Third Session, 42nd Parliament (2022)
OFFICIAL REPORT
OF DEBATES
(HANSARD)
Tuesday, March 1, 2022
Morning Sitting
Issue No. 160
ISSN 1499-2175
The HTML transcript is provided for informational purposes only.
The PDF transcript remains the official digital version.
CONTENTS
| Routine Business | |
Office of the Auditor General, independent audit report, B.C. Housing’s COVID-19 Response: Property Purchases, March 2022 | |
| Orders of the Day | |
Budget Debate (continued) | |
TUESDAY, MARCH 1, 2022
The House met at 10:03 a.m.
[Mr. Speaker in the chair.]
Routine Business
Prayers and reflections: B. Banman.
Introductions by Members
Hon. A. Dix: Yesterday evening a number of members of the House on all sides attended the B.C. Care Awards, the eighth annual B.C. Care Awards. We celebrated care providers from around B.C. Many of them are in the gallery, sitting directly behind me, as it turns out. They’re right behind me, which I like, because they’re right behind a lot of people in B.C. and supporting them every day.
I wanted to say that the award winners are here.
Maria Fan won the 2022 B.C. Care Provider of the Year Award, long-term care. Courtney Merrells won the B.C. Care Provider of the Year, assisted living. Christine Clark won the B.C. Care Provider of the Year, home health. Lynda Steele won the B.C. Care Provider Family Champion. Ionel Prodan won the B.C. Care Safety Champion, a really extraordinary thing. Dave Cheperdak won the 2022 Ed Helfrich Long-Service Excellence Award.
All of these people represent all of the other people in long-term care who did exceptional things in the last two years and, of course, every day. I encourage everyone to go to bccare.ca and see some of their achievements, if they didn’t hear or weren’t able to attend yesterday evening. I want to make them welcome.
I also want to make welcome a former member of the House, Terry Lake, who is on the floor of the House. Terry, of course, was the Minister of Environment. I think he was also Minister of Health. Yeah — I remember that. I remember that part. Mayor of Kamloops. He’s a very distinguished British Columbian. He’s the president and CEO the B.C. Care Providers.
I also wanted to welcome Hendrik Van Ryk, who’s the chair of the board. I want to welcome Cathy Szmaus, who did a lot to organize the event last night, and all of the other teams, all of the other sponsors, many of whom are behind us in the gallery.
It was a great evening. Really, I was very honoured to be part of it, as I know all members of the House were. Please make everyone welcome.
Hon. M. Rankin: It’s my pleasure this morning to introduce the chief and council of the Saulteau First Nation and welcome them to the Legislature. Up in the gallery today are Chief Justin Napoleon, Coun. Rudy Paquette, Coun. Falon Gauthier and Coun. Penny Berg, along with their long-time legal counsel, James Hickling.
Members, I want to recognize the Saulteau First Nation for their work with us up in treaty 8 territory, the northeast part of our province, and for their leadership in treaty 8 generally. Over the past number of years, the Saulteau have really led the way in a number of important initiatives. I’m thinking of our joint caribou recovery efforts, partnership in resource development and management, as well as reclamation and economic development ventures.
To Saulteau’s chief and council, thank you for the leadership that you’ve shown in the region. I very much look forward to our continuing partnership.
Members, please join me in welcoming them to the Legislature.
Mr. Speaker: I should have recognized the Leader of the Opposition earlier.
S. Bond: I want to join with the Minister of Health in welcoming to our Legislature today people who make a difference in the lives of B.C.’s seniors every single day. None of us will forget the images of the separation, the loneliness, the anxiety that so many seniors in British Columbia experienced. One of the things that gave us comfort was the fact that there were exceptional men and women across the province who were there, standing alongside, comforting and caring for B.C.’s seniors.
Today I want to join with the minister in welcoming the winners of the awards to the Legislature today. Their stories are amazing. We enjoyed hearing them and meeting them last night.
We want to thank them most of all for being with our seniors during some of the most difficult times that we’ve experienced. Certainly, for those of us who weren’t able to be with our loved ones, we know that you were there. We appreciate it, and we are grateful.
B. Anderson: I would like to introduce Angeline Camille from Kamloops, B.C. Angie is a member of the Shuswap First Nation and a leader in the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, which helps to represent over 70,000 electrical workers in the province.
She is a membership development coordinator, an active women’s committee member, and Angie has completed her apprenticeship, achieving a red seal endorsement in the electrical trade.
I would also like to introduce Mike van Hellemond to the Legislature. Mike is my riding associate president for Nelson-Creston. Mike has been incredibly supportive. During the election, he, my dad and my partner volunteered to put up signs. They picked the wettest, windiest day of the entire election, but they persevered, and I am forever grateful for their work. I would not be here today if it wasn’t for you, Mike.
I would like to thank Mike and Angie for everything that they do, and I hope the House will join me in welcoming them.
P. Milobar: The Health Minister referenced a former member in the House today, but I think he would be disappointed, after myself and him working together for 20 years now, if I didn’t stand up and take a moment to recognize him as well.
Terry Lake represented my riding of Kamloops–North Thompson for the two terms before I arrived here, and I’m sure the government was thrilled to know that Kamloops–North Thompson quieted down a little bit when that happened. Terry has always been known as somebody to stand for what he believes in and make his opinions well known, regardless of whether or not it was to his own government members or to the opposition as well, and he’s carried that forward with the B.C. Care Providers.
Certainly, his time in provincial government as the Environment Minister as well as the Health Minister probably was most notably marked by his recognition with the national award for his initial response to the opioid crisis, a rare honour granted to a Health Minister. I’m not sure that that’s happened anywhere in Canada since. That work is, of course, critical as we see the opioid crisis continue to unfold in B.C. and across Canada.
Terry and myself actually were both elected in 2002 for the first time to city council, so our paths have crossed many times. I just want to make sure the House welcomes Terry back. It will be very hard, I’m sure, for him not to heckle or make any noise during question period. We’ll test his willpower in that regard. Will the House help make Terry welcome.
M. Elmore: I’d like to give a special welcome to Mike Klassen. He’s from Vancouver-Kensington, and he’s with the group, the B.C. Care Providers. He’s the vice-president for public affairs for the B.C. Care Providers.
Mike is known in many circles and really recognized for his leadership roles in a number of organizations — as a director for the Canadian Federation of Independent Business; a board member for the B.C. Small Business Roundtable; also the president for PAL Vancouver, a social housing organization that supports the local creative and performing arts community; and an executive director of the B.C. Wine Appellation Task Group.
Everyone who knows Mike…. I think he’s best known — certainly to me and folks in Vancouver-Kensington — as a very active and committed community member and just playing a key role in bringing our community together through the challenges of COVID and organizing block parties and really spearheading a lot of initiatives.
I’d just ask everybody to please give Mike Klassen a very warm welcome.
Statements
(Standing Order 25B)
TOURISM IN RICHMOND
T. Wat: If you asked anyone from the Lower Mainland, they would tell you Richmond is an incredible place to visit, but it’s always nice to have the statistics to back it up. Well, now we do, because Richmond has taken the top spot in a ranking of Canada’s 50 most-loved travel destinations. The city claimed the No. 1 spot with a tourism sentiment score of 28.30 and with air travel as its top draw, according to the tourism sentiment index.
Coming from Richmond myself, it is easy to understand why Richmond has scored so high. As a community that is home to Vancouver International Airport, Richmond is often a traveller’s first experience to Vancouver, B.C., and even Canada. They are quickly thrown into the vibrant and diverse culture, showcased in our variety of shops, hotels, restaurants, parks and public spaces.
Nobody knows how to put on an event like the people of Richmond, from our incredible lunar new year celebration to the annual Richmond Night Market, one of B.C.’s most iconic events. Although the event used to run from early May to October and drew thousands of people across the province in pre-pandemic times, I’m so thrilled to learn that it will return on April 29, a little earlier than usual this year.
Like so many businesses and events, the night market and the people of Richmond have had to find new and innovative ways to safely attract tourism to Richmond and keep us as a prime destination on the map. I would like to thank CEO Nancy Small and her incredible team at Tourism Richmond for everything they have done to support the city’s tourism operators during this time.
Next time you are in town, take a trip to Steveston, the Richmond Night Market, the Olympic oval, the nature park or any of the incredible attractions Richmond has to offer, because I know that we cannot wait to welcome you all once again.
INTERNMENT OF JAPANESE CANADIANS
AT HASTINGS PARK IN
1942
N. Sharma: In March of 1942, Mary Kitagawa was seven years old when an RCMP truck came to her home on Saltspring Island to take her father. As the officer forced him into the back of the truck, she remembered him rising quickly to say, “It’s okay. It’s okay,” and forcing a smile to comfort his children as they ran after the moving truck until it disappeared.
Her father was taken to Hastings Park to be held and moved to a work camp at Yellowhead Pass. Weeks later Mary and her family were taken to Hastings Park. They were among the 8,000 Japanese Canadians interned there between March and September 1942 and relocated to permanent intern camps.
On March 4, the B.C. Securities Commission was established to oversee the expulsion of Japanese Canadians from protected areas. They were labelled enemy aliens, a vast majority of whom were Canadian citizens.
On March 16, the first group arrived to be incarcerated in a livestock barn with the smell and filth of excrement that remained from the animals. Dispossessed of their belongings, removed from their homes and livelihoods, fishing boats confiscated and separated from family members, conditions were terrible, and disease spread quickly. As Yoshio John Madokoro described: “It was one of the loneliest moments of my life.... This was not our Canada anymore.”
On the 80th anniversary, we remember the Japanese Canadians who suffered many losses and how fear and racism can lead us down a path that destroys our ideals of equality and democracy. We reflect on the many casualties of wartimes to remind ourselves to hold strong to our values and the integrity of our democratic institutions here and around the world.
Thank you to the Japanese Canadian Hastings Park interpretive centre society and the Nikkei National Museum and Cultural Centre for working tirelessly to keep these stories alive.
PAT MONTANI
AND BICYCLES FOR
HUMANITY
J. Sturdy: Today I am honoured to recognize Pat Montani, a constituent who, along with his wife Brenda, dedicated themselves to having a positive impact on our world through their grassroots non-profit work. Unfortunately, he passed away last year, after a battle with cancer, at only 71.
Pat was a tech entrepreneur with many years in the telecom industry, but he found his true passion later in life through philanthropy. Pat Montani, along with his wife Brenda, founded Bicycles for Humanity in 2005. Bicycles for Humanity is a global grassroots movement that understands that the mobility a bicycle provides can have a major impact on communities in the developing world.
It started as a small initiative. The first shipment of 500 used bikes was collected in central B.C. and shipped to Namibia, in Africa.
In 2006, there were four chapters of Bikes for Humanity. Through Pat’s tireless vision and dedication, he grew the organization, and today it has over 50 chapters worldwide. They’ve delivered more than 300,000 bikes around the world. Many of the shipping containers that were used to send the bicycles remained in the communities in need and were converted into community bicycle workshops.
His innovative thinking allowed for efficient use of resources, which they delivered and always looked for ways to deliver even greater impacts. Montani was a critic of the bureaucracy of big NGOs and designed the organization to be entirely volunteer-based. As a result, Bikes for Humanity has very low overhead costs and is centred around an empowerment-first approach that seeks to put people over profits. This approach allowed the majority of donations to be provided directly to those in need.
Pat’s legacy will live on through the Bicycles for Humanity organization, and I’m sure you’ll all join me in celebrating Pat Montani’s dedication and generosity.
WASHINGTON KIDS FOUNDATION
M. Starchuk: Just around the corner from me is a gym called Gameready Fitness. I’ve ridden my bike past this place many times, and I never knew that they were providing programming for at-risk youth in this gym.
In January of this year, I had the opportunity to tour the gym with Will Loftus, founder of Washington Kids Foundation. I was amazed at what I saw inside, as far as the gym was concerned, but more amazed at the people who were delivering the programs to the students who were there at the time. I was also pleased to find out that they had a second location in North Vancouver.
The foundation was established in 2015. This programming for at-risk youth has partnerships with Burnaby, Coquitlam, Langley, New Westminster, North Vancouver and Surrey school districts. The Washington Kids Foundation delivers over 50 programs, through the two locations and a few schools, to 10,000 students in the course of a year.
In Surrey, the foundation works with the Wraparound program, better known as Wrap. Wrap is a partnership with the Surrey school district, RCMP and the city of Surrey. Wrap can collaborate with school staff, the parent and youth in goal-setting and outlining strategic interventions which can assist the youth to become successful in the school environment.
The gym itself was something you’d expect to see at a B.C. Lions training camp. There are many CFL players that have passed through this and assisted with the program: Malcolm Williams, who retired this past year and now coaches; J.R. LaRose; and of course, the founder, Will Loftus, to name a few.
You see the weights, the jerseys on the walls — all the things you’d expect to see in a gym. But what really stands out are the areas that are set aside for the youth to relax, share stories, cook and create music. They’ve got a new kitchen from Ikea, but the best part is the back part of the recreational area upstairs, where they have a small music studio that allows students to express themselves through their art and music.
I’m truly amazed at the work that they do. Thanks to Will for his continued efforts to give these youth a new direction in life.
FRANK SANDOR
T. Shypitka: Every municipality boasts those special people that make such an enormous contribution that the community benefits as a whole. Never looking for any special recognition, Frank Sandor was one of those shiny gems that shone throughout Kootenay East.
Frank was born February 8, 1931, in Hungary and, following his escape from a concentration camp and the subsequent communist revolution, arrived in Canada in 1957. Frank’s legacy would commence as a cement finisher and led to his ultimate success of opening Sandor Rental in 1970. As a businessman, he was legendary, winning many awards, including his most recent as Cranbrook’s Businessperson of the Year in 2020.
His generosity knew no limits, as he was well known for helping out where and whenever he could. Be it a sports team, a not-for-profit organization, a community event, Frank’s support was something the community came to depend on. The number of those that benefited was as long as his generous smile. His passions towards community involvement shone just as bright as his iconic two-crane Christmas tree that was a child’s wonder. Frank enjoyed travelling, cooking, soccer and skiing. He would greet you for a five o’clock happy hour with the warmest of smiles, a sense of humour or possibly a prank in the making.
Recognized and honoured as an incredible attribute to our community; a loving husband, father, papa and friend to many, Frank passed away in the comfort of his home on February 17, 2022.
On behalf of Kootenay East, I offer much love and condolences to wife Judy, son Robert, daughter-in-law Tara, grandson Robbie Jr, the whole Sandor Rental family and nephew Atilla, back home in Hungary, as well as many, many close friends and family.
Frank will be forever missed.
STEVESTON
K. Greene: I have the privilege of living in and representing Steveston, a community in Richmond situated at the mouth of the Fraser River. We have the good fortune of having a mild climate, good-quality local food and plenty to see and do.
CBC readers have voted Steveston as Metro Vancouver’s best neighbourhood, and just last week the tourism sentiment index ranked Richmond as the number one most-loved tourism destination.
If you’re a history buff, there are lots of heritage areas in Steveston for you to see. The Gulf of Georgia Cannery and the Britannia shipyards sit at opposite ends of the village, so you can have a great day of exploring shops and restaurants, bookended by historic waterfront museums. The Britannia Shipyard Society and Gulf of Georgia Cannery Society boards are volunteers who do great work.
The Steveston post office and museum are a jewel in the heart of Steveston and are featured in many, many Instagram pictures. The volunteer board is always coming up with something new and with new ways to engage community and host cultural events.
Of course, living in Steveston is having an embarrassment of riches in choices of restaurants. The long-standing question of who has the best fish and chips is best determined by trying them all. There are also delicious options which represent the diversity of Steveston: Japanese, Malaysian, Mexican, South Asian, Thai, not to mention doughnuts, brewpubs and west coast dining. We even have a restaurant that is a potential contender for a Michelin star.
There are also so many great shops and services in Steveston, and whatever you’re looking for, odds are that you can find it in Steveston. There’s a reason that locals don’t have to go far for the things they need.
I couldn’t possibly share everything great that there is to do while you’re in Steveston in only two minutes, so I thank the folks at Tourism Richmond, who have great information on their website for visitors.
If you’re coming to Richmond to try the Dumpling Trail or getting some fresh air on the South Dyke Recreational Trail, pop over to the Tourism Richmond website and check out other great activities that you can add to your day in Steveston.
Oral Questions
PENSION FUND INVESTMENTS IN RUSSIA
S. Bond: Yesterday, as bombardments killed dozens of Ukrainian civilians, the International Criminal Court opened an investigation against Russia for war crimes. British Columbians have been clear: they want no part in supporting Putin’s invasion of Ukraine or war crimes against civilians.
That’s why the mixed messages that we heard yesterday from the Premier were so disappointing. On one hand, the Premier said it was entirely up to the pension fund where taxpayer money was invested, even if that was Russian companies supporting the war effort. Then the Premier said: “We will certainly be following up with BCIMC.”
Simple question: did the Premier make the call to BCIMC, as he promised yesterday?
Hon. S. Robinson: I join with the member and all members of this House and stand with the people of Ukraine against the illegal invasion that Russia is perpetrating on the people of Ukraine. I can’t imagine anybody in this House not standing up with all of us.
I do want to say that I so admire the courage that I’ve been witnessing on the news, of the people of Ukraine and of everybody in Canada standing united — in fact, around the globe.
From day one, we have been working with Ottawa to support coordinated federal sanctions. What I can share with the member is that we — and our position has been made clear as a government — are going to continue to work actively with Ottawa. BCI did hear the position of this House, of every single member of this House. I have been made aware that they are now reaching out to talk with their clients today.
Mr. Speaker: Leader of the Official Opposition, supplemental.
S. Bond: Well, that answer falls so far short. The minister knows full well that she is the sole shareholder. In fact, she also appoints members to the board of directors. This Finance Minister has absolutely every opportunity to outline the mandate, what appropriate investments look like.
The Premier said he would call. The minister avoided answering that question. Leadership is about moving quickly in a crisis. While the minister and the Premier might claim that they can’t do anything, he was the one who, yesterday, said he would call BCIMC.
The Minister of Finance knows that jurisdictions around the world have moved quickly. Let’s look at the list: Quebec, New York, California. And this morning our neighbour Alberta apparently figured out how to do this, because — guess what — their pension fund announced this morning that they are pulling out.
British Columbians, in times like these, expect the Premier to act and to act quickly.
Once again to the Finance Minister — the sole shareholder, the person who has the opportunity to shape the mandate: will she do the right thing? Did the Premier make the call he promised to? British Columbians expect action and they expect it now.
Hon. S. Robinson: I know, actually, that the new Leader of the Opposition, Kevin Falcon, has already stated, in fact, publicly, that he understands the limitations of the legal opportunity to step in and to redirect BCI Management Corp. The member also knows full well that you can only act on what you are legally able to act.
I also want to assure the member that we’ve heard from BCI Management Corp. that they are taking action. They are engaging with their members, with their clients. They’re engaging with their clients today in order to make the right decisions on behalf of their clients. I think that’s a good action. I think that’s quick action, and I look forward to seeing how they move forward on this.
Mr. Speaker: Leader of the Official Opposition, second supplemental.
S. Bond: Well, with all due respect to the Finance Minister, it’s simply not good enough. First, it was they’re not going to take action. Now it’s maybe they’re going to take action. Now it’s they’re going to talk to their members.
The Finance Minister is the sole shareholder. British Columbians have spoken with their hearts, with their voices. They do not want to support anything that contributes to the attacks that are taking place on Ukraine. We may be a small jurisdiction, but it is important that we do absolutely everything we can. This is something that this minister and this Premier can do and should do.
Again to the Minister of Finance, what specific action will be taken to ensure that those funds are divested?
Hon. S. Robinson: Again, the member doesn’t seem to understand that I am legislatively prohibited from being involved in investment decisions, for good reason.
Interjections.
Mr. Speaker: Members. Members, no back-and-forth, please.
Hon. S. Robinson: The CEO and the CIO are accountable for all investment decisions, and Alberta has different legislation. Again, we have heard from those who are responsible for making these decisions that they are going to be taking action. Again, I want to let the member know that as a government we are continuing to identify ways to make our voices known in the global world about this illegal incursion into Ukraine.
Last week I asked staff to look into land ownership records related to Russian oligarchs…
Interjections.
Mr. Speaker: Members, let’s hear the answer, please.
Hon. S. Robinson: …so that we can make sure that we are doing everything that we can bring to bear on this situation.
INTERNATIONAL ENERGY SUPPLY
AND B.C. LNG
PROJECTS
E. Ross: There’s no doubt that British Columbia is united in terms of condemning Russia on its attack on Ukraine, yet this B.C. government doesn’t want to do anything about it.
Yesterday the Premier wrote off any contribution from B.C.’s clean and ethical LNG industry by saying: “If we could do it tomorrow, that would be one thing. But we can’t. The best efforts of British Columbians would not achieve what you’re asking for in three, four or five years.”
That is disrespectful to the thousands of workers, First Nations and communities who continue to rally around the LNG industry in B.C., especially in this time of a world global energy crisis.
Democracies across Europe and the world have all recognized the importance of this energy shift, of this energy crisis, especially Germany — everybody around the world, except B.C.
My question is to the Premier. Why isn’t the Premier acting now to increase B.C.’s LNG production to help this energy crisis?
Hon. B. Ralston: Thank you to the member for the question. Clearly, the war in Ukraine has completely roiled and upset energy markets around the world. There’s no doubt about that. In fact, this morning, the International Energy Agency and the United States government, among other major oil producers, have released 60 million barrels from their reserves to try to put a stop to the rise in prices. So there are a number of steps being taken around the world to deal with energy markets.
What the Premier said yesterday…. We value the LNG industry here. It is meeting our four conditions, including our climate targets. What the Premier said yesterday is the fact. One can, with all the best wishes and sentiments in the world, not produce an additional increment of LNG, given where the development process of LNG Canada, the leading company, is right now.
They’re in the middle of a…. It’s a $40 billion project. They’re halfway through the construction of the project, and wishing that they could contribute to LNG markets is just not feasible at this point, despite the sentiment that the member expresses.
I don’t disagree with the premise of the question — that more LNG is welcome in the global markets right now, particularly in Europe. British Columbia, given the state of construction, can’t contribute today or tomorrow but will in the future.
Mr. Speaker: Member for Skeena, supplemental.
E. Ross: With all due respect, this is not about prices. This is not about the market. This is about the invasion of Ukraine. This is about the dependence of Europe on Russian energy, specifically oil and gas. It’s got nothing to do with market and prices. This is about a war. Everybody around the world is contributing, except B.C.
There are seven LNG projects on the books right now, awaiting permits. LNG Canada was actually proposed for four trains. There’s only two trains approved. B.C. can fast-track those additional two trains right now. There’s been a huge shift in the global energy world, and B.C. needs to rise to the challenge. It’s a moral duty. It’s got nothing to do with prices or market.
Interjections.
Mr. Speaker: Members. Members. The member for Skeena has the floor.
Members will come to order.
E. Ross: Instead of working so our LNG can help reduce the world’s reliance on Russian exports, the Premier said: “I think the better role for British Columbians to play is to say to the international community: ‘We are all in this together.’” Well, the only way we can be in this together with our European allies, in this crisis, is if B.C. helps supply world energy needs with clean LNG, because holding hands and playing nice will not stop Russian aggression. It won’t address the global demand for energy, especially in Germany and Europe.
Like we said yesterday, Vladimir Putin isn’t going anywhere.
My question to the Premier: why isn’t the Premier out there right now seizing the massive new need for our province’s abundant, clean and ethical natural gas?
Hon. B. Ralston: Well, it is related to markets. Germany cancelled their licence for Nord Stream 2, the doubling of the flow of natural gas from Russia to Germany. That ended very suddenly. So there’s a huge supply gap which has to be filled. But the member mentions LNG Canada phase 2. That’s a decision. It’s not a state-owned company. The consortium, led by Shell, has to make a decision to go forward. As of today, I have not received a request from Shell to make that decision.
Interjections.
Mr. Speaker: Members, order.
Hon. B. Ralston: So that’s something that is in the hands of the investors in Shell and their board. Shell has made some major moves globally, but they have not made that particular move, and they would have to consult with their consortium.
The opportunity is there. We are willing to work with them if they choose to come forward, providing that the project would fit within our climate action plan. So that’s where that particular suggestion sits at the moment.
GOVERNMENT ACTION ON CLIMATE CHANGE
AND POLICIES ON LNG
DEVELOPMENT
S. Furstenau: There are times when I try to describe to people what it’s like to be in this chamber and how it feels like we’re in a reality that doesn’t exist outside of this building. Today is that experience.
Yesterday the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change issued a report on the worsening climate crisis. The report clearly states that any further delay in concerted global action will miss a brief and rapidly closing window to secure a livable future. The UN Secretary-General, António Guterres, called the report “an atlas of human suffering and a damning indictment of the failed climate leadership,” and we are arguing about which party is more supportive of liquefied natural gas based on fracking, in this chamber, today, as though somehow we could export natural gas to Europe.
The logistical fallacies aside, building more emission-intensive fossil fuel development, which is hazardous to human health and exacerbates the climate crisis, cannot be seen as an answer in 2022. Intensifying climate change will not address the current war in Europe. If anything, it will exacerbate global conflict. We have seen it in B.C. and around the world this year. Climate disasters displace thousands of people, destroy communities and diminish water and food security.
To the Premier, we’ve had fires, flood and a deadly heat dome. We have spent billions repairing damaged infrastructure, yet we do not see the political will to treat climate change like the existential threat that it is.
In light of the IPCC report, how can this Premier continue to advocate for an increase to our emissions after the climate disasters of 2021?
Hon. G. Heyman: Everybody on this side of the House and, I hope, everybody on both sides of the House pays heed to not only what British Columbians experienced throughout 2021, but also to what people around the world experienced throughout 2021 and the warnings that we get from scientists about the increasing threats of climate change, the increasing impacts of climate change, the need to prepare and adapt to what we are experiencing and what we know that we will experience more of, and also to invest significantly in a broad range of programs to reduce emissions through every part of our economy — through our homes, through our buildings, through our communities and through our transportation systems.
That is exactly what we are continuing to do, not just in this budget, but in three budgets before this one. This year we have added $1.2 billion in emission reduction CleanBC programs to the $2.3 billion that we had already invested on top of that for climate preparedness. We have budgeted $2.1 billion to protect people from climate disasters and to build back better, including $83 million in a climate preparedness and adaptation strategy to ensure that we have the information and data that we need to protect British Columbians.
This is not an easy task, either on the mitigation or the preparedness side. It is multileveled. It is across government. It’s through every ministry. There are literally dozens of programs, and it will involve everyone, and we’re committed to continue that work.
Mr. Speaker: Leader of the Third Party, supplemental.
S. Furstenau: It’s fascinating, the position of these two ministers on the benches, because they are advocating for the opposite. On the one hand, billions spent to try to reduce the affects of climate change, and on the other hand, billions poured in in public money and subsidies to keep building those emissions. This is a contradiction that this government has not reconciled and continues to pretend that words are enough — that facts and data and evidence don’t matter. The thing that we’re leading in in B.C. is our rising emissions, year over year.
Svitlana Krakovska, who headed Ukraine’s delegation to the UN, said yesterday: “Human-induced climate change and the war on Ukraine have the same roots — fossil fuels and their dependence on them.”
I’m sure, hon. Speaker, that you can recognize an understatement — to say that I am disappointed by the discourse in this chamber. Climate delay, pretending that we can continue to build fossil fuel infrastructure and call ourselves climate leaders — that is the new climate change denial.
We are out of time. The IPCC report is clear. Framing increased fossil fuel development as an answer to war is something that I could not have imagined would be happening in this chamber, in this year, yet here we are.
Again, to the Premier, how does he square claiming to act on the climate crisis while advocating and subsidizing the single largest source of climate emissions in B.C. history, which relies on a massive increase of methane-intensive fracking in the northeast?
Hon. G. Heyman: I’ll simply repeat. We have developed on this side of the House a multifaceted emission reduction climate action plan, which the member knows because the member and her former colleague in the Green Party Andrew Weaver and her current colleague were very much a part of designing that program.
To assume that the answer to climate change is as easy as flicking a light switch is neither correct nor doable. We all know that we are in a transition. We all know that over time, we are transitioning to clean energy, renewable energy, and we need to do that as quickly as possible.
In the meantime, I will simply repeat: we have invested heavily in CleanBC. We have a range of measures, including investing in active transportation, including setting standards for zero-carbon buildings, including putting a cap on natural gas utilities, including a commitment to work with industry, Indigenous people and experts to reduce emissions from oil and gas by 33 percent by 2030.
These are targets. These are commitments. These are statements. That’s what our government is working on, and that’s what we’ll continue to work on, because we know we have a responsibility to British Columbians. We know that we have a responsibility to work with other jurisdictions around the world to take action as quickly as possible.
We all need to do that, not just in this government or in this House or in this province but globally.
INTERNATIONAL ENERGY SUPPLY
AND B.C. LNG
PROJECTS
P. Milobar: Well, our questions yesterday and today are shining a bright light on this complete lack of action by this Premier, lack of leadership by this Premier. Yesterday the Premier said he was going to phone about the pensions. Didn’t phone. The minister won’t confirm that any phone calls went. In fact, they’re just getting some back-channel conversation instead of an actual, direct phone call, instead of actually showing some leadership.
The minister responsible for permitting hasn’t made any phone calls around our LNG projects that are sitting, waiting for permits. But let’s look at what real action actually looks like, what real leadership looks like. Let’s look at Germany that’s trying to free itself from being dependent on Russia for energy at a time when Russia has declared war on Ukraine. It’s not an incursion. It’s war, plain and simple.
What did Germany do? They shut down a pipeline that was already built for their energy needs from Russia and have expediated, fast-tracked, two import terminals for LNG so they can source LNG from somewhere else in the world to not rely on a dictator in Russia for their energy needs.
Yes, it’ll take a couple years to build those import terminals. You know what else will take a couple of years to build? The facilities to supply those import terminals. But that’s not going to happen if this government doesn’t actually take any action and can’t be bothered to pick up the phone to see what they can do to move permitting along.
To the minister, has he made even one phone call to any of the permits that are outstanding, to any of the companies trying to do LNG expansion in British Columbia, to see if we can actually play a meaningful part in what is going on in world events?
Hon. B. Ralston: I regularly receive reports on the progress of the LNG Canada project. It is proceeding. The gas pipeline is proceeding, although I think we’re all aware of some of the challenges that face that particular piece of construction. Those projects are moving forward. As the member says, the expectation of a completion date is at least several years away, notwithstanding the best efforts of very skilled and strong leadership and the workforce — diverse, well skilled — in the northwest.
Those steps are taking place. When those LNG terminals in Germany are available, I doubt that there will be direct supply to Europe, because most of the production is spoken for in long-term contracts on the other side of the Pacific. So I think that that is the current reality of that particular project.
M. de Jong: I think it is the lack of urgency that we are hearing from the minister, from the government and the Premier, that is particularly disappointing and troubling. At a time of crisis, I think people are entitled to expect leadership from the government. But they’re entitled to expect proactive leadership, not the kind of passive response that we are seeing here.
The minister says to the House: “Well, no one has called me. The proponents haven’t called me.” The minister knows that every signal LNG Canada and these other proponents of LNG have received from this government is: “Don’t bother applying.” He knows that. So to stand in the House today, in the shadow of an invasion, in the shadow of a world crisis, and say: “Well, they can call….”
The world is watching, and what they’re hearing from British Columbia, sadly, is all the right words and no action, no meaningful action. Others have said it. Vladimir Putin isn’t going away. He is going to wield this energy club to intimidate nations, democracies in Europe and elsewhere around the world. It is not a three-week issue. It is at least a decade-long issue. And to suggest that British Columbia cannot be part of the response to Vladimir Putin because it takes a few years to build an LNG plant is simply avoiding the issue.
Interjection.
M. de Jong: If the Attorney General doesn’t know what the question is, then we’re really in trouble.
Surely, it is obvious to him and every member of this government that the question is: why won’t the government take proactive steps to demonstrate to the world that British Columbia stands with the Ukraine and will help to fill the energy gap that Vladimir Putin is creating?
Hon. M. Farnworth: This country and the world have condemned the invasion of Ukraine, a sovereign nation, a country I have visited on three different occasions and had a chance to meet and work with people there. Right from the beginning, this government has stood on the side of Ukraine with the federal government, right from the beginning, that takes the first leadership role in terms of sanctions and how we deal with that aggressive, unwarranted attack on a sovereign nation.
This province took leadership starting with liquor stores, with gaming….
Interjections.
Mr. Speaker: Members. Members, order. All members.
The minister will continue.
Hon. M. Farnworth: It’s unfortunate that what we’re seeing is an effort to politicize what is a terrible….
Interjections.
Hon. M. Farnworth: Let’s be clear. What is shameful, hon. Member, is attempting to politicize the situation. We have been….
Interjections.
Mr. Speaker: Members will come to order.
Hon. M. Farnworth: You have been getting answers that….
Interjections.
Mr. Speaker: Leader of the Official Opposition, please.
Hon. M. Farnworth: Thank you, hon. Speaker.
As I was about to say, yesterday the Premier made it clear that this House does not agree with having investments in Russia, that that message would be sent to the investment corp. loud and clear, that they will make those decisions based on the rule of law, which is not about politicians meddling. We’ve sent that clear message.
The Finance Minister stated today that the investment corp. is taking action. That is how it should be done. At the same time, the Minister of Energy has made it clear….
Interjections.
Mr. Speaker: Members, please.
Hon. M. Farnworth: Thank you, hon. Speaker.
I think the comments from the other side make it clear that they’re not really interested in getting information.
Interjection.
Hon. M. Farnworth: There has been lots of action, and there will be lots more action to come. But let’s be clear.
Interjection.
Mr. Speaker: Minister, continue.
Hon. M. Farnworth: The only sideline is the sideline that you’re sitting on over there, and given your display today, you’ll be sitting over there for a long time.
[End of question period.]
Tabling Documents
Mr. Speaker: Hon. Members, I have the honour of tabling the Auditor General’s report, B.C. Housing’s COVID-19 Response: Property Purchases.
Orders of the Day
Hon. M. Farnworth: I call continued debate on the budget.
[J. Tegart in the chair.]
Budget Debate
(continued)
T. Shypitka: It gives me great honour to stand and rise and talk to the budget here today. Before I start, I just want to express my gratitude and pride that I have for the House. We’ve heard, in question period today, some heated debate on our support for the Ukraine and how we go about that as a province. But I’m happy and I’m proud to recognize that we are all behind the people of the Ukraine in this tough time.
It wasn’t too long ago — it was a couple years ago — that I stood in this House and supported and spoke to the Holodomor legislation that recognized the Holodomor as a day of remembrance, the fourth Saturday of November. For those that don’t know the history of the Holodomor, it was back in 1932 and 1933, where Russia imposed their power, their force, to essentially starve millions of Ukrainians. It was with great pride that we brought that recognition forward to the people of British Columbia to recognize and honour that day of remembrance.
Unfortunately, here we are almost 100 years later — 90 years, as a matter of fact — with history repeating itself. Once again, we have a dictator, we have oppression that the Soviet state is inflicting on the innocent people of the sovereign state of the Ukraine. It’s unfortunate that we’re back to square one again here.
I’m of Polish and Ukrainian descent myself, and I’m happy with the country of Poland, which is giving the support to those people from Ukraine, offering up room and food and arms and support and whatever they can. As a Ukrainian/Polish person myself, I’m really, obviously, troubled by what I’m seeing right now, but I’m happy that the House is unanimous in their support for the people of Ukraine.
Speaking of history repeating itself, here we go with the budget. This is the sixth budget from this government, from a second-term NDP government. It’s let down British Columbians, in my opinion.
The future is uncertain in British Columbia. We’re seeing a lot of uncertainty. We’re seeing investment fleeing. We’re seeing our affordability…. Some of those key components that the NDP promised British Columbians aren’t coming true. This budget is once again just another painful reminder on how out of touch this government is. If we look at some of those promises that they’ve given us over the last five years and six budgets, affordability has to be one of those top issues. We’re seeing an incredible increase in the cost of housing, gas, groceries.
The inability to find affordable daycare. I’ve heard, many times, the other side saying how they’re increasing daycare spaces. I’ve had daycares closing. It’s the opposite to where I’m at right now. They’re actually closing down. There is no available space, and it’s not affordable. This was a key, cornerstone, foundational commitment by this government, and six budgets in, we’re still nowhere closer — actually, farther away than when we first started.
The safety of friends. We heard it in the budget. We heard it in the throne speech: “Government’s got your back.” When we see the people of Lytton, eight months later, still not being able to go back to their homes, not being able to gather their lives back together, that concerns me.
Our devastated state of wildlife. I’ll touch on that in my budget speech. Our ungulate populations — our deer, our moose, our elk, our caribou — are in a rapid state of decline and have been for some time. I don’t want to politicize it, because it has been a mistake by all governments over the last, probably, 40 or 50 years.
The government came out with a real fancy-schmancy document called Together for Wildlife in British Columbia. It was brought out in November of 2018. It had all the great pictures and said all the right things, but there was nothing measurable in it. There was no timeline addressed to it. Here we are four years later, and we’re in a state of crisis with our wildlife populations.
Access to health care. I’m going to touch on that one as well. I’ll read some quotes from the throne speech and the budget that identified access to health care and that this government is looking after the concerns of British Columbians from all four corners and the Island as well. It’s the farthest thing from the truth where I come from. Access to health care is almost non-existent in my part of the province.
I will start with the affordability piece. We’re seeing it. We’re seeing the statistics roll in. We’re seeing that 53 percent of British Columbians are now $200 or less away from insolvency — $200. That’s a scary statistic. That speaks to the affordability here in British Columbia. This is far worse than the U.S., where we hear all the time, on mainstream media, how unstable their economy is for some people, where four out of ten are $1,000 away from insolvency. Here we’re over half, with only $200 from insolvency. So we’re unfortunately leading in that department.
Gas prices. We’ve seen that. Obviously, it’s being exasperated now with the world crisis we’re seeing right now in Ukraine and the supply change that has happened. But gas prices are a buck-62 or a buck-52 where I’m at. Those are going up. In some parts of the province, I think we’re up around $1.70. I would dare say we’re going to be probably reaching $2 a litre here soon enough. So that’s making life super unaffordable.
Food prices, 5 to 7 percent for 2022. This translates to about $1,000 a year more for people in British Columbia to buy food. Dairy, 6 to 8 percent higher. As a matter of fact, B.C. has experienced seven straight months of elevated inflation over 3 percent, with the rising costs of housing, gasoline, energy and groceries. We haven’t seen this type of inflation since the 1990s. Coincidentally enough, and I’m saying, as history repeats itself, the last time we saw a two-term NDP government was in the ’90s. That’s the last time we’ve seen this type of inflation.
The budget really fails to identify, in my opinion, in a real way, the affordability issues. Now, the government may try to convince you that these inflationary realizations that we’re seeing are attributed to COVID and the global supply chain, those types of things. That will change the price of our goods and services, for sure.
So let’s look at those goods and services that make up the basket of goods that we determine what our inflation is based upon, our cost of living. We talked about the three. We talked about energy. We talked about housing. We talked about food. Those are basically the essentials we need, as British Columbians, to live.
Let’s look at the energy. Let’s see how it’s affecting the supply chain and how COVID is changing that cost of living. In Canada, we have about 171 billion barrels of oil in reserve; 165 billion of that is in the oil sands. That’s about 10 percent of the world’s total crude oil reserves. We’re fifth in the world in that regard.
We’re currently producing about 4.4 million barrels a day. That’s just under 5 percent of the world’s total crude oil production. There’s nothing in this province or anything in Canada that would stop this province from securing our self-reliance and reducing the cost of fuel, which is at record levels right now — unless, of course, you used every tool in the toolbox to stop that production of oil.
It is something we’ve seen from this government, and it’s something we see once again in question period. We saw the reluctance to explore our self-reliance, and also on our exports to the countries that need it the most.
Right now a lot of central European countries would need those reserves, but we’ve got a pipeline that has been fought tooth and nail by a government that has “used every tool in the toolbox” to stop it from happening. Here we go into a world crisis, when we need it the most, and the timelines and the delays that we’ve seen from this government have impeded our participation in the global arena.
Natural gas. That’s another big energy source that we have and that we’re lucky to have an abundance of. It heats our homes, and it fuels our vehicles. It can offer solutions as far as hydrogen and blue hydrogen are concerned. We have got the Montney formation in northwest Alberta and northeast B.C., in the Peace region.
There was a comprehensive joint study that found, on the Montney formation, that it contained about 449 trillion cubic feet of marketable natural gas — 14.521 billion barrels of marketable natural gas liquids and 1.125 billion barrels of oil. This estimate makes it one of the largest known gas resources in the world and equivalent to about 145 years of Canada’s annual consumption; 145 years of our annual consumption sits in the northeast corner of British Columbia.
When we’re talking about the goods that make up our basket, certainly we have enough in the energy side of things, which is part of that cost of living, to be self-sufficient, thusly making our cost of living lower, not higher. Canada has about one half of 1 percent of the world’s population, yet we have about 10 percent or about 20-fold of the needs right here in B.C. for energy. It’s safe to say that we have enough energy to be self-sufficient in our reserves and production.
The next basket is agriculture, food, things that we need to eat to stay alive. We have an agricultural land reserve that was drawn up back in the 1970s under the Barrett government. When the ALR first came in, the agricultural land reserve was identified to save in order for food production.
Now, those land reserves were marked out on a map, and some of those land reserves were fairly easily identifiable, when you look at the Surreys and Deltas and things like that, the very high-quality soil that they drew into the agricultural land reserve, but some of them in the Interior, the Kootenays and the north were just arbitrarily kind of drawn in. They really didn’t identify the soil types, the geographical barriers, those types of things. They never really identified it.
When they did it in ’72, ’73 — I think it was somewhere around there — the NDP government of the day said: “We’ll come back, and we’ll resurvey and make sure that we’ve identified soil types and that type of thing.” It never happened. So now what we have is we have an ALR that, in principle, recognizes the need to be self-sufficient in our food and to have a proper food security program in place, but it left some of those in the ALR at a big disadvantage.
Quite honestly, in some of the ALR — I know members of this House know it — you can’t grow a weed in some of these places. That’s a problem. That speaks to the affordability issue, part of what the budget is going after here. We’re seeing that ranchers are getting older as well. We need a transition into the new generation of ranching, but this government, in their policy, in their legislation, is impeding that transformation to happen.
We look at Bill 15 and Bill 52, which we passed not too long ago. They took away, essentially, landowners’ rights — of farmers, of ranchers — the ability to implement secondary or non-farm-use applications into the ALR to be more sustainable. That’s things like…. If you’ve got a large acreage, 500 acres or so, and you’re trying to grow some hay, or you’ve got some cattle that are grazing, it’s tough, because the agricultural land that they possess isn’t very receptive to growing hay and sustaining.
So they need a secondary non-farm-use on that land. Maybe it’s a welding shop. Maybe it’s some storage, whatever — some other non-use commercial application that they can use to sustain their farm. Without that, they’re dead in the water. What the B.C. Liberals did was to develop a two-zone system. Zone 1, for ALR use, would be recognized as primarily Lower Mainland, high-quality soil types 1, 2 and 3, to be preserved. Those in zone 2, primarily in the Kootenay region and the Interior, would have special abilities to include non-farm-use applications.
It was this government that quickly dissolved that ability. That speaks to the land part of it. Just to add more ink to the ointment of this NDP government, today is March 1. Today is the day that existing groundwater users who have not applied for historical use…. Those are wells that were drilled before February 29, 2016. If they don’t apply today for their well use, they will lose their historical date of first use.
This is absolutely devastating for anybody that was not notified, and there are many of them. I’ve spoken to a whole bunch. I’ve posted as many times as I can. The response has been unbelievable. If these farmers, these ranchers, lose their historical use of groundwater wells, it’s lights out. It’s absolutely lights out.
Why is this government making the situation worse? We need these ranchers. We need these farmers, yet they’ve put this arbitrary deadline in place. We, as opposition, have pleaded with the government. A deadline: that’s all we’re asking for. Extend the deadline. But it’s been crickets, and it goes back to the budget. It goes back to the affordability piece.
We obviously don’t have an agricultural issue as much as we have land use issues in our agriculture sector. That’s the second basket. I have talked about energy. We have got more than abundance. I have talked about agriculture. We have got more than abundance of land — there’s no question about it — and farming opportunities. We’ve got the skilled people out there. We just need a government that is going to support these people so we can be food secure and have a good food security program in place.
Let’s look at the last basket. That’s land. It’s kind of an extension of the agriculture, but this is real estate, housing, where we live. We have seen it. We have seen it in this House. We have seen it on the streets. We see it in my community. Housing has skyrocketed, absolutely skyrocketed in the last five years.
Vancouver is the third most expensive city in the world to build a house. San Francisco and New York, I guess, get top spot, if you want to be at the top of that list. But the third most expensive…. Singapore. London, England. All these other big metropolises. Toronto, even. No. Vancouver is the most expensive place in the world to build a house.
It’s not that we have a shortage of land or lumber in this province. This is not something that is dictated by a supply chain. The supply chain is here. The supply chain is fixed. Land and timber are right here, right now. Yet we’re still the third most expensive in the world to build a house.
B.C. has approximately one million square kilometres in its boundaries. I think it’s about 960,000 or something like that, so I’ll just round it off to one million. There are approximately five million residents in British Columbia. If you do the math — and somebody can correct me if I’m wrong; I just did some quick math last night — that means about one-fifth of a square kilometre for each man, woman and child in the province.
If you get a million square…. Let me see if I can figure this out in my head here. One million square miles, five million residents — that’s 0.2 square kilometres. There are about a million square metres in a square kilometre. That’s 200,000 — my head is getting sore here — square metres in a fifth of a square kilometre, representing the amount of people.
That would equate to about 100 CFL-sized land parcels for the average family of four. If we spread out all our land and gave every person…. Every family of four would get 100 CFL-sized land parcels. You literally would not be able to see your next-door neighbour anywhere — any family in B.C. Now, members can check my math. I’m pretty sure I’m correct on it.
We obviously don’t have a land shortage in British Columbia. I’m not sure any other jurisdiction could boast that. But we’re seeing right now with our real estate that in Vancouver, a person has to save up for 31 years to get a down payment for the average home. That’s absolutely ludicrous. They would basically be retired by the time they were able to buy their first home. At that point, they probably wouldn’t want the same home that they were saving the down payment for in the first place. Family would be gone and everything else.
I’m burning up a lot of time here, and I’m not even an inch into my notes. But I just wanted to identify the affordability issue the most. This government has failed. It’s not a supply issue. It’s not a COVID thing. This is policy and legislation. This province and the support, the political will…. This government has failed to support, to address affordability in this province, plain and simple.
There’s a couple from Creston. I’ve got to get this one in here. Why Creston, you say? It’s not even in my riding. But this couple calls our office quite a bit because, she says, at least I pick up the phone. That’s an exact quote. I wanted to read it on the record.
He said he’s a senior who’s struggling with affordability. He’s focused on the increase of taxes, especially the carbon tax, he says. He brings up the difference between revenue neutrality, which we used to have here in B.C., and now that’s going into general revenues. What he really wants to hear is someone speak about the affordability issue for seniors in the Legislature.
I’ve got two other seniors that live in my riding that say right now they’re aging at home. That is the goal for seniors — to age at home. They built a beautiful house. They have paid it off. But now they can’t afford the property taxes, because property assessments have gone up 55.5 percent in the last three years in Cranbrook. A 55.5 percent increase on a fixed income — that doesn’t cut it.
I’ve got to get into the health part of it. Access to health care — absolutely horrendous in my part. We are absolutely roadblocked from what was, historically, a British Columbia–to–Alberta referral system. Doctors referred back and forth. I live in a border community. There was a great referral system between Cranbrook and the East Kootenays to doctors in Lethbridge and Calgary, which is only a stone’s throw away — literally half an hour away from some of the people in my riding.
We were contacted by a Fernie woman regarding her six-year-old son. He was taken to emergency in Fernie. He was then taken via ambulance to B.C. Children’s Hospital in Vancouver. That’s like 1,100 kilometres away and six mountain passes. She pleaded to go to Alberta. That’s where her son had a stroke when he was two weeks old.
They’ve had this referral back and forth. But now the lack of access to health care that hasn’t been followed up by the Minister of Health…. I’ve had numerous meetings with the Minister of Health on this, and there has been no action on how we can transition or relate between the two provinces.
The other one, before…. This one…. I’m going to have to hold it in here. This is a friend of mine that I used to work with a long time ago. Now he lives in Calgary. On December 26, while the family was away doing some Christmas visiting, my son’s friend suffered a head injury during a sledding accident — innocent fun during Christmas time.
He was rushed to Invermere, and the boy’s father begged the hospital staff to dispatch a helicopter from Calgary. It was explained to him at the time that the bureaucracy between B.C. and Alberta’s STARS ambulance air service did not allow the helicopter to come and land.
So they then transported the boy to Cranbrook by ambulance, which is three hours away. Sorry, it’s not quite that far. It’s about an hour and a half away. He was later transported by an airplane that had to come from Kelowna first. This is four hours. This is, probably, 5½ hours. This boy has a head trauma injury, bleeding. He has support 45 minutes away in Alberta. He has to wait 5½ hours to get to Kelowna. The boy passed away, due to blood that had built up in his brain. He needed to relieve that pressure. He passed away.
So one has to wonder what difference that would have made if he was able to get the access he needed to get to Calgary. I’ve had some pretty long talks with my friend about this. It’s something…. I don’t want to push blame. I don’t want to…. I’m just saying we have got some serious work to do. Our B.C. Ambulance Service has to be tied directly to those quickest access points. We have universal health care in this country. It is something we are all afforded to.
Yet unfortunately, this government doesn’t see it as a big priority. Whether it’s the billing system or whether it’s something that we need to solve, it’s one of the things I hear all the time. When our health care premiums…. Here in B.C., they go straight to the health authority, whether it’s Interior Health or Northern Health or Vancouver Coastal Health, whatever. It goes directly right back to that health authority.
When those health premiums are transferred to Alberta, they don’t go to AHS, which is Alberta Health Services. They go to government general revenues and then trickle back down to Alberta Health Services — not always maybe at 100 percent and maybe not always on time. Health authorities in Alberta look at that and say: “Well, why would we take a B.C. patient and get 80 cents on the dollar, five months later, than take care of our own people in Alberta and get quick cash, right at 100 percent all the time?”
That’s one theory that’s out there, and nobody’s ever debunked that theory of mine. I don’t just share it; it’s many other people. I’ve talked to physicians. I’ve talked to physicians on both sides, and that physician-to-physician referral is strong. When a patient is referred to another physician in Alberta, they say: “Yeah, we’ve got space. Come on in.” But once it gets to Alberta Health Services, the administration side, they shut it right down. They say: “Nope. No room. Can’t take them.”
It’s life-changing. It’s a big deal. But I would imagine the data, the capacity that the East Kootenays have, would be better to facilitate in places like Kelowna or Vancouver or Victoria to bolster the need for more services — another wing, another piece of equipment. So they use our data to build their empires in other places of the province.
Now, I have no problem keeping the money here in B.C — don’t get me wrong — but when it comes to life-and-death situations, like I’ve said and I’ve illustrated, we’ve got a huge problem.
I’m running to a close here, and I didn’t get even an inch into this budget. I’m sorry, but this budget falls hugely flat on all things that mean most to me, my constituents and I think the people of British Columbia.
With that, I can’t support this budget in the least, and I take my place.
J. Sims: It is an absolute pleasure to be able to stand in this House and speak in support of this budget, “Stronger together,” Budget 2022.
I want to take a moment to thank the Minister of Finance, her team and the government as a whole for putting together a budget that actually responds to where we are now today.
This budget was put together in the middle of crisis after crisis after crisis: in the middle of a pandemic; in the middle of a heatwave — we’ve had the impact of that, with the town of Lytton being burned down; in the middle of the floods we had in the Abbotsford area; in the middle of the increase in the mental health issues that people are experiencing, and in the opioid crisis; and in the middle of, I would say, a period in our history where a lot of British Columbians and people around the world are feeling rather jaded, dejected, disappointed and mentally challenged to face the reality that’s around them.
At this time, it would be remiss of me if I did not acknowledge the huge anguish and pain that the Ukrainian diaspora must be going through. To those living in my riding of Surrey-Panorama, and those living across B.C. and across Canada and around the world, we cannot imagine your pain, but you need to know that we stand with you. We stand with you.
Every one of us, as we watch on TV and follow what is unfolding, acknowledges that we could be on the verge of another world war. I am hoping, like everybody else, that the strong stand taken by other countries to support Ukraine will send a message and we will see an end to the fighting.
As a teacher, I have spent all my life speaking out against violence because, at the end of the day, violence doesn’t solve anything. It’s only when people sit at the table that solutions are found. Past wars have taught us that. To the Ukrainian diaspora: we are with you. We will continue to stand with you.
Now, getting back to the budget. I’ve heard a lot of comments about how this budget is out of touch, how people are fleeing B.C. and how things are falling apart. I must live in a different British Columbia than the people making those comments.
When I look at our economy, the best in Canada right now — the best economic growth — despite the fact that we’ve been through the COVID pandemic, the health care pandemic and the opioid pandemic…. Despite the fact that we’ve had a heatwave, the climate challenges that we’re facing and the floods we’ve had, our economy has kept going. I think that’s an incredible tribute to British Columbians and their work ethic.
I look at our unemployment rate, which is one of the things we use to judge how well our province is doing. You know what? Our unemployment rate has gone down. It has gone down, and we have more people employed today than we had prior to the COVID pandemic. That is also another great sign that the economy is booming.
Madam Speaker, I’m sure you’ve been watching TV as well. We’re hearing about all these people coming to British Columbia from Alberta and from across Canada. You know what? That is also a good sign that people are seeing opportunities in British Columbia. They want to come here because the government in this province has managed to steer us through some of the most challenging times, yet maintain a strong economy. That is what’s going on.
I have been hearing a lot about housing. It’s almost as if my colleagues on the opposite side want to pretend that the housing crisis just started. I want to let them know that housing prices escalated to a point that it was unbelievable while they were in government, and money laundering and everything else was allowed to happen and ignored. There was evidence that that money — illegal money, illicit money — was actually fuelling the housing market.
I want to say that I am so, so proud of the fact that our government has invested billions of dollars and will continue to do so — $1.2 billion a year — to build housing for those who are the most vulnerable, with wraparound services, as well as a focus on affordable housing. It takes time to make up for the deficit. We do have challenges in the housing area in that our demand is increasing as well, with more people who love B.C. and are liking what this government is doing wanting to move here. So of course there are those challenges.
To my colleague who did a wonderful math lesson a little bit earlier on our beautiful province, well, I want to say to him that there are vast areas of the province that are not habitable. There are mountains and there are parks that I don’t want to have houses in.
So I want to say that absolutely, we live in a beautiful province, and absolutely, everybody who goes to work and earns a living deserves a roof over their head. We are going to do that, and I encourage people sitting in opposition to work with the government to find real solutions for housing. We are prepared to sit at a table and have your input, but let’s not just keep throwing darts and arrows and thinking that’s going to solve the housing problem, especially when you got it going in the first place.
The second thing I’ve heard a lot about is child care. I really want to focus in on child care. I know you’re probably thinking, “Why does she care about child care?” because my children are fully grown. I want to say that I have been an advocate for child care since I came to Canada, because I came from a country where child care was available. When I had my children in Canada, when I had my daughter, I was in Quebec, which had child care.
When I came to B.C., I noticed how much of it was not there. So I have been advocating ever since, both as a teacher and, later, as a Member of Parliament. I stood in the House of Commons and spoke passionately about the need for affordable child care. Admittedly, that was $15-a-day child care, and I’m so proud to be part of a government that is moving towards $10-a-day child care.
There are people in B.C. today who are paying less than $10 because of the actions of this government, based on their circumstance and their income. There are many people who are receiving $10-a-day child care right now, and there will be more this year, as a result of this budget. Our goal is to move towards $10, and our next target is $20. That doesn’t mean we’re not going to be adding more $10-a-day child care spaces as well. It’s really amazing.
You know, we hear a lot about affordability, that this government has done nothing for affordability. Let me tell you, they put the tolls on the bridges, and we took the tolls off. They increased MSP premiums; we eliminated them. I could go on, actually. I had a long list, but I also realize I’m going to be cutting short, and I want to get back to child care.
I want to give out some numbers, because we’ve heard a lot of interesting numbers today. From 2018 to 2021, this government, the B.C. NDP government, has invested a record of $2.2 billion in child care programs that will help families throughout our province — $2.2 billion. Over the next three years, the province will invest more than $2.5 billion in child care. This is part of the ten-year plan to make child care a core service that families can depend on. A reminder that this is the first social program after decades and decades, this $4.7 billion spent and allocated so far.
Since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, we have invested more than $395 million to support over 45 child care centres. The total amount that has gone to parents through reduced fees — I really want my colleagues to pay attention to this number — is $895 million. When a family gets part of that money back into their pockets, that doesn’t go to the Canary Islands. It doesn’t go to some tax-protected haven. That’s the money that gets invested back into the community. It gets spent on food. It gets spent on clothing. It gets spent on holidays. It gets spent in our communities.
You know what? I come from Surrey, Surrey-Panorama. Let me give you some numbers for Surrey. Madam Speaker, $213,490,441 has been spent in Surrey on temporary emergency funding on child care — on child care, $213.5 million. I’ll just round it up.
Now, in Surrey alone, the total amount that has gone back to parents through reduced fees and benefits is over $120 million. So the city of Surrey has circulating in Surrey an additional $120 million as a result of the actions of this government and as a result of our belief that investment in child care is an investment in our economic growth. It is more than child care. It is how we build a strong future.
As we are on to numbers…. I always have to bring up Surrey-Panorama. After all, it’s the wonderful people of Surrey-Panorama that elected me and sent me and, actually, gave me the privilege of being their representative in this chamber.
Child care in Surrey-Panorama, total amount of child care investments: $24.7 million. In my riding alone, this tiny little riding, which is not so tiny, by the way, has $24.5 million that is circulating that was returned back to parents so they could make choices of where they were going to spend that money. That goes back into households, and that addresses affordability for many.
I can tell you of a young woman, a single mom who came into my office. As a result of the child care subsidy, she could afford to go back to school and finish her education. She has now graduated and has a job. She could not have done that without the child care subsidy.
Or a young woman who had finished law school, had finished articling and then had to take a leave but then couldn’t find daycare that was reasonable. She was able to find daycare as a result of this, and now she is back at work and when she is back at work, she’s adding to our economy.
Now, the total amount that has gone back to parents through reduced fees and benefits is $13½ million. That’s for Surrey-Panorama alone. Nobody in this chamber can say to me that when that money is returned to parents, it does not make a difference in their lives. If you believe that, please come and see me, and I will introduce you to many people who have been impacted and who say their life has changed dramatically.
One father told me that after a long, long time — this was before COVID, because they got the subsidy at that time — he could actually imagine taking his kids on a holiday. Not overseas; just in B.C. That’s the kind of difference it makes. Or a mother who says: “Now, you know, when I go grocery shopping, I can make different choices.” That is what makes what we do here so worthwhile, when we can make a difference.
When our universal health care was brought in, that was a social program that I think still receives attention from around the world. I think our child care program, especially in B.C. here…. We’re a little bit behind Quebec. We’re a lot behind Quebec, but we’ve actually been a model for many of the other provinces since we started this program. I want to do a thank you to the federal government, as well, for their investment in child care. They also recognize the importance of investing in our children. Investing in child care is an investment in the economy and investment in the future.
Once again, while I’m talking about child care, I think I need to do a huge shout-out to all of the child care workers — everybody who worked with our children in child care centres and taking care of them throughout COVID. They were dealing with a lot of the stress and strain of COVID and having to deal with children when they were maybe a little bit disturbed as well. A huge thank-you to them.
The other thing is that when you’re building a budget, you have choices. Thanks to our minister and our Premier, we’re making choices that will help people and support people.
I know I’ve heard some concerns from the other side about the deficit. I think British Columbians know that after going through the pandemic, after going through the heatwave, the floods, the fires, and knowing what is happening internationally right now, they want a government that is there for them, that is building for them, that is building for their future.
When you run your household budget, you make choices. In the same way, I am so glad to be part of a government that has made choices to build — $27 billion in the capital fund to help build infrastructure that was so ignored for so long.
[Mr. Speaker in the chair.]
I can’t leave — and I’m noticing the time — without talking about Surrey hospital, a second hospital in Surrey. Recently I’ve heard a lot of comments from the opposition about the Surrey hospital, and I’m always a little bit taken aback, because I’m thinking that right in Surrey-Panorama was a prime piece of property where previous opposition leaders, when they were in government, had gone and said: “We’re going to build the Surrey Memorial Hospital right here.” That’s what they used to say.
And then, with a twinkle of an eye — and I won’t use the word “hoodwink” — that land was sold. That land was sold to a developer who, by the way, also donated big money to the party, and there was no hospital. Apparently, there was not even a plan for a hospital inside.
When we became government, that was our commitment. And I want to share with everybody: there is land. It’s had all the work that needs to be done in it. Fraser Health has done a business plan. Procurement is going on. So do you know what? A plan is on the move. Yet the opposition has now come up with: “Oh, that’s not a good location.” Whoopee.
You sold the best spot for a hospital that Surrey desperately needs. You sold it. So now we have land. We’re going to be building a hospital, and I’m so excited that that hospital is going to have in it a cancer centre, a cancer research centre. All of you know that that area is very, very close and dear to my heart.
Interjections.
Mr. Speaker: Shhh, Members.
J. Sims: I am so delighted that Surrey is going to be getting additional services when it comes to cancer and many of the others, as well as an emergency room. And by the way, it’s not an urgent care centre. It is a hospital.
Not only that, but since we’ve been in government, we have now built more than 11,000 — according to the school district; not my data — new spots for children K to 12. Right opposite my office — I can look at it from my constituency office — is the expansion to Sullivan Secondary School, with over 700 seats being added. That’s like another high school being added.
As well as in many other areas, we’re in the process…. We have bought land, by the way, for another elementary school right in Surrey-Panorama. We have a government that actually believes in building — in building infrastructure, in building services.
Once again, what I do want to say to the Minister of Finance is such a huge thank-you for building, into the budget, $27 billion to build hospitals, to build public transit, to build schools, which we all need.
All of us know — and I’ve said this very often — that Surrey often felt like the neglected child when it came to rapid transit. We are happy to see that there is going to be a SkyTrain. It’s right here in the budget again: SkyTrain from Surrey to Langley is going to be built. That will help with mobility and will help with economic growth.
You know, I have a list of all the schools that have had expansions, and it goes on for three pages — three long pages — but I’m not going to read that in. I’m going to leave it with the fact that we have over 11,000 new spaces. That includes new schools; that includes expansions and all of those things.
I also, at this time, want to say that I’m very happy to see the Pattullo Bridge….
Mr. Speaker: Noting the hour, Member.
J. Sims: Mr. Speaker, I reserve my right to continue with this wonderful support of the budget at the next sitting.
J. Sims moved adjournment of debate.
Motion approved.
Hon. H. Bains moved adjournment of the House.
Motion approved.
Mr. Speaker: This House stands adjourned until 1:30 this afternoon.
The House adjourned at 11:57 a.m.