Routine Business

Prayers and reflections: B. Banman.

Introductions by Members

Hon. M. Farnworth: It’s my pleasure to rise today to introduce some very important people — Cassandra O’Keefe, Davita Solomon and Shad Martin — who are all police call takers and 911 dispatchers in Central Saanich. They’re here in anticipation of Emergency Service Dispatchers and 9-1-1 Awareness Week, which is the week of April 4.

I’d like to thank them for the important work that they do and would encourage all members of this assembly to make them most welcome.

[10:05 a.m.]

F. Donnelly: I’d like to recognize a special birthday for a special person: former MLA and cabinet minister John Cashore.

John served as the MLA for Coquitlam-Maillardville from 1986 to 2001. He was Minister of Environment, Lands and Parks and Minister of Aboriginal Affairs. John was instrumental in designating Pinecone Burke Provincial Park, negotiating the Nisg̱a’a treaty in principle and overseeing the doubling of the province’s protected and parks areas.

I ask all members to join me in wishing one of my political heroes, and an all-around great guy, John Cashore, a happy 86th birthday.

Hon. J. Horgan: I want to join with the member for Coquitlam–Burke Mountain in wishing a very happy birthday to John Cashore.

Also, while I’m on my feet, a member in my community, Kody Bell, a friend of the Speaker’s office, a friend of many in this House — don’t give him your phone — turns 34 today.

Happy birthday, Kody. The restrictions will be coming down. Be patient. Someday soon you’ll be able to go in and wreak havoc in the Speaker’s office once again.

Statements
(Standing Order 25B)

HOCKEY

T. Stone: It was March 22 of 1923, almost 98 years ago to the day. A young Foster Hewitt was calling one of his first games as a hockey play-by-play announcer. “He shoots; he scores!” he roared over the radio, and hockey’s clarion call was born. Foster’s unmistakable voice and that timeless phrase forever knit into the fabric of a nation.

This past year has been difficult in so many ways, but as we all look forward to the return of some sense of normalcy, we at long last have something to cheer. With the blessing of the provincial health officer, the B.C. division of the Western Hockey League begins a shortened season tomorrow in Kamloops, with the mighty Kamloops Blazers hosting the Vancouver Giants. The Victoria Royals, Vancouver Giants, Prince George Cougars — there’s another team from Kelowna, but their name escapes me; the sockets or the pockets, something like that — and the Kamloops Blazers are set to kick off a 24-game schedule, playing in two hub centres: Kamloops and Kelowna.

We need this: the ability to cheer on our young athletes as they pursue their goal of greatness, even to, perhaps, play in the NHL one day. While we’re still not at the point where fans will be allowed to watch these games in person, fans will be following the play-by-play of their beloved teams on TV, live streams and radio. No, it won’t be like the good old days just yet, but the head coaches will, no doubt, have their young guns ready to perform. How sweet it will be to once again discuss the action and the rivalries around the watercooler.

With the WHL season set to begin tomorrow, and the B.C. Hockey League also ready to start a 20-game schedule on April 2, truer words have never been spoken or sung.

Hello out there; we’re on the air; it’s Hockey Night tonight.
Tension grows, the whistle blows, and the puck goes down the ice.
The goalie jumps, and the players bump, and the fans all go insane.
Someone roars, “Bobby scores!” at the good old hockey game.

[Applause.]

911 OPERATORS
AND EMERGENCY DISPATCHERS

Mr. Speaker: Well, let’s see if the member for North Coast beats that.

Member for North Coast, can you beat that?

J. Rice: I’m afraid I don’t think I can, at least not today.

Today I’m recognizing Emergency Service Dispatchers and 9-1-1 Awareness Week, which we’ll be celebrating the week of April 4. Each day our emergency service dispatchers and 911 operators receive approximately 5,000 calls. These call takers and dispatchers are the first of the first responders, the voice that people need to hear when they are in a time of great need.

[10:10 a.m.]

British Columbians have experienced many emergencies: the 1996 snowstorm, the 2003 firestorm, the wildfires of 2017 and 2018 and the flooding in Grand Forks, but at no other time have we been activated in a state of provincial emergency for so long. As we all know, the COVID-19 pandemic has made us face unexpected and unprecedented challenges. Dispatchers and operators have risen to the task to support higher demands on police officers, firefighters and ambulance paramedics.

We’re still making our way through this provincial emergency, this pandemic. My home community, Prince Rupert, has been hit hard in recent months, and we are so thankful to have received vaccines last week. But no British Columbian anywhere in the province has come through the year unscathed.

Beyond COVID-19 itself, I know this pandemic has caused great strains on our communities and impacted our collective mental health. I know this past year has made the work of emergency dispatchers more complicated, but we’re so thankful there is someone there to answer our calls.

I ask the members of this House to join me in recognizing the great work that B.C.’s emergency service dispatchers and 911 operators do, day in and day out, for all British Columbians, and to please extend a warm welcome to those that are here in the House with us today.

PASSOVER

T. Wat: Starting at sundown this Saturday, March 27, Jewish communities across British Columbia and around the world will begin the Seder, the main ritual of Passover, to honour the exodus of the Israelites from Egypt and their transition from slavery to freedom.

What is typically a celebration surrounded by friends and family is going to look very different for many Jewish Canadians. This will be the second time Passover has taken place during the pandemic. As challenging as this is for many B.C. families, the story of Passover is a story of resilience and a celebration of the incredible challenges our Jewish communities have overcome in their history. I know that many will still find ways to safely and virtually celebrate with their loved ones.

In recent years, B.C. has seen a disturbing rise in incidents of anti-Semitism and hate crimes against members of our Jewish communities. Earlier this week many of us in this House rose to reaffirm our commitment to eliminating any and all forms of racial and religious intolerance, and I offer my deepest thanks. No British Columbian should ever feel fear or shame because of their religious practices and identity.

Hopefully, this time next year we can all enjoy Passover surrounded by friends and family like we are used to.

For now, I would like to wish you all a very happy Passover. Chag Pesach sameach.

DOWNTOWN CHILLIWACK
BUSINESS IMPROVEMENT ASSOCIATION

D. Coulter: Today I’d like to talk about an organization that has played an important role in my constituency for over 25 years: the Downtown Chilliwack Business Improvement Association, led by executive director Trevor McDonald.

The BIA works with over 300 businesses across Chilliwack and is led by a dedicated, diverse and talented volunteer board. They work with new businesses in Chilliwack such as District 1881, a pedestrian-focused development that houses retail shops with artisan goods, breweries, restaurants, coffee, offices and residential units.

These folks also work with long-standing businesses that have made Chilliwack’s historic downtown great for decades. Some of these businesses include Mary’s on Wellington, which has been there over 32 years; Michael’s on Main nail and hair studio, which has been in the same location since 1949; and Lock’s Pharmacy, a family-run business that has been open in Chilliwack’s downtown for over 70 years.

The work that the people at the BIA do in supporting new and veteran businesses not only contributes im­mensely to the local economy in Chilliwack, but they have been integral in supporting local businesses in Chilliwack through the challenges of the pandemic and ensuring that we can look forward to an economic recovery.

[10:15 a.m.]

By prioritizing live events, public art, multiculturalism and initiatives to make Chilliwack more green, the Downtown Chilliwack Business Improvement Association plays a vital role in what makes Chilliwack so wonderful.

I hope you will all join me in applauding the hard work of Trevor McDonald and his team, and I hope that the next time you are in Chilliwack, you get a chance to stop by downtown.

As Trevor says: “Without question, we’re open for business.”

CIVIL DISOBEDIENCE
AND PEACEFUL PROTEST

S. Furstenau: We, as legislators, have complicated and sometimes conflicting roles that we play. On the one hand, as lawmakers, we must be serious about upholding the laws of this province and this country. Yet at the same time, as politicians, we come to this place with a sense of a vision for the future and ideas about which laws need to be reshaped, removed, replaced.

When we look to the history of Canada and the role that civil disobedience has played in that history, we can see that it has helped to move us beyond unjust laws and moved us forward in our efforts to protect fundamental rights and freedoms. From the suffragist movement in the 19th and early 20th centuries to the Vancouver Island coal strike in 1912 to the ongoing Black Lives Matter gatherings and marches last summer, peaceful protests and civil disobedience have shaped and continue to shape our social, political and legal landscapes in B.C. and across Canada.

In his article on civil disobedience in Canada, historian Keith Fleming contends that “socially disruptive actions have become as Canadian as maple syrup.” As the former Chief Justice of the Manitoba Court of Appeal Samuel Freedman stated: “There have been instances in human history in which disobedience to law has proved a benefit to law and society.”

We have also seen an increasing number of Indigenous leaders and communities in recent decades make stands for their territories and rights, from Oka in 1990 to the Wet’suwet’en protests across B.C. and Canada last year. Here in B.C., the largest peaceable disobedience in Canadian history, with 12,000 people who gathered over the summer of 1993 and nearly 900 arrests, began at Kennedy River Bridge in what is known worldwide as the war of the woods in Clayoquot Sound.

VALLEY VIEW FUNERAL HOME

J. Sims: Over the last year, so much has changed for us: how we celebrate births, how we do weddings but also how we say our final goodbyes and how we grieve. Now, more than ever, families are faced with tough decisions when losing a loved one. They must decide which family members will attend the service in person and, for the friends and family who aren’t able to attend, how families can include them and help to say goodbye.

I want to thank those who are working on the front line in this area to deal with this. Today I would like to acknowledge the wonderful staff at Valley View Funeral Home and Cemetery, who helped not only my family when my mother passed away but who have helped countless other families say goodbye in these trying times. Valley View has been an anchor in my riding since 1954. With 87 acres of beautifully designed gardens and natural landscapes, it is home to the largest display of outdoor architect features in all of B.C.

When COVID regulations for funeral homes were put in place, Valley View quickly pivoted to ensure that families were able to mourn together with a hybrid model of in-person and virtual services, taking on the roles of audio and visual experts, masters of ceremony and family support, all while ensuring that COVID-19 regulations are being followed. The wonderful staff at Valley View have learned how to support those who are grieving, bringing families together while staying apart.

I want to thank everyone who works at Valley View and at other funeral homes right across this province and country. On behalf of myself and many other families in Surrey who have had to say goodbye to their loved ones in these unprecedented times, thank you for your strength, your kindness and your dedication, for ensuring that those we have lost are cared for and for providing opportunities to commemorate the lives of those we have lost.

[10:20 a.m.]

Mr. Speaker: Members, the member for Vancouver–​West End has asked for leave to make an introduction.

Leave granted.

Introductions by Members

S. Chandra Herbert: I want to wish my husband, Romi, a very, very happy anniversary. Twenty-one years ago on Saturday, we met for the first time, and I must say it was love at first sight for me. For him, I’m not so sure. We watched the sunset together that night. Really, since that day, we’ve been watching sunrises and sunsets together ever since. Eleven years ago we got married.

I just really want to wish him the absolute best anniversary and thank him for being there with me and for being an incredible father to our son, Dev, as well.

Happy anniversary. Thank you.

Oral Questions

COVID-19 VACCINATION PLAN
AND ONLINE BOOKING SYSTEM

S. Bond: Yesterday the Premier assured British Columbians that when it comes to vaccine supply, it is “full steam ahead.” Over one million doses of Pfizer and 846,000 Moderna shots are set to arrive in British Columbia this week. Thousands of AstraZeneca shots expire on April 2, and there are more on the way.

Now there is confusion and concern about the growing number of unused COVID-19 doses because of the lack of a provincewide online registration and booking system. With five different health authorities, five different phone numbers and one of them partially online, people are worried, and rightly so, about how a provincewide online and booking registration system will be up and running on April 6.

The Premier made a promise. He said that the transition from phone booking to a single online registration system will be open on April 6.

Today will the Premier confirm that the system will be in place and running at full capacity on April 6?

Hon. J. Horgan: I thank the Leader of the Opposition for her question. I can confirm that it is our belief and strongly held view that on the sixth of April, we will have our provincewide online system up and running.

I want to acknowledge, as I have the opportunity, the extraordinary work of people right across the province in all the health authorities. The member will know, and other members will know, that we have five health authorities and the First Nations Health Authority, as well, that know best what goes on in their communities.

I used an example yesterday of the mass immunization in Prince Rupert undertaken by Northern Health. All of us will know that we get correspondence and we get casework in our constituency offices, oftentimes frustrated by health authorities not meeting the expectations of patients, of British Columbians.

I was heartened to hear from the member for North Coast that the uniform enthusiasm for the hard work of Northern Health spread right through Prince Rupert and into Port Ed. When there’s agreement between those two communities, you know you’re on the right track.

Mr. Speaker: The Leader of the Official Opposition on a supplemental.

S. Bond: All of us are absolutely grateful that people across British Columbia are receiving vaccinations, but we’re also equally concerned that the number of unused doses yesterday actually exceeded 200,000. Vaccines arrive in British Columbia, and what we want to ensure is that they get into the arms of British Columbians as quickly as possible.

This is not about the individual health authorities. It’s about the fact that this Premier and government had over a year to plan, to prepare and to ensure that there was an online provincewide system in place to make sure those shots were used as expeditiously as possible. Yet this week, unbelievably, the NDP took the opportunity to send a fundraising email using the pandemic, basically saying that the vaccine rollout is so far ahead that now we could use some donations so we can focus on other things. How appropriate is that?

Frankly, the Premier needs to keep his eye on the ball here. We have, in British Columbia today, over 200,000 doses of vaccine that are sitting, waiting to get into the arms of British Columbians. It requires a provincewide booking and registration system.

Again to the Premier, he’s made a promise. He said finally, on April 6, we’re going to have that system. My question is very specific. Will that transition from phone in five health authorities to an online system be fully operational and effectively operating on April 6?

[10:25 a.m.]

Hon. J. Horgan: The straight answer to the member is the same as the first one. Yes, it will be up and running.

I want to just unpack some of the comments the member made. We have had a year of global pandemic. We have not had a year of supply of vaccine. We have had a year of people holding fast against an extraordinary enemy — one that’s not seen, one that knows no boundaries. It knows no ethnicity. It knows no height. It knows no gender. Canadians — and British Columbians, particularly — have been resilient in that fight against COVID-19.

We do not have unallocated vaccine. We’re not storing things up for a sunny day. We are taking the vaccines as they come, and we’re apportioning them as the public health officer determines is in the best interest of quelling outbreaks, the best interest of going through the vulnerable populations. We are on to 75-year-olds today, 74-year-olds tomorrow, and that will continue as we move into April and into the next phase of the vaccination program.

I do also want to say that there are headlines and stories about concerns about supply. We’ve had these challenges — not just British Columbians but all Canadians — because we don’t have domestic supply. That blame goes back over decades of federal irresponsibility, quite frankly, over successive governments of different political stripes allowing that sector to atrophy and be replaced by offshore supply.

We’re dependent on others to get vaccines into British Columbia. But we are absolutely committed to making sure that every drop of vaccine that arrives in British Columbia goes into a British Columbian so that we can get back to normal as fast as possible.

COVID-19 VACCINATION PLAN
AND ROLE OF PHARMACIES

R. Merrifield: Well, maybe the Premier doesn’t watch the numbers as closely as we are. We’re watching the amount of unused doses rise, and it’s alarming. We’re behind the eight ball, not just with the lack of preparation in creating an online booking system that every other jurisdiction across Canada seems to have but also the lack of a plan for community pharmacies.

Only in the last few weeks have they even been contacted. While other Canadian jurisdictions? Well, they’ve announced their plans to engage pharmacists months ago. Pharmacies are critical to preventing stockpiles of these unused and, worse yet, almost expiring vaccines. But they need six weeks to actually mobilize. The Premier’s decision to not involve pharmacists is costing valuable time and results in more transmission, the growth of variants, hospitalizations and, sadly, death.

To the Premier, where’s the plan to empower our province’s highly-trained community pharmacists to join the fight?

Hon. A. Dix: Well, I don’t know where to start with such a list of quite inaccurate statements.

As of Sunday, we had one day of supply of Pfizer. We were left with 14,000 doses because we used it all up to that point. Then, this week, we received doses of well over 100,000 doses that have arrived and are now being used. So when the member states that there are unused doses not being used because of the vaccination campaign, this is just simply incorrect on the facts. When she asserts, as she did, that it is leading to people passing away, she is simply incorrect as to the facts.

Yesterday was a record day for vaccinations in British Columbia, over 27,000, and 610,000 doses have been delivered. More than 520,000 first doses have been delivered. The reason — those numbers of the cases — is that’s the vaccine we’ve received. You cannot deliver more Pfizer than we had delivered as of Sunday. Then we receive more, and then we deliver more. The idea that 105,000 doses would arrive on Monday and they’d be immediately delivered, which seems to be the assertion of the member, is, shall I say, not consistent with reality.

In any event, we have a vaccination campaign that has been well laid out, that’s focused on those that need it most. Its effects already have been profound in long-term care.

I appreciate the support of all members, because I know all members are doing this, in ensuring that members of the public have the information they need to go forward. Community pharmacies will play a central role in this as well, as we go forward and as we get more doses to immunize people with.

[10:30 a.m.]

PROTECTION OF OLD-GROWTH FORESTS
AND FAIRY CREEK AREA

S. Furstenau: Today the B.C. Supreme Court is hearing forest company Teal-Jones’s application for an injunction against the protesters at Fairy Creek. If the injunction is granted, we could see people arrested for attempting to stop preparations for logging in the last intact ancient forest valley on southern Vancouver Island.

This could take place, no less, in the Premier’s own riding, on the watch of an NDP government that has promised to do things differently on old growth, on the watch of a Premier who committed, during the recent snap election, to implement all of the old growth panel’s recommendations, including immediate deferrals in ancient forests just like this one. If Fairy Creek doesn’t qualify for immediate protections, I’m not sure what does.

My question is to every member of government, really, but I’ll direct my question to the Premier. Are the Premier and his caucus okay with this being their legacy, or will they step up and come to the table with real economic alternatives to logging old growth and provide a way forward to save Fairy Creek?

Hon. K. Conroy: I appreciate the question from the Leader of the Third Party.

B.C. forests are a big part of what makes our province so unique and so special. Our government knows that old-growth trees are an integral part of a healthy ecosystem. For many, many years, the former Liberal government took an unbalanced and unsustainable approach to managing our old-growth forests. We are making different choices. Our government is bringing in a fundamental shift in forestry to protect and preserve old-growth forests for today and for years to come. We will do this while supporting forest workers and forest-dependent communities.

We received clear advice and clear recommendations from the independent panel on how we can do this. We are dedicated to implementing the 14 recommendations, and the work has already started. In fact, as a first step, we worked with Indigenous Nations in government-to-government discussions across the province to look at nine deferred areas where we deferred old-growth forests that are protected in those nine areas.

We will continue to do more. We know that this is just a first step. There is much more to do, and we will do that.

Mr. Speaker: The Leader of the Third Party on a supplemental.

S. Furstenau: I’m actually astonished. My question was specifically about Fairy Creek. The Minister of Forests didn’t mention it once.

Just to be clear, this is the last intact old-growth valley south of Clayoquot Sound on Vancouver Island — the last one. So 30 years from now, we will have to look at our grandchildren and say: “Hey, we let it go because it didn’t matter. We didn’t value it, your future. Your ability to go into an intact old-growth forest didn’t matter enough.” Or we say: “This is the moment to make the decision. This is the time. This is the government that promised to do it, and they’re going to follow through on it.”

Making different choices, following the advice of the panel…. The advice of the panel was immediate deferrals on exactly this kind of watershed and ancient forest.

This government has an opportunity in front of them right now to show that they actually meant what they said when they made promises in a snap election that we didn’t need to have.

The question is to the Premier. Will his government rise to the moment of this important decision, halt the roadbuilding and preparation for logging in this intact rainforest and come to the table with financial alternatives for supports in order to provide an actual long-term solution to save this watershed?

[10:35 a.m.]

Hon. K. Conroy: I, too, have a vision. I have a vision about our forest industry. I have a vision about the forests in this province, and I want to ensure that we have a sustained, well-managed forest industry.

I also have a vision, and the member should….

Interjection.

Hon. K. Conroy: Maybe the member would like to listen to it.

My vision is…. I also have grandchildren. They are from the age of four to 20. If my grandchildren choose, I want them, when they are ready, to have the ability to work in a well-managed forestry, but I also want them to have the ability to be able to walk in an old-growth forest anywhere in this province. There is old-growth forest — 10,000 hectares of old-growth forest across this province which have not been logged and are protected and will not be logged.

The member is inaccurate in her numbers. She likes to put out numbers. I don’t know…. I would love to meet with her to talk to her and have a briefing on where she’s getting her numbers from, because they are inaccurate.

We are dedicated to implementing the recommendations from the old-growth forest report, and we will do that. We are also dedicated to working in government-to-government discussions with Indigenous Nations. We are doing just that with the Pacheedaht Nation. We are doing that with other nations across this province. Those are government-to-government discussions that are confidential and would be inappropriate for me to discuss in a public venue.

We are committed. We are committed to continuing through this important work, having those discussions with Indigenous Nations, talking to the workers, talking to industry, talking to communities who are dependent. And we will continue to do that, because we want to ensure that there’s old-growth forest in this province for years to come.

COVID-19 RESPONSE FOR
SMALL BUSINESSES

T. Stone: While the Premier doled out $645,000 for one single-user toilet in the city of Vancouver, he has completely botched the small business recovery grant program for small businesses.

South Thompson Inn owner David Patriquin had this to say: “In 2019, we invested in upgrades, which resulted in us not being profitable for that year. This makes us ineligible to receive the recovery grant.”

Ohana Deli owner Bobbe Lyall said: “Our life savings went into building our business, and our revenues have been down between 50 percent and 100 percent, depending on the month. Because we haven’t been in business for the required 18 months, we’re ineligible. If all else fails, we would happily take the toilet paper holder from that new bathroom in Vancouver. It must be worth at least $10,000.”

Unfortunately, it’s too late for Lisa’s School of Dance, which is closing its doors forever. Owner Lisa Dew had this to say: “There have been countless tears, months of sleepless nights and anxiety-ridden days. Between financial losses…and the government’s ‘let’s wait and see’ mindset, there is no way to sustain our business…. There isn’t enough support for small business right now.”

No further meetings, consultations or engagements are going to help these small businesses or the thousands of others just like them who, to this day, are still not eligible for the business recovery grant.

My question is this: will the Premier make further changes to the eligibility requirements of the business recovery grant so that businesses like Ohana Deli and the South Thompson Inn will not have to make the same gut-wrenching decision to close their doors forever just like Lisa’s School of Dance?

Hon. R. Kahlon: Thank you to the member for the question. He mentioned some of the businesses. My office did reach out to his office — I’m sure he’s aware — yesterday, when he raised these businesses in particular. We offered to reach out to the businesses directly to help them navigate what programs and supports are available to them.

The member will know that on December 21…

Interjections.

Mr. Speaker: Members, let’s hear the answer.

Hon. R. Kahlon: …we went to the business community and said: “What changes would you like?” We accepted all their changes at that time. We saw a steady increase in applications. Then we followed up with them in February and said: “What additional changes do you think could be used or required to make the program more accessible and more inclusive to more businesses?” We accepted those changes as well.

[10:40 a.m.]

We’re trying to be as flexible and nimble as we can. We know that needs are changing for businesses as the pandemic changes, and we’ve been adjusting accordingly.

We’re proud on this side of the House, and the member should be proud as well. Highest per-capita supports in all of Canada — B.C. We’re providing right now.

Interjections.

Mr. Speaker: The minister will continue.

Hon. R. Kahlon: Between all the supports the province is providing, as well as the dollars Canada is providing, we’ve been able to help a lot of businesses. Even struggling political parties have benefited from the dollars.

WAGES FOR COMMUNITY
SOCIAL SERVICES WORKERS

M. de Jong: Sadly, on April 1, the Premier and his government will once again discriminate against the 17,000 workers who choose not to become members of a trade union and work in the community social services sector.

Here’s what Ernie Baatz, who is executive director of the Spectrum Society for Community Living, says: “We have tried for years to get the Premier…to take the issue of pay equity seriously and have been met with inattention and inaction. The only explanation we’ve received is that they have made the decision to compensate people less if they are not part of a union.”

The wages of 32,000 front-line workers in B.C.’s community social services sector are funded directly by the province. The 17,000 workers who choose not to belong to a union are not getting the same wage increase as others, merely because they exercised that choice and that right. They are being discriminated against by this government for exercising their rights.

Will the Premier end the discrimination? Will he demonstrate that his government is prepared to abide by the same standard they call upon others to exercise and end the discrimination that it is perpetrating against 17,000 women and men in this important sector?

Hon. N. Simons: I’d like to thank the member opposite for his question.

This is a historical issue, one that I’m really proud that our government is taking on head-on. People who work in the community social service sector — who I know, who I work with and who I’ve worked with in the past — are valued community members, valued people in our social service support sector. They are appreciated.

Our continued discussion with the sector is something that we’ve done that the previous government didn’t do. We’re actually addressing these issues. We’re getting together and working collaboratively to find a solution. I expect that that work is going to continue in an atmosphere of cooperation. That is the continued work of our government.

I thank the member for the question.

CHILD CARE FACILITIES AND SPACES

K. Kirkpatrick: New child care regulations are taking place on April 1. These are going to result in the loss of thousands of child care spaces and financial hardship on child care providers.

You’ve already heard directly from a lot of these providers. They’re very upset, and these pleas have been ignored.

Here’s another one from yesterday. Nurture Early Childhood Education Centre, here in Victoria, holds a wait-list of 180 families. As a direct result of these new regulations, they are cancelling plans for two new facilities with 60 affordable spaces for preschool-aged children. This is what Jennifer Delaney has to say about the April 1 changes: “It will have devastating effects on the child care sector. This will negatively and severely impact the creation of new child care spaces in British Columbia.”

Will the Premier reconsider this devastating change before thousands of child care spaces are lost on April 1?

[10:45 a.m.]

Hon. K. Chen: I want to emphasize that our fee reduction program is a program to bring relief to B.C. families. During the past 3½ short years, we have brought a fee reduction to tens of thousands of families in B.C. That has never happened before. We’re proud of the work that we’re doing. Over 90 percent of providers have joined our fee reduction program, which is an optional program.

We will need to make sure, when we’re using public dollars to support child care and support fee reductions for parents, that there has to be accountability. This new measure is really to provide a level playing field. We’ve heard a lot, from existing providers, asking for a level playing field to make sure that there’s accountability when a new child care facility wants to apply and join this optional program.

Our government has done a lot in the past 3½ short years to make sure that, for the first time in B.C.’s history, child care fees are going down for B.C. parents after years of neglect from the former B.C. Liberal government.

COVID-19 RESPONSE FOR
SPECIAL NEEDS CHILDREN AND YOUTH

J. Tegart: The report Left Out by the Representative for Children and Youth tells heartbreaking stories about the impact of the pandemic on families. “It is the representative’s view that many families and caregivers are reaching the breaking point. The disruption of the pandemic continues to reverberate” in the lives of children and youth with special needs.

The representative made a very clear recommendation, calling on this government to restore pandemic supports of $225 a month for one year.

To the Premier, will he restore the pandemic benefits that are desperately needed for children and youth with special needs?

Hon. M. Dean: I thank the member for the question. As well, I would like to thank the Representative for Children and Youth and, especially, to thank all the families who helped the representative’s office in creating that report.

I share many of the representative’s concerns. We did actually roll out some emergency measures during the pandemic because we recognized the struggle facing these families on a daily basis — many families are struggling, juggling daily life and taking care of their families — but especially during this pandemic.

What families said to us was that they wanted flexibility in funding. We provided that flexibility in the respite funding, and we’ve extended that emergency measure to the end of March 2022.

GOVERNMENT RESPONSE TO
DEATHS OF YOUTH IN CARE

P. Milobar: In Abbotsford, the mom of an Indigenous teen who was found dead in a closet of a group home last September is seeking answers. She wants to know why it took four days for Traevon to be found by staff in the closet where he hung himself. She wants to know why staff threw his belongings in the dumpster.

Answers have not been forthcoming from this government, sadly. Traevon’s mother has been forced to set up a GoFundMe page in order to hire a lawyer to seek answers.

Does the Premier believe that a GoFundMe campaign is the only way for a grieving mother to get appropriate answers about the death of her child that was in care?

Hon. M. Dean: Thank you to the member for raising this question. In situations like this, it’s an absolute tragedy. My heart goes out to the family and to everybody who knew the young person and knew the family and were involved.

As the member will know, it is not possible for me as the minister to comment on any individual situations or even comment on whether the ministry has been involved with the family.

[10:50 a.m.]

P. Milobar: This government spent years bringing up issues like this. This situation, unfortunately, happens when youth are in care and families seek answers.

The minister does not want to speak about this particular individual case. I’ll reframe the question, then. Has the minister…? Has the Premier initiated a change to policy so that grieving families of youth in care can have support from government to seek answers that they desperately need with the tragic loss of life instead of having to start creating GoFundMe pages to seek those answers from government?

Hon. M. Dean: Thank you again to the member for the question.

I can assure the member that our ministry is absolutely committed to making sure that children and youth are kept safe and that they’re able to thrive and they’re protected every single day. I have every confidence that our staff in the ministry are supporting all children and youth that we’re responsible for.

In situations where there is a tragedy or there is a critical incident, I can absolutely assure the member that our staff take very swift action and make sure that all children and youth in any facility or related to any home situation are taken care of and that their safety is safeguarded and that the family is supported.

We have taken many actions to change the whole system of Indigenous child welfare in our province. There is a lot more work to do, but we’re working with Indigenous communities and families to make sure that Indigenous children and youth stay connected to their family, to their communities and to their culture. We currently have the lowest number of children in care in 30 years and of Indigenous children in care in 20 years.

[End of question period.]