Thousands of British Columbians will join people around the world in turning off lights and powering down electronics as part of Earth Hour 2017, this Saturday, March 25, between 8:30 p.m. and 9:30 p.m.

Visitors will soon have more camping opportunities throughout British Columbia with the completion of more than 350 new campsites in BC Parks and forestry recreation sites, in time for the upcoming camping season.

Visitors soon will have more camping opportunities in the Mission area with the construction of 60 new campsites in time for the upcoming camping season.

Visitors will soon have more camping opportunities in the Squamish area with the completion of 52 new campsites in the Sea-to-Sky corridor, in time for the upcoming 2017 camping season.

Visitors will soon have more camping opportunities in the Okanagan, with the construction of 55 new campsites, in time for the upcoming camping season.

Visitors will soon have more camping opportunities in northern B.C. with the construction of 20 new campsites, in time for the upcoming camping season. The 20 new campsites are at Six Mile Bay Rec Site near Mackenzie.

Visitors will soon have more camping opportunities on Vancouver Island and the Sunshine Coast, with the completion of more than 100 new campsites in time for the upcoming camping season.

A landmark 10,000 BC Parks licence plates have been sold – a milestone reached less than eight weeks after the specialty plates were unveiled earlier this year.

Environment Minister Mary Polak and Energy and Mines Minister Bill Bennett have issued an environmental assessment certificate to AuRico Metals Inc. for the Kemess Underground project, an underground copper-gold mine, which is located approximately 250 kilometres north of Smithers, and 430 kilometres northwest of Prince George in the Peace River Regional District.

Non-domestic users of groundwater in British Columbia will now have until Dec. 31, 2017, to apply for a licence without having to pay the one-time application fee.