Abbotsford, BC Florists

Abbotsford Flower Shop News

Abbotsford Tulip Festival holds contest to enjoy field of flowers all alone - North Delta Reporter

Although this year’s Bloom Abbotsford Tulip Festival has been cancelled due to COVID-19, a contest is being held to give one winner – and members of their household – a chance to enjoy the tulips all by themselves.The social media contest has been launched on Bloom’s Instagram page, and the winner will be chosen on Friday, April 24.The prize package includes up to three hours alone to enjoy Bloom’s millions of rainbow-coloured tulips at any time of the winner’s choice up to May 1.The winner will also have the chance to fill their own bucket with as many tulips as they can pick during their visit.“We wanted to find a safe way to allow at least a few people from the same household onto the site to enjoy the tulips while still adhering to provincial COVID-19 guidelines,” said Alexis Szarek, founder of Bloom.RELATED: Fraser Valley’s tulips fields off limits to visitors due to COVID-19To enter, “like” the contest post on Bloom’s Instagram page and follow @abbotsfordtulipfestival, plus tag one friend. Both receive ent... https://www.northdeltareporter.com/community/abbotsford-tulip-festival-holds-contest-to-enjoy-field-of-flowers-all-alone/

The holidays start at the West Coast Christmas Show! - Chilliwack Progress

West Coast Christmas Show and Artisan Marketplace!With more than 300 vendors – including 170+ select artisans – coming to Abbotsford’s Tradex Nov. 15 to 17, this is where your holiday shopping begins and ends.“For a lot of people, the show has become a real tradition – the kick-off to their holiday season,” says show producer Heather Angeard. “With the festive sights and sounds, the free seasonal entertainment, and so many unique gift ideas, this really is a highlight on the holiday calendar.”Here’s a look at why this year’s West Coast Christmas Show is a must-visit: Entertaining Ideas: With your favourite holiday music in the air, and the lights and decorations all around, the atmosphere itself is amazing. The brand new community stage will host a full schedule of entertainment, including local bands and the Royal City Youth Ballet, performing a selection from their Nutcracker!New & Notable: The Community Stage isn’t the only new feature this year. As the show continues to grow, a new exhibitor space in Hall A, “It Takes a Village,” features emerging artists and others whose talents support women, children and others in developing parts of the world.Welcome Home: Beyond your holiday gift-giving, discover e... https://www.theprogress.com/marketplace/the-holidays-start-at-the-west-coast-christmas-show/

Thousands expected at memorial for fallen police officer in Abbotsford, BC - Lethbridge Herald

By The Canadian Press on November 18, 2017.Cst. John Davidson is shown in this undated handout photo. THE CANADIAN PRESS/HO - Abbotsford Police DepartmentABBOTSFORD, B.C. – The streets of Abbotsford, B.C., will be lined with blue on Sunday as thousands of police officers from across the country and around the world march in remembrance of their slain colleague.Police estimate about 12,000 people – including 8,000 first responders – will attend a memorial for Const. John Davidson.“It’s pretty important for us to come together as a family,” said Sgt. Judy Bird, spokeswoman for the Abbotsford Police Department. “Our family member was murdered. He deserves to be remembered.”Davidson, 53, had served as a police officer for 24 year when he died on Nov. 6, responding to reports of a stolen vehicle.He is survived by his wife and three adult children.A suspect, Alberta resident Oscar Arfmann, 65, has been charged with first-degree murder in connection with Davidson’s death.Davidson began his career with the Northumbria police in the United Kingdom in 1993. He moved to British Columbia in 2006, driven, Bird said,... http://lethbridgeherald.com/news/national-news/2017/11/18/thousands-expected-at-memorial-for-fallen-police-officer-in-abbotsford-bc/

Why this BC CEO swapped his bank job for flower power - Business in Vancouver

Co-ops such as Dairyland (acquired by Saputo Inc. in 2000), B.C. Hot House Foods Inc. (which shrank dramatically following the loss of its marketing monopoly in 2001), and Abbotsford Growers (reconstituted as a for-profit business last year after financial troubles) are all examples.Pringle had become familiar with United Flower Growers during his career at CIBC, but guiding the co-op into the future was a complex endeavour.“I had worked with this company through good times and bad as a banker,” he said. “We have never had financial difficulties, but there were things happening in the industry and the business needed significant change. I did not know how significant that was when I got involved.”Tapping his background in corporate finance, and the advice of accounting firm KPMG and lawyers Farris Vaughan Wills & Murphy LLP, Pringle identified the co-op’s real estate holdings as fundamental to both its long-standing auction and its emerging for-profit business opportunities.Through five years of discussions with its 82 members, the co-op devised a structure that gives growers a controlling stake in the property while allowing non-growers to gradually take an equity stake in the business. Co-op members voted 82% in favour of a plan that promises to support the future development of the flower business.“There wasn’t a simple way to do this in the co-op act,” Pringle explained. “We used a corporate plan of arrangement … [and] created a structure that we hope lasts for decades to come, where [this property] has a business function, it has a return for those shareholders, but it’s controlled and designed to stay in the floral business.”He proudly shows off the six thick binders of legal documentation that culminated with the formation of United Floral Holdings Inc. on September 30, 2015.A few weeks later, the company acquired Kirby Floral Inc., a move that boosted its wholesale business from $10 million to $22 million. United Floral now records about $60 million in annual revenues, about half of which comes from the co-op’s auction sales.The transformation means that Pringle, now 60, can spend more time with his wife, their three kids and his skis.“This has been a very time-consuming few years for me,” he said. “I used to be a very avid skier, and I’m actually getting back into that.”Raised in Prince Albert, Saskatchewan, Pringle studied agricultural economics at the University of British Columbia before joining CIBC in 1980 just as interest rates began heading skyward. He was in the bank’s special loans division at the time and saw first-hand how quickly things can go sideways.Other experiences, such as serving as an independent director with the Madison Group and chairing the finance committee of BC Children’s Hospital Foundation, gave him further insights into how to build consensus and create value.“I’ve seen a lot of these complicated situations where a lot of people have to come together to find the right outcome,” he said, noting that flower growers should receive the first dividend cheques from the renewed co-op in early 2017.“We hope to start paying dividends to our members next year,” he said.news@biv.com ...

New laundry plant won't necessarily be built in Kelowna - Nelson Star

A publicist for Ecotex said president and CEO Randy Bartsch is out of the country and unavailable for interviews, but issued a statement on his behalf.“We are a proud Canadian company based in Abbotsford with operations in Canada and across the western United States,” Bartsch said. “We are always looking at opportunities to expand and bring our eco-friendly approach to the health care span class="n_ 486 v... http://www.nelsonstar.com/news/371451921.html

Even in health emergency, Mother's Day takes the cake for B.C. bakers and florists - CBC.ca

Mother's Day — it might even mean family dinner at home is impossible. But many flower shops are bakeries are still open and are working double time to help fete the mothers of British Columbia. Derek Major, left, picks up his order from Sam Solis Friday afternoon. (Harman/CBC) 'It's just something happy' Solis said other florists are dealing with an unprecedented rush, but as many businesses struggle during the COVID-19 pandemic, the demand is welcome. One of his customers, Derek Major, comes by to pick up an arrangement. He said he used to live near Solis's shop who was his go-to neighbourhood florist. "We're pretty loyal to local small businesses," Major said. "It's really important to us, especially with all that's going on." The flowers are for his wife, he said, who gave birth to their daughter 19 months ago. "It's just something happy," Major said. "It's just a nice thing to do." Trafiq had to turn down customers starting Monday of this week. (Harman/CBC) 'It's been overwhelming' In Vancouver, Shauna MacNeil, co-owner of Trafiq bakery in Vancouver has been delivering bad news to customers all week: they're sold out, too. Since Monday, she said, every item has been spoken for as people get ready for Mother's Day. "It's been overwhelming," MacNeil said, adding that her staff — normally 20 employees, but now down to six at most — will box up as many as 600 items on Saturday. Shauna MacNeil said hundreds of bakery orders will be boxed up Saturday ahead of Mother's Day. Her staff has gone from 20 people to five or six due to COVID-19-related layoffs. (Harman/CBC) "It's something we're all looking for: comfort food, Mother's Day cakes, things that make us happy as a family." MacNeil said other bakeries along Main Street are busy as well, but meeting demand has been a challenge with what she describes as exacting standards for baking and ing... https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/coronavirus-covid-19-mother-s-day-b-c-1.5562832

Flower growers see sales wither as planting season launches - CBC.ca

If they don't open, the damage is going to be astronomical," said trade group head Andi Kuyvenhoven, noting garden centres' crucial role for bedding plants in particular. British Columbia — the second-biggest flower and plant producer — Alberta and Manitoba and have allowed garden centres to keep running, while Quebec deemed them essential along with nurseries as of April 15, though not in time for Easter. Kuyvenhoven, who with his wife co-owns a $2.5-million business selling potted Chrysanthemums and indoor calla lilies — largely to U.S. distributors — on a pair of farms west of Toronto, says clogged supply chains south of the border remain a problem. 'I haven't slept in five weeks' "U.S. customers for a time closed their distribution systems to floral and so the main grocery chains were not purchasing plants," he said, which was hard on growers of cut flowers such as roses and tulips. "If a truck can take 24 skids and four skids were flowers, the flowers came off the trucks and they put more food on the truck — which we completely understand. The only challenge is, when you're growing flowers as we do, they also have a shelf life," said Kuyvenhoven, who bought his business from his parents in 1990. "Now we're now facing liquidity issues...I haven't slept in five weeks." Flowers Canada Growers says exports to the U.S. make up about one-third of greenhouse flower and plant sales, which hit $1.6 billion in 2018, according to Statistics Canada. Nursery sales topped $500 million. While garden centres can continue to operate across much of the continent, growers wonder whether bouquets and flower pots will remain on the shopping list of consumers struggling to make rent amid soaring unemployment numbers and a looming recession. Kuyvenhoven is hoping that families confined to their homes for most of the day will choose to spend what they've saved from unpurchased vacations and lattes on plants for their vases and flower beds. "That's part of what's carried us through downturns in the past," he said. Growers associations are in talks with federal and provincial governments over potential financial relief, with Flowers Canada Growers asking for a "cash injection" as well as extended debt repayment plans secured in part by Ottawa, Kuyvenhoven said. So far, the federal government has extended a stay of default for eligible farmers until Oct. 31, giving flower and potted plant producers an extra six months to pay off federal loans that would have been due at the end of April. Ottawa has also granted exemptions on air travel restrictions to temporary foreign workers and invested $50 million to help farmers fly in labourers on charter trips. "New flights are being booked ever day," the agriculture department said in an email. Back at the greenhouse, VanZanten mulls the overripe lilies and orchids. "Flowers do make you happier, they do actually lift your spirits...but there are farms that can't bounce back from this," he said. "This all happened at the wrong time."... https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/hamilton/flower-growers-hamilton-1.5546023

Driven by intense passion and endless creativity - Clearwater Times

Shopping local is important to Valerie and she provides a competitive line of all styles of blinds that are manufactured right here in British Columbia. She also supports many local fundraisers through her volunteer work with the Beta Sigma Phi not-for-profit group.Our very own adventurer, Valerie plans to hike to the Mount Everest base camp, so she will be in and out of Wi-Fi service until April 20. You can still send her an email requesting information on her products and services, so feel free to contact her at blindsandmore.ca@gmail.com or call 250-674-1543.Florence Amundson – Mystic DreamsFlorence Amundson owns and operates Mystic Dreams a unique little store at 249 Glen Road.Originally the store was located in Kamloops, but when Flo met Luc Paradis it was love at first sight and Flo moved to Clearwater.Flo soon opened the Clearwater location. Five years later she fell in love with the community and now sits on the Chamber of Commerce board of directors and continues to be grateful to the town and area for allowing her to do what she loves and to be with who she loves.Mystic Dreams has changed to suit the needs of the community. Flo tries to accommodate a little bit of everything from kids toonie bin toys to stained glass lamps, giftware, greeting cards, clothes, jewellery, home decor, season... https://www.clearwatertimes.com/local-business/driven-by-intense-passion-and-endless-creativity/

Ordering flowers online and funeral home upselling: CBC's Marketplace consumer cheat sheet - CBC News

The Canadian Press) Why some experts argue we need pharmacare Do you find yourself reducing spending in order to pay for drugs prescribed by your doctor? New research from the University of British Columbia says Canadians are going into debt to pay for their medications. The study found those going into debt tended to be younger, had lower household income, chronic medical conditions and no prescription drug insurance. Younger Canadians and those without private insurance were more likely to take on debt, researchers from the University of British Columbia found. (Shutterstock) Cloth vs. disposable diapers Have you considered a greener alternative to diapers for your infant? Some Canadians have started using cloth diapers in order to avoid sending thousands of diapers to landfills. But it can take a lot to get a cloth diaper clean, and another option is recycling disposables. The City of Toronto has been turning parts of disposable diapers into compost since 2002. Each year, billions of disposable diapers make their way to landfills across North America. (Lindsay Bird/CBC) What else is going on? Loblaws is ramping up self-checkout with new technology called "shop and scan." Customers can scan items while shopping with a phone app — part of an effort to streamline the shopping experience and reduce labour costs. Some shoppers are rejecting the idea because they prefer interacting with a cashier. An online glitch left a retiree on the hook for an Air Canada flight he didn't book. Claude Neblett spent months trying to get a refund from Air Canada. He eventually got his money back after CBC's Go Public contacted the company. Whirlpool refused to honour this Oakville, Ont., man's 10-year fridge warranty. Naji Alimam's seven-year-old fridge hasn't worked since August. He wanted to warn others about companies not living up to its warranties. This week in recalls This plastic doll and furniture toy set could pose a chemical hazard; these vaping products do not meet requirements of the Consumer Chemicals and Containers Regulations; this play tent could pose fire and burn hazards; this air compressor could cause injury. Watch this week: Flower Delivery & Death Inc. Part 2 We tested one of the biggest online florists by ordering five bouquets for ourselves. Experts call what we received "embarrassing." Plus, we're back on the case checking in on funeral h... https://www.cbc.ca/news/business/marketplace-cheat-sheet-1.4917466