Minister of Jobs, Tourism and Innovation Pat Bell responded today to British Columbia and Canada's total victory in an arbitration panel's ruling on B.C.'s timber pricing policies under the 2006 Canada-U.S. Softwood Lumber Agreement (SLA).

The B.C. government has formally agreed to examine infrastructure needs in the Northern Rockies Regional Municipality (NRRM) and how they might be funded in future, announced Peace River North MLA Pat Pimm on behalf of Ida Chong, Minister of Community, Sport and Cultural Development.

Twelve moms in northern British Columbia are currently taking a tuition-free 12-week mining program for women, as the B.C. government invests nearly $88,000 into an Employment Skills Access (ESA) initiative at Northern Lights College through the BC Jobs Plan.

Training opportunities are being offered to more than 30 First Nations people in north central B.C. to help meet the growing demand for skilled workers in the mineral exploration and mining industry.

Parliamentary Secretaries John Les, Richard T. Lee and Rob Howard will be in Saskatoon this week for the 22nd Annual Summit of the Pacific NorthWest Economic Region (PNWER), where they will promote the development of markets for B.C.'s clean energy and improving the flow of people, goods and services across the Canada-U.S. border.

One hundred and twenty people will have access to four-week training program that allows participants to gain employment and work in the high-demand food processing industry, announced Minister of Jobs, Tourism and Innovation Pat Bell.

Barkerville Gold Mines received an amendment today to its Mines Act permit for the mill at QR Mine to process ore from the new Bonanza Ledge facility.

B.C.'s First Nations Clean Energy Business Fund (FNCEBF) is supporting another 12 projects, including a new biomass thermal heating system that will help a Kootenays-based First Nation reduce its energy payments and generate revenue, Aboriginal Relations and Reconciliation Minister Mary Polak announced today.