The BC Government says it's changing regulations to make life a little easier for people in mobile home parks. 

The province says amendments are being made to the Manufactured Home Park Tenancy Regulation, which governs how park rules are set.  

Currently, there is no limit to how often owners of manufactured home parks can change park rules. 

The amendments will mean that park rules can only be changed once a year and with three months' notice. 

The government says this will help improve clarity for tenants regarding what rules are in effect, when they will be in effect, and ensure tenants have adequate time to comply with a park rule change or dispute it with the Residential Tenancy Branch. 

Housing Minister Ravi Kahlon says people shouldn’t be subject to rules that can change every two weeks and manufactured home parks are an important option for people needing affordable housing. 

The changes come from consultations held by the Rental Housing Task Force and its 2018 report. 

When making changes, park owners will need to give the notice using a form approved by the residential tenancy branch. 

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E-bikes are considered a good way to get people out of their cars and onto an environmentally friendly mode of transportation.

A study of one Vancouver Island community's rebate program found that it is a good way to encourage people to buy an e-bike.

UBC’s Research on Active Transportation Lab studied the rebate program in Saanich and found incentives are cost-effective when it comes to reducing carbon emissions.

The study found that new e-bike users continued to regularly use their bikes as a substitute for car travel, even a year after purchase.

The researchers also found low-income households reduced their car trips and decreased carbon emissions the most.

The Saanich program in 2021 and 2022 created a significant surge in e-bike adoption, with 93 per cent of users being new to e-bikes, and 60 per cent new to cycling altogether.

One year after purchase, users continued to be satisfied with their e-bikes, integrating them into their routines for three to four days a week.

They reduced weekly car travel by an average of 48 kilometres per week, a reduction of 30-40 per cent.

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The BC Government is seeking proposals to build homes on eight properties in BC that are zoned for housing, including 9800 Willow Street in Chemainus. 

The new sites have been added to the BC Builds list to fast-track construction of rental homes for people with middle incomes. 

These eight properties are in addition to four BC Builds locations in Duncan, Gibsons, and the Lower Mainland. 

Premier David Eby says communities depend on middle-income earners such as teachers, nurses and construction workers and they require a decent place to live that's within their budget. 

The premier says by bringing public landowners and housing developers and operators together through BC Builds, underused public land can be transformed into thousands of lower-cost middle-income rental homes.  

The BC Builds program, launched in February, is designed to provide affordable rental homes through low-interest financing and grant funding on government-community-and non-profit-owned underused land. 

The government says once a developer and housing operator are identified, BC Builds can turn the sites from concept to construction in 12 to 18 months rather than the typical three to five years. 

The process streamlines municipal development processes and the BC Builds team works with landowners, municipalities, and residential developers to remove any barriers. 

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The Chief of Cowichan Tribes is joining the RCMP in urging the driver responsible for the death of a young woman to turn themselves over to the police. 

Chief Cindy Daniels released a statement this morning extending her "deepest condolences" to the family of the victim for its tragic loss. 

She is also appealing to the driver to turn themselves in and for anyone with information to contact the North Cowichan-Duncan RCMP. 

She says losing a Cowichan citizen to a hit and run leaves many unanswered questions. 

Daniels says youth are our future, and they deserve every opportunity to achieve their dreams. 

She says Cowichan Tribes is offering support to the victim’s family and friends as they mourn the loss of a young woman who had her whole life ahead of her. 

Chief Daniels also says, "this incident speaks to the challenges pedestrians face in our region and there is much work to do to ensure safer pedestrian options.” 

The North Cowichan-Duncan R-C-M-P have released a description of what they believe to be the vehicle responsible for the fatal hit and run that took place on April 18. 

Police say a grey Hyundai Elantra is believed to have been involved and can be identified by significant damage to its front driver’s side. 

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In the coming years Harbour Air will transform it's fleet of seaplanes to e-planes.

North America’s largest seaplane airline signed a Letter of Intent with magniX to purchase 50 of its electric engines.

Harbour Air calls it a “significant step” in electrifying its fleet for sustainable aviation.

CEO Bert van der Stege says the agreement underscores their “commitment to revolutionize commercial aviation with electric propulsion and to pave the way for cleaner, quieter, and more efficient air travel.”

A part of that vision is the development of a sustainable aviation hub on the west coast, providing electrification conversions and services to 3rd parties.

The single eBeaver that is being tested has completed 78 flights using an electric engine.

Harbour Air is hoping to have commercial certification of their first electric aircraft by 2026 and plans to convert additional aircraft and offer third-party conversions.

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Prosecutors will not lay charges against any of the RCMP officers involved in the shooting death of Jared Lowndes in Campbell River nearly three years ago.

He died as police attempted to remove him from a vehicle and place him under arrest in the parking lot of a fast food restaurant.

The BC Prosecution Service says no charges have been approved against three officers from Campbell River RCMP detachment involved in the fatal shooting.

The Chief Civilian Director of the Independent Investigations Office determined there were reasonable grounds to believe the officers may have committed offences when he submitted his report to prosecutors.

However, the BCPS found that “the available evidence does not meet the BCPS’s charge assessment standard,” and prosecutors would not be able to prove, beyond a reasonable doubt, that the officers committed any offence.

As a result, no charges have been approved.

On July 8 of 2021, Lowndes was seen in a parked vehicle by an RCMP officer on routine patrol and was wanted on an arrest warrant for breaching a conditional sentence.

As the officer approached the driver’s window, the vehicle quickly backed up, struck the police vehicle, and sped away.

Lowndes was spotted later in a drive-thru at a local restaurant in Campbell River where three police officers attempted to box him in with police vehicles.

Lowndes was able to get out of the drive-thru, but was prevented from driving out of the parking lot and attempted to go backwards through the drive-thru and was blocked again by a police vehicle.

During the attempt to take Lowndes into custody, a police dog – Gator – was fatally stabbed, a police officer suffered stab wounds to his left hand, and a taser was used twice.

Lowndes then got out of the vehicle holding the knife and shots were fired by two of the RCMP officers.

He died at the scene.

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The BC Government says social media giants Meta, Snap, TikTok and X have agreed to work collaboratively with the province of the development of Bill 12, its public harms legislation, and will be part of BC's Online Safety Action Table. 

The province says it will place Bill 12 on hold while discussions take place on how to create safe, empowering experiences online.
 

 In a news release, the province says it's an opportunity to bring experts, parents, technology companies and government together to find new ways of helping young people stay safe online and  be better protected from online harms. 

The province also says Meta has also committed to working with BC’s emergency management organization to help amplify official information for people in emergency situations like wildfires. 

The official opposition says the NDP's decision to retract Bill 12 only comes after significant public backlash. 

BC United says the business community and concerned citizens across the province forced the NDP to acknowledge the flaws in the legislation. 

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The Executive Director of Dyslexia Canada, Alicia Smith, is applauding the BC government for introducing a screening program to identify children with learning difficulties in kindergarten to grade 3. 

Smith says universal screening is a significant step forward in ensuring every child receives the support they need to thrive. 

She says a lack of reading skills creates a challenge because so much learning in school is "done through reading and writing," so both skills are very important. 

"When kids get off to a poor start with learning to read it really impacts their entire life trajectory in terms of their confidence and how they feel about themselves, but also how successful they're likely to be in school academically in other subjects." 

She says falling behind in class can result in low self-esteem and lead to serious mental health issues like anxiety and depression. She says many kids express their frustration through bad behavior or may shut down entirely. 

She also says it affects high school graduation rates and reduces opportunities to participate in post-secondary education, so understanding what additional supports are needed is important. 

Smith says an early diagnosis of dyslexia or other learning disabilities goes a long way to helping children avoid problems later in life. 

She says a study done for the Association of Chiefs of Police found that not only are people with low literacy far more likely to be incarcerated for crimes but are far more likely to become the victims of crime. 

Smith also says a higher literacy level among adults provides an overall boost to the country's economic health. 

She notes a study done by Deloitte for the Canadian Children’s Literacy Foundation found that a one per cent increase in adult literacy would create an economic benefit of $67 billion in gross domestic product for Canada per year. 

Smith says screening and early intervention can prevent reading difficulties for over 95 per cent of all children, including those with dyslexia. 

She says these programs are gaining traction across Canada with universal screening introduced in Ontario, Alberta, New Brunswick, and Nova Scotia looking at doing so. 

Over the next three years, $30 million is budgeted for several provincial outreach programs and teams, and support for literacy-focused development and training for teachers and support staff. 

The goal is to implement evidence-based early literacy screening for all students in kindergarten to Grade 3 to provide support when additional help is needed. 

The BC government says early literacy screening intervention and outreach support for schools will begin to roll out in the 2024-25 school year. 

According to Smith, this will mean about 62 per cent of Canadian children will live in provinces committed to implementing universal screening. 

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With the threat of another hot, dry summer ahead, the flow of water out of Cowichan Lake into the river is currently being restricted to 15.4 cubic metres per second and may be reduced to 15 CMS. 

Brian Houle, Environmental Manager at Catalyst Crofton Pulp and Paper, says the lake is presently 98 per cent full and they want to maintain the level as close to 100 per cent full as possible to ensure there is enough water in the lake for the Cowichan River through July and August. and into mid-September. 

He says the snowpack in the mountains around Cowichan Lake is about half of normal and that will not be enough to get through the summer. 

Last year, a drought began in early June, there was a massive fish die-off in July, and Catalyst needed to install pumps on the weir to maintain a flow of 4.5 CMS in September. 

Both the federal and provincial governments have now provided funding commitments to build a new and higher weir for Cowichan Lake, and Houle notes that if it had been ready last year there would have been no need to resort to pumps to maintain the flow of the river. 

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A business plan for a new BC Cancer Centre at Nanaimo Regional General Hospital has been approved by the province. 

Health Minister Adrian Dix  says the state-of-the-art cancer facility will benefit patients in Nanaimo and the surrounding region through the latest medical technology.
 

The facility will have 12 exam rooms, four consultation rooms and space for medical physicists and radiation therapists, medical imaging and radiation treatment of cancer patients. 

The procurement process is underway, and construction is expected to begin in 2025 and be complete in 2028. 

Upgrades to NRGH have also been approved, such as a new single-storey addition to the ambulatory care building and expanded pharmacy. 

Dix says Nanaimo's population is growing rapidly and aging, and stronger health services in the region, so people get the health care they need closer to home. 

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Langford-Malahat-Cowichan NDP MP Alistair MacGregor says New Democrats achieved some "significant wins" in Tuesday's federal budget, pushing the Liberals to fund a pharma care program and to provide money for a national school food program.
 

He says the New Democrats are the party that pressured the Trudeau government to make sure there was coverage for diabetes medication and devices, and for birth control. 

He also says the dental care program has 1.7 million Canadians enrolled and all eligible seniors should be signed up for the program by May, with nine million people covered by 2025. 

MacGregor adds the housing measure is another result of NDP pressure on the federal Liberals. 

He says most residents on the island will see little impact from tax increases in the federal budget,  

"The major change when it comes to individuals," MacGregor explains, "comes with respect to capital gains, and it's really like the top 0.1 percent of Canadian who are already extremely wealthy. 

However, MacGregor says the Liberals did not go far enough when it comes to taxation. 

"There's no mention of an excess profits tax and I think that's due to the hard work of the oil and gas lobby which has made great friends with both Liberals and Conservatives over the years."

Federally, the NDP is critical of the low amount of money for the Canadian disability benefit, the loss of five thousand public sector workers which will slow down the delivery of services, and the lack of additional funding to close the gap for Indigenous infrastructure and housing as well as for Jordan’s principle – which ensures equal services for Indigenous children. 

According to NDP leader Jagmeet Singh, “Justin Trudeau has had nine budgets to make life better and more affordable, but Canadians are still falling farther behind. Pierre Poilievre will make things worse for working people with his cuts to services and programs people depend on." 

MacGregor also notes it was the NDP which was behind the government doubling the tax credit for volunteer fire fighters and search and rescue volunteers.

The income tax credit for volunteer firefighters and search and rescue personnel is set to increase from $3,000 to $6,000. 

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The BC Council of Forest Industries began its annual convention Wednesday evening in Vancouver. 

Among the topics of discussion this year will be the industry’s call for more and stable access to wood fibre. 

Yesterday, the council released a report on the forestry contribution to to the province, pointing out that it generates billions in wages and government revenues, directly employs 49 thousand workers, and contributed $17 billion to GDP in 2022. 

Kurt Niquidet, Vice President and Chief Economist at COFI, says following the end of the COVID19 pandemic the forest product markets have changed along other economic dynamics in the sector. 

“Industry, government, First Nations, local communities and workers need to come together to address current uncertainty over fibre supply,” according to Niquidet, “and attract the investment required to build on BC’s strategic advantage in the conservation and sustainable management of this renewable resource.” 

“It is important to recognize that the direct and indirect economic benefits from the forest sector are linked to annual timber harvest levels.”

Linda Coady, President and CEO of COFI says consistent and sustainable access “is critical to maintaining the core facilities, infrastructure, and workforce that is needed by the sector to evolve and compete in markets for forest products and services,” and to attract new investment to build on BC leadership in forest products production and innovation, and to build on the province’s strategic advantage in conservation and sustainable management of a renewable resource.” 

She says the forest industry is in transition and this year’s COFI convention will focus on what’s needed to do differently to move forward. 

Torrance Coste of the Wilderness Committee says the concern over fibre supply highlights the over-exploitation of the resource in the past one-hundred years and how important it is to make the paradigm shift in forestry recommended in the Old Growth Strategic Review. 

Coste says if the industry is admitting there's a problem with fibre supplies, then it’s “admitting that the forest industry has been too big in the past,

"Will it ever get back to the size that it was in the 80s and 90s? No, it won't." 

Coste says unlimited, or increased access to fibre, rather than a conversation around the sustainability of the resource is not the answer. 

He notes there has been a century of industrial forestry in BC and if our forests are a truly renewable resource then we should be able to log sustainably in second growth forests the companies have planted and managed. 

Coste says if the industry can't survive without continue access to old growth forests it “raises questions to their claims about the overall sustainability.” 

He says we need to shift away from evaluating forests only for the value of the timber that can be harvested from them. 

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The Independent Investigations office (IIO) is currently investigating an incident where a man was injured while being arrested in Courtenay.

They say on April 7 at 1:42 p.m., Comox Valley RCMP received a complaint of a man causing disturbance at a residence.

Officers arrived at the scene and told him he was under arrest, but the man reportedly produced a weapon before barricading himself inside, refusing to leave.

They say that the Island District emergency response team were deployed to the home, where at 10:45 p.m., the man was arrested. The IIO adds that he suffered a serious, but non-life-threatening injury while being arrested, resulting in him going to a hospital.

The IIO are investigating police actions of this incident, aiming to figure out what happened and whether police action or inaction was needed in the circumstances.

As for Comox Valley RCMP, they are investigating the initial complaint.

No further information will be released from police now that the IIO are handling the investigation.

The post Investigation Underway After Man Injured During Standoff appeared first on My Cowichan Valley Now.

The First Nation Wild Salmon Alliance is urging the federal government to stick to the plan to remove open-net pen salmon farms. 

Last week, the Coalition of First Nations for Finfish Stewardship and the BC Salmon Farmers Association held a news conference in Campbell River to release a position book on the benefits and safety of aquaculture to First Nations. 

The association says the more than 500-page review followed requests from First Nations with salmon farming in their territories asking for more transparency and information about the sector and its impacts, to share with their communities and help in decision-making regarding the sector. 

Robert Chamberlin of the Wild Salmon Alliance doubts it will change the opinions held by First Nation that support a transition away from open-net pens. 

Chamberlin also says applying the term 'activist' to those who want to see the transition happen is disrespectful. 

"The basis of the position that the First Nation Wild Salmon Alliance promotes at every opportunity is based upon court rulings, it's based upon the auditor general's report, it's based upon the Standing Committee of Fisheries and Oceans, it's based upon true peer reviewed science globally and within this country." 

He says the First Nation Wild Salmon Alliance has identified 120 First Nations that support removing salmon farms from the ocean but says federal officials have attempted to downplay that support. 

"What DFO did is they buried within the appendices of their first What We Heard report that a majority of First Nations that are involved in the transition planning support the transition from the ocean, and of course this is how DFO continues its mandate to promote the industry." 

Chamberlin says the prime minister gave the direction to transition the industry away from open-net fish farms, but the federal fisheries department now appears to have devised a transition planning process that will allow the status quo to continue. 

"DFO acknowledges the severe crisis that is wild salmon right now in British Columbia and the need for bold action, and yet what we're seeing is the minister making statements at the standing committee of fisheries and oceans that no fish farm licences are going to be retired in 2025, well that sounds to me like the conclusion, and the process is still ongoing." 

With the proposed federal Aquaculture Act still on the drawing board, Chamberlin says leading up to the 2025 commitment for the transition the industry should not be reissued licences that extend beyond that time frame. 

“We must recognise that the fish farms that were operating in the Discovery Islands were on a year-to-year basis, and they operated fine.” 

Chamberlin says to allow long term licences at this time will undermine the options for cabinet and the federal minster of fisheries, and not allow for a true understanding of what the government's fish farm transition plan will look like. 

He says the salmon farming industry's call for a six-to-nine-year time frame is too long and wild salmon cannot sustain that level of impact. 

Federal fisheries minister Diane Lebouthillier is expected to announce a decision on salmon farm licences later this spring

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The Federation of Canadian Municipalities says the new Canada Rental Protection Fund announced by Ottawa last week will help support the country’s critical need for affordable housing. 

The FCM says $470 million in grants and $1 billion in loans for affordable housing will help prevent people from falling into homelessness and shield renters from ‘renoviction’ practices. 

The FCM says the new funding is 'crucial' because Canada is losing existing affordable housing faster than it can be built. 

According to the federation, between 2016 and 2021 Canada lost 370-thousand homes that rented below 1-thousand dollars per month. 

It also says a fund to protect renters and combat the financialization of housing has been one of the missing pieces in Canada’s housing strategy. 

The FCM says also welcomes the new $6-billion Canada Housing Infrastructure Fund announced by the federal government to help communities, especially municipalities facing record growth. 

It says the $1 billion dedicated to urgent community infrastructure needs such as water and wastewater management shows the federal government is responding to the need for more investments in community infrastructure. 

FCM President Scott Pearce says it is "clear recognition from the federal government that investing in infrastructure must be part of a plan for growth," adding that Canada’s housing challenge is also an infrastructure challenge. 

The federation says last week's announcements are timely considering the re-negotiations for the Canada Community Building Fund. 

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North Island—Powell River NDP MP Rachel Blaney has announced she won’t be seeking re-election in the next federal election and is stepping away from her role as the party’s whip. 

She calls it "an incredibly difficult decision to step away from politics," and being an MP has been "a great privilege and honour," but it’s time to focus on her family and stay closer to home. 

Blaney says she's proud of what the NDP has accomplished for working people and being an MP has been a great privilege and honour. 

Two MP's in Ontario have also announced they will not run again, they're Charlie Angus and Carol Hughes, 

NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh thanked the three MP's for "years of advocacy and dedication to serving working people,” and their tireless efforts to make Canada a fairer and better place. 

"They’ve added so much to our party and, while we’ll miss their contributions around the caucus table, I want to wish my friends the very best when each of them begins their next chapter.” 

The NDP says Blaney has been a stalwart defender of veterans and seniors having pioneered a study into women’s veteran’s health and successfully lobbying for more GIS rebates for seniors.

Blaney was elected as Member of Parliament for North Island–Powell River in 2015.

She was promoted to serve as the NDP Whip and critic for Seniors, for Veterans, and for Rural Economic Development. 

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The BC government is taking steps to protect renters from bad-faith evictions, eliminate rent increases for a new child, and help landlords resolve rental disputes faster. 

Premier David Eby says most landlords and tenants play by the rules and have respectful relationships, but too many people face unfair rent hikes and evictions under false pretenses. 

The Premier adds, “at the same time, many people who have chosen to rent part of their home are struggling to end problematic tenancies,” and action is being taken to protect both renters and landlords with stronger rules. 

The proposed changes to the Residential Tenancy Act and the Manufactured Home Park Tenancy Act will restrict rent increases if a tenant adds a child under 19 to their household. 

To deter bad-faith evictions, landlords will need to use a web portal to generate an eviction notice to help educate landlords about the required conditions and risks of bad-faith evictions. 

Steps are also being taken to resolve rental disputes faster. 

The Attorney General ministry's new Money Judgment Enforcement Act will come into force in 2025, making it easier and less costly for people to get the money owed after Residential Tenancy Branch decisions. 

Ravi Kahlon, Minister of Housing says the amendments will better protect tenants from unfair evictions, promote greater compliance and improve the rental system. 

Kahlon says renters should not lose their homes “because of some bad actors who don’t follow the rules,” but landlords need the certainty that "issues with problematic tenants can be resolved quickly." 

Other changes include: 

• allowing for more flexibility in addressing cases where there is a problematic tenancy and prescribing more clear guidelines for ending tenancy with justified cause; 
• increasing the amount of notice a landlord must give a tenant when ending a tenancy for personal occupancy; 
• increasing the amount of time a landlord must occupy a rental unit after ending a tenancy for personal occupancy from six months to 12 months; 
• increasing the amount of time a tenant has to dispute a notice to end tenancy from 15 days to 30 days; 
• prohibiting evictions for personal use in purpose-built rental buildings with five or more units; and 
• prohibiting eviction for the conversion of rental units to specific non-residential uses. 

The post BC Restricting Rent Increases for Families with New Children appeared first on My Cowichan Valley Now.

Canada Post has issued a commemorative envelope to mark the 100th anniversary of the Royal Canadian Air Force. 

The front of the envelope features a collage of photographs offering a historical overview of the aircraft and work of the RCAF. 

The back shows the RCAF's red maple leaf surrounded by white in a blue ring, which was introduced in 1965. 

Canada Post worked closely with the air force on the creation of the commemorative envelope, which is a postal collectible and is not mailable. 

The commemorative envelope is available at canadapost.ca and can be ordered through postal outlets. 

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The new Seniors' Advocate for British Columbia is praising the work of family caregivers. 

Today (April 2) is National Caregiver Day and Dan Levitt says it's an opportunity to recognize the role of family caregivers in supporting the health and well-being of seniors. 

The population of seniors in BC is growing, people are living longer, and more family members are becoming caregivers to help elderly relatives live happy, healthy lives. 

The seniors advocate says because these caregivers are generally working full-time and caring for their own families, the added responsibility puts their mental and physical health at risk. 

The advocate’s office says one support that is often overlooked is the caregiver tax credit that can be used to create additional tax savings for Canadians supporting infirm or dependent loved ones at home. 

Levitt says the “expansion of the eligibility criteria for this tax credit would go a long way to support caregivers and ensure all their contributions – emotional, physical and financial – are better recognized.” 

Levitt says the ‘labour of love’ they provide is generally unseen and unpaid, and often undertaken by women who care for other women. 

He says the contribution of caregivers should be noticed and receive the recognition it deserves. 

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