Chamber of Commerce offers initiative to help local businesses and students grow

The Lindsay + District Chamber of Commerce (LDCC) and Bobcaygeon Chamber of Commerce are among the local chambers and boards of trade across Canada that will partner with Magnet and the Talent Opportunity Program (TOP) to connect chamber members to the Magnet platform, a digital social enterprise at Ryerson University. Through Magnet, businesses can connect with new talent, access business growth opportunities and tools to navigate the impacts of a changing labour market and the COVID-19 pandemic.

The COVID-19 pandemic has significantly changed Canada’s social and economic landscape, leaving a significant impact on hiring capacity, operations, and business growth opportunities. The partnership is part of a nation-wide effort to connect local chambers and their members to a network of hiring tools and business growth resources in a single digital space.

Key to the partnership between Magnet and local chambers is connecting businesses of all sizes and industries to opportunities to hire young talent and access wage subsidies through the Student Work Placement Program (SWPP). Funded by the Government of Canada, SWPP allows employers to access wage subsidies of up to $7,500 when they hire Canadian post-secondary students for work integrated learning experiences.

“The combination of a national recruitment platform and the SWPP wage subsidy will be an important lifeline for our members,” says Colleen Collins, executive director, Lindsay + District Chamber of Commerce. “The Chamber Partnership Initiative represents an innovative and necessary approach to helping small businesses grow, connecting early talent to new opportunities, and emerging from this challenge stronger and better.”

The Chamber Partnership Initiative will support access to the following key features through Magnet’s platform:

– Nationwide student recruitment: Use the Outcome Campus Connect functionality to reach student job seekers across 85+ post-secondary institutions with one click.

– Financial support for student hiring: Wage subsidies of up to $7,500 available to employers to hire post-secondary students through the Student Work Placement Program (SWPP).

– Intelligent job matching: Employers can target job postings directly to job seekers based on skills, experience, education, and industry-specific certifications.

– Diverse hiring: Build more inclusive and equitable hiring practices with the Hire Immigrants and Discover Ability resource hubs. Magnet’s platform also enables diverse and inclusive hiring with tools that target LGBT+ candidates, newcomers, persons with disabilities, Indigenous persons, women, and visible minorities.

– Customized business growth content: Access to export-related opportunities and business growth information from Magnet content partners, including Ontario Chamber of Commerce, Export Development Canada, Business Development Bank of Canada, Ontario Ministry of Economic Development, Job Creation and Trade and Global Affairs Canada and the Future Skills Centre.

Local businesses are invited to create their free Magnet account today at their Chamber Portal and instantly connect with a national network of job seekers, employers, and post-secondary institutions.

For more information, please contact the Lindsay + District Chamber of Commerce at 705-324-2393 or or contact the Bobcaygeon Chamber of Commerce at or call 416-710-3899.