Improved monitoring, increased audits, greater public awareness and higher staffing levels highlighted the B.C. government's ongoing commitment to dam safety over the past year, according to the second annual B.C. Dam Safety report, released today.

A new trades training partnership in Northwest B.C. will allow 37 unemployed young adults to access, for the first time ever, a piping trades foundation course, giving them an opportunity to acquire skills that are in high demand in that region.

Premier Christy Clark was pleased to announce that the Literacy Alliance of the Shuswap Society (LASS) is the recipient of the 2012 Council of Federation Literacy Award for its success fostering a high level of community collaboration in support of literacy.

The BC Coroners Service is warning parents of infants about the potential dangers of using co-sleepers, a type of crib that attaches to the side of an adult bed. The warning comes after an extensive investigation into the death of a 10-month-old Surrey girl who died last year after becoming trapped between the co-sleeper and the adult bed.

The B.C. government has fast-tracked increases to the school startup supplement so income and disability assistance clients - and now hardship assistance clients - with children in school can receive the extra money in time for the start of the school year.

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.

More than two-thirds of Grade 4 and Grade 7 students met or exceeded expectations in this year's Foundational Skills Assessment (FSA).

For the 2012-13 school year, a total of $800,000 will be available through the School Community Connections (SCC) program for projects that expand the use of K-12 school space, including upgrades to Neighbourhood Learning Centres, Education Minister George Abbott announced.