Photos with Santa
Captured by Jo Photography is offering people (and their pets) an opportunity to have their pictures taken with Santa at the Ashcroft HUB on Sunday, Nov. 24. People can have their pictures taken with the jolly old soul from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., and pets are welcome from 3 to 4 p.m. The cost is $30 for five photos.
Free movies at the Paramount
The Kamloops Film Society, which is now running the Paramount Theatre on Victoria Street in Kamloops, is screening children’s films—for free—on Saturdays and Sundays through November.
On Nov. 23 and 24, kids and their caregivers can enjoy Hook, a reinterpretation of Peter Pan starring Robin Williams, while on Nov. 30 and Dec. 1 there’s a chance to see the classic, original movie Shrek. Movies start at 3:30 p.m. on all four days.
For more information about the films screening at the Paramount, including special events (such as a showing of Raiders of the Lost Ark on Nov. 23 at 7 p.m.), or to purchase tickets, go to www.thekfs.ca.
Additional flu vaccine clinic
Did you miss the recent flu vaccine clinics in local communities? There will be another one offered in Ashcroft on Monday, Nov. 25. Pre-booking is required; to book your time, call Ashcroft Public Health at (250) 453-1940.
Santa Claus parade
The annual Santa Claus parade will be taking place in Ashcroft at 6 p.m. on Friday, Dec. 6, and there will be all sorts of holiday festivities going on downtown.
Stores will be open until 8 p.m., so you can support local businesses, get some great deals and unique gift items, and be entered to win one of three prizes of “Ashcroft Bucks” courtesy of the Village of Ashcroft (Ashcroft Bucks can be spent like cash at local businesses). There will also be hot refreshments available, a street hockey game, a 50/50 draw, and a holiday market near the Service BC office on Railway Avenue.
Businesses, organizations, and individuals are encouraged to decorate and enter a float in the parade. To register a float or to participate in the market, call the Ashcroft HUB at (250) 453-9177 or email ashcrofthub@gmail.com.
Free Christmas movies at Cineplex
On Saturday, Dec. 7, Canadian movie-lovers and families are invited to visit their local Cineplex theatre to enjoy a morning of free movies and festive fun. For this year’s Community Day, Cineplex has partnered with Warner Bros. Pictures Canada to offer a line-up of favourite holiday flicks for movie-lovers of all ages, including A Christmas Story, Elf, Gremlins, The Polar Express, and National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation.
Guests can also enjoy popular concession items like popcorn, soft drinks, and select candy for just $2.50 each, with all proceeds from donations and select concession sales supporting Boys and Girls Clubs of Canada.
Participating Cineplex theatres across Canada will open their doors for Community Day at 9 a.m. local time on Dec. 7, with tickets available on a first-come, first-served basis. Showtimes will begin at 9:30 a.m., with theatres returning to regular programming in the afternoon. Visit Cineplex’s Community Day website at https://cinplx.co/2Oe0Gks for a list of participating theatres and showtimes.
CP Holiday Train rolling into town
Mark your calendars now: the CP Holiday Train will once more be rolling into Ashcroft, on Sunday, Dec. 15 at around 8:30 p.m. Multi-platinum Juno Award-winner Dallas Smith—the Canadian Country Music Association’s 2019 Entertainer of the Year—will be joining Terri Clark for 31 shows in Alberta and B.C., including the Ashcroft stop.
The CP Holiday Train is North America’s longest rolling fundraiser. The train raises money for local food banks at more than 150 free concerts in cities and towns along CP’s routes, and the shows are free, although attendees are encouraged to bring food or cash donations for their local food bank.
To see a full schedule of Holiday Train appearances, go to www.cpr.ca.
Christmas Hamper news
The Community Resource Society’s Christmas Hamper program now has food donation boxes set up at various locations. In Ashcroft the boxes are at Safety Mart, Interior Savings, and the HUB; in Cache Creek at the Village Office on Quartz Road; in Clinton at the Health Centre and Integris Credit Union; and in Spences Bridge at the Packing House and the Log Cabin Pub.
Volunteers are welcome and appreciated. This year people are being asked to sign up, so that the organizers can accommodate as many people as people and know who to expect each day. The hampers will be packed from 9 a.m. to noon on Dec. 18, 19, and 20 at the Ashcroft Community Hall on Bancroft Street. If you would like to help out, please choose a day and call Esther at (250) 453-9085 to be added to the list.
Applications for hampers can be made in person at the South Cariboo Elizabeth Fry Society office on Bancroft Street in Ashcroft every weekday from now until Tuesday, Dec. 3 between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. The cut-off date for applications is Wednesday, Dec. 4, when applications will be accept from noon until 2:30 p.m. For more information go to the Ashcroft & Area Christmas Hampers Facebook page.
Co-Chairs re-elected for the Board of Education
At the meeting of the Board of Education for School District No. 74 (Gold Trail) on Nov. 12, trustees Nancy Rempel and Valerie Adrian were re-elected as Co-Chairs of the Board.
Other elected positions included Trustee Nancy Rempel re-elected as the representative on the BC Public School Employers’ Association (BCPSEA) representative council and Trustee Carmen Ranta re-elected as the representative on the BC School Trustees Association (BCSTA) provincial council.
Holiday Hoopla pop-up store
The Kamloops Art Gallery (465 Victoria Street in the TNRD/library building) has expanded the Gallery Store to present the Holiday Hoopla Pop-Up Shop.
The expanded space allows the Gallery to offer even more intriguing and exciting handmade and Canadian-designed wares, ranging from pottery and jewellery to kids’ crafts and home décor.
Visit the unique treasure trove of holiday gift items for everyone on your list from now until December 24. The store is open Monday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. (Wednesday and Thursday until 8 p.m.).
Things change; Community Futures can help
Community Futures has resources that can help shift small businesses through periods of change in Central and Northern B.C., all in one convenient location. It’s a one-stop shop for business coaching, training and loans, and more.
They offer resource loans to help businesses keep the lights on and pursue new opportunities; the Northern Development Initiative Trust (NDIT) Competitiveness Consulting Rebate for external business consulting projects; Small Business BC online seminars for owners, managers, and employees (contact Community Futures for a free access code); a Supply Chain Connector to connect local businesses with major project procurement opportunities; Façade Improvement Grants to renovate, restore, or redesign store fronts/rental and commercial building frontages; and much more.
For further information about resources to help your business, contact Community Futures Sun Country at (250) 453-9165 or visit www.thingschange.biz.
Fur-ever friends get new homes
The BC SPCA’s second annual province-wide adoption event, Fall Head Over Tails in Love, has helped 212 animals find their forever homes. The adoption event was presented in partnership with Hill’s Pet Nutrition on Saturday, Nov. 9.
Most of the animals in SPCA care, including dogs, cats, kittens, puppies, rats, and guinea pigs, were eligible for 50 per cent off the adoption fee and BC Pet Registry fee. The North Peace branch had the highest number of adoptions (17), including 14 kittens and three dogs. The Vancouver branch had the second highest numbers with 15 adoptions, including five cats, seven kittens, one dog, and two rabbits.
Kittens were the most popular pet across all branches with 91 adoptions, followed by 76 cats and 24 dogs.
“Congratulations to everyone who came out to provide a loving home for an animal in our care,” says Mark Takhar, BC SPCA’s chief operations officer. “Thank you to all of our branch staff, who were there to answer questions about the animals, walk through our adoption matching process, and accommodate the increased volume of people passing through the doors at our 36 branches across the province.”
BC Liquor Stores to ditch plastic bags
Richmond-based Bulldog Bag Ltd. has been chosen by the provincial government to provide paper bags to all 197 government-owned and operated BC Liquor Stores as part of a commitment to the environment and sustainable business practices.
The Liquor Distribution Branch (LDB) currently distributes 22 million plastic bags per year to BC Liquor Stores throughout the province. There will be a 10-cent charge per paper bag, and the move is intended to encourage consumers to shop using their own reusable bags.
The LDB will give away one free reusable bag per customer for a limited time, while supplies last.
More than 40 per cent of plastic products are used only once. Single-use plastic bans have been advocated for in different forms in different jurisdictions to address the growing problem of plastic pollution.
Bulldog Bag Ltd. was selected to manufacture and supply the paper bags, which have the strength to withstand a load of 7.5 kilograms (approximately equivalent to six bottles of wine or a six-pack of beer and two bottles of wine). The new paper bags will contain a minimum of 40 per cent post-consumer recycled content and are 100 per cent recyclable and compostable.
The move to paper bags will begin in November 2019, with locations on Vancouver Island making the switch on Nov. 25. Stores in Metro Vancouver aim to make the transition on Feb. 3, 2020, with the rest of the province converting by March 9, 2020.
Hunters and guide outfitters can do more online.
Guide outfitter reports, permit to accompany reports, royalty payments, and guiding territory certificate transactions can be submitted through BC Hunting Online.
Hunters can submit permit to accompany reports through BC Hunting Online or at a FrontCounter BC office. Reporting requirements now include harvest date and species licence number, unless exempt. Paper permit to accompany reports are no longer accepted.
Royalty payments for reports can be paid through the BC Hunting Online portal, or in person at a Service BC or FrontCounter BC office. A person who fails to submit a prescribed report or royalty within the specified time period will be ineligible to apply for or obtain a guiding territory certificate (as well as a licence, permit, or limited entry hunting authorization) under the Wildlife Act until the report or payment is submitted.
The changes are part of the fourth release of the Fish and Wildlife Data and Licensing Transformation project. The project is a multi-phase plan that includes the automation of fish and wildlife business transactions.
“The BC Wildlife Federation unreservedly endorses the launch of the next release of this project,” says Chuck Zuckerman, vice-president, BC Wildlife Federation. “On behalf of our members, we would like to thank the ministry for their collaborative approach.”
“These changes are an important step toward meeting our commitment to improve services for rural British Columbians,” says Forests Minister Doug Donaldson. “The expansion of online services for hunters and guide outfitters simplifies processes.”
For more information, log on to BC Hunting Online at www.gov.bc.ca/hunting.
editorial@accjournal.ca
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