British Columbia Hansard — Wednesday, October 7, 2009

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British Columbia — Debates (Hansard)

First Session, 39th Parliament o FFicial rePort o F Debates of the Legis Lative a ssemb Ly (hansarD) the honourable bill bari So FF, SPeaker iSSn 0709-1281 Wednesday, October 7, 2009 Afternoon Sitting Volume 4, Number 3

Pro Vince o F britiS h colu Mbia (entered c onfederation July 20, 1871) lieutenant -Go Vernor h is h onour the h onourable Steven l. Point, obc First Session, 39th Parliament SPeaker o F the leGiS latiVe a SSeMbl Y h onourable bill barisoff eXecutiVe council Premier and President of the executive c ouncil ......................................................................................................h on.

Gordon c ampbell Minister of State for intergovernmental r elations ....................................................................................................h on. n aomi Y amamoto Deputy Premier and Minister of Finance .......................................................................................................................... h on. c olin h ansen Minister of State for the o lympics and a ctn ow b.c. ....................................................................................................... h on.

Mary Mcn eil Minister of a boriginal r elations and r econciliation .....................................................................................................h on. George a bbott Minister of a dvanced e ducation and l abour Market Development ............................................................................ h on. Moira Stilwell Minister of a griculture and l ands ...................................................................................................................................h on.

Steve Thomson a ttorney General ...................................................................................................................................................... h on. Michael de Jong, Qc Minister of c hildren and Family Development and Minister r esponsible for c hild c are ............................................h on.

Mary Polak Minister of citizens' Services and Minister r esponsible for Multiculturalism and the Public a ffairs bureau ...........h on. ben Stewart Minister of c ommunity and r ural Development ................................................................................................................h on. bill bennett Minister of e ducation and Minister r esponsible for early l earning and l iteracy ......................................h on.

Margaret MacDiarmid Minister of energy, Mines and Petroleum r esources .....................................................................................................h on. blair l ekstrom Minister of State for Mining ................................................................................................................................................h on. r andy h awes Minister of environment .......................................................................................................................................................h on. barry Penner Minister of State for c limate a ction ...........................................................................................................................................h on.

John Y ap Minister of Forests and r ange and Minister r esponsible for the integrated l and Management bureau ........................... h on.

Pat bell Minister of h ealth Services ...................................................................................................................................................h on. k evin Falcon Minister of h ealthy l iving and Sport ...................................................................................................................................... h on. ida c hong Minister of h ousing and Social Development .................................................................................................................h on. r ich c oleman Minister of l abour ................................................................................................................................................................ h on.

Murray c oell Minister of Public Safety and Solicitor General .....................................................................................................................h on. k ash h eed Minister of Small business, t echnology and e conomic Development ................................................................................ h on. iain black Minister of t ourism, c ulture and the a rts ...................................................................................................................... h on. k evin k rueger Minister of t ransportation and infrastructure ...................................................................................................................h on.

Shirley bond leGiS latiVe a SSeMbl Y l eader of the official o pposition ...................................................................................................................................................c arole James Deputy Speaker .................................................................................................................................................................................... l inda r eid a ssistant Deputy Speaker .............................................................................................................................................................c laire t revena Deputy c hair, c ommittee of the Whole .......................................................................................................................................... h arry bloy c lerk of the l egislative a ssembly...................................................................................................................e.

George MacMinn, obc, Q c c lerk a ssistant ..................................................................................................................................................................................r obert Vaive c lerk a ssistant and l aw c lerk................................................................................................................................................. ian D. izard, Qc c lerk a ssistant and c lerk of c ommittees ................................................................................................................................. craig h.

James c lerk a ssistant and c ommittee c lerk .................................................................................................................................... k ate r yan-l loyd Sergeant-at-a rms .................................................................................................................................................................................

Gary l enz Director, h ansard Services ............................................................................................................................................................Jo-a nne k ern a cting l egislative l ibrarian .......................................................................................................................................................... Peter Gourlay l egislative c omptroller ....................................................................................................................................................................... Dan a rbic

alP habetical liS t o F MeMberS a bbott, h on. George (l) ........................................................................ Shuswap a ustin, r obin (nDP) ................................................................................ Skeena bains, h arry (nDP) ....................................................................Surrey-n ewton barisoff, h on. bill (l) ............................................................................Penticton barnett, Donna (l) ................................................................ c ariboo-c hilcotin bell, h on.

Pat (l) ..................................................... Prince George–Mackenzie bennett, h on. bill (l) ...................................................................k ootenay e ast black, Dawn (nDP) ................................................................n ew Westminster black, h on. iain (l) ..................................................... Port Moody–c oquitlam bloy, h arry (l) ......................................................................burnaby-l ougheed bond, h on.

Shirley (l) ...........................................Prince George–Valemount brar, Jagrup (nDP) ................................................................ Surrey-Fleetwood c adieux, Stephanie (l) ...........................................................Surrey-Panorama c ampbell, h on. Gordon (l) .........................................Vancouver–Point Grey c antelon, r on (l) ..............................................................

Parksville-Qualicum c hong, h on. ida (l) ..................................................... o ak bay–Gordon h ead c houhan, r aj (nDP) ........................................................... burnaby-e dmonds c oell, h on. Murray (l) ....................................Saanich n orth and the islands c oleman, h on. r ich (l) ...........................................

Fort l angley–a ldergrove c onroy, katrine (nDP) .............................................................. k ootenay West c oons, Gary (nDP) .........................................................................n orth c oast c orrigan, k athy (nDP) ..................................................... burnaby–Deer l ake Dalton, Marc (l) .............................................................. Maple r idge–Mission de Jong, h on.

Michael, Qc (l) .............................................. a bbotsford West Dix, a drian (nDP) ............................................................Vancouver-kingsway Donaldson, Doug (nDP) ......................................................................... Stikine e lmore, Mable (nDP) ................................................... Vancouver-kensington Falcon, h on. k evin (l) ..........................................................Surrey-c loverdale Farnworth, Mike (nDP) ............................................................

Port c oquitlam Fleming, r ob (nDP) .......................................................... Victoria–Swan l ake Foster, eric (l) .......................................................................Vernon-Monashee Fraser, Scott (nDP) ............................................................a lberni–Pacific r im Gentner, Guy (nDP) .........................................................................Delta n orth h ammell, Sue (nDP) .................................................... Surrey–Green t imbers h ansen, h on. c olin (l) ..................................................

Vancouver-Quilchena h awes, h on. r andy (l) ..................................................... a bbotsford-Mission h ayer, Dave S. (l) .................................................................... Surrey-t ynehead h eed, h on. k ash (l) ...................................................... Vancouver-Fraserview h erbert, Spencer (nDP) ..................................................Vancouver–West end h ogg, Gordon (l) ............................................................... Surrey–White r ock h organ, John (nDP) .......................................................................

Juan de Fuca h orne, Douglas (l) ..............................................c oquitlam–b urke Mountain h oward, r ob (l) .....................................................................r ichmond c entre h untington, Vicki (ind.) ..................................................................Delta South James, c arole (nDP) .........................................................Victoria–b eacon h ill k aragianis, Maurine (nDP) ........................................e squimalt–r oyal r oads k rog, l eonard (nDP) ........................................................................... n anaimo k rueger, h on. k evin (l) ..................................... k amloops–South Thompson kwan, Jenny Wai ching (nDP) ...........................

Vancouver–Mount Pleasant l ake, t erry (l) .....................................................k amloops–n orth Thompson l ali, h arry (nDP) ..........................................................................Fraser-n icola l ee, r ichard t . (l) .......................................................................burnaby n orth l ekstrom, h on. blair (l) .......................................................

Peace r iver South l es, John (l) .........................................................................................c hilliwack l etnick, n orm (l) ........................................................k elowna–l ake c ountry MacDiarmid, h on. Margaret (l) ..................................... Vancouver-Fairview Macdonald, n orm (nDP) ....................................c olumbia r iver–r evelstoke Mcintyre, Joan (l) ..................................................West Vancouver–Sea to Sky Mcn eil, h on.

Mary (l) .................................................Vancouver–False creek Mcr ae, Don (l) ............................................................................. c omox Valley Mungall, Michelle (nDP) ..........................................................n elson-creston Penner, hon. barry (l) ............................................................c hilliwack-h ope Pimm, Pat (l) ..........................................................................Peace r iver n orth Polak, h on.

Mary (l) ...............................................................................l angley Popham, l ana (nDP) ...................................................................Saanich South r alston, bruce (nDP) ................................................................

Surrey-Whalley r eid, l inda (l) .............................................................................r ichmond e ast r outley, bill (nDP) .................................................................. c owichan Valley r outley, Doug (nDP) ............................................n anaimo–n orth c owichan r ustad, John (l) ........................................................................... n echako l akes Sather, Michael (nDP) ......................................... Maple r idge–Pitt Meadows Simons, n icholas (nDP) ...................................

Powell r iver–Sunshine c oast Simpson, bob (nDP) ...................................................................c ariboo n orth Simpson, Shane (nDP) .....................................................Vancouver-hastings Slater, John (l) ..............................................................boundary-Similkameen Stewart, h on. ben (l) ........................................................... Westside-kelowna Stilwell, h on. Moira (l) ...................................................... Vancouver-l angara Sultan, r alph (l) .....................................................

West Vancouver–capilano Thomson, hon. Steve (l) ........................................................k elowna-Mission Thorne, Diane (nDP) .................................................c oquitlam-Maillardville Thornthwaite, Jane (l) .......................................... n orth Vancouver–Seymour t revena, c laire (nDP) .................................................................... n orth island van Dongen, John (l) .............................................................a bbotsford South Y amamoto, hon. n aomi (l) ................................. n orth Vancouver–l onsdale Y ap, hon.

John (l) .............................................................r ichmond-Steveston liS t o F MeMberS bY riD in G a bbotsford-Mission .............................................................h on. r andy h awes a bbotsford South .....................................................................John van Dongen a bbotsford West ...................................................... h on. Michael de Jong, Qc a lberni–Pacific r im ..........................................................................

Scott Fraser boundary-Similkameen .....................................................................John Slater burnaby–Deer l ake ................................................................... k athy c orrigan burnaby-e dmonds ......................................................................... r aj c houhan burnaby-l ougheed ............................................................................ h arry bloy burnaby n orth .............................................................................. r ichard t . l ee c ariboo-c hilcotin ........................................................................Donna barnett c ariboo n orth ................................................................................ bob Simpson c hilliwack ...............................................................................................

John l es c hilliwack-h ope ...................................................................h on. barry Penner c olumbia r iver–r evelstoke .................................................. n orm Macdonald c omox Valley.................................................................................... Don Mcr ae c oquitlam–b urke Mountain .....................................................Douglas h orne c oquitlam-Maillardville...............................................................

Diane Thorne c owichan Valley ................................................................................ bill r outley Delta n orth ......................................................................................Guy Gentner Delta South ...............................................................................Vicki h untington e squimalt–r oyal r oads .....................................................Maurine k aragianis Fort l angley–a ldergrove ...................................................h on. r ich c oleman Fraser-n icola........................................................................................ h arry l ali Juan de Fuca .....................................................................................John h organ k amloops–n orth Thompson .............................................................t erry l ake k amloops–South Thompson ............................................ h on. k evin k rueger k elowna–l ake c ountry ...............................................................n orm l etnick k elowna-Mission .............................................................. h on.

Steve Thomson k ootenay e ast .......................................................................... h on. bill bennett k ootenay West ............................................................................ k atrine c onroy l angley.......................................................................................h on. Mary Polak Maple r idge–Mission .....................................................................

Marc Dalton Maple r idge–Pitt Meadows ........................................................Michael Sather n anaimo ......................................................................................... l eonard k rog n anaimo–n orth c owichan ......................................................... Doug r outley n echako l akes ..................................................................................

John r ustad n elson-creston ........................................................................Michelle Mungall n ew Westminster ..............................................................................Dawn black n orth c oast....................................................................................... Gary c oons n orth island .................................................................................. c laire t revena n orth Vancouver–l onsdale ........................................h on. n aomi Y amamoto n orth Vancouver–Seymour .................................................

Jane Thornthwaite o ak bay–Gordon h ead ............................................................ h on. ida c hong Parksville-Qualicum ..................................................................... r on c antelon Peace r iver n orth ................................................................................

Pat Pimm Peace r iver South ...............................................................h on. blair l ekstrom Penticton................................................................................... h on. bill barisoff Port c oquitlam ..........................................................................Mike Farnworth Port Moody–c oquitlam .............................................................h on. iain black Powell r iver–Sunshine c oast ................................................. n icholas Simons Prince George–Mackenzie .............................................................h on.

Pat bell Prince George–Valemount ...................................................h on. Shirley bond r ichmond c entre ............................................................................ r ob h oward r ichmond e ast ................................................................................... l inda r eid r ichmond-Steveston .................................................................... h on. John Y ap Saanich n orth and the islands ........................................... h on.

Murray c oell Saanich South ................................................................................ l ana Popham Shuswap ...............................................................................h on. George a bbott Skeena .............................................................................................. r obin a ustin Stikine .......................................................................................

Doug Donaldson Surrey-c loverdale .................................................................h on. k evin Falcon Surrey-Fleetwood ...............................................................................Jagrup brar Surrey–Green t imbers ..................................................................Sue h ammell Surrey-n ewton ................................................................................. h arry b ains Surrey-Panorama ..................................................................Stephanie c adieux Surrey-t ynehead ...........................................................................

Dave S. h ayer Surrey-Whalley.............................................................................. bruce r alston Surrey–White r ock ....................................................................... Gordon h ogg Vancouver-Fairview ............................................. h on. Margaret MacDiarmid Vancouver–False creek ........................................................ h on.

Mary Mcn eil Vancouver-Fraserview ..............................................................h on. k ash h eed Vancouver-hastings ....................................................................Shane Simpson Vancouver-kensington .................................................................Mable e lmore Vancouver-kingsway..........................................................................a drian Dix Vancouver-l angara ............................................................. h on. Moira Stilwell Vancouver–Mount Pleasant .........................................

Jenny Wai ching kwan Vancouver–Point Grey .................................................h on.

Gordon c ampbell Vancouver-Quilchena ..........................................................h on. c olin h ansen Vancouver–West end ................................................................Spencer h erbert Vernon-Monashee ...............................................................................eric Foster Victoria–b eacon h ill .......................................................................c arole James Victoria–Swan l ake.........................................................................r ob Fleming West Vancouver–capilano ............................................................. r alph Sultan West Vancouver–Sea to Sky ........................................................

Joan Mcintyre Westside-kelowna ...................................................................h on. ben Stewart Party Standings: l iberal 49; n ew Democratic 35; independent 1

CONTENTS Wednesday, october 7, 2009 a fternoon Sitting Page Routine Business introductions by Members ..................................................................................................................................................... 1037 t ributes ..................................................................................................................................................................................... 1037 b.c. c ancer a gency researchers h on. k. Falco n Greg k amenka h. l ali e dith c rispin h on.

P . bell introductions by Members ..................................................................................................................................................... 1038 introduction and First r eading of bills ................................................................................................................................ 1038 bill 13 — Miscellaneous Statutes a mendment a ct, 2009 h on.

M. de Jong Statements (Standing order 25b) ......................................................................................................................................... 1039 o lympic t orch r elay and events J. Mcintyre k iwassa n eighbourhood Services a ssociation S. Simpson r ichmond c hinese c ommunity Society r . h oward c ommunity l iving Month n. Simon s o kanagan Wine Festival J.

Slater breastfeeding c hallenge and support for breastfeeding mothers J. kwan oral Questions ......................................................................................................................................................................... 1041 e ducation funding c. Jame s h on. M. MacDiarmid r . a ustin c oquitlam school district funding D. Thorne h on. M. MacDiarmid k amloops-Thompson school district funding and school closing h. l ali h on. M. MacDiarmid e arly intervention program for children with autism M. k aragianis h on. M.

Polak Provincial h ealth Services a uthority contract with Jonathan burns a. Di x h on. k. Falco n c owichan t ribes and Vanoc o lympic clothing line b. r outley h on. M. Mcn eil k. c orrigan

Orders of the Day Second r eading of bills .......................................................................................................................................................... 1046 bill 9 — Wood First a ct h on. P . bell n. Macdonal d b. r outley J. r ustad b. Simpson t . l ake D. Donaldson M. Sather c. t revena S. Fraser G. Gentner M. Mungall h. l ali J. h organ h on.

P . bell Proceedings in the Douglas Fir Room c ommittee of Supply .............................................................................................................................................................. 1083 e stimates: Ministry of t ransportation and infrastructure (continued) G. c oons V . huntington h on. S. bond n. Simon s h. b ains

1037 WeD neSD a Y , october 7, 2009 The h ouse met at 1:35 p.m. [Mr. Speaker in the chair.] Routine Business Prayers. Introductions by Members C. James: i have three guests to introduce today. First are r uth and a lan r atcliffe, who are here visit - ing Victoria from the u .k. They're visiting r uth's sister Dorothy h ayward from Victoria, a constituent of mine and also a longtime member who has worked at the office of the ombudsman since its inception. So she's worked for a number of different individuals. i'd like the h ouse to please make them very welcome. Hon. R.

Hawes: t oday in the gallery we have two gentle- men that were here earlier today with the a ssociation for Mineral e xploration of british c olumbia, making a pres- entation to the Finance c ommittee. That's Gavin Dirom, who's the head of the association, and byng Giraud, who is a member of the board. c ould the h ouse please make those two gentlemen welcome. R. Chouhan: t oday we have Jenipher from the com - munity health centre. Jenipher is a cross-cultural health promoter.

She has a group of 25 a frican immigrant and refugee women touring the Parliament buildings today and learning about the history of british c olumbia. Please join me to welcome them all. J. McIntyre: it is with great pride today that i would like the h ouse to join me in welcoming two very special people in my life in the gallery with us today. They're Winn barclay and my father, John Gillespie Qc .

They've flown from o ntario to be with us over Thanksgiving weekend and to see us in action. i just want to acknowledge publicly that my dad has been the foundation in my life. i love you, and thank you for being here. J. Rustad: it's a great pleasure today to introduce to the h ouse brian Fehr, a good friend of mine down from Vanderhoof. brian is down meeting with a number of ministers and a number of Mla s over the course of the day. on behalf of my colleagues from Prince George– Valemount and Prince George–Mackenzie, i'd like the h ouse to please make him welcome. D.

Hayer: it gives me great pleasure to introduce a very special guest and a good friend of mine, a good helper, Paul k eenleyside. h e's a webmaster, and he runs many websites. h e has his own website about the b.c. highways, which had more than 450,000 visitors, and he has his own website, started in 2005 until now, about the b.c. ferries, showing construction, launch and deckhouse assembly and sea trials and the inaug - ural cruise of the new ferries built at the FSG shipyard in Germany. h e's a prominent member of the community. h e's always helping people out on many boards. h e has been involved in about 60 different elections at the munici - pal level, provincial level and federal level.

Would the h ouse please make him very welcome. Hon. K. Krueger: i want to introduce a guest who's brand-new to british c olumbia. Y ou may not be able to see him in the gallery. h e's not very tall — 53 centi - metres. h is name is n oah r uss c osta. h e was born at 3:40 this morning here in Victoria, 7 pounds 12½ ounces, to his beautiful mom, c laudia c osta. h is father is Frank "r adar" c osta — he's bursting with pride — a long-serving member of our caucus staff. it's a pleasure to have him as my ministerial assistant. Would you all please welcome n oah r uss c osta.

Tributes b.c. cancer a GencY reS earcherS Hon. K. Falcon: t oday i want to thank a special group of b.c. scientists and researchers. a s we sit in the h ouse today, the b.c. c ancer a gency in Vancouver is making a major announcement that is a watershed event in the history of research and treatment of breast cancer. [1340] For the first time in world history, b.c . c ancer a gency scientists have decoded all of the three billion letters in the D na sequence of metastatic lobular breast cancer, which is responsible for about 10 percent of breast cancer incidents.

This achievement helps unlock the secrets of how breast cancer begins and spreads and charts the path for developing a treatment for a disease that affects far too many women. We are proud of the work of our b.c. scientists and researchers. i would ask all members of the h ouse to applaud their efforts and their national and international leadership in this regard. GreG kaMenka H. Lali: h on. Speaker, i stand here to share some sad news with the l egislative a ssembly. Just five min - utes ago i received a phone call from my constituency on the passing of c oun.

Greg k amenka of the district of l illooet. h e was the former mayor of the district of l illooet, and he died suddenly yesterday.

british c olumbia Debates1038 Wednesday, o ctober 7, 2009 i would like the Speaker, on behalf of all of us, to pass on our condolences to Greg k amenka's family and also to the district and the community of l illooet. eD ith criSP in Hon. P .

Bell: o ctober 7 is an important day for Prince George. it marks the 105th birthday of e dith crispin, who was originally born in ontario. e dith recalls that her happiest-ever moment was getting married to her husband r oy on December 14, 1927, when they went and moved and homesteaded in Saskatchewan. in 1935 they sold everything and took a bennett buggy and left for british c olumbia, where they have resided since. a fter the war the family eventually settled in burnaby on a lot that e dith had purchased during the war using her pay from her job at e aton's. r oy then built a house. r oy was a bit quirky and never seemed to finish anything, and that was the trademark of their house in burnaby.

When asked what technological changes made the most significant difference in her 105-year life, she said that the crystal radio that they purchased in 1918 truly transformed them. e dith now lives in the Prince George c hateau in my riding and enjoys her visits with many of her friends and visitors.

She remains active today, attending most meal times in the dining room and occasionally going out to the mall for a visit. h er family is remarkable too, including her daughter in r eno, five grandchildren, seven great-grandchildren and ten great-great-grandchildren. a fter more than ten and a half decades, what's the secret to a fulfilling life, Mr. Speaker? e dith says: "i don't know. i just keep going, i guess." i'd ask the entire h ouse to please congratulate edith on her 105th birthday. Introductions by Members D. McRae: Mr. Speaker, i'm very pleased today to introduce a very important person in my life.

My father Doug Mcr ae is in the h ouse today. n ot only was he a great high school teacher in the c omox Valley for a long time before he retired several years; he's also been a great grandfather to Gracie, and he's been a great father to me. i would like the h ouse to make him welcome, please. L. Reid: o n behalf of the Speaker today, i would like to take this opportunity to welcome a group of public servants seated in the gallery. They're participating in a full-day par- liamentary procedure workshop offered by the l egislative a ssembly.

The workshop provides a firsthand opportunity for the public service to gain a greater understanding of the relationship between the work of their ministries and how that work affects this l egislature. Would the h ouse please make them welcome. i'm also pleased to welcome to the l egislature today Wayne and barb Watson. They are joined by Douglas and Merrill n oseworthy, who are visiting from the glori- ous state of c alifornia. i'd ask the h ouse to please make them all welcome. H. Bloy: h on.

Speaker, it's my pleasure today to intro- duce a friend of the b.c . l iberal Party and a friend of mine in our ridings of burnaby n orth, who's been very helpful over the years — Garth e vans. Would the h ouse please make him welcome. [1345] N.

Simons: i would just like to say hello to an indi - vidual who is unable to be here because he's actually currently living in a correctional facility in this prov - ince, and he's watching us today. i want to say hi to him and all his friends and hope that they take an interest in politics and the importance that it might play in their life both on the inside and when they come back out. Introduction and First Reading of Bills bill 13 — M iScellaneou S Statute S aMenDMent act , 2009 h on.

M. de Jong presented a message from h is h onour the a dministrator: a bill intituled Miscellan - eous Statutes a mendment a ct, 2009. Hon. M. de Jong: Mr. Speaker, i move that the bill be read a first time now. Motion approved. Hon.

M. de Jong: bill 13, the Miscellaneous Statutes a mendment a ct, 2009, amends the following statutes: a dult Guardianship and Planning Statutes a mendment a ct, 2007; a ssessment a ct; c ollege and institute a ct; c ollege of a pplied biology a ct; c ommunity c are a ct; h ealth Professions a ct; Judicial c ompensation a ct; Ministry of e nvironment a ct; Municipalities e nabling and V alidating a ct (n o. 3); Sheriff a ct; t reaty First n ation t axation a ct; u niversity act; Vancouver charter.

The bill also makes some minor housekeeping and clarifying amendments to a number of other statutes. i move the bill be placed on orders of the day for consideration at the next sitting of the h ouse after today. bill 13, Miscellaneous Statutes a mendment a ct, 2009, introduced, read a first time and ordered to be placed on orders of the day for second reading at the next sitting of the h ouse after today.

british c olumbia DebatesWednesday, o ctober 7, 2009 1039 Statements (Standing Order 25B) ol YMPic torch rela Y an D e Vent S J. McIntyre: in 128 days the 2010 o lympic and Paralympic Games will begin in Vancouver and Whistler.

While we've been counting down since we were first awarded the games, the official countdown begins in earnest with the torch relay. a fter the flame is lit in o lympia, it will be handed to representatives from c anada, and by o ctober 30 it will be right here in Victoria for the start of c anada's relay. a s one of the most enduring symbols of the games, the torch's route is unique in its scope.

The 2010 o lympic t orch r elay is the longest route ever in a single country, visiting more than a thousand communities across c anada, including 119 aboriginal communities. a n honorary firekeeper will provide a traditional bless - ing in each community as the flame continues on its journey.

The torch relay will be spending more than a quarter of its route in b.c ., and more than 3,500 british c olumbians will serve as torchbearers, providing a legacy to them, their families and their communities. o ver 268 com - munities in b.c . will be torch communities, allowing over 90 percent of b.c . residents to be within a one-hour drive of the route. in West Vancouver–Sea to Sky residents from West Van and all the way up the Sea to Sky corridor will have the chance to see the o lympic flame as it travels through our area just prior to the opening ceremonies on February 12. a cross b.c., 50 communities were selected to be celebration communities, giving them the chance to showcase to residents and visitors what the o lympic spirit means to their communities with activities and performances. in West Vancouver–Sea to Sky three communities were selected to be celebration communities — West Vancouver, Squamish and Whistler. i know they will use the opportunity to inspire and engage their residents as the games approach. it's a historic time to be a british c olumbian, and i urge all to take this opportunity to really experience and enjoy the excitement and spirit of the o lympics as the torch relay comes through your community. c ongratulations to all the volunteers, organizers and sponsors.

May the spirit live on. ki Wa SSa nei Ghbourhoo D Ser ViceS a SSociation S. Simpson: in 1949 the k iwassa club of Vancouver was established in an old fire hall on Vernon Drive in e ast Vancouver to serve the children and families with a focus on the growing immigrant community. The k iwassa club became k iwassa n eighbourhood h ouse, and it has evolved into a remarkable organiza - tion over its 60 years of service.

Moving from Vernon Drive to o xford Street in 1992, it has developed into one of the key organizations in the h astings-Sunrise com - munity — delivering children and youth programs, sen - iors programs, employment and settlement services and a food bank, as well as running four child care centres and two affordable housing developments. k iwassa plays a unique role as a multifaceted and resourced community institution. k iwassa is a wonderful example of how community development truly should work.

They have always seen themselves as a resource for the broader community that needs to be flexible and innovative in how it responds to community needs. i know the support they provided to those wanting to increase community access to h astings Park, oppos- ing a concrete batch plant beside n ew brighton Park or supporting the t rinity Street l ights c ompetition fund- raiser. k iwassa always provided administrative support, resources and encouragement, as well as sound advice when tough decisions were being made. [1350] community leaders across h astings-Sunrise could point to many other examples of the critical role k iwassa has played in their success on other issues.

Their success can be traced to a wonderful committed staff under the leader- ship of the current executive director, n ancy Mcr itchie, and her predecessor Steve boyce, both of whom built great teams that have served our community well. The other key to k iwassa is its volunteer board of dir- ectors. Some of the very best community leaders i've had the privilege to have known have found their way onto the k iwassa board over the years.

Their leadership and keen understanding of community has provided the vision for what a neighbourhood house should be, and the staff has faithfully delivered that vision through their programs on the ground. a fter 60 years of service, i know i speak for the thou - sands who have benefited from k iwassa over those years in saying: "c ongratulations on your accomplish - ments, and here's to 60 more years of k iwassa serving e ast Vancouver." richM onD chineS e co MMunit Y Societ Y R.

Howard: it is my pleasure today to rise to speak to the 20th anniversary of a very special community group that has strong roots in r ichmond. The r ichmond c hinese c ommunity Society is celebrating 20 years of service to the r ichmond community. From humble beginnings two decades ago, this non-profit charitable organization has grown to become one of the premiere community organizations today.

british c olumbia Debates1040 Wednesday, o ctober 7, 2009 rccS was originally set up to involve the c hinese com- munity in decision-making with the city and to further involve the r ichmond c hinese community in various activities in our city. They have stayed true to their roots and their cause, and today they have a membership of approximately 1,000. This very hard-working and successful group hosts many community events such as the lunar festival, the seniors health fair and their very successful community dinner, to name just a few.

They also hold many differ - ent classes that bring people out of their homes and into the community. Through their educational seminars and exercise and dance classes, rcc S provides opportunities to interact with others, learn new skills and keep fit. in 2005 rcc S was awarded the very first city of r ichmond community achievement award for outstand- ing contributions to intercultural diversity in our city.

The longstanding executive director, h enry beh, and his wife, Glenda, team up with a very hard-working volunteer board of directors, including this year's president, c lara c how, and vice-president n ancy l i. They've also started a new youth group, which we're all very excited about. i ask the h ouse to join me in congratulating rccS on 20 years of service to our community. co MMunit Y liVin G Month N. Simons: i rise today to recognize the province of british c olumbia's proclamation of this month of o ctober as c ommunity l iving Month.

This proclama - tion gives us the opportunity to formally recognize and publicly acknowledge people in our communities who have developmental disabilities, as well as to acknow - ledge those who work with them. People with developmental disabilities are those who have had a chronic condition since childhood which will require that they receive lifelong supports to live as independently as possible in all aspects of their lives. Those who work with them include their caregivers, their siblings, their families and their friends.

Their commun- ity includes their coaches, their co-workers and bosses, their bus drivers, folks at the grocery store, their school friends, ferry workers, teachers. and the list goes on. in fact, the list includes everyone, the entire commun- ity. a fter all, the proclamation recognizes the import - ance of community inclusion. When i use the word "family," i do so in the broadest sense, so let's today pay a special tribute to the families and extended families of people with developmental disabilities. We often marvel at their strength and courage, their resilience and their patience.

We're impressed by their ability to juggle complicated schedules that include more doctor visits, more therapy sessions, more appointments than any of us would believe or care to imagine. We hold them up on a pedestal as examples of extraordinary strength and perseverance. but they are regular families doing regular things, often struggling with unforeseen challenges with grace and with skill. They are the families of teachers, firefighters, politicians and business owners, actors, hockey coaches, single parents and musicians. They are regular families in this community.

While we marvel at their resilience and admire their advocacy skills, we can do more. l et's recognize and support essential community programs that exist to make the lives of people with developmental disabilities more fulfilling but that also provide their families with the opportunities to see their loved ones achieve their fullest potential. [1355] okana Gan Wine Fe Sti Val J.

Slater: The o kanagan Wine Festival, held annually during the harvest time, focuses on wine, food, educa - tion and the arts. in 1996 the o kanagan Wine Festival received an international recognition, as it was ranked among the top 100 events in n orth a merica by the pres- tigious a merican bus a ssociation, a ranking that it con- tinues to receive today. it is important to note that the o kanagan is the only wine-producing region of the world that hosts this festival during its harvest season.

The festival provides an experi- ence for everyone who loves fabulous wine accompanied by great locally produced food and unique events. o ne of those events is the Festival of the Grape held last Saturday in o liver, the wine capital of c anada. This annual event was first launched in 1997.

This is an all-day family event organized by the South o kanagan c hamber of c ommerce and consists of more than 30 wineries, live music and entertainment, kids crafts and games, a grape- stomp competition, wine seminars and art displays. if you missed the Festival of the Grape, you will be able to attend the grand finale consumer tasting event being hosted by Valley First c redit u nion — Mr. Speaker, as you know — held in Penticton on o ctober 9 and 10. This is a wine tour under one roof — sip, sample, spit and dance.

This event is for those who want to explore some of the finest wines for the first time, as well as for those who want to expand their wine knowledge. There will be over 60 wineries present and 240 differ - ent wines to sample. t ake this opportunity to learn more about local wines and the foods they best complement. a s the o kanagan Wine Festival continues until the 11th of this month, i want to urge everyone to take advantage of more than 165 events in this area. brea St Fee Din G challen Ge an D Su PPort For brea St Fee Din G Mother S J.

Kwan: The sight of a baby usually brings a warm smile from members of the public. We can't help ourselves. When we see a little baby, we go ga-ga and goo-goo, even

british c olumbia DebatesWednesday, o ctober 7, 2009 1041 though everyone knows they often look like wrinkled little monkeys — yes, my children included. but still, when you see a new baby, it's a beautiful sight. Y ou know what i'm talking about, Mr. Speaker. Y ou yourself are enjoying your second grandchild. The slightest mention of them, and your face lights up. See what i mean? [l aughter.] on o ctober 3 proud moms and dads gathered together with their babies at the t rout l ake c ommunity c entre to celebrate in the world breastfeeding challenge.

This international event began in 2001, and by last year there were over 7,600 children feeding in 19 countries at 300 sites with over 20,000 supporters at 11 o'clock. on last Saturday when i arrived at the t rout l ake c ommunity c entre, i received a sticker, and it read: "i make milk.

What's your superpower?" breast milk contains close to 200 compounds that fight infection, help the immune system mature, aid in digestion and support brain growth. breastfeeding helps to lower the risk of premenopausal breast cancer, not to mention the incredible feeling of hugging your baby close to your heart while you're nursing — the ultimate bonding experience. The Who recommends that mothers nurse their babies until they're two years old.

So why do we still hear of stories of roadblocks and obstacles for nursing moth- ers? l ast year a woman in Vancouver was hustled off to a back room at h&M when she was breastfeeding her two-month-old baby in the store. in Minneapolis a woman returning from a two-day business trip was forced to pour out her two-day supply of milk by the airport security. i myself was not allowed on a flight to k amloops for an all-day caucus meeting because i had my breast pump and these specialized ice packs with me.

Due to the Minneapolis incident, a human rights complaint was filed, and the u .S. t ransport Security a dministration reclassified human milk as liquid medication. indeed, breast milk is like liquid gold to a nursing mom. l et's break through the barriers. l et's celebrate the magic of breastfeeding, and let's just do what the old Madonna song says: "express yourself." Mr. Speaker: The extra 30 seconds was for my grand- son, the angel. [1400] Oral Questions e Ducation Fun Din G C. James: Y esterday the b.c. parent advisory coun - cil, b.c.

School t rustees a ssociation, b.c. t eachers Federation and the c anadian u nion of Public employees came together to express their concerns about the b.c. l iberal education cuts. This is what they said those cuts will mean: "l ong-term instability, larger class sizes, reduced support for students, including those with special needs. School sporting events will be at risk. Parent advisory councils will have to reduce support for student supplies, field trips, computers, library books.

Schools in poorer communities will be hardest hit." My question is to the Minister of e ducation. t ime and again we've seen her stand up in this h ouse and cover up for the l iberal failures on education. t oday, with all of these voices speaking out, will the minister finally stand up and admit she's wrong? Hon. M. MacDiarmid: i am pleased to get up and talk about one of the finest education systems in the world. These are our valued partners. These are our partners with whom we work.

These are people like everyone in this h ouse — everyone, yourself and everyone else, who strongly believes in our education system and how much we need to do for our students. W e work with these partners. i've met with these partners, and i'll continue to do so. Mr. Speaker: The l eader of the o pposition has a supplemental. C. James: i would suggest to the minister that she's forgetting something. l isten to the partners. l isten to the partners in education, who are expressing their con- cerns about real cuts and real impacts to the system.

During the election we heard the b.c. l iberals say they were going to protect education. What's the result? c uts to annual facility grants, cuts to parent advisory councils, cuts to sports programs, unfunded costs like the hS t and increases in MSP premiums. a gain to the minister: will she stand up today and explain to b.c.'s parents, to teachers, to school workers and trustees how gutting education and hitting a cash- strapped system with new costs lives up to their com - mitment to protect education? Hon. M. MacDiarmid: We're certainly hearing about some new math here in the h ouse today.

We are funding education this year at a record level — $4.5 billion going to classrooms in this province this year, an $84 million increase over last year's funding. That's in spite of the fact that we expect about 7,000 fewer students in b.c. class - rooms this fall, a declining enrolment that's the reality of the demographics of this province and north a merica. n ot only are we funding education to that degree, but we're also spending $447 million in new schools, in upgrades and in seismic projects this year alone. interjections. Mr. Speaker: Members.

The l eader of the o pposition has a further supple - mental.

british c olumbia Debates1042 Wednesday, o ctober 7, 2009 C.

James: is the Minister of e ducation saying to teachers and support staff who see the impacts every single day that they're wrong? is the Minister of e ducation saying to school trustees who are elected to govern the system on behalf of their communities that they are wrong? is the minister saying to parents who know that if their child is in an overcrowded classroom and doesn't have the resources, they don't get that year back…? is the minister saying that those people are wrong? a nother person who's speaking out is the chair of the c owichan Valley school district. They've written to the minister.

They asked the minister to meet with them. The minister refused. They sent a second request and said to the minister: "on behalf of the board of educa - tion, i'd like to reiterate our request to meet with you. We can accommodate your schedule." a gain to the minister: why is she refusing to listen to the c owichan school board, to parents, to trustees, to educators in the system? Why won't she listen to their concerns about the problems in the education system? [1405] Hon. M.

MacDiarmid: i have been pleased to meet with many of our education partners since i've been appointed. i have met with the b.c. t eachers Federation, with the trustees and with all of the other partners. i'm certainly open and willing and will be meeting with them again. c learly, when we meet, we exchange ideas, and we listen to each other as we talk. but one of the things we will be doing this fall is reconvening the l earning r oundtable so that the partners can sit and talk about the important issues that face our education system. This talk about not funding education….

This year alone we're making record investments once again, including in early learning where we're investing in new StrongStart centres. The list goes on and on, and i am pleased to talk about it. R. Austin: This minister is more focused on covering up for b.c. l iberal failures than addressing the kinds of concerns that were raised in this letter. The fact is that it's our school districts and trustees that have to bear the brunt of this government's mismanagement of the public education system. My question to the minister is simple.

When is she going to stop covering up for b.c. l iberal incompetence and start listening to and acting on the concerns of b.c.'s parents, the teachers, the school workers and their elected representatives? Hon. M. MacDiarmid: This government has clearly demonstrated its ability to listen to what's important to british columbians. That's why we have record investments in schools year after year after year — $4.5 billion this year — and we're investing in things that british columbians say really matter to them, things like StrongStart centres.

There are two of those StrongStart b.c . centres in the member opposite's riding alone. interjections. Mr. Speaker: Members. The member has a supplemental. R. Austin: The trouble is this. The b.c. l iberals give with one hand and take with the other, and they don't give as much as they take. They continue to add costs to our system. The facilities grant was far greater than the increase in per-pupil student funding.

MSP premiums come on top of that. h1n1 comes on top of that. a ll of these are increased costs, not to mention the hS t . a gain to the minister: when will she commit to acting on the concerns of groups right across this province, and will she act today to protect public education as was promised in the recent election? Hon. M. MacDiarmid: i'm happy to review these issues — no problem. We can talk about them again. The annual facilities grant…. i will remind the mem - bers opposite of what this is.

This is a grant that goes out, which is for maintaining school properties. it's for new lighting. it's for painting. it's for projects which we've said to school districts this year…. interjections. Mr. Speaker: Members. c ontinue, Minister. Hon. M. MacDiarmid: We've said this year…. We would like school districts to use reserves, to slow down their projects, to back off on these projects for this year. We certainly have invested…. interjections. Mr. Speaker: c ontinue, Minister. Hon. M. MacDiarmid: We certainly have continued to invest record amounts, though, in our schools in things such as early learning.

That's why we're turn - ing…. a nd next year we'll be funding full-day kinder - garten, again something british c olumbians have told us we need to do, we must do, and we are doing it. co Quitla M School DiStrict Fun Din G D. Thorne: l et's just look at how this government's policies are hurting public education in my commun - ity. in a letter to the minister, the chair of school district

british c olumbia DebatesWednesday, o ctober 7, 2009 1043 43 expresses the board's disappointment with unilateral funding announcements and adjustments to previously announced grants with no concern for the impact — unilateral announcements that lead to cuts, new pres - sure and chaos. That's how this b.c. l iberal government likes to do its business. [1410] My question is to the Minister of e ducation. Why did she refuse to consult the elected representatives, the par- ents and the teachers in my riding before she saddled the school district with cuts and new costs? Hon. M.

MacDiarmid: i'm very pleased to talk about the investments that we have made in the member oppos- ite's riding. l et's talk about c entennial Secondary. a full replacement of the school — a $49 million investment. r anch Park e lementary — seismic upgrades. it's pro- ceeding now. a $5.75 million investment. baker Drive e le- mentary — seismic upgrades, $5.3 million of investments. interjections. Mr. Speaker: Members. c ontinue, Minister. Hon. M. MacDiarmid: These are challenging times for all those who govern.

For the provincial govern - ment, for school districts — without question — there is uncertainty with respect to the economy. This year we don't have more money to invest beyond what we've already committed. That is what we are discussing with the school districts. We need to find out how we can best meet students' needs within the resources that we have. Mr. Speaker: The member has a supplemental. D. Thorne: Y ou know, that's all fine and good, but i'd like to remind the minister.… interjections. Mr. Speaker: Members. Members. Member, just take your seat for a second so we can hear. interjections. Mr.

Speaker: Members. c ontinue, Member. D. Thorne: i'll finish my sentence. i was going to say, to remind the minister, that it takes money to run those new schools, and that's something we have a short supply of. Just another example of b.c. l iberal incompe- tence when it comes to running the education system. We have nothing. a s my colleague stated a few moments ago, giving with one hand and taking with the other is causing total havoc in the c oquitlam school district — the third largest in british c olumbia. The annual facilities grant — a $5.3 million cut. P ac funding cut in half.

Sports programs gone. e ven more importantly, this school dis- trict alone will pay for unfunded salary increases to the tune of $800,000 this year alone. u ntold thousands of other… Mr. Speaker: Member, question. Member, pose your question, please. D. Thorne: …unfunded cuts. a gain to the minister: will she put an end to her one-sided decisions, and will she work with the c oquitlam school district to clean up the mess that this government has caused in my com - munity's public education system? Hon. M.

MacDiarmid: i expect i'm not the only one who feels a bit of irony here coming from the member opposite — a government that, when they were in power, froze capital spending. There was no capital spending for schools. interjections. Mr. Speaker: Minister, just take your seat. Members. Members. c ontinue, Minister. [1415] Hon. M. MacDiarmid: We do continue, in spite of the economic challenges, to invest in our students. We are increasing funding this year — 84 million addi - tional dollars in spite of declining enrolment.

That's the reality of what we're doing. it's there in the budget, and the school districts are all receiving at least the same amount of funding, if not more, in spite of declining enrolment. Getting back to c oquitlam-Maillardville, to the member opposite's riding, we've invested in Parkland e lementary seismic upgrades — $1.2 million. interjections. Mr. Speaker: Members. Members. ka Mloo PS-tho MPSon School DiStrict FunD in G anD School cloS in G H. Lali: The minister reads from a cheat sheet about opposition members' ridings. i wonder if it includes the…. An Hon. Member: a cheat sheet?

british c olumbia Debates1044 Wednesday, o ctober 7, 2009 H. Lali: background notes. i wonder if the minister's notes also include the 200 schools that they have closed across british c olumbia. Will she actually go there and tell those people in those communities how it's education that they are protecting? This l iberal government is cutting $3 million worth of funding from the k amloops-Thompson school dis - trict, including the closing that they're proposing of 12 schools. one of them is in l ogan l ake.

They want to combine the elementary and the secondary school in l ogan l ake and ship all of the grade 11s and 12s on a 2½-hour round trip to go to school in k amloops. This is happening at a time when they need to actually improve their grades to get into various colleges and universities across this province. i'd like the Minister of e ducation to tell this h ouse and tell us how the l iberals can actually find $500,000 for the Premier's o lympics party, but they can't find $48,000 to keep the l ogan l ake kids in l ogan l ake schools. Hon. M.

MacDiarmid: Since 2001 in british c olumbia, we've experienced a significant decline in enrolment. We have 60,000 fewer students enrolled in british c olumbia schools than we did in 2001. This is the reality of the demo- graphics in british c olumbia and in north a merica. School boards have a challenging role to play.

They have to balance the needs of the students in their areas, and they have the autonomy to do that. in some cases, they do make the difficult decision that what is best for their district is for them to close schools when they have so many fewer students enrolled. it's a difficult decision. it's one that school districts have the autonomy to do, and they do it when it's necessary. earl Y inter Vention Pro GraM For chilD ren With autiSM M. Karagianis: The Minister of c hildren and Families questioned the effectiveness of the early intensive behav- ioural intervention program.

Then she admitted that, in fact, autistic children do benefit from the therapy. once again, today families have rallied to the l egislature look- ing to get the government's ear. t o the minister. i'd like to ask her: instead of cutting funding for the early intensive behaviour intervention program, will she take the $20 million from the fancy new research centre, meet with families and work with families and providers, go back to the table and try and find a way to find solutions that actually help autistic children here in the province of british c olumbia? Will she do that? Hon. M.

Polak: o ver the next four months our ministry will be working closely with the families who are affected by the eibi change and with their service providers to ensure that they are able to have the help and support they need to transition to our autism funding program. but make no mistake about it. This autism centre that is proposed is far more than bricks and mortar. This is a centre that will provide an invaluable connection to families in rural and isolated communities which right now don't have access to the kind of information and support that they need. Mr.

Speaker, this centre will impact the lives of thou - sands of families across this province challenged by autism. [1420] Mr. Speaker: Member has a supplemental. M. Karagianis: once again, we see the government going off and making no sense out of their actions. on the one hand they are cutting a very effective program, which will affect community research centres like the Queen a lexandra, and on the other hand we see the minister stand up and justify some fancy new research centre.

What the families in british c olumbia want is for her to sit down and find a way to deliver effective interven - tion services for autistic children in the province. That is what they are asking. That's what they deserve, and the minister needs to say….Will she sit down with these families and find a better solution than just pulling the rug out from under these families? Hon. M. Polak: There is no question that over the next four months we will be working closely with the families who will be experiencing what we know is a difficult change for them. but this is not about just those 70 families.

This is about the more than 6,000 children with autism that we serve in the system each and every year. i want to remind the member that far from there being cuts to programs for children with autism, our ministry alone has increased its autism budget this year by $1.6 million. That takes us to an amount that is now ten times what it was when this government took office. if we include the $3.4 million from h ealth and the $72 million invested in the Ministry of e ducation for autism programs, we spend annually more than $120 million to help support children with autism in this province.

Pro Vincial health Ser ViceS authorit Y contract With Jonathan burnS A. Dix: My question is to the Minister of h ealth Services with respect to untendered electronic health contracts and in particular the personal services contracts given by

british c olumbia DebatesWednesday, o ctober 7, 2009 1045 the Ministry of h ealth and its agencies to Dr. Jonathan burns.

The official opposition has learned that in February 2007, at the same time Dr. burns was being paid $30,000 a month to advise the Minister of h ealth and the Ministry of h ealth, at the same time that he was con - tinuing to charge MSP as a doctor and at the same time as he served as ceo of WebMed with contracts with all of the health authorities, the Provincial h ealth Services a uthority gave a contract to Dr. burns at nearly $200 an hour — $6,000 a week — to be their e-health adviser, presumably to lobby himself. c an the minister tell the h ouse whether the substantial contract given to Dr. burns by the PhSa was tendered?

Hon. K. Falcon: Y ou know, i've been in the h ouse long enough to hear these kinds of wild allegations by this member over a whole range of issues. What i will tell the member is that i'll get the information for him. My understanding is that all of those contracts were tendered in accordance with the rules that govern the tendering of contracts. Mr. Speaker: The member has a supplemental. A. Dix: i'll be very interested to hear how that contract was tendered from the PhSa. i'd love to see where that tender existed, because i can tell the Minister of h ealth that it wasn't tendered.

Dr. burns was being paid three ways by his colleague the former Minister of h ealth at the time and by the ministry — as a doctor, as an e-health adviser and as a ceo of a company. c an the Minister of h ealth explain why the P hSa needs to hire a guy they were already paying $30,000 a month to be their e-health adviser and lobby the govern- ment? c an he tell us who authorized this contract, and does he think paying one guy four ways by one ministry is an appropriate way to do business? Hon. K.

Falcon: a s i said, i would be happy to get the information for the member. but as i've said, i've sat in this h ouse for eight years, and i've heard virtually every wild allegation that's been put forward by that member turn out not to be the case. [1425] So we will get the facts. We will share those facts with the member opposite, and i won't be surprised if, in fact, the facts depart very clearly from what the member is alleging. co Wichan tribeS anD Vanoc ol YMPic clothin G line B. Routley: l ast week V anoc unveiled the cloth - ing line for the 2010 o lympic Games.

Prominent in the design of the clothing was the world-famous c owichan sweater. Vanoc has not brought in the c owichan t ribes to seek approval to use the design. n or has Vanoc pro - vided an opportunity for c owichan knitters to produce the wool garments. c ould the o lympics Minister please explain exactly why the c owichan Valley first nations have been excluded yet again from the economic opportunities providing authentic c owichan sweaters for the o lympics? Hon. M.

McNeil: i am not aware of the process that Vanoc used in order to secure this contract, but i'm sure that if the member opposite was to contact Vanoc, they'd be very willing to tell him. interjections. Mr. Speaker: Members. interjection. Mr. Speaker: Just wait, Member. The member has a supplemental. B. Routley: i do, brother Speaker — hon. Speaker. Mr. Speaker: Member. B.

Routley: i want to add that Vanoc has threatened legal action against businesses that use the o lympic logo or even use the word "o lympic" in their business name, yet they made no effort whatsoever to accommodate the creators of the c owichan design or to provide employ - ment for c owichan artisans. Will the minister commit today — it's the Minister for o lympics — to ensuring the c owichan people are shown the respect that they rightly deserve, and will she ensure that the benefits from the o lympic clothing sales flow to those that actually inspired their creation? Hon. M.

McNeil: i would like to remind the member opposite that these o lympic Games have the first part - nership ever with aboriginal peoples, and we are very proud of that. The four host first nations are working very closely in partnership with V anoc on a very strong art program as well as other partnerships.

This government is proud to be the host province for the 2010 Winter o lympic and Paralympic Games in just 128 days from now. i'd also like to remind the member opposite that these games are going to drive tourism, they're going to create jobs, and they're going to reinvigorate our economy at the very time we need it the most. K. Corrigan: Well, if the minister is suggesting that we need to go talk to V anoc every time we have a

british c olumbia Debates1046 Wednesday, o ctober 7, 2009 question about the o lympics, i'm wondering why we need a minister for the o lympics. t wo years ago the Cowichan News Leader–Pictorial launched a campaign to have the c owichan sweater form part of the o lympic uniform. n ow Vanoc has used the idea — and that's the nice way to put it — with no benefits or acknowledgment to the c owichan people. My question is for the Minister of State for the o lympics. h ow is this consistent with the o lympic ideal of fair play? interjections. Mr. Speaker: Members. [1430] Hon. M.

McNeil: i'd like to remind the members opposite of the great partnership that the four host first nations have with Vanoc, and they're working closely. i would also like to remind the members opposite that leaders around the world last week, as we saw, would welcome the opportunity to host the winter games that we are so lucky to have in just 128 days. a t ubcM last week i heard from many communities — 105 of them around the province who are vying to be Gamest own 2010. i wonder when the members oppos - ite are going to join this side of the h ouse in welcoming the o lympic Games to british c olumbia. [end of question period.] Orders of the Day Hon.

M. de Jong: i call in c ommittee a, c ommittee of Supply — for the information of members, the estimates of the Ministry of t ransportation and infrastructure; and in this chamber second reading of bill 9, the Wood First a ct, 2009. Second Reading of Bills bill 9 — W oo D Fir St act Hon. P .

Bell: i move b ill 9 be read a second time. bill 9 encourages a cultural shift in the way that we use forest products and wood products, particularly in large commercial and institutional buildings. bill 9 would require organizations that receive provincial funding for building projects to utilize best practices and implement the maximum potential amount of wood that can be used in any given project.

There is a tremendous potential for us to increase the global consumption of wood, of forest products, of value- added forest products as a result of this bill. c urrently in n orth a merica only about 19 percent of the commercial and institutional marketplace utilizes wood, yet all of the science tells us that 93 percent of the projects that are built across n orth a merica could, in fact, be built out of wood and forest products.

This is a substantial gap. [l. r eid in the chair.] n ot only that, but the real opportunity exists for a far more stable environment. r esidential construc - tion tends to have large swings in terms of the number of homes being built, as we've witnessed over the last number of years. We've gone from two million homes per year in the u .S. down to just 550,000 homes.

The commercial institutional market is far more stable and doesn't see those sorts of dramatic swings. on top of that, i will say that it is far more processed, more technical, more manufactured products that are used in the institutional and commercial sector. That's only good news for employment in british c olumbia because it requires the further manufacturing of these forest products and a far higher level of employment.

We see this as a significant shift towards the value- added opportunity that we've long looked for here in british c olumbia. by applying the wood-first lens to all provincially funded projects, it brings to play about $3 billion worth of annual capital, whether it's a school, a hospital, an office building or one of the many structures that the province builds each and every year.

We need to lead the way, and that's what's really important here. british c olumbia needs to demonstrate that we're prepared to put our money where our mouth is, that we believe very much in the large commercial and institutional opportunity. There are many benefits to that. [1435] if we lead the way, we truly can demonstrate to the globe what's possible. We have tremendous examples that we will be able to share with the world in just 127 days, Madam Speaker.

The r ichmond speed skating oval, which is located virtually right beside your riding or in your riding, is a tremendous example of that par - ticular opportunity. i must share also that the beams in that structure are tremendous, made with interior Douglas fir milled at k alesnikoff l umber in the k ootenays, manufactured at Structurlam in Penticton and o kanagan Falls. The plywood that's on that roof was actually manufactured in Madam Speaker's own riding. r ichmond Plywood — another great success story of a british c olumbia– based forest company.

Then, of course, the mountain pine beetle lumber was manufactured in the c ariboo. So a tremendous story in that particular facility. but that's not the only one. There's the Squamish a dventure c entre, the Whistler Public l ibrary, the Percy n orman pool — many other facilities — the new con -

british c olumbia DebatesWednesday, o ctober 7, 2009 1047 vention centre, which truly demonstrate the opportun - ities that come with building with wood. by demonstrating Wood First here in british c olumbia, we also believe that we can influence other governments to move in this direction. We've also been in discus - sions with the province of a lberta and the province of Saskatchewan. i've had brief discussions with our federal government.

We see that this sort of thing could move right across c anada. interestingly, i attended a small conference last week of wood manufacturers from around the world, wood marketers, and they believe that there is an opportun - ity to extend this into the u nited States, n ew Zealand, a ustralia and other jurisdictions as well. So we're very excited about that. bill 9 also capitalizes on the green benefits of wood con- struction. Wood is the only building material that's renew- able, sustainable, climate-friendly, lightweight, strong and cost-effective — all in one package. Wood is just a tremendous winner.

Wood requires the least amount of energy to manufacture in the manufacture process, and using wood can offset climate change through carbon sequestration and, more properly said, carbon storage of previously sequestered carbon as a result of the growth of the tree. a n interesting little statistic: every tonne of wood materials used in construction saves about 5.5 tonnes of carbon dioxide from being released into the atmosphere. Putting this another way, 300 board feet of wood saves a single tonne of carbon dioxide.

Wood has superior insulating qualities as well. building a mid-sized building, a school, out of wood can have a significant impact in terms of overall sequestered carbon. There was a study done on a middle school in Prince George built out of wood that stated that the benefit to the environment was the same as removing 10,620 cars from the road for a year — a truly dramatic number.

Wood has superior insulating qualities — 400 times better than steel, 15 times better than concrete. it creates a far more energy- efficient building. bill 9 does fulfil one of the recommendations of the Working r ound t able on Forestry — a commitment to using wood first. i think that setting this example truly will lead the way globally. it builds on our commitments from the February throne speech, and it will create a revenue opportunity across british c olumbia.

Whether you are a forest-dependent or a non-forest-dependent community, we all win from this initiative. it also pro - motes using a renewable and climate-friendly building product. it brings us one more step forward to positioning british c olumbia as a world leader in wood construc - tion, in design and education. N. Macdonald: bill 9, the Wood First a ct, is two pages long, and it is filled with language that is, to put it mildly, equivocal.

The act is really — and i think the minister would agree with this — more an expression of sentiment, more a communication strategy than a real forestry strategy. if you actually look at the bill and read what it says, the equivocation is clear.

The minister did spend most of his speech, quite appropriately, talking about the importance of promoting the wood industry and the value of wood as a wonderful construction product. it is. it has proven itself over the centuries as an important product that british c olumbia produces in a particularly efficient and effective manner. [1440] but any idea that the act that's in front of this h ouse today is going to be in any way effective, i think, is really to raise expectations that are simply, again, not going to be met by b.c. l iberals with their forestry policy. if you look at the bill — as i say, two pages long…. included in that is a list of three

definitions that are fairly straightforward. There is a purpose which talks about requiring wood, but that purpose is not reflected in any of the remaining two sections of the bill. best practices,

section 3, talks about…. The minister may "recommend best practices." h e may "advise on the form and content of agreements." it then goes on with the ability, in sec - tion 4, to make up regulations. e quivocal to say the least. is there any guarantee that it's going to be b.c. wood that is used? Well, what we have seen with this government…. We can go to an example that was highlighted during the election, where you had signs that were up advertising a government project.

Was the wood from b.c.? it was not. it was a merican wood. is there anything in this bill or anything that the min- ister is going to do that is going to actually make sure that it's b.c. wood used? The answer is: likely not. n o. is there anything, actually, that the government can do within regulation to make sure that it's not from another jurisdiction? is that going to be addressed with this bill? n o. it won't be. We have naFta. We have tilMa.

We have other agreements. h ow much wood are we actually talking about here? e ven if the three billion identified as insti - tutional building was going to have elements of it with more wood, how much are we actually talking about? That value-added industry that the minister talks about? Well, that value-added industry has collapsed with this government. There have been over 60 value-added mill- ing operations that were there when this government took power that are no longer there. The type of goods that the minister is talking about were at some point produced in british c olumbia.

Very often many of those producers are no longer there. That is a direct result of b.c. forest policies — of policies deliberately put in place by this government — where there were promises of jobs, and there were promises of

british c olumbia Debates1048 Wednesday, o ctober 7, 2009 community stability, but the results have been a consist- ent failure. There has been unprecedented failure during the term and time of this b.c. l iberal government. Y ou really cannot turn yourself away from those facts. So we have bill 9, which is supposed to be part, you would think, of some strategy. r eally, as i say, it's more a communication plan than anything else. it is an indica - tion of sentiment.

Well, the minister has stood up and talked about his sentiment about using wood first. but what british c olumbians are looking for — in particular rural british c olumbians, who are most directly impacted by the col- lapse of the forest industry — is for a leadership that's different than simply expressions of sentiment. They're looking for some actions, for some answers.

What we have seen over the past eight, eight-and-a-half years are consistent expressions of sentiment, expressions of promise and then the realities that are consistently, com- pletely different, that turn out to be failures. in 2001, and i'll just read from the New Era docu - ment…. it's an interesting read. if anybody goes back to the New Era document, sees what was promised and compares it to the reality that we face here in british c olumbia now, you'll see that it's not just 2009 where pre-election promises are made and broken; it's a pat - tern that goes back to 2001.

From that document, that b.c. l iberal platform in 2001, we had a promise from the Premier to make a leading-edge forest industry that's globally recognized for its environmental stewardship — a talk about the forest industry being strong with a bright future for forest workers. Well, there are 25,000 fewer of those forest workers since that new-era promise — 25,000 fewer. Dozens and dozens of mills shut. [1445] Y ou have value-added basically collapsing. Y ou have workers abandoned. Y ou have communities aban - doned. Y ou have safety degraded in the woods. Y ou have environmental degradation.

Y ou have waste left on the floor. it's described as waste, but it's usable — but a buildup of waste. a ll of that…. What the minister and this government have to put in front of us is this two-page communica - tion strategy where there's a sentimental attachment to wood, where the minister may or might consider or should advise to do something with wood. it is hardly something that's going to inspire confidence in com - munities and with workers that are looking for some sign of leadership from this government. it has been absent over the past eight or nine years.

There has been study after study, with precious little that has come to show for it. We had $1 million spent on a round table that finished a long time ago, and what do we have to show for it? t wo pages with a sentiment about: it'd be great to use wood. Well, it would be wonderful to use wood. We all agree that it's a wonderful product.

This building and this room highlight the beauty of wood and its functional - ity. but that is not going to solve any of the very serious issues that are out there for british c olumbians. i think what's clear is that british c olumbians are looking for a leadership that addresses a number of issues that forest communities and forest workers want addressed. There should be bills in front of this h ouse, and there should be activity from this government that deals with the very serious problems facing workers right now.

We have lost 25,000 family-supporting jobs, and these are people that are…. if you come from a rural com - munity, they are our friends; they are our neighbours. They're people that we would play hockey with. They are often relatives. So we see, in rural communities, the impact of an industry that is facing difficult times. We would expect that instead of a bill like this, we would have real action in terms of supporting those people who have contributed so much to the wealth of this province, contributed incredible amounts of money.

There was a time when you would look at a budget from a government in b.c., and you would see a forest industry that contributed over a billion dollars. if you go back before this government, you'll see figures of $1.4 billion in revenue from the forest industry. What do we see now? We see a forest industry that cannot even pay for the Ministry of Forests. For the first time ever, the Ministry of Forests is losing money. b.c. t imber Sales — losing money. a nd workers idle when they should be working.

What you would look for is…. instead of something like this, you would look for action from a government, for leadership that would say: "We value the workers that have provided the wealth. We will keep that workforce looked after. We will make sure that there is an indus - trial infrastructure when markets improve." instead of that, instead of any assistance for workers, what do we have? We have nothing. The federal gov - ernment put in $129 million.

We asked repeatedly, on this side of the h ouse, for the provincial government to match that, to do something for workers, to show some initiative, and we got nothing — not a penny for work - ers. n ot a penny. What do we have? We now have a Wood First a ct, bill 9, which, instead of any support for workers, is going to have the minister — "perhaps, maybe, if i have to" — recommend how to use wood. e ven within the bill it says that it is going to require…. but it doesn't. So the purpose doesn't even match the sections that follow that would somehow make wood necessary for the building of institutions.

Y ou also have all of the capacity that this government has allowed to slip away. With the 2003 revitalization strategy, there was a promise from this government that

british c olumbia DebatesWednesday, o ctober 7, 2009 1049 you would create jobs, that by giving the companies exactly what they wanted — companies that, by the way, are huge donors to the b.c. l iberals…. [1450] Give them exactly what they wanted. The promise was that the public good that would flow from it would be jobs, community stability. instead, what do we have? We have over 40, 50 milling operations that are either shut down permanently or for an extended period, or have been shut down and taken into pieces.

We have lost unprecedented capacity. in 2003 we got rid of appurtenance, the requirement of the old social contract where the forest that was around a community, that the community had a connection with….

There was an old social contract that went back to the time of the Social credit with W .a.c. bennett — that idea that you would mill in an area that produced the wood. it was a social contract that people appreciated in rural british c olumbia, and it pointed to a strategy. it pointed to a government that took forestry seriously and tried to sit down and think and figure out what the industry would look like, where forestry was an import- ant part of what a government would think about. but it's not anything that has been on the front of the mind or as a priority for this government or for this Premier. it is whatever the companies asked for, and what the com- panies came and asked for was that they wanted to get rid of appurtenance.

"o kay, fine. it's given." is there any thought to the impacts or how that's going to affect communities, how it's going to affect workers? Precious little. The impacts that have followed speak to the failure of that policy. it hasn't produced jobs. it hasn't increased the number of mills. it's led to their closure, and what we have is, as an example of a strategy, bill 9. So Social c redit, n DP — times when forestry was taken seriously — you had legislation that was real, legislation that looked to find solutions. What do we get here?

We get this, as i said, bill 9, which is more of a communica- tions, sentimental act rather than any real act — anything that's going to make any difference on the ground at all. With the revitalization strategy the companies were able to get de facto control over much of the public lands. Y ou had no ministerial approval for oversight of sales and ownership changes. Y ou got rid of the auto - matic 5 percent takeback on cuts on transfers. Y ou had the ability for tFls to be subdivided, and you had a pay - ment of $250 million to create b.c. t imber Sales, which this year is losing money.

Y ou had a replacement to the Forest Practices c ode with a self-regulating setup that companies themselves report on how they're doing. is it any wonder that we've had environmental deg - radation? is it any wonder that forest, public land, is left with a huge amount of waste on the ground? a n inter- esting figure for people, and it's one that, if you go to ben Parfitt…. h e supplied a report on it. if people are wondering just how efficiently we use the wood in the forest now, the b.c. l iberals changed, in that revitalization plan, the requirement that went back an extended period of time to actually take market - able logs out of the forest.

These are logs that could be used for pulp.

They could be used as sawlogs. but the companies didn't want to do that, and this government agreed with those that donated to them and said, "o kay, fine; we'll put in place take or pay," and allowed the com- panies to pay a nominal fee to leave perfectly good wood in the forest. n ow, does this bill go to address any of those concerns? if you took the wood that was left in the forest over the past five years in british c olumbia and put those logs on logging trucks and lined those logging trucks up, they would stretch from here, at the steps of Victoria, all the way across to h alifax and back.

That's how much wood is being left in british c olumbia forests and not used — not used to produce jobs. l eft to rot. [1455] That goes back to decisions made in this h ouse by b.c. l iberals in 2003 when they gave the companies exactly what they wanted with no consideration of what the public good is. What benefits do we want from public lands?

When you have a minister that understands problems like that and a government that is constantly told that these prob- lems exist, you would expect some action. i think most british c olumbians, when they look to their forest and they see the opportunities that are there, especially if they come from a rural community where they see the difficulties that families are facing in the collapse of the forest industry, there's some expectation that a govern - ment would pay attention and put together a strategy that would actually assist in creating jobs. but is there anything done with the waste?

There is nothing. is there regulatory change that might force the wood to be brought in and used? n o, the government doesn't want to do that because their donors don't want them to do that. e ven if you just went to a marketplace solution and made it so that there was a cost to leaving the wood there through a carbon tax — put a carbon tax on the wood that's left there, make it a cost — then you would have the wood come out and be put to some use. instead it's left there. it's wasted, and it is left, with problems created for forest fire management and a whole host of other issues.

So you would expect that instead of bill 9, instead of a bill that is essentially fluff, you would expect some sign that there is a strategy that has some hope of success, but it's not happening. Y ou would expect that a government would deal with other forestry issues that have been put forward again and again as things that need to be dealt with. There have been no shortage of reports done for this government. it's their way of delaying any sort of deci - sion. one report goes back to 2008. a n a uditor General

british c olumbia Debates1050 Wednesday, o ctober 7, 2009 looked at safety — and he's not the first. There are many coroners' reports that look at forest worker safety. a nd there were recommendations about how to make the forest safer. Do we see legislation or regulations from this government that actually deal with those issues? Y ear after year it's ignored, despite the a uditor General being clear that work needed to be done.

The government actually is cited by the a uditor General: "l eadership for making safety a prominent gov- ernment priority is lacking." That is as clear as an a uditor General can get that there is a failure of leadership. a s you look at initiative after initiative with b.c . l iberal forest policy, that's what you see. Y ou see a failure of leadership; a failure of interest; a failure to protect the environment; a failure to protect workers, their economic well-being, their safety. a ll of those are compromised consistently and repeatedly.

The government's total focus in forest policy is to try to get the majority of the population that is somehow detached from forestry to believe that they are actually doing something. With this feel-good bill, that's part of the attempt. it will accomplish very little. it will not require b.c. wood to be used. i t doesn't actually require wood to be used. it says the minister "may" encour - age. l ike i say, it's a sentiment that we would all share.

Y ou can't argue with the sentiment to celebrate the use of wood and to promote it. but as far as it being in any way a substantive forest policy, it is a complete and utter failure. [1500] There was a time, if you go back to the Social credit, where we insisted that these companies were british c olumbia companies and that the forests were to pro - duce a public good — where the idea that we would take logs and we would send them offshore to be produced was something that we would try very hard not to do. because we know that when you leave logs in the forest, you're wasting the opportunity for jobs.

When you allow them to go offshore and to be exported as raw logs, you are essentially exporting jobs. one would expect a strategy to try to make sure that instead of sending logs offshore, we would try to pro - duce things here. We have no value-added strategy. We apparently have no interest at the b.c. l iberal govern- ment table to try to make sure that wood is actually used here. So you have a b.c. Wood First a ct where you're encour- aging the use of wood, but where there is no requirement that it be b.c . wood.

There's no interest in making sure that logs stay in british c olumbia and actually produce jobs and produce a product that we can send to other parts of the world and use here. There's no commitment even to the land that we had set aside for forestry. h ere on the island but also in the interior…. c ertainly Port a lberni was the first example, but you have it around here also. Y ou had agreements that would take areas of private land, the

schedule a lands, and you would have those lands in tFls with large areas of public land. That was supposed to be something that would be in place in perpetuity producing logs, producing jobs. What this government did, for reasons that are beyond comprehension…. They allowed those private lands to be separated, despite all of the benefits that were given to the companies for decades and decades.

They have allowed them to be separated and be sold off essentially as real estate — a huge benefit with the promise, from the minister at that time responsible, of some jobs. in fact, thousands of jobs, i think, were promised. n one of them have been produced. it is a massive give - away and consistent with a pattern of giveaways to major donors, with no public benefit — absolutely no public benefit. it's not just me who has reached that conclusion. The a uditor General reached that conclusion.

The a uditor General did a report there and was absolutely clear that the giveaway of land to these companies, the breaking up of the tFls, was not in the public interest. We consistently see, since 2001, despite a promise to reinvigorate the forest industry, that workers are abandoned. Their safety is compromised. The land that should be producing forests for the future and that all people should have access to and share the benefit from — that's given away.

Y ou look for any sign of a strategy that's going to work. a ll that we are given is essentially a bill that is going to somehow say something nice about wood. it is such a failure of leadership. That's what you hear again and again as you travel from communities to communities where mills are down and where workers and commun- ities are looking for leadership. What you see is…. Y ou're asked again and again: "Where's the leadership?" h onestly, if people were to look, if those communities were to look at what is going on in this h ouse and see the reaction to this ongoing crisis in forestry….

This is the plan the government has? i mean, it would be pretty disappointing. This is what a million dollars gets you. We spent a million dollars with the forestry round table. So far, what do we have from it? We have an expression that wood is great. We don't need a law to realize that wood is a useful product for construction. We shouldn't need a law for us to pro- mote the use of wood in buildings. This building is not new, but they used wood here. They celebrated it.

We can see that, and it's beautiful. [1505] The school that the minister referred to being built out of wood — well, it didn't have the Wood First a ct. it was still built out of wood, and it may even have been built in the 1990s. Y ou know, you don't need a law to realize that wood is a great product to build houses out of. i live in a wood house — quite happy with that. i think most of us do.

british c olumbia DebatesWednesday, o ctober 7, 2009 1051 The other areas where people are looking for leader - ship and would expect more than this are areas around forest health, around not only the pine beetle but the wide range of forest health issues that are out there. People are looking for leadership in silviculture. They recognize that, despite all of the talk, there really has not been, in any way, a coordinated mountain pine beetle strategy. in 2001 the Premier declared war on the pine beetle. Just a few weeks ago the Minister of Forests surrendered on that file, said that we'd lost.

Well, it's not a surprise to anyone. The fact of the matter is that it was always going to be a challenge. it was a challenge that needed to be met. a ny idea that we actually attempted to deal with the issue in a meaningful way is simply not accurate. We have not done the work that we need to. We have a need for leadership to make sure that the areas are replanted, that the industry is given some security. n one of those things have happened. There is no mountain pine beetle strategy that has really been proven effective. We have allowed the total destruction of our value- added sector.

We have lost over 60 value-added com - panies. Most would say that before 2001, certainly, the initiative that was being put forward was to make sure that we made full use of the resource that was there for us. That's no longer happening. The sentiment in this bill is one that everyone agrees with. The sentiment is all that is there, but it is one that everyone agrees with. Wood is an incredibly important product. it is excellent for construction, not only as a part of the framing and the engineering of a building, but it is a beautiful product. it is one that has a long history.

There was a time when the forest industry would pro- vide good, family-supporting jobs in this province. That time has, for the time being, passed. Will it in the future? Y es, it will. For that to happen there has to be leadership. There have to be ideas that are real. They have to be ideas that are substantive, more than simply communication strat- egies. They have to be ideas that are going to involve a public good and involve the public in providing the solution. We have in our communities tremendous expertise.

We have in our communities ideas about how to get more from the land base, how to improve the industry. We have those ideas. but what we see is a government that is far more inter- ested in doing exactly what their corporate donors want rather than doing what's best for the industry. Deputy Speaker: Forgive the interruption, Member. a re you the designated speaker? N. Macdonald: Y es, i am. Deputy Speaker: Please continue. interjection. N. Macdonald: The minister asks if i would go on for two hours. i'd be happy to do that for the minister. i always enjoy…. interjections. N.

Macdonald: The Minister of Forests wants to make it clear that it wasn't him that was asking for that. it's the Minister of a boriginal r elations. So there's no question that the sentiment is there, the sentiment that we all agree with, but there has to be more.

There has to be a strategy that is going to work for our communities and strategies that are going to make sure that there is stability and that we get the industrial jobs back that we need and get people back into the forest, doing the forest health work that's needed. [1510] There is so much to be done, but what it takes is an investment and a recognition that these public lands are there for the public good and that if we are going to be serious about making sure that we leave a legacy for future generations, we have to come up with a strategy that will last not only through a communications cycle, but is real and will be something that sets us up for dec - ades to come.

With every challenge — and there's no question there are challenges with markets — there are opportunities. There are opportunities to look at different markets. Some of that is happening. There are opportunities to redefine how we use the land base. There are opportun - ities to reposition an industry for decades to come. That is not happening. Those ideas are there. They sit with expertise around the province. There are people who have many ideas about how to move forward.

What this government needs to do is to take the expertise that exists within the ministry, to take the expertise that sits in the province, and to put together a strategy that is going to be real and a strategy that is going to work. i know that there are a number of members of the nDP caucus that want an opportunity to speak on this bill. it is an issue, an area of tremendous importance to all british c olumbians, but it is one that is especially felt by those that live in rural communities. a s i say, we have people that have worked in the indus- try and have spent their life in the industry.

The next speaker, unless there is a b.c. l iberal that is going to stand up and speak to this bill, is my co-critic, who has spent 30 years in the industry, who knows the import - ance of the industry and the need for a strategy that is going to provide the jobs, the economic benefits, and

british c olumbia Debates1052 Wednesday, o ctober 7, 2009 who values tremendously the public lands that surround our communities. We also have a rural caucus that shares ideas around forest strategy and forest issues. i'd like to draw to a close. bill 9, the Wood First a ct, is

an act which, as i've said many times, is really an expres- sion of sentiment. it doesn't accomplish the things that we need to accomplish in british c olumbia. This is not to be confused with a forestry strategy. it is a communi- cation strategy. The sentiment is appealing.

The use of wood, we sup- port. but what we would be looking for is some sign that the b.c . l iberals understand the incredible mistakes that they have made over the past eight years and the damage that they have done to families and communities in abandoning a sector, in abandoning forestry — a sector that i think and many would agree was fundamentally important in the building of this province. With that, i thank you for the opportunity to speak. B.

Routley: i very much enjoy working with n orm on this file. it is indeed a sad thing to realize that the best that this government has to offer, the very best that they can come up with, is a plan to…. it's really window dressing. it's a plan to talk about wood first in british c olumbia. Well, a while ago i think the same government was talking about: "Well, in maybe five storeys we should have a lot of wood." a gain, it's motherhood and apple pie. c oming from the forest industry, of course i want to see wood utilized, and that's a no-brainer.

Will this actually result in jobs in communities? is this going to really put people back to work in mills? The answer is no. [1515] This minister knows that. h e's been telling the people of british c olumbia about mill closures because of the devastating impact of the pine beetle and what's been going on in the economy — the lack of an aggressive plan to do value-added.

The best that this government seems to…. instead of having Wood First, we could actually show that we cared about wood first in british c olumbia if we had a plan to make sure that the forest products — some of the best-quality products that we produce — instead of being exported across the line, were actually to be maintained here in british c olumbia to create value- added products. Where does the minister think that those products are going?

Y ou know, i had the privilege to sit down in one of these groups that were running around the communities from the l iberal government at one point, and i asked the question: "Well, where…? Those logs aren't just going somewhere and disappearing into thin air. Somebody is running them through either a mill or a value-added plant, and they're creat - ing employment." h ave we examined…? h as anybody taken the time to go over and examine how it is that a company like interfor, one of the three amigos that this government will remember…?

When they capitulated to the corpor - ate agenda and basically gave them everything that they wanted back in 2003, we were promised then that it was going to be a new day and that because of this govern - ment's actions there was going to be real employment and real prosperity. a fter all, they were creating…. They got rid of all the private lands out of tree farm licences.

They made private land–like rights in our tree farm licences and basically gave the industry everything they wanted. a t the end of the day, companies like interfor shut down mills in british c olumbia — first one, then another, then another — and when they got money back in the softwood lumber deal, do you think they spent any of that money on investing in british c olumbia, as was promised? it was promised by this government, and their representatives were running around, and they were promoting this wonderful plan that was going to come about. a ll the ceo s were promising they were going to invest in british c olumbia.

Did they invest? n o. The reality is that at the end of the day they shut mills down, and this government sat on the sidelines. They'd basically given away the toolkit, Madam Speaker. in the past, when governments had appurtenancy, when they had the ability to tie our wood to our mills and to our communities throughout british c olumbia, when there was a true public process, the government of british c olumbia would put out to the public, "here's what we're thinking about doing," and the public had real consultation. a ll those processes just got thrown in the garbage.

They've been thrown in the shredder in the same min - istry of delete whose office i can't find. They're gone somewhere; i have no idea where — all of those good ideas of connecting communities, caring about com - munities and caring about workers. There was no plan whatsoever put in place by this government to protect the interests of british c olumbians and b.c. commun - ities while they were busy unbolting and disconnecting the public connectivity, the public connection to our forest.

You know, i talked to forest workers who said: "Surely this government must have some plan. t hey must have gotten commitments or real agreements that there was going to be actual investment." When the ceo s went running around to communities, people talked about it in the lunch rooms, and they said: "Well, maybe this is really going to happen. Maybe this government has some kind of plan and knows what they're doing."

british c olumbia DebatesWednesday, o ctober 7, 2009 1053 The results? a t the end of the day no plan, no con - nection, no promises, no agreement. This government has no problem sitting down with the federal govern - ment behind closed doors and cutting a deal without the people of british c olumbia knowing.

They have no problem sitting down with some P3 partner and cutting some deal to give away another asset of british c olumbia. [1520] They have no problem doing that kind of thing, but where is the interest of this government in taking care of the actual working people throughout british c olumbia and taking care of communities throughout british c olumbia? Where is the action?

Y ou know, just wonderful fluff and window dressing is what this comes down to. i mean, come on. h ow many buildings do we really expect are going to be built under the building codes in communities all over british c olumbia, and how much money, in the middle of all of these cuts, do we expect this government's going to be spending on building six-storey buildings with wood? it's just more nice words. by the way, some of the other folks…. if you were from the steel or glass or cement industries…. They're interested in hearing from the government. is next year their turn?

We're going to have glass-first year, and then we're going to have cement-first year after that. k ind of a rotating door, and everybody can be first. but there's no real plan of action involved here in talking about wood first. it sounds nice to say. We're filling up some time here in the l egislature, spinning our wheels yet again with more jiggery-pokery by this government.

Jiggery-pokery — that's my mother's favourite word again. i get to use it again. i dearly love the opportun - ity to use my mother's favourite word, jiggery-pokery. i've never seen the likes of it. a lmost every day there's a new opportunity to talk about jiggery-pokery here in this place. What's going on is that this government…. interjection. B. Routley: i hear there are lots of cheerleaders over there that are cheering me on. They're excited. Finally, they've come awake. They've heard some truth being spoken in this place, and they're inter - ested.

They want to carry on some discussion about Wood First because they're going to be doing all these wonderful things to take care of the people of british c olumbia. Somehow they want us to believe a myth that we're going to have mills open up all over british c olumbia because this government has opened up Wood First. Y ou know what's amazing? This is a true story. i know some brothers that phoned up Western Forest Products, and they wanted to know if they could buy some wood to build some of their own buildings. Y ou know, you can't buy wood.

They tell you to go through one of these big wholesale outfits like h ome Depot. Y ou know what's alarming? Y ou go into h ome Depot in downtown Duncan in the c owichan Valley, and there are products from all over the world.

This minister is promoting a wood-first plan, but please note that there is no mention of the word " b.c ." There is no mention of the words " b.c . communities." There's no mention about b.c. workers and their fam - ilies, who are desperately looking for help from this government — just more words, more verbal diarrhea about the kind of thing that they're going to produce, some kind of wonderful plan that's going nowhere. it's a plan that goes nowhere — to talk about a new strategy. We've had a long list. back in 2001 we had the new era of sustainable forestry. Where did that lead?

More mill closures and shutdowns. Then in 2003 we had the so- called forest revitalization plan. Well, we haven't found anything that needed revitalizing. [c. t revena in the chair.] Maybe the minister saw some of those mills going down, and he was going to somehow go mouth to mouth and give them resuscitation. but you know what? They didn't do that either. a t the end of the day, those mills — mill after mill after mill — closed. c ommunity after community abandoned. i was shocked when i went up to Mackenzie.

With my friend there, we met with some of the locals in the largest hotel in Mackenzie. in fact, just down the hall Mr. bell has an office. There's nobody there, other than some poor lady, probably cleaning cobwebs. a t the end of the day, we went into that hotel, and it was empty. [1525] Deputy Speaker: Member, one moment. Hon. P . Bell: We've heard this member a couple of times use other members' names. i'd just ask you to remind him about the appropriate decorum. Deputy Speaker: a bsolutely. B.

Routley: o kay, Madam Speaker. i'm working on remembering "Minister of Forests," and i do need to shine that up a bit. "b rother" is far too kind. i take that back. brothers and sisters, while we might fight and argue, at the end of the day you can get somewhere. but the bottom line here, i'm learning, is that they have no interest in listening to this side of the h ouse — none whatsoever — even when we put forward some good ideas.

british c olumbia Debates1054 Wednesday, o ctober 7, 2009 For example, let's talk about log exports. This min - ister says he's interested, so i'm going to give it another boy Scout try to talk about how we could avert some log exports.

This would keep wood first in british c olumbia. i talked to mill managers in my travels who said that one of the problems with log exports is that if they buy 40 percent of their wood from one company and 40 percent of their wood from another company and for that last 20 percent they want to block the export of raw logs, what happens is that when they try to block the export of raw logs, they get a phone call from that log company that's exporting the logs, and they get told: "n o, no. if you block that sale, we're going to dis - continue providing you with that 40 percent that we did the year before." There's an example, and this is a real case — the saw - mill in n anaimo where i had the manager sit down with me before it closed. h e explained that one of the prob - lems was that they weren't able to get real access to the wood because there wasn't what he referred to as like a double-blind process. a nd so i'm glad the minister is here for this.

The opportunity is there. if we're really ser- ious to look at a double-blind kind of process where we say to the…. if the government had a will to, they could introduce the idea of providing logs on the export market that weren't tagged and marked with a company name, locate them in a place that wasn't directly associated with any company and, just like i saw in Japan, allow anybody to come down, walk those logs and buy a few logs here or there if they want — buy the whole boom if they want, if they want to put a bid on it. it's a blind process. The buyer and seller don't see each other.

There would have to be an intermediary to ensure that, at the end of the day, there can't be any of this…. These aren't my words. one of the mill managers said that it's kind of a blackmail that he felt, being phoned up and told: "n o, no. Don't you bid on that." The same thing with a value-added producer. i had an operation called Fantax in Parksville that was want - ing yellow cedar wood from Macmillan bloedel.

For a while they were getting supplied all the yellow cedar they wanted. a nd then one day the call came through to that poor little mill, and they said: "Y ou're done. n o more wood from that company." a nd they phoned me up and said: "Well, what do we do?" i said, "Well, i can make a few calls," but the answer i got back was: "n o, no.

We've decided we need all of the wood." So even though you had an operation providing employment, the reality is that in british c olumbia we have corporate concentration so badly as a result of the actions of this government that there is almost unilateral control by a handful of players in our total forest indus - try in british c olumbia — by a handful of major, major companies. it's indeed a sad state of affairs.

Then i want to talk about making wood first for the future of british c olumbia. i'm concerned about the forest health in british c olumbia, because i've talked to professional foresters. i've talked to people that are out in the field, actually planting trees. [1530] Y ou know what they tell me? We’ve got to question the minister about this.

There are 14 million hectares or more in some state of forest health problem. it can be anywhere, as the minister puts it, from some kind of trace health issue to a very serious issue where those hectares are virtually down and out for the count, and they're falling down. a ll over the province we've got huge volumes of dead and dying wood in those pine forests. it's a catastrophe waiting to happen. We're going to have a day come where there's more….

The minister knows this is correct. i'm sure that he does, that he wouldn't disagree. n ext year there are going to be more lightning strikes, and if they hit in the wrong place, we're going to light up like a candle because we have this dead and dying wood in these pine forests that are getting more decayed by the day. There's no bioenergy plan.

When we were out in the field, i talked to a logging manager who said that he would like to supply…. h e said that he could supply a local community business, a small business, with a few truckloads every day, and they could make pellets. i'm only talking about a couple of employees here. This isn't big business, but this is an example. h e said that he was prepared to give it away, and the company had already paid for it, for the billing of it. a t the end of the day, he was told that the Ministry of Forests wouldn't allow him to

Document details

Collection	British Columbia — Debates (Hansard)
Citation	H1007pm-03
Type	hansard
Volume / chapter	H1007pm 03
Language	en
Format	pdf
Source	PROVINCIAL
Identifier	abd26efd0e7d0e4871d7c5f1c537766aef1a0b2a

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