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REMINDER for Spectrum’s Annual Summer Picnic!

WHEN: Wednesday, July 19th, 2023

TIME: 2pm – 6pm

WHERE: JOHN HENDRY PARK – TROUT LAKE – PICNIC GAZEBO

Join us for the Annual Spectrum Summer Picnic and enjoy a selection of burgers, hot dogs, chips, salads and cold drinks!

We are also looking for volunteers that would like to assist in the set up, clean up and take down of the event. If you’re interested in being a part of the picnic team, please email Spectrum’s office at reception@spectrumsociety.org

We’re looking forward to seeing everyone for a fun day of socializing, good food and sunshine!

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BC Hydro Rebates for Energy Efficient Products

Looking for an air conditioner this summer? BC Hydro is offering a $50 rebate for select energy efficient portable or window air conditioning units until July 28. The rebate is available through an instore discount (Costco, Best Buy & Home Depot) or an online post-purchase rebate.

Click Here for More Information

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Mount Pleasant Park Festival

The Mount Pleasant Community Centre is bringing back their Mount Pleasant Park Festival this year! This will be a FREE event with activities for all ages, including a movie at (approximately) 8:30pm. Bring your own picnic blanket, lawn chair come with family and friends!

WHEN: Saturday, July 15th at 6 – 11pm

WHERE: Mount Pleasant Park, 3161 Ontario Street, Vancouver

Click Here for More Information

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Renfrew Ravine Moon Festival looking for Volunteers

The Still Moon Arts Society is still looking for volunteers for the 21st annual Renfrew Ravine Moon Festival. This includes the Harvest Fair and Streamside Lantern Installation on September 23rd, and the Consciousness of Streams festival finale on September 29th.

Click Here for More Information

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Collingwood Days 20th Anniversary

Beginning in 2003, Collingwood Days is an annual festival celebrating the diversity and culture of the Renfrew-Collingwood neighborhood in Vancouver. This year the festival will be from July 14 to July 22, 2023. The Opening Ceremony will take place from 10am – 4pm at the Collingwood Days Annex on July 14th, with the big festival happening from 11am – 4pm at Gaston Park on July 22nd. All festivities will tie together the diversity, history and natural environment of the Renfrew-Collingwood community.

Click Here to View the Full Schedule

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Vancouver Folk Festival

The Vancouver Folk Festival is returning July 14th – 16th at Jericho Beach! They will be offering services for those with accessibility needs:

• A vehicle drop-off area for people with disabilities.
• An Access Services gate dedicated exclusively to patrons with disabilities or mobility issues
• Limited parking, for people with a designated Provincial Access Parking Permit, is located near the Access Services gate, at the west end of West 2nd Avenue, just left off Wallace Street.
• Site maps, a list of our services, and large-print versions of the performers’ schedules are available at the Access Services Gate on West 2nd Avenue and at the Main Gate on West 4th Avenue.
• There are ramped, accessible washrooms.
• On site assistance is available at the Access Services tent and the Access Services gate.
• Attendant ticket policy: when a person with a disability or mobility issue purchases a full-price ticket (weekend or day ticket) they may bring a  companion at no charge. Kindly note that companion tickets must be obtained for each day, and not on a weekend pass basis. Companion tickets are available at the accessibility gate.
• Seating for people with disabilities, and their companions, is available at a raised and covered platform located near the middle of the Evening Concert Stage audience.
• Roped off viewing areas for disabled patrons and their companions are located at some daytime stages.
• Wheelchairs may be borrowed from the Access Services tent where a private rest area is also available. Wheelchairs are available on a first come-first serve basis.

HandyDART service pick-ups and drop-offs will be located on the west end of West 2nd Avenue, at the Access Services gate. Please note: HandyDART service must be pre-booked; see the HandyDART website  for more information.

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Salted Egg Market is hosting a Summer Balloon Festival at Heritage Hall. They are committed to supporting local vendors to reach out to the community and showcase their talents and goodies. Vendors are from Hong Kong, Ukraine, Korea, Indonesia, Philippines and more. They will have foods and drinks, local artisan’s products, and balloon twisting and more! Admission is FREE.

WHEN: Sunday, July 16th 10am – 6pm

WHERE: Heritage Hall, 3102 Main Street

Click Here for More Information

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CLBC UPDATE

Learn about CLBC’s Cultural Safety Policy in New Video

CLBC created its first Cultural Safety Policy in the fall of 2022. This policy describes cultural safety principles and practices that will guide CLBC staff and service providers on how to engage, support, monitor, and plan with First Nations, Métis and Inuit individuals, as well as their families, support networks and communities. This policy is an important step towards ensuring CLBC’s and the community living sector’s actions align with the rights of Indigenous Peoples, which is a key goal of the current CLBC Strategic Plan. CLBC has released a new video to assist in awareness and understanding of the six principles that guide the Cultural Safety Policy:

1. Culturally Responsive Programming
2. Indigenous Anti-Racism
3. Indigenous Trauma Informed and Responsive Approach
4. Promoting, Maintaining and Sustaining Connections
5. Person-Centred Approach
6. Promoting a Coordinated Service Approach

Click here to watch CLBC’s Cultural Safety Principles video

The video, along with the Cultural Safety Service Provider Practice Guide, is a tool to support service providers and CLBC staff to learn how to offer all services in ways that are as culturally safe as possible.

If you have any questions, please email CLBCIndigenousPracticeAdvisor@gov.bc.ca

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Celebrate National Indigenous History Month

June is National Indigenous History Month in Canada, a time to recognize the rich history, heritage, resilience and diversity of First Nations, Inuit and Metis. In recognition of this month, BCNPHA is offering a workshop series, facilitated by the Indigenous Perspectives Society, to foster a deeper understanding of Indigenous perspectives, and develop actionable ideas to respond to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada’s Calls to Action.

This four-part series includes:

• Introduction to Cultural Competency – June 22 1pm – 2:30pm
• Understanding History – July 12 1pm – 4pm
• Dispelling Myths and Stereotypes – August 9 1pm – 4pm
• Building Local Relationships – September 6 1pm – 4pm

Participants are welcome to register for as many sessions in the series as they are interested in.

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Create! Arts Festival

Click Here For More Information

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For those receiving benefits with Spectrum, we offer our EAP (Employee Assistance Program) to provide 24/7 confidential support to our employees. If you are not currently receiving group benefits but are in need of support, please reach out to your supervisor or Human Resources at hr@spectrumsociety.org so we can provide you with accessible options of support. For immediate access to set up assistance, you can click here: Lumino VC (dialogue.co) OR download the app directly onto your smart device by going to the App Store and searching Lumino Health Virtual Care. The graphic is as follows and you will need your benefit group number and Access ID to set it up:

Improving the Employee Assistance Program (EAP) experience

Sunlife has added two new service enhancements to the Lumino Health Virtual Care EAP:

• When accessing EAP via the app is not possible:
  • Plan members can get access to immediate help through their EAP by calling 1-844-342-3327. A Member Service Specialist will assess your needs and coordinate care with the appropriate resources.

Plan members are also able to access the EAP through the app or online.

New 24/7 Dialogue support*

If you or your dependents are having trouble using the app or website and need help accessing your account, they can:

• contact Dialogue by emailing sunlife-support@dialogue.co Monday to Friday 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. ET.
• visit help.dialogue.co and use the chat feature for assistance, for after hours and weekend support.

 For questions regarding benefits plan information, you can

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What is happening in Vancouver in July?

Click on the link below to see what’s happening:

https://www.destinationvancouver.com/events/calendar-of-events/vancouver-events-in-july/

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Is there anyone you know that is looking for meaningful work?

If you have a friend, family member or meet someone in the community that is interested in joining the team and you refer them to Spectrum, you could be eligible for a referral bonus!

If the person referred is hired and maintains at least 6 months of consistent employment with Spectrum, we will award a $250 Referral Bonus.

*for more information on the program, please email hr@spectrumsociety.org

We thank you for bringing us quality applicants/employees!

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ACADEMIE DUELLO
www.academieduello.com

The art of the sword at Academie Duello is a group activity for 4-8 people; social + exercise!

They are looking for fellow introverts to find a group of people to organize smaller private classes with instead of going to the much larger drop-in classes and for a reasonable price. See for yourself what wielding a sword like in RPGs is like!

The length of each class depends on # of participants

$170 for 10 credits in one month, ~2 classes a week

1 credit = 10 minutes private lesson duration

Examples of the possible split of credits/class frequency/length depending on the number of people 

2 people = 20 credits

3 people = 30 credits

4 people = 40 credits

5 people = 50 credits

6 people = 60 credits

7 people = 70 credits

8 people = 80 credits

For anyone interested in learning more about this opportunity, please contact Sarah Woollacott at sarah.woollacott@spectrumsociety.org

Home – Academie Duello – Learn Swordplay International Centre for Swordplay – Learn Longsword, Rapier, Sidesword, Polearms, Mounted Combat, Archery, martial arts, axe throwing. www.academieduello.com

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Submitting Coordination of Benefits claims via the my Sun Life mobile app

Managing your benefits is easier than ever. We’re happy to share that you can now submit Coordination of Benefits claims (COB) on the my Sun Life mobile app.

Ray’s Retro Friday Night Music

• Hosted by Self Advocates of the Rockies society (SAOR)
• Meets the third Friday of every month from 5:00pm – 6:00pm MDT / 4:00pm – 5:00pm PDT
• Join the group on Google Meets by clicking here or dial: ‪(CA) +1 587-688-3336 PIN: ‪599 330 504#

Breaking Away from the Covid Blues with Lynnetta

• Hosted by Self Advocates of the Rockies Society (SAOR)
• Meets the third Wednesday of every month from 1:00pm – 2:00pm MDT / 12:00pm – 1:00pm PDT
• Join the group on Google Meets by clicking here or dial: ‪(CA) +1 613-916-1823 PIN: ‪337 088 313#

Phone Tree

• Hosted by Self Advocates of the Rockies Society (SAOR)
• Every Thursday: 2:00pm – 3:00pm MDT / 1:00pm – 2:00pm PDT
• SAOR will be holding weekly group phone calls to catch up with friends and meet new advocates from around the province.
• To register, email j.moore@realmbc.ca or call 250-426-3393 by 3:00 pm on Wednesdays. Spots are limited to five per call so make sure to sign up to reserve your spot.

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HEALTH & SAFETY NEWS

What do you do if you or someone you’ve worked with has been injured?

All Spectrum employees are covered by WorkSafe BC. Employees who sustain an injury while performing their daily work are eligible to receive compensation from WorkSafe BC. For all accidents (whether time loss occurs or not) a Workers’ Report of injury form must be completed and returned to the immediate supervisor who will forward the form to Human Resources for processing, or the employee can return the completed form directly to Human Resources. Claims submitted into WorkSafe BC must be reported within three (3) days.

Policy 9(d): https://sscl.sharevision.ca/public/PolicyDirectory/Personnel%20Policies/P09.0.HealthWelfareBenefits.pdf

Injury/Accident Report forms can be found on our Spectrum website under Human Resources, left hand menu “Forms” or you can email hr@spectrumsociety.org and one will be emailed to you.

Reporting Helps Us To learn, grow and improve together

Accidents happen and one of the main purposes of our accident/injury reporting is to collaborate with WorkSafe BC, our teams and employees to ensure that any employee who is injured receives the proper medical care and support they may need. Our reporting process also provides an opportunity to assess our workplaces for potential hazards so we can continue to improve and determine preventative measures to mitigate future risks. Think of reporting your injury as an opportunity to help yourself and your team.

Why it is important to report an incident, even if you are feeling okay?

Even if you feel ok, there is an obligation to report potential risks or hazards to your supervisor and HR. It’s good news that you’re ok but the next person might not have that same experience. We want to ensure that we are aware of and reviewing any potential risks of injury in your places of work. We have an obligation to ensure the well-being of all employees and review and investigate any potential hazards. Please keep us informed and assist us with keeping you and our teams safe!

Most importantly remember to Take care of yourself.

Employees who take care of themselves and their own needs will be better prepared to care for others on the job.

For example:

• Don’t accept more work than you can handle.
• Recognize signs of stress and take the necessary steps to alleviate stress in your life.
• Let your supervisor know if you need assistance with something.
• Don’t place yourself or others at risk by taking on more than you are prepared for.

Enjoy your work! If you don’t, then be honest with yourself and your supervisor about it. You may need a break.

If you have any Health & Safety related questions, please email safety@spectrumsociety.org

Be Safe. Be Calm. Be Kind