The Province is launching a bold, new long-term economic plan that moves British Columbia forward by tackling the challenges of today while growing an economy that works for more people and families.
StrongerBC: A Plan for Today, a Vision for Tomorrow builds on B.C.’s strength – its people. The plan sets out to fill one million jobs over the next 10 years by investing in skills training, building resilient communities and positioning B.C. as a world leader in a low-carbon economy.
“Our government understands that people are the economy and that growing the economy cannot mean leaving people behind,” said Premier John Horgan. “Today, B.C. is a national economic leader, and our StrongerBC plan provides a framework to create a low-carbon economy that works for everyone. An economy built for all is an economy built to succeed.”
As a first step in the plan, the Province is investing $136.6 million to build a new state-of-the-art Trades and Technology Complex at the British Columbia Institute of Technology (BCIT) Burnaby campus. The complex will be a hub for skills training and include four new buildings, benefiting more than 12,000 full- and part‐time students per year in more than 20 trades and technology programs.
“The pandemic has exposed deep vulnerabilities in our society, and we know we can’t go back to the way things were,” said Ravi Kahlon, Minister of Jobs, Economic Recovery and Innovation. “This plan is your plan. It’s built by British Columbians, for British Columbians and puts people first. By investing in people, we will tackle today’s challenges while growing tomorrow’s economy. And through this plan we will close our skills gap, prove that we can grow the economy while tackling climate change and create a province that is more inclusive, sustainable and innovative.”
Anne Kang, Minister of Advanced Education and Skills Training, said: “Investing in new trades training infrastructure at BCIT is a crucial part of equipping students for the jobs of the future while supporting a clean, innovative economy. The new Trades and Technology Complex will help ensure future students have access to the best tools, instruction and equipment needed to meet the demand for an estimated 85,000 new trades jobs expected over the next 10 years.”
Along with building a new Trades and Technology Complex at BCIT, key actions under the StrongerBC Economic Plan include training British Columbians to succeed in the jobs of tomorrow, accelerating the timeline to connect all B.C. communities to high-speed internet, creating opportunities for under-represented entrepreneurs, expanding domestic manufacturing capabilities, establishing an ESG Centre of Excellence to promote Environmental, Social and Governance principles for products and services, and building more resilient B.C. businesses by expanding access to global markets.
The plan is built with the belief that an economy can grow and thrive, while addressing two core issues: inequality and climate change. The StrongerBC Economic Plan puts the province on this path by working toward inclusive and clean growth, as well as identifying six missions to achieve these goals:
supporting people and families;
building resilient communities;
advancing true, lasting and meaningful reconciliation with Indigenous Peoples;
meeting B.C.’s climate commitments;
leading on environmental and social responsibility; and
fostering innovation throughout B.C.’s economy.
The StrongerBC Economic Plan is the result of extensive engagement sessions, including sessions led by the Minister of Jobs, Economic Recovery and Innovation with more than 300 people from every region of the province and from all walks of life, such as leaders from businesses, labour groups, First Nations and Indigenous communities, municipalities and universities and colleges.
Mariana Mazzucato and her team at the U.K.-based University College London – Institute for Innovation and Public Purpose have been advising the Province on the development of the plan. Mazzucato is one of the world’s foremost economic thought leaders who has advised governments and policy makers to deliver solutions to societal challenges.
The plan’s goals will be tracked through a broad set of progressive indicators. In addition to traditional economic indicators like gross domestic product (GDP) and job numbers, the plan will also measure well-being indicators like affordable housing, post-secondary training and poverty reduction.
StrongerBC: A Plan for Today, a Vision for Tomorrowis an evolving plan based on the experiences of British Columbians and designed to be adapted and adjusted. People are encouraged to share their economic priorities and ideas online. Input from the survey will help inform future policy and guide the work of the plan.
Andrew Mercier, Parliamentary Secretary for Skills Training –
“With more than 85,000 new trades jobs expected in the next decade, it is imperative that we invest in the educational opportunities and facilities that apprentices and students need to get the job done. I’m excited for the future laid out in the StrongerBC Economic Plan and supported by skilled trades certification. I know our skilled tradespeople are up to the challenge of helping build a stronger B.C. for us all.”
“BCIT is a place where students learn to maximize their potential while gaining hands-on work experience that is applicable to everyday life. After completing four years of my carpentry apprenticeship at BCIT, I am confident that I can tackle any complexity within my field. Thanks to support from BCIT, the provincial government and industry partners, there will be more educational opportunities to support students, like myself, in becoming innovators for the trades industry.”
Kathy Kinloch, president, BCIT –
“This important investment will facilitate the ongoing transformation of BCIT’s Burnaby campus and our ability to help power B.C.’s ongoing pandemic recovery by giving trades and technology learners the skills and credentials they need for today and tomorrow. This transformation will also provide our incredible faculty and staff with the tools needed to stay in lockstep with industry’s current and emerging trends. Our thanks to the Province, our generous donors and to BCIT faculty and staff for your crucial support on this key initiative.”
Quick Facts:
In fall 2021, a series of focused virtual engagement sessions were held with First Nations governments and Indigenous organizations with engagement continuing into 2022.
In addition, more than 300 stakeholders and partners provided input to help develop this plan, taking part in 33 virtual engagement sessions.
B.C. leads Canada in economic recovery with more than 100,000 new jobs added in 2021.
According to the Labour Market Outlook, more than one million job openings are expected in B.C. over the next 10 years, approximately 80% of which will require post-secondary education and training.
The Trades and Technology Complex at BCIT is the first provincially funded post-secondary capital project that requires developers to prioritize hiring Indigenous, women and other under-represented people in the trades through the Community Benefits Agreement.
Learn More:
For more information about StrongerBC: A Plan for Today, a Vision for Tomorrow, visit: https://strongerbc.ca/plan
Almost seven years since news broke of an alleged conspiracy to fix the price of packaged bread across Canada, the saga isn’t over: the Competition Bureau continues to investigate the companies that may have been involved, and two class-action lawsuits continue to work their way through the courts.
Here’s a timeline of key events in the bread price-fixing case.
Oct. 31, 2017: The Competition Bureau says it’s investigating allegations of bread price-fixing and that it was granted search warrants in the case. Several grocers confirm they are co-operating in the probe.
Dec. 19, 2017: Loblaw and George Weston say they participated in an “industry-wide price-fixing arrangement” to raise the price of packaged bread. The companies say they have been co-operating in the Competition Bureau’s investigation since March 2015, when they self-reported to the bureau upon discovering anti-competitive behaviour, and are receiving immunity from prosecution. They announce they are offering $25 gift cards to customers amid the ongoing investigation into alleged bread price-fixing.
Jan. 31, 2018: In court documents, the Competition Bureau says at least $1.50 was added to the price of a loaf of bread between about 2001 and 2016.
Dec. 20, 2019: A class-action lawsuit in a Quebec court against multiple grocers and food companies is certified against a number of companies allegedly involved in bread price-fixing, including Loblaw, George Weston, Metro, Sobeys, Walmart Canada, Canada Bread and Giant Tiger (which have all denied involvement, except for Loblaw and George Weston, which later settled with the plaintiffs).
Dec. 31, 2021: A class-action lawsuit in an Ontario court covering all Canadian residents except those in Quebec who bought packaged bread from a company named in the suit is certified against roughly the same group of companies.
June 21, 2023: Bakery giant Canada Bread Co. is fined $50 million after pleading guilty to four counts of price-fixing under the Competition Act as part of the Competition Bureau’s ongoing investigation.
Oct. 25 2023: Canada Bread files a statement of defence in the Ontario class action denying participating in the alleged conspiracy and saying any anti-competitive behaviour it participated in was at the direction and to the benefit of its then-majority owner Maple Leaf Foods, which is not a defendant in the case (neither is its current owner Grupo Bimbo). Maple Leaf calls Canada Bread’s accusations “baseless.”
Dec. 20, 2023: Metro files new documents in the Ontario class action accusing Loblaw and its parent company George Weston of conspiring to implicate it in the alleged scheme, denying involvement. Sobeys has made a similar claim. The two companies deny the allegations.
July 25, 2024: Loblaw and George Weston say they agreed to pay a combined $500 million to settle both the Ontario and Quebec class-action lawsuits. Loblaw’s share of the settlement includes a $96-million credit for the gift cards it gave out years earlier.
Sept. 12, 2024: Canada Bread files new documents in Ontario court as part of the class action, claiming Maple Leaf used it as a “shield” to avoid liability in the alleged scheme. Maple Leaf was a majority shareholder of Canada Bread until 2014, and the company claims it’s liable for any price-fixing activity. Maple Leaf refutes the claims.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 19, 2024.
Companies in this story: (TSX:L, TSX:MFI, TSX:MRU, TSX:EMP.A, TSX:WN)
TORONTO – Canada’s main stock index was up more than 250 points in late-morning trading, led by strength in the base metal and technology sectors, while U.S. stock markets also charged higher.
The S&P/TSX composite index was up 254.62 points at 23,847.22.
In New York, the Dow Jones industrial average was up 432.77 points at 41,935.87. The S&P 500 index was up 96.38 points at 5,714.64, while the Nasdaq composite was up 486.12 points at 18,059.42.
The Canadian dollar traded for 73.68 cents US compared with 73.58 cents US on Thursday.
The November crude oil contract was up 89 cents at US$70.77 per barrel and the October natural gas contract was down a penny at US2.27 per mmBTU.
The December gold contract was up US$9.40 at US$2,608.00 an ounce and the December copper contract was up four cents at US$4.33 a pound.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 19, 2024.
VANCOUVER – Supervised injection sites are saving the lives of drug users everyday, but the same support is not being offered to people who inhale illicit drugs, the head of the BC Centre for Excellence in HIV/AIDS says.
Dr. Julio Montaner said the construction of Vancouver’s first indoor supervised site for people who inhale drugs comes as the percentage of people who die from smoking drugs continues to climb.
The location in the Downtown Eastside at the Hope to Health Research and Innovation Centre was unveiled Wednesday after construction was complete, and Montaner said people could start using the specialized rooms in a matter of weeks after final approvals from the city and federal government.
“If we don’t create mechanisms for these individuals to be able to use safely and engage with the medical system, and generate points of entry into the medical system, we will never be able to solve the problem,” he said.
“Now, I’m not here to tell you that we will fix it tomorrow, but denying it or ignoring it, or throw it under the bus, or under the carpet is no way to fix it, so we need to take proactive action.”
Nearly two-thirds of overdose deaths in British Columbia in 2023 came after smoking illicit drugs, yet only 40 per cent of supervised consumption sites in the province offer a safe place to smoke, often outdoors, in a tent.
The centre has been running a supervised injection site for years which sees more than a thousand people monthly and last month resuscitated five people who were overdosing.
The new facilities offer indoor, individual, negative-pressure rooms that allow fresh air to circulate and can clear out smoke in 30 to 60 seconds while users are monitored by trained nurses.
Advocates calling for more supervised inhalation sites have previously said the rules for setting up sites are overly complicated at a time when the province is facing an overdose crisis.
More than 15,000 people have died of overdoses since the public health emergency was declared in B.C. in April 2016.
Kate Salters, a senior researcher at the centre, said they worked with mechanical and chemical engineers to make sure the site is up to code and abidies by the highest standard of occupational health and safety.
“This is just another tool in our tool box to make sure that we’re offering life-saving services to those who are using drugs,” she said.
Montaner acknowledged the process to get the site up and running took “an inordinate amount of time,” but said the centre worked hard to follow all regulations.
“We feel that doing this right, with appropriate scientific background, in a medically supervised environment, etc, etc, allows us to derive the data that ultimately will be sufficiently convincing for not just our leaders, but also the leaders across the country and across the world, to embrace the strategies that we are trying to develop.” he said.
Montaner said building the facility was possible thanks to a single $4-million donation from a longtime supporter.
Construction finished with less than a week before the launch of the next provincial election campaign and within a year of the next federal election.
Montaner said he is concerned about “some of the things that have been said publicly by some of the political leaders in the province and in the country.”
“We want to bring awareness to the people that this is a serious undertaking. This is a very massive investment, and we need to protect it for the benefit of people who are unfortunately drug dependent.” he said.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 18, 2024.
