We would like to thank everyone in the Kootenay communities who participated in this year’s ICE (Inclusive Community Employer) Awards event.

We saw great growth in nominations, votes and participation at the in-person event. This year’s event was the fourth annual and was held on November 3 at the Prestige Rocky Mountain Resort.

The awards were attended by a crowd of over double the previous year. Those in attendance enjoyed stories of community connections and impact stories from both an inclusive employer and a long-employed individual.

We saw more nominations regionally, with receiving nominations and votes for two organizations in the West Kootenay. The two organizations recognized from the West Kootenays this year were the Canadian Tire Trail, and the Nakusp and Area Bike Society.

The Nominees and their categories were: 

Community Mentor – Taking the extra step towards inclusion that can be emulated by others, a role model for the community (sponsored by: e-KNOW.ca): Affordable floors, M&M Meats, Total Pet, Denny’s restaurant, Don Cherry’s.

Innovative Career Builders – Diversifying in an innovative way to create pathways to employment opportunities (sponsored by Kootenay Employment Services): Blade Runners Shredding, Sandman Inn Cranbrook, Stonefire Pizza.

Accessibility – Making employment attainable for all and recognizing the uniqueness of all people (sponsored by Community Living British Columbia): St Eugene’s Golf Resort and Casino, The Sandman Hotel, Fire & Oak, and Nakusp and Area Bike Society.

Authentic Leader – Being a genuine employer who, while striving through their core values, believes that who they employ are what makes their business a true success (sponsored by Rotary Club of Cranbrook): Spring Honda, The Bedroom Furniture Gallery, The Paw Shop, Canadian Tire Trail.

Emboldened Visionary – The bold visionaries challenges obstacles in society, equalizing and enriching the community. They create opportunities that translate into real-valued citizenship (sponsored by REALM Services, Inc.): BC Liquor Store, Farm to Folk kitchen (Food recovery program), Food Bank Cranbrook, and the City of Fernie.

The 2022 winners of each award category were:

Accessibility: St. Eugene’s Resort.

Community Mentor: Total Pet.

Innovative Career Builder: Sandman Inn Cranbrook.

Authentic Leader: The Paw Shop.

Emboldened Visionary: Food Bank Cranbrook.

We wouldn’t have been able to host the event without the contributions of the sponsors and donators. Thank you to Delamont’s Jewelers, KES (Kootenay Employment Services), e-KNOW, Community Living British Columbia (CLBC), Rotary at Work, Inclusion BC, Nexxus Cranbrook, PCCR, Safeway Cranbrook, and The Paw Shop.

We look forward to building off the amazing momentum gained with this year’s event and hope to see more people involved for the fifth annual awards night. If you would like to learn more about inclusive employment opportunities, REALM or how to be involved with the ICE awards, please send us an email at [email protected]

Ian Cobb/e-KNOW photos

REALM

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