Congratulations.
Seven Island-based organizations have received grants to help them support the professional advancement of women. PowHERhouse Performance Strategies, Inkwell, Ladies Learning Code Central Vancouver Island, Fortress Foundation, Westshore Soroptimist Society for Women & Families, Island Women in Technology and WillStep Coaching & Facilitation will all receive funding from the Catalyst for Growth project. The initiative of Women’s Enterprise Centre aims to increase the impact of women on the B.C. economy by supporting women in senior leadership, as...
Read MoreHomeless women.
The pending explosion of homeless single women on Vancouver Island is very real. It is not a question of if, it’s a question of when. For many it’s already here. The most at risk section of society to homelessness are women 60 plus living alone. Women living alone that have no private pension plans, or other sources of income, will be totally reliant on Old age Pension, Canadian Pension Plan if they are eligible, and the Guaranteed Income Supplement. Rents on the island are so high now that over 50% of income that these women receive will be used to pay their rent. By the time...
Read MoreMainland judge aghast at lack of jails for women on Island
Here is yet another example of the inhuman manner that the provincial government treats women and young people to fuel it’s myopic goal of balanced budgets, no matter what the human costs may be. They are completely devoid of caring and compassion to those who are most in need. Trish SummerhayesOwner/Publisher of Island Woman. The article below which was published recently in the Times/Colonist A Vancouver-based B.C. Supreme Court justice was incredulous Tuesday upon hearing of the lack of jail facilities for women on Vancouver Island. “There must be some...
Read MoreThe Story of the Easter Tree
When I was a little girl I lived in Montreal. My Uncle Bill had a cottage in the Laurentions, on a lake called Lake McDonald, just up the road from Lost River. I loved Lake McDonald and the sweet, little cottage that sat above the lake in the forest. One Christmas my Uncle Bill took his girlfriend to the cottage. They cut down a tree and decorated it. By all accounts they spent a very romantic holiday at Lake McDonald. When they left the cottage they forgot to take down the Christmas tree. It sat in the cottage until my family came up for Easter. It must have been March as I remember there...
Read MoreInternational Women’s Day event showcases diversity
A tea-time event celebrating International Women’s Day will be steeped in diversity. Celebration of women and diversity is at the heart of an International Women’s Day event Sunday (March 6) at Nanaimo’s Grand Hotel. International Women’s Day, which officially lands on Tuesday, is a globally recognized day to celebrate women and women’s rights. While its theme this year is ‘pledge for parity,’ an afternoon tea at the Grand Hotel is set to focus on diversity. With Syrian refugees making this city home, organizers wanted to look at culture and diversity in the community. Partial...
Read MoreWomen-run marijuana group to launch Vancouver Island chapter.
As Trudeau’s promises to regulate the marijuana industry inch closer to reality, Canadian women want to ensure their voices will be heard. Women Grow, a professional network supporting female leaders and entrepreneurs in the cannabis industry, will officially launch its Vancouver Island chapter in early March. “There is a huge underground market right now on Vancouver Island,” said Gill Polard, the founder of Women Grow on Vancouver Island. “Women make up a huge part of that. They are veterans in the scene.” The female-oriented organization aims at connecting...
Read MoreMelanie Mark breaks barriers as B.C.’s first female aboriginal MLA
Melanie Mark, who once wrote of her shame at being native, has been sworn in as B.C.’s first female aboriginal legislature member – the latest chapter in a harrowing life in which she survived physical and sexual abuse. On Wednesday, drummers and dancers greeted the MLA for Vancouver-Mount Pleasant – one of two New Democrats who won by-elections this month. The other is Jodie Wickens, elected in Coquitlam-Burke Mountain. “Today just really cemented things,” Ms. Mark, a former deputy representative of B.C.’s Office of the Representative for Children and Youth, said in an...
Read MoreFirst woman to lead B.C. logging group feels she has the chops.
Jacqui Beban is used to being the only woman in the room. Practically since birth, she has been exposed to the male-dominated and macho logging business. And last month she became the first female president in the 73-year history of the organization that speaks for the B.C. coast’s forestry industry. Nanaimo-born Beban, 40, was vice-president of the Truck Loggers Association for two years before her Jan. 14 election as president, for a two-year volunteer term. The non-profit represents more than 450 companies including independent sawmills, industry suppliers and independent harvesting...
Read MoreNanaimo women introduce tokens to help feed homeless.
Nanaimo may not have a subway system, but two women are hoping their token program goes a long way for the community. Cheryl Prince, co-owner of Prince Acres farm and a registered nurse, and Liz Kawahara, a Vancouver Island University student, are the organizers behind a new initiative that focuses on sharing healthy food. It is about to be implemented at one downtown restaurant. Beginning in a matter of days, individuals will be able to purchase a small plastic token from Gabriel’s Cafe, which can then be redeemed at a later date for a bowl of soup. The idea is intended to help out the...
Read MoreB.C. Cancer Agency expands digital mammography service for rural women.
The B.C. Cancer Agency has upgraded two coaches from its mobile fleet to offer digital mammography services for women in rural and remote communities in the province. The agency says the digital upgrade provides more efficient services by using secure, wireless networks to send images for analysis. The coaches have also been upgraded to offer a more comfortable, private service for women. The two coaches were blessed by elders from the Musqueam First Nation on Monday morning. “[The blessing] helps with some of the healing that will occur in these vehicles and will increase the...
Read MoreIs 2016 the Year You Start Your Business?: The START-UP Issue
Entrepreneurship can be an exciting journey – but it can also be intimidating. Where do you start? How do you know when you’re ready? Do you have the skills to succeed? This month’s issue answers some of the common questions our Business Advisors hear from women who are considering starting a business. FREE Info Session: Starting a Business FREE Resource Guides: Taking the Leap to Entrepreneurship, Starting Your Business Workbook: Creating Your Business Plan Copyright © 2016 Women’s Enterprise Centre, All rights...
Read MoreGreat news!!! Clipper plans new Victoria-Vancouver & Nanaimo-Vancouver ferry service
The Victoria Clipper, with a new majority owner behind it, plans to expand its operations to include a new harbour-to-harbour service between Victoria and Vancouver. Clipper founder and chief executive Merideth Tall announced Monday she has sold a majority stake in her 30-year-old company to Germany’s FRS, a global ferry and shipping group, and intends to immediately expand Clipper’s passenger-service options from Victoria. The Clipper already runs a high-speed passenger-only service between Victoria and Seattle. “This is a major expansion — this allows us to execute on our vision for...
Read MoreKinder Morgan Pipe Line.
What do you think about the Provincial governments recent announcement on the expansion of the Kinder Morgan pipeline into Burnaby?
Read MoreWhat does 2016 hold for Vancouver Island?
Using the adage ‘ think globally but act locally’ what would you like to set as a goal for Vancouver Island in 2016?
Read MoreOpportunities for the development Ogden Point.
What uses should, or should not, be considered for the redevelopment of the Ogden Point lands in Victoria?
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