Guelph Chamber of Commerce

Chamber of Commerce pushes for Highway 7 upgrade between Guelph and Brampton

Wed, 22 May 2013 19:46:03 GMT

A four-lane highway leading to Brampton, similar to the one approved between Guelph and Kitchener, will eventually be required by the local business community, argues the president of Guelph's Chamber of Commerce.

Lloyd Longfield says the Guelph Chamber of Commerce and other chambers across the province have begun lobbying the province to explore the possibility of upgrading Highway 7, some time in the next 20 years.

"Rather than mimicking the highway to Kitchener", the new highway would give "us a parallel route to the 401, only not ending in Toronto", Longfield said.

The expanded expressway would help area manufacturers, farms and other businesses move goods to the Greater Toronto area without clogging Highway 401, which often slows to a halt due to traffic volume, accidents, constructions or a combination of all three.

But the new highway would likely pass through sensitive environmental areas, and have to cross part of the Niagara Escarpment, which is protected by an agency of the Ontario government.

Terry MacIntosh, a naturopathic doctor and co-founder of Sustainable, Healthy Integrated Forms of Transportation or "SHIFT", said he is concerned some are entertaining the thought of a new highway before GO Transit or Via train service to the city is improved. "It's more of the same," MacIntosh says of the push to build a Brampton-Guelph expressway.

Ben Bennett, an activist and writer in Guelph, called the plan "more absurd 1960s thinking". Critics say building more limited-access freeways will only incentivize people and firms to drive more often and deliver more goods using trucks, thus increasing the region's carbon footprint and threatening ecologically sensitive areas.

But Longfield says the highway upgrade can be done responsibly. "You look at highways that go through mountains and environmentally sensitive areas, and turn those types of challenges over to the people who know how to do things properly." But Cam Guthrie, a city councilor, said that without the new highway, Guelph will not attract investment from firms seeking to locate and invest in Ontario. "Not everything can be transported on bicycles," Guthrie said, dismissing concerns from environmentalists.

Longfield encouraged those who would oppose an upgraded highway to "contribute to the conversation." "It's good to have other points of view to make sure you come up with the right answers. You come up with better solutions with more voices at the table."

The province's long-term transportation plan already calls for the widening of the 401 to six lanes each way, linking Highway 400 to the 401 near Milton and upgrading the Hanlon Parkway over the next 25 years.

"In 20 years time, Guelph is supposed to have 50,000 more people living here, we're supposed to have 31,000 more jobs," Longfield said. "We don't think there's much of an alternative other than to start talking about it.

Guthrie predicts city council would be divided on the issue of a new highway. "It is unfortunate that one half of the council doesn't understand the importance of moving goods and people to our local economy."

As reported in The Guelph Mercury, Tuesday, May 21, 2013

Guelph home builder honoured with provincial award

Wed, 24 Apr 2013 20:17:46 GMT

Local construction companies are among recipients of the 2013 Tarion awards of excellence for builders of new homes.

Fusion Homes of Guelph was among four presented with an award of excellence for customer service, in this case in the large volume builder category, the firm announced Tuesday. The remaining three were from the Toronto, Trenton and London areas.

Ontariio's Tarion Warranty Corporation is an industry regulator guaranteeing warranty coverage by builders.

Fusion president Lee Piccoli said in a statement "we go above and beyond to meet our homeowners' expectations."

Awards are based on surveys sent to in excess of 40,000 homeowners who took possession between October 2011 and the end of last September.

In other results in this year's awards, in the large volume builder category, Pidel Homes of Guelph was a finalist.

Other local finalists and recipients included Terra View Homes of Guelph and Wrighthaven Homes Limited of Elora in the medium volume builder group.

as reported in the Guelph Mercury, Tuesday, April 23, 2013

Brothers share Skyline realty's highs and lows

Wed, 17 Apr 2013 15:00:12 GMT

Brothers Jason and Martin Castellan, and their partner Roy Jason Ashdown, oversee a $1-billion real estate empire. But the Skyline Group of Companies, which the Guelphites founded, strayed down a few dead-end streets and survived a major regulatory pummeling in getting to where it is today.

The brothers had a crowd of over 300 at the Guelph Home Builders annual business luncheon enthralled as they made a tag-team presentation that distilled more thatn 20 years of business experience into a few salient words of advice and a string of humorous anecdotes. It took the Castellan boys a few hard knocks to earn their business acumen.

From 1991 to 1999, the company bought 52 houses, and found that "52 houses equalled 52 headaches". Each house had its own problems, its own maintenance requirements. Bigger, multi-residential properties, all under one roof, might be a more manageable direction to go in. The partners then decided to enact a syndication model, whereby they would use investors' money to buy larger, multi-residential properties. Sixteen such syndication ventures were entered into, and while they were successful ventures, they were not entirely compliant with regulations.

In the mid 2000s the brothers learned a costsly but valuable lesson, one they are thankful they survived. The investment world, where other people's money is used to buy assets like real estate, is a heavily regulated one. After Skyline was incorporated in 1999, the brothers and Ashdown attracted investors on a number of acquisitions, but overlooked the need to make certain regulatory filings. The Ontario Securities Commission stepped in and ruled that Skyline was essentially an investment company. The company was fined hunders of thousands of dollars, and paid hundreds of thousands more in legal fees. "It was an expensive lesson, but we're still in business", Martin said. "We got through it. I like to think it made us a stronger company."

Skyline Group of Companies now owns 116 properties in 44 communities across four provinces. Of its vast and growing holdings, valued over $1 billion, $884 million is in residential property and $272 million in commercial property.

For the complete story, visit www.guelphmercury.com/news/local/

As reported in the Guelph Mercury, April 17, 2013

Guelph fraud talk highlights criminal enterprise, internal fraud

Thu, 11 Apr 2013 20:56:41 GMT

Criminal enterprises are getting smarter and extremely sophisticated in how they conduct fraudulent activities, so businesses and the public must be more vigilant and report crimes.

That was RBC Royal Bank fraud specialist Jay Stark's main message on Wednesday, April 10th at an information session held at Cutten Fields called State of the Nation in Fraud. "Criminals are out there. They will come after you. It doesn't matter who you are," he said at the Guelph Chamber of Commerce-organized event.

In credit card and debit fraud, for example, Stark said criminals will change how they do things in a two-hour span. They can tap into a bank's system and discover weaknesses through mathematical calculations. Then launch an attack that is "really effective."

Stark also spoke about several issues in corporate fraud and fraud management, but he said a big problem and major source of financial loss occured in small businesses, resulting from internal fraud.

For the complete story, visit www.guelphmercury.com/news/local

As reported in the Guelph Mercury, Thursday, April 11, 2013

OCC Presents Pre-budget Submission to Ontario Government

Thu, 04 Apr 2013 19:13:06 GMT

The Ontario Chamber of Commerce recently submitted 15 recommendations to the Ontario Minister of Finance as part of the government's 2013 pre-budge consultations. The recommendations focus on returning to fiscal balance and improving the business climate in Ontario. Read more...

Launch of VCM International - Global Advisory Group in Value Chain Management

Thu, 04 Apr 2013 18:48:47 GMT

OAKVILLE, CANADA, April 4, 2013 — Reflecting a growing recognition that value chain management is a distinct management strategy that increases the competitiveness and profitability of all businesses, regardless of the industry sector or country in which they operate, the Value Chain Management Centre (formerly a part of the George Morris Centre in Guelph, Ontario) has partnered with leading international experts to form the global advisory group VCM International. Its head office is located in Oakville, Canada.

VCM International ( http://vcm-international.com/ ) enables businesses to compete more effectively by creating environmentally and financially sustainable value chains. Its global consulting team is located in Canada, Europe and Australasia and comprises world leaders in experiential management training, commercial-focused environmental sustainability, and value chain innovation.

To access the full press release, please click here

Three Guelph home builders up for customer service awards

Thu, 04 Apr 2013 18:32:34 GMT

Three Guelph home builders have been named finalists for the 2013 Tarion Awards of Excellence for customer service.

GCC member, Fusion Homes, and two other Guelph builders are up for the large volume builder category.

To read the complete story as reported in The Guelph Mercury, click here.

Employees laid off at Guelph's Canadian Solar after rough first quarter

Thu, 04 Apr 2013 18:05:17 GMT

Lloyd Longfield says he was surprised to hear about layoffs at Canadian Solar, considering the company seemed to be doing so well earlier this year. "The last I heard, they had some good contracts, and their order book was full for the next few years", he said.

The president of the Guelph Chamber of Commerce said he began receiving messages from former employees of the solar panel manufacturer last month, informing him of the layoffs.

For the complete story, click here

As reported in The Guelph Mercury, Wednesday, April 3, 2013

City's cultural project puts local artists on the map

Fri, 22 Mar 2013 17:11:27 GMT

After 18 months of collecting data and amassing it into a website, the City of Guelph launched its cultural mapping project on March 19th.

More than 100 people came to the River Run Centre to learn about the portal and what it can mean for artists, theatre-goers, the city, the economy and a multitude of other potential benefits.

Guelph has a reputation as being a cultural community with a love for the arts in all its shapes and sizes, and now we can prove it, says Astero Kalogeropoulos, arts and culture program officer for the city. "Guelph is a cultural community. It's something others note about Guelph. But is has never been quantified before. This is still a work in progress, but we will soon have a better understanding of our arts community", said Kalogeropoulos.

Basically, the portal is a directory of arts organizations and individuals active in the culture field. It can be searched by name, by organization, by category, and each entry is pinpointed on a map. With all the arts and culture contributors listed in a single place, there's opportunity for collaboration, for networking, and for getting your name, quite literally, on the map.

Mayor Karen Farbridge said the portal is much more than she imagined when she began the initiative Guelph Creates several years ago. "This project has far exceeded when I imagined this could go," Farbridge said. "We will be in a better position to grow the arts and culture sector with this tool, and that makes Guelph a better place to live.

Visit the new portal at http://culturemap.guelph.ca/splash

As reported in the Guelph Mercury, Thursday, March 21, 2013