Third Session, 42nd Parliament

(2022) OFFICIAL REPORT

OF DEBATES

(HANSARD)

Monday, May 16, 2022

Morning Sitting

Issue No. 207

ISSN 1499-2175

The HTML transcript is provided for informational purposes only.

The PDF transcript remains the official digital version.

CONTENTS

Orders of the Day

Private Members’ Statements

Child Care Provider Appreciation Day

D. Routley

L. Doerkson

Prices and the pumps

T. Shypitka

A. Walker

International Day Against Homophobia, Transphobia and Biphobia

G. Lore

T. Stone

Creative solutions

M. Lee

G. Begg

Private Members’ Motions

Motion 12 — Creative Industries Week and role of creative sector

B. D’Eith

G. Kyllo

B. Bailey

K. Kirkpatrick

A. Singh

T. Halford

M. Elmore

R. Merrifield

R. Russell

B. Banman

M. Dykeman

MONDAY, MAY 16, 2022

The House met at 10:01 a.m.

[Mr. Speaker in the chair.]

Routine Business

Prayers and reflections: Hon. S. Malcolmson.

Orders of the Day

Private Members’ Statements

CHILD CARE PROVIDER

APPRECIATION

DAY

D. Routley: I don’t know if I’ve ever been the first one up on Monday morning,

but I’m very glad to be. I’m here to celebrate Child Care Month and

particularly Child Care Provider Appreciation Day. I’d say that every

one of us, as parents — and even those who don’t have children — want

kids in this province to be given the best start in life.

[S. Chandra Herbert in the chair.]

We all have an interest in that happening. Child care helps give

children access to quality early learning programs and enables parents

to pursue work, education and opportunity. Quality early care and

learning programs contribute to children’s healthy development and

celebrate and honour children’s identity and language.

For many years in B.C., parents were left with a patchwork system

where child care was treated, in fact, as a luxury or an extra. But as

we enter the fifth year of our ten-year plan for child care, we’re

making significant progress to turn the corner and reverse this, to

establish that, indeed, child care is an essential economic

infrastructure piece but also a liberating piece that we can invest in —

all of us at the same time.

Since launching the plan in 2018, we’ve been working very hard

through ChildCareBC to build spaces, lower fees and train quality

professionals and to support early childhood educators. Tens of

thousands of parents are already saving up to $1,600 per month per child

through the affordable child care benefit and the child care fee

reduction initiative. And thousands more are paying $10 a day or less in

our 6,500 $10-a-day sites.

[10:05 a.m.]

Together with federal investments that have recently been

announced, the average care fees for children in this province will be

cut by 50 percent from their 2019 levels for families with children

under five. That will be happening by the end of this year.

Mr. Speaker, 30,500 new licensed spaces have been created. That,

with the help of the federal government, will be doubled by March 2028.

We have invested in early childhood educators, knowing that the system

needs that support, knowing that the system needs the recognition of the

professionalism that it represents.

I want to thank all the B.C. child care professionals who deliver

this service and celebrate the work that they do, today and every day,

caring for the children of British Columbia. British Columbians are

grateful for their hard work, their sacrifice and their dedication,

particularly during these past two years, where so much has challenged

the delivery of child care services, as all services in this

province.

In recognition of this valuable contribution to the fabric of

B.C.’s society and economy, we’re investing in providing bursaries.

We’ve doubled the number of ECE student spaces at post-secondary

schools, and we’ve enhanced wages by $4 per hour, recognizing that we

need to increase the benefit to these devoted public

servants.

Investing in child care in the early years is good for children,

families and communities and, of course, the economy. That’s why we’re

building a future where access to affordable child care is a core

service that’s available to families where and when they need it. We

know there is more work to do, and we’re committed to continuing the

progress for B.C. families.

I hope that the member responding will join me in celebrating

Child Care Month and celebrating child care providers day. All child

care professionals and providers — whether they’re private, public,

in-home, non-profit, group, preschool or school age — deserve this

recognition and celebration. This will give our children a better start

in their young lives and make a better province for all of

us.

L. Doerkson: It’s certainly a pleasure to have the opportunity to rise today

and continue this discussion about the importance of child care

providers and, of course, the vital work that they do every single

day.

I want to thank the member opposite, of course, for bringing

forward this topic this morning and for his supportive words. Regardless

of which side of the House we sit on, we can all agree that having

access to high-quality child care is essential, and it’s B.C.’s

exceptional child care providers that set such high standards of

care.

As the member mentioned, in B.C., May is Child Care Month, and May

19 is Child Care Provider Appreciation Day. It’s time to recognize the

hard-working, dedicated individuals who look after our children,

providing them with care and safety and education. It’s a service that

is absolutely vital to our economy, as the member pointed out. It

supports healthy families and communities, and it helps progress gender

equality in our society.

Despite all of the advances of the last few decades, it still is

women who are most impacted when child care options are limited or

unaffordable. When there is greater access to safe, quality and

affordable child care, more women, as well as single parents, are given

the option to enter the workforce. This gives them the ability to

provide for their families and more options for how they would like to

shape their future, in addition to strengthening our economy.

In addition to supporting parents, child care also offers quality

early care and learning programs for children. Many child care providers

help to honour and celebrate children’s cultural identity and language

and contribute to healthy development and learning of those in their

care. They play pivotal roles in shaping the early development of

children, investing in their growth and setting them up for success in

the future.

We know that the past few years have been incredibly difficult for

so many people and sectors, and that has most definitely been the case

for B.C.’s child care providers. The stress, of course, of the pandemic

has weighed heavily on providers, many of whom were on the front lines

of the pandemic, providing care for the children of many of our

essential workers, who still had to go into work every day.

[10:10 a.m.]

They dealt with increased risk and faced the pressure of keeping

themselves and their children healthy and safe. They put together

COVID-19 safety plans and learned how to pivot at a moment’s notice to

ensure that they were always in line with the latest restrictions. And

through it all, they continued to provide excellent and much-needed care

for the children of British Columbia.

Going forward as a province, we must continue to support our child

care providers, including both public and private operators. We must

ensure that we’re investing in our workers, providing the resources they

need to continue to operate their critical service. We have already

highlighted today just how essential child care is for the well-being of

our communities and our economy. We must work together to ensure

providers are able to keep operating. Critically, we must be working to

expand our child care sector.

We know that every single year more children are born, and tens of

thousands of people immigrate to British Columbia. It is essential that

our child care sector is able to expand to meet this growing need. In so

many places in British Columbia, the system is already at capacity, and

waiting lists for daycares can be years long. This is especially

critical in rural and small communities, where daycare options and

access are already very limited.

Government action is needed to make sure that spaces are created

to keep up with the demand in our province. There’s nothing more

important in our society than caring for and investing in our

children.

This Child Care Provider Appreciation Day we recognize the

critical role that providers play in our province and in the lives of

our children.

To every child care provider, I want to simply say thank you.

Thank you for your continued service, for your dedication to a difficult

and exhausting job and for always providing a high quality of care, even

through the most challenging times.

We are so thankful for you and for all you do for the people of

British Columbia.

D. Routley: Thank you to the member for Cariboo-Chilcotin for his wise words

and his joining all of us in celebrating this wonderful month of child

care and the upcoming child care providers’ day.

I want to also echo his words in thanking all of those providers

and celebrate them as an economic engine, adding so much to the economy

of this province, freeing up people to participate in the economy. In

the spirit of what the member offered, and in the notion of freeing, I’d

like to celebrate early childhood educators as, in fact, liberators. If

we look to the province of Quebec, they have the highest participation

of women in the skilled trades, which has been directly linked back to

their investments in child care. As the member indicated, it is

primarily women who enjoy this benefit, but it’s also men.

I’d relate my own story as a young parent on opposite shifts from

my partner, where we passed our daughter off like a baton in the

mornings. I would return from a night shift as she went off to work in

the daytime. It was exhausting. We didn’t have this kind of

support.

I’ll tell you one story, in fact. I came home, sat down on the

couch. My partner went off to work, and I promptly fell asleep, my

three-year-old daughter running around the house. I woke up, and she

wasn’t there. I panicked. I ran outside. I looked for her. I called her.

I ran to the neighbours’ homes, knocked on their doors, told them she

was missing. I jumped on my bike and rode around the block calling out

her name. I couldn’t find her. It was the most terrifying moment of my

life.

I phoned 911. The 911 operator took me through and said: “What

happened?” I said: “Well, I came home from work. I was so tired. My

partner said she’d….” And I realized that she’d been dropped

off.

It was a story that ended innocently, but it was the most

terrifying moment of my life. It was an example of a family that was

overstressed, without enough support. We had grandparents nearby who

helped all they could.

Families are under a huge amount of stress. Not only is this an

economic investment, not only is it a liberation, but it helps families

be healthy. That’s an important aspect of this.

Visiting parents and seeing the impact that it makes in their

lives to have their kids in a $10-a-day program or to have the kinds of

subsidies that are being provided is, indeed, life changing for them and

their budgets and their lives but also, potentially, for the health and

well-being of them, their families, their children.

With that, I’d thank every early childhood educator in this

province and celebrate their great contributions to British

Columbia.

[10:15 a.m.]

PRICES AND THE PUMPS

T. Shypitka: Today I rise to speak about an issue that continues to be a major

concern for all British Columbia. This is an issue that must be

addressed now to ensure that individuals and families can still afford

to live here in this province.

Gas prices are again skyrocketing with no end in sight. Many

people in this province continue to experience a deepening affordability

crisis that will most likely worsen. Between the cost of gas, the rising

costs of groceries, housing and more, everyone in this province is

feeling the pressure just to make ends meet.

While these soaring fuel prices are affecting everyone in the

province, the default message we are continuously told here in B.C. is

that it is entirely due to the war in Ukraine. I am personally aware

that the current war influences global supply for everyone on the

planet. We are also aware that British Columbia had the highest gas

prices in North America well before the invasion of Ukraine. Moreover,

while so many people in British Columbia are struggling to pay their

bills between all these rising costs, we are now seeing legislation here

in Victoria that will undoubtedly increase costs at the pump even

more.

Additionally, B.C. taxpayers are helping subsidize 40 percent of a

$600 million investment by the Parkland refinery in Burnaby, which

refines about 30 percent of the province’s gasoline. This investment is

to increase the production of renewable fuel in the form of

low-carbon-intensive diesel. That’s all fine and dandy. However, the

production of this fuel will be much more expensive than traditional

fuel. That, in turn, will only increase two things: one, Parkland’s

profits for shareholders and, two, prices at the pumps for all motorists

that gas up here.

Instead of providing a tangible plan to reduce costs, nothing has

been offered up to B.C. motorists, who are facing the worst prices in

North America. In Alberta, for example, the Premier for that province

suspended the fuel tax on gasoline, which saved motorists about 13 cents

a gallon. Further to that, gas stations did not artificially inflate the

prices and add the 13-cent reduction to their own bottom

line.

In the United States over a month ago, President Biden announced a

plan to suspend a ban on summertime sales of higher ethanol gasoline

blends, a move that White House officials said was aimed at reducing gas

prices.

While other leaders across North America are looking out for their

citizens…. In Dawson Creek today, you can buy regular gasoline for $2 a

litre. In Grande Prairie, just over 100 kilometres away, it is $1.61,

almost 40 cents a litre cheaper. In Sparwood, close to where I live, the

cost of gas is about $1.90 per litre. However, you take about a

25-minute drive east, just over the Alberta border, and you’ll pay about

20 cents a litre less.

If you think that is bad, then hang on to your jerry cans, boys

and girls. In Vancouver, you’re paying the highest gas prices in Canada

and North America. Yesterday another high gas record was set at $2.34

per litre, while those in Washington state, just a hop, skip and a jump

over the Canada-U.S. border, are paying about $1.17 per litre. That is

exactly half the price, at $1.17 a litre cheaper. Last time I heard, the

war in Ukraine affects Alberta and Washington state as well.

While families are paying double the gas here in B.C….

Hard-working families are struggling as it costs more than $200 to fill

up an average-sized family car. So far, the only relief we’ve seen is by

way of a $110 ICBC rebate. That has nothing to do with the price of gas,

and the cheques are yet to have been delivered.

The British Columbia Utilities Commission is B.C.’s independent

energy and utilities regulator. According to their gas prices website….

It identifies four components that make up the price of gasoline. The

first component is the price of crude oil, the second is the refining

price, the third is the retail price, and the fourth is

taxes.

When we compare Vancouver with Edmonton and those four components,

we see that the first component, the price of crude, is identical. Both

jurisdictions pay about 74 cents a litre for the crude oil.

The second component, refining, is 29 cents a litre in Edmonton

compared to 51 cents in Vancouver. That is because Edmonton is a lot

closer to where the crude oil is refined. It either comes down by pipe

from northern Alberta or across the U.S. border to final destinations

such as Vancouver.

The third component is retail. Surprisingly, the retailers in

Edmonton were taking ten cents a litre, while the ones in Vancouver were

taking about eight cents a litre. So pretty close there.

[10:20 a.m.]

The big difference comes by way of taxes. Edmonton taxes made up

for 35 cents a litre, while Vancouver was 56 cents a litre. When you

have some people that want to stop projects like the Trans Mountain

pipeline, while at the same time living in the high-tax jurisdiction,

your citizens will pay the highest costs on the continent.

I’ll note that British Columbians have been promised relief at the

pumps for the past four years. Every year since then, long before the

current global market’s reaction to Ukraine, promises were made to

explore options to reduce the costs. While British Columbians are

suffering to make ends meet while paying the high price of gas just to

get to work, government coffers are filling up from tax revenues. Quite

simply, the notion that this is completely a result of the Russian

attack is not a good enough reason anymore.

Fortunately, there are three straightforward steps that can

immediately bring prices under control and provide help to make ends

meet during this troubling time. First, temporarily suspend provincial

gas taxes. Two, provide a one-time rebate through the climate action tax

credit. Three, suspend hidden import fees on gas brought into B.C. from

Alberta. Our gas prices have gone up a significant amount, so that we’re

almost 60 cents higher per litre than our neighbouring

jurisdictions.

My suggestions are a sensible course of action that would provide

British Columbians with the relief they deserve. It would be great to

hear a response from the member opposite — not to use the war in Ukraine

as an excuse, as well as rehashed announcements of affordability

policies from years gone by.

We in British Columbia need something that identifies the here and

now on rising gas prices.

A. Walker: It is my pleasure to have this discussion with the hon. member for

Kootenay East about the challenges with global inflation and with global

fuel prices around the world. We know that this is having a tremendous

impact on people all across this country and all across the world. We’re

seeing challenges as people move, as goods move, as farmers try to raise

produce, and for students and families.

When the member opposite refers to the war in Ukraine and

diminishes the impact of the third-largest oil producer in the world,

producing 10 percent of the world’s oil — millions of people displaced,

thousands of innocent people dying — referring to that as an excuse for

world oil prices, world coal prices and world natural gas prices going

up 40 percent within the few weeks before and the few weeks after, I

find that incredibly offensive. This is a challenge that the whole world

is facing. There are people right now living in fear and dying due to

the unprovoked attacks of the Russian Federation.

The other challenge that wasn’t mentioned was the fact that we’re

coming out of a pandemic. Supply chains are already at their brink, and

we spent two years working from home, working remotely. We spent two

years not seeing our family. We spent two years not travelling. The

whole world is now coming back together and, as can be imagined, that

also exacerbates these supply challenges. Oil at the end of July was at

$88 a barrel, and it is now pushing $112 a barrel. That’s massive. That

is not something that we in the province of British Columbia can

control.

The member proposes three solutions. I appreciate when, in

discussions in this House, we can come up with solutions. The first is

to increase the climate action rebate — I have the title written down; I

don’t have it exactly here — which is what we’ve done historically. As

the carbon taxes increased, we have increased the money that goes to

people. That is a rebate that used to go to large corporations. Now that

money is going to the people that need it most, and it’s being invested

in a low-carbon future. That is something that we’re already delivering

on. I appreciate the opportunity to be able to say that

publicly.

The other two solutions are the same thing: the import tax and the

excise tax are the same tax. The member opposite suggests that the

solution to high fuel prices is to cut taxes, knowing full well that the

majority of these taxes are going to local governments to fund road

maintenance and to fund public transit. If the member opposite is

suggesting the solution to high fuel prices is to cut funding to public

transit to those people who need it most, who need the relief most, who

rely on public transit to get around in their communities, that is not

the solution to high fuel prices.

We need to, every single day, invest in people and do what we can

to make life more affordable. ICBC, through the rebate: $400 million in

relief. We moved when the fuel prices were at the point that they were

impacting people’s lives, immediately directing ICBC to deliver $400

million in relief to the people of British Columbia. That’s over $100

for every policyholder, and it makes a big difference to people. When

the members opposite talk about everybody being $200 away from

insolvency, $100, when fuel prices are at their highest that we’ve ever

seen, makes a huge difference.

[10:25 a.m.]

Investing in child care, as was said before by the members

opposite, is an investment in our economy. The savings are beyond just

ICBC. We are, by reducing the tolls on the Port Mann and the Golden Ears

Bridge, saving commuters $1,500 a year as they move to their places of

work and to school. We are saving individual drivers over $500 a year on

ICBC premiums, which historically have been significantly

higher.

Savings are in the pockets of people so that they can help weather

the incredible challenges that we’re facing — all of us, not just in

British Columbia, not just in Canada but around the world — due to the

unprovoked attacks in Ukraine. The member opposite may want to say that

that’s an excuse, but it is a reality that’s being faced by people all

over this planet.

The child care. I really want to focus on that in the little bit

of time I have left, because we have already funded 30,500 spaces across

this province, which means that people who…. And the member laughs. I

think that that’s incredibly important. The 30,000 spaces across this

province make an incredible difference for families but also small- and

medium-sized enterprises that are desperate for workers.

In response — I only have a brief time left — the member is

proposing that the solution to high gas prices is to cut taxes, cut

services, cut fees and cut public transit. At a time when people need to

rely on these types of public services, this is not the time to do that.

We need to be there for the people of British Columbia.

I appreciate this conversation.

T. Shypitka: The rhetoric continues: rehashed an­nounce­ments on

affordability issues that this government has looked at for the last

three or four years. That’s not the here and now.

As the member phrased up the excuse on Ukraine, I identified quite

clearly in my statement that the war in Ukraine definitely has a

challenge on global supply chains. There’s no question about it. But

every jurisdiction in the world, as the member said, is affected by that

same supply crunch, full stop.

B.C. is the highest-cost jurisdiction in North America for price

of gasoline. Alberta, Ontario — they all have the same ramifications

from the global crunch that the war in Ukraine is providing. Wy is B.C.

standing alone on this? Taxes for infrastructure — absolutely. But last

time I checked, Toronto has a rapid transit system; they have highway

maintenance costs. In Alberta, it’s the same thing — Alabama, Florida,

Ontario. We all have those challenges, and taxation pays for that

infrastructure. Once again, B.C. stands alone. Why are we the record

holder for North America’s highest gas prices? That is the whole context

of the conversation.

Government would like you to believe that this is out of their

control, but it clearly isn’t. There were four components that are part

of what make up gas prices. Those are the price of crude, the price of

refining, the price of retail and the price of taxes. Our taxes are

incredibly higher than any other jurisdiction. That is why we have the

highest gas prices in North America.

Now, he mentioned the ICBC rebate. What has that got to do with

the price of gas? This was a smoke-and-mirrors announcement to take

profits out of ICBC — that’s another debatable discussion — and to put

them into the hands of British Columbians in the guise that it was to

solve the gas price.

The Premier in Alberta months ago addressed this head-on and took

the price of fuel tax off — temporary relief. The United States’ Joe

Biden has taken away the ban on high-ethanol blended fuels —

temporarily, as this crisis continues — to bring down the price of gas.

This is what we’re trying to accomplish here in British Columbia. We’re

trying to come up with some good solutions.

The member seems to want to run around and talk about old,

rehashed announcements and the fact that the price of gas doesn’t have

any bearing on government. It does. B.C. can take a leading charge here,

and we’re failing to do it.

[10:30 a.m.]

INTERNATIONAL DAY AGAINST

HOMOPHOBIA, TRANSPHOBIA

AND BIPHOBIA

G. Lore: Tomorrow is International Day against Homophobia, Transphobia and

Biphobia, and I am proud to stand as an ally in this place, to stand

with my lesbian, bi, gay, queer and trans colleagues.

As the proud MLA for the community in our country with the most

trans people, I’m also proud to stand with our 2SLGBTQ+ constituents,

who deserve to live in safety and to thrive in communities around the

province. This is a province for everyone, for people of all genders and

all sexualities, and it is the responsibility of every one of us in this

House to stand up against hate and for inclusive, bright, full, diverse

communities.

It was on this day in 1990 that the World Health Organization

declassified homosexuality as a mental disorder. As someone who was just

four at the time, it is hard for me to imagine a world where one was

formally pathologized by the WHO for who you love. What is not hard for

me to imagine, 30 years on, is the existence and persistence of hate and

the informal efforts to pathologize people for who they are.

It was just months ago that conversion therapy was made illegal in

our country. It’s been less than 130 days since it was legal to engage

in a practice to try to change someone’s gender or sexual orientation.

So today is not just a day to mark the change at the WHO and the decades

that have passed, but a day to recognize the work left to do.

We know that people continue to face inequality, harassment,

violence and discrimination because of their gender, sexuality or gender

expression. I recently spoke in this House in defence of access to

abortion, of abortion as health care. I spoke of the protection of

women’s rights and about the active and intentional threats to women’s

access to health care south of the border. I spoke about the rights of

people who are pregnant to make choices about their own

bodies.

“People who are pregnant.” The backlash, the toxic reaction to the

use of this phrase speaks to the existence and persistence of

transphobia, the hate directed at people because of who they are and

because they are not who someone else thinks they should be. I believe

that the phrase “people who are pregnant” should only offend those who

think women are not people, and if you think about it for a minute,

that’s how we got here in the first place.

You cannot fight to protect someone’s rights through the denial of

others’ rights — the rights of two-spirit, trans and non-binary people

to be who they are, and the rights of non-binary and genderqueer people

and trans men to access abortions when they need them.

According to StatsCan, 2SLGBTQ+ people are twice as likely to

experience homelessness and housing insecurity and nearly three times as

likely to be diagnosed with a mood or anxiety disorder. This is not

because they are gay, lesbian, queer, trans or bi but because of the

persistence of barriers, of inequities and of hate.

We are committed to making this province a safe, inclusive and

accessible place for everyone in British Columbia, and we made progress.

In our K-to-12 system, all students deserve to be welcomed, included and

respected in safe learning environments while being fully and completely

who they are. All 60 public school districts are now involved in B.C.’s

SOGI Educator Network, and all have SOGI-inclusive codes of conduct and

policies in place.

We are committed to SOGI-inclusive education because knowledge and

connection equip students to understand, respect and celebrate their

differences. We are committed to schools that are free of

discrimination, bullying, harassment, intimidation and violence. We’ve

seen this intimidation and violence in recent weeks, and we must stand

up against it.

We fly the Pride, trans and two-spirit flags on days of importance

outside the Legislature, a recognition and a welcome to this place.

We’ve made it easier for people to change gender on their ID by getting

rid of requirements for a physician or psychologist to sign an

application. When people tell us who they are, we should believe them.

It is they, not doctors, who know their gender. It is about dignity and

respect. It’s about being seen by government for who you are.

It’s also about access to basic government services. Trans Care

B.C. supports equitable, accessible care for trans and gender-diverse

people in our province. They provide education for clients and for

families. They train clinicians. They improve services for Indigenous

people by engaging with communities and by offering presentations on

decolonizing sex and gender assumptions.

[10:35 a.m.]

Over the last two years, as we fought the pandemic, nearly 1,400

people received gender-affirming surgeries. Before 2018, people needing

lower surgeries were forced to travel out of province. We’ve brought all

kinds of care closer to home, including ensuring that breast and chest

surgeries are available on the Lower Mainland, on the Island, in the

North and in the Interior. We’ve removed 1,300 instances of gendered

language from government regulations to reflect the diversity of people

we serve.

It’s pretty simple. Provincial laws and regulations should

explicitly include everyone they apply to. We don’t need to use “he or

she” when we can use “they.” Where we have used words like “mother” or

“father,” but what we really, actually mean is “parent,” that’s what we

should say.

This is not just about words. It’s about inclusion in the rules,

the laws, the regulations of our province. It’s about belonging and

recognition. Backlash rooted in transphobia, hateful words and

accusations to me personally of bending to a small minority of our

population — not uncommonly having it suggested I’m keen on ruining

society…. But the vast majority of gender-affirming care is provided to

cis people, and language matters.

More to the point, human rights are for everyone, and trans, gay,

lesbian, bi and queer rights are human rights.

T. Stone: I want to thank the member opposite from Victoria–Beacon Hill for

the opportunity to respond on this, the International Day Against

Homophobia, Transphobia and Biphobia. The statement, “All human beings

are born free and equal in dignity and rights,” appears in

article 1 of

the universal declaration of human rights, yet it wasn’t until May 17,

1990, that homosexuality was declassified as a mental disorder by the

World Health Organization.

This date marks a global celebration of sexual and gender

diversities, and it’s recognized in more than 130 countries. But it’s

important to note that more than one-third of countries continue to

criminalize the LGBTQ+ community. While this is certainly not the case

in Canada, it’s still incumbent on all of us to recognize and to work to

dismantle the many barriers and challenges faced by people in these

communities.

This year’s theme is “Our bodies, our lives, our rights.” This

means recognizing the right to express one’s gender freely without fear

of violence. It means denouncing and putting an end to reprehensible

practices like conversion therapy. It means removing barriers to

accessing health care and other services for members of the LGBTQS+

community. And it means tearing down some of the long-standing policies

that have maintained discrimination, fear and stigma.

I think about the recent announcement by Health Canada that it has

finally accepted an application by Canadian Blood Services to remove the

three-month blanket donor deferral period for all sexually active men

who have sex with men. Instead, it will screen all donors, regardless of

gender or sexuality, for high-risk sexual behaviours. This is a

significant move towards a more inclusive national blood donation

system, and this shift comes after a tremendous amount of effort by

advocacy groups who have called for this change for a long, long

time.

As we celebrate strides like this one, it’s important we

acknowledge those advocates and activists who have fought and continue

to fight for equal rights and opportunities for all. There is much we

can all do to ensure that all British Columbians are treated equally and

fairly and that they can enjoy their lives and be who they are in a

safe, inclusive and welcoming society.

In my home community of Kamloops, that is made possible by a

number of organizations that work to support our LGBTQS+ community and

help increase allyship. Kamloops Pride, a local non-profit organization,

is a prime example of this. While they work directly with individuals

who identify as LGBTQS+, they also help to promote a flourishing

community and culture in our city.

Five years ago, in 2017, Kamloops held its very first Pride

parade, and the public turnout to this event, which was in the

thousands, was impressive. We were all very proud to be there. Kamloops

Pride has another great lineup of events for this year’s Pride Week,

coming up from August 22 to 28, with many opportunities for members of

the LGBTQS+ community, supporters and allies to come together and

celebrate.

[10:40 a.m.]

Other local groups offering supports and services to the community

include Safe Spaces, which gives youth and their allies safe spaces to

meet and receive resources; ASK Wellness Centre, which can assist with

health navigation, housing and substance use support; A Way Home

Kamloops, offering housing and wraparound supports to local youth;

Orchards Walk Medical Clinic, which provides gender-affirming care to

community members; and the Kamloops

chapter of PFLAG Canada, which

offers supports to families and helps build acceptance and

understanding.

As we mark International Day Against Homophobia, Transphobia and

Biphobia, let’s celebrate how far we’ve come in building a more

inclusive British Columbia. But let’s also reflect on what more we can

and must do, what more we can and must do to remove barriers and let

people be who they are and express themselves free from intolerance,

discrimination and judgment.

That’s the British Columbia that I see, and that’s the British

Columbia that I am so proud to call home.

G. Lore: Thank you to the member for his comments today. Around the world,

gay, lesbian, bi, trans and queer people continue to face

discrimination, threats and violence. I spent Sunday with Canadian women

for Afghan women, and they shared the intense fear of prosecution and

death for LGBTQ+ folks under the Taliban.

Homosexuality remains illegal in 69 countries, and in the United

States, more than 100 anti-trans bills have been introduced in state

legislatures this year. The pending decision on Roe v. Wade has

many worried about the implications for the protection of gay marriage

in the country.

Here at home, police reported 263 hate crimes targeting sexual

orientation in 2019, and another 259 in 2020. This is up significantly

from previous years, and the highest number of hate crimes targeting the

2SLGBTQ+ community for a decade.

Things are changing, and progress is being made. In Gabon, Angola

and other countries, we have recently seen the reversing of

criminalization laws. Twenty-eight countries in the world recognize

same-sex marriage. At home, we cannot slow down, and we cannot assume

that this work is done. There’s work to do, work to ensure that pride,

love, connection and community have a home in our province and that hate

does not; work to ensure access to services that people need; that they

are recognized by their names and genders across our systems; and that

rights are protected.

I want to recognize advocates, service providers and peers, the

work of everyone at QMUNITY. QMUNITY provides programming, counselling,

peer connection for 2SLGBTQ+ people across all of B.C., including youth

and seniors. I want to recognize pride societies across the province,

from here in Victoria to Fernie, to Delta, to the North Peace. Rainbow

Refugee supports those seeking refugee protections in Canada because of

persecution based on sexual orientation, gender identity and gender

expression.

Organizations like WAVAW and VSAC have worked to ensure that

services are responsive and available to the 2SLGBTQ+ community. Egale

and the Enchanté Network provide advocacy and education. PFLAG provides

peer support and family outreach. Community-Based Research Centre

promotes the health of people with diverse sexualities and genders

through research and intervention.

Tomorrow I have the chance to go to QMUNITY’s breakfast

recognizing this day. Tomorrow, on the International Day to End

Homophobia, Transphobia and Biphobia, I will be standing with my

2SLGBTQ+ colleagues, constituents, families and friends, and I ask all

in the House to do the same.

CREATIVE SOLUTIONS

M. Lee: I rise to take my place in this morning’s private members’ debate

to discuss a topic of vital importance for the safety of our

communities. Community safety has become one of the paramount issues we

face in our province, as municipalities and communities all across

British Columbia experience growing rates of violent crime and assaults,

often unprovoked, random and perpetrated against innocent

people.

We are seeing how many parts of our daily lives are impacted by a

lack of community safety and security. Small businesses in our urban

communities fear for the security of their properties as they face

repeat incidents of threat, intimidation and vandalism. British

Columbians are losing confidence to live in their communities and

neighbourhoods over a growing fear for their personal safety and the

safety of their loved ones.

[10:45 a.m.]

When people have such heightened concerns about their own personal

safety, they lose confidence in our public institutions to deliver the

support, safety and justice necessary to protect our communities. This

is underlined by the need to maintain public confidence in the

administration of justice. This is a test that is applied, for example,

to detention orders for a person detained in custody until trial or

sentencing.

The well-being of British Columbians is increasingly under threat

by a handful of people who act outside of the law and are willing to

inflict fear, pain and harm on individuals, families and communities,

often in multiple separate incidents. On April 5, 2022, a joint letter

from the B.C. Urban Mayors Caucus highlighted the incredible impact on

public safety and the disproportionate strain on local resources that a

few prolific offenders can have in a community.

In Kelowna, a single individual has generated 346 RCMP files since

2016 and has received 29 convictions for property crime and assault

offences. This offender is routinely released with conditions and

subsequently re­offends.

A single offender in Prince George has generated an incredible 916

crime files since 2016, including 262 files in the last 12 months, none

of which have resulted in charges.

In Vancouver, 40 super chronic offenders are collec­tively

responsible for more than 2,100 offences.

These are signs all around us. The current system for handling

these violent individuals is just not working in what can be best

described as a catch-and-release approach by our current

administration.

Between 2017 and 2020, no charge recommendations increased from

8,600 per year to nearly 13,000, a 45 percent increase. Police agencies

have also flagged a significant increase in the number of offenders

routinely breaching conditions while on bail or failing to appear in

court without consequence. When the current approach is not working to

detain prolific offenders, bringing them to justice and providing them

with the services they may need to put them on the path to recovery,

there is an imminent need for new and better solutions and action by

this government to implement these solutions.

Earlier this month the growing concerns of municipal leaders and

community advocates were met with a promise of creative solutions that

would address the gaps in our justice system and restore safety to our

province. This was welcome news. British Columbians, like members of our

House here, were eager to witness a collective approach, by all levels

of government, to take action and, from all parts of the province, to

bring solutions to the table.

While our municipalities and communities have gone to incredible

lengths to highlight for this government the many gaps in the current

system, they’ve also brought forward a series of solutions that

government could act on today, as highlighted in the April 5, 2022,

letter from the B.C. Urban Mayors Caucus.

These proposed solutions include stricter control and consequences

for repeat property offenders; stronger consideration for maintaining

public confidence in the administration of justice in bail and charge

assessment policies and guidelines; increased investment for B.C.

Prosecution Service resources across the province; implementation of

community courts across communities; a review of the 2021 B.C.

Prosecution Service charge assessment guidelines to uncover unintended

consequences in relation to property offenders; and a review of the 2018

B.C. Prosecution Service full disclosure policies, in the context of

homicides, in the interests of maintaining public confidence in the

administration of justice.

[10:50 a.m.]

With such a collective effort invested into the drafting and

presenting of these proposed solutions, you can understand British

Columbians’ disappointment when the province’s promised so-called

creative solution was merely a 120-day review “to investigate and report

on prolific offenders and random violent attacks, and the necessary

actions.”

There are so many reasons why this announcement was underwhelming

to many. Firstly, government already had a wide array of reports,

analysis and expert reviews on how to handle dangerous repeat criminals.

The decision to opt for further consultation could be interpreted as

simply kicking the can down the road.

Secondly, this decision completely ignores our municipal leaders

and the monumental effort that has already gone into the recommendations

outlined by these organizations, including the B.C. Urban Mayors Caucus.

This solution also fails to recognize the urgent need of the situation.

Vancouver alone is experiencing, on average, four violent assaults per

day.

G. Begg: Thank you to the member for Vancouver-Langara for his thoughts on

this very important and very challenging issue. From the very outset,

let me say very clearly that this government believes that every area of

our province must be protected from dangerous repeat offenders, and we

will take every reasonable step, within our authority and jurisdiction,

to make that happen.

The large body of evidence suggests that focusing on the

underlying causes of crime, as opposed to overincarceration, is the most

effective deterrent against crime and a much better use of public funds.

This government acknowledges that the residents of the member’s and

other’s ridings have observed drug-related gang violence and other

criminal events not usually seen in some areas of the

province.

These are not recent nor new occurrences. They are, I submit, the

result of decades of government policies that neglected the social

safety net for vulnerable British Columbians and made these communities

more vulnerable to the problems that accompany drug, homelessness and

other addictions.

There’s a popular Chinese proverb that says: “The best time to

plant a tree was 20 years ago. The second best time is now.” Basically,

in the context of this conversation that we’re having here today, this

means that if you want success and growth, the best time to act is now.

A society grows great when old men plant trees in whose shade they know

they shall never sit.

But, of course, we need action and results now. We must act

against those who are responsible for these crimes while we take actions

that will ensure a safe future for all our citizens. We will, as a

province, find the balance of prevention, intervention and suppression,

if we are to be successful and have success in our communities. That is

exactly what we’re doing.

What we’ve seen during the ongoing pandemic is a shift in the

patterns of crime. And while overall crime trends are down, particularly

when it comes to property crimes and reports to Crown counsel, there are

highly visible crimes taking place in our downtown cores. There’s also a

very real presence of repeat offenders in our communities — a small

number of people having a significant impact on people’s feeling of

safety.

We stand with all victims of crime, and we share British

Columbians’ concern and frustration with prolific offenders. We’ve heard

from mayors and residents that creative solutions are needed, and we

agree. By working together with mayors, we’ve identified and hired the

experts in policing and mental health needed to investigate these

trends, identify solutions and help us implement them. In other words,

an evidence-based approach.

We understand that there are many factors that have contributed to

the shift in crime patterns. Experts in policing and mental health and

addictions will conduct independent investigations and provide

recommendations to our government.

[10:55 a.m.]

We’re grateful for the cooperation and advocacy of mayors in

communities across the province to help us address this challenge, and

we’re committed to working together to protect communities and connect

repeat offenders with what they need to break that cycle.

The report is due to government in 120 days, and we will be

reporting out quickly on additional steps that this government will

take. In addition, we’ve advised the experts that if they find

opportunities, they do not need to wait for a final report. They will

advise us as quickly as possible, and it is our commitment that we will

act upon them.

This investigation and the subsequent recommendation structure

mirrors actions taken by the province to successfully address money

laundering, as well as the financial crisis at ICBC, which,

respectively, resulted in significant and ongoing reforms that

dramatically reduced money laundering activities in B.C. casinos and

some of the lowest car insurance rates in Canada. We are working with

the police, the community and now the experts in policing and mental

health needed to address these challenges to protect people and

communities.

At the beginning I talked about planting trees. It is significant,

I think, to continue that analogy that 20 years ago the government of

the day announced the closure of 24 courthouses across the province

representing one quarter of the total number of provincial court

locations in the province.

M. Lee: I certainly would like to thank the MLA for Surrey-Guildford for

his comments. I know the saying well, and the wisdom of our elders, our

leaders, who have built so much for our province — to continue to ensure

that when we talk about the importance of how we build a stronger

British Columbia, a healthier British Columbia, it has to be a safe

British Columbia.

[J. Tegart in the chair.]

We need to work together, not to talk about actions that were 20

years ago but to talk about actions as to what we can do today. I know

that the member, through his years in law enforcement, recognizes the

actions that this government could be taking, this government that has

been in government for over five years now. When I talk about the issues

that I know affect his constituents in Surrey and my constituents in

Vancouver….

As I was saying, we are up to four violent unprovoked attacks a

day in Vancouver alone. In the time that it’ll take for this government

to do the review, to kick the can another 120 days down the road, it’s

estimated that about 500 Vancouverites alone could be victims of further

violent attacks. What we need is immediate action, not further delay by

another 120 days. Those actions are set out in this letter from the B.C.

Urban Mayors’ Caucus.

There have been lots of reports and analysis. You talk to members

of the leadership team of the Vancouver police department, as I and

Kevin Falcon, the Leader of our Official Opposition, have had the

opportunity to do. There has been lots of discussion, lots of

recommendations made.

Even at that, when this government talks about creative solutions,

we know Joe Alphonse, the Tribal Chair for the Tŝilhqot’in National

Government, has criticized the government’s announcement by saying that

not once, never, did they mention Indigenous involvement, yet they talk

about how they’re going to get creative. To get creative, they need to

involve Indigenous leadership all throughout British

Columbia.

We know that in the absence of leadership from this government,

communities are just going to be dividing themselves. We’ve seen that by

the Attorney General, who has previously worked with Pivot Legal

Society, and the kinds of divisive language that is being expressed by

that organization, which has said: “I have no issue recommending people

not shop at businesses that explicitly advocate for more police on the

streets.”

This is happening in Chinatown, Vancouver. This is the kind of

division happening in our communities across the Lower Mainland without

the leadership of this government because they’re kicking the can down

the road for another 120 days.

Hon. N. Simons: I ask that the House consider Motion 12, standing in the name

of the member for Maple Ridge–​Mission.

[11:00 a.m.]

Deputy Speaker: Prior to calling upon the member for Maple Ridge–Mission,

unanimous consent is required to proceed with Motion 12 without

disturbing the priorities of other items on the order paper.

Leave granted.

Private Members’ Motions

MOTION 12 — CREATIVE INDUSTRIES WEEK

AND ROLE OF

CREATIVE SECTOR

B. D’Eith: Thank you very much, hon. Speaker. I’d like to make the

motion:

[Be it resolved that this House recognize Creative Industries Week

and celebrate the talents, innovation and contributions that people in

this sector bring to our economy and communities.]

This week is Creative Industries Week in British Columbia, a week

to celebrate the contributions of the creative industries, an industry

that contributes $5 billion per annum to the provincial GDP and employs

nearly 100,000 people.

B.C. has incredible resources and skilled workers that help us

capture entertainment and digital media opportunities from all over the

world. This vibrant sector includes the largest motion picture hub in

Canada and the third-largest motion picture hub in North America, a

leading hub for digital entertainment that attracts large global media

companies. It represents 17 percent of Canada’s interactive

entertainment companies and is at the forefront of a global virtual and

book publishing market in Canada, a vibrant magazine sector and the

third-largest centre for music in Canada.

With the support of Creative B.C., the creative industries will

once again be in the legislative precinct to introduce members to the

amazing people behind the creative industries, but let’s not forget that

this celebration was curtailed for the past two years as our province

dealt with the changes of the global pandemic.

As the Parliamentary Secretary for Arts and Film, part of my

mandate was to work with the sector to identify challenges that the

pandemic brought and to ensure that there was adequate support and

relief and eventual recovery funding. I have conducted multiple

consultations with individuals and organizations from arts and creative

industry sectors to make sure that our support is strategic and

effective. In this regard, a number of significant actions were

taken.

Our government worked hard with the film and television industry

to ensure that protocols were sufficient to reopen after the initial

lockdowns that shut down the film industry. In fact, due to the

incredible work of Dr. Henry and the Ministry of Health in managing the

pandemic, the industry was only closed for three months, and B.C. became

a go-to location for filming. In fact, in the fall of 2020, we had the

single-largest quarter for film and television productions in B.C. ever.

We introduced a $2 million domestic motion picture fund to help

stimulate B.C.-based productions.

Now, with rehearsal spaces, festivals, theatres and all live

venues closed during most of the pandemic, people and organizations

working in this sector lost most of their revenues. After initial

consultation early in the pandemic, many programs administered by

Creative B.C. and B.C. Arts Council pivoted to allow

flexibility.

For example, Creative B.C. pivoted $500,000 of Amplify B.C.

funding to fund live musicians $500 each to produce live-streaming

shows. This program was launched with the Premier and now Grammy

Award–winning Smithers artist Alex Cuba.

The B.C. Arts Council allowed organizations and individuals who

had received or were counting on receiving money the flexibility to

adapt to what they needed. As the pandemic progressed, additional funds

were released through the StrongerBC fund to Creative B.C. and the B.C.

Arts Council, in addition to their already increased funding, to keep

the lights on.

For example, in 2017, when we formed government, the B.C. Arts

Council’s budget was $25 million. Our government raised this to a base

funding of $39.4 million. In addition to the lift, the sector received

$47.4 million from StrongerBC for relief and recovery during the

pandemic. An additional $30 million was provided to support festivals,

fairs and events.

Amplify B.C., administered by Creative B.C., was funded by our

government for three years in April 2021 for an historic $22.5 million.

This fund, after industry consultations, was able to pivot during the

pandemic to help artists, venues, companies and other organizations in

the music industry to weather the storm.

Now in closing, I’d like to recognize the incredible work of the

sector associations who’ll be with us this week, whom I’ve worked

closely with for many years: the Canadian Media Producers Association,

B.C. branch; Motion Picture Production Industry Association; Music B.C.;

the Association of Book Publishers of B.C.; the Interactive and Digital

Media Industry Association of B.C.; and the Magazine Association of

British Columbia.

I want to thank them and everyone in the industry for the work

they’ve done during this incredibly stressful time. Through significant

challenges — this sector has faced so much over the last couple of years

— the creative industries have shown incredible resilience, and I really

look forward to celebrating with the entire sector this week.

[11:05 a.m.]

G. Kyllo: It is truly my pleasure to take my place to join the House to

speak on the motion: “Be it resolved that this House recognize Creative

Industries Week and celebrate the talents, innovation and contributions

that people in this sector bring to our economy and

communities.”

B.C. truly is blessed with an abundance of resources, from timber

to fishing to agriculture to renewable energy resources. All of these

industries help to keep our families fed, our communities healthy and

shape our identity as a province, to the rest of Canada and to the

world. But perhaps the greatest industries that help to shape our

cultural identity are our creative industries.

B.C.’s influence on the world’s art and culture is felt in towns

and cities all over the world. The incredible talents of local British

Columbians is seen on the big screen, heard through our music and read

in world-renowned books, poems and screenplays every day.

The Shuswap is blessed to be home to some of the most beautiful

scenery on the face of the planet, which might explain why the people

who call the Shuswap home have helped to shape our province’s art and

culture for decades. The Shuswap has become a hub where some of the

province’s greatest talents gather to create, master and share their art

with one another.

In late April, the Shuswap hosted the Word on the Lake Writers

Festival, where some of Canada’s most renowned authors hosted

presentations and workshops to share their work and stories, help guide

local authors and grow the next generation of best-selling writers and

publishers.

Since 1977, the Shuswap Theatre society has been the beating heart

that has kept performing arts alive and thriving in the Shuswap, from

hosting acts and performances from both local and national productions

to helping inspire our children and create a love for theatre through

their youth summer camps.

The annual Salmon Arm Roots and Blues Festival is a three-day

music festival that occurs every third weekend in August, with six

stages and featuring an international roster of artists as well as a

strong contingent of Canadian talent. This year’s lineup of near 40 acts

includes Jann Arden, the Snotty Nose Rez Kids and one of my favourites,

Tom Cochrane. And folks, children under 12 years of age get in

free.

Any night of the week you can experience some of B.C.’s greatest

musical talents in the cafés, bars and concert halls throughout the

Shuswap. Last June the incredible documentary Celebrate Shuswap

showcased the rise of the Song Sparrow Hall, a concert venue and studio

which overcame the incredible challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic to

build an incredible music venue that now serves as a hub to showcase

local artists and performances. It has since become a cultural icon of

Salmon Arm and the Shuswap.

Just like these incredible organizations support the arts and

culture of our communities, our communities and our province must

support them to help them continue their endeavours. These past two

years have been some of the most difficult years ever for our creative

industries. Now, more than ever, we must invest in the companies that

are helping to bring jobs to our communities and prosperity to our

province through their art.

Last July my colleagues and I in the B.C. Liberal caucus were

proud to advocate on behalf of the world-leading production company

Enderby Entertainment, calling for the province’s support to help them

establish a new facility in the Okanagan that could result in thousands

of regional jobs.

By keeping our creative industries alive and thriving, they will

help B.C. further make its mark on the global markets and culture and

help our business, communities and our hearts recover.

B. Bailey: I’m delighted to have the opportunity to speak on one of my

favourite weeks of the year, Creative Industries Week. While creative

industries include books, magazines, films, series and music, I’m going

to focus my comments today on the creative industries that overlap with

my Parliamentary Secretary for Technology role — animation, interactive

media, visual effects and AR-VR.

[11:10 a.m.]

B.C. has a history of screen-based storytelling going back over 50

years. Our animation sector is one of the largest in the world,

employing more than 2,000 people in high-paying jobs working on some of

the largest intellectual properties in the world, with more than $350

million coming into the economy a year, injecting money not only into

the economy but also into our infrastructure. They partner with public

and private higher education, providing work-integrated learning and

placement.

There are over 60 active studios in the province employing digital

artists and animators; computer coders and producers; and everything

else needed to make a business successful. These businesses range from

small independent studios to large multinationals who have chosen to set

up marquee studios in British Columbia — for example, Image Engine, who

brought you the dragons in Game of Thrones , and ILM of the

Star Wars franchise.

There are many award-winning studios drawing Oscars, Emmys,

Nickelodeon Kids’ Choice Awards and BAFTAs, for example. To share some

of the properties folks might be familiar with that are worked on here

in B.C.: the LEGO movies, Into the Spider-Verse with

Spider-Man, Molly of Denali , The Dragon Prince ,

Rick and Morty , VeggieTales , Cloudy with a

Chance of Meatballs , The Addams Family , and so much

more.

Our video games sector has a long and storied history and

continues to create cutting-edge properties. It’s made up of over 160

companies employing about 8,000 people in the province. The companies

range from a small number of people to massive, international corporate

companies like EA in Burnaby and False Creek Flats, employing in the

range of 3,000 talented creators working on multiple EA properties.

Mid-size companies like Blackbird entertainment create beautiful

experiences like Shipbreaker or their work on Homeworld

3 , building in that beloved universe.

We often see small studios scale and sell to international studios

based on the success of their IP. Two examples of this of late are Klei

Entertainment — Don’t Starve and Hot Lava are two of

their famous properties; and Phoenix Labs, who built Dauntless .

They were most recently acquired by multinationals. What happens,

though, is that the founders and the investors of these studios that are

bought are then able to continue to support the growth of the ecosystem

through making their own investments and through mentorship, creating

the next generation of success.

The visual effects sector in British Columbia is largely

multinational studios such as ILM, Image Engine, DNEG, Pixomondo,

Scanline, Sony Imageworks and Method Studios, to name but a few. We also

know that Weta Digital is opening up shop in Vancouver, and many of us

are excited about that. They did the VFX for the Lord of the

Rings movies and are one of the top studios in the world. The

sector is fed by many wonderful post-secondary training opportunities in

both public and private realms.

To really highlight the sector, I’m going to choose one of my

favourite IPs of all time, Dune , and talk a little bit about

the VFX done here in Vancouver that led to them taking home this year’s

Oscar for visual effects. If you’ve not yet seen Dune , I highly

encourage you to do so. The quality of the VFX stands out even to an

untrained eye, and the mixture of live action and computer-generated

image is blurred so successfully that it’s impossible to tell what was

filmed and what was coded.

Dune ’s VFX team did many innovative things to bring the

wind and sand of Arrakis to life. Many folks are aware that filming is

often done using chroma keying, with a green or blue screen in the

background providing a single colour that can then be switched out to

overlay CGI, or computer-generated imagery. The VFX team in

Dune used something new, sandscreening, which prevented the

reflection of blue or green from affecting the lighting of actors’ faces

and enhanced the constant sand colour in the Arrakis world. The lighting

in this film is simply extraordinary. In my view, Dune is one

of the high-water marks on what can be accomplished in visual effects,

and that was done right here in B.C.

Lastly but certainly not least, B.C. has a burgeoning AR, which is

augmented reality, and VR, virtual reality or mixed reality sector,

having impacts far beyond the entertainment sector and into solving

real-world problems.

B.C. is a world leader in the creative technology sector. I tip my

hat to all of the brilliant creators in the industry and thank them very

much for all the entertainment they’ve provided us.

[11:15 a.m.]

K. Kirkpatrick: Thank you to the member for Maple Ridge–Mission for putting

forward this motion. He and I spoke the other day about the impact of

music in our respective lives and how the creative sector is near and

dear to my heart, as music and theatre were so much of a part of who I

was as a young person.

The creative industry sector is the heart of our communities. The

term “creative industries” has been around for 20 years. They’ve been

referred to as the cultural industries, the creative economy and, in

other parts of the world, the orange economy. Here in British Columbia,

we’re celebrating the 7th annual Creative Industries Week to recognize

the contributions of creators of motion pictures, music, book and

magazine publishing and interactive and digital media

industries.

Arts and culture are vital to the well-being of our society. With

more than 58,000 people working in B.C.’s creative sector, it has

generated $4.4 billion in total GDP in 2020. On top of our economy, they

enhance people’s lives and propel B.C.’s reputation, including being

home to the world’s largest visual effects and animation clusters,

having the second-highest number of interactive gaming companies in

and the third-largest music production centre in Canada and, last but

not least, as Canada’s largest and North America’s third-largest centre

for motion picture production, earning Vancouver the title of Hollywood

North.

As the film and TV industry rebounds from the pandemic, Creative

B.C. estimated that 450 productions spent $3.5 billion across British

Columbia in 2021. I want to give a special shout-out to one famous

motion picture and TV production studio in North Vancouver, North Shore

Studio, formerly known as Lions Gate Studio. It features eight

soundstages totalling more than 100,000 square feet and has produced

many international movies and TV shows, including The X Files ,

if you all remember The X Files . Its president, Peter Leitch,

reminded me that the creative sector also needs accountants and business

managers and for all young people to consider this as a career

path.

When I first moved to Vancouver and was struggling to find work, I

was able to support myself, however humbly, as an extra in some of

Vancouver’s most well-known TV series. I won’t tell you which series

were shooting at the time, because it will give you my age, but they

were very well-known and exciting. I look forward to seeing North Shore

Studio continuing to showcase beautiful B.C. on the global

stage.

After two years of social disconnection, creatives in the film, TV

and animation industry are facing a need to adapt and evolve in the

post-pandemic world. These talents are at the heart of B.C.’s vibrant

creative economy. As the critic for Education, I’d like to take this

opportunity to touch on how our education system can foster creativity

in the next generation.

Who is responsible for instilling creativity? It begins at home,

and it begins with education. Creative thinking should be a key learning

objective that all students need for lifelong learning. As policy

makers, it requires us to consider: what are the skills and behaviours

that determine creative ability? What lessons and areas of concentration

will prepare students to be part of a creative workforce? Does the

current curriculum offer such creative readiness?

Creative talents are open-minded and curious. They take joy in

learning, are willing to think divergently and are comfortable with

taking risks to go beyond existing concepts. To foster such talents,

schools must provide a creative, friendly environment, starting with

physical space that offers a comfortable setting for learning and

imagination, including outdoor spaces to let creativity thrive. Through

free play and engagement with teachers and peers, inspiration and new

ideas can spontaneously arise.

Educators have a role in developing strategies to facilitate new

ideas and provide time for incubation. Teachers can establish the mental

space to allow students to think outside the box, such as setting the

right tone in class­rooms, encouraging students to express

themselves free from peer judgment and limiting stringent assessment

procedures in creative activities. Education is vital to cultivating the

creative economy.

We must do all we can to promote the development of curious and

creative minds in the next generation of students.

[11:20 a.m.]

A. Singh: When I think of British Columbia and its industries, of course the

traditional resource-based industries come to mind. But I also

immediately think of the magnificence of our province and what a perfect

inspiration it is for the creative industries. Where else can you,

within a few hours, go from dense urban back alleys reminiscent of New

York in the ’80s to a coastline scattered with beaches and up to

snow-covered mountains?

The creative sector includes the motion picture industry, music

and sound recording, interactive and digital media, book and magazine

publishing industries. We’re fortunate to have a wealth of creative

talent and infrastructure here in British Columbia. B.C., as my friend

has said, is the largest motion picture hub in Canada, the

third-largest centre for music in Canada.

Creative B.C. is British Columbia’s lead agency for the creative

sector for its funding and development. Creative B.C. administers a

provincial motion picture tax credit program, and this funding helps

sustain and grow B.C.’s creative organizations and industries. To help

improve diversity and inclusion in the sector, Creative B.C. engages

with industry by providing hands-on facilitation to improve diversity,

including delivery of the Creative Pathways initiative. It targets

investments and practices to increase equity, diversity and inclusion in

the industry. It partners with other organizations to support

underrepresented groups, and that includes substantial and growing

support for the South Asian diaspora.

B.C. has long been a destination for Bollywood productions and is

increasingly becoming a destination for films in the Punjabi diaspora.

This is largely due to the incredible supports provided to these sectors

by the government and the high quality of experienced workers that we

have in this sector. The romantic comedy Honsla Rakh , filmed in

the Lower Mainland and in India, became the highest opening Punjabi film

ever to be produced. Organizations like the Vancouver South Asian Film

Festival have been supported through the arts impact grant.

I’d like to highlight a few key productions. One of them, Out

of the Stands , is an intimate look at our national sport

through the young hockey players of the Punjabi-Sikh community in

Surrey, B.C. Only a few will get to the next level, so the drama is high

— not just for the players but for their families. This is Hoop

Dreams on ice.

It’s a 60-minute documentary intended for broadcast by Telus

Originals. It’s written and directed and produced by Nilesh Patel and

Baljit Sangra from Roaming Pictures and Viva Mantra Films. It’s

supported through the DMPF Production Program. This documentary is

currently in production, and it’s scheduled for broadcast in early 2023.

On an interesting side note, one of the players that the project

profiles, Arshdeep Bains, was just drafted to the Vancouver

Canucks.

Another film, Emergence: Out of the Shadows . For Kayden,

Jag and Amar, awaking to and expressing their sexuality within

conservative South Asian families was a lonely and terrifying

experience. Heart-wrenching and healing, their distinct coming-out paths

offered comfort, compassion and inspiration to individuals and

communities struggling with acceptance. It’s tender, thoughtful and

teary.

Emergence: Out of the Shadows asserts a potent and

transformative voice in support of marginalized queer youth and their

families. This feature-length documentary is produced in association

with OUTtv and is a product of director Vinay Giridhar and producer Alex

Sangha from Sher Films. It’s supported through the Creative B.C. and

Rogers Documentary Fund and the project development fund. This film has

attended over 20 film festivals and won four awards so far.

A Generation of Dreamers , an oral history of an immigrant

journey to Canada told by those who made the journey and staged by those

who are Canadian because of that very journey. It’s a docudrama series

in early development. Writer-producer Manny Mahal from Sital Cinema

productions is the creative mind behind this. This is supported through

the Creative B.C. equity and emerging development program.

In addition, in the music sector, B.C. is Canada’s third-largest

music centre. In 2020, the music industry contributed $203 million in

total GDP to B.C.’s economy and more than 4,000 jobs — over 8,000 if you

include the gig workers who were employed in that industry. Amplify B.C.

is the province’s music industry fund. It’s administered by Creative

B.C. Amplify B.C. supports B.C.’s diverse music industry, including

those in the South Asian diaspora.

Kahnvict, an electronic artist from Surrey, B.C. A-SLAM, Surrey

and Vancouver, B.C., hip hop and rap artist. Burnaby sitarist and

composer Mohamed Assani. Ruby Singh, a Vancouver multi-genre artist. Hip

hop fusion artist Ish Vektor. The internationally renowned fusion group

Delhi 2 Dublin. Hip hop and rap artist from Cultus Lake Saint

Soldier.

Examples of other companies supported by the South Asian music

community include Naad Production, Snakes x Ladders, the 5X Fest, which

celebrates essential South Asian youth cultural festival. A vegan summer

festival coming this summer — it offers multi-art experiences of

central….

[11:25 a.m.]

Deputy Speaker: Thank you, Member.

T. Halford: I am grateful for the opportunity to rise in the House today and

pay tribute to the thriving arts and cultural sector that we enjoy here

in British Columbia.

For many decades, our province has had the reputation of being the

hub for the creative sector, whether it’s Hollywood North productions,

Bard on the Beach or cutting-edge music recording studios.

This hasn’t just happened overnight. Our world-class sector has

developed because of the incredible talent that is in our province, and

we are better for it. During the pandemic, I think we all learned just

how important the arts can be for our mental well-being. The arts can

bring us together, whether at a music concert, a theatre or just a

gathering opportunity. During COVID-19, when all of these events were

put on hold, I believe many of us developed a greater appreciation for

what those opportunities mean to our society.

I’m excited to say that as more in-person concerts and festivals

return, there is much to look forward to. In my own community in Surrey,

there are a few upcoming events that I just want to take a moment to

highlight. Coming up on May 28 is the Support Ukraine Fundraiser at the

White Rock Elks Club. I encourage everyone to attend this day-long food

and entertainment event for a cause that we can all agree deserves our

support. We will also serve to highlight incredible local music

talent.

This event is building upon the incredibly successful White Rock

Peace Walk for Ukraine that took place in April and raised over $33,000.

The proceeds for that event have already gone towards food and medical

supplies for Ukraine. I am grateful that so many members of my community

have stepped up and shown support for the people of Ukraine.

It’s also exciting to see events return to White Rock this summer,

such as the White Rock Sea Festival in July, or completely new events,

like the White Rock Promenade Sculpture Competition, which is set to

begin in September. There are so many incredible festivities and

festivals, gathering opportunities, in my community, and I know everyone

is grateful for these beloved community events.

Surrey not only hosts events but is also a setting for many

successful films and television shows. TV show such as Fringe ,

iZombie , The Good Doctor and Arrow have

all featured Surrey. Even the Netflix blockbuster The Christmas

Chronicles used Surrey’s renowned production studio, which has

one of Canada’s largest sound stages.

I’d be remiss if I didn’t highlight the fact that my two sons….

Their favourite actor, if not human in the world — next to their dad —

is Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson. I always remind them that he was actually

a former CFL player for one game, albeit he actually filmed the movie

Skyscraper in Surrey at Surrey Central. That is something

that…. When we actually went and saw the movie, we were able to pick out

parts of Surrey, and we enjoyed that.

Just take one major motion picture such as Star Trek

Beyond , filmed before the pandemic. According to the Motion

Picture Association of Canada, more than 3,900 British Columbians helped

bring Star Trek Beyond from the green screen to the big screen.

I’m not a Trekkie. I understand there are people in this House, self

professed, that are. I was more of a Star Wars guy growing up,

and continue to be. But that is almost 4,000 jobs on one production

alone. Over the course of 78 days of filming in British Columbia, the

production contributed $69 million to the province’s economy, including

more than $40 million to hire a local cast, crew and extras.

The future for film and television is bright in British Columbia,

even after the significant impacts of COVID-19, as production volumes

soared to $3.3 billion last year. I look forward to more productions

showcasing everything that B.C. has to offer in the incredible Surrey

studio. The arts and culture sector have faced significant setbacks

throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. However, through its own resilience,

the sector is back and ready to showcase its incredible talent to

British Columbians.

M. Elmore: I’m very pleased to rise today and speak in favour of the motion

from the member for Maple Ridge–Mission: “Be it resolved that this House

recognize Creative Industries Week and celebrate the talents, innovation

and contributions that people in this sector bring to our economy and

communities.”

[11:30 a.m.]

We have heard from all members of the House just what a strong

economic engine our creative industries are, bringing billions of

dollars in economic activity to our province and employing over 100,000

workers. Our creative industries span such a huge continuum. We have

just such an incredible array of talent, natural resources and

innovation here in British Columbia. The creative sector includes the

motion picture industry, music and sound recording, interactive and

digital media, and the book and magazine publishing

industries.

We are just so fortunate to have a wealth of creative talent and

infrastructure here in B.C. We know that B.C. has developed outstanding

resources and an incredible capacity to help us really become a leading

jurisdiction and really become a focus for expanding creative industries

in terms of global entertainment and digital media

opportunities.

Incredibly, B.C. is the largest motion picture hub in Canada, the

third-largest centre for music in Canada and the third-largest motion

picture hub in North America, following Los Angeles and New York. As

mentioned by the member previously, B.C. is home to one of the world’s

largest animation and visual effects clusters and has the second-largest

video games workforce in Canada.

We know that the creative sector has been hard hit by the

pandemic. Some elements are coming back strong — motion pictures — while

others continue to struggle. We’re looking forward to seeing more live

music presentations right across the province. The film industry in B.C.

was one of the first jurisdictions to come back in North America because

of the skills and talents of crews and the industry here. It’s a huge

part of the people-centred economic recovery.

I want to also recognize Creative B.C., which is British

Columbia’s lead agency for creative sector funding and developments.

They really play a central role to sustain and grow B.C.’s creative

organizations and industries. I want to particularly focus on their

efforts to increase the issue of the importance of equal representation

in film and to ensure that we have a full range of stories and

perspectives that come forward in film, as well as opportunities for

people from diverse communities, racialized communities.

The role that Creative B.C. plays to help improve diversity and

inclusion in the sector is in working together with stakeholders,

targeting investments and practices to increase equity, diversity and

inclusion, and partnering with other organizations to support

underrepresented groups. We know that so critical and key is the issue

of equal representation in film, to ensure that Black and Indigenous

people of colour are represented in leading and supporting roles and not

just as tokenism.

I want to also recognize and thank and appreciate the leadership

of the Union of B.C. Performers, UBCP, and ACTRA, the Alliance of

Canadian Cinema, Television and Radio Artists, for their work, their

initiative and their leadership that they take on these issues. We know

that the sector is highly unionized. In the role that UBCP and ACTRA

play, I want to recognize their equity and inclusion committee mandate,

which plays a key role to bring forward policies and advocate for

equitable representation for diverse and historically marginalized

artistic communities.

I also want to recognize IATSE Local 891, the International

Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees, Moving Picture Technicians,

Artists and Allied Crafts of the United States, Its Territories and

Canada — in British Columbia and the Yukon — for their leadership in

equity, diversity, inclusion, anti-racism and anti-oppression. They play

a key role in making sure that opportunities are realized.

I want to conclude with a quote from IATSE 891 that really sums up

the importance of capturing these narratives from underrepresented

groups. It’s a quote from Audre Lorde: “When we speak, we are afraid our

words will not be heard or welcomed, but when we are silent, we are

still afraid. So it is better to speak.”

[11:35 a.m.]

R. Merrifield: I remember. It was year 2 of the pandemic. I was going to a

meeting in downtown Vancouver. I walked into the hotel lobby, and I

stood in my tracks. There was live music — a human voice, a guitar — and

suddenly, the thread to connect each person’s experience was in that

room in that moment. Suddenly, I was aware of how life had changed

during the pandemic and how much less art there actually was being

shared.

I was acutely aware of this void that had been created by the

pandemic and that art used to fill. The performing arts are only a small

portion of what comprises the creative industries. Yes, this aspect of

society was probably one of the hardest hit by the pandemic when we

could not gather or get together, and it’s only now coming back to

life.

Do we need creativity? Of course. Creativity influences society by

changing opinions, instilling values and translating experiences across

space and time. Creativity asks the questions that we all have, without

necessarily having to answer. Art serves as this interpreter, an

influencer and a catalyst for change. Creativity and art connect

us.

What are the creative industries? Well, advertising, architecture,

arts and crafts, design, fashion, film, video, photography, music,

performing arts, publishing, research and development, software,

computer games, electronic publishing, TV and radio — just to name a few

— but other aspects of the creative industries suddenly came to the

forefront of importance as COVID hit society. Digital innovation was

paramount as companies pivoted to reach audiences alone in their homes,

enticing them to buy fashion that they may or may not get to wear or to

find goods required by their households.

UN deputy secretary-general Isabelle Durant said: “The creative

industries are critical to the sustainable development agenda. They

stimulate innovation and diversification, are an important factor in the

burgeoning services sector, support entrepreneurship, and contribute to

cultural diversity.”

The creative industries offer an important launching point for our

economic recovery. The creative economy and the arts have huge potential

to contribute to our economic, cultural and social well-being, but their

needs and potential are not fully understood by policy-makers and by

those who fund and support innovation. As a result, they’re often

undervalued.

As many in the creative industries struggled under COVID, they are

still struggling to fully recover. Perhaps not those in digital fields,

but as advertising dollars plunged, many creative companies struggled. I

watched a few pivots in my own riding. Buzz Marketing, led by Mark

Tompkins, completely redesigned the business plan and doubled down

during the pandemic. Mark expanded his services to include not only web

design and marketing but also moved into podcasts, interviews and video

during the pandemic, helping companies expand their creative digital

presence.

Kelowna Now , led by Nikki and Jim Csek, also pivoted.

Once a marketing, media and event company¸ they expanded into news

service into the entire valley and have recently launched a new radio

station focused on talk radio.

Lastly, I want to celebrate the creative work done by One Peak

Creative, a creative marketing agency that tells the brand story. They

dramatically pivoted during COVID, when no one could get together, and I

was wildly entertained by their project #Adsolation , where they

were filmed an entire commercial for a product that they were not hired

them to tell the behind-the-scenes story of how they made the ad —

absolutely brilliant, attracting the attention of Ryan Reynolds and

more.

This brilliance brings me back to why we need the creative

industries so desperately. While they are creating and being an industry

themselves, they’re also breathing life into the stories of society, the

fashion of our personal identities and making sure that we have

connectivity while we ask the questions of all that ails us.

Did you hear that? There might not be music right now, but we are

surrounded by creativity at all times, and we most certainly feel it

when it is gone.

[11:40 a.m.]

R. Russell: I’m pleased today to rise and speak in favour of the motion

brought forward by our colleague from Maple Ridge–Mission regarding our

support for the creative industry. Given the growth in this sector and

the potentially enormous economic and social value for our rural

communities, particularly, I’m keenly supportive.

This economic sector blurs the lines between industry, as it sits

at the crossroads of art, culture, business and technology, according to

the Stanford Social Innovation Review . I like the simplicity of

a definition offered by Rasmussen University. “The concept of creative

economy can be best summed up as the income-earning potential of

creative activities and ideas.”

Growth in this sector is enormous. Take as example League of

Legends . I didn’t know it existed until a few years ago, when

my son joined an e-sports team. I will acknowledge and admit that I was

skeptical of the title, even — e-sports. But since, I’ve clearly seen

the value and certainly recognize the strength of the connections, the

genuine team-based nature that he’s developing as a teenage boy in this

game with his teammates.

For reference, in 2019, the league finals had an estimated 100

million viewers worldwide. For reference, the Stanley Cup typically sees

closer to four million. This is an enormous industry with a huge

opportunity for all of us in B.C., particularly rural

communities.

There are two specific elements of our creative industry that I

think are so important for those rural communities — economics and

cohesion. Whether it is the creators, the distributors or the buyers,

our rural communities are bustling with creative activity, and it’s

growing.

First, the creative industry provides an economic engine, as we’ve

heard, an economic engine that often might get underestimated in its

significance for those rural economies. There are many examples, but I

look close to home, at organizations like the Okanagan Film Commission

and the fact that even during the pandemic, they brought in $44 million

last year to rural communities in my part of the world.

It’s also a different demographic that is supported in these

creative pursuits. According to the UN, of its nearly 30 million jobs

worldwide, this sector employs more people aged 15 to 29 than any other,

and nearly half are women. The work of the Creative B.C. organization is

helping to enable and support these values.

Given our StrongerBC economic plan and my deep enthusiasm for

environment, social and governance goals, those ESG goals that underpin

our own plan for growth, I was thrilled to read the following in the

2021-22 impact report from Creative B.C.:

“But from within this variable and uncertain economic context, there

is a strong and unifying theme across the entire sector, as the people

within it ask: what kind of economy do we want to rebuild? Deepening

priorities for social justice are combining with a close-to-home

experience of the global climate crisis linked to B.C.’s devastating

fires and floods in 2021.

“All together, the sector is adopting a new imperative for

developing a sustainability mindset, one that builds its economy with

greater purpose and interconnection, reprioritizing equity and the

environment as equal considerations.”

A case study of this redefinition about what good growth is might

be learned from Shambhala, a hugely successful electronic music festival

in the Kootenays. Look to their remarkable work in harm reduction and

drug testing on site for an example of how growth can be respectful and

compassionate.

Indeed, another part of the beauty of the change in the creative

sector over the last decade has been the democratization of access —

geographical, gender and age democratization. My ten-year-old daughter

can now create and distribute to the world with the technology that sits

in our pockets, providing a connection to the global stage from our

rural communities that didn’t exist in the relatively recent

past.

Beyond the support for our economic vibrancy, we recognize that

the creative industries, and the arts more broadly, also provide that

glue, the cohesion that allows our social systems the thrive. It’s part

of the magic of rural communities that encourages recruitment and

retention of our health care professionals, clearly top of mind for so

many of us at this moment. It’s part of what’s driving the sea change in

our rural communities, defining who we are and supporting our growth and

new opportunities. These creative pursuits are part of what we define

and distinguish our communities.

The South Okanagan Amateur Players, a.k.a. SOAP, is a great

close-to-home example of this kind of community building, a group from

Oliver, B.C. with a mission to foster interest in the performing arts,

to broaden opportunities for locals to participate and to enjoy, to

educate and train the whole supply chain of the performing arts — stage

craft, lighting and beyond — and to support youth with a

passion.

[11:45 a.m.]

Conveniently, I can take this opportunity to highlight the

Okanagan Zone or OZone Festival, hosted next week by SOAP and

celebrating stage theatre across the Oka­nagan. The entire week

will be rich with theatre, from performers throughout the Okanagan. It

starts Monday.

Don’t miss it.

B. Banman: I am indeed pleased to rise on this motion: “Be it resolved that

this House recognize Creative Industries Week and celebrate the talents,

innovation and contributions that people in this sector bring to our

economy and communities.”

Every year, my community of Abbotsford plays host to dozens of

film and TV productions. If you and your family like to gather around

and watch Hallmark movies during the holidays, you have probably seen

Abbotsford in the background.

In fact, during last year’s holiday season, Tourism Abbotsford put

together a Countdown to Christmas, Abbotsford film edition, where they

provided a list of recent Hallmark holiday movies featuring our local

businesses and community spaces as a backdrop.

It’s not just Hallmark movies, though. Netflix productions like

Mixtape , Ivy and Bean and The Mighty

Ducks were also filmed in Abbotsford. Last year, a total of 71

productions were filmed in Abbotsford. This amounts to 334 filming days

at over 240 locations. With a total economic impact of more than $4

million, the film industry in Abbotsford makes a huge impact on the

local economy and gives our residents a sense of pride and joy when

seeing our hometown on the silver screen.

Not only do we have a thriving film industry in Abbotsford. We

also have a great performing sector. The Abbotsford centre brings a wide

range of performing artists and is the premier sports and entertainment

venue in the Fraser Valley. The venue has hosted major concert and

events like Cirque du Soleil, Eric Church, Carrie Underwood, Sesame

Street , Jeff Dunham, Alice Cooper, KISS, Babbu Mann, Sharry

Mann and the world-famous Globetrotters.

We also have great local theatre companies like Gallery 7 Theatre,

Fraser Valley Stage, and going on 40 years, every parent’s and

grandparent’s favourite production company, Abbotsford Children’s

Theatre. As pandemic restrictions have been limited, I know many of us

are looking forward to attending outstanding events and live theatre

performances once again.

Here in B.C., we celebrate our creative industries all year long,

but especially this week. We have incredible talent in this province who

continue making world-class contributions to this sector.

Creative industries are at the heart of B.C. and are continually

driving our province’s future by attracting more people, companies and

productions to B.C. Our province is stronger with fantastic creative

industries.

This week, we can celebrate the contributions and innovations that

creative industries bring, but we should also consider what we can do to

support them. These industries feel the impact of our province’s

greatest challenges. What often drives the film sector to Abbotsford is

the lower cost of production, compared to other areas in the Lower

Mainland.

We know, however, that costs are rising across the province, not

just in the city of Vancouver alone. The industry is highly reliant on

robust supply chains and fuel. When climate events are impacting

highways and transportation, the film industry can feel the impact. When

the price of fuel is skyrocketing, like it is currently, productions

have to consider their budgets.

It’s especially the case for films shooting on location, as they

often rely on diesel generators to power their sets. We need to be

mindful that this industry can easily move to other, more affordable

locations.

I want to share my appreciation to the creative industry —

companies who are doing incredible work to be more sustainable. It is

this type of innovation that allows B.C. to set itself apart as a global

leader in content, creation and production.

We want British Columbia to continue to be the hub for talent and

a place that attracts creative projects. This is why it’s so important

to support these industries and address the overall affordability

concerns in British Columbia.

[Mr. Speaker in the chair.]

Thank you to everyone involved in our incredible creative

industries. Your talent, your passion, your creativity make us proud,

and we will continue celebrating and championing your

achievements.

[11:50 a.m.]

M. Dykeman: I’m thrilled to rise in the House today to respond to this motion

brought by my colleague and friend, the member for Maple Ridge–Mission

and Parliamentary Secretary for Arts and Film, who is such a champion

for the industry.

B.C. is the largest motion picture hub in Canada, known as

Hollywood North. The motion picture industry is a strong economic engine

for British Columbia. In 2020, with 337 productions and $2.7 billion of

estimated activity through tax credit incents, B.C.’s movie industry

total GDP was $1.83 billion, providing 28,018 full-time-equivalent jobs.

Our government supports the motion picture industry because we know this

sector creates good-paying jobs in our communities and supports local

businesses.

Although the pandemic was so hard on so many sectors in 2021, film

production remained strong thanks to the collaboration of B.C.’s motion

picture industry to keep film sets safe. In my riding of Langley East,

we have incredible filming. Just a short list of shows that have been

filmed in Langley include Bates Motel , Once Upon a

Time , Twilight , Night at the Museum ,

Arrow , Riverdale , When Calls the Heart

and Snowpiercer , a show which the Premier is a fan of and

virtually toured the set during the pandemic.

The film industry is growing in Langley township because of great

facilities like Martini Studios. It is under the leadership of vibrant

CEO Gemma Martini, who is an amazing ambassador for film. It boasts

150,000 square feet of stage space with eight stages.

In addition to great facilities, the township offers a unique

rural backdrop, with shows coming to Langley because people farm, not

despite them farming. Like MacInnes Farms, a 100-acre family farm, which

has a set known as Jamestown, providing a picture perfect farm

background for the filming of the Hallmark show When Calls the

Heart , or Copper Stone, a stunning lavender farm where

Riverdale ’s Cheryl Blossom’s family mansion is

filmed.

The film industry is growing in the township of Langley. Martini

Studios is constructing another adjacent film studio. The campus will

have 16 sound stages, with a total sound stage floor area of about

370,000 square feet. Additionally, there will also be 224,000 square

feet of support space buildings — such as for mill shops, wardrobes or

props — construction bays and two five-storey buildings which will also

offer about 135,000 square feet of office space to further support

production, operational and planning needs.

This brings the total campus building floor space to about 730,000

square feet, which will be such a great addition for Langley East. All

of this is timed for completion in the middle of 2024, and it will be

one of the largest film and television production facilities in

Canada.

Skills training is also offered in Langley East to train and

prepare new people to enter the industry. North Island College, Island

North Film Commission and Martini Film Studios offer three motion

picture skills-training programs, featuring grip, lighting and set

construction, a program that’s funded through the province of B.C.’s

community workforce response grant.

The film industry in the township of Langley is a huge economic

driver, providing great-paying and secure jobs for families, supporting

our local businesses and spurring tourism, like when superfans of the

show When Calls the Heart , affectionately known as Hearties,

come to town — over 450 people from around the world — just to tour the

set.

In 2019, there were over 1,600 film days permitted in the

township, representing over 185 separate productions, which resulted in

direct investment of millions of dollars in the township’s local economy

through the acquisition of services and the purchase of

goods.

Thank you to Val Gafka, from the township of Langley, who is the

senior manager of economic development, for being such a champion for

film.

According to Creative B.C., in 2019, over 2,500 township residents

worked in film. As we celebrate Creative Industries Week, let us

celebrate the talents, innovation and contributions that people in this

sector bring to our economy and our communities.

Thank you to all of those that work and support those that work in

film, and all of the other creative industries, for making our province

such a wonderfully diverse and creative place to live.

M. Dykeman moved adjournment of debate.

Motion approved.

Hon. N. Simons moved adjournment of the House.

Motion approved.

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

The House adjourned at 11:54 a.m.

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