2016 Legislative Session: Fifth Session, 40th 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)

Tuesday, February 16, 2016

Morning Sitting

Volume 32, Number 7

ISSN 0709-1281 (Print)
ISSN 1499-2175 (Online)

TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 16, 2016

The House met at 10:03 a.m.

[Madame Speaker in the chair.]

Routine Business

Prayers.

Introductions by Members

D. Barnett: With us today we have a past member of this House, an MLA, and now mayor of the city of Williams Lake, Walt Cobb. Would the House please make him welcome.

Statements
(Standing Order 25B)

PERSIAN POETRY IN MOTION EVENT
AND IRANIAN COMMUNITY

S. Hammell: On January 24 of this year, I had the pleasure of attending the Persian Poetry in Motion event hosted by the Hafez Literature Club. This event was presented at the gorgeous Kay Meek theatre in West Vancouver. It was through dance, music performances and spoken-word poetry that a window into the historically rich Persian culture was opened.

[1005]

As my fellow attendee, the Leader of the Opposition, can attest, the vibrant culture that began in the Middle East, one that has been preserved by our province’s Iranian community, was on full display that night.

Iran has one of the richest art heritages in world history, a heritage that encompasses many disciplines, including architecture, painting, weaving, poetry and calligraphy. Due to its geopolitical position and rich history, Iran has directly influenced cultures and peoples as far away as Italy, Macedonia and Greece to the west, Russia to the north and the Arabian peninsula to the south, as well as South and East Asia.

A cultural elasticity has been said to be one of the key defining characteristics of the Persian spirit and a clue to its historical longevity. Through multimedia presentations, graceful dance routines and powerful spoken poetry in both Farsi and English, the history and elegance of the Persian culture was presented in a moving way that evening.

I’d like to give a big thank-you to the organizers of the event, as well as to Masoud Esmailzadeh, president of the Hafez Literature Club, and Mahdiyar Biazi, art director and multimedia designer — an amazing, amazing job, and an amazing, amazing night.

ISMAILI COMMUNITY

R. Sultan: About 44 years ago, Idi Amin installed himself as president for life and kicked all the Ismailis out of Uganda on 90 days’ notice. Kenya soon followed.

Africa’s loss was B.C.’s gain. Thousands of Ismailis made their way to our shores, many of them to my constituency, and soon distinguished themselves in the professions, culturally and in business. I attended the opening of their latest temple, or Jamatkhana, in Richmond, a delicate blend of Muslim and west coast architecture, although lacking the squash court of our local temple.

On the business side, you will find the fashionable Park Royal shopping centre, owned by the Lalji family. You will find high-tech Xantrex, run by Mossadiq Umedaly. You will find care home chains, such as Retirement Concepts — the Jamal family.

My constituent Karimah Es Sabar is also on the list — CEO of the Centre for Drug Research and Development at UBC and recently named one of Canada’s most powerful women. CDRD is Canada’s national health science commercialization engine and incubator, transforming research into commercial projects. Funded to date largely by government, CDRD has successfully attracted $43 million from the private sector plus another $25 million in seed capital for such spinoff companies as Precision Nano Systems, Kairos, Sitka and Zucara Therapeutics.

Our Canadian technology is superb, and cash flow can easily turn positive overnight. Congratulations to the Ismaili community.

ESQUIMALT SPONSORSHIP
OF SYRIAN REFUGEE FAMILY

M. Karagianis: Esquimalt has long been a place of welcome for newcomers and those from away. A group of friends and neighbours has come together to keep that proud tradition alive. They are sponsoring a Syrian refugee family, a mother, father and their two-year-old son who are currently in İzmir, Turkey.

With support from the Inter-Cultural Association of Greater Victoria, this amazing group has started fundraising and preparing. More than 80 citizens came out to an information session in December, and many volunteered and, of course, donated money towards the cause.

They’ve been joined by Parminder Virk and her team of Punjabi women, the Victoria Dian Punjabana. The group has raised $1,000 from their dinner to celebrate the Festival of Lohri and decided that they wanted to share that with the refugee group, as someone who really needed it more than they did. Representatives from the Jamatkhana Ismaili mosque are also organizing and raising funds, and the township of Esquimalt has endorsed the project and contributed $5,000.

[1010]

With its centralized services, good bus service and more affordable housing than many parts of the Island, Esquimalt is well set up for refugee families to come and live.

To support a refugee family for a year, the group needs to raise between $45,000 and $60,000. In just a few months, they have raised $30,000 in donations and pledges, and the community is rallying behind this initiative. An Indian buffet dinner is being held on March 5, and all proceeds will go to support the refugee family. If anyone is interested, they can certainly check out the progress, donate or volunteer to help out at the website called esquimaltrefugeefamily.ca.

I hope all members will join me in saying congratulations to the members of this group, who have come together to sponsor the refugee family. Thank you for caring enough to make a difference in the proud Esquimalt tradition of opening your arms and hearts to welcome those in need. And a special thanks to everyone who has jumped on board this project.

FOSTER CHILDREN
AND SOS CHILDREN’S VILLAGE

M. Hunt: Vulnerable children and youth, such as those in foster care, often have amazing talents that need to be encouraged and developed. Each child comes with a unique set of life experiences, and we need to understand each unique individual in order to plan for their development.

All too often, foster children don’t receive the same opportunities as other kids who get to grow up with their biological parents. Everyday life can present enormous difficulties for children in foster care to overcome. They have experienced trauma. They often feel like they don’t belong, can’t learn and aren’t successful. They are at risk of delayed social development and poor educational performance.

Fortunately, there are organizations like SOS Children’s Village in my community of Surrey. It offers a permanent home in a family-style environment for children who have lost their parents or can no longer live with them.

SOS Children’s Village provides stable homes, a supportive and healing environment, and programs to help foster youth in need to grow up to be caring, self-reliant individuals. SOS B.C. aspires to enrich the life of every child and family. SOS wants kids to navigate successfully through life, so they provide a host of activities, and their programs encourage positive development. To that end, SOS is currently in the process of constructing three of five transition suites that will aid in the transition from care to adulthood.

Overall, SOS Children’s Village empowers these kids to become productive, participating members of their communities and the workforce, benefitting them and society as whole.

I would ask you to join me in congratulating the SOS Children’s Village on the great work that they do for children in Surrey.

HIGH-TECHNOLOGY SECTOR
AND TRIUMF RESEARCH FACILITY

D. Eby: The members here are well aware of how proud I am to live in Metro Vancouver, where leading technology, science, biomedical and health research in industry is clustered. Metro Vancouver’s local governments fight hard in contest with cities around the world to win these jobs and build our technology and science sector.

Part of our edge in the battle for these high-paying, sustainable, exciting, cutting-edge jobs in this sector comes from publicly funded research facilities in universities pushing the envelopes of science. That’s why I’m an enthusiastic backer of support for high-technology innovation labs like our TRIUMF particle accelerator, located at the University of British Columbia. Owned by 19 Canadian universities, TRIUMF is celebrating its 40th anniversary this year.

Theoretical physicist Dr. Jonathan Bagger, the director of TRIUMF, is understandably proud of the $1 billion in direct economic activity his facility has generated in the last decade. TRIUMF scientists published 236 scientific peer-reviewed papers, hosted more than 460 visiting scientists from 19 countries and provided 858 runs of medical isotopes to hospitals last year alone for cancer treatment and diagnosis. The lab’s physicists and engineers also significantly contributed to experiments that won the 2016 Breakthrough Prize in Fundamental Physics and the 2015 Nobel Prize in Physics.

Despite international acclaim, TRIUMF still remembers and supports the local community. For example, last year seven B.C. cancer patients had their eyes directly connected to the accelerator beam for innovative and remarkable treatment, treatments that saved their vision and killed their retinal cancer.

If we are to win the international competition for high-paying jobs in the innovation economy and enjoy the halo of cultural, academic and scientific benefits that flow from these jobs, facilities like TRIUMF and our high-technology, biomedical, research-driven cluster in Metro Vancouver that is driving economic growth in our province must be supported.

[1015]

Thank you, Dr. Bagger and everyone at TRIUMF, for helping keep Canada and British Columbia at the cutting edge of physical science.

JAPANESE COMMUNITY
HISTORY IN STEVESTON

J. Yap: It was 1877 when the first known Japanese immigrant, Manzo Nagano, arrived in British Columbia
[ Page 10401 ]
to escape a life of poverty. A decade later, Gihei Kuno, a fisherman from southern Japan, would recruit fellow fishermen to settle in the village of Steveston. By the early 1900s, thousands of Japanese-Canadian immigrants, also known as nikkei, had formed a large part of the population of Steveston, becoming successful fishermen and building a flourishing community.

But the history of the nikkei in Steveston is filled with drama and discrimination, including internment in World War II, pitting individuals and the community in epic struggles against injustice. Despite many post-war struggles, today a sizeable and active community lives in Steveston.

These stories are being told through a new exhibition called Nikkei Stories of Steveston by filmmakers Gordon McLennan and Greg Masuda. It pays tribute to the struggles and successes of Japanese-Canadian pioneers and their descendants — one of whom, my constituent Kelvin Higo, was instrumental in bringing this project forward — through ten short documentary videos about the people and places important to social, economic and cultural life.

The completed films will be accessible to people in a number of ways, including a purpose-built website; mobile devices; street signage in Steveston; permanent displays at cultural institutions in Steveston, such as the Japanese Canadian Cultural Centre and the Steveston Museum; and in school classrooms in Richmond and across British Columbia. A parallel exhibition is located on Powell Street in Vancouver. Tonight the Steveston exhibition will be officially launched at a celebration at the Steveston Buddhist Temple. Admission is free, and everyone is welcome.

It’s so important that we preserve and remember the history and many contributions of the nikkei, not only in Steveston but throughout the province of British Columbia.

Oral Questions

REGULATION OF PARTY BUS INDUSTRY

G. Heyman: In 2008, Shannon Raymond, just 16, died following a party bus trip involving drugs and alcohol. In 2013, 16-year-old Ernest Azoadam died following another party bus trip, and 17-year-old MacKenzie Gortva was left lying injured in a parking lot following a party bus assault.

Last year the Minister of Transportation changed the licensing requirements for the party bus industry, claiming this step would make the industry safer. In January of this year, Chelsea Lynn Mist James from Langley fell from an open door of a moving party bus. She was then hit by the bus and died. Just this past weekend, five people were arrested after party bus–related assaults.

Tinkering around the edges clearly isn’t enough. Why won’t the Minister of Transportation follow the lead of other jurisdictions and insist on meaningful safety regulations for this industry before another young life is cut tragically short?

Hon. T. Stone: I do appreciate the opportunity to, again for this House, highlight some of the initiatives that we have actually taken to strengthen and improve safety with respect to so-called party buses in British Columbia. I’ve said before that as a father of three daughters myself, I cannot imagine the loss that the families have suffered, how they must feel about this. And that is why we’ve taken to heart the seriousness of this and the need to identify areas for further safety improvement.

That is why last year, as the member rightfully pointed out, we did significantly change the regulations and tighten the safety requirements for party bus operators. We are monitoring the situation very closely with respect to recent incidents, cooperating fully with law enforcement. Once law enforcement concludes their investigations, we will then determine if further action is required.

Madame Speaker: The member for Vancouver-Fairview on a supplemental.

G. Heyman: The Minister of Transportation changed the licensing requirements, but there have been no effective new regulations.

[1020]

A year ago the Transportation Minister said: “Our government is confident the change we’re announcing today, which is all about safety and accountability, is going to significantly improve the limousine industry and ensure passengers…are able to travel safely and continue to have fun.” He went on to say: “We will be vigorously enforcing these administrative penalties, these fines….”

If you go on the Internet today, Ritz Limousines still promotes buses equipped with bar service areas and glass holders. Vancouver Limousine advertises full-size bars and that “passengers are welcome to bring their choice of beverages.”

In a little over a month, we’ve seen two very serious party bus incidents. Last year the Minister of Transportation talked tough. When will he get tough?

Hon. T. Stone: While one incident is one incident too many, I would highlight for the member that thousands of British Columbians use these services on an annual basis.

We are going to continue to do what we can, reasonably and responsibly, to enhance safety in this sector. We took some very important steps last year by requiring a special authorization licence for the operators of these types of vehicles. We now have much better data on the number of vehicles, where they’re operating. There are fitness tests now required. We meet on a regular basis with the operators to remind them of their number one responsibility, which is to ensure the safe transport of their passengers.
[ Page 10402 ]

I will, again, remind members of this House and British Columbians that alcohol is not tolerated in any vehicle in British Columbia. That is the law. We will continue to work with our safety partners to ensure that that part of the message gets out there across our province.

Madame Speaker: The member for Vancouver-Fairview on a further supplemental.

G. Heyman: If consumption of alcohol is illegal in a moving vehicle in British Columbia, why will the Minister of Transportation continue to allow party bus operators to advertise it?

This industry is built around rolling and often wild parties. It’s not an industry that makes its profit primarily from dry grads. The Passenger Transportation Board has the power to implement stronger, more effective regulations but, to date, has not.

Three deaths are three too many. How can a driver simultaneously operate a vehicle safely and keep his or her eye on a large group of partying young people to ensure conditions are safe and the party is not dangerously out of control?

Will the minister commit today to bringing stronger regulations, including a mandatory second employee on board the buses to maintain safe conditions?

Hon. T. Stone: Once again, I will say this. We are monitoring very closely the industry. We meet with the operators on a very regular basis. We have made it very clear to them that we expect them to adhere to the key obligation that they have, which is the safe transport of their passengers.

There are stiff penalties, including, potentially, the revocation of their licence if there are violations with respect to the provision of their services.

But I come back to the personal responsibility that also exists here, and that is to understand that alcohol is not tolerated in any vehicle in this province. In fact, it is against the law. We are going to continue to work with ICBC, with law enforcement, with the Solicitor General’s office and others to ensure that that message gets out there and that indeed British Columbians can continue to use these services but do so in a very safe manner.

[1025]

POTENTIAL SCHOOL CLOSINGS
IN OSOYOOS

R. Fleming: Recently, families in Osoyoos learned that they may lose one or even both of their public schools because of Liberal cuts and unfunded cost pressures onto school districts. This is a decision that this local school board doesn’t even want to contemplate, yet alone force onto this community. Without local schools for their children, there’ll be huge economic impacts on Oyosoos’ ability to attract and keep businesses, skilled professionals and skilled workers in this town.

Last week over 1,000 people attended an information meeting, and there, the former mayor, Stu Wells spoke up and said this: “This is a decision ultimately made by the Minister of Education.” And: “I’d like to see the Premier come to this town and tell us that they’re going to close the school because that’s whose decision it is.” How right the former mayor is.

My question is to the Premier. Can she explain here in this House, to the people of Osoyoos, how forcing school closures is somehow good for families, good for kids and good for the economy of this town?

Hon. M. Bernier: Closing a school is obviously never an easy decision. In fact, I’ve got personal experience. We’ve had to shut a couple of schools down within my district. When you have declining enrolment, those are tough decisions that need to be made.

But those decisions are best made at the local level, the local school district. They’re the ones that understand the needs, the demands and the experiences that they have in the area, which are really what drive the decisions that are best made for the students in that area. Unlike the member opposite, we feel that’s the best place to make the decision — the locally elected school board, to make sure that they are respectful for the decisions for the students in their area.

Madame Speaker: The member for Victoria–Swan Lake on a supplemental.

R. Fleming: When funding for education in this province goes from second-best in the country to ninth-worst in the country, when we have $1,000 less per student than the Canadian average — as we do in British Columbia — the decision is being made by the Minister of Education, by the Premier and by the Liberal government, not by local school boards.

The sad thing for Osoyoos is that the current MLA, the member for Boundary-Similkameen, has even failed to show up to public meetings thus far on school closures. She hasn’t offered any ideas or even empathy to stop the closure of the schools.

This isn’t closing a school in the town of Osoyoos. It’s closing all the schools in Osoyoos, and I would remind the minister of that. This is what the local MLA said to her constituents: “There really is nothing I can say that will bring any level of comfort to the people of Osoyoos.” That’s the representation people from Osoyoos get from Liberals on that side of the House.

Let me remind the minister of this. The schools in Osoyoos are not empty. They have hundreds of students in each. Osoyoos Elementary has a capacity of 325 students, and it has 317 students in that school this year. The secondary school enrolment is growing in Osoyoos as
[ Page 10403 ]
well. What this government has failed to understand is the impact that these closures will have on families and communities.

The question to the minister is this: will he admit that this government’s disastrous $54 million cut for so-called low-hanging fruit is precisely why rural schools are being contemplated for closures? Will he stop turning his back on communities like Osoyoos and instead stand up for towns like Osoyoos so they can keep their school?

Hon. M. Bernier: One thing that we’re fortunate about here in the province of British Columbia, because we have the best economy in Canada…. That’s why we’ve got the best investments. Because of that, we have record investment in our education system.

[1030]

I also want to correct the member opposite. The member for Boundary-Similkameen has done an excellent job bringing all of the concerns and the issues of her constituents forward to me on a daily basis.

One more thing I’ll mention, since we’re on a roll here, and try to correct the member opposite. We have a 42 percent increase in this province on per-student funding. It’s a record in the province of British Columbia, for all of Canada — a record investment for our students.

PUBLIC INPUT ON FUTURE OF
RIVERVIEW HOSPITAL LANDS

S. Robinson: Two years ago the Minister for Housing and B.C. Housing promised to work with the community in determining the future of the Riverview lands. There were open houses, on-line surveys and meetings with stakeholders. On December 17, B.C. Housing unceremoniously released a draft document of the Riverview vision and invited feedback over the Christmas season. Now, B.C. Housing had to extend the timeline into February because the community didn’t think the busy Christmas season would allow for proper and timely feedback.

My question is for the Minister Responsible for Housing. If B.C. Housing is truly interested in public input and feedback, then why did they post a job for a real estate project coordinator at the same time they released the draft vision document that invited community feedback, back in December?

Hon. R. Coleman: Maybe the member, first of all, might want to get caught up on what’s actually happening in Coquitlam and in and around the Riverview lands. She would then maybe understand why you need somebody for real estate development — when we’re spending $170 million for a new mental health facility for adults, people with significant mental issues that are coming out of the Burnaby Centre for Mental Health and Addiction; for a new youth custody facility that is going to be modern and meet the needs of our children at risk on the streets; and additional housing on the site that’s going forward.

Somebody actually coordinates that stuff, hon. Member, and that is what this individual would do. They will also look at and deal with the continuation of the visioning process, which has probably been the most extensive visioning process on any piece of land in British Columbia’s history. The community has had their input. We will now move forward.

The individual will also have to work with the members in touch with the local First Nations who’ve actually made a claim on the lands at Riverview, and work through those issues. Obviously, we need somebody to be focused on this, and that’s why we’re doing it.

Madame Speaker: The member for Coquitlam-Maillardville on a supplemental.

S. Robinson: That’s a very interesting perspective, given that when we asked the question, we heard from B.C. Housing that this position has nothing to do with actually working on the visioning document, that it’s responsible for an electrical distribution upgrade and a transportation study — so very, very different response.

This real estate project coordinator job was posted before the community consultation process was even completed, so how can anyone ever believe this minister about anything he says?

Hon. R. Coleman: Well, $7.4 million annually is put into operating in the city of Coquitlam for housing for people that need it in British Columbia. There are 469 households in your community that receive rent assistance every single month to low-income families to offset their income, and hon. Member, you don’t even support the program.

Madame Speaker: Through the Chair.

Hon. R. Coleman: In addition to that, hon. Speaker, there are three new projects in Coquitlam, which the member actually opposed, and 502 seniors with households that are also receiving rent assistance every month to help them support themselves in that community.

HOUSING AFFORDABILITY
IN LOWER MAINLAND AND
HIGH-TECHNOLOGY SECTOR

D. Eby: Hootsuite is a social media platform used by more than ten million people around the world, hundreds of the top 1,000 companies on the planet. They employ more than 300 people in Metro Vancouver alone.

[1035]

These high-paying jobs, and thousands of jobs at firms just like them in Metro Vancouver, are critical to
[ Page 10404 ]
the economic future of the region. So when the CEO of Hootsuite says, in an op-ed “it’s difficult to grow my business because qualified job candidates are deterred from moving to the city and great employees are leaving because they can’t afford to build a life here,” we should listen carefully. It’s not like these firms don’t have options elsewhere.

My question is for the Minister of Technology. Does he agree with Mr. Holmes that a failure to take real action on affordable housing will critically undermine the tech sector in Metro Vancouver?

Hon. R. Coleman: Member, in about three hours and five minutes, you’re going to have some of your answers. But also, on Friday, the Premier announced the largest single investment in B.C. history in affordable housing of $355 billion.

Now, I noticed right away that the member was opposed to it, but he doesn’t also understand a number of things. If you get land from municipalities, forgiveness on DCCs and if you go out and you partner up with the federal government and the private sector, you could easily turn that into $1.5 billion in investment in housing in British Columbia, which will help with the affordability, bring more product to the market and enhance the programs we have in the most successful housing strategy in B.C. history. We’re proud of that.

Madame Speaker: Recognizing the Member for Vancouver–Point Grey on a supplemental.

D. Eby: This minister is setting records — a record number of tent cities across the province, including just up the street at the courthouse, record-high housing prices and out-of-control real estate in Metro Vancouver, a record number of young people leaving Metro Vancouver because they can’t afford to raise their families there….

Interjections.

Madame Speaker: Members. Members.

D. Eby: They’re setting records, hon. Speaker.

Madame Speaker: Hon. Member.

The Chair will hear the answer and the question.

Please proceed.

D. Eby: You heard from the minister. The real reason why they’re ignoring this housing crisis: they simply do not care.

Yesterday the member for Chilliwack-Hope shrugged at Mr. Holmes’s concern and the concerns of everyone watching the out of control real estate market in Metro Vancouver. He said companies that locate in high cost areas like Metro deserve what they get. “The market has a solution for a company that wants to place its company in the most expensive real estate in the province. The market will punish that business by making it more and more difficult to find workers. So companies are going to move to locations that will accommodate their employees, and it won’t take a government program to do that.”

Madame Speaker: Question.

Interjections.

Madame Speaker: The members will come to order.

D. Eby: I don’t know why I’m asking the question because it’s clear where the government stands on this. They’re applauding that.

But does the Minister of Technology agree with the member for Chilliwack-Hope that firms that locate in Metro Vancouver should be punished by the market and should look at lower cost…?

Interjections.

D. Eby: This is his quote: “…and should look at lower cost jurisdictions like Montreal, like Toronto, like Seattle or Portland…

Madame Speaker: Question.

D. Eby: …if they’re having trouble recruiting employees because of high housing costs.”

Hon. R. Coleman: I did listen to the member’s comments on Friday about another announcement where he was pooh-poohing an opportunity for the Burrard, the Tsleil-Waututh and the Squamish to actually have economic development and build affordable housing right in the middle of the member’s riding, because they had the opportunity to buy the Jericho lands on behalf of their community.

Jobs, opportunities that can include affordable housing — it’ll be part of the zoning that goes on with the city. The member doesn’t have a clue about zoning because he obviously doesn’t understand from his comments there are actually public hearings and discussion about development on large tracts of land in cities across the province of British Columbia.

Interjections.

[1040]

Hon. R. Coleman: I know you’re opposed to everything we do. I know you don’t like the fact that there are over 10,000 families receiving rent assistance. Hundreds are getting that in the city of Vancouver. Actually, 2,000
[ Page 10405 ]
are getting it in the city of Vancouver — 2,000 households receiving rent assistance, 2,600 seniors’ households getting affordable rental assistance in the city of Vancouver, 25,000 units supported by government, to the tune of 140-some-million dollars a year, just in the city of Vancouver.

Madame Speaker: Members, both sides of the House, will listen to the answer and the question.

REFIT AND SALE OF
Queen of Chilliwack

C. Trevena: Not long after a $15 million refit of the ferry Queen of Chilliwack, it was sold to a private operator in Fiji who happens to be a former B.C. Ferry employee. The Minister of Transportation, who has ultimate responsibility for B.C. Ferries, has refused to release the sale price of the Queen of Chilliwack, and we can only presume it’s because of his gross embarrassment.

The ferry’s new owner, however, was very happy to tell the world about the great deal he got. He reports a sale price of less than $2 million. That’s 88 percent below what B.C. Ferries spent on the refit, and that happened just before the sale.

To the minister, can he explain the logic behind the expensive publicly funded refit and bargain basement sale?

Hon. T. Stone: Boy, any opportunity that we have on this side of the House to answer questions about ferry procurement is one heck of an opportunity to remind British Columbians of the incompetence of the members opposite. This is a group that spent almost half a billion dollars on a couple of fast ferries that were actually never used in British Columbia — never used here.

The member knows well, if she actually placed any value in facts, that the refit that was mandated for the Queen of Chilliwack was mandated by Transport Canada to extend that vessel’s life by a couple of years for service that it provided on route 40. We made the tough decision to end that route as part of a collection of initiatives to do everything that we can to drive the pressure on fares down at B.C. Ferries.

And guess what. Fares are actually tied now to inflation — 1.9 percent per year moving forward, which is about four years ahead of schedule. In addition to that, volumes are up at B.C. Ferries, and government investment continues to be at record levels for B.C. Ferries.

Madame Speaker: The member for North Island on a supplemental.

C. Trevena: The minister leaves me almost speechless, really. Quite an extraordinary answer.

I think he also forgets that it is 2016, and people are very aware of what has been happening under this government’s remit with B.C. Ferries. They have seen fares skyrocket, and they have seen money going into a vessel for, as the minister said, the opportunity to extend its life. But instead of extending its life, they sold it. They sold it for $2 million after spending $15 million on it. These are the people who are supposed to look after business.

Ferry users really don’t care whether the minister is responsible or B.C. Ferries is responsible for this. They know that their lives are getting much more difficult because of the expense of using B.C. Ferries, thanks to foolish decisions like this refit. Selling the Queen of Chilliwack does not make any sense. Selling it for a bargain basement price does not make any sense. It makes a bad situation worse.

Again, to the minister. He still hasn’t given an answer to why he spent $15 million on the refit and then simply gave it away at a bargain basement price.

[1045]

Hon. T. Stone: Well, first off, the Queen of Chilliwack was deemed to be surplus by B.C. Ferries. Again, if the member actually did her homework, she would know that it would cost between $1.5 to $2 million per year just to maintain a surplus vessel in B.C. Ferries’ fleet. It actually can cost considerably more than that to decommission a ferry.

In this case, B.C. Ferries put this vessel onto the open market. It was a public tendering process. Bids were received, and the market determined fair-market value.

That contrasts to a fast ferry program that had an original budget of $70 million. That budget ballooned to $462 million. The last time that British Columbians saw fast ferries wasn’t because they used them. The last time they saw them, those fast ferries were on a barge, being shipped off to Abu Dhabi, never to be seen again.

N. Simons: Put aside the fact that residents of the Sunshine Coast have seen 100-and-some-percent increase in fares, and put aside the fact that we’ve never seen service at worse levels than we do now.

Why would the minister, even if he knew, allow the only backup ferry for the Sunshine Coast to be sold before the replacements were available? It just seems to me that it doesn’t make sense. If the minister can make sense of that, can he please share his logic with the House?

Hon. T. Stone: It just is astounding that the member opposite has not included in his flourishing rhetoric there that his community in Powell River, one of the communities in his riding, is actually going to take delivery of a brand-new intermediate vessel in the not too distant future.

I will say this again. The coastal communities have made sacrifices, for certain. B.C. Ferries is doing a good job with efficiencies. The government has made some tough decisions. Collectively, that is why we now have
[ Page 10406 ]
B.C. Ferries on a path of sustainability and on a path of fair affordability.

[End of question period.]

Orders of the Day

Hon. T. Stone: I call continuing debate on the throne speech.

Throne Speech Debate

(continued)

K. Conroy: I’m pleased to carry on with my response to the throne speech. I finished yesterday on education, on K to 12. Today I’m going to move on to post-secondary education, which continues to have funding issues in this province.

Students in B.C. face some of the highest debt load in the country. After they are finished their education….

Interjection.

K. Conroy: The minister says it’s not true, but that is a fact. That is a well-known fact in this province.

[R. Chouhan in the chair.]

“Students graduate from university in B.C. owing an average of $35,000. Worse still, the charge on student loans in this province is 7.5 percent.” Let’s let the minister speak to that. Let’s quote the Times Colonist editorial on that. “That’s close to loansharking.” The minister is responsible for loansharking, according to the Times Colonist. Maybe he’d like to talk about that before he leaves the House.

Why would a government do that to students in this province? Why would they?

We know there are concerns about adult basic education courses, whether they will be affordable in the coming year. Institutions are scrambling to ensure students can afford the fees they will now be charged. Yes, some have qualified for the adult upgrading grants that the government is providing. But that ends in May, and then what?

Selkirk College is attempting to put into place bursaries so that there’s another option for funding — but going out to a community, once again, to try to fund students who were previously funded by government.

I believe the question to government is: will the long-term funding of adult upgrading grants continue?

Hopefully, in today’s budget, we will hear of support to students who are struggling to get their adult basic education so they can carry on and get the training or courses they need to ensure a viable career.

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One young man we talked to called us, concerned that ABE courses at Selkirk would cost approximately $500 per course starting in May. This will be cost prohibitive to him. He isn’t even sure he could qualify for a bursary. Again, let’s hope today’s budget brings some assistance to students like him.

Another issue for people in our area, and I understand in other areas of the province, is the accessibility….

Interjections.

Deputy Speaker: Members. Can we have some quietness in the House, please? Lower your voices. If you want to talk, go outside, not inside the House. Thank you very much.

Carry on, Member.

K. Conroy: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I understand that there’s an issue with accessibility of Ministry of Social Development staff and the increasingly frustrating 1-866 number everyone has to call in order to speak to anyone. It’s very hit-and-miss who you talk to, if you do get to talk to someone. You can also be put on hold for literally hours. You have to stay at home for days on end waiting to get your callback, and you might never get it.

If you aren’t at home and you miss your call, you won’t get another callback. A person has to start all over again, calling to get back in line, so to speak. If they call and your line is busy, you’re out of luck, and you have to start all over again.

It’s a great system if your intention is to grind people down so they give up and never get the service. Why would we do that to people? Why would we put people who are in a vulnerable situation, who are struggling with the cards they’ve been dealt, and then to be treated so poorly…?

Even to go to the office is a struggle in our area. It’s located in Trail. It’s open Monday to Friday, but only from one to four. There’s usually a lineup well before one o’clock, where people have to stand outside, rain or snow, regardless of weather. There’s nowhere inside for the entire lineup to go. People go early, hoping that they can wait in the small space inside, and it doesn’t always work.

If you’re still in the lineup at four o’clock, well, that’s just too bad. The office closes. You have to come back tomorrow. And you have to go to the office if you were told you have to sign some papers, pick up your cheque, bring a doctor’s note — things people cannot do over a phone. Why would government treat people like this?

Affordable housing is an issue in our area as well, like other parts of the province, especially an issue where the people are looking for rent. It’s not just affordable housing; it’s appropriate housing as well.

We have a constituent that has affordable accommodation, and while that is wonderful, the conditions of afford-
[ Page 10407 ]
able rental are deplorable. She has no heat inside except a space heater. She can’t shower in her home, as there’s no heat in the bathroom. She showers at a friend’s house. She has also found mould in a variety of places throughout the rental. She knows if she complains any further to the landlord, he will evict her. She is disabled and sick throughout the winter because of the cold, damp space.

She has previously taken her landlord to the residential tendency branch and has gotten nowhere with them. He told her if she dares to go to them again, he’ll evict her, and it’ll stand up with the RTB because he wants to renovate the whole space. Legally, he can do that in B.C., and that’s a sad truth.

What a way to treat disabled people in this province. Shameful, really. But the Finance Minister can crow about his surplus. I ask: “On whose backs? Whose lives have been impacted to achieve that surplus, and what real cost?”

People are also concerned about the MSP hikes and what the government will do to address that regressive tax. Hopefully, after today, we will see that people who make $30,000 won’t be paying the same premium as someone who makes $100,000. In a province as wealthy as B.C., people shouldn’t be having to choose between eating healthy or purchasing their medication.

I also hope there’s some attention paid to the issue of home support. The seniors advocate is doing an excellent job of touring around the province and hearing from folks what the issues are. I’m so glad the government finally came to their senses and brought in this position, an example of where getting to yes works for seniors in this province.

In her latest report, she shares a multitude of issues seniors and their caregivers are facing due to the lack of home support — appropriate home support that works with the senior, their families and caregivers to ensure they can live as long as possible in their home. Shouldn’t we be providing that type of care, care we all want for our parents and grandparents? I didn’t hear that commitment in the throne speech. Let’s hear what we get today.

The Premier likes to use slogans instead of talking about actual policies she’s implementing and how it will affect the people in this province. Her latest has her saying yes to everything. Well, we all know saying yes to everything results in spoiled children, children who grow up with an it’s-all-about-me attitude, who never learn that sometimes the answer has to be no.

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Sometimes the answer does need to be no. No to an environmental process that doesn’t take into consideration the long-term effects of not actually protecting our environment. No to jobs that don’t ensure British Columbians who are qualified get the work but temporary foreign workers do. No to short-term jobs with no long-term gains.

No to destruction of thousands of hectares of farmland to create power that won’t be needed for maybe 20 years, if even then. And no to divisive politics that pit resident hunters against First Nation hunters against guide-outfitters instead of looking at the conservation of this province as a goal everyone should strive for.

No to the lack of foresight when developing plans to ensure we enhance our habitat as opposed to constantly developing plans and policies to deal with a loss of habitat after the fact. Protect our biodiversity, not destroy it.

No to policies that hurt our kids’ and grandkids’ future.

But we do say yes as well. Yes to family-supporting, environmentally sustaining jobs. Our Power B.C. plan does just that. This province has a vast array of resources that should be processed and utilized in the best way possible to benefit the people of the province.

It’s important to talk about some other infrastructure projects that could go a long way to supporting our economy. Here’s a question in light of what is happening in Flint, Michigan: are our water systems at risk? Do local governments have the financial capacity to maintain, renew and replace our existing water and wastewater infrastructure?

A study recently done by Urban Systems for the B.C. Water and Waste Association shows some concerning facts. B.C. communities have not set aside sufficient reserve funds to fully fund the eventual replacement of water and wastewater systems. Smaller communities have the largest infrastructure deficit per capita. The overall water and sewer infrastructure deficit in B.C. is an estimated $13.2 billion. But what an incredible way to invest in our economy: invest in jobs and good clean water and wastewater systems.

Another yes is retrofits. Upgrades to make buildings more energy efficient is a good way of investing in infrastructure and supporting our economy. There is a potential to create hundreds of thousands of jobs. Just in the public sector alone, by retrofitting public buildings like hospitals, schools and courthouses there is a potential to create almost 3,000 new jobs a year, and in residential retrofits, there is a prospect of thousands of jobs. That doesn’t even take into consideration the potential of wind or solar power, geothermal energy — all those exciting alternative energy opportunities that we should be investing in.

Those are plans that we can get to yes on. Those are ways to ensure we will have a diversified economy with environmentally sustainable jobs, good family jobs, supporting jobs for today’s workers as well as our future workers.

Let’s retrofit our existing dams instead of building new ones. Let’s fix our highways and invest in our habitat. Again, we can get to yes when it is the right yes for the people of this province and not just a response to placate a spoiled child.

Let’s leave the divisive politics that are hurting our beautiful province and invest in policies that are working for everyone.
[ Page 10408 ]

Hon. S. Anton: It’s a great pleasure to rise in the House today and speak in support of the Speech from the Throne, which presents a strong vision for today and the future. Thanks to our plan and the hard work and determination of British Columbians, our economy is Canada’s bright spot in a time of economic uncertainty. Our plan is working, and we are not taking our eyes off the ball.

First of all, I would like to start by thanking the riding of Vancouver-Fraserview for supporting me — the vibrant, engaged, multicultural, hard-working community on the southeast of Vancouver. It’s a riding full of friendly people who work hard, who are interested in what we’re doing in Victoria and interested in the sustainability and the prosperity of our great province of British Columbia, which many people in my riding have chosen to make their home.

Many people have chosen to make Canada, British Columbia and, indeed, Vancouver-Fraserview their home. We are a very diverse riding with many immigrants and many families who are recent immigrants. It is a pleasure and an honour to be able to represent Vancouver-Fraserview.

I’d like to thank so many people who help me in my riding every day, whether it’s our friends who come through the door and say hello in the riding office daily, weekly, monthly — people who keep in regular touch — or whether it’s the volunteers who help us out in the events that we do. In particular, I’d like to thank my constituency office staff, Tanya Tan and Dawn Escobedo, who help me every single day and are a pleasure for the community to deal with.

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I’d like to take this opportunity, as well, to thank my family. None of us are here without the support of our family and friends. My family has supported me for seven years now — my husband, Olin Anton. I do feel particularly blessed, framed as I am by youth and by age. I’m going to announce for the first time that we now have a granddaughter. [Applause.]

Thank you very much. Our No. 1 grandchild. I’ve got a long way to go, I know, to catch up to some of the members here. Anyway, we’re starting with No. 1. Little Isabelle Morrison was born December 9 in Toronto, daughter of my daughter, Elizabeth, and her husband, Edward Morrison. I am so pleased to have little Isabelle in the family. Elizabeth, of course, is the sister to her two brothers, Robert Anton and Angus Anton.

The other member of my family I’d like to mention…. I had the pleasure of introducing him here in the House last year. He frames the other end of the age spectrum — my father-in-law, who lives with us in Vancouver, Clifford Anton, a Battle of the Atlantic veteran and a beloved member of our family and our household.

On the throne speech and where we are in British Columbia, I don’t think I’m giving anything away by saying that a little later today, we will be here in the House listening to a budget speech introducing our fourth balanced budget in a row. It is an honour and a pleasure to be part of a government, part of a team, which has worked so hard to get to that place.

A little later in the year, when the financial statements are in, we will see it is projected our third surplus in a row. British Columbia is unique in provinces in Canada in being able to say that, and it has placed us in a very good position in Canada. As I said, I’m proud to be part of the government and proud of all British Columbians, because everyone in British Columbia has helped to get us here, and we are in a good position in B.C.

We created over 50,000 jobs last year, and we have an opportunity to eliminate the operating debt in about four years, paving the path towards a debt-free British Columbia. We are leading the country in growth.

Interjection.

Hon. S. Anton: I know the member opposite laughs. I guess the members opposite are not interested in leading the country in growth — our triple-A credit rating, our favourable tax regime and the fact that we do have the lowest personal tax rates in Canada for those who earn less than $122,000 a year in income. We are a good place for families.

By keeping our focus on the British Columbia jobs plans and growing sectors like technology, natural gas development and agrifoods, we will create real opportunities for families here at home, ensuring British Columbians remain first in line for the jobs of today and tomorrow.

Where does this get us? This gets us to doing things that help families in British Columbia. I’ll just mention two right here. One is the single parents’ education initiative. It used to be that you had to choose between social assistance or education. You do not have to make that choice anymore. A second initiative I’d like to mention is that single parents who received support often had to net that off their social assistance. No more. They can now keep that support.

Things like having a prosperous economy, having a budget in good condition, good shape, helps government to make these kinds of initiatives which are so important to families in British Columbia.

I started my political career in the park board in Vancouver. I started because I wanted better infrastructure, better recreation infrastructure at that point. I still remain a public infrastructure person, and so I am very pleased to know and to be able to talk about the fact that we have $7 billion of public infrastructure projects underway in British Columbia right now.

These include transportation infrastructure. For example, because I’m a cyclist…. In fact, my husband and I just finished our cycling trip where we started
[ Page 10409 ]
in Vancouver and have now finished in Istanbul. That’s a most of the way around the world, but not entirely around the world, cycling trip.

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I was very pleased to hear the Minister of Transportation and Infrastructure providing $6 million in Bike B.C. funding to communities this year to enhance and expand cycling infrastructure such as bike lanes, multi-use paths and trails and cycling bridges.

That is a small piece of the much bigger piece of B.C. on the Move, where we have committed $2.5 billion over the next three years through a focus on growing the economy, improving safety and maintaining and replacing aging infrastructure and supporting trade for our expanding resource sectors through our Canada’s Asia-Pacific gateway. And, of course, of great importance to people in the Lower Mainland is the commitment to replace the George Massey Tunnel, which now, at the moment, is the biggest bottleneck in British Columbia.

I gather the members opposite aren’t very keen on these things, but I can assure you that on this side of the House, they are, and there is a determination to push these projects forward.

Interjections.

Hon. S. Anton: Yes, they are not keen on that project, as I can tell.

The Pacific gateway transportation strategy 2012-2020 targets a further $25 billion in public and private sector investment in transportation infrastructure to meet rising demand from Asia for British Columbia and Canada’s products. That’s transportation.

I know others have spoken of it, but I will mention the $9.1 billion that has been spent by government on hospitals since 2001. Of course, in Vancouver, we are looking forward to the renewal of St. Paul’s Hospital. And $4.2 billion has been spent on schools since 2001. We are building the Surrey courthouse. There is a proposal to have a look at the Abbotsford courthouse.

And, of course, we are building, again, something not of any interest to the members opposite. We are building the Site C dam, a clean energy project to create extra energy — not extra capacity, as the previous speaker spoke about, but extra energy — new clean energy in British Columbia, and it is a terrific project.

Interjections.

Hon. S. Anton: New energy, not capacity. The member opposite a moment ago talked about capacity, not additional energy. We are talking about additional energy at Site C, and there is a difference, which I think the members opposite might acquaint themselves with.

This translates at the community level, of course. In my community of Vancouver-Fraserview, I was so pleased to be joined by the Minister of Education recently when we were able to announce over $11 million for a seismic upgrade of Kingsford-Smith Elementary School.

I compliment the parents from that school for their advocacy for the project. They’ve been in to see me a number of times. They’ve gone to the school board a number of times. They were ready, so when the school board passed its facilities plan, they were ready to be first in line with the first announcement: Kingsford-Smith Elementary School.

I’ll mention, as well, an independent school in my riding, a vibrant, energetic school of Corpus Christi.

Interjection.

Hon. S. Anton: The member opposite is mocking this, but I know a number of his constituents go to Corpus Christi, so he might be interested to know that Corpus Christi is engaged in a fundraising project, because they, too, are interested in renewal and rebuilding their school and their very excellent facility, also located in Vancouver-Fraserview.

Let me turn to housing, and let me start with affordable housing. The Premier and the Minister of Housing announced recently that, over the next five years, government is committing a total of $355 million to create upwards of 2,000 new affordable housing units across British Columbia. This is a massive investment.

How can we make an investment like that? Because we are making sure that our economy is strong. Our budget is balanced so that we can make investments in critical services like this, the largest single affordable housing investment in B.C.’s history — 2,000 new units of housing over the next five years, assuring more British Columbians have access to a safe and affordable place to call home.

This builds on the investment of $4.4 billion in affordable housing since 2001. During that period, we’ve added nearly 25,000 new units of affordable housing. Over 100,000 households are helped by our programs — about 300,000 people in British Columbia.

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Coming, as I do, as a councillor in the city of Vancouver, I was able to observe this closely, with both the purchase of rooming houses and conversion into affordable housing and social housing, and also the building of new purpose-built housing in Vancouver. These have been a great addition to Vancouver’s housing supply and, repeated around the province, are a great addition to the province of British Columbia.

Let me talk about market housing for a moment. Affordable housing is one aspect of housing, but of course, people do need to be able to buy homes. I will point to a couple of things, first of all, in the city of Vancouver. The member for Vancouver–False Creek was talking the other day about the importance of supply. Of course, when he
[ Page 10410 ]
was mayor of Vancouver, he began, with my assistance, the EcoDensity initiative. That was talking about how to do density right in Vancouver.

The next team didn’t like that name very much, but they carried on the exact same program, and that is allowing a certain amount of growth in Vancouver. In fact, one of the initiatives that it led to, which was quite interesting in the city of Vancouver, is laneway housing.

As to supply, let me point to a development in Vancouver-Fraserview, which is the River District. When the manager of Hootsuite, as was mentioned earlier, is looking for housing for his staff, I hope that they will look to the beautiful new riverfront community in River District, Vancouver, because there are beautiful new homes there, new parks, new schools — a brand-new community in the southeast of the city of Vancouver. It is shaping up to be a terrific place for families to live, for single people to live, and it will be a beautiful new community in the southeast corner of the city.

Talking about our economy, there are a number of very good initiatives that having a balanced budget, having an interest in prosperity, is allowing us to create. We are creating a $100 million venture capital fund, building the foundation for a comprehensive technology strategy aimed at stimulating growth in that sector, creating jobs and strengthening a diverse economy.

In addition to that, which will create an avenue for capital funding for promising start-up companies, the plan also highlights our K-to-12 curriculum to provide the opportunity for 600,000 B.C. students to gain basic skills needed for careers in technology. Targeted programs include coding academies, greater access to work experience electives for high school students, and dual-credit partnerships between secondary and post-secondary institutions.

The technology sector employs more than 86,000 people, and wages for those jobs are 60 percent higher than B.C.’s industrial average. Our technology sector is growing faster than the overall economy. In 2013, it grew at a rate of 4.7 percent, higher than the 3.2 percent growth observed in the provincial economy. In 2013, the sector added nearly $14 billion to our GDP.

Are our students ready for this? Yes, they are. First of all, the outcomes of British Columbia students are the top in the world, amongst the top three in the world. Our students do extremely well.

Let me tell you about a student in Vancouver-Fraserview, whose name is Austin Wang. He’s a grade 12 student at David Thompson Secondary. David Thompson Secondary, by the way, has had a long-standing very high reputation for academics, along with all the other terrific things it does in the school. In fact, in its mathematics hallway, you can see a long line of plaques of student achievement over the years in mathematics.

Austin Wang just recently returned from the Taiwan International Science Fair, where he received a gold medal in the microbiology category for his project titled — I want everyone to listen carefully to this, because this is the project that won the gold medal — “A Novel Method to Identify Genes in Electron Transfer of Exoelectrogens”, which aims to identify the genes involved in bacterial extracellular electron transport to generate power in microbial fuel cells.

That is our young Austin Wang. I know that his family is proud of him, his school is proud of him and the whole community is very proud of him. This is a remarkable achievement for a young man who will go on to do extremely well and is a product of our British Columbia public school system and David Thompson high in particular.

Let me talk for a moment about the creative economy. The Premier recently announced that our government is providing a $15 million grant towards the creation of a B.C. music fund to help support activities in the music industry.

[1115]

Of course, B.C. is one of our leading centres for music, with talented musicians in every corner of the province — including, as I recently heard mentioned, Smithers, British Columbia, but indeed all around B.C.

Bryan Adams, Sarah McLachlan, Michael Bublé are just a few examples of artists who do a tremendous job representing B.C. and Canada on the world stage. I’ve got to give a little shout-out to one of Michael Bublé’s music videos, Haven’t Met You Yet — my favourite music video of all time, filmed in Killarney market immediately next door to my constituency office. I recommend that everybody go and have a look at that video.

The Premier recently announced the $15 million grant to support the establishment of the music fund, to be administered through Creative B.C., supporting music education, live performances, tour strategy and development, and music tourism in B.C. Our record labels, recording studios, concert venues and music festivals draw people from all over the province, the country and the world. It adds immeasurably to the cultural fabric of our province.

One of the things, of course, that helps the music industry is students knowing music and understanding music. Now I would like to just mention Killarney high school in this context. Killarney high school, another major high school in Vancouver and also in my riding, has a massively successful music program.

The school is fully engaged in the program, and the students are enthusiastic supporters of every aspect of it. It’s an ambitious program. They have choirs. They have bands and many events during the year, and in a few weeks time, over 60 students in the Killarney orchestra are going to be touring to Europe. This is a program with talent, with ambition and with energy, and I compliment the school and its interest in music.

As I said, the Creative B.C. initiative, the things that make us so brilliant in British Columbia through our creativity, can draw on schools like Killarney, which do such a terrific job with their students.
[ Page 10411 ]

I mentioned that Vancouver-Fairview is a riding of immigrants. Not all, of course, but there are many new immigrants in Vancouver-Fraserview. Let me mention the interest of this government in welcoming refugees and welcoming immigrants.

Our provincial nominee program is the province’s only direct economic immigration tool for bringing in new British Columbians. Our quota is set by the federal government, and we have negotiated more than any other province. We are still waiting to confirm the 2016 allocation, but we are working in a constructive dialogue with the federal government to receive as many as we can. This brings people to British Columbia, and as I said, we are a province extremely welcoming of new people coming to British Columbia.

Two pieces of that in my riding of Vancouver-Fraserview I will mention. One, the Faith Baptist Church has been a supporter of the New Hope Society, which has a long-standing energy and application of bringing refugees in to British Columbia. Pastor Jack Taylor helped start that organization and continues to work with it. It’s an organization which, I know, gives us a lot of pleasure in our constituency office to be able to support.

Second thing I will mention. One of the very interesting and historic locations in our riding is the Ross Street Temple, which is home of the Khalsa Diwan Society. It formed in Kitsilano in Vancouver in 1906 and moved to south Vancouver in the Arthur Erickson–designed building in 1967, home of the Sikh gurdwara and a community centre for its community — one which is a great pleasure for me to be able to visit and, I know, is full of people every single day building community in south Vancouver.

The people who come to British Columbia help us be prosperous in British Columbia — cultural prosperity, economic prosperity. People who come to British Columbia also bring their ties to the rest of the world, and our international trade strategy benefits from that. Our total exports are worth over $35 billion annually, a number which is expected to increase with our new trade office, which is opening soon in the Philippines and which I was pleased to be able to help announce late last year.

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We are, of course, working to bring home the opportunity of LNG to British Columbia while ensuring equity for future generations by establishing a prosperity fund to pay down our debt and invest in vital services.

We will all benefit from these economic opportunities in British Columbia. We will build on B.C.’s potential to be a clean energy superpower by continuing our consultation with British Columbians and releasing a final climate leadership plan later this year.

We will capitalize on our successes in agriculture by encouraging and supporting British Columbians to buy local, grow local to strengthen our communities and grow the sector, but also with our agricultural exports. I think, because I happen to be a real cherry lover, that I do have to mention the recent announcement that the Minister of Agriculture made — $91.7 million worth of cherry exports this year. That is a remarkable statistic. Actually, I’m thinking that was probably last year, not this year. I’ve got my seasons right here.

At the same time, to develop our trade, to develop our potential in British Columbia, developing our resource industries, as we all know, is extremely important to us. One of our great partners in doing that, of course, is working with First Nations around British Columbia to help develop those resource industries to build partnerships in British Columbia. The recent agreement signed with the Tsilqot’in is an illustration of that, along with the many other agreements that are being signed with First Nations around British Columbia. It is a terrific opportunity for all of us.

One of the Fraserview businesses which takes advantage of the international markets is Kryton industries, which does a cement-sealing product that it sells all around the world and markets all around the world.

We, of course, continue to make very significant investments in health care. The Minister of Health is able to speak to those, and I think that we will, again, see the budget making reference to that this afternoon.

Thanks to our strong economic planning, we’re able to invest in the services that help our families and future generations. One of the things that the Health budget was able to help us out with in Fraserview a couple of cycles ago was completing the $2½ million contribution in Fraserview to the Killarney seniors centre, which is a very active project, actively underway — not a shovel in the ground yet, but we’re hoping to see the shovel in the ground very soon, because there are many seniors who have been promoting that project for years and will be anxious to see it. That, of course, helps seniors and builds community centres of its nature around British Columbia.

I’d like to, at this point, conclude, expressing my full and complete support for the Speech from the Throne. Our government’s commitment to a diverse economy and a prosperous British Columbia benefits all of us in British Columbia so that we can make the investments and provide the support to the current and future generations of British Columbians.

Steadfast, resilient, the courage to get to yes and the interest in getting to yes. We will continue to make the choices today leading to a stronger, more secure tomorrow.

D. Donaldson: I’m pleased to take my position today in responding to the throne speech. First of all, it’s an opportunity not only to review the government’s vision for the coming year but traditionally, also, to reflect on our own constituencies. Starting there, I would like to make special note and thank the incredible work that the constituent assistants do for Stikine. That’s Michelle Larstone and Shelley Worthington in my Smithers office and Julie Maitland in my Hazelton office.
[ Page 10412 ]

I know that all members of the Legislature here feel that our families make an incredible sacrifice for us to be able to fulfil the roles we do here, and so I’d like to acknowledge that and my wife and my two sons for their support.

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Finally, the constituents of Stikine — not just finally, but most importantly — for always letting me know what’s on their minds and taking the opportunities to do that, which I appreciate, every day, as well as their efforts to avail themselves of the services through our constituency offices, no matter what part of the political spectrum they lie on. Thank you to the constituents.

As I said, this is a chance to review the throne speech, which is the government’s vision for the coming year. I’d like to touch on a few examples of that that stood out for me. There was quote near the end of the throne speech: “As long as we continue to encourage respectful civil dialogue, we will find solutions to challenges. We can promote the spirit of reconciliation.”

That’s a good sentiment, and I agree with that. But unfortunately, here’s the reality. Not long ago, more than 300 people gathered in Prince Rupert, and I was there as well. These were people with a different point of view than the Premier, than the government, on a certain development project on Lelu Island. For expressing their views, for gathering in a democratic way, the Premier labelled these people as ragtag. Ragtag.

Now, it’s hard to understand how that relates to a vision of respectful, civil dialogue that was put forth in the throne speech. Ragtag is a derogatory term. Its meanings can be “ragged, shabby, disheveled, not organized or put together well.” A derogatory term.

At this meeting that I attended of over 300 people in Prince Rupert just recently were many hereditary chiefs and other community leaders from Stikine. As we know, the hereditary chiefs, through the Tsilhqot’in decision, are the rightful aboriginal titleholders in the province.

At that meeting in Prince Rupert was Dinï ze’ Namoks, Wet’suwet’en Hereditary Chief John Ridsdale, who’s visited this Legislature to speak out for his people, who’s visited Calgary at shareholder meetings to speak out on behalf of his people, who’s visited Ottawa, who’s taken the Freedom Train across Canada to do that. Dinï ze’ Namoks is a ragtag, according to the Premier.

There were also other Wet’suwet’en representatives there: Madeek, Knedebeas, Gistayway, Klo Um Khun — many of these were hereditary chiefs — and many others. These people, in the Premier’s view, for expressing their right, for expressing a different view of the government, are ragged, shabby and disheveled.

Many other Wet’suwet’en representatives were at the meeting. There was also Simogyet SimGwininitxw, Gitxsan Hereditary Chief Yvonne Lattie, whom I’ve known for many years, who’s been a respected and staunch advocate for her territory and the Gitxsan traditional territories for the way of life that balances jobs and the environment. From the Premier’s words, she’s a ragtag.

There was Gwagl’lo, Rod Sampare, another Gitxsan hereditary chief. In the view of the Premier, ragged, shabby, disheveled. There were representatives from Lukajewits, from Nicadane and many other Gitxsan wilp in attendance at that meeting, expressing their point of view that happens to be different from the Premier’s. And for that, in her respectful, civil dialogue, she labelled them as ragtag.

There were many non–First Nations there. Small business owners Todd Stockner, Mike Sawyer. Not organized. Not put together well. There was lawyer Richard Overstall. Shabby, disheveled, not put together well, in the Premier’s words. There was mental health counsellor Alf Brady — again, in the Premier’s words, ragtag — and many others.

This is not respectful dialogue that was laid out in the throne speech, but the worst of divisive politics. It’s old-style divisive politics, where people are labelled in two camps: us versus them. Is that how we achieve solutions to challenges in this day and age in this province?

[1130]

Is this evidence of the spirit of reconciliation? I think not.

It also reveals another divisive nature of the Premier’s politics. It’s either the environment or jobs, and again, that’s an old way of thinking. You’re either an advocate of her way of undertaking development or you’re against it, in her opinion — by her “ragtag” comments. In her way of posing the debate, you’re either for jobs or the environment.

If you’re looking for solutions, that is not the way to proceed — absolutely not the way to proceed in this province.

We just recently had the Canadian Environmental Assessment Agency’s draft report on the proposed liquid natural gas facility on Lelu Island. In that report, CEAA pointed out that the plant alone will contribute 5.28 million tonnes of CO₂ emissions per year.

That represents an increase of greenhouse gas emissions in B.C. of 8.5 percent just from this plant, and in Canada — unbelievably — a 0.05 percent increase, just from this one plant.

If you look….

Interjection.

D. Donaldson: That’s right. And that’s from a “ragtag” federal government, according to the Premier’s words.

If you look at upstream emissions from this project — that means the pipelines and the gas production facilities to feed this potential plant — an increase of 6.5 million to 8.7 million tonnes of CO₂ emissions per year, according to the draft report.

In B.C., that alone represents a 10 to 14 percent greenhouse gas emissions increase and in Canada — again,
[ Page 10413 ]
incredibly — 0.9 to 1.2 percent. So if you take the plant and the upstream emissions, we’re looking at anywhere from an 18 to 24 percent increase in B.C.’s greenhouse gas emissions and, incredibly, again, a 1½ to almost 2 percent increase in Canada’s emissions.

These are impacts on climate change. And these impacts are of concern to people because they can affect salmon returns in Stikine. And that’s a legitimate concern for people of the northwest, a legitimate concern.

But to label those people as “ragtag” avoids an honest discussion. And I was also reminded of a recent presentation I attended in Hazelton of Russian scientists who came to present on Sakhalin Island, which is an island in the Sea of Japan that’s had an LNG facility since 2009. Incredibly, they pointed out that under the environmental assessment review process, the proponent had to submit at least three sites as part of the process for consideration to be approved — at least three sites for that LNG facility.

Again, we did not have that opportunity in B.C. We did not have that opportunity on the coast. We did not have that opportunity with Lelu Island. So when people express these concerns…. They might be contrary to what the Premier believes, but if you’re going to have an honest, respectful dialogue, you do not say that those holding different opinions are “ragtag” — shabby, dishevelled. That’s absolutely disrespectful.

The people of Stikine are place-based. They know that jobs and the environment are important, but we also know that the health of the people — of the economy — is inextricably linked to the health of the environment. There are many people who depend on the salmon and the moose meat in the freezer and the salmon in jars as a way to feed themselves throughout the year.

It’s not just a physical need that is fulfilled by a healthy environment. It’s also economic. There are many people who are able to make a livelihood off those activities. And it’s also spiritual in nature. You know, we’re in the season, for those who are members of the Christian faith, of Lent. And we know a story from Lent is that one cannot survive on bread alone, that there is a spiritual component to our lives as well.

[1135]

And that’s exactly the way that people in Stikine, who are place-based people, understand their lives to be. It’s not simply the economy. It’s not simply bread. It’s also the spiritual, the cultural nature of a healthy environment that sustains life where I live and where we live. It sustains life now, and it sustains the health — the spiritual, mental, physical and cultural health — of our children into the future.

Reconciliation and finding solutions is a vision outlined in the throne speech that’s not matched by the Premier’s divisive politics when she labels people who do not agree with her as ragtags.

There were two other statements in the throne speech that spoke to a vision. Those were allusions to a debt-free B.C. and a balanced budget — honourable goals, worthwhile to speak of in a vision.

Let’s dig a little deeper. “Debt-free B.C.” — again, words in the throne speech. Here are the facts. Under this Premier, the debt in B.C. has increased more than $16 billion, faster than any other Premier in B.C. history. Those are the facts. Under this Premier, the debt in B.C. by 2017 will rise to $70 billion, the highest ever in B.C. history. Those are the facts. There might be words to the effect of a vision in the throne speech of a debt-free B.C., but the facts are quite different.

There was also passing reference in the throne speech to the prosperity fund. The prosperity fund has not materialized from LNG revenues, because there are no LNG revenues. What we’ve learned, just between the throne speech and today, is that the prosperity fund will be seeded with $100 million, the exact amount raised through increases to medical services premiums in this province.

For the constituents of Stikine and others listening out there, your medical services premiums have increased this year and over the past years. The recent increases materialize to about $100 million, and that is going directly into a prosperity fund so the Premier can appear to keep a promise that was based on nonexistent LNG revenues.

Those are the words from the throne speech on debt-free B.C. and the prosperity fund, and the words aren’t backed up by the facts. We also have heard in the throne speech the vision of a balanced budget, but we have to a dig a little deeper into that as well and look at how the choices were made to reach a balanced budget.

I was just recently at a meeting at Lake Kathlyn Elementary School in my constituency in Smithers. It was a packed auditorium. Hundreds of parents showed up. That’s because Lake Kathlyn School is facing closure. The school district is trying its hardest not to close the school, but they are faced with a mandate, an edict, from this government to come up with $380,000 in administrative savings over the next two years.

It’s a small school district, and the school administrators say that by closing Lake Kathlyn, they can come up with $210,000 in administrative savings. This is the government-mandated administrative savings plan that has been foisted on every school district in the province. You can draw a direct line between how this government has balanced a budget on the backs of children and families by closing schools.

They’ve mandated to the school districts to come up with administrative savings plans, and the school districts have had to say to parents, especially the parents of Lake Kathlyn: “By following the government’s directive, we’re going to be faced with closing Lake Kathlyn.”

[1140]

Again, a balanced budget is a laudable goal, a laudable effort, but when you look at the choices this government has made in order to come up with that balanced budget, the choice they’ve made is to balance that budget on the
[ Page 10414 ]
backs of children and families by closing schools.

Instead, this government has decided to give a tax cut of $230 million to the top 2 percent of wage earners. You can’t really be much more clear than that. You balanced the budget by closing schools. That’s their choice. You give a tax break of $230 million to the top 2 percent who are doing the best in the province. Those are the choices that this government has made.

What are some of the other impacts of those choices that they’ve made, where they’ve decided to give a tax cut of $230 million, for instance? Well, we’ve had our medical services premiums double since 2001 under the B.C. Liberal government and increase every year since Premier Clark has become Premier. We’ve had B.C. Hydro rates increase 28 percent in what will be the five years under this Premier. We’ve had ICBC rates increase 23 percent under this Premier. These are the choices that this government makes: to give a tax break of $230 million to the top 2 percent, which wasn’t even asked for, and to increase everybody else’s MSP premiums, B.C. Hydro rates and ICBC rates.

Those last two are especially important for the people of Stikine. Many people….

Interjection.

D. Donaldson: I will tell you how important it is.

Many of the people of Stikine heat their homes with B.C. Hydro through electricity, so that 28 percent increase is significant. People are having to make choices around that increase, choices about paying their hydro bills or participating and paying for their children’s recreational activities, like hockey. I’ve had people come into my office in Stikine and say: “How am I going to buy nutritional foods for my family when my hydro rates have gone up 28 percent and I have to heat my house?”

Interjection.

D. Donaldson: Maybe the Minister of Energy and Mines might be able to relate to this, because he has somewhat of a rural constituency. ICBC rates have gone up 23 percent. People in Stikine have to drive hours to get to appointments, mainly because this government has shut down community service offices in many of the small communities. They have to drive hours to get to health care appointments, to get to appointments to do with social services, to get to recreational activities. ICBC rates have gone up 23 percent under this government. That, again, comes directly out of the pockets of my constituents in order to be able to get to things like health appointments.

So three areas of the throne speech where a vision was alluded to — and, I must say, a vision that resonates with me.

Respectful civil dialogue was alluded to. Then we have the Premier labelling people who don’t agree with her as ragtags.

Debt-free B.C. We have a Premier who’s presiding, by 2017, over a $70 billion debt, the highest ever in B.C. history, and balanced budgets, in the throne speech, by closing schools and making life unaffordable. That’s how this government is balancing budgets. Part of the problem is that this government has put all their eggs in one basket, and that basket has had to do with LNG.

They’ve made a passing reference in the throne speech to forestry and mining. Well, in forestry, very important to Stikine and the north…. Under this government, they’ve permitted a tenure swap in Houston that caused a closing of a mill.

[1145]

We still haven’t seen any action on waste-wood tenures. We’re still waiting. We had Pat Bell here. He hasn’t been here for years. He started this discussion in 2005, when people came to him about: how do we use some of the waste wood to create jobs in small communities, to diversify away from a one-mill town? Here we are, 2005 to 2016, 11 years later. We’re still waiting for any initiative on waste-wood tenure from this government.

Keeping jobs in communities in forestry is important, and it’s not happening under this government. We want to see B.C. logs for B.C. jobs. That would be a visionary statement.

In mining, what we’ve seen with B.C. Hydro is $15 billion in deferrals under this government due to bad deals that were foisted upon B.C. Hydro through legislation passed by this government. Legislation passed by this government forced B.C. Hydro to purchase power from independent producers at double, sometimes triple, the rate that they can sell it at. This has resulted in a huge debt for B.C. Hydro — $15 billion in what’s called deferrals. It’s debt.

When B.C. Hydro is forced, under this government’s legislation, to buy power at sometimes double or even triple the rate that they can sell it at, it limits B.C. Hydro’s options. They have to increase rates because of this government’s legislation and this government’s policy. That means that not only residential ratepayers are hit by a 28 percent increase but so are industrial ratepayers. In the mining industry, it is critical. It limits the options that this government is able to provide on relief when it comes to power usage to mines. It limits the options, because they have created a $15 billion debt in B.C. Hydro.

As well in mining, it’s time, under this low time in the cycle, to do some land use planning. That would have been something to discuss in the throne speech. Again, it wasn’t even addressed.

Land use planning brings some certainty so when the cycle improves, we are more flexible and more adept at responding. Land use planning, especially in this day and age in the Tsilhqot’in environment, means respectful dialogue with First Nations, not calling people who have opposing views ragtags.
[ Page 10415 ]

There are a couple of notes that I have as far as the vision in the throne speech goes. Much of it has to do with affordability and choices and focus. We know now, in just recent documents that came out from First Call and others in the fall, that one in five children in B.C. is living in poverty — 20 percent. That means one in five families is living in poverty. Yet in the throne speech, there was no mention of a poverty reduction plan. Every other province in Canada has a poverty reduction plan. B.C. does not. Yet one in five children lives in poverty.

A factor in this one in five children living in poverty…. It factors into why 60 percent of kids in care in this province are of aboriginal ancestry. Even though, in general terms, 5 percent of the population is aboriginal, 60 percent of kids in care are of aboriginal ancestry. Many of the leaders who I spoke of earlier are working to address that, many of the First Nations leaders. But in the Premier’s opinion, because they hold a different view, they are ragtag.

I was especially concerned and disturbed that there was no mention in the throne speech of the work of Cindy Blackstock, a woman of Gitxsan ancestry, a Gitxsan woman. Of note is that we will soon be having another woman of Gitxsan and Nisga’a ancestry sworn in tomorrow, into this Legislature, representing Vancouver–Mount Pleasant constituency. Cindy Blackstock, another Gitxsan women, on January 26, just last month, won a human rights tribunal after a nine-year effort on behalf of the First Nations Child and Family Caring Society of Canada. The ruling found that the federal government discriminated against aboriginal children by underfunding services on reserve.

[1150]

This is significant. This can make the world of difference to decreasing the number of aboriginal kids in care. It can make a world of difference because funding will increase on reserves for services like respite care and prevention services. There was no mention in the throne speech of the incredible work that Cindy Blackstock did, harassed by the government of Canada, yet this can have incredible provincial implications. She’s a hero — but no mention of her efforts.

It’s disturbing, because negotiations are underway right now between Canada and the provinces about how to address that. Yet without a mention in the throne speech of Cindy Blackstock, we don’t know whether this province — this government, the Premier — is making any representations as to how the Blackstock decision will unfold and impact the children of the B.C.

We already know that in the past, this government has been absent at the table when millions of dollars have been received by other provinces — by Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba. Millions of dollars in the last six, seven years have been received from the federal government for enhanced prevention services on reserve. The minister might like to dispute this, but we’re the only western province that has not received those enhanced prevention dollars from the federal government.

The pattern there, to me, is disturbing. By not mentioning Cindy Blackstock and her incredible effort in the throne speech, it points to me that this government is not even making any representations at the federal level about how those dollars will come to B.C. to make a life difference in the lives of children living on reserve today.

Cindy Blackstock is a hero, and she likely has a different opinion than this government and this Premier. She’s not a ragtag, as the Premier has said about other hereditary First Nations leaders who might have a different opinion than hers around how to proceed in this province of ours.

[Madame Speaker in the chair.]

I see my time is rapidly coming to an end. I want to conclude by saying that the people of Stikine have experience with this government, experience that this government’s interests lie with their powerful friends and not with local forces, as epitomized by the Premier’s “ragtag” comments.

People are used to this government exaggerating, yet this throne speech crosses the line. It reflects the Premier’s divisive, dismissive and misleading practice, summed up by the labelling of people who disagree with her as ragtag. The people of this province deserve better.

Hon. A. Virk: It’s quite interesting for me to be the final speaker between now and the….

An Hon. Member: Lunch.

Hon. A. Virk: Lunch. I stand between you and lunch.

I’m also the final speaker to comment on the Speech from the Throne in advance of a budget speech that’s going happen this afternoon.

Last week the Lieutenant-Governor, the Hon. Judith Guichon, delivered a Speech from the Throne that outlines, if I may say, an ambitious agenda for British Columbia, an inspirational agenda that sets out the government’s plan to expand our growing economy; to respectfully and better engage with First Nations; to engage on climate change; to make our streets safer; to make housing more affordable — you’re going to have to wait about two more hours to hear more about that in the budget speech as well; also, to balance the budget, the one jurisdiction in the whole country to balance the budget for the fourth year in a row; and, above all, to stand up for 4.61 million British Columbians in the midst of a fragile global economy.

[1155]

We also heard that these are challenging times for the country. There’s a ripple effect of resource prices across the country. We’ve seen some of our neighbours — the haves becoming the have-nots. But there is a bright spot on the horizon, and we are standing in the midst of that bright spot right here in British Columbia.
[ Page 10416 ]

It should come as no surprise that British Columbia is poised to lead the country in economic growth, not only in 2016 but in 2017, 2018 and in the foreseeable future. That is only lost on others.

The reason why British Columbia has become so strong is because of our diversity. It’s been the diversity of our people. It’s been the diversity of our economy.

Today I observed that others just discovered that we have a tech sector in this province. It was a hallelujah moment that others discovered there is a tech sector. I have not heard a word. It’s been mum for years that there is a tech sector in this province. We are strong because we have a diversified economy.

Interjection.

Madame Speaker: Member, commentary from your seat, please.

Hon. A. Virk: We are strong because we have a strong tech sector and a diversified economy. But I’m going to talk more about that later.

Noting the hour, I reserve my position to continue on later.

Hon. A. Virk moved adjournment of debate.

Motion approved.

Hon. T. Stone moved adjournment of the House.

Motion approved.

Madame Speaker: This House, at its rising, stands adjourned until 1:30 this afternoon.

The House adjourned at 11:57 a.m.

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