Two grants from the Province for the First Nations Emergency Services Society (FNESS) will help support emergency management and land stewardship, as well as disaster- and climate-risk resilience in communities throughout B.C.

Water restrictions for the lower Salmon River and Bessette Creek will expire this week, ending temporary protection orders put in place in August 2023 to help protect threatened salmon populations.

Following significant rainfall in some regions of Vancouver Island, fish population protection orders will be rescinded in the Koksilah and Tsolum rivers, allowing certain water usage to resume.

Bruce Ralston, Minister of Forests, has released the following statement to mark National Forest Week, Sept. 17-23, 2023:

As extreme drought conditions continue to affect river levels on Vancouver Island, new measures to protect fish have been implemented on the Koksilah and Cowichan rivers.

As extreme drought conditions continue to adversely affect river levels on Vancouver Island, a fish-population protection order will protect salmon and trout in the Tsolum River, temporarily restricting water use for industry and forage crops.

As extreme drought conditions continue to affect river levels in the Thompson Okanagan region, fish population protection orders will protect spawning chinook salmon in the lower Salmon River and Bessette Creek by temporarily restricting water use for forage crops.

Residents and travellers are strongly urged to plan ahead and remain vigilant this B.C. Day long weekend, with much of British Columbia experiencing elevated wildfire risk.