British Columbia Hansard — Monday, November 2, 2009 (39th Parliament, 1st Session) (H1102pm-07) (H1102pm 07)

H1102pm-07

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 Monday, November 2, 2009 Afternoon Sitting Volume 6, Number 7

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 Monday, november 2, 2009 a fternoon Sitting Page Routine Business introductions by Members ..................................................................................................................................................... 1859 t ributes ..................................................................................................................................................................................... 1859 Vancouver island r aiders r . c antelon introductions by Members ..................................................................................................................................................... 1859 Statements ................................................................................................................................................................................ 1859 McDonald's c hampion k ids selection of Johnathan botelho h on.

S. bond introductions by Members ..................................................................................................................................................... 1860 introduction and First r eading of bills ................................................................................................................................ 1860 bill 21 — a mbulance Services c ollective a greement a ct h on. k. Falco n bill 20 — Miscellaneous Statutes a mendment a ct (n o. 2), 2009 h on.

M. de Jong Statements (Standing order 25b) ......................................................................................................................................... 1861 b.c. crime Prevention Week and Surrey community safety awards S. c adieux Patient safety M. Mungall Surrey and White r ock community resources fair D. h ayer c ommemoration of internment of ukrainian c anadians k. c onroy StrongStart b.c. centres in n orth Vancouver J.

Thornthwaite r ole of Prince r upert in potash export industry G. c oons oral Questions ......................................................................................................................................................................... 1863 Government support for kitimat forest workers r . a ustin h on. b. bennett Government action on forest industry c. James h on. P . bell Government support for kitimat forest workers n. Macdonald h on. P . bell Staffing for Prince r upert audiology clinic G. c oons h on. k. Falco n Supply of h1n1 vaccine to c opeman clinic J. brar h on. k. Falco n a. Dix

oral Questions (continued) c hildren and Family Development Ministry budget priorities M. k aragianis h on. M. Polak Funding for infant development program M. k aragianis h on. M. Polak J. kwan Minimum wage r . c houhan h on. M. c oell Petitions .................................................................................................................................................................................... 1868 c.

James S. h erbert S. h ammell Orders of the Day Second r eading of bills .......................................................................................................................................................... 1868 bill 14 — h ousing and Social Development Statutes a mendment a ct, 2099 (continued) h on. r . c oleman c ommittee of the Whole h ouse ............................................................................................................................................ 1870 bill 17 — h ealth Statutes (r esidents' bill of r ights) a mendment a ct, 2009 h on. i. c hong J. brar a.

Dix r eport and Third r eading of bills ......................................................................................................................................... 1892 bill 17 — h ealth Statutes (r esidents' bill of r ights) a mendment a ct, 2009 c ommittee of the Whole h ouse ............................................................................................................................................ 1892 bill 19 — l obbyists r egistration a mendment a ct, 2009 l. k rog h on.

M. de Jong Proceedings in the Douglas Fir Room c ommittee of Supply .............................................................................................................................................................. 1896 e stimates: Ministry of t ourism, c ulture and the a rts (continued) S. h erbert h on. k. k rueger l. Popha m e stimates: Ministry of c ommunity and r ural Development h on. b. bennett S. Fraser

1859 MonD a Y , noVeMber 2, 2009 The h ouse met at 1:33 p.m. [Mr. Speaker in the chair.] Routine Business Introductions by Members Hon. M. de Jong: o ver the years and the decades british c olumbians and this h ouse have been served by some incredibly talented individuals in the capacity of a ttorney General. t oday we had a brief ceremony in the rotunda, and we honoured the achievements of all of those individuals. i'm so pleased that seven past a ttorneys General were able to be here today. i'd like to introduce them to the…. interjection. Hon. M. de Jong: They are a shy, retiring lot.

The dean of the alumni group, who helped, i think it's fair to say, make the ceremony at noon a smashing success is — and i hope the h ouse will welcome all of these individuals — Garde Gardom, who served from 1975 to 1979; brian Smith, who served as a ttorney General from 1983 to 1988; r uss Fraser, who served from 1990 to 1991; c olin Gabelmann, who served from 1991 to 1995; a ndrew Petter, who was a ttorney General in the millennium year of 2000; Graeme b owbrick, who served from 2000 to 2001; and my immediate predecessor, who served from 2005 to 2009, Mr. Wally oppal. They are all deserving of our respect.

The h ouse has already made them feel welcome and i know will do so once again. [a pplause.] [1335] Hon. K. Heed: Good afternoon. i'd ask the h ouse to please join me in welcoming some more very special guests today. Since the tragic death of their daughter r eena, Suman and Manjit Virk have turned heartbreak into hope by sharing their story in an effort to prevent similar tragedies. the Virks, in honour of r eena, have spoken at schools and community events to educate teens and the public about the true costs of bullying.

These parents are truly an inspiration. i would ask all members to join me in welcoming them, along with their son a man and his wife, e lizabeth, to the assembly today. a lso in the h ouse today is a very good friend of the Virks. h e, too, works with our young people to combat crime and build safer communities. i would also ask all members to join me in welcoming c onst. Paul brookes of the Victoria police department, who we are proud to welcome to the l egislature today. Tributes Vancou Ver iSlan D rai Der S R.

Cantelon: on Saturday the Vancouver island r aiders, for the third consecutive year, won the c anadian Junior Football l eague championship. in two weeks n anaimo will host the canadian championship game. The Surrey r ams fought hard. Their quarterback was flattened and had trouble getting up, but c am c lark got up and tried again. c ongratulations to the Vancouver island r aiders, and good luck in the c anadian cham- pionships in two weeks. Introductions by Members Hon. I. Chong: Somewhere in the precinct — i know they're touring — is a group of students from a school in my riding.

That is h illcrest e lementary School. There are 29 grade 4 students and six adults, led by their teacher, Miss Margot k irkpatrick. They may show up at any time. i know they are in the precinct. i ask the h ouse to make them welcome. Statements McDonalD'S chaMP ion kiDS Selection o F Johnathan botelho Hon. S. Bond: o n behalf of my colleagues from Prince George–Mackenzie and n echako l akes…. We wanted to share a very good news story with the members this afternoon. o lympic excitement is building, and that's the case in northern b.c. as well.

There is a program called McDonald's c hampion k ids, and it chooses 11 children from across c anada to participate in an international program connected to the o lympics. The students were chosen by a selection committee, including two-time o lympic gold medallist c assie c ampbell. We are thrilled to tell you that one of those champion kids is from Prince George.

Johnathan botelho is a grade 7 student, a member of the local under-12 all-star a level soccer team. h is enthusiasm for sports and great com- munication skills have allowed him to be a cub reporter on ckPG t V's Cougar View as well as a junior announcer at the cn c entre during c ougar games. h e's an outstand- ing youth leader and now a McDonald's champion kid. h e will be attending the o lympics, visiting cultural sites, interacting with other champion kids from around the world and filing a few stories, i am sure. We are absolutely proud of Johnathan and wish him a wonderful time at the o lympics.

british c olumbia Debates1860 Monday, n ovember 2, 2009 Introductions by Members G. Hogg: We are delighted, i'm sure, to have with us in the gallery today a gentleman, a bon vivant, a former ministerial assistant to a gentleman who thinks he's a star basketball player — he is, clearly, a former a ttorney General, Mr. Wally o ppal — and a man who is currently the recipient of higher learning here in our province. Would you please join me in welcoming Mr. t erry l alari. Introduction and First Reading of Bills bill 21 — aMbulance Ser ViceS collectiVe a GreeMent act h on. k.

Falcon presented a message from h is h onour the l ieutenant-Governor: a bill intituled a mbulance Services c ollective a greement a ct. Hon. K. Falcon: i move that bill 21, the a mbulance Services c ollective a greement a ct, be introduced and read a first time now. [1340] Motion approved. Hon. K. Falcon: The a mbulance Services c ollective a greement a ct is designed to bring an end to the current impasse between the emergency and h ealth Services c ommission and cuP e 873, the union representing ambulance paramedics and dispatchers in british c ol- umbia.

When b.c .'s paramedics began their job action on a pril 1, earlier this year, we sincerely hoped that a mutually agreeable settlement could be reached. u nfortunately, despite numerous attempts over the past seven months, the two sides have been unable to resolve their differen- ces. The last offer made to the union was generous, given the difficult economic challenges we face as a province, and it is in keeping with what other public sector work- ers will receive in 2009-10.

We value the work and services of b.c.'s 3,500 ambu- lance paramedics, and many of us have great relation- ships with individual paramedics across the province. h owever, we are concerned that the longer this dispute drags on, the higher the risk for patients, a risk we are no longer prepared to countenance. With the h1n1 pandemic impacting the acute care system and with the busy holiday season fast approaching, the public needs certainty that they'll have the care they need in an emer- gency. it is time to move forward in the interests of all british c olumbians. it is not a decision we have come to lightly.

The settle- ment we've put forward in the act reflects the key elements of the offer made by the b.c. a mbulance Service during the last round of talks in September. it is a one-year deal, retroactive to a pril 1, 2009, and includes a competitive compensation increase of 3 percent in wages this year, in line with other public sector workers.

This wage increase was accepted by the union in September. in addition, i will be calling on the Minister of l abour to appoint an industrial inquiry commissioner to iden- tify options for repairing the labour relations structure between the two parties before the next round of bar - gaining in the new year.

The union indicated that the appointment of an industrial inquiry commissioner was the most important issue to address, and we agree. in particular, i also intend to address the issues raised by rural paramedics, who face unique challenges under the existing structure. i move that the bill be placed on the orders of the day for second reading at the next sitting of the h ouse after today. bill 21, a mbulance Services c ollective a greement a ct, 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. bill 20 — M iScellaneou S Statute S aMenDMent act (n o. 2), 2009 h on.

M. de Jong presented a message from h is h onour the l ieutenant-Governor: a bill intituled Miscellaneous Statutes a mendment a ct (n o. 2), 2009. Hon. M. de Jong: i move the bill be introduced and read a first time now. Motion approved. Hon.

M. de Jong: bill 20, the Miscellaneous Statutes a mendment a ct ( n o. 2), 2009, amends the following statutes: a nimal Disease c ontrol a ct, c ommunity c are and a ssisted l iving a ct, c ommunity l iving a uthority a ct, criminal r ecords r eview a ct, e lection a ct, For - est a ct, Forestry r evitalization a ct, h omeowner Pro- tection a ct, h ydro and Power a uthority a ct, l and Surveyors a ct, l ivestock identification a ct and Motor Dealer a ct.

This bill also represents the final piece of legislation that the government intends to introduce for passage during this session. i move that the bill be placed on the orders of the day for consideration by the h ouse at the next sitting after today. bill 20, Miscellaneous Statutes a mendment a ct (n o. 2), 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 DebatesMonday, n ovember 2, 2009 1861 Statements (Standing Order 25B) b.c. criMe Pre Vention Week anD Surre Y co MMunit Y SaFet Y a WarDS S. Cadieux: t oday i would like to acknowledge the many british c olumbians who are working to make their communities safer places to live. t o that end, i would like to read the following proclamation: [1345] "Whereas the week of n ovember 1 to 7, 2009, has been desig- nated as c rime Prevention Week in british c olumbia and in recognition thereof, communities throughout the province are actively participating in this event; and

whereas the Ministry of Public Safety and Solicitor General and crime prevention groups throughout the province wish to heighten public awareness of crime prevention programs; and

whereas the success of crime prevention depends on the people working together in families, neighbourhoods, businesses, communities and youth groups to promote safer streets in every community; and

whereas british c olumbia encourages local governments to build strong com- munities that discourage crime and work cooperatively with justice and law enforcement agencies, crime prevention groups, communities, schools, youth groups and businesses to build pub- lic awareness and involvement in crime prevention activities; and

whereas our l ieutenant-Governor, by and with the advice and consent of the executive council, has been pleased to enact order- in-c ouncil 903 on o ctober 11, 2002; now know ye that we do by these presents proclaim and declare the week of n ovember 1 to 7, 2009, inclusive shall be known as c rime Prevention Week in the province of british c olumbia." i'd also like to recognize two Surrey winners of the crime Prevention and c ommunity Safety a wards this year: the Surrey board of education, for their safe schools program; and c arrie c hattell, an rcMP employee in c loverdale who developed a six-week course entitled "Protecting Y ourself " in response to the needs of her community. i'd like to have the h ouse encourage that.

Patient SaFet Y M. Mungall: Well, this week marks the beginning of Patient Safety Week all over c anada. The c anadian Patient Safety institute launched c anadian Patient Safety Week as an annual campaign every year nation- ally. This week is part of the institute's mandate to build and advance a safer health system for c anadians. The theme of c anadian Patient Safety Week is "a sk, listen, talk," because communication is key to patient safety.

Good health care starts with good communica- tion. if something doesn't seem right, ask questions, listen to the answers, and discuss your concerns. a sking, listening and talking are exactly what n elson and West k ootenay residents have been doing since 2002. c oncerned about patient safety in rural areas, West k ootenay residents have been asking questions about their health care system, listening to a wide variety of answers and, of course, talking about their experiences and their concerns. t ransportation between communities and health ser - vices is a very big issue that impacts patient safety. a ccess to acute therapeutic and long-term care in our commun- ities is a major talking point.

Thousands across the coun- try will participate in events that raise awareness. one of the things that this week reminds us is that between 9,000 and 24,000 people die each year as a result of preventable adverse events or harm in canadian hospitals. There are more deaths each year due to adverse events and preventable harm in hospitals than deaths from breast cancer, motor vehicle accidents and hiV com- bined. i'd like to take this opportunity to applaud the residents in my area who are dedicated to the concept of patient safety and committed to improving it.

Surre Y anD White rock co MMunit Y re Source S Fair D. Hayer: l ast week i attended an exceptional com- munity resource fair hosted by Peace a rch c ommunity Services Society, in partnership with the Progressive intercultural c ommunity Services Society, at my old high school, Queen e lizabeth Secondary. More than 48 very important community organizations participated in this event. The fifth annual fair provided a huge information resource for my constituents in Surrey- t ynehead and for all residents of Surrey and White rock.

The list of organizations that participated range from the a lzheimer Society to the Surrey h ospice Society, Surrey rcMP , l egal Services Society, o ptions: Services to c ommunities Society, t zu c hi Foundation, South Fraser Women's Services, Surrey Food bank, Diverc ity, c hildren's Foundation, South Fraser c ommunity Services Society, n ewton a dvocacy Group, S ee DS, immigrant Services Society of b.c., a tira Women's r esource Society, c anadian n ational institute for the blind, c ommunity l iving b.c . and a host of others — also, representatives of such diverse groups as the Shell busey home referral network, rbc Foundation, Surrey b oard of trade.

This incredibly informative day for Surrey residents would not have been possible without the outstanding organizational skills of such persons as a nthony intas, c haran Gill, Victoria c lements, Satbir c heema, Sue Sanderson, Sandy a lleyn, Jessie k ergan, Y asmin a li, Jagtar Dhaliwal, Gurinder budwal and renu Gambhir.

Special thanks must also go to many, many volunteers, including Diane e lmer, t eresa beck, Don c osens, Dan Sardinha, t eresa c ampbell, Sandy a lfonso and Shafeem k ahn. i ask all the members to join me in congratulating and thanking all those mentioned and many, many more individuals, organizations and sponsors who worked so hard to make this event very successful and accessible information provided to the community as a resource for the residents of Surrey and the citizens of White rock. [1350]

british c olumbia Debates1862 Monday, n ovember 2, 2009 co MMe Moration oF internMent o F ukrainian canaD ianS K. Conroy: on o ctober 24, i attended a moving cere- mony in e dgewood to unveil a plaque commemorating u krainian c anadians wrongfully interned during the First World War. n ow, most c anadians know about the Japanese c anadians who were interned during World War ii and the Québécois who were detained in the '70s, both under the War Measures a ct, but i have found very few people who know that the u krainian c anadians were the first group of people to have suffered under this notorious act.

The federal government set up 24 internment camps across the country. The internees were housed in bunk- houses and were employed in hard labour, includ- ing roadbuilding. in e dgewood they built the road to nowhere, as there was no ferry crossing on the a rrow l akes at the time.

Dr. l ubomyr l uciuk of the u krainian c anadian c ivil l iberties a ssociation, the uccla, who specializes in the political geography of eastern europe and the ethnic and immigration history of c anada, described it best: "k eep in mind that these were civilians who had come to c anada expecting to find freedom…who had done nothing wrong yet found themselves described as enemy aliens and herded together in camps and forced to do heavy labour, even though that was prohibited by existing international laws governing…prisoners of war." This day, though, was about recognition and celebra- tion and that this wrong should be righted and these people's contribution to our history remembered.

While no survivors of these camps remain alive today, the unveiling of the plaque was a symbolic restitution of

an act that should never again be repeated in this country. The plaque, permanently situated at the entrance to the e dgewood internment c amp site, was unveiled by longtime e dgewood residents Dot and r ollie crabbe and r on and Phyllis Volansky. i want to thank the local uccla coordinator, a ndrea Malysh, and the other uccla members, the e dgewood c ommunity internet Society and the e dgewood r oyal c anadian l egion branch n o. 203 for the fabulous lunch they provided and everyone who was involved for ensuring a very suc- cessful and memorable event. Stron GStart b.c . centre S in north Vancou Ver J.

Thornthwaite: on Friday i had the pleasure of attending the openings of two more StrongStart b.c. programs in n orth Vancouver, with my former col- league Susan Skinner, the board chair; r ick c han, who's the principal; childhood educator h eather Van h altren; Joanne r obertson; and irene Y oung. i was very pleased to be there to meet with them again.

The preschoolers of both l ynn Valley and Seymour h eights now have the opportunity to learn in an inter - active and fun environment. n ot only does this part- nership create a stronger community. it also creates an environment that facilitates early learning and literacy for our little ones. a s a parent with three children in n orth Vancouver, i appreciate the values that these centres represent, and i know that if they had been available when my kids were young, i would have been eager to participate in the learning opportunities they represent.

These centres require great teamwork between school districts, schools, educators and, of course, the public. it's an investment into the future of our province, as the children of today are our leaders and innovators of tomorrow. The official opening of l ynn Valley and Seymour h eights brings the total to seven StrongStart centres in n orth Vancouver. This goes to show that the com- munities in n orth Vancouver are dedicated to provid- ing our youth with access to all of the skills they need to be successful. c hildren are our most precious resource.

We must do everything we can to give them the best of all possible starts in school and in life. by working together, we will reach our goal and make british c olumbians the best- educated and most literate people in north a merica. role o F Prince ru Pert in Pota Sh e XPort in Du Str Y G.

Coons: t aking the lead from t errace's h ockeyville success, Prince r upert is poised to become Potashville. a s the Saskatchewan potash industry pushes to double exports in the next decade, those in Prince r upert antici- pate they will tap into the Port of Prince r upert to try to avoid the rail congestion to other locations. c anpotex, an internationally recognized business, plans to adds about 11 million tonnes of shipping cap- acity by 2012, almost doubling its current capacity. Just over a month ago over 500 people turned out to a public meeting about the project in Prince r upert.

The mag- nitude of community support caught Jon Somers, vice- president of c anpotex, off guard. a t the heart of the matter is a proposal to either build a $400 million potash terminal on r idley island — which Somers said would probably be the world's largest and the world's most innovative and will create hundreds of construction jobs, with 80 to 100 full-time operational jobs — or to expand their existing facility in Vancouver.

Somers sees it as a gateway, a straight shot from Saskatchewan to Prince r upert right to the heart of a sia. [1355] Prince r upert, as we know, is the closest n orth a merican port to a sian markets, with faster sailing times,

british c olumbia DebatesMonday, n ovember 2, 2009 1863 lower costs. it can handle the largest of cargo ships, unlike V ancouver. Don k rusel, president and ceo for the Prince r upert Port a uthority, is confident that the Prince r upert gateway will provide c anpotex and the potash indus- try with significant advantages in growing their export business. The project also reinforces the success that can be achieved when cn, the port authority and the c oast t simshian First n ation work together to demonstrate the strategic advantages of our trade corridor.

The price of potash, a key ingredient for fertilizer, has fluctuated over the past year. but every morning the rush to check out the t SX puts a strain on our local internet speed as we get poised to raise the banner. Prince r upert is Potashville. L. Reid: i beg leave to make an introduction. Mr. Speaker: Proceed. Introductions by Members L. Reid: i am pleased to introduce a group of students visiting from Portland State u niversity in the School of Government. They are with us for an educational day of presentations to learn about our system of parliamentary democracy.

They are both graduate and undergraduate students enrolled in a c ongress and parliaments course. They are accompanied by their professor, Dr. r ichard c lucas. i would ask the h ouse to please make them welcome. Oral Questions Go VernMent SuPPort For kiti Mat Fore St Worker S R.

Austin: a s we raised last week, 535 workers are losing their jobs as a result of the permanent closure of the e urocan pulp mill in k itimat. i was home this week- end, and i can tell you that this announcement is having devastating impacts on the town, the workers and their families. e veryone, quite frankly, is in shock. i also found out that senior bureaucrats from the Ministry of c ommunity Development will be heading to k itimat on Wednesday. t o the Minister of c ommunity Development: will these officials be bringing a cheque for $2 million to provide immediate assistance to k itimat to plan for a future without eurocan?

Hon. B.

Bennett: i would like to start by repeating something that my colleague the Minister of Forests said last week to the member and to anyone else in this h ouse who lives in a community that is dependent on the forest industry, as i do. i still have some mills that are down, as the member opposite does. i'd like to extend my heartfelt sympathies to the 535 workers and their families. i have some idea, from talking to my own constituents, of what that's like. it's not an easy time for them. it's not an easy time for the community. h owever, we will do everything we possibly can, not only through the ministry that i'm responsible for and the r ural Secretariat, but i know the Minister of Forests is interested and keen to help with this situation. i know that the Premier has spoken with the mayor, and together this government will do absolutely everything that we can.

Mr. Speaker: The member has a supplemental. R. Austin: on behalf of the community of k itimat, i do appreciate the sympathies of the minister, but now it's truly time for action. before the election Mackenzie and Fort St. James got $2 million in direct aid. Why wouldn't k itimat get this right away? it makes no sense to delay this assistance. The workers in k itimat also need direct aid. They need to know that they will be directly assisted to make their own transition.

Will the Minister of c ommunity Development commit today to add provincial dollars to the community development trust transition fund spe- cifically for the workers at eurocan? Hon. B.

Bennett: Despite the fact that our government cut the school taxes for major industry in the province by 50 percent and despite the fact that we have the second- lowest corporate income taxes in the country and despite the fact that we have the promise of $140 million going into the forest industry when h St is implemented on July 1, 2010, this particular company made a business decision that this business was no longer viable. i know that the nDP's first reaction to everything is: "l et's just cut a cheque." We have people going to k itimat, as the hon. member has already mentioned. We'll have a discussion.

We'll take some time and figure out what we can do. [1400] i can say to the member that both Fort St. James and Mackenzie are 100 percent forest-dependent. i would suggest to him that if he looks around at the potential that k itimat and the regional district of k itimat-Stikine have, he will see there is a lot of opportunity there in addition to forestry. Go VernMent action on Fore St in Du Str Y C. James: Well, the minister's response shows that there is no plan in place for the workers in k itimat — absolutely no plan in place for the workers in k itimat — just as this government has refused to have a plan in

british c olumbia Debates1864 Monday, n ovember 2, 2009 place for the 50 forestry mills that have shut down across our province. n o plan in place, as tens of thousands of workers lose their jobs on the island, the k ootenays, the interior, the north. My question is to the Minister of Forests. a t a time when b.c. l iberal policies have hurt 535 k itimat fam- ilies and tens of thousands of workers across our prov- ince, how does he explain not having a plan in place to deal with the crisis in the forest industry? Hon. P .

Bell: in fact, this government has a very in-depth strategy and plan, and it's starting to pay off benefits. interjections. Mr. Speaker: Members. Hon. P . Bell: The members of the opposition may not have paid attention to the amount of effort that we've put into growing the c hinese market. Y et every single economist, every single individual you talk to says that that is the future market that we need to be focusing our resource-based industries on. in the last six years we've built that market from one that was not even in the top ten markets for british c olumbia.

This year c hina will be our second-largest market. it's a market that's going to continue to grow. Mr. Speaker: The l eader of the o pposition has a supplemental. C. James: We just got another example — and the people of k itimat and forest workers across this province got another example — that the minister just doesn't get it, doesn't get that we've got a crisis. on o ctober 21 the minister told the c owichan l ake District c hamber of c ommerce that he is "excited about the course the government has been charting for the forest industry." e xcited.

The 535 forest workers in k itimat and the tens of thousands across this province who have lost their jobs just don't buy it. it took this government a few weeks to be able to come up with a plan to spend half a billion dollars on a new roof for b.c. Place. but they've had eight years of a crisis in the forest industry, and they've done nothing. a gain, my question is to the minister. h ow many more communities will have to be in crisis before this government will finally act? Hon. P .

Bell: i'm glad the member opposite gave me another opportunity to talk about some of the real win- dows that are open for the forest industry going forward. Y ou know, Mr. Speaker, this government has made a sig- nificant commitment to the bioenergy industry. in fact, we produce enough electricity through our bioenergy industry already to electrify about 700,000 homes prov- incewide. but that's not enough. W e're becoming one of the largest pellet producers in n orth a merica, electrifying actually most of the european marketplace as well.

We're growing new opportunities with companies like l ignol, with companies like n exterra energy, as a result of the $35 million that we've put into the b.c . bioenergy n etwork and as a result of the innovative clean energy fund that is ongoing. This government is committed to a new, revitalized forest industry, and bioenergy is going to be one of the key components of that. Mr. Speaker: The l eader of the o pposition has a fur- ther supplemental. C.

James: The minister's words are cold comfort to those families in k itimat, to that community which is struggling, to the tens of thousands of workers across this province who, for the last eight years, have heard those hollow words from this minister and this gov- ernment and who have seen over 50 mills closed down.

The government's response has been to gut protections for workers — a failure to pay attention until after the damage is done. a gain, a straightforward question to the minister: will he finally admit that the b.c. l iberal forest policy has failed communities like k itimat, and will he admit that they don't have a plan in place to deal with a crisis in our major industry in british c olumbia? [1405] Hon. P . Bell: This government is absolutely commit- ted to revitalizing the forest industry in what is the most difficult period for forestry ever, historically, in n orth a merica.

The member opposite may not have noticed, but the u .S. housing market that used to build two mil- lion homes per year is down to about 500,000 homes per year. o ur industry has continued to function, albeit in very, very difficult circumstances. We're building new opportunities, whether it's through c hina, whether it's through bioenergy, whether it's through wood-first poli- cies in big buildings. Y ou know what, Mr. Speaker? hS t is the biggest single thing that we can do to enhance our forest industry — $140 million a year. That works out to $7 per thousand board feet of production.

That makes our industry the most competitive one anywhere in the world. Go VernMent SuPPort For kiti Mat Fore St Worker S N. Macdonald: The minister talks about the hS t . h e didn't before the election, but now it seems something that he likes to roll out. What's clear is that we had a long list of tax cuts, and they led to nothing. e ach and

british c olumbia DebatesMonday, n ovember 2, 2009 1865 every time this government comes forward with one of these policies, there is a promise of jobs, jobs, jobs. but it never happens. What we have seen is a comprehensive failure — 25,000 jobs lost. eight years of b.c. l iberal mismanagement. For communities like k itimat, it is almost a week. There has been nothing put in place by this government. This is not the first community. This is the 55th mill that has gone down. For a government to flounder after 55 mills with no plan in place is a disgrace — an absolute disgrace.

My question for this minister is: what specifically has he done for k itimat? What specifically has he done in the almost week that he has had to deal with this issue? Hon. P . Bell: if the member would tone down the rhetoric and actually have a reasonable conversation around this discussion, it might be that people could accomplish something. it's been very challenging to have to listen to this on an ongoing basis. interjections. Mr. Speaker: Members. Hon. P . Bell: i'll tell you, Mr.

Speaker, we've been absolutely committed to working with the people of k itimat. i attended a conference call with the mayor and council, an extraordinary council meeting that was held last Thursday afternoon. My colleague the Minister of c ommunity Development has individuals going in this week to work with mayor and council to make sure they're aware of all of the programs and opportunities that are available. My district manager for the district, the forest district there, is travelling to k itimat, as well, to find out what the key issues and opportunities are.

We've got a wide array of programs that we're going to work with k itimat to make sure that we help mitigate this. it's time for all of us to work together on this. The member needs to cut through the rhetoric and actually start working collaboratively on these issues. Mr. Speaker: The member has a supplemental. N. Macdonald: The government was asked: "i s there $2 million?" There's no answer there. That hasn't been thought about. is there money, any provincial money at all, for the transition programs that are needed? There's none. That hasn't been thought through.

The question that i put to the minister is…. it is clear that the b.c. l iberal forest policy is a complete and comprehensive failure. That is evident for everyone to see. That failure continues. The ceP represents workers at e urocan in k itimat. They're calling for a multiparty federal-provincial emergency summit on forestry to lay out a new direction for forest policy in the province. Does the minister support that call? Hon. P . Bell: i talk with the folks from the ceP , including the national head, on a regular basis.

They've not yet asked me to attend that. i have a lot of respect for David c oles, the leadership of the ceP , and i'll be work- ing with them as we move forward on this file. [1410] but i'm a little bit tired of hearing the lack of support for those communities.

The job opportunities program has already delivered over $5 million to the people of k itimat-Stikine — 130 resource jobs directly as a result of that — $125,000 in retraining, $2.2 million to help support the fibre basket and expanding the opportun- ities in the region, not to mention the $404 million in the northwest transmission line and billions of dollars in a new port, a new pipeline and a whole new series of business opportunities for the people of the northwest of this province. interjections. Mr. Speaker: Members. Members. Sta FFin G For Prince r uP ert auD iolo GY clinic G.

Coons: h undreds of infants and children from Prince r upert, the coastal communities and h aida Gwaii who are at very high risk for hearing problems are still not receiving the diagnostic treatment services they need. Why? The brand-new $600,000 audiology clinic in Prince r upert lacks the staff it needs to oper - ate because this government has failed to deliver on its funding commitments. My question is to the Minister of h ealth. Will the minister release the operational funds that this govern- ment promised for the clinic? Hon. K.

Falcon: Thank you for the question. i will endeavour to get the information for the member. i sus- pect that one of the challenges may be around the area of recruitment. That has been an ongoing challenge for us in rural-remote communities, but i will be happy to get the information for the member and answer it, hope- fully, to his satisfaction. Mr. Speaker: Member has a supplemental. G. Coons: i appreciate that, Minister. but when we look at what's happening in Prince r upert, this job hasn't even been posted.

Jess r ainey, the northwest senior audi- ologist, resigned last May due to the lack of commitment from this government and this minister to audiology ser- vices in the northwest. and it hasn't been posted.

british c olumbia Debates1866 Monday, n ovember 2, 2009 a gain, will the minister provide the audiology clinic with the services as promised and at least direct n orthern h ealth to post the position? Hon. K. Falcon: First of all, i do know that one of the health authorities that has performed in an outstanding manner and continues to is n orthern h ealth a uthority. We receive plaudits on the work they do every single day.

With respect to the issue of if it may or may not be a challenge of trying to recruit and retain audiologists at the facility the member is talking about, i will get the information for the member. but i can assure you that one thing i am proud of is that it was this government that brought in those testing processes for all young british c olumbians in the province of british c olumbia. We're proud of that. Su PPl Y o F h 1n 1 Vaccine to co PeMan clinic J.

Brar: The c opeman clinic is a private medical clinic that charges new clients close to $4,000 for services. c an the Minister of h ealthy l iving and Sport tell this h ouse why a special supply of h1n1 vaccine was made avail- able to the members of the c opeman clinic? Hon. K.

Falcon: The answer is that the vaccines that are provided from back east are distributed through the b.c . c entre for Disease c ontrol to every health office and every licensed practitioner in british c olumbia in accordance with a process that recognizes that whether it is a private clinic, a public clinic or a private doctor's office — which, in most cases, doctor's offices are — they all receive the same amount. it is to be provided to those that have chronic health care conditions, in accordance with the phased pro- cessing of the vaccination program, at no cost.

That will be the case for c opeman and any other clinic that has received those vaccines from the b.c. c entre for Disease c ontrol. Mr. Speaker: The member has a supplemental. J. Brar: The reality is this.

The shortage of h1n1 vac- cine is leaving at-risk groups, including pregnant women, individuals with chronic diseases, young children, waiting for the vaccine at public health clinics. c an the Minister of h ealthy l iving and Sport again tell this h ouse why a special supply of h 1n 1 vaccine was made available to the members of the c opeman clinic and what steps the minister has taken to ensure the c opeman clinic follows provincial protocol? [1415] Hon. K. Falcon: Well, as i said in my last answer, c opeman health clinic will be treated like every other medical practitioner.

They are given an allotment of vaccinations. They are required to deliver those vac- cinations in accordance with the directives of the pro- gram, and that is to chronically ill patients first, as part of the phased processing of this. They will do that, as professionals.

They are all licensed professional doc- tors, and they will deliver that at no cost for the benefit of the patients that fit those categories. t o the member's other point about crowds, it's one of the reasons why we are asking the public to recog- nize that this is the largest vaccination program in the history of the province of british c olumbia. it's one of the reasons why it's being phased in, to ensure that high- risk groups — those with chronic illness, first nations and communities that are most at risk if they are in fact infected with h1n1 — are dealt with first.

We're asking the public to cooperate with us on that, and we will continue to phase out the rollout this week. it includes children between the ages of six months and five years and health professionals. in the coming weeks we will have vaccinations available for the entire popu- lace of british c olumbia also. A. Dix: The minister will know that many people, even people in those groups — i'm sure they've contacted him; i know they've contacted me — have been unable to get access to the vaccine in british c olumbia. So how does it make sense? The minister says no preferential access.

There is pref- erential access at the c opeman clinic. Y ou have to pay $3,900 to become a member, and then you get the vac- cine. a t a time when there is a shortage, at a time when the minister is rightly asking british c olumbians to be patient, how does it make sense to provide some of that supply to a clinic where you have to pay to play? Hon. K. Falcon: i know that the member opposite gets excited whenever there's a discussion of private clinics, but the member should know that licensed med- ical practitioners perform duties in private and public clinics right across the province of british c olumbia.

What is happening is that they have been given an allotment. i understand it's exactly the same allotment provided to doctors' offices, which in most cases are also private, as the member should know. They are required to administer it in exactly the same way that it's being administered at public clinics, at private clinics, at doc- tors' offices, at hospitals — that is, to at-risk patient groups at no cost to the individuals. That's exactly what i expect them to do. A. Dix: except you have to spend $4,000 to get access to that lineup. The fact of the matter is….

There's a case in o ntario right now, and that clinic is being forced by the government of ontario to provide access to everybody. The government of o ntario is currently conducting a review into that practice.

british c olumbia DebatesMonday, n ovember 2, 2009 1867 The minister surely understands why people who are waiting…. The majority of health care workers aren't going to get access to the vaccine this week. The majority of children aren't going to get access to the vaccine this week. Y et privileged access is being given to members of a particular clinic. Does the minister not think there is something wrong with that picture? Hon. K. Falcon: i would be careful with that, Member, because i am certain that the c opeman clinic also has clients that are suffering from compromised immune systems.

They may have chronic health condi- tions that would necessitate a vaccination, just as doc- tors' offices right across the province or public health clinics also have patients that are dealing with chronic care issues. a s i said to the member, the distribution of vaccines is being undertaken under the auspices of our chief provincial health officer and the b.c. c entre for Disease c ontrol.

They are making sure that they are delivered fairly and appropriately across the licensed medical practitioner population, to be delivered for the benefit of those at risk first. chilD ren anD FaMil Y De Velo PMent Mini Str Y bu DGet Prioritie S M. Karagianis: i have a question for the Minister of c hildren and Family Development. h ow does hiring four new assistant deputy ministers fit with the govern- ment's insistence that they are cutting administration in order to deliver more to front-line services? Hon. M.

Polak: i'm pleased to respond to the member and advise her that this is part of our con- tinuing transformation to ensure that we have the best practice possible and that we respond to many of the recommendations in the h ughes report around decen- tralization. [1420] i'm sure the member will be pleased to know that at the end of this shift in management, we will have no more management positions than we have now, and this entire change will be managed within the existing man- agement and administrative salary budget. Mr. Speaker: The member has a supplemental. FunD in G For inF ant De Velo PMent Pro GraM M.

Karagianis: Well, Dorothy Gazzola, whose daugh- ter has Down syndrome, says that the infant develop- ment coordinators — a program this government just cut — were a godsend. She said that they were integral to the development of her special needs child. Y et this government cut those coordinators, insisting that it was a cut to administration. So my question again to the minister: shouldn't the minister start at the top rather than going down and hurting those most vulnerable as the first line of attack? Hon. M.

Polak: The member well knows, because we've canvassed this before, that both the infant develop- ment program and the supported child development program continue uninterrupted, and that the adminis- trative and coordinating functions that were represented by the provincial advisor's office will now be provided through the ministry regional offices — again, consist- ent with the multi-year plan that we are still continuing with to decentralize according to what Mr. t ed h ughes recommended in his well-known report. J.

Kwan: W ell, that's not what the front-line workers say. a pril k ennedy at Sheway and her colleague work with young infants and pregnant women with substance misuse challenges. She and her co-worker provide developmental screenings, assessments and support to group parents.

They rely heavily on the information provided to them by the advisers in the infant and a boriginal infant Development Program of b.c. so that the high-risk infants and their fam- ilies have a better chance to succeed in life. c urrently they have a caseload of 80 infants, and approximately 70 percent are identified as aboriginal. t o the minister again: is the chance to succeed for 80 high-risk children not worth $300,000? Hon. M.

Polak: i will advise the member that the infant development program maintains the same budget that it began with — $18 million this year, an all-time high — and supported child development has seen an increase in funding from $37.7 million in '04-05 to an all-time high now of $57 million this year.

These are hugely valuable programs, but they're part of a complex array of supports that we provide to chil- dren and families around the province. a s we shift to decentralize, i want to remind the members of some- thing that Mr. h ughes said in his report — decentraliza- tion "allows for a closer match of services and programs to the unique needs of widely dispersed…communities." a nd that's what we are going to provide. Mr. Speaker: The member has a supplemental. J. Kwan: Y ou know, from the front-line workers' point of view, they take a different point of view than this min- ister.

They say that training and current information on relevant trends and changes in early intervention are an essential part of providing quality services to the heavy at-risk caseload. The infant development office has helped over 80,000 parents at the cost of $300,000. That's $3.75 per family.

british c olumbia Debates1868 Monday, n ovember 2, 2009 Why is it that this government can find close to a mil- lion dollars to spend on government Mla s and their cabinet ministers for o lympic tickets? Why is it that this government can find…? interjections. Mr. Speaker: Members. t ake your seat for a second. Members. c ontinue, Member. J. Kwan: Why is it that this government can find half a billion dollars for a retractable roof, and they cannot find $300,000 to support front-line workers working with high-risk infants of 18 months or younger? [1425] Hon. M. Polak: i will repeat this for the member.

There are no reductions in service in infant development pro- grams. There are no reductions in service in supported child development programs. in fact, both programs are being funded at an all-time high. There is no reduction in funding. i'll tell you what really concerns me. i have been trav- elling around this province, and i have been talking to front-line workers. What really concerns me is that you have parents who are dealing with at-risk infants, with special needs children, and they're being told by oppos- ition members that those programs are not going to be there.

That is the last thing those families need to hear. it's absolutely untrue, and those members should be ashamed of themselves. MiniMu M Wa Ge R. Chouhan: My question is to the Minister of l abour. it has been eight years since b.c.'s lowest-paid workers had a raise. in fact, it was decreased from $8 an hour to $6 for the new workers. We now have the lowest min- imum wage in the country. t o the Minister of l abour: how much longer do our lowest-paid workers have to wait? When will the gov- ernment finally raise the minimum wage? Hon. M.

Coell: i'd like to take the member back eight years to when we were first elected and the nDP were defeated. So 60 percent of single parents were on welfare in this province, and 6 percent of people were earning minimum wage. t oday that has been cut in half to 2.7 percent of the people on minimum wage. interjections. Mr. Speaker: Members. c ontinue, Minister. Hon. M. Coell: People earning minimum wage today pay no provincial tax, as they did when the nDP were in power, and the nDP voted against that. People earning minimum wage pay no MSP , and the nDP voted against that as well. [end of question period.] C.

James: i rise to present a petition. Mr. Speaker: Proceed. Petitions C. James: This petition has 1,597 signatures from the k elowna area opposing the hS t . S. Herbert: i'd like to seek leave to present a petition. Mr. Speaker: Proceed. S. Herbert: a ll right. This petition is 1,407 signatures from the good people of Vancouver–West end opposing the hS t . S. Hammell: i seek leave to introduce a petition. Mr. Speaker: Proceed. S. Hammell: This petition is signed by 3,496 people from the wonderful city of Surrey, and i present this to the h ouse, as they are opposing the implementation of the hS t .

Orders of the Day Hon. M. de Jong: in c ommittee a, i call c ommittee of Supply — for the information of members, the esti- mates of the Ministry of t ourism, c ulture and the a rts; and in this chamber, continued second reading debate on bill 14, h ousing and Social Development Statutes a mendment a ct. [1430] Second Reading of Bills bill 14 — hou Sin G an D Social De Velo PMent Statute S aMenDMent act, 2009 continued) Mr. Speaker: Seeing no further speakers, the Minister of h ousing closes debate. Hon. R. Coleman: i've been sitting listening to the members opposite for some time, and i must admit that

british c olumbia DebatesMonday, n ovember 2, 2009 1869 the nDP love affair with criminals continues. it's abso- lutely amazing to me, though, that their tough talk ear - lier this spring, when they wanted to go after gangs in british c olumbia, has withered away to actually oppos- ing a bill that says somebody with an indictable offence would not be given welfare. The interesting thing about this: it wasn't always thus. a s a matter of fact, i will read just one

section of a regu- lation that existed from 1997 to the year 2000 in the province of british c olumbia. "a person is not eligible for assistance if a warrant for the arrest of that person or an adult dependent has been issued under the immigration a ct of c anada or under an enactment of c anada in relation to an indictable offence and the warrant has not been executed, and for the purposes of this section, indictable offence includes an offence that is deemed under

section 34(1)(

a) of the

interpretation act of c anada to be an indictable offence." That is part of a regulation that goes on for about two pages that the nDP had in place in 1997. They stood over there on Thursday afternoon and berated the government for no consultation, not doing this thing publicly, going out for discussion in a house…. What did the nDP do? They brought that regulation in, in 1997, without any consultation, with no discus- sion with law enforcement, no discussion with com- munities. They went ahead and brought it into place.

Subsequently, three years, they lost it to a c harter chal- lenge because they didn't have the temerity to actually put in legislation. but they'll sit here at the absolute height of hypocrisy and berate a law that does exactly what they did in 1997. h ow could it be okay to do the regulation haphazardly in 1997 and not okay to do a piece of legislation in 2009 that actually tries to meet the test to deal with this issue in our province? Something switched.

Somewhere along the way, the nDP have decided that some sexual predator from Montreal with a c anada-wide warrant coming into british c olumbia should get social assistance, or some guy that's actually been assaulting someone — whether it be his ex-spouse or whatever the case may be — and has an outstanding warrant for an indictable offence should come to british c olumbia. They'll wrap their arms around him and say: "Welcome to this province, and by the way, here's a cheque." We don't agree with that, and actually, at one time they didn't either.

They absolutely didn't either. but today they've changed their minds. e arlier this spring they wanted us to go after body armour. e arlier this spring they wanted to work with us on gangs. n ow their policy is, "Well, we have a gang member committing an indictable offence, and they have an outstanding war - rant. Give them welfare, because that's what we really believe in" — over there. Y et the hypocrisy is that they already tried to do it themselves, and in so doing, they killed all the rest of the arguments that they had during second reading debate. Sometimes you should look at your history.

Sometimes you should look in the mirror. a s we go through that, we should also understand that a number of the other things that these folks were actually complaining about during second reading need to be put on the record so that we can actually have these people understand what's going on in b.c. versus when they were government in the 2000s. [1435] l et's deal with children and the lico measurement, which is a measurement the members were all talking about.

The children in poverty in british c olumbia in 2000. t otal population: 15.1 percent, the highest in b.c.'s history. t oday: 11.1 percent, the lowest in b.c.'s history. They don't want to talk about the fact that the percent- age of children living in low income in british c olumbia just in one year, in 2006 to 2007, declined by 29,000 chil- dren, a reduction of 21 percent. They don't want to talk about the fact that the incidence of children living in low income declined by 13 percent in 2007, the lowest since 1991.

The proportion of families living in poverty is decreasing at a rate that is historical in british c olumbia because of the policies of this government.

That lico measurement doesn't measure rental assist- ance. it doesn't measure the other programs in govern- ment. it doesn't measure the lowest income tax rate for people making lower incomes. e ven themselves, they say on their stuff: "Don't measure it by that." So then i sat and listened to things about Sro s, and i heard things about issues with the Downtown e astside. i could go on for hours on what's been done in Vancouver for housing, in the Downtown eastside and across b.c. i could talk about the 7,000 people who were homeless 36 months ago, when our outreach teams have actually connected them to housing with supports across b.c . — and 80 percent of them are still housed today. i could talk about the fact that we've gone and bought 23 single-room- occupancy hotels, upgraded them and changed them into better housing and supports for people that are homeless with mental health and addictions on our street. i could talk about the fact that we've taken the homeless shelters in british c olumbia, almost tripled the amount in the last few years and taken the 24-7, 365 days a year and put in two other strategic moves with regards to cold-weather and extreme-weather strategies. but those i might actually save for my second reading debate under the a ssistance to Shelter act. but i could not wait, frankly, to talk about the love affair with a criminal by the nDP and the hypocrisy of actually having a regulation that almost mirrors the legislation that's before the h ouse and not once taking this to any consultation or whatever when they did it.

What are we doing? in open debate in the l egislature of british c olumbia, we're debating

an act, and we'll go right through committee stage.

british c olumbia Debates1870 Monday, n ovember 2, 2009 it should be interesting, as each one of these things matches up, what the objection of the members oppos- ite will be to, let's say,

section 1(2) of their regulation: "under any other enactment in c anada in relation to an indictable offence…." i suppose they'll get up and debate that and be opposed to it and call division on that when they actually get to it, because obviously, they didn't believe in it then, and they don't believe in it now. a ll they want to do is wrap their arms around the bad criminals of this country and say: "c ome on guys. c ome on down and get a cheque." i close second reading debate. Motion approved. Hon. R.

Coleman: i refer the bill to a c ommittee of the Whole h ouse for the next sitting of the h ouse after today. bill 14, h ousing and Social Development Statutes a mendment a ct, 2009, read a second time and referred to a c ommittee of the Whole h ouse for consideration at the next sitting of the h ouse after today. Hon. B. Penner: i now call committee stage debate on bill 17, h ealth Statutes (r esidents' bill of r ights) a mendment a ct, 2009. [1440] Committee of the Whole House bill 17 — h ealth Statute S (reS iDent S' bill o F ri Ght

S) aMenDMent a ct, 2009 The h ouse in c ommittee of the Whole (Section

b) on bill 17; l. r eid in the chair. The committee met at 2:41 p.m. Hon. I. Chong: i would like to introduce some of the staff with me today to begin with and then allow the members to ask some questions. With me today are Sue bedford with our ministry, c hristine Massey and a ndrew h azlewood, who's the a ssistant Deputy Minister of the Ministry of h ealthy l iving and Sport. With that, i'll entertain the questions from the mem- bers opposite. on

section 1. J. Brar: Thanks to the minister and staff members. i hope we will go through committee stage in a meaning- ful way. Just to start the questions, my understanding is that

section 1 talks about the display of the bill of rights at each care facility location. i would like to ask the min- ister whether the bill of rights will be displayed at one location or more than one location in each facility. Hon. I. Chong: a s i understand, the question is whether there would be the displaying of the bill of rights in several locations within that facility.

The requirement is that it needs to be displayed in one location within that facility, in a prominent location that is highly visible and that people can see. h owever, if a facility should choose to prominently dis- play it on, say, every level of their facility or in a number of areas, they can do so. but they are required at this time to absolutely have it visible in one location within that facility. J. Brar: What steps will be taken to make sure the rights of adult persons in care are known orally and in writing? We have already spoken about writing to per - sonal care and their families and representatives.

My question basically is around…. i understand the display of the bill of rights, which will be placed somewhere on the wall in an area which is visible to a majority of the residents. but orally or verbally, what method will be applied to make sure that all the instructions about the bill of rights are given to the residents? Hon. I.

Chong: a gain, i would expect the facilities to ensure that the bill of rights is displayed in an appro- priate and prominent location and that on admission to the facility, the staff there would speak to the family members, to the residents, and advise them that there is in fact a bill of rights that they can refer to from time to time. J. Brar: Will the bill of rights be displayed in more than one language, other than english? [1445] Hon. I.

Chong: a s the member will know, at present — and i know he had been at a briefing — the bill of rights will be displayed in english. h owever, we are pre- pared to monitor and see whether there are going to be significant requests for it to be translated into other lan- guages. but at present it will be displayed in english at these facilities. J.

Brar: Madam c hair, there are facilities available out there where we have, as you know, a significant popula- tion of residents who speak languages other than english, such as c antonese, Mandarin or Punjabi. i'll give you one example. in Surrey we have a facility where probably more than 50 percent of the people speak South a sian languages. So in that sense, in my opinion, if we want to truly implement the bill of rights and make it known to the residents, it's important for the residents to have that access in different languages.

british c olumbia DebatesMonday, n ovember 2, 2009 1871 My question again is: what will be the criteria to figure out or make a decision when the bill of rights will be made available other than in the english language, where we have a significant population of residents who speak that kind of language? Hon. I. Chong: a s i indicated, on admission the staff will be required to ensure that residents who are coming into the facility are aware there is a bill of rights or their family members are aware. They must communicate so in a way that it is understood that there is in fact a bill of rights. J.

Brar: My question was pretty simple: whether the bill of rights would be translated into languages other than english — such as Mandarin, c antonese and Punjabi — where the majority of residents of a particu- lar care facility speak that kind of language. Hon. I.

Chong: a s i've indicated to the member, we will want to ensure that the facility operators do com- municate this in a manner upon admission. it is not a legislated requirement that the bill of rights be provided in other languages. a s i also indicated to the member, we would certainly consider that if in fact we find there is a need to provide the bill of rights in other languages. We would consider that, but currently the legislated requirement is that it is posted in english in a promin- ent location within the facility. J.

Brar: i would like to submit, though, that it's very important to the minister's office that we do make that option available under this bill. a s i said before, if we want to totally implement this bill of rights, it's import- ant that we translate the bill into languages that people can understand. So it's very important. i don't think if you give the option, that will serve the purpose which is actually the intent of this bill. We are talking about the written bill of rights now.

Similarly, i think the intent of this bill is that oral or verbal instructions will also be made available about the bill of rights to the residents if needed. So my question will be about that as well, because this bill says that oral instructions will be available. h ow is the minister going to implement that, or how is the minister going to make sure that the instructions in different languages other than english are available in a facility where people can only speak those languages — for example, c antonese, Mandarin or Punjabi? Hon. I.

Chong: i assure the member that i am very aware, living in a multicultural and diverse province such as i do, that there are certainly languages…. a s he will know, our government has strived over a number of years to ensure that a number of publications are trans- lated in a variety of languages. c urrently, as i have indicated, the legislated require- ment is in fact in english. but we would be willing to work with the family councils, which will be established in these facilities, to see exactly the manner in which they would like to see a translated version posted. [1450] i'm not suggesting that it wouldn't occur. it's just that that option is available.

We certainly would like to work with them. a lso, the health authorities, as i understand it, have translators within the health authorities, and they work closely with the facility as required when there is a need for translation. So that will still be ongoing. That is still being made available. but most importantly, for residents and family mem- bers to know that a bill of rights is there so that they have understanding of what to expect in terms of a commitment to care. J.

Brar: When we talk about the translation, that matter could be taken care of very easily, because you need some- body to translate, and then, of course, you can display that on the wall. but when we talk about verbal instructions, that's a much bigger task for the care provider, if that's the expectation from them. Verbal instructions cannot be given to only translation. it has to be somebody talking to the resident in that situation.

My question is: how is the minister going to imple- ment or make sure that the verbal instructions in this case — for example, in Punjabi, c antonese or Mandarin — are available to the residents who can only speak that language if there is no staff in a particular care facility? Hon. I.

Chong: i'm just trying to ensure that i have the correct, i guess, response to the member's question. if he is referring to instructions on how to provide care, that would be what the health authorities are always and currently involved in, in terms of ensuring that the care facilities have the translators in place to instruct on the care that needs to be provided. if we are talking, as this bill is, with regards to the resi- dents bill of rights and to ensure that it is communicated properly, in that sense, then as i've indicated to him, it will be legislated that it is posted in english. h owever, we are willing to work with family councils and others to see whether some facilities wish them posted in a lan- guage other than english. but if his questions are with respect to care and the care providers, that is the area of responsibility with the health authorities and health services.

J. Brar: i would like to probably make it more specific. We are talking about the bill of rights, not the care which is related to the health authority. We are talking about the bill of rights, and i would particularly read from sec- tion 1(b), which says here under (c.2): "make the rights of adult persons in care known, orally and in writing, to

british c olumbia Debates1872 Monday, n ovember 2, 2009 persons in care and their families and representatives." So that's what the bill says. That's a good idea, but my question is: how is the min- ister going to implement that if, when it comes to oral language, the person who is receiving the message about the bill of rights — in that case, the resident of a facil- ity — does not understand english and he or she needs to understand that in a language other than english?

So how is the minister going to implement this particular subsection of the bill, particularly in the absence of a staff member who speaks that specific language? [1455] Hon. I. Chong: a gain, it is important that the bill of rights is known, as the member has said — and i'm glad he agrees — orally and in writing to the persons in care, to their families and their representatives.

We will ensure that if there is a translated version other than in english that is posted in a facility, it is an acceptable ver- sion, and we would be working with the care facility and their families to provide an alternate language, again, if needed. if the member is concerned that those instructions or that communiqué is not being made available, i do have the ability, as well, to make an order about how to have that displayed within that facility. J. Brar: i think there is some miscommunication going on here.

There's no question about the display. i understand that piece. a t this stage, this bill does not talk about this having to be translated into languages other than english — which, i think, it should be. i'm talking more about on the verbal side of it. n ow, verbal instruction can only be provided by a living individual. That's my understanding to the residents. So my question is…. in this one you're expecting the care providers to make sure the residents and their fam- ilies and the representative know about the bill of rights, both in writing as well as in oral instructions. So you want to make sure of that.

That's a good thing. What i want to make sure of is that…. if in a facility there's no staff member who can speak, for example, a Punjabi language, and there are 30 percent of the resi- dents who speak a Punjabi language, then who will give them oral instructions in that situation to make sure this bill of rights is known to those people, the people who can't read and write? Hon. I. Chong: i thought, in a previous answer, that i had provided that to the member. a gain, i will reiter - ate for him that the health authorities will be providing assistance in this way. They'll be monitoring the require- ments.

They have translators, and they can call them if needed to ensure that should there be a problem that arises that a family member or a resident is…. if they are determining that they are not feeling an adequate acknowledgment of the bill of rights, the health author - ities should call for assistance — call the translators to make sure they are aware that there is a bill of rights. The health authorities will continue to monitor them, and as i say, they have the staff complement. e specially in some of the larger densely populated areas, they have a number of translators that they can call upon. J.

Brar: So my understanding, then, is that when it comes to oral instructions being provided in languages other than english, that will be made available by the health authority. That's the expectation of the minister — from the health authority. but it will not be an expecta- tion of the care facility itself to have people who will do that work. Hon. I. Chong: The care facility is ultimately respon- sible for ensuring that the residents and family members are aware of the bill of rights. a s part of their licensing, the health authorities will be monitoring to ensure that they do adhere to this new requirement.

So that's one of the reasons why the health authorities, as i've indicated, will be monitoring this. it is going to be a requirement that they do adequately ensure that this takes place. i'm sure that at the beginning there might be some confusion. if members feel that they have not been adequately provided with information, then we would expect that they would make that known to the care facility and that, therefore, the health authorities would be able to provide that assistance. [1500] a s part of the licensing requirement, that care facil- ity will be required to ensure that they do provide that information and avail themselves of those translators in these health authorities if they need to call upon them to do so.

J. Brar: i was more clear last time, and i'm as confused as i was last time after the answer i got from the minister. t o make it very simple, what i want to understand here is…. in my estimation, this would need additional work, whether by staff members of the care facilities or staff members of the health authority. i just want to figure out who in that situation will be responsible to provide verbal instructions — whether it's the staff of the health authority or staff of the care provider. That's my question. if the minister can clarify that, that will be helpful. We can move on to the next

section then. Hon. I. Chong: a gain, as indicated, the care facilities are responsible. Their staff are responsible for provid- ing this information. if needed, if they are not able to communicate this in a way that the resident or family members understand…. if they need assistance from a translator, then they can ask for help through the health authorities. but at the end of the day, the care facilities

british c olumbia DebatesMonday, n ovember 2, 2009 1873 need to ensure that their residents or family members are aware. That's what i said earlier — that on admission, they need to ensure that those members know. if they experi- ence that that is not happening, then they will need to contact, as i say, the appropriate individuals, likely through the health authorities, to get the assistance to make sure that people are aware of this bill of rights. i hope that clarifies it for the member. J. Brar: i understand that now.

The primary respon- sibility basically, when it comes to the bill of rights and making it known to the residents, will remain with the care provider. That's what i understand from the response from the minister. in that respect, will that mean that some, if not all, care facilities may be required to hire staff members par- ticularly to deliver instructions to a multicultural com- munity if that's the need of that particular care facility? Hon. I.

Chong: i would just like to again reiterate for the member. h e indicated care providers would be responsible, but i want to say while they are providers, it's the care facility itself which is responsible for ensur - ing that the bill of rights is made known to its residents or to family members. i do want to say that most facilities do in fact have a complement of staff who speak a variety of languages. but if a facility found that they did not have a staff member who could adequately translate or communi- cate the bill of rights, they can, as i say, contact the health authorities.

They can search out an organization within the community to ask for someone to come along and translate. They can choose whatever variety of ways to ensure that the resident or the family member is aware. [1505] i'm not able to suggest that every care facility is going to hire new people. it will depend on the circumstance.

Particularly in the l ower Mainland, my understanding is that many of the care facilities do have staff on hand who speak a variety of languages. but for those other remote areas that don't, generally there will be a com- munity organization that will have translators, as well, who could provide that. e ven family members may feel that they are comfortable and adequately trained to be able to translate for the benefit of the resident or family member coming into that facility. J.

Brar: My understanding, then, is that the key here is that it is the primary responsibility of the care pro- vider to make sure that languages other than english are available if that's the need, based on the population of the care facility. The primary responsibility remains with the care pro- vider, but they can seek help from the health authority, if that's the case, or they can hire somebody to get that work done, or they can get help from family members and all that.

My point was that there could be a case where they need to hire somebody to get that work done, because otherwise this bill of rights will not be implemented if that capacity is not available in that facility. h aving said that, i will move on to subsection (c)(1.2), where it states: "The minister may make orders for the purposes of subsection (1)(c.1)(ii)." This is a bit confus- ing for me. i want to ask a very simple question on that one. What kind of orders can the minister make for the subsections i just listed? Hon. I.

Chong: Perhaps the best way to describe this is by way of example. if we found that a facility was not posting the bill of rights in a prominent location or that the font is so small that nobody can read it…. a s you know, we're all getting older and need to be able to have it prominently displayed and also be able to read it. if it's not being posted appropriately in that manner, as the minister, we have the ability to make an order to ensure that those are corrected. i trust that that's a good enough example for the member as to how the minister would make an order to ensure that the bill of rights is well known to those in that facility.

J. Brar: i'll move on — i just want to make sure i'm doing the right thing here — to

section

Section 1 approved. on

section 2. J. Brar: u nder

section 2(a), it says: "defining a word or expression used but not defined in this a ct." i just want to ask: what is the purpose of this amendment? What is the end goal the minister wants to achieve by amending this particular clause? Hon. I. Chong: From time to time, i suppose, there are words or expressions that may be used which may appear ambiguous. What this

section merely does is provide an opportunity for that word to be clarified so that there is no misunderstanding, so that there is no ambiguity. [1510] This

section provides the ability, by regulation, for us to make that clarification if we find that there is a word or an expression being confused or being used in ambiguous ways. J. Brar: c an the minister give any example of those words or expressions? Hon. I. Chong: What this

section allows is essentially what is permitted through other pieces of legislation

british c olumbia Debates1874 Monday, n ovember 2, 2009 as well — that where you find a word or an expression within the legislation that is confusing, that requires clarification or is ambiguous, for then, by regulation, to make it more clear. because we have not yet implemented the bill, we don't know whether there is a word or expression in here that can be misinterpreted or that can be used in an ambiguous way. i can't give the member an example, because if there was an example, we wouldn't be putting it in. We would clarify it now. This provides a

section for us to…. u pon its imple- mentation, if we were to find that that were to take place, we can by regulation, therefore, make the neces- sary change to clarify it. it's dealing with a potential circumstance, if that should occur. There is, again, no example i can point to currently, because we don't know how people will be interpreting some of the words and expressions within this. J. Brar: i will move on to subsection (

b) of

section 2. u nder that there are three different things that are men- tioned here. The first one under (

a) is: "designate a class of premises." c an the minister define what it means by designating a class of premises? Hon. I. Chong: This would allow us, if required, to designate a class of premises and, potentially, a new class of premises. c urrently, what we're considering is a class of premises such as the long-term care facilities, a class of premises such as the community living group homes, a class of premises such as the mental health and addiction facilities.

Should a new class of premises emerge in the future, again, it would allow us to designate that grouping as that class of premises. it deals with those that currently exist and anticipates, perhaps, adding and ensuring that that new class of premises would be captured by this legislation. [1515] J. Brar: c an the minister provide a list of premises that this bill of rights will be applicable to? Hon. I. Chong: The examples i gave to the member were examples of the class of premises that we're deal- ing with.

Just to be very specific, the bill of rights will apply to all residential care facilities licensed under the c ommunity c are and a ssisted l iving a ct, the r esidential c are r egulation — so including the long-term care, as i've indicated, mental health and substance abuse, commun- ity living, hospice, acquired injury. it will also apply to residential care facilities regulated under the h ospital a ct, typically referred to as private hospitals or extended care facilities. i'm presuming that's what the member is looking for, as opposed to a list of every single facility throughout the entire province of british c olumbia. i hope that pro- vides clarification.

J. Brar: is there any exemption to any premises which fall under the community living care act which is not part of this bill? Hon. I. Chong: We have not considered or provided for any exemptions based on the list that i just read to the member. Those who are licensed under the c ommunity c are and a ssisted l iving a ct or the h ospital a ct in par- ticular will be required to post the residents bill of rights. J. Brar: My simple question is: why not apply this bill of rights to assisted-living facilities? Hon. I.

Chong: a s i understand it, the member ori- ginally asked if there are exemptions. i indicated there are no exemptions. The follow-up question, i guess, refers now to why it doesn't include those who are living in assisted living. The bill of rights does not apply to assisted living because the persons who reside in assisted living are able to make decisions on their own behalf and do not need the extensive protections that are provided to per - sons with complex care needs. Those facilities, as i've indicated, are generally for those persons who will have complex care needs.

That's why the bill of rights applies to those facilities. J. Brar: if we believe that the intent of this bill is to improve the care for seniors…. There are a lot of people who are receiving home care from the government. i think it will make sense to include those people as well, if possible. So my question to the minister will be: why not include people who are receiving home care? Why can't we make them part of this bill of rights or a similar bill of rights? Hon. I.

Chong: a gain, i indicated the bill of rights applies to all residential care facilities licensed under the c ommunity c are and a ssisted l iving a ct, the r esidential c are r egulation, as well as the h ospital a ct. Those facilities which are classified as assisted living are not licensed under the c ommunity c are and a ssisted l iving a ct. That's where we had made the determina- tion as to where the bill of rights would apply. [1520]

Section 2 approved. on

section 3. J. Brar: This is actually the major line of questions i would like to ask, because this

section has that list of the so-called bill of rights which has been developed, probably

british c olumbia DebatesMonday, n ovember 2, 2009 1875 keeping in mind that this will improve care for the sen- iors in care facilities. My first question will be why the minister thought it was important to develop this bill of rights and make it available to seniors. Hon. I. Chong: First, i do want to say that the bill of rights will not be applying just to seniors. it will be for all those adults.

W e actually did take a look at that. i think the original thought was that it would be applied just to seniors. r ecognizing that some of these facilities will have persons who are adults but not classified as seniors, we created this residents bill of rights to clarify the rights of adults when they move into residential care, as the facility becomes their home either temporarily or permanently. Therefore, the bill of rights is designed to help ensure that licence holders, the person in care and the family members are all made aware of that standard set of rights.

That goes to the heart of why the bill of rights was created and established. J. Brar: My understanding is that this whole list in the bill of rights is not a new creation. it is something that already existed in different places. The purpose here is to put together one consolidated list of those rights so that it can be made available to the people living in different facilities. is that what we're doing here, or is this a com- pletely new creation done by the ministry? Hon. I.

Chong: The bill of rights actually strength- ens provisions for persons in care. a ctually, it's comple- mentary to existing provisions. i want to clarify that we do have, as the member indicated, protections currently for residents of facilities licensed under the c ommunity c are and a ssisted l iving a ct and under the h ospital a ct.

The introduction of the bills of rights is not merely a repeat of that but actually, as i say, strengthens that. l et me provide for the member, in a number of areas, what the bill of rights will do in addition to the protec- tions that are currently there. it articulates government's commitment to care and to individualized care plans for each resident not necessarily in place now. it enshrines a right of participation in the development of their care plan or, where residents are unable to participate, the right of their family or representative to participate. it promotes transparency by requiring that the bill of rights is posted prominently for all residents, family members and visitors to a facility to see. it promotes accountability to residents and family members by requiring the posting of the most recent routine inspec- tion report. it also creates a plain-language guide to the rights of persons in care.

Most residents and their family mem- bers are not aware of the specific and detailed legisla- tive requirements in the c ommunity c are and a ssisted l iving a ct and the h ospital a ct, which are written in a more legal drafting style. These are some of the enhanced protections and rights that members can come to know and understand — and their family members, when they make a choice of moving a member into one of these facilities in which the bill of rights will now be posted. [1525] J.

Brar: For any new bill, either somebody initiated that bill from within the ministry to improve or stream- line the system — that's understandable, and that's a good step if somebody does it — or there's a demand from outside, from the public, for some sort of change or amendment or for the new creation of any bill.

My question was: is this bill of rights in front of us the outcome of somebody asking from outside, or is this the outcome of the ministry staff just looking into the existing bill of rights, which is probably at different places, to streamline the system, putting all those things together in one place? Hon. I.

Chong: The member will probably know that the act was renewed about four years ago, and on o ctober 1, 2009, this year, we also renewed some of the r esidential c are r egulation. it made sense that we were also moving forward, as i say, to build upon existing protections and moving towards the bill of rights. if the member is suggesting that the staff and the ministry were just putting together a bill of rights with- out regard to a number of other events that were taking place, i want to assure him that it was a constant review of what we have in place. a s i say, with the renewal of the act and the renewal of the regulations, it made sense to move forward to a residents bill of rights.

J. Brar: Moving on to the next level, can the minister provide us a list of stakeholders that were consulted, spe- cifically for the purpose of this bill, to ensure that the list in the bill of rights is comprehensive and inclusive? Hon. I. Chong: Government did hold a number of extensive public consultations from fall 2004 through to January 2005 on the r esidential c are r egulation, and that's one of the reasons why a number were introduced just this past o ctober. They were held with a number of organizations and stakeholders.

The residential care regulations, therefore, are com- patible with the residents bill of rights, which is one of the reasons why we did not have a separate consultation, if that's what the member is referring to, on the bill of rights. a s he well knows, we had promises in our election platform. a s well, it was reiterated in the Speech from the Throne just this fall. it certainly was very well known and publicly known. We also, over a number of years, have had phone calls with organizations that include the b.c. c are Providers

british c olumbia Debates1876 Monday, n ovember 2, 2009 a ssociation and the Denominational h ealth a ssociation. They, too, were very clearly aware of the bill. Perhaps those organizations are two of the larger organizations concerned and wanting to have input and awareness of what was coming forward. J. Brar: if i understand that correctly, there were no specific consulting efforts made for this particular bill of rights. is that true? Hon. I.

Chong: There was no additional consultation made, if that's what the member is referring to, specific- ally for the residents bill of rights, because government had held an extensive consultation between fall 2004 to early 2005 on the r esidential c are r egulation with organizations and stakeholders. [1530] For that reason, that consultation really led to the com- patibility of what was being proposed in the bill of rights. So no separate consultation, i agree. h owever, there had been extensive consultation leading up to the bill of rights. J. Brar: There is quite a bit of questioning on this one.

My understanding, then, is that of all the stakeholders, whether it's seniors or care providers or other facilities…. n obody was specifically asked to give input or feedback for this bill of rights. That's my understanding. if that's wrong, i would like to ask the minister to clarify that. i understand the minister is talking about the historic consultation done with the stakeholders, but that was for a different purpose.

We are talking here about a par- ticular bill of rights, and i think that question needs to be asked to the stakeholders. if that question was specif- ically asked previously, i would like to know that. if not asked, then i would like to know why the minister chose not to specifically consult the stakeholders — particu- larly, in this situation, the residents and care providers — to give input, to make sure that this bill of rights is complete, inclusive and comprehensive. Hon. I.

Chong: There were approximately 1,200 people who did participate in the consultation on the changes to the regulations. because the regulations are compatible with the bill of rights, there was no separate consultation process that was taken. The member is asking: "Was there a separate consulta- tion?" i've advised that there was not. h e asked: "Why not?" it's because the consultation that took place earlier was such that they were…. The consultation that took place on the regulations ensured that they were also compatible with the rights that we are introducing now. J.

Brar: What will the minister then say to those stakeholders who now think that they should have been consulted and they could have given good input into the process? What will be the response of the minister to those people who are very, very involved in this pro- cess, either care providers or seniors or family members or staff members — all those people? What would the minister say to those who say, "We should have been consulted specifically about this bill of rights.

We could have made it better or more effective" — to basically do the thing which the minister would like to do by imple- menting this bill of rights? Hon. I. Chong: a s i've indicated, because of the extensive consultation that took place and because that consultation complements the bill of rights, we did not feel that there was a need for a separate consultation. i acknowledge that the member may feel that further consultation can take place or should take place.

So let me just say this to the member. if there is something that is fundamentally missing from the bill of rights that is required or should be required to be included, we are always willing to hear from stakeholders and organiza- tions. but we do believe that the bill of rights does com- plement a number of the consultations that took place. [1535] The bill has been introduced. it's been out in the public domain now for, i think, just over a week, and we've not heard from any groups that say that something that was fundamental should have been included in the bill of rights. a gain, we're always willing to listen.

This is, as i say, a piece of legislation that allows us to

Document details

Collection	British Columbia — Debates (Hansard)
Citation	H1102pm-07
Type	hansard
Volume / chapter	H1102pm 07
Language	en
Format	pdf
Source	PROVINCIAL
Identifier	bb98ce4c6105b8c2a3af670f9e6aa1e3d48b9cad

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