2007 Incoming Chair’s Message

It is with great honour that I accept the role as the Chair of the Richmond Hill Chamber of Commerce for the upcoming year.

I joined the Chamber in 1999, when I decided it was time to move my office close to home.  We moved in to our new office in February 2000 and have never looked back.  The firm has almost doubled in size in that time, due in large part to being located in one of the best areas in the country to conduct business.  The Chamber of Commerce has been instrumental in this regard. 

I joined the Board of Directors as the Treasurer in 2002.  It has been a very rewarding experience to date as it has offered me the opportunity to meet many of the business owners in Town, as well as our local government officials and representatives.  I know that both my business and my clients have benefited from the network and connections that I have developed through the Chamber.

During this same time period, I have been witness to the growth and breadth of the Chamber itself.  Much of the credit for this goes to our Chief Executive Officer, Leslie Walker, and her tremendously dedicated staff.  Under Leslie’s supervision, Chamber membership has grown by more than 20%, which strengthens the voice of the Chamber and its members.  Leslie has also increased the resources and benefits available to all of the members.  These benefits and resources include a variety of business networking opportunities available, the best group insurance plan available in the country, an excellent credit card merchant discount program, natural gas discount program through ECNG, gas and oil discounts through Esso and the Smart Commute 404-7 program.

These benefit programs are largely the tangible benefits that each member sees and enjoys.  There are also a myriad of intangible benefits members receive that they may not actually realize.  These intangible benefits come mainly from the advocacy work that the Chamber does on behalf its members.  Our past Chair, Vince De Angelis, in his previous role as Chair of the Advocacy Committee was instrumental in putting the Richmond Hill Chamber of Commerce on the map both provincially and Federally through its membership in the Ontario Chamber of Commerce and the Canadian Chamber of Commerce.  David West took over the role as Chair of the Advocacy Committee two years ago and has continued the high standard of advocacy work that our local businesses require.  David has been a key member of the newly formed York Region Advocacy Committee, where local business issues are dealt with at the regional level.

Some examples of advocacy work done on behalf of our local business community at the various levels of government are:

• Fight the Federal government to prevent the passing of new tax legislation that would significantly limit the deductibility of business losses.  This legislation has not been passed.  The Canadian Chamber of Commerce adopted the Richmond Hill Chambers policy on this issue.
• At the Ontario level, the Ontario Chamber, through its local Chambers, was instrumental in convincing the Provincial government to harmonize Ontario corporate tax filings with the annual Federal filings.  This harmonization is scheduled to be implemented in 2009
• The Ontario Chamber of Commerce has also been instrumental in persuading the US House of Representatives to delay the implementation of the Western Hemishpere Travel Initiative legislation to at least June 2009.  This proposed legislation could have a serious negative impact to businesses and tourism.  The Ontario Chamber is working with businesses and government on both sides of the border to address concerns raised
• At the regional level, the York Region Advocacy committee will work with the other chambers and municipalities to secure GTA healthcare funding.  The Smart Commute program to assist in the reduction of traffic congestion is another successful Chamber initiative done in conjunction with the Markham Board of Trade

This Chamber has built a very good rapport with the Town of Richmond Hill and its government officials.  This allows us to raise the concerns of our members with the appropriate officials to ensure that adequate consideration is given to these issues.  We will continue to build on these relationships to ensure proper representation of business issues at the municipal level. 

This year we have a very exciting opportunity.  The Canadian Chamber of Commerce is holding their annual convention in York Region.  We are currently working on the organization of this event, which is being held on the weekend of September 15.  This gives everyone an opportunity to attend various sessions and meet Chamber delegates and business representatives from across the country.

This Chamber has been a leader in reforming its governance structure and adopting a policy governance model over the past four years.  This model requires that the needs of the members are the primary concern of the Board and the focus of the direction that the Board provides to the CEO.  This coming year we will continue to strive to understand the members’ needs and particularly the advocacy issues that are important to the members.  We will continue to be the primary voice of business in Richmond Hill.

As the Town continues to grow, the Chamber will continue to increase its membership base to keep the voice of business in Richmond Hill strong.  As larger businesses move into Town, we will continue the initiatives commenced last year to try to attract these larger businesses to the Chamber.  The resources and insights that these larger companies can bring to the table are invaluable to the Chamber and its members.

I look forward to working with our Board and the members this year to continue to grow and strengthen the Chamber.  Our mission will remain:  To foster a business environment that enhances the success of our members and improves the quality of life in Richmond Hill.

Glenn D. Lott

Chair of the Board 2007-2008