Join a group discussion about CLBC’s web site

When: Tuesday, July 11, 2017

Time: 6:30 – 8 p.m. (Pizza provided)

Location: FSI offices, 227 6^th Street, New West

Community Living BC (CLBC) has asked the Family Support Institute (FS) to organize an evening with up to 15 family members to discuss family information needs for CLBC’s web site: www.communitylivingbc.ca .

We are gathering this information in advance of a project to build a new and improved CLBC web site that better serves individual and family needs. In this focus group, participants will be asked about how and when they use the CLBC web site, the information they need to find about CLBC programs and services, and how CLBC can make its web site more user-friendly.

CLBC is interested in hearing from transitioning families who are looking for information for the first time, and from those who already receive supports and need new information from time to time.

If you are familiar with the web site or would like to share how a web site would be of most help to you, please join us. (Contact Franceska Grantzidis at [email protected].) We would be grateful for your input. If you cannot join us but have feedback, you are welcome to send it to CLBC Director of Communications Randy Schmidt at [email protected]  . Thank you.

News Clippings

June 26, 2017

1. British Columbia\’s New Democrats say they will introduce an amended motion to today\’s Throne Speech debate that aims to defeat Premier Christy Clark\’s minority Liberal government with a vote likely to take place on Thursday.

2. Many people—Liberal MLA\’s included—were stunned at the avalanche of promises and spending that tumbled out of the Throne Speech last week and many people feel the abrupt about-face has \”torched\” the credibility of Christy Clark and Mike de Jong.

3. Canada has a new tool to help solve the youth homelessness puzzle, which assesses youths’ risk of homelessness and identifies needed supports through a strengths-based approach.

4. Provincial statistics reveal that one in five youth in BC need mental health or substance use services, and less than 25 percent are getting the help they need.

5. As legalization nears and access becomes easier, mental-health experts are reiterating and underscoring the dangers of cannabis use for teens and youth.

6. The province of BC is launching a new Aboriginal family court program that it says will keep families together and reduce the number of Indigenous children in government care.

7. The third annual Aboriginal Cultural Festival drew more than 30,000 visitors and featured more than 30 performances from artists before wrapped up last weekend at the Royal BC Museum grounds.

8. A widow talks to CBC News about the guilt and shame that took her husband\’s life and reflects on what’s missing from drug treatment and prevention approaches in Canada.

9. A Vancouver woman says she was forced to buy drugs from the Downtown Eastside when her doctor stopped prescribing opioids (for pain following knee surgery) in response to new standards aimed at preventing fatal overdoses.

10. An op-ed in the Vancouver Sun checks in on changes to sexual violence and misconduct policies on university campuses and argues that monitoring sexual abuse goes a long way in helping to prevent it.

11. A refugee settled in Langley is thankful for his second chance at life and gives credit to a BC settlement worker with shared heritage who helped him adjust to Canadian culture.

12. By spring 2018, downtown Terrace, BC will have its first aboriginal-centred daycare, and if all goes according to plan, the new facility will cost less than other care providers in town.

Scott Bewley, our CVS Finance Director is a member and Treasurer of the Coquitlam Rotary Club. Scott has definitely been an asset to his club and in turn to the community. He demonstrates leadership and dedication not only in organizing the finances but also in the amount of effort that he puts into the Rotary fundraising events.

I just learned that Scott has just been awarded a Rotary Paul Harris Fellowship Award for his exemplary service to the Coquitlam Rotary Club. Please join me in congratulating Scott for his achievement.

Minister Stilwell held a news conference today announcing a pledged increase in welfare rates and annualized increases to disability rates tied to the rate of inflation. The announcement comes days before the BC Government is expected to lose confidence in the Legislature.

Faith Bodnar, Inclusion BC Executive Director, has been speaking with radio, tv and newspaper media.

From the Vancouver Sun:

Advocate groups, who’ve spent years unsuccessfully trying to convince the Liberals to raise assistance rates, reacted with cautious suspicion Monday.
Faith Bodnar, executive director of the advocacy group Inclusion B.C., said her organization sent a list of questions to the three major parties before the election, which included queries about whether they supported boosting welfare and PWD (persons with disabilities) rates.

Bodnar said she has been meeting with ministers Stilwell and Children’s Minister Stephanie Cadieux for at least seven years, but has been unable to get buy-in on a “substantial increase” to disability rates or a longterm plan about addressing poverty in B.C. 

BC Liberals pledging to raise welfare rates, ban big money in Throne Speech
June 19, 2017 By Charmaine de Silva and Simon Little CKNW
The BC Liberals say they are listening to the message from voters, but some will interpret it as a desperate bid to hold onto power.

Christy Clark to focus on social reforms in B.C. throne speech
ROB SHAW LORI CULBERT
Vancouver Sun Published on: June 19, 2017 | Last Updated: June 19, 2017 12:42 PM PDT

B.C. Liberals plan to restrict donations, raise welfare rates
Throne speech set for Thursday, government would fall on opposition vote
TOM FLETCHER Mon Jun 19th, 2017 10:30am

1. Two new housing units for children transitioning out of foster care have opened in Surrey, but advocates say there\’s still a lot of work to be done to help the hundreds of vulnerable young adults who age out of the system.

2. BC\’s Provincial Health Officer says a separate Ministry of Mental Health and Addictions could face funding, staffing, and information-sharing challenges thus creating a distraction (rather than a solution) in the province’s growing response to the overdose crisis.

3. Meanwhile, a board member of the Vancouver Area Network of Drug Users says the war on drugs has failed and believes drug users themselves are the solution to addressing overdose deaths and providing services to vulnerable people.

4. The BC Liberals are pledging to raise welfare rates and ban big money donations in the upcoming Throne Speech, saying they are listening to the message from voters—but others are interpreting the move as a desperate bid to hold onto power.

5. A housing forum in Vancouver last week shifted from issues of density and affordability to homelessness after a long-time activist took the stage and explained that, \”not having housing is life-threatening.\”

6. An Okanagan-based, Indigenous-led, collaborative project is unsettling the celebratory narrative of Canada\’s 150the birthday and refocusing attention onto Indigenous perspectives about past and present colonial relations with Canada\’s First Nations.

7. Elsewhere, artists and activists are using social media to highlight 150 years of Indigenous resistance, resilience, and reclamation in response to #Canada150 celebrations.

8. A Human Rights Watch submission to the federal government has highlighted numerous complaints about police abuse against Indigenous women in Canada and is calling for increased accountability.

9. More than a decade after First Nations along northern BC\’s so-called Highway of Tears began pleading for reliable public transportation, two new bus routes have started regular service along Highway 16.

10. Canada\’s Liberal government has unveiled its strategy on gender-based violence, proposing to spend the bulk of the promised cash to create a centre of excellence to study and try to solve the problem; however, the announcement means that those who have been calling for a comprehensive plan involving the provinces and territories will have to keep waiting.

1. A fundraising event in Kelowna brought in $42,500 for Foundry Kelowna bringing the youth and mental health services hub one step closer to opening its doors.

2. A Sunshine Coast woman has created a podcast to highlight BC\’s child care crisis and hopes the voices of mothers struggling to find adequate child care will bring more attention to solving the problem.

3. The YMCA of Northern BC is offering free summer memberships to young people after recognizing that Canadian teens are not getting enough exercise.

4. According to the WHO, 1 in 10 older adults has experienced some form of abuse in the last month but there are also simple ways to protect BC\’s senior citizens who are at an increased risk of abuse as they age.

5. June is National Stroke Awareness Month and the BC Ambulance Service has partnered with the Heart and Stroke Foundation to raise awareness of the signs of a stroke with new F.A.S.T. informational decals pasted onto the exterior of ambulances.

6. The North Peace Seniors Housing Society is working on adding a fifth building to their network amid a heavy need for seniors housing in Fort St. John.

7. Vancouver\’s latest tent city has received a new trespass notice one month after the city had an injunction application denied by the courts in an attempt to evict the campers.

8. Yesterday, a colourful stream of thousands of people with and without disabilities celebrated their way down a Richmond street, in British Columbia\’s first-ever disability pride march.

9. The BC Liberals confirmed Thursday that one of their MLAs will serve as Speaker once the legislature returns June 22 but says the speaker won’t \”prop up\” an NDP-Green alliance.

10. BC’s Liberal Party is warning that instability in a minority legislature (where the NDP and Greens plan to bring down the government in the coming weeks) could quickly lead to yet another election.

Diverse abilities celebrated in B.C.\’s first ever disability pride march
\’I’m really proud of my CP swagger and my CP swagger makes me who I am,\’ says woman with cerebral palsy
CBC By Ash Kelly, Posted: Jun 15, 2017 7:01 PM PT

WATCH: Disability Pride March on CBC\’s the National [27:10]

LISTEN: Disability Pride March on CBC radio (Early Edition) [01:19:50]

LISTEN: Disability Pride on BC Almanac
Faith Bodnar, executive director of Inclusion B.C., Alexander Magnussen, an inclusion consultant, and Lauren Stinson, a youth leadership mentee at North Shore Disability Resource Centre, on disability pride. Master Gardener Brian Minter answers questions.

LISTEN: Richmond célèbre les personnes handicapées
Un événement bien spécial avait lieu jeudi à Richmond. Pour la première fois en Colombie-Britannique, une marche a été organisée pour célébrer les personnes handicapées et célébrer les personnes de toutes capacités.

Inclusivity always on the minds of these Richmond teachers
Graeme Wood / Richmond News
JUNE 7, 2017 02:13 PM

COCO Cafe celebrates 6 years of \’indescribable\’ impact in the community
June 16, 2017 Nanaimo News Now NANAIMO — One of the Nanaimo area\’s most beloved establishments is celebrating six years of changing people\’s lives, while eyeing a major expansion at the same time.

Catherine Frazee: Look into the dark corners of history
CATHERINE FRAZEE / Times Colonist JUNE 15, 2017 12:07 AM
History has a role in the national conversation about medically assisted death, despite protests to the contrary.

‘Why is there not someone with her?’:
Parents say special needs students are under-supported in Abbotsford schools
Abbotsford school district needs to do more to include designated children in classrooms, some say
Abbotsford News KELVIN GAWLEY Fri Jun 16th, 2017 10:49am

Basic income best way to help families reliably put food on the table: report
June 15, 2017 By Erica Alini National Online Journalist, Money/Consumer  Global News

At our CVS Annual General Meeting on June 26th there is a Special Resolution on the Agenda asking CVS Members to approve the updating of our Bylaws to comply with the new Society Act.

The Special Resolution will read as follows:

WHEREAS the directors of the Society have recommended that the bylaws of the society be rescinded in their entirety and replaced with the new Bylaws attached hereto as Schedule \”A\”.

RESOLVED AS A SPECIAL RESOLUTION THAT

1.  The Bylaws of the Society be rescinded in their entirety and replaced with the Bylaws attached hereto as Schedule \”A\”.
2. The amendments to the Bylaws shall be effective upon filing the Transition Application  pursuant to the terms of Part 16, Transitional Provisions of the Societies Act.

Summer is finally here! After a long winter, with lots of snow and cold weather its now time to enjoy what summer brings. We have 3 events this summer, starting with a lunch-time BBQ at CVS on June 30th from 11:30-1pm. There will be food, music and fun.

The next event is our annual summer picnic at Barnet Marine Park on July 21st from11:30 – 1:30.  Again, lots of food, music and games. Every year a water fight has broken out and people get wet! Maybe you should bring a towel..

In August there is another CVS lunch-time BBQ on August 25th from 11:30 – 1:00.

To start off the Fall, mark your calendar for September 14th for a CVS Pub Night at the Burrard Public House that creates an inclusive and safe space for people to get a burger and a beer. Posters and tickets will be ready in August.