BC Gov News

Two volunteers maintaining hundreds of kilometres of trail in the South Fraser; a group responsible for the creation of the Ancient Forest Provincial Park; a First Nations elder protecting the Stein Valley; and groups working to enhance the Myra Canyon trestles; and to clean up debris along the coast of Vancouver Island. What do they have in common? They are all recipients of the 2016 BC Parks Volunteer Awards.

The addition of 48 trades training seats at Okanagan College will increase student access to skills training in a range of high-demand careers, announced Melanie Mark, Minister of Advanced Education, Skills and Training, during a visit to the Kelowna campus.

With streams and rivers in the Middle Fraser, Similkameen, Coldwater, Nicola and Kettle watersheds experiencing very low flows, and weather conditions expected to remain dry, residents of the Cariboo and Thompson-Okanagan regions are urged to reduce their water consumption.

B.C.’s wildfire-driven provincial state of emergency has been formally extended again, through the end of the day on Sept. 1, 2017. This is the third time the state of emergency has been extended, with previous extensions on July 19 and Aug. 4.

Ten kilometres of new wildlife-exclusion fencing will be built along the Coquihalla Highway south of Merritt, increasing safety for motorists by preventing wildlife-vehicle collisions.

The annual Ryder Hesjedal’s Tour de Victoria bike ride takes place on Sunday, Aug. 20, 2017, from approximately 7 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., with an anticipated 1,500 cyclists riding through Victoria, the West Shore and the Saanich Peninsula.

An independent, respected national water and governance expert has been commissioned to support the review of the pollution in the Hullcar Aquifer, recently announced by Minister of Environment and Climate Change Strategy George Heyman.

Due to recent rainfall and cooler temperatures — and in consultation with the BC Wildfire Service — BC Parks reopened portions of Mount Assiniboine Provincial Park for public use on Wednesday, Aug. 16, 2017.