Busy day for BC Premier

(The Canadian Press) Premier Christy Clark promised the beginning of a debt-free British Columbia today, while announcing millions of dollars in funding for a wide range of projects.
Clark said the pledges she made to delegates at the Union of BC Municipalities convention are part of an effort to “pay back a dividend” to the people.
She said the province would contribute up to $10 million to communities for wildfire prevention and five million to fight the problem of ongoing gang violence.
She got a standing ovation after announcing up to $75 million to help reinvigorate the economies of rural communities with populations under 25,000 people.

Meantime, the premier also brushed off questions today about her confidence in Children’s Minister Stephanie Cadieux following the tragic death of a teenager in government care last week.
But Clark says she and the minister both agree there should be repercussions for the agency that was in charge of caring for 18-year-old Alex Gervais, who fell to his death at an Abbotsford hotel.
Clark says the agency didn’t inform the Children’s Ministry that Gervais was staying in a hotel, which is against government rules.
She says while it’s sometimes necessary to house a child in a hotel, the government wants to ensure that it happens rarely.