Routine Business

Prayers and reflections: L. Doerkson.

[10:05 a.m.]

Introductions by Members

Hon. L. Popham: Well, back in 1984, a catchphrase began in the advertising world. That phrase was: “Where’s the beef?” I can tell you that I’ve got an answer for that today. It is out back behind the Legislature, because we are celebrating B.C. Beef Day here.

June 2 is proclaimed B.C. Beef Day, and we have got some amazing guests in the audience today.

In the chamber, we’ve got, from the B.C. Cattlemen’s, Werner Stump, Kevin Boon, Brian Thomas, Rick Mumford, Karen McKean and Larry Rast. Then from the B.C. Breeder and Feeder Association, we have Lindy Gilson and Ken Fawcett.

I’d like to thank you for being here today in partnership with organizations to help bring awareness to what the cattle industry does for B.C., on so many levels, for the economy and for communities. We all know that they also do a lot for our environment. Thank you for the work that you’ve been doing on regenerative agriculture. We welcome you here, and our tummies will thank you later too.

Hon. M. Dean: Today we’re joined in the gallery by some military members who competed in the Invictus Games in April of 2022.

Marcy Lynn Dumonceaux is a chief petty officer second class, a financial service administrator. She has been deployed in both the Middle East and in Italy. She applied to the Invictus Games as a way to encourage herself and others and to demonstrate that injuries do not define us. Marcy competed in swimming, rowing and sitting volleyball.

Patrick Levis is a major, an infantry officer. He has served in many locations, including Bosnia and Afghanistan. Sports and competitions have always been part of his life and helped him to develop life skills such as discipline, determination, devotion and concentration. Patrick competed in wheelchair racing, hand cycling and wheelchair basketball.

Emilie Poulin is a corporal, a human resources administrator. She joined the Canadian Armed Forces as a naval combat information operator and now serves as a human resources administrator in the air force. For Emilie, the Invictus Games symbolize never giving up on yourself. She applied to compete to remind herself that despite the bad days, she can be proud of her achievements. She competed in rowing, power lifting and sitting volleyball.

Joining us, as well, in the gallery today is my amazing, wonderful constituency assistant, Nubwa Wathanafa.

I also would like to give a shout-out today to the MLA for Richmond-Queensborough. We wish you a speedy recovery, brother. The member for Richmond-Steveston is bringing your Terry Fox T-shirt over to you very soon.

Please welcome all of our guests in the gallery.

H. Yao: I would like to take a moment to welcome our constituency riding association for Richmond South Centre. We have Gian Sihota, president; Pat Morin, vice-president; William Li, outreach and communication coordinator. Louise McManus and Kathy Kent are both members at large.

I believe every member and every colleague of mine can actually testify to how much we rely upon our riding association’s leadership, their support and their guidance — and, of course, their volunteerism — to help carry us through difficult times and ensure we’re continuously educating our communities on the importance of inclusivity, diversity and an economy that benefits all British Columbians.

I would ask everybody to join me in welcoming them to this chamber.

[10:10 a.m.]

Hon. M. Farnworth: I have three introductions I’d like to make today. Two of them are from the communications branch of EMBC, and they’re here in the House with us today. They are Aimee Harper, communications manager, and Krystal Thomson, my communications director.

I’d ask the House to make them most welcome.

Tributes

AMANDA COOTES

Hon. M. Farnworth: The other introduction is someone very special who is leaving this chamber and someone who is familiar to all of us, particularly those of us who use the dining room. That is Amanda Cootes. She has been working in the dining room, now, for the last nine years. She has the uncanny ability to literally remember the name of every MLA the very first time she meets them. She is moving on and leaving this place, and I know that we will be wishing her well.

I will tell one anecdote that I know she will never forget and that I will never forget. It was the day that she came out, and I had ordered some yogurt. I’m eating it, and I’m going: “This is kind of weird yogurt.” She said: “Oh my god, we’ve given you a bowl of sour cream.”

Anyway, the very fact that she has that talent to remember every name of a person she meets is an unbelievable political skill. With that, she could easily get a place in this chamber.

Would the House please wish her well in her future endeavours and thank her for the work that she’s done while she was here.

Introductions by Members

K. Falcon: We often say, as MLAs, that there are people behind the scenes that make us look good and sound good as a result of the great work they do. This year’s group of legislative interns is a great example of doing a particularly remarkable job for those of us in the opposition.

As we close out this sitting, I would like to say goodbye to five wonderful individuals on the opposition side who have been a pleasure to work with, for all of us, over the last four months. I want to offer my thanks to two outstanding communications interns, Margarita Simon and Tiffany Lee, and also three of our research interns, who did an outstanding job: Mary Heeg, Olivia Botelho and Mitchell Robinson.

Would the House please express their thanks.

Hon. H. Bains: I would like to welcome some very special people in this House today. They are leaders of the trade union movement who work day and night not only to improve the lives of working people and the members that they represent but society as a whole, for all of us.

They are Bea Bruske, president of the Canadian Labour Congress; Orion Irvine, Pacific director of the Canadian Labour Congress; Laird Cronk, president of the B.C. Federation of Labour; Sussanne Skidmore, secretary-treasurer of the B.C. Federation of Labour; Denise Moffatt, director of the B.C. Federation of Labour; Karen Ranalletta, president of CUPE B.C.; Steve Beasley, executive director of CUPE B.C.; Ann Lennarson, regional director of CUPE B.C.; Laura Snow, president of the Compensation Employees Union; Brian Cochrane, business manager of the International Union of Operating Engineers; and Phil Klapwyk, business representative with the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees.

I would ask the House to please extend our warm welcome to all of them for doing such a great job for all of us British Columbians.

A. Olsen: Today I’ve got three very brief sets of introductions.

First, I’d like to introduce Brent Frain and Sonjia Grandahl, who are in the legislative precinct today. They’re activists for people with disabilities, specifically asking this government to restore the $300 emergency increase that came through the COVID-19 pandemic. Brent has been very courageous in sharing his story with the media about the challenges that are encountered by people with disabilities and the current system of supports and the need for transformation. I ask the members of this House to make them both very welcome.

Yesterday I introduced Jake Rees, from my constituency office. Today I have two more members of my constituency office here to see the last question period of this spring session.

[10:15 a.m.]

I’d like the House to make William Kelly and Laura Parker welcome. Laura has been with my office, now, since the very beginning, in various roles. Really, truly, I can come into this House for the spring and fall sessions knowing that the administrative aspects of my office have been well taken care of. I’m also very happy to have William advocating on behalf of the constituents of Saanich North and the Islands. Could the House please make them both very welcome.

Very much in line with the Leader of the Official Opposition, the B.C. Green caucus is buoyed every year, in the spring session, by the legislative interns that join our team. We had the opportunity to introduce both of them at the beginning of this session. Really, truly, the work that the two-member Third Party caucus does is supported, to a great extent, by our legislative interns: Gud Takin Jaad, Rose Williams, and Jerram Gawley.

Thank you so much for the work that you’ve done for us.

HÍSW̱ḴE SIÁM. Thank you.

Hon. G. Heyman: Joining us today in the gallery to watch question period is the administrative team from the Minister of Environment office, Emma Murray and Caroline Hogg.

Since joining our office a few months ago, they’ve really been exceptional. They keep the office and me on track. For any of the MLAs who are trying to talk to me about a local issue, they make sure you get in to see me. So I’m very happy they’re here today for, I believe, their first question period.

Will the House make them very, very welcome.

Hon. A. Kang: For the very first time, I have my A-team with me, the team of Advanced Education and Skills Training. I have this amazingly strong team, and such a friendly team. I love coming to work every day.

Joining me in the gallery today are Eric Peters, my SMA, senior ministerial adviser; Desmond Pollard, my MA; Jocelyn Fan, my executive assistant; as well, amazing administrative coordinator Miranda Hansen; and two really most outstanding administrative assistants, Ngaire Lord and Taylor Cunningham. We are just like a family, and we celebrate many special occasions together. With seven us in the office, we have cake at least seven times a year.

Would the House make my team feel very welcome today.

G. Lore: I rise today to let the House know of an accomplishment of someone who needs no introduction to this place. Carole James, former MLA for Victoria–Beacon Hill, Deputy Premier and Finance Minister, will be recognized with an honorary degree from the University of Victoria next week.

I’ll be thrilled to join the convocation but wanted to offer an opportunity for all members of this House to join me in congratulating her.

Hon. J. Whiteside: I would like today to also introduce my team, who are joining us in the House today. It is such a privilege to work in this House on behalf of British Columbians, and we certainly don’t do it alone. We all have wonderful staff who work to support us.

Today, for the first time, the whole team from Education is here: Breanne Baxter and Leah Waters, who work in the administrative part of our operation; Keefer Pelech, joining remotely, who is my executive assistant; and Krystal Smith, Melanie Sanderson and Ian McMahon, who are excellent ministerial advisers.

I would also like to give a big shout-out to the staff at home, in my home constituency of New Westminster, who have really dealt with lots of challenges, including a fire in our constituency office, which has put us back to remote work.

Amy Ryder and Erica Schiefke-Williams, thank you so much for the service and care that you provide to citizens in New Westminster. Thank you to all.

Would the House please make my team very welcome.

Hon. B. Ralston: I’m asking the House today to recognize Maria Szabo for her public service as she marks the end of her time here working at the Legislature.

[10:20 a.m.]

She started as a volunteer in my Surrey constituency office, helping to organize events even before she graduated from SFU in 2016. She brought her considerable skills and insight to a series of jobs here: for the Premier’s office; for my ministerial office; for the office of the former minister, Michelle Mungall; for the Minister of Health, during the height of the pandemic; and, most recently, for the government caucus. She’s leaving on June 10 for a new assignment on the Lower Mainland, taking her closer to her family and her hometown of Surrey.

Please join me in thanking Maria Szabo for her public service here in the Legislature and in wishing her well in the next phase of her life.

K. Greene: I want to recognize two constituents today, Wendy Forch and Clay McGregor. They were married in 1972 at the Richmond Foursquare Church, and this is their golden wedding anniversary.

Wendy and Clay met more than 50 years ago at Palmer Secondary — Wendy was in grade 8; Clay was in grade 10 — and they married not long after high school. They’ve got two wonderful children, Fraser and Jade. They’ve lived in Richmond nearly their entire lives. They’ve seen a lot of change over seven decades. As MLA for Richmond-Steveston, I’m so honoured to be able to recognize these two wonderful citizens of B.C. and community members of Steveston.

Please join me in wishing Clay and Wendy a very happy 50th wedding anniversary.

J. Rice: I have a couple of introductions today. First of all, I want to mention that we have some great…. Well, they’re good friends of mine, but they’re also my constituents, showing from the Central Coast of our province. It’s not often that folks from these rural remote, particularly remote, communities get to the Legislature, so I’m really honoured to have them here today.

On behalf of the Attorney General and Minister Responsible for Housing, I’d like to welcome Chief Samuel Schooner from the Nuxalk First Nation. I’d also like to welcome Chief Doug Neasloss from the Kitasoo/Xai’xais First Nation. They live in Klemtu, on Central Coast, as well.

Also, Jennifer Walkus, who is a councillor from the Wuikinuxv First Nation. Many members might know this community as Rivers Inlet, where some of the biggest salmon in the world can be found. I just also want to give a shout-out to Jennifer and her colleagues, because they are part of the first-ever all-female chief and council. These women, these strong leaders, are really kicking something, serving their communities right now.

Also, we have…. I’m not sure all who is here, but we do have some guardian watchmen from the Central Coast here in the community. They were part of a really significant signing yesterday with the Minister of Environment, where these particular coastal guardian watchmen will now have the same power and authority as a park ranger.

The guardian watchmen are the eyes and ears on the water, particularly in the Central Coast, where we don’t have a big presence. They’ve been the stewards of that territory for millennia. Finally, in this colonial government, we’re recognizing their work in a much more significant way.

I wanted to give a particular shout-out to one coastal guardian, Victor Reece. He is from the Gitga’at territory, up north, closer to where I live, but he has been living most of his life in Klemtu. He’s part of the Kitasoo/Xai’xais coastal guardian watchmen. He has been a guardian watchman for five years. Victor tells me that he enthusiastically watches question period, and he’s here today for his first in-the-flesh observance of question period.

Please make everyone that I’ve mentioned feel welcome.

H. Sandhu: I have two introductions to make today.

The first introduction is Brian Misko from House of Q in Vernon, who is here in the precinct today.

House of Q started by using mom’s stockpot. They make award-winning barbecue sauces and spices. Q is one of the most-ordered barbecue sauce and rub companies around the world. They have won over 200 awards in 15 years.

I’m proud that Brian will be barbecuing for us today outside the Legislature for B.C. Beef Day. I also encourage you all to please check their website, houseofq.com.

[10:25 a.m.]

Brian Misko and his wife, Corinne, will be celebrating their 30th wedding anniversary on June 6 as well. Would the House please join me to thank Brian and welcome him here at the Legislature and also wish both Brian and his wife a very happy wedding anniversary this week.

My second introduction. Today I’m thrilled to have my mom here in the gallery. This is my mom’s first time being in Victoria. She has a water phobia. She is always reluctant to take ferries, so we took a flight this time. My mom has been a very big support, as I’ve mentioned previously, along with my dad — and after becoming a single mom as well.

As every parent and all members of the House can relate, our parents give us good values. One of the most important values I always try to remember, and pass it on to my daughter, is…. Mom always reminds me to never hate anybody or use the word “hate” in your life, if possible.

Mom always reminds us that “hate” is such a strong word and a terrible feeling to carry around with us. Hate also leads to anger and then violence, and unfortunately, we’ve seen the detrimental outcomes in the world. Mom says: “Yes, you’re human. You can dislike or disagree with something. But as a human carrying the hate feeling, it only destroys your soul. The other person may not know we hate them.”

This may seem impossible to do, but I can say with full confidence that if I try to think very hard, I do not hate anybody or cannot remember hating anybody, and it’s the best feeling to live with. Just for these reasons, I thought I’d mention this. This is something we need to discuss more.

I’m blessed to have such a loving, caring, kind mom who always taught me to put others and the less fortunate first and to do selfless service — everything that she has done for me and the reason I’m standing here.

Would the House please join me to make my mom feel very warmly welcomed.

M. Dykeman: Before we come back to session, after we rise today, there is going to be a birthday. As you know, because I’ve introduced them both in this House, I have two children, and my daughter is a summer baby. My son and daughter do compare notes, so if I haven’t wished her a happy birthday in the House, as I wish my son, she would notice and would never let me forget it.

She does watch question period regularly and has lots and lots of commentary to me on all sorts of subjects and several opinions, so I know she’ll be checking this out. She will be turning 17 this summer.

I was wondering if the House could please join me in wishing my daughter, MacKenzie, a very happy birthday.

M. Babchuk: I am so happy to stand in this House today and introduce the two most important men in my life: my husband, Dan, who is somewhere in here — I’m not sure — who I’ve introduced before, and, for the first time in this chamber, my father, Roy Campbell.

I’m certain that my dad never envisioned me in this role, but I believe that I’m here because of his commitment to community, his generosity and his willingness to lend a hand whenever, his philosophy around advocacy and social justice and his unwavering dedication to family. I know that my success today is directly a result of him.

Would this House please join me in welcoming my father and my husband to the chamber today.

K. Paddon: Chilliwack Pride is here. Chilliwack Pride has organized several hugely successful Pride celebrations, including the one last August that welcomed thousands to celebrate Pride in Chilliwack, which is in my friend’s area of Chilliwack as well.

Thank you very much to Teri Westerby, Sheralie Taylor, Aaron Pariseau, Mallory Tomlinson and Margaret Reid for being here today for a very special announcement — foreshadowing — and to celebrate our partnership while we work together for Chilliwack and Chilliwack-Kent.

I know that other board members could not be here but are here in spirit. That would be Jackie Oldhaver, Jason Stromberg, Megan Te Boekhorst and Katie Bartel.

Would the House please join me in making Chilliwack Pride very welcome in this chamber.

[10:30 a.m.]

Hon. A. Dix: Today is a really special day for me. My mom is in the Legislature. She’s on that side, so she’s watching the opposition today. This is the first time she’ll ever have seen me in question period. Of course, it’s extremely moving to me, especially in light of the last couple of years, to have her here today.

I wish everyone, of course, to wish her welcome.

She is joined by my brother Dylan, who is younger than me, smarter than me, taller than me and, interestingly, not in politics. It’s great to have Dylan here. I couldn’t be more proud, as his older brother, of everything that he does.

Finally and most importantly, I want everyone in the House but the Minister of Education to acknowledge my nephew Kieran, who is in the House today, who is ten and a student at Norquay Elementary School. He and his sister Emma are our stars, of course. So we’re very proud to have him here today.

I want to also give a shout-out over the Internet to my wife, Renée Sarojini Saklikar.

On behalf of all of you — because I know your families mean a lot to you, especially in these times — to wish a warm welcome to three generations of Dixes.

D. Ashton: I look forward to introducing all to some Trout Creek hospitality this summer. Whether it’s yourself, Mr. Speaker, those in the Clerk’s department, the sessional staff, Hansard, Protective Services or all my peers here in the precinct, if you’re in the Okanagan, please call. Swing by for a glass of liquid sunshine that we in the Okanagan have learned to bottle and pour into a glass to share with friends. I look forward to seeing you all.

B. D’Eith: We normally don’t go into June, so in all the time I’ve been here, I haven’t had a chance to wish three birthdays in my family. My youngest son, Cam, will turn…. It’s 22. There are five of them. So 22. He will be representing B.C. at the North by Northeast Festival with his band Bookclub this month. I’m really proud of him.

Amy, who I’ve mentioned before, has just started full-time firefighting at Maple Ridge fire. She’s turning 23.

Of course, my amazing wife, Kim, who works in health care at Footbridge orthopedic surgery out of St. Paul’s Hospital. I, like everybody…. We wouldn’t be here without our partners and people who support us. I just love her very much and want to wish her a very happy birthday in June.

Thank you so much, everybody.

M. Starchuk: Joining us today in the House are a comic strip artist and his mom. Seth Corbett, better known as Stick Guy, is here with his mother, Rachel, who is better known as Stick Guy’s mom. I reached out to the Stick Guy after seeing his works in the 2020 Surrey Library’s adult writing contest under the category of comics.

I assume everyone in the House has drawn a stick figure. The difference between Stick Guy and us is the humour that goes with it. I’m going to ask everyone here to use your imagination and think about the first drawing that I ever saw of Seth’s. Remember, all the people in the comic are stick people. The comic depicts a street portrait artist with two stick people holding portraits that the artist has done, with the caption: “Ooh, wow. You really captured me.”

Would everyone in the House today join me in welcoming Rachel Corbett and her wonderful and talented son Seth Corbett to the chamber today.

D. Davies: First, I would like to welcome Brent and Sonjia into the House today. Good to see you again.

I’d also like to welcome…. We’ve talked about families and people that are there to support us. I do want to welcome my son and daughter here today, who are joining us in the House, Hana and Noel Davies.

I also want to welcome Toby Kaiser, who comes all the way from Landsberg am Lech, just outside of Munich, who has become a very close family friend who’s been living with us now for the last couple of months.

Welcome, Toby.

Would the House please make them all feel very welcome.

[10:35 a.m.]

M. Elmore: I’d like to echo the introduction from the member for Richmond South Centre to someone who’s been a friend and a colleague and a mentor to me. I wouldn’t be here without his help, support and guidance and leadership. That is my friend Gian Sihota here from Richmond.

We worked together as transit operators when I was with Coast Mountain Bus Company. When I first became a shop steward, he helped me, assisted me and supported me in my involvement in the union. His commitment to social justice and human rights is something that inspires me, and I just want to recognize him, thank him for his dedication.

I just ask everybody to also give him an extra warm welcome here today.

T. Stone: Out of respect for the standing orders with respect to introductions, I’m going to be brief and introduce someone who is here in the chamber today. I have two constituents, Bob Miller and Doug Haughton, who are ranchers from Kamloops. They’re here for B.C. Beef Day.

Welcome to the building, gentlemen.

D. Routley: I thought I’d wait till the end, because mine’s kind of long. Actually, it’s short, just like the person I’m introducing — I’m sorry, Pam — plus her baby. She really is short.

Pam Cooling is my CA. She is the perfect mix of down-to-earth straightforwardness when she deals with me that never strays — well, usually doesn’t stray — across the line of sarcasm. Remember, she’s trying to support me.

When she deals with constituents and their problems, she is smart, intuitive, strong, empathetic, generous, and she is patient, particularly with me. She is a political organizer and public servant extraordinaire, as is her mom, Karen Cooling, whom many of you know.

Really, the treat is for me to be able to stand here today, simply stand here today, and introduce her daughter Ruth Eleanor Florence Robinson, who was born May 3, 2021, and joins this line of incredibly strong and dedicated women. I thank her for being here and for everything she does for our constituents.

Mr. Speaker: Given this is the last day of our session, I would also like to recognize my team. That’s all of you.

I also want to thank my staff in the Speaker’s office: Karen Armstrong — we call her the dean of the office; Sharon Walia; Amber Keane; Jason Blackman; and Lynn Hardy — all of them.

Thank you very much for all of the work you do to help us every day.

Introduction and
First Reading of Bills

BILL 26 — ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT
AMENDMENT ACT, 2022

Hon. G. Heyman presented a message from Her Honour the Lieutenant-Governor: a bill intituled Environmental Management Amendment Act, 2022.

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

This bill contains amendments to the Environmental Management Act. The purpose of the proposed amendments is to correct an unintended omission of a subsection reference that occurred when the act was amended in 2019.

Amendments made in 2019 to part 9 of EMA, Bill 17, added a number of investigative tools from the Criminal Code of Canada, including orders, warrants and authorizations. Inadvertently, a subsection reference was omitted, the effect being that conservation officers no longer had authority to detain, in specific circumstances, seized items for up to 12 months. In addition, the authority of the chief conservation officer to withhold things seized in the circumstances just described, when those things are a pollutant or an environmental hazard, were no longer available.

The change is a minor amendment which would restore the two authorities described above and create a significant efficiency for both conservation officers and the courts.

Mr. Speaker: Members, the question is the first reading of the bill.

Motion approved.

[10:40 a.m.]

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

Bill 26, Environmental Management Amendment Act, 2022, introduced, read a first time and ordered to be placed on orders of the day for second reading at the next sitting of the House after today.

BILL M212 — EMERGENCY PROGRAM
AMENDMENT ACT, 2022

T. Stone presented a bill intituled Emergency Program Amendment Act, 2022.

T. Stone: I move that the bill intituled the Emergency Program Amendment Act, 2022, of which notice has been given in my name on the order paper, be introduced and read a first time now.

While we hope to never relive the extreme climate events of 2021, the reality is that these occurrences are becoming more frequent, with increasingly devastating consequences. This is leading to increased costs for disaster victims and the inability to access insurance in high-risk areas.

The purpose of disaster financial assistance is to help individuals who are unable to purchase insurance coverage. Unfortunately, the program has remained largely unchanged over the last 50 years, and it’s failing to fulfil its intended purpose in a world experiencing climate change. There is a desperate need to update the DFA program to proactively address these new challenges, fill gaps and address the continued downward spiral of increasing insurance costs and shrinking coverage.

This bill calls on government to take measures that will address emerging issues and better protect homeowners and small businesses, including streamlining and simplifying the DFA claim process; setting and defining an affordability metric for the DFA’s reasonably and readily available insurance criteria; expanding the scope of DFA to address issues pertaining to micro-pockets of the province where no insurance coverage is available for a given disaster event; extending the application deadline to 120 days from the current 60 days from the date DFA was authorized; extending the appeal process to address applications rejected due to missing information; removing an exclusion that will not grant DFA support for costs related to any contents located in basements, crawl spaces or similar low-lying storage areas, unless these areas are being used as essential living areas for homeowners; and developing a government grant program for homeowners in high-risk areas to help offset the high cost of insurance and incentivize individuals to purchase it.

I urge the government to consider changing the regulations and to close existing gaps in DFA eligibility in high-risk areas. With another wildfire season upon us, it’s imperative that the government act quickly.

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

Motion approved.

T. Stone: I move that the bill be placed on the orders of the day for second reading at the next sitting of the House after today.

Bill M212, Emergency Program Amendment Act, 2022, introduced, read a first time and ordered to be placed on orders of the day for second reading at the next sitting of the House after today.

Statements
(Standing Order 25B)

SUMMER EVENTS IN WEST KELOWNA

B. Stewart: While I’m a firm believer that there is no better place to be than in West Kelowna at any time of year, it is particularly true in the summertime. The beautiful scenery, warm weather, friendly community and outdoor recreation opportunities make West Kelowna the perfect place to live or visit during the summer months. In addition to visiting wineries or spending time on the lake, people in the community also have the opportunity to enjoy and take part in numerous events throughout the season, many of which are starting up again for the first time in many years.

The Hungry Hungry Half marathon is back for its seventh year this Saturday, June 4, with five-kilometre, ten-kilometre and 21-kilometre races taking place, as well as a one-kilometre kids race. Funds raised at this event will go to the Central Okanagan Food Bank. Over the past six years, the event has raised over $47,000 for this vital organization.

One of the things I love to take part in is…. Music in the Park will be back on Fridays. That’s free music in the park from July 15 to September 2, with performances by incredible artists like Ben Klick, Jackson Hollow and the Westbank Country Opry.

July will also feature the return of Westside Daze, a weekend event that brings the whole community together. Over three days, people can come and enjoy everything from live performances to a midway, parade, fireworks and even a pancake breakfast. It will be a wonderful event for the whole family and a joyful return to normal after a few challenging years.

Whether you live in West Kelowna or just find yourself passing through, come and enjoy everything the community has to offer. I hope to see you there.

CHILLIWACK PRIDE SOCIETY AND
SCHOLARSHIPS FOR LGBTQ2S+ STUDENTS

K. Paddon: A year ago today, during Pride Month, I spoke of how Pride is blooming in Chilliwack-Kent. I’m especially honoured today that I get to speak during Pride Month again, while joining us in the gallery we have several board members of the Chilliwack Pride Society, because we have an exciting announcement to share.

Beginning this year, in partnership with Chilliwack Pride, I am happy to announce that we are co-funding three new scholarships, available to 2SLGBTQ+ community members residing in Chilliwack and Kent.

[10:45 a.m.]

Chilliwack Pride president Teri Westerby said it best when he described the importance of our partnership in this work:

“Education is the cornerstone of our society. The Chilliwack Pride Society believes that everyone deserves the opportunity to pursue their dreams and have access to a post-secondary education. The LGBTQ2S+ community faces incredible educational barriers. Many folks are not accepted at home or among their peers, whether it’s because of their gender identity or because of who they love. With these scholarships, we hope to lessen the financial barriers of our community to access their post-secondary education and, ultimately, their dreams.”

I couldn’t agree more. That’s why there is no age restriction, and these scholarships are open to any post-secondary program. We funded two scholarships to be available for students living in Chilliwack or Kent who identify as LGBTQ+, and the third scholarship is available for an Indigenous student who identifies as two-spirit.

Starting today, until September 2, submissions can be made by video, written, audio — anything that tells us about you. You can find out more and submit online at chilliwackpridescholarship.com, by emailing my office or even dropping it off at our table at Chilliwack Pride on August 21. It is exciting to watch as Pride grows across our community and to see new things develop, new opportunities take shape.

Thank you for the time to share this great news.

LAKE WINDERMERE AMBASSADORS SOCIETY

D. Clovechok: Today I would like to recognize one of the many organizations along the Columbia River system who are committed to maintaining the social, environmental and economic benefits of Lake Windermere near the headwaters of the Columbia River.

The Lake Windermere Ambassadors are a society formed by a group of concerned citizens from a diverse background, including members of the Shuswap Indian Band and the ?Akisq’nuk First Nation, all interested in directing water, monitoring and stewardship of Lake Windermere.

Located in the Columbia Valley, Lake Windermere is, technically, a widening of the Columbia River just south of Invermere and north of the headwater community of Canal Flats, all in my riding of Columbia River–Revelstoke.

The ambassadors strive to support recreational and traditional uses of the lake, high fish and wildlife values, economic prosperity and serve as resource for projects benefiting the ecological health of the lake. They also closely work with an amazing group of people, Living Lakes Canada, which is also headquartered in Invermere.

The ambassadors are active in conducting such things as water monitoring and community outreach to realize the vision of healthy waters for healthy communities. The board of directors of the society have been designated the lake management committee by two local governments: the regional district of East Kootenay and the district of Invermere.

The ambassadors provide advisory and non-regulatory commentary regarding proposed zoning alterations or applications for changes on the foreshore environment surrounding Lake Windermere. They provide public education to the community about the Lake Windermere management plan and specific recommendations, including safe and responsible boating practices, zoning regulations and the overall lake health.

This year they’re working on the shoreline tenure holders and the property owners to implement the Green Shores program, an initiative that provides science-based tools and practices to help people restore the shoreline, ecosystem and functions.

Without water, there is no life. I want to thank the so many dedicated volunteers that work with the Lake Windermere Ambassadors to ensure that our lake water system remains healthy for those here today and for those who are yet to come.

GRADUATES OF 2022 IN
VERNON-MONASHEE AREA

H. Sandhu: Today I rise in this House to extend my best wishes and congratulations to the 2022 grads from Vernon-Monashee, their families and their amazing teachers. Next week, on June 10, the first of our grad classes from Kalamalka Secondary will celebrate, and those from Charles Bloom, Clarence Fulton, W.L. Seaton, Vernon Christian School and Vernon Secondary School will follow throughout June.

Dear grads, as you cross the stage this year, I hope you understand the diploma you receive represents more than 12 years of formal education. It represents the challenges you faced, the relationships you built, the skills you honed and the memories you made. Your efforts are an investment in yourself and your future. I hope you all remember this feeling of accomplishment in your upcoming ceremony and for the rest of your life. Let this feeling be a light to guide you when things get difficult. You can do anything you set your mind to.

[10:50 a.m.]

This graduation season, I hope you take a moment to reflect on those that helped you to get you to where you are — your families, friends, guidance counsellors, coaches and, of course, your teachers.

The teachers in this province have been a strong symbol of strength these past two years. They have shown their strength, compassion, resiliency, patience, creativity, flexibility and ability to adapt to anything that came in their way. I ask you to all reflect on and show your gratitude to your teachers’ contribution in your success. I hope your teachers’ display of dedication inspires you as you face challenges in the future.

You are our future and hope. It is a big world out there. Go out and seize it, and do not let anything stop you from pursuing your goals.

Please join me to commemorate this very important milestone achieved by Vernon-Monashee’s class of 2022 and all the grads across the province.

RESTORATION OF
DAAJING GIIDS VILLAGE NAME

A. Olsen: This statement was written by Gud Takin Jaad, B.C. Green caucus intern and proud Haida.

In 2019, the Skidegate Haida immersion program submitted a request to the Queen Charlotte city council to change the municipality’s name back to the traditional village site. After over three years, on May 16, the council voted unanimously to give the colonial name, Queen Charlotte city, back to the Crown. The municipality, just south of Skidegate, is reclaiming the traditional village name, Daajing Giids.

Our people have endured centuries of colonization, forced resettlement, disease, the stealing of our ancestors and children and attempted destruction of our culture. Yet still we survived. A population of 30,000 was decimated by smallpox to a mere 600 Haida, yet we survived.

The changing of a name may not seem significant. After all, it’s only a few words. But to the First Peoples of this land, it means everything. It shows that, despite the acts to diminish us, we are still strong. We are still here, and our place names deserve to reflect that.

Indigenous place names are so important for everyone in reconnecting with the land upon which we live. Our culture is the language, is the land, is the water, is the people. For our places to reflect traditional names that are so deeply tied to the culture and so deeply linked with the livelihoods we have been living since time immemorial is not something insignificant.

I celebrate the reclamation of Daajing Giids. I celebrate the community and the people on Haida Gwaii that worked so hard to get to this point, and I want to celebrate all nations and communities that seek to reclaim their traditional place names, that continue to fight back against the centuries of colonization we were forced to endure.

We’re still here. We’re still strong. We are Haida.

HÍSW̱ḴE, Gud Takin Jaad.

PRIDE AND LGBTQ2S+ HISTORY

S. Chandra Herbert: I think it’s important we understand our history so we know how to build a better future. I speak for those that come after us.

Many have said it’s Pride Month in B.C, but I need to set the record straight or, should I say, gayly forward. Pride Month. People talk about it because of Stonewall in New York City, but I think we need to acknowledge that in this province, in this place, 2SLGBTQ+ people have a history that goes back millennia.

It wasn’t until colonialism that the hate that many people have been led to feel started to fester in communities because of the advent of the church targeting First Nations Indigenous communities, where being two-spirit, in many communities, was just a matter of course. Gender was not as we were forced to understand it, and we’re slowly peeling that back now.

Let’s make that point first. Pride did not start, LGBT folks did not start with Trudeau in 1969 or any of those kinds of things we are told. It was here long before.

In B.C., we have heroes. I won’t name them because, really, they didn’t do this for themselves. They did this for everyone so that others wouldn’t have to feel the torment and the hatred, the loss, that they themselves felt.

[10:55 a.m.]

In 1958, we had some of our first protests outside of courthouses, where individuals held up signs saying, “I am a human being,” because they were treated like they were animals.

In 1971, in August…. I say August because it’s not June. August is when so much of our LGBTQ2S+ history takes place in terms of activism, of turning back the tides. We had rallies. We had protests. Indeed, August has continued to be at that forefront.

I’ve run out of time because the history is long and the history is vast of people standing up when hate was breathing down their necks. They did it not to be named and to be known but to be loved, to feel love so that others could feel love for being who they are in a community, in a real community of love and acceptance.

Happy Pride in June. Happy Pride in July. Happy Pride in August. Happy Pride every day of the year, because everybody should feel loved every day of the year.

Oral Questions

DEATH OF CHILD AFTER HOSPITAL CARE
AND FAMILY ACCESS TO INFORMATION

K. Falcon: All week we have been raising concerns about the crisis in health care and the impact it’s having on people right across this province.

Five months ago Cinzia Rossi rushed her eight-year-old son, Jaxon, to the Abbotsford Regional Hospital. Young Jaxon was screaming in pain, with violent headaches and violently throwing up. But instead of getting the care he needed, Jaxon was discharged with some Advil, and his parents were told to come back the next day if it got worse. Tragically, things did get worse. Young Jaxon died the next day at B.C. Children’s.

My question is to the Premier. What does the Premier have to say to the Rossi family and to so many others who aren’t getting the health care they need due to our understaffed hospitals that are overwhelmed with patients?

Hon. A. Dix: The loss of a child in these circumstances, the loss of a child in any circumstances, is tragic. In these circumstances, of course, we can’t speak to the specific case. It would be totally, I think, inappropriate for me to speak to that in this House. Our hearts go out to everyone involved — especially the family but, of course, to everybody involved. Everybody would be gutted by the circumstances. Surely, everybody in this House is gutted by these circumstances.

In general, decisions about what actions to be taken are led by emergency room staff, particularly doctors. They make decisions and assessments, and they consult with families about a course of action. That’s in general.

In this case, the executive director of Abbotsford Regional General Hospital and the staff medical director met with the family this week. Supports are going out to the family. There is a review going on, an independent review of the case, by the patient care quality council, which is the appropriate place for these issues to be assessed and for recommendations to be made.

That’s the process that is going on. Our hearts go out to everybody involved.

Mr. Speaker: Leader of the Official Opposition, supplemental.

K. Falcon: The problem is that this situation has been compounded by the lack of transparency from this government. The minister just said, and Fraser Health concurs, that they’re refusing to speak to the specifics of Jaxon’s care, claiming that they’re unable to do so, even though they’ve got the written consent of the parents to do so.

Now, according to the Privacy Commissioner of B.C., this position taken by the government is just wrong. Michael McEvoy says: “A public body might have other reasons for not wanting to release the information, but privacy won’t be one of them.”

Will the Premier direct the Health Minister to ensure the release of all the details of what went horribly wrong in the tragic and unnecessary death of Jaxon Rossi?

Hon. A. Dix: That is, of course, not what I said. I really think this discussion requires solemnity. The circumstances of Jaxon’s death require that from all of us.

[11:00 a.m.]

In this case, all information belongs to the family, and all information will be provided to the family — not to the news media or to others but to the family. It’s their information to do with as they see fit.

As I understand it, the staff medical director met with the family this week. They’ll be meeting with the family again. There’s a request for information about the case. All of that information will be provided to the family. Those are the circumstances in the case. That’s as it should be. The member is a former Minister of Health, as is the Health critic. They understand this. That information belongs to them, and it will be provided to them.

S. Bond: We have an overwhelmed health care system that failed this family. Health information belongs to the patient, not the government, and they owe it to this family and all British Columbians to be fully transparent about what happened. Parents have a right to know.

Cinzia Rossi says — not my words, the words of a grieving mother: “I don’t understand why my son doesn’t deserve a voice. It’s outrageous. It sickens me.”

Of course we treat this with solemnity. A young boy lost his life. What these parents want this minister to do is to ensure that they receive the information they are entitled to.

Fraser Health acknowledged that, until last month, they were even unaware that Jaxon had died on December 28. This means there was a total breakdown of communication between health authorities. That’s just a symptom of what’s going on in our health care system.

To the minister, what went wrong, and what is he going to do to ensure that it never happens to a family again in this province?

Hon. A. Dix: I said it the previous time. I know it’s important that the opposition ask questions. The family will have all the information — full stop.

The family will have all the information. It belongs to them. Upon their request, they will have it. That is my expec­tation, and that is what will happen.

Mr. Speaker: Member for Prince George–Valemount, supplemental.

S. Bond: I can say this to the minister. No family should have to go to the media to ask that information that they deserve, that belongs to them, is given to them. When a tragedy happens, the onus should not be on a grieving family to make sure that there is communication between health authorities. That’s the minister’s job. It’s not their job to figure out, after the loss of their child, how to initiate a review process.

It has been five months. No action from the government. When the family asked questions, they were stonewalled.

The question the family is asking is: how are they supposed to trust this government? How are they supposed to get the information that they deserve, when they have been the only ones looking for answers about the loss of their son for the last five months?

Hon. A. Dix: One, there’s an independent review underway. It should be independent, and it should be the right of every family to request such a review. That’s a decision that we made as a Legislature, that I support and that, I believe, members of the opposition support.

Those reviews were brought in under a predecessor of mine as Minister of Health, Mr. Abbott. I strongly support that process and that independent review. Its indepen­dence is fundamental for patients and for all staff in B.C. There are obviously circumstances here that require and have led to this request for a review.

It’s ongoing, first of all. Second, with respect to information regarding an individual’s health, that information belongs to the patient. Fraser Health will be providing that information. The executive director of Abbotsford Regional Hospital and the staff medical director have met with the family. It’s certainly my expectation and my intent that all information related to the case be shared with the family. That’s an important distinction.

[11:05 a.m.]

Of course, we don’t debate the actions of medical professionals in the Legislature, the specific actions they take in particular cases. Of course we don’t, and members of the House will understand that. I think they’ll also understand the absolute right of the family to that information. It is my expectation that they’ll get it, and they will.

FLOOD AND WILDFIRE PREPAREDNESS

S. Furstenau: I think we’ve seen a pattern emerge in this government of becoming very good at shielding itself from accountability, when the public needs to know that they’re actually here to serve them.

News articles this week show how this province needs to do better to prepare us for floods, fires and landslides. In a quick scan of what we’re hearing in the media, the Vancouver Sun says: “More Potentially Fatal Landslides, Severe Flooding Ahead Unless B.C. Enacts Reforms.” CBC says: “Emergency Operations Centre Activated on B.C.’s North Coast in Anticipation of Flooding.” And from the Vancouver Sun earlier in May: “We’re Not Prepared When Extreme Wildfires, Flooding Hit B.C.”

Allan Chapman, the former head of the river forecast centre, said that the Premier “deflects accountability for failures within government.” He said that the floods and landslides that we saw last year were all foreseeable. They weren’t only tied to climate change. According to the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives, they were tied to poor land management practices, like extensive logging and logging roads in river valleys and on mountain slopes. He said that the provincial government had all the information they needed to heed the warnings to vulnerable communities and to plan ahead but that that’s not what happened last year.

My question is to the Premier. What has he done differently this year to prepare British Columbians for the disasters, exacerbated by reckless land use practices, that we’re guaranteed to see?

Hon. K. Conroy: I thank the member for the question. I’m only too happy to talk about everything that we have done to get ready for this year.

As the member has said, it is an issue around climate change, but there are issues around other things. We know that there are opportunities to mitigate these situations.

For instance, the member referred to some of the articles and referred to forest service roads. We are committed to improving the work that needs to be done on forest service roads in this province. We’ve actually created a new forest service road data system. This allows us to track the road use permit users and also the maintainers on forest service roads. It’s really important work that also needs to be done to do the inspection on forest service roads.

We also made recent changes this last fall to the Forest and Range Practices Act that give government greater management and greater control over forest roads. It protects public safety as well as the environment, which is critically important. We’re committed to ensuring that forest service road networks remain safe.

At the same time we’ve also increased…. The member talked about the river forecast centre team. We have, in line with our commitment to climate preparedness and adaption, increased staffing levels at the river forecast centre. We’ve added new employees to support river modelling and forecasting, as well as recruiting for more employees to come in. We also are bringing other new roles in, which has recently been finalized, to focus on information technology and tech­nical capacity. That will also be posted shortly.

We are committed to ensuring that we are prepared for the season, regardless of what it brings, and we will do that.

Mr. Speaker: Leader of the Third Party, supplemental.

GOVERNMENT ACCOUNTABILITY
AND AWARENESS OF ISSUES

S. Furstenau: We sure hear a lot from this government about being committed to something in the future, committed to things. “We did these inputs.” But we don’t hear a lot about the outcomes.

This government has made gaslighting its organizing principle for communications. What people need from this government is to recognize the reality that they are experiencing — whether it’s people who can’t get back to their town because it has burnt down and hasn’t been rebuilt, farmers who can’t grow crops because their fields got flooded, people who can’t afford basic necessities like food and rent or people who can’t get their cancer test re­sults because they don’t have a family doctor.

The Premier uses this government’s communication machine to pat themselves on the back and take jabs at their opponents. Meanwhile, they ignore looming crises. They’re out of touch with the reality that British Colum­bians are experiencing.

[11:10 a.m.]

With a few notable exceptions — Minister of Agriculture, Minister of Transportation, Minister of Child Care and the Attorney General — what we have gotten over the course of budget estimates and question periods in this session are message boxes that don’t acknowledge the reality of what British Columbians are telling us.

They feel fear. They feel anxiety about the future. They feel financial pressures. They are experiencing mental health and health impacts. There is a broken trust with this government. The Premier thinks that to recognize reality is to succumb to despair. But the truth is that being honest is essential to providing hope for a more secure future.

My question is to the Premier. Can he be honest about the state of affairs in this province?

Hon. M. Farnworth: I think questioning the integrity of any member of this House, particularly the Premier, through a rambling statement without a question attached to it…. Quite frankly, I find it offensive.

Interjections.

Mr. Speaker: Members. Members, the Chair allowed the statement made by the Leader of the Third Party. There was no question yet….

Interjections.

Mr. Speaker: Members. Members, let’s not cross the line.

Now let’s hear what the Government House Leader has to say.

Hon. M. Farnworth: Thank you, hon. Speaker.

I know the member said that there was no question, but there definitely will be an answer. In this rambling statement, the member sort of went over a whole series of issues, and I just want to set the record straight.

It doesn’t matter what the issue is. Whether it is in education, whether it is in health care, whether it is in transportation, whether it is in forestry, whether it is in land use, this government is working every single day to improve the lives of British Columbians. We have been doing it with a budget that deals with issues around affordability.

Interjections.

Mr. Speaker: Members.

Hon. M. Farnworth: It’s why there’s a rebate going out, as we speak, to millions of policyholders.

Interjections.

Mr. Speaker: Members. Members will come to order. Members.

Please continue.

Hon. M. Farnworth: Thank you, hon. Speaker.

This government’s job is being done every day by ensuring that the priorities of British Columbians come first and foremost. That’s what we will do. That’s why we’re over there. That’s what we will continue to do for the next 2½ years of this session.

GOVERNMENT ACTION ON
ISSUES IN HEALTH CARE SYSTEM

L. Doerkson: The government may not like to hear it, but there is a health care crisis going on in every single corner of the province. They’ve shown just exactly how completely disconnected they are from the reality of health care in Cariboo-Chilcotin and rural British Columbia.

In recent weeks, we’ve had a 14-year-old unable to get an ambulance for two hours after going into cardiac arrest — two hours. Last week there were ten-hour waits in the emergency department in Cariboo Memorial Hospital for multiple patients waiting all night for care. This past month we saw a day that our hospital was staffed at 60 percent with a patient capacity of 175. The minister must recognize that this is a crisis by every single measure.

When is this NDP government going to prioritize fixing the health care crisis in this province instead of the Pre­mier’s $1 billion vanity museum project?

Hon. A. Dix: Of course, the first visit I made as Minister of Health was to Williams Lake, and it was during the wildfires, to meet with staff at that hospital. What they said to me is that they’d been waiting years for the major capital project in Williams Lake to be undertaken.

Interjection.

[11:15 a.m.]

Hon. A. Dix: Well, the question, I believe, was about capital. That’s what I heard.

Interjections.

Mr. Speaker: Shhh, Members. Members.

Members, there will be a supplemental.

Hon. A. Dix: The question was about capital priorities. The first meeting I had, and the first project approved at concept plan, was the Cariboo Memorial Hospital. The first project approved at business plan, after years of wait, was the Cariboo Memorial Hospital. And the Cariboo Memorial Hospital project is going forward and being built.

I think that’s an important thing for people in Williams Lake. That is what health care workers and nurses and doctors said to me when I first went there.

Over the last two years and four months now, we’ve been in the midst of the global public health emergency that is the COVID-19 pandemic and the public health emergency that is the overdose crisis, which affect, of course, people in the member’s community and everywhere else in B.C. That’s why, in this time, we’ve given such priority to health care, and 30,000 more people are working in health care today than two years ago — 30,000 more. We know that, because we count them.

They can repeat inaccurate information all they like, but we actually count the number of people that are working in health care, and it’s 30,000 more.

Interjections.

Mr. Speaker: Members, shhh.

Hon. A. Dix: The challenge and the continuing challenge of the pandemic mean that we have to continue to do more. And we are. So 604 new nursing spaces, new nursing spaces in regions of the province, 6,500 new people supporting long-term care and supports for people around the province.

The COVID-19 pandemic is not over. The COVID-19 pandemic is not over, and it affects Interior Health more than any other health authority, as the member will know. We’re going to continue to do the work, continue to make the investments at Cariboo Memorial Hospital and everywhere else.

T. Shypitka: In my riding, the Elkford hospital has been closed, until further notice, since last September — going on a year now — forcing people to drive an hour or two to get to an emergency department.

Meanwhile, at the regional hospital, Dr. Kari Nishi, from Cranbrook, says: “We are in crisis. It is getting worse and worse, including in the East Kootenays. The ship has already hit the iceberg. It is sinking, and the ship is creaking. It feels like we are rearranging the deck chairs as the ship is about to split in half.” Instead of doing something, the Premier is fiddling while the ship is sinking.

Why won’t the Premier cancel his $1 billion vanity museum project and take action to fix this crisis?

Hon. A. Dix: The member will know, in his constituency and everywhere else, the challenges that the health care system has taken on over the last two years. He’ll know….

Interjections.

Mr. Speaker: Members.

Hon. A. Dix: The yelling from the Leader of the Opposition after the second sentence, I think, reflects the seriousness with which he takes the issue.

In any event, for 2½ years, health care workers have given everything and have achieved extraordinary things, including in Interior Health, in the most difficult of circumstances.

For example, in March of 2020, significant surgeries were cancelled or delayed in B.C. We made up…. And 99 percent of them were completed. We completed more surgeries in the last year, during a pandemic, than at any time in the last health care system, including in the last couple of weeks.

Interjections.

Mr. Speaker: Members.

Hon. A. Dix: We are continuing to support health care everywhere in British Columbia. They can continue to yell, but the investment in rural health care, the investment and support for health care workers, the addition of health care workers, the raising of long-term-care standards….

All of these things have taken place during a pandemic, and we’re going to continue to do this work on behalf of the people of B.C.

[11:20 a.m.]

PROPOSED MEDICAL SCHOOL AT
SIMON FRASER UNIVERSITY
AND MUSEUM REPLACEMENT PROJECT

B. Banman: Tanya is a health care worker in Abbotsford, and she says: “I’m 48. I don’t have a family doctor. I have aging parents who need more personalized care with their health complications. I have a son in university who desperately wants to be a doctor, but the lack of available seats in medical school make it near impossible for him to get in.”

Unfortunately for Tanya and her family, rather than deal with the current health care crisis, the Premier chooses to build a $1 billion vanity museum project instead of the promised second medical school in Surrey.

Question. Why is the Premier’s $1 billion vanity project more important than a second medical school?

Hon. A. Dix: When I became Minister of Health, I looked at the situation in the emergency department at Abbotsford Regional general hospital, a hospital that had only recently been built, by the way. The emergency room was such a problem that we had to rebuild it a few years later. We had to rebuild it.

You know what, hon. Speaker? Concept plan, business plan, project complete — in Abbotsford, in his constituency.

Interjections.

Mr. Speaker: Members. Members, order.

Hon. A. Dix: I assume that the members opposite are yelling in favour of such a successful project. One to 12, across the front bench, projects in their riding that are underway or being completed — one through 12. I’ll save the members the time of listing them off. They’re in their ridings. They know what they are.

With respect, in addition, for health care workers in Abbotsford and everywhere else who had their work contracted out by the previous government, their pensions taken away by the previous government, we are bringing those contracts back.

Interjections.

Mr. Speaker: Members.

Thank you, Minister.

Hon. A. Dix: To wrap up, 11 years ago — it was actually 13 years ago, come to think of it — the previous government set standards for long-term care for staffing. They set standards for long-term care for staffing.

Interjections.

Mr. Speaker: Members.

Hon. A. Dix: When I became Minister of Health, 90 percent of care homes didn’t meet the standards. What have we done? We’ve brought the standards up. That’s what you do when you take action.

DEATH OF COMMUNITY LIVING CLIENT
AND PRIOR ACCESS TO SUPPORTS

T. Halford: The Premier has prioritized a $1 billion vanity project in his own riding, but he is failing to deliver critical support. Reports have confirmed that the victim of a tragic homicide last week in Sooke was a client of Community Living B.C. Jamie Joe was in his mid-20s and living in a home-share situation as part of a CLBC program.

According to Karin McKenzie, who looked after Joe for the last six years, Jamie and his companion were both refused supports they needed from that ministry. “They both aged out. The supports dropped off, and everybody pointed the finger at everybody else and said: ‘It’s your job.’ Had either one of them gotten the supports they deserved, they wouldn’t have been in this situation.”

Despite repeated attempts by Jamie’s caregiver to seek further support for him in the months leading up to his homicide, she was fired, in her words, “for causing too much trouble.”

[11:25 a.m.]

Can the minister responsible stand up and explain why his ministry failed time and time again to give this individual the supports they needed that could potentially have saved this man’s life?

Hon. N. Simons: I appreciate the question from the member opposite. My first thought is, obviously, to express my condolences for all those who’ve been impacted by this tragedy.

As the member well knows, the current situation is under active investigation. It would be absolutely inappropriate of me to make further comment, other than to say that every situation that comes across my desk is an opportunity to learn and address issues. But as it’s under investigation, it would be inappropriate for me to speak about this specific incident.

P. Milobar: This is a very serious situation. Unfortunately…

Interjection.

Mr. Speaker: Please continue.

P. Milobar: …based on previous actions by this minister, many that seek help from CLBC don’t have a lot of faith in the ministry and the minister right now.

The question was fairly straightforward. Why did the minister not take appropriate actions before the death? Not about the investigation now. Why were there not proper steps being taken before the death, by the ministry that he is directly responsible for, to prevent this unnecessary death from happening in the first place?

Hon. N. Simons: Thank you for the question.

As I mentioned, this is an active investigation. It’s inappropriate for me to comment about it.

I would point out that Community Living B.C. provides support to thousands of British Columbians. Community Living B.C. addresses issues as they arise, and since this is an investigation that is currently active, the member well knows that it would be inappropriate for me to comment any further.

[End of question period.]

Reports from Committees

FINANCE AND GOVERNMENT
SERVICES COMMITTEE

J. Routledge: I have the honour to present the first report of the Select Standing Committee on Finance and Government Services for the third session of the 42nd parliament titled Interim Report of Statutory Officers.

I move that the report be taken as read and received.

Interjections.

Mr. Speaker: Members, let’s have some quiet, please.

Motion approved.

J. Routledge: I ask leave of the House to move a motion to adopt the report.

Leave granted.

Mr. Speaker: Please continue.

J. Routledge: I move that the report be adopted. In doing so, I would like to make some brief comments.

This report summarizes the committee’s discussions with the province’s nine statutory offices at the spring update meetings. These meetings are part of the committee’s process for ongoing engagement with each office and provide an opportunity for committee members to receive financial and operational updates from each office.

The committee appreciates the presentations provided by each office and their continued efforts to find operational efficiencies and internal savings at a time of unprecedented financial pressures. Committee members also appreciate how the offices are using experiences from the pandemic to adapt their offices to become more effective and responsive.

On behalf of the committee and all members of the Legislative Assembly, I extend our appreciation to all statutory officers and their staff for the important work they undertake in support of Members of the Legislative Assembly and British Columbians.

I would like to acknowledge and extend our appreciation to staff in the Parliamentary Committees Office for their support during this process. Thank you to Jennifer Arril, Ron Wall, Natalie Beaton, Mary Newell and Emma Curtis.

I would also like to take this opportunity to thank all committee members — especially the Deputy Chair, the member for West Vancouver–Capilano — for their support and diligent work on this committee.

[11:30 a.m.]

K. Kirkpatrick: I’d first like to recognize the parliamentary committee staff for the work they do. It is no easy task to take all of the information that is presented to the committee and synthesize it down into a clear, concise report, which they have done masterfully.

I’d also like to express my appreciation to the statutory officers for taking the time to prepare for and meet with the committee. Each report to the committee was well thought out, clear and supportive of the information that the committee needs to meet its duty for proper oversight. As a new member of this committee, the reports from the statutory offices were extremely helpful for me to understand the great breadth and depth of the work of these independent offices.

A final note of appreciation to the committee Chair, from Burnaby North — if I just said your constituency wrong, I apologize — for her leadership and to my fellow committee members.

Mr. Speaker: The question is adoption of the report.

Motion approved.