Orders of the Day

Private Members’ Statements

UTILIZATION OF PHARMACISTS

R. Merrifield: The first time that my baby ran a fever, I panicked. I’d always heard of your baby getting sick, but my son was lethargic, red, sweaty, and his skin was so hot to the touch. It was the middle of the night. My husband was working out of town. So I ran down to the 24-hour pharmacy in my city, taking my little 9-month-old baby with me. Desperate, I went to the pharmacy counter to ask which of the fever medications would be the most effective for his type of fever.

[S. Chandra Herbert in the chair.]

I don’t know if it was the panic in my eyes, the quiet lethargy of my incredibly feverish baby, or the description of how I had been fighting the fever to date, but with the utmost sympathy he looked at me and said: “I would give your baby this one, but I would take him to the hospital if his fever doesn’t break.”

That night I put my baby in a tepid bath and gave the medication that was recommended. When his fever didn’t break, it was that pharmacist’s voice that was echoing inside of my mind. I took him to the hospital. It turned out he was sicker than I’d thought. He required a few overnights in the hospital in order to get him the treatment he required.

[10:05 a.m.]

The pharmacist that night probably saved my baby’s life. It’s the same pharmacist who works around the clock, who monitors our medications and side effects, who often manages the pharmacy as a small business owner and who’s the one we trust with all of our medication needs and questions.

Pharmacists are medication experts and play a critical role in helping people get the best results from their medications. Pharmacists prepare and dispense prescriptions, ensure medicines and doses are correct, prevent harmful drug interactions and counsel patients on the safe and appropriate use of their medications. They have specialized expertise in the composition of medicines, including their chemical, biological and physical properties, as well as their manufacture and use.

Other health care professionals rely on pharmacists to select and administer medications that offer the best results and quality of life for a particular patient — all this, and they know our names when we come through their doors. That’s because pharmacists are also the most accessible health care professionals and have continued to be so during this pandemic, since most people in B.C. live within two kilometres of a pharmacy. There are 1,440 of them across B.C. They are often the closest medical resource to B.C. residents.

We trust our pharmacists with our nine-month-old babies, as well as our 90-year-old parents, and go each year to them to receive our influenza vaccinations. This last fall pharmacists were asked to accomplish a mission impossible: get over one million flu vaccines into British Columbians’ arms in six weeks. They rose to the challenge and succeeded.

Just recently we did it again. We gave them 48,000 AstraZeneca vaccines that had 48 hours until expiration, and they rose to the challenge. Some pharmacists had lineups around the block when people heard, and those pharmacists stayed until every eligible arm was given the opportunity for the vaccines on hand.

They did this without a contract, without knowing what amount they were going to receive, how the details were going to work out — and many at their own cost. I just want to remind you. We gave them those vaccines on the Wednesday before Good Friday, which would have been a holiday for many. What business owner would do that? Why wouldn’t they just refuse the vaccines? Well, it’s because they are health care professionals and because they have been at the forefront of this pandemic with minimal PPE, always providing their own, having to pivot during a pandemic and modify their own spaces for COVID safety while remaining open at all times.

They know the people that come through their doors, and they know that they are giving more than just a medication or a vaccine. They are giving quality of life and, now, hope. Why is this an issue at all? Surely our mass vaccination clinics are more than enough. But we only have hundreds of vaccine clinics across B.C., and we have thousands of pharmacies.

We also know that we have been warned. This is our new normal. We’re going to have to have two doses of COVID-19 vaccine in the next six months, and we’ll likely need boosters from that point forward. This may be our reality for years. It’s a little-known fact that the virus that causes the Spanish flu still is amongst us today. How many years will it take us to get full natural immunity against COVID-19? No one knows.

We need our pharmacies — and more than that, we need our pharmacists — to fully participate in the mass vaccination efforts of this round of vaccines, as well as the next and the next. Why? Well, it’s because more vaccines are coming. We’ve been promised, by the federal government, that B.C. will have six million by June 30. That’s only 65 days from now. That means that we have 4.5 million vaccines to still get into arms. We need to be giving 68,500 per day on every single day from now until June 30 to get all of those out into British Columbians.

[10:10 a.m.]

Our best day so far is 42,000. That’s only the doses that we know about. What about the Johnson and Johnson arriving this week, more doses from the States? What if that number increases? We haven’t even really started on the second doses or the booster shots.

The other reason we need our pharmacies is that they can deliver the vaccine in more places closer to where people live. They can also deliver it less expensively than the mass clinics. They are more expeditious, less expensive to the taxpayer and give better, more personal service.

Pharmacists and pharmacies are the best bet we have. They have been with us through every baby’s fever as well as through all the times our health has been at its worst. They’ve supported us with our flu vaccines and have been the most accessible health care provider, even during this pandemic. Like many other front-line workers, they’ve made sacrifices to our businesses, and we need to set up our pharmacies for success.

M. Starchuk: Thanks to the member for Kelowna-Mission for this subject. The B.C. government is currently underway with the largest immunization effort in the province’s history. As of this morning, 1,542,066 British Columbians have been vaccinated. This is because of the extraordinary and dedicated work of the health care professionals and the health care workers across B.C. and the desire of people across B.C. to be immunized. I’m enthusiastic about this effort, excited to see each person share their story of vaccination and the impacts of vaccines on them, and extremely proud of the work of our public health officials in what they’re doing.

The first story is that of a senior who was moving from Campbell River to West Kelowna. She was very anxious about this long move during a pandemic. When the vaccine rollout finally reached her age category, she signed up and received her first dose of Pfizer mid-March. Weeks later, with all of her stuff packed up, she made the long journey with her son to West Kelowna. She was relieved and way less stressed now that she had her first dose. She could finally see the light at the end of the tunnel — or in this case, the light at the end of the Coquihalla.

This senior, by the way, was my mom, Flo. I was her driver. It was a long and enjoyable trip, and now she’s living next door to my sister Steph and her husband, Steve. She looks forward to a time when it’s safe to travel and to see those great-grandchildren that she has never met.

We’re delivering on our promise to move quickly to get vaccines to people who have been patiently waiting for them. When AstraZeneca was approved, Immunize B.C. began planning a partnership with our community pharmacies throughout B.C. to offer that AstraZeneca vaccine to those who are currently eligible to receive it.

That partnership launched on March 31 in the Lower Mainland and then was expanded to other health care regions. By working alongside pharmacists, we’ve been able to get more vaccines to people who need them. This is in addition to the mass immunization clinics that offer vaccine to people through our foundational age-based approach and the AstraZeneca clinics in 13 high-transmission communities.

When we talk about the immunization clinics that offer vaccines to people through our foundational age-based approach, I must take the time to speak about my former colleagues from the Surrey fire service. I’m happy to see that the Pfizer vaccine was made available to them weeks ago, and now those everyday heroes are seen in a different light, as there are 12 firefighters working each day in three different immunization clinics in Surrey seven days a week.

Right now anyone born in 1981 or earlier can make a vaccine appointment at a participating pharmacy. There are currently more than 600 pharmacies offering this vaccine across the province. As of April 21, the province had administered over 178,489 doses to people primarily over the age of 55. The majority of these vaccinations of Astra­Zeneca have been delivered by a pharmacist.

Through our age-based program, everyone in B.C. who is eligible will be able to get their first dose by July 1. Our partnership with the pharmacies helps us get more doses to the people in B.C. As the Health Minister said, we can deliver a vaccine at a rapid rate here in B.C., but we’re restricted on the basis of supply we receive from the manufacturers and the federal government.

The availability of the vaccine is continually changing, and as we receive more supply, we’re able to add more pharmacies to our immunization program. This led me to my encounter: I received my vaccine at a local pharmacy almost three weeks ago. It was a simple sign-up online, a text was received the next day, and it was just a matter of me choosing the time that suited me best.

[10:15 a.m.]

Upon arrival, I met Winston, who informed me of the conditions surrounding my choice to be vaccinated. From there, it was around the corner to a private area so I could roll up my sleeve and receive my vaccination. I asked Winston if it was okay to take a picture so I could post it in a social media format. I asked him to pose while he held my shot in getting ready to jab me. I took a selfie and then asked him if he wouldn’t mind pausing with the needle actually inside of my shoulder. What I didn’t realize was that he was finished. I don’t recall ever receiving a vaccination of any kind where the delivery was absolutely pain-free.

We went on to talk about the role of the pharmacy and their vaccinations, and he was letting me know that he had concerns about the amount of vaccine that he had in stock as it related to the vaccination appointments that were vacant. This was in the early stages, and people were just starting to learn how this worked. I’ve stayed in contact with Winston to find out how their pharmacies are doing with regard to the scheduling, and he told me that once the 40-plus age category was announced, the demand was overwhelming.

We will continue to direct the vaccine where it’s needed the most. As you all know, every person vaccinated makes us all safer and brings us one step closer to putting the pandemic behind us.

R. Merrifield: I want to thank the member opposite for their thoughtful response to this topic in their words about Winston, the importance of pharmacists and the detail about our mass vaccination clinics. I’m sure that we can both agree that our pharmacists have made incredible contributions to our province, particularly during this pandemic. I hope that we can recognize, as the House, not just the contributions that pharmacists have made but also what they could do should they be given the opportunity. We need to ensure that as we move forward in this vaccination program, we are utilizing every resource at our disposal.

Pharmacists and pharmacies already have the resources, just as we’ve heard, to vaccinate large numbers of people and also every type of vaccination — Pfizer, Moderna, Johnson and Johnson, AstraZeneca. They already have the knowledge and know-how, and they know us, having been partners in our medical care for as long as we have lived in our communities. They also have a booking system, a distribution system, space and capacity. In fact, they can do 445,000 vaccines a week.

We talk a lot about using every tool in our toolbox. I would hate to look back at this time and feel like government had missed something so seemingly obvious as empowering our pharmacists to play a central role in our vaccine rollout. Right now it’s clear that while we are making progress through mass vaccination clinics, we are falling short of goals that we need to be reaching. It should be a time for all hands on deck, particularly the hands that have been specifically trained to do this work and to do it painlessly.

The infrastructure is in place. The willingness is there. We just need to set our pharmacies up for success. Give them the green light. Distribute vaccines to them. It’s a commonsense step, one that could save money, save time and, ultimately, save lives. Our pharmacists have been committed and dedicated front-line workers during this pandemic. They’ve put themselves and their families at risk to ensure that we are cared for, that we have the medication we need. Let’s appreciate their contributions, thank them for their service and ensure that they have the tools they need to look after British Columbians.

PANDEMIC SUPPORT CHAMPIONS

R. Russell: Thanks to the Lək̓ʷəŋin̓əŋ-speaking people, whose lands I’m on today, and also to the Nsyilxcen-speaking people, whose lands I live on.

I also note the landmark decision on Friday regarding one of those Nsyilxcen-speaking people, the Sinixt. limləmt.

I stand in front of you this morning to address this House on the matter of expressing gratitude to our teachers, our educational assistants, our instructors, our tutors, our school counsellors, our Elders, our coaches and, I’m sure, many others — all those who have a part to play in helping guide and nurture our community’s children. But I don’t want to highlight, nor is my gratitude today aimed at, the job that they have been hired to do. I want to highlight all the peripheral, all of the intangible facets of what these people do to help support the well-being of our communities.

[10:20 a.m.]

First, I’ll ask your indulgence to allow me a brief digression. The word “economy” is derived from two roots: oikos, meaning “house,” and nemein or nomos, meaning “management.” This is where I want to start. I start here, because it highlights an evolution in our understanding of the term “economy” — which would mean management of our homes, or, more broadly, our environment or surroundings — to shift towards a more narrow and reductionist concept, relying on the things we can count more easily, such as money as a key measure of our economies.

I would also wager that very few of us here in this House think of our household management — how we actually make decisions about what we do with our family’s money or our family’s time, based on, solely, things we can count easily. More realistically, we make decisions based on what we value, what is important to us. Love, nature, pride, lust, compassion — these are examples of the types of values that lead us to make what may seem like poor decisions, at least from the perspective of the easily quantified — for example, money — in favour of things that really matter to us but are intangible and brutally difficult to count or to quantify, like love or friendship.

We gather and break bread — or at least we used to — with our friends, not for a quantifiable reward, but for the relatively intangible pleasure of how that social connection makes us feel. These intangibles really are the foundation of our economy, even if not the measure of it. That’s what I want to speak to today.

When I speak of gratitude to our teachers and school staff, it’s not the tangible, obvious elements I’m spotlighting. It’s not their jobs per se, or the delivery of curriculum. It’s all of the more subtle, additional, often invisible energy they dedicate in order to enable our children to thrive.

We all know, I believe, how painful and difficult this last year and a bit has been on so many of us. Economic impacts are staggering, of course, and we have lost nearly 24,000 lives in this country alone. These are elements of the immediate impacts of a pandemic. Yet pandemic researchers knew, long before COVID-19, that the psy­chosocial impacts of influenza pandemics were likely to be greater than the immediate physical health impacts.

Before going on, though, I should define “psychosocial,” a term I certainly wasn’t familiar with until I was deep into post-disaster trauma and recovery in my own community years ago. “Psychosocial health” is a multi-dimensional term that encompasses the mental, emotional, spiritual and social dimensions of health, or, in other words, our wellness associated with our thinking, feeling, being and relating selves.

I’ll quote a section from B.C.’s community pandemic influenza psychosocial support plan, which, in turn, is part of our pandemic response plan for B.C.: “The size of the psychosocial ‘footprint’ of a pandemic — for example, fear-driven behaviours, impaired decision-making, social and family functioning, psychological disorders, decrea­sed workplace and school performance, and acute or chronic stress — is likely to be much larger than the ‘medical’ footprint.”

I’ve spent half my time here setting the frame for this statement, and perhaps that’s excessive, but it’s not accidental. Our education system and the champions within it are playing a key role in nurturing the well-being of our youth. That is enormously important right now and will be in the months and years to come.

On Thursday afternoon in my small hometown, I happened to pass a troop of little people, grade 4 age, trundling off downtown to our local art gallery. They were smiling and laughing and talking as they walked in the sunshine. At the head of that line of distracted and rambunctious kids was their teacher, Amy. She had decided to take those kids to see an art show that was, in turn, the product of a whole diversity of elementary school kids’ art that had been done in an after-school art program by another compassionate and creative soul in our school system, Carol.

They had collected hundreds of pieces of art from these children, all created in the midst of this pandemic, and had worked with our art gallery to put on a show of these children’s art — everything from Kache-Lynn’s magic wand and Sylvie’s grumpy cat painting, to Oscar’s cannibal Barbie and Juno’s earthy clay bowl.

The art show, the teacher taking her students out on this adventure — these aren’t actions that are required of these champions in our educational system. Yet again and again we see these people, these bright lights, going so far beyond the call of duty to make life good for our community’s children. Indeed, this teacher, Amy, also put her hand up to teach pandemic basketball and ski lessons and now, indeed, has coached soccer for these kids, all in her own time. She’s surrounded by similar stories in my riding, and there isn’t enough time to share them here now.

[10:25 a.m.]

These acts aren’t unique in the schools in my riding. Every day, all across the province, teachers, EAs, coaches — they’re volunteering themselves to go this extra mile and make life better for our children.

Take a moment today to thank those people in your environment who are helping in ways that aren’t easily seen, easily recognized or easily noticed. They are the ones, with these actions, who are weaving the threads of resilience and adaptation into our communities, and they deserve our thanks. Indeed, the roots of psychosocial wellness run deep, and these actions nurture and strengthen that foundation, in turn setting the stage for so much that is yet to be. Our society has, without words, asked an enormous amount from our teachers and so many others during this pandemic. So please, let’s recognize and appreciate them properly.

T. Shypitka: I rise this morning from Kootenay East and the traditional territory of the Ktunaxa First Nation in response to the member opposite in regard to his following private member’s statement, entitled “Pandemic Support Champions.”

I definitely agree with the member opposite. These champions — or as he called them, bright lights — not only deserve our whole-hearted support but also our eternal gratitude for front-line workers putting themselves at risk to provide care to our seniors, attend to our sick and injured and care for those unable to care for themselves.

Certainly, front-line workers first come to mind when we think of the true champions of this pandemic: front-line workers in my region, like Cranbrook RCMP detachment commander Sgt. Barry Graham and all the RCMP members across Kootenay East; Kootenay East firefighters, like the members of locals 1253 Cranbrook, headed by fire chief Scott Driver and his team, including dispatcher Mary-Ann Dragovan; and also the great 2827 from Fernie and those with Sparwood, Elkford, and Jaffray fire-rescue services and the many other volunteer firefighters in Elko, Baynes Lake, Hosmer, Moyie.

Paramedics and those with the B.C. Ambulance Service. Our health authority workers, such as Terri Domin — I’ve got to get her name in there — at Interior Health, who have all been stretched to the maximum during this crisis. Residential care aides, such as Dusty Phillips. They’ve been working their fingers to the bone and often don’t feel the support they are deserved. Those that work in long-term care, such as those underlying folks that never sometimes are seen at the forefront but are dietitians, laundry and janitorial services. Border patrols, ferry workers, bus drivers, grocery workers, gas station attendants — and the list goes on and on.

On occasion, we, as elected members of this House, get to champion the champions. Then, on other occasions, we have to champion those in desperate need of support throughout this pandemic. Recently I was contacted directly by the family-owned restaurant that operates the Fernie Cattle Co. in my constituency of Kootenay East. This particular restaurant in the city of Fernie has been in operation for a decade. The owners, Scott and Cindey Taylor, have sunk their life savings into building their business.

Scott tells me that his restaurant has followed all the regulations put in place since last March. However, his business is not really set up for just takeout. As a result, their gross income has been reduced between 63 percent to 90 percent over this period of closures. The most recent restrictions have hit his family business hard. Scott is, naturally, worried about his own future and those of his employees.

When Scott contacted me, he also made a specific request concerning the sharing and transparency of data related to COVID-19. We in the B.C. Liberal caucus share Scott’s concern about the information the public is receiving from this government. We believe that important information should be available to businesses and the public, information such as (1) detailed daily reporting of all active cases, including variant strains detected in schools that include a breakdown of staff and students affected; (2) the most recent data available on PCR screening for variant cases, including by age, location, and date of screening; and (3) provincial capacity for genome sequencing and any delays associated with the step.

[10:30 a.m.]

Additionally, we need to see better reporting and collection of exposure settings data, location types and the rate that transmission is occurring; detailed hospitalization demographic data; detailed vaccination progress data based on geography, age group and socioeconomic categories; daily updates on the number of rapid tests delivered and administered in each health authority by settings; and race-based data, other socioeconomic data and cases among people with disabilities.

We not only owe it to our front-line workers to have the best tools and the best protection; we also owe it to all British Columbians, from front-line workers to grocery workers and, yes, the food service industry.

Not only has the hospitality industry taken a hit, as I’ve illustrated, but our tourism industry has been hit as well and requires the same data and reporting from government. Our fishing and wildlife guide-outfitters are now in their second season of seeing absolutely no international clients. These seasonal but key tourism operators have largely fallen through the cracks for support that will keep them from closing forever. They need help now, and they all deserve the best information available because it will save lives and support our pandemic champions.

R. Russell: Thank you to the member for Kootenay East. I certainly am aligned with much of what he speaks to. We’re surrounded by these acute challenges that the member for Kootenay East mentions. Many of these individuals that are on the front lines…. Certainly we applaud the people that are there to help us navigate through those challenges — the nurses, the doctors, the hospital supply chains, the janitorial staff — all those people that come together to help us stickhandle our way through these daunting challenges.

But past that acute primary crisis, we’re moving into a wave of chronic challenges to our well-being. People like our teachers are playing a central role in helping build resilience in our youth to be prepared to combat those pressures. The warp and weft of our social fabric is more sparse than it has been for a very long time, and while our teachers and others have always played a central role for our children, that role is now more isolated and more amplified than it has been for a long while.

At the same time, the champions within the system are carrying their own personal burdens, yet still finding reserves to spread that care around. The compassion and dedication of the champions in our educational system are even more central and more important in these unique times. Yet it is also, unfortunately, more obscured from view of others during this pandemic.

Both my parents were teachers, and a handful of my friends are teachers. I know how hard they work, how many extra hours they log before the sun rises and after the day is done. I think about what our teachers are engaged in, and I think it is a form of disaster risk reduction, much like much of the work that the member for Kootenay East refers to. This is what these empathetic souls are doing daily in their classrooms and on the sports fields and beyond — reducing the invisible but very real risk of immediate or future emotional, mental and social trauma for our youth, helping equip them with the tools to speak out against rising racism, with the tools to be an ally to a peer who might need someone by their side.

These are the sorts of acts nurtured by our educational system champions that make us all stronger together. So know that we see you. Know that we recognize that this was more than what we all bargained for. Know that you have our gratitude, and as always, know that what you do as educators will forever change the lives of our communities.

VETERINARIAN SHORTAGE

I. Paton: It gives me great pleasure to rise today to speak to this motion on veterinarian shortage in B.C. As British Columbians have navigated their way through the pandemic, many have taken the opportunity to enjoy the great outdoors. Often people enjoy this time with their beloved pets, whether it is taking their dog for a walk, playing with their cats or riding their horse down their favourite trail. Animals have been a source of comfort and escape from the difficult realities we have all been facing.

As the pandemic continues to affect British Colum­bians, people are seeking solace and companions, and house­hold pet adoptions have risen rapidly. The phenomenon was so popular that the nickname “pandemic puppies” was given to newly adopted dogs in this province.

As a result of this needed comfort and animal companionship, the importance of having access to veterinarians across our province and the difficulties in booking time with an appropriate veterinarian have become apparent. The demand for veterinary services in B.C. already outstrips the number of vets available, and this situation is only going to get more urgent as people continue to get household pets. As a result of the shortage of veterinarians in B.C., the vets are facing increased levels of demand, exhaustion and burnout. These realities severely impact the mental health and well-being of vets, and unfortunately, due to the pandemic, the situation is only getting worse.

[10:35 a.m.]

My brother Dr. David Paton, an equine veterinarian in Langley, often tells me about the joys his chosen profession gives him in his personal life. He often says the ability to assist animals in their time of need is truly rewarding. As a longtime livestock farmer of dairy cattle, sheep and horses, I have personally witnessed the long hours and midnight call-outs for colic, C-sections, milk fevers, difficult births and the physical wear and tear of vet experiences while treating and handling large animals.

When people think about a profession that involves spending time with kittens and puppies, they would not assume this would be a high-stress situation. But this could not be further from the truth. Long working hours, morale and ethical conflicts and emotional distress all contribute to the weight a veterinarian experiences. There are many instances where veterinarians have to deliver devastating news to families about the health of their pets. Can you imagine the emotional burden of dealing with the end-of-life procedures performed on beloved horses, ponies, pets and companions while also consoling a devastated owner?

Ontario veterinarian Dr. Darren Stinson recently told CBC News: “Veterinary medicine, unfortunately, has the highest suicide rate among professionals in the United States, and it’s very close in Canada as well.” This saddening statistic proves that many veterinarians across the country are struggling with their mental health, and many are too afraid to take time off to address their anxiety or depression.

Dr. Stinson also paints a similar picture for the current situation here in British Columbia. He told CBC News: “We’re experiencing a high volume of caseload practices. And unfortunately, along with that comes frustration among clients. And some clients don’t handle that well because they’re dealing with issues themselves, as well as their pets, and they sometimes behave inappropriately to the veterinarian or to their staff.”

Due to COVID-19, veterinarians have been working curbside, which is an added stress because the only time they have a face-to-face conversation with a client is when they have to inform them of bad news. Unfortunately, the only time a client is allowed inside the building is when an animal is in dire condition, which is a very emotional and tense appointment.

It is abundantly clear that COVID-19 has truly made matters worse. When veterinarians were deemed an essential service, they had to begin working excessive hours caused by an increase in pet acquisition, accommodate longer appointments due to public health guidelines, and increase delays between appointments for cleaning procedures. We see these added stressors play out across veterinary clinics and hospitals in B.C.

Several weeks ago the equine veterinary hospital, B.C.’s only full-service veterinary hospital for horses, located in Langley, was struggling to provide emergency services after COVID struck some members of the staff. Out of a staff of 16, two staff members tested positive for COVID-19. Because of the small team, they basically had to shut down the hospital. The vets were pleading for help. But no one is answering the call, due to the shortage of veterinarians, surgeons and the specialized training needed for the hospital.

Veterinarians in B.C. haven’t been prioritized for vaccination, leading to the challenging situations experienced by those at the equine hospital in Langley. These stressors, as well as the stressful realities of being a vet, can put a strain on their mental health. The province must act to ensure that adequate mental health supports are made available to all front-line workers, like veterinarians, who face occupational anxiety, depression and stress.

The president of the Canadian Veterinary Association, Dr. Enid Stiles, noted that more veterinarians and animal health technicians are needed across Canada to meet the demand for care, which would alleviate the pressure on current practising vets. Urban veterinarians are reporting two-week, or longer, wait times to get appointments for veterinary care. Rural veterinarians report eight weeks or longer.

What few large-animal veterinarians there are, are oversubscribed and can only focus on current, not new, clients. The remote locations of cattle ranchers place tremendous burdens on ranchers in the Chilcotin, Cariboo, Smithers, Nechako, Skeena, Vanderhoof and the Kootenays. It is also common for retiring veterinarians who want to sell their practices to have to close their doors, for lack of a replacement veterinarian.

[10:40 a.m.]

The shortage of veterinarians has and will continue to have a significant negative effect on the health and welfare of animals in this province. And the shortage of B.C. veterinarians will continue to negatively impact the working conditions, working hours, mental health and resiliency of the overwhelming majority of veterinarians who have voiced their concerns.

I look forward to the remarks from the member opposite.

A. Singh: Thank you to the member opposite for bringing up this issue.

Access to good-quality veterinary care is an issue that affects many in British Columbia, including myself and many friends and family I know. The member mentioned pandemic puppies. The one good thing about this pandemic…. The pandemic has been hard for all of us, in whatever area that we speak about. But one of the good-news things here is that there has been an uptick in adoption of rescue dogs. That really is something that is good.

Before I delve into it, I’m actually quite ecstatic first to introduce this House to Charlie and Dave. Charlie and Dave are an integral part of my family, beings that offer unconditional love and support and that keep me grounded and keep my mental health, in this hard time, steady. My wife, Katrina, and I rescued Charlie when he was only a year and a half old. He’d been seized from near Williams Lake, we believe, and he’d spent almost eight months in the shelter, a long time for a boy who was only a year and a half old. He was adopted by another family for a day, and then returned the next day. He was too rambunctious for them.

We were lucky that happened, and we picked him up a few days later from the SPCA in Vancouver, which does incredible work. You haven’t seen a creature as glorious and handsome as Charles. When he’s sitting, he just exudes grace. When he looks at you, you can see the kindness and the love in his eyes. He’s likely a German shepherd and malamute and Rottweiler. We’re not really sure. But a complete mix. He’s incredibly playful. That also makes him incredibly accident-prone. So vet visits for us have been fairly common.

Dave is a puppy of a rescue by a friend — a mix of who knows what. But he’s the softest, kindest, most loving being, spending most of his time either napping on one of us or kissing my daughter. Not as accident-prone as Charles, so less vet visits. Someone once said that we could learn a lot from dogs. If we greeted each other like they greet us, with all of the excitement and love they have, even when we leave the room for just a minute, the world would likely be a better place.

Back to Charles. When Charles eats something in the middle of the night or hurts himself as he’s trying to navigate a fence…. Sometimes he thinks he’s a cat. This inevitably happens on a weekend night or in the middle of the night. We have had to rush to a vet. We’re lucky. We live a few blocks away from a clinic — Atlas vet clinic. They’ve been incredible and caring and have always provided quality care that’s affordable.

You know, veterinarians are valued professionals, and we recognize the critical role that they play in not only supporting our loved ones but in B.C.’s agricultural and aquacultural industries and protecting the health and welfare of our companions as well.

Fellow members, earlier today, spoke this morning about pandemic support champions. Vets often get missed in that. But as a professional who provides support to our most loved ones, they also stepped up during the pandemic. They were there. I want to recognize that. I want this House to recognize that.

Over the past 50 years, B.C. has been a key partner in maintaining the Western College of Veterinary Medicine, a world-class veterinary college. The college has, in turn, provided domestic veterinarian graduates that B.C. needs. This very year we provided the college with $8.48 million to support the education of British Columbia’s students. This funding supports at least 20 seats per year in the four-year undergraduate program, and there are at least 80 students each year whose education is supported through B.C.’s investment in the college.

I appreciate the frustration people may be experiencing when they have difficulties accessing qualified veterinary specialists in their area. We’re facing labour shortages in many, many sectors. I’m looking forward to working with the member opposite on this. We’re committed to continuing our current, significant, annual investment in veterinary medicine and training at the Western College of Veterinary Medicine. The majority of B.C.’s vet labour force is also filled through other sources, such as domestic mi­grants and international improvement. We don’t just rely on funding and training for British Columbia’s recruitment efforts. We look outside as well.

[10:45 a.m.]

I spoke about Atlas earlier — the vet clinic that we go to. These vets are trained in India. They had some issues in the 2000s. But they’re doing incredibly well, and they provide access to quality, affordable care. I’m forever grateful to them.

This is an issue that, like many other issues in the pandemic, we faced difficulties with. But I’m pleased to note that this is an issue that we’ll continue to work on and that the Ministry of Advanced Education, Skills and Training has been able to increase the number of B.C. students in the college this year through a differential tuition pilot program. Now, a total of 33 new B.C. students will be admitted.

I. Paton: Thank you to the member for his reply.

My answer to that is there is an easy fix to this. The provincial government can start funding more seats at the vet college in Saskatchewan. It is incredibly important for this House to recognize the shortage of veterinarians in British Columbia. The Society of B.C. Veterinarians chapter has written a public letter to all members of this House in an effort to identify the gaps that exist in funding for veterinarians. In the letter, it is outlined that B.C. students wishing to become veterinarians in Canada can attend the Western College of Veterinary Medicine in Saskatoon, the WCVM, B.C.’s regional vet school.

However, only 20 B.C. students are admitted each year to this four-year program, and each student pays approximately $11,000 for tuition annually. Recently, it was learned that Alberta, which has its own veterinary school for Alberta residents, was no longer going to send any of its Alberta students to WCVM after 2019. Thus, those 20 Alberta seats were no longer reserved for Alberta students and became available for students from B.C.

In the letter, it is stated: “B.C. currently educates 20 veterinarians each year of the four-year program…. There are 80 B.C.-funded students at WCVM at any given time. We asked WCVM if those 20 available Alberta seats could be available to B.C., and they said yes. B.C. needs them all.”

The Society of B.C. Veterinarians chapter was incredibly disheartened to learn that they were unable to secure a meeting with the Ministry of Advanced Education. However, as far back as 2018, they did meet with the Minister of Agriculture, and she fully supported the request for 20 additional seats. Despite the evidence from B.C. veterinarians of the shortage and how it affects them, this government’s Ministry of Advanced Education said that funding of B.C. veterinarians is not a priority. Therefore, WCVM had no choice but to make these available seats open to other Canadian and international students.

It is also noteworthy that B.C. had more than 145 qualified applicants for its 20 B.C. seats. There was no shortage of qualified applicants, and B.C. would have no problem filling 40 B.C. seats. The government’s response to the Society of B.C. Veterinarians chapter letter and request spells it out very clearly. The Ministry of Advanced Education does not view B.C. veterinarians as a funding priority.

B.C. veterinarians, without question, should be a priority in British Columbia. We rely on vets when our beloved animals and pets need them most. But unfortunately, the government is not prioritizing veterinary training, vet mental health and their overall well-being. I urge all members of this House to consider the health and well being of veterinarians and act on the urgent need for more B.C. veterinarians.

THE POWER OF HOPE
DURING THE THIRD WAVE

B. Anderson: I would like to start by acknowledging that I am on the unceded traditional territory of the Ktunaxa, Sinixt and Syilx peoples.

This pandemic has been challenging for all of us, but for some of us, it has been unbearably tragic. People have been very sick and unable to be surrounded by loved ones. People have lost loved ones. People are scared for themselves, their families and their community. Some people have lost their jobs, while others have lost their businesses. Rites of passage like graduation and weddings have had to have been postponed or reimagined. Our mental health has been compromised. Our social lives ground to a halt. For some people, their homes have become unsafe spaces that they have had to leave.

[10:50 a.m.]

Even though the pandemic has impacted the entire population, not everyone has been impacted equally.

With COVID-19, we have seen profound transformations. I am hopeful we can take the lessons of profound transformations that we have learned during the pandemic and channel them into addressing systemic inequalities and our largest global challenge: climate change.

My thoughts go out to all of those who have been affected by COVID-19 and to those who are working to combat this challenging virus each and every day. The pandemic has caused a lot of stress and anxiety. But amidst the uncertainty, there were so many stories of kindness and resilience, which gives me hope that we will make it through this third wave. With our vaccine numbers rising and our COVID numbers falling, I am feeling hopeful.

Here are a few stories from my riding that give me hope during the third wave of the pandemic. When the pandemic first started, almost immediately a group called Nelson Helps popped on to Facebook. They were focused on supporting people through the pandemic.

This unofficial group of volunteers would help to deliver food or run errands for people. The volunteers helped people isolating and people who were vulnerable and did not feel comfortable leaving their homes. People could reach out with a request, and almost immediately people would step forward to provide support. The Nelson Helps group of volunteers were focused on neighbours helping neighbours.

Seeing this type of engagement and these acts of kindness brings me an enormous amount of hope. I know many other communities had similar groups pop up. I know we will survive and thrive through communities that support each other.

Now, rites of passage, like graduations and weddings, have had to be rethought. We have had to change how we celebrate our big milestones.

When Edna, who is famous in Nelson for being a Welcome Wagon volunteer for decades, turned 100 this month, she could not celebrate in the same way she did on her 90th birthday. On her 90th birthday, Edna spent a day on the slopes at the Whitewater ski hill, followed by a surprise birthday party in the lodge. This year for Edna’s 100th birthday, the community had to come together in a different way. So they created a drive-by birthday party. Nearly 70 vehicles took part in the parade for Edna’s birthday, and she was thrilled.

Although we are not able to celebrate in the traditional way, people are finding a way to connect and celebrate in a way that keeps everyone safe. That gives me hope. I have seen a shift in values to where we need it most — in families, loved ones and communities.

During the pandemic, many of us have started to be concerned with the global supply chain. Toilet paper was out. Good luck finding yeast for bread. People were expanding their gardens. It was great to see how many people refocused their attention to their nourishment and local production.

Food security has become a hot topic once again. The Creston Valley is the agricultural hub for my region. This weekend Creston had its first outdoor farmers market of the season. Watching Mayor Toyota, director Tanya Wall and director Garry Jackman open the farmers market marked the beginning of the season.

The opening of the outdoor farmers market is not the only exciting agricultural activity happening in the Creston Valley right now. The Creston Valley food hub, a project a decade in the making, will be moving forward this year. There is already an abundant supply of food available in the Kootenays with local products, including cheese, meat, grains and fruits. This new processing facility will provide an opportunity for businesses to diversify and create value-added foods with a longer shelf life. It will also transform food waste into an opportunity.

Currently imperfect cherries are discarded in the landfill on an annual basis during the cherry cull. Now farmers will have the opportunity to turn that food waste into items like juices, jellies and fruit leather. So strengthening our local food supply and turning imperfect fruit into delicious food for the community. That also gives me hope.

Now, I am particularly concerned by how young people have been impacted by COVID. One of the young people in my life graduated from high school in 2020. He did not know what career path he wanted to pursue. He had a part-time job at a fast food restaurant, but no, that is not where he wanted to be long term. A few months later, because of the investment in staffing at our local long-term-care facilities, he was hired in a non-clinical health care role at a long-term health care facility. He has really enjoyed the meaningful work he gets to do on a daily basis.

[10:55 a.m.]

His employer was able to offer him an opportunity. As part of StrongerBC, the Ministry of Advanced Education and Skills Training is working with the Ministry of Health to deliver the health career access program. So now he is being supported to pursue health care assistant training. After graduation, he has agreed to work for at least a year as a health care assistant in the long-term-care sector, filling critical roles in our health care system. He is one of 800 health care assistants that are participating in this program. Less than a year ago he was totally unsure which direction he wanted to go in, and now he’s pursuing a meaningful career in health care.

Knowing that we are spending money in long-term-care homes to ensure seniors receive the care they need and deserve while providing people with training opportunities and prospects at a career gives me hope. It is not only in the big moments we’re experiencing gratitude and hope during this pandemic. Small acts of kindness can spark big feelings of gratitude and hope.

K. Kirkpatrick: Thank you to the member for speaking about such an important issue — the power of hope to help people cope and to heal in these troubling times. April is actually designated as the month of hope to convey the importance of hope to people across the world.

Now, the word “hope” comes from the Latin word cupio, which means “to desire or wish well.” About 200 years ago, language shifted, and it shifted that meaning. It wanted to make sure that hope actually meant something that was attainable. In 1828, Webster’s dictionary amended it to be a desire of some good, accompanied by at least a slight expectation of obtaining it, or a belief that it is obtainable. The Old English word for hope, hopa, means “confidence in the future.”

Hope sounds a lot like optimism does, and they certainly do go together. Optimism is the quality, full of hope and emphasizing all the good parts of a situation. Hope is that belief that it can actually happen. Yet we often have a difficult time in understanding what hope is. We know it’s an emotion. We know that it’s something that we individually determine. It’s personal to each person. It’s a way of thinking, our way of feeling and our way of acting.

What does hope mean to us today? Crises like these pandemics can lead to mental health problems such as post-traumatic stress syndrome, depression, anxiety, family breakdowns and more.

This third wave has been particularly difficult. In the last few kilometres of a marathon, you’re just so tired, and you don’t know if you can make it. It discourages us. Many marathon runners will tell you that they get to a point where they don’t think they’re going to make it, and they start to lose hope. In this pandemic, which feels like a marathon — it has dragged on so very long — our hope often fades.

Now, painting a picture, giving someone a vision of the future and the potential it holds, is how we provide hope to others. It’s the one thing that lifts the human spirit and keeps us going in spite of our difficulties. At times like these, it’s a leader’s hopeful outlook that enables people to see beyond today’s challenges to tomorrow’s answers — their ability to show people what that looks like.

There has been a lot of study on how hope impacts us. We know it is essential for improved coping. Improved well-being is essential and associated with hope. Depression and negative life aspects are less intense for those who are more hopeful. A protective factor against suicide and negative thinking is associated with hope, and a hopeful person is much less likely to engage in unhealthy behaviours.

How do we leverage this power of hope? The month of April is chosen as the month of hope because it’s the perfect time to celebrate. Spring is the season of rebirth and new beginnings. As a result, through the ages, nature has been linked to hope.

For many, gardening and farming are signs of hope. You sow the seeds, and you wait. You hope that your plants will grow. You hope that your flowers will bloom. You envision and imagine what that garden will eventually look like. You’re hoping. You can see the future in a positive way rather than the empty soil that’s in front of you.

[11:00 a.m.]

What does hope actually look like for us? It looks like dinner with your family and friends. It looks like taking that special trip you’ve been planning. It looks like that new job or going back to that place you work with your coworkers in person. It looks like seeing your grandmother or your grandbaby for the first time. It looks like freedom.

You can help others feel that hope, but we still need to get there, and we will. We were hopeful for vaccines, and they came. We’re hopeful to get people vaccinated, and that will happen, but we still need to hold on and not let COVID win. It has already taken so much from us. Keep moving forward until we get to that future that we know is going to happen.

I wish all of those who are tired and having a hard time pushing through the third wave of this pandemic to know there truly is hope. People are resilient. We have vaccines, and we have a way forward. So hope can help us hold on just a little bit longer. It’s not wishing for something. It’s a true belief that what we wish can come true.

B. Anderson: Thank you so much to the member for their words. I agree with you.

[N. Letnick in the chair.]

I am noticing a trend on social media, and some of us in this House have already participated. You know what I’m talking about: the vaccine selfie. I love seeing people share photos of themselves getting vaccinated.

I have also noticed another trend that frequently goes along with the vaccine selfie. People are sharing the side effects that they are experiencing. Besides having a sore arm, many people have been sharing that the biggest side effects they experienced after getting vaccinated are tears of joy and a huge sense of relief.

I know that when people in my life have told me that they have received the vaccine or have their appointments booked, it gives me a huge sense of both relief and hope.

To all the essential workers that have gotten us to this point: thank you. I am hopeful that we all follow the provincial health orders and get vaccinated at our earliest opportunity. We are doing this to protect each other. We will be able to look forward to opening back up soon, which makes me very hopeful.

To all the health care workers, from the cooks and the cleaners to the nurses, doctors, pharmacists, techs and specialists: thank you for your excellent level of care.

To the people supporting our vulnerable populations, whether at a soup kitchen, a safe consumption site or providing home care: thank you for taking care of our community members.

To the teachers who have pivoted, the educational assistants who have helped students transition, to the principals and administration who have kept students learning: thank you.

To the early childhood educators who not only teach our littlest members of society but, as one ECE put it, are wiping snot and bums all day so parents can go to work: thank you for helping to keep our kids safe and the economy going.

To the utility workers, including hydro workers who worked through the night to get our power back on after a tremendous windstorm: we appreciate you.

To the farmers, food processors, transport drivers and the grocery store clerk who has that sparkle in her eye, with the big smile behind their mask: thank you for feeding us.

To the cooks that continue to sweat behind the grill and the servers who continue to hustle while providing safe service with a smile: we appreciate you.

To the first responders, including paramedics, search and rescue, firefighters and police: thank you for your continued service to our community.

To all of the essential workers: I am grateful for the work you do for our community. When we talk about our front-line workers, they are actually our last line of defence. We need to do our part to keep them safe. What gives me hope is knowing that, when called into action, British Columbians have stepped up and continue to do so to support and care for our communities.

Hon. J. Osborne: I ask that the House proceed to the consideration of the Motion 5 standing in the name of the member for Surrey–White Rock.

Deputy Speaker: Members, unanimous consent of the House is required to proceed to Motion 5 without disturbing the priorities of the motions preceding it on the order paper.

Leave granted.

[11:05 a.m.]

Private Members’ Motions

MOTION 5 — SUPPORT FOR
COMMUNITIES DURING COVID-19

T. Halford: I am pleased to bring forward the following motion this morning:

[Be it resolved that this House support communities during the COVID-19 pandemic.]

As we continue to fight the global pandemic, it continues to be essential to support our local communities in everything that makes them special. This means ensuring that we take care of families, seniors and those who need an extra helping hand, but it also means that we take care of small businesses and organizations that make up the fabric of our local communities.

Where I call home, in White Rock and Surrey, the heartbeat of our community is small business. I was raised in a family where food was put on the table through small business, and it continues to do so. My mom owned a local catering shop — she still does — in White Rock. She moved from Ocean Park and now into White Rock. To say that the past year has been a struggle would be a dramatic understatement. She has been fighting every day to stay open. Every day on my Facebook page, I go and share her menu that day, hoping that a few extra eyes will see it to go do some takeout. So far, she’s been able to stay open, but it has come at a substantial cost.

There are many stories in my community where people have not been as fortunate as my mother has. I’ll give you an example: the Delight Indian Bistro. It opened in June of 2020. The general manager recently spoke out, and it was a cry for help. He said: “Relief programs set in place by the government over the last year required way too much information.” It was payroll information that he was struggling to get out. It resulted in him getting delays in funding, and he ultimately closed his doors.

We look at Penguin Meats. Now, Penguin Meats was a store I loved. I’ve gone there every day. They actually sponsored my local hockey teams growing up. That iconic White Rock store was open for 55 years in the community. It closed this summer. The owner said specifically that business conditions resulting from the pandemic were too much.

Surrey’s Round Up Café is set to close its doors. The owner, whose family has owned and operated the café for over 60 years, cited the pandemic as a reason. He said: “A hundred percent of the reason that we’re closing is because of the pandemic. Before the pandemic, we were rocking it, very busy, lined up out the door on Saturdays and Sundays. Even when we were open again in December, we got some business back. We were still struggling, but we were breaking even and enough to keep going and maybe wait until the pandemic is over. But now with this current shutdown, we don’t know when it will end.”

These stories are all too common in my community, and I’m sure they’re common in every member’s community across this province. People are looking for help, and quite often the help that’s given here has been tied to bureaucratic bungling, time after time, where information is requested and information is given, and then further information is requested. These communities, these small businesses, are struggling to provide for their families. They’re struggling to provide for their employees. They want to keep their doors open. They are depending on all of us to step up and do the right thing. Now, the intention of this House is there. I know that, and I see it, but the execution is clearly not.

When I hear stories of businesses such as Ocean Park Pizza receiving approval for their grant, but it’s taking weeks and weeks to get that grant paid, that means they’re not paying their employees. That means they’re not paying their vendors when they’re going out and they’re trying to set up a patio and keep their business open. They’re trying to adapt. Quite often in business, you hear the words: “Adapt or die.” If we are not helping businesses adapt, they die. And in my community, I’ve seen it too often.

Deputy Speaker: The member for Langley East.

M. Dykeman: Thank you, hon. Speaker, for recognizing me and giving me the opportunity to rise in this House today to speak to this motion from the member opposite.

I’d like to start off by saying that I am on the traditional ancestral and unceded territories of the Matsqui, Kwantlen, Katzie and Semiahmoo First Nations.

[11:10 a.m.]

I am very appreciative of the member opposite bringing this motion forward because it is no secret that this has been so very challenging. This has been an incredibly challenging time for so many people. The challenges of COVID-19 have affected people from every corner of the globe. All British Columbians have felt the impact of the challenges that COVID-19 has brought.

As we have all recognized in this House at some point or another over the past year, the challenges have not been felt equally, and some groups have been more affected than others. People are tired; they are disillusioned. They feel, rightfully so, that this year has been overwhelming with, say, distance and separation from their loved ones, the struggles that businesses have felt, and missing our friends and family.

This pandemic has highlighted and intensified certain areas, like mental health, partner violence, isolation, seniors care, substance abuse and homelessness, just to name a few. The pandemic has been a multi-pronged challenge, the virus itself being just one aspect. The other issues have simply just been exacerbated and moved to the forefront, and therein lies the challenge. There are many ways that people, families and communities must be supported. At the beginning of this pandemic, one would never have known that those issues and needs would be so complex and diverse.

Our government has recognized that nothing is more important than our health and safety and that the support that people, families, businesses and communities have received needs to continue as we navigate towards the end of this challenging period. That’s why Budget 2021-2022 has included a $3.25 billion pandemic and recovery contingency fund, which will continue to support people and businesses now and to support recovery.

Some examples of that include $900 million for health-related COVID-19 management, managing the most complex vaccine rollout that we’ve seen, testing and screening, and PPE for our front-line workers; over $1 billion in supports for people and businesses, including ongoing supports for people experiencing homelessness, or business recovery programs and allocations that are supporting the tourism sector, which has been so hard hit, as they wait to welcome back visitors; $200 million to prepare for economic recovery, including funding to support community infrastructure, skills training and youth employment initiatives; and $1.1 billion in reserve to support unanticipated and urgent health relief measures. This has been building a plane while it’s flying.

Our government also recognizes that we have to plan going forward, so another $1 billion is reserved for next year and another $300 million, if needed, for ’23-24. Budget 2021 also includes permanent new funding and support for the health care system, so $450 million over three years to increase surgical capacity.

These are just a few of the supports that are in place to support our community. In my community of Langley East, which is very entrepreneurial, I hear every day of the challenges people are facing but thankfulness for the support, such as expedient approval of expansion of patio spaces so that businesses can continue and pivot — support through the programs and the support that the government has provided in getting funding to the businesses so that they can continue.

I know this is a challenging and frustrating time, and there has been a lot of uncertainty surrounding it from our youth, who are sacrificing so much; our front-line workers, who have stepped up every day to ensure that our communities are functioning and safe and to provide us with access to essential goods and services; people who are isolated; seniors, parents and others. They need support. We must maintain hope, as this House has spoken about today. We all long for our familiar routines and normalcy.

This is a challenging time, but this government recognizes that and is rolling out vaccines each and every day and the support that’s needed for businesses, families and everyone through our community as we near the end of this very difficult time.

Thank you once again, Mr. Speaker, for the opportunity to speak today on this important motion.

D. Ashton: I stand today to address a topic raised by this week’s motion: “Be it resolved that this House support communities during the COVID-19 pandemic.” First of all, I really would like to thank the original people of the Okanagan Valley for sharing this incredible valley that many of us call home.

[11:15 a.m.]

Also, I really put my heart out to those on the front line, those essential workers that have made such a huge difference — whether you’re in care homes, you’re nurses, you’re doctors, you’re clerks in grocery stores, you’re the stockers of the grocery stores — and that have made a difference and tried to maintain some normalcy in the life that we’re facing at this point in time.

Our communities have faced the challenges of COVID-19 for over a year now, and there have been many opportunities to reassess our supports available to families, to businesses, to communities. I say “our” because we are all going to have to work together to make a difference to those who need the help the most.

However, I think there are significant gaps in the support available. There is a need to swiftly revise application criteria, and to do everything possible to limit unnecessary costs to our communities, and to limit those of small businesses that are struggling so hard today. It is my understanding that only $127 million of the $365 million promised so far from medium and small business grants has been administered yet. Those resources are needed now. They’re needed right now.

COVID, here in the valley where I live, has been incredibly tough on tourism businesses. Whether you’re in Penticton, Naramata, Summerland, Peachland or those conducting businesses in the regional district areas, everybody has felt the pinch of COVID, and it’s made such a difference. It’s not just financial. There is an opportunity right now to make a difference — to streamline regulation, to get responses from ministries quicker.

Everybody is stepping up and everybody is making that little bit more of an individual effort. An example: a large, local hotel has really been paralyzed by this. They have five different liquor licences. They’ve had an application. I know the ministry is working towards this, but a simplification would make such a difference. This is a hotel that has expanded onto their property on the beach to service their clientele. It works great when the weather is beautiful, but when it’s not, it pinches their opportunity for survival.

Clothing stores. I can cite an example of a young girl that had a great business running for years and years. She had a baby. Her staff, with CERB and with other moneys promised by levels of government — the staff decided to stay home. She was forced to close. But that was her business. That was what provided the income for her family.

I think we have an opportunity to really examine how we’re administrating help to those that are suffering from COVID. There is an opportunity at this point in time, in my opinion, to make a difference with regulations, etc. Also, tourism is down about 70 percent, in my understanding. There is an opportunity for each and every one of us to work together, instead of just handing out resources.

An idea for the government: let’s put those people that are out of work right now, and let’s get them helping in the community. We can pay them. As government, we can help out. We can assist them. There are other entities, even private entities, that have the opportunity to put people to work. Let’s give them an opportunity where government supports them, partially, with funding for employment, where they support part of it, and we can make a difference in the communities.

Don’t forget: small businesses are the first people whose doors get knocked on, whether you’re a sporting club…. I heard the original mover of the motion talk about his hockey team. Whether it’s a dance, or whether it’s hockey, or whether it’s youth soccer, or whether it’s graduation — who are the first people that get knocked upon? It’s the small businesses. They’re asking for donations and for contributions. We’ve got to do everything possible to keep those community assets, those small businesses, going.

They say that in a pandemic, or in opportunities that come from a pandemic, there is a chance to make a difference. We have a real chance, going forward in this province, to make a difference. We have a chance to streamline how we conduct our business as government. I say “we” because collectively, we walk down the street…. Even though I’m from here, I would bet that 25 or 30 percent of the people can’t address who their MLA is, but they look at the government, and we are all government.

We have that opportunity, at this point in time, to make an incredible difference for the future. The pandemic has given us an opportunity. Let’s not use this time unwisely. Let’s use it to make this province the incredible province it always has been and make it so much better for all the individuals that have been affected by COVID.

Thank you very much for the opportunity to speak to this motion today.

J. Brar: I’m pleased to respond to the motion introduced by the hon. member for Surrey–White Rock, asking this House to support communities during the COVID-19 pandemic.

[11:20 a.m.]

There is no doubt COVID-19 has impacted and continues to impact all of us. British Columbians continue to struggle during this challenging time. People are worried about their health and about their future. When the pandemic hit our province last spring, our government promised British Columbians that we would be there for them for as long as it takes to recover. That promise stands today, tomorrow and forever. We will continue to listen to public health officials, help those on the front lines and support families and businesses as we make it through this current wave of COVID-19 and as vaccines bring better days ahead.

When COVID-19 first struck, our province moved very quickly to provide relief for renters, middle-class families, hard-hit small businesses and the most vulnerable people. We have invested over $10 billion in COVID-19 relief and recovery programs. These programs include….

Up to 3.7 million British Columbians are eligible for the recovery benefit. Individuals can apply to receive up to $500 and families up to $1,000. The emergency benefit for workers provided a $1,000 payment to people who lost their income due to COVID-19. Over half a million British Columbians have received this tax-free payment so far. The temporary rental supplement offers up to $550 per month to reduce the cost of rent and ensure that landlords continue to receive income. All student loan payments were suspended until September 30. People receiving income and disability assistance were given a $300-per-month COVID-19 crisis supplement. And the list goes on.

Our government also provided and continues to pro­vide much-needed support to small and medium-sized businesses, as mentioned by the members on the other side. We cut property tax bills for businesses by 25 percent, providing $700 million in immediate relief. An average urban business saved about $5,600. We moved quickly to defer many business taxes until the end of September. We allowed restaurants to purchase alcohol at wholesale prices, saving them up to 25 percent. We provided emergency funding to support child care centres — over $150 million to support more than 4,500 child care centres.

Our government is investing more than $220 million in CleanBC programs to put people back to work, building cleaner energy, protecting the environment and preparing B.C. for the impact of climate change. Help is available now to hard-hit small and medium-sized businesses get through this tough time and thrive in the recovery, with a $345 million new grant program that’s open right now.

The good news is that our provincial vaccination plan is now underway. It is being distributed to all British Columbians as quickly and safely as possible, beginning with those most at risk. We can finally see the finish line in sight. Over 1.5 million people in B.C. have already re­ceived their first vaccine, with thousands more getting it every day.

I agree with the member that in some areas, the impact of COVID-19 is more, and in some areas, the impact is less. But I would like to say, in concluding, that in fact, B.C. has delivered more direct help for people throughout the pandemic than any other province in this country. As we move forward towards better days, our government will remain committed to supporting communities and keeping people safe while building a recovery that works for everyone.

[11:25 a.m.]

L. Doerkson: I am pleased to address the topic raised by this week’s motion before us today: “Be it resolved that this House support communities during the COVID-19 pandemic.”

My constituents of the Cariboo-Chilcotin have been through so many challenging events over the past couple of years. Wildfires have devastated large tracts of forest land. The result has been a major loss of timber supply in the region and, as a consequence, a subsequent loss of jobs through permanent mill closures and temporary shutdowns. Then every spring we have freshet season. I can­not tell you how many homes I’ve seen ruined throughout our region by flooding in the past two weeks and so many more over the past two years. On top of all of that, we’ve had the pandemic sweep through small, isolated communities throughout the Cariboo-Chilcotin.

The combined effect of all three events has had a devastating effect on local business operations. This is why so many British Columbians, especially local entrepreneurs hit hard by the pandemic, have been patiently awaiting this year’s long-delayed provincial budget. Unfortunately, the relief that is greatly needed in rural British Columbia did not materialize.

Yet it was not for lack of trying to get the government’s attention. Local governments throughout our region have sent requests for help to different ministries, along with the Premier’s office, with really only one very simply message. That was: “We need help.” The people of the Cariboo-Chilcotin are experiencing the combination of wildfires, flooding and now, of course, COVID-19.

Here are just a few examples of what’s happening at the ground level in my riding. As I indicated in our budget debate last week, it’s very disappointing that, for the second year in a row, we have lost both our beloved indoor rodeo in Williams Lake and, of course, the Williams Lake Stampede as well. I also indicated earlier that, regrettably, the 100 Mile House Cruzers Car Club announced the cancellation of their annual Hot July Nights car show this year. These cancellations are having a cumulative effect that reverberates through our entire local economy. The loss of these events affects everyone: restaurants, gas stations, hotels, lodges and also guide-outfitters, guest ranches and stock contractors.

As I also noted during the budget debate, these last operations that I mentioned have had the added pressure of feeding animals as part of their overhead, all in addition to heating and lighting their infrastructures as well. A prime example of this is C+ Rodeos, with expenses running more than $100,000 a year for feed alone. Allow me to quote a recent article in the Williams Lake Tribune on the subject of COVID-19’s impacts on the sport of rodeo since March of 2020. C+ Rodeos’ roughstock contractor, Roy Call, had this to say: “We’ve been involved in rodeo for 35 years, and there’s never been anything like this. We’re the same as a lot of other businesses. It’s been catastrophic.”

Mr. Speaker, it’s heartbreaking. I’ve also previously indicated that family-run operations are all running low on resources. Other small businesses, like Re4rm Fitness in Williams Lake, are now temporarily closing, holding onto the prospect of finally reopening soon in the future, they hope. It can’t be soon enough.

We also have the Laughing Loon restaurant, which is also struggling to stay in business, like so many others. Laughing Loon was trying to do their best to serve take­out, but a sudden health order led to severe loss this month because supplies have to be ordered by food outlets weeks in advance. Like so many other restaurants, the owners are not sure how much more they can handle.

Neighbouring towns in rural British Columbia that are also dependent on tourism are also showing signs of financial distress. The hon. member for Cariboo North will tell you that historic towns like Barkerville are in desperate need of assistance.

In conclusion, I’m going to support this motion because the people of Cariboo-Chilcotin need help. They need more immediate supports from this government, and they need it right now.

[11:30 a.m.]

J. Rice: In the face of such uncertainty and adversity, British Columbians have been extremely resilient. For over a year now, this pandemic has inflicted havoc on people’s lives, our communities and businesses. People have pa­tiently waited for vaccine development and then patient­ly waited for a vaccine rollout.

From the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, your B.C. NDP government has said we would be there for British Columbians, and that position still stands. We’re here for British Columbians in the health response, guided by health officials. We’re here for them in the recovery, as we build back B.C. stronger than before. Compare that to the previous government, which was only there for their friends, the wealthy and the well connected. We’re here for all British Columbians.

First and foremost, we’re here to help people, communities and businesses to implement whatever public health protections are necessary to address outbreaks. Those supports also include the B.C. recovery benefit, which became available to people at the end of last year. Our provincial vaccination plan is now underway and being distributed to all British Columbians as quickly and as safely as possible, beginning with the most vulnerable. Key investments in health care allow more patients to receive treatment at home, reduce wait times and train and hire more doctors and nurses.

We’re also taking significant steps to assist small and medium-sized businesses in weathering the economic storm caused by COVID-19. New tax measures reward businesses for hiring and help them grow and become more productive by making it easier for them to invest in equipment and machinery. The province’s $10 billion COVID-19 response is protecting people’s health and livelihoods and investing in stronger communities and a bright future.

We’ve taken action to help hard-hit industries while we build a stronger economic recovery. Our COVID-19 response included a further $1.6 billion investment in health care and mental health supports to build on our improvements and make sure critical services are always there when people need them.

In communities throughout B.C., local governments and housing organizations have stepped up efforts to keep people safe and provide shelter and housing. The province is here to support them. We’re investing $42 million in the new launch online grant program to help eligible small and medium-sized businesses build or strengthen their digital commerce capabilities. We have provided funding to Small Business B.C. to support the B.C. business COVID-19 support service, the personal protective equipment and B.C. marketplaces.

B.C.’s restaurants, bars, breweries, wineries and gyms have been particularly hard hit by this pandemic, so the recent provincial health orders were difficult news for many to take. To help the 14,000 businesses that have been further impacted by the recent restrictions, we have put a $50 million circuit breaker business relief grant in place. Applications will remain open until June 4 or until the funds are dispensed, whichever happens first.

This grant provides businesses $1,000 to $10,000 in one-time funding to help with expenses like rent, employee wages, maintenance and utilities. It also helps support unexpected costs that may have resulted from the order, such as perishable foods that a restaurant may have purchased but was unable to sell.

To ensure businesses in these categories can access funds quickly, the circuit breaker business relief grant is designed to be a streamlined and easy-to-use application. Through a yes-no check mark application, a business simply declares that they were affected by the recent provincial health orders, are registered as a B.C. business, demonstrate majority ownership and operations, and payment of taxes in B.C. A business is required to provide their direct-deposit information and produce a single business validation document — such as a lease agreement, business or liquor licence, or notice of assessment — at the time of application.

If you receive this grant funding, it will have no bearing on the regular small and medium-sized business recovery grant program. These two streams are completely different.

We can all do our part to help businesses right now. If you’re in a position to do so, please order takeout, dine at home, or dine at an active outdoor patio, buy B.C. and shop local.

Hon. Speaker, this is just an overview of supports. More importantly, we will continue to be responsive to the needs of people, businesses and communities to see them through the pandemic and into a strong economic recovery that supports all British Columbians.

[11:35 a.m.]

M. Lee: I’m pleased to rise to support this motion by the member for Surrey–White Rock.

I’m sure we can agree right now that as we continue to fight this global pandemic, we need to be supporting our communities. This means making sure individuals and families are cared for. But it also means ensuring our community organizations, non-profits and small businesses have the supports and resources they need to get by during this incredibly difficult time.

Unfortunately, there are far too many small businesses, arts and culture organizations, tourism operators and others across British Columbia that have had to make the heartbreaking decision to close their doors because they were unable to make ends meet. Many couldn’t pay their rent in the face of massive drops in revenue. This year, in addition to property taxes, some had the speculation tax imposed on the air above their heads. The supports they needed from this government simply were not in place when they needed them.

For over 13 months, this government has said they would be there to support businesses, but in so many situations, what this government has offered has been too little, too late. Budget 2021 was a clear example of this. This budget was late — two months late — because the government decided to call an unnecessary election in the middle of a pandemic. Not only was there next to no new support for small businesses, and even less for non-profits, the money set aside for the small business program has been further delayed. On top of this delay, the money remains too difficult to access for most businesses that so desperately need it.

It’s worth noting that much of the funding for this program is money that members of this House supported setting aside 13 months ago, in March. Over a year later, it’s hard to believe that all of this money has not made it out the door. Businesses like the Kino Café on Cambie Street in Vancouver, which, after 30 years of being a hot spot of comedy and culture, had to close its doors, the owner stretched to his financial limits; or the Vancouver restaurant Campagnolo, which closed its doors after 12 years because under the current business climate, the owner couldn’t see a way to reopen his restaurant and make it thrive again.

There are other numerous businesses suffering in the Punjabi Market in Marpole village in my constituency of Vancouver-Langara. They’ve been feeling the strain of rising rents and property taxes for years. For many, the lack of support from this government during the pandemic has been a tipping point. These small businesses are the lifeblood of our community. With the closing of shops and restaurants, we are seeing the hollowing out of our neighbourhoods. I grew up in a family running a small business on the east side of Vancouver. Working weekends in my father’s corner pharmacy stores, I saw the kinds of impacts that that business had on families, on seniors, on children in our neighbourhoods.

The tourism industry has been hard hit by COVID-19, yet in this budget, the government has provided less than half the funding the industry said it needed for recovery. We’ve already watched as the Vancouver Aquarium, a beloved destination for our locals and tourists alike, was sold to new American owners after this government could not step up to provide the supports that were needed to sustain the aquarium, including to keep the animals fed. The strength of our communities is dependent on the continued success of businesses and organizations like these — the restaurants, the museums and attractions, the shops, the arts and culture organizations and non-profits.

But we have seen over the past year…. Far too many have had to close their doors, take on more debt or lay off hard-working staff. For the last 13 months, B.C. small businesses have looked to this government for hope and help, for some sort of relief that will help them survive beyond this pandemic. Unfortunately, these businesses have been ignored, as the supports came too little, too late or not at all from this government.

As members of this House, we come together to ask this government to implement simple solutions that will help our small businesses survive.

[11:40 a.m.]

I sincerely hope, as we continue to contend with this third wave and as businesses face another round of closures, that we see increased action on this and other supports to help the hard-working people of this province and for the good of all our communities.

J. Sims: It’s my pleasure today to rise and speak in this House on the motion moved by my colleague from across the way: “Be it resolved that this House support communities during the COVID-19 pandemic.”

I can say I cannot imagine even one person, no matter where they sit in this House, being opposed to this motion. Supporting communities — that is our job. We get elected not to just come to Victoria and have debates in here but so that the actions we take when we sit in this House will help to support individuals and our communities.

I want to say and do a huge shout-out to our communities right across this province. They are in a marathon. I’ve heard this word used a few times today, but it’s a marathon that we thought was maybe only going to be one or two months in length. That has now gone on into its 15th month. It’s a marathon that has brought out the best in British Columbians. It has shown our resilience, whether it’s in the north, whether it’s in the centre, whether it’s on the Island or whether it’s in the Lower Mainland. Our resilience has been evident.

I’m so proud of the fact that so many people in every field, from front-line health workers to people who work in our grocery stores, look after our children, work in our schools…. Everybody stepped forward to do their part.

I know it’s been frustrating recently. I know some people are getting tired, so they’re looking for quick fixes. But from day one, we’ve known that we are in a health pandemic. I have to say, I am so proud of the fact that in this province the lead for the health orders was left with the experts so that the decisions that have been made, every step of the way, have been made based on data, based on knowledge of health and what is good for British Columbians. Yes, we have taken actions and passed motions and provided support. But the driving force for the health orders and for the restrictions has always been our public health officer.

I have to take a moment now. I know I have a very short time to say how disgusted — I will say and use the word “disgusted” again — and disappointed I was to read about the graffiti that appeared on the seawall in Vancouver. Unacceptable. We have a health officer who is working around the clock, keeping us safe and taking actions based on data. Yes, we don’t like her actions sometimes, because it inconveniences us, but she is doing her very best. I say that that kind of hate and those kinds of actions have no place in the British Columbia I call home. So I wanted to call out on that.

I want to talk about communities being supported. What do we mean when we’re talking about communities? We’re meaning every single one of us right across British Columbia. We’re talking about individuals. We know that our system, and I’m not going to…. This is not a partisan comment. We’ve known even before COVID that our system is inequitable, that there were haves and have-nots — those who could access services, those who could not. It has become more evident where we need to put our investments and to support communities so that we do have a more equitable society.

So, yes, we have to. We have to support our business community because the business community is us. It is all of us. Business communities, especially our small and medium-sized businesses, are the backbone of our economy. We need to make sure that the supports are there for them, and we have been working on that.

[11:45 a.m.]

One of the things we have to congratulate…. And we don’t do this enough. Every British Columbian, young and old and in between — congratulate them on their resilience. Congratulate them on their positivity. Congratulate them that even in the darkest of moments, they found time to laugh, to support each other, to share wonderful stories and to make a meal for a next-door neighbour who might be isolated. Businesses who themselves gave up so much and are struggling….

Deputy Speaker: Thank you, Member.

T. Wat: I rise to speak on the motion: “Be it resolved that this House support communities during the COVID-19 pandemic.”

I want to first acknowledge that I’m speaking to you from the traditional territories of the Musqueam, Squamish and Tsleil-Waututh First Nations.

Our communities have endured the challenges of COVID-19 for over a year now. Throughout that time, there have been many opportunities for our government to assess and reassess their response and the effectiveness of the support they’re offering to our communities.

With this in mind, it does raise some serious questions as to why this government has left and continues to leave significant gaps in our pandemic response and the supports needed for people and businesses. The government continues to face strong criticism for the restrictive criteria and sluggish rollout of the small and medium-sized business grant program — money that was approved to go out the door more than a year ago, and less than half has made it to the businesses in need.

With my riding being home to more than 800 restaurants, many of my local business owners have suffered from this government’s refusal to admit when their plan isn’t working. One constituent of mine, Ding Chuhang, wrote to me to express his concern. He is a long-standing businessman who had plans to expand his noodle restaurant chain as well as open a music restaurant and bar. So 2020 was scheduled to be a year of expansion and opportunity for him. When the pandemic hit, his year quickly turned into one of strife and ever-mounting economic cost.

Despite being on the hook for over $20,000 in rent for his properties every month and being responsible for supporting more than 50 jobs, my constituent said he was unable to apply for the small and medium-sized business grant since his restaurants were new and had not had the opportunity to generate revenue for him yet. His only respite was $60,000 in federal interest-free loans. While this government claims to have been swift in revising the application criteria to have businesses better access the support, many business owners like my constituent would disagree.

Not only has this government failed to offer supports to address the real-world situations and challenges many of our businesses are facing, but they have also failed to remove some of the unnecessary costs that have plagued our many businesses throughout the pandemic. More than 60 travel agencies in my community have written to me to express their dismay. Despite seeing a revenue drop of 95 percent, these agencies are still subject to the manda­tory monthly licencing fees for Consumer Protection B.C. Three provinces in Canada require travel agencies to be licensed — Ontario, Quebec and B.C. — yet B.C. is the only province that has yet to waive the mandatory monthly licensing fees.

Lack of government initiatives to address the unreasonable criteria on their supports has done more than impact business economic well-being. It has impacted the identity of Richmond itself. The Richmond Night Market, perhaps the most iconic celebration of our community’s cultural identity, is a prime example.

[11:50 a.m.]

While this government has taken steps to change the criteria for large venues and events in this recent budget, it is cold comfort for Raymond Cheung of the Night Market, who is on the hook for $800,000 worth of 20th anniversary memorabilia in 2020, including tents and coupon books on top of over $60,000 in monthly rent for more than a year.

There are too many examples like this to fit in just five minutes. I hope government will move forward by listening to our communities and revising the criteria for government supports so that my local businesses can actually receive the help they need.

H. Yao: I acknowledge that I’m speaking from and representing Richmond South Centre riding, which is located on the unceded and traditional territory of the Musqueam, Kwantlen and Tsawwassen Coast Salish people. I thank them for allowing us to live, work and play on their ancestral land.

I want to thank the member for Surrey–White Rock for introducing the motion. I also want to thank many of my colleagues before me for sharing their passions and concerns in our provincial government’s effort in the fight for COVID-19. I’m also proud that our province has the highest per-capita support in Canada. Although we’re in the same storm, we’re all in different boats.

[Mr. Speaker in the chair.]

As I continue, I want to first actually acknowledge the many lives lost prematurely to COVID-19 and the many families broken by COVID-19. I want to take a moment to express my sincere condolences. We’re hoping we can find a way to continue moving forward, but we also express our sincere pain, as many families are experiencing.

I know many of my colleagues talk about small business, but I would like to start with talking about health care providers, our health care professionals — doctors, nurses and other health care professionals who are working day in and day out to keep the front line of the fight over COVID-19.

Since our government took hold in 2017, we have made investments into our health care system to catch up all the years of neglect, to ensure we are ready and able to fight. As COVID-19 has demonstrated, it has proven that our health care system still has many, many…. It has a ways to go. We still have a lot to do.

We also want to say that British Columbians are working with our health care providers, continuously understanding the directives provided by Dr. Bonnie Henry and the Ministry of Health, and to understand all of the efforts that have been scientifically approached. We must understand that although a few are criticizing Dr. Henry’s directives, and it has been challenging for Dr. Bonnie Henry to move forward with many of her suggestions, the majority of British Columbians are resilient. The majority of British Columbians respect her leadership, steadfast determination and everlasting endurance, especially in the darkest moments, when many chose to criticize instead of appreciating her effort.

I also want to take a moment to thank the teachers and thank the many education professionals. We know it has been hard, and many teachers go to work with fear and anxiety. Even though our provincial government has provided extensive protective gear and equipment — HVAC, to help with proper air flow — and to have a proper cohort system to help protect our students, we have also learned, through the incident of the spring break, that school is the safest place for students to be at. That’s why we thank the teachers for their endurance and for their courage — and for them to know that we are here, listening to everything they have been saying to us. We will fight together to overcome COVID-19.

I also want to take a moment to thank all the grocery store workers, all the individuals working on the front line in different kinds of capacities to allow our economy to continue and to allow us to maintain our quality of life. Again, I want to emphasize that B.C. has the highest per-capita support in Canada, and we’re one of the few provinces that didn’t have to shut down, to allow our economy to continue moving forward throughout this pandemic.

But I do want to emphasize one thing, and this is probably my main point today. It feels like we’re talking about a marathon. It feels like we’re talking about how we can endure and outlast this pandemic of COVID-19.

I do want to send a message to COVID-19, or maybe the personification of COVID-19: “Be not proud. You might have hurt our friends, harmed our neighbours, scared our loved ones, broken many families and taken away many lives prematurely. However, we British Columbians will be victorious. We will recover. We will prosper. British Columbians will thrive through this fight together.”

I look forward to the day that my daughter will learn about the COVID-19 pandemic in her history textbook, where British Columbians, Canadians and the people in Richmond South Centre all came together to fight against COVID-19, came out on top and had a full, proper recovery in our B.C.

[11:55 a.m.]

Our government has been here for people with problems earlier, and we continue to be here for British Columbians. We have, again, the highest per-capita support in Canada and continue to be here for British Columbians, for small businesses, for the non-profit sector, for families, and to ensure we British Columbians can recover as the time goes.

I look forward to the day that I get to meet all my colleagues, in person in the House, and look forward to the day that British Columbians may hug their families and say hi to their friends and enjoy a dining experience. Thank you.

T. Stone: I’m pleased to stand and rise in support of this motion. I, too, share the previous member’s commitment and gratitude to the exceptional work that’s been done by health care workers and teachers and all of those on the front lines as we have gone through this pandemic. But I want to pay particular attention, in my comments this morning, to the impacts of this pandemic on small businesses and the lack of supports that small businesses have realized from this government.

Underneath the pain of the stories that we have heard this morning from members that represent communities like Williams Lake and Vancouver and Richmond and White Rock is a very important reality. That is that one in seven of British Columbia’s small businesses today are at risk of closing forever. That works out to 25,000 small businesses. That equates to 300,000 employees, 300,000 people, whose jobs are in jeopardy. Of course, this is on top of the 8,000 small businesses that the Minister of Jobs acknowledged have been lost in British Columbia already to this point.

Contrary to comments that members opposite continue to make, British Columbia is actually not first when it comes to providing direct relief in grants to business and to small business. That free enterprise–loving organization, the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives…. In their recent report, they indicate that British Columbia is actually in eighth place. Ontario spends $507 per person in support of small businesses. Alberta spends $483 per person in support of small businesses. Here in British Columbia, we’re in eighth place, at $196 per person.

Not only is this government not focused as it should be on getting supports into the hands of small businesses; every program that has been rolled out for small business has been an absolute failure, the most glaring of which has been the business recovery grant. Inexplicably, we all learned in the recent budget that the government has had so much difficulty getting money out the door to small businesses that it had to extend, by one year, the time frame to push the final $195 million out of the original program budget.

This program was made up of funds approved a year ago. It was put into a program that was launched eight months ago. When the member for Surrey-Panorama says, “I know people are looking for quick fixes,” I would suggest that a program that was set up eight months ago, with money from a year ago that is going to take another year to fully expend the dollars, is not exactly a quick fix. There is no cohesive plan for small business from this government. There is no cohesive jobs plan.

There is an increasing reliance on part-time jobs. We do know that part-time jobs are up 59,000 since the start of the pandemic a year ago. Full-time jobs are down 39,000. We do know that there is a plan to grow the size of government. Government jobs are up 60,000, while private sector jobs are down by 43,000 over the past year. We do know that 53 percent of British Columbians are only $200 away from not being able to pay their monthly bills, and that’s getting worse and worse. We do know that women and youth have been disproportionately impacted, with young women the most unemployed demographic, at 13 percent. There is no plan from this government to address those realities.

If the members opposite really understood the scope of the problem with small business, they would be marching down to the door of the Premier and they would be saying: “Fix these grant programs. Get the money out the door now, not a year from now.” They’d be saying: “We have to do more to help businesses adapt. We have to help businesses survive.” They’d be saying: “Don’t impose any new taxes or fees or other costs on small business.” They’d be saying: “Don’t increase any taxes on small business.” These members would be saying: “Provide relief to small businesses on their payroll cost.” Maybe you could start by providing a suspension of the employer health tax and then maybe reducing it over time.

[12:00 p.m.]

They would be saying: “Refund excess WCB premiums collected. Maybe help small businesses with PPE costs.” They’d be saying: “Why don’t you remove the taxes on the airspace over the heads of small businesses?” And on and on it goes.

I will end on this note. A number of my colleagues have quoted small businesses in their communities, so I will quote one as well — Manny Mattis of Harold’s Restaurant in Kamloops, on being stuck with fridges full of perishable food that couldn’t be sold because of no advance notice from this government. He said recently: “I just don’t think this government has any idea how to run a business or what it takes to run a business.”

I think that’s an appropriate way, although a sad way, to end this morning’s debate on this motion.

T. Stone moved adjournment of debate.

Motion approved.

Hon. J. Osborne moved adjournment of the House.

Motion approved.

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

The House adjourned at 12:01 p.m.