The British Columbia History Web Portal salutes our province's Black pioneers, from settlers to politicians to athletes and cultural ambassadors, for their achievements both ordinary and extraordinary. For further information, please visit the Black Historical and Cultural Society of British Columbia (http://www.bhcsbc.org) or the British Columbia Black History Awareness Society (http://www.islandnet.com/~bcbhas/).

Register for any course in any of the following ways: Web: www.sfu.ca/city Phone: 604.291.5254 Fax: 604.291.5098 Email: city@sfu.ca 1. Incentives for Heritage Conservation Friday, 9 am-5 pm, February 28 Fee $175 (includes GST) / CITY 117 This workshop will provide an overview of heritage conservation incentive programs at the federal, provincial and local government levels and will focus on the regulatory, legal, financial, and design aspects of incentive programs in Canada. A range of tools will be examined that provide incentives to owners of heritage buildings in large and small communities. There will be two case studies of heritage incentive programs in Victoria and Vancouver that illustrate private and public sector collaboration. This workshop will be of interest to building owners, real estate developers, architects, engineers, local government officials, and heritage commission members. Instructors: Peter Frood, MES, MPA, Director, Historic Places Program Branch, Parks Canada Agency; Steve Barber, Heritage Planner, City of Victoria; Bill Patterson, President, Citta Construction; Marco D'Agostini, Planner, City of Vancouver; Robert Fung, BA, President, The Salient Group; Patrick Frey, MPA, Manager, Heritage Programs, Ministry of Community, Aboriginal, and Women's Services; Alastair Kerr, MA, Senior Heritage Planner, Ministry of Community Aboriginal, and Women's Services. Co-sponsored by the Heritage Branch, Ministry of Community Aboriginal, and Women's Services. (AIBC: 6.5 CLU). 2. Updating the Historic Places Initiative: Challenges and Opportunities for the Heritage Community Thursday, February 27, 7-8:30 pm This presentation will chart the evolution of the Historic Places Initiative. The accountability tools-the Canadian Register of Historic Places, Standards and Guidelines for the Conservation of Historic Places in Canada and the proposed certification process- will be reviewed and their challenges and opportunities considered. Speaker: Peter Frood, MES, MPA, Director, Historic Places Program Branch, Parks Canada Agency Co-sponsored by the Heritage Branch, Ministry of Community, Aboriginal, and Women's Services. (AIBC: 1.5 CLU) The free lecture will begin at 7 pm at SFU Harbour Centre, 515 W. Hastings St Vancouver. As seating is limited, reservations are required. Please arrive by 6:45 to pick up your reservations. Call 604.291.5100 or email city@sfu.ca to reserve a seat.

The preliminary programme and registration information for the 2003 BC Studies Conference, "British Columbia: Rethinking Ourselves" to be held at the University of British Columbia, 1-3 May 2003 can now be viewed at www.bcstudies.com/bcConference/mainSplash.asp

The Royal British Columbia and the British Columbia Archives are amalgamating effective November 22, 2002 following Cabinet approval of a recommended plan to restructure the two organizations, as well as the Netherlands Carillon and Helmcken House, under a new Crown Trust organization. All four entities will also operate within a newly designated Cultural Precinct. Legislation is to be introduced in the spring 2003 to create the Crown Trust. Records management services will be split off again from the BC Archives and remain with the Ministry of Management Services. The Royal BC Museum is currently part of the Ministry of Community, Aboriginal and Women's Services. A news release and backgrounder (Adobe Acrobat PDF) are available in the News Releases sections of the RBCM Web site (http://www.rbcm.gov.bc.ca/newsreleases/index.html) or the Government of British Columbia Web site (http://www.news.gov.bc.ca).

Archives Week 2002 (November 17-23), sponsored by the Archives Association of British Columbia, celebrates the 150th anniversary of public education in British Columbia. This year's theme commemorates the 150th anniversary of public education in the province (http://aabc.bc.ca/aabc/archweek2002/). Among the scheduled events was the first "Archives in Your Attic" sponsored by the AABC and hosted by the British Columbia Archives at which 120 people visited to have their personal property appraised for archival values and to receive conservation and preservation advice.