An additional $80 million in provincial funds is being made available to help farmers hit hard by drought conditions.

B.C. government officials said the money will let farmers upgrade their irrigation systems to be more efficient and to build infrastructure to improve water availability and storage.

“Last year, our province faced an unprecedented lack of rain, and this winter we’re seeing snow levels are at remarkable lows, meaning next summer might be even worse,” said Premier David Eby.

“Our government heard the call for help from farmers. This money will help build water storage and buy the equipment farmers tell us they need to keep providing the food we all depend on.”

The money comes from the Agricultural Water Infrastructure Program which launched in June 2023, with an initial $20 million.

The funds have already assisted one-hundred and eight projects, and the province expects hundreds more farmers to get support from the additional announcement.

Provincial officials said they expect these projects to help food production sustainability, while also benefiting stream flows and fish populations across B.C.

Applications for smaller-scale on-farm projects will begin in early April, while applications for larger farm projects and more complex community-based projects will open in May.

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The B.C. government is launching an at-home screening program that will test for cervical cancer.

Provincial officials said it’s the first of its kind in Canada.

Cervical cancer is the fourth most common cancer in women globally and 99 per cent of cervical cancers are caused by high-risk HPV.

“Whereas pap tests detect changes to the cells of the cervix that have been caused by HPV, HPV testing can detect the presence of high-risk types of HPV before cell changes have occurred,” said Dr. Gina Ogilvie, Tier 1 Canada research chair in global control of HPV-related diseases and prevention, University of British Columbia, and affiliate scientist, BC Cancer in a release.

“Cervix self-screening is not only more effective, but also safe and easy and will help us prevent many unnecessary deaths.”

Premier David Eby said it will make it easier to get tests as many women avoid pap tests for multiple reasons.

“This more accurate, comfortable and convenient way to test will encourage more women, and vulnerable populations like trans people, across the province to get screened, including in more rural and remote communities. By working together, we can eliminate deadly cervical cancer in B.C. in the next decade.”

Those aged 25-69 will be able to order a kit starting on Jan. 29.

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The B.C. government is stressing the importance of post-secondary education as one million new job openings are expected by 2033.

Provincial officials said the labour market outlook for 2023 shows that 75 per cent of those new jobs will require some form of post-secondary education or training.

“With nearly one million job openings on the horizon, it is essential that we are focused on building and fostering a skilled workforce for these in-demand jobs,” said Brenda Bailey, Minister of Jobs, Economic Development and Innovation in a release.

“We are investing in people and businesses by developing a skilled workforce that allows people to have good jobs in the communities they love.”

The government has also launched the Find Your Path digital tool which helps map out your education to find the best way to get into the occupation you want.

Provincial officials said they will be continuing to improve access to post-secondary education.

This includes building on the extra seats for nurses and doctors they’ve announced over the past few years.

The full labour market outlook for 2023 can be found here.

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The B.C. government is introducing new legislation to help internationally trained residents work in their field.

If approved, the legislation will target 29 professions including social work, early childhood education and veterinarians.

“Skilled professionals from around the world move to B.C. hoping to put their skills to good use, but instead face huge obstacles and an often-confusing process to get their credentials recognized,” said Premier David Eby in a release.

“With the skills shortage we have in this province, we cannot afford to leave anyone on the sidelines. That’s why we’re taking action to close the gaps in the system so people can get to work faster, fill in-demand jobs and provide much-needed services to people in B.C.”

The new legislation will require regulatory bodies to remove barriers in those 29 professions.

This includes removing redundant language testing, setting caps for maximum processing times, and requiring credential-assessment information to be available online.

The full list of professions can be found here.

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The B.C. government is looking to speed up housing developments by streamlining the permit process.

The single housing application service is a one-stop shop that will eliminate the need for multiple permitting applications across different ministries.

“People in our province deserve a decent place to live they can actually afford to rent or buy, but a chronic housing shortage and long permit approval times are frustrating that achievable goal,” said Premier David Eby in a release.

“Our government is taking action. We’re making it easier and faster to get provincial permits to build new homes, and offering financial support for people who could build a suite they can rent out at more affordable rates. We’ve got lots to do, which is why we’re focusing on initiatives like these that make a real and tangible difference for thousands of families.”

According to the B.C. government, it should reduce permit timelines by two months.

The province is also launching the secondary suite incentive program.

The pilot program is set to launch in the spring and will provide approximately 3,000 homeowners with forgivable loans of up to $40,000 to create a new secondary suite or accessory dwelling unit on their property.

“We’ve heard from a lot of homeowners that they would love to create a rental suite on their property, but find the process to build and manage one confusing and time-consuming,” said Ravi Kahlon, Minister of Housing.

“Our new Home Suite Home guide and secondary suite pilot program will clearly and concisely provide homeowners with the information they need to make an informed choice on whether adding a rental unit is right for them.”

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To support survivors of sexual assault, the province is updating the standards for police investigations.

The new standards will apply to every police officer in B.C.

It will require officers to work together with victim-services workers to recognize the individual’s needs when they first report a sexual assault.

There will also be supervisory oversight during investigations to ensure police are responsive, trauma-informed and impartial.

“All survivors deserve fair and empathetic treatment after they have experienced the trauma of sexual assault,” said Mike Farnworth, Minister of Public Safety and Solicitor General in a release.

“New policing standards and investments in sexual assault programs will empower survivors to decide how they want their case to proceed, shield them from further harm and connect them with services for a pathway to healing.”

To support this, the government is also giving annual funding for 68 new sexual assault programs.

This will include five regional sexual assault centres.

While the government hasn’t said the location for the new programs, $1,103,885 will be spread between 10 service providers in the Okanagan-Kootenay region.

The funding will start this month and the new police standards will be rolled out in 2024 to allow police and police boards to implement the requirements.

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Businesses and organizations in B.C. have until December to comply with new plastic waste regulations from the provincial government.

The regulations cover disposable food service accessories, plastic bags, food service packaging made of polystyrene foam and oxo-degradable plastics.

The B.C. government is calling it the Single-Use and Plastic Waste Prevention Regulation.

“Focusing on hard-to-recycle single-use and plastic items will help move B.C. to a circular economy where waste and pollution are eliminated, products and materials are kept in the economy through re-use, and natural systems are regenerated,” said George Heyman, Minister of Environment and Climate Change Strategy in a release.

Provincial officials said the requirements will start to come into effect in December, but no exact date has been given.

They said this will give businesses and the public six months to get educated on the changes.

The Single-Use and Plastic Waste Prevention Regulation can be viewed here.

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After increased fire activity over the weekend, the province has decided to ban all Category 1 burns across B.C. except for the Haida Gwaii region.

It will be effective today at 3 p.m. Pacific Time.

This means all campfires will be banned for the foreseeable future.

Category 2 and 3 burns were previously banned which included the use of fireworks, burn barrels and larger brush fires.

Provincial officials said fire activity was very active over the weekend.

There are 311 active wildfires burning in the province, while 115 wildfires were started over the weekend.

However, there are no evacuation alerts or orders in place in the Southeast Fire Centre.

The province is mulling over enacting a provincial state of emergency.

“While the Wildfire Act already enables all the legislative tools required for us to access resources for fighting wildfires, we continue to closely monitor wildfire and drought conditions and impacts across B.C. to determine if other measures might be required,” said Bowinn Ma, Minister of Emergency Management and Climate Readiness in a release.

“We will continue to take actions to keep people and communities safe.”

Residents are asked to be prepared for evacuations by having grab-and-go bags ready and to reduce water use.

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The cost of replacing infrastructure to withstand climate-related disasters is a top concern for western premiers.

B.C. Premier David Eby met with other premiers in Whistler yesterday to discuss issues facing provinces in Western Canada.

Eby said wildfires and flooding are becoming more frequent and it’s causing a strain on trade routes between provinces.

He said they need to work together to find solutions on how to keep goods moving smoothly.

“The key discussion around the table in terms of barriers to trade really focused on the transportation and logistics issues of getting goods to market and making sure there is access to international markets,” said Eby.

“The discussion was very constructive. We’re going to continue to work together to identify ways that we can ensure that there are strong trade corridors.”

The premiers are calling on the federal government to boost infrastructure funding.

The conference also discussed other issues including climate change, cost of living and public safety.

Alberta Premier Danielle Smith, Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe, Manitoba Premier Heather Stefanson, Yukon Premier Ranj Pillai, Nunavut Premier P.J. Akeeagok and Northwest Territories Premier Caroline Cochrane took part in the talks.

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The province is spending $7.8 million in an effort to reduce abuse in organized sports.

The money will be used to develop an independent process for reporting and responding to abuse in accredited sports organizations.

The process will be developed by the organization viaSport.

Provincial officials said implementing a third-party service provider will allow sports organizations to focus on programs, instead of managing their own complaints systems.

“Everyone deserves to have positive experiences in sport so they can benefit from the incredible power of active living, and improve physical and mental well-being,” said Lana Popham, Minister of Tourism, Arts, Culture and Sport in a release.

“Since 2019, we have been working with viaSport to advance the safe sport culture in B.C. The sector has asked for more support, and we are now ready to take this important step to increase protection, accountability and awareness for all participants.”

According to the B.C. government, it will also make it easier for people to know where to seek help.

ViaSport will also be bolstering the PlaySafe BC program which increases awareness of accepted and expected behaviours.

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