20200303am Hansard n321

British Columbia — Debates (Hansard)

Fifth Session, 41st Parliament OFFICIAL REPORT OF DEBATES (HANSARD) Tuesday, March 3, 2020 Morning Sitting Issue No. 321 THE HONOURABLE DARRYL PLECAS, SPEAKER ISSN 1499-2175

PROVINCE OF BRITISH COLUMBIA (Entered Confederation July 20, 1871) LIEUTENANT-GOVERNOR Her Honour the Honourable Janet Austin, OBC Fifth Session, 41st Parliament SPEAKER OF THE LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY Honourable Darryl Plecas EXECUTIVE COUNCIL Premier and President of the Executive Council ............................................................................................................... Hon. John Horgan Deputy Premier and Minister of Finance............................................................................................................................Hon.

Carole James Minister of Advanced Education, Skills and Training..................................................................................................... Hon. Melanie Mark Minister of Agriculture.........................................................................................................................................................Hon. Lana Popham Attorney General.................................................................................................................................................................Hon.

David Eby, QC Minister of Children and Family Development ............................................................................................................ Hon. Katrine Conroy Minister of State for Child Care...................................................................................................................................... Hon. Katrina Chen Minister of Citizens’ Services...................................................................................................................................................Hon.

Anne Kang Minister of Education ............................................................................................................................................................ Hon. Rob Fleming Minister of Energy, Mines and Petroleum Resources ..................................................................................................... Hon. Bruce Ralston Minister of Environment and Climate Change Strategy............................................................................................. Hon.

George Heyman Minister of Forests, Lands, Natural Resource Operations and Rural Development ..............................................Hon. Doug Donaldson Minister of Health .....................................................................................................................................................................Hon. Adrian Dix Minister of Indigenous Relations and Reconciliation ......................................................................................................... Hon.

Scott Fraser Minister of Jobs, Economic Development and Competitiveness.............................................................................Hon. Michelle Mungall Minister of State for Trade...............................................................................................................................................Hon. George Chow Minister of Labour ...................................................................................................................................................................Hon.

Harry Bains Minister of Mental Health and Addictions............................................................................................................................ Hon. Judy Darcy Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing.................................................................................................................. Hon. Selina Robinson Minister of Public Safety and Solicitor General ........................................................................................................... Hon.

Mike Farnworth Minister of Social Development and Poverty Reduction..............................................................................................Hon. Shane Simpson Minister of Tourism, Arts and Culture.....................................................................................................................................Hon. Lisa Beare Minister of Transportation and Infrastructure................................................................................................................ Hon.

Claire Trevena LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY Leader of the Official Opposition................................................................................................................................Andrew Wilkinson, QC Leader of the Third Party .................................................................................................................................................................Adam Olsen Deputy Speaker................................................................................................................................................................................

Raj Chouhan Assistant Deputy Speaker............................................................................................................................................................. Simon Gibson Deputy Chair, Committee of the Whole ................................................................................................................ Spencer Chandra Herbert Clerk of the Legislative Assembly ...........................................................................................................................................

Kate Ryan-Lloyd Clerk Assistant — Committees and Interparliamentary Relations ..........................................................................................Susan Sourial Associate Law Clerk ..............................................................................................................................................Loredana Catalli-Sonier, QC Law Clerk and Parliamentary Counsel............................................................................................................................................ S.

Suzie Seo Acting Sergeant-at-Arms..................................................................................................................................................................Greg Nelson

ALPHABETICAL LIST OF MEMBERS Ashton, Dan (BC Liberal) ......................................................................... Penticton Bains, Hon. Harry (NDP)................................................................ Surrey-Newton Barnett, Donna (BC Liberal) .....................................................Cariboo-Chilcotin Beare, Hon. Lisa (NDP)..............................................

Maple Ridge–Pitt Meadows Begg, Garry (NDP) .......................................................................Surrey-Guildford Bernier, Mike (BC Liberal) .........................................................Peace River South Bond, Shirley (BC Liberal)...........................................Prince George–Valemount Brar, Jagrup (NDP).......................................................................Surrey-Fleetwood Cadieux, Stephanie (BC Liberal)........................................................

Surrey South Chandra Herbert, Spencer (NDP) .......................................Vancouver–West End Chen, Hon. Katrina (NDP)...................................................... Burnaby-Lougheed Chouhan, Raj (NDP) .................................................................Burnaby-Edmonds Chow, Hon. George (NDP).................................................Vancouver-Fraserview Clovechok, Doug (BC Liberal) ..................................Columbia River–Revelstoke Coleman, Rich (BC Liberal) ................................................................ Langley East Conroy, Hon.

Katrine (NDP)...........................................................Kootenay West Darcy, Hon. Judy (NDP) ............................................................. New Westminster Davies, Dan (BC Liberal) ........................................................... Peace River North de Jong, Michael, QC (BC Liberal) ..............................................Abbotsford West Dean, Mitzi (NDP)................................................................ Esquimalt-Metchosin D’Eith, Bob (NDP) ................................................................Maple Ridge–Mission Dix, Hon.

Adrian (NDP)....................................................... Vancouver-Kingsway Donaldson, Hon. Doug (NDP)...................................................................... Stikine Eby, Hon. David, QC (NDP).............................................. Vancouver–Point Grey Elmore, Mable (NDP).........................................................Vancouver-Kensington Farnworth, Hon. Mike (NDP) ........................................................Port Coquitlam Fleming, Hon. Rob (NDP) ......................................................

Victoria–Swan Lake Foster, Eric (BC Liberal).............................................................Vernon-Monashee Fraser, Hon. Scott (NDP) ..................................................Mid Island–Pacific Rim Furstenau, Sonia (BC Green Party) .............................................Cowichan Valley Gibson, Simon (BC Liberal) ...................................................Abbotsford-Mission Glumac, Rick (NDP).........................................................Port Moody–Coquitlam Heyman, Hon. George (NDP) ................................................Vancouver-Fairview Horgan, Hon.

John (NDP) ................................................ Langford–Juan de Fuca Hunt, Marvin (BC Liberal) ........................................................ Surrey-Cloverdale Isaacs, Joan (BC Liberal) .......................................... Coquitlam–Burke Mountain James, Hon. Carole (NDP).................................................... Victoria–Beacon Hill Johal, Jas (BC Liberal).................................................Richmond-Queensborough Kahlon, Ravi (NDP)............................................................................... Delta North Kang, Hon.

Anne (NDP)......................................................... Burnaby–Deer Lake Kyllo, Greg (BC Liberal)..............................................................................Shuswap Larson, Linda (BC Liberal) .............................................. Boundary-Similkameen Lee, Michael (BC Liberal) ........................................................Vancouver-Langara Leonard, Ronna-Rae (NDP) ..................................................... Courtenay-Comox Letnick, Norm (BC Liberal).............................................

Kelowna–Lake Country Ma, Bowinn (NDP) .....................................................North Vancouver–Lonsdale Malcolmson, Sheila (NDP) ........................................................................Nanaimo Mark, Hon. Melanie (NDP) .......................................Vancouver–Mount Pleasant Martin, John (BC Liberal)....................................................................... Chilliwack Milobar, Peter (BC Liberal)..................................... Kamloops–North Thompson Morris, Mike (BC Liberal) ........................................... Prince George–Mackenzie Mungall, Hon.

Michelle (NDP)......................................................Nelson-Creston Oakes, Coralee (BC Liberal) ............................................................ Cariboo North Olsen, Adam (BC Green Party)............................ Saanich North and the Islands Paton, Ian (BC Liberal).......................................................................... Delta South Plecas, Hon. Darryl (Ind.) ........................................................... Abbotsford South Polak, Mary (BC Liberal) ............................................................................. Langley Popham, Hon.

Lana (NDP)............................................................... Saanich South Ralston, Hon. Bruce (NDP) ............................................................Surrey-Whalley Redies, Tracy (BC Liberal) .......................................................Surrey–White Rock Reid, Linda (BC Liberal) ................................................. Richmond South Centre Rice, Jennifer (NDP) ............................................................................. North Coast Robinson, Hon.

Selina (NDP) .........................................Coquitlam-Maillardville Ross, Ellis (BC Liberal)................................................................................... Skeena Routledge, Janet (NDP) ....................................................................Burnaby North Routley, Doug (NDP) ................................................. Nanaimo–North Cowichan Rustad, John (BC Liberal) ................................................................Nechako Lakes Shypitka, Tom (BC Liberal) ..............................................................

Kootenay East Simons, Nicholas (NDP) ......................................... Powell River–Sunshine Coast Simpson, Hon. Shane (NDP)..................................................Vancouver-Hastings Sims, Jinny (NDP) ........................................................................ Surrey-Panorama Singh, Rachna (NDP) .........................................................Surrey–Green Timbers Stewart, Ben (BC Liberal) ................................................................. Kelowna West Stilwell, Michelle (BC Liberal)...............................................

Parksville-Qualicum Stone, Todd (BC Liberal)..........................................Kamloops–South Thompson Sturdy, Jordan (BC Liberal)........................................ West Vancouver–Sea to Sky Sullivan, Sam (BC Liberal)................................................ Vancouver–False Creek Sultan, Ralph (BC Liberal) ...........................................West Vancouver–Capilano Tegart, Jackie (BC Liberal) ................................................................. Fraser-Nicola Thomson, Steve (BC Liberal)......................................................

Kelowna-Mission Thornthwaite, Jane (BC Liberal) ...............................North Vancouver–Seymour Throness, Laurie (BC Liberal) .......................................................Chilliwack-Kent Trevena, Hon. Claire (NDP) ................................................................North Island Wat, Teresa (BC Liberal) ................................................. Richmond North Centre Weaver, Dr.

Andrew (Ind.)................................................Oak Bay–Gordon Head Wilkinson, Andrew, QC (BC Liberal) ................................Vancouver-Quilchena Y ap, John (BC Liberal)............................................................Richmond-Steveston LIST OF MEMBERS BY RIDING Abbotsford-Mission............................................................................Simon Gibson Abbotsford South....................................................................... Hon. Darryl Plecas Abbotsford West......................................................................

Michael de Jong, QC Boundary-Similkameen...................................................................... Linda Larson Burnaby–Deer Lake....................................................................... Hon. Anne Kang Burnaby-Edmonds................................................................................Raj Chouhan Burnaby-Lougheed .................................................................... Hon. Katrina Chen Burnaby North .................................................................................

Janet Routledge Cariboo-Chilcotin .............................................................................Donna Barnett Cariboo North.................................................................................... Coralee Oakes Chilliwack ............................................................................................... John Martin Chilliwack-Kent ...............................................................................Laurie Throness Columbia River–Revelstoke .........................................................

Doug Clovechok Coquitlam–Burke Mountain.................................................................. Joan Isaacs Coquitlam-Maillardville ...................................................... Hon. Selina Robinson Courtenay-Comox................................................................... Ronna-Rae Leonard Cowichan Valley .............................................................................

Sonia Furstenau Delta North.............................................................................................Ravi Kahlon Delta South ..................................................................................................Ian Paton Esquimalt-Metchosin ..............................................................................Mitzi Dean Fraser-Nicola .........................................................................................

Jackie Tegart Kamloops–North Thompson .............................................................Peter Milobar Kamloops–South Thompson..................................................................Todd Stone Kelowna–Lake Country .....................................................................Norm Letnick Kelowna-Mission ..............................................................................

Steve Thomson Kelowna West ..........................................................................................Ben Stewart Kootenay East.......................................................................................Tom Shypitka Kootenay West........................................................................ Hon. Katrine Conroy Langford–Juan de Fuca .............................................................. Hon. John Horgan Langley .....................................................................................................

Mary Polak Langley East.........................................................................................Rich Coleman Maple Ridge–Mission.............................................................................. Bob D’Eith Maple Ridge–Pitt Meadows............................................................Hon. Lisa Beare Mid Island–Pacific Rim................................................................ Hon. Scott Fraser Nanaimo......................................................................................

Sheila Malcolmson Nanaimo–North Cowichan............................................................... Doug Routley Nechako Lakes........................................................................................ John Rustad Nelson-Creston ................................................................... Hon. Michelle Mungall New Westminster........................................................................... Hon. Judy Darcy North Coast ...........................................................................................

Jennifer Rice North Island.............................................................................. Hon. Claire Trevena North Vancouver–Lonsdale................................................................... Bowinn Ma North Vancouver–Seymour........................................................Jane Thornthwaite Oak Bay–Gordon Head............................................................Dr.

Andrew Weaver Parksville-Qualicum.......................................................................Michelle Stilwell Peace River North ................................................................................... Dan Davies Peace River South ................................................................................ Mike Bernier Penticton ................................................................................................. Dan Ashton Port Coquitlam...................................................................... Hon.

Mike Farnworth Port Moody–Coquitlam.......................................................................Rick Glumac Powell River–Sunshine Coast....................................................... Nicholas Simons Prince George–Mackenzie....................................................................Mike Morris Prince George–Valemount ..................................................................

Shirley Bond Richmond North Centre..........................................................................Teresa Wat Richmond-Queensborough.........................................................................Jas Johal Richmond South Centre ......................................................................... Linda Reid Richmond-Steveston ...................................................................................

John Y ap Saanich North and the Islands .............................................................Adam Olsen Saanich South .............................................................................Hon. Lana Popham Shuswap...................................................................................................... Greg Kyllo Skeena........................................................................................................... Ellis Ross Stikine....................................................................................Hon.

Doug Donaldson Surrey-Cloverdale ................................................................................ Marvin Hunt Surrey-Fleetwood.....................................................................................Jagrup Brar Surrey–Green Timbers........................................................................Rachna Singh Surrey-Guildford......................................................................................Garry Begg Surrey-Newton ..............................................................................Hon.

Harry Bains Surrey-Panorama ...................................................................................... Jinny Sims Surrey South ................................................................................ Stephanie Cadieux Surrey-Whalley ......................................................................... Hon. Bruce Ralston Surrey–White Rock .............................................................................. Tracy Redies Vancouver-Fairview.............................................................. Hon.

George Heyman Vancouver–False Creek........................................................................ Sam Sullivan Vancouver-Fraserview...............................................................Hon. George Chow Vancouver-Hastings ............................................................... Hon. Shane Simpson Vancouver-Kensington....................................................................... Mable Elmore Vancouver-Kingsway..................................................................... Hon.

Adrian Dix Vancouver-Langara................................................................................ Michael Lee Vancouver–Mount Pleasant..................................................... Hon. Melanie Mark Vancouver–Point Grey ............................................................Hon.

David Eby, QC Vancouver-Quilchena........................................................Andrew Wilkinson, QC Vancouver–West End .....................................................Spencer Chandra Herbert Vernon-Monashee ....................................................................................Eric Foster Victoria–Beacon Hill.................................................................. Hon. Carole James Victoria–Swan Lake.................................................................... Hon. Rob Fleming West Vancouver–Capilano...................................................................

Ralph Sultan West Vancouver–Sea to Sky................................................................Jordan Sturdy Party Standings: BC Liberal 42; NDP 41; Independent 2; BC Green Party 2

CONTENTS Tuesday, March 3, 2020 Morning Sitting Page Routine Business Introductions by Members................................................................................................................................................... 11423 Introduction and First Reading of Bills.............................................................................................................................. 11425 Bill 5 — Employment Standards Amendment Act, 2020 Hon. H.

Bains Statements (Standing Order 25B) ....................................................................................................................................... 11426 Izzy comfort dolls international initiative L. Reid Social workers M. Dean Jerry Asp and Tahltan Nation E. Ross Wildlife and habitat protection B. D’Eith Careers in skilled trades J. Thornthwaite World Hearing Day N.

Simons Oral Questions....................................................................................................................................................................... 11428 Strata insurance cost increases T. Stone Hon. C. James J. Thornthwaite Transit services and funding A. Olsen Hon. C. Trevena Strata insurance cost increases S. Bond Hon. C. James L. Throness M. Hunt J.

Johal Orders of the Day Second Reading of Bills ........................................................................................................................................................ 11433 Bill 8 — Education Statutes Amendment Act, 2020 Hon. R. Fleming D. Davies Hon. K. Chen B. Ma Proceedings in the Douglas Fir Room Committee of Supply ............................................................................................................................................................ 11441 Estimates: Ministry of Children and Family Development Hon. K. Conroy L. Throness

TUESDAY , MARCH 3, 2020 The House met at 10:04 a.m. [Mr. Speaker in the chair.] Routine Business Prayers and reflections: M. Stilwell. [10:05 a.m.] Introductions by Members Hon. M. Farnworth:It’s my pleasure today to introduce some very important individuals. All of us on both sides of the House benefit from the work that our interns do when they’re with us. It’s an amazing program. It’s my pleas- ure today to introduce the government caucus interns for 2020.

First is Emilio Caputo, who majored in history and minored in political science and philosophy from the Uni- versity of Northern British Columbia; Sam Harrison, who majored in engineering, science and minored in econom- ics from the University of Toronto; Saige Lawson, who majored in sociology at the University of Victoria; Patricia Masur, combined majors in political science and history from Dalhousie University; and Patrick Vachon, who majored in history and minored in political science from Kwantlen Polytechnic University.

Would the House please make these amazing young people most welcome and thank them for the great job that they do. Hon. J. Darcy:I’m really, really pleased to have two very special guests from New Westminster in the gallery today. They are Shane Poole, the vice-president of New Westmin- ster Firefighters, and Randy Stuber, the treasurer of New Westminster Firefighters.

Not only do these two wonderful men and their colleagues go to work every day, put them- selves on the line, put their lives on the line on behalf of the very, very grateful citizens of our community, but they also give back to our community in so many ways with their charitable foundation. They are the rock of New Westminster. If I could just ask everyone in this House to join me in giving them a very, very warm welcome and an enormous thank you. M.

Lee: I would like to welcome four members, visitors to our House: one a regular guest, Jason Goertzen, of Leading Influence, the organization; and of course, Tim Schindel, the president and national director of that organ- ization. This morning many members of this House, 35 in fact, were able to attend, by invitation, the Leading Influence MLA Prayer Breakfast. It’s a very important reminder to all of us in terms of what we do in our roles as MLAs in this House.

I know that all of us in this House, all members, benefit from the prayers and the good thoughts of that organiza- tion on a non-partisan basis, particularly as they continue to encourage good governance by all legislators across this country, including here in B.C. Today they brought with them…. Dave Carrol is here, as well as Brian Beattie. Brian is the chair of ONEchurch Brantford and the lead pastor of the Freedom House church in Brantford, Ontario. His colleague Dave Carrol was the guest speaker this morning.

He spoke about the kindness project and the work that he’s done over many years in Brantford, which has had a terrific impact and was a great example of the kind of leadership and the kinds of initiatives around caring for our neighbours and caring for those who are less fortunate in our society and the kind of impact that that can have. I know that was a very import- ant message that resonated with each of us at the breakfast. So thank you for delivering that, otherwise known as Captain Kindness. Will all members join me in welcoming all of you to this House. N.

Letnick: My father had Lewy Body disease, which is a form of dementia. It’s actually a mix of dementia and Parkinson’s disease. He passed away with that. My mother had Alzheimer’s. She passed away. My mother-in-law had Alzheimer’s. My story, I don’t think, is much different than many of us in this chamber and of all of our citizens that we serve throughout British Columbia. [10:10 a.m.] We are very blessed in B.C. to have an Alzheimer’s soci- ety that looks after us and encourages us to take action to try to prevent it and supports us with research and other actions we can do if we do have it.

Today the Minister of Health is being very kind in host- ing a luncheon at noon in the Hall of Honour. Everyone is welcome to meet these wonderful heroes of the Alzheimer Society of B.C. On behalf of everyone, I would hope, I would like to welcome Maria Howard, CEO of the Alzheimer Society; Barbara Lindsay; Cathryn France; Jen Stewart; Katie Hoy; Jasmine Chauhan; Paul Wu; Lynn Jackson; Katrina Prescott; Myrna Norman and her partner, Dave Norman; Paul Blanchet; Ken Walker and his partner, Mark Demers; and Steve Shaw.

The last thing I would say before we welcome them is that we all understand, in this House, the challenge of intergenerational equity — making sure that not only our young people have the tools they need to get ahead in life, but also making sure that our seniors have the resources they require. It’s always that struggle. But today at lunch, we’re going to focus on Alzheimer’s and the good work they do. Would the House please make them feel very welcome. 11423

Hon. H. Bains:We’re joined in the House by a few of the very, very special people that I have, and we all have, the pleasure of working with: Stephanie Smith, presid- ent of BCGEU; Sussanne Skidmore, secretary-treasurer of the B.C. Federation of Labour; Christy Slusarenko, vice- president of MoveUP; Rysa Kronebusch, vice-president at MoveUP; Danielle Marchand of BCGEU. These people and the work that they represent have been instrumental in voicing their concerns and recom- mendations and participating in public consultations that we have held, as a practice, when considering legislative changes.

Today they are voicing their support for the work that we are doing providing strong protection for workers around the province. Please join with me and give them a very warm wel- come. T. Shypitka: Kootenay East is honoured and priv- ileged. We have the best firefighting locals in the province. We’re equally blessed today, as we’ve got a couple of members from the Cranbrook Professional Fire Fighters Local 1253. We’ve got Paul Relkoff and Murray Robertson in the House. Would the House please give them a warm welcome. Hon. K. Conroy:I think I’ll challenge the member for Kootenay East.

I’m going to introduce who I think are the best firefighters in the House. Our firefighters are from Trail, Local 941. With us we have Mike Parsons, a trustee; Rick Morris, the secretary-treasurer; Lee DePellegrin, the president of the Trail Fire Fighters Local 941 and the Koo- tenay vice-president of the B.C. association. I just have to tell you how incredible these fellows are. I have taken my grandkids there a couple of times. They go out of their way to make sure that they get the best experi- ence possible. So much that….

I haven’t told them yet, but one of the youngest — she’s only four — is determined she’s going to be a firefighter someday. They also are the best parade organizers. They’ve organ- ized the Trail parade for Trail Silver City Days, I think for going on 40 years now. I haven’t been there that long, but I know that they’ve been doing it. Neither of these guys, but the Trail local has been doing it for years. I just want to thank them for all the work they do and the incredible gifts that they give to our community. B.

Stewart:It gives me great pleasure to introduce two firefighters who are joining myself here today from the city of West Kelowna, Trevor Bredin and Nathan Pike, who have been making this trip annually for quite some time. I think I speak for all the members of this House that…. I think that the firefighters that come to the Legislature probably do some of the best, if not the best, representation of their organization on issues that we’ve tackled. More importantly, I’m looking forward to discussing that here with them today. I just want to wel- come them here in the precinct. M.

Dean: Today I have some very special guests in the gallery. We have Maura Gowans and Sarah Thomas, who are from the Aboriginal Mother Centre Society. We have Elijah Zimmerman, who is from the Victoria Sexual Assault Centre. We’re also joined by Caroline Marchand, who is a community member and advocate, and Makenna Rielly, who is here on behalf of the B.C. Association of Transition Houses as well as Victoria Women’s Transition House. [10:15 a.m.] I want to say thank you to you all for all of your amazing service and your advocacy. Thank you for being here with us today. Would you all please make them very welcome.

G. Kyllo:We’re joined in the House today by someone that’s no stranger to this House — a dear friend, Lynn Kline, who is the absolute champion of the B.C. Ambu- lance Service. Would the House please make Lynn feel very welcome. Hon. A. Dix: I’ d like to join my colleagues from across the way, first of all, in thanking everyone at Leading Influ- ence for the breakfast this morning. I think that in Jason, Tim and the Captain, I sense a good road buddy movie, maybe visiting miniature golf courses across the country. I think in the sequel, you’ll go to Vegas, so that’s good. We really enjoyed it this morning.

I think the discussion of kindness is an excellent preparation for what we’re about to receive. It’s wonderful to see you all. Of course, I want to join my colleague from Kelow- na–Lake Country and acknowledge the personal story that he evokes about Alzheimer’s and thank Murray and the whole team from the Alzheimer Society for being there, for joining us at lunch. We welcome all members to join us at lunch for what is always an important presentation in our lives, and it’s part, of course, of the lives of so many people in our communities. D.

Davies:Since I’m the last person to do the introduc- tions, I can actually say that two of our best firefighters in the province, representing the best local in the province, have joined us today. Certainly, I do recognize in the House that all of our firefighters across the province do an amazing job keeping us safe. They all do an incredible job in our communities. Nothing like the Fort St. John Fire- fighters Charitable Society, which helps people that travel to medical appointments and at a time of need.

We’re so far away from many services that I know that their charitable society gets leaned on a lot to help people move around the province to seek medical appointments. Would the House please welcome Matt Crompton and Chris Austin. 11424 British Columbia Debates Tuesday, March 3, 2020

S. Furstenau:I have a couple of introductions to make today. Joining me for the day are two UVic students who will be shadowing me. Valerie Bouilane grew up in the Okanagan, where she did environmental studies at the Okanagan College. She’s now at UVic doing a double major in political science and environmental studies — a very good combination, I think. Claire Eppler grew up in Parksville. She’s also at UVic studying political science in her third year. I’m very excited to have them here. I hope that all members will make them feel most wel- come today.

I also want to echo the words of my colleagues, very much acknowledging the presence of the Alzheimer Soci- ety today and the leadership group of people living with dementia and their caregivers. In particular, I have a con- stituent here today named Christine Kenzit, who is part of the leadership team for the Alzheimer Society of B.C. I think that the words this morning from Dave Carrol, a.k.a. Captain Kindness, really fit in with how we can be approaching looking at how we make a society that is structured better for people living with dementia and Alzheimer’s. The starting point really is kindness and empathy.

It’s a nice combination to have those two themes come together, because really, we all understand and rec- ognize that Alzheimer’s and dementia touch all of us. We do need to work very hard to make sure that this is a society that works for everybody, including those with Alzheimer’s in society. Finally, I’ d just like to say hello to my constituent Lynn Kline. It’s always lovely to have him in the building, and I hope I run into him in the hallway. L. Reid:I would ask the House to join with me today in wishing my son a happy 16th birthday.

I can tell you it was lovely, and I knew it was time to take him home to the rid- ing when he told his little preschool buddies that he lived in a really big house and we had parking for 400 people. [10:20 a.m.] S. Chandra Herbert:I would like to join everyone in the House in welcoming their firefighters, but in particular Local 18, the Vancouver firefighters, over 800 members. I also want to acknowledge their charitable work. They have a very, very popular calendar, the Hall of Flame Calendar. Members here might want to pick up a copy to take home to their friends and family.

It helps, of course, kids, seniors and everyone else in our community through their charit- able arm as well. Please make them welcome. A. Olsen:I, too, want to raise my hands to the fire ser- vices that are in Saanich North and the Islands. Partic- ularly, we’ll be having a visit later today with the assist- ant chief of the Salt Spring fire service, Jamie Holmes, as well as Lieutenant Mitchell Sherrin, who are in the build- ing today. I very much look forward to meeting with them — what has become an annual visit.

But also to raise my hands to the other mixed services in my riding, in central Saanich, North Saanich and Sidney, and, of course, to the full volunteer services on Pender, Mayne, Galiano and Sat- urna. These are incredibly difficult places to service. I really thank all of the members of our communities who commit to that important work. I stand with all the members in this place in thanking the fire services for their incredible work — and the firefighters. HÍSW̱ ḴE SIÁM. J.

Sims: Seeing all the accolades for the firefighters, I couldn’t possibly sit quietly and not mention the amaz- ing group of firefighters who are here from Surrey, of course — Local 1271. These are the people who put themselves in front of danger to protect us each and every day. Thank you. Introduction and First Reading of Bills BILL 5 — EMPLOYMENT STANDARDS AMENDMENT ACT, 2020 Hon. H. Bains presented a message from Her Honour the Lieutenant-Governor: a bill intituled Employment Standards Amendment Act, 2020. Hon. H. Bains:I move that the bill be introduced and read a first time now.

This bill amends the Employment Standards Act to provide a new employer-paid leave of up to five days for employees experiencing, or who have specific family members experiencing, domestic or sexual violence. It builds upon the unpaid job-protected domestic or sexual violence leave this government introduced for employees last year and represents further progress on our commit- ment to support individuals experiencing this type of violence. This will help people who have faced domestic or sexual violence by giving them the space to rebuild their lives. This may mean getting medical support, psychological support.

It could mean they have the time necessary to find a new place to live or a new school for their children, all without sacrificing their job or their pay. These amend- ments will modernize B.C. ’s employment standards and bring our laws to protect workers in line with other juris- dictions. Mr. Speaker:The question is first reading of the bill. Motion approved. Hon. H. Bains: I move that the bill be placed on the orders of the day for second reading at the next sitting of the House after today. Tuesday, March 3, 2020 British Columbia Debates 11425

Bill 5, Employment Standards Amendment Act, 2020, introduced, read a first time and ordered to be placed on orders of the day for second reading at the next sitting of the House after today. Statements (Standing Order 25B) IZZY COMFORT DOLLS INTERNATIONAL INITIATIVE L. Reid:I dedicate my remarks today to Ella Tanner and the knitters of Granville Gardens. Ella was kind enough to tour me and show me this amazing array of Izzy dolls. Their work is actually knitting these dolls that become part of these packs that doctors carry across the globe.

Knitters and crocheters across Canada keep Health Partners Inter- national supplied with a very special product for the phys- ician travel pack, the Izzy doll. Doctors and health care professionals who carry this mobile medical kit, packed with essential medicines and supplies, give Izzy dolls to the youngest patients. Some- times the handmade doll is also known as a comfort doll and is oftentimes a child’s first toy. The physician travel pack puts the essential life-saving medicines into the hands of doctors so that people can be treated and healed.

It is such a neat and concrete way of offering your time and skills for a little child who doesn’t have much. In fact, in memory of Master Cpl. Mark Isfeld’s mother, Carol…. She created the Izzy dolls so he would have some- thing to give to the children he met while serving as a peacekeeper. In 1994, Mark was killed by a land mine explosion while serving in Croatia. Mark’s comrades in one combat engineer regiment asked Carol to continue making the dolls for them to give out. [10:25 a.m.] The physician travel pack is a mobile medical kit filled with essential medicines and medical supplies.

The PTP contents are donated by Canadian health care companies to Health Partners International of Canada. Each can provide 600 treatments. Almost every day of the year, a doctor, nurse or other health professional leaves Canada equipped with a physician travel pack to bring health and hope to a community in the developing world. I thank the knitters. I thank the physicians. I thank everyone who makes a child’s day brighter. SOCIAL WORKERS M. Dean:March 15 to 21 is Social Work Week in British Columbia, and March is Social Work Month.

I am very proud to rise today, as a social worker, to recognize and honour B.C. ’s social workers and every front-line worker who delivers social work service across the province. We have nearly 3,500 staff delivering front-line work on behalf of the Ministry of Children and Family Develop- ment. The work is demanding and draining, and these staff serve families with care and compassion. At a time when families are struggling, our staff is there to bring hope and vision for the future, which is often life-changing.

Every day they are advocating for people, providing counselling, navigating access to services, responding to trauma and supporting families. They make a difference in the lives of families and at a crucial time. Social workers offer supports to families to help them succeed and to build plans with families in order to keep kids safe. This includes ensuring that families are supported in their com- munities and cultures and working in partnership with local communities, organizations and agencies. They ensure that children are safely supported to grow and thrive in their own families and cultures.

Their tireless work is something we recognize and are grateful for, not only during Social Work Week and Month but throughout the entire year. I hope that everyone here will join me in thanking all of our front-line staff for their kindness, passion and commitment to putting people first and building a better B.C. JERRY ASP AND TAHLTAN NATION E. Ross:I would like to take this opportunity to recog- nize the efforts led by one of Canada’s most remarkable Indigenous leaders, a leader who I believe deserves more credit for all the work he has done for the benefit of the Tahltan people.

Phillip Jerry Asp, or Jerry, is a member of the Tahltan Nation. Jerry, like other Tahltan leaders, is committed to enhancing Indigenous lives through the creation of new business opportunities and skills devel- opment. His story is unique because, as early as 1987, Jerry ensured that Indigenous people had a spot at the table alongside government and industry so his people could fight for a better future. What is remarkable is the year — 1987. Jerry’s advocacy was done without the use of Abori- ginal rights and title case law that many leaders today use as our mechanism for change.

The combination of his tim- ing and strategy make his story truly inspiring. In addition to working in the mining sector, Jerry’s career includes becoming president of the Native United Steelworkers local, founding the Tahltan Nation Develop- ment Corp., founding the Canadian Council for Aborigin- al Business and founding the Canadian Aboriginal Miner- als Association. He has been awarded the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal, the Skookum Jim Award, the Frank Woodside Past Presidents and Chairs Award and the Indspire Award for Business Commerce.

However, a written list of Jerry’s accomplishments can- not possibly encompass the impact he has had on indi- vidual lives of Indigenous people, not just in Tahltan but across B.C. and Canada. B.C. is lucky to have him fighting 11426 British Columbia Debates Tuesday, March 3, 2020

to create prosperity for Indigenous communities all across western Canada and making B.C. stronger. His narrative should be listened to and learned from. My personal opinion is that Jerry, on behalf of the Tahltan, should be recognized thoroughly, especially through the Order of B.C. or the Order of Canada. WILDLIFE AND HABITAT PROTECTION B. D’Eith:Today is World Wildlife Day. Scientists pre- dict that more than a million species are on track for extinction in the coming decades. Due to accelerated cli- mate change and global inaction, wildlife is facing threats like never before.

Recently in Australia, 1¼ billion animals died in brush fires. For these animals that survived, many of their former homes are now uninhabitable. We should recognize the threats to wildlife, but we should also celebrate the efforts that are being made to protect species in our province. [10:30 a.m.] In an historic agreement with federal and provincial governments, First Nations and two fish farms, Marine Harvest Canada and Cermaq Canada, all 17 fish farms in British Columbia’s Broughton Archipelago will either close or be moved in an effort to create a migration path for wild salmon.

Also, last century saw an over 90 percent decrease in the caribou in the Peace region. The provincial government recently signed an agreement with the West Moberly and Saulteau Nations to protect caribou. This agreement will protect 700,000 hectares of caribou habitat. Now, at the local level, groups throughout the province are also working tirelessly to defend our wildlife. In my riding, the Alouette River Management Society has done fantastic work for decades to protect salmon in the upper Alouette River. The Kanaka Education and Environmental Partnership, or KEEPS, are doing great work for salmon.

They installed a fish fence in the Alouette River, and this is a great resource for our community, for classrooms and researchers wanting to see salmon close up in their natural habitat. Of course, First Nations have been protecting wildlife for over a millennium. This work continues. The Katzie Nation is working to restore the Blue Creek habitat in Upper Pitt River. And the Kwantlen Nation currently has programs integrating science and data with traditional Indigenous knowledge of their lands to help salmon con- servation.

For future generations and for communities that depend on wildlife for their culture, it’s important to bring awareness to endangered species and take the steps to pro- tect them now and in the future. CAREERS IN SKILLED TRADES J. Thornthwaite:A university education can provide a great opportunity for people to establish themselves and their careers, but this does not mean it’s the best route for everyone. In 2016, 42 percent of university graduates bor- rowed money to pay for their degrees, owing an average of between $20,000 and $25,000.

Many university graduates are still paying off debt into their 30s and may not have a well-paying job nor any job security after graduating. In contrast, most students who entered the trades right out of high school will have minimal, if any, student debt and will gain on-the-job, paid experience throughout their four years of training. The construction labour shortage will only increase in the coming years, promising job security for people interested in working in the trades. Take my friend Erik Bornestig. By 23, he was a journey- man electrician making $85,000 a year.

By 24, he owned his own company, now called Born West Electric. By the age of 25, he had earned enough money to put a $125,000 down payment on a townhouse in North Vancouver. Today he owns his own house, he’s got no student debt, owns his own company, employs four people, and he’s only 29 years old. Erik is a leader in my community, serving as vice-pres- ident of the Lynn Valley Lions Club, and he regularly visits high schools to speak to youth about the benefits of red seal trades and financial responsibility. In an

article that was published by Katie Bingham- Smith last week about the stigma surrounding trade school: “Parents, the stigma started with us, and it needs to end with us. ” Y oung people need to know that they can have a valuable career as an electrician, a carpenter or a plumber, and parents and teachers can help by educating their young people to consider these valuable, lucrative careers. We need them. WORLD HEARING DAY N.

Simons: Today is World Hearing Day, and every year the World Health Organization chooses a theme and creates materials for governments and health organiza- tions to use to raise awareness on how to prevent deafness and hearing loss. This year’s theme is “Hearing for life!” to highlight that timely and effective interventions can ensure that people with hearing loss are able to achieve their full potential. The key message people should get from this awareness campaign is that communication helps us to connect to each other, to our community and to the world.

For people with hearing loss, appropriate interventions can open doors to education, to employment and to a better quality of life. We should be aware that in many jurisdictions, there’s a lack of access to the appropriate interventions, such as hearing aids. I’m glad to say that in British Columbia almost every newborn is screened for hearing loss. When undiagnosed, the child’s learning and language development can be delayed. But with the screening, families can access sup- Tuesday, March 3, 2020 British Columbia Debates 11427

port and care to ensure that appropriate steps are taken to ensure children reach their potential. Just to put this into perspective, about one in 400 chil- dren are born with a hearing loss, one in 50 for children with other complex health issues at birth, and most are born into families with no history of hearing loss. [10:35 a.m.] Like a lot of people, I didn’t realize that my hearing loss was significant until I got tested. I knew one ear was a little better than the other. I’ d hear a sound and turn the wrong way.

People would say maybe I was too loud when I heckled or when hotel security banged on my door to ask me to turn down my television. The bottom line here is that you should get your hearing tested. Even as an adult, intervention can forestall further hearing loss. If you find yourself thinking that people mumble more than they used to, if you ask people to repeat themselves, if you don’t hear the dripping of a faucet that you know you didn’t fix, if you miss words within a sentence or maybe people say you talk too loudly, these might be signs. I have a hearing aid now.

I’m happy, even though I can hear you all better. Oral Questions STRATA INSURANCE COST INCREASES T. Stone: British Columbians living in condos and townhomes want the NDP to take action today. Strata insurance premiums are skyrocketing by as much as 400 percent. Judy Dryden says: “The huge increases heaped upon condos are making it difficult to meet our monthly bills. These huge increases are attacking very vulnerable people. ” My question is this to the minister. What possible reason could the minister have for not acting quickly to help Judy and the thousands of other British Colum- bians just like her? Hon. C.

James: As the member knows, this issue is urgent and challenging and complex. This is a private industry. These are private businesses that set their terms for condo insurance. We are looking at options to be able to tackle the challenge, both short term and long term. As I’ve mentioned, there are issues that we believe we can look at in the short term, but there are long-term issues that also need to be addressed, which is why we’ve referred it to the B.C. Financial Services Authority to take a look at regulation. We’re examining the bill that has come forward from the member for Kamloops–South Thompson.

It doesn’t appear that there are things that will address the challenges immediately, but there are some interesting pieces that we’re reviewing. One of them, for example, is the issue of water damage and a prevention program, which the member mentioned. This is very similar to the leaky-condo program that was in place by the past, past, past government and actually can- celled by the other side. But it’s an interesting idea to bring forward. I think there are some options there that we’re certainly reviewing.

We recognize the pressure that this is putting on busi- nesses, and that’s why we’re working with condo associ- ations. That’s why we’re working with the industry. That’s why we’re working with the B.C. Financial Services Authority as well. Mr. Speaker:Member, Kamloops–South Thompson, on a supplemental. T. Stone:Well, the minister says that she’s talking and talking and talking more. This is cold comfort for the thousands of British Columbians who are facing very ser- ious financial hardship due to these skyrocketing strata insurance costs.

It actually turns out that the Finance Minister has 75 million reasons for her delays and excuses. Budget 2020 shows that the NDP will collect an additional $75 mil- lion in tax revenue on insurance premiums over the next three years. The NDP are actually profiting on this strata insurance crisis. Now, Laura Opsal says this…. Interjections. Mr. Speaker:Members. Members. Order, please. We shall hear the question. T. Stone:Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Laura Opsal says this: “Enough is enough in money grabs, be it our taxes or our strata costs. ” My question is this.

Why is the minister gouging Brit- ish Columbians like Laura? Why is she not taking swift, decisive action to address these skyrocketing strata insurance costs? [10:40 a.m.] Hon. C. James:Well, I don’t know if it’s entertainment for the other side to be able to have the member stand up and talk about gouging when we know exactly the work he did that gouged taxpayers and ratepayers at ICBC for years. Unbelievable. Unbelievable to hear the member talk about profits and taking profits. That’s exactly the problem we ran into at ICBC because of the work of that member over there.

So I will take no lessons from that member on the other side. Nor will the taxpayers or the ratepayers of ICBC, because they know what happens when they listen to the other side. That’s why you’re on the other side, Member, and not over on this side. This is a very serious issue. This is a complex issue. That’s why we are working with the strata associations. 11428 British Columbia Debates Tuesday, March 3, 2020

That’s why we’re working with owners. That’s why we’re working with the insurance industry. That’s why we’ve engaged with our colleagues across the country, because this is not a unique issue to British Columbia. The national commercial insurance task force is also looking at this issue, because it is an issue that’s causing problems across the country. We are working on both short-term and long-term solutions. The member will hear that when they come forward. J. Thornthwaite:There is a 4.4 percent provincial tax applied to every strata insurance premium. So when premiums skyrocket, the NDP reaps a windfall.

This year alone the NDP are collecting an extra $15 million in insur- ance premiums tax. Dianna Lukacs calls rising strata costs “totally unfair to all the condo owners as well as seniors on fixed incomes and everyone else stuck in this situation. ” My question to the minister: how is this fair to Dianna? Hon. C. James:So $1.2 billion from ICBC that taxpay- ers had to cover because of the costs that that side brought forward. I’m sorry. Doubling of tuition fees. Doubling of MSP premiums. And you are talking about affordability? The other side is talking about affordability? I’m sorry, there is no…. Interjections.

Mr. Speaker:Members. Members, order, please. Hon. C. James:There is no advice around affordability that can come from that side that has any credibility for the taxpayers of British Columbia. We are working on this issue with the people involved, with strata owners, with people across the country. As I said, this is a national issue. That’s why the national association is being involved. That’s why the provincial association is being involved. That’s why we’re looking for short-term solutions that will help condo owners and long-term solutions that are going to address this issue.

It’s important because it is a critical issue for those people who are being affected. It’s also a very complex issue. We need to make sure we get this right. Mr. Speaker:The member for North Vancouver–Sey- mour on a supplemental. J. Thornthwaite:Well, it’s very interesting that while the Premier’s ratings plunged 10 percent, the strata insurance fees are going skyrocketing 400 percent. The fact is that the…. Interjections. Mr. Speaker:Members. Members, I was reminded this morning that Tim, Jason and Captain Kindness are in the gallery. I can only assume that they’ve already left.

Perhaps we can be a little more respectful. Thank you. J. Thornthwaite:The fact is that the NDP are actually profiting from this insurance crisis. That may be the reason why they’re not acting. Bev Fenton says…. This is Bev Fenton’s quote. This is not my quote; this is Bev Fenton’s quote. “This is beyond ridiculous. I’m on a pension and cannot afford what may happen with the insurance issue. Get on this, Premier. ” When is this government going to do something? Hon. C. James: Once again, we are working with the condo owners. We are working with the insurance industry.

We’re working with our colleagues across the country, because this is not an issue unique to British Columbia. This is an issue that is being seen across the country. [10:45 a.m.] It has everything to do with skyrocketing real estate prices that have occurred in the last while. It has to do with the insurance industry and the challenges in the insurance industry with some businesses leaving and competition issues. It has to do with climate action and the issues that are there. It’s a complex issue. It’s an urgent issue. That’s why we’re working together. TRANSIT SERVICES AND FUNDING A.

Olsen:Now, more than ever, governments need to invest in accessible, reliable, convenient public transit options. It reduces greenhouse gas emissions and increases affordability. Investments to increase capacity and, import- antly, accessibility, reliability and convenience always have to come before increased ridership. These values attract people onto the service. If these values are maintained and the experience is positive, people will make the decision to get rid of their vehicle and commit to public transit. Instability, uncertainty and unreliability all diminish convenience.

That’s what leads people to abandon public transit and invest in what they can count on, even if it’s a long commute in an expensive vehicle. In Budget 2020, this government is reducing funding for B.C. Transit this year and implementing a freeze over the next two years. My question is to the Minister of Finance. At a time when we need to be accelerating investments in our public transit operations to support a shift to a clean economy, this government is pumping the brakes. Why is the gov- ernment reducing funding for B.C. Transit? Hon. C. Trevena:I would like to thank the member for the question.

Good public transit is essential, as he says, to making life more affordable for people. It is essential as we tackle climate change. This is why our government has Tuesday, March 3, 2020 British Columbia Debates 11429

partnered with federal and local governments to fund $1.2 billion worth of transit investments across B.C. in this dec- ade. This is paying for new and replacement buses — usu- ally CNG clean fuel buses — transit facilities, upgrades to existing facilities, transit exchanges, park-and-rides and, what we’ve seen work so successfully, new bus lanes. To the member’s question about funding, government funding on public transit should go to the services people rely on. If large reserves are built up year after year, as has been seen in B.C. Transit, it isn’t going to those services. That’s why we’re working with B.C.

Transit, asking them to draw from their $42 million in reserves, as we work to expand transit services to serve more and more people. Mr. Speaker:The Leader of the Third Party on a supple- mental. A. Olsen:In my community on the Saanich Peninsula, I have heard from employers that a lack of public transit is a barrier to growing their business. I hear from employees that public transit would increase affordability and their quality of life. I hear from people from all parts of my com- munity how important the expansion of public transit is. I appreciate that this government may want to force B.C.

Transit to use their surplus this year, but this government is also planning a funding freeze over the next two years. As a result of this freeze, B.C. Transit predicts that rider- ship numbers will go down over the next few years. This is because funding will lag behind demand, meaning service levels will drop and people will choose not to take trans- it. B.C. Transit needs certainty about their funding to be able to make the crucial planning decisions they need to increase service levels to grow ridership. My question is again to the Minister of Finance.

If you’re committed to seeing growth in public transit, why forecast a freeze in funding over the next two years, handcuffing B.C. Transit’s ability to plan and grow for the future? Hon. C. Trevena:I think that the member is very well aware of our investment in transit systems in his own constituency. We are seeing hours of service increase. We are seeing that ridership has reached record levels. It’s expected to grow even larger in ’20-21 to a record 60.8 million trips. [10:50 a.m.] Accurate ridership predictions for the following year are based on next year’s budget, so as B.C.

Transit does draw from their larger reserves this year, there’s going to be no reduction in services, no impacts on expansion projects. Public transit remains a top priority for our govern- ment. We want to make life more affordable. We want to tackle climate change. We want to make sure people have options when it comes to how they travel. That’s why we’re going to continue to maintain a positive approach to B.C. Transit. STRATA INSURANCE COST INCREASES S.

Bond: Well, the Minister of Finance stands here in the Legislature and admits to British Columbians that skyrocketing strata insurance fees are an urgent issue, yet all she does is talk about it. She can continue to say: “Well, it’s bigger than just in British Columbia. ” Well, the fact of the matter is, and the minister knows this, that almost 9,000 British Columbians have sent a message to this gov- ernment that they want action. Not somewhere down the road, not in a little while, not after a lot more talk — they want action now.

The minister also knows that her ever-shrinking sur- plus is benefiting and being propped up by millions of dollars from the insurance premium taxes. It’s a fact. Members opposite may not like it. All they need to do is look in the budget. Here’s what Pam Scott writes to this minister: “Poten- tially massive increases in our strata condo insurance will make it very difficult to keep our home. Our budget simply cannot absorb hundreds of dollars more per month to pay for insurance. ” It’s time for the Minister of Finance to get up. People are potentially going to lose their homes. The time for talk is over.

It’s time to look at the bill that this side of the House has introduced and finally do something. Hon. C. James:In fact, as I said at the very first ques- tion that I received, we are looking at the bill that came forward from the member for Kamloops–South Thomp- son. We’re looking at all the options and ideas that are coming forward. There were two pieces that were interesting in that bill. One, as I mentioned, was the issue of water damage, which was a program that was in place for the leaky condo issue in the ’90s. That was a program cancelled by the other side.

They didn’t feel that that was a good program to put in place. I appreciate the member bringing it back again as an idea for us to take a look at. One of the other pieces that has been suggested by the insurance industry as well, as well as some of the condo folks, is to actually look at closing a loophole which allows stratas to defer their depreciation reports. That’s, again, a loophole that the other side opened. They gave the oppor- tunity for people to defer their depreciation reports, which isn’t helpful when it comes to insurance. That’s another piece of the member’s bill that we are taking a look at. Mr.

Speaker:The member for Prince George–Vale- mount on a supplemental. S. Bond: Well, thank you very much. We’re encouraged to hear that the minister is looking at the bill. Here’s what we’ d like to challenge her to do. There’s time, actually, this week to call the bill, put it on the floor of the House and do something about this issue. 11430 British Columbia Debates Tuesday, March 3, 2020

The minister can continue to deflect and refer this issue to all kinds of other people. This is squarely on her watch. She’s the minister. This is an issue she needs to deal with. She keeps referring to the condominium owners. Well, let’s actually have a look at what they have to say. They’re actually very supportive of the bill that’s been tabled by members on this side of the House. Let’s look at the quote that they made: “This isn’t just about large corporate interests and risks.

Individual homeowners are feeling the effects deep in their pocketbooks and increased exposure to high rates and deductibles. ” The minister has every opportunity and has had lots of time to do something about it. It is time for her to stand up, to call the bill and to tell the almost 9,000 British Columbians who’ve reached out to this government that they’re paying attention and that they’re finally going to do something. Hon. C. James:In the initial review that we’ve done of the member’s bill, as I said, there are a couple of interesting pieces that we’re looking at.

But it’s not clear how the oth- er proposals in the bill, in fact, will do anything for condo owners — will do anything to address the pressures that people are facing in the strata. [10:55 a.m.] People deserve the time to make sure that we look at a solution that’s actually going to work for the people who are facing this critical issue. That is exactly what we’re going to do. We’re going to make sure that we’re looking at an issue and a solution that are going to assist the people who are in stratas and who are facing the pressures and that are going to work for not only the short term but the long term.

There’s no point in trying to address something unless we take a look at both the short term and long term. That’s what we’re doing. That’s why…. As I mentioned, there are a couple of pieces in the member’s bill that are interesting that we’re taking a look at. Overall, some of the other changes won’t do anything for strata owners. We’re taking seriously the issue, and we’re working on it. L. Throness:British Columbians who live in condos and townhomes want action now from this government. Instead, we have a minister who is sleepwalking while thousands are living a personal nightmare.

Cheryl Salmon signed the petition that my colleague talked about. She says: “This is totally unfair to strata own- ers and will have a negative impact on the condo industry, our housing options and the economy. They need to be protected. ” They do need to be protected. What will the minister do today to help Cheryl? Hon. C. James:As I’ve said, and as I say again, we are working hard with the condo owners. We are working hard with the insurance industry. We are looking at options that are going to work.

Again, taking a look at the private member’s bill, it doesn’t appear that there are things that actually are going to assist strata owners. We want to make sure that we’re addressing this issue. It is an issue, as I said, that is not unique to British Columbia. It is across the country. That’s why those conversations are taking place. L. Throness:One and a half million people live in con- dos and townhomes in B.C. This is a big issue. Thousands are facing personal financial disaster, and this minister doesn’t seem to get it. James O’Commor says: “My kids are new condo owners and first-time buyers.

This will potentially make them lose their condo and their life savings. ” Why is this minister content just to talk — and to rake in millions, by the way, while she’s doing that — while people are looking at losing their own homes? Hon. C. James:I would suggest that the public has seen how the previous government, the other side, doesn’t care about real estate pressures, doesn’t care about housing. We hear the members on the other side now say that they care about people and affordability. Where were they with skyrocketing real estate prices?

Where was the other side when we saw a 75 percent increase in housing, when it comes to the Metro Vancouver area, in five years? When we saw people not being able to afford…. The other side was ignoring the issues when it came to homelessness, when it came to women fleeing violence, when it came to affordability for families. Those are issues we are taking seriously, just as we’re taking this issue seriously. We are going to work hard to make sure that people get the service they should have had for the last 16 years. M.

Hunt: From Lonsdale to Guildford, from Prince George and beyond, this crisis is sending shock waves throughout this province as people try to grapple with these skyrocketing premiums. Here in Victoria, we seem to have a complacent government that seems to be content to sit back and collect record tax revenue while this crisis goes on in our province. Leslie Sullivan says: “People are going to lose their homes. Nobody will purchase them with exorbitant strata fees. They will have to just walk away with nothing.

It’s out- rageous. ” The simple question is: when is this minister going to act and do something about it? Hon. C. James:Once again, as I’ve said, this is an issue across the country. This is not an issue unique to British Columbia. We are working to look at both short-term and long- term solutions so the issue is fixed. Part of it will be responsibilities for strata owners. Part of it will be respons- Tuesday, March 3, 2020 British Columbia Debates 11431

ibility for the insurance industry. Part of it will be solutions that government is looking at. [11:00 a.m.] We’re putting all of those together in a comprehensive approach. We are working hard to get that done so we can address this complex issue. Mr. Speaker:The member for Surrey-Cloverdale on a supplemental. M. Hunt:The strata fees are skyrocketing. This govern- ment is doing zero, except, of course, pocketing the extra tax revenue. Now, I find it always interesting that these members are really loud inside the House, but when it gets outside the House, complete and total silence.

Sharon Saw says: “I live in a strata, and I think it’s deplorable that families should be put in this position. What are we supposed to do?” We’re seeing people lose deposits. We’re seeing people not being able to proceed with sales. The minister is happy to sit around and monitor the situation and think about it. Well, the time for thinking is gone. We need action. Sharon can’t wait. What is she supposed to do? Interjections. Mr. Speaker:Back to question period. Hon. C.

James:I think we just heard the slogan for the next campaign: “Time for thinking is over. ” That’s what we’ve seen when it comes to the other side. We are taking this issue very seriously. We’re working hard on the issue, as I mentioned. We are looking at the parts of the bill that may make some sense, to be able to take a look at. There are other pieces of the bill that make no sense and that, in fact, would add more costs to indi- viduals.

There are suggestions in the private member’s bill to take a look at the pressures that people are facing and insist that they get insurance for their individual suites, which actually adds costs to people, not take away costs. It’s important to make sure that we take this issue ser- iously, that we look at what’s going to work for the strata industry, for the owners, for the insurance industry, and that’s exactly what we’re doing. J. Johal:I see the folks across the way are yukking it up. Y ou know, if 4.4 percent doesn’t catch your attention, how about the fact that he’s down 10 percent in the polls?

Maybe you should start paying attention. Ten percent. How are things going over there? Ten percent. When strata premiums skyrocket 400 percent, so does tax revenue. The minister is profiting from the misery of condo owners like Shayna Lahall. Shayna says: “I’m a single mom living in a condo building. I live paycheque to paycheque as it is and cannot afford any increases in payments. ” The minister is addicted to taxes. Why isn’t she helping people like Shayna? Hon. C. James:This is a serious issue. There are many condo owners who are facing great pressure.

Across the province, there are different examples of the kinds of pres- sures that are occurring. Certainly, in large buildings — buildings that may have put their depreciation reports aside — it appears that there are real pressures being faced. That’s why we need to make sure that we’re taking this issue seriously and looking at the data that’s out there. The B.C. Financial Services Authority is taking the time to be able to gather the data that’s needed. We are looking at short-term solutions that could assist owners now and long-term solutions.

If we simply fix it now, we’re going to continue to see these pressures. That’s why we’re making sure we gather the information and work with people. I know the other side doesn’t like to work with others. We on this side are going to be working closely with oth- ers. We’re going to be coming up with solutions, and we’re going to be addressing this issue. But looking at very simplistic approaches isn’t going to solve the problem. It’s not going to address the issue. We’re going to take this issue seriously. Mr. Speaker:Richmond-Queensborough on a supple- mental. J.

Johal:I remind the Finance Minister that she could do something today. Get rid of that tax, even if it’s tem- porary. Get rid of it. [11:05 a.m.] This is impacting everybody across British Columbia, from Maple Ridge to North Vancouver to Port Moody. It’s across this province. Thousands and thousands of people are being impacted. Linda Kintner says: “My mother is on a fixed income. A huge increase will endanger her ability to live on her own. ” Premiums are going up as much as 400 percent, and the NDP are receiving a tax windfall. Those are the facts. Will the minister drop the delays and call the bill? Hon. C.

James:Once again, bringing forward a bill that does nothing to address the pressures that are being faced does not make a good solution. That’s why we’re taking a look at the pieces in the bill that may be able to be worked through to be able to help owners. As I said, the water damage piece is one. Interjections. Mr. Speaker:Members. Members. Hon. C. James:That’s why we are taking a look at the 11432 British Columbia Debates Tuesday, March 3, 2020

pieces of the bill that may have some solution there. I men- tioned the water damage issue and looking at that idea. It has been in place before, as I mentioned, in the 1990s. Cancelled by that government. We’re looking at the depreciation, when they were gov- ernment. We’re looking at the depreciation issue again and the loophole that was opened by the other side to allow people to defer their depreciation report. We’re making sure we’re taking a look at the depreciation report issue. Again, that’s another piece that’s come forward. We are looking at other ideas that are coming forward.

If the members have other approaches they want to bring forward, they should. We’re making sure that we address this in the short and the long term. It is not only a complex issue. It’s also a pressure being faced by condo owners right now. [End of question period.] Orders of the Day Hon. M. Farnworth:In this chamber, I call second reading on Bill 8, Education Statutes Amendment Act. In Committee A, the Douglas Fir Room, I call the estimates of the Ministry of Children and Family Development. [R. Chouhan in the chair.] Second Reading of Bills BILL 8 — EDUCATION STATUTES AMENDMENT ACT, 2020 Hon. R.

Fleming: I move that the bill now be read a second time. The legislation before the House today amends the School Act and the Independent School Act to focus on four main objectives. First is to clarify the authority to issue provincial gradu- ation certificates to students of First Nations schools to support the implementation of the British Columbia Tri- partite Education Agreement, which is an agreement between the province, the government of Canada and First Nations.

Secondly, this bill clarifies that boards of education may offer before- and after-school child care directly, rather than through a separate, licensed child care provider to support government’s broader child care initiative. Third, the bill authorizes the issuance of personal edu- cation numbers to children at an earlier stage to support evidence-based policy decisions and capacity for K-to-12 enrolment planning and preparation.

Finally, this bill enhances the K-to-12 funding model by modernizing provisions related to online learning, intro- ducing provisions to ensure boards adhere to sound fin- ancial governance and management practices and remov- ing provisions related to the learning improvement fund, which is no longer part of the ministry’s appropriation. [11:10 a.m.] Let me begin with a more thorough description of the bill’s intent around the B.C. Tripartite Education Agree- ment.

Regarding the amendments related to BCTEA, these amendments set out the parties’ respective roles and responsibilities in improving educational outcomes for First Nations students, something that is incredibly important in the K-to-12 education sector today. These amendments are also in support of First Nations control of First Nations education, a direction that the province of British Columbia and Canada are moving towards.

This amendment forms part of government’s fulfilment of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s calls to action, part of government’s larger agenda on reconcili- ation and the importance of the school system in deliver- ing and moving our province forward on reconciliation, writ large. The BCTEA includes specific commitments to enable students and adult learners attending First Nations schools to obtain provincial Dogwood graduation certific- ates, known both as the Dogwood and the adult Dogwood.

The reality is that for several years now, the Ministry of Education has been offering the Dogwood to students who complete grade 12 at First Nations schools that meet spe- cific criteria established by the ministry. In addition, the Ministry of Education began offering the adult Dogwood to students of First Nations schools in June of 2019. This legislation will provide clear authority for what is a current practice in the school system. It’s important to note that the proposed legislation relates to

article 14 of the United Nations declaration on the rights of Indigenous peoples, which affirms that “Indigenous individuals, particularly children, have the right to all levels and forms of education of the state without discrimination. ” By providing clear authority for the minister to issue the Dogwood and adult Dogwood to students of First Nations schools, the proposed legis- lation supports equitable access to post-secondary edu- cation for these students.

In addition, in keeping with the province’s BCTEA con- sultation obligations, and with the draft principles that guide the province of B.C. ’s relationship with Indigenous peoples, the ministry worked closely with the First Nations Education Steering Committee on these proposed changes. If passed, the proposed amendments to the School Act will fulfil a significant commitment of the province under the BCTEA, in alignment with Bill 41, the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act.

I’m confident that as part of the implementation of BCTEA, this legislation will provide us with the structural framework to continue our efforts, together with our edu- cation partners, to improve outcomes for Indigenous stu- dents right across British Columbia. Let me move on to the second

section of this amend- ment bill as it relates to child care. Relating to child care on Tuesday, March 3, 2020 British Columbia Debates 11433

school property, this amendment clarifies the School Act and requires them to develop policy promoting the use of board property by licensed child care providers on busi- ness days. The act does not currently contemplate boards of education directly operating child care. That will change under these amendments. We have had a very fruitful engagement with the early childhood education community and the education sys- tem. We had a successful Early Learning Summit. One of the ideas that was supported on a consensus basis, coming out of those consultations, was to do exactly what this bill will do.

We heard from school leaders, board chairs and others that they desire clarity. This bill will bring clarity and will help our government, at the same time, deliver on the expansion of child care spaces that match the invest- ments we’ve made as a government to create tens of thou- sands of high-quality, affordable child care spaces for fam- ilies and communities across B.C. The proposed legislation specifically amends the act to clarify that it is within a board of education’s mandate to operate before- and after-school care directly if it so chooses.

It will enable the Minister of Education to make orders respecting the content of a board of education’s child care policies. For example, a minister’s order could require board policies to promote partnership between boards of education and before- and after-school child care providers where possible, and require boards to con- sider such important matters as reconciliation and inclu- sion of special education in their policies.

It will also enable the Minister of Education to make orders regarding the provision of child care on boards of educations’ prop- erty more generally. [11:15 a.m.] For example, a minister’s order could require that where a board of education has received government funds for the creation of child care spaces in a school or on a school ground, the board should maintain that space for child care purposes. This will protect government’s investments in child care spaces and ensure that space allotted for child care continues to be used for this purpose. Let me move on to the third

section of the bill and illus- trate what these amendments propose and will indeed do if this bill passes the House. This

section relates to the personal education number. Members of this House will know that the personal education number, or PEN, is a unique nine-digit student number that has been in use and issued to B.C.-resident students since 1993. Today, in debate of this bill, we propose to make some changes that I think are long overdue and innovative for government to consider. The proposed amendments will allow PENs to be assigned to children who are resident in B.C., as it currently does, but this legislation will now enable the PEN to be assigned at birth or upon application of a B.C. Services Card.

Currently the PEN is assigned to children as they enter the school system — typically at age four or five, as they enrol in kindergarten — and it’s used to provide supports and services for students as needed and to inform provin- cial education policy. The PEN is also used by individuals, of course, to order high school transcripts, graduation cer- tificates and be able to view their scholarship records.

What we propose to do in the short term, by assigning the PEN at an earlier stage, is to benefit families by stream- lining kindergarten enrolment processes, as well as regis- tration in early learning programs operated by boards of education. These are known as StrongStart programs in our communities. It will support more accurate K-to-12 enrolment fore- casting, planning and preparation by the Ministry of Edu- cation, and that is critically important.

In the longer term, the proposed amendments will support more efficient and accurate data collection to better inform cross-govern- ment policies and programs that aim to serve the well- being and successful long-term development of B.C. chil- dren and youth. What we will gain from this amendment are rich data sets that can answer the questions that policymakers have.

For example, when we have data sets in the next number of years, we’ll be able to very easily focus in, as a government, to look at whether there are differences in achievement throughout a kid’s entire school learning career, between those who were involved in high-quality early childhood education and those who were not. As we involve more and more children in early child- hood education, we will be able to see what those gains mean.

Do they make a difference, for example, in kinder- garten and grade 1, when the early development instru- ment is applied, to look at the vulnerabilities that students entering the school system for the first time may have? In other words, are early childhood education investments by our government reducing the vulnerabilities of students and making them more ready to learn when they start their learning careers? That’s critically important for a gov- ernment to know, and this legislation will enable those sorts of things to happen, those kinds of analytics to inform government policy-makers.

It’s important to note that this initiative involves no application process and comes at no cost to families. A PEN will automatically be assigned when a parent or guardian applies for a birth certificate or a B.C. Services Card for their child. With respect to the protection of pri- vacy, the Ministry of Education will continue to be bound by the personal information protection provisions in the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act and in the School Act as well. Lastly, I’ll highlight some of the amendment as it relates to changes to the funding model.

Following the comple- tion of a comprehensive review of the K-to-12 funding model, government is implementing a two-phase plan to improve the way education is delivered in B.C. The amendments will support the implementation of this plan and will achieve three main goals. 11434 British Columbia Debates Tuesday, March 3, 2020

Firstly, it will modernize the provisions of the School Act and Independent School Act as it relates to online learning, formerly known as distributed learning, and will support a new delivery model for online learning across the school system focused on program quality and student achievement. Innovating online learning in B.C. is a high priority, going forward, for our government.

It was subject to the first review of any significance under the funding model review that government recently completed — the first review, in fact, of online learning since distance education was largely done through the mail, through print mater- ials, and by dial-up modem in communities. So a lot has changed in technology and speed of the Internet. [11:20 a.m.] A lot of the language referred to as distributed learning is not accessible to the public, and these amendments will bring clarity to online learning and enable us to modernize and innovate the provision of online learning in B.C., moving forward.

Secondly, under this

section on funding, we introduced provisions to ensure that boards adhere to sound financial governance and management practices, including a minis- terial order–making power that respects the management of operating reserves and transfers for local capital. This particular item has been the subject of many, many reviews over the last number of years by the Auditor Gen- eral, by the community of school districts in British Col- umbia and all the stakeholders involved in public educa- tion and, of course, by the funding model review.

We have consulted extensively with the stakeholders I mentioned — most critically and importantly, the B.C. School Trust- ees Association — to arrive at a place where we have a con- sensus on this being a good way forward to provide trans- parency and accountability in the school system. The third part of this fourth amendment relates to what is really a housekeeping item. That is to repeal the provi- sions relating to the learning improvement fund — or LIF , to introduce another acronym to the debate. The learn- ing improvement fund, or LIF , is no longer part of the ministry’s appropriation.

It in fact no longer functions or exists. The LIF provisions in the School Act are no longer operational. As members will recall, the LIF was in fact transferred to the classroom enhancement fund, or CEF , as part of an agreement with the B.C. Teachers Association following a Supreme Court of Canada ruling that went against the previous government. I appreciate the time to make comments and introduce second reading of this bill.

I look forward to what mem- bers on all sides of the House have to say about the innov- ation and modernization that is proposed here, the expan- sion opportunities to child care services. I will take my place and close debate at a later time. D. Davies: I’m pleased to be able to rise today and give my remarks on Bill 8. I’m certainly pleased to see how much this bill revolves around updating language around online learning. Of course, updating any legisla- tion into the modern world…. The minister mentioned dial-up modems. Things have come a long way for all of us.

However, there are pieces of the legislation, of course, where we do have many questions, and there are some concerns. The minister talked about the previous learning improvement fund, which was a fund that was put in place by the previous government in 2012 to support teachers. It had been in place for the last six years. We understand this has been eliminated and been replaced with the classroom enhancement fund. We certainly have questions around the comparables — what this looks like compared to the learning improvement fund. Was this a cost-saving meas- ure? Are there funds being reallocated from elsewhere?

It’s important that any legislation expand supports avail- able both to teachers and students alike. This legislation also adds potential restrictions on school boards and their independence in deciding pieces of their own budget. Bill 8 proposes that school boards must ask the minister’s approval for preserving surpluses in the future. As we move forward in debate and committee stage, I’m certainly curious to hear the minister’s motive for such action and why this has been brought up. Have there been issues brought forward with school boards in their ability to plan for their own future?

It seems like it’s certainly a big change. Of course, there are few institutions with the deeper insights into the needs of our schools than school boards themselves. We need to ensure that we continue to invest in pro- grams that will benefit students the most and plan for a future, rather than resort to spending money just for the sake of spending money. There is little error margin these days. Of course, our province is teetering on the brink of a deficit, and it may not be the most fiscally wise decision right now to force our school boards to leave little in their reserves or for projects.

We’ve seen global events recently unfold, beyond con- trol of our own province, that can seriously impact our own economy beyond ways that we can plan for. There’s no telling what impact our school districts may have in the future. Of course, who better knows that than the local school districts themselves? With small hope for finan- cial relief from our province, I think it might be prudent to allow the school districts some autonomy around their budgets. Again, I believe there’s little room for error. [11:25 a.m.] Of course, the minister talked in depth around the child care piece.

It proposes expanding options for school dis- tricts to set up child care in unused spaces. While we’re not opposed to this, this is a big change, and there are many questions around what this looks like. What are the impacts and implementation? What does it look like, etc.? Parents deserve to have choice on how they want to raise their kids, whether they are at home or with the Tuesday, March 3, 2020 British Columbia Debates 11435

assistance of child care. It’s a good opportunity to help them with that choice, but the question remains: how will the government support school districts to set up these new child care options? In 2017, a total of nine daycares were kicked out of schools in Chilliwack and in Abbots- ford because of school overcrowding. Y et there are many daycares still around schools in B.C., including in Fort St. John. I’m wondering if there could be more eviction notices as a result of this bill moving forward. I’m also wondering what protections this bill offers to such daycares.

They do, after all, serve a very important purpose, in particular for single parents who want to con- tinue their own education and get qualified to get good, well-paying jobs. Daycare is an important piece of that puzzle, and it’s most convenient, obviously, to offer care for them right in the school that they are attending. School boards, once this bill passes, will obviously be pressured, I suspect, to provide for after-school and before-school care. Will there be leases terminated for care providers that are already in the schools?

Another concern, which is huge right now, is training for these care providers. British Columbia is already crit- ically short of ECE care providers, and these proposed increased daycare spaces are going to put an even greater strain on this market. I’m curious how it might impact, again, the serving private sector daycare jobs — pulling out of that industry right now. This legislation also does not address key questions that members of this House, as well as parents across the province, will want to know. What is this all going to cost?

The bill mandates that school boards charge their own cost, and there will be no profit allowed. Basically, they’re going to be charging rock-bottom prices on child care, but there’s going to be very little overhead, as we can imagine, on this. First of all, for the physicality of the school that’s already there, that cost is going to be borne by the provin- cial taxpayer. There are no lease costs. The school boards are going to be operating the program directly.

This is going to ensure that school programs are going to have quite the competitive edge over the top of the mar- ket-based operator and could be driving them out of busi- ness, which is now going to add more problems around the requirement of daycare spaces. There are no market-based options that would be able to survive, because they simply would not be able to compete against a school-board-and- government-run daycare operation. The school board would be the only game in town, which, at the end of the day, could become very worrisome.

For transparency, I think it is important that school boards should have to publicly report all their extra costs that the boards will incur to set up before- and after-school care programs. For instance, will there be the requirement to build portables if needed, more play structures and oth- er hidden improvements? It’s obvious that there will be a provincial subsidy for this program, but there are other subsidies for this program. Even if there are no structural improvements, the Edu- cation Ministry will be subsidizing these programs in oth- er ways.

Just the fact that there will be no lease payments is a subsidy in that amount. The centrality of the school, the ease of access, is a natural subsidy for people to use school district–based daycare programs. The cost of heat and cooling, the cost of gymnasium space and equip- ment…. The list does go on and on.

The Minister of Edu- cation has a responsibility to estimate, for provincial tax- payers, the amount of this subsidy that taxpayers will be giving to before- and after- school care. [11:30 a.m.] Another question that I have about the general provi- sion of services: will the daycare workers in the school pro- grams be brought into the union — benefits, strikes, slow- down provisions and all the extra costs that are associated with unions and other seniority pieces?

Related to this, is there a piece in this bill that will account for disruptions in school services — a strike, or even weather, for that mat- ter — where parents will be suddenly left with no other options outside the school grounds? Does this mean that there could be more portables? We’ll have to find that out during committee stage. Will there be limits to where before- and after-school programs will be located in the schools? Will they be in classrooms, which are usually thought to be the private domain of the school teachers themselves? How long will students be able to remain at schools after school?

How will the board cope with the extra wear and tear on the school property, which is certainly going to be happening? Unfortunately, this government has fallen danger- ously far behind on its promised child care spaces, and the promise of $10-a-day daycare has obviously fallen by the wayside. The Vancouver school board is chronic- ally underfunded, and we most certainly cannot expect them to bankroll any new child care spaces — especially, again, considering the clause does not allow them to profit from it. What can we expect from these spaces? Where will the funding come from?

As mentioned before, what can Brit- ish Columbian parents expect in terms of costs and wait- lists? These are all questions that we do plan to bring up in committee stage. It’s good to see that the legislation will enable the per- sonal education numbers. Early enrolment, the system fea- ture, will allow a lot of planning and will certainly, no doubt, benefit the ministry as well as our school boards as they move forward to plan for school spaces. In all, this is good legislation. We are looking forward to getting into committee stage.

Once again, though, my con- cern is that what we are seeing in this bill, like many bills before, is more government regulation, red tape and over- sight, and less autonomy for the institutions to decide how they move forward. We need to ensure that these actions are truly in the intentions on providing our students the best education 11436 British Columbia Debates Tuesday, March 3, 2020

that we can provide and provide our teachers with the needs that they have. I’ve kept my remarks short. I do look forward to getting into committee stage. With that, I will conclude my remarks. Hon. K. Chen: I’m really happy to be here today and speak in support of the Education Statutes Amendment Act.

I really want to give a big thanks to the Minister of Edu- cation and his incredible team for bringing a lot of import- ant and positive changes in quite a few areas, including school-age child care on school grounds and also support- ing First Nations students completing grade 12, and also on the personal education number system to ensure we have better information about a child’s learning experience from not just K-to-12 but birth-to-12. This legislation would also support the work that the Minister of Education has been doing after the comple- tion of a comprehensive review of the K-to-12 funding model.

Of course, I would really like to begin by talking about the changes to school-age child care. This is really an excit- ing and quite a historical change. Finally, we are connect- ing child care, early learning, school-age care to the Min- istry of Education and to boards of education. As many of the members in this House would know, parents have been really struggling to be able to access child care services, and that’s not only for children under five. School-age care has been an area where many parents have been struggling to find the services available.

It’s really hard for a lot of parents to, for example, go back to full-time work, to continue to pursue their education or other career choices, because of lack of before- and after- school care. During the past 2½ years that I’ve really had the honour, and I’m very thankful to have the opportunity, as the min- ister of state, I’ve been working hard with our team — and, also, thanks again to the Minister of Education. We’ve been working to look at: how do we address the child care chaos that has been existing in B.C. for many, many years?

I’ve met with a lot of parents who are unable to return to work or pursue their educational goals because of a lack of child care services. I’ve met with single parents who have no choice but to live on income assistance, give up their good-paying jobs. They have no choice but to struggle dur- ing their children’s early years, not being able to return to full-time work. I’ve met parents who are trying to do shift work between the parents.

They barely get a chance to see each other or get together as a family because one parent has to work during the daytime, and the other parent has to do evening work. [11:35 a.m.] Really, that struggle across B.C. is something that has motivated our government to make sure….

This is the first time in B.C. ’s history that child care is a top priority for our government and making sure that we are building a new system to look at how we bring down the cost of child care, how we accelerate the creation of spaces and, also, how we support early childhood educators and professionals who are working with the sector to build an affordable, qual- ity, inclusive early learning and care system that includes before- and after-school care to all families in B.C. who want it or need it. As a mother with a young child, I have gone through that struggle myself.

When my son was born, it was really, really hard to deal with our child care needs as a new immigrant family without any family support here. It was a really tough choice for me and my husband. We were one of the lucky ones that we were able to hang in there, try- ing to make things work for the first five years after my son was born. Last year my son got into kindergarten, and before- and after-school care became an issue as well. If my husband wants to return to full-time work, how do we deal with the hours of the pickup and the drop-off?

It has been quite a struggle during the past few months, trying to deal with my own before- and after-school care needs as well. We have a lot of work to do. During the past 2½ years since we introduced the Childcare B.C. plan, we have accomplished a lot. We have been accelerating the creation of child care spaces across B.C. communities. And in only about ten months since we introduced our new spaces program, we’ve funded more spaces than the previous government has ever funded in their last four years in government. We are on target, and we are on the right path every single week.

I would like to let the critic know that every single week there are spaces being built and opened across this province, and families are accessing those spaces. I cannot tell you how many letters and feedback I’ve been getting from parents about how each and every one of those spaces means that their family is getting the relief. We’re really happy to provide you with an updated num- ber. It’s been exciting that in the first year since we intro- duced the new spaces program, we got a lot of applica- tions. We definitely met our target. But the second year went way better.

We got so many applications from across B.C. providers, and I would say the vast majority of the non-profit and public spaces applications that we have received were from school districts. That is why this legis- lation is so important, to make sure we build that relation- ship with local school districts. Many of them are already providing before- and after- school care opportunities. Many of them already rent their spaces out to child care providers.

So we want to make sure, through this amendment and this legislation, that we’re going to make that relationship better and encourage more creation of spaces on school grounds so parents can drop off their kids at the same spot, if they have an older child going to the school or if they have a younger child Tuesday, March 3, 2020 British Columbia Debates 11437

going to child care or they are able to have their children in the school a bit longer with before- and after-school care activities provided on the school ground. This legislation will really support the broader plan on our Childcare B.C. plan. It will clarify that it is within the board of education’s mandate to operate before- and after-school care directly. The legislation will also enable the minister to make orders respecting the content of the board of education’s child care policies.

For example, an order may be requiring board policies to promote partner- ship between boards of education and also the before- and after-school care providers. This is very important, as I mentioned, as a lot of school districts have already been having that relation- ship with local providers. But we need to make sure that there are policies and that this is a partnership and that before- and after-school care is something that we have to work on and making sure parents have that choice and that relief and support.

As a former school trustee, I cannot tell you how many high-quality and very wonderful before- and after-school care activities I’ve seen on my local school district’s school site — some of the programs that support the social and emotional needs of young children. After school, they can have children that require extra support or need some oth- er extra, additional activities to be able to make sure that the program addresses those students’ needs and those types of partnerships that the provider, whether it’s a non- profit or local provider, has with the school district.

They have been very valuable and very meaningful to lift our families up, making sure children who need those extra supports…. Not just for the reason for care, so that parents can continue to return to full-time work, but also the quality program to support a child’s social, emotional and developmental needs. It can be huge if we can work together with local partners and providers on that need through before- and after-school care. [11:40 a.m.] In addition, this legislation would enable the minister to make orders regarding the provision of child care on board of education’s property generally.

For example, an order could require that where a board has received government funds for the creation of child care spaces, that the board should maintain those spaces for child care purposes. I know the critic mentioned child care being removed from school grounds. That is true. That has been a situ- ation that has been there for many, many years. That was a situation that was neglected, unfortunately, by the previous government.

No one has looked into, “How do we work together to protect those child care spaces on school grounds?” — especially when the child care spaces are created through government support and government funding. This is unacceptable. We need to make sure we’re work- ing together to make sure as many child care spaces are protected and that it’s a really healthy partnership between the provider, between the school district, between our gov- ernment and that we are giving them the support and working together as partners collaboratively to make sure we protect those spaces.

By protecting those spaces, we are protecting services to families who really count on the before- and after-school care services or families who count on the under-five child care spaces that they desper- ately need to make sure they can continue with the balance of their life and work and child care needs. Through this legislation, the changes to the child care portion that…. It really will help provide stability. I think this is, really, an important beginning on a long journey as we continue to build inclusive, quality universal child care services for all B.C. families.

It provides some stability to make sure we have this partnership with school districts. It will give parents the peace of mind that we are working collaboratively as partners with school districts to make sure we can, again, address the child care crisis. We’ve really started and are trying to implement our child care B.C. plan with over three dozen new initiatives that we have rolled out during in the past 2½ years. I can- not thank our child care team enough for all the work that they’ve been doing to support providers, families, children across B.C.

It is also really good for our economy when you invest in child care and early learning that is good for our children, our families and employers who have been struggling to retain workers who could not return to work because of their child care needs. So there’s a lot more work we have to do, but this legis- lation fits into our vision to create a universal, inclusive, affordable quality child care system that families need and want across B.C. It’s an important step toward the right direction. Again, I cannot thank the Ministry of Education and the minister enough for taking this very important step together.

In addition to that, the proposed legislation will author- ize the assignment of the personal education number to children who are residents in B.C., which can be assigned at birth or on an application for a B.C. Services Card. Cur- rently, the personal education number is assigned to chil- dren as they enter the school system and is used to provide supports and services for students as needed and to inform provincial education policy.

But through these changes of legislation, we can assign the PEN number at an earlier stage, which will be the first important step to obtaining better information about a child’s experience prior to entering the school system and to support evidence-based policy decisions and capacity for our K-to-12 enrolment planning and preparation. This really shows how our government continues to focus on the importance of early learning. A child’s brain develops the fastest before the age of five. My son is six now, but when I saw how much he has grown in five years, it was incredible.

Every day he was learning something new. He actually teaches me a lot of things, as a young child. I learn a lot from my son as well. I just see how the 11438 British Columbia Debates Tuesday, March 3, 2020

developmental needs of a child before the age of five are incredible. By following and making sure that we can have an evid- ence-based approach and to learn about a child’s early learning experience before the age of five is going to be critical to make sure we have more information about the child when they enter kindergarten, to make sure that through K-to-12 education and through our early learning system that we’ll be able to support the child as a whole. A child is a child regardless of their age. They don’t just become a child when they enter kindergarten.

They need the support equally, if not even more, before the age of five. I think this is a really great approach. We are going to track their learning experience from zero to five, from K to 12 and continue with post-secondary education throughout B.C. [11:45 a.m.] I’m really excited about this change. It may seem like a small step, but it’s really critical as we continue to learn about how we support the early learning needs of children in B.C. Again, this is the first time government has put a focus on early learning and care in B.C. We’re really proud of that, and we want to continue that work.

This legislation also supports the work, as I mentioned earlier, that the Ministry of Education is making in the K-to-12 education system. Following the completion of a very comprehensive review of the K-to-12 funding mod- el, with an unprecedented level of consultation with all 60 school districts and over 250 educational partners and stakeholders, this is an important work. Again, thanks to the minister and the Ministry of Education for doing this very important work.

Through that consultation process, I know the ministry has heard loud and clear that, unfortunately, the years of underfunding and neglect from the previous government on public education have left far too many of our most vulnerable children not getting the supports they need to be engaged and successful in school. As a former school trustee, I cannot agree with that enough. There’s so much work we have to do to address the needs of the public edu- cation system.

To address these issues, the panel made recommenda- tions to ensure that every student is supported to reach their full potential and to build bright futures for them- selves in an ever-changing world with equal access to the supports and services that they need, no matter what their circumstances are or where they live. The proposed legislation will ensure school districts continue to provide services and supports based on the unique needs and priorities in their communities, while strengthening transparency and accountability.

The previ- ous government, unfortunately, often imposed changes to education without consultation. We’ve seen that happen- ing throughout B.C. communities, unfortunately, includ- ing changes that resulted in countless school closures throughout the province. So many school districts were really struggling for so many years under the previous gov- ernment’s watch. We are very committed, and we’re proud to continue to collaborate and work in partnership with all education partners throughout the province throughout this very important process. Last but not least, this legislation…. We talked about partnership.

This legislation will also help to support First Nations students in B.C. Right here in B.C., we are incred- ibly fortunate to have a long-lasting relationship with the First Nations Education Steering Committee, an organiza- tion that has been advocating for Indigenous students for the last 27 years. This organization has really been instrumental in ensur- ing that B.C. led the way as the first and only jurisdiction in our country to have the tripartite agreement between our province, First Nations and the Canadian government.

This is an incredible and very important step to ensure that First Nations students in B.C. have equal access to public education or to education in general, whether they study in First Nations schools, in public schools or in independ- ent schools. This is a big deal. This is going to help First Nations communities invest significantly in educational excellence in First Nations communities across B.C. That will also benefit generations to come.

This agreement is part of our government’s commit- ment to a true and lasting reconciliation and to work with Indigenous peoples to implement the UN declaration on the rights of Indigenous peoples, to co-create an action plan and, also, to look for ways to increase shared decision-making. The proposed legislation will help to honour those com- mitments and take it to the next step by ensuring students who complete their education at First Nations schools are awarded the Dogwood or adult Dogwood graduation dip- loma, just like their peers do across our province.

We know that it takes time and hard work to truly sup- port Indigenous self-governance and self-determination, as hundreds of years of colonization will not disappear overnight. But by working together and working collabor- atively together and in partnership, each step we take will make sure that it will bring us closer to the day when we truly have a level playing field for all students to thrive. As the Premier often says, public education and edu- cation are the best equalizers for our community and for people across the province. I believe this is a really critical and important step that we have to take.

Hon. Speaker, I cannot tell you how thankful and happy I am to have the opportunity to support Bill 8, the Education Statutes Amendment Act. This legislation will really help to make critical and very important positive changes t

Document details

Collection	British Columbia — Debates (Hansard)
Citation	20200303am Hansard n321
Type	hansard
Volume / chapter	20200303am Hansard n321
Language	en
Format	pdf
Source	PROVINCIAL
Identifier	19dece4cd6abe75bff291a7e177dab4fdb6350da

Source file is stored in the law ingest library (pdf).