BC politics

Construction of an office and residential building in Victoria in 2019. B.C. kept construction going during the COVID-19 pandemic and has avoided retail and restaurant restrictions seen elsewhere in Canada. (Tom Fletcher/Black Press)

B.C. unemployment rate climbs as COVID-19 drags on

Recovery stalled here, going backwards in Ontario, Quebec

Construction of an office and residential building in Victoria in 2019. B.C. kept construction going during the COVID-19 pandemic and has avoided retail and restaurant restrictions seen elsewhere in Canada. (Tom Fletcher/Black Press)
Businesses continue to struggle under COVID-19 restrictions on gatherings. (B.C. government)

B.C. offers $7,500 grants for small business online sales help

Applications open for $12 million COVID-19 relief fund

Businesses continue to struggle under COVID-19 restrictions on gatherings. (B.C. government)
Vehicle damaged in accident in the Castlegar region, October 2020. (Castlegar Fire Department photo)

ICBC paying out COVID-19 rebates in March, averaging $190

Refunds come from $600 million savings from fewer claims

Vehicle damaged in accident in the Castlegar region, October 2020. (Castlegar Fire Department photo)
Isaiah Sheppard, 7, sits inside an oversized football helmet at the NFL Experience for Super Bowl LV Friday, Jan. 29, 2021, in Tampa, Fla. Tampa Bay Buccaneers host defending champion Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)

Super Bowl ‘a rare profitable day’ for B.C. pubs, owners say

Industry group calls for clarity on COVID-19 rules

Isaiah Sheppard, 7, sits inside an oversized football helmet at the NFL Experience for Super Bowl LV Friday, Jan. 29, 2021, in Tampa, Fla. Tampa Bay Buccaneers host defending champion Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)
NDP Leader John Horgan is given a tour of the store during a campaign stop at 88 Supermarket in Vancouver, Oct. 1, 2020. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck

B.C. political parties reap more millions from public subsidy

NDP, B.C. Liberals, Greens get half of election expenses back

NDP Leader John Horgan is given a tour of the store during a campaign stop at 88 Supermarket in Vancouver, Oct. 1, 2020. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck
RCMP officers provide policing for 63 B.C. municipalities under a provincial formula based on population. (Black Press file photo)

B.C. communities warned of upcoming RCMP unionization costs

Starting salaries for city police officers are 30% higher

RCMP officers provide policing for 63 B.C. municipalities under a provincial formula based on population. (Black Press file photo)
A woman types on her laptop in Miami in a Monday, Dec. 12, 2016, photo illustration. THE CANADIAN PRESS/AP/Wilfredo Lee

British Columbia government lax on cybersecurity practices, auditor reports

The audit did not highlight a specific threat, but it found breaches in cybersecurity are increasing globally

A woman types on her laptop in Miami in a Monday, Dec. 12, 2016, photo illustration. THE CANADIAN PRESS/AP/Wilfredo Lee
Cranbrook Food Bank coordinator Deanna Kemperman, Potluck Cafe Society executive director Naved Noorani and Sunshine Coast Community Services Society executive director Catherine Leach join B.C.’s new Municipal Affairs Minister Josie Osborne on a video call about B.C. gaming grants, Jan. 19, 2021. (B.C. government)

B.C. gaming grants reorganized for COVID-19 priorities

Minister highlights community kitchens, food banks

Cranbrook Food Bank coordinator Deanna Kemperman, Potluck Cafe Society executive director Naved Noorani and Sunshine Coast Community Services Society executive director Catherine Leach join B.C.’s new Municipal Affairs Minister Josie Osborne on a video call about B.C. gaming grants, Jan. 19, 2021. (B.C. government)
Island Health chief medical officer Dr. Richard Stanwick receives a first dose of Pfizer vaccine, Dec. 22, 2020. (B.C. government)

B.C. turns to second doses of COVID-19 vaccine as supplies slow

Pfizer shipments down until February, to be made up in March

Island Health chief medical officer Dr. Richard Stanwick receives a first dose of Pfizer vaccine, Dec. 22, 2020. (B.C. government)
Powell River-Sunshine Coast MLA Nicholas Simons was appointed to the NDP cabinet as minister of social development and poverty reduction after the October 2020 B.C. election. (Hansard TV)

B.C. job training fund increased for developmentally disabled

COVID-19 has affected 1,100 ‘precariously employed’ people

Powell River-Sunshine Coast MLA Nicholas Simons was appointed to the NDP cabinet as minister of social development and poverty reduction after the October 2020 B.C. election. (Hansard TV)
B.C. driver’s licence and identity cards incorporate medical services, but the passport option for land crossings is being phased out. (B.C. government)

B.C. abandons border ID cards built into driver’s licence

$35 option costing ICBC millions as demand dwindles

B.C. driver’s licence and identity cards incorporate medical services, but the passport option for land crossings is being phased out. (B.C. government)
Kamloops-South Thompson MLA Todd Stone questions the NDP government in the B.C. legislature, Feb. 25, 2020. (Hansard TV)

Todd Stone says he’s not running for B.C. Liberal leadership

Kamloops MLA was widely viewed as a front-runner

Kamloops-South Thompson MLA Todd Stone questions the NDP government in the B.C. legislature, Feb. 25, 2020. (Hansard TV)
B.C. Premier John Horgan on a conference call with religious leaders from his B.C. legislature office, Nov. 18, 2020. (B.C. government)

B.C. considers provincial COVID-19 bubble as visitors come in

Horgan skeptical on bending Canada’s freedom of movement

B.C. Premier John Horgan on a conference call with religious leaders from his B.C. legislature office, Nov. 18, 2020. (B.C. government)
Slack line provides thrills and views at Skaha Bluffs Park in the South Okanagan. (Penticton Western News)

Historic ranches, waterfront, trapline part of B.C.’s latest park expansion

Land worth $9.7 million bought or donated to preserve ecosystems

Slack line provides thrills and views at Skaha Bluffs Park in the South Okanagan. (Penticton Western News)
Condo construction in Victoria. Property values have continued to rise in most areas of B.C. in the past year. (Tom Fletcher/Black Press)

B.C. takes over homeowner grant applications, raises eligibility

Online system to open once property tax notices are out

Condo construction in Victoria. Property values have continued to rise in most areas of B.C. in the past year. (Tom Fletcher/Black Press)
B.C. housing starts were up 16 per cent in 2019, with lack of supply identified as a key element of B.C. urban home prices and rents that are among the highest in Canada. (Vernon Morning Star)

Speculation tax doesn’t slow B.C.’s hot housing market

$88 million raised mostly from foreign owners in 2019

B.C. housing starts were up 16 per cent in 2019, with lack of supply identified as a key element of B.C. urban home prices and rents that are among the highest in Canada. (Vernon Morning Star)
Cheslatta Carrier Nation received a grant in 2020 to help cover the costs of shipping fire-damaged trees to a pellet plant or bioenergy facility. (Forest Enhancement Society of B.C.)

B.C. pellet contract with Japanese giant extended past 2023

Mitsubishi buying 80,000 tonnes a year from Pinnacle

Cheslatta Carrier Nation received a grant in 2020 to help cover the costs of shipping fire-damaged trees to a pellet plant or bioenergy facility. (Forest Enhancement Society of B.C.)
Pattullo Bridge replacement is one of a group of major construction projects due to begin in B.C. with union-only labour. (Black Press Media)

LETTER: Compulsory trades training for B.C. apprentices makes sense

B.C. Building Trades women’s group endorses NDP’s move

  • Jan 7, 2021
Pattullo Bridge replacement is one of a group of major construction projects due to begin in B.C. with union-only labour. (Black Press Media)
Patient prepared for operation at Cambie Surgery Centre in Vancouver, 2016. The B.C. government has contracted for surgeries in private clinics as well as adding hospital capacity to catch up on 30,000 procedures to prepare for COVID-19 cases in the medical system. (The Canadian Press)

B.C. surgery wait list getting shorter after COVID-19 disruption

Medical staff added after wait times doubled for some

Patient prepared for operation at Cambie Surgery Centre in Vancouver, 2016. The B.C. government has contracted for surgeries in private clinics as well as adding hospital capacity to catch up on 30,000 procedures to prepare for COVID-19 cases in the medical system. (The Canadian Press)
Maintenance on the Trans Mountain pipeline, which has run from Alberta to B.C. and Washington since 1954. B.C.’s apprenticeship training system involves traditional trades such as pipefitter, electrician and carpenter, as well as cooking, aircraft maintenance and other skills. (Trans Mountain photo)

‘Compulsory trades’ next battleground for B.C. industry

NDP aims to end B.C.’s 2003 move to workplace ‘flexibility’

Maintenance on the Trans Mountain pipeline, which has run from Alberta to B.C. and Washington since 1954. B.C.’s apprenticeship training system involves traditional trades such as pipefitter, electrician and carpenter, as well as cooking, aircraft maintenance and other skills. (Trans Mountain photo)