Wildfire Business Transition Project News

January 20, 2020

The success of the Wildfire Business Transition Project has been shared on BC Ideas Exchange.  This is a space for peer-to-peer sharing of economic development ideas, promising practices and community collaboration in B.C.

Read the full story here.

January 21, 2020

For the past two years, Community Futures organizations in Williams Lake, Ashcroft, Quesnel and Kamloops have been helping businesses, stakeholders and First Nations communities recover from the overwhelming impacts of the wildfires through the BC Wildfire Business Transition Project, a unique program that has provided critical support to more than 4,000 small businesses.

The results of the program have been outstanding. Read the Final Report.

November 13, 2019

Mission, BC: It's well known that July 2017 marked the start of one of the worst wildfire seasons in BC's history, destroying more than 1.2 million hectares of land and leading to the declaration of a province-wide state of emergency that lasted a record-breaking 10 weeks.  

November 14, 2019

Community Futures had an opportunity to share the results of its Wildfire Business Transition Project with government officials and emergency management practitioners at an industry-wide conference in Vancouver recently.

The BC Wildfire Business Transition Project, which is wrapping up at the end of December, was selected as one of the workshop sessions for the Emergency Preparedness and Business Continuity (EPBC) Conference on October 29th.

May 1, 2019

On Thursday, June 6^th, the Province of BC will be hosting a webinar aimed at communities recovering from the impact of wildfires and other natural disasters.

The webinar, “What to Say to Foster Visitation: Post-Wildfire Marketing Messages and Strategies,” will discuss the best messages to use when marketing your community after a wildfire or other natural disaster.

April 25, 2019

Community Futures British Columbia has made available a new tool as part of its Small Business Toolkit that will help small business owners prepare an emergency response and business continuity plan.

The Business Continuity Workbook was developed by Community Futures Thompson Country in response to the devastating wildfires in 2017, and is now available online to all Community Futures organizations in BC as a fillable PDF document.

December 1, 2019

Community Futures British Columbia is pleased to launch the first three videos in a series documenting the support and assistance that Community Futures provided to businesses, Indigenous communities and not for profit organizations that were impacted by the 2017 wildfires in British Columbia, the worst in the province’s history.

January 30, 2019

Community Futures British Columbia is pleased to announce that support for businesses that were impacted by the 2017 wildfires in British Columbia has been extended for another year, thanks to additional funding of $540,000 from Western Economic Diversification.

The Wildfire Business Transition Project has been helping small and medium-sized businesses, Indigenous communities and not-for-profits to rebuild through outreach and advisory services, workshops, and customized training delivered through five Community Futures offices – Community Futures Cariboo Chilcotin, Central Interior First Nations, North Cariboo, Sun Country and Thompson Country.

October 1, 2018

ASHCROFT, QUESNEL, and WILLIAMS LAKE, BC – Thanks to a partnership between Community Futures and Northern Development Initiative Trust, small and medium sized businesses in the Cariboo-Chilcotin, North Cariboo and Sun Country regions now have easier access to professional consulting services to help strengthen their business.

Recognizing the challenges that the region is facing in the wake of the 2017 wildfires, Northern Development Initiative Trust has relaxed the terms of its Competitiveness Consulting Rebate program and developed a customized program to encourage more businesses to take advantage of it.

August 2, 2018

One of the challenges facing the non-profit sector is that many boards and board members don't have a strong understanding of their roles and responsibilities.

A highly effective and engaged board has clarity around roles and responsibilities, and aligns their work and performance with organizational values and vision.

July 15, 2018

Businesses and not-for-profit organizations impacted by last summer’s wildfires in B.C.’s Interior will be able to access up to $10,000 in financial support for training through a new program established by four Community Futures groups in the Cariboo-Chilcotin, North Cariboo, Sun Country and Thompson Country regions, thanks to funding from Western Economic Diversification. The training program is part of the Wildfire Business Transition Project, which provides targeted support to businesses and communities that were impacted by the wildfires.

Eligible businesses and not-for-profits will be able to access a maximum up to $5,000 per owner/manager for business coaching or other self-identified training program, and up to $2,500 per employee for a maximum of $10,000 per organization.

July 13, 2018

The following story was submitted by Wildfire Outreach Worker Flora Joe on behalf of the Wildfire Business Transition Project Team at Community Futures of Central Interior First Nations. They were thrilled when they recently learned that Norman had received Red Cross funding.

Norman Retasket, Artist

Norman is the owner of Starving Artist and a member of the Bonaparte Band. Our Outreach Workers were inspired by his story. 

July 13, 2018

For residents of the British Columbia Interior, wildfires are a regular occurrence. But when Deb Arnott and Karen Eden were evacuated from their homes last July, they knew that this time was different. They were right.

On July 6, a two-hectare wildfire had started west of 100 Mile House, marking the beginning of the record breaking 2017 wildfire season. The next day, 56 new fires erupted throughout the province leading to a series of evacuation alerts, orders and the declaration of a provincial state of emergency by the Government of British Columbia.

July 7, 2018

Looking for a cost-effective way to grow your business and increase sales?

Community Futures Cariboo-Chilcotin, North Cariboo and Sun Country are sponsoring a series of free workshops on social media marketing for businesses and not-for-profit organizations starting on Monday, June 18th. The workshops are part of the Wildfire Business Transition Project, which was set up to help businesses and communities following last summer’s wildfires.

June 1, 2018

Williams Lake, BC -- Once you understand your financial statements you can use them to better understand – and improve – your business.

That was the message delivered during a series of workshops in 100 Mile House and Williams Lake this past week. The workshops were organized by Community Futures Cariboo-Chilcotin as part of the Wildfire Business Transition project.

May 7, 2018

Community Futures Thompson Country has recruited Colin O’Leary, former wildfire recovery manager for the Thompson-Nicola Regional District, as part of the Wildfire Transition Project. Colin will focus on business continuity and emergency preparedness planning.

Colin was engaged by the Regional District to assess the impact on businesses of last summer’s devastating wildfires. He produced two reports, both released on January 5^th, 2018. The first, Recovery Work Plan and Recovery Needs, provided an assessment of the impact of the wildfires and identified gaps in support. The second, entitled Summary of Wildfire Recovery Support for Businesses, provided an overview of the support available for businesses.

April 30, 2018

Community Futures Cariboo Chilcotin hosted two workshops on Human Resources and Personal Development.

Facilitated by John Singleton, the workshops focused on stress and time management. Participants explored what causes stress, how it impacts their lives, and methods for controlling their reaction to stressful situations. The group also learned how to make simple adjustments in their workdays to manage their time more effectively. Thirty-five people attended the evening session.

April 30, 2018

Community Futures Central Interior First Nations held a successful two-day workshop in Lytton on April 24^th and 25^th, featuring several speakers and presentations related to agriculture. The workshop was organized in partnership with Paula Cranmer-Underhill, Executive Director for the Rosie Skuki Weaving Centre, Lytton First Nation.

April 18, 2018

Rural small businesses that have been impacted by the 2017 wildfires in British Columbia can access help in the recovery process from their local Community Futures office. Five Community Futures offices in the areas affected by the wildfires – Community Futures Cariboo Chilcotin, Central Interior First Nations, North Cariboo, Sun Country, and Thompson Country – are providing targeted support to help small businesses rebuild as part of the Wildfire Business Transition Project.