British Columbia Hansard — Wednesday, March 4, 2009

H0304pm-05

British Columbia — Debates (Hansard)

Fifth Session, 38th Parliament o FFicial rePort o F Debates of the Legis Lative a ssemb Ly (hansarD) the honourable bill bari So FF, SPeaker iSSn 0709-1281 Wednesday, March 4, 2009 Afternoon Sitting Volume 39, Number 5

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 Fifth Session, 38th 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.

Joan Mcintyre Deputy Premier and Minister of education and Minister r esponsible for early l earning and l iteracy .........................................................................................h on. Shirley bond Minister of a boriginal r elations and r econciliation .................................................................................................. h on. Michael de Jong Minister of a dvanced e ducation and l abour Market Development ............................................................................. h on.

Murray c oell Minister of a griculture and l ands ..................................................................................................................................... h on. r on c antelon a ttorney General and Minister r esponsible for Multiculturalism .......................................................................... h on.

Wally o ppal, Qc Minister of c hildren and Family Development ..........................................................................................................h on. t om c hristensen Minister of State for c hildcare ................................................................................................................................................. h on. l inda r eid Minister of c ommunity Development ............................................................................................................................. h on. k evin k rueger Minister of energy, Mines and Petroleum r esources .....................................................................................................h on. blair l ekstrom Minister of State for Mining ................................................................................................................................................ h on.

Gordon h ogg Minister of environment and Minister r esponsible for c limate a ction .......................................................................h on. barry Penner Minister of Finance and Minister r esponsible for the o lympics .................................................................................. h on. c olin h ansen Minister of Forests and r ange ....................................................................................................................................................... h on.

Pat bell Minister of h ealth Services ................................................................................................................................................h on. George a bbott Minister of h ealthy l iving and Sport .....................................................................................................................................h on.

Mary Polak Minister of h ousing and Social Development .................................................................................................................h on. r ich c oleman Minister of l abour and citizens' Services ................................................................................................................................ h on. iain black Minister of Public Safety and Solicitor General .........................................................................................................h on.

John van Dongen Minister of Small business, t echnology and e conomic Development and Minister r esponsible for the a sia-Pacific initiative .................................................................................................. h on. ida c hong Minister of t ourism, c ulture and the a rts ...........................................................................................................................h on. bill bennett Minister of t ransportation and infrastructure ...................................................................................................................h on. k evin Falcon leGiS latiVe a SSeMbl Y l eader of the official o pposition ...................................................................................................................................................c arole James Deputy Speaker ..............................................................................................................................................................................Sindi h awkins Deputy Speaker .....................................................................................................................................................................k atherine Whittred a ssistant Deputy Speaker ...............................................................................................................................................................Sue h ammell 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 l egislative l ibrarian ............................................................................................................................................................................ Jane t aylor 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–o kanagan Valley bell, h on.

Pat (l) ...............................................................Prince George n orth bennett, h on. bill (l) ...................................................................e ast k ootenay black, h on. iain (l) ......................................................Port Moody–Westwood bloy, h arry (l) ....................................................................................burquitlam bond, h on. Shirley (l) ....................................Prince George–Mount r obson brar, Jagrup (nDP) .....................................................Surrey–Panorama r idge c ampbell, h on.

Gordon (l) .........................................Vancouver–Point Grey c antelon, h on. r on (l) ......................................................n anaimo-Parksville c hong, h on. ida (l) ..................................................... o ak bay–Gordon h ead c houhan, r aj (nDP) ........................................................... burnaby-e dmonds c hristensen, h on. t om (l) ..................................................o kanagan-Vernon c hudnovsky, Dave (nDP) ........................................... Vancouver-kensington 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) ...........................................West kootenay–b oundary c oons, Gary (nDP) .........................................................................n orth c oast c ubberley, David (nDP) ..............................................................Saanich South de Jong, h on.

Michael (l) ................................... a bbotsford–Mount l ehman Dix, a drian (nDP) ............................................................Vancouver-kingsway e vans, c orky (nDP) ..................................................................n elson-creston Falcon, h on. k evin (l) ..........................................................Surrey-c loverdale Farnworth, Mike (nDP) ............................. Port c oquitlam–b urke Mountain Fleming, r ob (nDP) ................................................................

Victoria-h illside Fraser, Scott (nDP) ...............................................................a lberni-Qualicum 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, r andy (l) ............................................................

Maple r idge–Mission h awkins, Sindi (l) ..................................................................k elowna-Mission h ayer, Dave S. (l) .................................................................... Surrey-t ynehead h erbert, Spencer (nDP) ..................................................... Vancouver-burrard h ogg, h on. Gordon (l) ......................................................

Surrey–White r ock h organ, John (nDP) .......................................................Malahat–Juan de Fuca h orning, a l (l) .............................................................k elowna–l ake c ountry ilich, o lga (l) .......................................................................... r ichmond c entre James, c arole (nDP) .........................................................Victoria–b eacon h ill Jarvis, Daniel (l) .................................................... n orth Vancouver–Seymour k aragianis, Maurine (nDP) ............................................e squimalt-Metchosin k rog, l eonard (nDP) ........................................................................... n anaimo k rueger, h on. k evin (l) .....................................k amloops–n orth Thompson kwan, Jenny Wai ching (nDP) ...........................

Vancouver–Mount Pleasant l ali, h arry (nDP) ........................................................................... Y ale-lillooet 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-Sumas Macdonald, n orm (nDP) ....................................c olumbia r iver–r evelstoke McGinn, Jenn (nDP) .........................................................

Vancouver-Fairview Mcintyre, h on. Joan (l) ........................................ West Vancouver–Garibaldi Mack ay, Dennis (l) ....................................................... bulkley Valley–Stikine n uraney, John (l) .............................................................. burnaby-Willingdon o ppal, h on. Wally, Qc (l) ........................................... Vancouver-Fraserview Penner, hon. barry (l) .............................................................c hilliwack-k ent Polak, h on.

Mary (l) ...............................................................................l angley Puchmayr, c huck (nDP) .......................................................n ew Westminster r alston, bruce (nDP) ................................................................

Surrey-Whalley r eid, h on. l inda (l) ...................................................................r ichmond e ast r ichmond, c laude (l) .........................................................................k amloops r oddick, Valerie (l) ..........................................................................Delta South r outley, Doug (nDP) ......................................................c owichan-l adysmith r ustad, John (l) .......................................................... Prince George–omineca 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 Sultan, r alph (l) .....................................................

West Vancouver–capilano Thorne, Diane (nDP) .................................................c oquitlam-Maillardville Thorpe, r ick (l) .................................................................. o kanagan-Westside t revena, c laire (nDP) .................................................................... n orth island van Dongen, h on.

John (l) ............................................a bbotsford-c layburn Whittred, k atherine (l) ........................................ n orth Vancouver–l onsdale Wyse, c harlie (nDP) ...................................................................c ariboo South Y ap, John (l) .......................................................................r ichmond-Steveston Vacant .............................................................................................. c omox Valley Vacant .......................................................................................Peace r iver n orth Vacant ....................................................................................

Vancouver-l angara liS t o F MeMberS bY riD in G a bbotsford-c layburn .................................................... h on. John van Dongen a bbotsford–Mount l ehman ...........................................h on. Michael de Jong a lberni-Qualicum .............................................................................

Scott Fraser bulkley Valley–Stikine ...............................................................Dennis Mack ay burnaby n orth .............................................................................. r ichard t . l ee burnaby-e dmonds ..........................................................................r aj c houhan burnaby-Willingdon .....................................................................

John n uraney burquitlam .......................................................................................... h arry bloy c ariboo n orth ................................................................................ bob Simpson c ariboo South................................................................................. c harlie Wyse c hilliwack-k ent.....................................................................h on. barry Penner c hilliwack-Sumas ..................................................................................

John l es c olumbia r iver–r evelstoke .................................................. n orm Macdonald c omox Valley..............................................................................................Vacant c oquitlam-Maillardville............................................................... Diane Thorne c owichan-l adysmith ...................................................................

Doug r outley Delta n orth ......................................................................................Guy Gentner Delta South..................................................................................Valerie r oddick e ast k ootenay .......................................................................... h on. bill bennett e squimalt-Metchosin .........................................................Maurine k aragianis Fort l angley–a ldergrove ...................................................h on. r ich c oleman k amloops ................................................................................c laude r ichmond k amloops–n orth Thompson ............................................ h on. k evin k rueger k elowna–l ake c ountry ................................................................... a l h orning k elowna-Mission .........................................................................Sindi h awkins l angley.......................................................................................h on.

Mary Polak Malahat–Juan de Fuca ....................................................................John h organ Maple r idge–Mission ....................................................................r andy h awes Maple r idge–Pitt Meadows ........................................................Michael Sather n anaimo ......................................................................................... l eonard k rog n anaimo-Parksville .............................................................h on. r on c antelon n elson-creston ................................................................................ c orky evans n ew Westminster .................................................................... c huck Puchmayr n orth c oast.......................................................................................

Gary c oons n orth island .................................................................................. c laire t revena n orth Vancouver–l onsdale ............................................... k atherine Whittred n orth Vancouver–Seymour ...........................................................

Daniel Jarvis o ak bay–Gordon h ead ............................................................ h on. ida c hong o kanagan-Vernon ..........................................................h on. t om c hristensen o kanagan-Westside .........................................................................r ick Thorpe Peace r iver n orth ......................................................................................Vacant Peace r iver South ...............................................................h on. blair l ekstrom Penticton–o kanagan Valley................................................... h on. bill barisoff Port c oquitlam–b urke Mountain ...........................................Mike Farnworth Port Moody–Westwood .............................................................h on. iain black Powell r iver–Sunshine c oast ................................................. n icholas Simons Prince George n orth .......................................................................h on.

Pat bell Prince George–Mount r obson ............................................h on. Shirley bond Prince George–omineca ................................................................. John r ustad r ichmond c entre ................................................................................. o lga ilich r ichmond e ast ..........................................................................h on. l inda r eid r ichmond-Steveston ..............................................................................John Y ap Saanich n orth and the islands ........................................... h on.

Murray c oell Saanich South ........................................................................... David c ubberley Shuswap ...............................................................................h on.

George a bbott Skeena .............................................................................................. r obin a ustin Surrey-c loverdale .................................................................h on. k evin Falcon Surrey–Green t imbers ..................................................................Sue h ammell Surrey-n ewton ................................................................................. h arry b ains Surrey–Panorama r idge ...................................................................Jagrup brar Surrey-t ynehead ...........................................................................

Dave S. h ayer Surrey-Whalley.............................................................................. bruce r alston Surrey–White r ock ............................................................. h on. Gordon h ogg Vancouver-burrard ....................................................................Spencer h erbert Vancouver-Fairview .......................................................................Jenn McGinn Vancouver-Fraserview ...................................................h on.

Wally o ppal, Qc Vancouver-hastings ....................................................................Shane Simpson Vancouver-kensington ........................................................David c hudnovsky Vancouver-kingsway..........................................................................a drian Dix Vancouver-l angara ....................................................................................Vacant Vancouver–Mount Pleasant ......................................... Jenny Wai ching kwan Vancouver–Point Grey .................................................h on.

Gordon c ampbell Vancouver-Quilchena ..........................................................h on. c olin h ansen Victoria–b eacon h ill .......................................................................c arole James Victoria-h illside ..............................................................................r ob Fleming West kootenay–b oundary ........................................................ k atrine c onroy West Vancouver–capilano ............................................................. r alph Sultan West Vancouver–Garibaldi ................................................h on.

Joan Mcintyre Y ale-lillooet ......................................................................................... h arry l ali Party Standings: l iberal 42; n ew Democratic 34; Vacant 3

CONTENTS Wednesday, March 4, 2009 a fternoon Sitting Routine Proceedings Page introductions by Members ................................................................................................................................................... 14193 introduction and First r eading of bills .............................................................................................................................. 14194 Police (Misconduct, c omplaints, investigations, Discipline and Proceedings) a mendment a ct, 2009 (bill 6) Police (Police c omplaint c ommissioner) a mendment a ct, 2009 (bill 7) h on.

J. van Dongen Statements (Standing order 25 b) ........................................................................................................................................ 14195 t errace and h ockeyville competition J. r ustad South a sian Family a ssociation and international Women's Day S. h ammell c ommunity spirit in northern b.c. D. Mackay n apoleon Gomez k. c onroy Mission Multicultural Festival r . h awes k ersley Musical Theatre b.

Simpson oral Questions ....................................................................................................................................................................... 14197 budget provisions for Partnerships b.c. b. r alston h on. c. h ansen G. Gentner c hild care spaces in Whistler area c. t revena h on. l. r eid c losing of c owichan l odge D. r outley hon . G. a bbott e conomic benefits of o lympic Games h. b ains h on. c. h ansen t ransfer of l ytton l umber forest licence h. l ali h on. P . bell Jumbo Glacier resort n.

Macdonald h on. b. bennett Petitions .................................................................................................................................................................................. 14202 M. Sather c ommittee of Supply ............................................................................................................................................................ 14202 Supplementary e stimates: o ther a ppropriations (continued) b. r alston c. e vans h on. c. h ansen G. Gentner S. h erbert J. h organ M. Sather G. c oons

introduction and First r eading of bills .............................................................................................................................. 14211 Supply a ct, 2008-2009 (Supplementary estimates) (bill 3) h on. c. h ansen Second r eading of bills ........................................................................................................................................................ 14211 Supply a ct, 2008-2009 (Supplementary estimates) (bill 3) h on. c. h ansen c ommittee of the Whole h ouse .......................................................................................................................................... 14211 Supply a ct, 2008-2009 (Supplementary estimates) (bill 3) r eport and Third r eading of bills ....................................................................................................................................... 14212 Supply a ct, 2008-2009 (Supplementary estimates) (bill 3) introduction and First r eading of bills .............................................................................................................................. 14212 Supply a ct (n o. 1), 2009 (bill 5) h on. c. h ansen Ministerial a ccountability bases a ct, 2008-2009 (bill 4) h on.

M. de Jong Second r eading of bills ........................................................................................................................................................ 14212 budget Measures implementation a ct, 2009 (bill 2) h on. c. h ansen b. r alston budget Debate (continued) ................................................................................................................................................... 14217 J. Y ap M. Sather r . h awes G. Gentner

14193 WeD neSD a Y , March 4, 2009 The h ouse met at 1:36 p.m. [Mr. Speaker in the chair.] Prayers. Introductions by Members Hon. R. Cantelon: i would like to introduce Vincent erenst, managing director, and ian r oberts, communi- cation director, of Marine h arvest c anada, who are visiting today from c ampbell r iver. Marine h arvest c anada's aquaculture farms, hatch- eries and processing plants employ more than 500 people, making them one of the biggest private sector employers on north Vancouver island. i ask you all to please give them a warm welcome. C.

Trevena: i would like to echo the Minister of a griculture's introduction of Mr. erenst and Mr. r oberts, both from Marine h arvest. i think the h ouse recognizes the importance of the employment in the north island. Members of the opposition had a very productive meet- ing this morning with Vincent erenst, ian r oberts and c lare backman, the environmental director of Marine h arvest, on ways we can cooperate and consult in the future. i hope the h ouse will indeed make them very welcome. R.

Thorpe: in the gallery today is a lady from West k elowna who has worked tirelessly on my behalf, on behalf of british c olumbians. i would like to thank Marion a shby very much and ask the h ouse to please welcome her to the h ouse today. N.

Macdonald: Joining us in the h ouse today, i have four guests from the k ootenays. c hief Wilfred t eneese is from the a kisqnuk First n ation, which is near invermere. i also have r ob Gravelle, who is a councillor with the t obacco Plains band near Grasmere. i also have c ouncillor Sandra l uke, who is from the Y akan n ukiy First n ation near creston; and also t roy Sebastian from the k tunaxa n ation near cranbrook. Please join me in making them welcome. Hon. J. van Dongen: i am pleased to introduce to the h ouse today my constituency assistant Sherri Wacker.

She has worked with me for 12 years to serve the con- stituents of a bbotsford-c layburn, and i appreciate the job she does and the support she gives me as an Mla. i ask the h ouse to please make her welcome. M. Karagianis: t oday in the gallery we have a repeat visit from two young men who have a keen interest in what goes on here in the h ouse. They visited us before for question period. They watch us keenly on h ansard afterward. i'd like the h ouse to give a special welcome to Mark bridges and k ody bell. J.

Nuraney: in the gallery today we have l isa Thompson and Jim l acamell, both from burnaby. i would like the h ouse to please join me in offering them a very warm welcome. [1340] D. Thorne: t oday i have the pleasure of introducing c oun. barrie l ynch to the h ouse. i spent many years with c ouncillor l ynch on c oquitlam council. h e is here in the precinct today with the Federation of c anadian Municipalities, which is holding meetings here all week. i'd like us to make him and the FcM very welcome. D.

Hayer: in the h ouse today we have one very spe- cial guest, my constituency assistant Manuel Santos, who does a great job. h e makes sure that all the work is looked after for my constituents when i'm here. Would the h ouse please make him very welcome. D. Routley: c ould the h ouse help me welcome Pedro banman. Pedro is a young man from the c owichan Valley who is one of the organizers of a youth group called Y ou the Y outh. They held a forum recently where they petitioned….

The admission to their forum was one idea for the betterment of the c owichan Valley, and they got a basketful of ideas. h e's a great vision of the future. h elp me welcome the future to the h ouse. Hon. G. Abbott: by a remarkable coincidence, in Speaker's gallery today are not only my hard-working constituency assistants r oxena Goodine and h olly c owan here to join us, but immediately behind them and beside them are members of the 2009 legislative internship program.

While they join us every day to watch democracy in action, the one addition we have today is the remark- able academic leader and mentor of the program, Dr. Paddy Smith. Paddy is an old friend, going back as far as the u niversity of Victoria — back in the mid-1970s. it's wonderful to see him again, and i note that he is still wearing the same red running shoes that he was wearing in 1976. Please make him welcome. S. Hammell: There are 37 grade 11 students from Queen e lizabeth Secondary School in the precinct. a ccompanying them are their teacher a lyssa h ogan and three parents.

Would the h ouse please make them welcome. C. Evans: it would appear that the way to get your family to visit you here in the l egislature is to tell them

british c olumbia Debates14194 Wednesday, March 4, 2009 you're going to quit. a s a consequence, i have another family member, my cousin t odd Darling, in the gallery. h e's from the old country. h e's from the u nited States, so he's afraid of question period. h e thinks that's bullet- proof glass. a t any rate, t odd is a film-maker, and the last film that he made was about a guy named George bush, and he's touring around. h ere's the sad news. h e is here with his camera, and he thinks he's taking pictures of us. i have a request of all members. if you meet this gentleman in the hallway with a camera and he asks you about me, you tell him only the nice stuff.

Will you please make him welcome. Hon. G. Campbell: i know this is highly unusual, but i can guarantee the member that we all only know nice stuff about him. Introduction and First Reading of Bills Police (Mi Scon Duct, c o MPlaint S, in Ve Sti Gation S, DiSci Pline an D ProceeD in GS) aMenDMent a ct, 2009 h on. J. van Dongen presented a message from h is h onour the l ieutenant-Governor: a bill intituled Police (Misconduct, c omplaints, investigations, Discipline and Proceedings) a mendment a ct, 2009. Hon. J. van Dongen: i move that the bill be intro- duced and read a first time now. Motion approved. Hon.

J. van Dongen: i am pleased to introduce the Police (Misconduct, c omplaints, investigations, Discipline and Proceedings) a mendment a ct, 2009. [1345] in February 2007 Judge Josiah Wood presented his report, setting out his findings regarding the police complaint process. Judge Wood provided 91 recommendations and drafting suggestions to assist government in improving the police complaint pro- cess.

The legislation includes, among other things, the following changes. investigation of complaints by police departments will now be subject to contemporaneous, or real-time, oversight and monitoring by the commissioner, and where necessary, the commissioner will direct that there be further investigation. Police officers, whether witnesses or those who are the subject of the complaint, must cooperate fully with the investigations.

Police officers who retire or resign will no longer be able to avoid the consequences of discipline proceedings. e ven without a complaint the commissioner can order investigations, if it is in the public interest to do so. in closing, this legislation fulfils our commitment to implement the recommendations of the Wood report and overhaul the police complaint process to enhance the role and powers of the Police c omplaint c ommissioner and make the police fully accountable to the public that they serve and protect. i move that the bill be placed on the orders of the day for the second reading at the next sitting of the h ouse after today. bill 6, Police (Misconduct, c omplaints, investigations, Discipline and Proceedings) a mendment a ct, 2009, introduced, read a first time and ordered to be placed on orders of the day for second reading at the next sitting of the h ouse after today.

Police (Police c o MPlaint c o MMiSSioner) aMenDMent a ct, 2009 h on. J. van Dongen presented a message from h is h onour the l ieutenant-Governor: a bill intituled Police (Police c omplaint c ommissioner) a mendment a ct, 2009. Hon. J. van Dongen: i move that the bill be intro- duced and read a first time now. Motion approved. Hon. J. van Dongen: i am pleased to introduce bill 7, Police (Police c omplaint c ommissioner) a mendment a ct, 2009. The bill speaks to the appointment of the Police c omplaint c ommissioner. The commissioner is an independent office of the l egislative a ssembly.

The bill changes the legislative framework for appointment to be similar to legislation for other officers of the l egislature. The a uditor General a ct and the r epresentative for c hildren and Y outh act are used as recent models. This bill provides for direct appointment of the com- missioner by resolution of the l egislative a ssembly instead of by order of the l ieutenant-Governor-in- c ouncil.

The amendments change the appointment term from one six-year term to a five-year term with the ability to reappoint for one term of up to five years. n ew provisions for the appointment of an acting Police c omplaint c ommissioner are also included in this bill. 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 7, Police (Police c omplaint c ommissioner) a mendment a ct, 2009, introduced, read a first time and ordered to be placed on orders of the day for second reading at the next sitting of the h ouse after today.

british c olumbia DebatesWednesday, March 4, 2009 14195 Statements (Standing Order 25b) terrace anD hocke YVille co MPetition J.

Rustad: a s you know, we have the occasional friendly rivalry between communities in northern b.c. a lot of this stems from the tremendous pride residents take with their communities. a lot of that pride is tied to local hockey teams, whether it's minor hockey players who go to the nhl, cities competing in junior hockey ranks or the famous battles of senior men's teams like the Prince George Mohawks and the Quesnel k angaroos. h ockey and the teamwork that is required to succeed is hard-wired into the northern spirit.

There comes a time when we need to put aside the rivalries and work together to achieve a common goal.

That's why i'm urging all Mla s to get the message out: vote t errace for h ockeyville 2009. t errace is competing against four other c anadian cities, and a city in british c olumbia has never won the coveted title, which comes with a prize of $100,000 for arena upgrades and, of course, an nhl pre-season game. in support of t errace's bid, a aron Margerison wrote about his first hockey game ever. a t the end of his story, he said: "Soon the game was done, and i loved that i was allowed to go. on my way home i said to my mom that i'd like to buy her a present, and that was my first hockey game." We all remember our first game.

We have about eight hours to pull together and get the vote out to make t errace h ockeyville. Surely this is one election we can all get behind. So everybody, go to cbc.ca/hockeyville to vote, and remember to vote early and vote often. [1350] South a Sian Fa Mil Y a SSociation anD international Wo Men'S D a Y S. Hammell: i have the good fortune of representing the constituents of Surrey–Green t imbers, and i am privileged to talk to you today about a wonderful organ- ization that serves a large part of our community.

This organization, the South a sian Family a ssociation or S a Fa , has a mission to highlight the South a sian community and culture. by creating mediums for cross-cultural understanding and education, they are strengthening the positive and vibrant South a sian image. SaF a is preparing for their first annual international Women's Day celebration at the award-winning SFu Surrey campus. The event will celebrate the economic, political and social achievements of women. it's a free public event on international Women's Day, Sunday, March 8.

There will be a marketplace, live entertainment and a closed work- shop from the We c an Stop Violence a gainst Women coalition. There will be keynote speakers and panel- lists discussing empowerment and education, financial health and lifestyles. Sen. Mobina Jaffer and former bctF president Jinny Simms are two of the women par - ticipating in this global celebration. a s i know members know, the first international Women's Day took place March 8, 1911. c lara Zetkin, leader of the women's office for the Social Democratic Party in Germany, tabled the idea of an international women's day.

She proposed that every year in every country there should be a celebration on the same day to press for improvements for women. While we certainly have a long way to go — there is much more to be done — we have come a long way. The u nited n ations international Women's Day 2009 has the theme of "Women and men united to end violence against women and girls." i would like the h ouse to applaud the work of SaFa. co MMunit Y SPirit in northern b.c. D.

MacKay: t oday i'd like to talk about northern trust and just remind people just how big this province of british c olumbia is. h ighway 37 starts off h ighway 16 west of Smithers. When you're travelling on h ighway 37, you drive up to a place called Meziadin Junction, where the highway splits in two. Y ou can travel from there down to Stewart and hit tidewater, or you can turn right and travel up h ighway 37 n orth. a s you travel up h ighway 37 n orth, you travel through some big communities. The first community is called bell 2, which is a restaurant where the helicopter skiing is done from.

Then you travel through iskut, which is an indian reserve. Then you get to Dease l ake. While you're in Dease l ake, if you want to take a side trip you can travel for two and a half hours down to t elegraph creek and drive through the Stikine grand canyon. it's absolutely spectacular.

When you leave Dease l ake and drive north, the first place you come to is Good h ope, which is another small native reserve. but the driving time between Dease l ake and a tlin is actually eight hours, and this is where i would like to spend a moment and educate the people on the l ower Mainland how big this province is. eight hours' driving from Dease l ake to a tlin, and during our last federal election, the advance poll for the people in a tlin was at Dease l ake, so a 16 hours' round trip if you wanted to vote early. i'm hoping we don't make the same mistake, and i've actually contacted the provincial body responsible for that to encourage them not to allow that to happen. i want to talk about northern trust now. on one of my return trips from a tlin, i stopped at bell 2 on the way home. i was having a coffee, and i was talking to the young lady that was waiting on the tables.

There was

british c olumbia Debates14196 Wednesday, March 4, 2009 another couple sitting at a table next to me. They over - heard me say i was from Smithers. They didn't know who i was, and i'd never met them before. They came up to me and said: "We heard you were going to Smithers. Would you mind taking our bank deposit and leaving it at the bank for us?" They didn't know who i was. They gave me a bag with their bank deposit in it. i drove for 250 kilometres, turned left at h ighway 16 and drove back to Smithers.

They drove to t errace. never met them before in my life. c an you imagine doing that in Vancouver or Victoria? Mr. Speaker: Member for West kootenay–b oundary. interjections. Mr. Speaker: c ontinue, Member. K. Conroy: h e did guarantee that he deposited it. [1355] naPoleon Go MeZ K.

Conroy: t oday i want to talk to the h ouse about a true hero, a man who has done so much for work- ing people that he is considered a hero by thousands of people. i am talking about n apoleon Gomez, the president of the n ational u nion of Mine and Metal Workers or Los Mineros, as it is known in Mexico. in 2006 n apoleon led a series of strikes at mines owned by Grupo Mexico after an explosion at one of Grupo's mines killed 65 miners.

The Mexican govern- ment removed n apoleon as president of Los Mineros. a t the time, the o xford-trained economist was demand- ing an investigation into the deaths of the workers in the coalmine explosion. t eachers, bus drivers, airline workers and farmers all marched to protest against the government interference in union activities. n apoleon and his family faced threats to their lives and, with the support of the u nited Steelworkers, fled to the u nited States and then to Vancouver, where they now live in an undisclosed location. n apoleon says that in spite of the threats to his life, he continues to represent workers of Los Mineros and recently negotiated a 9 per - cent wage increase for one of the unions he represents. in December the Mexican government revived charges against n apoleon. h e stands accused of fraud, criminal association and other offences committed against members of Los Mineros. a ctually, these very same charges have already been dismissed numerous times in every level of Mexican court in which they were filed.

There is even an audit by an independent Swiss accounting firm that concluded the charges were absolutely false. The right-wing anti-union Mexican government still continues to try to have him extradited to face the trumped-up charges. i'd like to quote Steve h unt, western c anadian direc- tor from the Steelworkers.

"i think he's a hero. h is only crime is standing up for the people he represents and the families and the communities that have been devastated by some of these events." a nd i agree. n apoleon is a man who deserves to live without threats to his life or to his family, to continue his work on behalf of working people, and i hope that this l egislature joins me in urging the c anadian government not to extradite him to Mexico. MiSSion Multicultural Fe Sti Val R.

Hawes: l ast Saturday Mission celebrated its fourth annual multicultural festival, thanks to Mission c ommunity Services and thousands of hours of volun- teer labour. This annual festival celebrates the ethnic and cultural diversity that helps make our country and our province the best place on earth. Following a parade of national flags headed up by the c anadian flag, there was a wonderful program of dance and music from various cultures.

Food from Japan, k orea, india, Mexico, the u kraine, italy and Greece was all served in abundance. a rts and cultural displays provided a glimpse into the various cultures that make up my community.

The day is all about understanding our differences and building on the strengths within our diversity and understanding that while we are different, we are similar in many, many ways. e ven through the warmth of mutual acceptance that permeates this whole festival, i don't think anyone there forgot that the dark veil of prejudice still exists in our country, and although we have come a long way, we still have a long way to go. it's festivals and celebrations like this that help part those veils, and for this, we owe a debt of gratitude to all of the participants. i was reminded that in Mission we have a lot to be proud of. in n ovember we once again elected James a tebe as our mayor.

Many in this h ouse would know James as one of the friendliest and most outgoing mayors in british c olumbia. but we didn't elect him because he's from k enya or because he's a man. We elected him because he's the best person for the job, and that is how i think it should be. kerS le Y MuS ical theatre B. Simpson: When my wife isn't singing about sleeping alone, she's a tart — a strawberry tart, to be precise.

My daughter is a very silly girl who, when she's not wiping her nose on other people's sleeves, literally throws herself at an egotistical, chauvinistic Frenchman who takes great pride in his magnificent thighs. a nd my son has taken to wearing only black clothes and moving furniture around in the dark or in the fog.

british c olumbia DebatesWednesday, March 4, 2009 14197 Y es, once again it's time for the magic of kMt , k ersley Musical Theatre. This year this ever-expanding group of thespians is presenting their breathtaking version of Beauty and the Beast. This year's production is even bigger and more magical than ever. There are over 120 people in the cast, ranging in age from barely six months old to north of 70. There are over 300 costumes made by many of the dedicated parents and supporters of kMt .

Some 20 crew mem- bers and a five-piece band professionally manage this enormous cast through each scene, making sure they're wearing the right costumes, singing the right songs and working with the right props, staging and lighting. it's hard to describe how truly awe-inspiring and profes- sional this production is. [1400] once again, kMt is providing an opportunity for people to escape the winter doldrums and enjoy a sen- sory vacation. a nd once again, Director Janice butler, Producer c athy h einzelman and a ssistant Director Dorine l amarche have used the months of rehearsals and preparations to engage the cast, crew and support- ers of this production in a personal and community journey of learning and growth. e ach member of the cast, crew and band has had to make personal sacrifices to give audiences this sensory treat.

So i ask the members of this l egislature to recog- nize these sacrifices and the important role kMt plays in making our c ariboo communities strong and vibrant places in which to live and play. Oral Questions bu DGet Pro ViSion S For PartnerS hiPS b.c. B.

Ralston: in this year's budget the Premier said the government would "rein in avoidable government spending" and "reduce administrative and personnel costs." but Partnerships b.c., the government agency responsible for privatizing public assets, will actually get a boost in its operating budget — salaries and benefits up 7.3 percent, administrative costs up 4.1 percent, cor - porate relations budget up 11.5 percent. n ow we have learned that Partnerships b.c. is taking

part in a five-day junket to ixtapa, Mexico, for the con- struction industry, and a senior official will be lecturing there on "best P3 Practices in t ransportation." My question is to the Premier. h ow does he explain the salary hikes and benefits for Partnerships b.c. while his budget made devastating cuts to education, health care, forestry and public safety? interjections. Mr. Speaker: Members. Hon. C.

Hansen: The member is clearly wrong, because if he would actually read the budget, he would know that in this budget we have an additional $4.8 bil- lion over the next three years for health care. h e will know that the budget for post-secondary education has increased by $288 million. h e will also find that the budget for the Ministry of e ducation is at an all-time record high, in spite of the fact that we continue to see declining enrolment in k-to-12.

The record of Partnerships b.c. speaks for itself. if you look at project after project after project, we have seen hundreds of millions of dollars of taxpayers' money that has been saved because of innovation, because of risk transfer. Partnerships b.c. has a great track record, and it's great to hear that other jurisdictions want to learn from their experience. Mr. Speaker: The member has a supplemental. B.

Ralston: That agency does have a track record of a culture of extravagance and excess. in his budget speech last month the Finance Minister said the government will be moving now to reduce all types of discretionary spending across the public sector. indeed, public employees are being asked to consider whether or not they wish to take unpaid leave. but this Minister of Finance supported pay hikes to senior staff at Partnerships b.c., the same people that are lounging this week at an exclusive resort in ixtapa, Mexico. t o the Minister of Finance: will he agree to roll back the pay hikes for those senior officials at Partnerships b.c.?

Hon. C. Hansen: i think the work that has been done by Partnerships b.c. over the last number of years has saved taxpayers in british c olumbia literally hundreds of millions of dollars. i get it that the nDP are more driven by the ideological approach that's being imposed on them by some of their public sector unions, but i challenge the opposition and the opposition Finance critic to actually look at the record in terms of the P3 project at a bbotsford h ospital — saved the taxpayers tens of millions of dollars. [1405] That was a project that the nDP promised and didn't deliver.

That's a project that we promised. We delivered, and we did it through a P3 that saved the taxpayers millions of dollars. a nd that is true of just about every single one of the P3 projects that Partnerships b.c. has driven in this province. Mr. Speaker: The member has a further supplemental. B. Ralston: Well, the Minister of Finance likes to repeat the fiction about the a bbotsford h ospital. What the a uditor General said is that….

british c olumbia Debates14198 Wednesday, March 4, 2009 interjections. Mr. Speaker: Members. B. Ralston: What the a uditor General…. interjections. Mr. Speaker: Just take your seat for a second. Members. c ontinue, Member. B. Ralston: What the a uditor General actually said in his report is that we would know in 35 years whether or not that project saved any money. That's what the a uditor General said. The minister has his own version of it.

That's what the auditor General said. it's clear that the management team in Partnerships b.c. will get pay hikes — the same people who are lounging down there in the Mexican sun, who lined their pockets after yet another failed P3 project just a week ago. h ow many more pay hikes for Partnerships b.c. executives vacationing in Mexico? h ow will that help the economy that we're experiencing right now? Will he admit his promise to protect the fundamentals and cut waste was another broken promise? Hon. C. Hansen: Partnerships b.c. has, over the last number of years, developed a worldwide reputation for excellence.

They are being sought after by provinces across c anada to help other jurisdictions learn how to save taxpayers' money through P3 models. They are being sought by jurisdictions around the world. They are being sought as speakers at conferences, and i think that's to their credit. This member talks about the a bbotsford h ospital and the 35 years, and i can tell you that the track record they had when they were in government and the promise that they made to build the a bbotsford h ospital and then failed to deliver…. They would still be planning that hospital 35 years from now.

We've built it, it's serv- ing patients, and we're proud of it. G.

Gentner: c an the Premier explain why — while he's cutting services for kids, cutting services for seniors, cutting services to combat crime — his budget gives pay hikes to Partnerships b.c. management, the same people that are currently lounging at poolside in ixtapa, Mexico, as we speak right now, this afternoon? c an the Premier explain why any executive would be in Mexico deep-sea fishing, sipping umbrella drinks on the beach, taking Mexican cooking classes when he or she should be right here in b.c. right now helping average british c olumbians and families struggle with today's recession? Hon. C.

Hansen: The member is full of hyperbole, but he is not full of facts, because quite frankly, he does not know what he's talking about. There is one person from Partnerships b.c. that is going to speak at a conference. a ll of the expenses are being paid for by the conference organizer. interjections. Mr. Speaker: Members. Members. The member has a supplemental. [1410] G. Gentner: The vice-president is currently making a salary of $215,000 per annum and climbing.

Y ou know, Partnerships b.c. went to Mexico to work, apparently, and they are probably right about now, at two o'clock — give or take a time change — this afternoon presenting their business session on their appropri- ate name, "h ere for a Good t ime, n ot a l ong t ime." i'm quoting the convention program.

That is what Partnerships b.c. is all about. it's not only an insult to the hard-working people in british c olumbia but to the l egislature and all the other ministers who are currently having to cut their budgets. a gain to the Premier: can he explain to the h ouse why suntanning in Mexico is more important than address- ing the economy right now here in british c olumbia? Hon. C. Hansen: a ctually, i would ask that member to apologize to a hard-working public servant who has earned an international reputation, who is being sought after as a speaker.

The conference organizers are prepared to pay for that individual to travel to speak at that confer- ence. The record of Partnerships b.c. stands for itself. interjection. Mr. Speaker: Member. interjection. Mr. Speaker: Minister, just take your seat for a second. Member. t ake the time to listen to the question and listen to the answer, please. c ontinue, Minister. Hon. C. Hansen: We have the c anada line, which is a P3 model — $92 million in savings. That has actually been confirmed by the a uditor General.

We've got the Gordon and l eslie Diamond c entre. it's the academic ambulatory care centre at VGh that is serving patients from all across the province. That was a $17 million savings because it was a P3. The a bbotsford h ospital i mentioned earlier is a sav- ings of $39 million, confirmed by the a uditor General.

british c olumbia DebatesWednesday, March 4, 2009 14199 The Sea to Sky h ighway has $131 million worth of additional benefits to the taxpayers because we did it as a P3. chil D care SPace S in Whi Stler area C. Trevena: o n Monday the Minister of State for c hildcare was unable to offer any assurances to fam- ilies in Whistler who need child care spaces. l ast Friday Spring creek closed its doors, with 22 spaces for three- to-five-year-olds gone, and 20 spaces for infants and toddlers have also gone. We hear that in May the t eddy bear Daycare is closing its doors, so losing another 16 spaces.

The latter is closing because of the o lympics and the former because they simply can't get the staff. The wait- list is closed at the only other child care centre in town, the Whistler c hildren's c entre, and there are 96 families waiting for child care there. i'd like to ask the Minister of State for c hildcare: what's she going to do about this? Hon. L.

Reid: i can tell the members that we continue to work with both of those centres, and certainly some of them have some credentialing issues — no question. oftentimes the training is undertaken in jurisdictions outside of british c olumbia, but our staff and the early childhood education registry are fast-tracking those applications as they come forward. We are working with the centres in terms of pro- viding additional space, and indeed, we have a centre today that has space. We have a centre today that has some additional staff.

We're going to do our very best to pull those together to continue to deliver child care services. Mr. Speaker: The member has a supplemental. C. Trevena: it's very interesting that the minister says that she is working with these centres. She was work- ing with them last summer when we first started asking these questions — last spring. Since then we've got two gone and about 46 spaces gone. i'm a bit concerned about how the working is going to continue. The minister really seems to fail to recognize the crisis. There is nothing in Whistler.

There is almost nothing in Pemberton. in Squamish, yes, they got a new centre. in 2007 they were able to open their doors, but they didn't get the funding to create the spaces. So they have a centre there with 20 spaces, eight of which can't be opened because they can't get the staff to hire them. [1415] So i would like for the minister to actually under - stand the reality and explain to the people of Whistler how they are going to ensure that those 96 families, those people — plus the other 40 or so who have extra children who can't find space — are going to find child care in the next two months. Hon. L.

Reid: We continue to provide subsidies for 25,000 to 27,000 children each month to attend child care. We continue to open child care spaces across british c olumbia — 6,000 new spaces. We, in fact, have doubled the number of child care spaces that we subsid- ize from 45,000 to 90,000. a re we making progress in child care as we go for - ward? a bsolutely, we are. Will we continue to work with the centres in Whistler? Y es. is Whistler a unique situa- tion?

Y es. one of the individuals has absolutely indicated that enrolment is actually going down in one of those centres because those children are not attending today because they're enrolled in ski programs. So there are unique facets to this discussion that i would be happy to brief the member opposite on. cloS in G o F co Wichan lo DGe D. Routley: on January 27 John Plecas had his pros- tate surgery cancelled at c owichan District h ospital. Since then, and after that time, he carried on in severe pain, one of many people who had their surgeries can- celled.

The cancellation occurred because of a lack of bed space. one of the causes of that bed shortage was the closure of c owichan l odge. Several seniors now occupy beds awaiting placement. Why did this minister break his promise to close c owichan l odge? Hon. G.

Abbott: We've debated this extensively in this h ouse before. i'm glad to remind the member that c owichan l odge was an outdated facility that did not meet the contemporary standards for residential care. it is unfortunate that the member doesn't appreciate the fine facility that has opened nearby at Sunridge Place. it is a wonderful facility by all accounts. i think the Vancouver island h ealth a uthority made the right decision in terms of c owichan l odge.

What we see at c owichan and Duncan is both qualitatively and quantitatively a far better life for our seniors as a consequence of the investment of literally hundreds of millions of dollars in new seniors' facilities and far better lives for those that enjoy those facilities. Mr. Speaker: The member has a supplemental. D. Routley: The minister is just wrong. c owichan l odge is a good facility. c owichan l odge was an excel- lent facility. n one of the staff, none of the families served made these complaints. This is an excuse for a closure that has caused 109 cancelled surgeries alone in the last year alone.

The chief of surgery at c owichan h ospital resigned over this lack of resources and cancelled sur - geries. We've lost three anaesthetists. t wo specialists

british c olumbia Debates14200 Wednesday, March 4, 2009 recruited refused to come once they realized the cancel- lation rate at c owichan h ospital. This minister hides behind that excuse. o ur com- munity knows that he's wrong. Will the minister reopen those beds at c owichan l odge and relieve the pressure at c owichan h ospital? Why should John Plecas and all the other people served by that hospital pay for his broken promise? Hon. G. Abbott: There's no broken promise except possibly on that side of the h ouse.

We promised an incremental 5,000 residential care and assisted-living beds and we've now delivered over 5,800 residential care and assisted-living beds. t o be clear, we will not be…. Viha will not be revisiting the issue of the closure of c owichan l odge. Further to the member, Mr. Speaker… interjections. Mr. Speaker: Members. [1420] Hon. G. Abbott: …while surgeries may on rare occa- sions be delayed, it is very rare that that occurs. We always are disappointed when surgeries are delayed, but we perform across british c olumbia literally hundreds of thousands of surgeries every year.

Surgery on time is the rule. Delays are very much the exception, whether it's at c owichan or any other hospital in this province. The member is misconstruing the facts to try to make their ideological point once again. econo Mic beneFitS o F ol YMPic GaMeS H. Bains: The Premier was reluctant to admit b.c. would slide into recession, and then he was also reluc- tant to admit that b.c. would have to operate with a budget deficit. h owever, even after admitting we would not avoid the pain of the global recession, he held fast to the fantasy that the recession would not impact the o lympics.

Does he still maintain that b.c. will get the full economic benefit of the 2010 games as was anticipated earlier? Hon. C. Hansen: The 12 economists that constitute our e conomic Forecast c ouncil were all unanimous in forecasting that british c olumbia is going to lead c anada in economic growth in 2010. Without exception, they all indicated that it was because of the o lympics — one of the key reasons why b.c. was going to see such strong economic growth. The o lympics, according to a study done by rbc a few years back, should generate in excess of $10 billion of economic activity.

We're talking about literally thou- sands and thousands of jobs in british c olumbia. Quite frankly, there is not a jurisdiction in the world that wouldn't give their eye teeth to be hosting the o lympics in February of 2010. Mr. Speaker: The member has a supplemental. H. Bains: e veryone is tightening their belt because of the world recession. e veryone is being hit by the eco- nomic slide. This minister continues to say that those numbers will help. My question to the minister is this. h as he decided to update those numbers, or is he main- taining that those numbers will be delivered? Hon. C.

Hansen: i get it that the nDP don't like the fact that the o lympics are coming, and they don't like the fact that they're actually the makings of one of the biggest success stories in this province. i get the fact that their leader, the l eader of the o pposition, did not sup- port the o lympics from the outset. i get that. but the vast majority of british c olumbians are pretty excited about the o lympics. They're excited about the fact that 250,000 visitors are coming to b.c.

They're excited about the fact that there are about 8,000 athletes coming to b.c. a nd they're excited about the fact that there are going to be 10,000 to 12,000 journalists from around the world who are going to come to witness what a great place british c olumbia is to live, visit, invest in and raise a family. interjections. Mr. Speaker: Members. Members. tran SFer o F l Ytton lu Mber Fore St licence H.

Lali: Will the Minister of Forests please tell this h ouse why he signed off on the transfer of l ytton l umber's forest licence to a spen Planers of Merritt? a lso, will the minister please explain to the 60 unem- ployed workers and their families in l ytton — mostly first nations — why he agreed to transfer their forest licence and their jobs out of the community? Hon. P . Bell: There's a straightforward process when it comes to licence decisions. i'm to review if there are any undue constraints with regards to competition in the area.

There was consultation done with first nations, and i approved the transfer. [1425] Mr. Speaker: Member has a supplemental. H. Lali: The minister must be dreaming, because there were no consultations that were done with the

british c olumbia DebatesWednesday, March 4, 2009 14201 l ytton First n ation. i've got letters here to prove that the l ytton First n ation was not consulted. l ytton l umber was not only the most significant employer in town, but it was the only game in town. but thanks to this government's failed forest policies, l ytton l umber went under just like dozens of other outfits across small towns in british c olumbia.

Without talk- ing to the l ytton First n ation and the village council in l ytton or the 60 families who have lost all of their paycheques, this l iberal minister has killed any hopes of restoring jobs in the community of l ytton. t o the Minister of Forests: what can he possibly say at this time to the families of the unemployed workers in l ytton? h ow can the minister possibly justify killing their hopes and dreams by exporting their jobs out of the community? Hon. P .

Bell: The member is simply wrong. it's quite interesting that we heard from the previous questioner the acknowledgment of the challenges globally right now in the economy. o ur forest industry is one of the successes. in fact, i just saw today on one of the clips from the local media a $100 million sawmill opening in a dams l ake in the middle of a pril. Significant investments across this province. l icence decisions are made on a routine basis. This decision was put in front of me, the appropriate consultation was done, and i approved the licence transfer. Ju Mbo Glacier reSort N.

Macdonald: The highly contentious Jumbo Glacier resort was scheduled to undergo another environmental assessment this upcoming o ctober. o ver c hristmas the existing environmental assessment was extended for an additional five-year period. a s has become customary with this government, that extension was given despite the fact that the regional district of e ast k ootenay and the regional district of c entral k ootenay specifically requested some time to make a presentation. That was denied. Why was the opportunity for local government input denied? Hon. B.

Bennett: i think we all know in this h ouse that the nDP don't support the tourism industry. That's become quite clear over the past four years. They don't support…. interjections. Mr. Speaker: Just take your seat for a second, Minister. c ontinue, Minister. Hon. B.

Bennett: in 2004 when this government announced that we were going to actually double the amount of money given to t ourism b.c. to market this beautiful province to the rest of the world, the l eader of the o pposition said: "We don't support that." She said: "in fact, if we're elected, we will roll that back, and we will not double the funding going to t ourism b.c. to market tourism out of this province." They obviously don't support the tourism industry. but you know, Mr.

Speaker, there was a time when the other side of the h ouse did actually recognize that tour- ism was an important industry for this province. l et me just read you what they used to say: "i hope that you will be able…." interjections. Mr. Speaker: Members. Hon. B. Bennett: This is a quotation. interjections. Mr. Speaker: c ontinue, Minister. Hon. B. Bennett: "i hope that you will be able to proceed on this project and that one day we may see this international venture realized." Premier h arcourt, February 24, 1993. interjections. Hon. B. Bennett: l et me read one more. Mr.

Speaker: Thank you, Minister. interjections. Mr. Speaker: Members. Members. The member has a supplemental. N. Macdonald: The question was directed to the Minister of environment for a reason. The last time i asked a question to this minister, he told me about the airport. There was no connection at all, and there's no connection here as well. The question is clear. it is about the environmental assessment process. The regional district of c entral k ootenay asked if they could participate in that process.

That was denied, as has happened every time when the local voice wants to have a say in an issue that is clearly important — of fundamental importance. [1430] a ndy Shadrack, who is the director, has written to the ombudsman and said the following: "i n relation to that resort, there are changes." There is the Glacier-h owser river diversion project, which will take five rivers and put them in 16 kilometres of tunnels that never return

british c olumbia Debates14202 Wednesday, March 4, 2009 the water to the watershed. There's a 90-kilometre-long transmission line to invermere, and that's very close to this proposed resort. There is also a government- financed grizzly study, which has markedly different findings than the original study. both of those are two reasons why this environmental assessment should have been looked at. one thing that has not changed is that 90 percent of the local people have opposition to the Jumbo Glacier resort, and that's the fundamental issue.

What i want is a clear commitment that this project will only go ahead with the support of people in the c olumbia Valley. Mr. Speaker: Pose the question, Member. N. Macdonald: i ask the Premier: will he give the assurance today that this project only proceeds with the support of the people in the c olumbia Valley? o therwise, no. Hon. B. Bennett: Probably only the nDP would think that 18 years of process is not long enough to process a project. only the nDP would think that. They want to have more committee meetings. They want to have more letters. They want to have more consultations.

They want to spend more time before we decide this project. h owever, there was a time…. interjections. Mr. Speaker: Minister, just take your seat for a second. Members. c ontinue, Minister. Hon. B. Bennett: n ow, who was it that said: "Well- designed, self-contained and…"? interjection. Mr. Speaker: Member. Hon. B. Bennett: Who was it? Who was it? Mr. Speaker: Wrap it up, Minister. Hon. B. Bennett: Who said this: "Well-designed… interjections. Mr. Speaker: Members. Hon. B. Bennett: "…self-contained and environ- mentally sustainable"? i'm not sure if they got that. i'm not sure they heard that.

"environmentally sustainable destination resorts such as is being proposed here could provide considerable capacity in meeting these outdoor activities, using a very limited land base." Premier c lark, 1996. [end of question period.] M. Sather: i seek leave to present a petition. Mr. Speaker: Proceed. Petitions M. Sather: i have a petition here from 588 residents calling on the government to save the a lbion Ferry. Orders of the Day Hon.

M. de Jong: i call c ommittee of Supply — for the information of members, ongoing discussion on the supplementary estimates, Finance. [1435] Committee of Supply Su PPle Mentar Y e Sti Mate S: other aPP ro PriationS (continued) The h ouse in c ommittee of Supply; k. Whittred in the chair. The committee met at 2:37 p.m. on Vote 45(S): contingencies (all ministries) and new programs, $125,000,000 (continued). B.

Ralston: Following on what the minister said yes- terday — that he anticipated that if the funds came to bring the $125 million into the budget, the expenditure of those funds "would flow out to organizations that are outside of the provincial government reporting entity." h e said that that list was not fixed. i have some colleagues who wish to direct some questions to the minister about potential uses of those contingency funds, and i'll turn it over to my colleague at this point. C.

Evans: i would like to start by asking: am i cor - rect that the risk management branch and government security office is a division of the Ministry of Finance? Hon. C. Hansen: Y es. C. Evans: i would like to then canvass a study of that branch of the Ministry of Finance, with regard to ascer - taining whether some of the $125 million may be going to rectify risks that have been identified by the ministry.

british c olumbia DebatesWednesday, March 4, 2009 14203 but i don't want to behave like question period, and i want it to be a collaborative process. i would like to ask that these three copies of the report be taken to those three gentlemen right over there so that we're all work- ing from exactly the same words. l et the record show that i am passing to the minister and the minister's staff the risk identification survey for the creston Valley Wildlife Management a uthority. i do not know whether the minister or his staff are in posses- sion of the same report. i don't wish to play any gotcha games here. i'm sharing what i have with them in case it's not in the binders that they have in this room.

My first question on that subject is: is the report of the risk identification survey for the creston Wildlife Management a uthority by the risk management branch and government security office a document with which he or his staff are conversant? Hon. C. Hansen: i'm not familiar with it. C. Evans: That was my expectation. i tried to ask the question to include the staff, in order that we might ascertain whether or not they were conversant with the report. [1440] h owever, for the enlightenment of all folks here and the minister, i'll just explain a little bit.

This is not my report, of course. it is produced by the Ministry of Finance. The risk management branch is sometimes asked by the minister or by cabinet or by government generally to identify risk when it is believed that the assets of the crown or the activities of the crown or some way that we organize the workings of the crown might create physical risk, environmental risk or finan- cial risk to the crown. The report that the minister is now holding, conducted by the staff of the risk management branch, identifies a high….

Section 1.2, for the minister's keeping up here.

The purpose of this risk identification was to "identify high-level strategic risks as well as operational risks arising out of the day-to-day operations of the creston Valley wildlife management area." n ow, how does this fit into the estimates of the day? i submit that this report identifies physical risk, environmental risk and liability to the c rown of an immediate nature. in fact, the language in the paper identified its immediate nature. it is my belief that the $125 million, which the critic and the minister have been canvassing for two days here…. it identified that the $125 million which may accrue to the minister's office, should it arise, is available for projects as yet unidentified by the minister. i wish to canvass the possibility that this report of the minister's own ministry identifies that there are critical issues in need of mitigation prior to an election or next month or next fiscal year. n ot to do so leaves the crown, this room, that ministry — all of us — at risk of liability. a lso identified in the report is not only liability but international condemnation. i bring your attention to

section 3.3.

The creston Valley wildlife management area — so that we understand — resulted from the c olumbia r iver treaty, which c anada and the u nited States signed in the 1960s and resulted in dams on both sides of the border from l ibby to Mica, flooding hun- dreds of thousands of acres of wetland used by swans and ducks and geese and international migratory fowl. because of previous treaties that say Mexico, the u nited States and c anada are all responsible for migra- tory fowl, the creston Valley wildlife management area was created by the federal and provincial governments in order to — with pumps and dikes — create a substitute feeding and nesting area so that we weren't embarrassed by international treaty.

Section 3.3 suggests that the area has earned three international designations — i can explain them later; i don't want to waste your time — r amsar, iba and impara. "l oss of these designations would result in embarrassment to british c olumbia and also to c anada and could result in the loss of revenue from donations and fees. Maintenance of these designations without a strategy supported by the government will be difficult, if not impossible, to maintain." it goes on to suggest that in order to not be embar - rassed internationally, we need to develop a plan, and the plan itself might create a new risk.

Section 3.4: "i t should be noted that a push for appropriate funds as a result of a plan may create a new risk. The cost of man- aging the area may exceed government's commitment to the area." c ertainly we have to resolve that. n ow we come to the physical risk — the possibil- ity of being sued with the spring freshet which, as you know, hon. c hair, will happen before we meet here again.

Section 4.1: "The dikes and control structures in the area have not been properly maintained." This is the ministry's own words. This is their risk management div- ision. "Failure of the inner dikes will negatively impact the operations of the authority and will likely result in the loss of wildlife habitat.

Failure of the outer dikes will negatively impact neighbouring farms and will likely result in a liability claim against the government." [1445] it goes on to suggest that the pumps are inadequate and injury to trespassers will likely result in a liability claim against the government and against the Wildlife Management a uthority. There are no backups for these pumps and no redundancy and capacity during freshet. There is no preventative maintenance program in place for the pumps.

The recommendation is that the authority should survey the dikes and then develop a repair strategy. r epairs should be prioritized based on risk of failure. i bring it up because we have right now $125 mil-

british c olumbia Debates14204 Wednesday, March 4, 2009 lion which may be available to the Ministry of Finance. We're not going to meet again before spring freshet, and the risk management branch identifies that there's no backup system for the pumps. That part of the creston Valley…. i mean, everybody lives in the Fraser Valley. The minister over here understands that. That part of the valley is defended with dikes which are the responsibil- ity of the crown. it gets worse, in terms of physical liability to the citizens. it says there are a number of unused and unmaintained barns and the like.

"a number of these structures are in extremely dangerous condition, and these structures create an attractive nuisance which could easily cause injuries and result in liability claims." The viewing tower is in a dangerous condition, and it recommends that the viewing tower should be closed to the public — i presume before we meet again, hon. c hair — and secured until such time as it can be made safe or else torn down. it goes on to talk about enforcement, because it's 6,000 hectares. it's a jewel. it's huge, and there's nobody there to keep trespassers from being injured or doing damage. it says there are not enough employees to ensure that the Wildlife a ct is enforced. in other words, we have

an act…. This room passed

an act, and we've got nobody out there to enforce it. " l ack of enforcement results in a number of risks, including dumping, vandalism and unauthorized and inappropri- ate use of the lands within the area. in addition to the risk that the authority will not meet its mandate, these exposures could result in significant costs to the province" — increasing the amount of money we have to spend.

There's a recommendation to ensure that there's enough trained and qualified staff in place to carry out the enforcement activities. in terms of habitat mainten- ance, listen to this: "t o properly maintain the ponds" — that's where the ducks and geese nest and feed — "the ponds need to be drawn down and maintained on a fre- quency of two ponds per year.

The wildlife management area has not done a single pond in five years. l ack of maintenance will result in a loss of this important water- fowl habitat. c ontinued loss of habitat will likely result in the loss of international designations that that area has earned." This province and this room stand at risk, as a result, of huge embarrassment. international r amsar designa- tion means that the whole world looks at us and says: "This is important. Y ou are good people." The risk says we're going to lose it.

The recommendation is: " immediately restore the required habitat maintenance schedule." That's seven words. blank. Fix it immediately. That would mean today. There's an employer's liability too —

section 4.6 for the minister. This is kind of important. it says that we have employees out there who may sue us. r isk manage- ment — not the member for n elson-creston, not the people that work there. The Ministry of Finance says that we have employees that are inadequately covered and might sue us. "The c reston V alley Wildlife a ct specifies that the employees may be appointed under the Public Service a ct. They have not been appointed and have not received pay, benefits or pensions comparable to what they would have received had they been employed by any other act of the c rown entity.

There is a distinct risk that an employee may bring action against the authority" — that's us — "to recover any amounts they may have received if they had been employed under the act by a similar entity." So here's the recommendation, hon. c hair, through you to the minister or to us: "o btain a legal opinion to determine the authority's exposure to an employee's lia- bility claim arising out of this situation. if the likelihood of a successful claim is moderate to high, consideration should be given to entering into settlement discussions with the impacted employees." [1450] i hope that i have successfully made a case that the risk management department of the Ministry of Finance has identified liability risk, employee contractual relation- ship risk, flooding risk, wildlife risk and international political risk to our reputation from the literal falling apart of the wildlife management area. i want to make this clear and put it on the record. i blame nobody.

This slow decline has been going on since the federal government withdrew financing in the 1980s, but never before, until this day, did we have a report by a ministry of the crown identifying that we are at risk. Y ou know how it works, hon. c hair. When a public document identifies risk, we then have to deal with the risk, or we're liable. it isn't like we didn't know. it's like we just got told. is it possible that some of the $125 million which may accrue to the ministry could be applied precisely to deal with this risk during this fiscal year?

The Chair: before i recognize you, Minister, i just want to mention that i have been listening to this very carefully, and i do seek some comment from the minis- ter about the relevancy of this to the vote. Hon. C. Hansen: it is with the greatest of respect to the member that…. i acknowledge that this is an important report. i think, actually, that it's a great testa- ment to some of the excellent public servants that we have in the risk management branch for what appears to be a very thorough look at these activities.

That report was just finished, actually, a few weeks ago, and it is now in the hands of the Ministry of environment to do their follow-up on. but it is not relevant to the debate that we're having on the floor at this time. C. Evans: Might i ask: if any of the liabilities identified in the report were to take place in this fiscal year, would the cost of the liability then fall back to the creston

british c olumbia DebatesWednesday, March 4, 2009 14205 Valley wildlife management area, which the report itself says is broke? Hon. C. Hansen: n othing is anticipated. C. Evans: i would agree that nothing is anticipated. That's how we got to this place. We kind of let it fall down because we didn't anticipate it. a m i not correct that once we identify risk, we are then responsible to mitigate it or that that's a legal acknowledgment of responsibility? Hon. C. Hansen: That is exactly why the risk man- agement branch undertook a report like this.

This is information that would not be available otherwise. n ow that those risks have been identified, they're before the Ministry of environment, which is looking at them. but it is not relevant to this debate that we are having this afternoon. The Chair: Member, just if you would be cautioned by my previous remarks and perhaps move on to some questioning more relevant to the vote. C.

Evans: i really appreciate your previous remarks and the minister's remarks, and i very much appreciate that they did the report. i think it's wonderful work, and i agree with everybody. it's just that if the Ministry of Finance says that there's risk and we don't deal with it here…. if it's inappropriate here, my question is: if somebody gets hurt or the dikes are breached, is the creston Valley wildlife management area responsible because we didn't deal with it in this room on this day? Hon. C. Hansen: There are other statutory provisions for emergency measures.

Therefore, the points he is making are not relevant to the debate. They're import- ant points. i don't want to diminish them. There are other opportunities in the legislative calendar for this issue to be canvassed thoroughly, but this is not the opportunity. C.

Evans: i don't really wish to argue with the minis- ter, because i wish to work with him in a collaborative fashion to resolve this question. i'm hoping this might be my last. i get it that both you and the minister would like me to leave this subject, which is dear to my heart and — i'm sure the minister would understand — dear to the people who live there and actually to generations of people who put this management area for wildfowl in place. i think that the physical plant has been identified to be at risk prior to the legislative opportunities in future for this building to deal with it, and i think the crown is at risk. but way more than that, i think the wildlife management area and its board are at risk. [1455] The report identifies that one member of the board is actually at liability and is not covered by the indem- nity of the crown or the federal government.

So i think we've got to deal with it. t o move on, would the minister be willing to meet with the manager of the wildlife area, the Mla and the Minister of environment at some point during the next three weeks, while we are here, to see if we can put together a next-step or a short-term mitigation-of- liability plan? Hon. C. Hansen: i do hope we'll get back to the issue that's at hand. but in response to the member, he should direct that inquiry and that request for a meeting to the Minister of environment. C.

Evans: i will, and i appreciate the answer. i will change the question a little bit. if i approached the Minister of environment and the Minister of environment is willing to grant a meeting and the manager of the creston Valley wildlife area is willing to come during the next three weeks, will the Minister of Finance be available to attend the meeting? Hon. C. Hansen: This is an area where the Minister of environment is clearly the lead minister on an issue like this. i'm sure that my colleague would welcome a request from the member. C. Evans: i obviously don't understand.

When the risk management branch of the Ministry of Finance writes a report, doesn't the report go to the Minister of Finance? G. Gentner: i'll probably be very brief here. i've been on a fishing expedition for some time, asking various questions on where the money is going. i've been to the c ommunity Development Minister and, of course, the Minister of t ransportation on vari- ous projects. i know there are some grants that are to be, hopefully, awarded somewhere by the government, and perhaps the minister can share them with me relative to my community in north Delta.

Delta has applied through various forums and means to various ministries for funding and specifically in my community of n orth Delta for completion for a shovel- ready project for operation of the Sungod aquatic centre. c an the minister enlarge upon that or share with me whether or not his ministry will be granting money towards such a project? Hon. C. Hansen: That subject was thoroughly can- vassed with the Minister of c ommunity Development. G. Gentner: Therefore, i would imagine that the answer is no. There's no money coming forward from the Ministry of Finance.

british c olumbia Debates14206 Wednesday, March 4, 2009 Hon. C. Hansen: i would recommend to the member that he go back and read the Hansard from yesterday after- noon, when his colleague from Surrey-Whalley asked me about this fund. i indicated that no decisions have been made with regard to how dollars from this $125 million would be allocated, and no decisions will be made until we are certain that the revenues are going to materialize. h e may want to go back and review that conversation that his colleague and i had yesterday afternoon. G. Gentner: Just so i have this correct.

This is refer - ring to all projects, whether it be in Surrey or Delta? There have been no decisions on any projects relative to Delta. is that correct? Hon. C. Hansen: h e's actually directing the question to the wrong minister. What this is, is an allocation to a contingency, and it will only be utilized once we are confident that the revenue side will materialize. i know he had an opportunity to canvass this question with the Minister of c ommunity Development. B.

Ralston: i think what the member was referring to was the minister's comments of yesterday. i'm reading from his remarks of yesterday: "…we will, first of all, do the work that needs to be done to confirm that revenues will materialize, and then we will decide to try and look at what the appropriate priorities for it should be." My understanding of what the minister said and the advice i have given to colleagues is that in the event that the revenue does materialize, the ministry would be devising priorities to spend that revenue on appropriate priorities.

Given that there are — and the minister has given some idea of what those priorities might be — certainly organ- izations outside the government reporting entity…. [1500] i think what the member before and this member just moments ago have been trying to do is make suggestions to the minister as to what those spending priorities might be, understanding that the revenue may not materialize. i understand the caution of the c hair, but i don't see that the debate needs to be cut off in that sense. i do have a question for the minister.

There have been a series of government announcements about infrastruc- ture. one of the programs is a $2 billion program on infrastructure, of which there will be a billion dollars in federal funding, and rolling out over three years is a plan to spend a billion dollars in infrastructure in the province. a gain, understanding that the government revenues may not materialize to fund this contingency, does the minister see infrastructure projects as one possible avenue for what he's called appropriate priorities, should the revenue materialize? Hon. C.

Hansen: That's a possibility. a s you know, we have sought appropriate projects that could make a difference in creating jobs for british c olumbians in the short term. That is certainly a priority for this government. B. Ralston: beyond simply the bald statement that the minister has just made, what is the process by which appropriate priorities would be determined? a gain, understanding that revenue may not materialize and that these would be contingency spending plans, if i could put it that way, what would be the process that would be gone through in order to determine those priorities? Hon. C.

Hansen: i think, as i indicated yesterday afternoon, our first priority would be to identify those organizations that may be hoping for and expecting grant allocations in the coming two years that we may be able to flow from this fiscal year and thereby relieve some of the pressures that may otherwise be on our fiscal plan for the next two years which, as the member knows, is going to be extremely tight for us. When it comes to infrastructure spending working with municipalities, there is a process for that today. it's the building c anada fund.

We have been actively soliciting applications from municipalities and other regional governments, and that is in process. in terms of these year-end dollars — the $125 million — that would not be going to fund building c anada dol- lars because the building c anada dollars that we require to match the federal program, as was announced last year or the year before, are already built into the operating budgets. We will be able to flow those dollars without having to impact on these additional contingency dollars. S.

Herbert: The other day the minister mentioned the b.c. a rts c ouncil and some possibility that these funds might find their way there. i wondered if the minister might explain in greater detail what he was thinking at that time. Hon. C. Hansen: i think what i was referring to were the additional dollars that were in other parts, not in this vote but actually in the vote of the Minister of t ourism, c ulture and the a rts, which were the additional moneys that would flow as a result of this broader supplemental estimate — but not part of this specific vote.

There are, certainly, arts organizations that may be able to benefit from these year-end dollars if, in fact, they materialize, but i would not want to speculate at this point. a s i said yesterday, i want to be very careful not to give any organizations any false expectations that they may be able to expect grants or other dollars to flow until such time as we're 100 percent confident that the revenues are there. S. Herbert: Would these dollars be potentially…? i understand the concern that you don't want to count

british c olumbia DebatesWednesday, March 4, 2009 14207 the chickens before they're hatched, because who knows, these days? Would these potentially be available for cap- ital infrastructure for arts and culture organizations? [1505] Hon. C.

Hansen: a gain, i wouldn't want to give any false expectations to anyone, but in terms of dollars that would flow to an organization outside of the provincial government's financial reporting entity, whether or not those organizations used it as grants or as capital…. a gain, it depends what would be put forward, but there certainly would be nothing that would restrict the use of a contingency appropriation for capital purposes. B.

Ralston: c an the minister advise, then: what would be the mechanism for public notification, or at least noti- fication through the government accounting procedure, so that members of the l egislature might know whether this revenue has arrived? When would the government propose to reveal…? if there were additional revenue, by what manner would the government reveal its plans for what the minister has called appropriate priorities to spend this contingency money? Hon. C.

Hansen: The formal process whereby the assembly is advised of what available revenues were there at year-end and what expenditures were made against the revenues in the fiscal year would be public accounts. B. Ralston: The full public accounts are not reported until the end of June.

Given what the minister has said about the possibility — and, again, i stress the pos- sibility — of grants to organize the funds that might "flow to organizations that are outside of the provincial government reporting entity," i'm wondering what the mechanism is by which organizations might find that those funds were available and that they might make a request or make an application for that funding. Hon. C. Hansen: Throughout the year the govern- ment receives many, many requests from outside organizations.

Most of them, as the member would know, we cannot respond to favourably just because of limited dollars. a s we come down to year-end and we can identify additional resources that may be avail- able, we would try to review some of those requests that have come in during the year. We would be notify- ing those organizations appropriately before the end of fiscal year. B. Ralston: The organizations that the ministry is already aware of would be notified prior to the end of this fiscal year, then. is that what i understood him to say? Hon. C. Hansen: c orrect. B.

Ralston: a nd if the ministry is not aware of an organization, how might organizations — without begin- ning a deluge — enter into that process? What would be the mechanism for an organization to do that? Hon. C. Hansen: in most cases these would be requests that would have come in through ministers' offices and things that they think would be worthy but did not have budget room to fund. i know that there is a very, very long list of organizations and opportunities that have not been funded because of funds not being available. B.

Ralston: i'm sure the minister won't want it to be taken to be said that that's restricted to ministers, so will the minister confirm that individual members of the l egislature, should they be approached by organizations who have made those kinds of requests, could forward that to the minister or to the appropriate ministry? Hon. C.

Hansen: c ertainly, if the member was aware of such a circumstance, he could direct that information to me. but i would also just want to caution him that even if all of the revenues materialized, there is a very long list of organizations that would love to be able to have the benefit of it. So i would caution the member not to go out and solicit new opportunities, because it is going to be a very limited pot from which those resour - ces can be drawn. [1510] B.

Ralston: a gain, speaking hypothetically, should the revenue materialize and should the minister be con- sidering these applications or requests from ministries or from individuals, when would he expect those deci- sions to be made and to become public? Hon. C. Hansen: a s we can confirm that revenues are in fact materializing in a way that we are confident of, then decisions will be made basically throughout the month of March. B.

Ralston: l ooking on the reverse side, if the revenue doesn't materialize, when will the minister be certain of that and do the reverse — in other words, advise groups that there's no money available for requests? Hon. C. Hansen: This is not a list of projects where people are waiting for yeses or noes. if the groups or out- side bodies that may be able to benefit from that haven't heard by the end of the day on March 31, they can take it that there were not additional dollars available. We will only be committing additional dollars as we can confirm revenues. J.

Horgan: i'm pleased to rise and participate in the discussion with the minister today about a potential $125

british c olumbia Debates14208 Wednesday, March 4, 2009 million. i'm wondering if the minister could clarify for members of the h ouse what criteria would be in play. The member has talked about a list of projects or organizations who have come to government over the fiscal year seeking assistance. Where do you start? if these groups or organizations have not received fund- ing…. it's March 4. Some of those groups will have fallen away. They will have found funding elsewhere. So what criteria will the government use to apportion this revenue? Hon. C.

Hansen: c ontingencies by their nature are dealt with on basically a file-by-file basis. We do have programs across government. i mentioned earlier the building c anada Fund where local governments and municipalities can apply for funding under that for one-third federal, one-third provincial. There are very specific criteria, and local governments can apply on the basis of those criteria. That's just one example. a cross government there are numerous programs that have specific criteria.

The very nature of contingency is that it is there. e ach proposal is evaluated basically on its merits, and it's not part of broad criteria, as would be the case in something like a building c anada Fund. J. Horgan: in my constituency of Malahat–Juan de Fuca there's a project, the restoration of the k insol t restle. The member for o ak bay–Gordon h ead and i were very pleased to announce a $1.5 million contribu- tion from the Vancouver island trust fund. i visited the trestle with the previous Minister of t ourism, the member for r ichmond c entre.

She also spoke in favour of the heritage aspects of this trestle and the importance of linking the south side of the bridge with the north side of the bridge crossing the k oksilah r iver.

The community needs about a million dollars, maybe a million and a half dollars, to proceed with restoration of this historic trestle and complete the t rans c anada t rail on Vancouver island. i know it has the full sup- port of the member for o ak bay–Gordon h ead, whose ministry name now is confusing to me, so i won't recite it. i know it certainly had the support of the member for r ichmond c entre when she was the Minister of t ourism, and i know the member for e ast k ootenay, also an avid supporter of heritage, would lend his voice and support to the k insol t restle project. i don't believe that it is on anyone's desk right now. i know the Minister of t ransportation, or the ministry, has about a million and a half dollars, almost $2 million, to put toward the restoration project.

So we're very, very close. Government ministries are coming from different points with cash for this initiative. i would suggest that if there is revenue lying around, this project would be an ideal candidate. but it doesn't, as i've been listening to the minister, fit any of the criteria that he has suggested. i'm wondering how i could amend that position and get it at the top of the pile. Does the minister have any advice for me and my constituents? [1515] Hon. C. Hansen: First of all, just to correct the member, there is not cash lying around, and there will not be cash lying around.

We have a very, very long list of demands that are against whatever cash funds may come available, and that we're not sure of. in terms of the k insol t restle, i'm pleased that the island c oastal e conomic t rust was able to provide funding.

That is a result of the $50 million that the prov- ince of british c olumbia transferred to the trust when the trust was established by this government. it's some- thing that i know residents of Vancouver island and the Sunshine c oast have been very appreciative of — to give them that opportunity. t here's also, as i understand it, about $1.6 million that has been allocated directly from the province of british c olumbia, as a result of the good work done by the member for o ak bay–Gordon h ead and her advocacy on behalf of that. i think, out of the l ocalMotion fund, there was also a significant contri- bution in the $1 million to $2 million range that went into the k insol trail.

There are programs that exist in ministries that can help fund programs such as this. i encourage the member to do as all members in this h ouse do, and that's to look at how best we can assist community organizations to tap into those various funds. J. Horgan: i certainly am always pleased to be at events with the member for o ak bay–Gordon h ead because she always brings a chequebook, or at least most of the time. She's often there when the federal govern- ment is bringing their chequebook and the provincial dollars are conspicuous by their absence. but in this instance, the minister is quite right.

For the past three years i have been working with govern- ment ministers across the board — the Minister of t ransportation, the Minister of t ourism and the Minister of, previously, Small business. i apologize to the member for o ak bay–Gordon h ead. i can't remember the name of the ministry, and she might forget it, too, because it's been changing over the past couple of weeks.

Government is invested in this project, Minister. i appreciate that this is potential revenue we're talking about, but the expectation of members — certainly on this side of the h ouse, and i would expect on the other side of the h ouse — is if we come across $125 million in revenue, as the minister is hopeful we will, that projects that we have already dedicated resources toward would rise to the top of the list.

british c olumbia DebatesWednesday, March 4, 2009 14209 My question with respect to…. The k insol project, which, as i say, the member for r ichmond c entre, the member for o ak bay–Gordon h ead and the Minister of t ransportation have all devoted some energy toward, is a worthwhile undertaking. c ertainly, i would be pleased to see the minister arrive with the cheque to put this project over the top, should he come across $125 mil- lion in revenue.

My opportunity today to advance that initiative is in these estimates. a gain, could the minister commit to my constitu- ents that, should we come across the $125 million that we're discussing today, the k insol t restle, based on the interventions by other ministries, the moneys that have been found to get us very close to realizing the project will be elevated and perhaps receive some of this funding? Hon. C. Hansen: The first stage in this is for gov- ernment to ask the h ouse for the authority for this appropriation.

Should that authority be granted, the next stage is for the Ministry of Finance to finalize its revenue projections for year-end, and only if we can identify that additional dollars should be available that fit within that appropriation will any decisions be made with regard to how the dollars should be allocated. M. Sather: i'm pleased to address the issue with regard to my community and some of the needs that we have. h opefully, the minister — through whatever process, as nebulous as it may be at the moment — will be able to help because the need is there. o ur arts council has virtually no funding.

What they do get mostly comes from the local government.

We're really struggling, too, because we have a viable festival society — or we did have, in Maple r idge — and they do some of the jazz and blues festivals, the c aribbean festival and a number of others that are very successful, but it's being disbanded due to a lack of funds. t hat's really going to affect the cultural activities of Maple r idge and reduce the viability of our community. [1520] Those are the kinds of dollars that would be really well spent, and we're hopeful that if the minister does come upon these moneys, some of that will be spent in Maple r idge–Pitt Meadows. a mobile stage was going to be part of the expanding festival society in Maple r idge but now is very much in doubt. a couple of other things i'd like to mention.

Dance groups are a big thing in Maple r idge and Pitt Meadows. We have several very successful dance groups, and it would be helpful for them as well because there's a lack of affordable venues. We do have a theatre, but it's really not affordable for a lot of the small groups — well, not just small groups but for the younger kids.

Pitt Meadows needs a facility, a community centre that can provide affordable space for dance groups and small dance theatres. o ur arts centre itself does have needs for maintenance and upgrades. i guess, from what i've heard so far…. o bviously, there's not a question as to how much money could be coming to our community — is not the case…. it would not be forthcoming. i'm trying to understand, and i'd just like to ask the minister a little bit more, too, about how they…? Should this contingency come to fruition, how the government…?

What is the time frame? i'm sorry. i apologize to the minister because i wasn't able to make the beginning of the debate, if the minister has already explained some of this. i understand that no decisions will be made before the end of the fiscal year, but what is the time frame after that? Would there be any time in the next fiscal year? h ow long will communities have to wait to find out if the money does come through? Hon. C. Hansen: This has been thoroughly canvassed. This is an appropriation for a contingency for this fiscal year.

Therefore — assuming the h ouse approves this and assuming that the revenues can be confirmed — decisions will be made prior to the end of March with regard to how any expenditures will flow from this appropriation. i can tell the member that with regard to a rts c ouncil funding in the coming fiscal year, in '08-09, a rts c ouncil funding is up by $800,000 next year from what was in this current fiscal year.

That's in addition to a rts c ouncil funding that's in this current budget. i know the minister responsible just last week or the week before announced $6.2 million worth of grants that were recommended by the a rts c ouncil. in addition to that, there was actually, as part of a previous vote, as part of these supplemental estimates, another $7 million that was going into arts funding in the province. So i would recommend that the member make his case to the Ministry of t ourism, c ulture and the a rts. M.

Sather: Well, that's certainly hopeful — the money that is going to be forthcoming. i am sure that a good chunk of that is going to come to Maple r idge–Pitt Meadows because we do have a very active arts council, have had for many years, and they make very good use of any money that they receive. i do want to ask the minister one more question, though, with regard to the process, and this is where i'm struggling a little bit with it. e verything i've heard from the minister indicates that he really can't tell us very much because it won't be really known until, i guess, sometime between now and the end of March, which isn't very long, because he said it all has to be spent in this fiscal.

british c olumbia Debates14210 Wednesday, March 4, 2009 but how can we, as a body at large here, make an informed decision as to whether or not we should support the request when we virtually have hardly any information on which to go? Hon. C.

Hansen: This is actually consistent with the way that the main estimates are presented. i think if the member wants to look at the main estimates that were tabled on budget day, he will see that for the coming year, we actually have built into that budget a contingency. it's to allow government for appropriation for measures that may not fit into other budgets. [1525] So that's what this is before us today. it's in that same vein, and this is basically to allow for appropria- tion that will only actually have expenditures against it should we be able to confirm that the revenues are there to support it. a s i said at the outset of this debate yesterday after - noon, this is not a year that i think we should end the fiscal year with a great big surplus.

Given the state of the economy, we want to make sure that the maximum numbers of dollars are put back into the economy. We don't want to make commitments by government for expenditures that would be over and above what our revenues are because that would put us into deficit, and we've made it quite clear that we will not end this fiscal year in deficit. but we do want to be able to plan it with as small a surplus as possible so that the maximum amount of money can flow into the economy, and this is the vehicle by which we can do that. G.

Coons: i just have a couple of questions about a few concerns in my riding, Minister. i've just been deal- ing with a bridge in o cean Falls. The Premier and the Minister of t ransportation, i think, have received con- cerns about this. it's a provincially maintained bridge in o cean Falls, and it just went down last June. it's a vital component into the community. There is concern from the regional district, the local economic development commission and the citizens there.

There's a proposal coming up with the ccrD, the c entral c oast regional district, at their next meeting with their concerns about how o cean Falls has been a contributor to the central coast for the past century, con- tinues to be and is vital. There's a government-owned bridge that collapsed. it's causing considerable disrup- tion in the community, and it's deemed to be a vital link in the community. i just wanted to get this on record that there is a con- cern.

The Premier has been notified, and the Minister of t ransportation knows about it, i'm sure. i'm just wondering how funds could be distributed or if there is a way that o cean Falls can access some of the funding we're talking about. Hon. C. Hansen: i think if the community has made representation to the Ministry of t ransportation, that would be the appropriate avenue. G.

Coons: i'll ensure that the minister himself gets some documentation so that he realizes and we all real- ize the importance of it. one other project. i received communications from the Minister of e ducation about Sir a lexander Mackenzie School in bella c oola. They had some water damage. The gym floor buckled up, and they've had people looking at it.

She assured that the ministry is committed to providing the school district with the necessary support to deal with the issue. it's the only gym in the whole b ella c oola region, the whole valley, that can support the community. it's a vital link to what happens in the community as far as sports and other entertainment and plays and cultural events. a gain, i just wanted to get it on the record. i will pass on to the minister any documentation that i have. but again, i want to ask the minister the best way of getting this on his plate for the infrastructure funding. Hon. C.

Hansen: i think if the member has brought this to the attention of the Ministry of e ducation, that is the appropriate route. Vote 45(S): contingencies (all ministries) and new programs, $125,000,000 — approved. Hon. C. Hansen: i move that the committee rise and report resolution. Motion approved. The committee rose at 3:30 p.m. The h ouse resumed; Mr. Speaker in the chair. The c ommittee of Supply reported resolution. Mr. Speaker: When shall the report be considered? Hon. C. Hansen: Forthwith. Mr.

Speaker, i move that the reports of the resolution from the c ommittee of Supply on February 23, 24, 25, 26, March 2, March 3 and March 4, 2009, be now received, taken as read and agreed to. Motion approved. Hon. C. Hansen: i move that there be granted from and out of the consolidated revenue fund the sum of $622 million. This sum is in addition to that authorized

british c olumbia DebatesWednesday, March 4, 2009 14211 to be paid under

section 1 of the Supply a ct, 2008-2009, and is granted to h er Majesty towards defraying the charges and expenses of the public service of the prov- ince for the fiscal year ending March 31, 2009. Motion approved. Hon. C. Hansen: i also move that there be granted from and out of the consolidated revenue fund the sum of $180 million. This sum is in addition to that authorized to be paid under

section 2 of the Supply a ct, 2008-2009, and is granted to h er Majesty towards defraying the capital expenses, loans, investments and other financing requirements of the province for the fiscal year ending March 31, 2009. Motion approved. Introduction and First Reading of Bills SuPP l Y act , 2008-2009 (Su PPle Mentar Y e Sti Mate

S) h on. c. h ansen presented a message from h is h onour the l ieutenant-Governor: a bill intituled Supply a ct, 2008-2009 (Supplementary estimates). Hon. C. Hansen: This Supply a ct formally introdu- ces and requests approval of the estimates as have been presented to the c ommittee of Supply. i move first reading. Motion approved. Hon. M. de Jong: i wonder if we might recess for ten minutes to let the bill be distributed. Mr. Speaker: The house stands in recess until 3:45 p.m. The h ouse recessed from 3:34 p.m. to 3:43 p.m. [Mr. Speaker in the chair.] Hon. C.

Hansen: c onsistent with the budget t ransparency and a ccountability a ct, this supply bill is introduced to provide additional funds for the operation of government programs for the 2008-2009 fiscal year, as outlined in the supplemental estimates tabled earlier. in accordance with the established practice of this h ouse, the government seeks to move this bill through all stages this day. Mr.

Speaker: in keeping with the practice of this h ouse, the bill will be permitted to advance through all stages in one sitting. bill 3, Supply a ct, 2008-2009 (Supplementary e stimates), introduced, read a first time and ordered to proceed to second reading forthwith. Second Reading of Bills SuPP l Y a ct, 2008-2009 (Su PPle Mentar Y eSti Mate

S) Hon. C. Hansen: i move that bill 3 be now read a second time. Motion approved. Hon. C. Hansen: i move that the bill be now referred to a c ommittee of the Whole h ouse for consideration forthwith. bill 3, Supply a ct, 2008-2009 (Supplementary e stimates), read a second time and ordered to proceed to a c ommittee of the Whole h ouse for consideration forthwith. [1545] Committee of the Whole House SuPP l Y a ct, 2008-2009 (Su PPle Mentar Y eSti Mate

S) The h ouse in c ommittee of the Whole on bill 3; S. h ammell in the chair. The committee met at 3:46 p.m. B. Ralston: i just wanted to confirm the advice i received from the c lerk that no stages of this bill are debatable. The Chair: That is correct. Sections 1 to 3 inclusive approved. Schedules 1 and 2 approved.

Preamble approved. t itle approved. Hon

Document details

Collection	British Columbia — Debates (Hansard)
Citation	H0304pm-05
Type	hansard
Volume / chapter	H0304pm 05
Language	en
Format	pdf
Source	PROVINCIAL
Identifier	d77f56c1718a041b1b8d1bc27469e4b4d4266b51

Source file is stored in the law ingest library (pdf).