Dry and hot conditions on British Columbia’s west coast have prompted the government to increase the drought level in the region to Level 3.

Thirty-four education professionals from throughout B.C. have been named as finalists in this year’s Premier’s Awards for Excellence in Education.

The shíshálh Nation and the Province of British Columbia have committed to negotiate a decision-making agreement under Section 7 of the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act.

People accessing health care in the Lower Mainland, North Shore, Sunshine Coast and Sea-to-Sky are benefiting from more stable, consistent and supportive patient care as food-service workers who were previously contracted out return as Vancouver Coastal Health (VCH) employees.

Eighty-four First Nations and local governments will receive provincial emergency-preparedness funding to help improve emergency operations centres (EOCs) and better equip them to respond to emergencies affecting the people in their communities.

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.