Welcome to 2008!

President's Message

Drop by the HRPYR booth at the HRPAO Conference (the far left as you come in) and introduce yourself to the Volunteers.

After the conference ends we have a great lineup of meetings. Check the website for up to the minute details, but I want to emphasize two in particular:

• May 22nd – Excellence in Human Resources Gala – Join us to celebrate the efforts of our volunteers, recognize the HRPYR HR Professional of the Year, and applaud our new CHRPs. An evening of collegial fun.
  
  
• June 25th – We present our fourth Annual Golf Tournament in partnership with THRP (Toronto Chapter) and the CCAA (Canadian Centre for Abuse Awareness). Join us in support of a worthy cause while we network to our hearts content (oh, and pretend to be golfers too). ClubLink’s Diamondback course should be great!

May we all have a healthy and prosperous year,

Ian Turnbull, BA, MBA, CHRP
HRPYR Chapter President
president@hrpyr.org

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Visit Us at Innovate ’08!!

This year, HRPAO has invited its various Chapters to participate at the annual HRPAO conference. The Human Resources Professionals of York Region (HRPYR) will have an exhibit table in the marketplace at the conference and we hope you’ll stop by to visit!

Take a breather from sessions and visit us January 30 & 31 from 10 a.m. until 5 p.m. in "Chapter Alley" on the 800 level near Halls F&G. Come and chat with Chapter volunteers, learn more about your Chapter in action! We’ll have information about our programs and events (mentorship, school visits, sponsorship, HR Excellence Award, golf tournament), volunteer opportunities and of course, details on upcoming events!

Stop by and say hi! We look forward to seeing you there!

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As the third largest and fastest growing chapter of HRPAO, we are pleased to welcome our newest members. Together with other members who have joined during 2007, these six new HRPYR members have contributed to an 8% growth in membership in 2007, bringing the Chapter to 1153 members as of December 31, 2007.

Welcome to the following New Members who joined HRPYR in December, 2007:

• Kelly Harrison
• Hazel Bullock-Norrie
• Liang Huang
• Andrea Short
• Michael Wierzbicki
• Wayne Magro
  

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HRPYR Chapter Schedule of Events

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Are you a great HR Practitioner?

Are you the HRPYR Human Resources Professional of the Year?

We often hear wonderful stories about how our members represent the HR profession, and how many exemplify the very best of the profession. You may well be one such story, and if so, you may very well be our Human Resources Professional of the Year!

Human Resources professionals play a crucial role in helping people and organizations achieve success. We believe that many of our members exemplify all the attributes of the best in the HR profession and we are proud of the dedication, efforts and accomplishments of our Chapter members. We wanted to recognize excellence in the profession within York Region, so we decided that we should celebrate our members’ accomplishments. And we did, by creating The HRPYR Human Resources Professional of the Year Award.

The award is given in recognition of an individual’s significant achievements in the Human Resources field. Nominations for the award will be reviewed by a panel of judges from HRPYR and the York Region business community, and the winner will be recognized at the First Annual HRPYR Excellence in Human Resources Gala, to be held on
May 22, 2008.

Our winner will receive an award, an invitation to the Excellence in Human Resources Gala, and media recognition in the form of a congratulatory ad in a York Region publication. In addition, a donation will be made in their name to CCAA – the charity that HRPYR has chosen to support on behalf of our members.

This is your opportunity to shine and be recognized not only by your peers, but also by the business community as a whole! We hope you will participate this year. Individuals may be nominated by their organization or may self nominate. Find out how to qualify or submit a nomination.

Nominations close February 29, 2008. Winners will be notified
March 31, 2008.

Tickets for the Gala on sale soon! Watch the website for updates! www.hrpyr.org

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2007 Holiday Lunch Sponsors

On Friday November 30th, 2007, we held our annual Holiday Lunch at The School in Markham. Along with providing the usual fine meal and membership networking opportunities, the event raised $315 for the Canadian Centre for Abuse Awareness.

Door prize draws were held, and everyone left with a gift bag filled with useful items. Thanks to everyone who provided gifts and donated their time to make this event a fitting end to the year. Below is a list of organizations that sponsored and contributed prizes for the Holiday lunch – you can show your appreciation for their support by using their products and services.

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Chapter Sponsorship Program

According to the Concise Oxford Dictionary, a sponsor is “A person or an organization that pays for … a project or activity.” HRPYR recently revamped and re-launched its Chapter Sponsor Program with a variety of different sponsorship opportunities created to support the activities the Chapter provides to its members.

We will be working hard throughout the coming year to renew sponsorships with past partners and to introduce new sponsors for the Chapter, with a view to providing you - our members - with more member benefits.

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NEW Chapter Sponsor! HRPYR Welcomes Johnson Inc!
We are pleased to announce Johnson Inc. as the HRPYR Breakfast Series sponsor. Johnson Inc. will sponsor all of the HRPYR breakfast meeting sessions from January 2008 to May 2009.

Johnson Inc. is one of Canada's leading Insurance and Benefit providers. A national organization with 60+ locations across the country, Johnson offers award winning customer service to individual policyholders and to more than 2.9 million members and employees of client associations and organizations stretching from St. John's, NL to Vancouver, B.C.

Feel free to visit their website www.johnson.ca

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We are pleased to announce that Canadian HR Press will be renewing as the HRPYR Education & Mentoring Sponsor for 2008/2009. Canadian HR Press is a leading provider of certification study guides and training.
Feel free to visit their website at www.canadianhrpress.ca

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Don’t forget to take advantage of the discounts, special offers and services offered to you by our Sponsors, Association Partners and Affinity Partners!

For a complete list of Chapter Sponsors and Affinity partners, and the discounts offered to HRPYR members, please visit https://www.hrpyr.org/?page=our_advertisers

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Want to grow YOUR business? Contact Bridget Carter, Director of Marketing at marketing@hrpyr.org or call (866) 977-9975 or
(416) 483-2070 if you are interested in partnership or sponsorship opportunities with HRPYR. We have opportunities available for Chapter and special event sponsorship, including an Annual Golf Tournament and an Annual Excellence in Human Resources York Region Gala Event.

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Since January 23, 2008, a new American law requires everyone entering the United States BY AIR to have a valid passport.

Canadians can continue to use such documents as their birth certificates and drivers’ licence to cross the Canada-US border BY LAND AND SEA until at least June 1, 2009.

Consular Affairs recommends you should have a valid Canadian passport for all trips outside Canada. A passport is the only reliable and universally accepted identification document, and it proves that you have a right to return to Canada. Some countries do not require a passport for entry but do require photographic identification (such as a driver’s licence) as well as proof of Canadian citizenship (such as birth certificate or citizenship card). However, this varies from country to country.

For further information, visit the Canadian Border Services Agency website at www.cbsa.gc.ca.

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HRPYR e-Connections

Director of Chapter Management:
Jennifer Catania
Chief Editor:
Karen Knowles
Committee Members/Contributors:
Elaine Pietrangelo
Catherine Poon
Adrian Quesada
Shelbyanne Samuels

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HRPYR e-Connections is published quarterly via member e-blast. Questions about articles in this issue can be sent to the feature contributor. To make general comments, queries or suggestions for or submissions of future articles please e-mail: management@hrpyr.org