First Session, 41st Parliament

(2017) OFFICIAL REPORT

OF DEBATES

(HANSARD)

Tuesday, June 27, 2017

Morning Sitting

Issue No. 5

ISSN 1499-2175

The HTML transcript is provided for informational purposes only.

CONTENTS

Routine Business

Tabling Documents

Report on the administration of the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act, 2015-16 and 2016-17

Gaming policy and enforcement branch annual report, 2015-16

Gaming policy and enforcement branch annual report, 2016-17

Letter from Hon. M. de Jong to the Speaker, dated June 26, 2017

Orders of the Day

Throne Speech Debate (continued)

Hon. L. Reid

Hon. J. Sturdy

Hon. M. Morris

J. Isaacs

TUESDAY, JUNE 27, 2017

The House met at 10:02 a.m.

[Mr. Speaker in the chair.]

Routine Business

Prayers.

Tabling Documents

Hon. M. de Jong: I just seek leave. I’ve got a couple of reports and a document to

table.

First, I have the honour to present a report on the administration of

the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act for fiscal years

2015-16 and 2016-17.

I seek leave to table that report.

Leave granted.

Hon. M. de Jong: Next, I have the honour to table two annual reports on the operations

of the gaming policy and enforcement branch, the annual reports for fiscal

years 2015-16 and ’16-17. I am tabling the reports as per the Gaming Control

Act.

[10:05 a.m.]

I seek leave to table those two reports.

And finally, Mr. Speaker, I seek leave to table a letter to you from

me, dated yesterday.

Leave granted.

Orders of the Day

Hon. M. de Jong: I call continued debate on the throne speech.

Throne Speech Debate

(continued)

Hon. L. Reid: To recap from yesterday, and to say what a pleasure it is to again

rise in support of throne speech 2017.

I talked a little bit yesterday about post-secondary education in

British Columbia and the commitment that it remain accessible and

affordable. Many of you will know there are 426,000 students enrolled in 25

public universities, colleges and institutes. They are well situated across

British Columbia. They do an amazingly great job.

[R. Chouhan in the chair.]

Today 53 percent of the student base is female, 46 percent are aged 18

to 24, 11 percent are international, and 6 percent are aboriginal students.

It’s $1.9 billion invested annually. If we think about that, that’s $5.2

million a day. It’s an extraordinary investment in something I believe to be

critical to the future of our province and hugely important to me

personally.

Additionally, more than $1 billion will be invested in new and

expanded buildings and equipment over the next three years. Infrastructure

is important. It continue to build glorious learning situations, glorious

learning environments for students across British Columbia. Operating grants

to public post-secondary institutions increased by 45 percent to $1.827

billion in 2016-2017. That’s huge.

I’m passionate about affordability, and one of the pieces I’m going to

spend some time on today is undergraduate student housing, because I think

it’s hugely important. Undergraduate students in British Columbia have paid

the fourth-lowest average tuition in Canada for the last 11 consecutive

years. Tuition increases have been capped at 2 percent annually since

September of 2005, all of those things building important pathways to

post-secondary education.

A post-secondary education offers a great return on investment. For

example, British Columbians with an undergraduate degree can expect to earn

an additional $827,000 over their lifetime. So, does post-secondary

education launch young people into great careers, great choices and great

opportunities? It absolutely does, and we need to continue to offer that

level of support.

I mentioned earlier that student housing is a passion of mine. There’s

no question that it’s important, and government continues to explore options

to look at the supply of public housing for post-secondary students. This

includes looking at different financial vehicles to encourage and allow

public post-secondary institutions to be part of a market housing phenomenon

without the debt being placed on provincial government books — hugely

important.

There are 16 public post-secondary institutions in British Columbia

with student residences. There are some today without student residences

and, certainly, those are changes we can make, things we can do that will

absolutely be not just of benefit to students in the province of British

Columbia but to their families. The actual tuition cost is about one-third

of a student’s outlay today — two-thirds of their living costs. If we can do

some things to lessen that burden, we absolutely should.

Some universities — UBC, UVic, TRU and VIU — guarantee all eligible

first-year students an on-campus residence space. Many institutions are not

in a position to do that today. We need to absolutely look at that and see

if there are ways we can do better.

Current examples. Current housing projects include work camp–style

housing at Northwest Community College in Terrace, affordable student

housing at Capilano University in North Vancouver and redevelopment to include student housing by the University of Victoria and a new

student residence at UBC. So the work is underway. In my view and the view

of this government, it needs to continue.

A 2015 survey of 28,000 former post-secondary students found 93

percent were satisfied or very satisfied with the quality of their

education. That is an enormous tribute to the system in British Columbia. My

alma mater is UBC. Many of you attended different institutions across this

land. All of us have the benefit of a great, great educational program. Do

we want that program to be available to more and more students on a

continuing basis in the province of British Columbia? Absolutely, we

do.

The number of credentials awarded to students increased 30.2 percent

to 62,116 credentials in 2015-2016 compared to 47,700 in the years

2003-2004. Each time someone leaves a post-secondary institution in the

province of British Columbia with a certificate, diploma or degree, it

launches them into an array of different opportunities.

[10:10 a.m.]

Is that degree, diploma or certificate an asset? It’s absolutely an

asset. What we would wish for our children and I wish for every single child

in the province of British Columbia, every single student in the province of

British Columbia — that they have the opportunity and the choice to go

forward.

The number of credentials awarded to aboriginal students increased 24

percent. So work to do, but that work will warm our hearts on a go-forward

basis. It’s hugely important.

I touched on yesterday, in terms of a throne speech comment, that the

B.C. government invests more than $1.9 billion. Since 2001, our government

has added seven more public university campuses and added more than 32,000

students to the public post-secondary system — 32,000 more opportunities for

growth, more opportunities for learning, more opportunities for application

and perhaps more opportunities for trades transfer. All of those things are

critical to the success of this province, and all of those things are

critical to the projects currently underway in the province of British

Columbia. It only works if people are working in British

Columbia.

Since 2001, government has invested more than $3.3 billion in capital

infrastructure projects at public post-secondary institutions throughout the

province. We are building a province with skills and talents to build an

amazing array of very sophisticated projects across British

Columbia.

Let me touch on one such project that’s near and dear to my heart.

It’s the new crossing over the south arm of the Fraser River. What I would

like to see — and what I would hope that all members of this House could see

their way to, particularly the women — is that we look at something that

hasn’t happened in our province before, which is naming a piece of

infrastructure after a woman. I think it’s timely. I think 2017 is our year,

and I’m hoping we could come to the conclusion that we might want to call it

the Grace McCarthy. That would be my suggestion for today.

The new Emily Carr University of Art and Design is just one example of

a great capital project. It will officially open this fall. It’s one of only

four institutions in Canada that offers specialized programs in fine arts,

media arts and design. I’ve seen the photographs; I’ve seen the plans. It’s

absolutely spectacular. It’ll be a state-of-the-art facility that will

attract national and international students. Graduates will become part of a

creative economy where innovation leads industry and industry connects to

innovation — hugely important.

We have some of the finest minds, some of the finest graduates in the

province of British Columbia. In fact, there was a student who joined us in

this chamber and was introduced by the former Attorney General. He was a

David Thompson graduate, and he was the best science student in the world.

That level of talent, that calibre of learning…. We are leading. We have

world-leading institutions and world-leading students.

I’m intensely proud, enormously proud, of those accomplishments, as

all British Columbians should be. Our system continues to support an amazing

array of talent, an amazing array of sophistication — and students that will

take the name British Columbia across the globe. That speaks to me; that

absolutely warms my heart.

As well, government is directly investing $1.3 billion in capital

infrastructure projects in B.C. post-secondary institutions over the next

three years, fiscal 2017-18 and fiscal 2019-20. Examples of current

infrastructure projects at B.C. post-secondary institutions. College of New

Caledonia — a new heavy mechanical trades training facility in Prince

George, which will make the minister to my right very, very happy. Students

in the north will learn the skills they need to work in industries such as

oil and gas, forestry and hydroelectricity.

I talked a little bit yesterday in my remarks about trades transfer.

Whether it’s aerospace or marine technology or forestry or mining, those

skill sets have enormous transferability across projects in British

Columbia. It’s the project work that keeps British Columbians employed and

continues to build this province.

Northern Lights College will have a new trades training centre in

Dawson Creek. Northwest Community College will renew its trades training

facility in Terrace. The University of Northern British Columbia — a new

wood innovation research lab in Prince George. All of those things have the

ability to capture the imagination of students in British

Columbia.

That speaks to me. That speaks to me as a former teacher; it certainly

speaks to me as a parliamentarian. The number of students, as we have today,

who sit in the gallery, have an opportunity to be part of post-secondary

institutions in this province and to have their passion,

their innovation, their science launched, explored, refined. All of those

things speak to teachers when it becomes about analytical skill sets, about

curiosity.

To my graduating classes — and I had the privilege of attending all

five graduation ceremonies in my riding this year — I say: “I expect and I

trust that you will be more curious on the day you graduate than you were at

school entry.” It’s hugely important. If we don’t build that level of

curiosity, if we don’t build that level of energy, excitement and enthusiasm

for learning, we are in fact diminishing the responsibilities and

diminishing the prospects for the province. We don’t want that. We

absolutely want us to be on the cutting edge.

[10:15 a.m.]

In the Thompson-Okanagan, a new health sciences centre at Thompson

Rivers University and Okanagan College — hugely important that that

opportunity is spread across British Columbia. Back in the day, everyone

came to either Victoria or Vancouver to go to university. The notion that we

now have huge opportunity across the province of British Columbia…. It’s a

kindness to families, it’s a kindness to students, and it’s an

opportunity.

When you talk about something like medical school training in Prince

George, it’s an opportunity for those individuals who graduate as doctors,

as physicians, in northern British Columbia to actually have a support

system in place, to have a hub, to have a network. All of that is important

if we expect people to stay. You stay in places where you feel well

supported — to have locums available, to have students available, to have a

network, to have a peer group.

Regardless of the area of endeavour, whether it’s medicine or nursing

or teaching, you stay where people have created opportunities for you to

feel a sense of welcome. It’s huge. Universities, college, institutes across

British Columbia have contributed to that sense of welcome. We need to

ensure that those hubs continue so that, in fact, it’s not always the case

of trying to incentivize students to return to northern communities. We want

them to make their homes there, build their family there and, hopefully,

have two or three generations participating in post-secondary

education.

The new health sciences centre at Thompson Rivers University and

Okanagan College. These new facilities will train the next generation of

health care professionals, including nurses and health care assistants. No

matter the endeavour, no matter the work underway, no one does it alone —

not in this chamber, not in an operating room. Everyone has a support

system, and to put that in place and to honour that makes perfect

sense.

The Nicola Valley Institute of Technology, a new centre of excellence

and sustainability in Merritt — hugely important. We live in the best

province. We have the most diverse province, I believe, in Canada. We need

to do some things in terms of how we care for that on a go-forward

basis.

A new trades training facility in Vernon — hugely important — as part

of the Okanagan College system. Thompson Rivers University — a new

industrial training and technology centre in Kamloops. This state-of-the-art

facility will house the trades, technology and industrial programs students

will need for their jobs in the region.

The University of British Columbia Okanagan — a new teaching and

learning centre in addition to a number of infrastructure

upgrades.

It warms the heart of a teacher to be able to talk about projects that

are underway. A majority of these projects will open this September,

September 2017, or September of 2018. This work is consistent. It’s

steadfast. It’s delivering on sustainability.

In the Kootenays and the College of the Rockies — a new trades

training facility in Cranbrook. Selkirk College — the renewal of the Silver

King trades campus in Nelson. Opportunities for grade 12 students today to

look at entire array of choice and decide how they wish to build their

future, how they wish to build their family and where they wish to build

their family.

I said yesterday and I’m happy to continue to reiterate: the best

social program in the world is a job. The notion of self-confidence, of

renewal for your family, of the ability to care for your family is

absolutely huge.

In the Lower Mainland, the British Columbia Institute of Technology —

a new health sciences centre for advanced simulation. Students will

experience hands-on learning opportunities in environments that mimic those

found in hospitals and laboratories. It’s huge — the notion that that kind

of simulated environment will give you a leg up in terms of exposure to new

procedures, new technologies. That is the best, most sophisticated learning

available today, and it’ll be found in our province. Those are absolutely

spectacular choices for students.

Do students choose British Columbia and come from many, many parts of

Canada? Absolutely, they do. Do international students choose British

Columbia? Absolutely, they do. I welcome that. I think that’s a tremendous

opportunity.

The B.C. Institute of Technology renewed its electrical infrastructure

by about 50 percent at the Burnaby campus. Maintenance is important. Renewal

is important.

Justice Institute of British Columbia — lots of upgrade

happening.

At the Kwantlen Polytechnic University, the new Chip and Shannon

Wilson School of Design, in Richmond. I have watched this project just about

every week as I drive by, seeing it come out of the ground. It will be

welcoming students.

Some of the best international design students in the world will come

to Richmond, British Columbia. Will they inspire those who come after them?

Will they create businesses? It’s an entrepreneurial program. They will drive business growth. I say to my graduating high school

students this year and every year: “It’s delightful that you will get a job,

but think more about being an employer. Think about creating jobs for those

who come behind you. That is the mark of a prosperous economy: when you can

actually take your idea to the marketplace and employ other British

Columbians — your peers, your colleagues.”

To build a business in British Columbia is an entity, is an

experience. It is a project that I’m intensely proud of, whenever I have a

student who comes back and says they’ve created a business and they’ve

employed other folks. Hugely important, because it’s how you pay it forward.

It’s how you build.

Kwantlen Polytechnic is renovating some facilities in Surrey. Simon

Fraser University — a new energy systems engineering building in Surrey. The

University of British Columbia — new undergraduate life sciences

laboratories.

[10:20 a.m.]

Cutting-edge technologies. Cutting-edge thinking. Cutting-edge

learning. The best scientists. British Columbia’s policy should always be

uplifted by the best science of the day. These institutions inform the

decisions of government on a go-forward basis.

On Vancouver Island, North Island College’s new trades-training

facility in Campbell River is hugely important. The renewal expansion

project means that trade students will have their own dedicated learning

space.

At Camosun College, a new health sciences building at the Interurban

campus in Victoria. Students completing their training in the new building

will go on to be the health science professionals families rely on each and

every day, such as daycare professionals and community outreach workers.

These are all the entities, all the practitioners who build the fabric of

community and who strengthen the fabric of community. It’s hugely

important.

At Royal Roads University, a new centre for environmental science and

international partnership in Victoria. Victoria, Vancouver — international

hubs, no question. Vancouver Island University’s expansion of the marine,

automotive and trades complex in Nanaimo. And, again, at Vancouver Island

University, a new health and science centre in Nanaimo. If you were an

18-year-old high school graduate today, the array of choice you would have

across this province is enormous — absolutely enormous.

I pay tribute to the former minister and my current colleague because

this work is a labour of love. This work has launched careers across British

Columbia, in terms of students having choice.

Liberalism is about choice, the opportunity to make some choices in

terms of what you would have happen across this province for students. There

are many, many parents in this chamber this morning. I know that what you

wish for your children is the same as what I wish for every child in the

province of British Columbia. Choice is a big part of that.

I’ve covered off a number of institutions this morning and a number of

new capital infrastructure projects because all of it is about how we build

a province, how we go forward.

I continue to talk about access because I believe it’s hugely

important. Provide free post-secondary tuition for all children in care —

that speaks to me. Many of us will have set aside dollars for our children’s

education. In instances where that has simply not been possible for the

children in the care of this province, this is a glorious initiative, one

that speaks to me and, frankly, warms my heart.

Investing in technology-related programming, including 2,000 more

graduate spaces in science, technology, engineering and math throughout

British Columbia, is hugely important. New engineering schools in Kamloops

and Prince George…. The science pieces, the math pieces, the engineering,

all of that underlays any infrastructure project in the province of British

Columbia, but it also underpins just about every medical science

discovery.

We have some of the best researchers in the world at the science

centre in British Columbia and at the Cancer Centre in British Columbia.

They are doing the Genome B.C. work. They’re doing some amazing

work.

Something like a cancer diagnosis is a family diagnosis. All of us

would wish that we have the best professional of the day if it’s us or a

member of our family who’s been diagnosed or any British Columbian. We would

want that theory and practice to be the best that can possibly be delivered.

That absolutely is the case in the province of British Columbia. Our

post-secondary institutions contribute to that level of success and that

calibre of understanding. There’s no question it does.

There will be 100 new graduates in the engineering building at SFU

Surrey. That’s hugely important to support the work that happens south of

the Fraser.

Supporting affordability of post-secondary education. Nothing nearer

or dearer to my heart. The British Columbia government is working to keep

post-secondary education affordable for all British Columbians. The B.C.

government contributes $1,200 to children through the B.C. training and

education savings grant. As of May 31, 2017, 73,000 children have an

additional $1,200 in their RESP to support their post-secondary goals.

That’s over $88 million invested since August of 2015. That’s an absolutely

huge investment. It’s the right investment. It’s a timely investment, and

families will have some comfort knowing that their students will have the

ability to make some choices.

In 2005, we introduced a policy that limits annual tuition increases

to 2 percent. Undergraduate students in B.C. pay the fourth-lowest tuition

in Canada. It has been the fourth lowest in the country for the last 11

years. Is that some stability? Absolutely. Is that some steadfastness in

support of students? Absolutely.

British Columbia was also the first jurisdiction in

Canada to launch a government-sponsored open textbook project. I believe

that was under the tenure of my colleague from Richmond-Steveston. More than

180 open textbooks are now available on line for use by students, faculty

and staff. That is an enormous cost savings.

[10:25 a.m.]

Back in my day at university, textbooks, on average, were $100 then.

I’m sure the cost hasn’t gone down. To be able to find that information on

line and reduce your outlay — an absolutely tremendous initiative on behalf

of government.

It is estimated that approximately 40,000 students in British Columbia

have saved as much as $4.5 million so far with open textbooks. What enormous

savings, and ones that we can all be proud of.

We also support students who need student financial assistance. The

B.C. government has invested approximately $4 billion since 2001 and issued

approximately $199 million in student loans in fiscal 2015-16 and

approximately $55 million in grants in the same year, 2015-16.

Our world-class education system also benefits international students.

British Columbia hosts almost one-third of all international students living

in Canada — extraordinary.

The number of international students with study permits increased 52

percent to 136,905 in 2016 from 90,000 in 2010. This includes international

students studying in public and private post-secondary language schools and

K-to-12 in British Columbia. The province more than met the ambitious B.C.

jobs plan goal of a 50 percent increase in the number of international

students by 2016.

We’ve also increased the opportunities for British Columbia students

to study abroad through scholarships and access to study-abroad

opportunities across the system.

International students spent more than $3.5 billion in British

Columbia, supporting 29,300 jobs. Revenue from international-student tuition

created additional student spaces and opportunities for domestic students.

International students bring social, economic and cultural benefits to

communities, schools and institutions in British Columbia.

In conclusion, hon. Members, it warms my heart to be standing today as

the Minister for Advanced Education. It is about a great throne speech. It

is about a successful province.

I’m going to end with an example of a student from Capilano

University’s 2D animation diploma. Benson Shum won an Academy Award for Best

Animated Feature as part of the animation team of Disney’s

Zootopia . Absolutely outstanding — a British Columbia student doing

an amazingly good job.

Leigh Wall completed Vancouver Community College’s introductory course

to heavy-duty commercial transport. She’s working part-time to complete her

apprenticeship and as a student recruiter for the college.

Great opportunities for growth in our province and continuing

prosperity. Those are the things that this 2017 throne speech speaks to. I’m

absolutely delighted to have had the opportunity to speak in support of what

I think is an outstanding cadre of services and supports for advanced

education in British Columbia.

Across the system, the Ministry of Advanced Education stands ready to

continue some absolutely superb work.

Hon. J. Sturdy: It is a pleasure to stand and to rise to support the throne speech,

but I would like to start by thanking my constituents in West Vancouver–Sea

to Sky for giving me the honour to represent them in this chamber for

another term. It is truly humbling to be granted this opportunity yet again,

and I commit that every day I will work and advocate on behalf of the

constituents of my riding and of British Columbia.

Before I carry on, I do also want to take the opportunity to thank my

wife, Trish, and my daughters, Emma and Thea, for their continued patience

and support, both in the day-to-day demands of being an MLA and the more

intense activity of an election campaign. Thank you three. Your unwavering

support really does make it possible.

I want to also thank Sharon and Nicola in our constituency office in

West Vancouver–Sea to Sky. They continue to do great service for all of the

constituents in the region. We can’t say often enough how they really are

the horsepower in the day-to-day actions for constituents. I want to thank

them for their commitment and their willingness to go above and beyond on my

behalf, but more importantly, on behalf of the constituents.

And, of course, I’d like to thank the volunteers who worked tirelessly

on all members’ campaigns. It’s important that people engage in democracy,

and working on a campaign truly is democracy in action.

[10:30 a.m.]

I rise today to speak in favour of our government’s Speech from the

Throne. On May 9, British Columbians sent a message to all members of this

House. They said they want us, as their representatives, to minimize our

differences and work together to build a province that is stronger for all

British Columbians. With this Speech from the Throne, our government is

doing just that.

While we’ll not agree on certain issues, this speech sets out not to

focus on issues that divide us, but rather those that unite us as British

Columbians. That’s why we’re presenting a new agenda, one that keeps our

economy strong, protects and enhances our environment while continuing to

fight against climate change and invest in the social services that people

need.

Our plan to build a stronger British Columbia starts with a strong

economy. Only when our economy is strong does government have the resources

to invest in the future of our province. And I’m proud to say that because

of the management of our B.C. Liberal government over the

past four years, British Columbia currently has the strongest economy in

Canada.

Our province has the second-lowest unemployment rate in the country.

We have the lowest youth unemployment rate. And since the start of the B.C.

jobs plan, we have added over a quarter of a million jobs to this

economy.

Last year British Columbia saw export values climb by over 25 percent,

spurred by further diversification. Be it in forest products, food products,

clean tech, film or education, we saw tremendous growth in export revenues.

We saw exports to Japan rise by 61 percent, South Korea by 103 percent and

the European Union by 71 percent. Diversifying our trade partners helps

ensure our economy is better positioned to remain strong and stable for

years to come.

Certainly, one particular area of diversification and growth has been

the tremendous growth that we’ve seen in tourism here in British Columbia.

In B.C., clearly Whistler is a standout. Whistler contributes 25 percent of

all the new money that comes into this province as a result of tourism —

actually, just behind Vancouver and the town that we’re in right

now.

Employment growth in the Sea to Sky and in Whistler in particular has

been extraordinary. Whistler visits in the summer, the winter and the

shrinking shoulder seasons have been phenomenal. In the last four years,

2,500 new jobs have appeared. Hotels are full. Tour companies, restaurants

and service providers are running full out.

Our government’s partnerships and agreements with First Nations are an

important part of this and are at the forefront of our collective future. In

the spring, I had the pleasure of being emcee at a ceremony at the Squamish

Lil’wat Cultural Centre in Whistler. The province of British Columbia,

Whistler-Blackcomb, Squamish Nation and Lil’wat Nation signed a 60-year

master development agreement and a master plan for the controlled recreation

area.

These plans include an agreement with Whistler-Blackcomb, the

province, the Squamish and the Lil’wat, on whose traditional territories the

resort operates, and facilitates first steps they need and the company needs

to make new investments. The agreement will see Squamish and Lil’wat Nations

become revenue-sharing partners as well as being consulted on enhanced

cultural protections, increased employment opportunities, job creation and

job training, including educational and recreational opportunities for First

Nations youth.

The province has continued to support Whistler and all of the resort

municipalities with RMI investments. The resort municipalities initiative

invests $10 million a year in resort municipalities across the province and

helps them create events, animation, programming and infrastructure that

enhance the visitor’s experience. Whether it be way-finding signs to guide

tourists, cleaning up after thousands of event-goers in the Olympic Plaza or

creating a bridge and trail to an iconic old train wreck in the woods, these

investments support the community to provide better service and better

experience for guests so that they come back to B.C. again and again — and

bring their money with them.

[10:35 a.m.]

It is because of our strong fiscal situation that the province has

been able to continuously reinvest in the guest experience of getting to

Whistler or beyond, and the Sea to Sky Highway is one of them. This has been

an excellent investment for the province. In the last several years,

millions have been invested in resurfacing the highway, widening shoulders

for cycling and increased and earlier sweeping.

We’ve also installed signage identifying the Sea to Sky as a

world-class cycling destination. Obviously, mountain biking is growing in

popularity throughout British Columbia, and the Sea to Sky is certainly no

exception. From the North Shore of Vancouver to Pemberton, people come from

around the world to experience what we have to offer. An economic assessment

was repeated last year after an assessment done ten years ago, through the

region, which is giving us some important metrics on the growing value of

mountain biking to our tourism sector. Preliminary data is incredibly

positive, and the growth and resulting economic impact on all communities is

remarkable.

The Whistler Blackcomb bike park and the Crankworx festival are

globally significant in the mountain-bike community. The B.C. Bike Race

starts on Vancouver Island and then down the Sunshine Coast and up the Sea

to Sky to Whistler and draws riders from around the world to the province,

and the province has been pleased to support it.

On the road-biking front, if you haven’t ridden the GranFondo…. I can

see all of you are engaged in this particular conversation, but if you

haven’t ridden the GranFondo from Vancouver to Whistler, you’re missing one

of the epic road rides in the world. That, frankly, is no

exaggeration.

This government has responded to this ever-increasing interest. We’re

dealing with pinch points like the Porteau Bluffs, where we’ve installed a

set of cyclist-activated warning lights, and on the hill out of Britannia,

where additional shoulder infills will increase safety on that hill

climb.

The province has continued to focus on safety on the Sea to Sky

through the installation of message boards and signage to help drivers react

better to delays and road conditions. As well, just recently we removed the

vegetative barrier in Lion’s Bay to improve safety there.

Throughout the Sea to Sky there is tremendous growth. Squamish is an

area of huge strength and potential. Squamish is expected to double in

population over the next 20 years, but based on census data and housing

starts and the general attractiveness of Squamish and its

proximity to Vancouver and to Whistler and because of the breadth of

recreational opportunities, we may see that doubling of population coming

much faster than the forecasted 20 years — maybe closer to ten or

Our focus needs to be on creating diverse employment opportunities for

people in Squamish so the people have options to work in the community that

they live in. If in 20 years the incredible Sea to Sky Highway is bogged

down in congestion with people heading to work in Vancouver, then as

community leaders, both provincially as well as locally, we’ll not have

succeeded in our planning and in realizing as diverse an economic base and

employment opportunities as we need.

The Squamish oceanfront and post-secondary opportunities have added to

the well-recognized and respected Quest University. It is one of the keys to

Squamish’s future. The oceanfront is a 100-acre brownfield site on the

water, below the Stawamus Chief, and gives Squamites back access to the

ocean, an incredible venue for residential, commercial and institutional

development. Clean tech, renewable energy and green technologies that

support our traditional industries are the vision for this area. Given the

strength of purpose of the people of Squamish, I have no doubt that we will

be successful in re-visioning, repurposing and renewing this land and

creating a thriving oceanfront community that globally makes its

mark.

As I said, West Vancouver–Sea to Sky is thriving from one end to the

other. From Dundarave to D’Arcy, from Bowen to Britannia and on to

Pemberton, the economy and economic activity are thriving. One area,

however, I am focusing on is new to my riding. During the last electoral

boundary redistribution, the riding was expanded now to Twenty Mile Bay on

Harrison Lake to include the In-SHUCK-ch people.

[10:40 a.m.]

This makes sense, even if it did add 1,000 square kilometres to my

riding. As a cultural transportation and service focus of the lower lake

communities, it’s always been back to the Sea to Sky. But they are isolated

and remote, and it provides real challenges to connect them with

opportunity. This will be one of my priority focuses in this next

term.

While rural and remote challenges are throughout B.C., overall, our

economy is enabling British Columbians to get ahead. In 2015, wages,

salaries and benefits saw an increase of 4.5 percent, well above the 3

percent national average. This has been accomplished while delivering five

consecutive balanced budgets without raising taxes, ensuring that we’re not

burdening the future generations with increased debt or raising costs for

British Columbian families.

Speaking of future generations, it’s just as important to ensure that

our children inherit a planet that is better than we found it, and that’s

why our government is taking additional steps to combat climate change. For

example, our government is investing $50 million to build 4,321 new electric

vehicle charging stations across the province — 110 fast, 30-minute chargers

and 4,200 five-hour chargers installed right across the province.

The transportation sector is the second-largest source of greenhouse

gas emissions in Canada, and in B.C., it’s nearly 40 percent of our

emissions. If we’re to take concrete action to help to meet our GHG goals,

then we have to reduce the amount of emissions created by motor vehicles.

That’s why we need to do more to help people transition away from fossil

fuel–dependent transportation to electric and zero-emission

vehicles.

That is, in fact, happening. Our government’s clean energy vehicle

program helps to make the purchase of a zero-emission vehicle more

accessible and affordable for British Columbians. Consumers can receive

$6,000 toward the purchase or lease of a hydrogen fuel cell vehicle, $5,000

for the purchase or lease of a new electric battery vehicle or $2,500 to

$5,000 for the purchase or lease of a plug-in hybrid.

These incentives, combined with B.C.’s SCRAP-IT program, can save

British Columbians up to $12,000 on the purchase of a zero-emission vehicle.

In an industry of vehicles that are getting cheaper all the time, this is a

great incentive. The $50 million we’re investing in new charging stations

will also help make owning electric vehicles more practical by helping

people reduce their range anxiety.

As more and more people transfer over to electric vehicles, we’re

going to see an increased need for electricity, and that’s why our

government is committed to providing clean, renewable power — a key reason

that this government will continue moving ahead with the construction of the

Site C dam.

The facts are clear. If British Columbia and the rest of Canada are

going to reach our climate change targets, we are going to have to increase

the amount of electricity that we produce. In fact, Environment and Climate

Change Canada released a report last year. Their conclusion was that if

Canada was going to meet our Paris agreement climate change goals, then

we’re going to need to significantly increase electrical generation

capacity.

Site C will provide a clean and renewable source of power that will

help us make this transition. As we’re successful in transitioning our

vehicle fleet to electricity, it will require many times the capacity of

Site C to generate the equivalent of the fossil fuel energy consumed in

transport alone.

But the real opportunity for Site C is its firm power, its storage

power. It is power that can be available at any time and can be turned on or

off in just minutes. It is, in fact, a big battery. We’ll have 35 percent of

the capacity of the W.A.C. Bennett dam with a mere 5 percent of its

footprint.

Site C will allow British Columbia to bring in many intermittent

renewable sources, which the province has had the opportunity to take

advantage of. Storage hydro allows us to firm the grid and

give stability when demand requires it. When the freshet is over and when

run-of-river generation starts to diminish or where the wind doesn’t blow or

the sun doesn’t shine, storage power allows us to firm the grid. Site C and

storage hydro creates opportunity for other renewables; it does not diminish

them.

[10:45 a.m.]

Site C will not only help British Columbia. We are working with the

federal government and the government of Alberta to increase our electric

transmission inter-tie between British Columbia and Alberta. People praise

Alberta’s climate plan — with good intention, and rightly so — but it is in

sharp contrast to British Columbia. Alberta’s aspiration is to move to 30

percent renewables in 15 years. B.C. is already 98 percent clean and

renewable. Alberta relies on coal for much of its electrical supply. B.C.’s

grid has no coal power generation.

Deputy Speaker: Minister, the member wants to take leave to make an

introduction.

J. Yap: May I seek leave to make an introduction?

Leave granted.

Introductions by Members

J. Yap: Colleagues, it’s my pleasure to introduce to the House a group from

Maple Lane Elementary, from my riding of Richmond-Steveston. There are 24

grade 7 students and three adults led by Mr. Kevin Miller, a teacher.

They’re here to experience the history that is our Legislative Assembly,

especially this week. I ask all members to please give a warm welcome to

this group of students from Richmond-Steveston.

Deputy Speaker: The minister will continue.

Debate Continued

Hon. J. Sturdy: As I was saying, Alberta currently relies on coal for much of its

electrical generation, and B.C.’s grid has no coal power generation. Alberta

will move the remaining 70 percent of its generation from coal to natural

gas over the next 15 years. This is a move we support, as it can reduce GHG

emissions from the electrical sector.

But as I said, here in B.C. we’re already 98 percent clean and

renewable, and we are in a position to support Alberta’s aspirations. By

transferring clean power over the Rocky Mountains, we can provide Alberta

with a clean source of power, significantly reducing Canada’s overall

greenhouse gas emissions.

While Site C is key to providing British Columbia with the power we’ll

need for a generation, it’s only one piece of the puzzle. That’s why our

government will continue to pursue other forms of renewable energy,

including solar, wind and geothermal.

For example, in my riding, there have been potential locations that

have been identified for geothermal power. The south Meager geothermal

project, located 55 kilometres north of Pemberton, has average temperatures

of 260 degrees centigrade and has been assessed as having potential

generating capacity of up to 100 megawatts of power. That would be enough to

supply 80,000 homes, and it’s just one site. Another potential project has

been identified near Squamish — Mount Cayley — which has been estimated as

having geothermal potential of somewhere between 20 and 100

megawatts.

But these are challenging opportunities. In the case of Meager,

there’s adequate heat but not enough water. The private sector has invested

millions of dollars in the area but has been unable to come up with a plan

that makes sense. It does raise an interesting question, though, as to

whether energy purchase agreements should allow for different rates for firm

versus intermittent renewable power supplies, and I certainly do support

that discussion.

It’s going to take a range of power generation options for us to meet

our climate targets. That’s why our government is committed to continuing to

build on the work of the last decade with our renewable power

industry.

But it’s not just how we create energy that will help us fight climate

change. If we really want to make a difference and reduce GHG emissions, we

must invest in transit and transportation. That’s why I’m excited that this

throne speech includes a commitment to envisioning new transportation

options to connect Metro Vancouver, the Fraser Valley and the Sea to

Sky.

By investing in transit, we can help people get where they need to go

while, at the same time, taking actions to reduce emissions. And we can

shape growth with transit rather than having that growth shape

us.

We also recognize that carbon pricing plays an important

part in our

strategy to combat climate change. British Columbia was the first

jurisdiction in North America to introduce a price on carbon, and that’s a

record we are proud of.

[10:50 a.m.]

Last year, British Columbia was privileged to receive an award from

the United Nations, recognizing our province’s contribution to the fight

against climate change. This United Nations momentum for change award

recognized excellence and innovation in carbon pricing, specifically

referencing the importance of revenue neutrality.

However, we have to recognize and we do recognize that we need to do

more. That’s why we’re committed to working with the federal government to

incrementally raise the price on carbon — provide business certainty while

keeping any increased revenue neutral. By increasing the carbon tax and

correspondingly reducing the provincial sales tax, we will keep taxes low

while reducing emissions.

We also need to continue to ensure that British Columbians have the

quality of experience in our natural environment that they’re used to here

in British Columbia. B.C. has one of the largest protected-area systems in

North America. There are 1,033 provincial parks, recreation areas,

conservancies, ecological reserves and protected areas covering more than 14

million hectares, or nearly 15 percent of the land base, here in British

Columbia, which is the highest percentage of protected land base anywhere in

Canada.

We have the third-largest parks system in North America, behind only

the U.S. parks service and Parks Canada. We have added more than 2.3 million

hectares over the last 15 years to B.C.’s protected-area system. That’s why

we’re investing an additional $50 million to increase B.C. Parks’ budget.

This will go towards creating almost 3,000 new campsites, improving park

facilities and creating a youth rangers program, along with additional park

rangers.

The youth rangers program is something that I’m particularly excited

about, because it will engage kids from throughout the province in parks in

their areas. It will help them learn about parks and the environment and

climate change, to work building and improving park infrastructure and to be

park ambassadors for visitors from around B.C. and around the world. These

and other initiatives will ensure that British Columbians are able to

venture into our parks and experience everything that Beautiful B.C. has to

offer.

While British Columbians are experiencing our beautiful parks, we’re

taking steps to ensure that interactions with wildlife are positive ones.

That’s why British Columbia has developed WildSafeBC and Bear Smart

programs. These programs are designed to reduce human-wildlife conflict

through education, innovation and cooperation.

Provided by the B.C. Conservation Foundation, WildSafeBC helps provide

British Columbians with the information they need to avoid conflict with

wildlife while they’re in the wilderness.

The province’s Bear Smart program works with communities, businesses

and individuals to help avoid human and bear conflicts. The goal is to

address the root causes of human-bear conflicts, thereby reducing the risk

to human safety and private property, as well as impacts on bears and

reducing the number of bears that need to be destroyed.

These are issues close to home for me. As an organic farmer and a

grower of food that has historically been an attractant to bears, I work

closely with the conservation officer service to come up with a strategy to

reduce conflict. We used to, in fact, lose half of our corn and half of our

pumpkins to bears. Ultimately, the solution was electric fencing around the

whole farm while leaving and considering how wildlife corridors work, so

that we minimized disruption of the natural patterns.

There is no question that my farm has an impact on the landscape. It

is a managed landscape. Part of the farm is cropped annually, while some is

perennial. But while we do our best to be good growers, there is an impact

to the landscape in producing food. In fact, there’s an impact in a number

of different sectors, and I think we should all recognize that.

I think that most reasonable people do understand — be it food or

energy or fibre or minerals or other human impacts such as tourism or

residential development. For too long people have characterized economic

development as a choice between a strong economy and a sustainable

environment — an either-or proposition.

[10:55 a.m.]

Our government understands that it cannot be either-or. We need to do

better. We need to bring people together. We need to bring people along. We

need to continue to strengthen our economy, while at the same time

protecting the environment and ensuring that we retain and support healthy

ecosystems and healthy communities.

Our throne speech has set forward a path that means more investments

in the social services that people need. We’re increasing social assistance

payments by $100 a month so that vulnerable British Columbians who need a

hand can get the help they need. We’re also indexing disability rates to

inflation to provide stability so that British Columbians living with

disabilities know that the supports they need will be there. These are

important initiatives that are realistic and possible because of our solid

fiscal foundation.

This is the same framework that has allowed us to make significant

investments in child care. This is an issue that I heard again and again on

the doorsteps in West Vancouver–Sea to Sky — for, after all, it is a young

riding. We can understand how difficult it can be for parents to find and

afford child care. So we’re putting forward a plan that will not only

increase capacity, helping to create an additional 70,000 spaces, but will

help families afford these spaces. We’ll make child care free for any family

earning less than $60,000 a year, and we’ll offer a subsidy to any family

earning up to $100,000. This is important, because it will ensure access to

child care services for those who do truly need it.

These supports will help make life more affordable for middle-class

families and, just as importantly, will not increase taxes in doing so —

increasing costs to the very families this program is designed to help.

Because we’ve said yes to sustainable economic development, we’re in a

position to afford this plan.

I also want to note that our government is on pace to eliminate

British Columbia’s operating debt by 2020. While some might ask how that

makes life more affordable for people, the fact is that by eliminating our

operating debt, we have more money to invest in British Columbians — money

that would otherwise be spent servicing our debt.

In fact, our successful financial management has led British Columbia

to have a triple-A credit rating. What does that mean? Well, it means that

we save billions of dollars a year on interest payments that can be invested

in British Columbians rather than sent to financial institutions. That is

why we can afford the services that make life more affordable for British

Columbians.

As we take these steps, we’re also ensuring that families benefit from

the communities that are increasingly livable. That’s why our government is

looking at opportunities to expand the transit service in the Lower Mainland

and remains committed to the creation of a regional transit service — in the

case of West Vancouver–Sea to Sky, to connect Pemberton with Whistler, with

Squamish and with Metro Vancouver.

In addition, we’ve committed to undertaking an assessment of a

long-term vision that considers how expanding transit service to Maple

Ridge, Mission, South Surrey, Langley, Abbotsford, Chilliwack, UBC and,

importantly for my constituents, to the North Shore and up the Sea to Sky.

We’re also willing to come to the table as an even partner with both the

federal government and the local municipalities to get work on transit

underway.

We’ve committed to matching funding in order to build rapid transit

along Metro Vancouver’s Broadway corridor and in Surrey. We’ve committed to

matching federal funding for the next phase of the mayors’ transit plan, and

we also intend to repeal the referendum requirement for new transit revenue

sources in Metro.

It’s not just in the Lower Mainland where we’re making investments in

transportation. We’re also committed to providing more support to

ferry-dependent communities by providing fare relief, while still

modernizing the fleet and the terminals.

I have much more to say, but I recognize that my time is limited. So I

just want to finish off by saying I’m proud of the work that we have done

and that we intend to continue to do, and I certainly support this throne

speech wholeheartedly.

[G. Kyllo in the chair.]

Hon. M. Morris: First off, I want to thank my staff, who are probably sitting in our

offices in Mackenzie and Prince George, glued to the legislative channel,

listening to these impactful speeches that my colleagues are giving, telling

the people about the future that we can look forward to in British

Columbia.

[11:00 a.m.]

To Willow McIntyre in my Mackenzie office and to Charlotte in my

Prince George office — they’ve been doing a great job for me these past four

years. And to my family, who have supported me in this new job that I took

on four years ago where I’m seldom home…. My kids first joked when I got

elected in 2013 that they’d probably have to make an appointment to see me.

That prediction probably is pretty close to being the truth now with the

life that we all lead in this House here.

So my heart goes out to my family. I appreciate the support from my

wife, my sons, my daughters-in-law and my five grandchildren who can pick me

out of a tiny little news clip even if I’m standing 100 yards from the

camera. They’re pretty good at that.

We’ve got a lot of work to do ahead of us. Over my four years in the

House here, I’ve been listening patiently to the members opposite, expecting

them to reveal what their vision is for British Columbia and how they’re

going to fulfil their vision, their strategies, their plans. I’ve never

heard anything in relation to that. But I will say that, for our side, we

have had a leader that has had a vision for British Columbia. Our party and

our colleagues in the House here have supported that vision 100 percent, and

we’ve achieved some great results.

The vision for a strong economy and a secure future for our

grandchildren — that was one of the key reasons that I ran, to make sure

that my grandchildren, when they become my age, have the opportunity to live

the lifestyle that we all enjoy currently here in British Columbia and

which, I might add, is probably significant in respect to the fact that we

have the strongest economy in Canada.

The strategy that we have to get to that goal has been the jobs plan.

It has been a significant part of the strong economy that we have in British

Columbia. As my colleague spoke prior to me, 225,000 jobs have been created

since the jobs plan was implemented — 225,000 jobs with people working

across all sectors in the economy, contributing to our income tax,

contributing to consumer spending and contributing to the products that we

produce here in British Columbia.

I went on the Stats Canada website this morning here. I looked at it,

and it said that labour income in British Columbia in 2015 was $100 billion.

I’ve heard members opposite say time and time again that we do nothing for

the province, nothing for the people of British Columbia, but $100 billion

in income in 2015 is no small feat.

The good news for 2016 is that it was up 4.5 percent over 2015. I

haven’t seen the stats for 2016 yet, but I’m sure they’ve increased even

further, according to what we hear from our Finance Minister and the fact

that we have greater surpluses today than we had expected in February just a

few short months ago. I would say that those are indicative of us fulfilling

and executing our strategy with respect to a strong economy and a secure

future for our grandchildren.

British Columbia is a unique, beautiful province that offers a

multitude of opportunities for everybody. It’s reliant, significantly, on

the resource sector. The resource sector plays an impactful role on every

single citizen in this province. It’s not just the people that live in the

resource communities like mine, in Prince George — we have 80,000 people

that have grown up in there and were reliant on the forest

industry; we have an oil refinery there, and mining is close by — but the

people in urban B.C. as well.

I’ll give you an example. We have a university professor who might

live in a pretty nice community in a nice part of Victoria or Vancouver, and

he or she gets up in the morning a little bit chilly, turns the thermostat

up in their house and that nice heat starts coming through the heat

registers. He then goes and turns the light switch on, and he’s got light.

This is absolutely great in this society and this world that we live in

today.

Let’s go back to that thermostat going on. That triggered an

event.

[11:05 a.m.]

That triggered the gas to go into the furnace, to be lit, to burn and

to heat the house or the apartment — whatever he or she may live in. But

when you follow that through, that gas has come from northeast B.C. That

starts in a drilled well where people were working, making a significant

amount of money, where a company had bid on that particular site in order to

drill.

The gas comes out of the ground, goes to a gas plant — again,

employing more people at the gas plant where some of the impurities or the

liquids are taken off that. Then it’s transported through pipes and through

very many compressor stations between northeast B.C. and Vancouver or

Victoria. But it’s transported in a steel pipe. These pipes are put

underground. Many of them were put underground 50 years ago. But it’s

transported in a steel pipe.

Where does that steel come from? Hmm. Steel comes from iron ore. We

don’t have much of it here in British Columbia, but what we do have in

British Columbia in abundance is coal, metallurgic coal. Metallurgic coal is

the stuff that they’re using to make all these steel components that we see

in the bridges, in the towers, in all the buildings that we build out of

steel right across this great country and right around the world.

So here we have pipes, thousands of kilometres of steel pipe in the

ground, made with metallurgic coal that we pull out of the ground in places

like Tumbler Ridge, in places down in southwest British Columbia. British

Columbia produces thousands of tonnes of metallurgic coal, putting all kinds

of people to work.

Let’s go to the light switch that this individual turned on to provide

light in his washroom while he’s shaving in the morning. That light switch

goes on, and it starts a chain reaction. That power comes from, let’s say,

W.A.C. Bennett dam out of the Williston reservoir, which is in my riding; or

the Peace Canyon dam, which is Site B; and soon to say, it’ll be coming from

Site C. This is power that powers everything down here.

I’ve heard the mayor of Vancouver say he wants to have 100 percent

renewable energy. Everybody’s going to be driving electric cars. I can get

more into that later.

That electricity comes from these sources, but how does it get down to

Vancouver? Well, it comes down to Vancouver in these large cables, aluminum

cables that are supported by these steel towers. Steel — there’s that word

again. There’s that commodity again — steel made with metallurgic coal

coming from Tumbler Ridge in southwest B.C.

The aluminum. We just happen to have an aluminum plant in Rio Tinto

Alcan in Kitimat, where they produce aluminum. I drive a brand-new Ford

pickup, which has an aluminum body, and they get all of their aluminum from

Rio Tinto Alcan. So British Columbia is contributing in a significant

way.

Let’s go back to these big aluminum wires — again, thousands of

kilometres of the aluminum wire held high on these steel towers that’s

providing all of the power for the people in British Columbia. Then the

substations that B.C. Hydro so diligently maintains and upkeeps and builds

across the province here to ensure that we have the capacity to address

industry and commerce and the residential increases that we see in the Lower

Mainland and across British Columbia.

Then the power that’s transformed from there that goes into our

residential sector — again, that’s aluminum wire. It gets to the home, and

it’s copper wires. Copper wires in the home, and there are lots of copper

wires in the substations as well.

Copper. Hmm. I wonder where copper comes from. Well, just north of

where I live, in Prince George, we have Mount Milligan, which just opened up

here a few years ago. It employs 450 people. It produces all kinds of

copper. We’ve got Highland Valley Copper out of Kamloops — between Kamloops

and the Logan Lake area there — and they’ve been producing tonnes and tonnes

of copper, in addition to other metals, for years, for decades, employing

thousands of people in British Columbia. The mining industry employs

thousands of people, all making in excess of $100,000 apiece. Pretty solid

incomes from the resource sector that keep people happy and well in urban

B.C.

So he turns his lights on, and he takes advantage of the beautiful

light and the electricity that he gets in his nice, warm house from

northeast B.C. gas. He turns the tap on to rinse his razor off. Hmm. How did

that water get into that house in Vancouver?

[11:10 a.m.]

Let’s have a look at that. We go through that. The water is

transported nowadays, a lot of it, through polypropylene pipe that is

sitting in the ground and is connected up to a reservoir. That polypropylene

pipe is made from petroleum products. It’s made from the liquids from

natural gas. It’s made from some derivatives from the petroleum that we take

out of the ground.

We have thousands and thousands upon thousands of kilometres of poly

pipe in the ground, transporting water in a very safe and effective manner

so that our people in urban B.C. and rural B.C. can drink fresh, safe

drinking water in British Columbia. Flush the toilet.

Where does the effluent go? The effluent goes, again, through poly pipes

into a substantial wastewater treatment centre so that it can be safely

discharged back into the environment again — again, poly pipes coming from

the petroleum products that we have in British Columbia.

Once again, in northeast B.C., with the amount of natural gas we have

up there, we have some great opportunities in the future to start looking at

a petrochemical industry so we can produce more poly pipe to keep people

safe.

What else is poly used for? All the vehicles that we drive nowadays

have poly in them. All of the products that we have at home have plastics in

them. What else comes from northeast B.C., from northwest B.C., from rural

B.C., from the environment that keeps everybody happy in Vancouver and

Victoria and throughout the province?

Well, let’s have a look at lithium — although we don’t mine lithium in

British Columbia. The closest lithium mines are probably in the Prairies and

a few of them in Quebec and Ontario. Most of it comes from South America.

Electric cars all have lithium batteries. Our cell phones have lithium

batteries. Our computers have lithium batteries. There’s a substantial

amount of lithium in an automotive battery.

Lithium is loaded up onto these great transport ships that burn bunker

fuel. They make their way up the coast, and they deliver the lithium to a

plant, perhaps in the United States, where these batteries are made. They’re

shipped into British Columbia so that people can drive their lithium

electric vehicles with no vehicle emissions at all — which is a good thing.

I think it’s a good thing.

As they drive around British Columbia…. I watched the member for Oak

Bay–Gordon Head as he drove up to Government House a number of weeks ago to

deliver some document there in his electric vehicle. It takes lithium. It

takes a bunch of other things to make it go. What else is in that vehicle?

It’s got tires. Information that I obtained again just recently: there’s

approximately seven gallons of oil in every tire.

So all of our electric-powered vehicles have oil products that have

helped produce the tires on them. They have poly in the vehicles as well.

That needs to be taken into consideration. But it all comes from the ground.

It all comes from the resource sector in British Columbia.

This individual, after he’s all shaved and coiffed, gets dressed and

puts his cell phone — which contains 62 elements that come from the ground —

in his pocket. He jumps into his electric-powered car, with the lithium

batteries and the poly casings and everything in it, and he starts driving

to work. He happens to drive over, let’s say, the Burrard Street

Bridge.

Burrard Street Bridge has a lot of steel in the bridge. In addition to

the steel, it’s got a lot of concrete. I had the stats here. I kind of

looked up the thing this morning. For every 300 or 400 kilograms of cement

used to make the concrete that’s in the bridge, they need 200 kilograms of

coal to make that cement. Again, the cement comes from the ground, the lime,

but it needs to be heated up to this astronomical heat in order to make the

cement, and that’s done through coal.

[11:15 a.m.]

Once again, the infrastructure that we have in urban B.C. is steel and

concrete, for the most part. It’s got copper wires, it’s got aluminum wires,

it’s got lithium, it’s got poly. It’s got a number of things in there that

all come from the ground. So urban B.C. has a significant connection to

rural B.C.

There’s been a lot of discussion. I’ve heard from the opposition and

members opposite their intention to shut down Kinder Morgan and no pipelines

and banning tankers, affecting all kinds of jobs right across this great

province of ours.

From the federal government website today: tankers have been moving on

Canada’s west coast since 1930. In 2015, for the stats for that year, there

were nearly 1,500 tankers that arrived or departed from either Vancouver,

Rupert or Kitimat — most of them from the Vancouver area.

Do you know where they were going, the majority of those ships? They

were going to Vancouver Island. They were delivering fuel to Vancouver

Island so people could drive their cars on Vancouver Island. They were

delivering fuel to Haida Gwaii. They were delivering fuel to a lot of the

smaller islands that we have in the community here.

Fuel is vital for our citizens to get around and travel. If they

didn’t have fuel, then we wouldn’t have the transportation infrastructure

that we have on Vancouver Island, the Sea to Sky Highway on the Lower

Mainland and a number of areas that we have in this beautiful province of

ours that are reliant on the fuel that is transported by tankers.

B.C. produces a very little of the refined oil products that we need

so we import about 50 to 60 percent of our fuel products from Alberta

through Kinder’s Mountain — the existing one. That’s what’s sold in the

Lower Mainland here to gas stations and whatnot. Chevron, the refinery that

we have here in Vancouver, supplies a little bit more, but for the most

part, we also have to import, by tanker, more refined oil products into the

Lower Mainland so people can fuel their vehicles and the buses and the

trucks that haul our groceries and our food and those kinds of things. So we

have a significant reliance on the resource sector in B.C.

The mining industry, which I’ve referred to already, is flourishing.

In the throne speech, we’ve committed to opening a number of new mines in

the future. The Brucejack mine in northwest B.C. has just started producing.

Brucejack mine has just over $1 billion of investment in that. It’s

employing hundreds of people in that mine, and it will

continue to employ hundreds of people in that mine for decades to

come.

Another mining project that is within my riding is AuRico Gold — it’s

north of Prince George, in northern Mackenzie area — or the Kemess North

project. That is another project that should be underway fairly quickly,

with an environmental review. The commitment, under the throne speech, is

that we’re going to be putting millions of dollars and more resources into

ensuring that the mining application processes are unimpeded as they go

through the environmental review process.

Also what I took from the federal government’s stats website is…. It’s

a point that I make. The opposition are saying that we don’t provide

anything for the average B.C.’er in the province here. In addition to the

$100 billion in income in 2015, B.C.’s median total family income rose

$10,000 from 2010 to 2014. In 2010, it was $66,970, and in 2014, it was

$76,770 — pretty significant income for an economy that we don’t seem to

care about, according to some people.

We’re investing in jobs, we’re investing in a strong, secure future

for our grandchildren, and I think this is all very indicative of what that

future looks like and what that future will continue to look like if we keep

paying attention to it and giving it the attention that it

deserves.

[11:20 a.m.]

I’ve heard indications of, you know: “Fire everybody working at Site

C.” I’ve heard that we shut down Kinder Morgan. I heard that the folks

across the hall aren’t in favour of LNG. All of these are very, very

necessary components to make B.C. flourish and make it safe and secure for

the future generations in British Columbia, and B.C. can do it as well or

better than anybody.

Over the years, I got involved in organizational effectiveness. I

studied different ways how we can improve the way we did business within the

RCMP and other organizations. One of the individuals that I read — lots of

his material, and I really subscribed to a lot of his theories — was an

individual by the name of Peter Drucker, an author and management

consultant. He said if you want something new, you have to stop doing

something old. And that’s what we’re paying attention to here.

Interjections.

Hon. M. Morris: I finally got somebody to listen over there. The members opposite have

been very quiet for individuals who think that they’ve got what it takes to

form a government. They’ve been very quiet, and nobody really knows exactly

what they have to offer. Now they’re clapping at something I said, which is

great. If you want something new, you have to stop doing something old. So

we’ve listened. We’ve listened.

We got the plurality of seats in the province here, so voters have

said: “We like what your government stood for. We like the fact that your

government stands for a strong economy…

Interjections.

Deputy Speaker: Members.

Hon. M. Morris: …and a secure future for everybody. We like that.”

But in addition to that, they’ve also said: “We think you need to pay

attention to some of these other things here.” And we have. We had a look at

that, and we said: “Yeah, okay. We’re going to have to adjust what we’re

doing here.”

There was a quote from one of the instructors I had when I was taking

some of these courses here years ago. He made a comment during a class. He

said: “No organization has a right to exist.” At the time, I was a senior

manager with the RCMP. The RCMP was probably 110 or 120 years old at the

time, and I thought: “That’s ridiculous. Of course, we have the right to

exist. We’re 120 years old.”

You don’t exist unless you offer the people the things that they want

and the things that they need. The throne speech was all about that. We

addressed all of those issues. We listened. And we felt that we are now….

The throne speech is concentrated on filling the void that we had omitted

before. We make no bones about that.

The voters told us that we should be returning the dividends to

British Columbians, and we’ve been promising that all along. We’ve said that

for the last four years that I’ve been involved in government.

We said that as soon as the economy gets on its feet and we balance

the budget — which we have the last five consecutive budgets — and as soon

as we’ve got some money that’s coming in and we can rely on that amount of

money coming in every year, we’re going to start reinvesting into some of

these programs. That’s exactly what we’re doing. This is nothing new. We’ve

been talking about this for a long time. Our economy is to the point where

we’ve got significant surpluses in the economy that we can now reinvest in

the people in British Columbia.

But they said they also want a stable government. I’ve heard members

opposite talking about a stable government. They want a collaborative

government. I’ve heard the members opposite talking about a collaborative

government. We have an opportunity here now to have a stable, collaborative

government.

We gave the members opposite yesterday an opportunity to support a

couple of bills, one that perhaps would have recognized a third party and

one that would have looked at campaign financing, which has been supported

by the members opposite — you know, the GreenDPs. It was something that I

think we all could have collaborated on and cooperated on in order to get to

the goals that we all look forward to achieving.

[11:25 a.m.]

Unfortunately, they’ve been very quiet on that. They voted it down.

They’ve been very, very quiet in this House. You can hear a

pin drop in here most of the time. It seems like they’re disinterested in

the future of British Columbia. We have given them the opportunity to prove

that they would like to be collaborative and cooperative, and of course, we

haven’t seen any evidence of that so far.

We’ve listened to the voters. It’s reflected in the throne speech.

We’re going to be looking at child care and early childhood education — as

an example, 60,000 child care spaces over the next four years. That’s near

and dear. My children have young children. My grandkids, a couple of them,

still need daycare and child care services, so they’re looking forward to

that. We’re going to have 4,000 new childhood education

positions.

One of the things I don’t think too many British Columbians knew is we

provided child care subsidies — full subsidies for somebody up to $40,000 a

year. We’re now going to increase that to $60,000 a year and partial

subsidies up to $100,000 a year. So we’re really concentrating on helping

the people that need it.

We’ve got affordable housing in our throne speech. We’ve got a number

of things in the throne speech that I think are going appeal to all British

Columbians, and we are committed to working collaboratively with the members

opposite.

We’re going to collaborate with the public to ensure that we maintain

a strong economy in British Columbia, a safe environment for our

grandchildren to work in. This province of ours will flourish. We’ll

continue to lead Canada economically. We’re going to continue to lead Canada

in a number of other different areas here. We have a lot to

contribute.

I support the throne speech 100 percent, and I think British Columbia

will become an even greater place over the next four years.

J. Isaacs: Mr. Speaker, colleagues, I’m extremely honoured, humbled and grateful

for the opportunity to speak with you today — my maiden speech for the

Legislature as the representative of my riding, Coquitlam–Burke Mountain. My

election night was one that I will always remember. I’m sure that many of my

colleagues here shared in the excitement, watching the result from my

riding.

There are many individuals I’d like to personally thank who helped me

get to this role today and who helped serve as mentors, friends and guides.

I will always be thankful to the numerous individuals who gave up their time

to volunteer with me over the years, whether it was serving the community

and local organizations or helping me through this election.

To my family and friends who gave up so much: thank you. I cannot

express my sincere gratitude enough. The trust placed upon me by the people

of Coquitlam–Burke Mountain is something that I take seriously, and I will

do my utmost to repay that trust by going above and beyond to serve all

constituents.

Coquitlam is a fun and active community with many family festivals

throughout the year, such as the winter light display, Highland Games and

Scottish festival, Teddy Bear Picnic and Canada Day fireworks, just to name

a few. There are numerous sports tournaments held at the Percy Perry

Stadium. The trees of the Town Centre Park and Lafarge Lake boast the

beautiful spring blossoms as well as the beautiful fall colours of

autumn.

Coquitlam has been home for me and my husband for over 30 years. We

raised our two sons there, made many friends and have become part of a

wonderful community. Let me reinforce that Coquitlam represents a mosaic of

hard-working families, entrepreneurs, students, cutting-edge business

start-ups, new immigrants, young families and seniors — all working

together. Coquitlam is privileged to be represented by diverse cultures that

enrich our community by sharing their special days of tradition and

celebration.

[11:30 a.m.]

Coquitlam also has an incredible range of non-profit organizations. I

have had the opportunity to be involved in homelessness, families and youth,

mental health and restorative justice.

Non-profit organizations play an enormous and important role in

delivering programs, services and support to our citizens. I want to

recognize their contribution to our city and, further, recognize the many

volunteers whose commitment and time do make the difference and benefit all

of us.

A great example of our sterling volunteers is Coquitlam Search and

Rescue. They demonstrate the kind of people that I am honoured to represent

here today. I would be remiss if I didn’t mention the amazing work that

these volunteers do, sometimes on a moment’s notice. Just last week a woman

was saved from drowning in the Coquitlam River. Individuals like Ian

Cunnings, who recently received the Sovereign’s Medal for Volunteers for his

work, are what make up my riding as such a great place to live.

I am further honoured by the trust placed in me to serve as the

Parliamentary Secretary for Early Childhood Education. I have already had

the privilege to visit and see some of the local preschools in Burke

Mountain and connect with them.

As outlined in the throne speech, our government views this as our

most important resource. That is why we are making significant investments,

up to $1 billion over four years, into child care and early child care

education. This investment will lead to the building of 60,000 new child

care spaces, an increase of over 50 percent for the next four years, as well

as exploring partnership programs with school districts to co-locate new

child care spaces in elementary schools. Additionally, we have announced an

investment of $10 million in grants and bursaries for people wishing to

become early childhood educators.

Further, our government understands that the cost for child care has

represented a financial burden for many families. As a working mother of two

young sons, like many other people in my riding, I, too, remember the

struggles our family faced in finding daycare.

In the early years, and only having one vehicle, it was always a

challenge to catch the bus from downtown Vancouver and rush back to the

daycare in Port Moody before they closed. There were many times when my son

and I waited across the street in the bus stop for my husband to come across

the Port Mann Bridge and pick us up. If you remember the Port Mann Bridge a

few years ago, on a Friday afternoon in February on a rainy night, it took

some time to get there. At that time, there was very limited bus service to

where we lived.

I empathize with many families regarding their own experiences, and

that is why I am pleased that our government is taking action to remove

barriers. The announcement that families will receive subsidies for child

care and that those families making under $60,000 will be eligible for full

subsidies is a wonderful action that we can all support.

This commitment to child care is guided by our commitment to the three

core principles of delivering the highest quality of care, reducing

wait-lists by creating more spaces and making child care more affordable.

This represents a sincere approach as we begin a dialogue with the federal

government, members of the Legislature and families across the province to

find innovative ways to increase support and make child care more

affordable. But we cannot lose sight of the time-sensitive nature and

urgency required in taking this action.

I also want to stress the importance of having positive role models

and mentors in one’s life. StrongStart and the early-years strategy offer

every family an opportunity to access programs which help build leadership

skills and social skills so that all families experience the benefit of

positive role models.

[11:35 a.m.]

Another key initiative announced in the throne speech that is close to

my heart as well as many other members in the Legislature is that of mental

health and addiction. New View Society is a 20-bed transitional house in the

Tri-Cities that supports individuals suffering from mental health challenges

and substance abuse. As part of my work with New View, I saw firsthand the

personal struggles associated with mental health issues, the difficulties

families often faced and the gaps in the systems trying to deal with the

complexity of mental health.

The announcement by our government regarding the creation of a

minister of state for mental health, addiction and recovery is a monumental

approach in ensuring a new streamlined and comprehensive single point of

entry for assistance. We have all heard too many examples of individuals

becoming overburdened and overwhelmed by bureaucracy and paperwork in

seeking assistance. That is why the emphasis on a single point of entry and

accountability will be of universal benefit for those who are in

need.

Further investments in mental health include the expansion of the

successful program Foundry, which is an integrated youth centre which

provides a one-stop shop to support youth who are struggling with mild to

moderate mental health or substance use challenges. As well, our commitment

to create an expert panel on mental health will assist in reviewing and

ensure that services are being properly delivered and that any gaps in the

system will be closed.

Additionally, our government is taking the important and notable

measure to address mental health issues with students by ensuring that each

school across the province will now have a designated person trained to

identify mental health issues. We will also ensure that educators will have

access to resources that they require to be able to refer those in need for

additional assistance.

The measures announced in the throne speech represent a continuation

of our government’s commitment to addressing the issue of mental health,

addiction and also recovery. A noteworthy example is the announcement of the

$75 million for an adolescent treatment centre at Riverview Hospital. This

will greatly benefit those who are in need of treatment.

I am also pleased that our government has committed to dedicate every

dollar from the sale of cannabis to drug education, prevention, enforcement

and treatment. I believe that protecting our children and youth is

paramount. Our government provides the right balance in taking these

measures and will ensure that the appropriate safeguards are in

place.

I am, as well, particularly proud of the commitments that our

government has made in regards to increased investments for seniors. This is

an issue that I am particularly passionate about, and I was proud to have

been a part of a team that advocated for care for dementia patients. I can

say from my own experience with elderly parents that I do understand the

challenges that many families face.

We all know that seniors do better when they stay at home and they can

stay at home as long as possible. That is why our government has previously

committed to programs such as the Better at Home program. This program

provides seniors with non-medical home support services which help them stay

living independently and in their own homes for as long as possible. In

partnership with the United Way since February 2012, the province has

provided funding to assist in the operation of 67 program sites throughout

B.C.

Our government’s throne speech also commits to providing greater

supports for residential care facilities, with a promise to increase the

number of residential care beds to 500. Additional residential care measures

include the implementation of new monitoring and enforced measures in every institution across Canada. This will ensure that each

residential care home is operating with clear, measurable daily care

standards that will be in place.

Furthermore, our government recognized the increased financial costs

that families encounter when caring for their loved ones with disabilities

or aging. That is why we are pleased to provide some assistance in easing

these financial burdens by announcing the doubling of the home-renovation

tax credit and the introduction of a new respite tax credit for those

families caring for individuals with disabilities.

[11:40 a.m.]

Prior to entering politics, I ran an investment firm, and I was also a

business development consultant for for-profit business and non-profit

organizations. This experience provided me with a fundamental understanding

of what ensures economic success.

Whether it is a larger corporation, a small business or a

not-for-profit organization, I can say with certainty, from my experience,

that the key principles of economic success remain the same: ensuring that

taxes are kept low — you simply cannot grow your business if your tax burden

impedes or encroaches into your profit; paying down the debt; preventing

overregulation, and, most important of all, stability in decision-making and

implementation of policies. The reason for the success of my business and of

our clients was because of the strong work ethic and strong balance sheets,

as well as collaboration and partnerships that promoted the collection of

ideas that ultimately led to a best-practices model.

When designing an investment strategy, there were always three things

that were important to clients: they wanted their money to start working for

them right away; they wanted to make sure there was enough money for when

they retired; and they wanted to leave something for their kids. We

delivered investment returns to our clients by working with investment

managers who had a proven track record of demonstrated year-over-year

results. The reason for the success of my investment managers stems from

their ability to anticipate the shifting financial landscape and to

understand the rise of new innovations and the impact of emerging technology

which would be brought to the marketplace.

This is why I am particularly pleased that our government’s throne

speech makes increased commitments to addressing the needs of the future

technology-based economy today. The announcement about the creation of 2,000

more graduates in science, technology, engineering and math from

institutions across the province will greatly assist in developing the

skills of the future economy today.

Further, the announcement to double the funding for the B.C. Arts

Council will ensure that our standing as a leader in digital technologies

remains strong. Because of our government’s strong economic stewardship over

the past 16 years, B.C.’s economy remains the best in Canada, and we have

the only triple-A credit rating. Our commitments to maintaining one of the

lowest-overall-tax-burden jurisdictions and the continuation of consecutive

balanced budgets are well worth noting. They are achievements.

Further, the recent Statistics Canada job numbers for May confirmed

once again that B.C.’s jobs plan is working, with 12,000 new jobs being

added. This is in addition to B.C. having one of the lowest unemployment

rates, at 5.6 percent, and youth unemployment rates, at 9.7 percent, in

Canada. Since the launch of the jobs plan in 2011, a total of over 250 jobs

have been created — with 93 percent being full-time positions and over 89

percent coming from the private sector. I can see examples of this success

in my own riding, with many of my constituents working for such innovative

companies as Finger Food Studios.

Another great example is from a constituent I met at a Teddy Bear

Picnic, who runs his own company, selling seismic technology all over the

world. According to Brad Sherwin from the Credit Counselling Society, our

province is leading in another interesting and under-reported financial

statistic — from Equifax, one of Canada’s leading credit bureaus, which

measures personal financial health: British Columbia and Vancouver have one

of the lowest 90-day delinquency rates on non-mortgage debt in the

country.

As explained by Mr. Sherwin, this essentially means that the vast

majority of people are paying their bills and providing for their families.

Mr. Sherwin goes on to further elaborate, saying: “There are many other

issues we deal with, but ultimately, isn’t this the key thing we want our

governments to do? Provide the framework for us to provide for our

families?” Because of the strength and stability of our economy and our low

taxes, we are now in the enviable position to invest even more in British

Columbians.

[11:45 a.m.]

We are now able to strengthen our cherished social programs and

protect our environment. As mentioned in the throne speech, our government

will now be in a position to expand our successful single-parent employment

initiative. Since its launch, we have already had a record number of 5,045

participants, leading to nearly 1,140 individuals now having found

meaningful employment. Because of our new investments, we will now be able

to broaden supports for single parents who can only find part-time work or

who are underemployed to better assist in finding their way to full-time

employment.

Additionally, I, like many of my constituents, recognize the

environmental beauty that is in our riding, such as the Coquitlam River, and

across this great province. I was thrilled that my first community event as

the new member for Coquitlam–Burke Mountain was to attend a round-table

event hosted by the Coquitlam River Watershed. The Coquitlam River Watershed

is a local organization which coordinates and implements

activities to promote the long-term health and sustainability of the

watershed.

As outlined in the throne speech, our government understands that more

needs to be done to enhance our commitments to our environment and park

system. This is why our government is moving forward with a new investment

of $50 million over five years, earmarked to the B.C. Parks budget. These

new funds will be used to create more campsites, raise the standard of our

park facilities and create a youth ranger program, increasing staff in parks

from May to September. Further, our government will ensure that direct

payments received from the Trans Mountain pipeline expansion program will be

dedicated to environmental protection and restoration.

As mentioned in the throne speech, the role of transit is a

fundamental priority in helping to shape a sustainable and affordable future

for communities, and our government has committed that more will be done on

this file. In my riding of Coquitlam–Burke Mountain, I can personally see

the benefits that have come from the completion of the Evergreen Line, which

attracts more than 30,000 riders a day.

Our government has promised that, going forward, we will repeal the

requirement for new transit revenue sources to be affirmed by a referendum

in Metro Vancouver. As well, we have promised to match federal funding for

the new phase of the mayors’ transit plan. These initiatives will help to

improve the tools and accountability which the Metro Vancouver mayors have

asked for in transit funding. Further, our government is committed to

addressing the long-term transit priorities by immediately undertaking

feasibility studies to extend rapid transit in B.C., as well as working with

Washington state to connect communities across the border with a high-speed

rail to Seattle.

[Mr. Speaker in the chair.]

The issue of housing is one of the areas that I have had a keen

interest in, and I am enthusiastic about our government’s proposed course of

continued action. Our government was proud to have made a previous record

investment in housing of over $900 million in funding for the building of

5,000 new affordable supportive housing projects across the province. This

is in addition to our HOME partnership program, which provided assistance to

roughly 42,000 British Columbian households entering the market for the

first time.

Our government remains committed to ensuring that housing is

affordable for all British Columbians, and that is why our throne speech has

laid out positive and concrete measures that will help in taking direct

action to immediately address the issue at hand. This includes working with

local governments to increase the supply of family and starter housing,

along with transit and transit lines and corridors. Additionally, our

government will further work in cooperation to support local governments to

remove obstacles and eliminate backlogs to speed up construction of new

housing supply.

[11:50 a.m.]

As well, our government is making an historic investment to build

50,000 units across the province in the coming decade that will go into the

newly announced rent-to-own program. This new program will help middle-class

renters grow equity through their monthly rent payments until they are in a

position to own their own home.

But as we all know, addressing housing affordability does not rest on

one level or jurisdiction alone and will require mutual cooperation and

collaboration between local, provincial and federal governments. That is why

our government has promised to convene a housing summit this fall amongst

all members, interested parties and stakeholders to bring forward their best

ideas to help address the issue and with the end in mind — our goal of

ensuring more affordable housing for British Columbians.

Finally, our government will introduce new regulations to better

protect renters with new measures. For example, our throne speech highlights

one example of prohibiting landlords from skirting rent control protections

when term leases expire.

In conclusion, our government has listened to the voters of British

Columbia, and we have laid out a sincere effort to represent the best

interest of every British Columbian. We’ve done that by balancing the

economic side, social side and environmental priorities, without raising

taxes or driving our province and future into deficit.

Mr. Speaker, I look forward to what the future may bring should we

gain confidence of the House, and I stand here before you in support of the

throne speech.

D. Ashton: Noting the hour, I might ask that people might like to listen to

what I have to say about the throne speech on a full belly, so could I

ask to reserve a place for early this afternoon?

Mr. Speaker: I would ask the member to move adjournment of debate.

D. Ashton: I would move adjournment of debate at this point in

time.

D. Ashton moved adjournment of debate.

Motion approved.

Hon. A. Wilkinson: I move the House reconvene this afternoon to continue debate on

the throne speech.

Hon. A. Wilkinson moved adjournment of the House.

Motion approved.

Mr. Speaker: The House stands adjourned until 1:30 p.m. this afternoon.

The House adjourned at 11:52 a.m.

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