February 2008

Welcome

Welcome to the new electronic version of the Indicator newsletter. Your comments and feedback are welcome. Please email: info@communitycouncil.ca. A limited number of paper copies are available. Call or email to receive the newsletter by mail.

Leadership and Transition at the Community Council

Christina Peacock, Mabel Jean Rawlins and Maureen Young at the Victoria Leadership Awards

After 14 years of hard work and dedication, Mabel Jean Rawlins officially retired from the Community Council at the end of December 2007. The impact of Mabel Jean’s leadership, vision and commitment will be felt for years to come.
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Quality of Life CHALLENGE - Strategic Community Plan

The Quality of Life CHALLENGE’s vision is for a vibrant and sustainable region where everyone lives in a safe and decent home, able to care for themselves, their families and their community. Quality of Life CHALLENGE partners are working together to generate long-lasting solutions that prevent and reduce poverty in BC’s Capital Region by focusing on three strategic areas: increasing sustainable incomes, reducing costs of living, and creating learning opportunities.
Read more... (pdf)

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Relevant and Reliable Research Reports

Part of the business of the Community Council is to conduct community based research on social issues. The Community Council seeks to do research which engages those impacted; leads to practical and effective actions; is responsive to emerging community issues; emphasizes qualitative neighbourhood level data and uses it to enrich quantitative data; is proactive, innovative, current and relevant; and is communicated in meaningful and accessible ways.
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Communicating Reliable Information ... Electronically

Did you know that electronic newsletters have been developed related to local employers who are making a difference to their employees through their HR practices, food security in BC’s Capital Region, and the work of family serving agencies? Anyone can subscribe at no charge.

The employer CHALLENGE newsletter featuring a case study of a local employer, HR tips, and relevant links is distributed monthly to over 1,400 employers.

Making Food Matter, a quarterly publication of CR-FAIR, provides current information on the regional food system, community stories, resources and upcoming events is distributed to 400 readers

AFSA News a quarterly newsletter including relevant articles, agency announcements and links, and upcoming events is sent to more than 300 people

Find out more. Go to www.communitycouncil.ca under Activities or www.qolchallenge.ca under News and Events.

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A Case Study on Housing Affordability

The Housing Affordability Partnership (HAP) is a unique public-private–not for profit group working together to address housing affordability concerns and raise awareness of emerging housing issues and opportunities in BC's Capital Region.

HAP has recently published a case study on FairWay Woods, a housing development that provides supportive and affordable housing for aging individuals who were homeless or at risk of homelessness.

Click here to read the case study.

Visit the HAP website at www.housingaffordability.ca to learn more.

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Attention Capital Region Employers: An Update on the Labour Market Dialogues

Escape the HR Crunch

Attracting and retaining employees in this job-seeker's market is no easy task. Thankfully, there's an effective solution that also benefits the community - hiring people with barriers to employment. Many employers want to adopt policies to accommodate people with a variety of barriers, but don't know where to start. That's why the team at the Community Council introduced the Labour Market Dialogues project.
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The Early Years Reports Series for BC's Capital Region

What do we know about the health and development of the young children who live in this region? Where are the opportunities to further improve their outcomes later in life, and increase the quality of life in our communities?

Research tells us that sufficient public investment in children in their early years (under the age of six), will not only create healthier children, but can actually create a significant long term financial return for communities.
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The Health of the Non-Profit Sector -
Is this sector at risk?

In answer to the question, "how healthy is the non-profit sector?" Tim Brodhead, President & CEO of the J.W. McConnell Family Foundation, responds that "we're not doing well." In the midst of the many signs of wealth - growing economy and labour shortage - we remain disconnected from the poverty around us.
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Volunteer Profile: Ted Humphreys

“Retirement” as Ted Humphreys demonstrates is an opportunity to bring knowledge, wisdom and vision to issues and work you care deeply about. Moving to Vancouver Island with his wife Ruth after a full career in the field of education, Ted is as busy as he has ever been.
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"Blue Linnet"

Click the above image to view a larger version of the print (pdf).

Fundraising Auction

Local artist Wendy Picken has generously donated some of her beautiful art to the Community Council to support fundraising activities.

This framed print, “Blue Linnet”, is available through a silent auction. The closing date for bids is March 16, 2008. To send in a bid, email info@communitycouncil.ca and put “Wendy Picken” in the subject line. As this is a fundraiser, please note the minimum bid is $300.
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