Eastern PEI Chamber of Commerce

Mary Elliott
Administrator
Eastern Prince Edward Island Chamber of Commerce/PEI Chambers of Commerce and Mary MacQueen's By the Sea B&B
30-11 Sunset Lane
Lower Montague, PE C0A 1R0
www.epeicc.ca or www.peichambersofcommerce.ca
902 - 838-4791

2008 Year at a Glance
In 2008 we continued to build on the chamber’s regional approach to business. As an executive, we continue to promote our position that the communities of eastern PEI work together in supporting existing businesses of the region as well as attracting new businesses to the area.

With this as our approach, we have endeavoured to make our business mixers, discussion groups and chamber events appeal to the interest of a broad base of chamber membership. Mixers were held across the region in 2008 to feature such groups as the 2009 Canada Games, United Way of PEI, Community Development, and The RCMP and Counterfeit funds and products. The Chamber attended Annual General Meetings for Island East Tourism, PEI Chambers of Commerce and Atlantic Provinces Chambers of Commerce. Our annual general meeting in June was held at Roma Three Rivers with the sole purpose of bringing together groups in Eastern PEI to include Tourism, Heritage and First Nations. Our keynote speakers at that event were Minister Alan Campbell, and Tabatha Bernard, First Nations Ambassador.

I would also like to recognize the efforts of Derek Nicholson, a past president of the Chamber, in his successful efforts to organize a regional discussion group that includes Mayors and staff from each of the 3 largest towns in Eastern PEI as well as a broad range of business representatives. Such discussion groups as well as other of our Chamber’s efforts recognize that the economic prosperity of our communities is related to the business climate of the region...such that when one community prospers, all communities benefit.

Looking forward to 2009, I would like to see the Chamber become more cognisant of and more active in promoting the interest of our primary industries in eastern PEI. I feel that governments at all levels may be loosing sight of the importance of agriculture, forestry and fishing as the fundamental economic engine for business in the region. It is important that we understand the impact that primary industry has in supporting our service trades and the wealth that is generated for eastern PEI from our natural resources.

Blair Aitken
President, 2008/-09
Eastern Prince Edward Islands Chamber of Commerce