To download a pdf version of BRCC's membership list please click the attachment

The Canadian and US Chambers of Commerce, along with 47 other business organizations, issued a joint border report entitled Finding the Balance: Shared Border of the Future.

Following up the issue of 2008's border report, this paper offers specific recommendations to reduce border costs in the short-term while increasing security at the border and competitiveness of all industries.

The report may be found on the Canadian Chamber's Web site at: www.chamber.ca.

The David Suzuki Foundation and Pembina Institute recently announced the release of a new joint publication for Candians who are interested in using carbon offsets to reduce their climate impact.

Purchasing Carbon Offsets: A Guide for Canadian Consumers, Businesses and Organizations aims to help Canadians choose carbon offsets that will most benefit the climate. The user-friendly guide is the first publication of its kind in Canada, and ranks 20 carbon offset vendors on the quality of the offsets they sell, as well as on some of their business practices.

While many Canadians are finding ways to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions at home and at work, they are also turning to carbon offsets to deal with their remaining carbon footprint. Carbon offsets are credits for greenhouse gas emission reductions achieved by a project in another location, such as energy conservation and solar-power projects. These offsets can be purchased to compensate for emissions such as flying to a summer destination, driving a car, or heating and lighting a home or business.

The popularity and supply of carbon offsets have grown dramatically over recent years, and consumers are presented with a wide variety of carbon offset options, and online vendors to buy them from. However, not all carbon offsets are worth buying.

To help take the guesswork out of the selection process, Purchasing Carbon Offsets provides tips to help Canadians choose the highest quality offsets. For example, the best approach is to look for carbon offsets that meet a relatively strong independent offset standard, and to purchase offsets from projects like renewable energy and energy-efficiency projects, as these are most likely to result in high quality offsets.

Purchasing Carbon Offsets: A guide for consumers, businesses and organizations is available as a free download at: www.davidsuzuki.org/Publications/offset_vendors.asp

Membership certificates have been sent out to all members of the BRCC, along with an overview of the benefits of being a member of the Baffin Regional Chamber of Commerce, including:

• discounts at the Nunavut Trade Show and Conference, the north’s largest annual trade show
• discount rates at the Northern Lights Trade Show and Conference, the premier business, arts and cultural showcase of the north and eastern Arctic. The next show will be held in Montreal in early 2010
• group insurance plan
• reduced Visa, Interac and MasterCard merchant rates
• Esso discount gas program
• business referral through our office and from our broad range of contacts
• free listing on the BRCC website
• free quarterly newsletter
• membership in the World Trade Centres
• Top of the World travel offers
• a voice on business issues that affect your business and others across the Baffin region and Nunavut
• free listing in the Nunavut Business Directory

If your business is interested in participating in the Member to Member Program, either by taking advantage of the benefits, or by offering benefits for other members, including discount offers and reward packages, please contact our Member Services Manager, Sadie Vincent-Wolfe at members@baffinchamber.ca or call her at (867) 979.4654. We are all looking forward to working with you this coming year to make the Baffin Regional Chamber of Commerce and exciting and rewarding Chamber to be a member.