Federation of Social Service Agencies – News Clippings

1. The BC government is offering emergency grants of $1,500 for eligible small businesses, Indigenous communities, and non-profits affected by wildfires in the BC Interior.

2. Fraser Health is rolling out a new health grant worth $25,000 of seed money that can be used to leverage further grants for projects addressing physical activity, community connections, food security, or transportation.

3. BC’s new Minister of Justice and Attorney General David Eby (a former lawyer at Pivot Legal Society and past director of the BC Civil Liberties Association) was interviewed by the Vancouver Sun where he answered questions about his portfolio, legal aid funding, and BC\’s justice system.

4. The National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls is making “community visits” in Nova Scotia this week, as it seeks to put a crisis of confidence behind it.

5. Maple Ridge tenants and landlords addressed the region\’s rental squeeze in a packed meeting with MLAs; the main topic was the urgent need to close loopholes in legislation around renovation-based evictions.

6. BC churches and service clubs are learning that they can help ease the province\’s housing crunch by partnering on property redevelopments that meet their needs while filling gaps in the housing market.

7. Two engineers at UBC Okanagan have partnered to create a solution to help ease the housing crisis in BC\’s interior—their social renting website matches renters with landlords as is being called the Airbnb for long-term renters.

8. A new Campbell River project is helping those struggling with unemployment and scraping the bottom of the barrel to try and feed their families.

9. Surrey Now takes a tour inside an Indigenous recovery home and sweat lodge in Whalley that is using cultural traditions to help community members heal and recover from addiction.

10. Vancouver\’s unsanctioned injection sites are offering examples and ideas for Toronto harm reduction workers who are scrambling to deal with the opioid crisis spreading through Ontario.