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Business notes: Duncan’s Westfalia Bakery moves to larger location

The latest from the Cowichan Valley business community
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The new location for Duncan’s Westfalian Bakery is at the end of this colourful lane located off of Kenneth Street, just around the corner from its old site. (Robert Barron/Citizen)

Westfalian Bakery, which has been located at 187 Kenneth St. in Duncan for many years, has moved to a larger location just around the corner and down a short and colourful lane.

Daniel Kim, owner and baker at Westfalian, which is well known for its freshly made croissants, pastries and other baked goods, said the former and smaller location had no space for people sit down, relax and enjoy their food.

He said the new location, which is roomy, bright and very cheerful, is 1,500 sq. ft. and allows him the space to have a small cafe with tables and chairs as well as his bakery.

Kim said he made the move three months ago and it has proven to be successful so far.

“It was a good decision and my customers enjoy the new location,” he said.

If you have trouble finding Westfalian’s new location, go to its old site and Kim has directions posted in the window.

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The Duncan Cowichan Chamber of Commerce is pleased to announce two of its new corporate partners for 2023; Island Savings and Nanaimo Airport.

The chamber’s website said when the two organizations were approached to become the first of its annual corporate partners this year, both jumped on the opportunity to get behind the chamber and support the work it does for businesses and in the community.

“Thank you for your dedication to support our chamber as we continue to advocate for our members as the voice of business in Cowichan,” the website said to the corporate partners.

“We are seeking two additional corporate partners for 2023. A corporate partnership is a highly visible way to promote your organization while supporting community and our mandate of ‘Building a Strong Community Through Strength in Business.’”

If you’re interested in learning more about the 2023 corporate partnership opportunity, reach out to the chamber’s executive director Sonja Nagel by email at manager@duncancc.bc.ca, or call 250-748-1111.

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The chamber is also reminding people that nominations for the nine Black Tie Award categories are open until midnight on Jan. 31.

Deserving businesses, individuals, and organizations across the Cowichan Valley will be honoured at the Black Tie Awards, now in its 23rd year, that will be held in May.

The ceremony will include awards for Volunteer of the Year, Young Entrepreneur, Art In Business and Green Business, Non Profit Organization as well as three Business Achievement awards that are subcategorized by number of employees.

The Black Tie Awards will be held at the Chemainus Theatre, and tickets will go on sale in March.

Visit www.blacktieawards.com to submit a nomination.

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Paper Excellence Canada, which owns the Crofton pulp mill, has donated $50,000 to the Canadian Red Cross.

A majority of the donation will support ongoing emergency management operations in B.C. and Saskatchewan, while a donation of $20,000 was made earlier this fall to Nova Scotia Red Cross in response to Hurricane Fiona.

“The Red Cross is a constant, comforting presence across the world, but that is especially true here at home in Canada, so we are very pleased to be supporting the Red Cross in the provinces where Paper Excellence Canada operates,” said Graham Kissack, vice president of corporate communications for Paper Excellence.

Luc Mullinder, vice president of Canadian Red Cross, Saskatchewan, said the CRC is extremely grateful for the generous donation from Paper Excellence.

“Your gift ensures that no one is alone when facing an emergency or disaster,” he said.

“It also supports initiatives that help those most vulnerable in our communities.”

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Eligible charities, non-profits, and Indigenous governing bodies in central and northern Vancouver Island can now apply for some of the approximately $1.1 million in federal funding that is available in the region to help them recover from the COVID-19 pandemic.

Ottawa is investing a total of $400 million in groups across Canada as they focus on how to adapt their organizations for pandemic recovery.

The funding is intended to support programs and service redesign and innovation for organizations working in arts and culture; development and housing; education and research; environment; health; law, advocacy and politics; philanthropic intermediaries and voluntarism promotion; sports and recreation, and faith-based.

United Way BC, in collaboration with the Canadian Red Cross Canada and Community Foundations of Canada, is responsible for establishing open application processes to distribute the funding across B.C, and eligible non-profits and charities can apply until Feb. 21.

More details can be found at www.uwbc.ca/csrf/

“The approximately $1.1 million in funds allocated for central and north Vancouver Island will go a long way in supporting our local community-serving organizations so they can adapt to the new normal brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic,” said Julie Rushton, United Way’s community impact manager for the central-north Vancouver Island region.

“We are thrilled to be directly involved in delivering these funds for organizations that have a significant impact in our community.”

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A new Seafood Business Accelerator program will help self-employed fishers and farmers become more self-sufficient business and community food providers, with funding support from Island Coastal Economic Trust’s Capital and Innovation Program.

The initiative is led by the Centre for Seafood Innovation at Vancouver Island University in partnership with the BC Commercial Fishing Caucus,

The debut program will provide an intensive, seafood specific, four-month training to help 20 small-scale seafood harvesters (including wild harvest fish, shellfish, and seaweed and farmed shellfish) find their niche within the global food system.

The initiative will include early business-stage coaching, food-industry training and project implementation services; all considered vital support to help harvesters seek new avenues of differentiation.

“Small-scale harvesters have huge socio-economic importance in B.C.’s coastal communities and their inability to compete has led to a declining number of harvesters,” said Debra Hellbach, manager of VIU’s Centre for Seafood Innovation.

“This reality has had a major impact on the Indigenous and Non-Indigenous rural and remote coastal communities where they are based. Our new program endeavours to address this issue with practical support.”

The program is supported through the Innovation Support funding stream of the Capital and Innovation Program.

The Trust will contribute $60,000 to a total project budget of $186,225.

The project is expected to get underway shortly.



robert.barron@cowichanvalleycitizen.com

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