27 minutes with John & Kelly: Recent Episodes
John Juricic
A regular podcast featuring Intelligent discussions about ideas, business, politics, and technology.
BC United is out! Kevin Falcon agrees to step aside in a coalition with the BC Conservatives. Also, farewell to Gregg’s Furniture after 70 great years…..and let’s celebrate Pagliacci’s as the restaurant has reached it's 45th anniversary.
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In light of recent events, it's important to address community concerns transparently. Mayor Alto has clarified that she was not involved in the suspension of a firefighter who penned an open letter to the Premier regarding a local addiction service center. This situation underscores the delicate balance between public service and personal expression.----more----
Furthermore, the push for larger building projects has sparked a conversation about preserving our city's heritage. Former Councillor Pam Madoff cautions against the loss of historical sites in pursuit of increased density. It's a reminder that progress and preservation must go hand in hand to maintain the character and history of our neighborhoods.
Let's continue this dialogue and work towards solutions that honor both our community's heritage and its future.
CommunityDialogue #HeritagePreservation #UrbanDevelopment
In this week's episode, Financial Advisor David Schneider explores the growing economic challenges faced by the middle class and how these hardships are likely to become a key issue in the upcoming elections. Additionally, we dive into the complex landscape of U.S. politics and its effects on Canada, featuring insights from American political scientist Jim King. Join us for an in-depth discussion on these critical topics! Don't forget to like, comment, and subscribe for more insightful content!----more----
EconomicChallenges #MiddleClassStruggles #Election2024 #USPolitics #CanadaUSRelations #DavidSchneider #PoliticalInsight #JimKing #ElectionIssues #InDepthDiscussion
We had an informative & fascinating interview with Dr. Jamie Cohen - https://youtu.be/iPb6dvfYego?si=bMuA0dU6-YtjX9lF – last week. We could have spent hours chatting & listening to him. Watch our fascinating one hour conversation between Dr. Cohen and members of the Creator Content Club.
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We had a blast talking to Tyler Funk, the founder and creative director of North of Now, a digital agency that specializes in creative production and consulting. Tyler shared his insights and experiences from making his first feature documentary, "Anything for Fame", which explores the phenomenon of online fame and it’s dark side. He also gave us some tips and tricks on how to create engaging and authentic content for the digital age. Thank you, Tyler, for joining us and inspiring us with your work! The ZOOM session & conversation is linked at https://youtu.be/WcJKTXyU5sA.----more----
Consider joining the Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/creatorcontentclub. We’ll be scheduling ongoing speakers soon & continue to help educate, network and assist the “everyday creator”.
Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/creatorcontentclub
Website - https://creatorcontentclub.com/
You Tube - https://www.youtube.com/@creatorcontentclub
The "27 Minute Gang" are back at it! After several years offline, Kelly Darwin (https://kellydarwin.com/) & John Juricic (https://harbourdigitalmedia.com/) are re-starting their casual and fun conversations with Westshore businesses. On today's episode of https://twenty7minuteswithjohnandkelly.podbean.com/ we look behind the scenes of a burgeoning Westshore business called "The Glass Generation" (https://www.instagram.com/theglassgeneration/). Owner Jessica Young talks about the business, her partnership with her Dad, her award winning arts background and showcasing their amazing glass based artifacts.
- we chat about a lack of information and disclosure from government
- we exchange dialogue about the personal impacts and experiences from the pandemic
- we exchange opinions about vaccination passports
- we have a fun chat about the personal impact of dogs in our workplace environment
We've been actively promoting the Peninsula based agriculture sector, food security & sustainability and agri-tourism since last year via Sidney Breakfast Club speakers, podcasts and online thought leadership forums. The Peninsula has the opportunity to be a world-class center for these food related economic development and sector based innovation issues. North Saanich has seized a leadership role and created the Sandown Centre for Regenerative Agriculture (https://www.sandowncentre.com/).
We had an opportunity to chat with Jen Rashleigh on "27 minutes with John & Kelly", the Centre's Director of Partner & Community Engagement and the current coordinator of the North Saanich Flavour Trails festival. The Centre is rolling out the Farmpreneur program (https://www.sandowncentre.com/farmpreneur-program) and this formed the core of our discussion with Jen on this podcast. We also chatted about food security, food production, farm business development and regional economic development. We can't wait to chat with Jen about updates and further stories about this exciting Farmpreneur program. Thanks Jen!
Challenges
- fresh food to market - distribution challenging / processing in Island challenging
- high land costs
- older farm owners dominant / succession issues / aging out with huge debt / how do young farmers get involved
- high cost of labour / limited labour pool
- how can the farm owner earn a sustainable living?
Partner Solutions
- agri-tourism / vertical integration / challenging processing chains / supply channels
- the creation of "farmpreneur"
- Sandown Centre for Regenerative Agriculture (https://www.vicnews.com/news/north-saanichs-sandown-lands-to-become-agricultural-focused-community-centre/) - fully committed to the development of "farmpreneur"
- focus on the business of farming
- more support from government for small farming
- education specific to accessing funding opportunities
- accomodation for staff on the farm
- grants for leasehold land ownership (soil irrigation / fencing - consider these as TI for farming)
- policy & program development should be regional, not just Vancouver & Valley oriented
- higher threshold for large land estates to claim farm tax
- Island Good (https://islandgood.ca/about-island-good/what-is-island-good/)
3 emerging areas
- small farm development
- new foods
- new practises for small farm production
Why are these emergent areas? Focus on high cost of land and creating sustainable & affordable businesses
Sandown Centre for Regenerative Agriculture
- building future farms
- agricultural sustainability & security
- regenerative farming (junkyard to farm)
- mentoring of future farmers & community farmers
- partners:
- District of North Saanich
- UVIC
- Fickle Fig Farm
- Kwantlen Institute for Sustainable Food & Systems
- Tseycum Nation in the future
Summary
- pay attention to our own backyard - must be able to regenerate our land
- future investment in the "farmpreneur" - must be better farm based business people & entities
- the Peninsula is a fabulous asset & we must celebrate & promote the food / farming / business sector to the broader community
Panelists
- Adam Olsen - MLA - Saanich North & the Islands
- Lindsay Dault - Partner / Owner - Country Bee Honey Farm
- Steve Duck - CEO - TIDES Group
Policy & Governance
- Adam Olsen reviews the background to the ALR designation zone
- we chat the "highest & best use" of agricultural land
- affordable housing discussion
Business of Farming / Agriculture
- is it sustainable and affordable to operate?
- we chat about local food supply chains, especially in this COVID based realty
- we chat about freezer & processing capacity
- we chat about a Peninsula based Abattoir
- we need to investigate year-round food packaging & production capacity on the Peninsula
- we referenced Bright Green's Victoria operations as a successful example of year round food production (http://www.brightgreens.ca/home.html)
- is the ALR designation hindering the ability of farmer's to operate their business?
- can employees live on the land with this zoning?
- what are the agricultural economics, e.g., wage levels & labour shortage issues barriers to sustainable businesses?
- how much food is actually produced on the Peninsula?
- much of the land is hayed versus food production
- is the land too expensive to profitably run a farm?
- is there enough land on the Peninsula for a sustainable Industry?
Marketing & Networking
- who is promoting the Industry?
- healthy local support despite lack of tourist business
- how do we find local suppliers & vendors?
Education
- why is agriculture / farming not taught in local schools?
- why not a Farm academy on the Peninsula?
- huge opportunity...plans for a farming school on the Sandown Lands
- partnering with First Nations
Misc
- we chat about the Sandown land development (Sandown Center for Regenerative Agriculture)
- Vancouver Island Economic Alliance (VIEA) - Island Good (https://viea.ca/initiatives/island-good/)
- new crop production (seaweed)
- we need government regulations & support to help grow the sector
- we introduce the "reef-net"
Links
- Bright Green's - http://www.brightgreens.ca/home.html
- Island Good - https://viea.ca/initiatives/island-good/
- Cascadia Seaweed - https://www.cascadiaseaweed.com/
- Harvest Route - https://theharvestroute.com/
Leadership...Innovation...Inspiring...Resilient...all words that accurately characterize KWENCH founder & director Tessa McLoughlin. In this podcast Tessa reviews the past, present and future of her remarkable work & culture club business.
We chat with Steve Duck of the TIDES Group, a Business Management Company.
- we chat about food security & sustainability
- we discuss branding Peninsula Agri-Tourism as the "Tuscany of Canada"
- we chat about North Saanich's "Flavour Trail" festival - can it be extended over a full season, i.e., 4 months?
- staycations will be the saviour for the Tourism Sector
We chat with Mike Kozakowski of Citified Media about the state of the local economy as we progress into the "beginning of the middle"...we chat about Victoria's homelessness challenges...pending development projects in the region...
In our continuing dialogue promoting the Peninsula based Agri-Tourism sector, we chat with Evelyn Turner, Farm Manager from the 10 Acres Farm & Restaurant Group. Also joining this Agri-Tourism superstar is Lindsay Dault, the Owner of Country Bee Honey Farm, another Agri-Tourism sector warrior.
We chat about local food supply, buy local topics, how COVID has impacted 10 Acres and how these kind of businesses have adapted and thrived under these crazy circumstances. Maybe "crazy" is the new normal... :)
- John is allowed to laugh during the podcast!
- what's up with the name? Deep discussion...
- tad bit of self-promotion (ok, maybe a few more minutes than "tad")
- John Juricic - Labour Market Consultant (john@harbourdigitalmedia.com)
- Kelly Darwin - Owner, Seriously Creative - (kelly@seriouslycreative.ca) - Website Developer, Internet Marketer, Community Advocate
- we chat about our business backgrounds (we'll do this only once, we promise!)
- we do a deep dive specific to internet communications, advertising and content development
- we also do a deep dive regarding podcast based communications (new podcast maybe - www.40yearsin6minuteswithJohn&Kelly.com? LOL!)
In this podcast with Lindsay, Co-owner of Country Bee Honey Farm (6440 West Saanich Rd) discusses:
- their planned walking & pollinating tour
- Lindsay reviews all the farm animals located at their business for folks to visit and enjoy
- we had fun talking about lean-to's...
- there are over 50 bee-hives at the farm
- we chat about Agri-Tourism development on the Peninsula
- likely more stay-cations this summer
- move to local food & support local
- we talk about multi-ZOOM virtual dinner table meetings... :)