A social enterprise that employs Burnaby residents with intellectual disabilities at a woodworking shop is being forced to shut down next month because it can no longer afford to run the operation.
Burnaby Association for Community Inclusion’s (BACI) B.C. Woodworks, which crafts wine and gift boxes, outdoor furniture and garden planters, is set to close on Nov. 30.
BACI executive directors Richard Faucher and Tanya Sather met with B.C. Woodworks individuals, families and employees recently to discuss the difficult decision to close, an update on the non-profit’s website states. They explained that BACI can no longer support and operate the business as it continues to run at a significant deficit, and there are no other options at this time, the update stated.
Over the next six months, an employment specialist will be assigned to help people working at B.C. Woodworks to find employment elsewhere in the community, according to the website.
BACI was created in 1956, when parents of children with disabilities in Burnaby gathered to advocate for the rights of their children. Today, the non-profit organization provides services to more than 1,000 children, youth and adults with developmental disabilities and their families in Metro Vancouver.
– Niki Hope
