Community Updates – Feb 8, 2013

Community Updates – Feb 8, 2013
1) Cariboo Chilcotin Partners for Literacy (CCPL) is proud to bring you Family Fest 2013 on Feb 17th


It’s fun & free – everyone welcome from 10 – 2 pm at the Marie Sharpe School Gym (260 Cameron Street). Sponsored by Success By 6, and supported by many community partners, enjoy: Games, crafts, puppet shows & music, story-telling and educational activities, free snacks, free books, face painting, door prizes, photos with “Sir Read A Lot” the Literate Moose, and more.


Book Swap: If you have any, please bring along your gently used books to swap.

Posters to put up are available by emailing Kirsten Stark at literacyoutreachworker@gmail.com

2) Be a Citizen Scientist! - Sat Feb 16 from 1-3


This is the 16th year that Cornell University has been collecting data on back yard birds, and our local data will be added to their international checklist. Scout Island is hosting a family event to teach us how to collect local data and recognize the birds we see on a nature walk. This free outdoor event is open to all families, and it’ll be an exciting way to help create a real-time snapshot of where the birds are around the world. This project is another collaboration between the Williams Lake Field Naturalists and the BC Young Naturalists’ Club.


Cathy Koot will lead a birding walk and observe birds at the feeder with you and Environmental Educator Julianne Trelenberg. Our data will be added to Cornell University’s international checklist. Then we’ll do an origami craft to explore beak size and function. All families are welcome; kids need to bring an adult


Saturday, Feb 16 1-3 pm
Scout Island Nature Centre
Info: 398-8532


3) Enterprising Non-Profit Workshop in Williams Lake – Mar 6/13 from 6 – 8 pm


United Way Thompson Nicola Cariboo and the Central Cariboo Arts and Culture Society are partnering to present an Enterprising Non-Profit Workshop in Williams Lake. David le Page of ENP will be presenting an information session to Arts Groups on Wednesday March 6th from 6pm-8pm. The full day workshop will take place the following day, Thursday March 7th from 9am to 3pm. If you wish to apply for any ENP funding, attendance at the full day workshop will be required.

“This is your opportunity to learn about social enterprise – a tool for supporting healthy communities, creating supported employment/training opportunities, and financial sustainability for non-profit organizations.”


There will be 15 spaces available at the information session for Arts Groups and if you wish to attend please contact Leah at the CCACS (info@centralcaribooarts.com) so that she can register you for the session. For more information on ENP please visit the website at www.enterprisingnonprofits.ca. If registrants would like further explanation about this workshop, please contact Melissa at melissa@unitedwaytnc.ca.


4) CTC’s Positive Action Word of the Week


The Positive Action Word of the Week is:


Friendship – Caring between two people who choose to be together.


For more information please contact*:


Carla Bullinger, Facilitator
Communities that Care
Williams Lake, BC
email: comthatcares@sd27.bc.ca
cell: 250-267-8249

*The next CTC Community Board meeting is on Tuesday Feb 12th from 1:00-3:00 in the library meeting room. (contact Carla for more information about how to get involved).


5) Make some noise against bullying – Pink Shirt Day Feb 27th


This February 27, 2013 we encourage all of you to wear something pink to symbolize that we as a society will not tolerate bullying anywhere. Pink Shirt Day is your chance to stand up against bullying which is a major problem in our schools, workplaces, homes, and over the Internet.


Visit http://www.pinkshirtday.ca/2013/02/06/our-2013-tv-commercial/ for more information including how to purchase your pink shirt to show your support. Also, join the Facebook event by visiting http://www.facebook.com/pinkshirtday (last year over 160,000 people committed on Facebook to wear pink and help stop bullying).


Your Support/Participation Helps the Boys and Girls Clubs of Greater Vancouver Target Bullying:

Every day at Boys and Girls Clubs of Greater Vancouver, where no one is ever turned away because of an inability to pay, children and youth get the help they need to learn to develop positive relationships—with peers, family, teachers and the community at large. We know that countless children are at risk of spending their out of school hours alone, left to their own devices and/or vulnerable to the influences of unsupervised street-based activities. Our mission is to provide a good place to be—regardless of their circumstances—for kids during their out of school hours.

Many people believe, likely because they experienced it themselves, that bullying is a “rite of passage” for kids—required in order to deal with the tough realities of life. At Boys and Girls Clubs, we know that victims of bullying, witnesses of bullying and bullies themselves all experience the very real and long term negative impacts of bullying regardless of its forms—physical, verbal, written or on-line (cyber-bullying). We also know that there are constructive and supportive ways to develop skills to prevent bullying and to thrive. And, we know that by developing those skills in a supportive environment, the emotional and psychological scars from bullying that haunt and shape people’s futures can be avoided.

Boys and Girls Clubs programs foster self esteem, social engagement, academic success, inclusion, acceptance, respect for self and others, and connection to community—all of which are key elements of bullying prevention. Boys and Girls Clubs proudly participate in Pink Shirt Day because it promotes awareness, understanding and openness about the problem and a shared commitment to a solution. BGCGV relies heavily on community support to deliver our daily Club programs. Supporting Pink Shirt Day supports everyone who has experienced bullying as well as Boys and Girls Clubs of Greater Vancouver’s anti-bullying programs.

2013 T-Shirts Now Available: 1) visit www.pinkshirtday.ca, 2) NOTE - The Cariboo Friendship Society also had some t-shirts printed (including larger sizes) and are available for $5

6) Cariboo Memorial Recreation Complex Free Events

Free Skate – Sponsored by Oliver & Co. on Sunday Feb 17th from 2:45 pm – 4:15 pm. Please bring a non-perishable food item for the Food Bank.


Free Skate – Sponsored by Canadian Tire on Sunday Mar 3rd from 2:45 pm – 4:15 pm. Please bring a non-perishable food item for the Food Bank.


*All free events are advertised under the FREE events tab on the www.activewilliamslake.ca website. Feel free to print off posters to display throughout town. For more info please contact the Cariboo Recreation Memorial Complex at 250-398-7665


7) KidSport of Williams Lake & District – information and Chapter Involvement


Mission: KidSport of Williams Lake & District is a non-profit organization that is part of a national and provincial network of community based volunteer groups whose goal it is to ensure that all kids in need have access to the positive experience of sport and physical activity. We believe that sport and physical activity provides life-long opportunity for self-expression, goal setting, dedication, and positive-thinking and increased self-confidence for kids.

We achieve our mission by: 1) Facilitating the acquisition of funds from existing and new community events that have the capacity to generate resources for KidSport of Williams Lake & District., 2) Developing partnerships with individuals, organizations and foundations whose philanthropic objectives match with those of KidSport of Williams Lake & District, 3) Communicating the opportunity for physical activity and sport program funding for financially disadvantaged families, and 4) Demonstrating the value of gender equity in our organizational structure and in the allocation of resources.

Values: 1. Kids are important, 2. Fairness and equity, 3. Sport is a positive life choice, 4. Defendable decisions, 5. Dignity, 6. Ethnic diversity, 7. Security, 8. Respect, 9. Inclusions/inclusiveness, 10. Equity, 11. Flexibility & opportunity, 12. Honesty, 13. Gender equity when allocating resources, 14. Leader in the community regarding “equity”, 15. Proactive, and 16. Value and celebrate volunteerism.

KidSport provides funds to cover the costs of sport registration for kids who might not otherwise get the chance to play sports. The statistics are clear: a child involved in sport is likely to be a better student, is less likely to be a burden to the social justice system and will develop life-long physical activity habits which reduce health care costs. The benefits to the child are immeasurable.


This local Chapter is run by Volunteers and is always looking for more citizens to get involved at the committee level. For more information on how you can help or how to register a child or youth, please contact Deb Radolla at the Cariboo Memorial Recreation Complex at 250-398-7665 or visit www.activewilliamslake.com/files/8/KSF%202010%20Application%20Form%20Williams%20Lake.pdf

8) Tax Information Session for Immigrants – Tuesday Feb 12/13 from 7 – 8:30 pm.

This FREE information session about filing Canadian tax returns will answer questions about tax deductions, RESPs, and the best savings plan for you and your family. All New Canadians are welcome. Led by Susan Nelson, IMSS and Debbie Seland, Quality Tax Service. Session is being held at the IMSS Centre, 118C North First Avenue, Williams Lake.


Learn more about Welcome WL projects and ways you can get involved by going to our Facebook page: Welcome WL (http://www.facebook.com/pages/Welcome-WL/140988839389257)


9) FREE SCREENING EVENT - Wednesday Feb 20th 7:00pm


Location - Williams Lake Longhouse on Stampede grounds, access from Pinchbeck Street


Directed by Stephen A. Smith and Julia Szucs: A dog team pulls an Inughuit family across the vast sea ice of Greenland. But with the terrain melting beneath them, the dogs break through the surface, plunging into frigid polar waters. Navarana, an elder and one of the passengers on this sled, is coming to terms with the unprecedented changes facing all Arctic peoples. In the 1860s, Navarana’s visionary ancestor—a shaman from Baffin Island, Canada, named Qitdlarssuaq—embarked on a legendary and epic journey, leading an Inuit migration to Greenland. Over 150 years later, Navarana travels to her ancestor’s homeland to connect with her distant Canadian cousins.


The viewpoints and opinions expressed in these presentations are strictly those of the producers and may not reflect those of the Cariboo Regional District Board of Directors, staff or volunteers.


10) Graduation season is coming up… and the Glass Slipper Boutique is open:

Boutique Description: Helps graduates with low income attend their festivities. Loans prom dresses, arranges tux rentals; possible support with grad fees, hair appointments, or other grad expenses. Phone: (250) 267-1467 Email: lora.fairbrother@sd27.bc.ca.

This year, sponsor a grad, help rent a tux, assist with hair and makeup the day of, or help get the boutique items on their “wish list” - see the Boys & Girls Club website http://www.bgcwilliamslake.com/assets/new%20glass%20slipper%20wish%20list.pdf


11) From the City of Williams Lake


a) Council receives 2012 Crime Outlook: Crime rates in 2012 remained below 2008 rates, which are a baseline for the previous 10 years, City Council heard at its Jan. 22 meeting.

RCMP Inspector Warren Brown and Safer Community Coordinator Dave Dickson presented Council with a 2012 Crime Statistics Overview, which shows crime rates up over 2011, but down significantly from the baseline level represented by the 2008 numbers.


Calls for service declined by roughly 300 calls between 2012 and 2008, and were just slightly higher in 2012 than 2011. Insp. Brown attributed some of the reduction to the False Alarm Bylaw Council passed in 2011. False alarms have fallen from nearly 900 in 2008 to less than 600 in 2012.


Theft of vehicle declined to roughly 100 in 2012, down from more than 250 in 2008, and up from roughly 30 in 2011. Break and enters to both business and residences also declined from 2008.


Domestic violence incidents have increased since both 2008 and 2011, to nearly 100 reported cases from just over 80. It is believed increased awareness and education may be leading to more victims reporting domestic violence than previously.

“As Inspector Brown told Council, these are not numbers to be content with, but they show we’re going in the right direction,” says Mayor Kerry Cook. “Council is exploring more initiatives to help reduce crime and increase safety even further.”


The RCMP’s 2012/2013 Annual performance Plan calls for continuing to improve and enhance police and aboriginal relationships, contributing to safer youth, and contributing to community safety.

Volunteer programs such as Restorative Justice, Business Watch, and Operation Red Nose have also had successes in 2012, with 125 businesses participating in Business Watch, and Operation Red Nose providing 280 rides to more than 639 riders over the 2012 holiday season. The program also accepted $8,000 in donations.


b) Community Services Committee to review Station House Gallery Goals and Objectives


Council recently received the Williams Lake Railway Station Building Condition Assessment and Redevelopment Options report, which assesses the Station House Gallery’s structural condition, review fire and life safety conditions, develops two schematic redevelopment options for the building, and provides cost estimates based on the schematic design drawings.

The report found that overall, the building’s structure is sound and adequate for its intended use as an art gallery, and included three potential site plans for the building. Estimates for restoration of the building, either at the current Station House gallery site, or at a site previously identified, the Royal Bank parking lot at the corner of 4th Avenue and Borland Street, are approximately $1.1 million. A number of heritage and community grants have been identified as possible funding sources.

In 2010, as the City was evaluating the costs of stabilizing the building in its current location, the question arose if it made sense to spend funds to construct a new basement and undertake repairs to the building on the current site or move the building to a more visible location in the community. In March 2011, a grant application for provincial funding through the Towns for Tomorrow program was denied, and as such, no work was completed on the gallery.

At its January 22 meeting, Council resolved to refer this issue to the Community Services Committee to develop a set of goals and objectives for the Station House Gallery building, and to present them back to Council.


“This project remains an important one, but it will require a partnership with a senior level of government to make it a reality,’ says Mayor Cook. “I look forward to the report from the Community Services Committee as we look for ways to move forward.”

12) SPC Living Wage Meeting

At the next SPC meeting, the topic will be our local Living Wage Campaign. Save the date – Monday Feb 25th from 11:30 am – 1 pm, location TBA (stay tuned for more information).