Starting today, nominations and voting for the 19th annual Small Business BC Awards are open! British Columbians are encouraged to nominate their own business (or a business they love) for the awards and show their appreciation for the resiliency and creativity of the province’s hard-working entrepreneurs.
Nominations Open for Small Business BC Awards 2022
The Small Business BC Awards are open to BC-based businesses with fewer than 50 employees. There are just two award categories this year (as opposed to six, previously) and those are:
The Business Impact Award
The SBBC Business Impact Award goes to the business owner(s) that are truly making a difference. These hard-working individuals embrace the challenge of entrepreneurship, displaying skill in areas like sales, marketing, logistics, finances, and operations. Their organization has taken positive action to invest in the community and sees social responsibility as an integral part of business success. Prizing will be awarded as follows to the Top 3 businesses: $8,000 first prize, $4,000 second, $1,500 third.
Premier’s People’s Choice Award
This unique award category, sponsored by the Province of British Columbia, is presented to a BC-based small business that can demonstrate they have the unwavering and loyal support of their community. The criteria for winning the Premier’s People’s Choice Award is simple: Get more votes than any other nominee. Nominees are tasked with using any imaginative, creative or traditional tactics available to them to engage customers, clients and neighbours to vote for them. At the end of the process, the business with the most votes from their community is the winner and they will receive a $1,500 cash prize.
Once a small business is nominated, they must gain as many public votes as possible for their business until February 28, 2022.
The businesses with the most votes in the SBBC Business Impact Award category (after a normalization process to allow for regional populations) will be narrowed down to the top twenty, then judged by an internal panel of business experts to select the Top Five finalists.
The Top 5 Finalists for the SBBC Business Impact Award will be invited to present to a panel of judges, pitching why their business should win the award. The winner of the Premier’s People’s Choice award will be selected based on the most votes, after a normalization process to allow for regional populations.
On April 28, 2022, a virtual gala will be hosted by Small Business BC to announce and honour the winners.
There are many tasty things to do in Vancouver this weekend including the Vancouver Hot Chocolate Festival, Dine Out Vancouver events, and Street Food City. On top of that, several attractions are open and it’s the last weekend of Canyon Lights at Capilano Suspension Bridge. It should be a great time to get out (safely) and have some fun!
Things to do in Vancouver This Weekend January 21-23
Chinatown’s SUM gallery presents its first curated musical performance series, Queering the Air: music exploring the many facets of the Queer experience— from darkest introspection to most radiant joy.
SUM gallery Presents Queering the Air
The series will launch February 11, 2022 with renowned Two-Spirit baritone Jonathon Adams in a special concert at the Bill Reid Gallery in partnership with Müzewest Concerts.
The remaining three concerts will be hosted by SUM gallery (#425 – 628 Keefer St):
February 18, 2022 at 7:30pm McGregor-Verdejo Duo | Vancouver flute & guitar duo present a program of queer yearning and loneliness with music by Matthew-John Knights, Rodney Sharman, Hiroki Tsurumoto, and Gabriella Yorke.
February 25, 2022 at 7:30pm Mignon | Mignon, a non-binary icon of German Romanticism, is brought to life through the music of Zelter, Schubert, Schumann, and Wolf, performed by soprano Sarah Jo Kirsch and pianist Tina Chang.
March 11, 2022 7:30pm Sex Lives of Vegetables: Music of Leslie Uyeda | The scandalous, gorgeous, and profound vocal music of Leslie Uyeda, featuring soprano Heather Pawsey, clarinetist AK Coope, and pianist Rachel Kiyo Iwaasa.
Concession and regular price admission tickets are available for all concerts. Virtual access tickets are available for the February 11th performance only. In Darkness: Lute Songs of John Dowland tickets can be purchased via Müzewest Concerts’ Eventbrite. Tickets to all other SUM gallery concerts are available via the SUM gallery Eventbrite.
DanceHouse, in partnership with Digidance, presents the North American premiere of the digital broadcast of South African dance company Via Katlehong and contemporary choreographer Gregory Maqoma’s Via Kanana, which will stream online in February and March.
Via Kanana by Via Katlehong. Christian Ganet photo.
DanceHouse Presents Via Katlehong’s Via Kanana
Founded During Apartheid & Amidst a Notorious War Zone, Dancers of Via Katlehong Channel & Re-envision South African Dances into High Energy Exploration of Society
When: February 16 to March 6, 2022 Where: Video on Demand Streaming in Canada only Tickets:Available from $15
Pulsing with rhythmic vibrancy, eight warrior-like dancers combine the traditional, high-energy dance form of Pantsula (born out of South African protest) with tap, step, and gumboot—a miners’ dance based on handstrokes on the thighs and calves – into an exhilarating exploration of the problems and promise of their homeland.
The Canadian digital broadcast of Via Kanana is due to the coordinated effort of Digidance, a national initiative formed in response to COVID-19 between four of Canada’s leading dance presenters: DanceHouse (Vancouver), Harbourfront Centre (Toronto), the National Arts Centre (Ottawa), and Danse Danse (Montreal).
Arriving just in time for Black History Month, Via Kanana is a non-stop torrent of energy with a powerful and urgent message. The hour-long work condemns the corrosive effects of corruption in South Africa and expresses frustration at how little has changed for the better for Black people since the end of apartheid.
Hailed as “inspiring” and “electrifying,” the production draws on a South African expression meaning “the promised land that never arrives” (Kanana in the Sotho language). Careening from the mundane to the metaphorical, and played out via a series of scenes and vignettes, Via Kanana opens with one word: corrupt, projected onto an angled white screen, and is repeated on a loop as part of the electronic soundtrack. Throughout the work, the dancers balance technical precision with wild abandon – dominated by the fast, frantic footwork of Pantsula that has drawn influences from everything from tribal dances to hip hop – while exploring themes of coercion, intimidation, and seduction.
Founded in 1992, Via Katlehong is well-known for combining Pantsula, tap dance, step, and gumboot into a distinctly South African choreographic language that celebrates the calls for positive change. The award-winning company takes its name from the township of Katlehong in the East Rand (Johannesburg), one of the deprived neighborhoods where the protestant Pantsula culture was born – and a notorious war zone during the 1980’s uprising.
The vision of the Pantsula rebellion arrives on the stage courtesy of Soweto-born choreographer Gregory Maqoma, one of the most talented artists of South Africa’s new generation. As a dancer, teacher, and choreographer, Maqoma’s work is vibrant and elegant, earning him numerous awards for his choreography and for elevating South African culture.
The digital broadcast of Via Kanana will include a 20-minute pre-show documentary.
Back by popular demand, the annual Y-Dance-A-Thon, presented by Pacific Blue Cross in support of YWCA Metro Vancouver, is happening on Wednesday, February 2, 2022. Join host, Johanna Ward, Virgin Radio’s DJ Flipout, the team of YWCA Health + Fitness instructors and special guests for dance, music and fun.
Join the Y-Dance-A-Thon
The Y Dance-A-Thon is five hours of dance fitness fun lead by qualified instructors, who will also be joined by some of Canada’s best DJs. All ages and all abilities are welcome to take part from home. Register as a team and enjoy some built in incentives, or come up with your own. Stir up some friendly competition and have some fun in this engaging team building opportunity.
This year’s line up includes:
3:00pm – Opening Freestyle FUN! with DJ Barron S
3:30pm – BollyLatin Fusion with Yeshvi Mehta
4:05pm – KPop Fever with Kevin Le
4:35pm – Dynamic Dance Party with DJ Agile
5:05pm – Hip Hop Hoorah with Natasha Gorrie
5:30pm – Bollywood Bonanza with Rohan D’silva
6:00pm – The Remix Dance Party with DJ Flipout
6:25pm – Zappy Zumba with Alesya Bogaevskaya
7:00pm – DanceFit! with Johanna Ward
7:35pm – Cool Down Calm with Amanda Jane
Stay for the whole five hours or join in for your favourite session. Registration is free, but participants are encouraged to pledge or fundraise a minimum of $100. Registrants may also fundraise without participating in the Y Dance-a-Thon.
About the Cause
Funds raised from Y Dance-A-Thon will support the YWCA’s essential work in areas like housing, food security, violence prevention programs, mentorship, single mothers’ support services, child care and other services supporting women and families.
Every year, YWCA Metro Vancouver supports over 48,000 clients and program participants. Your gift ensures that families across Metro Vancouver can connect with the essential supports they need to be safe, healthy and experience the quality of life they desire.
Your donation will help them continue to serve the women and families who turn to the YWCA for connection and support at this critical time.
