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Business notes: Duncan’s Volume One celebrates 50 years with mural

The latest from Cowichan’s business community
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Volume One staff prepare the cake and bubbly to serve for the bookstore’s 50th anniversary celebration and mural unveiling on.Friday, Nov. 25. (Sarah Simpson/Citizen)

Duncan’s Volume One Bookstore celebrated 50 years of serving the community on Nov. 25, with the unveiling of a specially commissioned mural by artist Vivi de Graff.

At the unveiling, de Graff thanked everyone at Volume One Bookstore for letting her connect with the community with the mural.

“When I was a little girl when we went to bookstores or libraries or anywhere with books I would get butterflies in my stomach because it just set my imagination free and that’s not something that happens in regular human day to day life necessarily,” she said.

”I still have that relationship with books and I hope that when children look at the mural that they feel that same sense of imaginative possibility and when adults look at it that it helps them connect with that childlike playfulness that is still inside all of us.”

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According to the BC Check-Up: Work, an annual report by the Chartered Professional Accountants of British Columbia on employment trends across the province, the Vancouver Island (excluding Greater Victoria) and the Sunshine Coast’s unemployment rate fell to 3.8 per cent in September, 2022, down from six per cent in September, 2021.

As of September 2022, total employment across the Sunshine Coast and Vancouver Island (excluding Greater Victoria) reached 225,500, a 5.9 per cent increase compared to September, 2021.

Since 2019, employment growth outpaced population growth in the region.

The region also saw its labour participation rate increase to 57.3 per cent, up 0.8 percentage points compared to September 2021, and about the same as in September 2019 (57.4 per cent).

“As Vancouver Island continued its economic recovery, employers significantly increased their work forces over the past year,” said Woody Hayes, FCPA, FCA.

“As a result, the region’s unemployment rate was lower than in 2019 and employment growth outpaced population growth over that period.”

Hayes said that while it is good news to see significant job growth, the very low unemployment rate in the region has translated into employers facing rising labour shortages as the pool of available workers shrinks.

“The employment performance also varied by sector, and some industries continued to face challenges,” he said.

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Consumers will more easily identify local B.C. products when shopping at their local Save-On-Foods store with the Buy BC branding featured at the retailer’s 125 locations throughout the province, including the one in Duncan.

Customers will see Buy BC point-of-sale materials, such as banners, stickers and shelf displays, in Save-On-Foods stores in B.C. to help identify food and beverages made in the province.

The Buy BC logo makes it easier for people to identify B.C. food and beverage products, and explore new and different products from around the province, while helping small, family run businesses, new entrepreneurs and larger B.C. companies grow and succeed.

“As a B.C.-owned-and-operated company, we have been supporting local for more than a century and are proud to carry more than 2,500 locally made products from more than 2,000 local growers and producers across Western Canada,” said Darrell Jones, president of Save-On-Foods and the Pattison Food Group.

“We are proud to collaborate with Buy BC in support of the British Columbian growers, ranchers and producers who play a key role in B.C.’s agriculture, food and beverage economy, bringing the rich diversity and exceptional quality of the food made right here at home to our customers across Western Canada.”

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KidSport has launched its 11th annual Give the Gift of Sport fundraising campaign, calling on British Columbians to donate this holiday season to help more kids experience the joy of a season of sport.

The campaign, which launched on Nov. 15, runs until Jan. 6.

The KidSport concept was launched in 1993 by board and staff at Sport BC as a way to help address the challenges faced by many families when registering their children in organized sport.

From a modest start in that first year, KidSport has expanded to become a national entity with 11 provincial/territorial chapters and more than 160 community-based chapters across Canada.

Last year, KidSport chapters in B.C. distributed more than $1.3 million to help 4,164 kids in 132 communities across the province experience the joy of a season of sport.

This year, the demand for KidSport funding has increased in response to the economic crisis that many families are experiencing, and the need is expected to be even greater in 2023.

Every donation counts and will contribute to making a difference in a child’s life. An average donation of $300 can provide one child with a full season of sport —t he type of gift that will last well beyond the holidays.

Rob Newman, president and CEO of Sport BC said the organization is proud of its signature program, KidSport and its efforts to help more kids benefit from organized sport.

“We know participation in sport can help kids be healthier, but it can also improve their performance in school and aid their social development,” he said.

“In essence, sport can provide our children with a head start on life. At KidSport we believe every child deserves that chance.”

To learn more about the campaign, or make a donation to your local chapter, visit KidSport.ca/GiftofSport.

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The BC Cancer Foundation and local grocers across Vancouver Island have announced a total of $95,300 was raised through the Grocers Going Beyond campaign to support leading-edge research and innovation at BC Cancer – Victoria. The campaign, which ran from Oct. 11 to Nov. 11, included 49th Parallel Grocery, Fairway Market, Red Barn Market, Thrifty Foods and Tru Value Foods.

Thrifty Foods doubled the impact of donations by matching $50,000 in contributions.

For the second year, this coalition of competitors united to support cancer research and care.

This year, the funds are dedicated to the foundation’s Innovation Research Fund to help advance research, develop more precise treatments and increase access across Vancouver Island.

“Thank you to our grocer partners and all who supported this campaign,” said Sarah Roth, president and CEO of the BC Cancer Foundation.

“It’s powerful to see what can be accomplished when we come together as a community. Advancing innovation is key to driving hope for the over 6,000 Vancouver Island residents who are diagnosed with cancer each year.”

For more information on the campaign, or to donate today, visit bccancerfoundation.com/grocers.

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Volume One staff pose during the bookstore’s 50th anniversary celebration and mural unveiling on Friday, Nov. 25. (Sarah Simpson/Citizen)