Business in Vancouver (BIV)

B.C. needs a targeted youth employment plan, Kelowna Mission MLA Gavin Dew says. Dew, the B.C. Conservative critic for economic development, pointed to Statistics Canada figures showing youth employment has declined sharply in recent years, with a Business Council of British Columbia report finding B.C. has experienced the largest youth employment decline among provinces since 2019.

A Sunshine Coast resident won a legal proceeding after the B.C. Supreme Court overturned a District of Sechelt council decision blocking a third storey on a home she was building despite already approved plans and construction well underway. In a June 30 decision on her petition, the court said the record before council did not sufficiently reflect the petitioner’s position that the design and construction of the home were undertaken in consultation with district staff.

PRINCE GEORGE — Veteran mediator Vince Ready has been appointed to try to help settle the British Columbia nurses' dispute as the union steps up its job action. Labour Minister Jennifer Whiteside said in a statement on Friday that Ready and Amanda Rogers will act as special mediators to work with the parties for 10 days to help try to reach a settlement. The statement says that if necessary, they will provide recommendations to the minister to end the dispute.

TORONTO — Canadian and U.S. markets finished in positive territory on Friday as investors gear up for corporate earnings amid ongoing geopolitical tensions. “We seem to be in a holding pattern until we start to get some of these corporate earnings coming out. The war (with Iran) can make the markets do crazy things, but we seem to be in this holding pattern for now,” said Allan Small, senior investment adviser at iA Private Wealth. The S&P/TSX composite index was up 104.86 points at 35,305.31.

PRINCE GEORGE — Veteran mediator Vince Ready has been appointed to try to help settle the British Columbia nurses' dispute as the union steps up its job action. Labour Minister Jennifer Whiteside says in a statement that Ready and Amanda Rogers will act as special mediators to work with the parties for 10 days to help try to reach a settlement. The statement says that if necessary, they will provide recommendations to end the dispute to the minister.

TORONTO — Canada's main stock index rose more than 100 points on Friday, helped by gains in the consumer cyclicals and non-cyclicals sectors, while U.S. markets were also positive. The S&P/TSX composite index was up 104.86 points at 35,305.31. In New York, the Dow Jones industrial average was up 149.60 at 52,637.01. The S&P 500 index was up 31.75 points at 7,575.39, while the Nasdaq composite was up 74.72 points at 26,281.61.

The B.C. government has done nothing to change the way it handles rare drug approvals, one year after promising an overhaul to address a backlash in public confidence. Premier David Eby had said he’d craft a system that was more transparent, accountable and understandable for the public, after his government was harshly criticized for denying life-extending medication to Charleigh Pollock, a dying 10-year-old girl with a rare terminal brain disorder.

A plan to redevelop one of Horseshoe Bay’s most iconic corners – including Troll’s Restaurant – into a five-storey boutique hotel with commercial shops on the ground floor  has been approved by West Vancouver council. Council gave the thumbs-up to The Bay hotel plan, which will sit on three lots at the corner of Bay Street and Royal Avenue, on June 22.

TORONTO — Canada's main stock index edged higher in late-morning trading, helped by strength in the financial and technology sectors, while U.S. stock markets were mixed. The S&P/TSX composite index was up 7.05 points at 35,207.50. In New York, the Dow Jones industrial average was up 108.74 points at 52,596.15. The S&P 500 index was up 15.41 points at 7,559.05, while the Nasdaq composite was down 15.95 points at 26,190.94.

Western Forest Products is extending the curtailment of its Cowichan Bay sawmill, leaving 54 employees without work until at least September. The Cowichan Bay mill had been idled on May 4, but there were hopes it would reopen as the home-building season got underway, according to the union. Another 120 workers at Western’s Chemainus sawmill have been on the sidelines for more than a year. The Chemainus mill was shuttered in June 2025.