Caledon Chamber of Commerce hosts Fall 2026 Business Summit

By KATHRYN FRASER

Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

On October 21, the Caledon Chamber of Commerce hosted its annual Fall Business Summit that invited many members of the community to learn about how to better their business with support from the Chamber. 

TPC Osprey hosted the event, which ran from 8.30 a.m. – 2.30 p.m., and was based around the theme of Resilience & Growth: Building Business in a Changing World. 

The event started with a welcome breakfast for all guests, who were then led into the banquet hall to hear from the Caledon Chamber of Commerce, staff including Chamber Board Chair Hazel Piacentini, who introduced the event and the work of the Chamber. 

Piacentini thanked all those in attendance and spoke about the importance of the Summit to the Chamber's mission.

“Our mission at the Chamber of Commerce is to strengthen, connect and advocate for our business community, helping businesses by offering unique and affordable opportunities, such as networking, educational, and local events for our members and for their employees,” she said. “Our board takes this mission very, very seriously and as business ourselves we want to ensure that our business community thrives [and] grows. We want to hear from you in terms of what you need us to help with, the issues that you're dealing with so that we can advocate with the Town as well, and whether it's a provincial government or the federal government, we will make that happen.” 

Piacentini then introduced Mayor Annette Groves, who welcomed everyone to the event.

Other Town of Caledon Councillors in attendance included Ward 3 Councillor Doug Maskell and new acclaimed Regional Councillor Tony Rosa, who Groves acknowledged in her speech. 

Throughout her remarks, Groves spoke about the work Council had done to support small- and medium-sized businesses and the importance of collaboration. 

“We are very proud of our small- to medium-size businesses and [it] really takes collaboration…in having the Chamber who really focusses on helping these small businesses and, in partnership with us, foster a community and embrace growth,” said Groves.

Mayor Groves also took a moment to recognize the charities and non-profits that support Caledon residents, with a reminder of the important role seniors in the community play.

“Thank you to all of you who continue to support our local charities here in order to make sure that they can grow, and they can flourish, and they can support [and] provide the programs and services for our vulnerable folks in our community,” she said. “I'm proud of the fact that I have been raising funds as well for a number of years to make sure that you can provide the services that you need for our seniors. Let's not forget our seniors, because I say this, they are the pillars. They are the foundation. They are the pillars that hold this community up. They are the glue that brings this community together. We cannot forget them because sometimes their voices are not as loud, so sometimes they are forgotten. Please continue to support our local charities and support our most vulnerable population, our special needs, and those who don't have a voice of their own, please be their voice.”

Following Groves' opening remarks, Piacentini introduced the rest of the program

Attendees heard from Steve Masson, who spoke about Federal Economic Development Agency for Southern Ontario. After hearing from Masson, attendees participated in an interactive Networking Tariff Survival activity which then led into a presentation by Nishant Arora about the Business Development Bank of Canada.

The event concluded with a networking session and closing remarks from Marion Upshall, President of the Caledon Chamber of Commerce. 

For more information about the Caledon Chamber of Commerce please visit https://caledonchamberofcommerce.ca.