The Province has levied the first-ever administrative penalty under the Residential Tenancy Act against a Surrey landlord who failed to maintain his rental property despite a number of orders from the Residential Tenancy Branch.

The Province today introduced Bill 30, the Energy and Mines Statutes Amendment Act, 2012, to streamline and clarify regulations in four existing acts - the Oil and Gas Activities Act, the Utilities Commission Act, the Clean Energy Act and the Strata Property Act.

The February 2012 petroleum and natural gas sale resulted in $24.2 million in bonus bids, bringing the fiscal year total to over $262 million.

As part of its Natural Gas Strategy, the Province is providing up to $120 million in royalty credits to encourage oil and gas development in British Columbia.

Today the Province announced it intends to approach the private sector to see how liquor distribution in B.C. can be delivered in a modernized and cost-effective manner.

The Province is making liquor licences more flexible for venues that host live events, Rich Coleman, Minister of Energy and Mines, announced.

Six new Innovative Clean Energy (ICE) Fund projects will receive a total of almost $6 million from the Province to support the development of new clean energy technologies. These projects will create jobs and local investment in Vancouver, Delta, Burnaby and Sooke.

The January 2012 petroleum and natural gas sale resulted in $32.1 million in bonus bids, bringing the fiscal year total to over $238 million.

British Columbia is the first province in Canada to enforce the public disclosure of ingredients used for hydraulic fracturing.

Implementing Canada's most ambitious housing strategy and building strong partnerships at the community level has enabled the Province to help more than 95,000 people keep the cost of housing more affordable in British Columbia in 2011.