Forestry is one of B.C.’s key economic sectors and the Province and the BC First Nations Forestry Council (BCFNFC) have announced a new labour market partnership project.

Minister of Jobs, Tourism and Skills Training and Minister Responsible for Labour Shirley Bond and Parliamentary Secretary Greg Kyllo gave an update on British Columbia’s economic progress since the BC Jobs Plan release in 2011 and a preview of where the jobs plan is headed in the five-year update later this fall.

The Province of British Columbia now has $9.6 million in Canada-BC Job Grant funding available to help employers provide skills training to current or new employees.

More than 5,500 British Columbians across the province are receiving training for jobs in their communities, thanks to an investment of almost $36 million from the provincial and federal governments under the Canada-British Columbia Job Fund.

Over 1,370 British Columbians across the province are receiving the training they need for jobs in their communities thanks to the federal and provincial partnership under the Canada Job Fund.

Forestry sector representatives met with the federal and provincial governments to discuss skilled-labour initiatives and human-resource planning, as part of a series of roundtables being held over coming months with sectors highlighted in the BC Jobs Plan.

December’s Job Makers showcase Vancouver Island employers and businesses who are helping to grow the area’s economy.

Local businesses from around Vancouver Island gathered to hear about British Columbia’s economic success and progress made to-date thanks to the BC Jobs Plan as well as for an announcement on a new Labour Market Partnership Project with Vancouver Island manufacturers. 

British Columbia’s tourism sector continues to show growth in international overnight visitors. There were an additional 52,872 more visitors in June of 2015 compared to 2014 – representing a 9.5% increase over June 2014. This brings the total number of visitors to B.C. in the January to June period up by 156,856 visitors – or 8.3% – over the same period last year.