Hansard -- Thursday, February 20, 2003 p.m.-- Vol. 11, No. 11 (HTML)

The following electronic version is for informational purposes only.
The printed version remains the official version.

Official Report of

DEBATES OF THE LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY



CONTENTS

	Routine Proceedings
		Page

Introductions by Members		4927

Statements (Standing Order 25B)		4927
	Northern B.C. Winter Games and Olympic Games referendum R. Harris Olympic Games referendum R. Hawes Vernon Winter Carnival and Olympic Games referendum T. Christensen

Oral Questions		4928
	Long-term care assessment standards J. MacPhail Hon. K. Whittred J. Kwan Blockade of Ocean Falls fish hatchery B. Belsey Hon. R. Coleman School-based education funding L. Mayencourt Hon. G. Hogg Development of energy sector and coalbed methane resources W. Cobb Hon. R. Neufeld

Reports from Committees		4931
	Select Standing Committee on Health Patients First 2002: The Path to Reform V. Roddick

Budget Debate (continued)		4931
	Hon. T. Nebbeling P. Wong Hon. J. Murray H. Long K. Johnston B. Locke Hon. L. Stephens W. McMahon

Hon. C. Clark: Today in the members' gallery we have some very special guests from Thailand, who I had the honour to meet with today. Surapit Kirtiputra is the newly appointed consul general of Thailand at Vancouver. He is accompanied by his wife, Rungnapa Kirtiputra, and Consul Athasit Poolsawat. I hope that the House will make them very welcome as they make their official calls in Victoria today.

Hon. B. Barisoff: Joining us today in the Legislature are two constituents of mine, Jim and Dorothy Hewitt. Jim used to be the former Minister of Education and former Minister of Agriculture. Would the House please make them welcome.

E. Brenzinger: It is an honour to introduce to the House today my very special guest, Dr. Kwang Yang, and his wife, Katherine. Dr. Yang gave a presentation on hepatitis B at our Government Caucus Committee on Health this morning. Dr. Yang is the president and founder of the hepatitis B society. He is an active member of the Surrey Memorial Hospital, is the author of the About Health pocketbook and has a thriving medical practice located in my riding of Surrey-Whalley. Please join me in welcoming my friend and guest, Dr. Yang, along with his wife, Katherine.

L. Mayencourt: In the gallery I have two guests today: Mr. Allan Perkins and his son, Allan Perkins Jr. Members will recall that last year around this time, Mr. and Mrs. Perkins attended the session. Unfortunately, Mrs. Perkins, Pam Perkins, is not here today. She passed away this past year. I am told by Mr. Perkins that the welcome extended to her and her husband last year was greatly appreciated. I invite the House to one more time give it up for Pam and Allan Perkins.

R. Harris: Recently I again had the pleasure of attending the Northern B.C. Winter Games. This year's games proved to be especially challenging, because rather than having one host community, we had three: Fraser Lake, Vanderhoof and Fort St. James. With all the extra organizational challenges and complications of hosting such an event over three communities, Kris Neilsen and her committee did a superb job.

This is the twenty-ninth year for the Northern B.C. Winter Games, and over its history over 40,000 athletes from 50 to 60 different communities have participated. It's become an important part of the winter tradition in the north, as it brings all of our northern heartland communities together each and every year.

These games are different from other games within the families, as they are more about participation and attract people both young and old. Our youngest athlete was seven and our oldest was 82. What also makes these games unique is the use of billet families. The bonds and friendships that have been created over the years go way beyond just the competition. With billeting comes even a greater demand for volunteers. This year they required over 1,200 volunteers for 1,300 participants.

These games, though, provide a huge boost to the economies of communities that host them. In '98 in Dawson Creek they generated $650,000 worth of activity in that community. A year later in Prince Rupert it was $850,000. Last year when I was in Smithers, those businessmen told me it was like having Christmas in February. It has certainly been noticed by these folks in these communities — the value of hosting such an event.

With B.C. poised to host the 2010 Winter Olympics, the benefits of being a host will be felt in every region of this province. It gives us an opportunity to bring the best in the world to B.C. to compete, and also an opportunity to bring B.C. and Canada to the rest of the world. There was a real excitement in the air at the thought of B.C. being the host of the Olympics. Nowhere could you see that more than in the faces of the children that participated.

Vancouver has an opportunity this Saturday to help that become a reality, and they are poised to do that. Those of us in the heartlands community say: "Vancouver, don't let us down." These are B.C. games, and we want to be part of that Olympic experience. You have a chance on Saturday to make it happen and vote yes.

At this point, I would like the House to join me in expressing our appreciation to the communities of Vanderhoof, Fort St. James and Fraser Lake, to Kris Neilsen and her games committee, to the board of directors, but most importantly to those communities that opened up their communities — their houses — to all of us.

People from all over our province are standing up in support of the 2010 Olympic bid. Today Mayor Jim Doyle of Golden, a former cabinet minister in the previous NDP government, announced that his council has unanimously passed a motion in support of the bid. Golden council said, in their words: "We believe the Olympics will be great for the province, resulting in increased employment, infrastructure and socioeconomic initiatives. The 2010 bid is not just about Van-

couver. It's about the long-term benefits the entire province will experience by hosting this important international event. We are encouraging the residents of Vancouver to vote yes."

I think we need to be very clear about this. Saturday's vote is not a choice between the Olympics or something else. It's not about health care. It's not about education. It's not about highways. It is about an opportunity, and it's an opportunity that would be completely lost if too many wrongly believe there are other opportunities to be had by voting no.

I want to remind voters that immediately following the 17-day Olympics, the Paralympic Games will begin. Athletes with disabilities from around the world will compete here in a completely separate, yet just as important, Olympic competition. Thousands of international visitors will gather to celebrate the Paralympics. This is an opportunity for disabled athletes from around the world to showcase their talents. This is an opportunity for all of us to celebrate the courage and tenacity of those with handicaps or disabilities. This is an opportunity to raise the profile of those with disabilities and to create awareness of the particular problems they face. Most importantly, this is an opportunity to instil in our children with disabilities a sense of pride and a spirit of "I can too."

As you consider how to vote on Saturday, please, if for no other reason than to support the Paralympics and the athletes with disabilities, vote yes.

Deputy Speaker: Thank you, member, for your two-minute-and-20-second statement.

T. Christensen: Last weekend saw the close of the forty-third annual Vernon Winter Carnival, western Canada's largest winter festival. For the last 43 years the citizens of Vernon have taken the first part of February to celebrate the fact that we live in a winter wonderland and that we need to get out and enjoy it.

Whether it's 20 below zero or we have balmy Victoria-like temperatures as we did this year, thousands of people come out to watch the winter carnival parade, to see the ice sculptures of local school children, to see the hot-air balloons and to participate in one or more of the over 90 events that are part of winter carnival week.

During winter carnival you will find all community members — be they seniors, children, non-profit organizations, businesses or service clubs — taking pride in being part of this annual event. It truly brings a community together, involving more than 5,000 volunteers and over 86 local and national sponsors. In Vernon we like a good celebration, and we know how it can bring a community together.

British Columbia has a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to embrace a provincewide winter celebration with the 2010 Winter Olympics. On February 11, in the midst of our own winter carnival, Vernon city council strongly endorsed the 2010 Olympic bid.

We have a great natural asset in my constituency: winter. We are just starting to be discovered by people from around the world. You name a winter recreation activity, and I assure you there's somewhere in my constituency to enjoy it. The Olympics will help the world discover our natural assets.

During winter carnival the Vernon Figure Skating Club presented their production of Peter Pan. Among those kids, there's a 2010 Olympian. Up at Silver Star watching the Vernon alpine ski team, the Vernon freestyle skiing team or the Sovereign Lake Nordic ski team, I see 2010 Olympians. In our ice rinks and curling rinks we have 2010 Olympians.

This Saturday, I urge the citizens of Vancouver to vote yes to the 2010 Winter Olympics for their community. But equally importantly, they need to vote yes for my community.

J. MacPhail: Yesterday, after months of inaction, the government was finally shamed into paying for an ambulance bill that it had charged to Edward Laitenen, who has been shuffled between care homes and then asked to pay for the privilege.

To the Minister of Long Term Care: can she tell the House what assessment standards are in place to reclassify and shuffle seniors from long-term care facility to long-term care facility?

Hon. K. Whittred: The member opposite will recall that when she, in fact, was a member of the government, they instituted a new assessment tool. It was at that time piloted in North Vancouver and in Victoria. That program was implemented before we became government. It's now being expanded across the province. If the member opposite wishes details, I would be happy to offer her a briefing.

J. MacPhail: I asked the question because today we learn that a coroner's investigation has been ordered into the death of another Salmon Arm resident who was shuffled between care homes in the same way as Mr. Laitenen was. The man died. The man was transferred from Fountainview care home to Pioneer Lodge. The doctors involved asked the coroner to investigate because they were concerned about the level of care the patient was receiving and that it was substandard.

These doctors have been trying to raise their concerns to government about the reclassification system as recently as last month, but they are being ignored. Can the Minister for Long Term Care explain why doctors' concerns about a reclassification system that they

say is hurting patients are being ignored? By the way, this reclassification system is new to this region.

Hon. K. Whittred: We on this side of the House take matters around safety very seriously. I understand that both the coroner and the interior health authority are looking into the circumstances of this matter, and at this point I'm not prepared to speculate on the outcome of either review.

Deputy Speaker: Leader of the Opposition with a further supplementary question.

J. MacPhail: It's not good enough for the minister to stand up and say, "Hands off," that she'll let the review take place. Mr. Laitenen was shuffled from home to home. Luckily, all that was at issue with him was the government charging him for ambulance bills.

We now have a death in the same region. This patient's doctors are concerned that the interior health authority did their assessment too quickly and provided the patient with a substandard level of care. It's this government moving patients from care home to care home.

There is a serious problem with the criteria this government is using to shuffle seniors from bed to bed, and from bed to bed that doesn't meet their care needs.

Will the minister immediately undertake to make those new criteria public right now, so that patients, families and their doctors, who are being denied the criteria, know on what basis patients are being moved around between care homes? Immediately.

Hon. K. Whittred: As far as I know, the assessment tool is quite public and can be accessed simply by talking to the health authorities.

J. Kwan: The minister needs to take control of the situation before more patients are hurt or die as a result of her impatience to save money for long-term care. Seniors and their families deserve a whole lot better.

We have just learned of this coroner's investigation and the health authority's investigation. Can the minister tell this House how many other seniors' deaths are under investigation by her ministry?

Hon. K. Whittred: As a government we are committed to ensuring that there is a sustainable health care system there for not only the current seniors but…

Hon. K. Whittred: …people who are going to follow. That means that there are some changes being made. We have carefully put policy in place, and the kinds of fearmongering that are raised by the opposition is, quite frankly, the absolute most destructive thing that is going on in health care reform today.

Deputy Speaker: Member for Vancouver–Mount Pleasant with a supplementary question.

J. Kwan: From day one, this government has treated seniors like they don't matter. It took four months for this government to take action on just one ambulance bill. We know the horror stories about senior couples being split up by this government, but maybe that doesn't matter to this government. Maybe that's fearmongering, but the reality is that seniors are getting hurt in the community. Now seniors are being reassessed and either sent home or sent to a substandard facility. Before more seniors are hurt and investigations are ordered, will the minister stand up for seniors…?

J. Kwan: Will the minister stand up for seniors and call for a halt to these bogus reassessments until doctors, patients and their families can have input into the criteria, before it's too late?

B. Belsey: We've heard about Lynn Hunter of the Suzuki Foundation who jokingly sent out an e-mail saying how much she enjoys tormenting fish farms and their employees. Now there's another fish farm business that's being tormented by these people. The Ocean Falls fish hatchery is suffering from yet another blockade that's preventing workers from getting to their job. This is in a small community that needs this job, that needs this project. I know that in the previous attempt, there was damage done to this project, and it was impossible for these fellows to carry on working. Can the Solicitor General provide my constituents with an update on this latest blockade…

Hon. R. Coleman: The company, as I understand it, is seeking an injunction, and I would imagine there's a subsequent enforcement order. The RCMP are assessing the situation and making the plans that would be necessary to deal with the situation. They will be prepared to act to protect property, public safety, and to enforce the law.

L. Mayencourt: My question is to the Minister of Children and Family Development. School-based pro-

grams and school-based funding provide a number of essential services, such as hot lunches for many students in my riding. Patti Lefkos, the principal of one of the three schools in my riding — who is a champion for inner-city schools — joined us earlier this week for the budget speech. She was delighted by the announcement that the ministry will continue to support the provision of these vital services aimed at helping children most in need. Can the minister please provide details on how this commitment will be fulfilled?

Hon. G. Hogg: The purpose of the school-based programs is to help level the playing field to ensure we provide supports, both social and academic supports, for students so that they can perform to their optimum.

With the announcement of the budget this week, we are able to say clearly that the funding for the program will run to the end of the school year. Firstly, there will be no disruption with respect to the programs throughout the context of this school year. Secondly, it means we have the opportunity to have some stability and build evidence-based programs, best-practices programs. The funding as it exists today does not appear to have any rationale for the way it's distributed. In fact, there are 705 schools in this province — 705 schools in which there are students. Over 10 percent of the students come from families on income assistance. There's a need for us to shift that, to move that forward, and with this announcement we have assurance that we have…

Hon. G. Hogg: …$37.5 million in the next fiscal year to provide services for exactly those kinds of students.

L. Mayencourt: That's definitely great news for students in my riding. I note that there are children here in the House today, and I'm glad they are here to witness this. In the past, outcomes for some of these fundings were often ignored. The money didn't necessarily get to the kids that needed it the most. Can the minister please tell us when we can expect to hear more details on the best-practices program that he announced?

This is indeed great news for the students in my community because in the past, outcomes were often ignored. The money didn't necessarily get to the kids that needed it the very most. Can the minister please tell this House when we can expect to hear further details on this new program?

Hon. G. Hogg: In fact, what's going to happen is that we're going to have better services and more services coming in the next couple of years, because we have the involvement of parents, teachers, the B.C. School Trustees Association and communities working together to provide better services, rather than having them imposed. We've looked at the OECD countries. We know those programs that are most successful are those that have the involvement of local-level communities putting them together. That hasn't happened in the past. We're moving forward to have that go into place in the future.

We sent a letter out to all the superintendents around this province this week to tell them that the funding will be in place to the end of the school year. We're meeting with a group of parents, trustees and teachers who will come together. They're making recommendations, because they want this money to go where it should go: to the most vulnerable students, where it has not gone in the past. We will adjust this program. By the end of March we will have the specifics in terms of how we'll be able to address the most vulnerable students in our schools across this province.

W. Cobb: My question is to the Minister of Energy and Mines. Under the previous government, regulations were introduced to systematically discourage the energy sector from investing in our province. Last year the minister was asked what initiatives the government had taken to rejuvenate this sector of the economy. At that time, the minister indicated that the measures taken by the government to encourage growth in this sector were beginning to pay off but that we needed more. Can the minister now tell me what further progress has been made to promote the energy sector?

Hon. R. Neufeld: This government, under the leadership of the Premier, is working very hard to encourage the energy industry and the mining industry back into British Columbia. Both of those industries pay very good, family-supporting jobs — well-paid jobs — and that's what we need back in the province. After being kicked out of British Columbia over ten years under the leadership of the opposition of today, we have been working very hard to bring forward tax changes and regulatory changes to encourage that industry back to British Columbia so that we can continue to have well-paying jobs and good health care and education paid for in the province.

W. Cobb: I think I caught most of it, with the disruption that was in front of me. Further to the development of the traditional oil and….

W. Cobb: Well, especially when they're so loud and sitting right in front of me. It's very annoying.

W. Cobb: Further to the development of traditional oil and gas reserves, B.C. is experiencing exciting new opportunities in coalbed methane deposits, particularly in my riding. Coal is one of the largest hydrocarbon sources in British Columbia, found in almost every area of this province. This is an estimated 90 trillion cubic feet of coalbed methane potential for B.C. One billion cubic feet will produce enough energy for 5,000 homes. Imagine what the 90 trillion cubic feet can do.

Can the Minister of Energy and Mines, regardless of all the hot air in front of me, tell me what he is doing to encourage the development of this particular resource?

Hon. R. Neufeld: Actually, in British Columbia we have about 23 billion tonnes of coal, more coal than any other jurisdiction in Canada. Most of that coal is spread across the province. Most of that coal is coalbed methane, which is interchangeable with natural gas. We have devised procedures in royalties and regulations that encourage the development of coalbed methane. The northeast part of the province develops all the natural gas for British Columbia. We want to see that moved out to the rest of the heartlands of British Columbia so that every region of the province can actually enjoy some good economic activity and some well-paying jobs, so that we can all have good health care and education.

When the Leader of the Opposition talks incessantly about a modern economy, I would bet that she drives a car that burns gasoline that comes from oil. I would bet that she heats her house with natural gas, which is a fossil fuel. I would bet that she flies on airplanes that consume jet fuel, which actually comes from oil. I would bet that when she goes on holidays and rides that cruise ship, it's bunker C that makes that cruise ship go across the ocean. I would think that every morning when she takes a shower, the water is heated with natural gas. It is a good, clean product. We should be happy about it.

V. Roddick: I have the honour to present the report of the Select Standing Committee on Health for the third session of the thirty-seventh parliament, entitled Patients First 2002: The Path to Reform.

V. Roddick: Mr. Speaker, I ask leave of the House to suspend the rules to permit the moving of a motion to adopt the report.

V. Roddick: I move that the report, Patients First 2002: The Path to Reform, be adopted on behalf of the Select Standing Committee on Health, which was asked to compile the numerous health reports that have been issued across the country since December 2001 and to disseminate and ultimately compare them to its Patients First: Renewal and Reform of British Columbia's Health Care System and the Romanow report.

V. Roddick: This documentation and comparison is now completed in Patients First 2002: The Path to Reform. The people of British Columbia can now see how their government is proceeding…

Deputy Speaker: Leader of the Opposition, would you please listen to the report.

V. Roddick: …with health care improvements not just within our own province but within the context of the entire country. As Chair, I am privileged to be able to thank every member, actually — this time — of the committee for their dedicated diligence, the Clerk to the committee, her tireless staff, and the committee research analyst and consultant Anne Mullens, who helped pull it all together. Path to Reform should be read by all of us. Our health is our life.

Mr. Speaker, I appreciate this opportunity to move the adoption of the committee's report.

Hon. T. Nebbeling: I, too, rise today to speak to the budget that was presented two days ago here in the House. Before I get to the budget, however, I would like to extend my greetings to my constituents in the riding of West Vancouver–Garibaldi. As you know, West Vancouver–Garibaldi is one of the most spectacu-

lar ridings that can ever be had in British Columbia — or Canada, for that matter. We have the Sea to Sky Highway, with magnificent communities along the Sea to Sky Highway starting in West Vancouver, Bowen Island, Lions Bay, Squamish, Whistler, Pemberton and D'Arcy.

I also would like to give special recognition to the two first nations in my riding. We have the Squamish nation, and we have the Mount Currie band. These two nations are working very hard, together with all the other jurisdictions in our riding, to find opportunities to stimulate the economy in the different areas I represent.

I would also like to state my congratulations to the Minister of Finance for delivering a budget. During the presentation of the budget, it became clear to me that this was a very good-news budget. It showed that in spite of the difficult situation we faced when we were elected 21 months ago, we actually dared to take the steps we had to take to get the economy in British Columbia going again. That includes a serious dose of bitter medication. We also are aware that at the time we travelled the province prior to the last election, we made it very clear to the voters that by electing a B.C. Liberal government, our focus was going to be on stimulating the economy to turn the ship of state around, thereby creating a healthier foundation to fund education and health care.

What happened before the last 24 months that we have been in government? I look back at the nineties, and I was in this House since 1996, but I believe it is fair to say that the nineties have turned out to be the decade of disastrous decisions made by the previous government. The decisions were so disastrous that they drove pretty well a main chunk of our businesses out of this province. Of course, with the elimination of many business opportunities in British Columbia, we lost a lot of job opportunities. It's clear today — when you go to the smaller communities throughout British Columbia, when you go into the heartlands, when you go to communities that in the past were totally dependent on resource extraction industries — that there is still a lot of damage visible in these communities.

During the nineties many jobs were lost in the mining industry. Many jobs were lost in the forest industry. A consequence of the job losses in these industries was that in many cases, families got uprooted. Often the breadwinner had to leave the community where he was living with his family to find work opportunities in other provinces, and it just totally has created an imbalance in family life in many cases throughout these communities in British Columbia. That's part of the legacy that we have from the NDP government in the nineties.

Of course, with the loss of business opportunities in British Columbia we lost another opportunity, and that was the opportunity of enticing industries to come to British Columbia to invest in this province, creating new jobs. When I listened to the budget, it was clear that the steps that this government has taken in the last 21 months are certainly beginning to develop a lot more comfort in the investment world. We know that investment brokers are beginning to focus on British Columbia again, something that hasn't happened during the nineties, and we already see some really good results from that new focus on British Columbia.

The budget was a good-news budget. It showed increased revenues of $1 billion. It also showed a re-evaluation of what we anticipated to be the debt for this budget, which was $4.4 billion. The budget was brought in with $600 million less in debt, which again was a good sign for industry.

Each and every one of us knows that in the last year in particular, when we introduced our three-year recovery plan, the press and many others in the province didn't believe that the steps we were going to take in order to get the ship of state in order again could be done; that, indeed, in three years' time we could come from deficit budgets to balanced budgets. For me it was really interesting to see the reaction of the press the day after the budget was announced.

Vaughn Palmer of the Vancouver Sun has been a strong critic and doubter of whether our plan could actually become reality and come to a surplus in 2004-05 — and, of course, the balanced budget. Vaughn Palmer wrote in his article the next morning: "The government did a better job than anticipated. Jobs are staying within its targets for the first time in living memory. Every minister came in under budget." Then he goes on to mention: "The next two targets, a $2.3 billion deficit for '02-03 and a $50 million surplus in '04, look that much more attainable." That's the first time, I think, that Vaughn Palmer showed that indeed he believes things will be different in this province.

The headline of the National Post was the following: "B.C. Liberals Moving Out of the Red." Mark Hume of the National Post writes: "With spending down and revenues up, the B.C. Liberals, after just 21 months in office, have put the province on the road to financial recovery." That's amazing. I did not expect to see headlines like that. The budget, as presented by the Minister of Finance, clearly showed that we are on the road to better things for this province.

There are other quotes by other reporters, but each and every one that I have seen has really recognized that, indeed, what we are doing is the right thing and that things will be better for British Columbia. I think that's a tremendous achievement.

There are other indicators that things are getting better in British Columbia. When we look at some of the statistics that we recently have been given about job creation, we have created many thousands more jobs — 78,000 new jobs. We see retail sales going up dramatically. We also see housing starts up by a percentage that has been lagging for many, many years. We really see a boost in the construction industry. We also see people buying homes again. What this does is give me a message that people — people out in the street, ordinary folks like we are — are beginning to realize that things are going in the right direction in British

Columbia and that it is most likely again a province where there is a future to be had, where there is a future for their children. That's why people are spending their money.

When I see all these good messages, I keep thinking: now that people are spending money again, could it have anything to do with the fact that one of the first things we did was put $1.5 billion back in the pockets of British Columbians through a 25 percent tax cut? I think it has a lot to do with it.

People realize that they now have control over that money, and that's why in the retail business and in home sales we see these increases. There are many critics today who still try to say that the tax cut was the biggest mistake we ever made. I've always believed that money in the pockets of people has a lot more value for people than giving it to the government, who then spend it for whatever they spend it on.

I think that is just another indication, again, that people are beginning to believe in our province. I see it in my own riding. I've got two communities that have really been hit hard because of what happened in the nineties. The forest policies of the provincial government devastated communities like Squamish, devastated communities like Pemberton. These are communities where people had to leave. These are communities where young kids, once they came out of school and wanted to join the work environment, just didn't have any opportunities and had to leave, again disrupting family life.

When I now go to Squamish, suddenly the stores on the main street are all occupied again. Two years ago almost half of the stores had big "For Lease" signs. We see investment coming into Squamish that two years ago, because of what happened during the nineties, was just out of the question. We see an investment in a major ski resort to be developed just outside Squamish — Garibaldi at Squamish. It's at a stage very close to being completed as a deal with the provincial government, and we will have job opportunities for 500 to 800 people starting the construction of that resort and the residential component. That's a tremendous boost to a community that has suffered.

The investment world is willing to invest again in projects in this province with our tax regime and our work ethic. That's another thing. British Columbians have tremendous work ethics. It is very attractive for investors to have that combination of a good tax base, a good tax regime and people that work for their living. That's the first observation I make. That particular development would most likely not have happened had it not been for a new government that is focused on having a tax regime that is business-friendly and that is fair — and, of course, a government that is also committed to removing a lot of regulation and red tape for businesses to get into business.

There's another very exciting project going on in Squamish. Last year we approved a university accreditation program for a university at Squamish. This is a university that is focused on bringing students from overseas for short programs to the Sea to Sky corridor. They are very close to starting with the first phase of the construction of the university, and it is just another example of a group of people that are dedicated to education, who see an opportunity through a private university to create new opportunities that Squamish and the whole Sea to Sky corridor never had before. There is a willingness to make that investment in the construction of the facilities, in bringing people here from overseas for instruction purposes. So Squamish is on its way to getting itself out of the dark hole it has been in for a long time now. It is very pleasant to see.

Pemberton, a small community with 500 to 600 residents…. Again, that community, with the forest policies of the nineties, had nothing for an economic base. Today we see development of the golf courses. There is some serious talk going on with very viable businesses about looking at the airport in Squamish and seeing how we can indeed build an airport in Squamish. That's been talked about for a long time. It never happened. It never happened because people didn't believe in it. People didn't feel comfortable investing in it. But today it is. There's an opportunity for Squamish.

Squamish has had one hotel for many, many years. It's very good to see that today there is a new hotel under construction. I wonder why. People are again willing to invest in a small community. The only reason is that the investors realize that British Columbia is open for business. British Columbia is going to be an area where we'll see the world visit, and it's a great opportunity to have a small hotel on that Sea to Sky Highway.

These are just two little things for a community like Squamish that make a huge impact on how the community can assure that the kids of today can have employment in the future at home and not do as they have to do now — move to Vancouver or anywhere else where there may be some jobs available.

That brings me to Whistler. Whistler, of course, is my home. To me, Whistler is probably the very best example of a group of people having a vision, a big vision about a major ski resort that would attract the whole world. Of course, this vision was created in 1975. I came to Whistler from Europe in 1977 and became part of that Whistler dream. I also became part of a community of 250 people, and that was Whistler. These 250 people believed they could do something that was so different, it would attract the attention of the world.

We were very fortunate. We had two mountains with vertical drops that are the longest in North America, but we are surrounded by the most magnificent green valley that you can think of. What was it that ultimately made investors from all over the world, including from Canada…? A lot of money came from the Asian countries; a lot of money came from Europe. What was it, again, that people were willing to spend what is now valued at $2.5 billion in real estate funds on — from a community of 250 people to an investment of $2.5 billion creating 10,000 permanent jobs,

having now a community of 10,000 people as well…? At that time there was a government that welcomed business. There was a government that enticed business, that said: "Okay, what do we do to make you feel comfortable investing here in this province?" The government was also then very much interested in investment and in creating jobs that come with investment.

When I go home on the weekend and I drive into Whistler, it's rare for me not to stop for a moment, thinking that this was once a tiny little village with a small regional ski resort, and look what we did with it. When the Premier went on a tour throughout the province the last six weeks to talk to other areas, he said: "Listen, what do we do to get you in the direction that Whistler has gone?" He's not saying that every ski resort in British Columbia will be identical to Whistler. But we do realize that all our ski resorts are in locations that are just jewels, and it is the type of ski terrain that the Europeans love and that the Asians really love. They have one problem, and that problem is that accessing these ski resorts is often very difficult to do in a safe manner, often very time-consuming, so I was thrilled to see in the budget that we are actually investing big dollars in a transportation revival, I would call it. It's called the road upgrade, but to me it is a revival.

One of the areas that truly will benefit from this particular road program that we have introduced in this budget is, of course, the Kootenays. Anybody who's ever been there…. Nobody will ever question that this is land that, when we can show it to the world, the world wants to come to. There are five or six resorts today, but they all have a problem, and that is that their markets are really restricted. With the commitment of this provincial government to invest in roads and airports, we will open up these areas. This will create a tremendous amount of jobs, and I will come to that later.

The exposure that these communities need, these resorts need, will come from, obviously, the opportunity we will have to show the world through the global media what British Columbia is all about when we bring the 2010 Winter Games and Paralympic Games to British Columbia. I will come back to the Olympics in a minute.

The point is that we have an opportunity in British Columbia to do what we did in the seventies in the lower mainland and now can do in the heartlands. We have resorts in the interior. We have resorts in the Okanagan and, as I said, the Kootenays. We have resorts in the north. All these resorts have an opportunity to be better than what they are today.

There is a lot of excitement about it. The Premier has been to 17 different areas in the province to talk about the opportunities that he believes and I believe and, I'm sure, caucus believes are there to further the tourism opportunities for British Columbia. I have no doubt that we will see quite a few of these resorts tapping into this opportunity. We also will make sure that flights from Europe can fly into areas through our airport support. Cranbrook — again, the Kootenays. They have an airport, but it doesn't accommodate the planes and the size of planes that you need to fly direct from Europe. People today who fly to the Kootenays have to go to Calgary and then by bus or rental car over a six-hour road trip to get into the ski areas. So the expansion of the Cranbrook Airport is, again, a very important component of the strategy to open up British Columbia.

Of course, still in the Kootenays, because the focus is there for now, we have committed to upgrade the Kicking Horse Pass. It's a very treacherous road right now; horrendous accidents have happened on that road. In order to get people safely into British Columbia from the north, we believe the upgrade of that Kicking Horse Pass has to be the priority for this government, and it will be.

I talked about the Olympics briefly, but I would like to spend a little bit more time on it. When I became aware of the business group in Vancouver that kick-started the discussion on bringing the 2010 Winter Games and Paralympic Games to British Columbia, I thought it was a very exciting thing. Ten years ago I had a meeting with FIS, the international organization of ski organizations. We made a deal with World Cup races at Whistler. At that time, the president of FIS, Hans Koegler, said to me: "Do you think there's a possibility that one day we can have Winter Games in Whistler?" He had been to Whistler; he knew Whistler; he saw its potential. He knew Vancouver.

We talked about it. I said: "Well, who knows? It's a little bit more than ten years before we will bring the games here, but the chance that it will happen is very realistic." When the business group in Vancouver started to talk about bringing the games here, they sought some support from the previous government. To their credit, the previous government also saw the opportunities that the games would bring for British Columbia — and for Canada, for that matter.

Hon. T. Nebbeling: Well, that is seven minutes of quick talk about the Olympics, because I'm very excited about it.

The thing is that the previous government, to their credit, did invest a small amount of money in the bid structure. Of course, when we became the government, we started to put more focus on the Olympic opportunities that would be available to us as a province and the benefits that it would bring to the province.

First of all, a major benefit is that every young athlete in the world, once in a lifetime, dreams about competing in an Olympic event. Almost every young athlete has that. For us in this province to be able to host these young athletes and see them compete with our own young athletes — British Columbians, Canadians, North Americans — is going to be a very unique opportunity that many countries would like to have

and only a few can have. We as a government have put a lot behind the bid through financial assistance and certainly through a lot of activities by the Premier, who at every occasion he has had an opportunity to speak to groups has talked about the Olympics.

What will the Olympics do? A lot of our economic recovery plan includes new economic stimulants, and I talked about tourism as one. Expo was a tremendous tourism boost. It was lasting jobs. We continue to believe we can do much more in the tourism area in British Columbia, exposing British Columbia to the world through the media exposure you get with the Olympics. That is not only during the 17 days and the 14 days for the Paralympic Games; it is starting right now. When you travel in Europe or in Asia, there are already programs focused on British Columbia as a potential candidate for the games. That will intensify.

That's an incredible and powerful tool to showcase British Columbia and what we can do in British Columbia. It is a powerful tool to showcase our land mass, our mountains, our forests. We can showcase how we in this province harvest our timber and show that we have a vibrant forest industry, as we're going in that direction again with the changes in the regulations, and also that we harvest our trees in a very environmentally responsible way.

We have an opportunity to showcase to the world what we can do with the wood. The wood manufacturing sector has tremendous potential that we have never tapped into. We fully intend to take that opportunity from the Olympics here and world exposure to showcase what we can do with wood. We are trying to ensure that when the venues are built for the Olympic Games, there is a lot of wood in the venues, so again people will see it. That will, in my opinion, give a lot of attention to an industry that has tremendous potential for global distribution. That is just another opportunity to see the economy of British Columbia move forward and create jobs.

Jobs create tax. Tax is revenue for the provincial government. It is the revenue to the provincial government and the increase of revenue that comes from all these economic stimulants, which will ultimately guarantee that we can continue to fund our education system with the funds needed for the best education system possible. It is, again, the guarantee that we can continue to focus on spending in health care, to have the dollars we need to have the very best health care program anywhere available to British Columbians.

Mr. Speaker, I touched on a lot of stuff quickly. It is an exciting time to be part of the government. It is an exciting time to be working for British Columbians. It's a very exciting time to see the world come back to British Columbia because they believe this is a place not only to come and visit but to invest in as well. This budget certainly has helped to give that message wherever it is heard, and we are on the right way.

P. Wong: British Columbia is a province blessed with potential through its natural and human resources. Our forests have provided jobs and have been the backbone of our economy for hundreds of years. Our oceans, lakes and rivers have sustained the fishery and have contributed to the economy and transportation system throughout our province for just as long. Our people are committed, hard-working, honest and integral to our province's success.

Today we find ourselves again on the cusp of history. We have to make decisions and implement regulatory policy and legislative changes not only that reflect our values but also that can sustain our natural resources and economy for generations to come. The government made this recognition clear in the throne speech. No area was overlooked; no sector forgotten. That being said, the changes ahead will not always be easy, and they will not be universally accepted. However, based on conversations I have had with my constituents and with British Columbians throughout the province, I'm confident that we are all on the same page and that we are all working towards the same goal — a British Columbia that meets the needs of all its citizens, while protecting our natural resources and diversifying our economy to ensure the long-term viability of both.

As a father, a husband, an employer and now a member of this House, I can tell you that I think of nothing else as I fulfil my duties and responsibilities to this province. As a father, I want to leave a legacy for my children — sectors like forestry, fishing, mining and tourism that support employment for decades; an economy that promotes entrepreneurship, investment and success; and access to our province's best minds and skill sets to keep us moving forward in a global economy; a health care system that is financially viable, responsive to the needs of its users, or patients, and that offers services in a timely manner; an education system that assists our children to reach their full potential and to prepare them for the knowledge economy; and a province that supports seniors and provides opportunities for all citizens to contribute to our society.

We must make long-term and strategic investments in all of these sectors to make these goals a reality. The government has begun to make those important investments, and all British Columbians will benefit. We must start by increasing the number of investments and capital coming into the province. Since 1997, B.C. has lost 31 head offices from the companies that once ranked in the top 100 of B.C. firms. That is one-third of our corporate head offices, because these companies have not been replaced. B.C. has been eclipsed and now ranks fourth in the country in terms of head offices with only 144 of the top 1,000 Canadian companies. We rank behind Ontario, Alberta and Quebec.

As Mr. Terrance K. Salman, chair of the Investment Dealers Association of Canada, said recently, the province must do more to encourage head offices to set up in B.C. through the use of incentives and tax breaks. The business community must also do its share to encourage business to move here. I fully agree with him

that one of the most important ways of achieving this is to improve the capital market by helping firms raise capital for small and medium-size organizations, which are critical to our economic health.

In B.C., 95 percent of businesses have fewer than 50 employees. Two-thirds of new jobs were created by small business. I'm pleased to see that the Finance minister, in his budget, has addressed the need to do more to improve access to venture capital and public funding. The capital market can be operated in an orderly and efficient manner with adequate protection to the public, as well as less cumbersome legal and financial requirements that hinder its development. The Minister of State for Deregulation has already looked into ways to dispense with the burdensome regulations.

B.C., being located closest to the Pacific Rim, will benefit if it becomes an international financial centre in Canada. I understand that the government is working towards that goal. The Premier has envisioned making B.C. a high-tech province, which will help sustain and protect the high standard of living of all British Columbians. There are many more new high-tech companies that will need financing to do research and compete with global partners.

There's lots of venture capital supply around the world, and they may consider B.C. as a place to invest. Investment money is mobile. In order to attract investors here over the long term, we need to provide a competitive environment and rebuild confidence in our province.

Ultimately, this will create more job opportunities in all sectors. The increased income will stimulate internal consumption, raise the standard of living and enhance our GDP. A corresponding increase in government revenue will mean more strategic investments in health and education and the flexibility to carry out more affordable social programs for the benefit of all British Columbians.

Making this investment means making some challenging decisions in the short term. I'm confident that British Columbians will rise to the challenge. In South Korea during the Asian financial crisis a few years ago, many citizens were so passionate about change and economic recovery that they were even willing to give up their savings to help the government meet its financial obligations. While that was not necessary, it demonstrated the commitment of its people and showed that people can pull together when it counts. South Korea is now fully on the way to economic recovery.

While the government will not be asking that of British Columbians, I would ask everyone to bear with the government during this challenging time. Mr. Speaker, I say to the people of British Columbia, through you, that we all need to pull together right now as our government is heading in the right direction. We will see the light at the end of the tunnel. With determination and commitment from the Premier and a government that envisions our province being more competitive in the global environment, I'm sure all British Columbians will meet the short-term challenges and look forward to the legacy they will leave to future generations.

Our forestry sector continues to be a vital segment of our economy. The Premier, working with the cabinet and all MLAs, has been a strong advocate for this industry. He has attended a number of trade missions to Asia and other locales to internationally advertise B.C.'s market-leading products, forestry practices and strategic research. The province has signed several memoranda of understanding with important partners in China and the rest of Asia and has worked in close collaboration with stakeholders from B.C.'s forestry sector to ensure multisectoral input.

This year the government will introduce legislation to establish a working forest land base throughout the province. This will help to ensure the viability of the industry across the province and throughout the years. Already, the government has acted to protect this vital industry. Last year changes were made to the Forest Practices Code, with a results-based code that sets standards in law but provides greater flexibility for forestry companies to decide how to meet these standards. Given the expertise that our forestry companies and workers have, this is an important step in achieving accountability and real results in the sector.

Canada and B.C. produce some of the world's best timber, and given the exchange rate of Canadian dollars against both the euro and the U.S. dollar, B.C.'s position as a world-leading exporter of lumber is bound to increase. As international treaties are negotiated by nation-states, the government of Canada has the ultimate responsibility for the softwood lumber agreement with the United States and any other trade activities related to this agreement.

The World Trade Organization has twice sided with Canada in the dispute, and the government of British Columbia remains committed to working with our federal and provincial counterparts to negotiate a deal not only that is fair to Canada but also that fully represents the interests of B.C. forestry workers and their families. This year the government will make changes to the stumpage system to ensure market-based rates that are regionally sensitive and socially responsible.

Housing starts in both Canada and the United States are up, meaning a greater demand for lumber. B.C. can help fill that demand, but only if our products and our workers are appropriately recognized, respected and remunerated for their valuable contributions.

Tourism is an important sector in British Columbia for a number of reasons. First, it allows visitors from all over the world to come to our province and experience firsthand the scenic beauty, the diversity of culture and the passion of its citizens that B.C. is known for. Second, it is an important segment of the provincial economy, accounting for billions of dollars in annual revenue.

We have a number of opportunities to capitalize on this important part of the economy. First, Vancouver-

Whistler is one of the three cities short-listed to host the 2010 Winter Olympics. To be able to host these games would provide an unparalleled opportunity to showcase our province to the world. Millions of people will come to see the sights and the games firsthand, and billions more will watch on television.

We already know that B.C. is the best province to live and work in all of Canada. Soon the world will know the same thing. Thousands of jobs will be created, and the games will inject billions of dollars in new investment and economic activity into the province.

Skeptics may say: "Aren't the Olympic Games a waste of taxpayers' dollars? How can we actually quantify the exposure B.C. will receive in hard economic terms?" My response is this: there is more to it. Prior to 1998 very few people knew where Nagano was. Now most people will tell you it is in Japan and was host to the Winter Olympics. The same situation applies to Lillehammer, Norway, in 1994; Albertville, France, in 1992; and countless other examples. If we are to become a world leader, then we must truly open ourselves up to the world. The 2010 Olympics is a catalyst and an ideal way to make this happen.

Technology, education and innovation are key to B.C.'s success over the long term. The government is committed to making strategic investments in education at all levels — from the early years through grade and high school to post-secondary education and to the end of life. We have a ministry that is solely devoted to children and families, which last year made a number of critical investments in early child development that have already reaped significant benefits.

Deputy Speaker: Member, I'm going to interrupt your speech for just one second.

Hon. K. Falcon: Thank you, fellow member. I seek leave to make an introduction.

Hon. K. Falcon: Today we are joined in the galleries by 27 grade 5 elementary students from Surrey Centre Elementary School. They are joined by their teacher, Ms. Scarlett, along with seven parents, and I would ask that members of the House please make them all welcome here today.

P. Wong: In partnership with B.C.'s four universities, health and school boards, and community partners, the ministry has reallocated early child development services and programs to where they are most needed. I'm pleased to hear in the budget that the inner-city school funding program will be maintained. This shows that the successful advocacy effort of my constituents has received the government's attention and required action. More importantly, B.C. has emerged as a Canadian leader in early child development issues, in large part due to the University of British Columbia's human early learning partnership, or HELP. HELP, led by one of Canada's foremost early child researchers, Dr. Clyde Hertzman, is in the process of mapping the entire province to determine what factors — social, biological and emotional — influence child development where populations of vulnerable children reside and how early child development programs and interventions affect early child development. The results are staggering and are making a real difference to our most precious resource — children. I encourage everyone to check out the results of this fascinating work at www.earlylearning.ubc.ca. Early child development is the first step in ensuring that all British Columbians reach their potential. Early investments can mitigate longer-term and more costly interventions later in life.

For school-age children, the government is making strategic investments and changes. New measures will be taken to ensure that our high school graduates have the skills they need to go on to higher education and for life after school. Universities, colleges and private training institutions are the backbone of preparing our citizens for the knowledge economy. The government is committed to supporting these avenues of growth. In addition to establishing the leading-edge endowment fund, the government recently announced the B.C. regional innovation chairs program to create 20 new research chairs throughout the province.

Research and its correlated activities are imperative to shaping the knowledge society and maintaining its momentum over time. Research is a catalyst for change and positive growth and functions as a magnet to attract the best and brightest minds of our time. It attracts students and, most importantly, graduate students who will become our future leaders.

We must also look internally at the abundance of expertise and skills that exists in every corner of the province. B.C. is fortunate to have a steady influx of new immigrants who bring with them incredible expertise. This is badly needed at a time when our country is facing a severe shortage of skilled labour and when a generation of baby-boomers is set to retire within these two decades. They will take their professional skills and expertise with them into retirement, leaving a significant dent in the labour force.

I am pleased that the government has not only protected the education budget but also invested an additional $200 million to ensure that students are able to cope with the new challenges in the future. The government has sought consultation and input and has paved the way to reintroducing technician and apprentice training programs in various trades. This will accelerate the supply of qualified workers to meet the increasing needs of our many business sectors. At the same time, the government will create opportunities and build a better bridge to younger workers and new

immigrants so they can enter the workforce more quickly and contribute to B.C.'s economy.

The government remains committed to providing educational opportunities to its citizens, regardless of income or social status. We will protect education and continue to invest in it, leading to opportunities for all British Columbians.

Health care is the number one issue in my riding and tops the agenda of most British Columbians. We are all aware that the health care system is in crisis and is not sustainable in its current form. We are all aware that major systemic changes have to be made to the health care system. How do we do that without marginalizing current users? As it is, patients are waiting months to have claims processed, to have surgery, to see specialists and to be diagnosed — let alone be treated. It's difficult to justify to someone who has worked hard one's entire life and needs to wait long to have an X-ray, to see an oncologist or to have tests that may save one's life. As an MLA, I have to answer these questions from my constituents every day.

Like many others, I was elected on a platform of change, and change for the better is what I intend to accomplish. The government recognizes how important the health care system is and is prepared to make investments to ensure its long-term sustainability.

That being said, the investments will be made only when there is structural change to accommodate and implement these changes. In its current form, investing straight cash into the health care system is like throwing good money after bad. It certainly cannot meet today's needs, let alone our needs down the road.

The government has taken steps to reform the health care system, abiding by the principles of the Canada Health Act. It will continue to work in collaboration with stakeholders, patients, communities and others to implement change in a fair, responsible and least intrusive manner.

One such example of this is the Fair Pharmacare plan, which will be introduced in the coming weeks. It will mean many seniors with low income will pay less than they do for their prescription drugs now. For the first time ever, young families with lower income will have their drug costs supported. Changes will also be made to strengthen other health care services and programs, including the B.C. Ambulance Service and community living B.C.

Seniors are an incredibly important part of our society. In my riding they are one of the most active and vibrant groups that I regularly work with. I am constantly amazed by their level of dedication to the community and by the wonderful ideas they have.

It was a group of senior citizens in my riding that first approached me about building an all-weather shelter in South Memorial Park. This park is frequented by many residents who use the facilities for exercise, education, art exhibits, picnics and more. However, the park had no shelter to protect users from Vancouver's inclement weather. This group approached me about a year ago to see if we could raise funds to construct a building to enhance the park's user-friendliness and to make it safer. I'm pleased to report that through their fundraising and lobbying efforts, the city of Vancouver has approved the application to fund the shelter and has contributed towards part of the cost of construction. Applications with the governments of B.C. and Canada are still pending for the remaining cost.

Seniors have also come to my office to voice their concerns about service cuts, health care, street safety and transportation. We have worked together on all of these issues, and I will continue to engage this important group in all of the issues affecting our riding.

I was incredibly pleased the government recognized the importance of seniors to our province and was especially happy to hear about the seniors and youth congress, which will bring together two important groups in our society to address issues facing us all. As the Lieutenant-Governor said, the government wants to build a bridge between the generations where the enthusiasm and the new ideas of youth are tempered by the wisdom of experience.

Finally, I would like to comment on the government's plan to enhance B.C.'s transportation infrastructure. The importance of these networks cannot be overstated. What is the point of having globally competitive goods and services if we cannot get them to the market in a timely and efficient manner? Why make strategic investments in the regions of the province if we are not connected to those regions with appropriate infrastructure?

The government has recognized the critical need to enhance and improve our roads, railways and other transportation infrastructure. As we move forward making an investment in forestry, tourism and other resource industries, we need to have the mechanisms in place that will make these investments pay dividends; that is, we need roads that are safe and reliable for all communities, not just where the bulk of the populace resides. We need rail options that connect remote communities with ports, airports and other major hubs to ensure that products and services from all corners of the province reach their destinations. We need to enhance our ports and airports, making them international gateways and enhancing the services they offer not only to British Columbians but also to visitors to our province. Transportation is an incredibly important part of our economy. When we discuss making investments in one, we must make investments in the other so that this symbiotic relationship continues to flourish and reap rewards for our province.

I am very pleased that the government has begun to tackle the province's transportation system in the budget, something that was long overdue. This will serve to connect the heartlands and the lower mainland not just physically but also digitally. Goods and valuable resources will flow more smoothly and efficiently across the province, and the safety of all citizens will be greatly enhanced with a better maintained road network. This will no doubt reduce transportation costs in

the long run and will increase the competitiveness of our resources in the global market.

British Columbia is recognized as the gateway to Asia-Pacific. Vancouver ports and airports, of course, will become the gateways to British Columbia.

The world today is a challenging place. Technology has increased the speed at which we conduct business, exchange knowledge and visit other places. Yet it has also hampered our ability to make strategic, long-term investments as everything demands a "right now" response. The budget and the throne speeches are necessary tools to outline the government's overall objectives and the strategies needed to achieve those objectives.

While concurrently moving forward to implement these changes and continue to build our province, we must take time to plan for the long term. We must find a way to make technology work for us, not the other way around, and we must find a way to bridge technology with our goals so that they are working in tandem with one another, not in opposition to one another.

We have the tools, the knowledge and the natural and human resources to restore B.C.'s economy and to succeed in leaving a lasting legacy for our children and grandchildren. The government is committed to this goal. My colleagues in this House are committed to this goal. My constituents are committed to this goal, and I am committed to this goal. With our blueprint in hand we can now move forward to implement these changes and to evaluate their impact. We will keep what works and change what doesn't. Most importantly, we will work together to achieve these goals and to succeed.

The energy, passion and commitment that British Columbians are renowned for still exist. It is evident in every home, on every street and in every community across the province. We must now work together to channel that passion and effect positive change. British Columbia needs each and every one of us at this critical point in our history. I know we will rise to the challenge.

Hon. J. Murray: Today I have the privilege of speaking in response to the budget. I congratulate our Premier and the Minister of Finance. I am very pleased to respond to a budget that shows we are meeting our primary objectives as a government.

There's a golden thread woven throughout this week's budget speech and the February 11 throne speech. This thread ties together the messages about opening up British Columbia. It's woven throughout the vision of this government. It weaves through every day's work of each member of this House. That golden thread is our deep commitment, the one that we all have in common: our commitment to improving people's lives in British Columbia.

In my remarks I'll be speaking about the budget. I'll be speaking about New Westminster, about our various strategies, our heartlands economic strategy, some of the great initiatives that we've put in place over the past year and that we will be putting in place. But underlying all of those thoughts is our commitment to improving people's lives in British Columbia. We who govern have been elected to improve people's lives. That's what the public expects of government. It's why we, the members, choose to run for office. It's our government's underlying motive for all of the changes that we are making. It's my commitment to my constituents in New Westminster.

Over the past 20 months we have been busy weaving, and in the coming years a tapestry of change will emerge. Whether the policy is an immediate change or whether it's change over the long term, whether it's simple or complicated, whether it's about balancing the budget or about funding early childhood programs for first nations people, at the foundation of each change that this government is making is the overriding objective of improving people's lives.

One of the first tasks that our government had was to turn the economy around and to reduce government spending to affordable levels. I am very proud that our government's plan is working. The 2003-04 budget shows that we are on track, we are ahead of schedule, and our prudent planning and management of people's hard-earned tax dollars are already paying dividends. These dividends will enable our government to continue making strategic investments for patients, for students and for people in need in the coming year. These are investments that improve people's lives.

In my remarks today I'm going to talk to you about six specific aspects of improving people's lives in B.C. and in my home of New Westminster. First, I'm going to talk about improving people's lives by serving basic needs — needs of patients, of students, of the vulnerable. Next I'm going to talk about improving people's lives by creating an environment that promotes financial stability, then about improving people's lives by strengthening families. Fourth, I'm going to talk about improving people's lives by strengthening communities and, fifth, about improving people's lives by having a healthy physical and natural environment. Lastly, I'm going to talk about improving people's lives by giving people reasons to be optimistic, to be excited about their future.

First, I'm going to talk a bit about my community of New Westminster and about our connection to the heartlands of British Columbia. Our Premier talked about opening up British Columbia, and one of the key initiatives is our new heartlands economic strategy. What is our heartlands economic strategy? It is a strategy that recognizes that we have a province of spectacular and diverse landscapes that contain abundant natural resources and that these natural resources provide the core of the jobs and the wealth our province enjoys. It's a strategy to coordinate government initiatives; to strengthen communities outside the urban centres; to improve conditions for people who live and work in those districts, towns and villages; to recognize their importance and their contribution to the entire province. It's a strategy that will improve the lives of people across the province and people in New West-

Our city, New Westminster, is actually home to five forest products mills that depend on a vital heartlands economy and a strong forest economy. New Westminster has many, many businesses that serve heartlands industries like mining, fishing and tourism. These businesses and the service businesses that support them will all benefit from the heartlands economic strategy. It's time to bring together and strengthen the many, many initiatives that this government has already undertaken and will be undertaking in all of the remote and resource communities across the province.

New Westminster was once the essence of a remote, resource-based heartlands community. It was the home of a first nations community. It was the frontier lands for European newcomers. They were the survivors, the doers, the adventurers of those times, the self-reliant builders. Now New Westminster nestles in the very centre of our largest urban metropolis.

Improving people's lives in places like New Westminster is also a priority for our government. Living sustainably in a more and more densely populated area, an urban area, while maintaining quality of life for people is an enormous challenge, and this challenge is not unique to the Royal City. It's faced in cities around the world across provincial, national and international boundaries. In fact, demographers predict that in developed and less developed countries alike, virtually all of the population growth over the next 50 years will take place in urban centres like greater Vancouver, like the Royal City. This makes our focus on improving people's lives in our cities particularly important.

Now, I predict that we will meet the sustainability and quality-of-life challenges. With the changes our government is making, working hand in hand with other levels of government, New Westminster will once again have a chance to regain the position it once had, its position as a vibrant and thriving centre, its position as a commercial and economic powerhouse for this province. In 50 years, I predict, New Westminster will be an even more desirable place to make a home. Despite our growth, despite our density, New Westminster will still be a place where people care about their neighbours and care about making their city a better place to live.

It's an immense privilege to represent New Westminster as its Member of the Legislative Assembly. I want to thank the residents of the Royal City for their confidence in me and their confidence in our government's new-era platform.

New Westminster is also known as the Royal City, and this name reflects our proud heritage and the history that saturates our city. "Royal" can also mean magnificent. New Westminster does have a very rich variety of people, places and activities, and our people have a diversity of origins. European, aboriginal, Chinese, South Asian, Filipino, Korean, Romanian — these are just some of our backgrounds. These characteristics make New Westminster magnificent. Lying in the epicentre of the greater developed Fraser River delta area, it's without a doubt the most liveable community in British Columbia.

As the MLA my job is varied, and every day brings opportunities to meet people, to learn from them, to find ways to solve problems with and for them and to acknowledge them and share their excitement in their successes. Those are some of the parts of the job of an MLA.

The foundation of my job, the reason I ran for office, is to improve people's lives. My job is to hear people's views about an issue, impress those views on other members of government and help bring about positive changes. That's what I'm doing in my work to make sure that St. Mary's Hospital has a vital future in our health region.

My job is to provide recognition of achievements, celebrating student graduations and presenting awards and medals. My job is to help people access the government services that they're eligible to receive but are not getting, like the family whose MSP coverage was blocked by bureaucracy, which meant that they personally faced paying $2,000 in medical fees for the delivery of their baby. My job is to bring people together to solve problems, like the meeting last week between our front-line addiction counsellors and the minister responsible for addictions to talk about the importance of effective abstinence-based programs.

My job is to work with other representatives, with the mayor, with council, with the MP, so that together we can expedite new projects and opportunities that will improve people's lives in New Westminster. My job as an MLA means both helping individuals to be served and helping organizations to do a good job of serving. Lastly, my job is to be part of a team — a team led by our Premier, a team that has a plan to improve people's lives in the entire province, a team that's following this plan and, as our budget shows, that is already seeing positive results.

I said earlier that I would touch on six different aspects of improving people's lives and what that means for New Westminster and British Columbia. First, this government is working to meet basic needs such as health care, education and services for the most vulnerable.

Let me describe one of the challenges in improving people's lives in New Westminster. Last spring St. Mary's Hospital received notice that its funding contract was to be cancelled. Unfortunately, this decision was taken by our local health authority without proper consultation with the hospital board or owners. St. Mary's is one of B.C.'s oldest public-private partnerships, founded when New Westminster was a heartland outpost, and it has served our community and served our region for well over 100 years.

Last month I had a chance to visit the hospital for a second time, and the squeaky-clean hallways, the attentive staff, the top-notch medical equipment bought by the local foundation and the dedication and pride of people working at St. Mary's Hospital were obvious as

we walked each floor of the building. New Westminster is also privileged to be home to the Royal Columbian Hospital. We're proud to have Royal Columbian Hospital, one of the foremost complex care hospitals in B.C., in our community. It's an excellent organization.

However, St. Mary's Hospital has a special place in the hearts of the people of New Westminster. It has a well-deserved reputation for its centres of surgical excellence. It has a track record of reducing costs while maintaining quality of care, for the dedication of its doctors and staff, and for its ability to adapt to changing needs. St. Mary's Hospital has a great deal to offer in improving people's lives, especially those of our seniors, and that's why I've been working to bring the St. Mary's message to government decision-makers since I was first elected.

The community of New Westminster and especially the staff and the doctors at St. Mary's Hospital have been facing a very difficult time of uncertainty. What was especially challenging was the fact that the relationships and the communication between the hospital and the health authority have been strained for decades. To save the special benefits of this unique hospital, a better relationship was needed between the leaders of the two organizations. A shift was needed from a strained relationship to a new relationship of trust, openness and constructive solution-finding. I've made it my goal to help bring about that shift.

Following the notice of cancellation, I brought to government the messages from New Westminster residents and others in our region. I made my view clear in Victoria that a productive role for St. Mary's Hospital would be mutually beneficial for the community, for the patients and for the health region's service and fiscal plan. But to get there would take breaking the communication logjam. To begin this process, I invited 42 people to attend a community dialogue on St. Mary's Hospital, and this was a chance for the health authority and ministry executives to, for the first time, hear directly from the hospital groups in the community.

When a review panel was being formulated to review the reasonableness of the cancellation of St. Mary's contract, I worked with all the parties to broaden the panel's scope so that constructive proposals by St. Mary's could be discussed rather than having a narrow assessment of the contract cancellation decision. Last month I was able to bring the Minister of Health Services to New Westminster to tour the hospital and meet with the board chair and the new CEO of St. Mary's.

I am pleased to say that the shift to constructive communication appears to be happening. Discussions are going well. The hospital's new CEO and the new Fraser health authority team are working to design a win-win plan so that the hospital can continue to serve the needs of patients in our region and in our community. People who know St. Mary's Hospital know that it's the kind of organization that improves people's lives, and that's why I have been working for it for over 20 months. This is consistent with the goal of our government to improve and reform the public health care system, so it will be there to serve our needs in the future.

Under the leadership of our Premier, the province has negotiated a major improvement in federal health care funding for British Columbia. Mr. Speaker, I am amazed when I read or hear criticisms that our government has cut the health care budget. In fact, our government, under the leadership of our Premier, has invested more than $1 billion in the Health Services budget this fiscal year compared with last year. In the future, every single dollar of the new federal health funding will be directed to improving patient care. We made sure our nurses and doctors are amongst the highest paid in the country so that more of them are now staying to care for patients in British Columbia. We are significantly increasing training spaces for new doctors and nurses. We are investing in a new life sciences centre at UBC, in Victoria and in Prince George so that our research and training can be leading edge. We are at the forefront of provincial reforms to improve health information and increase service accountability. Our government is committed to improving people's lives through better patient care, and that is exactly what we are doing.

Education is also a basic need. We have a great education system in British Columbia, and making it even better improves people's lives. Two weeks ago I attended a meeting of the New Westminster school trustees and committee members, who were working through their strategic planning process for the district. There were school trustees, administrators, employees, union members and parents, and all were working together to find ways to improve the achievement of our students.

This is what I witnessed. I witnessed a group of people who were focused on student achievement. Parents were deeply involved. The new planning councils were becoming a reality. Greater choice was happening as our trustees used their new budget flexibility to add early French immersion programming for the first time in New Westminster.

Provincewide our school boards do face challenges, especially with enrolments declining. New Westminster has some special challenges such as the aboriginal graduation rates, which are really far below acceptable levels. However, our government is committed to having an exemplary education for B.C. children, aboriginal and non-aboriginal alike, and we have strategies for achieving that. We have new mechanisms for parent involvement, we have improved accountabilities for schools, we have three-year budgets with increased flexibility, and we are increasing per-student funding for education in the coming school year.

That's not all. Our government has just announced a $50 million grant to school boards, which means that over half a million dollars will go to the New Westminster school district to help meet board objectives. Our Premier, in this week's budget, is committing a further $100 million over three years to increase the core edu-

cation budget. Social equity funding, so important to the New Westminster community, is continuing to the end of the year and will continue beyond that to provide services to the most vulnerable children in our schools.

The second aspect I mentioned at the start of this address is improving lives by creating an environment that brings financial stability for people — financial stability by revitalizing the economy and job opportunities; financial stability by reducing government spending in order to reduce deficits, debt and interest costs. Our government's promise, our strategies, our plans and our ministries are directed to improving people's lives by returning financial stability to this province, and it's working.

New Westminster has some special challenges in making the transition from a thriving downtown of decades ago to the city it is becoming today. In some parts of the city, businesses have been struggling. Storefronts are empty. What were once busy sidewalks are quiet. Sapperton, 20th Street, 12th Street, Columbia Street and the Quay all face some challenges. A thriving economy provincially will help weave a thriving diversity of commerce back into our neighbourhoods in New Westminster, and this is beginning to happen.

Like many people in the Royal City, I enjoy meeting friends on the weekend over a cup of tea or coffee in a small café. As I walk the few blocks from my office to the Royal City Centre, I now have a number of new café choices, new businesses that enliven 6th Street. That's just a small snapshot of the new opportunities that are emerging as our economy starts to pick up again. From 2001 to the present day we have seen 89 new businesses locate in New Westminster. They created 382 new jobs, and they generated over $6 million in direct investment in our city.

Housing starts in the Royal City in 2002 were up 70 percent compared with 2001. City hall issued $33 million worth of building permits in the first half of 2002. This was up 54 percent from the same period the previous year. Jobs and investment in New Westminster increase personal opportunity and financial stability. They improve people's lives.

Our provincial government decisions are helping to strengthen New Westminster's institutions and financial stability. We have approved over $5 million for a capital expansion at Douglas College that will create jobs in our city. This means we can accept more students into our college, reduce course waiting lists, and more young people will graduate as nurses and computer specialists from Douglas College in the future. Almost $3 million in funding was allocated last year for a Justice Institute capital program, which will create 35 construction jobs.

Government can't create economic prosperity, but it can certainly create the conditions that attract private sector investment and jobs into the province. That's what we're doing, and that's what's working. B.C.'s economy in 2002 grew by close to three times as much as forecast. We were the leader among provinces in housing starts and job growth, and we created almost 80,000 new jobs in the year 2002.

Our Premier's leadership has also resulted in a remarkable and historic event. This fiscal year, for the first time in 50 years, every single ministry is completing the year on or under budget. That accomplishment symbolizes our determination to eliminate the deficit in the 2004-05 budget. As we reduce government spending, as the economy revives and deficits transform to surpluses in the near future, we will lower the province's interest costs and begin to have more funds and more choices for improving people's lives.

A number of our Premier's initiatives will increase this momentum — from the heartlands economic strategy to the transportation strategy and, I am very proud to add, to the new era of first nations reconciliation and economic initiatives that were outlined in the throne speech and the budget. This set of reforms to improve first nations' lives are long awaited, they're critically needed, and they are unprecedented in British Columbia. These initiatives will create the foundation for opening up opportunity for first nations people. They will be the turning point that British Columbians — aboriginal and non-aboriginal alike — have hoped for, for many years.

These initiatives include funding to support aboriginal involvement in oil and gas, tourism, forestry, fish aquaculture and the Olympic bid. They include enhanced funding for aboriginal post-secondary education, early childhood education, child care and programs to protect aboriginal languages. They include access to logging and forest opportunities, comanagement of parks and recreational services.

For the first time in B.C. history, the government has budgeted for natural resource revenue-sharing for first nations — a significant initiative. Our Premier and our Attorney General are leading the way in building a new relationship between government and first nations. The throne speech has a historic government expression of respect, recognition and regret for the way governments of all stripes have failed first nations people in British Columbia.

This budget has measures that will ensure first nations economic opportunities which will support our economic revitalization goals right across this province. These are important first steps. They are the path to the negotiation of treaties that will provide certainty, finality and equality, and without a doubt, treaties will improve the lives of both aboriginal and non-aboriginal people in British Columbia.

The third aspect of government's commitment to improving people's lives that I want to speak about is strengthening our families. Our government is putting in place programs to strengthen families because healthy, stable families nurture and support each other and increase each member's chance of success and fulfillment. Having stable, healthy families who support each other improves people's lives.

There is an unfortunate reality that when government spending is reduced, some programs and services

that used to be available are also reduced. That affects people, both service providers and their clients, who have depended on that government's support. Our government is committed to making every one of the public's hard-earned tax dollars count. Programs that were routinely funded year by year now must show how they can actually measure results and effectiveness. Available funds are now being carefully targeted where they will have the most value. In the short term, we are bringing forward a number of positive new initiatives to strengthen families, and in the long term, all of the families will benefit from the shift from deficits to surpluses.

I had the pleasure recently of reading a book to young children at Family Place in downtown New Westminster. Children that were shy around me, not having met me before, were curious about the book that I was holding, and soon they were fully engaged in the story. Family Place is the kind of organization that provides a variety of supports for people that need it, for parents. It's a place with books, toys and volunteers to read and play with children. It's a place where parents can take courses to become a better parent.

Actually, a few days ago I received a letter from a person who lives in New Westminster who, as a young parent, had gone to Family Place with her children and had written me to express just how valuable an asset it was for her and for her family. We know that a child's young years are very critical to thriving as an adult, and that's why our government increased funding for early childhood development programs by $20 million this year. That meant a sevenfold increase in funds for early intervention into childhood autism. That meant waiting lists for autism diagnosis decreased by one full year. This strategy provides critical support for families who need support in order to improve their children's lives.

There are many initiatives that our government has brought forward and that are in the budget for supporting families and improving their lives. There has been $110 million earmarked for employment programs for people in need over the coming year. A new child and youth mental health strategy was announced recently, which will coordinate much more effectively the supports for families of children and youth with mental health challenges. We're implementing our commitment to fully fund the $125 million adult mental health plan.

Families supporting seniors with dementia will benefit in the coming years from new facilities planned right in New Westminster at Woodlands Hospital, the campus of care. A new child care funding program announced in this budget will increase the number of government-supported child care spaces by over 50 percent and will provide a far more fair and consistent framework for funding child care. The threshold of eligibility for family child care subsidy has just been raised so that thousands more low-income families will qualify for subsidies, and this will especially benefit families in communities like New Westminster, which has a disproportionate percentage of low-income families.

Over 3,000 new affordable housing spaces have been opened or initiated for low-income British Columbians, including 29 units at Hillside Place in New Westminster, opened last October. Since taking office, this government has increased funding for housing programs by over 2 percent to $142 million this year, and that is the largest provincial contribution to subsidized housing ever in British Columbia.

Deputy Speaker: Minister, your time has expired. I wonder if you could just conclude your remarks.

Hon. J. Murray: Well, there are a number of other aspects that I could speak about in terms of our government's initiatives to improving people's lives, and strengthening communities is amongst them. Our commitment to a clean and healthy physical and natural environment is something that is very important to the people of New Westminster, to the province and certainly to me personally.

Hon. J. Murray: I'm just going to wrap up by saying that I'm proud to be working with the city of New Westminster to bring forward an initiative to strengthen New Westminster's involvement in the Olympic Games. I encourage every Vancouver resident to vote yes this weekend, because the Olympic Games is an opportunity that won't come around for many, many years.

Mr. Speaker, I speak through you to the people of British Columbia. Together we have a lot of work to do and many organizations, regulations and sectors to transform. But I am proud that our Premier and our government have a commitment to working with people across this province to meet basic needs, especially those of the most vulnerable. I'm proud that we have a game plan that is working for turning our economy around. I am proud that we have mechanisms to strengthen families and communities. I'm proud of our government's commitment to a sustainable environment, a commitment that is being made in every ministry. I'm proud that our government has strategies for opening up opportunities and for optimism. I'm proud to work together with our Premier, with the other government members, with the caucus and with all the people of British Columbia towards one single goal, and that is improving people's lives now and for the future.

Deputy Speaker: Responding to the budget speech, the member for Powell River–Sunshine Coast.

H. Long: I rise today, and I want to thank the Minister of Finance and the Premier, but I also want to

thank all the other ministers for the hard work they've done within the budgets to keep it on cue — to bring down and get into order our fiscal responsibilities to this province. I want to thank all my colleagues, the other MLAs, who work on the GCC committees and the budget committees, as well as all the other committees that have helped the minister and the Premier and us as a whole to bring in a budget. Primarily, it's the Premier and the Minister of Finance, but I want to thank everybody for their participation. I know it's been pretty hard.

I also want to thank the people of my riding in Powell River–Sunshine Coast for the opportunity to be here today to speak in this House on their behalf to the budget speech, as well as the Premier's address and the throne speech. It seems to me.…

H. Long: We have great people in Powell River, believe me. There are a lot of great people.

I want to go back a ways, where one of the members opposite would probably understand — the Minister of Labour — back to 1983. That's when Bill Bennett was in power. That was the first time this province had been in a restraint program. In fact, it's the first time in Canada that restraint was being practised. He knew at that time that if they kept spending, they had to tax. If they kept taxing, the province would fail.

H. Long: Good leadership at the time, and we have good leadership today as well. Back in those days in '83, when he knew he maybe couldn't win the election at the time, they went into a leadership…. Bill Vander Zalm was brought in as the leader of the Social Credit Party of the day, and some of us at that time made up that government. We were part of that government. Being there, we took a look at the books and at what was happening with the budgets at that time. Because of the restraint that Bill Bennett had done and because he kept the good fiscal responsibilities of this province, we had quite a good bank account, so to speak. The province was fairly rich in economics. The province was really good in resource extraction, and the moneys were pouring in. It was doing very, very well because of what he had done prior to….

H. Long: Prior to '86, yes. For the first four years we as Socreds were managing the budget, keeping budgets on line and having balanced budgets, but we got into trouble. We got into trouble in the last year because of what happened in the last year. We had some political problems. I hate to say this, but we as the Socred government of the day tried to buy our way back in, and it just won't work. It just won't work.

We did lose some money, but that was only the tip of the iceberg. When we lost to the NDP, it started in wholesale losses. Every year for ten consecutive years $2 billion more than we could pay for was spent — $20 billion of debt.

When we start adding up that $20 billion of debt and add it to the $20 billion we were in debt at the time…. With a $40 billion debt today, you're looking at $7.2 million a day just to satisfy the interest and the debt payments. Health is only $10 million a day. You don't have to be a genius to figure out that we could do a lot with health if we had another $7.5 million a day.

Saying that, when I look at the government today after the NDP, what they have done to our economy and where we have to go…. Someone reminded me today, because I have a lot of people saying: "Well, why haven't you fixed it? Why isn't it all done?" Well, it's a long process.

Someone said to me today that it's just like a diet. When you put weight on, it takes as long to come off as it did to go on, so it's a long-term plan. We're taking the weight off a lot faster now than the NDP put it on, so we will balance the budget in '04-05. I think that's going to be a real positive for B.C.

I also want to get into something here. Recently the Leader of the Opposition, in her comments in this House, actually mocked what we claim as the heartlands. What are the heartlands? The heartlands are anywhere outside of the major city centres, Victoria and Vancouver — not to put down those major centres. Victoria and Vancouver are very essential to the economy of the province. They have a huge, significant input into the province. But I'd like to set the Leader of the Opposition straight, because I looked up what it said here about what the definition of heartlands really is. It's the centre or most important part of an area. Well, the heartlands are probably the centre and the most important part of British Columbia.

The heartlands are the most important parts. Why are they the most important parts? Because they drive the big centres. When you take logging out there in the heartlands, when you take lumber from the heartlands…. A lot of the logging that's done in the heartlands is in fact sent to the mills in the big urban centres where it's cut up, creating the jobs. That's the lumber they produce.

We have the fishing, and the big plants are in the big urban centres — both commercial and of course fish farming. They do add to the economy of those areas. Never mind the sport fishing. They've got somewhere to go out in those heartlands and catch the fish. They have their holidays and can catch the fish they want. Also, a lot of the people from the urban areas come into our areas to hunt, holiday and fish.

Mining is another huge industry that we have to get going in this province. Ranching, oil and gas…. Oil and gas are huge — absolutely huge. I think those are the two things — the oil and gas, the coalbed methane — that are going to help this province in the future with huge amounts of money, an influx of money, so we can look at adding to health and to our education.

Not to sell it short. We've got pulp and paper, farming, grains and the parks. Most of the parks are in the heartlands, and the people from the big cities use them. What does this mean that the heartlands do for the urban areas — that the heartlands sustain and add to the urban economy? Well, as far as I know — and I live in the heartlands area — they have the major ports where all the products are shipped from, in and out of Vancouver. They have the major railheads where most of the products are coming and going. Most of the head offices of all the big companies from the heartlands are in the cities, adding to their economy. Most of the supplies to the heartlands come from those big centres — our food, our supplies, all the things it takes to drive the system out there in the heartlands. Most of the major trucking companies are in the heartlands. I can ask my colleague on my left here. He's a tycoon in the trucking industry, a tycoon.

That's where the oil refineries are. There are some oil refineries. It's brought all the way down and refined right in the urban areas. Fabrication shops for those heartland mills that go out there. The machinery that's bought — the trucks, tractors, graders — are all sold in some of the large urban areas. Airlines, sawmills, shakes and shingle mills….

We are integrated, but most of the resources come from the heartlands. I want to set the Leader of the Opposition straight. If she doesn't know where the heartlands are, it's time she bloody well learned.

I'd like to go through a few things too. We were talking about the heartlands, the investment in transportation and the money we're going to spend on transportation in the future on roads and things. I understand the upgrading of all the roads in the province, because this government covers the whole province. The Kicking Horse Pass needs to be done for safety reasons, and many of those other projects in these communities — the bridge in the Okanagan and such…. I want to tell the people: now that we have a budget, we have a gas tax of 3.5 cents, which people really don't care for but can accept because it's going to go into rebuilding their roads and highways and the infrastructure that they need. Part of that, I understand, is in the airports.

Let me touch on the roads first. In my riding of Powell River–Sunshine Coast we have a few minor projects that we need to do: the realignment of the Lund highway, the last 20 to 30 kilometres out to Lund — I'll give a significant reason why that's a major part of my riding and why it should be brought up to standards — also from Davis Bay into Sechelt, which is a very dangerous area. It has to be widened and looked after. They're not big dollars, but they're necessary to bring to my riding and to make it safe for the people that live there.

H. Long: Absolutely. I'm lobbying for work in my area, because they deserve it.

When I talk about the roads and the infrastructure, also in Sechelt ? Powell River's got a fairly good airport ? I'm going to be asking our government to update the airport in Sechelt, to work with the municipality of Sechelt. If we can — and I've talked to Sechelt about this — maybe we can interest Vancouver International, the YVR, to partner up with the Sechelt group, to partner up with us, to try and get the infrastructure and the airport brought up to standard so we can bring in light commercial aircraft to give another means of transportation for those on the Sunshine Coast into the Vancouver area and other parts of the province. It's time for that.

H. Long: I think I'm being misled here on some of the items that they want me to do.

I'm going to be jumping around a little bit here. One of the issues is with schools and the education system we have. One of them that came up recently is the community schools, which are very, very important.

We have seven community schools. The community schools are in Rogers Creek, Gibsons, Pender Harbour and different places. They are the focal point for the community. That's where they gather. That's where they do the work. That's where they have their families and friends come in. They have different functions there. They have different programs that they put there. They're very, very important to bring the community together and keep it together. I want to say that I'm proud of my government saying they're going to continue to fund these. Maybe the funding will be different in the future, but they're going to continue to fund them and watch them and make sure they're looked after.

In fact, I have a letter here which surprises me. It was read out the other day by another member. It's from the president of the Sechelt teachers association, who agrees and is happy that we are continuing to fund the community schools. I think it's important that if these people are working with us…. If the president of the teachers association is willing to work with us on these issues, I'd like to see them work harder on making sure that our school budgets are kept in line and that we can make our other schools work as well as our community schools.

Mr. Speaker, we're going to get into another issue; it's people with disabilities. You know, we have a lot of people in Powell River under what we call PRACL — Powell River Community Living. It's good to see that we've moved up the disability amount that they can make to $400 from $200. That's significant for them. I'm proud to see our government doing these things for these people.

This $275 million in the forest transformation fund. I'm not sure how that's going to be, and I don't know if a lot of my members know how that's going to be dealt out. I know that on the Sunshine Coast mills have shut down, and they're going to need some of that funding to bridge their way through these economic times.

Going back to the schools, to the $42 million, the $50 million and the $100 million promised to the schools over the next three years. In 2002 and 2003 the funding has gone up from $584 per student and will be up to $662 per student. Then we have people saying we're cutting education. Well, that's foolish. Education has not been cut; health has not been cut. I'm proud to say that there are some other areas that we have had to cut, which I believe should have been cut.

I'd like to go now to the budget. Basically, it's on track for a balanced budget. I'd like to read out some of the things and where they're going for my constituency, and they can have a good understanding. Increase in Ministry of Education budget of $143 million over the next three years. Investment of $650 million new dedicated fuel tax revenue in transportation, which I spoke about earlier, and what I believe to get some infrastructure from that money to go into our highways and airports…. I think the most important thing is that we will balance the budget in 2004 and 2005.

Direct addition of $1.3 billion in expected three-year federal funding to meet the health care needs of British Columbia. Well, it's about time the…. Well, I guess I shouldn't say it's about time. It's good to see that the federal government is now stepping up to the responsibility to start putting more money into the health care system here in British Columbia.

Some other things that came to mind, Mr. Speaker, is the fact that when I talked about the highway to Lund, the structuring is the $30 million we have promised to the native people to carry their funding on for another year. We have a very progressive group in Powell River, the Sliammon people. I had a meeting with them last week. At the end of that road going to Lund, which I want repaired — every member in this House, I can see, is just ecstatic; they want it done for me — is a resort called the Lund Hotel, which works together with another partner and the native band. They resurrected that hotel from something that was actually going to have to be torn down at one point. It was in shambles; it was in a terrible state. The native people, with another entrepreneur in Powell River, have resurrected it to a status so that people now want to be there. They want to come there. It's a real destination. I'm proud of them for being involved in the community, and they want to become more involved in the community.

To my understanding, talking to the chief last week…. He was telling me they want to get on with the negotiation. They want to get on with their treaties. They want to settle up. We came very close, a year and a half ago, to them settling up their treaty. I look forward to the native people in Powell River, the Sliammon band, settling up their treaty and starting to work with the community. They are working with the municipality now, but they work with the whole community and other people. I think that will be one of the most positive growth things we can have out there.

I think that in the long run, economics is probably the driving force for the heartlands. It's a driving force; it's what we need the most. We have a small depressed community in Powell River, whereas the Sunshine Coast — Gibsons, Sechelt — is fairly busy. They're doing good. They have a good economy. I think the reason their economy is good is because they're hooked up to the Vancouver area. But Powell River, with a mill that started out with 2,200 men and is now down to 600 or 700, is turning into a retirement community, and it needs some new economic advantages and things to happen.

I don't want to forget Texada Island either. It's a huge driver of the economy there, and it brings in a lot of wealth from mining, probably the most active mining area on the coast for the last 50 or 60 years. It does a great job for this province.

I want to continue on and mention the increase in health spending again, going back to health, because St. Mary's Hospital also needs some upgrading. That's going to be through the Vancouver coastal health authority. It's very hard to say whether we'll get the funding or not, because we have to go to them for this. I believe that St. Mary's should be brought up to standards, because the increased population on the Sunshine Coast is such that it deserves to have a good, hard second look at it.

Our areas also have huge amounts of seniors in them. The budgets coming down from our ministers are helping with these seniors. There are so many things that have happened that it's hard to touch on all the things that are needed. But for the seniors in our area, a new way of delivering the services — with in-home care for seniors, then assisted living and then, of course, extended care — is working out very well. I'm looking forward, possibly in the next few months, to a positive resolve to an issue where multicare seniors homes could be built in the Gibsons area. I hope that happens. We have a huge amount of seniors.

Recently I visited an assisted living, because I had a real problem in Powell River when they said that the Olive Devaud was going to close down and that assisted living was going to take its place. At the time the announcement was made, the Vancouver coastal health authority didn't have a real good plan, but right now it's working out very well.

I went to the assisted living and talked to the nurse there, Tom. He has 18 people there. They're the happiest people you'd want to meet. They have their own apartments. People are living together. They have their dignity; they have their life. They have their own furniture, and it's much better than being in a one-room institution. I look forward to maybe the Olive Devaud being converted into assisted-living facilities in the future. I think that's something the people of Powell River want, and I hope the studies come in positive in the future for that facility.

Of all the things we do, what this government is trying to do is get our fiscal house in order, because if it's not in order, as the minister has said, there's nothing we can do. When I mentioned back in '83, when Bill Bennett did it…. I can see what's happening today. We have the same dynamics in the Premier of the province today. He has a vision. He knows which way we're going. He knows why we're going there, and he wants to take us there. I think we're all on board with the Premier.

I think when we look at the necessary things we have to do, of course, health care is number one. Education is number two. Both of them have had no budget cuts since this government has taken power. People have to know — and I want to make it clear to them — that there's a big difference between a budget cut and the reallocation of money and how we spend it.

Economic development, to me, is the third issue, and I want to make sure that the heartlands and the different areas of this province are looked after. That was dealt with very clearly in the budget, in the throne speech and in the Premier's address. It's going to take some time to get our budget completely on in '04-05. I look forward to the day when we can get back to doing the things we have to, when we can get our debt — not only our fiscal debt — down to where we have the extra money to spend, to have that $7.2 million a day to spend on the services that we need. I would like to say that the only time we would be able to do anything in the future is when we control how much money we are spending.

Well, I've run out of words. I just can't carry on, so I'll turn it over to my colleague.

K. Johnston: I appreciate the opportunity to rise today and certainly voice my complete support for the budget speech as delivered by the Minister of Finance. I thank the member for Powell River–Sunshine Coast for his kind words a moment ago.

Firstly, let me thank the Minister of Finance for his diligence and his leadership in guiding the finances of this province. The minister, since jumping into a very difficult portfolio, has had to suffer a lot of external verbal and written abuse about his potential lack of experience and formal exposure in the financial arena.

I have spent most of my working life in the company of so-called financial experts and others. Through my experience as a small business operator, as a professional accountant and as a director of a multibillion-dollar financial institution, I have had that experience of interacting with many, many financial professionals. Whether they are economists, chief financial officers or accountants, I have had a lot of interaction. In that time, I have never met a person with more comprehension and leadership ability in the area of government finance than our Minister of Finance.

Our minister is not an armchair quarterback, like so many we hear from these days. He is, in fact, driving the financial agenda to restore sound fiscal management with skill and total resolve. For that, quite frankly, I think we should all thank him and his very, very capable staff.

Over the last 20 months I have had the privilege of representing the people of Vancouver-Fraserview, which is a riding that's basically residential with a little bit of business sprinkled in. It has been a tremendous, tremendous experience getting to deal with and getting to bring the voice of those people to Victoria. That is actually the best part, in my mind, of the whole job, if you will — to, in fact, speak on behalf of people.

The theme of this budget is "On Track For a Brighter Future." In essence what that means to me is the plan is working; the strategy is right. The difficult decisions initiated almost two years ago were the right decisions, and the right path was chosen. A famous general who I like reading once said: "Being responsible sometimes means ticking people off." Good leadership involves responsibility to the welfare of the group, which means that some people, in fact, will get angry at your actions and decisions. That is an inevitable thing if you are honourable. Trying to get everyone to like you is a sign of mediocrity. You will, in fact, avoid the tough decisions. Making the tough decisions is the only way to fix a problem, and we are fixing the problems.

As with all things in life, sometimes you try something; it doesn't work. Sometimes you take a wrong turn, but you do what you believe is right. I believe the actions of this government are right. Quite often I hear a lot of slagging of those of us that are private members for not standing up, for not voicing our opinion. Frankly, I believe we have every opportunity to do that and have done that — even myself. I have had the opportunity to voice an opposition to a section of a bill that this government put forward. None of us are afraid to stand up and say our mind; none of us are afraid to speak out on behalf of our constituents, because that's what we do.

Some ask quite often: "What is sound fiscal management?" I would suggest that it is what you are seeing happen in British Columbia today. I would suggest that it's what your government is doing today. Sound fiscal management is actually having a plan — in fact, three-year rolling service plans, in our case — that all the public can see, review and analyze. What a novel idea, accountability in government, and you're seeing it here.

Some people, like the member for Vancouver-Hastings, apparently are not getting copies of the three-year service plans. I keep hearing from her that she doesn't understand why there's a deficit. That's not new news. I encourage her to actually read the plan. The deficit is, in fact, a result of her mismanagement in the nineties and her mystery surplus at the end of their term. The plan is clearly stated that the deficit will be gone in 2004-05 — just like the plan said last year, the very same thing. It is on track and on time.

Sound fiscal management is also every government ministry operating within or under its operating

budget, which is happening for the first time in decades. It is eliminating the deficit over time and reducing the projected 2002-03 deficit by $600 million. It is paying $200 million less in debt costs because of prudent fiscal management. This to me is the core of good financial sense: reduce your debt costs. It doesn't matter whether you're running your household or a province, the theory is the same.

This being RRSP season, you will hear from every financial adviser in the world. They always advise on one core piece of advice, and that is to pay down your debt. It is the most basic of commonsense strategies. The provincial debt is expected to be $3.5 billion lower than anticipated a year ago. I know from a personal point of view, I would rather put hundreds of millions of dollars into health care and education than pay some slick banker in New York our interest costs. I don't think you could show me one British Columbian who thinks it is prudent to pay that much interest, to have interest as our third-largest ministry. We must stay the course towards debt reduction.

Staying the course is the message being sent by most people in our province. From the Vancouver Sun editorial of December 2002 to the positive editorials of the last few days, the message is constantly repeated: B.C. must stay on the hard road to recovery.

Ensuring the province's economic growth is key to providing better health care, education and social services. You want a good education for our children, a first-rate health care system to take care of us when we fall ill, a compassionate social services net and a healthy environment. Us too, but we're not so naive as to expect we can have those things if our province doesn't have the economic activity to pay for them.

Many concerned citizens, as reported in the Select Standing Committee on Finance and Government Services, said they wanted government to stay the course on balancing the budget and getting its financial house in order. During the past month or two I've taken the time in the constituency of Vancouver-Fraserview to visit over 175 small business operators, effectively going from door to door, face to face, and trying to get feedback on their opinions on the direction this government has taken and must take in the future. I must tell you, I found a great sense of optimism and support for the direction of this government.

It was a great opportunity to meet with constituents who have committed themselves to the challenge of creating jobs in our economy. We all know the key to economic recovery in British Columbia sits on the shoulders of small business. With over 90 percent of businesses in B.C. having fewer than 20 employees, it is imperative that small business lead the economic revitalization.

The Canadian Federation of Independent Business, which represents over 10,000 businesses in B.C., prepared a document in November of last year. The document was titled Getting Back on Track. They said many profound things, in my opinion, including that much of the optimism in the small business sector is based on changes business has seen this government make in the past year and their expectations that the government will stick to its agenda. What business wants more than anything else is stability and certainty by implementing multi-year plans and accountability frameworks. This government has begun to restore confidence which was lost during the past decade.

As one of the two members of the Certified General Accountants Association of B.C. who are also members of this assembly, the other being the member for Oak Bay-Gordon Head, I am always interested in the report on the budget and the comments from the CGA Association after every budget. Their comments to the budget are as follows. "These guys are good, " says Colin Bruintjes, the president of the CGA Association of B.C.

There is a lot of work to be done to achieve the ultimate goal of balancing the budget in 2004-05, but I know this government is up to the challenge and clearly is listening to the good advice of the public. The government's vision is that British Columbia is a prosperous and just province, whose citizens achieve their potential and have confidence in the future.

Government's purpose is to deliver needed services to the people. So what is this budget doing for the people of British Columbia? Last year almost 78,000 new jobs were created for British Columbians. On a daily basis, business is returning to invest in this province. Just look — I know it's been spoken to, but it is important — at today's announcement that e-Bay is coming to Burnaby and bringing 600 jobs. One of the reasons they cited for coming to British Columbia is quality of life. Quality of life includes education opportunities, health and the general environment of a society. That's positive news.

British Columbians now pay the lowest personal income tax in Canada on the first $60,000 of income. We have increased health care funding by over $1.1 billion to $10.4 billion. British Columbia spends 41 percent of its total budget on health care, a greater percentage than any other province.

More resources for students. The government will maintain its $4.8 billion education budget, increasing it by $143 million over the next three years. In addition, last week a one-time funding provision of $50 million was allocated to school boards. That's almost $4.9 million to the Vancouver school district. There is funding to increase by 50 percent the number of child care spaces eligible for subsidy assistance in the coming

year, and, importantly, the earnings exemptions for people with disabilities who receive income assistance will increase to $400 a month starting this spring. There is much, much to applaud in this budget.

During the last 20 months I have had the privilege of being a member of the Select Standing Committee on Health, so a few of the health initiatives in the budget really piqued my interest. Certainly, the move towards a greater role for telemedicine, which uses technology to bring doctors and patients together and to deliver services across British Columbia, is a very, very important initiative. The Michael Smith Foundation will receive an $8 million grant to conduct research to improve the effectiveness of health care reforms. Health care reforms are extremely important, and I hope that in the near future we'll see some implementation of the reforms from the recommendations of a myriad of reports that have been published.

Health authorities will receive $15 million in grants to support the development of an electronic health records system. Hopefully, the records will end up following the patient, making delivery more efficient. I think that of all the things I got a small grasp of in terms of being on the Health Committee, it was the disjointed information systems we have all through the province and, in fact, through Canada. So much money, in my mind, is wasted by not having the adequate interplay between all the various stakeholders that deliver health care services. As I was saying, I don't think there's a greater waste of money in time and in the system than that inadequate health care records non-system we currently have in place.

By 2009, B.C. universities will be graduating almost twice as many doctors as they do today, and 583 more nurses were able to practise in B.C. in 2002 than in 2001. This government is taking that bold step of looking at long-term human resource investment in our health care system. We're actually looking down the road. We're not taking the standard political approach of short-term thinking, which is so politically expedient and has been in the past, but our minister and our government are looking long term, and I think that really bodes well for the future.

This budget includes $103 million of our $600 million commitment to the Olympic Games. The budget also includes, over the next three years, $199 million for the Vancouver Convention and Exhibition Centre, which will create as many as 6,000 person-years of employment.

I believe the drive to prosperity can be fuelled in many ways, and one of the most important is through the buildup and staging of the 2010 Olympic Games. The benefits of building towards 2010, both fiscally and through attitude and enthusiasm, will help drive this province forward. Those of us that are old enough and were lucky enough to live in B.C. in 1986 remember the can-do attitude of everything about Expo 86. Everyone had a B.C. state of mind whereby we all carried a great sense of pride in British Columbia, and that sense of pride shone throughout the world and attracted visitors and investors like a beacon.

A few months ago I had the privilege of attending an event at Killarney Secondary School, which is one of the largest secondary schools in British Columbia. That event was the Alcan spirit of 2010 goodwill tour, a tour where Canadian Olympic athletes toured the province speaking to kids about the values of being the best that you can be.

Robert Esme, a member of the 1996 Atlanta games, a Canadian Olympic champion on the 4-by-100 relay team, gave an inspirational talk on the importance of self-esteem and believing in yourself. Robert, who was nicknamed "Blast-off," was the lead runner of that relay team and a big part of setting the pace that led to the gold medal and the victory over the Americans. His words to the kids were about hope and vision for the future.

I was deeply moved by his words, his enthusiasm and his message to the youth, most importantly. The only negative, in my mind, was the support put forward by the school. The presentation should have been heard by all 2,000 or more kids in an assembly. Instead, only about a hundred kids were allowed to attend the event.

How many times in your life do you actually get to touch an Olympic gold medal, to interact with such a positive role model? I can tell you that every student who had that advantage and opportunity was extremely motivated and excited by the event. Isn't that the point?

The Olympic Games are not about aging baby-boomers like myself. They are for our youth — our future. They are about bringing a spirit of hope and pride to those youth. Imagine, if you will, the Olympic torch being carried throughout British Columbia by the young people of British Columbia. Imagine the sense of pride. Imagine the possibilities.

Yes, Mr. Speaker, there are other benefits to being an Olympic host: creating up to 228,000 new jobs, the economic activity in the billions and the $2.5 billion potential to government revenue. The experiences of 2002 Salt Lake City and 2000 Australia have shown that the games do benefit the host city, the province and the country. The Governor of Utah says he would do it all over in an instant. The 2000 Summer Games in Australia was the most successful Olympic Games ever in terms of trade and investment — $3 billion in new business, including $600 million in investment. I think this tells us the world has learned how to run a successful Olympic Games, and I know we will be successful in British Columbia.

Even the auditor general, in his recently released report on the Olympic Games, has concluded: "The bid corporation's approach to preparing the bid estimates is reasonable. The province's approach to preparing estimates for major games-related costs is reasonable."

Can you imagine the impact on all of British Columbia of building up to and hosting the 2010 games, of having over two billion people exposed to our magnificent province through television, the Internet or whatever digital device is available in 2010? For me,

the potential is almost beyond comprehension. The benefits leading up to and beyond 2010 will be staggering. I urge all British Columbians to look to the future and support the Olympic bid.

My colleagues in this House from all four corners of British Columbia have pleaded with Vancouver voters to vote yes and to consider the great benefits that will blanket all of British Columbia. Colleagues have stood here in the last few days from Okanagan-Vernon, Prince George North, East Kootenay, Saanich South, Skeena, Maple Ridge, Kamloops–North Thompson — and the member for North Coast, who has been especially vocal. They have stood in support of these games.

I urge all Vancouver voters to follow the lead of their mayor and the majority of their city council and give a hearty thumbs-up to the future. Even listen to the words of the inspirational Mike Harcourt when he talks about the importance of winning the bid. Let those of us who will be voting in the upcoming plebiscite in Vancouver think about our responsibility to fellow British Columbians. Let's all reach for the torch.

I was also pleased to see provision in the budget for expansion of the labour-sponsored venture capital program, allowing a third fund to operate in the province. This gives us the ability to compete with other provinces for seed capital that can fund resource and technology companies.

This budget is another step in the path to revitalizing our economy and restoring sound financial management. This budget reflects our new-era commitment to put patients, students and people in need first. This budget emphasizes the goals of our strategic plan: being a strong and vibrant provincial economy; a supported social fabric; a safe, healthy community; and a sustainable environment. We are indeed on track for a brighter future.

B. Locke: It is a privilege to rise in this House in response to the budget speech. I thank the people of Surrey–Green Timbers for the honour of representing them in this chamber.

The provincial budget that was presented on February 18 is one that exemplifies what this government stands for — in fact, what this government ran on. We are doing exactly what we said we would do. Now that we are starting to see the light at the end of the fiscal tunnel, we are putting financial resources into human resources. The plan is working.

Decisions have been tough, and I know it hasn't been easy, but then we all knew that from the beginning. We are back on track for a balanced budget in 2004-05. This budget is a framework to bring B.C. back from the decade of despair; back from fast ferries and inflated union contracts; back from the squandered decade that, for every other jurisdiction in Canada and North America, was prosperous; back from the humiliation of being a have-not province; back to the pride we all had and now have again as we look to a bright future for all British Columbians.

This year's budget, like the ones before it, is founded upon values that distinguish us from our predecessors — powerful values that have drawn us into public service. The decade of the nineties saw the people of British Columbia pitted against one another by a government driven by an ideology of division and conflict. For far too long we were told there were no common interests among British Columbians, only special interests. For far too long the politics of punitive taxation, confiscation and cumbersome regulation were held out as the prescription to maintain our vital public services and cure our social ills. For far too long compassion meant holding one British Columbian down to prop up another.

As this budget clearly demonstrates, our government rejects these false assumptions and the failed policies they all generated. This budget is about responsibility in controlling our future, not allowing our debt to control our ability to manage the future of this province. This government recognizes that there is only one taxpayer and that we are all challenged with the responsibility, as stewards of the public purse. We take that role very seriously — so seriously, in fact, that this year, for the very first time on record, every single ministry in this government balanced their budget. That's no small feat.

For business and for everyone, for that matter, waste and overregulation have cost us all dearly. The Minister of State for Deregulation continues to move to alleviate that costly burden not only for business red tape but also for citizens. I commend him for tackling this issue head on.

What does this budget mean for Surrey? Well, it means hope. It means a positive future for our children, our families, our seniors and those with special challenges. Surrey–Green Timbers is a community of families. We are blessed with a richness of cultural and ethnic diversity and multiculturalism, the cornerstone of being a Canadian, and Surrey exemplifies Canada — an amazing mosaic of peoples that all choose to make B.C. and Surrey their home.

In fact, our school district has over 90 different first languages spoken. What a tremendous advantage for our community. I have had the privilege of attending many events with the Korean, Vietnamese, Chinese, Filipino, Greek and South Asian communities — hard-working, committed immigrants to this country. This is their province, and Surrey is our city by choice. They want government's hand out of their pockets and appreciated the 25 percent tax break that was given to every British Columbian on the first $60,000 of income. That money has been well utilized by my constituents. Recently, I was particularly pleased to participate in B.C.'s Heart and Stroke Foundation health forum for South Asian seniors. Over 150 people participated in this health awareness program. I was struck by the concern these seniors had to ensure that they had the knowledge and took personal responsibility for their own well-being, their health.

This budget also spoke to people with disabilities. Increasing the earning exemption for people with disabilities is an opportunity for those people faced with challenges to earn an additional $400 per month, opening doors for people and giving them a lift into the job market.

This budget will help support families, especially young children, with a $10 million early childhood partnership, a creative way for the private sector to contribute to early education. Without a doubt, it's the most critical learning time for children. Add to that additional funding for intervention for school-age children with autism spectrum disorder, a wonderful commitment by the Minister of State for Early Childhood Development, the Minister of Finance and of course the Premier to ensure that B.C. babies will have a good head start.

Child care is a huge problem and a concern that all working parents share. Good, reliable day care is a significant challenge but is even more concerning for lower-income parents. Increasing the number of child care spaces eligible for subsidy assistance by 50 percent will assist many single parents in my constituency.

Surrey is a young community. Although our population is 370,000 people, compared to Vancouver's about 540,000, our K-to-12 student population is 2,000 more than Vancouver's. Increasing the per-pupil funding and basing funding on a per-pupil basis is incredibly important to our school district. I am proud that our government is moving to that per-pupil funding formula and committing an additional $143 million to the system over the next three years. This government is committed to education and is increasing the budget, even though student enrolment has declined significantly.

The budget spoke to an issue that is very near and dear to my heart. That issue is social equity funding for school districts, in particular the inner-city school funding. I am so pleased we will be protecting that funding for those schools and those children that need the extra support. I am so proud of the outstanding job that Surrey school district has done in providing a top-notch education system for our students.

Being the largest, and growing, district is not without its challenges. I am particularly proud of the commitment to trades training. While our district is 10 percent of the entire school population in the province, it graduates about 20 percent of the entire provincial K-to-12 apprenticeship program. This is extremely important not only for keeping some children in the school system but also for the future economy of this province. What an advantage for any youth to leave school with job-ready skills. Without a strong trades training program in our province, our provincial economy and our dream simply will not be realized.

This budget speaks to our need to continue to develop post-secondary opportunities for all learners in our province. I commend the Minister of Advanced Education for recognizing the importance of trades training and for its vision of job-ready skills that will develop the riches of the province. The innovation of Surrey school district trustees and administration has our students well positioned to be ready for the bright future.

Kwantlen University College and Surrey school district work hand in hand to ensure that there is transition between school apprenticeships and college. What great, great cooperation by these two institutions. Clearly, Kwantlen and Surrey school district agree with our government that learners must come first. The importance of trades training can't be underestimated. It is critical to our economic growth.

Forestry, mining and oil and gas development in the heartlands of our great province need that skilled labour force, and my constituents look forward to those solid, family-paying jobs and the positive contribution that the development will have. We are blessed with living in an extraordinary province, a province full of untapped riches. I lived in Alberta in the seventies. My husband and I worked in the oil and gas industry. I know how incredible those days were in Alberta — full of positive energy.

We have all that resource and more in British Columbia. We need to develop those incredible opportunities for our citizens. I still have many family and friends in Alberta, and I visit there regularly. That province has never looked back. They only look forward. B.C. should be in Alberta's shoes today. I know that with our government's vision and hard work, especially that of the Premier and the Minister of Finance, our future is very bright, and Alberta's shoes will be too small for us tomorrow.

There is no doubt that even though Surrey is a very urban community, the forest industry plays a significant role in our lifestyle and that of the entire province. In fact, right in the middle of my riding is the Green Timbers Urban Forest, the first place in B.C. for reforestation. Even in Surrey, thousands of people work in forest industry–dependent jobs even today. Sometimes we forget that the heartlands and the forest industry are critical to all British Columbians, even those of us in urban areas.

That is why I'm so glad this budget committed $275 million to assist B.C.'s forest workers, communities and companies transition. Those reforms are already well underway, and the new results-based Forest and Range Practices Act will reduce red tape and help create a sustainable forest industry in B.C. for now and well into the future — 78,000 new jobs in British Columbia already, and this budget will bring in even more to our province and to my community.

Surrey is a boomtown — a boomtown that is seeing a number of those new jobs. One particular statistic the Premier mentioned is that housing starts jumped by 25 percent provincewide over the past year. In Surrey we've seen even greater progress on that front. According to the city of Surrey's statistics, the number of new permits for new single-family homes was up by an incredible 100 percent last April over the April before.

Putting patients first. Our government made it clear. Last year this government put an additional $1.1 billion into the health care budget. That, coupled with

the additional $1.3 billion in federal funding over a three-year period, will be entirely dedicated to a modern, sustainable patient-centred system. There are more nurses in the system now, and there will be more in the future as we continue to open up more spaces in B.C.'s universities and university-college institutions. Increasing spaces for doctors will help alleviate our doctor shortages.

So for all the shouting and derision we hear from the megaphones of special interests, there is no denying that the recovery has paid great dividends for the people of British Columbia. Our government is driven by the conviction that the free enterprise values and the social values that unite us all are not mutually exclusive. Creativity and compassion, entrepreneurship and equality, limitless potential and hope for all — we believe that these values are not contradictory but complementary.

To tie all that positive energy together are five international rings, and of course I'm talking about the 2010 Olympics. My youngest daughter plays ringette. It's a team ice sport similar to hockey. In Surrey all of our arenas have the 2010 symbol embedded in the ice. My 12-year-old daughter came off the ice recently and said: "Mom, I want to be in the 2010 Olympics." Often I hear her and her friends talk about the Olympics. It's their dream. Every time they skate over those great international symbols, Surrey youth dream and strive for excellence. Will they get there? Who knows, but it's the journey that's so important for them.

My 12-year-old will be 20 in 2010, a perfect age to be an Olympian. Maybe she will be the next Daniel Igali, from Surrey. That dream for all British Columbia youth is priceless. Striving for excellence takes guts, determination and a positive attitude. We have an amazing opportunity in our province that will impact every citizen in British Columbia.

On a purely economic level, the experience of Los Angeles, Seoul, Lillehammer, Atlanta, Salt Lake and, closer to home, Calgary demonstrated the enormous dividends of hosting an Olympic Games. The estimated benefits are extraordinary — over 200,000 new jobs. For health care, the Olympics crowd generates an additional $2.5 billion in government revenue. Undoubtedly, many more of those dollars will likely be reinvested into health care. Perhaps someone should make a bumper sticker that says: "Olympics equal better health care."

I was born and raised in B.C. I know we have a tremendous inner spirit in this province — a spirit of generosity, entrepreneurship and pride. We lost that B.C. spirit, and I believe the 2010 Olympics will bring it back. With all that positive energy comes limitless potential. I want my children and every child in B.C. to know and feel just what a great place they live in. Just meet a former Olympian; the positive energy is contagious. For B.C. it is truly our time to shine.

Hon. L. Stephens: Before I begin my reply to the budget, I ask leave to make an introduction.

Hon. L. Stephens: Joining us in the gallery today are two individuals from Weyburn, Saskatchewan. They are Ron and Bonnie Douglas. They are friends of my family in Weyburn, and I would like the House to please make them welcome.

Hon. L. Stephens: What I'd like to do is just read a quote from the throne speech here, which I think lays out and sets up the objectives that have been outlined in the budget. I think these are very powerful words, and I think they deserve to be repeated:

Very powerful words. I think the focus in the whole of the throne speech very clearly lays out the vision of the Premier of this province and the determination of the Premier to make sure that the words that are embodied in this document are, in fact, followed through.

In another place in the throne speech, I think, it talks about the direction that the budget has taken as well:

When we look at the budget, we are struck with three themes that run through it. Again, under the Premier's leadership, we have the heartlands economic strategy, we have good fiscal management, and we are growing the economy.

I think that when you look at the specifics of what it is we're proposing and what direction the budget is taking, it's very clear that health, education, forests, transportation and mining are of particular benefit to all of the people in British Columbia but specifically to a very large number of individuals and communities in the heartlands of British Columbia.

Good fiscal management means more efficient and effective government. It means keeping costs down. It

means planning our work and working our plan. This has meant that we were able to redirect $112 million to students, children and patients who were in need this year. Growing the economy means that we can, in the out years, make sure that those funds that are there, which we're depending upon today and we depend on for services to people in the future, will be there as well.

The sound fiscal management…. We are on track for a balanced budget. Budget 2003 shows that the government's three-year plan for B.C. is working. The plan was introduced with our first full budget in February of last year through the strong leadership of the Premier. It has three goals: to restore sound fiscal management; to revitalize the economy; and to put patients, students and people in need first. Today it's clear that that plan is working.

British Columbia now has the lowest personal income tax rates in the bottom two tax brackets in Canada. Our business tax rates are among the lowest in North America. Confidence is building, investment is beginning to flow, and British Columbia is starting to reap the benefits. Last year our economy grew by almost three times the rate expected by independent forecasters, and the province created almost 78,000 new jobs in 2002.

Government spending is under control. Except for a one-time provision for the forest sector restructuring, 2002-03 is the first time in a very long time that every single ministry is now on or under budget. The 2002-03 deficit is forecast to be $600 million lower than budget, the debt is forecast to be $600 million lower than budget, and the debt for '02-03 is forecast to be $3.5 billion lower than planned. Our government is on track not only to balance the budget but to deliver a small surplus in '04-05 and a modest surplus in '05-06 while improving services to patients, students and people in need.

Growing and strengthening our economy is paramount, and building a stronger economy is one of the government's key goals. So far we have been successful. In 2002 the economy grew at almost three times the rate anticipated, and we're expecting further improvements in '03 and '04. That doesn't mean we can rest on our laurels, and we won't. We will continue to open up new opportunities for economic growth and investment through targeted initiatives like our heartlands economic strategy, and we will maintain our commitment to ensure that British Columbia has the competitive taxes and sensible regulations we need to attract and retain investors, companies and skilled workers.

Since the government took office 21 months ago, we have provided 27 tax relief measures representing net savings to businesses of about $350 million and net savings to individuals of about $900 million. B.C.'s tax rates are once again competitive. Beyond having the lowest tax rates in the bottom two income brackets, the overall tax burden for individuals — including gas, PST and MSP premiums — is among the lowest in Canada.

I know that our critics have, for many months now, been talking about the fact that they believe the tax cuts that we instituted at the beginning of our term have since been dissipated. That's not true. We can show that in fact, it is not. Most individuals in the province are still benefiting from those income tax cuts.

Now, the budget builds on an impressive record. It includes a series of targeted sector-specific tax measures that set the stage for further growth in new media, book publishing, television and film, digital animation and visual effects, mineral exploration and the cruise ship sector. We are also expanding the labour-sponsored venture capital program, which provides needed capital for emerging businesses. We're saving credit unions and trust companies $2 million a year by raising the threshold at which they begin paying the corporate capital tax. These sector-specific tax changes will be worth $29 million a year by 2004-05. This means a stronger, more diversified economy.

Meeting family and community needs is paramount. Because of the initiatives and the good fiscal management that the government has been able to make over this year and getting our spending under control, the economy is growing. Our debt is lower than expected. Our servicing costs are lower than expected. We can afford to invest additional dollars in priority services for families, communities and people in need. Budget 2003 will increase by 50 percent the number of child care spaces available for subsidy assistance in this coming year. It also commits $110 million to employment programs for people in need, along with one-time funding of $10 million in '02-03 to establish an early childhood partnership fund with the United Way and the Credit Union Central of British Columbia. We all recognize the importance of early childhood development, and this government is taking steps to invest further in those abilities for children to receive the kinds of services that they require.

We've got up to $11 million a year in funding for intervention for school-age children with autism spectrum disorder. We've continued assistance to community organizations that receive charity top-up grants. I know that in my community, this is one of the areas that has raised a lot of concern among non-profit and community organizations, wondering whether or not they were going to be able to access these charity grants.

Funding to increase the earnings exemption for people with disabilities who receive income assistance. In the coming year they will be able to earn an additional $100 a month without affecting the benefits they receive from the province. The earnings exemption for people on disability is now $400 a month, an increase of $200 since this government has come to power. These investments are possible because the government's plan for British Columbia's future is working. We said we would control spending, and we have. We said we would revitalize the economy, and we have. We said that we would focus funding where it's needed the most — on patients, students and people in need — and Budget 2003 certainly does that.

Now, in health what we've looked at is maintaining the budget. It's $10.2 billion. We added over a billion

dollars last year. Over the next three years, a further $1.3 billion is expected from Ottawa. The benefit we will derive is our fair Pharmacare; 280,000 people are expected to receive lower premiums or remain the same.

Assisted living, home care and long-term care for our seniors are priorities for this government, and steps are being taken to expand the services for seniors. Primary care is a priority area as well. How do we make sure that patients have access to their physicians? That is a priority the government is working on. New and better technologies that are available are of primary importance as well. We are making sure that there are more doctors, nurses and LPNs in training spaces to participate in the health delivery to people around the province and in our different regions.

In education we're making some significant contributions as well, and the focus is to help students succeed — to make sure that they succeed. A lot of our naysayers out there have been saying that we've not been protecting health care and education as we said we would. I think the facts are clear that in fact, we are protecting health care and education. The education base budget is $4.8 billion, with a one-time grant last year of $42 million and another one-time grant this year of $52 million. Over the next three years another $143 million will go into education — all of this money when the school enrolments are declining.

Our government has lived up to our commitment to make education a priority and make the social equity funding available to community schools and inner-city schools, which many of us in the government are concerned about. We want to make sure that the kinds of programming delivered through the schools for low-income families and for families on social assistance are protected, and indeed they will be. The Minister of Children and Family Development is going to make sure that the funding in place for the social equity grants is available until September. Following that, there will be funding available for a new formula that is being developed. The minister will have more information on that at a later date.

We've got a huge transportation plan, and this is a plan that is going to affect every region of the province. In my particular area, the Fraser Valley, this is an important initiative for us. We, of course, are growing; our community is rapidly expanding. The roads we use and travel…. Highway No. 1, particularly over the Port Mann Bridge, has increasingly become a problem. The Minister of Transportation has announced that there's $650 million over three years and $5.5 billion over ten years.

The 3½-cent fuel tax that has been announced will go a significant way to offset the costs of some of these projects. Our view is that we need to have a pay-as-you-go plan to make sure this transportation infrastructure and these transportation improvements are in fact not a burden to our children and our grandchildren. The benefits are that qualities of roads increase with road rehabilitation in our rural and remote parts of the province. Safety is an issue, particularly around the Kicking Horse Pass and the Sea to Sky Highway. The movement of goods, services and people is a priority, and how we move and make sure the economic benefits of our transportation system are well used.

The Gateway project that is of particular concern to my constituents is a very significant part of this transportation plan. We're going to be looking at the Port Mann Bridge and how we can make some improvements there, a new Fraser crossing, the south perimeter road and the border crossing upgrades. All of these initiatives will go a long way to helping my community and the region I represent make sure that the economic benefits we can provide are there for all of the people in my community.

We are revitalizing the forest industry. This is a big part of the heartlands strategy. We all know that one in three jobs in British Columbia depends on the forest industry. We know that the vast majority of revenue that comes to the province is as a result of the forest industry. It's a very critical component of our financial well-being in this province. Over the past five years, the revenues government has been receiving from the forest industry have fallen by about $635 million as the industry has really struggled to cope with issues like the softwood lumber dispute and ill-informed policies of the last government. About 13,000 people who worked in forests have lost their jobs, and whole communities have felt the impact.

Our government is committed to revitalizing the forest sector and offering new hope to the people who depend on it. We're moving forward with a series of improvements, including the new results-based Forest and Range Practices Act, which will replace the old bureaucratic Forest Practices Code; tenure reform; a move to market-based timber pricing; and a new proposal to set aside 48 percent of the province's land base as working forest. That is a particularly important objective. For many years the forest industry has been saying: "Just tell us what a working forest base is. We can work around the restrictions, or we can work around the opportunities, but it is important that we know what we have to work with."

Budget 2003 supports this important work. It dedicates $275 million in this year's budget, the 2002-03 fiscal year, to help with the transition to a modern, sustainable forest sector. Many of the MLAs in this House that come from forestry-dependent communities can attest far better than I to the need for these important programs. With these investments we are one step closer to revitalizing our vision of a leading-edge forest industry, globally recognized for its productivity and environmental stewardship.

When the budget was introduced, we saw quite a number of media reports. I'd just like to read into the record some of those reports from individuals and organizations in the community who pay attention.

This one is from Canadian Press; it's dated February 18. Dale Parker, who's the chief economist of the Vancouver Board of Trade, says: "Setting realistic goals

and meeting or beating them, as the government has done, goes a long way to calming the business community and boosting consumer and investment confidence." He said: "The government won't have any trouble forging ahead to a balanced budget on time."

The Chartered Accountants of B.C. say: "The government's tax cut program has worked, and the debt load has been well managed." The chief executive of the Chartered Accountants of B.C., Richard Rees, also said that the economy is well on the way to recovery and that the signs are everywhere.

Ian Russell, senior vice-president of the Investment Dealers Association of Canada, said: "The tax cuts will bring more hard-to-get venture capital into the province. This budget certainly improves the investment climate in British Columbia. It tells investors this government is disciplined and they don't have to worry about taxes going up again."

Those are some of the remarks of individuals who are knowledgable about budgets and investment and how we grow our economy. I think they are testament to the fact that we are on the right track, that this budget will get us to a balanced budget and that the initiatives that have been put in place will make sure that the province as a whole does grow the economy and does benefit from the increased economic activity.

Jock Finlayson, vice-president of the B.C. Business Council, says: "I think the direction they're going in is sound and will command strong support from the business community." Whether our detractors and naysayers like to believe it or not, it is a strong economy that makes the world go around. Whether they like to admit it or not, without investment, without businesses creating jobs, without people working, we don't have the taxes people pay for the government to use to go and do the social programs and education and health care and services for people that we need.

I always like to hear what the unions have to say, and I kind of have to laugh a little bit. They're always like Chicken Little; the sky is always falling. This isn't any different. Broadcast News of February 18 says — this is union official Chris Allnutt from the HEU: "The budget means more service cuts, facility closures and the loss of thousands of skilled workers." There's not much new. They're always saying that the sky is falling, that everything is on the wrong track and that we'll never see light at the end of the tunnel.

It's clear. All of the sector organizations that understand the economics of how you grow an economy and what it takes to provide government services realize and understand that this particular budget is one that will go a long way to restoring the confidence in investors and building a province that we can all be proud of.

I want to take a moment to talk a little bit about the ways our government directions, outlined in the throne speech and the budget, benefit women specifically. It's essential that we work across ministries to address the systemic barriers faced by women in this province, and we will develop strong partnerships with communities as well. We want to implement a safer community strategy for women, and we want to launch the women's web directory of government services.

We'll implement a long-term child care plan that supports women to participate in the economy of British Columbia, that will provide stable, predictable funding that's sustainable for the future, that will provide choice for parents and that is inclusive of all children. The quality care that works to provide early childhood development through play is also an important initiative that is particularly responsive to women's needs. Women-centred health care is a priority, and a strong economy benefits women and their families.

Violence against women, we can say over and over, is a terrible tragedy, and it must be stopped. We all know that women are still three times more likely to suffer injury as a result of violence and five times as likely to live in fear for their lives. This sad number doesn't tell the whole story of women's vulnerability to violence. It's estimated that less than half of female victims of violence in British Columbia reported the incidents to police in 2002, so our ministry is focusing on direct essential services for women including transition houses, safe homes and second-stage housing and counselling for women who have experienced abuse and children who have witnessed abuse.

We have maintained and protected the annual budget of $25 million for transition houses, safe homes and second-stage housing. Transition houses are places where women and children in crisis find a safe, secure environment. It's not to be confused with women's centres. Women's centres provide information and community services for women in advocacy. We also fund safe homes that provide temporary accommodation in communities where transition houses do not exist. This is particularly helpful in the heartlands of British Columbia, where a safe home might be a rental apartment, a private home or a hotel unit.

We fund second-stage houses to help women make long-term plans for independent living. Women and their children stay in the second-stage house for up to a year while they work on rebuilding their lives. Our government funds 61 transition houses throughout British Columbia. More than 14,000 women and children were served by transition houses in British Columbia last year. Around the province, people worked every day with women and their children who have experienced violence to help them end the cycle of abuse and to help these women begin a new life. They do this through counselling programs.

Stopping the Violence counselling staff responded to more than 11,000 calls from women in crisis last year, and more than 5,000 women received direct counselling. Children Who Witness Abuse counselling provides these services for children ages three to 18 who have witnessed abuse to help break the cycle. More than 1,500 children and 900 parents received counselling from this program last year, and the agencies provided more than 800 hours of community outreach and public education. We've maintained and

Our government is also developing a safer community strategy to identify how we can provide services more effectively in communities around the province, and the details of that will be released at a later date. Across government other important initiatives have been redesigned, refocused and improved to make sure that women who have experienced violence have access to the support they need. Victims of crime need help and support, and sadly, women are too often among this group.

In rural communities and in our cities our government has protected the current funding of $9.3 million a year for victim services. In June of last year my colleague the Solicitor General announced funding for 24 additional victim services programs and a new crisis line to improve services for victims of crime. This new crisis line provides services to victims of family and sexual violence 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Six new community-based programs were added, which serve nine communities in British Columbia — most of those in the rural and remote parts of the province. Eighteen police-based victim services programs were established in communities that previously had no service at all.

In December my colleague the Minister of State for Early Childhood Development and I announced the opening of a new building in the downtown east side of Vancouver that offers women and children improved access to housing and family development programs. In partnership with B.C. Housing and the YWCA, the building will house programs for vulnerable women and children, including housing and maternity care for pregnant women and their children, and for women who are dealing with substance abuse problems.

We know that these women are vulnerable to abuse and increased health problems and that their children are at risk of fetal alcohol syndrome and a host of other disorders that arise from this turbulent life. Housing like this provides a calm environment and a stable foundation from which women can take steps to build a better life for themselves and their children.

The centre will also offer emergency licensed child care so that mothers can take part in the support and training programs and look for work. Emergency child care allows them to focus on rebuilding their lives while knowing their children are in a safe and healthy environment.

The health challenges of women, particularly aboriginal women, are daunting. First nations women are some of the most vulnerable in our society. We know that aboriginal communities are more likely to be poor; that aboriginal youth are less likely to finish high school and far less likely to attend university; that 8 percent of children in British Columbia are aboriginal, yet they account for more than a third of the children in care; that alcoholism is more prevalent in aboriginal communities; and that fetal alcohol syndrome is more common in some aboriginal communities. When poverty is the overriding feature of a community's existence, it's women and children who suffer the most. One-quarter of aboriginal women in Canada were assaulted by a current or former spouse during the period from '94 to 1999 — three times the rate of assault of non-aboriginal women during the same period. Aboriginal women face particular challenges as many have left more remote communities hoping for a better life, only to discover the mean streets of the city can be very unforgiving.

On January 21, I had the honour, along with my colleague the Minister of Community, Aboriginal and Women's Services, of announcing $800,000 in funding initiatives to assist economic revitalization and to improve the health and well-being of residents in the downtown east side.

Our government will support and continue to contribute to aboriginal healing, with special emphasis on health issues for aboriginal women, children and families. The Ministry of Community, Aboriginal and Women's Services is providing funds for a number of projects specifically to help aboriginal women in the downtown east side; $213,468 for this fiscal year, '02-03, will provide four new substance abuse counsellors to support aboriginal women involved in street activities. These substance abuse counsellors will work with aboriginal women between the ages of 13 and 30 years old. These are the young women, and their lives hold some great promise. The counsellors will work with them to address the issues of safety, trauma, abuse and anger, and access to health services.

Enhanced supports will also be put in place for prenatal and postpartum women struggling with substance issues. Other workers will be hired to help at-risk youth and families fighting addiction and mental health issues. This increased funding will improve the integration and coordination of programs and services for aboriginal women as delivered through Sheway in Vancouver's downtown east side.

I see the red light is on, and I had a lot more to say. I will finish with this. The importance of services to women is one that this government has as a priority. I think I've given you a flavour of some of the things we are doing. We're doing a lot more, and we will be hearing about those initiatives in the days and the weeks and the months to come.

One final word is the 2010 bid. I really do want to say that it's important that all of us in British Columbia support the 2010 bid for all of the initiatives that it's going to bring to the province. The legacy of these games will go on forever. The ability for performance athletes to hone their skills and for our amateur athletes to take advantage of these services is unparalleled.

With that, I wholeheartedly support this budget, and I encourage all members of this House to vote in favour of the budget.

W. McMahon: For more than a decade the previous government thought it was okay to borrow on the

backs of our children. They doubled the provincial debt. Think about that for a minute — doubled the debt. I wonder who they thought would pay it down. I can tell you who: our children and our grandchildren, the very people we should be looking out for. The previous government certainly didn't look after their interests. Besides health care and education, most of the money we collect from taxpayers goes to servicing the debt. That is simply unacceptable. As I speak to people about debt servicing, they get it; they understand. They agree that we have to change that, and we are.

I was personally thrilled to hear from the Finance minister that we are ahead of schedule to balance the budget. Before I go on, I would like to acknowledge both the Premier and the Finance minister. Through their hard work, because of sound fiscal management, we are moving forward. By 2004-05 we will have done more than balance the budget. We will have a surplus — not the imaginary surplus of the previous government but a real surplus, meaning British Columbians will start to see the rewards of sound fiscal management.

We are already seeing some of those rewards. Let's look at education. The number of students in B.C. has fallen by more than 15,400 since 1998-99. Despite this declining enrolment, we are increasing funding for education. Per-student funding has increased by $662. That means we are currently spending $6,455 on each student in our province. Next year it is projected to increase to $6,506.

This year's funding for education is going up by $50 million. This money will start to benefit students in the next school year. One hundred million more dollars will be given to school districts over three years, and this money will start to benefit students in the 2004-05 school year. This is a lot of money. Just think of what $50 million can provide to students. It could purchase over seven million copies of Catcher in the Rye or 1.5 million basketballs, but it won't. It will go back to the school district so they can decide how best to use their money.

Just this week I received a letter from the Revelstoke school district expressing their pleasure that the government has found additional savings within the ministry and that those savings have been passed on to school districts. "We are extremely grateful for the additional funds we received last spring and again now, and they will be put to very good use within the district." Since writing the letter, the budget announced that school districts will receive even more.

I know that difficult choices have been made and that more will likely have to be made. Under the direction of the hard-working trustees and staff and their commitment to fiscal responsibility, they will move forward through some challenging times. This is exactly what government is doing, and this is why we can pass these savings back to the school districts.

The forest industry is the primary employer in my riding. It, too, has been through some very difficult times. The importance of this industry in my riding and throughout the province really cannot be described in words. Forestry has supported families for generations. We are going to make sure it continues to be a strong supporter for our communities.

As government we plan to open up a revitalized forest industry. We are going to introduce legislation to create a working forest land base. We will pass forest reforms to diversify tenure and move towards market-based stumpage that is regionally sensitive and socially responsible. We will ensure that there is more timber available for innovative smaller local operators through the B.C. timber sales program and also for first nations.

We want our forest workers to look to their future with confidence and optimism, like they did years ago. This is why I'm very pleased that the government has committed $275 million to assist in this transition to a revitalized and sustainable forest sector. Just a week ago the Forests minister was in the riding speaking with a number of stakeholders. He noted that as a government, we are receiving between $500 million to $600 million less today than we were five to ten years ago. We must reverse that trend, and we will. I look forward to this next session as we watch this process evolve.

People in rural communities still have a strong work ethic and a sense of civic pride. People in my region have persevered through some difficult times in the 1990s, when the resource sectors declined. Many were forced to look elsewhere for work, leaving their families behind. We are working to change that. I know that the people I represent want to stay where they are. They want opportunities for their children. They want jobs to support their families.

The city of Kimberley saw the closure of the Sullivan mine 14 months ago, and the countless millions of dollars in tax revenue this province received ended. We know we need access to the land to find new mineral wealth so we can again share these resources with our urban neighbours.

We are working hard to create certainty so investors know where they can and cannot mine. We have simplified mining regulations. In this budget we extended the mining exploration tax for another three years. The province will also match the federal mining flow-through share tax credit.

We have let the industry know that B.C. is open for business again. Already, we are seeing progress. Mineral exploration went up 25 percent in 2002 from 2001. Orphan Boy Resources Inc., of Vancouver, is exploring the possibility of a mining project north of Revelstoke that could create between 90 and 100 jobs. At an open-house presentation in Revelstoke last week, which I should say was very well attended, I understand there was a real feeling of optimism and excitement. New jobs and new opportunities — just what Revelstoke has been hoping for.

Mining is important to British Columbians, as is the new legislation to support coalbed methane development. The potential in the Kootenays is huge, as it is in the central interior and Vancouver Island. We

are looking forward to new legislation to support an offshore oil and gas industry that is up and running, environmentally sound and blooming with job creation by 2010.

The throne speech made reference to the heartlands of British Columbia, as did the budget speech. During this past year and a half, I've been fortunate to travel extensively throughout the heartlands as Chair of the Select Standing Committee on Education and as a member of the safe schools task force. I come from the heartlands, and I can attest to the fact that there's optimism and hope for our future.

Hope and optimism are not new to rural B.C. We are dedicated, hard-working, resourceful people who know the potential of this great province and who are simply asking government to stay the course, balance the budget and, yes, open up our heartlands to economic growth. People in the heartlands want jobs. They want the opportunity to stay where they are and, as I said before, to raise their families.

We heard that the B.C. heartlands economic strategy will open up new partnerships with first nations, new investment in transportation infrastructure and new opportunities for tourism, sport and recreation. From a successful Olympic bid to a revitalized forest industry, all these are extremely important to the people of Columbia River–Revelstoke, and we say thank you.

As I was speaking about the transportation infrastructure, I do have to mention that I'm the MLA from Kicking Horse Canyon, in case anybody didn't know.

The Kicking Horse Canyon is the gateway to this province. It is also the gateway to my constituency. It is one of the most treacherous stretches of highway in Canada, but this government has committed to work with the federal government to upgrade this windy road. We need to, not only for the safety of British Columbians and those who visit our province, but because it is important to our economy.

Each year millions of people travel to Banff National Park on the Alberta side of the border. We need to bring more of those people to explore Yoho and Kootenay or Glacier and Revelstoke national parks on our side of the border. We can bring them to Golden. They can follow the Trans-Canada Highway through the historic Rogers Pass and through to Revelstoke, or they can travel down Highway 95 through the small communities of Parson, Harrogate, Spallumcheen and Brisco to Edgewater and Radium Hot Springs. They can travel through Invermere, stop for a swim at Fairmont Hot Springs or continue down to Canal Flats and then visit the town of Kimberley or historic Fort Steele.

This is what the upgrade of the Trans-Canada Highway will do. It will open up B.C. to those people who have never seen the splendour of our side of the Rocky Mountains. It will lure them over that Alberta border because it's safe.

Over the past ten years we know that thousands of British Columbians left our province for Alberta. An upgraded Trans-Canada Highway is the road back. It's a road that will bring jobs and economic development to the region during its construction and beyond. It's a road that will bring new opportunities.

We must also expand the Cranbrook Airport to attract more national and international air service. If we are going to let the world know how great it is to come here, we need to open up this region and make sure they can get here, and we will do that.

The great thing about Revelstoke or the Columbia Valley, and the Kootenays overall, is that the potential goes as far as the vision people carry. Although forestry and mining are still our core industries, they are no longer the only reason people venture into this region. People are just beginning to discover this area for its tourism potential, and once we upgrade the Cranbrook Airport and the Trans-Canada through Kicking Horse Canyon, we could attract thousands of visitors more.

Our government wants to double the tourism industry by the year 2010, and this region has the ability to be a leader. Our ski resorts in Revelstoke, Golden, Fairmont Hot Springs, Invermere and Kimberley are world class, as are our golf courses and other attractions.

We have people with great vision who have invested millions of dollars to create tremendous adventures. Interwest corporation announced earlier this year it is investing $14.5 million to develop new resort properties at Panorama Mountain Village near Invermere. Better yet, their vision is backed up with knowledge and experience. We plan on taking advantage of that expertise with the creation of the B.C. resort task force.

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