Sunflower project
Bring some colour to our communities with beautiful sunflowers! Free seeds are available from the Ashcroft HUB, the Gold Country Communities Society office in Cache Creek, and the Packing House in Spences Bridge, so anyone can add some sunshine to their gardens. Drop by, pick up some seeds, and get planting.
Virtual art show
The Ashcroft Art Club’s virtual art show is now live, with 33 artworks by 11 artists on display and viewable from the comfort of your own home. To view the show, go to the Art Club’s website at http://www.ashcroftartclub.com/ and click on the gallery.
Clinton farmers’ market
A weekly farmers’ market will be starting in Clinton on Sunday, June 21 and will run from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. every Sunday through the summer. Drop by to take in the offerings from some awesome vendors, which will include fresh baking, jams, spices and herbs, jewellery, bags, T-shirts, fashion, and more. There will also be a concession available offering pizza by the slice and barbecue pulled pork sandwiches.
The market will be located at Hunnie’s (1601 Cariboo Highway), and the cost is $5 per vendor. To register, call (250) 457-7473.
Outdoor yard sale
Did you spend some time cleaning out your cupboards this spring, and don’t know what to do with all those treasures? The Ashcroft HUB is holding an outdoor community yard sale on Sunday, June 28 from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. in the field at the HUB building on Hill Street, at a cost of $5 per spot if you bring your own table or $10 per spot if you rent a table from the HUB (only 12 table rentals are available).
Physical distancing protocols will apply, and pre-registration is required; call (250) 453-9177 or email ashcrofthub@gmail.com.
Campground cleanup
The Spences Bridge Community Club has organized a cleanup of the Madden Island campground in the Bridge for Tuesday, June 30 starting at 9 a.m., and volunteers are wanted. Bring your own weed-eater, lawnmower, rake, or other tools, as well as gloves, and come out to lend a hand. Lunch will follow the cleanup.
Regional Relief and Recovery Fund
The Regional Relief and Recovery Fund Community Futures Stream is available for rural small businesses that were impacted adversely due to the COVID-19 pandemic and have costs that have not been covered through other COVID-19 supports. Eligible costs include lease payments, salaries and benefits, property taxes, utilities, bank charges and interest, office supplies, vehicle supplies, insurance, rent, and other regular operating costs.
The Regional Relief and Recovery Fund is from the Government of Canada, and provides loans of up to $40,000 to small- and medium-sized businesses. There is no interest on the loan, and no payments through December 2022. If 75 per cent of the loan is repaid by Dec. 31, 2022, the remainder is forgiven. Payments begin in January 2023, and loans must be repaid by Dec. 31, 2025. There is no penalty for early payment.
For more information, contact Community Futures Sun Country at (250) 453-9195 or email tkubik@cfsun.ca.
Youth interns wanted at Kamloops Art Gallery
The Kamloops Art Gallery is looking to hire 10 interns to work with them this summer to develop virtual and in-person youth programming for their fall and winter 2020 sessions. Interns will also be given the time, materials, and support to create their own artwork and virtual exhibition.
Due to COVID-19, this year’s internship will take place online using platforms such as Zoom and Slack. To facilitate this, all interns will be supplied with a Chromebook, and home Internet service can be provided for the duration of the program if needed.
Please send your expression of interest to Emily Hope, Education and Public Programs Director for the Kamloops Art Gallery, at ehope@kag.bc.ca. Submissions must be received by 5 p.m. on Wednesday, July 1 to be considered.
Helping get amateur sports back on their feet
The provincial government has issued a ministerial order that protects amateur sport organizations, their employees, and their volunteers from COVID-19 liabilities, provided they are complying with public health orders and provincial sport guidelines surrounding the coronavirus, meaning amateur athletes are a step closer to getting back in action.
“We want to make sure children and their families can get the benefits of physical activity and get back to playing the sports they love,” says Lisa Beare, Minister of Tourism, Arts and Culture. “Many sports organizations are run by volunteers who need to make sure they are protected for risks related to COVID-19. This order will help cover that risk so people can safely get back to playing sports sooner in their communities.”
Provincial and local sport organizations have identified challenges with obtaining adequate insurance as a result of the pandemic. Most insurance companies are not providing coverage for COVID-19-related damages, meaning many amateur sports groups were unable to provide sport programming during the pandemic.
The ministerial order protects amateur sport organizations and their representatives from damages resulting, directly or indirectly, from COVID-19 for amateur sports. That liability protection would be in place as long as they follow applicable guidance, such as viaSport’s Return to Sport protocols and public health guidance on how to prevent the spread of the virus.
There are 72 funded provincial sport organizations and 4,100 local sport organizations in B.C., with more than 800,000 youth and adult participants.
ICBC resumes commercial road tests
ICBC is now moving forward with a phased approach to offering in-person driver licencing services. Commercial road tests (Classes 1 to 4) have now resumed, and will be by appointment only.
Customers wishing to obtain a commercial licence can call 1-800-950-1498 to book an appointment. High call volumes are anticipated, so customers are asked to be patient. Priority appointments will initially be provided to customers who had their commercial road test appointments cancelled between March 17 and March 30.
Driver examiners will continue to conduct road tests from inside the customer’s vehicle to ensure the examiner is able to fully assess the road test and to take control of the vehicle in the event of an emergency. Driver examiners will be provided with the appropriate personal protective equipment (PPE), which can include a combination of masks, shields, goggles, gloves, and disposable seat covers.
ICBC is planning to expand the availability of road tests to other classes of licences as soon as possible. The timing of that expansion will be dependent on the successful roll-out of this initial phase and the continued ability to secure sufficient PPE for employees and customers.
editorial@accjournal.ca
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