In advance of the final deadline for the Hometown Heroes Lottery, burn survivor Kathleen Devonne and physiotherapist Sophia Zhao discuss the treatment and recovery Kathleen received after a car fire left her with serious burns to 63% of her body.

SOMA generated media attention for Renewal Development regarding their efforts to repurpose good single-family homes from growing urban areas to non-urban communities. Four Coquitlam homes, built in 2016, were slated for demolition to make space for higher-density development. Instead of being sent to the landfill, these homes are being rescued, relocated and repurposed by the Sts’ailes Nation (Agassiz, BC). SOMA helped land coverage in reputable outlets including CTV, CBC Radio, Black Press Media, and ICI Colombie-Britannique. Read some of the coverage linked below!

Tire Stewardship BC lauds the park project, saying the use of pour-in-place rubber surfacing, derived from recycled car tires, “not only ensures safety but also promotes the importance of tire recycling within the province.”

It says more than 1,400 tires were repurposed.

Today, four modern Coquitlam homes are being saved from demolition and being relocated to Sts’ailes Nation in Agassiz.

The four Coquitlam homes, built in 2016, were slated for demolition to make space for higher density development. Instead of being sent to the landfill, these homes are being rescued, relocated and repurposed by the Sts’ailes Nation in Agassiz, BC. This innovative affordable housing model builds on recent examples led by Renewal Development in partnership with Nickel Bros. 

It’s that time of year again! Another Summer Ambassador Program is up and running. We have hired two ambassadors who will be travelling all around the province to represent Tire Stewardship BC (TSBC) and Interchange Recycling. The ambassadors will attend community events where they will engage with the public and educate them about the importance of recycling scrap tires and used oil and antifreeze materials. They will be increasing brand awareness and helping reduce waste in our province.

More than 8,000 people turned out for the annual BC Children’s Hospital Foundation’s RBC Race for the Kids in Vancouver Sunday. The event helps raise money for the hospital’s most urgent needs like cancer research and mental health programs.

A burn camp for young kids and their families helped a Surrey family connect with others who had been through a similar experience.

A Maple Ridge woman is lucky to be alive after sustaining second- and third-degree burns covering a majority of her body following a car fire two-plus years ago.

Now, Kathleen Devonne wants people to support essential services and survivor programs at Vancouver General Hospital, (VGH), the University of British Columbia Hospital, (UBCH), and the British Columbia Professional Fire Fighters Burn Fund, by purchasing a ticket in the Hometown Heroes Lottery.

Whitney Burnand first went to the B.C. Burn Camp when she was 13 years old – about eight years after being in a “total freak accident” that left her with burns on more than half of her body.

It’s supported by the BC Professional Fire Fighters Burn Fund, which in partnership with the VGH & UBC Hospital Foundation, has launched the 2024 Hometown Heroes Lottery.

It's been a tough two years for Teagan Ruth as they battled cancer. But with some help from BC Children's Hospital, Teagan pulled through and is stronger than ever. They're now sharing their story so other kids have the motivation to beat anything that comes their way.

This Mother’s Day is extra special for Sheryl Harrop after her child Teagan recovered from Ewing Sarcoma -- a rare cancer that is found in bones and soft tissues. Angela Bower has the story.

Own a vehicle? If so, collection events for used tires are now beginning to pop up throughout B.C.’s Southern Interior.

Tickets are now available for the 2024 Hometown Heroes Lottery, and once again, a Courtenay home package is among the grand prize options. The Courtenay package, which includes a home in Greystone Estates (3230 Winchester Ave.), has a total value of more than $2.5 million.

In this insightful episode of the CanadianSME Small Business Podcast, we featured Kristy O’Leary, the visionary Chief Strategist of Decade Impact. With a unique blend of expertise in fine arts, political theory, and entrepreneurship, Kristy has carved a niche in using business as a force for comprehensive betterment — socially, environmentally, and economically. Her leadership at Decade Impact is pioneering a new paradigm where sustainability, ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance) criteria, and impact design are at the heart of business strategy. This episode dives into Kristy's entrepreneurial journey, the essence of B Corp Certification, critical facets of business sustainability, the evolving role of ESG criteria, and the power of community in fostering sustainable initiatives.

Tire Stewardship BC is expecting a very busy end to their month at the Prince George Junk in the Trunk sale. The annual garage sale takes place in the CN Centre parking lot on April 27th.

Dr. Manish Sadarangani, Director of the Vaccine Evaluation Center at the BC Children's Hospital Research Institute, discusses how funds raised through the BC Children's Hospital Choices Lottery help support pediatric research and healthcare.

David Lawes’s connection to nature and the outdoors can be traced back to his childhood years in Sidney: he loved riding his bike down Beacon Avenue to catch crabs on the dock and spending frigid Saturday mornings playing soccer outside.

That same interest has influenced his career, too: prior to taking over as CEO of Victoria-based Interchange Recycling (formerly the BC Used Oil Management Association) in 2014, Lawes oversaw recycling and waste management programs at the provincial Ministry of Environment (this was before the ministry added “climate change strategy” to its name). And even before that, one of the first jobs he ever had was working as a fisheries consultant looking at sockeye salmon in remote lakes in B.C.

A lot of small businesses live and die as undercover heroes. The corner store Kristy O’Leary’s parents owned in Smiths Falls, Ontario, for example, did much more than sell milk, bread and lottery tickets. 

“It was really a cultural hub,” recalls the founder of Vancouver consulting firm Decade Impact. Her parents bought the store when she was just seven years old and she saw them use their business to do all sorts of wonderful things for the community: they gave everyone credit to buy grocery staples (“It really didn’t matter who they were,” says O’Leary), they offered ride-home programs, they had a Jubilee and forgave the debt that anyone owed them in the ‘90s, and they even invited people to have Christmas and Easter dinners with the family. 

Mateo Duque, 3, has had two major heart surgeries, and his next one is scheduled for this summer.

Decade is a change agency that builds strategy and culture clubs to educate people so they might wield impact and make their mark today to ensure a beautiful future for all. Decade helps courageous people tell true stories that move the world to action. Decade Impact's Chief Strategist, Kristy O'Leary, is a multidisciplinary systems thinker with an innate ability to identify leading-edge entrepreneurs and align them with untapped opportunities to drive breakthrough change.