As of the same year, 44 of them offered French immersion programs. The northern, mostly mountainous, two-thirds of the province is largely unpopulated and undeveloped, except for the area east of the Rockies , where the Peace River Country contains BC’s portion of the Canadian Prairies , centred at the city of Dawson Creek. In April the government of British Columbia declared a public health emergency due to overdoses on the illicit opioid Fentanyl. The high price of residential real estate has led to the implementation of an empty homes tax, a housing speculation and vacancy tax, and a foreign buyers’ tax on housing. Please update this section to reflect recent events or newly available information.