Community Updates (15) - Dec 8, 2017

Table of Contents:
1) Operation Red Nose - safe ride home (call 250-392-2222)
2) Open House at Community Futures - THIS Fri Dec 8th
3) Red Cross help is available - individuals, families, small businesses, non profits, First Nations
4) Sam Ketchum Pool Grand Opening  - Dec 14
5) Media Release - ICSI Grant application intake now open
6) Rogers Hometown Hockey - coming to Williams Lake Jan 5 - 7
7) Paint the Town Red - Businesses encouraged to enter!
8) Impacted by the Fires? Disability Alliance BC & Emergency Management BC wants to hear from you
9) Province of BC - Poverty Reduction Strategy
10) CTC's Positive Action Word of the Week(s)
11) Central Cariboo Arts & Culture Grants available
12) Central Cariboo Arts & Culture Support Grants available
13) Performances in the Park - Call for Performers
14) Elliot Street Supportive Housing Meeting - Dec 13 in Quesnel
15) SPC closed for holidays (no meeting in December)

1) Operation Red Nose - safe ride home (call 250-392-2222)
"Operation Red Nose will once again be providing safe rides home this holiday season in Williams Lake.

In its 10th year locally, Operation Red Nose starts this weekend, Nov. 24, and will be operational Nov. 24th, 25th, Dec. 1st, 2nd, 8th, 9th, 15th, 16th, 22nd and New Year’s Eve.

Program manager Dave Dickson said Operation Red Nose will be run out of the Heartland Toyota dealership, and will see volunteer drivers on standby to offer safe rides home to clients in need.

Dickson said the program is a service for the community, by the community, noting community groups provide the volunteers and in turn raise money for their non-profit group through donations.

Operation Red Nose is Canada’s largest safe ride home service and will be available in 101 Canadian communities, offering motorists an additional way to get home safe. Supported by its provincial partner, ICBC, the program’s mission is to encourage responsible behaviour with regard to impaired driving in a non-judgmental manner, by enabling communities to provide a free and confidential chauffeur service to their members. The money it raises is redistributed to local organizations dedicated to youth and amateur sports, and invested in responsible drinking and road safety awareness campaigns.

To book a ride in the Williams Lake area call 250-392-2222."

2) Open House at Community Futures - THIS Fri Dec 8th
Celebrate the Holidays with Community Futures. Please join us at our open house, Friday December 8th from 1 - 3 pm (266 Oliver Street). Enter to win our door prize by donating a non-perishable food item (one entry per food item donated). Donations will go to the Williams Lake Salvation Army Food Bank. For more information please call 250-392-3626.

3) Red Cross help is available - individuals, families, small businesses, non profits, First Nations
BC Fires- Red Cross is Helping Communities Recover
Nov. 29, 2017

Thanks to funding from the Government of B.C., the Government of Canada and generous Canadians, the Red Cross is able to provide programs and services that help communities, households and individuals recover from the fires.

A) Individuals and Families:
-Red Cross case workers are meeting one-on-one with individuals and households that need additional assistance - both at the Support Centres and through outreach in the communities.

-Safety and Wellbeing personnel also help ensure people have access to a range of holistic supports and resources that include psychological first aid, coping with stress and adversity, and planning for individualized recovery.

-People needing assistance can phone the Red Cross call centre at 1-800-863-6582 to make an appointment to meet a case worker at a Support Centres (the hours and locations are listed here:
http://www.redcross.ca/how-we-help/current-emergency-responses/british-columbia-fires/red-cross support-centres).

-Those living in small or First Nations communities could also work with their community leadership to arrange for Red Cross workers to visit.

-The Canadian Red Cross addresses immediate psychosocial needs in all its recovery work and considers the needs of special populations and cultures.  The Red Cross also coordinates with community and government partners and community stakeholders to ensure communities are empowered to take care of themselves and each other so they can strengthen relationships and networks, and build capacity and resiliency to better withstand future disasters.

B) Support to small businesses, not-for-profit organizations, and First Nations cultural livelihoods:

-The Red Cross is providing those who are eligible with a one-time emergency grant of $1,500. Applications for Phase 1 closed on Oct. 31.

-Starting Nov. 20, 2017 through April 6, 2018, the Red Cross is accepting applications for additional financial assistance for items such as uninsured losses, deductibles, minor repairs, clean-up, equipment, and occupational training expenses. The amount for Phase 2 will be based on each applicant’s unique need and determined through the application process.

-Applicants that missed the Phase 1 Oct. 31 deadline can still apply for it when they apply for Phase 2 funding.

-Interested small businesses, not-for-profit organizations and cultural livelihoods on-reserve First Nations persons can apply for the additional funding through the Small Business Helpline (1-855-999-3345) or online at  www.redcross.ca/bcfires/smallbusiness

C) Community partnerships program:

-Community organizations* with programming in communities affected by the 2017 fires can apply for funds that will help promote individual and community recovery and resiliency.

*These include: Registered charities, -Not-for-profit organizations, Municipalities and First Nation Bands, Non-governmental organizations, Schools and school boards Indigenous organizations, Faith-based organizations, and Community groups.

Funding is available to help in the following areas:

-Emergency relief for immediate or urgent needs

-Community strengthening to support community connectedness and resilience

-Safety & wellbeing services that address individual wellbeing, violence prevention, and strengthen psychosocial supports for individual and community wellness services

-Indigenous programming for impacted communities

-Disaster Risk Reduction to increase preparedness for future disasters

Visit redcross.ca or email BCCommunityPartnerships@redcross.ca to discuss  your ideas.

Local contacts for Red Cross are:

Jon Jackson,
Operations Manager BC Wildfire Recovery,
587-224-8272
Jon.jackson@redcross.ca

Becky Row,
Manager of Northern and Indigenous Engagement BC & Yukon,
250-564-6566 ext 24
becky.row@redcross.ca

Pratyush Dhawan
Community Partnership Program Project Officer
587-645-4763
Pratyush.dhawan@redcross.ca

4) Sam Ketchum Pool Grand Opening  - Dec 14
The CRD and the City of Williams Lake have announced Dec. 14 as the grand opening of the Sam Ketcham Pool at the West Fraser Aquatic Centre.

Dec. 7, 2017
For Immediate Release

Williams Lake, B.C. – The Cariboo Regional District and the City of Williams Lake have announced Thursday, Dec. 14, 2017, as the grand opening of the Sam Ketcham Pool at the West Fraser Aquatic Centre. There will be a ribbon cutting ceremony that day at 6 p.m., followed by a free swim at 6:30 p.m.

“We encourage the community to come out and celebrate the grand opening with us. We can’t wait to see everyone enjoying this beautiful new upgrade to the Sam Ketcham Pool,” stated Joan Sorley, CRD Electoral Area F Director and SKP Working Group Co-Chair.

Laurie Walters, City of Williams Lake Councillor and SKP Working Group Co-Chair, added, “This has been a long journey from the community consultation process and referendum to hiring the Tango team and waiting eagerly for the renovations to take shape. It truly has been ‘short-term pain for long-term gain’ and I believe we have met the community’s expectations for a high-quality facility.”

Entry to the free swim is by ticket only. Only 350 tickets are available and tickets must be picked up in advance at the Cariboo Memorial Recreation Complex. Tickets are first come, first served, with a maximum of four per person. Tickets will indicate the entry time for the swim; times are staggered to reduce congestion in the change rooms.

Members of the public are also invited to attend the ribbon cutting ceremony at 6 p.m. on Dec. 14. Further, stop by the Cariboo Memorial Recreation Complex to enter a draw for a one-year pass to the complex.

The completed project includes a new fitness centre, lap tank, swirl pool, steam room and leisure pool. The leisure area features a waterslide, lazy river, tots area, kiddie carwash, teacup fountain, bubble pit, vortex and massage chairs. Phase One of the West Fraser Aquatic Centre opened in August.

The Sam Ketcham Pool upgrade project is a joint initiative of the Cariboo Regional District and City of Williams Lake. Funding partners for the project included Northern Development Initiative Trust, West Fraser Mills and the federal government.

For pool hours, events and programs, find the Cariboo Memorial Recreation Complex (https://www.facebook.com/Cariboo-Memorial-Recreation-Complex-147840115912/) on Facebook. Visit the Cariboo Regional District website at cariboord.ca (http://www.cariboord.ca) and the City of Williams Lake site at williamslake.ca (http://www.williamslake.ca) for further project information.

5) Media Release - ICSI Grant application intake now open
The steering committee of the Integrated Community Safety Initiative (ICSI) is pleased to announce that the intake for grant applications is now open. Funding up to 10,000 dollars is available to First Nations and community organizations for projects aimed at reducing crime and increasing community safety. ICSI will welcome grant applications until Jan 31, 2018. More information about what type of projects will be considered for funding and a copy of the grant application form can be found at www.tinyurl.com/ICSIapplication

For further information about the ICSI Grant Program please contact the co-chairs:

Jeff Pelley - RCMP
Email - Jeff.PELLEY@rcmp-grc.gc.ca

Vanessa Riplinger - Cariboo-Chilcotin Child Development Centre Association
Email - vriplinger@cccdca.org

6) Rogers Hometown Hockey - coming to Williams Lake Jan 5 - 7
Plans for Rogers Hometown Hockey are coming along splendidly thanks to a dedicated Local Organizing Committee (LOC) and Rogers Hometown Hockey RHH. The event is shaping up nicely with a Community Pep Rally scheduled from 10:30 – 12 noon in the Gibraltar Room on Friday, January 5 to slide the community into action. Like many of the weekend events, this is free for everyone. It is a joint undertaking from our LOC and RHH and will include hockey stories, hockey murals, Hometown Hank, PAZ the Hockey Show and GadZukes, our local Ukelele group, leading the crowd in a grand rendition of Stompin Tom’s, “Hockey Song.” Also on Friday, the Tourism Discovery Centre encourages the public to drop by for their RHH Coloring contest.

On Saturday, January 6 the official event launches at 12 noon downtown on Oliver Street between 2nd and 3rd Avenue. Music, entertainment, food and fun will be packed into tents and trailers on our downtown streets. The fun will continue on Sunday, January 7 at 12 noon with more entertainment and events including a Parade of Champions. The pre-game show will be broadcast on huge screens at 3:30pm followed by a broadcast of the game between the Canucks and Canadiens from Vancouver, BC at 4:00pm.

Watch for more details as the event draws closer. If you would like a glimpse of what is to come tune into Sportsnet TV at 3:30pm on Sunday afternoons and see shows from Winnipeg, Manitoba, Airdrie, Alberta, Surrey, BC and Spruce Grove, Alberta.

Deb Radolla,
Hometown Hockey Event Coordinator
City of Williams Lake
450 Mart St.                                                             
Williams Lake, BC V2G 1N3
Tel:  250-392-1764
Cell: 250.303.0575
Fax: 250-392-4408
Email: wlhometownhockey@williamslake.ca
Web: www.williamslake.ca

7) Paint the Town Red - Businesses encouraged to enter!
Businesses Encouraged to Paint the Town Red!

Williams Lake is encouraging the business community to “Paint the Town Red!”

The City of Williams Lake, Williams Lake & District Chamber of Commerce, and the Downtown Williams Lake Business Improvement Association are encouraging the community to participate in an initiative to “Paint the Town Red” in celebration of the holiday season and the Rogers Hometown Hockey event happening on the first weekend of the new year.

Rogers Hometown Hockey will be arriving in Williams Lake on January 4, 2018, bringing with it a large contingent of equipment that will transform the event site.  With the event being so close to the Christmas break, merchants and business owners are being asked to help in the build up to this event by participating in a friendly competition with other business owners to decorate within the themes of “Best Red Window Display” and “Best Hockey/Winter Sport Theme”.

Businesses are encouraged to register by December 15thto be eligible for the prizes.  If you are a downtown business, registrations will be collected by the Downtown Williams Lake BIA office, with businesses outside of downtown registering with the Williams Lake & District Chamber of Commerce. You don’t have to be a member of the Chamber to participate.

Winners will be determined by “People’s Choice” votes which will run between December 16thand January 3rd, with the winners announced in the January 5th edition of the Williams Lake Tribune.  Votes will be collected by participating merchants in stores.

The winner of the People’s Choice Awards will receive an $850 value full-page advertisement in the Williams Lake Tribune, local media partner of Rogers Hometown Hockey in Williams Lake. Runners-up will receive a Staff Pack of drop-in fitness passes to the Cariboo Memorial Complex. The Chamber is also running a trivia contest through their Facebook, go to www.williamslakechamber.com or www.tourismwilliamslake.com.

Businesses can register through either the BIA (for their members) or the Chamber. The BIA office can be reached at 250-398-5717, and the Chamber at 250-392-5025. All registered businesses will receive a ballot box.

For more information, contact:

Deb Radolla - Hometown Hockey Event Coordinator
wlhometownhockey@williamsake.ca
250-392-1764

Claudia Blair - Chamber of Commerce Executive Director
visitors@telus.net
250-392-5025, or

Stafanie Hendrickson - Business Improvement Association Interim Executive Director
250-398-5717

8) Impacted by the Fires? Disability Alliance BC & Emergency Management BC wants to hear from you
Was your organization and services impacted by the floods and fires in BC this year?

Were your clients, staff or volunteers with disabilities impacted?

If so, we'd like to hear from you. Your stories will help DABC educate local emergency programs to create more accessible and inclusive emergency response plans.

Disability Alliance BC (DABC) has funding from Emergency Management BC to work with local emergency programs throughout BC in order to increase their local capacity to respond to the needs of community members with disabilities in emergencies and disasters. This builds on more than 10 years of our work on emergency preparedness and people with disabilities.

Examples of areas we are working with local emergency programs on are: communicating with the public during emergencies; mass evacuations; public education on personal preparedness; and Emergency Support Services (ESS) response and accessible facilities and services. We provide training to local government programs and provide them with resources to help them integrate the needs of people with disabilities into their emergency response.

Your organization's experiences, and those of your clients, will provide invaluable learning opportunities for local emergency programs throughout this province. DABC will keep the names and places anonymous, but real-life stories of how the floods and fires impacted people with disabilities and the organizations that help them, is important to ensuring better response and emergency services in all communities.

Please share your experiences with: Karen Martin, Project Coordinator, karen@disabilityalliancebc.org

If you or a family member are a person with a disability that was evacuated from your home during the fires in BC this summer or the flooding in BC in the spring, we want to hear about your experiences - both positive and negative.

What were the challenges you faced in evacuating as a person with a disability?
Did you get emergency information in the alternative format you needed?
Was accessible transportation available to help you evacuate or to help you get to community emergency services and resources?
Was the reception centre facility for evacuees accessible? 

DABC has been working on emergency preparedness and people with disabilities since 2006. We train local Emergency Program staff and volunteers throughout BC on how to make their emergency response plans more accessible and inclusive of the needs of people with disabilities.

Being able to give real life examples of how people with disabilities have been impacted during emergencies is important to raising awareness with Emergency Program staff and volunteers. Your experiences will help us show emergency workers what they are doing well and where they need to improve when it comes to helping people with disabilities. The stories you tell us will be anonymous - so your name and community will not be attached to the story in our training materials.

Please send your stories/experiences of the BC fires and floods to Karen Martin, Project Coordinator 
karen@disabilityalliancebc.org

9) Province of BC - Poverty Reduction Strategy
We’re building a poverty reduction strategy, and you can help.

The poverty rate in B.C. is among the worst in Canada. Too many people are struggling to make ends meet, earn a living wage, or find and keep affordable housing. Too many families are suffering without basic necessities, relying on food banks, going hungry or sending their children to school hungry.

It’s time to lift people out of poverty.

As a first step, the B.C. government raised income assistance and disability rates by $100 per month to help people who need it most. This is only the beginning. There’s more to do. One of the critical next steps is to build and implement a province-wide poverty reduction plan with targets and timelines. And we want your help.

There are several ways to participate:
-Attend a Community Meeting currently being scheduled; (Note - Friday Feb 2nd scheduled for Williams Lake)
-Submit your feedback by email, mail or phone.
-Complete the online feedback form on this site.

Your feedback will help us understand what poverty looks like in communities across B.C., and how we can best take action to improve people’s lives. In order to promote the transparency of this engagement, all feedback collected by the online feedback form and email will be posted to the site. Names will not be included. Feedback will be collected between October 30, 2017 and March 30, 2018 at 4pm.

Submit your feedback online at https://engage.gov.bc.ca/bcpovertyreduction/ by March 30, 2018 at 4 p.m.

10) CTC's Positive Action Word of the Week(s)
The Positive Action word of the week for December 11th is: Energy: The force to do something.

The Positive Action word of the week for December 18th is: Talent: A natural ability that can be developed.

If you are interested in learning more about Positive Action and how you could use it in your setting, please contact Carla Bullinger at 250-267-8249 or comthatcares@sd27.bc.ca

11) Central Cariboo Arts & Culture Grants available
Project grants are available for non-profit organizations or community groups in Williams Lake and the Central Cariboo (CRD Areas D, E, and F) to support and develop arts and culture within this region. The funding for these grants is courtesy of the City of Williams Lake and the Cariboo Regional District (Central Cariboo Arts & Culture function), subject to the availability of funds.

Project Grants of between $300 and $3,000 are available for projects which:
-Are new or build creatively on previous work
-Are likely to increase participation in arts & culture
-Take place within the Central Cariboo region (Williams Lake and/or CRD Areas D, E, and F)
-Will be completed by December 31st 2018
-Include some financial or in-kind contribution by the applicant

The deadline for applications is Monday, January 31st 2018 at 4pm, and full details, adjudication criteria and application requirements can be obtained by visiting www.centralcaribooarts.com or by request from info@centralcaribooarts.com.

For further information please contact CCACS Executive Director Leah Selk at 778-412-9044 or email info@centralcaribooarts.com

12) Central Cariboo Arts & Culture Support Grants available
Four new support grants of up to $1000 are available for non-profit/community groups or individual artists to support and develop arts and culture in Williams Lake and the Central Cariboo (CRD Areas D, E, and F) via a CCACS Pilot Support Grants Project. The funding for these grants is made available from the Central Cariboo Arts and Culture Society (CCACS).

The CCACS will be offering two pilot application intakes for 2018.
Intake #1: December 1, 2017 application deadline for grants to be completed by June 30, 2018.
Intake #2: June 1, 2018 application deadline for grants to be completed by December 31, 2018.

Non-profit/Community Group Support Grants
Capital Acquisition Grants are available to facilitate and support the artistic activities of the organization or group through capital purchases.

General Program Support Grants are available for activities such as workshops, professional development, or any other activity designed to enhance an existing program.

Community-Based Support Grants are available for community-based artistic activities.

Individual Artist Support Grant

Professional Development Grants are available to individual artists to assist with course fees, related necessary materials and travel on the understanding that applicants will be required to show how the professional development activity will benefit not only their own practice, but also the general community and local artists.

Applications for CCACS Support Grants are adjudicated by the CCACS Directors, and awards will be made by the Central Cariboo Arts and Culture Society, subject to the availability of funds.
 

Full details, adjudication criteria and application requirements can be obtained by visiting www.centralcaribooarts.com or by request from info@centralcaribooarts.com.

For further information please contact CCACS Executive Director Leah Selk at 778-412-9044 or email info@centralcaribooarts.com

13) Performances in the Park - Call for Performers
Presented by the Central Cariboo Arts and Culture Society with the support of the City of Williams Lake and the Cariboo Regional District.

The Central Cariboo Arts and Culture Society is happy to announce that Performances in the Park, the outdoor free summer concert series, will begin on Thursday, July 5th 2018 at 6:00pm and will continue each Thursday evening at the same time at the Gwen Ringwood Theatre in Williams Lake’s Boitanio Park until August 23rd, 2018. Once again, with the support of the Cariboo Regional District and the City of Williams Lake, the Central Cariboo Arts and Culture Society will be presenting this event under the management of Angela Sommer of Angelkeys Music Studio.

The concert series will feature two acts each week; one from 6 pm - 6:55pm and then from 7:05 – 8:00 pm. All acts will be family friendly.

We are currently looking for performers of every type to fill these performances. Applications can be downloaded or filled out online via our website http://www.centralcaribooarts.com/performances-in-the-park/
The deadline to apply is March 2, 2018.

This well attended, free event, is fun for the whole family and we look forward to seeing familiar and new faces in the crowd!

For more information, sponsorship opportunities , or for interviews please contact:
Angela Sommer
performances@centralcaribooarts.com
250-305-4784

14) Elliot Street Supportive Housing Meeting - Dec 13 in Quesnel
Hello! I am reaching out today and hoping you will “Save the Date” to come out and show your support for the Elliott Street Supportive Housing project. We have an Open House, with a Public Hearing to immediately follow, scheduled for December 13th at 5pm at the Quesnel Seniors Centre on Carson Avenue.

Everyone will have the opportunity to ask questions during the Q&A period, as well as give a written or oral submission during the Public Hearing. We know many of you already wrote letters, as well as attended the previous open house and public hearing, but we NEED you to do it again and send a clear message that this housing is necessary!

There are many reasons our current location does not work for us and reasons why we have chosen the location we have. I’d like to highlight one of the biggest struggles we have faced over the years, and that has been the huge lack of affordable housing available for individuals living below the poverty line. Our emergency shelter has operated above capacity since we opened our doors 9 years ago, and our two housing programs have long wait lists. Some nights we have over 20 individuals sleeping in chairs or on the hard floor in our common area. EVERY PERSON deserves a home. It is a basic human right. The new facility can provide many individuals with an affordable home, with supports, and the ability to focus on other areas in their lives other than mere survival.

There is a lot of misinformation and fear mongering on social media currently about our proposed project. There is a tendency in any public meeting (or request for feedback), for people opposed to change to be more vocal and more likely to attend meetings. It is, therefore, very important that people who are in support of this housing project to also attend the meeting and to voice or show support. This meeting will be a time for information on the move to be shared so it’s a good time to learn about it so you have accurate information for yourself and to share with others.

Elliott Street Supportive Housing:
• 28 affordable housing units with individual kitchenettes and washrooms
• 8 Emergency Shelter beds (4 men, 4 women)
• 4 Supportive Recovery beds
• 10 extreme weather beds from November to March

The facility will include programming space for the residents of the building. Programming will include access to a variety of health care supports, professionals and health clinics, a Housing First Program with rental subsidies for individuals ready to move out into the community, life skills training, work and volunteer opportunities, support groups, employment searches, community kitchens, and eventually a community garden.

We will be pleased to answer any questions you may have about this project at our
open house and hope you can join us!

December 13th at 5pm at the Quesnel Seniors Centre on Carson Avenue.

Best Regards,

Melanie MacDonald, Executive Director
Seasons House Emergency Shelter
146 Carson Avenue
Quesnel, BC V2J 2A8
Executivedirector@seasonshouse.ca
Phone: 250-991-0222 ext 1
Fax: 250-992-6573

15) SPC closed for holidays (no meeting in December)
Please note, the SPC will not be hosting a December meeting due to the holidays. Membership fees and renewals for the 2017 - 2018 year are now due. If you need a membership form, please email spc-coordinator@xplornet.com or call (1)-250-243-2126

We wish everyone safe and happy holidays this year.