Chamber History

The South Shore Chamber of Commerce was founded in 1944 as The Crapaud-Victoria Board of Trade.

The thirty-two men who founded what is today known as the South Shore Chamber of Commerce represented a true cross-section of the community. Eighteen were farmers and one a bank manager; there were two merchants, a produce dealer, a saddler and a garage manager, an electrician, an egg grader, two clergymen and a priest, plus a barber and a creamery manager- but with one concern in common: the future of the South Shore.

For these men knew that only as an organized group would they have voice... And it must be a determined voice that would grow stronger as time progressed.

The time frame was shortly after D-Day in 1944; an end to World War II was in sight and improvements to Island infrastructure that had been postponed, of necessity, were now under consideration by Government. And some were of immense importance to the South Shore area... It was essential, for example, that The Trans-Canada Highway, then in the planning stages, pass through our community. Snow removal was also a vital necessity, for it would make our roads usable by truck and auto traffic all year-round.

The names of those Founding Members are familiar today, for they are all around us. They grace street signs and store-fronts and are listed in present day directories. And their descendants form most of our current Members' Roster.

We can also boast of continuity. Early in 2003 our community lost Ralph Myers, a valued resident who had been the last living signer of our original charter when he was a 26-year-old farmer! William Waddell who joined shortly thereafter has retired from his original enterprise but continues to run a small 'hobby' business and regularly attend our meetings. Scott Dawson, grandson of yet another signator, a 1940's merchant, is one of our past Presidents.

Those visionaries whose conviction and willingness to act guaranteed many of the amenities our community can now take for granted deserve our gratitude.

On March 2, 1970, the name was changed to "The Crapaud-Victoria Chamber of Commerce" and in 1996 in an effort to reflect the broader area of responsibility we now cover, we officially became "The South Shore Chamber of Commerce".

Although the name may have changed over the years, the original concept remains:

...one body that can speak for ALL the people!