Premier Unveils New Vision for BC Place & Art Gallery
A major renovation of BC Place Stadium – including a retractable roof after 2010 – will expand the city’s sport, culture and entertainment district. The announced plans include a new home for the Vancouver Whitecaps and will also provide a waterfront site for a new Vancouver Art Gallery.
- Upgrades to BC Place will occur in two phases, with renovations to suites, seating, washrooms and concession stands, and enhancement of the existing roof liner occurring before the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games. A new retractable roof will be put in place after the 2010 Games.
- The retractable roof will cut energy costs for BC Place by one-third - $535,000 – annually, with another $100,000 to be saved each year through operational savings.
- The Province has already contributed $50 million towards the new 320,000 square-foot art gallery.
- Development and the sale or lease of lands around BC Place are expected to generate more than $100 million towards the cost of the new roof and upgrades.
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New Forestry Programs to Support Workers, Committees
Premier Gordon Campbell announced details of three new programs to bring relief and support to forest workers and communities coping with the challenges facing the industry. These programs are the result of months of consultations with affected communities, industry and labour organizations to develop programs that will have the most immediate benefit.
- More than 5,000 forest workers throughout the province will benefit from these programs and services over three years.
- $17.25 million will provide an opportunity for forest workers facing layoff to upgrade their skills, knowledge and education.
- $85.5 million will provide financial assistance to help older forest workers transition to retirement.
- $26.25 million will assist in providing immediate assistance to forest workers and forestry-dependent communities in British Columbia.
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Government Supports Children’s Medical Research
A $12 million grant from the provincial government will support the groundbreaking work of the Children with Intestinal and Liver Disorders (CH.I.L.D.) Foundation to find a cure for children with intestinal and liver disorders such as Crohn’s Disease and Inflammatory Bowel Diseases (I.B.D.). In addition, the Province has also committed $2 million in one-time funding to the Michael Cuccione Foundation to support research into new treatments for childhood cancer.
- The CH.I.L.D. Foundation intends to use the grant for two initiatives that aim to dissolve provincial boundaries and bring together all of Canada’s research community.
- The Province has invested more than $1.5 billion in research and innovation since 2001, including significant investments in cancer, depression and spinal cord injury research.
- This project marks the first time since the S.A.R.S. crisis that a nation-wide collaborative effort in Canada has undertaken to target a single disease.
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Province Invests $15M to Support Nursing in B.C.
The Province celebrated National Nursing Week by announcing that B.C. will provide $15 million this year for its provincial Nursing Strategy to recruit, retain and educate the best qualified nurses.
- This new announcement brings the total investment in B.C.’s Nursing Strategy to $189 million since 2001.
- A major emphasis of the Nursing Strategy has been on training more nurses. In March, the Province met a 2008 Throne Speech commitment by launching a 3-year accelerated bachelor of science in nursing at the B.C. Institute of Technology.
- As of April 2008, there were 41,269 nurses with a practicing license in British Columbia, an increase of more than 10% since 2001.
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