Capital Report ~ May 25, 2007
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Premier Gordon Campbell and David Emerson, Minister of International Trade, celebrate with young athletes the announcement of $110 million in federal/provincial funding for three 2010 Olympic Winter Games legacy sites.

Fund Ensures Legacies for British Columbia and Canada

Premier Gordon Campbell and the Honourable David Emerson, Minister of International Trade and Minister for the Pacific Gateway and the Vancouver-Whistler Olympics, announced this week how the jointly funded $110-million Games Operating Trust will ensure the 2010 Winter Games venues in the Richmond and Whistler areas leave lasting legacies.

Established as a source of funding to support the operating and capital maintenance of the Richmond Speed Skating Oval, the Whistler Sliding Centre and the Whistler Nordic Competition venue before and after the 2010 Winter Games, the Games Operating Trust was initially proposed as part of the signing of the Multiparty Agreement. Beyond maintaining and operating the facilities, the trust will also support the continued development of high-performance sport through the operating budgets of the legacy facilities.

As a result of the early planning, the trust has accumulated significant additional income from the Provincial and Federal investments and has grown to $133.6 million as of March 31, 2007.

Click for more information.

Province Launches Toll-Free Flood Information Line

 Premier Gordon Campbell announced this week that British Columbia is partnering with the Canadian Red Cross to operate a toll-free flood information line to provide the public with up-to-date information on the flood situation throughout the province.

The information line was activated May 22 and will initially operate from 12 p.m. until 8 p.m., with the hours of operation will be extended as needed. Multi-lingual service will be available. The flood information number is 1-888-350-6070.

The call centre will be based out of the Red Cross B.C. Disaster Response Centre in Burnaby. This state-of-the-art facility holds the TELUS Red Cross Call Centre, which is capable of running 44 call lines and handling up to 10,000 calls a day. TELUS donated the cutting-edge call centre technology to the Red Cross. The Province will cover costs associated with this service such as long distance charges and meals for Red Cross volunteers working the phone lines.

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B.C. Invests $14 Million to Improve Parks

The B.C. Government is investing close to $14 million this year to upgrade BC Parks infrastructure to improve the camping and day-use experience for park visitors.

To make the province’s world-class parks system better than ever before, the B.C. Government has made a capital investment of more than $65 million over the past three years (2004-07) to improve park facilities and acquire new lands.

Since 2001, the provincial government has established 46 new parks, 65 conservancies, one ecological reserve and eight protected areas, and expanded more than 50 parks, three conservancies and six ecological reserves, protecting more than 800,000 hectares. Today, 13.8 per cent (or more than 13 million hectares) of British Columbia land is protected – more than any other province in Canada.

Click for more information.

 

Monday, May 28, 2007
Claude Richmond, MLA for Kamloops, will be featured on Constituency Report on Shaw Cable 11 in Kamloops and Falkland from 4:00-4:30pm.

Tuesday, May 29, 2007
Stan Hagen, MLA for Comox Valley and Minister of Tourism, Sport and the Arts, will be featured on Constituency Report on Campbell River TV 10 from 4:30-5:00pm.

Ron Cantelon, MLA for Nanaimo-Parksville, will be featured on Constituency Report on Shaw Cable 4 in Nanaimo/Parksville from 4:30-5:00pm.

Claude Richmond, MLA for Kamloops, will be featured on Constituency Report on Shaw Cable 11 in Kamloops and Falkland from 6:00-6:30pm.

Thursday, May 31, 2007
Stan Hagen, MLA for Comox Valley and Minister of Tourism, Sport and the Arts, will be featured on Constituency Report on Campbell River TV 10 from 9:00-9:30am.

Ron Cantelon, MLA for Nanaimo-Parksville, will be featured on Constituency Report on Shaw Cable 4 in Nanaimo/Parksville from 9:00-9:30am. 

Quotes This Week

“Anything is fantastic, but this is beyond wonderful. When you think about all those little schools, all those rural schools, all the schools in less-affluent neighbourhoods, it just opens the doors for everybody. It means kids will be active, be outdoors, be physical, and on safe, new equipment. That is amazing.”
Trish Bella, a Prince George parent, on the B.C. Government's announcement this week that it would contribute $4 million toward upgrading playgrounds throughout the province. Prince George Citizen, May 25, 2007.

“After four of five years increasing consumer growth, we’re seeing stores expanding and improving their facilities.”
Dave Hobden, economist with the Credit Union Central of B.C., commenting on the continued strength of the British Columbia economy. Vancouver Sun, May 25, 2007.

“The VCEC recorded a 25-per-cent increase over last fiscal year. In total, we brought in about 174,000 non-resident delegate days – up more than 34,000 from last year.”
Barbara Maple, Vancouver Convention & Exhibition Centre President, discussing the growth in traffic and business. Vancouver Sun, May 16, 2007.


Did You Know?
  • Standard & Poor's has upgraded British Columbia's credit rating to AAA, the agency's highest rating.

  • B.C.'s Grade 12 students will soon be able to take advantage of free tutoring for seven additional subjects through LearnNow BC, the Province's virtual school. 

  • The B.C. government is contributing $335,000 to the BC Conservation Foundation (BCCF) to support its work to document fish and wildlife populations.

  • The current and proposed value of major BC construction projects has climbed 37% in the last year for an amazing total of $124.2 billion. 
    • © 2007 Government Caucus of British Columbia. All Rights Reserved.