Dear <<First Name>>,
On Monday, March 8, we celebrated International Women's Day. International Women's Day has been recognized since 1911 and is a day when women are recognized for their achievements without regard to divisions, whether national, ethnic, linguistic, cultural, economic or political. This year, the United Nations theme is Women in Leadership: Achieving an equal future in a COVID-19 world.
This year also marks a sombre milestone as it is almost one year since the World Health Organization declared the COVID-19 outbreak a global pandemic. For many who already faced systemic barriers or oppression, the pandemic has magnified the inequalities that still exist among genders. This is further amplified for Indigenous women, women of colour, women with disabilities, and people in the 2SLGBTQ+ community.
Celebrating International Women’s Day takes on a new meaning this year as we celebrate the thousands of people who became everyday superheroes overnight to help us all see our way through the pandemic. These are people who have taken hold of the reins during a storm – who made sure we could safely go to the grocery store, leave our children in safe and loving care to go to work, who picked up travellers and brought them safely home. With vaccines on the horizon, we can now look forward. That said, no matter our gender, race, class, sexual orientation, disability or ability, our community is stronger when we help each other, celebrate our superheroes and find a way to ensure all people have an equal future during these difficult times.
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Enhanced Care confirms improved crash benefits
Even though we're in a pandemic, other aspects of our health are still critically important, including receiving proper care after road accidents. That's why care, recovery and wage-loss benefits for people injured in crashes will be even more generous than originally proposed, under the new Enhanced Care coverage regulations.
Enhanced Care is a new way of doing auto insurance in B.C. - one that lowers the cost of insurance, while providing all British Columbians with access to significantly improved care and recovery benefits if they're injured in a crash, regardless of whether they were responsible or not. Enhanced Care coverage benefits will be available to British Columbian drivers, passengers, cyclists and pedestrians who are injured anywhere in Canada and the United States.
Enhanced Care will help give ICBC's most seriously injured customers peace of mind that their benefits will last for as long as they need them. New and expanded benefits will be available to anyone who suffers a permanent or life-altering injury from a crash.
Enhanced Care will also provide a new recreation benefit for a customer who suffers a permanent impairment and incurs additional costs, because of their injury, to continue participating in recreational activities.
People who miss work because of injuries sustained in a crash will also receive an Income Replacement Benefit to help cover wage loss for the period of time they are unable to work. Income replacement will also be available to any student who is unable to work following the scheduled completion of their current studies due to injuries sustained in a crash.
Nicolas Jimenez, President of ICBC, said it perfectly; "Providing insurance coverage that truly makes available all of the care and support you need if you are injured in a crash - especially for those who suffer the most serious, life-altering injuries - is at the very heart of our new care-based model. Importantly, you will choose your own doctor and health-care provider to lead your care, and they will work with ICBC to develop your customized recovery plan and get you back on the road to recovery."
You can find more information on Enhanced Care and the improved benefits here: https://news.gov.bc.ca/releases/2021PSSG0021-000400
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New fund helps local governments deliver on housing priorities
Tackling homelessness and making housing more affordable are key issues across the province and especially here in Burnaby. I'm thrilled to share the new Local Government Development Approvals Program, which is part of the Province's ongoing work to give local governments the tools necessary to meet housing needs in their communities. It helps local governments look at best practices and innovative ways to support non-profit housing organizations, developers and other stakeholders to deliver essential and diverse types of housing to people around the province.
The ongoing pandemic has created unprecedented challenges for local governments and has heightened the need to further increase the supply of new, affordable homes for people in our communities. Housing providers, the development sector and local governments all have a role to play in improving current development approvals, and this Development Approvals Program complements what local governments are already doing to get people the right housing for their communities quickly and efficiently.
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BC creates over 26,000 new jobs
This last year has been difficult for everyone but we are starting to see light at the end of the tunnel. By providing one of the most supportive and comprehensive COVID-19 responses in Canada, our government is helping people and businesses whether this pandemic. I'm so happy to report that the province beat all expectations by creating over 26,000 jobs last month, with a majority of those jobs going to women. As we move through the spring, we will continue building a recovery that benefits everyone by investing in people, strengthening communities and supporting jobs and growth in a clean-energy future.
More info here:
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Updated COVID-19 Restrictions
I know that the restrictions on all social gatherings these past few months have been challenging, especially for those that live alone. Luckily, Provincial Health Officer Dr. Bonnie Henry announced today that restrictions are easing to allow in-person outdoor gatherings of up to 10 people.
It's crucial that we all continue to follow these restrictions and do our part to flatten the curve as vaccines start to roll out. You can find more information on current Provincial Health Orders here: https://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/covid-19/info/restrictions
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I'm here for you
As always, if you have questions or need any assistance with provincial COVID-19 supports, please reach out. Thank you for trusting me to support you again as your MLA for Burnaby-Deer Lake. For constituency-related questions, you can reach me at (604) 775-0565 or Anne.Kang.MLA@leg.bc.ca. For all inquiries about my capacity as Minister of Advanced Education and Skills Training, please email AEST.minister@gov.bc.ca.
Sincerely,
Anne Kang, MLA
Burnaby-Deer Lake
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International students, immigrants & refugees: Make your voice heard!
Join Swahili Vision International Association and MP Peter Julian for a virtual Q&A session. Topics will include immigration, refugee status, international student visas & post-grad work permits.
Saturday, March 13 2-3pm
Register at bit.ly/sviaqa.
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International Women's Day Celebration
Choose to Challenge! We aim to encourage everyone to be responsible for their thoughts and actions all day, every day. We invite everyone to call out gender bias and inequality and celebrate women’s achievements. We all can help create an inclusive world!
Event Details
Date: Thursday, March 18
Time: 6:30pm-8:00pm
Venue: Webinar
Cost: Free to attend
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Letters to the MLA from our youth
Have thoughts you would like to share with the MLA? We'd love to hear them! We welcome submissions from all youth of Burnaby-Deer Lake. Email us at anne.kang.mla@leg.bc.ca with your letter to the MLA.
No Submissions this week.
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COVID-19 updates from the BC Centre for Disease Control
There is a total of 4,912 active cases in British Columbia as of March 12, 2021. A total of 79,829 people who tested positive have recovered.
Fraser Health Authority, which includes the City of Burnaby, has a total of 50,489 confirmed cases, of which 2,657 are active.
As of today, there are more than 2,022,956 completed tests. Our province has adjusted testing to 388,865 people per 1,000,000.
For more information, please visit BCCDC's website.
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Were you forwarded this email?
Click here to subscribe to MLA Anne Kang's newsletter! We'll send you information about our community and let you know about events in the riding.
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Community Office Information
To keep our community safe, we encourage constituents to contact us by phone or email if possible for constituency services. We look forward to hearing from you! Thank you for your patience and flexibility during this time.
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