The House met at 10:03 a.m.

[The Speaker in the chair.]

Routine Business

Prayers and reflections: Jennifer Blatherwick.

[10:05 a.m.]

Introductions by Members

Hon. Lana Popham: Today is one of the very best days we have at the Legislature. It is B.C. Beef Day.

I’d like to introduce the B.C. Cattlemen’s Association into the Legislature today. Please welcome Werner Stump, Brian Thomas, Brett Squair, Brad Chappell — Brad, thanks for the sausages a couple weeks ago — Kevin Boon, Paul Devick, Corey Lepine, Julie-Anne Puhallo, Andrea van Iterson, Patrick Whittaker, Graeme Fowler, Andrea Haywood-Farmer and David Pollard.

I’d also like to introduce members of the Breeder and Feeder Association: Lindy Gilson, Mike Gilson, Ken Fawcett, Denise Dowswell and Bob Miller.

I’m sure that everybody is excited to join us at the back of the Legislature today for B.C. Beef Day. Bring your best appetite and your best rural attitude.

Hon. Jennifer Whiteside: We are really honoured today to be joined in the gallery by members of the B.C. Building Trades.

These are representatives of people who work literally building British Columbia in every sector, in every corner of the province, from bridges to hospitals to schools to every piece of infrastructure that we need in order to grow our economy and to build good jobs for people. They invest in training for their members. They provide important resources, lead initiatives, and advocate on behalf of those in skilled trades.

Today we are joined by Brynn Bourke, the executive director of the B.C. Building Trades, Jordan Reid, the director, Phil Venoit, business manager from IBEW 230, Rob Sheck from the Insulators, Doug Parton from the Ironworkers, Paul Beacom from the Ironworkers, Corry Anderson-Fennell from LiUNA, Steve Davis from Sheet Metal Workers, Jason Pedersen from Sheet Metal Workers and Jim Noon from UA 324.

Would the House please join me in making them feel very welcome in this place.

Hon. Rick Glumac: As we have challenges with our neighbours to the south, we have to remember that we still have many allies and friends from the United States, and some of those friends are with us here today on the floor.

I would like to introduce the hon. Denny Heck, Lieutenant Governor of the state of Washington, the hon. Sharon Shewmake, who is a state senator representing the 42nd district of Washington state, and hon. Lisa Wellman, state senator representing the 41st district of Washington state. They are supported today by the Lieutenant Governor’s chief of staff, Dallas Roberts, and policy and international relations staff, James Rolph, who are up in the gallery today.

Would the House please make them all feel welcome.

Kiel Giddens: I want to echo the Minister of Labour in welcoming folks from the B.C. Building Trades back to the Legislature. I know they are regulars here and important for building the construction projects that we all need in this province.

I also want to welcome today…. It’s important for all types of workers and all types of contractors to be welcomed in this House, and I want to thank the folks from CLAC, who will be here as well today to meet with folks in the Legislature: Ryan Bruce, Nathan Matthews, Kristine Cavey, Brad Bent, Troy Payne, Rob Schmidt, Josh Pastoor, Jeremy Thompson and Mary Lavery.

Also, we have members from the Progressive Contractors Association collaborative working with their labour partners Paul de Jong, Darrel Reid, Dan Baxter, Keri Salvisburg, Rob Muir, Rieghardt van Enter and David Hoff.

Will the House please make all of them very welcome.

[10:10 a.m.]

Hon. Mike Farnworth: It’s a pleasure to recognize someone in the House from the 20th century who was elected back in 1991 for the riding of Surrey-Cloverdale and who is sitting over there, Ken Jones. I remember working with him during those times that he was in this House. It’s nice to see him back, looking well.

Would the House please make him welcome.

Statements

Firefighting Response
in Cariboo-Chilcotin

Lorne Doerkson: I just wanted to offer up my most sincere thank-you to the 150 Mile fire department, which was assisted yesterday by the Williams Lake, Miocene and Wildwood fire departments, along with B.C. Wildfire; and a boatload of thanks to Martin at Pioneer Log Homes, who, frankly, saved the “Timber Kings” business in the Cariboo-Chilcotin.

It was a very serious fire. It was a prescribed burn that escaped its boundaries, and we could have seen a horrible loss. As it is, we saw a pretty big loss there yesterday. It highlights just how dry our landscape is and how we need to be very concerned. It could have been a very, very serious loss.

I’m very happy to thank Pioneer Log Homes and the “Timber Kings” for what they do for Cariboo-Chilcotin. They’re an amazing company.

I spoke with Bryan Reid Jr. and Sr. yesterday and this morning. They are extremely thankful for the help.

Introductions by Members

Hon. Ravi Kahlon: There’s a friend in the House today. For the new MLAs, maybe you don’t know him as well. For those MLAs that have been around a long time, this gentleman has been a very consistent viewer of our proceedings. Lynn Klein is back in the House today.

Those of you know that for many years, Lynn has been a retired paramedic and committed a lot of his time to come to the chamber to watch the proceedings, support all members in their speeches. Often, you’ll hear him come down and say, “I liked your comments. I appreciate what you’ve done” — maybe not to me as much, but to others. I haven’t seen him in a while, and it’s lovely to see him.

I hope the House can please welcome Lynn Klein back to the House.

Brennan Day: I’d like to join the Agriculture Minister and introduce a few fellow Islanders from the Comox Valley that are in the gallery today from B.C. Cattlemen’s and Vancouver Island Cattlemen’s.

My good friend Brad Chappell, along with his wife, Alita, and sons, Hayes and Cowan, with Heart of the Valley Farms, just recently set the B.C. bull sale record for Red Angus breed stock at a whopping $20,500 at the buckskin bull sale in Clinton. If you know Brad, you know that’s not the only bull he’s famous for.

That’s for you, buddy.

Also on the precinct today is my good friend and neighbour, Patrick Whittaker with the Whittaker Cattle Co., and Wayne and Marie Schaad from Cedar Meadow Ranch. It’s great to see the Comox Valley agriculture community so well represented here in the House.

Please make them all feel welcome.

Trevor Halford: I heard it’s been done already, but a guy of this stature needs two introductions: former MLA Ken Jones, who is a proud resident of White Rock. Ken has also done a lot of work on rail relocation — he comes to see me quite often on that — and has worked on the MLA alumni association. I think he is past membership chair.

I want to thank Ken for all his work, much appreciated. Welcome back, Ken.

Hon. Ravi Parmar: Somewhere in the House…. I haven’t located them just yet. Fraser Lake is in the House — Mayor Sarrah Storey, who is just an incredible advocate for her community.

I had a chance to be able to visit Fraser Lake not too long ago and spend some time in community. It’s always great to have her here in Victoria, fighting hard for her community. I know the Minister of State for Local Governments met with her, as did several other members on this side of the House.

In addition, she has her CAO, Ethan Fredeen, who is relatively new in his role and is here for his first time in question period.

Will the House please join the team from Fraser Lake and make them feel very welcome

Amelia Boultbee: I am honoured to be joined by two constituents from my community today, Rob and Maureen King. Will the House please join me in making them feel very welcome.

[10:15 a.m.]

Hon. George Chow: I would like to welcome a dear former colleague that many of you in the chamber will remember from his time working here in the Legislature. I’d like to introduce Aaron Leung, who is sitting in the gallery.

Welcome, Aaron, and thank you for all the work you did in the last election as my campaign manager and continue your work as president of the EDA.

Would the House please make Aaron feel welcome today.

Statements

Firefighters and Emergency
Responders in Quesnel

Sheldon Clare: I want to acknowledge the hard work of the Quesnel volunteer fire department last night in trying to protect the Sprout Kitchen and the Nourish food bank, a food bank that feeds some 500 households every month, 356 of them with children. These were both heavily damaged in a fire last night.

Many thanks to the emergency responders — fire department, paramedics and police — who worked so hard to keep the public safe.

Hopefully, we can get these services restored very quickly.

Introductions by Members

Hon. Brenda Bailey: I would like to welcome, to the House, Jesse Gervais. Jesse is a gentleman who worked in JEDI when I was the minister there.

One of the funny things that can happen in this House is you don’t know someone, and you’re asked to do a rural tour, and the two of you are on the road together for a week. I had that experience with Jesse and learned that he’s a person of deep integrity who cares so much about rural development. Fraser Lake is so lucky to have him on their team. We miss him.

Welcome to the House, Jesse.

Heather Maahs: I would like to welcome the high school students from Timothy Christian School — I’m not sure if they’re here yet — from my riding in Rosedale in Chilliwack North.

Welcome, high school kids, today.

Amna Shah: I am so delighted to welcome a dear friend and a former colleague, Aaron Leung, to this House.

Aaron has an exceptionally exemplary work ethic and an even bigger heart. I am so proud of how far he has come. He is now with TransLink as a senior adviser. I would like to welcome him and also the rest of the TransLink team here.

Would the House join me in making him feel very welcome.

Jeremy Valeriote: I am very happy to introduce this House to my spouse of nearly 14 years, Virginia Cullen.

You don’t have to stand.

An engineer by training, after a long career in the private sector, Ginny is now in public service, working for the resort municipality of Whistler.

A wonderful mom and role model to our daughters. We all know how challenging this is on family back home, and Ginny meets this with grace and love. She is the love of my life and allows me to stay focused while I’m here.

Would the House please make her feel welcome.

John Rustad: All of us here obviously spend lots of hours away from home, away from family, doing the job that we have been elected to do. Of course, it is our honour to be able to do that, but we miss many events.

Today is Kim’s and my 30th wedding anniversary, and tomorrow is her birthday, so I just wanted to say that I miss you, Kim, and I love you.

Harwinder Sandhu: As we celebrate B.C. Beef Day here, this would not be possible without Vernon’s beloved House of Q. Brian Misko and his wife, Corinne, from House of Q in Vernon are here, working so hard, grilling, smoking and making a boatload of beef for all of us. House of Q started by using Mom’s stockpot, and they make award-winning barbecue sauces and spices.

Q is one of the most awarded barbecue sauce and rub companies around the world. They have won more than 200 awards over the last 18 years.

Would the House please join me to welcome Brian and thank them and their team for working hard and also wish them a very happy upcoming wedding anniversary that Corinne and Brian are celebrating on June 6.

Jordan Kealy: I want to add to the Minister of Agriculture and welcome the Cattlemen’s Association, as well as any farmer that advocates on the behalf of other farmers.

[10:20 a.m.]

The Cattlemen’s Association really has done an amazing job at providing different resources and helping farmers across the province, including when there are wildfires as well. It’s much appreciated. I may not have so many cattle anymore, but it’s great to see an association doing the hard work.

These are people that normally work a full-time job to be able to do the farm as well. It’s a way of life, and it’s not something that you just leave behind you if you don’t like it. I really want to give a big shout-out to them and that I appreciate them. Without farmers, there’s no food.

Tributes

Ritta Sigvardson

Hon. Lana Popham: I rise on a sadder note this morning. My family this morning will have lost a family member. Ritta Sigvardsen, my step-grandma, who is Danish — so maybe better said, my stedmormor or, from the Danish culture, my bonus grandma — at the age of 95, will have left us this morning.

On Sunday, I went to say goodbye to her and to tell her how much she was loved by our family. She made it very clear to me that she wanted me to express something in the House today. She has left us at ten o’clock this morning, as she’s participating in medical assistance in dying, otherwise known as MAiD.

I just want to thank her for her contributions and just to say: rest easy, Stedmormor Ritta.

Introductions by Members

George Anderson: I have the great fortune of being able to introduce two individuals in the House today, Alex Lin and Kana Dong.

First off, in the world, it’s not very fair when there’s a shaker of talent. Some people get a little bit too much. Alex, he’s an opera singer, a piano player — the list goes on and on; all the talent is right there — badminton champion.

We also have Kana, who is a small business owner, as well, and moved from Toronto to British Columbia. It just goes to show that British Columbia is a great place to live, where young people are choosing to raise their families and also stay here. I have to say that when we have people like Kana and Alex here in British Columbia, British Columbia’s future is bright.

I hope that the entire House will join me in welcoming them.

Lorne Doerkson: I, too, am pretty happy it’s Beef Day today. There’s going to be incredible grilling going on out behind the Legislature. I’m grateful that advocates are here for the industry, but I did want to single out a couple of those individuals.

The first one is Andrea Haywood-Farmer. Not only is she an amazing advocate for the cattle industry but also for everything water in this province. She’s an amazing woman, and I’m certainly proud to know her.

I also wanted to single out Cory Lepine, who does the incredible work of being a cow cop in this province. While that sees all kinds of challenges, Cory has been instrumental in very serious situations that have happened along our highways and byways with respect to accidents and all kinds of different other things.

I want to gratefully thank both of those individuals and, of course, the entire delegation that is here today to advocate on the part of ranchers and farmers in our province.

Rohini Arora: Every year the B.C. College of Family Physicians hands out awards to particular recipients that are displaying excellence and having an immense impact on their communities. This year a constituent of mine, Dr. Nimeera Kassam, who belongs to the Ismaili Muslim community, received this award.

Would everyone in the room make her feel very happy and congratulated for all of her amazing impact on our community. Give her a big round of applause.

Sunita Dhir: I also want to acknowledge the presence of our dear friend, Aaron Leung, who works with TransLink.

[10:25 a.m.]

He has extensive experience of working in constituency offices and election campaigns, and he helped me get elected. His knowledge and his values are so impressive, and I’m very happy to welcome him with his team from TransLink.

Would the House please make them feel welcome once again.

Speaker’s Statement

Guidelines for Members
on Rules of Debate and Decorum

The Speaker: Hon. Members, as always, the Chair is keenly observing debates of the House and wishes to offer a few reminders to members about decorum and rules of debate.

First, the Chair reminds members of the sub judice convention. This long-established parliamentary practice requires members to exercise restraint in debate as it pertains to matters that are before a court of law or that are subject to an active police investigation.

The purpose of this convention is to ensure that the debates of this House, which unfold in a very public manner, do not unfairly influence the judicial or investigative processes. Members are encouraged to consult Parliamentary Practice in British Columbia, Fifth Edition, from pages 175 to 182, to better understand the sub judice convention and its application to debate in the House.

Second, the Chair reminds members that the rule of anticipation applies during oral question period to both questions and responses that touch on bills before the House. If a bill is on the order paper, the appropriate time to canvass its contents is during the debate on the bill, including at second reading and in committee. As noted in Parliamentary Practice in British Columbia, Fifth Edition, at page 324, a general inquiry regarding background or the subject matter of the bill may be in order, depending on how the matter is framed in the context of contents of the bill. As always, the Chair retains final discretion on the procedural admissibility of a question and a response.

Third, the Chair reminds members of the practice of presenting a petition, which is outlined in detail in Parliamentary Practice in British Columbia, Fifth Edition, from pages 362 to 363. When presenting a petition, a member is to be brief, which the Chair defines as being no more than 15 seconds.

Fourth, the Chair reminds members of Standing Order 17B(4), which provides that clothing and badges with brand names, slogans, advertising or messages of a critical nature are not permitted to be worn during proceedings of the House. This includes things such as pins and laptop stickers. Members are asked to be mindful of this rule and to follow the Chair’s direction as it may apply to the enforcement of this standing order.

Lastly, the Chair asks members to be respectful of one another and this institution in debate. The Chair recognizes that the days are long and that the work is not easy, but the Chair calls on all members to be temperate in debate by engaging with one another respectfully and thoughtfully, avoiding inflammatory language and focusing on the substance of arguments rather than personal criticisms.

Introduction and
First Reading of Bills

Bill M213 — Drug Use Prevention
Education in Schools Act

Steve Kooner presented a bill intituled Drug Use Prevention Education in Schools Act.

Steve Kooner: I move that a bill intituled Drug Use Prevention Education in Schools Act, of which notice has been given in my name on the order paper, be introduced and read a first time now.

I rise today to introduce the Drug Use Prevention Education in Schools Act, a bill to address the drug crisis affecting B.C.’s youth.

[10:30 a.m.]

Our province is experiencing a drug crisis that’s devastating all aspects of society. The crisis is visible on the streets of our cities and towns, which is contributing to the deterioration of public safety and is harming children at school. Opioid poisonings, overdose deaths and normalization of drug use have reached alarming levels, killing children, devastating families and straining communities. We need to address the crisis with conviction.

In society, we are seeing a normalization of drug use, and the normalization of drug use sends mixed messages to young people and blurs the line between compassion and permissiveness. It is our duty to do everything we can to protect and support young people in B.C. This bill puts the health of youth first, by bringing common sense back to classrooms.

This bill will require schools in B.C. to deliver clear and consistent anti-drug messaging. It mandates that school curricula explicitly discourage drugs and focus on the health, social and legal consequences of drug use. Additionally, schools will display anti-drug messages in hallways and classrooms and host educational sessions for students and parents to raise awareness and foster resilience.

This bill is designed to prevent further tragedies by educating youth about the deadly impact of drugs. We have a duty to protect the next generation. I urge all members to support this bill and send a strong message to every student in B.C. Drug use is dangerous, and prevention matters.

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

[10:35 a.m.]

Motion approved unanimously on a division. [See Votes and Proceedings.]

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

Motion approved.

Members’ Statements

Cowboy Hall of Fame Inductees

Lorne Doerkson: It’s rodeo season in Cariboo-Chilcotin, starting with our Spring Classic indoor rodeo. It was an absolute honour to introduce the 2025 inductees into the B.C. Cowboy Hall of Fame at the Spring Classic a few weeks ago. What a lineup it is this year.

[10:40 a.m.]

I want to make a special thank-you to the Westwick Ranch and, of course, Patti Gerhardi, the chair of the Cowboy Hall of Fame and Museum of the Cariboo-Chilcotin for their work in preserving and celebrating the history of British Columbia’s pioneers. I am honoured to introduce this year’s three inductees to this House.

Merv Churchill and his family have managed the Falkland Stampede for 105 years — yes, 105 years. He won the Merritt rodeo in 1963 and the Falkland Rodeo in 1961 for bull-riding, and eventually became the rodeo manager in Falkland. Sadly, Merv passed away last November, but his legacy will live on here.

Daryl Mills has been a fierce competitor in cowboy sports. He has represented B.C. at the National High School Finals Rodeo and was the FCA and NRA bull-riding champion in the amateur leagues. He has won the rookie of the year, the Canadian bull-riding champion and the NFR bull-riding average. To top it all off, he was the bull-riding world champion at the NFR in 1994.

Gene Allen was a saddle bronc rider. He was a steer wrestler, a rodeo organizer, BCRA president and rodeo stock contractor. His love for bucking horses led him to begin his own breeding program, GJ Rodeo Stock Contractors, whose quality horses have performed in some of the world’s largest rodeos in Texas, Calgary, Ponoka and, of course, the Williams Lake Stampede.

These inductees have left a legacy of hard work and grit. It is an absolute honour to celebrate them in this House today.

Mr. Speaker, I hope to see you and all the members of this House at the world-famous Williams Lake Stampede every July long weekend.

Legislative Assembly
Reconciliation Action Plan

Debra Toporowski / Qwulti’stunaat: The Legislative Assembly reconciliation action plan outlines the commitments and actions that the Legislative Assembly will undertake to contribute towards reconciliation with Indigenous Peoples. The plan recognizes the need to address historical injustices by acknowledging the past and working to build new relationships with Indigenous People based on their respect and understanding.

In developing a reconciliation action plan, the Legislative Assembly is committed to reconciliation as a core value to guide its multi-year planning. To develop the reconciliation action plan, the Speaker, supported by the Clerk, engaged directly with First Nations communities and leaders to listen and to learn from their perspectives.

The plan outlines specific actions that the Legislative Assembly will undertake to promote and include Indigenous culture, language, traditions and representations within our institutes and in its proceedings. This plan is not a static document to sit on a shelf but a living document that will evolve with further input and dialogue. In the spirit of true collaboration, the Legislative Assembly will continue to engage and collaborate with Indigenous Peoples as it develops and takes specific actions to implement each of the plan’s commitments.

Why is reconciliation important to the Legislative Assembly? In recent years, people have come to better understand B.C.’s dark history in its relationships with its original inhabitants. Reconciliation with Indigenous Peoples is part of our collective responsibility as we seek to better understand and move forward from the history.

The Legislative Assembly reconciliation plan sets out five commitments that will focus on our actions to advance a meaningful reconciliation with Indigenous Peoples over the next four years: understanding, education, inclusion, representation and commemoration.

Further details of the implementation of the initial and future actions will be developed based on continued engagement.

Langley Foundation
Community Work

Jody Toor: Today I rise to recognize and celebrate a movement that is quietly but powerfully reshaping the heart of Langley, a movement grounded in the values of community, care and deep love for the place we call home.

Langley is more than a collection of streets and parks. It is a living, breathing community rich in history, full of culture and filled with opportunity. It’s where families grow, friendships form, and dreams take root. It’s where people genuinely care for one another.

That spirit of care is embodied by the Langley Foundation, led by executive director Paul Weme, a man who has lived in Langley for over 40 years, raised his family here and is devoted to seeing our community thrive. At its core, the foundation believes in one simple principle: to leave Langley better than we found it. How do we do that? By building community, by loving Langley in a tangible, lasting way.

[10:45 a.m.]

The foundation’s vision supports safeguarding our history, expanding our parks and trails and enhancing public spaces that bring people together. These initiatives don’t just add beauty. They create belonging. They foster connection. They turn strangers into neighbours.

Thanks to generous donors and community partners, the foundation has already completed several major projects: Memory Grove, a tree-planting legacy that honours those we hold dear; the Sperling Trail, which will soon connect to Ponder Park; and exciting upgrades underway at Ponder Park itself — all designed to make Langley more walkable, green and welcoming.

But the real power of these projects lies not in the concrete or trees but in the community they build. Every new path and park becomes a meeting place. Every tree planted is a reminder that we are investing in a future beyond ourselves. Every donation, big or small, is an act of love for Langley.

This is a call to action, not just for Langley but for communities across our province. Let’s champion the causes that bring people together. Let’s support the projects that turn towns into homes. Let’s build community, and let’s love our communities the way the Langley Foundation loves Langley. Together we will create a brighter, greener and more connected future.

Mental Health Week

Harwinder Sandhu: From May 5 to 11, Canadians across the country are marking national Mental Health Week. This year’s theme, unmasking mental health, asks us to be real, to look beyond the smiles and brave faces and to have real conversations, honest conversations, about how we’re truly doing.

Today I stand not only as a representative for Vernon-Lumby but as someone who has walked this journey myself, and I have helped others during their tough times. Like many, I know how it is to carry silent battles, to wear a smile while struggling underneath, afraid to show cracks. I know the strength it takes just to get through some days, and I know how much it matters when someone simply sees you, listens to you and reminds you that you’re not alone.

That is why we need to continue to hold hands and to make people feel welcome. In Vernon, the Canadian Mental Health Association is doing incredible work together to help people fighting these challenges.

That is why we must continue with our commitment to do our part to build onto the progress we’re making, investing in Foundry in Vernon and the expansion of the mental health unit at Vernon Jubilee Hospital, as well as supporting organizations and the primary health care network, training more mental health care workers, as we do under the HCAP program, supporting local organizations and creating a culture where vulnerability is met with kindness, where no one feels that they have to fight their battles alone.

Sometimes the bravest thing we can do is simply say, “I am struggling,” and I know that someone will be there to answer by saying: “I’m here.”

B.C. Beef Day and
Contributions of Ranchers

Ian Paton: Happy Beef Day here in B.C. at the Legislature.

Today we’re celebrating the hard-working ranchers who provide some of the finest feeder and cow-calf operations in Canada. From the lush green pastures of the Fraser Valley and Vancouver Island to the rugged hills of the Cariboo-Chilcotin, the Peace, the Kootenays and the Nicola region, our B.C. beef is known for its exceptional quality and flavour.

An important part of our local economy, our farmers and ranchers are some of the most skilled and dedicated agricultural producers in the province, and they play a crucial role in supporting rural communities and sustaining our food supply.

They are some of the most resilient people. They have faced many challenges over the years, from fires to drought, flooding, mudslides, loss of grazing tenures, loss of water rights, losses to predators and skyrocketing feed prices. Yet they continue with the family tradition, coping with meagre profits.

Let’s briefly consider some of the things on a rancher’s mind when they get up in the morning, starting with the cost of production, the cost of feed that they provide to their cattle. Feed prices can be extremely volatile. Ranchers are at the mercy of the weather, global supply chains, drought and the orange man in the White House.

It’s the same story with machinery and equipment. Tariff uncertainty is just one more headache that ranchers now face. That is why it is so important to support these folks that raise and feed cattle in this province. By choosing B.C. beef at our farmers markets or our local grocery stores, we’re not only getting a locally grown and humanely raised product, but we’re helping to sustain a high-risk family business.

[10:50 a.m.]

Let’s recognize the volunteers who serve in leadership roles in the B.C. Cattlemen’s Association, the B.C. Association of Cattle Feeders, the B.C. Breeder and Feeder Association and the B.C. Dairy Association. We owe you all a debt of gratitude.

Today we’re not just celebrating resilience. We’re celebrating a fabulous lunchtime beef barbecue, so let’s raise a glass and a fork to the hard-working people who keep our plates full and our taste buds happy.

Thank you to all the B.C. ranchers and farmers out there. We appreciate everything you do.

Lower Columbia
Affordable Housing Society

Steve Morissette: Today I rise to express my deepest appreciation and admiration for Jan Morton and the Lower Columbia Affordable Housing Society. An amazing woman leading an organization whose work is transforming lives across the Lower Columbia region of Kootenay-Monashee.

Since its establishment in 2013, the housing society has become a cornerstone of housing stability and social resilience in our region. Today it proudly operates 56 units of housing: 15 in Trail, for seniors and families; a fourplex in Rossland, serving seniors and small families; and the remarkable 37-unit Rossland Yards development, purpose-built workforce housing paired with the new Rossland city hall on the ground floor, which is designed not only for governance but also for inclusive community use.

This fall, 31 more homes will open in Fruitvale, offering safe, energy-efficient housing to seniors, families and adults with diverse abilities. These are homes built not just with wood and concrete but with purpose, inclusion and dignity.

The housing society’s success is a testament to partnerships with B.C. Housing, Columbia Basin Trust, CMHC, the Federation of Canadian Municipalities and local champions like Teck and Kootenay Savings Credit Union.

But most of all, it’s a testament to the thousands of hours contributed by the dedicated volunteers on the Lower Columbia Affordable Housing Society board over the last 12 years.

I would also like to take this time to recognize the Trail Villa Society, now replacing 23 aging units from the ’50s with a beautiful new 41-unit building. This, too, is how we build a better future together.

To everyone involved: thank you for showing what’s possible when community leads the way.

Oral Questions

Mental Health and Addiction
Treatment Beds and Facilities

Claire Rattée: Regan battled schizophrenia and addiction for 30 years, cycling in and out of hospitals, supportive housing and the streets — never stable and never safe. Last May, Regan overdosed and died soon after. Regan needed access to a facility equipped to provide the long-term, compassionate care that is necessary for those battling complex and debilitating mental health challenges. But in B.C. today, that type of care simply does not exist.

Regan wasn’t violent or a criminal. He could not access a bed at Surrey Pretrial. He needed a bed in a place like Riverview. When will this government bring in secure, medically supervised long-term-care facilities for people with severe and persistent mental illness and permanent brain injuries?

Hon. Josie Osborne: Thank you to the member for the question. It is always challenging to hear of situations like the member has described of this individual.

We all want and need people to get the care that they deserve and require. That’s why this government has been so committed to building up a system, a continuum of care, a continuum of voluntary care, but also understanding that some individuals who are not able to seek the care that they need and who may present a danger to themselves or to others also deserve care.

That’s why we have committed, as the member and all members of this House know, to involuntary treatment under the Mental Health Act and provided the clarification for clinicians, psychiatrists and others to understand how to interpret and apply that act.

That’s why we have opened involuntary care, why we are moving forward with approved homes, and why we will continue to move forward with the supports that people need.

[10:55 a.m.]

The Speaker: Member, supplemental.

Claire Rattée: Respectfully, to the minister, “committed” has not actually given any results yet.

As I stated, involuntary care bed is not what Regan needed. Regan was finally receiving the quality care that he needed at Riverview before it closed. Regan’s grieving mother told me that her son was at South Hills twice. It didn’t work. He left delusional and unmedicated and was returned to emergency departments by police.

What’s needed is not another temporary patchwork program. What’s needed is a facility to provide compassionate care — like Riverview — a permanent, secure environment for people who cannot live safely on their own.

Will the minister commit today to funding and building facilities that actually meet the needs of people like Regan so that they can maintain a reasonable quality of life and not end up on the streets?

Hon. Josie Osborne: Thank you again to the member for the question.

It was not this government that took the decision to close the Riverview facility in a way that left people without the supports that they need. This government has invested in the Red Fish Healing Centre, a place that provides the type of complex care and supports for people not just dealing with serious mental health issues but often with concurrent issues, related issues, to do with substance use disorders and sometimes acquired brain injury as well.

Red Fish Healing Centre is a place that provides 105 beds. I’ve been able to visit myself. I encourage the member. I hope that she is also able to visit to see the incredible care that is provided for people there.

This government has committed to expanding this form of treatment. This government is committed to expanding complex care housing, the type of supportive recovery housing and to do everything that we can to build that system of support for people experiencing issues like these.

I really appreciate the questions from the member.

The Speaker: Members, before I recognize the next member, I want to caution all members not to use electronic equipment during the question period. Please turn your laptops and cell phones off.

Government Reimbursement Payments
for Rural Health Care Specialists

Sharon Hartwell: A question to the Minister of Health.

The northern and isolation travel assistance outreach program provides funding for approved physicians who visit communities and provide medical services to rural communities. There are 30 specialists that travel to the Bulkley Valley District Hospital regularly. This side of the House has recently learned that not one of these 30 specialists are up to date on their reimbursement payments, some waiting as long as six months.

A simple question to the minister: why have these 30 specialists not been paid on time?

Hon. Josie Osborne: Thank you to the member for the question and the question around better supports for people living in rural and remote communities.

We know that they face inequities when it comes to accessing specialists. So programs like these, programs that the member describes, are an important part of delivering those services to people living in rural and remote communities.

I’ll take the question on notice, to take back to my staff and get the answers that the member is seeking. I appreciate it.

The Speaker: Member, supplemental.

Sharon Hartwell: Respectfully, to the minister, her ministry has known about this issue since 2024. In fact, a letter was sent to the rural practice programs branch of the Ministry of Health detailing the scope of the problem. It said: “Positions remain hard to recruit. One of the main barriers cited is the delay or lack of payment from the NITAOP program.”

People are waiting for up to nine hours to see a doctor, and they’re waiting months for a specialist. Now the specialists are talking about withdrawing their much-needed services. Dr. Chruscicki provided care to patients at the Bulkley Valley District Hospital and hasn’t received any of his 2024 expenses reimbursed to date. We cannot lose any access to specialists in B.C.’s North.

Why does this government continue to put rural and remote health care at risk?

Hon. Josie Osborne: As in my last answer, I’ve taken her question on notice.

Again, she raises a really important point around access to specialists and rural recruitment. This government understands just how important it is to build and strengthen our health care workforce, to train more physicians here in British Columbia, which is why we have expanded the UBC medical school with new seats….

[11:00 a.m.]

Interjections.

The Speaker: Members, both sides.

The member also knew that the first question asked was taken on notice, and so she asked the same question. The Chair allowed it.

Minister, if you are taking it on notice, if you want to explain it, it’s up to you. It’s your prerogative.

Hon. Josie Osborne: Thank you very much, hon. Speaker. I do want to explain, because the member points out so rightly how there’s work to do to continue to strengthen our health care workforce so that people have access to the health care when they need it and where they need it.

That’s why we’ve expanded the UBC medical school. That is why we have added a new medical school at SFU…

Interjections.

The Speaker: Shhh. Shhh.

Hon. Josie Osborne: …specifically to support family physicians in rural communities. That’s why we have taken action with incentives for nurses, physicians and others to travel and to work and live in rural communities.

Interjections.

The Speaker: Members.

Please conclude.

Hon. Josie Osborne: We are going to continue this work. We know just how important it is, and we are not going to stop.

Mental Health Wellness
Checks by Police Officers

Rob Botterell: When British Columbians seek help for a loved one experiencing a mental health crisis, they should know this help will not result in tragedy. Wellness checks are a tool to check on the physical or mental well-being of an individual who may be in distress. Typically conducted by police, without the support of a mental health team, wellness checks have resulted in increased harms or even death to the individual who needed help. Police officers have expressed they are not the appropriate response for mental health crises.

My question is to the Minister of Public Safety and Solicitor General: how will the government address the failures in wellness checks and this year, in 2025, transition our mental health crisis response away from police officers and towards peer-assisted care teams?

Hon. Garry Begg: Thank you to the member opposite for the question.

In this province, there has been a considerable amount of time investing in teams that combine police and mental health workers. It is a program that is ongoing and has been successful. It is a program that we’re going to continue into the future.

The whole crux of the issue is the ability to meet the needs of the client, this person who is calling the police for help or someone who is calling the police on their behalf. It’s not always a police response, as you correctly noted, but the combination of a police person and a mental health worker is what we’re striving to achieve, and we are continuing.

The Speaker: Member, supplemental.

Mental Health Crisis
Response Services

Rob Botterell: Understanding the complex needs of people experiencing crisis requires professional response and expertise in mental health issues. Investment in programs like CRCL, Crisis Response, Community Led, offer a person-first approach to those experiencing mental health crises with trained responders to de-escalate and provide safety and support. This government has delayed rapid expansion of mental health services like CRCL.

My question to the Minister of Public Safety and Solicitor General: what are the ministry’s targets in 2025 for increasing the number of communities that have access to life-saving, non-police mental health response services?

Hon. Josie Osborne: Thank you to the member for the question.

It is so important that we continue to make investments in different ways of approaching issues that face society, and one of those is how we can best help people who are experiencing a crisis.

The member is right. It is not always appropriate to send emergency responders or police officers to a situation. That’s exactly why peer-assisted community teams, now called CRCL, Crisis Response, Community Led, are teams that send people out to help people facing these kinds of crisis.

We are expanding and creating new CRCL teams. I had the opportunity just last week, together with others, to visit the Victoria-based CRCL team and to witness firsthand, literally standing in the room, surrounded by support workers who received a call and were able to act quickly to respond to a person’s crisis.

[11:05 a.m.]

This is a mental health worker, a peer support worker, being dispatched instead of police and providing immediate crisis counselling and resources.

We have teams that are operating in the north shore, Victoria, New West, Prince George, Comox Valley. I’m going to have more to say soon about how these teams are expanding. They are already responding to over 5,800 calls alone last year, doing incredible work, and we should all be very grateful to them.

Forensic Psychiatric Services
for Persons with Severe
Mental Illness

Anna Kindy: The B.C. Review Board oversees cases for people found not criminally responsible or unfit to stand trial. Over half of the referrals are not in custody when they go before the board. Their latest report, which the government received, shows a 97 percent increase in serious offences, like sexual and aggravated assault, and an 83 percent jump in major crimes, like murder.

B.C. and other centres no longer accept forensic patients. B.C. has just one forensic hospital for 5.6 million; Ontario has 11 for over 15 million.

We have seen a dramatic increase in serious offences in the past two years. When will this government provide real services that address this crisis rather than continual band-aid solutions?

Hon. Josie Osborne: Thank you to the member for the question.

The province’s Forensic Psychiatric Hospital, operated by the Provincial Health Services Authority, provides an incredibly important service to British Columbia by being able to hold and be able to treat those people who are undergoing often severe mental illness issues, sometimes combined with concurrent substance use issues and others. There are already thousands, 2,000 beds across British Columbia that do support this type of psychiatric service for people outside of the forensic system, outside of our criminal justice system.

This government understands just how important it is to provide the appropriate supports for people in the right places. That’s why we’re continuing to expand those supports outside of our forensic system. For example, that’s why we’re going to continue to build up a continuum of voluntary care as well as enabling involuntary care where it is appropriate and where it is required.

This is an important issue in our society today, and I appreciate the way that this House can speak both compassionately and also appropriately about these serious issues that we face. We’re deeply committed to doing this work, and we’re going to continue to do it.

Involuntary Care for
Mental Health and Addiction Issues

Tony Luck: After eight years in government, it’s clear that the NDP is utterly failing on the public safety and mental health crisis. They made the problem worse with their reckless policies and again, with pressure from this opposition, flip-flopped on involuntary care. Lives are being lost, and communities are living in fear.

If it’s not a lack of evidence, tragedy and family pleas…. Or is it simply political risk aversion that’s stopping the Premier from modernizing involuntary care?

Hon. Josie Osborne: This government is incredibly committed to helping people with different types of needs, with different types of care that they need, as they face some of the most serious issues of their lives. We understand, for example, how the toxic drug crisis has already taken far too many people and that intervention is required to help people facing these crises.

This government understands that involuntary care is compassionate care for those people that are experiencing the most severe concurrent disorders — mental health illnesses, substance use issues — and often with an acquired brain injury. We have canvassed it many times in this House. We understand that there are some people who are not able to seek the care they need and that we are balancing issues of community safety, of public safety within individuals’ rights.

That’s why we recently opened the Surrey Pretrial Centre with ten beds. That’s why, later this month, we will be opening approved homes, 20 more beds, in Alouette, in Maple Ridge.

[11:10 a.m.]

That’s why the Premier has committed to continue to expand involuntary care where it is needed up north, other places in British Columbia. We’re committed to this work. We’re going to continue to do it.

Mental Health and Addiction
Treatment Beds and Facilities

Brennan Day: The minister stood in question period and stated there are over 3,700 publicly funded treatment beds across B.C. But with a modicum of scrutiny, that real number turned out to be 800 that are actual clinical live-in treatment beds, the kind that provide evidence-based therapy with medical oversight. The rest are supported recovery housing, with no mandatory medical treatment required.

To the minister: why is your government padding the numbers? And how can families trust that their loved ones in crisis will get real help, not just a mattress and a glossy self-help brochure?

Hon. Josie Osborne: It is so disappointing to hear the member’s characterization of a support system that is being built to help people who are facing some of the most challenging issues in their lives.

Interjections.

The Speaker: Members. Members, shhh. The minister has the floor.

Hon. Josie Osborne: To listen to the opposition, one would think there was only one kind of treatment and that all treatment must be bed-based, when we know that in order to meet the needs of people where they are at, there are a whole range of services and supports that they need.

Every single person’s recovery journey is different. That’s why it is so important to be able to provide the types of services that people need. Yes, some bed-based treatment is required, and that’s why we’ve continued to build out the system of voluntary treatment beds.

But supportive housing is also required, being able to support people who are able to live at home but need that support, enabling people to access quick services through, for example, the opioid treatment access line, where a person can, on the same day, speak to somebody about their issues and receive the help that they need around opioid agonist therapy.

That’s just one example. We’re going to continue this program. We’re going to continue this suite of programs from intervention and education through to treatment, recovery…

The Speaker: Thank you.

Hon. Josie Osborne: …and the services that people need.

Licensing of Specialist Physicians

Reann Gasper: A Canadian-trained neurologist endorsed by B.C. Cancer, endorsed by Abbotsford Regional Hospital and endorsed by Fraser Health has been blocked from completing her training due to bureaucratic contradictions between licensing and residency systems.

Foreign doctors can buy residency seats and then leave the province, but Canadian citizens backed by local hospitals can’t get access, even when they offer to sign a return-of-service agreement.

Why is this government allowing red tape to block Canadian-trained specialists from serving communities that desperately need them?

Hon. Josie Osborne: Thank you to the member for the question — again, highlighting the importance of doing everything that we can to ensure that foreign-trained physicians are able to come and practise here in British Columbia.

That’s why we’re working with the College of Physicians and Surgeons….

Interjections.

The Speaker: Members, let the minister answer the question, please.

The minister will continue.

Hon. Josie Osborne: Thank you, Speaker.

That’s why we’re working with the College of Physicians and Surgeons to streamline and reduce the red tape associated with the credentialing and licensure of physicians here in British Columbia. We’re going to continue that work.

As the House knows, we have recently announced the changes that are coming to help U.S.-trained physicians come here to British Columbia.

[11:15 a.m.]

We know there is more work to do. We’re going to continue to do that with provinces across Canada around the licensure of internationally trained physicians here in B.C., because we know that B.C. is a terrific place to live, a terrific place to work, to raise a family. That’s why we’re going to continue to do this work to build up the workforce of family physicians and specialists, because we need them here in British Columbia.

Bruce Banman: The Abbotsford Regional Hospital and Cancer Centre is facing a neurology collapse. Two positions remain unfilled, a third is on the brink, and there is no overnight neurology coverage on the horizon. Local leadership has the funding, has a willing, Canadian-trained, qualified candidate, but government policy won’t let them move forward.

Now, this minister is all too happy to wrap herself in the flag, but here we have a Canadian-trained, willing candidate. Why is the minister blocking Abbotsford from filling critical neurology positions?

Hon. Josie Osborne: I appreciate the member’s advocacy. He and I have had the chance to canvass this issue. As he knows, we are doing everything that we can to streamline, to speed up the licensure, the credentialing process for people who are trained elsewhere and come to Canada, Canadians who leave to get trained and come back.

Interjections.

The Speaker: Members.

Hon. Josie Osborne: We know that we are experiencing a global shortage of health care workers, and that includes…

Interjections.

The Speaker: Shhh. Members.

Hon. Josie Osborne: …specialists, like the member describes. That’s why we have to continue to double down on this work and work with the college, for example.

I’ll appreciate the opportunity. As I said, I’ve had the chance to talk to the member about this before. I will gladly take up the opportunity to talk to him specifically again and encourage any member who has issues or has questions about physicians in their riding to come to me in my office as well.

Access to Health Care
Services in East Kootenay Area

Pete Davis: Just two weeks ago in Cranbrook, two nurses were attacked by the same patient. Our hospital is overwhelmed, operating at 110 percent capacity, with patients stuck in hallways with no space to care for them properly. Recently a child died because they couldn’t get airlifted in time. A child died because they couldn’t get airlifted.

Every week more people are brought in for mental health appointments and then left on their own — no ride home, no help, nothing. Is this what this government calls a working and successful health care system?

Hon. Josie Osborne: Anytime a child dies is an incredibly tragic event. My heart goes out to the family of this young person and to the community.

It’s stories like these that motivate us all to do everything that we can to continue to strengthen our health care system here in British Columbia, because we have so much to be proud of.

There are incredible physicians, nurses and health care workers who every single day are giving everything that they can for the health, wellness and safety of British Columbians. I hope, and I would say to all of them who are out there listening to us, that the discussion we’re having here in the House in no way diminishes the work that they are doing, because they are doing absolutely extraordinary work.

This government has committed to continue to build a health care system so that it is here for British Columbians when and where they need it. This is what I wake up every single day thinking about. This is the work that this government is committed to doing, and this is exactly what we’re going to continue to do.

[11:20 a.m.]

Scott McInnis: With all due respect, we don’t want any more thoughts in rural B.C. We want help. For decades, border communities in my riding relied on Alberta hospitals for acute care. It was faster, it was closer, and it was life-saving.

Now that access has been cut off, patients are being forced to wait longer, travel much farther and suffer worse outcomes. Can this government give the people of the East Kootenay a legitimate reason why they’re putting a failing system ahead of patients?

Hon. Josie Osborne: I know that the member comes from a rural community, as do I, and understands just how important it is to continue to support people in rural communities, because the issues of inequity that people face are serious.

That’s why this government continues to invest in incentives and programs to bring more health care workers into rural communities. That’s why this government has invested so much in our emergency response system, building out ambulance stations, adding paramedics, adding 24-7 coverage into these communities so that when patient transfers need to occur, but most importantly, when somebody needs to call an ambulance at the time, calling 911, needing to have that service there, that it is there for people.

As a former mayor of a rural community, as a resident of a rural community almost all my life, I understand just how deeply this affects rural communities. I will give that member my solid commitment to continue fighting hard, to working with this government to continue investing in rural communities to make it easier for people to access the health care when they need it.

Health Care Services
and Government Priorities

Peter Milobar: I cannot believe that the Health Minister just stood up and praised their investments to the ambulance service when the previous question before that was about a child that died waiting for air ambulance service out of that exact same region for medical care.

It’s no wonder this is the government that needs sledgehammer legislation under the guise of saying that’s the only way they can build a school quickly, because we’re eight years into this government, and they cannot build anything to do with treatment in any timely way. Today….

Interjections.

Peter Milobar: For eight years, we’ve heard “deeply committed,” “much work to do,” “continue the work,” “we’re working on a continuum of care.” The only programs they repeatedly point back to are Foundry and Red Fish, and those were both started under the previous B.C. Liberal government, not this government. Eight years people have been waiting.

Maybe it’s because when we asked the Premier about imparting carbon tax on dirty coal, he said, and I quote, on February 24: “If it was easy to do, absolutely, we would do it.” That attitude seems to have permeated every minister in his government on any topic.

The Speaker: The question, Member.

Peter Milobar: When can we reasonably expect to see defined timelines and deliverables around things like forensic care up in the North that we’ve been asking about? Cross-border service access for the Kootenays. Proper treatment beds that are actually providing treatment, not, as we heard, a mattress and a glossy brochure.

When will the government actually deliver any form of deliverable charts so we can track their progress, instead of this bouncing ball of “we’re deeply committed, and we care”? That’s not cutting it anymore.

Hon. Josie Osborne: We’ve had the chance to canvass a lot of health care questions here. One question that I haven’t been asked is what they would do differently.

Interjections.

The Speaker: Members, shhh. Members. Members, come to order.

Hon. Josie Osborne: Let’s be clear about what the opposition’s choices would be. They would drain doctors….

Interjections.

The Speaker: Members.

[11:25 a.m.]

Hon. Josie Osborne: They would drain doctors and nurses from our public health care system. They would make it so that people waited longer and would pay for worse care.

Interjections.

[The Speaker rose.]

The Speaker: Members, a few minutes ago I talked about this: the member must be temperate and respectful. A question was asked; now let’s hear the answer. You may not agree with the answer, but you have to be quiet.

Interjection.

The Speaker: Member, are you listening or not?

[The Speaker resumed their seat.]

Hon. Josie Osborne: In a closed-door meeting last summer, the opposition leader asked if he would allow for paid health care. He said that the Canada Health Act stops him from doing that for now. He said that he hopes to change that, and I quote: “That’s what the silly Canada Health Act is all about, but hopefully, one day we’ll get some changes there as well.”

That’s what’s shameful.

[End of question period.]

Tabling Documents

The Speaker: Hon. Members, I have the honour to table the Ombudsperson of British Columbia’s report No Benefit, Period: How a Flawed Audit and Unjust Legislation Left People Scrambling to Repay the B.C. Emergency Benefit for Workers.

Petitions

Sheldon Clare: I rise today to present a petition on behalf of the Quesnel-Hixon Road Restoration Association signed by 1,256 petitioners provided by the Cariboo regional district director for electoral area B to recommission the Quesnel-Hixon Road.

Orders of the Day

Hon. Mike Farnworth: In this chamber, I call continued debate for the estimates of the Ministry of Solicitor General. In the Douglas Fir Room, I call continued estimates debate for the Ministry of Social Development. In the Birch Room, Section C, I call continued committee stage on Bill 7.

[11:30 a.m.]

The House in Committee, Section B.

The committee met at 11:35 a.m.

[Mable Elmore in the chair.]

Committee of Supply

Estimates: Ministry of
Public Safety and Solicitor General
(continued)

The Chair: I call the committee to order and ask the minister to move the vote.

On Vote 42: ministry operations, $1,121,960,000 (continued).

Elenore Sturko: I just have one final question related to the B.C. Coroners Service.

I had received a letter from a father who lives in Haida Gwaii. His beloved son died by suicide, and he was involved in body removal service.

I’m not sure if the ministry also received this letter. It lays out, basically, the details of the son’s history with body removal service, some of the numbers of cases that the young man had been involved in. There are actually some very graphic pictures of some of the scenes that this young gentleman had attended.

Contained within this letter is actually just a really tragic story of a person who did a job that’s needed in our province. It’s a very respectable thing that people do on behalf of other British Columbians, and he didn’t receive the help that he needed. The contractors who work for companies that are, in turn, contracted by the province to do these services don’t provide, on their own, necessarily, supports for their contract employees. You know, even as a former police officer, the photos of the scenes that this person went to are horrible.

On behalf of this family and others involved in this type of work, does the government have any plans, or does the chief coroner have any plans or framework, for really offering better support or even providing extra services? It can go to assist those who are involved in this type of body removal service and cleaning up after traumatic scenes in the province so that we can try to better support people like this young man and others like him who are doing this work.

Hon. Garry Begg: It’s tragic, and I feel badly for the family of this young victim. The work that he did in this community is valued work.

[11:40 a.m.]

I would say that it’s unfair to tie his suicide to his occupation in the sense that there are, as we all know, many factors that lead a person to commit such an act.

The body removal and body storage service of the B.C. Coroners Service is integral. It becomes quite difficult in areas like you mentioned. It’s remote, it’s distant, and the chief coroner has committed to examining the entire system so that it responds better to those in the circumstances that you describe.

There are mental health services in the province that are made available to the family and to the members, and there is an ongoing effort to upgrade the services that are available, particularly in remote communities.

Elenore Sturko: I appreciate that. I hope that it would be a proactive effort on behalf of the government to reach out specifically or at least engage individuals, even if they’re subcontractors, involved in this work.

I will provide this to the minister in case you don’t have it. I think there’s information here that would suggest that it was related to the occupation, especially given the disturbing nature of some of the cleanups that this person was involved in, involving incidents with SkyTrain and transit and some very serious cleanups.

I’m heartened to hear that looking after the mental wellness of people engaged in this type of crucial service is important, and I hope that also includes proactive efforts to reach out to those who may be impacted.

I’m going to move away from the B.C. Coroners Service and go back to talk about some stuff happening in our neighbourhoods: retail crime and some other street disorder.

This last fall, there was a provincewide Safe Streets survey that was conducted by Save Our Streets coalition. It found that 55 percent of respondents to this survey said the level of crime activity in their community had increased, and 88 percent say that they believe that additional crimes go unreported in the province due most significantly to a lack of confidence in the justice system.

Some 50 percent of respondents say that they fear for safety, and almost three in four people say that crime and violence are impacting their quality of life in their community. Respondents overwhelmingly indicate they’re willing to support new approaches by the police, justice system and all levels of government to address opioid consumption, retail crime and public safety.

Another forum was recently held on retail crime, and a representative told the media: “The issue is the volume of theft — not single items, but multiple items, entire shopping carts full of items. It’s also the violence, assaults, the number of illicit marketplaces where items are being resold.” Vancouver police say shoplifting reports have increased 12 percent year over year, with nearly a third of all incidents happening in cities’ downtown cores.

My question to the minister: police argue that the problem is actually worse than numbers indicate, with many incidents of retail crime going unreported. The Save Our Streets coalition across the province found that 47 percent of respondents have lost confidence in police. What is the minister doing to help rebuild confidence in policing across the province to ensure that crime is reported and that police are supported?

[11:45 a.m.]

Jody Toor: Seeking leave to make an introduction.

Leave granted.

Introductions by Members

Jody Toor: I’m delighted to welcome St. Catherine’s elementary school’s grade 5 students to the chamber today. These young minds are the future leaders of our community, and it’s a fantastic opportunity for them to learn about provincial government and civic engagement.

Let’s make sure to give them a warm welcome as they tour the halls of our Legislative Assembly. Thank you for joining us, students. We hope you enjoy your visit today.

Debate Continued

Hon. Garry Begg: It’s important that we understand, and I know you do, that we have engaged the community. We have become engaged with the community because of the prevalence of these types of activity, particularly in our larger centres. Vancouver, for example, has a tremendous problem, as does Prince George and Surrey, to a lesser degree.

What we have done is met proactively with many community groups, not just the one you mentioned but all of those who have an interest, to discuss how we can better fight organized crime at this level. I say organized crime by meaning that there is a group of individuals who make their living by their organization of shoplifting on a very large commercial level.

We, as you know, have invested a tremendous amount of money in the RCMP across the province — $233 million. We’ve also engaged with service groups — in other words, mental health and other service providers — who will attend or are attending to the needs of the perpetrators of these crimes.

I will say that we have developed what is called a CSTEP program, which is a community integrated enforcement team that will be at work across the province so that there is a concerted and concentrated effort on the items that you articulated.

[11:50 a.m.]

When we met with the community groups and they expressed their concern, our response was to immediately put in place…. In Vancouver, for example, Project Barrage was one of the very successful programs. We are continuing to meet with our partners so that we can target specifically those individuals and groups which are causing the biggest problem.

Elenore Sturko: Thanks to the minister for that question. It’s actually the answer to the question that I was going to ask next, about specific initiatives related to addressing the retail theft.

Is there anything specific, though, that the minister is looking at doing to rebuild confidence in policing? With that number of people — 47 percent of respondents to that survey — saying that they just don’t have confidence and they’re not bothering to report, the problem that we’re dealing with could be much more significant than we might recognize. We may in fact not be receiving calls for service, which then also affects the way that police are resourcing things at the streetfront level.

What specifically is the ministry doing in the ’25-26 budget to help rebuild that public confidence in police reporting of criminal activity?

Hon. Garry Begg: Confidence in policing is something, of course, that is built over time. In the policing community, it’s often built upon making the visibility of police much higher — in other words, on the streets. The mere presence of a police car or a policeman walking on a turf is important because that serves to strengthen the influence that they have on that community.

In order for police work to be done, it must be seen to be done. The way that policing often accomplishes that is flooding areas, making sure that everyone sees the presence of police and police in action, targeting, as it were, specific offenders. By seeing that work done, the confidence in the police, I suspect, will dramatically rise.

Hon. Chair, I move that the committee rise, report progress and ask leave to sit again.

Motion approved.

The committee rose at 11:54 a.m.

The House resumed at 11:54 a.m.

[The Speaker in the chair.]

Mable Elmore: The Committee of Supply, Section B, reports progress on the estimates of the Ministry of Public Safety and Solicitor General and asks leave to sit again.

Leave granted.

Jennifer Blatherwick: Committee of Supply, Section A, reports progress on the estimates of the Ministry of Social Development and Poverty Reduction and asks leave to sit again.

Leave granted.

Jessie Sunner: Section C reports progress on Bill 7 and asks to leave to sit again.

Leave granted.

Hon. Josie Osborne moved adjournment of the House.

Motion approved.

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

The House adjourned at 11:55 a.m.