British Columbians should take precautions this weekend, as Environment Canada has issued a special weather statement for the first hot stretch of the summer for most regions in B.C.

People in Vancouver Island and Sunshine Coast communities will benefit from upgrades to not-for-profit services and programs with additional funding from B.C.’s Community Gaming Grants program.

People in Powell River with complex mental-health and substance-use challenges who are at risk of experiencing homelessness will soon benefit from 20 new complex-care housing spaces.

People who are vulnerable and and have low incomes will be supported with more than $440,000 in government funding for local poverty-reduction projects on Vancouver Island and in coastal communities.

More than 50 First Nations and local governments are receiving their share of more than $1.9 million in provincial emergency preparedness funding to help improve emergency support services (ESS) in their communities.

More parents in the Sunshine Coast region will be able to pursue work, school and other opportunities while knowing their children are cared for as the Province invests in more than 170 new licensed child care spaces.

The Westwinds seniors housing development in Squamish is now open, providing 232 affordable rental homes for low-income seniors.

Fourteen First Nations and local governments are receiving provincial funding to develop emergency evacuation route plans, which will better prepare these communities for emergencies.