WorkBC hosting Disability Resource Day in Duncan
On Wednesday, Sept. 25, WorkBC Centre Duncan will host a Disability Resource Day at its location at 301 – 80 Station St. from 1 p.m. to 4 pm. Information sessions and table talks by service providers will give residents in the Cowichan Valley an introduction to the services and supports available to job seekers with diverse abilities.
September has been celebrated as B.C. Disability Employment Month and enables communities to raise awareness about the benefits and skills people with disabilities bring to the workplace. WorkBC Employment Services in Cowichan anticipates that this Disability Resource Day will open dialogue about empowering individuals to view their abilities as gifts that help create inclusive workplaces and grow business productivity.
Shane Simpson, minister of Social Development and Poverty Reduction states, “equality of opportunity, and full and effective participation and inclusion in society are principles outlined in the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. People with disabilities have skills and talents that employers are looking for and should have an equal opportunity at meaningful employment. By proclaiming Disability Employment Month, our government wants to raise awareness and get more people with disabilities into good, well-paying jobs in B.C.”
In addition to table talk displays by service providers, information sessions also include a personal experience about living and working with a disability by Deborah Bromley, CEO and co owner of ETHOS Career Management Group. Bromley has built a thriving business with multiple locations while raising a family and enduring the symptoms and treatments for multiple sclerosis. Also, financial advisor Craig Kerridge of Coast Capital Wealth Management will give a presentation about the Disability Tax Credit and the Registered Disability Savings Plan. This event is open to everyone.
For more information about this event or other employment services contact WorkBC Duncan at 250-748-9880 or workbccentre-duncan.ca.
CGC hosting Eat Think Vote
On Sept. 26, Cowichan Green Community is hosting an Eat Think Vote event to give members of the community an opportunity to discuss with all the federal candidates their parties’ plans to address food insecurity, poverty, and poor health in Cowichan and across the country.
The event will be held at the Christian Reformed Church, 930 Trunk Rd., Duncan, from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. and will include refreshments, information, and presentations by some of the region’s service providers who are most connected to people facing food insecurity. There will also be an opportunity for attendees to ask specific food insecurity questions of the candidates.
This Eat Think Vote event is one of dozens of similar events being hosted by individuals and organizations across Canada to put food insecurity and income issues on the table. The campaign is led by Food Secure Canada and is in partnership with Community Food Centres Canada.
“Everyone in Canada should have access to sufficient, safe and nutritious food, and it’s up to all of us to push our elected officials to take action. Four million Canadians, including 1.15 million children, are food insecure and struggle to put food on the table,” says Judy Stafford, executive director, CGC. “We want to make sure candidates hear from our community members about how these issues affect their daily lives, and what policies are necessary to create change.”
Cowichan celebrates BC Rivers Day on Sept. 28
Communities all across British Columbia are getting ready to celebrate their local creeks, streams and rivers for the 40th annual BC Rivers Day on Sunday, Sept. 22. Cowichan’s event will take place on Saturday, Sept. 28.
Rivers Day events are planned by recreational clubs, conservation organizations, community groups, students and local governments in all regions of the province. This year’s events range from paddle trips to stream clean-ups and film screenings to community festivals, and thousands of people are expected to take part in the Rivers Day celebrations, making it Canada’s largest river celebration event.
In Cowichan, the Cowichan Stewardship Roundtable and Cowichan Tribes are co-hosting Quw’utsun Cowichan Heritage River Day Celebration from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. People are invited to gather at 222 Cowichan Way (the old VIU site near Superstore in Duncan). There will then be a short walk to a river site on Cowichan Tribes land, where the Tzinquaw Dancers will perform and there will be craft and nature booths as well as hands on learning about the watershed.
The event is free and lunch will be served at noon until supplies run out. People are asked to bring their own drinking water. Those with mobility issues should let organizers know upon their arrival, as there are limited parking facilities closer to the site available.
BC Rivers Day continues to be a great opportunity for people of all ages to get out and enjoy their local creeks, to gain an awareness of how waterways provide a home for fish and wildlife and how they feed into lakes, bigger rivers and ultimately into the ocean.
Louise Pedersen, executive director from the Outdoor Recreation Council of British Columbia, which is the central coordinator and promoter of the BC Rivers Day initiative, says: “With a history that goes back almost 40 years, it’s hugely encouraging to see the continued interest all across the province in celebrating BC Rivers Day. This year we’re seeing everything from large festivals with live entertainment, barbecues and booths; riverside planting events; a paddle that involves a giant flotilla of canoes, kayaks, and powered rafts; and a plastic pollution clean-up event organized by elementary school students.”
“While we certainly want these community events to be fun and enjoyable, BC Rivers Day is also a stark reminder about how our waterways are under increasing pressure from climate change, urbanization, pollution, damming and industrial development.”
Some of our most iconic river-dependent fish species, including sockeye salmon, rainbow trout and steelhead, are suffering due to warming waters, blocked access to spawning grounds and habitat degradation. Some stocks are at risk of collapsing. The main message this BC Rivers Day is that as a society we need to become much more proactive in protecting our river systems and the many benefits they provide to not only us but the wider ecosystem that we’re part of.”
For more information about the Cowichan event call 250-746-8052 or email cowichanstewarshiproundtable@gmail.com