British Columbia Hansard — 4 October 2021, p.m., Issue 100 (42nd Parliament, 2nd Session)

20211004pm-Hansard-n100

British Columbia — Debates (Hansard)

Second Session, 42nd Parliament OFFICIAL REPORT OF DEBATES (HANSARD) Monday, October 4, 2021 Afternoon Sitting Issue No. 100 THE HONOURABLE RAJ CHOUHAN, SPEAKER ISSN 1499-2175

PROVINCE OF BRITISH COLUMBIA (Entered Confederation July 20, 1871) LIEUTENANT-GOVERNOR Her Honour the Honourable Janet Austin, OBC Second Session, 42nd Parliament SPEAKER OF THE LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY Honourable Raj Chouhan EXECUTIVE COUNCIL Premier and President of the Executive Council ............................................................................................................... Hon. John Horgan Minister of Advanced Education and Skills Training...........................................................................................................Hon.

Anne Kang Minister of Agriculture, Food and Fisheries......................................................................................................................Hon. Lana Popham Attorney General and Minister Responsible for Housing .............................................................................................Hon. David Eby, QC Minister of Children and Family Development ....................................................................................................................Hon.

Mitzi Dean Minister of State for Child Care...................................................................................................................................... Hon. Katrina Chen Minister of Citizens’ Services.....................................................................................................................................................Hon. Lisa Beare Minister of Education .................................................................................................................................................. Hon.

Jennifer Whiteside Minister of Energy, Mines and Low Carbon Innovation ........................................................................................Hon. Bruce Ralston, QC Minister of Environment and Climate Change Strategy............................................................................................. Hon. George Heyman Minister of Finance .......................................................................................................................................................... Hon.

Selina Robinson Minister of Forests, Lands, Natural Resource Operations and Rural Development ................................................ Hon. Katrine Conroy Minister of State for Lands and Natural Resource Operations................................................................................. Hon. Nathan Cullen Minister of Health and Minister Responsible for Francophone Affairs.............................................................................Hon.

Adrian Dix Minister of Indigenous Relations and Reconciliation .......................................................................................... Hon. Murray Rankin, QC Minister of Jobs, Economic Recovery and Innovation....................................................................................................... Hon. Ravi Kahlon Minister of State for Trade...............................................................................................................................................Hon.

George Chow Minister of Labour ...................................................................................................................................................................Hon. Harry Bains Minister of Mental Health and Addictions.............................................................................................................. Hon. Sheila Malcolmson Minister of Municipal Affairs ............................................................................................................................................. Hon.

Josie Osborne Minister of Public Safety and Solicitor General ........................................................................................................... Hon. Mike Farnworth Minister of Social Development and Poverty Reduction........................................................................................... Hon. Nicholas Simons Minister of Tourism, Arts, Culture and Sport .................................................................................................................. Hon.

Melanie Mark Minister of Transportation and Infrastructure................................................................................................................... Hon. Rob Fleming Minister of State for Infrastructure ................................................................................................................................... Hon.

Bowinn Ma LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY Leader of the Official Opposition...................................................................................................................................................Shirley Bond Leader of the Third Party .......................................................................................................................................................... Sonia Furstenau Deputy Speaker..........................................................................................................................................................

Spencer Chandra Herbert Assistant Deputy Speaker..............................................................................................................................................................Norm Letnick Deputy Chair, Committee of the Whole .......................................................................................................................... Ronna-Rae Leonard Clerk of the Legislative Assembly ...........................................................................................................................................

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

Jennifer Arril Clerk Assistant, Committees and Interparliamentary Relations ..............................................................................................Susan Sourial Senior Research Analyst ................................................................................................................................................................... Karan Riarh Acting Sergeant-at-Arms..................................................................................................................................................................Greg Nelson

ALPHABETICAL LIST OF MEMBERS Alexis, Pam (BC NDP) ............................................................Abbotsford-Mission Anderson, Brittny (BC NDP) .........................................................Nelson-Creston Ashton, Dan (BC Liberal Party) ............................................................... Penticton Babchuk, Michele (BC NDP)...............................................................North Island Bailey, Brenda (BC NDP).................................................. Vancouver–False Creek Bains, Hon. Harry (BC NDP).........................................................

Surrey-Newton Banman, Bruce (BC Liberal Party) ............................................ Abbotsford South Beare, Hon. Lisa (BC NDP) .......................................

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

Surrey South Chandra Herbert, Spencer (BC NDP).................................Vancouver–West End Chant, Susie (BC NDP) ..............................................North Vancouver–Seymour Chen, Hon. Katrina (BC NDP) ............................................... Burnaby-Lougheed Chouhan, Hon. Raj (BC NDP).................................................Burnaby-Edmonds Chow, Hon. George (BC NDP) ..........................................Vancouver-Fraserview Clovechok, Doug (BC Liberal Party)........................Columbia River–Revelstoke Conroy, Hon.

Katrine (BC NDP) ....................................................Kootenay West Coulter, Dan (BC NDP) .......................................................................... Chilliwack Cullen, Hon. Nathan (BC NDP) ................................................................... Stikine Davies, Dan (BC Liberal Party)................................................. Peace River North de Jong, Michael, QC (BC Liberal Party)....................................Abbotsford West Dean, Hon. Mitzi (BC NDP) ...............................................

Esquimalt-Metchosin D’Eith, Bob (BC NDP) .........................................................Maple Ridge–Mission Dix, Hon. Adrian (BC NDP) ................................................ Vancouver-Kingsway Doerkson, Lorne (BC Liberal Party) ........................................Cariboo-Chilcotin Donnelly, Fin (BC NDP) .......................................... Coquitlam–Burke Mountain Dykeman, Megan (BC NDP)............................................................... Langley East Eby, Hon. David, QC (BC NDP).......................................

Vancouver–Point Grey Elmore, Mable (BC NDP) ..................................................Vancouver-Kensington Farnworth, Hon. Mike (BC NDP) .................................................Port Coquitlam Fleming, Hon. Rob (BC NDP) ...............................................

Victoria–Swan Lake Furstenau, Sonia (BC Green Party) .............................................Cowichan Valley Glumac, Rick (BC NDP) ..................................................Port Moody–Coquitlam Greene, Kelly (BC NDP) ........................................................Richmond-Steveston Halford, Trevor (BC Liberal Party) .........................................Surrey–White Rock Heyman, Hon. George (BC NDP) .........................................Vancouver-Fairview Horgan, Hon. John (BC NDP) ......................................... Langford–Juan de Fuca Kahlon, Hon.

Ravi (BC NDP) .............................................................. Delta North Kang, Hon. Anne (BC NDP) .................................................. Burnaby–Deer Lake Kirkpatrick, Karin (BC Liberal Party) ........................West Vancouver–Capilano Kyllo, Greg (BC Liberal Party)....................................................................Shuswap Lee, Michael (BC Liberal Party) ..............................................Vancouver-Langara Leonard, Ronna-Rae (BC NDP)...............................................

Courtenay-Comox Letnick, Norm (BC Liberal Party) .................................. Kelowna–Lake Country Lore, Grace (BC NDP)........................................................... Victoria–Beacon Hill Ma, Hon. Bowinn (BC NDP).....................................North Vancouver–Lonsdale Malcolmson, Hon. Sheila (BC NDP)........................................................Nanaimo Mark, Hon. Melanie (BC NDP).................................Vancouver–Mount Pleasant Mercier, Andrew (BC NDP) ........................................................................

Langley Merrifield, Renee (BC Liberal Party)......................................... Kelowna-Mission Milobar, Peter (BC Liberal Party) .......................... Kamloops–North Thompson Morris, Mike (BC Liberal Party) ................................. Prince George–Mackenzie Oakes, Coralee (BC Liberal Party).................................................. Cariboo North Olsen, Adam (BC Green Party)............................ Saanich North and the Islands Osborne, Hon.

Josie (BC NDP)........................................Mid Island–Pacific Rim Paddon, Kelli (BC NDP) ................................................................Chilliwack-Kent Paton, Ian (BC Liberal Party) ............................................................... Delta South Popham, Hon. Lana (BC NDP)........................................................ Saanich South Ralston, Hon. Bruce, QC (BC NDP) .............................................Surrey-Whalley Rankin, Hon.

Murray, QC (BC NDP) .............................Oak Bay–Gordon Head Rice, Jennifer (BC NDP) ...................................................................... North Coast Robinson, Hon. Selina (BC NDP)...................................Coquitlam-Maillardville Ross, Ellis (BC Liberal Party)......................................................................... Skeena Routledge, Janet (BC NDP) .............................................................Burnaby North Routley, Doug (BC NDP)...........................................

Nanaimo–North Cowichan Russell, Roly (BC NDP).................................................... Boundary-Similkameen Rustad, John (BC Liberal Party)......................................................Nechako Lakes Sandhu, Harwinder (BC NDP) .................................................Vernon-Monashee Sharma, Niki (BC NDP)..........................................................Vancouver-Hastings Shypitka, Tom (BC Liberal Party) .................................................... Kootenay East Simons, Hon. Nicholas (BC NDP).........................

Powell River–Sunshine Coast Sims, Jinny (BC NDP) ................................................................. Surrey-Panorama Singh, Aman (BC NDP) .............................................Richmond-Queensborough Singh, Rachna (BC NDP)...................................................Surrey–Green Timbers Starchuk, Mike (BC NDP) ......................................................... Surrey-Cloverdale Stewart, Ben (BC Liberal Party) .......................................................

Kelowna West Stone, Todd (BC Liberal Party) ...............................Kamloops–South Thompson Sturdy, Jordan (BC Liberal Party) ............................. West Vancouver–Sea to Sky Tegart, Jackie (BC Liberal Party)....................................................... Fraser-Nicola Walker, Adam (BC NDP) ....................................................... Parksville-Qualicum Wat, Teresa (BC Liberal Party) ....................................... Richmond North Centre Whiteside, Hon. Jennifer (BC NDP) .........................................

New Westminster Wilkinson, Andrew, QC (BC Liberal Party)......................Vancouver-Quilchena Y ao, Henry (BC NDP) ..................................................... Richmond South Centre LIST OF MEMBERS BY RIDING Abbotsford-Mission................................................................................. Pam Alexis Abbotsford South...............................................................................Bruce Banman Abbotsford West......................................................................

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

Janet Routledge Cariboo-Chilcotin ..........................................................................Lorne Doerkson Cariboo North.................................................................................... Coralee Oakes Chilliwack ...............................................................................................Dan Coulter Chilliwack-Kent .................................................................................... Kelli Paddon Columbia River–Revelstoke .........................................................

Doug Clovechok Coquitlam–Burke Mountain...............................................................Fin Donnelly Coquitlam-Maillardville ...................................................... Hon. Selina Robinson Courtenay-Comox................................................................... Ronna-Rae Leonard Cowichan Valley ............................................................................. Sonia Furstenau Delta North................................................................................... Hon.

Ravi Kahlon Delta South ..................................................................................................Ian Paton Esquimalt-Metchosin .................................................................... Hon. Mitzi Dean Fraser-Nicola .........................................................................................

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

Renee Merrifield Kelowna West ..........................................................................................Ben Stewart Kootenay East.......................................................................................Tom Shypitka Kootenay West........................................................................ Hon. Katrine Conroy Langford–Juan de Fuca .............................................................. Hon.

John Horgan Langley .............................................................................................Andrew Mercier Langley East....................................................................................Megan Dykeman Maple Ridge–Mission.............................................................................. Bob D’Eith Maple Ridge–Pitt Meadows............................................................Hon. Lisa Beare Mid Island–Pacific Rim............................................................ Hon.

Josie Osborne Nanaimo.............................................................................Hon. Sheila Malcolmson Nanaimo–North Cowichan............................................................... Doug Routley Nechako Lakes........................................................................................ John Rustad Nelson-Creston ............................................................................. Brittny Anderson New Westminster.............................................................. Hon.

Jennifer Whiteside North Coast ........................................................................................... Jennifer Rice North Island................................................................................... Michele Babchuk North Vancouver–Lonsdale......................................................... Hon. Bowinn Ma North Vancouver–Seymour...................................................................Susie Chant Oak Bay–Gordon Head..................................................Hon.

Murray Rankin, QC Parksville-Qualicum........................................................................... Adam Walker Peace River North ................................................................................... Dan Davies Peace River South ................................................................................ Mike Bernier Penticton ................................................................................................. Dan Ashton Port Coquitlam...................................................................... Hon.

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

Shirley Bond Richmond North Centre..........................................................................Teresa Wat Richmond-Queensborough..................................................................Aman Singh Richmond South Centre .......................................................................... Henry Y ao Richmond-Steveston ............................................................................

Kelly Greene Saanich North and the Islands .............................................................Adam Olsen Saanich South .............................................................................Hon. Lana Popham Shuswap...................................................................................................... Greg Kyllo Skeena........................................................................................................... Ellis Ross Stikine........................................................................................ Hon.

Nathan Cullen Surrey-Cloverdale .............................................................................. Mike Starchuk Surrey-Fleetwood.....................................................................................Jagrup Brar Surrey–Green Timbers........................................................................Rachna Singh Surrey-Guildford......................................................................................Garry Begg Surrey-Newton ..............................................................................Hon.

Harry Bains Surrey-Panorama ...................................................................................... Jinny Sims Surrey South ................................................................................ Stephanie Cadieux Surrey-Whalley ................................................................. Hon. Bruce Ralston, QC Surrey–White Rock .......................................................................... Trevor Halford Vancouver-Fairview.............................................................. Hon.

George Heyman Vancouver–False Creek...................................................................... Brenda Bailey Vancouver-Fraserview...............................................................Hon. George Chow Vancouver-Hastings ..............................................................................Niki Sharma Vancouver-Kensington....................................................................... Mable Elmore Vancouver-Kingsway..................................................................... Hon.

Adrian Dix Vancouver-Langara................................................................................ Michael Lee Vancouver–Mount Pleasant..................................................... Hon. Melanie Mark Vancouver–Point Grey ............................................................Hon. David Eby, QC Vancouver-Quilchena........................................................Andrew Wilkinson, QC Vancouver–West End .....................................................Spencer Chandra Herbert Vernon-Monashee .....................................................................

Harwinder Sandhu Victoria–Beacon Hill............................................................................... Grace Lore Victoria–Swan Lake.................................................................... Hon. Rob Fleming West Vancouver–Capilano...........................................................Karin Kirkpatrick West Vancouver–Sea to Sky................................................................Jordan Sturdy Party Standings: BC NDP 57; BC Liberal Party 28; BC Green Party 2

CONTENTS Monday, October 4, 2021 Afternoon Sitting Page Routine Business Introductions by Members..................................................................................................................................................... 3275 Statements (Standing Order 25B) ......................................................................................................................................... 3275 Foster Family Month J. Brar Women in politics K. Kirkpatrick Community resilience and non-profit sector N. Sharma Award recipients in water engineering technology program R.

Merrifield Misinformation and COVID-19 R. Russell William “Robbie” Robertson P . Milobar Ministerial Statements ............................................................................................................................................................ 3278 National Day for Truth and Reconciliation Hon. J. Horgan S. Bond A. Olsen Oral Questions......................................................................................................................................................................... 3281 Government response to overdose deaths S. Bond Hon. J. Horgan T. Halford Hon. S.

Malcolmson Overdose deaths and access to safe supply S. Furstenau Hon. S. Malcolmson Y outh mental health and addiction treatment beds and centres K. Kirkpatrick Hon. S. Malcolmson Mental health crisis intervention services and funding T. Stone Hon. S. Malcolmson Y outh addiction services and naloxone kit funding and supply M. de Jong Hon. M.

Farnworth Tabling Documents................................................................................................................................................................. 3286 Elections B.C., report of the Chief Electoral Officer, provincial general election, October 24, 2020 Office of the Auditor General, independent audit report,Oversight of Dam Safety in British Columbia, September 2021 Office of the Auditor General, information report,Update on the Connecting British Columbia Program, August 2021 Office of the Conflict of Interest Commissioner, annual report, 2020 Office of the Information and Privacy Commissioner, annual report, 2020-21 Office of the Ombudsperson, annual report, 2020-21 Office of the Ombudsperson, public report,Severed Trust: Enabling WorkSafeBC to Do the Right Thing When Its Mistakes Hurt Injured Workers, September 2021 Office of the Ombudsperson, strategic plan, 2021–2026 Office of the registrar of lobbyists for B.C., annual report, 2020-21 Office of the Representative for Children and Y outh, annual report, 2020-21, and service plan, 2021-22 Report pursuant to the COVID-19 Related Measures Act regarding Order-in-Council M273/2021, Minister of Public Safety and Solicitor General Report pursuant to the COVID-19 Related Measures Act regarding Order-in-Council M274/2021, Minister of Public Safety and Solicitor General Report pursuant to the COVID-19 Related Measures Act regarding Order-in-Council 372/2021, Attorney General Report pursuant to the COVID-19 Related Measures Act regarding Order-in-Council 420/2021, Attorney General

Tabling Documents(continued) Report pursuant to the COVID-19 Related Measures Act regarding Order-in-Council 428/2021, Attorney General Report pursuant to the COVID-19 Related Measures Act regarding Order-in-Council 429/2021, Attorney General Report pursuant to the COVID-19 Related Measures Act regarding Order-in-Council 430/2021, Attorney General Report pursuant to the COVID-19 Related Measures Act regarding Order-in-Council 431/2021, Attorney General Report pursuant to the COVID-19 Related Measures Act regarding Order-in-Council 432/2021, Attorney General Report pursuant to the COVID-19 Related Measures Act regarding Order-in-Council 433/2021, Attorney General Report pursuant to the COVID-19 Related Measures Act regarding Order-in-Council 437/2021, Attorney General Report pursuant to the COVID-19 Related Measures Act regarding Order-in-Council 518/2021, Attorney General Report pursuant to the COVID-19 Related Measures Act regarding Order-in-Council 526/2021, Attorney General Report pursuant to the COVID-19 Related Measures Act regarding Order-in-Council 530/2021, Attorney General Report pursuant to the COVID-19 Related Measures Act regarding Order-in-Council 538/2021, Attorney General TogetherBC, annual report, 2020 Motions Without Notice......................................................................................................................................................... 3286 Membership change to Finance Committee Hon.

M. Farnworth Orders of the Day Second Reading of Bills .......................................................................................................................................................... 3286 Bill 12 — Insurance (Vehicle) Amendment Act, 2021 Hon. M. Farnworth M. Morris Hon. M. Farnworth Bill 15 — Early Learning and Child Care Act Hon. M. Dean K. Kirkpatrick Hon. K. Chen S. Furstenau R. Merrifield J. Brar A. Mercier S. Chant J. Sims H. Y ao R. Leonard Hon. M. Dean Bill 14 — Early Childhood Educators Act Hon. M. Dean K. Kirkpatrick Hon. K. Chen C. Oakes N. Sharma

MONDAY , OCTOBER 4, 2021 The House met at 1:32 p.m. [Mr. Speaker in the chair.] Routine Business Introductions by Members Hon. H. Bains:It’s really, really good to be here with all of you. I’m really, really pleased to introduce a good friend of mine, CUPE B.C. president Karen Ranalletta, the first female president of CUPE B.C. in 26 years. Prior to her election as president, she served three terms as a general vice-president of CUPE B.C. She currently sits on the board of directors for B.C. Labour Heritage Centre and chairs the B.C. Federation of Labour occupational health and safety committee.

Also joining her is Martina Boyd, the legislative coordinator for CUPE B.C. This is her first QP experience, I understand, so welcome. Please help me throw a really warm welcome to both of them. M. Bernier:I’m really, really, really excited to introduce to the House my fairly new constituency assistant. Ms. Lisa Ward is with us today, as well as my beautiful wife, Valerie. As we all know, it’s really exciting that we get the oppor- tunity to introduce people to this House in person — really excited to do that. Will the House please make both of them welcome today. Hon. G. Chow:Mr.

Speaker, it’s great to be able to speak to you in person, from over 1½ years ago. [1:35 p.m.] I have the great pleasure on this auspicious day to intro- duce to you members who are visiting our gallery, who are sitting behind me, members of the Chinese Federation of Commerce Canada, based in Richmond, led by Presid- ent Joseph Hui. The other members are Sheila Hui, Hans Wong, Eliza Wong, Kitty Chan, Clara Chow, Mingson Chui, Lin Ho, Lin Fong Ho, Pius Chan, Emily Jiang, John Pak and Mimi Hui Pak. Would the House please welcome these members. T. Halford:October 4, 2008, was a fairly special day in my life.

It’s the day we welcomed Nicolas Alexander Halford into our family. I am sure he is not glued to his television set watching his dad do this right now, or else he would have some concerns. But I am so proud of the young man that he is, the man that he is going to become. I could not wish for a better son than Nicolas. Love him lots, and I will see him on Thursday. Hon. B. Ma: I’ d love the opportunity to introduce the House to a woman, Constance Blundy, who has come to Victoria all the way from my home riding of North Van- couver–Lonsdale. I also know her as Connie.

I know Connie as a devoted climate advocate and a val- ued volunteer, somebody whose passion is matched only by her kindness. She is somebody who has always simul- taneously pushed and supported me to doing the most that I can do on the climate action file. She’s not physically in the chamber with us today. She’s actually exercising her democratic rights out on the Legis- lature lawn, but I’ d still like to invite the Legislature to please join me in welcoming her to the Legislature. H. Y ao:I want to continue the tradition, saying I’m very, very excited to be here to speak to everybody in person.

To start, I would like to ask everybody to welcome Van- couver Metropolitan Lions Club, the group that’s wearing the orange blazers, led by President Linda Li. They’ve done fabulous fundraising, including fundraising money for the Richmond Hospital Foundation, SUCCESS and Rich- mond Lions Manor. I also have a second introduction I would like to say as well. I’ d like everyone to welcome my CA, Dicken Lau, who is joining us today. He has done a fabulous job to help us overcome culture and language barriers so we can con- nect with our constituents. Everyone, please join me. Let’s welcome them warmly. M.

Babchuk:It’s my honour today to stand and intro- duce to you some lifelong family friends that we have visit- ing from Salmon Arm today, Ken and Pam Jamieson, and their sister-in-law, Helen Jamieson. Ken is a retired educat- or and has served as a multi-term councillor in the past in Salmon Arm. Would all members please join me in welcoming them to our illustrious chamber today. Mr. Speaker:And I’m really, really, really happy to see you all here in the House. We are going to have very pro- ductive sessions. Welcome. Statements (Standing Order 25B) FOSTER FAMILY MONTH J.

Brar:I’m also really, really, really very pleased to be back and just really pleased to see every member of this House in the House today after a long time. My best wishes for a very productive and friendly debate, moving forward. That’s not my statement, by the way. October is Foster Family Month. This annual proclamation is meant to cel- ebrate, honour and raise awareness about the urgent need to recruit more foster families for B.C. This year marks the 31st annual Foster Family Month. 3275

We want to thank foster caregivers for their commit- ment to support B.C. ’s young people. This appreciation is not only for what they do on a daily basis but for what they were doing under the additional stresses of the last 18 months. [1:40 p.m.] The government is committed to all youth but partic- ularly Indigenous youth remaining within their families or within their extended communities so that cultural tra- ditions, practices and connections are recognized, main- tained and supported.

The government is also committed to ensuring foster families provide safe, nurturing and culturally relevant homes for B.C. ’s children, youth and sibling groups in need of foster homes. There is an ever-present demand for caring adults and families to provide safe, supportive homes to all children and youth who need them across B.C. So anyone inter- ested in becoming a foster caregiver should contact the B.C. Foster Parent Association for more information. WOMEN IN POLITICS K. Kirkpatrick:Mr. Speaker, of course, I’m very happy to be here.

October marks a month-long celebration of the outstanding achievements of women throughout Canada’s history. History was often written without women, but in the last decades, there’s been a lot to rewrite the largely masculine history of British Columbia to include the incredible women who accomplished such great things. Now, I’m embarrassed to say that I only just readKlee Wyck by Emily Carr over the summer. I walk by her house every day, and I thought it was time that I learned a little bit more about her.

Her life’s story, her art, her travels across British Columbia beginning at the turn of the last century are quite extraordinary. Over the years, there have been many women who have made contributions to British Columbia, and many of those were made through politics. Today I’ d like to take a moment to acknowledge but a few. I apologize to those I miss, but it’s only a two-minute statement.

As many of you know and have read as you walked through the rotunda down in the main entrance area, in 1918, Mary Ellen Smith, a prominent suffragist in British Columbia, became the first woman elected to the Legis- lature of British Columbia. In 1972, Rosemary Brown became the first Black woman elected to a provincial Legislature in all of Canada. In 1993, a former B.C. MLA, Kim Campbell, became the first and, I note sadly, the only female Canadian Prime Minister. I would be remiss to not mention there are women in this House today, and I hope they don’t mind being acknowledged.

In 2009, the member for Vancouver-Ken- sington became the first person of Filipino heritage to be elected to the B.C. Legislature. In 2011, the member from Prince George became the first woman to serve as Attor- ney General. In 2016, the member for Vancouver–Mount Pleasant became the first First Nations woman elected to the B.C. Legislature and to hold a cabinet position. Women understand the importance of being role mod- els, and they understand the weight of being first. Thank you very much to all the women who have made history. COMMUNITY RESILIENCE AND NON-PROFIT SECTOR N.

Sharma:It’s so great to be here in person with every- body. Today I want to speak about community resilience. Community resilience is a measure of the ability of a com- munity to respond, withstand and recover from crisis. Community resilience doesn’t happen overnight. It is built up through the steady hands of many over time. Non-profit organizations across this province serve so many community needs every day and help us build our resilience. Their work quietly weaves the social fabric of our communities that we can rely upon during our times of need.

This summer we witnessed a network of non-profit organizations that worked with us to confront the unpre- cedented challenges from the pandemic to heatwave to wildfires. I want to spend a moment to appreciate those organizations. As I’m sure we can all attest to in our own communities, they’re often made of people who don’t look for recognition, who steadfastly go about their work to make our communities better.

People like Upkar Tatlay from Engaged Communities B.C., who has many strong connections in community and during the heatwave, taught himself how to rig a PVC pipe and make a cooling station to directly help the people he was serving. Or the Overdose Prevention Society that saved lives every day by responding to the opioid crisis. Every day they are also building trust and community. When the heatwave hit, they hosted a cooling station for these vul- nerable residents, who then had a trusted place to cool.

Not to mention the countless groups who came together to help survivors of the Lytton fire, including the Red Cross and the Katzie First Nation that were overwhelmed by the community response. [1:45 p.m.] These organizations remind us all that we are in this together — that together, we can build a society that can face the challenges of the present and future, one that is compassionate, inclusive and sustainable.

To all those non-profit organizations who helped us respond to the challenges of the summer, I want to thank you for being there for British Columbians and helping us build resilient communities. 3276 British Columbia Debates Monday, October 4, 2021

AW ARD RECIPIENTS IN W ATER ENGINEERING TECHNOLOGY PROGRAM R. Merrifield:Well, I love it when industry, our learning institutions and our future entrepreneurs all come togeth- er. It’s called innovation. I especially love it when it’s recog- nized. Recently my riding had such an occasion, as three Okanagan College students in the water engineering tech- nology, or WET, diploma program were awarded financial prizes in recognition of their commitment to their field and academic achievement.

Ryder Fortes, Richard Graham and Vladimir Tuazon all received the Outstanding Student Award from the envir- onmental operators certification program. The EOCP Outstanding Student Award is a cash prize awarded to second-year students in water and wastewater programs who’ve obtained good grades in their program of study, as well as showing a commitment to the field of water and wastewater. Ryder Fortes became interested in the WET diploma as a way of giving back to his community and being a part of the solution in providing safe drinking water.

Richard Graham said that learning about treatment technologies and processes has opened his eyes to the importance of the field. Vladimir Tuazon loved the hands-on learning opportunities of working with bodies of water, testing characteristics of surface and groundwater as they built up his practical experience and showed him a future of pro- tecting the environment. The program prepares students to play a leading role in the water industry by learning to monitor, assess and pro- tect both public health and water in the environment.

It also covers topics such as water quality, testing, treatment, biology and chemistry. Please join me in congratulating Ryder Fortes, Richard Graham and Vladimir Tuazon on their outstanding achievement. MISINFORMATION AND COVID-19 R. Russell:Friday I was approached by a constituent who wanted to discuss ivermectin. I left the conversation saddened, not because we didn’t come to an agreement on the role of an antiparasitic medicine for treating a viral pandemic but because it dawned on me that a belief in a conspiracy of unfathomable breadth across science and government was killing people in my communities.

I suspect most of you in this House have had similar conversations with strangers, friends or family members. These conversations are straining already brittle relation- ships. Science, though, provides us with data to inform our decisions. A vocal minority of people are eroding that value with pseudo-science concocted in a world of social media. Vaccination, science and public health may have cata- lyzed these challenges, but it is the potential for magnific- ation and propagation of misinformation on longer time scales and more diverse topics that keeps an exhausted person, like myself, up at night.

This is, to be sure, not new. Eight years ago Jim Hoggan wrote: “The public square, the forum for free debate that we depend on in a democracy, is being choked by misin- formation, denial and bitter adversarial rhetoric. It is caus- ing the Canadian public to turn away in despair, creating an epidemic of mistrust and, what’s worse, disinterest. ” My call to action here is simple. Let’s all listen openly and compassionately yet do our best to actively correct misinformation. This cannot be done by government nor grassroots alone. It must be a collective effort.

We can all help reduce the mistrust and despair swirling around us. This shared opportunity holds true whether we are school teachers, scientists, fruit pickers, legislators or any other active participant in society. The truth matters, and while we can get to truth on many different paths, not all paths lead to truth. I wanted to triage that initial conversation into the realm of things I won’t ever change so I can give up on them now, but I real- ize that would be unfair for everyone. Y es, I tracked down that constituent to continue a difficult conversation.

In these strange times, it seems that an ability to com- municate compassionately and honestly has the potential to, quite literally, save lives. [1:50 p.m.] WILLIAM “ROBBIE” ROBERTSON P . Milobar:I rise today to pay tribute to one of the most decorated Canadian veterans, Col. William “Robbie” Robertson, a true Canadian patriot. Colonel Robertson served in World War II with the Saskatoon Light Infantry in Sicily and Italy and with fol- low-on forces joining the rest of the Canadian army in the liberation of the Netherlands.

He later served in the Korean conflict with Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry, with whom he would serve the rest of his regular army career. Colonel Robertson received the Military Cross for twice extracting soldiers trapped behind enemy lines in Korea and a Queen’s commendation for courage for his tremendous bravery and selflessness in helping to save the life of a fellow paratrooper whose chute didn’t open. Colonel Robertson didn’t think twice but dove, quite lit- erally, from the plane down to help him open his chute, saving the soldier.

Colonel Robertson was also a commanding officer of the Rocky Mountain Rangers in Kamloops from 1975 to 1980 and was handed the Order of Military Merit for his exemplary service as the regiment’s honorary lieutenant colonel and honorary colonel. He was a 57-year member of the Kamloops Legion Branch 52. As Lt. Col. Amedeo Vecchio said of the Rocky Mountain Rangers: “Colonel Robbie exemplified the essence of true leadership, and his Monday, October 4, 2021 British Columbia Debates 3277

commitment to the security of our nation and free world was unwavering. He was a true role model and mentor to all who served with him. ” We lost Colonel Robertson back in November of 2020 to COVID. Unfortunately, due to COVID, his service and proper send-off were delayed, but he received a beautiful send-off in Kamloops on September 18 of this year. I ask all members of this House to join me in thanking him for his esteemed service and sending condolences to his many loved ones and all who knew and respected him. Ministerial Statements NATIONAL DAY FOR TRUTH AND RECONCILIATION Hon. J.

Horgan: Last Thursday we marked the first National Day for Truth and Reconciliation. Of course, it was a day of sombre reflection, a day to reflect on our true history. We gathered across the country to share, to listen and to learn. It was a day to stand with survivors and their fam- ilies, a day to honour the truth of their experiences. The lights here at the Legislature blazed orange, as they did at B.C. Place and at dozens of buildings across British Col- umbia. We all wore orange shirts, a simple but important way to show that every child matters.

Orange Shirt Day would not have come into existence without the strength and courage of Phyllis Webstad. In 1973, Phyllis wore an orange shirt to her first day of school at the St. Joseph’s Mission Residential School in Williams Lake. The orange shirt was given to her by her grandmoth- er. It was taken from her that day, and she never saw it again. She was six years old. I also think of Eddy Charlie, a friend from here on the Island, a strong voice for survivors here on the Island and, of course, across British Columbia.

I raise my hands in gratitude and respect to both Phyllis and Eddy and to the survivors and witnesses who have shared their truths over the past number of years. They carry a heavy burden, and it is our duty to go forward and ease that load in every way we possibly can. Recent discoveries on the Tk’ emlúps te Secwépemc territory of unmarked graves of residential school kids highlight the urgency of reconciliation. Six years ago the Truth and Reconciliation Commission released its final report, a landmark commission that unearthed the real truth of residential schools in Canada.

So 6,500 wit- nesses shared their experiences. Their testimony was of profound importance not just to us today but to those generations who come after us. Many Canadians have taken the opportunity, over the past number of months, to learn more about residential schools, to learn more about the truths of Indigenous peoples, not just in British Columbia but, indeed, across the country. International recognition of how Canadians treated young children is now part and parcel of the badge we carry when we travel away from this great country, all of us proud to be Canadian.

I don’t think there’s a person in this room who doesn’t celebrate the good fortune of being a Canadian citizen. But with that citizenship comes, also, a responsibility to reflect and understand the true nature of how all of us came to this place today. [1:55 p.m.] Orange Shirt Day and National Truth and Reconcili- ation Day will remind us and generations to come after us about the profound responsibility we all have to each other to make sure we don’t turn away from the ugly, we don’t turn away from the uncomfortable, but we go dir- ectly towards it as best we can to make a difference.

I know there are 87 people in this institution today that are committed to that. I know there are countless British Columbians and Canadians across the land that are also committed to that. But we have to listen to the truth. We have to accept it and embrace it and then col- lectively move forward. I’ve said in this place in the past that I have two degrees in history from universities, and I did not learn about the residential school system until I met survivors in a gym- nasium with my friend from Nanaimo–North Cowichan.

It was only hearing the testimony of survivors that opened up my eyes to the challenges that generations of Indigen- ous people have faced because of policy decisions that the government of Canada made. We all know that truth now, and we can’t turn away from it. Last Thursday was our first opportunity to step into the light, to embrace all that it is to be Canadian, to celebrate those positive times and to commit to each other that we will do what we can to redress the wrongs — and they are many — of successive governments over genera- tions that have brought us all to this place today. HÍSW̱ ḴE SIÁM. S.

Bond:Thank you to the Premier for his remarks. I want to recognize that together we do our work as legislators on the traditional territories of theLək̓ ʷəŋin̓ əŋ- speaking people, the Songhees and Esquimalt First Nations. We are grateful to be able to spend time here working on behalf of British Columbians. Since late May, hundreds of unmarked graves have been discovered on the grounds of residential schools across Canada. Starting in the late 1800s, thousands of First Nations, Inuit and Métis children were forced to attend residential school. As horrified as we felt, it should have come as no surprise to us.

Residential school survivors and their families have been sharing their stories, and all of us have to ask ourselves: did we listen? Survivors told stories of children who disappeared, stor- ies of unmarked graves and stories of countless children who never returned home. The Truth and Reconciliation 3278 British Columbia Debates Monday, October 4, 2021

Commission of Canada collected testimonies from thou- sands of survivors and ultimately concluded that the exist- ence of unmarked graves at residential schools was inevit- able. We heard the stories, but did we listen? Last week we marked the first-ever National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, many wearing orange shirts in response to the story that the Premier shared of residential school survivor Phyllis Webstad. Orange Shirt Day serves as a visible symbol of our recognition of those stories and of our commitment to reconciliation.

In Prince George, I joined many other community members as together we walked, we placed flowers and we reflected on the dark past of residential schools. We hon- oured survivors and their families, and we made a pledge to do more. The past year has been extraordinarily painful. It’s been painful for the more than 1.8 million First Nations, Inuit and Métis people. Today we must acknowledge the strength and determination of all those who have com- mitted to the important work of finding these children, bringing answers to the families who loved them and lost them.

We also have to acknowledge that we as individuals have a lot of work to do ourselves. That starts with truly listen- ing to Indigenous voices and educating ourselves about their experiences and how the legacy of residential schools has impacted generations of families and communities, and it continues to this day. We must listen, we must learn, but we must also commit to meaningful action. The time for action is long overdue.

Today I encourage every member of this House to think about the steps they can take personally to move forward on the journey of reconciliation, not just here in the chamber but in our home communities as well. [2:00 p.m.] Most of all, today I want to recognize the survivors who have shared their truth with all of us. We know that for them and their loved ones, it has meant reliving deeply painful, life-altering memories. We are grateful for the courage they have shown in sharing their stories. We have the responsibility to open our ears, to open our hearts, to listen, to learn and to act.

While one day has been designated as National Truth and Reconciliation Day, the work that we need to do will take far more than a single day of commemoration. Very few of us in this chamber can say that we truly understand what happened. It is hard to even find the words to describe the pain of children being separated from their families in order to isolate them from the influence of their homes, their families, their traditions and their culture. We need to shine a light on the past while also looking forward and working together to build a better future for everyone who calls this land home.

Over the past months, I’ve spent some time reading and reflecting. I read Bev Sellar’s book,Price Paid: The Fight for First Nations Survival, and I have started to read her book They Called Me Number One: Secrets and Survival at an Indian Residential School. But there is a quote in the collection of stories written by Phyllis Webstad, in her book calledBeyond The Orange Shirt Story, that should move us all to action. “Gram was good with babies. But then, at about the age of five, Gram would start to distance herself and the child. There were a couple of reasons for that.

The first was that Gram had to prepare her heart to lose her children, child after child, year after year. The second reason for distancing that child was to prepare that child to be in an environment where they didn’t matter. ” Phyllis Webstad shares these stories to help us educate ourselves and gain a deeper understanding. She challenges us to honour the lives and the experiences of survivors as they move beyond the orange shirt story. Together we need to ensure that in our province and our country, every child finds themself in an environment where they matter. A. Olsen: ÍY SC̸ÁĆEL . HÍSW̱ ḴE SIÁM. Good day.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. It’s good to see you all. Last week we commemorated the first annual National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, a day of reflection and healing. Today and every day I’m thinking of my relatives and all the survivors of Indian residential and day schools. Before reconciliation must come truth. Here are some truths.

Six years ago Truth and Reconciliation published 94 calls to action for all governments in Canada — the feder- al, provincial and territorial governments — to act on the horrific information that was gathered through an intense truth-telling exercise that finally forced Crown govern- ments and politicians to listen to what Indigenous people had been telling for decades about the tragic, disgusting history of Indian residential and day schools. It’s not just history though. It’s how Crown governments relate to Indigenous people today as well.

For six years, action 80 languished, collecting dust on a shelf in federal, provincial and territorial offices, the action calling on those governments to create a “statutory holi- day, a National Day for Truth and Reconciliation to hon- our survivors, their families and communities and ensure that public commemoration of the history and legacy of residential schools remains a vital component of the reconciliation process. ” On May 27, 2021, we learned more about the truth of Indian residential and day schools when Kúkwpi7 Ros- anne Casimir, chief of the Tk’ emlúps te Secwépemc, shared that ground-penetrating radar had identified 215 remains of children that were sent to and never returned home from the Kamloops Indian Residential School. [2:05 p.m.] After an overwhelming response from British Colum- bians and Canadians, after our true history was exposed once again for the whole world to see, it took our federal Monday, October 4, 2021 British Columbia Debates 3279

government only six days — what languished on the books for six years. They finally created that statutory holiday for September the 30th each year. Even then, our provincial and territorial governments were ill-prepared to respond. On the first annual federal statutory holiday to commemorate the survivors and their families of Indian, residential and day schools, we saw, across the country, an uncoordinated, patchwork reaction that, frankly, tells a story unto itself. If it were just action 80, that would be one thing, but unfortunately, it is not.

The Truth and Reconciliation Commission calls to action names provincial governments 22 times, demanding our leadership take this work seri- ously. Commissioners call on our government to reduce the number of children in care, not just by changing how we account for children in care but, rather, actually chan- ging our systems. The commission calls on the provincial governments to reform education, health care and justice systems. Much of this might be done in British Columbia. But how much have we accomplished? What mechanism is holding gov- ernment accountable to ensure that these reforms actually happen?

The TRC asks that the provincial governments repudiate the doctrine of discovery andterra nullius and to reform those laws, government policies and litigation strategies that continue to rely on such concepts. Has that been done yet? I don’t think so. What do we have? The provincial government arguing some Indigenous people don’t exist and, as a result, Indi- genous people wasting precious resources establishing their basic existence. This is not just our past. This is what is happening in our province today, and in provinces across the country, and in our federal government.

Since the TRC’s calls to action were published, the final report of the national inquiry into the missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls was published, along with 231 calls to justice. The inquiry was charged with getting to the root causes of the violence experienced by Indigenous women, girls and 2SLGBTQQIA people. The report stated clearly: “The violence the national inquiry heard about amounts to a race-based genocide of Indigenous peoples, including First Na- tions, Inuit and Métis, which especially targets women, girls and 2SLGBTQQIA people.

This genocide has been empowered by co- lonial structures, evidenced notably by the Indian Act, the Sixties Scoop, residential schools and breaches of human Indigenous rights, leading directly to the current increased rates of violence, death and suicide in Indigenous populations. ” Today is the National Day of Action for missing and murdered Indigenous women, girls and two-spirited people. The Union of B.C.

Indian Chiefs wrote in their media advisory announcing a vigil this evening at Vancou- ver City Hall, saying the following: “ Although the vigil today reminds us of the ongoing tragedies we must mourn, it also empowers us to proudly assert our identit- ies, cultures and traditions, as we continue the fight for justice.

We call upon Canada and British Columbia to take immediate, mean- ingful action to implement the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls ‘Calls for Justice’ that are focused on replacing a justice model that perpetuates trauma with one that is aligned with Indigenous values, cultures and traditions. ” Indigenous leaders were deeply critical of the national action plan released earlier this summer.

The UBCIC wrote in their response on June 3: “This plan does not answer how to keep Indigenous women and girls and 2SLGBTQQIA+ people safe, with no specific informa- tion about how, when and by whom concrete actions will be taken.

Nowhere in this document do governments acknowledge and ac- cept responsibility for laws, policies and practices that contribute to and perpetuate the ongoing genocide of Indigenous peoples, and specifically of Indigenous women, girls and 2SLGBTQQIA+ people. ” British Columbia stepped up with $5.5 million worth of funding, a frustratingly small investment, especially when taken into consideration with the context of a provincial budget that is worth tens of billions of dollars.

Throughout the last parliament, I worked closely with the former Min- ister of Indigenous Relations and Reconciliation, Scott Fraser, on these issues. [2:10 p.m.] We all celebrated together, completing action 43 of the TRC calls to action “to fully adopt and implement the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indi- genous Peoples as a framework for reconciliation. ” Brit- ish Columbia was the first province to do so. This is an important step that this colonial institution takes towards reconciliation.

This past summer government released a draft action plan for the implementation of the commitments within that declaration act. These actions commit all cabinet min- isters in our government to aligning their ministerial oper- ations — the new laws they are creating, the old laws already on the books, the regulations, the policy — with the spirit of that declaration. The declaration act was passed in November 2019. We are nearing the two-year anniversary of this act. Where do we stand today?

Unfortunately, we are not as far down that road as I believed we’ d all hoped we would be on that cel- ebratory autumn day when the Indigenous leaders of our province spoke right there at that Clerks’ table.

Following the election last year, the Premier mandated the Minister of Indigenous Relations and Reconciliation “to create a dedicated secretariat by the end of 2021 to coordinate government’s reconciliation efforts and to ensure new legislation and policies are consistent with the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act. ” We are getting close to the end of 2021, and I know that Indi- genous leaders in British Columbia are eagerly anticipat- ing the news of the creation of this secretariat as they con- tinue to express the frustration of working with a govern- ment that has yet to coordinate these efforts.

As we heard from so many Indigenous leaders on Sep- tember 30, truth must come before reconciliation. We start with truth, and the next steps we take together will not 3280 British Columbia Debates Monday, October 4, 2021

be easy. As Hon. Murray Sinclair, the former chair of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission said, he recognized that getting to the truth was going to be hard, but getting to reconciliation was going to be even more difficult. None of this criticism is going to be easy for any of us in this place or government officials to hear, but I can assure you that it is a fraction of the challenge that life has been for Indigenous people, for my family, for my ancestors and, indeed, all survivors of Indian residential and day schools. Let’s not forget the words of Hon.

Murray Sinclair: “We may not achieve reconciliation within my lifetime or with- in the lifetime of my children, but we will be able to achieve it if we all commit to working towards it properly. Part of that commitment is that” — this year, on Septem- ber 30 — “we will stand up together and we will say: ‘Nev- er again. What we did in this country was wrong, and we will never allow it to happen again. ’” I am thankful that this work started last week, and I look forward to contributing to it in years to come. HÍSW̱ ḴE SIÁM. Mr. Speaker:We are very excited to start question peri- od.

Before we do that, I want to remind people, all mem- bers, to turn their electronic devices on silent mode. No phones are to be ringing during the question period or after. Oral Questions GOVERNMENT RESPONSE TO OVERDOSE DEATHS S. Bond: In July, British Columbia saw the second highest number of overdose deaths ever recorded: 184 deaths, almost six people every day. We are on track for the worst year on record. When he was in opposition, the Premier had a lot to say about this issue. He had lots of answers.

Well, here’s what B.C. coroner Lisa Lapointe said about the response from this Premier and his government: “It makes me sad. It honestly makes me very, very sad. What we have seen are small steps primarily left to one ministry. That is not enough. It needs a really meaningful response that will actually effect change. ” How many months will have to go by, with ongoing record numbers of deaths in British Columbia, before this Premier admits that the approach he has taken for 4½ years is not working? [2:15 p.m.] Hon. J. Horgan:I thank the member for her question.

Clearly, all members are aware of the absolutely tragic out- comes we’re seeing, not just across British Columbia but indeed across Canada, as an increasingly toxic drug supply has profound impacts on individuals, families and com- munities. We have redoubled our efforts since last October by making repeated overtures to the federal government to ensure that we can start by decriminalizing simple posses- sion of opioids.

We have run into resistance on that front, but I’m con- fident that the work of the Minister of Mental Health and Addictions and the work of the incoming federal govern- ment will bear fruit in that regard. At the time of our swearing-in, the then Solicitor Gen- eral — the current Solicitor General — made it clear to law enforcement that we were not interested in prosecut- ing people. We were more interested in finding health care. That’s why we’ve increased the number of wellness beds at Royal Columbian Hospital. We’ve increased the number of youth treatment beds in Chilliwack. The list goes on.

The establishment of Foundries, which were begun as an idea and a concept by the former government. All of us work- ing together is the way we come out of this. I share the disappointment and profound unhappiness for the results that we’ve seen over the past two years, but I think that the context is important. I know the mem- ber didn’t want to leave anyone with the perception that we didn’t have other things going on. A parallel health crisis, with respect to COVID-19, has meant that we’ve had to amend and deal with addictions differently, deal with housing differently, than we have in the past.

That has produced tragic consequences. But we take full responsib- ility for where we are, and we take absolute responsibility for how we’re going to go forward. Mr. Speaker:The Leader of the Official Opposition on a supplemental. S. Bond:If the Premier is prepared to take responsibil- ity, he needs to stand up and tell British Columbians and confirm the fact that things are getting worse, not better. Let’s look at the numbers: 6,120 people have died of an overdose since the Ministry of Mental Health and Addic- tions was created in June of 2017.

According to the coron- er, again: “What we have seen are small steps, not always in the same direction and really not addressing the big- ger issues. The fact that we haven’t seen a coordinated response…to reduce these numbers of deaths is just sad. It’s heartbreaking. ” The Premier stood up and he told British Columbia that the reason he was creating a Ministry of Mental Health and Addictions was to make sure that there was a coordin- ated response. It is getting worse. It is not getting better. The Premier’s answer just isn’t good enough.

To the Premier, will he stand in the House today and finally admit that, after 4½ years, the approach isn’t work- ing? He needs to fix the ministry that he created, to make sure that we don’t stand in this House month after month talking about record numbers of lives lost in our province. Monday, October 4, 2021 British Columbia Debates 3281

Hon. J. Horgan: We were making progress up until 2019 and the advent of COVID-19. The evidence is demonstrable — the member should know that; we’ll cer- tainly pass that data over to her so that she can review it — in the past budget, a historic $500 million commitment to Mental Health and Addictions. There was no Minister of Mental Health and Addictions four years ago, because those on that side of the House didn’t put the same level of interest in it then as they do today. That’s unfortunate. It’s unfortunate.

We’ve also taken other additional steps in communit- ies by making sure that urgent primary care centres have access to social workers and other health care providers, so that they can directly intervene when opportunities present themselves. Safe injection sites and other harm reduction policies are the foundation of success. It will take time, it will take patience, and it will take collective action by all of us. I appreciate that it’s question period. I appreciate that the members on the other side came here to shake their heads in disappointment.

We on this side of the House are working every single day to improve the lives of British Columbians, and we’re not going to stop because you’re unhappy. T. Halford:Well, to correct the Premier, it’s just not working. What is clear is that the minister and the min- istry responsible are failing British Columbians, and we are seeing that month after month. Six people a day. We are losing six people a day. This minister says: “This year con- tinues to be incredibly sad. ” [2:20 p.m.] We can’t just be sad. We need this Premier to do some- thing, and he needs to do it now.

Since this ministry was created, the per-capita death rate has doubled. My question to the Premier is this. His approach with this ministry and this minister has failed. Will he put someone in charge who can take the appropriate action? Hon. S. Malcolmson:That — despite an unprecedented new wave of measures year after year, despite unpreced- ented spending, despite unprecedented effort on the part of our health care workers and front-line providers — we continue to lose lives at such a tragic rate is a tragedy. It is a phenomenon that is being experienced across North America.

It has been directly correlated that as soon as the pandemic hit, drug toxicity spiked. The coroner has continued to document the increased toxicity that is falling people, despite the fact that we have doubled the number of supervised consumption sites and despite all of the measures that we’ve brought in. I have another quote from the coroner, from February, when she had yet another terrible report about the loss of life in the province. She said: “The fact that there is a Min- istry of Mental Health and Addictions whose focus is on supporting people to wellness is a huge step.

As I say, it is a big ship to turn around. We are shifting from punishment and criminalization to supporting and providing medical treatments to people who are struggling with addiction. ” Mr. Speaker:The member for Surrey–White Rock on a supplemental. T. Halford:What we are seeing from this ministry, this minister and this Premier is an unprecedented failure. The words of the minister speaking offer no comment as the numbers climb and as people continue to lose loved ones across this province.

The minister just cited a quote from the coroner, and I will give another one from the coroner: “For the coroner and the paramedics, we know what 1,000 people who have died looks like, and it’s just astounding. The fact that we haven’t seen a coordinated response…is heartbreaking. ” We know the ministry has no actual authority. Its budget is smaller than the Office of the Premier’s, and sadly, it is now being called the ministry of air. My question is to the Premier. Will he admit that it’s time for a new minister and that it’s time for a ministry that can solve these issues and save British Columbians? Hon. S.

Malcolmson:Here’s what the province has been doing with the coordinated response that our min- istry provides, fanning out services through Health, through Education, through Social Development and Poverty Reduction, through the Ministry of Children and Families. No one ever suggested that we were going to build an additional bureaucracy but that we were going to bring addictions and mental health care in par- allel with our physical health care system. There was never any intention otherwise.

The Premier’s instruction to my predecessor and friend Judy Darcy and to me was: “We want you to be single- minded in your cross-government focus. ” It is the over- dose emergency response centre that’s housed within our ministry that coordinates overdose response strategy. It is the Pathway to Hope — which was designed with the input from people with lived and living experience with families across British Columbia — that is our road map, and we are working hard on it every day.

I anticipate that the member is going to have more ques- tions on this — fair enough — and I’ll be able to elaborate, in more detail, each element of the plan and the increased number of both practitioners and people seeking help that are coming forward. We will work hard every day to con- tinue to try to end the public health emergency and work hard every day on that. OVERDOSE DEATHS AND ACCESS TO SAFE SUPPLY S. Furstenau:It has been fascinating to hear four ques- tions from the official opposition and four responses from 3282 British Columbia Debates Monday, October 4, 2021

the government on this issue. In the last 100 days since we haven’t been sitting, 600 people have died. We know what they have died from. They have died from a poison- ous drug supply. [2:25 p.m.] Y et in the four questions we’ve heard and the four responses we’ve heard, we’ve heard about overtures to the federal government for decriminalization, social workers, safe injection sites, other harm reduction methods, new waves of measures. It’s a tragedy. Nobody has spoken about a regulated safe supply, which is….

What experts, doctors, health care workers and advocates have made clear is that if we want people to stop dying in this province at the rate of six people per day, then the poisonous, illicit drug supply needs to be replaced with a regulated safe supply. My question is to the Minister of Mental Health and Addictions. Will we see steps taken to ensure that it is not a poisonous drug supply that is killing British Columbians every day? Hon. S.

Malcolmson:The previous minister, my friend and predecessor Judy Darcy; the Minister of Health; and the public health officer were already working on safe sup- ply as a way to separate people from the toxic drug supply, because what we’re hearing from people on the ground and from families is that it was toxic drug supply that was killing people. When the pandemic hit, within two weeks, we were able to implement quickly, through public health orders and through cooperation across all of government, a pre- scribed safer supply.

The uptake in that, in the year and a half since, has been a 425 percent increase in the number of people that are receiving a prescribed safe supply. In July, I stood with Dr. Bonnie Henry, and we announced an expansion of that prescribed safe supply. Nobody else in Canada is doing this. That people now can be prescribed a fentanyl patch for the purpose of avoiding an overdose is unprecedented. We’re grateful to the front-line nurse practitioners and addictions medicine doctors that helped us design this system and those brave front-line people, particularly in the Downtown Eastside, who have piloted this work.

We are continuing to expand it every week with every health authority across the province. We’re determined to do more, and there’s more to do. Mr. Speaker:The Leader of the Third Party on a supple- mental. S. Furstenau:I appreciate the minister’s response. I think it’s important to note that prescribed safe supply presents an extraordinary barrier for people, particularly those who have had less-than-ideal interactions with the health care system.

When we consider, for example, the indications and evidence of systemic racism for Indigen- ous people in the health care system and the number of Indigenous people dying from the toxic drug supply, we need to be able to go beyond what is existing right now. In July, Crosstown Clinic in Vancouver started provid- ing safe, medical-grade heroin for patients to take home. It was the first of its kind on this continent. The dozen or so initial patients said it was humanizing. It was humanizing not to have to line up daily for their doses.

It lets people take on jobs, spend time with loved ones and take care of their families. Just last week this program was quietly cancelled. No word from the Minister of Health, the Minister of Mental Health and Addictions or Vancouver health has been received. When we compare ourselves to the lowest denominator, we are the most progressive in North America. Y et we have the third-highest death rate from the toxic drug supply in North America.

This government needs greater ambition if we are to truly save people from this toxic supply, and that starts with transparency and progress and a commit- ment to maintaining programs that remove the influence of illicit drugs. My question is to the Minister of Mental Health and Addictions. Why was the regulated heroin program can- celled only months after it started, and what is the min- ister doing to not only get it back up and running but to expand it? Hon. S.

Malcolmson:The work of Crosstown Clinic and multiple other service providers in Vancouver and across British Columbia is saving lives, breaking new ground, working within the framework that federal legis- lation requires.

We are learning lots from them, and we are removing barriers wherever we can. [2:30 p.m.] The Crosstown Clinic home carry program that the member references has not been cancelled, but the 11 people that are receiving that groundbreaking service delivery as another way to separate them from the toxic drug supply have encountered a barrier through the Col- lege of Pharmacists that we are working hard right now to resolve. I spoke just this morning with Dr. Scott MacDonald, the lead on this. The program is not cancelled. Those people are still receiving the treatment that they need, the medic- ation that they need.

But the home-carry piece, which had been working well, is now, through the college, a conver- sation that we are having. I’ d be very happy to update the member on what I learn in coming days. We’re working hard to resolve it. YOUTH MENTAL HEALTH AND ADDICTION TREATMENT BEDS AND CENTRES K. Kirkpatrick:Two weeks ago a so-called progress re- port on mental health and addictions was released which Monday, October 4, 2021 British Columbia Debates 3283

included a disappointing update on the youth treatment beds promised by this government in August of 2020. This is what the government’s own report says, on page 11: “Thirty beds are currently in the process of implementa- tion, with the remaining 93 beds in planning. ” That’s right. After 14 months in the middle of a crisis, implementation hasn’t even started on more than three-quarters of the promised beds. My question to the Premier: why has this minister failed to actually implement what was promised 14 months ago? Hon. S.

Malcolmson:The commitment to double youth treatment beds, which is an unprecedented expansion in British Columbia and long overdue, had a promised deliv- ery date of 2023. We are well on track to meet that. In the meantime, earlier this year we added 95 adult treatment beds. We have a commitment to implement another 195. A year ago we opened a new, really innovative youth treatment centre — 20 beds in Chilliwack. It’s named Traverse. I just visited it last week, along with the member for Chilliwack.

And there are more and more addiction treatment, bed-based detox recovery programs and supports that we’ve added for youth across British Columbia. The Interior Health was able to move more quickly than some of the other health authorities during the pandemic to stand up and let the contracts for those youth treatment beds, but they’ll all be in place by 2023, as promised. Mr. Speaker:The member for West Vancouver–Capi- lano, supplemental. K.

Kirkpatrick:In June 2019, this NDP government claimed they would “help people immediately by opening more Foundry centres. ” Y et 28 months later, this is what the report says: “The additional eight Foundry centres are in development. ” Promised beds are missing, and there have been no new Foundry centres actually opened over the two years since they’ve been promised. So the minister is failing to deliver. Can the Premier offer details, not just words, on when exactly British Columbians will receive beds and Foundry centres that were promised years ago? Hon. S.

Malcolmson:Foundries do not have any bed- based component, but they do offer a fantastic connection to addiction and treatment recovery services, to repro- ductive health, to primary health and mental health coun- selling. As the member can appreciate, during the time of the pandemic, most Foundry centres were not able to open at all. We instead moved the platform online and developed with youth something designed by youth. Also, a Foundry app so that now people in every com- munity across British Columbia are able to connect.

The data that comes from the Foundry leads is quite encour- aging around new people that maybe were not willing to walk into a centre that are willing to engage online. We are still on track to open. It will be a total of 23 Foundry centres. Some of them will be opening in some of the opposition members’ communities very soon. MENTAL HEALTH CRISIS INTERVENTION SERVICES AND FUNDING T. Stone: Communities are pleading for more crisis intervention units with police and trained mental health workers.

But requests to expand units like Car 40 in Kam- loops, and proposals for new units in other communities, have consistently been rejected by health authorities and by this government. [2:35 p.m.] The mayor of Coquitlam has written about his personal experience, saying: “For several years now, Coquitlam has pressed for a mental health car program similar to Surrey’s Car 67. Unfortunately, Fraser Health has so far refused and has just rejected a similar request from Burnaby. ” The question to the Premier is this. Why are communit- ies across the province being left to deal with this crisis alone? Hon. S.

Malcolmson:The manner of deciding where the implementation of mental health support dollars will go is done always with the people that are most connec- ted on the ground, and that is health authorities across British Columbia. There are extremely successful car programs across Brit- ish Columbia where psychiatric nurses or mental health care workers will be paired with police. We have a lot of successes to point to. Also, a number of areas where the health authorities say that, actually, direct funding to an on-call nurse or a home support nurse to deliver mental health services would have worked better.

We continue to be open to the proposals that the health authorities bring to us. We continue to be informed by the work that’s happening through the Police Act review around how we can — and the Premier has asked me to work on this specifically — better stand up community mental health and addictions supports so that we can allow police to focus on true crime and what they were trained to do. We will continue to work with health authorities and with police, learning from the results of the Police Act review around how we can best resource this.

In the mean- time, communities should continue to speak with their health authority because they’re the lead decision. Mr. Speaker: The member for Kamloops–South Thompson, supplemental. T. Stone:The government’s efforts are not working. The 3284 British Columbia Debates Monday, October 4, 2021

calls that police are being asked to respond to relating to the Mental Health Act are increasing dramatically. In Kamloops alone, over 100 police calls every month relating to the Mental Health Act are happening. The Car 40 program in Kamloops can only respond to about a quarter, 25 percent, of those calls. Why? Because the exist- ing service is only funded by this government to the tune of four days a week, until about 4:30 — so regular business hours. Now, a news flash for the Premier: mental health interventions actually also happen in the evenings, and they happen on weekends.

This service has proven to be effective, and it needs a modest increase in funding to add an additional mental health nurse so those British Columbians in our community who need the help will get the help. The mayor of Kamloops says that the hesitation from this government is frustrating: “We’re providing most of the cards at the table here, because we’ve got the police officer, we’ve got the equipment, and we’re providing the car. We’re prepared to make that investment.

I’m really getting a little frustrated that their” — the government’s — “smaller portion of that is holding up the implement- ation. ” In Fraser Health, it’s the exact same situation. There’s no plan to increase Car 67, as it’s called there. The Premier keeps saying that they’re trying. Well, they’re not. Whether it’s beds or supports or counselling or mental health inter- vention, this government is failing. My question, again to the Premier, is this. Will the Pre- mier commit today to expanding programs like Car 40, like Car 67 in the communities that desperately need those services? Hon. S.

Malcolmson:The focus that we are bringing to support people that are in active psychosis, people who are in untreated addiction, particularly where we are see- ing impacts on street disorder, impacts on businesses and neighbours of people that have been living outside…. All of that is built into the homelessness strategy and the work that I’ve been asked to do on complex care housing, find- ing a new way to connect people who have not been able to do well in supportive housing — to connect them better with the kind of treatment and housing that can allow them to be a successful tenant and stabilize.

All of this is bolstered by our continued investment in ACT teams, in community action teams, all the ways that we can try to get at the kind of disorder and untreated mental health and addictions impacts that lead police to be called. [2:40 p.m.] That is happening in one branch of work. The other is the work with the Police Act review, where we continue to be informed by the evidence, working with the health authorities and working with police around where they need a direct pairing of mental health and policing. We are committed to doing that work.

That work study is underway, and we look forward to receiving the recom- mendations of the committee. YOUTH ADDICTION SERVICES AND NALOXONE KIT FUNDING AND SUPPLY M. de Jong:I’m afraid the answers and the excuses that we’re hearing today will be of little comfort to grieving par- ents across the province, the grieving parents that wrote to me on Friday. Here’s what they said. “Our 17-year-old son was found yesterday morning in Vancou- ver, far from his Abbotsford home. He left his treatment facility after just a few weeks, and because of the laws in B.C., we couldn’t keep him there. Now he’s dead.

The system in place for children suffering from drug addiction is failing our youth. Tell your col- leagues, ” they wrote to me. “Tell anyone who has the ability to make a difference that the way we are dealing with at-risk youth is most definitely not working. ” Then we find out last month that some time ago the government decided to cut funding for naloxone kits for emergency responders. The Premier explained that by say- ing there was a supply issue, only to be contradicted a few days later by the Centre for Disease Control, who said there was no question about problems with supply.

How do we take the words and the answers of the min- ister and the Premier seriously when at the very time that they’re needed most, the government decides to cut fund- ing for naloxone kits — life-saving naloxone kits — to first responders? Hon. M. Farnworth:I appreciate the question from the member opposite. I want to assure the member opposite that there is no shortage of naloxone kits that are…. Interjections. Mr. Speaker:Let’s listen to the answer, please. Minister. Hon. M. Farnworth:Thank you, hon. Speaker. The questions have been asked and have been listened to respectfully and not been heckled.

The member asked a question, and I’m providing him with the answer, which is: there is no shortage of naloxone kits. The issue that was raised was with one particular police department, in Oak Bay, that used a total of two naloxone kits this year. We’ve made it clear that naloxone is available to police departments right across this province. We work with police departments to ensure that they have a steady sup- ply. The government is committed to doing that, and that is what is taking place. There is no shortage of naloxone, and if police departments need it, it is there for them. Mr.

Speaker:The member for Abbotsford West on a supplemental. Monday, October 4, 2021 British Columbia Debates 3285

M. de Jong:Well, the Minister of Public Safety says sup- ply wasn’t a problem. The Minister of Mental Health, I think, chimed in at one point to say supply wasn’t a prob- lem. I guess the only person who seemed to be arguing that supply was a problem was the Premier. But here’s what the Victoria police chief said about a decision that was communicated to him and to police forces. He said: “I’ll be honest. When we all received a let- ter from police services that funding was going to be elim- inated for naloxone training and naloxone kits, it was a bit of a head-scratcher.

We’re all wondering why this would happen when we’re in the midst of a provincial health emergency. ” For the police chief, for the first responders and for those parents like the ones that wrote to me on Friday, decisions that lead to letters indicating funding for life- saving naloxone kits are more than just a head-scratcher; they’re tragic examples of faulty judgment. [2:45 p.m.] When is this government going to move forward with a strategy and an approach that has a positive impact?

When are they going to take steps that make it better and not worse so that the kinds of letters I got on Friday aren’t being sent with the frequency they are now? Hon. M. Farnworth:I think what we’ve seen is that the Minister of Mental Health and Addictions has outlined exactly the work that is taking place on a cross-ministry basis, right across this government. And all ministries, as part of their mandate letter associated with this issue, are working in a coordinated fashion to ensure that we’re doing everything that we can. What the member has asked in terms of naloxone, again, I will repeat.

There is (1) no shortage of naloxone and (2) it came about as a result of one police department. It has been in place for 18 months. There is enough nalox- one there. Police departments need it. They get it and training. All of those things are there, in place, to deliver naloxone when and where it’s needed. [End of question period.] Tabling Documents Mr. Speaker:Members, I have the honour of tabling the following reports. The Auditor General’s reports,Oversight of Dam Safety in British Columbia, September 2021, and Update on the Connecting British Columbia Program, August 2021.

The Chief Electoral Officer’s report on the 42nd provin- cial general election, October 24, 2020. The Conflict of Interest Commissioner,Annual Report 2020. The Information and Privacy Commissioner,Annual Report 2020-2021. The Ombudsperson,Annual Report 2020-2021; public report No. 52,Severed Trust: Enabling WorkSafeBC to Do the Right Thing When Its Mistakes Hurt Injured Workers, September 2021; special report No. 49,2021–2026 Stra- tegic Plan, July 2021. The registrar of lobbyists,Annual Report 2020-21. The Representative for Children and Y outh’s annual report and service plan.

And 15 reports pursuant to the COVID-19 Related Measures Act. Hon. N. Simons: I have the honour to present the 2020 annual report on our province’s poverty reduction strategy, TogetherBC. Motions Without Notice MEMBERSHIP CHANGE TO FINANCE COMMITTEE Hon. M. Farnworth:Mr. Speaker, I submit to you a motion regarding a substitution on the Select Standing Committee on Finance and Government Services. Leave granted. Mr. Speaker:Please proceed and read the motion, Member. Hon. M.

Farnworth:I move: [That the written agreement between the Government House Leader, the Official Opposition House Leader, and the Third Party House Leader, dated September 24, 2021, be ratified to substitute Jagrup Brar, MLA forPam Alexis, MLA as a Member on the Select Standing Committee on Finance and Government Services for the second session of the Forty-second Parliament.] Motion approved. Orders of the Day Hon. M. Farnworth:I call second reading of Bill 12, Insurance (Vehicle) Amendment Act, and other statutes. [2:50 p.m.] [S.

Chandra Herbert in the chair.] Second Reading of Bills BILL 12 — INSURANCE (VEHICLE) AMENDMENT ACT, 2021 Hon. M. Farnworth:It’s my pleasure to rise today to speak about Bill 12, the Insurance (Vehicle) Amendment Act, 2021. All of the amendments in Bill 12 are technical in nature, and none represent a shift in policy, but they are nonetheless necessary to validate past and current gov- 3286 British Columbia Debates Monday, October 4, 2021

ernment policy and to ensure that the legal framework for vehicle insurance, including enhanced care, works as intended. Bill 12 addresses legal questions that have developed as a result of two proposed class action suits that could have significant financial implications for both ratepayers and taxpayers. First, the bill amends the Insurance (Vehicle) Act to val- idate past payments by ICBC for the costs of health-related services arising from injuries sustained in vehicle acci- dents and makes explicit the legal authority for future pay- ments. ICBC has been reimbursing government for these costs for decades.

In fact, more than decades, I guess you could say, dating all the way back to the 1980s, through successive governments. Second, the bill will validate basic premiums set for owner certificates on the basis of geographic region between August 2003 and May 2018 to address an ambi- guity in that period. Bill 12 also amends the Insurance (Vehicle) Act to clarify the priority of coverage between vehicle insurers and the priority of coverage between vehicle insurance and other sources of compensation so that enhanced care works as intended.

In addition, Bill 12 makes a number of technical amendments to the Insur- ance (Vehicle) Act to ensure that regulations are clearly authorized so that the legislative framework works as intended. Finally, Bill 12 amends the Motor Vehicle Act to change the minimum refund amount from $5 to $1 to ensure con- sistency between refunds under the Motor Vehicle Act and refunds under the Insurance (Vehicle) Act. With that, I look forward to comments from colleagues. I move second reading. M. Morris:I look forward to a briefing on the bill, prior to the committee stage on this.

But Bill 12 strengthens the monopoly or oligopoly that ICBC has on the auto insur- ance industry that we have in British Columbia. The legis- lation allows ICBC to assume total control over develop- ing, delivering and administrating their policies and their products; determining eligibility on claims and eligibility on medical services; adjudicating; and mediating disputes and appeals against their own decisions. Bill 12 is the heavy hand of government retroactively eliminating any court processes, arbitration processes, payment options and plans that were in existence prior to May 1, 2021.

The saga of no-fault insurance — something that the NDP expressly confirmed, prior to the 2017 elec- tion, that they were not going to do — continues. Argu- ments have been consistently raised by many groups and individuals respecting the loss of their rights to seek legal assistance and guidance in assessing and arguing ICBC decisions on their behalf. Internally, ICBC determines how an injured person is treated and compensated. Internally, ICBC will determine outcomes of complaints and concerns from individuals.

And internally, ICBC, through their newly appointed fair- ness officer, will assess whether an individual is treated fairly or not. [2:55 p.m.] In respect to the fairness officer, I have the utmost respect for Michael Skinner, whom I’ve worked with in the past when I was an adjudicator with the Health Pro- fessions Review Board. There’s no doubt in my mind that his recommendations will be fair and transparent. My con- cern, however, is still the same as I expressed during debate on this issue last spring. The fairness officer has no decision-making authorities and is paid by ICBC.

This arrangement does not reflect the level of independence required for this position. I received several calls from concerned individuals who have been injured in accidents and are confused and per- plexed trying to navigate the new system of enhanced care. The regulations describing process and benefits are lengthy and confusing for a citizen not used to navigating these documents, more so when an individual is suffering stress and confusion after being involved in an accident. I’ll be monitoring this new enhanced-care approach closely as I remain in touch with the persons involved in the process.

I look forward to the committee stage on Bill 12, when myself and colleagues will take a deeper dive into the many concerns we have with this legislation. Deputy Speaker:Seeing no further speakers, I recog- nize the Minister of Public Safety and Solicitor General to close debate. Hon. M. Farnworth:I appreciate the comments from the member opposite. Obviously, he wants a briefing. He will be able to get a full briefing. With that, I will take my seat as you put the vote to second reading. Motion approved. Hon. M.

Farnworth:I move that the bill be referred to a Committee of the Whole House to be considered at the next sitting after today. Bill 12, Insurance (Vehicle) Amendment Act, 2021, read a second time and referred to a Committee of the Whole House for consideration at the next sitting of the House after today. Hon. M. Farnworth:I call second reading of Bill 15, the Early Learning and Child Care Act. BILL 15 — EARLY LEARNING AND CHILD CARE ACT Hon. M. Dean: I move that the bill be now read a second time. Monday, October 4, 2021 British Columbia Debates 3287

I’m very honoured to be speaking to you today from the traditional territory of theLək̓ ʷəŋin̓ əŋ-speaking people, now known as the Songhees and Esquimalt Nations. This Early Learning and Child Care Act has been a long time coming. It is an important part of our work to make life better for B.C. families as we continue to build a strong foundation for an inclusive, universal child care system that will benefit families for generations. The new act combines and streamlines the existing Child Care B.C. Act and the Child Care Subsidy Act.

It will provide the legislative foundation for our future universal system while also supporting our commitments under our Canada-wide early learning and child care agreement with the government of Canada. The act will enable us to keep child care costs down for parents by providing authority to create new regula- tions that set limits on child care fees to better support B.C. families now and for generations to come. Once enacted, the act will require the minister responsible to report out annually on progress.

That means families, our partners, communities and the public will have access to consistent, clear data on all the work we are doing to build the system of child care in B.C. We are committed to making it easier for child care pro- viders to receive grants to help children with disabilities and other support needs to fully participate in their pro- grams. We also need to better support Indigenous rights holders in designing and delivering distinctions-based child care that best meets the needs of their families and communities.

This legislation is the first step to making sure that Indi- genous child care is at the forefront of our work. We’ll work closely with Indigenous rights holders, the First Nations Leadership Council, Métis Nation B.C., the B.C.

Aboriginal Child Care Society and other Indigenous part- ners and communities to continue planning for long-term systemic change — change that will improve access to cul- turally safe and enriching child care for Indigenous famil- ies throughout the province. [3:00 p.m.] Under the strong and wonderful and inspiring leader- ship of my colleague the Minister of State for Child Care, who will be speaking to this bill at length, and with the passion that she has shown for Childcare B.C., we’ve made important progress for the past four years in improving access to affordable, quality and inclusive child care.

Fam- ilies across the province are already feeling the benefits. Many families are saving up to $1,600 a month per child on child care through our Childcare B.C. affordability measures. The Minister of State has been leading the charge and working just so wonderfully with partners to create new child care spaces, reduce fees for parents and support early childhood educators, who, as we all know, are the work- force behind the workforce. She’s been creating a new social program, and that is a huge undertaking. We owe it to families across B.C. to deliver this long overdue service.

We’re going to do the work to get it right. The ELCC Act will help us get there and support more families every step of the way. K. Kirkpatrick:Thank you to the minister. Today I rise to debate Bill 15, the Early Learning and Child Care Act. I’m excited because this is the first opportunity I’ve had to respond to

an act related to my critic’s role. We have two critical issues facing child care in British Columbia today. The first is a critical shortage of spaces. The second is a critical lack of qualified early childhood educators to work in these daycares. So any solution to the child care crisis in British Columbia has to address both of these issues simultaneously. One cannot be solved without the other. We support, absolutely, affordable and accessible child care. Child care has to be a priority for this government.

This government ran on a promise of $10-a-day child care and universal child care in the past two elections, so I am pleased to see that this will be moving forward. Today, out of 125,000 existing spaces, just over 3,000 are $10-a-day spaces in these pilot sites, and none of those are new spaces. These pilot sites have not opened up access to any more families. In fact, just over 6,000 new spaces have actually opened by government’s own numbers. There remains a critical shortage of child care for young people with special needs.

The lack of affordable child care spaces is a significant barrier for mothers who want to return to work or pursue an education. This contributes to gender inequality and weakens the B.C. economy. The lack of affordable child care keeps women in poverty. Access to high-quality and affordable child care can also impact the well-being of children, their experiences of poverty, their risk of being separated from parents and the likelihood of being cared for in an informal stopgap arrangement. Children themselves have the right to quality child care independent from those of the women caring for them.

If the goal of this government is to increase spaces, it can’t be done without a dramatic increase in attracting and retaining people into the child care profession. I know there is another bill, which will be tabled, which will address some of this, but this is in parallel with the bill that’s being introduced now. I’ve been hearing from both child care operators and parents that reduced hours and closures for daycares due to a lack of staffing are happening all over British Colum- bia, particularly in smaller communities.

I’ve also heard, and I’ve shared with the minister, the challenges that child care providers are having with the heavy administrative and reporting burden of all of the different programs that 3288 British Columbia Debates Monday, October 4, 2021

they are working with under this ministry. These pres- sures, or these administrative burdens, are actually adding to the operational costs of running these organizations. I’m going to give you an example of a recent announce- ment, and I’ve just heard from child care providers and from ECE workers on that. The $2-an-hour wage enhance- ment that was going to be added to ECE workers’ pay, which was supposed to be effective in September of 2021, is now being deferred until March of 2022. [3:05 p.m.] Now, obviously, that has an impact on ECE workers. It’s going to be paid retroactively.

They will be getting that money, but they’re not going to be getting that money until the end of the budget year. I’m not quite sure why that’s happening. Here’s an example of an unintended con- sequence which adds administrative burden to the child care child care operators themselves. What this is going to mean is that each employee…. Every employer is going to have to track down any em- ployee that worked for them between September and the end of December of last year, whether they worked for two hours or four hours.

Once they find them, then they will pay them the $2 an hour enhancement for the num- ber of hours they worked, but this is now in another payroll year. What this is going to require…. Now there’s going to be a payroll implication to this. There’s going to be addition- al payroll that has to be run. There’s going to be additional calculations for tax. There’s going to be an additional form that has to be filed with the Canada Revenue Agency that is going to adjust a previous year’s income. If you’ve got five or ten or 15 employees, this can be quite substantial.

A lot of daycare providers are moms running small day- cares. They don’t have the capacity or the accounting department in order to be able to do things like this. I asked the ministry about this and was told: “Well, that’s pretty much their responsibility as employers to deal with these kinds of things. ” I do think we really need to be alive to the fact that the kinds of changes that happen within legislation and with- in policy in this government can have significant impacts, just in order to be able to comply and file the paperwork and do all of those things that are required.

I would really like to see us bring together the rich fabric of the whole child care community: the not-for-profits, public spaces, Montessori, enhanced learning, private pro- viders. Again, many of those are small businesses owned by women. Child care should be integrated into our com- munities. It should be on school grounds, long-term-care homes, community centres, new housing developments, shopping centres, private homes. Child care should be central to all communities. Limiting child care operators limits parents’ choices and options.

I’m concerned — although it’s hard to know what constraints will be put on, in particular, the privately owned daycares — because a lot of what this act is envi- sioning is actually going to be carried out in regulation. It’s a very light framework for me to actually be able to make determinations on what the true impact is going to be. Provincial legislation can certainly help with this crisis, but government also needs to work with the municipalities to streamline licensing requirements across British Col- umbia.

Now daycare providers will look at what is happen- ing provincially in terms of what their requirements are, the Ministry of Health requirements and all of that. Then, on top of that, municipalities have the ability to add addi- tional requirements. An example would be the city of Van- couver. It has some of the most stringent requirements for child care facilities anywhere in Canada. This is in a city and in a community with the highest cost of land, con- struction, leased space. The impact of all of these additional requirements is to push up the cost of providing child care.

Of course, in return, that means that to cover those additional expenses, the cost of child care continues to increase. In fact — and I find this very interesting — the physical space requirement per daycare space in British Columbia is higher than in all other provinces. I’ll give you an example of that. I’m using really easy numbers so that I don’t get myself confused. If you’ve got a 2,000-square-foot daycare facility here in British Colum- bia, you can get licensed for approximately 50 child care spaces. If you have that same 2,000-square-foot space in Ontario, you can get licensed for 60 child care spaces.

If you have that 2,000-square-foot space in Alberta, you can get licensed for 74 spaces. [3:10 p.m.] If you could imagine…. If we could do some work with the Ministry of Health, which is actually the one that reg- ulates this, and we could come together collectively, we would be able to add, back of the envelope, 29,000 spaces in a very short period of time simply by changing — noth- ing is simple; I understand that — the licensing require- ments right now. There are more straightforward ways to be able to get to the means that we’re trying to get to.

Now, as I said, simultaneously we can open 100,000 spaces, but if we don’t have any ECE workers to work in them, then we still have the problem. When the minister introduced this bill in June, she said that it is “ …an important step towards our goal of making inclusive, universal child care a reality in British Colum- bia. ” The minister repeated that today. So notwithstanding this assertion, nowhere in this proposed act is universality or inclusiveness even referenced.

Again I go back to the challenge with the fact that most of this, the meat of this — I’m a vegetarian, but I can still use that term — is really going to be in the regulation. It’s difficult when those things are happening outside of this House so that we’re not able to debate them and look at how that’s going to impact daycare, child care providers and families. Two key elements of this act. One is moving the major- Monday, October 4, 2021 British Columbia Debates 3289

ity of the policy work to the Provincial Child Care Coun- cil. Really, the breadth of what their decision-making…. I shouldn’t say decision-making. They make recommend- ations to the minister. But they’re making recommenda- tions to the minister on critical, critical issues that are very broad and require deep subject matter expertise in a num- ber of different areas. I’ll give some examples of that in a moment. The second piece, again, as the minister referenced — producing an annual report on the actions the province has taken to support their commitments to the provision of child care.

Now, I read the service plans every year, and I look at the information that is publicly posted in terms of how many additional spaces are coming online. So I have to question if we really require legislation to give us largely what is already required to be published by government. Just a commitment to transparency would perhaps take the place of a majority of the actual act that’s being presen- ted to us. I do want to, if we can…. Bear with me for a moment. I’m still new at this. I’m just going to take a look at some comments that I’ve got, specific to the Child Care Council.

Y es, I also appreciate I do get to go to committee stage, so I am really still speaking at this point. The Provincial Child Care Council can be made up of up to 21 people. I really am concerned that…. They can make recommendations to the minister about accessibility, affordability, inclusiveness — that’s fine — and child care grants and child care benefits. So those decisions will be made outside of here. What really concerns me is that this group will also have the abil- ity to make recommendations on social, cultural, educa- tional, emotional, cognitive and physical development of children.

I have been involved in organizations that work with children and families. I’ve been involved in the running of a non-profit daycare. What you’re describing here in this act really requires that you’re going to have behavioural psychologists as part of this. Y ou’ll have to have non-profit operators, for-profit operators, geographies from across British Columbia, different sizes, different makeups of institutions and child care providers. I just want to be mindful that there’s a lot of responsibility in making decisions and recommendations around the cognitive and behavioural development of our children.

Then there is the ability for this provincial council to also make recommendations and decisions on any other matter related to child care. I think that that’s pretty big in terms of what we’re expecting. The second piece was the annual reporting. I’ve already addressed that. As I don’t see…. I look forward to the opportunity in committee to learn more about why it is important to actually have something that I believe there are much easier ways to come about getting and to actually have that in legislation. [3:15 p.m.] I thank you very much for your time and for the oppor- tunity to speak to this bill.

I do look forward to the com- mittee stage to learn more about some of the things that are perhaps not as evident to me here. I really look forward to hearing from this government on an overarching strategy as to how we are going to move child care provi- sion forward in the province of B.C. Hon. K. Chen: It is so great to be back in this Legis- lature, and I’m so honoured and grateful to have this opportunity to rise today to speak to this very important piece of legislation. I also want to, first, recognize that I’m speaking here from the traditional territory of theLək̓ ʷəŋin̓ əŋ-speak- ing people.

As many of the members in this chamber know, our government, since 2017, has put child care and early learn- ing as a priority for our government because we know it is so critical to invest in early learning and care. It’s good for our young children, good for our families, good for our economy and for B.C. communities.

As a working mom and an immigrant, without family in Canada other than my seven-year-old son, I know firsthand, every single day, personally what it is like to struggle to find child care — almost every day, even this morning as I dropped off my son to before- and after- school care and rushed my way here to Victoria. The child care struggles that many parents are facing are something that our government has to work on, and we have been since 2017, to address the child care chaos that has existed in our province for many, many years.

Parents have been trying our best to continue to work, to pursue our career and educational goals, to provide the best we can for our children with the help of early child- hood educators and also child care professionals in this province so that we can contribute to the economy, so we can raise our young children to live, work and learn in this beautiful province we call home.

I’m super grateful that, as the Minister of State for Child Care since 2017, I’ve had the opportunity to learn from so many parents, advocates, early learning and care professionals, families and partners who believe in investing in child care so we can work together to bring in universal, inclusive early learning and care systems for all B.C. families. It is important to remember that when we started this work in 2017, the child care system at the time, according to many child care advocates, was chaotic. There was no major investment into the sector.

Parents were struggling to afford child care, which can be more than expensive than their housing costs — their mortgage and rent pay- ments. And even if they can afford child care, they may not be able to find a space at all. Parents were struggling to make ends meet and to be able to contribute to our eco- nomy at the same time. And then early childhood educat- 3290 British Columbia Debates Monday, October 4, 2021

ors have been struggling for years with low wages and lack of support. But thanks to everyone who has been working together so hard during the past four years, we are fixing this chaos. We are making progress. We are making major invest- ments, with over 2.3 billion provincial dollars since the 2018 budget to be able to build a new social program together.

That is why today we are bringing forward this legisla- tion and also starting a new legislative journey to ensure that the work we’ve done during the past four years — to bring down the cost of child care, to accelerate the cre- ation of spaces, to support early childhood educators and to bring more inclusive early learning and care opportun- ities — can be enshrined in law. To make the foundation so strong that it would be so hard for any government to take this work away. To ensure that parents will continue to see a fee reduction in their child care fees.

To ensure that parents will be able to access more early learning and care services. To ensure that early childhood educators are better compensated and that all this work will not be taken away easily. It has happened before, as we look back in B.C. ’s history. It is so important to remember that history. That’s why it is so important to support this legislation today, to make that foundation so strong. Looking back in history, as some of you may know, the current act actually reintroduces some aspects of the B.C. Benefits Act which was first introduced back in 1996. In 1996, the B.C.

NDP government at the time introduced the B.C. Benefit (Child Care) Act, now entitled B.C. Benefits (Child Care Subsidy) Act. [3:20 p.m.] It was a legislation that was introduced to begin build- ing a child care system that includes provisions on afford- ability, quality, inclusion and accessibility, followed by reg- ulations required to make it work in 1997. Think about that. That was 1997. Then in March 2001, the B.C. NDP government at the time brought in more legislative changes that provided for $14-a-day child care and also $7-a-day before- and after- school care. That was 2001.

However, following an election that happened, the former B.C. Liberal government at the time repealed sections of that legislation that made those affordability programs possible. They actually took away benefits and support for families who really needed and counted on those measures, and millions of dollars were gone after the new government came into power. Then, as we all know the history, after 2001, when it comes to child care, we faced a 16-year-long gap without significant investment or strategies to address the child care chaos that many advocates described.

Early childhood educators were also facing struggles because of that 16-year-long gap that resulted in many children missing out on opportunities to access quality early learning pro- grams that would support healthy development and a strong foundation for those children, especially for chil- dren who required extra support. The 16-year-long gap resulted in countless parents giv- ing up their careers or educational dreams or not even able to make ends meet, such as a parent I met, a single mothe

Document details

Collection	British Columbia — Debates (Hansard)
Citation	20211004pm-Hansard-n100
Type	hansard
Volume / chapter	20211004pm Hansard n100
Language	en
Format	pdf
Source	PROVINCIAL
Identifier	7c96f788ed6eaca9b65852a99490e098f80aa777

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