Orders of the Day

Private Members’ Statements

B.C.’s LIFE SCIENCES 

R. Russell: I rise today to speak on the topic of B.C.’s life sciences.

I think it’s useful probably, with such a broad topic, to start by talking about what it actually is. So what is this field? What does the sector of B.C.’s life sciences entail?

[J. Tegart in the chair.]

For the better part of the last year, on my desk, I have had a memento of a meeting that I’d had earlier this year, which is a small, hard, gel-like piece of…. The member for North Vancouver–Seymour, I think, maybe also knows what I’m speaking of. It has on the back of it etched very, very finely — you have to hold it up to the light just right to see it — some fine, fine channels in this piece of gel. If I had the opportunity to have it with me, I would.

That is what is referred to as a bespoke artificial cell — really, it’s a bespoke artificial cell wall, I would say — that a researcher from the University of Victoria has created to help us learn how to test different drugs and how they interact with the cell wall.

The reason this is important is, in a place like B.C., we have the honour of being the home of what is called lipid nanoparticle delivery systems research, which also helped design the system that transmits mRNA into a cell. So that is the challenge of getting this list of directions…. I think of it a little bit like sheet music for an orchestra, and you need to get it to the orchestra for them to be able to play it. The delivery of mRNA into the cell, and the technology to do so safely, was developed in B.C.

Indeed, virtually every COVID vaccine candidate that reached late-stage development in 2019 had components that were either initiated or designed or developed in B.C., which is a remarkable accomplishment for us.

All of these kinds of things, all of these exercises in trying to work towards better prevention or diagnosis or treatment of various ailments are within the realm of the life sciences sector in B.C.

But it goes beyond that as well. We have seen the field, for example, with companies in B.C. like Lucent biotechnologies, working in the agricultural sector, trying to develop technologies to sequester carbon and build soil health using what would typically be waste products. I think we’ll have some conversation later this morning around circular economy. Another good example of how we leverage our capacity in British Columbia, our knowledge, to build out these kinds of technologies that will be helpful for all of us.

That said, we all also, of course, know people that have struggled with cancer, with dementia. All of these treatments, diagnostic tools or preventative exercises are generally the outcome of B.C.’s life sciences sector. We recognize that it’s important.

[10:10 a.m.]

I want to also recognize that it’s important for economic reasons. I think you have all heard me stand in this House and speak about the need for rural economic diversification. I would flag, for example, in one of the communities in my riding, Princeton, there is one of the most advanced research and development facilities for psilocybin, and production facilities, in Canada.

Princeton is historically a mining town, a forestry town. That is the nature of what that community is, but it is the development of the life sciences sector — with examples like Optimi Health in Princeton and their $14 million enterprise there — that helps diversify our economies, whether they are rural or whether they are urban. The opportunities there are part of the reason why, I think, we realize and ought to recognize how important that sector is for the future of B.C.

B.C. has the fastest-growing life sciences sector across the country. This is an opportunity for us to invest and support a sector that, counter to much of historic economic development — again, particularly in rural communities, which was very extractive-based…. A leader in Haida Gwaii said to me at one point that they were tired of all of their opportunities being removing things, taking things away from them. The life sciences sector is an opportunity for that development and diversification in a world where it is providing things to the community, and not purely extractive, and works hand-in-hand with those more traditional resource sectors.

It’s because of this that B.C. has recently announced our life sciences and biomanufacturing strategy. I will touch on the five pillars of that strategy, which are intended to help deliver for us success in this sector.

Improving access to talent. Recognizing that by increasing that talent pool with collaboration between industry, academia, the private sector, non-profits, we can grow the talent, the human capital we have here.

Growing those innovative local companies. Being able to provide a foundation for creativity and innovation within the sector and supporting those 2,000 companies that we have and the many more, hopefully, that will be developed.

Increasing biomanufacturing capacity and attracting anchor companies. So as opposed to the innovators, some of the bigger players — making sure they want to come here.

Expanding our clinical trial capacity so that there’s more opportunity for patients and researchers.

Leveraging and commercializing research capacity.

S. Bond: Thank you to the member opposite for bringing forward what is an important topic this morning.

Our province has for a very long time been home to an innovative life sciences sector. However, many people developed a new awareness and appreciation for the critical importance of life sciences at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.

As we have been very proud to point out, so much of the work that led to the development of the vaccine came from British Columbia. That wasn’t an accident. It was because of decades of investment in people, in training, in research and in infrastructure. So when the crisis began, we had a sector full of skilled, passionate people ready to rise to the occasion.

I have been part of a government that recognized the importance of life sciences to being prepared for a rapidly changing future. The investments we made included the creation of the Michael Smith Genome Sciences Centre at B.C. Cancer; the leading-edge endowment fund; core funding for Genome B.C.; and what was then the Michael Smith Foundation for Health Research, now known as Michael Smith Health Research B.C.

We made intentional decisions to invest in people, infrastructure and training so our province could become a world leader, which meant we were ahead of the pack in terms of our ability to create solutions when the pandemic emerged. Genome B.C. helped the BCCDC create a genomics test to be able to identify the strain of the virus and where it came from in January 2020, ahead of most of the world.

AbCellera was working on a treatment, and UBC research into lipid nanoparticles, or LNPs, to deliver encapsulated mRNA to the interior of target cells was ready to be used by the world to develop effective vaccines incredibly quickly.

[10:15 a.m.]

The reason we had genomic screening methods, the development of potential treatments and therapeutics and a role in global vaccine development here in B.C. is because of significant investments across decades in British Columbia. It is also why B.C.’s life sciences sector is the fastest-growing life sciences sector in Canada, outpacing the growth of the overall B.C. economy.

Over the last decade, this sector has attracted more than $13 billion U.S. in private sector investments, setting the stage for future expansion. And today the sector is a source of high-paying jobs for more than 28,000 British Columbians. It is also home to three of Canada’s largest life sciences companies: STEMCELL Technologies, StarFish Medical and AbCellera, just to name a few.

I’m glad we’re continuing the important investments and work that has been started previously, but I would challenge the government to go further, because life sciences isn’t just about health care and it isn’t just about the Lower Mainland. We are entering a time where we are facing increasingly complex societal problems every single day, and science and innovation are going to be the key to finding solutions. That is evident across British Columbia.

Earlier this week LifeSciences B.C. held one of their showcase series in Prince George, and there is good reason for that. UNBC is regularly recognized as one of Canada’s best small universities with a growing research income. UNBC’s strength in community development and strong ties with First Nations have resulted in state-of-the-art research in northern, rural and environmental health. UNBC’s Health Research Institute works with the Northern Health Authority and other partners to conduct biomedical research, facilitate its translation and provide training for future health professionals in the north of the province.

UNBC is also the host institution for the Centre for Technology Adoption for Aging in the North. CTAAN breaks the barriers to the adoption of technologies that can help older residents of northern and rural communities, allow them to age well and live independently.

Prince George is also the site of a new Northern Centre for Clinical Research, the NCCR, being launched through a partnership between the UBC Faculty of Medicine, the University of Northern British Columbia and Northern Health. This centre will help create more opportunities for clinical and biomedical research in the north and improve care for the people of northern B.C.

That is just a small part of the important work that is taking place right across our province. We have a wealth of incredible researchers, developers and companies in our province with the skills and tools to solve some of the biggest issues facing our province and our world. We must continue to invest in them and recognize their immense contributions, especially those that have been already made and those they will make in the future.

R. Russell: I’m happy to rise and say that I think I agree with almost everything that the member for Prince George–Valemount said, so that makes me happy. Particularly, frankly, I appreciate the flag about the notion that we need to go beyond where we have been and expand those opportunities, going forward. I think that is the intention and the desire behind the recently released strategy with, I would say, the seven goals. The seven objectives, which I will read out, are:

To create good-paying jobs for B.C. workers, including in new biomanufacturing positions.

To retain companies and intellectual property in B.C. by helping them to scale up and commercialize here.

To strengthen our connections to the global life sciences supply chain and international markets.

To make it easier for British Columbians to access innovative treatments and clinical trials.

To generate revenue and attract skilled talent to B.C., helping businesses hire the people they need to grow.

To support the province’s economic transition to a cleaner, more sustainable, knowledge-based economy.

And to improve government’s ability to quickly respond to future pandemics and public health emergencies.

These are good strategies, good objectives, I think that we do agree on. And I appreciate going beyond in the reference to the genomic sciences centre, the Michael Smith Genome Sciences Centre. And since the member opened that up, I would flag opportunities there.

[10:20 a.m.]

For example, working with researchers looking at amphibians, so frogs and insects, to see if we can develop alternatives to traditional antibiotics. Or for example, the work that’s taking place there around the spruce genome project, to be able to fully understand and support our forestry sector so that we have the tools and the knowledge to navigate sustainably forward in a world of changing climate and disease.

In the process of preparing for this, I also encountered the research trainee award recipients from Health Research B.C. and read through some of their projects. I was fascinated, for example, by Leah Hohman at UBC, who is working on age-related changes to the microbiome and the impacts in relationship to MS. Or, for example, Sarah Faber at SFU is working on how, as memory crumbles in the throes of dementia, there is this retention to music as a grounding, and if we can learn from that in terms of navigating forward in a good way.

I’m happy to be able to rise in this House and speak in favour of an industry, a sector, that we know has enormous potential going forward, and we have a roadmap to go forward. I’m glad we’re all on the same page in terms of supporting B.C.’s life sciences.

THE IMPORTANCE OF LOCAL NEWS

D. Davies: I rise in the House this morning to shed light on an issue of great importance to the fabrics of all of our communities. This past week Glacier Media announced that it would be shutting down two long-standing newspapers in the northeast, the Alaska Highway News and the Dawson Creek Mirror. This comes shortly after the Fort Nelson News announced that it would be closing its doors just last month.

The Dawson Creek Mirror was founded in 1930 as the Peace River Block News. The Alaska Highway News first opened its doors in 1943, and the Fort Nelson News opened their doors in 1959. A legacy certainly has ended.

These papers have played a crucial role in the northeast by relaying pivotal information and connecting all of our communities. Yet these closures are just the latest trend in newspapers that are closing their doors to communities across the province. In fact, announced just earlier this week, Kamloops This Week will be closing their doors as well.

Local newspapers have long been the pillars of our communities, serving as watchdogs, storytellers and connectors. They have provided us with the information that we need to be informed citizens, the stories that make our neighbourhoods unique, the forms of dialogue that make us engaged participants in our democracy. Yet across British Columbia, newspapers are closing doors one by one, and this trend has brought a cascade of devastating consequences that ripple through every single corner of our province.

The loss of local newspapers isn’t just the end of business. It’s the end of an era. In many ways, these newspapers have been the heartbeats of our communities, and I’m sure we can all relate. The loss of these papers leaves behind a gaping hole. Local news — they’re the chroniclers of our lives, from births to weddings, events to sporting victories, celebrations to scandals. They have been there for all, telling vital stories, holding governments accountable and providing new perspectives to each of our unique communities.

I’m sure here in this House and across the province, you can all remember the first time that you saw yourself in the newspaper, whether it was from a sport victory, a science fair, art gallery, spelling bee, community fair or high school graduation. There was a special excitement about getting your photo in the newspaper, and it gave you a real sense of belonging in your community.

I’ll tell you, nothing brings a bigger smile to a grandparent’s face the first time that they get their grandchild’s photo from the newspaper and can hang it up on the fridge. I’m sure everyone can agree with that. I can remember the excitement myself when I saw my son and my daughter appear in the newspaper for their very first time.

I worry about how local news will be covered in the wake of these closures. Who will tell the local stories? Without them, voices will go unheard, and these connections will be weakened.

As the president of the community media division at Glacier Media Group, Peter Kvarnstrom wrote about my local media “leaving a large gap in the local media landscape in a vast region that views itself as both politically and economically separate from the rest of the province.” It will be at risk.

[10:25 a.m.]

Quite frankly, at times, I felt like your local newspaper was the only place where the specific day-to-day needs of your community could be heard and cared about. How often do people in Chetwynd, Fort St. James, Taylor, Rose Prairie or Fort Nelson, for that matter, hear the concerns of their communities written about in major newspapers? I can tell you, probably almost none.

As the world has embraced technology and social media, these papers were forced to adapt into the digital world. While it has had its challenges, newspapers were able to expand their audiences and served as a connection point for many people that had left their towns. They could open up their social media and be informed of the news of their hometown, allowing them to feel as if they were still part of the community, keeping a piece of them at home. It didn’t matter where life took them.

I recently talked to the editor of the Alaska Highway News. A huge amount of their readership was people that did not live in Fort St. John but have, throughout their life, called Fort St. John or the region their home.

It is unfortunate that circumstances outside of their control are leading to the decline of these local newspapers. The increased market for online content forced papers to change their business models as they heavily relied on advertising revenue from digital platforms such as Facebook or Google. These business models are no longer viable now.

In the case of Kamloops This Week, their website had fallen by half after the news that they could no longer appear on Meta. The cost to keep newspapers afloat has risen, and now the blocking of their content on certain platforms has, as we’ve seen, proven completely detrimental to the ones that have already closed and puts the risk of the future of all local media at jeopardy in British Columbia and across the country.

The devastating impacts of the trend of local newspapers shutting down in British Columbia is not to be underestimated. We stand to lose a vital source of information and a cornerstone of each and every one of our communities. Wherever possible, we must step up to support local newspapers and local journalists, who keep our communities connected and informed. Rural residents and residents from smaller towns and cities deserve to have a platform, to have their voices heard, their concerns expressed.

Today I really do want to convey my gratitude to all of these outlets that have loyally served the Peace region and other regions across the province that have lost their newspapers. Thank you for the work and your outstanding contributions that you have made to each and every one of your communities.

D. Routley: Thank you to my friend, the member for Peace River North, for the excellent statement. I appreciate his sentiments about the value of local media. I share them.

I think back to earning half my hockey school money and half of every broken hockey stick by delivering the two local papers that were in competition with each other, and how that taught me a certain accountability. I’m not sure where those lessons have gone now. But that’s another statement. In fact, you had to get up every morning and be there and then meet people in the community. There are just so many levels that local papers have contributed to ourselves and our communities.

We do live in changing times where people, as the member suggested, get most of their media through social media platforms. There are obvious inherent risks in that, in the fact they may not be as responsible to a fact as our local newspapers were because they were accountable to the people in the grocery store lineup and to that kid delivering the paper. There was a certain assurance that we were getting true facts from a perspective that knew the people that they were being addressed to. I think that was very important.

Getting a local paper delivered to your door and having it, if there were one or two per week, be there and available so you would leaf through it and you would see the things that people were doing in your community, there was a real connection.

[10:30 a.m.]

Also, there’s the amazing number of good reporters who I have dealt with in the 18 years I’ve been an MLA who got their start in local papers. In fact, Keith Baldrey was a reporter in the local Cowichan paper back when I was a little bit younger. I won’t say that I was younger than Keith, but we were both younger at that time. That’s the farm team of our bigger and more regional media outlets. I don’t know what effect that will have in the future, but I can’t imagine it’s going to be positive.

Finally, I would say that it also contributes to a deeper radicalization of people’s views. Local papers needed to be accountable. They had a granular understanding of their communities, and they needed to portray the facts in a way that was relevant to the community rather than this 35,000-foot-level debate that can happen on bigger media platforms where people take entrenched viewpoints and just fight and defend those rather than having a conversation. I think that’s a deeply important part of the value of local media.

Also I would reflect on one experience I had in the last election where a local media person and a local politician…. Duck Paterson was the B.C. United opponent in that election. We were in an online debate, and one of the other candidates said something that I disagreed with and I knew not to be factually correct. But I had used all my options for response. So the B.C. United candidate, Duck Paterson, asked the moderator if he could give me one of his chits for a response, and he was allowed to. It was a really good moment because we were able to correct the record. It was two opponents who had to cooperate.

We’ve known each other for probably 35 years, and we’d have to be accountable to each other and our friends in the grocery store lineup. He happens to be the father of a local reporter and the guy who, because the paper has fewer resources, puts in extra volunteer hours to put the paper together every week.

That’s the kind of commitment that it takes. It keeps the community knitted together. You never know how those things are going to play out, but in that case, it played out in a way that was, I thought, very civil. It was good for the community because the facts got on the table, and it showed people that we can actually cooperate, as my friend Peace River North and I do all the time, as we’ve worked together over the years.

I think that’s a value of local media that is overlooked, and as we live in a more radicalized, more extreme world, it’s a value that I appreciate evermore every day. Between paperboys paying for hockey sticks and junior reporters learning how to do the work that it takes to be on the bigger stage right through to local democracy and getting along in community and not being radicalized, that’s what local papers do for us.

I hope that we see a resurrection of that and that they thrive.

D. Davies: I thank the member opposite for their response. I’m glad to hear their genuine concerns for the issue. It is important that everybody in this House works and acts together to strengthen our communities.

He mentioned a couple of things around a paper route being someone’s first job. I posted this on my own Facebook page a little while ago. Reading all the comments that were in it, for so many people, really, their big first memory as their paper delivery person in their community was how they started raising money for their first bicycle, a special hockey stick, whatever. It really did play an integral role in the fabric of our community.

In fact, it was one of my highlights. The hon. member mentioned about getting that paper delivered to your house and bringing it in and having a cup of coffee. You know, it is something that I will surely miss doing in my own home.

It’s hard to predict exactly how the loss of the papers is going to change our town, the way that we interact with each other, how we get informed. I know it will be a profound change, and I worry that it’s not going to be a good future unless things do change.

The impact is to the local economy as well. Local businesses have relied on newspapers to reach their customers.

[10:35 a.m.]

Each issue was an outlet for local businesses to advertise, an avenue for customers to hear about shops and stores, encouraging them to shop locally. Our non-profits, charities could spread their message, advertise about community events, grow their base using these methods through our local papers.

Classifieds, you know, that was the early Marketplace, and a lot of people don’t use Marketplace. Classifieds in the newspaper is it.

But you know, it’s not just about what we lose. It’s also about what we gain by preserving local newspapers. These institutions foster a sense of community, empowering individuals to engage in local events, charitable activities and civic participation. They provide a platform for local artists, authors, young journalists, and as the member pointed out, so many of them get their start in these smaller newspapers. It allows them to hone those skills and become better journalists that we see.

The founder of the Alaska Highway News — many people know her — was Margaret “Ma” Murray. She started a number of newspapers around the province, and she said it best, and this was the front top of the Alaska Highway News. “This is the only newspaper that in the world that gives a tinker’s dam, about the North Peace.” I really think that that summarizes so many of our local smaller newspapers.

In closing, I do want to send deepest gratitude to all of our papers that are still out there.

SCHOOL LIBRARY DAY

K. Greene: I’d like to acknowledge that I’m speaking today on the traditional lands of the lək̓ʷəŋən-speaking people, the Songhees and Esquimalt Nations.

It’s my pleasure to rise today on School Library Day. If knowledge is power, this is a very powerful month, recognizing Library Month, Banned Books Week and now School Library Day.

School libraries are an integral part of the education system. They are carefully tended by teacher-librarians to be places where students can be empowered and informed, whether they are in elementary, middle or secondary school. School libraries don’t just offer books. They facilitate access to news articles, learning resources and information about how to sift through Internet references to safely and wisely navigate the web.

Teacher-librarians are passionate about their special role within schools and look for ways to help foster critical thinking and research skills for students. They also work hard to provide an inclusive environment where all students feel welcomed regardless of their ability or identity.

These safe places have important role in supporting diversity. They provide stories and other resources for children to understand their experiences and those different from their own. Libraries connect the school community and encourage an open mind and growth mindset, which is important to being a compassionate and resourceful human being.

I love seeing how beloved libraries are in schools. They have passionate student volunteers and often support from parents and others to offer the best environment and program possible. Some of my earliest memories from school were a love of the library. It was quiet and safe, and I could explore the world with my fingertips. History, mythology, science, sci-fi and fantasy. Wherever your passion led you that day, you would find its answer in the library. Libraries are a little bit magical that way. On your way to find answers, you find questions that you’ve never thought of.

The B.C. teacher-librarians’ association helps our province’s teacher-librarians with professional development and advocacy as part of the education team that helps students to reach their full potential. Like public libraries, school libraries also ensure they offer excellent Canadian quality content. Canada is home to phenomenal writers of world-class stories, and I Read Canadian Day is coming soon on November 8. School libraries are encouraged to celebrate by displaying Canadian books, getting students to read a Canadian story to their favourite stuffed toy or read a fun Canadian poem aloud.

One of my kids’ favourite silly Canadian picture books is Canadian Monster Club: The Summer Picnic by Troy Townsin, featuring mythological creatures from across Canada from the Ogopogo to the wendigo. It has a distinctly Canadian flavour that kids and adults alike can appreciate, and we can discover these treasures because of the work that libraries do to elevate Canadian authors.

I asked an elementary student in Richmond why she loved her school library. She said: “Libraries have books, and books are awesome. I love books because of all the adventures.” Another elementary student said: “I like my library because there are a lot of books. Everyone can have books that they like — child books or books for older kids.”

[10:40 a.m.]

You can tell from these children that the library is a place of exploration and safety. Their child’s wonderment is answered in the school library and supported by teacher-librarians. This gift of knowledge and reading will help them be successful adults, benefiting their social, economic and emotional well-being.

The excitement and love that kids have for their school library spills over to their love of public libraries. This month is Library Month, where we recognize the valuable contributions that libraries have in our communities, made possible by librarians, staff, volunteers and board trustees.

I was lucky enough to be a liaison to the Richmond Public Library as a city councillor. The RPL board, as I’m certain other library boards are, is passionate about providing a welcoming, inclusive space for the community to not only learn, but to connect and access supportive programming for all ages.

It’s impressive that more than two million people have library cards in B.C. — that’s approaching half of all British Columbians — providing free access to services and resources at B.C.’s 71 public libraries and 250 branches. My community of Richmond-Steveston has a branch of the RPL in the community centre. It’s a very popular place for everyone from babies to seniors, and I know how much parents, in particular, appreciate the well-stocked kids section and parent-and-tot programming. My kids loved story time, and even now a trip to the library is a legitimate competition to getting ice cream.

Recognizing the invaluable contributions of public libraries, our provincial government supports libraries with $14 million in annual operating funding. This year, we provided an historic $45 million to help libraries keep pace with demand by improving access to books, digital collections, programs, spaces, literary technology and operating hours.

Of course, it’s also important to remember that we recently recognized Banned Books Week, an annual event that celebrates the freedom to read and spotlights current and historical attempts to censor books in libraries and schools. Intellectual freedom and the opportunity to access diverse viewpoints means that we can explore and discuss ideas that may challenge our preconceptions. Librarians are always at the forefront of those defending the right to read, alongside teachers, authors and citizens. If you haven’t already thanked a librarian in this literary powerhouse of a month, please do so now.

Thomas Jefferson once wrote: “I cannot live without books.” I can’t agree more with that statement, but will go just a little farther: I cannot live without libraries.

E. Sturko: I’d like to thank the member for Richmond-Steveston for her words on this important day, School Library Day.

As an avid reader myself, I’m also passionate in my belief of promoting school libraries and the incredible work that librarians do every day to ensure that our children have access to reading materials that both challenge and stimulate them as students.

Having the ability to find a good book, one that captivates you and makes you feel a whole range of emotion, can be difficult. That’s why it’s important that school librarians do what they do. They guide students so that they can find books that increase their emotional depth and enhance their creativity. Without librarians, many students would never find the joy that reading can be.

This year’s theme is “Speak up for school libraries.” To do that, I’d like to share some benefits that reading has on one’s mental health. By doing so, I hope to show that they’re irreplaceable and critical to students’ well-being.

For escapist readers, they can get lost between pages, facing a reality that isn’t their own. It allows students to channel their thoughts in one central idea. Reading provides them with clarity and focus, as thoughts that constantly weigh down their mind can be driven away. It gives them reprieve from the challenges of every day. It gives them a break from thoughts of self-doubt and worry that sometimes plague their minds.

All of these are elements that each of us struggles with on occasion but that can be alleviated with a good book. In these texts, readers can find characters who face similar challenges and uncertainties, offering comforting senses of empathy and shared experience. A collection of books serves as a mentor, offering guidance and perspective when our youth don’t know where to turn. The basic foundation of right and wrong and the consequences of one’s actions are descriptively shown so that it’s easy to educate and understand what’s okay and what is not.

[10:45 a.m.]

For the young reader who wants to learn more about the world, school libraries offer a wealth of information that can stimulate your mind and increase your vocabulary. They bring the world together as people educate themselves on occurrences that may be on the opposite side of the globe. With this comes a greater understanding of people’s differences, helping us recognize that being different is what makes us unique.

For young children, books open a world of possibilities, allowing them to picture a world in bright colours, full of mystifying stories. As they get older, the creativity they experienced in their younger years helps them think outside the box and be more effective and productive.

It’s not just in the pages of a book that someone can find reprieve for their mental health. School libraries often host a wide range of events such as seminars, workshops and book clubs, allowing people to connect with like-minded individuals and create their own space that’s welcoming to all.

This relief, this benefit, to one’s mental health is borne out of our school libraries, and we have to recognize this. School libraries and the books within them need to be cherished. There is knowledge to be learned between the pages, and every child should have access to it. Thank you to the school librarians who continue to promote school libraries and foster a place of learning for youth. The benefits that school libraries have on mental health cannot be overstated, and it’s the dedication of librarians that fuel their positive impacts.

In closing, I’d just like to say a little stanza from one of the books that I remember so dearly as a child from the school library where I attended. It comes from Chicken Soup with Rice by author Maurice Sendak.

In October, I’ll be host
to witches, goblins and a ghost.
I’ll serve them chicken soup on toast.
Whoopy once, whoopy twice,
whoopy chicken soup with rice.

Thank you, school librarians. Keep up the good work.

K. Greene: On this School Library Day, I want to say a very deeply felt thank-you to teacher-librarians, who make libraries welcoming for classes and students and support literacy development and research skills. The safe and inclusive space that they create for students to learn and explore is so important to our school communities and for students to develop a lifelong love of learning.

A secondary student in Richmond said to me: “I love my school library because it holds a lot of information for students to learn about, and it’s easily accessible. My teacher-librarian is really nice, helps with finding books, and helps with technology.”

Whether it’s a school library or a public library, libraries are so much more than a collection of books, as this high school student affirmed. They are places of connection, support and access to high-quality information.

The Drop Everything and Read Challenge coincides with today’s School Library Day. This celebration of reading is promoted by the B.C. Teacher-Librarian Association and is designed to remind everyone to make reading a priority in their life. Participants can read wherever their passion lies, from technical manuals to the latest fantasy bestseller. The most important thing is to make reading a priority and part of this routine.

Libraries are also conscious of ensuring that reading is accessible for everyone, regardless of ability. For example, in Richmond’s public libraries, e-readers are available for loans so that any book can be in large-print format. Libraries also include digital titles, audiobooks and other accessible technologies, to ensure that all people can access the information and literature they need in a format that works for them.

Reading is a powerful gift that we can give our children to spark their imaginations as they grow into the people they are meant to be. Experiencing stories that are different from our own lived experiences helps us to understand the diverse world that we live in together. Children can learn and understand their own experiences better and also have acceptance and understanding for people whose life experiences are so different from their own. It should go without saying that a society that is inclusive of people with diverse backgrounds is better for everyone.

Thank you to our fantastic school libraries, our public libraries and all the teacher-librarians, librarians, staff and volunteers who make the magic happen. Our communities are better places to be because of the work that you do.

Finally, I’d like to leave you with a quote from the beloved kids program Reading Rainbow: “I can be anything. Take a look. It’s in a book.”

[10:50 a.m.]

AFFORDABILITY FOR FARMERS

I. Paton: Tomorrow is Agriculture Day. Between now and then, B.C. farmers and ranchers will take time to meet with ministers, MLAs and government officials to discuss the obstacles they face and what this government needs to do to help them.

This year’s B.C. Ag Day provides an opportunity to understand the difficulties that the agriculture sector in British Columbia has encountered in the past year. It’s also a chance to recognize the unwavering determination of farmers and ranchers in communities across the province who have faced the challenges presented by severe weather and its lingering effects.

I know I will take time to celebrate the industry’s efforts and how they have played a crucial role in maintaining the strength of our local food security, economies and communities. I hope my counterparts across the aisle will also acknowledge their hard work and hear out some of their major concerns.

In the face of adversity, farmers have persevered and continue to grow and sell the highest-quality products. It has not been easy for them, but I know they’re appreciative of our community by ensuring we continue to buy local products whenever we are able to.

While our community has continued to step up for farmers, there remain many unresolved issues requiring immediate attention from our provincial government. In my role as the opposition critic for Agriculture and Food, I have been shining a spotlight on the growing affordability challenges facing farmers that are ultimately being downloaded onto our consumers. Most pressing are the rising costs of the three Fs: feed, fuel and fertilizer. Shortages of feed and fertilizer combined with the higher costs for transportation are posing significant challenges for our agriculture 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 help those currently struggling to turn a profit.

I know that many farmers will say how increasingly unaffordable farming has become here in B.C. Unfortunately, that’s due to the many measures brought in by this government. Farmers, like all British Columbians, are facing rising costs everywhere they turn, and these pressures are significantly impacting their operations.

I have been a farmer for a long time, and I understand the vital work of B.C. farmers and ranchers and everyone involved in the food production process. I also can appreciate that if we do not support the industry and ensure their operations can survive, it will greatly affect our food security. That is why I strongly implore this government to move forward in addressing the key concerns of mine that echo what farmers across the province are experiencing and telling me.

Governments must contemplate tax exemptions so farmers can handle the introduction of a great range of added costs such as the employer health tax and 28 other and new increased taxes in this province in the last 6½ years. Governments must also deliver tax relief to help address the skyrocketing costs of diesel, gas, heating fuel and natural gas. All goods in agriculture move from point A to point B on diesel. Every truck in agriculture runs on diesel, including rail transportation.

Governments must provide farmers and ranchers with the right tools so they can continue traditions of multigenerational farms. This includes making it easier for them to build second and third homes that are larger than 970 square feet on the same farm. I’d like to remind the House that B.C. has the worst housing affordability in North America, especially for young people. And this is not just for family members but also for farm workers, be it domestic or migrant seasonal workers.

Government must increase our cattle industry with more abattoirs in British Columbia, as well as creating more cut-and-wrap facilities. Government must revisit and strengthen legislation on radical activists who invade farms and cause safety issues. Finally, there must be better access to water for livestock and irrigation throughout this province. Farmers and ranchers encounter major droughts that threaten their herds and products. It is paramount that we have access to water no matter the month or time of year.

These are just a few ways that this government can take action to make both life and farm operations easier and more affordable. Everyone in this House can agree with me about how truly important the agriculture industry is to our province. But as cost pressures continue to soar, the amount of farmers and ranchers in this province will continue to dwindle.

Farming is an incredibly volatile and high-risk livelihood. There are droughts, fires, rainstorms, frost, disease and viruses that could devastate a herd. All these can take you out in a heartbeat if you’re a farmer or rancher in this province.

[10:55 a.m.]

That is why we must ensure that we are not only providing farmers and ranchers with the best opportunities for success but also doing everything we can to lessen their financial burden.

Look at what’s happened to our poultry industry with the ever-increasing losses from avian influenza. Look at the losses to our wine industry with the extreme cold last winter causing massive damage to grapevines. Look at the fires and drought, which this past summer have left hundreds of ranchers with shortages of hay and feed, forcing many to sell off a large portion of their herd this fall and huge financial costs of replacing burnt-off fencing. And look at the gut punch to a farmer when commodity prices remain static yet millions of dollars in bank borrowings jump from 1½ percent interest rates to 7.5 percent interest rates.

These rising difficulties could have major effects on our province’s food security. Farmers and ranchers are resilient, but they are not indestructible. They face the same challenges we face and are fighting not just for their livelihood but for the future of food security in our province. Let us come together this Agriculture Day and remember how important our farmers are, and make sure to listen to them today and to hear their concerns.

M. Dykeman: Thank you to the member opposite for those words. I know his passion in this area of agriculture, and I agree with much, but not all, of what the member opposite said today.

Farmers and ranchers are facing so many incredible challenges right now — some of the toughest challenges in history, arguably — from rising costs to inflationary pressures, supply chain challenges and disruptions overall. Extreme weather events with unprecedented fires and floods and droughts — these have indeed been very, very challenging times. When you look at a sort of multi-pronged challenge, where you have that many different challenges that are contributing to costs and pressures on farmers, it requires a multi-pronged approach to address those challenges.

I’m excited to talk about some of the investments that our government has made recently, working with other levels of government, our stakeholders, our partner groups, and talking to farmers about the needs that they have during these unprecedented times — partners like the B.C. Cattlemen’s Association and B.C. Dairy.

We need to support farmers and ranchers through programs that provide planning for the future. They facilitate growth while supporting the resiliency and recovery that farmers need to address these challenges. Those are investments into the growth and future of the sector — essentially, planning for the future while addressing the challenges of today — to ensure that food security, both locally and nationally, is in place.

We have a very unique location in British Columbia. We have this amazing growing season. We have weather that facilitates us to grow a wide variety of crops while also being a port, a position that allows us to reach the markets of the world. British Columbia indeed has a vibrant and robust agriculture sector, and that’s something that’s very important. When you speak to people around the world, they talk about how incredible our agriculture is here.

Some of the programs that have been brought in — once again, looking at how we address the challenges of today by supporting the growth of tomorrow — is the agricultural water infrastructure program. Producers have been applying for that to improve, rehabilitate, expand and construct new water storage systems, purchasing agricultural water supply assessments, engineering studies or plans; something that allows water, an essential component of agriculture, to be built more resilient and hardened, to be there to support our crops.

Some other examples of ministry funding recently include $20 million for emergency planning and preparedness; $20 million for flood mitigation work in the Fraser Valley; $20 million for irrigation, water storage and delivery; $20 million for improving the food supply chain by streamlining logistics, storage and transportation options; $15 million to replace crops with new climate-resilient crops; and $30 million for Indigenous food sovereignty.

[11:00 a.m.]

The increased funding to the extreme weather protection program also has resulted in projects like barn cooling and flood-resistant storage being built. The water infrastructure program has supported investment into water storage and irrigation infrastructure, helping farmers adapt to climate change impacts like increased drought, growing more food through funding and new and improved water storage and water supply infrastructure.

One of the other challenges with that, the member opposite mentioned, was the challenge with feed, and we know that farmers this summer, with the drought, have experienced food shortages. To help farmers and producers get the hay and feed, the ministry has provided $150,000 to fund a new access to feed program that will be delivered in partnership with the B.C. Cattlemen’s Association.

[S. Chandra Herbert in the chair.]

Looking to the future, our government has invested $20 million in a food affordability and innovation fund, which is going to help reduce costs and bottlenecks along the supply chain, helping open access to markets for our farmers.

We’re also part of the sustainable agriculture partnership agreement, which brings in about $470 million to B.C. farmers and processors over the next five years.

Finally, an agri-recovery program which was just announced will provide $71 million to help B.C. farmers and ranchers with additional support to repair or replace damaged infrastructure.

That’s just an overview of the great investments that are going on, and I look forward to seeing more coming in the future.

I. Paton: I appreciate the member for Langley East’s comments, but unfortunately, those announcements won’t mean much until this government focuses on delivering tangible results, and that is what farmers and ranchers in this province need. Results matter.

Farmers are not immune to the cost-of-living crisis, inflation and the rising interest rates. The expenses associated with operating as a farmer or rancher in British Columbia have reached unsustainable levels, and this is beginning to have adverse consequences on food security within our province.

Farmers are also experiencing unprecedented labour shortages, disruptions in the packing, processing and transportation sectors and increasing domestic and international market insecurity. These fears are resulting in difficult decisions about which crops to grow and whether to leave fields fallow for the upcoming season.

To weather this storm and ensure the security and longevity of our local food system, B.C.’s agriculture industry must become more self-sufficient. As the old proverb goes, those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it. Pre-emptively, B.C. should prepare for future interruptions in the international food supply chain, as COVID-19 has made us realize just how reliant we are on food imports.

We can no longer rely on the imports of meats, fruits and vegetables from other countries like China, the United States and Mexico. We need to incentivize both buying and growing of B.C. products. This can be done by utilizing more of B.C.’s Crown ALR land and transitioning it into better and more efficient food production uses. More homegrown vegetables under glass are also to be considered, as well as increased opportunities to butcher, process and package B.C. beef, pork, lamb and poultry.

Food security in this province should also mean farm family security and farm financial security. As farmers and ranchers begin to age out, it is imperative that housing on farmland be readily available to the next generation of farmers, who would choose to carry on the family business with the right to work and live on the property with their parents, grandparents and siblings.

We also need to allow farm families to be more creative and entrepreneurial in order to come up with a supplemental income to support their farm operations. I get concerned when out-of-the-box ideas like festivals, processing facilities, eateries, roadside stands and cafes are shut down by the land commission. Agritourism is essential in this province. These activities should be encouraged, not regulated into oblivion.

Regrettably, without a change in government direction, we will continue to witness the departure of farmers in the coming years, further exacerbating the food security situation in British Columbia. Stakeholders from across the province are here over the next two days and eagerly anticipate government involvement to alleviate the challenges faced by ranchers and farmers. I am confident that by working together, we will emerge from these challenges stronger than ever.

Hon. A. Kang: I ask that the House consider proceeding with Motion 55 standing in the name of the member for Langford–Juan de Fuca.

[11:05 a.m.]

Deputy Speaker: Members, unanimous consent of the House is required to proceed to Motion 55 without disturbing the priorities of the motions preceding it on the order paper.

Leave granted.

Private Members’ Motions

MOTION 55 — CIRCULAR ECONOMY

R. Parmar: I move:

[Be it resolved that this House celebrates October as Circular Economy Month and recognizes how a circular economy helps us protect the environment, address climate change and create good, sustainable family-supporting jobs.]

It’s such an honour to be able to stand in this House and recognize October as circular economy month. This is not a new term or philosophy to people in this House, to British Columbians and certainly to people in Langford–Juan de Fuca A circular economy is one that minimizes waste while making the most of the resources we have.

I have a belief to my core that we here in British Columbia have a global responsibility and, I might add, an added urgency of addressing climate change. What I think you’re going to be able to hear from the speakers here today is that B.C. is uniquely positioned to make a meaningful and significant difference in fighting climate change but also doing so while creating good-paying, family-supporting jobs.

The circular economy is about waste reduction. It’s about the things that we learned when we were in elementary school: reducing, reusing and recycling and also repurposing materials. By diverting waste from landfills, we significantly reduce methane emissions.

British Columbia is rich in natural resources. Just one example of the circular economy in our natural resources industry is mass timber — one example of benefiting the circular economy. You just have to look at Kalesnikoff Lumber, one of the leading companies in this entire country in mass timber. Certainly, the people in my community are benefiting from mass timber with the new elementary school, SĆIȺNEW̱ SṮEȽIṮḴEȽ, opening up in 2025.

Circular economy is also about fostering innovation, and B.C.’s tech industry has been leading the world in this important work. The members from Kelowna will recognize the name Pela Case, a company in Kelowna that, again, is benefiting by tackling plastic and creating eco-friendly phone cases and has been getting world-renowned attention.

It’s so important as part of fostering innovation that we, as a government, support our universities and colleges. Our universities and colleges here in British Columbia are our competitive advantage, and they are some of the best research institutions in the world. That’s why under the leadership of Andrew Petter, who was a minister in the 1990s, we created the B.C. knowledge development fund, which to date has invested over $1 billion in funding projects, many of them that support the circular economy. Or the integrated marketplace initiative, which was announced just over a year ago by the Minister of Jobs, that is now investing in research and creating jobs and opportunities that lead to electrifying our ports as well as YVR.

One of the most important pieces of the circular economy is creating clean jobs, creating good-paying, long-standing jobs in communities all across the province. But before we can do that, we need to invest in skills training. I believe to my core that British Columbia can and will, through our future skills plan, invest in training programs that equip the workforce with the necessary skills for the circular economy.

It also means diversifying our rural communities. By embracing a circular economy, British Columbia can ensure that we have circular economies all throughout our province. We can take the important steps of making sure we’re supporting our rural communities, unlike previous governments that have abandoned rural communities.

The shift to a circular economy is not just an environmental imperative but also an economic opportunity. With the CleanBC and the Stronger B.C. economic plan, we are becoming here in British Columbia the global leaders in this transition. We’ve certainly done a lot, but we’ve got a lot more work to do.

I hope, through the conversations that will flow today but also the conversations that will happen in our communities and across the province with businesses and leaders in local government, that we can all work collectively together to collaborate and drive British Columbia towards a sustainable circular future that delivers for people in all parts of British Columbia.

R. Merrifield: A circular economy is not just a concept. It needs to be our reality. In a circular economy, resources are conserved and waste is minimized by promoting the continual use, refurbishment and recycling of products and materials. Rather than discarding products at the end of their life cycle, materials are recovered, refurbished or remanufactured to extend their usefulness.

[11:10 a.m.]

This not only reduces the strain on finite natural resources but also minimizes the environmental impact associated with resource extraction and waste disposal. Building a circular economy is one that focuses on lowering our environmental footprint while creating well-paying jobs that provide for the best quality of life that all British Columbians should expect.

In a circular economy, nothing goes to waste. These ideas are driven by the many successful examples we have already seen grow out of our province.

Take, for instance, Kelowna business EMMY­DEVEAUX. The founder, Emily Salsbury-Deveaux, imagined a clothing brand where beauty and sustainability were held in equal tension. They are a no-inventory-waste brand and, through their Fundit program, only the items that are purchased get produced, wasting less. Through their buyback program, they will take back the high-quality items and resell them at lower prices. They’ve redefined fashion by upcycling materials that would have otherwise ended up in landfills. They craft fashionable, affordable and sustainable clothing, changing how British Columbians dress and how we interact with our environment.

The textile industry is a major contributor to carbon emissions, responsible for up to 10 percent of global emissions. Moreover, worldwide waste piles up to a staggering 92 million tonnes a year, costing the economy around $400 billion. The work carried out by circular economy pioneers like Emily is nothing short of critical.

Circular economies aren’t unique to just fashion and can virtually exist anywhere. We see, for example…. I appreciate that the member previous actually cited a Kelowna startup — companies like Pela — but he neglected the other one that they’ve started up called Lomi. While Pela focuses on ensuring your recycled plastics get used again, Lomi actually looks that no produce goes to waste.

These innovations are not confined to the private sector alone. The University of British Columbia Okanagan campus has a federal government-supported program where students in Kelowna are collaborating with local businesses to implement cutting-edge circular economy practices. UBCO connects local businesses with the engineering expertise needed to save industrial materials from landfill while designing new green products from fully biosourced materials.

UBCO, with the partnership with the government of Canada, is buying new equipment and expanding its advanced materials and manufacturing testing capabilities so that more companies can access this support.

Technical knowledge developed through these projects will be saved in a digital repository to help current and future companies embrace the circular economy. The combination of in-person expertise and a digital repository supporting a circular economy is the first of its kind in the province and will build on B.C.’s leadership in clean tech.

It will also raise the profile of local companies and innovators who are creating solutions with global impact. But this mirrors the role that the provincial government should be playing in advancing the circular economy that it professes. The government has to ensure that British Columbia’s economy receives the support it needs to thrive during this transformative era.

However, I often hear from communities about the challenges that they face. The NDP government’s inflationary deficit, coupled with their inability to tackle our province’s housing crisis and the growing bureaucratic hurdles in our business environment, are making our journey towards a circular economy more challenging than it should be.

We need a greater investment in the companies that are making an effort to create the circular economy, and more efforts are required.

Right now the CleanBC plan is taking money out of the economy but isn’t producing results in increasing or expanding the economy with jobs or GDP. Speaking and aspiring towards a circular economy isn’t enough. People need to witness tangible results, and the time has come for the Premier to deliver these expectations.

We know that the NDP is falling far behind on their own climate goals while taxing British Columbians an extra $20 billion to deliver worse results. This is not how a circular economy works. If the NDP can’t get the economy to go up, I don’t know how they can make it go around.

J. Routledge: I rise to speak in favour of the motion: “Be it resolved that this House celebrate October as Circular Economy Month and recognize how a circular economy helps us protect the environment, address climate change and create good, sustainable family-supporting jobs.”

For those who are unfamiliar with the term “circular economy,” a circular economy is a model of production and consumption which involves sharing, leasing, reusing, repairing, refurbishing and recycling existing materials and products for as long as possible.

[11:15 a.m.]

I am proud to tell you that Burnaby, where I live and work, is on its way to becoming a world leader in putting circular economy principles into practice.

The new Burnaby centre for community and worker ownership is building an economy that works for people and the planet. This new cooperative incubator innovation and development hub is being led by the Union Cooperative Initiative with the support of Vancity Credit Union, B.C. Federation of Labour and the B.C. Co-operative Association.

The new climate cooperative project, with core operating funding from Vancity, is developing a number of worker cooperatives that support the circular economy. Using less raw material means less waste and fewer emissions. Worker and community-driven solutions are making a profound positive impact on the environment and support our provincial climate targets.

The new union cooperative textile recycling initiative is working with local labour partners and New York City–based FABSCRAP, an organization created in order to end commercial textile waste. Since launching in 2016, FABSCRAP has diverted 1.35 million pounds of textile scraps from landfill. In 2022 alone, over 320,000 pounds of usable textiles were diverted from landfill and prevented 2,749 tonnes of CO₂ from being released into the environment. Textile scraps not destined for re-use are shredded and turned into insulation and stuffing for the local manufacturing industry. Labour partnerships here in B.C. in the film and theatre industry will rapidly scale up this textile diversion, reuse and recycling initiative in the Lower Mainland.

The UCI’s new heat pump cooperative initiative is working with local labour partners, cooperative developers and the Australian-based Earthworker Cooperative to build manufacturing cooperatives that will help meet our climate targets. Heat pump manufacturing, electrification and green landscaping cooperatives are all being developed for made-in-Burnaby circular economy solutions. Union cooperatives are an important new tool in the growing circular economy movement right here in B.C.

Let me conclude by saying that the circular economy may be as transformational as the industrial revolution was 300 to 400 years ago. It’s a transformation we desperately need if we are to survive. The planet is burning up, and growing income inequality is undermining our sense of social solidarity and leading to profound alienation, rage and unrest. We witness the horrific evidence of it every day when we turn on the news.

I’m a visual thinker, so when I see a linear economy, I see long lines of supply chain, too easily cut off by floods and wars. I see pipelines. I see hierarchies. I see pyramids of power. I see historical shipping lanes on a map that brought armies to subdue original inhabitants, settlers to occupy the land and slaves to work the land and return with products such as sugar and wheat.

When I see a circular economy, I see circles. I see a circle of friends who do things together, know each other, support each other and connect each other to the wider community. I see the synergy of round-table discussions, and I’m reminded that our world, our earth, is a globe — a circle, not a line.

G. Kyllo: It is my pleasure to rise in the House today and speak on this motion.

While I enjoy hearing the members opposite use the word “economy,” a relative rarity from this NDP government, the reality on the ground is that the current economy is not working for British Columbians. Life has never been more unaffordable. The middle class is getting squeezed, and this motion does nothing to address this crisis. People deserve a break, yet all this government delivers is empty announcements and added costs as life gets more and more expensive. Paycheques are shrinking and people are struggling to keep up as their real income drops and essential costs soar.

[11:20 a.m.]

The NDP middle-class squeeze is crushing families to the point where over half of B.C. families are now just $200 or less away from insolvency at the end of each month.

While the cost of living skyrockets, 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 record-high NDP spending, the results for British Columbians have never been worse.

Meanwhile, this government continues to pat themselves on the back for meaningless announcements and photo ops instead of taking action. The reality is that we need more than empty words. Results matter, and right now, British Columbia is experiencing terrible results by any metric.

After seven years and two terms of this NDP government, we have the highest rents in Canada and the worst housing affordability in North America. Yet this government believes that adding new taxes and costs will actually make housing more affordable. The Premier is even allowing Metro Vancouver cities to triple building fees — triple. That’s an extra $24,000 to build a family home and $14,000 more for an apartment. This blizzard of new taxes and fees is only making the housing crisis worse.

If this government wants to make housing more affordable, they should try making it less expensive. On this side of the House, we know that cutting red tape will deliver real housing solutions. Unfortunately, this government expects British Columbians to accept record-high grocery, gas and housing prices as the new normal. That is not the type of government British Columbians expect or deserve. They deserve a government that’s fighting to make life more affordable by bringing forward real solutions, not new taxes. How much longer will British Columbians be forced to wait for these needed solutions?

Cost of living is the number one issue for families across the province right now. From the Shuswap to Victoria, gas, groceries and housing are all more expensive, yet rather than taking steps to address these rising costs, over the last seven years, the NDP government has introduced 29 new or increased taxes, taking over $20 billion more per year out of the pockets of British Columbians. That adds up to $5,000 for every single taxpayer. You cannot tax your way to affordability.

I’m glad that this morning the members opposite have woken up to the fact that discussing the economy is important. I’m glad they’re realizing the need for good family-supporting jobs. However, I wish that they had spent the past seven years taking action to create those jobs, rather than spending their time turning B.C. into the least affordable place to live in the country.

Six years of NDP government, and life has never been more unaffordable. The provincial debt has doubled, with little to show for it. Taxpayers are being fleeced, with the NDP community ripoff agreements resulting in project downscoping costing more money — less for more, under the NDP’s disastrous policies.

The only thing circular about this economy is the ongoing cycle of record-high spending and record-low results.

B. D’Eith: I just wanted to make sure, judging from the last speech, that this is a debate about the circular economy. Okay. Just checking, because it didn’t sound like there was any talk about the circular economy.

In fact, October is Circular Economy Month. For those, perhaps, in the opposition who don’t know what a circular economy is — judging by the last statement — it’s a system designed where there’s no waste, in contrast to what Western civilizations have done for so many years, which is create materials and then throw them away.

The circular approach is emphasizing sharing, reusing, repairing, recycling and, in the process, reducing GHG emissions. That’s part of what the CleanBC Roadmap is all about. The CleanBC Roadmap to 2030 is taking steps to advance the circular economy as part of CleanBC, especially in the sectors of agriculture and forestry.

One of the key components is advancing through the plastics action plan, which is requiring more manufacturers to take responsibility for their products. That will eventually lead to recycling, reuse and safe disposal, if necessary.

[11:25 a.m.]

The Minister of Environment announced the Single-Use and Plastic Waste Prevention Regulation, which will manage shopping bags, disposable food service accessories and many other packaging products, which is really important to make sure that we move away from single-use plastics that get diverted into the landfill.

There is also a fund, the CleanBC plastics actions fund. That’s investing $10 million in incremental funding, which builds on the $5 million previous, in 2021, for innovative technologies to turn used plastics into new products to support the circular economy. This will create new and sustainable jobs.

Of course, an important part of this is jobs, new jobs. That’s why there’s a new fund, the B.C. manufacturing jobs fund, investing $90 million in grants to high-value industry and manufacturing projects. This builds on the $195 million over three years that the government announced in ’22 for coordinating a comprehensive support for forest workers, industry, communities and First Nations that are affected by old-growth logging deferrals.

We can’t talk about the forest industry without mentioning mass timber. Mass timber is an incredibly important opportunity for the province in the circular economy. Instead of large-diameter trees being used to make mass timber, mass timber can use multi-layers of small-dimensional wood fastened together. In fact, it can be incredibly…. It can deliver up to seven times the economic value when compared to milled logs or lumber.

Mass timber is also great to build with because you can build up to 12 storeys now. It’s as strong as steel, in many cases, and very importantly, it can reduce carbon emissions by up to 45 percent. These are new jobs that are sustainable over a long period of time.

Those are some of the bigger issues.

I just wanted to touch on, in the remaining minute and a half that I have, in terms of local work. Over 50 years ago, in 1972, the Ridge Meadows Recycling Society was started. This was way ahead of its time. This is before people even knew what recycling meant.

Local visionaries Bob Cordoni, Beryl Cunningham, Candace Gordon and Julie and Dave Koehn started this process of education and action towards recycling. It’s just absolutely amazing what’s happened with the Maple Ridge recycling depot. One of the things that’s really, really cool about the recycling depot is they also employ folks with mental challenges. That gives people dignity and a paycheque, and it’s just amazing for the community as well.

Now, a lot of people will talk about what they read on social media about things not getting recycled or ending up in the dump, but the reality is our local recycling actually goes out of their way to make sure all of the things that they do end up actually recycled. Aluminum appliances get recycled. All the parts get stripped and recycled. Batteries. There’s a Call2Recycle program. Cardboard, through Recycle B.C. Cell phones through Recycle My Cell.

Electronics — and this is really interesting — get stripped, and many are shipped to Teck Cominco, a smelter in Trail, for separation and processing and reselling. Glass is recycled through Encorp Pacific.

Deputy Speaker: Thank you, Member.

B. D’Eith: Even household hazardous wastes. There’s so much.

Sorry, hon. Speaker. They do so much, and I’m so excited about our local recycling.

K. Kirkpatrick: I am very happy to get up and speak to this motion.

While the NDP talk about the circular economy, the only thing that’s actually being recycled by this NDP government are their talking points.

While more and more people are caught up in the NDP’s middle-class squeeze, it gets more and more difficult for all British Columbians. Despite all the NPD spending, the results have never been worse. Over 50 percent of households are $200 or less away from insolvency at the end of the month.

Rent now costs over $3,000 a month in Vancouver, and B.C. continues to have the highest gas prices and gas taxes in the country. Mortgage costs are skyrocketing for families across the province, making it even less affordable for them to pay for the things that they need on a daily basis.

[11:30 a.m.]

Under the NDP, the economy is expected to do even worse than projected in 2024, declining to 0.8 percent GDP growth. The end result is that the Business Council of British Columbia is warning that the Premier and the NDP will drag our per-capita income levels back to 2013, leaving British Columbians worse off than they were a decade ago.

When it comes to housing, British Columbia has the highest rents in Canada and the worst housing affordability in North America. Rent has doubled to almost $3,000 — or actually, over $3,000 — a month in Vancouver. A townhome is up 33 percent to $1 million; a single-family home, approaching $2 million.

B.C. is in a housing crisis, and this NDP government has reacted too slowly and has not been able to create housing fast enough to keep up with the current crisis, let alone manage increased growth. This government has purposely tried to create friction between those that own and those that rent and has taken away the dream for those younger people wanting to shift to home ownership.

To quote the member for Burnaby North: “The current situation, the current housing crisis, has pitted working people against working people, working landlords against working tenants….”

When the NDP counts and reports anecdotal housing numbers rather than the real and true number of units that are freed up for rental, it’s highly suspect and likely highly inaccurate. What I am suggesting are real homes with real people needing to be able to live in them. There needs to be more creativity from this government in addressing housing.

One tool with multiple benefits is accessing and repurposing already existing housing options. This is the lifting and moving of existing housing, which is currently hindered by government policies yet is a prime example of the circular economy. I hope that is acceptable to the member for Maple Ridge–Mission.

There are significant environmental costs.

Interjections.

K. Kirkpatrick: Does the member not agree that that is an important part of our housing process and that this government has not actually been able to create housing? Instead of listening to some options for how they might better do that, he needs to heckle while I’m talking about this.

Interjections.

Deputy Speaker: Members.

K. Kirkpatrick: Yes. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Building waste in landfills is one of the most significant contributors to CO₂ emissions in any municipality.

With this NDP government’s housing plans, we see that it has resulted in shortages, especially in high-demand areas, and this has led to significant overcrowding and to homelessness.

What we see here in British Columbia by this government is a lack of urgent action and new approaches to increasing housing supply. It’s created a lack of housing which exacerbates social and economic inequalities, as lower-income individuals and families are most likely to struggle to find suitable places to work.

So, Mr. Speaker, rather than the opposite members heckling this conversation, perhaps they should work harder on creating housing.

A. Singh: I’m wholeheartedly in support of the MLA from Langford’s motion, despite the ridiculous assertions from the other side about the economy and taxes. This is coming from the people that had the highest regressive taxes on regular, everyday British Columbians — MSP, tolls, ICBC. So we won’t go there. We’ll talk about the….

We have a subject here, a very important subject, especially in the time of climate change: circular economy. But before we go there, again, let’s talk about the economy. I just looked up the credit ratings for our province. Apparently, we’re not doing a good job.

Moody’s disagrees. We’ve got a triple-A rating. S&P has a double-A rating; Dominion Bond, a double-A rating. Fitch has a double-A-plus rating — still pretty phenomenal in a time of global inflation, in a time of gas prices going through the roof because of a war by Russia which we have absolutely no control over.

[11:35 a.m.]

Anyway, I think I need to talk about the circular economy and explain what it is, because it doesn’t seem like the other side knows what it is. A circular economy is a model of production and consumption that aims to minimize waste and pollution by keeping products and materials in use for as long as long as possible.

It’s based on three principles, driven by design. Eliminate waste and pollution, keep products and materials in use, and regenerate natural systems. The circular economy is a framework that involves sharing, leasing, reusing, repairing, refurbishing and recycling existing materials and products for as long as possible. The circular economy tackles climate change, biodiversity loss, waste and pollution by decoupling economic activity from the consumption of finite resources.

Key features of a circular economy, for your information, include durability. Products are designed to last as long as possible, reducing the need for replacements. This used to be the way that things were produced in the old days.

Reuse. Products are designed to be used multiple times, reducing the need for new products.

Remanufacturing. Products are designed to be disassembled and reassembled into new products, reducing the need for new materials.

And recycling. Products are designed to be recycled into new products, reducing the need for new materials.

This economic concept is often linked to sustainable development, provision of the sustainable development goals, global development goals and extension of a green economy.

In the last few years, we are all reeling with the fact that climate change, and the climate emergency, is here. We’re facing it every day. The economic commonsense of the circle economy forms a critical part of our toolkit in coming to a solution to solve that problem. It gives us a tool to tackle climate change and biodiversity loss together while addressing important social needs. It gives us the power to grow prosperity, jobs and resilience while cutting greenhouse gas emissions, waste and pollution.

It forms a crucial part of CleanBC, our internationally recognized, award-winning vision to tackle these complicated issues. Integral to that is our CleanBC plastics action plan and, with that, the Single-Use and Plastic Waste Prevention Regulation that we’ll see forthcoming. These will manage shopping bags, disposable food service accessories, oxo-degradable plastics, and food service packaging made of polystyrene foam, PVC, PVDC, compostables or biodegradable plastics. These regulations and this direction were arrived at after a robust ten-week engagement plan that saw almost 2,000 completed public surveys, 67 completed business surveys and 74 comprehensive written submissions.

Tied to that are also the plastics action fund and clean coast, clean waters, as examples of provincially funded projects that have led to the creation and support for B.C. businesses in the reuse, recycling and alternative manufacturing sectors.

I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention the amazing work done by Richmond’s own Ocean Legacy, part of a shore cleanup that has cleaned more than 4,000 kilometres of our shoreline and collected almost 1,000 tonnes of plastic waste from our otherwise pristine coasts. And their work continues not only here in Canada but overseas. Through the experience they have gained here in British Columbia, they’ve been able to take that expertise and experience…. And I see that they were just in Central America working with NGOs there.

I salute the great work that James, Chloe and all of their comrades are doing. Sixty percent of that collected plastic is reused. If you get a chance to go to Richmond, I suggest you make a trip there and see these policies in action.

Our recycling system is among the best in the world and the best in Canada. Unlike many other jurisdictions, as my friend spoke of earlier, the majority of our recyclables actually get recycled and reused, and very little is sent overseas or to landfills. It’s not a perfect system, but with the steps that we have taken and are taking, it gets better and better with time. And our goal is to maximize that.

I see that my time is up.

T. Shypitka: Before I start, I’d just like to remind the members that our credit rating was downgraded from a double-A-plus rating by S&P, the most credible rating agency in the world, to double-A. That was because of the 2023 budget. I won’t go any farther than that.

Traditionally, when it comes to circular economy, the greatest opportunities we can share can come from the mining industry. Traditionally known as a big-waste industry due to its sheer size of volume of material it needs to be successful, it can be one of the industries that can contribute the most. There are many concepts to a circular economy that the mining and natural resource industry currently participates in.

Closed-loop recycling — essentially, reusing waste material to stretch out that material’s end of life. For example, the mining industry is reusing oils and lubricants over each use until that material is completely broken down.

[11:40 a.m.]

Downcycling — this term is taking recycled products to a lower-value product, such as using mine waste for backfilling, as a soil additive and for road construction.

Upcycling is turning waste materials to a higher value product, which would be the rehabilitation of abandoned mines, as well as the reclamation of mine sites to wildlife habitat and riparian areas.

The circular economy also includes industrial symbiosis, which is a breaking down of silos between different industries to incorporate best practices of sharing waste byproduct services and utilities. In the cement industry, this would look like alternative raw materials for cement production could be sourced from mining waste.

Another great opportunity is our critical minerals strategy, which our government has been painfully slow in developing. Many critical minerals and metals lay in tailings ponds. There are technologies available so that we can go back and recover those metals and minerals from the tailings ponds. Talk about upcycling.

Critical minerals such as lithium, cobalt, rare earth elements have a number of strategic applications for society, ranging from meeting our simple daily demands to playing a role in solving global problems relating to energy, water, the environment, communications, national security, etc. Although their demand is expected to increase many folds in the coming decades, their future supply is at risk because of the low number of new deposits the geopolitical barrier mining sometimes has to deal with.

Unfortunately, that is the reason I worry greatly for our province. The Business Council of B.C. says it is “deeply concerned about the expected economic slowdown and rapid deterioration in the province’s fiscal position.”

The current path looks bleak, but there is an alternative. This government can start taking the economy seriously and take initiative by streamlining projects in all sectors, including LNG and mining, that create and sustain well-paid family supporting jobs. Simply stated, we need our natural resource sector more than we have ever needed it before. Why do I say that?

The revenue and spending numbers say all that needs to be said. 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. Yet despite all this spending the NDP does, the results for British Columbians are terrible. Over 50 percent of households in British Columbia are $200 or less away from insolvency at the end of each month, while B.C. continues to have the highest gas prices and gas taxes in the country. How are we supposed to attract workers and grow our rural economies when this is the current state, and the forecast only gets worse?

This is a great chance for B.C. to not only build a substantial part of a low carbon future that prioritizes our environment and fights climate change, but to also grow our economy significantly. Decisive action, when it comes to exporting liquefied natural gas and critical minerals, could lead to a huge boost in local jobs and help put our province on the map as a pioneer as a global supplier of sustainable resources.

So many people in our province are living paycheque to paycheque, struggling to fill their cars with gas and pay for expensive groceries. This needs to change. The NDP must do everything possible to empower smaller and rural communities, supporting a thriving economy and giving them a bright future.

I want to thank the mining, oil and gas and the other natural resource sectors for championing the greatest net results in the circular economy.

J. Sims: It’s my pleasure to stand up in this House today and talk about Circular Economy Month.

Let me tell you, I am so proud of the work done by our government in growing sustainable jobs, in refiring the forestry sector because we know it’s gone through a downturn, but the investments that have been done in growing those jobs and making sure that, unlike the previous government, which abandoned over 50,000 forestry workers, we have invested in directly growing jobs in those areas and using government funding — absolutely — to spur sustainable jobs in that area and to make sure that we are using every bit of the tree in order to get the maximum out of it.

[11:45 a.m.]

And let’s talk about the resource sector while we’re at it. I can remember when there was another government in place, it was all about shipping the jobs overseas. The value-added jobs disappeared. The good-paying jobs disappeared out of B.C. because our logs were loaded onto trucks and were going overseas, and we weren’t getting the benefit. A lot of the manufacturing jobs disappeared out of B.C. because, once again, we were shipping out our raw materials without getting value-added.

Let me tell you. I am so proud of the investments done by this government in bringing back and revitalizing manufacturing in this province and growing decent, sustainable ongoing jobs. Proud of that record.

Talking about the circular economy, government can have plans, but it depends on each and every one of us. It starts in our homes. It starts in how we recycle. Where do your grass clippings go? They go in the green bin. Where does your food waste go? It goes in the green bin. Where does your paper go? It goes in the recycling. Your cardboard goes in recycling, and then you have a bin for garbage.

Let me tell you a little bit about Surrey. Surrey has the first closed-loop organic waste facility in North America. I was so proud when I was there when the ribbon-cutting occurred. That facility uses the organic waste from my household and 150,000 other households in Surrey. It takes it to the biofuel centre, and it produces gas. And guess what. That gas then powers the waste trucks that go out and pick up the waste from door to door. Also, it helps to power the rest of the fleet in Surrey as well. That’s what I call circular economy, and it is happening all over the place, all around the province.

I was in Ucluelet, one of my favourite places on the west coast. When I was there, I was so pleasantly surprised — this was pre-COVID — when I was told: “We have no plastic bags. We don’t sell items in plastic bottles.” I was really, really impressed at that time. They had implemented the plastic bags, but the bottles — they were waiting to implement at that time.

So there are cities, there are communities and there are families all over the province that know the importance of circular economy. Circular economy, after all, is what our parents taught us. Don’t waste. Use and reuse and refurbish, re-employ.

Long have we gone from the days when we used to have to darn our socks. Some of you have probably never even heard of that, right? But there was a time in my family, growing up, where when one person grew out of a coat, it went to the next person and then to the next person because of economic hardships. I think more and more families — not for economic reasons, though those as well — are now beginning to realize the importance of reusing and recycling.

Let me talk a second about mass timber. Oh, I don’t have a second, but I will tell you this. I am so proud of the work being done by our government and by British Columbians on the circular economy.

P. Milobar: I rise to speak on the circular economy. Just to cover off a couple quick points. The previous speaker…. I’m glad she…. I share her excitement about the bio facility in Surrey, which was actually a project that got started and underway while we were in government and completed just recently, so that was great to see, because you do need projects like that to be able to drive down emissions.

Unfortunately, I think the only actual international awards that have been received by emissions being reduced in British Columbia were while we were in government. CleanBC is still yet to have those recognitions, because emissions are rising in British Columbia, year over year over year.

A couple of quick points on the forestry as well. Well, every part of the tree…. It appears the NDP policy on that is using it to have fires of unimaginable size in British Columbia and burn the tree.

[11:50 a.m.]

Their forestry plan seems to be an early retirement fund for forestry workers that keep losing their jobs in the mills. That’s been the sum total of the forestry plan.

In a circular economy, you need to have the fundamental economics working as well. When you see reports that say that the CleanBC policies will drain $28 billion a year, by 2030, out of our economy — that is up to $5,000 per person per year — it’s troubling. The lack of a result…. Driving down emissions at the same time just simply isn’t there.

It will cripple our economy and still not actually, meaningfully, impact the emission profile. You need to be able to do both, and this government has shown very clearly that they simply do not know how to bring down emissions without crippling an economy.

When you look at the stats, over 50 percent of households are now $200 or less away, per month, from not being able to pay their bills. Rents are over $3,000 a month in Vancouver, the highest in Canada and across the province. We have the highest gas prices and the highest gas taxes. Mortgage costs are skyrocketing.

So $20 billion a year more in taxation by this NDP government has left a relentless crush, a relentless middle-class squeeze going on right now. It’s a projected deficit of $6.7 billion, and climbing, that we will see.

It seems that this government’s understanding of what a circular economy, to keep the government funds rolling, is wringing your wallet for tax dollars in a circular fashion and thinking that’s what a circular economy actually is. It most certainly is not. It is not sustainable. If a circular economy is supposed to be built on sustainability, one would think the government would recognize that those tax dollars are also a scarce resource, and they need to be maximized.

We can’t afford $1 billion cost overruns for project after project. We can’t afford hospital projects, like we have, which start out at $600 million and are now $1.4 billion, because that’s not sustainable. We need the hospitals built, but we need them built in a cost-effective way so that taxpayers can actually afford to build schools instead of portables and double-decker portables. That is what we need.

This government decided to seek out, at $350,000, the advice of an economist that actually helped guide Argentina, which has had their economy collapse. That consultant seemed like a good fit for this government to go out and get. Now, at $350,000 we see the advice. We see an economy. We see inflation spiraling out of control in British Columbia. No government measures.

Then just recently, that same consultant literally just released a book called The Big Con: How the Consulting Industry Weakens Our Businesses, Infantilizes Our Governments and Warps Our Economies. That’s after the government paid this person $350,000 to consult with them on how to deal with the economy.

[Mr. Speaker in the chair.]

Now, results actually do matter in a circular economy. That British Columbia, in ten out of the last 15 months, has far outpaced the national average on inflation is not sustainable. That our emissions keep rising is not sustainable. The fact that the projects that this government has pointed to as successes so far in their speeches — seven years into government — are all projects that started while we were in government shows you how little they have actually done on the side of innovation and the circular economy.

We need a strong economy, absolutely, but you do not tax your way to that. You do not have inflation outpace the national average, then point your finger, and say: “It’s tough times everywhere around the world.” When we’re ahead of the curve, that’s not a good thing. So the government needs to take action and in a meaningful way.

K. Greene: I’m glad to be able to rise today to speak to the circular economy. The circular economy will help us protect our shared planet, promote better social well-being, and create sustainable, family-supporting jobs across British Columbia.

What is the circular economy? Unlike the traditional Western linear economic model, also described as take-make-waste, the circular economy closes the loop on the economic value stream through the use of sharing, reusing, repairing and recycling, which eliminates waste to make more efficient use of our planet’s limited resources. Closing the loop also greatly reduces GHGs, which are embedded in each step of a product’s or service’s life cycle.

[11:55 a.m.]

Everyone has heard the phrase: “One man’s trash is another man’s treasure.” Well, the circular economy is that principle brought to life, where there is inherent value in the materials left at the end of the traditional life cycle.

For example, in Richmond, there is an award-winning company called ChopValue, which diverts chopsticks from restaurants, hotels, food courts and more in the Lower Mainland to be remanufactured into high-value goods. Worldwide 1.5 billion disposable chopsticks are used per week, and most travel thousands of kilometres, only to end up in the landfill.

ChopValue’s reclaimed chopsticks supply local microfactories, which benefit our communities environmentally, socially and economically. “What can you make out of chopsticks?” you might wonder. Dining tables, wall features, signage, shelves, tablet stands and more, all of which capture carbon and are durable goods.

Government has a role to play in increasing opportunity for innovative entrepreneurs who are tackling the challenges we face today with optimism and determination. Our CleanBC plastics action plan helps keep polluters responsible for their waste and opens up opportunities to do things better. It regulates and eliminates hard-to-recycle plastic products from our waste stream, which supports innovation in circular solutions like reusable containers and easy-to-recycle aluminum or compostable alternatives.

The CleanBC plastics action fund supports innovative technologies that support plastics’ circular economy. The historical desire to use plastics as a cheap option in the take-make-waste stream has created significant plastic pollution, fouling our communities with everything from microplastics to plastic bags. It’s great to hear that the funded projects have increased B.C.’s capacity to replace or recycle over 20,000 tonnes of plastic per year.

The clean coast, clean waters fund further supports getting plastics out of our environment, particularly our sensitive coastal and marine habitats. The fund has created many good jobs in small and remote communities, and there is a real sense of pride from folks who have worked to restore these beautiful coastlines and waterways.

What happens to the highly contaminated plastic waste that is collected in these cleanups? In Richmond, the Ocean Legacy Foundation, a recipient of the CleanBC plastics action fund, takes in this waste by barge and by truck and sorts it at their facility in Steveston Harbour. It’s both impressive and daunting to see the volume of material that can be stacked up outside the warehouse waiting to be sorted and processed.

Inside they have a process that can convert recycled and recovered plastic, degraded by the harsh marine environment, into a like-virgin plastic pellet for new manufacturing. Ocean Legacy sells this plastic for durable-goods manufacture to ensure that the new product doesn’t pollute the marine environment and can also be recycled at the end of life — like a kayak.

A circular economy is both an environmental necessity and a boon for economic development. Instead of sending materials to the landfill, we keep them in the circular economy at their highest and best use, which maximizes the value of economic activity generated by our communities.

The Zero Waste Conference, held annually in Vancouver, is an example of where entrepreneurs, business, academia and different levels of government can come together to exchange ideas and be inspired by what can be achieved with vision and hard work. It’s invigorating to see people being able to solve seemingly intractable problems just by seeing the problem at a different angle.

After subsequent years of increasingly devastating weather events, exacerbated by climate change, everyone realizes that we can no longer do business as usual. Entrepreneurs and businesses of all sizes are actively looking for the opportunities available in the circular economy. Our CleanBC plan will unlock those opportunities, which will benefit families and communities across B.C., opening up a sustainable future for everyone.

K. Greene moved adjournment of debate.

Motion approved.

Hon. A. Kang moved adjournment of the House.

Motion approved.

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

The House adjourned at 11:59 a.m.