Celebrating Women and Girls in B.C. 👏👩🎉

Dear <<First Name>>,

This week we celebrated International Women’s Day, a day where people across the globe celebrate the social, economic, cultural, and political achievements of women. International Women’s Day also marks a call to action for accelerating women's equality. Women continue to face immense social and economic barriers. During the pandemic, women were disproportionately affected by economic challenges and carried a disproportionate amount of responsibility for home-schooling and caregiving when services were interrupted.

This day is a reminder of our continual fight for true gender equality. But it's also about honouring the women in our everyday lives. Thank you to my colleagues, friends, and sisters for being on this journey with me.

You inspire and empower me every day!

This week, we highlight the positive contributions of active people in the Burnaby-Deer Lake community!

Meet Sophia Zhao, a Settlement Practitioner for S.U.C.C.E.S.S. in Burnaby! She loves to travel and meet new people of different cultures. Sophia has worked at S.U.C.C.E.S.S. since December 2016, and was originally a client of S.U.C.C.E.S.S. herself when she immigrated from Beijing into Burnaby 10 years ago!

As a Settlement Practitioner, Sophia provides newcomers to Canada with support to help them settle and integrate into their communities. In particular, she works on S.U.C.C.E.S.S.’s Immigrant Settlement & Integration Program, which provides a wide variety of workshops and services for these newcomers. From English lessons to employment webinars, the program benefits all newcomers of different backgrounds who require assistance.

As an immigrant herself, Sophia knows the challenges newcomers face. Many newcomers can feel isolated and have difficulty integrating into a new community. When Sophia needed assistance at the time, S.U.C.C.E.S.S. provided her with plenty of support. She met a lot of new friends of different backgrounds, learned new cultures, and felt like she was welcomed and involved in the community.

Wanting to help newcomers like herself, Sophia originally volunteered for S.U.C.C.E.S.S., eventually working where she is today. Sophia has worked with a lot of clients since, learning about their stories and accommodating them to Canada. Many of her clients end up with successful careers and life goals and seeing that progression and courage from her clients are satisfying for Sophia.

One of the newer things Sophia and her team are working on is a new support group for Chinese seniors on Zoom. Every Wednesday morning, seniors are gathered to socialize and discuss topics, ranging from health, wellness, computer literacy, and much more.

No matter what circumstances newcomers are in, Sophia and her team are there to help. She encourages anyone that is facing troubles integrating into their communities to embrace new changes, make new friends, and reach out to organizations like S.U.C.C.E.S.S.

S.U.C.C.E.S.S.’s Burnaby team is full of people like Sophia, with a diverse range of cultures and languages. If you would like to learn more about S.U.C.C.E.S.S., you can visit their website at https://successbc.ca/ and their Immigrant Settlement & Integration Program at https://isiponline.ca/.

You can also contact the Burnaby office at 604-430-1899, and provide services in English, Cantonese, Mandarin, Farsi, Arabic, Tagalog, Korean and Dari. They are open by appointment only. See https://isiponline.ca/service-regions/burnaby-new-westminster for more information.

Here are some things I'd like to share with you from the week:

B.C. takes next step in balanced plan to lift COVID-19 restrictions

As people in B.C. continue to step up and become vaccinated in record numbers, COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations have decreased, leading the provincial health officer to lift additional public health orders. As of Friday, March 11, 2022, B.C.’s indoor mask order is being repealed along with eased restrictions on long-term care visitors, faith gatherings and overnight camps for children and youth.

This announcement also sets a pathway to lift additional COVID-19 restrictions, including the BC Vaccine Card requiring proof of vaccination, on April 8.

For more information: https://news.gov.bc.ca/releases/2022HLTH0081-000324

B.C. moves toward pay transparency measures

All workers deserve fair pay, and for too long, women have been unfairly paid compared to their male counterparts. That's why we’re moving forward on pay transparency legislation for B.C. This is one of the many actions we’ve been taking to tackle pay equity since we formed the government.

We’re going to keep building a more equitable B.C. and it’s critical that we hear from women, employers, unions, advocates, and more as we do so.

For more information: https://news.gov.bc.ca/releases/2022FIN0009-000304

New, stable funding will support survivors of sexual violence

Our province should be a safe place and yet, more than half the women in B.C. have experienced physical or sexual violence since the age of 16. We’re restoring critical funding to the extraordinary community-based service providers that deliver care, services, and support for survivors of sexual assault.

This is just one part of our work to help end gender-based violence and improve survivors' support, ensuring they have immediate access to medical services and counselling.

For more information: https://news.gov.bc.ca/releases/2022PSSG0009-000299

New grad requirement ensures students expand their knowledge about Indigenous perspectives, histories, cultures

We know that Indigenous Peoples face inequity within the education system, as part of a larger system of colonialism and racism. We’re implementing a new graduation requirement that will ensure all students complete Indigenous-focused coursework before they graduate from B.C.’s K-12 education system.

The Indigenous graduation requirement is one way we’re preparing students for a journey of lifelong learning as we work towards building a more educational, respectful, and inclusive society in B.C.

For more information: https://news.gov.bc.ca/releases/2022EDUC0007-000297

I'm here for you

As always, if you have any questions or concerns about any provincial issue, please don’t hesitate to reach out. We are here to help you.

My office can be reached at (604) 775-0565 or Anne.Kang.MLA@leg.bc.ca.

Sincerely,

Anne Kang, MLA
Burnaby-Deer Lake

Youth Leadership Program

For youth in Grades 8-12 at North and South Houses

We offer two levels of Leadership, each with a different community focus. All programs have components of problem-solving, social interaction, communication, group work as well as individual initiative.

To register or for more info, email Sophia or call 236-889-4068.

English Conversation Circle

Mondays, 1 PM to 2:25 PM via Zoom

This program is a great opportunity for newcomers to practice English, build confidence, meet new people and have fun!

For more information or to register, please email s ihamaa@burnabynh.ca or 236-877-2517.

Burnaby Public Library

Saturday, March 26 at 1:00 PM

Join the next online book discussion group! We are reading "A Long Petal of the Sea" by Isabel Allende.

Visit the service desk at your local BPL location to pick u a print copy of the book.

Register and learn more at https://bpl.bc.ca/events/book-discussion-group-a-long-petal-of-the-sea

COVID-19 updates from the BC Centre for Disease Control

Total vaccine doses administered in B.C. are 11,393,545.

There are currently 336 new cases in British Columbia as of March 11, 2022. There is a total of 351,751 cases in British Columbia.

As of today, there have been more than 6,244 new tests. Our province has adjusted testing to 5,078 people per 100,000.

For more information, please visit BCCDC's website

COVID Resources

For medical info, visit covid-19.bccdc.ca or call 811
For vaccination info, visit gov.bc.ca/getvaccinated
For financial supports for people and businesses, visit this page .
For PHO orders and guidance, visit this page.
For seniors looking for additional support, or for those looking to support seniors, call 211 or visit bc211.ca
For virtual mental health resources, click here.  
For Mental Health Resources for Educators, Parents and Youth, click here.

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