Orders of the Day

Private Members’ Statements

SENIORS FALL PREVENTION WEEK

H. Sandhu: November 6 to 12 is seniors fall prevention week here in B.C.

Too frequently seniors suffer from falls that lead to injury. These injuries can have a major impact on an older person’s way of living and can be painful, as well as have negative impacts on their overall health and lifestyle. While falls can happen to anyone, the risk of falling increases with age, and most falls are both predictable and preventable.

[10:05 a.m.]

With an aging population, it is important that people in B.C. have access to education and resources on how to prevent a fall or injury before it happens. Some of the tips for prevention, as many know….

As a health care professional who worked at the bedside providing direct patient care for over 18 years, I want to begin by thanking all care providers who help seniors in hospitals, long-term care facilities, daycare centres and even in seniors homes.

[J. Tegart in the chair.]

These incredible health care workers and even family caregivers work so hard to support and help prevent many of these falls, and also provide care after fall or injury occurs.

I want to remind us of some safety measures that we can take and offer a few tips to older adults and people across the province to help prevent these falls.

The most important way to prevent falls is through regular exercise and adequate food and fluid intake, which keeps electrolytes in balance. Exercise lowers your chances of falling, makes you stronger, improves your balance and keeps you healthy. Exercise is the best way to prevent falls, so choose an activity you enjoy and try to do 30 minutes of activity every day. You can split the time up in multiple sessions.

Getting your eyes checked regularly is also important to ensure that you have the correct eye prescription and good vision, which helps to reduce the risk of falling. As well, have your doctor or pharmacist check your medication, because as you get older, medications may need some adjustments. Some medications may make you feel dizzy, drowsy or unsteady, and require changes.

By extending pharmacists’ scope of practice, our government has made it even easier for seniors now to connect with a care provider about their medications, so I encourage you to go and check the medication and have a review done. You can call or book online, or you can simply walk to any pharmacist with many prescriptions.

You can also make your home safer by identifying any risks or hazards in your home and making small changes, like removing slippery throw rugs, removing items you could trip over, using non-slip mats in the bathtub and shower, installing handrails and more. You can also consider using hip protectors, wearing well-fitting footwear and having lights in the bathroom, bedroom and hallway.

By making simple changes to our everyday routine, we can sustainably reduce the risk of sustaining injury. Take time in your daily routine to help prevent falls. Take some time before you get out of bed immediately.

There are many resources available that I want to share with seniors and care providers to help learn how you can take steps for yourself and for your loved ones to prevent potential falls and injury. For example, the Finding Balance B.C. website provides many resources on fall prevention, which include educational and how-to videos, as does HealthLinkBC, with advice on topics like healthy aging and fitness.

You can contact bc211, which provides support for seniors and can connect you with community resources and programs, and bc211 is offered in more than 150 languages and is available 24 hours a day.

Your local health authority is also a great resource. Each has educational materials and resources on fall prevention, like brochures, safety checklists, assessments and more. Take time this week to visit these websites and resources and learn more about fall prevention to stop an injury before it happens.

On top of many investments in health care, seniors programs and educational materials, we’re working to develop more resources to help prevent falls and to continue to live at home in their communities near loved ones. We want to ensure that people around the province have access to the education and resources for fall prevention.

One of the programs we are continuing to invest in, to help to keep seniors at home, in their community, is age-friendly grants. Age-friendly grants are provided by the province to Indigenous communities and local governments to help ensure that seniors can age with dignity and respect in their community. This program facilitates independent living, community engagement and keeping active. It helps to promote accessibility and inclusion, for instance, with creating more accessible, safe trails; parks strategies; and much more.

[10:10 a.m.]

For example, in 2022, the city of Houston received an age-friendly grant. They created barrier-free activities for seniors in the community, such as weekly bowling and coffee mornings. They also provide low-income seniors with pool and fitness facilities so they could attend aquatics or become users of the pool fitness facilities. This is helping more seniors to remain active, exercise and stay engaged in their community.

In 2022, 25 communities received age-friendly grants, and we look forward to announcing the 2023 recipients soon. By creating more accessible spaces, activities and programs for seniors, we are actively supporting preventative health care and helping to keep seniors healthy. This is on top of many other supports provided by the government, like Better at Home, the development of resources and guides, which I look forward to sharing more about.

S. Bond: I want to thank the member opposite for bringing forward this important topic for discussion and recognition in the Legislature today, as we see the proportion of Canadians aged 65 or older increase in the coming years.

Fall prevention is critical as the population ages. It means having prevention strategies in place, as well as the necessary resources and support in place to provide care for those who are injured in a fall. One of the most major dangers facing B.C. seniors is the risk of a fall. It is estimated that one in three older British Columbians will fall this year, and on an average day in our province, it is reported that 43 older adults are hospitalized from fall-related injuries. Approximately every 30 minutes, a senior is hospitalized for a fall.

Falls are responsible for causing over 90 percent of hip fractures and 60 percent of head injuries. These injuries can, tragically, result in chronic pain, disability, loss of independence and, in some cases, even death. It is a significant issue and one that we must take every opportunity to prevent and address.

Thankfully, there are dedicated advocates in our province working to ensure the health and safety of our seniors.

The B.C. Falls and Injury Prevention Coalition is a collaborative that works to reduce the rate, frequency and severity of falls among older persons in our province. They do this important work through networking, education, research and prevention. This education includes their Finding Balance campaign, a program dedicated to fall prevention and a place where people can find important resources for raising awareness, preventing falls and other information for seniors, caregivers, practitioners and anyone else looking to reduce falls and their severity.

Many people believe that falls are simply a part of getting older and that there is nothing that people can do to prevent them. But that is not the case. There are straightforward steps that everyone can take to reduce their risk of falls and serious injury. The very best way to reduce one’s fall risk is through exercise, specifically focusing on strength and balance. Resistance training is an invaluable tool for seniors, helping them to maintain strong muscles and bones and preventing a loss of balance.

No matter your age, keeping active has a myriad of health benefits as well as helping to reduce fall risk. Starting a new exercise program can be intimidating, especially at an older age. Thankfully, there are many resources available for those who do not know where to begin. Anyone can call HealthLinkBC to talk to an exercise professional for free, complete a questionnaire and get advice on classes in their local community. There are also other resources available free of cost, including online exercise videos that allow seniors to follow along at home.

Additionally, it’s important for seniors to get routine eye exams as they get older. Vision can change very quickly with age, and it is vital that prescriptions are kept up to date to ensure that people can actually see obstacles in their way and stay safe.

There are several measures that can be taken to remove trip hazards and other potential obstacles from homes. This can mean removing throw rugs, cords and clutter, as well as installing helpful supports like grab bars and additional railings. There are even programs available to provide grants for lower-income seniors to cover the cost of making some of these important changes.

[10:15 a.m.]

Our hope is that everyone in this House can take the time to learn more about fall prevention and work with the seniors in their lives to address fall risks and improve their safety. If you want to check out some short videos, there are some that feature Brittlestar, the self-appointed favourite Internet dad, and his real-life mom having humorous conversations to convince her to exercise and take other actions that will prevent falls. This series of videos has won international safety media awards.

The statistics alone should be enough to convince us to do our part. Falls are the leading cause of injury among older British Columbians and Canadians. They add significant health care costs and impact the quality of life for many British Columbians.

The good news is that falls are preventable and that all of us can take action and make a difference. In fact, November is Fall Prevention Month, and Seniors Fall Prevention Awareness Week takes place in the first week of November. It is our chance to share information and increase awareness, with the goal of reducing falls and resulting injuries.

I challenge each member of the House to do just that.

H. Sandhu: I would like to thank the member for Prince George–Valemount for her remarks and also for her ongoing advocacy.

As discussed, about one third of people aged 65 and over fall once or more each year. It’s a huge number. Most falls occur in older adults’ homes while doing daily activities and when they are alone, mostly.

That is why it’s critical to take preventative actions. Work is underway to provide increased education, as we’re highlighting this week, about falls in general for entire November to educate and help reduce falls and to allow seniors to continue to live in their homes and in their communities.

To support older adults to avoid falls and live safely in their homes, the Health Ministry, in collaboration with health authority partners, is developing evidence-based, open-access fall and fall-related injury prevention home support resources.

In addition, our government released new B.C. guidelines called the Fall Prevention: Risk Assessment and Management for Community-Dwelling Older Adults in 2021. It’s the first clinical practice guidelines of its kind in Canada, and it helps clinicians to provide better supports for patients.

There are many other supports that are helping seniors across the province in fall prevention and to live in their home for as long as safely possible. For instance, the Better at Home program. More than 260 communities have Better at Home in B.C., including communities I represent. We have NexusBC in Vernon and Whitevalley in Lumby, who provide many vital services to support Better at Home care programs for seniors in our community as well.

These programs allow seniors to get help with non-medical tasks such as grocery shopping, home repairs, yard work, transportation and appointments, snow shovelling as well and light housework. This makes a real difference in the lives of older adults in B.C. Just from April, 2021 to March, 2022, the program delivered 255,000 services to almost 13,000 seniors by handling manual work that might put seniors at risk. This is a great resource to ensure that older adults have the support they need to continue to live independently while not being at risk from a fall.

We know that seniors want to be able to live independently in their communities for as long as safely possible, which is why from 2018 to 2022 the government expanded the funding for this program to $135 million up to….

Deputy Speaker: Thank you, Member.

H. Sandhu: Thank you. I appreciate it, and I’m sure all members of this House will unite to spread the event. Thank you for the time.

Hon. J. Whiteside: I seek leave to make an introduction.

Leave granted.

[10:20 a.m.]

Introductions by Members

Hon. J. Whiteside: Thanks very much, colleagues. We’re joined in the gallery this morning by a terrific group of grade 5s from Margaret Jenkins Elementary School and their teacher Kate Moll. They are local from Victoria–Beacon Hill.

Would everybody please join me making them feel very welcome to the House this morning.

Private Members’ Statements

FILM SECTOR IN NEED

K. Kirkpatrick: I rise today to shed light on the immense importance of our film industry here in British Columbia. It’s a sector that has earned its well-deserved reputation as Hollywood North. This industry is not just a source of pride for many who work in the sector; it’s an economic engine, a show of creativity and a way to highlight our beautiful province on a global stage.

Here in British Columbia, we have firmly established ourselves as Canada’s largest and North America’s third-largest centre for motion picture production. This is a major achievement that has taken many, many years to grow and accomplish. Our province is also home to one of the world’s largest visual effects and animation clusters, contributing to international films and television shows coming and working with us here.

A noteworthy example is in my own community. North Shore Studios in North Vancouver, which many of you previously knew as being Lions Gate Studios, has played a pivotal role in producing iconic works, including The X Files, which continues today in many places on rerun.

In fact, when I first arrived off the Greyhound bus from Edmonton, the first job I was able to get here was that of an extra. Ideally, I would have enjoyed getting a starring role in a show, but I was pretty excited to be able to work on a film set as an extra.

I appeared, myself, in multiple shows such as Wiseguy — now you know how old I am; 21 Jump Street; and even The X Files. You may remember some of my groundbreaking roles as girl on bus, girl by locker or simply girl in background. My biggest role, however, was on a TV show called Coming Up Rosie, which some of you may have watched as a child, where I was kid in a store. Sadly, there were no awards coming.

The film, TV and animation industry, which is a significant part of our creative economy, has faced incredible challenges over the pandemic, and it is now faced with the unique challenges of the post-pandemic world. After two years of social distancing and production limitations, creators and film-makers are navigating a changed landscape. It’s important to note that if government doesn’t make the right decisions over the next months, B.C. could easily see itself lose its position as a leader in this important industry.

What is also concerning is that workers in B.C.’s television and film industry are facing uncertainties due to the recent breakdown in talks between Hollywood studios and the Screen Actors Guild. The structure and revenue model of the industry has also changed significantly, with streaming services replacing the traditional model and making funding harder to come by.

The impact of the breakdown on our province’s film industry is significant, halting production and stagnating a sector that usually contributes over $4 billion to our economy annually and employs more than 80,000 people. The recent period of inactivity, especially during the Writers Guild of America strike, has left a void in our creative industry here in British Columbia.

I understand that now the writers strike has ended, bringing a glimpse of hope, but it’s a stark reminder that as production, hopefully, begins ramping up again, government must make British Columbia the prime region to return to for filming. However, because of the time away from studios over the pandemic, other regions have had a chance to catch up with British Columbia. This has led to other places in Canada and around the world becoming attractive destinations to set up studios, as every single cost is considered when it comes to production.

One of the persistent challenges we face is the discrepancy in tax incentives. In British Columbia, our tax incentives to attract productions lag behind those offered in other jurisdictions. These tax incentives play a vital role in sustaining our film industry, benefiting not only the industry itself but also the provincial economy.

[10:25 a.m.]

The former government made sure to provide reasonable tax incentives that didn’t disadvantage the province but were established to attract film-makers to the region and make B.C. the production destination that it has become. However, as we start to fall behind other regions, it can take away a large amount of revenue for many different parts of our economy.

For instance, catering businesses which rely heavily on the film industry are struggling due to the loss of revenue from fewer productions. Catering services provide not only jobs but also a boost to our local economy. Many other auxiliary sectors, such as hairdressers, lighting technicians, grips and costume designers, are similarly affected.

To compound our challenges, recent actions regarding a change in the availability of short-term rentals has raised significant concerns within the film industry, which I am hearing about. The industry relies heavily on short-term rentals for cast and crew, and the reduction of available accommodation is worrisome.

With less rental options, along with these other barriers, we could see productions forced to relocate out of the province, and B.C.’s film industry would undoubtedly suffer. While we encourage government to build more hotels, these accommodations will take years to become available, leaving our industry in a challenging situation.

The film industry in British Columbia has a storied history, and it plays an essential role in our cultural and economic landscape. We must address the challenges faced by the industry, including competing tax incentives and a shortage of short-term rentals. Failure to do so may result in our province losing its competitive advantage, which we cannot afford.

It’s imperative that we provide or prioritize a sustainable growth and continued success of our wonderful film industry and all those who depend on it. I’m sure everyone in this House hopes to see it continue and positively contribute to our economy and our reputation as a province which is open and attractive for innovation.

B. D’Eith: I want to thank the member for West Vancouver–Capilano for bringing this important statement to the House.

Right off the top, in terms of short-term rentals, it’s a little bit of fearmongering in some respects, because they’re not putting restrictions on short-term rentals of people’s own homes or secondary suites or laneway homes. It also doesn’t stop the industry from having long-term rentals and then passing those on to their actors or other people that come in.

Aside from that, as Parliamentary Secretary for Arts and Film, I know, as the member has said, that it’s an incredibly challenging time for everyone working in the B.C. film and television industry. It’s great news that the Writers Guild of America has ratified its new contract, and we hope for a speedy resolution of the actors strike through the collective bargaining process so that we can fully restart production in B.C.

In fact, ministry staff are working closely with Creative B.C. to assess the full impact of the U.S. strikes on the B.C. workers and the economy. While it’s too soon to understand the full impact, 85 percent of B.C.’s film activity comes from U.S.-based productions, and many domestic productions are union talent.

We know the production count is down right now — there are only about 13 to 15 productions; there would normally be 50 — though the industry was incredibly vigilant during the pandemic and, in fact, thrived. In fact, in 2022, there were over 500 productions filmed in B.C., with an approximate spend of $3.6 billion, providing more than 88,000 jobs to workers in the province.

Last year we went on an L.A. trade mission to meet with the major studios, and it was very positive. The large studios and streaming companies see B.C. as a go-to place and continue to do so because of the world-class content, a stable and competitive B.C. labour-based tax credit, incredible crew and talent, breathtaking locations and, of course, world-class studios, visual effects, CGI and post-production excellence. The Pacific time zone and the exchange rate are also incredibly attractive to these producers.

The minister and I are working very closely with MPSE, CMPA, IATSE, the Directors Guild and other film and television organizers and unions to ensure that the work will come back — and it will come back — and that we are ready to go.

We are certainly reminding the big players like Universal, Paramount, Warner Bros., Disney, Sony, Netflix, Amazon, Apple and all the others in the U.S. that B.C. has it all, and they’re going to come back.

Let’s talk about vulnerabilities. As I mentioned, 85 percent of productions are service work from the U.S. Now, what about domestic productions? What about telling our stories?

[10:30 a.m.]

Ontario and Quebec have a far better domestic-to-foreign ratio of productions, making those provinces less vulnerable to the ups and downs of foreign service work. They had a far softer landing when it came to these U.S. collective bargaining stoppages. Why is that?

Well, over the last two decades, their provinces helped fund domestic film production. In the mid-2000s, B.C. cut 100 percent of the domestic film production funding for B.C. Film, now Creative BC. That meant for ten years, our province was at a distinct disadvantage when it came to leveraging federal CMF and Telefilm money.

In fact, many advocates of the industry, including myself at the time, spoke passionately about this economic vulnerability and that we were not able to tell our stories. Unfortunately, with many other areas of past underinvestment like housing and health care and education, cuts to the domestic film production hurt our film industry and are really hurting our workers now.

What are we doing? In 2020, we re-established a domes­tic fund, and in 2023, we announced $15.9 million in new funding to support domestic motion picture development, production, diversity and sustainability. This is the largest investment in domestic film production and will help our industry to grow domestic productions, tell our unique B.C. stories and make our film and television industry more resilient into the future.

The ministry and Creative BC will continue to monitor the situation as it unfolds and collaborate, as we always do, with industry partners. We remain optimistic that B.C. will continue to be the top destination for U.S. productions in Canada once the labour dispute is fully resolved, and we will build our domestic film and television production sector to make this incredible sector more resilient moving into the future.

K. Kirkpatrick: While I disagree with the member for Maple Ridge–Mission on the impact of short-term rentals and would invite him to meet with the current producers here, I will not say that because I wish this to not be partisan.

I do thank the member opposite for their comments, and I do hope they understand the gravity of the situation. In light of the challenges our film industry is facing, it’s critical for the provincial government to take the necessary steps to ensure that B.C. remains a highly competitive and attractive destination for studios and filming.

People in British Columbia love to be able to drive along the street, and they see the signs. Sometimes it blocks traffic, and they don’t like that, but they see the signs for the parking for the extras, and you see the trailers set up. It’s exciting, and it’s fun to know that this vital part of the motion picture and TV sector is in British Columbia.

I spent 12 years at UBC, and they filmed so many different shows there. Smallwood…. A whole number of them, and it was just so fun for the students and for the staff to be able to stop and watch a show actually being shot right there at UBC, which is one of the really popular areas for us to be shooting.

But in order to maintain our status as Hollywood North, we need to make sure that we are not just addressing existing issues, but we’re proactively investing in those things that are going to make British Columbia an attractive place for the film sector. That means money that will go to supporting local communities, caterers, makeup artists, hairstyle stylists, camera operators, crew, and so many others. If we don’t support the sector and attract it here, those jobs and opportunities could be lost to other jurisdictions.

B.C. faces competition from other regions and countries offering competitive incentives and attractive locations for film production. To ensure our provincial economy grows, we must take action to ensure British Columbia stays a vital and exciting hub for the film industry in Canada. It includes re-examining our incentive programs.

I must say the Hallmark Christmas season is almost upon us, and I’m sure everyone here loves the ability to watch those shows and see our communities, like my own Edgemont village, covered with snow and creating a backdrop for one of these wonderful and very realistic love stories that always involve Santa Claus.

Thank you very much, and we’d like to secure the long-term prosperity of our film sector and safeguard the livelihoods of those who depend on it.

[10:35 a.m.]

APPRENTICES AND
WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT

R. Russell: I appreciate the member for West Vancouver–​Capilano explaining in explicit detail what she doesn’t want to say in the House because it would not be permitted. Thank you for that.

I also, though, do appreciate her humour in the various roles that she played in the past, in her “kid in shop” analogy.

I thought I’d start with my version of that, which would be a kid in a wheel loader, which is a story from when I was a teenager working on a farm and driving a Caterpillar 930, which is, for those that don’t know, like one of those big, yellow, front-end loader machines that you see working on industrial sites. I didn’t know how to operate this tractor, but I was learning, with the help of one of my workmates, who was a Bahá’í guy from Manitoba.

We were moving around these thousand-pound bales, and he recognized that I didn’t know how to operate this machine. He proceeded to give me a two-minute lesson and then go out and into the bucket of the front-end loader and then proceeded to instruct me from the bucket of the front-end loader how to operate the loader, which was an interesting, for me as a young person, demonstration of faith in humanity, as well as a lot of trust. And all went well. There were no accidents involved.

Similarly, through my farming experience, I really leaned heavily on…. I had one neighbour, in particular, a 70-some-year-old gentleman, Werner — enormously helpful for whenever I had issues. He would come and fix my awful welding constructions, let’s say, and was my source of advice.

My reason for sharing these examples is to highlight how, in the heart of our economic and social well-being, important people helping people really are.

Today, given it is November, I stand to celebrate Apprenticeship Recognition Month. I think we have extra reason to celebrate this year, because we have a record number of people that have registered as apprentices across B.C., helping us close some of those crucial skills gaps and benefiting the economy in all sorts of different ways.

We all know, I think, that a highly skilled workforce is critical to building the homes, building the hospitals, building all the infrastructure that we need. We are actively delivering to support British Columbia’s strong, sustainable and inclusive economy.

This month, especially, we want to make sure we celebrate and acknowledge the contributions of the apprentices out there, the employer sponsors of those apprentices, the youth program participants and all of those organizations that are involved in the trades program training programs — again, celebrate that across B.C. and the benefits that are received from a career in the skilled trades.

I asked one of my friends who was a fellow farmer years ago — also farming when we had the floods in 2018 in our part of the world — who is now in his fourth year of the apprenticeship program to be a construction electrician. I asked him a little bit about his journey and the story he had of first starting with College of the Rockies, now studying at BCIT. I asked him what the incentive was and what the attraction was for him?

What James said to me is: “I think, at the end of the day, I wanted to choose a career path with job security that provided me the freedom to work for myself. The diversity of opportunity in the electrical trade is vast, and the options are endless. I would love to move towards renewables at some point, but without the experience I’ve gained over the last five years, I would not have known how to start that journey. At least now it all makes sense. Earning an income while navigating the apprenticeship has been critical to the pursuit of my ticket.”

I appreciate that. This is somebody that clearly is fiercely independent, as most farmers are, but recognized that he wanted some more opportunity, kind of mid-career, and decided that he was going to take a different path.

[10:40 a.m.]

He shared with me the support that he had received through various programs that the government has supported to be able to enable him, at this point in life, to navigate this process and, hopefully, get his ticket here in short order. I wish him luck in his final exams, which are coming up in a few weeks.

Given how important this all is, I’m especially proud of the work the government is doing, working with Skilled­TradesBC, working with industry to implement certification, as well, skilled trade certifications, to ensure steady, good-paying jobs for workers, to get more people to choose a career in the trades and to support employers to access the skilled workforce they need.

We’re seeing increased opportunities now for people across B.C. to join the skilled trades because we believe in and value tradespeople and the work they do. We’re promoting and supporting the increased participation of youth, women, Indigenous people and other equity-seeking groups.

All this energy has certainly paid dividends in terms of actual results on the ground. So far this year, 15,075 people in B.C. have registered for apprenticeships, which is a 20 percent increase over last year.

Part of this focus, as I mentioned, is specifically targeted at increasing participation from communities like Indigenous groups. As those communities continue to build more capacity to provide training to their members, there is a growing interest in being able to deliver those skilled trades programs training in communities.

In response, SkilledTradesBC has collaborated with Indigenous communities to create innovative training delivery models such as community-based training, where Indigenous people are able to receive trades training without leaving home and start their apprenticeships within their communities. Building and strengthening relationships with Indigenous communities and connecting the right partners to advance Indigenous people in skilled trades continues to be a priority.

This is an example that aligns very nicely with our overall rural commitment across B.C. to not only work to deliver more services to people and communities by bringing them to the services, but also working to make sure that the services can get out into community as much as possible.

G. Kyllo: Certainly, I’m very proud to rise today to speak in response to the motion from the member opposite and, largely, to celebrate Apprenticeship Month here in British Columbia.

Apprentices are a crucial part of our labour market that bridge the gap between education and employment, certainly offering a unique opportunity for individuals to learn practical skills and gain hands-on experience. It certainly benefits both the apprentice and the employers and contributes to the economic growth of our province.

It’s interesting. The member opposite indicates a 20 percent increase in apprenticeship registrations, which is fantastic information as far as the number of individuals that are trying to look at accessing the skilled trades in our province. The challenging piece, though, is that there has not been any net increase in the training seats. It’s great to see that there are more individuals looking to move into skills training in B.C., but the investment in the seats is not available to match that increased interest.

Now, the importance of skilled trades in our communities just cannot be overstated. They’re responsible for constructing the essential infrastructure that helps sustain our communities such as schools, hospitals and homes. We must ensure that government provides supports to unleash the potential of our workforce.

The demand for critical infrastructure development and housing supply is surging here in British Columbia, and it is clear that we’re not meeting that demand. We have the most expensive housing in North America, increasing staff shortages and wait times in our hospitals and overcrowded schools leading to a surging number of portables.

British Columbia desperately needs more infrastructure, and it is these workers that will help us to deliver on that goal. However, the need to increase training capacity in the skilled trades sector has been severely overlooked the last seven years. As a result, we’re now grappling with the severe labour shortage that has led to delays and skyrocketing costs in critical projects across B.C.

The B.C. Construction Association has warned that a chronic labour shortage coupled with outdated regulations could lead to a significant slowdown. With as many as 40 percent of construction workers set to retire in the next decade, a monumental effort to attract people and industry is urgently needed. Even if the construction sector is able to meet its targets for attraction and retention, it will still face shortages of over 6,000 workers in B.C. ten years from now.

[10:45 a.m.]

These concerns are not limited to the construction industry. I’ve heard concerns from many people in mining, forestry and many other sectors that are reliant on skilled trades. There are simply not enough workers to meet the demand, yet aspiring tradespeople are stuck on wait-lists, eager to contribute but unable to access the necessary training.

It is astonishing that at a time when we’re facing a housing crisis here in British Columbia, those looking to attain the skills necessary to build homes are facing increased red tape, barriers and a shortage of training seats.

Furthermore, programs such as the community rip-off agreements and rampant mismanagement have sidelined workers, contractors….

Deputy Speaker: Member, I would remind you that this is a non-partisan part of the morning.

G. Kyllo: Thank you, Madam Speaker.

Rampant mismanagement has sidelined workers, contractors and Indigenous communities that want to be involved in construction projects. Instead of addressing the lack of training opportunities and offering more training seats to unleash the potential of our workforce, we have seen added layers of red tape and bureaucracy. How many more hospitals, highways, schools and affordable housing projects need to be delayed before we can see a changed approach?

We must prioritize creating opportunities for young people that are interested in pursuing a career in the trades. To achieve this, we need to invest in promoting apprenticeships and encouraging students to explore technical and vocational careers. Doing so will help address the significant labour shortages that are plaguing our province. An increased labour market will ensure that vital infrastructure projects are completed without additional delays and costs.

We cannot accept the shortages of schools, hospitals and affordable homes as our new normal. It is essential that our highways are safe, with up-to-date infrastructure that helps with the flow of traffic. Failure to make these immediate steps to increase skilled trades in B.C. will have devastating impacts on our economy.

It is certainly time to invest to increase funding for Skilled Trades B.C., which has largely been flatlined for the last number of years and, as I’ve indicated previously, to provide those increases in the training seats so that those 20 percent of new registrants, that increased number, have an opportunity to actually get into a classroom to obtain the necessary skills so they can participate fully in our economy.

R. Russell: I appreciate the member opposite highlighting a little bit of the challenges that we have faced in the past and identifying some of those opportunities and some of the work that is taking place to help resolve that. Given that, I will also identify…. I spoke with a journeyperson millwright about the challenges that they have seen in the industry in the past and the opportunities.

He spoke about, again, similar challenges about how things have been. He said: “I literally talk to two or three people a week that want to get into some kind of trade. But they’re stuck for years, or they move on to some other job, or they wait, like my one coworker, for 12 years before he finally got an apprenticeship.”

That that is the challenge that we have been facing. I think that’s why, again, I’m happy to rise to talk about the work that is happening to support those apprentices and the employers, going forward, and the positive results that we’re seeing from that increased attention.

The member opposite mentioned some of those pieces. We are investing in expanding trades training to meet demands for skilled workers. We see now that technical training in over 65 programs is offered to 15 public post-secondary institutions and private training partners.

Skilled Trades B.C. expects to fund over 26,000 apprenticeships and foundation training seats this year. They work with over 10,000 employee sponsors of apprenticeships to help address those needs. Right now, we’re in the process of building a new trades training facility at BCIT. That will benefit 12,000 students per year and help rebuild the apprenticeship supports.

In terms of the investments, we have seen over $100 million a year in trades education flowing through Skilled Trades B.C. They’re managing nearly 90 trades programs in B.C., from carpenters to electricians to plumbers, 48 of which are red seal programs.

We’ve seen investment in new trades training facilities across the province, including Okanagan College in Vernon with $2.9 million a few years ago; Selkirk College Silver King with $13.6 million recently; North Island College in Campbell River; and new mobile training units at NVIT, Nicola Valley Institute of Technology, which is a fascinating opportunity to again, get that service back out into community, which I don’t have time to speak about enough.

[10:50 a.m.]

I’m pleased to be able to speak to all of those opportunities. Also, working with the federal government, our partners there, and the work that they’re doing through their apprentice service program to help incentivize small and medium businesses to attract first-year apprentices….

I am proud, again, to rise here and celebrate and acknowledge the contributions of those apprenticeships, their employer sponsors, the youth participants and the training providers.

SAVE OUR STREETS

T. Wat: Today I rise to talk about a matter of concern to many British Columbians, including in my riding of Richmond North Centre: the worsening state of our streets and its impact on families, small businesses and the overall community.

In Richmond, the crime severity index has more than doubled over six years, rising by a staggering 135 percent. The growing severity of crime is cause for concern for many in our community. Let’s look at the numbers. The non-violent crime rate has surged by a shocking 158 percent, while violent crime severity has risen by 47 percent from 2016 to 2022.

These are not just statistics. They represent real incidents, real victims and real harm done to people in our community. These are facts that must be taken very seriously. We have seen headlines about homicides, assaults and robberies. We have witnessed incidents like the horrifying Valentine’s Day attack in Richmond. These events are not just data points. They represent the very real pain and suffering of our fellow British Columbians.

The number of residential, commercial and vehicle breaking and entering, mail theft and bike theft cases in Richmond has more than doubled, from 955 cases from January to October in 2021 to 2,064 cases in 2023 in the same period.

I find it incredibly concerning that members of this House, especially those from Richmond, continue to dismiss the reality of worsening public safety all across the Lower Mainland. We continue to hear from small businesses and various community organizations about the impact that rising crime, vandalism and other thefts have on their well-being.

In addition to the direct impact on people, we are also seeing the economic impact of this rise in crime. A survey of 500 businesses revealed that 9 percent might not survive another year under these conditions, and 17 percent believe they can barely hang on for one year. We need to address these safety concerns, not only for our residents but also for the sake of our local economy. These are real instances of someone being impacted by crime on our streets. British Columbians are worried.

In the absence of action from provincial leaders, public safety coalitions such as Save Our Streets are working together to raise awareness of the impacts of rising crime and calling for government action to step up to end the growing crisis in communities across the province. The group notes how SOS is an internationally recognized signal for distress, and the formation of the coalition is “sending the distress alarm.” This distress is felt everywhere.

The Save Our Streets coalition has also said that British Columbians are “afraid to walk in their own streets and shopping districts,” even mentioning that employees fear being assaulted while at work. From small businesses, which are forced to spend hundreds and thousands of dollars to protect themselves in worsening public safety, to locally born giants such as Aritzia and Lululemon and business groups like the Greater Vancouver Board of Trade, all are responding to this growing crisis as members of this coalition.

[10:55 a.m.]

When local businesses feel the need to organize and collectively call for more support, that is an indication that the current approach just isn’t working.

It’s not just safety on our streets. British Columbians aren’t safe or secure when it comes to their ability to afford housing, access health care and put food on their tables. The soaring cost of living, coupled with disasters on the fronts of housing, mental health and economic development, is driving more British Columbians into homelessness.

In fact, after seven years, homelessness is worse than ever in our province. These record-breaking levels of homelessness include a 131 percent increase in Richmond alone since 2017. This cannot be a new normal. Richmond is not alone in this worrying increase. Merritt, for example, has seen a shocking 509 percent increase in homelessness.

The evidence is on our streets for all to see. The current approaches to housing affordability and public safety just aren’t working. For the first time since counts began in 2005, every subregion in Metro Vancouver saw an increase in homelessness. The numbers don’t lie. Metro Vancouver’s homelessness increased by 34 percent from 2017 to 2023, with alarming rises in Burnaby, at 203 percent, Delta increasing by 132 percent and Surrey by 76 percent. This is alarming.

Something more must be done to look after our most vulnerable here in B.C. Clearly, it’s time for not just action to address the issues but tangible results to improve the lives and safety of all British Columbians. People are looking for help and reassurance during an incredibly challenging time. I look forward to hearing from the government about their perspective on these pressing issues.

A. Singh: Agreed. People are feeling anxious. It’s a feeling many of us share in this post-COVID world. But that was a lot of statistics. I’m going to throw out a few sta­tistics.

It took me two seconds to get it as I was listening to the member. This is from Stats Canada. It’s their crime severity index, so it’s the index that Stats Canada uses to measure crime severity. In 2010, it was 104.13. In 2022, it was 100.37. We obviously don’t have the figures for 2023. It peaked in 2003. If you look at Stats Canada’s own website, it shows that there are ebbs and flows. Those have always been there, regardless of who sits on what side in this chamber.

To really solve the problem, you have to look at its root causes. I practised criminal law in the trenches for 21 years. What I learned during those years is that public safety is not a simple matter. It’s a complicated intersection of class, race, mental health and human emotions. Multiple emergencies have exacerbated a situation that was already quite dire. Pushing austerity and not funding resources that people need and rely on just exacerbates the root causes of crime: poverty and mental health.

Of course, there are those few people, usually higher up in criminal activity, that are in it purely for the profit motive. They prey on the misery of others. But those tend to be statistically small, and it’s important to have legislation that can target them where it hurts them most — in their pockets.

Examples are legislation that we’ve passed like the Land Owner Transparency Act, our civil forfeiture legislation and money-laundering laws, our increased assistance to victim services, sexual assault centres, and the launch of the prolific offender program. That’s how you make streets safer, not by increasing anxiety and not offering any practical solutions.

For anyone embedded in the criminal justice system in any holistic way, one thing shines: that so many matters have, at their core, issues of poverty, mental health, addiction and, a lot of times, alcohol. You deal with those issues, and you’re headed in the right direction to make British Columbia a safer, softer and gentler place for all British Columbians.

[11:00 a.m.]

What have we done? Our Solicitor General often says we’re hard on crime but also hard on the root causes of crime. We’ve made unprecedented investments in housing and mental health and substance use treatment and services. This has led to the opening of new treatment beds — a move to destigmatize addiction, to deal with the toxic drug supply head-on — and a whole regime of complex care that recognizes that there is a whole continuum of care that a person may need, and it doesn’t start or end with just treatment.

So 3,228 publicly funded adult and youth community substance use beds exist across B.C. What does “beds” mean? We talk about beds a lot in the health care system and other things. Beds means a physical space for people.

Note that one bed doesn’t mean that one bed for the whole year. People generally stay in treatment for an average of four to six weeks. So that treats…. You can do the calculations of how many people that actually services.

Expansion of programs that aim to intervene early, like the Foundry program, and the expansion of the Car program, a specialized mobile crisis response unit that teams a police officer with a mental health professional to respond to mental health crisis calls. They work together to respond to calls involving emotional and mental health issues. The team drives around in an unmarked police car to enhance the privacy of individuals and families that they serve.

The mobile integrated crisis response team, a first in B.C., is a mobile, civilian-led team that offers an alternative to police-only crisis support — peer support, essentially. They offer support to people in distress and connect them to the services they need while also freeing up police resources and preventing the criminalization of our community’s most vulnerable people. They can help families and/or people in distress for a variety of reasons, including substance use, thoughts of self-harm or suicide, fear and anxiety and other mental health challenges.

We recognize that people need to feel safe, and the combination of COVID, new federal law and precedent from our highest court, the Supreme Court, has had some unintended consequences over the last few years. We’ve taken action on that.

[S. Chandra Herbert in the chair.]

Increased support for Crown counsel where there wasn’t many for years. Pushing the federal government for bill reform legislation that should be effective soon. Launching new repeat violent offender programs made up of police and dedicated prosecutors and probation officers, that have been set up and fully implemented since April of 2023. Reversed the defunding of legal aid, providing effective legal representation and counselling for people in need.

We’re here to deal with these issues in a humane and evidence-based, logical manner, and we’ll continue to do so.

Deputy Speaker: Member for Richmond North Centre.

T. Wat: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Welcome to the chamber.

Thank you to the member opposite for his response. But unfortunately, British Columbians don’t feel safe on the street and in their neighbourhoods. I’m sure many of our colleagues have received calls and emails from our constituencies, talking about how worried they are about our public safety. We must take action to save our streets.

It’s important to emphasize that we are not blaming homeless individuals for these issues. They are the victims of a broken system that continues to worsen every day.

The numbers don’t lie. A record number of folks were turned away at homeless shelters last year. More than half of British Columbians are $200 away from being able to pay their bills. This is on top of the worst housing crisis we have seen in the country. Something is clearly not working here.

However, homelessness is a complex problem that requires compassionate solutions, not finger-pointing. It is also an urgent call to my fellow Richmond MLAs. Let’s talk to those who are directly affected by these issues. Let’s sit down with the individuals facing homelessness and understand their struggles.

Twitter is not the place where we will solve these critical issues. We, as representatives, should listen and work towards policy and solutions that will ease the burden on our residents. It’s really our collective responsibility to work together, to find lasting and effective solutions. We cannot let British Columbia’s streets fall victim to the crisis we are facing.

[11:05 a.m.]

It’s time for our leaders and our elected officials to deliver on the promise of safer streets, a brighter future and a British Columbia that truly works for all its residents, not just for their friends.

Hon. J. Whiteside: I ask the House to consider proceeding with Motion 5 standing in the name of the member for Vancouver-Kensington.

Deputy Speaker: Unanimous consent of this House is required to proceed to Motion 5 without disturbing the priorities of the motions preceding it on the order paper.

Leave granted.

Private Members’ Motions

MOTION 5 — VALUE OF PUBLIC ASSETS

M. Elmore: It’s an honour to rise and move the motion today.

[Be it resolved that this House condemn the fire sale of public assets by previous governments and instead recognize the value they bring to people and communities as spaces for future hospitals, schools and affordable housing.]

The issue of public lands utilized for public services for the public good, the commons, is one of the motivating factors that got me into politics and championing the use of public lands for public resources to work on behalf of people.

Certainly, in terms of looking at the record…. Here today when we are understanding, where we hear…. It’s important to look at the context in terms of where we’re able to move forward.

It’s important for British Columbians to realize that when he was Minister of Finance, the Leader of the Opposition used his one and only budget speech to announce a fire sale of land that should have been used for schools, hospitals and affordable housing. According to analysis from the Vancouver Sun, the opposition sold off $1 billion of property. Many of the sites were sold to developers who had collectively given millions to the previous B.C. Liberals, including the land in Burke Mountain that was sold for $45 million under the appraised value. The sale was criticized by the Auditor General.

Some sites were later resold for hundreds of millions more than government’s sale price, with developers pocketing the profits instead of British Columbians. And British Columbians lost out on $367 million over three years as property values skyrocketed on land sold between 2013 and 2015. Many of the sites were located in growing communities where land will need to be acquired for school and hospital construction.

In Surrey alone, 21 sites were sold. We know that today there’s a second hospital being built in Surrey. In 2019, the Leader of the Opposition claimed a second hospital wasn’t necessary, after renovations, and sold land as surplus. Our government has made the commitment to move forward and build a second hospital.

I want to talk about what the impact is today in terms of Vancouver and my constituents who are impacted by these decisions today. The Leader of the Opposition supported a sweetheart deal with a private developer who evicted 700 people from their affordable homes in 2009, when I was elected, in Vancouver’s Little Mountain neighbourhood.

It was an agreement signed by the former B.C. Liberal government that sold the six-acre Little Mountain social housing site to Holborn Properties. The majority of those residents were evicted, had to leave their homes, lost their homes. It still sits vacant. It is just an eyesore and just a real travesty in terms of the impact to the Little Mountain neighbourhood adjacent to Vancouver-Kensington.

I want to talk about the record of our government — it really is a contrast — and to look at what our commitment is around public land and public resources to serve people. In Budget 2023, our government announced a total of $48.5 billion over three years to construct schools, hospitals, affordable housing, rapid transit, highways and bridges, roads, hydroelectric projects and other infrastructure, a record investment. There are also new hospitals in Cowichan, Dawson Creek, Richmond and Surrey.

As well, Budget 2023 takes more action to get people into homes they can afford, providing a record additional $4.2 billion in operating and capital funding over three years, the largest three-year housing investment in B.C. history.

[11:10 a.m.]

This record investment, the construction of hospitals and schools and affordable housing right across our province, is being built on public lands and for the people of British Columbia.

We’re seeing that, certainly, in Vancouver Kensington and just recently had the honour to open the new seniors housing centre as well as affordable seniors homes. They are really benefiting people and really demonstrating the value and the priorities of our government to use public lands to make investments to support British Columbians, in particular seniors with the seniors centre and affordable housing.

I just want to conclude that we’ve launched our plan for housing. The province has seen more than 40,000 affordable new homes for people, benefiting British Columbians.

M. Morris: It’s my pleasure to rise and respond to the motion brought forward by the member.

I find it amazing how this government has often resorted to focusing on decades-old issues, that were dealt with by governments, as a way to deflect the realities of today. This is a two-term government that’s been in for seven years, but it refuses to take responsibility for the record of failing to deliver for British Columbians right across our province.

British Columbians are struggling. We’ve got the highest rent in Canada here in British Columbia. Yet they go back decades to talk about issues of government decisions in the past.

We have the worst housing affordability in Canada. We have the highest level of homelessness in British Columbia — the highest level ever of homelessness in British Columbia.

We have thousands dying from an opiate overdose crisis. We have tens of thousands more suffering from drug-induced brain injuries as a result of continuous overdoses with the various forms of drugs.

We have unabated crime in our communities, driving businesses from our towns and cities because they can no longer afford to provide that retail service and commercial service to British Columbians.

Yet the best that this government can do to address these crisis situations is to go back a decade or more and talk about things that happened in previous government decisions, trying to deflect the attention away from their lack of action in today’s world.

We’ve got a federal government that’s providing relief to those on the East Coast struggling to heat their homes. Yet this government refuses to stand up and advocate for our province.

We’ve got NDP leaders in Manitoba, Alberta, Saskatchewan and even the federal NDP who are calling for cuts to the carbon tax on all home heating fuels. But rather than following their lead, this government is choosing to push forward with their plan to double the carbon tax and empty the pockets of British Columbians.

It’s a significant factor to provincial inflation that every single British Columbian is feeling in their pocket­book. This government is forcing them to make that decision as to whether they put food on the table or pay for heat in their house or put gasoline in their vehicle so they can go to work and try and make a living to support their families.

This all has impacts on it. Yet this government has to go back to the past because they have no idea how they’re going to address these crisis situations that every British Columbian has. It’s despicable.

In Surrey, we look at the NDP…. I remember this promise right from the beginning, and I’m sure it will be addressed by my colleagues. The number of portables on the school premises in Surrey was supposed to disappear, yet here we are. We’ve got double or triple the number of portables. We have no heat in many of these portables, and children are required to put mitts and toques and jackets on in order to receive an education in the public school system in Surrey.

[11:15 a.m.]

Yet this government has to deflect the attention of what’s going on in today’s world back a decade or more, to some of the decisions that were made by duly elected governments of the day at that particular time.

They are elected. This government was elected on a platform of making life more affordable for British Colum­bians.

How did we ever get to the stage where we have the highest cost of housing in Canada; the highest gas prices in Canada; the highest taxes in a lot of the jurisdictions right here in British Columbia, the highest opioid crisis deaths that we have, and it’s increasing all the time; and the medical issues that we see in British Columbia that have not yet been addressed by the province?

Yet we see them going back a decade to try and bring up issues to deflect the attention of British Columbians away from the crisis situation that we have right across the province here.

British Columbians expect better. They don’t expect this government to dig up ten- and 20-year old historical issues. They want this government to address modern-day issues and provide an affordable British Columbia for everybody, affordable health care — and health care, period — and address the opiate crisis and the crime on our streets. That isn’t being done.

F. Donnelly: I rise in support of the member for Vancouver-Kensington’s motion that this House condemn the fire sale of public assets by previous governments and instead recognize the value they bring to people and communities as spaces for future hospitals, schools and affordable housing.

Speaker, my colleagues will share with you their stories of how this fire sale of public land impacted their communities. But I want to share with you the negative impact the Leader of the Official Opposition’s sell-off of critical public land in my community had on Coquitlam–Burke Mountain.

In 2012, the Leader of the Official Opposition an­nounced he was putting a for-sale sign on land set aside for schools, hospitals and other important public facilities in B.C. As part of that sale, they sold 14 parcels of land on Burke Mountain, in Coquitlam, for $43 million less than the appraised value.

Let me say that again. The B.C. Liberals, now United, sold 14 parcels of land on Burke Mountain in Coquitlam for $43 million less than the appraised value. Ten years ago $43 million would have helped advance affordable housing in Coquitlam–Burke Mountain. We could have easily purchased an MRI unit.

Back in 2012, Wesbild Holdings Ltd. purchased Burke Mountain properties for a total of $85 million. An independent appraisal estimated their value at over $128 million. That’s a sweetheart deal if I’ve ever heard of one. That sweetheart deal resulted not only in outrage from the local community but an investigation and criticism from the Auditor General.

Vaughn Palmer even jumped in and commented back in 2018. He called it incompetence. He said: “Incompetence left the B.C. Liberal government millions short in land sale.”

I just want to focus on one news article that Global and CKNW did. They did an investigative article back in 2018 titled “Fire Sale.” “The B.C. Liberals sold gobs of land for $493 million. Three years later, they were worth $860 million.”

Here’s what Tom Davidoff, the Director of the Centre for Urban Economics and Real Estate at UBC’s Sauder School of Business, said: “Taxpayers could have netted better value had the previous government held a more competitive bidding process and had certain types of housing been dealt with on these sites. What’s really not acceptable, from a taxpayer’s perspective, is to sell land in a non-competitive way and not to get affordable housing on it.”

He goes on to say: “To sell to a developer who is going to build market-rate housing and not sell in a competitive way and get ripped off on the price is a huge mistake.” Davidoff said the government could have held a public auction that would have attracted lots of well-qualified bidders.

In the meantime, parents and children were waiting for schools to be built. One of the biggest needs in our community on Burke Mountain was and is a middle and high school.

[11:20 a.m.]

I’m proud to say our government understands the importance of building schools where children can learn and reach their full potential. Last year we approved $135 million to build a new 1,000-seat middle secondary school on Burke Mountain, and I was absolutely proud to be part of that announcement. The school district has agreed to contribute $25 million to the project. The new middle secondary school on Burke Mountain will support future students from grades 6 to 12 and their families, and doors are expected to be open for students in the fall of 2026.

Our commitment to families and children is not just in Coquitlam and Burke Mountain but across this province. Since 2017, our government has invested $3 billion in capital projects, including expansions, new schools, seismic upgrades and site purchases for future schools. These investments have added almost 17,000 additional seats in B.C.

That’s the difference between our government and the opposition. We build public assets so that children can have bright futures; they sell public lands for sweetheart deals to their donors.

R. Merrifield: Well, the difference between our government and this NDP government is that this government refuses to look at outcomes — selling less than 2 percent of our public lands, for a gain to the public: reconciliation with First Nations, tens of thousands of homes created and tens of thousands of jobs created in stimulation of the economy.

As I rise today to respond to the motion before the House — one that was solely designed to sow division and act as a deflection — I want to think about the last seven years under the NDP. I’d love to, as the member for Vancouver-Kensington suggests, talk about the NDPs record of outcomes, because this NDP loves to make promises, break promises and then blame others for their own failures.

The facts are clear, and the consequences of seven years of NDP rule are painfully evident across multiple fronts of public concern. Under this NDP government, things have steadily worsened. The NDP claims to champion the middle class, yet it is this very group that finds itself entrapped in an ever-tightening vise, with the cost of living escalating and opportunities dwindling.

From this NDP middle-class squeeze to failing in areas of health care, education, housing, by every metric, British Columbia has most of the worst results in Canada. A striking example of this NDP government’s priorities is found in their failure to take immediate and effective action on carbon tax and fuel tax that would put British Columbia on an even playing field with the rest of Canada.

Why wouldn’t they give immediate relief to British Columbians when they are desperate and deciding between buying bread, heating their home or getting their kids to their swimming lessons? Well, maybe it’s because this NDP is prioritizing a corporate handout through the InBC Investment Corp. worth half a billion dollars. Or maybe it’s because they’re wasting money on community benefit agreements that skyrocket public capital costs and give away billions of tax dollars, to get less while spending more. These are the historic spends of the NDP.

Consider other failures that have come to characterize this government. Health care, the cornerstone of a civilized society, is imploding. Hospitals and medical facilities are either overburdened or underconstructed, with the promised Surrey hospital being a prime example, its budget ballooning to $2.88 billion and its completion lacking by years. That’s over $17 million a bed. What are these beds made of? Gold? These will become the most expensive hospital beds ever created in the world.

Is this the record to be proud of, record spending of taxpayers’ money? I would be ashamed. This facility, once completed, will only have 168 beds and won’t have critical components such as an ICU or a maternity ward — with 6,000 babies born every single year. Or how about a pediatric department?

[11:25 a.m.]

Now let’s look at education, the bedrock of our future. It has been similarly mismanaged. The NDP’s pledge to eliminate the use of portables in our schools by 2020 has not only gone unfulfilled, but the situation has deteriorated. How about we talk about some heating? Students are subjected in Surrey to learning in conditions that require winter coats indoors — an utter failure.

Housing — don’t even get me started: making 114,000 housing promises, then breaking those promises and now blaming others for their own failures. This government has shown complete mismanagement of large infrastructure projects, with timelines and budgets being mere suggestions rather than targets to be met.

Let’s just talk about the case of the SFU medical school. This is a poignant one. Its delays ensure that the new cohort of doctors will not emerge until 2030. By then, how much deeper will the health care crisis have become?

When our B.C. United government doubled and distributed the seats in UBC medical school, it was planned to be able to increase by 30 percent. Has anyone talked to their med students lately to find out if that’s possible? News flash: it is. Why would this government not have doubled those school spaces right away? Maybe because it’s more about politics than serving people.

How many more people have to die without care because this government is unable to fix things?

M. Starchuk: Thank you to the member for Vancouver-Kensington for Motion 5, to speak about the value of public assets, and thank you to the member opposite for speaking about a hospital that’s coming to a riding near me.

I’m proud to stand up today and represent a government that puts people first and invests in hospitals, schools and other important facilities. I’m proud that the second hospital is being built in Cloverdale, after years of broken promises by the members opposite. When we talk about the delays, it takes me back to that famous line from the former Premier when asked: “Why is there a delay?” The answer was: “You sold the land, man.” That resonates with the people that are in my area.

When we talk about the hospital, we’re talking about 168 in-patient beds. We’re talking about five operating rooms. We’re talking about an emergency room with 55 treatment spaces. We’re talking about a large medical imaging department with three CT scanners and two MRIs. We’re talking about a pharmacy, a laboratory, academic spaces and, equally as important, a 49-space child care centre for those people that are going to be there.

When we talk about the price of what’s there, let’s not forget that it includes a regional cancer centre. This new regional cancer centre will have an oncology ambulatory care unit. It’s going to have 50 examination rooms and 54 chemotherapy treatment spaces, which will almost triple the amount of spaces in the city of Surrey for those people undergoing the treatment that they need to beat that horrible disease called cancer. It has functional imaging, including PET, CT, a cyclotron, and room for six linear accelerators for radiation therapy, to provide the care for people diagnosed with cancer.

It is no surprise that that is a soft spot for me and for the people that I’ve worked with in that previous career that I chose for over 30 years. I say it today, and I’ll say it again tomorrow: I am considered a walking, talking, ticking time bomb.

I don’t know when it’s going to come up, but I know that every single person in that very first fire hall that I entered have all succumbed to cancer; they are no longer on this earth. Every single one of those people did the exact same job that I did. We faced the same things. We wore the same equipment. So when I see that this hospital includes a regional cancer centre, I don’t know what there is negative to say about that.

The opposition has called this project nothing more than an urgent and primary care centre. Does what I said sound like a UPCC? How many UPCCs have over 700 parking spaces available? The answer is zero.

We’re committed to building the project. The opposition has wanted to scrap it, and we’ve seen this all before.

[11:30 a.m.]

Just before the 2005 election, Gordon Campbell stood on the promised site of the second Surrey hospital and promised to get it done. When the Leader of the Opposition was in cabinet, they broke that promise. When he became Finance Minister, he announced he was selling the land. He claimed a second hospital wasn’t necessary after renovations to SMH.

With the almost over $600 million expansion of the Surrey Memorial Hospital now underway, expansion of the Surrey Memorial Hospital is now considered land that’s surplus. “So rather than letting it sit there costing taxpayers money, we intend to sell it and let the private sector use it.” That is a quote from the budget just 11 years ago.

The Leader of the Opposition claims to be an expert in land development. How would holding this land become a cost to taxpayers? What would those lands be worth today if they were kept as an asset to the provincial government? In 2014, the land was sold to Fairborne Lands for $20½ million despite being appraised at $23½. Right after that, the president of Fairborne made a political contribution to the then Liberal Party of $25,000 in 2017 and significant contributions in 2020 and 2021.

We believe that there are and there is a huge value to schools, hospitals and affordable housing. The opposition simply wants to sell the public land to their donors, to their friends.

T. Halford: I think that what the previous speaker spoke about…. I want to thank him for his service on the front lines and the hazards that come with that, because that is real, and that is something that we understand and support across party lines.

The reality of today and what we are facing is the worst affordability crisis in our province. People, more than half, are $200 away from not being able to pay their bills. Seniors are choosing between paying the rent or getting their groceries. Parents are telling their kids that they can’t afford hockey, football, soccer because they’ve got to make some difficult choices in their household.

This is a two-term government closing in on seven years, and we are talking about important things today. We’re talking about health care. We’ve talked a little bit about transportation. We’ll talk about education: $350,000, that is the cost to set up a portable; $100,000, that is the cost to move a portable. Where does that money come from? That money comes from the operating budget of the Surrey school district.

Today, right now, we have kids sitting in portables wearing winter coats, gloves, toques because, honestly, we’ve got a government that can’t get their act together. If we’re going to talk about education, if we’re going to bring up portables in schools, the reality is we have kids right now, we have educators right now that are in a situation that is inexcusable. It’s embarrassing. We should all be embarrassed that we have kids, that we have teachers that are in that situation right now. When we have a government, when we have a minister that has sat on their hands, that, to me, is a problem.

We have one million British Columbians without a family doctor right now. The member talks about a second hospital. I’ll tell you this, when we are looking at Peace Arch Hospital, where I had to stand outside with members of my community, with doctors in my community, because the maternity ward was getting shut down again and again and again….

[11:35 a.m.]

We had to fight tooth and nail to keep that open. Nothing. We have an opportunity for the new hospital to put a maternity ward in there, to put an ICU ward in there. We can make those choices today. We’re not doing it. When we look at the challenges that we’re facing, whether they are in transportation, whether they’re in health care, whether they’re in education, they are mounting. It’s not getting better.

We can come in here and have these debates. That’s great for the five people that are watching at home. But when we can’t even get propane hooked up to heat a portable, what are we doing? People can laugh, but honestly, what are we doing? That’s embarrassing. That’s very, very embarrassing.

We all, here, come here with the right priorities. I know that. We have different ways to get there, but I think our priorities are right.

When you look at the fact that, in Surrey, we have people using the food bank more than they ever have, at extraordinary levels…. We can come in here and play politics and do our thing. Right now, there’s probably a single mom for the first time lining up at a Surrey food bank, making the most difficult choice of her life. I think that’s the reality of where we are today.

R. Parmar: What a pleasure to be able to stand in this House and respond to the motion that’s on the floor and to follow the member for Surrey–White Rock to talk about a period of time in history. This motion takes us back to a time when a government that sat on this side of the House tried to sell British Columbia, and in many ways, they were successful. To have the member for Surrey–White Rock and to have the member for Kelowna-Mission try to paint a different picture….

I recognize that they weren’t there, but they’re trying to paint a picture of a time when you had a government that sat on this side of the House that literally tried to sell every publicly available asset that British Columbians need today to their developer friends. That’s what they tried to do. It’s absolutely shameful. In Surrey alone, one of the fastest-growing communities in our province, 21 sites sold.

The member from Surrey-Cloverdale talked about the hospital. Let’s talk about Richmond, where 10388 No. 2 road in Richmond, a property that used to host Steveston Secondary School, was sold to a developer named Polygon in 2013 for $41 million.

Let’s skip over the fact that Polygon was a major donor to the B.C. Liberals, contributing $308,000 to the party since 2005. Let’s skip over the fact that that property turned into Kingsley Estates, a luxury development with 133 units. Let’s talk about the fact that in 2017, that land that was sold for $41 million was assessed in value at $177 million. Absolutely shameful.

Let’s not stop there. Let’s go to Saanich. In fact, let’s go to Sidney, where we had the old North Saanich Middle School in Sidney that was sold to a developer for $4 million. Today that land is now worth more than four times what the site was sold for. That is the record of the B.C. United and B.C. Liberal government.

We are going to take every opportunity to remind the voters of British Columbia what they did when they were on this side of the House. They ripped off British Columbians. What did Vaughn Palmer say? “Incompetence.” Incompetence is the word to describe those members when they sat on this side of the House.

In my school district, we have expanded the school district by 2,600 seats. We’re opening new schools. We just announced, last week, a modular extension to our school — 400 seats.

[11:40 a.m.]

The Minister of Education is in Richmond, where she’s making a pretty substantive announcement as well, especially after just talking about when they sold land to developers and ripped off British Columbians.

I know where the United stands. I know where the Leader of the Opposition stands. What I’m really interested, over the weeks ahead, to know is where the leader of the Conservative Party stands on these sorts of issues.

You know what? When the Leader of the Opposition was at the cabinet table, when he was the Minister of Finance that sold the land — he sold the land, man — to build a new Surrey hospital, do you know who also was at the cabinet table? The leader of the Conservative Party.

It’ll be very interesting to hear from the Conservative Party where they stand. Did they stand when the leader of the Conservative Party was with the Leader of the Opposition and cabinet on selling land, or has he shifted to another mode? Has he shifted to another belief?

The record of the B.C. Liberal and the B.C. United party is front and centre. We have a record in this government of investing in people, investing in new hospitals, investing in new school infrastructure and investing in the things that people need in communities like Langford–Juan de Fuca, where this fall we are going to be opening the largest expansion of affordable housing in Sooke’s history. That’s the record of our government. We’ve done a lot. We’ve got a lot more to do.

Over this next year, I’m going to be reminding every voter in Langford–Juan de Fuca of the record that the B.C. United had when they were on this side of the House.

Do you know what, Mr. Speaker? When I was out on the doorsteps during this past by-election, they remembered. They remembered the Leader of the Opposition and what he did on this side of the House. What they said to him during that by-election was: “No way.”

D. Davies: Wow. What we have on display today is complete desperation by a failed government. Deflect. Dodge. Duck. That’s all we’re seeing here today.

As I rise here today…. This is nothing more than to try and deflect from the failure of a government that has been in power for seven years and two elections. It’s time that they take responsibility for the failed state of this province that they have created.

British Columbia has become the most unaffordable jurisdiction in all of North America. Homes to rent are the highest in Canada. The most expensive housing in North America. The most expensive gas prices and taxes in North America.

Instead of, even, following the example of the NDP leaders in provinces such as Manitoba, Alberta and Saskatchewan and advocating for cutting the carbon tax on home heating…. No. This government is planning to near triple the carbon tax, meaning more expensive gas, more expensive heating and more expensive groceries for everyday people. More expensive everything.

Rather than listening to British Columbians and making life more affordable, this government is prioritizing a half-a-billion dollar corporate handout through the InBC Investment Corp., a high-risk venture capital scheme. This is a fire sale of public assets at a time when more British Columbians are heading to food banks than ever before because they can’t afford the price of groceries. People have to now contemplate turning off the heat in their homes as they search for ways to make ends meet or buy medications, for that matter.

When it comes to essential infrastructure that people need, such as schools, hospitals and affordable housing…. The NDP are continually failing to deliver on those promises that they’ve made over and over again. The situation in our schools, as we’ve already heard in the House today, is deeply concerning, especially in Surrey, where students who have been promised relief are now stuck in the cold in overcrowded portables, as we’ve heard recently, wearing winter coats, mitts and toques just to stay warm.

The NDP promised to completely eliminate all school portables, in the 2017 campaign, by 2020. I even asked the minister at the time how they were going to do that. His line to me was: “Just watch us.” Well, what we’ve seen and what we’re watching is the doubling of school portables in Surrey, even looking at double-decker school portables. So we have another complete and utter failure by this government to act on any promises that they’ve made.

[11:45 a.m.]

This government can continue to make announcements all it wants, but it’s the results that matter. It’s the results that we have not been seeing as the opposition or as British Columbians.

When we look at the housing results, they’ve never been worse. British Columbia has the worst housing affordability in North America. In fact, the future looks so bleak for 70 percent of British Columbians that they’ve given up the dream of ever owning a home.

Rents have nearly doubled, to $3,000 a month, in Vancouver. A townhouse is up 33 percent, to a million bucks. A single-family home is approaching $2 million. The NDP want to make housing more affordable, but they need to make it less expensive, remove unnecessary tape and remove NDP bureaucracy.

The direct result of this NDP government’s failure to provide affordable housing is on our streets. We have the highest level of homelessness in the history of our entire province. Even in my community, here in Fort St. John, homelessness has increased by 67 percent since 2018.

The health care situation is no less dire. One in five British Columbians don’t have access to a family doctor. In northern B.C.… Northern Health has a vacancy rate of 20 percent for their baseline positions, with 55 percent of hires leaving within just a few years.

The NDP had promised to create a medical school back in 2020. They could expect graduates as soon as the 2023 school year, this year. Well, that would have really helped alleviate the doctor shortage in Metro Vancouver, across the province, here in the Peace region, where we are short doctors, except now we won’t see any new doctors graduate from SFU until 2030. That’s, even, only if the NDP can remotely deliver on that promise.

Again, it’s results that matter. It’s results that British Columbians want, results from a government that has been in for two terms in seven years and that nobody has seen. It is time to stop shifting the blame and look at themselves in the mirror.

J. Sims: It’s my pleasure today to rise and speak on this motion.

I’m going to talk about results. I’m going to talk about outcomes. I’m going to talk about the outcomes of a government that was in power for 16 long, long years and that was so desperate to balance their books that they sold valuable public assets at a fireside sale, costing British Columbians hundreds upon hundreds upon hundreds of millions of dollars. That’s the outcome that was delivered by the people sitting on that side.

I note that not one person from that side stood up and said: “We’re proud of the job we did. We’re proud we sold the land where schools, hospitals and child care centres could be built.” They’re not proud of their history. Nor are British Columbians, I can tell you.

There is a mythology out there that I want to address today. The mythology is, perpetuated by the other side, that they are good managers. They know how to manage assets. Well, I’m certainly happy that they’re not managing my personal assets. One thing I know is that when you have a limited asset called land, and you have a growing population that needs hospitals, schools, houses, etc., the last thing you do is sell the land. It’s the last thing you do.

That’s exactly what the other side did, not just in Surrey but across this province. Knowing that the population was growing and that land was needed, they sold it, for very selfish motives, and that was to balance their books. Not good managers — not then, not now.

I can tell you something, Mr. Speaker. They have betrayed not only our children but our grandchildren and great-grandchildren by doing that sale. Every one of those sales went well below market value. And you know what? They were proud of it at that time.

[11:50 a.m.]

The Leader of the Opposition stood, as a Finance Minister, and was very proud of the fact that they were selling off the land. One of those pieces they sold off was in my riding, where a hospital was supposed to be built. At a time that Surrey was going through huge growth in population, the good managers on the other side decided: “After all, we don’t need another hospital. We will sell the land, and we will sell it well below market value.”

On that land, let me tell you, housing has been built, but it’s not affordable housing. It’s not housing that middle-income people can afford. It’s expensive housing. We need that housing, but who made the gargantuan profits, and who subsidized that developer? The people of British Columbia. They are the ones who ended up paying into the profit ledger of that particular developer.

In Surrey alone, 21 sites were sold. I’m not going to talk about the hospital again, because my colleague did it so well.

We’re very proud of the outcomes that we have achieved. Let me talk about a few of them. So 11½ thousand additional seats in the city of Surrey for our K-to-12 sector. I have nothing to compare it with — what the previous government did in their last four years — because it was so little. So 11½ thousand seats for the K-to-12 sector. Do we have more to do? Absolutely, because the population is growing.

Do we need to do more in health care, build more in health care? Should we have built the hospital sooner? We would have done if the other side had not sold the land. That’s not blaming and going back in history; that’s the reality of today. The hospital took longer to build, is taking longer to build because of the actions of that government.

I am so proud of something one of my colleagues said: “They sell B.C. We buy B.C.”

P. Milobar: I’ll trust the microphone to project my voice and not have to yell, as the other side has been doing today. What’s that saying about people that protest too much?

Just to clarify a couple of things. You know, the Surrey Hospital — the land was sold when Fraser Health was recommending the land should be sold. So we followed the direction of a health authority that this government likes to continually point fingers to.

I would point out…. The previous speaker wants to say: “Well, it was delayed; it was delayed.” Well, let’s look at that new Surrey hospital, if you want to talk about lack of results. It’s 168 beds. It won’t have a maternity ward, in one of the largest and fastest-growing areas in the province. It is now $1.2 billion over budget.

If you want to talk about lack of results and lack of fiscal management and helping your buddies out…. It’s $1.2 billion over budget because of the community ripoff agreements that this government signed, where their highest-donating unions are the only ones that are allowed to work on a job.

It’s just like the Comox hospital is over double the price right now. And let’s remember: the Surrey hospital hasn’t even broken ground yet. Wait till the change orders start to come in on that construction project to see what that actually comes out to.

If we want to talk results, let’s look at those last seven years. That’s actually what people, in the here and the now, are living and dealing with.

The member wants to talk about results in Surrey, in the schools. You know what the teachers in Surrey would like right now, in all those portables that have been built under this NDP government’s watch? They would like the result that when they turn the thermostat on, the heat actually comes on and the kids are actually able to have an education when it’s cold outside.

This government can’t even get a thermostat to work properly. Apparently the portables are going up so fast in Surrey that they can’t figure out how to get the heat turned on in time for cold weather. That’s the result of this government.

In Kamloops, we’ve been promised a cancer centre. We’ve been promised a cancer centre 30 years ago, if you want to go back in time. That was pulled away by this NDP government when they first took government.

They were then promised again in the 2020 election, by the former Premier Horgan, and it was a very clear promise. It was a very clear promise that it would be actually open by the time the next election rolls around in 2024.

[11:55 a.m.]

Instead, we’re going to be lucky if we see anything open by 2028 in Kamloops. The excuse is: it takes time to plan these. Well, if you actually had put any urgency behind it — from when the Health Minister finally committed in Kamloops and looked at that timeline, now four years — it could have been met — what the Premier first promised. But they didn’t put any commitment to it.

No, they would rather send people down to Bellingham for cancer treatment instead of having them serviced in Kamloops to get the treatment they need after recognizing the need for it. The members want to say: “How come you didn’t build a cancer centre in the 16 years?” Because the one that got moved to Kelowna…. The equipment wasn’t at its end of life. You just don’t build things for the sake of building them.

As the linear accelerators have come to an end of life, and as they need to be replaced, and as two of those five are now being used by residents of Kamloops down in Kelowna, even the Kelowna area people and oncologists agree that Kamloops needs to have its own centre because you’ll have a better outcome for people.

That’s how you properly manage scarce capital funds of the province. The member from Langford can crow about the results in the Langford area.

[Mr. Speaker in the chair.]

I look forward to seeing what type of capital spending he has now that the Premier doesn’t live in Langford, after the abuse that we saw over the last six years of prioritization in Langford. He’s got a rude political awakening coming, my friend. That’s what I know for sure is going to happen in Langford.

If we want to talk about the last seven years, if we want to talk about the lack of results right now, if we want to talk about people that are $200 a month away from paying all their bills, if we want to talk about the fact of a 60 percent growth in food bank usage right now under this NDP watch — not from 16 years ago; under this NDP watch…. The highest rents in Canada under this NDP watch. Ten of the last 15 months dramatically outpacing the Canadian average for inflation under this NDP’s watch.

I think that’s what people watching at home right now want to know about. They want to know what’s actually going to be done to help them today, help pay their bills today, help lower their home heating costs. The only NDP government in all of Canada, the only NDP leader in of Canada that refuses to acknowledge that the carbon tax on home heating is inequitable compared to what’s happening in the Maritimes — right here in British Columbia.

Those are the results people actually want to see, not this non-stop rhetoric from this side to keep fondly trying to point back 16 years. People have moved on from the last 23 years. They want to know what’s happening in the here and the now, and under this government, they’re failing on every single matter.

D. Routley: It’s my pleasure to rise to speak to the motion, however briefly. But since it’s brief, I just want to say that the other side probably feel as though they shouldn’t have given consent for this debate, because it really is a reminder to British Columbians of the terrible record they have when it comes to managing the assets and the finances of this province.

If we look back to those times during that 16 years of government, they started that out by giving a 25 percent tax break to the most wealthy British Columbians. They gave tax breaks throughout their term in office that British Columbians had to pay through reduced services and through the fire sale of their assets. They promised balanced budgets, which they couldn’t deliver without selling off assets at fire sale prices that have been described here, losing for the investing public $387 million in the process.

As a school trustee at that time, we were herded into selling properties because we couldn’t get even a project on the table with that former B.C. United government without selling all our empty spaces. We knew that our population would grow and that we’d have to replace those properties at a much higher price, and that’s exactly what’s happened. So when they say: “Don’t look back….” Well, they don’t want to look back, because it’s their record.

They should have been looking forward. They should have been looking forward to a time when there would be a government in this province that stood up for the people of B.C., that invested in them and their children, that would make these investments. Last year’s budget alone, $48.5 billion in housing, in bridges, in hospitals, in all the services that British Columbians expect.

Why did they do it? Because they promised a balanced budget. That’s why they forced B.C. Hydro to issue fake profits to falsely balance a budget. They did it through selling the assets of British Columbians. When they were elected to government, it was like leaving them running the store and saying: “Just run it. We’ll be back in four years.” When they came back in four years, they sold the store.

[12:00 p.m.]

I think when they stand here and say, “Well, the entrance patch was too small in what you built,” or whatever their little minor complaint is…. The fact is, this side of the House builds for the future of British Columbia and invests in the people, and what did the people do? They turned around and recovered from COVID faster than any other province.

We have the strongest economy. We have hundreds of thousands of people coming to British Columbia because we invest in the people of B.C. We have faith in the people of B.C., and they have faith in us, as illustrated by the numbers on this side and the dwindling support for the government that has that terrible record.

Thank you, members on the other side, for allowing us the privilege of being able to debate this motion.

D. Routley moved adjournment of debate.

Motion approved.

Hon. J. Whiteside moved adjournment of the House.

Motion approved.

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

The House adjourned at 12:01 p.m.