Chamber of Commerce elects new board
Bonnie James
BRISTOL – The Pontiac Chamber of Commerce (CoC) AGM was held September 19 at Pine Lodge in Bristol. CoC President Sébastien Bonnerot welcomed attendees and talked about the past, present, and future of the organization. The current iteration of the CoC is in its 16th year, having been formed by an amalgamation of various area chambers.
Bonnerot said that the CoC has used the past year to refocus activities with an emphasis on more in-person networking opportunities. He talked about the difficulty of getting people to come out, network, and socialize post-covid and the importance of in-person networking, including the opportunities it provides.
To drive a return to in-person networking, the CoC has planned more events for the next year at regular intervals, including quarterly events featuring keynote speakers and monthly networking opportunities. With this push, the CoC is also looking to hire a part-time event coordinator.
Prior to the election of the new board, it was announced that Dr. Isabelle Gagnon and Mireille Alary would not be returning to the board.
Members elected to the new board are: Sébastien Bonnerot, Todd Hoffman, Rhonda Morrison, Trefor Munn-Venn, Gema Villavivencio, Michel Denault, Ron MacKillop, Lisa Boisvert, Patrick Lasalle, and Rachel Soar Flandé.
In a new tradition, the board members were required to swear an Oath of Office, led by MRC Warden Jane Toller, as the highest-level elected official in attendance.
The executive will be elected at the next board meeting, October 21.
The election was followed by the approval of bylaw amendments and then the keynote speaker, Notary Mireille Alary of PME INTER Notaires.
Alary gave a presentation on planning for business succession. She began by explaining the three most common legal structures of businesses in the Pontiac: sole proprietorship, general partnership (S.E.N.C.), and corporations, briefly explaining the pros and cons of each structure.
She then went on to explain wills, protection mandates, and powers of attorney. She described the different types of wills, the importance of having one, and the consequences of not.
Alary talked about implementing effective tax strategies with the goal of reducing tax burden, underscoring the importance of working with a tax specialist and/or a financial planner.
She concluded with the exhortation to “plan early and plan often”, stating that estate planning has a significant impact on overall business strategy. She encouraged attendees to review their will, make a protection mandate, and take inventory of their assets.
The next CoC event will be a 5 à 7 co-hosted with the SADC featuring speaker Rachel Balsdon of the Canadian Agricultural Human Resources Council speaking on HR challenges in rural areas and strategies to address them.
Photo – MRC Warden Jane Toller leads CoC board members in an Oath of Office. (BJ)
