Committee Reports

COMMUNITY RELATIONS COMMITTEE

The mission of the Steinbach Chamber of Commerce is to unite and represent Steinbach and area businesses in the belief that the resulting economic growth and stability provides an enhanced quality of life for the entire community.

The mission of the Steinbach Chamber of Commerce is to unite and represent Steinbach and area businesses in the belief that the resulting economic growth and stability provides an enhanced quality of life for the entire community. This statement rings true as many local business owners understand how important it is for their business and employees to be interwoven into the fabric of our local community.

The mandate of the Community Relations Committee is to bring business and community together. Over the years, the Committee has supported this statement by way of coordinating various community events and participating in community initiatives. As Committee representatives, we look for ways to celebrate many local business successes and support tourism to our community.

This year, we were very excited to bring back our legacy event, the Pioneer Days Parade! It was amazing to see record amounts of people in attendance and the event was a huge success. Our Committee was also excited to run Steinbach Burger Days! This is the fifth year the Steinbach Chamber is hosting Steinbach Burger Days and again we had a great number of restaurants sign up to participate this year. This event generates great community involvement and captures significant social media attention while providing gourmet delights for the southeast region.

Our Committee would like to thank the membership for their support and invite them to provide feedback and ideas to continue to foster a spirit of community here in Steinbach.

Submitted by Committee Chair, Tessa Masi – YWAM Island Breeze Manitoba
Matthew Penner – Print Studio One/Three Six North Marketing
Gion Delvecchio – Golden West Broadcasting
Mark Hiebert – Barkman Concrete
Alexandra Philippot – Smith Neufeld Jodoin
Tyler Therrien – Century 21
Carol Hamilton – Di Reggae Grill

BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT COMMITTEE

The mandate of the Business Development Committee (BDC) is to promote and support growth and development of the business community. The BDC works effectively to organize these learning opportunities in various ways as we learn from those who have pursued their vision in the business community over time, by hosting Professional Development presenters, and developing the young leaders of our region.

The mandate of the Business Development Committee (BDC) is to promote and support growth and development of the business community. The BDC works effectively to organize these learning opportunities in various ways as we learn from those who have pursued their vision in the business community over time, by hosting Professional Development presenters, and developing the young leaders of our region.

This year has seen us getting back to in-person events with reasonable success. Events that were pushed back or altered in previous years have returned to the desired format to allow inperson idea sharing and relationship building among attendees.

A highlight for our Committee this year has been our Economic Development Breakfast & Golf Event that was held in August at Quarry Oaks. We were fortunate to welcome the Honourable Cliff Cullen, Manitoba’s Minister of Economic Development, Investment and Trade, as our guest speaker.

Ongoing events include our Young Leaders Breakfast Series that focuses on personal development both in and out of the workplace with great local presenters and positive responses from attendees. We look forward to our upcoming Roundtable Mentor Event that is tied into Manitoba’s Small Business Week as well as a Lunch and Learn event.

Looking ahead, our Committee is excited about what 2023 will bring, with an emphasis on quality over quantity events and continued focus on engagement with our local business community.

Submitted by Chairperson, Adam Neustaedter – C21 Gold Key Realty Ltd.
Gerald Banman – Harvest Insurance
Jill Pankratz – Steinbach Holiday RV
Stacey Gagne – Signex Manufacturing
Chad Brown – Brown’s Plumbing & Heating
Jeremy Dyck – MNP

MEMBERSHIP SERVICES COMMITTEE

The mandate of the Membership Services Committee (MSC) is to develop and implement effective marketing, mentoring, and membership programs to achieve Chamber retention and recruitment objectives.

The following is a summary of the key areas of focus for our Committee in 2022:

Membership Growth & Retention
The Steinbach Chamber of Commerce continues to see strong growth. Our local business community continued to face unprecedented challenges due to COVID-19, during much of 2022. However, the summer months saw a return to more normal circumstances. The Chamber continues to support businesses as they transition back to regular hours and work volumes.

Mixers
We continued with our virtual mixers and held events in both February and April. In June, we were very excited to be able to offer our first in-person mixer in nearly two years! This mixer, held at the Cloud 9 Ranch, was well attended and received very favourable ratings from our membership. Thank you, Cloud 9!

We are always grateful to our Mixer hosts who collaborate with the Chamber, investing time, effort, and money in offering quality events to our membership. We look forward to planning and offering more in-person events in the coming months and plan to continue incorporating virtual events, as many members have expressed an interest in continuing this form of connecting with our business community.

Video Project
The MSC produced a Shop Local video in 2022 that was played on several social media platforms and can be found on the Chamber website. The video received great reviews and is a positive reflection of our diverse community and many of the services offered here.

Business Excellence Awards
The Business Excellence Awards exist to recognize and celebrate the great work that is being done within our business community. This year, we are happy to announce a return to our annual awards ceremony, to be held at Friedensfeld Community Centre on September 27th. The Membership Services Committee extends a big thank you to the Awards Nomination and Selection Committees for their engagement and enthusiasm.

Submitted by Chairperson, Michelle Hillyard – Steinbach Credit Union
Elvin Krahn – BDC Business Development Bank of Canada
Eugene Warwaruk – Loewen Henderson Banman
Emma Boulanger – Coldwell Banker Preferred Real Estate
Alan Klippenstein – Schinkel Properties

EASTMAN IMMIGRANT SERVICES

Eastman Immigrant Services is funded by the Governments of Canada and Manitoba, and has been supporting newcomers and immigrants in Southern Manitoba for over 20 years. In addition to working with newcomers, EIS is invested in working together with community partners to support welcoming newcomers to Eastern Manitoba.

Eastman Immigrant Services assists newcomers settling in the Eastman and Interlake regions in Manitoba. Our staff provide a variety of services and work with newcomer families, making the transition to a new community a positive experience for both the newcomer and the receiving community. Our services are free for all newcomers with permanent resident status, a visitor visa, work or study permits, and Canadian citizens by descent, birth or naturalized.

Newcomers From Ukraine
In April 2022, we began serving clients who are working towards bringing their families from the Ukraine, assisting with applications, giving information or providing referrals and helping with restriction removal from work permits. In June and July, our Settlement Workers In Schools program completed numerous school registrations for 2022-23 school year.

Highlights
• October: English for Work Classes began, ran until June 2022; Outdoor Fall Family Cultural Night
• November: First Outdoor Newcomer Christmas Party; Sewing Classes
• December: Learn to Skate program
• February: Virtual International Cooking Club; Income Tax Info Session; Winter Family Fun Day (Steinbach & Interlake); SWIS LEGO & Board Games Club
• March: Annual Virtual 2022 Job Fair
• April: SWIS Spring Break Activities
• May: Women’s & Men’s Conversation Groups; Art Club; Gardening for Adults; English for Work Meet & Greet
• June: Citizenship Celebration at Summer in the City Festival
• July: SWIS Create Your Own Space; International Breakfast Club; Sports Programs; Pioneer Day Parade
• August: Newcomer Meet & Greet BBQ; Arborg Family Swim Day

Home Instruction for Parents of Preschool Youngsters (HIPPY) Program
EIS received additional funding from IRCC to host the HIPPY program in the Eastman and Interlake regions. HIPPY is an evidence-based program that works with families in the home to support parents, primarily mothers, in their critical role as their child’s first and most important teacher. HIPPY strengthens families and communities by empowering mothers to actively prepare their children for success in school. The goal of the program was that program participants – Home Visitors (past and current participants) and mothers and their children – will fully engage in Canadian society and decisions about life in Canada; enjoy rights and act on their responsibilities; and participate in local labour markets, broader communities, Canadian institutions and social networks.

Farewell to Viktoria Vladimirova
We want to wish Viktoria Vladimirova all the best as she pursues another career path! We are so grateful for the dedication and expertise she provided to EIS as Employment Facilitator during her 17 years with us. She will be missed immensely by staff and clients alike. We wish you well, Viktoria!

Six Year Comparison for New Arrivals for January – July
2022 – 385
2021 – 129
2020 – 133
2019 – 254
2018 – 317
2017 – 332

Submitted by Gwen Reimer – EIS Program Director
Marina Klassen – Administrative Assistant
Michael Keller – Settlement Facilitator – Interlake
Erna Friesen – Settlement Facilitator
Marcel Marinho – Settlement Facilitator
Mozhgan Shaygan – Settlement Facilitator
Theo Mathumwa – Settlement Facilitator
Rene Schulz – Settlement Worker in Schools
Amanda Brown – Settlement Worker in Schools
Viktoria Vladimirova – Employment Facilitator
Komal Mahant – Volunteer & Integration
Amber Reitsma – Communications Coordinator