Capital Report~August 8, 2008

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Premier Gordon Campbell and MLAs Ida Chong and Murray Coell examine a scale model of the new $350-million, 500-bed Royal Jubilee Hospital in Victoria after a groundbreaking to mark the start of construction of the new hospital.

Construction Begins on New Royal Jubilee Hospital

Premier Gordon Campbell and Health Services Minister George Abbott broke ground on July 30th to mark the start of construction of a new $350-million, 500-bed Royal Jubilee Hospital that will reduce wait lists and provide single rooms for over 80 per cent of patients.

The new 37,000-square-metre facility will have the capacity for up to 500 beds and will replace approximately 400 beds that currently operate on the old hospital campus.
The new facility will be designed to meet Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Gold certification as part of government’s commitment to a greener and more sustainable future.
Construction of the hospital will be complete by the end of 2010, and it will open to patients in 2011.

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Province Receives Climate Action Team Recommendations

British Columbia’s Climate Action Team has presented its recommendations for strategies and interim emissions targets for 2012 and 2016 to assist the Province in achieving its emission reduction target of 33 per cent by 2020.

By 2012, the growth in emissions must be reversed and emissions must begin to decline significantly, to between five and seven per cent below 2007 levels.
By 2016, the decline in emissions needs to accelerate. Emissions should fall to between 15 and 18 per cent below 2007 levels.
The Climate Action Plan, released in June, outlines initiatives that will take British Columbia approximately 73 per cent of the way to the 2020 target.

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Ministry of Health Services to get $120 Million Cash Infusion

The Province will seek legislative approval for an additional $120 million for the public health care system this year.

The additional $120 million is more than a 25 per cent increase above the additional $465.7 million provided to health authorities in February this year.
A portion of one-time funding will ensure the province continues to build upon record levels of surgeries and diagnostic procedures.

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Saturday, August 9

Solicitor General John van Dongen will be a guest on CKNW’s The Sean Leslie Show at 3:00pm to discuss street racing penalties and programs.

Quotes This Week

“In the last couple years there's been this provincial focus on climate-change initiatives and people are starting to understand the cost of new renewable systems… I see [SolarBC] as a good thing, we need to reduce our reliance in society on oil and gas and reduce our carbon footprint.”
Joe Van Belleghem, co-developer of Victoria's Dockside Green. Times-Colonist, July 26, 2008.

“It is important to keep things in perspective, as the economic fundamentals in B.C. are good. We have positive inter-provincial migration numbers, our economy is one of the strongest in Canada and the construction sector is still healthy.”
Philip Hochstein, President, Independent Contractors of BC. News Release, August 7, 2008.

Did You Know?

Premier Gordon Campbell will cheer on B.C. athletes and promote the upcoming 2010 Winter Olympic and Paralympic Games in British Columbia while attending the opening ceremonies of the 2008 Summer Olympic and Paralympic Games in Beijing, China. Premier Campbell and VANOC executives will be attending numerous Olympic-related events while in Beijing.

The Ministry of Forests and Range has introduced a pilot project on radio communication protocols which aims to improve safety and reduce collisions on resource roads. The goal of the project is to improve road user safety through standardized radio call procedures for forest service roads. The new radio procedures were implemented earlier this year and the findings from the pilot projects will be evaluated this fall prior to considering province-wide implementation.