A provincially funded program will upgrade the industry and job-specific skills of 1,200 eligible participants working in tourism and retail sectors in British Columbia.

Representatives from industry, economic development organizations, Aboriginal communities, post-secondary institutions, local employers, labour and others participated in a Regional Workforce Table Open House Forum today in B.C.'s Kootenay region.

Minister of Jobs, Tourism and Innovation Pat Bell released the following statement in support of the federal government's participation in the Trans Pacific Partnership (TPP) trade talks:

It is one of the world's largest banks, with a client base 10 times Canada's population, and its first representative office in this country will open in Vancouver with a UBC alumnus at the helm.

Sixty people on northern Vancouver Island are beginning a 25-week training program to learn the skills necessary to work as aquaculture technicians in the aquaculture industry.

Exhibits featuring each of B.C.'s 11 provincially managed heritage sites will soon be on display at the Vancouver Convention Centre.

Led by a dramatic gain in shipments to China and other key markets targeted in Canada Starts Here: The BC Jobs Plan, British Columbia's export totals jumped over 10 per cent this April compared to the same month in 2011.

Employment numbers in British Columbia remained steady with a very slight decline in May after strong growth in April. Despite the slight decline, B.C. has added 24,700 jobs so far in 2012.