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Dec 8, 2020 2:48 AM -

Plans to fight the second wave of COVID-19 and to mount a strong economic recovery focus of B.C.'s throne speech

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File - In a throne speech read by Lieutenant Governor Janet Austin, the government says vaccines herald better days ahead but the virus still poses urgent challenges in the short term. (B.C. Government)

The newly re-elected NDP government says it will strive to ensure that people work together to fight the second wave of COVID-19 and to mount a strong economic recovery.

In a throne speech read by Lieutenant Governor Janet Austin, the government says vaccines herald better days ahead but the virus still poses urgent challenges in the short term.

It says a tax-free pandemic recovery payment of one-thousand dollars to eligible families and 500-dollars to individuals will help people during a hard time, while benefiting the local economy.

The plan was to deliver the benefit in time for Christmas but the government says in a news release that the benefits will not come until year's end.

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