Community Updates (20) - Oct 17, 2014

1) Next Social Planning Council Monthly Meeting - Monday Oct 27th at 11:30 am

2) Questions for All-Candidates in the upcoming municipal elections - view online

3) Central Cariboo pool survey results announced

4) Communities that Care's - Positive Action Word of the Week - Happiness

5) Recreation Complex's Active Living Guide - Fall/Winter 2014-2015 now available

6) Annual Haunted House - Boys & Girls Club Oct 24 & 25th from 7 - 10pm

7) SD Policy Update - Use of Facilities fee structure

8) Citizenship Sessions with the Immigrant and Multicultural Services Society

9) English for Professional Purposes - TRU course offering (Saturdays in November)

10) Susan Dives with Sharks - presented by Scout Island Nature Centre & the WL Field Naturalists

11 Aboriginal Training for Employment Program - free training

12) "Healthy Bite" Vegetarian Supper Club - resumes Sunday Sept 28 at 6pm

13) Williams Lake Wanderers - October 2014 Schedule of events

14) Seniors Activity Centre - good used winter clothing sale - Sat Oct 25th & Sun Oct 26th

15) Women's Contact Society & Child Development Centre's Annual Diamond Dinner - Oct 25th

16) The Elks and Royal Purple - Garage & craft sale on Oct 25th from 9am-3pm

17) StrongStart Centres are now open throughout SD no. 27

18) Halloween @ Miocene - 150 Mile House on Friday Oct 24th at 6pm

19) Williams Lake Christian Women's Club hosts Better at Home - Tues Oct 21st from 9 - 11am

20) Nothing says Halloween like Spiders!  Oct 25th from 12 - 2pm @ SINC

1) Next Social Planning Council Monthly Meeting - Monday Oct 27th at 11:30 am

The next monthly Social Planning Council meeting is on Monday October 27th at the Child Development Centre from 11:30 am - 1pm. Everyone is welcome to attend, and bring a friend. No RSVP is required unless you would like lunch (deadline for lunch RSVP is Thursday Oct 23rd and please include any dietary restrictions).

Advance notice of our upcoming Annual General Meeting - Monday Nov 24th at the City of Williams Lake from 11:30 - 1:30 pm.

2) Questions for All-Candidates in the upcoming municipal elections - view online

The Social Planning Council asked you to submit questions you would like all candidates in the upcoming municipal elections to respond to. The questions put forth have been summarized and thank-you to everyone who used this service the SPC provided.

3) Central Cariboo pool survey results announced

A second survey of residents within the central Cariboo recreation boundary shows a high level of awareness and support of the proposed project to renovate the Sam Ketchum pool.

Visit http://www.williamslake.ca/civicalerts.aspx?AID=109 to read more.

4) Communities that Care's - Positive Action Word of the Week

The Positive Action word of the week of Oct 20th is: Happiness: To feel good about who you are and what you do.

If you would like more background information about Positive Action please contact Carla Bullinger at 250-267-8249 or email comthatcares@sd27.bc.ca

5) Recreation Complex's Active Living Guide - Fall/Winter 2014-2015 now available

The new Active Living Guide is available. Find a hardcopy or view (and register) online at www.activewilliamslake.com or call 250-398-7665

6) Annual Haunted House - Boys & Girls Club Oct 24 & 25th from 7 - 10pm

The famous 8th Annual Haunted House is coming soon! October 24th and 25th from 7-10pm! Are you scared of abandoned hospitals??? Please note, this is not for the faint of heart or very young without adult supervision.

Shortly after the Haunted House,  join us for Pumpkin Chucking! Launch your Halloween Jack-o-lanterns and pumpkins using our trebuchets (thanks to RFN Enterprises!) - November 2nd at 11:00am - Location TBA. Call 250-392-5730 for more information.

7) SD Policy Update - Use of Facilities fee structure

The Social Planning Council collected and shared community feedback with Kevin Futcher, Secretary/Treasurer of School District No. 27 about the proposed changes to the fee structure for facility user groups. A summary of the meeting is below.

Rationale for the new cost charges:

-Policy has long required school staff to open the school, control the keys and be present when community groups were using the school. With budget cuts and the significant reduction in custodial time, this policy was not enforced. Many groups have multiple copies of keys, numerous people open & close the schools etc.

-Liability is a major concern in these circumstances, as well as the lack of control and the cost of clean-up with the condition the schools are often left in.

Impact:

-The cost increase will mainly apply to elementary school which do not have evening or weekend custodial staff.

-Several measures are being planned to reduce the impact on user groups - Many groups have bookings for long hours or whole evenings and these will be reviewed and limited so more groups can share the facilities; Some groups will likely have to (or want to) change schools; in some circumstances, some groups may have to be able to find school staff to be present.

Expectation:

Most, if not all non-profit community groups will be accommodated. Any questions or appeals can be directed to Kevin Futcher &/or the Board although there is no specific appeal process for this.

Note - in comparing costs for other facilities the School district fees are not unreasonable.

8) Citizenship Sessions with the Immigrant and Multicultural Services Society

Twice a month through the year, IMSS will be offering FREE sessions on applying for citizenship and preparing for the citizenship test.

Morning sessions (9:30 - 11:00am) - Monday Oct 20th, Monday Nov 15th and Monday Dec 15th

Evening sessions (6:30 - 8:00pm) - Thursday Oct 23rd, Thursday Nov 20th and Wednesday Dec 17th

Please pre-register at 778-412-2999 or by email at info.wl@imss.ca. IMSS office is located at 118C N.First Ave

Facebook: IMSSWL, Website: www.imss.ca, Twitter: @WelcomeWL

9) English for Professional Purposes - TRU course offering (Saturdays in November)

Dates: Nov 8, 15, 22 & 29th - Saturdays from 10:30 am - 3pm

Fee: $195, Thompson Rivers University-Continuing Studies.

Info: 250-392-8010

Program Description:

An intensive business communication course designed for Skilled Immigrants who work in the Cariboo region and wish to move ahead in their career by improving written and verbal communications skills.

Topics Covered: Writing in Plain English, Giving presentations, Organizing and running meetings, and Working in the Canadian context.

10) Susan Dives with Sharks - presented by Scout Island Nature Centre & the WL Field Naturalists

Wednesday, October 22

7:00 pm @ Scout Island Nature Centre

A Free Public Program made possible by Field Naturalist fundraising and volunteer time!

Susan Aspinall loves the underwater world of such creatures as whale sharks, dolphins, hammerheads, Galapagos sharks, bat fish, frog fish, jawfish, and nudibranchs.

In her 10 years of diving, she has gained a special appreciation of the Eastern Tropical Pacific Marine Corridor, which includes such world renowned dive spots as Islas del Coco, Galapagos, Malpelo, Coiba, and Gorgona. This past summer she finally got to go diving in Malpelo, and she wants to share her images and stories with us.

Her photos will reveal the amazing variety of aquatic flora and fauna among these geographically adjacent islands. Join us for this fascinating evening.

11) Aboriginal Training for Employment Program - free training

October 20 - 31st at the Pioneer Complex at 351 Hodgson Road in Williams Lake (lunch provided).

Courses: Wild Firefighting, OFA Level 1, True Colours, and Managing your Credit & Personal Budgeting.

Qualifications: Aboriginal Ancestry, and Safety Awareness.

For more information, please contact Carol Archie or Shawna Phillorick at 250-296-3507 (ext 122 & 135) or Stephanie Ostrander, ATEP Project Support for more info at 250-377-7600 or sostrander@fness.bc.ca.

Brought to you by the Williams Lake Indian Band, First Nations Emergency Services, and the Canada-British Columbia Labour Market Agreement.

12) "Healthy Bite" Vegetarian Supper Club - resumes Sunday Sept 28 at 6pm

"Healthy Bite" Vegetarian Supper Club will resume Sunday, Sept 28, at 6pm. Please bring a large 'dish' to share, the recipe, and a friend!  782 North 9th Avenue. Please email if you have a question.  Short, fun, food, friendship, and updated health information. Anyone welcome! This club is ongoing the last Sunday of each month, at 6 pm.  

For more information please contact Rita Corbett at 250-392-6598

13) Williams Lake Wanderers - October 2014 Schedule of events

From the last week of October on through the winter, the Wednesday activities will no longer be an extended amount of time.  And, we are planning to be hiking/walking each day then, until we have enough snow to extend the activities to snowshoeing and cross country skiing as well.

We will leave the Sam Ketcham Complex at 9:00 am, so come around 8:45 to get organized. We always begin our outings from there on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays, so you can fill out a membership form and pay your $10 annual fee if you wish to become a member. Once you're a member, you will receive emails with schedule and schedule changes. Schedules and updates are also on Facebook.

Wed Oct. 1 – Springhouse bike – on paved road/trails

Thurs Oct. 2 -   Fox Mountain rim walk

Tues Oct. 7 – Friesen Road bike – on gravel road

Wed Oct. 8 – Farwell Canyon dunes hike

Thurs Oct. 9 – Bull Mountain Forestry Trail hike

Tues Oct. 14 – Anderson Road grasslands bike – dirt road/trails

Wed Oct. 15  -  Felker Lake kayak

Thurs Oct. 16 – UBC Forestry walk

Tues Oct. 21 – A&P Jeep Trail bike – dirt road/trails

Wed Oct. 22 – 108 Mile bike – gravel/dirt trails

Thurs Oct. 23 -  Sawmill Lake walk

Tues Oct. 28 – Eagleview walk

Wed Oct. 29 – Box Trail walk

Thurs Oct. 30 – Pulver Meadow walk

All of these activities are subject to change according to weather conditions, so keep an eye on your email/Facebook daily!!

Members' Monthly Coffee Social - Our no host coffee get together for conversation & new ideas for outings will be Thursday, Oct. 16th , at Thyme for Tea after the UBC Forestry walk.

Club contacts: Bette McLennan 250-392-6423

14) Seniors Activity Centre - good used winter clothing sale - Sat Oct 25th & Sun Oct 26th

October is National Seniors Month and on Saturday Oct 25th from 9am - 3pm, and on Sunday Oct 26th from 10am - 2pm at the lower level of the Seniors Activity Centre is the Winter Clothing Sale. Everyone welcome. For pick-up of donated clothing please call Marlene at 250-398-8025.

15) Women's Contact Society & Child Development Centre's Annual Diamond Dinner - Oct 25th

The Women's Contact Society & Child Development Centre's Annual Diamond Dinner is on Oct 25th at the Signal Point Events Room. Proceeds from the dinner will go towards the Good Food Box Program and the new CDC Autism Centre. The formal evening includes dinner, live auction,  and silent auction. A Canadian cut diamond and custom work by Geoff Bourdon will also be raffled off. Tickets are $80/person. For more info please contact Ashlee Turatus at 250-392-4118 or Nancy Gale at 250-392-4481.

16) The Elks and Royal Purple - Garage & craft sale on Oct 25th from 9am-3pm

To book tables or for more info contact Sharon Atkinson at 250-392-4873 or Doris Neuet at 250-398-2979 or Kay Mellish at 250-392-7806.

17) StrongStart Centres are now open throughout SD no. 27

Locations include Marie Sharpe, Mountview and Cataline elementary schools. Children up to five years old and their parents/caregivers are invited to drop-in for free early learning activities. For more info call 250-398-3839 or visit www.sd27.bc.ca

18) Halloween @ Miocene - 150 Mile House on Friday Oct 24th at 6pm

The Hall is located at 3511 Horsefly Road. Fun, games and prizes for the younger ones in the hall. Ghosts, withes and frights for the older ones in the barn. For more info call 250-296-4747.

19) Williams Lake Christian Women's Club hosts Better at Home - Tues Oct 21st from 9 - 11am

Helping seniors remain independent with Carrie Sundahl from Better at Home. With guest speaker Ryan Penner, YFC Director and the music trio Rudy, Eve & Alice from 9 am - 11am at the Cariboo Bethel Church Banquet Room on Western Ave. Reservations are required and should be honoured by calling Carolyn at 250-392-3157 or Eve at 250-392-7575 or email cwcofwl@hotmail.ca. Complimentary on-site babysitting is available.

20) Nothing says Halloween like Spiders!  Oct 25th from 12 - 2pm @ SINC

Families with kids aged 5-14 won’t want to miss this chance for close encounters with (harmless) spiders.  Learn to identify them and appreciate their important place in the web of life.  Saturday Oct 25, 12-2 at the Nature House. Call 250-398-8532 for more information.