As part of the $1.1-million provincial investment to assist tourism in wildfire-affected areas, the Minister of Tourism, Arts and Culture is encouraging British Columbians to lend their support by visiting these areas over the Thanksgiving long weekend.

The Government of British Columbia has announced a Level 3 drought rating for the South Coast Region, particularly the Sunshine Coast where conditions have been especially dry.

Effective immediately, the allowable annual cut for the portion of the Pacific Timber Supply Area (TSA) outside of the Great Bear Rainforest is 803,300 cubic metres, chief forester Diane Nicholls announced today.

On track to meeting its goal to see every British Columbian with access to high-speed Internet, the Ministry of Technology, Innovation and Citizens’ Services is providing $2.5 million in grants to Internet service providers to expand and enhance high-speed Internet service for residents and businesses in rural and remote areas of the province.

More than 7,000 British Columbians will be trained by this fall through a wide range of skilled-trades and employment training projects throughout the province, thanks to $45.4 million from the provincial and federal governments in 2016/17.

Skilled trades students in B.C.’s rural regions will benefit from the majority of funding from a three-year, $15-million investment by the provincial government with the purchase of new trades training equipment to support youth trades programs.

Residents and businesses on Gambier Island, Keats Island, Port Mellon and surrounding areas will be better able to access faster Internet speeds, thanks to the B.C. government's $560,000 investment in a new connectivity project that will soon get underway by Base Technology Ltd.

Government is providing school districts with a total of $95 million to help them extend the life of their facilities, put new supplies in classrooms and buy new school buses.