20200624pm Hansard n331

British Columbia — Debates (Hansard)

Fifth Session, 41st Parliament OFFICIAL REPORT OF DEBATES (HANSARD) Wednesday, June 24, 2020 Afternoon Sitting Issue No. 331 THE HONOURABLE DARRYL PLECAS, SPEAKER ISSN 1499-2175

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Kate Ryan-Lloyd Law Clerk and Parliamentary Counsel.............................................................................................................................. Seunghee Suzie Seo Clerk Assistant, Parliamentary Services...........................................................................................................................

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

Karan Riarh Acting Sergeant-at-Arms..................................................................................................................................................................Greg Nelson

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

CONTENTS Wednesday, June 24, 2020 Afternoon Sitting Page Routine Business Introductions by Members................................................................................................................................................... 11777 Tributes ................................................................................................................................................................................... 11779 Rob Sutherland Mr. Speaker (Hon. D.

Plecas) Introduction and First Reading of Bills.............................................................................................................................. 11779 Bill 18 — Economic Stabilization (COVID-19) Act Hon. C. James Statements (Standing Order 25B) ....................................................................................................................................... 11780 White privilege and anti-Black racism J. Routledge Multiculturalism and anti-racism movement T. Wat Finance and Government Services Committee budget consultations B.

D’Eith Rebound Oceanside business recovery program M. Stilwell John Hillman A. Weaver International Decade for People of African Descent and contributions of Black community S. Furstenau Oral Questions....................................................................................................................................................................... 11782 Small business employee layoffs and severance pay issues M. de Jong Hon. J. Horgan S. Bond Inspections of seniors care facilities and delivery of care hours S. Furstenau Hon. A. Dix Morrison mine project A. Weaver Hon. G.

Heyman Funding of independent schools D. Davies Hon. R.

Fleming Tabling Documents............................................................................................................................................................... 11789 Property Assessment Appeal Board, annual report, 2019 Civil resolution tribunal, annual report, 2018-19 Reports from Committees.................................................................................................................................................... 11789 Finance and Government Services Committee, interim review, budgets of statutory offices, June 2020 B. D’Eith D.

Clovechok Orders of the Day Second Reading of Bills ........................................................................................................................................................ 11790 Bill 6 — Mines Amendment Act, 2020(continued) Hon. B. Ralston Bill 19 — COVID-19 Related Measures Act Hon. D. Eby M. Lee Hon. M. Farnworth S. Furstenau R. Coleman B. Stewart Hon. D. Eby

WEDNESDAY , JUNE 24, 2020 The House met at 1:35 p.m. [Mr. Speaker in the chair.] Routine Business Prayers and reflections: Hon. A. Kang. Introductions by Members Hon. J. Horgan:Today in the gallery are a handful of interns — not a clutch, just a handful. I was expecting more, but I’m sure they’re on their way. This is, of course, the end of our interns’ time with us, and it has been quite a ride. They came during a bunch of pandemonium at the front of the building, and they’re leaving in the midst of a pandemic.

I don’t think any col- lection of interns has ever had the opportunity to put those two p’s together and be here in Parliament for a virtual sit- ting that involves just a fraction of the members here in the seats but the entire Legislative Assembly on screens before them. With respect to those who had the good luck when the sorting hat went around, to be here with Gryffindor we had Sam Harrison, Saige Lawson, Emilio Caputo, Patrick Vachon and Patricia Masur, who were with the NDP caucus helping us prepare for legislative sessions and doing a whole host of other interesting things.

Then the sorting hat wasn’t as favourable to the other interns, but I’m sure they had equal enjoyment while they were here. That would include Erin Spence; Maliki Suppin; Stephen Bagan; Noelle Skillings, from here in Victoria; Kathryn Haegedorn; Hailey May; and Federico Cerani. They’ve all, I think, had a pretty extraordinary time. Would all of the members present, and those far away, please give them a roaring round of applause for a job well done. A.

Olsen:I, too, would like to raise my hands in grat- itude for the incredible work of Hailey May and Federico Cerani, who have been with us over the past number of months as interns in our caucus office — very much a huge amount of gratitude for the work that they’ve done. [1:40 p.m.] I also would like to take this opportunity to raise my hands to all of the graduates from Stelly’s Secondary, Park- land Secondary and Gulf Islands Secondary School — recognizing, of course, that they’ve just completed their education, the first in the long journey of a lifelong of edu- cation.

I want to acknowledge that part of the deal is that we get to celebrate them at their graduation. This year, as all of my colleagues have been recognizing, it has been very difficult. I want to raise my hands to them and congratulate them and wish them the best as they take the next steps in their lifelong journey. HÍSW̱ ḴE SIÁM. N. Letnick: Today is June 24, for anyone who didn’t check their calendar. It’s the summer solstice, the longest day of the year. It’s alsola fête nationale for francophones here in British Columbia, across our great country and especially in the province of Quebec.

If you just look back a few months ago when we were able to travel…. I actually went to Quebec and visited their National Assembly, where I bought this tie. It was 30 bucks. I did not think I’ d be up today in the middle of this pandemic to advertise a wonderful tie and a great National Assembly. I would say that ours is better, but don’t let the Québécois hear that. T ous mes compatriotes, je vous souhaite une bonne fête nationale.

Would the House please make all French-loving people across our great country and especially in the province of Quebec — celebrate with them this great day of June 24, St.-Jean Baptiste. B. D’Eith: I just wanted to wish my eldest daughter a very happy birthday. It’s her 21st birthday. She had planned to go to Las Vegas, but unfortunately, that has been cancelled due to the pandemic. I wanted to do that and also to mention my youngest son just turned 20 last week. And my lovely wife — it’s her birthday next week. She’s working very hard on opening the Fortius Sport and Health clinic.

So that’s a lot going on in my house. I also, on a serious note, wanted to mention that my thoughts are going out to all the friends, family and resid- ents at Stump Lake, near Mission, and Kamloops who are dealing with flooding of the lake. My thoughts are with all of them there. I wanted to express that. If the Legislature could please acknowledge that, I’ d very much appreciate it. A. Weaver:It gives me enormous pleasure to introduce, watching at home today at Carlton House in Oak Bay, Mr. John Hillman. Some of you may know that Mr.

Hillman is 101 and recently completed the amazing task of walking around his house 101 times. I’ll be speaking more about that during statements. In addition, this will be the last time I get to stand up prior to the graduation this year. In my riding, we have six high schools. I’ d like to congratulate all of the students graduating this year into what are truly difficult times: those at Maria Montessori, Glenlyon Norfolk, St. Michael’s University School, Lambrick Park high school, Mount Doug high school and, of course, my own alma mater, Oak Bay High School. Would the House please make Mr.

Hillman feel very welcome virtually as well as congratulate those high school students graduating in our riding this year. 11777

J. Sims: I have two introductions today. First, we all of us have unsung heroes in our ridings. Two of them are watching us today: Narinder Singh, who works at the gurdwara in my riding, and also Neeraj AhluWalia. The reason they’re here today and why I want to talk about them is that they’ve established a gurdwara food bank, and they are both on the board of directors. We do have the Surrey Food Bank, but they’ve opened this up during this COVID period for those people who can’t access it or don’t qualify. They will deliver food to those in need anywhere, no matter where they live in the Lower Mainland.

They will be open from Monday to Fri- day, 11 to three. They will do deliveries from Tuesday to Friday. Please help me recognize these unsung heroes in my riding. [1:45 p.m.] I would also take this opportunity, because it is the one before June 26, to recognize somebody very special in my life who entered my life in 1970. We got married in 1971. Tomorrow we will be celebrating our 49th wedding anniversary. This person, Stephen Sims, has been by my side, has been my supporter, has been my champion, has been fath- er to my children, a great-grandfather and an absolutely amazing great-great-grandfather.

He has given uncondi- tional support for the many adventures that I’ve had the opportunity to partake in. So please join us in celebrating our 49 years. Now that we’re talking about celebrations, I also want to do a shout-out to the grads in Surrey-Panorama. We have Sullivan Secondary School, and we have Panorama Sec- ondary School. They call it Panorama. I want to wish every student who is graduating the very, very best. Live your dreams. Fly as high as you can. Don’t let any- body tell you that there are things you cannot do.

As well, as the grads are leaving the school system dur- ing a pandemic, they’ll have lots of stories to tell. I also want to do a shout-out to the grade 7 grads as well. They are going to be transitioning into grade 8 during a very difficult time. To all the students, have a wonderful summer. S. Malcolmson:I want to wish a very happy Canada Day to Nanaimo.

We’re not going to be celebrating in an ordinary way, but I’m very grateful to the city of Nanaimo for taking the lead on some virtual ways to cel- ebrate our country and how deeply fortunate we are to live in a country like this, especially at a time like this. Happy Canada Day. Today, especially, I’m thinking of the Nanaimo high school students who have graduated in a global pandemic. Y ou’ve overcome a lot this year. We are really, really proud of grads from Learning Alternatives, the Career Technical Centre, NDSS. Their graduations are today and yesterday and the day before. There are so many of them.

Island ConnectEd graduates today also. Wellington Secondary is tomorrow. Nanaimo Christian School and Tsawalk Learning Centre both graduated a week ago, on June 17. Both invited me to bring greetings on behalf of the Premier to the grads and to thank them for persevering. A particular thanks to Tsawalk. Five Indigenous grads stood up in the park together. It was really great to see the families surrounding their graduates, who they were so proud of, and being able to do that as a tight, close unit and then the rest of us, teachers and others, celebrating their accomplishments.

It’s really something to be proud of. Finally, a special thanks to the parents, the school staff and the volunteers who, with all their hearts, made both the grad and prom ceremonies very special for these fant- astic high school students. Thank you to all of you. We’re very proud. Hon. J. Horgan:I thank the House for indulging me with an introduction, I think, that follows on some of the others of my colleagues who made reference to the end of the K-to-12 careers of young British Columbians in every corner of the province. I very much regret that this year will be a unique year for those graduates as well.

Over the 15 years I’ve been a member of this Legis- lature, every spring, every June, I enjoy going to the graduation ceremonies in my community. I see in the faces of the young people that cross the stage a sense of accomplishment, and it gives me hope for our future. Although some of us have been here for an interminable period of time, we have interns with us today. Y oung people, of course, are our future.

For those graduates and schools across British Colum- bia who will be celebrating their last week of learning in that way, I want to remind them all that learning is a life- time of looking and inquiring and asking and puzzling and asking “why, ” and then often “why not. ” I’m so proud of the graduating class of 2020 for not only having achieved that extraordinary measure of receiving a Dogwood certificate from the province of British Colum- bia but also for their families, for their elders and for their younger siblings. [1:50 p.m.] The celebration at this time of the year normally involves dressing up, going out, having a little bit of fun, sometimes putting “Grad 2020” at Sooke Potholes.

I’m not advocating that this year, under any circumstances. To all the graduates in every community across British Columbia: congratulations on a job well done. Always keep learning, always keep asking, and certainly, get here as fast as you can to replace many of us who will be moving on in the not too distant future. 11778 British Columbia Debates Wednesday, June 24, 2020

Tributes ROB SUTHERLAND Mr. Speaker:Members, if I may, I would like to take a moment to recognize the upcoming retirement of a most valued Legislative Assembly employee: Rob Sutherland, our director of Hansard Services. Rob began his career at the Legislative Assembly as an editor in April 1993. That’s 27 years ago. He worked in Hansard and became director of Hansard in August 2012. Rob has been an active member of the Hansard Asso- ciation of Canada, as well as the Commonwealth Hansard Editors Association.

Rob has also been a strong advocate for parliamentary outreach, assisting the Parliament of Guyana and offering mentoring and expertise toward the creation of Hansard services there. The world of Hansard has evolved a great deal during Rob’s time with the Legislative Assembly. Rob contributed to the modernization of Hansard Services, including digit- al reporting, publishing and broadcasting services. His many contributions to the Legislative Assembly spanned over 27 years of service to the institution. I wish to thank Rob for his dedicated service and exceptional contribution to the Legislative Assembly.

Please join me in wishing Rob all the very best on this exciting step on his new retirement adventures. Introduction and First Reading of Bills BILL 18 — ECONOMIC STABILIZATION (COVID-19) ACT Hon. C. James presented a message from Her Honour the Lieutenant-Governor: a bill intituled Economic Stabilization (COVID-19) Act. Hon. C. James:I move first reading of Bill 18, Economic Stabilization (COVID-19) Act. This bill implements tax relief measures previously announced by the government in response to COVID-19.

These measures will bring financial administrative relief for people and businesses as we address the ongoing effects of the pandemic. This bill extends the tax return filing and payment dead- lines for the carbon tax, motor fuel tax, tobacco tax and provincial sales tax until September 30, 2020. This bill also implements three property tax initiatives that the govern- ment has announced. First, it delays the application of the property tax late payment penalties for commercial properties.

Second, it requires municipalities to remit the full amount of property taxes prescribed under the South Coast British Columbia Transportation Authority Act and the British Columbia Transit Act by August 1 of 2020 and 2021. This gives certainty of cash flow to TransLink and B.C. Transit. Third, the time period for municipalities to remit the school tax and the police tax to the province is extended. This provides municipalities with additional fiscal flexibil- ity to deal with COVID-19 and to remit tax collected for other tax authorities.

The employers health tax is also amended so that the employers health tax instalment due dates can be extended for the year 2020. This bill also amends the Income Tax Act to enable the B.C. emergency benefit for workers. This benefit is a tax- free, one-time $1,000 payment for B.C. residents whose ability to work has been affected due to COVID. This bill also makes amendments to the Balanced Budget and Ministerial Accountability Act, the Budget Transparency and Accountability Act and the Financial Administration Act.

The Balanced Budget and Ministerial Accountability Act is amended to temporarily suspend the prohibition against deficit budgets for the next three years, enabling the government to pass deficit budgets to the Legislature for the ’21-22, ’22-23 and ’23-24 fiscal years. [1:55 p.m.] The Budget Transparency and Accountability Act is amended to temporarily suspend the prohibition against supplementary estimates where there is a forecast of gov- ernment-directed operating debt.

This amendment will enable the government to present supplementary estim- ates where necessary for the ’20-21 to 2023-24 fiscal years as the government continues to provide relief and eco- nomic recovery measures. Finally, the Financial Administration Act is amended to provide special warrants if an expenditure is required dur- ing or after a state of emergency, or if a disaster or emer- gency occurs or is anticipated. The amendments to these three acts will help ensure that the funding remains available as the province contin- ues to recover from the effects of COVID-19. Mr.

Speaker:The question is first reading of the bill. Motion approved. Hon. C. James:I move that Bill 18, Economic Stabiliz- ation Act, be placed on the orders of the day for second reading at the next sitting of the House after today. Bill 18, Economic Stabilization (COVID-19) Act, introduced, read a first time and ordered to be placed on orders of the day for second reading at the next sitting of the House after today. Wednesday, June 24, 2020 British Columbia Debates 11779

Statements (Standing Order 25B) WHITE PRIVILEGE AND ANTI-BLACK RACISM J. Routledge:It is a privilege to rise in this House to make a statement, one shared only by a select few, and privilege is what I want to talk about today. My white privilege is something I’ve been thinking about a lot lately, after watching some terrible images on TV . As have many others, I’ve been wondering: how can I, as a privileged white person, be an ally in the movement to end anti-Black racism?

Well, one way is to use my voice in this chamber to amp- lify the voices of those who have been muted before now, voices like that of my constituent Markiel Simpson. Never in my life have I ever been asked by the police to prove that I hadn’t stolen the car I was driving. Markiel has three times, and he’s only 25. The third time he was parked in front of his own house looking for a pen in the back seat. The officer said that looked suspicious. I’ve never had to worry that a family member could die as a result of an interaction with the police — never gave it a thought. Markiel has.

In fact, his brother was hav- ing lunch with co-workers on a park bench when police officers tackled and assaulted him from behind. As a result, he has suffered adverse, long-term trauma, all because of a mistaken identity. It was experiences like this that motivated Markiel to organize against anti-Black racism. He’s been working to get Canadian Black history taught in B.C. schools as part of the core curriculum. He joined the B.C. Community Alliance, an organization dedicated to combating the structural inequities that create anti-Black racism.

But it wasn’t until the very public murder of George Floyd that Markiel’s voice has been heard by so many. Today in this House, I add my voice to his — not to speak on his behalf, but to make his voice louder. MULTICULTURALISM AND ANTI-RACISM MOVEMENT T. Wat: On Saturday, June 27, communities across Canada will celebrate Multiculturalism Day, a day to cel- ebrate the vast cultural diversity of our country and how it enriches our everyday lives. Multiculturalism Day is about more than celebrating our cultural diversity.

It is about affirming our province’s commitment to making British Columbia a place that is welcome to people of all cultures, identities, religions and backgrounds. [2:00 p.m.] Earlier this week I stood in this House to reaffirm our commitment to fighting against rising racism and hate crimes in our province. A survey done by Canadian Race Relations in 2019 found that majorities of black and Indi- genous Canadians reported experiencing racism or dis- crimination due to race or ethnicity.

A new poll from Angus Reid and the University of Alberta suggests a large percentage of people who identify as Chinese Canadians have experienced some type of racism since the coronavirus pandemic began. Of the more than 500 Canadians of Chinese ethnicity surveyed, half reported being called names or insulted as a direct result of COVID-19. Nearly 80 percent of the respondents said they felt strongly that Canadians blame people of Chinese ethnicity for COVID-19. Multiculturalism is something we must embrace every day.

The events surrounding us, both within and around our province, show us that it is more important than ever for us to promote inclusion and acceptance in B.C. Please take a moment this weekend to reflect on and cel- ebrate the culture and heritage of our families, our friends, our neighbours and our colleagues with actions and ges- tures that celebrate our diversity and this beautiful, diverse province we all are so lucky to call home. Finally, I would like to take this opportunity to con- gratulate the 2020 graduates of Burnett Secondary School in my riding of Richmond North Centre.

My warmest thoughts and highest hopes are with you as you celebrate your graduation. Always remember: there is no limit to what you can achieve. FINANCE AND GOVERNMENT SERVICES COMMITTEE BUDGET CONSULTATIONS B. D’Eith: As all members are aware, every year the Select Standing Committee on Finance and Government Services, for which I have the privilege of serving as Chair, holds a public consultation on the next provincial budget.

The consultation is a unique opportunity for all British Columbians to connect with legislators from all parties to share the challenges their families and communities are experiencing and to offer ideas about how the provincial government can respond. This year’s consultation, which began on June 1, is dif- ferent in many ways as we navigate the COVID-19 pan- demic and its impacts. But the importance of hearing from and meeting with British Columbians did not change. The committee, with incredible help from the Parliamentary Committees Office and Hansard, shifted to an entirely vir- tual consultation.

This year we held all public hearings by video conference, organized into theme-based panels. While we no doubt missed connecting with British Col- umbians in person in communities across the province, the committee appreciated everyone’s ability, adaptability and flexibility and continued participation in the consulta- tion. In fact, over the three weeks, the committee met with nearly 300 organizations and individuals and had very thoughtful discussions about a broad range of issues. 11780 British Columbia Debates Wednesday, June 24, 2020

Even more British Columbians have taken time to send their written input and fill out the online survey. I think I speak for all the committee members in expressing my admiration for the dedicated, passionate voices of those who brought attention to critical issues and who advocate for change and offer innovative solutions. There’s still time to participate, so I would encourage everyone who hasn’t had the opportunity to take a few minutes and visit the consultation website at bcleg.ca/fgs- budget and share their views before the consultation closes this Friday, June 26.

Committee members are looking forward to reviewing all of the input as we consider recommendations for the next provincial budget, and we’ll be very happy that a report will be available sometime in August. REBOUND OCEANSIDE BUSINESS RECOVERY PROGRAM M. Stilwell:Today I am proud to shine a spotlight on a program that is helping local businesses bounce back from the devastating impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Rebound Oceanside business recovery program is a new initiative coming to the aid of businesses in my constitu- ency by offering resources to help with everything from social media to website development, business strategies and advertising. [2:05 p.m.] It’s the brainchild of Oceanside Initiatives, a collabora- tion of area municipalities and organizations focused on economic development in the area. Its office just opened this past February. When the pandemic hit, the businesses were faced with difficulties like revenue loss and closure. Oceanside Initiatives responded with a program to help with recovery.

Businesses can get assessments on what their challenges are, be connected to subject-matter experts and access support to help them implement recovery plans, including matching funds. There’s also a “support local” campaign. As of last week, more than 40 business owners had signed up for the program. Bobbie Garnons-Williams, the co-owner of Island Highlander Co., is one of them. She and her husband pro- duce British baked goods and have a food-trailer business. They usually sell to tourists and attendees at events like the Highland Games or craft fairs or the Qualicum Beach Farmers Market.

But as we know, restrictions have affected tourism and events this year. Bobby has turned to Rebound Oceanside for help and is in the process of get- ting assistance with a strategic plan and promotions. For her, the program has meant not feeling alone. Rebound Oceanside, the Parksville and Qualicum chambers of commerce and other businesses are coming together to help one another. I’ d just like to say thank you to Corry Hostetter, the eco- nomic development coordinator, and the team at Ocean- side Initiatives for their ingenuity and quick response to support small businesses just like Island Highlander.

JOHN HILLMAN A. Weaver:It gives me great honour to rise today to pay tribute to a remarkable constituent, Mr. John Hillman. At the age of 101, Mr. Hillman set a goal of raising $101,000 for Save the Children Canada’s emergency COV- ID relief fund by completing 101 laps around the court- yard of his residence at the Carlton House in Oak Bay. He was inspired by 100-year-old war veteran Tom Moore, who raised over $55 million for the U.K. ’s National Health Service by walking around his garden 100 times with a walker. Mr.

Hillman not only completed the 101 laps, plus a victory lap, but he easily surpassed expectations by rais- ing a total of $166,551. Mr. Hillman was born in Newport, Wales, in 1919. Like all young Welshmen at the time, he was an avid rugby player. In fact, Mr. Hillman’s father, Jack, represented Wales on their national team. John, on the other hand, went on to compete for Wales in fencing. At the age of 17 and with little prospect for local employment, Mr. Hillman left Wales to join the Royal Air Force. In 1939, he and his squadron were posted to France, where Mr. Hillman served as a wireless operator.

As allied forces fled to Dunkirk ahead of the rapidly advancing Wehrmacht, John Hillman and the other 59 members of his squadron were cut off and left behind. They were told this: “Y ou lads stay behind, clean up and make your way back as best you can. ” Their goal was to head south to board the English troop carrier HMTLancastria. Blessed with a stroke of good luck, Mr. Hillman arrived in the French port of Saint-Nazaire a day late so missed his opportunity to board the ship. Tragically, on June 17, 1940, offshore from the port, the Lancastria was bombed and sank in just 20 minutes.

Some 4,000 men, women and children died in what remains the greatest loss of life in British maritime history. Mr. Hillman subsequently made his way northwards to Brest, where he was able to escape to England on a Royal Navy destroyer. It was in England that Mr. Hillman met and married his wife, Irene. The couple have been mar- ried for a remarkable 78 years. When their daughter also married a Canadian, Mr. and Mrs. Hillman started to visit Canada. Mr. Hillman eventually retired in Ottawa in 1988 from his career as an electrical engineer, and after a brief return to the U.K., Mr. and Mrs.

Hillman moved back to Canada and settled in a house on Beach Drive in Oak Bay. When asked why he undertook the fundraiser, John Hillman said this: “I owed Canada something. ” A truly humble man, Mr. Hillman has a wonderful sense of humour and brings joy to all who know him. As Wednesday, June 24, 2020 British Columbia Debates 11781

a lovely tribute to support Mr. Hillman, his nine-year-old great-grandson did a parallel walk in Kingston, Ontario. What did Mr. Hillman do when he attained his goal of 101 laps? “I had a cold beer, ” he said. Now, that was truly well deserved. Please join me in celebrating the remarkable accom- plishments of Mr. John Hillman. [2:10 p.m.] INTERNATIONAL DECADE FOR PEOPLE OF AFRICAN DESCENT AND CONTRIBUTIONS OF BLACK COMMUNITY S. Furstenau:On December 23, 2013, the UN adopted the declaration to proclaim 2014 to 2025 the International Decade for People of African Descent.

Let me begin by saying, and I’m not proud to say this, that I did not know that we are more than halfway through this decade that is meant to promote respect, protection and fulfilment of all human rights and fundamental freedoms for people of African descent. On Monday evening, I listened with interest to the speakers on a call organized by the African Arts and Cul- tural Society as they discussed the importance of this dec- ade.

One speaker, Richard Sharpe, who is with the Dream Legacy Foundation, which fosters Black entrepreneurship across Canada, explained so clearly why there needs to be a commitment to support Black businesses in Canada. “Because the white community has had a 400-year head start, ” he said. As pointed out by Stephanie Allen with Hogan’s Alley Society, Black people have been an integral part of B.C. ’s history, as has racist community planning that has dis- placed Black people and erased the contributions of Black communities to B.C. ’s history.

This is documented in the film Return to Hogan’s Alley, which tells the story of the vibrant, lively community that was literally demolished to make way for the Georgia and Dunsmuir viaducts. Our collective history is diminished when communities and cultures are erased. It’s essential to have uncomfort- able conversations and actively take steps to educate ourselves, to truly understand the great tapestry of our past and the black, Indigenous, Asian, Central and South American communities who are intrinsic to who we have been and who we are today in this province.

As a concrete step, we can begin, with the province of B.C., formally recognizing the International Decade for People of African Descent and to work with communities of African descent to develop a plan to combat anti-Black racism in our province. Systemic racism exists in B.C., and it will take systemic change to ensure that we move beyond words to achieve the outcomes that we all wish to see. Let’s take the steps to demonstrate that we truly do believe that Black Lives Matter.

Oral Questions SMALL BUSINESS EMPLOYEE LAYOFFS AND SEVERANCE PAY ISSUES M. de Jong:For the last several days, we have been ask- ing the Premier to explain why his government is refusing to grant a straightforward extension to the mandatory lay- off rules, in the way that other provinces and the federal government have done, to protect hundreds of thousands of workers, protect their job, and to prevent their employ- ers from being driven into bankruptcy.

Even though the Labour Minister has said no to that request, the Premier’s more cryptic reply has been to assure the House that he will be meeting with all of the signatories to the letters that his government received on June 5 and June 22, laying out the details of the challenge and the consequences that will follow if the request is not granted. Here’s the problem. We got a call, and then we did some calling of our own. It turns out that for the vast majority of the signatories to the two letters, there is no such meeting.

The restaurants association of Canada tells us they have no meeting with the Premier tomorrow. The Canadian Federation of Independent Businesses, a signatory to the letters, says they have no meeting with the Premier tomor- row. The British Columbia Hotel Association tells us — again, a signatory to the letter — they have no meeting with the Premier. The ABLE — no meeting with the Pre- mier. The ICBA, again a signatory to the letter, says they have no meeting with the Premier. Together, all of these groups represent thousands of small and medium-sized businesses and hundreds of thousands of employees.

Can the Premier explain why he purposefully left the House with the impression that he would be meeting with all of these groups tomorrow, when, apparently, no such meeting exists? Hon. J. Horgan: I thank Inspector Clouseau for his question. I have to say, this is the third day. [2:15 p.m.] I received a letter on the 22nd, which was Monday. I attended the House. I had questions from the Leader of the Opposition and other members of the opposition about this issue. I said that I would take their advice and counsel and that I would discuss it with many of the members who signed.

Now, if we’re going to split a hair, I will tell you that I’m going to be meeting with the B.C. Business Council; the Surrey Board of Trade, which was referred to by one of the members over there in the questions; the Vancouver Board of Trade; as well as the B.C. Chamber of Commerce, which overwhelmingly represents the vast majority of businesses in British Columbia. I will, of course, reach out to those other organizations 11782 British Columbia Debates Wednesday, June 24, 2020

after the discussion has taken place and the determination has been made, which will happen tomorrow. I just had a discussion with the Attorney General, who advises me he meets with ABLE regularly, and not once have they raised this question with him. I talked to the restaurant association, and not once have they raised this issue with me. Those that have, I will be talking to tomor- row. The other signatories I will be corresponding with. But the vast majority of businesses represented by those extraordinary agencies — two boards of trade, the cham- ber of commerce, the B.C.

Business Council — will be on a call with me tomorrow. It’s the first agenda item, and we’ll deal with it at that time. Mr. Speaker:The member for Abbotsford West on a supplemental. M. de Jong: Well, how can the Premier stand in this place and say these organizations have never raised it with him? They wrote to him on June 5, and they wrote to him on June 22. How else are you supposed to raise an issue with the Premier of the province of British Colum- bia?

Y esterday he dismissed their correspondence as being salacious, whatever the heck that means in the context of organizations trying to protect their employees and busi- nesses that are in jeopardy of going bankrupt. Forgive me for splitting hairs when the Premier stands in the House and says, as he did, “I will be meeting with them, ” referring to the letter on Thursday. “I will revisit the issue and meet with all of them. ” Those were his words, not mine. Imagine how surprised the vast majority of the organizations were to discover that the Premier was having a meeting that they weren’t invited to.

That’s an interesting approach to social distancing. What’s at stake here…. Interjections. Mr. Speaker:Members. Member for Abbotsford West, if you would like to pro- ceed. M. de Jong: The Premier can try to dismiss this and make jokes about it. What’s at stake here is the continued existence of thousands of businesses, mostly small and medium-sized, and hundreds of thousands of jobs for the employees that they employ. What’s interesting is the risks associated with those businesses and those employees can be averted by the signing of a two-line OIC that alters two numbers in an existing regulation.

Will the Premier stop stonewalling, will he stop making jokes about it, will he stop making accusations about the people who have brought the issue to his attention and stand up and do what other governments in this country have done? Do what makes sense, and grant the extension necessary to ensure that these workers have jobs and that these businesses continue to exist. Hon. J. Horgan:Well, at the beginning of the pandemic, we did extend the period by order-in-council. We also offered a variance opportunity, which is part of

an act that was passed in 1995. In the 16 years that the people on that side of the House had an opportunity to amend it, they chose not to. So that variance opportunity may well have been appropriate then but not appropriate now. Interjections. Mr. Speaker:Members. Hon. J. Horgan:I do take this issue very seriously, and I’m going to be meeting with the vast majority of the sig- natories representing businesses in every corner of the province tomorrow morning. The first order of business is to address this issue. I said that on Monday, I said it yester- day, and I say it again today.

I’m sure there are other issues that the opposition would like to raise with us. I guess this cooperation and collegi- ality that was working so well for British Columbians is now out the door. Question asked on Monday answered. I believe it’s appropriate to sit down with the majority of people who contacted me and have a discussion. That’s what we’re going to do. Mr.

Speaker:The member for Abbotsford West on a second supplemental. [2:20 p.m.] M. de Jong: The Premier seems bothered and even a bit confused by the fact that the official opposition would stand up and bring to the floor of this Legislature an issue that impacts hundreds of thousands of workers and thou- sands of businesses. Well, he’s apparently going to have to continue to go on being bothered, because as an opposi- tion, we’re going to continue to bring issues like that to the floor of this Legislative Assembly. Y ou know, there is magic in words and the accuracy of words.

The Premier just repeated a statement that is clearly not in line with the facts. He says: “I’m meeting with the majority of the signatories. ” He’s not. Eight of 12 signator- ies are not invited to participate in the meetings that the Premier is having tomorrow, and they represent hundreds of thousands of employees, workers, and tens of thousands of businesses. So for the Premier to continue to repeat something that simply isn’t true is, I think, reprehensible. Look, there’s an easy solution. There’s a solution that the federal government has adopted — that other provinces have adopted.

I can’t explain why the Premier’s Minister of Labour, speaking for the government, said no. Y ou know, earlier today the Premier renewed the state of emergency. Circumstances have changed. The state of the Wednesday, June 24, 2020 British Columbia Debates 11783

emergency continues to be in place. These advocates are saying to the Premier: “ As long as that state of emergency is in place, our opportunity to operate is compromised, and that puts our employees and businesses at risk. ” Make the adjustment. It doesn’t cost the government a single dime. It is in keeping with what other governments in Canada have done and will protect workers and protect the businesses that rely on those workers and save them from being driven into bankruptcy. Hon. J. Horgan:As I said on Monday, I will be meet- ing with the economic recovery task force.

It is not a comprehensive inventory of the signatories on the letter, but this…. Interjections. Mr. Speaker:Members. Members. Order, please. Hon. J. Horgan:Three months — and what did the opposition bring to the floor of this Legislature? A letter that I have received and that I have responded to. And the first question, saying: “We would revisit the issue. ” I’m going to talk to, okay, four of the number of groups. Interjections. Hon. J. Horgan:I mean, listen….

Look, if the people of British Columbia are watching today, they’re seeing Her Majesty’s Loyal Opposition asking the same questions they asked on Monday and on Tuesday, and they’re getting the same answer. We’re just a day closer to when I sit down with the vast majority of employers in British Columbia, represented by the B.C. Chamber of Commerce, the Sur- rey Board of Trade, Vancouver Board of Trade and the B.C. Business Council. They raised the issue with me and the economic recovery task force. They wrote to me on Monday, and I’m responding, face to face, on Thursday.

If that’s all the opposition has got, perhaps I’ll read instead fromBusiness in Vancouver, which had interviews with four prominent economists about how they see the economic recovery going here in British Columbia. If the members on that side don’t want to raise these issues, I’ll raise them myself. The question from B.C.

Business in Vancouver: “How is B.C. managing the re- opening of the economy compared to other provinces?” Pierre Cléroux, the chief economist with the Business Development Bank, said that our forecast is that the impact on B.C. will be much less than on others in Canada: “In general, the B.C. economy is going to come back faster than the rest of Canada. ” I’ve got pages to read, hon. Speaker. I can’t wait to do it. S.

Bond:I find it absolutely astounding that the Premier of British Columbia thinks it’s an insignificant issue when the opposition brings the issue of keeping thousands of employees working in the province. Here’s what we know. He can bluster and be as loud as he wants, but here’s what we know. Since this issue was raised in the House, and the Premier received a letter that can only be described as scathing from the representatives of thousands of employees and employers in our province, he has been nothing less than defensive and dismissive of those concerns. What did he say? “Don’t worry.

I’m meeting with this group on Thursday. ” Well, now what we find out is that that wasn’t accurate at all. In fact, key sectors and repre- sentatives are excluded from this solve-it-all meeting on Thursday. Here’s what one of the sectors’ representatives said. The CEO of the B.C. Hotel Association, Ingrid Jar- rett, is one of the signatories who is excluded from the Premier’s meeting. [2:25 p.m.] Here’s what she said. “Nobody wanted to lay anybody off. The last thing they want to do is sever their employ- er-employee relationship…. They have no intention of severing that relationship as long as they can….

If the law isn’t changed, the majority of the hotels will go insolvent overnight. ” Well, for the Premier’s attention, I think insolvency of hotels in British Columbia is absolutely worthy of debate and discussion in this Legislature. So to be clear, the Pre- mier could have fixed the problem on Monday. He could have fixed the problem on Tuesday. He can fix the prob- lem today. Will the Premier today stand up, do the right thing and extend the leave for six weeks past the emergency? Hon. J.

Horgan:The hotel association will be pleased to know that today we announced that British Columbia is moving into phase 3 of our economic restart, which includes the local hotel associations. Interjections. Mr. Speaker:Members. Hon. J. Horgan: Y eah, my goodness. Champions of British Columbia on the other side. Let’s go back to the economists who were commenting on how we’re doing in British Columbia — how British Columbians are doing responding to COVID-19. The chief economist for the B.C.

Business Council, one of the individuals I’ll be meeting with tomorrow, respon- ded to the question: “How have we managed reopening the economy?” Ken Peacock said, reading the plan: “B.C. is in line with what’s going on in other provinces. The reopen- ing is good. I think B.C. managed the crisis much better. We’ve had better outcomes, and some of that is attributable to how we’ve managed it compared to other provinces. ” Again, hon. member from Prince George, I absolutely 11784 British Columbia Debates Wednesday, June 24, 2020

agree with you. This is a serious issue, and we’re going to be discussing it face to face — not, apparently, effectively with the members of the opposition but face to face with the B.C. Business Council, two boards of trade and the B.C. Chamber of Commerce, representing tens of thousands of businesses in British Columbia. Mr. Speaker:The member for Prince George–Vale- mount on a supplemental. S. Bond:The Premier can filibuster all he wants by read- ing out articles. What the sectors that are excluded from the meeting tomorrow are asking for is for the Premier to say yes today. This is a critical issue.

Sixty percent of hotels remain closed, yet this entire sector, which is in every com- munity in British Columbia, critical to the restart of the economy, is simply being dismissed by the Premier as not being important enough to attend the meeting.

Just today Ingrid said, “Out of the 56,000 employees laid off, there will probably be about 35,000 of them that will not have a job to go back to because those businesses will not survive, ” and: “For our industry, it is crippling…and an undue stress and hardship on employees who are frightened they will not have a job to come back to next week or the week after. ” Hoteliers feel desperate. It is time for the Premier to do the right thing. It’s a simple step the Premier can take. Right now all the hoteliers know is that the Labour Minis- ter said no to their request. It’s a critical issue.

Thousands of jobs are on the line. To the Premier — very simple for him, a simple yes or no: will he extend the temporary leave request today? Hon. J. Horgan:I thank the member for her question. I do agree that the hospitality sector is a critical, important part of the B.C. economy. That’s why I was so excited that Dr. Henry and I could announce today that phase 3 of the B.C. restart plan is effective today. That means the hard work of British Columbians to flatten the curve and to keep COVID-19 under control…. But let’s be under no illusion: COVID-19 will be with us through the summer.

It will be with us through the fall and likely into the new year as well. We need to be vigilant. I am committed to making sure that British Columbia gets back to where we were as fast as we possibly can. I am going to do the courteous thing and sit down with the people — the majority of the people, or a portion of the people, whatever hair the member from over there wants to raise…. I’m sitting down with the vast majority of the leaders in the industry, and I’m going to have a direct con- versation with them.

I think that’s the appropriate way to go. [2:30 p.m.] I appreciate that the official opposition is not satisfied with me engaging directly with British Columbians. When I said and the Minister of Finance said that we wanted to ask British Columbians what they thought, what did we get? Scorn and contempt from the official opposition. That was the end of the collegiality, I guess. When we said, “Why don’t we all together, all 87 of us, ask British Col- umbians what they think, ” what was the response from the B.C. Liberal Party? “Health doesn’t matter to the economy. ” That’s from the Leader of the Opposition.

Health is fundamental. Public health is absolutely fun- damental, so much so that the Business Council of Canada, Goldy Hyder, said the following: “Public confid- ence is essential to a successful economic restart. By fol- lowing the advice of health officials and actively commit- ting ourselves to fight COVID-19, we can assure Cana- dians that business owners and managers are working to mitigate risk and get the economy moving. ” Health is fundamental to have confidence in the eco- nomy. It’s a shame the Leader of the Opposition doesn’t understand that.

INSPECTIONS OF SENIORS CARE FACILITIES AND DELIVERY OF CARE HOURS S. Furstenau:I’ d like to begin by thanking the Minister of Health for his work and answers over the last couple of days. We look forward to seeing the changes that he’s promised. Thanks to his continued work, the scenarios reported by the military and the truly horrible state in some care homes in Ontario and Quebec have, thankfully, not been documented to the same extent here in B.C.

However, here in B.C., we have heard from elders and family members about serious maltreatment, and in the months leading up to the pandemic, the provincial gov- ernment did have to take control of four care homes due to dangerously low standards of care. The latest report from the B.C. seniors advocate high- lights the many areas we are continuing to fail to reg- ulate and where care homes, despite increased funding, fall short. My question is for the Minister of Health.

Will the min- ister commit to increasing the frequency and length of inspections in B.C. long-term-care homes and assisted-liv- ing facilities as a measure to assure British Columbians that seniors are living with the dignity and respect that they deserve? Hon. A. Dix: Thank you to the member for her ques- tion. In British Columbia, health inspections, inspections under the Community Care and Assisted Living Act, are done under the auspices of medical health officers and the health authorities. Last year there were 677 such inspec- tions in British Columbia, and this year we’re at about the same rate.

Through five months in 2020, we’ve done about 293 inspections, or those health officers have. The member refers to the care homes that have been taken under the administration of health authorities. Wednesday, June 24, 2020 British Columbia Debates 11785

Those are, I think, examples of how vigorously and how seriously our teams in public health take these issues. In all of those cases, standards weren’t met, and action was taken by health authority boards, by me and by licensing officers. So we’re continuing to ensure and work to ensure the qual- ity of care. I want to add to this. Some of the most important ways we’ve done this are the 2.293 million care hours we’ve added under the 3.36 initiative. Two million of those care hours have gone to public beds in private not-for-profit and for-profit facilities.

It’s an indication of our determ- ination to improve the quality of care. It is the effort of everyone together — of team B.C., of care operators public and private — over the last number of months that has allowed us in B.C., while facing the huge challenges for long-term care in this pandemic, to have a record that I think deserves respect. We’re going to continue that work, continue the signi- ficant effort by public health. I want to thank everyone involved in public health who works with the care home sector, who has fought and worked to ensure that seniors are kept protected in the pandemic.

I want to thank them, and you know they will continue to have the resources they need. Mr. Speaker:The Leader of the Third Party on a supple- mental. S. Furstenau:I do want to join the Minister of Health in commending all of the hard work of people who have taken care of our most vulnerable in this pandemic. However, I do think there is a role that government does need to play in oversight. The minister mentions the number of care hours in B.C.

In fact, he has pointed to the government’s increased fund- ing of direct care hours in the last few days to the provin- cial standard, to 3.36 hours of care per resident, per day. While we support this initiative — and of course, the issue of care hours is incredibly important — the question of sufficient oversight and monitoring remains. We currently lack a system robust enough to accurately monitor the actual hours of care delivered.

So while the government may fund 3.36 hours of care per resident, per day, there is no system robust enough to ensure those hours are actually being delivered. [2:35 p.m.] In fact, according to the B.C. seniors advocate, the cur- rent system used to try and calculate delivered care hours may actually overstate the actual number of care hours delivered. I’ d hope and expect that the minister is as con- cerned as we are about the 207,000 hours of taxpayer-fun- ded care that were not delivered in the for-profit sector in 2017-2018. My question is once again to the Minister of Health.

What additional steps is the government going to take to create a more robust monitoring system for delivered dir- ect care hours to ensure that public funds are being used for the sole purpose of providing direct care to seniors? Hon. A. Dix: I want to make the distinction between the licensing inspections that take place to ensure the qual- ity of care. Those are separate from the financial decisions that are made, for good reason — so that there is no con- flict of interest and so that our licensing officers can focus on what they need to focus on, which is the quality of care.

When we decided on the 3.36 initiative at that time, 44 of the 293 eligible care homes met provincial standards, and now a majority do. All 44 of those were health author- ity–owned and –operated at that time. We’ve made signi- ficant improvements. And when we decided to spend, on an annualized basis, the $110 million required to lift the average care standard up to 3.36, we put in place monitor- ing measures. I agree there are things to learn from the report of the seniors advocate, which, as the member notes, assessed statistics from 2016-17 and ’17-18. I think improvements can be made.

As I suggested in my answer yesterday, more improvements will be made. I think all of us can say that the increase in care stand- ards and the response of the entire health system, both those offering care in for-profit, non-profit and health authority–owned and –operated care, has been extra- ordinary and a collective effort — a team B.C. effort that all of us can be proud of. MORRISON MINE PROJECT A. Weaver:On March 5, I asked the Minister of Energy, Mines and Petroleum Resources a question concerning regulatory inconsistencies in the provincial government’s handling of Pacific Booker’s proposed Morrison mine.

I’ d like to explore this a little further. In 2015, after reviewing the project for a second time, the Ministry of Environment issued a

section 17 order that the project undergo further assessment. Despite numer- ous exchanges with the environmental assessment office and the completion of an in-depth study of Morrison Lake, Pacific Booker has been unable to clarify the precise nature of what is actually required in the

section 17 order. For Pacific Booker, this order has been tantamount to a rejec- tion of its project without the ministry formally saying no. Government recently amended the environmental assessment process to provide certainty of process and clarity of regulatory considerations. When presented with an application for an environmental assessment certificate, the minister is given three options under the 2018 Environmental Assessment Act: (1) grant the cer- tificate, (2) grant the certificate with conditions attached or (3) reject the project.

Pacific Booker’s treatment doesn’t align with the new assessment standards. They’ve been given the opposite of 11786 British Columbia Debates Wednesday, June 24, 2020

regulatory certainty, and their project has been shunted off for a further assessment. My question is to the Minister of Environment. Consid- ering the recent changes to the environmental assessment process, will he amend the 2015 order to clarify the nature of the work required by Pacific Booker Minerals? Hon. G. Heyman: Thank you to the member for the question. I recall the question to my colleague the Minister of Energy, Mines and Petroleum Resources in March quite well.

As the Minister of Energy and Mines said at the time, he and I can’t speak to the specifics of why the old govern- ment made the decision that it made with respect to the proposed Morrison mine. The member is also correct that we made significant changes to the Environmental Assessment Act through revitalization, and we’re proud of that, as our government.

We’ve brought new transparency to the act, we’ve included engagement of Indigenous peoples and local communities at the front end, and we have taken steps to ensure that good projects that respect the environment, that respect Indigenous peoples and that respect the public can be approved more quickly, with greater certainty. [2:40 p.m.] However, with regard to Pacific Booker, the member is correct. Under the old act, the decision was made to require additional information from the proponent before a final decision on the proposal was made.

Under the new legislation or the transition regulation, there is no ability to take a project like Morrison that has proceeded this far down the process and transfer it to the provisions of the new act. It’s my understanding that the company is cur- rently working through the required regulatory process for further assessment in tandem with the environmental assessment office. Mr. Speaker:The member for Oak Bay–Gordon Head on a supplemental. A. Weaver:Thank you, Minister, for your answer. I think the minister may have missed the point. Pacific Booker doesn’t know what the

section 17 order does because what they’re supposed to do has not been con- veyed to them with any certainty. They are left with an uncertain order to which they don’t know how to respond. It’s not possible for them to move through the regulatory process when that process has not been defined in which they could go. They have conducted detailed assessments of Morrison Lake and its internal wildlife, including measuring water quality and lake mixing patterns as well as investigations into fish habitat and spawning patterns.

They have pledged to use cutting-edge technology to reduce groundwater seepage from the tailings storage facility. They’ve even completed a request, and they were the only one asked to do so, to comment on the implications of Mount Polley for their tailings management. Throughout the protracted environmental assessment process, Pacific Booker has stated its preference to use loc- al suppliers and to hire local workers. The project would generate over 1,000 jobs in the region near Smithers, and it would provide millions of dollars in tax revenue.

At a time when the provincial economy is reeling due to the efforts of COVID-19, the project would give that region a much- needed economic boost. My question, again, to the Minister of Environment is this.

Given the extensive work undertaken by Pacific Booker Minerals to examine and reduce the environment- al impact of the potential Morrison mine project and the potential economic benefit to the province, will this gov- ernment commit to ensuring that the company receives a timely, unbiased review of the latest proposal and, in par- ticular, is given clear instructions from your office so that it knows what boxes need to be ticked and so that they can follow due process, rather than second-guessing cer- tain people who haven’t made that very clear? Hon. G.

Heyman:Thank you again to the member for the supplemental question. The company, of course, has to provide some very spe- cific additional information that was required under the order. The order was specific. Some examples of the type of additional information required are sockeye salmon use of Morrison Lake, upper and lower Tahlo Creek and the Morrison River; hydrogeological and groundwater data for areas between the mine and Morrison Lake; and fur- ther engagement with the Lake Babine Nation and other impacted First Nations.

I am advised that the company made its latest submis- sion to the environmental assessment office in December and that environmental assessment office staff met with the company this past February as additional information was required from the company. It is certainly not the intention of our government to make proponents guess at what is required. I checked with the environmental assess- ment office, and my understanding is that staff there are working to help answer any questions the proponent has with respect to the information required.

I am advised that the company plans to provide an update to the environmental assessment office regarding their next steps, and the environmental assessment office will be very happy to assist them in a timely answering of the questions required by the order. As minister, I assure that when the application is complete and ready for recon- sideration, it will be considered in a timely manner. Mr. Speaker:Exercising my discretion, I’m going to allow a question from Peace River North.

As you will all know, that there have only been two members from the official opposition who have had an opportunity to ask a question. Wednesday, June 24, 2020 British Columbia Debates 11787

Proceed, Member. FUNDING OF INDEPENDENT SCHOOLS D. Davies: Thank you, hon. Speaker. A pleasant sur- prise, I might add. I appreciate it. The Premier made a promise to parents in 2017, just before the election. I am going to read a little piece of that promise. “We do not have any plans to change the existing funding for independent schools, nor the legislation that governs them. ” But that’s exactly what happened by slash- ing 21 percent from their budget. Elsa, a grade 5 student, also wants to know why the Pre- mier broke his promise.

I have received hundreds of let- ters, emails, and phone calls from parents who want to know why the Premier broke his word. [2:45 p.m.] Many students that attend IDL schools come from diverse learning backgrounds — students that are strug- gling in traditional learning environments as well as stu- dents that learn in remote areas like my area in the Peace country. Parents feel like they have been singled out for choosing how they want to educate their children and that the Premier is picking sides with how he wants to teach kids.

Furthermore, schools were told directly by the ministry that this was a political decision. To the Premier and to his promise, I am going to read Elsa’s question: “I want you to talk to me as an 11-year-old and tell me why it’s okay to wreck my schooling, please. Tell me why I can’t learn the best way that works for me. ” Hon. R. Fleming: Thank you to the member for the question and the opportunity, as well, to join in with all members of the House who have congratulated the 64,000 members of the graduating class of 2020.

I want to also take this opportunity to thank all of the parents, teachers, support staff, principals and vice-prin- cipals, school leaders around British Columbia, under the direction and capable leadership of Dr. Bonnie Henry, for managing, over the last 100 days, our school system during a pandemic. We have fared very well in British Columbia, and we’re very pleased that, being able to restart schools in a safe way for the month of June, we have had 200,000 stu- dents who returned back to the classroom, which sets us up for a very strong restart in September.

To the member’s question, the changes we have made bring independent distributed learning funding in line with every other independent school in the group 1 rates. This is consistency with funding rules that govern Cath- olic, Sikh, Anglican, Jewish, Montessori schools in the bricks-and-mortar independent school sector. I would add that even the opposition, when they were in government, had concerns around funding rules with IDL schools. They brought in a cap on supplies. They brought in a moratorium, in 2012, on certifying addi- tional IDL providers.

We are proud, as a government, I have to say, that we have raised special education funding for all students in both independent and public school systems by 35 per- cent. I’ve received the letters that the member has. Those students who have learning disabilities or unique abilities and whose their parents feel that the choice to enrol in IDL schools is the best for them and their family are benefiting by an increase of $15 million in new funding. The member can call this a cut if he likes, but the facts are that IDL schools will receive a 4 percent funding increase next year.

This is an adjustment that brings it into consistency and in line with every other independent group 1 school in the province of British Columbia. Mr. Speaker:Peace River North on a supplemental. D. Davies:It’s quite shameful, actually, how the min- ister has completely dismissed a $12 million cut to IDL students. That’s $800 per student that has been cut. He can twist it around however he wants, but at the end of the day, the Premier has said that he would not make any cuts or any changes to the legislation regarding inde- pendent schools. Again I ask the Premier, why did he break his word? Hon. R.

Fleming: Well, it’s unfortunate. The member has all of his numbers wrong, and he’s just wrong on the facts. As I have said, independent distributed learning fund- ing will increase by 4 percent next year. Students with special education needs in IDL schools have benefited through a 35 percent increase to the rates to which we fund students who fall into those assessment categories. Interjections. Mr. Speaker:Members. Hon. R.

Fleming: The independent school sector, which we’ve been in regular communication with, has benefited by the massive $2 billion additional operating investments into the school system writ large in British Columbia that was outlined in Budget 2020. That massive investment, which is long overdue in public education, also flows to the independent school sector. Look.

Students and families in British Columbia are benefiting from a government that has wasted no time over the last three years to bring labour peace to the school system, to bring record levels of investment, to increase overall student funding in British Columbia from being the second-worst in Canada and increased it by $1,400. [2:50 p.m.] We have increased investment in British Columbia at four times the rate of any other provincial jurisdiction in 11788 British Columbia Debates Wednesday, June 24, 2020

Canada. That’s a record we’re proud of. That’s a promise we made to British Columbians, and that’s a promise we’ve delivered on. [End of question period.] Point of Order M. Polak:Mr. Speaker, some time ago you ruled that the opposition should not refer to ministers by joke names. I trust that the same ruling would apply to those of the exec- utive council referring to members of the opposition. Mr. Speaker:Y es, I have a very good recall of that. Hon. J. Horgan:I thank the hon. Opposition House Leader for raising the issue.

I took advantage of a collegial, long-standing relationship with the member for Abbots- ford West, and I regret that. I will conduct myself more appropriately in the future, and I am sure he will as well. Tabling Documents Hon. D. Eby: I have the honour to present the 2019 annual report of the Property Assessment Appeal Board and the annual report of the civil resolution tribunal for 2018-19. Reports from Committees FINANCE AND GOVERNMENT SERVICES COMMITTEE B. D’Eith:Mr.

Speaker, I have the honour to present the first report of the Select Standing Committee on Finance and Government Services for the fifth session of the 41st parliament entitledInterim Report on Statutory Offices, a copy of which has been deposited with the Office of the Clerk. I move that the report be taken as read and received. Motion approved. B. D’Eith:I ask leave of the House to move a motion to adopt the report. Leave granted. B. D’Eith:In moving adoption of the report, I’ d like to make a few brief comments.

This report summarizes the committee’s spring 2020 meetings, which were held virtually with British Colum- bia’s nine statutory offices. As part of the committee’s pro- cess for overseeing statutory office budgets, statutory officers met with the committee to discuss their financial and operational situations and their strategic priorities and goals.

The committee also heard about the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the operations of each office, in addition to meeting their ongoing important oversight and accountability functions, statutory officers and their staff adapted their work processes and developed new, innovat- ive ways to serve members of the Legislative Assembly and all British Columbians.

On behalf of the committee and all Members of the Legislative Assembly, I extend our sincere appreciation to all statutory officers, their offices and their staff for their dedication and service during this very challenging time and throughout the fiscal year ahead. I would also like to extend my thanks, on behalf of the committee, for all of the work that the Parliamentary Committees Office has done during the pandemic for this committee, in allowing us to proceed without interrup- tion.

In particular, I would like to thank Kate Ryan-Lloyd, Karan Riarh and Katey Stickle for all their hard work in facilitating the presentations and preparing the report. I would also like to thank Hansard for their incredible efforts in pivoting to virtual meetings during this time. I am sure I speak for everyone on the committee in extend- ing our heartfelt thanks. Finally, I would like to thank the Deputy Chair and member for Columbia River–Revelstoke; and the mem- bers for Cariboo-Chilcotin, Langley East, Esquimalt-Met- chosin, Courtenay-Comox and also Powell River–Sun- shine Coast.

Everyone simply rolled up their sleeves and got to work. As the Chair, I sincerely appreciate that. Thank you so much, Members. That’s all I have to say. I believe the Deputy Chair has a few words. [2:55 p.m.] D. Clovechok: As all the members in this House know, it’s an honour to be a member of the select stand- ing committee. As Deputy Chair, I’ve been able to par- ticipate firsthand in the work and the efforts that are involved in the creation of this interim report and the ongoing work that’s done by committee members. I, too, want to express my sincere thanks to our Chair. He’s done a very, very good job.

On behalf of all the members on our side of the House, I’ d like to personally thank all the committee members, the staff, the Clerk and the assistant clerk for all their efforts. They have absolutely been amazing during this time. The constructive dialogue and the absolute collaboration that I have witnessed across party lines is done always in the best interest of British Columbians and the province of B.C. While this year has been incredibly difficult with the virtual meetings, the flexibility, the adaptability of each member of the committee and staff has led to the ongoing success of the work.

Like our Chair just said, too, I’ d like to thank the statutory officers for their understanding and their perseverance during these unprecedented times, Wednesday, June 24, 2020 British Columbia Debates 11789

doing the jobs that they do under these conditions and for their continued support for the Legislative Assembly and to all of our members. We all look forward to continuing this collaboration as we move forward into the next phase of this. I want to again thank everybody. Mr. Speaker:Hearing from no other members, Mem- bers, a vote is about to take place. The question is the adop- tion of the report. Motion approved. Orders of the Day Hon. M. Farnworth:I call Bill 6, second reading, Mines Amendment Act. [R.

Chouhan in the chair.] Second Reading of Bills BILL 6 — MINES AMENDMENT ACT, 2020 (continued) Deputy Speaker:The minister to close debate. Hon. B. Ralston:I had believed that the member from West Vancouver had reserved his right to continue, but if he’s not going to take that opportunity, then I certainly wanted to respect that choice of his, but I am prepared to make some closing comments. I want to thank the members for their participation in the debate. A number of themes emerged, which I think bear some comment.

I appreciate that we will expect some questioning in the course of the further proceedings of the bill at the committee stage. But I do want to make a few comments in closing in response to some of the comments that have been made by members. I was pretty excited when the Premier asked me to take on this new file at the end of January, particularly the min- ing part of the file. I was born and grew up in British Col- umbia, and mining has always been an important part of the B.C. economy and something that I think that every- one who lives in British Columbia is very aware of.

Indeed, mining permeates much of our economy and even the loc- al economy. Last year, when I was in the previous file, I was asked by the B.C. Mining Association to express my thoughts about Surrey as a mining town. Actually, I did a very short video recognizing that Surrey has 180 companies that depend on the mining industry for their livelihoods and the liveli- hoods of those who work for them.

The member for Lang- ley East pointed out in his comments that his town, too — Langley and Surrey, particularly in the Port Kells region of our respective ridings — houses many of the companies that I was referring to. [3:00 p.m.] So it’s not simply an activity that takes place in rural or remote locations. It’s an activity that’s intrinsically linked to towns and cities throughout British Columbia. I had some fun doing the video. I think it’s still out there, if any- one has got an idle moment and they want to look at it.

When I took on the job, I also wanted to go out and tour all the operating mines in British Columbia. I got started on that, although COVID interrupted that process. I should add that Tyson Craiggs of the Stone, Sand and Gravel Association also pointed out to me that I should include in my ambition the opportunity to visit some aggregate operations throughout the province. I promised him that I would do that, although I didn’t get started on that. I did set out to tour those operating mines.

I just want to talk a little bit about it, because I think it gives a little bit of a flavour of what mining is about in this province. I visited the New Afton mine just outside the muni- cipal boundaries of Kamloops. It’s not in Kamloops. There’s a story there about a wish to extend the bound- aries of Kamloops to include New Afton, but we’ll leave that for another day. I did speak to the people at New Afton about their mining plan, their effort to expand production, and they have some very ambitious plans. I think it’s significant, because there have been some comments about a lack of investment in B.C. mining.

I’ll give a number of examples. Unfortunately, I appreciate that the members opposite live sometimes in ideological boxes, but it just doesn’t accord with the facts of what has taken place in the mining sector in recent years. The Ontario teachers pension fund, which is one of the largest pension funds in the country, recently invested $300 million — that’s U.S. $300 million — buying 46 per- cent of the free cash flow from the New Afton mine just outside Kamloops. That deal extends for four years, at which point they have the option to buy a 46 percent interest in the mine, or it could revert back to New Gold.

That’s $300 million U.S. invested in a B.C. mine. I think that’s significant, and that’s just this year. I toured Highland Valley Copper, which is just south of Kamloops. Highland Valley is a long-standing mine owned by Teck. It’s also interesting in the technological innovations. In my previous job as minister responsible for tech- nology, I came to know a Vancouver company called MineSense, which has devised a computer system that fits inside the shovel of a loader so that each load that’s taken out of the ground is immediately assayed.

In other words, the mineral content of that shovelful is determined, and a stream of data is sent to a central point, where it’s ana- lyzed. Then operational decisions are made of where to dig as they go along. 11790 British Columbia Debates Wednesday, June 24, 2020

MineSense is a very successful company. They’re on mark 2 or mark 3 of their technology. Mitsubishi Corp. has bought an interest in the company, and they’re introducing that in their mines in Australia. Mining sometimes is per- ceived as being a bit stodgy and uninnovative, but in fact, this particular company, in association with Teck at High- land Valley, is a global leader in mining technology. The other interesting thing at this particular mine is the autonomous vehicles. Autonomous vehicle is a fancy word for a self-driving truck.

It’s a little eerie when you go there, but there are these massive trucks, which would probably be, I guess, as high as up to where the Hansard people are sitting. They’re huge trucks, and they are oper- ating without a driver. They are controlled remotely. They lumber up and down the slopes, are loaded with ore that has been extracted and then take it to a central dump.

Teck, with those two projects, really shows, in a very competitive global market — a deposit which is not on the high end of grade; it’s a fairly low-grade deposit — that it’s necessary to have every advantage that one can in order to make it competitive. Certainly, that’s a very strong illustra- tion of that principle. [3:05 p.m.] I also toured Gibraltar mine, which is north of Williams Lake near McLeese Lake, about 26 kilometres north of Williams Lake. That mine employs 650 employees, the biggest employer in the Cariboo.

It’s a copper-molyb- denum mine — very successful, long-standing and contin- ues to operate. From there, I went north to Wells, which is west of Quesnel. People will know Wells better as the town that is a short distance from historic Barkerville. We toured there Barkerville Gold. Barkerville Gold has amalgamated a number of the historic gold properties that were explored and mined in the 19th century during the legendary Cari- boo gold rush. Williams Creek, Grouse Creek, the Bon- anza mine — there are a number there.

It’s recently been acquired, and again, this is another investment in British Columbia and in the mining sector. Osisko Gold Royalties completed the purchase of Bark- erville gold mine for a total of $338 million. That is another investment in a gold mine — again, a recently concluded transaction. Those tours were ended because of COVID. I couldn’t do that anymore, but I’ve continued to meet with the people in the sector, as part of the COVID response. We met either weekly or biweekly, on some occasions, with the Mining Association of British Columbia repres- ented by Michael Goehring and Lindsay Kislock.

We met also with, in one meeting, the Association for Mineral Exploration, Kendra Johnston and Rob Stevens; the Min- ing Suppliers Association of British Columbia, Alec Mor- rison; and the B.C. Stone, Sand and Gravel Association, which I talked to earlier — Tyson Craiggs, the president, and Derek Holmes, the executive director. Part of that was to respond to COVID. We have taken their suggestions. For example, for the mining sector spe- cifically, in order to protect jobs throughout British Col- umbia and to support a return to normal operations, B.C.

Hydro agreed to allow eligible industrial customers to con- tinue to defer a portion of their bill payments for another three months. That’s been extended to the end of August 2020. That’s a six-month deferral. These industries use large amounts of energy and rep- resent about 25 percent of Hydro’s domestic electric load. That is the amount of the electricity that’s sold in British Columbia. This deferral helps retain loads and revenues which, if lost, would have a significant negative impact for all B.C. Hydro ratepayers. To date, 26 B.C.

Hydro industri- al customers have taken advantage of the new bill deferral — including mines but also pulp mills, sawmills and pel- let plants — deferring more than $25 million in electricity payments from March through May. In the mining sector alone, the opportunity to defer a portion of electricity bills has helped to keep more than 1,600 workers on the job. Let me just quote from Michael Goehring, who is the president and CEO of the Mining Association of British Columbia: “Mining supports more than 35,000 jobs in Metro Vancouver, Vancouver Island, the Interior, south- east and northern B.C.

Extending the opportunity to defer electricity payments for another three months” — that’s the second tranche to the end of August — “will help to keep the mining sector operating and British Columbians working through a time of volatile commodity prices and economic uncertainty. ” [3:10 p.m.] Kendra Johnston, or representatives of AME, yesterday, upon introduction of the bill, tweeted the following com- ments: “We are pleased to see updated Mines Act legis- lation introduced to make permitting more efficient and effective. ” That’s AME BC, one of the groups that we’ve been meeting with.

So there is support for government action that’s been responsive to the concerns of the mining sector. Let me also talk about, since the suggestion was, I think…. Let me just quote. There was one member who said yesterday: “We have not seen a new mine come on line in the three years of this government. There are not even rumours of them. Major pro- jects that are lined up on the books to start were lined up on the books under the previous government. Those projects are either proceeding now or they’re not proceeding at all.

There are no new major projects being proposed in this province on the investment docket for government to work with to try and move forward. That should say something. That says everything you need to know about capital dollars and investment dollars in view of what’s going on in British Columbia. ” That’s a quotation from a member of the opposition, and sadly, it is just completely misinformed. I’m not going to accuse the member of misleading the House.

I think it’s really just living in an ideological box and saying what pleases or matches their political narrative but is com- Wednesday, June 24, 2020 British Columbia Debates 11791

pletely out of step with the business reality of investment in mining in British Columbia. I mentioned the investment by the Ontario teachers fund in New Afton. Last March the Australian miner New- crest acquired a 70 percent interest in the Red Chris mine in northwest British Columbia — $806.5 million U.S. dol- lars. Newcrest is one of the biggest mining companies in the world, based in Australia. They’ve indicated that they consider British Columbia to be a premier mining destin- ation. They’re very bullish on British Columbia. I think that the biggest news recently is the Artemis Gold project.

That’s a project in the Blackwater country. They announced…. This Artemis Gold is a new, relatively unknown company, but I’ll talk a little bit about the track record. I met with the chair of Artemis Gold, Steven Dean, just on Friday. They purchased this project for $200 mil- lion — Canadian dollars, in this case. The chairman has a really extensive record of mining development. He was previously the founder of Atlantic Gold Corp. He’s a former president of Teck Mining here in British Columbia. He’s lived in British Columbia for the last 20 years.

Atlantic Gold focused on gold exploration, development and production in British Columbia. Took the company from, I think, purchased for a very modest amount and sold it for $802 million after building a mine on time and on budget and operating at the lowest cost profile in the gold sector. This initial purchase is backstopped by Ryan Beedie, who an Artemis director. He’s well known in the real estate sector, and many will know him, also, for his charitable work. He has invested over $100 million in this mine. In addition to the purchase, the backstop by Mr.

Beedie, the mine also did another round of financing last week and raised, I am told, close to $200 million. Everyone in the sector is really buoyed up by this announcement and the fact that it’s going forward. The location is 160 kilometres southwest of Prince George. Y ou go in south of Vanderhoof. It will require the construc- tion of a power line. Most of the road network would be forestry roads, but it will require the construction of a road from the forestry road network into the mine site. Steven Dean told me he considers the Blackwater mine to be a world-class asset.

They expect, ultimately, to spend $2 billion for the complete project. It would employ 1,200 to 1,500 people over a two-year construc- tion phase and 500 over the mine life. Most, 90 percent, of the workforce would be hired from the Prince George to Burns Lake area. [3:15 p.m.] They also have an agreement — a very significant and important and, actually, condition precedent to develop- ment — with the Lhoosk’uz Dené Nation, the Ulkatcho First Nation, regarding an economic and community development agreement that would enable sharing 35 per- cent of the mineral tax revenue.

Far from no new mine, far from not even rumours, this project is a go — a very strong, capable team, well fin- anced, and it’s going forward. Sadly, I guess — or maybe mistakenly — the opposition doesn’t seem to be aware of this or are not prepared to make an acknowledgement that steps like this are taking place in British Columbia and in the mining sector. It’s a great sector with a lot of action. Let me just say a couple more comments about the premise of the bill. There seems to be a resort to some of the usual, I suppose, ideological clichés about the premise of the bill.

One of the many accomplishments of the previous min- ister in this sector was the Mining Jobs Task Force. That was chaired by the assistant deputy minister of the depart- ment, and there were a number of members — a very rep- resentative group. Let me just read some of the names; I won’t read them all.

Keith Bertrand, the mayor of Tumbler Ridge; Bryan Cox, president and CEO of the mining associ- ation prior to Michael Goehring; Earl Graham, staff rep- resentative of the United Steelworkers; Mark Podlasly, a senior adviser at First Nations Energy and Mining Council; Regina Saimoto, associate dean, Coast Moun- tain College, eastern region; Tom Syer, head of gov- ernment affairs, Teck Resources; Edie Thome, president and CEO of the Association for Mineral Exploration; Richard Tremblay, vice-president and general manager, Taseko Gibraltar mine; and Alan Y oung, director of Materials Efficiency Research Group.

That task force set out a number of recommendations, and most of those have been adopted. Many of the steps that have been taken flow from that broad Mining Jobs Task Force report, and almost all of them have been implemented. The government, the department, has funded and initi- ated, in addition, a number of other steps. A standing code review with the participation of industry, organized labour and First Nations. Allocated $1 million in year-end funding to work with industry and all levels of government to establish a min- ing innovation roadmap.

The example that I gave, MineSense, is something that can be generalized and really hold up British Columbia mining as a global centre for mining innovation. Allocated $1 million for the continuation and expansion of the Regional Mining Alliance. This is a group that works with Indigenous nations and takes out the message of the openness of British Columbia to investment to global min- ing gatherings. Unlike the previous government, we made the mineral exploration tax credit permanent. We made the mining flow-through shares tax credit permanent. We allocated $5 million to Geoscience B.C. for bridge funding.

We exten- ded the new mine allowance for five years. We exempted PST on the purchase of machinery and equipment used for pollution control and waste management, regardless of where it will be used. 11792 British Columbia Debates Wednesday, June 24, 2020

Among the recommendations of the task force were recommendations…. Let me just read them. [3:20 p.m.] “Ensure clearer division of responsibility and resources between permitting functions and compliance and enforcement within EMPR. ” The Mining Jobs Task Force — this broadly based group including industry, unions, First Nations and the broader public sector — recommen- ded that, and that’s one of the recommendations that’s coming forward in this bill.

It also stated and recommended: “Improve health and safety capacity and effectiveness, and establish compliance, auditing and establish compliance auditing and effective- ness monitoring function. ” Certainly, that’s another recommendation that comes from the task force, and that’s what this bill will work on. That’s what the essence of the bill is. The ministry has restructured its mining responsibilities into two divisions with separate assistant deputy minister accountabilities. Budget 2019 invested in both divisions.

This legislation separates decision-makers for permitting and health, safety and enforcement, and creates a chief auditor to direct a new auditing function. All of these flow from the concerns and recommenda- tions of the Mining Jobs Task Force. These are important steps to take, although I sense a certain dismissiveness from the opposition about the importance of these consid- erations. PwC just issued a report about the mining industry in British Columbia just last week and talked about ESG — that is, environment, social and governance criteria.

That’s what investors are looking for in order to make their decisions to invest. Mining safety, for example, is paramount. The member for West Vancouver–Capilano will tell you that he had an experience back many years ago as a director for Curragh Resources. There was a major mining disaster in Nova Scotia, the Westray mining disaster, where a number of men were killed in a mine. It was a national issue. Ulti- mately, the criminal law was changed — it wasn’t the case at the time — to make the directors accountable for cor- porate criminal responsibility.

So I think there are many on the other side, and par- ticularly that member, who are well acquainted with the importance of safety as a first consideration for the mining that takes place in any jurisdiction. We want to have, here in British Columbia, the highest standard on safety. I don’t think that anyone here would disagree with that. Part of the reason for these divisions of functions is to make sure that that safety function is audited and brought to the attention of the company, of the operator and of the people who work there in order that changes can be made. That’s not just some frill.

That’s not just some red tape. That is also a consideration that investors look at, the ESG con- siderations, in deciding whether or not to make the kinds of investments — I cited a number of them — that com- panies, finance, pension funds are looking to make in min- ing in the future. It’s a live concern for those investors who want to make investments in a mine. That’s partly what motivates these particular changes. Now, there were a number of other questions.

I know that the member for Langley East raised some questions, interesting questions, about professionals employed in one aspect of the new division of labour. Would they be in con- flict of interest and not able to work in another part of the legislative scheme? We’ll get those answers for him. Those are good questions, and I’m sure that those will be pursued at the committee stage of this particular bill. I know there are other questions that have been raised. I look forward to that debate.

These steps are to increase our efforts to raise the stand- ards of mining here in British Columbia so that it is defin- itely one of the best places in the world to invest in mining, to create jobs and the kind of prosperity that we wish for the province of British Columbia now and in the future. With those comments, Mr. Speaker, I would end my remarks. Deputy Speaker: Minister, move second reading, please. [3:25 p.m.] Hon. B. Ralston:I should move second reading, which I do. Motion approved. Hon. B.

Ralston:I move that the bill be referred to a Committee of the Whole House at the next sitting of the House after today. Bill 6, Mines Amendment Act, 2020, read a second time and referred to a Committee of the Whole House for consideration at the next sitting of the House after today. Hon. M. Farnworth:I call second reading of Bill 19, COVID-19 Related Measures Act. BILL 19 — COVID-19 RELATED MEASURES ACT Hon. D. Eby:I move the bill be now read a second time.

The COVID-19 Related Measures Act, which includes targeted amendments to the Emergency Program Act, addresses both legal and practical issues related to sup- porting B.C. ’s Restart Plan for the COVID-19 pandemic. On March 18, a provincial state of emergency was declared due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Since then, a number of ministerial orders have been made by the Soli- citor General under the Emergency Program Act. These orders are due to expire as soon as the provincial state of emergency ends. Wednesday, June 24, 2020 British Columbia Debates 11793

The COVID-19 Related Measures Act provides a tem- porary legal framework to allow for flexibility for when the ministerial orders expire. It is important to ensure that when we are able to come out of the provincial state of emergency, British Columbians are not faced with unin- tended practical and legal consequences due to the abrupt end of orders all at once on a single day. Many of the min- isterial orders were made to ensure people’s legal rights and obligations would not be negatively affected by the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, including the eco- nomic impacts.

Public health officer guidelines on physical distancing and restrictions on mass gatherings have been critical to our ability to contain the spread of the virus and keep Brit- ish Columbians safe. But they also meant that business as usual was not an option. Many British Columbians also faced unexpected negative changes to their economic cir- cumstances or new expectations of how their jobs or busi- nesses should run. Many of the ministerial orders were made to assist people who were unable to comply with the law at the same time as complying with public health officer guidelines.

For example, Ministerial Order M162 allows remote witnessing of representation agreements while long-term-care facilities are locked down to outsiders. If this order expires before it is safe for residents to have in- person visitors, residents will not be able to exercise their legal right to advanced planning, which could have signi- ficant legal, practical and emotional impacts on people. Many of the ministerial orders have been made to pro- tect people in the province.

However, there is still a need to protect people beyond the end of the provincial state of emergency if the effects of the pandemic are still being felt. Protecting British Columbians is at the heart of all of the ministerial orders made during the state of emergency. The state of

Document details

Collection	British Columbia — Debates (Hansard)
Citation	20200624pm Hansard n331
Type	hansard
Volume / chapter	20200624pm Hansard n331
Language	en
Format	pdf
Source	PROVINCIAL
Identifier	6b7938497f97cd9f01a84f4883df65094b684d6c

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