Premier Christy Clark welcomed Sir Richard Branson and Virgin Atlantic Airways to BC for the airline's inaugural flight from London, U.K. to Vancouver that landed at YVR. Virgin Atlantic will fly to Vancouver four days per week from May - October.

These new flights will add an expected 40,000 passengers to BC's tourism industry, and according to the Vancouver International Airport Authority, spending by these additional passengers is expected to generate $21.5 million in tourism expenditure and create additional jobs in hotels, restaurants, shops and tourist attractions. Overall, the new Virgin Atlantic service will add an estimated $10.4 million to BC's GDP.

A march was held by the BC Nurses' Union in Victoria last week that aimed to gather public support as negotiations begin after their collective agreement expired in March, 2012.

A spokesperson for the march, Margo Wilton, co-chairwoman of the BC Nurses' Union South Islands Region, has stated that the province faces a shortage of nurses and hospitals beds and as a result patient care is being compromised. She explained that hospitals and care facilities are overcrowded and understaffed and that many nurses feel they cannot do their jobs properly with the conditions they face.

The current negotiations affect over 30,000 nurses in BC.

This weekly report produced for the BC Chamber of Commerce by Fleishman-Hillard.  While every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of the information included in this publication as of the date of issue, events and government policies are subject to frequent change.  Therefore, the BC Chamber of Commerce and Fleishman-Hillard cannot assume any responsibility for actions taken solely or principally on the basis on the information contained herein.