BCBusiness

SOCIAL CUES ALL-WEATHER CLICKS Vancouver's patio-focused restaurant Batch leverages Instagram with weekly schedules that showcase a rotating calendar of live musical performances and food trucks by Dani Wright Dog Day Afternoon A pup of the week post reminds patrons that the venue is pet-friendly—and with a prize in store for the winning dog (plus a free drink for the owner, too), fol- lowers see a lot of incentive to come by with their pets. 156 likes 5 comments Come On By Batch saves its weekly schedule of food trucks and musical performances on the Instagram story func- tion—that way customers can plan ahead for their favourites. In addition to the saved schedule, fresh stories display the daily schedule again, highlighting what musicians and food will be available at the location that day, with additional pictures and "sound on" clips for a sneak peek. Cheers to You Batch asks its community what local and interesting beer they'd like to see added to the existing (and exten- sive) menu, providing a direct line of communication between the customer and the ordering team. 325 likes 11 comments 56 B C B U S I N E S S . C A O C T O B E R 2 0 24 he circled back to ACCESS and stepped into his current role. Meanwhile, the COVID pandemic delayed his ability to perform live—despite the album release and NAMA nomi- nation, it wasn't until that solo show in Prince George in 2022 that Bellerose got to interact with an audience in person. And last summer, Midnight Sparrows made its first appear- ance as a full band at the Roxy Cabaret in Vancouver. This April, ACCESS co- hosted the BC Indigenous Apprenticeship Forum in Burnaby. The three-day event featured panels, presentations and networking opportunities. Belle rose helped coordinate that, and closed things off on a high note with another Spar- rows performance. "I've also got a show com- ing up in my First Nation, Fort McKay First Nation," he says. "I'm going to the community where my mother was born and where she passed away as well. She was an elder and a residential school survivor, and I wrote ['Butterfly Wings'] as a tribute to her. It's going to be a really meaningful show to me." Spread your butterfly wings And fly away Cause it's your time To let it shine Vancouver, the organization provides employment and training programs and ser- vices, including resources for job seekers, career counselling and funding for skills. After 13 years with ACCESS, Bellerose left to pursue a mas- ter's degree in urban studies from SFU in 2015. That experi- ence helped him create "Man on the Mountaintop," one of his favourite tracks from Rock & Roll City. The album was later nominated for the Native American Music Awards. He's the man on the mountaintop Well he lives on his own Sometimes people come to visit him But then they go home "There are elements of that song that are really about lone- liness, but also sacrifice and the pursuit of higher knowl- edge," he says. In 2019, Bellerose started recording his music. He also served stints at Indigenous Services Canada (where he worked on urban program- ming for Indigenous people) and Lu'ma Development Man- agement (where he worked on affordable housing projects with Indigenous organizations and communities). In 2023, B l air B e ll e r o s e : L a u r a B al d w i n s o n

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