Aah, the All-Candidates Meeting. One of the time-honoured rights of passage for a political candidate, and one of the only ways for the public to come out and actually see who they are voting for. With the forthcoming election not really being in much doubt at this point, there might be a distinct lack of fireworks. That being said, with a new riding up for grabs in Coquitlam-Burke Mountain, and with the ever passionate Mike Farnworth being involved in Port Coquitlam, it should be good fun.

Here are the dates of the All-Candidates meetings by riding

Port Moody – Coquitlam

Thursday, April 30th. 7-9pm. Sir Frederick Banting Middle School, 820 Banting Dr., Coquitlam. Sponsored by the Burquitlam Community Association.

Thursday, May 7th. 7-9pm. Inlet Theatre, 100 Newport Drive, Port Moody. Sponsored by the Tri-Cities Chamber of Commerce.

Coquitlam – Malliardville

Tuesday, May 5th. 7-9pm. Centennial secondary school, 570 Poirier St., Coquitlam. Sponsored by the Tri-Cities Chamber of Commerce.

Coquitlam – Burke Mountain

Wednesday, May 6th. 7-9pm. Evergreen Cultural Centre, 1205 Pinetree Way, Coquitlam. Sponsored by the Tri-Cities Chamber of Commerce.

Thursday, May 7th. 7pm. Summit Community Centre, 1450 Parkway Blvd., Coquitlam. Sponsored by the Westwood Plateau Community Association.

Port Coquitlam

Monday, May 4th. 7-9pm. Terry Fox Theatre, 1260 Riverwood Gate, Port Coquitlam. Sponsored by the Tri-Cities Chamber of Commerce.

The Tri-Cities Chamber of Commerce are sponsoring a new initiative to help local businesses become Disability Confident. The idea is to raise awareness about people with disabilities, and make businesses a more inclusive place to work.

The Tri-Cities Chamber wants small businesses to contact them to learn about the Tri-Cities 10 by 10 Challenge. I believe the idea is to have a certain percentage of businesses hiring people with disabilities by 2010, but there’s nothing in the press release that really states that, as the Chamber wants you to contact them to talk about it.

Businesses that contact the Chamber for more information are entered into a draw to win two entries to the Annual Chamber Golf Tournament to be held on May 14th.

To Enter, contact Karen at the Tri-Cities Chamber

call 604-464-2716, or email kcheung@tricitieschamber.com

contest closes on May 7th

You can download the contest information PDF here

 

UPDATE:

Just got an email from Karen at the Chamber with some more information about the project and how we can get involved.

“The 10 by 10 Challenge is about increasing employment for persons with disabilities by 10% by the year 2010. It was issued in 2006 by Minister Claude Richmond and then Mayor Sam Sullivan.”

“Locally, the Tri-Cities 10 by 10 Challenge works on building community capacity. We’re working on increasing awareness levels through customer service and employment. From there, we want to effect a long term thinking to have the local business community engaged in Disability Confidence (the act of thinking inclusively in all aspects of the business) so that there eventually will be no difference between hiring persons with disabilities and just hiring.”

The next event is:
May 7th – Business AM Breakfast
“Issues and Solutions: Managing Mental Health in the Workplace”

Award Winning seminar by the Canadian Mental Health Association and Mental Health Works offering practical strategies for business owners and managers on how to identify and address mental health issues including emotional distress and burnout at work. Engaging case studies to be provided.

 Thursday, May 7th, 9:00 am to 11:30 am
   Boardroom B3011, Douglas College David Lam Campus
   1250 Pinetree Way, Coquitlam
   Members $20, Future Members $25 (plus GST)

~ Muffins, coffee and fruit will be served ~

Thanks Karen!

One of the best parts about springtime here in BC are the arrival of the cherry blossoms. Here are some examples from around Port Moody City Hall

Warmer days are ahead!

Well, the painters cloth has come down and we’re ready to launch. Welcome to theV3H.com!

I’m Jon Strocel, chief bottlewasher of this here blog-type site.

Why the name? It’s the postal code of Port Moody, Anmore, and Belcarra, BC. My family and I moved to the area in 2003, and we want to create a place online to find information and things to do here in Port Moody, and throughout the Tri-Cities. There are many fabulous things about our part of Greater Vancouver. We’re here to share information about people, places, and events; and connect with you.

Follow along and get involved!

• follow us on Twitter, you can find us at www.twitter.com/thev3h, you’ll get a feed of stories and information about Port Moody and the Tricities, @reply us and say hello! You can follow me personally on Twitter at www.twitter.com/jstrocel
• have an event, news item, or anything to share? Email us at news <at> thev3h.com, or if you want to email me directly, it’s jon <at> thev3h.com
• visit my wife Amber’s blog. She’s a much better writer than I am, and writes about maternity leave and raising a family in the Tri-Cities. Find her at www.strocel.com

Now that spring is here, I’m looking forward to connecting with you and sharing all the cool things to see and do here in Port Moody, Coquitlam, and Port Coquitlam.

This weekend, ArtConnect is holding it’s 10th anniversary ArtWalk throughout Port Moody. The work of over 50 local artists are on display in 13 venues within walking distance of downtown Port Moody.

Pottery, Jewellery, Glass, Painting, Sculpture, Photography, and Mixed Media some of the different mediums you will find.

The event runs today and tomorrow

(Saturday, April 25th and Sunday, April 26th)

12 noon – 5pm, and it’s all free!

Visit the ArtsConnect website for more information and download the ArtWalk PDF Brochure for a map and more information.

With the fixed election days we now have in BC, it has become a lot easier to figure out when we’re going to the polls. Even though it seems that we’ve had a lot of elections lately, a Federal vote that got us nowhere in October, the municipal election in November, and now we’re gearing up for a provincial one on May 12th.

One of the original worries with the fixed election date was that we were going to end up with American-style non-stop campaigning for months leading up to the actual date. So far the experience has been quite different to put it mildly. On April 12th, the writ was dropped, the first lawn sign went up, and that was about it.

It could be because the weather is getting better, it could be because the Liberals at this point have a 17 point lead in the polls. Either way, let’s just say there was a lot more discussion in my household about that Obama guy we couldn’t vote for, or the near constitutional crisis we had federally, than what’s happening at the moment.

So much for the neverending campaign.

They tell you not to take candy from a stranger, but random kindness is something we can all share without too many hangups. Now the Port Moody library is creating a project based on paying it forward.

The Port Moody Library is teaming with School District 43 to sponsor a Random Acts of Kindness project. This is a celebration of the small acts that make a community a better place. Members of the public are invited to get involved by…

1. Picking up a paper leaf at the Port Moody Library information desk.
2. Perform a random act of kindness
3. Write it down on the leaf
4. Return it to the library to be posted on the wall with student leaves, where it will inspire others.

Let’s get out there and make Port Moody a better place to live! The project runs until April 30th, you can pick up your kindness leaves at the Port Moody library information desk. The library is open 9-9 Monday – Friday, 9-5 Saturdays and 1-5 on Sundays.