Compassionate Care Leave Protects Workers

British Columbians who need to provide care for gravely ill loved ones will benefit from recently introduced legislation that provides greater employment protection.

• Amendments to the Employee Standards Act will give an employee who requests time away from their job up to eight weeks of unpaid leave to provide care or support to an immediate family member who is terminally ill.
• The Act previously provided job protection for pregnancy, parental, family-related and bereavement leave as well as for jury duty.
• Most provinces offer similar benefits.  Alberta and the Northwest Territories are the only jurisdictions that do not provide compassionate care leave.

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Grants Help Communities Target Domestic Violence

One million dollars is being directed to target domestic violence, announced Community Services Minister Ida Chong on International Women’s Day.

• The Community Action Grants are designed to increase domestic violence awareness and prevention projects, with priority given to those that address safety for Aboriginal Women.
• The projects represent innovative and collaborative solutions for women’s safety and the prevention of domestic violence.
• More than 70 communities received funding, spread over 53 different organizations.

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B.C., Canada Sign Kicking Horse Highway Agreement

An agreement has been signed between the Governments of Canada and British Columbia to upgrade sections of the Kicking Horse Highway.

• Under the agreement, the Government of Canada will contribute up to $62.5 million, while the B.C. Government will provide the rest of the funding for the estimated $130 million project.
• The improvements include replacing the Park (10-Mile) Bridge, upgrading approach curves and the construction and realignment of over 5 km of new four-lane highway east of Golden.
• The projects represents Phase 2 of British Columbia’s improvements to the 25 km section of the Trans-Canada Highway between the Highway 95 junction at Golden and the western Boundary of Yoho National Park.

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Cheakamus River Restoration Update

Following the CN Rail derailment on August 5, 2005, the Ministry of Environment worked with stakeholders to determine strategies and options for re-introducing all affected species as fast as possible.

• The Ministry of Environment is proceeding with proven habitat enhancement techniques to replenish the steelhead population.
• Hatchery-raised pink salmon are currently being released into the Cheakamus as part of the recovery effort.
• Based on other systems impacted by spills and natural disasters, the Ministry believes that habitat enhancement will allow the river to fully recover within 15 years.

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Province Reaches Agreements with First Nations

Two First Nations and an Aboriginal band have signed agreements this past week with the B.C. Government.

• The Yale First Nation signed an Agreement-in-Principle under the B.C. treaty process.  The treaty was the sixth agreement of its kind signed since 2003.
• The Lhoosk’uz Dene (Kluskus) Nation has negotiated two forestry agreements that provide access to up to 548,000 cubic metres of timber and $445,000.
• The Red Bluff Band signed two forestry agreements that provide access to 285,000 cubic metres of timber and $325,000.

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