Home

Welcome to the Greater Oshawa Chamber of Commerce

POTENTIAL FRAUD ALERT

A local chamber of commerce in Ontario has sniffed out a scam that is currently going the rounds. An ISO is doing phone solicitation regarding merchant accounts saying that they have the support of the "XXX chamber of commerce" or "chamber group" and want to offer a better program etc. ... and in so doing is asking for merchant information that in no way should be shared with third parties. An Oshawa Chamber member was contacted and was asked for member information (i.e. verification of address and contact). The person calling commented “we heard you were moving”. The member realized by the background noise and the fact the person could not pronounce Oshawa that it was a call centre. The member pressed for information on who was calling and the call was disconnected. It is good practice to remember that a business should not provide merchant information over the phone or submit any documents (merchant or bank statements) to an entity that is unknown to them.

MONOPOLY FEVER GOES CANADA WIDE!

Oshawa chosen to battle 64 cities to earn its place on the new Monopoly Canada Game Board!
Hasbro is launching a Canada wide vote to find our nation’s 22 favourite cities that will be included on the new MONOPOLY Canada game board! Beginning Monday, January 11, 2010 at midnight ET, MONOPOLY fans can visit www.monopolyvote.ca to cast votes for their favourite Canadian cities to help create a new MONOPOLY Canada game board. Oshawa is one of the 65 great Canadian cities and one of 23 Ontario cities that have been pre-selected for the top 20 city vote. Canadians are invited to cast their ballots for 3 of these great cities each day of the vote, which will be open until February 7, 2010. “In the GTA Oshawa is up against Toronto, Mississauga and Brampton for naming rights”, stated John Walker, 2010 President of the Greater Oshawa Chamber of Commerce adding “nationally were are once again doing battle with Winnipeg for top spot”.

WOW! 2009, What A Year For Networking

2009 was once again extremely busy for the Greater Oshawa Chamber of Commerce, with close to 2500 business people attending the over 60 events and meetings throughout the year. An army of close to 100 volunteers organized events, researched and discussed issues affecting the business community. The events ranged in size from 10 to 12 at Lunch and Learn to over 260 at our Business Excellence Awards. Membership in a tough economy held with over 1,100 entrepreneurs, managers and corporate executives on the Chamber Who’s Who list.

Chamber Welcomes News of Harbour Deal

In a marathon meeting on Friday, December 18, 2009 Oshawa councilors poured over the confidential report on the harbour. Council voted unanimously to accept the staff report which will now be taken back to Transport Canada, with a finalized deal expected early in the New Year.
Read more... [Chamber Welcomes News of Harbour Deal]

Organization Of CANDU Industries Applauds Progress With AECL Restructuring

A stronger AECL creates more opportunities for Canadian businesses in the international marketplace. The Organization of CANDU Industries (OCI) applauds the federal government's progress in the restructuring of Atomic Energy of Canada Limited (AECL) and the invitation for potential investors to help strengthen Canada's nuclear industry. A stronger AECL, positioned to compete internationally, will have a powerful impact on Canada's economy and the thousands of workers who make up Canada's nuclear supply chain.

Phishing For Fraudsters

The Canadian Anti Fraud Center (Phonebusters) working in partnership with the RCMP have advised the Chamber that numerous scams are running rampant across Canada and they are asking for your assistance fighting online fraud. Please forward any suspicious emails where credit card numbers are being used to purchase product from your company to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it . The CAFC would like to remind you when accepting a credit card not present; (by phone or email) if that card is being used fraudulently the merchant is responsible for the loss. Fraud: Recognize it...Report it...Stop it!

The Transition Rules to the HST in Ontario

Submitted by Clyde Catton, B.B.A., C.A., Tax Partner, BDO Canada LLP Chartered Accountants. On October 14, 2009, the Ontario Ministry of Finance released Information Notice #3 (the “Ontario Notice”) outlining the general transition rules in support of its implementation of the Harmonized Sales Tax (HST). The HST is scheduled to come into effect on July 1, 2010 subject to legislative approval. Further details of how the HST will be implemented will be released in the coming months. It is expected that the complete policy and administrative details will be released by the end of March 2010.

Go Transit Expansion Oshawa to Bowmanville

Emilia Marceta, Communications Speciaist for Go Transit and MetroLinx, met with the Greater Oshawa Chamber of Commerce Government Policy Committee on December 9, 2009 to present an overview of their plans to expand rail service from Oshawa to Bowmanville. Click here to view presentation.

Christmas Toys & Food Urgently Needed!!

The Greater Oshawa Chamber is on a mission to fill Bob's (Bob Malcolmson, Chamber CEO and General Manager) Chevy Equinox full to overflowing with toys and food to help Settlement House bring Christmas joy to over 1,000 families in need this year. "This year,will be a tough Christmas for many in our community," commented Sandra Sweet of Simcoe Hall Settlement House, "and as of today (December 15th) we have surpassed the 1,000 registration mark and we have a long way to go yet to help everyone." The Chamber is asking its members to dig deep, and consider donating. The Chamber office will be open Monday to Friday from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. from now until Thursday December 17 to accept donations. The Chamber will take donations until noon on Thursday December 24th.

For a list of items most needed, click on MORE >>>

More Articles...