Salmon Farmers Assoc. help Haiti relief efforts through Shelterbox

The BC Salmon Farmers Association had donated $3,000 to earthquake relief efforts in Haiti, bringing shelter, beds, water, cooking utensils and other basics for up to 30 people for as long as six months.

Each $1,000 donated provides supplies, including a tent and water, for as many as 10 people for up to six months.

 Check out Shelterbox’s site at www.shelterbox.ca.

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Mainstream reaches pinnacle of ISO certification

Mainstream Canada, with its Canadian head office in Campbell River and the second large aquaculture company in BC, rounded out 2009 with a company-wide Christmas gift. 

It received certification in ISO 9001 Quality  Management System (QMS) and the OHSAS 18001 Occupational Health and Safety Assessment Management System Standards (OHSAS), making it the first Canadian aquaculture company to reach full certification in ISO 9001 QMS, ISO 14001 EMS and OHSAS 18001 for all its operations.

“This emphasis on continual improvement is consistent with internationally recognized ISO Standards such as the ISO 9000 Quality Management Standards, and ISO 14000 Environmental Management Standards certification that was obtained by Mainstream Canada in 2008 and 2009″, said Laurie Jensen, Environmental, Licences and Community Relations Manager.

The certification process started in 2008 with a full internal and external audit of all  company operations. Any operational gaps were identified, systems were developed, the operational manuals “Best Management Practices” (BMPs) and “Standard Operating Procedures” (SOPs) were updated and the resulting “Environmental Management System” (EMS) certification was obtained in fall 2008.

“Sustainability is a goal that relies on balancing environmental, social and economic impacts, with a long-term commitment for continual improvement,” added Jensen.

ISO (International Standards Organization) is a third party world wide certification standard. 

Mainstream operates in the Campbell River, Tofino and Broughton areas with three hatcheries, 24 sea sites and two processing plants, one of which is contracted.

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Campbell River’s premier wooden building hosts Forest Minister

A sold-out crowd of Chamber members packed the Maritime Heritage Centre over the noon hour yesterday to hear Pat Bell speak. He is the Minister of Forests and Range and believes opportunities within the forest industry still exist.

 Prior to the Minister taking centre stage, Mayor Charlie Cornfield announced the creation of a Wood First policy by council last week. The policy is aimed at the use of wood in all new buildings funded by the City of Campbell River.

It’s important to support a wood culture in Campbell River His Worship said.

Minister Bell began his address to Chamber members by stating the Campbell River is a fork in the road. It’s time for decisions to be made about our future - do we want to continue to be a resource-based community or move towards a new way that could include tourism and various other opportunites. The challenge of how to create value for ourselves is ours to decide.

He provided some suggestions about where Campbell River could look for opportunities within the forest sector. Here are a couple:

* The creation of a bio-energy industry through using logging residues (more commonly known as slash to most people) to create wood-based pellets that would replace coal as a fuel source. Between 2.5 and 3 million cubic metres of slash existed in 2009 according to the Minister, providing significant economic potential for North Vancouver Island communities.

* Advanced and intensive silviculture. “We grow the best trees in BC here on Vancouver Island,” said Bell.

* The development of the Chinese marketplace. BC shipped 300 million board feet of lumber to China in 2007 – the equivalent of one mill’s entire annual production. The following year, that number had grown to 720 million board feet. As of the end of November 2009, more than a billion board feet of hemlock and cedar had made its way to China.

“If you send it, they’ll (the Chinese)  figure out something to do with it,” said Bell.

Don’t focus on the revival of the US market, he said. Look instead to China. That country could feasibly becoming BC’s number one customer by 2013, when our softwood lumber agreement with the US expires.

Bell predicted more mills will be open at the end of 2010 than were operating at the beginning.

During the question and answer period, Minister Bell was asked about the reopening of the Catalyst mill. It’s a “local decision” he said, adding that the government is involved but only “peripherally” since the issue isn’t within the province’s jurisdiction.

Employees from Corilar, Pallan Timber, and the City of Campbell River won door prizes.

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Ziggy’s relocates and zags up the hill

As of Sunday, find Ziggy’s Body Jewelry not at the bottom of Dogwood hill but  in its new location at National TV and Video, in the same plaza as Fusilli Grill and The Mirror.

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Words on the Water offers wealth of words

The days are longer, bulbs are beginning to poke their green heads through the cool soil in some lucky gardens, and Christmas is off the radar for another year. For this avid reader, that combination means only one thing: it’s soon Words on the Water time again. This year’s event is Friday, March 19 and Saturday, March 20 at the Maritime Heritage Centre.

This year’s lineup  promises to be another winner. Campbell River is fortunate to welcome the following authors:

* Annabel Lyon,  author of The Golden Mean, which was a finalist for the 2009 Rogers Writers’  Trust Fiction Prize, the 2009  Scotiabank Giller Prize, and also in 2009, the Governor General’s Literary Awards – Fiction. The interview I heard on CBC Radio in the fall was compelling and I’m so looking forward to hearing about Aristotle and Alexanders the Great from the writer who brought them to life. Oh yeah – The Golden Mean won the Rogers Writers’  Trust for fiction.

* Gabor Mate, author of In the Realm of the Hungry Ghost – Close Encounters with Addiction. It was published in 2008.  He’s a doctor at a harm reduction facility in Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside.

* Children’s author Kit Pearson, who wrote the brilliant Awake and Dreaming as well as the Guests of War trilogy that tells the story of Nora and Gavin, a brother and sister pair who are sent from England to live in Canada during WW2. I can’t wait to meet her.

* Andreas Schroeder has been a freelance writer for more than 40 years. He’s published poetry, literary critcism, and and and. His most recent book is Renovating Heaven.

* Current Haig-Brown Writer-in-Residence Harry Thurston, whose most recent book is A Place between the Tides, A Naturalist’s Reflections on the Salt Marsh.

* Ronald Wright is the author of What is Amerca, a BC Book Prize finalist. He’s published in more tan 15 langueas. His first novel, A Scientific Romance, was a Globe and Mail Book of the Year.

This ninth annual event gets underway on Friday night. Throughout Saturday, enjoy readings by all the authors and ask questions. Books will be available for sale and you can have them signed too! (I love that).  Saturday night is always tons of fun – it’s the literary cabaret, featuring  the guest writers, music by local musicians, laughter, and gourmet appies.

Be sure to get your Early Bird Pass quickly – they’re bound to sell out. At $65, it gets you into all events and is a terrific deal. They go on sale at the Tidemark theatre Tuesday, February 2. Find out more at www.wordsonthewater.ca . Get ready for a literary bounty that Campbell River hasn’t seen since last year’s Words on the Water!

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What time is it, Mr. Tyee?

I’ve noticed that the clock in the Tyee Plaza has said 6:20 since before Christmas. As my dad would say, it’s right twice a day! But for those non-watch wearers amongst us who are downtown at times other than exceedingly early in the morning or during the dinner hour, it’s a tad  frustrating.

Maybe Mr. Tyee can put in the good word for those of us who like to know what time is it when we’re downtown and speed up the process of having it fixed?

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Perogy pickup and bread pickup rise to occasion

Of note around town these days:

Discovery Harbour Mall will soon be home to Dollar Giant. This is good news for me since I can’t help but stop by whenever I pass one. The brown paper on the windows of the former liquor store, below the Marine Harvest sign,  leads me to believe that work is underway to make the space bargain-friendly. I’m running low on burner liners for my stove!

And as Discovery Harbour gets ready to welcome a new tenant, 10th Ave. has said goodbye to baked goods and Ukrainian food. That’s the not so good news. The positive side of things is that you can still buy what was sold at Christie’s Place and Plaza Bakery preclosure.

For bread and other goodies, give the Plaza Bakery gang a call at 250-286-1916 and put in your order for next day service. Pick up your freshly baked things from the side parking lot, between the lane and Koto. They’ll make sure you have clear directions on where to find them. 

Check out http://danylchuksperogies.com for menu options and prices, including not only perogies but borscht, cabbage rolls, and pyrizhky as well.  Pick up is at 167 Rockland Road. Call either 250-923-0852 or 250-860-4292 to order. Special orders are always welcome.

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Wok Box wokking up fresh choices

Looking for a brand new restaurant choice to help usher in the new year? There’s now a fresh option in town – Wok Box in Mariner Square, beside Save On. It’s open daily from 10am to 10pm – suitable for breaky, lunch or dinner.

Owner Carla Campbell enthusiastically reports that early response has been terrific.

See you there.

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