Noon News Update for May 8 2020

British Columbia's unemployment rate has more than doubled since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. New numbers from Statistics Canada show BC's unemployment rate for April is 11 and a half per cent. Pre-pandemic, that number was five per cent. BC's Minister of Finance says most of the job losses are in the food and wholesale/retail sectors. Carole James says she is hoping employment numbers will improve with the gradual reopening of those businesses. More than 400,000 British Columbians have applied for the BC Benefit for Workers. James says the government is turning its attention to how it can best spend the one and a half billion dollars it has earmarked for economic recovery. She says she welcomes ideas from all British Columbians but admits there is still a hard road ahead, and it could take years for the province to fully recover.BC's Provincial Health Officer says there is help for small businesses that are unsure how to navigate safe openings during the pandemic. On Wednesday, the Premier announced that restaurants, pubs, hairdressers, barbers, and a series of personal health providers like dentists, chiropractors and counsellors will be allowed to reopen their doors after the May long weekend, if they follow provincial pandemic guidelines to do so safely. Dr. Bonnie Henry says specific plans for each sector, including templates and checklists are coming soon. She says individual business plans for reopening do not have to be approved by the province, but they do have to be publicly posted, whether on websites or taped to the entrance to the business. The idea is to instill public confidence that businesses are taking all the necessary steps to ensure their customers and staff are best protected from COVID-19.The Vancouver Island Regional Library is being recognized with an international award for a series of programs on indigenous affairs. VIRL’s Indigenous Voices Initiative will receive a Presidential Citation for Innovative International Library Projects from the American Library Association. The "Indigenous Voices Initiative" was created in 2018. It has presented forums on reconciliation, residential schools and creation stories, along with organizing medicine walks, drum making sessions and smudging ceremonies. More than 1300 people have attended almost 60 elder-led programs and the library says more are planned for the future. An article about Indigenous Voices will be published in the July issue of American Libraries Magazine.Written and reported by Lisa Cordasco. Senior Reporter and News Director for CHLY 101.7FM.Have a tip? Email: [email protected]: @lisacordasco / @chly1017FMFunded in part by the Local Journalism Initiative of the Government of Canada through Heritage Canada in partnership with the Community Radio Fund of Canada.