Regional employment statistics:

• The region accounts for almost two-thirds of the total projected job openings in the province. Of the 666,250 job openings in the region, 61% are due to the need to replace retiring workers.

• The year-to-date unemployment rate of 6.4 (as of January 2013) is slightly lower than the same time last year at 6.7%.

Region-specific activities under the BC Jobs Plan include:

The Province is developing B.C.'s potential as the gateway to the Asia Pacific by improving capacity at Deltaport through the Port Metro Vancouver Deltaport Terminal, Road and Rail Improvement Project.

• This project will increase Deltaport's container capacity by 600,000 TEUs (twenty-foot equivalent unit containers). The project is expected to be complete by 2015, in time to meet the need for additional container capacity for Canada's trade through the Pacific Gateway.
• B.C. has committed up to $50 million to the $280 million project which is expected to create 600 to 800 new permanent jobs. The other funding partners are Port Metro Vancouver and TSI Terminal Systems Inc.
• Construction preparation has started on an overpass on the existing Roberts Bank causeway that will separate road and rail traffic.
• Other parts of the project are:
• Reconfiguration of rail track and additional container handling equipment within the existing Deltaport Terminal
• More rail track to support more train traffic; and
• Road improvements on Deltaport Way to improve the movement of container trucks at Deltaport.  
  

The Province has improved the movement of people and goods through B.C.'s southern border by investing in border technology and infrastructure. Completed projects include an expanded border Advanced Traveller Information System on Highway 1 near Abbotsford to provide border wait times for motorists, an Advanced Traveler Information System for the Alex Fraser Bridge and George Massey tunnel, the construction of a southbound NEXUS lane at the Highway 11 Sumas-Huntingdon border crossing, and the construction of a southbound FAST lane queue jump on Highway 15 at 2nd Avenue to improve border clearance for commercial vehicles.

The Province has reached agreements with First Nations to provide certainty for investors and more opportunities for Aboriginal communities and families. Agreements include:

• Strategic Engagement Agreement pilot project with 14 Stó:lo First Nations will create more streamlined consultation processes for industry and promote more effective engagement between government and First Nations in the Upper Fraser Valley.
• Sts'ailes Memorandum of Understanding creates greater certainty over land and resources through open communication, shared decision making, and mutual respect and recognition.

In spring 2012, government provided $7.6 million in temporary carbon tax relief to the greenhouse sector - largely based in the Lower Mainland / Fraser Valley region. In addition, an annual carbon tax relief program was established for greenhouses, with $6.5 million included in Budget 2013.

A new mine at Treasure Mountain, near Hope, is under construction.

The Mobile Business Licence (MBL) program expanded through two one-year pilot projects in 12 Lower Mainland communities. By reducing red tape, the program makes it easier for businesses to operate in more than one municipality.

During the Province's trade mission to China and India in November 2011, 14 agreements were signed between post-secondary institutions in the Mainland/Southwest region and Chinese institutions, and seven agreements were signed with institutions from India.  The University of British Columbia (UBC) opened two permanent offices in India.

Post-secondary institutions in the Mainland/Southwest region continue to make advances in international education:

• In September 2012, UBC partnered with a Vietnamese hospital to create an $8 million oral health research centre.
• In January 2013, UBC entered into a $4.9 million research partnership with Germany's Fraunhofer Society - Europe's largest applied research institution. The partnership will advance clean energy research in five critical areas, from wind energy to zero emission vehicles and builds upon the memorandum of understanding signed by UBC during a trip by Canada's top 15 universities to Germany in March.
• In January 2013, UBC was designated as a primary international academic partner of Chongqing, China. During an official visit partnerships and collaboration between the city of Chongqing and UBC were solidified, in particular Chongqing Medical University, Children's Hospital of Chongqing, and the Chongqing Bureau of Human Resources and Social Security.
• In November 2012, Simon Fraser University developed a new double Masters of Arts in Global Communication with the Communication University of China in Beijing.

A network of seven education marketing managers are now in place in British Columbia's trade and investment offices in China, India, Korea, and Japan, with additional positions engaged on the international education file in B.C.'s United States and European Union offices.

• This network supports the international education sector by promoting B.C.'s competitive advantages to potential students, identifying and co-ordinating partnerships between B.C. institutions and international organizations, and participating in missions and trade shows.
• The education marketing managers visited B.C. educational institutions throughout the province this spring as part of an orientation tour. Co-ordinated by the British Columbia Council for International Education, the week-long mission included school visits and roundtables involving the University of British Columbia, Simon Fraser University, British Columbia Institute of Technology, Sprott-Shaw College, and Vancouver and Lower Mainland school districts.

British Columbia's trade and investment representatives from key international markets have made a series of visits and tours throughout the province.

• These road shows allow the international representatives, who are based in priority markets throughout Asia, Europe and the United States, to build partnerships and relationships with B.C. businesses and communities in key regions and sectors, including natural gas, mining, biomass and technology.
• During the autumn 2012 road show, the trade and investment representatives held a variety of meetings and site tours across Vancouver and the Lower Mainland.

A series of workshops for local leaders has been developed to provide participants with training related to a full range of economic development activities in their communities, including attracting investment and supporting new and existing ventures.

• The workshops are designed for elected local government and First Nation officials and their staff.
• A Lower Mainland local leaders workshop, facilitated by the Economic Development Association of B.C., was held in Chilliwack in February of 2013.

The Province has also invested in new or upgraded skills training equipment at post-secondary institutions in the region, including $1.4 million for Vancouver Community College, $1.5 million to BCIT, over $730,000 to Kwantlen Polytechnic University and $620,000 to the University of the Fraser Valley.

Contact:

Media Relations
Ministry of Jobs, Tourism and Skills Training
250 387-2799