Connection Café

MITIGATING & ADAPTING: CLIMATE CHANGE ECONOMIC DISRUPTIONS

PROVINCIAL RESOURCES

SMALL BIZ - DISASTER PREP: www2.gov.bc.ca - Prepared BC - Guides and Resources

PREPARED BC: BC's Emergency Plan for Small Business

CLEAN BC: 2023 Climate Change Accountability Report

CLIMATE ACTION SECRETARIAT – Adaptation, Ministry of Environment

The Climate Action Secretariat (CAS), within the BC Ministry of Environment, drives change to achieve British Columbia’s greenhouse gas emission reduction targets and helps British Columbia prepare for and adapt to the unavoidable impacts of climate change.

Key Contact: Myron Roth Myron.Roth@gov.bc.ca

Go to Resource: http://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/environment/climate-change/adaptation

BC ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT ASSOCIATION:

Manual & Toolkit: www.bceda.ca/economic_disaster_preparation.php

10 Steps to Prepare Your Business for Evacuation - PDF

BUSINESS INTERRUPTION INSURANCE:

Coastal Community Credit Union - Contact: Yvonne.jones@cccu.ca

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CLIMATE HEALING & RESILIENCE RESOURCES

Climate Healing Workshop – Maggie Ziegler, MA

UBC CLIMATE HUB:

www.ubcclimatehub.ca/projects

Climate Healing & Resilience - PDF

Climate Burnout Report - Climate Critical Earth, Report Published 2023

A Field Guide to Climate Anxiety: How to Keep Your Cool on a Warming Planet by Sarah Jaquette Ray

Active Hope: How to Face the Mess We’re in without Going Crazy by Joanna Macy

Coping with climate anxiety…and climate change itself, by Lisa Wolff, Aug 2023

Excerpt on Britt Wray’s speech to the World Economic Forum on How to Live Meaningfully with Climate Anxiety, July 2023

https://ecoanxious.ca

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CLIMATE ACTION: COMMUNITY RESOURCES

ISLANDS FUTURES GABRIOLA ISLAND: SustainableGabriola.ca/climate12action (Email: Climate12Action@gmail.com)

CORTES ISLAND FIRE FIGHTING ASSOCIATION: www.cortesfire.org

TRANSITION SALT SPRING: www.transitionsaltspring.com

QUADRA ISLAND CLIMATE ACTION NETWORK: www.quadraican.ca

INDIGENOUS CLIMATE HUB: www.indigenousclimatehub.ca

How To Boil A Frog – Make Friends/Make Fun/Make Trouble (Trailer here)

See original event, INCLUDING VIDEO RECAP: March 27 Event Page

A great turn out that included a nice mix of familiar faces, along with plenty of new attendees!

Guests received updates from active Working Groups:

Rural Housing Policy
Climate Adaptation & Mitigation
Building Local Economic Capacity

And discussed the formation of two volunteer-led Resolutions ‘Working Groups’:

Food Security
Travel As A Force For Good

For more information about the RIEP Forum Resolution Working Groups, or if you are interested in participating, please email info@ruralislandspartnership.ca.

Café attendees gathered virtually to connect and reflect upon the outcomes of the recent 2023 Forum, and in particular to review and discuss 2023 Forum Resolutions that were developed during Action Labs at the 3-day gathering.

The seven resolutions include:

Rural Island Housing Policy
Building Local Economic Capacity
Travel As A Force For Good
Climate Adaptation Practices
Circular Economy How To’s

The café led to the formation of three volunteer-led Resolutions ‘Working Groups’:

Rural Housing Policy
Climate Adaptation & Mitigation
Building Local Economic Capacity

“Coming together as a network of communities to take collaborative action is what resulted in these calls for action”, said Francine Carlin, Chair and interim Executive Director of the Rural Islands Economic Partnership (RIEP). “The Connection Café was an important next step to launching the process for activating the Resolutions and moving them forward.”

Carlin said the Resolution Working Groups will come together to review, refine and propose next steps for activation with the intention of engaging island settler and Indigenous community partners, and for seeking an audience with local and provincial government bodies.

Island residents, community orgs, community economic development orgs, chambers of commerce, and representatives of island-based businesses and partner organizations interested in participating in any of the RIEP Forum Resolution Working Groups can email chair@ruralislandspartnership.ca.

Link here to full article summary: June Café Article

Check out the May Café recap (link below) to gain the knowledge and resources you need to market your business year-round!

This Connection Café featured business tools for year-round revenue. Interactive sessions dove deep into:

Be Inspired! Small businesses that have used their creative currency to move through these challenging times.
Think Local, Sell Global! Opportunities for growing your business beyond the shores of your island.
We Love Local! Realize year-round benefits from online business directories and targeted campaigns.
For New Businesses Looking to Launch: Creative ideas and directions for your marketing plans.
Non-Profits Benefit: Resources available to refresh your communication plans.

Panel Discussion:

Fabrizio Alberico, Advisor, Export Navigator
Pip Seymour, Co-Founder & Partner, Seymour Digital Media
Emilie Kaplun, Catching Stars Gallery

Business Tools Showcase Feature:

Rising Tide Business Services, the Digital Marketing Agency created by islanders, for islanders! Access the latest business tools and digital marketing solutions to fit your budget. Learn about the common small biz marketing pitfalls that waste precious time and money. - Sherese Johnson, Manager

Break-Out Room Topics:

Casual Islander Connections
Small Biz / Start-up Marketing Pain Points

See original event, INCLUDING VIDEO RECAP: https://ruralislandspartnership.ca/event/connection-cafe-31-may-2022/

March’s CONNECTION CAFÉ included a facilitated Roundtable Dialogue + Q & A and topical break-out sessions with tourism activity providers, tourism organization reps, and sustainable travel enthusiasts who will share perspectives and experiences related to:

Sustainable Travel – Rural Islands Destination Pledge
Fostering Experiential Eco-Tourism & Edu-Tourism
Promoting Carbon Neutral Travel & Carbon Off-Setting
Reflections On Covid – Tourism Recovery ‘Pivots’ And Impacts
Supporting Local Tourism Businesses
Regenerative Tourism & Creating a Positive Impact on Destinations

Panel Discussion:

Kai Harvey, Cortes Kayak - Cortes
Andreas Hagen (Dre), Discovery Islands Chamber Commerce Council - Quadra
Jody Lorenz, Tourism Bowen Island Association
Hannah Grant, Tourism Vancouver Island, Director of Digital Strategy
Randy Cunningham, Chair, Southern Gulf Island Tourism Partnership

PLUS SUSTAINABLE TRAVEL SHOWCASE:

The Whale Trail 2022 https://thewhaletrail.org

Donna Sandstrom - Founder/Executive Director and Aaron Purdy - Oceanwise

Break-Out Room Topics:

Eco / Edu Tourism Opportunities
Climate Conscience Sustainable Travel
Tourism Recovery - Generating Year Round Revenues

See original event, INCLUDING VIDEO RECAP: https://ruralislandspartnership.ca/event/connection-cafe-29-mar-2022/

February’s CONNECTION CAFÉ features a facilitated roundtable dialogue + Q & A with rural island farmers, food producers and food resilience champions from Cortes, Gabriola, Galiano, Malcolm, Salt Spring and more!

Enjoy shared perspectives about the ways the pandemic has exposed vulnerabilities as well as opportunities related to:

Building a robust local and islands wide food economy
Biodiversity in the face of global warming and environmental conditions; fires, drought, floods, freezing, heat dome
Addressing the supply gap and strengthening the value chain
Best practices for distributing local produced-processed food
Connecting local buyers to local producers
Garden to Table trends and strategies
Fundraising and marketing successes

Panel Discussion:

Filipe Figueria, Cortes Resilience Coordinator - Cortes Community Economic Development Association

Graham Bradley, President - Gabriola, Gabriola Chamber of Commerce

Ed Andrusiak, activist - Galiano

Nick Jones, - Salt Spring, Salt Spring Agricultural Alliance

Emma Davis, Coordinator, Galiano Food Program - Galiano

Showcase Feature:

Chris Hall, Loving Off The Land - Pender http://www.youtube.com/lovinofftheland

Break-Out Room Topics:

Local Food Resilience & Security
Farmers, Producers & Supportive Programs
Investors & Fundraising Relationships

See original event, INCLUDING VIDEO RECAP: https://ruralislandspartnership.ca/event/connection-cafe-22-feb-2022/

Across the Indigenous and non-Indigenous communities of BC’s rural islands – from Cortes, Denman and Hornby, to Gabriola, Pender, and Salt Spring, to Bowen, Cormorant, Quadra, Malcolm, and beyond, these islands have long been home to unique, vibrant, and creative arts communities.

The artists and artisans of these communities are cultural leaders as well as contributors to the ongoing economic vitality of their individual islands. Most often reflected in inspirational and innovative programming for residents and visitors alike.

The January Roundtable included an exploration of the arts on BC's rural islands, featuring perspectives from arts leaders representing Gabriola, Hornby, Malcolm and Salt Spring Islands. They shared their experiences, successes, knowledge and concerns about the current and future vitality of the arts culture on BC's rural islands.

Gain an insider’s view of how the ‘arts work’ in the ‘new normal’. Including exploration for how to:

Identify regional arts & cultural facilities with available ongoing advocacy and programming
Understand what constitutes as an “arts-friendly” community and what resources are required
Learn about current arts & tourism initiatives
Recognize community champions of our local artistic and cultural heritage
Value the impact of art and understanding the economic, community and individual benefits
Future proof our islands arts communities in a post-covid world
Directly engage with fellow artists, facilitators, service providers and community leaders
Strengthen collaboration and rural arts network opportunities

RIEP welcomed:

Yael Wand, Executive Director, Salt Spring Arts
Mary-Louise Albert, Artistic Executive Director, BCMovement & Art Society - Malcolm Island
Andrew Mark, Executive Director, Hornby Arts
Carol Fergusson, Executive Director, Gabriola Arts

Break-Out Room Topics:

Funding for the Arts
Advocacy for Islands Arts
Networking

See original event, INCLUDING VIDEO RECAP: https://ruralislandspartnership.ca/event/connection-cafe-jan-25/

From the Frontline: BC’s Rural Islanders Organize for Immediate Solutions To Climate Emergency

The Rural Islands Economic Partnerships (RIEP) Emergency Preparedness event on November 30th, highlighted the importance of inter-island reliance, and dependence on regional and national systems during crisis situations.

"Rural islanders understand one another... and the unique needs we face as a community,” said Gabriola islander Julie Sperber, a Board Director of RIEP. “No matter the crisis — whether it is a pandemic, fire, flood or other natural or man-made disaster — we need to learn how to plan for recovery by learning what has already worked at a local level, and what to consider on a national and global scale, and then find ways to adapt and implement the best emergency response for the benefit of our communities and businesses.”

During the event a panel of experts shared practical steps on how to mobilize rural communities to prepare for emergency response and recovery. . .

Jeff Ballingall, Quadra Island Emergency Program Coordinator, spoke about the importance of developing a volunteer-led initiative that engages the community at the grassroots level in order to prepare and plan for emergencies.

Jeremy Stone, Director and Founder of Recovery and Relief Services, shared the importance of strategic planning that takes into consideration economic recovery planning for rural communities.

Special guest: Elizabeth May, Member of Parliament (Green Party) for Saanich and the Gulf Islands said: “We must secure commitment and funding to empower rural communities to prepare and train in advance of the next crisis, and more importantly be ready for recovery.”

Break-Out Room Topics:

Local emergency plan opportunities
Networking

Emergency Prep Resources

BC Emergency Support Service: https://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/safety/emergency-management/local-emergency-programs/ess
Community Disaster Resilience Planning - The Justice Institute: https://cdrp.jibc.ca
Local Economic Recovery & Restart Toolkit - BCEDA: https://www.bceda.ca/local_economic_recovery_rest.php

See original event, INCLUDING VIDEO RECAP: https://ruralislandspartnership.ca/event/connection-cafe-networking-showcase/

27 March 2024