitations.
Thank you to our Early Bird Draw sponsors: Salon Spa
One Eleven, Bramalea Superb Limousine Livery Service,
Tuxedo Royale and Ken Hay Photography. Reservations
paid by Friday, March 23, will be eligible to win.
Businesses are encouraged to take advantage of the
various sponsorship opportunities available for the
Board’s biggest event of the year. Financial sponsorship
and contributions of gifts for the silent auction are
an excellent way to promote your company, while supporting
local charities.
Mark your calendar for Friday, April 13. Attendees
can register here
POLICY PRIORITIES
SURVEY REPORT
Click
here to download the report
Transportation infrastructure, traffic gridlock and
growth management are of vital importance to Brampton
Board of Trade (BBOT) members, according to a survey
of key policy issues that most concern the business
community.
Related to growth management, is a strong desire to
see local political decision makers preserve employment
lands, attract more business, develop jobs, and rein
in residential development.
The BBOT’s Policy & Government Relations Committee
initiated a Policy Priorities survey to poll BBOT members
on key policy issues of concern. The survey was delivered
electronically to BBOT members in November and the findings
are based on the responses of 94 business leaders, representing
member businesses and organizations of various sizes
and sectors.
The survey was comprised of a combination of 10 open
and close-ended questions, and respondents had an opportunity
to provide additional comments. The full survey report
is available online at www.bramptonbot.com
The report says transportation, traffic gridlock and
growth management are the issues most likely to affect
economic development and quality of life in Brampton.
Employers also raised concerns about a looming shortage
of skilled labour and the need to better capitalize
on the growing pool of skilled immigrants that are settling
in Brampton. Editor’s Note: See Page 3 for related story
on The Brampton Board of Trade’s Skills Without Borders
project, which explores labour needs in North Peel and
Barriers to Hiring Skilled Immigrants.
The Policy & Government Relations Committee, recently
renamed from Public Affairs Committee to reflect the
broad-based nature of the work performed, asked members
to help it focus on the top local/municipal issues.
Transportation infrastructure was identified by 76%
of respondents as a “top five” priority, followed by
crime/safety (58%), growth management (54%), government
accountability (53%) and property taxes (48%).
48% of respondents also identified the redevelopment
of the Peel Memorial Hospital as a much-needed second
health care facility in a large and growing city as
a “top five”. And 46% said downtown redevelopment should
be a priority to create an attractive and vibrant economic
and community centre.
Preservation of Employment Lands and Economic Development,
including lack of commercial/industrial space, attracting
large business to Brampton were also high priorities
for business leaders.
The survey also asked respondents to rank the top five
provincial and federal issues.
Health Care, education, transportation, taxation and
government accountability were ranked as the top provincial
issues. Government accountability, taxation, health
care, the fiscal imbalance between Ontario and the Federal
Government and the environment were identified as the
top five federal issues.
Overall, business believes that government should and
must do more to support business development and be
less of an impediment through its policies, regulations
and actions/inactions.
When specifically asked to list any “unique policy
areas or issues,” where The Brampton Board of Trade
could be a leader, respondents answered:
• Transportation/Traffic Gridlock
• Growth Management
• Taxes/Taxation (personal and business)
• Employment Integration of Immigrants
• Preservation of Employment Lands
• Brampton Downtown Development and Revitalization
• Health/Hospital Care
Of the respondents, 99% strongly agreed or agreed that
policy advocacy is “a very important function” of The
Brampton Board of Trade. And 77% indicated that they
were well aware of The Brampton Board of Trade’s involvement
in the area of policy advocacy.
“We’re pleased that our members believe that policy
advocacy is a key function of the Board of Trade and
that a significant majority are aware of the work we
have done on their behalf,” says Sheldon Leiba, CEO
of The Brampton Board of Trade. “This focus is entrenched
in our Mission and Strategic Plan.”
“The Policy Priorities Survey results will be extremely
useful to our Policy & Government Relations Committee
as they develop priorities for our business advocacy
work. We also want to keep an open dialogue with members
so that we can continue to be their voice with government
and other agencies,” Leiba said.
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