Community Resilience Arts and Culture grants
Grant applications are now open for arts and cultural submissions designed to bring healing to people and communities in response to environmental, social, and economic hardships.
This grant program was developed with a focus on cultural revitalization within Indigenous communities in response to the devastating wildfire season and government’s commitment to uphold the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.
“The celebration of arts and culture is a powerful tool in lifting people’s spirits and helping people connect and rebuild as a community in difficult times,” says Lisa Beare, Minister of Tourism, Arts and Culture. “I am thrilled that we are able to once again provide grants to communities to help British Columbians find strength and joy through the arts and their unique culture.”
Eligible activities include cultural events, festivals, and community celebrations, as well as arts and culture projects, programs, or workshops. The program is open to non-profit organizations; First Nations Band Councils or Friendship Centres; and municipalities, regional districts, or equivalent (in partnership with at least one community-based organization or group).
Applicants should have experience in arts and culture programming, and are encouraged to apply for grants through oral or written submissions through the website at http://bit.ly/2TLpn93. The application deadline is Feb. 15, 2019.
Ashcroft features in new movie
As of the time of writing, the Cineplex Odeon cinema in Kamloops was screening the feature film A Dog’s Way Home, based on the novel of the same name by W. Bruce Cameron, who also wrote the novel A Dog’s Purpose, which was turned into a film in 2017 (the two works are not connected).
A Dog’s Way Home was partially shot in Ashcroft, the Lytton area, and the Kullagh Lake grasslands; locals should be able to pick out a few locations in the trailer, which can be viewed at https://imdb.to/2TNPDiX. The family-friendly film tells of a dog named Bella who embarks on a 400-mile journey home after she is separated from her owner, Lucas, an aspiring medical student.
Concert at UniTea
The Bottom Shelf Bourbon Trio will be at UniTea Café and Lounge on Railway Avenue in Ashcroft on Friday, Jan. 18. The trio play roots music anchored in the space between the lowdown grit and growl of early blues, the high, lonesome sounds of bluegrass, and folk.
Dynamic songwriting and solidly crafted tunes combine with the sound of Maritime picking parties and the country blues guitar and unorthodox banjo picking evocative of the deep southern sounds of Louisiana. Tickets are $20 each, and available at UniTea in advance or at the door. The doors open at 6:30 p.m., and the concert starts at 7:30 p.m.
Peewee hockey fundraiser
Another painting fundraiser for Ashcroft Peewee hockey will be taking place on Saturday, Feb. 9 from 6:30 to 10:30 p.m. at the Ashcroft Legion on Brink Street. Participants will be creating a painting depicting a birch branch, along with a cute or funny quote.
Tickets are $50 each, and include a 16” x 20” canvas, art supplies, a donation to the Ashcroft Peewee hockey team, and a free drink. The event is 19+, and while aprons are provided, please wear appropriate clothing just in case.
You can register online at www.kamloopsartparty.com/ashcroft.
Small project workshop
Do you have a small project around the house that you’ve been meaning to wax and/or paint? The Hutch at the Ashcroft HUB is holding a small project workshop from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Sunday, Feb. 10. If you can carry it in to the Hutch studio, it’s a small project!
During the workshop you’ll learn stressing, waxing, and painting techniques. The cost is $50 per person, which includes instruction, wax, paints, and all other necessary supplies, as well as a snack, coffee, or tea. Call (250) 457-0073 to reserve a spot.
Bonaparte Watershed AGM
The annual general meeting of the Bonaparte Watershed Society will be held on Thursday, Feb. 21 at Chums Restaurant in Cache Creek. It starts at 11 a.m. with a no-host lunch, and the AGM will follow. It will include an update on Bonaparte Watershed sustainabilty, mitigation, fire and flood efforts, and strategy going forward.
Stakeholders in the Bonaparte watershed are welcome to attend, learn more, and share what they are doing to help this watershed remain sustainable. For planning purposes, please RSVP to Allen Midgley, 3897 Hwy 97 N., Cache Creek, B.C. V0K 1H1, 1-778-207-7468, email caribooal@gmail.com.
Workshops for small businesses, not-for-profits
Community Futures has secured additional funding through the generous support of Western Economic Diversification and the Red Cross to continue free training for area small businesses and not-for-profits.
With support from the Wildfire Business Transition Program, several workshops will be held in Ashcroft. An Occupational First Aid Level 1 workshop will be held on Saturday, Feb. 9 from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., and a Food Safe Level 1 workshop will be held on Saturday, Feb. 23, also from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
On Saturday, March 2, two half-day workshops—Transportation of Dangerous Goods and Workplace Hazardous Materials Information System (WHMIS)—will be held. The Transportation of Dangerous Goods workshop runs from 8:30 a.m. to noon, and the WHMIS workshop runs from 1 to 4:.30 p.m. Participants can attend one or both courses.
All courses will be held at the Ashcroft Community Hall on Bancroft Street, and all are free. However, pre-registration is necessary, and space is limited, so register early to be sure of getting a spot. You can register by visiting http://www.cfwildfire.ca/workshops/# or calling Community Futures sun Country at (250) 453-9165 or toll free at 1-800-567-9911. New opportunities are uploaded regularly, so please check the website for more workshop opportunities.
Health services survey
The Rural Evidence Review (RER) project is an initiative of the Centre for Rural Health Research, within the Department of Family Practice at the University of British Columbia. It is trying to identify the rural health service issues and priorities that matter the most to rural and remote communities in British Columbia. No issue is too big or too small!
The project is hoping to reach area residents so that they can help the team identify the rural health service issues of greatest priority to their community. Individuals can share their priorities for rural health services in B.C. with the Rural Evidence Review team at any time and in two ways:
1) Take the survey. The RER team has developed a brief and anonymous survey to learn about rural citizen and community priorities for health services. It can be completed in 10 minutes or less, and can be found at http://bit.ly/2H8VhuB.
2) Contact them. The project’s coordinator, Christine Carthew, can be contacted at any time to discuss the health service issues and priorities that are most important to rural citizens and communities in B.C. Christine can be reached via email at christine.carthew@ubc.ca or by phone at (604) 827-2193.
To learn more about the RER, visit the website at http://bit.ly/2VOgFsx (for information about the RER) or http://bit.ly/2SRheA3 (information about the research team).
Local tourism organization receives nomination
Only three weeks after being named the winner of the World’s Responsible Tourism Award at the 25th annual World Travel Awards, it was announced that the Thompson Okanagan Tourism Association (TOTA) is a finalist in the 15th annual World Tourism Organization Awards.
The awards recognize inspirational projects from around the world that have made an invaluable contribution to advancing sustainable tourism. Initiatives from Canada, Colombia, India, Italy, Spain, Switzerland, and the Philippines made it to the list of nine finalists in three categories, from a total of 190 applications from 71 countries.
TOTA is a finalist in the Non-Governmental Organizations category, along with organizations from Spain and Switzerland.
“F” rating for Fortnite company
Epic Games—the gaming company behind popular game titles such as Fortnite and Infinity Blade—has an “F” rating with Better Business Bureau (BBB) due to hundreds of unanswered customer complaints. Based on information provided by BBB serving Eastern North Carolina, the local BBB for the company (which is based in Cary, NC), BBB serving Mainland BC is now issuing a warning to consumers.
Epic Games has 279 BBB complaints on file in the past three years, with 271 of those complaints filed in 2018 alone. Of the 279 complaints, 247 have gone unanswered.
Epic’s games have generated a global following, and this may be the reason why BBB has received complaints from a total of seven countries: Australia, Canada, Germany, Israel, Portugal, the United Kingdom, and the United States.
The majority of complaints submitted to BBB against Epic Games concern customer service and refund or exchange issues. Complainants have claimed that the company failed to protect customer security, and there have been claims of unauthorized charges to people’s accounts and poor response time to queries. Despite numerous attempts by BBB to contact Epic Games, the company has failed to respond.
editorial@accjournal.ca
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