The West Nipissing Chamber of Commerce closed its doors last week and ceased operations. However, the North Bay and District Chamber of Commerce “is committed to ensuring that all members of West Nipissing Chamber receive the necessary support and resources,” explained Donna Backer, chamber president.
There are also plans underway to offer the occasional Chamber event within West Nipissing to bring the business community together.
“We gladly welcome them to our Chamber to allow the business community in West Nipissing to continue to thrive and be part of this vital business network,” Backer added.
The decision to close the West Nipissing Chamber of Commerce “was not made lightly,” noted former president, Pamela Fraser, in a letter to members detailing the closure. “With no staff, physical office, or volunteer board, it’s become increasingly difficult for me personally to carry the weight of the organization alone,” she added.
When BayToday reached out to Fraser for further comment, she was still upset about the decision to close. Essentially, the work of running the Chamber was becoming too much. She operates a business in Sturgeon Falls and has a family, and one’s time and effort can only spread so far.
“It became too much,” she said, adding that her position as president was volunteer. The one staff member the chamber had, left early this year, and the volunteer board members “couldn’t commit and they all withdrew after their first year.”
The chamber operations fell upon her shoulders “and I can’t do everything by myself.”
See: Chamber’s campaign winds down but shopping local still tops in West Nipissing
Fraser felt the writing was on the wall for some time now.
After Covid, people just didn’t want to get too involved with Chamber activities, she noted. The Christmas party wasn’t the best – people don’t drink out anymore, and “everyone left by seven o’clock,” she said – and essentially, the support wasn’t there to make Chamber events worthwhile putting on.
The Chamber operates independently of the Municipality. However, before deciding to close, Fraser contacted Mayor Kathleen Thorne Rochon for some support during the process of closing things down, “and I was told to go get a lawyer” to help navigate those hurdles.
“I asked for help, I asked for guidance, and I got told we can’t help you figure that out.” That’s when she decided, “I’m moving on.”
Mayor Thorne Rochon has also been asked for comment on the closure but has not responded.
Indeed, Fraser cites the lack of community support as the primary reason for closing the chamber. However, the decision was difficult to make. “It hurts,” she said, “it hurts because this was my baby, I’ve been president for almost six years now and I put a lot of time and effort into it, and I really cherished this community.”
Fraser did emphasize that “the only person” who “came and helped” was her MP Marc Serré, who came to her shop “and spent the whole afternoon” helping to find a solution.
Now, Fraser is tying up loose ends and will tackle the Chamber’s overflowing inbox soon, aiming to respond to the members, “who have been with us for so many years.” She added that “everybody’s been paid” who needed to be, and “I’ve been putting a lot of hours into this transfer,” between chambers, she said.
No member of the West Nipissing Chamber was charged a fee for 2024, she added, so she doesn’t have to worry about transferring memberships to North Bay or Sudbury or reimbursing anyone.
She also emphasized that events will continue in West Nipissing, but they won’t be hosted by the West Nipissing Chamber of Commerce. Those days are over for now.
Fraser admitted she “needs time to process this,” because the board members, and the community “failed” her and the chamber. “That’s what hurts me the most,” she emphasized, “I don’t have the support, and I’m not doing it by myself anymore.”
David Briggs is a Local Journalism Initiative reporter who works out of BayToday, a publication of Village Media. The Local Journalism Initiative is funded by the Government of Canada.
