Routine Business

Prayers and reflections: T. Stone.

Statements

GREAT BRITISH COLUMBIA SHAKEOUT

Hon. M. Farnworth: Hon. Speaker, as you know, today is the Great ShakeOut date here and also across the province. As we all know, earthquakes can strike at any time, and while many of our earthquakes are small, we need to be prepared for the very real possibility of a major one.

Today on ShakeOut Thursday, the third Thursday of every October, we ask people in schools, homes and workplaces, such as the Legislature, to practise how to drop, cover and hold on. We’re encouraging everyone to participate in ShakeOut B.C. as a way to make sure that when we do have a real earthquake strike, people know what to do without hesitation because they’ve done it before.

At 10:21 a.m. today, all of us here in the House will be doing the same drill as many others across the province. So at 10:21, it will be back to our offices to drop and to follow the instructions, and we will have a successful ShakeOut day.

Mr. Speaker: Any other member for introductions?

If not, Members, you heard the Solicitor General and Minister of Public Safety on following instructions about your area from people who are in charge. We will be back around 10:50 or 10:55. Have a safe stepping-out outside, and also, be safe under your desks. Don’t hit your head.

We will be in recess until the ringing of the bell.

The House recessed from 10:05 a.m. to 11 a.m.

[Mr. Speaker in the chair.]

30th ANNIVERSARY
OF MIKE FARNWORTH’S ELECTION

M. de Jong: We acknowledge a lot of special days in this chamber, and here’s one that, by my recollection, hasn’t come along in the better part of a half-century. It’s an anniversary of sorts.

In describing to members what it relates to, I’ll ask them to think back, if they can, and try to remember what they were doing 30 years ago this week. I know what one of us was doing 30 years ago this week: he was celebrating his first election to this chamber. I think everyone here was born 30 years ago. God, I hope so. So 30 years — 30 years in a vocation where the shelf life is notoriously short.

It’s difficult to remember a time when the member for Port Coquitlam wasn’t here, but for the Leader of the Opposition and me, no one here can remember a time when he wasn’t here. He arrived all those years ago with all of the zest, enthusiasm, sense of excitement and purpose that I think guides all of us as we come through those rotating doors for the first time into this chamber. As his reputation for diligence, skill and performance gathered, the weight of responsibility also gathered on his shoulders.

In the full-contact sport that is B.C. politics, he has weathered his share of body bruises, of insults, of pettiness, of nastiness — the things that all too often reveal themselves in our respective caucus rooms. And look. Clearly, he and I haven’t always seen eye to eye on matters of public policy, and we haven’t seen eye to eye on all procedural matters in this chamber. But he has debated vigorously and skilfully, and on more occasions than I care to recall, I have been on the receiving end of his razor-sharp wit, that perfectly timed bon mot, delivered with a twinkle in his eye but — I will say this — an absolute absence of malice.

The evolution of the relationship we have with one another in this place is really a fascinating thing. We arrive with a partisan competitiveness, I suppose rooted in the fact that we are plotting the electoral demise of our opponents along the way. But somewhere along the line, we first acquire a wariness, as we sense the abilities in our political opponents. That kind of evolves, eventually, into a measure of respect for a worthy and skilful opponent. Then, eventually — this is really in the case of the member for Port Coquitlam, the minister, the Government House Leader — there comes that genuine affection that one feels for a friend.

You’re not retiring, are you? [Laughter.]

[11:05 a.m.]

A friend, Mr. Speaker, who has served with distinction, with humility, with civility, for the better part of three decades.

Now, I do say “better part of three decades,” because he took a sabbatical. He took a brief, four-year sabbatical, which allows me to claim two years seniority on him. I wasn’t sure if I should mention that, but it occurred to me that the whole concept of seniority probably means more in his party than it does in mine.

Oh, the book he could write about this place — the book we could write about this. Look, if Zussman and Shaw can do it, anyone can. What was that book called — A Matter of Confidence? I didn’t like the ending, but it was a pretty good book. I don’t know what we’d call it. “A Matter of Insolence”? It certainly wouldn’t be “A Matter of Temperance.”

Actually, in the case of the member for Port Coquitlam, the House Leader and the minister, I think the book would be “A Matter of Honour” — the honour that he has shown for his constituents through those three decades in serving them, the honour he’s shown to this institution and the honour I think we all feel, hundreds of members past and present, who have had the honour to serve with him.

On this, your political birthday, congratulations, Mike. You don’t look bad for 30. [Applause.]

Hon. J. Horgan: I was very reluctant to get up and even comment on an extraordinary presentation by the member for Abbotsford West — I know genuine and heartfelt. But I wanted to just advise members that this is a teachable moment for all of us.

In a few short minutes, we will be screaming at each other. We will be braying to the moon. We are reminded, before we engage in this place in the blood sport that the member for Abbotsford West touches upon, of how fortunate all of us are to be participating, as members of our communities, in this place, to come forward with different perspectives and different ideas but, at the end of the day, still have enormous respect for each other.

I have been a friend of his for a long, long time.

Hon. M. Farnworth: I am older than you.

Hon. J. Horgan: He is, as everyone knows, a few weeks older than me. But I do know, having observed the two Mikes — as that Mike was over here, and that Mike was over there — how they were able to manage the insolence of their colleagues, whether they be in government or in opposition. They did it with such aplomb that no one really understood.

This one would get up and hector, and that one would get up and defend. As much as it was annoying to both sides — and I remember being very annoyed at both of them at different times — I knew that at the end of the day, both of them had such a deference for this place and such a respect for each other that extraordinary things happened here despite all of us and all of those who came before us.

For the new members, this is absolutely a teachable moment about how decent people come here from every corner of the province with different perspectives and a different way of getting to a better life for our friends, our neighbours and our communities.

As we leave this fantastic moment, I lift my hands again to the member for Abbotsford West for reminding us of something that I should have known, because I was here when he arrived as well, making sure that he was as prepared as he could be, as was the member for Vancouver-Kingsway.

[11:10 a.m.]

All three of us were part of a club called the 213 club, which was the 213 souls who were convinced by Ian Waddell that he should be the leader of the federal NDP. That was the beginning of our friendship, and it has endured over 30 years.

I want to just say, because I know that when this one goes home, he’s going to say to Doug: “You should see what happened today.”

I want to also lift my hands to Doug for allowing him to be with us. I know the genuine sentiment of many on the other side. It’s not a retirement party for him just yet.

S. Furstenau: As the somewhat fresher face, but hopefully not forgettable, I do want to add to the kind words that have been said about the House Leader for the government party.

It has been just over four years that I have had the fortune to work with him, and I would say that those four years were a matter of being thrown into a very deep pool and trying to figure out how to swim very quickly. One of the people that made that possible was the member for Port Coquitlam.

I think that he and the former member for Langley and I bonded through quite a tumultuous time in this Legislature and shared, absolutely, the commitment that the member for Abbotsford West speaks about — the commitment to this place, to this institution, to the well-being of democracy but also a commitment to working respectfully across all party lines and working in a way that raises the level of what we do in here.

I can’t sit down before I speak about the one thing that we always talk about, which is the member’s garden. He loves gardening, and I don’t think we’ve had a single conversation in four years that doesn’t end up on the cabbages or the melons or the kale or the meal that Doug makes at the end of the week. It’s important, as the Premier noted.

We are humans here. We are colleagues. We are friends. Thank you for always bringing it back to that.

Hon. M. Farnworth: I just want to say thank you. It’s one of the nicest things that anyone has ever done. Thank you. [Applause]

M. Elmore: I seek leave to make an introduction.

Mr. Speaker: You can do it. Please proceed.

Introductions by Members

M. Elmore: We have today in the precinct, right here above us, Eevah and Marina MacDonald. They’re joining us from Chilliwack-Kent. Eevah is 11 years old. She’s in grade 6, and we’re going to be hearing her words today. She worked with her MLA, the MLA for Chilliwack-Kent, so she’s going to be delivering those remarks.

I’d just like to say that I myself and a number of colleagues had the privilege and the honour of meeting her and her mom yesterday. We think that she is certainly someone who could be on the route to joining us. She’s sitting in the gallery. One day we could see her down here joining us.

I’d ask everybody to please give them both a very warm welcome.

[11:15 a.m.]

Mr. Speaker: Any other member to make any introductions we missed this morning?

G. Lore: Joining us today is my sister Faith, and her partner, Doug. We have five little kids between us. Between that and a notable distance and a pandemic, I don’t get to see her very often. I’m so thrilled she’s here joining us today, watching.

Statements
(Standing Order 25B)

DIVERSITY AND RECONCILIATION

E. Ross: In 1792, my ancestors were awestruck by explorer Joseph Whidbey’s huge canoe and shocked at white spirits, q’wemksiwas rising out of the floorboards. They made a trade of two 70-pound salmon for a piece of steel, and diversity had officially begun for this land that we now call Canada.

My Elders told me about the first time they met Asians, South Asians and Africans, and their stories are always the same. It starts out with the observations of physical and colour differences, and then it turns to wonder and curiosity on both sides. Then, if conditions allow, it turns to the sharing of technology and culture for mutual benefit.

You don’t hear First Nations talking much about diversity, whether it be gender, race or religion, because we evolved beside it, and for the most part, we evolved within it. The fear that we had to overcome was actually overcome by interaction. Today, the lines of division are based in that same fear and unfair narratives, but we can get over this if we dig deeper, and I include myself.

I’ve been invited to churches so that parishioners can pray for me as an MLA. I’ve been invited to temples in Terrace, and now Surrey, to witness their culture and festivals. I’ve been invited to Asian communities to try their traditional foods. Of course, I’ve been to many First Nations across B.C. where the customs and stories are different. It’s amazing to experience the diversity, but it’s also inspiring to hear how proud everyone is to be a British Columbian or a Canadian as well. It’s obvious in the way that we talk or look that we are diverse, but to visit each other gets us beyond our fears.

I’ll close with this. There’s an Asian dance troupe who wants to come to my community to dance for my people to commemorate the residential schools era. Many people around the world suffered through some experiences of similar trauma, but this is how we reconcile at the human level. We share a unique perspective, so it becomes a collective healing journey.

This is one initiative I’ll be extremely proud to be a part of, because it’s a continuation of our first diverse steps that started in 1792.

EEVAH MACDONALD AND
PREVENTION OF RACIST BULLYING

K. Paddon: I rise today to amplify the voice of a young constituent, Eevah Macdonald. I became aware of Eevah through Facebook posts made by her mother, Marina — first, a post expressing her heartbreak at watching her young daughter deal with racist bullying at school and then, a few days later, a post saying that Eevah was 11 years old. My heart stuttered as I realized how young Eevah is and how damaging this could be if there were no other voices.

So I did two things. First I invited my colleagues, women of colour from this House, to send Eevah birthday messages so that she could see and hear that racism is not winning. I thank them for the real difference that they made to this young girl in Chilliwack-Kent. Then we invited her here so that we could show her that her voice can be a powerful vehicle for change. She can’t speak here yet. So I’m honoured to share her words with you all.

“They said that because I am Black, I should go kill myself, that I should be an example for other Black people to do the same. They said that I am like a dog. It’s kind of like when a tree gets cut down and just left there and forgotten. That’s how I felt — left there with damage, by myself.

“It’s like some people think that because I’m Black, because I’m not white, I am just something, an object. But what’s real is that it doesn’t matter what your skin looks like. You’re beautiful just the way you are. The most important things about me are my funniness and my kindness. I’m proud that I stick up for people. I speak up for people. I’m a safe place for someone.

[11:20 a.m.]

“Someday, I’m going to dance en pointe. Someday people are going to see me — that I’m brave and I’m smart and I’m good and I’m strong, that I’m a sister and a daughter, that I’m sensitive and I’m funny, that I like to laugh, and I like to make people laugh, that I’m more than Black. But there’s nothing wrong with being Black.

“I’m happy that maybe this doesn’t happen as much anymore, that maybe some people don’t know it still happens. It’s not funny. It doesn’t matter where you heard it or who said it or if you read it on the Internet. It doesn’t matter how they meant it. It’s racism. It hurts. I’m a person, and I matter.”

Thank you. [Applause.]

WILDFIRE IMPACT AND DONATIONS
OF HAY FOR EVACUATED ANIMALS

I. Paton: This summer, watching the news every evening and learning of the devastation of wildfires, I asked myself: “What can an MLA from the Lower Mainland do to help?” I couldn’t join my colleagues in the B.C. forest fire zones — who were, by the way, working tirelessly for their constituents — but I could get on the phone and connect with my farm and ranching friends to bring awareness to the hundreds of animals being evacuated to places of refuge and the urgent need to feed them.

So it began with a call to the Horse Council of B.C. to find out where the best centralized evacuation centre would be to deliver donated hay from farmers in my riding. The first load of hay was from my own farm to a facility that graciously had accepted horses, ponies and sheep from a ranch in the Cariboo. I had done the same in 2017, to a fire evacuation centre for livestock in Barriere, B.C.

Then it was agreed that Sageview Ranch in Kamloops would be the best upcountry location for hundreds of needed bales of hay to be dropped off. Delta farmers Danny Sherrell and Scott Harris were the first to step up with the offer of 300 bales of hay.

My next call, on a Sunday morning, was to Mike Wol­zen’s trucking company in Ladner to ask a favour in which Mike said: “I’m all in to donate the trucking.” Coincidentally, he had an empty truck heading towards Kamloops that night. However, where would I find bodies to load up 300 bales of hay on a Sunday afternoon in July in 34-degree heat? Incredibly, after a few quick phone calls, I had 14 farmers show up, at an hour’s notice, to get the truck loaded.

This initiated further community engagement from far­mers Joe and Peter Vaupotic and Morgan Thompson, who stepped up the following week with 600 more bales of totally donated hay along with two more trucking runs to Kamloops by Mike Wolzen and labour donated by Good Samaritan Delta farmers and hired hands.

In Delta South, I boast thousands of acres of B.C.’s best potatoes, blueberries, vegetables, cranberries and dairy farms, but what I boast most about is the generosity of our farmers to step up with donations to our local food bank, donations to our local charities and donations of hay to stressed-out ranchers who we’d never even met.

REGIONAL ANIMAL PROTECTION SOCIETY
IN RICHMOND

A. Singh: Mr. Speaker and colleagues, I get up today to encourage you to adopt and not shop, and about the Richmond Regional Animal Protection Society in my constituency. Before that, though, I want introduce you to Charlie and Dave.

Charlie is an enlightened soul, a mix of a German shepherd, Rottweiler and who knows what else. Always eager to get into trouble, he’s the most loving soul that I know. Dave, the younger one, is an old soul. Likely a collie mix, he spends most of his day trying to get comfortable, which, when I’m home, usually means laying on top of me. Just close proximity to him instantly generates a sense of ease that I cannot describe.

Dogs came into my life at a very, very late age. I can’t conceive of how I lived over four decades without pets. It was not a fulfilling life, I believe. Our animal companions provide a sense of life and companionship that’s unparalleled.

The Regional Animal Protection Society is a regis­tered charity that operates the RAPS Cat Sanctuary, the RAPS Adoption and Education Centre, a fostering network, social enterprise thrift stores and a full-service RAPS Animal Hospital in Richmond, B.C. RAPS is proud to be a no-kill organization, which is among the reasons they have built a strong and devoted community of animal-loving allies.

The organization was founded in the 1980s, when local volunteers discovered an overwhelming number of feral cats in Richmond. These cats and kittens had not been spayed or neutered, had not received any veterinary care or basic necessities. They would have been euthanized if they were taken to any of the municipal shelters at that time in the area.

[11:25 a.m.]

A tiny group of deeply dedicated folks from Richmond formed the Richmond Homeless Cat Society. This was a precursor to the Richmond Animal Protection Society, which became the Regional Animal Protection Society. After lobbying by RAPS, its acronym, Richmond became the first municipality to legally require spaying and neutering for cats and to ban the sale of puppies and dogs in pet stores.

Someone much wiser than me once said that people could learn a lot from dogs. He said that when someone you love walks through the door, even if it happens multiple times a day, you should go totally insane with joy and greet them like dogs do.

OVERDOSE AWARENESS

A. Olsen: I stand here today feeling grateful to be alive.

Earlier this summer I was invited by Leslie McBain to speak at the August 31 vigil for Overdose Awareness Day. “I feel like I’m a lucky one,” I said as I looked out from the podium to the audience of family members of those British Columbians who were not so lucky. I felt the love and the understanding of those family members. I felt the love and support of our chief coroner, Lisa Lapointe, and our Representative for Children and Youth, Jennifer Charlesworth, who would speak after me about the poisonous drug supply and the thousands of people that they have encountered that were not so lucky to survive.

My 20s were rough — tobacco, coffee, sugar, cannabis, cocaine. I had an unhealthy relationship with myself, and I abused these substances. I am, indeed, a lucky one.

I shared my story yesterday with Rob Shaw, and I’m sharing it in this chamber today because I feel a duty to be a positive voice in breaking down the stigmatization of people who use and abuse or who are addicted to illicit substances.

My peers are dying at a shocking rate. In recent weeks, I have been surrounded by the sadness and despair.

We are not acting quickly enough. Between January and July of this year, 1,204 people perished due to illicit drug toxicity. Seventy-nine percent of the deaths in 2021 are males, mostly 30 to 59, and 85 percent are dying in their residences. Luck should not be the only factor determining whether someone dies or goes on to win four elections, become a community leader, a husband and the father of two incredibly amazing children.

I can never be as grateful as I need to be for my partner, Emily. She didn’t know it at the time, but she saved my life.

Now I look to this chamber and ask that we move with great urgency so that more friends and families don’t need luck to make their contribution to their community.

HÍSW̱ḴE SIÁM.

MESSAGE OF APPRECIATION

G. Lore: What a date to rise in this House. October is Blindness Awareness Month, bringing attention to the realities of living without full sight. Last week was OCD Awareness Week to increase understanding of obsessive-compulsive disorder. International Brain Tumour Awareness Week starts later this month.

This year these days of significance hit me a bit harder and represent a year of challenge and resilience for my family. Like many of my colleagues in this House, a year ago I started a new journey representing this community I love. It was a learning curve: how to do the work in this House to make life better for people in our province. Then, in February, my son was diagnosed with a brain tumour, and it felt more like falling off a cliff.

Today I am so grateful to be back in this House. I want to take the opportunity to express my gratitude — my thanks to health care workers who, amid two public health crises, emergencies, continue to provide my family and all British Columbians with incredible care.

Doctors, nurses, neurosurgeons, those who kept operating rooms and hospital rooms clean, and those who fed my kid: thank you.

Thank you to the other critical front-line workers: those in our education system. As they, too, continue to navigate the fourth wave, providing care and education in our communities, they somehow found extra compassion and energy for my kids.

And I want to thank Ms. Roberts, Heather, Katie, Ms. McEwan, Ms. Clifford and the leadership and supports at George Jay.

Of course, I also want to thank my family and community for the love and support, as there is no care like community care.

My incredible staff here at the Legislature and in my community office continue to provide support and information and connections to my constituents. So a thank-you to Matt and Andrew and Kate and Hannah and Ange and Britt.

[11:30 a.m.]

To this House, I want to thank my colleagues for their messages and support and for the incredible kindness I have felt from all sides of this House. I’m so grateful to be here with you and to be back representing Victoria–Beacon Hill in this chamber.

With a final note to those parents who are learning how to care for and support their kids with new or exacerbated mental illness in this pandemic and for those who face new health challenges over the pandemic, keep going. You’re not alone.

Oral Questions

YOUTH STABILIZATION CARE LEGISLATION
AND ACCESS TO INFORMATION
ON YOUTH OVERDOSE DEATHS

S. Bond: British Columbians expect answers from this Premier on Bill 22.

Bill 22, the Mental Health Amendment Act, was introduced 16 months ago on June 23, 2020. This is a bill that the Premier thought was so important that he used it as part of his rationale for breaking his word and calling a snap election during a global pandemic. But one year later we’re not debating any form of safe care legislation. The Premier said he was going to do something about it. He hasn’t, and we continue to lose children to overdose in our province.

Can the Premier tell British Columbians how many children in care have died from an overdose this past year?

Hon. J. Horgan: I appreciate the question from the Leader of the Official Opposition.

I will just say that I do agree with her that the elements in Bill 22 were particularly important to me and to her and to other members of this House, but it was unable to pass in the last parliament. To that end, I have appointed a new minister responsible, and she is conducting a consultation to meet the gaps that some members felt existed in the legislation.

In addition, we’ve invested $132 million in terms of treatment beds and recovery opportunities for young people and $500 million in mental health and addictions this year. Going forward, we’ll continue to make those investments. Involuntary treatment is already available under the act, and I expect health care professionals will make their best judgments based on the legislation as it currently exists.

We’re going to continue to work with members on both sides of the House to bring forward that bill again. I’m hopeful that we’ll have the collaboration that the member talks about to ensure that the bill is as strong as it can be and to protect those vulnerable citizens that she’s talking about today.

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

S. Bond: Six people a day are dying, including children.

This spring the opposition submitted multiple FOI requests to the Ministry of Children and Family Development to receive information on the publication of the death of children in care. An internal briefing note contains details of children who, in care, tragically died of an opioid overdose.

In 2019, from the period of January to the end of June, nine children in care died, including two deaths that were confirmed as opioid overdose deaths. Shockingly, these details are not published on the government website. Instead, these opioid overdoses of children are classified as accidental deaths.

We’re in the middle of an opioid crisis. Not sharing that information hinders our ability to actually understand the depth of the problem and to make the kinds of policy decisions that we need to make children in care safer.

Can the Premier explain why the number of children in care who have died from an overdose is not being provided publicly to better inform the critical work that we must do?

Hon. J. Horgan: Thank you to the Leader of the Official Opposition.

I well understand the feelings and sentiments of all members of this House when we learn of the tragic death of a child in care. Those children are in the care of us. We are the state. We are the Legislative Assembly and the government of British Columbia. We are the parents in this instance. We have a higher calling as a result of going through not one but two public health emergencies concurrently here in British Columbia.

[11:35 a.m.]

I do know that there are members on the other side who sat in the office of the Minister of Children and Family Development and who well understand the challenges of personal privacy, the challenges of making sure that we do everything we can to be fully transparent about the causes and the circumstances of deaths in care.

We have an independent advocate. We have a standing committee of this Legislature where we can have those discussions to make the best public policy we can.

I appreciate there is no malice in the question from the member today. I know that she will work with me and my colleagues through those channels that we have available to us — the independent youth advocate, the committee that is constituted and part and parcel of the work that we do here — so that we can make sure that we’re making the best possible choices for children today and in the future.

K. Kirkpatrick: The purpose of the briefing note was “to provide information on statistics of children who died, which will be posted on the ministry’s website.”

For the six-month period covered by this briefing note, the only information that was made public is that three children in care died accidental deaths, but that’s not what happened. The internal briefing note says two of those children in care actually died from an opioid overdose. We are in an opioid crisis. This information needs to be given to the public.

Can the Premier explain why the tragic overdose deaths of children in care are still only being reported as accidental?

Hon. J. Horgan: I thank the member for her question. She will know that numerous steps are taken when children are in care to ensure that they are in the best possible place, to ensure that they are getting the services that they need, whether it be mental health services, whether it be services to deal with other trauma that has led them to become wards of the Crown.

We continue to work tirelessly with health care professionals to ensure that we’re doing the best possible care we can. We’ve also brought forward a number of initiatives in the past four years to deal with children as they come out of care, as they age out. As we all know — those of us who have children — when our children reach age 18, they’re still our children. When they’re 24, 25, 26, they still face challenges in their personal lives and in the community. That is exactly the same. In fact, it’s exacerbated if you are a child in care coming into the broader population.

We’ve made it our business on this side of the House to ensure they’re putting in place the building blocks of stability coming out of care. We’ll also continue to work with the coroner. We’ll continue to work with the independent advocate and others in this House to ensure that as much information that can be released is released.

This is a challenge. I look to the member for Surrey South, because she knows it full well. We, when we were on that side of the House, wanted the same level of information. We expected that this would be a seamless and easy process, and we all know that it’s not. I will continue to advocate, as well as the minister, to ensure that all the information possible does get out to the public.

Again, this has been such a powerful day, with statements by members, with the sentiments at the beginning of the House. I want to just add that this is a golden opportunity for all of us to redouble our efforts to collectively focus on how we can be more transparent, how we can ensure that the information is made available to help destigmatize the challenges that some members are speaking about directly from their personal experience and what we know to be the case in families in this place and, of course, families in our constituencies.

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

K. Kirkpatrick: Thank you to the Premier for that answer.

This is about critical information getting to the public so that decision-making can be made. Once again, just like COVID hospitalizations, there is one set of internal numbers and a different set which is provided to the public. We only know about this because of multiple FOIs, yet blocking FOI requests seems to be a higher priority for this government than re-introducing an improved Bill 22 on youth stabilization care.

This is a Premier who called a snap election during a pandemic to talk about protecting children. A year later there’s been zero legislation still brought to this House despite that promise.

Why is the Premier focused on hiding information instead of protecting children?

Hon. J. Horgan: Again, I’m encouraged by the enthusiasm from the official opposition. When the bill does come forward…. It’s being developed by the minister at this time, and I’m sure that there is going to be dialogue with the critic to make sure that we’re getting all of the points that she’s raised here today.

The coroner, in her work, records deaths as natural, accidental, homicide, suicide, undetermined. There is no “overdose for children” category.

[11:40 a.m.]

We’ll talk to the coroner about this, now that it’s been brought to my attention here in the House, and we’ll see what we can do about making changes there.

I’ll also remind people that section 70 of the act protects the privacy rights of children while they’re in care. I spoke just the other day — two weeks ago, in Chilliwack — to a parent, a father, whose child died in care back in 2015, 2016. The issue that he had was that his child could not be named. He knew who his child was, of course, but his child could not be named in the interests of protecting privacy, even though he had already passed way.

These are challenging issues that make no sense to people when they’re grieving. It makes no sense to people who are just perhaps dialling in today to hear the discussion that we’re having. But we have to work through those issues. We have to make sure that we’re protecting those important elements that we all know are critical, but we also have to make sure we can break down these barriers to full and open transparency.

I’m glad that the member and the Leader of the Official Opposition are going to be with us as we move forward.

COVID-19 RESPONSE
AND IMPACT ON HEALTH CARE SYSTEM

S. Furstenau: There are some health experts who are indicating we may see a fifth wave of COVID-19 in early 2022. We’ve been here before: we see a rise in cases in other jurisdictions, we hear a call from scientists and health experts for stronger proactive measures, and we see little action taken before it’s too late.

We’re not out of this fourth wave, and our hospitals are beyond capacity, our ambulances are backlogged in emergency room waiting bays, and health care workers are crying for help to mitigate the number of COVID patients ending up in their wards. Vaccines alone are not getting us out of this. And 89.7 percent of B.C.’s eligible population with a dose of a vaccine is phenomenal. It has protected millions of people in our province. Yet our health care system is still overwhelmed, surgeries are being cancelled, and burnout is a growing reality for so many health care workers.

We have been able to see a decline in cases in the past due to strong public health measures — measures that we’re moving away from now, with full capacity indoors, larger social gatherings and limited guidance on or investment in air filtration and well-fitting masks.

My question is to the Minister of Health. Are we going to see a more proactive response from this government as we once again see surges in cases in other jurisdictions around the world?

Hon. A. Dix: Thank you to the member for the question. British Columbia’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic will continue to be guided by the science and by public health leadership on medical issues.

All members of the House will know that on July 1, the province moved to step 3 of our restart plan. We are still at step 3 of that plan. Since then, with the significant success of our vaccination campaign that the member refers to — more than 89 percent of people over 12 vaccinated — we’re very optimistic that children five to 11 will be able to join them soon.

We’ve been able to change our approach tactically to deal regionally with outbreaks as they occur and the circumstances as they occur. At the end of July and the beginning of August, we took action in the Central Okanagan local health area and in the Interior Health Authority in the middle of August. I’m happy to say that test positivity in Interior Health, for example, has gone from 14.4 percent in the middle of August to under 6 percent today. This allows us — and members have been asking about this — to consider measures that are currently in place in Interior Health as well.

We’ve taken action in the eastern Fraser Valley as well. We have added a mask mandate in indoor public spaces in the last month. We are moving forward with third doses today. About 199 long-term-care and assisted-living homes have received third doses. We are moving forward with these initiatives, and we’ll continue to adapt and respond to COVID-19. It doesn’t argue with us. We need to continue to have public health measures and continue to have an even higher rate of vaccination in B.C.

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

S. Furstenau: Thank you to the minister for the response. It’s not to say that all these measures aren’t effective, but at the same time, if we look at our health care system, we can all agree that it is struggling. Nurses are overworked and leaving their profession. Doctors are overburdened and frustrated. When somebody calls an ambulance in this province — and this is such a shock for all of us — we don’t know if it’s going to arrive or not. People are frustrated trying to get COVID tests.

[11:45 a.m.]

I don’t think it’s enough to assume that what we are doing will keep cases low. It’s not enough to react too late. Everyone who works in health care has felt the impact of delayed reactions this last wave and those preceding it.

The provincial health officer, the Minister of Health and the BCCDC have led British Columbia through an unparalleled pandemic for the better part of two years. There is no way to be perfect in these circumstances, and there’s no undermining of the intentions. There has been incredible hard work and effort. But we can always strive to be better — recognizing the role of aerosol transmission, for example, and how best to mitigate risk with ventilation filtration and effective masks.

A greater number of health experts, scientists and doctors helping to give the best available science would not only help inform decision-making, but the collaboration would make our pandemic response stronger.

My question is to the Minister of Health. Will this government start to work with a broader range of scientists and health experts to inform decision-making, recognizing the pressing need to reduce the burden on our health care system?

Hon. A. Dix: I thank the member for her question and her comments. I agree that we seek perfection, but we don’t arrive there all the time. This has been an extraordinarily challenging period.

I think one of the things that makes Dr. Bonnie Henry a special leader and that makes Dr. Penny Ballem a special leader is their willingness to work with everybody — to reach out beyond to work with people. We do that at every level. You should see how many people from different walks of life Dr. Bonnie Henry meets with regularly to get their advice and to engage with them — not one-way communication but two-way communication.

I agree with the member that we have to continue to reach out. We do that every week with scientists and researchers across B.C. We provide, I think, the widest range of health information which has been provided on any subject in the history of British Columbia, and we have to keep working together to do that, because the pandemic is, of course, not over. We have to do things, therefore, and work together to do things that we’d never consider.

I would say this, finally. We had yesterday, I think, 137 people in critical care in B.C., and 120 of those were amongst the less than 11 percent of people in B.C. who are unvaccinated. What I would say to people is, unfortunately, this wave has been a pandemic of the unvaccinated. I have nothing but compassion for people, and they are getting the best health care in the world, but we need people to get vaccinated, and we need them to get vaccinated now.

With the level of transmission we’re seeing amongst the number of people who are unvaccinated, we need to continue to raise those levels. I know people are advocating working together, including all members of this House, to see that happen. But we have to see it happen, because it is wrong, when it’s preventable, for people to be lying in critical care from Dawson Creek in a hospital in Victoria. It is wrong, and we have to work together to see that that changes.

VACCINE PASSPORTS
FOR INTERNATIONAL TRAVEL

J. Sturdy: Today British Columbians were disappointed to learn that B.C. was the largest province to not meet the standard for an international vaccine passport. The Premier promised to “make sure that we are synchronizing this activity to the best of our ability.” Well, clearly, we have not hit the mark.

People want to make plans to travel, but now B.C. is at the back of the line.

Can the Premier guarantee that there will be no more delays and that B.C. will be ready to have access to international vaccine passports in time for winter travel?

Hon. J. Horgan: I thank the member for his question. He will know that 3.7 million British Columbians have downloaded the B.C. immunization card so they can interact in their community, they can go to public events and they can know with comfort that the people around them have made the same choices to protect themselves, their families and their communities. The member will also know that international travel is a responsibility of the federal government.

[11:50 a.m.]

When we were, along with Quebec, the first provinces to come out with an immunization card, we did so by saying, quite clearly at the time — and I regret the member didn’t hear this — that if international travel required documentation, that was the responsibility of the federal government.

We have waited an awkward interregnum between when we had these conversations, as Premiers and the federal government, back in the spring of this year to the date of today, when the Prime Minister announced that there will be a federal vaccination card that will give out much more information than the information that we requested to get into a restaurant or to go to a hockey game or go to a play.

We are not going to amend the vaccination card we have today without more consultation with the federal government. If you want to travel, you need federal documents to leave the country. If you want to travel now on federally regulated transportation modes, you’re going to need a federal transportation card, and we’re going to work with British Columbians to make sure they get that.

At the end of the day, these are federal responsibilities, and it has been a long time coming, as the member knows. I regret that it’s taken this much time, but he can take it up with his local Member of Parliament.

APPLICATION OF
FREEDOM-OF-INFORMATION LEGISLATION
TO InBC INVESTMENT CORP.

T. Stone: Earlier this year the Premier blatantly disregarded the Information and Privacy Commissioner when it came to making his $500 million high-risk venture capital scheme known as InBC transparent under freedom-of-information legislation.

Five months ago the commissioner penned a letter to this government and said: “Because InBC will be making decisions about the allocation of significant public moneys and discharging important public functions, it should be subject to transparency and accountability under FIPPA.”

The Premier had an opportunity, and he has an opportunity, to be transparent about an agency in charge of $500 million of taxpayers’ funds.

My question to the Premier is this. Will the Premier listen to the Information and Privacy Commissioner and make InBC subject to the transparency and accountability under FOI?

Hon. R. Kahlon: It’s been some time since we’ve canvassed this issue in this House, so I’ll remind the member that the structure of InBC is a continuation of the B.C. Immigrant Investment Fund, which was created by the previous government. And by the way, when it was created, businesses did not have to disclose the information that the member is highlighting now.

We’ve continued the investment fund over. But we’ve also done considerable consultation with the business community on the implications of what the member is suggesting. Greg D’Avignon, who, members in the House may know, is the president of the B.C. Business Council, said: “I’m pleased to see the province launch a strategic investment fund…higher productivity and growth while retaining exciting new and growing business, IP and talent in British Columbia.”

He stresses the point to us in a letter: “It’s critically important that we protect the private information in order for the fund to be effective, to see good investments come here to British Columbia.”

We’ve made our position clear to the independent office. We’ve shared with them the feedback that we’ve gotten from the business community about the sensitivity of the documents that are being handed to government and what that information will mean if it gets shared publicly. We’re going to continue to work with the independent office as we move forward.

Mr. Speaker: The member for Kamloops–South Thompson on a supplemental.

T. Stone: Frankly, that’s patently ridiculous. The B.C. Immigrant Investment Fund, which the minister continuously references in saying this is simply a continuation, that InBC is a continuation of it…. What he fails to acknowledge is that the B.C. Immigrant Investment Fund involved private dollars, private funds, not half a billion dollars of taxpayers’ money.

That’s an important distinction. This Premier has promised transparency over and over and over again, and then they set up InBC with no public access to InBC’s business plan, no public access to investment scorecards of the actual investments, and did decide not to make InBC subject to FOI.

The Premier said this: “I think all British Columbians should be concerned when their government hides things from them. The whole point of having access to information is so we can all make reasonable judgments about the effectiveness or ineffectiveness of our political leadership.”

[11:55 a.m.]

That’s the Premier, but it seems like the Premier is determined to continue to ignore the advice of the Information and Privacy Commissioner. In his May 19 letter, the commissioner wrote: “The public’s trust of InBC will depend upon its ongoing transparency and accountability. The public’s right of access to information under FIPPA, tempered by exceptions that can appropriately protect InBC’s and third-party interests, is vitally important to achieving and keeping that trust.”

My question to the Premier, again: why is the Premier continuing to ignore the advice of the Information and Privacy Commissioner to subject his government’s half-billion-dollar, high-risk venture capital scheme to freedom of information laws in British Columbia?

Hon. R. Kahlon: I just can’t believe this member is lecturing us about freedom of information given his….

Interjections.

Hon. R. Kahlon: InBC will issue an annual report on its performance of its investments. It will be tabled here at the Legislature and made available to the public.

Every five years it will go to an external third party for an audit. I remind the members that this a continuation of their fund. In fact, I’ve got a letter here that was written at the time when questions were being asked of them about this fund. There were questions being asked about whether they would include it under FOIPPA, and the minister, Iain Black at the time, wrote the letter and said that the accountability measures that the investment fund has are sufficient to meet the needs.

Interjections.

Mr. Speaker: Members, order, please. Order.

Continue.

Hon. R. Kahlon: InBC is an exciting venture. This is the first of its kind in North America. The Danish government, the Irish government, the Scottish government are looking to B.C. We’re going to invest in B.C. companies. We’re going to help them scale up. We’re going to create good-paying jobs here in British Columbia. We’re proud of it, and we’re going to continue to move forward.

GOVERNMENT RESPONSE TO
FREEDOM-OF-INFORMATION REQUESTS

B. Banman: You know, it was interesting to hear the Premier use the word “transparency” and pledge towards that. But actions speak louder than words. We’ve been battling, for years, whether the Premier could take a simple screenshot of his computer through an FOI process.

First, the Premier was incapable. Then he took the opposition to arbitration, and he lost. Then he said it would cost thousands of dollars to create a program to take a screenshot, which we paid. The Premier is now claiming it will cost even more money. The Privacy Commissioner did not agree with him. He’s disagreed and ignored the Privacy Commissioner many times.

Our question to the Premier is: why are you taking so long to hide and provide screenshots of your personal computer, and why are you so determined to ignore the Privacy Commissioner?

Hon. J. Horgan: Again, I am perplexed at the interest of the member of the opposite side about what’s on my computer. He’s welcome to come over today, and he can take a look at it if he wants to.

The issue is fishing trips like that that are clogging up freedom of information for ordinary British Columbians. As members will know…. I mean, like, get real. Who cares? Like, who cares what’s on my screen of my computer in my office? Not many people.

What British Columbians want to know is: how are we making decisions? What is the duty to document by government? If the member for Kamloops–South was in cabinet with the bill that’s currently before the House…

Interjections.

Mr. Speaker: Order.

Hon. J. Horgan: …there would have been a $50,000 fine for his staff, rather than just the ignominy of having to work for him.

GOVERNMENT RESPONSE TO LYTTON FIRE

J. Tegart: Two weeks ago in this House, I shared the story of the village of Lytton, and the Premier stood up and made some promises, once again. The people of Lytton are still waiting. They believed the Premier when he said he would have their backs.

[12:00 p.m.]

We’re at 113 days since fire tore through Lytton, burning it to the ground. The people still have no access to interim housing. They still don’t have full access to their own properties, and adding to the pain is a failure to communicate from this Premier and his government. Residents are scattered throughout the province, and now they feel they’re being abandoned.

Here’s Judith Urquhart’s quote: “The biggest heartache is losing our community. Everyone is trying to pick up the pieces on their own.”

My question to the Premier is: after 113 days of waiting, can the Premier tell the residents of Lytton when they will actually see a plan for their recovery?

Hon. M. Farnworth: I appreciate and thank the member for that question, because I know how trying the situation is for the residents of Lytton, and I know how much she cares and is working to ensure that we can get the community of Lytton rebuilt.

I can confirm for her that the report of the Fraser Basin Council, which has come to my ministry and is undergoing a final review, is expected to be presented to the village of Lytton next week. I’ve also committed to her that when I get it, she will also be able to review it and see it at that time.

What I also want to assure the member is that not only have the supports that we have talked about been extended to the 30th of November, but I know one of the issues that she has raised with me and is particularly concerned about and residents are concerned about is that ability to get back into the community. One of the issues has been…. Sifting has been taking place for personal valuables. That has now finished.

I can also let her know…. Again, one of the challenges, of course, has been the debris and the toxicity around the debris. For houses that have insurance, the insurance company takes that, and if you’re uninsured, that’s a real problem. We are coordinating with the insurance companies, with the community, so that the province will make sure that that debris for those residents is going to be cleared. They do not have to worry about that. The province is going to ensure that that is done.

There is significant work underway with the interim CAO, who came from Kamloops and who has considerable experience in dealing with wildfires. I will continue to work with the MLA and keep her updated on the progress, because there is significant work underway. But I wanted her to know, in this House, that those are some of the steps that are taking place.

[End of question period.]

Tabling Documents

Mr. Speaker: Members, I have the honour of tabling the Elections B.C. report, An Unprecedented Year: 2020-21 Annual Report and 2021-22–2023-24 Service Plan.

Members, regarding the question of privilege raised by the member for Saanich North and the Islands, I will provide my ruling at 1 p.m. today.

Hon. M. Farnworth moved adjournment of the House.

Motion approved.

Mr. Speaker: This House stands adjourned until 1 p.m. today.

The House adjourned at 12:03 p.m.