Fourth Session, 42nd Parliament

(2023) OFFICIAL REPORT

OF DEBATES

(HANSARD)

Monday, February 27, 2023

Morning Sitting

Issue No. 275

ISSN 1499-2175

The HTML transcript is provided for informational purposes only.

The PDF transcript remains the official digital version.

CONTENTS

Routine Business

Introductions by Members

Orders of the Day

Private Members’ Statements

Physician assistants

S. Bond

S. Chant

Preserving food security lands

M. Starchuk

I. Paton

Broken windows

T. Shypitka

A. Singh

Creating new midwifery training opportunities

J. Rice

C. Oakes

Private Members’ Motions

Motion 20 — Housing affordability

K. Kirkpatrick

D. Routley

E. Sturko

S. Chandra Herbert

T. Halford

R. Leonard

J. Sturdy

B. D’Eith

B. Banman

A. Walker

T. Wat

MONDAY, FEBRUARY 27, 2023

The House met at 10:02 a.m.

[Mr. Speaker in the chair.]

Routine Business

Prayers and reflections: T. Wat.

Introductions by Members

T. Wat: I would like to extend my warmest welcome to four visitors in this

people’s House.

[10:05 a.m.]

Master Diana Ko, founder and president of Bai Gong International

Buddhist Society. The society was founded by Master Diana more than a decade

ago in Vancouver to propagate Buddhism in Canada.

Also in the group are Carolina Yung, who is the secre­tary for

the society; and two other members, Brian Qing Feng and Juan Li. They will

join the 120-member Bud­dhism delegation, who arrive later today in

the Legislature.

Please join me in giving my four guests a big round of

applause.

Orders of the Day

Private Members’ Statements

PHYSICIAN ASSISTANTS

S. Bond: I rise in the House today to speak on an urgent issue facing

communities throughout our province. British Columbia, as we all know,

is in the middle of a health care crisis that continues to get

worse.

[S. Chandra Herbert in the chair.]

We are seeing an increase in emergency room closures, chronic

staffing shortages at UPCCs and rising wait times at walk-in clinics.

There are one million people without a family doctor and one million

people on wait-lists to see a specialist. These are urgent issues that

are having devastating impacts on the people of B.C., and new solutions

are needed to relieve the significant strain on our health care

workers.

Currently it is estimated that approximately one million, or one

in five, British Columbians do not have access to a family doctor.

Northern B.C. has a staffing vacancy rate of 20 percent for their

baseline positions, with 55 percent of hires leaving within three years

of service. Interior Health has a vacancy rate of 13 percent, which is

an 8 percent increase since 2019.

The average wait time at a B.C. walk-in clinic has increased

significantly in the past year, going from 58 minutes in 2021 to 79

minutes in 2022. The crisis is even more pronounced in Victoria and

North Vancouver, which average the highest and second-highest walk-in

clinic wait times in Canada for 2022. Patients right here in Victoria

waited for an average of 137 minutes per visit, while those in North

Vancouver waited for an average of 160 minutes per visit.

Conditions have become so concerning that health care workers,

including leaders from the B.C. Nurses Union, have been speaking up

about how staff shortages and increased pressures have taken a toll on

nurses’ mental health, leading to high levels of stress, burnout and

concern for the health and safety of their patients.

These shortages can be especially hard on rural communities at the

heart of this crisis, communities like Merritt, Clearwater, Chetwynd,

Port Hardy and Port McNeill. In small communities like these, one health

care professional calling in sick can shut down the only clinic in that

community.

Last month Island Health announced the Port Hardy and Cormorant

hospital emergency departments would have to be closed overnight

indefinitely due to staffing shortages. According to Island Health data,

from July 22 to January 2023, the Port Hardy ER was closed 1,274 hours,

25 percent of the time, due to staffing shortages.

It is clear we need all hands on deck so that British Columbians

can have the health care they need and deserve. Many physicians and

communities, including in Port Hardy, believe there is a solution that

can reduce the workload of doctors, allowing them to see more patients

and reducing wait times. That is allowing physician assistants to work

in our province.

Around the world — and in fact, in many Canadian prov­inces

— PAs play a vital role as members of health care teams. PAs help ensure

efficiencies and provide patients with access to quality care in

doctors’ offices, emer­gency rooms, surgical suites and cancer

centres. Physician assistants could play a critical role in filling in

the gaps in British Columbia’s crumbling health care systems. Yet

current policies in our province exclude PAs from B.C.’s health care

system.

[10:10 a.m.]

Physician assistants are advanced practice clinicians who are

educated through a two-year graduate program under the medical school

model. They work in a clinical setting under the supervision of a

physician, and they can perform a broad range of services, including

conducting patient interviews and physical examinations, prescribing

most medications, ordering and reading tests and making referrals under

the guidance of a physician.

There are currently approximately 1,000 PAs practising across

Canada in New Brunswick, Alberta, Manitoba and Ontario. Encouragingly, a

recent survey conducted by the Canadian Association of Physician

Assistants found that 15 percent of members indicated they want to work

in B.C.

The West Shore, just a few minutes down the road from us, is

another region joining Port Hardy and calling for the introduction of

PAs as a solution in the health care crisis. In the past two years, more

than 50 percent of West Shore UPCC physicians have left, forcing the

UPCC to frequently close due to staffing shortages, yet every morning,

there are lines outside the centre for walk-in patients.

Dr. Charles Sun and Dr. Jane Moran, two West Shore emergency

medicine specialists, are advocating for the use of physician assistants

at West Shore UPCC. They estimate that hiring three PAs could increase

the number of patients they can see by 50 percent and cut the number of

patients without a doctor in Langford and Juan de Fuca to 1,600 from the

current 8,000.

The Doctors of B.C. have been recommending the introduction of

physician assistants to B.C.’s health care system. Today they are joined

by a number of other organizations: the Canadian Association of

Physician Assistants, the First Nations Health Authority and the B.C.

Rural Health Network.

It is time for us to make sure that we have all hands on deck. It

is time to listen to our communities, to our health care workers. This

is an action that we could take to reduce wait times and to help where

there are staffing shortages in our health care clinics. It is a step

that would make an immediate difference.

We know that it is time now to allow physician assistants to work

in British Columbia.

S. Chant: Today I’m glad to be speaking from the territories of the

Lək̓ʷəŋin̓əŋ people, the

Esquimalt and Song­hees.

I also continue to live, work and learn in my beautiful riding of

North Vancouver–Seymour, situated in the unceded territory of the Coast

Salish, specifically the Tsleil-Waututh and Squamish Nations.

I want to take the opportunity this morning to say thank you to

the member for Prince George–Valemount for her unwavering commitment and

support of health care providers and their clients, particularly those

in rural and northern British Columbia. It is great to see members from

both sides of the House working together to strengthen our network of

public health care.

As a community health care provider, I’ve had the opportunity over

many years to work with a vast range of clinicians. On Saturday past, I

was at the Coldest Night walk and met one of my colleagues who I hadn’t

seen for a long, long time. I had worked with her when I was a home

support supervisor. She was a community health worker who provided

in-home care to folks who needed ongoing support in order to remain in

their homes.

As a registered nurse supervisor, I depended on the CHWs, who saw

their clients every day, to get back to me with observed changes. As an

example, a CHW would report that Mrs. Smith was no longer able to call

the CHW by name when she had been able to do so in the preceding visits.

This report would trigger a visit from a clinician who knew her best,

perhaps a home care nurse or an occupational therapist or a

physiotherapist. They, in turn, would recommend next steps, which might

include seeing her GP.

Or that visit may have revealed that her meds were not being taken

appropriately or that she was not eating well or that she was improperly

hydrated or a myriad of other things that could be going on that could

lead to temporary changes. But sometimes those changes are not

temporary. That’s when we have a system that gets us to the next level

of assessment and care and treatment.

[10:15 a.m.]

In the community, we are very lucky. We have a variety of staff in

a variety of communities. It’s different in each community throughout

British Columbia, and I recognize that. I have had the opportunity to

work in Bella Coola doing work and assessments there, and I’ve been in a

variety of other places in British Columbia, including Prince George,

where I actually have a friend who is a nurse in emerg there.

In community, we have a variety of clinicians who are there to try

and make sure that people can stay in their homes. In that group are

nurse practitioners. Nurse practitioners are something that have been

around for a while now and have been working in a range that has been

slowly but surely expanding. They, too, do assessments. They too are

able to meet with clients, do some prescriptions, be able to order and

read blood work and recommend next steps for clients. They are working

in a variety of places throughout our province, and we’re working to

make more nurse practitioners available and able to work in different

areas of the province.

We also have a number of folks that have expanded their scope of

practice. As an example, I was meeting with the ophthalmologists that

are working in my riding. One thing I didn’t know, which I found very

interesting, was that if you have an eye emergency, you can actually go

directly to your ophthalmologist because they have the equipment right

in their office to do an assessment. They have the capacity to make a

treatment plan and to implement that treatment plan right away. They

also have access to next steps if you need to see somebody at a higher

level of specialty. So we have our ophthalmologists.

We also have our pharmacists with expanded scope now. They are

able to, for instance, renew prescriptions, which is cutting back on the

workload for our GPs. That’s been in place over the last while and is

working quite effectively. I was speaking with pharmacists and GPs also

in my community, and they’re finding it’s making quite a

difference.

We also can look at dentists. Again, you can go to your dentist

directly to be seen for a dental emergency rather than going through

emerg and having to wait there for a dental specialist to come and see

you.

These things are out there, and the work is being done to expand.

The other thing we need to be aware of is that we’re working to make

sure that our pool of physicians is getting deeper and broader each day

with the various programs that we have implemented.

S. Bond: I want to thank the member from North Vancouver–Seymour for her

comments and also for her career as a health care professional in our

province. I know that all of us appreciate that.

I would like to remind members today that physician assistants are

a proven concept. We, in fact, have 20 years of Canadian data and over

40 years of global data. Research tells us that, certainly, PAs are able

to and capable of performing quality medical care. The thing that I am

most concerned about is moving quickly to add to the health care teams

that we have in our province. The member noted nurse practitioners and,

certainly, they have a vital role to play in the system, particularly in

rural communities. Some of my communities have benefited as

well.

The fact of the matter is that physician assistants have reached

out over the last couple of months saying that they want to come to

British Columbia to work. Interestingly, many of them are originally

from British Columbia. They want to come and work in rural locations. In

fact, they would be able to practise in surgical specialties, in

emergency, in primary care and family medicine. We also have some that

are interested in hospitalist positions.

The critical lack of physicians and serious repercussions it is

having is being felt throughout the province. It is time for all of us

to take a long overdue look at the role that physician assistants can

play as part of a health care team.

[10:20 a.m.]

Physician assistants could be the bridge that reduces burnout

amongst health care staff and gives British Columbians better access to

their health care system and a higher quality of care, particularly

during this time when so many people are currently stuck on waiting

lists, waiting for a family doctor and struggling to access the care

they desperately need. The implementation of physician assistants has

been successful in other Canadian provinces, and there is every good

reason to assume that that would be successful in British Columbia given

the chance.

As noted, 15 percent of physician assistants in Canada have said

they would like to come to work in B.C. — 15 percent. That is dozens of

physician assistants that we could bring to B.C. to help our doctors and

health care professionals. This is a much-needed step we could take that

would have an immediate impact. The time to act is now.

PRESERVING FOOD SECURITY LANDS

M. Starchuk: I rise today to discuss several intertwined issues that are of

critical importance to the people of Surrey and to the province of

British Columbia: the preservation of productive farmland, the

independence of the Agricultural Land Commission, reconciliation with

First Nations and Heppell’s potato farm.

As we all know, British Columbia has a diverse and thriving

agricultural sector that provides many benefits to our province and

communities. This sector contributes significantly to our economy,

provides healthy, locally produced food and supports rural communities

throughout the province. However, preserving farmland is a challenging

task, especially as the population of B.C. continues to grow and the

demand for urban development increases.

Productive farmland is disappearing at an alarming rate all over

the world. Fortunately, in British Columbia, for nearly 50 years,

successive provincial governments have supported the preservation of

B.C.’s. farmland through the agricultural land reserve. Before the ALR,

over 6,000 hectares of farmland were being lost every year to

urbanization and non-farm uses in British Columbia. This loss was slowed

by the establishment of the ALR, which is now recognized as the most

successful system for protecting scarce food lands anywhere in the

world.

We all have our favourite place or places to pick up or pick out

the many favourite fruits and vegetables. In the city of Surrey, there

are many places to do just that. One-third of the city’s lands fall

within the boundaries of the ALR. This equals roughly 26,000 acres of

ALR lands in the city of Surrey.

Depending on the route that I take to my constituency office and

at the time of the year, you may see planting, harvesting and field

maintenance, while other days you may smell onions and cilantro as

they’re being packaged on the field for transportation and processing.

There are also other days where there are smells of, let’s just say,

farm-fresh fertilizers that are used to grow better fruits and

vegetables.

We have parcels of land where they grow and process and package

some of the freshest herbs in the province. One of those manufacturers

of herbs and vegetables, Ron Brar, once told me the way they

incorporated coconut husks into the soil so that their carrots, for

whatever reason, were the straightest in the country.

Around the corner from Ron’s operation is Heppell’s, which is the

core of the field vegetable production in B.C. from May to early July.

No other parcel produces so much of B.C.’s local field vegetables supply

at this time of the year. This parcel consists of 220 acres, which

represents less than 1 percent of the city of Surrey’s zoned ALR lands.

This parcel produces potatoes, carrots, cabbage and squash and is also

home to 80 acres of critically biodiverse forests and

streams.

The farmland is exceptionally sandy, well drained and enjoys its

own unique microclimate. This allows for early crop production. Western

Canada’s earliest potatoes, carrots and cabbage have been produced on

these lands for decades.

The true test of how well drained these lands are was demonstrated

weeks after the atmospheric river hit B.C. in 2021. Farm vehicles could

navigate these fields in less than two weeks after the rains without

fear of getting stuck in these farmlands.

[10:25 a.m.]

From May to early June, 25 to 50 percent of B.C.’s local potatoes,

carrots and cabbage come from this one parcel of land. An estimated 30

to 50 million servings of fresh, nutritious vegetables are produced

annually, enough for one serving for every person who lives in Metro

Vancouver for two to three weeks.

Retailers, farm markets, restaurants and food banks all across the

province depend on this produce. By July, the produce reaches all of

western Canada. This parcel is at the core of B.C. food supply from May

to early June, and no other parcel produces so much of B.C.’s local

field vegetables supply at this time of the year. Because these

farmlands have the ability to produce crops so early, food from this

parcel directly displaces imports from the United States and Mexico at

this time.

Governments at all levels have been expressing concerns about

Canada’s threatened food security and claim to want Canadian consumers

to obtain more food from local farmers. These governments have also been

expressing concern about the GHG emissions generated by tens of

thousands of trucks needed to transport foreign fruit to Canada. They’re

consistently reminding us of how vulnerable to foreign supply chains we

are. Politicians in the Lower Mainland, Victoria and Ottawa have all

been saying we need to keep scarce local farmland for local

farmers.

I am more frequently seeing posted public notices advising of the

landowners that are looking for exclusions that the ALR lands designated

to incorporate various non-agricultural uses. Preserving parcels like

this for agriculture, forests and streams would be complementary to

several government commitments and policy recommendations.

These include the city of Surrey’s declaration of climate

emergency; Surrey’s biodiversity conservation strategy that identifies

this area as a key biodiversity hub with links to the green

infrastructure network corridors throughout Surrey and Langley; the

federal government’s initiative to implement urban parks across Canada;

the B.C. government’s CleanBC Roadmap to 2030; Metro Vancouver’s

commitment to protect farmland and green space; the B.C. government’s

Ministry of Agriculture and Food service plan; the B.C. government’s

commitment to achieving the United Nations sustainable development goal

of zero hunger and food security by 2030; Agriculture Canada’s food

policy for Canada, which aims to make Canadian food the top choice at

home and abroad; the Pacific Institute for Climate Solutions

recommendation to reduce B.C.’s reliance on California-produced food;

and lastly, the recommendation to protect farmland by the B.C. Food

Security Task Force.

Preserving our ALR lands and working towards a more food-secure

province is a big priority. While excluding small parcels of land may

seem insignificant to some, it is clear in my city that this small

parcel goes a long way to feeding many people each and every

year.

I. Paton: Thank you to the member for raising this important issue this

morning of preserving food security lands. I think every member in this

House acknowledges and appreciates the vital work of B.C. farmers and

ranchers and everyone involved in the food production

process.

British Columbia’s agriculture and food industry is

mas­sive. It involves more than 200 commodities and employs more

than 230,000 British Columbians. Now more than ever, British Columbia

needs to increase investment in agriculture. Preserving the agricultural

land that we have in B.C. is extremely important for protecting a vital

industry and an important way of life for so many in our

province.

We must also ensure that all those in the industry are supported

too, as they are the ones preserving the land. The individuals who

participate in all forms of agriculture around B.C. must have their

interests prioritized. Farmers, like all British Columbians, are facing

rising costs everywhere they turn, and these pressures are impacting

their operations in big ways.

To say the last two years have been difficult for farmers and

ranchers across British Columbia would be an understatement. Between

record-breaking high temperatures, blazing wildfires, an atmospheric

river and completely devastated farms and ranch communities, including

Sumas Prairie, Merritt and Princeton, compounded by a wet spring and

steady rise in operating costs in 2022, this has been one of the most

challenging periods for British Columbia’s agriculture

industry.

[10:30 a.m.]

In the face of adversity, farmers have persevered and continued to

grow and sell the highest-quality food products. It has not been easy

for them, but I know they’re appreciative of the support they’ve

received from our community by ensuring we continue to buy local

products wherever we are able to.

Now let’s talk about preserving agricultural land for food

security. I have five prime examples of how I have personally been

involved in this.

My father, by the same name, was chairman of the Agricultural Land

Commission for several years. My family has been on the farm for four

generations in Delta. We’ve made major improvements to the farmland on

our farm for many years, with drainage, with levelling, with liming,

with irrigation and with practices of regenerative

agriculture.

Just the other day, in this House, I provided a private member’s

bill to preserve 600 acres of prime farmland, which is still owned by

the Crown of British Columbia, in Brunswick Point, down by the borders

of Ladner and Tsawwassen, a prime area for growing food and a prime area

for resting stops for migrating birds, geese, ducks and snowy

owls.

Secondly, I want to talk about the Heppell farm. My colleague

talked about this wonderful piece of 230 acres of federal land in Surrey

that is possibly going to be sold by the federal government. We have

done everything to preserve this piece of land. In fact, at a public

hearing just a month or so ago…. I was there with my colleague from

South Surrey. We were the only two provincial politicians to get up and

speak on behalf of preserving this land and having it put back into the

agricultural land reserve.

The next point is the city of Delta. I’m so proud when I was on

Delta city council…. We have added almost 800 acres of Delta-owned

farmland that was possibly looked at by developers. We have purchased

those, and we have farmers in Delta leasing three different major

properties, totalling almost 800 acres of farmland in Delta.

Finally, as farmers and ranchers grapple with the changes and

climate change adaptation, such as drought and flooding, it is clear

that new provincial considerations are needed. The government has not

been listening to farmers and ranchers, who need consistent and reliable

access to water for irrigation and livestock consumption, especially if

food security is to be a priority in British Columbia. Grazing tenures

must also be a priority on Crown forest lands for our beef cattle

industry.

B.C.’s prime agricultural lands are a treasure. As responsible

citizens, we must continue to steward them as such. In doing so, we

cannot forget about the rights of a farmer.

Farmers are the best stewards of these lands because they interact

with them every day. In order to perform their duty to protect the land,

farmers must be able to make a decent living, accommodate secondary

housing for families, receive real and adequate protection from

trespassers and be given reasonable access to local processing and

water.

In my critic role, I continue reminding the NDP government that

it’s not farmland without the farmer.

M. Starchuk: Thank you to the member for Delta South. I don’t think there’s any

disagreement in any way, shape or form when it comes to agriculture. Mr.

Speaker, I’ll be candid right now. I didn’t get to this size because I

don’t like to eat food.

As we all know, our province is a connection point for the entire

globe. Constituents in my riding of Surrey-Cloverdale are focal points

for transnational networks of family, friends, culture and, not to

mention, the important struggles for farmers and human

rights.

I stood in this chamber almost two years ago to speak about these

connections. At that time, Sikh, Punjabi and Indian farmers were engaged

in a struggle to protect their land rights and their very way of life in

the face of unjust laws that had been levied against them. After

incredible mobilization, sacrifice and the strength of character that

formed a movement that lasted well over a year, these farmers succeeded

in having those unjust laws repealed in November of 2021 to coincide

with the birth anniversary of Guru Nanak Dev ji.

To some, this may have seemed like a problem far from home. The

reality, however, was that a call to action from the Sikh and Punjabi

farmers across the globe was answered by people from my constituency and

across B.C. I was in sheer awe and admiration of the spirit and the

solidarity that was exhibited by British Columbians and, in particular,

those from the Sikh and Punjabi community who organized countless

demonstrations, sleep outs and other events to support those farmers who

were fighting for their rights halfway across the globe.

[10:35 a.m.]

This emphasized, to me, the fact that farmer and agriculture

worker issues should not be compartmentalized across divides, between

urban and rural constituencies or even between countries. Rather, farmer

issues and rights are central to all of us and should be respected as

such.

I would like to emphasize that the government is committed to

preserving farmland, supporting the agricultural sector and respecting

the ALC’s independence. We also recognize the importance of consultation

with First Nations communities and ensuring that their voices are heard

in the decision-making process regarding agricultural land use. The

preservation of farmland is essential for the future of our province,

and we will continue to work towards ensuring that we have a

sustainable, thriving agricultural sector that benefits all British

Columbians.

BROKEN WINDOWS

T. Shypitka: Today I rise to speak to an issue of escalating concern in my

community and throughout British Columbia. It is one that needs to be

addressed immediately to keep people safe and to ensure that our cities

and towns are places where businesses can thrive and families can live

without fear, because right now that is not the reality for far too many

in this province.

Prolific offenders are generally described as individuals with a

high criminal offence rate who are at high risk of reoffending following

their release from custody. There is a growing consensus that a

disproportionate amount of crime, particularly property crime, is

committed by a minority of offenders — individuals who fall into the

category of prolific offenders. This is not an isolated phenomenon. We

can see this throughout the province, in urban centres like Vancouver

and smaller communities like Cranbrook, in my riding, and in more rural

towns as well. There is no place in this province that is untouched by

this issue.

Property crime and vandalism are significant problems, and it is

clear this is not simply a matter of individual failure or

responsibility but one of systemic failure. Our system is not built in

such a way as to truly address situations like this, and we’re seeing

the widespread impacts of these structural issues. We cannot continue to

act as if the current approach is working. We cannot do the same thing

repeatedly, expecting different results each time.

People are frustrated. They are worried about public safety and

concerned about the survival of their businesses. Many operators of

businesses around British Columbia are nervous about their future as

they clean up and face costly repairs to their storefronts repeatedly.

For so many, continuing to open their doors and stay in business is a

growing uncertainty.

Earlier this month in Prince George, a downtown bridal boutique

was ransacked. The thief made off with over $30,000 worth of

merchandise, wedding gowns and prom dresses. This is one of many

examples of increasing levels of property crime in the downtown core of

Prince George, where over 40 property crimes were reported in the

downtown area in the month of January alone. Business owners across the

province are in search of relief from rampant vandalism and property

crime that is plaguing British Columbia.

The Business Improvement Areas of B.C., the BIABC, represents more

than 70 business districts around B.C. and has highlighted how

challenging the past few years have been for these establishments. The

BIABC notes that business cost pressures and repeat vandalism have

threatened the viability of businesses in both the short and long term.

A survey was commissioned by the BIABC, canvassing more than 500

businesses from Vancouver, Fraser Valley, Kelowna, Kamloops, Prince

George and here in Victoria on how escalating crime and vandalism have

affected them.

A central theme of the survey was how much more of it they can

take, how much longer the businesses can continue to operate as these

pressures continue to mount. Of the businesses that answered, almost

half said they are likely to last two years or less if the situation

carries on unresolved. This figure highlights the immediate need for

relief, with the BIABC urging investment in anti-vandalism programs to

help mitigate the impacts of crime, or even increased security for these

businesses.

Communities are feeling increasingly concerned and fearful, and

businesses are feeling the economic impact. Just last week there was a

shooting in Vancouver’s Chinatown neighbourhood in broad daylight that

has shaken up business owners and residents throughout the

area.

[10:40 a.m.]

Office buildings have been emptying for a while now, and incidents

like these may serve to escalate the process. Many are leaving due to

safety concerns, and that, in turn, has made other businesses and

restaurants in that area less sustainable.

The repeated vandalism is also financially debilitating for many

of these businesses. A local business in downtown Vancouver, BCB Honey

Farm, has had its windows smashed so many times that they’ve stopped

reporting it to police. Every incident leaves them with a $2,500

deductible that has become unaffordable because of such frequent

occurrences. Businesses are starting to lose hope. This store has gone

from being open four days a week to just once — one time a

week.

Business owners across the province have had to spend their own

money on security guards, but many have just come to face the reality of

the situation: if things don’t change, they will have to move on. In my

riding of Kootenay East, business owners are worried enough that they

are staying in their stores overnight to ensure their livelihood remains

protected. Some of these store owners are armed with baseball bats and

other types of weapons. This is fearful. This is vigilantism. Although I

would never condone such action, the reality is that someone will

eventually get very badly hurt or killed. That is the last thing I would

ever want to see in my communities.

This is a quote from a Cranbrook business owner, Kathy Durham: “As

a business, parent and mother, it breaks my heart to know what is

happening in communities around the province. I have witnessed crime,

been threatened, called 911, walked away from and walked to overdoses.

I’ve worked with and listened to the businesses as we fall victim to an

increase in crime as property is damaged and stolen. In particular, one

business had a break-in at two of their sites the same night, with

thousands of dollars….”

[Interruption.]

T. Shypitka: We got some feedback.

Deputy Speaker: Please remain on mute, Members, aside from the member speaking.

Thank you.

T. Shypitka: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I’m confident everyone in this chamber can agree that no business

operator should have to see the things they are seeing and do what they

are doing to be safe. They should feel safe to not only open their doors

during the day but to close them at night.

Regions across British Columbia need immediate change that can

produce a strong and broad impact. With so many businesses on the brink

of closure, there must be solutions to provide immediate

relief.

A. Singh: Agreed. Businesses and people need to feel safe, but what do we do

about it? When I saw this topic, I was actually stunned. When I saw the

title for this topic, “Broken windows” — a wholly discredited way of

thinking that was based on misinterpretation of an experiment done in

the 1960s that actually showed the opposite.

Even though it has been discredited…. And not only discredited,

but even the conservative authors whose writings the broken windows

theory is based upon have distanced themselves from its effects.

Unfortunately, it still has a pervasive influence in policing all across

North America. The result has been misguided policing at the expense of

IBPOC people, the poor and other marginalized groups.

The theory, in brief, is that if you see a broken window, unless

you fix it and prevent that sort of minor vandalism, it will eventually

lead to a law-and-order crisis — so, essentially, arrest or detain that

poor kid with the squeegee bottle or stop and frisk anyone that you deem

to be suspicious. We all know where that’s headed, where it’s gotten

policing.

By focusing on low-level offences, this theory essentially

criminalized the marginalized, the poor, without having any effect on

the actual safety of the public at large. We have decades of data based

on that theory, with absolutely no empirical data before it was

formulated, and reams of data that show that it’s wrong. It’s worrying

that we’re talking about it today, here in this House. I would signify

it as unintelligent, cruel, mean-spirited and simplistic and,

essentially, detached from reality. We shouldn’t be giving it any

credence in this House.

I practised criminal law in the trenches for 21 years, and what I

learned is that public safety is not a simple matter. It’s a complicated

intersection of class, race, mental health and human emotions. Of

course, there are those who are in it purely for the profit motive and

who prey on the misery of others, but those tend to be statistically

small. It’s important to have legislation that can target them where it

hurts them the most, in their pockets — the Land Owner Transparency Act,

our civil forfeiture rules, money laundering laws that really aim at

that.

[10:45 a.m.]

In my years of practising and representing clients, one thing was

most apparent to me. So many matters that came before my desk had, at

the core, issues of poverty, mental health and addiction, often alcohol.

You deal with those issues, and you’re headed in the right direction to

make British Columbia a softer, gentler place for all British

Columbians.

So what have we done? As our Solicitor General often says, we are

hard on crime but also hard on the root causes of crime. We’ve made

unprecedented investments in housing, mental health, and substance use

treatment and services. This has led to the opening of new treatment

beds, a move to destigmatize addiction to deal with the toxic drug

supply head-on, and a whole regime of complex care that recognizes there

is a whole continuum of care that a person may need and that it doesn’t

start or end at treatment.

Expansion of programs that aim to intervene early, like the

Foundry program. Expansion of the Car program, which is a specialized

mobile crisis response unit that teams a police officer with a mental

health professional to respond to a mental health crisis. My personal

favourite, the peer-assisted care teams, are a first-in-B.C. mobile

civilian-led team that offers an alternative to police-only crisis

support. PACTs offer support to people in distress and connect them to

services they need, while also freeing up police resources and

preventing the criminalization of the community’s most vulnerable

people.

We recognize that people need to feel safe and that the

combination of COVID, new federal law and precedent from our highest

court, the Supreme Court, had some unintended consequences. So we have

taken action on that. Again, increased support for Crown counsel, where

there hasn’t been any for years, almost two decades. In fact, for almost

two decades, not only was the Crown ignored, but courts were shut down

and the legal aid system, which provides much-needed representation for

the most vulnerable, was decimated in the early 2000s.

I can’t stress the importance of representation. I couldn’t tell

you how many times I’ve had clients come in and I’ve recognized that

they need help with their mental health or addiction issues and I, their

representative, have been the conduit to getting them that help. I can

only imagine the misery that has prevented. Effective legal

representation matters, and destroying legal aid just added to the

situation.

The problems of today have a history. They don’t just pop up out

of nowhere. We’re dealing with that. The new B.C. Prosecution Service

bail policy went into effect November 22, and you’ll see the results of

that. We launched new repeat violent offender response teams made up of

police, dedicated prosecutors and probation officers that have already

been set up. Full implementation is expected by April, 2023.

From day one, we tackled money laundering, which fuels organized

crime. It was ignored for almost 20 years. The toxic drug crisis we have

now today — that money went right into that money-laundering crisis.

This is at the core of so much of what we see here.

Our initiatives on housing, on getting rid of regressive taxes,

like the MSP tolls, making ICBC more affordable, and our

poverty-reduction strategy are all aimed at the root causes of crime,

poverty — all designed to actually solve the situation and not to

dog-whistle and stir up fear and anxiety, which is what, unfortunately,

has been done too often.

T. Shypitka: Thank you to my colleague across the floor. The colleague mentions

all the actions that are taken by this government, but, to be quite

honest, we’re seeing an increase in crime, in property crime, in theft,

in very high levels of criminal activities.

What we’re saying, what the

businesses are saying, is that the same repeated strategies are simply

not working. Improvements are needed, and members of my community are

tired. They are tired of living in fear. They are tired of damage to

their property, to businesses, and the threat of break-ins.

At the same time, we also know this cannot be solved by policing

alone. We need to take a closer look and examine the other gaps in our

system that are contributing to the issue. This will mean making better

targeted investments in mental health and addiction support, making sure

that people have the help they need when they need it to get well. Those

individuals who are marginalized and suffering from mental health and

addiction issues or homelessness are already incredibly vulnerable and

are being taken advantage of.

This is yet another quote from a Cranbrook business owner who has

simply had enough. “Increased drug use in our small town is at an

all-time high, with an increased crime rate. Equipment broken into,

stolen catalytic converters stripped from vehicles, property damage,

fences cut and the theft of hydro power are running rampant. Employees

have had personal vehicles broken into and face the expense of ICBC

deductibles. We also had travel trailers broken into, lived in and

deemed as no longer livable. The sad reality is the working person is

being victimized and threatened by the criminals.”

[10:50 a.m.]

We also need to work to ensure that when people are released from

custody, they are set on a path to success rather than left on our

streets with no support and nowhere to turn. While stronger locks, alarm

upgrades and monitoring systems could help deter some of this crime, it

is not the resolution businesses are looking for. These are expensive

endeavours and also get in the way of them remaining viable.

There is so much to do, whether it’s in the Kootenays, here on

Vancouver Island or in any other corner of this province. Right now we

are failing our communities, we are failing our businesses, and we are

failing vulnerable individuals who need far better support. I hope that

we can work together to address this issue and create safer, better

communities throughout the province. I look forward to hearing about how

this government will make progress on this goal.

CREATING NEW MIDWIFERY

TRAINING

OPPORTUNITIES

J. Rice: Here in B.C. and around the world, midwives help to facilitate

positive birth experiences for parents. They do this by focusing on

patient-centred and evidence-based care. Not only can midwives provide

families with the opportunity to access primary maternity care from the

comfort of their own homes, but they specialize in healthy and low-risk

pregnancies, effectively reducing pressure put on hospital

resources.

These incredible caregivers work meticulously to ensure the health

and well-being of newborns and mothers before, during and after

delivery. This fundamental type of care has provided my family and many

other parents across B.C. with access to this skilled maternal support

care when it is needed most.

In British Columbia, we are fortunate enough to have over 500

highly trained midwives accredited through the B.C. College of Nurses

and Midwives who provide trauma-informed, culturally safe, inclusive and

effective services to families across the province. Midwives assist in

just over 12,000 births a year, which is approximately 27 percent of

births in the province. This is the highest proportion in

Canada.

You don’t need a referral to see a midwife, and midwifery services

are covered by the B.C. services plan. Midwives have been regulated and

legally recognized as autonomous health care practitioners in B.C. since

We need more midwives in B.C., especially for rural, remote and

First Nations communities. That’s why British Columbians will soon have

improved access to primary maternity care, as our B.C. government adds

20 seats to the University of British Columbia’s midwifery program. This

brings the total annual intake to 48 seats, an increase of more than 70

percent. We’re adding 12 seats to the bachelor of midwifery program,

bringing the total annual intake to 32. Four of the seats were added in

last September, and the additional eight seats are being added this

coming September.

We’ve also added eight seats to the internationally educated

midwives bridging program, bringing the total annual intake to 16 seats.

The demand for midwifery services continues to grow, and these new UBC

seats will allow more people to pursue a rewarding career as a midwife

and, in turn, allow more people to access midwifery care. Creating

career opportunities for aspiring and existing midwives is one way we’re

working to build the health care workforce and reduce barriers for

internationally educated health care professionals.

The Ministry of Post-Secondary Education and Future Skills has

provided UBC with initial funding of $1.7 million to establish the

additional seats and is providing an ongoing $1.7 million annually,

starting this year. UBC offers the only midwifery program in British

Columbia. The bachelor of midwifery program launched in 2002, followed

by the internationally educated midwives bridging program in

The bachelor of midwifery program is a four-year program. Students

can study in Vancouver or Victoria and must complete several clinical

placements, including one in a rural setting. The internationally

educated midwives bridging program is an eight- to ten-month orientation

program that allows internationally trained midwives to become

registered to practise within B.C. It is the only program of its kind in

Canada.

[10:55 a.m.]

In recent years, the midwifery program has updated its curriculum

to reflect the core cultural competencies identified by the National

Aboriginal Council of Midwives. It has also appointed an Indigenous

midwifery coordinator to support students and cultural learning

experiences. The midwifery program has also committed to implementing

actions contained in Mary Ellen Turpel-Lafond’s 2020 report, In

Plain Sight , addressing Indigenous-specific racism and

discrimination in B.C. health care.

The government is also committed to supporting Indigenous

midwifery through various initiatives. The Midwives Association of B.C.,

in partnership with the Ministry of Health, is working on the rural

support program and the rural midwives locum program and provides

additional information about midwifery for Indigenous families and

aspiring Indigenous midwives.

Our government is working with partners, including the First

Nations Health Authority, to explore ways to support Indigenous

midwifery in such areas as reclamation of Indigenous birthing practices

and Indigenous remote birthing. Our government provides funding to the

Midwives Association of B.C. for an Indigenous midwifery stipend for the

association’s Indigenous midwives advisory council. The Indigenous

midwifery stipend is intended to offset the increased time commitment of

participating in additional cultural activities when providing maternity

services to Indigenous clients.

In January of 2022, UBC launched an advanced placement program for

registered nurses interested in becoming midwives. This advanced

placement study enables most RN applicants to reduce the 143-credit

bachelor program by 27 credit hours, thereby reducing the cost required

to complete this degree.

Creating career development pathways for midwives is a key aspect

of B.C.’s health human resources strategy, which was announced in

September. This strategy puts patients first by ensuring that they get

the health services they need and are cared for by a healthy workforce.

It focuses on 70 key actions to recruit, train and retain health care

workers while redesigning the health care system to foster workplace

satisfaction and innovation. The new seats also support the province’s

primary care strategy by increasing access to primary maternity care and

supporting family practices to care for low-risk births in community and

closer to home.

Investing in new training seats for midwifery is a part of

StrongerBC’s Future Ready plan. Future Ready is making education and

training more accessible, affordable and relevant to help prepare

British Columbians for the jobs of tomorrow.

C. Oakes: It is my pleasure to rise today to respond to the member’s

statement on creating new midwifery training opportunities. We can all

agree that this is vitally important so that expectant parents across

British Columbia can access the care that is right for them.

As the shadow minister for post-secondary education, I welcomed

the government’s recent announcement of an expansion of training seats

at the University of British Columbia. It is my sincere hope that these

additional seats will be able to meet the demands, as we know that there

have been challenges in other areas of maternity care in this

province.

[J. Tegart in the chair.]

Peace Arch Hospital in White Rock finally saw a new doctor last

fall, which was a big relief after staffing shortages in the maternity

ward impacted a number of local families. At first, maternity patients

were diverted to other facilities, and then came the news in early 2022

that the ward would shutter altogether. Soon after, the decision was

thankfully reversed following announcements of significant new

scheduling commitments made by the hospital’s pediatric group and its

partners.

While we are certainly thankful that the situation was stabilized,

we are all reminded of the extreme stress and uncertainty families faced

for many months. Meantime, while residents in Surrey and White Rock have

been hopeful that the new hospital coming to Surrey would provide

much-needed maternity services, they’ve learned that that will not be

the case.

With two young children under two years of age, Surrey residents

Aaron and Tabitha Chan recently told CBC news that they were

“disappointed and frustrated” that the new facility, minutes from their

Cloverdale home, would not be offering this type of care.

[11:00 a.m.]

Tabitha rightfully pointed out that Surrey is a fast-growing

community with many families with young children, and having a dedicated

pediatric department at the new hospital would be one of the most

important services it provides.

Just last week the Surrey Board of Trade expressed the need for

more maternity and pediatric beds in the city. The organization had this

to say about services and in general: “The new Surrey hospital is

projected to have 168 beds, bringing Surrey’s total beds up to 802.

Although this satisfies the World Health Organization’s minimum beds per

1,000 persons in a geographical area, it still fails to satisfy the

health care services and needs of Surrey. Individuals from other

jurisdictions south of the Fraser also utilize Surrey Memorial

Hospital.”

Despite some hints by government suggesting that maternity

services could be added to the new hospital later on if needed, a

freedom of information search by the opposition revealed the following

from Fraser Health: “As pediatric and maternity services are out of

scope for the new Surrey hospital and B.C. cancer centre project, there

are no clinical services planning documents available that pertain

specifically to this site.”

These challenges in accessing maternity care are not just isolated

to the Lower Mainland. In Kamloops, the Thompson regional family

obstetrics clinic, which delivers 60 percent of the babies born each

month in the city, has announced a permanent closure after raising

concerns for nearly a year. These impacts will be felt deeply by

families in Kamloops, and those in rural communities as well, as demand

for the clinic has increased as smaller regional operators have also

lost doctors.

Communities like 100 Mile, Lillooet, Barriere and Merritt relied

on services of this clinic, so there is much uncertainty for them right

now. I’ll note that the news of the facility’s closure comes less than a

month after another clinic, Sage Hills community midwives in Kamloops,

announced its closure.

Pregnancy and childbirth can be a stressful and delicate time for

many parents, particularly those expecting a child for the first time or

those facing high-risk circumstances and complications. Maternity care

is just one more aspect of B.C.’s health care crisis that requires

immediate action and intervention so people across our province can see

positive outcomes as soon as possible.

J. Rice: I appreciate the member’s comments. Both of us being rural MLAs,

we know the challenges particularly for rural, remote and Indigenous

communities when it comes to transportation and health care and economic

development and so many other factors. So I share her concerns, and I

share her passion.

I’m passionate about expanding midwifery services across B.C.,

especially for rural, remote and First Nations communities. Reliable,

accessible maternal health care leads to better outcomes for both mother

and child. The farther a mother must travel for birthing services is

directly correlated to higher infant morbidity and mortality.

For many First Nations, it is culturally inappropriate to birth

anywhere but their ancestral or traditional territories. It is

culturally appropriate for many First Nations people to include extended

family in the birthing process, and most mothers need a support network

nearby at a time when they are most vulnerable. A

Háiɫzaqv baby was recently born

on Háiɫzaqv territory in Bella Bella

a few days ago. This birth was the first planned birth in Bella Bella in

over 20 years, done with the support of midwives and Indigenous

doulas.

For most rural, remote and Indigenous communities, mothers must

leave their home communities four to six weeks before their due date.

Without family and their support networks, they must relocate to a

community with C-section backup often hundreds of kilometres away from

home. There is currently little support for travel costs, meals and

accommodations for pregnant mothers, their family or their support

networks.

[11:05 a.m.]

Some women have been forced to staying in tents, unable to access

healthy food or be with their support networks at a time when they are

vulnerable awaiting the birth of the children because they can’t afford

a better alternative while waiting to deliver their babies. I’m

committed to pursuing equitable maternal health services for rural,

remote and Indigenous communities by improving access to maternal health

services throughout B.C. and by supporting more midwifery for low-risk

birthing in rural, remote and Indigenous communities.

Whether a pregnant woman wants to have a hospital birth or a home

birth, a vaginal birth or a planned Caesarean birth, maternity care with

a doctor or midwife, it should be her choice.

Midwifery care gives strength and support to families who

experience the significant physical and mental challenges that come with

bearing and delivering a child. Midwifery brings our children into the

world safely. We should do all that we can to relieve the travel, costs

and health pressures on rural, remote and First Nations families by

bringing the services to community and expanding midwifery care in these

communities. The opening up of more midwifery training seats is a step

in the right direction for achieving this.

Hon. M. Dean: I ask that the House consider proceeding with Motion 20,

standing in the name of the member for West

Vancouver–Capilano.

Deputy Speaker: Members, unanimous consent of the House is required to proceed

with Motion 20 without disturbing the priorities of the motions

preceding it on the Order Paper.

Motion approved.

Private Members’ Motions

MOTION 20 — HOUSING AFFORDABILITY

K. Kirkpatrick: I move the following motion:

[Be it resolved that this House acknowledge that after six years,

housing affordability for British Columbians has never been

worse.]

It’s not news to anyone that housing in British Columbia is

unaffordable. Whether you’re a renter, an owner, a senior or a young

person, the price of housing is higher than it’s ever been. And right

now far too many British Columbians are struggling under the weight of

steadily increasing costs. This is a crisis, one that the NDP government

has promised to fix many, many times; one that the current Premier had

the opportunity to address during his time as Housing Minister, but

allowed to get much worse.

The list of broken NDP promises on housing is long and

ever-growing. In two consecutive elections, this government promised an

annual $400 renter rebate. However, six years later, this has yet to

materialize. The members opposite promised to build 114,000 affordable

homes in ten years. But halfway through their plan, only 11,000 of those

homes are open.

The NDP government promised to “make life more affordable.” But

under their leadership, Vancouver became the most expensive rental

market in the country. According to RBC economics, Vancouver is “setting

a new grim record” as owning a home has never been less affordable

anywhere in Canada ever.

So what kind of legacy does this leave for British Columbians?

What kind of future does it promise for our province’s young people? I

am one of hundreds of thousands of parents in British Columbia who

worries about their child’s future. I worry about whether they will ever

be able to afford their own home, whether they’ll have to leave the

community in which they grew up — not because they want to, but simply

because they cannot afford to live in their own hometowns.

I’ve watched over the last few years as prices have continued to

rise, and this government has effectively killed the dreams of home

ownership for an entire generation. I also worry about those who don’t

have a good, safe home to call their own, the thousands of people in our

province who struggle to afford food for themselves, let alone pay the

highest prices in the country to put a roof over their heads.

Over and over again, we have seen this government fall short of

caring for our most vulnerable. Their preferred approach? Well it’s to

warehouse people in dilapidated hotels and SROs without critical

wraparound supports rather than addressing the root of the

problem.

[11:10 a.m.]

This government has repeatedly promised results on housing, and

with each passing day, it becomes clear that they have utterly failed to

deliver. Now we have a new Premier in charge, one who failed to make any

meaningful progress on affordability after two full years as Housing

Minister. I simply do not know how he can expect people to believe that

he will now suddenly achieve as Premier what he could not make the

smallest amount of progress on as minister, especially since this

Premier has frequently shown that his words and his actions don’t

align.

This is the person who spent years vilifying spectators and those

who flip houses when he himself flipped his own taxpayer-funded condo,

selling it for $150,000 in profit mere weeks before he would have had to

pay the speculation tax for the first time. This is the leader who says

we must stand against all forms of racism and hate after he himself

perpetuated racist narratives about the role of Chinese money in the

housing market for years.

The simple truth is that the Premier and this NDP government have

given British Columbians absolutely no reason to believe that this time

they will finally be able to make housing more affordable. British

Columbians deserve better.

D. Routley: Thank you very much for this privilege of speaking.

I’d like to acknowledge that I’m speaking from the traditional

territories of the Malahat First Nation, with thanks for being able to

be here.

Yes, we certainly face increased costs everywhere we live, whether

we’re in Vancouver or a rural community or Toronto or Rome or New York.

Yes, we face massive inflation. The difference in our province is that

we’ve seen people struggle for so long without the necessary support or

even the supports that could have been offered.

People do face costs. All of us know people who are struggling,

constituents who come into our office who can barely make the cost of

living. So it’s incumbent on government to take action, and that’s what

we are doing.

In fact, what people saw in the past were thousands of empty homes

due to speculation and skyrocketing rents as the former Liberal

government had allowed rents to increase by 2 percent over inflation

rates. They saw stagnant stock with no real starts. They also saw tax

cuts for the wealthy friends of the former government. They saw money

laundering run rampant and inflate property values, and they saw service

cuts to everything that they depended on.

They also saw a government deny the problem, minimalize it, make

fun of it and, in fact, make things worse when they tampered with the

Residential Tenancy Act and the mobile home park tenancy act. What they

also saw were 2,000 rental units under construction in 2017.

When this government came into power last year, they saw 21,000

units under construction. They saw a government that’s opening 3,388

units per year, twice the rate of 1,500 per units per year of the former

government. This is what they’re seeing. Now, they see a government that

has built, rather than 130 student housing units, 7,700 in just this

short term of this government.

We have seen the opposition leader, when he was Finance Minister,

spend $72 million in housing in 2012. Two years ago, in 2021, it was $1

billion. So the difference is stark. What people do see, also, are

increasing costs, yes. But had the former government been in power and

allowed inflation plus 2 percent, just this year a $1,500 apartment

would have cost $1,620, rather than $1,530, which it does

now.

On average, people are saving $2,500 per year because of that

change, because of taking away the 2 percent over top of inflation and

limiting rent increases to 2 percent.

[11:15 a.m.]

They’ve also seen, in the case of a family with one or two

children, between $8,000 and $20,000, just in child care subsidies.

They’ve seen $980 in the MSP premium going away. They’ve seen ICBC,

multiple rebates. They’ve seen an inflation credit that’s coming, with

hundreds more.

I think what people have seen is a government that is bold and

taking action to solve their problems. These are problems that took a

long time to grow, as housing stock growth fell behind the inflation of

the population.

People come to B.C. because B.C. is the place to be. B.C. is a

place to raise a family and build a future. That’s a good thing, but

it’s put an extra challenge on a province that for 16 years went without

addressing these problems.

The member will also acknowledge, I think, that it takes years to

even start a housing project. The first two years of a plan don’t really

accomplish many completions. We are going up and up and up from here.

The member can see it everywhere, as I can. We can see that housing

completions in B.C. are up 50 percent compared to when the opposition

leader was Finance Minister. They can see that the investments have

grown, and they will continue to grow.

It’s important for us to recognize problems. As the Premier always

reminds his caucus, we don’t hide from problems. We don’t kick them down

the road. We look for them, and we solve them. That’s what this

government has done. We have improved peoples’ lives. Yes, we

acknowledge that the challenges are ongoing. There’s much more to do,

but we are in their corner. That’s what my constituents

recognize.

E. Sturko: I’m honoured to rise today, in this House, to speak to the motion,

which is an incredibly important topic to my constituents.

The enormous cost-of-living crisis that people are facing today is

no surprise to anyone living in our province. When I speak with

constituents, or even just parents at our local playground, one of the

very first topics that people bring up is just how expensive everything

is, from the cost of gas and food to, most fundamentally, being able to

afford a roof over their heads.

Making ends meet is more challenging than ever but especially when

it comes to housing. Over the last half decade, British Columbia

continually sets records for being the most expensive place to buy a

home in Canada.

In 2021, in my community of Surrey, home prices increased by 34

percent. The average price of a single home in Surrey is now $1.9

million. In the ridings of many Surrey MLAs sitting in this chamber

today, prices have skyrocketed exponentially over the last year as well.

Take the riding of Surrey-Fleetwood — a 51 percent increase, in 2021,

for a detached home; or Surrey-Panorama, with a 46 percent

increase.

How many young people or families in British Columbia can actually

afford to enter the housing market when costs are so high? From young

people leaving their homes for the first time to families, seniors….

People from all walks of life in Surrey are struggling with skyrocketing

rents that we’ve seen over the last six years of this NDP government.

Not only are people challenged by these costs, but they’re beyond

disappointed by the many failed promises of this government.

For starters, where is the long-promised renters rebate, first

pledged by this government in 2017? The Premier himself has long talked

about the importance of supporting renters, but his actions speak

differently. Under his tenure as Housing Minister, the cost of rent for

a one-bedroom unit in Surrey went up 16 percent in just one year. How

can anyone trust the words of the Premier now when he has so clearly

failed to address rental affordability in any meaningful way in his two

terms in government?

Furthermore, not only can we not trust the Premier to follow

through on his promises, but his actions demonstrate his hypocritical

behaviour when it comes to housing. The Premier just last week admitted

to flipping a condo here in Victoria and selling it for a $150,000

profit, just weeks before he would have to pay the speculation tax on

it. It’s incredulous behaviour from a Premier that spent years

villainizing people with secondary properties.

When it comes to this government’s promises to help people with

affordability and to put roofs over their heads, their actions speak

much louder than their words.

[11:20 a.m.]

Let’s take a look at some of the results we’ve seen from this NDP

government. An Ipsos poll last year indicated 74 percent of non-owners

have given up on the dream of ever owning a home. A report by the

National Bank indicates the now Premier was responsible for overseeing

the worst decline in housing affordability since 1981.

Ratehub’s latest mortgage affordability report shows that

affordability in Vancouver and Victoria worsened in January of 2023, and

the latest report from the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corp. found that

B.C. renters are worse off under this government, paying $4,332 more

every year.

It’s clear now, as well, that the Premier’s HousingHub is in fact

a housing flub. Instead of affordable rental units, which have resulted

in some units renting for more than double what the government promised,

there are even units built with taxpayer dollars for rent on Airbnb for

hundreds of dollars a night. Housing flub should be building good,

affordable homes, not luxury vacation rentals.

The facts paint a clear picture for British Columbians. The

results of this government are terrible, and I believe people deserve

better.

S. Chandra Herbert: A debate about housing affordability where both sides agree that

we need action — I think that’s a good debate to have. But we tried to

have that debate for, I know, 16 long years, when those folks were

sitting here as government and I was sitting over there as

opposition.

Each year it was ignored. Each year a little kindling was added to

the fire. The fire of unaffordability grew hotter and hotter. Do you

know what the Liberal Housing Minister of the day said when we raised

similar concerns that folks over there are raising today? His answer

was: “Well, some people like to get up in the morning and whine.” That’s

what he told the radio. Do you know what the Premier, the leader of the

Liberal Party, the main voice on their philosophy on housing

affordability, had to say? She said folks should just move. If they

can’t afford living in Vancouver, they could move to Dawson Creek or

Fort Nelson.

So that was the argument. That was the philosophy of the day when

we took over government, when the NDP became government — and, I might

add, on the strength of pledging to work for renters, pledging to work

to try and get this burning fire of unaffordability at least somewhere

under control. Now we hear that those that helped light the fire are mad

at those fighting the fire, but there you go.

You know, we can look at a few things. We can look at how things

would be if they’d continued on as government, or we could look at some

of the solutions that have come forward and made a difference. And we

can look at future and further solutions, because we need them. It’s

very clear we need them.

I’ll be looking to the opposition, if they have ideas beyond

blame, for ways to make change, because so far all I’ve heard is, “It’s

not good,” and blame, but no solution for action. Maybe that’s because

when they were in government, they didn’t act.

Here are a few differences. I stood in this House. I brought

private members’ bills forward to say: “Let’s end what’s called the

fixed-term tenancy con.” What is that? Well, today, if that had

continued, you’d have lots of people — tens of thousands, hundreds of

thousands of people — having to sign a contract to end their tenancy

every year and then start it again at whatever rent increase the

landlord had to say. That was the law under the former government. It’s

not the law today. We stopped that because people were getting gouged.

People were facing massive rent increases because of a law that didn’t

work.

The geographic area increase clause — another area I brought

forward, private members’ bills. Nobody on the opposition side would

support them. They said: “Ah, it’s just a few bad actors making housing

unaffordable, but we’re not going to do anything about it.” What we did

was we stopped that clause, because what that did is a landlord could

say: “Well, the person across the street from you is paying 40 percent

more rent. I’m going to make you pay 40 percent more rent too just

because the government of the day said it’s legal to do so.” We stopped

that. We said: “No more. That shouldn’t be allowed in this

province.”

Renovictions, where somebody would evict, kick them out, slap on a

coat of paint, say, “Oh, I’m doing all this work,” double, triple,

quadruple the rent. Again, the Liberal Housing Minister said: “That’s

just a couple of bad apples. Oh, well.” Well, no. It was more than a

couple of bad apples. This was costing tens of thousands of people their

homes. We changed the law. We stopped that. We banned renovictions in

B.C.

[11:25 a.m.]

Rent increases. Well, we’ve had the Housing critics on the

opposition side, who want to be government, say we should get rid of

rent controls; we should allow rents to go up to whatever way they could

want them to be. We capped rent increases at inflation. Their former

formula was 2 percent plus inflation. This year we went even further,

and we said 2 percent max this year, the lowest rent increase in Canada.

Last year, zero percent. The year before, zero percent. What would it be

under the old formula subscribed to by the B.C. Liberals? It would have

been roughly 7 percent.

Again, governments make choices. We’ve chosen to act to support

renters. They chose to look the other way. I’m hoping their newfound

interest in housing affordability means that they’re going to drop their

opposition to rent controls, that they’re going to support the record

amount of investments, record number of housing units that are being

brought into this province today.

They care about supply. I’m glad, because we need more housing

desperately in this province. For 16 long years, their government

delivered piddly amounts of housing. You know what? In 2022 alone,

14,576 new purpose-built rentals. Ten years earlier, there were about

1,000.

We desperately need more housing in this province to bring down

the costs, to bring up the supply. We’re working to do that, and I hope

the opposition gets on board.

T. Halford: A couple of key points that the previous speaker points out. I’ll

just emphasize them a little bit. He talked about 16 years, and we talk

about the fact that this is a two-term government that is sometimes, in

this case, in housing, ashamed to face their record. I’ll get to

that.

This former speaker, the previous speaker, talks about his pledge

to work for renters. I’m going to talk about that in a

second.

I’m grateful to get up to speak to such an important topic, the

growing affordability crisis in British Columbia and the minimal action

taken by this government to combat the rising cost to buy or rent. Many

people in this province are experiencing a deepening cost-of-living

crisis that will continue to worsen. This is an issue that continues to

be a major concern for all British Columbians. It is an issue that must

be addressed now to ensure that individuals and families can support

themselves.

After five years, it has never, ever been less affordable to live

in this province, with 74 percent of non-homeowners now keeping up

everything trying to buy a home. This is truly an unfortunate reality.

Because rents are also so high, it could potentially lead to many people

leaving B.C. in search of more affordable communities and certainly

create a barrier for those trying to move to our province.

There has been increasing pressure for changes to be made while

the cost of living has skyrocketed, as housing options become less

affordable daily. Sadly, there are no signs that prices will be coming

down anytime soon, and there is still no help from this government to

combat these rising costs.

With housing prices being what they are, there continues to be

increased pressure on the rental market, where monthly rents have

skyrocketed. Under this NDP government, the increase in the average cost

of rent is astonishing. It’s rising by an average of $1,200 a month. I

think many in this House would agree that that is simply

unacceptable.

My area of the province, Surrey, is facing some of the highest

rents. According to the rentals.ca February 2023 rent report, the

average cost for a one-bedroom is up over $1,800 and over $2,300 for a

two-bedroom, both going up 16 percent in the last year.

Can you imagine being a single parent and trying to find that

two-bedroom rental on a fixed income? We all have constituents that come

to us with those issues, and this is what they’re facing. This is what

they’re facing in Surrey.

The previous speaker talked about his pledge and the government’s

pledge to work for renters. That is a pledge that this government has

taken two campaigns in a row. Every NDP MLA in this House campaigned at

least once, many of them twice, on a renters rebate — twice failed. They

gave themselves their own personal bump, for cabinet

ministers.

[11:30 a.m.]

Now, don’t you think those people would expect, maybe, that they

would retroactive the renters rebate? It’s an idea. Two elections in a

row they’ve campaigned on that, and they have absolutely failed. We hear

story after story, whether they’re nurses in Victoria, teachers in

Surrey, seniors in White Rock, trying to find assistance, trying to find

rental space that just is not there.

We hear, more and more, this government talk about speculation.

The fact is that we had a Premier in this House, just in the last two

weeks, admit his own speculation in terms of flipping a condo weeks

before the speculation tax came into effect — over $150,000 profit. Yet

this Premier portrays himself as a champion for those that are trying to

get in the housing market, stay in the housing market or even rent. I

think that’s why there is a lot of skepticism when it comes to this

government’s abysmal failure on housing.

With that, I’ll take my seat.

R. Leonard: I rise to speak to the motion put forward by the member for West

Vancouver–Capilano regarding housing affordability.

It’s more than a little bold for the opposition to be talking

about affordable housing when this side of the House has been working to

dig out of a housing crisis cemented in 16 years of their inaction

during their time in government. Worse, they took action that widened

the income gap, putting safe, secure and affordable homes further out of

reach, bringing hopelessness and despair. That’s what I remember about

British Columbia in 2017.

In 2003, alarms were sounding everywhere about the rising housing

affordability crises and numbers of people without homes. In my

community, concerned citizens were organizing to draw attention to the

problem, to build solutions despite scarce resources. In 2003, Marty

Doug­las, a former president of the B.C. Real Estate Board, wrote

in our local paper that by 2008, we would be in a rental housing crisis.

He attributed this runaway train wreck to a lack of action by senior

governments over many years. And boy, was he right.

The former government, now opposition, failed to make crucial

housing investments and policies to make housing more affordable. To

compound rising housing costs, that government created policies that

increased the affordability gap, as more and more people struggled to

make ends meet and keep a roof over their head.

Since we took office in 2017, we have not taken our foot off the

gas. We recognize that finding an affordable home is the biggest

challenge affecting people in B.C. today. The pandemic — yes, the

pandemic — rising interest rates and global inflation have made our job

even harder after we inherited a great deficit of affordable housing

from a former government that focused its policies on failed

economics.

Their tax breaks for the wealthy didn’t turn into investments in

more affordable homes. Selling off social housing to a private developer

at a fire-sale price, with no strings attached, didn’t turn into more

affordable homes. I’m talking about Little Mountain, where people were

displaced from 224 units of social housing, in 2009, and then only a

handful were rebuilt, and the land sat vacant for years.

Opening avenues for greater profits didn’t turn into more

affordable homes. Allowing rent increases to inflation plus 2 percent

drove rents higher and higher, as many wages didn’t even keep up with

inflation. Turning a blind eye to speculation in the housing market

didn’t turn into more affordable homes.

Given the chance, they would return to those same failed

economics. How do we know? We know because under their new leadership,

they have opposed nearly every major action we’ve taken to bring

affordable housing within everyone’s reach. They opposed tax breaks for

the wealthy that provide revenues to help us build more affordable

housing. They opposed the speculation and vacancy tax that opened 20,000

homes to renters. They opposed renter protections like capping rent

increases to inflation and protections to close loopholes in fixed-term

leases and renovictions.

[11:35 a.m.]

When I say their economics failed, the numbers show it. In

Courtenay-Comox, in their 16 years in government, a single 35-unit

project was approved. It wasn’t completed until I became MLA in

Compare that to our actions. The Junction’s 46-unit rapid response

housing, with supports for homeless people; 53 units of affordable

rentals for middle-income residents in Crown Isle. The Lions, under the

Comox Valley Affordable Housing Society, are building 52 units for

seniors and people with disabilities in Comox.

There’s ​Wachiay Friendship

Centre’s 40 units for Indigenous people and families in Courtenay; the

40 nearly completed second-stage housing units, for women fleeing

violence, being built by a willing developer for our transition society;

and North Island College building 217 beds for students and students

with families. Compare that to the former government’s record of only

130 student beds across the whole of B.C.

In the open market, housing starts are up, completions are up, and

purpose-built rentals are up. Communities and developers are rising to

the challenge to work with us. We are leaving no stone unturned as we

work to help people with rising costs on all fronts. We are rising to

meet the single biggest challenge for people today. A refreshed housing

strategy is coming this spring to help deliver more affordable homes for

people in British Columbia.

I’m proud of our history, and I’m proud of the future we’re

bringing.

J. Sturdy: I am pleased to speak to the motion before us, “Be it resolved

that this House acknowledge that after six years, housing affordability

for British Columbians has never been worse.” I think that’s what

government seems to fail to appreciate: it has never been worse, yet

somehow it’s somebody else’s fault. This motion is a testament to the

lack of leadership British Columbia has seen after six years and two

successive NDP governments: broken promises, rampant

mismanagement.

Look at B.C. Housing and its failure to understand or only lately

coming to the idea that supply and demand is a critical piece. There was

a denial of that, but it has left renters and owners, and those looking

for a decent roof over their heads, in full jeopardy. The Premier has

epically failed to address the lack of supply and the issue of

unaffordability of housing in a multitude of ways. Since 2017, rent in

Metro Vancouver has increased by almost $400 a month or even, according

to some reports, up to almost $1,000 a month, depending on the

unit.

Speaking of $400, and I know it has been mentioned a couple of

times now, that’s the amount that this Premier and the previous Premier

promised renters in British Columbia when vying for votes. Six years

later, after serving as the Housing Minister and now Premier, the

renters rebate is nowhere to be seen. I guess we’ll have to see if it’s

to be seen tomorrow — yet another, to date, broken promise of epic

proportions.

Every approach this government has taken to address housing has

flopped. The Premier’s HousingHub is a housing flub, with some units

renting for more than double of what the NDP promised, including studio

apartments costing $1,550 a month and then some showing up on Airbnb as

nightly vacation rentals. That’s not exactly what we would be hoping we

would see.

Owning a home hasn’t gotten any easier either. It would require 96

percent of the median income to afford an average home in Vancouver — 96

percent of median income. Well, obviously, banks aren’t going to lend to

that — not so fun. A not so fun fact: this is the worst rate in the

country. No province is worse.

Now we know that the members opposite routinely criticize. They’ve

spent the last half an hour or so saying: “It has got to be their

fault.” Well, it’s not the case. The previous speaker actually spent

some time criticizing us around our role in the democratic operation of

this House, but it’s our job to hold government accountable. It is also

the idea that we need to supply some ideas.

[11:40 a.m.]

Earlier this month, I supplied one of them. I introduced, for the

second time, a bill to address skyrocketing rental rates faced by Crown

land lease holders, by including those leaseholders, those renters, in

the Residential Tenancy Act, so that the province, who is the landlord

in this scenario, has the same obligations as all other landlords in the

province.

But government has chosen to not deal with this issue, chosen to

ignore that solution. It’s not surprising that housing has never been

worse thanks to inaction under this NDP government over the last six

years.

My riding of West Vancouver–Sea to Sky also faces its unique

housing challenges. Not only do many Crown land leaseholders face

exorbitant rent hikes; commuters are forced to pay some of the highest

fuel costs in the country. Again, an announcement about that, but where

is their action?

The government refuses to act on it, an unwillingness of this NDP

government to support the Sea to Sky community and B.C. Transit plans

for regional transit for the Sea to Sky. Again, a complete lack of

action over the course of the last six years, all adding up to many

young families who can’t begin to think of owning a home.

It’s frustrating to watch government ignore the facts in favour of

announcements. I see the frustration of my constituents, who have to

keep up with rising costs almost every day in all aspects of their

lives. Solutions only come with admitting, accepting and adhering to the

facts that the housing situation has never been worse. Yet my hon.

colleagues continue to point fingers at straw men and continuously

dismiss the real concerns from real people.

If you’re looking for where you’re going wrong, we’re telling you.

If you’re looking for ideas, we’ve given them to you. If you’re looking

for ability, you have a majority, so act now. British Columbians are

looking for results, and you’re in the driver’s seat. We’re looking for

that.

B. D’Eith: I think we can all agree that housing affordability is a challenge

for a lot of folks in British Columbia. Whether you’re buying a home or

trying to find affordable rentals, people are struggling. That’s for

sure. While our government has made housing a priority and is making

record investments, it’s clear, as the experts have said, that the

issues that we’re facing now are a result of decades of underfunding in

housing infrastructure.

Frankly, it’s rich for the opposition, the party of free

enterprise and “let the market take care of issues,” to make this motion

when the entire time they were in power, they cut funding to housing

programs, turned a blind eye to housing speculation and money

laundering, allowed for tens of thousands of homes to sit empty and

allowed rental rates to increase year over year at an alarming rate. In

fact, homelessness tripled under their watch.

In 16 years, the B.C. Liberals only built 130 student housing

beds, and we’ve got nearly 8,000 open or underway in just five years.

Prior to 2017, universities were pleading for the ability to build

student housing. They had plans made, they wanted to do it, but the

Liberals simply wouldn’t allow this to happen because the debt might

show up on their books. So they just wouldn’t allow it.

Well, we did allow it, and not only that; we managed to maintain

the best credit rating of provinces in this country.

Interjection.

B. D’Eith: Thank you.

Of course, the speculation and vacancy tax put 20,000 units of

rental housing back on the market. The Leader of the Opposition would

take us backwards and get rid of this tax.

We have ten times more housing underway today than the B.C.

Liberals when they left in 2017. The B.C. Liberals built 2,000 units in

2017. The B.C. NDP government built 21,000 in 2022. That’s significantly

better.

Under our government, purpose-built rental housing construction is

up by 650 percent compared to when the opposition leader was Finance

Minister. That is better. Housing starts are at record highs, up 70

percent since the Leader of the Opposition was Finance Minister. That is

better. When the opposition leader was Finance Minister, the B.C.

Liberals only invested $72 million to build housing. In 2021, we

invested $1 billion — better, much better.

What about outcomes? The B.C. Liberals are always talking about

outcomes. Well, let’s look at my riding. When I took office in 2017, the

previous B.C. Liberal MLAs left us in a huge mess, with a volatile tent

city and a divided community. We built 100 units of supportive housing —

Garibaldi Ridge and Royal Crescent; resolved the tent city’ and allowed

our city to heal. Now we’re building permanent supportive housing on

Fraser Street to replace Royal Crescent, and we’re ready, already in

first reading, to deliver the first 90 units of seniors housing in Maple

Ridge, in consultation with the community.

[11:45 a.m.]

Of course, we need housing across the entire spectrum, by

providing low- and middle-income housing, youth housing, shelter and

those types of supports.

At Cornerstone Landing, for example, 94 units were developed with

community services and B.C. Housing, including 20 units of youth

housing. Turnock Manor, another project with B.C. Housing, turned 66

units into middle-income rentals. ERA in Maple Ridge is partnering with

B.C. Housing to deliver 49 units of affordable rentals as part of the

first phase of their housing development. We are opening group home

beds, and we’re working closely with the Salvation Army to rebuild their

shelter building, a building that was never intended to provide the

services it does.

In Mission, the other side of my riding, we’ve built and occupied

Cedar Valley Suites with HousingHub partnership, with Lookout. That’s 68

units of affordable housing. Boswyk Centre, an amazing centre, which

they asked for, for ten years…. For ten years, they tried to get this.

Well, we delivered: 73 units of affordable housing built and occupied

during my time in office.

Right now we’re building 50 units of supportive housing to resolve

a number of homeless issues in Mission as well, and that’s really

important work. These are all outcomes, important outcomes, across the

spectrum of housing we’re delivering. At a time when people are facing

global inflation and higher interest rates and we’re getting 100,000

people more into our province, we have to address the housing crisis,

and we’re doing that. More homes are under construction now in B.C. than

any point in the last 60 years, and that is better.

B. Banman: I’m glad to rise to speak to this motion because, yes, housing has

never been worse in the history of British Columbia. Members opposite

might begrudgingly agree that the truth hurts, but British Columbians

agree that every single year under this government, housing

affordability has only gotten worse than the year before.

What’s most appalling is how this Premier is quick to point

fingers and blame but just recently admitted to flipping a

taxpayer-subsidized condo in Victoria and selling it for $150,000 profit

just before the first speculation tax came into force in 2019. This is

the same Premier who has proceeded to gaslight British Columbians by

claiming that his leadership on the housing file has improved our

crisis. It hasn’t.

Here’s a reminder to the members opposite of why housing has never

been worse — why after six years and two terms, including a majority

government, the average cost of rent in B.C. has risen $950 a month.

Skyrocketing interest rates make owning a home in Vancouver even more

unaffordable.

In my riding of Abbotsford South, I hear far too often from

concerned residents who can’t find a place to start their new family,

can barely pay next month’s rent or have been forced to deal with

potential insurance rate hikes as a result of the government’s botched

strata legislation, which has caused unintended consequences to the

crisis, making matters even worse. B.C. renters have now found

themselves paying $4,332 more a year under the NDP, which the current

Housing Minister is quick to dismiss as he recites his talking

points.

Now, the speaker prior said it was rich. I’ll tell you what’s

rich. What’s rich is that my office and I have to explain to renters as

to why the Premier has still, six years later, failed to deliver on the

$400 renters rebate.

People ask me: “Hey, where’s my 400 bucks that the Premier said I

would get if I voted for him?” Clearly, it would appear that that was

just a vote-buying tactic. If the Premier had been serious, that would

have added up to $2,400 by now. I’m sure renters won’t forget that. The

fact is that the housing crisis has also been made worse when coupled

with the government’s inaction on many, many other files.

[Mr. Speaker in the chair.]

The people of Lytton are still waiting to go back home because two

years after a wildfire destroyed their home, the government has failed

to ensure these British Columbians are housed at home. And now we hear

that they are at risk of losing their insurance because the government

is taking so long.

[11:50 a.m.]

Workers are forced to move far, far away from town centres so they

can try and find affordable housing and somehow avoid skyrocketing

rental rates as they keep up with the government’s mismanagement. These

workers then have to commute back and forth and are stuck for hours in

gridlock on overcrowded highways and infrastructure, which sees delays

and cost overruns when it comes to any sort of upgrades on this

infrastructure.

This is on top of rising fuel prices, groceries and more as the

government continues its charade of making announcements with no

results. I might say it’s not just housing at its worst, but it’s also

crime, health care, seniors care and much, much more.

I wonder if the Minister of Housing and Government House Leader

ever wonder if maybe, just maybe, if they bothered to consult with

British Columbians, actually respected this chamber of democracy and

hosted adequate debate, some of their botched policies might have been

avoided under these horrific consequences.

This government is very fond of wasting time in this Legislature,

then cutting debate by invoking closure and ramming through legislation

in a very undemocratic fashion. But no, no, hon. Speaker.

Just as I take my seat upon concluding my response to this very

appropriately and accurately titled motion, I can guarantee that the

next speaker from the government side will stand up, point fingers at

someone else and spew numbers that sound real nice but are nowhere to be

seen.

British Columbians who are watching from home know and live the

reality on the ground. That is that housing in British Columbia, the

affordability of it, has never been worse under this two-term NDP

government.

A. Walker: It is my pleasure to join in today’s debate about something that

is very important to people all across this province. It is about

housing affordability, and it’s about affordability more generally, as

has been brought up by members of the opposition, with food and with

fuel.

We all, in this House, recognize the challenges of housing

affordability. When the member opposite says that we are not hosting

adequate time for debate, that is what we are supposed to be doing right

now. I have not heard a single member of the opposition make a

meaningful suggestion about something that we as government should be

doing to address some of these housing challenges.

Interjection.

Mr. Speaker: Shhh. Shhh.

Continue.

A. Walker: I have heard members opposite mention members of our side

allegedly flipping houses. We have the same notes on our side, of

members in the opposition that have bought homes for $100,000 and sold

them for more than twice that price. But that’s not an effective use of

this time.

Interjections.

Mr. Speaker: Members. Members.

Please continue.

A. Walker: That’s a sore spot for some members of this House.

But what we’re here to debate and discuss are things that we as

government can do, and this involves all of us, to help make life more

affordable and to deliver on housing affordability for people in this

province.

These are actions we’ve seen even recently: $500 million in the

rental protection fund so that the rental buildings in our communities

that are listed for sale are able to be preserved for future generations

as affordable rentals. I have not heard any members opposite suggest

that this was a bad idea, and I hope that means that they agree with the

services that we are delivering in our communities.

Student housing is another perfect example. In the city of

Nanaimo, we have recently announced 266 units of student housing. That’s

almost as much as was built in the 16 years that the opposition was in

power. It makes a huge difference for students and also for

families.

I’ve talked to lots of first-year students that come to student

housing. It grounds them in the community. It provides them a safe place

to stay that is affordable, but it protects them from some of the

challenges that a lack of available rentals has in our community. These

are investments that we’re making all across this province: 7,700

student housing units built across this province. It makes a huge

difference.

Going through the list, there’s a lot here. But one thing that I’m

recognizing is that the opposition says that we’re pointing fingers.

Well, in the last six years, what have we all experienced? We have seen

forest fires that have burned 6 percent of our province’s forest. No

recognition of the impact on housing other than, of course, the city of

Lytton.

We have gone through the worst pandemic in 100 years, the

disruptions to supply chains, and, as we deglobalize manufacturing, the

increased costs. No recognition from the opposition on that. We’ve got

some significant workforce challenges, demographic

challenges.

[11:55 a.m.]

The other thing that the opposition fails to recognize is that

house prices are actually coming down. We’re seeing, in the city of

Nanaimo right now, year over year, that house prices are down 10

percent. This is not something that we can control here in this

provincial chamber. This is more to do with the Bank of Canada and some

global impacts, but that is something that we need to

recognize.

In some of our communities, house prices are, indeed, coming down.

What we can control is the supply. As the member for West Vancouver–Sea

to Sky mentioned, supply is core to solving this crisis. We look at the

number of rentals that are being built right now. Purpose-built rentals

in 2022: almost 15,000 units of purpose-built rentals in the works right

now. That compares to less than 2,000 when the government left office.

That’s a huge difference. When the opposition says we need to bolster

supply, that is exactly what we’re doing.

We are supporting local governments in the process right now of

transferring $1 billion into local government coffers so they can help

address and offset some of the impacts of fast-growing communities. It’s

going to have a huge difference in the city of Parksville and the city

of Nanaimo and the town of Qualicum, communities that I represent that

are seeing tremendous growth and are looking for more amenities and to

deal with some of the infrastructure challenges that come with such

rapid growth.

What didn’t get a lot of public announcement and hype was that

recently we funded local governments to help them speed up their

development approval processes. It’s actions like this that help make us

one of the fastest-growing provinces in the country but also help us

develop the housing that we know that we need in our

communities.

I know that there may be one more speaker following me, and I’m

hoping that members of the opposition can use this time to share their

ideas, their vision, come up with solutions with us as government as we

address the housing challenges that are faced all across this province.

Let’s do that together.

T. Wat: I’m pleased to speak on this motion of an issue that is impacting

all British Columbians, especially those in my riding of Richmond North

Centre.

Housing has never been worse. I would like to start my remarks

today by sharing a few words from the highest office in this chamber,

the Premier and former Minister of Housing who, as an opposition MLA,

said: “So it makes sense to me now that we have the data, to see this

astronaut family phenomenon of mom and kids being brought over from

mainland China. The kid goes to school and dad is at home in China

working and supporting the family. Mom is only there with kids for the

school year, and the house would appear to be vacant for a big chunk of

the year.”

These were the Premier’s own words to the Globe and Mail

in 2015, following the revelation of his incredibly harmful,

racially driven and inappropriate claims that foreign families were

driving up the prices in B.C.’s real estate market.

Housing has never been worse, and I don’t think it’s a surprise to

anyone when the person running the province today is the same one that

collected a study which took 172 names out of 42,000 homes sold and came

to the conclusion that nearly two-thirds of the houses in the relatively

small sample size in his riding were bought by people with

non-anglicized names. This conclusion is an example of ignorance, casual

racism, another example of this government’s tendencies to point fingers

and blame. It’s something that to this day, the Premier has yet to

apologize for.

The now Premier’s harmful study did real damage, as it implicitly

made every person of Chinese heritage, including myself, complicit in

the housing crisis, something that’s demonstrably false. Having an Asian

name, like myself, doesn’t make you a speculator. It’s very rich, I

might add, coming from the Premier, who, hypocritically, flipped his own

condo, selling it for a $150,000 profit in 2019, just before the first

speculation tax came into force, when he needed the money. But,

according to the Premier, if you are Chinese, a different set of rules

applies.

[12:00 p.m.]

Clearly, it’s only okay for the Premier to sell his condo for a

hefty profit, conveniently timed before he would be penalized with a tax

hike.

Tying the tight housing market, which the NDP has done nothing to

cool, to one ethnic group, to which I also belong, was terrible enough,

but then when the link was made to money laundering, the Premier’s true

colours showed. Housing is the worst it has been, as people in my riding

face some of the highest living costs in the country and as renters

shell out massive amounts of their money and paycheques to keep up with

low supply and high demand. What really strikes a nerve with my

constituents is this government’s apparent and total disconnect from the

reality on the ground.

While the members opposite rise and read off their notes with

false rhetoric that paints an incorrect picture of the housing crisis,

someone seeking to buy home today in Vancouver will need to earn $23,350

more than last year. Here in Victoria, they will need to earn $25,500

more per year.

At least we can all agree that housing has never been worse. Six

years and two terms later, it only keeps getting worse. British

Columbians are counting on the Housing Minister to wake up from a dream

that everyone else seems to be missing and, instead, serve the people

with the results and outcome they deserve to see.

Noting the time, I ask that we adjourn the debate.

T. Wat moved adjournment of debate.

Motion approved.

Hon. M. Dean moved adjournment of the House.

Motion approved.

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

The House adjourned at 12:02 p.m.

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