British Columbia Hansard — 20 July 2020, p.m., Issue 343 (41st Parliament, 5th Session)

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British Columbia — Debates (Hansard)

Fifth Session, 41st Parliament OFFICIAL REPORT OF DEBATES (HANSARD) Monday, July 20, 2020 Afternoon Sitting Issue No. 343 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 Law Clerk and Parliamentary Counsel.............................................................................................................................. Seunghee Suzie Seo Clerk Assistant, Parliamentary Services...........................................................................................................................

Artour Sogomonian Clerk Assistant, Committees and Interparliamentary Relations ..............................................................................................Susan Sourial Senior Research Analyst ................................................................................................................................................................. Jennifer Arril Senior Research Analyst ...................................................................................................................................................................

Karan Riarh 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 Monday, July 20, 2020 Afternoon Sitting Page Routine Business Tributes ................................................................................................................................................................................... 12083 Hugh Fraser S. Sullivan Statements (Standing Order 25B) ....................................................................................................................................... 12083 North Shore community response to COVID-19 B. Ma Tristen Chernove T. Shypitka Racist incidents on Sunshine Coast and legacy of systemic racism N.

Simons White Rock Pride Society T. Redies Investment in Nanaimo social services S. Malcolmson Outdoor recreation safety R. Sultan Oral Questions....................................................................................................................................................................... 12085 Government action on opioid crisis and addiction issues A. Wilkinson Hon. J. Horgan J. Thornthwaite Hon. J. Darcy Protection of old-growth forests and transition support for forest-dependent communities A. Olsen Hon. D. Donaldson Supportive housing facilities and services and community safety T.

Stone Hon. S. Robinson J. Johal J. Isaacs Tabling Documents............................................................................................................................................................... 12090 Report pursuant to the COVID-19 Related Measures Act regarding Ministerial Order M220/2020 Orders of the Day Second Reading of Bills ........................................................................................................................................................ 12090 Bill 18 — Economic Stabilization (COVID-19) Act(continued) S. Bond S. Furstenau S. Cadieux Hon. C.

James Bill 23 — Workers Compensation Amendment Act, 2020 Hon. H. Bains J. Martin G. Kyllo M. Lee B. Stewart Hon. H. Bains Committee of the Whole House.......................................................................................................................................... 12108 Bill 6 — Mines Amendment Act, 2020 T. Shypitka Hon. B. Ralston S. Furstenau

MONDAY , JULY 20, 2020 The House met at 1:35 p.m. [Mr. Speaker in the chair.] Routine Business Tributes HUGH FRASER S. Sullivan:With us today is Lorae Farrell. She and Brit- ish Columbia recently lost an incredible human being. Hugh Fraser was one of the most capable and exciting musicians, a master of many instruments, Canadian Trombonist of the Y ear five times. He was magical when playing with others, both challenging and supporting them. He formed the VEZI jazz improvisation cooperat- ive, then the Hugh Fraser Quintet, winning international acclaim, including two Junos.

The Hugh Fraser International Jazz Orchestra Work- shop was presented around the world. He was the head of the jazz program at the Banff Centre of Fine Arts. He has several recordings and compositions still to be released. His presence will remain with us. I know this House will join me in thanking and hon- ouring Hugh Fraser for a life of spreading peace and love through music. Statements (Standing Order 25B) NORTH SHORE COMMUNITY RESPONSE TO COVID-19 B.

Ma:During the most difficult weeks of the coronavir- us-induced state of emergency in British Columbia, a per- son would have been forgiven for curling up into a ball and hiding in the closet. Things were looking grim, and life as we knew it had been taken apart at the seams. Y et all across the North Shore, the community instead chose to rise up and tackle the challenge together. I am so proud of the way that North Vancouver came together and closed ranks against COVID-19. Some among us really stepped out in front to find extra special ways to contribute.

Zen Maker Lab, in North Vancouver, offers innovative science, technology, engineering, arts and mathematics, or STEAM, programs for kids, youth and adults. When COVID-19 hit, they could no longer teach people in their labs anymore. So they quickly retooled, turning their teaching lab into a manufacturing shop.

Their staff, normally engaged in teaching young people to be innovative and creative with science, themselves began to prototype, design and produce innovatively designed personal protective equipment, printing them on their workshop filled with 3D printers, and to donate reusable face shields to local hospitals. James Lester runs a distillery in North Vancouver called the Sons of Vancouver. He immediately recognized that a shortage of hand sanitizer in North Vancouver was affect- ing care facilities and first responders and reached out to my office in March to offer his services.

Along with some quick footwork by the Attorney Gen- eral to allow distilleries to produce sanitation-grade alco- hol, Sons of Vancouver was not just producing hand san- itizer but giving it away for free to members of the public and organizations across the region. They also partnered with local grocers to sell bottles of hand sanitizer to raise money for Lions Gate Hospital. The best part of it all? They also sell vodka. These are just two of countless examples, countless stor- ies of people who have been stepping up to help their neighbours in North Vancouver and across British Col- umbia.

I hope that the House will join me in once again thanking them all for their leadership. TRISTEN CHERNOVE T. Shypitka: Mild-mannered president and CEO of Elevate Airports at the Canadian Rockies International Airport Tristen Chernove has a superhero alter ego. Among other things, Tristen is a 2016 triple Paralympic medallist and silver-medal winner at the para-cycling track world championships in February. The summer Paralympic Games in Tokyo this year have been postponed due to COVID-19. So Tristen, a Cran- brook resident, is going to tackle a challenge a little closer to home, known as the B.C. Epic 1000.

Tristen is all too familiar with the Olympic oval racetrack, but this epic journey is something he has never seen before. [1:40 p.m.] The B.C. Epic 1000 is a 1,066 kilometre route that runs mostly along the Trans Canada Trail from Fernie through the back trails of the Kootenays and Okanagan to Merritt. According to Tristen, the fastest time the route has been ridden before is three days, 15 hours and 22 minutes. Tristen left at 4 a.m. Saturday morning and hopes to be done sometime before Tuesday at noon. Tristen plans to break the record.

Tristen’s motivation to take on this challenge is to use the ride to raise money via donations for the Paralympic Foundation of Canada. It is a foundation that he says has benefited him greatly as an athlete. The funds will go toward creating access to sport for more Canadians with a disability. “The Paralympic Foundation is all about diversity and inclusion, and those are two big words that mean a lot, ” Tristen said. “For me, it’s just another great organization that is helping the global awareness and human population 12083

make better choices when it comes to understanding what diversity and inclusion really look like. ” Tristen said he is as mentally prepared for the B.C. Epic 1,000 as he can be, but it will be the terrain he is not used to riding. The route includes riding gravel forestry roads, mountain bike trails and some on the highways and byways. We all wish Tristen the best of luck and safe travels on his epic trek through our province’s rugged interior, and we thank him for his pursuit in making B.C. more inclus- ive and diverse. RACIST INCIDENTS ON SUNSHINE COAST AND LEGACY OF SYSTEMIC RACISM N.

Simons:Tristen has a connection to Powell River. We appreciated the previous statement there. Recently a banner was hung between two welcome poles at the Pender Harbour high school threatening that if certain statues of historical Canadian figures were toppled, so too would those poles. In another incident, the word “conquered” was spray-painted onto a recently erec- ted highway sign that included the Sechelt language name of Madeira Park, salalus.

These racist incidents that took place on public property do not reflect or represent the thoughts, views or feelings of residents of Pender Harbour or the Sunshine Coast, as the outpouring of love and support for members of the shíshálh Nation clearly demonstrated. But while we may not want to be associated with the people who committed these offences, their views, unfortunately, do exist within the fabric of our communities. In addition to addressing individual acts of racism, we should also recognize that systemic racism is found throughout the structures of our institutions.

It allowed the abduction of Indigenous children into residential schools. It raised black communities of Africville in Hal- ifax and Hogan’s Alley in Vancouver to make room for highways. It turned away the vesselKomagata Maru from Vancouver Harbour, along with its desperate, mostly Sikh passengers. It rounded up Canadian Japanese, including 129 from the Sunshine Coast, and sent them to internment camps and stole their property. Systemic racism creates and perpetuates deep inequality in our society and results in poorer health and well-being outcomes for those targeted.

The acknowledgment of the shíshálh Nation’s title and their reassertion of rights over their territory, theswiya, is part of British Columbia’s pro- cess of reversing the effects of systemic racism — a project we’ll continue to pursue. WHITE ROCK PRIDE SOCIETY T. Redies:Sadly, we couldn’t participate in the colour- ful, lively parades or local Pride galas that have become synonymous with Pride Month, but White Rock Pride Society is still very active, working tirelessly to spread their message of love and the importance of diversity and inclusion.

In place since 2015, the White Rock Pride Society has worked with the city to organize our rainbow crosswalk and raising the Pride flag every third week in July at city hall. Prior to COVID-19, they organized entertaining fun- draisers showcasing amazing LGBTQ talent, including their annual gala, which is always a sold-out event. They’ve also held quarterly minglers for the whole community to fundraise for local charities and to network. Y ou’ve never been to a great party or networking event unless you’ve been to one organized by the White Rock Pride Society.

Moreover, in keeping with their message of inclusivity, board membership and activities are open to all members of society who believe in diversity and inclusion. [1:45 p.m.] Thirty-three percent of board members are not LGB- TQ but believe strongly and rightly that opportunities should be open to all and that discrimination in any form is wrong. I’ d like to acknowledge the society board members, including President Ernie George Klassen, one of the four founding members; including Michael Barwell, Louise McKnight and Ruth Allard — who, sadly, passed away in 2019.

Other members who have helped build the society include Lynne Sinclair, Marc Minette, David Ellis, Gary McQueen, Art Beaulieu, Brent Bondarenko, Brant Darling, Andrew Harvey, Suzy Tucker, Samantha McQuade, Matt Trooper, Gord and Jan Wait, Susie Verde, Tracy LeChance and Jamie Carson. Many board members volunteer their time for other ini- tiatives and are business leaders in our community. They are the quintessential committed citizens that make White Rock and South Surrey a stronger, kinder and more inclus- ive place to live, and we’re all better for them.

White Rock–South Surrey, look out for some very fun July events that the society will be holding this month, even with COVID-19 social distancing guidelines. Y ou’ll not be disappointed. INVESTMENT IN NANAIMO SOCIAL SERVICES S. Malcolmson:It’s been three years under a new Pre- mier and our government. Here’s what we’re building together in Nanaimo. Child care — 473 new spaces, over $9 million back in the pockets of Nanaimo families with reduced child care fees, training new child care workers and topping up their wages.

In education, portables out at Hammond Bay and seis- mic upgrades in at Cilaire and Pleasant Valley. That’s $18 million in those two schools alone. The tuition waiver that started at Vancouver Island University for former youth in foster care — our government pushed that B.C.-wide. So 12084 British Columbia Debates Monday, July 20, 2020

in Nanaimo, we can be proud that now 1,300 former youth in care are getting the same boost we gave students here. In health, at Nanaimo’s six long-term care…. Mr. Speaker:Member, if I may interrupt for a moment. Just as a reminder, the two-minute statements are not to be partisan in any manner, and arguably, that is partisan. Member, if you might continue. S. Malcolmson:Very proud that the tuition waiver that started at Vancouver Island University has been pushed B.C.-wide. We can be proud here that 1,300 former youth in care are getting the same boost that students got here.

In health, at Nanaimo six long-term care homes, 50,000 more direct care hours every year. A new urgent primary care centre is cutting emergency room visits, supporting mental health and caring for those with no family doctor. It has seen 2,500 patients already. B.C. ’s first nurse practi- tioner clinic has opened here last month…. Mr. Speaker:Member, thank you. OUTDOOR RECREATION SAFETY R. Sultan:On the North Shore, we take Bonnie Henry’s advice seriously. Outdoors is the antidote to lockdown. People head for the hills. But our backyard is wilderness.

Mike Danks, team leader of NSR, our volunteer North Shore Rescue team, told me that when COVID restrictions came off, there was a dramatic increase in call volumes. This wasn’t just for recreational hikers but also walk-away dementia patients and despondent, potentially suicidal individuals. As for hikers, many are not prepared. NSR asks them to follow three t’s: trip planning, training and taking. Trip planning means researching your route and terrain, check- ing the weather and telling somebody where you plan to go. Even now you can find yourself in ice and snow.

Training means being realistic about what shape you’re in. Do you really think this is like a stroll around Stanley Park? Finally, what to take. Start by abandoning the flip-flops and the cocktail dresses. Best to have a map. How about spikes, poles, ice axe, raingear and warm clothing? A cell phone is helpful but not always reliable. [1:50 p.m.] If you do get into trouble, NSR will try to find you, but COVID-19 has made medical rescues more complic- ated. Not much room for social distancing in a helicopter. This past weekend NSR performed two longline extrac- tions using a helicopter.

Not many organizations have the motto saying: “We don’t really want you as a customer. ” Oral Questions GOVERNMENT ACTION ON OPIOID CRISIS AND ADDICTION ISSUES A. Wilkinson:I think all of us in this House and all of us who are watching know that for far too long addictions were treated as a criminal justice issue, implying some kind of moral failure. All of this House, as far as I’m aware, accept now that addictions are a health issue. It’s an illness, and it’s a very difficult illness to treat.

I’m going to ask the Premier to rise in this House and acknowledge — or perhaps he won’t — that, in fact, addic- tion is an illness, not a choice. Hon. J. Horgan:I thank the member for his question and for the context in which he put it. All of us in this House recognize and acknowledge that for almost a decade now, an unacceptable number of Brit- ish Columbians were succumbing to overdose deaths from a poisoned drug supply. We all know that addiction comes from a place of pain and trauma. We all know that people who have addictions are not criminals.

They need to be treated as patients and given the care that they need. That’s why I’m writing to the Prime Minister today to reinforce the conversation I had with the Deputy Prime Minister last week to support the national police chief ’s call to decriminalize the possession of opioids so we can stop stigmatizing people who have addictions and start helping them again. Mr. Speaker:The Leader of the Official Opposition on a supplemental. A. Wilkinson:Well, Mr. Speaker, I’ve stood in the emer- gency room putting an IV line into a blue, comatose per- son. An injection of Narcan brought them back to life.

That was no miracle; that was my job. I’ve talked to the grieving parents of the young person who has died from an opioid overdose. Since this government was sworn in, 3,917 British Col- umbians have died of opioid overdoses. So I suppose it’s a thin meal to hear the Premier give a politicized answer and avoid the entire question. It’s a very simple question, Premier. Do you still believe that addiction is a choice? Hon. J. Horgan:Just by declaring that it’s a politicized response…. Politicized is the question, hon. Member.

I expected better from you, based on what you just said about having someone’s life in your hands in your former profession. All of us in this place care deeply about an unacceptable increase in overdose deaths. We were making progress, and 2019 saw a 36 percent decline in the number of people that succumbed to overdose deaths because of the heroic Monday, July 20, 2020 British Columbia Debates 12085

efforts of health care providers, front-line workers and the broader community. Today we’ve seen the highest levels ever last month. The coroner herself said there are a whole bunch of reasons for that. We have an increasingly poisoned drug supply because of COVID-19. Our borders are more closed than they’ve ever been before. So those who push this poison on to people are putting more poison into it. We’re seeing more people using drugs alone because of social distan- cing. There’s a whole host of reasons why this is happening, but I can tell you one reason why it’s not happening. Because it’s being politicized.

Let’s put that to one side. Let’s focus on the people that need help. Let’s start doing that today, all of us together. Mr. Speaker:The Leader of the Official Opposition on a second supplemental. A. Wilkinson:It’s a very simple question, Premier. Do you still believe that addiction is a choice or not? Hon. J. Horgan: I never believed addiction was a choice. The question came to me as a comparison between COVID-19 and the opioid deaths from last week. If the member took two seconds to look at the context or spent one second giving me a call, he would have known that.

I absolutely understand where addictions come from. Y ou don’t have a hierarchy of morality on this question, nor do I. All of us need to stand together, stop stigmatizing people, treat them as we need to, as patients, and help them. Don’t stigmatize them. [1:55 p.m.] J. Thornthwaite:We do know that despite the overdose deaths going down before COVID, which now have skyrocketed, the total number of non-fatal overdoses con- tinues to rise under this government. That means we do not have a comprehensive mental health and addictions system to actually get people well in this province.

Last week the Minister of Mental Health and Addictions repeatedly refused, after questioning by me during budget estimates, to clarify what the Premier’s remarks were with regards to addictions being not a choice. Now that the Pre- mier admits it’s his mistake, it is time for this government to admit that they are not doing enough for mental health and addictions in this province. This is what the NDP mayor of Vancouver said: “On the overdose crisis, there is no mention of new support for opioids, overdoses or safe supply in today’s budget. ” This was this budget, this year.

My question is to the Minister of Mental Health and Addictions. Why don’t we have a comprehensive and properly funded mental health and addictions strategy in this province? Hon. J. Darcy:Thank you to the member opposite for the question. We did canvass this extensively in estimates last week, but I am happy to speak about it further. From day one, our government has made massive investments in the overdose response and in building a better system for mental health and addictions.

When we first took office in September of 2017, we announced an investment of $322 million over three years, which sub- sequently was expanded further on into our mandate. Even the very first year of that commitment was three times what the previous government was spending on the overdose response. We’ve continued to invest more resources in the over- dose response and to build that better system for mental health and addictions care. But I think we need to be clear. We were left with a system that was in chaos and that had enormous gaps. We are working overtime to try and fill those gaps.

I want to speak about the issue of prevention. Our investment in Foundry, for example, which is very much about building that continuum of care, is five times what the previous government’s investment was in Foundry. We are also expanding the number of beds. I made an announcement last week about a $13.5 million increased investment in addiction treatment beds and supportive recovery beds. We’ve also announced, just last week, a major invest- ment in the substance use integrated teams.

Those are so important, because we know from the coroner that four out of five people who died of overdose were connected to the health care system in the previous year. We need to keep that connection. We need to keep them connected to care. We need to get them connected to treat- ment and recovery. We also need to do outreach so that we go into communities. We go into housing. We go into those places where we know that people are most vulner- able and connect them to treatment and recovery and care. There is much more to do. We will keep escalating our response.

We will not take our foot off the pedal until we turn the corner on this terrible crisis. Mr. Speaker:The member for North Vancouver–Sey- mour on a supplemental. J. Thornthwaite:This government has had a separate ministry devoted to mental health and addictions now for three years, and the overdoses continue to go up. The min- ister continues to brag about Foundry, but we do know where Foundry came from. It was our government’s investment that started Foundry. The Minister of Mental Health and Addictions has the smallest annual budget of any minister, smaller than the budget of the Premier’s office.

In contrast, Alberta is fund- ing 4,000 addiction and mental health treatment beds and spends 80 times more than this government does. Alberta has half the deaths of British Columbia. There is an 12086 British Columbia Debates Monday, July 20, 2020

absence of will, political will, on the part of this govern- ment, which invests just a pittance in recovery. Again, to the minister. When is there going to be a prop- erly funded strategy that prioritizes getting people well and into treatment and into recovery? Hon. J. Darcy:We are working across the continuum of care in order to build that better system of mental health and addictions. [2:00 p.m.] I think it’s really important, perhaps, to re-emphasize that our approach to this overdose response, our approach to treatment and recovery, has several pillars. It includes prevention, which I have spoken about.

It includes harm reduction, and it includes treatment and recovery. I know that the member opposite is fond of saying: “Well, we started Foundry. ” That’s a little bit like saying somebody started on primary care reform a number of years ago and denying the massive expansion that’s taken place in primary care networks that have mental health and substance use services embedded. Just looking at prevention, for instance. Our investment in Foundry youth centres — which, yes, the previous gov- ernment started — is five times what it was when we took office in 2017.

We’re also investing in child and youth men- tal health teams in schools, starting in five school dis- tricts. That’s really about doing those wraparound sup- ports, those robust child and youth mental health teams, so that we can prevent young people from turning to addiction in the first place — starting to tackle small prob- lems before they become big problems and before they affect the child, the youth, the adult’s entire life. As far as the continuum of care, we’ve expanded access to safe prescription medications. We’re expanding access to treatment and recovery beds.

We did, for the very first time in ten years, increase funding for per diems — the first increase in ten years — and brought in tough new reg- ulations so that the recovery sector would no longer be the wild, wild west in British Columbia, which was, frankly, a travesty and resulted in a number of tragedies over many years. Is there a lot of work to do? There sure is. But we are working flat out to both save lives from overdose and to build that better system for mental health and addictions care. PROTECTION OF OLD-GROWTH FORESTS AND TRANSITION SUPPORT FOR FOREST-DEPENDENT COMMUNITIES A.

Olsen:It’s three years into this government’s man- date, and we await the release of the old growth panel report and the government’s long-awaited old growth strategy, which they had promised to be guided by the panel’s report. British Columbians want their government to protect these ancient, endangered ecosystems and stop the devast- ation that we’re seeing in our forests. The destruction of productive old growth isn’t uniform across the landscape. In some places, it will be depleted as soon as ten to 20 years.

In some places, the next three months, six months, one year make a huge difference for protecting the impact to groves of Ancient Forest. Unfortunately, the rarest and most productive forests are going first. We need an immediate pause in these critical areas, home to some of the last remaining productive, unpro- tected old growth on earth, while a strategy for science- based old-growth management across B.C. is developed. We can’t wait any longer. My question is to the Minister of Forests, Lands, Natural Resources Operations and Rural Development.

Will he pause harvesting in old-growth ecosystems at the highest risk and provide supports to affected workers while he works on the promised old growth strategy? Hon. D. Donaldson:Thank you to the member. I’m happy for the opportunity to discuss our old-forest plans for the province. We undertook the old growth strategic review because of a lack of action on this topic by the previous govern- ment. There is a need for stronger steps to protect biod- iversity and to support workers and communities depend- ent on the forest resource. We are taking a science-based, thoughtful and serious approach.

I want to thank the panel for their work. Al Gorley and Gary Merckel, over four months, went to 45 different communities and received thousands of submissions by email and written. We’re committed to release publicly the review panel’s report within six months, as the terms of reference said. We are well on track to meet that commitment.

As for actions that will rise from the report, again, I want to quote from the terms of reference: “We will engage in government-to-government consultation with First Nations before setting policy direction in response to the report. ” That is in the spirit of respect rather than acting uni- laterally, and we will also be embarking on a thorough engagement with workers, communities, industry, envir- onmental organizations and other interested groups in the coming months. Mr. Speaker:The Leader of the Third Party and mem- ber for Saanich North and the Islands on a supplemental. [2:05 p.m.] A.

Olsen:The request was simply to pause the harvest- ing while that plan was in place. It’s difficult for people to see the trees continue to pass through their communities, noting that this panel has been doing their consultation. The debate about protecting old growth is often framed as a choice between protecting old trees and protecting jobs. However, that’s not the choice before us. The choice is Monday, July 20, 2020 British Columbia Debates 12087

between a managed transition today and a sudden, abrupt transition when we’ve cut down the last stand of product- ive old growth. Let me be clear. We’re not talking about sustainable jobs that will continue to exist for the next generation or two. We know, from a recent analysis published by independent scientists, that the transition from old-forest harvest is imminent. We also know that as the high productivity old growth on the land base is harvested, communities will experience a falldown effect, and jobs will disappear as the volume goes down and the industry logs smaller and smal- ler second growth.

We urgently need a plan to transition forestry workers and communities dependent on this non- renewable resource. My question is again to the Minister of Forests, Lands, Natural Resource Operations and Rural Development. The time for a transition is now. What specific steps is his ministry taking to transition communities from a depend- ence on old-growth logging, and how much funding is he demanding from the stimulus spending for this effort? Hon. D. Donaldson:I want to assure the member that we’ve begun transition work already, for forest-dependent communities and workers, to diversify the local economy.

Really, that’s at the basis of his question. A couple of examples of that are recent community grants that we announced. Port Hardy, for instance, received $60,000 for a boatyard haul out feasibility study. Port Alice received $80,000 for an interpretive sign project. The First Nations consortium received over $92,000 to expand the cold storage and freezing of local seafoods to fulfil the local market.

I also want to make sure members know that workers who are already displaced from the forest sector on the coast are able to access, through the Ministry of Labour, the offices we opened last year for retraining purposes and for getting support services for themselves to look to the future and other employment. We have focused on reducing log exports and bringing more fibre — in other words, less waste left behind in cutblocks.

An example of that is funding we supplied to the Forest Enhancement Society of B.C. for 19,000 cubic metres of fibre around Port McNeill that otherwise would have been left in the forest — over a quarter-of-a-million- dollar grant. We’re also focusing on mass timber to increase value over volume because we know the volume available for timber products will be less in the future. We are committed to implementing a new, up-to-date and comprehensive old-forest management strategy, in consultation with First Nations, that will address import- ant biodiversity concerns and support workers and com- munities.

That will include a further transition, as needed. The member knows that we will be putting forth our recovery plans, as far as the economic recovery, very soon, in the coming months. That will include measures to assist forest-dependent communities as well. SUPPORTIVE HOUSING FACILITIES AND SERVICES AND COMMUNITY SAFETY T. Stone:The Premier’s lack of help for those suffering from addictions is having a profoundly negative impact across our province. Without proper supports for those in need, the government is simply warehousing people in neighbourhoods throughout British Columbia.

Alistair Kent, in Victoria, writes this: “Simply moving issues into another vulnerable neighbourhood is unac- ceptable, and the lack of consultation is an insult. ” My question is to the Minister of Housing, and it is this. For a government that has made literally an art form of consultations, why is the Minister of Housing being so dis- missive and unwilling to consult with neighbourhoods just like Alistair Kent’s? [2:10 p.m.] Hon. S. Robinson:Let’s be really clear here. We inher- ited a crisis that was years in the making. We also, then, were faced with a COVID emergency — a COVID crisis.

We needed to move quickly to get people indoors. We had to thin shelters in order to make sure that people stayed healthy, in order to create distance. So we moved people indoors. We moved very quickly so that people could be safe, so that the workers that are there could keep people safe and make sure that people are sup- ported as well. Mr. Speaker: The member for Kamloops–South Thompson on a supplemental. T. Stone:The bottom line is this: the government has made a choice to not properly fund the number of beds and the required wraparound supports for those in need.

Last week, the government, with great fanfare, made a housing announcement in Nanaimo. Problem is, the gov- ernment news release neglected to mention one key detail: Nanaimo is actually getting a net gain of zero beds. That means, by simply moving people around the community, hundreds of homeless and at-risk individuals will remain without a roof over their heads or the supports that they need. Meanwhile, the negative impacts of the minister’s approach on the broader community and on small busi- nesses will continue to worsen. To the Minister of Housing, my question is this.

When will the minister build the supportive housing units with the wraparound supports that are so desperately needed in the city of Nanaimo? Hon. S. Robinson:Well, in just over two years, more than 2,000 people have a home that they didn’t have before, because the people on the other side of the House didn’t take action. They have supports. They all come with 24-7 on-site supports and help for residents to access addi- tional specialized care in the community. We are seeing 12088 British Columbia Debates Monday, July 20, 2020

tremendous progress here. We have people who are telling us about how their lives have changed. The member mentioned Nanaimo. When we moved people into supportive housing in Nanaimo, it was tem- porary. Members may have forgotten — because they seem to forget their 16 years, so they may not remember two years — that there was a tent city. We moved people, on an emergency basis, into housing with supports. Do you know what happened? Those people needed to go and get new government IDs, because no one rec- ognized them anymore. They were looking healthy. They were no longer gaunt.

They were getting three meals a day. They were being cared for. I’m very proud of the fact that we signed an MOU to build permanent housing for those very same people. J. Johal:The minister talks, but those who need help aren’t getting it. Those are the homeless, the residents who see the government warehousing people, and the small businesses that are left to deal with the consequences. Jolanda owns Java Jo’s in Victoria. She toldCTV News recently that since the province purchased the Comfort Inn, she has been threatened and is worried about her own safety.

She says: “I’ve been threatened a few times in the past month alone. ” To the Minister of Housing, why is she choosing not to help these small business owners who are already dealing with the impact of the pandemic? Hon. S. Robinson: We know that people and com- munities have been struggling with homelessness. Home- less people have been there for a long time. There have been years of neglect, where provincial governments and federal governments have not invested in affordable hous- ing, and this is what happens when you do not invest in people. They wind up becoming homeless.

They fall out of the bottom of the housing continuum. That is what has happened. We are investing $6 billion in housing, making sure that — once those people are stable, have their health back and are able to make decisions — not only can they move into affordable housing, but we are building the entire con- tinuum, because it has been lacking for decades. J. Johal:The reason that businesses are speaking out is because they haven’t been consulted with. Here’s another hard-hit business, yet another story. This one is Dodd’s Furniture.

Company president Love Dodd says the amount of crime and harassment has skyrocketed recently. “They’re on the streets. There is drug use right in front of us. They’re drug dealing right in front of us. They’re screaming at us. They’re sleeping in our parking lots. ” These local businesses are now being forced to hire extra security due to this minister’s incompetence. To the Minister of Housing, why is she choosing to leave small business owners on the hook? [2:15 p.m.] Hon. S. Robinson:These vulnerable people are already a part of our communities.

We can choose to house them with supports, or we can leave them — like the other folks did on the other side of the House — without anything. I prefer, and I know that British Columbians prefer, to house people and to support them. Also, with every single one of our projects, we set up a community advisory committee. We have business repre- sentatives on those committees to make sure that we are continuing to engage the community and continuing to make sure that we are getting the feedback from the com- munity so that the operators understand what more they need to do. The other thing I have to say, hon.

Speaker: when I listen to the members engage in such a manner, I see them pitting people against each other. I see them suggest- ing somehow that those who are most vulnerable are not worthy of support, not worthy of housing. I find that very frustrating, because I have seen them, on the other side, around COVID. I’ve seen their response around being in this together, and I would invite them to work together with us to house people, to support people, to wrap our arms around them, rather than using them as political pawns. J. Isaacs:The Howard Johnson Hotel is the new norm.

British Columbians are seeing the lack of on-site support at facilities across the province as the government ware- houses people. Jacqueline Semple writes: “My parents, ages 88 and 89, have lived in the West End for over 65 years. I am concerned for their safety now. Offering accommoda- tions in hotels is certainly not going to solve the problem. People should be treated with a team of professionals. ” To the Minister of Housing, why is she choosing not to provide the proper on-site supports for people in need? Hon. S.

Robinson:We’ve certainly canvassed this ques- tion before in the House around how we do provide sup- ports for people. In fact, I will remind everybody about how at 7 p.m., we all cheered for those very support work- ers who are keeping people safe, who work with them to provide them some support. Let me read into the record….

For the member oppos- ite, this is another job description for a support worker in one of these facilities. “They participate in case planning with clients and our health care providers by performing duties like interviewing clients who identify problems and needs; obtaining required information from a variety of sources, including their care providers; documenting client needs and wants and assisting them to determine appropri- ate programs for their care; advocating for clients by problem-solv- ing around financial assistance; accessing community resources; obtaining volunteer or work placements.

Monday, July 20, 2020 British Columbia Debates 12089

“They’re also required to observe clients; identify and assess potential emergency situations; develop short-term strategies to deal with such situations, including de-escalating challenging be- haviours. They’re to do reports to medical and on behaviour and other problems as required. They’re to provide feedback about cli- ents’ needs, their performance, their progress. ” All of these are supports that people need. We make sure that they get access to the medical supports that they need as well, and that’s what is available 24-7 on site for these residents. Mr.

Speaker: The member for Coquitlam–Burke Mountain on a supplemental. J. Isaacs:I think that’s the fifth time that we’ve heard a job description for supportive housing staff, so thank you for bringing that forward again. Look, there are more than 100 people living at the Howard Johnson Hotel. Over 90 percent of them have addictions and mental health issues. Clinical workers, doctors and addiction specialists rotate, and they’re on site once or twice a week. The burden, to support people facing major challenges, is on the support workers.

But there are only 24 hours in a day, meaning that workers are barely able to provide five minutes of support to those 100 people living at the site. That’s not enough for people facing major challenges. To the Minister of Housing, will she provide adequate funding so that those who need access to wraparound ser- vices can have more than five minutes of support a day? Hon. S. Robinson: Well, I have to say, when we talk about 24-7 supports and more than five minutes a day, I have no idea what she’s talking about.

I have visited a number of those, and there’s lots of opportunity for group counselling, for one-on-one. There’s lots of opportunity to work together to develop case management. [2:20 p.m.] Do we have more to do? Absolutely. There is absolutely more to do. I am very, very proud of the fact that we have brought in 2,000 units of housing for those very people in just two years, and I look forward to another ten years when we can bring in thousands and thousands of more housing for these folks. I think that as a government, we have absolutely more to do.

There are certainly still more homeless people in com- munities around this province because it was ignored for so long. We have a plan. We’re going to continue deliver- ing for the people, for the businesses, for the communities because it’s not acceptable to have such a significant home- less problem in this province. [End of question period.] Tabling Documents Mr. Speaker:Members, I have the honour to present a report outlining the ministerial order made under

section 10, Emergency Program Act, from the office of the Minis- ter of Public Safety and Solicitor General. Orders of the Day Hon. M. Farnworth:I call continued second reading debate on Bill 18, Economic Stabilization Act. [S. Gibson in the chair.] Second Reading of Bills BILL 18 — ECONOMIC STABILIZATION (COVID-19) ACT (continued) S. Bond:Good afternoon. I do appreciate the opportun- ity to make some further brief comments related to Bill 18. As the Chair would know, I started my comments late last week and reserved my spot to conclude my remarks today.

Perhaps we should start with just a brief reminder of the key elements of Bill 18, which, ironically, is called the Economic Stabilization Act. I hope that all of us would remember that this bill is being debated in the context of a fiscal update that the Finance Minister provided last week. In that update, the Finance Minister outlined the staggering debt that British Columbians will be facing in the months and the years ahead.

We learned, after pressing the Finance Minister to be transparent about the current fiscal situation, that the province will be facing what I think could best be described as the best-case scenario, a $12.5 billion deficit. [2:25 p.m.] What’s most concerning is that despite the grim finan- cial circumstances we face in British Columbia, there is no sight of a plan to begin the reboot of our economy and to get people back to work again — not a jobs plan, no economic recovery plan.

The Finance Minister herself told British Columbians that this is likely to be the worst eco- nomic downturn in recent history, yet there is no strategic and aggressive economic recovery plan. I know that every member of the House is entitled to their own views. But this morning, to listen to the members of the government try to state that because we believe there needs to be a comprehensive strategic eco- nomic plan, we don’t believe that health needs to be a priority…. Of course it does. There now exists in British Columbia a health crisis and an economic crisis.

So we need to see the government recognize that and create an economic recovery strategy. If the members would like to look across the country, they will see that other jurisdictions are far advanced when 12090 British Columbia Debates Monday, July 20, 2020

it comes to looking at how to spur investment and create consumer confidence. So it’s not unusual or unexpected that we would be talking about how British Columbia becomes competitive once again. As I noted earlier in my remarks, Bill 18 deals with sup- ports and initiatives that have, for the most part, already been announced. But we know there’s so much more to do. I think it bears repeating that all of us understand that there needed to be supports for businesses and families in our province. The issue now is: how do we grow the eco- nomy? How do we rebuild consumer and investment con- fidence?

A significant component of the bill relates to the deferral of taxes. What it does is extend the filing and payment deadlines for the carbon tax, the motor fuel tax, the tobacco tax and the provincial sales tax until September 30, 2020. While those initiatives in and of themselves have merit, there is concern about the date that is included in legislation. The opposition and business organizations in the province have called for an extension to the repayment period. Recently the B.C. Business Council has suggested that the tax deferral should be extended until the end of the year.

In addition — something that we spoke about earlier last week — there should be a 12-month repayment period in 2021, on top of businesses regular ’20-21 taxes. In other words, stretch out that payment plan so that busi- nesses that are struggling will have an opportunity to make those payments in a reasonable way. That is one way the minister could minimize the num- ber of businesses that may be forced to shut their doors. It’s that serious in our province. Here’s what Jock Finlayson of the B.C.

Business Council had to say about extending the tax deferral date: “Extend deferrals on tax remittances until the end of the year, because it’s not like by September 1 or September 30 the economy is going to be back on dry ground. It’s just not the case. ” As I noted in my earlier remarks, the legislation allows for a potentially later date that may be specified by regula- tion. I can assure the government that during committee, we will be asking the minister if she is prepared to commit to an extended date and whether or not she’s considering that.

Equally importantly, is she considering a repayment plan that stretches over a longer period of time? The act also enables the adjustment of dates for payment of the employer health tax, moving the payment to Octo- ber. Well, we know this. Even prior to the pandemic, the employer health tax was a problem for many businesses and organizations. I know that we will all remember that these costs were downloaded on businesses, including a year where the government even double-dipped, collect- ing both MSP premiums and a brand-new employer health tax.

How on earth does the minister think employers will be able to pay the EHT after the devastating economic cir- cumstances they are facing, notwithstanding a change of date for payment? [2:30 p.m.] One of the key elements of the government’s COVID-19 response plan was a tax-free one-time payment of $1,000 for British Columbians whose ability to work was im- pacted. An amendment to the Income Tax Act is included in this bill to make that payment possible.

Perhaps one of the most significant implications of Bill 18 relates to the ability to operate in a deficit position by creating an exemption from balanced budget legislation through the ’23-24 budget year. As we saw in the fiscal update that was provided last week, in the absence of an aggressive economic recovery plan, it may well be optim- istic to think that as a province, we are only facing three years of deficit budgets.

Certainly, we’ll be asking the minister what her expect- ations are about additional deficit years, especially if she extends the tax deferral deadlines and makes other adjust- ments to ensure that more businesses in British Columbia remain viable and can keep their doors open.

Now, I don’t think anyone in the House or in our coun- try, for that matter, believes that a fiscal response to sup- port families and businesses wasn’t important and neces- sary as a result of the devastating impacts of COVID-19, but it is also critical that there is a transparent, rigorous process that builds in accountability when governments spend taxpayer dollars. As we have seen far too often, that has not been the case in the past, and that is ultimately what led to balanced-budget legislation.

With the exemption that Bill 18 provides, how exactly will British Columbians know whether spending is appro- priate, whether it’s reasonable or whether it’s responsible? British Columbians deserve to know those kinds of details, so exactly what safeguards will be in place is an important consideration. Again, these are the kinds of questions that we will be exploring in committee stage.

Section 21 will also require more clarity during com- mittee stage. The Financial Administration Act is being amended to provide an expanded scope for special war- rants. It will be very interesting to see how the minister explains the need for the use of special warrants following the expiry of a state of emergency and that changes will even be allowed for the anticipation of an emergency. I think that all of us can agree that COVID has forced us to be innovative and creative in the way we conduct business in the Legislature.

We’ve certainly seen businesses across the province look at ways to try to be resilient and continue their work. That is an important piece of discus- sion for us as we relate to the issue of special warrants. I think all of us would agree, although it is not necessarily ideal, and sometimes there are technical glitches and chal- lenges — we even saw some of those today — the system that has been constructed allows us, in our view, to effect- ively conduct the business of government in new ways. One would assume that that capability would reduce Monday, July 20, 2020 British Columbia Debates 12091

the need for broad, sweeping expansions of scope for use of special warrants. There is a lack of definition and spe- cificity that could once again raise legitimate concerns about the transparency and safeguards related to the use of taxpayer dollars. While many of the measures contained in Bill 18 are not unexpected, what we continue to be disappointed about is the complete absence of a strategic economic recovery plan that supports the private sector, gets British Colum- bians back to work and rebuilds consumer, business and investor confidence in our province.

We will pursue answers to our questions when we reach committee stage, but in the meantime, we urge the min- ister to look beyond this bill and to take the additional steps that are necessary to begin a path to recovery for our province. British Columbia is facing the largest deficit in the province’s history.

To be clear, the opposition recog- nizes the need and the importance of responding to the COVID-19 pandemic — the importance and necessity of supporting individuals and families and businesses. [2:35 p.m.] It is also critical that there be transparency and account- ability as our province grapples with the uncertainty of the days ahead and of the staggering debt we are facing. We aren’t the only ones calling for a plan. Business organiza- tions, small businesses and many others want to know how the current government plans to spend and on what.

I am hopeful that we will see a much more specific, compre- hensive plan that will result in the goal of the bill that is in front of us. The goal of Bill 18, as the title notes, is economic stabil- ization. While this legislation takes some steps, and there’s more clarity required on some of the elements contained in the bill, there is a lot more work to be done. That needs to be done sooner rather than later. S. Furstenau:I’m pleased to take my place to speak on Bill 18, the Economic Stabilization Act, today. This bill amends multiple acts and makes a number of changes that implement COVID-19 response measures.

It extends the tax filing and payment deadlines for multiple taxes, creates the B.C. emergency benefit and allows budget deficits for the next three years. One major piece of this bill amends the Income Tax Act to create the B.C. emergency benefit for workers. This benefit is a tax-free, one-time, $1,000 payment for B.C. residents whose ability to work has been affected due to COVID-19. This bill also extends the tax return filing and payment deadlines for the carbon tax, the motor fuel tax, tobacco tax, provincial sales tax and commercial property taxes.

As we commented when these measures were announced, these were the right steps to take at the right time. The emergency benefit, along with these tax defer- rals, helped businesses and individuals weather the imme- diate financial crisis from the shutdowns that took place. Going forward, there are two challenges that govern- ment needs to balance. On the one hand, government needs to be able to adapt, given the substantial uncertain- ties on the horizon, and ensure that people and businesses are still receiving the supports they need come fall.

Other- wise, we risk seeing a substantial wave of bankruptcies and significant financial hardship. On the other hand, govern- ment needs to be sending clear signals about the type of economy it wants to see for the future. For most of these taxes, now due to be collected in October, I think it’s important to recognize the possibility of a strong second wave in the fall and that there are many unknowns about the ability of people to pay taxes that have accrued over the past number of months.

The carbon tax is unique, however, given how powerfully it is connec- ted to being a signal about the types of industries and types of jobs we want to build, so it is also critically important that as a part of our recovery strategy, government bring back the scheduled carbon tax increases that were suspen- ded a few months ago. It is with some wide dismay that the information around how much in subsidies has gone to the oil and gas industry in the past few months in Canada instead of going to the clean energy and renewable energy industry…. It’s prob- lematic as a signal that we want to be sending.

It’s import- ant in B.C. that we take a leadership role on this. Economists agree that consistent and scheduled increases to the price of carbon are central to its effect- iveness as an economic tool. It provides business certainty and spurs investment in a clean economy. There are many innovative businesses in B.C. that are willing and able to lead the transition to a clean economy and can create huge numbers of clean jobs as they do this. But these businesses have been clear.

It undermines poten- tial investments in transitional technology if there is no certainty that the economy is moving in this direction and that it has the full backing of government. We will contin- ue to urge, as strongly as we can, for government to let the carbon tax do its job as a price signal to help us to trans- form our economy. The bill also extends the time period for municipalities to remit the school tax and police tax to the province, but it does require municipalities to fulfil their tax remittance obligations to TransLink and B.C.

Transit to give them cer- tainty of cash flow. [2:40 p.m.] While the extension in this bill on the school tax and the police tax does provide municipalities with additional fiscal flexibility to deal with COVID-19, the financial situ- ation of municipalities is a serious issue and something I expect we’ll be talking far more about in the House in the months to come. Municipalities are facing a significant fin- ancial crunch, and they don’t have the same fiscal flexib- ility nor the multiple forms of revenue that the provincial and federal governments have.

At committee stage, I’ll be asking about the work that 12092 British Columbia Debates Monday, July 20, 2020

the province has done to understand and mitigate the fisc- al situation facing municipalities, especially given that they are being required to still remit full taxes to B.C. Transit and TransLink, despite depressed revenues. We need to be sure that extending the school tax and police tax deadline will be enough to ensure that they remain on firm finan- cial footing.

This bill also amends the Balanced Budget and Minis- terial Accountability Act to temporarily suspend the pro- hibition against deficit budgets for the next three years, enabling the government to pass deficit budgets to the Legislature for the 2021-22, ’22-23 and ’23-24 fiscal years. As the fiscal update showed last week, we, like every juris- diction dealing with COVID around the world, are facing a very challenging fiscal situation.

There is a consensus amongst economists and public policy experts of all polit- ical stripes that substantial government investment and intervention is required to support people and to boost our economy in this highly uncertain time. Of course, the government needs to continue to respon- sibly manage expenditures, but fearmongering about defi- cits is not helpful. Running deficits is not inherently irre- sponsible or problematic. What matters is not the deficit itself but the size of the debt relative to the strength of the economy as well as the cost of borrowing.

The cost of bor- rowing is extremely low right now, and we went into this crisis on strong financial footing. At this moment in time, it would be, frankly, irresponsible to not run a substantial deficit to support people and keep the economy moving. But unfortunately, as the opposition can attest, fear- mongering about deficits seems to be good politics. Requiring a balanced budget each year is a purely political act that doesn’t support good policy outcomes. It makes longer-term planning and programming more difficult and results in artificial constraints and inefficient spending in ministries.

So while I fully support the fact that this bill allows for deficits for the next three years as we seek to recover from COVID-19, I question the reluctance of this government to challenge this paradigm. Government should not have to change legislation to be able to run a deficit when it’s the responsible thing to do. This brings me to my major concern about the bill: not what it changes, but what it doesn’t change.

This bill con- tinues to reinforce the political frame that government is not to be trusted and that its role is to be minimized, des- pite the fact that this most recent crisis is showing us that precisely the opposite is true. Despite allowing budget deficits for the next three years, this bill does not change the salary holdbacks under this legislation that were introduced by the previous govern- ment.

These holdbacks mean that ministers are penalized 10 percent of their salary for not balancing their individual portfolios and another 10 percent when the government budget as a whole is not balanced, for a 20 percent penalty. This means ministers are essentially being penalized for authorizing the social supports, economic investments and programs required to get B.C. through this crisis. The Minister of Health, to take one example, oversaw a health response to COVID-19 to keep our health care sys- tem functioning and to keep British Columbians safe.

The minister has implemented widespread testing, extra surge capacity for our hospitals, PPE for our health care work- ers and a surgical renewal plan, all of which cost substan- tial money and all of which are absolutely required to help us to weather this crisis. Because of this, the minister is facing a 20 percent salary penalty this year. That doesn’t seem right. This is true for every minister and every port- folio affected by COVID-19. [2:45 p.m.] This isn’t about individual ministers and how hard they’ve been working or their individual decisions.

This is about the signal we’re sending about the role of govern- ment leadership and the discretion of elected politicians to make decisions supported by evidence and by experts in the public service. The proper place for ministers to be held accountable for these decisions is in the Legislature and, ultimately, by the people of B.C. during elections. It’s not by a punitive financial penalty that isn’t responsive to the actual context we are in today.

This type of legislation reflects the damaging notion that government is not to be trusted, despite the fact that this pandemic has shown us more clearly than ever the need for responsible government leadership to support the health and well-being of the people of British Columbia. So I’m sad to see that this government has chosen to leave this in place. I will be speaking to this issue further at committee stage, and I look forward to the discussion. Deputy Speaker:Our final speaker to Bill 18, second reading, is the member for Surrey South. S.

Cadieux:With the introduction of this bill, govern- ment has indeed unveiled a plan to run deficits for three years. Last week the Finance Minister laid out a grim pic- ture for the province’s finances, and we’re still waiting for a discernible economic recovery plan of any type. Now, I understand the likelihood of deficits for a few years. It is difficult, though, to blindly support it. The anticipated while likely uncertain depths of the deficits that are projec- ted are an important consideration. Deficits for recovery purposes are one thing.

Deficits for unbridled spending on partisan projects or programs while on increased government payrolls are something quite totally different. While we heard from the Finance Minister that her priorities had not changed, despite laying out for the public the likelihood of a deficit for this year of over $12½ billion…. Despite that, the Finance Minister isn’t taking a look at government priorities. We’re also concerned about the broad emergency powers this legislation will confer upon government. The Monday, July 20, 2020 British Columbia Debates 12093

additional and even pre-emptive emergency spending authority contemplated by these amendments needs to have the appropriate checks and balances in place that this power merits. This is especially the case when we have now cemented the ability to scrutinize the budget through video conferencing technology. This bill does a number of things, however, some of which are not unexpected given the announcements of tax deferrals made by government over the last couple of months. So this bill creates the authority for those defer- rals.

Sections 1 to 5 enact the deferral of the carbon tax and the motor fuel, sales and tobacco taxes to September 30 or a later date if specified by regulation. There appear to be no phased-in repayments at this point, so while businesses have appreciated the ability to defer, the repayments are all coming due at the same time. That may cause another cash flow issue, as the member for Prince George–Valemount laid out in her remarks earlier. The B.C. Chamber survey data suggests that 43 percent of businesses have said that they’ll require more financial help to stay open than is available from governments cur- rently.

Chamber president Val Litwin specifically refer- enced the deferred tax payments that will all come due in that one swoop on September 30. Many businesses, although reopening, are still seeing revenues far below normal levels. Only 23 percent have achieved normal sales volumes. They’re certainly not strong enough yet to be covering accumulated debts from closure months. In fact, many are still accumulating that debt.

Section 6 is going to enable regulations to extend the repayment deadline and make regulations retroactive. The Finance Minister has mused publicly about the possibility of repayment plans, but there’s no indication in the bill how those might work or be structured.

Section 6 pre- scribes, as I say, the regulation-making authority to extend the deadlines, but we aren’t assured at this point that gov- ernment intends to use it, nor how. Sections 7 to 9 enact the delay on penalties for late payment of property taxes. Sections 10 to 14 enable local governments to delay the payment of tax sums collected and owed to the provincial government in order to ensure liquidity from municipal governments.

Section 15 enacts the deferral of the employer health tax and allows alteration of payment plan scheduling.

Section 16 repeals

section 15, coming into force on December 31, 2021. Now, that’s, effectively, a sunset clause in EHT deferrals. Both the late payments will now become due at a new date, meaning that the combined deferred payments become due in October. [2:50 p.m.]

Section 17 allows government to disclose information for the administration and auditing of the federal CERB applications.

Section 18 enacts the emergency benefit for workers, which adds sections 214 to 239 of the Income Tax Act. Certainly, this was an action of government that was not unexpected, in order to support people who had lost work through the pandemic. Certainly, understanding these sections need to be implemented in order for that to ulti- mately take effect…. Now,

section 214 appears to state that the emergency benefit is for the 2019 taxation year. This will need a little explanation. I’m sure there’s a drafting purpose served here that I’m not immediately understanding, but we can cover that in committee.

Section 215 establishes the qualification criteria.

Section 223, a penalty of $3,000 for false applications, of which I certainly hope we don’t have too many. Individuals who received the B.C. emergency benefit for workers but are ineligible have to repay the amount, and interest on that amount, after 30 days.

Section 234 gives audit powers. All very standard. But equally important to all of this is what the bill doesn’t do. It completely fails to add any measures that could be construed as a recovery plan, despite its title — nothing that could be argued to act as stimulus for an economy in shock. The government has done much in terms of spend- ing, yet it’s kind of dumbfounding how little help there has been to help our small business–dependent economy. In fact, there’s been very little support of any kind provided to businesses. Almost no real spending on the part of government in the way of cash.

No help to strapped employers to get through. Not on rent relief for small busi- nesses who had to close their doors to help respond to the pandemic and keep people safe. Government has, many times, pointed to the school tax reduction as a help for small businesses. Y es, the province is taking a large hit with this measure. But who is it benefiting? Mostly it is benefiting landlords and property owners, but the majority of small businesses are tenants. They are not owners and landlords. Many of them have seen no flow-through relief from the measure implemented by government.

With just deferrals of owed taxes, which is what this bill helps bring to fruition, we will now see all of that come due in one lump sum for those small businesses. Meanwhile, just next door, our closest competitor has announced a $10 billion recovery plan, starting with a cut to the corporate tax, which will further serve to reduce B.C. ’s competitive- ness. Whether or not one likes tax cuts or professes that that’s the only thing that this side of the House ever sug- gests….

Regardless of whether or not that is your position, when your closest competitor does exactly that, your com- petitiveness is harmed if you don’t match it. Recovery grants of $5,000 for small businesses, acceler- ating $500 million of shovel-ready projects this summer to help get people working, launching an innovation employ- ment grant to support jobs and industries that diversify the economy…. We have heard much from both this gov- ernment and from its supporting Green Party members that we want to see us build back better. We want to see 12094 British Columbia Debates Monday, July 20, 2020

us build a greener economy with our recovery. Well, how do you do that if you don’t help businesses and small busi- nesses find ways to improve their operations? The B.C. government, in contrast, has launched a survey to find out what British Columbians think they should do with $1½ billion. The Finance Minister was quoted as suggesting that health and safety measures are all that’s needed. While we argued this morning that health and safety is necessarily and arguably priority number one, it isn’t sufficient in and of itself as a path to recovery.

The only certainty that we have from government around recovery is its own paper accompanying the CERB. They see recovery as building a B.C. where strong public services are always there, meeting the challenge of the cli- mate crisis and doing so in partnership with Indigenous peoples. They’re all good things. They’re all essential. They’re all things that government has to be considering when it’s making policy.

But there are glaring omissions, like any mention of the industries and sectors that create the ability for government to spend money, the industries that bring investment to B.C., and revenue, therefore, to the province, like the tourism economy. It had a pre-COV- ID revenue of $20½ billion, with $1.7 billion in tax reven- ue to B.C. It’s been devastated. [2:55 p.m.] There’s no plan currently to assist these businesses to stay afloat until global travel resumes and clients return. Small businesses — 98 percent of the economy, employing more than half a million British Columbians.

The retail sector who might be looking to get online…. Ontario had a Digital Main Street grant to help build resiliency. I would anticipate that many of our small businesses could use the same help. What’s the plan to support our resource industry and our exporters? If we’ve seen exports fall 15 percent through the first five months of 2020, what are we doing to ensure that we’re going to build that back stronger? Really, it would just be great to know that government had a plan at all. We don’t see any evidence of it.

We need to be sure that we’re taking a comprehensive look at our economy as we plan for the future. Beyond a hope and a prayer that people will resume their normal activities and spending patterns, what does government plan to do to stimulate the recovery? What are they going to do to increase our competitiveness as an economy and as a province to drive innovation and resiliency in our biggest market sectors? This can’t wait. It is urgent. Ninety-eight percent of our economy is those small businesses, and up to 20 percent of them are expected to disappear within a year.

That’s just not sustainable, and that isn’t going to help us to build back better. Many businesses, although reopening, are still, like I said, seeing their revenues far below normal levels. They’re not strong enough to be covering those debts for closure months, and they’re not able to hire back all of their employees. Government needs a plan for the economy. We don’t see it from this government. Without it, businesses will fail and people will teeter on the edge of bankruptcy. Govern- ment’s projections for a $12½ billion deficit will slide even further into the red.

So how is government going to lever- age that $1.5 billion they have earmarked for recovery to springboard our economy to a better place, not just to plug holes in the dam? What do we know about what government is planning? A future that will likely have fewer balanced budgets, given changes that government is making in this legislation. Sec- tion 19 creates that exemption for 2021 to 2024, and no change is made to the ministerial holdback provisions….

Section 20 allows supplementary estimates, instead of sur- plus amounts going towards debt repayment. When it comes to the presumption of deficits, what are the safeguards? With all of the ridicule the NDP levelled at us for balanced budget legislation when it was intro- duced and even subsequently…. Y et her own government, for over three years, felt obliged to provide the same, to present balanced budgets under that legislation and to lec- ture, if not boast, about the strict commitment to balanced budgets that she was undertaking.

No one, under the circumstances we find ourselves in worldwide, would think it was unreasonable to be project- ing a deficit. Of course emergency spending was required. Of course revenues are down. But we still have a Finance Minister that believes that recovery will just happen. But businesses are failing, jobs are being lost forever, women and young people are the hardest hit, and government has no strategy to present. The concern, however, is that this bill is starting an unravelling and a dismantling of the rigidity of the budget- ing process for the province.

The reason these measures were put in place were quite simply because, left to their own devices, previous governments of many stripes saw fit to abuse the budget process for their own political reasons. That’s why the strict timelines for budget processes are in place — to prevent the manipulation of both the timing and the content of the provincial budget. The pandemic response, pandemic-related revenue declines and even recovery spending are fully expected, and yes, reasonably, some of this might stretch beyond this budget. But we do need to know what to expect.

What are the safeguards going to be, if not balanced- budget legislation? When government has presupposed the next three years of budgets will not be balanced, on what data is that supposition being made, and what will the difference be between a $5 billion and a $20 billion deficit, from year to year? What controls will be in place to ensure that spending is reasonable, to ensure that it is proportionate to the emergency, to prevent that deficit from being padded by political posturing and unnecessary growth in the public sector?

What are the safeguards to ensure that a responsible fiscal plan — versus the NDP’s Monday, July 20, 2020 British Columbia Debates 12095

old ways of budgeting, of overspending and uncontrolled spending — to resume?

Section 21 is going to expand the Financial Admin- istration Act’s scope for when special warrants can be authorized for spending up to six months during a state of emergency. We are told this is because the pandemic may not have been covered by the previous special war- rant

definitions. [3:00 p.m.] Additionally, preventative and post-emergency recovery measures and criteria are contemplated for special war- rants. Preventative and post-emergency — what reason- able example can the minister give as to why this is neces- sary? We suspect that these conditions are too permissive, especially given that the Legislature has now achieved a means to authorize such expenditures remotely. I’m surprised, frankly, given the comments in the Green Party member’s response just before this, that there was not more of a focus on this presumptive measure.

She talked about the importance of trusting government and trusting ministers and, in her opinion, the need to remove the ministerial holdback provisions because you should trust government to do the necessary spending and the right thing. Y et here we’re being told to trust government to presumptively spend money without the Legislature’s approval and to presumptively, in a recovery stage, spend money, again without the Legislature’s approval. We’re doing this despite the fact that we have now the ability to sit virtually.

We have seen us come together as a Legislature to do what was necessary in very short order in March to provide government with necessary spending authority. So I am, yes, a bit suspicious of the dismantling of the procedural safeguards that are being proposed through this bill. The extension by 30 days from election isn’t, I don’t think, overly egregious — at least, probably not — but it does signal, also, a potential trend. On the surface, a most reasonable-thinking British Columbian might see merit in providing government with extraordinary tools in case of emergency, but what is the definition of “emergency”?

The inclusion here of anticipated emergency seems convenient but not in keeping with the Emergency Program Act definition that emergency means “a present or imminent event or circumstance…. ” The European Commission for Demo- cracy through Law cites three key principles for the implementation of emergency measures, which are necessity, proportionality and temporariness, to refer- ence my colleague from Vancouver-Langara. Anticipated emergencies are a new concept for this act, meaning we should be especially conscious of the potential pitfalls that may result from broadening that special war- rant authority.

They are, in essence, a means for cabinet to procure funds prior to seeking authorization from the Legislature. So how do we ensure that special warrants stemming from that anticipated emergency will result from necessity? How will they be proportionate? And will they be temporary? Certainly, the ability to issue a special warrant up to six months after a state of emergency begs the question of how we define “temporary. ” How cabinet anticipates emergencies will call into question the matter of proportionality.

Finally, now that we’ve positioned the Legislature, as I stated, with special standing orders and video conferen- cing technology that allows us to scrutinize needed spend- ing, as we did in March and continue to do today, we must also ask the question: to what extent do those powers meet the test of necessity? Any number of things could be con- sidered here, and I think the Finance Minister will need to provide a very compelling case that what is captured is specific enough to warrant support.

We are debating another bill to implement a bunch of measures that will significantly impact the provincial budgets for the coming years. Just last week we saw a snap- shot of B.C. ’s dire financial picture. When asked about the future, the Finance Minister admits that we don’t know what it will look like. There are lots of unknowns, and it could get worse, yet there are no plans to look at reduced government spending. Before anyone goes off suggesting that I think we should cut the programs people need, for the record, I am not.

But there is and always are areas that can be trimmed when the belt needs tightening. The minister herself had govern- ment do that just last year. At the best of times, things happen, and priorities shift. Ask any minister who has worked on a plan for a program or for legislation, only to see it shelved for another day. But in the face of a $12½ billion deficit — possibly more, since they’ve decided not to update us on the projections for B.C.

Hydro and ICBC and since the Premier has since announced that he will match federal dollars that are tar- geted for recovery — this government has no plans to reas- sess their priorities. [3:05 p.m.] Well, that’s not good enough. Once again, no one on this side of the House is going to blame government for the pandemic nor for the need for significant emergency spending measures. But it is only reasonable to ask what the plan is to get back to a sustainable spending level. Understandably, things will continue to change and evolve. They do that even without a pandemic.

But that isn’t an excuse not to have a plan five months in. I think government needs to do better. It’s not unreasonable for us to be asking. Clearly the pandemic has taken priority. The budgets of all levels of government have been thrown into shambles. This government now, at least…. Are they tak- ing another look at their plan? Well, in response, they saw fit to announce those deferrals on a bunch of tax measures but very little else for businesses and very little to drive growth in our private sector economy.

Now we have this bill, essentially cementing the inev- itability of deficit budgets for government for three years. We see the government next door beat the NDP to the 12096 British Columbia Debates Monday, July 20, 2020

punch, reduce their corporate tax rate and add billions to support their economy while here we have a government content on discussions. This government has no plan for economic recovery — period. Businesses and economists are scratching their heads, wondering why the government is treading water. “B.C., in relative terms, is really throwing toonies and loonies at the sort of support-for-the-economy piece here, and they’re essentially relying on the federal government’s bal- ance sheet and federal institutions. They really have done very little, ” said the B.C. Business Council.

Unfortunately, the legislation before us doesn’t represent a change in direction. It contains no semblance of a plan for economic recovery, despite its title as the Economic Stabilization (COVID-19) Act, in a province that desper- ately needs it, and it sets us up for years of deficits. What we know is that recovery will not be easy, even under the best of circumstances. But as elected officials, we have to make sure that we’re making decisions based on all of the relevant information.

I hope that as we move into committee stage on this bill, we’re able to get more clarity from government on their recovery road map as well as answers to the questions I raised today in this time here. It’s an important piece of legislation for the future of our province. I look forward to discussing it further. With that, I’ll close. Deputy Speaker:Seeing no further speakers, I recog- nize the Minister of Finance to close debate. Hon. C. James: Thank you to the members who have responded to the second reading on Bill 18, the Economic Stabilization (COVID-19) Act. Just a few pieces to touch on to summarize.

I know we’ll have a chance for a lot of this debate and discussion when we move into committee stage, but I did want to touch on a few of the themes that I’ve heard running through this discussion. The first one is around plans for the economy. I heard a lot of discussion around plans of the economy and what kind of direction the government is going.

Well, I want to remind the members once again that in fact the clearest plan for our economy and for economic recovery is a strong health and safety plan, because if people do not feel confident in the direction that’s happening in the province, if they do not feel confident that we’re addressing the health and safety issues, you will see no economic recov- ery. In fact, that was our first and foremost piece that we put in place for our COVID action plan. The second piece: immediate supports for businesses and for individuals. I won’t run through all of those. I’ve done that often.

But I did hear the members say there was nothing there for businesses, other than a few deferrals. Well, $700 million in a tax cut for businesses — not a deferral, an actual tax cut to reduce property taxes to help with cash for businesses. Targeted support for the agriculture industry. Targeted support for the tourism industry. Mental health supports. Child care supports. All of those not only help businesses but, in fact, help individuals and families as well. Support for people with diverse abilities to make sure that they were receiving the supports. Support for children in care.

That’s just a short list of the kinds of approaches that have been put in place. [3:10 p.m.] Then next, safe restart, making sure that we could, as a province, start opening up in a way that was planned and measured and, most importantly, safe, to build that confid- ence for customers, to build that confidence for individu- als and, most importantly, to build that confidence so that businesses could open up again. I heard members talk about the deficit budgets and questioning the three-year approach to deficit budgets to measure three years ahead. There is no question.

No one, including economists, business groups or organiza- tions, has a crystal ball to know how long we are going to face the challenges in the economy. So we looked at what had been done previously by the past government, for example, in other years. They put aside three years. It’s going to be reviewed each year. It’s going to be looked at each year. But we feel, again, that’s a responsible way to be able to manage. Responsible budgeting. I heard discussion around re- sponsible budgeting. Well, we’ll have an opportunity to talk further about responsible budgeting and deficit budgets.

There is no question that there may be a dif- ference of opinion between the past government and ourselves around putting those supports in place. I heard the member ask about reductions in the civil service and the public service, looking for cuts, looking for reductions in supports. Well, that’s not our approach. It’s not a time to start creating less jobs, to start causing chal- lenges when it comes to providing services and supports for people that they rely on so deeply in this province. We saw for 16 years what happens when you approach budget- ing from that perspective.

So yes, there will be a difference of opinion, I expect. I know these amendments that are laid out in this bill will help ensure that the province is better equipped, not only now through COVID-19 but, in fact, into the future. I look forward to the conversations the members have talked about, the special warrants piece. I think that’s, again, a very good discussion. I agree with the member that it has to be very tight. It has to be for extreme circum- stances. I think this session has shown that we have the ability, in some emergencies, to be able to manage. I give the example of an earthquake.

Perhaps, as a Vic- toria MLA, it’s on my mind often that those are risks that we face. This building faces big risks if there’s an earth- quake. If the system was down and there weren’t oppor- tunities to come together and emergency funds needed to be there, to include the pandemic as one of those emer- Monday, July 20, 2020 British Columbia Debates 12097

gency pieces, I believe, is the responsible thing to do, with all of the checks and balances that the member talked about — making sure that it has to come back to the Legis- lature, making sure it has to be public, making sure that it’s short term and making sure that it is truly an emergency. I would agree with all of those points, so I think that will be a good discussion. With that, I move second reading of Bill 18, the Eco- nomic Stabilization (COVID-19) Act. Motion approved. Hon. C.

James:I move that Bill 18 be referred to a Com- mittee of the Whole House for consideration at the next sitting of the House after today. Bill 18, Economic Stabilization (COVID-19) Act, read a second time and referred to a Committee of the Whole House for consideration at the next sitting of the House after today. Hon. S. Robinson:I’m acting as House Leader. I now call second reading, Bill 23, Workers Compensation Amendment Act. BILL 23 — WORKERS COMPENSATION AMENDMENT ACT, 2020 Hon. H. Bains:It is my honour to stand and open the second reading of Bill 23. I move that Bill 23 be read a second time now.

I must say, right in the beginning, that as the Minister of Labour, it is my commitment and the commitment of this government to make British Columbia the safest work- place jurisdiction in Canada and to support injured work- ers and their families. At the same time, government is fully aware of the financial pressures being felt by employ- ers during these unprecedented times. [3:15 p.m.] Worker safety and an effective, supportive workers com- pensation system are important to me, both personally and as Minister of Labour.

One of my priority mandate commitments from the Premier is to increase compliance with employment laws and standards put in place to pro- tect the lives and safety of workers. Over the past three years, I have been working with WorkSafeBC on changes to improve education, inspection and enforcement pro- grams and engage employers and workers on how to ensure workplace safety.

It is also a priority of this government to have a workers compensation system that is more worker centred, because the primary purpose is to protect workers and to support workers with rehabilitation services and loss of earnings compensation during difficult situations. If you look at the three basic pillars of the workers compensation system, it is through education and training, working with the employers and the workers to prevent injuries in the first place. Prevention is important. Then in order to make that happen, you must have a strong enforcement regime in place.

When injuries do occur or people become sick due to the workplace, they are respected and their claims are dealt with, with respect and dignity so that they get the support that they need, the medical care that they need and rehab that they need to prepare them to go back to their pre-injury job. All of those are key fundamentals to have workers’ health and safety and a strong workers compensation system in place.

In support of this goal, many policies and program changes are taking place at WorkSafeBC to ensure that the workers are treated with respect and feel supported when they need to access workers compensa- tion. While important policy and program improvements are taking place at WorkSafeBC, some improvements require amendment to the Workers Compensation Act. As such, Bill 23 introduces a number of modest but important improvements to British Columbia’s workers compensa- tion and the occupational health and safety system.

Bill 23 makes the improvements that our government believes are important to keep workers safe and to support injured workers and their dependents while ensuring affordable changes for employers at this time. Many of the significant changes in Bill 23 reflect the findings and the recommendations from four reviews undertaken since 2017 to examine different aspects of the system. In April 2018, Paul Petrie reported on his review of WorkSafeBC’s policies to ensure a worker-centred approach wherever practical.

In December 2018, Terry Bogyo delivered his report examining options for WorkSafeBC’s accident fund and the excess surplus. This review included a number of options for using the excess surplus to increase workers compensation benefit levels. Given the financial uncer- tainty that has since arisen with the COVID-19 emer- gency, many of these options are not being addressed at this time. Bill 23, however, does include several of the more modest proposals of Mr. Bogyo’s report.

In August 2019, Lisa Jean Helps reported on her assess- ment of government and WorkSafeBC’s progress in imple- menting recommendations stemming from past reports into the tragic Lakeland and Babine sawmill explosions in 2012. Ms. Helps reported favourably on the improve- ments made to date but recommended a number of fur- ther changes, including four new legislative amendments to better protect workers’ health and safety and to support WorkSafeBC’s health and safety inspection program.

Bill 23 makes all four of these statutory changes. [3:20 p.m.] Finally, earlier this year Jeff Parr consulted with busi- nesses, workers and Indigenous representatives on the legislative proposals in the Petrie, Bogyo and Helps reports and made recommendations for legislative change based 12098 British Columbia Debates Monday, July 20, 2020

on what he heard. Most of the significant changes in Bill 23 were reviewed with these stakeholders and were endorsed in Mr. Petrie’s consultation report, although we’re not moving ahead with all of the recommendations, due to the COVID-19 emergency. I do want to take this opportunity to thank Paul Petrie, Terry Bogyo, Lisa Helps and Jeff Parr for their profes- sionalism and expertise in undertaking these reviews and providing government and WorkSafeBC with very thoughtful findings and recommendations for our consid- eration. I will now move on to highlight the specifics of Bill 23.

Bill 23 makes three enhancements to provide injured workers with workers compensation benefits that better take into account their loss of earnings. When people are injured on the job, we need to ensure that our workers compensation system responds to their needs and the needs of their families. These meaningful changes will improve support for injured workers and their families without significantly increasing the employer’s cost during the current COVID-19 emergency. The first improvement relates to the approach used to determine the amount of the permanent disability award.

The most beneficial calculation is used for each individual worker’s circumstance. In 2002, the previous government amended the act so that, in most cases, permanent partial disability payments must be calculated using what is called the loss-of-func- tion approach. Under this approach, the monthly com- pensation benefit is based on a worker’s likely loss of earn- ings according to the nature of their injury. The alternative loss-of-earnings approach, whereby compensation takes into account a worker’s real loss of earnings in their par- ticular situation, is only permitted in exceptional circum- stances.

For workers who are unable to return to their pre-injury employment and income — and those circumstances are not considered by WorkSafeBC as exceptional — the 2002 amendment requiring a loss-of-function award often res- ults in compensation less than the worker’s loss of earn- ings. Bill 23 will provide, for a permanent partial disability, that the amount of workers compensation must be based on the higher of the loss-of-function approach or the loss- of-earnings approach so that the workers are not left undercompensated for their loss of earnings.

This import- ant change restores the way the compensation system’s payments for permanent partial disability were determ- ined before the 2002 amendments. The second compensation improvement impacts the length of the permanent disability award. Under the act, monthly workers compensation payments end when the worker reaches age 65, unless WorkSafeBC is satisfied that the worker would have retired later. Think about this.

Currently the final determination of whether a worker would retire later than 65 is made at the time of the disability assessment, when the amount of their permanent disability award is determined. This approach is a real challenge, particularly for workers injured at a young age, who may be unable to provide satisfactory evidence that they would retire after age 65. If passed, Bill 23 permits the board to make the deter- mination of a worker’s date of retirement and, therefore, the end date for their permanent disability award after the worker reaches age 63, much closer to the real retire- ment date.

This much-needed amendment makes the sys- tem fairer for workers. They will be in a better position to provide evidence of their retirement closer to age 65, and it allows for a more equitable determination of when a work- er would retire. For

Document details

Collection	British Columbia — Debates (Hansard)
Citation	20200720pm-Hansard-n343
Type	hansard
Volume / chapter	20200720pm Hansard n343
Language	en
Format	pdf
Source	PROVINCIAL
Identifier	2940436686f673597b7716e869a13834638a3290

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