Premier Gordon Campbell came to Langley armed with a piece of good news on Thursday.

The same day he helped open the BC Summer Games, the provincial government announced that the Port Mann twinning project is one third complete, and will be finished in 2012, a year ahead of the original schedule.

"Coming through the traffic today, I think people will be glad to have it early," Campbell said while speaking to local media.

The premier spoke about a wide range of topics, from the BC Summer Games to education to the HST.

Campbell compared the BC Summer Games to the Winter Olympics, and talked about the national unity and pride those games fostered.

When it comes to sport, the government's role is to get out information that helps people lead healthy lives, Campbell said.

That includes efforts like the Summer Games, but also letting people know that 30 minutes of physical activity can reduce the risk of some cancers, and of diabetes.

You can't legislate that people walk, jog, cycle, or join a sports team, but you can design communities to make it easier to live healthy lives, he said.

"We have to provide those opportunities to people," said Campbell.

He was positive about Langley City and Township's efforts to create "comprehensive communities."

One of the challenges for government is the tendency to focus on just one thing as the solution to a problem, Campbell said.

"There's no one thing," he said.

Funding for public transportation, the Greening Cities program that co-funds bike lanes, and healthy living initiatives are all part of that, Campbell said.

But when it comes to community planning, it's up to cities, he said.

On the broader issue of the environment, Campbell did not come down for or against waste to energy incinerators, but he did say that existing landfills are major generators of methane, a greenhouse gas.

Recycling efforts are already well established, so reducing consumption has to be the next major method of cutting down on garbage, Campbell said.

He pointed to the carbon tax as one way of forcing reduction.

"It's about saying there is a reward for productivity," Campbell said.

The premier also admitted that the implementation of the HST was handled badly.

"I'm the first to admit that we didn't roll that out the way I think I'd like to," Campbell said.

He added that he was "frankly apologetic to the people in B.C."

As the government has said before, Campbell said the sudden about-face on the HST was due to Ontario finishing its negotiations and getting good terms with the federal government.

"We piggybacked on the Ontario negotiations," Campbell said.

On schools, Campbell was asked about whether the province will respond with more oversight to school districts budgets, in light of Langley and Vancouver's recent massive shortfalls.

"I think it's identified a number of significant concerns," Campbell said of the incidents.

He did not say if the province will take a more active role.

"I think we've seen some problems and I think we've got to confront them," he said.

mclaxton@langleyadvance.com