Active Files on the CEO’s Desk
2018 Symposium: Beyond The Fires
Join us our upcoming 2018 Rural Tourism Symposium April 13-15, 2018 in Williams Lake. The summer of 2017 provided many learning opportunities which we will explore and share with the idea to create some best practices for our region. This also translates to other jurisdictions outside of tourism, and outside our region. The world is watching and wants to learn from our experiences.
The event will kick off Friday April 13th with a reception at the Tourism Discovery Centre, hosted by the City of Williams Lake. The symposium itself will begin Saturday April 14th at 7am with a with a breakfast in the Gibraltar Room located at the Cariboo Memorial Complex. Saturday evening will feature a dinner theatre at the Maranatha Christian school sponsored by the Cariboo Chilcotin Coast Tourism Association and TRU Tourism Management. Sunday April 15th morning also brings breakfast beginning at 7am and through the day more learning opportunities.
Make sure to print, scan and return your registration form to us as soon as possible to reserve your seat. Don’t miss this chance to learn, network and look forward to strengthening our tourism sector and region! Program details regularly added on our industry website located here.
Community Futures Ambassadors Helping Businesses
In response to the 2017 wildfires in the Cariboo Chilcotin and Thompson Nicola regions of the Province, the Wildfire Recovery Support Program (WRSP) has been launched. In a coordinated effort, it is being delivered throughout the region by three Community Futures offices based in, Williams Lake, Quesnel and Ashcroft. Each office will cover it’s local and regional mandated area.
If you need any assistance with completing the Red Cross Phase II application, give our office a call to speak with one of our business ambassadors at 250-392-3626
Application deadline is May 4, 2018.
Please follow the link below to access the full overview:
Wildfire Recovery Support Program Overview
Highway 24 Meeting – April 17
On April 17, 2018 the CCCTA, Destination BC and Tourism Café will return to the Hwy 24 corridor at Wildman’s Family Restaurant for the second destination development community meeting. Topics will include a review of the data and findings for the situation analysis to-date, setting of priority investment areas and moving into the creation of the 10 year strategy for your area. Please go here to register your attendance – lunch provided.
New Regional Marketing Fund begins May 1st
The regional application for funds through the Municipal and Regional District Tax (MRDT) program has been approved.
The addition of a three per cent tax on accommodations will take effect on May 1, 2018 and the CCCTA is working with the Ministry of Finance to ensure accommodation providers (excluding Quesnel and Wells) are aware of how to properly collect and remit the tax. The additional funds will be managed by a local tourism industry marketing committee, and it is expected the MRDT, which is applicable until 2023, will stimulate injection of approximately $1 million in new marketing funds annually to drive more visitation to the region.
The addition of the MRDT will provide a much-needed marketing boost. In anticipation of a successful MRDT application, we applied for cooperative funds under the Destination BC Open Pool competitive program and were awarded $225,000 for the coming fiscal year (April 1) to also fund marketing visitor experiences in the region.
Wildfire Impacts Report Released
Our recently released report on the economic impact of the 2017 wildfires to the region estimated direct revenue losses to tourism-related businesses at $55 million. The board is continuing to lobby government for additional support for our industry; for the full report click here.
Additional economic impact estimates included:
• Estimated Total Economic Impact: $101 million
• Estimated GDP loss: $63 million
• Amount of tourism businesses impacted: 98%
• Total tourism businesses accounted for in the region: 760
Marijuana At Work: Six Things Employers Should Know
The Canadian government has announced its intention to legalize marijuana for non-medical use in the near future, with draft legislation expected to be introduced in the spring of 2017. Meanwhile, medical use of marijuana has been on the rise in Canada for some time.
The rapid and significant changes to the legal status of marijuana raise new questions and challenges for Canadian employers. Visit the go2hr article by Ryan Anderson, an employment lawyer with Mathews Dinsdale & Clark LLP, where he provide a general overview of the most important things employers should know about marijuana in the workplace:
What is the current legal status of marijuana in Canada?
Does legalization of marijuana mean employees can be impaired at work?
Does the duty to accommodate extend to medical marijuana?
How far does the duty to accommodate employees using medical marijuana extend?
What can employers do to meet their obligations?
What is the future of marijuana in the workplace?
CRD Wildfire Consultation Report Released
March 16th, the Cariboo Regional District Board of Directors held a special Board meeting to review a wildfire report following the CRD’s community consultations in the fall. The report combines results from two dozen community meetings, a survey and Facebook event, which engaged over 2,600 residents between October and December 2017.
Download a copy of the report here.
CRD offers business façade improvement grants
Cariboo Chilcotin, B.C. – Funding is available again in the Cariboo Regional District (CRD) for business and property owners to improve their commercial building frontages. The 2018 Business Façade Improvement Program is open to all commercial businesses located within the rural areas of the Regional District.
Eligible businesses can receive a 50 per cent reimbursement to a maximum of $5,000 for exterior renovations and improvements such as façades, signage, murals, architectural features, siding, lighting and awnings. Funding will be committed on a first-come, first-serve basis (subject to project eligibility and availability of funds).
The 2018 Business Façade Improvement Program is made possible through a $20,000 grant from the Northern Development Initiative Trust.
In 2017, the CRD delivered the program in Kersley, Chilanko Forks, Forest Grove, Big Lake Ranch and Sugar Cane (Williams Lake). Program applicants completed five projects representing a total investment of $19,388 in business façade improvements.
Business Façade Improvement Program guidelines and application forms are available online at cariboord.ca under Community Economic Development or at the CRD offices in Quesnel, Williams Lake and 100 Mile House.
The CRD program excludes businesses within municipal boundaries as they can apply with their local municipality. The City of Quesnel, City of Williams Lake, District of 100 Mile House and District of Wells are offering the program in 2018.
For more information about Northern Development Initiative Trust’s funding programs and success stories, visit northerndevelopment.bc.ca.
CRD Grant Writer Program Returns
The Cariboo Regional District (CRD) values the hard-working community groups and volunteers who make exciting things happen in our communities. Often, community groups rely on grant funding to undertake new projects or services that benefit us all.
Grant writing can be an overwhelming and time-consuming task but the benefits are huge! The CRD is here to help. Funded in part by Northern Development Initiative Trust’s Grant Writer Support Program, the CRD Community Grant Writer will work with your community group to provide:
· Grant research
· Grant application development and submission
· Technical support
Our objective is to build grant writing capacity and expertise that leads to a direct increase in funding for projects and programs in the Cariboo Chilcotin.
If applying for a specific grant program, please contact the CRD Grant Writer a minimum of 2 weeks before the grant application deadline, in order to provide enough time for the Grant Writer to assist you with your project.
To contact our grant writer, please e-mail grantwriter@cariboord.ca. To subscribe to our monthly grant newsletter, click HERE and indicate “Grant Updates.”
