2009 Legislative Session: First Session, 39th Parliament
HANSARD

The following electronic version is for informational purposes only.

The printed version remains the official version.

official report of

Debates of the Legislative Assembly

(hansard)

Monday, November 23, 2009

Morning Sitting

Volume 9, Number 1

[ Page 2631 ]

MONDAY, NOVEMBER 23, 2009

The House met at 10:02 a.m.

[Mr. Speaker in the chair.]

Prayers.

Hon. M. Coell: I seek leave to present a petition, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Speaker: Proceed.

Petitions

Hon. M. Coell: I'd like to present a petition with 1,295 on-line signatures in support of the Live B.C. program.

Orders of the Day

Private Members' Statements

WINTER WONDERLAND

D. Barnett: The Cariboo-Chilcotin continues to solidify its reputation as a winter vacation destination offering a long winter season; extensive wilderness areas; great powder snow; spectacular scenery; miles of trails; exciting events; and crisp, clear, sunshine-filled winter days. The region also offers first-rate support facilities, comfortable accommodations, fine restaurants and the availability of many different winter pursuits.

[C. Trevena in the chair.]

At beautiful Anahim Lake in the Chilcotin, you can relax and enjoy the hospitality of the Eagle's Nest Resort. After a day of snowmobiling, cross-country skiing, ice fishing or ice skating on the lake, you can sit and enjoy fine dining while looking out at the Ilgachuz mountains or relax in the outdoor hot tub, gazing at the star-studded sky.

In the central Cariboo, you can grab your cross-country skis and tour the 36.5 kilometres of regularly maintained trails. You can even ski into the evening. Other winter activities offered are indoor and outdoor skating, curling, watching the local hockey teams and heli-skiing in the Cariboo Mountains.

In my opinion, the very best winter sport of all is snowmobiling. You can get on your sled and ride, ride, ride on the miles and miles of specially designated snowmobile trails.

[1005]

In the south Cariboo, just north of Lac la Hache, the Timothy Mountain ski hill offers spectacular terrain, dining lodge facilities, 33 runs and a triple chairlift for beginners and experts. Built and managed entirely by local volunteers, this great community jewel exemplifies the Cariboo spirit of working together.

The South Cariboo continues to take ownership of an expanded, extensive snowmobile trail system. The Gold Rush Trail, when complete, will link Kamloops, Clearwater, Clinton, 100 Mile House, Wells and then on to the far north.

The town of 100 Mile is known throughout North America for its cross-country ski facility and trails. 100 Mile has hosted the Cariboo Marathon for over 25 years. The B.C. Cup, another great cross-country ski event, is becoming an annual event — once again, facilities owned and operated by a volunteer society.

Just northeast of 100 Mile House along Highway 24, or The Fishing Highway, are some of the world's best fishing lakes. Ice fishing on one of the many spectacular and easily accessible frozen lakes is an activity enjoyed by many.

Another winter activity in the Cariboo is dogsledding. The terrain is gentle, and you can choose from short or long tours that allow access to some beautiful remote spots. A winter event not to be missed is the Jack Hawthorn Dogsled Race. Held at the 108 Hills Guest Ranch, it is an exciting event that honours a dogsled owner and racer who disappeared with his team many years ago on a lake.

The award-winning 108 Hills Ranch, a two-destination spot, is a paradise of its own. In 2009 owners Pat and Juanita Corbett received the Dedicated Contributor award from the International SPA Association. In 2009 they were recognized by other organizations. The Hills Guest Ranch is a health ranch. It offers in the winter many things: spas, cross-country skiing, snowboarding, tubing and, also, a horse-drawn sleigh ride, bonfires, music and much more.

These are just a few of the great activities in the winter wonderland of the Cariboo-Chilcotin. In the Cariboo-Chilcotin we call white snow white gold. Come and visit us. Stay at one of our many motels, hotels, lodges, resorts or bed and breakfasts. Please come and share a winter wonderland experience in our land without limits, the Cariboo-Chilcotin.

R. Austin: It's a privilege to get up and respond to the member for Cariboo-Chilcotin. It sounded so good, I almost want to just leave this place and go there right now. Seriously, though, I think the member has a great point in pointing out that we are very privileged to live in a province that has four seasons.

While everybody is aware of the fact that we're going to be hosting the Olympics and there will be a huge spotlight on Vancouver and Whistler, I think the member is very right to point out that, in fact, all over British Columbia we have incredible opportunities, from small towns to bigger towns, where a multitude of different winter activities takes place.
[ Page 2632 ]

In many regards, it's part of the reason why there are still some of us who actually like to live outside of the big cities and live in small-town B.C. It's that accessibility, to be able to go straight from your home and literally be out in the winter wonderland as soon as you leave your driveway.

I'd like to just take this opportunity to mention the fact that in Terrace we are going to be hosting the B.C. Winter Games coming up in March of this year. It's wonderful for a small town to be able to have the privilege to bring people from all over the province to come and experience a variety of winter sports.

Just think of some of the things that are going to be happening there. Of course, there are going to be curling and skiing and cross-country skiing, but it isn't just that. It's also indoor activities that happen in the wintertime.

[1010]

It's a great reason to get people to be active in the wintertime, because part of the problem of winter is that many of us think that because it's cold outside, it's a time to not exercise as much, to stay in shut up and to enjoy the warmth of our houses. In reality, wintertime in a beautiful province like this is an excuse to get outside and enjoy and be healthy in subzero temperatures and enjoy all the activities that our climate gives us. I think it's a wonderful thing.

The fact that we have the winter games kind of highlights the fact that small towns can put this thing together. Sure, it's nothing like the Olympics. But you know what? It happens all over the province of B.C. every two years.

I just wanted to mention how glad I am that it's volunteers who come forward to try and organize things like the B.C. Winter Games. In Terrace we have Peter Weeber as the head organizer. He has mentioned that 1,800 volunteers are going to be needed in the small town of Terrace to make this event happen, but he's absolutely sure that everyone's going to come out and do this. Of course, the whole community will benefit.

There's also an economic impact to having the winter games spread across British Columbia. It's probably going to bring a million and a half dollars into our local economy, and it's going to leave a legacy fund for sports and the arts.

Over 2,000 people will be coming to Terrace in March for the winter games. Now, those may not be big numbers compared to the Olympics. But you know what? For small towns it's a great added boost to our economy, and it brings the whole community together. After we celebrated Hockeyville last year, I think the winter games is another new legacy. It also gives opportunities for companies who normally assign their dollars to big things like the Olympics to actually invest in small towns.

I'm very proud to say that CN has become a sponsor of the B.C. Winter Games for our community of Terrace. That's something that we're looking forward to — having that association with them. Of course, they run through our town anyway. So it's nice that they're recognizing the value of the train traffic that goes all the way through to Prince Rupert by putting some dollars into our town.

I know my time is running out, hon. Speaker, but I also want to mention, believe it or not, that Prince Rupert is going to be hosting the Northern B.C. Games, and over 800 athletes are going to be coming there in February. The whole northwest is going to be a winter wonderland in 2010. People may not think of Prince Rupert as a classic place to have winter games, but their motto is: "Where Fun Reigns."

Deputy Speaker: I'd like to ask other members who are not participating in the debate if they can keep their voices down a little bit so that we can hear the debate. Thank you.

D. Barnett: I congratulate the member from across the floor on all the wonderful initiatives in his riding. Yes, the Northern Winter Games are exciting, and they are an opportunity for our young people to realize their excellence.

In the South Cariboo, in 2011, once again we will have the Northern B.C. Winter Games, which we had in 2006. Not only do they bring an economic benefit but, as I've said before, they bring our youth out, and they give our youth the opportunities to be the best they can be and see what a great opportunity it is to continue through their life with sports and some day become Olympians for the province of British Columbia and Canada.

I think that rural B.C. has so many opportunities. Whether it be in the south, in the north or the centre, we are the winter wonderland. We exceed all imaginations for opportunities for tourism and to be outdoors in that wonderful powder snow, which is one of those things that you don't see here — I'm sorry, folks — in the Lower Mainland and on Vancouver Island because you have this other wonderful thing called rain. We have what we call white snow, white gold.

I invite this House and all the people that you know and the tourists across the world to come to rural B.C. and, in particular, the Cariboo-Chilcotin and enjoy a wonderful winter wonderland experience.

Minimum Wage

R. Chouhan: The argument to increase the minimum wage has been constantly made by many people. Today I am merely repeating some of those statements, Madam Speaker, hoping that the B.C. government will listen and increase the minimum wage for people who have been stuck in that minimum wage for the last eight years.

[1015]

Study after study has pointed to the benefits of a minimum wage that keeps up with the cost of living. Raising the hourly minimum wage to $10 per hour will benefit
[ Page 2633 ]
many British Columbians. More than 350,000 people in British Columbia earn less than $10 per hour.

November 1, 2009, marked eight years since B.C. last increased the statutory minimum wage for workers in this province. Frozen at $8 and slashed by 25 percent to $6 for new workers, B.C.'s minimum wage has gone from the highest in the country to the lowest during this time. During this period the cost to taxpayers for the Premier's own salary and benefits has more than doubled, increasing by almost 109 percent.

A $10 minimum wage will help people who work not only at the minimum wage but just above it as well. Although an increase of $2 per hour to the current minimum wage will not, by itself, lift a person or a family out of poverty, it does ease the struggle to pay for groceries or rent, and it adds meaning to labour.

A reasonable minimum wage is an important step towards the goal of reducing poverty, better education and better health. When people have an extra few dollars in their pockets, they tend to eat better — thus, a healthy community and fewer burdens on public health care. When families have a few extra dollars, their children don't go to school hungry. This helps them to focus more on their education — thus, a better-educated society.

Increasing the minimum wage will help students. The debt load of post-secondary students is ever increasing. This forces young people to stay longer with their parents. As a result, many of them delay getting married, are having kids later, and it impacts our pension system.

We have heard the ridiculous claims by some — and I'm sure we will hear the same again today — that the average hourly rate is over $13 in British Columbia. Yet we have never seen or heard any concrete evidence of it.

As I mentioned earlier, there are 63,000 British Columbians who earn $8 an hour, along with 293,000 people who earn less than $10 an hour — not to mention the training wage of $6. The so-called disadvantages of increasing the minimum wage have been exaggerated beyond any logic. The most common objection we have heard is that it will hurt small business. Again, there has never been any proof provided to back up this claim.

In fact, during these recessionary times it becomes even more important that we increase the minimum wage. The low-wage workers spend more in local businesses. So it not only helps the local economy; it also helps people to rely less on local social service agencies for assistance.

Studies have shown that increases in minimum wage have resulted in reduced absenteeism, less turnover and a better morale of employees. This contributes to higher productivity.

[1020]

Increasing the minimum wage to $10 will help women and low-income families in general. The low-wage jobs in retail, restaurants and hotels are filled mostly by women, and an increase in minimum wage will certainly help them to lessen the burden of poverty. In general, it's good for our province. A strong minimum wage will help reduce the gap between the poor and the well-off in British Columbia.

When such a gap becomes too wide our democratic values are threatened. When people are worn out by the struggles of the basics of life, their democratic values, such as the freedom to vote and to speak out on public issues, become meaningless.

The provinces that increase their minimum wage have stronger job growth compared to British Columbia. Our minimum wage has been static for the last eight years. It is now the lowest in Canada. I hope the government of British Columbia will listen to these arguments and increase the minimum wage to $10 immediately.

J. Les: I am pleased to take my place this morning in response to the member from Burnaby-Edmonds in what I thought was a non-partisan time in this House. I'll do my very best to live up to that expectation.

As I was listening to his remarks commenting on minimum wage, I remembered a time when I myself made a minimum wage, when I first went out to work. Unfortunately, back then it was $1.50 an hour, but I didn't really allow that to affect me too much. I went to work, I worked hard, and it wasn't too long before the raises started coming. So all that is to say that simply because a minimum wage is set at a certain point doesn't mean that one is required to work at a minimum wage for lengthy periods of time.

There are those who suggest that minimum wages are always the product of a decision of government. I would also suggest, though, that another important factor in driving wages is an adequate and ample supply of jobs. I would submit that having plentiful jobs is a great driver upward for wages in general.

We've seen that in certain sectors of the economy in the recent past. In the northeast of British Columbia stories have it that Tim Hortons employees were getting upwards of $15 an hour to serve coffee. Certainly, in various areas of the province in the last number of years that has been the case. Clearly, in a situation like that, minimum-wage legislation makes absolutely no difference whatsoever. Plentiful jobs mean good salaries for everyone.

It's often said that we don't have a very good salary structure in British Columbia, but I should maybe point out a few facts. Among those would be these. The average hourly wage in British Columbia today is $22.46 per hour, which is up 25 percent since 2001. It is, in fact, the second-highest average wage in the country. The average wage for youth in British Columbia is $13.73, which is 1½ times the minimum wage as set by legislation, and it's again tied for the second-highest average in the country. In the agricultural sector agricultural workers make an average of over $14 an hour.

I think it's important to bear those things in mind. There's sometimes a propensity to focus very specifically
[ Page 2634 ]
on what is exactly the minimum wage, but then we just completely lose sight of what is actually happening out there in the economy, and there are good things happening in the economy — absolutely no question about it.

Now, we all understand, and we know, that many people experienced the downturn that we've encountered over the last year as a result of the international economic collapse. But many would argue, and I would agree with them, that here in British Columbia we're managing our way through that crisis. Our deficit is not nearly as big as the absolutely gargantuan deficits that are being encountered in other jurisdictions. Our unemployment rate, although it has gone up some, has not gone up as much as it has in other areas.

[1025]

I am convinced that as a result of the policies that we've been putting in place over the last number of years, we will emerge from this recession with a very strong British Columbia economy. That is due in no small part to the income tax relief that we've been able to put in place over these last eight years so that a British Columbian earning up to $118,000 per year pays less income tax than anyone else in any other province than British Columbia.

That too, I think, is a strong incentive and something that we need to keep in mind as we discuss these types of issues. It's not always about how much money a person makes. It's often about: how much money do you have left over? In British Columbia, happily, we have been able to put in place those policies that ensure that people have more of their money left over at the end of the day after the government taxman has paid you a visit.

I'll give you some specific examples, Madam Speaker. An individual earning $15,000 in British Columbia now pays $403 less in income taxes than they did in 2001. An individual earning $20,000 now pays $700 less in taxes than in 2001.

Deputy Speaker: I remind all members that this is private members' statements, and this is supposed to be non-partisan.

R. Chouhan: Well, it was quite interesting to hear the member talking about and stating that the minimum wage earned by agricultural workers is over $14. I have information for the member and for others who care to listen. People who work in the agriculture industry — and I have some experience working there, organizing and representing those workers — do not even earn close to $14. Forget $14. They don't even earn minimum wage. That's the reality of life.

I can also share the information with members in the House and the audience outside that there are so many people out there in the community that don't even make the minimum wage. The bare minimum that they earn does not leave much money in their pockets. To say that, you know, to make a statement: "How much money do you have left over…?" They don't have any money left over in their pockets to make a living. That's the reality of life.

To say that young workers earn $13.70 an hour and that agricultural workers make $14 an hour is far from the truth. It's far from the truth. That's not even close. We know the reality out there. People are really struggling.

The member also said there: "When you have plentiful jobs…." There are no jobs in British Columbia now. People are really…. Yesterday I met with so many people who lost their jobs. The forest industry itself shut down 55 mills, and more than 60,000 people have lost their jobs, or maybe 80,000. For us to make these wild claims in this House does not help anybody.

I stated earlier about the benefits of raising minimum wage. These are solid arguments. I hope we all look at that very seriously and do something about those people, hundreds of thousands of people, who do not make that much money, don't have money in their pockets to support their families, their children.

Children go to school hungry. In Burnaby-Edmonds I know that for a fact. I don't know if that's true in other communities, in the member's community or not. But I know that in Burnaby, people do. Those who don't have that much money or don't make the living wage — their children go to school hungry, so we're asking other community organizations to raise funds so that they can have some breakfast in the schools. That's the reality in life.

Diversifying Our Economy

R. Howard: We long ago recognized the need to diversify British Columbia's economy. Diversifying our economy means greater economic stability in the long term. We will diversify by expanding our reach to new economic sectors and by expanding our reach to new international markets in various partnerships with B.C. businesses.

[1030]

To reach the goal of economic diversification, we have taken strong steps over the past years to grow our knowledge-based economy and to increase our trade with Asia in particular. The knowledge-based economy simply refers to the use of knowledge to produce economic benefits. The term started by referring to the manner in which various high-tech businesses — including technology, computer software, telecommunications, education and research institutions — contribute to a country's economy.

As the pace of change in our world continues to accelerate, this sector becomes more and more important. Knowledge knows no boundaries, and those who possess knowledge can, by and large, choose to live and work where they please.

Our province has several built-in advantages when it comes to attracting knowledge-based individuals and businesses, including our close geographical ties to the
[ Page 2635 ]
United States and the Asia-Pacific; our store of human capital, which has many family and business relationships already built in with Asia in particular; and our very attractive natural setting — oceans, lakes, rivers, mountains, parks and recreation areas. People desire our British Columbia lifestyle. Another advantage is our significant investment in transportation infrastructure.

We also have now a very attractive business climate with corporate taxes and red tape reduced. Individuals and corporations see our business and tax climate as favourable, and yes, HST is seen as favourable as well. Our province's commitment to health care and education are also viewed favourably, as these are important determinants when choosing to locate a family and a business.

The attractiveness of B.C. as a place to live and invest has seen our knowledge-based businesses grow tremendously over the past few years, our technology sector being a prime example. Also, a very important part of the knowledge sector is the burgeoning green economy. Green businesses in British Columbia now employ over 18,000 people. These are new jobs, many of which did not exist just a few years ago.

This is economic diversification in action — new jobs in a sector that is relatively new. And as the world embraces green and clean, we are well positioned to lead the way — already 18,000 jobs and $2.3 billion in annual revenue. B.C. is one of the top three clusters in the world in green industries. This is extremely important when it comes to future growth. Like businesses will locate together, attracting other businesses and individuals who seek opportunities for employment or to service the industry.

Our prowess in this rapidly growing market offers tremendous opportunities to expand our exports to Asia. Diversifying into the Asian market is of great importance, given the phenomenal growth we are seeing in the region. We have many advantages when it comes to trade with Asia. Geography — air and sea routes are shorter compared with other major airports and seaports on the West Coast of North America. Our population abounds with people who speak the languages and know the culture, and our natural resources are in great demand.

The need and desire for green technology in these Asian markets is immense. We have worked very hard to capitalize on advantages such as the Canada Pacific gateway. From the Asia-Pacific initiative to local government incentives to establish twinning relationships to the Asia-Pacific Business Centre, we have been very proactive in this province. The Asia-Pacific initiative has the potential to drive B.C.'s economy with $5 billion in increased investment, $76 billion in increased annual trade and a 255,000 new-job potential by 2020.

We've already begun to see the results. A great recent example is the great success that the Minister of Forests and Range has had in China, building on the success of previous trade missions, shipping 1.3 billion board feet of lumber to China — the equivalent of five or six mills operating in the province.

Companies in Richmond, my hometown, that have produced strong business ties in Asia include Phase Technology, Tristar Imports and Viva Pharmaceutical. These are just three Richmond companies that are leading the way. There are many more.

[1035]

These are times of great change but also of great opportunity in British Columbia. We saw long ago the opportunities for this province in diversifying our economy into new sectors and into new markets, and we have made sure British Columbia is well positioned to capitalize on these new opportunities. We have made great progress, and this progress will continue.

Hon. G. Abbott: I ask leave to make an introduction.

Leave granted.

Introductions by Members

Hon. G. Abbott: In the gallery today are Grace Nielsen and several representatives from the B.C. Association of Aboriginal Friendship Centres. I had the opportunity to meet with Grace and the members of the association earlier.

They do exceptional work in the province of British Columbia for urban aboriginal people — opportunity to provide places to meet, to receive services. They do exceptional work on behalf of first nations and aboriginal peoples in the province of British Columbia.

I'd like to thank them for the work they do and please ask the House to make them welcome to the gallery today.

Debate Continued

Deputy Speaker: As we proceed with this debate, I would like again to remind members, as I did in the previous debate, that this is private members' statements, private members' debate. Please try to make your statements non-partisan.

B. Ralston: I appreciate the comments made by the member previous to me on this important topic.

When I was reviewing some literature and preparing for these brief comments, one person said that he hadn't been to a government meeting over the last 20 years in which, at some point or another, the issue of economic diversification and, perhaps, overdependence on our natural resource industries hadn't been raised as a strategy for government. So this is a perennial topic and a perennial direction of policy in the province.

There are some relatively troubling signs, though, recently. To some extent the recent economic boom, now over, masked some of our dependence and lack of diversification
[ Page 2636 ]
when the boom was driven largely by real estate, by construction, by consumer spending and by some of our historic resource industries here in the province, particularly forestry. But there are some disturbing trends which point to a lack of diversification.

The Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce, in its recent report on job quality…. It does that twice a year. In its report for the third quarter, it stated, "While the level of employment has not changed much over the past six months, employment quality has nosedived,” with British Columbia seeing the largest decline.

They measure job quality — or employment quality, as they call it — in three ways. There are three components: part-time versus full-time employment, self-employment versus paid employees, and full-time employment in high-paying versus low-paying sectors.

The concern, particularly in British Columbia, is that that quality index has fallen by 3.8 percent for Canada as a whole but by 8 percent for B.C. When one looks at Kamloops, for example, there have been recent closures of the Weyerhaeuser's Kamloops sawmill; Convergys Corp., which had a call centre that at one point employed 1,200 people; and Pollard Banknote, which recently announced it's closing. There will be several hundred layoffs there as well.

There is a challenge to diversify the economy. There are theorists, such as Michael Porter, who speak about building clusters. The province, broadly speaking, has been successful in building some clusters in recent years, particularly in biotech and computer games.

Richard Florida — who is a noted theorist on these issues, some of the same issues that the member previous to me mentioned — has spoken of the need to have a place to attract people of the knowledge sector. Where there is tolerance, there is diversity. There are cultural amenities, and that's particularly important — the role of culture in attracting and keeping those type of employees — and, of course, public security.

[1040]

UBC recently published a paper. They may have some answers when they speak about the knowledge economy, because they speak more broadly about the dynamic effect of knowledge transmission roles of universities. They fundamentally alter and increase the productive capacity of the region and the nation.

They say: "In this sense, it is useful for policy-makers to recognize the roles of universities in the economy as primary drivers of prosperity and to recognize spending on knowledge creation and dissemination as fundamentally different from any other form of government stimulus spending."

What UBC says is that not only is there the traditional multiplier effect from investing in public education — obviously, this is to some extent their business, and I'm sure there's some measure of self-interest in this — but the dynamic quality of investing in universities creates a product of knowledge broadly diffused through the economy, which increases the productive capacity of the economy as a whole and is, therefore, a worthy public investment and, in their view, a more effective public investment in creating a diversified economy than many other policy levers that are open to government.

When we speak of diversifying, I think it is a challenging proposition for government. I think it's also useful to bear in mind the cautions of….

Deputy Speaker: Thank you, Member.

R. Howard: First, I'd like to thank the member for Surrey-Whalley on his points — an extremely important subject to the future of the province. But let's look at some of the successes in the knowledge-based economy, or at least in some of the sectors.

For example, in the advanced technology sector, in 2007 over 81,000 people were employed in this sector, an increase of over 33 percent from 2000 levels. It's important, I think, to recognize that workers in this sector earn 50 percent more on average than workers in B.C. overall.

If we look to the new media sector — which includes e-commerce, e-learning, Web development, electronic games and the like — British Columbia's new media sector has about 1,100 companies that employ approximately 16,000 people. It's another tremendous success story in a sector that even ten years ago was not that size, was not that mature.

If we look at the clean energy technologies, it is estimated that the worldwide market for clean energy technologies would be valued at about $1 trillion by 2020. B.C. is a world leader in this. B.C. is a world leader in hydrogen fuel cell technology. There will be 20 hydrogen fuel cell buses in operation as part of the transit fleet in Whistler during the 2010 games, just for instance. It will be the world's largest hydrogen fuel cell bus fleet operating in a single location.

If we look at bioenergy, we're already a leader in bioenergy production. Over half of Canada's biomass electricity production capacity is in B.C., and that capacity is already installed and enough for 640,000 households. More is on the horizon.

I want to speak just to another example. The member spoke of Kamloops. There's a company that has a presence in Kamloops called Domtar. Domtar is a great example of diversification. In the past Domtar sold the majority of its exports into Europe and the States. Today they sell the majority of their exports into Asia.

Plus they are creating new products, not just logs. New outputs include material used in ceramics. New outputs include material used in fibre cement and plastics. Unrelated to the new materials, they also produce renewable green energy for their own use and for sale back into the power grid.
[ Page 2637 ]

In closing, Madam Speaker, you can see that economic diversification is important to the province today and increasingly important to the future. It will help determine the quality of life for us and our children. With partners we have started that work, and with partners we will continue that work.

[1045]

sustaining healthy
AND productive seniors

S. Hammell: I rise to talk about how we can sustain healthy and productive seniors as we move into the future in our province. As a population, Canada's seniors are growing faster than ever before, and this has been happening for decades. In fact, we have here in British Columbia one of the longest life expectations in the world. Our average life expectancy is 81 years old. It is not only one of the highest in the world; it is the highest in Canada.

The consequence of having that many seniors coming along will impact on every aspect of our society, because never before has anyone ever had to deal with a demographic of seniors quite so large. I can give you a couple of examples of that. In 2006 one-third of B.C.'s population was over 50. Now that number is significantly higher.

If I give you a couple of other examples. In 1971, 200 out of every 1,400 people in Canada were over the age of 65. In 2011, 700 out of every 1,400 will be over the age of 65. That has huge implications not only for our everyday life, but it certainly has huge implications for the work that is done in our community.

The seniors population has huge diversity within it. We know that there is a different socioeconomic background that seniors come from. They come from different educational levels, and they come to us with different levels of independence.

In our amazing province they come from different ethnocultural backgrounds. B.C. has a huge diversity in cultures, and that is reflected in the seniors as they grow older. Certainly, I see that in my community, where many of my seniors congregate in different ways, depending on their cultural background.

There's also huge diversity in gender. Men and women age differently. Women live longer and far outnumber men in the oldest categories of 80 plus. There's significant difference in that aging, in the ages of 65 through 75 and 75 through 80.

However, there is clear evidence of how all of us can live a healthier and productive life as we age and, especially, as this aging process is extended longer than many of us had ever imagined. To do so, there are a number of components. We have to have a strong level of physical activity in our lives. There's no substitute for ensuring that the health of our body through physical activity is a primary focus. To sustain that physical body, we have to ensure that we have a healthy food regimen or that we eat in a healthy way.

There are a couple of other components. One of them is that we stay socially connected. We cannot move into our senior years and become isolated and away from each other.

[1050]

In my past life I did work for a number of years with a first nations community, and they organized the world that we live in through the medicine wheel. Through that medicine wheel, they could describe the directions we walk and the races of the world, and through that medicine wheel, they also talked about the components or the aspects of the healthy individual. They also talked about strong physical strength, intellectual strength, emotional strength and social strength. These aspects were spoken by our elders for many years, and the current research confirms the intuition of the ages.

As we look around our community, we think of people who have been exceptional in terms of the way they age. I think of Dal Richards, the bandleader of over 90 years, who clearly was challenged on all levels as he maintained this world of music. He maintained his physical prowess. He maintained his intellectual work. He clearly had a strong emotional sense of good worth and stayed out there in the social world being connected.

I think that if we are going to maintain and sustain healthy seniors, we have to look at the way our seniors are being challenged physically, being challenged to eat in a manner that sustains that physical body, which will then work in concert with intellectual curiosity and activity that are never dulled and which will then also keep their social and emotional world strong and well connected to each other.

If you think of the social connectedness of our community, seniors are perhaps more challenged than most of us, because as we become seniors, we pull away from the routines that keep us connected to society. Oftentimes we retire, and we lose that connectedness to our colleagues and to the aspects that we had worked in that challenged our intellectual life. As we age, we also grow less mobile, and that, in turn, moves us away from being connected in terms of our social aspects. As we age, we also start to lose friends, and we lose our loved ones.

I look forward to the response to how we can work together to age in place.

J. Thornthwaite: Thank you to the member for Surrey–Green Timbers. Your topic is very timely for me as well. I have a background as a dietitian-nutritionist, and one of my roles in my previous life was to educate seniors on healthy food choices and the key nutrients that we tend to not consume, as we get older, that we should. So I'm very pleased to speak and respond on sustaining healthy, productive seniors.
[ Page 2638 ]

My mom is currently residing in an assisted-living facility in North Vancouver, and my dad, prior to his death, was responsible for organizing many, many hikes around the north shore mountains in West and North Vancouver. He would have been classified as one of those key volunteers. He also supported the North Shore search and rescue as well, because many of his colleagues in the hiking community benefited from their services.

In 21 years our province's senior population will more than double, from about 657,000 to around 1.3 million or more by 2030. This will comprise 23 percent of our total population.

This government established a Seniors' Healthy Living Network to advise government on engaging B.C. seniors, promoting healthy living and building supports for B.C.'s older residents. We established 18 ActNow B.C. seniors community parks across the province, designed especially for seniors to help them stay mobile, physically active and healthy.

[1055]

Deputy Speaker: Member, I have mentioned throughout the morning and haven't wanted to interrupt members in their debate, but I would remind members that this is non-partisan. It's the opportunity to discuss issues and ideas in a non-partisan manner. Thank you, Member.

J. Thornthwaite: Thanks very much for the reminder.

I'll talk about one of the facilities that we do have in my riding — Parkgate Community Centre. We have a seniors facility that actually promotes fitness. It's a circular design. It has 16 stations where seniors exercise on outdoor equipment. They are arranged in four pods: (1) cardio, (2) strength, (3) flexibility and (4) rehab — all in one facility. It doesn't take up very much room, but it's great for the seniors, and they can congregate there and then go to the facility inside for their social time, which the member across had mentioned was very, very important for seniors.

We also have the healthy-living framework, outlining four cornerstone priorities in supporting the province's aging population. These cornerstones are: creating age-friendly communities, mobilizing and supporting volunteerism, promoting healthy living and supporting older workers.

One of the other senior centres that I'm familiar with in North Vancouver is Silver Harbour. Silver Harbour's mission is to inspire and enhance the physical and mental well-being of adults 55 years and plus. They have over 70 different programs and activities designed to keep seniors active, stay mentally fit, develop creativity and make new friends. They also offer a number of helpful services, including meals, refreshments, legal advice, friendly visiting and more.

In fact, the Silver Harbour Centre is the largest seniors centre in North Vancouver. All of their activities are supported by volunteers to the tune of 50,000 hours a year, and they do receive funding in a partnership from all levels of government.

The other seniors centre on the North Shore that I'd like to mention a little bit is the one in West Van. That's the one that I talked of to the member for West Vancouver–Sea to Sky, in her particular riding. That was the one that I mentioned my dad was involved with.

In addition, they provide many services as well as meals. They provide hiking leaders, cafeteria hosts, dishwashing, phone reception and have lots of room for all sorts of volunteer activities, for all seniors to gather. It's very, very popular not just in West Vancouver but also in North Vancouver as well.

I'd like to also talk just briefly about the Seniors Games. Sports and recreation development for seniors has a direct bearing on the quality of life for older British Columbians and for the province as a whole. Activity of both mind and body has a beneficial effect on the health and well-being of older adults. Organized in 1987, the B.C. Seniors Games is an annual, multi-sport event hosted by different B.C. communities each year. They are one of the largest games organized within B.C.

[Mr. Speaker in the chair.]

S. Hammell: In concluding, I shan't be too long. It goes back to the fact that we have to ensure that our seniors eat properly and that they have the ability to do that, that they are challenged physically and that there are plenty of opportunities for them to keep their physical body healthy and active. From that, we need to ensure, intellectually and emotionally and socially, that our seniors are in a healthy place.

To do that, we have to value our seniors. We know that they have tremendous ability to continue their contribution to our community through volunteerism. We have, through this House — both parties — agreed to remove the restrictions around mandatory retirement, and we need to continue to value their expertise that they have gained in a lifetime.

[1100]

Our seniors need to know that it's never too late to get healthy — that even if you start late in life to move into a more active way of life, it will continue to reap benefits no matter how old you are.

On that note, I would like to conclude by saying thank you. It's a great opportunity to speak.

Hon. G. Abbott: I call private members' motions and Motion 18.

Mr. Speaker: Hon. Members, the unanimous consent of the House is required to proceed with Motion 18
[ Page 2639 ]
without disturbing the priorities of motions preceding it on the order paper.

Leave granted.

Private Members' Motions

Motion 18 — ECONOMIC STIMULUS PLAN
AND OLYMPIC AND PARALYMPIC GAMES

D. Horne: It is with great pleasure that I move Motion 18 and stand today to speak to it.

[Be it resolved that this House acknowledge the importance of the Government's economic stimulus plan, combined with the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games, in positioning B.C. to lead the country in economic growth in 2010.]

[L. Reid in the chair.]

The importance of stimulating the economy in the global condition that currently we find ourselves is extremely important. The ability to have something like the Olympics in our jurisdiction and in British Columbia…. In only 81 days the Olympic Games will commence and bring many, many people to our province, to Vancouver and, hopefully, to visit many other parts of our province, which obviously have many spectacular things for them to see and many wonderful things for them to do.

It is important as well, however, to note the importance of making the Olympics and the other things that we do in order to stimulate the economy in British Columbia, to highlight some of those things — some of the infrastructure projects that are required, some of the other stimulus that's required in order to make sure our economy leads Canada and leads the world. We do live in the best place on earth, and we need to make sure that we continue and flourish and that we have the jobs and create the jobs necessary to ensure that the people in British Columbia enjoy the lifestyle we have for many, many years built as a province.

It's important to talk about some of the infrastructure projects. Sometimes we talk in our households about how we spend money. There's a big difference between buying a home for your family and going on vacation. While it may be a wonderful time to go on vacation — and it may invigorate people and invigorate the family and really provide some bonding — obviously, having a home is a long-term investment. It's an asset. It's something that the family can enjoy for many, many years to come.

It's similar in building the province. You know, there are many things we can do that will certainly provide great enjoyment and great benefit to many citizens in the short term. But building infrastructure, building bridges, building roads and building the infrastructure necessary to drive the economy are so important not only for today but for the long term.

That's what is extremely important in making sure that we get out of the current economic situation we're in, ensuring that we build the province for the future and ensuring that we remain competitive and have the infrastructure in place so that we can build trade, build the jobs we all need and continue on in the future. That's extremely important.

I look to my own riding and the Pitt River Bridge and the Golden Ears Bridge, which were recently opened. The Pitt River Bridge, extremely important to my area — the blockages and the long waits in traffic over the number of years for that bridge. That bridge actually was a swing bridge, the bridge that was replaced. To my chagrin and many in Pitt Meadows and in many other areas around my constituency, people were surprised to see that even during rush hour, sometimes they would swing that bridge.

Now that we have a fixed bridge, one that has seven lanes and is really quite spectacular, we've built something for the future. We've built something for future generations and in the process created many, many jobs.

Obviously, since October 2008 with infrastructure in the province, more than 650 projects have been financed with a combined value of $4.1 billion. Going back to my original comments, that's not money for the family to go on vacation. That's building a home. That's building assets for the future. That's infrastructure that provides the stimulus not only in jobs in the short term but assets for the long term.

[1105]

From there, I'd like to talk a little bit more about the Olympics and the advantages that the Olympics will give to our province in the short term. With having the situation globally that we currently find ourselves in economically, the ability to have people come and visit and see the wonderful opportunities that British Columbia represents is really spectacular. The timing of the Olympics, quite frankly, couldn't be better, and it will provide our province with unparalleled opportunity in 81 days.

We talk about the athletes that come, and we talk about the members of the IOC. One of the things that needs to be understood and recognized more is that while many of the members of the IOC are indeed athletes, and they started their careers as athletes, are very competitive and obviously have a driving force to be Olympic athletes and are praised and put on a pedestal because of that…. We have to note that many of them go on in their careers to become leaders in government, leaders in business.

As a particular example, for those who don't quite understand and appreciate the opportunity that the Olympics has for British Columbia, one of the African IOC members was an athlete at the beginning of his career. Now he's actually in charge of the airports not only for the country that he represents but for the region of Africa that the country is in.
[ Page 2640 ]

You look at YVR. You look at Vancouver International Airport, the wonderful consulting team they have, the projects that they've been pursuing globally, the opportunities around the world to take the systems that we've built here in Vancouver and showcase those to the world. Being able to sell that talent to the world and sell that expertise to the world is really quite important to our economy and creates jobs here in British Columbia.

So to have someone like that come from Africa and be able not only to see firsthand the wonderful operation that we have at YVR but to experience the wonderful Vancouver lifestyle that we have and everything that British Columbia has to offer really is an unparalleled opportunity. That's only one specific example. There is example after example after example.

You can't take with the Olympics the option of "build it and they will come," and this government certainly hasn't taken that view at all. We have to build it. We've built the Olympics. The team at VANOC is first-rate. John Furlong has done an absolutely spectacular job in staging the games and bringing these people so that they have an absolutely unparalleled, incredible experience.

That being said, once they come here, we need to make sure that we're prepared, that we know who's coming, that we invite other people and that we take advantage of this opportunity. To have all of these people just arrive in Vancouver and believe that, because they're here, all of a sudden business will be done is silliness. It will not actually accomplish the economic benefit and will squander the opportunity we have before us.

That's why we need to make sure that we take full advantage of this opportunity, that we set up the meetings, that we host these delegations and these business people appropriately, that we host and provide a venue for our British Columbia business leaders and the foreign dignitaries and business leaders to be able to get together, that we make it convenient and that we really take full advantage of what this Olympic opportunity provides and of the many, many economic benefits that this will provide for the future.

I believe that the Olympics and the programs and the stimulus we have put in place are going to provide British Columbia…. The Conference Board of Canada has said that British Columbia will lead the way in the next short while, in 2010, and that British Columbia will be an example of how we can turn things around and how the economy can move forward.

I hope that others will support this motion.

B. Ralston: The member has moved that the House acknowledge the importance of the government's economic stimulus plan, combined with the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games, in positioning B.C. to lead the country in economic growth next year.

[1110]

In the very brief time allotted to me, I want to make a couple of comments, firstly on the economic stimulus plan. It's useful to look back at what was put before the people in October and recall a couple of those points.

One of the points of the ten-point plan was to recall the Legislature. Another was to cut ferry fares for December and January, and they've long since returned to their previous prices.

A third part of that very weak and not very well-thought-out plan was to increase PST commissions. For those who don't know, merchants who collect the PST on behalf of the government are deemed to hold that money in trust. One of the points set out in October was to increase PST commissions. It was sufficiently important to be included as one of the ten points, but we can see that with the introduction of the HST, of course, that — those commissions, that additional money to small businesses in the province — will disappear. That was the extent of the thinking in the October plan.

The member mentioned the economic stimulus plan and particularly the construction focus of it. Certainly, the federal government initiated a program which required provincial participation.

I think it's fair to say that the provincial government's participation in that program was so slow off the mark that in September of this year the president of the Union of B.C. Municipalities criticized the government: "It's been eight months since the federal funding for jump-starting the Canadian economy was announced. Municipalities, shovels at the ready, still don't know how much B.C. is prepared to match."

This is a senior leader at the municipal level criticizing the provincial government for not getting off the mark and moving beyond the rhetoric and the words and actually beginning these projects when there was federal money on the table — an eight-month delay. Ordinarily, people at that level are diplomatic, so it was a major step for him to speak publicly about that. The stimulus package, by most measures across the western world where many governments engage in stimulus packages, was one of the weakest in terms of its impact on the GDP.

I want to turn now briefly in the few minutes that are left to me to talk about the other part of the motion: the benefit of the Olympic and Paralympic Games. I think it's important to stress the non-monetary benefits of the Paralympic and Olympic Games — whether it's an increase in the spirit of volunteerism, whether it's the promotion of community, provincial and national pride or whether it serves as an inspiration for youth. The member touched on some of those things.

I don't think one should mistake recognition of those benefits of the Olympics, which are widely shared, for agreement that the Olympics have the economic benefit that the member touts for them. The recent PricewaterhouseCoopers study, completed at the direction of the provincial government for a cost of $2 million, said that the contribution of the Olympic Games to GDP growth is 1/10 of 1 percent — to British Columbia's GDP growth.
[ Page 2641 ]

It's interesting that in Olympic studies by research institutions around the world on the effect of the Olympic Games, that often the economic impact as opposed to the non-monetary benefits is exaggerated and overestimated.

The report also points out that the tourism opportunities, which were pointed out by the report and commented on by the Auditor General, in the sense of building a strategy to attract visitors between 2003 and 2008, were a failure. That opportunity to build tourism opportunities prior to the games was not taken and was — by this report commissioned by the government, prepared by PricewaterhouseCoopers — a failure. So by any measure, the combination of the weak stimulus package and the overestimation of the economic impact as opposed to the non-monetary benefits….

Just for the sake of those people in the public affairs bureau who'll want to clip parts of what I'm saying out of my speech perhaps, I want to tell them now that they should make sure they carefully focus on what I'm saying about the non-monetary benefits of the Olympics, because I wouldn't want be misquoted. On occasion that happens, so just a little note for those who are listening down in the broadcast booth.

[1115]

R. Lee: I'm pleased to rise today to speak to this motion. It's time for all the members of this House to acknowledge the importance of the government's economic stimulus plan and the timeliness of the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games in creating jobs.

The global credit crisis which began in September 2008, last year, has presented significant challenges to British Columbia's economy. While we have weathered this storm better than other jurisdictions, we have still felt the effects. Exports declined, and we have been seeing the unemployment rates rise substantially.

This government's years-long focus on expanding our trade with Asia has softened the blow, however, and we have seen our exports to China increase by 21 percent over the first nine months of this year compared to the same period in 2008. Despite this good news, exports are still down, which is why economic stimulus spending is of such importance.

I'm pleased that our government has been working with the federal government to provide funding to communities around the province to get projects started and create jobs quickly. Since October 2008 more than 650 projects worth about $4.1 billion, have been announced, and these approved projects are expected to create over 26,000 direct jobs over three years.

As we all know, each job created directly by stimulus spending has a follow-on effect, which leads to the creation of more jobs as workers spend their earnings. As a result, the impact of this stimulus project will be even larger in our economy. These projects are not only job generators but also provide long-term benefits to British Columbians.

In my riding of Burnaby North, for example, the federal and provincial governments provided $39.1 million to upgrade BCIT Building SW1 and its surrounding areas so that the classrooms can be improved. It also expands student services and creates over 250 direct jobs. It's a great project to improve the learning environment for our students and to get people back to work.

Canada, B.C. and the city of Burnaby are also investing $7.4 million through the infrastructure stimulus fund to replace aging water infrastructure and create about 47 jobs in Burnaby. Replacing aging water mains will improve the reliability of water supplies in Burnaby, and it will benefit the residents in the long term.

The B.C. and federal governments are investing more than $14.1 million in Burnaby to renovate and retrofit seven social housing developments, creating an estimated 90 jobs. This will also improve the living conditions of our residents in the social housing sector.

From the September budget update, we can see capital investments of $21.6 billion over three years in the infrastructure of this province, and many of these projects are underway. Burnaby also has projects funded from the provincial government, such as the Winston Overpass and the Central Valley Greenway, which offers 25 kilometres of new pathways all the way from New Westminster to Vancouver.

We also have the $50 million Burnaby central elementary school project that is under construction, the Trees for Tomorrow projects, the continued seismic upgrades of schools and the recent completion of the second-stage transition house for Dixon Society.

While we are investing in our future at this moment, we will also see the benefits of our past investment in the 2010 Olympic Games. The 2010 games are coming to Vancouver. VANOC will spend $1.3 billion this year in the local economy, and VANOC estimates that its partners will be investing the same amount. Eighty percent of this spending by VANOC has gone to B.C. companies.

[1120]

We are confident that more people will come to this province than ever before. They will want to see what's happening here, and they will see what the best place on earth has to offer — be it the fresh air, the wildlife and the mountains or the richness of our natural resources, the competitiveness of our tax system and our determination to reach for the gold.

D. Donaldson: I rise today to speak to this motion. I can't support a statement that I find blatantly flawed and lacking in evidence, and that's what this motion presents to us. Of course we would all like B.C. to lead the country in economic growth in 2010 as this motion states, but with this government it's a matter of all talk and very little action. I'll give some examples of that.
[ Page 2642 ]

This motion wants us to acknowledge the government's economic stimulus plan as being important. Well, if something is important, you'd think that you'd want to get on with it as soon as possible. The example I'd like to expand on here is the infrastructure dollars.

The federal contribution to the plan was announced in January 2009. Nothing got accomplished by this government between then and the May election. That could be understandable. The May election was coming up, and the government had other priorities and not the economic stimulus plan. But at least a process could have been put in place leading up to May so that no matter who won in the election, the program could have been implemented quickly.

If this was about shovel-ready, that could have happened. If it was important to the government as this motion suggests, if it was a high priority, then it could have happened.

Then the election took place, and did we see anything unfold in June? No. Did we see anything unfold in July? No. Did we see anything unfold in August? No. That's a pretty odd way of showing that an economic stimulus plan is important. As my colleague expanded on before, mayors and others around the province began to raise alarm bells about the delay. For northern communities, those experiencing the winter season, the delay meant a whole season was lost with some of the project funding deadlines being March 2010.

On a specific note in Stikine, in September I rose in the Legislature to point out a renovation project to the Kispiox Valley community hall that was waiting eight months for approval from this program and was literally being left out in the cold. Winter was coming, and the whole project was in jeopardy.

We urged the Premier not to wait until the Union of B.C. Municipalities meeting in late September to make the economic stimulus plan announcement. We thought that delaying was a purely political move, and since he didn't have much to offer at the annual convention, I can understand why he would want to do that. But the delay was not in the best interests of communities.

Finally, two days before the UBCM began a long list was faxed out with those projects that had been approved. I remember witnessing northern mayors frantically going through the pages to see which projects they proposed were approved, because they know the delay had put many jobs in their communities on the back burner, and they wanted to get on with the work.

Saying one thing and doing another — that's what's important to this government. If they had thought the work for local people that this economic stimulus package represented was important, they would have got on with it and not lost an entire building season, which wasn't necessary to do.

What about the Kispiox Valley community hall? Let me read from an e-mail I just received yesterday. "Because of a delay with our funder" — that being this government — "we are getting a late start on the project, but I know we must get at it by December 1." So they'll get the work done, but this is a volunteer group that will face even more organizational challenges because of needless government delays. I don't call that putting much importance on an economic stimulus plan by this government.

Before my brief time is up to speak to this motion, I want to touch on the Olympics. We're all hoping for a successful Olympics, and I'm very pleased to see the snowfall that's been accumulating in Whistler and on top of some of the other mountain peaks that'll be used for the events coming up in February. It's great to see that happening. But as a democracy, we have to have critical thought — and have critical thought in this chamber — especially when it comes to billions of dollars of taxpayers' money in what some would say is a subsidy for private companies.

[1125]

If the Olympics and the Paralympics are such an important plank in an economic stimulus plan by the government, then we would expect some serious analysis about the economic impact.

What have we seen in this chamber? Well, we've seen one minister get up and estimate, "Oh, there will be $4 billion in economic stimulus from the Olympics," and then another minister got up and said "$8 billion." Then a few days later, or subsequent to that, we heard the Minister of Finance saying "billions and billions."

If I had a business plan and went to the bank and said, "I have a business plan, and it's going to be good for the communities," and they said to me, "Well, what are your revenue projections?" and I said, "Well, thousands and thousands or billions and billions," what do you think the banker would say to me? I suspect that they would say, "Your plan lacks credibility," and that's what I say to this government. Their estimates about the revenue being generated for the Olympics lack credibility.

What could they do to improve that credibility? Well, I challenge them to come up with some firm targets about revenues to be generated by the Olympics over the next one to three years, after the Olympics are over — jobs that are going to be generated, not just in a big target but targets specifically per region. What are the jobs? What are the revenues — each of our regions in B.C., especially northern B.C. — that are going to be generated by the Olympics? Now, that would go a long ways to having more critical thought about this part of their economic stimulus plan.

I know I only have a short time here, and I wanted to touch on a few other aspects that this government has delayed around infrastructure, which makes me stand today and not support this motion. But I'll leave it there and let some of my colleagues continue on this theme.

D. Hayer: I rise today in support of this motion by my colleague from Coquitlam–Burke Mountain. The
[ Page 2643 ]
motion is: "Be it resolved that this House acknowledge the importance of the Government's economic stimulus plan, combined with the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games, in positioning B.C. to lead the country in economic growth in 2010."

When we talk about the stimulus plan, which we are working on and the federal government is working…. The funding was announced because we have a good relationship with the federal government. We were able to get billions and billions of dollars coming to British Columbia. It does take both governments working together to find out when those projects can be announced. It's not just one government.

On the other hand, this is the government that has worked very closely with the federal government to bring billions of dollars of investment, compared to some governments that were not able to bring any money. As a matter of fact, the federal government was taking over British Columbia's property without even giving a single dollar to the province.

British Columbia has just gone through, better than most of the other places on earth, one of the toughest 12 months economically that have been seen since the Great Depression of the 1930s. Fortunately for this province, through the prudent fiscal management by this government over the past eight years and the vibrant economy that went from last place in the nation a decade ago to number one, British Columbia and its residents have weathered that current recession very well compared to other parts of the world.

Today the economy is growing again, and the people are enthusiastic about the plans this government has to capitalize on one of the greatest events ever to occur in our province, the 2010 Winter Olympics. This event and the economic stimulus plan developed by this government, working with the federal government, position British Columbia to once again lead the nation in economic growth.

More jobs will be created, and more families will once again be secure in the future. Our success, our strength and all of our future will be drawing the Olympic and Paralympic game focus of more than three billion people across the world. More than three billion people around the world will be watching British Columbia to find out what a great place it is. All the television exposure will have a profound effect on our economic growth through tourism, convention bookings, recreation, immigrants, investment, through people coming to work and study here and through business investment drawn to our province.

But we aren't just hanging our hats on the future created by the Olympics alone. It is our long-term planning that will take us to the top again. We have, the B.C. Chamber of Commerce says, made the decisions necessary in difficult economic times "to ensure that we can continue to create jobs and business can continue to invest."

[1130]

One of the ways this government is creating jobs and stimulating the economy is maximizing the federal government's infrastructure dollars that have been made available to all of us. In fact, over the past year more than 650 projects, worth $4.1 billion, have been announced. Projects approved so far are expected to create more than 20,000 direct jobs over the next three years, providing economic stability and confidence in the future across all of British Columbia.

The September budget update provided the capital investment of $21.6 billion over three years, including $7.4 billion this fiscal year. Those investments are creating jobs. They are providing necessary infrastructure, like the new ten-lane Port Mann bridge in Surrey and the widening of the freeway to eight lanes from Vancouver all the way to Langley, upgrading all the interchanges, a new South Fraser perimeter road, a bicycle and pedestrian overpass on the highway, one freeway from 168th Street combined with a cycling path, a new underpass at 156th Street connecting 104th to 108th to Fraser Heights and Guildford area.

There are a lot more projects, such as the new Surrey outpatient hospital on 140th Street and Fraser Highway, a new Surrey Memorial Hospital critical care tower, the expansion of Surrey Simon Fraser University campus and the expansion of Kwantlen University. Those projects alone will generate thousands of jobs, many of them for my constituents.

In fact, a $14 billion capital infrastructure program, which includes the projects I've mentioned, like the new ten-lane Port Mann bridge, will create 88,000 jobs. It will help build a vital public infrastructure across the province. Actually, when you look at the list of projects and investments included in our government's economic stimulus plan, we are making our province the envy of Canada.

Yes, the eyes of the world will be upon us in just a few short weeks as we host the Winter Olympic and Paralympic Games, but they will see far more than just outstanding athletic skills. They will see a province that is well managed, a province that has eyes on the future and a plan that we will see through for the long term — to one of the success stories, one of the best places on the earth to live.

J. Kwan: You know, it is interesting to hear the comments from the members opposite about the government's stimulus plan. Let's just review some of the things that the government, more to the point, hadn't done in order to stimulate the B.C. economy.

The member just now spoke about the infrastructure program with the federal government. Let us just remember a little bit in terms of the timeline. The Premier said back in January of 2009 that we need to move forward on a stimulus package with the federal government. He said that we needed to do this quickly in order that jobs are created.
[ Page 2644 ]

What's happened since the Premier said that? Well, we had to wait some eight months for the government to actually get on with it, to the point where the former president of the UBCM, on September 14, had to issue a press release expressing concern about the lack of provincial dollars that are necessary to leverage the federal infrastructure stimulus money.

Time is running out on the spending of the federal money. The federal government had stated that all the projects must be substantially finished by March 31, 2011. Eight out of ten provinces at that time had delivered both accelerated top-up portions of the Building Canada communities component. B.C. was one of two provinces that had not yet delivered that funding back on September 14, 2009.

UBCM had actually said that $520 million is coming to B.C., and only one-quarter had been committed at that time — $130 million. So much for the words of the Premier. I would say that had it not been for the UBCM setting the fire under the government, they actually would not likely have acted on this at all.

Why is that? Well, that's interesting. Here is the information why the government slow-walked the project. Actually, this came out of reporting, with the Premier speaking to the issue. To the question of why there was a holdup, the Premier apparently said to the Victoria and Ottawa bureau that they have been unable to agree on the right split between "operating funding and capital funding."

[1135]

Translation. What does that mean? If B.C. builds a stimulus project itself, the provincial share would go onto the provincial books as capital borrowing. But if Victoria and Ottawa contributed to a municipal stimulus project, the provincial share would get booked as an operating grant and thus become part of the annual operating deficit.

That's part of the reason — and I would suspect the substantive reason — why there was the holdup, because what we had heard during the campaign from the government was that the deficit was only $495 million.

After the campaign — guess what — it's close to $3 billion. In fact, for the government in wanting to manipulate the books, in trying to change the perception of the deficit, they actually put in jeopardy, in my view, the infrastructure program. Thank goodness for UBCM stepping up to the plate and lighting a fire under the government in moving it forward.

That was the reason why, finally, the stimulus projects, in my view, had actually moved ahead with the signing of the province — finally. As if that wasn't enough to actually slow-walk everything, the government actually, then, after the election…. Before the election, they said they weren't going to introduce the HST. Then after the election, what did the government do? They are introducing the HST.

For the small business community and for that sector, what are the impacts? For the Council of Tourism Associations, with the most recent report, work that they had actually gone ahead and done — unlike the government. They project that that would cost British Columbia some 10,000 jobs. How's that for stimulus?

The Restaurant and Foodservice Association, when the HST was introduced, had actually looked into the impacts of that. What did they find? That some — on average, $50,000 — revenue would be impacting the restaurant sector. That's a total of close to a billion dollars — $750 million in terms of impact. How's that for a stimulus package?

"Right at a time" — from the small business community, they say — "when we don't need an increase in tax to undermine consumer confidence, the government has gone ahead to bring forward a tax that would do exactly that — undermine the consumer confidence."

Let's just turn for a minute to focus in on the 2010 Olympics. The government says: "Hey, you know what? We're not just sitting on our laurels waiting for things to happen. We're working like crazy to generate the economic activities."

Let's see what's happened, actually. The government, the Minister of Finance, prior to the election, projected that there would be $10 billion in revenue generated from the games — $10 billion. After the election, what happened? It was downgraded by $6 billion.

Guess what. Pricewaterhouse actually did a report on this and said that the government did not do its homework, did not try to drive the tourism agenda in order that we yield the return, pre-Olympics, to the point where the projection from a previous report — InterVistas — projected that we would yield somewhere between up to $500 million. Instead, we only got a measly $5 million.

I'm sure that my colleague, the member for Burnaby–Deer Lake, is going to expand on that very point. With that, I'm going to take my seat.

H. Bloy: It's a privilege for me to stand up here today and to support the motion put forward by the member for Coquitlam–Burke Mountain. I just want to repeat it: "Be it resolved that this House acknowledge the importance of the government's economic stimulus plan, combined with the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games, in positioning B.C. to lead the country in economic growth in 2010."

I'm proud of that statement, and I support that statement. There's so much good news that I can talk about. I'm sorry I can't go into a lot of detail on each of them.

First, I want to comment on the member for Surrey-Newton. You know, he said that we were overestimating the value of the economic benefits in this province, and I'm saying that we've been approved by all of the economists. We're following generally accepted accounting principles. In fact, we're doing it completely differently than the NDP ever did in the '90s, where they got professional advice and just put it to one side and put their own numbers in, and
[ Page 2645 ]
that's how they came up with their balanced budget. It's pretty unbelievable, what they did.

[1140]

In the economy, in the non-monetary value to the economy, it's a strong economy that supports those most in need in British Columbia. It's an economy that I'm proud to work for to help every person in British Columbia.

You know, Madam Speaker, we've also had the member for Vancouver–Mount Pleasant talk to us about the slowness in negotiating with the federal government. That's pretty unbelievable. I believe that there's a place called Nanoose Bay. There was $125 million on the table, but the Premier of the day, Glen Clark, didn't negotiate. He did nothing. He argued with the federal government. The NDP do not know how to negotiate at any level, and it cost this province millions and millions and millions of dollars on where we're going.

You have to be able to negotiate. They think that six to eight months is a slow portion to negotiate with different people in this province, but the federal government has been so good to British Columbia. No longer do people say: "You have to be from Quebec to get money from a federal government." We are a federal government, and we're part of this union of Canada. We are being equally acknowledged in dollars and programs.

I can go program after program: the Canada Line; the Evergreen line that's coming; Kicking Horse Pass; the expansion through my riding, through Burnaby, of Highway 1; and the expansion of the Port Mann bridge that will move traffic through British Columbia so much faster.

We're working with the federal government. We know how to negotiate. We have the community adjustment fund, a 50-50 project between the B.C.s and the feds, creating jobs — real jobs — across British Columbia.

I just had the privilege the other day — last Thursday, I believe — of being with our Minister of Transportation and Infrastructure, our Minister of Labour and Minister Stockwell Day to make an announcement, at Ogden Point here in Victoria, of another $125 million shared between the province and the federal government. It's creating real jobs around British Columbia, putting in those left-hand turn lanes where required in remote areas, widening highways, putting in stop lights — money that creates jobs in those local ridings.

I am proud of the work that we've done in this area. We've given so much money that it's hard for me to tell you where it all is in just a few short minutes. But we are talking about the economic benefit of this government and the stimulus which has been all the way along since 2003, when we were able to win the rights to host Canada's Olympics. They are Canada's Olympics, hosted by the province of British Columbia.

There are many more great things I would like to say, Madam Speaker, but thank you for the opportunity to stand up and support this motion.

K. Corrigan: Well, you know, many of us on this side of the House have been accused of not being supportive of the Olympics. I've talked personally before in this House about how important it was to me to be representing my province in sport at the Canada Winter Games and how I was proud of my children. Each and every one of them has represented their province in various sports or won provincial championships.

Just as important as all my personal satisfaction to do with excellence in sports, just as important and perhaps more so, was the day that a young — I believe it was grade 10 — basketball student from one of our most challenged schools in Burnaby, Byrne Creek Secondary School, came before our school board, when I was on the school board in Burnaby, and told us about his experience on that grade 10 basketball team.

He told us that he was from Africa. I believe he might have been a refugee. He said that if he hadn't had a chance to play on that basketball team for that school, he didn't know whether he would have survived in Canada. I don't know whether he was talking about living or surviving in the school system, but it brought tears to my eyes and to everybody who was in that room.

I am reminded that very recently this government cut funding to B.C. School Sports. I wonder whether that young student from Africa…. If the B.C. School Sports funding, which funds things like provincial basketball programs, provincial basketball championships…. I wonder whether or not that student would have had that opportunity that he said essentially saved him in the system here in British Columbia.

[1145]

My point is that public expenditure is all about choices. To me, the test is always whether taxpayer dollars are being spent effectively, whether they're being spent efficiently and whether or not they are being spent in a spirit of fairness and equity. It is not whether or not there will be some benefit from the Olympics. The question is: is that the most effective use of taxpayer dollars?

In order to evaluate that, we have to have a good understanding, transparency and openness, both as to the costs of the games as well as the expected benefits of the games. So in terms of the cost of the games, I do appreciate that the minister promised last week that there will be a full accounting of every cost at the end of the Olympics. Mind you, she also said, I believe, that we're on time and on budget for the games.

That does seem to forget the fact that originally the provincial budget was $600 million and rose to $765 million as a result of poor forecasting about what the security costs would be for the Olympics. So $765 million. She has said that that is it. That is the cost of the games, despite the fact that a month ago in estimates I asked her about a whole bunch of other costs that any average person would say is associated with the Olympics — things like the Olympic Secretariat.
[ Page 2646 ]

The Olympic Secretariat is not counted as an Olympic cost, $40 million. Legacies Now, $194 million; B.C.–Canada House at Torino; B.C.–Canada Pavilion at Beijing; the Paralympics centre in Kimberley; Own the Podium contribution, $10 million; social legacies Vancouver, which was associated with the bid, $10 million — all of those expenditures…. The convention centre, which was, essentially, a prerequisite for these games — $538 million.

The Canada Line. We have spent $2 billion on that, and the only reason that that priority was chosen over what the region wanted for transportation was because of the Olympics. So now we have an absolute mess in transportation brought along by this government, partially because the government forced the priority of the Canada Line over what the region, in their good sense and planning, wanted to do, which was to build the Evergreen line first.

Sea to Sky Highway upgrade — all of those things. The employee loan program. The employee loan program, which has an unspecified cost which is, so far, hidden from the taxpayers. I could go on and on — ICBC sponsorship, various crown corporation sponsorships.

The problem that we have, of course, is that we can't find out about all these costs. It's very difficult to find out about them, and some of them we would never have found out about without FOI.

I'm not going to have a chance to go into the purported benefits, except I would point out that, you know, originally it was going to be $10 billion. Now we're down to $4 billion on an Olympics which is going to cost us, depending on who you ask, $6 billion to $7 billion, $8 billion, or even some writers say, $9 billion to stage.

So I think, at the end of the day, that we need to have a rigorous evaluation. We need to know what the true costs are, and it's very difficult when we don't have transparency. We need to have a rigorous evaluation of what the benefits are so that we can meet the test of transparency, openness, and that there is equity and effectiveness in these expenditures. From what I've seen so far, that test has certainly not been met.

J. McIntyre: Much has already been said this morning, certainly on this side of the House, about the positive impact of our government's stimulus package and the opportunity to host the 2010 Games — that it's already had and, I think most importantly, will have on the B.C. economy and, of course, our potential for growth.

[1150]

I thought that I would like to bring the debate a little closer to home this morning to my constituency of West Vancouver–Sea to Sky. This riding, as most know, provides the main transportation link between the two 2010 host cities of Vancouver and Whistler. Four of the snow venues lie here.

We've got Cypress Mountain with the snowboards and aerials; Callaghan Valley for the Nordic events, the ski-jumping; Whistler Mountain for alpine; and the sliding centre, of course, on Blackcomb, where the luge, bobsled and skeleton will be hosted. These are lasting legacies. These are permanent economic generators.

I've had the privilege, during my term of office, to see firsthand, to witness firsthand the significant economic activity that's been going on in the Sea to Sky corridor, starting with, actually, the venues I was just talking about. We've had construction of those venues ongoing, including opportunities for my own son as an apprentice electrician. He works for a firm in Surrey, and they've had an opportunity to be building and working on the athletes village up in Whistler, which is a great story on the personal level.

We've not only been building those venues, but they were done two years early, which has given us, of course, the ability to host a number of World Cup events — test matches and World Cup events — over the last two years, which also had great spinoff economic benefits. And, of course, that's not to mention the economic benefits of the safety upgrade of the Sea to Sky Highway, which has been going on for the past four years or so.

[Mr. Speaker in the chair.]

Both the construction activity and the opening up of commercial activity in the entire corridor, with a now improved and safer transportation corridor, can attract people to communities like Squamish, which is now positioned as the Outdoor Recreation Capital of Canada. There are 15,000 people that travel that corridor on a daily basis.

Squamish, actually, is an excellent example of a town in economic transition, a town that is thriving because of the kind of injection we've been able to do. It's switching to a knowledge economy with Quest University and expansion of Capilano University, recreation, mountain biking trails, hiking, climbing, windsurfing, tourism with the adventure centre and the investment we've put in the railway park up there and the redevelopment of their waterfront.

Injection of economic activity gives a town like Squamish a boost at a critical time in its history. On this side of the House we're firm believers in injecting capital to get us through this economic downturn, to emerge stronger.

Now I'd like to speak about some of the economic opportunities for first nations as a result of the economic activity. We've had the agreement with the Squamish and the Lil'wat First Nations for accommodation for the upgrade of the highway. They received hundreds of acres of land that will allow them economic opportunity. The legacy lands agreement in Whistler — five sites. The final signing of the land resource management plan that involved first nations has given them a high-level view of where the appropriate areas are for economic activity.

Apprenticeships in the forestry and on the highway. The Squamish First Nation is a partner in the community
[ Page 2647 ]
forest now up at Whistler. IPP opportunities. Generation of green power at Ashlu, which the Squamish Nation are a partner in, and the project will revert to Squamish Nation.

And of course on the cultural front, there's the Squamish Lil'wat Cultural Centre, where our government has invested money, along with private sector money with Bell Canada. We have a wonderful magnet for tourism in the corridor. The Four Host First Nations, Lil'wat and Squamish being part of that group, will have an unparalleled opportunity to showcase our aboriginal culture and heritage come 2010. These are all great steps in narrowing the socioeconomic gap with aboriginals.

In addition to these opportunities related to 2010, the economic stimulus package we've been talking about this morning has also made a huge difference in our corridor, resulting in millions and millions of dollars — untold opportunity, actually — in the last short while, creating jobs and keeping local residents at work, all the way back through from West Van all the way up the corridor to Pemberton.

We've had a series of trail upgrades, park upgrades, much-needed diking opportunities in Pemberton and Squamish, sewer upgrades, water treatment plants, Spirit Square, central gathering places for communities like the atrium in West Van and the O'Siem community pavilion in Squamish, Olympic Live Sites, Trees for Tomorrow, a school playground. All of these kinds of things are absolutely essential and critical, especially for small towns, like Pemberton and Bowen, with small tax bases.

[1155]

When we see B.C.'s high level of capital investment, comparatively low level of deficit compared to other jurisdictions, our labour mobility agreement with Alberta, our continuing triple-A rating, which was confirmed recently by Moody's, unparalleled opportunities with the federal government that's resulted in billions of dollars in investment and the 2010 Games just around the corner, they all combine to give B.C. a winning formula for leading the country in economic growth in 2010 — a record our government can be very proud of.

B. Routley: I'll be brief. I just want to say a few words about the economic plan that we've heard so much about. I see their economic plan, really, as kind of like the longhorn-steer approach to economic planning. They've made a couple of sharp points, and there seems to be a whole lot of bull in between.

At the end of the day, Pricewaterhouse has said that the conclusion of their report is that the winter games gave no help to tourism, that what the government boasted simply did not materialize. They go on to say that the actual economic benefit is merely 1/10 of what the Premier's $10 billion claim was. The $500 million benefit ended up being $1 million to $5 million. That's actually 0.2 or 1 percent of the Liberals' original target.

With that, I will take my seat. But they have had more twists and turns than the bobsled run in their whole agenda: on the economy, on what they say they're going to do, on the Olympics. It's a disaster and a real mess.

M. Dalton: The stimulus plan is not just infrastructure projects, which are happening from one end of the province to the other. In my riding we're seeing the Pitt River Bridge, we're seeing the Golden Ears Bridge, the doubling of highways between Mission and Maple Ridge and places. It's also a lot to do with tax reductions.

A million British Columbians are employed or connected with small businesses. We've reduced the taxation rate from 4½ percent to 2½ percent, and we're reducing that to zero percent. This is a stimulus for thousands and tens of thousands more employees. We're doing that with the small businesses. We're doing it with large corporations, and it's making a difference. It's drawing business, and it's drawing job growth, and it's making all the difference.

M. Dalton moved adjournment of debate.

Motion approved.

Hon. I. Chong: I thank all the members for their participation this morning, and I move the House do now adjourn.

Hon. I. Chong moved adjournment of the House.

Motion approved.

Mr. Speaker: This House stands adjourned until 1:30 this afternoon.

The House adjourned at 11:58 a.m.

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