This afternoon City Council passed a motion to support Fair Trade, making Vancouver the first major city in Canada to achieve “Fair Trade Town” status.
The application process has taken about a year however this afternoon’s vote sealed the deal. From a press release issued today, “The city’s endorsement of the application was the last step required by TransFair Canada to bestow Trade Town status on Vancouver. This award officially recognizes two decades of work by local and international Fair Trade supporters, as well as a civic ethical purchasing policy that was enacted in 2005.”
Mayor Gregor Robertson said, “We want to be the greenest city in the world, and a part of that is ensuring that our goods and services are produced and delivered in a responsible way.”
This Saturday May 8th, World Fair Trade Day is being celebrated at the Ten Thousand Villages store on Granville Island (1660 Duranleau Street).
Participate in a drumming circle, thrill to African Dancing with Jackie Essombe and friends and hear about Vancouver’s bid to become the first major city in Canada to gain “Fair Trade Town” status. Have a slice of Fair Trade birthday cake made by students from the Pacific Institute for Culinary Arts, to be served in the store at 2:00pm along with Fair Trade coffee.
In honor of this recent achievement there will be a ceremony from 1:00pm – 2:00pm outside the store with speeches from City Councilors and representative of the Fair Trade Movement. World Fair Trade Day events will then continue at the Improv Centre from 2:30pm until 4:00pm.
Fair Trade is an alternative and ethical way of doing business with the developing world. Unlike conventional trade which seeks to obtain the lowest possible prices for imported products – no matter what this means for the quality of life of farmers and producers – Fair Trade seeks to ensure that farmers are able to live a life of dignity.
You can read more on FairTradeVancouver.ca, the website of a non-profit group that hosts meetups and provides information about where to buy Fair Trade products in Vancouver. They are also on Twitter @Fair_Trade_Van.
When Friday, May 7th, 2010 6:00pm (silent auction starts) 7:00pm (showtime) Where Chandos Pattison Theatre in Surrey (10268 – 168 Street)
Tickets for the crowning gala are still available for $25 and proceeds from the silent auction will benefit Variety – The Children’s Charity.
For fun, you can view an article in The Province that interviewed some of this year’s contestants regarding their hockey predictions and allegiances.
The winner of Miss World Canada 2010 will receive an all-expense paid trip to travel abroad for five weeks and compete in the Miss World pageant in Vietnam this November. She will also receive scholarships and opportunities to work with and become a spokesperson for Variety.
The City of Vancouver is releasing several of its 2010 Olympic and Paralympic street banners to local non-profits who wish to use them for fundraising.
Non-profit organizations are encouraged to fill out applications for use of the banners to propose how they would use them for fundraising. The city is specifically looking for campaigns that would benefit the Downtown Eastside, Downtown South and Mount Pleasant.
It’s the first week of May and hockey fever is alive and strong in Vancouver. The Canucks are 3 games into their round two series with Chicago and around the NHL, eight teams are still vying for a spot in the Stanley Cup final.
We’ve had a fantastic year of hockey in Vancouver so far and no moment was greater than when Team Canada won the gold medal at the Olympic Winter Games.
This afternoon a grey whale (probably the one spotted in Howe Sound this weekend) wandering into False Creek. The whale swam right past Science World, the Olympic Village, and Granville Island where a few lucky onlookers were able to snap some photos.
If you were able to capture the grey whale in a photo please consider adding it to the Miss604 Flickr Group and I’ll showcase it here (with credit of course).
If you are trying to spot the whale I’ve been told to scan the horizon and keep your eyes peeled for air and water coming up from the blowhole. That big splash will immediately catch your attention.
The application process has taken about a year however this afternoon’s vote sealed the deal. From a press release issued today, “The city’s endorsement of the application was the last step required by TransFair Canada to bestow Trade Town status on Vancouver. This award officially recognizes two decades of work by local and international Fair Trade supporters, as well as a civic ethical purchasing policy that was enacted in 2005.”
