Canada-British Columbia Agreement to Support Renewal of Infrastructure

Premier Gordon Campbell and Prime Minister Stephen Harper, joined by federal Transport Minister Lawrence Cannon, this week signed a federal-provincial agreement under the historic Building Canada Plan that will facilitate the expansion and renewal of British Columbia's transportation infrastructure.

• This funding will allow the Province to invest in roads, bridges, tunnels, ports, public transit and more, including the Pacific Gateway initiative, which is key to ensuring that B.C. and Canada benefit from burgeoning economic activity in the Asia-Pacific region.
• The framework agreement will provide British Columbia with $2.2 billion over seven years.
• British Columbia is the first province to sign on to the new national infrastructure plan.

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Premier Opens $12.3 Million Open Learning Centre

Premier Gordon Campbell officially opened the $12.3-million B.C. Centre for Open Learning, a state-of-the-art building at Thompson Rivers University that is a base to deliver programs for students to complete a post-secondary education throughout the province.

Staff at the B.C. Centre for Open Learning support students throughout B.C. taking open learning courses and programs either online or by traditional print-based distance methods.

• The centre is more than 3,700 square metres and contains video-conferencing rooms, computer data space and offices for up to 180 TRU Open Learning employees.
• More than 15,000 students a year are taking 400 courses in 52 programs through TRU Open Learning.
• Credits are transferable to other post-secondary institutions and students can use prior learning and experience to gain their credentials faster.

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Milestone Agreement Signed With B.C. Doctors

A historic agreement between the provincial government and B.C.’s doctors has been signed, providing an opportunity for improvement in value to the health system and patient care.

The new Physician Master Agreement supports the Province's long-term working relationship with physicians across the province through the BC Medical Association. Some of the provisions of the agreement are:

• A long-term agreement with the BCMA ending in 2012.
• Enhanced health authority involvement in decision-making.
• Improved collaboration and accountability to support integrated patient-centered care and value for money.
• Mechanisms to lessen the likelihood of interruptions in services.

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