Orders of the Day

Private Members’ Statements

ANCIENT LANDSLIDE

L. Doerkson: I rise in the House today to speak on an issue of great concern to my constituents.

Terra Ridge is a cherished neighbourhood in Williams Lake known for its seniors living and strong sense of community. The appeal of this neighbourhood has been recognized for decades, and there’s every reason to believe that it will remain a wonderful place to live for years to come.

[J. Tegart in the chair.]

On September 29, four homes within Terra Ridge were ordered to evacuate after a structural integrity report found that they were no longer habitable. While these four units have been condemned, the majority of these units remain completely untouched and unaffected by the ancient landslide.

I’ve had the privilege of visiting Terra Ridge numerous times and can attest to the beauty and the quality of these units, perched gracefully on a gentle slope, offering picturesque views of Williams Lake and, of course, our beloved city.

It’s not just the scenery that makes Terra Ridge special. It’s the residents that create such a terrific sense of community. Terra Ridge has always been renowned as a wonderful home for seniors, offering a warm and inclusive community for residents to call home, host a family gathering and welcome trick or treaters for Halloween. I know that these cherished traditions and strong sense of community will continue.

While 76 units remain in good condition, the situation for the four units impacted by this landslide is absolutely dire. This slow-moving ancient landslide has been a known issue for years, with various levels of government conducting research and studies. Unfortunately, these efforts have yet to yield clear solutions to address the problem effectively. The existing solutions presented seem uncertain at best.

The sad reality is that the residents of these four units are now paying for this inaction. People have lost their family homes, for most of them the most significant investment they will ever purchase. After large cracks started appearing in the foundation of their homes, the residents of these four units were put on evacuation orders and forced to immediately evacuate.

In such cases, our province is expected to provide a safety net through disaster financial assistance. However, it appears that in this case residents may not qualify for this program due to the definition of unexpected and sudden loss not being met. I must express my bewilderment at this classification. In my view, the circumstances unquestionably represent a matter of unexpected and sudden loss.

[10:10 a.m.]

This program is meant to provide support in times of need, natural disasters and events beyond a resident’s control. These people were forced to suddenly evacuate due to earth moving below their homes, a situation well beyond their control that certainly couldn’t have been anticipated.

Governments are actively working to understand the extent of the slide’s impact on Terra Ridge, the community and essential infrastructure in our community, such as Highway 20. In the absence of immediate solutions to curb the slide, we really must deploy every single tool at our disposal to support these vulnerable residents. Leaving seniors who have contributed enormously to our community to suffer from massive financial loss is unacceptable and simply not an option.

While disaster financial assistance is needed to help these residents in the long run, we must also address the existing challenges facing these people in the short term. In the face of disaster and uncertainty, the most pressing question for them is, frankly: where will they sleep tonight? This is where emergency support services comes in. It’s vital that this support continues through the immediate aftermath of an event like this one. These residents were given just hours’ notice to leave, and they currently find themselves stuck in limbo, with no clear solutions in sight.

While the ESS support program is absolutely of immediate help, and I’m grateful for that, the constant timelines and reapplication processes and the other unnecessary stresses that have been placed on these residents through this program are unbelievable. Residents worried about where their next meal will come from or where they are going to sleep tonight should not be burdened with frequent reapplications and bureaucracy just to get the assistance that they need to survive.

Madam Speaker, imagine the stress going through one’s mind, being evacuated due to flood, fire or landslides, knowing that you will never, ever return to that home. We owe this to these individuals to streamline this process and to make it as straightforward as possible. Although this program has been very beneficial, there’s certainly room for improvement in its efficiency to provide optimal support to those that desperately need this after a disaster.

As for the Terra Ridge residents who have lost their homes, most are currently in hotels, while one is residing with her daughter far from her community with no financial assistance at all. There is no time to delay, no time to wait for the next disaster. We must improve these programs now. It’s long overdue. The residents of Terra Ridge, the people of Kelowna, the Shuswap, northern B.C. and, frankly, all over British Columbia that have been forced to evacuate this summer are counting on us to get this right.

We need to see all levels of government working together to mitigate the impact of future disasters and to support residents when they require it. I do look forward to hearing solutions brought forward by the members opposite to help the owners of these four units and, of course, all British Columbians needing support from disaster financial assistance and emergency services.

R. Russell: Thank you to the member for Cariboo-Chilcotin for both his words and his passion on behalf of his constituents.

I will, of course, start by recognizing the challenges and appreciation of just how hard it is. I know, from reading an article a few days ago, the challenges for Debbie Graham’s parents, for example, in that facility who have been evacuated. As the member spoke to, they have been in the community for a great deal of time.

I think many of us, probably, in this place have now gone through the experience of evacuation. I certainly have myself. I know how hard that was. It was a much shorter period of time and a situation where I was able to relocate with somebody that I knew, and it still was extremely difficult. So I share the pain that the member refers to around seeing residents go through an experience like that. So I understand that challenge.

[10:15 a.m.]

I also will say that I can, I think, commiserate, to some degree, with the member around the challenges of disaster financial assistance and some of the expectations that the broader community, the public at large has in terms of what that is able to deliver and the reality of what that tool is and how it works and recognizing some of those challenges.

Certainly for myself, in my own experience, having gone through that and running up against many challenges…. For things such as farm operators that have a corporate ownership on their home and then discovered that they’re not eligible historically because of that corporate ownership, or local governments…. As the member mentioned, this is certainly a shared responsibility among different levels of government when you get some of the local authorities coming forward to help and struggling with the cost-sharing formulas within DFA.

The happy news to report, I guess, is that over the last couple of years, we have seen changes in a number of those components of DFA. We have seen that cost-sharing formula for local authorities drop from a 20 percent cost share to a 5 to 10 percent cost share, which makes it more doable.

We have seen changes where communities, like Lytton, were struggling with the structure of DFA in the sense that they were obliged to pay for everything and then ask for reimbursement. So those things have been changed, which is great to see.

We have seen minimum income thresholds for small businesses change, because certainly in rural communities, many people have many, many different jobs. So the notion that “if you can’t show 50 percent of your income as coming from that source, it is ineligible” was problematic for our rural small businesses. So those things have changed.

Those kinds of modernization pieces to DFA are very important and recognize what the member is speaking about, I think to some degree, in terms of those challenges with disaster financial assistance and with emergency support services. So it’s good to see those pieces are getting the attention.

I will also flag the fact that right now those programs…. I don’t think I am permitted to speak about legislation that is currently in front of us here, but I am, I think, permitted to speak to the fact that the regulation is open for public engagement right now.

It is a great opportunity for people across the province who have been struggling with whatever they may have been struggling with, with a program like DFA, to be able to make sure that they get their comments in before December 31 to make sure that the challenges of those programs are well understood within the system and we can work to make them better.

The province some years ago committed, I think probably all of us in this House would agree, to the principles of the Sendai framework for disaster risk recovery. Two key components of that — one is disaster risk reduction; one is shared responsibility — are principles that govern what we’re doing.

That risk reduction…. This is a good example, I think, of where we have to work together to be able to figure out how we come together and help address these problems for our constituents.

I will not have time to get into…. The title of “ancient landslide” led me down a very fascinating path about hazard cascades, and I will put a pin in the Elliot Creek landslide for anybody that is curious about a fascinating ancient slide caused by glacial retreat.

L. Doerkson: Thank you for the comments from across the aisle.

I noted the comments with respect to modernization and cost-sharing and things that are happening within different levels of government. But where the rubber hits the road for these residents, this program is not working. I can appreciate that there have been efforts made to improve it, but it hasn’t improved where people need the funding.

As I expressed earlier, Terra Ridge has long been a beautiful place to live and visit, and I certainly know that that will continue. My heart goes out to the residents, though, of the four units who have lost their homes through circumstances completely outside of their control. I will do everything I can to support them and certainly push for greater support and a real, long-term solution.

[10:20 a.m.]

This is, no doubt, an awful situation. These residents have had their lives turned upside down, and they are living with stress and anxiety, wondering what is next for them.

The sad reality is that the programs being announced and touted as helping British Columbians simply are not working to help the residents of Terra Ridge, and they’re certainly not working to help many in other disaster zones in our province. It needs to change. A lack of support has failed countless British Columbians in the past, and it’s failing these residents right now. We need to absolutely rethink disaster financial assistance and ensure that in cases like Terra Ridge, it activates and pays the residents the full amount of their losses.

This situation was not their fault. There was nothing that these residents could have done to protect themselves. They should not be forced to pay for the failure of a system designed to protect them. Furthermore, we must review our emergency support services program. While this program is incredible, and it has helped British Columbians when immediate need is required, there are certainly some gaps that we could improve on.

In a situation like this where residents could end up homeless — in fact, they have ended up homeless — we must streamline the process and decrease the considerable burden put on those who we absolutely need to help. I want to work together to make both of these programs work more effectively and ensure that the four residents of Terra Ridge evacuated by this horrendous landslide will get the support they need.

R. Russell: May I seek leave to make an introduction?

Leave granted.

Introductions by Members

R. Russell: I had the opportunity this weekend to discover, with a visit from a member opposite to my part of the world, that he was endowed with the award from the Canadian Wildlife Federation of legislator of the year for Canadian wildlife.

I want to acknowledge the member for Prince George–​Mackenzie for an award. We don’t get a lot of recognition, I don’t think, in the broader circles around things we do in this place.

Congratulations.

Deputy Speaker: Thank you, Member.

And congratulations.

Private Members’ Statements

INVISIBLE DISABILITIES WEEK

S. Chant: Before I begin my remarks, I’d like to acknowledge that I’m currently working and staying on the lands of the lək̓ʷəŋən, specifically, the Songhees and the Esquimalt people.

North Vancouver–Seymour, my riding where I live and work, is in the territory of the Coast Salish, specifically, the Tsleil-Waututh and the Squamish Nations.

I am very grateful to have the opportunity to work and learn with these Indigenous communities.

This week I am honoured to highlight Invisible Disabilities Week in the Legislature, celebrating its tenth anniversary of bringing awareness, education and support to people around the world. In British Columbia, more than 926,000 people live with some form of disability, representing about 25 percent of the population. Each of them is an individual with their own unique story to tell.

Within this 25 percent are people living with disabilities that don’t present themselves in the ways that we traditionally think of or that don’t present outwardly at all. This can make it harder for them to get the accessibility aids they need or to have their accessible needs taken seriously.

Invisible Disabilities Week is a great reminder to everyone to be compassionate, as you really have no idea what someone may be going through or what health challenges they may be facing. The disability community is diverse, and the barriers that people experience are also diverse.

While each individual living with a disability has their own lived experience, it’s so important that the global community take the onus to educate themselves on things that they can do to make things easier for the people around them. There are different types of disabilities, and our approach needs to be broad and inclusive and to consider the full range of disabilities people experience, whether they’re short-term, episodic or chronic.

[10:25 a.m.]

I know that many British Columbians are people with invisible disabilities or people with less visible disabilities, from people with chronic health conditions, hidden mobility disabilities or brain injury to people with gastric disorders, fatigue, pain, mental illness, processing disorders and people who are hard of hearing. This group also includes people with neurodiverse disorders, such as varied learning disabilities and autism.

I know that the barriers people face are influenced by many factors, including where they live, discrimination and the attitudes of others. They may include how information is communicated. For instance, speaking very quickly might be a barrier for someone with a speech processing disability.

It could also be an attitude. People with disabilities share their frustration with having questions about them directed at friends and family.

It could be a physical barrier. Blocking the accessible parking space when removing snow is a common issue, we hear, from folks in the North.

None of these barriers are impossible to fix. They just require extra care and thoughtfulness in our day-to-day life.

While there are things that individuals can do to make the world more inclusive, there are also things that our governing bodies can be doing as well. Just as the barriers are diverse, so too are the solutions. That’s why it’s so important that we honour the UN convention on the rights of people with disabilities principle “Nothing about us without us.”

Through my time as an MLA and as the Parliamentary Secretary for Accessibility, I’ve had the privilege of learning and being part of the Accessible British Columbia Act. The Accessible British Columbia Act provides a solid foundation for building a barrier-free B.C., including for those with invisible disabilities.

This legislation was informed by extensive consultation in fall of 2019, has ongoing consultation, including with the provincial accessibility council that was implemented in spring of 2022. It is enabling legislation, and certain areas, such as definitions and standards, are intentionally broad, to ensure that no one or no one area is excluded.

In many ways, the legislation is just beginning. Ongoing consultation and collaboration is essential to ensure an accessible and inclusive British Columbia. The proposed definitions of “disability” and “impairment,” under Bill 6, are in alignment with the social model of disability applied in the United Nations convention on the rights of persons with disabilities.

Under this approach, the focus is on the effects of exclusion and discrimination experienced by the person. It positions disability as a structural issue in which society is responsible for removing these barriers. The proposed definitions do not exclude British Columbians with invisible disabilities from the scope of the legislation.

One of the initial steps under the legislation was related to 750 prescribed public-facing organizations, such as municipalities, school boards, recreation commissions and libraries. These organizations were required to establish accessibility committees, have a plan to address barriers within their organization and have a feedback mechanism in place by September 1 of this year. This work was supported through a number of strategies, including Accessibility B.C. Some of the work that has been done is really impressive and comprehensive.

Another area that has been a focus is increasing access to outdoor activities, such as making trail rider equipment available, which is used to get spinal-cord-injury participants out on trail networks in some of our provincial parks.

As accessibility standards are developed, there is an acute awareness of the diversity of barriers that people with disabilities face. The technical committees advising on standards development include a diverse range of British Columbians who have lived experience of encountering and managing barriers. We are so grateful for their skills, knowledge and wisdom.

These are people with invisible disabilities on the technical committees that assist the provincial accessibility committee in developing recommendations for accessibility standards. The committees will consider a range of factors that can create barriers, such as non-inclusive policies and technologies, inaccessible infrastructure, workplace recruitment practices and lack of appropriate training.

We all want everyone to have the opportunity to enjoy full and equitable participation in their communities. We are working hard to remove barriers for people with disabilities, and everyone benefits when our communities are inclusive and when all people have access to opportunity. We want the doors of opportunity to be open for everyone in B.C., whether or not they have a disability and whether that disability is invisible or visible. Accessibility….

Deputy Speaker: Thank you, Member.

[10:30 a.m.]

D. Davies: Thank you to the member for North Vancouver–Seymour for her words and for raising this important issue.

I’m pleased to rise in the House today to talk about the recognition of invisible disabilities, as well as to bring notice that this is Invisible Disabilities Week.

When we talk about building a more accessible and inclusive British Columbia for those with disabilities, people living with invisible disabilities often feel just that — invisible. Over 20 percent of the people in Canada live with some sort of disability, which means one in five people are facing barriers every day.

In many cases, their situation is invisible to others. This means that people likely won’t be able to tell if a person has a disability by looking at them or communicating with them, making it difficult for people to understand the daily battles that they endure. Often this can lead to people dismissing or diminishing the lived experience of those with invisible disabilities and the profound impact that this has on their daily lives.

These hidden conditions encompass a wide spectrum ranging from chronic pain to diabetes to mental health conditions such as depression, anxiety or bipolar disorder, or learning disabilities such as ADHD, dyslexia or autism.

Individuals living with invisible disabilities confront many of the same barriers as those with visible disabilities while also dealing with their own distinct challenges. Sadly, the invisible nature of the disability can result in delayed support and care. As their needs may be deprioritized or ignored, this can lead to postponed diagnosis, treatment and the essential support that they require.

Stigmatization is another concern faced by people with invisible disabilities. They encounter doubt and skepticism from many of those around them, including family, friends and employers who sometimes delegitimize the disability and fail to provide for the necessary accommodations and support.

Accusations of dishonesty or lack of trust can take a severe mental toll on the well-being of those who live with a disability every day. Consequently, many individuals with disabilities choose not to disclose their condition out of fear of discrimination and insensitive stereotypes about their disability.

Many unfair generalizations and misconceptions about, maybe, one’s ability to learn or to work or to communicate create an environment where people fear disclosing their ability, as it could change the way that people see them. Suppressing those realities can create stress and anxiety, exacerbating the stigma and preventing them from being their authentic selves.

While progress has been made in this area, we have a lot more work to do here in British Columbia to ensure that there’s equitable access and services for all. We must continue to dismantle barriers and reduce stigma to enhance understanding and amplify the voices of those with disabilities. It is important that we all work together to create schools, communities and workplaces that are mindful and inclusive of those with invisible disabilities.

Working in the school system, I’ve seen firsthand the importance of supporting people with both visible and invisible disabilities, especially from a young age. It is crucial that we work with parents to develop a plan to build a strong support system for kids, to ensure that no one slips through the cracks.

It is vital that we continue to engage with and support our community partners such as non-profit organizations that are committed to this cause. Let’s make these changes together and build a more inclusive province and reduce barriers for all British Columbians.

No one truly knows what it’s like to live someone else’s experience. We must work on improving inclusivity in all of our spaces. So, for example, the next time you’re on public transit, remember that if you do see someone sitting in priority seating on a bus or on the SkyTrain, even if they are young, they might be living with an invisible disability.

This Invisible Disabilities Week we remember that just because you cannot see something does not mean it is not there, and we commit to taking time to listen, to believe and to support those living with invisible disabilities.

[10:35 a.m.]

S. Chant: Thank you so much to the member for Peace River North for his solid support of Invisible Disabilities Week. It is truly appreciated.

An accessible B.C. means playgrounds that every child can play in, websites that anyone can understand and workplaces that anyone can access. Advocates, self-advocates, organizations, businesses and communities have been instrumental in making B.C. more accessible and inclusive for everyone. We have so much gratitude for their guidance and strength as we continue to identify, prevent and remove barriers. A more inclusive and accessible B.C. for all is possible when we work together.

However, we also have a form of discrimination occurring, which is called ableism. Ableism is a set of unwritten rules in our society that favours the needs and experiences of non-disabled people in big and small ways every day. They show up in every aspect of our lives, from health care and education to the workplace and the built environment. They have critical impacts on the people who live with disabilities.

These unwritten rules about disability add up to a system that favours the needs and experiences of the able-bodied and neurotypical people in big and small ways every day. For instance, deaf people requiring interpretation or other services at some universities have to have their hearing tested on a yearly basis to confirm that they’re still deaf. No dignity. This is discrimination.

I met a blind woman who had described her experience in an elevator that did not have Braille or audio cues. She ended up in the underground parking trying to find her way to a doctor’s office. Once again she ended up being dependent on a sighted person to help her get to her destination, a dependency which is discouraging and demoralizing and can also be very unsafe.

These unwritten rules, which able-bodied people rely on when designing buildings and public spaces, impact where people with disabilities can go, how they get around and what activities they can join. There is a lot of work being done to upgrade building codes to incorporate a much greater degree of universality in design, which promotes accessibility and ability to readily modify a space to make it accessible.

It is so important that we all work towards dismantling ableism. Other people’s attitudes towards people with disabilities, organizational policies and practices represent a significant barrier.

I encourage everyone to utilize a lens of accessibility in all our interactions, remembering that there are many disabilities that are invisible. Ableism is a real form of discrimination that occurs both consciously and unconsciously and that can be avoided through awareness and effort.

SMALL BUSINESS IN B.C.

J. Sturdy: I’m pleased to rise in the House today to…. Well, I’m not sure if I’m pleased, but I rise in the House to again raise the issue and focus on the affordability crisis our local small businesses are facing.

British Columbia, as many of us know, is home to over half a million small businesses, or 98 percent of all businesses in British Columbia, leading to the employment of well over one million people or half the workers in this province. Small businesses are the backbone of our provincial economy, yet feel abandoned, forced to bear the weight of ever-increasing business costs on their own, with little outside assistance.

Small business owners range vastly, from restaurant owners to accountants to contractors to child care operators to tech professionals, retail shop owners and service providers of all sorts.

Of course, there are also the farmers and ranchers who play a crucial role in supporting and sustaining our food supply. Like so many small business owners, their resiliency has been tested time and time again. Even just over this past year, farmers have faced endless challenges that range from fires and floods to drought and mudslides, persevering through it all to provide food to British Columbians.

During these challenging times, we’re fortunate that people in this province have continued to support small businesses by shopping and eating locally. In West Vancouver–Sea to Sky, certainly, this is no exception and, I think, in many respects, demonstrated in no small part in the community through a thriving chamber.

[10:40 a.m.]

Whistler, for example, is a town of 12,000, yet it has a chamber of commerce with a membership of over 700. Outside of government in Whistler-Blackcomb, that means that Whistler is almost exclusively a small-business community. That’s an amazing statistic, yet it seems that it is repeated up and down the Sea to Sky corridor from Squamish through to Pemberton.

The Whistler chamber represents a majority of the town business community, and it plays a key role in providing cost-saving services that provide vital education, knowledge and support to all its members, and it acts as a voice for the business community as a whole.

It is work like this being done by our local chambers right across this province that is helping small business survive and possibly thrive at a time when pursuing entrepreneurship looks unpalatable if not unsustainable.

Across this province, British Columbians look forward to their weekly visit to, for example, the local market, where selection provided by local farmers, artists and food artisans can surprise and delight and, in turn, support a farm family that is competing every day in a tough global market.

Access to these market opportunities and your market dollars makes an enormous difference to farm families in almost every community. If these same businesses had no option but a storefront, the cost of doing business with the added fees, rents, licences, taxes, financing costs and infrastructure could drown initiative in costs and create burdens that are overwhelming.

Farm markets help people get a foot into the market, test out products, build relationships with customers and share common costs with other vendors. Farm markets have launched 1,000 businesses over the years and continue to do so every single market day. They really are a type of innovation hub where young entrepreneurs get started. The cost of doing a business start-up in some place other than a collective or a farmers market is simply not feasible for many small businesses.

Not everybody fits a farmers market, and if we want to legitimately boast about shopping and eating locally, then we need to provide many businesses with the tools and opportunities to expand their services and truly establish themselves in our community. Yet the investment climate doesn’t look good.

Tax revenue for small businesses is projected to decline in 2023 in this province as money is diverted to critical family needs, and small business owners are increasingly feeling left out.

The future looks more than a little bleak for small business in B.C. Increasing costs — be it insurance, taxes, labour, materials, fuels or any one of dozens and dozens of other inputs — have many wondering whether it’s worth it to keep going.

Some family businesses have operated for generations, and now owners are facing transition costs and cost uncertainty and having to make critical decisions as to whether or not there is a future for their family business.

Small businesses in B.C. have also found themselves increasingly on the front lines of the recent explosion of crime and vandalism, where they’ve been crushed with the cost of replacing broken windows, hiring security, graffiti removal, being constantly on guard for theft and frustrated by deteriorating customer experience and the subsequent loss of business. These challenges can push people to close their doors permanently.

Businesses need to be supported, not just through actions that address this ongoing crime but also through genuine support to deal with many serious financial challenges that we see across this province.

Urban or rural, everyone is feeling the strain today. The ag sector is faced with its own set of challenges, be it forage costs that are out of control as yields are down by half or impacts of increasing fuel prices or a myriad of other input costs. Failure of these family businesses could have a serious impact on the province’s food security.

How can we expect small businesses to keep up with these added challenges? Small businesses are the backbone of our economy but don’t seem to rate highly on our list of social priorities. More and more debt is crushing, and what we need is a plan that addresses the crisis facing B.C. businesses, a plan that grows our private sector economy to increase our productivity and to foster long-term growth and investment.

For the sake of the shop owner in Vancouver dealing with constant vandalism and threats to employee and patron safety or of the local farmer struggling to get by, it’s time our small businesses receive the attention and support they deserve in recognition of all they do for British Columbia.

[10:45 a.m.]

R. Parmar: It’s such a pleasure to be able to rise in this House and respond to my colleague, the MLA for West Vancouver–Sea to Sky.

I’ll also take an opportunity this morning to be able to recognize Small Business Week here in British Columbia, an opportunity for all of us in this House and British Columbians from every corner of our province to be able to recognize the hard-working small business owners.

As my colleague mentioned, over 500,000 small businesses make up 98 percent of businesses in British Columbia. Also, roughly one in ten British Colombians are small business owners or entrepreneurs.

I agree with my colleague across the way. Small businesses are the backbone of our economy. In fact, in 2022, small businesses contributed nearly 34 percent to B.C.’s GDP, the highest in Canada. They also, as my colleague mentioned, employ over one million people here in British Columbia in communities throughout the province.

I also want to talk a bit about a couple of things. I want to talk about some small businesses in my community. But I also want to mention some of the final comments from my colleague across the way around a plan to be able to support businesses. We have a plan on this side of the House. That’s our StrongerBC economic plan, which is delivering for small businesses each and every day.

I want to take a moment to be able to recognize small businesses in my community of Langford–Juan de Fuca, whether it’s Brothers Barbershop, which is located in downtown Langford. It opened during the pandemic and faced some pretty significant challenges during the pandemic. It’s been able to grow into a very successful business to the point where they’ve been able to give back to their community and annually hold events to be able to donate proceeds that they collect from cutting hair to Cops for Cancer.

There’s Poncho’s coffee shop, which is just around the corner from Brothers Barbershop, which is a place where community gathers in Langford. It’s a place where people from all different political stripes come for a good cup of coffee and also an opportunity to be able to chat politics and everything else that’s going on in the world.

There’s Dumont Tirecraft in Otter Point. I had a chance to be able to engage with Ron Dumont, a strong local business owner in my community who’s now in the process of retiring and passing on his family business to his son — but again, a business that has been a centre point in Sooke for so many years.

Or the 17 Mile House Pub. There was a pretty significant highway infrastructure project that had a considerable impact on 17 Mile pub. But we were able to work with that pub to be able to ensure that it can continue to thrive and prosper, and it continues to do so. There could be Shirley Delicious, all the way out in Shirley, which I think a lot of members throughout this province know about, or the Port Renfrew Pub.

I also want to acknowledge that businesses in Langford–Juan de Fuca and across the province, as my colleague has acknowledged, are facing some challenges, whether it’s a slower global economy, high interest rates, increased costs or labour shortages and also the impacts that the fires and floods and other economic disasters have had on some small businesses, like the pandemic.

I want to just take a moment and speak directly to small businesses across the province, those in Langford–Juan de Fuca and every business across British Columbia. I want them to know that their government will always be there for them. I want them to know that we’re always going to be committed to supporting the growth of small businesses across British Columbia.

That’s why it’s so important for us as MLAs to be able to engage with our local chambers. I’ve had an opportunity to be able to meet with the West Shore Chamber of Commerce. I’m looking forward to meeting with the new executive director of the Sooke Chamber of Commerce.

Just at UBCM, I had an opportunity to be able to meet with the team at CFIB and talk about the challenges facing businesses but also the opportunities here in British Columbia.

I’m really proud of the track record that our government has had over the last seven years in supporting small businesses. During the pandemic, one of the most difficult times for small businesses in its history, the most supports per capita for people and businesses in the entire country were here in British Columbia. I think that’s something that we ought to be proud of.

Over $600 million in grants — not loans — were able to support small businesses, like the circuit breaker grant and like the launch online and digital marketing bootcamp.

That’s not all. The number one challenge that I hear from businesses time and time again is that we have a labour shortage, that we need more people. In my community, when we’re talking about opening up a new university a year from now, that’s going to mean more talent closer to home.

We’ve also introduced hydro credits, property tax relief and a delivery fee cap for food. Talk about trade export supports. Also, as the Minister of Jobs has announced, we will be opening the securing small business rebate program very soon. We’ve taken a different approach from governments in the past.

[10:50 a.m.]

I want to end by saying that small businesses are always there for our communities, they’re there to support our communities, they’re there to invest in our communities, and our government will always be there to support small businesses.

J. Sturdy: I would like to thank the member opposite for his remarks. Clearly, we agree on the role that small businesses play in our community, how important it is and what an impact they have on our economy. Where we maybe don’t agree is what the levels of supports are.

I’m, as many of you know, a farmer. This is a business that I know best, and I feel I need to emphasize what those impacts look like long term for agricultural businesses in British Columbia. For the most part, British Columbian farmers compete globally, with U.S., Central or South American and Asian producers as our competition.

We talk about how rising costs can impact everyday British Columbians, but we don’t often consider the farmer, who has no choice, in terms of fuel prices, for example, but to be out on their tractor every day consuming fuels that are the highest-cost fuels in North America and, frankly, beyond. They have no other choice. Food takes energy to produce, and the cost of B.C. energy continues to put us, as farmers, at a competitive disadvantage.

B.C. farmers’ input costs are amongst the highest in the world, yet we must compete without protections against those low-cost producers

Land prices here in British Columbia, per acre, are amongst the highest in the world. Labour costs and payroll taxes put us at an enormous disadvantage. B.C. farmworkers are paid more in a day than Mexican farmworkers are paid in a week, and we have an added payroll burden on top of that. So we’re competing on very much an unlevel playing field.

Taxation rates in B.C. are amongst the highest of our competitors. The aforementioned energy costs saddle farmers with the highest fuel prices in North America. And of course, we shouldn’t forget that our competitors often have a climate advantage that allows multiple crops per year, whereas we are lucky sometimes to get one.

Then, of course, there are relatively few, to no, agricultural supports. The 2023 American farm bill that supports American farmers is expected to be $1.5 trillion over five years, or $150 billion a year. The Canadian agricultural partnership, which ends this year, is $3.5 billion over five years. I mean, the contrast is stark, and B.C.’s contribution to that is something of a rounding error.

If the costs for operating and producing food in British Columbia continue to go up, they must be passed on to the consumer. The consumer is increasingly feeling stressed. They vote with their wallet by choosing the lowest-cost product and producer, and B.C. farmers are not the lowest-cost producers. They operate without protection and will be increasingly challenged to survive.

WATERSHEDS

F. Donnelly: Freshwater challenges are accelerating in B.C. and around the world. The UN predicts that by 2030, there could be as much as a 40 percent global shortfall in water availability if world economies do not course correct. We know that growing populations, more water-intense growth patterns, increasingly unpredictable rain due to climate change, more frequent and severe storms and pollution are the cause.

When it comes to watershed security, communities and businesses can’t afford to wait. Global water reports show the cost of inaction on water risk is up to five times the cost of action. With huge economic and business opportunities to seize, communities and companies need to rethink their strategies and transform their operating and business models to help build a water-secure world.

In 2020, companies around the world reported financial impacts of water risks at $301 billion U.S. That’s five times the $55 billion U.S. cost of addressing them now. Beyond risk management, there are also economic and business opportunities when investing in water security, estimated at more than $711 billion U.S.

Last week I attended a restoration conference in Vancouver where it was estimated that B.C. will need billions over the next decades to restore its watersheds.

B.C.’s watersheds are under severe pressure. Three consecutive years of drought culminated in 2023 with the worst drought and wildfire season in the province’s history. This followed the devastating floods of 2021 that cost nearly $9 billion.

[10:55 a.m.]

Climate impacts combined with decades of watershed degradation are reducing the security of communities and ecosystems. The climate crisis is a water crisis. In B.C., the issue is not enough water at certain times of the year or too much water all at once.

We know water is life. Water is essential to human survival and our well-being. It is critical for food security, biodiversity and economic well-being. Salmon and wildlife depend on clean, cold water just as we do.

Addressing watershed security offers an opportunity for reconciliation, taking immediate and long-term action to work with modern-day treaty and all First Nations to try and remedy past wrongs and work together to heal and protect the land for future generations. Building a strong, secure future requires shared approaches to caring for the land, waters and all life that depends on healthy ecosystems.

For example, the pilot guardian shared compliance and enforcement program is a positive step in ensuring the land and its natural and cultural values are protected for the long term. Under this program, First Nations will steward protected areas within their territories with the same legal authority as B.C. Parks rangers.

In 1997, I was given the name Iyim Yewyews by the Squamish Nation, not long after I first swam the length of the Fraser River. Iyim Yewyews means orca or strong swimmer in the animal world.

Squamish Elders recognized the work I was doing back in the 1990s. They saw I was using my abilities as a swimmer to raise awareness of the environmental issues threatening the health and well-being of B.C.’s ocean, rivers, lakes and their watersheds for their protection and restoration.

I made 14 swims across the Salish Sea, Juan de Fuca Strait, B.C.’s lakes and down many rivers, including the entire 1,325-kilometre length of the Fraser River — twice. So I literally have an in-depth knowledge of many issues facing B.C.’s watersheds. My swimming endeavours certainly prepared me for my current role as Parliamentary Secretary for Watershed Restoration.

Our government is taking action on securing access to cool, clean water in B.C.’s watersheds. On March 6 of this year, our government and the B.C.–First Nations Water Table announced an unprecedented $100 million investment in the new, co-developed watershed security strategy and fund, alongside the launch of an engagement of a new Watershed Security Strategy Intentions Paper, to help ensure safe, clean water is available to communities throughout B.C. for generations.

Our $100 million investment in the watershed security fund builds on our $30 million commitment announced in Budget 2022 to heal and protect B.C.’s watersheds, which built on our success of the previous $27 million investment in the healthy watersheds initiative under the StrongerBC economic plan and our $85 million investment to restore salmon habitat through the salmon restoration and innovation fund.

In conversations with First Nations, we have heard watersheds referred to as health infrastructure for their communities. This has been echoed by B.C.’s Auditor General, the provincial health officer, local governments, labour organizations and industry, who are calling on the province to do more to ensure source-water protection through better watershed management.

That’s precisely why we held the Premier’s round table on watershed security last month. We heard clearly from First Nations, watershed conservation organizations, the mining council of B.C., COFI, agriculture, ranching, academia and others that action around water must be proactive, coordinated, immediate and sustained. They told us that the province and others must invest in watershed security now.

Our Watershed Security Strategy Intentions Paper reflects input received from British Columbians and First Nations, outlining potential priority strategies for government including examples of actions government could take to improve watershed health, such as investing in watershed restoration and protection, strengthening existing water data and tools used to monitor demand and supply, and enhancing local watershed governance.

The $100 million watershed security investment and our ongoing work with First Nations on co-developing a watershed security strategy aims to inspire the private sector, the philanthropic sector, the federal government and other partners to grow the fund and ensure we have healthy ecosystems and resilient communities, not only today but for future generations.

I look forward to hearing from the opposition and working with them.

[11:00 a.m.]

M. Morris: I understand I’ve only got a minute or two to speak here.

Interjections.

M. Morris: We stop at 11?

Interjection.

M. Morris: Okay. I appreciate that.

Our watersheds are the lifeblood of British Columbia. I agree with the member in highlighting that factor. The transition that we’ve seen….

A hydrological tool that our forest companies and our resource companies have been using for years in British Columbia has been the equivalent clearcut area for our watersheds to determine how much area can be clearcut at any particular given time. For our community watersheds, it’s 20 percent. For fishery-sensitive watersheds, it’s 25 percent, and for other watersheds in British Columbia, it’s 30 percent.

Yet we see areas like the Chilako River, in my particular riding, where the equivalent clearcut area is 90 percent, and it’s a fishery-sensitive watershed to boot, at the same time.

[S. Chandra Herbert in the chair.]

Back prior to 2000, the chinook counts for that particular watershed were in the thousands. In recent years, it’s been down into single-digit numbers. This needs to be looked at. The Chilako River watershed is not alone. There are several other watersheds in the province that suffer from the same consequences.

Recent science has developed over the last 15 years. They call it attribution science, where we look at some of the major flood events and the fire events and all these other events that we’ve been having in British Columbia to see if there are any patterns associated to the flood events and the fire events that we see in the province.

There are some attributions that are surfacing that have been noted by scientists at UBC faculty of forestry, the hydrology department, when they look at the loss of forest cover, whether it be from forest fires, whether it be from beetles or whether it be from forest harvesting.

When we see the elimination of the forest cover itself, we see the increased snow melt in a lot of these watersheds from the sun’s radiation because there’s nothing protecting the ground cover from the sun’s radiation.

We see these watersheds with the rapid melt in the spring, washing the freshet downstream. It collects, and, of course, we all know water flows downhill. What we do in the upland areas of British Columbia affects the lowlands in British Columbia as well.

We see these watersheds drying out very quickly because of these floods, and the magnitude of the floods are increasing all the time.

We see these watersheds starting to dry out. The sun beats down. There’s nothing to protect these watersheds. These watersheds dry out. We see the increased risk of fire as a result of those watersheds drying out throughout the province.

Just about every single watershed in the province has been harvested, has been affected by the magnitude of the fires that we’ve seen, and the beetle kill. In my riding alone, we’ve seen over one million hectares of spruce killed by the spruce beetle, and that has an effect on the downstream activities that we see.

We need to start looking upstream and concentrating on better forest management practices, whether it be from harvesting or beetle kill or fires or whatever the result is in order to address the downstream flooding that we see in the province here.

The Fraser basin is an enormous watershed. The member speaking before me has swum the length of that entire watershed. But when we see all these contributions that these upland water systems and watersheds make to the overall water flowing downstream throughout the summer months, that does have an impact.

If we start concentrating more on forest management at the upper levels, instead of putting billions of dollars into increased size of bridges and culverts and engineered design, we should be looking upstream to see what we can do upstream to use natural sources as a result to mitigate some of the floods and fires that we’ve seen throughout the province here.

There’s a lot that can be done in our watersheds. I think it’s time that government and the forest companies — governments at all levels — start paying attention to that.

The science is written. It’s out there. I think it would behoove us to pay attention to what the science says with respect to that.

[11:05 a.m.]

F. Donnelly: I appreciate the member’s comments and will work with him to ensure that our government not only listens to his comments but incorporates them into our work.

The watershed sector is a major employer in B.C., contributing billions to our province’s economy every year. According to the Working for Watersheds report, catalyzed by the freshwater legacy initiative, Polis water sustainability project, the Delphi Group and the B.C. Water Funders collective, in 2019, the watershed sector included over 47,000 jobs and contributed an estimated $5 billion to the province’s GDP.

The watershed sector supports a diverse spectrum of jobs, from entry level to skilled, seasonal to permanent, and it’s in all regions of our province — urban, suburban, coastal and rural.

When you compare the watershed sector to other sectors in B.C., it’s on par with agriculture, mining and oil and gas. Whether it’s a software engineer designing new water-monitoring technology, a restoration worker replanting native trees and wetlands, a planner developing an urban water conservation strategy or a labourer installing stormwater infrastructure, the watershed sector supports British Columbians at all career stages.

Water is needed to grow food. It’s essential to tourism. B.C.’s abundant lakes, rivers and creeks are a large part of its super, natural draw. Fresh water is vital to B.C.’s booming high-value specialty beverage industries such as wineries, distilleries and craft breweries.

Under StrongerBC, the healthy watersheds initiative generated over 1,500 jobs in 18 months. The HWI demonstrated the tip of the iceberg in terms of opportunities in watershed restoration, guardians and Indigenous stewardship, water tech and innovation, industrial and urban water management, and planning and monitoring.

Last week, in partnership with business, technology, First Nations, local government and stewardship organizations, the Working for Watersheds roadmap was launched. Building off the 2019 Working for Watersheds report, the roadmap presents a clear strategy for growing B.C.’s watershed sector to sustain healthy and resilient watersheds and support local economies over the next five to ten years. The roadmap will inform important policy development work by provincial and federal governments, including the B.C. watershed security strategy and fund, the Canada Water Agency and the freshwater action plan.

Growth in the watershed sector is needed to meet the growing watershed and climate challenges. B.C. can position itself as a global leader in water solutions, where global demand is predicted to be over $1.5 trillion by 2028.

Our government is assisting the watershed sector and growing B.C.’s restoration economy. Healthy watersheds support local economies and resilient communities.

R. Russell: I seek leave to make an introduction.

Leave granted.

Deputy Speaker: Please proceed.

Introductions by Members

R. Russell: Very quickly, before they’re all gone, I just wanted to welcome and make them feel here and at home in their House: Duncan Christian School, grade 5-6 class.

Thank you, everybody.

Deputy Speaker: Thank you, Member.

Welcome.

Member for Peace River South.

M. Bernier: Sorry, I think we have to go through….

Deputy Speaker: Yes, we’ve got to go to the acting Government House Leader.

Hon. A. Dix: I always like to set up the member for Peace River South.

I ask that the House consider proceeding with Motion 49, standing in the name of the member for Peace River South.

Deputy Speaker: Members, unanimous consent of the House is required to proceed to Motion 49 without disturbing the priorities of the motions preceding it on the order paper. If any member is opposed to leave, please indicate now.

Leave granted.

Private Members’ Motions

MOTION 49 — AFFORDABILITY FOR
BRITISH COLUMBIANS

M. Bernier: I move:

[That this House agrees that British Columbians deserve a break from seven years of middle-class squeeze.]

I also want to thank the Minister of Health for letting me have this opportunity by allowing me to get up and speak to this. But you know, all kidding aside, I think every single person in this House — I hope; I assume — is hearing the same thing that I am. That is that British Columbia has become one of the least cost-effective places in North America — especially in Canada, where people are struggling.

When you look at whether it’s gas, housing, groceries, I know we’re hearing the same things, especially in the middle class. People are struggling right now, hoping, with the uncertainty in British Columbia, to keep their jobs. But even when they have their jobs, they are struggling to make ends meet.

[11:10 a.m.]

The amount of people that are contacting me in my office right now who are saying: “I’m fortunate enough to be working. So is my spouse. But we’re still in a situation where we have to sometimes decide: are we buying groceries, or are we paying our rent? Are we buying groceries, or are we paying our utilities?”

The people that are coming to me right now, knowing that we’re going into a winter season — winter is coming — are trying to decide: “Are we going to be able to pay our natural gas or heating bills? Is that going to have to take precedence now over groceries or cutbacks? Are we going to be able to afford to put our kids in hockey this year?”

These are the real talk-around-the-table discussions that we’re hearing people have right now in the province of British Columbia. And it’s not a surprise. It’s not a secret. I mean, over the last seven years, we’ve watched this province deteriorate with the amount of new taxes that we have coming into the province of British Columbia — new taxes or increased taxes.

The struggles are real, and that has an impact on our families, on our children, on the lives of the people here in the province of British Columbia.

How disheartening is it when a minister and this government stands up and says: “You know what? Embrace this. This is the new normal”? Well, I can tell you this is not what people expect or want to acknowledge as the new normal. They need a government that’s pushing back. They need a government that’s fighting this and coming up with ideas and solutions.

Now, I know members opposite are going to try to stand up and talk about the photo ops that they’ve done over the last couple of years. But that has not materialized into action on the ground that’s actually making British Columbia more affordable.

When you look at the red tape, when you look at the increased taxes, life is not affordable for many. We know that the Premier thought it was okay to give his political staff a 17 percent increase. Why? Probably because they were talking about the fact that it’s getting harder to make ends meet, but that’s not helping the everyday British Columbians. That’s not helping the families, again, who are struggling to figure out what they want to do to make ends meet for their families.

It is unacceptable if this House wants to say that this is the new normal. If this government wants to say this is the new normal, I wish they would just stand aside and let people come in with actual ideas, things that are going to work for people, because if you want to make things more affordable, well then adding new taxes is not going to do it.

Now, you cannot tax your way to affordability. We cannot have a government that just keeps pointing fingers, whether it was COVID — we all recognize the struggles then; that was then — or the federal government or what’s happening around the globe. When we have impacts from other jurisdictions, governments need to stand up and show leadership and say: “We’re not going to accept this. We’re going to have better ideas. We’re going to put policies in place to help people.”

But we’re not seeing that, and because of that, British Columbia is now a place with a lack of certainty, where people have to make a decision: “Is this the best province like it used to be? Can I afford to live here?” Right now, unfortunately, we’re hearing day after day from people right across this province, whether it’s in urban centres or rural centres, that British Columbia is not an affordable place. The middle class is feeling the squeeze, and they are waiting and pleading for policies that are going to help them, not increased taxes.

J. Sims: It is my pleasure today to rise and speak on this motion. There is one thing I do agree with my colleague who just spoke, and that is we know that it is rough out there for middle-class families. We know that working families are struggling. We know that working families, middle-class families and low-income families are all struggling.

We also know something else — that those struggles are not confined to B.C. alone. As we look at what’s happening around the world, it is happening everywhere.

[11:15 a.m.]

The cost of living has gone up incredibly since COVID. We have seen inflation like I have never experienced before in my life.

At the same time, I think it’s a bit disingenuous not to acknowledge all the great things that have been done. I’m not going to say things are perfect — they’re not — but I will say this: lots has been done and lots more to do.

Let me start off with some of the international pressures — the rising interest rates. We have no control over the interest rates here in British Columbia. Those are set by the Bank of Canada, and they follow international monetary rules. My colleagues across the way know that.

Many people, I know — especially when it comes to housing, whether it’s rent or paying their mortgage — are really feeling the pinch, feeling the hurt from the rising interest rates. But you know, if this was a government from before the last seven years, the government we had for 16 long years, then people’s experiences over the last seven years would have been very, very different. They would have been very, very different. People would still have been paying their MSP premiums out of incomes that are challenged. Can you imagine if you were still having to pay MSP premiums for yourself and your family?

And guess what. For those who live to the south of the Fraser, we watched families coming up to us…. They still come up to me and say: “You know something? I’ve saved $600, $800, $900 a year from not having to pay tolls as I go over the bridge to work or when my children go to school.” Those are the kinds of steps that have been taken. I’m trying to paint that picture.

We can remember a time, without mentioning any government, when the ICBC was a dumpster fire. Yet people have seen rebates. They’ve seen their premiums go down by quite a bit. You know something else? Over this last week, I was with a group of dear friends, who are not always politically aligned, and we were walking around Grouse Mountain. I was out of breath, but some of my friends were not. They were telling me how ICBC has really improved. Not only have their premiums gone down, but one of them said: “Now I can get the massage I need. There isn’t a limit.”

Anyway, all of those were good things. Let me add some more good news: child care. You know, as a mother, grandmother and now a great-grandmother — I always like to squeeze that in — I have been an advocate for universal child care. This government has made huge strides.

I have story after story after story from people in my riding who come and tell me what a difference it’s made. They’re saving $900, $1,200, $500 a month on child care. Do you know, when they save that money on child care, where it’s going? It’s going to buy shoes for the kids. It’s going to buy a better selection of food. It’s being spent in the local community and therefore growing the local economy. All those things are good things.

Only a few weeks ago, Manjeet walked into my office. She’s a young lawyer who had believed that because of the cost of child care, it would be impossible for her to go to work.

Deputy Speaker: Thank you, Member.

J. Sims: I was only just beginning, Mr. Speaker. I needed another hour just to do the highlights.

K. Kirkpatrick: Thank you to the member for Surrey-Panorama. It is good to know that today we can get a massage, but we cannot get a ferry in British Columbia.

Today I rise to address an urgent and enduring crisis that has afflicted our province. It is the relentless middle-class squeeze in British Columbia.

[11:20 a.m.]

Throughout the six-year tenure of this NDP government, their actions have amounted to little but an exacerbation of economic hardships for British Columbians. There has been a deterioration of our societal fabric and an unyielding burden shouldered by the middle class.

A glaring issue resulting from the NDP’s ineptitude, in contrast to what the member for Surrey-Panorama has told us…. Across our province, countless families continue to struggle with the challenge of securing affordable child care. This has a significant impact, in particular, on women and on women’s financial health.

Now, despite this NDP government’s promise of $10-a-day child care…. They have woefully underdelivered on this commitment. In fact, last week an analysis by the public policy group Cardus said the rollout of child care expansion programs in British Columbia has stumbled, with a slow start and underwhelming results. The NDP rollout of child care has been marked by inconsistency and delays, leaving parents perpetually ensnared in uncertainty.

A promise of universal child care in B.C. has been repeatedly made by this government throughout the course of two elections.

The $10-a-day child care program, just so we understand, is primarily funded by the federal government. The federal government provides hundreds of millions of dollars to the province of B.C. to administer child care programs.

Let’s remember. This B.C. government touted that B.C. was the first province in Canada to sign under this federal child care program. That’s not something to be proud of when it’s not working. Of the millions of dollars provided to British Columbia by the federal government…. Only 11 percent of those dollars have actually been provided for child care programming in British Columbia.

This is not the province’s money. This money should be in the pockets of British Columbia parents. It should not be sitting in government accounts.

The money that has been distributed hasn’t been done equitably. Only a small percentage of parents have access to $10-a-day child care. Other parents have been paying full fees while the province sat on this money.

One mom pointed out to me that while both she and her neighbour have a four-year-old child…. One mom paid $4,500 per year for child care, and the other paid $17,000.

Will government retroactively provide funding for families that did not win the initial $10-a-day lottery? This has been thousands of dollars out of parents’ pockets in a time of significant financial pressure on families and when government had this money already provided to them by the federal government. Why weren’t all families and all children in British Columbia treated equally?

They still are not being treated equally. Earlier this year I expressed deep concerns regarding the significant delays that child care providers were undergoing in order to even receive their funding from government.

From groceries to gas to housing and child care, everything in British Columbia is more expensive, and middle-class British Columbians are struggling to keep up. This province has to provide people with the affordable child care solutions they deserve, with the $10-a-day child care programs that have been promised to British Columbians, and they have to give them a break from this middle-class squeeze.

Government has been completely inept in running the rollout of this $10-a-day child care program. They are now behind other provinces, despite claiming to be or despite touting the fact that they were the first to sign on, meaning they’ve had even more time than any other province to get this right.

M. Elmore: I am pleased to stand and speak to Motion 49, affordability for British Columbians.

We know and we’ve heard…. We all hear that the situation is tough for middle-class families. It’s not a situation that we hear just in British Columbia or across Canada.

[11:25 a.m.]

This is a reality. Global inflation has driven up the cost of groceries and daily essentials around the world. We know, as well, it’s compounded by rising interest rates that put pressure on the already high cost of buying or renting homes. Running against this grain, it’s difficult for families to get ahead.

We know that the approach of our government has been to be proactive, to put in initiatives to build and strengthen public services to support families, on the one hand, and then, also, to reduce costs for families as well as the tax burden. This is the commitment that our government has made. Difficult but right across the board. These steps to strengthen public services, reduce fees for families and, also, reduce taxes are something that we are committed to every day.

In Vancouver-Kensington, I talked to a young family yesterday with two young kids. They talked about how the provision and the reduction of costs for child care have been a game-changer for their family in terms of access to child care and also reducing that cost.

As well, our government has made a commitment. We know that housing affordability is a big pressure for families, and the commitment to build and, really, roll out, across our province, affordable housing initiatives is so critical.

Just last month I had the honour of attending the opening of a new 58-unit affordable rental housing project for seniors in Vancouver. This was a project…. Our government, in partnership with the city of Vancouver and in partnership with the Community Land Trust Foundation of British Columbia, is working together to open these affordable homes for low- and middle-income seniors in Vancouver.

Accompanying that, as well, was the opening of the 411 Seniors Centre Society, providing important and essential services for seniors. They’ve got a seniors centre, a commercial kitchen, a multipurpose space and an office space. Just a real benefit and support for seniors right across Vancouver.

In addition, we know that access to health care is so critical. We have a new, as well, urgent…. The Southeast Urgent and Primary Care Centre opened on Victoria Drive…

Interjection.

M. Elmore: …in East Vancouver. Absolutely right.

I’ve got the Health Minister there, working hard.

Really, an important and valuable service for the community, providing access for urgent but non-life-threatening conditions. These are services that really support communities and families in the area.

That’s accompanied by the expansion of these public services — the seniors centre, affordable child care, housing and our urgent and primary care centre. It’s also accompanied, hand in hand, with a reduction in fees for child care, a reduction and caps on rental increases and, also, reducing and eliminating MSP premiums. That, hand in hand, together, resulted in…. Now British Columbia sees the lowest tax burden on families across our country.

These are concrete steps that have been taken to support families and to address the affordability crisis. We know, in contrast to our friends across the way…. Their efforts to cut taxes for the top 2 percent while cutting public services are not the plan that our government has taken. Our commitment to families, expanding access to public services, across the board, providing tax breaks and, also, reducing fees, is how we prioritize having to support families. It’s something we have to commit to every day. We’re committed to expanding that.

C. Oakes: I rise today in support of this motion and to express that we are all feeling the squeeze from the lack of results from this NDP government on issues that matter most to British Columbians.

[11:30 a.m.]

People deserve a break. The reality on the ground is that the well-being of people is simply not improving. The challenges that British Columbians are facing are growing and sometimes disproportionately affecting young people and seniors, and the NDP need to listen.

We need to talk about affordability. The NDP government continues to make an announcement and then a re-announcement while the cost pressures continue to increase, and people continue to live paycheck to paycheck. Inflation and cost-of-living crises are making it difficult for people to make ends meet. The lack of hope for homeownership is leading to difficult choices for people about their future and their ability to stay in this beautiful province. As rents continue to increase, housing costs for students and seniors become a huge weight on people’s shoulders. There is no end in sight.

This does not paint a bright picture of the future for many, and it’s time that the NDP realizes this. The NDP’s blizzard of new taxes only makes the housing crisis worse. Under seven years of the NDP, B.C. now has the highest rents in Canada and the worst affordability in North America.

The member for Surrey-Panorama talked about young people. Car insurance is now, for young people, a staggering rate. For that individual who lives in Surrey and goes and studies at UBC…. Think about the cost pressures that this government has put on young people. Whether it is insurance or whether it is the plethora of taxes, it’s simply not sustainable, and the NDP needs to do better. How are students supposed to focus on their studies and attend school when they fork over $3,000 a month just to sleep? It is unreasonable, and the young people in our province deserve better results than this.

Unfortunately, the increased cost of living is putting significant pressure on our students. In the past year, we have continued to hear from student associations about the major increase in students accessing food banks on campus. Last Christmas, we heard of students dumpster diving for food. I’m sure that all members in this House can agree that this situation is deeply troubling. The most recent poverty index points to a failing grade for the NDP government in this province.

Today I have my dad joining us here from the Cariboo. Our family has been in the Cariboo since 1933, so multiple generations. A retired farmer, he has worked hard his entire life. He’s helped build our community, and we’re incredibly grateful and proud of that. But we have these conversations about the pressures that seniors are facing in our communities. It’s very real. As tax increases continue, as we see the inflationary cost pressures, as we see food costs increase, especially in our rural and remote communities, that pressure is very real.

There are things that this government can do to improve that. That is why it is our job to hold the government to account and to raise the continuous message that we need to look at things. You cannot continue to raise taxes on everything and expect that things are going to get cheaper. Those cost prices…. Whether it’s driving up gas prices in our rural communities or whether it’s raising costs on food, everything has an impact. When you continue to raise taxes, when you continue to erode productivity, our communities suffer.

Not only is it a grim economy both for our students and for our seniors, but the NDP should be looking at taking real action to deliver results to lower the cost of living, make food more accessible for both students and seniors and work to create a hopeful future for both our young people and our seniors. People should not have to leave British Columbia to have hope for their future.

These factors are determining all of our futures. We deserve to do better for our people.

[11:35 a.m.]

H. Yao: Before I start, I want to take a moment to express my sincere gratitude to the Richmond South Centre constituents for allowing me to represent them here today.

We do need to acknowledge that British Columbia is struggling. Today is a challenging time for many people around the world, including for British Colombians. We’ve seen global inflation. We’re seeing a housing crisis. We’re seeing health care challenges — full cost.

Now, of course, we’ve also seen 250 people within the last two years moving to British Columbia because they want to call this beautiful province their home. We see interest rates increase. And we have also understood that when there are a lot of financial challenges, the vulnerable population in our society gets hit the most.

I also want to take a moment to acknowledge that I want to thank the member for Cariboo North, who mentioned the importance of investing in the future. We should not simply think of the economy as just a one-dimension strategy. We have to understand, and I think everyone can agree to this, that the best way to address economic prosperity is actually investing early and investing well to ensure that we actually reduce the cost in the beginning and really find a way to support British Columbia, as we maximize British Columbia’s potential.

I’m going to take some examples that recently happened in our community. Look at some of our environmental emergencies: forest fire, heat dome, drought, flood. As some of the members mentioned earlier, all those are climate challenges, but if we, as a globe, invest earlier, it can reduce the dramatic impact.

We also need to understand that we also need to find a way to invest in our economy in a different way to protect our health care, our education, our mental health, and of course, our skills training. That reminded me that, in Richmond, we are upgrading our Richmond Hospital because we need to make sure we invest in our health care system.

We have introduced a UPCC. I personally used that service multiple times to help my family address some of their health challenges.

I also want to say we have many schools getting seismic upgrades. I really do not want to see a disaster when there’s an earthquake in Richmond or that we have to deal with an unnecessary tragedy that’s avoidable. We can reduce the cost of that as well.

We also have added a second medical school in B.C. to help us invest in training medical students. Think about all those, if we invested earlier in the past years, even before our terms, and how much of a benefit would come through.

The housing crisis. If we’ve been building houses early on, would we be addressing this housing crisis? No, we wouldn’t be.

We’re training workers for tomorrow, but yesterday we should be training workers for today. Our government is playing catch-up. We are investing a historical $1 billion for health care, not simply doing something more but really filling a major gap that was created before.

Our government is looking after British Columbia, not simply for tomorrow as well as today. We understand that British Columbians are struggling. I, even as an MLA, am privileged. I know we are facing difficult financial challenges as well. That’s why we have been…. The child care cut has been $900 per month, per child. I personally have two under two, and I benefit from this dramatically. I thank our government for taking care of that.

Our insurance. ICBC has been reduced by $400 per year.

We have the largest tax break in a generation by removing the health premiums.

We’re attacking all fronts of the housing crisis because we had to play catch-up.

I want to remind the House as well that we have invested into 8,000 student housing units, and we’re adding 4,000 onto our target, far more than the previous government had established.

We also have an affordability credit, as much as $1,230 per family with two kids. A permanent boost to the B.C. family benefit up to $250 per month and $500 for single families. A $100 B.C. Hydro credit. Two times the climate action tax credit, nearly $450 per adult.

We also have capped the rent to inflation.

And in 2021, we doubled the senior supplement increase through our whole history of the supplement itself.

We eliminated road tolls. We raised the disability income assistance rate.

We eliminated the interest rate on student loans, and free transit for kids 12 and under.

On average, a family earning $100,000 used to pay $7,473 taxes. They now pay $4,948. If a family makes about $80,000, they used to pay $5,637. Now they’re paying $2,458. If they’re making $60,000 as a family, they used to pay $4,238, and they’re now paying $363.

[11:40 a.m.]

There is so much more we could talk about. Our government now simply tried to reduce the cost to increase affordability as much as we can, also invest in the future so British Columbia in fact is prepared for today and tomorrow, and we can prosper all together as well.

I. Paton: Across the province, everyone is feeling this NDP government’s middle-class squeeze from gas to the worst housing affordability in North America. Real incomes are dropping, and costs are soaring. Along with record-high costs, government spending in the first quarter of the fiscal year shows a massive increase in the deficit of $2.5 billion, bringing the total forecast deficit to $6.7 billion. Despite all this NDP spending, the results for people have never been worse.

Farmers, like all British Columbians, are facing rising costs everywhere they turn, and these pressures are significantly impacting their operations. I think every member of this House does acknowledge and appreciate the vital work of B.C.’s farmers and ranchers and everyone involved in the food production process, meaning we can all agree that the affordability crisis they are facing could have major effects in our province.

Farming has become increasingly unaffordable here in B.C. Unfortunately, that’s due to many of the measures brought in by this NDP government, including the introduction of the employer health tax and 28 other new and increased taxes, along with higher insurance premiums, increased minimum wage and skyrocketing transportation costs.

Amongst these skyrocketing costs, B.C. also continues to have the highest gas and diesel prices and gas taxes in the country. If you’re a farmer, it really hurts to fill up your vehicles and your farm equipment.

Most pressing are the rising costs of the three Fs: feed, fuel and fertilizer. Shortages of feed and fertilizer, combined with the higher cost of transportation, are posing significant challenges for our agricultural industry.

To help alleviate some of this burden, I have called for financial incentives and tax relief for farmers, such as carbon tax rebates, tax credits for farmers transitioning to electric farm equipment and the expansion of the food donation tax credit. I believe these are prudent measures that would make life more affordable for farmers in the future and for those currently struggling to turn a profit.

In British Columbia’s essential agricultural regions, ranchers and farmers are facing an unprecedented crisis this year. With fires and drought, we are witnessing decreasing pastures and exorbitant hay and feed prices. An alarmingly high percentage of cattle ranchers in B.C. are considering selling their herds entirely. Meanwhile, crop failures due to droughts are compounding the issues, and farmers are worried about future growing seasons.

However, for breeders, reducing livestock count is not necessarily an option, making it necessary to purchase more feed, adding to their financial burden. Unfortunately, many find themselves resorting to borrowing substantial sums of money this fall to sustain their livestock through the upcoming winter.

For many families who have relied on agriculture for decades, the prospect of losing everything is becoming all too real. Farms that have been handed down from one generation to the next are now at risk of being lost forever.

The cost of doing business as a farmer or rancher in B.C. is becoming too high, and it is now also taking a toll on food security in the province. With over 50 percent of households in British Columbia $200 or less away from insolvency at the end of each month, these costs compound and put major pressure on our food sources.

As the cost of food continues to skyrocket and food insecurity deepens, more people than ever need help. Food banks are seeing record numbers of patrons struggling to keep up with the demand. So many people suffering from this crisis.

However, instead of helping communities, this NDP government has increased costs for everyone, including our food producers. Unfortunately, if government does not change course, we will continue to lose farmers over the next few years, making B.C.’s food security even worse.

The crisis gripping B.C.’s agriculture sector demands immediate attention and action. Stakeholders across the province are hoping for government intervention to ease the burden on ranchers and farmers. Swift and decisive measures are essential to safeguard both the livelihoods of ranchers and the province’s food security.

Our farmers and ranchers, who are experiencing the very same financial worries and concerns as the rest of us, continue to dedicate long hours day after day to put food on our tables. I often remark that farmers are very resilient people. They are, but they also need our support from government.

[11:45 a.m.]

I will continue to advocate for financial incentives and tax relief for farmers that would help make life more affordable and ensure food security in our province for years to come. It is imperative we make life easier for farmers, lowering their costs and consequently making food more affordable and accessible for all British Columbians.

M. Starchuk: Before I start, I’d like to remind everybody that on the 24th of February, 2022, Russia invaded Ukraine. On Wednesday, this will mark 600 days, and the conflict remains the same. My thoughts and hopes go out to all those Ukrainians who have made the ultimate sacrifice and to those who are fighting for their rights — their rights to live, their rights to enjoy each and every day.

We all know things are tough out there for middle-class families. They’re feeling like we can’t get ahead. As a person who’s getting ready to re-enter the housing market, I understand that the rising interest rates by the Bank of Canada are making the already high costs of buying a home even more expensive.

Our government is working with partners to deal with housing. Specifically, in my riding, we’re addressing the seniors housing with a project called Zappone Manor. This government has brought forward funding to allow the 51 people that are there today to move across the parking lot into a place that will have 89 subsidized units that will be there. Then the place that they are in…. We’ll see it redeveloped into another 100 units, which will allow for tripling the amount of seniors’ subsidized housing that comes to my riding.

In the last six years, our government has taken actions to reduce the costs to families and, in some cases, get rid of fees and charges that the previous government put in place to make it harder for everyone, with the exception of the top 2 percent in the province.

I’d like to talk about what we did for those people who drive a vehicle in B.C. As a previous speaker has talked about…. We talked about the tolls that were placed on the Port Mann and Golden Ears Bridges. Those hit the pocketbooks of middle-class wage earners in my constituency — the tolls that the Leader of the Opposition said it wasn’t a good idea to remove. Well, we did remove those tolls, and it saved my constituents well over $1,000 annually every single time they left the city of Surrey to head into Vancouver or into Maple Ridge.

Earlier on the member for Cariboo North spoke to the pressures of students, and I’ve heard from them as well. There is an incredible amount of pressure that’s on them. But the one thing that this government has done is to build more student housing and plan for more student housing than the opposition ever achieved in their time in power.

When we talk about driving, let’s talk about the ICBC rates that have been reduced by nearly $400 a year for every person that’s out there instead of the annual increases that the former government saw. Those annual increases were returned to general revenue. The rate reduction was only part of how our government distributed the efficiencies of ICBC, and those rebates were put back, over $400, into the jeans of these drivers.

I had a conversation in the past week with a person who would identify as a middle-class wage earner about the things that have made a difference to them financially. While she benefits from previously mentioned items such as ICBC rates, she pointed out how she no longer pays for MSP and how that’s made her life easier for her family. As a self-employed worker, she no longer needs to budget for that $800 annually, with no idea of how steep those rates were going to be in the coming year. The elimination of those premiums has made her life easier.

The last couple of items are about transit and child care. With no fares for children 12 and under, a family could be saving over $600 a year. But what’s more important is that without those fares being placed on those 12-and-unders, they will become used to public transit and more inclined to become long, lifetime riders where transit is available.

When parents re-enter the workforce after having children, child care becomes a necessity as they enter the next chapter of their lives. These parents who are enjoying the lower ICBC rates are, in some cases, driving their children to child care spaces that our government has created and funded.

This new funding is providing families with savings of up to $10,000 a year. I’ve lost track of how many constituents have reached out to our government for these new affordable spaces.

[11:50 a.m.]

I’ll leave it with this. When I see the motion and I see the word “squeeze,” it reminds me of the squeeze that I get from my grandchildren when I pick them up from those affordable child care spaces.

R. Merrifield: Well, the middle-class squeeze is not about interest rates, and it’s not about inflation. It’s about the seven years that this NDP government has had to deliver on the promise, which they made to British Columbians, of a future where home ownership was within reach. But today B.C. is home to the highest average rents in the entire country, and we’ve ended up with the highest housing prices in North America.

Seven years ago British Columbians were promised an economy of opportunity and the ability to work in good, family-supporting jobs. Instead, we face an unprecedented affordability crisis that has left everyday British Columbians struggling to make ends meet and a $7 billion inflationary deficit — the largest in B.C.’s history.

Now, I’m sure the Minister of Finance isn’t proud of the fact that we now rank near the absolute bottom in the country for GDP growth, with a sluggish 0.8 percent growth rate predicted for 2024.

It is high time that the Premier and his cabinet stop playing the blame game and start taking responsibility for the dire state in which so many British Columbians find themselves. Under the NDP government’s seven-year-long middle-class squeeze, people are paying more, while their paycheques are falling behind.

I know that cabinet ministers, their political staff and top bureaucrats might not relate, given their comfortable raises that they’ve given themselves over the last few years. This is why I invite the Premier to come visit Kelowna, where families, community members, leaders and many others will tell you the truth of how out of touch and disconnected this government has become.

Just yesterday I ran into Ed and his lovely German shepherd while on a walk. We spoke of how dire things are in the natural resource sector and, as well, for middle-class people. What happens when the natural resource sector contracts? Well, B.C.’s middle class pays more than ever, while the quality of life in B.C. worsens every day.

I have a constituent, Tanya, who wrote me about the middle-class squeeze, noting that her family isn’t making ends meet, despite having a two-income family. They’re having to take their kids out of after-school care because they can’t afford it anymore. Sadly, they don’t even qualify for any of the subsidies sent out by this government.

Why are they having such a hard time making ends meet? Well, in the past seven years, this NDP government has introduced 29 new or increased taxes and fees, squeezing over $20 billion more a year out of the pockets of British Columbians. That’s $5,000 for every single taxpayer. Economics 101: whatever you tax costs more.

What have the people received in return for the provincial government’s out-of-control taxes and out-of-control spending? Nothing but an out-of-control housing market and an out-of-control cost of living.

Then there’s Gerry. He’s a 72-year-old constituent who puts 70 percent of his pension towards his rent. He asked me which he should afford next — food or utilities? Shame on this government for not seeing this and for not doing anything about it.

While members opposite may deflect responsibility or blame history, the opposition stands up every day for British Columbians feeling the weight of increasing costs, and things are only going to get worse the longer that they stay on that side of the House.

If we continue on the path that this NDP government has taken us on for the past seven years, it is safe to say that paycheques will continue shrinking and that purchasing power will continue evaporating.

I should remind members that economists are clear that the NDP’s reckless policies will cut key industries by up to 20 percent, leading to recession-like conditions, fewer jobs and declining incomes. By 2030, the NDP’s middle-class squeeze will take nearly $5,000 every year out of the pockets of British Columbians. It is imperative that we stop this now.

[11:55 a.m.]

We continue to raise concerns from all British Columbians — families, new immigrants, students, workers, small business owners and more. This economy isn’t working for anyone.

British Columbians deserve a future that they can look at with optimism and excitement, not the current environment which feeds despair and starves hope. British Columbians deserve a break from seven years of this government’s middle-class squeeze.

D. Routley: It’s with great pleasure that I rise again in the House to speak to this motion.

As we look around the world, look around the country and look around the continent, we see that people are struggling with inflation. They see higher interest rates. They’ve seen war in Europe; they now see war in the Middle East. A lot of pressures are being felt around the world, but what’s important is what we do locally, what we do with what is in our own control.

We need to compare and contrast how this government approaches these challenges versus the way the previous government did. The previous B.C. Liberal-B.C. United government answered that by giving tax breaks mostly to the wealthy — a 25 percent tax break on their first day in office which this province spent 16 years paying back through a deficit in services, cuts to health care, cuts to housing.

They cut the B.C. NDP child care plan when they came into office. They cut the B.C. NDP housing plan. That has put us a decade and a half behind in these crucial areas.

There’s no doubt that we’re facing these challenges, but the opposition would hike the costs on people. Let’s take the example of rent control. We introduced a 2 percent cap on rents. That was in place of a B.C. Liberal-B.C. United plan that had inflation plus 2 percent. Just last year that would have led to almost 10 percent rent increases. Instead this government limited that to 2 percent.

Had that previous government, the B.C. Liberal-B.C. United government, been in power, that inflation would have been cemented into our economy permanently. That is not in the interests of British Columbians.

This government, the B.C. NDP government, got rid of the MSP premiums. We were the only province in the country that paid MSP premiums. We were also the only province in the country without an employer health tax. Members opposite should note that when that tax was introduced, it was the lowest in the country. So we gave British Columbians the largest middle-class tax break in the history of this province.

We have reduced child care costs. We’ve increased the B.C. family benefit up to $2,850 a year for a family with two kids.

We’ve lowered car insurance by at least $400 per year. We’ve given rebates to insurance policyholders. Their approach was to raise ICBC rates, force ICBC to report a false profit and, thereby, balance the budget in their eyes, but we have given $100,000 income earners a 34 percent net reduction in tax.

Deputy Speaker: Noting the hour, Member.

D. Routley: Yes, Mr. Speaker. Noting the hour, I would note also that we gave $80,000 earners a 56 percent net reduction in tax. It’s clear to British Columbians: that side raises their costs; this side lowers their costs.

[Mr. Speaker in the chair.]

T. Halford: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. He’s….

Interjections.

Mr. Speaker: Just please continue.

T. Halford: As the member wants to hold us past our lunch, I’ll continue on here.

[12:00 p.m.]

I rise to speak in support of the motion before us that this House agrees that British Columbians deserve a break from the seven years of middle-class squeeze we’ve seen from this NDP government.

Now, if you’ve heard the previous NDP speakers, like the one just prior to me, you would almost believe that we don’t have an affordability challenge here. Everything is good.

If you go down to the food bank in Surrey right now, you won’t see the longest lines that you’ve ever seen. You won’t see a shortfall. You won’t see single moms in there with their kids making a determination whether or not they can register their child for soccer or pay their rent or put food on the table.

No. What you’ve heard from the members today on the government side is: “Everything is fine. In fact, if it’s not fine, we’ll blame somebody else, because it’s their fault.” But right now we are saying….

Interjection.

T. Halford: The member can get up and chirp all he wants. If he wants to stand up and say something…. But what I’ll say right now….

Interjections.

Mr. Speaker: Shhh.

Member, please continue.

T. Halford: You know what’s funny is that we are in this House by the people to speak on issues like this, and the member from Maple Ridge wants to go have his lunch. He can go have his lunch, but I’m going to take my three minutes, and I’m going to speak about affordability and the importance that it has to us. Because that is the priority, not getting three minutes to go get my lunch a little bit quicker.

I’ll say this. When it comes to the fact that over half of British Columbians are $200 away from not being able to make ends meet, I think that that shows us that we have an incredible problem and an incredible challenge right here, right now in our province.

I know for a fact that 87 members of this House are getting the phone calls, are getting the emails, are getting stopped every day that they are out in their community saying: “I can’t make it work. I can’t pay for my groceries. I can’t pay for my rent. I can’t make my mortgage. It’s too much.” They’re hearing that from employers with the costs that this government has levelled on and on, on them.

We talk about ICBC. Well, the fact is that if you have a 16-year-old that is getting ready to drive and you have to insure them, sometimes that….

Interjection.

T. Halford: It’s cheaper? It’s not cheaper. It’s not cheaper, and we know that for a fact because….

If the member wants to go out and actually indicate if you put somebody on your insurance at that age, I think you’ll find out very well that it is not cheaper, and that isn’t affordability.

We see the challenges that we have every single day in this House because we see them every single day in our community. I attended a homeless rally that was held outside my office on Friday.

We have seniors after seniors that are making some of the hardest choices they’ve ever had to make in their life when it comes to trying to get through the month, whether it’s being able to pay their rent, whether it’s being able to afford medication in some instances, whether it’s being able to meet their hydro payments.

We are seeing challenges after challenges, and this government knows it. They see it, and if they don’t, they’re not doing their job. But they know they are hearing the same stories that we are hearing. They have to be.

I think what they are expecting is when are they seeing the relief from this government? Not the announcements, not the blame. Seven years, two elections, broken promises, and the cycle continues.

When we look at what we need to do for our constituents, I think we need to be based in reality.

T. Halford moved adjournment of debate.

Motion approved.

Hon. A. Dix moved adjournment of the House.

Motion approved.

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

The House adjourned at 12:04 p.m.