Skilled trades students in the Nanaimo and Cowichan Valley school districts will benefit from a three-year, $15-million investment by the B.C. government to support youth trades programs with the purchase of new trades training equipment.

Students in the Nanaimo-Ladysmith School District will benefit from over $1.8 million in provincial funding for school upgrade projects and classroom supplies, MLA Michelle Stilwell announced on behalf of Education Minister Mike Bernier.

The Province is investing $24 million to increase access for low-income families to fresh food, dental and hearing care for children, and to support community initiatives to reduce poverty.

Nanaimo Airport will receive $175,607 in funding from the B.C. Air Access Program this year for the North Apron Expansion Project, announced MLA for Parksville-Qualicum Michelle Stilwell on behalf of Minister of Transportation and Infrastructure Todd Stone.

Work has begun to upgrade the intersection at Highway 19 and Lantzville Road with a project that includes a new traffic signal, a northbound acceleration lane onto the highway and overhead street lighting, as well as pedestrian crosswalks, curbs and islands.

A new MRI machine is coming to Nanaimo Regional Hospital to help increase patient access to MRI services. It is expected to be in place in 2018.

The Province, in partnership with the BC Lung Association, is improving air quality throughout B.C. by providing $19,750 to the Regional District of Nanaimo as part of the Provincial Wood Stove Exchange Program.

The B.C. government has distributed $492,601 in compensation for municipal property taxes to the City of Nanaimo.

Canadians will be better equipped for the well-paying middle-class jobs of today and tomorrow with a $22.4 million investment at Vancouver Island University (VIU) to expand the Marine, Automotive and Trades Complex and create a District Geo-Exchange Energy System.