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close menu Office of the Premier

B.C. moves to increase housing supply, deliver more homes faster

September 18, 2023 9:00 AM
Creating more homes for people
New measures are coming to B.C. that will help create more housing as the Province speeds up permitting and helps build more secondary suites for rent.
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New vision connects rural B.C. to a stronger future

September 22, 2023 11:55 AM
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close menu Agriculture and Food

XY Ranch celebrates 100 years of raising livestock

August 4, 2023 1:15 PM
The Bouffioux family of Fort St. John is being honoured with a Century Farm Award, recognizing its contribution and dedication to agriculture in British Columbia since 1916. 
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B.C., Canada help farmers with climate adaptation, drought

August 2, 2023 2:00 PM
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close menu Attorney General

Sixty-eight organizations receive grants to help shape anti-racism legislation

July 27, 2023 8:00 AM
Sixty-eight organizations receive grants to help shape anti-racism legislation
Racialized people can now share their perspectives in culturally safe spaces as 68 organizations across B.C. receive more than $300,000 to engage community members on the development of new anti-racism legislation.
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New chair appointed to Building Code Appeal Board

August 24, 2023 8:30 AM
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close menu Children and Family Development

Vancouver Island camp expansion will serve more children with disabilities

July 20, 2023 10:15 AM
Vancouver Island camp expansion will serve more children with disabilities
More children and youth with disabilities will be able to go to camp thanks in part to a $7-million grant from the Province of B.C.
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Newly named SAJE supports offer youth in care a stronger path to adulthood

May 30, 2023 10:30 AM
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More grant recipients promoting BC Demographic Survey

August 25, 2023 11:15 AM
More grant recipients promoting BC Demographic Survey
More community and Indigenous groups are receiving grants to help their communities participate in the BC Demographic Survey. 
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High-speed broadband access expanded to 6 Kootenay communities

August 3, 2023 10:00 AM
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close menu Education and Child Care

Elementary school expansion provides more classrooms for Nanaimo students

September 11, 2023 9:15 AM
École Hammond Bay Elementary
Students have more space for learning at École Hammond Bay Elementary this fall after the completion of an expansion that added 12 new classrooms to the school. 
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Child care savings make returning to school more affordable for more B.C. families

August 31, 2023 1:30 PM
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close menu Emergency Management and Climate Readiness

State of emergency ends, fire response continues

September 14, 2023 3:43 PM
Based on advice from emergency management and wildfire officials, British Columbia’s provincial state of emergency will expire at the end of the day on Thursday, Sept. 14, 2023.
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Financial assistance for local governments, First Nations affected by wildfire

September 6, 2023 1:50 PM
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close menu Energy, Mines and Low Carbon Innovation

Electric planes, motorcycles, boats showcase B.C. clean-transportation innovation

August 2, 2023 8:30 AM
A high-tech revolution is dramatically changing how British Columbia moves people and goods in the air, on the land and over the water, supported by government funding for companies that specialize in inventing and advancing zero-emission vehicle (ZEV) technologies. 
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Columbia River Treaty talks move forward after constructive Seattle session

August 15, 2023 3:08 PM
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close menu Environment and Climate Change Strategy

Province sets single-use plastic requirements

July 14, 2023 11:15 AM
Province sets single-use plastic requirements
A new provincial regulation will expand B.C.’s efforts to tackle hard-to-recycle single-use and plastic items.
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Nuxalk, Kitasoo Xai’xais guardians appointed with park ranger authority

July 25, 2023 2:30 PM
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close menu Finance

Increased BC Family Benefit here to stay

July 18, 2023 10:15 AM
Increased BC Family Benefit here to stay
More than 285,000 families throughout B.C. will see bigger payments in their bank accounts starting this month, thanks to the permanently increased BC Family Benefit.
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Tax-credit lift puts more money in more people’s pockets

July 5, 2023 8:30 AM
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close menu Forests

Use caution, be fire safe this long weekend

August 31, 2023 2:30 PM
Be wildfire safe this long weekend
Residents and travellers are strongly urged to use caution and remain vigilant this Labour Day long weekend as ongoing elevated drought conditions in much of British Columbia increase the potential for wildfires.
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B.C. acts to protect fish in Koksilah, Upper Cowichan rivers

August 24, 2023 11:15 AM
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close menu Health

Second hospital, new cancer centre breaks ground in Surrey

September 12, 2023 10:55 AM
Second hospital, new cancer centre breaks ground in Surrey
People in Surrey are a significant step closer to better access to health care as the Province is breaking ground on a new second hospital in Surrey and new cancer centre.
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BC PharmaCare now covers new drugs for rare diseases

August 18, 2023 12:45 PM
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close menu Housing

B.C. moves to increase housing supply, deliver more homes faster

September 18, 2023 9:00 AM
Creating more homes for people
New measures are coming to B.C. that will help create more housing as the Province speeds up permitting and helps build more secondary suites for rent.
  Read More

Safe housing for women leaving violence opens in Campbell River

September 12, 2023 11:15 AM
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close menu Indigenous Relations and Reconciliation

Annual report updates collective efforts to achieve objectives of UN Declaration

June 28, 2023 12:45 PM
Detailed reporting on progress to improve lives of Indigenous Peoples now available
B.C. is providing detailed reporting about progress to achieve the objectives of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UN Declaration) through the 2022-23 Declaration Act Annual Report.
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Ts’uubaa-asatx, B.C. reach reconciliation goal

July 7, 2023 12:00 PM
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close menu Intergovernmental Relations Secretariat

B.C.’s highest honour recognizes 14 British Columbians

August 7, 2023 6:15 AM
B.C.’s highest honour recognizes 14 British Columbians
Fourteen exceptional people who have made an outstanding provincial, national or international impact will be appointed to the Order of British Columbia, the Province’s highest form of recognition and an official part of the Canadian Honours System.
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Submit a nomination for the Medal of Good Citizenship

July 25, 2023 9:30 AM
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close menu Jobs, Economic Development and Innovation

B.C. supports research to protect coastal ecosystem

August 16, 2023 9:15 AM
B.C. supports research to protect coastal ecosystem
New funding for the University of Victoria’s (UVic) Experimental Ocean Climate Change Lab (EXCEL) will support research on the impact of climate change on the environment and the promotion of resilience and sustainability for B.C.’s marine sector.
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Minister’s statement on July Labour Force Survey results

August 4, 2023 8:40 AM
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close menu Labour

Minimum wage increases to $16.75 per hour on June 1

April 5, 2023 12:30 PM
Minimum wage increases to $16.75 per hour on June 1
On June 1, 2023, B.C.'s lowest-paid workers will get a pay raise with the general minimum wage increasing from $15.65 to $16.75 an hour.
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Work continues around improved protections for app-based workers

August 3, 2023 11:15 AM
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close menu Mental Health and Addictions

B.C. secures measures to ensure families feel safe accessing public spaces

September 14, 2023 9:22 AM
Keeping child-focused spaces safe
To help ensure kids and families feel safe in their communities, the Province has received approval from the federal government to prohibit the possession of illegal drugs at playgrounds, spray pools, wading pools and skate parks.
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New recovery beds will support healthier communities in northern B.C.

September 13, 2023 8:30 AM
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close menu Municipal Affairs

New vision connects rural B.C. to a stronger future

September 22, 2023 11:55 AM
The B.C. government has released StrongerBC: Good Lives in Strong Communities, a new vision that outlines investments to help build a brighter future for rural communities and the people who call them home.
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Children empowered with lifelong learning through reading

September 22, 2023 9:15 AM
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close menu Post-Secondary Education and Future Skills

Provincial Tuition Waiver Program expanded to former youth in care of all ages

September 14, 2023 8:00 AM
Provincial Tuition Waiver Program expanded to former youth in care of all ages
People looking to enrol in post-secondary education, who are former youth in care, will benefit from an expansion of the Provincial Tuition Waiver Program, which has launched for the fall semester.
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Expanded graduate scholarship funding will support students

August 22, 2023 12:00 PM
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close menu Public Safety and Solicitor General

Province provides support to strengthen local fire departments

September 22, 2023 11:37 AM
Three firefighters in dirty gear smile at the camera
Communities throughout British Columbia will see improved emergency response from their local fire departments as the Province provides support to strengthen community firefighting capacity.
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Supports expanding for people in mental-health, substance-use crisis

July 17, 2023 10:15 AM
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close menu Social Development and Poverty Reduction

More people will get nutritious food with new funding

August 24, 2023 10:45 AM
More people will get nutritious food with new funding
People struggling to put food on the table will have better, more reliable access to healthy food with $15 million in funding to Food Banks BC.
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B.C. helps remove barriers for people with disabilities

July 27, 2023 11:15 AM
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close menu Tourism, Arts, Culture and Sport

B.C., viaSport take steps to make amateur sport safer

June 20, 2023 3:00 PM
B.C., viaSport take steps to make amateur sport safer
The Province and viaSport are improving safety in sports by continuing to provide education about safe sport, and by taking steps toward an independent complaints process for B.C.’s amateur sport sector.
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Submit a nomination for the Medal of Good Citizenship

July 25, 2023 9:30 AM
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close menu Transportation and Infrastructure

West Fraser Road reopens after washout in 2018

August 23, 2023 11:15 AM
West Fraser Road reopens
People in the Quesnel area can now travel a recently completed new section of West Fraser Road after the old road washed out in 2018. 
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Highway 4 reopens two full lanes for travel

August 31, 2023 2:15 PM
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close menu Water, Land and Resource Stewardship

B.C. moves to increase housing supply, deliver more homes faster

September 18, 2023 9:00 AM
Creating more homes for people
New measures are coming to B.C. that will help create more housing as the Province speeds up permitting and helps build more secondary suites for rent.
  Read More

Public input will enhance B.C.’s first-ever coastal marine strategy

August 15, 2023 2:00 PM
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Children and Family Development

Focusing on teens during Adoption Awareness Month

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Honourable Mitzi Dean

Honourable Mitzi Dean

Honourable Mitzi Dean

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Email: MCF.Minister@gov.bc.ca

close menu Children and Family Development

Vancouver Island camp expansion will serve more children with disabilities

July 20, 2023 10:15 AM
Vancouver Island camp expansion will serve more children with disabilities
More children and youth with disabilities will be able to go to camp thanks in part to a $7-million grant from the Province of B.C.
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Newly named SAJE supports offer youth in care a stronger path to adulthood

May 30, 2023 10:30 AM
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Children and Family Development

British Columbia News

Focusing on teens during Adoption Awareness Month

https://news.gov.bc.ca/01115

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News Release

Victoria
Sunday, November 6, 2011 8:30 AM

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News Release

Victoria

Sunday, November 6, 2011 8:30 AM

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Featured Topics

  • Call Provincial Centralized Screening if you think a child or youth is being abused or nelected
  • Indigenous Child & Family Development
  • Children & Youth with Support Needs
  • Adoption
  • Fostering

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Throughout November, B.C. celebrates Adoption Awareness Month to acknowledge the many families created through adoption and bring attention to those children and youth who still need the care and love of a permanent family.

As part of the festivities, the Ministry of Children and Family Development is helping promote Expressions of Family, a travelling art gallery put on by the Adoptive Families Association of BC to raise awareness about the need to find more adoptive homes for teens.

The gallery features 14 pieces of artwork from youth, aged 12 to 24. Each tells the story of the artist's adoption and foster care experiences and will tour the province, with stops in Langley, Burnaby, Kelowna and Courtenay. The exhibition officially opens at 12:30 today at the Burnaby Village Museum as part of AFABC's Family Fun Day event.

Teens represent more than 30 per cent of children in government care registered for adoption but average less than 10 per cent of adoptions every year.

Two hundred sixty-three children and youth in government care in B.C. were adopted last year, but 1,200 others are still waiting for a family to call their own. Many children and youth waiting for adoption are Aboriginal and need a family that will help them retain their identity and cultural connections. Some have special needs and require a higher level of care and attention; others are sibling groups and need a home where they can stay together.

For more information on the Expressions of Family art contest or pre- and post-adoption support services, please visit: http://www.bcadopt.com

Anyone interested in learning about adoption in B.C. or adopting a child is encouraged to call 1 877 ADOPT07 (1 877 236-7807) or visit: www.mcf.gov.bc.ca/adoption

A backgrounder follows.

Contacts:

Corinna Filion
Communications Director
Ministry of Children and Family Development
250 812-7977 (cell)

Karen Madeiros
Executive Director
Adoptive Families Association of BC
604 320-7330

BACKGROUNDER

Adoption Awareness Month

The Government of British Columbia has proclaimed November as Adoption Awareness Month. The Ministry of Children and Family Development takes the opportunity to raise awareness about children in care who are waiting for adoptive homes, and to recognize adoption as a valued way to build a family.

Key Facts:

  • Children in permanent care in B.C. may be placed for adoption through the Ministry of Children and Family Development. Permanent care occurs when the courts have determined that the child cannot return to the care of their birth parent(s).
  • For these children, the ministry makes plans for permanency. These plans can include:
    • Adoption (including foster-caregiver adoption: long-term caregivers are encouraged to adopt).
    • Transfer of custody: this transfers custody of a child to someone with a significant tie to the child.
    • Ensuring a child has lifelong connections with significant adults in their lives if adoption or other permanency options are not in the child's best interest.
  • During the past 10 years, on average, 271 children in government care have been adopted annually.
  • Many children available for adoption are school age. They may be siblings who need to stay together. Some may have special placement needs due to difficult early childhood experiences, prenatal exposure to alcohol or drugs, learning delays or other developmental challenges.
  • As culture is essential to a child's positive identity formation and preservation, the ministry strives to place children with families that will preserve a child's ethnic and cultural heritage.
  • The percentage of Aboriginal children being placed with Aboriginal families is on an encouraging trend upward and was 68 per cent in 2010-11 - up from 27 per cent a decade ago.
  • In 2007, the Cowichan Tribes on Vancouver Island became the first delegated Aboriginal agency to handle adoptions in British Columbia. They have since completed 18 adoptions for children in their community.
  • The ministry works with community partners, including the Adoptive Families Association of BC, to increase the number of approved adoption homes for children in care. The Adoptive Families Association is contracted to provide both pre- and post-adoptive support. They also assist with recruitment initiatives such as answering the 1 877 ADOPT-07 phone line.

Post-Adoption Assistance Program:

  • The Post-Adoption Assistance Program supports families in meeting their unique needs and makes adoption possible for many families that, otherwise, would not have the financial means to give a child a home and family.
  • The Post-Adoption Assistance Program supported approximately 1,200 families in British Columbia with a budget of over $18 million in 2010-11 - up from $2 million in 2000-01.

Adoption Reunion Registry:

  • The Adoption Reunion Registry has been in operation since 1991 and is legislated to provide search, intermediary and counselling services to those who have been affected by a B.C. adoption.
  • The registry is available to adopted adults, birth mothers and fathers, siblings of an adopted adult, relatives of an adopted adult and the children or grandchildren of a deceased adopted adult. Adoptees who are searching or being sought must be at least 19 years old.
  • Since 1991, approximately 17,000 applications have been filed with the registry, resulting in approximately 5,000 connections.
  • The registry can be contacted in the Victoria area at 250 387-3660 or toll-free within North America at 1 877 387-3660. The registry website can be found at: http://www.mcf.gov.bc.ca/adoption/reunion/index.htm

Contacts:

Corinna Filion
Communications Director
Ministry of Children and Family Development
250 812-7977 (cell)

Karen Madeiros
Executive Director
Adoptive Families Association of BC
604 320-7330

https://news.gov.bc.ca/01115

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