The City of New Westminster is joining the growing list of B.C. municipalities participating in the Province’s Tall Wood Initiative that allows the construction of 12-storey mass timber buildings.

Despite ongoing uncertainty from the COVID-19 pandemic, current forecasts show an increase in revenues and a reduction in the deficit for the 2021-22 fiscal year as British Columbia’s strong vaccination rates are supporting a swift economic recovery in many sectors.

Budget 2021 focuses on protecting people’s health and livelihoods through the pandemic, while making investments in services, infrastructure and opportunities to support a strong recovery and a brighter future for everyone.

The Province is providing funding for 12 mass timber demonstration and research projects and has established a new advisory council to accelerate the adoption of mass timber building systems, as part of the Province’s economic recovery.

The Province is extending its successful quarantine program for temporary foreign workers coming to B.C. for seasonal agriculture work, to ensure the health and safety of the workers and the communities they will be travelling to.

The Fall 2020 Economic and Fiscal Update confirms the forecasted provincial deficit at $13.6 billion, which includes an additional $2 billion for new COVID-19 supports for British Columbians through B.C.’s Recovery Benefit and Recovery Supplement.