"The BVI is a great tool & process. We need to have more people working with CIEL's tools to further Community and Economic Development in Canada."
- Hélène Deslauriers
Director General, Réseau des SADC in Quebec (Alliance of 63 SADCs)
Canadian Representative on the Organization for Economic
Co-operation and Development (OECD) Forum on Partnerships
“Process was dynamic & engaged the community”
- Rami Rothkop
Harrop Procter Community Forest Co-op, BC
CIEL Announces Winners of 2008 Entrepreneurship and Innovation Awards
Nelson, BC - An arts organization and a scientist are the 2008 winners of two annual awards for the Central Kootenay region jointly sponsored by the Centre for Innovative and Entrepreneurial Leadership (CIEL – www.theCIEL.com ) & Community Futures Central Kootenay.
The Oxygen Art Centre was awarded the prize for Innovative Community Organization, and Bruce Hardy was named Community Entrepreneur at an awards ceremony last week at Nelson’s Hume Hotel.
The Oxygen Art Centre is a centre for practicing artists and writers, providing the space and time for the work, talk, and community that artists and writers need. “Oxygen is innovative because of its multidisciplinary nature and because it has pro-actively engaged the community in discussions of the cultural life of Nelson,” said Mike Stolte, CIEL’s Executive Director. “The arts are an important economic driver in Nelson, and Oxygen has brought a spirit of innovation by connecting the art scene to the rest of the community.”
Examples of this engagement include the centre’s series of Ideas Cafes, and its multi-faceted two-week-long series of exhibits and forums entitled BOOM! Artists and Architects Respond to Growth and Development in Nelson.
The centre hosts artistic production and inquiry, classes, curated exhibitions, and artist residencies in a multitude of disciplines including film, visual art, writing, fabric, and performance. As a result, Oxygen functions as an important centre for artistic development.
“It is great to be recognized from outside the context of the arts community,” said Oxygen Executive Director Nicola Harwood. “I spend a lot of time writing about Oxygen and trying to sell what we do to others, so it was nice to hear it from outside, to hear somebody else saying we do great stuff. It has taken us 3 or 4 years to establish ourselves, and this award helps us feel like we are out of survival mode.”
Bruce Hardy, the winner of the Community Entrepreneur award, is an industrial tecnnology advisor for the Industrial Research Assistance Program (IRAP) of the National Research Council. “He exemplifies the prototypical community entrepreneur. He is constantly linking people, organizations and businesses,” said Stolte. “He is often sought out as an important community opinion leader.”
Hardy was one of the founders of the Kootenay Association for Science and Technology, and has worked to create links between technology companies and Selkirk College. This year he brought National Research Council colleagues from all over B.C. and the Yukon to Nelson. Not only did he introduce many of them to the innovative businesses in the region, he also organized a forum that brought their collective expertise to bear on local technology issues.
“Although Bruce is not an entrepreneur in the sense of owning his own business, he has been very instrumental in many businesses starting and growing, helping them get financing and technical advice” says Paul Burgener, a colleague of Hardy’s at IRAP. “He is a community resource, always available to help companies, and he does a lot of this on his own time because of his belief in it.”
Hardy also serves the community through volunteering for various organizations like the Nelson Economic Development Partnership (NEDP), and volunteering for sporting, cultural, school and business events.
CIEL works internationally to strengthen communities by helping them become more business-friendly, more culturally vibrant, and more sustainable. CIEL also assists them in improving leadership and enhancing community involvement. Stolte, also the Chair of the Canadian Rural Revitalization Foundation (CRRF) believes these types of awards - recognizing innovative and entrepreneurial organizations and individuals – are needed for rural Canada to thrive. CIEL has fielded interest in the awards categories from across Canada, the US and Australia and is seeking a national co-sponsor for the awards.
For more information, contact Mike Stolte at 250-352-9192 (x 222), Oxygen Arts Centre at 352-6322 or Bruce Hardy at 352-5072.
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CIEL is seeking a joint sponsor for a Community Entrepreneurship Award Program; if you are interested, please contact the CIEL office.
