Christmas is going to be much more jolly for Les Bennett and his family this year. Out of work after spending 25 years in the forestry industry, 56-year-old Les was living in Salmon Arm and out of options. But when a friend directed him to the local WorkBC Employment Services Centre, his life changed for the better – a recommendation that eventually led to a job and a steady paycheque.

Northbound motorists on Highway 97 will experience improved conditions at the northbound pullout, approximately 10 kilometres south of Williams Lake, as work to improve the local amenities at this rest area is now complete.

Work clothes? Check. Books? Check. Tools? Check. A place to stay? Check. Students in the Cariboo-Chilcotin School District are packing their bags and traveling to other B.C. communities for enhanced skills, technical, and trades training opportunities thanks to $5,000 for the school district from the Province’s Skills Training Access Grant.

The B.C. government has distributed over $80,000 in compensation for municipal property taxes to the City of Williams Lake and the District of 100 Mile House.

Residents of the Williams Lake area will see helicopters in the air this week as the Ministry of Forests, Lands and Natural Resource Operations implements its treatment plan to minimize the spread of Douglas-fir bark beetles on Crown land through selective heli-logging.

Up to 42 British Columbians in Williams Lake and surrounding areas are getting the training they need for jobs in their community, thanks to a federal-provincial partnership under the Canada-B.C. Job Fund Agreement.

School District 27 (Cariboo-Chilcotin) will receive $20,000 in funding for the Youth Work in Trades program to boost trades training for young people.

The Ministry of Forests, Lands and Natural Resource Operations is implementing its Williams Lake Beetle Management Unit 2016 Treatment Plan to minimize the spread of Douglas-fir beetles on Crown land in the Williams Lake area.

Multiculturalism Week in British Columbia is Nov. 13-19, 2016, a time to celebrate B.C.'s rich, cultural mosaic. Margaret-Anne Enders is one of five multicultural champions profiled this week.