The British Columbia government says it will provide a one-time funding boost of $45 million to public libraries across the province.
The investment will be shared between all 71 public library organizations in B.C., supplementing the $14 million in annual operating funds the province provides.
The B.C. municipal affairs ministry says the money will be dispersed on March 31 to help local libraries expand their operating hours and grow their digital collections.
"From offering regular access to the internet, to delivering programs for families, newcomers, job seekers and seniors, this funding will go a long way to ensure libraries are helping people stay connected, access information and continue their lifelong learning," B.C. Minister of Municipal Affairs Anne Kang said in a statement Friday.
Last spring, the province doled out a one-time investment of $8 million to help libraries retroactively cover pandemic costs, meet the increased demand for digital content, upgrade physical spaces and deliver technology training.
The province says British Columbians accessed digital resources from the province's libraries almost 16 million times in 2021, a 47 per cent increase over 2019.
Erin Hemmens, chair of the Vancouver Island Regional Library board of trustees, said the funding comes at a time when island libraries are striving to increase their digital resources.
"Support from the ministry means VIRL can look at new opportunities to build literacy and learning, continue our journey toward reconciliation and build connections across our service area," Hemmens said.
The federal budget implementation bill passed the House of Commons on Thursday, after days of Conservative attempts to block it.
As wildfires rage across Canada in what’s being called an unprecedented season, one expert says there’s more that individuals and communities can do to adapt and prevent forest fires from causing widespread devastation.
The Supreme Court of Canada will not hear the appeal of an Alberta woman who was unwilling to be vaccinated in order to get a life-saving organ transplant.
In the wake of the Bank of Canada’s unexpected rate hike, economists are pointing to further tightening in the near term.
Rescuers in Washington state are praising the resourcefulness of a 10-year-old girl who survived on her own for more than 24 hours in the rugged terrain of the Cascade mountains after getting lost while out with her family.
Air pollution from wildfires remained well above healthy levels across much of southern and northern Ontario and several communities in British Columbia and Alberta on Thursday.
As bystanders screamed for help, a man with a knife stabbed four young children at a lakeside park in the French Alps on Thursday, assaulting at least one in a stroller repeatedly. The children between 22 months and 3 years old suffered life-threatening injuries, and two adults also were wounded, authorities said.
Government House Leader Mark Holland has unveiled the federal Liberals' plans to make hybrid sittings a permanent feature in the House of Commons.
The decision to search a Winnipeg-area landfill for the remains of two First Nations women and who will fund it remains up in the air a month after a feasibility study was completed.
Smoke has eased in much of Metro Vancouver and the Fraser Valley, but air quality advisories remain in place.
A youth curling coach who was a three-time Brazilian champion in the sport has pleaded guilty to two counts of sexual interference, according to authorities in B.C.
Police in Port Moody are asking the public for help locating a young couple that hasn't been seen in two weeks.
An evacuation order was issued for an area near the McLeod River in Yellowhead County on Thursday at noon.
A self-proclaimed spiritual leader and his wife are facing more sexual assault charges, Edmonton police announced Thursday.
Alberta Premier Danielle Smith is playing down an earlier pledge to create a council of defeated Edmonton candidates to advise her.
Video has surfaced showing a Mississauga, Ont. transit bus plowing into stopped traffic in a crash that left one person dead and at least eight injured on Thursday morning.
Toronto's air quality will get worse before it gets better as smoke from Canada's wildfires lingers in the city.
A European family who says they were evicted from their long-term Airbnb rental in Toronto last week has sparked a precedent-setting fight.
One person was injured after a trench collapsed in the community of Charleswood on Thursday.
The Town of Magrath issued an alert for dangerous animal after a cougar was spotted on the Magrath nature trail early Thursday morning.
After a string of devastating setbacks, a Calgary family has just had a significant change of luck.
Quebec's public security minister preached patience on Thursday as fires continued to rage in the province's north, saying it remained unclear when more than 12,000 people displaced by the encroaching flames would be able to return home.
Former Montreal mayor Denis Coderre, who spent his life in politics, collapsed and suffered a stroke on April 11, and even as he's slowly recovering, the fighter's instinct, that he's known for, is very much alive.
An Ontario man has been charged with first-degree murder in the death of Claudia Iacono, the daughter-in-law of Mafia associate Moreno Gallo, after she was gunned down at the wheel of her car in Montreal last month.
New Brunswick students under the age of 16 who identify as trans and non-binary won't be able to officially change their names or pronouns in school without parental consent.
The Halifax Regional Municipality says it will announce Thursday when more residents can return to their homes in communities impacted by the Tantallon wildfires.
A company at the centre of a community fight over what residents in the town of Beaurivage, N.B. say is a powerful stench has been ordered to cease operations.
A storm that tore through a community northwest of Brandon Wednesday brought with it heavy winds and, in some areas, hail the size of softballs.
A 25-year-old man has been arrested in connection with a crash that left two Winnipeg police officers with serious injuries.
A Manitoba school trustee has been suspended over social media posts the division says targeted the LGBTQ2S+ community.
A cyclist has been taken to an out-of-region hospital with what police call “potentially serious injuries” after a crash involving a vehicle in Kitchener.
Firefighters were called to the house on Laurel Street around noon Thursday.
Fire officials have confirmed there were no working smoke alarms at a fatal house fire in Waterloo earlier this week.
Regina's mayor says the city's fire department had growing concerns about the health, safety and well-being of those living in a homeless camp that was dismantled on Wednesday morning.
Regina city councillors decided on Wednesday to not impose sanctions or corrective measures on Ward 3 Coun. Andrew Stevens for a violation of the city’s confidentiality bylaw.
Flooded underpasses have been a common occurrence in Regina this spring with several thunderstorms dumping heavy rain on the city, but Mayor Sandra Masters says several solutions are in the works to help prevent further flooding.
The grief-stricken parents of a young teen killed in his driveway in Barrie in 2021 delivered haunting victim impact statements in court Thursday, recalling the day their "world was destroyed."
The shifting winds late Thursday morning are predicted to push high levels of air pollution over the City of Barrie and surrounding areas from smoke emanating from wildfires in Quebec and northeastern Ontario.
Huronia West OPP charged a Collingwood man after threats were made involving a gun in Wasaga Beach.
A man who killed his ex-wife’s cousin will spend life in prison with no chance of parole for 15 years, a judge decided on Thursday at Saskatoon’s Court of King’s Bench.
Long-time city councillor and former Saskatchewan Liberal MLA Glen Penner died on Monday, according to a Saskatoon obituary.
Significant property tax hikes may be needed to cover a funding shortfall, according to City of Saskatoon administration.
A wildfire west of Sudbury, Ont., has quadrupled in size prompting evacuation orders to be expanded and one highway to close.
A fifth person in northern Ontario has been charged in less than a week for having a campfire during the fire ban.
Thousands of Canadians have had to leave their homes in several provinces over the last few weeks due to forest fires. Luckily, there are steps you can take to protect your property, both prior to an evacuation and during.
