(File photo/battlefordsNOW Staff)

By Angela Brown

Look ahead

Battlefords Chamber of Commerce continues with advocacy for year ahead

Dec 30, 2023 | 9:31 AM

The Battlefords Chamber of Commerce plans to continue with its advocacy work as part of its 2024 goals.

Chief operating officer Linda Machniak said the chamber is working on a number of projects for the year ahead.

One of the policy resolutions the Battlefords Chamber brought forward with the Saskatchewan Chamber that was passed at the Canadian Chamber level in 2023 was to advocate to keep Canada’s fertilizer emission reduction target voluntary.

“The federal government had put out information that they planned to limit the amount of fertilizer that farmers could use,” Machniak said. “[The chamber resolution] basically was a suggestion that farmers and others in the field were a better expertise to make those calls.”

Machniak noted Canadian farmers and in particular Saskatchewan farmers are some of the best in the world, and have many green practices in place.

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“They are doing lots of really good work,” she added. “To suggest that the federal government and bureaucrats know best what to do for the farmers I think it’s a bit over the top. The policy was really to suggest that the farmers are the ones best suited to make those decisions.”

The Canadian Chamber of Commerce sends the policy resolutions it passes to the appropriate federal government ministers for consideration.

“That forms their advocacy efforts at the national level, and certainly we’ll discuss it with our MP as well to make sure she is aware of it,” Machniak said. “I know our MLA is aware of it. We try out best to communicate that, and the importance of it to our elected officials as well.”

For the year ahead, the chamber also has several projects the board discussed at its recent meeting.

“There will have to be some decisions made on priorities for the next year,” Machniak said. “We do have a couple of the projects confirmed. One is going to be very exciting. I’m really looking forward to it, but I can’t share yet what it is. There is always lots going on. It’s always very busy at the chamber.”

One big project the Battlefords Chamber took on in 2023 was to create the Battlefords and Area Relocation Guide – a website aimed to help people planning to or thinking about moving to the Battlefords. Called “Find your Place – the Battlefords and Area Awaits,” the website is available at: battlefordsrelocation.ca

“We’ll continue to work on that, bolster it as well, and make sure that it’s as robust as it can be,” Machniak said.

An important component of the relocation guide initiative focuses on business recruitment. The chamber has developed a number of postcards to promote the online relocation guide to add to this effort.

“The postcards that support the program, they can be distributed to [chamber] members, to businesses and to organizations in the community, like the health district or the RCMP – anybody that is looking to recruit people,” Machniak said. “It’s just another tool in their toolbox they can give applicants or people to direct them to our website, give them a postcard and have them do their exploration, to get a realtor, find a lawyer or do what they need to do when you are looking to move. That’s really the employee attraction piece in encouraging people to come to the community.”

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angela.brown@jpbg.ca

On X: @battlefordsNOW