2017 Legislative Session: Sixth 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 21, 2017

Morning Sitting

Volume 41, Number 11

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

TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 21, 2017

The House met at 10:06 a.m.

[Madame Speaker in the chair.]

Routine Business

Prayers.

Introductions by Members

Hon. S. Anton: Madame Speaker, 100 years ago, in 1916, there was a plebiscite as to whether or not women should receive the vote. I’m pleased to report that it was overwhelmingly successful. The first woman took her place in this Legislature in 1917, Mary Ellen Smith. When she came in the door, she was given enthusiastic applause. There was certainly no turning back.

Now, of course, as we know, that was not the full franchise. It took some time, in fact until 1960, when there was a full franchise for everybody in this country — with First Nations, up until that point, having to give up their status in order to vote. That was not changed until 1960, which is, actually, in the history of things, fairly recent.

We are joined today, who came last night…. Thank you, Madame Speaker, to yourself and the Lieutenant-Governor for having an event at Government House, celebrated by many of our women colleagues here in the House and also joined by MLAs, former and current. A very nice event at Government House.

We are joined today by two of those former MLAs, Lynn Stephens and Val Roddick. Lynn Stephens served as a member for Langley from 1991 to 2005, for 14 years. She was a very strong advocate for Langley, and she was very strongly — as is appropriate, on this budget day — in favour of economic development and also a great spokesperson for children.

We are joined, as well, by Val Roddick, from Delta South, a former MLA from 1999 to 2009 in this House. Val Roddick — every time you hear her name mentioned, you hear her favourite line: “We all still have to eat to live.” As we know, Val was a great supporter of agriculture. She was a Parliamentary Secretary for Agriculture Planning and, in fact, helped develop the first agricultural plan for the Ministry of Agriculture.

Would the House please welcome back these two former MLAs.

J. Darcy: I have an introduction and a remembrance to do today.

It’s a great pleasure to welcome my constituency assistant, Laura Sunnus, to the Legislature today. As we all know, we rely every single day on the staff in our constituency office. Ours in New Westminster is a very, very busy one — very intense caseload. People coming in the door all the time, and Laura does a tremendous job welcoming people, doing everything she can to support them and to support my work in the community and also when I’m away and in this House.

Would the Legislature please give a warm welcome to Laura Sunnus.

Tributes

BOB WHITE

J. Darcy: I would also like today to remember a great Canadian who passed away on Sunday: Bob White. He was a pre-eminent trade union leader of his generation.

[1010]

He was a former president of the Canadian Auto Workers and then, for several years, the president of the Canadian Labour Congress. He was known both across this country and around the world as being a leading spokesperson for not just workers’ rights but for global justice and for peace.

Bob White dropped out of school at the age of 15 to work in a factory, but he was a voracious reader and a real worker-intellectual who understood issues deeply and spoke about them passionately. He was a man who led from the front but who also led with a song in his heart and a smile on his lips. He made millions of working people across this country proud to be working people.

I can also attest to the fact that he was, I will say, a rare breed in the trade union movement and in trade union leadership, a man who really supported and encouraged strong women. I say that from experience as the head of Canada’s largest union — the only Canadian female union leader at the time — for the tremendous support that he gave to me, to other women and for building equality and equity within our movement.

Would the House please join me in extending deepest condolences to his wife, Marilyne, whom he credited with making him the supporter of feminism that he was; his daughter Robyn; and his wonderful sons as well.

Introductions by Members

J. Yap: Madame Speaker, on your and the Minister of International Trade’s behalf, there’s a contingent from your favourite chamber of commerce and my favourite chamber of commerce, the Richmond Chamber of Commerce.

There’s a group here, a number of directors and officers who are here to spend the day, on budget day, here at the Legislature: Barbara Tinson, Fan Chun, Gerard Edwards, Phebe Chan, Christine Lim, Clint Undseth, Chuck Keeling, Gavin Dew, Parv Bal, Dan Sakaki, Shaena Furlong, and CEO and president Matt Pitcairn. Would the House please give them a warm welcome.
[ Page 13702 ]

Tributes

BOB WHITE

Hon. C. Clark: On behalf of the government, I would like to add our most sincere condolences to all those who loved Bob White. He was an agent of great change in Canada. The member for New Westminster has, I think, very sincerely pointed out his deep commitment to social justice, to the advancement of women in the workforce. Canada is a better place for voices because we have voices of people like Bob White.

I’d like to add, with the member from the opposition and all members in this House, in expressing our deep condolences to his family for his loss and recognizing and saying thank you. Canada is a better place because we have people exactly like Bob White who are prepared to step up and make a very real difference for all those who decide to go out and work hard every day, earn a living and look after the people that they love.

Introductions by Members

L. Reimer: I have three introductions I’d like to make this morning. Firstly, I have a couple constituents. Mr. Stirling Ward, who is an internationally renowned photographer, is here. Stirling has been a great contributor to our arts and culture in the city of Port Moody.

We also have with us Mr. Gerry Nuttall, who is a former city councillor with the city of Port Moody and very involved in the community as well. I recently participated in the opening of a new seniors drop-in centre in Port Moody.

Thirdly, I’d like to introduce Mr. Parv Bal with Progressive Waste Solutions and also very involved with our Tri-Cities Chamber of Commerce.

Would the House please make them all very welcome.

S. Hamilton: Good morning. I would like the House to join me in welcoming a couple of friends I have visiting us here today. We have Tanya and Matt Corbet in the audience.

Tanya is a member of the Tsawwassen First Nation executive council and more recently, the Tsawwassen First Nation Economic Development Corp., among other roles she plays in the community. She sits on the board of directors for Kwantlen Polytechnic University. I know that since Tanya has left Tsawwassen Development Corp., she’s going to pop up somewhere else and do good things for her community of Tsawwassen First Nation and the broader community. She’s a great talent, and I’m looking forward to seeing many more things happen.

[1015]

Hon. N. Yamamoto: I have two introductions to make this morning. One of them is Jennifer Sibbald. Jennifer is a full-time student at BCIT. She’s in the eco restoration program and will be graduating this year. She’s also working on the Mackay Creek restoration project in North Vancouver. She’s a board member of the Seymour Salmonid Society. I think she’s our next generation of conservationists in the Lower Mainland.

She is accompanied by her mentor. He is one of North Vancouver’s leading conservationists and, I’m proud to say, a good friend. Shaun Hollingsworth is president of the Seymour Salmonid Society. He’s helping to save the salmon in the Seymour River after a rock slide of about 50,000 cubic metres slid into the Seymour River in 2014. Shaun is also the Canadian co-chair of the Skagit Environmental Endowment Commission and is on the board of the B.C. conservation society. He was the first recipient of the Tim Jones Community Achievement Award, and I believe he’s doing this for his grandchildren.

Thank you for everything you do, Shaun.

Would the House please make them welcome.

Statements
(Standing Order 25B)

The Highway VIDEO BY
KITSUMKALUM FIRST NATION YOUTH

R. Austin: I recently attended the release of an amazing video created by students at ’Na Aksa Gyilak’yoo School in Kitsumkalum. This was an initiative of N’we Jinan, a program that offers First Nations youth the opportunity to write an original song, with music and video, that explores relevant issues and topics while promoting community engagement and the learning of new technology.

The students chose to write about a powerful topic close to their hearts, as it has affected some of them on a personal level. The song is entitled The Highway, about the missing and murdered women who have died on Highway 16, where their school is located. Assisted by musician-producer David Hodges, they wrote the song in three days, and it includes some of the local Tsimshian language, Sm’algyax, which this school promotes. After recording it, they went to several locations to film the story line with videographer Andrei Savu, another of the leaders behind N’we Jinan.

In less than a month, this performance has got over 200,000 views on social media, including YouTube, iTunes and Facebook. But what is remarkable is that students in intermediate grades have found another empowering way to speak about the social inequity and persecution that has led to this tragedy, something that we in this House are still trying to find solutions to.

I want to congratulate all the students involved, both the creators and the actors, as well as recognize the support from the adults who worked with the kids, Larry Derrick and Margaret Samson. The video has gone to
[ Page 13703 ]
the attention of many people, including former Prime Minister Paul Martin as well as our own Premier, who sent congratulatory messages.

I encourage all members in this House to see what an amazing video this is. It takes only five minutes and 14 seconds of your time. Go to YouTube, look for The Highway, enjoy and be inspired, as this is also a message of hope for the future.

VERNON WINTER CARNIVAL

E. Foster: It gives me great pleasure today to rise and speak of an event that takes place in my riding every year, the Vernon Winter Carnival. The 57th annual celebration kicked off this year on Friday, February 3, with the crowning of Queen Silver Star the 57th, Jordynne Tomiak, and Princess Silver Star the 57th, Meghan Townley, and ran all through the next week through Sunday, February 12.

On the Saturday morning, the fourth, the annual parade kicked off. Over 120 entries in the parade this year — floats, bands, animals, lots of horses. It was a little chilly, mind you. The route was lined with families bundled up warm. After all, it is a winter carnival. And it’s the second-largest winter carnival in Canada, after Quebec City.

The week was full, with over 100 events for all ages. This year, due to the late start of the House, I was able to be home for the week, which was a lot of fun. My wife and I took part in many of the events. One of the important events is a luncheon that’s held on the Wednesday of carnival week each year where the Good Citizen of the Year is honoured. As every year, the Good Citizen of the Year is sponsored by a tremendous group of young people in Vernon, the JCIs.

[1020]

This year’s recipient is Marie Morris. Marie was recognized for all the volunteer work she’s done over many years in and around the city of Vernon. So congratulations to Marie on this much-deserved honour.

An event like this doesn’t take place without a tremendous group of volunteers, and I’d like to thank Deb White, who is the president of the Vernon Winter Carnival, and all of the board of directors for the many, many, many hours of dedicated time they put in throughout the year.

Thank you, Madame Speaker, for this opportunity to honour the folks that put all their efforts and time into the winter carnival.

WASABI FARM ON MALCOLM ISLAND

C. Trevena: If you think about Malcolm Island — and I’m sure a number of the members here do — maybe you think of the old Finnish fishing community, or maybe something about forestry. But there is a growing and somewhat unusual industry on the island: a wasabi farm. It’s not the bright green edition most of us recognize from Japanese restaurants, but it’s the real stuff. Eight large greenhouses on a property on Kaleva Road form North America’s largest wasabi farm. At 44,000 square feet, it is about a tenth of the size of a Japanese farm but still produces about 30 kilos of wasabi a week.

Wasabi grows low to the ground in gravel from Orca Sand and Gravel just outside Port McNeill, and it loves the North Island climate, its cool and often grey days. While the Japanese use nearly all of the plant, the market for Malcolm Island growers Andrew Cole and Kyla Lee is the rhizome. It takes two years for the crop to be ready to harvest, and that harvesting is quite quick. Andrew and Kyla harvest to order, clean it, pack it and ship it to Port Hardy airport by the local courier company, Harmony Couriers.

Wasabi is a high-value crop, selling for more than $200 a kilo, and the Malcolm Island product graces restaurants in London, U.K.; the Netherlands; as well as close to home, in Vancouver and the United States.

It was by chance that Andrew and Kyla discovered the opportunity to grow wasabi and now work through Pacific Coast Wasabi. Dr. Brian Oates, the founder, president and chief scientist, was a former faculty member at UBC. He’s been researching wasabi cultivation for 15 years, and PCW does the marketing and sales.

Dr. Oates is not just looking at the lucrative culinary market. He’s also doing research into the biomedical field. It’s believed to help with allergies, asthma, cancer and eczema, among other health issues. But in the meantime, Andrew and Kyla are looking at alternative ways of storing and shipping their product, with a likely investment in a freeze dryer.

So the next time you have wasabi at a Japanese restaurant, take another look. If it’s freshly grated and loses its bite after 20 minutes, you’ve likely got the real stuff. But you will also see that on your bill.

FRESHWATER FISHERIES SOCIETY
LEARN-TO-FISH PROGRAM

L. Larson: In 2006, in response to a decline in freshwater anglers, the learn-to-fish program was developed and is managed by the Freshwater Fisheries Society of B.C. The objective was not just to recruit new anglers of all ages but to increase environmental awareness and stewardship of our freshwater resources, including fish and their habitat.

The program is designed to deliver to those five years in age and up, their families, school groups and community organizations. Participants are introduced to the role of hatcheries, fish identification, regulations, fishing gear and techniques on how to catch a fish.

In 2016, the program was delivered to over 32,000 youth and families, an increase of 6,000 over the previous year. In the Okanagan, programs were delivered to 2,877 participants at urban lakes, recreation sites and provincial parks.
[ Page 13704 ]

On February 11, I attended, with my grandchildren, the family ice-fishing day at Yellow Lake. The children are given a rod, bait and a bucket to sit on. They patiently, and sometimes not so patiently, sit over a hole cut in the ice, waiting for a fish to bite. Special stations are also set up with cameras and video screens where you can see the bottom of the lake and, with luck, catch a glimpse of a fish swimming by. Hundreds of children and their families participate in this free ice-fishing day experience, coming from all over the region and the Lower Mainland.

Thank you to Rick Simpson and the volunteers from the BCWF, the Freshwater Fisheries Society of B.C., outreach coordinator Tanya Laird, the B.C. conservation office and members of the Okanagan Nation Alliance and all the volunteers and partners who make this such a great experience every year. And, no, we didn’t catch any fish.

LORAN SCHOLARSHIP WINNER AND
CARLETON ELEMENTARY SCHOOL

A. Dix: The Loran award is the largest and most comprehensive undergraduate scholarship in Canada, worth some $100,000 over four years. Loran volunteers seek to identify and support young people who have the integrity and courage to make difficult decisions, the perseverance to work towards long-term goals.

[1025]

Two weeks ago it was announced that Kaitlin Wong, a grade 12 student at Killarney Secondary and a proud resident of Vancouver-Kingsway, was one of the winners. Kaitlin is a leader in her high school community, raising money and supporting her colleagues. She stands out for her integrity, determination and courage. Kaitlin is a graduate of Carleton Elementary School at Kingsway and Joyce in East Vancouver. I saw her leadership firsthand six years ago, in 2010, when she was one of the leaders in saving her elementary school from possible closure.

Since 1896, before South Vancouver was Vancouver, Carleton has been an extraordinary public school. The community, in the face of difficulties, has worked and fought to make it the school that it is. The provincial government, weeks before the 2005 election, made a promise. They had a provincewide seismic announcement at Carleton, a promise that was soon broken and never fulfilled.

In 2008, the historic 1896 schoolhouse was damaged in a fire, and the province would only give money to tear it down. The community got together with Green Thumb Theatre and rebuilt. Last August, the main building at Carleton was severely damaged in a fire. The province insures the building, which is now empty, yet we have no word yet as to whether it will be fixed or rebuilt, whether Carleton will be Carleton again.

Kaitlin’s success, she will tell you, is the success of Carleton teachers and parents and her fellow students as well. The generosity that she embodies reflects what Carleton means to us. This is a school of majority English language learners, of families who know that education is the silver bullet for their children’s future, and we will fight together to ensure that Carleton is a school for generations to come.

TROLL’S RESTAURANT

J. Sturdy: Madame Speaker, I wonder if you have ever had fish and chips at Troll’s Restaurant in Horseshoe Bay.

Interjections.

J. Sturdy: Exactly, yes. I suspect you and many others in this House have eaten at this legendary establishment that has been a British Columbia icon for ferry patrons, Horseshoe Bay visitors and locals alike for over 70 years. Today I stand to honour the lives of Carol and Gary Troll, the proprietors of this restaurant of the same name, who passed away last month, within three days of each other, at ages 74 and 75 respectively. They were married for 52 years.

Gary’s parents first opened Troll’s in 1946 as a fish-and-chips shack. In 1962, they upgraded into the current location and transitioned the business to Gary and Carol in 1972. The couple ran the restaurant until their passing. The plates were always full, and everyone was always welcome at Troll’s. Gary was known to arrive at 4 a.m. to prepare for the day, a practice he continued until just a few years ago. Early risers would find him at the 6 a.m. opening, with coffee and a smile.

Carol was known for her strength and as a stabilizing force in the family. The couple had been high school sweethearts, and their life-long love for one another was apparent to everyone around them. One can’t help but think that their passing within days of each other reflects this.

Troll’s Restaurant has employed thousands over its 70-plus years in Horseshoe Bay, and Carol and Gary were more than just business owners. They gave kids their first jobs. They gave back to the community, and they were pillars of West Vancouver.

I’m pleased to pay tribute to Carol and Gary Troll. Their names will live on, not just in Troll’s Restaurant of Horseshoe Bay but in the legacy of caring and community they leave behind.

Oral Questions

FERRY SYSTEM MANAGEMENT
AND SALE OF FERRIES

C. Trevena: The Minister of Transportation has refused to tell this House how much the Queen of Chilliwack sold for, because he said it might impact the sale price
[ Page 13705 ]
of other B.C. ferries. Well, we now know the Queen of Burnaby sold for $425,000 in an on-line auction. That’s just $25,000 more than the minimum bid.

[1030]

To the Minister of Transportation, will he now tell the House how much the Queen of Chilliwack sold for?

Hon. T. Stone: You know, I always wait with bated breath when I know that there may be some advice coming from members opposite on vessel procurement and ferry infrastructure. These are the folks who in a certain time, when they were in government, built a number of fast ferries for $70 million. The estimate was $70 million. They ended up costing almost half a billion dollars.

Interjections.

Madame Speaker: Members.

Please continue.

Hon. T. Stone: It’s with great interest that we wait for any advice that they can offer us on ferry vessel procurement.

With respect to these vessels, we have actually said very clearly to B.C. Ferries — which is responsible for the operations, including vessel replacement — that we do expect that the sale price for these vessels should be disclosed. We understand that the price that the Queen of Chilliwack fetched will be disclosed. There is one more vessel in this class of vessels that B.C. Ferries is planning on putting up for sale. So as to maximize the best price for taxpayers, that information will be withheld until that sale has completed.

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

C. Trevena: We’re not going to go into the cost of those German vessels that remain tied up for most of the year nor the Polish vessels that were built offshore either.

The minister needs to stop hiding behind these ferries and stop hiding the facts from the public of B.C. The confidentiality didn’t help sell the Queen of Burnaby. It sold for less than the salary, the annual salary, of the CEO of B.C. Ferries.

So $18 million was put into the refurbishment of the Queen of Chilliwack. The $18 million of public money was put into the refurbishment just months before it sold, so the B.C. public has every right to know how much that sale cost them.

To the minister, will he finally tell the House how much it sold for?

Hon. T. Stone: I’m glad that the member opposite mentioned the Salish class of vessels, the first of which B.C. Ferries has taken delivery and will be in operation very soon. I’m sure, if she spent a couple minutes with her colleague from Powell River–Sunshine Coast, he could update her on just how excited the people of Powell River and, indeed, Comox actually are that this new vessel will soon be in operation on that particular route.

The Queen of Chilliwack was 40 years old. It was at the end of its useful service life. The cost to keep that vessel in good repair and in compliance with Transport Canada requirements would be $1½ million to $2 million per year. It just goes to show the quality of the financial understanding on the other side of the floor that they would think that keeping a 40-year vessel that’s costing taxpayers $1½ million to $2 million per year is actually a good deal for British Columbians.

Madame Speaker: The member for Powell River–Sunshine Coast.

Interjections.

N. Simons: Yeah, we’re looking forward to it.

Ferry fares have been skyrocketing under this government while schedules and service cuts have plagued ferry-reliant communities. We know that if this minister got a dime more than $18 million for the Chilliwack, he’d have put a plaque up congratulating himself. It would have been a nice plaque, I’m sure.

Why won’t the minister tell this House how much his premature fire sale of the Queen of Chilliwack cost ferry users?

[1035]

Hon. T. Stone: As I’ve said a couple times already, this process is managed by B.C. Ferries. There is one more vessel in this class of vessels that B.C. Ferries will soon be putting on the market. I would remind the members opposite — I know this is a difficult concept to understand — that the market determines the value of these vessels. The Queen of Chilliwack was a 40-year-old vessel at the end of its useful life.

Interjections.

Madame Speaker: Members.

Hon. T. Stone: We do not think, on this side of the House — and we certainly agree with B.C. Ferries’ analysis — that $1½ million to $2 million per year to keep a 40-year vessel in good repair is a good investment for the taxpayers.

But I’m glad that the member mentioned schedules. Perhaps the next question will afford an opportunity to highlight the announcement that was made yesterday, that an additional sailing every other week is now going to be re-established from Prince Rupert to Haida Gwaii, enhancing service for those folks. That’s one service enhancement amongst many that have been made over the
[ Page 13706 ]
last year. Why? Because as a result of our actions and our hard work and the hard work of British Columbians, the ferry service in this province is now sustainable, and it’s going to be affordable for the long term.

Madame Speaker: Recognizing Powell River–Sunshine Coast on a supplemental.

N. Simons: Maybe in a couple of months, he’ll be asking the questions, but for now, it’s still us. And, you know, if the ferry was really at the end of its useful life, do you think it would be plying the waters off Fiji right now? I think the minister has some research to do.

The cost of taking a car between Vancouver Island and the Mainland has gone up over 100 percent under this government. Getting from Horseshoe Bay to Langdale has gone up 105 percent under this government. Rates have skyrocketed under this government’s watch while wages in this province have stagnated. So why won’t the minister — unless he’s hiding something — tell us how much the Queen of Chilliwack sold for?

Hon. T. Stone: Well, again, there are three vessels in this class, the Queen of Chilliwack and the Queen of Burnaby being the first two that have been put up for sale. The third vessel will be put out to the markets. I think, certainly, members on this side of the House, members in government, understand that you don’t go out to the market and say: “Here’s how much, maximum, we’re willing to accept to sell this vessel.” You actually put it out to the market, and you do everything you can to get the maximum value for the vessel possible. That’s what will transpire.

We have said to B.C. Ferries that we expect, from a transparency perspective, for all the details of the procurement, including the sale price, to be disclosed when the final vessel is sold. We have a good record of transparency. The Evergreen project, recently completed…. We said all through that project that all of the financial details would be shared with British Columbians, and they were recently, including that the project was delivered under budget.

G. Holman: Small communities are suffering because of this minister’s careless mismanagement of B.C. Ferries. The minister and this government have increased the cost of travelling between Saltspring Island and Victoria by 110 percent since 2003 — 110 percent. He may think it’s okay to flush $18 million down the toilet, but it’s families and communities that are paying the price. How much more will people on Saltspring be paying because of this minister’s failure?

Hon. T. Stone: Again, all we ever hear from the opposition is a bunch of slogans and rhetoric.

Interjections.

Madame Speaker: Members.

[1040]

Hon. T. Stone: Government has worked very hard with B.C. Ferries and coastal communities and the Ferry Commissioner to do everything that we possibly can to get B.C. Ferries to a place of sustainability and to recognize that the rising cost of fares was, in and of itself, no longer sustainable.

The members opposite neglect to point out that for the next three years, there will be no fare increases, when you offset fares with fuel. British Columbians will not be out of pocket.

Interjections.

Madame Speaker: Please continue.

Hon. T. Stone: Perhaps we’re seeing some signs of alternative facts from the members opposite when it comes to B.C. Ferries. The fact of the matter is that fares are not going up. The out-of-pocket cost to ferry riders will not increase for the next three years.

Meanwhile, service where it is most needed, where there is high utilization, is being added back into the system. I mentioned Prince Rupert to Haida Gwaii. Let me also mention that service has been added back in at Horseshoe Bay to Langdale, Nanaimo to Gabriola, Buckley Bay to Denman Island, Denman to Hornby Island, and there will be more to come. In addition to that, the vessels are being renewed, with taking delivery of the latest Salish-class vessel that will be in service in a matter of weeks.

Madame Speaker: Saanich North and the Islands on a supplemental.

G. Holman: I’ll be sure to pass on to my constituents that the minister thinks a 110 percent fare increase is a slogan. I’ll be sure to be telling them that in the next election.

Ordinary people living in my constituency can’t donate $20,000 to have dinner with the Premier, but they still matter. This government has done nothing but make lives harder for everyday people, raising the cost of everything.

Interjection.

G. Holman: Really?

From hydro to MSP to ICBC. On top of that, my constituents are paying 110 percent more just to leave town.

Now the minister is making them pay $18 million for his botched sale of the Chilliwack. My question is: when it comes to the coast, are this minister and this government acting out of spite or incompetence?
[ Page 13707 ]

Interjections.

Madame Speaker: Members, this House will come to order.

Hon. C. Clark: The member talks about how he’s concerned that life is getting more unaffordable for British Columbians. The member from Gulf Islands stands up and says he’s concerned about how expensive life is getting. Well, just three feet down from that member….

Interjections.

Hon. C. Clark: I feel like they’re trying to use up the time because they might run out of questions, Madame Speaker.

Just three seats down from that member sits another member from Vancouver Island who recently said: “We’ll see what the budget is like on Tuesday, but the big idea from this government is another round of tax cuts. We in the NDP,” he says, “are going to have to fight those tax cuts too.”

Now, on the one hand, we have one member pretending he cares about life becoming unaffordable for British Columbians, and meanwhile, his colleague has had the courage to be honest, to say the NDP intend to fight tax cuts, because….

Interjections.

Madame Speaker: Members.

Interjections.

Madame Speaker: Members, this House will come to order.

[1045]

Hon. C. Clark: There’s something that we know on this side of the House that members on that side of the House just never can recognize. It’s that having the highest taxes in Canada, which we had under the last NDP government, is bad for British Columbia. When government finds a way to put more money back in people’s pockets, we put people to work.

Today in British Columbia, more people are coming to our province than any other province in the country, from the rest of Canada. More people are buying homes. More people are starting businesses than anywhere else in the country.

Interjections.

Madame Speaker: Members, this House will come to order.

Hon. C. Clark: More people….

Interjections.

Madame Speaker: Members.

Please continue.

Hon. C. Clark: More people have started businesses in British Columbia than anywhere else in Canada in the last year. More people have come here from the rest of the country than to any other province in the country in the last year. More people in British Columbia are working today than ever in the history of our province. We didn’t get there by having higher taxes. We didn’t get there by taking money out of British Columbians’ pockets and making their lives less affordable.

We got there because we remembered that every penny that government has to spend comes from taxpayers, and government must make every effort to make sure that we give taxpayers back the money that they give us, as a first priority. It’s not by raising taxes, as the member says he’d like to do. It’s by cutting taxes. It’s by putting money back in people’s pockets. It’s by respecting taxpayers, growing our economy, controlling government spending and making sure that British Columbians have more opportunities to work than ever before in our history.

Interjections.

Madame Speaker: Hon. Members, the Chair will hear the question and the answer.

WATER QUALITY IN SPALLUMCHEEN AREA

G. Heyman: Continuing with this theme, last Thursday liquid manure on a dairy farm near the Splatsin First Nation overflowed its sewage lagoon. While Ministry of Environment officials knew of the sewage lagoon spill, no one informed the Splatsin First Nation, Spallumcheen council or any residents dependent on Hullcar aquifer water. Last year the freedom-of-information commissioner ordered the government to proactively release information related to the safety of the water supply.

My question to the Premier is simple. Why didn’t her government comply with the order from the Information Commissioner and inform residents of the sewage lagoon spill instead of continuing her sorry record of withholding vital health information from the public?

Madame Speaker: Minister of Agriculture.

Hon. N. Letnick: It’s actually a question for the Minister of Environment. I’ll take it on notice.

[1050]

Madame Speaker: New question, Vancouver-Fairview.
[ Page 13708 ]

G. Heyman: In 2016, the Environment Ministry sent the farm owner a warning letter stating: “There is not sufficient capacity to store the manure over the winter.”

Yet on Thursday, the sewage lagoon overflowed, and the farm’s ongoing attempt to clean it up is to spread the manure on snow-covered fields without a permit and in violation of a 2015 Environment Ministry order.

Why didn’t the Premier make sure her Environment Ministry followed up their orders with inspection and enforcement before this sewage lagoon spill could further threaten the safety of Hullcar and Splatsin water supplies?

Hon. N. Letnick: Again, it’s a question for the Minister of Environment. I’ll take that on notice.

S. Fraser: This question is to the Minister of Health.

In 2014, a water quality advisory was issued for the Hullcar aquifer due to excessive nitrate concentrations — a significant health risk to the region. Yet manure spraying on nearby fields continued.

Two weeks later test results showed nitrate levels in the Steele Springs water supply reached a whopping 44 percent above Canada drinking water–quality guidelines. I’m sure the minister knows that’s a problem.

To the Minister of Health, who does he put forward, who did he put a priority on — a commercial interest in the region or British Columbians’ need for safe, clean drinking water?

Hon. T. Lake: The Ministry of Environment, the Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Agriculture have been working in a cross-ministry working group.

I know the MLA for Sicamous and Shuswap has been very active on this file. All the available water quality data, as well as relevant legislation, is being reviewed. The working group is working with local agricultural industry and providing information to the community.

All of that information is being posted on the website. Also, work is ongoing with external agencies, including UBC Okanagan and the Okanagan Basin Water Board.

From a health standpoint, the medical health officer from Interior Health Authority is very engaged on this file. We will ensure that the water quality issues are resolved with our cross-ministry working group.

Madame Speaker: Alberni–Pacific Rim on a supplemental.

S. Fraser: That’s an alternative reality. The reality, in fact, is the residents of the Hullcar Valley, Spallumcheen and the Splatsin Nation have been waiting for three long years for safe drinking water. The Minister of Health knows that, and that’s appalling.

They are tired of this government’s excuses, evasions and endless studies. Sewage pollution is a health risk, a serious health risk, to seniors, to pregnant women, to children and to infants. It can cause conditions like blue baby syndrome. The minister should know this.

Last week a frustrated resident asked me: “Does someone have to die before this minister takes any meaningful action?” People have waited three years.

Will the minister act immediately to end manure spraying over their drinking water supply?

Hon. C. Clark: The member will see when the budget is introduced later today significant investment in infrastructure. I know the NDP oppose all the infrastructure spending and the 30,000 jobs that creates across the province.

Interjections.

Madame Speaker: Members.

Hon. C. Clark: Over the coming months, members will also see significant investments in clean water across the province. It is absolutely vital to make sure that everybody in urban and rural areas of the province have access to clean water.

But it’s important to remember why we are able to make these investments. We are able to make these investments not by raising taxes, as the member for Victoria–Swan Lake says he wants to do; not by growing government, as the Leader of the Opposition says he wants to do; not by letting government spending get out of control; and not by sending people from British Columbia fleeing to other parts of the country because they can’t find work here.

[1055]

We are able to make these significant investments in infrastructure for our generation and for future generations because we are focused on controlling spending, on creating jobs, on making sure that British Columbians have opportunity in every single corner of this province.

It is the hard work of British Columbians every day who pay taxes, who go to work, pay taxes and look after the people that they love that is allowing us the flexibility to make sure that we can return those dividends to people in the form of strong infrastructure in our province.

More British Columbians are working today than ever in the history of our province. We are proud of that, and we got there because we want to make sure British Columbians get money back in their pockets and have a job to go to every day that will allow them to look after the people that they love. That’s the recipe for success in British Columbia.

HOME CARE SERVICES

J. Darcy: Lana Turner is 55 and a quadriplegic. She’s a woman who relies on home care for her basic needs
[ Page 13709 ]
like meals and hygiene. After she moved from Campbell River to Surrey in December, the amount of home support that she received dropped considerably. She was told she couldn’t expect to have a worker come after 6 p.m. in the evening because, they said, she lived in a high crime area. Lana said she was left with the awful choice of being fed or having her briefs changed and then, at 6:30, being put to bed.

Does the Minister of Health think that that kind of care is acceptable for anyone in this province?

Hon. T. Lake: The individual in question is on a community supports for independent living program. My understanding is that Fraser Health has reached out, and in fact, those supports have been put in place. I’m sure the member for New Westminster actually knows that.

The reality is that, again, later today, we will see the significant investments that we are making in the lives of British Columbians. With our agreement with Canada, 1.4 billion extra dollars are going into mental health and substance use supports and, importantly, to home care and to community care for our older citizens in this province.

As I said yesterday, the members opposite are always wanting to spend more money, and the way they want to do that is by raising taxes. We want to grow the economy so that we can support all of the people that are important to British Columbians.

Madame Speaker: The member for New Westminster on a supplemental.

J. Darcy: Does the Minister of Health or the Premier expect Lana to forget about the neglect that she experienced at the hands of this government? It is shameful. Shameful. No other word for it.

Lana Turner went 51 days without a bath — 51 days. In fact, it was only because the media shamed the government into action that she got a bath at all.

The number of seniors in this province is rapidly rising, as the Health Minister tells us all the time, but this Liberal government has not increased the hours of home support for seniors or people with disabilities. Lana Turner was living the effects of neglect by this government. “At times,” she said, “I’d want to give up and say, ‘I can’t live like this anymore.’”

My question is to the Minister of Health. Will Lana have to go to the media to shame this government every seven weeks in order to get a bath?

Hon. T. Lake: Perhaps the member for New Westminster…. Well, I know that she knows the answer, because this individual, who moved from one health authority to another, has been reassessed. They’ve reached out. They have provided the supports that the member is talking about.

I know the members opposite are getting desperate to find issues as we invest more and more resources into caring for people in British Columbia — $2.9 billion in home and community care in 2015-16. That’s an increase of $1.3 billion since this government has been in power.

[1100]

The budget this afternoon will show considerable future and new investments in home care, seniors care, and, of course, the deal that we have made with Canada makes sure that we can look after people in their homes longer, provide residential care services that they need, all while continuing to grow the economy and keeping taxes low for British Columbians.

[End of question period.]

Petitions

L. Throness: A petition to present. Recently I had a visit from two concerned women, Anne Sheffer and Gisela Montague, from the Catholic Women’s League. They presented me with this petition, signed by 120 people.

It asks this House to enact and uphold laws that will keep hospice and palliative care facilities separated from those that offer euthanasia and assisted suicide and implement regulations and policies that ensure respect for the freedom of conscience of all health care workers and administrators who will not and cannot accept suicide or euthanasia as a solution to pain and suffering.

Introductions by Members

C. Trevena: If I may make an introduction, in the gallery during question period was John Twigg. A number of people might know him. He used to actually work here back in the days of the Barrett government, for those in the House who have that length of memory. He is now a journalist and commentator in Campbell River. He was watching with great interest, but I have to admit that he did get up to leave during the Premier’s rather theatrical and irrelevant performance.

Petitions

S. Gibson: I have a similar request to that received by the member for Chilliwack-Hope, a petition requesting to keep hospice and palliative care separated from those for euthanasia and assisted suicide. That’s their request in this petition.

J. Thornthwaite: I, too, have a petition. I had a visit in my office a couple of times from Pat Dupuis, Anita Park, Carol Landy, Vivian LaCoste-Hollsworth and Margaret Eldridge to present me with a petition to keep hospice and palliative care facilities separated from those that offer medically assisted dying.
[ Page 13710 ]

G. Hogg: I, too, have a petition, signed by 151 residents of Surrey–White Rock who came — they didn’t all come to see me, but two of them came — to see me asking this Legislature not to force non-faith-based palliative and hospice care facilities to provide medical assistance in dying and to ensure the right of health care professionals to believe MAiD is morally and ethically wrong and to refuse to provide MAiD, to make referrals to it.

J. Yap: I also have a petition from a number of constituents with regard to medical assistance in dying and palliative care signed by approximately 650 constituents and other residents of Richmond.

Hon. Michelle Stilwell: I, too, have a petition, signed by constituents from Parksville-Qualicum, in relation to the medical assistance in dying, in relation to palliative care and hospice.

Orders of the Day

Hon. T. Stone: I call continuing debate on the Speech from the Throne.

Throne Speech Debate

(continued)

Hon. T. Stone: I am pleased to rise and continue the comments that I was able to briefly begin yesterday. During that time, I was able to acknowledge a number of my constituents, local success stories, key accomplishments of people I’m very proud of.

[R. Chouhan in the chair.]

I was able to take the opportunity to acknowledge and thank my hard-working constituency office staff — and I will do so again now. I was really able to set the context for what an exciting time it is in Kamloops and the region around Kamloops in terms of just so many activities and community-focused initiatives that are underway, but just generally, growth, low unemployment and a relatively strong economy in Kamloops–South Thompson.

[1105]

It gives me a great deal of pleasure to move now into more general comments about the Speech from the Throne. I’m very proud, as a member of government, to stand in support of the Speech from the Throne. It really, I think, reflects the reality that we have a plan here in British Columbia and we are executing on that plan. The plan is working, and we are going to put that plan in front of British Columbians soon.

It really is a great time to be in British Columbia. We have the strongest and the top-ranked economy in the country. We are a real bright spot from a growth perspective. We’ve been number one in growth across Canada. We are expected to lead in economic growth in the years ahead — potentially, as much as double the Canadian average. In fact, we’ve been the back-to-back leader in growth for a number of years now. The last time we were able to say that was way back in 1961.

Our trade continues to be highly diverse. Ten years ago, about 80 percent of exports from British Columbia went to the United States. Today that number is 55 percent. So while there is still significant exposure to the U.S. market, that exposure is significantly limited, reduced today compared to what it was ten years ago, and we’ve seen a significant uptick in our exports to Asia.

And 202,000 new jobs have been created since the jobs plan was launched in 2011. As I said, the result of that is British Columbia leading the nation with the lowest unemployment rate. That’s the first time that we can actually say that since 1976. That is projected to be the case for a number of years — certainly a number of months, if not years — moving forward. And 2.3 million British Columbians are working today. That’s more than ever in the history of our province.

We have negotiated labour settlements with almost 100 percent of the public service, including the longest period of labour peace in our schools, of six years. Almost 500 economic and reconciliation agreements with First Nations have been negotiated in the last decade, including over 200 in the past five years.

As we will hear this afternoon, the fifth consecutive balanced budget will be introduced. There are no jurisdictions in Canada anywhere close to that level of fiscal confidence. We’re the most competitive tax jurisdiction in the country. We continue to look for ways to reduce the tax burden for individuals, for families, for small businesses.

Speaking of small businesses, we continue to be the only province in the country that receives an A grade from the Canadian Federation of Independent Business for our success at cutting red tape. Small business here in British Columbia is at or near the top in the country as a result of that.

We’re poised to eliminate B.C.’s operating debt. That will likely happen in the next couple of years. The last time we had no operating debt in this province was in 1975.

One of the lowest debt-to-GDP ratios in the country. While we still borrow, we borrow to invest in infrastructure. We borrow to build schools and hospitals, roads and bridges, corrections facilities and so forth.

All of this fiscal foundation has resulted in British Columbia having the only triple-A credit rating in the country, other than Canada itself.

I think it’s important to talk about why all this matters. Whether in forestry or mining, tourism, tech, construction, every single one of those thousands of jobs that have been created here in British Columbia represents a paycheque. It’s a paycheque that’s helping to provide for
[ Page 13711 ]
a family, that’s helping to give that family an opportunity to achieve the life that they want, to pursue the opportunities that they want and to, essentially, look after the people that they love.

This is why I go to work every day. This is why I am so excited to be part of a team which is focused on doing everything that we can to create jobs and ongoing prosperity and opportunity for all British Columbians, truly a lasting legacy for our children.

It starts with having a vision. It starts with having a vision and fighting for British Columbians, building a strong fiscal foundation through balancing budgets, keeping taxes low and, generally, getting government out of your way, getting government out of your face.

[1110]

That all being said, I didn’t seek public office four years ago so that I could just stand and talk about balanced budgets and triple-A credit ratings, debt-to-GDP ratios and so forth.

Rather, it’s that strong economic foundation which is really critical because of what it enables you to do. It enables you to invest in people. It enables you to invest in the services that people need. It enables you to be there for families and all of our loved ones. It enables you to make investments like record levels of investment in health care, which is in part why we continue to have amongst the best health outcomes here in British Columbia. It enables you to invest in child care. It enables you to invest in education.

I’m very proud of our record on education. I have three children who attend a public elementary school in Kamloops, grades 7, 4 and 2. It’s a fabulous school, and the teachers are absolutely extraordinary. We’ve had a very positive experience through all the years that our girls have been at their school. We have amongst the best outcomes from an educational perspective as well. When you look at graduation rates overall, they’re up to 85 percent, compared to 76 percent in 2001. We look at the aboriginal grad rate, which is now 63 percent. That’s up from 42 percent. You look at a special needs grad rate of almost 66 percent today, which is up 97 percent. That’s what really matters.

Interjection.

Hon. T. Stone: The member opposite says that doesn’t matter. It’s the outcomes that matter. It’s the fact that our kids are amongst the best in reading and writing and science in the world, not just in the Canadian context. It is just outrageous that when you put $1.2 billion of additional funding into education since 2001, despite 70,000 fewer students in the system, which results in the best outcomes in Canada, which results in our students competing with the best and the brightest in the world, that the opposition still manages to find a fault with that, still looks for areas of criticism. I’m proud that our students are amongst the best in the world and that we have amongst the highest outcomes in the country.

Let’s talk about social services for a moment. We’ve heard a lot through this throne speech debate, the opposition painting a picture of British Columbia almost as a Third World country when it comes to the supports that are wrapped around British Columbians. Nothing could be further from the truth. Our focus is to ensure that supports are there for British Columbians who need them. It starts by doing everything you can to create as many jobs as possible in your province. And we’re leading the country on that front — 202,000 net new jobs since the jobs plan was released.

Secondly, it’s about focusing on targeted initiatives to get people off of social assistance. That’s things like the single-parent employment initiative, which the members opposite say they don’t support. The single-parent employment initiative is probably one of the most significant investments that we have made in terms of the return on that investment, which is in the form of giving people a hand up, helping people get off of social assistance — those folks that really want to and can.

This program, which has only been around for a year or so, represents a modest investment of about $24.5 million over five years. Approximately 4,400 individuals have registered in this program, and almost 800 have completed their training and are gainfully employed. Now, that is great news, because what it means is those are individuals who are no longer on social assistance. They’re paying taxes. But most importantly, they can look their kids in their eyes and say: “This is what it looks like when you work hard, when you roll up your sleeves and when your government gives you a little bit of a hand up.” That’s a targeted initiative which is really paying off.

There’s a whole broad comprehensive support system that’s wrapped around British Columbians that we don’t hear the members opposite talk about. Many of these supports are not available in other provinces. In some provinces, they are. In some provinces, they’re a bit higher or a bit lower. But overall, when you look at the entire support network, it’s quite impressive.

[1115]

Subsidized housing. The massive investment in rental housing we’ve made. Almost $1 billion is being invested in rental housing around the province. You look at the child care subsidies, the B.C. early-years strategy. We’re on our way to creating 13,000 new child care spaces. There’s the fact that dental and optical care is provided for children, free MSP for almost two million British Columbians, health supplements and PharmaCare coverage for persons with disabilities, a variety of other child and seniors benefits.

The last budget provided for $170 million of additional funding for persons with disabilities, to increase assistance rates. The opposition has done their best to
[ Page 13712 ]
completely and totally distort what was a $170 million investment in persons with disabilities.

Annualized earnings exemptions for people on disability assistance, up to $9,600 a year. B.C. was the first to do that. Employment insurance and maternity and parental benefits are fully exempt for people on income or disability assistance. A doubling of the earnings exemptions for all families with children. We’ve increased them from $300 to $500 per month for families with children with disabilities. We’ve increased asset limits for people receiving disability assistance. We provide a 25 percent reduction in ICBC rates for persons with disabilities. Persons with disabilities receive a fuel tax credit of up to $500 per year. Persons with disabilities can keep their disability assistance while at post-secondary institutions, and they receive $2,800 per year in non-repayable grants.

There are skills training investments. We have focused on adoption success, with really good results there. There is an incredible social safety net that we have built in this province.

Again, I come back to the outcomes of those investments. Since 2001, the number of people dependent on income assistance is down 24 percent. That’s a fact. Since 2006, the child poverty rate in B.C. has decreased by 50 percent. There are 79,000 fewer children living in poverty in British Columbia today than there were in 2006. That’s the largest drop during that time period in Canada. Since 2006, the total number of British Columbians living in low poverty has dropped by 27 percent. That’s 162,000 fewer individuals living in poverty in British Columbia during that time period.

There is more to do. There is no question about that. I think we will see what those details look like in the budget this afternoon. We will see continued investments made by this government in persons with disabilities and others of the most vulnerable in our society. I’m very proud of our record. I’m very proud of the progress that we have made on poverty reduction in this province, particularly as it relates to children.

We also invest heavily in capital spending for infrastructure, as I mentioned. Capital investments in Kamloops, which I can rattle off, have been recently announced. At Thompson Rivers University, we are partnering with the federal government on a new industrial training and technology centre. This is going to enable us to expand the number of seats in the technology and trades programs and provide training to that many more British Columbians to take advantage of the jobs that are there today and the jobs that will be there in the future. Or the $417 million investment that the Minister of Health and I were able to announce recently for a new patient care tower at Royal Inland Hospital in Kamloops. That follows on the $80 million investment in the clinical services building in Kamloops.

We can look more broadly at all the transportation investments we’ve made around the province since 2001. And $18 billion has been invested in roads, bridges, airports, ports and ferry systems around British Columbia. I’m very proud of the signature investments that we’ve made together in every facet of transportation, whether it’s the Evergreen Line, which is now open and in use. It means we have the longest rapid transit system in the entire country. Or the Port Mann Bridge and related improvements, the Sea to Sky project, the South Fraser Perimeter Road, the Trans-Canada Highway improvements from Kamloops to the Alberta border.

The members opposite and the Leader of Opposition indicated they would do it faster. Right. I can tell you that the people of Kamloops don’t believe a word the members opposite say. They barely invested $100 million in the Trans-Canada Highway over a ten-year period in the 1990s.

[1120]

We will have leveraged $1.4 billion of provincial and federal funding in investments in the Trans-Canada over the last ten years, including at Monte Creek to Hoffman’s Bluff; Hoffman’s Bluff to Chase; Salmon Arm west, which was a $167 million investment west of that city; the replacement of Malakwa and North Fork bridges; the Illecillewaet four-laning.

Or how about the project that was announced last week in Kamloops, with the federal Minister of Infrastructure actually flying into Kamloops. It was fantastic of him to do that. We announced, jointly, a $469 million investment in phase 4 of the Kicking Horse Canyon east of Golden and the Donald to Forde improvement west of Golden.

I will acknowledge the member for Columbia River–Revelstoke, who was not able to make the announcement but who was one strong voice in those particular projects, in advocating for those projects. I thank him for that advocacy.

We’re moving forward with the $3½ billion George Massey Tunnel project. We’re moving forward with six-laning of the Trans-Canada Highway. We’re committed from 216th all the way out to Abbotsford. How about the lower lane interchanges in North Vancouver or the seventh lane and the movable barrier system on the Alex Fraser Bridge. How about the McKenzie interchange here in greater Victoria, which will be the largest transportation investment in Victoria in quite some time.

The investments that we’re making in airports, ferries, ports, cycling, transit and highways in every corner are really powering our economy. And these investments have been opposed by the NDP.

Now, there is risk all around us. We’ll hear more about this, I’m sure, from the Minister of Finance later today. U.S. protectionism is on the rise. There are stalling world economic realities. There’s low growth across Canada. So there is risk all around British Columbia. We see what’s happening in other provinces as well. The risk here in British Columbia significantly amplifies if we don’t stick to the plan.
[ Page 13713 ]

We know that the NDP has no interest in balanced budgets. The Leader of the Opposition has recently said so. “It was a reality of the past, and it’s something we’re going to have to evaluate.” We know that the NDP has no interest in keeping taxes down. We have heard increasingly from members of the NDP that they are going to challenge any tax reductions. Any attempt on the part of government to put more money in people’s pockets will be challenged by the members opposite. They don’t stand for reducing taxes. The NDP is about slipping government’s hand into the pocket of the taxpayer. We know that from the 1990s. We see that in Alberta.

The NDP would kill the B.C. HOME partnership program. They would end the single-parent employment initiative. They haven’t met a single infrastructure project which we know they support. The NDP jobs plan is essentially to say no to everything and hope for the best. The bottom line is that you cannot say yes to workers across this province, you can’t say yes to jobs and then, in the other corner of your mouth, say no to every single project, whether it’s no to Site C, no to LNG, no to mining, no to infrastructure, no to every single project.

The NDP playbook has not changed. The NDP are all about reckless spending, high taxes and massive debt. This reckless spending can only be achieved by increasing the taxes on our children. That’s what the NDP stand for.

Interjections.

Deputy Speaker: Members.

Hon. T. Stone: The people of British Columbia are going to have a stark contrast in front of them in a matter of weeks, I tell you. With the progress that we have made in creating jobs, our unrelenting focus on continuing to create jobs, continuing to reduce taxes and the tax burden for British Columbians, continuing to get behind economic opportunities so that we can invest in the people we love…. I am chomping at the bit, as are colleagues on this side of the House, to get to that vote on May 9. Because you know what? British Columbians are going to stick with the plan.

K. Conroy: I’m honoured to stand in this chamber today and give my last response to the throne speech prior to the May 9 election. It’s been a real honour to represent the incredible people of Kootenay West.

[1125]

We all talk about the diversity of our own constituencies, and mine is no different. I do want to reiterate, though, an anomaly that those of us in rural constituencies encounter. I represent three cities — Rossland, Trail and Castlegar; seven villages — Warfield, Montrose, Fruitvale, Slocan, Silverton, New Denver and Nakusp; and so many different unincorporated communities like Edgewood, Fauquier, Winlaw, Oasis, Riverdale.

All are recognized in the three different regional districts, including Columbia-Shuswap regional district, area B, which represents Trout Lake and the northern part of the constituency; regional district of Kootenay-Boundary, representing areas A and B; and regional district Central Kootenay, representing areas H, I, J and K; for a total of seven regional district directors. We have three different school boards, with a total of 15 trustees.

This makes 78 municipal politicians in my constituency alone. I want to thank all of them for the work that they do in their communities and for their constituents. They do it every day. They’re in those communities, working and making sure things get done. They also work with both myself and my office to make sure we get things done on behalf of all of our constituents.

I think we don’t recognize those municipal politicians enough. I wanted to give them kudos today and welcome the mayors that are coming down this week to come and have a caucus here in Victoria, and thank them for the work they do.

I also want to thank my constituency assistants, Elaine Whitehead and Edena Brown. They’ve both been my assistants since 2005, and I want to thank them for the incredible work they do on our behalf in Castlegar, where our office is. We all know that they do that work while we’re here in Victoria or we’re out and about in the province dealing with our critic area. They’re part of what makes people work, what makes the job work, and I just want to thank them for that.

I also had a really great volunteer this year, Deb Austin. I want to thank her for all her help.

Last but certainly not least when I’m thanking people, I do want to thank my family. I don’t think this is a job you can do by yourself. You have to do it with the support of your family, and I have incredible support. Of course, my husband, Ed, who was here yesterday — I mentioned that he is a huge support. As I said, I’m really, really fortunate that I have a spouse who understands this job and puts up with the idiosyncrasies.

Our four kids and their spouses help, as well as all our grandkids, from the age of six months now to 16 years. They have been helping me with events. One of their favourite things is throwing candies at parades. We have over eight parades and sometimes more in our constituency. That’s one of the favourite things we do together — how to combine family and work life.

I also have many nieces and nephews, my own siblings, and everybody’s always helping out and so supportive, so I’m very, very fortunate in that sense.

My parents have also been incredibly supportive. My mom passed away in the spring. I hadn’t mentioned that yet. She was one of my biggest supporters, as is my dad. Dad took care of Mom the last few years of her life. She had Alzheimer’s and cancer, and he was an incredible caregiver to Mom. He’s going to be 89 this year, and he is an amazing person. He still curls, golfs, long-distance
[ Page 13714 ]
bike rides and cross-country skis and always has given me great advice.

A funny story. A few years ago he was curling, and a former mayor went up to him. The mayor came and told me this story. He said to my dad, “I love your daughter, she’s great, but she’s with the wrong party,” and my dad whipped back and said: “Well, over 60 percent of the people that live here don’t agree with you.” I just want to thank my dad for all his support over the years. I know how fortunate I am to have it.

I sat and listened to the throne speech last week. I believe this is the 12th one that I’ve listened to. I kept thinking I was going to hear something, anything that would have been of some real tangible benefit to people that live in rural B.C., and I didn’t hear it. There were some grandiose promises that haven’t amounted to anything which keep getting announced.

It’s somewhat embarrassing to hear members opposite still trotting out the same messaging. It’s really revisionist history, and it makes one ask: in all of those promises, where are the 100,000 jobs that were promised in 2013? Where is debt-free B.C. and that billion-dollar prosperity fund? Where is all that stuff?

[1130]

I think we had an example of it today in question period. This Premier likes to make things up and expand and promise grandiose things and then not deliver. I think that’s really important for the people of British Columbia to remember. This is a Premier who makes things up, promises the moon and doesn’t deliver.

The promise we’re now hearing, this promise of some slight payback to residents of B.C. — great if that’s going to happen. Who knows what’s going to happen this afternoon? But I kind of think…. The gall to tell people: “Okay, folks. We have saved so much of your own money by taking your own money away from you. Now we’re going to give you a little bit back.”

How did they save your own money? Well, by making you pay more. They’ve made you pay more and more and more. Let’s just look at some of the things that people in this province have had to pay more for. I think the one that sticks in most people’s craw, the one that I get the most complaints about, is the medical services premium.

This is the only province in the country that still charges people medical services premiums. When you see that somebody making just over $40,000 a year is paying exactly the same as somebody who makes over $400,000 a year…. It’s an incredibly regressive tax, a tax that is not fair. You have to think people are frustrated with that.

What else has gone up? The MSP rates have gone up 24 percent since 2011. That averages out to over $345 per family. B.C. Hydro rates have gone up over 30 percent since 2011, costing around $375 for the average family. Then there are ICBC rates. That one I get a lot of complaints about. Gone up 36 percent since 2011.

Interjection.

K. Conroy: The minister is going to argue with these accurate stats. You know, it’s costing the average customer more than $235 a year.

Now, we recently learned — maybe the minister would like to highlight this or let us know what this is — that the ICBC rates are now going to go up another 42 percent in the next five years.

Interjection.

K. Conroy: The minister laughs. Let’s hope that’s wrong. Let’s hope those facts that actually came from his ministry are erroneous: that if people actually vote for Liberals, they will get a tax increase that is going to be on ICBC, up to 42 percent over the next five years.

Interjection.

K. Conroy: The minister says we’re making it up. Well it came from his ministry, his working group. He likes to put out working groups. It was probably his working group. “How much can we soak the people of B.C. for, for higher ICBC costs?” That’s a working group.

How about ferry fares? We’ve got people from the Interior who say: “I can’t go visit my family. I’m a low-income senior. My kids live on the Island. I can’t go visit my grandkids because of the increased ferry fares.” How much more are they going to go up?

Camping fees. In rural B.C., people like to camp.

Interjection.

Deputy Speaker: Minister, you had your chance. Let her speak. The member has the floor now.

K. Conroy: The minister has had his chance. Now he wants more.

Camping fees. Let’s look at how much camping fees have gone up. They’ve increased five times since 2001, and it’s doubled in the most popular parks. Camping used to be an affordable activity for families. We used to take our kids camping. Our kids take their kids camping. Things like….

You’ve got to pay now for an extra vehicle when you’re out camping somewhere. I know families where one of the spouses will go to work and leave the other one with the kids, camping, so they can have a holiday. You need two vehicles. You’ve got to pay for an extra car. All these costs.

We used to go, and we used to get firewood. You don’t get that anymore. The cuts to campgrounds — people are frustrated with that.

Then there are tuition fees. It will cost the average UBC student at least $10,000 more to complete a four-year undergrad degree. That is an actual fact. We have some
[ Page 13715 ]
of the highest student debt in this country. The minister, I know, likes to say that it’s all under control, but it’s not. You talk to students, and they will tell you how incredibly expensive it is. It is so important that we educate our students, that we educate our young people.

They have some of the highest interest rates. Why would you charge students some of the highest interest rates in the country? It doesn’t make sense.

Then there’s the whole issue with adult basic education. Everybody knows adult basic…. Well, most people should know. I don’t know if the minister responsible knows. But of people that take adult basic education, 58 percent of them are women, 20 percent have at least one child, and 18 percent are indigenous people.

[1135]

A young woman named Santanna Hernandez went and presented on behalf of the Selkirk College Students Union to the Trail council last week. She represents all three of those categories: she’s a woman, she has at least one child, and she’s a First Nations woman. She was fortunate enough to get ABE when it was fully funded. She went in Trail. She was fully funded. She got adult based education. She completed her studies there, and now she has gone on.

She’s gone on and enrolled in the pre-med program at Selkirk, and she’s applying for medical school this fall, because of the support she got through adult basic ed. And this government cut it, to save what: $6.9 million? I mean, that is really a drop in the bucket for a ministry like this.

They are getting nothing. Why would they do this? Actually, Selkirk College recognized that so many of their students that are adult basic education, once they’ve finished, go on. They get a diploma. They get a degree. They recognized that, so they gave support to students once the government cut this. Now they’re worried that they might actually have to cut it.

So the student unions are going around asking municipalities: “Please let your voice be heard. Let the government know: do not cut adult basic education. It is so necessary for people to get the education they need to get.” It’s so shortsighted. We have to make sure that that doesn’t happen.

You know, B.C. has some of the second-highest child care costs. Now, I’m an early childhood educator. I worked in this sector for 20 years. Every year we would be saying…. We lobbied. We advocated, because we know. People know.

Actually, it’s not just the advocates for early childhood education that know how cost-effective child care is, how much of an economic driver it is. It’s the Vancouver Board of Trade. It’s these highly socialist, crazy people that are the Surrey Board of Trade, the Burnaby Board of Trade. Those are not social entities that you would think, but they are the ones that know. They know that child care is an economic driver. They know that good-quality child care is one of the best things that young children can get.

Children learn from birth to five. That is the greatest time of learning for a child. You would think that we would want to have the best-educated people taking care of kids in that period. What do we do? We pay people the worst.

Our oldest daughter is an early childhood educator. She’s got her post-basic, infant-toddler, special needs. She worked in the sector for a while, and then she got a job with the school district. She’s a teacher’s aide in the school district. Automatically, I think it was an $8-an-hour raise. It was benefits, a pension.

You know, people recognize, with the same qualifications, that you go and work in the school district, your qualifications are recognized. In the early childhood sector, they’re not, and that needs to change. It has to change in this province. It’s not going to cost government any more. It’s going to be efficient. It’s an economic driver. It’s one thing that we need to do, and one thing that we are going to do.

We, when we form government, will ensure that we have one of the best systems of services for child care in this province, for licensed, quality, affordable child care that’s going to put parents back to work. It’s going to give parents peace of mind. That’s an economic driver.

Their friends, on the other side, the Vancouver Board of Trade, agree with us, as does the Surrey Board of Trade. They agree with us. Just putting that out there.

You know, some of the things that people have had to pay more for, that you might not think of, are things like out-of-pocket services for health care: things like eye exams, physiotherapy, chiropractic care.

It’s interesting. The physiotherapists of B.C. just sent all of us…. Everybody in this House, all of the MLAs, got a brochure about services that physiotherapists offer. They showed how cost-effective it was to get physiotherapy instead of surgery. Why would this not be something, preventative medicine, that the Minister of Health should be looking at and saying: “Let’s put more money into preventative medicine because we’re going to save money”?

They know, it’s been proven, that you get physiotherapy for a number of months, you can prevent yourself from having to get knee surgery, for instance. What’s the cost-benefit ratio of that? It just doesn’t make sense.

[1140]

Another thing that doesn’t make sense. This is very much a local issue, but you know, I have to raise it. It’s about health care in the Kootenays.

D. McRae: I seek leave to make an introduction.

Leave granted.

Introductions by Members

D. McRae: I thank the member opposite for allowing me to make an introduction in the midst of a rousing speech.
[ Page 13716 ]

Today we have in the chamber four residents from the Comox Valley. Both he and his wife have been long-term residents, and their families have been in our community long before I got there. We have Rob Leighton and his wife, Lee, here visiting the House today. Arguably, they have brought with them two of the cutest constituents in the Comox Valley: their daughters, who are Chloe — which is a name near and dear to my heart, as my daughter is also a Chloe — and Maisie.

They are joining us in the gallery today. They are just four amazing Comox Valley residents who do so much for our community. I’m just excited to tour them around the Legislature. They’re one of the few people in the building who are not here for budget today.

Would this chamber please say welcome to the Leighton family.

Hon. P. Fassbender: I don’t want to take up the members’ time, but I ask leave to make an introduction as well.

Leave granted.

Hon. P. Fassbender: I’m delighted to welcome two very hard-working gentlemen in my riding: my riding president and my treasurer. Paul Williams is the riding president, and Rich Gorman is the treasurer. They are people just dedicated to community in many ways, not just in supporting myself.

I want to welcome them, and I’d ask the House to make them feel welcome as well.

Debate Continued

K. Conroy: No one’s going to introduce the former member over there from Prince George, Pat Bell? It’s nice to see him in the House, come to hear my speech. I’ll introduce him.

I just want to raise an issue in our region. Kootenay Boundary Regional Hospital is based in Trail. It provides services to over 80,000 people. It’s our regional hospital. It also provides some services to the East Kootenays. Kidney services are provided for people in the East Kootenays out of the Trail hospital.

It is the only facility in the entire Interior Health Authority that hasn’t had a major upgrade since the IHA was created, since 2001. This hospital needs a major upgrade.

People say I might be a little cynical in thinking that as we’re an NDP constituency, why would the government put money into a hospital there? Let’s hope that’s not true, because government needs to work for people of the entire province, not just for people that vote for them or pay them big bucks at a fundraiser. I don’t think there are too many people from the West Kootenay that do that.

This hospital needs attention. It finally got an upgrade to its ICU because it had mould in its ICU. It didn’t have access to the proper facilities. People in the Okanagan would not put up with the facility that we are putting up with in the West Kootenay, and it needs to change. I want to put that on record.

Dr. Cameron put out a press release because they’re just so frustrated with hearing announcement after announcement of funding going to other hospitals but not to Kootenay Boundary. It’s time. This hospital provides services throughout the Boundary country, in Grand Forks. It’s the only hospital.

Since 2002, no major upgrades. I think that needs to change. Over $1.3 billion in other hospitals and not in Kootenay Boundary. I just wanted to raise that and make sure that people know that.

The other thing that people need to know is we’ve got seniors in Kootenay Boundary waiting for placement in beds. There are beds in facilities, but for some reason we’re told we’re overbedded, and they won’t fund those beds. So those seniors are sitting in an acute care facility, waiting for long-term care placement. Two weeks ago surgeries were cancelled because there were no beds for people to go to once they had surgeries.

How does that reflect on this government? It reflects poorly, because people aren’t getting the care. People have waited for surgery for up to a year. Having that surgery cancelled? I think every MLA has had someone come in to their office and talk about the pain of wanting to go for surgery and then getting told your surgery was cancelled.

[1145]

But to be told you’re cancelled because there are no beds when you know full well that there are seniors waiting for placement and there are empty beds to put them? That is just unacceptable. They say there’s all this money. Well, if there’s all this money, why is this happening? This does not make sense, and it’s just not right.

The other thing that’s not right is what’s happening with people with disabilities. I was in the House on Thursday when the Minister of Gas and for Housing made his comments about what a single person on social assistance makes compared to a person in the Third World.

I’m going to quote it. He gets upset when we quote this, but I sat in the House and listened to him, and then I got this Hansard. He says: “We have to remember that a single person on social assistance in British Columbia gets double the annual income of a person in the Third World.” How is that relative to what’s happening here in this province to persons with disabilities?

How unconscionable is it for a minister to make that statement — for people that are just trying their darnedest to make ends meet, to get by, people who are struggling? When they think they’re going to get a little bit of an increase, they get it cut back. They think they’ve got a bus pass, and it gets cut back. It is unacceptable for a government to sit here and crow about some kind of a balanced budget and then treat people with disabilities like that, cut what they’re doing. It is unconscionable.
[ Page 13717 ]

I had a father come into my office and say: “How do I get my son’s bus pass cut off? We don’t want to pay for it anymore. He needs the money.” Then the son came in and said: “I don’t want my bus pass cut off. I need my bus pass. My dad doesn’t know what he’s talking about.” It is unconscionable. You’ve got families fighting with each other because they can’t afford to make ends meet.

Interjection.

K. Conroy: The minister says: “Oh no, it’s great. We didn’t cut anything.” Well, you go talk to the people that feel it. It’s cut. In their pocketbook, it’s cut. It is just so disrespectful.

The minister actually accused me personally of not caring. I think actions speak louder than words when you’re cutting bus passes to persons with disabilities. I think it’s pretty tragic. You talk to people in this province. I got a letter, and I’m going to read this letter because….

Interjection.

K. Conroy: Yeah, more Liberal alternate facts.

Interjections.

Deputy Speaker: Members. Members, the member for Kootenay West has the floor.

K. Conroy: I got a letter from a person with disabilities on disability assistance. His name is Cody Simmons. He asked me to read his whole letter. I don’t have time, and there are parts of it that probably I shouldn’t read. He hand-wrote this letter.

We know each other, but we met at the celebration of Selkirk College. It was the 50th anniversary of the very first community college in the province last year. It was a great celebration. It’s a wonderful facility. They do great work, and kudos to all the staff and the many, many students. I’m a charter student, and my husband is a charter student. Well, he’s a charter student; I’m an alumna. It is a fabulous facility, and Cody goes there.

He gave me this letter. He’s lived in the West Kootenays for 30 years, since 1986, gone to three different schools, and Selkirk College in 2008. He was proud to see it turn 50 this year. He said: “It’s very apparent to me that our province needs a leader who will work for the people and with the people.” Then he referred to our leader and said that he was the man that could do that.

[Madame Speaker in the chair.]

He said he has every characteristic of the leader that we need in our province. He says: “Growing up in B.C. as I have lived is rough because there are too many chinks in our armour, like the bus pass program and the Premier’s treatment of CLBC, just to name an few examples of programs under her leadership.” It has hurt him, this young man. He is honestly just portraying what he was feeling about it. Then, you know, you think…. A minister tells me I’m not caring.

You just have to look at the tragic death of Alex Gervais. The young man was 17 when he took his own life. He grew up, his entire life, under this Liberal government’s mandate. You just have to look at the stats, if you want to talk about not caring: 4.6 million people live in B.C. and about 250,000 are First Nations. Yet of the 7,000 kids in government care, more than half of them are aboriginal children, and many of them are struggling. So let’s talk about who’s not caring. Let’s talk about what it means. I think a minister, before he starts throwing stones, should clean up his own act.

[1150]

I think we need to look at…. Let’s look at the food banks in this area. Over 103,000 people are assisted every month in B.C. by food banks. That is up 32 percent since 2008 — a stat from food banks. You know, 32 percent of all users in B.C. are kids. Kids are using food banks. That’s one out of every three kids in B.C. using a food bank.

Close to 7,000 seniors rely on a food bank. What does that say in a province as resource-rich as B.C. that you have over 7,000 seniors relying on food banks? Each month over 5,000 new individuals are helped for the first time. Those are damning stats, just damning.

I talked to my local food bank people, and I said: “What are your stats like?” In the community of Trail, they served over 4,800 people — 4,845 people last year at their food bank. I can’t believe that. In Castlegar — over 7,000. In Castlegar, they’re serving over 200 hampers a month — 50 families with kids. They serve meals three times a week, over 600 meals a month. That kind of support — I mean, it’s an amazing program that they’re doing in both the food banks in Trail and Castlegar.

One growth area in rural B.C. is food banks. When I first was elected, I gave a donation to food bank every year. I used to give donations to three food banks. I’m up to eight food banks in my constituency. That’s five more than were there in 2005. That is not right. We shouldn’t be having those kinds of numbers in our province.

They’re shaking their heads like I’m making stats up. These are stats from the food banks of B.C. These are actual numbers, and they’re unconscionable. Let’s talk about who’s not caring. Let’s talk about what’s really happening in this province. People need to remember that.

I just really briefly want to make a few comments about one of my new critic areas, wildlife and habitat conservation. It’s been so interesting for me to get involved in that, and talking. I’ve been all across the province talking to amazing people — hunters, trappers, guide-outfitters, people involved in the bear-watching industry, ecotourism, environmentalists — all who care.
[ Page 13718 ]

When you start talking to them all, you think they’re all on different pages, but they’re not. They all care about the conservation of wildlife in this province. They all care about the conservation of wildlife habitat, and they talk about it with such passion.

Last spring I was really pleased to table my bill, the Sustainable Wildlife Management Act. I have had people from the B.C. Wildlife Federation all across the province, saying: “Why can’t that bill be implemented? This is exactly what we need in this province. We need dedicated funding to ensure that we are actually taking care of our wildlife so that we don’t have the decimation of different species.” I mean, the dwindling number of moose up north is a critical issue. The decimation of the caribou in the Selkirk range is a real issue.

The fact that people are being told that there are all kinds of whitetail deer, and there are not…. In the Boundary country…. Barry Brandow is just an incredible source of information. He knows. He calls himself an old greybeard. He has been out there hunting for years on that land. He knows. When you talk to other people, they agree with him. We do not have an overabundance of whitetail in Boundary country. It is a fact that we have less. But we don’t have proper boots on the ground to go out there and count, to go out there and say: “Why aren’t we counting to make sure that we have a proper inventory done?”

The member from Prince George did his report. Why isn’t it being implemented? They’re asking that, because it’s not. I’ll give kudos where kudos are due. There were some good points to the member’s report. Those issues are not being looked at. It’s like wildlife is ignored. It’s like: “Oh, it’s just a thing that’s there. We don’t have to worry about it.” But we do. We have to make sure that we have wildlife in this province, that we have adequate habitat for them, that it’s conserved for years to come.

[1155]

Talking with John Henderson from the Island…. He’s with the Wildlife Stewardship Council. He talks about the First Nations advice of making sure that you plan for seven generations. I mean, God forbid that government should plan for seven generations — but planning for your children’s children to make sure that they get to go out and enjoy the wildlife, that they get to hunt and fish.

I look at my family and in all of my family, the kids either hunt or fish. I want to make sure that those grandkids and their grandkids have the opportunity to hunt and fish in this province. If we don’t take care of our wildlife, if we don’t put the proper funding into ensuring that we take care of the wildlife, that’s not going happen.

The other thing we need to do is bring everybody together. We need to have a collaborative round table of bringing all those different people together who all care about the same thing. They all care about the conservation of wildlife and habitat. We need to bring them all together so that they can see that they’re not on different pages, that they all can work together. Bring them together to get advice, to make sure that the people within the ministry are working for the best benefit of wildlife in this province.

We need to ensure we have science-based…. We need to take it and not be guessing. We don’t want those people working in the ministries to be guessing on the numbers, to be guessing about what’s happening. We need everybody to be out there and working together.

I’ve been thrilled to be working with all the different people in wildlife and out there in the different organizations.

K. Conroy 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 11:56 a.m.

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