Now is the time to register for the British Columbia Communities in Bloom Provincial Edition as the final deadline is March 31. There are a number of participation options for communities of all sizes, please contact Catherine. BC CiB will be profiling all our participants through the Gardens BC website. This year is also a wonderful time to highlight your community's 150th celebrations in the Communities in Bloom Evaluated or Showcase categories. |
0 Comments
Scattered throughout British Columbia there are many excellent examples and they are not all located in typical tourist areas! CiB is a community enhancement program to inspire pride in one’s hometown; to celebrate uniqueness and galvanize residents to be part of the solution. Assessing a community on its tidiness effort, environmental action, heritage conservation, urban forestry, floral displays and landscape areas with community involvement as the thread that runs through each criterion, is what makes this program valuable to our participants. Having the unique CiB criteria to follow creates a focus and deadline to affect real change. Local committees will build a team of volunteers with varied backgrounds: landscape design professional, urban planner, master gardener, media, economic development, chamber of commerce or business owner, parks and recreation, public works, Mayor or Councillor all working together to help their community. It also provides recognition for local volunteers that go under the radar: garden clubs, trail groups, cemetery historians, or the local that picks up litter while walking his dog. Every community has champions that contribute to making their hometown better. The Communities in Bloom program provides a place to recognize these efforts. There are three participation levels to the Communities in Bloom program: Provincial, National and International. At the provincial level: municipal participants are assessed against themselves to improve their bloom score through the annual evaluation. It may take 3 to 5 years to achieve 5-Blooms. Once a community has achieved this level, they may choose to enter the National CiB program to compete against other 5-Bloom communities of similar population size from across Canada. Some have gone onto International competition. Each province has their own Provincial Edition and in 2005, BC Communities in Bloom (BC CiB) was formed as a society to support our volunteers who give their time as specialists in horticulture, parks and recreation, municipal management and community engagement. At the heart of our organization is our team of dedicated volunteers who bring a wealth of experience to our society as facilitators, board and committee members in addition to representing their geographical region. Our provincial program (BC CiB) focuses on three main events:
The CiB program works at its absolute best when it is a collaborative effort made up of a variety of key stakeholders. After almost 20 years of Communities in Bloom in Canada, we are encouraged to see former 5-Bloom national participants registering back in the provincial program to engage a new group of volunteers in People, Plants & Pride…Growing Together! Celebrating CommUNITY Success across B.C.
Surrey - On Saturday October 1st, representatives from around the province celebrated their hometown’s achievements at this year’s British Columbia Communities in Bloom Awards event held in Hope, BC. Municipal participants were recognized in Evaluated and Non-evaluated categories. Congratulations to our newest Five-Bloom community; Cache Creek, and repeat winners, Salmon Arm and Sooke who also received their Five-Bloom Street Banners. Earlier in the day, conference delegates got to see why Hope is a wonderful example of the Communities in Bloom (CiB) program. The ‘Give a Hoot’ (celebrate the spirit of volunteerism) theme showcased key partners and many amazing community enhancing volunteer projects. Our 13th annual event has marked another successful year. Congratulations to all our Communities in Bloom participants who are making this province better through “People, Plants and Pride…Growing Together”! 2016 award results are as follows: 5 BLOOMS MENTION Cache Creek Floral Displays throughout the community Salmon Arm SASU Recreation Centre sustainable landscaping upgrade Sooke Sunriver Community Gardens 4 BLOOMS Lumby Winning Kraft Hockeyville Fort St. John Fort St. John North Peace Museum Terrace Heritage Park Museum Whitehorse, YT Welcome Gateway Floral Design by a 10-yr old resident 3 BLOOMS Bowen Island Municipality Salmon Enhancement & Nature Classroom at BIRD NOVICE Abbotsford Professional Development of park employees Sicamous The Boat Planters positioned around the town NON-EVALUATED Showcase Projects Chetwynd Greenspace Trail-System and Community Forest Wayfinding Strategies and New Municipal Centre and Landscaping Hope 2016 BC CiB Provincial Conference and Awards Host Kelowna Project to come COMMUNITY MEMBERS RECOGNIZED: Burnaby, Castlegar, Coquitlam, Mission CRITERIA AWARDS SPONSORED BY WINNER PRESENTER TIDINESS Teck Resources Limited LUMBY Kathy Reinheimer ENVIRONMENTAL ACTION BC Communities in Bloom FORT ST. JOHN Bert Pulles LANDSCAPED AREAS Urban Systems WHITEHORSE, YT Edward Stanford FLORAL DISPLAYS BC Communities in Bloom TERRACE Erin Minter Special glass vase Criteria Awards were presented by our Gold Bloom Sponsors, whose financial support makes it possible for us to deliver the CiB program throughout the province. COMMUNITY CHAMPION AWARD - BC Communities in Bloom Sponsored Dave Gordon from Terrace, was awarded the BC CiB Community Champion Award in recognition for his ongoing work through the Greater Terrace Beautification Society and legacy projects like the Howe Creek Tree Park and the Dutch-Canadian Tulip Friendship Garden. GOOD LUCK TO BC’S NATIONAL & INTERNATIONAL FINALISTS Results will be announced in Regina, Saskatchewan October 29, 2016 Evaluated: City of Coquitlam, Sun Rivers Resort Community Class of Champions Evaluated: Village of Ashcroft, City of Castlegar, City of Trail Circle of Excellence Non-Evaluated: City of Kamloops, West Kelowna & Westbank First Nations PHOTOS OF OUR EVENT ARE AVAILABLE FOR DOWNLOAD FROM OUR FACEBOOK PAGE Come join us for a fun, inspirational Communities in Bloom weekend in Hope...and maybe find out what kind of fertilizers they use to grow the best bunch of Bloomin' Volunteers...! Download the registration form, to find out more about this cost effective event for all. Conference and accommodation details are also in this document.
Communities in Bloom (CiB) participants are working hard to transform their communities and increase civic pride. In mid July, participants will profile their unique geography, history and horticultural assets to a pair of BC CiB judges. Communities receive an annual evaluation score as they work up to the coveted 5-Bloom level. Good luck to all British Columbian ‘in Bloom’ communities as they showcase the best of our province! For a list of this year’s participants please go to our website www.bccib.ca BC Communities in Bloom is part of the National CiB program that has helped transform communities for over 20 years. It provides a framework to improve environmental, economic, and social well being through teamwork.
How many of us are excited when Dec 21 passes and we start to look forward to more daylight hours?
I know I do! I live at the wet coast (Surrey) and I respect the weather challenges that face the rest of the province. It must be hard to think about the new year when spring is still under inches of ice and snow. As so many British Columbians are keen outdoorsmen, I would love to hear how our CiB communities spend their winter days. I will post this to our Blog and facebook page too so that we can share your comments. For me the New Year is the start of registration for the Provincial Edition of the Communities in Bloom (BC CiB) program. Identifying new participants is the biggest challenge as last year’s participants are often ready to hit the ground running when the spring thaw arrives. So here is my to do list for the New Year: Discover CiB Champions...this may be YOU Have you ever wondered “Can I be a Judge” or “Can I start a CiB group in my community?”. We need to talk! Promote the Novice Category This is a great first step for new communities to find out more about the Communities in Bloom Program. The best part about being a Novice Community is that you will get a pair of judges in your community to workshop with your interested people. Find New Sponsors I am not a natural salesperson, but when you believe in what you represent I have to say it makes it a lot easier. If you are acquainted with a business that would benefit from sponsoring a CiB Criteria please let me know. I think the annual presentation of Criteria Awards is a highlight for our participants and our Sponsors. So there you have it, my top three challenges for the new year. Isn’t that what they recommend with New Year’s Resolutions, to say it out loud to create accountability? ...there is no turning back… P.S. · March 31, 2016 is the Registration Deadline for the CiB Provincial Edition · On February 18th I will be at the BC Recreation and Parks Spring Training Horticulture Day (Coast Hotel and Convention Centre, Langley) with a table full of information. Please stop by and say hi. · And on a personal note; I am back to school for a CAD Landscape Design course at Kwantlen University one morning a week. I expect this middle aged dog can still learn a few new tricks! Wishing you a Happy New Year :) Catherine Kennedy, BC CiB Executive Director
Starting an 'in Bloom' committee will help create a valuable collaboration amongst your citizens, service groups, municipal staff and business owners. Evaluating six criteria, the report creates a benchmark score for future improvements. Participants are awarded a Bloom Rating Certificate and receive a written report at the Provincial Awards & Conference in the fall. Registration is active until March 31st.
|
AuthorCatherine Kennedy Archives
November 2023
Categories |