Merger of chambers clears a big step
NSDCC votes in favour
By Bill Rea

The Nobleton Schomberg District Chamber of Commerce (NSDCC) is going to pursue a merger with the King Township Chamber.

Members at last Tuesday's meeting and their proxies voted overwhelmingly in favour of the two chambers joining together. There were 196 members eligible to vote, and 102 actually did, either personally or through proxy. The final tally was 85 in favour of the merger to 17 against. A twothirds majority was required for the proposition to pass.

Chamber President Barb Davis would offer no comments on the results of the vote, or what she had anticipated going in, although her comments at the start of the meeting seemed almost prophetic; "Tonight, we are going to write our future."

"It has to go now because of the vote," she said after the meeting.

She did said there are a number of legal implications to sort out, and that will take some time. Davis estimated it would take maybe three months to get something in place, predicting the two current chambers could be dissolved and the new one established possibly in February.

Maureen Richardson, president of the King Township Chamber, was pleased with the result.

"It's very exciting," she declared later in the week, pointing out the business people spoke clearly on this. "It makes more sense to have one voice, than two or three."

The King Township Chamber voted unanimously in February to have committee established to work toward unification. This was a couple of weeks after the Nobleton Schomberg body voted "to explore these options further."

Richardson commented the merger committee has worked diligently all year, adding the process actually started around this time in 2006.

"I wasn't surprised that there was a majority," she commented, observing business people are smart people too. "I wasn't surprised that that's what they wanted."

Richardson agreed there is a process that has to be followed, but she was a little bit more optimistic on the timelines than Davis. She hoped something could be in operation by the end of the year, even if legalities are still being sorted out in the background.

"That's just due process," Richardson observed. "No one can make that go any faster."

A letter to the membership, dated last month, was discussed briefly before the vote. It outlined the process thus far, including the formation of an eight-member merger committee (four from each chamber), which determined a merger was feasible, under certain conditions. They include naming the new body King Chamber of Commerce. It would also see an initial board of directors of 12 members, with eight coming from NSDCC. Executive member Mike Coulter explained NSDCC has about 200 members, to roughly 100 for the King Township Chamber.

There were concerns over the different ways the two Chambers are governed. Executive member Gordon Craig agreed NSDCC generally relies on membership to provide direction, while the King Township Chamber seems more director driven.

But other people at the meeting argued that the individual Chambers from Nobleton and Schomberg merged a couple of years ago. Davis said things didn't go too bad from that. "We learn from each other," she observed.

There were concerns about the differing communities that would be served by a merged chamber. But Henry Verbruggen, who is a member of the executive of both Chambers, countered that's a good argument for merger. He pointed out the Township needs controlled growth, adding "our biggest fight is getting people to come to King Township."

He added these groups either have to work together, or be divided forever.