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.

Incognito changes ownership

Tina Creelman is the new owner at Incognito, the funky consignment and new clothing store downtown. A strong retail backgound made the decision to purchase the business an easy one, said Tina, who took over ownership on September 18, 2009.

If you’re looking for a piece of clothing that will express your personal style, stop by and talk to Tina. She’ll be pleased to help you find something that suits you.  And don’t forget – Tina carries men’s and kid’s clothing too, not just women’s.

Fall and winter clothes are now being accepted on consignment. . Please call to make an appointment.

Incognito is located at 962 Shopper’s Row, in the same block as CIBC. The phone number is 250-286-1903. Hours are 9:30am to 5:30pm Monday through Saturday.

Creativity, innovation leads way to economic success

Listen to Dr. Ron Burnett, President and Vice Chancellor of Emily Carr University of Art and Design, talk about the connection between creativity, innovation, and the economy, and you come away thinking about all three quite differently.

As part of the Chamber’s ongoing and hugely popular Inspiring Success series, Dr. Burnett spoke to a sold out crowd on Tuesday, September 15 at the Coast Discovery Inn. He offered much food for thought and I suspect that if attendees hadn’t needed to return to work, the discussion would and could have continued further into the afternoon.

He shared huge amounts of thought, ideas, opinions, all focused on the single theme “Art, the economy and Innovation in the Digital Age,” which also happened to be the title of his presentation. But lest you think “who cares?” - keep reading. What he shared is relevant to us all during this time of economic transition for our economy.

Creativity and innovation can’t be manufactured but the conditions in which they thrive can be encouraged – by local residents and government alike. They are directly related when you think of creativity as ”extracting value from nothing”, just like mining and innovation as the successful exploitation of the new ideas. These in turn spur on thedevelopment of new products, services and fresh ways of doing business.

What is the economic footprint of all cultural industries in Canada? Glad you asked. I can now answer that.

In 2007, the cultural sector contributed $84.6 billion dollars to the economy (that’s 7.4% of the country’s GDP). And how many jobs does it support? 1.1 million. But despite these impressive numbers, what are the first victims of federal and provincial spending cuts when times are tough? Yup, you got it. The arts, in all its various forms. We’re seeing that right now in Campbell River and throughout BC. Short sighted at best, disasterous at worst.

Dr. Burnett’s other key points included:

* 64% of Canada’s cultural workers lives in Vancouver, Montreal, and Vancouver (this stat led to two questions –  how do we encourage our young people who are passionate about a creative-based career to stay in Campbell River and how do we woo them back to our community after their education is finished?);

*Social networking is a huge factor in developing and maintaining people’s identity;

* Arts group have to get out of the “anti business” mind set so many of them find themselves in and focus on “ground level involvement with the economy,” according to Dr. Burnett

Small communities like ours are “the engines of creative engagement” in our country and creative people are at the heart of economic innovation says Dr. Burnett. Armed with this knowledge, what are we going to do with it?!

Focus on your work future with free event

Have you recently been laid off and are open to something completely different work-wise? Wondering if now’s a favourable time to consider switching to a different industry? Not sure what that field might be?

Or maybe you’re curious about a specific career field but not sure if you’ve got the training or skills needed to even think about it yet? Interested in discovering what industries are likely candidates for expansion in the short and long term here on the North Island and further afield?

The Careers of the Future forum at the Community Centre tomorrow, Thursday, June 11, from 1:00pm to 3:00pm is worth checking out for the answers to these questions – it’s a one stop shop for current, relevant employment-related information.

NIEFS and the Mid-Island Science, Technology and Innovation Council (MISTIC) provide a valuable opportunity to research a variety of possible career paths in expanding sectors. Talk to real live people who can answer your questions based on their first-hand knowledge of the industry.

Speakers scheduled:  

• Neucel Speciality Cellulose
•  Millwright and Electrical Programs at North Island College
• Marine Harvest Canada
• Aquaculture Program at Vancouver Island University
• Sealand Aviation
• Aircraft Structures Technician Program at North Island College
• Hillmark Boats
• Silva Bay Shipyard School (Boat Building and Restoration)

 Employers who will be there:

• North Island Film Commission
• Tremain Media
• Plutonic Power
• Chameleon Creative Web and Graphic Design
• Canadian Forces
• Neucel Speciality Cellulose
• Marine Harvest Canada
• Sealand Aviation
• Timberwright Manufacturing
• Hillmark Boats  

Organizations:

• Campbell River Chamber of Commerce
• BC Construction Association
• River Corp
• North Island Employment Foundation Society (NIEFS)
• Mid-Island Science, Technology and Innovation Council (MISTIC)

Training Institutions:

• Discovery Community College
• Vancouver Island University
• North Island College (NIC)
• Silva Bay Shipyard School

Talk to people who can tell you what courses and programs are available to help you qualify for the job you’re interested in. Not all training has to take years before you’re job ready.

Financial Supports:

• New Employee Wage Subsidy (NEWS)
• Training Support Centre

If you’re curious about opportunities in the oil and gas sector or health care, there will also be information on these industries. 

It’s free – and there are door prizes too. Call NIEFS at 250-286-3441 if you have questions or to pre-register for the hour-long presentations that start at 1:10pm and 2:10pm.

Accurate and relevant information is your first step when you’re overwhelmed in this time of huge and rapid change in the world of work. Solid information will help you make decisions about your next steps. Find it at the Community Centre tomorrow. Grab the possibilities.