In 2011, the B.C. forest sector employed more than 53,000 workers. In addition to new jobs, as many as 25,000 job openings are expected across the sector over the next decade as existing workers retire.

Under the BC Jobs Plan, government is making significant investments in skills training to ensure that British Columbians are first in line for good jobs that are created here in British Columbia.

Tourism is one of the largest industries in B.C., comprising nearly 18,000 mostly small- to medium-sized businesses that directly employ more than 127,000 British Columbians. Impending labour shortages require action to attract and retain a highly skilled and motivated workforce, which is critical to achieving industry growth.

Myth 1: These temporary foreign workers are taking the long-term jobs of Canadians and British Columbians. Fact 1: The work being conducted is exploratory and the jobs are temporary.

In Tuesday's column, Bill Tieleman cited Napoleon Bonaparte's warning that China would wake and shake the world. This kind of outcry belongs to the 1800s, not 2012.

Myth 1 - It is no problem finding people who want to work in underground coal mines. Fact 1: Prior to be granted permits to hire temporary foreign workers, a company must secure a labour market opinion.

Several media reports in recent days have focused on temporary foreign workers hired to do work for Canada Dehua, a company that is undertaking coal exploration activities at two sites in northeastern British Columbia. The following facts have been absent from much of this reporting:

Did you know that in B.C., more than one million people are employed by small businesses? Or that 98 per cent of all businesses in B.C. are small businesses? Small business is big business in B.C.!

When the Jobs Plan was released, 2,270,900 people were employed in the province. When the Progress Report was released, 2,322,600 people were employed in the province. The difference is 51,700 more people working.

Recently named by Travel+Leisure Magazine as the top island in the Continental U.S. and Canada, Vancouver Island is also its tenth-ranked island in the world and home to some of the magazine's top rated Canadian resorts.