Routine Business

Prayers and reflections: M. Starchuk.

[10:05 a.m.]

Introductions by Members

B. Stewart: It was 39 years ago today that our middle son, Kitson, was born in the Okanagan. It was an interesting time in my life because we were farming orchards. Our first child…. It took a couple of days for the whole event to be over in terms of the birth of our daughter. But with Kitson, he came slowly and very methodically. As I was spraying each tank, I’d check back with Ruth to see how she was doing in terms of the labour. Anyway, later that evening, he was born.

I just wanted to say that I’m so proud of him, what he’s turned into and the fact that he became a winemaker. He went to New Zealand to get schooling, because it’s still not provided anywhere in western Canada. Needless to say, he’s just finished completing an addition to his house for his two children.

Happy birthday, Richard Kitson Whitworth Stewart, on your 39th birthday.

A. Mercier: I’d just like to introduce someone who’s near and dear to my heart, and that’s my daughter Charlotte. Charlotte’s watching from home today. She’s turning three next week, so will the House join me in congratulating Charlotte and wishing her a happy birthday.

Introduction and
First Reading of Bills

BILL 8 — PUBLIC SAFETY AND
SOLICITOR GENERAL STATUTES
AMENDMENT ACT, 2021

Hon. M. Farnworth presented a message from Her Honour the Lieutenant-Governor: a bill intituled Public Safety and Solicitor General Statutes Amendment Act, 2021.

Hon. M. Farnworth: I move that the bill be introduced and read a first time now.

I’m pleased to introduce Bill 8, the Public Safety and Solicitor General Statutes Amendment Act, 2021. This bill amends the Cannabis Control and Licensing Act to make permanent some provisions previously enacted by regulation to improve the effectiveness of the act and clarify language. The amendments are primarily housekeeping in nature and do not change government policy with respect to cannabis.

This bill also amends the Liquor Control and Licensing Act to authorize the Vancouver park board to designate specific public places under its jurisdiction as places where liquor may be consumed.

Mr. Speaker: The question is first reading of the bill.

Motion approved.

Hon. M. Farnworth: I move that the bill be placed on the orders of the day for second reading at the next sitting after today.

Bill 8, Public Safety and Solicitor General Statutes Amendment Act, 2021, introduced, read a first time and ordered to be placed on orders of the day for second reading at the next sitting of the House after today.

Statements
(Standing Order 25B)

WILLIAMS LAKE STAMPEDE
ROYALTY PROGRAM

L. Doerkson: The Williams Lake Stampede Royalty program has seen many young women run to become royalty of the world-famous Williams Lake Stampede, which, by the way, is a massive undertaking. The contest includes being judged on stampede knowledge and history, public speaking and equestrian skills, to name only a few categories.

The contest itself is daunting, but becoming royalty is when the hard work of being ambassadors for Williams Lake and the Cariboo-Chilcotin begins. Past stampede princess Chantelle Wessels currently heads the program, which has been happening in our community since 1931. This year, we’ll see three young ladies vying for the right to become stampede royalty.

Bayley Cail, Miss M.H. King Excavating, is 17 years old and has lived in the Cariboo for most of her life. She has many passions, such as hockey, 4-H, hunting, riding and, most of all, agriculture. She has recently been accepted to Olds College in Alberta, to their agricultural management program.

[10:10 a.m.]

Karena Sokolan, Miss Peterson Contracting Ltd., a 19-year-old raised in Williams Lake, says she’s blessed to live in the Cariboo. She grew up riding horses, raising 4-H beef, fishing, hunting, hiking, quadding and skating. Karena spent 12 years in the Chimney Valley 4-H Club. She loves to play hockey, ride her dirt bike, and she also has applied at Olds College for the equine science program.

Finally, Kennady Dyck, Miss Williams Lake Lions. Kennady’s family moved to Williams Lake seven years ago. Living in Williams Lake has completely changed her life and given her the opportunity to grow up in a small town that she absolutely adores. Fishing and hunting are a big part of her life. She loves to ride her dirt bike and ski on the local mountains.

Congratulations to all of you ladies, and good luck.

JOY THORKELSON AND FISHING INDUSTRY

F. Donnelly: I pay tribute to Joy Thorkelson, who has been active in B.C.’s commercial fishing industry for over 40 years. As a resident of Prince Rupert, Joy joined the United Fishermen and Allied Workers Union as a shoreworker in 1974. She soon became the union’s northern representative and served in that capacity until 2017, when she was elected president. Over those decades, Joy waged countless campaigns to improve conditions for workers in the fishing industry.

Joy says one of the union’s major achievements was the passage of the Fishing Collective Bargaining Act in 1996, which enabled collective bargaining for the same fishing fleet. Another was the fight to eliminate different rates of pay and seniority call-out rules for male and female shoreworkers, which was finally achieved in 1988.

Recently Joy stepped down as president, saying, “It’s time for young people to take control of their future,” placing full confidence in newly elected president, James Lawson, who she believes will make changes that will benefit all active fishermen.

Joy will stay active negotiating upcoming collective agreements for same-boat operators, shoreworkers and tendermen. I have known Joy over the years as a knowledgeable, passionate, hard-working UFAWU representative. The Minister of Agriculture, Food and Fisheries recently said: “Joy is one tough customer.”

She will continue to represent workers in B.C.’s fishing industry, while we acknowledge, with great appreciation, all she has accomplished in the past.

I ask all members of the House to please join me in acknowledging Joy Thorkelson’s contribution to the B.C. fishing sector.

BUSINESS ACCOMPLISHMENTS OF
FRANCO ANNICCHIARICO

T. Stone: It was a typically cold winter day, January 8, 1967, when a young man of just 24, overflowing with hopes and dreams, arrived in Kamloops wearing his finest Italian suit, shoes and coat, all of which were no match for a biting Canadian winter.

It was, according to Franco Annicchiarico, a culture shock, but after serving a compulsory 15 months in the Italian army, and against the advice of his mother, Franco was determined to seek a better life and new opportunities in a faraway land. He was also confident that his education from one of the best auto mechanic schools in Italy would provide a launching pad for his adventure into a country he knew little about. And he was right.

Within a few short months, Franco began showing off his expertise in a Kamloops gas station, which only four years later led to the opening of Torino Motors, named after the Italian city where he had taken his mechanical training. With the support of his wife, Cathy, Franco’s reputation helped develop the family business into an automotive force, with over 50 employees and drawing the attention of several major brands, including BMW and Honda. In fact, Franco proudly boasts that Torino Motors sold the very first Honda Civic in Kamloops for 1,480 bucks.

Franco also became active in the Kamloops community and had a direct role in establishing the auto mechanic apprenticeship program at Cariboo College, now known as Thompson Rivers University. Now ap­proaching retirement from Franco’s Auto Service, Fran­co Annicchiarico recently celebrated 50 years in busi­ness in Kamloops by giving back.

Calling it the smallest thing he could do, Franco, with the help of the Colombo Lodge, a Kamloops Italian cultural centre, provided over 1,000 authentic Italian-made meals to first responders and their families on April 16, referring to those who have worked tirelessly to serve others during the pandemic as true heroes.

Franco Annicchiarico, yet another selfless British Columbian in the face of a crisis.

Franco, grazie. Ti salutiamo. Franco, thank you. We salute you.

[10:15 a.m.]

CELLULAR SERVICE ALONG
HIGHWAY OF TEARS

J. Rice: Driving to Terrace from Prince Rupert in the summer of 2014, I pulled over on the side of the road and took my dog out for a pee. I also accidently locked my keys in my truck. There I was, at this pullout on the Highway of Tears, locked out of my vehicle and alone in the woods along the river with nothing but trees, rocks and river. I was really frightened. My cell phone didn’t work. It would have been less scary had there been continuous cell service from Print Rupert to Prince George, because I did have a cell phone with me. Had there been cell service, I could have called for help.

My friend Marlene Swift drove taxi in Prince Rupert. She was once held at knifepoint and kidnapped in her cab where she was brutally raped. She was left for dead in a ditch in the woods along the Highway of Tears. Naked and bleeding, she crawled through that ditch until she felt far enough away from danger to flag a passing vehicle. She lived to tell her story, but sadly, passed away in 2019.

She was thrilled when this government was able to add intercommunity bus transportation along Highway 16, and she would have been thrilled to know that earlier this month we announced that cellular service will soon be available along the entire stretch of Highway 16. Through provincial and federal government investments, the entire 725-kilometre route from Prince Rupert to Prince George will soon be serviced by cellular.

Solving the problem of cellular gaps between communities along Highway 16 was recommended in 2006 for enhancing safety for Indigenous women and girls at the Highway of Tears Symposium. This recommendation was echoed six years later in the report from the national inquiry into missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls. Rural connectivity is important for everyone travelling northern highways, but this investment is key to ensuring women, especially Indigenous women, are safer.

Thank you to all the partners and the Ministry of Citizens’ Services for finally filling these important gaps. For us in the north, our lives depend on it.

WORK OF LOCAL GOVERNMENT AND
SUPPORTIVE HOUSING PROJECT
IN CENTRAL SAANICH

A. Olsen: I learned in my time at the Central Saanich council table that the important work of local government is to create and maintain safe and secure neighbourhoods. As dry as comprehensive zoning bylaws and official community plans are, they are an agreement that if followed, enables individuals to peacefully live collectively. Building form, heights and siting are some of the policy measures that provide certainty that applies to all people that live in a neighbourhood.

Communities are not just all about built form. They’re also defined by the people who live in them. Safe, secure, supportive and compassionate communities are a result of leadership that clearly articulates expectations and delivers fair, equitable and consistent application of the rules. When communication lacks or breaks down, or when lea­ders act with a heavy hand, the trust between neighbours, the community and their decision-makers is eroded.

Just and correct decisions are undermined when a neigh­bourhood’s valid questions go unanswered. When there is a lack of information, the difficult job of governing a community is increased. Even more troublesome is that people will inevitably fill in the blanks with their own information, and the challenging communications are made unnecessarily more arduous.

In Central Saanich, there is an unfortunate situation that has been unfolding over the last month with the Prosser Road supported-housing project. Deep down I believe we all know that we have a role in supporting our friends and relatives who are in desperate need. I believe that diverse and inclusive and welcoming communities are more vibrant and interesting.

Just as I ask my friends and neighbours to keep their minds and hearts open to support the disadvantaged in our society, I ask my colleagues in this chamber to show compassion in their actions for the people and neighbourhoods their decisions are impacting. This means we need to improve communication and show the respect for people, neighbourhoods and communities that they de­serve.

YOUNG LEADERS IN
SNUNEYMUXW FIRST NATION

D. Routley: I’m joining you, with respect, from Malahat territory. I want to talk about the excellence of the Snuneymuxw First Nation. I’m going to do that by describing three young leaders.

[10:20 a.m.]

Douglas White III, Queen’s Counsel attorney. His Coast Salish name is Kwul’a’sul’tun. Doug is a practising lawyer. He’s also a negotiator for various First Nations across the country. He is the chair of the B.C. First Nations Justice Council. He has addressed the United Nations, and he has been closely involved with negotiations across the country for various First Nations. Doug is an amazing person with amazing qualities.

The second person is Hunqwiithiye’, and that is Erralyn Joseph. Erralyn is married to Josh Joseph. She’s 35 years young, a lawyer, a negotiator for the Snuneymuxw First Nation and recent mom — I think about a year ago, or maybe it was a year plus one — to Joshua Jr. Seeing Erralyn as a very pregnant young mom, doing the work she did, was amazing.

Then finally, Darcy Good. He is the Snuneymuxw Doogie Howser. This young man, who looks like he’s about 18 years old, graduated medical school in his early 20s and is a genius and an amazing person.

Now, in context, Douglas White I was Douglas White of White and Bob, one of the first rights decisions in the province. Mr. Bob was also a relative of the member for Saanich North and the Islands.

For these generations of activists who have fought for rights and recognition, this is a beautiful time where, finally, they are being recognized and these great talents and great potentials are coming in to being. For them, in the words of Swizz Beatz: “Plan B ain’t no plan.”

These people are determined, and I so respect them.

Oral Questions

COVID-19 RESPONSE AND
PAID SICK LEAVE

S. Bond: We have known for months that sick pay would help prevent workplace outbreaks during the pandemic. One thing I know we can all agree on in this House is that British Columbians are going to do whatever it takes to take care of their families, even if that means going to work when they’re not feeling well. We also know that lack of paid sick leave disproportionately impacts front-line workers, marginalized workers and 20-to-39-year-olds.

So far, all we’ve seen from this Premier is bungling and delay. Yesterday the Premier finally promised that a sick pay program will be introduced, but this comes 14 months into the pandemic and, in fact, a year after the Premier promised a provincial program and in fact told everyone: “We’ve got a plan. We’re ready to go.”

Can the Premier today provide some details? How many sick days will be available to workers, and how will the program be funded?

Hon. H. Bains: I’m happy to answer this question, and I thank the Leader of the Opposition for asking this question.

One thing is clear. We all agree that when workers are sick, they should not have to go to work. It’s good for the workers’ health and safety, their families, and it is good for the businesses so that we can stop the transmission of COVID in workplaces.

We made a number of changes to support the workers, to support them when they are sick. They have to stay home. First, we gave them…. We brought in legislation. We made changes to the Employment Standards Act so that they don’t lose their job if they decide to stay home when they’re sick. Then, we are the only jurisdiction in Canada that provides benefits if workers become sick at the workplace with COVID, from day one for as long as they’re sick. Now, recently, we have passed legislation so that workers will have time to go get vaccinated without loss of pay.

We’ve been working with the federal government. I’m proud of the work that the Premier has done working with the federal government to ensure that there’s a national solution to this problem. We had the indication they would fix the gaps that were brought to their attention by me, by the Premier, by others.

They failed to do that. Now it’s up to us. We will have a made-in-B.C. sick benefit program that all workers will be proud of, and I’m happy that the opposition will be supporting us with that.

[10:25 a.m.]

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

S. Bond: Well, thank you very much to the Minister of Labour and the way that he wandered his way through the answer. He studiously avoided the specific question. Let’s be clear. While we do believe that a national program is important, what matters today and what mattered 14 months ago is making sure that British Columbians are taken care of and that there is a paid sick leave program in place.

Let’s just remind the members opposite. The Premier delayed, and then, what did he do? He blamed the federal government for their broken promise. Well, welcome to how British Columbians feel about the growing list of broken promises from this Premier.

The time for “trust me” has passed. That’s what the Premier said: “I’m going to put a sick pay program in place, and by the way, I’ve got a plan to do it.” Here we sit, 14 months later, no sign of anything. Workers and, more importantly, employees need to know how the program would work. The Premier said he had a program, so let’s hear about the details.

I also want to remind the members opposite of what the Premier said about who should pay for it, because that’s going to be a very critical point of discussion when we finally see legislation. Here’s what the Premier said. We’ll do it “in a seamless way without putting more burden on businesses at a time when businesses can least afford it.”

We can set that worry aside today with one answer from the Premier. Will he get up today and confirm that the program he intends to introduce will be completely funded out of the $3.1 billion contingency fund and that these costs will not be transferred to already struggling businesses in British Columbia?

Hon. H. Bains: I really want to emphasize here that the workers of British Columbia are proud of the work that their government has done to support them, pre-pandemic and during the pandemic. We brought in changes to support them.

At the same time, we weren’t sitting idly by. The Premier, myself and other colleagues of our government were working with the federal government to fix the gaps that they left behind. We had the indication that they would do it. That was about a week ago. Now it is up to us. We will have a made-in-B.C. program as a sick leave program. Details that the member can debate and the other members can debate when they are before the House.

A lot has changed during this pandemic. I hope that B.C. Liberals’ attitudes toward B.C. workers is one of them. I have not seen one yet. Hypocrisy oozes out of these members when you look at their track record.

Interjections.

Mr. Speaker: Members.

Hon. H. Bains: British Columbia’s workers know that this government has their back. We will continue to work to support them. Details will be coming in the coming days. I’m looking forward, for this member and her caucus to support us.

G. Kyllo: Well, let’s be clear that this government and this minister stalled on the implementation of the paid leave program for vaccinations for over 14 months. Here we are today, in the Legislature, and again, we’re not getting clear answers from this minister.

With over $3 billion currently sitting in the pandemic contingency fund, there’s no reason why the Premier cannot commit today to providing the money to help sick workers in British Columbia. This is a public health emergency, and costs for public health should not be put on the backs of employers, either directly or indirectly through WorkSafeBC surplus and premiums.

To the Premier, will he commit that government will cover the full cost of the program for as long as it’s in place?

Hon. H. Bains: As I said before, since the outset of this pandemic, we have led the way in pushing for and developing increased support for workers so that they don’t have to go to work when they’re sick, so that they don’t have to choose between a paycheque and staying home sick. They deserve nothing less.

We have been working hard for 14 months now, working with the federal government, bringing our own programs in place. I have listed a number of them. We are working with the federal government.

[10:30 a.m.]

The federal government failed to deliver, to fill the gaps that we identified for them. There are gaps out there, and they do not help when workers have to stay home when they’re sick because they will be losing money.

More needs to be done, and I can assure this House that we will have a made-in-B.C. sick pay plan, and I’m hoping that the opposition will be supporting us in that.

Mr. Speaker: The member for Shuswap on a supplemental.

G. Kyllo: It’s been a year since the Premier promised that he had plans for a provincial program. British Columbians need to hear the details of what specifically those government programs are. Today in Ontario, 20- to 39-year-olds are waking up knowing that they don’t have to choose between rent or going to work sick. In B.C., the Premier is blowing it for them.

Will the Premier use the over $3 billion in pandemic contingency funds to cover the full cost for as long as a sick pay program is in place?

Hon. H. Bains: Let’s be clear. This member and all B.C. Liberals never missed an opportunity to trample on workers’ rights when they had the opportunity. We are going to support workers. We supported them pre-pandemic. We are supporting them now. They know that their government will continue to support them past the pandemic.

Our track record is clear that we’re on the side of the workers. We understand it’s the workers and the employer working together that move the economy, unlike the previous government. They took sides. They showed nothing but contempt towards working people. The history is full of their track record.

You know what? Workers know these are crocodile tears that they’re watching. They know when it is crocodile tears. They worry, actually. When the B.C. Liberals, any member of them, stand up in the House or outside to talk about workers’ rights, they worry that they are coming after their rights.

They know that this government is on their side. We will protect them because they deserve nothing less from their government.

SUPPORTIVE HOUSING PROJECT
IN CENTRAL SAANICH

A. Olsen: When the supportive housing development at Prosser Road in Central Saanich was announced, there was very little information made available to the public. That was a month ago. I first heard about the project in the media at the time of the announcement and just had my first briefing this week. There are many questions still to be answered.

For the last month, the fear and anxiety in the community has been increasing, and where information lacks, people are filling the gaps on their own. Every day this government is losing ground, not just in the neighbourhood but also for the potential future residents of this project. This project was supposed to help marginalized people. Instead, the process has further stigmatized people who do not need more obstacles put in their way.

Interjection.

A. Olsen: Thank you to the Minister of Social Development and Poverty Reduction. I appreciate it. You’re a minister.

We’re not just in the business of building housing units, but rather, we should be committed to nurturing community. Our effort must be more than just buying hotels and dropping units in the ground. The government must do the difficult work of building neighbourhoods.

My question is to the Minister Responsible for Housing. Does he believe the process his ministry has undertaken in Central Saanich has created a safe and supportive atmosphere for the surrounding neighbourhood and the future residents of his project?

Hon. D. Eby: I look to all members in this House when government is opening new housing for vulnerable people to work with us to address misconceptions, to address myths and concerns but also, when there are real problems, to bring them to our attention so that we can address them. I don’t pretend for a second that this is not incredibly challenging work and that there will not be problems. Sure there will be problems, but all of us have to work together to address them.

The member talks about building neighbourhoods, building community. I heard him, in his two-minute statement, talk about, even before a single person has been identified to move into this building, the impact that it is going to have on the surrounding community.

[10:35 a.m.]

Data shows really clearly, when you look at the most obvious metric about what the impact of a supportive housing unit would be, the impact on the value of housing around it, the price people are willing to pay to move next door to one of these units, the values are not impacted. When people are voting with their dollars where they want to live, they’re happy to live beside supportive housing, because it works.

It doesn’t mean that there are never problems. It doesn’t mean we don’t have to work together to address them. But even before a single person is identified, to talk about the impact? That’s not helpful.

I’m asking the member to work with me — I’m glad to work with him; he had his briefing — to get people inside, to get them good, high-quality housing, out of tents. This is our priority. We’re in reactive mode right now. We’re moving into proactive mode with the homelessness stra­tegy. I will need his support, and I’m counting on it.

Mr. Speaker: The member for Saanich North and the Islands on a supplemental.

A. Olsen: I appreciate the minister’s response. However, I think it needs to be pointed out that had the minister truly wanted to have my support on this project, he would have offered me an opportunity to learn about the project that they were proposing in advance of making the an­nouncement.

If this minister has his arms truly open, he would have had that conversation with us in advance so that we could have learned about exactly what is going to be built in the neighbourhood. This government knows, and there need not be any suggestion otherwise, that I’m nothing less than supportive of supported housing. This is the work that I’ve been doing, along with my colleagues on the other side, over the last 4½ years, so it’s absurd to suggest anything otherwise.

This is the exact kind of stigmatization that happens. You raise questions about this, and you get called…. You get suggested that you’re opposed to it. The reality of it is that the neighbourhood is filling in the gaps on their own because the information is not forthcoming. We know that when we’re building communities, information flow is critically important.

My question…. You can continue to chirp at me all you want, Minister.

Interjections.

Mr. Speaker: Member.

Member, please continue.

Members will come to order.

A. Olsen: What is the minister going to do to accommodate the needs of the neighbourhood, regain the confidence of the community that he’s proposing a project in? Of course these projects need to go in communities, and I support that. I support diversity. I support inclusion. The suggestion otherwise is ridiculous.

What are we going to do in order to prepare the way for the proposed future residents of this community and this neighbourhood to feel welcome? The gap has already been created in a month-long situation where there’s been a lack of information.

Hon. D. Eby: The member should note who is cheering along with him. The members of the opposition, who built this crisis, who said that addressing homelessness through units that they were providing…. The units they were providing were mats on the floor. The member should be aware of who’s cheering along with him in his questions today.

This housing is supportive housing. There’s a challenge. It’s a new project. There needs to be community engagement. B.C. Housing is doing that community engagement. Service providers haven’t been chosen. Residents haven’t been chosen. The engagement is a legitimate engagement with the community.

So you have to announce that the project is coming before you can engage on it. And to suggest that we would just show up and say, “Here’s exactly what’s going to happen. Sorry. We’re going to engage, but we’ve already made the decisions,” would be problematic. The member wants all the information in advance. The information doesn’t exist yet. B.C. Housing is still building it.

We’re moving as quickly as we can to get people into real supported housing. I know that the member and I agree on this. That’s why I’m frustrated, in some respects, with the tone of his question and some of his suggestions, because we’re on the same page. We want to get people into good-quality supportive housing. That’s what builds neighbourhoods and communities.

Interjections.

Mr. Speaker: Members.

Hon. D. Eby: That’s what makes a difference. It’s not mats on the floor.

If the members of the opposition are cheering along with you, Member, that should be a yellow flag.

COVID-19 VACCINATION PLAN
AND ROLE OF POP-UP CLINICS

R. Merrifield: The Premier’s pop-up clinics are somewhat out of The Hunger Games. Take the words of Paven Dhaliwal from Surrey: “Is this real life? Is this a third-world country? This is not Canada, where we have come to a park to line up like this.”

[10:40 a.m.]

The Premier claimed yesterday that he couldn’t interfere. Well, the confusion, anger and the lineups continue today in Surrey.

Will the Premier stand up and apologize for the chaos that he’s caused communities like Surrey?

Hon. A. Dix: Thank you to the member for her question. The member will know that we identified community health service areas around B.C., in the last two weeks, where there was a high level of transmission of COVID-19 and a low level of immunization. Those communities included communities such as in the Columbia Valley, in Dawson Creek and, of course, in the community of Surrey.

Different health authorities have tried different stra­tegies to address the situation. Over the last couple of days in Surrey and in Coquitlam, Fraser Health worked with pop-up clinics. Now, they immunized a lot of people in those clinics, but I think it’s fair to say that they were not a success, certainly from a communications or a confidence perspective. So Fraser Health is taking the lessons from that.

I’d just remind everybody that more than 1.7 million immunizations have taken place. Very precisely, people who are clinically vulnerable have been immunized. We’re working through, especially in high transmission areas, front-line workers, who are getting immunized as well. I think our program, overall, has been very successful and, I think, acknowledged as such.

These pop-up clinics have not been successful because they’ve undermined confidence in the process while immunizing a lot of people in critical neighbourhoods. We’ve got to learn the lessons, and we’ve got to do better, and Fraser Health will do so.

Mr. Speaker: The member for Kelowna-Mission on a supplemental.

R. Merrifield: Well, I do appreciate that the Minister of Health suggested that the vaccinations that we did yesterday were a success, but taking a hot spot with the highest levels of virus, gathering thousands of people and then waiting them in lineups and congregating for hours but not getting their vaccines is somehow less than a success. And this morning hundreds of people lined up again for a pop-up clinic that wasn’t actually in existence at Newton Athletic Park.

The Premier already has the contact information and postal codes through the vaccine registry. He could have prevented this. And I’ll go on to say that there are actually pharmacies that could have distributed the vaccines equally, if not more, effectively. One person in line said: “My cousin knew someone in Fraser Health, and they said they might be here today, so we just showed up. There’s still no information around whether you’re getting a vaccine.”

Why is the Premier not using the vaccine registry that people were told to use?

Hon. A. Dix: Well, to the hon. member, the answer is we are, and we did in this case, but the communications, obviously, of the pop-up clinics led to long lineups yesterday that everybody saw. So Fraser Health is learning the lessons from that and making changes in their approach to that, and that seems fair enough.

The registry has been profoundly successful. Two million people registered, more than 900,000 appointments booked. We are going to continue to use that system. I want to encourage everyone, because there will be more vaccine next week and more vaccine the week after — 1.1 million doses of Pfizer vaccine over four weeks — to get registered now. It is essential that people get themselves registered so that at the first possible moment, they can book their appointments.

Last night people who are 58, born in 1963 or before, were able to book their appointments, and those age groups are going to move down through the age-based program quickly over the next two to three weeks.

I want to encourage all MLAs to encourage their constituents to get registered for the COVID-19 vaccine. This is a crucial moment in the pandemic. Thirty percent of people have been vaccinated up to now, and there will be significantly more in the month of May.

K. Kirkpatrick: Seniors and people with English as a second language are being left behind by this Premier’s pop-up vaccine clinics. One person in Surrey said: “We just registered an auntie and uncle who don’t have cell phones and who didn’t know how to register, so we hand-wrote down all the information for them.”

The Hunger Games approach is unacceptable.

Will the Premier ensure that there is proper advance notice of these clinics with proper translation services?

[10:45 a.m.]

Hon. A. Dix: There are two ways to register. One is online, and the other is through the telephone line, where translation is available. This is how we immunize 180,000 clinically vulnerable people.

In the hon. member’s constituency, 45 percent of people have been immunized in this period when we’ve had a relatively limited supply of vaccine. I think that that reflects, in her community and other communities around B.C., the extraordinary work of doctors and nurses and everyone else in immunizing British Columbia.

Our registration system has been very effective so far. More than 80 percent of people over 70 have been immunized so far in B.C., and more than 60 percent of people over 60, on a program that was fundamentally aimed at people who are older and more vulnerable to COVID-19; people who are clinically vulnerable, 180,000 of them and more; and Indigenous people. Those programs have continued to be successful. I’d encourage the member to encourage her constituents to get registered, and they will be given the opportunity to book at the soonest possible moment.

Mr. Speaker: The member for West Vancouver–Capilano on a supplemental.

K. Kirkpatrick: The pop-up vaccine clinic that we referenced was in the Minister of Labour’s own riding. You’d think he would’ve done a better job ensuring that Surrey constituents had the information they needed, including properly translated materials. Here’s what they said: “I wish they had it more organized.”

What is the Premier doing to ensure that local communities have properly translated materials in advance of these pop-up clinics?

Hon. A. Dix: I thank the member for her ideas and suggestions. It’s important that we deliver services so that people understand them, and it’s why translation services are available and materials are available in multiple languages.

With respect to Surrey, we’ve given Surrey priority in some important ways. All education workers in Surrey: immunized. Frontline workers in Surrey: immunized. We’re moving on to other groups of workers, such as child care workers and others, to support our effort in Surrey.

It is different in different communities, and we’ve worked with people in communities such as Dawson Creek, where there were high levels of transmission, low levels of immunization. Now, Dawson Creek has returned to close to the provincial average in terms of immunization. We’ve worked with members of this House, with respect to the Columbia Valley and Revelstoke, to see the same thing happen in Prince Rupert and other communities.

I think that the immunization effort in British Columbia is overall going very well. Sometimes we try things and they’re not successful, and we may learn the lessons and move on. That is the case with respect to pop-up clinics in Fraser Health.

COVID-19 TRAVEL RESTRICTIONS
AND ENFORCEMENT

P. Milobar: It’s now day 11 since the Premier bungled his announcement about travel restrictions, and there’s still no clarity for people trying to travel across the boundaries what they will or will not be needed to provide to continue on their travels. Yesterday, the Solicitor General and the Premier had a good laugh after our last question around this. But it’s a serious matter.

If you’re travelling from Northern Health or Interior Health or Island Health to take your child to Children’s Hospital for a medical appointment that you’ve been waiting for to see a specialist for the last four or five months, you kind of want to know what you can do on Monday, or not, legally. You kind of want to know if you get stopped at a checkpoint, and the police officer doesn’t agree with why you’re going, do you get a $575 fine, pay the premium to the Crown and get to go on to your medical appointment for your child? Or do you get turned around, and your child misses their medical appointment?

Can the Solicitor General confirm: what type of documentation will people need to provide to be able to prove to police officers — who otherwise have to make a sole judgement at the side of the highway — whether those people can continue on for their medical treatments or not?

Hon. M. Farnworth: I’d like to make it clear to the hon. member that when the announcement was made last Friday, and the details, I said, about enforcement were coming out later this week — and I know that his caucus was briefed on that — we also made it clear that essential travel is absolutely included….

Interjection.

Hon. M. Farnworth: And, if the member would let me finish, it was made clear then that when you’re going to a medical appointment, it is essential travel, and you do not have to approve….

Interjections.

[10:50 a.m.]

GOVERNMENT PLAN ON OPIOID CRISIS

T. Halford: Mr. Speaker, 158 — that’s the number of overdose deaths last month. That ties the highest March ever. Teena Clipston is worried that her son might be on that list next month, and she’s fighting to get him the support he needs.

It took three days of phone calls by the mom before her son was finally put on methadone. “When we finally got there, they did not take the intake, but we were told to come back another day to get his prescription. It’s not Interior Health’s fault. They’re stretched too thin, but where else do they go for help?”

What we’re getting from this government month after month in their news releases are cut-and-paste answers. We’re seeing that from this Minister of Mental Health and Addictions. We are seeing, in Quesnel, 17 lives lost this year. Maple Ridge has lost 38. Nanaimo has lost 42. In Surrey, in the last seven days, we’ve seen seven deaths. These cut-and-paste news releases are not good enough from this government.

My question is to the Premier. What is this government’s plan to ensure that this mother and other mothers don’t have to see their sons or daughters in next month’s news release?

Hon. S. Malcolmson: To have lost another 158 British Columbians to the increasingly toxic drug supply this past month is tragic. I express, on behalf of the government, my condolences to the family, the friends, the peers and everybody working on the front line who has worked so hard to keep people alive. This is a tragic spike that has resulted from the pandemic measures. This has been felt across the country, felt very hard in British Columbia.

Let me remind the member that we’re the only province who has scaled up our response to the crisis across the full continuum of care. We have doubled the number of supervised consumption sites. We’re the only province that’s offering prescribed safe supply as a way to separate people from the toxic drug supply. And further expanding that, we have built more treatment beds, doubled the number of youth treatment beds. We are supporting, in every way that we can, to try to overcome this tragic loss of life.

Honestly, I’m surprised — with great respect to those families who have lost loved ones, and with great respect to those working hard to save lives — that the member would raise this question. Questioning our commitment to addictions treatment and response to the overdose crisis, in this week that the media is alleging that the B.C. Liberals used a publicly funded addictions recovery centre for partisan purposes, is troubling and questionable. I hope the member does not question our commitment.

Interjections.

Mr. Speaker: Members, the Chair would like to hear the answer, please.

The minister will continue.

Hon. S. Malcolmson: I’ve finished my answer.

[End of question period.]