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.

The Great Bear Rainforest (Forest Management) Act is set to take effect Jan. 1, 2017, following the enactment of regulations that bring the act into force and fulfill government’s commitment to ecosystem-based management in the Great Bear Rainforest.

Up to 36 British Columbians from Pemberton, Mount Currie and surrounding areas are receiving the training they need for jobs in their communities, thanks to the federal-provincial partnership under the Canada-B.C. Job Fund Agreement.

Up to 24 Vancouver Island residents will receive the training they need for jobs in their communities, thanks to the federal-provincial partnership under the Canada-B.C. Job Fund Agreement.

Up to 144 East Kootenay residents will be receiving the training they need for jobs in their communities thanks to the federal-provincial partnership under the Canada-B.C. Job Fund Agreement.

Up to 52 British Columbians from Prince George, Fort St. James and Kelowna are getting the training they need to become cooks and professional log truck operators, thanks to a federal-provincial partnership under the Canada-B.C. Job Fund Agreement.

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.

The Province has extended the reduced fee in place for log exports in the Mid-Coast Timber Supply Area until June 2018 to support forestry jobs in the area.

Canadians will be better equipped for the well-paying middle-class jobs of today and tomorrow as a result of a $13.8-million investment in the College of New Caledonia for a new heavy-mechanical trades-training facility.