Western Chapter Update

After months of preparation and hard work the Western Fireplace, Barbecue & Patio Forum in Richmond in June was a great success. All of the 30 available spaces were sold in the outdoor exhibit area. Most of the indoor exhibit area was sold with 47 of 53 available booths sold. Attendance was well over 350 this year. Our Casino Dinner and Dance was also sold out and was a terrific evening. We’d like to thank our board of directors for their hard work and our sponsors and exhibitors for their support.

The Barbecue competition held on Sunday evening with Mag Ruffman as MC raised a $1400 contribution toward awareness programs for Children's Hospitals.

We plan on starting up the bi-monthly or quarterly dinner meetings that were in place approximately 6 years ago. It was a great way to get the members out for an evening that featured interesting speakers. Also in the plans, we’ll be working toward having some representation on our board from Vancouver Island and the BC Interior. This may be accomplished by having teleconference call meetings.

A Wood Stakeholders Meeting, held on June 7th, was a success in that 47 key persons gathered to discuss the future of woodburning in BC – in particular, the potential for a province wide changeout. Representatives from federal, provincial and municipal air quality departments from around the province, along with gas and electric utilities and many manufacturers attended. We will keep you posted on developments.