British Columbia Hansard — Monday, September 28, 2015 (40th Parliament, 4th Session) (20150928pm-Hansard-v28n9) (20150928pm Hansard v28n9)

20150928pm-Hansard-v28n9

British Columbia — Debates (Hansard)

Fourth Session, 40th Parliament OFFICIAL REPORT OF DEBATES OF THE LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY (HANSARD) THE HONOURABLE LINDA REID, SPEAKER ISSN 0709- 1281 (Print) ISSN 1499-2175 (Online) Monday, September 28, 2015 Aft ernoon Sitting Volume 28, Number 9

PROVINCE OF BRITISH COLUMBIA (Entered Confederation July 20, 1871) LIEUTENANT-GOVERNOR Her Honour the Honourable Judith Guichon, OBC Fourth Session, 40th Parliament SPEAKER OF THE LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY Honourable Linda Reid EXECUTIVE COUNCIL Premier and President of the Executive Council .............................................................................................................. Hon. Christy Clark Deputy Premier and Minister of Natural Gas Development and Minister Responsible for Housing ......................Hon.

Rich Coleman Minister of Aboriginal Relations and Reconciliation ......................................................................................................... Hon. John Rustad Minister of Advanced Education ............................................................................................................................... Hon. Andrew Wilkinson Minister of Agriculture ........................................................................................................................................................ Hon.

Norm Letnick Minister of Children and Family Development ....................................................................................................... Hon. Stephanie Cadieux Minister of Community, Sport and Cultural Development and Minister Responsible for TransLink ................ Hon. Peter Fassbender Minister of Education ............................................................................................................................................................Hon.

Mike Bernier Minister of Energy and Mines and Minister Responsible for Core Review .....................................................................Hon. Bill Bennett Minister of Environment ..........................................................................................................................................................Hon. Mary Polak Minister of Finance .................................................................................................................................................. Hon.

Michael de Jong, QC Minister of Forests, Lands and Natural Resource Operations......................................................................................Hon. Steve Th omson Minister of Health ............................................................................................................................................................... Hon. Dr. Terry Lake Minister of International Trade and Minister Responsible for Asia Pacifi c Strategy and Multiculturalism ..................Hon.

Teresa Wat Minister of Jobs, Tourism and Skills Training and Minister Responsible for Labour ...................................................Hon. Shirley Bond Minister of Justice ...............................................................................................................................................................Hon. Suzanne Anton Minister of Small Business and Red Tape Reduction and Minister Responsible for the Liquor Distribution Branch ........................................................................................................................ Hon.

Coralee Oakes Minister of Social Development and Social Innovation..............................................................................................Hon. Michelle Stilwell Minister of Technology, Innovation and Citizens' Services ................................................................................................ Hon. Amrik Virk Minister of Transportation and Infrastructure ......................................................................................................................Hon.

Todd Stone Minister of State for Emergency Preparedness ..........................................................................................................Hon. Naomi Y amamoto LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY Leader of the Offi cial Opposition ...................................................................................................................................................John Horgan Deputy Speaker .............................................................................................................................................................................. Richard T.

Lee Assistant Deputy Speaker ............................................................................................................................................................... Raj Chouhan Deputy Chair, Committee of the Whole ............................................................................................................................................ Pat Pimm Clerk of the Legislative Assembly ...................................................................................................................................................

Craig James Deputy Clerk and Clerk of Committees ................................................................................................................................. Kate Ryan-Lloyd Sessional Law Clerk ...................................................................................................................................................Roderick MacArthur, QC Sergeant-at-Arms ................................................................................................................................................................................. Gary Lenz

ALPHABETICAL LIST OF MEMBERS Anton, Hon. Suzanne (BC Liberal) .............................. Vancouver-Fraserview Ashton, Dan (BC Liberal).....................................................................Penticton Austin, Robin (NDP) ................................................................................ Skeena Bains, Harry (NDP) ....................................................................Surrey-Newton Barnett, Donna (BC Liberal) ............................................... Cariboo-Chilcotin Bennett, Hon.

Bill (BC Liberal) ...................................................Kootenay East Bernier, Hon. Mike (BC Liberal) ......................................... Peace River South Bing, Dr. Doug (BC Liberal) ................................ Maple Ridge–Pitt Meadows Bond, Hon. Shirley (BC Liberal) ........................... Prince George–Valemount Cadieux, Hon. Stephanie (BC Liberal) ................................Surrey-Cloverdale Chandra Herbert, Spencer (NDP) .................................Vancouver–West End Chouhan, Raj (NDP) ...........................................................

Burnaby-Edmonds Clark, Hon. Christy (BC Liberal) ........................................ Westside-Kelowna Coleman, Hon. Rich (BC Liberal) ...........................Fort Langley–Aldergrove Conroy, Katrine (NDP) .............................................................. Kootenay West Corrigan, Kathy (NDP) ..................................................... Burnaby–Deer Lake Dalton, Marc (BC Liberal) ............................................. Maple Ridge–Mission Darcy, Judy (NDP) ..................................................................New Westminster de Jong, Hon.

Michael, QC (BC Liberal) .............................. Abbotsford West Dix, Adrian (NDP)............................................................Vancouver-Kingsway Donaldson, Doug (NDP) ......................................................................... Stikine Eby, David (NDP) ..........................................................Vancouver–Point Grey Elmore, Mable (NDP) ................................................... Vancouver-Kensington Farnworth, Mike (NDP) ............................................................ Port Coquitlam Fassbender, Hon.

Peter (BC Liberal) ................................... Surrey-Fleetwood Fleming, Rob (NDP) .......................................................... Victoria–Swan Lake Foster, Eric (BC Liberal) .......................................................Vernon-Monashee Fraser, Scott (NDP) ............................................................Alberni–Pacifi c Rim Gibson, Simon (BC Liberal) ............................................. Abbotsford-Mission Hamilton, Wm.

Scott (BC Liberal) .................................................Delta North Hammell, Sue (NDP) .................................................... Surrey–Green Timbers Heyman, George (NDP) .................................................... Vancouver-Fairview Hogg, Gordon (BC Liberal) ............................................... Surrey–White Rock Holman, Gary (NDP) .......................................Saanich North and the Islands Horgan, John (NDP) .......................................................................

Juan de Fuca Hunt, Marvin (BC Liberal) ....................................................Surrey-Panorama Huntington, Vicki (Ind.) ..................................................................Delta South James, Carole (NDP) .........................................................Victoria–Beacon Hill Karagianis, Maurine (NDP) ........................................Esquimalt–Royal Roads Krog, Leonard Eugene (NDP) ............................................................. Nanaimo Kyllo, Greg (BC Liberal) ........................................................................ Shuswap Lake, Hon. Dr.

Terry (BC Liberal) ....................Kamloops–North Th ompson Larson, Linda (BC Liberal) .........................................Boundary-Similkameen Lee, Richard T. (BC Liberal) ......................................................Burnaby North Letnick, Hon. Norm (BC Liberal) ..............................Kelowna–Lake Country Macdonald, Norm (NDP) ....................................Columbia River–Revelstoke McRae, Don (BC Liberal) ............................................................

Comox Valley Martin, John (BC Liberal) ..................................................................Chilliwack Morris, Mike (BC Liberal) ..................................... Prince George–Mackenzie Mungall, Michelle (NDP) ..........................................................Nelson-Creston Oakes, Hon. Coralee (BC Liberal) .............................................Cariboo North Pimm, Pat (BC Liberal) .........................................................Peace River North Plecas, Dr. Darryl (BC Liberal) .............................................Abbotsford South Polak, Hon.

Mary (BC Liberal) .............................................................. Langley Popham, Lana (NDP) ...................................................................Saanich South Ralston, Bruce (NDP) ................................................................ Surrey-Whalley Reid, Hon. Linda (BC Liberal) ..................................................Richmond East Reimer, Linda (BC Liberal) ........................................

Port Moody–Coquitlam Rice, Jennifer (NDP) ........................................................................North Coast Robinson, Selina (NDP) .............................................Coquitlam-Maillardville Routley, Bill (NDP) .................................................................. Cowichan Valley Routley, Doug (NDP) ............................................Nanaimo–North Cowichan Rustad, Hon. John (BC Liberal) ................................................

Nechako Lakes Shin, Jane Jae Kyung (NDP) ...............................................Burnaby-Lougheed Simons, Nicholas (NDP) ................................... Powell River–Sunshine Coast Simpson, Shane (NDP) ..................................................... Vancouver-Hastings Stilwell, Hon. Michelle (BC Liberal)............................... Parksville-Qualicum Stilwell, Dr. Moira (BC Liberal) ........................................ Vancouver-Langara Stone, Hon. Todd (BC Liberal) .........................

Kamloops–South Th ompson 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 Th omson, Hon. Steve (BC Liberal) .......................................Kelowna-Mission Th ornthwaite, Jane (BC Liberal) ..........................

North Vancouver–Seymour Th roness, Laurie (BC Liberal).................................................Chilliwack-Hope Trevena, Claire (NDP) .................................................................... North Island Virk, Hon. Amrik (BC Liberal) ............................................. Surrey-Tynehead Wat, Hon. Teresa (BC Liberal) .............................................. Richmond Centre Weaver, Dr. Andrew (Ind.) .......................................... Oak Bay–Gordon Head Wilkinson, Hon. Andrew (BC Liberal) ........................ Vancouver-Quilchena Y amamoto, Hon.

Naomi (BC Liberal) ................ North Vancouver–Lonsdale Y ap, John (BC Liberal) ......................................................Richmond-Steveston Vacant .....................................................................Coquitlam–Burke Mountain Vacant ...................................................................... Vancouver–Mount Pleasant LIST OF MEMBERS BY RIDING Abbotsford-Mission ......................................................................Simon Gibson Abbotsford South ..................................................................... Dr.

Darryl Plecas Abbotsford West ...................................................... Hon. Michael de Jong, QC Alberni–Pacifi c Rim .......................................................................... Scott Fraser Boundary-Similkameen ................................................................ Linda Larson Burnaby–Deer Lake ...................................................................

Kathy Corrigan Burnaby-Edmonds ..........................................................................Raj Chouhan Burnaby-Lougheed .............................................................Jane Jae Kyung Shin Burnaby North .............................................................................. Richard T. Lee Cariboo-Chilcotin ........................................................................Donna Barnett Cariboo North .................................................................... Hon.

Coralee Oakes Chilliwack ......................................................................................... John Martin Chilliwack-Hope ....................................................................... Laurie Th roness Columbia River–Revelstoke .................................................. Norm Macdonald Comox Valley.....................................................................................Don McRae Coquitlam–Burke Mountain ....................................................................Vacant Coquitlam-Maillardville...........................................................

Selina Robinson Cowichan Valley ................................................................................ Bill Routley Delta North .........................................................................Wm. Scott Hamilton Delta South...............................................................................Vicki Huntington Esquimalt–Royal Roads .....................................................Maurine Karagianis Fort Langley–Aldergrove ...................................................Hon.

Rich Coleman Fraser-Nicola.................................................................................... Jackie Tegart Juan de Fuca .....................................................................................John Horgan Kamloops–North Th ompson ............................................ Hon. Dr. Terry Lake Kamloops–South Th ompson ..................................................Hon. Todd Stone Kelowna–Lake Country ..................................................... Hon. Norm Letnick Kelowna-Mission .............................................................. Hon.

Steve Th omson Kootenay East .......................................................................... Hon. Bill Bennett Kootenay West ............................................................................ Katrine Conroy Langley.......................................................................................Hon. Mary Polak Maple Ridge–Mission ..................................................................... Marc Dalton Maple Ridge–Pitt Meadows ........................................................ Dr. Doug Bing Nanaimo ...........................................................................

Leonard Eugene Krog Nanaimo–North Cowichan ......................................................... Doug Routley Nechako Lakes ........................................................................ Hon. John Rustad Nelson-Creston ........................................................................Michelle Mungall New Westminster ...............................................................................

Judy Darcy North Coast......................................................................................Jennifer Rice North Island .................................................................................. Claire Trevena North Vancouver–Lonsdale ........................................Hon. Naomi Y amamoto North Vancouver–Seymour ..................................................Jane Th ornthwaite Oak Bay–Gordon Head ...................................................... Dr. Andrew Weaver Parksville-Qualicum .......................................................Hon.

Michelle Stilwell Peace River North ................................................................................ Pat Pimm Peace River South ..................................................................Hon. Mike Bernier Penticton............................................................................................ Dan Ashton Port Coquitlam ..........................................................................Mike Farnworth Port Moody–Coquitlam ................................................................Linda Reimer Powell River–Sunshine Coast .................................................

Nicholas Simons Prince George–Mackenzie ............................................................. Mike Morris Prince George–Valemount ................................................... Hon. Shirley Bond Richmond Centre ......................................................................Hon. Teresa Wat Richmond East ..........................................................................Hon. Linda Reid Richmond-Steveston ..............................................................................John Y ap Saanich North and the Islands ....................................................

Gary Holman Saanich South ................................................................................ Lana Popham Shuswap ................................................................................................Greg Kyllo Skeena .............................................................................................. Robin Austin Stikine ....................................................................................... Doug Donaldson Surrey-Cloverdale ....................................................... Hon.

Stephanie Cadieux Surrey-Fleetwood ........................................................... Hon. Peter Fassbender Surrey–Green Timbers .................................................................. Sue Hammell Surrey-Newton ................................................................................. Harry Bains Surrey-Panorama ........................................................................... Marvin Hunt Surrey-Tynehead ......................................................................Hon.

Amrik Virk Surrey-Whalley.............................................................................. Bruce Ralston Surrey–White Rock ....................................................................... Gordon Hogg Vancouver-Fairview ..................................................................George Heyman Vancouver–False Creek ................................................................... Sam Sullivan Vancouver-Fraserview ......................................................Hon.

Suzanne Anton Vancouver-Hastings ....................................................................Shane Simpson Vancouver-Kensington .................................................................Mable Elmore Vancouver-Kingsway..........................................................................Adrian Dix Vancouver-Langara .................................................................Dr.

Moira Stilwell Vancouver–Mount Pleasant ......................................................................Vacant Vancouver–Point Grey .........................................................................David Eby Vancouver-Quilchena ................................................ Hon. Andrew Wilkinson Vancouver–West End ...............................................

Spencer Chandra Herbert Vernon-Monashee ...............................................................................Eric Foster Victoria–Beacon Hill .......................................................................Carole James Victoria–Swan Lake.........................................................................Rob Fleming West Vancouver–Capilano ............................................................. Ralph Sultan West Vancouver–Sea to Sky ..........................................................Jordan Sturdy Westside-Kelowna ................................................................

Hon. Christy Clark Party Standings: BC Liberal 48; New Democratic 33; Independent 2; Vacant 2

CONTENTS Monday, September 28, 2015 Aft ernoon Sitting Page Routine Business Introductions by Members ..................................................................................................................................................... 9177 Introduction and First Reading of Bills ................................................................................................................................ 9178 Bill 36 — Auditor General for Local Government Amendment Act, 2015 Hon. P . Fassbender Bill 33 — Motion Picture Amendment Act, 2015 Hon. S.

Anton Statements (Standing Order 25B) ......................................................................................................................................... 9179 Sea to Sky school district programs and partnerships J. Sturdy Ride to Conquer Cancer S. Robinson Save Y our Skin Foundation and melanoma prevention J. Th ornthwaite Port Alberni Association for Community Living employment program S. Fraser Chilliwack Vedder River Cleanup Society L. Th roness Colin Hill B.

Ralston Oral Questions ......................................................................................................................................................................... 9181 Y outh in care death case and child protection system J. Horgan Hon. S. Cadieux D. Donaldson C. James M. Mungall S. Simpson North Shore Search and Rescue Society M. Farnworth Hon. N. Y amamoto Tax credit proposal for food donations by farmers L. Popham Hon. N.

Letnick Tabling Documents ................................................................................................................................................................. 9185 Offi ce of the Auditor General, An Audit of the Panorama Public Health System, August 2015 Offi ce of the Registrar of Lobbyists for B.C., Investigation Report 15-01, lobbyist: Brad Zubyk, June 15, 2015 Offi ce of the Registrar of Lobbyists for B.C., Reconsideration Report 15-01, lobbyist: Brad Zubyk, August 18, 2015 Offi ce of the Registrar of Lobbyists for B.C., Investigation Report 15-02, lobbyist: Ian Todd, August 19, 2015 Offi ce of the Registrar of Lobbyists for B.C., Investigation Report 15-03, British Columbia Teachers Federation, designated fi ler: Moira Mackenzie, August 19, 2015 Offi ce of the Police Complaint Commissioner, annual report, 2014-15 Elections B.C., Report of the Chief Electoral Offi cer on the 2014 General Local Elections, November 15, 2014 Elections B.C., annual report, 2014-15, and service plan, 2015-16 to 2017-18 Elections B.C., Report of the Chief Electoral Offi cer on the 2015 Metro Vancouver Transportation and Transit Plebiscite, March 16-July 2, 2015 Elections B.C., Electoral Boundaries Commission Final Report, September 24, 2015 Offi ce of the Representative for Children and Y outh, annual report, 2014-15, and service plan, 2015-16 to 2016-17 Motions Without Notice ......................................................................................................................................................... 9185 Appointment of Deputy Speaker Committee membership changes Hon.

M. de Jong

Orders of the Day Second Reading of Bills .......................................................................................................................................................... 9186 Bill 29 — Property Taxation (Exemptions) Statutes Amendment Act, 2015 Hon. M. de Jong R. Fleming Hon. M. Bernier R. Austin S. Gibson D. Eby M. Hunt C. James J. Martin B. Ralston Hon. P . Fassbender A. Weaver M. Dalton H. Bains L. Th roness V . Huntington S. Hamilton M. Farnworth Hon. M. de Jong

MONDAY , SEPTEMBER 28, 2015 Th e House met at 1:33 p.m. [Madame Speaker in the chair.] Routine Business Introductions by Members Hon. N. Letnick: I am pleased to stand and intro- duce a couple of visitors from the Kelowna area — spe- cifi cally, I believe, in the Minister of Forests, Lands and Natural Resource Operations’ riding. Mike McLoughlin, co-owner and operator of Medi-Kel Family Practice and Walk-In Clinic is here, and also Dr. Mark Fromberg, prin- cipal of Mission Medical. Th ey are here today to represent Walk-In Clinics of British Columbia. Would the House please make them feel welcome over there. Hon.

M. Polak: Today in the House we are joined by very dear friends of mine, Brad and Sharon Pollock. Th ey also happen to be constituents of mine. Th ey are joined here by Mike and Arlene Y ee, Darryl and Jackie Urquhart, and Trevor and Kathy Smith. Would the House please make them feel very welcome. Hon. M. Bernier: Today we made history in the Legislature as we worked with our partners to roll out opportunities and supports for teachers here in British Columbia with our new curriculum. It’s a pleasure for me to welcome and acknowledge some of our special guests that we have here with us in the building today.

We have Sherry Elwood, the president of the B.C. School Superintendents Association, and Starleigh Grass, the senior policy analyst for the First Nations Education Authority. We have Gordon Li and Kevin Reimer of the B.C. Principals and Vice-Principals Association. [1335] We also have Mr. Jim Iker, the president of the BCTF , Nicole Makohoniuk, the president of the Confederation of Parent Advisory Councils, Teresa Rezansoff, the president of the B.C.

School Trustees Association, Peter Froese, the executive director of the Federation of Independent School Associations, and Joan Axford, who is the executive director of the B.C. Association of School Business Offi cials. We had an amazing announcement today, and it could not have happened if it wasn’t for our amazing partners in education. I want everybody in the House to please make them welcome. J. Darcy: I think it was last Tuesday that many of us, when we turned on our radio for the news in the mor- ning, heard some good news for a change. Th is is about a soon-to-be resident of British Columbia.

Egyptian- Canadian journalist Mohamed Fahmy, aft er a two-year legal ordeal and aft er 411 days in an infamous prison in Cairo, was fi nally pardoned and told that he would be able to return to Canada, return to British Columbia. He and his fi ancée want nothing more than to make a new life here in British Columbia, where he will be a writer-in-residence at the University of British Columbia, beginning at the end of October, I believe.

I look forward to the day when we can welcome him — both sides of the House — to this Legislature and support him for stand- ing up for press freedom, something that we all cherish so deeply. Hon. C. Oakes: It truly is my privilege today to intro- duce two special constituents of mine and two special people in my life. I have my brother here, Toby Oakes, and my beautiful, talented niece Delany. We would like to do a shout-out to our other niece at home, who is study- ing her second-year social work. She couldn’t come for this trip because she is busy studying. Would the House please make them feel welcome. J.

Th ornthwaite: I have a couple of guests here today that I’ d like the House to join. Both Amy Jones and Aline Fricot are standing right up there. Th ey’re with the Save your Skin Foundation. Th ey will be at the event that we’re holding later on this evening. Would the House please make them welcome. M. Morris: My wife hasn’t been here. Th is is the fi rst time I’ve had the opportunity to introduce her to the House. My beautiful wife of 38 summers is sitting in the House today, accompanied by two of our neighbours here in Victoria, Pauline and Celeste. Would the House please make them welcome. J.

Horgan: Joining us in the gallery today are two good friends of mine, Phil Venoit and Laird Cronk. Phil is the president and chairman of the IBEW and the Building Trades Council here on Vancouver Island — IBEW Local 230. Go 230. Laird is here as the international represent- ative for the IBEW in Canada, which includes B.C., the Northwest Territories and the Yukon. We all want the lights to stay on. We all know that dur- ing the horrifi c storm this summer, we had IBEW line- men out there keeping the lights on and keeping power going.

Would you please thank their representatives here today and linemen right across the province for the work they did on behalf of all British Columbians. V . Huntington: Even though he actually didn’t want to be introduced, I’ d like to introduce Andrew Patrick, my communication and research offi cer — his fi rst time in QP — and Stephen Harrison, who is my senior research offi cer in my offi ce. Please make them welcome. 9177

British Columbia Debates9178 Monday, September 28, 2015 Introduction and First Reading of Bills BILL 36 — AUDITOR GENERAL FOR LOCAL GOVERNMENT AMENDMENT ACT, 2015 Hon. P . Fassbender presented a message from Her Honour the Lieutenant-Governor: a bill intituled Auditor General for Local Government Amendment Act, 2015. Hon. P . Fassbender: I move that Bill 36, entitled the Auditor General for Local Government Amendment Act, 2015, be read for the fi rst time now. Motion approved. Hon. P .

Fassbender: I’m pleased to present the Auditor General for Local Government Amendment Act, 2015, today. [1340] Th e legislation refl ects our learnings from the fi rst two years of operations of the Offi ce of the Auditor General for Local Government. It amends the Auditor General for Local Government Act by clarifying and enhancing the governance and accountability provisions of the act. These amendments will strengthen the legislative authorities of the minister, the audit council and the Auditor General for Local Government and support them in the fulfi lment of their duties and responsibilities.

Specifi cally, the amendments will strengthen the role of the minister and the minister’s relationship with the AGLG by doing the following: enabling the minister to initiate a review of the Offi ce of the AGLG at any time; secondly, enabling the minister to recommend suspen- sion or removal of the AGLG without waiting for an audit council recommendation; and ensuring that the minis- ter has a role in the budget estimates for the process of the AGLG.

Th e role of the audit council will be strengthened also by providing it with the authority to request from the AGLG information necessary to carry out its responsibil- ities and prepare a report to the minister at any time on the AGLG’s performance and also broadening and clari- fying the audit council’s authority to review and mon- itor the AGLG’s performance, including the ability to conduct an independent review of the auditor general’s performance.

Finally, the AGLG’s terms and conditions of employ- ment will be clarifi ed by appointing the AGLG under the Public Service Act, which allows the Lieutenant- Governor-in-Council to set the terms and conditions of employment. I move that the bill be placed on the orders of the day for second reading at the next sitting of the House aft er today. Bill 36, Auditor General for Local Government Amendment Act, 2015, introduced, read a fi rst time and ordered to be placed on orders of the day for second read- ing at the next sitting of the House aft er today. BILL 33 — MOTION PICTURE AMENDMENT ACT, 2015 Hon. S.

Anton presented a message from her honour the Lieutenant-Governor: a bill intituled Motion Picture Amendment Act, 2015. Hon. S. Anton: I move that the bill be introduced and read a fi rst time now. Motion approved. Hon. S. Anton: I am pleased to introduce the Motion Picture Amendment Act. Th ese amendments were pre- viously introduced in 2012. However, at that time, we were unable to complete third reading of the bill. As these amendments remain important to this government, we are bringing them back for consideration, and only minor edits have been made to the 2012 bill.

Amendments to the Motion Picture Act will modern- ize the legislation and give Consumer Protection B.C. the tools it needs to better protect the interests of chil- dren and families and to adapt to modern technology. If passed, the act will adopt a progressive compliance and enforcement model, similar to what has been proven to be eff ective in other sectors that Consumer Protection B.C. regulates. Sanctions would now range from a warning letter to monetary penalties that don’t involve the courts to li- cence suspension or termination, depending on the seriousness of the violation.

Previously, the only enforce- ment options available under the act were licence sus- pension or cancellation, seizure or the levy of a fi ne that involved the court system. Th e act is also being updated to accurately refl ect the law around obscenity and censorship and to align with the Criminal Code. A number of the amendments up- date and streamline outdated language or are required to capture changes in the way movies are distributed to theatres — for example, by satellite and digital distribu- tion.

Defi nitions under the act for terms such as “fi lm” and “motion picture” have been clarifi ed to eliminate confusion. I move that the bill be placed on the orders of the day for second reading at the next sitting of the House aft er today. Bill 33, Motion Picture Amendment Act, 2015, intro- duced, read a fi rst time and ordered to be placed on or- ders of the day for second reading at the next sitting of the House aft er today.

British Columbia DebatesMonday, September 28, 2015 9179 Statements (Standing Order 25B) SEA TO SKY SCHOOL DISTRICT PROGRAMS AND PARTNERSHIPS J. Sturdy: Today I rise to speak about the amazing work being done in the Sea to Sky school district and how innovation and partnerships are helping the region respond to the changing needs of our students. [1345] Earlier this month I was pleased to join the Minister of Education on his fi rst offi cial tour, which happened to be the Sea to Sky school district.

We observed the launch of two new programs and saw fi rsthand how the district is helping students fi nd new pathways to education. At Myrtle Philip elementary, we saw primary grade students work in groups to solve problems, experience team dynamics and establish their collaborative skills. At Pemberton Secondary, we toured the market garden on the fi rst day of harvest, saw the students working hard in the pouring rain to gather carrots and potatoes and beets and some of literally the biggest pumpkins I have ever seen grown in the Pemberton Valley.

Th ese students operate a business through the garden, selling their pro- duce to local restaurants, which supports the program and enhances funding available to keep the garden tend- ed during the summer months. Finally, at Stawamus Elementary, we saw how collabor- ation and a shared vision with the Squamish First Nation have turned the school into a one-of-a-kind learning en- vironment. Th e school’s two programs, Cultural Journeys and Learning Expeditions, are helping the school district make real progress towards personalized learning.

Th e Cultural Journeys program emphasizes cross-cul- tural collaboration and First Nations learning and in- cludes an outdoor education component as well as a focus on aboriginal land, language and culture. Th is program puts an emphasis on the success of the group, the nature of the community and innovative classroom dynamics. Th e work we saw is supporting the changes to the prov- incial curriculum. It’s helping communities come togeth- er to promote understanding and respect and build more personal, more inclusive learning environments.

Th is is great news for our students, and I want to congratulate everyone in school district 48 for their great work. RIDE TO CONQUER CANCER S. Robinson: Imagine getting on a bicycle to ride from Cloverdale to Seattle. Well, 2,087 mostly British Columbians did just that again this year. Th e seventh an- nual Ride to Conquer Cancer, to benefi t the B.C. Cancer Foundation, raised $8.4 million this year. Now, I have ridden in six of those seven rides, and I have to tell the members of this House that this was the most inspiring and memorable ride ever.

What started out as a very wet Saturday in August and with very wet streets and very wet riders turned into an epic windstorm of an epic ride in our journey to conquer cancer. Y ou will recall the August windstorm that brought down trees and power lines in the Lower Mainland. Well, try riding your bicycle in that. Th e winds game in gusts, and cyclists were doing their best just to stay upright. On those lovely downhills, we were pedalling with all of our energy just to go downhill. Kudos to the B.C.

Cancer Foundation and organizers for activating their contingency plan and to end day 1 at 74 kilometres into the 120 kilometres for the day, to fi nd buses and trucks to transport riders and their bikes the remaining distance to the camp. Organizers had to re- structure sleeping arrangements for thousands of people, as the tent city that had been set up got blown all over the place. And they had to re-route for day 2 as well. What impressed me most about this epic ride was that 2,000 riders and 1,000 volunteers pulled together.

Everyone recognized that riding in this windstorm was nothing compared to a cancer diagnosis. Spirits were not dampened or blown away. Riders and volunteers knew that what they were doing was making a diff erence for British Columbians. We knew that the seven rides over seven years have raised $70 million to fund leading-edge research and that with every push on our pedals, all of our lives would be richer for it. Everyone rose to the occasion on that epic windy day — the riders, the volunteers, the organizers and the B.C. Cancer Foundation.

On behalf of the residents of Coquitlam-Maillardville, I say thank you to all of those working together to make a diff erence to conquer cancer. SAVE YOUR SKIN FOUNDATION AND MELANOMA PREVENTION J. Th ornthwaite: It’s with great pleasure that I rise to- day to speak about an organization that is working hard to raise awareness of melanoma and non-melanoma skin cancers while providing support to patients, survivors and their families. In 2003, North Vancouver resident Kathy Barnard found two lumps on her arm and went to the doctor to get them checked out. One lump was benign.

Th e other turned out to be a stage 4 malignant melanoma. Two years later she was told that the cancer had spread to her liver, kidney, adrenal glands and her lungs. Her doctor said she had between six and nine months to live. Over the next year, Kathy underwent a series of ex- hausting treatments, including chemotherapy, injections and trial-drug therapy. Th ough she still battles melan- oma, she has outlived her doctor’s prognosis by more than a decade. [1350]

British Columbia Debates9180 Monday, September 28, 2015 In 2006, inspired by her own experience, Kathy and her family founded the Save Y our Skin Foundation to provide comfort to those who are struggling with the disease. Th e foundation off ers information and support to patients and their families, arranges transport to med- ical appointments and helps melanoma suff erers access clinical trails and connect with doctors. Th e foundation also uses events, like the recent Walk to Remember, in Kelowna, to raise awareness of the import- ance of early detection and prevention.

Each year nearly 6,500 Canadians are diagnosed with melanoma, and more than 1,000 will die from it. Th e disease remains the second most common cancer among Canadians age 15 to 34, and it is increasing fastest among women under the age of 29. Th ough melanoma is the deadliest form of skin cancer, it is also one of the most preventable.

Today we want to encourage all British Columbians to follow a few simple steps to protect themselves from UV radiation: refrain from indoor tanning, wear sunglasses and protective clothing, always use sunscreen, and follow Kathy’s advice: check your skin and report any changes to your doctor. PORT ALBERNI ASSOCIATION FOR COMMUNITY LIVING EMPLOYMENT PROGRAM S. Fraser: September has been proclaimed Disability Employment Month. Th e Port Alberni Association for Community Living took the opportunity to celebrate with all of those who have supported their community employment program.

I dearly wanted to attend, but last week was the UBCM, and many of us were away. I had to send my regrets, but I committed to doing the next best thing, which was ris- ing today in this place, the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia, and publicly speaking about the event and the importance of hiring individuals with unique abilities. At Wednesday’s event, the association was showcasing the community’s employment program and its resound- ing success over the past few years.

More importantly, Port Alberni’s Association for Community Living was expressing its sincere gratitude to Port Alberni employ- ers who supported their program and who share their philosophy that our communities are at their best when they include all of their members. Th ose employers have learned from experience that they and their businesses can benefi t from well-matched job placement through the community employment pro- gram. Hiring an individual with unique abilities makes good business sense.

Business owners were more than pleased with the support off ered through the program, and the new em- ployees quickly became valued employees. One employ- er stated: “If anyone has ever doubted the work ethic of people with disabilities, I can now attest to the fact that they are wrong. I have never had such a hard-working, loyal employee. We are happy to call her a co-worker, happy to call her a friend. ” A fi tting quote to close on. Thank you to the Port Alberni Association for Community Living and all those employers involved for spreading the word that we are all better off , as a society, being inclusive.

Th at makes us all winners. CHILLIW ACK VEDDER RIVER CLEANUP SOCIETY L. Th roness: Y esterday I took

part in an event spon- sored by the Chilliwack Vedder River Cleanup Society in the Chilliwack River Valley. Th ousands of visitors come from all over the Lower Mainland to enjoy the beauty of our valley, but some of them leave their garbage behind. Several times per year the cleanup society rallies hun- dreds of local volunteers to help clean up the mess of a few irresponsible people. Th ey make it a festive event with booths and prizes and a lunch for all the volunteers. As I drove up Bench Road enjoying the magnifi cent views that the valley off ers, I remarked to myself how pristine everything looked.

But when I arrived at the cleanup site, I found thousands of shotgun and other shells lying around, along with a lot of other junk. Several of us spent hours fi lling a pickup truck full of garbage bags just from that one spot. There are dozens of similar problem areas in the Chilliwack River Valley. In fact, staff tell me that the prob- lem is everywhere in B.C. We live in a huge province, 93 percent of which is Crown land. It’s very diffi cult to police such a large area, ever more accessible to growing num- bers of off -road vehicles using forest service roads.

Th at’s why we depend on organizations like the Chilliwack Vedder River Cleanup Society to facilitate the people of B.C. exercising more control over their own land. Special thanks must go to Chris Gadsden, who has led the society for many years. Th e society’s directors also do a great job, and we so appreciate each one of the 300 volunteers who came out on Sunday to be part of the solution. I will continue to represent my constituents by advocat- ing for more enforcement and more education.

Working together, we will succeed in keeping the Chilliwack River Valley as one of the most beautiful spots in the most beautiful province on earth. [1355] COLIN HILL B. Ralston: Colin Hill, a 42-year-old Surrey real estate agent, his wife, Becky Zhou, and their two children went to bed on the evening of July 12, 2015, with their bags packed and the alarm set to wake up early to head off on a brief family vacation to Las Vegas. Th at night an intruder tried to break into their West Cloverdale home. According to published reports, Colin

British Columbia DebatesMonday, September 28, 2015 9181 Hill confronted the intruder and struggled with him at the front door to keep him out of the House. He shouted to his wife and the two children to run and hide because the in- truder had a gun. Colin Hill was shot and died at the scene. Colin Hill grew up in Surrey and attended Johnston Heights and Queen Elizabeth secondary schools. Aft er time as a manager at Save-on-Foods, he became a suc- cessful real estate agent in Surrey, winning many awards.

At his funeral service in July, some of his many friends told the overflow crowd of his capacity for enduring friendship. His neighbours spoke of the fact that his home was the place in the neighbourhood where every- one felt comfortable to drop by and chat and to visit. He loved sports and was a competitive player of many. He loved his family — his wife, Becky Zhou, herself a real estate agent, his son Matthew and their daughter Leah.

His wife, Becky Zhou, said of her husband: “ ….a very pro- tective father, the very best husband a person could ever ask for. ” Matthew, aged 17, spoke of his father in a written statement, saying: “My father has raised and shaped me into the person I am today.

Without him, I would never have become the guy I am today, and I will do everything to try and become as amazing of a man as my father was. ” In addition to his wife and children, Colin leaves his mother Joyce, his stepfather, Gordon, his mother-in-law, Xiao Qun Zhao, his father-in-law, Shu Zhen Zhao, his sis- ter, Caroline McParland, and many other relatives. His family, his friends and everyone in Surrey mourn the tragic death of such a wonderful person. A suspect with a reportedly lengthy criminal record is charged with the second-degree murder of Colin Hill.

Th e circum- stances of his death raise profound questions that we in Surrey will continue to deal with in the future. Oral Questions YOUTH IN CARE DEATH CASE AND CHILD PROTECTION SYSTEM J. Horgan: Last week we learned that Alex Gervais, a youth in government care, died alone in a hotel in Abbotsford. We hear from his friends that he had been there for at least two months. He was afraid, fearful for his future, uncertain and depressed.

We know that he was concerned that he was going to be aging out of the min- istry’s care, and instead of having programs in place, sup- ports in place, he was left by himself and died by himself. My question to the minister responsible for the most vulnerable children in British Columbia: why was Alex not given the care he deserved and the support that he needed to lead a full life here in British Columbia? Hon. S. Cadieux: Th ere has indeed been a tragedy. My heart is with the family and friends of the young man who lost his life.

I have stated and will state again for the House that the ministry’s stated direction on practice is not to place children or youth in hotels but in fact to place children and youth in our care in approved foster homes or residential resources that match their unique needs and to minimize the possibility of future moves for those children. Hotels are and only are to be used in extreme circum- stances and only with approval of the designated director and notifi cation to the provincial director of child wel- fare, who will monitor those situations.

In light of the tra- gic circumstances in Abbotsford, a review is underway so that we can determine exactly what went wrong and what happened so that we can put in place any necessary changes to prevent this from happening in the future. Madame Speaker: The Leader of the Official Opposition on a supplemental. J. Horgan: Well, a recitation of policy again from the minister is cold comfort, certainly for those who cared deeply about Alex and for those who were told explicitly that there were no children living in hotels or SROs as a result of the closure of homes in Abbotsford.

Explicitly told that this was not happening. We may not have heard about it were it not for the tragic death of Alex Gervais, and this is a pattern that’s been emerging on the minister’s watch for some time now. Isabella Wiens, a case we brought to this Legislature, a case that was being dismissed as insignifi cant by the ministry.

Now, there is a case review underway as a re- sult of light being shone on the actions and activities of the minister and her ministry. [1400] Th e case of Paige, well-documented by the Children and Y outh Representative in this place, was discussed, raised again this summer when a young woman was left to her own devices aft er aging out and lost her life. Another failure by the minister and a failure by the ministry.

Th e case of J.P . was discussed again this summer, where the ministry disregarded a court order twice and took children away from their mother and into the care of a pedophile, against the wishes of the courts. Now, in- explicably, the ministry is appealing that decision. In light of the pattern over the past number of months, hon. Speaker, through you to the minister, how is it pos- sible that you can continue to believe that you have the leadership skills required to navigate…? Madame Speaker: Th rough the Chair. J.

Horgan: How can the minister possibly believe that she has the leadership skills to navigate this sensitive ministry and stop protecting the ministry and start pro- tecting children? Hon. S. Cadieux: I remain committed to the vul- nerable children and families that this ministry serves.

British Columbia Debates9182 Monday, September 28, 2015 Front-line ministry staff dedicate themselves to sup- porting those same families and children. Th ey fi eld tens of thousands of child protection calls every year, and they support over 7,200 children in the care of the ministry. Th e reality is that from time to time, we learn about circumstances that don’t go according to plan or how they should and that have, in some cases, extremely tra- gic outcomes.

Th en it is my job as minister to ensure that all of the necessary reviews and investigations take place so that we can make adjustments and changes to ensure that it doesn’t happen again. Th e opposition chooses to highlight only those tragic circumstances which, absolutely, result in public scru- tiny and in discussion. Th ey should. But what I see on a daily basis in my ministry and work with my ministry to achieve are facts that the opposition likes to discredit or just ignore. I’ll present a couple for the House today.

Today we have on the ground 110 more child protection workers than we did this time last year. Th e number of children in care is at its lowest level in over 19 years — over 3,000 children lower than in 2001. Today children in care are more likely than ever to remain safely with their family or extended family or return to that family from care. Th e number of children adopted is rising. Th at number is up 20 percent over last year, and we want to do more. Th at’s the work of the dedicated social workers. Madame Speaker: Leader of the Offi cial Opposition on a further supplemental. J.

Horgan: It’s with great sadness that I stand again, aft er the minister’s defence of the indefensible. Th e min- ister has just recited statistics in the absence of the real- ity for young people, children and youth, in this province. Over the past three years, on her watch…. I recited just four examples over the past six months. What we need in the Ministry of Children and Families is leadership. Apparently, the Premier doesn’t have a whit of interest in this fi le, but the minister should. Th e min- ister should have an understanding that reciting statis- tics does little.

I read in the press release earlier today from the min- istry that they’re blaming the delegated agencies for the failures in Abbotsford. Who’s responsible for those dele- gated agencies? Th e minister. Th e minister is responsible for the fi les, the minister is responsible for the families, and the minister is responsible for the children. Will she today do the right thing and tender her resignation so that new leadership can be found to resolve the issues that have gone wanting on her watch? Hon. S.

Cadieux: Just three years ago, when I was asked to assume this post, the opposition cried that there was a lack of stability in MCFD. [1405] Th ere is stability under my leadership. I am proud of that. I am committed, and have been for every day of those three years, to the children and youth that we serve and, most importantly, to continually improving the sys- tem that serves them. Th e member opposite raises the realities for children who age out of care. In fact, more can be done, and more has been done in the last year. In the last year, we an- nounced new supportive housing for vulnerable youth.

We provided $250,000 to establish a learning fund for young adults. We invested another $250,000 in the youth futures education fund, because we know that youth aging out of care need the same support to pursue their education as children who have parents at home. We’ve also established two new programs to support and men- tor youth aging out of care. We’re going to continue to make improvements to sup- port vulnerable youth in this province. D. Donaldson: Most of you in this chamber know a young person facing a mental health challenge.

So you know that the image of smashed-out window on the fourth fl oor of the Super 8 Hotel where Alex Gervais died, a young man living in care, where he fell to his death, is a sign of utter desperation and despondency. Alex, struggling with depression, spent months alone in the hotel room and oft en days without seeing his care- giver. When the group home where Alex stayed was clos- ing down, the Premier said: “It’s a major decision to take a child out of the home they’ve known for a long time and put them somewhere else.

It’s a major decision for that child, and it’s not something we take lightly in this government. ” It’s not something we take lightly. Th en why did the minister let this young man in government care die alone? Hon. S. Cadieux: Th e member knows that I can’t speak about the individual circumstances of any case. What I can say and will say again is that the death of a young man in Abbotsford, this young man, was tragic. My heart goes out to his family and his friends. It should never have happened.

For the member opposite to suggest that the minister should get involved in the day-to-day decision-making related to child protection matters is concerning. Th e minister is not delegated under the CFCSA to make those types of decisions, nor should, in my mind, the political branch of government be involved in the day-to-day de- cisions regarding the protection of children and youth. If the member opposite thinks diff erently, he should say so. Madame Speaker: Th e member for Stikine on a sup- plemental. D. Donaldson: Well, I would say something diff erent- ly. Based on the feedback I hear from the people around

British Columbia DebatesMonday, September 28, 2015 9183 the province, they want to see some accountability and some responsibility taken by this minister for a death of a young teen in care. Th e minister says they’re conducting a review. In fact, aft er Alex died, we hear from the minister that 27 calls were made to see if more youth and children from this group home closure, or elsewhere, were in hotels. Not taking the situation lightly, as the Premier promised, would have meant making those calls before Alex died, not aft er.

Almost three years ago, the children’s repre- sentative implored government to improve residential care options so that youth like Alex don’t end up in ho- tels. No action was taken. Now Alex is dead. How could this minister ignore a call to action from the Representative for Children and Y outh that might have saved Alex’s life? Hon. S. Cadieux: Again, the situation that has oc- curred, the tragic death that has occurred, is just that: tragic. It shouldn’t have happened. No one is disputing the concerns raised by this case, and that’s why reviews have been launched and investigations are underway.

We need to let those investigations and reviews take place to determine exactly what went wrong, what consequences need to occur and what changes to broader ministry policy or direction also need to occur to prevent these things in future. [1410] C. James: On September 24, the Minister of Children and Family Development was asked how many months Alex was left alone in that hotel. Unbelievably, a week aft er his death, the minister said she didn’t know. Could the minister tell the House today how long the ministry left Alex in crisis and alone in that hotel? Hon. S.

Cadieux: Again, as the member well knows, I can’t speak about individual circumstances in cases in this House — or publicly, for that matter. What I can say is that we have ways of checking and double-checking de- cisions that social workers make before they make them at the front lines and policies and procedures in place to guide that practice.

I am confi dent that the direction was given on numer- ous occasions to all of our front-line staff that hotel stays were not to be used, that children and youth that need to be taken into care need to be placed in foster homes or group homes that suit their needs, and that if — for a short circumstance, a temporary circumstance — a hotel stay is required, fi rst approval must be obtained by the delegated director and notifi cation made to the provin- cial director. Madame Speaker: Victoria–Beacon Hill on a supple- mental. C.

James: Th e minister may be confi dent about the policies in place and the information, but it’s very clear in this particular case and in many other cases that policies weren’t followed. Information was not correct. Th ings did not happen the way the minister believes they happened. So it’s bad enough that the minister appears ill-in- formed about the status of children in care, but it also appears that she made no eff ort to ensure that her min- istry gave a clear, true accounting to the Representative for Children and Y outh.

In fact, the representative said that when she asked questions about how the minister would care for 33 children, including Alex, when their group homes were closed down, she was told they would not be placed alone in hotels. Th e reality is the represent- ative was misled. To the minister: how can she condone the represent- ative being misled about how Alex and other children would be cared for? Hon. S. Cadieux: Again, there is certainly a tragic cir- cumstance, a tragic ending that has happened here. Th at is exactly why a review needs to be undertaken to deter- mine what happened.

What I can tell this House, as I have stated publicly pre- viously, is that when a number of resources were closed and 33 children needed to have alternative placement plans in place, those care plans were made and approved by the provincial director of child welfare. Not one of those plans included a stay in a hotel. Furthermore, as a result of this case, I will inform the House as well that I have directed the ministry that we will report publicly twice a year on the number of hotel stays that are incurred by the ministry. M. Mungall: Th e minister earlier talked about stabil- ity.

Well, a depressed teenager in ministry care dying in a hotel when he was not supposed to be there is not sta- bility. What has been stable is these types of stories com- ing forward under this minister’s watch. Th ings are not getting better for kids. Th e stories that have been com- ing forward over recent years are gut-wrenching, they are awful, and they are beyond unacceptable. No surprise, no surprise, that the public has lost faith in this minister, so sadly, I have to ask: will she recognize that she hasn’t been able to deliver on her responsibilities, and will she resign? Hon. S.

Cadieux: Tragedies occur, and it’s never okay. It is never okay to me as minister. [1415] I am deeply committed to the children and youth that we serve, to their families, to making the system better. As such, we continue on a daily basis to do the work that is required to do that. Th at’s why I referenced the fact that there are now 110 more social workers on the front lines over the last year. Th at’s why, because of that work, those improvements

British Columbia Debates9184 Monday, September 28, 2015 and the work that the social workers do with families, more children stay with their family or return home to that family, and we have fewer children in the care of the ministry than in the last 19 years. Th e good work of the ministry will continue. We will continue to make improvements, like we have for youth aging out of care. Th ere will always be more to do in this ministry, and we are committed to doing it. Madame Speaker: Th e member for Nelson-Creston on a supplemental. M.

Mungall: Well, the reality is that the minister shouldn’t have to launch a special investigation to fi nd out where children in this ministry’s care are living, but that is exactly what has happened here. Aft er all the crisis and all the controversy that she has gone through during her tenure, how is it possible that she can’t pick up a phone and get the answers, and then do that and not take days, weeks, to actually, in the end, admit that there is nothing? Th at’s not good enough. Th ese are children. Th ey’re children in crisis.

We are the adults, and we have to do better than what’s going on in this ministry right now. Again to the minister: the public needs to trust the person at the helm of this ministry, and she has lost that public trust, so why will she not be accountable and resign her tenure as Minister of Children and Family Development? Hon. S. Cadieux: Th e clear lack of understanding of how child protection work is done — the complexity in law that actually prevents the minister from being in- volved with those daily cases or knowing the details of those individual cases for privacy reasons — astounds me.

However, that said, the reality is that every day, thou- sands of very dedicated front-line workers do very dif- fi cult work. It is diffi cult work emotionally. It is diffi cult work, working with some of the most vulnerable children in family situations that are oft en incredibly tumultuous. To suggest that all of that work that they do for those thousands and thousands of families is fl awed because, from time to time, there are tragic circumstances that require in-depth investigation and review…. Th at the member opposite would jump to a conclusion on those tragic circumstances, to me, is irresponsible. S.

Simpson: Th e ministry leaves a depressed teenager alone in a hotel room, and he’s found dead. Th e ministry tells the youth and children’s representative that this isn’t occurring and that there aren’t kids being put up in ho- tels. It’s not true. Th e ministry defi es a court order and puts children in the care of a pedophile, a decision that is condemned by the judge, and then appeals, putting the victim’s mother through another trial. A 21-month-old baby dies in the care of the ministry in a manner that the coroner says can’t be explained.

Th e Paige report tells us of a young girl in the care of the ministry who dies on the streets of Vancouver. [1420] Th is minister has presided over a litany of failures that have too oft en resulted in lost or ruined lives. Th is is a question of leadership. Th is is about leadership. Th is is a ministry that demands leadership from its minister. Th is leadership has been nonexistent under the current minister. Will the minister do the honourable thing and resign now? Hon. S. Cadieux: Th ere is no diminishing the real tragedies that have occurred and do occur when we’re working with the most vulnerable citizens.

But it is im- portant when those occur or come to light that we take great detail and time in looking into what happened and determining exactly all of the things that contributed to that and how we go about changing them. It is my job as minister to take the recommendations gleaned from those types of reviews into individual cir- cumstances and to extrapolate them into policy and practice change for the whole ministry. Th at is what we are going to do. NORTH SHORE SEARCH AND RESCUE SOCIETY M. Farnworth: My question is for the minister for emergency preparedness.

Each year thousands of British Columbians and people from all over the world enjoy the North Shore mountains, and each year many of those same people owe their lives to the volunteers of the North Shore search and rescue service. But now it is the teams of the North Shore Search and Rescue who are in danger. Due to a signifi cant increase in call-outs, these volun- teers are stretched to the breaking point. Will the minister responsible for emergency preparedness respond to the calls for help from the North Shore Search and Rescue with additional resources so that they can continue their life-saving work? Hon. N.

Y amamoto: It doesn’t matter which side of the House you sit on, when we look at the work that these volunteers do — on weekends, at night, almost every day of the week — we have to value this incredible dedica- tion. Th ey provide a tremendous amount of value to the communities that they serve. Just to put it into context, our support for the oper- ational expenses of search and rescue teams across British Columbia — the training and some of the equipment that the government has provided — is over $6 million this year. In fact, with North Shore Rescue, they have been provided with a $100,000 gaming grant.

Th ey’ve also been provided with over $350,000 for operational ex-

British Columbia DebatesMonday, September 28, 2015 9185 penses. Plus a further almost half a million dollars just this year to make sure that those expenses that are in- curred in saving people…. What I can say is that I share the frustration of the folks in search and rescue. And being a resident of the North Shore, I see people, day in and day out, ignoring the simple rules. Th ey are not prepared. I urge everyone to make sure that if they head into our hills, they’re pre- pared, so we don’t have to add any additional resources to North Shore Rescue.

Madame Speaker: Th e member for Port Coquitlam on a supplemental. M. Farnworth: Well, the fact of the matter is that call- outs are increasing signifi cantly, spiking signifi cantly. More and more people are requiring the services of the North Shore Search and Rescue. Th ey would not be put- ting out the call for help if they didn’t need to. Th ey would not be putting out the call for additional resources if they weren’t desperate to have them. British Columbians deserve better than what the minister just answered. North Shore Search and Rescue deserves better than what the minister just answered.

Tourists and people from overseas deserve better than what the minister just answered. [1425] My question to the minister is this. Will she sit down with the North Shore Search and Rescue and work to fi nd a solution, when it means providing additional resources and not just off ering platitudes? Hon. N. Y amamoto: I can tell you that on the North Shore, there are no bigger champions for our local search and rescue than the local North Shore MLAs. When the helicopters come in to help rescue stranded hikers or in- jured hikers, the province is there to pick up those expens- es.

Th is year — and I’m sure, unfortunately, the number is going to go even higher — over $700,000 in expenses just for the helicopter search and rescues. Predominantly, those are directed towards the North Shore. To put this into context, there are about 2,000 missions a year in Canada. About 1,300 of those are actually just in B.C. We recognize the challenge that the beauty of our outdoors provides in terms of access, but we’re absolutely committed to ensuring that the search and rescue teams across British Columbia are adequately funded. TAX CREDIT PROPOSAL FOR FOOD DONATIONS BY FARMERS L.

Popham: B.C. continues to have the highest pov- erty level in Canada. Th e number of people needing food banks, especially kids, is growing. Food banks are strug- gling to keep up. In 2013, the Liberals promised farmers tax credit if they donated food to their local food banks. Now the Minister of Agriculture is suggesting that food banks need to spend their time lobbying if they want B.C. Liberals to keep this election promise. Is the minister’s infl uence in cabinet so diminished that he can’t even deliver on his own government’s promises? Hon. N. Letnick: Th ank you to the member oppos- ite for the question.

Indeed, food banks are serving our B.C. population fairly well. We would like to actually en- courage them to continue to do even more by providing farmers and ranchers and other people in agriculture a tax credit of up to 25 percent if they donate some food to food banks and other non-profi ts. It’s part of my mandate letter — working with the Ministry of Finance to make sure that it’s high on the government’s priority. All I have to say….

I fi nd it very ironic that the mem- ber opposite has been calling for us to have a standing committee on agriculture and the fi rst time that I suggest appearing in front of a standing committee, she’s ditch- ing the whole idea. We’ll continue to work together on this side of the House to make sure we have a strong economy sup- porting a strong agricultural sector in this province. [End of question period.] Tabling Documents Madame Speaker: Hon. Members, I have the honour to present the following reports. Office of the Auditor General, An Audit of the Panorama Public Health System.

Office of the Registrar of Lobbyists: Investigation Report 15-01 , lobbyist: Brad Zubyk; Reconsideration Report 15-01, lobbyist: Brad Zubyk; Investigation Report 15-02, lobbyist: Ian Todd; Investigation Report 15-03 , British Columbia Teachers Federation, designated fi ler: Moira MacKenzie. Offi ce of the Police Complaint Commissioner, Annual Report 2014-15.

Elections B.C.: Report of the Chief Electoral Offi cer on the 2014 General Local Elections; Annual Report 2014-15 and Service Plan 2015-16, 2017-18; Report of the Chief Electoral Offi cer on the 2015 Metro Vancouver Transportation and Transit Plebiscite; British Columbia Electoral Boundaries Commission Final Report, September 24, 2015. Representative for Children and Y outh, 2014-15 Annual Report and 2015-16 to 2016-17 Service Plan. Motions Without Notice APPOINTMENT OF DEPUTY SPEAKER Hon. M. de Jong: Th ere have been some changes since we last gathered. Th is motion refers to one of them. [1430]

British Columbia Debates9186 Monday, September 28, 2015 I am pleased to move and have seconded by the mem- ber for Port Coquitlam electoral district: [That Richard T. Lee, Member for Burnaby North Electoral District, be appointed Deputy Speaker for the remainder of this Session of the Legislative Assembly.] Motion approved. COMMITTEE MEMBERSHIP CHANGES Hon. M. de Jong: In a somewhat similar vein, some committee changes. Th ese were agreed to in writing be- tween the hon. Opposition House Leader and myself on September 8, and I seek, by leave, to move a motion rati- fying those changes.

Th ey are: [Th at the written agreement between the Government House Leader, Hon.

Michael de Jong, MLA, and the Opposition House Leader, Mike Farnworth, MLA, eff ective September 8, 2015 be ratifi ed, setting forth the following changes to the membership of the Select Standing Committee on Finance and Government Services and the Select Standing Committee on Health for the 4th Session of the 40th Parliament: Claire Trevena, MLA, shall replace Jane Jae Kyung Shin, MLA, and Spencer Chandra Herbert, MLA, shall replace Gary Holman, MLA, as Members of the Select Standing Committee on Finance and Government Services; and, Jane Jae Kyung Shin, MLA, shall replace Jennifer Rice, MLA, as a Member of the Select Standing Committee on Health.] Leave granted.

Motion approved. Hon. M. de Jong: By leave, I move that: [Marc Dalton, MLA be appointed to replace Hon. Mike Bernier, MLA as a Member of the Select Standing Committee on Children and Y outh.] Leave granted. Motion approved. Orders of the Day Hon. M. de Jong: I call second reading on Bill 29. [R. Chouhan in the chair.] Second Reading of Bills BILL 29 — PROPERTY TAXATION (EXEMPTIONS) STATUTES AMENDMENT ACT, 2015 Hon. M. de Jong: I move that Bill 29, the Property Tax- ation (Exemptions) Statutes Amendment Act, 2015, be read a second time now.

Bill 29 amends two acts and is intended to ensure that a fair basis of property taxation will continue, particularly for independent schools. Both the Community Charter and the Taxation (Rural Area) Act would, by this bill, be amended to ensure that property reasonably necessary for school purposes is included into the existing statu- tory property tax exemptions.

Currently, under the two acts, some school property that is reasonably necessary for school purposes is subject to permissive exemptions as determined by either the host municipality, with respect to the Community Charter, or by the Minister of Finance, with respect to the Taxation (Rural Area) Act. Enhancing the statutory exemption to include absolutely property reasonably necessary for a school purpose will give greater certainty to independ- ent schools and ensure, in the government’s view, a more consistent tax treatment from jurisdiction to jurisdiction.

It will also clarify for municipalities the provincial government’s intention with respect to tax treatment of school property in all circumstances. Municipalities will remain able to provide permissive exemptions for school land if the land does not meet the test of being reasonably necessary for the school purpose. [1435] Independent schools are an important part of British Columbia’s education system. In recognition of this, they have been provided with a set of statutory and permissive property tax exemptions for over 50 years.

Th e exemptions, both current and proposed, apply to independent schools that own and occupy a building that is wholly used to pro- vide K-to-12 education equivalent to that of public schools. Members will know that the bill, Bill 29, was tabled during the course of the spring session and was avail- able for review by interested parties and members of the public. Since that time, I can advise the House that, in the intervening period of months, I can’t think of an occa- sion when I have been approached by a municipality pro- fessing anxiety or opposition to the provisions of the bill.

We have, as members know, just come through the UBCM. I know many members of the House were on site and intimately involved in the proceedings there. My sense from my time there and the meetings I had — and a specifi c request or inquiry into the UBCM — is that confi rming the rules around the exemptions in the manner proposed in this bill is not a signifi cant issue for municipalities in British Columbia or cause for concern.

Th e provisions of the legislation seek to confi rm what has historically been the practice in British Columbia, which isn’t to say that from time to time — and more re- cently in the last couple of years — a couple of exceptions have occurred. But these provisions will clarify the rules consistent with the intentions of the provincial govern- ment and, I hope, consistent with the support of mem- bers in this chamber. I commend the provisions of the bill to members of this chamber. R. Fleming: I appreciate being able to respond to this bill.

British Columbia DebatesMonday, September 28, 2015 9187 Members of both sides of the House will remember that the bill was tabled on the very last sitting day, with- in hours literally of the Lieutenant-Governor coming to dismiss and adjourn the spring sitting of the Legislature. It was an exposure bill of sorts by government that did not aff ord an opportunity for debate until this very aft er- noon today. I think people wondered as to the contents of the bill when it was introduced in the manner that it was. Th ere was not a lot of transparency upon its introduction.

We had some mayors and councillors confused around British Columbia about what exactly it meant for them and their revenue authorities and tax base. We had an awful lot of education stakeholders confused about what the scope of the bill covered. I think that government did a disservice to at least all of those with an interest in this bill, at the cover-page stage of its tabling. Th ey did a disservice to those people by not consulting them beforehand. I will say this on behalf of myself and I know some of my colleagues on the opposition side.

We did go out and consult, as opposition members, those who could be pot- entially aff ected or viewed themselves as having a stake in the outcome of the Bill 29 discussion. Th at most re- cently occurred for some of our members at the Union of B.C. Municipalities convention that occurred last week. To be honest, many of them who are elected offi cials at that level of government are still in the dark about what the status quo is and about what could potentially change should government use its majority to make this bill a law and change the tax code in this way. [1440] Th at’s not a good situation.

Th ere should be a broad understanding of what that situation is like. I know that executive members of the Union of B.C. Municipalities, who are elected to stay on top of provincial legislative af- fairs, were also not consulted until very recently. Only then did it become an item on their executive agenda, to my understanding, because they took it upon themselves to do so. It was not at the initiative of government. We’ll get to discussing the two pages of this bill and the total of four clauses in Bill 29 in a moment, Mr. Speaker.

I will be interested in this debate for a number of reasons this aft ernoon — in part and as always because I look for- ward to hearing the perspectives of colleagues, both on my side of the House and opposite, who will have some interesting things to say about Bill 29, as they do on all legislation. I’ll be interested most of all, I think, because this is the only education-related bill that I can think of since Bill 11 was rammed through this chamber in the very spring sitting where Bill 29 was tabled. I’ll be interested to see how many members of government stand up and add or contribute to debate on Bill 29.

One of the things I distinctly remember, which left a distinctly sour taste on communities and elected school trustees around British Columbia, was throughout the Bill 11 debate, where that level of local government re- peatedly asked, publicly asked, the government to slow down, to consult with them, to explain the urgency for serious, signifi cant amendments about the rights and responsibilities that are shared between the Ministry of Education, elected school boards, superintendents and all of those who administer our public schools. Th ose calls went unheeded.

Even worse than that, even harder to take for a lot of people who, as constituents of Liberal MLAs, wished to speak to them about it…. I can’t tell you how many let- ters I got from people who said they had serious concerns and questions about Bill 11, who couldn’t get a meeting with elected members who were Liberals. Th ose meetings would not be scheduled.

Th ey were not permitted to meet with their MLA about concerns they had about the bill when it was before the House, when they wished to have at least the opportunity to persuade that MLA to not go aft er their elected school offi cials and to not pass new, sweeping ministerial powers that would upset the checks and balances that our school system has enjoyed for decades and decades and decades. Y ou know what I remember about the debate here in the chamber?

It’s that government was doing everything it could to ignore and dismiss widespread concerns — tens of thousands of names on petitions, motions de- nouncing government for introducing Bill 11 in the manner and in the scope in which it was done — and to speed passage of Bill 11. Th ree members of that caucus spoke, if memory serves me correctly. Th ey sat on their hands. Th ey wouldn’t meet people out in their commun- ities, and they wouldn’t defend the contents of the bill in this very chamber.

It’ll be interesting to see, on Bill 29 — which is, you know, a bill that actually won’t change anything tomor- row, if it were passed, from what goes on in the lay of the land today — if they have a lot more enthusiasm about a bill that does relatively nothing to change property tax exemption regimes out there in the 220 municipalities.

It’ll be interesting to see if they stand on their feet all the same and say some things today, when they didn’t have the guts and the courage to face their constituents about a real bill that had sweeping and radical changes to the way that public schools are governed in the province of B.C. Th at’ll interest me very much. We’ll be watching for that this aft ernoon. [1445] Now, I know that other members on the opposite side of the House may get to their feet and say some things.

I know that there’s a real hunger out there amongst back- bench members of that caucus, of the government caucus, amongst perhaps some of the newest members of cabinet, to get up and to have a wide-ranging debate about edu- cation in British Columbia, to extol the virtues of what the education sector does for an advanced and diversi-

British Columbia Debates9188 Monday, September 28, 2015 fi ed economy like British Columbia, to talk about — for example, as I like to do — its role in making possible and developing a large middle class, a strong and stable econ- omy that has been built up over decades. It’s unthinkable to have the employment and the indus- tries and the communities that we live in without public education being invested in by governments of all dif- ferent political stripes over the better part of a century. I know that members want to talk about these kinds of things, these big-picture education items. I think it’s fair.

We are, as I said, talking about a bill that’s two pages in length and four clauses. But I think it is worth looking at the context of Bill 29’s introduction. What people want to talk about out there, when you mention education, are a couple of things. One of them is confrontation. Why is it that public education, which is a feature, a public service that provides individuals with the great- est opportunities they can hope to have in their lives, the greatest opportunity to improve the lives of others by their own advancement and enrichment…?

Why is it that an area — the school system — that brings so much joy and good news to people’s lives, where professional teachers deserve so much respect for the very diffi cult job we ask them to do every day…? Why is it that that very ministry, that very sector of our society which is hugely important…? Y ou know, 550,000 kids attend public schools in British Columbia. Y ou can think of all of the family members, including parents and grandparents and other care- givers attached to that.

But we’re talking about millions of people in British Columbia involved in the public educa- tion system, where wonderful things happen in the class- room every day in terms of discovery and achievement and the kind of atmosphere that we have there, the kinds of outcomes that we get from our students. Why is it that in an area that is so vitally important to our economy and to the daily lives of people in British Columbia, this government visits upon it so much con- frontation and chaos? We can think of it over a decade, but we can think of it most memorably about exactly where we were last September.

Let’s not forget. Th is time last year, schools in British Columbia weren’t even open. We had the longest school disruption in the prov- ince of British Columbia’s history just a year ago, and there was no end in sight. Th at is what haunts British Columbians more than anything when you put the words “education” and “B.C. Liberal” side by side. Th at’s, I think, a debate that, understandably, people want to have. And they will, as I do, make these points in direct relation to the contents of the bill that is before us.

Y ou mention education again, and people out there are not talking about Bill 29, to the extent that they’re even aware of it. Th ey’re asking fundamentally diffi cult questions about this government’s record. Th ey’re saying: “How can British Columbia, under the care” — I use that term loosely — “and administration of the B.C. Liberals, go from being the second-best-funded jurisdiction in Canada, per pupil, 15 years ago to being in ninth place, just barely ahead of Prince Edward Island?

How can an aspiring, advanced economy like British Columbia fall so hard and so fast in Canada?” Th at’s a question that the Premier of the province and successive ministers — I hold out hope for my new col- league, the Member for Peace River South, who has been named as a new minister — have failed to answer. I neg- lected to introduce him earlier at the outset of these re- marks. [1450] It is those big-picture fundamentals that people are asking about, how they can be so badly neglected by this government — when apparently its priorities are com- pletely somewhere else.

Th ey’re about changing laws that don’t impact anything, like the contents of Bill 29 — changing clauses of a couple of pieces of legislation that aren’t interpreted, aren’t even at risk of being interpreted — or misinterpreted, if the Minister of Finance wants to put it that way — and that will make no diff erence tomor- row from what we have in place today. Th ere will be no revenue transfer. Th ere will be no change.

Th ere will be, as far as mayors and councillors now understand — and we’ll get into this at committee stage of debate — almost nothing diff erent, but yet this is the latest and greatest thing in a massive sector like edu- cation to occupy the government’s attention.

It’s unbelievable that instead of addressing head-on the concerns of British Columbians about how underwhelm- ing, how confrontational, the approach of this govern- ment is towards a thing like education, the second-largest ministry in government, it isn’t investing more interest in the opportunities of British Columbians themselves that are dependent and reliant upon a strong education system. When I fi rst read Bill 29, I had an immediate concern. Th at was the very same concern that, I think, a number of mayors and councillors who were availed of its existence had as well.

And that was: is there a double standard here at play? Was this government being, in fact, even-handed, levelling the playing fi eld, championing the principles of equivalency, as they said they were, or was there some- thing being given to the independent sector in education that was completely at odds with what was happening within public education? Let’s go back to May 29, when Bill 29 was brought into this place.

At that point in time, what was dominating the discussion around education was how the government that had said they would fully fund the implementation and costs of a new teachers contract had, in fact, betrayed that very word last spring and brought in $54 million of new additional cuts to public education, falling far short of funding the total costs of education. The Premier went out and, to school trustees who asked, “How could you break your promise so soon aft er

British Columbia DebatesMonday, September 28, 2015 9189 it was made?” outrageously said: “Well, it’s up to you to fi gure out how to make those cuts. Y ou’ve got ‘low-hang- ing fruit’ all over the place in your districts. ” Of course, people would say: “Well, hang on. Is there a double standard here between Bill 29, whatever it means, and what we’re hearing from the Premier of the province, writ large, about public education?” We know that we can’t take the Premier’s word when it comes to speaking truthfully to the public education sector. We know that. I’ve just given the example around the $54 million of cuts.

Th is bill is talking about land and buildings and the cap- ital side of education. We know you can’t trust her when it comes to commitments she has made to parents around B.C. that all schools in our province would become seis- mically safe by 2020. She made that promise originally in 2003. She made it again in 2005, again in 2011 and then, most memorably, on the eve and actually during, I believe, the writ period, in April 2013, looking into the camera and saying: “Y our child’s safety is my number one priority. ” I think I’m quoting exactly. If I’m not, I will amend that later.

She looked straight into the cameras and told those parents directly, who are of high concern about their children studying in seismically unsafe schools…. Who wouldn’t be? What parent wouldn’t be? We have a build- ing stock in places like Vancouver and in Richmond and around this area as well, all up and down the coast…. Th ey’re in one of the most seismically active regions of the world. Th at’s a building stock in some commun- ities that is over 100 years old, if you look at some of the schools in Vancouver, in particular. It needs to be fi xed.

Government knows it needs to be fi xed, so it says it will fi x it, and then it breaks its word. [1455] Again, my concern was: “Hang on. Is there something being done for one side of the education sector, the in- dependent schools, that is being given in legislation that directly contrasts from a broken promise around a capital budgeting and the promises to fi x our schools?” We had to go away and look at that before we had the opportun- ity to respond today to the bill.

I have had the opportunity now to look at the bill more closely, to discuss it with those who hold elected offi ce in local government, and it looks to me, in the comments I’ve had from those mayors and councillors who have for- warded me their comments, that in fact it won’t change what happens in their jurisdictions. Th e current legislation…. I’ll read the clause that I think is of greatest interest here and that we’ll spend some time on in the committee stage of the debate.

Th e current lay of the land, if you like, explicitly prohibits property taxes being applied to independent schools and the land on which the building stands. Now, Bill 29 will change that to include the land on which the building stands, the building itself, of course — so that’s the same — but the area of land surrounding the land referred to in that

section of the original legis- lation. Th is will include — and we heard the Minister of Finance speak to it at fi rst reading — “playing fi elds, ath- letic grounds and facilities, playgrounds and improve- ments related to any of them; storage, maintenance and administrative facilities…parking lots, walkways and roads. ” So those are all within the envelope of the schools. Now, there are no taxes received by — I won’t say any, but the vast, vast majority. Perhaps 99.7 percent of mu- nicipalities in British Columbia right now are, if you will, compliant with a bill that is not yet law.

Bill 29 will — I didn’t know this — make the rest of the province compliant with the Vancouver Charter, which has language that is closer to the bill before us today than the original legislation that is being amended in the Community Charter. But there was one thing — and I will visit this tomorrow with the minister — that I didn’t see in his fi rst reading remarks. I recall that this was the fi rst opportunity that any- body had to know that this bill was even within the gov- ernment’s agenda, because it wasn’t a feature of the last election and it wasn’t a feature of any throne speech.

It wasn’t given any legislative priority in the deputy minis- ter’s notes that we’ve FOI’ d and received, so it did come out of the blue. No mayor and councillor had been con- sulted, as I mentioned earlier. So we had to take the fi rst reading remarks of the Minister of Finance as the ex- planation at the time. Interjection. R. Fleming: Not as gospel, as my colleague from Surrey-Whalley says, but as a straight-up explanation of what the bill contained. Now, he didn’t mention one thing in his remarks that is in the bill, and that is around dormitories for students.

Now, he motivated his Bill 29 by saying that we’re cre- ating an equivalency between public and independent schools. All of these tax exemptions are, of course, part of the public school system currently. We’re merely put- ting the playgrounds and playing fi elds of independent schools, which aren’t taxed, by and large, saving one or two exceptions provincewide…. We’re merely putting that into law so that the law is updated and equivalent. Well, public schools don’t have dormitories, so there is, perhaps, an area of questioning where we might want to ask about this.

Dormitories don’t exist at very many independent schools — just a tiny fraction of a certain category, I think, of the independent schools. [1500] It bears explaining by this government why, when there is a raging debate out there about housing aff ord- ability and the challenge that it poses for a jurisdiction like Metro Vancouver, for example, where, literally…. Th e real estate values there are second only to, perhaps, Paris and Moscow and a couple of high-priced…. It is in the top-fi ve-valued real estate jurisdictions.

British Columbia Debates9190 Monday, September 28, 2015 Housing aff ordability is an extreme challenge for may- ors and councils and provincial governments and the federal government to address adequately. Th e response has been inadequate, but we’ll save that debate for an- other time. Th ere are a lot of non-profi t housing associations or residential care facilities, for example, that try and help people who have limited means, on fi xed incomes, have a roof over their head. Th at’s the mandate, as a society or as an institution, that these non-profi ts have.

Th ey don’t enjoy a full 100 percent property tax exemption. It varies from municipality to municipality. Some do. Some don’t. Some do in certain places. Some don’t in other areas. It just seems a bit odd to me for the government to motivate this as: “We’re just trying to make everything equivalent in the independent school sector to the pub- lic school sector. ” But we have this anomaly that kind of sticks out for me — not only within the bill itself and in the education sector but within the kinds of problems that we ought to be talking about here in British Columbia.

I mean, how do you contain costs and help people build affordable housing, which we’re so desperately short of? In my own community this summer it was all about a homeless crisis that had grown visibly larger and was very, very diffi cult to respond to. It sparked a debate about why we have not been able to open more units of supervised housing or shelter beds or aff ordable housing of all types that are needed by diff erent people who fi nd themselves in a desperate situation and who are home- less — or our constituents who can’t save up for a down payment who want to get into the housing market.

Th ese are problems that…. Housing is probably one of the things that occupies the anxieties as well as the hopes of a lot of British Columbians when they talk around the dinner table and what they’re trying to do in terms of improving lives for their families. Th ey can’t, in all cases, make ends meet in this regard. Housing is their biggest challenge in their lives. And here we have a property tax exemption that will stand for all time for dormitories, which has never been in legislation before. I fi nd that odd, as a government priority. I fi nd a lot of the government’s priorities odd, it must be said.

I found it very strange that at a time when they cut $55 million, as I mentioned, from the public education budget last spring, that same budget had a $230 million tax cut for million- aires who didn’t even ask for a tax cut. It is, perhaps, with- in that vein of mysterious, bizarre decisions that I’ll have to ask those questions at committee stage about where the dormitory issue fi ts in with this government. To get back to the contents of the bill in a moment but also, I think, a secondary concern about this gov- ernment’s conduct around the provision of education.

I mentioned how many people are involved with the public education system who were…. Th is doesn’t apply to those parents and students in the independent sec- tor, because they weren’t touched by the disruption that lasted four months of the last two school years prior to this one. Th e confrontation — I spoke to this — is the number one concern. We’re now, I think, about to go before the Supreme Court of Canada for legislation that was brought in, in 2002 that was utterly confrontational.

Th e other twin occupation, I think, or secondary con- cern, dual concern, that British Columbians have about this government’s approach is complacency. [1505] Most people would tell you that all of the good things that they associated with public schools during their own school lives and during years gone by that they can re- call, they wish existed now.

Th at is, individual attention for students, lower class sizes, better funding, a time when there weren’t fees for Kleenex, for heaven’s sakes, or photocopies or when the school bus didn’t cost you, out-of-pocket fees that are more expensive than to send your son or daughter to hockey and sports. Middle-class British Columbians are getting ham- mered by fees being assessed on public school parents, and it’s because there’s a complacency about the fund- ing situation in British Columbia. We’ve fallen to ninth. I mentioned that earlier. Th ere’s also a complacency about the results within our school system.

I mean, here we are in the second decade of the 21st century and still one in fi ve kids do not com- plete high school, do not graduate. Y ou cannot have a high functioning, sustainable and prosperous economy without continuous improvement in the area around graduation completion and relevancy. I understand that teachers have been driving curriculum reform and all those kinds of things to try and address this, but it comes down to other things than that to keep students engaged. Th e complacency is also around…. Th e previous min- ister would always say: “Look at the test results. We’re doing great.

So why should we strive to do any better?” Essentially, that was the government message. How sad, especially when, actually, British Columbia was resting on its laurels, essentially. Student achieve- ments had, in fact, begun to slip both in the OECD’s PISA assessments — which began to go from the top of the pack to somewhere close to the middle, beginning in 2003, and stubbornly remained there in subsequent reporting that comes out every fi ve years — and within a Canadian measurement system, the pan-Canadian as- sessment program.

Th at saw math scores for 13-year- olds in B.C. trailing three other provinces and, in fact, in a three-way tie for fourth place. We were moving from being fi rst or second in almost every category to some- where in the middle of the pack and falling further be- hind in diff erent subject matters as a result. Confrontation and complacency around funding and results are the areas that occupy the concerns. We will continue to scrutinize this bill to make sure that it’s on the level, as the minister said it would be. I take my place in this debate for the time being.

British Columbia DebatesMonday, September 28, 2015 9191 Hon. M. Bernier: Thank you to the member for Victoria–Swan Lake, the critic for education, who has an amazing skill of being able to talk about everything except the bill that was on the fl oor. So that was actually kind of exciting. Th is is really easy for me to also get to a place where I can tell you the facts. Actually, it’s really important to understand why we’re actually here today, why we’re dis- cussing this bill. Independent schools are an important part of our edu- cation system.

In fact, on this side of the House we pride ourselves on giving parents the choice, here in British Columbia, of how they choose to have their children educated. Th is Property Taxation (Exemptions) Statutes Amendment Act supports choices for parents and stu- dents, and that’s what this is about. With nearly 81,000 students and 350 independent schools across B.C., there are choices here. Government is making sure independent schools are treated the same across this province when it comes to property taxation, no matter what municipality that school happens to be in.

Bill 29, which we’re talking about today, ensures that all property needed for school purposes receives property tax exemption. It also gives greater certainty to independent schools and ensures a more consistent tax treatment throughout jurisdictions here in the province of B.C. Th e passing of this bill is an important step in our edu- cation system. One of the things that we pride ourselves on here in the province of British Columbia is that we do have some of the best educational outcomes in the world. British Columbia is recognized not only in Canada but globally for that. We’re proud of that reputation.

We will continue to work with all the schools, public and in- dependent, to build B.C. ’s world-class education system. [1510] Today I’ d say was a perfect example of that. Prior to the House rising today, I was fortunate enough to be part of a landmark event. Th is is where we had all of our partners in the education system all together promoting education here in British Columbia — promoting opportunities for teachers as we roll out the new curriculum. Th is was an amazing day for education because it really shows the collaboration.

It shows the opportunities, and it shows what’s possible here when we all work together. Because of the hard work that’s been done in the min- istry in the past with the B.C. Teachers Federation to get to a landmark and a long, extended negotiated agree- ment in the classrooms…. Th at allows us the opportun- ities now to do what’s important, to make sure that we have the best educational outcomes in the world and to strive to do even better. We do great work here in British Columbia, and we know we can do better, and that’s why I’m looking for- ward to the opportunities in front of us.

But we have to make sure that everybody is treated fairly, everybody has the same opportunities, and everybody has the choices here in British Columbia. Th is property tax exemption for independent schools, found in the Community Charter and the Taxation (Rural Area) Act, is currently divided into two portions, as was mentioned: the mandatory portion, which is only cov- ering the school building and the land directly beneath that building, and then the permissive section, which al- lows land surrounding a school building to be exempted.

As mentioned earlier, this bill expands what is covered by the mandatory portion of the exemption to include the land that is reasonably necessary for school purpos- es, and as was mentioned, this does include playgrounds, playing fi elds, parking lots — the parts that are important to the schools to operate a good school system. This is not about creating a new exemption. Municipalities have actually adhered to the long-standing policy to provide property tax exemption to independent schools for as long as I can remember. Th is is not about expanding the exemptions to new schools.

Government left the school qualifi cations the same in terms of owner- ship, use and equivalency to public education. Some communities — only a few — have recently changed their policy with regards to independent schools and have begun denying the independent schools the permissive portion of this exemption. Other city coun- cils have actually considered following suit. Independent schools, if this was to take place, would face increased property taxes which may require them to raise fees for their students, possibly cut programs or, even worse, force them to close down their schools.

So this bill will actually help facilitate that independ- ent school not only have the same opportunities as everybody else, but that they’ll be able to operationally function in a fair way. Our government, as I mentioned…. We support choices. We support choices for education. We support parents to make those choices for their kids. We have some of the best educational outcomes in the world. Again, that is because of the amazing work that our teach- ers here have…. It’s important that parents know this.

It’s important that parents know when they send their child out of the home in the morning to go off to school that they’re get- ting the best education that we can off er here in the prov- ince of British Columbia. I’m really proud of the work that this ministry has done in the past. I’m really looking forward…. Th is is the fi rst time I’ve had the opportunity to stand in the House as the new Minister of Education. [Applause.] Oh, thank you. I know there’s a lot of work ahead. I know that work can’t be done alone through the ministry.

Th at work is going to be done with the amazing partners that we have in the education system. As we’re rolling out the new curriculum — we were transitioning over three years with this new curriculum

British Columbia Debates9192 Monday, September 28, 2015 — one thing that’s really important is the great work that’s being done, not only with the relationships with the First Nations educational council but with the schools and with the teachers themselves — that we’re putting such a strong focus on aboriginal content within our curricu- lum. Th is is something that’s amazing as we go forward, something that’s really important. Interjection. Hon. M. Bernier: Y ou know, I’m being criticized for going off of the topic of Bill 29.

I guess I did criticize the member opposite for doing the same, but I’ll try to stick at least to education and not aff ordable housing within the Lower Mainland, which he’ d like to go to. [1515] I think the main focus about today is just about fair- ness. Th is bill actually on the fl oor today — I’m looking forward to hearing the comments from the members opposite. Th rough his half hour of speaking — the critic — I didn’t actually hear whether he supported this bill or not. I didn’t hear any comments at all about supporting choices. I didn’t hear any comments at all about sup- porting independent schools.

All I heard were comments about everything but this bill. Today we’re actually talking about this bill, and I think it’s really important. As we move forward, I’m looking forward to hearing members on the opposite side of the House standing and, hopefully, supporting an import- ant bill that gives opportunities for all students in British Columbia. R. Austin: Let me begin by congratulating the new Minister of Education. On this side of the House, I’ d like to welcome him into this post.

We look forward to a new re- lationship that the minister is going to bring in this House with all the education stakeholders of British Columbia. Actually, I was watching the minister’s fi rst public com- ments. One of the things he was saying was that he rec- ognizes, post the strike, that there needs to be a new tone and a new relationship built between his government, the one that he now represents as the lead person on educa- tion…. He recognized in that comment that some work needs to be done.

Having been here since 2005 and also having wit- nessed some of the stuff between 2001 and 2005, I would agree with the hon. minister that lots of work needs to be done in terms of changing that relationship between his government and the education establishment of British Columbia. With regard to Bill 29, the comments from the Finance Minister took a matter of minutes, and the comments from the Education Minister took only a few minutes more than that. I guess the reason is that it’s a very small bill with very little signifi cance whatsoever.

To stand here and make out that it’s anything other than that is a little bit foolish. Th e minister alludes to the fact that municipalities were looking at suddenly deriving huge amounts of money from these independent schools. Th is is erroneous. Th e fact that the law hasn’t been brought up to date to create legislative equality between the public school sys- tem and the private school system is kind of irrelevant when municipalities have not been taxing any of these properties. Th ey’ve regarded the private schools just as they regard the public schools and have not been seek- ing taxes from them.

So I don’t think, once this bill is passed — and I won’t be opposing it, because there’s not much here to oppose — tomorrow is going to be any diff erent than today or, indeed, yesterday. It would be interesting, in commit- tee stage, when our critic delves into it, to see exactly which municipalities were thinking about upping taxes on parts of private schools. I don’t think it’ll derive much revenue, if at all. Anyway, it’s clear that if you look at the history of British Columbia, 98 or 99 percent of municipalities have not been deriving any money.

So I don’t think there’s a lot of money at stake here, and therefore, we’re opening the session here with a little bit of a bill about nothing. It’s like a Seinfeld episode. Y ou know, I have three independent schools in my constituency. I have St. Anthony’s in Kitimat. I have Centennial Christian School in Terrace. I have Veritas School in Terrace. I think my community is symbolic of a lot of small communities of British Columbia, which is that people who have chosen to send their children to these schools have a particular religious affi liation. Th ey’re parochial schools.

Th ey want to be able to have their children, if they’re Catholic or of some specifi c Christian denomination, go to a school where they can derive some religious educa- tion in addition to the curriculum that other children get in the public school system. I can safely say that none of the people that I think of who go to the bulk of private schools, which is the parochial school system, are privil- eged or wealthy in any sense.

I think they’re just regular British Columbians who want to have their kid go to a Khalsa school or a Catholic school or a Christian school, because they want to have some religious instruction. [1520] Th ey’re not wealthy. Th ey probably make quite a big sacrifi ce to even pay those modest school fees, because that is important to them to include that religious educa- tion. I think that’s fi ne. I think that’s good for them to be able to do that, and I’m glad that we live in a pluralistic society that allows folks to retain their religious affi liation if they believe that that’s important for their kids.

To that extent, I’m all for choice. What I do also believe, though, is that while we have a government that seems to think that this is very, very important, I think they need to recognize that for most

British Columbia DebatesMonday, September 28, 2015 9193 British Columbians who think about public education…. Th e majority of British Columbians have their kids in the public school system. When they see us debating some- thing like this, they’re probably wondering why it is that a government can get up and be so enthusiastic about supporting a bill which I don’t think is going to bring a heck of a lot of diff erence to the private school system. But anyway, that’s for the government to decide.

Why is it that the government thinks it’s so important to be bringing this as the fi rst piece of legislation in this session, when that vast majority of parents and kids and school trustees have had to make very diffi cult choices on the public school side because of the challenges that are there fi scally? Today, the minister had a very nice event, something that has been coming for a long time in terms of trying to change the school curriculum. I think that if the min- ister spoke about it, I can bring it in, as well, as part of my sweeping remarks on Bill 29 — panoramic remarks.

Honestly, let’s look at this for a second. Y ou know, we have an event here today. Teachers have been involved as the professionals in helping to shape the new curriculum. Th ere’ve been school trustees here. Th ere’ve been super- intendents here. And there’s been a recognition, by and large, in the broader philosophical discussion around education that in the 21st century, education needs to change direction from what it was in the 20th century.

I think that most of us who have spent time in the class- room would agree that the kind of style of teaching, the very prescriptive kind of curriculum, that has done us so well in the 20th century is not necessarily the kind of curriculum that we need in the 21st century. Interjection. R. Austin: Th e minister says that I’m coming off his speaking notes. I think all of us would agree on that, but you know, here is the challenge. When we talk about fair- ness and opportunity and choice, here’s the challenge with all of this.

I’ve spent quite a bit of time in the class- room, supporting teachers as an educational assistant. While it is wonderful to think of the notion that teachers, instead of having a very prescriptive curriculum, can go to little Johnny or to little Mary and inquire of that child what their particular passion is in an area of learning and then try and link that kid’s passion to the learning out- comes. It’s wonderful. It’s not just wonderful in theory; it’ d be wonderful if it could happen. But here are the challenges.

Th e challenges are that you’ve got a school system, which, over a 15-year per- iod, has not had the kind of resources put in to allow a teacher to have the individual time to go and speak to that individual child to give them personalized learning. Th at’s the challenge, right? So while you’ve got teachers saying: “Y ou know what? Th is would be lovely. I’ d love to be able to have more project-based learning.

I’ d love to have more opportunities to engage my kids on an indi- vidual basis, to try and fi re them up and to use their own passions for learning. ” While that would be wonderful, the reality is that if you’re in a class with an average of 30 kids, and four or fi ve of them have special needs, where in the heck in the world is the time for you to go and actually engage that child? It just isn’t there. Y ou need to have this discussion.

I’m hoping that this new Education Minister will have that discussion at the cabinet table and recognize that the changes that he’s try- ing to bring in, which have come about from years and years of consultation and have been supported by teach- ers, require the necessary resources in the classroom so that those teachers can do what it is that he’s hoping they can do.

Otherwise, what’s going to happen is that teachers will continue to use the old curriculum, because it is pre- scriptive and it enables them to at least create one lesson plan for all of the kids, and then make some modifi ca- tions for the few who have some special needs. [1525] But the idea that a teacher has the time to go and en- gage 30 kids individually, fi nd out what it is they’re ex- cited about and then try and create lesson plans around that is a bit of a challenge — not just a bit of a challenge, a huge challenge.

Th ese choices that the government likes to talk about also refer to the choices that the gov- ernment makes in terms of how they fund our public education system. I read somewhere here that on the day that Bill 29 was released…. The press release came out from the Independent Schools Association. I’m quoting here from ISABC on May 29. Th e head of the Independent Schools Association said: “Today is another good day for in- dependent schools in B.C. ” Hooray. Wonderful.

Wouldn’t it be nice if you had the School Trustees Association or the president of the BCTF or just families, just parents, standing up and saying: “Hey, today’s a great day for kids in the public education system. ” We haven’t heard that a lot in the last 14 or 15 years.

It would be nice if we could hear that just once — if, just once, people could actually come up here and get excited about what this government is doing for the majority of children in our public school system, instead of getting excited about what they’re doing just for those who, for their own choice, decide to send their kids to a private school, most of which are parochial schools. I think that this bill is symbolic in the sense that….

What I’m hoping for is to see legislation come forward — maybe not in this session but maybe in the spring ses- sion, certainly in the budget — that recognizes the chal- lenges that the public education system has endured over many, many years. Again, I can open up a door here and go through the door that the minister opened. He said that they’re very

British Columbia Debates9194 Monday, September 28, 2015 happy to have had a long-term agreement, a six-year agreement, fi nally, with the teaching profession, which allows them to have some stability and allows the school system to breathe a little without turmoil and solve some of the problems. But the strike also m

Document details

Collection	British Columbia — Debates (Hansard)
Citation	20150928pm-Hansard-v28n9
Type	hansard
Volume / chapter	20150928pm Hansard v28n9
Language	en
Format	pdf
Source	PROVINCIAL
Identifier	3a1b36b5029f672bf890fae06819b5d8522bbb76

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