Our Annual General Meeting was held on Saturday March 31, 2018 at 10:00 am at the Gillespie House Inn conference room. The main topic for discussion was the progress on the discussions with our neighbouring chambers to create a county-wide chamber of commerce with local chapters.

You can download the agenda here.

****

Call to Vote:

At 7:00 p.m. on Monday, November 27, 2017, the Board of Trade will hold a general meeting in the Boardroom at the Gillespie House Inn to vote on the future of our organization. This is a very important meeting as it will determine our future decisively, even our existence. Please plan to attend and to vote thoughtfully on one of the three recommendations discussed this past Tuesday. Because of the confusion around invoicing for membership this year, the meeting will begin with a resolution to grant anyone who has had a membership in good standing this year, or in 2016, voting privileges. This will be followed by the vote on the recommendations presented below without further debate. So if you haven’t paid your dues yet this year, but had last year, please come out to vote on the 27th.

Recommendations:
1. Dissolve the Board of Trade completely,
2. Merge with other Chambers of Commerce in Cumberland County, or
3. Elect a new executive that is able to completely commit to the ongoing work of the Board of Trade and continue on as we have in the past.

****

Notice of Information Session and General Meeting (download letter here)

Members:

Please be advised that the Parrsboro and District Board of Trade will hold an information session at 1:00 p.m. on Tuesday, October 31, 2017 at the Fundy Geological Museum.

The executive members have agreed that the future of the Board of Trade is not assured and will present recommendations for your consideration at the information session. Included is a recommendation to dissolve the Board of Trade effective November 30, 2017. This will serve as your 30-day notice to consider this action.

A general meeting will then be held on November 27, 2017 at 1:00 p.m. at the Fundy Geological Museum to vote on the recommendations and motions put forth in this notice and at the information session.

In order to facilitate the appropriate dissemination of information, I ask that you reserve your questions for the information session next week.

On behalf of the Board’s executive, I remain yours truly,

Doug Wilson

President,

Parrsboro and District Board of Trade

There was a General meeting on Tuesday June 13 at 12:00 noon, the last one until September.  The meeting took place at the Fundy Geological Museum with a light lunch and refreshments.  Our guest was Barry Patriquin of the CANSA / Nova Scotia Works organisation.  The agenda can be found here.

All-Candidates Debate and Meet-and-Greet

A live-stream link to the debate, courtesy of the Parrsboro Lions, was provided by the Parrsboro Lions.

The Parrsboro and District Board of Trade conducted an All-Candidates Debate and Meet-and-Greet on Friday, May 26th at the Hall from 6:30-8:30 pm.

The candidates were:

• Jamie Baillie, leader of the PC party and Cumberland South candidate
• Kenny-John Jackson for the Liberal party
• Larry Duchesne of the NDP party, and
• Michael “Thor” Lengies, candidate for the newly formed Atlantica party

The candidates discussed 3 prepared questions on economic development, education and health care in Cumberland South, in a moderated debate setting. An informal meet-and-greet will followed.

There was a General meeting on May 16th.  The minutes can be found here, attachments here, and the agenda can be found here.

There was a General meeting on April 18th, 12:00 noon at the Fundy Geological Museum.  Minutes from the meeting can be found here, and the agenda can be downloaded here.

The Parrsboro & District Board of Trade held their Annual General Meeting on Wednesday, March 8th at the Parrsboro Band Hall. The evening started at 6:45pm with a Meet & Greet and then the meeting was called to order and introductions were made at 7pm.

The first Guest Speakers were Nelson Bezanson and Allie MacLean, from the Municipality of Cumberland. They presented Plan Cumberland, an overview of the planning process and activities slated for the County in the coming months.

The second Guest Speaker for the evening was Laurie Jennings, who gave us a history of Masstown Market and his future plans for it. His incredible story of success in rural Nova Scotia was an inspiration to everyone!

Following the completion of the Board’s business meeting, the new executive was elected. The Board said goodbye to David Beattie, president for 4 years, Tom MacLaren, Secretary, Johannes Hiesberger, Treasurer, and Lori Lynch, Vice President. All will remain members, and David will continue as past president.

The new executive is made up of:

• President: Doug Wilson, Amethyst Boutique
• Vice President: Dr. Mary-Irene Parker
• Treasurer: Leisa Babineau, Fundy Geological Museum
• Secretary: Carrie Goodwin

Directors: Nadine Finlay, Parrsboro Farmers Market; Lyle Yorke; and Taylor Redmond

Meeting adjourned, followed by sweets and conversation. Minutes can be found here.

Our AGM was March 8, 2017 at the Hall, 45 King Street. The Agenda can be accessed here and the minutes of the 2016 AGM can be found here.

Our February Board of Trade meeting was held at Fundy geological Museum on February 8 starting at 12 noon; members and guests welcome.  Lunch will be provided at $7.00; please RSVP so we can order lunches. Minutes from the January meeting can be accessed here.

Topics for discussion will include:

• Nomination of Officers for AGM - looking for someone to serve as secretary
• Student Summer employment opportunity – CBDC
• Cumberland Business Connector
• Parrsboro Community Calendar of Events
• STEP Committee Activity Update
• Geopark update
• Parrsboro Water and Sewer programs
• other business

The last Parrsboro & District Board of Trade General Meeting was held January 10, 2017. This was an important meeting to hear about the Municipality’s Development Plan for Cumberland County and also a discussion regarding future direction for the Board of Trade.

Our final General Meeting of 2016 was held at noon on Wednesday, November 23 at the Fundy Geological Museum. Guest speakers included Sarah Dawson of Cape Sharp Tidal, and Mary McPhee of FORCE, who spoke about the recent successful turbine deployment.

Our last BOT meeting was October 11 at the Parrsboro Golf Club.  The meeting started at noon with lunch served for $7.00.  Agenda items included the future of the Board of Trade and upcoming events. 

Our last General Meeting was held at the Fundy Geological Museum at 6:00 pm June 14, 2016.  A public meeting took place following at 7:00 pm in the Parrsboro Shore Geo-Park. The agenda can be accessed here.

Our last Council Meeting was held at the BlackRock Bistro, on May 10, 2016.  You can download the agenda here.

Our Annual General Meeting was held on March 29/16 at 'The Hall' beginning at 7:30 pm.  Our guest speaker was Hon. Bill Casey, MP.

A copy of the proposed new by-laws can be found here.   A copy of the current by-laws can be found here.

Our new logo is now being displayed.

Our last council meeting was at the Gillespie House meeting room on March 8, 2016.

The minutes from the 2016-01-12 meeting can be found at this link.

Our last meeting took place at noon, Tuesday, February 23rd at the Gillespie House Inn.

A previous meeting was held on January 12, 2016. The minutes can be found by selecting this link.

Mark your calendars for these upcoming annual events:

▪      October (TBD) - Citizen of the Year Dinner

▪      November 13/16 - Tree Lighting

▪      December 4/16 - Santa Clause Parade

The next BOT meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, October 13, 2015 at BlackRock Bistro for 12 noon. Lunch will be served - $8.00.             Topics to be discussed include:

• Business improvement courses to be offered with CBDC
• Sustainable Tourism Expansion Program (STEP) progress update
• Tidal Power activity update
• Vintage Christmas Weekend – Nov. 12-14

The last BOT Council meeting was held Thursday, September 10, 2015.  It was a brown bag lunch meeting at Gillespie House Meeting Room and started at 12 noon. The agenda included:

• a presentation by Carys Wood of CBDC who spoke to us about possible business improvement courses they can offer this fall and winter.  
• planning our fall program for meetings and special events
• call for volunteers to help organize our events

August 27, 2015 - Meet the Candidates (municipal by-election) at The Parrsboro Band Hall starting at 7:00 pm. Click here for the poster.

August 15, 2015 - Prospectors Street Party:

It was a great evening for the 2nd Annual Prospector’s Street Party on Main Street organized by the Parrsboro and District Board of Trade. Thanks to Silver Lining (Rob and Patti) for the music and the Town of Parrsboro for their assistance. New this year was the “Highway Men” Motorcycle Club.

July 4, 2015 - Old Fashioned Saturday Night:

It was great to see so many people enjoying Old Fashion Saturday Night, what a wonderful evening!  A big thanks from the Board of Trade to all the businesses, organizations and individuals who participated to make this event a success.

The last Parrsboro and District Board of Trade General Meeting was held at noon on Thursday, June 11, 2015 at the Parrsboro Fire Hall.

The next Parrsboro and District Board of Trade meeting is Thursday, May 14, 2015. The meeting will be at Gillespie House at noon.  Please bring your own lunch. Tea and coffee will be provided.

There was a Networking Event at Parrsboro Community Radio, April 21, 2015 from 4:30 - 6:00 pm. You can view the poster for more information here.

The last Council meeting of the Parrsboro and District Board of Trade was on Thursday, April 9, 2015 at the Gillespie House Meeting Room. This was a regular business meeting with the primary objective of establishing action plans and project teams to achieve the goals of our recent Strategic Plan. All members were invited to attend to help shape our future.

Parrsboro and District Board of Trade held it's Annual General Meeting on Friday, March 13, 2015 at the Parrsboro Fire Hall. The keynote speaker this year was Patrick Sullivan, CEO of the Nova Scotia Tourism Agency. Mr. Sullivan informed the meeting that the Nova Scotia Tourism Association (NSTA) was formally established two years ago to provide a more independent, business like approach to tourism marketing than the traditional government model. He spoke about the advertising and promotion program funded by the Province and delivered by NSTA that is aimed at increasing the number of visitors to Nova Scotia. He summed up the role of NSTA and tourism industry in this way “It is NSTA’s job to attract first time visitors to Nova Scotia and it is industry’s job to provide the quality experiences that will make them want to return”. Mr. Sullivan also committed NSTA to participate with Parrsboro and area with the recently announced Strategic Tourism Expansion Program.

Greetings from the Town were brought by Deputy Mayor Lisa Ward, and from the County by Warden Keith Hunter. Election of officers returned David Beattie, President; Lori Lynch, Vice President; Lyle Yorke, 2nd Vice President; Johannes Hiesberger, Treasurer; and Thomas MacLaren, Secretary.

There was a General Meeting on Thursday January 8, 2015 at 12 noon and held at the Fundy Geological Museum with a light lunch served.

Our guest speakers were Jim Campbell (Community Economic Development Officer, Municipality of Cumberland) and Roger MacIssac (Director Community Economic Development, Town of Amherst) speaking about the Community Economic Development Strategy for Cumberland County.

There was a Council Meeting on Thursday December 11, 2014 at 12 noon. It was held at the Gillespie House Inn meeting room with a light lunch served. All members are welcome to attend. Come support your Board of Trade, the voice of business in Parrsboro and area.

December 5, 2014 - Santa Clause Parade

November 13 - 16th: The first annual Vintage Christmas in Parrsboro.

November 14th was the annual Christmas Tree Lighting at the Band Stand

November 8th: Annual Citizens Dinner. This year we honoured the Founding Fathers of Parrsboro in recognition of the 125th year anniversary. The event took place at the Parrsboro Fire Hall.

A Business After Hours Networking Event was held October 29, 2014 at the Fundy Geological Museum, 162 Two Islands Road in Parrsboro, from 4:30 - 6:00 pm. Members and guests were invited to socialize and hear about some recent and planned activities at the Museum from Tim Fedak, the new Curator.  Light refreshments were served.

Information regarding Small Business Week from October 20 - 24, 2014 can be downloaded here:(MSWord or PDF).

General Meeting – October 8, 2014

There was a General Meeting for all members on Wednesday, Oct 8, 2014 at the Ottawa House Museum. We discussed the need for updating our focus and welcomed input from all members regarding our goals and objectives, and suggestions on strategies for achieving these, for the next 12 months. The President's Report to Members can be downloaded here (MSWord - PDF).

Due to Hurricane Arthur Old Fashion Saturday Night, scheduled for July 5, 2014, was postponed to August 16, 2014, during the Gem and Mineral Show.

We are very pleased to welcome two new businesses on Main Street, Parrsboro.  Be sure to check out their businesses and welcome them!

Art Lab – a collective of 5 artists located in the former Stowaway/Barebones building.  The group includes, Krista Wells, Michael Fuller, Taylor Redmond, Jill Langford and Brenda Wood. (Click the business name for a picture.)

Days of Yore – vintage greeting cards and scrapbooks by Faith and Eric Rutt located at 151 Main Street in the historic Manning Block.  Faith and Eric have relocated to Parrsboro from Lethbridge, Alberta. (Click the business and owner name for a picture.)

There was a General Meeting on Monday, June 9, 2014 at the BlackRock Bistro, 151 Main Street, Parrsboro, with guest speaker Hon. Jamie Baillie, MLA.

Fundy Tidal Presentation – May 20

At the invitation of PDBOT, FORCE representatives and several of the berth holders held a public meeting at 7:00 pm on May 20 at the Band Hall, 44 King Street. This presentation was an update specifically to the business and political community, and generally to any interested member of the community. It emphasised the need for a more proactive undertaking by the Parrsboro area in order to capture financial benefit from tidal energy.

It was an excellent opportunity to hear the tidal energy plans for 2014, and to learn what goods and services may be required so that our local businesses can better respond to the opportunities that will be available.

Delicious refreshments were served.

General Meeting – May 15

The Board of Trade held a General Meeting for all members on Thursday, May 15 and the BlackRock Bistro.  The guest speaker was Taylor Redmond who spoke to us about her recent “Best Practices” mission to the Berkshires. She also gave us an over view of some of the Town initiatives related to Main Street beautification and business promotion. All members and guests were welcomed with a soup and sandwich lunch available.

Please take notice that the re-scheduled AGM will be held on Tuesday March 18, 7:30 pm at the Band Hall. Guest speakers will include Scott Armstrong, MP, Mayor Lois Smith and Warden Keith Hunter. We have a huge night planned with insight on relevant issues from almost all levels of government. Refreshments will be served.

A Council Meeting was held at 7:00 pm on Wednesday, February 12 at Gillespie House.  In addition to regular business we discussed an opportunity to promote Parrsboro at the Toronto Home Show and the FarmWorks Community Investment program.

There was a General Meeting on Thursday, January 9, 2014 at the Parrsboro Fire Hall, lunch was served ($5.00 cost). Our guest speaker was Ray Hickey, Parrsboro’s CAO, who gave us an update of Town activities.

A Business After Hours Networking Event was held December 9, 2013 at Amethyst Boutique, 76 Victoria Street, Parrsboro, from 4:30 - 6:00 pm.

Our annual Citizen of the Year Dinner was held at the Parrsboro Fire Hall on November 16, 2013 and was a sold out success. Photos can be seen in the Photo Album. 

A Business After Hours Networking Event was held October 17, 2013 at Tyson's Fine Minerals, 114 Lamb's Hill Road from 4:30 - 6:00 pm.

A PDBoT General Meeting was held October 9, and September 18, 2013 at the Gillespie House meeting room.

Old Fashioned Saturday Night took place on July 6, 2013. The event was well attended.

A Business After Hours Networking Event was held June 20, 2013 from 4:30-6:00 pm at Arlene Collins Gallery, Rte.209 Diligent River.

A General Meeting was held Wednesday, June 12, 2013 at Station and Main, Parrsboro. (The old post office).

The Annual AGM took place on March 13, 2013 at the Parrsboro Band Hall.

A Business After Hours Social was held December 5,  2012 at the Sweet Brier Boutique.

Meet the Candidates Night for the Parrsboro Municipal Elections was held at Ship's Company Theatre on October 9, 2012 at 7:30 PM. The forum was moderated with pre-selected questions for the candidates.

Monthly:

• Council Meetings are held the 2nd Wednesday of every month.
• Executive Committee meetings are called as required.

Quarterly:

• General meetings for members

Yearly: 

• High School scholarship
• In June 2012, the $250.00 award went to Karlee Cormier - congratulations!
• Old Fashioned Saturday Night (1st Saturday in July)
• Annual General Meeting (end March)
  
• Business of the Year Award Banquet
• Christmas Tree Lighting
• Christmas Parade (Parrsboro)