iccc n-l sep.2013relationship with online influencers in your niche. owens illinois: this glass...

ICCC NEWSMontreal

Newsletter of the Ireland-Canada Chamber of Commerce (Montreal Chapter), Vol. 12, no. 2, October 2013Please follow the chamber on LinkedIn and Twitter@ICCC_MTL

President’s Message

Contents

cont. p. 2

• Ireland’s Presidency of the Council of the European Union ...............p.3• Social Media: big business inspiration for your small(er) business ............ p.4• Will changes to the Temporary Foreign Worker program have negative consequences for the Irish-Canadian business community? ..... p.5• Spotlight on new members ................................................................... pp.6 & 7 • Annual ICCC summer get-together: another fun event ............................... p.8• Latest Irish Immigrant Integration Initiative event another success .......p.10

I hope that everyone has had a very enjoyable summer. As we settle back

into the routine of life in September, I am pleased to update everyone on chamber activities since our last Newsletter. It has been an active time for your board and volunteers.

In April, we held a Special General Meeting to consider the proposal for modernized By-Laws presented to the membership by Thomas Brady. The process débuted at our Annual General Meeting in June 2012 and involved numerous meetings, inputs and discussions. As seems always to be the case, the Special General Meeting evoked an energetic discussion with contributions from legal, corporate and community perspectives. In the end, the draft By-Laws, as presented and modified with the benefit of much wisdom were passed by an overwhelming majority. One more step remains in the modernization process however, we are required by Corporations Canada to “continue” our corporate standing under new Federal legislation. We will be addressing this compliance matter in the next few months and the approval process it will require.

As we all know by now, 2013 is the year of “The Gathering.”

The concept of having a year dedicated to improving tourism by encouraging the Irish population

The Business Gathering, a unique event and a unique success

and the Irish Diaspora hold events, reunions and meetings in Ireland arose from the Global Irish Forum in 2011. The objective was to increase

By Vivian Doyle-Kelly

(L. to R.) Ross O’Colmain,Enterprise Ireland Toronto; Vivian Doyle-Kelly, President ICCC Montreal; Laureen Regan, President ICCC Calgary; Cormac

Monaghan, President ICCC Toronto; Valerie Ellis and Kieron Dowling of Conach International; Malachy Smith, Past President of ICBA; and Paul Lo�us who

designed and produced the conference programme.

cont. p. 8

ICCC Montreal Board of Directors

2 ICCC News Montreal, Vol. 12, no. 2, October 2013

President Vivian Doyle-Kelly

(President, Eco-Watt)

Denis DeGrâce(Deloitte)

Stephen Fogarty(Fogarty Law Firm)

Mark Gallagher (TCI Renewables)

Vice-President Ruth Hanna

(SEMAFO)

TreasurerKenneth (Ken) Anderson

(Intact Financial Corporation)

President (cont.)

One of the most energetic events we have ever held took place on May 1. Following Dr. Michael Kenneally’s request, the Chamber hosted an event for a team from University College Cork who were contesting in an international business case competition hosted by the Ecole des Hautes Etudes Commerciales (HEC). In short, the U.C.C. team, first-time entrants and qualifiers, won the competition and those of us who attended were swept up in the celebration of Irish talent and international success in a very prestigious competition. Please mark your calendars for April 30, 2014 when U.C.C. will return as defending champions of this global competition. This will be by far the best reason you have ever had to file your tax returns early! We held our AGM in June with our regular Summer Get-Together in Hurley’s Courtyard. Although the weather was unseasonably Irish,

SecretaryTom Brady

(Heenan Blaikie)

David Hannon(ACE Aviations Holdings)

Jim Kellett(MacDougall, MacDougall & MacTier)

David O’Neill(BNC)

w e h a d a g o o d a t t e n d a n c e .At the AGM, we welcomed David Hannon, manager of Facility Projects at Air Canada, to the board. David, a long term supporter and member of the ICCC, has spent much of his career in Atlantic Canada, and we look forward to reaching out to the Irish connection and contacts in the four Atlantic Provinces as part of the national ICCC network with his counsel.

At the Directors meeting immediately following the A.G.M., Ruth Hanna was elected as Vice-President, Kenneth Anderson as Treasurer and Thomas Brady as Secretary.

At the end of August, we held a seminar on social media in the McGill Desautels Faculty of Management presented by member Michelle Sullivan. As is usual with this topic, the response was very positive and we look forward to organizing more of these seminars in the next year.

In early September, we launched our new website, a milestone achievement. All credit goes to vice-president, Ruth Hanna, for her leadership and those who supported her in this initiative. This is a website for you, the members of the ICCC, and will only be enriched by having all of our members include their business details and contacts. In the parlance of 2013, our websites are our calling card and your Chamber is facilitating your prominence with this site. Our members are also eligible to post their details on the ICCC national site, the “Green Pages”, a business directory of the national organization of Ireland-Canada Chambers of Commerce. This site is accessible at www.ireland-canada.ca

From September 26 to 29, we pa r t i c i pa te d i n t h e “ B u s i n e s s Gathering” in Dublin. This initiative of the national ICCC network was attended by representatives from Calgar y, Toronto, Ottawa and Montreal. Our local representatives included Investissement Québec (also representing the Quebec Minister of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade), Deloitte through Denis DeGrâce, a director of the chamber and international tax partner at Deloitte, Paul Lo�us and myself. Denis chaired a panel discussion at the Business Gathering entitled “High Level Overview of factors Irish companies need consider pre launch in Canada.”

Please save the following dates for our upcoming events: European pub quiz on October 16 in McKibbins Irish Pub and our annual Christmas Reception on Tuesday, December 3rdat the Westin Hotel on St-Antoine in Old Montreal. I look forward to seeing you at these events, and others, in the coming months.

Vivian Doyle-Kelly

Immediate Past-President Paul Lo�us

(Paul Lo�us and Associates)

Representative in IrelandDiana James

(Hodgson Sugar Canada )

Michelle Vahey(SAP Labs Canada)

ICCC News Montreal, Vol. 12, no. 2, October 2013 3

Ireland held the Presidency of the Council of the EU for the first six

months of 2013, 1 January-30 June 2013. This was Ireland’s seventh Presidency, and it came exactly 40 years since Ireland joined what was then the European Economic Community (EEC) in 1973.

Since January 1973, both the EU and Ireland have been transformed. From nine Member countries in 1973, the EU now includes 28 countries (with Croatia, the newest member, joining on 1 July 2013). These countries have a highly integrated market, with free trade within this market of 500 million consumers, and a common currency shared by 17 countries.

Ireland’s seventh Presidency, which concluded on 30 June 2013, was a huge task. It involved our Ministers and officials chairing 2,477 meetings and events, and working with the 27 Member States as well as with the other EU institutions (European Commission and Parliament) to negotiate and bring about common agreement on a large number of policy areas.

The Ir ish Presidency set as its priorities economic stability, jobs and growth across Europe. Major results that contributed to that included:

- b r o k e r i n g a g r e e m e n t o n the 2014-2020 EU Budget, a €960bn investment programme across infrastructure, cohesion, education, research, agriculture and other key areas;

-reaching agreement on most of the legislative programmes

Ireland’s Presidency of the Council of the European Union

that will deploy the EU Budget multiannual funding, including H o r i z o n 2 0 2 0 ( t h e E U ’ s programme for research and development), the Common Agricultural Policy, Erasmus + (which brings together all e x i s t i n g E U s c h e m e s f o r education, training and sport into one programme, making it easier for students across the EU to apply for grants and programmes of study), and COSME (a programme to boost the competit iveness of the Europe’s 20 million SMEs among other initiatives;

- m a k i n g p r o g r e s s t o w a r d achieving stronger banking union, with agreement reached o n a n e w s i n g l e b a n k i n g supervisor, stronger capital rules for banks and new rules for bank wind-downs;

- a g r e e i n g o n a C o u n c i l Recommendation on a Youth Guarantee, aimed at ensuring that young people up to the age of 25, who are not working or studying, receive an offer o f e m p l o y m e n t , co n t i n u e d education, an apprenticeship or traineeship within four months of becoming unemployed or completing their studies;

-securing better access to public procurement opportunities for Small and Medium Enterprises in the EU’s €2tril l ion public contracts market;

-making progress on external trade agreements as drivers of economic growth, including a g re e i n g o n a m a n d a te to

open negotiations on a trade agreement between the EU a n d t h e U n i te d S ta te s a n d getting negotiations on a trade agreement between the EU and Japan underway.

Further information on Ireland’s seventh Presidency of the Council of the European Union (including the full progress report and some interesting facts on the Presidency),

By Hilary Reilly

Hilary Reilly is the Deputy Head

of Mission, Embassy of Ireland

Suite 1105, 130 Albert Street

Ottawa, ON K1P 5G4

Email: [email protected]

Tel.: 1-613-233-0528

Fax: 1-613-233-5835

Hilary Reilly


Rogers: leveraging Twitter for customer service through its @RogersHelps and @RogersVousAide accounts, Rogers has a dynamic team proactively and reactively answering customer questions and complaints. And when there’s a network outage, they’re right there with the announcement, reassuring customers that they’re on top of the situation. Airlines like Delta and JetBlue leverage their Twitter accounts in a similar way. Use social media to be there for your clients when they need you.

Better Homes & Gardens: Pinterest is huge with magazines, and BH&G does a great job of leveraging brand-friendly bloggers by inviting them to share their favourite recipes with readers through a collaborative board. Pinterest’s group boards are a great way to give recognition to and strengthen your relationship with online influencers in your niche.

Owens Illinois: this glass manufacturer got creative with its B2B marketing, using social networks like Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Pinterest and Tumblr

When it comes to social media, big businesses have the budget

to test the boundaries. The good news for smaller businesses, with smaller budgets, is that they can benefit from this trial and error, draw inspiration from the successful campaigns mounted by their larger counterparts, and adapt them to their needs and markets.

Michelle Sullivan, an ICCC member, PR consultant and social media early-adopter, brought her years of big-business and agency experience to a group of small-and medium-sized business leaders at a social media conference presented by the ICCC on August 28.

Are you thinking about getting into the social media space? Here are some of the big brands who will inspire you:Marriott: if your first instinct is to say that you’re too busy to blog, you should take a page from Bill Marriott’s book. The 81-year old CEO of the Marriott chain of hotels is an early adopter who has attracted quite a following over the years. His secret? Instead of sitting down at the computer to write his post, he dictates it into a recorder. His message is transcribed for him and published. An authentic voice is important. When pressed for time, find a content creation style that works for you.

KLM: surprising and delighting their clients has become a KLM trademark in the social media space. From using social media to choose personalized gi�s for travellers to having Xmas gi�s come out on the baggage conveyor belt at the end of a long flight, KLM has put a smile on their customers’ faces and shared their stories on YouTube. Use social media to surprise and delight your customers and create a tribe of brand ambassadors.

Social Media: big business inspiration for your small(er) business

to get its “Glass is Life” message across. The company went up against its major competitor, plastic, by making beautiful photos of glass objects and informative videos by influencers available and sharable online. Quality content is key when you’re looking to gain traction for your key messages online.

Keep an eye out for more ICCC social media seminars by Michelle Sullivan in the coming months. Meanwhile, do you have any questions about how social media can help your business? Michelle’s contact information is below, in addition to the ICCC online Business Directory.

www.michellesullivan.ca

[email protected]

ca.linkedin.com/in/michellesullivan

By Michelle Sullivan

Social Media - Why It May Not Be For You


The Harper Government has brought in a series of changes to

the Temporary Foreign Worker (TFW) program over the last couple of years. In April 2013, when announcing further changes, Minister Kenney said, “These reforms will require that greater efforts be made to recruit and train Canadians to fill available jobs. They will also help ensure the TFW program is only used as intended—to fill acute skills shortages on a temporary basis.”

These “reforms” have mainly affected the Labour Market Opinion (LMO) application procedure. An LMO application is a necessary prerequisite in the great majority of cases when a business wishes to hire a temporary foreign worker. These changes have necessitated greater use of businesses’ time and resources to satisfy the increasingly stringent application requirements. Vetting of the more voluminous and complex application packages by the Service Canada officials charged with administration of the LMO process has slowed down processing times, which now may take more than three months. Only once an LMO is approved may the foreign worker request a Work Permit, which causes further delays.

In addition, as of 31 July 2013, the federal government added a new, non-refundable processing fee of $ 275 for each LMO application. Employers are forbidden from collecting the LMO processing fee from the foreign worker. In Quebec, determination of LMO applications is shared with the provincial government. The Quebec government charges an additional, non-refundable fee of $ 374 for

examining each file, though it can be paid by the employer or worker.

This series of LMO changes is a matter of particular interest for the Irish-Canadian business community.

In 2013, we welcomed 6,350 Irish nationals aged 18 to 35 with two-year open Work Permits under the International Experience Canada (IEC) program, meaning they can work in any post subject to qualification rules in the professions. This number is slated to rise to 10,000 for 2014. Several hundred are coming each year as well from Northern Ireland holding UK passports under the IEC program for Great Britain.

Many of our Irish newcomers naturally face a period of adjustment in Canada during which time they may seek out most any employment then try to arrange a move from lower-skilled to higher-skilled posts. By the time the newcomer has arranged such a new job, he or she may well be well into the two-year validity period for his or her Work Permit. The rub is that our fairly typical Irish newcomer may not have amassed an adequate period of time in a more skilled position to qualify for permanent immigration to Canada under most programs.

In the past, employers of such persons could offer to extend their stays to gain the required Canadian experience through a relatively simple LMO application procedure. However, it would seem that the aggregate effect of all the recent changes to the LMO procedures under the TFW program may be to dissuade at least some employers from hiring foreign workers

whether due to the complexity of the procedure, the long delays, or the financial outlay required.

It would be a sad day for Irish-Canadian businesses and our community generally if, instead of being able to apply for permanent residency, many of our young newcomers have to return to Ireland at the end of their two-year IEC visas due at least in part to the government’s LMO changes.

Stephen Fogarty practises immigration law at his office Fogarty Law Firm in Montreal, website www.fogartylaw.ca. The views expressed in this article are Stephen’s alone and do not purport to reflect those of any other person or organization.

Will changes to the Temporary Foreign Worker program have negative consequences for the Irish-Canadian business community?

By Stephen Fogarty, immigration lawyer

Our condolences

The Ireland-Canada Chamber of Commerce notes with sadness the passing of Mrs. Anne Dunne, mother of ICCC member Paul Dunne, on September 18 at the age of 95 in Co. Louth, Ireland.

Paul, who is President of the St. Patrick’s Society of Montreal, has been a long-time member and supporter of the ICCC and has also served as a member of the Board of Directors of the Chamber.

We extend our condolences to Paul and his family in Ireland and in Canada in their time of loss.


Spotlight on new individual membersJoe Donohue

New members join the Chamber

The Ireland-Canada Chamber of Commerce (Montreal) would like to welcome its newest members:

Joe Donohue Robert HalfNeal Kierans Martin Shaw

We look forward to seeing you at our upcoming events.

Joe Donohue is a professional p h o t o g r a p h e r o f o v e r 3 0

years’ experience specializing in environmental portraits, reportage and event photography. Donohue also runs an online Art Gallery specializing in works on paper and featuring his own Fine Art photography.

From his hometown in Montréal, Québec, to what he considers his second home, Paris, France, Donohue’s photography leaves a lasting impression with astounding composition, beautiful use of colours, and intriguing subject matter.

Neal Kierans

Having completed a Bachelor of Fine Arts at Concordia University in Montréal, Donohue went on to have his first photography exhibition in 1980. Since then, as his photos have diversified and grown, his work has been widely exhibited throughout North America and in Europe.

In 1992, Donohue curated an exhibition of photography from Ireland and Canada as part anticipates forging new relationships

with Ireland’s cultural community through his association with the ICCC.

[email protected]

of Irish Activities Montreal 1992/Fêtes Irlandaises Montréal 1992 and

An MBA student in John Molson School of Business at Concordia

University, Neal Kierans first moved to Montreal in November 2011. Prior to returning to full-time studies, Neal had completed a B.Sc and M.Sc in Engineering in Dublin before working as an engineer in the USA, China, Austria and in the UK. He subsequently

returned to Ireland for several years, working in his hometown of Drogheda in the materials industry.

Neal’s future in Montreal was sealed seven years ago when he met his now wife at a St. Jean Baptiste party in Tianjin, China. At that time, he had never heard of Quebec and would have been unable to locate it on a map of Canada. If the MBA represents Neal’s first step to settling into Montreal and Canada, then joining the Montreal chapter of the ICCC constitutes the second. On completion of the MBA

in December 2013, Neal anticipates transferring his skills to a new arena -social media-where his passion lies.

Neal very much looks forward to becoming a part of the Irish business community in Montreal in the near future.

[email protected]

cont. p.7


Dojo linguistique, a language school run by ICCC member

Jonathan Sullivan, is launching its fall session of a�er-work French classes. These group classes are designed for professionals and individuals interested in improving their second language skills in a welcoming and encouraging environment.

Jonathan Sullivan

Founded in 1948, Robert Half is the world’s first and largest specialized

staffing firm. Its divisions place highly skilled professionals on a temporary, temporary-to-hire and full-time basis in the fields of accounting and finance; technology; office administration; legal; and creative, marketing and design. And with more than 345 locations in 21 countries worldwide, Robert Half is dedicated to providing employers highly skilled professionals with skills well-matched to their unique hiring requirements and workplace environment.

R o b e r t H a l f b r a n d s i n c l u d e A c c o u n t e m p s ® , R o b e r t H a l f ® Finance & Accounting and Robert Half ® Management Resources, for temporary, full-time and senior-level project professionals, respectively, in the fields of accounting and finance; OfficeTeam®, for highly skil led temporary administrative support personnel; Robert Half® Technology, f o r i n f o r m a t i o n t e c h n o l o g y professionals; Robert Half® Legal, for legal personnel; The Creative Group®, for interactive, design, marketing, advertising and public relations professionals; and Protiviti®, a global

consulting and internal audit firm composed of experts in risk, advisory and transaction services.

“Robert Half pioneered specialized financial recruitment, and throughout the past 65 years the name has become synonymous with excellence in professional staffing services,” said Harold M. Messmer, chairman and CEO of Robert Half.

The publically quoted company (NYSE:RHI) offers online job search services on its divisional websites, all of which can be accessed at www.roberthalf.com. Follow Robert Half on Twitter at twitter.com/roberthalf, and gain insights on the latest hiring and salary trends at www.roberthalf.com/salary-guides.

For further information on Robert Half in Montreal, please contact Michael O’Leary, Regional Vice President at Michael.o’[email protected] or Cari McGratten, Recruiting Manager, Robert Half Finance and Accounting.

www.roberthalf.ca

• Beginner level: Tuesdays from 6 p.m to 8 p.m.• Intermediate level: Wednesdays from 6 p.m to 8 p.m.• Advanced level: Thursdays from 6 p.m to 8 p.m.

Length: 12 weeks (24 hours of class from mid-September to mid-December)

Location: 4080 Wellington street, suite 320. (Métro De L’Église)

Call Jonathan at 514.284.2622 or email [email protected] for more information and to register.

ICCC member news

Spotlight on our new corporate memberNew individual members (cont.)

John Kinghorn is a licensed real estate broker with 15 years of property

management and leasing experience. Currently with Calloway REIT, John is responsible for managing their SmartCentres on the South Shore and Estrie region. Prior to joining Calloway, John held the position of Director, Property Management with Triovest Realty Advisors (formally Redcliff Realty Advisors). His principal mandate was to oversee the management of Triovest’s office portfolio in Quebec.

Previously, John was General Manager with the Cogir Management Corporation and was manager of Place Longueuil and Place Désormeaux shopping centres on the South Shore. He was later promoted to manage their new industrial division, responsible for the leasing and operations of 25 industrial properties in Saint-Laurent.

John began his career in real estate as a short-term leasing agent with Ivanhoe-Cambridge.

Specialties: Property Management and Leasing. Licensed Real Estate Broker.

John Kinghorn

[email protected]


Business Gathering (cont.)

tourism to Ireland by over 300,000 in 2013 by providing a platform that allowed the Irish to reach out to family, friends and connections overseas. It became a community or “people’s project” in which tens of thousands of people in communities throughout Ireland worked to create events in support of the objective.

The ICCC, together with our sister organization in Ireland, the Ireland-C a n a d a B u s i n e s s A s s o c i a t i o n , decided to hold a joint Business Gathering in Dublin to “Celebrate and Strengthen the Business Links between Ireland and Canada”. In the end, over forty people traveled from Vancouver, Calgary, Toronto, Ottawa, Montreal and St. John’s to participate in an event that was attended by over 200 people in the Shelbourne Hotel, Dublin.

The day was opened by Dr. Leo Varadkar, the Irish Minister of Tourism, Transport and Sport who reported on the success of The Gathering in tourism numbers (including an increase of over 18.6% in visits from North America in the first 7 months of 2013). He thanked Canada for welcoming Irish immigrants and spoke warmly of his visits to Canada, particularly Montreal, where he sits on the board of the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA). We hope to welcome him back here in May 2014 when WADA hold its next meeting in Montreal.

In the keynote address to the meeting, the Honorable John Manley, CEO of the Canadian Council of Chief Executives and former Deputy Prime Minister of Canada, spoke of Canada’s competitiveness, its clean technology and highlighted that Canada is the

best place in the world in which to do business. He also addressed the stagnation of the Comprehensive Economic Trade Agreement (CETA) talks between Canada and the EU and strongly encouraged the EU and Ireland to conclude the Agreement urgently as the benefits to both sides are substantial as are the consequences for the EU of failure. Dr. Varadkar had earlier signaled the Irish Government’s support of CETA.

Danny McCoy, CEO of the Irish Business and Employers Confederat ion, spoke of the contribution of Irish businesses to the country’s economic recovery and the strength of the business l inks between Canada and Ireland. Ireland is the fifth-largest recipient of Canadian Foreign Direct Investment and is the 16th largest provider of Foreign Direct Investment into Canada, one quarter of Irish investment abroad.

I r i s h c o m p a n i e s e m p l o y approximately 6,000 people in Canada, a figure that continues to increase thanks to the work done by Enterprise Ireland in assisting Irish companies to set up in Canada.

Various panel discussions highlighted the strengths of the labour force in both countries, and participants s p o ke o f t h e i r e x p e r i e n ce s i n establishing /acquiring business in both countries as well as the structures in place to facilitate this activity.

Montreal Chapter Director, Denis DeGrâce, led a panel that presented and discussed the tax, legal and

foreign exchange aspects that Irish companies must consider when doing business with Canada.

E n t e r p r i s e I r e l a n d c i t e s approximately 300 Irish companies t h a t c a r r y o n b u s i n e s s w i t h Canada.

The meeting also heard an address from the 334th Lord Mayor of Dublin, Oisin Quinn, who welcomed the Canadians to the city. The Office of Lord Mayor was established in 1665 although Dublin has had a mayor since 1229. On the previous evening, Mr. Quinn had hosted a reception for the Canadian contingent in his official residence, the Mansion House.

Also present was Kingsley Aikens, past worldwide CEO of the Ireland Funds, which have raised over $250 million for 1,200 projects in Ireland, both North and South. A co-founder of Networking Matters, he emphasised the importance of networking. He also touched on the economic power of diasporas and the enormous contributions that ex-patriate business leaders from China and India had made to the growth of their respective countries’ economies. The same potential exists for Ireland.

Canada’s Ambassador to Ireland, Loyola Hearn, wrapped up the conference by leading a panel including Hilary Reilly, First Secretary of the Irish Embassy in Ottawa and Cathy Murphy, Executive Director of the Irish-Canadian Immigration Centre where all delivered status updates on their respective briefs.

cont. p.9


June 12 was the date of the Chamber’s summer party. Held

as usual in Hurley’s Irish Pub, this informal ICCC get-together followed the annual general meeting.

By Anne Forrest

Phot

os: A

nne

Forr

est

Annual ICCC summer get-together: another fun event

Kim Hogan, David Hannon, Stephen Fogarty and Mark Gallagher

Ken Anderson, Vivian Doyle-Kelly and Tom Brady

Bill Hurley and Andrew Fogarty

Business Gathering (cont.)

Participants from the Montreal Chapter were: Vivian Doyle-Kelly, D i a n a J a m e s , D e n i s D e G râ c e (Deloitte), Paul Loftus (designer and editor of the programme), Chris Willis of Canadian Visa Specialists and David McFarlane of Investissement Québec.

Key take-aways were that Canada is the best economy in the world in which to do business, the EU needs to conclude CETA negotiations

urgently, Ireland will be “the come-back economy of Europe”, and the ICCC and ICBA members will provide the networks and services necessary for success in both countries.

Overall, the Business Gathering generated significant interest and energy and was a true milestone event in the evolution of the ICCC. The Montreal Chapter contributed significantly to this success, and many thanks to those who contributed their

time and efforts. Sincere thanks are also due to Aer Rianta and Deloitte who provided sponsorship funding for the event.

Planning will start in the near future for a follow-up conference in Canada in 2015.

Despite a threatening looking sky, the rain held off and the courtyard at the back of the pub soon became filled with members – not all of whom had made it in time for the AGM. Once again, Hurley’s provided an enticing array of complimentary finger food that included shrimp, wraps and a selection of cheeses.

This year’s party afforded members – new and old – an opportunity to get to know each other in a relaxed atmosphere. Kudos to the Board of Directors and to Hurley’s for making this annual event possible.


More than 50 persons, about half of whom were newcomers

from Ireland, attended the most recent Irish Immigrant Integration Initiative (IIII) event of St. Patrick’s S o c i et y o n Fr i d a y, S e p t e m b e r 20th. This took place in the Irish Embassy Pub and Grill on Bishop St. in Montreal.

I I I I c o m m i t t e e c h a i r S t e p h e n Fogarty was MC for the evening. Stephen is an ICCC board member and also acts as Honorary Legal Advisor to the Embassy of Ireland. Dr Michael Kenneally, Honorary Consul General of Ireland, spoke warm words of welcome to event goers on behalf of the Government

of Ireland, and in informative and succinct remarks, described the vital role of the Irish in the past, present and future of Montreal.

Guest of honour David McWilliams, the respected I r ish economist and journalist, spoke in a highly entertaining manner repris ing some of the themes he had given the night before as annual lecturer of St. Patrick’s Society. He also related an amusing anecdote how he himself almost came to be born in Canada, and spent the evening mingling with attendees listening intently to everyone’s comments and questions.

Latest Irish Immigrant Integration Initiative (IIII) event another success

By Christine Clarke

Community group representatives in attendance included Beverly Murphy, UIS President, Ken Quinn, SPS board member, and James Donovan of Heritage Grosse Ile, who came from Quebec City for the event. The friendly atmosphere of the evening was evident to all who attended.

Photos and news for upcoming events will be posted on the IIII website www.irishinitiative.org.

David McWilliams speaks at the IIII event ( Photo courtesy of IPI Photography, Montreal)


ICCC Torontowww.icccto.com

ICCC Edmontonwww.iccced.com

ICCC Ottawawww.icccott.org

ICCC Calgarywww.iccccal.com

ConnectIrelandwww.connectireland.com

Vancouver Irish Business Enterprisewww.vibevancouver.com

Enterprise Irelandwww.enterprise-ireland.com

Canadian Department of Foreign Affairs and International Tradewww.dfait-maeci.gc.ca

Government of Canada (Canada Europa)www.canadaeuropa.gc.ca

Industry Canadawww.strategis.gc.ca

The Canadian Trade Commissioner Servicewww.infoexport.gc.ca

Government of Quebecwww.gouv.qc.ca/wps/portal/pgs?lang=en

Useful Web Sites

Tourism Irelandwww.tourismireland.com

Ireland – Information on the Irish Statewww.irlgov.ie

Invest Northern Irelandwww.investni.com

Enterprise Irelandwww.enterprise-ireland.com

Government departments and Ireland informationwww.ask-ireland.com

The Irish Timeswww.ireland.com

Irish Independentwww.unison.ie

Ireland Canada Business Assoc. (Dublin)www.irelandcanada.com

Chambers of Commerce of Irelandwww.chambers.ie

Ireland

Canada

Upcoming Chamber Events

For further information on chamber events, please contact:Tel: (514) 845-0973

Email: [email protected]: www.icccmtl.com

MTL_DGTL, Montreal’s Digital Festival – Hilton Bonaventure – October 28 -Nov. 02

Contech Montréal – Palais des Congrès, Montreal – November 07

Montreal Wine & Spirits Show – Place Bonaventure, Montreal – November 08-09

Upcoming Fairs in Ireland

Medtec Ireland 2013 – Radisson, Galway – October 09-10

Dubin Web Summit - RDS Main Hall, Dublin – October 30-31

Upcoming Fairs in Quebec

European Pub quiz McKibbin’s Irish Pub 5:30 p.m. Oct. 16

Craic agus Comhrá Irish Embassy Pub & Grill 5:30 p.m. Oct. 31

Carrefour Europe Hyatt Regency Hotel 07:30 a.m. Nov. 06

Craic agus Comhrá Irish Embassy Pub & Grill 5:30 p.m. Nov. 28

Christmas Reception Westin Hotel 5:30 p.m. Dec. 03

Craic agus Comhrá Irish Embassy Pub & Grill 5:30 p.m. Dec. 26

New ICCC website

By now, you may have noted that ICCC Montreal has a sparkling new interactive website: www.icccmtl.com

Development of the site was a pan-Canadian ICCC affair. Jonathan Ryan of Urban Box Media, designer of the VIBE Vancouver website, is also responsible for developing and cra�ing the design of ICCC Montreal’s site. Kudos is due to ICCC Montreal member, professional photographer Joe Donohue, for the board photos. And, a big thank you to Anne Forrest, the eyes and ears of the Montreal chamber, for helping Ruth Hanna gather photographic material for the galleries.

The new website has been designed to facilitate communication with you and the global business communities, to showcase your business activities, in addition to extending the reach of ICCC Montreal. We strongly encourage members to take full advantage by sending us their press releases, news and career updates for dissemination on our website, newsletter and social media outlets.

Members who have not yet done so, may still submit their business directory details and logo to [email protected]. Note that your listing should be provided in both national languages, reflecting the soon-to-be bilingual nature of the website.

ICCC News Montreal is published three times a year by the Ireland-Canada Chamber of Commerce. The publication is distributed by first-class mail to its members, to selected Irish-Canadian community leaders and business organizations. The reproduction in whole or in part of the content of ICCC News Montreal is permitted as long as its source is clearly identified.

Editor: Ruth HannaLayout: Anne ForrestProofreader: Martina Branagan

The Ireland-Canada Chamber of Commerce – Montreal Office507 Place D’Armes, Suite 1588, Montreal, Québec, Canada H2Y 2W8Tél.: (514) 845-0973 Fax: (514) 847-1212Email: [email protected] Web Site: www.icccmtl.com


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