Orders of the Day

Private Members’ Statements

B.C.’S HEALTH CARE WORKER SHORTAGE

K. Kirkpatrick: Health care providers have been on the front line of the COVID-19 pandemic from day one, risking their lives to care for British Columbians. We’re grateful for their commitment and sacrifices, especially over the last two years.

The pandemic has shed light on staffing shortages that have persisted in our health care system for years. It’s also revealed significant gaps that should be addressed at a time when access to health care is more important than ever.

[10:05 a.m.]

Last month nurses, paramedics and other health care professionals missed 27,937 shifts due to short-term illness between January 3 and 9, according to B.C.’s Health Minister. Hospital emergency departments were closed, and LifeLabs, B.C.’s largest private lab service provider, temporarily closed 11 locations and adjusted hours at another five due to omicron.

Our health care system has been stretched to its limits. Dedicated health care providers are completely overwhelmed. Many are burnt out. They need help after two years of working through the pandemic, and band-aid measures won’t cut it. We need more doctors, nurses, paramedics, care workers in senior care homes and other health care providers. Government must do everything it can, including putting forward a health and human resources strategy to address staffing shortages and to provide relief to health care workers that are stretched thin so they can continue to meet the needs and provide support to communities across British Columbia.

Many families have been struggling for years to find a family doctor that’s taking new patients, while others scramble when their doctor retires or the clinics close. Just recently, three walk-in clinics closed their doors for good in Victoria, and families are worried about who will treat them when they’re sick and vulnerable.

British Columbians are frustrated about the ongoing exodus and shortage of family doctors. They’ve been asking for an action plan to rectify this crisis.

Global TV just ran an interview today with Dr. Renee Fernandez from B.C. Family Doctors. She said: “With population growth and physician retirement, the number of people in British Columbia without a family doctor is close to 900,000. We must fix this.” B.C. trains 288 physicians every year. Of that, 40 to 50 choose family practice for their residency and, of that, only 15 percent choose to work in traditional family practice. That’s only six to eight doctors per year.

While we’re facing doctor shortages, there are an estimated 5,000 internationally educated doctors eager to work but facing licensing barriers. It’s apparent that more needs to be done on recruitment, retention and licensing.

B.C.’s doctor shortage is impacting our whole health care system, particularly compounding our 911 service and ambulance crisis. Last summer, British Columbians were left waiting hours for ambulance emergencies. A woman in Surrey experiencing a medical emergency was forced to wait for more than nine and a half hours for an ambulance to arrive. It was a time when paramedics were struggling with low staffing levels and long hours.

A month before the heat dome, E-Comm 911 data anal­ysis concluded that B.C. Ambulance Service delays were compromising public safety overall. By June 28, 2021, they were struggling to work with maxed out B.C. emergency health services, with more than 200 calls waiting in queue to be assigned to an ambulance.

The system is in crisis. There are reports of a significant number of psychological injuries. B.C. paramedics are still understaffed by up to 40 percent daily due to burnout, injury and vacancies. The number is worse, at times, amongst dispatchers. Even then, staff have to wait 90 days to process a claim at WorkSafeBC.

We only know about this situation, which was so bad that E-Comm considered holding a press conference to pressure the government…. Because of freedom of information requests, we know this. It was not public knowl­edge. It’s clear that we have to address issues to keep ambulance workers supported and employed, including hiring more, as well as increasing government transparency so these issues are not allowed to fester behind closed doors.

[10:10 a.m.]

We can’t forget about our nurses, who have been working tirelessly to provide safe patient care. The latest November 2021 figures from the survey of employment, payrolls and hours show that British Columbia is the only major province to have experienced a decline in employment at hospitals during the pandemic. As of December 2021, B.C. had 7,500 fewer employees working in B.C. hospitals. This compares to a 9,500 increase in Alberta, 17,000 increase in Quebec and 15,000 in Ontario. This reinforces news of nursing shortages and burnout at emergency rooms around the province.

J. Rice: Indeed, we have a health care worker shortage not only in British Columbia but also in Canada and worldwide.

In Fort St. John, as well as in my home community of Prince Rupert, we are facing some of the highest numbers of health care vacancies in the Northern Health Authority region. Since forming government, we have made significant progress in hiring and in implementing policies designed to address health care worker shortages.

Unfortunately, the issues with health care go back decades and cannot be solved overnight. Jurisdictions across the world are dealing with an increase in demand for health care workers and a supply that is not increasing quickly enough. We are working to transform our health care system into a sustainable one that will provide high-quality care for generations to come. While the scale of this change cannot happen overnight, it will have a lasting impact.

A provincial health human resources strategy that is under development will set out actions to grow, recruit and retain the health care workers needed to meet the health care needs of British Columbians in the future. We will have more to announce soon on this strategy, which aims to address capacity issues throughout the health care system and to alleviate the burden on our health care workers.

Between 2017 and 2020, the number of registered nurses providing publicly funded health care services increased by over 2,200, or 6 percent, while the number of licensed practical nurses increased by over 1,100, or 12 percent. We just announced that 602 new nursing seats will be added to the approximately 2,000 seats currently in nursing programs in B.C.’s public post-secondary institutions. The new seats include 362 registered nursing seats, 40 registered psychiatric nursing seats, 20 nurse practitioner seats and 180 licensed practical nurse seats at 17 public post-secondary institutions.

As part of this expansion, new seats will support health care assistants who want to train as a licensed practical nurse and LPNs looking to move into a career as a registered nurse. We’ve also provided approximately $8.7 million in this year’s budget to support health educational training programs, including the expansion of specialty nursing and the launch of a new nursing program in the northeast.

More British Columbians are getting the health care that they need, thanks to the investments the government is making in team-based primary health care. Our primary care strategy is increasing access to quality, comprehensive, culturally safe and person-centred primary care services for people across B.C.

Across all our primary care initiatives, over 850 new full-time-equivalent family physicians, nurses, nurse practitioners and other allied health workers are now supporting team-based care and meeting patients’ needs, with close to a thousand more on the way. We’ve launched 53 primary care networks across the province. Today 26 new urgent and primary care centres are open and providing care to British Columbians. Another four are in planning, with two to open in the next few months, and another ten are working towards opening by 2023. That’s 40 new urgent and primary care centres, caring for and supporting British Columbians.

I want to take a moment to address the ongoing health care worker shortages in my constituency. I want people to know that I recognize that the health services are not as robust as they once were and that you want to see action to fix that.

[10:15 a.m.]

I’ve been advocating on your behalf, and I want you to know that we recently announced supports of $6.3 million for programs and incentives to encourage more health care workers to move to and stay in the Northern Health region. This includes supports for clinical management, virtual services, housing, child care, travel and a comprehensive prototype rural retention incentive program. My home community of Prince Rupert will be benefiting from many of these supports to address some of our recruitment and retention challenges.

We’ve also announced new resources for B.C. emergency health services. We’re providing additional resources to improve the management of B.C. emergency health services, and we’re also hiring more paramedics and dispatchers.

It takes time, but we are working to transform our health care system into a sustainable one that will provide high-quality care for generations to come. I want to take this moment to thank all our health care providers for the outstanding work you’ve performed in the last two years throughout the pandemic.

K. Kirkpatrick: Thank you to the member for her response.

I think it bears repeating something just to really demonstrate the impact to British Columbians, even with all that the government is saying is being done. Again, Global TV just ran an interview this morning with Dr. Renee Fernandez from B.C. Family Doctors. She said: “With population growth and physician retirement, the number of people in British Columbia without a family doctor is close to 900,000 people.” That is unacceptable.

The medical profession requires dedication and hard work. Many people choose to pursue this field because they have a calling to help others. For some, it’s about an innate sense of compassion or the need to give back to community. During the current pandemic, health care workers have earned the title “front-line warriors.” This is due to their dedication, their perseverance and their commitment to helping COVID-19 patients recover — often at personal cost — and to continue to support all the other people in the community who need them.

Whether it’s a broken leg or heart surgery, the rest of the health care system didn’t get a holiday from COVID either. More needs to be done to train new nurses, and more efforts need to be made to retain existing nurses, which means providing better support and improving more access to training. We need more doctors and other health care professionals.

We need to encourage young people to go into health care and to support our current health care workers so that they will stay. We need to ensure that we’re doing all we can with credentialing to bring immigrant health care workers into a system where they are greatly needed. We need to build and train the health care workforce for the future, including more spaces for people wanting to become doctors, nurses and health care professionals.

Our government needs to work to attract health professionals to underserviced areas in British Columbia and improve access to medical care by encouraging practice networks and innovative practice models. We need to do a better job of protecting our health care workers by instituting the necessary system improvements to ensure that all workers experience a violence-free workplace.

It’s time we show that we really, truly value our health care workers. More importantly, it’s time for this government to put forward a comprehensive health care human resources strategy.

B.C. SENIORS CARE PROVIDERS DAY

S. Chant: Thank you, Madam Speaker, for the opportunity to address the private members of this House on a topic that is important to many of us, not the least of which is myself.

I do want to acknowledge that at this time I am working and staying as a guest on the unceded lands of the Song­hees, Esquimalt and Lək̓ʷəŋin̓əŋ-speaking people and that the North Vancouver–Seymour riding that I represent, live and work in is in the territory of the Coast Salish — specifically, the Skwxwú7mesh and the Tsleil-Waututh.

Caregivers are a critical and well underestimated component of our B.C. population. A lot of times, when we think of caregivers, many people think of professionals — nurses, community health workers, nannies, companions and others, all of whom have great importance to the clients they care for and to the families of these clients.

[10:20 a.m.]

Then we think about our children who are cared for by their parents, their teachers, the early childhood education folks and a whole variety of others in programs — swim instructors, Guiders, Scouters, coaches and many, many others.

Additionally, I want to ensure that I recognize that group that I call the invisible population, those who are of an age that they would expect to be in school or in a job. For a variety of reasons, these people are unable to be immersed with the general population, and many of them have care providers. We need carers in our society. In fact, we depend on them in a huge variety of ways, day to day.

I want to focus on those people — not professionals, not paid, not provided with vacations or benefits — who care for our seniors who need care in their own homes or in the homes of their adult offspring — wives, husbands, sisters, brothers, daughters and sons, all manner of family members or friends that devote some or all of their time to ensuring that people who can no longer live a fully independent life have the support they need to remain in the community.

Care can mean many things, whether it means providing a home, like Donna, her husband, Michael, and their kids, Sienna and Janine, in my riding, who have created a suite for their parents so an independent place is available yet the family is readily accessed.

Care can mean the supervision, direction or cueing that Sandra provides for her husband, who no longer has the full cognitive capacity to safely and effectively get through his day-to-day activities. Care can mean how Amir goes to the home of a parent or sibling to pick them up to go out for groceries, a haircut, a walk, a drive. Or care can mean Manfred using a lift to get his wife, Sigrid, up to her chair or back to bed or into the wheelchair, feeding, toileting, changing and bathing her. Sometimes he has some help; other days he does not. He is also there overnight, when she wakes up in an agitated state from which she may or may not settle back into sleep.

What about palliative care? Family members or friends such as Andrew, who is there throughout the last journey that Sandra and he would take together, speaking quietly, holding hands, administering comfort medications, encouraging her to take sips, reassuring other family members and friends that she was okay and comfortable when we all knew that was not so.

The names I spoke are not real. However, these and many other circumstances are very real and happening every day in our province. The number of people who provide care to our seniors without compensation, to family members or to friends, continues to grow. People who may need a bit of help or may need full help all the time, get the help, the support, the care from a group of folks collectively known as the caregivers.

Today and every day I laud the work that they do and the care that they provide. And you know, caregivers need care too. Whether it’s through break relief, respite programs, adult day centres, home support or other mechanisms, it is imperative that we recognize and support the caregivers in our province.

I will also recognize and say thank you to all those who provide other types of care. In North Van, we have the Seniors Hub, which provides information and links to service; the Silver Centre, which provides socialization, meals, activities; North Shore Neighbourhood House, providing tax assistance services, socialization, meals and activities; My Parkgate Break, an adult day program run by the Parkgate community association, which provides activities, socialization and meals for seniors and respite for caregivers; the Alzheimer Society, which provides support and education for families of clients who have sustained a variety of cognitive losses, not just those attributed to Alzheimer’s.

Madam Speaker, I am sure that you and members of this House get the picture of one community amongst many in B.C. that provides a myriad of support and care for its seniors.

I would be remiss if I did not circle back to the folks I started with: those clinicians and care providers that work for both public and private entities, providing a whole gambit of care for our seniors. Something we do not think about when disaster hits is the managing of those seniors in care when they are evacuated from their own community.

[10:25 a.m.]

In 2021, on two occasions, Capilano Care Centre, in the process of closing, was re-established to house folks — first from Armstrong, fires; and then from Merritt, floods. My thanks go out to P.J., her team and colleagues who did everything from rebuilding the beds, which had been dismantled, to providing hands-on care to a group of tired, disoriented, frightened and travel-worn clients as they came in by bus and stayed until it was safe for them to return home.

Today I rise in the House to do exactly that: to say thank you to all those who care for our seniors, in whatever way they do it. This is thanks that we should all be doing every day.

If you’re a family caregiver, please tell yourself that you’re doing a good job. If you have not yet looked for help, maybe do that and let someone else care too, so that you can be the wife, husband, sister, brother and friend that you’ve always been. If you provide care as your vocation, please also tell yourself you’re doing a good job and accept thanks.

March 1 is B.C. seniors caregiver day. I ask us all to take a moment and thank a caregiver for all they do for our seniors.

S. Bond: Thank you to the member for North Vancouver–Seymour for recognizing this special day and the work that seniors care providers do in our province every single day.

When I initially assumed the role of Leader of the Official Opposition, I was also very honoured to take on the role of the opposition critic for Senior Services and Long-Term Care. No, it wasn’t just because there were enough critic roles to go around, but because the issues facing seniors in British Columbia are incredibly important, and they deserve our full attention. In fact, few things are as important as ensuring that older British Columbians have every opportunity to receive the care and the support that they need and deserve.

As the member mentioned in her remarks, tomorrow, March 1, is B.C. Seniors Care Providers Day. The day was first proclaimed in 2017 to celebrate the workers all across our province who look after British Columbia’s seniors. Whether they work in someone’s home, directly with residents in care homes, whether they provide administrative services, meals or housekeeping, this dedicated group of workers should be celebrated for their tireless efforts to support our seniors.

It could not be more timely. When we think about COVID-19 and the global pandemic, few have been as signifi­cantly impacted as seniors — those that live in care homes, assisted living facilities and, of course, those that live in community. I know I will never forget the images of seniors on one side of a glass window with much-loved family members on the other side.

Our seniors experienced isolation, loneliness, separation, confusion and anxiety, but thankfully, they were not completely alone. Care providers stepped up, day after day after day, working tirelessly to deal with physical needs but, equally importantly, the social and mental wellness of older adults. I am deeply grateful that for two years, they continued to show up. They came to work on the front lines of the COVID-19 pandemic and have been the primary protectors of British Columbia’s most vulnerable seniors during an extremely difficult time.

We know that seniors were disproportionately im­pacted by the pandemic. Because of that, so were their care providers. As front-line workers, they faced increased pressures and stress, diligently providing support during outbreaks and, in fact, putting themselves at great personal risk.

Many of our seniors care providers have been stretched beyond their limits the last few years. They have faced high levels of burnout. Many have experienced the heartbreak of losing a friend, a patient or a loved one to COVID-19. To say that the past 24 months have been difficult for health care workers is such an understatement.

We have a responsibility not only to recognize, to celebrate and to honour care providers, but we need to respond to the challenges that they continue to face. As they serve on the front line, we need to provide relief and support. We need to pay attention to how we can better retain and recruit workers and how we can attract and train new seniors care providers to deal with chronic staffing shortages.

[10:30 a.m.]

We need to learn lessons from what happened during the pandemic, including looking at infrastructure needs and standards of care. There is much that needs to be done, and it needs to be a priority. But for today, let’s take the time to share a collective thank-you to the more than 50,000 care providers across the province. Thank you for your compassion, your hard work and your perseverance. Mostly, thank you for being there for our loved ones when many of us, due to public health restrictions, could not be there in person.

Isobel Mackenzie, British Columbia’s seniors advocate, said it perfectly this time last year, and I want to quote her. “It is on this day that we take the time to formally recognize the tens of thousands of people who bring care, comfort and friendship to our seniors every day. It shows the commitment of our care aides, our nurses and our allied health professionals. I thank you profoundly for your services and your sacrifices. With profound gratitude, I thank you for everything you do.” I think that those words capture how all of us in this Legislature feel about B.C. senior care providers today and every day.

Today we recognize and celebrate the vital contributions made by care providers across the province, and we commit to working together to ensure that they have the support and resources that they need as they care for British Columbia’s seniors.

S. Chant: Thank you to the member for Prince George–​Valemount for her words, which also acknowl­edge the importance and value of seniors’ caregivers in British Columbia.

I had the privilege of working with Vancouver Coastal Health as a registered nurse in both Metro Vancouver and on the North Shore, with a community health program that serves adults needing care to remain in their own homes. As a home support supervisor, I saw the community health workers, making sure that the seniors were clean, comfortable, and cared for in their own homes.

As a case manager, I supported families and clients in making the best care decisions possible that met the very needs of those people who wanted to stay in their own homes or needed to move to a higher level of care.

As a team leader, I made sure that all of the nurses, social workers, case managers and discharge coordinators, as well as other clinicians, had the support and resources they needed to provide care and support to families and clients in their homes. I also acted as the adult guardianship coordinator, working with clinicians who were dealing with cases of abuse, neglect or self-neglect of vulnerable adults, most of whom were seniors.

Recently, as an immunizer, I met numerous seniors’ caregivers in their homes and also the ones that are bringing their seniors to the clinics to get vaccinated. All of these roles serve to give me an amazing respect for those who provide care to our seniors, some of whom need limited support, others of whom need full care.

During COVID, I met a son who did not go out of the home that he and his mother shared until they were both fully vaccinated. Also during COVID, there were many families who cancelled the home support service that had supported clients for many years and took on that role themselves to reduce the chance of exposure to their loved ones.

Our seniors advocate, Isobel Mackenzie, in a North Shore News article on February 16 of this year, said a rise in volunteer services supporting the elderly has been one of the “brightest lights” throughout the pandemic. She then went on to report that nearly 26,000 seniors benefitted from the generosity of over 13,000 volunteers as part of a provincially funded program that was expanded in March 2020 to boost services through community organizations. When the call went out for volunteers to help seniors and shut-ins in March 2020, the call response lines crashed from the volume of calls, both to help and for help.

Again, it was the non-profit organizations that recognized needs in their own communities and developed programs to meet these needs and pivoted their programs during the pandemic to continue to try and meet those needs. One of the rec centres who does senior exercise programs did a weekly YouTube video to send out to their participants of chair exercises that could be used to strengthen and maintain mobility. Family Services North Shore was providing meals three times weekly to shut-in seniors, with fresh fruit from a local vendor and milk from another grocer.

Many of our seniors….

[10:35 a.m.]

Deputy Speaker: Thank you, Member.

S. Chant: May I continue?

Deputy Speaker: Time is up.

S. Chant: Thank you, Madam Speaker.

B.C.’S VETERINARIAN SHORTAGE

I. Paton: This morning I would like to speak to the House about the shortage of veterinarians in our province here in British Columbia. Over the past two years, British Columbians have endured a lot — a global pandemic and devastating climate events. During these challenging times, we have come to realize the importance of our animals.

We lost one million farm animals between the heat dome and the atmospheric river in 2021. During the devastating floods in Sumas Prairie, B.C. farmers and community members rushed to save our province’s farm animals. Among those heroes were our veterinarians, who worked around the clock to save the surviving animals who suffered injuries during the floods.

These veterinarians provided care for thousands of animals and, sadly, when necessary, had to euthanize animals who suffered the most severe injuries. The Sumas Prairie floods demonstrate most painfully the critical role that veterinarians play in animal welfare as well as in our food production and agricultural sector.

Vets also play an important role in our everyday lives as we try to find the best care for our beloved pets. More and more British Columbians have adopted household pets during the pandemic as a source of comfort and companionship during difficult times.

With climate events and increased pet adoptions, the shortage of veterinarians in this province is becoming more evident and severe. Currently the wait time for an appointment with an urban veterinarian is two weeks or longer. For rural veterinarians, it can be eight weeks or longer. This is an animal welfare issue. When animals are not able to get the appropriate care at the right time, they face illness and death that could have been preventable. This is a strain that is especially difficult in the remote and rural areas in British Columbia.

The floods in Sumas Prairie reminded us of the important role that farmers and livestock play in our province, but with the veterinary shortage, we are reminded of the emotional and financial toll that follows when animals are not able to receive the care they need.

As a result of this shortage, veterinarians in B.C. are facing increased exhaustion and burnout, and the mental health impacts are only getting worse. Many vets are working 12- to 14-hour days. For those working with large animals, they’re servicing remote and rural parts of the province. It is physically demanding. They are often on call, travelling extensive distances and facing injuries from the large animals who are often very unruly.

This job also includes the devastating work of euthanization, which is emotionally draining and adds to the burden on the mental health of a veterinarian. My brother, Dr. Dave Paton, is a well-known large animal veterinarian, and as a longtime farmer of dairy cattle, sheep and horses myself, I have personally witnessed his long hours, extensive travel and midnight call-outs for colic, C-sections, milk fevers, difficult births and the physical wear and tear that a veterinarian experiences handling large animals.

There are many instances where veterinarians to have to deliver devastating news to families about the health of their pets. Can you imagine the emotional burden of dealing with the end-of-life procedures performed on beloved horses, ponies, pets and companions while also consoling the devastated owner at a veterinarian’s clinic?

A study done by the Ontario Veterinary College in 2020 found that more than a quarter of Canadian veterinarians reported suicidal thoughts in the previous 12 months. The society of B.C. Veterinarians says that the number of suicide attempts or suicidal thoughts among veterinarians are rising disproportionately from other occupations. With the high volume of caseloads, vets are overwhelmed and afraid to take time off to address their mental health.

In December 2019, our opposition caucus raised the concern of veterinarian shortages which was ignored by the Minister of Advanced Education. The solution to the shortage is simple: train more veterinarians. But the minister refused to fund additional veterinary school spaces for B.C. students, despite the minister’s own labour market survey that same year which said B.C. would be short 100 veterinarians per year for the subsequent five years. That’s a total of 500 veterinarians that are going to be needed by the year 2024.

Last April I wrote a letter to the Minister of Advanced Education to raise this concern when we began seeing the surge of pandemic pet adoptions in British Columbia as people sought solace and companionship in their homes. Several other stakeholder groups in B.C. also wrote to the minister pleading for action.

[10:40 a.m.]

The opportunity for more students to attend veterinary school came about when the province of Alberta forfeited 20 of the annual limited placement seats available at the Western College of Vet Medicine in Saskatoon. However, British Columbia declined the opportunity and the NDP Advanced Education Minister refused to fund 20 additional veterinary school spaces.

Deputy Speaker: Excuse me, Member. This is a non-partisan time. Thank you.

I. Paton: Thank you.

Veterinarians across the province have been pleading for support, but little action has been taken over the past three years.

We are not the only ones concerned about this issue. The Society of B.C. Veterinarians Chapter has reached out to the minister to secure a meeting to discuss the need to educate more B.C. veterinarians. Unfortunately, they say they have been rebuffed on several occasions. They have now written a letter to all MLAs to seek support for their efforts and note that many B.C. animal rescue groups will be joining their public cause as well.

In Ontario, the provincial and the federal government announced a $4 million cost-sharing program to increase veterinary care options. In Alberta, their 2022 budget provides $59 million over three years to expand the veterinary school at the University of Calgary.

The shortage of veterinarians is a nationwide issue, but while other provincial governments are taking action on service gaps, the situation in B.C. only grows more dire. Can the member opposite tell us whether or not the government will be pursuing similar tools in funding to alleviate some of the pressure on our veterinarians? And can the member opposite tell us if it is fair…?

Deputy Speaker: Member.

I. Paton: Yes?

Deputy Speaker: Please sit down.

Recognizing the minister.

Hon. S. Malcolmson: Madam Speaker, I urge you to intervene again to encourage the member to keep this focused on members’ business and not question period. Thank you.

Interjection.

Deputy Speaker: Excuse me. We’re not having a debate amongst members. I would like to thank you for your words. I’ll take it under advisement and remind the member that this is a non-partisan time.

I. Paton: The shortage of veterinarians is a nationwide issue, but while other provincial governments are taking action on service gaps, the situation in B.C. only grows more dire. The shortage has been a long time coming, but with the pandemic and climate events, the need for action is even more urgent.

M. Dykeman: It’s an honour to rise in the House today to respond to the statement from the member opposite from Delta South. I would like to thank him for his continuous, passionate advocacy in this area. I know he’s spoken, in this House, many times on this subject and has a personal connection, being both a farmer and with his brother serving as a veterinarian. So I’d like to thank him for his words today.

Veterinarians play such a critical role in supporting all key animal-based B.C. industries and protecting the health and welfare of animals in British Columbia. As a farmer myself and a small-pet owner, it’s one of these areas where both…. We often talk about a rural-urban divide. This is an area where you don’t see that, because we will all share a need for veterinarians with both small and large animals.

I know, as a farmer, as I mentioned, I’ve had many opportunities to call the veterinarian. Whether it’s two o’clock in the morning, Sunday, it doesn’t matter. Our large-animal vets, especially, work continuously, 24 hours a day, serving the farmers in our community. Whether it’s rain, snow, hot, our farmers call their vets, and they slog out to the farm.

I remember growing up watching All Creatures Great and Small with my mom. I said to her: “I want to be a veterinarian.” She says: “You realize that you’ll be working with all sorts of different animals — all sorts of different hours, through the day.” She says: “Why would you want to do this?” Well, I absolutely love animals. It was something that I pursued many years and then somehow ended up going into chicken farming. Now I’m in this building.

One of the things I learned shadowing some vets is it really is a work of passion. You have to be passionately fueled to work in that industry. Farmers know that veterinarians not only contribute to the health and welfare but also to really key economic factors too. The veterinarians ensure that our farms are successful — not only that our animals are comforting. They provide advice.

[10:45 a.m.]

It’s impossible to even put into words the range of services that they provide to allow us to make decisions day to day to ensure that our farms are successful and are able to provide the best care for animals.

It’s stressful for people who have difficulties accessing a veterinarian, and the loss of a beloved pet or an animal on your farm is devastating. Really, as I just mentioned, healthy animals are a key to farmer and rancher success. Veterinarians play an important role in that.

Our government is proud to fund a total of 80 B.C. students every year to study at the Western College of Veterinary Medicine. B.C. is part of an interprovincial agreement with the provinces of Saskatchewan and Manitoba and the Western College of Veterinary Medicine, for five years. This agreement contributes to the college’s overall sustainability, so that it can meet the international accreditation standards. This agreement ensures that the college is able to deliver critical veterinary medicine, programming and research that meet the needs of the three provinces.

There is a shortage of veterinarians in British Columbia, like there is a significant labour market shortage in many occupations — everything from health care to trades. The ministry has supported the college by offering additional seats through the differential tuition pilot, enabling and increasing the number of B.C. students at the Western College of Veterinary Medicine in each of the last two years. Over 30 B.C. students have been admitted — 32 and 33, compared to 20 in 2009 and prior years. Two public post-secondary institutions, Thompson Rivers University and Douglas Collage, are offering programs that lead to registered veterinary technologist credentials.

Solutions have to go beyond simply post-secondary training and explore opportunities to attract more veterinarians to British Columbia. The Ministry of Agriculture is working with the Minister of Advanced Education to find ways to also attract veterinarians to other regions in British Columbia that are facing a shortage — like in the north.

Thank you, again, hon. Speaker, for the opportunity to respond to the member opposite’s statement.

I. Paton: Thank you to the member for her reply. I appreciate that the member opposite recognizes the importance of veterinarians in our province, but we are not hearing a commitment to fix this dire situation.

Recently Chris Dolbec, from Oliver, B.C., started a petition to the Minister of Advanced Education and Skills Training to fund more seats. Dolbec’s daughter is a first-year student at the Western College of Veterinary Medicine in Saskatoon. Western College of Veterinary Medicine admits 20 funded seats per year, which means 20 B.C. students paying an annual tuition cost of $11,000.

Dolbec’s daughter has a non-funded seat and instead pays $68,000 a year to be a student at the college. This is a huge financial barrier to students who are otherwise passionate about animal care and willing to devote their lives to a difficult but much-needed career. We should be supporting these students now, so that we can empower aspiring vets and alleviate the burden on our current workforce.

Corey Van’t Haaff, executive director of CVMA, said that frustrated and overworked veterinarians, as well as the concerned public, often call on the Canadian Veterinary Medical Association expressing concern over the shortage of qualified vets. Van’t Haaff also went on to say that CVMA made recommendations over a year ago to the Minister of Agriculture, who was also the minister for veterinarians.

The minister provided full support for the acquisition of the 20 seats. CVMA then provided reports to the minister’s executive directors and government analysts. Van’t Haaff says: “They unanimously backed it and recommended she take all 20 seats. The minister has said no and that veterinary medicine is not a funding priority for B.C.”

This government has previously said that B.C. is not only relying on funded seats at WCVM, but also international recruitment efforts. The veterinarian shortage is actually a global challenge, and other countries do not want to lose their vets. The Ministry of Advanced Education identified, in 2019, that we would face a shortage of 500 veterinarians by 2024. We cannot simply rely on immigration to fill those 500 jobs, particularly when we have more than 145 qualified applicants annually trying to get into the college in Saskatoon.

[10:50 a.m.]

Funding more seats is one simple fix, but there are also other opportunities, such as increasing the role of animal health technologists and boosting telemedicine options. Although the pandemic has exacerbated the vet shortage, it has also demonstrated the utility of technology and providing care.

Vets play an integral role in our society and economy, and it is time we prioritized their training, mental health and well-being. They have endured challenging times throughout the pandemic, and we must take action now to alleviate the burden of shortages of veterinarians in our province of British Columbia.

THE IMPORTANCE OF COMMUNITIES
COMING TOGETHER

J. Sims: It’s my pleasure today to rise in this House and speak on the importance of communities coming together.

The last few years, about 2½ now, I think, have taught us a lot. Over the last two years, we have seen COVID-19. We’ve seen the impact of the heat dome. We’ve seen the impact of fires. We’ve seen the impact of floods. All of that has had a significant impact on individuals around this province. I would say across the country and around the world.

What is it that we have learned during this time that is really valuable? What we have learned is the importance of relationships. What we have learned is the importance of being there for each other. What we have learned, through Dr. Bonnie Henry, is the importance of being kind to each other during very, very difficult periods we have gone through.

I want to start off by really doing a huge shout-out to our health care workers. They have had no reprieve. They’ve been working around the clock. And I know…. Many of them are my friends, and they tell me how they haven’t had the time off they need to recuperate. We heard about some of those concerns earlier today. But despite that, their compassion, their behaviour, not only to cope with those going in with COVID but also the regular health care challenges that individuals face….

The other huge group that we have to do a shout-out to is every person who lives in British Columbia. I’m always in awe of British Columbians who stepped forward in a big way to tackle some pretty traumatic, scary at times, and devastating pandemic after pandemic and disaster after disaster.

You know, we hear a lot about…. Recently there has been a lot in the media about the dissent and disagreements. I think we don’t take enough time to celebrate the fact that 99 percent of people came together, and they worked together to protect themselves, their loved ones and their communities, and not just in their immediate neighbourhood, but they stepped out and helped to build community during very, very difficult times.

We hear a lot about those who have concerns about the vaccine, but I am so impressed by the fact that 4.2 million people in B.C. have downloaded the vaccine card. As of Wednesday, February 23, 93.2 percent of eligible British Columbians have received their first dose, and 90.6 have received their second dose. Over 2½ million have received their third dose, or what we now call booster. That’s all good news.

All of these people…. Yes, they had concerns. Yes, they were worried. Yes, they were scared. But they stepped forward and got the vaccine because they cared about themselves but also because they cared about the communities they lived in. So a big thank-you.

I now want to talk about a few organizations. There are so many hundreds and thousands I could, but I’m going to take a few. Amenida Seniors Community centre. They kept creative spirits high.

[10:55 a.m.]

How do we keep our seniors busy when they can’t have visitors? How do we keep their minds active? They came up with a project from the Getty Museum, which was a challenge where they took everyday items and created art and added joy and laughter. For example, Ursula was transformed into Queen Marie of Romania, okay? With a shower hose and a fake sunflower, Jim Cullina became Anthony van Dyck of Self-Portrait with a Sunflower.

Now, all of this happened because people cared, and they wanted to build a community and provided support. Schools spread holiday cheer. One teacher, principal Lianne McBride at George Vanier decided: “Let’s make Christmas cards.” You know what? That spread, and students at North Surrey, Sullivan Heights, David Brankin, Prince Charles, Strawberry Hill — I could go on and list schools — all stepped forward, and they made cards. Those went to seniors who were in assisted living. You know what? That added joy.

A B.C. artist immortalized 20 health care workers, and that was Shannon Holms, a Vancouver Island artist, who celebrated our health care workers through the use of art.

Tourism. As we know, tourism has had a huge impact. It is one of the areas that has struggled the most out of all of the business community. Now, numerous hotels stepped forward, and they provided discounted or free rooms to medical staff who needed to freshen up during changes — hotels like Burrard Hotel, Element Vancouver Metrotown, Accent Inns and so on. Free flights from Helijet to B.C.’s health care workers. Forty Asian restaurants across Metro Vancouver donated 5,000 meals for health care staff. Salt Spring Coffee donated 1,500 pounds of coffee.

Repurposing their facilities to address urgent needs, brewing companies stepped forward. You know what? The 3-D printers came into use as people started to print face shields. Breweries and distilleries started producing hand sanitizer. Businesses adapted to the challenges ahead of them. They went through an incredible transformation. But you know how that was supported, especially in the restaurant businesses? It’s because those of us who don’t own a restaurant business made sure that we ordered a delivery or that we went in to visit. That was a community coming together to protect what they valued and to be there for each other.

I’ve just got to the end of my time, so I will save the rest for the next segment.

B. Banman: I am happy to rise today to respond to the topic “The Importance of Communities Coming Together.”

You know, B.C. is blessed to be home to such a wide variety of communities, each with their own unique landscape, economies, cultures and, of course, unique identity. One of the greatest qualities is their ability to come together to support themselves and their fellow British Columbians in time of need.

I thank the member for mentioning about the disasters. In 2021, a year that brought unprecedented disasters, damage and loss to our towns and province, we saw our communities come together on a scale never before seen in this province. When the floods swept through the Sumas Prairie and farmers saw their homes, businesses, livelihoods swept away under a deluge of water and mud, British Columbians did what they could and offered whatever they had to help their fellow citizens in their most dire moments.

We saw local churches gather and put together mini dumpsites. They gathered donations of food, clothing, equipment and anything else people needed. We saw members of gurdwaras throughout the Fraser Valley cook thousands of meals for those who didn’t know where their next meal was going to come from that day. We saw farmers, local business owners, power up their boats and jet skis to help to move goods, livestock and families to dry land and safety. We even saw local pilots rent helicopters, organize flights to get food, goods and medical supplies to Hope, Merritt and other stranded communities.

Even after the floodwaters had ebbed, the spirit of bravery, generosity and community are still found across southern B.C. With spring planting upon us, our local heavy-duty mechanics are working around the clock, helping farmers rebuild and restore the machinery that was damaged in the November floods.

[11:00 a.m.]

Our volunteers and countless local heroes have done so much to save goods, businesses, farms and even lives, and now they’re doing so much more to recover and rebuild all that was lost. But our challenges are not behind us. The danger of future climate emergencies is already upon us. The spring freshet is already slated to potentially bring record-high flow levels, which could see the banks of the Sumas and even the mighty Fraser overflow again.

[J. Tegart in the chair.]

Time is of the essence. Government must outline what immediate steps it is taking to aid our farmers, our communities and our businesses in their recovery and to better protect them from the foreboding environmental challenges ahead.

While the announcement of the agricultural recovery fund was welcome news, farmers and ranchers are under tremendous stress, with spring planting and calving coming quickly. These are supports that should have gotten out the door already, but the contrast, delays in supports and response from this government are putting undue and unnecessary strain on families and communities that are already struggling.

We’re seeing even worse foot-dragging when it comes to supporting our communities that have lost everything. It has been 243 days since the Lytton fire, and the hope of a full recovery for the people of Lytton is still a distant dream to them. This government’s lack of clear, concise communication and its slow response to help rebuild the homes and livelihoods of Lytton are having a significant impact on the lives of the people who once called the village home.

There is incredible work being done by the people on the ground and neighbouring communities — people getting together, helping one another. They’re trying to support Lytton. They’re trying to support other communities that have lost everything. Government must do its part as well. Government must deliver, as promised, the supports to Lytton, Merritt, Abbotsford, Penticton and other communities to help put them on the road to recovery so that we can ensure that they will continue to be there for one another.

Citizens are doing their part. It’s time for governments of all levels to step up and do theirs.

J. Sims: I want to thank my colleague for his comments on the importance of community and how people step forward to support each other.

I want to talk about young kids for a while now. Kids For Kindness was a charity started by four ten-year-old girls in Surrey. They started with a toy drive for the Children’s Hospital, and they did an amazing job. There is also a group organized by Tavisha’s Helping Hands. Quinn Callander, a Boy Scout from Maple Ridge, 3D-printed ear guards to protect the backs of nurses’ ears. A grade 12 student, Sean Uy, from Richmond, 3D-printed hundreds of visors for health care staff. Karl Chen started an Asian Unification Project, which grew to over 40 volunteers, and they worked hard.

Not only that, but our non-profits and our Surrey shelters on homelessness and places also brought together…. Surrey Urban Mission worked closely with health care. Amber Neufeld of Surrey Urban Mission said it all when she summed it up: “It has been beautiful to see how wonderful community is. In a time when everyone has been isolated and not allowed to come together, we’ve still had the chance to create community and grow community.”

I want to thank all the principals, especially principals like Jordan Tinney, who stepped forward with a plan to safely reopen our schools and have students and staff return — incredible leadership, calm and flexible, advocating for students and the staff.

But you know what? I want to do a huge shout-out to teachers, who, from day one, have advocated for their students’ safety and well-being; who have tried to make schools feel normal in an anything-but-normal environment; who have encountered increased cases of anxiety, stress, depression and other mental health crises in their students; who have had to adapt and pivot, prepare for school closures, absences and hybrid teaching.

[11:05 a.m.]

I want to thank support staff who work with the most vulnerable populations. One of the key things here is…. We all take it so for granted, but teachers and support staff, every single day, are dealing with our most valuable youth in schools, helping them to cope not only with what is going on with the crisis but the impact of the opioid crisis and everything else we are facing.

I want to thank all the religious community groups as well. During this time, gurdwaras, masjids, synagogues, churches…. Everybody stepped forward to support each other.

We in this House need to take more time to celebrate our communities, to celebrate British Columbians who stepped forward and showed us the resiliency of the human spirit, not only to survive but to fly.

Hon. S. Malcolmson: I ask that the House consider proceeding with Motion 4, standing in the name of the member for Surrey–White Rock.

Deputy Speaker: Members, unanimous consent of the House is required to proceed to Motion 4 without disturbing the priorities of the motions preceding it on the order paper. If any member is opposed to the request for leave, please indicate now.

Leave granted.

Private Members’ Motions

MOTION 4 — ACTION ON
HOUSING AND RENTAL COSTS

T. Halford: I am pleased today to rise to move the motion:

[Be it resolved that this House urge the Government to take meaningful action to address record high housing and rental costs in British Columbia.]

I think today’s topic of ensuring a supply of affordable housing for families and young families in our community is extremely important, especially in the light…. We’ve seen a long stream of broken promises from this government when it comes to affordable housing, whether that’s first-time homebuyers or rentals. For years, families, young people, seniors have been promised that action will be taken, but we’ve seen skyrocketing costs in both purchasing and rentals. What we are seeing is too little, often too late.

In my community of Surrey, for example, the average cost of a single family home is now $1.9 million. That does not seem affordable to young people trying to get into the market. In fact, in many Surrey communities, the idea of affordability, when it comes to the housing market, is even more out of reach today than it has ever been. Thirty-six years is what it will take the average person to save for a down payment.

In the ridings of many of the Surrey MLAs, myself included, prices have skyrocketed over the last year. In the riding of Surrey-Fleetwood, a 51 percent increase in the last year for a detached home. Or for my friend from Surrey-Panorama, a 46 percent increase.

We know British Columbians are faced with high rents right now. Renters in Metro Vancouver are paying over $2,800 more than they have per year. Renters are also not seeing any relief. This two-term government has campaigned twice on a renters rebate. What we’ve heard from the Housing Minister, as recently as last week, is that they’re working on it. In my riding of Surrey–White Rock, there are a lot of seniors that are on fixed incomes that are renting. “We’re working on it” is little comfort to them as they try and pay their rent, as they try and get food in their fridge.

If that wasn’t bad enough, there continues to be so much competition amongst renters due to incredibly low vacancy rates. In White Rock, it’s 0.8. That is the vacancy rate: 0.8. This makes it incredibly stressful for families, for single moms and, like I said, for seniors to make sure that they have access to affordable housing.

Now, we could listen to the good intentions of this government, but when it comes to the challenges that everyone is facing in regards to affordability and housing, there are no answers. There’s no real action. We saw that in the last budget. Whether it’s rentals, whether it’s getting into the market, whether it’s gas prices, this government continues to show little regard to those that are struggling on the issues of affordability.

What we hear is: “We’re monitoring. We’re monitoring housing prices. We’re monitoring rental prices. We’re monitoring gas prices.” To the single mom in my riding, my neighbouring ridings who is struggling to come up with rent, month after month, “We’re monitoring it” isn’t good enough.

[11:10 a.m.]

It’s clear that this government has no intention of following on some of the campaign promises that they put forth two years in a row. Despite the Housing Minister finally clueing in to what recently…. They’ve had five years to help British Columbians. They are not doing enough when it comes to bringing in more affordable housing. What we’re seeing is a slew of taxes come on to the housing sector. Quite frankly, it’s showing that this government is continuously out of touch.

Here we are, six budgets later, with the most expensive housing prices in the history of the province, and yet not a word of hope from this government’s budget. What is clear is that despite all the rhetoric and promises from the other side of the House, actual affordability for British Columbians is becoming impossible. Sadly, it will continue to drive young people out of this province.

K. Paddon: I am very pleased to speak to this motion on housing rental costs today.

Over the last few years, British Columbians have been challenged in ways that we’ve never imagined. I know that right now too many people in our province are struggling to find an affordable place to live. After so many years where the old government refused to build the homes that people need, we know it will take a period of sustained action to bring us back to a place of affordability. I hear the struggle and the frustration of people I speak to in my community looking to rent or buy, and I know that help can’t come soon enough.

Our government continues to work on making housing more affordable for everyone in B.C. This is a complex issue that requires a multifaceted approach, and our government is focused on doing that work while we fix the problems that were left behind by the B.C. Liberals. We are focused on creating affordable housing, helping renters and stabilizing the B.C. real estate market.

We have already begun the work, implementing an ambitious 30-point housing plan to tackle the housing crisis and make the largest investments in housing affordability in B.C.’s history — more than $7 billion over ten years. This means supporting seniors, families, low- and middle-income earners by funding new and affordable rental housing through the Building B.C. community housing fund. This fund is addressing gaps in the market and creating homes that growing families, low- to moderate-income people and seniors can afford.

Our approach also includes funding supportive housing units for people experiencing or at risk of homelessness. We are helping women and children leave violence by funding transition housing — the first major investment in more than two decades.

This work is ongoing, and although we are seeing results, we know that there is much to do to keep up with the thousands of people moving to our province and to make sure businesses can find the workers that they need. We’re continuing to accelerate our investments in building more homes that people can afford. And because we know that communities need more homes for a range of incomes, we’re providing more resources to accelerate the delivery of mixed-income projects through the community housing fund and rental and home ownership opportunities through the HousingHub.

In my community of Chilliwack-Kent and across British Columbia, we’re building more affordable homes for families and creating new supportive housing for people experiencing or at risk of homelessness. In the Chilliwack region, in addition to the systems changes that we’re making, we have 413 homes in development, under construction or now open. Construction is underway on 23 affordable homes for Indigenous peoples in partnership with Tzeachten First Nation, and we have opened 16 supportive homes for youth experiencing or at risk of homelessness and 82 supportive homes for people experiencing homelessness.

Investments like these are part of our ten-year housing plan that will continue to provide more affordable and supportive housing opportunities for low- and moderate-income families, seniors, veterans, persons with disabilities and people experiencing or at risk of homelessness. These investments make a real difference in our community.

Our government has taken so many actions to address the issues and roots of housing and affordability, from protecting renters and limiting rent increases to launching an inquiry on money laundering and addressing speculation. I couldn’t possibly canvass them all in five minutes, but I know that my colleagues will be able to add to this picture of what we have done and what we continue to do.

[11:15 a.m.]

However, I must express my gratitude for this motion and the fact that a member opposite brought it forward. It fills me with hope, hope that the opposition has turned over a new leaf and will finally begin supporting the actions and addressing housing, hope that despite the selection of their newest leader — who would double down on decisions that contributed to our current situation and even reverse actions that have helped people with housing — they now stand ready to contribute to the positive work being done.

I hope that this means we will see this new commitment to addressing housing affordability for British Columbians in this House as they, hopefully, contribute their voices and their votes to the real action being taken by our government to clean up the mess left behind and address this critical issue. I will watch for their actions to match their words. I also hope that British Columbians are paying attention to this new attitude, this new commitment from the opposition on housing.

M. Lee: I’m grateful to my colleague the member for Surrey–White Rock for this opportunity this morning to speak on this critical issue that’s affecting communities throughout British Columbia. This challenge has reached every corner of our province. With no end in sight, the housing and affordability crisis we have in front of us is real and very concerning for all British Columbians.

Last week the government introduced its budget for 2022. Many, including myself, expected to see concrete measures put in place to address rising housing, gas and grocery costs as they have reached unprecedented levels over the past five years under this NDP government. However, what we saw were more promises with no realistic plan on how to make those commitments a reality.

Under this NDP government, our metropolitan areas have dominated national headlines. Cities such as Vancouver, Surrey and Victoria continue to see exponential growth which, in turn, has caused housing and rental prices to skyrocket. It is also important to note that this growth has affected smaller communities throughout our province. Although we have seen a significant increase in housing and rental prices in communities such as Chilliwack and Langley, Vancouver has become the least affordable city in North America.

The latest statistics from this year provide little hope for those in my community who are looking to enter the real estate market. According to the Real Estate Board of Greater Vancouver, the average selling price of a detached home in greater Vancouver went up to $2.3 million, the highest number ever and a 25 percent increase in the past year alone. A National Bank report suggests that it would take the average Vancouverite 36 years to save for a down payment on a typical home in Vancouver.

The latest CMHC report is also indicating that renting in Vancouver has never been this unaffordable. The average rent in Vancouver has jumped to $2,519 per month, an increase of $356 per month since 2018. These numbers indicate that renters in Vancouver are paying $2,856 more per year under this NDP government. The B.C. Rental Project gave this NDP government a C grade because “their strategy has been to pile on regulation and taxes.” Clearly it’s not working.

When I look at my community of Vancouver-Langara, I can’t help but think about the young families who cannot enter the market as first-time homebuyers and young people, like my son and his friends, who want to continue to live in Vancouver where they work and want to build their futures.

I think about the elderly renters who have called this community home for decades and now may have to leave — for example, the elderly residents living on fixed incomes in the two- and three-storey apartment buildings which are aging in the Marpole area of Vancouver-Langara. I think about those renters who’ve continued to struggle to make ends meet during this difficult time.

As we enter year 6 under this NDP government, things are only getting worse, and their latest budget provides no indication that help is on the way. If you look at their track record, this NDP government ran on a promise to make life more affordable and to provide affordable housing for British Columbians.

[11:20 a.m.]

However, neither has happened. It’s not there. It’s not working for B.C. This piecemeal approach that this government takes is missing critical opportunities to increase housing density in Vancouver — for example, on the Broadway subway extension.

This line being constructed does not have the necessary plan with the city of Vancouver to provide the right mix of housing for families, renters and elderly residents. This is one of the most costly LRT lines in the world, all under an NDP benefits agreement, a cost of $500 million per kilometre, with the highest density currently zoned being just six storeys on one of the six subway stations. This corridor is the second-largest employment centre in the province, and there is a need for more affordable housing in this area.

The NDP promised that they would build 114,000 new homes, and after five years, the total homes completed sits at approximately 5,000. Twice, the NDP promised they would provide renters with a $400 annual rebate to cope with soaring rents. However, this never happened. As consumer prices increase at a rate not seen since the early 1990s under this NDP government, life for British Columbians gets more expensive and less affordable.

B. Bailey: I rise to speak to the motion: “Be it resolved that this House urge the Government to take meaningful action to address record high housing and rental costs in British Columbia.”

While this is an incredibly important issue, this is a ludicrous motion. There’s a great old-timey word that perfectly fits what the opposition is up to today: it’s called hoodwink. This is nothing less than an attempt to hoodwink the public. Why is this opposition, who fed at the trough of developer money before we took big money out of politics, bringing this motion? It’s to fool the public into believing that they would do something to control the very crisis they fed for 16 years.

They had four terms to address the housing issue, and they did not. More than doing nothing, they feasted on the problem. They were so tight with the developer community that their Premier actually received a wage top-up of $50,000 a year from their party. The biggest contributors to that party? Big developers. A 2015 list from Elections B.C.’s database of political contributions over $50,000 shows names such as the Aquilini family, Bosa Properties, Concord Pacific, Shape Properties and on and on. Small wonder they did nothing.

Do they think that the people of B.C. won’t remember that, that they can be hoodwinked by this new-found interest in intervening in the housing market? When the MLA for Abbotsford West was Finance Minister, he pushed against efforts to control rising housing costs, saying: “You’ve got to be careful about intervening, about the state intervening to try and regulate pricing or depress pricing.” He didn’t want to impact those making money on their housing holdings. Well, he ought to have known. At the time he made these statements, he himself was the landlord of seven properties.

How is it that this party, the B.C. Liberals, are able to stand in the House and somehow suggest our government should take a prompt from them and start working on taking meaningful action on housing? It’s really important that people pay attention to what’s happening here today. This is hoodwinking at its finest. This is a party that was ceremoniously dumped in a big way by the citizens of British Columbia, largely because of their behaviour on this file. Taking big money from developers, lining their coffers with this money while the housing market grew out of control….

This party is now standing before us suggesting we take action — which we have, which we are and which we will continue to do. They might want the public to think that a new leader will mean that they behave differently. So did they choose someone as their leader to take them in a different direction? Not at all. Not at all.

They doubled down on their history. The pulled from the decrepit deck of past Liberal cronies and came up with a leader who not only set the agenda as Finance Minister for the out-of-control growth and benefit to developers, but when he left politics, that’s exactly where he went, where his bread was always buttered: directly to a big developer to continue the party.

You’re asking us now to take action on housing? Hoodwinking. Let’s also not forget the $2 billion surplus the MLA for Abbotsford West, as Finance Minister, tucked away. Imagine the difference that people in our province would be experiencing today if that vast amount of money had been invested into affordable housing at that time.

[11:25 a.m.]

That side of the House is telling us to intervene on housing. Hoodwinking. What have we done on housing? Well, 18,000 new rental units came into the market in Vancouver as a result of the speculation and vacancy tax. We’ve capped rental increases to the cost of inflation and held them at zero during the worst of the pandemic. We brought in rules protecting against renovictions, and we moved people out of entrenched homelessness encampments into safer housing. We’re building more housing than the prior government did, by a significant margin.

In the year ahead, we will work with local governments to speed up approvals, seek new tools to curb speculation and move more underutilized units into the market. This spring, we will introduce a cooling-off period on home purchases to protect people when they’re buying a home. We see developers as important partners on the supply issue, but we have no intention to give them the keys to the castle. They had that for 16 years.

This government is taking meaningful measures on the housing crisis. The prior government did not. They were in bed with the developer community, and self-interest prevailed over public interest. This motion is nothing more than hoodwinking, and British Columbians will not fall for it.

Deputy Speaker: The Chair is going to ask the member to withdraw the term “hoodwinking.” Unparliamentary language.

B. Bailey: Thank you, Madam Speaker. I’ll take that under consideration and consult.

Deputy Speaker: No. You’ve been requested to withdraw.

B. Bailey: Thank you, Madam Speaker. In that case, I withdraw the statement.

Deputy Speaker: Thank you.

R. Merrifield: I’m going to try and cool my temperature, having been in the housing industry for 25 years and knowing how we have worked to actually increase affordability for those that are in British Columbia by talking about why — why we need housing that British Columbians can actually afford.

I rise today to strongly support this motion as one who does understand what meaningful action looks like to address record-high housing and rental costs in British Columbia, because I don’t believe that this government does. They don’t understand how important this issue is or how dramatically it affects British Columbians. I believe that if they did, we wouldn’t be in this situation, with the highest recorded rental rates and housing costs in recorded history.

Why is housing affordability so important to our society and communities? Sure, it fulfils the need of basic shelter, but it goes so much further than that. It contributes the well-being of parents and thus, children. Research has shown that children with stable housing have better outcomes at school and are less likely to have disruptions to their education. Having to move out of rental units or neighbourhoods puts tremendous stress on parents and thus, children. Children have higher truancy rates, but so do their parents.

Not being able to afford housing puts tremendous strain on people, leading to poor performance in jobs and greater instability. Having to find housing further and further from places of employment also creates less time with family, friends and supports. This, in turn, has a negative impact and effect on our environment with pollution, cost of infrastructure and traffic congestion.

There are also better health outcomes for those that have stable, attainable homes. Less physical and mental stress can lead to improvements in overall health outcomes. Having housing affordability allows people to spend on better food choices and healthy living. Once people are caught in a cycle, many are not able to get themselves out of this cycle, and this can have catastrophic outcomes in life.

Having housing affordability contributes to economic vitality, resilience and growth. Business can recruit more easily. Commutes can be decreased and the local workforce increased. Having attainable housing in communities creates a competitive advantage for employers. Having enough housing opportunities for all different demographics can stimulate economic growth.

[11:30 a.m.]

Which is more important, rental or home ownership? Well, the answer is both.

In order to meet the needs of society, there need to be enough housing opportunities to fit all walks of life and demographics. Rental homes fulfil the needs of many families. For some, especially low-and moderate-income families in high-cost markets, or families who have recently had a change to their incomes, or young families who are saving to one day own a home, rental homes are a great option.

Other people rent because they prefer the lifestyle of renting and may still be as socially invested in their communities as homeowners typically are. Among their ranks are both former homeowners who are empty nesters, and life-long renters who don’t want to worry about lawns, gutters and home repairs. Still others because they expect to move frequently.

Finally, for some families, affordable rental housing is an important stepping stone that allows them to accumulate savings and prepare for home ownership. Home ownership is also a critical part of the housing stock and can be a stable and affordable option when mortgage terms and home prices are within the reach of a family’s budget.

For many working families, home ownership represents the British Columbian dream. Aside from comprising their largest financial asset, home ownership provides security from unwanted moves and control over features of their homes. This stability is a great environment to raise families, as well as create stability in society. That’s why there must be opportunities for all.

If this government understood that its housing failures were also affecting our health, our kids’ educations, our economy and our environment, surely they would be doing much more to fix it. That is why I urge this government to take action and make sure that there are opportunities for all at a price that we can afford. That is why.

D. Coulter: I’m really excited to speak about this motion today.

It’s like opposites day in the Legislature today. I think outside the chamber, cats must be chasing dogs. For 16 years, the B.C. Liberals refused to act while housing prices soared out of reach, vacancy rates hit historic lows and rental rates became unaffordable. If given the chance, they would double down on the bad choices that created these problems.

People who live and work in B.C. should be able to afford a safe and secure place to call home. There is no doubt there’s a lack of affordable housing in B.C. I know it is hurting folks in my community and holding our province back. Too many people in our province are still struggling to find an affordable place to rent or buy. Because the old B.C. Liberal government refused to build the homes people need, it’s going to take a lot of work to bring us back to a place of affordability.

Since the first day in office, we have been working on this. We’re building tens of thousands of new homes that are adding to the supply. In the budget, we are continuing these investments to speed up delivery of affordable rental housing supply. We’re also working with municipalities to streamline development processes and get homes built faster, and we’ll be introducing a new cooling-off period this spring to ensure prospective buyers are protected in a volatile market. It’s going to be a key strategy in my community.

The housing market in Chilliwack is exploding. Folks are moving east from the Lower Mainland to live in our community, and houses are sometimes sold for above asking price and with no subjects in a matter of days. What would the B.C. Liberals do about this? They showed what they’ll do. They had 16 years to do that, and they did nothing. We have thousands of people moving to our province, so we’re continuing to accelerate our investments and building more homes people can afford.

We’re implementing an ambitious 30-point housing plan to tackle the housing crisis and make the largest investment in housing affordability in B.C. history — more than $7 billion over ten years — to build 114,000 affordable homes, so that all British Columbians can find an affordable place to live.

We are also funding supportive housing units for people experiencing or at risk of homelessness. Several have been built in my community, and they have made all the difference. B.C. Housing is currently working on another that will include wraparound services for those that need it most.

[11:35 a.m.]

We worked with city council on expediting the zoning changes necessary, and they were happy to do so, seeing that real need was being met. Another thing we did to control the cost of housing is that we introduced the speculation and vacancy tax to target foreign and domestic speculators who own homes in B.C. but do not pay tax here. Homes are for people to live in, not for folks to use as a casino.

I know that the B.C. Liberals know all about casinos. I know that they barely have any ideas, but I’ve clearly heard one idea. The Falcon Liberals would get rid of the speculation tax. They’d axe a tax that has put 18,000 rental units onto the market. They’d make life more affordable. And who does this help? Not working people. It helps folks who own two, three or even more houses and leave them vacant.

They really don’t care about affordability in the housing market. They care about scoring cheap political points in the hopes that they can be on this side in the next election, so that they can give tax breaks and other giveaways to their wealthy and well-connected friends. They sold off affordable housing to rich developers with sweetheart deals. We only need to look as far as Little Mountain to see how much they care about people.

To tackle housing affordability, we’re also increasing the foreign buyers tax to 20 percent and expanding it to other urban areas, cracking down on tax fraud and closing real estate loopholes to make sure that people are paying their fair share of taxes. This includes creating Canada’s first-ever pre-sale condo registry to crack down on flipping. We’re taking action to end hidden ownership by requiring more information on beneficial owners and proposing legislation to establish a publicly accessible registry of beneficial ownership.

We’re also launching a public inquiry on laundering money in B.C. after three independent reviews revealed that each year, billions of dollars are laundered through our real estate market and other sectors of the economy, making housing less affordable. On this side of the House, we’re going to continue tackling housing affordability.

T. Shypitka: It is almost laughable. The member before me, the member for Chilliwack, was the actual member that stood in this House and actually said that it was his Gen X generation that would be known as the last generation that will ever be able to purchase a home in this province. True story. You can’t make this stuff up. I urge this government to work and do something about this so that this member is wrong.

Interjection.

T. Shypitka: Condo king.

I rise today to speak about the housing crisis in British Columbia, an issue that is deeply felt in my community. Skyrocketing housing prices and rental costs and this government’s lack of progress in building affordable units are undoubtably among the most important, pressing issues for British Columbians today. We must recognize that it’s not just the ridiculously expensive cost of housing in B.C., but we now see that B.C. has the highest rate of evictions in all of Canada, as one in every ten renters face eviction.

Despite housing being near impossible to secure, renters now worry about evictions too? It means a lot of added stress and uncertainty for many families in B.C. What will it take for this government to recognize that families in British Columbia are not made of money? When will real, everyday people be able to afford to stay in this province?

Last week the Minister of Finance said that B.C. is “the place to be.” However, while I agree with her, we must be realistic and realize that B.C. is the place we can’t afford. The old initialism that the NDP made famous in the 1990s is back, where B.C. stands for “bring cash.” If the members want any more initialism, here’s another one for them. NDP: never delivering promises, especially on affordability.

Every day that goes by under this government, it is proving to be more and more unobtainable to live here. For example, I’ve seen the average home price in Cranbrook increase by 55.5 percent since 2019. That figure is astounding, and it speaks to the reality that many individuals and families are fleeing the Lower Mainland and looking to buy homes in smaller communities. Can you blame them?

Did you know that a National Bank report estimates that it would take 36 years — and we’ve heard this from numerous speakers on this side — to save for a down payment on a typical Vancouver home? I’m sorry, but if every family is waiting 36 years to save up for a down payment on an average-priced home, then our province is in incredibly bad shape.

[11:40 a.m.]

By the time two 25-year-olds merely save up enough for a down payment, they will be 61 years old. They’d be ready to retire before ever being able to call a home theirs. This is nothing short of astounding. I truly worry for my children and my two new grandchildren, actually, even. The NDP member, as I said…. He said it. He says it’s going to be his Generation X that will be the last generation to buy a home.

Even if British Columbians were able to secure a down payment on owning their own home, families must now deal with even higher costs around almost every single basic need. And what is this government doing? That’s a question I ask myself daily. They haven’t made much progress on their promise of 114,000 affordable homes. We heard it a couple times already. After five years, just over 5,000 are actually lived in and open. At this rate, it will take this government another 109 years to accomplish their promise. The Premier and I will be a spry 168 years old by that time.

They aren’t providing renters the $400 annual rebate they promised a couple times. They aren’t making life more affordable. No. Instead, they are taking a $20,000 pay increase for their cabinet. One single $20,000 pay raise to this government’s cabinet minister could fund 50 rebate cheques for British Columbians.

B.C. has experienced seven straight months of elevated inflation over 3 percent, with the rising costs of housing, gasoline and groceries. The cost of nearly everything is becoming more expensive for British Columbians, and instead of helping people, the latest budget contained three new or increased taxes to dip even further into the people’s pockets. Listen to this: a brand-new tax on online marketplaces, increasing taxes on used car sales and increased taxes on the purchase of home heating systems that use natural gas furnaces.

These taxes are hitting home to those who have enormous financial constraints. These are everyday British Columbians who are edging closer to insolvency and trying to save money just to survive. Enough is enough. It’s time for this government to admit its failures and stop making life more affordable for themselves while British Columbians are struggling to pay their rent.

G. Lore: What a pleasure to speak to this topic on Monday morning. I thank the member for Surrey–White Rock for bringing it forward.

I’m going to talk to this motion by talking about my community, the community of Victoria–Beacon Hill. Sixty-one percent of my constituents are renters. Protecting renters is essential.

Over the pandemic, we froze rents. We’ve tied rental increases to inflation while the members opposite would have added an extra 2 percent. The member for Kootenay East mentioned evictions. We have stopped predatory renovictions. Landlords have to show that their renovation is really happening. Those renovations have to be substantial, and they have to require the unit to be vacant. In my community and in many others, a renoviction can mean being priced out of the market and forced out of my community, and renters deserve fairness.

We are creating new rentals, literally hundreds in my community. The Johnson Street fire hall project will be the largest affordable independent-living rental housing project ever constructed in our city’s core — 135 units. Just recently through city council, 155 units of mixed-income housing through the community housing fund right around the corner from my family’s home….

It is absolutely true that many want to own their own home. The HousingHub provides low interest rates in exchange for affordability. The members opposite want to know what action looks like? I welcome the chance to show them around. Right around the corner from my constituency office is a huge construction site: 128 new homes sold below market value.

Now, there are many of my constituents that I don’t hear mentioned by the other side at all. On the weekend, I walked with thousands of others across B.C. on the Coldest Night of the Year, which raised funds in Victoria and the Western Communities for Our Place. So 500 people — that is the number of people every day who sleep in safe indoor spaces run by Our Place, not to mention the hundreds of other shelter beds, supportive housing and transitional housing run by Cool Aid, PHS, the Salvation Army and others.

[11:45 a.m.]

Last year around this time, dozens of my constituents were sleeping in tents in parks across cities. Cracks and gaps exposed — and widened during the pandemic — a decade and a half of insufficient investment in housing, shelter and supports.

We acted. We created new shelters, purchased hotels, leased an arena, built a tiny town at the baseball stadium parking lot. While walking on the Coldest Night of the Year, I talked to advocates and front-line service providers. Do you know what they told me? Residents of these temporary homes had to have their pictures retaken for their files because of the dramatic improvements to their health and well-being. They were no longer recognizable.

In this year’s budget, we’re able to move from reactive to proactive. The members opposite want to talk about addressing rental costs, a dramatic increase in the number of rental supplements in the budget. This tool has been so important to the positive flow of housing in my community, from tents to hotels and on to independent living. And these rental supplements are coming with wraparound supports that people need and deserve.

For those for whom independent living is not yet within reach, 190 units of supportive housing — ground broken, buildings being built — including 45 new homes run by the Aboriginal Coalition to End Homelessness, decolonized harm reduction, land-based care and support.

Let me be clear. Every single one of these examples is in my tiny constituency — had I reached over to the constituencies of Victoria–Swan Lake or into neighbouring Esquimalt-Metchosin, hundreds more. In my last minute, Madam Speaker, please let me share two examples from outside my community.

Another group deserving of secure, safe housing: women and their children leaving violence. This government has been working on 1,500 new transitional home beds, the first capital investments in two decades. One of the transition homes here in Victoria is working on much-needed second-stage housing. In Vancouver, we opened western Canada’s first designated shelter for sex workers, run and operated by WISH: a safe place to stay, predictable housing and a chance to choose rest over work.

The fact that safe and affordable housing for these women, for these members of my community most in need, has yet to factor into this debate from the members opposite is telling.

Is there more to do? Yes. Are we done here? Absolutely not. Are we moving forward like never before? Does a commitment to affordable, accessible and appropriate housing define this government? Yes.

D. Davies: I’m pleased to take my place today to talk to this motion brought forward by my colleague from Surrey–White Rock. Why did we bring this motion forward today? Well, it’s because this NDP government has made the housing crisis beyond critical.

Coming from Fort St. John, one of the appeals of the North has traditionally been that we can offer young families an affordable start in life, where they can enjoy incredible things that our region has to offer without the out-of-reach price tags that often come with living in more urban areas, especially now. But as a result of the NDP’s inaction on tackling B.C.’s affordability crisis, the cost of living is reaching unmanageable proportions, even here in rural communities like mine.

Across B.C., renters are now paying nearly $3,000 more a year under this government. Add to this, the skyrocketing cost of living has created a dire situation that has exponentially gotten worse over the past five years.

This was the sixth budget recently introduced by this government. I’ve been blessed to…. Well, maybe not blessed, but I’ve been here for all of them. Yet again, this NDP government has failed to introduce the $400 renters rebate as promised in 2017 and again in 2020. The average cost of a home in this province has jumped a whopping 18 percent since October 2020 alone. It would currently take, as we’ve heard, a British Columbian 36 years to save for a down payment on a typical Vancouver home.

It doesn’t look a lot better in the Interior, the North and even areas in the Peace region. Housing prices are up nearly 50 percent, year over year. What was once a refuge for young B.C. families seeking an affordable start, the Peace region is now being plagued by the same affordability challenges that are being seen in our urban areas.

[11:50 a.m.]

It’s not just the basic costs of housing and rentals that are being impacted. The latest budget from this government seems to go out of its way to penalize rural British Columbians — British Columbians living up in communities like mine. It makes life less affordable simply because of where they’ve chosen to call home.

There is no replacement in this budget, or that has been seen since they removed it, for the rural dividend fund — a fund which was set up to help cater career and economic opportunities for young British Columbians looking to live in rural B.C. The NDP also seems determined to punish rural B.C. simply for how they keep their homes warm and cozy in the winter, as where I am right now. While Vancouver and Victoria might experience a few weeks of snow speckled here and there, winter brings with it a whole new set of challenges in Fort St. John and throughout the north.

Our natural gas industry does more than bring jobs and opportunities to our region. It helps keep food on our tables, and it is what keeps our homes, businesses and communities warm, so that we can endure the long winters that can bring in snow up to our waists, at minus 40 for weeks on end. Yet this government has chosen to increase sales tax on fossil fuel–based heating systems from 7 to 12 percent — another attack on rural and interior B.C.

While an electric system might suffice for winters in Vancouver or Victoria, electric heat pumps need to be cold-rated for the weather in northern B.C., adding significantly to the cost, and a gas-fired appliance is critical to augment this electric system beyond minus 25 — which is a nice, warm spring day up here. Rural communities depend on gas heating systems. It’s not an option, and this tax increase penalizes homeowners for simply wanting to stay warm.

This government’s illogical tax structure on things like the now non-revenue-neutral carbon tax also disproportionately impacts homeowners in rural B.C. The previous government launched the homeowner benefit fund, with the revenue-neutral carbon tax, which recognized that northern and rural communities face a different challenge when heating their homes. But when the NDP decided to not make the carbon tax revenue-neutral, it now pockets the difference instead — once again leaving rural communities literally out in the cold.

My point here, as I’m wrapping up, isn’t just this government’s failure to meet the housing supply targets that have led to an affordability crisis. It is their mountain of taxes, their lack of rural supports and a whole slew of actions that have had a direct impact on the affordability in northern and rural B.C., as well as on the average British Columbian. If we want to keep attracting British Columbians to our rural communities, we cannot strip away the amenities and the opportunity that have made rural B.C. an affordable place to live.

J. Sims: It’s my pleasure today to rise and speak on the motion put forward by my colleague from Surrey–White Rock on housing.

Housing has no political stripes. Whether you’re a Conservative, a Liberal, a Green or an NDPer, or you have no political affiliation, everybody needs housing. We know that it’s one of the fundamental human rights issues as well: the right to housing.

We have got to a state, over many, many years, where I think we have to do a close examination, and I’m so proud of the work that our government has done to date on this area. When you go to work — and you work eight, ten, 12 hours a day, and you come home — you should, with that income, be able to afford shelter, a roof over your head, food on your table and maybe even occasionally a few days off where you can go out and enjoy yourself.

[Mr. Speaker in the chair.]

We know that for many people, they are struggling with housing — whether it’s housing shelters, moving out of tents into hotels and then into supported units, or people like nurses, teachers and firefighters looking to live in their communities and finding that house prices have gone out of their reach. The opposition will try to portray this as a new phenomenon, as if this just started to happen. We’ve seen house prices escalate for well over two decades. During that time, we know that there were steps that could have been taken to address this issue.

[11:55 a.m.]

We were known as the wild, wild west, as a colleague of mine said, but also, it was well known and documented by three inquiries that money laundering was actually fuelling up the housing market. It was allowed to happen as people looked sideways when information was right in front of them.

All of us have been haunted by TV images of bagfuls of money being taken into casinos and, at the same time, nothing really happening during that period. I’m proud of the work that our Attorney General has done to address money laundering and also to do the inquiry as well.

House pricing keeps going up. There are a number of drivers. We know that. More people love B.C. because we’ve got such a wonderful government. When they’re looking at what’s happening across the province, across the country, they’re saying, people from Alberta and everywhere else: “We want to move to B.C.”

We are also attracting a high level of immigration — because we need workers — and that also adds to it. At the same time, we have to know that governments of all stripes have to pay very serious attention to the issue of housing, affordable housing, because we want our nurses, doctors, teachers, firefighters, police officers and those who work in their communities to be living in their communities. We know that if we want to address in a serious way climate change, we also have to have people living close to where they work in communities — and build communities.

I hear that nothing is being done from my colleagues, but I’m proud of the fact that our government has spent $1.2 billion every single year. It’s in the budget again to build housing and to build more affordable housing.

I’m glad and celebrate the fact that for the first time we are addressing housing for our First Nation and Indigenous communities in a serious way.

I want to give a few concrete examples of what’s in the works for Surrey. On 81st Avenue, 100 new more affordable rental homes. When I look at 99th Avenue and 153, 85 new more affordable homes are going there. When I look at 75 and 140th, phase 2 — 104 new rental units on their way. Housing is being built, and during the pandemic, we’re one of the few provinces where the construction industry kept building.

Lots done. Lots more to do. There is no magic pill to address this issue. What it requires is concerted effort, a multi-pronged approach, which this government has. We will get the job done.

S. Cadieux: I’m pleased to speak today about the issue of housing on behalf of my constituents in Surrey South.

I’m going to say that, probably for the first time, I agree with the member for Surrey-Panorama on the fact that there is no political stripe to housing. We all know that this matters. It’s why we keep talking about it.

I find it offensive — frankly, very offensive — that members of the government want to characterize this as something they care about and we don’t. They care about people, and we don’t. I care very deeply about people. My entire career shows that. The fact that I sit on this side of the House has no bearing on whether or not I care about people.

I, too, participated in the Coldest Night of the Year walk this year, as I do every year. I participated in my community, the part of my community I share with Surrey-Cloverdale. That walk raised $220,000 for people this year, the most in Canada, all of it going to support the needs of people who are homeless or requiring other supports from our community. We do that because we care.

[12:00 p.m.]

That is not how we want to do it. We want to see those people housed, just like members of the NDP.

This government promised something to voters. This government promised affordable housing. This government promised voters they were going to make housing affordable for British Columbians, and yet we, as an opposition, have an obligation to keep the government to their promises. We have an obligation to question the government about those promises. Yet, in five years since this government made that promise to British Columbians for the first time, I have not heard them define what affordable means.

What does affordable mean to the voters? What does it mean to a young person trying to find their first home? What is it that government is actually promising them?

We absolutely need housing, across the spectrum, in British Columbia. We need housing for the vulnerable. We need housing for women fleeing violence. We need housing for seniors. We need housing for Indigenous communities, and we certainly need housing for the middle class. You will get no argument from me. What I will argue with is the method with which the government is trying to say they’re providing it.

The non-profit housing society, B.C. Non-Profit Housing Association, said they’re ready to build 10,000 units of housing, but this government has accelerated funding for only 850 units in this budget. That’s going to…. If you add that to the 5,000 homes that have actually been built, that people are actually in, this government is nowhere near meeting their promise of 114,000 units of housing in ten years. That is what government promised, and that is what government has to deliver. They are not doing it.

This government also makes the claim that this is going to be accessible affordable housing. What does government mean by accessible? They mean that people can find it.

But you know what this government hasn’t done? This government hasn’t talked about accessible housing for people who need it — accessible housing for people with disabilities, the 20 percent of the population that no one but me is speaking about in this House. We cannot speak about the housing crisis, the affordable housing crisis, and not also speak about the accessible housing crisis, because 20 percent of this population in British Columbia has a need that isn’t being addressed by either.

As we come to a close on this today, let’s just remember the opposition has an obligation to keep the government accountable for its promises to British Columbians, but in no way does that mean that we don’t care about people, care about housing and care about affordability and accessibility, because we do.

S. Cadieux moved adjournment of debate.

Motion approved.

Hon. S. Malcolmson moved adjournment of the House.

Motion approved.

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

The House adjourned at 12:03 p.m.