Cache Creek Market is back
The season opening is a little bit later than planned, but the Cache Creek Market is back at its site beside Chum’s Restaurant at the junction of Highways 1 and 97 this Saturday, May 16, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Come check out the vendors and their offerings, but please remember to observe physical distancing protocols.
Free drive-in movie event
See a movie on the big screen while physical distancing, and enjoy the drive-in movie experience, at a screening of Jumanji: The Next Level (2019; rated PG-13), sponsored by Kevin Scharfenberg @ Exp Realty.
The free movie event takes place at the former Eagle Motorplex site near Ashcroft on Thursday, May 21. The gates open at 7:45 p.m. and the movie will begin at dusk (approximately 8:45 p.m.). Although the event is free, advance tickets (one per vehicle, not one per person) are required. Tickets are limited, and cannot be obtained at the gate.
Physical distancing rules must be observed. To obtain tickets and read the rules, go to https://bit.ly/2WQRMO7.
Small Business BC webinars
Small Business BC is presenting a free webinar for small businesses looking to use an online presence — whether it’s social media or a website — to market their business. Having a website and online presence strategy allows you to market your small business online. Now, more than ever, small businesses need to be engaging with customers virtually.
“Web Presence 101 and Customer Engagement During COVID-19” will take place on Friday, May 22 from 9 to 11 a.m. Participants will learn practical tips and tricks to use social media, email marketing, and Google My Business platforms to create meaningful engagement with their customers and community. The webinar will also discuss the importance of an online presence for your business success and what you need to know about getting started, so that you can engage with your customers and connect with your audience.
For more information, or to register, go to https://bit.ly/3bqOFSn.
New principal for Desert Sands School
Gold Trail School District is pleased to announce that Susan Schalles has accepted the position of Principal of Desert Sands Community School starting Aug. 1, 2020.
Schalles has been with the Gold Trail School District since 1986 and has served as a teacher, vice principal, and principal in several communities. She is currently the District Vice Principal of Inclusion, but she has also recently served as the vice principal at Desert Sands Community School. She looks forward to returning to DSCS as the principal, and continuing her work with the students, staff, caregivers, and communities.
Wildfire app launched
For the 2020 wildfire season, the province has launched a smartphone app to extend its communication beyond the B.C. Wildfire Service website and social media channels. The app provides mobile access to evacuation alerts and orders, a wildfire map, fire danger ratings, active fires, perimeters of active fires, and those that have been declared extinguished.
The app has a “near me” function that can be selected to display information within a 50 km radius of the user’s current location, and a “report a fire” function that generates map coordinates of the user’s location.
The B.C. Wildfire Service mobile app is available for Apple (https://apple.co/3dzXcni) and Android (https://bit.ly/3cnhAIe) phones and devices, and is free to download.
Social distancing doesn’t mean disconnecting
The Thompson-Nicola Regional Library is doing its best to help patrons stay connected. Did you know that your library card can help connect you with information and entertainment from around the world?
The PressReader platform provides online access to thousands of newspapers and magazines, including the National Post, Vancouver Sun, Edmonton Sun, and the Guardian. PressReader also includes multilingual papers in Punjabi, Spanish, and French.
“With remote access, communities can get all the PressReader content they’d normally find at the library, even when they’re not inside its four walls,” says Melisssa Lowenberg, Manager of Community Libraries and Engagement. “Students use it for their research and learning. News buffs use it to stay on top of current events. Daily readers use it to catch up on their favourite publications, or discover something entirely new.”
To access PressReader, visit the TNRL website at www.tnrl.ca and click on the link under Digital Libraries, or install the PressReader app on your device. Sign in by choosing the library login, selecting Thompson-Nicola Regional Library, and entering your library card’s barcode and pin.
If you need technical assistance, the Thompson-Nicola Regional Library staff are happy to help. If you’d like to get a new card, you can register for one at the TNRL website.
Be smart outdoors
As we all continue to socialize with family, friends, and neighbours on our trails and in our parks, BC AdventureSmart encourages everyone to be prepared for the outdoors.
B.C. has, unfortunately, recorded a 35 per cent increase in search and rescue incidents over this time last year. Weekends with warmer weather, sunny skies, and time to play outside are all about hiking, cycling, paddling, trail running, and mountain biking, and these activities can lead to outdoor mishaps than can be prevented.
If you’re heading outdoors over the long weekend or at any other time, remember to
BE KIND to other communities and recreate in your own community (this helps search and rescue personnel as well)
BE CALM on the trails, and create space for other users
BE SAFE by being prepared for your activities, recreating locally, wearing PPE, and choosing low risk activities.
Be AdventureSmart and invest in safety to make a difference that will reduce the number and severity of SAR incidents in B.C.
Online COVID-19 community engagement and resource platform
Along with a large network of public health professionals, researchers, and community partners, the Public Health Association of B.C. is committed to sharing evidence-based public health information. As a leader in ensuring public voices for healthy public policy, PlaceSpeak — a B.C.-based online engagement platform — has offered its full support to address the COVID-19 outbreak. Both organizations have partnered to develop an online community engagement platform, “Public Health and COVID-19”.
The platform is a secure digital community where British Columbians can discuss how various aspects of their lives have been affected by COVID-19, connect to free online events, answer questions related to the pandemic, and more, all while practicing social distancing and physically isolating. As a leader in public health knowledge mobilization, PHABC is a strategic partner in ensuring British Columbians have the information they need to manage this crisis, as well as the resources to bolster their mental and physical health throughout the pandemic.
The site includes supports for parents and the latest news feed from Provincial Health Officer Dr. Bonnie Henry and Minister of Health Adrian Dix, as well as World Health Organization updates, outbreak data, social media content, and tips for managing a long at home stay. To access the community, go to www.PlaceSpeak.com/PHABCCovid19.
ICBC knowledge tests
More support is on the way for British Columbians who want to take a knowledge test. Qualifying customers can call to book an appointment at offices throughout the province.
Anyone with a Class 5–8 learner’s licence that expired on or after March 1 — or will expire within two weeks from when they phone to book — will be eligible to book a knowledge test appointment. Customers whose Class 5–8 learner’s licence expired on or after March 17, when ICBC suspended road tests due to the COVID-19 pandemic, will not have to pay a fee for their first knowledge test. At this time, knowledge tests are not available for first-time learner applicants.
Knowledge tests by appointment will also be available for residents who are new to B.C. where there is a legislative requirement to change their licences within 90 days, and for all commercial learner class applicants, including air brakes and heavy trailer. Customers will also be able to book an appointment for their Motorcycle Skills Testing (MST), which will re-commence on May 11. The MST will be available for those people who hold an existing learner’s licence or whose learner’s licence expired on or after March 1.
Eligible customers should call ICBC’s driver licence contact centre at 1-800-950-1498 and leave a voice mail message requesting a knowledge test. Customers will receive a callback from an ICBC representative, who will identify available testing locations and book the appointment.
editorial@accjournal.ca
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