THURSDAY MARCH 21, 2013
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Vol. 61, Issue 56
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Refugee work will continue
East Kootenay Friends of Burma will continue settlement services despite being denied funding C A R O LYN G R A N T Daily Bulletin
DAN MILLS PHOTO
“LLAMA TELL YOU … it doesn’t feel like the first day of spring to me.” Kaslo the soggy llama waits impatiently for the warmer and drier weather to arrive in Cranbrook. But you know what they say about March — in like a lemon, out like a lime.
Chamber’s message received City Hall hopes to make it easier to do business in Cranbrook SALLY MACDONALD Townsman Staff
The City of Cranbrook is trying to alleviate some of the issues identified in last October’s Barriers To Business report. The online survey was put out by the Cranbrook and District Chamber of Commerce
for all past, present and potential business people to show the city what makes it difficult to do business here. The survey came about after Mayor Wayne Stetski asked the Chamber to tell council what is and isn’t working for businesses in Cranbrook.
The Chamber analyzed the survey data and presented the city with a report called “Removing the Barriers to Business in Cranbrook”. Since then, City Economic Development Officer Kevin Weaver has met regularly with Chamber representatives to discuss three subject areas the
report identified. One of those areas is the new development and building permit process. The report recommended that two application processes be combined, Weaver told Cranbrook city council on Monday, March 18.
See CITY , Page 3
East Kootenay Friends of Burma, an all volunteer organization which has been sponsoring refugees to Canada, and new homes in the East Kootenay, for many years will continue to do so, says Shauna Jimenez, despite the fact that provincial funding to help with that very thing has gone to another agency. As reported in the Tow nsman/Bulletin last month, the B.C. Ministry of Jobs, Tourism and Skills Training and Responsible for Labour, Citizenship and Immigration Canada announced funding to enhance the integration of immigrants into B.C. Communities — part of the Ministry’s Welcoming Communities Program (WCP). Locally, the Columbia Basin Alliance for Literacy (CBAL) received $107,000 to help achieve this goal in
Cranbrook. Kimberley CBAL received a further $80,000 on top of that to help new immigrants to the area settle and acclimatize. Friends of Burma applied for this funding and was turned down. Barb Ryeburn of EKFOB wrote to the Tow nsman/Bulletin shortly after the announcement and said, “While our application to provide these services via the Welcoming Communities initiative was not accepted, it does not mean that CBAL will take over the services we provide. “We are, however, disappointed that because our application was rejected, we will not be able to expand our services for refugees.” Jimenez says EKFOB has approached CBAL with proposals for partnership but has been told ‘no, thank you’.
See FRIENDS, Page 4