The annual pace of housing starts in July fell 10 per cent from June when they posted their strongest showing of the year.
Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation reports the annual pace of urban starts was down 11 per cent, the rate of multi-unit urban starts fell 12 per cent and the pace of single-detached urban starts dropped four per cent.
C-M-H-C says housing starts fell 23 per cent in Vancouver but rose 33 per cent in Calgary.
Hot and dry conditions persist, something the superintendent of the BC Wildfire Service's predictive services said is "quite problematic," and creates conditions for potential ignitions across B.C. Temperatures are about five to eight degrees above normal for this time of year, and there's been little to no rain in several parts of B.C. in weeks.
Similar to last year, B.C. has advised public sector employers, including those in public schools, that the day should be observed as a statutory holiday by those who are normally entitled to federal and provincial stats.
The strategy will include co-operation on climate change, she said in an interview with the Atlantic Council think tank in Washington, D.C. Joly also revealed she will visit Peru next week for the Organization of American States summit.
The federal statutory holiday, also known as Orange Shirt Day, was established last year to remember children who died while being forced to attend residential schools, as well as those who survived, and the families and communities still affected by lasting trauma.
Abbotsford police say the 51-year-old driver of the other vehicle is in custody as part of an impaired driving investigation. Officers responded to a crash at the intersection of Wells Line Road and McDermott Road at 6:25 p.m.
A statement from the ministry says those regions are ranked at Drought Level 4, meaning conditions are extremely dry and will likely have unfavourable impacts on everything from jobs to ecosystems.