Will you vote in the Muncipal Election in October?

Historically, voter turnout for Municiapl Elections in Burlington, as with many Ontario municipalities has been abysmal.   The problemwith this is that most people don;t realize that local and regional issues are what impact our wallets most directly.  Think about all the services your municipal government is responsible for providing: Roads. Public transit. Child Care. Local policing. [...]

Burlington Business Summit Releases Final Report

Back in October 2009, I participated in the Burlington Business Summit entitled “Staying at the Top”.  The Summit was held on the heels of Burlington being announced he 4th best city to live in Canada, and now the 3rd best city to live in Canada. A final report has been prepared and was approved by Burlington City Council [...]

Burlington named third best place to live in Canada!

Burlington has so much going for it, that we continue to climb the ranks of the best places to live in Canada.   I’m proud to be a “Burlintonian” Read the full report by clicking this link Francis

Shape Burlington Releases its Civic Engagement Report

From the Shape Burlington website comes this description of the Mayor’s Advisory Committee on Civic Engagement: “To actively engage your voice, your viewpoints, and your concerns. To establish better ways to listen to you, and to ensure you are a part of discussions and decisions that affect you. Shape Burlington is about civic engagement. It’s [...]

Chamber Year In Review

Yesterday I stepped down from my one year term as Chair of the Burlington Chamber of Commerce.  It has been quite an illuminating time for me, and I firmly believe I am a better person for having taken on this tremendous responsibility. I want to thank first and foremost the incredible staff in the Chamber [...]

Chamber Celebrates Business in Burlington

The Chamber of Commerce 2009 Business Excellence Award winners were announced at the Business Awards Gala on April 8 and we are pleased to present this year’s winners Neil Madden of ECS Coffee – Young Entrepreneur Karp Namisniak Yamamoto – Service Industry Eco Waste Solutions – Manufacturer Mountain Equipment Co-op – Retail / Wholesale Exotic [...]

Burlington Chamber of Commerce-March BB9

My last public appearance as Chair of the Burlington Chamber.  Up early and networking at a Business Before Nine event

Burlington Chamber of Commerce-Business Before Nine

In action at a recent Business Before Nine (BB9) networking event Enjoy Francis

A few more kind words for the HST

By Line:  Francis Mackan Reprinted from the Burlington Post, February 10, 2010 A Broad Case for Support On a broad basis, the Harmonized Sales Tax (HST) set to begin on July 1, 2010 is a positive move for businesses, but has been a really tough sell for the average consumer.  My approach with my clients [...]

Chamber of Commerce Hosts Minister Tony Clement

I was very pleased yesterday, January 14th, to host  and moderate a business forum with Federal Minister Tony Clement.  20 key Burlington business leaders joined in an open, round table discussion that encompassed such wide-ranging topics as financing for innovation, job creation in a knowledge economy, sustainability of the Ontario economy and the impact of federal infrastructure financing,  as well as forging links between education and business.  This is grass-roots advocacy [...]