Effective at noon on Sept. 18, 2017, the BC Wildfire Service has rescinded the campfire prohibition that was in effect within the Coastal Fire Centre’s jurisdiction. The use of tiki torches (and similar kinds of torches), outdoor stoves, gas stoves and other portable campfire equipment is also now permitted.

Effective at noon on Thursday, July 6, 2017, all open fires (including campfires) will be prohibited throughout the Coastal Fire Centre’s jurisdiction, with the exception of Haida Gwaii and the area known as the “Fog Zone”.

More than 7,000 British Columbians will be trained by this fall through a wide range of skilled-trades and employment training projects throughout the province, thanks to $45.4 million from the provincial and federal governments in 2016/17.

Residents and businesses on Gambier Island, Keats Island, Port Mellon and surrounding areas will be better able to access faster Internet speeds, thanks to the B.C. government's $560,000 investment in a new connectivity project that will soon get underway by Base Technology Ltd.

Skilled trades students in two regional school districts will benefit from a three-year, $15-million investment by the British Columbia government to support youth trades programs with the purchase of new trades training equipment.

Government is providing school districts with a total of $95 million to help them extend the life of their facilities, put new supplies in classrooms and buy new school buses. 

Visitors will soon have more camping opportunities on Vancouver Island and the Sunshine Coast, with the completion of more than 100 new campsites in time for the upcoming camping season.

Building on the economic benefits and jobs created by getting to yes on major projects and provincial investments in infrastructure, Premier Christy Clark and Minister of State For Rural Economic Development Donna Barnett released the Province’s rural economic development strategy, detailing immediate investments and a long-term action plan to support thriving rural communities.

The B.C. government is following through on its commitment to support economic diversification in rural British Columbia by distributing over $750,000 in new project-development grants to help small communities strengthen local economies.