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British Columbia — Debates (Hansard)

4th Session, 37th Parliament OFFICIAL REPORT OF DEBATES OF THE LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY (HANSARD) Monday, October 27, 2003 Afternoon Sitting Volume 17, Number 9 THE HONOURABLE CLAUDE RICHMOND, SPEAKER ISSN 0709-1281

PROVINCE OF BRITISH COLUMBIA (Entered Confederation July 20, 1871) LIEUTENANT-GOVERNOR Honourable Iona Campagnolo 4TH SESSION, 37TH PARLIAMENT SPEAKER OF THE LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY Honourable Claude Richmond EXECUTIVE COUNCIL Premier and President of the Executive Council................................................................................. .........................Hon. Gordon Campbell Minister of State for Intergovernmental Relations.............................................................................. ..................... Hon.

Greg Halsey-Brandt Deputy Premier and Minister of Education ....................................................................................... ..................................Hon. Christy Clark Minister of Advanced Education................................................................................................. ...........................................Hon. Shirley Bond Minister of Agriculture, Food and Fisheries.................................................................................... ..............................Hon.

John van Dongen Attorney General and Minister Responsible for Treaty Negotiations.............................................................. .................... Hon. Geoff Plant Minister of Children and Family Development.................................................................................... ..............................Hon. Gordon Hogg Minister of State for Early Childhood Development.............................................................................. .................................Hon.

Linda Reid Minister of Community, Aboriginal and Women's Services......................................................................... .................. Hon. George Abbott Minister of State for Community Charter........................................................................................ .................................. Hon. Ted Nebbeling Minister of State for Women's Equality ......................................................................................... .................................... Hon.

Lynn Stephens Minister of Competition, Science and Enterprise ................................................................................ ..................................Hon. Rick Thorpe Minister of State for Deregulation ............................................................................................. ............................................ Hon. Kevin Falcon Minister of Energy and Mines................................................................................................... ....................................... Hon.

Richard Neufeld Minister of Finance ............................................................................................................ ....................................................... Hon. Gary Collins Minister of Forests ............................................................................................................ .................................................. Hon. Michael de Jong Minister of Health Planning .................................................................................................... ............................................ Hon.

Sindi Hawkins Minister of Health Services.................................................................................................... ................................................ Hon. Colin Hansen Minister of State for Mental Health ............................................................................................ ...................................Hon. Gulzar S. Cheema Minister of State for Intermediate, Long Term and Home Care ............................................................................. Hon.

Katherine Whittred Minister of Human Resources.................................................................................................... ............................................Hon. Murray Coell Minister of Management Services................................................................................................ .........................................Hon. Sandy Santori Minister of Provincial Revenue................................................................................................. ................................................Hon.

Bill Barisoff Minister of Public Safety and Solicitor General ................................................................................ ..................................Hon. Rich Coleman Minister of Skills Development and Labour...................................................................................... .............................Hon. Graham P. Bruce Minister of Sustainable Resource Management.................................................................................... ..................................Hon.

Stan Hagen Minister of Transportation..................................................................................................... .................................................... Hon. Judith Reid Minister of Water, Land and Air Protection..................................................................................... ....................................Hon. Joyce Murray LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY Deputy Speaker................................................................................................................. ..............................................................

John Weisbeck Leader of the Opposition ....................................................................................................... ...........................................................Joy MacPhail Deputy Chair, Committee of the Whole ........................................................................................... .............................................. Harold Long Clerk of the Legislative Assembly .............................................................................................. .........................................E.

George MacMinn Clerk Assistant ................................................................................................................ ................................................................... Robert Vaive Clerk Assistant and Law Clerk .................................................................................................. ........................................................ Ian D. Izard Clerk Assistant and Clerk of Committees........................................................................................ ............................................Craig H.

James Clerk Assistant/Committee Clerk................................................................................................ ............................................ Kate Ryan-Lloyd Sergeant-at-Arms ............................................................................................................... .........................................................A.A. Humphreys Director, Hansard Services ..................................................................................................... ........................................

Anthony Dambrauskas Legislative Librarian.......................................................................................................... ............................................................. Joan A. Barton Legislative Comptroller ........................................................................................................ .................................................................Peter Bray Published by British Columbia Hansard Services, and printed under the authority of the Speaker by the Queen's Printer, Victoria.

Rates: single issue, $2.85; per calendar year, mailed daily, $298. GST extra. Agent: Crown Publications Inc., 521 Fort St., Victoria, B.C. V8W 1E7. Telephone: (250) 386-4636. Fax: 386-0221. www.leg.bc.ca Hansard Services publishes transcripts both in print and on the Internet. Chamber debates are broadcast on television and webcast on the Internet.

Party Standings: Liberal 75; New Democratic 2; Independent Liberal 2. ALPHABETICAL LIST OF MEMBERS Abbott, Hon. George (L) ....................................................................... Shuswap Anderson, Val J. (L) .............................................................Vancouver-Langara Barisoff, Hon. Bill (L)............................................. Penticton–Okanagan Valley Bell, Pat (L).........................................................................Prince George North Belsey, Bill (L).................................................................................

North Coast Bennett, Bill (L) ........................................................................... East Kootenay Bhullar, Tony (Ind. L) ................................................................. Surrey-Newton Bloy, Harry (L).................................................................................. Burquitlam Bond, Hon. Shirley (L).........................................Prince George–Mount Robson Bray, Jeff (L)......................................................................Victoria–Beacon H ill Brenzinger, Elayne (L) ...............................................................

Surrey-Whalley Brice, Susan (L) ............................................................................Saanich South Bruce, Hon. Graham P. (L)................................................ Cowichan-Ladysmith Campbell, Hon. Gordon (L)............................................. Vancouver–Point Grey Cheema, Hon. Gulzar S. (L) ..........................................Surrey–Panorama Ridge Chong, Ida (L)................................................................ Oak Bay–Gordon Head Christensen, Tom (L) .............................................................

Okanagan-Vernon Chutter, Dave (L) ........................................................................... Yale-L illooet Clark, Hon. Christy (L) ..................................................Port Moody–Westwood Cobb, Walt (L) ............................................................................. Cariboo South Coell, Hon. Murray (L) ........................................ Saanich North and the Islands Coleman, Hon. Rich (L) .............................................. Fort Langley–Aldergrove Collins, Hon.

Gary (L).........................................................Vancouver-Fairview de Jong, Hon. Michael (L)....................................... Abbotsford–Mount Lehman Falcon, Hon. Kevin (L) .......................................................... Surrey-Cloverdale Hagen, Hon. Stan (L) ................................................................... Comox Valley Halsey-Brandt, Hon. Greg (L) ..................................................Richmond Centre Hamilton, Arnie (L)............................................................Esquimalt-Metchosin Hansen, Hon.

Colin (L) .....................................................Vancouver-Quilchena Harris, Roger (L)......................................................................................Skeena Hawes, Randy (L) ............................................................ Maple Ridge–Mission Hawkins, Hon. Sindi (L).......................................................... Kelowna-Mission Hayer, Dave S. (L) ................................................................... Surrey-Tynehead Hogg, Hon. Gordon (L) ........................................................

Surrey–White Rock Hunter, Mike (L) ...................................................................................Nanaimo Jarvis, Daniel (L)...................................................... North Vancouver–Seymour Johnston, Ken (L)............................................................ Vancouver-Fraserview Kerr, Brian J. (L).............................................................. Malahat–Juan de Fuca Krueger, Kevin (L).................................................

Kamloops–North Thompson Kwan, Jenny Wai Ching (NDP) ...............................Vancouver–Mount Pleasant Lee, Richard T. (L).......................................................................Burnaby North Lekstrom, Blair (L)................................................................. Peace River South Les, John (L) .......................................................................... Ch illiwack-Sumas Locke, Brenda (L) ...........................................................

Surrey–Green Timbers Long, Harold (L) ...................................................Powell River–Sunshine Coast MacKay, Dennis (L)....................................................... Bulkley Valley–Stikine McMahon, Wendy (L).............................................Columbia River–Revelstoke MacPhail, Joy (NDP) ..........................................................

Vancouver-Hastings Manhas, Karn (L) .............................................Port Coquitlam–Burke Mountain Masi, Reni (L) ...................................................................................Delta North Mayencourt, Lorne (L) ..........................................................Vancouver-Burrard Murray, Hon. Joyce (L) ........................................................... New Westminster Nebbeling, Hon. Ted (L) .......................................... West Vancouver–Garibaldi Nettleton, Paul (Ind. L)..................................................Prince George–Omineca Neufeld, Hon.

Richard (L)...................................................... Peace River North Nijjar, Rob (L)...................................................................Vancouver-Kingsway Nuraney, John (L) ...............................................................Burnaby-W illingdon Orr, Sheila (L) ...........................................................................Victoria-Hillside Penner, Barry (L)....................................................................... Ch illiwack-Kent Plant, Hon. Geoff (L) ......................................................... Richmond-Steveston Reid, Hon.

Judith (L)............................................................Nanaimo-Parksv ille Reid, Hon. Linda (L) ................................................................... Richmond East Richmond, Hon. Claude (L) ................................................................ Kamloops Roddick, Valerie (L)..........................................................................Delta South Sahota, Patty (L).....................................................................Burnaby-Edmonds Santori, Hon. Sandy (L)..............................................West Kootenay–Boundary Stephens, Hon.

Lynn (L) ........................................................................ Langley Stewart, Ken (L)...................................................... Maple Ridge–Pitt Meadows Stewart, Richard (L) ...................................................... Coquitlam-Maillardville Suffredine, Blair F. (L) ................................................................Nelson-Creston Sultan, Ralph (L)....................................................... West Vancouver–Capilano Thorpe, Hon.

Rick (L) ..........................................................Okanagan-Westside Trumper, Gillian (L)................................................................Alberni-Qualicum van Dongen, Hon. John (L) ................................................Abbotsford-Clayburn Visser, Rod (L).................................................................................North Island Weisbeck, John (L).........................................................Kelowna–Lake Country Whittred, Hon.

Katherine (L) ...................................North Vancouver–Lonsdale Wilson, John (L)........................................................................... Cariboo North Wong, Patrick (L)............................................................Vancouver-Kensington LIST OF MEMBERS BY RIDING Abbotsford-Clayburn....................................................... Hon. John van Dongen Abbotsford–Mount Lehman ..............................................Hon.

Michael de Jong Alberni-Qualicum.......................................................................G illian Trumper Bulkley Valley–Stikine ..............................................................Dennis MacKay Burnaby North..............................................................................Richard T. Lee Burnaby-Edmonds............................................................................Patty Sahota Burnaby-Willingdon......................................................................

John Nuraney Burquitlam ........................................................................................ Harry Bloy Cariboo North ..................................................................................John Wilson Cariboo South .................................................................................... Walt Cobb Chilliwack-Kent ............................................................................. Barry Penner Chilliwack-Sumas .................................................................................

John Les Columbia River–Revelstoke....................................................Wendy McMahon Comox Valley .......................................................................... Hon. Stan Hagen Coquitlam-Maillardville .............................................................Richard Stewart Cowichan-Ladysmith .......................................................Hon. Graham P. Bruce Delta North.......................................................................................... Reni Masi Delta South................................................................................

Valerie Roddick East Kootenay .................................................................................. Bill Bennett Esquimalt-Metchosin...................................................................Arnie Hamilton Fort Langley–Aldergrove ..................................................... Hon. Rich Coleman Kamloops ....................................................................... Hon. Claude Richmond Kamloops–North Thompson ........................................................Kevin Krueger Kelowna–Lake Country...............................................................

John Weisbeck Kelowna-Mission ................................................................ Hon. Sindi Hawkins Langley ............................................................................... Hon. Lynn Stephens Malahat–Juan de Fuca .....................................................................Brian J. Kerr Maple Ridge–Mission ................................................................... Randy Hawes Maple Ridge–Pitt Meadows .............................................................Ken Stewart Nanaimo..........................................................................................

Mike Hunter Nanaimo-Parksville ...................................................................Hon. Judith Reid Nelson-Creston.......................................................................Blair F. Suffredine New Westminster ..................................................................Hon. Joyce Murray North Coast ........................................................................................Bill Belsey North Island........................................................................................Rod Visser North Vancouver–Lonsdale.......................................... Hon.

Katherine Wh ittred North Vancouver–Seymour .............................................................Daniel Jarvis Oak Bay–Gordon Head .......................................................................Ida Chong Okanagan-Vernon .................................................................... Tom Christensen Okanagan-Westside.................................................................Hon. Rick Thorpe Peace River North .............................................................Hon. Richard Neufeld Peace River South .......................................................................

Blair Lekstrom Penticton–Okanagan Valley ....................................................Hon. Bill Barisoff Port Coquitlam–Burke Mountain.................................................... Karn Manhas Port Moody–Westwood......................................................... Hon. Christy Clark Powell River–Sunshine Coast.......................................................... Harold Long Prince George North................................................................................Pat Bell Prince George–Mount Robson................................................Hon.

Shirley Bond Prince George–Omineca................................................................Paul Nettleton Richmond Centre......................................................... Hon. Greg Halsey-Brandt Richmond East .......................................................................... Hon. Linda Reid Richmond-Steveston ................................................................ Hon. Geoff Plant Saanich North and the Islands ............................................... Hon. Murray Coell Saanich South...................................................................................

Susan Brice Shuswap .............................................................................. Hon. George Abbott Skeena.............................................................................................Roger Harris Surrey-Cloverdale ................................................................. Hon. Kevin Falcon Surrey–Green Timbers .................................................................. Brenda Locke Surrey-Newton ............................................................................... Tony Bhullar Surrey–Panorama Ridge................................................. Hon.

Gulzar S. Cheema Surrey-Tynehead .......................................................................... Dave S. Hayer Surrey-Whalley ...................................................................... Elayne Brenzinger Surrey–White Rock ...............................................................Hon. Gordon Hogg Vancouver-Burrard................................................................. Lorne Mayencourt Vancouver-Fairview............................................................... Hon.

Gary Co llins Vancouver-Fraserview ...................................................................Ken Johnston Vancouver-Hastings .......................................................................Joy MacPhail Vancouver-Kensington...................................................................Patrick Wong Vancouver-Kingsway..........................................................................Rob Nijjar Vancouver-Langara....................................................................Val J.

Anderson Vancouver–Mount Pleasant............................................Jenny Wai Ching Kwan Vancouver–Point Grey ................................................... Hon. Gordon Campbell Vancouver-Quilchena............................................................ Hon. Colin Hansen Victoria–Beacon Hill.............................................................................Jeff Bray Victoria-Hillside.................................................................................. Sheila Orr West Kootenay–Boundary.................................................... Hon.

Sandy Santori West Vancouver–Capilano ..............................................................Ralph Sultan West Vancouver–Garibaldi ................................................. Hon. Ted Nebbeling Yale-Lillooet .................................................................................. Dave Chutter

CONTENTS Monday, October 27, 2003 Afternoon Sitting Routine Proceedings Page Tributes....................................................................................................................... .............................................................. 7523 Chuck Connaghan Hon. G. Campbell J.

MacPhail Introductions by Members....................................................................................................... ............................................... 7523 Introduction and First Reading of Bills ........................................................................................ ......................................... 7523 Business Corporations Amendment Act (No. 2), 2003 (Bill 86) Hon. G. Collins Unclaimed Property Amendment Act (No. 2), 2003 (Bill 87) Hon. G.

Collins Statements (Standing Order 25B).............................................................................................................................. .............. 7524 Canadian Institute for Sport, Learning and Leadership S. Brice Crime prevention in Surrey E. Brenzinger Economic links to Asia P. Wong Oral Questions................................................................................................................. ......................................................... 7525 Property crime rate in Vancouver J. Kwan Hon. R.

Coleman Funding for addiction treatment and mental health services J. Kwan Hon. G. Cheema Hon. G. Campbell Impact of loss of income assistance benefits on community services J. MacPhail Hon. R. Coleman Hon. G. Campbell Gravel extraction from Fraser River R. Hawes Hon. S. Hagen Housing for women leaving abusive situations E. Brenzinger Hon. L. Stephens Second Reading of Bills ........................................................................................................ ................................................... 7528 Pacific National Exhibition Enabling and Validating Act (Bill 83) Hon. K.

Falcon J. MacPhail R. Nijjar K. Johnston L. Mayencourt J. Bray Police Complaint Commissioner Enabling and Validating Act (Bill 80) Hon. G. Plant J. Kwan Manufactured Home Act (Bill 72) Hon. G. Collins

Accountants (Chartered) Amendment Act, 2003 (Bill 78) Hon. C. Clark B. Kerr L. Mayencourt J. Bray J. Nuraney K. Johnston Introduction and First Reading of Bills ........................................................................................ ......................................... 7554 Ver-Tel Communications Ltd. (Corporate Restoration) Act, 2003 (Bill Pr406) T. Christensen Committee of the Whole House ................................................................................................... .......................................... 7554 Private Career Training Institutions Act (Bill 52) J.

Kwan Hon. C.

Clark Reporting of Bills............................................................................................................. ......................................................... 7566 Private Career Training Institutions Act (Bill 52) Third Reading of Bills......................................................................................................... ..................................................... 7566 Private Career Training Institutions Act (Bill 52) Introduction and First Reading of Bills ........................................................................................ ......................................... 7566 Buron Construction Ltd. (Corporate Restoration) Act, 2003 (Bill Pr407) V.

Anderson Buron Construction

(1986) Ltd. (Corporate Restoration) Act, 2003 (Bill Pr408) V. Anderson Committee of the Whole House ................................................................................................... .......................................... 7566 Land Amendment Act, 2003 (Bill 46) J. MacPhail Hon. S. Hagen

7523 MONDAY, OCTOBER 27, 2003 The House met at 2:03 p.m. Tributes CHUCK CONNAGHAN Hon. G. Campbell: Over the weekend a great Brit- ish Columbian passed away. Chuck Connaghan passed away after exceptional service as a citizen of our prov- ince and of our country. For 20 years he served in the interests of all of us in British Columbia.

The Legisla- ture would like his wife Erma and his children, Mi- chael, Susan and Katie, as well as his two grandchil- dren to know how deeply Chuck will be missed and how much we appreciate and respect the work he's done on behalf of all of us. [1405] Chuck was chief commissioner of the B.C. Treaty Commission. He chaired the advisory committee on the B.C. provincial judges' compensation. He was an active chair of the B.C. Round Table on the Environ- ment and the Economy. He served on the board of governors for Royal Roads University. He was a recipi- ent of the Order of Canada and the Queen's Jubilee medal.

He was always at work in the community. He had a strong association with the Boy Scouts of Can- ada, with the Boys and Girls Clubs of Vancouver, with the Duke of Edinburgh's Award, with the Council for Canadian Unity and with St. Paul's Hospital. He had an exemplary life of citizenship. On behalf of all of us in the Legislature, Mr. Speaker, I would ask that you convey to the family our deep sense of loss at Chuck's passing. Mr. Speaker: So ordered. J. MacPhail: I r i s e t o j o i n w i t h t h e P r e m i e r a n d a l l government members in celebrating the life of Chuck Connaghan.

He was a man who, besides being a personal friend, believed very strongly in what we did here in the Legislature. He always took a balanced approach to every aspect of his life. He was a strong believer in the labour movement, in trade unions, as well as a strong believer in a free enterprise economy. He was deeply spiritual. He was very, very active in his church, as well as doing all of the other wonderful community services that the Premier has so ably outlined. It comes as a shock, I think, to all of us that Mr. Con- naghan has now moved up to where he has as many friends up there as he did down here.

While older than some of us, he seemed so youthful because of his vibrant personality and his commitment to everything in the community. So it is a very, very sad day that we give con- dolences to his family, all of his friends and his church and community. He will be very, very sorely missed. Introductions by Members R. Sultan: I rise to introduce two guests who have had a measurable fiscal impact on this government.

David Osborne is a distinguished lawyer, president of the Trial Lawyers Association of B.C., a person who has done re- search on the human brain at UBC and who represents brain-injured victims in medical malpractice cases. Our second guest is Jeffrey Witton, also a trial law- yer who represents victims in motor vehicle accidents and routinely goes after six-figure awards. Would the House please make these two guests welcome. Hon. C. Clark: I'm delighted to be able to introduce two good friends of mine today who are in the gallery.

They are Mya and Eric Morgan, both passionate par- ents who care deeply about education. I hope the House will make them welcome. K. Krueger: With us in the precinct today is a very important constituent of mine — one of my favourites. I drove up to the buildings with her last night. We drove up to the back, and there was a gigantic chain- link fence with razor wire all along the top and a gate and a pickup truck. It looked like they were still setting it up. She said: "You know, I think your Speaker is go- ing a bit too far with this security thing." Happily, it turned out they were taking it down.

It was the movie set that had been here over the weekend. I'd like the House to bid my beloved wife Debbie Krueger, with us today, welcome. L. Mayencourt: I rise to introduce three individuals that are from my riding of Vancouver-Burrard. The first is Cara Thein. Her husband is Joseph Maskell, and he's joining us today as well. Then my favourite brother, Richard Mayencourt, has joined us as well. Would the House please make all of them welcome. Introduction and First Reading of Bills BUSINESS CORPORATIONS AMENDMENT ACT (No. 2), 2003 H o n . G .

C o l l i n s p r e s e n t e d a m e s s a g e f r o m H e r Honour the Lieutenant-Governor: a bill intituled Busi- ness Corporations Amendment Act (No. 2), 2003. Hon. G. Collins: I move the bill be introduced and read a first time now. Motion approved. Hon. G. Collins: I'm pleased to introduce the Busi- ness Corporations Amendment Act (No. 2), 2003. This act follows on Bill 60, last spring's Business Corpora- tions Act amending bill, and makes further refinements to the Business Corporations Act to enable its imple- mentation as planned in spring 2004.

I move the bill be placed on the orders of the day for second reading at the next sitting of the House after today. Bill 86 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.

7524 B RITISH COLUMBIA DEBATES M ONDAY, OCTOBER 27, 2003 [1410] UNCLAIMED PROPERTY AMENDMENT ACT (No. 2), 2003 Hon. G. Collins presented a message from her Honour the Lieutenant-Governor: a bill intituled Un- claimed Property Amendment Act (No. 2), 2003. Hon. G. Collins: I move the bill be introduced and read a first time now. Motion approved. Hon. G. Collins: I'm pleased to introduce the Un- claimed Property Amendment Act (No. 2), 2003. The primary purpose of this bill is to clarify the treatment of court trust funds under the Unclaimed Property Act.

In this regard, the bill provides for regulations to be made to define when court trust funds will be consid- ered unclaimed and to define the rights and duties of the non-profit administrator of unclaimed property in relation to unclaimed court trust funds. These defini- tions and duties will be determined through consulta- tion with the judiciary. The bill also clarifies the administrator's responsi- bilities in cases where the court has or has not yet made a determination as to the owner of the court trust funds.

As well, the bill provides that only a judge, jus- tice, master or court registrar may authorize the Minis- ter of Finance to transfer unclaimed court funds to the administrator. The bill also incorporates two housekeeping amendments to the Unclaimed Property Act. The first is intended to ease regulation of the administrator by eliminating the requirement for an order-in-council to prescribe where the administrator must keep adminis- trator records. The second exempts the administrator from the current

schedule of court document searching and photocopying fees. A separate

schedule of fees may be established in future if warranted by heavy usage of court document searches and photocopies. I move the bill be placed on the orders of the day for second reading at the next sitting of the House after today. Bill 87 introduced, read a first time and ordered to be placed on orders of the day for second reading at the next sitting of the House after today. Statements (Standing Order 25

B) CANADIAN INSTITUTE FOR SPORT, LEARNING AND LEADERSHIP S. Brice: I am pleased to advise this House of an ini- tiative developed by Camosun College and PacificSport– Victoria. The Canadian Institute for Sport, Learning and Leadership will be situated on six hectares at Camosun College Interurban campus and will be a place where high-performance athletes, dedicated learners and future leaders will come together to de- velop their potential and ensure that our athletes pre- pare for their post-competitive life by acquiring an education and serving as role models for our youth.

The proposed new sports facilities will include a triple gymnasium, all-weather playing field, stadium, and athlete and student residences. The goal is to have the first phase of the institute complete by 2005 and all phases fully operational by 2009, in time to welcome international teams looking for training facilities and accommodation for the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games.

In addition to assisting B.C. athletes achieve po- dium performances in 2010, the institute's holistic ap- p r o a c h a l s o i n c l u d e s t h e d e l i v e r y o f h e a l t h a n d w e l l - ness services to the entire community. Through the development of unique partnerships with schools and community programs, it is believed that the institute can become a model for the country in terms of our population's overall level of fitness and good health and a system reducing the incidence of childhood obe- sity with its attendant complications.

The remarkable and talented leaders at Camosun College and PacificSport strive through this joint project to make the provincial capital the most active commu- nity and to ensure that an enduring legacy of the 2010 Olympics will be fitter, healthier British Columbians. CRIME PREVENTION IN SURREY E. Brenzinger: I'd like to take this opportunity to acknowledge the hard, often thankless work that's done in my constituency by the officers of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police force in cooperation with an action team that was formed this year by the city of Surrey council.

This action team includes the Surrey RCMP , Surrey fire/rescue services and the city of Sur- rey's bylaw enforcement department. The team is aimed at reclaiming some of the rougher parts of Whal- ley for its residents and business people. [1415] Specifically, police and other team members have targeted a quarter-mile strip of 135A Street between 106 and 108 Avenues. "The strip," as it's known locally, has been deemed by the Surrey RCMP as the number one hot spot in all of Surrey for open drugs and prosti- tution.

As the stretch of road in question is within a few blocks of a heavily travelled SkyTrain station, not to mention my constituency office, it is reassuring to know that steps are being taken to ensure that the citi- zens and businesses of Whalley can have their streets back and feel safe in their own neighbourhood. Earlier this month Surrey RCMP reported successes in the war against drug dealers and prostitution and in their efforts to clean up the area and make it safer for people through extra police patrols and the effort of the action team.

The cleanup effort was launched in Au- gust as Operation Clean Sweep and included redirect- ing the strip's traffic and increasing roadblocks, as well as increasing foot patrols and bike patrols. The pro- gram is continually being evaluated. Surrey RCMP and

MONDAY, OCTOBER 27, 2003 B RITISH COLUMBIA DEBATES 7525 the city of Surrey are to be congratulated for their ef- forts and their successes in this area. ECONOMIC LINKS TO ASIA P. Wong: I participate in the Asian economic devel- opment committee, which was formed to seek ways to stimulate economic development in our province through connections with the Asian business commu- nity and to strengthen B.C.'s ties to Asia-Pacific. British Columbia is well positioned to benefit from market growth and economic opportunities within the Asia-Pacific region.

Our geographic location makes us a natural entry point to Canada, and our natural re- sources create great potential to expand our ties to Asia. Also, we have many Asian immigrants living in our province. Many have brought immense skills and ex- pertise with them, broadening our understanding of Asian culture and business practices. Despite the SARS outbreak this year, both Canada and Asia have success- fully weathered that crisis and are on the road to eco- nomic growth. We have known for many years that the Asia- Pacific region provides important export opportunities for our province.

The accession of China to the WTO will allow us to continue our economic momentum and increase our market share. The Premier remains com- mitted to growing B.C.'s economy and has already identified Asia-Pacific as an area of growth. The Pre- mier will be travelling to China and India to continue relationship-building and to identify additional oppor- tunities for growth. This benefits every British Colum- bian. I join all my colleagues in wishing the Premier and his delegation every success during the upcoming trip. Mr. Speaker: That concludes members' statements.

Oral Questions PROPERTY CRIME RATE IN VANCOUVER J. Kwan: As the B.C. Liberals are finding out the hard way, tax cuts for the few don't lead to prosperity f o r t h e m a n y . B . C . ' s e c o n o m y i s d e a d l a s t i n C a n a d a . More than 200,000 people are looking for work — the most ever. Now we learn that property crime rates in B . C . a r e s e c o n d o n l y t o M i a m i . T h e b o a r d o f t r a d e i s calling for a massive infusion of dollars to fight the problem. Can the Solicitor General tell us if his gov- ernment is going to respond with new money? Hon. R.

Coleman: I think that, first of all, the board of trade, when they put out a report, should give us an opportunity to actually review it when they…. What statistics are they comparing to what statistics? I can tell you this: the property crime in Miami is 12,000 per 100,000. It's 7,000 per 100,000 in Vancouver. It seems like a pretty big gap between Vancouver and Miami, and I think it's a bit irresponsible for the board of trade to compare us to Miami when the stats read that way. Vancouver is a city that is policed by the Vancouver city police.

Frankly, the relationship between the police and the community and the community groups, as we try and push back on property crime, is something that everybody is working on. It would do well for the board of trade to enjoin themselves in that discussion to find long-term solutions with everybody else. Mr. Speaker: The member for Vancouver–Mount Pleasant has a supplementary question. [1420] FUNDING FOR ADDICTION TREATMENT AND MENTAL HEALTH SERVICES J. Kwan: Well, this government doesn't like to lis- ten, but the people who wrote this report are raising serious alarms.

The board of trade points out that with the Winter Olympics coming, the impact of increased property crime on tourism will be severe. They're calling on the government to put more re- sources into mental health as well, but the government is cutting those services. They've cut millions from al- cohol and drug…. Interjections. Mr. Speaker: Order, please. Hon. members, let us give each other the courtesy of listening to the question and to the response. Please proceed. J.

Kwan: While the Liberals have cut millions from alcohol abuse counselling, and just last month we have learned of cutting millions from mental health at the Vancouver coastal health authority…. Will the Minister for Mental Health listen to the board of trade and fight to reverse his government's severe cuts to mental health programs, which are leading to increased crime and despair? We don't need to hear from this Minister for Mental Health to go on and on about how it's the NDP's problem. It's this government's doing… Interjections. Mr. Speaker: Order, please. J.

Kwan: …and we want to know how he's going to respond to the problems that he's created. Hon. G. Cheema: The board of trade report made two major recommendations regarding addiction ser- vices in Vancouver. The first recommendation was to improve services for people who live with both an ad- diction and mental illness. Our government has ad- dressed that issue, and we have already integrated mental health and addiction services to better serve people with a dual diagnosis. We have done that.

7526 B RITISH COLUMBIA DEBATES M ONDAY, OCTOBER 27, 2003 The second recommendation was to increase the duration of addiction treatment. In the past we have seen that each health authority researches addiction services systems to ensure that they are providing ef- fective and evidence-based treatments. Increasing the duration of treatment time does not necessarily im- prove the outcome. It is more helpful to… Mr. Speaker: Thank you. Hon. G. Cheema: …match a suitable type of treat- ment to meet the needs of the clients… Mr. Speaker: Thank you, Mr. Minister. Hon. G.

Cheema: …and the health authorities are working hard to provide a full continuum of services to serve the needs of the patients. Mr. Speaker: Order, please. Thank you. J. Kwan: T h i s m i n i s t e r s h o u l d k n o w , i f h e d o e s n ' t know, that their government is cutting mental health programs. Clearly, the B.C. Liberals are in denial. They're presiding over the worst economy in Canada, the highest unemployment rate in a decade, and they stand up and insist that everything is just fine.

Almost 29,000 people are about to lose income assistance, and t h e y s a y : " D o n ' t w o r r y ; b e h a p p y . " H u n g e r i s o n t h e increase, and they say: "Not our problem." Crime rates are going through the roof, and they say: "Me? Why should we worry?" The board of trade is calling for the government to greatly increase treatment beds for those with drug addiction. Maybe the Minister for Mental Health will take some responsibility. Is he prepared to respond by earmarking new moneys for drug treatment beds, which the board of trade is calling for? Hon. G.

Campbell: First, we welcome the board of trade's report. It's comprehensive and it's thoughtful. Secondly, let me say this, Mr. Speaker. I accept that the members opposite actually care about these issues. But let's start with this. In 2001-02 we added $15 mil- lion in new funding to mental health services in this province. In 2002-03 we added $18 million for mental health services. We've added $138 million to provide new facilities in Prince George, in Coquitlam, in Kam- loops and in Saanich. We know this…. Interjections. Mr. Speaker: Order, please. Hon. G.

Campbell: We know that 70 percent of the clients that are accessing addiction services in this province also have mental health problems. We are working to bring those and integrate those together so that we start, for the first time in a long time, dealing with those people's true issues.

Mental illness is something that we have to deal with not with empty promises as the two members opposite did, not with empty promises of a mental health plan with no funding and no action but with true action, true funding and true caring for people with mental illnesses. [1425] IMPACT OF LOSS OF INCOME ASSISTANCE BENEFITS ON COMMUNITY SERVICES J. MacPhail: W h a t w e d o k n o w i s t h a t w h e n t h i s government took over, $420 million of mental health funding disappeared from the budget — disappeared from the budget. Interjections. Mr. Speaker: Order, please, hon. members.

Hon. members, let us extend to each other the courtesy of listening. J. MacPhail: According to a recent report on hun- ger in Canada, as a result directly of B.C. Liberal cuts, B.C. food banks are reporting higher numbers and a huge increase in recipients — m any o f t he m m e nt al l y ill — and a huge number going to food banks before their distribution day because those people's cup- boards are empty, completely empty, and so is the re- frigerator. Penticton Mayor David Perry is warning that with thousands about to be kicked off assistance, crime in his community will continue to get worse.

The mayor made that same report to the prebudget consultation committee, along with mental health advocates, saying the programs had been cut. The Minister of Human Resources is in denial about this growing problem. Perhaps the Solicitor General… Interjections. Mr. Speaker: Order, please. J. MacPhail: …can tell us what he's told police in B.C. to prepare for when people start getting kicked off income assistance. What plans has he got in place? Hon. R.

Coleman: Well, you know, the member opposite was a member of a government that for ten years didn't even have a discussion with police about the priorities of policing in British Columbia. In the last two and a half years we've actually built a working relationship with the RCMP and our municipal forces in an integrated manner for policing in B.C. I'm proud of that. Interjections. Mr. Speaker: Order. Hon. R. Coleman: In the Okanagan Valley we actu- ally have a regional concept in policing, and we've ac-

MONDAY, OCTOBER 27, 2003 B RITISH COLUMBIA DEBATES 7527 tually been working with the communities to improve policing in the Okanagan Valley. It's interesting that Mayor Perry hasn't called me and asked me about crime rates in British Columbia. He hasn't made any overtures to myself as the Solicitor General either at UBCM or at any other time. Frankly, we are building a world-class, professional five-year plan for policing in British Columbia to deal with crime.

It's being done because this Premier saw fit to have a Solicitor General who woke up every morn- ing and thought about crime and policing in British Columbia. J. MacPhail: Maybe the ten government caucus members who are travelling this province on pre- budget consultations don't talk to the Solicitor General either, because the mayor, over a month ago, told every government caucus member exactly what he said pub- licly. Every single member heard that. Once again, all we get from this government is a bunch of ministers hiding from the truth.

The board of trade is telling them that crime is going through the roof and more resources are needed, and the Solicitor General says: "They didn't call me." Food banks are reporting big increases in usage and numbers, and the government over there denies that it has anything to do with it. Local mayors are saying that crime is rising, and the Solicitor General says: "He didn't call me." The economy in this province is dead last in Can- ada, and unemployment is skyrocketing through the roof.

To the Premier — it's a simple question, and maybe now that he's back, he can actually answer it: how many people will be kicked off income assistance starting April 1, 2004? How many? Hon. G. Campbell: You know, again I say that the members opposite, I'm sure, are concerned about this, so they want to base their discussion on the facts. Here are some of the facts. In the first quarterly report in 2003, the crime

summary pointed out that the peak of property crime in British Columbia was 86.7 offences per thousand people — in 1996. In 2002, that is down to 64. 9 o f f e nc e s p e r t ho u s an d p e o p l e . I t g o e s o n t o p o i nt out that property crime, actually the decline, coincides with the decline in income…. Interjections. Mr. Speaker: Order. Leader of the Opposition, the courtesy extends both ways. [1430] Hon. G. Campbell: The decline in the property crime coincides directly with the decline in income assistance caseloads.

As this government has gone to work, for the first time over two million British Co- lumbians are at work. Over the last two years there are over 100,000 new jobs in British Columbia. That's num- ber two in Canada. While the member opposite may want to spread fear, as she has in other situations, let me remind the member opposite of this.

This is the situation we face with regard to that: the time limits do not apply to people with disabilities, to people with temporary medical conditions, to single parents with a child un- der three, to pregnant women, to people participating in training and job programs, to women participating in bridging employment programs, to people partici- pating in ESL, and many, many more. As we build this economy, as we provide literally hundreds of millions of dollars for job training, we are confident that British Columbians will have a much brighter future. GRAVEL EXTRACTION FROM FRASER RIVER R.

Hawes: After almost a decade-long federal moratorium against dredging sand and gravel out of the Fraser River, there's been a massive, massive buildup of sand and gravel in the river — so much so that navigation is now very dangerous in parts of the river. What's worse is that the level of the bottom of the river in parts of the river near Chilliwack has come up by almost a metre. That means there's one metre less freeboard on the dikes that protect the people and the property in the Fraser Valley. My question is to the Minister of Sustainable Re- source Management.

Can he tell my constituents and the people of the Fraser Valley exactly what's being done now to get this gravel out of the river to protect people and property? Hon. S. Hagen: Thanks, in part, to the very, very hard work of three MLAs in the Fraser Valley — the member for Maple Ridge–Mission, the member for Chilliwack-Sumas and the member for Chilliwack-Kent — Land and Water B.C., in cooperation with the Fraser Basin Council, will be issuing permits for specific re- moval of gravel in the Fraser River between the Vedder and the Agassiz-Rosedale bridges.

The total we have approved is at least 300,000 cubic metres of gravel. That permit will be issued in Novem- ber. That compares to 70,000 for last year. Work will begin in January of '04 and will continue through March. There is the potential for the removal of addi- tional quantities in both this and subsequent years. In the longer term, LWBC has commissioned an engineer- ing consultant to develop a five-year plan for gravel removal in the area. HOUSING FOR WOMEN LEAVING ABUSIVE SITUATIONS E. Brenzinger: My question is to the Minister of State for Women's Equality.

We all know that women fleeing violent situations often face added challenges because of economic dependence on their abusive partner. While a roof over their head and a warm place to stay is a step to security, what happens when they leave these places? Can the minister tell me what they

7528 B RITISH COLUMBIA DEBATES M ONDAY, OCTOBER 27, 2003 are doing to ensure long-term security for these coura- geous women? Hon. L. Stephens: I want to thank the member for her question. It's a very important one. As part of our new-era vision of safer streets and communities and as part of our safer communities strategy for women, we are working to ensure that women leaving safe hous- ing after leaving the transition houses are, in fact, ad- dressed. We all know that housing is a very important factor that allows women to make those positive changes in their lives.

To help them do that, we've established a $25,000 endowment fund, and it's managed by the Co- operative Housing Federation of British Columbia. This loan program will help women purchase shares in non-profit housing to access safe and secure housing for themselves and their families. This initiative has been very well received across British Columbia, and it's more good news for women in B.C. [End of question period.] [1435] Point of Order J. MacPhail: I rise on a point of order.

Last Thurs- day the Minister of Finance, after question period, rose in his place on a ministerial statement and presented to the House a modification of his answers to questions I raised during question period. Mr. Speaker, this point of order is not to call into question your granting the Minister of Finance the floor, but I do seek guidance from you regarding the conduct of ministerial statements, specifically in the context of past practice in this House.

I want to raise the point that until recently it was the practice in this House that the Speaker sought a written copy of a planned ministerial statement in advance of it being brought to the floor. Indeed, the practice was that the opposition was also provided an advance copy to fa- cilitate a timely and appropriate response in the House. Mr. Speaker, as you well know…. Sorry, Mr. Speaker; I don't know that. As I now can inform you, I was not given notice of that; nor was my colleague the member for Vancouver–Mount Pleasant. The minister rose in his place, and there was not an opportunity for a reply.

Indeed, had that courtesy been extended, this point of order could have been dealt with then. Given the matters I have outlined, can you please provide this House, at your convenience, Mr. Speaker, with some guidance as to the conduct of ministerial statements in the future — whether you will be reaf- firming past practice or making a change? Mr. Speaker: Thank you for your point of order. I will take it under advisement and bring back informa- tion in due course. Hon. G.

Collins: Certainly, it is the effort of all governments to try and provide members of the oppo- sition as well as the Chair, where practicable, with ad- vance notice of a ministerial statement. The informa- tion that was provided to me arrived at the end of the period. The member had already left the chamber partway through question period, which is always her prerogative if she wishes to do so. The fact of the matter is that the information was pertinent to the discussion.

It was pertinent to the pub- lic interest, and I felt that given the timeliness of it, it was important to present it to the House at that point in time. There are practice recommendations. They are just that; they are recommendations for practice. There are exceptions when the information is of a timely na- ture and needs to be brought before the House at that moment. Mr. Speaker: I will bring back a response in due course. Orders of the Day Hon. G. Collins: I call second reading of Bill 83. Second Reading of Bills PACIFIC NATIONAL EXHIBITION ENABLING AND VALIDATING ACT Hon. K.

Falcon: I move that the bill now be read a second time. As I explained during first reading, Bill 83, the Pa- cific National Exhibition Enabling and Validating Act, will implement a key recommendation of the govern- ment's core services review. The PNE is very important to the residents of Van- couver and, indeed, the lower mainland. We feel the municipal level of government is best suited to manage its role in the community into the future. The PNE is an essential part of British Columbia's heritage. It is in- deed a cultural institution known and loved through- out our province.

It's also a vital economic engine and a unique feature in British Columbia's tourism land- scape. The PNE generates more than $115 million in economic spinoff annually and employs 4,000 people throughout the course of the year — 2,600 of whom are youth. The transfer of the PNE indicates a responsible, accountable management of public resources and tax dollars while also reducing the provincial regulatory burden. [1440] The proposed bill also comprises amendments to the Hastings Park Trust that will address mandate is- sues.

The province established the trust in 1889, grant- ing Hastings Park to the city as the trustee "for the use, recreation and enjoyment of the public." Since that time, the use of the land has evolved and now includes activities that are not necessarily reflected in the origi- nal enabling order-in-council. That means that the terms of the trust had to evolve as well. The amend- ments to the trust will authorize the city of Vancouver to undertake specified uses of the lands that are consis-

MONDAY, OCTOBER 27, 2003 B RITISH COLUMBIA DEBATES 7529 tent with the use, recreation and enjoyment of the pub- lic to better reflect the current practice. The amend- ments also expand the powers of the PNE corporation with amendments to the Pacific National Exhibition Incorporation Act. This proposed legislation confirms the land grant of Hastings Park Trust in 1889 from the province to the city of Vancouver and its predecessors and successors, and it provides for contemporary

interpretation of the objectives of the trust. The city of Vancouver will be responsible for permitting any form of authorized gam- ing to take place on the trust lands. The city will con- trol advertising and security and will be able to make decisions regarding building new facilities for author- ized uses of the PNE site. The city of Vancouver will also have the ability to authorize future uses and activities at Hastings Park that are consistent with the legislative objects of the trust. The Pacific National Exhibition Incorporation Act gives the PNE its powers to carry out certain activities.

The pro- posed bill amends these powers to provide greater clar- ity and the necessary authority to undertake current activities that residents and visitors to British Columbia have been enjoying for many years. This authority in- cludes making or charging for the making of television, movies, photographs and sound recordings. The proposed act removes the province's authority to appoint directors to the board of the PNE and gives authority to the city of Vancouver, thus effectively transferring control of the PNE corporation to the city.

It also removes the province's ability to appoint and terminate a chair of the board. As a result of this, the city has the discretion to determine the number of di- rectors on the board of the PNE. This bill provides clarity regarding the members of the board of the PNE on transfer of its control from the province to the city of Vancouver on January 1, 2004. It also ensures that the provincially appointed board members will no longer be board members after De- cember 31, 2003. City-appointed members will com- prise the PNE board as of January 1, 2004.

It's consis- tent with the direction where we feel the city of Van- couver is the best suited to manage operation of the PNE and, based on consultation with various stake- holder groups, develop the future direction of the PNE. The sections of this legislation relating to the Hast- ings Park Trust come into effect either on the date of transfer of control of the PNE from the province to the city of Vancouver — being January 1, 2004 — or earlier by regulation. The sections amending the Pacific Na- tional Exhibition Incorporation Act come into effect on January 1, 2004.

The city of Vancouver will continue to operate the PNE until 2005 and will work to undertake public consultations with stakeholders and residents of Vancouver to create a new vision for the PNE. I am pleased to move second reading. J. MacPhail: I rise to address this issue, and I'm going to do so at length. I don't know whether I'll take up my full 30 minutes, but if I do, I'm the designated speaker on this piece of legislation. I am a bit taken aback that the Minister of Competi- tion, Science and Enterprise, who has been responsible for the PNE for the last two and a half years, is not leading this debate.

I'm not quite sure why he's not leading this debate. It's of very great importance to people in Vancouver and, particularly, people who live in Vancouver-Hastings. For the Minister of State for Deregulation to respond at second reading is a bit troubling, I must say. [1445] I do notice a pattern amongst this government, where the ministers can't even show up for their own legislation. Perhaps they have such a weak legislative agenda — this government — that in order to keep the Legislature even moving, they're having to sub in with the B team, such as the Minister of State for Deregula- tion, on this legislation.

Nevertheless, it is troubling — I have to tell you — that the very minister who has been guiding this process for two and a half years isn't here to shepherd the legislation through, because it's very important legislation. Of course, it was introduced last Thursday. I spent a great deal of the weekend consulting on this legisla- tion and talking to my community. Now, of course, here we are: the legislation is going to be passed. Probably tomorrow the legislation will be passed. The reason I raise that point is because not one sin- gle person in that government talked to me about this legislation.

Not one single person talked to me about it, and not one single person in this government talked to my community either. That's what I spent the weekend doing, saying, "Okay, who have you heard from in government?" talking to my community organizations. Not one single person in the Liberal government talked to anybody. I guess I can understand that a government as par- tisan as this government would continue to take a par- tisan approach to the PNE. I can understand their re- luctance in wanting to talk to me, but to ignore the en- tire community is completely another issue.

So I'm go- ing to use this opportunity to put the history that I've had and that my community has had around Hastings Park, the trust, the PNE, use of that site, the city's role in that and how this government has basically said: "We're going to ignore all of that past history, and we're going to abandon any consultation with the community whatsoever." I will start off, though, by saying that the reaction to this legislation is mixed. There is a great deal more work that needs to be done within the community on whether this legislation is viable or not, so I will have many, many questions at committee stage.

At this stage of the debate, at principle stage, the opposition will not be opposing the legislation, but we will be raising some pretty substantive issues at committee stage. I certainly hope that the minister responsible will be able to answer those questions. There is certainly nothing whatsoever that I have seen to date of the Min- ister of State for Deregulation being able to answer those questions. In fact, it was his government that stopped the plan of economic rejuvenation for the PNE

7530 B RITISH COLUMBIA DEBATES M ONDAY, OCTOBER 27, 2003 and the city of Surrey, for which he is a representative — stopped the rejuvenation of both the PNE and the city of Surrey and abandoned a very viable plan for the future of the PNE. I'm not sure how much credibility the Minister of State for Deregulation has on any of these issues. When I was preparing for elected politics in 1990, the major issue facing the riding of Vancouver- Hastings was the future of Hastings Park. It wasn't a partisan issue, I might add, at the time. It was not at all.

The then mayor of Vancouver, who is now the Premier of this province, and I worked very closely on the fu- ture of Hastings Park. [1450] There had been a huge amount of activity at the local level about Hastings Park. In fact, back then in those days over a dozen years ago, the site wasn't really even referred to as Hastings Park by the vast majority of lower mainlanders. It was referred to as the PNE, the Pacific National Exhibition. The reason for that was that the Pacific National Exhibition, the agri- cultural fair in this province, had been at that site for almost a hundred years.

The PNE had a long and glo- rious history as an agricultural fair. That history and support, too, has been abandoned by this government, with their massive agricultural fair grant cuts. They've cut the grants to agricultural fairs, so the Pacific Na- tional Exhibition has been abandoned as a fair by this government as well. The community had come to the conclusion that we needed more green space on the east side of Vancou- ver. Now, why was that?

Well, the NPA–dominated city council, who had been in power for absolute dec- ades, and the park board in Vancouver, who had been in power for decades, had paid very little attention to east-side greening of space. In fact, there had been studies out that showed that the east side of Vancouver actually suffered — by more than half — a reduction of green space versus the west side of Vancouver. So the community — many, many community ac- tivists, of whom I was not one — came together and said: "We have this potential jewel called Hastings Park. You may know it, citizens, as the PNE, but it really is Hastings Park.

That's its legal name, and there's a trust in place. There's a trust in place that guarantees that site is for the use of the community." Many, many activists living in East Vancouver joined together and mounted a campaign to return Hastings Park to community use and to green Hastings Park. It was that issue, along with the issue of education, upon which I decided to get involved in electoral poli- tics. I had just had a son, and his dad and I were terri- bly concerned about where he was going to be able to play as he grew up. So we got involved in restoring Hastings Park as a green space.

I was working with the now-Premier of the province on that. There were huge public meetings. Hundreds of people came out to meetings about the future of Hastings Park. Even though the Premier and his NPA–dominated city council and park board had been the ones that had ignored the east side in terms of greening, he did at- tend the public meetings and heard the outpouring of support for the greening of Hastings Park. Tied up in all of this was the future of the PNE as well, because the PNE was very, very popular.

I remember one of the first points of disagreement my son and I had over politics — just one of the first points of disagreement. I took my son Jack to a public meeting on the future of Hastings Park. The now- Premier was there as the mayor, and I was there. Jack was about four, and he listened carefully to the discus- sion. Then he came up to me afterward and said: "Mommy, are you talking about getting rid of Play- land?

Well, I'm not in favour of that." So it was the first disagreement — many of which have flowed since then — about politically divergent views between my son and me. [1455] It was over the future of the PNE that we had a disagreement. I had become convinced by the people in my community that there could be a bright future for the PNE, but at the same time we could have a Hast- ings Park that was a green, east-side jewel. That may mean that Playland would have a different location and perhaps even a future that wasn't going to be long- term. In 1991, Mr.

Speaker, you know that the NDP formed government, and a former mayor, Mike Har- court, became Premier of the province, which was ex- cellent news for the east side of Vancouver. A decade later, that news turned to disaster, but in 1991 that was very good news for the east side of Vancouver — a government who cared about working people, a gov- ernment who cared about the poor, a government who knew that in a city where there really was a divide be- tween the east and west, the east side of Vancouver was going to have as much attention paid to it as the west side of Vancouver.

We turned our minds quickly to the future of Hast- ings Park, and we listened carefully to the community, who had mounted many challenges to the city of Van- couver about what the use was going to be of Hastings Park. There was a young-in-spirit but old-in- chronological-age man named Guy Faint, who had mounted a challenge to both the then–Social Credit government and the city of Vancouver about violations of the 1889 Hastings Park Trust.

In 1980, after years of advocacy and research, Guy Faint, who was born in 1919, brought to the attention of B.C.'s Legislature the violation of the 1889 trust that gave Hastings Park to Vancouver "for the use, recreation and enjoyment of the public." Without this pivotal event by Guy Faint in the struggle to reclaim Hastings Park, the historic 1996 city-province agreement could not have been achieved. The sanctuary's now peaceful beauty and the elegant Giardino Italiano — sorry, giardino means garden — would not exist. That was the beginning of it: Guy Faint's activities in 1980.

By 1991 it became abundantly clear to the new gov- ernment of the day that Mr. Faint's actions had to be brought to fruition, but we had a rocky start, too, on

MONDAY, OCTOBER 27, 2003 B RITISH COLUMBIA DEBATES 7531 this matter. I remember having many, many discus- sions with my own government, as the local MLA for Vancouver-Hastings, getting my government to realize what the community wanted at Hastings Park and how that could be achieved in a cooperative, inclusive way. Unlike, I think, the government caucus members of this day, I actually had a voice. Even though I was dis- agreeing with my government's initial agenda in this area, I had a voice. I got my community to have a say in what the government's proposal was. We actually changed the course.

We, at the local level, changed the course of my own government's actions. I just wish that was possible by the government caucus members to- day, but I see none of that. It didn't take wild protests from my community. It just took unbelievably close cooperation and listening to each other — my community members and me as the local MLA.

What was originally put forward by my own government with the original NDP–appointed board of directors of the PNE as a substantial rein- vestment in that site, but a reinvestment in a way the community ended up not wanting, was changed. [1500] That original board of directors of the PNE was well-intentioned, came from the community itself and had only the best of intentions for the future of that site. But while many thought that more development at the site was what the community wanted, and perhaps was what was best for the PNE, the community said: "No, that's not what we wanted.

No, we don't want more development at that site. We actually think the park can be greened and made a sanctuary, and per- haps there's a role for the PNE as well." The then Premier, Mike Harcourt — as was always his way — listened to government caucus members. In this case, it was me. He made changes in the governance, those who governed at the PNE — not in any disparag- ing way to the previous board. He acknowledged their success but made changes.

He said to the new PNE board of directors — I think it was around 1993, maybe 1994 when he made that change: "Pay close attention to the wishes of Vancouver-Hastings residents about the future of the PNE." Mr. Harcourt, the then Premier, also appointed a group of government caucus members of the day to open up negotiations with the city of Vancouver about what would work best for the future of the PNE. I was very fortunate to continue to work with my own con- stituents. We had public meetings. We worked hard together. We did surveys. We talked to the park board. We brought in experts.

We gave options to the com- munity about the future of that site. We had a presi- dent of the PNE, Ian Aikenhead, who said first and foremost that the PNE must bring the community to the table about the future of the site. Mr. Aikenhead said, along with his board of direc- tors, which was a diverse group from business, from the community and from the city: "Yes, we support the PNE, and we want the PNE at this site, but we want to do it in a way that welcomes the community. Let's see whether we can work toward that." By that time, the then mayor, Gordon Campbell, had moved on to be- come the leader of the B.C.

Liberal opposition, and Philip Owen was in the mayor's chair. Philip Owen said: "Yes, we want to work with the government of the day, the NDP government of the day, to make sure the community gets what it wishes at Hastings Park." In the meantime, groups like the Hastings Park Con- servancy, business community members and Burrard- v i e w c o m m u n i t y , j u s t t o n a m e a f e w , w e r e w o r k i n g hard to ensure that Hastings Park would be turned into a sanctuary.

That culminated in a historic agreement in 1996 between the province of British Columbia and the city of Vancouver about the future of Hastings Park. It was a funding agreement. It also included the racetrack at the time, and it was a funding agreement about how provincial revenues flowing from the racetrack and the PNE fair would go to Hastings Park to green Hastings Park.

It was, I would say, a model of consultation and cooperation, and I would also say that as the city and the province moved toward this cooperative agree- ment, the then opposition MLAs were included in all of the discussions as well — all of them, unlike what this government has done to me. This government has not had one single conversation with me about the future of my own community. [1505] That was then, Mr. Speaker. That's the decade this government now likes to shout and say what an awful p e r i o d o f t i m e i t w a s .

I n f a c t , w h a t h a p p e n e d a r o u n d Hastings Park should stand as a model of open and inclusive and non-partisan cooperation. It is with dis- may that I have to stand and say that has all been set aside now by this Liberal government. The historic 1996 agreement that was signed by the N P A m a y o r , b y m e a s t h e l o c a l M L A , b y t h e c a b i n e t minister who was responsible for the PNE, by city councillors such as George Puil and by local Vancouver MLAs and the community has proven to be incredibly successful. Hastings Park is a jewel.

The PNE is more successful than it has ever been, and they sit on the site side by side. Does more work need to be done? Absolutely. Has more work been planned? Absolutely. But how will that work continue, and how will it continue in a bal- anced and inclusive way? It means that all parties have to come to the table with an equal voice and an equal say. It can't be the city dominating. It can't be the prov- ince abdicating its responsibility for funding of the site. It has to be that every voice within the community is at the table as well.

It is that open, transparent, inclusive and cooperative process that I want assurances from this Liberal government will continue. I want those assurances. They're certainly not off to a good start by the way they've treated the community in not talking to the community or the local MLA. While it is a sanctuary — a beautiful, beautiful sanctuary — it's an urban sanctu- ary. It's got a hot skateboard park that is one of the best in North America, and that skateboard park is right next to Il Giardino Italiano, which is so beautiful. The

7532 B RITISH COLUMBIA DEBATES M ONDAY, OCTOBER 27, 2003 gardens are so beautiful. They're formal, European- style gardens that make you want to sit there on beau- tiful benches amidst the shrubbery and the statues and the sculptures and just be at peace. There's the Momiji Gardens that were brought in by the very first NDP board of directors and are a tribute. The Momiji Gardens are a tribute to the Japanese Ca- nadians who were interned during the Second World War at Hastings Park.

There's the restoration of the salmon stream that is absolutely spectacular, and all of this greening has taken place at the same time that the PNE has grown and modernized and adjusted to being located at a park that is a very much different park. What does this legislation do to all of that? Well, I'm not sure. I'm not sure.

It may be a simple transfer of the responsibility of the city to now uphold the Hast- ings Park Trust and ensure that the city works with the community, or it could be a downloading, once again, onto the city of Vancouver with the government of B.C. abdicating its responsibility for using provincial mon- eys to fund the greening of Hastings Park. [1510] Let me read into the record a letter from many peo- ple from my community to the Premier of the province. It's dated October 26, 2003. I'll just tell you who it's from.

It's signed by Mariken van Nimwegen, vice- chair, on behalf of the board of directors of the Hast- ings Park Conservancy. I will let you know that I am a member of the Hastings Park Conservancy as well. "Dear Premier: "This week we were informed of the Ministry of Deregulation's first reading of Bill 83, 2003, the proposal to revise the 1889 Hastings Park Trust to enable the Pacific National Exhibition to continue in its current form. The intent of the bill makes us deeply sad. "In 1980 it was Mr.

Guy Faint, a resident of East Vancouver, who first brought the Hastings Park Trust and the non-conforming uses of the land to the attention of the then Attorney General. Our organization, having worked with Mr. Faint in the past, has a mandate to work in the spirit he intended in an honest effort to right a long-neglected wrong done to the people of East Vancouver. To hear of the province's attempt, within mere months of Mr.

Faint's death in August this same year, to retroactively legitimize past and possible future uses by both the exhibition and the racetrack is to feel deeply sad, even more so because your government chooses to do this on the eve of relinquishing its jurisdiction over the PNE. "Moreover, it takes us by surprise that it is your government that chooses to make this change to the trust a full 90 years after the non-conforming activities began and mere months before the city commences its public consultations on the future of the PNE summer fair.

"Despite being fully aware of the discrepancies between the intent of the 1889 Hastings Park Trust and the actual uses of the site, our organization's volunteer community leadership has deliberately chosen and consistently advised its constituency to not act on this fact through the courts. Clearly, our community would have had scarce resources to do so. Instead, our group has always firmly believed in the value of honest and fair consultation and negotiation with the two levels of government and with both major tenants at the site.

"In 1995 true progress was made in agreement with all parties involved in Hastings Park, and a modest re- greening program began. The Hastings Park Conservancy is and always has been concerned with the long-term future of the land from the point of view of its social, environmental and economic sustainability and its healthy relationship with the surrounding residential neighbourhoods. Given this long-term orientation, we have sought to get agreements in place about Hastings Park that would transcend the political climate of the day in order to enable future citizens of Vancouver to shape their city's destiny.

"The Hastings Park Trust, quietly existing in the background and unheeded while commercial activity was condoned by most over the course of decades, embodied this. It was the moral anchor that validated the legitimate aspirations of the people of East Vancouver, despite the actions of their successive governments to the contrary. We now appeal to you, the leader of our city's senior provincial government, but more specifically to y ou as e x- m ay or of t h e c it y of V anc ou v e r , t o r em e m be r your previous support of the vision of re-greening Hastings Park.

"The trust, vague in places as it may be, nevertheless symbolizes the sacred trust we had that one day the political leadership would recognize the sincerity of our aims as well as our decades-long advocacy conducted in good faith and forwarded accommodatingly and politely but, most of all, patiently. "We do not believe that the transfer of ownership of the PNE needs to involve changing the original intent of the trust.

Please deny the alteration of the original Hastings Park Trust at the eleventh hour of the provincial government's tenancy at this treasured public site in order to enable proper stewardship of Hastings Park by the citizens of Vancouver in future. "These are our sentiments conveyed to you and expressed, "With sincerity, The board of directors of the Hastings Park Conservancy." [1515] I joined the Hastings Park Conservancy less than a year ago because I wanted to support them in what I thought was a well-established, non-partisan agree- ment on the greening of Hastings Park.

It was my way of making a very small contribution to that process. As a result of that, I get their newsletters, and I must tell you that even before this legislation came down, there were many questions being raised about the future of Hastings Park, given this government's wont of expan- sion of gaming at the racetrack. For those of you who have not been at Hastings Park, the racetrack takes up — I hope my memory is not failing me here — about 40 acres of a 160-acre site.

The racetrack has been there for a long time, and I am a huge supporter of the racing industry in this province and also of the Hastings Park racetrack. The community has worked cooperatively with the racetrack, but they were alarmed about lack of consultation by the government about the expansion of gaming at the racetrack, with the minister responsible for gaming, the Solicitor General, saying that there could be a huge expansion of slots. W h a t I d o k n o w a b o u t m y c o m m u n i t y i s t h a t i f a government consults them, they are always about find-

MONDAY, OCTOBER 27, 2003 B RITISH COLUMBIA DEBATES 7533 ing cooperative solutions, just as the letter to the Pre- mier of today said. They want to be included. They don't want to go to courts, to be in the courts. They want to negotiate and reach agreements. I think that's w h a t t h e y w e r e a s k i n g f o r i n t e r m s o f c h a n g e s a t t h e racetrack as well. So I expect that today the very many members of my community are viewing with concern and, in some cases, alarm the direction this Liberal government is taking about Hastings Park.

N o w , I d o n o t e t h a t w e h a v e a c i t y g o v e r n m e n t i n Vancouver that, on its own, has made a commitment to the future of Hastings Park, and I am thankful for that. I also know, though, that the city of Vancouver is in a great deal of trouble and chaos because of the downloading foisted on them by this Liberal government. There are huge pressures on the social services in Van- couver, huge pressures directly because of the actions of this Liberal government.

Just today, the mayor of Vancou- ver wrote a very thoughtful piece that was published in the Vancouver Sun about homelessness in the city of Van- couver. He wrote a piece about how homelessness is an ever-growing problem in Vancouver because of the cuts to social programs and social housing in this province. The provincial government denies this. It's like every day they stand up as if they…. Well, they do have their heads in the sand, but like ostriches, they can have their heads in the sand and still put their rear ends in the air and assume that they're doing good for the province.

The cuts to welfare, the draconian cuts to welfare by this province and the cuts in social housing — the kicking of the mentally ill onto the streets no matter how much the Premier is in denial about that — are leading to crisis conditions on the street. [1520] Here's what the mayor said, and the mayor is want- ing to cooperate with the two levels of government. He's saying: "Federal and provincial governments, which represent all taxpayers and raise the largest share of taxes, should fund social housing.

We can't compensate for the failure of federal and provincial governments to invest in Canada's and B.C.'s social infrastructure. But the city must protect itself to the degree it can from the consequences of that failure. "The point is that no one should ever have to be homeless. Someone who loses a job — for instance, a sawmill worker in a small town in the interior who travels to Vancouver seeking work — should never have to live on the street. "No one is born homeless. Homelessness is the end of the road, not the beginning of the journey of life.

It is our task, society's task, to ensure there always will be a choice other than homelessness. We are failing in this task." The mayor of Vancouver wants to take a non- partisan approach to solving this matter, but they, too, can't get answers about how the cuts to welfare will affect the city of Vancouver. Once again, the Premier today denied giving that information, refused to give that information so that the city of Vancouver can plan.

Even with their ever-decreasing resources, their lim- ited resources, the city of Vancouver wishes to make a commitment to new housing programs, but they've re- ceived nothing from this provincial government about new housing programs — absolutely nothing.

Even though they know they're having to pick up the slack for cuts to child care and they know they are going to be facing almost a doubling — the prediction is — of the homeless on the streets, they have still said to East Van- couver: "We want to work with you on a vision for Hast- ings Park." I say thank goodness we've got that type of government at the city level, that we still have some politicians who want to work in a cooperative way at the local level for the best of the community.

I was pleased to note that the city of Vancouver an- nounced last week, on October 23, a PNE–Hastings Park community visioning process. I just want to read into the record that visioning process, because I want to hold the city to account for this visioning process. I want to be there for them if they get into financial trouble because of the downloading by the provincial Liberal govern- ment. I want to be there for them to refer to the record about what they had intended for the future of Hastings Park. Let me read what the city has planned.

The city has been "actively consulting the Hastings- Sunrise community and other stakeholders about the future of their neighbourhood through efforts such as the Hastings-Sunrise CityPlan initiative…." Consider- able and important community input "has already led to the creation of the Hastings Park restoration plan completed in 1997." "In October 2003 the city launched a community visioning process that will create a road map to guide future plans for the PNE in Hastings Park. The visioning process will begin in January 2004, once the city assumes ownership of the PNE, and will continue through July.

Senior planner Sue Harvey will lead the visioning process. 'The PNE visioning that gets underway in January will complement and build upon the work already in place and set out a new future for this 100- year-old institution.' "The visioning process will engage all concerned stakeholders, including the neighbouring community, PNE management and employees, as well as residents from across Vancouver, to explore opportunities for a new future for the PNE within a park setting." [1525] Other factors that will or could have an impact on the park are the venues that are being planned to host some of the 2010 Winter Olympic events and whether or not city council allows slots at Hastings Park racetrack.

The PNE– Hastings Park visioning process will consider how to miti- gate any impacts should slots be approved at the track. Well, thank goodness we have that kind of gov- ernment at the local level, a city government that rec- ognizes it's better to consult and include rather than to stiff-arm and ignore, which is what the B.C. Liberal government has done to the residents of Hastings- Sunrise community. I wish the city of Vancouver well in their visioning process. [H. Long in the chair.] I will be there, alongside my community, to add whatever voice and support I can in making sure that

7534 B RITISH COLUMBIA DEBATES M ONDAY, OCTOBER 27, 2003 the community wishes are heeded and, just as impor- tantly, that there's money there from provincial reve- nues — as has been the case for the last 12 years — toward the greening of Hastings Park. Every year for the last 12 years, money has flowed from the province to the greening of Hastings Park, and it will be very interesting to note what's going to happen about that. We are a community that is having buildings for 2010 foisted upon us.

I happen to be a supporter of the 2010 Olympic Games, but I'm not sure that my community was ever asked by this government about the future of Hastings Park and the Olympics. I'm not sure that they were ever asked that, but I'm sure the Minister of State for Deregulation, as B team, would be able to say whether his government ever talked directly to the people around Hastings Park. I expect that the answer will come back: "No." He likes to call…. Interjection. J. MacPhail: He likes to talk about a referendum. Well, it wasn't his government that had a referendum. It wasn't his government at all.

Believe you me, it would be the cheek of all cheekiness for that minister to take credit for consultation with anybody in Vancouver about the 2010 Olympics — the cheek of all cheekiness. I cer- tainly hope he won't be going down that path at all. We have buildings for the 2010 Olympics that will be developed at Hastings Park. We have a Solicitor General who likes to suggest that he's not expanding gaming, but he's going to more than triple the number of slot machines in the province and increase revenue from gaming by well over 40 percent.

Only that Solici- tor General would say that's not an expansion of gam- ing. But, of course, he has to revisit history because it was his government that made a promise that they wouldn't expand gaming. So it's like Liberal-speak. I love that Liberal "new-error-speak" — and yes, I do say "new-error-speak" — where they have to say to the public: "No, no, no. Increasing gaming revenue by 40 percent and tripling the number of slots in the province is not expanding gaming.

How could you possibly interpret it that way?" Well, at Hastings Park where, probably, there's a proposal put forward to expand slots or to add slots to the track…. Now, what has the government done for the racing industry in this province? What has this Lib- eral government done? Nothing, absolutely nothing. [1530] The racing industry creates 7,000 jobs in British Columbia. It has a long and diverse history. It employs thousands of young people. It's agriculturally based. We could be a huge and successful racing industry, and we were on the road to rejuvenating the horse- racing industry right up until 2001.

The previous gov- ernment paid very close attention to the wishes of the horse-racing industry and delivered a substantial amount to assist them. I'm not sure what this govern- ment has done, if anything, for the horse-racing indus- try. I know that the Minister of Agriculture has done nothing. Once again they've downloaded the problem for the future of the horse-racing industry at Hastings Park onto the city of Vancouver. It will now be the city of Vancou- ver that has to do the hard slogging of community con- sultation about the future of the horse-racing track at Hastings Park.

They are going to do that, but it is downloading. There's no question it's downloading from this Liberal government onto the city of Vancouver. I just want to say there is much to be answered about in this legislation, Bill 83. There will be many questions coming from my community about the intent of this legislation and the intent of this government on the future of Hastings Park.

I will say this, though: I am the MLA for Vancouver-Hastings for another 17 months, and I will work as hard as I possibly can to protect and enhance the unbelievably wonderful work my community has done to green Hastings Park, to make it a sanctuary and to work cooperatively with the Pacific National Exhibition and the racetrack. I will wo rk a s har d as I c an t o e ns u re t hat t hi s L i b e ral g o v - ernment does not undo any of that hard work and does not backtrack on agreements that were made at the provincial and city levels in 1996.

It is hugely impor- tant that we continue that good work which was car- ried out around the PNE. There was a very good plan, a very economically viable plan, in place to relocate the Pacific National Exhibition. But because it was…. Interjections. J. MacPhail: Oh my God. This is how out of touch some of these Liberal MLAs are about the whole city. They're talking about the bog. I have no idea what the member for Vancouver-Burrard is talking about. They sure got themselves in trouble there, not being able to pay the money they owe for purchasing Burns Bog like they promised.

There was a very viable economic plan to move the PNE to Surrey. The mayor of Surrey was on board. The business community was on board. The province was on board. There had been due diligence done about it. There was an incredibly viable plan, but as is the wont of this government to play partisan politics with every- thing, they immediately shut that plan down to the detriment of Surrey. Of course, Hastings Park — all of the work my com- munity had done in cooperating with that plan was thrown out the window. Is the economy doing better be- cause of this government's great business sense? Hmm — dead last.

Dead last in economic growth. Interjections. Deputy Speaker: Order, members. Order. Let the member speak. [1535] J. MacPhail: Dead last in economic growth in 2002, 2003 and 2004. For the very first time in British Colum- bia's history, the only avenue a Finance minister has to

MONDAY, OCTOBER 27, 2003 B RITISH COLUMBIA DEBATES 7535 even attempt to balance his budget is equalization payments from the federal government — $2 billion under the B.C. Liberals that they'll be getting from Ot- tawa in equalization payments, because we're now a have-not province because of their failed economic policies. We'll be getting $2 billion from Ottawa in wel- fare payments. Not one cent of that is going to working people. It's all going to pay for the tax cuts to the rich that this government gave away and that failed so mis- erably to stimulate any economic growth.

They failed to actually work on an economically viable plan to move the Pacific National Exhibition to Surrey. They've done nothing to support the horse- racing industry. They've downloaded social service costs onto the city of Vancouver. They're expanding gaming at a rate that is unheard of. Now they've brought in this legislation. All of those factors impact hugely on the east side of Vancouver, and this Liberal government hasn't talked to anyone on the east side of Vancouver. Abso- lutely no one have they talked to on the east side of Vancouver. So it will be with great interest that my community watches this.

I will be raising questions, holding the B team of this cabinet to account on the future of the Hastings Park Conservancy, because I know absolutely no one in the Liberal caucus gives a whit about the future of Hastings Park — not a whit. R. Nijjar: It is with great pleasure that I listened to the member for Vancouver-Hastings speak on all the issues under the sun, right from what they did to bring the economy from number one to number ten, to city council, to the proposed project in Surrey. Let me touch on some of those.

First of all, I commend the minister of state for do- ing exactly what one should do, which is allow the city to make a decision. What a novel idea. Why shouldn't the province allow the city to make a decision as to what's best in their community? Of course, under a socialist regime, one would never think of that, because everything should be controlled by the province. Only the province…. Interjections. Deputy Speaker: O r d e r , o r d e r . T h e L e a d e r o f t h e Opposition should be speaking from her chair only. Any member in this House can only speak from their chair.

They cannot be standing in the gallery speaking, so I want every member to remember that. Carry on, member. R. Nijjar: The notion that only the province knows what's in the community's best interest is outrageous. However, we went through ten years of that type of government, who repeatedly told us: "Yes, we want to consult, but while we do, let us remind you that we know what is best." I'm from the east side of Vancouver — born and raised there. I was one of those youths — the 2,600 youths a year — who got a job at the PNE. I worked there when I was a teenager for a few years just after high school.

Getting older…. We know the economic viability of the PNE, projected to make about $2.3 mil- lion next year; the heritage aspect of it; the great cul- tural aspect; the contribution that it makes as it attracts tourists; and the contribution that it makes not just to East Vancouver, not just to Vancouver and the lower mainland, but the message that it gives across Canada that, yes, we have a national exhibition on the west coast. For generations it has been the heart of our community in East Van — of which I am a representa- tive — but also the heart of the whole lower mainland.

I'm not going to get into the details of how it con- tributes $115 million to the economy — we know that; we can read that — and how it creates 4,000 jobs a year — 2,600 jobs for the youth, many of those from my community. There are more important things than reading out stats, however important those stats are.

It's about how we're going to ensure that the land and the PNE, in whatever form it may be, can continue if the people in that community want it to continue. [1540] We could do what the former government did, which is spend a decade of wobbling and gobbling and doing all the little things that they do under that type of regime and then at the end of it say: "Well , at least we maybe did one thing." I'll remind the member for Vancouver-Hastings that the city council they were conversing with during that time was the NPA.

It's very easy to say, "City hall didn't do this, city hall didn't do that, and we were trying to engage in consultation" — well, who was the city hall? It was the NPA — and then to say: "At the same time, though, we achieved a lot." Well, if you achieved a lot, then whom did you achieve it with, other than the NPA? On top of that, the member for Vancouver-Hastings tries to remind us that the NDP city hall party now is going to have a great consultation process. They've announced that they're going to have a consultation p r o c e s s i n 2 0 0 4 .

W e l l , o f c o u r s e t h e y a r e , b e c a u s e they've been working with the minister for the transfer of the rights to make the decision for the park. Thus, they are having a consultation process. The member for Vancouver-Hastings says: "I'm the representative from that area. They never consulted with me." Let's ask the residents of Vancouver- Hastings: "What would you rather have?

Would you rather have this government consult with that one per- son, or would you rather have us give the authority to your city so the city can consult with you and plan with you and make a future in your community?" I don't know of one person in East Vancouver, and I'm from East Vancouver, that would ever say: "I want you to consult with just my member." I actually am proud of the fact that this government is willing to hand over the reins to the NDP at Vancou- ver city hall, even though, as the member tries to point out, they are this opposition to us.

The member for Vancouver-Hastings can call it, I guess, whatever the member wishes. However, maybe we trust that a city

7536 B RITISH COLUMBIA DEBATES M ONDAY, OCTOBER 27, 2003 hall that consults with the President of the United States over war in Iraq, consults with the United Na- tions and discusses with them and tries to send them letters about the Star Wars and about the perimeter around North America, a city hall that is so engaged in world issues…. Why wouldn't they be engaged in is- sues in their own community?

If there's a city hall that this member for Vancouver- Hastings is so fond of, I'm shocked that the same member then says: "Oh, I'm not happy that you as a government are going to give that very city hall the right to make the decisions." Let the public decide. Should a city hall that tries to consult with every mem- ber of this world on almost every global issue, al- though they are elected to represent Vancouver…? Are they capable of consulting with them on their own city issues? That's for them to decide, as residents, because they voted for that type of city hall.

It is not my job to say that I like or dislike a certain level of government, and therefore, based on that, I'm going to give them or not give them the authority to govern over their own area. This government is doing the right thing. Consulta- tion should take place at the local level. That is why we took the NDP system of health care from Victoria and gave it back to the regions by creating regional health authorities. That is why, in education, we are taking the NDP's control in Victoria and saying that parents will be allowed, will have the authority to be engaged with decisions in their communities.

It follows, then, that we are saying that whether there should be more green space or less green space, whether the PNE should stay in the east side of Vancouver or should move, is a decision of the people who live in that area. That is the consultation. [1545] One of the opening remarks from the member for Vancouver-Hastings was that she's not going to oppose this — e i t h e r t h a t o r " W e s u p p o r t i t i n g e n e r a l . " O f course the member does, because a lot of the rest of the part she said was rhetoric. Of course they support it, because it makes common sense.

It makes sense to al- low the city to make its own decision. One of the reasons why it makes sense is because we need to get a focus on it. For ten years there's been unfocus. Sure, there's been some green space there. Does anybody know where the PNE is going after ten years? No, they don't. Does anybody know if there's any stability at the PNE as we as visitors go there from year to year? No, we don't. If, as the member explains, during the nineties so much was done under Premier Harcourt, then the only question I can ask is: why did the rat pack from the NDP work so hard to oust the Premier?

The Premier only lasted for a few years. If he was doing such a great job, if so much progress was made, then why would his own caucus members work to push him out? I am proud of the work my government is doing to ensure that the racetrack becomes a viable business. Under the current structure, all 79 members here agreed that the future was limited, it was dying, and we had to bring it to the new age of racetracks and copy what they're doing in Toronto and around the world. We made the necessary steps. As the member for Vancouver-Hastings says, she supports the race- track business.

We made the hard decision you have to make in order to ensure that if you support it morally, it would exist. It becomes very easy for an opposition member to say, in secret, "That's great that the government was willing to do the hard thing, because my government wasn't. However, now what I can say publicly is: 'Oh, I think you're increasing gaming; I think you're bringing us more slot machines.'" Who is that message coming from?

A member of a government that tried to bring casinos in all over the place to the point where their own Premier got his hands dirty on the issue, where he was willing to sell off his own political career. An Hon. Member: The government that approved the slot machines in the first place. R.

Nijjar: The government that approved the ex- pansion in the first place now stands up and says: "How dare you, as a government, approve the slot ma- chines?" As the East Vancouver MLA, I'm going to continue to work with my minister on the various issues that touch my community, including getting rid of regula- tions that hamper economic growth. When I was going to university and living in my community of East Van, our economy was number one. When I used to go to university, we used to talk about all the things you could do, what kind of career you want, what kind of job you wanted to get.

I got a job right in my own community at the PNE when I was going to college. Over those ten years I saw the number of jobs at the PNE available to youth go down and down and down. Every year I heard young people say: "I don't think I'm going to apply at the PNE next year.

I don't even know if it's going to be around, so I better start looking somewhere else." Everybody would scramble for letters of reference before the board was gone, before the PNE was gone and you wouldn't be able to find anybody to prove you ever worked there. [1550] We have an MLA, a member of the opposition, who then speaks about the great impact that the PNE has had on the community and how much they have done around the PNE and around the province to make this place viable. All along, while I was a youth, this prov- ince went from a number one economy to number ten.

It went from number one to number ten, and then with the greatest majority in the history of this province, people said: "We want a change." Less than two years later we have a member — that member, part of that government — standing in the House and saying: "What are you doing to Hastings Park?" and "Look at you. Your government is incompetent because your government has this province at number ten economi-

MONDAY, OCTOBER 27, 2003 B RITISH COLUMBIA DEBATES 7537 cally." Well, of course this province is number ten. That's because they brought it to number ten. Anybody who understands the economy under- stands you cannot put a province from number ten to number one in 24 months. That member knows it also, and that member is playing with that reality. She be- lieves that if she can just keep saying over and over again that the B.C. Liberal government is in power and the economy is low, therefore you associate the gov- ernment with the economy.

Well, I don't think the public is so ignorant to believe that, although the ba- sis of the member's party being in existence is trying to make way with misinformation and people's lack of knowledge. Let me repeat: we are making the best sound busi- ness decision and regulatory decision and the best de- cision as far as the consultative process is concerned by giving the city control of the trust, control of the board, control of the direction of the park, control of the green space and control of the future of the PNE. I am proud of that.

I am proud of the fact that in just over 24 months, we have started moving this province back towards number one. I am proud of the fact that the minister of state did the right thing in my community, and I'm proud that my colleagues from Vancouver and the surrounding area are working together to consult with the people we need to consult with — like our city halls, regardless of how many Star Wars they're fight- ing and how many wars in Iraq they want to fight. We are respecting the wishes of the people of the city and giving their city council the say. K.

Johnston: I'm delighted to have the opportunity to speak to second reading of the Pacific National Ex- hibition Enabling and Validating Act. I listened very intently to the member for Vancouver-Hastings regard- ing the PNE, regarding her passion for the PNE, and I can tell you that I actually share that passion. I, too, am a Vancouver boy born and bred, and I understand the value of the PNE to so many people — probably hun- dreds of thousands — that have worked there over the last hundred years — or certainly in the last 50. So many youth have gone forward and worked there.

It would be interesting to find out how many community leaders we have in British Columbia today who actu- ally got their very first job working at the PNE. I un- derstand that passion, absolutely. It's an institution that is ingrained in you, especially w h e n y o u w e r e s o r t o f b o r n h e r e . I t ' s j u s t i n y o u r blood. Every year I go. I still go. It's incredible — the smells, the feeling, the donut place in the same spot and Ken's diner or Ken's Lunch or whatever. You go to the same spots all the time. It's just an unbelievable feeling.

What I'm getting out of this today is a little bit of confusion, certainly from the member for Vancouver- Hastings. We were going back and forth and back and forth. We started out, and she certainly wasn't oppos- ing this legislation, but on the other hand she really kind of was opposing it. On the one hand, it was good for the province to be making this decision. On the other hand, she didn't want the city dealing with this decision, but then maybe that was okay too. It was somewhat confusing.

What really confused me was the passion — again, which I understand — about keeping the PNE in Van- couver, at Hastings Park, and then the disappointment with the fact that somehow or another it didn't end up in Surrey or in Burns Bog, where it may have slipped away into never-never land. Who knows? I was con- fused with the messages that were going back and forth, back and forth. [1555] I see this strictly for what it is before us. The gov- ernment, the province of British Columbia, has con- sulted with the city of Vancouver — and I know this — about who will run the PNE.

What it effectively is, is a transfer of control of the PNE, control of the board, control of the future actions — control. I would have thought, certainly with the city of Vancouver and the province coming together, that's good consultation on behalf of both parties, including the province. I think it's an extremely positive step that will, hopefully, keep the PNE at Hastings and will keep it there for, hope- fully, another hundred years.

I think it's really, really important, too, that as part of this we know — and the member for Vancouver- Hastings talked about it — there is going to be a tre- mendous consultation process — the visioning from the city of Vancouver to the stakeholders, which is the r i g h t p l a c e f o r i t t o b e a t . I t s h o u l d b e c i v i c , a n d i t should be with everybody in the community. It shouldn't be by some provincial government in Victo- ria. It should be civic. That visioning process is going to start very soon and will be completed by 2005.

There is the opportu- nity for the people of Vancouver, specifically all stake- holders and all people in Vancouver, because it affects not just Vancouver-Hastings folks but also people in my riding of Vancouver-Fraserview, Vancouver- Burrard and, quite frankly, probably the whole region — the whole GVRD — if not all of British Columbia. The province looked at the operation of the PNE and decided, in the best interests of the fair and of the whole organization, that they should devolve them- selves from it and let that city take over. I've been lis- tening to the debate.

I hear all kinds of things about economics, and this province is turning around. We are making strides. We are moving ahead. But I've yet to hear absolutely anything from city of Vancouver or anybody saying that this enabling action is not the right thing to do. That also confuses me a little bit when I listen. I hope I've got this right. I want to paraphrase what the member for Vancouver-Hastings said. She was talking about the history of the PNE and the work that had been done over the years. She said something very interesting to me.

She said — and if I don't have it 100 percent right, I apologize: "We at the local level changed the course of actions regarding the PNE." What that says to me is that she feels it should be at the local level, yet somewhere in there I thought I heard

7538 B RITISH COLUMBIA DEBATES M ONDAY, OCTOBER 27, 2003 there was some sort of debate that it shouldn't be at the local level, and I agree with that. It should be at the local level, and that's where it's going to be. That was very confusing. In terms of the green space, I think the green-space work that's been done there in the last ten years is tre- mendous. It's changed the face and the look of the site, but I think there is that green space. I also took a little exception to the fact that private members….

You know, we get the standard nonsense all the time: we're not involved in government; we're so far away; we don't get involved in anything. I can tell you that all of us, specifically from Vancouver, had the opportunity to look at this plan coming forward. People talked and discussed and thought this was the best thing the government of British Columbia could do with regard to the PNE. The horse-racing industry has been talked about and talked about, and steps are being taken to make sure that is a viable industry, because we understand the importance of the jobs in that industry.

We under- stand the importance of the breeding that goes out right through the rest of British Columbia. We are hopeful that will be viable through various policies. The member also talked about the B team being here. I appreciate the minister bringing this forward today, because quite frankly, in my mind, B is for "bright" in terms of that minister, so I take exception to those type of comments as well. Interjection. K. Johnston: Yeah, you did say that, didn't you? He sent me a note saying to say that, but anyway…. Hon. K. Falcon: Sing it. K. Johnston: Yeah — supposed to sing it.

I realize this is the forum to talk about everything in the world except what the subject's about. I'm not going to do that. I'm just going to say I am proud of this government. I'm proud of dealing in a consultative manner with the city of Vancouver. This is the right step regarding the PNE, and I am truly hopeful — be- cause it's in my blood too — that the Pacific National Exhibition stays in its present form, in a better form, and that it goes 50 to 100 years into the future. I know the province has done its part to ensure that. [1600] L. Mayencourt: It's a pleasure to stand and speak in support of this bill.

The amendments we have before us to the Pacific National Exhibition Incorporation Act give the city of Vancouver the authority to appoint board members to the PNE, which, in effect, gives them the entity, the PNE. It means that the city is going to put these folks in there, and their term of office will start in 2004. We think it's important to do this because the mu- nicipal level of government is probably the most able to manage this particular entity. It has been in the city of Vancouver for many, many years.

There are a great number of people within the city of Vancouver, many of whom were referenced in the comments of the member for Vancouver-Hastings, who feel a great deal of passion, as she does and as the member for Vancouver- Fraserview has, for this particular park — for Hastings Park and for the PNE. Anyway, those folks all have this opportunity now to get together and decide what the shape and direc- tion will be for the Pacific National Exhibition, and I think that's where it belongs — in the hands of people in that community.

The amendments also confirm the l a n d g r a n t o f H a s t i n g s P a r k t o t h e c i t y o f V a n c o u v e r , and it allows the city of Vancouver to authorize future use and activities on the site that fit within the new parameters that are specified here. What kind of new uses might they envision? Well, you know, in the last few years there has been a lot of evolution at Hastings Park and at the PNE. As a matter of fact, just in the last few years it has become a place where there are sound stages. We have the film indus- try that has come in and started to use the large build- ings on site here.

It's giving the city of Vancouver the ability to expand opportunities for businesses that are in Vancouver and for community as well. I've had a lot of time down at the PNE, also known a s H a s t i n g s P a r k , a n d I j u s t w a n t t o c o m m e n t a l i t t l e bit. As all the members have talked about in this House, the PNE is a great tradition in British Columbia. Almost all of us were there in our early days, as chil- dren, and we take our kids or our grandchildren, as the case may be, to this wonderful place. It's a great, great park, and it's a great, great institution.

It means a lot to a lot of people. When I go around Hastings Park now, I look at the wonderful work that has been done to green Hastings Park. There are the Italian gardens that were put to- gether by Al De Genova and a bunch of folks from the Italian community who put in bocce courts, put in wonderful gardens that you could enjoy, the fountains and all the wonderful things that are there — great marble work — and the great craftsmanship that's been put into that park. I t ' s b e a u t i f u l , a n d i t ' s p a r t o f t h e g r e e n i n g o f t h a t p

Document details

Collection	British Columbia — Debates (Hansard)
Citation	H1027pm 09
Type	hansard
Volume / chapter	H1027pm 09
Language	en
Format	pdf
Source	PROVINCIAL
Identifier	71c91ced2b256b7cbdfa76c41670c3b104a153a3

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