First Session, 42nd Parliament

(2021) OFFICIAL REPORT

OF DEBATES

(HANSARD)

Monday, March 1, 2021

Morning Sitting

Issue No. 15

ISSN 1499-2175

The HTML transcript is provided for informational purposes only.

The PDF transcript remains the official digital version.

CONTENTS

Routine Business

Motions Without Notice

Special procedures for proceedings of Legislative Assembly during COVID-19 pandemic

Hon. M. Farnworth

Orders of the Day

Private Members’ Statements

Education

J. Tegart

K. Paddon

Capital projects

D. Coulter

I. Paton

Housing

B. Stewart

S. Chant

Rainbow crosswalks in Langley

A. Mercier

K. Kirkpatrick

Private Members’ Motions

Motion 2 — Government response to COVID-19

T. Wat

B. D’Eith

T. Halford

J. Sims

D. Davies

J. Rice

C. Oakes

D. Routley

L. Doerkson

P. Alexis

T. Stone

MONDAY, MARCH 1, 2021

The House met at 10:05 a.m.

[Mr. Speaker in the chair.]

Routine Business

Prayers and reflections: D. Coulter.

Hon. M. Farnworth: I seek leave to move a motion.

Leave granted.

Motions Without Notice

SPECIAL PROCEDURES FOR PROCEEDINGS

OF LEGISLATIVE

ASSEMBLY

DURING COVID-19 PANDEMIC

Hon. M. Farnworth: Notwithstanding Standing Order 48.1, by leave I move the motion on

the order paper, on the motion I have in my name. It’s been shared with

the opposition. We have discussed it with the Clerk. It governs the

sessional order for this session of the Legislature, which will go until

March 31.

It is quite lengthy, so with your indulgence, I will not read it.

But I can assure you that all parties have agreed to it.

[ GENERAL

1. That, as an exercise of the Legislative Assembly’s

exclusive right to regulate its own internal affairs as they relate to

its legislative and deliberative functions, including control over the

conduct of its proceedings, the use of videoconferencing technology be

authorized to enable all Members to be present in the proceedings of the

Legislative Assembly through remote participation, counting toward

quorum, while other Members continue to be present physically in the

Legislative Chamber, thereby enabling hybrid proceedings of the

House.

2. That Zoom be approved as the videoconferencing technology

platform for the purposes of supporting hybrid proceedings of the

House.

QUORUM AND ATTENDANCE

3. That Members who are participating in the House’s

proceedings by the approved videoconferencing technology be counted as

present for the purposes of the quorum of ten Members, as set out in

section 42 of the Constitution Act (R.S.B.C. 1996, c. 66) and

Standing Order 6, and for the purposes of determining a majority of

votes as set out in

section 43 of the Constitution

Act .

4. That Members who are participating in the House’s

proceedings by the approved videoconferencing technology must have the

audio and video functions enabled with their face clearly visible in

order to be counted towards quorum, to participate in debate, and to

vote.

VOTING AND DIVISIONS

5. That, notwithstanding Standing Order 16:

(1) When the Speaker puts the question, no further

debate on the question shall be permitted.

(2) When a division is requested, it shall be deferred

until 15 minutes prior to the ordinary time fixed for adjournment of the

sitting during which the division is requested. If there are less than

30 minutes remaining prior to the ordinary time fixed for adjournment of

the sitting during which the division is requested, then it shall stand

deferred until 15 minutes prior to the ordinary time fixed for

adjournment of the afternoon sitting of the following sitting

day.

(3) Notwithstanding Standing Order 25 and subsection

(2) of this order, if a division is requested during a morning sitting,

it shall stand deferred until the afternoon sitting of the same

day.

(4) If a division is requested in a Committee of the

Whole, the clause of the bill under consideration shall be postponed,

and the division shall be deferred in accordance with subsection (2) of

this order.

(5) If a division is requested in a Committee of

Supply, the division shall be deferred in accordance with subsection

(2) of this order.

(6) If a deferred division is scheduled to take place

during a sitting,

a. at 30 minutes prior to the ordinary time fixed for

adjournment of the sitting, the Speaker or Chair shall ring the bells

and recess the proceedings;

b. 10 minutes thereafter, at 20 minutes prior to the

ordinary time fixed for adjournment of the sitting, the Speaker or Chair

shall call the House back to order;

c. 5 minutes thereafter, at 15 minutes prior to the

ordinary time fixed for adjournment of the sitting, the Speaker or Chair

shall again state the question; and

d. the division shall proceed

forthwith.

(7) If a division is deferred in a Committee of the

Whole or the Committee of Supply, the House shall resolve itself into

the appropriate Committee prior to the ringing of the bells and recess

set out in subsection (6) of this order.

(8) No Member shall enter or leave the Legislative

Chamber or connect to or disconnect from the approved videoconferencing

technology after the final statement of the question until the division

has been fully taken, and every Member present shall

vote.

(9) When two or more deferred divisions are to be

taken during a sitting, the divisions shall be taken in succession in

the order they were deferred.

(10) During a sitting at which a deferred division is

to take place, no motion to adjourn the House shall be in order until

after that vote and the conclusion of any consequential business that

must be disposed of. If successive divisions are scheduled, the House

shall sit beyond the ordinary time of adjournment until the conclusion

of all divisions and until other business consequential to the division

has been disposed of.

(11) Divisions are not permitted on a motion that a

committee rise and report, and on a routine motion moved by the

Government House Leader or their designate that the House adjourn, so as

not to prevent the House from undertaking business in a manner

consistent with the intention of the arrangements of formal divisions in

hybrid proceedings. Members may use Practice Recommendation No.

6. That, notwithstanding sections 5(2), 5(3), 5(4) and 5(5) of

this order, if a division is requested on a closure motion set out in

Standing Order 46 or a time allocation motion set out in Standing Order

81.1, the Speaker or Chair shall announce that a division has been

called. No longer than 15 minutes thereafter, unless the House or

Committee, as the case may be, unanimously agrees otherwise, the Speaker

or Chair shall again state the question and the division shall proceed

forthwith.

DOCUMENT MANAGEMENT AND NOTICE REQUIREMENTS

7. That any Standing Order requiring that a document be

“handed in” or “laid upon the Table” or transmitted by other similar

physical means be interpreted to include the transmission of a document

by approved electronic means.

8. That the transmission of a document by the Office of the

Clerk to all Members by electronic means constitute for all purposes the

distribution and delivery of that document, regardless of whether a

Member has received the document.

9. That, notwithstanding Standing Order 25B(2) and the usual

practices of the House, at least two hours prior to the scheduled start

of a sitting of the House, the Whips shall provide to the Office of the

Speaker a list and, if applicable, the sequence, of Members wishing to

make an introduction or to participate in an item under Routine

Business.

10. That, notwithstanding the usual practices of the House,

any Member who intends to move a motion in amendment to a bill at

committee stage, of which notice is not typically required, should

provide at least one hour of notice to the Office of the Clerk prior to

introducing that motion in the House to ensure the electronic

distribution of that motion to all Members forthwith after it is

moved.

SPEAKER’S DISCRETION

11. That, for greater certainty, the Speaker be empowered to

exercise discretion on the applicability of Standing Order 17A as it may

relate to the facilitation of participation of Members in proceedings of

the House.

12. That, for greater certainty and further to Standing Order

19 and Standing Order 20, the Speaker be empowered to intervene on any

matter of decorum on the Speaker’s own initiative or on a point of order

raised by a Member, including by muting a Member’s microphone and

excluding Members from the sitting in cases of serious

misconduct.

13. That the Speaker be empowered to exercise discretion in

the

interpretation of the provisions of any Standing Order requiring

Members to stand or speak in their assigned place as this requirement

may relate to Members participating via the approved videoconferencing

technology and to Members participating in person in the Legislative

Chamber.

14. That the Speaker be empowered to exercise discretion, in

consultation with the House Leaders or the Whips, in the

interpretation

of any provision of the Standing Orders or this order that may require

leniency or alteration in order to allow all Members to be able to fully

exercise their duties and rights in the proceedings of this House

conducted in a hybrid manner.

OTHER

15. That, should any provision contained in this order be

inconsistent with the Standing Orders, the provision in this order

prevails to the extent of the inconsistency.

16. That this order expire on April 13, 2021.]

Mr. Speaker: Members, the question is the sessional order on hybrid

proceedings.

Motion approved.

Orders of the Day

Private Members’ Statements

EDUCATION

J. Tegart: I rise in the House today to speak on education. It’s a topic near

and dear to my heart, having served as a school trustee for many

years.

[S. Chandra Herbert in the chair.]

I have a great deal of respect for the people who work in the

system, who excite our children every day about learning and who ensure

that all children are given the opportunity to be curious, excited,

social, and all the other things that happen at school on a daily basis.

There is something about the eyes of an excited kindergarten child who

can’t wait to get to school, the pride of the little one who reads you

their first book and the casualness of a teenager whose whole world

revolves around the school and all that goes on within it.

But today I want to talk about the importance of school during

this pandemic, the current state of our province’s education system,

amidst the challenges of COVID-19. I think it’s critical that we

recognize the work that thousands of teachers, administrators, support

staff, parents and families have done to continue our children’s

education, to allow them to keep learning and growing throughout what

has undoubtedly been the most challenging school year in recent

history.

[10:10 a.m.]

There has been some debate regarding the opening of schools, but

health experts, professionals, parents and students themselves are

wanting the schools to be open. That being said, government has a

responsibility to ensure that those who have given our students so much

support feel that they are given the tools and the resources they need

to safely carry out their jobs.

There are still some significant gaps in our schools’ COVID plans

that desperately need to be addressed. We must listen to the concerns of

teachers, staff and parents and take the necessary steps to meet

promises, increase transparency and add the necessary layers of

protection that will help our schools throughout COVID and

beyond.

Although government has taken steps in the right direction,

parents and teachers have been left needing more and are still asking

for improvements. Government has faced strong criticism for a lack of

transparency in its COVID data reporting and the allocation of federal

grant funding, including promised upgrades to ventilation in B.C.

schools. There seems to be no concrete plan or timeline for the planned

ventilation upgrades, despite health authorities describing them as a

crucial layer of protection for our classrooms.

Government must offer greater transparency and public disclosure

of how the $242.4 million in federal grant money has and will be

allocated to improve health and safety standards in our schools,

including a financial breakdown and a

summary of resources that have

already been distributed. The public is asking for it, the system is

asking for it, and we are asking for that kind of reporting and

transparency.

B.C. has also fallen drastically behind other provinces when it

comes to COVID data reporting in our schools. While other provinces

provide daily case breakdowns, B.C. COVID data reporting continues to be

plagued with delays and postponements.

I’m hearing daily from parents and from people working in the

system concerns about the timeliness of sharing information. We’re now a

year in. Surely we can do what they ask. Surely we can give them timely

information that helps them make decisions for their family. Parents,

teachers and school staff have been urging transparency — to report

daily data, which is easily accessible, to those wanting to access

it.

We all know that when there’s a gap in data, if government is not

forthcoming, others will fill in the information gap. Government has

faced calls from parents, teachers and even the Prime Minister to

implement additional health and safety measures in schools, such as

using COVID rapid tests in classrooms. Yet more than a million COVID

rapid tests sit on a warehouse shelf.

As Lower Mainland schools report further exposures to COVID-19

variants, government’s one-size-fits-all for B.C. schools’ health and

safety plans just doesn’t cut it any more. As variants arise in

clusters, government must grant school districts the flexibility to add

extra layers of protection to address the unique challenges they are

facing within their own communities.

There has been a chorus of voices asking and pleading for

information that would ease the anxiety in the system. It’s time for

government to listen and to act. Teachers, support staff, parents and

students are doing their part. Where is the support and leadership from

government? Let’s all commit to do everything we can to lower the

anxiety felt by all and to support the education system.

[10:15 a.m.]

I’d like to end by thanking everyone who steps up every day to

ensure our students are safe and have the opportunity to attend school

in a safe environment and to learn every day.

Deputy Speaker: Now I’m going to move to the member for Chilliwack-Kent for the

member’s response.

K. Paddon: I am privileged to be speaking from the unceded traditional

territory of the Stó:lō people.

There is no doubt that this has been a difficult year for everyone

in the K-to-12 system, especially for teachers and educational staff. I

understand, and have felt myself, the anxiety that parents, students and

staff are feeling. All of us want to ensure the safety of ourselves and

our families, and the anxiety and worry are only magnified when it comes

to our children.

Teachers and school staff have done a tremendous job in keeping

our kids learning through the pandemic. The level of commitment and

dedication they bring every single day, going above and beyond to ensure

kids can learn and grow in safe schools, is a testament to the passion,

compassion and dedication they bring to their roles in nurturing our

future.

I have been fortunate to hear from several teachers over the past

months and have had the opportunity to follow up and check in with them

over the past couple of weeks. When they speak, they tell me about how

great their students are. I hear about the many students who have

successfully transitioned back into in-person learning and how adaptive

and resilient kids and youth have been with safety protocols.

There is no doubt that teachers, parents, staff and students are

tired and looking forward to a time when the pandemic is not the centre

of everything, when extracurricular activities can return to normal.

[Audio interrupted] I hear about how teams are working together, how

students are flourishing with in-person learning and how routines have

been established and are working, given the limitations imposed by the

pandemic. I also hear about how appreciated and impactful it is that

public health continues to review and update approaches and supports as

we move forward together, supporting safe schools and in-class

learning.

I hear from parents that there’s anxiety and uncertainty. There’s

also gratitude, gratitude to see the majority of our kids back at

school, able to carve out the small bit of normalcy they can, as we move

through this pandemic together.

I have heard about, and seen as a parent myself, the positive

impact that attending school, seeing friends, interacting and learning

with others has had on our kids as they have adjusted to the way school

looks for now. The mental health, social, emotional and developmental

improvements described by some parents remind us of why this is a

priority, and we are grateful to the teachers and staff that make this

possible.

I am grateful for the parents who remind us that not all students

have been able to return to school, as they experience higher risks than

some of their peers, have family members who are vulnerable, or even as

matter of choice. Some of our students with diverse needs and abilities

have not yet had the opportunity to return. The stories of what is

missing for them highlight why we are all working so hard to keep our

schools open and safe and on options for those who cannot yet

join.

The words of one constituent from Chilliwack-Kent, a parent and a

teacher, seem to me to summarize the themes I am hearing. “We are tired,

and it is hard. But it is worth it. Kids need to be in school, and we

know that school is the best place for them to be.” So we will continue

working extremely hard to make sure that this keeps happening, while

also being aware that for some who cannot attend, it’s still

hard.

We know that what happens in schools mirrors what is happening in

our communities. Although that means that we’ve seen some cases in

schools, we continue to see low transmission rates inside of our

schools. This demonstrates the impact of the hard work of our teachers,

school staff and students in following the guidelines set out by public

health.

We continue to follow the advice of the public health office,

knowing that as the pandemic has continued to evolve, so has the

guidance. We have been working with our partners in education and public

health to ensure a continuous review of guidelines in order to keep kids

and staff safe.

[10:20 a.m.]

As we move through this school year and this phase of the pandemic

together, I want to take a moment to acknowledge the students and

teachers who are moving towards the second high school graduation of

this pandemic. I have heard the sadness and hopefulness of parents,

grads and teachers that this milestone may again look

different.

Despite this, I want to recognize the heroic efforts of the

teachers and our soon-to-be graduates. They have achieved amazing things

together. This graduating class is poised, although by necessity rather

than choice, to be the most innovative, inclusive, adaptive graduating

class yet.

Thank you for the gifts you will bring forward with this. Thank

you to the teachers who inspired and made it safe.

J. Tegart: Thank you to the member for her comments. Supports for B.C.

schools go beyond offering them appropriate layers of protection during

COVID. Government has a responsibility to ensure that our schools can

still offer our students the same quality of education from across the

province, regardless of circumstances.

This is why I’m sure this House can understand the concern of

parents in Vancouver when they learned about the dramatic cut to

instructional hours in Vancouver secondary schools. Vancouver school

board students are receiving only 8.75 hours of instruction per week,

far below school districts as well as the minimum 25.5 hours of

instructional time as required by law. Students in Vancouver are

receiving far fewer hours of instruction compared to those in

neighbouring school districts and are at risk of falling behind students

in the rest of the province in their studies.

As you can well imagine, parents are calling our offices and

sharing their concerns in that regard. Government must step up to the

plate, address these discrepancies and require the Vancouver school

board to amend its restart plan to comply immediately with the

instructional time requirements under the School Act and provide

full-time instruction as soon as possible. Parents are asking for it;

students are asking for it.

I know that the minister has expressed her concern — and we really

appreciate that — but time is of the essence. Parents are looking at

students who, they believe, need 25.5 hours of instruction and feel that

they’re being shortchanged at this time. They are becoming much more

vocal, and of course, it very much adds to the anxiety of both parents

and students in regard to what impact it will have on their

future.

No traditional graduations, probably, this year. Limited sports

teams. Restricted social interactions. It’s not the school system you

and I attended, but it is the experience of our students of today. Ask

yourself: what can I do to support our schools? How can I help to

alleviate the anxiety felt in the system? How can I ensure that every

student comes through the COVID experience whole, healthy and strong? I

know that all of us in this House have a common interest to ensure

quality education. I thank you all for your commitment to that

goal.

CAPITAL PROJECTS

D. Coulter: Today I’d like to speak about transportation infrastructure in the

Fraser Valley. Every day thousands of British Columbians commute

throughout the Fraser Valley. Some even go from Chilliwack to downtown

Vancouver. They spend countless hours in their cars, hours that they

could be spending with their families. With housing cheaper in the

Fraser Valley, this is a choice that many folks are making — in

particular, people with young families.

I have a constituent — her name is Kirsten — who travels from

Chilliwack to Vancouver and back every day. She’s lucky that she has

some flexibility in her hours and can start early. Otherwise, it would

be impossible for her to make it home in the evening in time for dinner

and her kids’ extracurricular activities. But heading off in the morning

as early as 5:30 a.m. means that she often misses out on sleep and

doesn’t get to see her kids before they go off to school.

[10:25 a.m.]

I myself used to work in Vancouver and travel there every day from

Chilliwack. I think I averaged 3½ hours in my car every day. If you

average that out over the working days of a year, I would spend around

one month in my car.

Relief is on the way, though. The government is working to address

congestion issues. The widening of Highway 1 from 216 Street to 264

Street is in the design stage, with construction expected to begin in

2021. This will add HOV lanes in each direction. One of the main

sections where there are long delays on Highway 1 is between 264 Street

and 232 Street. I have waited in stop-and-go traffic there many times.

This project will reduce congestion but also put fewer cars on the road.

It will make much more sense to carpool if folks are able to use HOV

lanes all the way from 264 Street through Burnaby.

This project will also add a new underpass at Glover Road and the

CP Rail crossing. Anyone who has commuted down Highway 1 for any length

of time has been trapped because an overheight truck has hit this

overpass. I was once held up for 1.5 hours there. The current project

from 216 Street to 264 Street is an important phase of the government’s

commitment to expand Highway 1 out to Abbotsford. This will make a real

and positive improvement to the lives of Kirsten and many others from my

constituency. They’ll be able to spend more time with their families and

get the sleep that they desperately need.

These projects are also good for the economy. Goods will be more

easily transported between communities in the Fraser Valley and

Vancouver. Recently, the member for Chilliwack-Kent and I took a virtual

tour of the new Molson brewery in Chilliwack. They’re strategically

located beside Highway 1 so that they can get their products to market.

The widening of Highway 1 will make it much easier for them to do this,

and many other businesses will benefit as well. The time and fuel

savings alone will be a boon.

There’s another project that will transform the region. Government

is committed to investing in transit projects that meet the needs of

folks in the Fraser Valley. They’ve made the Surrey-to-Langley SkyTrain

a priority, and they are working closely with TransLink, the Mayors

Council and other partners to make it happen. Getting out of our cars

and onto transit will be a viable option for those of us in the Fraser

Valley now.

The best part of infrastructure projects is that they are built

under community benefit agreements. B.C. is experiencing a shortage of

labour in the skilled trades. We know we need to grow that, and we need

to grow a diverse workforce to grow our economy. Community benefit

agreements are designed to ensure that spending on public projects

results in public benefits. These are great for local economies, as they

make sure that locals will be employed on these projects, and these

locals will spend their money in their local communities, helping local

business to thrive.

There’ll be priority hiring and priority rehiring for local

people, Indigenous communities, women and other traditionally

underrepresented groups in the trades. There’ll be greater

apprenticeship and skills training opportunities on site as well. This

can jump-start a career for someone in the building trades. These

projects will have safe working conditions, be free of discrimination

and harassment, and ensure a culturally competent workforce. Because of

CBAs, my constituents, along with the Fraser Valley MLAs’ constituents,

will benefit from these projects.

I know one particularly young woman from Chilliwack that this will

help out. Her name is Sari, and she’s finishing up her grade 12 year at

one of our local high schools. She wants to be an equipment operator and

work on projects like the Highway 1 widening. CBAs will allow Sari and

many young folks from Chilliwack and the Fraser Valley to do so. They’ll

be able to make careers in the building trades, where they will earn

good wages that they will be able to support families with. I’m excited

for young folks like Sari.

Because of this government’s commitment to build infrastructure

and transit projects, commuters like Kirsten and workers like Sari will

have bright futures.

[10:30 a.m.]

I. Paton: Thank you to the member opposite for the opportunity to speak to

this very important issue, because in my riding of Delta South, there is

one capital project in particular I hear about on a near-daily basis.

I’m speaking, of course, about the Massey Tunnel, the aging seismically

unsafe structure that desperately needs replacing.

About 85,000 commuters continue to get stuck in gridlock every

single day. Yet it’s not only commuters but also our huge trucking

industry, where we see hundreds of semi-trailers idling and creeping

along every morning, heading south, with only one lane open — goods that

are heading for the U.S. border, B.C. Ferries, Delta container terminals

and Tilbury Industrial Park. They’re frustrated, and they’re running out

of patience for a solution.

There was a time several years ago that drivers saw light at the

end of the tunnel when a plan was finalized to replace the existing

tunnel with a bridge. The bridge would not only provide a safer,

smoother, more efficient and less congested ride for motorists, but it

would finally allow for increased public transit, which would get even

more people moving along this corridor. What’s more, building a bridge

rather than a brand-new tunnel has fewer environmental

impacts.

Environmental standards have changed dramatically since the Massey

Tunnel was built in the 1950s. In 2021, the idea of plunking a giant

concrete tube into the Fraser River doesn’t fly as it would have in

1959. Even Chief Ken Baird of Tsawwassen First Nation openly voted

against a submerged tunnel at the Metro Vancouver mayors taskforce,

citing harm to the marine life, especially salmon and

sturgeon.

So the bridge project was ready to go. All of the engineering

reports and environmental assessments had been done, and the alignment

of the new bridge directly over the existing Highway 99 and tunnel would

have least impact to businesses, farmland and Deas Island Park.

Pedestals to support the new bridge were all on land, with no part of

the bridge structure touching the water. Prep work at the site was well

underway with several companies and thousands of jobs on the line and

ready to roll.

Unfortunately, those bridge plans were cancelled in 2017, and it

was sent back to square one — more studies, more consultation, more

opinions, as we continue to wait for the release of a business case for

an entirely new replacement project. Back in the middle of December, the

government said that it had that business case and would be reviewing

it. Now, in March 2021, we’re still waiting for a final decision on the

fate of this aging structure, which remains one of B.C.’s worst

bottlenecks.

When discussing infrastructure projects in the era of COVID-19,

Ian Ius of the Daily Hive had this to say in May of last year.

“The federal government has made it clear that they will be allocating

billions of dollars in stimulus money for the shovel-ready

infrastructure projects nationwide.” When it comes to shovel-ready, no

project in the nation could fit this term better than the cancelled

George Massey bridge project. All design work and environmental

approvals had been completed, along with roughly $100 million

worth of technical studies, utility relocation, preloading and the site

preparation for the bridge piers.

Before its cancellation, the lowest bid for the George Massey

bridge project was $2.6 billion, a bargain compared to the estimated $4

billion to $5 billion for the eight-lane immersed tube tunnel being

proposed. If politics could be put aside, resurrecting the George Massey

bridge project would be a win both in the short term and the long term

for the people of B.C.

The people of Delta South and all those living south of the Fraser

continue to wait and wait. I should note that if the bridge plan had

proceeded, it would have been close to completion by now, and with it

would have come some additional benefits to the area — some new

overpasses and a major widening of Highway 99 leading up to the new

bridge. Yet here we are four years after the bridge project was scuttled

with nothing to show for it. I should note that the local MP in Delta

recently told me that there haven’t been any requests from the province

to the federal government for funding of any kind of new

crossing.

I can’t stress enough that motorists have had enough. They’re

simply tired of all of the stalling, literally and figuratively, and

need action on this important capital project now.

D. Coulter: I’d like to continue talking about transportation infrastructure

projects within the Fraser Valley. But I would like to respond with

something on the Massey bridge. They couldn’t find ground in the test

piles. They never completed the test piling. I know this because I spoke

with a pile driver.

[10:35 a.m.]

Improvements are coming to the Highway 7 corridor — safety

enhancements. This includes a four-lane expansion with median barrier

between Silverdale Avenue and Nelson Street near Mission, B.C. This will

help my constituents and constituents all over the Fraser Valley access

places like Maple Ridge and Pitt Meadows. There are ongoing intersection

improvements along the Haney Bypass in Maple Ridge. This will also

contribute to safety in the region.

There’s been design and planning for the widening of Highway 7

between 266 Street and 287 Street in Maple Ridge. There’s Highway 11

widening and the Vye Road overpass in between Mission and the city of

Abbotsford. This will help my constituents access the West Coast Express

so that they have a transit option into downtown Vancouver.

HOUSING

B. Stewart: Today I am pleased to take the time to discuss an issue of concern

to everyone in this province. That is of housing — both its growing

unaffordability and how we approach housing-related issues in our

communities.

Access to safe and affordable housing is absolutely vital. The

COVID-19 pandemic has served to reinforce this fact, as one of the

primary strategies that we have used to fight this virus is simply to

stay at home, wherever possible. However, it seems like, with each

passing day, purchasing a home in British Columbia — or even just

finding an affordable place to live — feels further out of reach for so

many British Columbians. The facts show clearly that over the past four

years, homes have gotten more expensive throughout the province. Rents

have gone up, and particularly in this past year, the construction of

new homes has declined.

Recent reports have shown that this year the supply of homes for

sale has reached a 21-year low. Commenting on this figure, the chief

economist for the B.C. Real Estate Association, Brendon Ogmundson,

remarked: “With so few listings, markets are starved for supply, and

prices are under extraordinary pressure.” As our population grows, we

haven’t been able to build the necessary housing to keep up. It is

estimated that B.C. will add approximately 60,000 new residents a year,

requiring at least 20,000 new homes.

The only true way to address skyrocketing house prices and

accommodate future growth is to build more supply. That simply isn’t

happening in B.C. right now. Somehow, the exact opposite is happening.

This shrinking supply of homes is having dramatic impacts on

affordability. Even prior to the last year and the impacts of the

COVID-19 pandemic, we were seeing this problem. Government needs to take

this seriously, both on moving projects forward and by working with

every level of government to decrease red tape and get projects

started.

What does this mean to the average person? This means that they

are going to have to work hard and long to make certain that they are

able to find a way to being able to afford a home. A February report

from the National Bank found that it will take an average household 34

years to save for a typical Vancouver home — 34 years. That’s an

incredibly long time, and it means that it is functionally impossible

for someone living in Vancouver to even hope for owning a house before

they are well into middle age.

This is the state of the housing market in B.C. Despite what we

may have been promised for the last few years, it looks like the trend

is going to continue in a worrying direction. If we want to keep young

people in our communities and allow for future growth across the

province, we need to see major changes and immediate, decisive action to

build more supply. Only then can we make the dream of owning a home a

reality for more people around B.C.

[10:40 a.m.]

In addition to the challenges of affordability, a continuing

housing issue impacting British Columbians is seen in the community of

supportive housing. It is impossible to have a discussion about housing

in our province without talking about the importance of providing

shelter to the most vulnerable in our communities. This is an area that

has been dramatically impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Over the past year, we have seen the province attempt to cope with

new challenges in this area. Instead, what we have seen is that the

people that are most needing this are not getting the wraparound

supports required for these strategies to be successful and meet the

needs of those people. Instead, we have seen cases of extreme violence,

some even tragically leading to death, yet there has been little effort

to improve the situation.

Providing people with a roof over their head is important as a

first step, but it will not address the underlying issues and be

successful in the long run without being coupled with 24-hour wraparound

supports and other resources. In the past few years, we have rarely seen

this kind of comprehensive approach to housing.

The current minister responsible for housing even admits that

complex care like this is another level of support that is not

widespread through the system. Even he said that what is available today

are low to medium supports, depending on the building. Well, it’s

blatantly obvious that we need much more than low to medium supports to

make these projects successful.

Supportive housing is not something that can be done halfway. We

cannot simply warehouse people with no supports in the middle of

communities that have not been consulted and expect that everything is

going to unfold smoothly and in the best interests of all involved,

because it doesn’t work.

This type of approach is why we have seen so much frustration and

fear around supportive housing, especially in the past year. When

supports are not provided and communities are not consulted, it only

serves to drive division, reinforce stereotypes and breed opposition.

This does nothing to improve the lives of the most vulnerable in

society.

In fact, it is those we are most trying to help who lose out most

when government fails to devote the necessary resources to these housing

projects. What it’s really come down to is a lack of resources being

dedicated to housing issues, despite them being so widespread and so

integral to the health of our society.

Whether it’s comprehensive, wraparound supports or the funding and

initiation of new housing developments, we need to see more action

around housing in British Columbia. Government cannot continue to talk

about these considerable issues while making very little effort to

actually solve them.

Deputy Speaker: Thank you, Members.

Just a reminder to everybody that this is private members’ time.

If there is a desire to have the duke-it-out fights of who did what,

where and when, there is plenty of time to do that in this House.

Private members’ time is the time to discuss issues of interest to

private members and not get into partisan scraps.

Just a reminder to everybody at this time, as we’re back in the

House. Thank you, Members.

Over to the member for North Vancouver–Seymour.

S. Chant: Thank you, Mr. Speaker, for this opportunity to speak to a very,

very important subject.

I come to you from the unceded territories of the Musqueam,

Tsleil-Waututh and Squamish today.

I am delighted to be able to speak a little bit about housing.

It’s one of the very few things that we actually all agree on. Every one

of us recognizes that housing is desperately important in everybody’s

life.

It is a major health determinant. It is a determinant as to how

well people do in the job market. If you’re living in a Volkswagen van,

it’s much more difficult to have the appropriate clothes on for your

job. It’s very imperative to all of us to have safe and secure housing

that we can afford and that provides us with the supports that we

need.

We’ve got data all over the place. We’ve had lots of opportunities

to read reports and everything else. Every one of those data points

represents a person. These are people, and people are imperative. People

are imperative to all of us in this House. We all want to work towards

the people having what they need.

I had the opportunity last week to talk to a gentleman who

actually is living in our local homeless shelter. He had moved here from

Montreal because, actually, Vancouver and B.C. are safer and warmer.

This is something that is part of our data set. We’ve got people moving

in from all over the place to stay here because it’s safer and we have a

climate. These people are….

[10:45 a.m.]

We are aware. The government has been providing opportunities for

people to have somewhere. There has been a lot of work done in the Homes

for B.C. plan. We’re working towards the goal of 114,000 homes being

built over the next ten years.

I know of a person who, a couple of years ago, told us he’d won

the lottery. I had the opportunity to work with some folks. He’d won the

lottery. He was so excited. He had gotten a single room in a

single-room-occupancy hotel. It was the first time in his life that he

had been anywhere that he had his own bathroom — in his life — and he

didn’t have to share a bathroom with somebody else, mostly non-family

members and mostly people he didn’t know.

These people are important. We understand that. We need to do that

work, and we’re doing that work. It’s in play. In B.C. housing, the

market share is everybody’s dream. I so hear it from the member for

Kelowna West. Everybody dreams of owning a home. We need to make that a

possibility, and we’re doing things towards making that a

possibility.

We’ve looked at rent capping so that people can actually do some

saving. We’ve looked at rental freezes so that we can try and do some

saving. We hear from our young. They want to be able to live in the

communities that they grew up in. Let’s make that happen. Let’s see how

we can make that work. We’ve got housing units coming together in

various different communities that are looking towards multigenerational

— accommodating our seniors, accommodating our young families,

accommodating our folks that are not necessarily within the average

definition. We are looking towards doing many, many different

things.

The speculation and vacancy tax. That brought much more housing

onto the market to make it available for renting. Good start. Much more

to do. We recognize that. There are so many things that we can do, so

many things that we should do, so many things we could do. We will get

on to some of those things and maybe all of those things. However, we’ve

got to work together.

I’m proud to be part of a government that is using its heart, its

mind and its feet to get this work done, to work together and work

forward so that we can provide the best opportunities for our folks. We

can only do it by listening together, working together and providing

together to meet the needs of our people. I appreciate this opportunity

to speak.

B. Stewart: Well, I think that this is an important issue. I appreciate that

the members opposite do have some opinions, that they think that lots

has been done on this. But the evidence is showing that it’s clear

that…. We may not see eye to eye, but when it comes to the approach, I

know that we can both agree there are problems that desperately need to

be addressed.

Just so you know, a few weeks ago I was part of a round table

attended by more than 100 people, where we were discussing housing and

transportation issues in our province. Person after person came forward

to talk about the challenges around housing that they witness in their

communities. Many specifically mentioned the supply as a major issue and

brought forward ideas about decreasing red tape and encouraging more

housing projects through­out B.C.

Everyone knows that the price and availability of housing is a

problem in our province, yet still, after years of frequent discussions

about housing affordability in this House, we have not seen much change

or progress on that front. I look forward to more on that from the

minister in the coming session.

Over the last few years, we’ve heard many times about how life is

getting more affordable, yet the reality of the situation never seems to

be as simple. For as long as it continues to get more expensive to buy

or rent homes in B.C…. That’s one thing that the member opposite

mentioned — that more rental was being created. Prices for rent are

going up astronomically as well. Affordability in general can never

truly improve unless we make big strides. It’s time to stop simply

discussing the issue and for government to finally take the necessary

steps to fix it.

Additionally, we need to see more action to address the deepening

problem of homelessness in our communities. The challenges facing

supportive housing in this province cannot be addressed as long as

people fail to admit that many of the current initiatives are failing

and are not working.

[10:50 a.m.]

They’re not working for the individuals that need a roof over

their heads. They aren’t working for the surrounding communities. From

Paul’s Motor Inn to Strathcona Park to Maple Ridge to Penticton, we can

identify clear problems across the province. Those problems can almost

be entirely attributed to the lack of a comprehensive wraparound set of

supports. It’s in everyone’s best interest to provide these supports,

yet in so many places, it’s just not happening. It’s time to do better

for everyone in our society, especially the most vulnerable.

Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. I appreciate that in the coming

months we’re going to see many discussions on this particular

topic.

RAINBOW CROSSWALKS IN LANGLEY

A. Mercier: One night in 1965, Everett George Klippert had a knock on his

door. It was the RCMP. There had been a fire, and they suspected arson.

Mr. Klippert was new to the area, a mechanic who had only recently moved

to the Northwest Territories. He cooperated with the police, and he

answered all their questions until they were satisfied that Mr. Klippert

wasn’t an arsonist. They ruled him out as a suspect, but they arrested

him anyway.

Mr. Klippert was gay. Over the course of their questioning,

investigators had learned that Mr. Klippert had had consensual sexual

relations with four different men in the Northwest Territories. He’d

offered this information openly and honestly. He saw no reason to hide

it.

Under the Criminal Code of the day, the matter was clear. He was

charged with four counts of gross indecency. The court deemed him

incurably homosexual and sentenced him to indefinite detention as a sex

offender. He appealed his conviction to no less a court than the Supreme

Court of Canada. His appeal was dismissed. The law had no remedy for Mr.

Klippert.

It wasn’t until 1967, two years after his conviction, that Mr.

Klippert had any reason to hold out hope. In November 1967, an

opposition Member of Parliament from Burnaby named Tommy Douglas rose in

the House of Commons to press the Justice Minister of the day on what he

was going to do about this situation. That minister, a rookie Member of

Parliament named Pierre Trudeau, responded six weeks later with an

omnibus bill decriminalizing homosexuality and famously declaring that

the state has no place in the bedrooms of the nation.

Now, that was in 1968. Today we’re standing here in the B.C.

Legislature in 2021, and we’ve come a long way since then. We’ve

institutionalized human rights through the implementation of human

rights codes and specialist administrative tribunals. We’ve patriated

the constitution, with a Charter of Rights and Freedoms that entrenches

equality rights. We have same-sex marriage now.

In B.C., we established a Human Rights Commissioner to promote and

advance human rights and created and introduced curriculum on sexual

orientation and gender identity into our schools.

Yes, we’ve come a long way, but we still have a lot of work to do.

The fact of the matter is that bullying and social isolation are still

features of our society and our schools. It doesn’t do well to tell a

teenager struggling with their identity that everything is okay now

because we’re not going to put them in prison.

Life is hard enough for young people to navigate, and that’s why

public symbols like rainbow crosswalks are more important than they’ve

ever been. They are symbols of tolerance and inclusion that let folks

know that it is okay to be different. More than being okay, it lets them

know that they’re accepted and that they’re celebrated by their

community, that there is a safe space for them.

Langley is getting a rainbow crosswalk, and it couldn’t come at a

better time. Langley’s new rainbow crosswalk is the product of the hard

work of school district 35 and countless individuals. This crosswalk

will go between the Langley school district building and the RCMP

detachment, just minutes down the street from where I grew

up.

When the crosswalk was approved by council, the school district

foundation wasted no time in raising the money. It is going to cost

$12,000 to paint this crosswalk. The foundation and the incredible work

of their executive director, Susan Cairns, have already raised that

money. I am so proud of the work that the foundation in the district

have done to make this happen.

[10:55 a.m.]

I’d like to take a moment, too, to acknowledge a friend of mine

and a friend of many in the House. Paul Faoro, the president of CUPE

B.C., was critical in helping to raise the money. When CUPE heard that

the foundation was collecting donations for the crosswalk, they stepped

up with a cheque for $6,000, half of the total, in a moving act of

solidarity.

But crosswalks aren’t all rainbows and sunshine. As sure as you

can paint them, there are those who would oppose them. While certain

organized groups and individuals come to mind in the Fraser Valley, I

won’t dignify them by naming them in this House. Nor will I give them a

platform for bigoted and toxic views.

Suffice it to say that there is a disturbing rise in hate speech

in this province. That alone is a reason to be painting rainbow

crosswalks. More than that, some of these groups and individuals have

the gall to claim that their hateful views and homophobic and

transphobic speech attract human rights protection, that they are

protected by freedom of conscience or freedom of speech. Well, there is

no human right to hate.

Make no mistake. While those expounding these views are vocal,

they are a small minority in our society. But they have been emboldened

over the past years, and this is exactly why we need rainbow crosswalks

right now. No one, let alone a child, should ever have to feel the

social isolation and hatred that Everett George Klippert

felt.

The crosswalk in Langley is a good start, but when it comes to

rainbow crosswalks, one is not enough.

K. Kirkpatrick: Thank you to the member opposite. There are many things that we

agree upon, and this is one of them. I’m pleased to have the opportunity

to speak in the House today on this international Zero Discrimination

Day.

The rainbow flag is a symbol of pride for LGBTQ+ people across the

world. The various colours reflect the immense diversity and unity of

this community. It’s an expression of this community’s joy, beauty and

power. But it’s more than just colours. A rainbow crosswalk is intended

to demonstrate a city’s commitment to inclusivity for all of its

residents. It’s a visual representation that we are all

welcome.

[N. Letnick in the chair.]

Canada has come a long way since the open celebration of LGBTQ+

identities, seeing the community achieve significant milestones, such as

equal rights and legalized marriage, as well as codified protections

against discrimination. LGBTQ+ people should be able to be who they are

without harassment or attacks based on fear. People shouldn’t be judged

for who they are, who they love or how they express themselves. However,

discrimination continues and is pervasive in this community. It’s not

only unethical, but it also entails substantive economic and social

costs.

We just celebrated Pink Shirt Day last week. It was a day to raise

awareness of bullying in our schools, workplaces and homes and on the

Internet. It also serves as a reminder that LGBTQ+ youth are more likely

to be bullied than their peers are. This not only hampers their

educational achievements but also puts them at greater risk of

depression, substance abuse and suicide.

In particular, young people who experience homophobia within their

families or foster homes are often left without real support or care.

They are disproportionately represented in the homeless community, made

more difficult by the lack of adequate LGBTQ+-friendly shelters and

housing, as well as discrimination when looking for employment or

accessing health and social services. These young people are vulnerable,

and they need our help.

As parents, we need to give our kids courage to stand up to their

peers. We need to call out friends and relatives if they make homophobic

comments. We need to encourage our children to report bullying, and we

need to help them find safe places in community and online. As

individuals, we need to do our part to counter unconscious bias and

create a sense of belonging for the LGBTQ+ community.

We also need to remember and support those organizations doing

support for the LGBTQ+ community, such as QMUNITY and its youth support

programs, and events like the Pride parade and the Vancouver Dyke

March.

[11:00 a.m.]

Many of these organizations and celebrations can help to not only

improve lives, but when it comes to LGBTQ+ people who have faced years

of oppression and discrimination, it can also help to save

lives.

As a society, we must continue to advocate for equal rights for

the LGBTQ+ community. No one deserves to be evicted, fired or denied

accommodation and services because of who they are. We must address the

stigma, social exclusion and hate crimes against members of the LGBTQ+

community and put in more effort to improve inclusion for

all.

Rainbow crosswalks are an important reminder to us all to

celebrate our differences and to create an inclusive and welcoming

community, including our lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer and

two-spirited friends. Let’s work together to build and foster a tolerant

and accepting society for everyone to live in, in British

Columbia.

A. Mercier: I’d like to thank the member for West Vancouver–Capilano for her

statement in support of rainbow crosswalks in Langley. Rainbow

crosswalks are a basic extension of human dignity and acceptance to

vulnerable teenagers and folks who need them.

They shouldn’t be remarkable. We shouldn’t be here having

statements in this House about them, but the fact of the matter is that

right now they are. It’s the work of those who have made it possible to

paint a rainbow crosswalk in Langley that should be heralded: all of the

trustees and the staff at school district 35 and the hard work that

they’ve done; the donors — in particular, CUPE B.C. and their president,

Paul Faoro — who’ve made it possible and who’ve certainly sped up the

process, with their donation; and Susan Cairns in the Langley School

District Foundation for doing the heavy lifting to make it

happen.

I can’t say enough about how proud I am of the work they’ve done

and what it means for our community in Langley.

Hon. J. Whiteside: I call Motion 2 on the order paper.

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

proceed with Motion 2 without disturbing the priorities of the motions

preceding it on the order paper.

Leave granted.

Private Members’ Motions

MOTION 2 — GOVERNMENT

RESPONSE TO

COVID-19

T. Wat: I rise today in the House to speak on the motion:

[Be it resolved that this House support providing all British

Columbians with the supports they need to cope with the COVID-19

pandemic.]

It’s been almost a year since we first gathered to debate COVID

support for B.C. communities, businesses and families. Over the last ten

months, British Columbians have had to endure the many challenges that

have come with this pandemic.

[11:05 a.m.]

Government’s responsibility has been to not only lay out the

programs and supports to help our many businesses and communities but to

use the variable months since last March to review and revise our policy

and programs — recognize what is working and what isn’t

working.

Unfortunately, many of the grants and supports this government has

put in place to help our businesses have been encumbered by numerous

obstacles and have created significant challenges for businesses trying

to access the promised supports. Rather than revise or overhaul failed

programs such as the small and medium-sized business grants, this

government has stubbornly steamed ahead, ignoring the many concerns

expressed by thousands of businesses across the province.

Now, as we are fast approaching the deadline, this government has

distributed a mere $21 million of the $300 million in grant funds, money

that was approved by all parties nearly a year ago back at the beginning

of the pandemic. Because of this, countless businesses have been forced

to meet the incredible economic challenges of COVID without any of the

supports promised to them by this government.

As the opposition critic responsible for Tourism, it has been

heartbreaking to see the impact this has had on one of our province’s

most important sectors. Tourism has been one of the hardest-hit sectors

of the pandemic. Because of the travel restrictions, tourism operators

are currently enduring another season without any of the provincial or

international tourism they rely on to earn revenue, to pay staff and to

promote our beautiful province. Tragically, because of their unique

business models and classifications, they have also faced some of the

biggest roadblocks when trying to access government supports.

As noted in the December COVID-19 Tourism Impact Report ,

only 2 percent of tourism businesses reported being able to access the

small and medium-sized business recovery grant. The same report said

that only 10 percent of businesses reported business as usual and that

62 percent reported they were operating with reduced hours, staff and

service. The average loss of revenue for all firms in B.C. compared to

the prior year was 40 percent.

The same can be seen in the hotel industry. Provincewide, hotels

have a vacancy rate of 30 percent, which is a drop of roughly 60 percent

from pre-pandemic times. Yet hotels are still on the hook for rising

property taxes, despite having little to no revenue last year. The

effects on the hotel sector alone mean that many of the 60,000 jobs in

that industry may never come back.

More widely, tourism is a $20 billion industry, but it lost an

estimated $16.8 billion last year. If business and tourism operators

don’t receive the help they were promised soon, many will be forced to

close their doors for good.

I hope this government will listen to the concerns of our tourism

operators and small business owners and overhaul our business grant

program to get this money out of the door and into the hands of those

who need it before it’s too late.

B. D’Eith: I would like to thank the member for Richmond North Centre for the

motion in regard to COVID supports. Today I’m going to talk about two

areas. One is how important the public health measures were to really

ensure that we have a vital economic recovery in this province. Also,

how responding quickly with targeted programs for relief and recovery

has been very successful so far. My focus today will be on arts, culture

and the creative industries.

[11:10 a.m.]

Early on in the pandemic, I was appointed by the Premier to work

with the minister assessing the needs of arts, culture and the creative

industries. When re-elected, I was appointed as the first parliamentary

secretary for arts and film with a mandate to help with the recovery of

these sectors.

Now, as far as public health measures, they’re very important to

the recovery. We never actually closed construction or infrastructure,

and because of strong public health measures, we were able to reopen our

schools. The film industry is a great example of how industries rebound

with strong public health management and policy.

Of course, filming in B.C. is one of the most desirable locations

in North America. Thanks to the collaborative efforts between the B.C.

motion picture industry, Creative B.C. and WorkSafeBC, B.C. was able to

develop safety guidelines to help the film industry return to production

safely. In fact, we had record-breaking production levels this fall, and

it looks like the winter will look just as promising. I was very

fortunate to do a virtual tour of Martini studios in Langley, where they

have the Snowpiercer set, and it’s incredible to see how crews

have adapted to the COVID protocols. In fact, some of the protocols,

like a new 10-hour workday, will probably stay.

On the flip side, within these sectors, some sectors haven’t been

able to open. Music was one of the first to get shut down and is going

to be one of the last to come back, until we have herd immunity. But

right out of the gate, we’ve been working closely with people in the

music industry because they were so impacted.

Early on, I met with stakeholders of the music industry. As early

as April 11, our government launched Showcase B.C., which is an online

hub for creative content and streaming, and Creative B.C. provided 740

musicians with micro grants through Amplify B.C. to support live

streaming for free events through Showcase B.C. The government is

investing to help creative industries get back on their feet, maintain

jobs for people and set them up for recovery. We were able to pivot the

$7.5 million Amplify B.C. program to stabilize and sustain the music

industry.

In fact, we also reached out to the arts community generally.

Arts, as we all know, have been incredibly hard hit by the pandemic. In

fact, there’s a 32 percent decrease in performing arts. There has been

relief right out of the gate. After consultations, there was $3 million

of arts and culture resilience supplementary for B.C. Arts Council and

$15 million to help with cash flow. This was very important. In fact,

B.C. Arts Council also extended grant deadlines and allowed for

flexibility.

In the recovery, the StrongerBC program will have $21 million

targeted for these programs. That’s $16 million in supplemental funding

to organizations who receive annual funding or project grants and $5

million to help arts and cultural organizations adapt to the challenges

through the Pivot Program. These are having results. We’re helping to

pay operating costs, like rent and utilities; buying specialized

equipment; helping people improve and pivot their art spaces; and

helping people with their day-to-day expenses.

We’re heard from people like Bard on the Beach. Claire Sakaki,

who’s the executive director, says: “These programs, together with the

government’s broader supports, will help us sustain vital arts

programs.” The arts infrastructure program…. David Eddy from Vancouver

Native Housing Society says that they received $28,000 to pivot and

build a mobile live-stream studio to support Vancouver’s urban and

Indigenous communities.

So the point is that we acted quickly. We responded. We put relief

measures in right away. We’re working extremely hard with the industries

in arts, culture and the creative industries to ensure that when we come

back out of this pandemic, we will recover stronger and better than

before.

T. Halford: I’m pleased to respond to the motion to support providing all

British Columbians with the help they need to cope with the COVID-19

pandemic. For many, the past year has been the most challenging and

unsettling in living memory. Our world has changed in so many ways since

the beginning of the COVID-19 global pandemic. We will be forever

changed ourselves.

[11:15 a.m.]

Physical distancing can have a significant impact on our mental

health. Not only are we facing isolation from friends and family; we’re

also anxious about our kids’ schooling, impacts on elderly relatives,

our jobs and, for those who own small businesses, the possibility of

closures and losing our livelihood without proper supports to keep

people healthy and our economy moving forward.

I recently wrote to the Minister of Mental Health and Addictions,

asking for immediate investment in youth mental health resources. Mental

supports for young people were already inadequate prior to the pandemic,

which has only amplified the feelings of stress and isolation, making it

even more urgent to provide the necessary prevention and treatment

services.

According to B.C.’s Representative for Children and Youth, the

average wait time for youth to get mental health services can be two

months. In some cases, it can be much longer. As a parent of three young

kids, when you are a young person in crisis, a two-month wait-list is

essentially saying there is no service at all. Failing to properly

address youth mental health will only lead to further tragedies which

could have been prevented in the first place.

Critically, those who already face mental health and addiction

issues have struggled more than most, as support systems or services

have disappeared in the months of isolation. Not only are we facing a

global pandemic; we are also in a second health crisis, one that,

despite being called a state of emergency five years ago, has just

experienced the deadliest year on record.

Since March we have tragically seen a steady rise in illicit drug

overdose deaths. The latest illicit drug overdose report demonstrates

that no region in B.C. is unaffected, as deaths in each of the six B.C.

health authorities are either at or near their highest monthly level

recorded. No community, no neighbourhood in British Columbia is immune

to this.

The current mental health and addictions strategy in British

Columbia is clearly not working. There is no pathway to get people well

in B.C., leaving those with addictions without the necessary support.

There has never been a time more pressing and urgent than now to

dedicate resources to ending the cycle of addiction. That involves not

only reducing the stigma for those using at home and alone but ensuring

there are meaningful investments made into a pathway to

recovery.

This government is ignoring the needs for a full spectrum of care,

while the crisis continues to claim lives every day. Until British

Columbians get to the point of having programs available that are easily

accessible, affordable and provincewide and that offer a complete

continuum of care, from detox to treatment, and until we actually

address the roots of addiction, such as trauma or mental illness, we are

never going to be able to turn the tide on this addiction

crisis.

We simply cannot continue to wait for next month’s numbers to come

in telling us that more families had to say goodbye to their loved ones

who lost their battle with addictions. British Columbians need more than

numbers. What we need is a plan that takes into consideration the

complexities of mental health and addictions. That includes ensuring

that supports are there in whatever community people are living in,

whether that is a home or it’s temporary or permanent.

Addictions do not discriminate. They can grab hold of anyone from

any background — our mothers, our fathers, our sons, our daughters, our

brothers and our sisters, our co-workers and our neighbours. It’s up to

us to ensure that when this happens, we’re there to help in any way we

can, because everyone in B.C. has a right to a brighter future, no

matter what path they take to get there.

J. Sims: It is a pleasure to rise today and speak in the House. I can say

that after the last year…. Let’s see. I’m not that apt at getting my

mask off, obviously; I need more practise.

It is a pleasure to be back in the House, in the people’s House,

to be doing the people’s business. I can say that when I read this

motion, “Be it resolved that this House support providing all British

Columbians with the supports they need to cope with the COVID-19

pandemic,” I thought: who in this House could disagree with that? Who in

B.C. would disagree with that?

[11:20 a.m.]

Over the last year, every one of us in every corner of this

province, across this beautiful country and around the world has had our

lives turned inside out, upside down, outside in, whichever analogy we

want to use. We are facing a pandemic that has not been experienced by

anybody in this room, no matter the year they were born. These have been

very, very challenging times, not just for us but across the country

and, I would say, around the world.

As we look at this, what is the number one job of any government,

no matter where they are? That is to make sure that they support the

people in the province, in the country and around the world. And you

know what? In this province, for too long, we had the haves and

have-nots and also those who didn’t feel part of being included. I’m so

proud of the fact that the actions taken by government and, I would say,

in agreement by all of us in this House working together…. What we have

achieved is quite something. What we have achieved is providing support

where it’s needed.

Have we filled all the gaps? Absolutely not. I think you would

have to be far more than an idealist to think that anyone, whether

they’re in health care, in government, in education — I always have to

bring that up — or in any of the other fields, has the answers for this.

We don’t have the answers, and we’re learning new things all the

time.

This COVID-19 and the variant have also taught us about the

interconnectedness and that, as we support our individual citizens — the

youth, the elderly, those who are struggling with addictions, those who

suffer from mental illness — at the same time, we have to keep our

economy moving. This is not about choosing one or the other. You cannot

have one without the other. We need to be doing both.

That is why I have been proud of the investments that have been

done in supporting individuals financially as they’ve been struggling

through the recovery. And others — giving tax breaks to businesses,

giving non-refundable moneys to businesses, small, medium and large,

unlike in times gone by when the biggest tax breaks, the biggest

handouts, went to the big international corporations. I have been so

happy to see the moneys leading out to small and medium-sized businesses

that are the backbone of our economy. They are the ones who employ

people, and we have these jobs that keep our communities

vibrant.

When I bumped into my friend Surjit the other day out at a

building site — we all are trying to do our work in different ways — he

was telling me: “You know what? When I sit down and talk with my

friends, and I think the government….” He was talking about federal and

provincial, and he mentioned us specifically. He said: “You guys are

doing an amazing job. You know, this is how much I have received in

support.” He said: “I cannot believe it, that in the middle of a health

pandemic, the government is supporting us.”

Before I knew it, two or three others gathered around, and they

were sharing similar stories. A father told me how the availability of

daycare has made it possible for them to survive during these very

difficult times, because they could get their child into

daycare.

I absolutely agree with my colleague who spoke previously: there

is no simple answer. There is no magic bullet or magic pill. This

requires all of us working together, interconnected, and making sure

that we are there to lift each other up during these challenging

times.

D. Davies: As we’ve heard over and over again, COVID has brought

unprecedented challenges to all of British Columbia’s communities. But

it has hit some of B.C.’s most vulnerable members the hardest. COVID has

isolated many from the support networks that they rely on, has kept many

from working and has driven up the cost of living considerably for all

of us.

[11:25 a.m.]

Rather than offer additional supports to help those who need it

the most, government has stripped away vital assistance and created

significant barriers that have prevented many from receiving the help

that they need. The most vulnerable British Columbians saw their

COVID-19 emergency supplement cut in half. They were told to apply for

the $500 B.C. recovery benefit, but even those on income assistance and

disability assistance have had issues accessing the grant that was

promised to them before Christmas. More than two months since their

cheques were promised, hundreds of thousands of British Columbians are

still waiting for their one-time recovery benefit.

One thing that we’ve heard over and over again is that nothing is

easy to access, from waiting for hours on hold to not hearing back from

emails to the copious amounts of follow-up, paperwork and documents.

Almost purposeful barriers put in place to block the flow of

help.

There are 215,000 people on income and disability assistance and

the seniors supplement in this province. Now we find out that 107,000 of

these British Columbians are going to be automatically receiving the

benefit. This means that half of the people who had their income and

disability assistance clawed back could not access the B.C. recovery

benefit.

Thousands of persons with disabilities have gone more than two

months since their COVID income and disability assistance were cut in

half by this government, and they’re still anxiously waiting for their

one-time payments to pay for food, rent and other

necessities.

COVID has been extremely impactful on persons living with

disabilities. Many have been isolated from support networks that they

rely on. Many are often immune compromised and are incurring additional

costs, from grocery deliveries to additional care needed, because of

COVID. Many have either lost their jobs or been unable to work due to

risks to their own well-being. Because of the incredible strain COVID

has put on our health care system, many persons with disabilities have

seen delays in care and treatment that they rely on. Every necessary

trip for medical care now brings with it incredible risks.

Government has faced strong criticism for introducing a lengthy

application process that created considerable barriers for British

Columbians wishing to apply for the benefit, despite already having much

of this information requested already on file. It’s incredibly troubling

that government waited more than two months to automate the B.C.

recovery benefit for persons with disabilities, especially now that they

have admitted that they’ve had the capacity to do so all

along.

Additionally, Community Living B.C. paid out over $1 billion last

year to service providers. CLBC is among the many service providers

whose budget will run out in March. Yet government has chosen to delay

the next fiscal budget until April.

What will budget delays mean for these groups? Will people in need

of assistance see further cuts or delays to the supports that they so

dearly need? How are B.C.’s most vulnerable supposed to meet the growing

cost of living under these conditions?

Average rent continues to skyrocket. Average house prices in our

province increased by 16 percent just last year. Government has

struggled to get anything built. At their current pace, it will take

more than 100 years to meet their promised housing target. It’s time for

the government to reinstate the income and disability assistance that

they clawed back and re-evaluate how they plan to deliver the necessary

supports to the British Columbians that need them most.

People are looking for help. People need help. Businesses need our

support. Industry needs an ally. People are looking to government for

this. But when all they get is failure after failure and backs turned on

them, this hurts everyone.

Government needs to be providing meaningful support that is easily

accessed, not rattled with barriers. People and businesses alike need

supports, and they need to have ready access to them.

J. Rice: Thank you to the member for Richmond North Centre for her motion.

Providing British Columbians with the supports they need is exactly what

we said we’d do as a New Democrat caucus and is exactly what we are

doing.

[11:30 a.m.]

This past year has been such a tough year for everyone —

individuals, families, small businesses and whole communities throughout

all of B.C. People are legitimately concerned about their health and

their livelihoods, so we will continue to take advice from health

officials like Dr. Bonnie Henry. We will continue to bolster the front

lines, and we will continue to support families and businesses through

this next wave of the pandemic while we await more vaccines to

arrive.

Recall that the previous government focused on helping their

wealthy donors and well-connected friends and cut services for regular

British Columbians. The B.C. recovery benefit will give people some

financial help during this difficult time, and the money in peoples’

pockets also benefits the local economies. As of last week, over two

million people have received the benefit. Individuals can apply to

receive up to $500, and families can apply to receive up to

$1,000.

Our provincial vaccination plan is now underway and is being

distributed to all British Columbians who want it as quickly and safely

as possible, beginning with those most at risk. We’ve made key

investments in health care so that more patients receive treatment at

home, and that reduces hospital wait times. We’ve made investments in

mental health care to help people through the mental and emotional tolls

of this pandemic.

We’re committed to training and hiring more doctors and nurses,

and we’ve also taken significant steps to assist small and medium-sized

businesses in weathering the economic storm caused by COVID-19. New tax

measures reward businesses for hiring and help them grow and become more

productive by making it easier for them to invest in equipment and

machinery.

The community economic recovery infrastructure program, otherwise

known as CERIP, provides fully funded provincial grants to support

economic resilience, tourism, heritage and urban and rural economic

development. This past week I was able to make numerous CERIP funding

announcements for my constituency in North Coast. In the Central Coast,

Bella Bella is receiving a $400,000 grant for the Kunsoot Wellness

Society to help with construction costs of new infrastructure at their

health centre. We’re helping to restore the House of Numst’ heritage

building in Bella Coola with a $995,000 grant. Hagensborg Centennial

Pool is receiving a $990,000 grant to build a new pool and

family-friendly change rooms.

On Haida Gwaii, in Skidegate, the Haida Gwaii Museum Society is

receiving a $399,000 grant through the First Peoples Cultural Council.

The heritage society is receiving a $472,000 grant for heritage centre

upgrades. The Saving Things House is receiving a grant for museum

upgrades and repairs. Misty Isles Economic Development Society is

receiving a grant for an e-commerce project, $313,000 to promote online

sales of artisanal products from Haida Gwaii.

For the Hartley Bay First Nation, the Gitga’at Development Corp.

upgrades into their Prince Rupert storefront. In Prince Rupert, the

Prince Rupert waterfront airport ferry landing is receiving $1 million

grant to develop a new multifaceted waterfront development, including a

new marine terminal. Tourism Prince Rupert is receiving a $239,000 grant

for a welcome and way-finding signage improvement project and the Port

Edward Historical Society, a $273,000 grant to preserve the national

historic site of North Pacific Cannery.

These CERIP fund grants are just those announced in the North

Coast. We’re providing grants in every corner of B.C. We will continue

to be responsive to the needs of people, businesses and communities to

see them through the pandemic and into a strong economic recovery that

supports all British Columbians.

C. Oakes: On behalf of my constituents of Cariboo North, who are enduring

considerable hardship during the current pandemic, I would like to offer

the following perspective on this morning’s motion.

As the official opposition critic for Advanced Education and

Skills Training, I’ve been engaging with students and their advocacy

organizations, who have their own set of challenges as they attempt to

get a fully rounded education.

[11:35 a.m.]

Post-secondary students have been deeply impacted by the COVID-19

pandemic. It is, therefore, essential that our provincial government

support students throughout these unprecedented times.

In May, it was revealed that 76 percent of students cited

financial concerns as their biggest challenge. As the pandemic

progressed, the reality is that we’ve seen that internships, work

programs, part-time and summer job opportunities have simply dried

up.

If you peel back another layer of just how badly students are

feeling the crunch, approximately 50 percent of students cited financial

hardship in direct relationship to paying rent or accommodation. Housing

expenses serve as one of the largest expenses for students. They

continue to take a large portion of student savings, student loan

payments, part-time employment income and, in many cases, grocery

allowance.

At UBC for example, over 65 percent of graduate students

experience severe financial hardship as a direct result of the high cost

of housing. The reason? It is because all of the provincial housing

support programs, such as the temporary rental support program, exclude

student housing and have done so since the start of COVID-19.

While the Residential Tenancy Act is responsible for establishing

the rights and responsibility of tenants and landlords, the statute is

also used as an eligibility criteria item for support programs like the

TRS. Effectively, the current standards of eligibility leave students

out of these programs, including policies such as the 2020 rent

freeze.

As I indicated earlier, and I will be doing so later, financial

hardships are becoming even more troubling as more and more students are

losing their earning capacity and also highly valuable work skills that

they can use throughout their active careers.

Other programs, such as the Canada emergency student benefit,

amount to about…. It amounts to $750 a month. This benefit is

significantly less than the more substantial Canada emergency response

benefit, or CERB for short, that can amount to $2,000 over a four-week

period.

To make matters worse, only 41 percent of students are actually

eligible for the Canada emergency student benefit. That is why 61

percent reported government financial aid is not enough to support them

through their next academic year. This is not a promising outlook for

the next generation who are eager to pursue their dreams.

Along with all of the financial hardship comes the stress. I will

be speaking throughout this session in greater detail on the effects the

pandemic is having on the mental health of the student population. For

those who are finishing their degree this spring, the condition of the

current economy is rather grim.

It is my understanding that while the provincial government’s

Here2Talk has been set up since April, one of the significant issues is

that you get somebody different every time you call. What is needed is

access to multi-sessional counselling that can be both affordable and

that you can access without having to wait at least eight weeks or

longer.

Our students are key drivers of the research and innovation sector

in our province. They are our future. Our success as a province emerging

successfully post-pandemic will be evaluated on just how well we invest

in our students and our future generation.

In conclusion, if students today cannot afford to continue with

their education, consider: where will our future entrepreneurs, our

researchers, our scientists, our teachers, our nurses — I could go on

and on, but my time is running out — come from? We need to be supporting

our post-secondary students.

D. Routley: I thank the Malahat First Nation, from whose traditional

territories I’m joining this meeting today.

[11:40 a.m.]

I also would like to take this opportunity to thank the people of

B.C., thank my constituents, for their many gestures of kindness and the

investments they’ve made in themselves and each other during this

challenging time. I think it has been extraordinary. It’s something that

we’ve come to expect as human beings, but it’s extraordinary every time

you see the good that comes out of the people as such a great challenge

confronts us.

We’re all worried. All of us — all the people that we know, our

families, constituents who come into our offices — are terribly worried

about the impacts of COVID-19, not only on how they will be remediated

immediately but the long-term effects as well. It’s made so clear to us,

all of us, that our economy was already unequal in its benefit before

this great challenge, and this pandemic has only served to amplify those

vulnerabilities.

These are the areas of investment and attention that this

government has focused on during the pandemic. I think the results speak

for themselves. These are results that were built on a foundation that

was laid in the beginning of this government’s first term, when they

began investing with people. We invested in child care spaces, housing

and education, so that people were prepared, as well as they could be,

for what has happened and also that the economy and our institutions

were prepared to weather this storm and to come out stronger on the

other side.

I can say that because we are investing in people. We are taking

the immediate steps to support and protect people’s health and their

livelihoods, but we’re also making the kinds of investments that will

help our province going forward, long into the future. The member for

Peace River North…. I’m not sure about his math, but over two million

people have already been paid through the $1 billion recovery plan, and

3.7 million people qualify overall. These are extraordinary

accomplishments.

I’d also like to thank the public servants in this province who

have kept government going through this pandemic, that have kept not

only the current programs of government going but have been asked to

implement a variety of new programs. They were extraordinary

individually, but taken all together, I think every British Columbian

owes our public servants a huge debt of gratitude for what they’ve been

able to do.

For our government, we’ve made key investments in health care that

have allowed treatment at home, that have reduced wait times and that

are going to train and hire more doctors and nurses. In fact, from

December 2019, before the pandemic, to December 2020, there was a 40

percent increase in hip and knee surgeries. That’s an extraordinary

accomplishment by everyone in the system pulling together and patients

being cautious about how they use the system. I think that’s been shown.

We’ve kept the hospitals available to the people who have needed them,

and people have done their best to stay healthy. I thank them all for

that as well.

We’re also investing in programs and tax credits that increase and

incent hiring and the purchase of new equipment and machinery that will

make our businesses more competitive. We’ve already put out a $10

billion COVID-19 response plan that’s made up of $5 billion in the

COVID-19 action plan and the Stronger B.C. plan, $810 million in

partnerships between the province and the federal government in transit

and with municipalities, $2.25 billion in response and temporary relief,

and $2 billion to the B.C. recovery supplement and these increased

incentives in the form of tax credits to more hiring.

I know we’re all worried. My own daughter is a chef. She was

impacted immediately, with the restaurant closing down. She is

recovering, and she is back at it. So are the people of B.C. We’re

working together. Every one of us owes a debt of gratitude to the people

that we represent and to whom we owe that honour.

[11:45 a.m.]

L. Doerkson: Good morning. As this is the first day back in session for 2021,

I’m pleased to speak, on behalf of my constituents of Cariboo-Chilcotin,

in relation to the following motion: “Be it resolved that this House

support providing all British Columbians with the supports they need to

cope with the COVID-19 pandemic.”

Coming from a part of the province that has been hit especially

hard by the pandemic, I can assure you that many in the

Cariboo-Chilcotin are in desperate need of support and

assistance.

Before I begin, I’d like to acknowledge all of the health care

workers, especially those at the Cariboo Memorial complex hospital and

the 100 Mile District General Hospital, who, of course, deserve our

special thanks because they have been working almost non-stop since the

outbreak came to this province over a year ago.

The same applies to lots of our other front-line workers who have

headed into work every day regardless of the risk of COVID-19. I’m

talking about, of course, our first responders, such as police,

volunteer firefighters, search and rescue, and especially our grocery

store workers, who still head in to work every day armed with just a

mask and a friendly approach to customers.

So many businesses have struggled to continue to fight through the

challenges of COVID-19 and continue to fight to survive these

challenging times, businesses like C+ Rodeos, a company that provides

stock for purposes of bronc- and bull-riding at rodeo events throughout

British Columbia. C+ Rodeos is owned by Earl and Roy Call of 150 Mile

House, British Columbia. As with so many in the business, C+ is one that

has not operated now for an entire year. Right now, of course, they face

the agony of not supplying this type of entertainment to tens of

thousands of people from all over the world for a second year due to the

pandemic. Sadly, they are, of course, at risk of possible or potential

closure.

Businesses like this one have costs that are too much to bear

during this trying time. In the case of C+ Rodeos, the cost is more than

$100,000 a year for feed alone. This cost does not include any other

costs with respect to their overhead. Businesses like zoos, stock

contractors, the aquarium, guiding companies, ranches — they all have

these fixed costs for feeding these magnificent animals, and they’re

doing it at a time when they’re unable to draw paying tourism customers

that would normally come from all over the province, country and, of

course, the world.

When you think of rodeo, you must recall the larger rodeos in our

province, such as Falkland, Cloverdale, Armstrong and, of course,

Williams Lake. These rodeos are worth millions and millions of dollars

to the provincial economy and, of course, help to support many of our

local communities.

My fear is that agrifairs and the dozens of rodeos around our

province, like Quesnel, Bella Coola, Barriere, Clinton, Penticton, and

of course many, many more throughout B.C., could genuinely be at risk of

loss if we allow companies like C+ Rodeos to fail because of lack of

appropriate funding. We must reintroduce funding opportunities that we

have had in the past to support these companies to allow them to make it

through the coming months, which will undoubtedly be the toughest months

to get through, particularly after surviving for the past

year.

As the official opposition, we’re therefore calling for loosening

of the eligibility criteria, especially the rules requiring a 70 percent

revenue drop in March of 2020; streamlining the application process,

recognizing that government already has most of the information it’s

requesting from these businesses; approving applications faster — the

goal should be to approve the application in days, not weeks; and, of

course, extending the expiry date out far beyond the current deadline of

March 31 as needed.

As the rural development critic, I ask you all to join me in

supporting these unique businesses, like this one, that contribute to

our economy but also contribute to the western heritage, sport tourism

and, of course, the good times of hundreds of thousands of us annually

throughout the entire province.

Deputy Speaker: The Chair recognizes the member for Abbotsford-Mission.

P. Alexis: Thank you, hon. Speaker, for this opportunity, albeit virtually,

to speak to this motion.

I would first like to acknowledge that I come to you from the

unceded and ancestral territory of the Stó:lō people, including

Kwantlen, Leq’á:mel, Matsqui, Sema:th, and Sq’èwlets

territories.

[11:50 a.m.]

As we gather here today, there are over 4,000 active cases of

COVID-19 in the province, with almost 8,000 people under active public

health monitoring, and over 1,300 have died. Those are some stark

numbers, but when we read them, that’s all they really are: numbers,

figures, statistics. We’ve been living in the new normal of this

pandemic for so long and seen and heard so many updates from our

hard-working elected officials and medical leaders that we forget that

every one of those numbers represents a human being whose life has been

turned upside down, or worse, lost to this terrible pandemic.

Our government knows this, and that’s why we’ve done so much to

stem the tide. We have an aggressive immunization plan designed to help

the most at-risk amongst us first. We’ve offered a recovery benefit to

offer real financial help to British Columbians. We’re working

tirelessly to keep our students safe, from kindergarten to grade 12. We

are connecting those who need mental health support to virtual help and

programs.

Through StrongerBC, B.C.’s $1.5 billion economic recovery plan, we

continue to provide supports for businesses affected by the COVID-19

pandemic so that they can reopen, adapt and grow. Even with these

efforts, it’s the people of British Columbia who have been asked to do

even more. It’s the people of this province that have sacrificed

countless family gatherings, birthdays, weddings, funerals, nights out,

school concerts, anniversaries, and so much more. Even a handshake at

work or a hug at New Year’s has been lost for so many through this

lonely pandemic.

In my own work as an MLA, it has been the mental health toll of

COVID-19 that I’ve seen impact my constituents that has hit me the

hardest, especially amongst young people. As a former teacher and school

trustee, my heart has ached hearing their stories of isolation,

loneliness and, in some cases, outright despair. But I have hope that

the efforts of this government can alleviate this terrible aspect of our

new normal in some way and offer some light against this

never-before-seen darkness.

[Mr. Speaker in the chair.]

We’ve all heard the stories from people struggling in our

communities — loved ones lost, families separated, jobs disappeared.

This is a once-in-a-generation crisis and one that demands more than

stiff upper lips and digging deep from our citizens. COVID-19 demands

the power of this government. Otherwise, why are we even

here?

As a government, we have a responsibility to remember all those

small and not-so-small sacrifices I mentioned before. We have a duty of

care to the people of this province, not just the statistics.

Acknowledging the unprecedented nature of these times, I offer my

wholehearted support to this motion and urge all members to rally behind

our efforts to help as many British Columbians as possible.

T. Stone: It is a great pleasure to stand and speak to this motion today.

Certainly, we’ve heard from members on both sides of the House that

there have been a range of programs and supports that have been rolled

out over the course of this pandemic over the past year. Colleagues of

mine in official opposition, certainly members of the Green caucus, were

very proud to support the expenditure for those supports to be there for

British Columbians and to be there for those in need.

But we’ve also heard this morning that there are many gaps in

these programs. There have been a number of examples cited here this

morning across a range of supports for individuals where there are gaps,

where we are calling on the government to step up and fill those gaps,

to again make sure that everyone who needs the support is able to get

the support.

[11:55 a.m.]

Specifically, I want to address small business supports here

today. Businesses have been hit hard. They’ve been hit really hard in

communities all across our province, particularly small businesses,

particularly independent operations.

The Canadian Federation of Independent Business just last week put

out their latest survey of the state of play of the small business

community in British Columbia. The numbers are very startling. They

confirm what we are all hearing and seeing in our respective communities

when it comes to the viability of small businesses.

So 66 percent of small businesses are open. That means a third are

not. Only 43 percent of small businesses right now are fully staffed.

That’s a heck of a lot that aren’t fully staffed. It’s a lot of people

not working. Only 34 percent of small businesses, at this moment, are

enjoying what they would consider to be normal sales at this point in

their calendar. And 48 percent are worried about the survival of their

business.

We learned last week that the average debt that a small business

is carrying in British Columbia has increased to $138,000. One in seven

B.C. businesses is at risk of closing. One in seven. That is 25,000

businesses that, more importantly, employ about 300,000 British

Columbians across this great province of ours. I would also like to

shine a bright light on this stat: 63 percent of these small businesses

say that support from government is absolutely critical to their

survival, moving forward.

On March 23 of 2020, this Legislature unanimously endorsed a

package of supports, including $2.2 billion for business. Unfortunately,

regrettably, the government did not act quickly to support small

businesses. It took five, almost six months for the government to come

out with their signature grant program, the small and medium-sized

recovery grant. They launched it one week before an election campaign.

We then were in an election campaign. Very few businesses knew that this

grant even existed.

We fast-forward to and through the election. We find ourselves

here in a session in December, pointing out to the minister, pointing

out to the Premier, pointing out to the government…. Urging them to make

changes to this recovery grant program, the only grant program that the

government has come out with for business. We said: “You’ve got to

loosen up the eligibility criteria. You’ve got to streamline the

application process. You’ve got to speed up how quickly you can actually

process the applications because small businesses are dying in

communities around this province at the moment.”

The minister made some modifications at the time. We said they

were not good enough. Fast-forward to today. We’re two months since that

point, and countless businesses are shutting their lights off and

closing their doors.

More needs to be done. More needs to be done for individuals, and

a heck of a lot more needs to be done for small businesses to make sure

that they survive this pandemic and come out the other side stronger

than ever before.

T. Stone moved adjournment of debate.

Motion approved.

Hon. J. Whiteside moved adjournment of the House.

Motion approved.

Mr. Speaker: This House stands adjourned until 1:30 p.m. this

afternoon.

The House adjourned at 11:59 a.m.

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