The Chamber is pleased to welcome 4 new members to its Board of Directors that will join a dynamic group of innovative leaders who are making an impact in the Ladysmith Business Community.

Welcome Shelly Rickett/LDCU, Dina Stuehler/Ironworks Cafe, William Sumsion/Island Savings, Chad Toronchuk/Microtel Inn & Suites Oyster Bay.

Elections for the Chamber Executive will be held after our new strategic planning process to be held next month.

The Chamber is hiring an Economic Recovery Strategist who will coordinate a year-long program with three primary purposes: (1) to conduct a Business Retention and Expansion Program to identify short and long term needs of the business community, (2) to provide Individual Business Support Services to help those businesses most in need stabilize and recover from the economic crisis caused by the pandemic, and (3) to lead a broad-based Community Economic Development Response designed to maximize economic recovery through a comprehensive shop local and destination marketing campaign.

The Ladysmith Chamber is extremely grateful to the Island Coastal Economic Trust for this latest round of support through the ICET Rural Business and Community Recovery Program

For more information or to submit a resume contact Chamber Executive Director, Mark Drysdale by email or call 250-245-2112

The Nanaimo and Ladysmith Chambers worked together to introduce a provincial policy on Derelict and Abandoned Vessels in 2018. Since then, the federal government has joined the province in providing funding to clean up our coast.

Check out the great event happening this week Thursday, May 20th - Inspiration & Motivation Event #2: "Helpfulness is the New Hustle" by Isabelle Mercier Turcotte from LeapZone Strategies.

 The Step Up Work Placement provides Indigenous youth with 120 hours of paid work based training in cooperative partnership with the youth, employer and Step-Up support staff. By connecting youth ages 15-25 with employment placements they are able to:

If you are an employer and are interested in providing indigenous youth a work placement please contact Step Up Employment Navigator Kaylie McKinley Cell: 250-668-8410 Work: 250-591-0933 Email: kmckinley@kwumut.org

The Cow-op, a farmer-run co-operative online market, has partnered with the newly opened Wild Poppy Market to offer order pick-ups every Thursday afternoon in downtown Ladysmith. The new pick-up location allows customers in the surrounding communities of Saltair, Chemainus, Oyster Bay and Yellow Point easy access to the highest quality local food products, while enjoying the convenience and safety of online shopping. In light of the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic, Cow-op is also proud to be offering contactless home delivery on all orders between Mill Bay and Nanaimo.

Vancouver Island North Film Commission would like to cordially invite you to Register or Update your information on our Film Production support services database. If you are a Vendor and would like to be included in our online directory, please REGISTER at: Listing Registration - Creative BC (reel-scout.com) . There is no fee to be registered.

This listing service is provided to promote local service providers on Vancouver Island North. These profiles are seen by film and television productions in contact with the film commission on a daily basis.

INFilm promotes our region to the domestic and international film industry by maintaining the Reel Scout online directory of which we would like you to become a part of our support services.

Please contact us for any questions at film.info@infilm.ca or visit our website at www.INFilm.ca

Thank you. INFilm appreciates Ladysmith’s participation!

VIWIL, Mitacs & Innovate BC have collaborated to share information about provincial and federal funding opportunities available for hiring work-integrated learning students on Vancouver Island. They are keen to share information about timelines and eligibility and offer you resources to help point you in the right direction.

Good news: it's quick, easy and FREE to set up your listing on HelloBC.com: Claim and update your business listing on Tripadvisor. Create an account in Destination BC's Tourism Business Portal. Once the accounts are connected, don't forget to add your website, social media handles, and booking link.

Building off the success of the Tourism Digital Academy, Destination BC is pleased to offer a self-guided version of the program to those who prefer the flexibility of working at their own pace. The self-guided option offers participants maximum flexibility as they complete a condensed version of the Tourism Digital Academy on their own time. This program is focused on providing practical, actionable guidance. From setting goals, to building a better understanding of SEO, website usability, content, email marketing, analytics and more – participants will leave the program with the confidence and knowledge to put their plans into action