July 20, 2011
Chambers to hold
joint meeting
The Deep River and District and
Upper Ottawa Valley Chambers of Commerce will hold a joint meeting next
week to smooth the waters towards a possible merger.
The meeting will be held next Wednesday, July 27 starting at 6:30 pm at
the Chalk River Lions Hall.
Representatives from both chambers will be present to discuss the
merger and answer questions.
The Deep River Chamber (DRCC) has been looking at merging with its
larger counterpart for a year and a half.
Chamber members voted in March to move forward with the initiative. The
two sides are now working on the mechanics of a merger, and the DRCC
will bring back a final resolution for its members to vote on before
the end of September.
Advantages to the merger, cited at the DRCC's annual general meeting in
March, included the suggestion that the UOV Chamber could bring a
stronger lobbying power to bear, seeing as how it has 320 members,
compared to the DRCC's 48.
Also cited as an advantage is the fact the UOV Chamber employs a
full-time administrative staff person in Pembroke, whereas all the
administrative work for the local chamber of commerce is done on
a volunteer basis - and those volunteers are starting to feel burnt out.
"We need more volunteers," outgoing DRCC president Jim Macmillan said
at the AGM.
"That's what's driving us to look at amalgamation."
However, some business owners in attendance remained unconvinced of the
merits of amalgamation.
"If you can't get people to come out and sit on the board, who's going
to drive all the way to Pembroke," asked local pharmacy owner Christine
Harding.
"I think you're going to lose your voice."
In the end, the motion to explore merger talks with the UOV Chamber
passed by a margin of 13-4, with the chamber's executive promising that
nothing has yet been carved in stone.
"Give us the go-ahead to work out some things and we'll bring it back
for another vote," said home-based business owner Yvonne Stothers said.
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