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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.
  Read More

Second hospital, new cancer centre breaks ground in Surrey

September 12, 2023 10:55 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.
  Read More

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

Chinese communities connected to services on Weibo

August 16, 2023 8:00 AM
British Columbians now have more options to access government information and services with the recent launch of the Province’s verified account on Weibo, which removes barriers for English learners whose primary language is simplified Chinese.
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Stronger services will support healthy communities in northern B.C.

August 18, 2023 8:30 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

New programs, police standards support sexual assault survivors

July 24, 2023 10:45 AM
Stable funding for sexual assault programs, as well as the establishment of new policing standards for responding to sexual assaults, will respect and support the diverse needs of survivors and ensure more effective investigations.
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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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Attorney General

Election Act amendments provide increased voter accessibility

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Honourable Niki Sharma

Honourable Niki Sharma

Honourable Niki Sharma

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Email: AG.Minister@gov.bc.ca

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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Election Act amendments provide increased voter accessibility

https://news.gov.bc.ca/08099

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Tuesday, March 24, 2015 10:20 AM

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Tuesday, March 24, 2015 10:20 AM

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Bill 20, the Election Amendment Act, was introduced to the House today by Attorney General and Minister of Justice Suzanne Anton.

If passed, the amendments would provide for increased voter accessibility and participation as well as addressing other financial, administrative and communications processes that have been identified by government and by the province’s Chief Electoral Officer (CEO).

The amendments introduced today that respond to the recommendations of the CEO include:

  • Removing the requirement for a leadership contestant who is acclaimed and who has neither raised nor spent any funds to file a financing report.
  • Permitting constituency associations to incur election expenses on behalf of a candidate throughout the campaign period, rather than being restricted to the first 10 days of a campaign period as the act currently requires.
  • Making consistent identification requirements for all individuals who vouch for another person who applies to register to vote in conjunction with voting. Currently, family members of applicants are not required to produce identity documents.
  • Requiring election officials to provide voter turnout information to candidates during advance voting and general voting. Currently, candidate representatives can observe voting proceedings at polling places and track voter turnout. However, there is no authority for election officials to provide this information directly to candidates.

Other amendments introduced today include:

  • Adding two more days of advance voting, i.e. the Saturday and Sunday prior to the existing Wednesday-Saturday advance voting days.
  • Removing all references in the act to the 60-day pre-campaign period. That period has not applied to third-party election advertising sponsors since the B.C. Supreme Court struck the provisions down in 2009. However, it still applies to political parties and candidates.
  • Permitting candidates, political parties and constituency associations to send social media messages on general voting day that have the sole purpose of encouraging voters to vote in the election.
  • Requiring the CEO to provide a list of voters to registered political parties after an election that indicates which voters voted in that election.
  • Expanding the scope of fundraising expenses that do not count towards the election expense limits for political parties and candidates.

Additional related amendments that are necessary to accommodate the new earlier days of advance voting include:

  • Setting the closed period of registration as beginning the day after an election is called, rather than on the 8th day after an election is called;
  • Shortening the deadline for candidates to file their nomination papers from the current 10th day of the campaign period to the 7th day; and
  • Removing the requirement of the CEO to produce a preliminary voters list and a revised voters list during the campaign period. Instead, the CEO would produce a single list as soon as possible after the start of the campaign period. Voters who are not on the voters list by the start of the campaign period could still register in conjunction with voting at either advance voting or on general voting day.

Bill 20 also contains a consequential amendment that would repeal sections of a miscellaneous statutes bill passed by the Legislature in 2012. The amendments were government’s second set of legislative changes to regulate spending during a pre-campaign period. They were not supported by the court and so they were never brought into force; however, they remain on the books.

If passed, the legislation would be brought into force upon Royal Assent this spring.

Media Contacts:

Ministry of Justice
Government Communications and Public Engagement
250 208-0618

https://news.gov.bc.ca/08099

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