What started as a collaboration for International Women’s Day four years ago has turned into a weeklong celebration of movement that has raised over $60,000 for women’s causes in BC. In 2022, Workout for Women’s Day organizers Shana Alexander, Andi Davis, and Danya Rogen are hosting their biggest campaign yet in 2022, with over 40 instructors donating their time to host over 40 drop-in sessions and classes to raise funds for Battered Women’s Support Services (“BWSS”), Vancouver Women’s Health Collective (“VWHC”), and WISH Drop In-Centre (“WISH”).
Organizers Danya Rogen (top), Andi Davis (bottom left), and Shana Alexander (bottom right)
I had a chance to catch up with Davis and Rogen to learn more about their initiative and how self-identifying girls and women, and gender-expansive people can participate.
A new development proposal has been launched for the Hudson’s Bay Building in Downtown Vancouver on Georgia and Granville. Under the proposal, the century-old heritage exterior of the Bay Building would be retained, while introducing a one million square foot office tower, a newly reimagined retail space and a new Green Mobility transportation hub at the core of the city’s central business district. The Hudson’s Bay retail store would remain in downtown Vancouver as part of the new mixed-used redevelopment.
New Proposal for the Hudson’s Bay Building in Downtown Vancouver
The building at 674 Granville Street rests on the traditional and unceded territories of the Musqueam, Squamish and Tsleil-Waututh First Nations. The Partners (Hudson’s Bay Company and RioCan Real Estate Trust) are committed to working with local First Nations for their direct involvement in the project and to share in the community benefits that will flow from such a major development.
Streetworks Development, the real estate development arm of HBC Properties and Investments, is leading the revitalization of the Bay Building as well as a variety of HBC’s other real estate assets.
Total retail space in the Bay Building will be about 350,000 square feet. A new 12-storey tower will be built above the existing store, providing one million square feet of new office space capable of accommodating 5,000 new employees in Vancouver’s central business district. With large floorplates of up to 61,000 square feet, the scale and efficiency of this development is typical of the kind of office space sought by large tech sector tenants. A rooftop garden and internal multi-level atriums are also planned for use by tenants in the new building.
The project will benefit from the store’s pre-existing, strong pedestrian traffic flows to and from TransLink’s Granville SkyTrain station and the heavily-used major bus stops right outside the store.
The reconfiguration includes improved access from the building to the Granville SkyTrain station, the Vancouver-City Centre Canada Line station, local bus routes, a new underground indoor bike hub able to store up to 1,500 bicycles, and new public pedestrian walkways will provide covered access linking the Bay Building, its new office space, surrounding business, and shopping areas downtown.
1935 – Hudson’s Bay Store. Vancouver Archives item # Bu P217.
The building is listed in the Vancouver Heritage Register and features a century-old terra cotta exterior which will be preserved in respect of the importance the Bay Building has held in the history and development of downtown Vancouver.
Redevelopment plans for the Bay Building were announced today to inform local residents in advance of Streetworks Development’s application for rezoning and a Heritage Revitalization Agreement to be submitted in coming weeks to the City of Vancouver. Processing this application may take up to a year, or more, and will include public engagement opportunities hosted by the city. Once this is approved, an application will be submitted for a development permit and subsequent building permit, with construction potentially starting as early as 2024.
Join the Unique Get Together Society (“UGTS”) as they collaborate with various Black owned businesses, artisans, and musicians to celebrate and honour Black History Month this weekend in Surrey.
UGTS Black History Month Celebration in Surrey
When: Sunday, February 27, 2022 drop by anytime 11:00am to 4:00pm
Where: Surrey City Hall Atrium (13450 104 Ave, Surrey)
Enjoy a carefully curated a gallery of archives that highlight significant locations, people and events that contribute to the fabric of Canadian Black History. Come and engage with local black owned businesses and enjoy performances from musicians and DJ.
The pop‐up shop will include clothing, jewelry, art puzzles and colouring books from BIPOC artists and more.
“We want this event to become a regular celebration and learning experience for the entire West Coast. It is important to honour and celebrate BIPOC culture and what role we play in our nation’s history.” – UGTS founder Debra Abraham.
The theme for Black History Month is health and wellness. Throughout the month, UGTS has conducted interviews (available on Facebook) with key players in the community to discuss decolonizing the health system, challenges faced, discriminations experienced and discussions on how to move forward on closing the inequity gap. These interviews come from the point of view of Black community liaison, Parris Abraham with Dr. Charles Quist‐Adade, Orene Askew aka DJ O Show and Dr. Ruth Habte.
Unique Get Together Society is all‐inclusive non‐profit that is dedicated to a holistic approach to see underserved communities overcome challenges. Their foundational values of love, healing, independence, service, community and ultimately change are infused in every program provided to see people in their care thrive.
While Family Day this year has come and gone, Family Services of Greater Vancouver (“FSGV”) is encouraging the community to keep the spirit of the day going by participating in the Fam Jam Kitchen fundraiser. Gather your loved ones for a fun cook-along event April 9th led by celebrity chef Bruno Feldeisen, with all proceeds supporting local families in need.
Fam Jam Kitchen Fundraiser with Chef Bruno Feldeisen
When: Saturday, April 9, 2022 from 5:00pm to 6:30pm
From seniors, single parents, community members and newcomers to Canada, to youth, foster parents, caregivers and friends, families are everywhere – and while every family does their best to support those in their care, sometimes they need a little help or inspiration.
As the largest family services provider in BC, FSGV provides more than 50 critical programs, services and workshops across Greater Vancouver that assist families facing food insecurity, financial instability, single parenting, homelessness and other pervasive challenges. The non-profit’s highly trained counsellors, therapists and staff serve 12,000 people annually, empowering them to create lasting positive change.
British Columbians can support FSGV’s efforts by purchasing tickets to Fam Jam Kitchen, a fundraiser that invites donors to participate in a virtual cooking class led by Chef Bruno Feldeisen, award-winning pastry chef and judge on Great Canadian Baking Show.
With ingredients provided by Fresh Prep, the live 90-minute, family-friendly event will be full of engaging and interactive content for adults and children alike, including tips to get kids excited about mealtimes. Participants will be sent delicious meal kits, complete with nutritious ingredients and recipes, in advance of the event.
Proceeds from the event will support FSGV‘s Stronger Families Fund, which provides programs such as Counselling and trauma services, conflict mediation for parents and youth, financial empowerment courses and coaching, life skills development for children and youth with special needs, community kitchens, literacy programs, and more.
Employ to Empower, whose mission is to reduce stigma in the community for Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside residents, hopes to support its 100th DTES resident through its Entrepreneurship Program this year.
Deirdre Pinnock (an entrepreneur), Scott Shaw (Board of Director member), and Christina Wong (Executive Director of Employ To Empower)
Employ to Empower Celebrates 4 Years
Employ to Empower (ETE) is a registered charity, launched in 2018, that provides residents in Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside with access to development and entrepreneurial resources, such as affordable microloans and business mentorship, to have long-term positive impact on their personal and economic well being. ETE also actively advocates for positive social change in the DTES community.
As a homegrown charity set to enter its fourth year in the community, Employ to Empower — who also organizes the annual Vancouver Street Store — has already supported 32 entrepreneurs since launching, and is preparing for nearly 80 more cohorts this coming year.
Employ to Empower’s annual DTES Street Store
The organization’s Development Program is the first touchpoint for empowering individuals facing social and economic barriers, with the course providing basic business fundamentals to get applicants started on their entrepreneurial journey.
Through the first three years, nearly 90% of cohorts who completed the Development Program have graduated into the Entrepreneurship Program — where they are provided with specialized and on-demand mentorship.
“Coming from all backgrounds and with imaginative and practical ideas, the entrepreneurs at Employ to Empower are visionaries who want to lift themselves up,” said Christina Wong, Executive Director of Employ To Empower. “As more people learn about this program and hear success stories, we’re seeing such a growing demand for entrepreneurship development.”
Entrepreneurs have seen steady personal and professional growth over the past year, including Julie Melanie Ruiz-Tagle, the founder of Enviro Bag Evolution. Out of necessity as a mobility scooter user, Ruiz-Tagle handcrafted a storage bag to attach to her mobility devices — in order to have her wallet and water bottle readily available.
After participating in the Development Program in Spring 2021, Ruiz-Tagle was matched with an Employ to Empower mentor, meeting each week for eight months to explore ways to take her business and entrepreneurial savviness to the next level. Now at age 66, her venture, Enviro Bag Evolution, provides storage products made from recycled fabrics to fit scooters, wheelchairs, and walkers.
In addition to having her bags sold on her website, on the Employ to Empower ‘Change Market’ e-commerce site, and on Facebook Marketplace, Ruiz-Tagle is searching for sales representatives for her handcrafted bags.
“There are many more entrepreneurs in our program who have seen tremendous growth in self-esteem,” said Karen Flynn, Head of Entrepreneurship Program at Employ to Empower. “They are able to pitch their business ideas confidently and share in peer gatherings hosted each month to further build their skills in networking.”
Since launching in 2018, Employ to Empower has received multiple accolades, including the Top Idea Prize awarded by Coast Capital Savings SFU Venture Connection in 2018; the Top Small Business awarded by Coast Capital Savings & SFU Venture Connection in 2019; and was selected as a Top-10 recipient for the Canada She’s Next VISA grant.
Employ to Empower’s Cardboard Project
Wong was also named a finalist nominee for the YWCA Woman of Distinction Award in 2020, and a Top 50 Change-Makers in Canada as nominated by the Globe and Mail. You can read a profile of Wong and Employ to Empower in the July 2021 issue of Megaphone Magazine.
