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Wednesday, October 7, 2015
COMMUNITY
Growth in arts highlighted in report Community’s needs identified in VitalSigns document will determine grants for local groups KRISTI DOBSON ALBERNI VALLEY TIMES
The VitalSigns Report, a comprehensive project of the Alberni Valley Community Foundation, was launched Tuesday after six months of research and compilation. It brings to light emerging sectors of the economy. “What stands out for us is the arts and culture,” said Maggie Hodge Kwan, the project’s research facilitator. “We have strong participation with 125 working artists. That number doubled between 2006 and 2011.” She said Port Alberni has a high use of culture and recreational facilities. Another strong category is leadership. Nearly 50 per cent of the popu-
HODGE KWAN
lation contribute to volunteerism and the average charitable donation made by individuals has increased by 8.3 per cent from $240 from $260 from 2008 to 2013. What came out as a surprise to
Hodge Kwan was the disparity in poverty and income. “Thirty per cent of children in Port Alberni [in 2013] live in poverty versus 20 per cent across the province,” she said. The overall poverty rate at 18.5 per cent in 2013 was up from 17.8 per cent in 2012 and 46 per cent of renters are spending more than 30 per cent of their income on rent and utilities. Also of concern is the illiteracy rate of 41 per cent in the Valley. Hodge Kwan said it is a useful study for all community sectors. “It has all of the information in one place and for many people, they are going to overlap,” she said. “For example, someone in health care can look for information on poverty in the same place.” VitalSigns Reports have been
published in 75 communities throughout Canada for the past 15 years. The Alberni Valley Community Foundation was left a bequest in 2014 which allowed them to put money into funding its own. The foundation’s chair, Hugh Grist, said there were two main reasons for producing the expensive and time-consuming booklet. “It raises the profile of the foundation,” Grist said. “But it is also helpful for the community. We can look at our own records and see how we are doing.” All foundations benefit by seeing Alberni’s strength highlighted, but the research also brings forth areas of opportunity and improvement, Hodge Kwan said. “It is important for community members to have this information to be able to take informed action,”
Hodge Kwan said. “It makes it easy because it can all be found in one place.” The AVCF will also use this research when deciding on recipients for the annual grants. “This year we will look for requests based on the need as identified in the report,” Grist said. In the surrounding region, the West Coast published a report in 2012 and 2014, Nanaimo this year and in 2014 and Victoria has produced one for the past 10 years. Digital copies of the report can be found at www.albernifoundation.ca and booklets can be picked up at the Alberni Valley Chamber of Commerce Visitor Centre, City Hall, the health unit and the library. Kristi.Dobson@avtimes.net
SAFETY
Fire Prevention Week: Busy year shows fires are more volatile than in the past, says chief MARTIN WISSMATH ALBERNI VALLEY TIMES
85-year-old reported missing since Saturday Port Alberni RCMP are reaching out to the public to get any information at all about a concerning disappearance. » Alberni Region, 3
Alberni Valley’s pumpkin harvest arrives early While other communities are facing concerns over the pumpkin growing season coming early, local farmers are optimistic. » Community, 5
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Port Alberni’s fire chief recommends installing a smoke alarm in every bedroom. This week is the National Fire Protection Associaton’s Fire Prevention Week. The message this year is to “hear the beep where you sleep.” Install a working smoke alarm in every bedroom of your home. “Make sure those smoke alarms are audible from where people are sleeping in the home,” said Fire Chief Tim Pley of the Port Alberni Fire Department. “It’s a lifesaver.” Smoke alarms are even more important now than they were 25 or 50 years ago; furniture nowadays burns more quickly, Pley noted. “It’s not as organic as it was,” Pley said of today’s furniture materials. “A lot more synthetics and a lot more petroleum-product based. So a lot of your furniture is solid gasoline, in effect. “When it breaks down and liquefies, it burns like gasoline,” he said. “The products of combustion are deadly.” Firefighters are trained to watch out for “flashover” – the point at which an entire room heats to ignition. The time it takes a room to ignite with today’s furniture materials is significantly faster than a generation ago, Pley said. “The fires are more volatile,” he said. “You have less time to escape a fire than you used to have.” It may only take a few
A member of the Port Alberni Fire Department attacks a blaze to a home on Ninth Avenue in July. With Fire Prevention week underway officials warn residents that new furniture is more flammable than it was in the past. [JERRY FEVENS FOR THE TIMES]
“The fires are more volatile . . . You have less time to escape a fire than you used to have.” Tim Pley, City of Port Alberni fire chief
minutes for a room to ignite, he noted. This has been a “busy” year for fires in Port Alberni so far, Pley said. There have been 40
structure fires during the year so far, he estimated. For the entire of 2014 there were 59 structure fires, compared to 55 in 2013. A possible root cause for many of the fires could be older homes that are not well maintained, Pley noted. The lower price of houses in Port Alberni compared to other communities may make renovation less of an attractive investment, Pley said, but upgrading your home is recommended to lower the risk
of fire. Every fire is preventable, Pley said. Three common causes of fires in Port Alberni are electrical cords and outlets, stoves, and smoking material from cigarettes and ashtrays. Port Alberni has its fair share of older homes, many of which were built decades ago when there were fewer electrical needs, Pley said. Many older homes have only one electrical outlet in a room. See FIRE PREVENTION, Page 3
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