Welcome to our quarterly Futurescape newsletter! We hope you enjoy our content this quarter
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Seasons Greetings and warm wishes from everyone at Community Futures British Columbia
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Amber Cachelin- Greensleeves Electric Ltd.
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Amber Cachelin is the owner/operator of Greensleeves Electric Ltd; her company offers residential and commercial electrical services in Kamloops, with a focus on solar energy systems and other renewables. Amber obtained her Red Seal Journeyman Qualification as an Electrician in March of 2016, and has her FSR Class B, and St. John’s Ambulance First Aid certification. After spending 6 years working in various aspects of electrical installations in BC and Alberta, and with a keen interest in renewable energy, she decided to pursue self-employment so accessed Community Futures Thompson Country's Self-Employment services through a WorkBC referral. Amber participated in Community Futures workshops which supported the creation of her business plan, as well as topics around marketing, bookkeeping, Human Resource management, and business administration. In the fall of 2017 Greensleeves Electric opened for business.
Included in Amber’s first year goals was to expand operations into an office/warehouse space, and to become a certified installer of solar panels. In the spring of this year, she achieved both. After participating in Solar Installer Canada’s training for solar energy systems she attended Kamloops’ Green Living Expo and the Kamloops Home show as an Exhibitor. Shortly thereafter she worked on Kamloops’ first net zero four-plex, applying her newly acquired expertise.
Amber has seen a moderate but steady increase in revenues this year, and with her continued marketing efforts and partnerships with like-minded “green energy” contractors, is confident this trend will continue.
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BDC And Community Futures Team Up
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This is a great example of where Community Futures were able to team up with one of our partners, BDC (Business Development Bank of Canada), to assist a client with their business dreams!
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A quarterly snapshot of Community Futures activities
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Community Futures Network of Canada National Conference and Day on the Hill
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On October 3rd Community Futures Network of Canada held a celebration of the Community Futures Program on Parliament Hill in Ottawa. Key personnel from Community Futures Provincial Offices attended along with MP's from across the country.
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CFBC was represented by Cheryl Johnson, and met with several MP's from British Columbia, Dan Ruimy, Liberal MP for Pitt Meadows, Mel Arnold, Conservative MP for North Okanagan-Shuswap, Richard Cannings, NDP MP for South Okanagan- West Kootenay and Pamela Goldsmith-Jones Liberal MP for West Vancouver—Sunshine Coast—Sea to Sky Country amongst others.
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MP Remi Masse, Liberal MP for Avignon-La Mitis- Matane- Matapédia, Quebec gave a speech and accepted a gift on behalf of Hon. Minister Navdeep Bains, who was unable to attend. The event was a great success in showcasing Community Futures and all that we do to help support small rural businesses.
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Meeting with MP Dan Ruimy
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Also, on October 3rd, the Community Futures PanWest team had the opportunity to meet with MP Dan Ruimy. MP Ruimy Chairs the Standing Committee on Industry Science & Technology and provided the team with an update on the implementation of recommendations from his committee’s recent report on broadband connectivity in rural Canada.
The team also shared several success stories of communities throughout western Canada that are thriving economically thanks in part to their high-speed internet connectivity.
The team encouraged MP Ruimy and his committee to support programs and policy that will see many more rural and remote communities throughout Canada get similar high-speed Internet connectivity.
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BC Chamber of Commerce Trade Talks
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On October 11th CFBC attended the BC Chamber of Commerce Trade Talks at the River Rock Casino in Richmond.
Seizing “first mover advantage” was this year’s theme with a focus on the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) given BC’s pole position as Canada’s Pacific province.
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During the half-day forum, they took a closer look at Canada’s progressive trade agenda on the world stage and help BC businesses step up their export game.
Keynote speakers included Scotty Greenwood, CEO, Canadian American Business Council and the Honourable Jonathan Wilkinson, Minister of Fisheries, Oceans, and the Canadian Coast Guard. The Honourable Bruce Ralston, BC Minister of Jobs, Trade, and Technology shared his vision for BC when it comes to international trade and how Small to Medium Enterprises can take advantage
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Indigenous Agriculture Forum
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On October 17th & 18th CFBC attended the 3rd Annual Indigenous Agriculture Forum, hosted by Central Interior First Nations and held at The Coast Kamloops Hotel & Conference Centre.
The 2-day event featured a series of workshops focusing on establishing agriculture from the ground up: using value added techniques and modern innovation to reach larger markets. There was also an opportunity for the Wildfire Transition Project Panel to provide an overview of the program, activities, initiatives and results to date along with future plans.
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WD Women’s Entrepreneurial Strategy Program Launch
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On October 19th, CFBC attended and had a booth at the launch of the Western Economic Diversification Women’s Entrepreneurial Strategy Program, which was held at the Coast Hotel in Tsawwassen. The event included a tradeshow component and announcement, by the Honourable Mary Ng, Minister of Small Business & Export Promotion and the Honourable Carla Qualtrough, Minister of Public Services and Procurement and Accessibility, followed by a panel discussion.
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The WES Ecosystem Fund is an investment of up to $85 million over five years that will provide not-for-profit organizations with the resources to support women entrepreneurs. These projects could support skills development to put more women entrepreneurs in sectors where they’re under-represented or build capacity at incubator and accelerator programs.
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The Women Entrepreneurship Fund is a two-year, $20-million commitment to invest directly in women-led businesses to help them grow and reach new markets. Funding is available for product and service development, inventory management, technology improvements and other projects supporting scale up, expansion and growth.
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Meeting with Ministry of Jobs, Trade and Technology
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On October 22nd CFBC and the Small Business Team from the Ministry for Jobs, Trade and Technology attended a joint meeting in Victoria.
The purpose of the meeting was to review the recommendation of the Small Business Taskforce Summary report and areas where the Ministry and Community Futures and other partners can collaborate to implement some of the recommendations made.
Also attending the meeting was the Executive Director, Design, Coordination and Outreach, Ministry of Jobs, Trade & Technology,
Executive Director of the Ministry of Indigenous Relations, the Regional Manager of the Regional Economic Operations Forests, Lands and Natural Resource and Senior Advisor, Workforce Innovation and Division Responsible for Skills Training, Ministry of Advanced Education, Skills and Training.
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2018 CF Volunteer of the Year
Volunteer Spotlight
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The Community Futures recognized our Volunteers of the Year during National Volunteer Week. We greatly appreciate the support and contributions of all our volunteers, without whom our success would not be possible. We are delighted to be featuring the winners throughout the year here in our Futurescape Newsletter
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Community Futures Central Kootenay
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Volunteer of the Year:
Chris Bell
Chris Bell has been a Community Futures Central Kootenay Board Director since February 2015 and the Board Chair since June 2015.
During his time with Community Futures, Chris quickly went from the role of new Board member to Board Chair. He is an active member of the Loans Committee, Self-Employment Committee and the Nominating Committee, providing mentorship to the Executive Director and recruiting new Board members. He also volunteers as a Judge for Junior Dragon’s Den.
Since 2010, Chris has chaired the Castlegar-based Kootenay Business Exchange, a Peer Mentoring group established in 2006. Chris’ other volunteer work includes or has included sitting on the Board for Castlegar Sculpture Walk, Castlegar Rotary, Castlegar and District Chamber of Commerce and the Castlegar Golf Club.
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Community Futures Sunshine Coast
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Volunteer of the Year:
Christine Younghusband
Christine has served on the Community Futures Sunshine Coast Board since 2012 and is currently the Nominations and Corporate Governance Committee Chair. She is excited about the progress Community Futures has made and looks forward to more in the future. Christine is invariably an enthusiastic, dedicated and reliable volunteer. She has gone above and beyond the basic duties.
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Community Futures Nicola Valley
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Volunteer of the Year:
Jack Polmans
Jack Polmans and his wife Mavis moved to Merritt in 2005 to retire after working as a manager in the automotive industry. He quickly became involved in the community being appointed to six city committees after the 2008 election: City Centre Board, Façade, ATV Taskforce, Spirit of BC Olympic Committee, Olympic Taskforce, and Directional Signage Committee.
Jack has been part of Community Futures Nicola Valley as a Director and Lending Chair since 2012.
He has also been involved with the Nicola Valley Museum as Director, and Co-chair for Country Christmas, volunteers at The Historic Baillie House and many other organizations and events. He has been a major supporter for our community and he is well respected and admired by all of us.
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Volunteer of the Year:
Jason Campbell
Jason Campbell, a member of Seabird Island Band (Seabird) and has served on the Stó:lō Community Futures (SCF) Board since July, 2016. In addition to working as a Programs Facilitator for the Correctional Services of Canada, Jason has served as Councillor for Seabird for two terms; he is a Director of the Lands Advisory Board; he sits on the Land Code Committee for Seabird; and, is a Member of the Seabird Business Development Board.
Jason is dedicated to helping people become self-sufficient and become the economic force that will enable the Stó:lō Communities to be involved with the global economy.
As a former football player, Jason brings his leadership skills as a Coach for the Valley Huskers and to the SCF Board.
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Community Futures Shuswap
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Volunteer of the Year:
Jeff Tarry
Jeff resides in the community of Scotch Creek and has represented the North Shuswap region on Community Futures Shuswap’s Board of Directors for the past 5 years. He has enjoyed a very successful real estate career with Century 21 Lakeside Realty and also finds the time to serve his community as a “volunteer at large”. Jeff has held executive positions on the Board of Directors for the North Shuswap Chamber of Commerce and has played an instrumental role in bringing the Shuswap Tourism branding to the North Shuswap. We value Jeff’s insight and contribution to our organization and the passion he brings for the success of the North Shuswap.
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Community Futures Thompson Country
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Volunteer of the Year:
Ken White
Ken is a founding Board Member of the Community Futures movement since 1988. Ken served as the CFTC Chair from 1996 – 2001 and Chair of Community Futures British Columbia from 2004 – 2007. He has served as the Pan Canadian Chair from 2007 – 2009. CF’s across Canada have relied on Ken’s interest, expertise, and leadership he has provided. Ken has provided in excess of 10,000 volunteer hours to the CF movement. As Community Futures Thompson Country celebrates its thirtieth year in operation it only makes sense that Ken is nominated as our volunteer of the year.
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CF Wildfire Business Transition News
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Support Available For Rural Business Impacted By The 2017 Wildfires
Rural small businesses that have been impacted by the 2017 wildfires in British Columbia can access help in the recovery process from their local Community Futures office. Five Community Futures offices in the areas affected by the wildfires – Community Futures Cariboo Chilcotin, Central Interior First Nations, North Cariboo, Sun Country, and Thompson Country – are providing targeted support to help small businesses rebuild as part of the Wildfire Business Transition Project.
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The Wildfire Transition Projects aim is to help businesses in the following ways:
Ambassador Program
The Ambassador Program was put in place to make contact with local businesses affected by the fires and assist them with the financial claims they were entitled to. As of Oct 31st, 3,627 were provided with business advisory services, 2,688 small to medium enterprises have been assisted, 487 of those are Indigenous owned, 566 female owned.
Business and Not-For-Profit Training Program
A training program designed to provide businesses and not-for-profits affected by the 2017 wild fire season with financial assistance, to access self-directed training for themselves or their employees. Eligible organizations can apply for up to a maximum of $10,000 in training support. Over the course of the project, 113 businesses were submitted and been approved for training assistance. They, in turn, have submitted 91 owner/management training plans and another 98 employee training plans. As a result, to date, around $410,000 has been allocated to those businesses that submitted training plans.
Other Workshops/Seminars/Webinars
In addition to the self-directed training program outlined above, the three Community Futures groups have offered a series of workshops/seminars/webinars free of charge, in areas such as Disaster preparedness, Basic Bookkeeping, Financial Analysis etc and those that have already delivered have proved very popular and useful. to find out more about upcoming workshops/seminars/webinars visit our
website
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Small Business Tips for Success
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5 New Year's Resolutions for Better Financial Management
While most people consider the holidays a time to kick back and relax, many small business owners are taking advantage of their down-time to review the past year, and to plan for an even more successful new year. We find that December and January is often an ideal time to re-evaluate your financial management processes, and to create a success plan that will help to start the New Year off right
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Social Media for Small Business - Which Platform Should I Use?
Deciding to begin social media marketing is easy. Everyone says you should do it. But how do you get started? We're helping make it easier for Albertan entrepreneurs with this handy infographic. Find your goals on the chart, and follow the lines to the social media channels that work best for you. Try to pick one to start with (two at the most) unless you have a dedicated marketer working for you. Remember, every business is different, and your marketing needs will differ, too
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8 Tips to Marketing for Gen Z
Numbering nearly 2.5 billion and representing $44 billion in buying power, Generation Z is the next consumer group you’ll need to know how to interact with. If you haven’t thought about who Gen Z is, where to reach them, and how to talk to them, it’s time to start. Here are eight tips to help you do that.
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Add Time to Your Day: Tech Tips for Better Work Life Balance
Burning the candle on both ends? This post provides easy ways to strike a better work life balance and to relieve some pressure with the help of technology.
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Is the Traditional Office Dead? 10 Truths About Working From Home
Is the office experience dead? This post discusses the benefits of the work-from-home model and how employers can finally gain the cost benefits of no real estate.
Most employers hate the idea of going virtual, but companies in Canada increasingly choose to shrink their real estate footprint and adopt work-from-home.
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Prepare Your Business For Christmas Guide
Christmas shapes the business year and for many businesses, determines whether they're going to end up in the black or the red for any given year. So most of the articles in this Christmas business collection focus on what you can do to increase sales through this critical festive season
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2019 BC Economic Summit
March 3rd to 5th, 2019
Westin Wall Centre, Richmond, BC
Just confirmed - BCEDA is excited to introduce Keynote Speaker, Frederique Murphy! From Dublin, Ireland, Frederique has inspired and captivated global audiences. Specializing in Inspirational Leadership, Frederique Murphy is a mindset strategist, who inspires and equips leaders to move through extraordinary change.
- Full registration rates start at $535.00
- 2+ keynotes
- 2.5 action-packed days
- Economic Development Marketplace
- Unlimited learning & networking
- Most meals and social activities included!
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Small Business BC Awards
Thursday, 21 February, 2019,
5:00 PM to 11:00 PM |
Vancouver Convention Centre, Vancouver, BC
The Small Business BC Awards Gala will bring together over 600 small business owners, supporters, providers and government officials to network at a glittering reception. Tickets come with a three-course dinner and two complimentary drink tickets, as well as access to pre and post-event networking.
Hosted by a special guest Emcee, this is THE event where small businesses and business friendly communities are acknowledged for their outstanding achievements and contributions to the BC economy.
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Community Futures British Columbia| 1-888-303-2232 | admin@communityfutures.ca | www.communityfutures.ca
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Do you have News, Success Stories, or upcoming events that you would like to share in our next newsletter? Please send them to admin@communityfutures.ca
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