Welcome Message

As part of our ongoing commitment to provide materials and strategies for small business management, the BRCC asked MacKay Landau to provide some useful hints to help with this year's tax return. Check out the Tax Tips & Traps newsletters in Best Practices to get started.

The Baffin Regional Chamber of Commerce (BRCC) has initiated a project called the Conference Destination Marketing program. There are several key components to the development of this program. The creation of a marketing package for each community will highlight the unique aspects of each Baffin community. A survey of the services available in each Baffin community will be conducted in order to produce a database for event planners to access. The database will provide them with the information they require to determine which Nunavut community is able to meet the needs of the event they are planning.

The BRCC will be monitoring information requests received from event planners in order to identify gaps in the services available in Baffin region communities. Attracting meetings, retreats and conferences will be another way of enriching the economic development in a community should community members desire to provide more services.

The BRCC has started networking with meeting planner professionals and learning about the industry. In February 2009, two Meeting Professional International conferences and tradeshows were attended. One was held in Toronto, Ontario and the other in Atlanta, Georgia. Meeting Professionals International (MPI) helps their 24,000 worldwide members thrive by providing human connections to knowledge, relationships, and marketplaces.

A Nunavut Tourism representative accompanied BRCC Events Manager, Jessica Dewar to the conference and tradeshow in Atlanta. Involving stakeholders such as Nunavut Tourism will ensure the most effective use of resources and that a consistent message is being put forward.

Keep looking for more information about the progress of this project here on the BRCC website. If you have any questions please contact Alison Dubeau, Community Capacity Building Project Coordinator. Her email is conferences@baffinchamber.ca or call (867) 979-4654.

The NRC Industrial Research Assistance Program (NRC-IRAP) provides a range of both technical and business-oriented advisory services along with potential financial support to growth-oriented Canadian small- and medium-sized enterprises. The program is delivered by an extensive integrated network of 240 professionals in 100 communities across the country. Working directly with clients, NRC-IRAP supports their innovative research and development and helps them become commercialization-ready with their new products and services.

For more information on this program, visit http://irap-pari.nrc-cnrc.gc.ca/aboutirap_e.html or contact Patricia Loder, ITA - Atlantic & Nunavut, National Research Council Canada – Industrial Research Assistance Program (NRC-IRAP): patricia.loder@nrc-cnrc.gc.ca or 709-896-2094.

For more information on how innovation and technology can contribute to increasing your competitiveness, growing your business, capitalizing on new opportunities and accessing new markets, please contact Oana Spinu, Senior Advisor, Innovation and Technology, Government of Nunavut: ospinu@gov.nu.ca or (867) 473-2662.

We have nearly completed our update of the Nunavut Business Directory. Most Nunavut businesses received a form to provide updated information which we will incorporate on the website. If you did not receive the update form, or if you are a new business, please contact Sadie at members@baffinchamber.ca

Please visit the site and tell us what you think – your input is valuable and we are always looking for ways to improve.

Summer is wedding season, and that was no exception to the staff of the BRCC. Two of our staff declared their love in August 2008. Congratulations to Jessica (Hamburg) Dewar, who was wed on August 7 on the Silva in Halifax, and to Sadie Vincent-Wolfe, who was wed on August 23, on Hills Island, outside of Iqaluit. Our best wishes to you both.