Dear Realtor,

Today I’m sending out this message as an update to the Welcome to Cumberland project being administered by the local Chamber of Commerce.

Welcome to Cumberland is a project where each family moving into Cumberland County can receive a welcome package from the Chamber and Chamber member organizations. While any family recently moving into the area qualifies, in order to have a starting point we’re asking that you advise us of any you’ve helped settle here since we gave out 30 welcome packages at the August 17th Newcomer’s summer picnic. 

Ordinarily the contact information for those newcomers comes to us from two sources:

• Realtors operating in Cumberland County, and
• The Multicultural Association of Cumberland

In each case it’s only those who have given permission for their contact information to be shared with us that are on the list for a welcome package. As you may be aware there have been extensive communications with the Nova Scotia Real Estate Commission to establish the protocols for collecting and sharing the contact information of a home purchaser.

The specific conditions that meet the requirements of the Nova Scotia Real Estate Commission are:

• Consent to participate in the program is documented as how and when received from the newcomer.
• The newcomer needs to understand who their name and address are to be given to, how it’s to be used. And how long it is to be kept.
• Contact information for people receiving the information packages (newcomer) is only held within the program and only so long as needed to deliver the package.
• Information held for reporting on the program does not contain the personal information collected.
• The information provided isn’t given to the vendors participating in the program.
• Vendors are not to contact the newcomer through this program. It is up to the newcomer to initiate the contact based on the invitations provided by the vendors through the Board of Trade / Chamber of Commerce.

I’ve attached a template for sharing with a home purchaser that meets the requirements that can be used to collect and forward the contact information. If you have any questions feel free to contact the Chamber Executive Director Ron Furlong (902-667-8186) or by email rfurlong@amherstchamberns.ca. As noted in the attachment the address to forward a copy of the attached is welcome@amherstchamberns.ca. If you would like to have a separate document emailed directly to you, please let me know.

Regards,

Ron

Ron Furlong – Executive Director

Amherst & Area Chamber of Commerce

Operating as: Cumberland Chamber of Commerce 

902-667-8186

rfurlong@amherstchamberns.ca