The polluter-pay principle ensures those who are responsible for spills are also

responsible for cleaning them up and is designed to keep the cost of response off of

taxpayers.

During the cold weather, the provincial government is doing our part to ensure people in need of shelter have access to a safe, warm place to stay.

On Monday, Jan. 16, 2017, BC Housing will start accepting applications for the new BC Home Owner Mortgage and Equity Partnership program.

On Feb. 3, 2012, government released British Columbia’s Natural Gas Strategy: Fuelling B.C.’s Economy for the Next Decade and Beyond concurrently with the government’s Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) Strategy.

Our government believes that all British Columbians should have a place to call home, whether it’s through home ownership or renting.

Presently in British Columbia, there are no hydraulic fracturing activities occurring anywhere near hydroelectric dams, contrary to the impression left by a recent report released by the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives.

The Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure is on the verge of Exercise Coastal Response (https://news.gov.bc.ca/stories/exercise-coastal-response-2016), a culmination of the dedicated work of hundreds of Emergency Management BC employees and public safety partners across the province. This is the province’s first full-scale earthquake and tsunami response exercise, and the labour and planning involved in preparing for it over the past 10 months has been extraordinary.

We know the area of land and coastline that now makes up British Columbia has experienced many major earthquakes and tsunamis in the past, and history has taught us that it is only a matter of time until the next “Big One” strikes. This is not speculation – a major earthquake is coming to the west coast. We as individuals, families, communities and as a province must do everything possible to better prepare for this eventuality. We are all in this together.

The BC Government has a number of Memoranda of Understanding (MOUs) and partnerships in place to support response and recovery efforts during disasters.