British Columbia Hansard — 25 April 2018, p.m., Issue 125 (41st Parliament, 3rd Session)

20180425pm-Hansard-n125

British Columbia — Debates (Hansard)

Third Session, 41st Parliament OFFICIAL REPORT OF DEBATES (HANSARD) Wednesday, April 25, 2018 Afternoon Sitting Issue No. 125 THE HONOURABLE DARRYL PLECAS, SPEAKER ISSN 1499-2175

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

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

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

Jinny Sims Minister of Education............................................................................................................................................................ Hon. Rob Fleming Minister of Energy, Mines and Petroleum Resources...............................................................................................Hon. Michelle Mungall Minister of Environment and Climate Change Strategy.............................................................................................Hon.

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

Scott Fraser Minister of Jobs, Trade and Technology............................................................................................................................ Hon. Bruce Ralston Minister of State for Trade...............................................................................................................................................Hon. George Chow Minister of Labour...................................................................................................................................................................Hon.

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

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

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

Raj Chouhan Assistant Deputy Speaker................................................................................................................................................................... Linda Reid Deputy Chair, Commi ttee of the Whole................................................................................................................

Spencer Chandra Herbert Clerk of the Legislative Assembly ....................................................................................................................................................Craig James Deputy Clerk and Clerk of Commi ttees.................................................................................................................................

Kate Ryan-Lloyd Clerk Assistant — Commi ttees and Interparliamentary Relations ..........................................................................................Susan Sourial Sessional Law Clerk...............................................................................................................................................Loredana Catalli-Sonier, QC Sergeant-at-Arms ................................................................................................................................................................................. Gary Lenz

ALPHABETICAL LIST OF MEMBERS Ashton, Dan (BC Liberal)........................................................................ Penticton Bains, Hon. Harry (NDP)...............................................................Surrey-Newton Barnett, Donna (BC Liberal)................................................... Cariboo-Chilcotin Beare, Hon. Lisa (NDP).............................................Maple Ridge–Pitt Meadows Begg, Garry (NDP) ..................................................................... Surrey-Guildford Bernier, Mike (BC Liberal).......................................................

Peace River South Bond, Shirley (BC Liberal)......................................... Prince George–Valemount Brar, Jagrup (NDP)..................................................................... Surrey-Fleetwood Cadieux, Stephanie (BC Liberal)....................................................... Surrey South Chandra Herbert, Spencer (NDP) ..................................... Vancouver–West End Chen, Hon. Katrina (NDP).....................................................Burnaby-Lougheed Chouhan, Raj (NDP) ............................................................... Burnaby-Edmonds Chow, Hon.

George (NDP)............................................... Vancouver-Fraserview Clovechok, Doug (BC Liberal)................................ Columbia River–Revelstoke Coleman, Rich (BC Liberal)...............................................................Langley East Conroy, Hon. Katrine (NDP)......................................................... Kootenay West Darcy, Hon.

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

Doug (NDP).....................................................................Stikine Eby, Hon. David, QC (NDP).............................................Vancouver–Point Grey Elmore, Mable (NDP)....................................................... Vancouver-Kensington Farnworth, Hon. Mike (NDP) ...................................................... Port Coquitlam Fleming, Hon. Rob (NDP) .....................................................Victoria–Swan Lake Foster, Eric (BC Liberal)........................................................... Vernon-Monashee Fraser, Hon.

Scott (NDP) ................................................ Mid Island–Pacific Rim Furstenau, Sonia (BC Green Party) ........................................... Cowichan Valley Gibson, Simon (BC Liberal)................................................. Abbotsford-Mission Glumac, Rick (NDP)........................................................Port Moody–Coquitlam Heyman, Hon. George (NDP).............................................. Vancouver-Fairview Horgan, Hon. John (NDP) ...............................................

Langford–Juan de Fuca Hunt, Marvin (BC Liberal).......................................................Surrey-Cloverdale Isaacs, Joan (BC Liberal).........................................Coquitlam–Burke Mountain James, Hon. Carole (NDP)...................................................Victoria–Beacon Hill Johal, Jas (BC Liberal)...............................................

Richmond-Queensborough Kahlon, Ravi (NDP)..............................................................................Delta North Kang, Anne (NDP)..................................................................Burnaby–Deer Lake Krog, Leonard Eugene (NDP) ..................................................................Nanaimo Kyllo, Greg (BC Liberal)............................................................................ Shuswap Larson, Linda (BC Liberal).............................................Boundary-Similkameen Lee, Michael (BC Liberal)......................................................

Vancouver-Langara Leonard, Ronna-Rae (NDP) ....................................................Courtenay-Comox Letnick, Norm (B C Liberal)............................................Kelowna–Lake Country Ma, Bowinn (NDP)................................................... North Vancouver–Lonsdale Mark, Hon. Melanie (NDP) ..................................... Vancouver–Mount Pleasant Martin, John (BC Liberal)...................................................................... Chilliwack Milobar, Peter (BC Liberal)....................................

Kam loops–North Thompson Morris, Mike (BC Liberal)..........................................Prince George–Mackenzie Mungall, Hon. Michelle (NDP).................................................... Nelson-Creston Oakes, Coralee (BC Liberal)...........................................................Cariboo North Olsen, Adam (B C Green Party)........................... Saanich North and the Islands Paton, Ian (BC Liberal)......................................................................... Delta South Plecas, Hon.

Darryl (Ind.) ..........................................................Abbotsford South Polak, Mary (BC Liberal)............................................................................ Langley Popham, Hon. Lana (NDP)..............................................................Saanich South Ralston, Hon. Bruce (NDP) .......................................................... Surrey-Whalley Redies, Tracy (BC Liberal)..................................................... Surrey–White Rock Reid, Linda (BC Liberal)................................................

Richmond South Centre Rice, Jennifer (NDP) ............................................................................ North Coast Robinson, Hon. Selina (NDP) ....................................... Coquitlam-Maillardville Ross, Ellis (BC Liberal)..................................................................................Skeena Routledge, Janet (NDP) .................................................................. Burnaby North Routley, Doug (NDP) ................................................Nanaimo–North Cowichan Rustad, John (BC Liberal)..............................................................

Nechako Lakes Shypitka, Tom (B C Liberal).............................................................Kootenay East Simons, Nicholas (NDP) ........................................Powell River–Sunshine Coast Simpson, Hon. Shane (NDP)................................................ Vancouver-Hastings Sims, Hon.

Jinny (NDP) .............................................................Surrey-Panorama Singh, Rachna (NDP) ........................................................Surrey–Green Timbers Stewart, Ben (BC Liberal)................................................................Kelowna West Stilwell, Michelle (BC Liberal)..............................................Parksville-Qualicum Stone, Todd (BC Liberal)........................................

Kam loops–South Thompson Sturdy, Jordan (BC Liberal).......................................West Vancouver–Sea to Sky Sullivan, Sam (B C Liberal)...............................................Vancouver–False Creek Sultan, Ralph (BC Liberal)......................................... West Vancouver–Capilano Tegart, Jackie (BC Liberal)................................................................ Fraser-Nicola Thomson, Steve (BC Liberal).....................................................Kelowna-Mission Thornthwaite, Jane (BC Liberal).............................

North Vancouver–Seymour Throness, Laurie (BC Liberal)..................................................... Chilliwack-Kent Trevena, Hon. Claire (NDP) .............................................................. North Island Wat, Teresa (BC Liberal)................................................Richmond North Centre Weaver, Dr. Andrew (BC Green Party) ......................... Oak Bay–Gordon Head Wilkinson, Andrew, QC (BC Liberal).............................. Vancouver-Quilchena Yap, John (BC Liberal)..........................................................

Richmond-Steveston LIST OF MEMBERS BY RIDING Abbotsford-Mission ..........................................................................Simon Gibson Abbotsford South ..................................................................... Hon. Darryl Plecas Abbotsford West.................................................................... Michael de Jong, QC Boundary-Similkameen.....................................................................

Linda Larson Burnaby–Deer Lake ...............................................................................Anne Kang Burnaby-Edmonds ..............................................................................Raj Chouhan Burnaby-Lougheed................................................................... Hon. Katrina Chen Burnaby North................................................................................

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

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

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

Jackie Tegart Kam loops–North Thompson............................................................Peter Milobar Kam loops–South Thompson ................................................................Todd Stone Kelowna–Lake Country....................................................................Norm L etnick Kelowna-Mission.............................................................................

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

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

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

Jennifer Rice North Island............................................................................ Hon. Claire Trevena North Vancouver–Lonsdale................................................................. Bowinn Ma North Vancouver–Seymour......................................................Jane Thornthwaite Oak Bay–Gordon Head..........................................................Dr. Andrew Weaver Parksville-Qualicum .....................................................................Michelle Stilwell Peace River North..................................................................................

Dan Davies Peace River South............................................................................... Mike Bernier Penticton................................................................................................ Dan Ashton Port Coquitlam .................................................................... Hon. Mike Farnworth Port Moody–Coquitlam .....................................................................Rick Glumac Powell River–Sunshine Coast.....................................................

Nicholas Simons Prince George–Mackenzie..................................................................Mike Morris Prince George–Valemount.................................................................Shirley Bond Richmond North Centre ........................................................................Teresa Wat Richmond-Queensborough.......................................................................Jas Johal Richmond South Centre........................................................................

Linda Reid Richmond-Steveston.................................................................................. John Yap Saanich North and the Islands............................................................Adam Olsen Saanich South............................................................................Hon. Lana Popham Shuswap .................................................................................................... Greg Kyllo Skeena.........................................................................................................

Ellis Ross Stikine ..................................................................................Hon. Doug Donaldson Surrey-Cloverdale...............................................................................

Marvin Hunt Surrey-Fleetwood...................................................................................Jagrup Brar Surrey–Green Timbers ......................................................................Rachna Singh Surrey-Guildford....................................................................................Garry Begg Surrey-Newton.............................................................................Hon. Harry Bains Surrey-Panorama........................................................................... Hon.

Jinny Sims Surrey South...............................................................................Stephanie Cadieux Surrey-Whalley........................................................................ Hon. Bruce Ralston Surrey–White Rock............................................................................. Tracy Redies Vancouver-Fairview ............................................................ Hon. George Heyman Vancouver–False Creek.......................................................................

Sam Sullivan Vancouver-Fraserview .............................................................Hon. George Chow Vancouver-Hastings.............................................................. Hon. Shane Simpson Vancouver-Kensington ..................................................................... Mable Elmore Vancouver-Kingsway ................................................................... Hon. Adrian Dix Vancouver-Langara.............................................................................. Michael Lee Vancouver–Mount Pleasant................................................... Hon.

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

Rob Fleming West Vancouver–Capilano................................................................. Ralph Sultan West Vancouver–Sea to Sky ..............................................................Jordan Sturdy Party Standings: BC Liberal 42; NDP 41; BC Green Party 3; Independent 1

CONTENTS Wednesday, April 25, 2018 Afternoon Sitting Page Routine Business Introductions by Members..................................................................................................................................................... 4211 Statements................................................................................................................................................................................ 4211 Journey to Freedom D ay and Vietnamese Canadians A.

Wilkinson Introductions by Members..................................................................................................................................................... 4211 Ministerial Statements............................................................................................................................................................ 4212 Journey to Freedom D ay and Vietnamese Canadians Hon. A.

Dix Introduction and First Reading of Bills................................................................................................................................ 4213 Bill 28 — Public Interest Disclosure Act Hon. D. Eby Bill 27 — Pill Press and Related Equipment Control Act Hon. M. Farnworth Bill M214 — Election Amendment Act, 2018 P. Milobar Statements (Standing Order 25B)......................................................................................................................................... 4214 Gender violence and vigil for Asifa Bano R. Singh International Guide Dog Day L.

Reid Wildfire recovery and role of Canadian Red Cross J. Rice Marc-André Leclerc L. Throness Black Settler Heritage Day L. Krog Creative Industries Week R. Sultan Oral Questions......................................................................................................................................................................... 4216 Real estate speculation tax A. Wilkinson Hon. C. James Hon. J. Horgan B. Stewart Resource industries and technology sector A. Weaver Hon. B. Ralston Real estate speculation tax L. Throness Hon. C. James Budget revenue projections and real estate speculation tax S.

Bond Hon. C. James Real estate speculation tax R. Sultan Hon. C. James Tourism industry and municipal and regional district tax program N. Letnick Hon. C. James Youth overdose deaths and Safe Care Act J. Thornthwaite Hon. J. Darcy

Motions Without Notice......................................................................................................................................................... 4221 Appointment of Special Commi ttee to Appoint a Representative for Children and Youth Appointment of Special Commi ttee to Appoint a Police Complaint Commi ssioner Hon. M. Farnworth Orders of the Day Petitions.................................................................................................................................................................................... 4222 B.

Stewart Commi ttee of the Whole House............................................................................................................................................ 4222 Bill 15 — Energy, Mines and Petroleum Resources Statutes Amendment Act, 2018 Hon. M. Mungall M. Bernier S.

Furstenau Report and Third Reading of Bills......................................................................................................................................... 4240 Bill 15 — Energy, Mines and Petroleum Resources Statutes Amendment Act, 2018 Second Reading of Bills .......................................................................................................................................................... 4240 Bill 21 — Class Proceedings Amendment Act, 2018 Hon. D. Eby M. Lee A. Olsen Hon. D. Eby Bill 24 — Miscellaneous Statutes Amendment Act (No. 2), 2018 Hon. D. Eby M. Lee S.

Furstenau Hon. D. Eby Bill 22 — Civil Resolution Tribunal Amendment Act, 2018 Hon. D. Eby M. Lee A. Weaver J. Yap Hon. D. Eby Proceedings in the Douglas Fir Room Commi ttee of Supply .............................................................................................................................................................. 4249 Estimates: Ministry of Children and Family Development(continued) L. Throness Hon. K. Chen Estimates: Ministry of Social Development and Poverty Reduction Hon. S. Simpson M. Stilwell S. Cadieux M. Hunt D. Barnett C. Oakes

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 25, 2018 The House met at 1:36 p.m. [Mr. Speaker in the chair.] Routine Business Prayers. Introductions by Members Hon. M. Mark: When I thought about what I would say…. It’s really hard to introduceone of the mostimportant peoplein yourlife. I was 16. I was homeless. I had a back- pack. I landed on the steps of my Auntie Gerry’s house in Ladysmith, and I never knew where Ladysmith was. She took me in. She mademe go to school. She came to my rugby games. She’s here in this chamber. I’m so proud of everything that she has done in my life.

We talk aboutthata lot.Allof the members — we didn’t make ithere on ourown. So willthe House please welcome my Auntie Gerry Busch and ourfamily friends PatriciaYon- an and Ron Mason. L. Reid:I have fourincredibly importantgueststoday rep- resenting the B.C. and Alberta Guide Dogs. We have Sam- antha Jagt,puppy training supervisor for VancouverIsland; Cory, who’s in the gallery — oh, he’s looking down at us; and SonjaSeyfort,puppy trainer. Herdogis Piper. I’d ask the House to please make them welcome. Hon. A.

Dix: It’s my honour, firstof all, to introduceon the floor of the Legislature a distinguished guestfrom Ott- awa, Sen. Thanh Hai Ngo, who is here as partof ourJour- ney to Freedom recognition day today. I want everyone in the House to wish Senator Ngo welcome. As well, some 15 Vietnamese-Canadian groups are joining us here today.

I’m notgoing to introduceeverybody in the audience today, but I am going to list off the groups, all of which play a significant role in the Vietnamese-Canadian comm unity: the Vietnamese-Canadian Comm unity in GreaterVancouver; the LittleSaigon VancouverFoundation; the Free Vietnamese Association in B.C.; the Vietnamese Canadian Seniors Society of Greater Vancouver; the UN Army Volunteer Reserve Brigade;the Mekong Delta Fel- lowship Society; the Vietnamese Cultural Heritage Associ- ation — my colleaguefrom Surrey-Whalley willknow that Hop Phan from the association is a constituent of his, and I see him nodding there, signalling assent; the Vietnamese Women’s Society in GreaterVancouver; the Vietnamese Vet- erans Association in B.C.; the Vietnamese AirForceAssoci- ation; the Vietnamese Heritage Association; LacVietRadio; Thoi Bao;VietBC Radio;and the Yellow NationalVietNam Flag Conservation Association.

We hada very moving ceremony today. I ask everyone in the House to bid all of our guests welcome. [1:40 p.m.] Hon. J. Darcy: Itgives me greatpleasure to introducetwo guestswho are in the House today from AnxietyBC — Judith Law, the executive director, and Dr. KyleBurns, a board dir- ector. I hope the wholeHouse will join me in welcoming them but also thanking them, on behalf of the province of British Columbia, for the important work that they do for the people of British Columbia every single day. Statements JOURNEY TO FREEDOM DAY AND VIETNAMESE CANADIANS A.

Wilkinson: I wantto take this opportunity to welcome the Vietnamese comm unity to the Legislature and to amplify the comm ents of the Minister of Health. I had the extraordinary experience as a medical student in the late 1970s, in a distant, coldand barren placecalled Edmonton, of greeting Vietnamese refugees who hadcome to Canadaand madetheirfirstappearanceforhealth care — sometimes the firstappearanceof theirentire lives — atthe hospital system in Edmonton where I was a student.

I thensaw them again in the early ’80s, in my latermedical studentdays, and then again in 1993 atanotherclinicthatI was involved in, where one of the nurses actually was from ruralAlberta.She hadbeen working as amissionary childin Vietnam and spoke fluentVietnamese. So we hadthe won- derful experience of recent Vietnamese arrivals coming in for medicalcare — sometimes with chronic diseases unad- dressed, sometimes with tropical illnesses undiagnosed — and she would burst into fluent Vietnamese. The smiles would grow across all of our faces.

We wantto welcome the Vietnamese comm unity here to British Columbia, of course. This is a group of peoplewith extraordinary dedication, resilience, skilland astrong entre- preneurial spirit, who are inclined to setthemselves up in smallbusiness and look forthe kind of success in theirchil- dren that they were sometimes kept away from because of the changes they wentthrough in theirextraordinary lives. This is aonce-in-a-lifetime transition from destitution under a Comm unist regime, being driven out by boat to refugee camps in the Philippines and Hong Kong, and theirarrival in Canada.

We have to do our level best to make sure that people of that spirit are always welcome here. Thank you to the Minister of Health for welcoming the Vietnamese comm unity. Thank you forbeing here and very best wishes. Introductions by Members Hon. M. Farnworth: I have two school groups in the chambers today. One is touring, and one willbe up watching question period. They are from Archbishop Carney Second- 4211

ary. There are 36 grade11 studentswith teacherMrs. Bry- gida Reis. The othergroup is 34 grade11 students,and Mrs. Brygidais theirteacher. Wouldthe House please make them most welcome. L. Krog: The Nanaimo Chamberof Comm erce is richer; my constituent is poorer. But I’m incredibly honoured to welcome someone who’d pay to have lunch with me — one of my constituents, Carmel Slusarenko. Would the House please make her welcome. R. Glumac: I’d like to introducemy friend Ivan Allen,who is visiting the Legislature today forthe firsttime. We worked togetherin the techsector, and he helped me outon my cam- paign.

Would the House please make him feel welcome. D. Routley: I have two introductions. First,I wouldlike to introduce the people who were introduced by my col- league, the Minister of…. Tatricia Yonan and Ron Mason are accompanying Gerry Busch. Gerry Busch is the aunt who took in my colleague, who so eloquently described how important that step was in her life. I wouldlike to thank Gerry forhervolunteerwork on our campaign. I also wouldlike to share with all of the mem- bers who, perhaps, weren’there when herniecewas brought into this House.

Thatwas one of the mostmoving days that I think any of us have experienced, with the First Nations drumming and dancing — the sound echoing through this chamber. Anotherfirstin the B.C. Legislature: the first,First Nations woman elected to this place. Down in the Hall of Honour, we see the pictures of so many otherfirsts— and throughout this building. As diversity flourishes in British Columbia, so does it flourish in the B.C. Legislature in the mostmoving ways that we saw reflected here today — and thatwonderfulday that many members here experienced but some didn’t.

I justhave to say thatthis is one of the mostmovingthings thatwe can possibly experience as we exercise the diversity of the province. So thank you to Gerry. [1:45 p.m.] Hon. L. Popham: Joining us in the gallery today is Anne Topp. Anne is a constituentof mine in Saanich South, and she’s the formermanagerof comm unity planningin Saanich. We had a lovely lunch where we discussed the maps from the agricultural land reserve, the original maps. Anne also worked withthe AgriculturalLand Commi ssion in the 1970s and worked with some of those maps.

We talked abouthow important those maps are in our history and how they should be preserved. D. Routley: I have another introduction to make, and I promise notto forgethername. She’s my daughter. She’s not here yet.She’ll be joining us in the chamber a bit later. It’s harderto getan appointment with my daughter than it is with the Premier. She’s a young, budding chef at a five-star restaurant, the Sooke HarbourHouse, and she’s justaboutto complete her apprenticeship there. I’m so very proud of Maddie.

I was a stay-at-home dadwith herfrom three weeks oldto six years old, and those were the very best days of my life, without exception. I absolutely loved those days. When she was nine, herbirthday wish was that I would take her to B.C. Placeto the cooking show there, so I did. She broughtherlittlenotebook and madenotes from allthe celebrity chefs and gotautographs. Then she said: “I wantto be achef.” I thought:“Well, workingin acomm ercialkitchen will cure her of that desire.” It didn’t, and she’s flourishing. I’d like to celebrate the success of Madeline Routley and ask the House to help m e celebrate her.

Ministerial Statements JOURNEY TO FREEDOM DAY AND VIETNAMESE CANADIANS Hon. A. Dix: I rise to make a ministerial statement. The 30th of Aprilis observed by many of the Vietnamese diasporaaround the world as a day of remembrance. The Journey to Freedom Day Act was passed by the Canadian Parliament in 2015, marking it as a national day of com- memoration. The billwas sponsored by SenatorNgo, who is sitting with us in the House today.

According to the United Nations High Commi ssion for Refugees, deteriorating living conditions and human rights abuses suffered by individuals after the fall of Saigon con- tributed to an exodus of approximately 840,000 Vietnamese people to neighbouring countries in search of safety and freedom. Ithas beenreported by the UN thatatleast250,000 Vietnamese peoplelosttheirlives en route by drowning, ill- ness, starvation, violence, kidnapping and piracy.

I am moved by the members of this resilientcomm unity of Vietnamese boat peopleand theirfamilies,who join us today to mark a key moment in Canada’s and British Columbia’s history.

Forthe firsttime today, the government of British Columbia hosted a comm emorative event at the Legislative Assembly to honour the perilous journey that millions undertook atthe end of the Vietnam War and the acceptance of 60,000 Vietnamese refugees into Canada — the majority by comm unity groups, churches and other organizations — and the incrediblespirit of resilience and the contributions that Vietnamese-Canadian people have made to their comm unities. April 30 is also Ancestors Day in Vietnamese culture, a civilization that has been around for 4,897 years.

The 43 years since the fallof Saigon is a long time in ourlifetimes but merely a drop in the history of Vietnam. It is essential thatallgovernmentsunderstand thatourtime here is short and that what we do with it, especially with respect to the rights of the powerless, will say much about how we are remembered. I look forward — and I know members of the House and 4212 British Columbia Debates Wednesday, April 25, 2018

the governmentdo — to joining with the Vietnamese com- munity every year to recognize their journey to freedom each year on or around April 30. Introduction and First Reading of Bills BILL 28 — PUBLIC INTEREST DISCLOSURE ACT Hon. D. Eby presented a message from His Honour the Administrator: a bill intituled Public Interest Disclosure Act. [1:50 p.m.] Hon. D. Eby: I move the billbe introduced and readafirst time now. I’m pleased to introduce the PublicInterest Disclosure Act. This bill will encourage employees to report serious wrongdoing by protecting them from reprisals associated with such reporting.

Governmentagreed to introducepublic interestdisclosure, also known as whistle-blowerlegislation, as part of accepting the recomm endations of the Ombud- sperson’s report into the 2012 Ministry of Health employ- ment terminations, the Misfire report. The PublicInterest Disclosure Act is based on a review of the best practices from around the world. Ministry of Attorney General staff have consulted extensively with the Officeof the Ombudsperson whiledrafting this act.

Some key aspectsof this act include the ability for employees to report wrongdoing, either internally or externally, to the Ombudsperson and a positive obligation on governmentto advise employees of the protections provided underthis act and how they can report serious wrongdoing. Employees may disclose to the Ombudsperson informa- tion thatwouldotherwise be protected by cabinetprivilege. Employees may disclose to a designated officer or the Ombudsperson information subjectto confidentiality under anotherstatute. However, adisclosercannotshare this infor- mation publicly. Anonym ous disclosure is permitted.

There is a pre- scribed process for publicdisclosure in very limited cir- cumstances. The act protectsdisclosers from reprisal and allows the Om budsperson to m ake recomm endations abouthow to remedy a reprisal. Annualreporting by gov- ernment and the Office of the Om budsman will ensure accountability to the public. In conclusion, the proposed legislation does notcreate a positive obligation on anyone to disclose serious wrongdo- ing. Rather, it provides protections to individuals who dis- close serious wrongdoing to the Ombudsperson or desig- nated officers within government in accordance with this act.

Moreover, the act specifically ensures that it does not take away any existing protections provided to peoplewho disclose wrongdoing under other legislation. Mr. Speaker: The question is first reading of the bill. Motion approved. Hon. D. Eby: I m ove the billbe placed on the orders of the day forsecond reading atthe nextsitting of the House after today. Bill 28, Public Interest Disclosure Act, introduced, read a first time and ordered to be placed on orders of the day for second reading at the next sitting of the House after today. BILL 27 — PILL PRESS AND RELATED EQUIPMENT CONTROL ACT Hon. M.

Farnworth presented a message from Her Honour the Lieutenant-Governor: a bill intituled Pill Press and Related Equipment Control Act. Hon. M. Farnworth:I move that the bill be introduced and read a first time now. I’m pleased to introduceBill27, the PillPress and Related EquipmentControlAct.The proposed PillPress and Related EquipmentControlActis partof a suite of publicsafety ini- tiatives we are working on to address some of the issues of the opioid crisis, which resulted in 1,446 deaths in 2017.

This legislation is intended to help interdictthe illicitsup- ply of counterfeit pills by limiting who can lawfully own a pillpress orotherlike equipment.This follows on the private member’s billthatwe introduced a numberof years ago and also thatthe federalgovernmentintroduced atthe national level. Law enforcementauthorities have identified some sig- nificantloopholesin the federallegislation which this piece of legislation that we are tabling today will plug. I move that the Speaker puts the motion. Mr. Speaker: The question is first reading of the bill. Motion approved. Hon. M.

Farnworth:I move the bill be placed on the orders of the day forsecond reading atthe nextsitting of the House after today. Bill 27, Pill Press and Related Equipment Control Act, introduced, read a first time and ordered to be placed on orders of the day for second reading at the next sitting of the House after today. BILL M214 — ELECTION AMENDMENT ACT, 2018 P. Milobar presented a bill intituled Election Amendment Act, 2018. P.

Milobar: I move that a bill intituled the Election AmendmentAct,2018, of whichnoticehas beengivenin my name on the orderpaper, be introduced and now readforthe Wednesday, April 25, 2018 British Columbia Debates 4213

first time. This billis in keeping with the spiritof legislation intro- duced firstin the summ erand then again in the fallwhich was meantto ensure thatthere is no undue influenceorper- ceived undueinfluencefrom corporate and union entitieson our provincial political parties. This billprohibitsany politicalparty thatis receiving pub- lictax dollars for per-vote subsidies or publictax dollars for election reimbursement costs from having positions reserved for union or corporate entities on party-elected or -appointed commi ttees or boards.

This prohibition will ensure thatentitiesthatare banned from donating money to politicalpartieswillnothave undueinfluencethrough guar- anteed positions of power or decision-making roles. [1:55 p.m.] Mr. Speaker: The question is first reading of the bill. Motion approved. P. Milobar: I move thatthe billbe placed on the orders of the day for second reading atthe nextsitting of the House after today. Bill M214, Election Amendment Act, 2018, introduced, read a first time and ordered to be placed on orders of the day for second reading at the next sitting of the House after today.

Statements (Standing Order 25B) GENDER VIOLENCE AND VIGIL FOR ASIFA BANO R. Singh: Statistics show that genderviolence is one of the most comm on forms of human rightsviolations in the world, often occurring during times of crisis and conflict. Today I wantto talk aboutone such event.The victim in this case, eight-year-oldAsifaBano, was raped and murdered in the Indian provinceof Jamm u and Kashmirby religious big- ots.As is often the case with gendered violence, the perpet- rators used this youngchild’s body as aweapon, with the aim of intimidating her comm unity.

Being amotherof aten-year-olddaughter, I’m completely shocked. So are my constituents. On Thursday, April 19, hundreds of peopleattended a vigilfor Asifa,organized by Global Girl Power at Holland Park, in Surrey. The Mamta Foundation, an organization that tries to help abandoned girls in India, displayed posters of Asifaduring the Vaisakhi paradein Surrey lastSaturday. On Monday, April3, Alameen Post also organized an event for Asifa. It’s time we allstand up againstgenderviolence. Canada has itslong history of violence and abuse, particularly as it pertains to Indigenous women and children.

As Canadians, we have a moral responsibility to deter that violence and continue to investin truth and reconciliation efforts.This is a challenging conversation butone thatneeds to happen in orderto putan end to this type of injustice. We also need to encourage othernations to dothe same and rally togetherto find justice for Asifa. INTERNATIONAL GUIDE DOG DAY L. Reid: I’m dedicating my remarks today to Cory and Piper in the gallery. Today, April25, is InternationalGuideDogDay. We rec- ognizethis day because of the differenceguidedogsmake to those who are blind or visually impaired.

Highly trained guide dogs provide independent, safe mobility. Under the direction of their handler, these phe- nomenal dogs safely guide their partner on a daily basis around obstacles;through busy trafficintersections; up and down stairs, escalators and elevators; through doors; and on publictransit.Guidedogsassistblind and visually impaired citizens to fully participate, on theirown terms, in theirown comm unities and further afield. Internationally there are 94 charitablememberorganiza- tions of the InternationalGuideDogFederation, supporting 21,000 working guidedogteams.

We are fortunate in Brit- ish Columbia to have one of these members — the British Columbia Guide Dogs, established in 1996. Today on InternationalGuideDogDay, we recognize the professionalstaff, dedicated volunteers and, of course, guide dogsand the difference they allmake to blind and visually impaired guide dog users in British Columbia. B.C. and AlbertaGuideDogsis afully accredited member of the InternationalGuideDogFederation, AssistanceDogs International since 2008 and the Canadian Association of Guideand AssistanceDogSchools since2004.

They provide guide dogs to blind and visually impaired individuals 14 years and olderand autism support dogsfor children with profound autism, ages three to ten years. Ourdogsgive the partners increased safety, independence and confidence. Clientspay a symbolic$1 for the dogand training in lifelong care and aftercare. However, ittakes two years and costsus $35,000 to breed, raise and train a guide dog for an autism support dog. We were founded in 1996 and then expanded into Alberta in 2002.

Autism Support Dogs was founded in 2008 to provide professionally trained guide dogs to residents of British Columbia and Alberta. We hope to see you allon May 12 for the Ties and Tails event. If you can offer any assistance to B.C. and Alberta Guide Dogs, please give us a call at 604-940-4504. WILDFIRE RECOVERY AND ROLE OF CANADIAN RED CROSS J. Rice: Formore than 20 years, Al, 86, hadbuilthis life in the comm unity of Boston Flats,a mobilehome park outside of Ashcroft.He spenthis days visiting with neighbours and restoring antique furniture in his backyard shop.

However, 4214 British Columbia Debates Wednesday, April 25, 2018

the life he knew changed in an instant aftera wildfire des- troyed nearly all 49 homes in the park last summ er. “I lost everything — my house, my shop, my tools, everything,” Alsays. “In thatmoment,I really couldn’tsee a future.” [2:00 p.m.] Al was several hours away from Boston Flats when he heard about the evacuation order.

Instead of returning home, he found himselfatan emergency reception centre in Kam loops, where emergency support servicesand the Red Cross were helping evacuees with a placeto sleep, food and comfort. “The Red Cross gave me everything I needed in that moment,” he recalls. “The lightatthe end of the tunnelwill stay on thanks to the good people who have helped.” Some British Columbians are stillreeling and comm unit- ies are still recovering from the devastating effects of last summ er’s extraordinary flood and wildfire season.

As we prepare forthe spring snowpack meltand the wild- fire risk thatfollows, it’s importantto recognize the critical role our publicsafety partners play in these events. The Canadian Red Cross is one such partner. As an auxiliary to government, the Red Cross stood shoulderto shoulder with emergency management B.C., along with comm unity partners and firstresponders, to supportBritish Columbians during the devastating floods and fires of lastseason.

Over the last year, the Red Cross has provided more than 5,000 peoplewith emotionalsupports,connected more than 1,000 familieswith comm unity mental health services and con- ducted more than 160 outreach visitsto ruraland Indigen- ous comm unities. Disasters can strike any time, any where. Together with the Red Cross and ourotherpublicsafety partners, we are commi tted to helping British Columbians affected by emer- genciesand disasters. You can visitredcross.caif you wantto get involved. MARC-ANDRÉ LECLERC L.

Throness:I rise to pay tribute to a remarkablemoun- taineerwho madean indeliblemark on the worldbefore he was taken away too early at the age of 25. Marc-André Leclerc grew up in Agassiz, in my riding. From childhood, he displayed apassion and ability to climb. For him, the mental and physical challenge of a vertical rock face in blasting snow and cold was irresistible, and he approached itwith greatenergy, heedless of danger. For example, he scaled three differentroutes to the top of Mount Slesse, near Chilliwack — one of the mostdifficultpeaks in Canada — without ropes, in a single day.

He loved to climb alone in placeswhere there was no room for error. At 21, he soloed the grand wall of the Stawamus Chief in Squamish in a record 58 minutes. The Globe and Mail called him “one of the mostdaring and skil- fulmountain climbers thatCanada has everproduced.” He quickly became afull-time, sponsored climberand ascended hundreds of peaks alloverthe world, including the forbid- dingPatagonian spiresof Argentina,and became worldfam- ous for it. Almost as notableas his skill, courage and stamina was the impact of his personality.

He was a generous, humble and unassuming man, celebrating the successes of others as much as his own. He loved to speak Spanish. He loved anim- als. He cherished time spentwith his girlfriend, an amazing fellow climber, Brette Harrington. Marc-André posted his lastphotograph aftersummi ting a new route up the north wall of the m ain tower of the seven Mendenhall Towers near Juno, Alaska, in the dead of winter. He and his partnerwere caughtin bad weather. Although theirclimbing ropes were found justafew weeks ago, they liein state in the alpine environmentthatMarc- André loved.

But his exploits will live on to becom e the stuff of Canadian legend. The condolences of this House go to Brette Harrington; his father, Serge; his mother, MichelleKuipers; his sister, Bri- gid-Anne Dunning; and his brother, Elijah. BLACK SETTLER HERITAGE DAY L. Krog: Thanks to the hard work of a distinguished Brit- ish Columbian, my constituentPaulWinn,and the signature of another distinguished British Columbian who just recently retired, Her Honour the Lieutenant-Governor Judith Guichon, today is proclaimed Black SettlerHeritage Day in British Columbia — April 25.

It marks the 160th anniversary of the arrivalof the firstblack settlers in British Columbia. Many British Columbians know that our governor Sir James Douglas was the product of a marriage of a Scottish male and a black female, which gives British Columbia a uniqueplacein history.

GovernorDouglas, being concerned about the possibility of an American takeover, dispatched Capt.Jeremiah Nagle, on the good ship Commodore, to go to San Francisco. [2:05 p.m.] On April14, 1858, the black comm unity gathered in Zion Church to listen to the good captain, whose orders from Governor Douglas were to persuade black Americans to come north and help colonize the British territories in Brit- ish Columbia. That meeting concluded with a decision to send 35 members of that comm unity north with Captain Nagle, on the Commodore, to have a look at Victoria. Whatthey saw was a bitof a promised land.

They saw a placewhere blacks wouldenjoy the same rightsas whites. They also saw cheap land. The irony here is notloston this chamber. The land was cheap because it had been taken from another exploited peoples,the Indigenous peoplesof this province. Nevertheless, 800 signed up and headed north eventually, thus establishing a significant black comm unity in British Columbia,many of whom ended up living on Salt- spring Island, some of whom became leading citizens in the city of Victoria. Wednesday, April 25, 2018 British Columbia Debates 4215

I comm end to any members who are interested to reada book called Go Do Some Great Thing: The Black Pioneers of British Columbia, written by Crawford Kilian. I firstread it 40 years ago. It’s still a wonderful history. Today we recog- nize anotherfascinating aspectof British Columbia’s history in the arrival of blacks in B.C. CREATIVE INDUSTRIES WEEK R. Sultan: It’s Creative IndustriesWeek — 90,000 persons generatingabout$5 billion of GDP, amajoreconomic driver. Whatis itexactly? Well, abouttwo-thirds of ourcreative sec- tor is film, employing 60,000. Letme repeat that number: employing 60,000.

We are now North America’s third- ranked motion picture hub, and ourvisualeffectsclusteris the world’s largest. Nextis interactive and digitalmedia, with 16,000 persons working in more than 500 companies on cutting-edge aug- mented reality and virtualreality. Aboutone-quarterthe size of film, it grew about 20 percent since 2015. Nextis music.We are the third-ranked production centre in Canada, with almost 1,200 performing artistsand 6,400 musicians, singers and conductors tied into 282 companies and 160 recording studios. Who would have known it?

The fourth legof ourcreative industry is book publishing and magazines — 3,000 employees and employmentgrowth of 4 percent since 2016. We have famous writers, such as Douglas Coupland — writer, artist, social comm entator, authorof Generation X and somebody you mightbump into down at Ambleside Beach. Fourcreative sectors, significantin oureconomy, vitalin ourbeing, important,allof them growing, partly because we help them. We hope the government continues to nurture them as we have in the past. Oral Questions REAL ESTATE SPECULATION TAX A.

Wilkinson: We’re seeing the fruits of the Premier’s aggressive tax increases. British Columbia is becoming an uncertain place to do business. Under pressure from the official opposition and com- munities,the FinanceMinisterbacked off some of herspec- ulation tax and reduced the scope of it,the amountof itand the geography. But now we see the results. A partial list. LedMac has postponed $250 million in development in Kelowna. Macdonald Development has decided thatitwillcancel600 homesin Langford and anoth- er project in Kelowna, for a total of $500 million.

And $200 million in projectsin Victoria and New Westminster are being cancelled or delayed by BelmontProperties. That includes260 rentalunitshere in Victoria. Finally, Westcorp has put a project worth $230 million at risk in Kelowna. That’s over$1 billion of shrinkage in the British Columbia economy in less than nine weeks, allbecause of the Finance Minister’s aggressive tax agenda and the Premier’s inability to admitan errorand back off on the speculation tax.

In the faceof this embarrassment,willthe Premierinstructhis cab- inetand his FinanceMinisterto exemptcomm unitiesasking to be relieved of this excessive tax burden? [2:10 p.m.] Hon. C. James: Thank you to the memberfor the ques- tion. I have to startwithwhy we’re in this situation in the first place. We’re in this situation because we have ahousingcrisis and because the othersiderefused to address itforyears and years and years.

And whatis the result?The resultis families can’tfind placesto live in the comm unitiesthatthey work in, whetherwe’re talking aboutteachers orfirefighters, whether we’re talking about city workers or nurses. These are individuals who have been struggling to find affordablehousing who aren’t ableto find it. We have not only a responsibility. We have an obligation to the peopleof British Columbia to address the biggest issue facing them, which is the housing crisis. We are acting, and we are going to continue to act on their behalf. Mr. Speaker: The Leaderof the OfficialOpposition on a supplemental. A.

Wilkinson: This is a defining m om ent for this gov- ernment— when the Finance Ministerstands up and says she is working on her affordability agenda to create m ore housing. The total is 1,110 housing units cancelled, that willnotproceed. So the Finance Ministerhas justm adea bit of a fool of herself. When will the Finance Minister admit that this tax has been a failure? The comm unities asking for exemption, including Kelowna, West Kelowna, Sooke, Nanaimo, Saanich and even the Premier’s own comm unity of Lang- ford….

When willshe listen to them and exemptthem from this tax before more jobs are destroyed and more housing units disappear? Hon. C. James: I will tell the memberon the otherside and allthe members on the othersidethatI am alwaysproud to stand up for British Columbians and address the worst crisis they are facing. We wentthrough an election campaign where the biggest issue raised was housing affordability. This sideof the House said we were going to stand up for British Columbians. We said we were going to begin to address thatcrisis, and that’s exactly what we are doing.

Now, I recognizethatthere are peoplewho have benefited from the speculation in the market.I recognize that there are people who don’t want things to change because they have done very well. Butwe are standing up forthe families of British Columbia, the businesses of British Columbia, the peoplewho have been struggling with affordablehousing, with recruiting and retaining employees, and we willcontin- ue to do so. 4216 British Columbia Debates Wednesday, April 25, 2018

Mr. Speaker: The Leaderof the OfficialOpposition on a second supplemental. A. Wilkinson: It’s becoming clear thatthis Finance Min- isteris happy to continue blundering around in the market- place, destroying jobs and wiping outhousing unitsbecause of her commi tment to the speculation tax. The Premier said on April 5: “I think a mature and responsible government looks around.

They implement policy, and they gauge what the consequences of those policiesare.” Well, Premier, the consequencesare: over1,000 housing unitsare disappearing, over$1 billion of shrinkage in the economy because of the pigheaded approach of the Finance Ministerin insisting on proceeding with a tax that doesn’twork. She shrunk itonce. When willshe shrink itto be completely disappeared? Hon. J.

Horgan: I think if the Leaderof the Opposition is introducing himself to British Columbians, he’s on the wrong track by name-calling and drawing into question the integrity of the peopleanywhere on this sideof the House or on that side of the House. I will say this. The member talked about taxation. Well, we have eliminated halfof the MSP premium increases that thatgovernmentbroughtin over16 years. We’re doing away with the PST on electricity forlarge companiesand modest- sized companiesso they can getabitof abreak after70 per- centhydro rate increases on the watch of the governmenton the otherside.

We’re taking steps in this House to make sure thatICBC costsdon’trun completely outof control, which is whatthey wouldhave done if they hadbeen elected on May 9. Thank goodness they weren’t. B. Stewart:Even Tom Davidoff, the academicarchitectof this tax, thinks the governmentshould“justletmunicipalit- ies opt in or out.” [2:15 p.m.] I have a letter from a local Kelowna design company that reads: “In the last two m onths, I have had 12 clients cease theirplans.

This equates to an estimated $20 million to $25 million out of my small firm in construction, in jobs, etc.” To the minister, willshe grantan exemption to the com- munities that are demanding out of her tax? Hon. C. James: We introduced the principlesof this tax in the budgetin February. We took the opportunity to listen to British Columbians. We have finalized the details of this tax.The reason we are taking alook atthe comm unitiesthat we are looking at is because of the severe unaffordability in those comm unities. Kelowna, severely unaffordable.

The internationalhousing affordability survey has found Kelow- nahas a0.2 percentvacancy rate. In Nanaimo, vacancy rates were 1.6 percent.Langford has avacancy rate of zero percent for homes with three bedrooms or more. We are going to address the issue of housing affordability for British Columbia familiesin the areas where it is most difficult to find affordable housing. That’s good for those families, and that’s good for the economy in British Columbia. Mr. Speaker: The memberforKelownaWeston asupple- mental. B. Stewart: Well, I beg to differ.

What is happening in these comm unities….I can speak fortwo of them thatI rep- resent. There are hundreds and hundreds of jobs that are being putatrisk and, actually, peoplethatare intending to look for housing that are basically being taken out of the opportunity for jobs. One of these projectsis over300 jobs atrisk in the comm unity, and more projectsare being can- celled every day. I have another letter from a local builder: “We have already been forced to indefinitely postpone the develop- ment of a townhouse project.

This impacts hundreds of employeesand is adirectresultof the concern and fearof the unknown of this undefined speculation tax.” The minister defines these employees and construction workers as speculators and the 1 percent. These are real people, and they are hurting. How is she going to help them? Hon. C. James: We are helping those individuals and those workers and those businesses by making sure that there is affordablehousing in comm unitiesthatthey work in so they can actually afford to live in those comm unities. I’d like to read some comm ents.

Gerard from Kelowna says: “If someone can afford two houses and uses one in Kelowna just a few weeks of the year and leaves the house empty forthe rest,then they shouldpay the speculation tax. That home couldotherwise be occupied by young couples that live and work here but are forced out of the market.” We are going to address affordablehousing. The public has said clearly it’s the biggestissue they face. We brought forward a 30-point, comprehensive housing plan that we willcontinue to m onitor overthis nextyear. We willwork on behalfof British Columbians, as we commi tted to dur- ing the election.

RESOURCE INDUSTRIES AND TECHNOLOGY SECTOR A. Weaver: British Columbia is blessed with a wealth of natural resources, and many comm unities rely on these resources for their livelihoods. But British Columbia will never compete head to head in digging dirt out of the ground with other jurisdictions that don’t internalize the socialand environmentalexternalities thatare so important to us. We have to be smarter, more efficientand innovative. In doing so, we’re not only able to sell our resources, but we’re also able to sell the knowledge and value-added products that arise from them.

Ratherthan adopting a race-for-the-bottom approach to Wednesday, April 25, 2018 British Columbia Debates 4217

deregulation, we have an incredibleopportunity here in Brit- ish Columbia to integrate ourtech sectorand ourextractive resourceindustries.B.C.-based companieslike MineSense, a company that creates digital mining technology, exemplify such innovation. To the Ministerof Jobs, Tradeand Technology. Partnering our resource industries with B.C. innovation is an easy choicewith obvious returns. Whatis this ministerdoing to encourage these partnerships? Hon. B. Ralston: I share the member’s optimism about the power of technological discovery and innovation to transform very traditionalresourceindustries.

In fact,that’s whatwe’re doing by appointing the innovation commi ssion- er and expanding the mandate of Innovate B.C. to support emerging technologies that will assist in transforming our resource industries. [2:20 p.m.] MineSense is a very good example that illustrates the point,I think, extremely effectively. MineSense is acompany whichwon an award as one of the world’s top-100 new clean- tech companies. What it does is…. It’s a technology which assistsin sorting mining ore through asensorsystem, which makes the process more efficient and therefore more prof- itable.

It also reducesthe use of water, reagents and other aspectsof the mining process, and itreducesCO2 emissions, therefore making the entire process more energy-efficient and, in effect, greener. That’s the kind of transformation that’s coming about in the sector, and that’s whatthe innovation commi ssionerand the innovation commi ssion are setting outto continue and to enhance, building future prosperity here in British Columbia. Mr. Speaker: The Leaderof the Third Party on a supple- mental. A. Weaver: Forfartoo long, governmenthas ignored the potentialfor innovation within the resource sector.

A race- for-the-bottom approach to resourceextraction may benefit a few corporate elite, butit’s notin the bestinterestof com- munitiesacross ourprovincestruggling to attractand retain well-paying, long-term j obs. It’s notjustourraw resourcesthatcan be profitablein the globalmarkets;it’s ourinnovation too. Rimex, for example, is a B.C-based company that designs and manufactures innovative, cutting-edge industrialtires. Theirproductsare efficientand reducerisk, and they’re also aprime exampleof B.C. innovation that’s gone global.

The manufacturing base and corporate headquarters for Rimex are both located in the LowerMainland, and there are over200 Rimex employ- ees in the province of British Columbia. My question to the Ministerof Jobs, Tradeand Techno- logy is this: whatis the ministerdoingto fosterthe growth of B.C. mining sector innovation in this global marketplace? Hon. B. Ralston: Again, I thank the memberforthe ques- tion.

The government, the Minister of Energy and Mines, has appointed a mining task force, and those issues thatthe memberraises are precisely some of the issuesthatthattask force willraise — how to integrate British Columbia’s lead- ing innovation and technology sector with the traditional resourceindustriesin orderto make sure thatthey can com- pete globally.

Anotherexampleof a B.C. company thatis transforming the mining sectoris LlamaZOO, which by using dataanalyt- ics and visualization technology, enablesthose proposing a mine to create a digitaldoubleof the mine and to plan the extraction of the ore in a more efficient way. That techno- logy has attracted wideinterestin the miningsector, and that company is, understandably, doing very well.

That’s just one exampleof what innovation and the sup- portthat’s given to itby the governmentof British Columbia willdo to transform the mining sectorand enableitto con- tinue to be a world-leading sector here in British Columbia. REAL ESTATE SPECULATION TAX L. Throness: Well, 25 years ago Brian from Chilliwack boughta littlecabin in the nearby hills close to RyderLake. Bigmistake. RyderLake is stillsubjectto the so-called spec- ulation tax. Now, Brian is nota rich man. He’s nota speculator. He’s just a grandpa who wantsto entertain his grandkids at his family cabin.

Why is the FinanceMinisterstilltargeting Bri- an with her cabin tax? Hon. C. James: More than 99 percentof British Columbi- ans willnotpay the speculation tax. We’re targeting the tax to large urban centres with the mostserious housing crisis. Forpeoplewho doown two houses thatare in the areas that are targeted for the speculation tax, the first $400,000 will notbe taxed. So again, formostpeoplewho have smallcab- ins thatare family cabins, they are wellbelow the $400,000. They do not pay tax on that.

The otherresources willhelp us with affordablehousing forfamiliesin British Columbia, which they have long been calling for in this province. Mr. Speaker: The memberforChilliwack-Kenton a sup- plemental. L. Throness:This is notaspeculation tax;itis an assettax on ordinary people. Despite herchanges, the ministeris still taxing family cabins. Now, the minister’s on-line ads claim thatshe’s targeting the 1 percent.Is the ministersaying thatBrian is partof the 1 percentand thatordinary peoplelike him who own cabins are responsible for increasing housing prices? [2:25 p.m.] Hon. C.

James: The othersidejustneeds to take alook in 4218 British Columbia Debates Wednesday, April 25, 2018

amirrorto know who is responsibleforthe housingcrisis we see in British Columbia. British Columbians know we were leftwith a crisis. Are we going to be ableto fix it overnight? No, we aren’t. But it’s why we took the time this fallto puttogethera 30-point plan, a housing plan that is 30 pointsmore than the other side has ever imagined, bringing more into this province. BUDGET REVENUE PROJECTIONS AND REAL ESTATE SPECULATION TAX S.

Bond: After causing concern and outrage across the province with a half-baked cabin tax — and by the way, the FinanceMinisterdidnottellBritish Columbians during the election campaign thatif they owned a cabin, they’d be captured by a speculation tax — this ministercaved in and introduced anotherversion of the speculation tax.Butitstill doesn’tfocus on speculators, and comm unities remain con- cerned and confused. Adding to the confusion is the refusalof this ministerto update herrevenue projections as she tries to fix herblun- der. A simple question to the minister. The tax has been amended.

What is the revised revenue forecast? Hon. C. James: I wouldfirstsay to the memberthattaking the time to listen to British Columbians, to be ableto refine the tax, to do the consultation thatwe said wouldoccuron the specificsand the implementation is exactly whatBritish Columbians want and what they didn’t getfrom the other side when it came to talking to British Columbians. Again, we were very cautious in ourbudgetnumbers. We were clearaboutthat.I certainly hope thatpeoplewho have two or three or four extrahouses put them on the rental marketso thatpeoplecan find affordableplacesto live. That would be success.

Mr. Speaker: The memberforPrinceGeorge–Valemount on a supplemental. S. Bond: This ministeris creating tax policy by trialand error, with no clarity and no details. The reason that she needed to listen to British Columbians was because there was such an outcry when British Columbians who own a cabin found out they were captured in the speculation tax. Let’s go back to the question. Interjections. Mr. Speaker: Members, if we may hear the question. S. Bond:Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Let’s go back to the question. The minister forecast $487 million in revenue. That’s a numbers question.

Now she has reversed herself on major elementsof the tax. She reduced the coverage area, she reduced the rate for British Columbians, and she reduced the rate for Canadians. How can the minister possibly stand up and claim that the revenue projections thatshe projected are stillaccurate? Today will this minister provide British Columbians with accurate, revised revenue numbers? Hon. C. James: As I said on budgetday, as I said on the day we came outwith the specificsaround the tax, as I will continue to say to the member, we are very conservative in ourbudgetnumbers.

We were conservative when we putthe numbers into the budget.We were very cautious in the num- bers we have in here. There is no change in the numbers. As I said earlier, 99 percentof British Columbians willnot pay the speculation tax. Now, the members may be upset about that. They may be upset that not more people are impacted so they can bring forward issues. We are address- ing affordablehousing forBritish Columbians and willcon- tinue to do so. REAL ESTATE SPECULATION TAX R.

Sultan: As every week goes by, the groundswell of opposition to the so-called speculation tax intensifies.Brit- ish Columbians aren’tgetting the speculation tax they were sold, and people are upset. I was troubled by the response to their concerns. The member for North Vancouver–Lonsdale scoffed at those who opposed the speculation tax with a mostdisrespectful tweet:“If you’re notpissing off somebody, you’re notdoing anything important.” [2:30 p.m.] A question for the Ministerof Housing. Does she share the sam e opinion as her parliam entary secretary?

Does she, too, feelit’s important— to use the words of the m em- ber — to be “pissing off” British Columbians with these half-baked taxes? Hon. C. James: What the people of British Columbia are seeing is a government,on this side of the House, that is addressing the housing crisis in this province — finally, after 16 years. Perhaps that member would like to hear from Peter, a father and a homeowner in West Vancouver. He writes in his supportof the B.C. speculation tax. He says: “There are many empty homes, and homes with satellite families,in WestVancouver.

They contribute littleto ourprovince and socialservices.Forthose of us who live here, itis infuriating. I support the speculation tax.” Thatis one British Columbian of many who wantaction, who are looking for a governmentto do that,and they are getting that. Mr. Speaker: The memberforWestVancouver–Capilano on a supplemental. R. Sultan: Clearly, the minister is not reading my email flow. Wednesday, April 25, 2018 British Columbia Debates 4219

Thousands of British Columbians will be very interested in hearing how this government dismisses legitimate con- cerns. The member’s tweetis a directinsultto the chambers of comm erce, the boards of tradeand the growing list of municipalities that are seeking exemption from the tax. Again to the Ministerof Housing, willshe clearly repudi- ate the comm ents made by her parliamentary secretary? Hon. C. James: The othersidehad16 years to address the housing affordability crisis. I understand they’re frustrated thatthey didn’tdo anything to try and make itmore afford- able for families.

We hadbusinesses who approached us to say: “If we don’t address the housing affordability crisis, we are not ableto recruitemployees. We are notableto retain employees.” We have peoplewho are leaving this province. You hadthe seni- ors advocate lastweek saying thatno longeris itsimply fam- iliesand individuals. It’s grandmas and grandpas who are at risk of homelessness because of the affordability crisis. It’s seniors who are in this situation. That is unconscionable. We as a government have a responsibility to act,and thatis exactly whatwe are going to do.

TOURISM INDUSTRY AND MUNICIPAL AND REGIONAL DISTRICT TAX PROGRAM N. Letnick: For30 years now, the municipaland regional district tax program has provided vital funding for local tourism marketing efforts.Tourism organizations across the province are deeply concerned with this government’s plan to divertmoney from tourism to a half-baked housing tax. There was zero consultation before they were blindsided by this proposal. My question is to the Ministerof Finance. Can she explain why she’s taking vitaldollars away from tourism-dependent comm unities through her half-baked scheme? Hon. C.

James: The memberis completely wrong on the question. Whatwe are doing, through the MRDT, otherwise known as the hotel tax, is enabling municipalities and the tourism industry, if they wish, to use some of the MRDT resources to be ableto provide for housing. It’s a tool that municipalities have expressed an interest in. I’llgive you the exampleof Tofino. It’s a comm unity that has troublefinding housing fortheiremployees who work in the tourism industry. So it has a direct link to the tourism industry. It is entirely up to municipalities and tourism organiza- tions.

You have many comm unities, such as Victoria, that have already said they don’thave an interestin that.They’re using the money in other ways. That is their choice as a municipality. Mr. Speaker: The memberforKelowna–Lake Country on a supplemental. N. Letnick: The ministerintroduced this change without any idea of whatimpactitwouldhave to the tourism sector. She nevereven consulted with them, I understand. Hoteliers are now saying thatthey may pulloutof this program alto- gether, aprogram thatthey started, which means less money forthe tourism sectororanything else. This is anotherlose- lose NDP tax blunder.

Again to the minister, willshe commi ttoday to leavingthe intentof this program the way thatitalways has been? That is to support tourism m arketing. [2:35 p.m.] Hon. C. James: I’ll say again that municipalities and tourism operators can do exactly what they are doing today. Thatis exactly theiropportunity. They can continue doing what they are doing today. But if they have a con- versation together and they com e up with a solution and decidethatthey wantto utilizesom e of those resourcesfor housing, because that’llsupportthe tourism industry, they are allowed to do that as well.

I’m not sure why the other side would think solving a problemtogetheris aproblem.Only thatsidecouldcome up with that as a problem. It’s a solution, if they want to take it. YOUTH OVERDOSE DEATHS AND SAFE CARE ACT J. Thornthwaite: My questions are for the Minister of MentalHealth and Addictions. Lastyearthere were 23 illi- citdrug overdose deaths am ongstchildren aged 10 to 18. There have been a further three deaths so far this year. The Safe Care Act was introduced this February. Rather than yetanotherreview, why notbring this billforward for debate today? Hon. J. Darcy: Thank you to the memberforherquestion.

The member may know that as soon as we heard of the death of Elliot from Oak Bay, a 16-year-old student, my officereached outto his family. I metwith the parentsjust today, just an hour ago. I want to begin by acknowledging their pain and their suffering and the heartbreak. As a parent,or anyone in this Legislature, I don’tthink we can imagine anythingmore dev- astating than the loss of achild. I wantto really admire their courage in speaking outin orderto try and help preventtra- gedies in the future. Nothing is more importantto this government,nothing is more importantto ourministry, than the safety of ourkids.

Thatis why ourministry was created. Itis why acentralpart of my mandate is to develop aplan forchildand youth men- tal health, which includes addressing addictions and over- doses amongstouryoung people. As partof developing that plan, we willbe looking atallof the potentialpiecesof legis- lation and all of the policies that potentially affect this issue. We will also be listening to the health professionals and the expertson the frontline. Island Health is conducting a 4220 British Columbia Debates Wednesday, April 25, 2018

review of any interaction that Elliot or his family had with the health care system to see if they have recomm endations for changes. The coroner’s report will be making a recom- mendation. We are listeningvery carefully to families.We’llbe review- ing allof the policiesand allof the actions, and we willbe acting in order to ensure that children are safe. Mr. Speaker: North Vancouver–Seymour on a supple- mental. J. Thornthwaite: Brenda Doherty said: “My daughterwas released prematurely from the hospitaland overdosed a day and a half later.

If there had been legislation like the Safe Care Act in place, her death could have been avoided.” Again my question is to the minister. In the interest of helping children with substanceuse issues,willthe minister bring the private member’s bill entitled the Safe Care Act, where allof the work has already been done, to the floorfor debate today? Hon. J. Darcy: Thank you, again, to the memberfor her question.

As the memberalso knows, I metwith Steffanie’s parents, from Squamish, and they expressed their views aboutthe Safe Care Act.They also spoke to me, as didElliot’s parentstoday at noon, and they shared with me, in heart- breaking detail, theirperception, theirexperiences, of how the system failed theirchildren in many differentways. They shared with me the tragedy of the loss, butthey also shared with me their children’s journey through the system and their family’s journey through the system. Steffanie’s parentstalked aboutfragmentation in the sys- tem. They talked aboutgaps in the system.

They talked about going to one door and then itclosing in theirface, going to another door and it being closed in theirface. Elliot’s par- ents,atnoon today, talked aboutthe same thing — abouthis care being fragmented, about the gaps, about the lack of a withdrawal management plan when he was released. [2:40 p.m.] This is a complexissue. Anyone who works in the fieldof addictions knows this is a very complexissue.

There is not one singlesolution, and that’s why we are lookingatthe wide range of servicesand supportsand programs and legislation and policy to support children at risk of overdose. [End of question period.] Hon. M. Farnworth:I seek leave to move two motions to appointcommi ttees. I have shared the textof those motions with the opposition. Leave granted. Motions Without Notice APPOINTMENT OF SPECIAL COMMITTEE TO APPOINT A REPRESENTATIVE FOR CHILDREN AND YOUTH Hon. M.

Farnworth:I move: [That a SpecialCommi ttee be appointed to select and unanimously recomm end to the Legislative Assembly the appointment of a Representative for Children and Youth, pursuantto

section 2 of the Representative for Children and Youth Act, S.B.C. 2006, c. 29. The saidSpecialCommi ttee shallhave the powers of aSelectStanding Commi ttee and in addition is empowered: (

a) to appoint of theirnumber one or more subcommi ttees and to referto such subcommi ttees any of the matters referred to the commi ttee; (

b) to sitduring aperiod in which the House is adjourned, during the recess after prorogation until the nextfollowing Session and during any sitting of the House; (

c) to adjourn from p lace to place as may be convenient; and (

d) to retain personnel as required to assist the commi ttee; and shall report to the House as soon as possible, or following any adjournment, or at the nextfollowing Session, as the case may be; to depositthe originalof itsreportswith the Clerk of the Legislative Assembly during a period of adjournmentand upon resumption of the sittings of the House, the Chair shall present all reportsto the Legislative Assembly. The said Special Commi ttee is to be composed of the following Members: Nicholas Simons (Convener), Anne Kang, Linda Reid, Stephanie Cadieux and Sonia Furstenau.] Motion approved.

APPOINTMENT OF SPECIAL COMMITTEE TO APPOINT A POLICE COMPLAINT COMMISSIONER Hon. M. Farnworth:I move: [That a SpecialCommi ttee be appointed to select and unanimously recomm end to the Legislative Assembly the appointmentof a Police Complaint Commi ssioner, pursuant to

section 47 of the Police Act [RSBC 1996] c.367 The saidSpecialCommi ttee shallhave the powers of aSelectStanding Commi ttee and in addition is empowered: (

a) to appoint of theirnumber one or more subcommi ttees and to referto such subcommi ttees any of the matters referred to the commi ttee; (

b) to sitduring aperiod in which the House is adjourned, during the recess after prorogation until the nextfollowing Session and during any sitting of the House; (

c) to adjourn from p lace to place as may be convenient; and (

d) to retain personnel as required to assist the commi ttee; and shall report to the House as soon as possible, or following any adjournment, or at the nextfollowing Session, as the case may be; to depositthe originalof itsreportswith the Clerk of the Legislative Assembly during a period of adjournmentand upon resumption of the sittings of the House, the Chair shall present all reportsto the Legislative Assembly. The said Special Commi ttee is to be composed of the following Members: Rachna Singh (Convener), Garry Begg, Rich Coleman, Mike Morris and Sonia Furstenau.] Wednesday, April 25, 2018 British Columbia Debates 4221

Leave granted. Motion approved. Orders of the Day Hon. M. Farnworth:In this chamber, I callCommi ttee of the Whole, Bill15, Energy, Mines and PetroleumResources Statutes AmendmentAct.In Commi ttee A, I callcontinued debate on the estimates for child care, minister of state. Petitions B. Stewart:I rise today to presentapetition. This petition is called “scrap the speculation tax” and has, to date, acquired and assembled over 17,000 signatures on it, and more are signing each and every day.

My constituency office alone has received over 749 emails as of this morning protesting this tax, along with copies of another250 letters submitted to the city of WestKelowna. My constituentsand everyone who has signed this petition are urgingthe govern- ment to rethink their controversial speculation tax. [2:45 p.m.] Commi ttee of the Whole House BILL 15 — ENERGY, MINES AND PETROLEUM RESOURCES STATUTES AMENDMENT ACT, 2018 The House in Commi ttee of the Whole (Section

B) on Bill 15; R. Chouhan in the chair. The commi ttee met at 2:46 p.m. On

section 1. Hon. M. Mungall:Before we getstarted, I justwanted to introducemy staff. We have Ines Piccinino, who is the asso- ciate deputy ministerforthe oiland gas division of the min- istry. We have Richard Grieve here, who is the executive dir- ector of regulatory and infrastructure branch. And we have SaraGregory, who is vice-president,legalservicesand regu- latory affairs, with the B.C. Oil and Gas Commi ssion. The Chair: The member for Peace River South. M. Bernier: Thank you, Chair, and thank you to the min- ister and the staff as well.

As we move through this bill, we have some important questions orclarifications on certain areas thatwe wantto be ableto bring forward. Itwillgive the ministeran opportun- ity to give some explanation of certain aspectsof the billas well, and give her an opportunity to clarify some areas. As was mentioned in ourdiscussions earlieryesterday, of course, this is notsomething thatwe see as a billthatwe are goingto be opposing, necessarily, butthere are some clarific- ations thatwe need to make sure thatwe geton the record from the minister. I know thatshe’llindulge me as we move forward through this. In

section 1, specifically, if the minister can start by explaining…. Underthe act,

section 12 — underthe per- mits,I believe — was already in there, and now we’ve added the heritage conservation portion to it. Can the minister maybe explain a littlebitmore aboutwhy that’s being added into the Oil and Gas Activities Act? Hon. M. Mungall:If I understand the member’s question correctly, he’s wondering why we wouldhave eliminated a referenceto

section 12 of the Heritage Conservation Actbut then kind of put it back in. It’s justin terms of making sure thatwe’re gramm atically correct, as we include a reference to

section 14 of the her- itage act— specifically wanting to include the investigation componentof that— so thatwe’re notjustdoinginspections but also doing heritage investigations under the OGC. M. Bernier: The ministerdoesn’thave to worry. We’llhave lotsof time, as we go through this, to allow some flexibility. Hopefully, if there’s clarification on any questions thatI ask, she can just ask that of me. [2:50 p.m.] When we talk aboutthe Heritage Conservation Act,then, can the ministerconfirm whetheror not…?If I remember correctly, before this, especially around permits….

Is this going to allow more opportunity ormore oversight,I guess, from the Oiland Gas Commi ssion by adding these compon- ents within the act? Hon. M. Mungall:As the membermay know, priorto this act— I guess currently, today — FLNRO does the investig- ations and the inspections underthe Heritage Conservation Act. But our Oil and Gas Commi ssion is the concept of a one-stop shop forthe industry. Whatwe wantto dois main- tain thatone-stop shop and move those activities overfrom FLNRO to the Oiland Gas Commi ssion so thatthey’re able to do the investigations and the inspections, as wellas issue the permits. M.

Bernier:

Section 12 — just back to that one for a second — of the Heritage Conservation Act,I believe, gives more authority to the minister, orshe can actually designate authority under

section 12 of that act. Is the intention, then…? Is the minister going to have oversight herself, through herministry? Oris she goingto actually be allowing that oversight specifically to the Oil and Gas Commi ssion under

section 12? Hon. M. Mungall:Itwillbe the Oiland Gas Commi ssion. M. Bernier: Then, if we jump to

section 14 — I’m trying to jump around in my headhere too — of the Heritage Con- 4222 British Columbia Debates Wednesday, April 25, 2018

servation Act,we’re going to give more authority, itsounds like, to the Oiland Gas Commi ssion for the work thatthey need to do. I understand how — as the minister stated, through FLNRO, prior — we want to have that one-stop shop. Thatis important,notonly for business but,I would say, maybe for affected landowners and others as well. I’m justtrying to understand. Underthose authorities, is itgoing to give them more opportunity, then — I’m think- ing, again, thatmostof this activity is up in my partof the province — to do more research before permitsare handed out, to do more consultation under that?

If we’re dealing with the Heritage Conservation Act, is it going to be con- sultation now with comm unities, First Nations, affected landowners? I’m justwondering if this is going to be taken into effectnow and how thatwilleitherexpedite or maybe slow down the process for permits being lent out. Hon. M. Mungall: The intention is to actually expedite the process thatthe memberis asking about.The reason is that right now the OGC does a lot of the actual on-the- ground work. Then they have to feed itback to FLNRO, and you have this administrative back-and-forth.

To expedite, we would be reducing that administrative back-and-forth so that OGC is not only doing the work but they’re responsiblefor the compliance as well, and for ultimately making the decisions and so on. We wouldima- gine that when you keep everything in one agency, rather than having an agency in anotherministry having to oversee everything, we’re actually reducing some of that red tape and, therefore, expediting the type of work that’s being done. [2:55 p.m.] M. Bernier: Can the ministermaybe give some examples, then, of how, by adding

section 14 in, thatwillbroadenthe OGC’s mandate of whatthey can actually review and discuss prior to permitsgoing out? I think we’re very clear on the factthatsection 14, now being added in, willallow thatone- stop shop, but I’m just wanting to geton the record, then, some examplesfrom the ministerof whatshe’s heard orwhat she thinks the OGC willnow be looking atbefore decisions are made. Hon. M.

Mungall: I don’t have a specificexample that wouldwalk the memberthrough the steps, butI think that on the levelof a specificexample, as we’re discovering more and more fossils in the northeast,forexample, this is exactly where this type of work will come into play.

Whatthe OGC willbe doing is thatthey’llbe the ones receiving the application, as opposed to FLNRORD, they will be the ones doing the consultations and the engage- m entwith FirstNations, they’llbe evaluating the plan and issuing the permit, or not, and then they willbe respons- ibleforthe enforcement.So forevery step thatoccurs right now, the OGC will just have 100 percent administrative responsibility for it. M. Bernier: First of all, thank you for that answer and for the highlightof the paleontologicalfinds thatwe have up in my area.

Of course, that’s quite important.We want to be able to work with those finds, with industry, with comm unities and all that. That’s really important. If that helps expedite and give certainty, I wouldsay, to compan- ies when they’re applying for permitsin theirroles,that’s obviously a good thing. [3:00 p.m.] Can the minister letthe House know — as this bill was being drafted up and presented before it came here — whetheritreceived green, yellow orred legaladvicebefore it came to the floor?

Just to clarify, usually before a bill is presented, it has gone through legalscrutiny withinthe Legislature here, with advicegiven back: green, yellow or red. Green being, obvi- ously, that there are no issues the Ministry of Justice sees with this. Yellow means there are warnings thatthere could be some legal challenges. Red is an advice saying: “Please don’tputthis billforward.” It’s up to the ministerand cabinet whether they do anyway. I’m just curious what advice she was given. Hon. M.

Mungall: I was a little bit confused there, because that process is used for the orders-in-council, as opposed to legislation. But if this was an OIC, rather than legislation, it would get a green tag. M. Bernier: Thank you to the minister. A lotof times — in my past life, of course — before legislation was brought forward, asimilarprocess wentthrough.So I appreciate that. Now, before we move on…. I know there’ll be some other questions too. Under

section 1, I think, will be the most appropriate placeto ask this. The Oiland Gas Commi ssion has putout a document— and I know I’m notallowed to use props — a comprehensive liability managementplan, thatI know the minister’s staff around here is aware of. We’ve hadsome dis- cussions. I just want to bring this forward and have a few questions. The reason why I believe it’s relevantis because in this let- ter that they’re putting forward, they quite explicitly refer- encethis proposed billin legislation on some of the changes or ideas that they might be bringing forward. I’m notsure if they have itin frontof them.

Itlooks like they do. So they should be able to follow my questions. Again, atthe very beginning of the second chapter, they’re looking at doing a comprehensive liability management plan, which is really supporting this legislation — some of the changes. I’m just curious. When they look at the prin- ciplesthatthey’re going to putoutin this managementplan, one of the thingsthey wantto look for, one of the principles — and I’llprobably canvass this as we go through the billa littlelateron as well— is having timely reclamation and res- toration of inactive oil and gas sites.

I’m justcurious, from the minister’s thoughts— and what Wednesday, April 25, 2018 British Columbia Debates 4223

kinds of discussions, maybe, with the OGC — whatthe ideas of “timely” mean. Of course, this bill is being brought for- ward, I’m told, because it’s timely, in the sense thatwe have quite a few orphan wells thatwe wantto be ableto look at. Is there going to be discussion and has there been direction or has the Oiland Gas Commi ssion maybe discussed what theirthoughtsare around bringing forward timely reclama- tion and what that would mean? Hon. M. Mungall:The timeline, in terms of whatdefines “timely,” isn’tin this

section of the bill. It’s in anothersection. I wouldrecomm end thatwhen we getthere, we talk about itthen. Rightnow, the information bulletin…. As the mem- berknows, we’re talking aboutlegislation, so we mightwant to keep following

section by section. We’llbe ableto address thatin greaterdetailwhen we getto the

section thatactually looks attime frames and how regulation willbe involved in deciding those time frames. [3:05 p.m.] M. Bernier: Well, thanks to the minister. That’s fair enough. We’re continuing with

section 1, of course. We’re givingmore flexibility and more authority to the Oil and Gas Commi ssion in many aspectsof this bill. One of the ones,then, maybe I’llask — itis also referenced in this letter, butitcouldbe also considered when we look atsections 12 and 14, underthe Heritage Conservation Actcomponent— is the relationship thatthe Oiland Gas Commi ssion, then, will have as they’re going through theirprocess and using this with respect to local First Nations. I don’t see that addressed anywhere within the actual billorthe changes thatthe ministerhas putforward with- in Bill15.

Butwithin this letter, itis quite explicit. Itsays that now all decision-m aking will be considered around UNDRIP. I know it’s som ething that her government has m adesure thatthey’ve talked about— almostevery aspect thatthey’ve broughtforward in this House. I guess how I’ll tie thatinto

section 1 is around the heritage and conserva- tion portion of it. Whatis the Oiland Gas Commi ssion’s rolenow in dealing with local First Nations, encompassing the government’s ideals around theircommi tmentsto UNDRIP, before, after and during permits and applications? Hon. M. Mungall:Government’s obligations to work with FirstNations and the relationship with FirstNations are not governed by any legislation. They’re governed, ultimately, by constitutionalrelationships thatare defined in written con- stitution, as wellas conventions and decisions, often, by the Supreme Courtof Canada.

Ultimately, that’s how those rela- tionships are defined. Thatflows throughoutallgovernment agencies, as well as ministries. In relation, though, to the Heritage Conservation Act and how the OGC will be conducting its requirement to consult with First Nations, again, it follows those direct- ives that com e from a broaderconstitutionality. But it is required for the OGC to consult with First Nations any time they’re issuing a permitthat’s respective of the Herit- age Conservation Act. Thatwork has already been taking place and will continue to. S.

Furstenau: I just want to ask a few more questions about the increase in authority to the Oil and Gas Com- mission and it becoming a one-stop shop. Given some of the challenges we’ve seen with the Oiland Gas Commi ssion in itscapacity to regulate — for example, the severaldozen illegaldams thathave been discovered up in the northeast— does the ministernothave some hesitation around this and also recognizethatgovernmentultimately does have aregu- latory and oversight role that should be played in this? Hon. M. Mungall:The shortansweris: no, there is nota hesitation.

The Oiland Gas Commi ssion has a very strong record of operations. Have there been som e problems in the past? Yes. Are they correcting them right now? Yes, they are as well. So in term s of a hesitation in their abil- ity to fulfiltheirduties underthis particularsection of the act, there is not one. S. Furstenau: I actually find it a littleironic, given that there is a review of professional reliance underway in this provincebecause of arecognition thatindustry and self-reg- ulation have actually resulted in some pretty worrying out- comes.

The Oiland Gas Commi ssion has adualroleof both promoting the industry and — now an increased role— in regulation and oversight. [3:10 p.m.] I think thatthere shouldbe some hesitation around this and thatthe track record is notone thatshouldn’tbe raising concerns. Being a one-stop shop, I think, is going to raise a lotof alarm bells for peoplethathave been monitoring the Oil and Gas Commi ssion’s activities. I guess I ask again, just in terms of the minister’s view: whatroledoes she think herown ministry and the Ministry of Forests,Lands and NaturalResourcesshouldbe playingin this, then? Hon. M.

Mungall: I’ve already comm unicated that I have confidence in the OGC to m anage the appropriate oversightthat’s been given to them underthis act.If there’s further comm entary or concern about the OGC in refer- ence to other parts of its activity, I’m happy to address those in estimates. Justso thatthe memberknows, hercomm entaround the OGC’s dualroleof also being a promoterof the industry as wellas regulator is notcorrectwhatsoever. The OGC’s pur- poses are to be aregulatory body.

I wouldreferherto the act governingthe Oiland Gas Commi ssion where itlistsitspur- poses, and promoting the industry is not on that list. S. Furstenau: Can the minister give some clarification around the OGC’s capacity to pass regulations without 4224 British Columbia Debates Wednesday, April 25, 2018

bringing them forward to cabinet? Will this expand that capacity? Hon. M. Mungall: No, it will not expand any capacity whatsoever in terms of making regulations without review by cabinet.

Section 1 approved. On

section 2. M. Bernier: I appreciate the minister’s flexibility as we go through this. Obviously, there are questions that can also sound like we’re in estimates, which we are not.I appreciate the fact that she’s indulging in answering those questions to the bestof herability, which obviously can be canvassed more later on, during estimates, as well. Undersection 2, we’re talkingaboutthe crux of this whole bill in front of us, which is changing from a tax to a levy. There are obviously other things we’ll talk about. Can the ministerstart,firstof all, by explainingwhy we wantto move from a tax to a levy system?

Hon. M. Mungall:As I was mentioningin second reading debate, the reason why we’re moving from ataxto alevy…. I appreciate the memberactually askingthis question, because for a lot of peoplein the publicthey’re like: “Any time the governmentasks formoney, it’s gotto be atax,right?” There are actually differentlegalmechanisms thatdefine whether it’s a tax or whether it’s a levy. [3:15 p.m.] For something to be a tax, itis in legislation. The rate is defined in legislation and so on.

Whatwe have found is that going that route has disallowed government and the OGC to be responsive to what might be happening, in terms of industry conditions — how itimpactsindustry — butalso how itimpactsthe publicinterestand how ourland is ulti- mately managed. A betterapproach thatwe identified wouldbe alevy. How a levy works, legally, which makes itdifferentthan a tax, is that it’s not defined within legislation but rather in regula- tion. So as thingschange — and therefore change on the land base — we are ableto respond more quickly and in a way that ensures that the public interest is being protected.

In this particular case, moving from a tax that’s defined withinthe legislation to a levy thatwe can dealwith in reg- ulation, we’ll be ableto address the situation that we find ourselves in right now, which is that industry had a major shift.That was a downturn. It caused increased orphaned wells. We justdon’thave enough money from industry in the orphan site reclamation fund to actually be reclaiming the increased number of orphan wells.

If we don’t change this, the result will be that taxpayers, through other means than the industry tax that funds this particular fund, would be on the hook for paying for the reclamation and doing the environmental work of those orphan sites. The conceptof fairness is notbeing metthere. Industry shouldbe paying for these types of things, so we wantto use a levy, which wouldallow government,through the OGC, to be more actively responsive to situations like we find ourselves in. M. Bernier: Maybe I’ll give the ministeran opportunity here. We both know the answer.

Justso we can, through this process, also share thatinformation with the public,can she please explain, then, or tell the House how many orphan wells there are, how thatincrease has changed overthe last couple of years and why we’re looking at this bill? [3:20 p.m.] Hon. M. Mungall:I appreciate the memberasking ques- tions thatwe may have already discussed in second reading. It’s because this commi ttee stage addresses a lotof the inter- pretation and the motivation for legislation, if legal issues ever come up. For the member’s information, in 2016 we had 45 orphaned wells; a year later, 220.

Rightnow, we’re sitting at 307. So they’re growing quite substantially. We have $3 mil- lion in the fund. I can tellthe memberthatthatdoesnotcov- erthe need to reclaim 307 orphaned wells. In terms of how much ourcurrentliability is at,we’re justcalculating. I will get it to the member in one second. Hold on. Pardon me. There’s $13 million in the fund at the end of the fiscal, not $3 million. It’s still staggeringly low from where the currentliability is. If we were going to reclaim all 307 orphan sites today, it’d be $62 million. M. Bernier: Thank you to the minister for that.

I know approximately what it costs to reclaim a well. So when I heard $3 million, I was a little nervous there. Again, I know thatthe ministerand I talked aboutthis in second reading, but I want to m ake sure that we get som e of this stuff out there as well during this process. We’ll probably canvass som e of this deeper, m aybe, in estimates. This is notthe time. The ministercan appreciate thatthis is notagotcham om ent.This is m ore of justtrying to m ake sure thatwe getthis inform ation so thatit’s factu- al and that it helps people out.

I justwantto also say, if I can make a comm entwithout sounding condescending, that if the minister ever needs a break, letus know. We are going to go for a littlewhile, I believe, on this. The ministerdid say, then…. Obviously, $13 million is a drop in the bucketto whatwe need because of the increase. There have been alotof reasons why we’ve hadthis increase. Can she justconfirm forme, orherstaff…? That307 amount — are any of those justinactive ordormant?Orare those all classified now as orphan? Hon. M. Mungall: They are all orphaned. The inactive number is substantially larger.

Wednesday, April 25, 2018 British Columbia Debates 4225

M. Bernier: I know we have quite a few inactive. There are different reasons for that, and som e of them actually could have the opportunity of becoming active in future years. I justwanted to m ake sure they weren’tcaptured in that process. When we’re talking about changing it from a tax to a levy…. In lightof the factthatwe only have $13 million, and we have to putin this change or, atleast,try to have a sys- tem in here to help, itlooks like — and I’llcanvass this more as we go along — a lotof this is being changed through reg- ulation now, going forward.

Whatkind of timeline does the ministersee on trying to have the regulations changed, spe- cifically on this tax, to a levy? Whatkind of impactwillthat have, short term or long term, for companies? The reason why I, obviously, bring this one up is that I believe notonly everybody in this House butthe companies wouldagree thatwe wantto have propersystems in placeto ensure thatwe don’t,firstof all, getto orphan wellsituations but that if we do, for whatever reason, we have the finan- cialmeans to make sure thatthe governmentor, even worse, landowners are not negatively affected.

Atthe same time, we wantto ensure thataround a com- petitiveness level, we’re notgoing to be going and changing this overnight.I’m assuming thatthere’s been added discus- sion with companies. Maybe this will give the minister an opportunity to highlight that a bit. Hon. M. Mungall:I completely appreciate everythingthat the memberopposite was saying aboutcompetitiveness and making sure that we’re doing things in a timely way. We’re starting tomorrow with our consultation. [3:25 p.m.] We hope that we get through commi ttee stage and it passes snuff and everything, because we wantto geton this rightaway.

It’s a problem thatexistsrightnow. We wantto fix it. We want to m ake sure that we find that sweetspot so that we’re not reducing competitiveness for industry at the sam e time we’re ensuring that the publicinterest is being m et. That’s why we have our consultations with the industry started for tom orrow and with comm unities shortly thereafter. M. Bernier: Hopefully, the minister can appreciate my somewhat tongue-in-cheek comm ent in this situation. I appreciate the fact that she’s bringing forward a bill and then doing consultation, unlike alotof otherthingsthe gov- ernment has been doing.

It’s usually consultation with no decisions. This is something a little bit different, which is actually appreciated. I know the big issue here that we do need to address, obviously. I think that consultation willbe very important. Again, back to the competitiveness, is the minister, through those discussions, then, going to be looking atwhatis hap- pening in neighbouring jurisdictions such as Alberta and Saskatchewan that have similar issues? That will really set the stage for what the companies cap, etc.

We’ll talk about landowners afterwards, butwe really do need to make sure thatwe’re setting up afairplaying fieldon how the system is. Maybe the minister can acknowledge that. Hon. M. Mungall:Absolutely. We’re going to be looking atwhatotherjurisdictions are doing. We wantto make sure that B.C.’s industry remains competitive, not just within Canada but internationally as well, within the context of being a Canadian jurisdiction. So, absolutely, we’re going to be doing that analysis, as well as consulting with both industry and the public. M. Bernier: Maybe justone finalquestion on this

section that I can think of. When the minister highlighted how much money is needed, what’s the thought,then, that’s been putin by herself, cabinetministry, even talking with OGC, probably, on this, on a timeline that’s appropriate? How much money are they looking to generate? Has thatdiscus- sion taken place yet? Hon. M. Mungall: I don’t want to pre-empt what those consultations are going to result in, but our overarching approach is that we want to see the new system come into play by the nextfiscalyear so thatwe startto see thatfund, the orphan site reclamation fund, starting to grow by next fiscal year.

But it’s not going to be looking for another $62 million withinone year. I think the memberappreciates the negative impact it wouldhave in his comm unity, spe- cifically, in terms of potential job loss. Whatwe’re doing is looking ata graduated approach and looking atdifferentclasses of wells in terms of how the levy wouldfunction. So class A mighthave a littlebitmore than class B or so on — but, again, a graduated approach over time to ultimately reach ourgoalof having allorphan wells cleaned up within a ten-year time frame. [3:30 p.m.] M. Bernier: The minister kind of answered….

Where my head was going next on this was around different classes. Obviously, as the minister knows, up in British Columbia we have differenttypes of wells. We have differ- ent types of companies, different exploratory opportunit- ies thattake place— exploratory wells rightdown to pro- ducing wells to what have you.

Is the minister, then, saying that the flexibility is going to be there as a levy is being levied to a company and that there willbe discussions thattake place, then, with the com- panies as permitsare being letout,notjusta cookie-cutter approach forevery singlepieceof drillingactivity thatwould take place, then? [L. Reid in the chair.] Hon. M. Mungall:That would be correct.

Section 2 approved. 4226 British Columbia Debates Wednesday, April 25, 2018

section 3. M. Bernier: Althoughthere are otherpeopleopposite that are eagerto have

section 3 pass, I do have a coupleof ques- tions first that I’ll bring forward. First of all, on

section 3, there’s a bunch of amendments and additions here. Can, maybe, the ministerstartoff, then, on the additions — if she can explain why this is being added in this part? Hon. M. Mungall:The ultimate purpose of

section 3 here is part of the preventative measures. As I mentioned, we have a substantial increase in orphaned well sites, but we also don’twantto justbe cleaning up afterthem. We wantto prevent them as much as possible. Unfortunately, what has happened in the past is that we see directors and peoplewho are associated with a company that went bankrupt, come back — same activities, same approach in theirnew business. Itgoesbankrupt.They come back — same activity, same approach, new business. Itgoes bankrupt. Atsome point,the cyclehas to come to an end.

It’s been shown thatthatparticularindividualorthatparticularcom- pany or individuals involved with that company are not operating as best they can for the people of B.C., and so maybe they should move on. But we definitely can’t take their risk and liability anymore. That’s the purpose, in anutshell, of this particularsection. M. Bernier: I’m just curious, then, if the minister can explain in alittlebitmore detailone aspectof this. WhenI’m reading through some of the additions here…. I’m justlook- ing for some clarification.

Itsays thata person who, in the opinion of the commi ssion, may be ableto affectthe activ- ities permitted by the permitormay influencethe applicant or the permit-holder. When we discussed and canvassed earlier…. I justsee that as very broad, and I don’t know if that’s the intent here. Who can actually influence a permit,and who’s going to be partof those discussions? Is thateverything from an affected landowner to a First Nations comm unity to local govern- ment?I’m justkind of curious on whatthe intentwas there. I might be misinterpreting this

section on that, but to me it just seems very broad, and I’m just wondering what the intent was to leave it that way. [3:35 p.m.] Hon. M. Mungall: I appreciate the member’s point that it seems quite broad. The intention is that we’re looking at peoplewho are similar to investors, creditors, financers, stakeholders — anybody who mighthave a financialgain in dumping liability onto the people of B.C. I know itreads quite broad, butit’s actually notas broad as yourlocalcouncillor or yourlocalMLA. Itis specifically those who have a financial relationship with that company. M. Bernier: Therein liesthe question, then.

A financial relationship withthe company can be the affected landowner or impact-and-benefitagreementsthathave happened with local First Nations. At what point do they have a roleor a play, then, through this? Again, those same peopleI just referenced are the same ones that don’t want to see orphan wells. They don’t want to see a company do exactly what the minister suggested earlier. But I also question: where are theirrightsthrough this process to influencehow the Oiland Gas Commi ssion, through letting permits,can try to dealwith thatissue?

Do they have asay atall, underthis section, whenthey’re talking about the permits themselves? Hon. M. Mungall:I think whatthe memberis trying to getat— and he can correctme if I’m wrong — is to ensure thatthis broadlanguage isn’tscooping up a bunch of people it shouldn’t be scooping up. I feelthatwe have reached the pointwhere we’re notdoing that at the same time as ensuring that we don’t have any loopholes— orany otherways in which somebody who has negatively impacted theircompany in the past and who is now trying to apply to do the same things they’ve done in the past, to find a way that they can do it.

Say if we only listinvestors orpeoplewith afinancialrelationship, thatthey can’t somehow come at it from a different perspective. [3:40 p.m.] That’s why the advicein terms of drafting this legislation was to keep it broad. It’s so that we can make sure that we are prohibiting those very peoplefrom finding some type of backdoor approach to doing the things thatthey have done that had a negative impact on the British Columbian land base and comm unities in the past. M. Bernier: The ministerdid kind of understand where I was coming from. I’lltry to be more succinctin my com- mentary and questions.

My concern is thatwhen we talk aboutthe one-stop shop aspect,especially with the Oiland Gas Commi ssion, if there are otheragenciesoraffected peoplewhen permitsare com- ing, orwhen companiesare looking atchanging to avoid — I guess, for lack of better words — theirresponsibility, we don’thave itso broadthatitmuddiesthe waterof decision- making. Itcouldtake a long time to getthrough a process if we starthaving the localgovernmentsand landowners and First Nations all having…. There’s a placeand a time and an opportunity for that.

I just want to make sure that this isn’t it, because we need to make sure thatthe government,the ministry and the Oil and Gas Commi ssion, specifically, have the opportunity to do theirdue diligence and also have the hamm er, I guess, that’s needed, at the right time, to ensure that everybody’s well-being is taken care of. And when I say well-being, obvi- ously I mean the government,in this case, and the taxpayers of the province. I think we can move on to the next section, but I just wanted to make sure that I got that on there. The minister Wednesday, April 25, 2018 British Columbia Debates 4227

was on the right track with what I was saying.

Section 3 approved. On

section 4. M. Bernier: Just maybe to start with, the minister…. I think there are only actually a few sections I won’t have a question on. In

section 29…. Well, we’re talking about

section 4, but

section 29 here is being amended. This is all around the transfer of permits,again, and liabilities, authorizations — similar to what we were just talking about. I’m justcurious. In sections (

a) and (

b) here, when we’re changing some of the wording…. A person who wants to acquire apermit.Now, that’s alittlebitof achange from what I understand underthe act. Can the minister explain why we’ve added that specific word? Because I know there’s…. When we talk aboutthis specificact,of course, and we’re looking at some of the transfers, peopleand permit hold- ers…. Maybe she can have an opportunity here to explain, when peopleare applying for the permits,etc., and in this specific case, why we’re acquiring a permit. Hon. M.

Mungall:My staff pointed outthatthis is basic- ally aboutsomebody who wantsto adoptan orphaned well. That’s why we’re saying a “person who wantsto acquire the permit.” That’s ourbestway to describe thatindividualand what they want to be doing in relationship to everything. We hadto make this change, because sometimes the original permitholdercannotbe found whatsoever. We have some- body who wantsto acquire, or adopt,the well, and so that’s how we named the person. Rather than using the word “adopt,” we went with acquire. I move that the commi ttee rise, report progress and ask leave to sit again. Motion approved.

The commi ttee rose at 3:45 p.m. The House resumed; Mr. Speaker in the chair. Commi ttee of the Whole (Section B), having reported progress, was granted leave to sit again. Commi ttee of Supply (Section A), having reported progress, was granted leave to sit again. Hon. M. Mungall: I call the estimates debate for Social Development and Poverty Reduction in the Douglas Fir Commi ttee Room, and I callthe commi

Document details

Collection	British Columbia — Debates (Hansard)
Citation	20180425pm-Hansard-n125
Type	hansard
Volume / chapter	20180425pm Hansard n125
Language	en
Format	pdf
Source	PROVINCIAL
Identifier	93a17b297eac34c3952ccb2100a89391034b4197

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