I have just checked into the Northern Voice conference at the Life Sciences Centre at UBC. Each year this blogging conference (probably the largest of its kind in Canada) features workshops and sessions about personal blogging and social media topics.

Photo credit: Tinfoiling on Flickr

I have been attending for the last four years and each time I cover the event in a different way. I probably won’t be liveblogging all of the sessions I attend however here are a few that I am looking forward to today:

I’ll be updating this post throughout the day and will pull in the Twitter feed from the conference using the tag #nv10.

Update Northern Voice is known for its conference t-shirts that read, “Bloggable”. Today we have the youngest attendee ever (and probably the cutest) sporting his own conference tee.

Update After a welcome from Darren Barefoot and sponsor shout outs from Julie Szabo we’re onto the keynote by Bryan Alexander. Continue reading this post ⟩⟩

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.

The 2010 Miss World Canada Pageant has been hosting events in Vancouver all week that will culminate in the crowning in a ceremony tomorrow night.

Photo credit: Jennifer Donley on Flickr

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.

Photo credit: rwill on Flickr

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.

Photos © Susan Gittins on Flickr

You can view a PDF of the banners and download the PDF application form on the City’s site. Deadline for submissions is May 19th, 2010.

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.

Photo credit: s yume on Flickr

The Hockey Canada online store is still stocked full with Team Canada gear, from teddy bears and books to pucks and golf bags.

Until Sunday, you can get t-shirts and swag 15% off for Mother’s Day by entering the code “luvmom” when you check out.

They would also like to offer one of my readers $100 to spend on anything they like.

Here’s how to enter the draw to win the $100 gift code for the Hockey Canada online store:

I’ll run the contest until May 18th and will do the draw at 9:00am.

Update The winning entry is Shaylene. Congratulations and have fun spending the gift card!