Back on July 1^st 2022 we founded a new organization by the name of West Nova Chamber of Commerce.

It has been a wonderful journey.

Speaking for myself and my wife. I worked full time for 16 months as my wife and Julie White as Secretary Treasure also put in a lot of time.

Other Directors and Advisors also invested time and money.

We accomplished a lot of good things.

We have become a respected voice in the community.

We successfully advocated for various initiatives, including:

We lit the fire to get the Gate’s Lane bridge rebuilt.

We led and won the fight to keep the MV Fundy Rose ferry from being deployed.

We dug the 101 Highway bypass out of the deep freezer and thawed it out. It is now going to be completed.

We got road and highway improvements done.

We got the road signs upgraded.

We have had successful meetings with good speakers.

We ran a Candidates Night.

We are promoting the Evita Theatre event.

We hosted the Labour Skills and Immigration (LSI) event.

We sponsored the $100 Student event.

We have had prominent politicians attend our meetings.

We created the Chamber TV series.

We worked with local businesses and NGO to deal with issues.

We did volunteer presentations for the NS Community College.

We promoted tourism

We volunteered in helping the Digby Legion.

Etc.

All in all, what we accomplished in 16 short months was nothing short of amazing.

But changes happen. The only thing consistent is Change itself.

Now on this day of January 1st 2025 we begin a new journey that reflects significant changes.

“The West Nova Chamber of Commerce has undergone a period of significant transition. After careful consideration, the Board of Directors has made the decision to restructure the Chamber’s operations to better align with the evolving needs of our region.

This decision was made with a focus on ensuring the long-term sustainability and effectiveness of the Chamber.

Moving forward, the Chamber will prioritize advocacy as its core function. This strategic shift will allow us to:

Unite our Region: By expanding our reach and focusing on regional advocacy, we can more effectively address the challenges and opportunities facing South West Nova Scotia.

Amplify Our Voice: A united voice is a powerful voice. By working together across the region, we can achieve greater results in advocating for the needs of our communities.

Streamline Operations: This restructuring will allow us to streamline our operations and focus our resources on impactful advocacy initiatives.

Build Chamber TV: We will continue to create interesting videos about interesting people and places.

Southwest Nova News: We will continue to cover things of interest to SW NS in our Facebook group, see link below.

We are committed to continuing to serve our members and the broader community. We believe that this new direction will enable the Chamber to play a more significant role in shaping the future of South West Nova Scotia.

We extend our sincere gratitude to our past and present Board members, volunteers, and the entire community for their support and dedication.”

Speaking personally again, thanks to everyone who helped us with our many successes and look forward to working with you all going forward.

Dan White

CEO West Nova Chamber of Commerce