BizPal launched

Parkland County is pleased to announce its newest business recognition program: Business of the Week.

“People may not be aware of the great number of businesses within Parkland County,”  said Mayor Rob Wiedeman. “The Business of the Week program is an excellent   opportunity to let residents learn more about the businesses that are right here in their own community.”

Any Parkland County business with a valid business licence can be nominated.   Nominations are accepted from Parkland County’s Economic Development & Tourism   Advisory Committee (EDTAC), the Mayor and Council, or even by the business itself.  The Business of the Week is selected by EDTAC members and the business name and  reason for nomination will be published in the Parkland County News section of the  Stony Plain Reporter and Spruce Grove Examiner. The selected business will also  receive a certificate of recognition presented by the Councillor for the division in which  the business is located.

“Parkland County is home to over 1,000 businesses,” said Tom Koep, Parkland  County’s Economic Development and Tourism Officer. “We are proud to have so many   businesses that employ thousands of local residents and generate so much economic  activity for the tri-municipal area. This is just one way to showcase and thank them for   choosing Parkland County as the place to do business.”

The Business of the Week program is an initiative of the EDTAC committee. Any  business that is located in Parkland County and has a current Parkland County  business license is eligible for nomination and should be encouraged to nominate either  themselves or another business for this award.

Local free WiFi

Who needs an office when you can pull up to your local Starbucks, order a coffee,  and get free internet access?

Here is a list places that offer wireless internet in Stony Plain and Spruce Grove:

Cafe Simone

Located in the Queen Street Medical Center in Spruce Grove, Cafe Simone is a hidden gem: a beautiful (and quiet) seating area, and good coffee, soup and sandwiches.  They are open until 5pm.  Click here for map.

Starbucks in Safeway

Both Safeway locations (Stony Plain and Spruce Grove) feature a Starbucks with a seating area, and free WiFi.  The greatest advantage to these hotspots is the hours: Safeway is open until 11pm most evenings.

Second Cup (Spruce Grove)

Thanks to Jeff Cubos for letting us know about the free WiFi at Second Cup.  He says that there aren’t a lot of plug-ins, but that there is a “secret” plug-in location under the fireplace.

Stony Plain Library

If you have a library card, you can access wireless internet (at a quiet desk) at the Stony Plain Library.  Click here for map.

Spruce Grove Library

Located in the newly renovated King Street Center, the Spruce Grove Library offers wireless access as well.  According to their website: “Wireless tickets can be picked up at the circulation desk. Each ticket lasts for one hour and there is no limit to the number of tickets you can use.“  Click here for map.

BizPal launched

Parkland County Council Chambers was a hub of activity as  many turned out to witness the launch of the County’s newest online service, BizPaL.   During the launch, County staff conducted a demonstration of the simple  online question and answer tool, showing how quickly entrepreneurs can find the  licence and permit information they need to start a business in Parkland County.   “Economic development is a priority in the County’s Strategic Plan,” said Mayor Rob  Wiedeman. “Anyone considering starting a business in Parkland County can use  BizPaL on the County’s website and quickly figure out what permits and licenses they  need as well as the cost as part of their research. This tool further promotes Parkland  County as the place to do business.”

BizPaL is a project initiated by Industry Canada in conjunction with provincial and  municipal governments. Parkland County joins other municipalities in Alberta, British  Columbia, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Ontario, Nova Scotia, New Brunswick,  Newfoundland and Labrador, Prince Edward Island, Northwest Territories and the  Yukon who are already using BizPaL to promote business development in their  communities.

“Through Canada’s Economic Action Plan, our government is helping small businesses  by increasing access to financing, lowering taxes and cutting red tape,” said Minister of  State Rob Moore. “BizPaL is a great example of the government’s hard work to support  small and medium-sized enterprises across Canada as they innovate, create jobs and  generate wealth in our communities.”

How does BizPaL work?
1. Visit the Parkland County website at www.parklandcounty.com, Online Services, BizPaL.
2. Answer a short series of questions about your current or proposed business to create a customized list of the permits and licences you may need from all levels of government.
3. Save or print your results for future reference. For more information, contact Parkland County Planning and Development at 780-968-8443 or Economic Development and Tourism at 780-968-8406. You can also learn more about BizPaL by visiting the Industry Canada website at www.bizpal.ca

24 hour shopping

Attention Walmart shoppers: starting on December 4th, you’ll be able to shop the store at any time.  While many people couldn’t imagine themselves shopping at 2am, many others appreciate the flexibility.  The extended hours are really “for everyone from busy moms to shift workers,” states Jim Thompson, Walmart Canada’s senior vice president of operations.

According to their data, the most popular categories for the early hours are electronics, dry groceries, and candy snacks.  ”Our sales data illustrates customers are stocking up on everything from food staples to TVs and lots of midnight munchies,” added Thompson.

What do you think of this type of extended hours?

City of Spruce Grove Community Spirit Award

Eric and Helene Thys are the inaugural recipients of Spruce Grove’s Community Spirit Award.

The owners of the McDonalds restaurants in Spruce Grove and Stony Plain were honoured at the Chambers of Commerce Awards on October 17 for their ongoing contributions to local causes.

In presenting the award Mayor Stuart Houston noted that the Thys have been instrumental in securing several Ronald McDonald Children’s Charities grants for community projects that promote accessibility, or support children with disabilities.

The Thys were nominated by Ecole Broxton Park School, where a break-out room for autistic children and a computer lab for children with disabilities were funded by three such grants.

They also secured a grant for $25,000 for Rotary Playscape earlier this year, to help make it accessible for children with mobility problems. Camp He-Ho-Ha and Westview Health Centre also received grants for accessibility programs and equipment thanks to the Thys, and they are frequent sponsors of City-run events like Halloween Hoopla and Canada Day celebrations.

The mayor presented the winners with a framed limited edition print of a graphite pencil sketch called “Buds” by renowned local artist Owen ‘Pencilneck’ Garratt.

The Community Spirit Award was conceived as a means to honour the many businesses that show their community spirit by supporting local programs and initiatives. Eight nominations were received this year.

Winalta posts 3rd quarter losses

Winalta, a company that manufactures modular homes and industrial units, has just released financial results for their third quarter; and they don’t look good.  Their third quarter revenues were $13.3 million, but weren’t enough to pay expenses, resulting in a loss of $5.4 million.  Last year at this time profits were $2.1 million.

Located in Acheson, just east of Spruce Grove, Winalta employs many local residents, and has also had a series of layoffs in the past year.

Residents can start their own blog

Residents of Spruce Grove, Stony Plain, and Parkland that have ever wanted to start a blog can now do so.  Today, the Trismart Network is launching a free blog hosting service for local residents.  “Blogging is really for anyone that has something to say,” comments Justin Jackson, who manages the site, “it could be about sports, politics, or what you did today.”  He also mentions that savvy businesspeople will use blogging to share helpful information with the public: “If you are a real estate agent, tell us about what’s going on in this markets, if you’re an electrician write a post on how to detect bad wiring.  People will trust you if you teach them something.”

One local football player, 17 year-old James Jackins, has already started using the Trismart Network for his sports related blog: The Sport Proctor.  “Watching James publish his blog posts has been really encouraging,” says Jackson.  Nearly every day, he weighs in (with journalistic vigor) on what’s going on in the NFL, CFL, NHL, NBA and the NCAA.  “I’m doing the blog as a side project to help me prepare for post secondary next year,” says Jackins who may pursue a career in sports media.

The network uses WordPress as it’s blogging platform, which allows users to post photos and links to videos along with their content.  It also allows readers to make comments on what the blog writer has written; which adds an element of interactivity and discussion.

Those interested in starting their own blog can go to www.trismart.ca and click on the button that says “Get your own free blog.”

Nova Ridge Estates has been sold

The block of condos on the corner of Campsite Road and Spruce Ridge Drive has been sold to an undisclosed buyer.  The seller is Lanesborough Real Estate Investment Trust, of Winnipeg, has entered into an agreement to sell the block for $10,525,000.  It’s expected the company will profit $3.5 million from the deal, which closes on October 1, 2009.

The condo building, known as Nova Ridge Estates, features four storeys and 102 units.  It sits adjacent to the Tri Leisure Center.

Lanesborough Real Estate Investment Trust is listed on the Toronto Stock Exchange: LRT.UN (Trust Units), LRT.DB.F (Series F Convertible Debentures) and LRT.DB.G (Series G Convertible Debentures).

According to Statistics Canada, Alberta’s unemployment rate has not been this high since June 1996.  As of July Alberta’s unemployment was 7.2 per cent, which means thousands of people are looking for a job in our province.  According to Google, “jobs” is one of the most frequently searched terms in association with “Spruce Grove,” “Stony Plain” and “Parkland County.”

To aid local career hunters, the Trismart network (of which Tri Area News is a member) has just launched Tri Smart Jobs.  This online job board allows employers to post employment opportunities, while making these same opportunities easy to search for job seekers.

Tri Smart Jobs is offering employers the opportunity to post their job openings for free until August 31st.  After that date, the regular price of $25 for 30 days will apply.

Trismart Jobs helps employers in Spruce Grove, Stony Plain and Parkland County to access local workers

On June 9th, we posted a story about the Sign Cellar closing it’s doors.  We incorrectly listed Randy Strocki as an owner.  He has not been a partner with the company since April 2007.