News & Events - Legislative Watch
February 10, 2009
Issue: 2
The BC Government has juggled the sitting of the Legislature for this week and next. The Throne Speech kicking off the new session will be delivered next Monday instead of as scheduled today. That’s to allow time to introduce, debate, and pass legislation that will suspend the Balanced Budget and Ministerial Accountability Act (Bill 4) for two years. This will allow the government to run deficits to deal with the global economic downturn. The Budget will be delivered, as scheduled, on Tuesday, February 17, 2009.
Government Announcements
- Premier Gordon Campbell announced close to $14 billion in infrastructure spending over the next three years that will create more than 78,000 jobs. He told the British Columbia Economic Summit that the province has identified $2 billion in project acceleration that will be pursued as quickly as possible, including hundreds of millions of dollars to be launched in the next 90 days. Read more
- Work began on a new Port Mann Bridge with the first pile for the bridge foundation being driven into the ground by Premier Gordon Campbell and Transportation and Infrastructure Minister Kevin Falcon. The Port Mann-Highway 1 Project will see the current bridge torn down and replaced with a single, 10-lane span, and upgrade 37 km of Highway 1 on either side of the bridge. Read more
- Premier Gordon Campbell and Health Services Minister George Abbott announced that a new state-of-the-art critical care tower will be built at Surrey Memorial Hospital. The project will increase the number of acute care beds by over 30 per cent and will include a new emergency department almost five times the size of the old ER. Construction is expected to begin in 2010 and create approximately 3,760 jobs. The new emergency department is planned to open to patients in spring 2013, with final construction of the tower complete in spring 2014. Read more
- Tourism, Culture and the Arts Minister Bill Bennett announced a financial boost of $400,000 for the 109 community-based visitor centres throughout British Columbia. British Columbia's Visitor Centres serve the primary role of offering visitor information, assistance and advice to individuals visiting the province. Read more
- Finance Minister Colin Hansen introduced legislation to protect public services such as health and education and ensure a return to balanced budgets by the 2011-12 fiscal year. Read more
- British Columbia’s economic presence in China is being strengthened thanks to the opening of two new trade and investment offices in Beijing and Guangzhou and will work in conjunction with the existing B.C. trade office in Shanghai. The offices promote British Columbia as a destination for investment and trade and a leader in research and development as well as showcasing B.C. products and resources. Read more
- The Shanghai government has formally approved a B.C.-designed roofing system as part of a plan to renovate 10,000 city apartment buildings in the lead-up to the World Expo 2010 in Shanghai, China. The wood truss roofing system was designed by Chinese officials in collaboration with B.C. Forestry Innovation Investment, the Province’s international marketing agency for B.C. forest products. Read more
- B.C. is welcoming delegates from Japan, South Korea and China to Vancouver this week to BioPartnering North America 2009, a top international life sciences partnering conference. The Province is sponsoring a panel discussion that will feature prominent business leaders and academics from the Asia Pacific who have built successful partnerships in life sciences and biopharmaceuticals. Read more wood in construction and support growth and diversification in forestry. Read more
Question Period Topics
- Cost of Olympics Security
- Public Release of Quarterly Economic Report
- Government Action on Gun Violence
Status of Bills
BILLS INTRODUCED
Government Bills
BILLS DEBATED
Government Bills
- Second reading debate of Bill 48 started today
Reports Tabled
- Auditor General: Grant Administration of the B.C. Arts Council: 2010 Olympics and Paralympic Winter Games
- Auditor General: Report No. 12 Planning for School Seismic Safety
- Auditor General: Report No. 13, 2008-2009, Public Sector Governance: A Guide to the Principles of Good Practice and How Are We Doing? The Public Reporting of Performance Measures in British Columbia
- Representative for Children and Youth: 2008 Progress Report on the Implementation of the Recommendations of the B.C. Children and Youth Review
- Elections B.C.: Annual Report 2007-2008
- Office of the Merit Commissioner: Annual Report 2007-2008