NEW AG MINISTER
Premier Christy Clark recently appointed Kelowna-Lake Country MLA Norm Letnick as agriculture minister.
Letnick previously held this role prior to last year's ministerial shuffle, and was at the helm when the District of 100 Mile House was gifted a mobile red-meat abattoir. He announced the news directly to mayor and council on Feb. 22, 2013.
Letnick replaces Pat Pimm, who has stepped down for health reasons, but continues as Peace River North MLA.
BC TECH GROWS
BC Stats recently released a progress report revealing the province's high technology sector is continuing to grow.
It shows new businesses emerging, increases in revenue, and workers in the sector are earning higher wages and salaries than ever before.
Download the "Profile of the British Columbia High Technology Sector: 2013 Edition at
www.bcstats.gov.bc.ca/StatisticsBySubject/BusinessIndustry/HighTechnology.aspx
FERAL PIG HUNT
Licensed hunters may now legally hunt feral pigs anywhere in the province, under a new regulatory amendment designating the animal as "Schedule C" wildlife.
Feral pigs can be aggressive, and can cause significant damage to ecosystems by competing with local wildlife for forage, damaging crops, uprooting native vegetation and eating ground nesting bird eggs.
They can also host infectious diseases and parasites harmful to wildlife, livestock and human health.