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IMPORTANT NEWS RELEASE FROM THE BC ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT ASSOCIATION!
SEE BELOW
A Message from the Chamber:
As we move into the possibility of coming home to our wonderful town there will be many questions and concerns moving forward. The Chamber has put together the following resources to help you and your business on your way with recovering from this difficult time. There are a lot of links and information below and we hope this helps you move into the recovery phase of business.
Please also know that all levels of our local government is working hard towards getting you home or to your business as soon as possible. There are many levels of preparing that needs to be accomplished for public safety and property safety. The District of 100 Mile House and the Cariboo Regional District are working tirelessly to make this happen as soon as possible.
To the businesses of the South Cariboo:
We will support you, the people of the South Cariboo will support you, and your fellow business community will support you. Our industry and our businesses, big and small, home based and store front, in town or in the outlying areas, YOU are the life blood of our community. Everyone living in the South Cariboo knows what a special place it is and the the spirit of the South Cariboo, through its people will be Cariboo Strong!
SHOP LOCAL, PLAY LOCAL, WORK LOCAL, VOLUNTEER LOCAL, LIVE LOCAL ...
BE LOCAL
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IMPORTANT!
STARTING JULY 24, 2017
HOTLINE OPEN!
PLEASE TAKE THE TIME TO READ ALL THOROUGHLY OVER THE NEXT FEW DAYS !
IN ORDER FOR CLARITY PLEASE VISIT THE FOLLOWING LINKS FOR LEGIBLE PRINT.
NEWS RELEASE: (THIS IS ALSO AVAILABLE IN THE LINK ABOVE.
The BC Economic Development Association has been working on a plan to help all businesses that have been affected by the forest fires. Please see the press release below.
The British Columbia Economic Development Association (BCEDA) is working to help communities and businesses get back on their feet after the wildfires that have impacted so many. We have initiated our Economic Disaster Recovery Program (EDRP) which has been used in Burns Lake, Southern Alberta floods and most recently following the Fort McMurray fire of 2016.
We are asking owners and managers of businesses from the impacted areas to call our Business Recovery Hotline. The hotline will begin operation on July 24, Monday through Friday during the hours of 7 a.m. to 8 p.m., for the first two weeks after evacuees begin to return back to their communities. This may be extended if the need is there. The number for the hotline is 1-877-4BC-EDRP (1-877-422-3377).
We encourage you to share the attached information with your businesses.
Business owners will be asked questions over the hotline that will help distinguish the businesses and community's short and long-term needs. The information will then be shared with the communities, the Canadian Red Cross, Community Futures British Columbia, the Province of British Columbia, Chambers of Commerce and others to help them plan as the community moves forward. We encourage every business regardless of type to call. This includes businesses in incorporated, unincorporated and First Nation communities.
The calls will be administered with the generous support of energy utility FortisBC's contact centres in Prince George and Burnaby, using existing resources
.
BCEDA is pleased to support local economies in all BC communities. Economic developers play a critical leadership role in a community's recovery process. BCEDA's
Economic Disaster Recovery Program
(EDRP) is being used as a valuable template for the overall business and economic disaster recovery strategy.
The hotline is the second phase of a three phased approach we are currently implementing through the EDRP program. The third phase will be to visit impacted communities with economic opportunity recovery teams (EORT). This team will be made up of economic development and tourism professionals from throughout North America that have generously volunteered time. The phase is dependent on the necessary resources being available for implementation. BCEDA is actively pursuing these additional resources and will keep communities informed of the progress.
More details can be found in the attached press release and background documents. We also hope you will circulate the attached marketing piece to impacted business. If you are looking for additional information please check http://bceda.ca/bcwildfires
We are thinking of everyone impacted and we wish everyone the best as they return to their community.
Regards
Dale Wheeldon
President and CEO
British Columbia Economic Development Assn
5428 Highroad Crescent
Chilliwack, BC, V2R3Y1
604-795-7119
Cell: 604-819-3809
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BC Wildfires: Resources for Businesses
The BC Chamber of Commerce would like to recognize the tremendous efforts of emergency response workers, community leaders and organizations on or near the front lines of the BC wildfires.
Across the province, Chambers of Commerce are stepping up to support the business community in a number of ways, and the BC Chamber commends the network for demonstrating its commitment to helping out wherever possible.
The BC Chamber would like to share a useful guide developed by Adam Legge and the Calgary Chamber of Commerce following the recovery effort after the 2013 flooding disaster. Many of the learnings detailed in the report "Calgary's Flood Recovery Story - The Business Perspective" are applicable to the situation engulfing BC's interior today. Click here to access the report.
The British Columbia Economic Development Association (BCEDA) has also developed a list of the top 10 most important steps to prepare businesses for evacuation. The BCEDA has also set up an
Economic Disaster Recovery Page where you may find a manual on community and business
Destination British Columbia has compiled a detailed list of resources which you may find here
July 11, 2017 (VANCOUVER) - Canada's property and casualty (P&C) insurance industry is responding to the needs of their customers in the evolving wildfire emergency in British Columbia.
Following the provincial declaration of a state of emergency due to wildfires burning out of control throughout much of the interior, Insurance Bureau of Canada (IBC), the national trade association that represents Canada's 200 P&C insurers, deployed its Community Assistance Mobile Pavilion (CAMP) to the Kamloops region. CAMP staff will provide insurance information and advice to those affected by the fire.
IBC's CAMP is set up on site following disaster to answer insurance-related questions and help evacuation victims get started on the claims process during a time when they need help the most," said Aaron Sutherland, IBC Vice-President, Pacific. "Our thoughts are with those whose lives have been disrupted and whose property is at risk. The priority right now is the safety of those affected and their loved ones.
IBC staff will answer insurance-related questions and help affected residents get in touch with their insurance representative to begin the claims process. Residents can visit CAMP at:
- Kamloops - 450 Landsdowne Street, Unit 211
- Prince George - Prince George Secondary School (PGSS) 2901 Griffiths Avenue
Sutherland added, "IBC is here to help. We don't settle claims but we help people start the claims process and get the answers they need at a difficult time."
In addition, policyholders can contact their insurance representative or the IBC Consumer Information Centre at 1-844-2ask-IBC or
askibcwest@ibc.ca
Our local media outlets have all updated information for you! Please take the time to share information from these sights to those that may not have the privilege of internet access. A lot of our rural communities are limited in quality of internet. Or do not have internet access at all. The information on these sights is where you should be getting your reliable information. These sights have all links for emergency services you may me needing in this time of need.
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