Office of the PremierOffice of the Premier
BC Hydro will construct approximately $1 billion worth of capital projects in Chilliwack, Abbotsford, Mission, Hope and Harrison Hot Springs over the next decade to upgrade and expand the electricity grid to provide clean power for homes, businesses and growing transportation needs.
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Agriculture and FoodB.C. farmers are getting help with adopting new labour-saving technologies that will enhance their profitability, productivity and efficiency, while helping to improve food security in the province.
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Attorney GeneralNominations for the honorary designation of King’s Counsel (KC) for 2024 will open on Monday, Aug. 12, 2024.
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Children and Family DevelopmentFrom Indigenous Services Canada: https://www.newswire.ca/news-releases/sts-ailes-canada-and-b-c-celebrate-coordination-agreement-to-support-child-and-family-services-833129120.html
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Citizens' ServicesAs part of British Columbia’s ongoing work to protect government information systems, the Province is entering an agreement with the Government of Canada to enhance collaboration with the Canadian Centre for Cyber Security (Cyber Centre).
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Education and Child Care
Families in Surrey will have 915 more elementary seats in their community as part of the B.C. government’s plan to expand schools quicker.
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Emergency Management and Climate Readiness
To help keep people safe and informed during emergencies, the Province is providing funding to communities in B.C. to improve planning for emergency evacuation routes and public notifications.
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Energy, Mines and Low Carbon Innovation
BC Hydro will construct approximately $1 billion worth of capital projects in Chilliwack, Abbotsford, Mission, Hope and Harrison Hot Springs over the next decade to upgrade and expand the electricity grid to provide clean power for homes, businesses and growing transportation needs.
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Environment and Climate Change StrategyFinance
B.C.’s First Quarterly Report shows the Province supported growing communities while responding to a major wildfire season, high interest rates across the country and global economic challenges.
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Forests
New support for forest-sector manufacturers throughout the province will create jobs, strengthen local economies and promote the transition to high-value, made-in-B.C. forestry products.
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Health
Patients in Kamloops now have improved access to services as upgrades at the Royal Inland Hospital (RIH) are complete, including enhancements to the post-anesthetic recovery (PAR) unit, pediatric unit and ambulance stretcher bays.
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Housing
Indigenous people on and off reserve in B.C. will have access to approximately 1,600 new affordable rental homes through partnerships between the Province, through BC Housing, and Indigenous non-profit housing providers.
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Indigenous Relations and ReconciliationThe Coastal First Nations-Great Bear Initiative (CFN) and the Government of British Columbia are strengthening their decades-long relationship by renewing their commitment to work together through a reconciliation agreement that builds off the success of their 2009 reconciliation protocol and 2020 Pathway to Reconciliation memorandum of understanding (MOU), to continue to benefit all those who live on the north and central coast.
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Intergovernmental Relations Secretariat
The King Charles III Coronation Medal was awarded to outstanding individuals in British Columbia during a ceremony with the lieutenant governor.
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Jobs, Economic Development and Innovation
New support for forest-sector manufacturers throughout the province will create jobs, strengthen local economies and promote the transition to high-value, made-in-B.C. forestry products.
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LabourConstruction workers can soon say goodbye to unsanitary portable toilets on most construction sites and say hello to cleaner flush toilets.
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Mental Health and Addictions
The Province has launched the Opioid Treatment Access Line to make it faster and easier for people to get life-saving medication to treat opioid-use disorder and get connected to same-day care.
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Municipal AffairsPost-Secondary Education and Future Skills
More people will have the opportunity to train for in-demand careers, such as physical therapists, occupational therapists and midwives, at a new state-of-the-art University of British Columbia (UBC) facility in Surrey.
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Public Safety and Solicitor GeneralPolice in B.C. will soon have more tools to enhance their efforts in protecting children online and strengthen abilities to pursue, disrupt and prosecute offenders.
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Social Development and Poverty Reduction
People facing complex barriers will have better access to employment opportunities with the launch of wraparound services that support the most vulnerable on their path to employment readiness.
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Tourism, Arts, Culture and Sport
Eighteen people in British Columbia are being honoured with the Province’s Medal of Good Citizenship for their extraordinary contributions to their communities.
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Transportation and Infrastructure
Hundreds of new homes and space for amenities such as grocery stores and child care near transit are coming soon as plans for the future site of the Surrey Langley SkyTrain project move forward.
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Water, Land and Resource StewardshipWater has begun to overflow the landslide blocking the Chilcotin River near Farwell Canyon.
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Honourable Mike Farnworth
Public Safety and Solicitor GeneralPolice in B.C. will soon have more tools to enhance their efforts in protecting children online and strengthen abilities to pursue, disrupt and prosecute offenders.
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People and communities will be better protected from structure fires as the provincial government implements legislation to enhance fire safety through an enhanced system of inspections and effective enforcement.
The Fire Safety Act (FSA) replaces the previous Fire Services Act and reflects significant advancements in fire protection and a deeper understanding of fire behaviour since the last substantial update of the Fire Services Act in 1979.
“The Fire Safety Act is a significant step forward in ensuring the safety of all British Columbians,” said Mike Farnworth, Minister of Public Safety and Solicitor General. “This modern legislation provides fire services with the tools they need to improve compliance with fire-safety codes and legislation, ultimately protecting lives, communities and property.”
The FSA introduces enhanced monitoring to identify higher-risk buildings, a penalty system to incentivize owner compliance with fire-safety legislation and the BC Fire and BC Building Codes, and more effective enforcement tools. These updates are crucial for preventing fire-related tragedies and damage in residential, commercial and industrial properties.
The FSA was developed in response to stakeholder feedback and recommendations from a BC Coroners report on the 2012 Lakeland Mills explosion, which recommended penalties for building owners for non-compliance with the BC Fire Code and orders of the fire commissioner.
The FSA requires municipalities and regional districts to designate fire inspectors and fire investigators. Under the FSA, municipalities will operate within a proactive fire-inspection model that focuses on compliance monitoring of higher-risk buildings. In addition, the municipal designated fire investigators will also be responsible for investigating fires. Regional districts will operate within a complaint model. Upon request from a regional district, fire service advisers from the Office of the Fire Commissioner will conduct fire inspections and fire investigations on behalf of the regional district at no cost. However, a regional district with sufficient resources and local expertise may choose to undertake all inspections and investigations within their jurisdiction. This model was determined through extensive collaboration with the Union of B.C. Municipalities (UBCM) and the Office of the Fire Commissioner.
“We are very pleased with the effort shown by the Office of the Fire Commissioner to understand the unique circumstance regional districts face in terms of capacity, expertise and the vast area they cover,” said Trish Mandewo, president, UBCM. “The collaborative process has resulted in a solution that will achieve a single standard of fire safety in the province, while also recognizing these inherent challenges of implementation for regional districts. UBCM is grateful to the members of the working group, and especially for director Al Richmond’s leadership on behalf of regional districts, and the ministries of Public Safety and Solicitor General, and Municipal Affairs for their efforts to reach this strong outcome.”
The FSA establishes the authority for the fire commissioner to issue an administrative monetary penalty to building owners in circumstances of non-compliance, such as non-compliance with a fire-inspector order or a preventive evacuation order of a building. Application of penalties will be focused on serious, repeated or deliberate cases of non-compliance with the FSA.
As of Aug. 1, 2024, there is a one-year transition period before designated inspectors and investigators must meet new training standards. Throughout the fall 2024 and winter 2025, the Office of the Fire Commissioner will work closely with partners to ensure a successful implementation of the FSA requirements.
Quotes:
Brian Godlonton, B.C. fire commissioner –
“Both the risk-based compliance-monitoring model and the reactive model are intended to keep occupants safe from potential fire hazards and prevent fire-related tragedies. I am grateful for the collaboration of UBCM, the Fire Chiefs’ Association of British Columbia and other partners that has allowed us to get to a place where we can achieve a single standard of fire safety throughout the province.”
Dan Derby, president, Fire Chiefs’ Association of British Columbia –
“I am pleased to see the new Fire Safety Act come into effect, providing for the adoption of a risk-based model and additional tools that will help local governments apply their fire-prevention and inspection efforts where the need exists. This new legislation will be key to preventing fires and providing for life safety where the fire risk is highest.”
Todd Schierling, president, British Columbia Professional Fire Fighters’ Association –
“The changes to the Fire Safety Act are a significant step forward in prioritizing public and firefighter safety. They focus on implementing risk-based compliance monitoring and strengthening enforcement measures. The BCPFFA fully supports this approach in effectively upholding and enhancing fire-safety standards, and thanks the provincial government for implementing safeguards to protect the public and fire fighters.”
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