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is a Vancouver-based nonprofit organization that specializes in providing information and referral regarding community, government and social services in BC. Our help line services include 211, the Alcohol and Drug Information and Referral Service (ADIRS), the Problem Gambling Help Line, VictimLink BC, and the Youth Against Violence Line.

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What is The Social Planning Council?

Activities:

o Monthly Meetings: Attend meetings with guest speakers from within the community &/or presentations at each meeting. We currently meet the fourth Monday of every month (excluding summer) at City Hall with light lunch by donation.

o Facebook & Email Group: Utilize the network on Facebook. Start discussions, learn about & share upcoming community events, projects and meetings. If you don’t use Facebook, then join the email network instead.

o Inform City Council: The SPC provides reports to City Council regularly and the City keeps the SPC informed. Use the network and have your voices heard.



Strategic Direction of the Social Planning Council of Williams Lake & Area:

o Poverty Reduction and the local Living Wage Campaign.

o Community Collaboration and Networking.

o Retention and Succession of residents within the Area.



Community Social Planning:

o Supports communities in building an integrated approach to complex problems that take into account social, economic, and environmental concerns.

o Maximizes the effectiveness of often scarce resources by working to reduce duplication, overlap and competition.

o Provides an ongoing forum for communication, coordination and conflict resolution.



Friday, March 29, 2013

SPC office closed for Good Friday

The SPC office is closed for Good Friday. See you next week.

Friday, March 22, 2013

Community Updates - Mar 22, 2013



Community Updates (7) – Mar 22, 2013

1) The next SPC Meeting is this monday Mar 25/13 at 11:30 am at the City of Williams Lake.

Agenda – Succession and Retention Subcommittee

For last month’s minutes for your review, please visit



2) Today is World Water Day and in the City of Williams Lake – free swim from 1:30  to 3 pm

The Mayor and Williams Lake City Council did PROCLAIM March 22nd as World Water Day in the City of Williams Lake.  The entire official proclamation can be seen below.  Thank-you Mayor and Council!   

Williams Lake residents have REDUCED their water use by 20% since 2006 when the Water Wise Program began.  And to to CELEBRATE this achievement, the Conservation Society is hosting a FREE SWIM on World Water Day. We invite the community to join us at the Sam Ketcham Pool from between 1:30 to 3:00 on Friday, March 22nd.

CCCS Water Wise Staff will be at the complex and have displays and information available (educational materials, Water Wise Brochures, etc.) too.


3) “Come Out and Play” 23rd Annual Nutrition Fun Run - Sunday April 7 at 11:00 am

Circle Sunday April 7 at 11:00 am for the 23rd annual community Nutrition Fun Run/Walk.  Celebrate Spring and Join in on the fun!... walk, bike, roller blade or bring your strollers!.  The event will start at the Cariboo Memorial Complex & attracts over 350 people every year.  We will begin with a high energy warm up and finish with Great refreshments & prizes too.  Everyone Welcome! BYOB: Bring your own refillable water bottle!

For more info you can contact: 
Tatjana Bates, RD, MHe
Williams Lake, BC, V2G-1R8
250-302-5010

For healthy eating information go towww.interiorhealth.ca/healthy_eating.aspx
or call HealthLink BC at 8-1-1 and ask for a Registered Dietitian


4) Wii Olympics – Sunday April 7, 1:00 pm at TRU

Face off against other teams in a series of 6 Olympic-Style Wii events at TRU (1250 Western Ave). Medals and the grand prize (Wii Gaming System) will be awarded at the closing ceremonies. There will also be a fun, non-competitive station for children under the age of six, as well as snacks and prizes for everyone.

This year there is also a “torch” relay event, with the Torch making it’s way through local businesses leading up to the event!

Check out a video from last year’s events – just go to the Boys & Girls Club facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/BoysAndGirlsClubOfWilliamsLake and follow the links.

This fundraiser costs $10/individual, $25/family with all proceeds going towards local programs for youth. Snacks and prizes available. For more info contact the Boys & Girls Club at 250-392-5730 – registration forms are available online at


5) Connect Parent Group in Williams Lake begins April 9/13

The connect parent group is a series of workshops in Williams Lake that focuses on enhancing the building blocks of attachment, improving the parents ability to reflect before acting, and adjust their feelings so they respond more constructively to conflict when interacting with their children.

There are a series of 10 free one hour sessions over ten weeks beginning April 9th, and to register or for more information please contact Sheila Cohen, the Family Counsellor for Family Solutions at the Canadian Mental Health Association’s CAriboo Chilcotin Branch at 250-305-4487.


6) Nurtured by Nature:  Why We Need Time Outside – Apr 5/13

This year’s Williams Lake Field Naturalists’ Fundraising Banquet shines a spotlight on our vital need to get outside. 

Ex-Chilcotin cowgirl and naturalist/writer Briony Penn shares the science on how being trapped indoors is harming us.

Studies prove that our sedentary ways are impacting life expectancy and quality for our children, and making them less resilient to the upheaval caused by climate change. Briony brings some of the best success stories on how to turn this juggernaut around.  She’ll share some rich seeds of ideas for natural history programs from the mouths of the next generation themselves. 

Join us on April 5, 6:00 at the United Church Hall for a delicious meal and entertaining evening.  Tickets are available from the Open Book and Williams Lake Field Naturalists, and should be purchased by March 30.

Jenny Noble, Coordinator
Scout Island Nature Centre
(250) 398-8532


7) Free Zumba Fitness Classes:

Mon & Thurs from 5:15 – 6:15 pm at the Women’s Contact Society – Child minding is available on Mondays. Space is limited to call to register at 250-392-4118

Wed from 9:15 – 10:15 am at the Salvation Army. To register call Candace at 250-855-8504

SPC Monthly Meeting Minutes - Feb 25/13




SPC Monthly Meeting Minutes (draft)
Feb 25, 2013 - 11:30 am – 1:00 pm

Location: Cariboo Regional District Library (parking lot entrance)

In attendance (from sign-in sheet): Jay Goddard, Carla Bullinger, Coleen Onofrechuk, Bruce Mack, Charlie Wyse, Krista Niquidet, Anne Burrill, Monica Johnson, Sharon Taylor, Shannon Thom and Jessica Knodel.


Accept Mins & Agenda:
                                                                                                                                                   
Reviewed meeting minutes from Jan 28, 2012
Reviewed the agenda for Feb 25, 2013 meeting - addition to agenda – view Anti-bullying video during lunch

 

Youtube Video -  This Day Project - Shane Koyczan


Shane Koyczan "To This Day" (http://www.tothisdayproject.com) video message about confronting bullying. The video can be viewed online at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ltun92DfnPY


The Living Wage:

Background info provided – In 2010 the SPC invited Seth Klein from the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives (CCPA) to speak at the SPC’s Annual General Meeting. He gave a presentation on Child Poverty in BC which also touched upon the subject of a Living Wage. This caught the attention of the SPC which then used grant funds awarded by the Social Development Working group of CCBAC to hire a student to complete the first Living Wage and Poverty Reduction research project. The CTC program also provided resources to help with the first wage calculation. Anne Burrill and Monica Johnson have remained a constant in this local campaign. We are now at the next stage of moving forward.

To begin, we showed a short Youtube video (google the Living Wage).

Notes from the Living Wage Subcommittee Handout:

The living wage is calculated as a hourly rate at which a household can meets its basic needs, once government transfers have been added to the family’s income (such as the Universal Child Care Benefit) and deductions have been subtracted (such as income taxes and EI premiums).

Calculation of 2013 Living Wage has been completed

-What does the Living Wage include
-Discrepancies with 2010 LW (15.77 but should likely have been 16.52)
-Comparisons to other communities

Next Steps

-Public Release of Living Wage for 2013 – when and how?
-MOU with LWBC – needs to be signed to move forward with Employer Certification
-Employer Certification project (with funding/coordination)

A decision was made to hold off publically releasing this new calculation until some adjustments are made. To move this project further, more time is required and a dedicated position was recommended in addition to the committee. These next steps and recommendations will be presented to the SPC Board by the Subcommittee at the next Board meeting.


Discussions which followed:

Food costs have significantly increased since the first calculation (from dieticians report “The Cost of eating in BC”)

A Living Wage is a non judgmental number. It is not what the employer needs to pay, it’s the wage that is needed, and employee benefits reduce the costs of living for their employees.

There is an employer certification process, and online tools for employers.

Suggestion to present to Chamber of Commerce as the Living Wage is tied to economic development. The Chamber could also be a “gate” for smaller organizations to get wholesale rates (also see below).

A great example to share – on Family day, the pool held a free swim at the Rec Complex and so many families showed up, the pool had to turn people away. This attests to the need and desire for more affordable recreation activities. Healthy families = healthy communities but these activities can be expensive

The City is also a good place to discuss this further as local government need to see the cost saving and economic benefits.

There needs to be a momentum from the broader community to help small business owners who want to pay a Living Wage but cannot on their own.

Roundtable Updates:

Updates are shared via weekly updates. The information below is in addition to these updates.

Charlie Wyse – thanked the table for this information. Only at the SPC table was he able to find any information on a local living wage which is important to our region.

Anne Burrill – The Heritage Day events were well attended with approximately 50 people at the museum for neighbor to neighbor story telling and conversations. The Shuswap language and learn program put on by the City which taught some basic Secwepemctsín finishes this Friday. It was another great course and learning opportunity.

Krista Niquidet – Taseko supports healthy community initiatives and recently supported the Cariboo Chilcotin Partners for Literacy, Search and Rescue, Indoor Rodeo and Dry Grad. To request funding assistance from Taseko, please send a letter to Taseko, Attention Donations Committee.

Shannon Thom – Williams Lake Employment Services (WLES) – workshops, resume writing, and all other services are in full swing. If someone works less than 20 hours a week or unemployed, WLES can offer assistance.

Sharon Taylor – Justice Theatre: Bullying with Violence is tomorrow (posters handed out). This performance will connect Canada’s justice systems to the lives of students by making its principles more understandable and by demonstrating that it is there to help citizens who are victims of crimes. Presented by IMSS Welcome WL, CTC, SD#27, and TRU.

Bruce Mack -  lost provincial funding and will be strategically planning next week.

Colleen Onofrechuk – The pediatrician at the CDC is available by referral from your GP. Infant development and parenting classes are available.

Carla Bullinger – The CTC also has a distribution list for those who have information to share. CTC encourages people to get involved anyway they can.

Jay Goddard – a) “Ending the R word” campaign is gaining momentum right now. It is an awareness campaign to stop using the word retarded, b) After the Child and Youth Care Consortium in Victoria, a new diploma program in this field will be coming to our local TRU campus, c) go see the play “Little Women” (Jay is in it).

Jessica Knodel – attended the Chamber of Commerce’s Board Governance training and the valuable information learned can be shared with anyone or organization who wishes to learn more. The course book can also be borrowed, and will be shared with the SPC Board.


Meeting adjourned – the next meeting (Succession and Retention) will be held on Mar 25/13, from 11:30 am – 1 pm, location TBA.

Contact Us

The Social Planning Council is made up of volunteers from the community. Many of us work in social services agencies or also volunteer for other organizations.

Our Mailing Address is Box 20045, Williams Lake BC V2G 4R1

To reach the Society Coordinator Jessica Dunn please email spc-coordinator@xplornet.com or call 250-243-2126

To reach the Communities that Care Project Facilitator Barb Jones please email communitiesthatcare.wl@gmail.com or call 250-305-4838

To reach the THRIVE Williams Lake Project Manager Anne Burrill please email annelburrill@gmail.com or call 250-267-7211

To reach the current SPC Chair Larry Stranberg please email happytrails@cfdccariboo.com or call 250-392-3626