Post-secondary education and training will be more affordable for thousands of students throughout B.C., thanks to the new B.C. Access Grant program.

Drivers are advised that a section of the Coquihalla between Hope and Merritt will be closed from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Wednesday, Jan. 8, to allow for proactive avalanche control.

New maintenance contracts have been awarded for service areas in the Fraser Valley and Nicola, with improved standards and better highway conditions for British Columbians, year round.

The Dry Gulch Bridge on the Coquihalla Highway is fully reopened to all lanes of traffic now that important rehabilitation work is substantially complete, extending the life of the structure and providing safer conditions for people who travel through the region.

Significant progress is being made to manage invasive plant species in the Thompson-Nicola region, as part of a $2.2-million pilot project that began this spring and will continue into 2020.

The public is being asked to prepare for localized flooding as water levels in Nicola Lake and river rise due to increased snowmelt and higher than normal rain levels throughout April.

Skilled-trades students in the Nicola-Similkameen and Gold Trail school districts will benefit from a three-year, $15-million investment by the B.C. government to support youth trades programs with the purchase of new trades training equipment.

Building on the economic benefits and jobs created by getting to yes on major projects and provincial investments in infrastructure, Premier Christy Clark and Minister of State For Rural Economic Development Donna Barnett released the Province’s rural economic development strategy, detailing immediate investments and a long-term action plan to support thriving rural communities.