Education is the great equalizer. It opens the door to a good-paying job, and a secure future.

The people of B.C. work hard, and they expect a government that works hard for them. As we begin a new session of the Legislature, the first for our new government, our focus is getting results for people.

When I think about what child care means for families in B.C., I think of all the patchwork calendars stuck to fridges across the province telling the child care story of each household. The mother-in-law, the uncle and the best friend are on deck this week, and dad will have to leave work early next week. It’s a puzzle of names, dates and times that only the family can understand.

Premier John Horgan has appointed Sheila Malcolmson, MLA for Nanaimo, to the role of parliamentary secretary for environment. Premier Horgan has also made changes to the responsibilities of parliamentary secretaries for the Government of British Columbia.

Premier John Horgan travelled to Big Bar, where significant work is underway by provincial and federal governments, First Nations and a suite of technical experts to help salmon in the Fraser River pass through an obstruction created by a large landslide and reach their spawning grounds.

People living in East Vancouver will have better access to team-based urgent and primary care with the opening of the new REACH Urgent and Primary Care Centre (UPCC).

British Columbia’s forest industry is facing difficult times. In the Interior, the end of the pine beetle cut, lower prices for lumber, and back-to-back catastrophic wildfire seasons have led to a number of sawmill closures. This has created hardship for workers and uncertainty for the communities that depend on forestry for their livelihoods.

The B.C. Surgical and Diagnostic Imaging Strategy continues to make progress as construction begins on Langley Memorial Hospital’s first MRI machine.

Approximately 2,300 new child care spaces are coming to schools, community centres and other public facilities across Vancouver, making routines easier for busy parents and helping young children transition smoothly into the school system.