It’s taken two years, but two new Greater Victoria schools can now say they are the gold standard. Royal Bay Secondary and Belmont Secondary have been certified as achieving gold in Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design.
To be certified as LEED gold, new institutional buildings must maintain a variety of energy and environmental standards for a period after opening.
“SD62 is one of the fastest-growing districts in the province. It is great to see not only that we can build new learning spaces on time and on budget, but that we are demonstrating leadership in sustainable environmental practices to the students and the community,” said school board chair Ravi Parmar.
To achieve LEED gold standing, the schools have undertaken a number of initiatives including water efficient landscaping, pushing alternative transportation, using low emission paints and materials, and recycled content and building materials.
Knappet know-how
Nanaimo-based Knappett Industries won an award of excellence for its work on the Rees Bridge replacement and North Courtenay Connector in the annual Transportation and Infrastructure Ministry’s Contractor of the Year Awards ceremony last week. The project included a 58-metre, two-lane bridge across the Tsolum River to improve the Comox Valley's north connection to the Island Highway.
"These awards are a great opportunity to appreciate the outstanding projects that have been completed around the province this year, and to recognize our contractors for their diligence and excellence,” said Transportation Minister Claire Trevena.
Frontrunners puts best foot forward
Frontrunners Footwear has been named store of the year by the Canadian Independent Running Retailers of Canada.
Frontrunners, established in 1988, has three stores in the Victoria area and one in Nanaimo.
“This is a great honour for the store and our staff. We pride ourselves on being local and supporting community events," said owner Rob Reid.
The award recognizes stores in the industry for their service and community work. Frontrunners sponsors and supports events such as the GoodLife Fitness Victoria Marathon, the Vancouver Island Race Series and Shoes for Youth, which has provided more than 1,500 pairs of shoes to underprivileged youth on the Island since 1996.
Ex-broadcasters launch Spark
Spark is a new consultancy business launched this week by former broadcasters Bruce Williams and Amanda Wilson. The firm will be focused on strategic planning and partnerships, local engagement and marketing for businesses and non-profit groups.
The couple say they will use Spark to connect people, ideas and businesses for economic opportunities.
