Interest is building in an annual provincial chamber of commerce meeting – who will have to foot the bill is unclear.
The annual general meeting of the Manitoba Chambers of Commerce will be held at Clear Lake this year from May 3-4. It is unclear who – if anyone – will represent the Flin Flon and District Chamber of Commerce at the meeting.
At least one chamber member at the group’s Feb. 27 meeting was interested in going to the meeting, but had not confirmed attendance.
The meeting will cost $300, with extra expenses for travel. The Flin Flon Chamber will not likely be able to cover the expenses of any travelling member, as there is no budget for the costs.
Two bursaries are available for meeting attendees in need of covering travel costs.
“We have to look into whether it’ll be paid by the bursary. We don’t have it in the budget right now,” said Karen MacKinnon, chamber president.
Businesses may also sponsor employees to attend the meeting – an idea that was briefly brought up during discussions.
While showing up at a provincial meeting may seem like a trivial matter, one chamber member sees it as an important element to remind the province of northern business.
“I think the more Flin Flon people show up, the more it doesn’t become the hinterlands. People know somebody there, so they’re ready to drive what seems like forever for them to come,” said Bev Odegaard.
“As much as it costs us, that might be something we should give priority to. Presence is very valuable.”
