By Spencer Chandra Herbert, Minister of Tourism, Arts, Culture and Sport

Many of us have friends and family in the United States. And few of us have lived through a time when Canada and the United States were not strong trading partners and allies. This is part of what makes U.S. President Donald J. Trump’s tariff’s so distressing.

I’ve been getting this question a lot lately: Why forestry? With all of the challenges on the horizon, what made you ask Premier David Eby for this task?

On July 11, 2024, Canada and the U.S. reached a milestone in the process of modernizing the Columbia River Treaty – an agreement-in-principle (AIP) that sets the stage for an improved treaty that supports people and ecosystems on both sides of the border.

We are proud of British Columbia’s diversity. It’s a big part of what makes our province such a great place to live. Canadians of South Asian heritages have origins in nations such as Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Afghanistan with a diaspora as far-reaching as Fiji, Africa, the Caribbean and further. South Asian immigration to B.C. has been integral to the growth and success of our province. 

More than 150,000 people moved to B.C. last year from abroad. We’re incredibly lucky to live in such a fantastic province and the number of people choosing to move here proves it.

For the Growing Communities Fund, 85% of the total funds are allocated to municipalities and 15% go to regional districts. The allocation generally follows the population split between incorporated (urban/suburban) and unincorporated (rural) areas of the province and provides a slight boost to address the increased costs of servicing rural growth areas as they are constrained in their population base to raise servicing costs.

Queen Elizabeth II, Queen of Canada, died at 96 on Sept. 8, 2022.  

That familiar September feeling is in the air as thousands of students return to school throughout B.C. this week, anticipating the new school year while looking forward to reconnecting with friends and meeting new teachers. Whether they’re coming back to the school they were at last year, or moving to a new one, it’s an exciting time to embrace the opportunities and challenges the year will bring. 

As the summer holidays draw to a close, many families are starting to think about their back-to-school tasks. Buy school supplies. Take their children for haircuts. And help their kids pick out the perfect outfit for the first day of school.