B-C Auditor General Michael A. Pickup is retiring in November after four years in the role.
He made the announcement today and thanked everyone who has supported and worked with him during his time in the province.
Pickup says he'll be returning to the Maritimes to be closer to his family and will contribute to the public and private sectors in different ways going forward, without giving any specifics.
He's Canada's first and only openly gay auditor general and Indigenous auditor general.
The province says its PharmaCare program now covers medications used to treat rare diseases such as A-L-S. The Ministry of Health says the oral form of edaravone, which is used to treat A-L-S patients, will be added to the PharmaCare formulary as a limited-coverage benefit.
A shortage of diabetes drug Ozempic that is used off-label for weight loss is expected in Canada, the manufacturer says. Health Canada says intermittent shortages are expected from late August to early October.
Strong demand for rentals and a shortage of homes are both contributing to soaring rental costs. And that's making it even more difficult for people to save money for down payment on a home. For most minimum-wage workers, affording these rents with their earnings is impossible.
Home prices in Canada continued to rise last month, the fourth consecutive monthly increase. Eight of the 11 markets in the composite index were up in July led by Halifax at 4.9 per cent, Vancouver at 3.9 per cent and Toronto at 3.5 per cent.
The "very active and unpredictable" McDougall Creek wildfire has grown more than six times during a frightening night, destroying homes and putting more than 2,400 West Kelowna properties under evacuation order, up from about 800 Thursday afternoon.
B-C Ferries says it has suspending sailings of the Coastal Renaissance due to a mechanical problem. The move affects trips between Tsawwassen in Metro Vancouver and Duke Point in Nanaimo.