BUSINESS IN THE VALLEY

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Fernie Pride Society

ferniepride.ca

Fernie Pride has a new project in the works, by and for the amazing queer Kootenay youth (ages 12-19) out there. OUTBURST is a zine to show and tell what life is like for you - a rural Kootenay queer youth.

Fernie Pride wants to save space for you through your creativity, your opinions, your thoughts.They are looking for submissions of artwork, crafts, poetry, writing, collages, photography, and anything else that you want to submit.

Submissions or questions can be emailed to info@ferniepride.ca. Please indicate if you would prefer to not have your name printed and they will ensure that your submission is anonymous. Fernie Pride hopes to include as many submissions as possible, but cannot guarantee that every piece will be printed. If submitting multiple pieces, please email them separately to avoid confusion.

Submission deadline is August 1. OUTBURST will be published both digitally and in hard copy in September. Submitted Photo

Lisa Grabas

362b 2nd Ave 250-423-2121

Lisa is a familiar face in Fernie, with strong family roots throughout the Elk Valley, and a proud hockey Mom. Born and raised in Fernie, Lisa and her husband, Michael, have raised their two sons calling Fernie home for over 40 years.

Lisa found her passion in real estate while working at a local office as an administrator and is excited to take the next step as a licensed REALTOR®! Her personal experience with owning rental property and building multiple custom homes has provided her with valuable insight she uses to better assist clients. Lisa’s connections with the community and her knowledge of Fernie and its surrounding areas, as a lifetime local, are invaluable.

Lisa is ready to assist you with your next purchase or sale! Email Lisa at lisa@c21fernie.ca or give her a call at 250-531-0525. Submitted Photo

New Spring Counselling and Wellness

5738 Robinson Rd 250-423-9672

New Spring Counselling and Wellness is about discovering tools that will help you to heal and develop better relationships with yourself and others. This can be accomplished through letting go of obstacles such as anxiety or discovering ways to be in relationships that are healthy and align with the life that you envision for yourself.

The first step in any growth is selfawareness, and your sessions with licensed counsellor Francesca ter Poorten will guide you in understanding how you process daily events that may be significant in life or may only seem to be significant due to your outlook. Other topics that she can work through with you (but are not limited to) include self-esteem issues, binge eating, anxiety, sexuality, intimacy, anger management, life transitions, addiction, couples counselling.

Francesca is here to help you through the process of moving from cocoon to the most spectacular butterfly this world has ever seen. newspringcounsellingandwellness.ca

Explore our ever growing BC Wine Selection

Cheers to another epic summer in Fernie!

parkplacelodge.com 742 Hwy #3 | 250-423-6871

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Segment MTB

Segment MTB is owned and operated in Fernie, BC. Its main focus is private, intermediate and advanced rider skill development. Many coaching companies in the valley focus on beginner to intermediate, however, owner Nick Quinn saw a big gap in programming for intermediates and advanced riders.

If you are interested in advancing your skills, call or book a meeting to discuss what you aim to improve upon and how he can help you achieve your goals.

Nick is a 20-year professional racer of DH and Enduro format events.

PMBIA - Level 2 Air - Certified to teach Jumps / Drops. Soon to complete Level 3.

WFA40 - Wilderness First Aid certified to help with when things maybe don’t go to plan.

NCCP Certification in Mountain Biking.

Check out SEGMENTMTB on Instagram or book a time through Calendly at calendly.com/nrquinn. Submitted Photo

Ski Base

432 2nd Ave skibase.com

Ski Base – Fernie’s original sporting goods store, has grandly reopened its doors with new owners Jeff and Jane Johnson.

Started in 1968 by Heiko and Linda Socher and carried forward by the Simpson family, Ski Base has been a pillar in the community for 50+ years. Always up for an adventure, the Johnsons jumped on the opportunity to purchase the shop and feel incredibly honoured to carry on with its history. They look forward to serving you, with a focus on friends, family, fun and community spirit.

For summer, Ski Base will gear you up, with a focus on Downhill, Enduro, Freeride and Dirt Jump bikes, service, and protective gear for the whole family. In fall, they will shift their focus back to skiing and winter gear.

Ski Base is open daily, 9am to 7pm for your bike sales and service needs. Pop in to say hi or peek at their newly renovated space.

A NEW podcast hosted by Kootenay Mountain Culture Magazine's Editor-in-Chief Mitchell Scott, and brought to you by Columbia Basin Trust, is out now!

Listen at headwaterspodcast.com.

“SMALL ACTS, WHEN MULTIPLIED BY MILLIONS OF PEOPLE, CAN CHANGE THE WORLD”

Together we can make lasting change, one small step at a time.

672 D 2nd Avenue 250-423-1132 7 days a week, 10am - 5pm driftandsonder.com @driftandsonder

Mckenzie Jespersen Photo Tannis Johannson

362b 2nd Ave 250-423-2121

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Valkyrie Fitness

1502 9th Ave

CENTURY 21 Mountain Lifestyles is pleased to welcome Tannis Johannson to its team. Tannis was born into an entrepreneurial family, customer service and people skills are in her DNA. Buying, selling, or investing in a property is a major decision; Tannis is here to help make that transaction as easy as possible. You can expect exceptional customer service and a reliable advisor when you work with Tannis.

When Tannis is not at the office, you can find her bingeing a Netflix series with her husband, shuttling her three kids to extracurricular activities, at the gym, or having a visit and margarita with friends and family.

If you’re looking to make Fernie your home, vacation spot or simply moving within, Tannis would love to help you. You can reach her at tannis@c21fernie.ca or give her a call at 236-593-2882. Are you ready to commit to your fitness?

With an emphasis on foundational exercises and solid technique, Valkyrie Fitness promotes lifelong movement learning. Build a solid strength and mobility routine in the gym to ensure no matter what your ideal Fernie active lifestyle is, you’ll be able to move with confidence throughout it.

Currently operating out of Body Garage Fitness, Valkyrie Fitness offers initial fitness assessments or personal training packages, which can include goal setting, movement analysis, musculoskeletal and cardiovascular testing. Each workout is overseen by Sarah-Beth, a certified personal trainer (CSEP-CPT) and kinesiologist (Bachelor of Kinesiology from the University of Calgary) who has over eight years of experience in the health and fitness industry. Sarah-Beth specializes in athletes, post-rehabilitation, and anyone looking to gain confidence in the gym.

To book a fitness assessment email valkyriepersonaltrainer@gmail.com or call Body Garage at 778-745-3105 and request an appointment with Sarah-Beth today.

What is a Chamber of Commerce?

by BRAD PARSELL

I am writing my column from Prince George where Chambers of Commerce from across British Columbia are gathered in-person for the first time in three years for the BC Chamber AGM and Conference. It has been an awesome week – packed with amazing presentations from government officials, business analysts, and industry leaders. And of course, being in the mix and networking with people who do my role around the province is worth the price of admission alone. There has been a lot of valuable information that I can’t wait to bring back to Fernie and put in action in our local Chamber.

A little while ago I wrote in this column about how the Fernie Chamber of Commerce is celebrating 120 years since its incorporation in 1902, and the BC Chamber of Commerce is also celebrating a milestone anniversary this year having served the province for 70 years. But despite this long history, I still get asked this question a lot (especially by younger people): What the heck is a Chamber of Commerce?

According to the brains trust over at Wikipedia, the first Chamber of Commerce was founded in 1599 in Marseille, France, as the “Chambre de Commerce.” Interestingly, the world’s oldest English-speaking Chamber of Commerce and the oldest in North America is the Halifax Chamber of Commerce, founded in 1750. Chambers of Commerce (including the one in Fernie) are independent organizations that are separate from government. As a non-governmental institution, a Chamber of Commerce has no direct role in the writing and passage of laws and regulations that affect businesses. It can, however, lobby (or advocate) in an attempt to get laws passed that are favourable to businesses.

This advocacy function has been on full display here in Prince George this week. The process of arriving at policy positions to put forward to government starts at the grassroots level. Local community Chambers (like ours) can draft policy resolutions based on input from member businesses, to be directed at either the provincial or federal government – depending on the issue and jurisdiction. Each year, all the local Chambers around the province convene at the BC Chamber AGM and Convention where time is set aside to go through each of the proposed policies. These policies are debated and sometimes amended, before being put to a vote. If two-thirds or more of the voting body of the BC Chamber vote in favour of a resolution, it is formally adopted and becomes an official policy position of the BC Chamber of Commerce and its member Chambers.

There were some excellent policy recommendations adopted this week. Most notable for Fernie is new policies on the books regarding workforce housing and labour shortages – issues that are critically important to Fernie businesses. The Fernie Chamber looks forward to lending our voice to the mix to advance these important provincial and federal advocacy efforts over the next year.

“There were some excellent policy recommendations adopted this week. Most notable for Fernie is new policies on the books regarding workforce housing and labour shortages – issues that are critically important to Fernie businesses. ”

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