PREMIER David Eby announced on Monday that he has appointed Grace Lore as Minister of Children and Family Development, replacing Mitzi Dean who has been appointed as Minister of State for Child Care.

“I am immensely grateful to Grace, Mitzi and Andrew for taking on these new roles,” said Eby. “Child care is extremely important to families, it is a significant benefit to businesses, and it is quite simply critical to our entire province. Minister Dean will be a tireless champion for B.C.’s first new major social program in a generation. We have made considerable progress on the very difficult files within the ministry of children and family development, and I know that Minister Lore’s experience and passion will benefit young people and families.”

Eby also named Andrew Mercier as Minister of State for Sustainable Forestry to support Bruce Ralston, Minister of Forests, “to ensure that British Columbia is building a truly sustainable forestry industry.”

“Minister Mercier will be a key partner in government to help address the urgent demand for timber supply from industry, while working to ensure that wood products are value-added to help create and protect jobs in the forestry sector,” said Eby. “Our entire cabinet has one clear goal – to make life better for people in B.C., and the changes announced today will help us do just that.”

Eby also appointed MLA George Chow as the Parliamentary Secretary for International Credentials, building on recently passed legislation from the ministry of Post-Secondary Education and Future Skills, which removes barriers for internationally trained professionals to work in British Columbia.