March | April 2015 Advocate - Pensions & Retirement Income

advocate MARCH | APRIL 2015

Pensions & Retirement Income

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features 9

FEATURE

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF:

Business Concern for ORPP Allan O’Dette

Art Sinclair EDITOR:

Heather Hutchings

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COVER STORY

The Public and Private Sector Challenges of Pensions

DESIGN AND PRODUCTION

Art Sinclair

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FEATURE ADVERTISING AND SALES:

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FEATURE

CONTRIBUTING WRITERS:

Do Retirement Plans Assist Small to Mid-sized Employers in Attracting or Retaining Key Talent?

Paul Eichinger, Mary Sue Fitzpatrick, Ian McLean, Allan O’Dette, Art Sinclair, Paul Webber

Paul Webber

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March 20, 2015 for May/June 2015 July 17, 2015 for September/October 2015 September 18, 2015 for November/December 2015

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MESSAGE FROM THE CHAIR

The Chamber Board is Here to Serve the Chamber Membership

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Paul Eichinger

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MESSAGE FROM THE PRESIDENT

Pension Debate is Intensifying for Local Business Ian McLean

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PERSPECTIVE ON HEALTH CARE

Welcoming the McMaster MD Class of 2017 Mary Sue Fitzpatrick

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ADVOCATE - PUBLICATIONS OFFICE 80 QUEEN STREETE NORTH, PO BOX 2367 KITCHENER, ONTARIO N2H 6L4 519.576.5000 The Advocate is a bi-monthly membership benefit publication of the Greater Kitchener Waterloo Chamber of Commerce.

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advocate MARCH | APRIL 2015

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message from the chair

The Chamber Board is Here to Serve the Chamber Membership

BY PAUL EICHINGER

This year’s Chamber Board consists of 19 dedicated volunteers representing organizations that range in size from 1 or 2 employees to international organizations with more than 100,000 employees. They represent private industry in many sectors including technology, professional services, financial and retail , and also include the not-for profit sector and our post secondary educational institutions. Your Board is a reflection of the Chamber membership at large, and the Board has the responsibility to represent membership interests in its decision making processes.

Board members are tasked with attending events, liaising with the various Chamber volunteer committees and providing strategic direction and oversight to the Chamber organization.

A key focus for the Chamber Board this year includes gaining a better understanding of the specific makeup of Chamber membership, i.e. what sectors may be underrepresented and why; ensuring the products and services being offered are aligned with the needs of our members; and actively dialoguing with both existing and future members.

I would strongly encourage Chamber members to seek out your Board representatives and provide any feedback you may have. Collectively we can continue to make this Chamber one of the best, largest and most influential in Canada.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Paul Eichinger CHAIR, BOARD OF DIRECTORS

BACK ROW (L-R): JASON KIPFER, PATRICK KLANN, STEPHANIE TANNER, MARK CHRISTENSEN, IAN MCLEAN, RENE GATIEN, SANDRA STONE, TED MCKECHNIE, RENATA RUSINIAK; FRONT ROW (L-R): KELLY MCMANUS, NEIL HENDERSON, BARBARA FENNESSY, ROSA LUPO, PAUL EICHINGER, SABRINA FITZGERALD, LINDA DANCEY, CAMERON KOZLOWSKI; ABSENT: KATHRYN ALLAMBY, MICHEÁL KELLY, JEFF MACINTYRE

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Paul is Vice President at MTE Consultants Inc.

message from the president

Pension Debate is Intensifying for Local Business

BY IAN MCLEAN The issue of pension and retirement income is becoming increasingly important for our Chamber membership in all sectors and among all sizes of business across Waterloo Region.

the provincial election campaign in June which, for the Ontario business sector, was highly focused around the Liberal Party commitment to proceed with a stand-alone pension system.

The reasons for the heavy interest in pensions are as diverse and varied as the businesses themselves. For the smaller operation, having some form of plan to compete with the Regionâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s larger employers is critical for the chronic challenge of talent attraction and retention. Above all, a plan for a small employer must be cost effective from an administrative perspective. If an employer cannot find a program that is compatible within their financial resources, there is a strong probability that nothing will be available to the employees. Recent statistics have estimated that about 30 percent of workers in the Ontario private sector do not have access to a plan, largely because of the cost of administration for the employer.

The last decade has been particularly challenging for businesses in Waterloo Region across all economic sectors. Manufacturing job losses from global restructuring have stretched throughout the local community and impacted the municipal tax base, restricting available funding for vital public services.

As Paul Webber from Cowan points out in his enclosed article, large companies can offer a wide range of benefit programs for their employees however some excellent advice is offered for small and medium employers (SMEs) in making their plans more functional and capable of attracting and retaining the required talent in an often highly competitive market for skilled professions.

Also, local employers Manulife Financial and Sun Life Financial are national and international leaders in the financial services sector, therefore public policy decisions on pensions can impact the local economy. As a Chamber of Commerce, we supported the introduction of Pooled Registered Pension Plans (PRPPs) for both improving the access of many small businesses to a viable plan and subsequently cutting the cost of administration. The federal government passed legislation in 2012 that covers employers and employees in federally regulated sectors. In order for the program to be effective, all provinces need to pass similar legislation for provincially regulated employers â&#x20AC;&#x201C; a larger component of the workforce. The Ontario government introduced Bill 57, the Pooled Registered Pensions Plan Act 2014 in December, and we support quick passage to address many employer pension concerns.

In recent discussions with the Chamber membership, the dominant retirement income issue is the proposed new Ontario Retirement Pension Plan through the introduction of Bill 56 in December 2014. Concern for this proposal has been evident since

Initial forecasts and outlooks for 2015 and the short to medium term have indicated that Ontario and Waterloo Region are again poised to lead all of Canada in economic growth, a development we have not witnessed in over a decade. The provincial business sector has requested that the provincial government defer the introduction of a new Ontario pension until a series of critical answers have been adequately identified and addressed to ensure that economic growth potential is not limited. The primary areas of concern relate to the overall impact of a fully implemented plan and the cost of administration.

The province has indicated the new pension plan should be ready for roll out in early 2017, exactly two years in the future. However, the program as it exists is highly complex and inherently requires detailed analysis which has not been complied. There are far more questions than answers.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Ian McLean Ian is President and CEO of the Greater Kitchener Waterloo Chamber of Commerce

advocate MARCH | APRIL 2015

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Thank Thank Y You! o ou!

O Ontario ntario P Provincial rovincial Dist District rict C Council ouncil

IIndividual ndividua al and Small Sm ma all Business Business Contributors Contributors

McLean Al Hayes Karen Ka K aren Mason Ma M ason Ian McLean Tim Sothern Bill Weiler

f for or helping helping the the Chamber Chamber continue continue its its goal goal of of eliminating eliminating the the doctor doctor s hortage a iin nW ater t loo Reg ion shortage Waterloo Region Since 1998 the the Chamber Chamber and and a team team of ve cut the the number number of Since of dedicated dedicated t volunteers volunteers have hav of residents without without a family family doctor doctor in in half. half. However However the the battle battle is not not over. over. residents Recruitment efforts through t he f inancial dedication Our Recruitment efforts can only only happen happen through the financial dedication o f our C o rp o rate r a t C o m m u n i t y t h r ough w h i ch it is fu n d ed of Corporate Community through which funded 6 WWW.GREATERKWCHAMBER.COM

perspective on health care

Welcoming the McMaster MD Class of 2017

BY MARY SUE FITZPATRICK The Greater Kitchener Waterloo Chamber Health Care Resources Council welcomed the first 15 undergraduate medical students – the Class of 2010 – when they arrived in Kitchener in 2007 to begin their first year studies at the new Waterloo Region Campus of the Michael G. DeGroote School of Medicine.

Since then, we have welcomed seven more Classes and seen five Classes graduate and move into residency programs on their way to practicing medicine. A number of these graduates chose family medicine over other specialties and many earned placements in the K-W Family Medicine Residency Program.

This past December the Chamber again sponsored the School’s annual Welcome Dinner & Faculty Awards Gala for the first year undergrads – the Class of 2017 – at the Waterloo Inn Conference Hotel. The event was also sponsored by HealthForceOntario, the recruitment and marketing arm of the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care, MacCare and our counterpart recruiters in Cambridge & North Dumfries, Doctors4Cambridge, and North Wellington Health Care.

Recognizing Outstanding McMaster Faculty Members & Staff The new Class met some of their second and third year class peers and members of the local McMaster faculty and staff. They also joined them in recognizing physician preceptors and advisors who have made outstanding contributions to the medical students’ education experiences this past year. Nominations for these annual Faculty Awards come from the medical students and the recipients are selected by a student selection committee.

awarded the McCare Award and McMaster Waterloo Regional Campus Administrative Assistant Penny Schmiedendorf received the staff Administrative Award.

Non-Clinical Excellence Awards were conferred upon Dr. Nadira Husein for Electives; Dr. Susan Teschke for Tutorial Leadership; Dr. Darren Bridgewater for Anatomy; Dr. Morgan Kwiatkoski for Clinical Skills; Dr. Tracy Hughes for Professional Competencies; and Dr. Michael Lee-Poy for Teaching Leadership.

This year a new award was presented to recognize the hard work and contributions that McMaster students and faculty make globally. Entitled the Global Advocacy Award, it was inspired by the work of one of McMaster’s Class of 2016 students, Christopher Charles, and his work in global health prior to coming to McMaster. This inaugural award was presented to Sylvia Scott co-founder with her husband of the Matangwe Clinic, Matangwe, Kenya, and two of the local ER team physicians, Dr. Brian Bell and Dr. Mike Sehl, for their important work there this past summer. They were nominated by an associate, Dr. Indy Saluja, another ER physician who worked on the project.

The Waterloo Region Campus of the McMaster Medical School is truly privileged to have such high caliber physician educators and mentors among their faculty. They are to be congratulated for enhancing the learning experiences of these bright and aspiring young health care professionals. And we, as a community, are privileged to have these student learners living and training here.

Clinical and Non-Clinical Awards for Excellence in Teaching and Mentorship were conferred by a group of very enthused and grateful medical learners.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Recognized for Clinical Excellence were Dr. Kate Anderson for Family Medicine; Dr. Peter Potts for Obstetrics/Gynecology; Dr. Hyacinth Easo for Psychiatry; Dr. Vinod Bharadwaj for Surgery; and Dr. Kevin Latchford for Anesthesia. Dr. Latchford was also

Mary Sue Fitzpatrick Mary Sue is Vice President Family Physician Resources and Health Advocacy.

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BUSINESS EXCELLENCE AWARDS

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The Greater Kitchener Waterloo Chamber of Commerce would like to thank all of our sponsors and volunteers.

Your efforts helped us present an outstanding 2015 Business Excellence Awards Gala.

The Gala event recognizes Chamber members who have made exceptional contributions through their involvement and leadership for the betterment of our community.

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MTE CONSULTANTS INC.

GOLD: SUN LIFE FINANCIAL

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SILVER: HRPA GRAND VALLEY CHAPTER

UNIVERSITY OF WATERLOO

SILVER: WALTERFEDY

CTV

MEDIA SPONSOR:

FM 98.5 CKWR

MEDIA SPONSOR:

WATERLOO REGION RECORD

PHOTOGRAPHY: ADAMSKI PHOTOGRAPHY

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feature

Business Concern for ORPP

BY ALLAN O’DETTE Ontario is moving ahead with the creation of a standalone, provincial, mandatory pension plan. Slated to be rolled out in early 2017, the Ontario Retirement Pension Plan (ORPP) will require employers to match additional employee contributions of 1.9 percent of their income, up to a maximum income threshold of $90,000. Employers that currently offer a “comparable” workplace pension plan will be exempt from the ORPP. The government is moving forward with the ORPP as a response to the so-called “undersaving problem” in Ontario: many are not saving enough to maintain their standard of living in retirement.

While a majority of businesses believe that pension reform should be a priority, according to our research only 23 percent of businesses believe that they can afford the costs associated with increased employer pension contributions.

As such, our first concern with the ORPP is the impact that it will have on Ontario’s economy and the business climate.

Over the past few years, Ontario businesses have been subject to growing electricity prices, some of the highest Workplace Safety and Insurance Board (WSIB) rates in the country, and the highest minimum wage in the country. Meanwhile, regulatory changes to the waste diversion system and the Employment Standards Act and Labour Relations Act are imposing further costs on businesses.

With the ORPP, businesses will face another added cost. How will this impact employment? What will the effect be on wages? What will happen to those businesses who can’t afford another added cost? Businesses are asking for answers to these questions.

By moving ahead with a standalone mandatory pension plan, Ontario will also be fragmenting the national pension landscape and increasing regulatory complexity for employers (particularly those operating in multiple provinces). How will this impact the province’s competitiveness? With an added cost to operating in the province, will businesses be deterred from investing in Ontario?

To date, we have been presented with very little information about the impact of the ORPP on the broader economy and on the business climate. Before moving ahead, the government must conduct an economic analysis of the ORPP and share those results publicly.

Our second broad concern is the impact of the ORPP on current workplace pension plans.

In its consultation document, the government defined a “comparable” plan as a defined benefit (DB) or a Target Benefit Multi-Employer pension plan. Employers who offer any other workplace pension plan will be required to pay into the ORPP. This definition ignores the current realities of the pension landscape in Ontario, particularly in the private sector, where fewer and fewer companies have elected to offer DB plans. Instead, many companies have opted for defined contribution plans, group RRSPs, or other savings vehicles.

We’re concerned that the ORPP, as currently designed, will punish those employers who have elected to offer workplace pension plans to their employees, and may not have the desired increase in total retirement savings that the government is seeking to achieve. In response to increased mandatory pension contributions, employers who currently offer non-comparable pension plans might choose to reduce contributions to their existing plans to offset the new cost. Alternatively, they might choose to scrap their plan altogether. As a result, the private savings vehicle will simply be replaced by a public one.

Indeed, a recent McKinsey report suggests that only one-quarter of the contributions that would be made to the ORPP annually would come from those individuals who need to save more for retirement. Is the ORPP the best approach to fill the savings gap for future retirees?

The Ontario Chamber of Commerce intends to remain engaged on the pension issue as it develops, and as the government consults with the public on how to shape a pension future that best achieves its desired outcomes. We look forward to coming to a solution that addresses these unanswered questions.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Allan O’Dette Allan is President and CEO of the Ontario Chamber of Commerce.

advocate MARCH | APRIL 2015

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new members

December 1, 2014 to January 31, 2015 Arise and Shine Coaching

Brak Innovations Inc.

Coaching

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Pierrette Strudwick Founder & CEO 41 Woodhaven Road Kitchener, ON N2C 1T7 Email: pstrudwick@ymail.com www.ariseandshinecoaching.com Phone: (519) 404-2298 Best Version Media Publishers Aaron Prasad, Publisher Email: aprasad@bestversionmedia.com www.bestversionmedia.com Phone: (226) 808-2262 BGL Group Inc. Computer Software

Jeromy Bristowe, Sales Executive 430 King Street London, ON N6B 1S7 Email: jbristowe@bglgroup.com www.bglgroup.com Phone: (519) 432-5448 Blanca Mendoza-Perez Cleaning ServiceResidential/Commercial/Industrial

Blanca Mendoza-Perez, Owner 478 Wellington Street North Kitchener, ON N2H 5L5 Email: blancamarina@hotmail.com Phone: (519) 745-9746

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David Hutchison, Principal 515 Dotzert Court, Unit 6 Waterloo, ON N2L 6A7 Email: davidh@brak.ca www.brak.ca Phone: (519) 772-9622 Fax: (519) 772-9624 BreezeMaxWeb Advertising - Internet

Carlos Botelho, Media Consultant 15-2900 Langstaff Road Concord, ON L4K 4R9 Email: info@breezemaxweb.com www.breezemaxweb.com Phone: (888) 466-4167 Fax: (888) 805-6456

Dr. Rachel VandenBerg ND - Healing Path Centre for Natural Medicine Naturopathic Doctors

Rachel VandenBerg 33 Dupont Street East, Waterloo, ON N2J 2G8 Email: rachel@healingpathcentre.com www.healingpathcentre.com Phone: (519) 578-7000 Element Hair Hair Salons

Lance Nielsen, Director-Owner 350-1 The Boardwalk, Waterloo, ON N2T 0A6 Email: info@elementhair.com www.elementhair.com Phone: (519) 746-1212

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Dan McLeod, Founder Email: danny.mcleod@gmail.com www.esteemediaproductions.com Phone: (226) 748-4656

Facet Design Studio Ltd. Architects

Steve Burrows, Owner 23 Richmond Avenue, Kitchener, ON N2G 1Z1 Email: steve@facetds.ca www.facetds.ca Phone: (226) 750-7579 Grounds Guys Kitchener Lawn Maintenance

Carl Saunders, Owner Email: c.saunders@groundsguys.ca www.groundsguys.ca Phone: (800) 361-5296 Historical Branding Solutions Marketing Consultants

Ulrich Frisse, President & Creative Director 51 Breithaupt St., Unit 201 Kitchener, ON N2H 5G5 Email: kris@historicalbranding.com www.historicalbranding.com Phone: (519) 501-1412 JMsquare Event Management

Eventastic

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Collins Formal Wear

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Randall Bird, President 35A Northfield Drive West Waterloo, ON N2L 4E6 Email: randy@eventastic.com www.eventastic.com Phone: (877) 318-0066

Kristen Porritt, Owner 46 Evelyn Crescent, Kitchener, ON N2A 1G9 Email: kristen@jmsquare.ca www.jmsquare.ca Phone: (519) 588-1028

Joel McDonough, Store Manager 1780 King Street East Kitchener, ON N2G 2P1 Email: j.mcdonough@collinsformalwear.com www.collinsformalwear.com Phone: (519) 585-7522 Fax: (519) 585-2188

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December 1, 2014 to January 31, 2015 Johnny Rocco's Italian Grill

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Diane Amaral, General Manager 509 Wilson Avenue Kitchener, ON N2C 2M4 Email: gm-kw@johnnyroccos.com www.johnnyroccos.com Phone: (519) 895-2121

Dave Smith, Owner Email: dave@makeyourbodywork.com www.makeyourbodywork.com Phone: (519) 722-3482

KLR Media Concepts Inc.

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Manish Sharda, Insurance Broker Email: msharda29@gmail.com Phone: (519) 404-5041 Fax: (855) 222-7444

Kelly Duncanson, President & CEO 224 Wilcroft Court Pickering, ON L1V 6N5 Email: kelly@klrmediaconcepts.com www.klrmediaconcepts.com Phone: (905) 509-9900 Fax: (905) 509-0751 Luba Bakaj Shop (Amway) Retail

Luba Bakaj, Independant Business Owner Email: bakajluba@yahoo.ca www.amway.ca/Lubabakaj Phone: (226) 338-8411 Luis Quinteros - Dominion Lending Centres Mortgage Brokers

Luis Quinteros, Mortgage Agent 301 Frederick Street, Kitchener, ON N2H 2H6 Email: mortgages@luisquinteros.ca www.luisquinteros.ca Phone: (519) 591-5847 Fax: (844) 329-6847

Manish Sharda - Insurance Broker

Miller and Caron, Lawyers practicing in association Lawyers

Rebecca Brain, Clerk 7 Duke Street West, Unit 203 Kitchener, ON N2H 6N7 Email: caron@mcpfamilylaw.ca www.mcpfamilylaw.ca Phone: (519) 745-1912 Fax: (519) 571-9040 Newman Human Resources Consulting Business Consultants

Frank Newman, Chief Human Resources Environmentalist Email: fnewman@rogers.com Phone: (647) 464-1542

Padgett Business Services Waterloo Accounting & Bookkeeping Services

Deb Bruce, Owner 22 King Street SouthWaterloo, ON N2J 1N8 Email: dbruce@padgettwaterloo.ca www.padgettwaterloo.ca Phone: (519) 729-9005

Skyhigh Images Photographers

Jacob Hrycak, Owner/Operator 33 Princess Street East, Waterloo, ON N2J 2H6 Email: jacobhrycak@gmail.com www.skyhighimages.ca Phone: (226) 600-1944

Precision Appliance Repair Ltd.

Soares Maintenance & Landscaping

Appliance Repair & Service

Landscape Contractors & Designers

Ian Dietrich, President 1335 Witmer Road Petersburg, ON N0B 2H0 Email: precisionappliancerepair@hotmail. com www.precisionappliance.ca Phone: (226) 339-6156 Fax: (519) 696-3790

Carlos Soares, President Email: carlos@soaresmaintenance.ca www.soaresmaintenance.ca Phone: (519) 590-2723 Fax: (519) 572-0939

Rd Designs Hair Salons

Rachel Quinteros, Hairstylist 26 Pinedale Drive, Kitchener, ON N2E 1J7 Email: info@rddesigns.ca Phone: (905) 407-7224 Siddhi Sheth - Investors Group Financial Planning Consultants

Siddhi Sheth, Financial Consultant Email: siddhi.sheth@investorsgroup.com Phone: (905) 599-9611 Fax: (905) 542-1145

Stagevision Inc. Audio Visual Equipment & Supplies

Kevin Hoffman, Sales Coordinator 5915 Coopers Avenue Mississauga, ON L4Z 1R9 Email: csiedel@stagevision.com www.stagevision.com Phone: (877) 572-8200 Swenco Limited Manufacturers

Paul Sweeny, President/Owner 560 Conestogo Road Waterloo, ON N2L 4E3 Email: psweeny@swencolimited.com www.swencolimited.com Phone: (519) 884-7400 Fax: (519) 884-8821

www.the-boardwalk.ca advocate MARCH | APRIL 2015

13

new members

December 1, 2014 to January 31, 2015 Sylvia Pond Photography

TeTechS Inc

Photographers

Electronic Manufacturing Services

Sylvia Pond, Owner/Photographer 508 Red River Drive Waterloo, ON N2T 2H2 Email: sylviapond@rogers.com www.sylviapond.com Phone: (519) 572-3366

Daryoosh Saeedkia, President and CEO 295 Hagey Blvd.

Waterloo, ON N2L 6R5 Email: daryoosh@tetechs.com www.tetechs.com Phone: (519) 584-0791 Fax: (519) 513-2421

System Solutions of Kitchener Inc. Computer Consultants

Rick Embro, President 108 Ahrens Street West, Unit 7a Kitchener, ON N2H 4C3 Email: rick.embro@syssolcorp.com www.syssol.ca Phone: (519) 880-0069

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The AIDS Committee of Cambridge Kitchener Waterloo & Area Charitable & Community Organizations

Ruth Cameron, Executive Director 639 King Street West, Unit 203 Kitchener, ON N2G 1C7 Email: director@acckwa.com www.acckwa.com Phone: (519) 570-3687 Fax: (519) 570-4034

The People Initiatives Group Inc. Human Resource Consultants Steve Caron, Owner Email: thepigroup@bell.net Phone: (519) 807-2447 The Talent Business Solutions Business Consultants

Karen Scian, Principal 20 Barrel Yards Blvd., Unit 1604 Waterloo, ON N2L 0C3 Email: karen@thetalent.ca www.thetalent.ca Phone: (226) 339-8642

ThunderStorm Productions Disc Jockey Service

Eric Hoshooley, Owner 516 Thornview Place, Waterloo, ON N2T 2V9 Email: info@thunderstormpro.com www.thunderstormpro.com Phone: (519) 741-2005 Tidal Wave Fire Sprinkler Systems Inc Fire Alarm Systems

Troy Walker, Owner 40 Walter Perry Place, New Hamburg, ON N3A 0B4 Email: troywalker510@gmail.com Phone: (519) 781-6610

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Family a Owned. Proudly Canadian.

1.800.361.LAWN (5296) 1.226.581.0211 GroundsGuys.ca Independently owned and operated franchise © 2015 The Grounds Guys

Hi-lighting Members

Contractors - Residential & Commercial The Roofman Inc.

The Roofman Inc.

1085 Guelph St. Kitchener, ON, N2B 2E4 (519) 744-3830 estimate@roofman.com www.roofman.com

The Roofman Inc. is a full service roofing contractor since 1981.

Proudly serving Waterloo region, we provide residential, commercial and industrial sloped and flat roof installations. We do repairs, maintenance, attic upgrades, insulation, metal, asphalt, TPO and rubber membrane.

Menno S. Martin Contractor Limited

Menno S. Martin Contractor Limited

Art Janzen 1185 King Street North, St. Jacobs, ON N0B 2N0 (519) 664-2245 art@mennosmartin.com www.mennosmartin.com

Bradley A. Straus Contractors Ltd 746 Snowcrest Place, RR #3, Waterloo (519) 886-8865 brad3@gto.net www.strauscontractors.ca

We work with homeowners in the tri-cities and surrounding areas who are looking for renovations and additions of the highest quality and craftsmanship. We have an amazing team who are dedicated to doing the finest work and strive to WOW our clients! Call us today!

Bradley A. Straus Contractors Ltd We have been satisfying customers for 30 years with the expertise we developed in the building trade, through the renovation, and remodeling of homes and commercial units to make them look new again. We consider all projects, large or small.

Waterloo Windows & Siding

Waterloo Windows & Siding

891 Guelph Street, Unit 6, Kitchener (519) 578-2972 Email: barrynorlock@gmail.com Website: www.waterloowindows.ca

We are local business with over 30 years of service in the Waterloo Region. We take pride in our workmanship and quality Canadian products and it will show on your project. Please contact us for a free estimate.

Timeline Journey Ltd.

Timeline Journey Ltd.

71 Ellis Avenue Kitchener (519) 277-8463 timelinejourney@yahoo.com www.timelinejourney.com

Home Renovations/Handyman Repairs Free Estimates: Basements, Bathrooms, Kitchens, Home Repairs.

We live right here and work here, for you. We’re different. We’re small.

We’re nice. We’re local. We’re family-owned. We listen to you. We like seniors.

Call Steve Tennant (519) 277-8463

Openspace Solutions Inc.

Openspace Solutions Inc.

Jane Elliott Waterloo, Ontario (226) 929-6751 openspaceoffice@rogers.com

Openspace Solutions Inc. is a distributor of quality products for the Parks and Recreation industry. Openspace specializes in splash parks, shelters and pavilions, outdoor fitness equipment, playground equipment, and site furnishings. Creating enjoyment of outdoor spaces is our goal!

HCS Contracting 277 Manitou Drive, Unit E,F, Kitchener, Ontario, N2C 1L4 cmccorriston@hcscontracting.ca www.hcscontracting.ca 519-208-5907 Fax: 519-208-8762

HCS Contracting H.C.S is a family owned general contracting company that specializes in multiresidential, hotel, office, commercial and private home renovations. We have a fully certified team of project managers, estimators, site supers and trade base ready to take on your new renovations. Please contact us for a free quote.

Contact Colin McCorriston, Business Development/Estimator (226) 929-7174

advocate MARCH | APRIL 2015

17

cover story

The Public and Private Sector Challenges of Pensions

BY ART SINCLAIR Many years ago when riding the TTC to work every day in downtown Toronto, I recall one of Canada’s largest financial institutions running a major subway advertising campaign to promote retirement savings. The slogan was “in your twenties and on your way to work? Time to start thinking of retirement.”

Canada’s retirement income system is among the best in the world and does not require fundamental reform. Issues at that time included a declining number of Canadian workers covered by registered pension plans and a rising number not saving an adequate level of resources for retirement.

Some two decades later, as the Ontario economy is turning the corner to economic activity levels unseen since the 1990s, businesses across the province are thinking of retirement – or more appropriately providing a competitive plan for their employees.

Hopefully the business itself is not thinking of retirement. After a decade-long recession, we need more for-profit enterprises in Canada.

Also emerging was an “at-risk” segment of the population, primarily individuals earning between $30,000 and $80,000, who could experience a significant shift in living standards when exiting the workforce. Canadians above the upper threshold have demonstrated a capacity to “look after themselves” while anyone below $30,000 can secure replacement income through a variety of pension supplements.

More importantly, pension analysts across the nation are compiling data which increasingly supports the contention of the aforementioned advertising campaign – Canadians are not saving or managing for retirement. Staring in the twenties is reasonably sound advice.

Perhaps the most significant issue for Ontario and national businesses and their associations is the widening gap between pensions for workers in the public and private sectors. A September 2013 report from the Canadian Federation of Independent Business (CFIB) concludes that Canada has arrived at a two-tier retirement system which strongly favours employees paid by taxpayers. Even private sector workers with an employeesponsored pension plan cannot hope to retire at a comparable level to government employees.

In 2009 Jim Leech, the former CEO of the Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan indicated that like free trade in the 1980s, pension reform could be the defining issue for the first decade of this century. The stakeholders and affected parties are immense – employers in both the private and public sectors, labour unions, and of course people retired from the workforce. The only portfolio with a comparable universal public policy impact is health care.

Our Chamber’s first formal participation in the pension debate was November 2010 when we forwarded a submission to the Ontario Ministry of Finance as part of a consultation process. At that time, Minister Dwight Duncan was seeking consensus on a provincial position for presentation to Ottawa. Five years ago the economy of the province was in a highly volatile position, having witnessed a major shift in manufacturing to lower cost jurisdictions, a rising Canadian currency, and the collapse of Lehman Brothers on Wall Street, the event that economists have designated as the starting point for the global recession.

However, to their credit both the Ontario and federal governments commenced significant reviews on the adequacy and sustainability of the pension system. Our Chamber’s submission to Queen’s Park five years ago noted that while improvements can be made,

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Calculations from the CFIB note that almost 80 percent of Canadians are employed in the private sector and two-thirds do not have a workplace registered pension plan. Among the 20 percent working in the public sector, 87 percent possess a plan that guarantees benefits. To replace 70 percent of their working income in retirement, a federal government worker currently contributes 7 percent of their salary, while a private sector worker contributes three times that amount at 21 percent.

Reforms proposed in this report include eliminating early retirement, more sustainable pensions for the public service, no consideration of CPP/QPP increases, and adding new options such as Pooled Registered Pension Plans (PRPPs), an instrument that has been heavily supported by the national and provincial business sector.

A strike by CP Rail employees in May of 2012 focused on a series of major public policy issues, most notably the government introducing back to work legislation, one of the most historically contentious matters in Canadian labour relations history that will

cover story

be debated for many years into the future. However, as Dan Ovsey wrote in the Financial Post, the real issue in this strike was the future of the company’s defined-benefit pension program and the next generation of Canadian retirees moving towards a pension showdown between the haves and have-nots.

Canadian Pacific’s defined benefit pension – common a generation ago – is now available to a declining percentage of the population and predominately in the public service. The result is an approaching retirement income gap between those with generous defined-benefit pensions and those with passively managed defined-contribution pensions or personal savings from which to draw.

The federal government passed the Pooled Registered Pension Plans Act in 2012 to improve the range of retirement savings options available to employers and their employees. The system enables members to benefit from lower administration costs that result from a collective pool and allows transition to a new job.

The rising gap between public and private pensions is the result to some degree of the prohibitive costs that small and medium enterprises (SMEs) historically managed with respect to administering pension programs for their employees.

Pension reform in Ontario did not end with the PRPP legislation, as on that same date Bill 56, the Ontario Retirement Pension Plan Act was also tabled. The debate around the initiative, as indicated through most articles in this edition of the Chamber Advocate, is intense and will consume a high percentage of the Wynne government’s legislative agenda over the next year and beyond.

My career – now long over – in the provincial government commenced in 1991. At that time, a dominant issue for the provincial business sector was rising electricity rates. A quarter century later the matter is not solved but rather exponentially worse with no real and viable conclusion in sight.

Pension reform cannot go down that same road – or transmission line. While the system remains relatively strong, a commitment is required from both Ottawa and Ontario for, like many areas of public policy, receiving optimal value for limited public and private resources. The entire program, including the proposed provincial plan, must be viewed through that perspective.

The federal legislation passed three years ago is restricted to employees in federally regulated sectors such as banks, telecommunications and transportation. For the system to be fully functional and allow businesses and self-employed individuals to participate, each province must establish their own legislative and regulatory framework.

In 2012, our Chamber tabled and passed a resolution at the Canadian Chamber of Commerce Annual General Meeting in Hamilton which supported PRPPs and called on Ottawa to work with provincial finance ministers on expeditiously passing the required provincial legislation for their implementation. On December 8, 2014, Queen’s Park introduced Bill 57, the Pooled Registered Pension Plans Act. A news release issued by the Ministry of Finance on that date indicated that under 35 percent of workers in Ontario possess a workplace pension plan, with only 28 percent of employees in the private sector securing access.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Art Sinclair Art is Vice President Policy and Advocacy for the Greater Kitchener Waterloo Chamber of Commerce.

advocate MARCH | APRIL 2015

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events

Mark Your Calendar March 6, 2015

March 12, 2015

International Women’s Day Breakfast

Libro Chamber Young Professionals Networking Event

7:00-9:00am at Embassy Room at Bingemans Member: $30 General Admission: $35

5:30-7:30pm at Fionn MacCools Members: $5 General Admission: $10

This year’s keynote speaker is Anne Miner, President & Founder of The Dunvegan Group. Anne Miner is an International Speaker, BestSelling Author, Professional Mentor and Business Owner. She is also a television host on the show Women of Courage, she is a Director of the Public Speakers Association, an Editor of "Speaking of Impact" Magazine, a Columnist for "Living the Dream" Magazine, and an Executive Coach specializing in customer care, revenue growth and customer retention.

You are invited to join us to develop key relationships, build your business network and connect with other young professionals and business leaders at this casual networking event.

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March 25, 2015 Event Sponsor:

MNP Networking Breakfast Series presents Police Chief Bryan Larkin 7:15-9:00am at Holiday Inn Kitchener-Waterloo Member: $28 General Admission: $40

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Chief Larkin will talk about the future of policing in Waterloo Region as he continues his committment to enhancing the effectiveness of operational policing services while developing longterm strategies to build a strong, vibrant, and healthy community.

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March 11, 2015 Manulife Chamber Academy – Setting Short and Long Term Goals

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8:00-9:30am at Holiday Inn Express Waterloo-St. Jacobs Member: $20 General Admission: $25

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events

April 1, 2015

April 21, 2015

Manulife Chamber Academy â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Unlocking Hidden Strengths in Your Staff

Libro Foundation Chamber Young Professionals Networking Event

8:00-9:30am at Holiday Inn Express Waterloo-St. Jacobs Member: $20 General Admission: $25

5:30-7:30pm at Innocente Brewing Company Members: $5 General Admission: $10

Title Sponsor:

You are invited to join us to develop key relationships, build your business network and connect with other young professionals and business leaders at this casual networking event.

April 14, 2015 Home Hardware Business After 5 5:00-7:00pm Hosted by Heffner, in the Used Car Centre Member: Complimentary General Admission: $10 Does networking intimidate you or do you thrive on meeting new people? Come out to this casual bi-monthly event with friendly faces and easy conversation that provides an opportunity for B2B networking.

Title Sponsor: Media Sponsor:

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April 22, 2015 Manulife Chamber Academy â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Growing through Engagement 8:00-9:30am at Holiday Inn Express Waterloo-St. Jacobs Member: $20 General Admission: $25 Title Sponsor:

advocate MARCH | APRIL 2015

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Canada’s Anti-Spam Legislation is making it difficult to prospect for new customers via email campaigns – you know who they are but you’re not allowed to communicate with them! Couple that with the emails you send being deleted before they are read and e-blasts become a complete waste of time.

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CREATING SUSTAINABLE HIGH-PERFORMANCE CULTURES 2015 HRPA GRAND VALLEY EXECUTIVE NIGHT THURSDAY MARCH 12, 2015

Registration/Networking - 4:30pm Dinner - 5:45pm Presentation - 7:00 - 8:00pm

Culture Expert Peter Docker explains how to create sustainable high-performance cultures by addressing adaptive leadership, innovation, and relationship building.

HRPA Member: $60 + HST Non-HRPA Member or Guest: $75 + HST Corporate Table (up to 8 people): $500 + HST

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feature

Bringing LRT to Waterloo Region SUBMITTED BY THE REGION OF WATERLOO Construction for ION, Waterloo Regionâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s rapid transit service, began in the summer of 2014, shortly after the community ground-breaking event on Dutton Drive in Waterloo at the maintenance facility which will be home to the light rail vehicles when service begins.

In 2014, the Region of Waterloo approved GrandLinq as the team to design, build, finance, operate and maintain ION Stage 1 LRT, with the construction currently being carried out by GrandLinq Contractors.

In 2015, all areas along the 19 kilometre ION LRT route will see some construction. ION runs from the transit terminal at Conestoga Mall in Waterloo to the Fairview Park Mall transit terminal in Kitchener. Exact work schedules evolve according to weather conditions and construction approvals.

To keep residents and business owners up-to-date on all activities related to construction, the Region of Waterloo launched a website. The site (www.rideION.ca) contains the latest construction information, an interactive ION route map, an opportunity for users to sign-up for regular updates as well as detailed information on each of the 16 LRT stops.

A core objective for ION construction in 2015 is getting the message out to the wider community that Waterloo and Kitchener remain accessible and open for business. One simple way that businesses can help spread this message is by engaging with the #IONbiz Twitter hashtag. This winter, business owners and customers began using the hashtag to demonstrate how easy it is to access businesses along the ION corridor during construction.

The Region of Waterloo will continue to promote businesses on the corridor through social media by retweeting all messages with the #IONbiz hashtag.

The Region also continues to partner with the Greater Kitchener Waterloo Chamber, the Downtown Kitchener BIA and the UpTown Waterloo BIA to promote businesses along the ION corridor during construction. Postcards containing all contact details for construction, including a construction hotline, are available for businesses to hand out to customers interested in more information on ION. They will be available at the Chamber, either BIA or the Region.

Keeping businesses and land owners along the corridor notified of upcoming construction remains a key component of bringing ION to Waterloo Region. The Region of Waterloo and GrandLinq will continue to keep all businesses informed on how road restrictions and/or road closures may impact them, including what construction will look like in front of their businesses.

As each business has individual requirements, one-on-one meetings will continue throughout 2015. During these meetings, which take place prior to construction, the Region and GrandLinq work with businesses to understand any concerns and create solutions. During construction, a Construction Liaison Officer is available to address day-to-day issues that may arise.

Access to businesses will be maintained during ION construction and when temporary sidewalk closures are required near active work areas, signs will direct customers to alternative access points.

In general, once construction details are finalized, businesses within 125 metres of the ION construction will receive a written notification before work begins. Road signage, including detour information and way-finding information for businesses (how customers can access stores), will also go up before construction commences. Advertisements will be placed in local newspapers and detailed information will continue to be available at www.rideION.ca as well as on the ION social media channels.

About ION Approved by Regional Council in 2011, ION will bring light rail transit to the region in two stages.

Stage 1 features a 19-kilometre LRT route with stops at 16 destinations including the University of Waterloo, Wilfrid Laurier, UpTown Waterloo, Grand River Hospital, King/Victoria transit hub and Downtown Kitchener.

Stage 1 also includes a 17-kilometre route of adapted bus rapid transit (aBRT) from the Ainslie Street transit terminal in Cambridge to the Fairview Park Mall transit terminal in Kitchener.

Stage 2 ION will see the Region convert the aBRT line to LRT, creating a seamless 37-kilometre ION route with 23 stops between Cambridge and Waterloo. advocate MARCH | APRIL 2015

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feature

Do Retirement Plans Assist Small to Mid-sized Employers in Attracting or Retaining Key Talent?

BY PAUL WEBBER By attracting and retaining top talent, large organizations often have the luxury of being able to offer a wide variety of benefits, a marquee name and even a national coffee chain in the lunch room.

One of the key components of a benefits program among large organizations is a valuable retirement/savings plan for employees, the cost of which might be perceived as out of reach for many small to mid-sized employers (SMEs).

How important is it for SMEs to offer a retirement/savings plan to help improve the attraction, and equally important, retention of key talent? A study performed on behalf of Standard Life, conducted by Environics Research Group in the fall 2012, found that 92% of employees at SMEs ranked “workplace savings and retirement plans” as an important factor in remaining with their employer. The research also showed that 33% of employees placed “employer pension contributions” at the top of their wish list, before a pay raise, extra vacation days and a yearly bonus. A previous Environics study found that 41% of employees who don’t have access to some form of retirement or savings plan would consider moving to an employer that offered one.

Despite the importance assigned to retirement/savings plans, less than one-third of employees (32%) indicate that their employer offers a competitive plan.

Before looking at ways SMEs could design a plan to attract and retain top talent, let’s first look at some of the advantages that smaller organizations may have over their larger competitors when it comes to talent: • Tend to be less bureaucratic and leadership has a closer relationship with their employees.

1. Put a plan in place. If you have a plan, you already have a leg up on those in your industry that don’t.

2. Keep it simple. Start with a Group Registered Retirement Savings Plan (RRSP) and Tax Free Savings Account (TFSA) to give employees a flexible savings vehicle. Younger employees may not value saving for retirement; however, they will appreciate the flexibility an RRSP provides towards saving for their first home purchase. More experienced employees will value the importance of retirement savings and appreciate the flexibility the plan provides them as they prepare for retirement.

3. Tie the plan into a broader compensation strategy. Quite often with employees of smaller organizations cash is king.

Providing a flexible vehicle such as an RRSP/TFSA and allowing employees to allocate a portion of their cash rewards into those plans as part of a total compensation design ensures that the reason behind the design and the value is clear to everyone.

4. Smaller is better. SMEs can leverage their lack of bureaucracy and close relationships with employees to better articulate the value of their programs. There is tremendous equity to be gained by standing in front of employees and telling them “we care about you and your financial future.” It is much more challenging for larger employers to control that message.

5. Partner with a Consultant. SMEs typically have very limited HR resources and thus being able to leverage the time and expertise of a pension/retirement consultant can take a lot of the heavy lifting off your plate.

• Often treat their employees as an extension of their family.

• Offer more flexibility as it pertains to providing opportunities for employees.

• Better able to leverage their smaller scale by tailoring jobs and programs to match an employee’s individual needs. This promotes more team collaboration and offers leadership the ability to provide more personalized recognition.

Considering these advantages, here are a few suggestions on ways that SMEs can get the best value for their money with a company sponsored retirement/savings plan:

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Paul Webber Paul is the Manager & Senior Pension Consultant in the Group Retirement Practice at Cowan Insurance Group. Paul works closely with clients to ensure their retirement savings programs meet the strategic needs of their organization and the engagement needs of their people.

advocate MARCH | APRIL 2015

25

Congratulations on achieving these Membership Milestones!

10 YEAR ANNIVERSARY Algoma Central Properties Inc. AMJ Campbell Van Lines Astron Specialty Metals Limited Bogart's Hair Canadian Diabetes Association Casey's Grill & Bar - Ottawa Street CFO Solutions Clintar Landscape Management Cookie Cutters Hair Cuts for Kids Drayton Entertainment - Dunfield Theatre Cambridge Enhanced Solutions Inc GeoSmart Energy Inc. Giesbrecht, Griffin, Funk & Irvine GoodLife Fitness - Market Square Grand River Hobbies Grand Valley Financial Inc Gusto Catering Company Inc Heart and Stroke Foundation Heinz Custom Woodworking Joseph & Company Kenmar Incorporated Kitchener Home Furniture Kitchener-Waterloo Multicultural Centre Maplesoft Martin's Small Engines Ltd. Natural Resource Solutions Inc. Northfield Auto Nothing But Nature Inc OE Business Imaging Inc Parents For Community Living KitchenerWaterloo Inc RBC Royal Bank - Erb & Ira Needles RBC Royal Bank - Highland & Westmount RBC Royal Bank - King & University Branch RBC Royal Bank - Kitchener Main RBC Royal Bank - Northfield & Weber Reprographic Technology International Ltd Rotostatic of Waterloo Region Sheridan Nurseries Limited Silverthorne Studios Stecksoft Systems TD Canada Trust - Laurelwood

26

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Township of Woolwich Trends for Men Waterloo Accelerator Centre Waterloo Region Small Business Centre Waterloo Wellington Local Health Integration Network Wilson Blanchard Management Inc.

15 YEAR ANNIVERSARY AET Group Inc. Arcturus Realty Corporation Christie Digital Systems Canada Inc City of Waterloo Corporate Benefit Analysts Inc Des Gibb & Company Professional Corporation Great Canadian Holidays and Coaches Inc H.H.D. Imports Inc. Hammond Plumbing & Heating Inc HMT Group Inc Jim McIntyre - ReMax Solid Gold Realty Kaune Property Maintenance Inc Ken Ertel Incorporated Kitchener City Hall Wedding Chapel and Officiants Knapp Fasteners Inc Lori Teskey - Re/Max Solid Gold Realty Inc My VIP NDI Prestige Business Interiors Inc Royal LePage Grand Valley Realty Royal LePage Wolle Realty, Brokerage Teledyne DALSA Inc. Victoria Star Motors Inc Waterloo Management Education Centre Waterloo Wellington Flight Centre Win-Leader Corporation

20 YEAR ANNIVERSARY Coldwell Banker Peter Benninger Realty, Brokerage End Of The Roll Hospice of Waterloo Region Investors Group Financial Services Inc. Josslin Insurance - Kitchener Kitchener-Waterloo Counselling Services Incorporated M & T Printing Group Mister Nevada (K-W) Ltd Morrison Reist Peerless Turfcare RBJ Schlegel Holdings Inc. Region of Waterloo International Airport Solar Materials Handling Ltd. Spicers Stewart, Dr. John M. The Pace Consulting Group Inc The UPS Store #135 Twin-City Interloc Inc Tyco Integrated Security WESA - a Division of BluMetric Environmental Inc. Western Union Business Solutions Ziggy's Cycle and Sport Ltd.

25 YEAR ANNIVERSARY Brenneman Filing Systems Ltd Challenger Motor Freight Inc. CKWR - Wired World Inc - FM 98.5 CRV Computer Extend Communications Inc Galick Packaging Equipment Ltd Golf's Steak House & Seafood Hahn Rentals Hauser Industries Inc International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers #804 K W Auto Sales Oak Bridge Holdings TdS Dixon Inc Traces Screen Printing Ltd. Ulmer Realty Group Inc. Woeller Group Inc.

30+YEAR ANNIVERSARY AECOM Airways Transit Service Limited All Ontario Financial-The Mortgage People Amber Steel Atlas Scale Baer Petroleum Marketing Ltd Bank of Nova Scotia - Kitchener Barber-Collins Security Services Ltd. BDO Canada LLP Bell Canada Bell Media Inc. Berkshire Building Corp Better Business Bureau of Midwestern and Central Ontario Bev Shearer & Sons Roofing Ltd Bingemans Inc Boucher & Jones Fuels Petro-Canada Products Britton Automotive & Industrial Supply Business Development Bank of Canada Cameron's Flower Shop Capri Salon and Spa Charcoal Steak House Chicopee Craftsmen (1999) Inc CIBC - Wood Gundy Waterloo Cober Evolving Solutions Colt Canada Corporation Conestoga Cold Storage Conestoga College Institute of Technology & Advanced Learning Conestoga Country Club Ltd Cowan Insurance Group Crawford & Company (Canada) Inc. Crown Courier Crowne Plaza Kitchener-Waterloo Deloitte Dr. Kevin P. McSweeny Duncan, Linton LLP Dundee Country Club Economical Insurance EIWO Canadian Management Ltd Elite Air Inc

Equitable Life Insurance Company of Canada Erb & Good Family Funeral Home Erb and Erb Insurance Brokers Ltd Ernst & Young LLP FaithLife Financial Financial Horizons Inc Giffen LLP Glenridge Equipment Corporation Globe Stamping Co Ltd Gowling Lafleur Henderson LLP Guhring Corp H. Polzl Consulting Limited H. Wolynetz Investments Ltd Heer's Paint & Decor Heffner Lexus & Heffner Toyota & Heffner Scion Hercules Tire International Hogg Fuel & Supply Limited Holiday Inn Kitchener-Waterloo Hotel and Conference Centre Ivanhoe Cambridge II Inc./Conestoga Mall John Howard Society of WaterlooWellington Junior Achievement of the Waterloo Region Inc Kelly & Co Kitchener Public Library Kitchener Rangers Hockey Club Kitchener-Waterloo Art Gallery Kitchener-Waterloo Symphony Kitchener-Wilmot Hydro Inc. Kodiak Building Ltd KPMG LLP Kuehne + Nagel Ltd. K-W Oktoberfest Inc Lackner McLennan Insurance Ltd. Lakeshore Service Centre Linda Hilts Interiors Ltd Link With Home Travel Inc. Madorin, Snyder LLP Mark L. Dorfman, Planner Inc Marsland Centre Limited Marten's Furniture Warehouse-Showroom Masonry by Rasmussen Inc McBride Loudspeaker Source Ltd Metropolitan Pump Co Limited Miller Thomson LLP Minuteman Press MNP LLP Moore, McDermott & Partners LLP New York Rock (822773 Ontario Ltd) Northfield Racquet & Fitness Club Northfield Trim & Door Inc.

Onward Manufacturing Company Limited Parkway Ford Sales (1996) Ltd Pierce Health Services Inc Piller's Fine Foods, a division of Premium Brands Operating Limited Partnership Poly Disposables (2004) Ltd PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP Queensway Auto Body Ltd R S Financial Services Limited Ratz-Bechtel Funeral Home & Cremation Centre Raytheon Canada Limited Rogers Radio Rubberline Products Ltd Safety-Kleen Canada Inc (Oil Recovery) SAP Canada Schiedel Construction Inc Spaenaur Inc St. Mary's General Hospital Foundation Steed and Evans Limited Strassburger Windows & Doors Strauss Properties Ltd Sun Life Financial Swan Dust Control Ltd Swanson's Home Hardware Building Centre Swiss Chalet - Weber Street North The Cadillac Fairview Corporation Limited The Plant Lady Inc. The Shops at Waterloo Town Square/ Primus Property Management Inc. Twin City Dwyer Printing Co Ltd Union Gas a Spectra Energy Company United Rentals Of Canada Inc United Way of Kitchener-Waterloo & Area University of Waterloo Voisin Developments Ltd Walper Hotel Enterprise Inc. Waste Management of Canada Corporation Waterloo Inn Conference Hotel Waterloo Manufacturing Company Ltd Waterloo North Hydro Inc Waterloo Printing Company Ltd Waterloo Region Record Waterloo Regional Police Association Weber Supply Company Inc. Wesco Distribution Canada LP WHITNEY & Company Realty Limited Wilfrid Laurier University Wilke Movers Ltd William Knell and Company Ltd Your Neighbourhood Credit Union Youth in Conflict with the Law ZehrGroup advocate MARCH | APRIL 2015

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(519) 772-1127

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member notables

MEMBER NOTABLES House of Friendship Receives 2014 Barnraiser Award Local social service agency House of Friendship recently received the prestigious Waterloo Region Record Barnraiser Award for 2014.

House of Friendship annually serves over 42,000 local residents living on low incomes, providing food, shelter and support. Along with the Barnraiser Award, the organization celebrated 75 years of operation in 2014.

Congratulations to Executive Director John Neufeld, the board, staff, and all volunteers for your exemplary community service.

Tri-Mach Group Inc. Celebrates 30 Years of Best-In-Class Service Established in 1985, Tri-Mach Group Inc. is celebrating 30 years of best-in-class services for the food processing, liquid processing, & pharmaceutical industries. With a focus on food safety through innovation & quality equipment manufacturing, they’ve spent the past 30 years building a world-class experience – from initial questions to final physical solutions.

1985-2015

30 YEARS

Their rich local history in downtown Kitchener has fueled a passion for growth & improvement, resulting in an expansion to nearby Elmira. With a complete end-to-end suite of services available in-house, including millwrighting, stainless steel fabrication, custom machining, prototyping, & design engineering, their 30-year dedication to topquality craftsmanship & exceptional service has permeated through everything they’ve done – and it’ll continue to grow as they look to the future.

Chicopee Celebrates 80 Years!

For 80 years Chicopee Ski & Summer Resort has been a prominent and important fixture in Waterloo Region, making a significant impact on health, tourism, job creation, and the regional economy.

Today Chicopee, a not-for-profit, four season recreational facility, has grown into a community organization with dedicated, year round staff and over 400 part-time seasonal employees.

Chicopee is proud of its self-sustainability model – operations and infrastructures are fully funded by pass holders, user visits, and business partnerships, with no government assistance.

Chicopee prides itself on offering unique and memorable experiences through fun-filled programs, activities and events. In the last few decades, they have offered a variety of outdoor summer activities including mountain biking, tennis, disc golf, beach volleyball, climbing and youth camps.

Chicopee invites you, your family, and friends to discover … or rediscover all that they have to offer on the hills, the trails, the greens, and the courts. advocate MARCH | APRIL 2015

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MEMBER NOTABLES Dana Shortt Gourmet Celebrates 10th Anniversary Dana Shortt Gourmet celebrated their 10th anniversary this past November, with a 2 day celebration at the store. The Uptown Waterloo based specialty food store offers a large selection of fresh & frozen meals prepared on site in their kitchen, an olive oil & balsamic vinegar tasting bar with 40+ flavours of all-natural, flavour infused oils from around the world & vinegars from Italy, chocolates from Rheo Thompson Candies of Stratford and Reids Chocolates of Cambridge, as well as gorgeous gift baskets.

The shop is located at 55 Erb Street East in Uptown Waterloo. Visit them in person or on line at www.danashortt.ca

Medical Centre at The Boardwalk 1st Anniversary February 3rd, 2015 marked the one year anniversary since the opening of the Medical Centre at The Boardwalk on the west side of K-W. With incredible community support, the Medical Centre was designed and dedicated to patient healthcare by providing a number of medical services in one place, including The Boardwalk Pharmacy, A Body In Motion Rehabilitation, The Boardwalk Occupational Health, Oxford Medical Imaging, CML Laboratory, Toothworks: The Boardwalk Dental, and TCART Fertility Partners.

There are 30 family doctors with full practices in the Medical Centre, including 6 new grads who were attracted to the region and accepted thousands of families from the waiting list for orphaned patients (www.the-boardwalk.ca/medical-centre/). The doctorsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; lounge and numerous suites are under construction, already attaining 75% occupancy of this 80,000 sq. ft. landmark building.

Todd Letts named CEO of Brampton Board of Trade Todd Letts was recently appointed as CEO of the Brampton Board of Trade.

Todd was President & CEO of the Greater Kitchener Waterloo Chamber of Commerce from 2001 to 2008, and subsequently held positions with the Canadian Manufacturers and Exporters and Chamber Executives of Ontario. Prior to arriving in Waterloo Region, he worked at the Toronto Board of Trade and holds degrees from the University of Western Ontario and University of Toronto.

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Helping Us Make Our Vision Possible A special Thank You to each of these Chamber Sponsors.

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MEDIA PARTNERS advocate MARCH | APRIL 2015

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