The Snow Lake Chamber of Commerce held an exceptionally well attended luncheon meeting at the Outland Camp kitchen April 15. Hudbay's Cal Huntley was the guest speaker at the event and acting chamber president Brenda Forsyth-Flamand got things underway shortly after the appointed hour, when she called on Camp Manager Cauline Armsworthy to say a few words.
Armsworthy welcomed everyone to the camp and introduced their new chef, an amiable young fellow whose name was Steve, but advised he answered to "House." He gave an overview of the afternoon's wide ranging menu and Armsworthy invited everyone to dig in.
Following the meal, Forsyth-Flamand again rose and went over the agenda. Following a financial report, she advised that member MaryAnn Mihychuk had attended a recent Manitoba Chambers of Commerce provincial annual general meeting in Dauphin and after taking the floor, Mihychuk explained that of the four resolutions the Snow Lake Chamber put forward at the AGM, three were passed and the fourth was rejected as being too parochial and of no broad provincial interest (lobbying for passing lanes on PTH 392 and PTH 395). The three successful resolutions dealt with cutting the red tape on Crown Land acquisitions, promoting mineral exploration, and having allocations from the Mining Town Reserve Fund go to mining towns in their entirety and not into general revenue. Mihychuk said the provincial event was quite successful and had great representation from the Northern Chambers.
Prior to moving further with the agenda, Forsyth-Flamand had Huntley draw the winning number for the chamber's 50/50 draw. The ticket belonged to Terry Hagborg, who won $250; the other $250 will go towards a chamber- sponsored bursary at the 2014 JH Kerr School graduation.
The next item was an update on a proposed "Lobsterfest." The chairperson pointed to an overview of the proposed event in the form of a handout, before advising that the executive will study the idea and bring back a recommendation on holding such an event.
Under new business, there was a letter of resignation from former Snow Lake Chamber of Commerce President Morgan Cann. Forsyth-Flamand asked for a volunteer to take on the duties until the September annual general meeting. With no one stepping forward, Forsyth-Flamand said she would continue on in the position until September. She also asked for someone to step up and sit on the executive for the same period; Garry Zamzow volunteered. The acting president then apprised the group of several proposed guest speakers for upcoming meetings, before introducing the current guest speaker.
Huntley is Hudbay's senior contracts administrator and deals with anyone providing services to Hudbay outside the organization. He is involved in formalizing the business relationships that make that happen. He explained how services were procured by the company and how to become a vendor and bid for the company's business.
He noted that there are 17 Snow Lake firms that do business with Hudbay and six others have a purchasing relationship with them. Huntley noted that it was unusual for a town that is so small to have this type of involvement. Prior to closing out his presentation, he said that anyone interested in doing business with the company could contact him.
Huntley took several questions prior to handing the floor back to Forsyth-Flamand. Prior to ending the meeting, Forsyth-Flamand advised that anyone wishing to take a tour of the camp could stay behind and Armsworthy would accommodate them.
In other news, essentially all students and staff at Snow Lake's Joseph H. Kerr School took part in a local recognition of the International Day of Pink.
Wikipedia notes that the International Day of Pink (not to be confused with Pink Shirt Day or Anti-Bullying Day, which is the last Wednesday in February) is a Canadian anti-bullying event held annually on the second Wednesday of April. The day started when David Shepherd and Travis Price saw a student being bullied in their Central Kings Rural High School in Nova Scotia and supported the student by getting everyone at school to wear pink in defence of him.
The initiative inspired youth at 'Jer's Vision' who founded The International Day of Pink, an effort to support their peers internationally with resources and ways to make their schools safer. 'Jer's Vision' is Canada's Youth Diversity Initiative, which works to stop bullying, discrimination, and homophobia in schools and communities in Canada, and abroad. In 2012, more than eight million people participated in the International Day of Pink.
"We decided to participate in this initiative as it provides students, staff, and the community with the opportunity to discuss the impact of bullying and how they can use their power to help create a safe and respectful school environment," said J.H. Kerr School counsellor Amanda Amorim of the event. "We wore pink in solidarity; to show that bullying is unacceptable and to stand for respect. As such, the day was filled with anti-bullying discussions and activities throughout the school."
