Jamie Clarke is the new President for the Timmins Chamber of Commerce.

Clarke replaces Christine Bender as of September 1st, someone he admits will be hard to follow in the role.

He says he’s honoured to serve as the new President, noting they have a great team coming up that will work hard to serve the City of Timmins.

“My theme as President is continue to reinforce positive collaboration between business, government and residents, to focus on outcomes,” he said during a gavel-passing ceremony Thursday.

“We need to continue to build strategic partnerships at all levels of government and businesses, to grow and still be able to handle the increasing input costs like labour and taxes.”

Clarke adds they want to portray a “positive-based atmosphere” that encourages further growth in the city.

As for Bender, she will spend the next year in the role of Past President.

She says looking back at the year that was, it went by too fast but was a great experience nonetheless.

“It’s been truly a personal growth experience, but it’s also given me the opportunity to meet people that I never would have before,” she said.

Her theme over the last 12 months put a focus on policy. Bender, a self-professed “policy buff,” believes they were relatively successful in their endeavour.

“Timmins’ voice has a true impact on those policies (at the national Chamber level), which I don’t think most people know,” she said.

“The work that (Timmins Chamber Manager of Policy, Research and Communications) Nick (Stewart) and the policy committee do is amazing. And then, when you get to Regina and you see all the Chamber people there listening and being truly engaged in the debate (on) policies that we put forward, that Nick is standing on the floor and talking to the people and saying ‘You need to support us in this’ and being successful is a really rewarding and exciting experience.”

Working with Mayor Steve Black and new CAO Dave Landers, debating policy on local by-laws and having the NOVA Awards land on her birthday were other highlights for Bender.

The new Timmins Chamber board will be sworn in during their Annual General Meeting on Tuesday, September 12th.

Filed under: Local News