2016 Legislative Session: Fifth Session, 40th Parliament

HANSARD

The following electronic version is for informational purposes only.

The printed version remains the official version.

official report of

Debates of the Legislative Assembly

(hansard)

Monday, April 4, 2016

Afternoon Sitting

Volume 36, Number

ISSN 0709-1281 (Print)

ISSN 1499-2175 (Online)

CONTENTS

Page

Routine Business

Tributes

UBC Thunderbirds football team and Vanier Cup win

Madame Speaker (Hon. L. Reid)

Hon. P. Fassbender

S. Robinson

Introductions by Members

Statements

Selkirk Saints hockey team championship win

K. Conroy

Hockey events in Kamloops and Kelowna

Hon. T. Lake

Introductions by Members

Tributes

Robin Hood

D. Barnett

Introductions by Members

Tributes

Walter Sturdy

N. Simons

Introduction and

First Reading of Bills

Bill M211 — Election Finance Amendment Act, 2016

V. Huntington

Statements

(Standing Order 25B)

Palliative care

Moira Stilwell

Cancer awareness and Daffodil Month

S. Robinson

Autism awareness

L. Reimer

B.C. Wildlife Federation

K. Conroy

Trexiana operations and flex MSE system

M. Hunt

UBC e Sports Association

D. Eby

Oral Questions

Health care worker layoffs at seniors care facility in Nanaimo

J. Darcy

Hon. T. Lake

D. Routley

Government action on money laundering

D. Eby

Hon. M. de Jong

J. Wickens

B. Ralston

Hon. M. Morris

S. Simpson

Gun violence in Surrey

H. Bains

Hon. M. Morris

S. Hammell

Point of Privilege

(Reservation of Right)

D. Eby

Orders of the Day

Second Reading of Bills

Bill 15 — Protected Areas of British Columbia Amendment Act, 2016 (continued)

Hon. S. Bond

D. Donaldson

J. Thornthwaite

S. Chandra Herbert

D. Plecas

J. Rice

J. Sturdy

S. Fraser

Hon. M. Morris

N. Simons

Hon. S. Thomson

C. Trevena

D. Bing

B. Routley

Hon. M. Polak

Proceedings in the Douglas Fir Room

Committee of Supply

Estimates: Ministry of Community, Sport and Cultural Development (continued)

S. Robinson

Hon. P. Fassbender

S. Fraser

D. Eby

S. Simpson

Estimates: Other Appropriations

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MONDAY, APRIL 4, 2016

The House met at 1:33 p.m.

[Madame Speaker in the chair.]

Routine Business

Tributes

UBC THUNDERBIRDS FOOTBALL TEAM

AND VANIER CUP WIN

Madame Speaker: Hon. Members, we have some very special guests who are in the precinct today. At this time, I would like to ask the Sergeant-at-Arms to open the doors of the chamber and allow our guests to be presented at the Bar of the House.

I would like to introduce the Vanier Cup champions, the UBC Thunderbirds football team. I’m pleased to welcome Boyd Richardson and Vikaram Varpaul and the Vanier Cup to our Legislature. This past November, our UBC Thunderbirds football team stormed to victory over the defending Montreal champions in a thrilling final game.

I would now like to recognize the Minister of Community, Sport and Cultural Development to add to our welcome.

Hon. P. Fassbender: As everyone in this House knows, the Vanier Cup in 2015 was won by the UBC Thunderbirds. Joining us in the House today are seven players from that team — Boyd Richardson, Yianni Cabylis, Vikaram Varpaul, Levi Hua, Malcolm Lee, Charles Nwoye and Marshall Cook. Joining them, as well, is Blake Nill, the head coach. Blake was the coach at the University of Calgary and St. Mary’s. He has been the winning coach of three national championships.

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Joining them, as well, is David Sidoo, who is a member of the UBC board of governors, and his wife, Manjy. David is a resident of the great city of Surrey. He earned scholarships to play at UBC in 1978, where he played with the Thunderbirds until 1982. He was the most valuable player, a defensive back who led the team to an undefeated season in 1982. The reason he deserves the recognition is that he is such a tremendous supporter of athletics at UBC. He and his wife give tremendous support to their community, to the province, through their activities.

The UBC Thunderbirds beat the Montreal team 26-23. It is a very heavy trophy, but these are big guys. They can handle it. That field goal that won it was done in the last few seconds of the game. It’s a great way to have a national championship, and they did a tremendous job. This is the fourth Vanier Cup in UBC’s history. The last one was in 1997.

The University of British Columbia has had a banner year in 2015. The Thunderbirds captured national championships in men’s and women’s swimming, women’s field hockey and women’s soccer.

I’d like to ask every member of the House to congratulate the team that’s here and all of the people who contributed — the coaches, the volunteers and the parents who support their sons who play on the team.

Madame Speaker: It’s now my pleasure to welcome the member for Coquitlam-Maillardville.

S. Robinson: On behalf of the official opposition, I am thrilled to welcome the Vanier Cup and the victorious UBC Thunderbirds to the House today.

As a sports fan and a wannabe athlete, I will confess to the House that I have played one game of powder-puff football. The biggest challenge in the game was finding shoulder pads small enough to fit me. It is an exciting game.

I think it’s important to just give a little bit of a play-by-play of this particular winning game, because it was thrilling. UBC led through the first half. But it was the second half that became a true contest, where there was a fumble, an interception and then a miraculous field goal with seconds — literally one second, I think — left on the clock, which really sort of spoke to the tenacity of this team and the commitment and the drive to win this championship game.

I want to just extend a thank-you for loving this game — for all of the team members and for all of the coaches — and for giving us an exciting, nail-biting experience and for bringing this Vanier Cup to British Columbia.

Madame Speaker: The minister and the member are going to officially welcome them.

If I can invite all of the members to look this way, because the photographer is above and will be capturing a gorgeous photograph of all of you.

Thank you, all. Thank you for joining us today.

Introductions by Members

K. Corrigan: Coincidentally, it also gives me a great deal of pleasure to introduce a number of students who are members of the Alliance of B.C. Students.

Here today in the precinct are Gloria Liu of the UBC Graduate Student Society, Kelly Taverner of the UBC Students Union Okanagan, Solenn Madevon of the UVic Students Society, Kathleen Yang of the SFU Student Society, Melissa McGregor of the SFU Graduate Student Society, Alex McGowan of the Kwantlen Student Association, Ben Glassen of the Capilano senate and Raj Jaswal of the Langara student society.

They were here to talk about their concerns about financial aid to students — grants, scholarships — and housing and student safety.

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I hope that you will make all of them very, very welcome.

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Hon. A. Wilkinson: To reiterate the wise remarks from my colleague across the aisle, it’s a pleasure to have students here from a large number of our post-secondary institutions on behalf of the Alliance of B.C. Students. We have a very positive and productive working relationship with the Alliance of B.C. Students, and it’s always a pleasure to have them visiting us here in Victoria so that they can get to know the place a bit better and make their important role in society known to my colleagues and to the members opposite.

Just to recap, we have representatives here from the Capilano Students Union, Kwantlen Student Association, Simon Fraser Student Society, UVic Students Society, Langara Students Union, UBC Students Union Okanagan and the Graduate Student Society from both SFU and UBC. Please make them welcome.

S. Robinson: In the House today, we have 32 grade 11 students from Archbishop Carney. I know that they are joined by their teachers. I bumped into them outside in the parking lot. I have never seen a more eager bunch of students. I encourage you all to say hello to them. They’re very, very excited to be here, which is, I think, a wonderful thing. Let’s keep it all under control today, shall we?

Hon. A. Virk: We have in the House today, in the audience, four budding leaders and potential university students that are work experience students. We have Kalif Ananyakada. We have Diane Yu. We have Charles Balsida and Rosetta Pike. They are all work experience students that are learning about democracy and government and will become future leaders in this province. Would the House please make them feel welcome.

They are accompanied by my constituency assistant Sam Schaap, who is also in the precinct as well. Would the House please make her feel welcome.

Statements

SELKIRK SAINTS HOCKEY TEAM

CHAMPIONSHIP WIN

K. Conroy: To keep on with the sports theme, and for those of you who would like a little hockey good news, I’m very pleased to announce that Selkirk College, for the fourth year in a row, is the B.C. Intercollegiate Hockey League champion. They successfully defended their title against rather large institutions like SFU and UVic and beat Trinity Western University from Langley in the finals on March 19 before a packed house in Castlegar.

As well, a number of the Selkirk players were honoured. Top goaltender of the entire league is James Prigione. The college rookie of the year is forward Dallas Calvin. Both were named to the first all-star team. Also, on the second all-star team are forward Ryan Edwards, who scored the winning goal in the final game against TWU, and defenceman Tanner Lenting, who is also the Saints captain.

Please join me in congratulating the players, coaches, managers, fans and everyone involved with helping the Saints attain this amazing achievement as the only team in the league to have ever won four championships in a row. Congratulations.

HOCKEY EVENTS IN

KAMLOOPS AND KELOWNA

Hon. T. Lake: Often we get up to introduce people from our home cities or constituencies that are visiting. But I can tell you there’s no one, except the Minister of Transportation and me, from Kamloops in the House today. They are either in Kamloops cheering on Canada in the gold medal women’s world hockey championship this evening or in Kelowna cheering on the Blazers as they defeat the Kelowna Rockets in game 7 of their series.

On behalf of the House, I wanted to thank all of the organizers of the women’s world hockey federation championship. The world championship is being held in Canada’s tournament capital, thanks to Norm Daley and his team. It has been a great week for Kamloops and for the Canadian hockey team. We just want to cheer on our wonderful team tonight and tell them to play like a girl because they’re going to beat the United States tonight.

Introductions by Members

L. Reimer: It’s a great pleasure today for me to welcome my constituent Mr. Graham Walker. Graham is a police officer with the transit police. He’s very, very interested in history.

I just want to take this opportunity to also thank the Royal B.C. Museum and our legislative security folks who have provided Graham a tour of the museum and the legislative precinct here.

Would the House please make Graham very welcome.

A. Weaver: I am pleased to introduce three guests visiting the Legislature today. Samuel Meyer zu Erpen, a grade 7 student from Central Middle School here in Victoria, is visiting, along with his uncle Walter Meyer zu Erpen and grandmother Phyllis Meyer. Would the House make them feel very welcome.

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I also have an additional group. It’s a large group of students visiting from Lambrick Park School. I’m very pleased to welcome to the House students and teachers from Mother Teresa High School in Ottawa, who are on a visit to Victoria this week and are being hosted by Lambrick Park high school in my riding. They’re accom-

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panied here by Tom Turnbull, a teacher from Lambrick Park, with students from Lambrick Park, together with Kim Mathieu and Mike Rowley from Mother Teresa School in Ottawa and their students here as well. Would the House please make them feel very welcome.

Tributes

ROBIN HOOD

D. Barnett: On March 17, 2016, the family, friends, community of Likely and British Columbia lost a true maverick: Robin Hood. Robin moved to Likely in ’82, and he operated a woodlot from 1996 to 2009, where he obtained a second one. He was the president of the B.C. Woodlot Associations for many years.

In the late 1990s, Robin headed a small group in Likely that responded to the proposals for a community forest pilot project — his vision, a homegrown model of a community forest between Likely and Xatśūll First Nation.

In 2004, Robin was elected to the British Columbia Community Forest Association and served for ten years. He started as president. There were seven community forests — now 53. He was president of the Likely Chamber of Commerce and self-declared mayor. His life was lived to the fullest, and he leaves us a legacy. I would ask the House to send its sympathies to Likely and his family.

Introductions by Members

J. Rice: I understand that today in the precinct I have a high school visiting from Masset. We have students and their teacher Ms. Young from George M. Dawson Secondary School in Masset, along with two other chaperones. Could the House please make them feel welcome.

Tributes

WALTER STURDY

N. Simons: I recently attended a memorial service, or a memorial party, on the Sunshine Coast to pay tribute to a well-known figure, a Sunshine Coast resident. Walter Sturdy was born in Vancouver in 1942, where he grew up and began a long career working in the energy sector. Also known as Walter Wonderful or Double Standard Sturdy, he moved to the Sunshine Coast where he worked for Howe Sound Pulp and Paper but in 1999 ended up purchasing and presiding over the Roberts Creek general store and its environs.

As noted in his obituary, Walter may or may not be missed as the longtime unforgiving and unofficial mayor of Roberts Creek. He was not known to shy away from a debate, and you could often find him at the store or at the legion arguing the merits of various political issues.

He enjoyed beer, food and women — apparently in that order — and lived well, mentioning before he died that he had a great life, had few regrets, was not afraid and it was time. While he’ll be remembered for his outspoken manner and an intolerance of hippie potheads — I can assure you I’m not one of those — he was also a generous and considerate man.

I got to know Walter. In the mornings, I’d drop off Slim, my partner, who worked there, and we’d often have really interesting discussions. They were always civil. They were always entertaining. I knew a few things about Walter. He had these conditions of purchase if you wanted to buy things in his store. He had a whole list of people who were banned, many of my friends included. If you arrived at ten o’clock when the store closed and you needed diapers or you needed something on an urgent basis, he would open the door. But if you needed booze or smokes, you had to wait till tomorrow.

He had a big heart as well. He was known as a generous man who always threw some money towards the legion if it needed repainting, and he did a lot of things for the community. It was the centre place for discussions around the OCP. That’s where all the minutes were dropped off, stacks of information. He was very much encouraging the community.

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He was proud of his children and in later years felt fortunate and privileged to have such a dedicated and committed staff at his store. He is survived by his children — Jordan, Caleb, Jessica, William, Katherine and Anne — along with his five grandchildren. Born January 17, 1942, he died peacefully in Sechelt just short of his 74th birthday surrounded by his family.

Introduction and

First Reading of Bills

BILL M211 — ELECTION FINANCE

AMENDMENT ACT, 2016

V. Huntington presented a bill intituled Election Finance Amendment Act, 2016.

V. Huntington: I move that the bill entitled Election Finance Amendment Act, 2016, of which notice has been given in my name on the order paper, be introduced and read a first time now.

Motion approved.

V. Huntington: The Election Finance Amendment Act, 2016, would prohibit organizations from making political donations at both the provincial and local government levels and would limit contributions to $1,500 a year from residents of B.C. only.

The Victoria Times Colonist once said: “In this province, there are no rules to break…. The Wild West approach

[ Page 11698 ]

to campaign donations fuels public cynicism and invites special interest groups with lots of money to buy political influence.” That is the truth, and our voters know it.

British Columbia has the distinction of being the largest Canadian province with no restriction on who finances our political campaigns. Unlimited corporate, union and even out-of-province donations remain the norm.

In 2015 Alberta joined Manitoba, Quebec, Nova Scotia, Nunavut and the federal government in banning corporate and union donations. Ontario has announced it will move in the same direction this spring. Yet B.C.’s campaign finance rules remain the weakest in the country. Parties and candidates can solicit any amount of money from any organization or any person anywhere in the world.

In B.C., there is a public conviction that money talks, that democracy is bankrolled by special interests. It is a conviction that undermines not only the legitimacy of our democracy but also our trust in the institutions of a democracy.

This bill reasserts the principles of our democratic values by limiting the amount that can be donated and the right to donate to the very people of British Columbia that we report to — the individual voter. The Election Finance Amendment Act is a practical change that will show all British Columbians that we honour their vote and that we will be accountable to them and only to them.

I move that the bill be placed on the orders of the day for second reading at the next sitting of the House after today.

Bill M211, Election Finance Amendment Act, 2016, introduced, read a first time and ordered to be placed on orders of the day for second reading at the next sitting of the House after today.

Statements

(Standing Order 25B)

PALLIATIVE CARE

Moira Stilwell: Here in B.C. we take pride in our standard of living, in our active, healthy lifestyles and in the excellence of our health care system, which has given us some of the best health outcomes in the country.

An important part of our health care system is palliative care. Palliative care is not just end-of-life care. It is care for people facing life-threatening or prolonged serious illnesses and helps patients achieve the best possible quality of life right up to their death, focusing on comfort, pain management and psychological support.

Palliative care is provided in different settings, including hospitals, hospices and a patient’s home. Because of our aging population, the availability of palliative care is becoming increasingly important. As part of our government’s provincial end-of-life-care action plan, our goal is to double the number of hospice spaces in B.C. by 2020.

We are also collaborating with the B.C. Centre for Palliative Care, the B.C. Hospice Palliative Care Association and others to increase access and improve end-of-life care throughout the province.

Palliative care is a priority for our government, and we’re committed to improving access and enhancing services so that we aren’t just helping people die in peace but are ensuring that they spend their final days in a safe, comfortable setting, surrounded by family.

CANCER AWARENESS AND DAFFODIL MONTH

S. Robinson: I asked my caucus colleagues if I could be the one to speak to Daffodil Month here in Canada. It is the symbol we have all come to identify as the Canadian Cancer Society symbol in the month of April.

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I asked to speak to Daffodil Month because this month it will be ten years since I heard the words: “You have cancer.” I know I’m not alone in this chamber. The Leader of the Opposition, the member for Vancouver-Hastings, the members for Peace River North and Vernon-Monashee and the member for Victoria–Beacon Hill have all heard these words.

These are not words I wish for anyone to hear. For me, it’s been ten years of regular blood tests, CT scans and daily chemotherapy. For ten years, I’ve been living with this disease, because there has been incredible research that makes it possible for me, with a daily oral chemotherapy, to have a full and productive life.

That is why I urge all members and their constituents to support the Canadian Cancer Society daffodil campaign. Hearing the words “You have cancer” is no longer the death sentence that it once was. With continued support from the Canadian Cancer Society and a focus on early screening, more and more Canadians will be celebrating milestones, and a focus on prevention will have fewer Canadians hearing those words: “You have cancer.”

In the meantime, know that when you buy your daffodil pin and wear it in April, you show your support for Canadians living with cancer, you show us that you understand how life-altering a cancer diagnosis can be, and you show us that you want to help and create a future where there is life after a cancer diagnosis.

AUTISM AWARENESS

L. Reimer: April 2, 2016, marked the eighth annual World Autism Awareness Day worldwide. All across the globe, the Light It Up Blue campaign drew attention to families who are affected by autism spectrum disorder.

Autism is characterized by a profound withdrawal from contact with people, repetitive behaviour and fear of change in the environment. The emotional disorder also affects the brain’s ability to receive and process information. Presently, we don’t have a medical test that can

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diagnose autism. Instead, specially trained physicians and psychologists administer autism-specific behavioural evaluations. Often parents are the first to notice that their child is showing unusual behaviours, such as failing to make eye contact, not responding to his or her name or playing with toys in unusual and repetitive ways.

In British Columbia, the Ministry of Children and Family Development works in collaboration with the Ministries of Health, Education and Social Development to provide an integrated, accessible continuum of quality services, including assessment, diagnosis, intervention, and education and support services to meet the needs of children. B.C. is also the only province in Canada that has a no-wait-list policy for families to access autism funding once their child or youth has received a diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder.

Families are able to choose the type of autism interventions, based on best practice, that best meets the needs of their children. In total, B.C. provides funding to over 11,200 children and youth diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder and their families. Families of children with ASD are also eligible for a variety of other services and supports, including early intervention therapies, school-age therapies, infant development, supported child development and family support services, including respite.

Thank you for the opportunity to speak on this very important subject.

B.C. WILDLIFE FEDERATION

K. Conroy: The B.C. Wildlife Federation is celebrating 60 years of conservation leadership at their 60th AGM and convention, to be held in Nanaimo later this month, hosted by the Nanaimo Fish and Game Protective Association. The federation is a provincewide voluntary conservation organization representing all British Columbians, whose aims are to protect, enhance and promote the wise use of the environment for the benefit of present and future generations.

It is also B.C.’s largest and oldest conservation organization. Their origins can be traced back to the 1890s, when some of its current clubs were formed, calling themselves either fish and game clubs or fish and game protective associations. In those days, B.C.’s fish and wildlife was managed by a provincial employee, the chief game warden. It was a cooperative affair between the existing clubs and the warden.

Today the B.C. Wildlife Federation has two strategic objectives:

“

(1) To ensure the sound, long-term management of B.C.’s fish, wildlife, park and outdoor recreational resources in the best interests of all British Columbians and to coordinate all the voluntary agencies, societies, clubs and individuals interested in that objective, and

“

(2) To develop and support a comprehensive educational program to make all British Columbians aware of the value of B.C.’s fish, wildlife, park and outdoor recreational resources and to arouse in the public conscience a recognition of, and a respect for, the place of fish, wildlife and outdoor recreation in the wise, integrated use of the nation’s natural resources.”

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The federation’s membership is made up of over 100 separate and distinct clubs throughout British Columbia, ten regional associations and direct members, for a collective voice of about 50,000. They also are the voice for almost half a million resident hunters and anglers in B.C.

I believe most members in the House have had the pleasure of enjoying our local clubs’ annual banquets, and I’m sure all members join me in thanking all those involved in the local organizations and the federation for the incredible work they do to ensure the responsible and sustainable management of wildlife in B.C.

TREXIANA OPERATIONS

AND FLEX MSE SYSTEM

M. Hunt: The reason British Columbia has the strongest economic outlook in Canada is because of our diversified economy. We have highly talented, homegrown entrepreneurs right here in British Columbia. They’re thinking outside the box and taking the world by storm.

Mike Callewaert is one of them. He’s developed a product that is designed to disappear right before your eyes. Now, if that sounds strange to you, hon. Speaker, well, we need to take a closer look at Mike’s company, Trexiana, of Surrey. They recognized that demand is growing around the world for an environmentally friendly building material. Their flex MSE system is simply a system of geomodular construction. It consists of geotech bags filled with sand, soil and rock fastened together with an innovative plate to create retaining walls, deal with erosion control, provide slope stability and shoreline protection.

The flex MSE replaces concrete-and-wire-basket wall systems with a rock-solid organic system that does all the work of concrete at a fraction of the cost and labour. Flex MSE doesn’t attract graffiti. It can be vegetated as well, which is why it can also be a disappearing act. It withstands cold, wet environments and heavy traffic. It’s an environmental win with 50 percent recycled content, expending 3 percent of the greenhouse gases produced by concrete and steel. This product has been used on the Sea to Sky Highway and the interchanges around here in Victoria.

Trexiana is now being used in major infrastructure projects in the United States, Europe and throughout the southern hemisphere. Trexiana is about to announce a major expansion into the eastern United States, but manufacturing will stay here in British Columbia to ensure quality control. Trexiana currently employs 75 people in jobs ranging from manufacturing through to marketing and has plans to further expand in the States as well as international markets.

I would hope that all members of the House would join me in recognizing B.C.’s homegrown entrepreneurs, who are changing the way we view the world as we speak.

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UBC e SPORTS ASSOCIATION

D. Eby: In Vancouver–Point Grey, we’re all, of course, very proud of our famous Vanier Cup Tbirds, but we’re also very proud of another UBC team that may or may not be as well known to the members here, despite their international reputation.

Founded in July of 2012 by UBC students Carman Lamb, Michael Medley, James Choi and Sean Oh, the UBC eSports Association has built an internationally renowned video game club that boasts over 2,000 members.

Interjection.

D. Eby: I hear some giggling. This is big business.

In May of 2015, after thousands of hours of practice and preparation, they accomplished their biggest feat to date. They won the North American Collegiate Championship Tournament for League of Legends. This is the most prestigious college video game competition in North America. It included months of multiple rounds of competition, and it culminated in last year’s final championship tournament in L.A.

Because of their win, they were recognized as North America’s best collegiate League of Legends team. Each of the six team members got a $30,000 scholarship, and 80,000 people watched the live stream on YouTube. Those viewer numbers aren’t surprising; 36 million people watched the most recent season of the League of Legends World Championship.

E-sports are a big deal around the world. That’s why the UBC club’s remarkable accomplishment has resulted in multiple scholarships and sponsorships. UBC eSports Association hosts video game viewing parties, tournaments and icebreaker events for the membership. They organize fan meets, mentorships and train hard for these competitions.

They continue to build on their momentum. On March 19, they again advanced to the semifinals of the North American championships, this year in Austin. We’re all hoping they bring home the championships again this year.

Congratulations to the UBC eSports Association in creating a supportive and successful gaming community, and good luck in this year’s tournament representing our province’s school of champions.

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Oral Questions

HEALTH CARE WORKER LAYOFFS AT

SENIORS CARE FACILITY IN NANAIMO

J. Darcy: For the second time in two years, frail seniors at a care facility in Nanaimo, many of whom suffer from dementia, are facing a major disruption in their care. This time all 155 staff at Wexford Creek care home are being fired. The care facility is being sold because this government isn’t providing enough funding for it.

Can the Minister of Health explain to these frail seniors and their families why the government is subjecting them to this latest round of disruption in their lives?

Hon. T. Lake: Quality of care and safety for residents is an absolute priority for the ministry and for health authorities. Whenever a service agreement is transferred to a new operator, the health authority works very closely with the operator and with the families of residents to ensure a smooth transition.

I am always concerned when residents of care facilities are impacted by these changes. This was a result of an organization that put in an RFP, that won an RFP, a fair and open contest, and now has decided that they can no longer operate under the conditions under which they bid.

We will work closely with Island Health. We will work closely with the operator to ensure that the impact on residents and their families is mitigated as much as possible.

Madame Speaker: The member for New Westminster on a supplemental.

J. Darcy: Every time we raise one of these stories in this House, the minister says the same thing. He’s concerned, he shows some empathy, but nothing changes. It keeps happening over and over and over again, and it’s not acceptable.

It was exactly two years ago in this same facility that layoff notices were issued to all of the staff — the care aides, the nurses, the housekeeping staff, the food services staff. And while they were rehired, most of them at lower wages and with very few benefits, it was not before incredible anxiety was created for the 150 frail seniors in that facility.

We know that continuity of care is vital for seniors and that they form intensely close bonds with the staff who care for their most intimate care needs every single day. It is this government’s actions which have resulted in these repeated rounds of layoffs which are harming frail and vulnerable seniors. It is part of the shameful legacy of the B.C. Liberal government’s Bill 29, and it’s time it stopped.

Can the minister explain why his government is so heartless that it is letting this happen once again and disrupting the lives of these frail elderly in care?

Hon. T. Lake: This government was the first in Canada to appoint an independent seniors advocate. A seniors advocate….

Interjections.

Hon. T. Lake: The members opposite may mock.

The seniors advocate has done amazing work looking at the needs of seniors around the province of British Columbia.

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Interjections.

Madame Speaker: Members. Members.

Hon. T. Lake: The reality is that we have added almost 7,400 publicly subsidized residential care, assisted-living and group home beds since 2001 to almost 32,000 beds, a much better record than members opposite had when they had the opportunity.

We will work with Island Health. We will work with the operator to ensure that there is no impact on the residents and their families in this particular situation.

D. Routley: Since it took numerous private members’ bills from the NDP opposition to get the government to appoint a seniors advocate, it will probably take numerous situations like this to get the government to do anything.

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The operators of Wexford Creek raised the alarm over what they called chronic underfunding two years ago. They said then, two years ago, that the funding model from the government wasn’t working. This government refused to listen, and it’s frail seniors, my constituents, who are paying the price.

How can the minister justify forcing Nanaimo seniors to face losing their care providers for the second time in two years?

Hon. T. Lake: The operator knew what the costs were and what the payments were when they bid in an open and fair and transparent process. It’s a situation that we face now. We will ensure that there is a smooth transition to any new operator, that the residents are looked after and that their families are looked after. We will ensure that they continue to get the high-quality care that they deserve in this care home.

Madame Speaker: The member for Nanaimo–North Cowichan on a supplemental.

D. Routley: “Work with the operators.” “Smooth transition.” This is not a smooth transition. In 2012, Ombudsperson Kim Carter said that continuity of care was a crucial issue for seniors. She said that the ministry had not taken sufficient care to make sure that seniors were protected from the impacts of large-scale layoffs. That was four years ago.

In the last two years, seniors at Wexford Creek have faced the turmoil of losing their care aides and nurses and others not once, but twice. It is this government’s shameful legacy, a legacy of Bill 29, a legacy of putting ideology ahead of the interests of vulnerable seniors.

Will the minister finally step in? Will he make sure that these seniors aren’t going to face more disruption at Wexford Creek?

Hon. T. Lake: Forty-two percent of the expenditures of the provincial government goes to health care in the province of British Columbia — 42 percent. The members opposite talk about spending more here, spending more there, this opportunity, that opportunity. It only takes more money, more money, more money. Yet the members opposite do everything they can to prevent…

Interjections.

Madame Speaker: Members.

Hon. T. Lake: …our ability to grow the economy, to ensure that we have the ability to increase spending on health care across the province of British Columbia.

GOVERNMENT ACTION

ON MONEY LAUNDERING

D. Eby: The B.C. Lottery Corporation used to provide $1 million a year to the RCMP to police organized crime like money laundering and loansharking in B.C.’s casinos. In 2009, the minister now responsible for natural gas pulled that funding. Now, keep in mind, the savings here — $1 saved in policing for every $30 the B.C. Lottery Corporation spends on advertising.

Now we learn that the civil forfeiture office, a branch of the Solicitor General’s ministry, says — no surprise — we have a big problem with money laundering in B.C.’s casinos. Will the Solicitor General stand up and announce that this government will re-fund the RCMP casino policing team?

Hon. M. de Jong: Look, as long as there is a criminal element in our society, we’re likely going to be confronted by circumstances in which they are endeavouring to legitimize the proceeds of that criminal activity. That’s something we take….

Interjection.

Madame Speaker: Member.

Hon. M. de Jong: That is something we take very seriously. Under the anti-money-laundering strategy that’s been in place, some progress has been made, but we think and believe that there is more work.

I can take advantage of the member’s question to advise that back in October of last year, I wrote to the head of the corporation. Amongst other things…. I’ll provide the member with copies of the correspondence or table them — to indicate that we did want to develop a coordinated enforcement approach with the RCMP. Then the following week, the Attorney and I wrote to the head of E division and subsequently met.

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[ Page 11702 ]

I’m happy to tell the member in the House that we are now in the process of finalizing a coordinated approach to this question that will address questions of money laundering in ways, quite frankly, that the previous organization that the member has referred to never did. That was not part of their mandate and not something that they focused on. This step that we are taking in a coordinated way between the B.C. Lottery Corporation, GPEB and the RCMP will do just that.

Madame Speaker: Vancouver–Point Grey on a supplemental.

D. Eby: The minister knows very well that it was part of the mandate of the integrated policing team. Fred Pinnock was all over the media saying that if you get rid of this team, money laundering will go up, and guess what. Now we have a money-laundering problem.

According to the government’s own court filings, a gentleman named Michael Mancini was caught in a traffic stop with $70,000 the Solicitor General’s ministry says was laundered through B.C. casinos. Now, these same court filings say he claims to have won an astonishing $2.2 million from B.C. casino slot machines over 18 months but that his money really came from “unlawful activity, including trafficking of controlled substances.” He wasn’t on the list of the 108 people involved in organized crime banned from B.C. casinos. He was only caught through a fluke, through a traffic stop.

Perhaps the minister can enlighten us. Exactly how much of the $1 million that his government cut from funding for police in casinos is his government going to restore with this new initiative?

Hon. M. de Jong: The member may wish to be a little bit cautious in a variety of ways. First of all, whilst it is true, happily, that the Lottery Corporation does from time to time expel and preclude citizens from participating in lawful gaming activities within casinos, I think I just heard the member state that in all cases, those are people involved in organized crime. I’m wondering if, in his former capacity as head of the Civil Liberties Association, he would have been comfortable making that statement.

As I’ve just indicated to the….

Interjections.

Madame Speaker: Members.

Please continue.

Hon. M. de Jong: The question of money laundering and the steps that are being taken to address money laundering are serious, and we take them seriously, which is why we have embarked upon a partnership — a specific partnership with the RCMP and the gaming policy enforcement branch — in a coordinated way that heretofore has not existed. We track suspicious cash transactions. I’m happy to provide the member and members of the House with that tracking.

I can tell you this. We take very seriously the obligation that we have to British Columbians to ensure that the activities that take place within regulated and lawful gaming establishments are being conducted with proceeds that are not — I repeat, not — the result of criminal activity.

J. Wickens: The issue of money laundering, actually, in B.C. goes far beyond our casinos. Canada’s financial intelligence unit, FINTRAC, did an audit of Metro Vancouver’s realtors, and the results show this problem has spread to B.C.’s housing market. Realtors are breaking Canada’s anti-money-laundering laws by failing to disclose who their clients are and where the money they’re using in the real estate market is coming from. FINTRAC says: “Vancouver’s housing market is highly vulnerable to money laundering.”

To the Solicitor General: what is your plan to stop money laundering in B.C.’s housing market?

Hon. M. de Jong: I agree with this part of the member’s submission and this part of her question — that there are strict requirements in place under federal legislation that require reporting by, amongst others, people involved in the real estate sector.

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They are obliged, and we expect that they will abide by those requirements. When they don’t, they are in violation of their obligations.

The member will know that the Real Estate Council is, in concert with the superintendent, in the process of conducting a review. They are in the process of preparing a report that will examine this, amongst other things, and provide regulations.

But I can assure the member of this. The government and, I’m certain, all members expect that everyone involved in the real estate sector understand and abide by the statutory requirements that govern their conduct.

Madame Speaker: Coquitlam–Burke Mountain on a supplemental.

J. Wickens: The recent audit from FINTRAC gives more proof to a problem that everyone but the government seems to be aware of. Auditors went to 80 realty offices in Vancouver, and in 55 cases — 55 — they found serious compliance problems.

Money is coming into our housing market, and we don’t know where it’s coming from. In many cases, large, suspicious transactions aren’t being properly reported.

My question for the Solicitor General is a serious one and one that British Columbians want to know. Evidence that money is being laundered through the housing market is growing. Hasn’t the time come to do something about that?

[ Page 11703 ]

Hon. M. de Jong: There’s no question that the real estate market in British Columbia, not just Vancouver but many parts of British Columbia, continues to be very robust. That is the result of a province that is leading the country in economic growth — that people are coming to British Columbia.

Interjections.

Madame Speaker: Members. Members will come to order.

Please continue.

Hon. M. de Jong: Now, I have heard a variety of theories from members of the opposition. It just seems like a few weeks ago that we were told it was, in the case of Vancouver, the product of exceptionally high vacancy rates, except that the report that was produced by the city of Vancouver said that wasn’t the case.

There’s a part to this narrative that I think just galls the opposition. I think they are viscerally offended by the notion that British Columbia is leading Canada.

When the Conference Board of Canada says that of all the jurisdictions in this country, British Columbia will lead in investment, lead in employment growth, lead in attracting people to come to this country — that that will be British Columbia — I think that whilst every other British Columbian looks in the mirror and says, “Right on,” the opposition says: “My god, that’s a terrible thing to befall British Columbia.”

On this side of the House, we are celebrating the fact that people are coming to B.C. They’re coming back to British Columbia. They’re investing. They’re purchasing homes, and they’re raising families in the leading economy in the country.

B. Ralston: I have another question about money laundering in another area of provincial jurisdiction. Last May a B.C. liquor store manager voiced his concerns after seeing several cash transactions worth more than $10,000. The store manager wanted to report these transactions to FINTRAC but was instructed to report them to senior management only.

My question is to the Solicitor General, not to the Minister of Finance. B.C. liquor staff are raising red flags about large cash transactions. He’s the minister responsible. Why isn’t he listening?

Hon. M. Morris: There’s nothing wrong if the manager of any retail outlet in British Columbia…. If he has suspicious activities that he thinks are unusual, he can go straight to the police force of the jurisdiction, report it and have it investigated.

Madame Speaker: Surrey-Whalley on a supplemental.

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B. Ralston: Well, fine words from the Solicitor General. But in fact, what B.C. Liquor Stores said when confronted by this question is that they aren’t legally required to report large cash transactions over $10,000 to FINTRAC.

Can the minister clarify this? Is he directing liquor stores in British Columbia to report suspicious transactions to FINTRAC and not merely to senior management, as took place last May?

Hon. M. Morris: Just to remind the member opposite that it is federal legislation. There’s no requirement under FINTRAC for retail outlets to report large cash transactions like that.

But again, any retail manager, if they encounter any kinds of transactions that are suspicious, I encourage them to report them to their local police with jurisdiction.

S. Simpson: We’ve got some pretty remarkable answers coming from the Finance Minister and the Solicitor General. We’ve got long-standing money-laundering issues in the casino sector. We know that.

The government abandons the $1million that it provides for integrated RCMP support. We know that we’re having, now, challenges. FINTRAC is identifying challenges around money laundering in the real estate sector. “Highly vulnerable to money laundering.” That’s what FINTRAC says. And now, $10,000-plus cash transactions in the liquor stores, and the Solicitor General thinks it’s fine.

How can the minister justify having nothing to say and paying so little attention to the priority of ending money laundering and getting organized crime under control in this province? Maybe the Solicitor General could answer that.

Hon. M. Morris: FINTRAC is under the jurisdiction of the federal government, so how they lay things out is entirely up to them. But I will say that the RCMP and all police organizations in British Columbia take gang activity, money laundering — any kinds of criminal activity — very seriously, and they’re investigating it all the time.

The member opposite earlier talked about a traffic stop and how they were able to uncover this money-laundering episode through that. Our traffic police right across this province are our front-line resources that uncover all kinds of criminal activity, and we need them out there to continue doing that.

GUN VIOLENCE IN SURREY

H. Bains: Last year, Surrey experienced 60 shootings. This year, we are on track to more than double that number. On Sunday, Surrey experienced its 30th shooting this year. In 12 weeks, 30 shootings. Thirty times in three months my neighbourhood and neighbourhoods all across Surrey have been terrorized by gun violence

[ Page 11704 ]

on our streets, and the worst

part is they see no end in sight. These could easily have been 60 deaths last year, 30 deaths this year.

My question to the minister responsible is this: how many shootings, how many deaths will it take for this government to take this issue seriously and take some action that is effective?

Hon. M. Morris: The shootings that have taken place in Surrey last year and this year are of great concern to the police and to the communities, to the city of Surrey and to this government.

The city of Surrey spends $120 million a year on policing. We put in an additional $60 million a year into our anti-gang unit that has been working extensively in Surrey, tracking these individuals and trying to gather enough evidence in order to put these folks in jail.

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Last year, in 2015, the RCMP made over 800 arrests on individuals that were involved in street-level gang activity. They seized over 170 weapons and over 150 vehicles that were involved in these activities. Just recently the RCMP seized $4½ million worth of drugs as well as a substantial amount of cash and other paraphernalia.

They are working. They’re dedicated. Believe me, from my own experience, there’s nothing that gets the ire of a policeman more so than the continuation of these offences in a community, and every resource is put on it to ensure that they stop.

Madame Speaker: The member for Surrey-Newton on a supplemental.

H. Bains: Obviously, this minister — and this government — doesn’t get it. They don’t get it. This minister, the minister before this minister and the minister before him read from the same script and rattled off the same numbers, and nothing has changed. That’s the reality.

These words of the minister ring hollow to the people of Surrey, really. It’s because they’ve heard these promises before. They’ve heard these numbers before. People saw an average of one shooting a week last year. This year we are on track to have double that — two a week so far, already. The gun violence isn’t going down; it’s escalating. Whatever strategies this minister and the minister before have rattled off here aren’t working.

So my question to the minister is this. What effective additional actions are you proposing and willing to take today to protect people of Surrey who are terrorized by this kind of gun violence on a daily basis?

Hon. M. Morris: On a regular basis, I’m getting updates from the RCMP as to the extent of the investigations that they are doing every day on these issues. The manpower they’ve got dedicated to these resources here…. The anti-gang unit that we have in British Columbia has been focused very much on the individuals that are responsible for these things.

The member opposite asked what additional things we can do. The families of the individuals that are involved in these kinds of activities have been a little bit reticent to come forward and say anything to the police. What I’m encouraging the….

Interjections.

Madame Speaker: Members. Members.

Hon. M. Morris: What I am encouraging the families to do is to come forward to the police and provide them with the information that’s necessary to move these investigations forward to conclusion so that we can successfully put them behind bars.

S. Hammell: On Saturday night, there was another shooting in my neighbourhood. It was eight o’clock in the evening. It was still light near Kirkbride Elementary School. Kids were playing outside nearby. Those children were terrified by the gunshots. Imagine the fear their parents felt when they found out what happened. And this is not the first time that shots have been fired near a Surrey school in the last 12 months.

To the minister: what are you going to do about this today to keep kids in my city’s neighbourhoods safe from this out-of-control gun violence?

Hon. M. Morris: We’re going to continue to put the resources into the situation in Surrey until we put these individuals behind bars. But we’re also imploring the members of the family, the people that have information in Surrey on the activities of these individuals to come forward to help to speed up these investigations. The police are doing everything possible.

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I’ve been keeping pace with those investigations. They could do even more if the families of these individuals would come forward and provide information to the police.

[End of question period.]

Point of Privilege

(Reservation of Right)

D. Eby: I rise to reserve my right to move a point of personal privilege in relation to comments of the Minister of Finance.

Orders of the Day

Hon. M. de Jong: In Committee A, Committee of Supply, for the information of members, the ongoing esti-

[ Page 11705 ]

mates of the Ministry of Community, Sport and Cultural Development; and in this chamber, continued second reading debate on Bill 15.

[R. Chouhan in the chair.]

Second Reading of Bills

BILL 15 — PROTECTED AREAS OF

BRITISH COLUMBIA AMENDMENT ACT, 2016

(continued)

Hon. S. Bond: I am delighted this afternoon to make some comments related to the Protected Areas of British Columbia Amendment Act. I have a very personal connection to the work that’s being reflected here. One of the pieces of protected areas that is referenced in this bill is known as the Ancient Forest. It is an extraordinary part of British Columbia, and I’m very blessed that it’s actually a part of my riding in particular.

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I want to tell a little bit about the story of the Ancient Forest. It is an incredible place. It is very unique when you look at what it represents in terms of being the only inland temperate rainforest that we know exists. When one thinks of rainforests, they don’t normally think about Highway 16 in northern British Columbia. It’s an extraordinary place, and people are deeply connected to it.

I want to tell the story a little bit through the eyes of the volunteers, the people who have really poured their hearts, their souls, their physical labour into making the Ancient Forest the incredible place that it is today.

In the words of Nowell Senior, who is an amazing person…. He has spent much of his recent past trying to teach us about the importance of the Ancient Forest. I want to read a little bit about the Ancient Forest in Nowell’s own words.

Nowell began, he says, building a trail in the Ancient Forest in 2005 on a part-time basis as a volunteer with the Caledonia Ramblers Hiking Club. The trail opened to the public in 2006 and became popular very quickly, but it wasn’t accessible to visitors with mobility challenges. So in 2010, they began to work on a solution, a 456-metre-long boardwalk that would enable everyone to experience the Ancient Forest. “And when I retired,” in Nowell’s words, from his regular job in 2011, “the Ancient Forest became my full-time job.”

“My background was working with children and adults with disabilities, not building boardwalks. However, with a donation of lumber to build the first 50 metres of boardwalk, a chainsaw, $30 cash in hand, some hammers, a small box of nails, a huge box of optimism and a crew of Caledonia Ramblers retirees, we began to build a universal boardwalk.

“The boardwalk took four years and 6,500 hours of labour by 200 volunteers to complete. There were 72 sponsors who have funded all the projects at the Ancient Forest, with 42 of these funding the universal boardwalk. On opening day of the boardwalk, over 500 people came to celebrate the completion of the universal boardwalk, with local businesses donating enough food and other refreshments for all of these visitors. And 15,000 visitors came before we turned the Ancient Forest into a class A park” — or we will, with the passing of this bill.

“We continue to be astonished at the scope of the work done that’s done by volunteers. To date, visitors have signed in from across Canada, 38 states and 43 countries.

“In the past ten years, I have made over 500 trips to the Ancient Forest and driven 115,000 kilometres. Together with the other volunteers, we have contributed over 14,000 hours during these ten years.”

The Ancient Forest evokes that kind of passion, that kind of love.

I want to tell you a little bit about David King, who is another one of the volunteers, who first came to my office and sat down with me and talked about how imperative it was for our government to consider a level of protection for the Ancient Forest that would allow them not only to ensure that this incredible jewel in our part of British Columbia would be preserved and protected for future generations but would also allow us to now move on to seek World Heritage Site status.

Dave King is another one of those incredible volunteers. Here’s what he has to say about the Ancient Forest:

“Over the years, I’ve explored many new areas for possibilities of new trails, and I’ve located and built several. One of those areas was the Driscoll Ridge area in the vicinity of the present-day Ancient Forest Trail. In 2005, the club applied for a trail up Driscoll Ridge and simultaneously, from Dome Creek and Crescent Spur, put in an application for an interpretive trail. Both proposals began from the same spot on Highway 16, now the parking lot for the Ancient Forest.

“The Caledonia Ramblers were given the go-ahead for both trails. I began cutting out the rough Ancient Forest interpretive trail with help from Nowell Senior and others. We had several work bees, and by 2007, it was improved and being used by the public. We slowly made improvements.

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“In 2009, Nowell and I laid out a location for the universal boardwalk. We realized that the main part of the Ancient Forest was not usable by people with physical or some health disabilities. The concept was approved, and we began construction in 2010. It took four years to complete, and I built about 90 percent of the foundation.

“Visitor use continued to increase, and the main trail was taking a beating, so in 2014, we began laying a plank walk around the entire main trail of two-plus kilometres. That should be completed in 2016, and it will provide protection for soils and vegetation and make it easier for visitors.

“With regard to the park proposal, Nowell and I made a presentation to the regional district in 2009 to have the Ancient Forest included as a regional district park, but it did not meet the requirements.

“In about 2011, Dr. Darwyn Coxson, from the University of Northern British Columbia, had come to realize the old-growth cedar forest in the Ancient Forest area really should have a World Heritage Site designation. Darwyn and his students have been carrying out research in the area since the late 1990s. But for a World Heritage Site designation to happen, the area must first be protected in a provincial park.”

That’s when they came to visit me, and I can tell you we have spent the last number of years working together to ensure that this exceptional part of British Columbia is protected now and into the future.

[ Page 11706 ]

I want to recognize Darwyn Coxson. He is a professor in ecosystem science and management at the University of Northern British Columbia. He was one of the founding faculty, actually, at our very important university. His research on wet-temperate rainforests in British Columbia and internationally has been a very important factor in recognizing the significance of the Ancient Forest Trail area within British Columbia’s Robson Valley.

It is an incredibly important day for me today as we proceed with second reading. It was such an honour to bring volunteers here to the Legislature when the bill was introduced, when they realized their heart’s dream of protecting this unbelievable cedar-hemlock forest — as I said, the only known inland temperate rainforest in the world, which provides habitat to a very diverse range of species. It is only appropriate that it be protected in this way.

It’s also important to know that from our perspective, it’s incredibly important as an economic diversification tool as well. When you think of some of the challenges that the Robson Valley has faced with the downturn in the forest industry and other issues, this is a way that we can encourage people to come and to visit this incredible part of British Columbia, perhaps spend some time in McBride or Valemount and travel down Highway 5, Highway 16.

All of those things are important factors, but the most important factor is that we’re stewards of the land, and we have a responsibility to protect for future generations the magnificent and pristine Ancient Forest that we have. That is exactly what this bill is intended to do.

I should give you just a bit of detail. The area that we call the Ancient Forest is home to some of the largest old-growth cedar trees in the province. Several of these are more than 1,000 years old. The park will ensure that this very unique habitat will be excluded from some activities, but other activities will be allowed to continue. Once the legislation is passed and the Ancient Forest is a provincial park, we then have the opportunity to work together with the federal government to consider this area for a UNESCO World Heritage Site nomination.

I’m very pleased that very recently, in the last week, I was able to meet with the Minister of Small Business and Tourism for the federal government, Minister Bardish Chagger. It was ironic that she brought up the issue of the Ancient Forest to me. I thought it was very interesting and very important that already that issue is on their radar screen. I’m very grateful for that.

I would also be remiss if I didn’t mention the important role that our First Nation had to play in moving forward in the partnership. The Lheidli T’enneh have been partners in pursuing the protection of the park since the very beginning. Chief Dominic Frederick would often join the group that came to my office advocating for us to move this protection forward. I want to say a very heartfelt thank-you to Chief Dominic Frederick and the members of the Lheidli T’enneh, who worked so very constructively with us as we sought to have the forest protected.

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In recognition of the Ancient Forest, in fact, the forest will carry…. It will always be known, obviously, as the Ancient Forest, but it will also carry a First Nations name. I will apologize in advance if it’s not pronounced correctly, but the name of the forest will be Chun T’oh Whudujut. That’s the name that will be attached to the Ancient Forest, recognizing the important partnership that we have with First Nations in this particular region of the province.

With those remarks, I do want to once again recognize the incredible passion and hard work that has brought this particular part of this bill to the floor. It simply wouldn’t have been possible without people who worked tirelessly. In fact, I saw someone on the weekend. They’re already out there working this season to look at how they can finish the plank laying that has been undertaken.

It is a place that, once you have been there, you feel a very deep connection to the special place that it represents in British Columbia. So I want to thank the Minister of Forests, Lands and Natural Resource Operations and, in particular, the Minister of Environment, who met with us on numerous occasions, who worked through all of the things that are necessary to ensure that we can pass this incredible gift on to our children and our grandchildren. I look forward to sharing it with mine. They have the opportunity to come and to visit and to be in the Ancient Forest, so I am very grateful for that.

I want to conclude my remarks with my heartfelt support for the creation of the province’s newest class A park, the Ancient Forest. Thank you for this opportunity.

D. Donaldson: I’m happy to take my spot in the second reading debate on Bill 15, Protected Areas of British Columbia Amendment Act, 2016. Of course, second reading is a time for general comments, and I’ll have some comments specifically to the proposed amendments under the act around parks and also around our provincial park system in general.

I know that most members in this Legislature would agree with me to say that our provincial park system is a legacy. It’s something that highlights the beauty of our province. It also preserves the fundamental ecological systems that they represent for future generations. An important part, as the previous member spoke about, too, is that they add to the economic diversity of many of the rural communities that are situated close to those parks.

I have a few specific questions for the minister that either she might take the opportunity to respond to in the closing of this second reading debate or in committee stage.

One of the areas that stuck out for me is Tazdli Wyiez Bin/Burnie-Shea Park, which is situated on the border of the constituency I represent and the constituency that the Minister of Aboriginal Relations and Reconciliation

[ Page 11707 ]

represents. That park is a wilderness park. There’s no road access to get to the park. It’s in the Howson Range, a spectacular setting south of Smithers and Telkwa — just a beautiful, beautiful area of the province.

In the proposed bill that we are discussing today…. It covers many parks. Some are additions, and some are boundary readjustments. We have a class A park designation proposed that I’ll be speaking to. In the instance of Tazdli Wyiez Bin/Burnie-Shea Park, the amendment is to repeal the Wet’suwet’en part of the name — Tazdli Wyiez Bin — and just let Burnie-Shea Park stand as the name of the park.

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This park sits on the traditional territories of the Wet’suwet’en Nation, and so I have been curious about the name change. The minister, in her opening comments in second reading, said: “Fourthly, the amendments change the name of four parks and correct the spelling of one park. Tazdli Wyiez Bin/Burnie-Shea Park is being renamed Burnie-Shea Park at the request of the Wet’suwet’en First Nation, who do not feel that the First Nation name they originally provided for the park correctly reflects its meaning.”

The reason that caught my attention is that the Wet’suwet’en First Nation is an elected band council. It’s the Broman Lake band, and the same mistake was made by the Minister of Aboriginal Relations and Reconciliation in budget estimates when I was asking him about the difference.

The difference is that the Wet’suwet’en Nation is the name for the hereditary chiefs whose territory the Burnie-Shea Park covers. The Tazdli Wyiez Bin is actually on Tsayu clan territory, and that’s traditional territory.

I’ll give the minister the opportunity to correct the record that it’s actually the Wet’suwet’en Nation who would have jurisdiction over that area, because it’s not within the boundaries of the reserve that’s represented by the Wet’suwet’en First Nation or the Broman Lake band, and that’s an important distinction when it comes to aboriginal title and decision-making over traditional territories in the northwest and especially in relation to what we’re discussing in Bill 15 — the Burnie-Shea Park.

The translation of Tazdli Wyiez Bin refers to the Burnie Lakes and “the little mist on the water” or “mist is falling” — the geography there demonstrating that there’s a lot of elevation gain and fall, and the waters are tumbling down. That’s the translation of the Wet’suwet’en language that this amendment is suggesting to repeal.

Again, it would be great to hear some clarification from the minister, as she is wrapping up second reading debate, around this dropping of the Wet’suwet’en name and also the fact that it’s the hereditary chiefs who are the authority in this territory, and it’s not on reserve lands.

I’d also like to discuss a little bit more about Burnie-Shea Park. Although I’ve visited a number of the provincial parks that are mentioned in Bill 15 and many other provincial parks in the province, I have not had the opportunity to set foot in Burnie-Shea. I’ve been close to it in another area that borders Burnie-Shea that is also only accessible by foot or helicopter.

I would look forward to setting foot in Burnie-Shea Park because there’s a commercial operator there who I know very well. Bear Mountaineering built the Burnie Glacier Chalet in 2001 in Burnie-Shea Park. The chalet is rustic but very, very comfortable, and it’s where Christoph Dietzfelbinger, who is the owner of Bear Mountaineering….

He’s a certified Canadian mountain guide and certified international mountain guide. He guides back-country ski mountaineering trips out of that Burnie Glacier Chalet, and it’s also very beautiful in the summertime as well. A question for the minister would be, as well: as the commercial leaseholder and the only commercial leaseholder in Tazdli Wyiez Bin/Burnie-Shea Park, was he consulted on the fact that this bill proposes to repeal the Wet’suwet’en part of the name?

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I note in his advertising materials that he still includes the Wet’suwet’en name for the park, as well as Burnie-Shea Park, and he’s very proud of the fact that he negotiated and consulted and did a lot of work as a member of the community with his Wet’suwet’en neighbours and friends to ensure that their interests were reflected in his commercial back-country development and in the naming of the park.

It would be good to know whether the minister can advise, through her summing up of the second reading debate or in committee stage, whether the only commercial leaseholder in Burnie-Shea Park was actually consulted about the change of the name.

Of course, this man, Christoph Dietzfelbinger, is marketing not only to B.C. but to the rest of Canada and to an international crowd, and we know that there is great interest internationally in First Nations issues and culture. When the renaming or the repealing of the Wet’suwet’en part of the name of the park is suggested by this bill and by this government, one would think that commercial implications to the only leaseholder in the park would also be considered. I would be interested in knowing the consultation that occurred there.

Again, the Burnie Glacier Chalet is an amazing place to visit. It’s on my list to get to. It might have to be after I’m no longer the MLA for Stikine, when I have more time to get in better physical condition to enjoy Burnie-Shea Park, as discussed in Bill 15, and get into that chalet for some great back-country activities — skiing or hiking, perhaps even under my own power. You can. I know Christoph has led people in, including his own daughter, on alpine touring skis, so you don’t have to necessarily use a helicopter to get in. That would be a challenge that I would look forward to.

You can also access the chalet through non-guided means too. You can rent the chalet.

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It also brought up an interesting point for me — Bill 15 — in that Mr. Dietzfelbinger pays a lease fee, which he’s comfortable with or realizes is part of the obligations he has in using that area. He has made improvements in Burnie-Shea Park, trail improvements, so that everyone can have greater access to the spectacular scenery and views and alpine terrain. From subalpine to alpine, he has built these trails — and then lower down to the Burnie lakes, as well, in case people come in by floatplane.

These trails are part of the requirement under the lease. Obviously, Mr. Dietzfelbinger would wholly endorse this, as the trails are public. Anybody can use these trails, even though Mr. Dietzfelbinger has undertaken to build them at his own cost.

He was asking of me — and I asked this several years ago, as well, to the Minister of Environment at the time — if there could be any possible recognition of that kind of investment when it came to the lease fee. In other words, accommodating the fact that a commercial back-country leaseholder has put in capital investment into infrastructure that is open to everybody in the public…. Could that not be considered an accommodation being made on those costs under the lease fee that he pays to the province for operating his business within the provincial park?

That conversation and that suggestion has gone nowhere with the provincial government. But I hasten to add that although we’re talking about Burnie-Shea Park under Bill 15, there is precedent. We know that forest companies…. When they build roads into their forest licence areas, those kinds of costs are accommodated when it comes to paying the cost of stumpage to the province. Those kinds of input costs by forest companies are considered.

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Here we have a commercial recreation leaseholder who provides back-country recreation opportunities and also has input costs into infrastructure that the public can use, and he is not, under the current legislation or the current policy by this government, allowed to be accommodated for those costs in his lease fees.

That’s something else under Bill 15, under the Burnie-Shea amendment regarding the name of the park that struck me. I would like to see some consideration by the government on this. Perhaps the minister will address that in her comments to wrap up second reading.

There are a number of other parks mentioned in Bill 15. A few of them I have visited. Prudhomme Lake Park is close to Prince Rupert, and we see that there’s going to be an adjustment to the boundaries of that park. It’s got an interesting atmosphere, that park. It’s very close to the coast, obviously, so there’s a huge coastal influence. But it’s a freshwater lake, and you don’t get a lot of those where you can actually camp at very close to the tidewater.

It’s also a spot where it’s hard, difficult often, to get a spot because it’s the only provincial park in close proximity to Prince Rupert along Highway 16. Many people use it as a stopping-off place so they can go in and access the amenities of Prince Rupert. That shows, again, as the previous speaker from Prince George mentioned, how provincial parks also have an important economic aspect for local communities.

I was able this summer to stay in a couple of provincial parks. I stayed at Tyhee Provincial Park, which is in Stikine on Tyhee Lake, very close to Telkwa. I had a staycation there. I managed to…. Even though it’s only about an hour from where I live, I took a week’s holiday and set up for five days in the Tyhee Park. It was beautiful — sunsets, paddling, hiking, running, and not too far from Telkwa, where there’s an amazing bakery. You could actually run into Telkwa, if you felt like it, and have some amazing pastries.

Purden Lake I also stayed at. This is connected to Bill 15 in that Purden Lake is just east of Prince George. It’s a very beautiful park up on the plateau to the east of Prince George. The reason I mention it in connection to Bill 15 is that this summer my wife’s relatives from Scotland visited, and we camped at Purden Lake. We also visited what is being now proposed in Bill 15 for a class A park, the Ancient Forest — the Chun T’oh Whudujut Park, in the Lheidli T’enneh First Nations language. That is being proposed as I’ve said, in Bill 15 for a class A status.

When we camped at Purden Lake…. I don’t know if people from other parts of the province knew, but we had an amazing spring and first half of the summer in northern B.C. Around July 20, when my wife’s relatives from Scotland were coming over, we said, “We’re going to camp at Purden, and we’re going to go to the Ancient Forest,” as referenced in Bill 15. “Don’t worry. Just bring your shorts. It’s been an amazing summer.” The day they landed it started raining, and it never stopped in northern B.C. for the rest of the summer and into the fall.

At Purden, we sat around the campfire and smoked our hotdogs and smokies and tried to give them the Canadian experience. They were impressed, but it was pretty wet. They brought that from Scotland, I think.

The next day we stopped at the Ancient Forest, the area that’s being proposed for the class A park. We were on our way east to Jasper and the Rockies and stopped in. Many times I’ve driven that route from Prince George to Jasper and then down further south along the Icefields Parkway, and I hadn’t stopped. I saw this sign, “Ancient Forest,” and I saw a big parking lot. But I was in too much of a rush.

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Often that happens to us. We’re more intent on getting from A to B rather than enjoying the journey along the way. I guess that’s what’s nice about holiday time and having visitors from other places. We actually stop and take in, sometimes, the sights that are almost in our own backyard that we don’t appreciate.

That day we stopped at the Ancient Forest that is now being proposed to become a class A park — 11,190 hectares and a great effort by the Lheidli T’enneh First Nation

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and the Caledonia Ramblers hiking society. I was super impressed. In a previous career, I was head of back-country maintenance for a national park in the Rockies. I was a former trail builder on a trail crew for a decade. So when I see a new trail and I see the effort that was put into it, I really appreciate the thought and the engineering that has gone into the work.

What struck me first was the 500 metres of boardwalk. It’s not often that you stop, really, in the middle of nowhere, halfway between Prince George and McBride, about 120 kilometres east of Prince George, in this big gravel parking lot, and you get out of your car and there is this amazing 500 metres of boardwalk.

After the 500-metre boardwalk, the trail continues, and there’s a loop with a trail jutting off it. The loop is about three kilometres in length. It was great. I took the opportunity to put on my running shoes, and while my relatives were walking, I took a run around the trail loop just to stretch the legs between the drive from Prince George to Jasper and then down — we were heading to Field, B.C., at that time — so it was a great stop for that.

I was taken aback, actually, when I got back from my run. The number of vehicles in and out of the parking lot at the Ancient Forest was phenomenal. It was busy. I was surprised. I have learned since then that in 2015, 20,000-plus visitors stopped at that park.

There’s the boardwalk, there’s the interpretive signage, and there’s the three-kilometre loop. It all shows that if you build it, people will come. And if you build it in areas that are as special as the Ancient Forest, the Chun T’Oh Whudujut Park, people will come and enjoy it. I think it was being talked up a lot in the visitor centres in Prince George. Again, it’s another reason for people to stay a little longer in the area and to spend a little more time and, oftentimes, a little more money in the area.

We have the addition of this park, proposed under this Bill 15 — 11,190 hectares — and we have had a proposal, even, that it might become, or it’s going to be promoted to become, a UNESCO World Heritage Site because of that inland temperate rainforest. You know, when I went through it, I appreciated it, but where I live, in Hazelton, we have a lot of that style of forest — cedar, hemlock. But to see it so far to the east, almost to the Rockies, is what makes it so special and unique.

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We have an addition to the park system, and we have this, perhaps, going to be presented as a UNESCO World Heritage Site candidate. Yet there’s the concern that in the budget, basically, the budget line item under the Ministry of Environment for parks is flatlined. It’s 0.2 percent of an increase. That increase doesn’t even match inflation, so actually the parks line item under the Ministry of Environment budget is losing ground in this budget year.

That’s a concern because we see addition to parks, like a good proposed addition here, a class A park, but without the necessary resources to accompany it. That can be a problem.

That can be a problem for maintenance of these parks. That can become a problem for the quality of the visitor experience — how well maintained, for instance, that parking lot and the washroom facilities are. That applies across all parks, whether it was in the parks discussed in Bill 15, the more front-country parks, like Prudhomme; the ones I visited this summer, like Tyhee or Purden; or the more back-country parks, like the Tazdli Wyiez Bin/Burnie-Shea Park in Bill 15. This becomes an issue when you don’t add any resources to the existing base to support these parks.

As a previous speaker said, from Prince George, these parks are not only important from the aspect of preserving unique ecosystems for now, for enjoyment now and for future generations, but they have a role to play in driving diversity in local economies. If you do not invest in that kind of asset, then you risk compromising the local economies and compromising that diversity that allows rural communities, especially, to weather the ups and downs of the natural resource cycles by having diversity in areas such as tourism.

That’s a concern — that new parks and existing parks do not have the resources necessary to be all they can be when we see the park line item in this year’s budget, under the Ministry of Environment, actually losing ground.

There’s also a concern that Bill 15 makes me think about, and that’s that in 2014, Bill 4, the Park Amendment Act, was presented and passed by this minister. It permitted exploration research for industrial development for parks and protected areas. Not only did it do that, but it was at ministerial discretion — in other words, an order-in-council. There would not necessarily have to be any public debate.

We know people really have a strong feeling for their national parks. If there’s going to be any kind of industrial development — even if it is for research purposes, like drilling or geotechnical work — then that should be out in the open. It shouldn’t be a decision made behind closed doors at the discretion of the minister and the cabinet under an order-in-council.

That was a bill that this government tabled and passed in the Legislature in 2014. Again, when you look at Bill 15 today and we celebrate and the minister, rightly so, celebrates the provincial parks we have in this province…. Yet the same minister who really should be defending

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provincial parks introduced an amendment two years ago so that this kind of ministerial discretion could be used to permit industrial development in parks without the kind of public debate that should occur.

Interjection.

D. Donaldson: The minister seems to object to that, but Bill 4 was a bill that she introduced two years ago and that was passed. That was passed, and now when we talk about Bill 15 and the possible UNESCO protection, I think this government will have to answer to that.

You’re applying for a provincial park or you may be promoting a class A provincial park for UNESCO status. It was in the provincial government’s, this government’s, press release that they were looking forward to that potential. Yet they’re going to have to answer at that time to an organization like UNESCO about permitting research for industrial development in parks at the same time.

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Of course, “research” means geotechnical drilling, setting up drilling pads and drilling sites in provincial parks. That’s the kind of thing that this government is going to have to answer for — rightly so — if they want to promote to UNESCO world heritage organization that this kind of class A park that’s considered in Bill 15 could become a candidate for that.

All in all, I’m happy to talk to Bill 15 at this second reading, because it gives the opportunity to say how much we all enjoy and appreciate the provincial parks in this province. I look forward to the second reading comments or, perhaps at committee stage, for the minister to correct the record on the Wet’suwet’en Hereditary Chiefs aboriginal title over the Burnie-Shea area versus what she, I think, perhaps misspoke, referring to it as a reserve area under the Wet’suwet’en First Nation, the Broman Lake band — and also to hear about the consultation that occurred on the change in the name of the park with the commercial back-country operator in that park.

With that, I conclude my second reading debate comments.

J. Thornthwaite: I am happy to add my voice to those supporting Bill 15, Protected Areas of British Columbia Amendment Act, 2016. I’d like to start off with a quote. “It was a time when the critters were closer to the folks, and the folks were closer to the critters, and you might even say things were better all around.” Where did I get that? In Critter Country, in Disneyland, last week when I was on a holiday with my family. And of course, Winnie-the-Pooh and Christopher Robin spent a lot of time in the Ancient Forest.

The proposed legislation will establish one new class A park, add land to four parks and one conservatory, add marine foreshore to one park, adjust the boundary of one park and will make administrative changes to clarify park descriptions. Five parks and one conservancy will see land or foreshore additions, making up 530 hectares of the increase.

Halkett Bay Marine Park has added 136 hectares of marine foreshore, and there’s a name change from the Halkett Bay Park to Halkett Bay Marine Park to reflect the increased significance of the marine component, 136 hectares of marine foreshore being added to the park.

The Okanagan Mountain Park has 263 hectares added. Prudhomme Lake Park — 2.2 hectares of land and 1.9 hectares of lake foreshore. Tweedsmuir Provincial Park, 98 hectares. I’m going to probably get this pronunciation wrong for this park: sx̌ʷəx̌ʷnitkʷ Park, 0.4 hectares; and Sheemahant conservancy, 28.5 hectares.

This legislation will add more than 11,700 hectares to B.C.’s protected area system, including the establishment of a new provincial park, an ancient forest: Chun T’oh Whudujut Park. The legislation was created with extensive consultations about the Ancient Forest Park proposal, including local government, First Nations and the public. The Ancient Forest is 120 kilometres east of Prince George, along Highway 16, adjacent to Slim Creek Provincial Park.

The creation of a new class A park brings the total number in the protected area system to 628. Our Class A parks are dedicated to the preservation of the natural environment for the inspiration, use and enjoyment of the public. Development in a class A park is limited to that which is necessary for the preservation and maintenance of recreational activities. Activities such as grazing, hay-cutting and other uses — except commercial logging, mining or hydroelectric development — that existed at the time the park was established may be allowed to continue.

Three of the name changes reflect the aboriginal significance to the area, including reflecting communities of the Osoyoos Indian Band.

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The Ancient Forest is part of an interior cedar-hemlock forest, the only known inland temperate rainforest on earth. The area is home to a diverse ecosystem which includes some of the oldest western cedar trees in British Columbia.

In July 2015, B.C. signed an agreement with the Lheidli T’enneh First Nation and the Caledonia Ramblers hiking society, a community-based conservation organization, to explore the possibility of protecting this special area. Extensive consultations ensued, including a series of community meetings in McBride, Dome Creek, Shelley and Prince George. A consultation paper was posted on line for public feedback, drawing more than 100 submissions.

Local governments, including the regional district of Fraser–Fort George, the city of Prince George and the village of McBride, were invited to attend all these open houses. The Lheidli T’enneh First Nation, which is the

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only First Nation whose traditional territory includes the proposed park, has been working in close partnership with the government and has provided part of the name for the park, which means “the oldest trees.”

I add my voice to those that are supporting Bill 15, the Protected Areas of British Columbia Amendment Act.

S. Chandra Herbert: It gives me great pleasure to speak in support of Bill 15, the Protected Areas of B.C. Amendment Act. It gives me great pleasure because I love nature. I love parks. I love our wilderness areas. I love what they do for us as a society, as a community. I love what they do for our economy, for our environment, for our understanding of our place in the world.

It doesn’t take long from entering a park…. For me, my joke — it’s probably reality — is: my church is nature. That’s where I go to find spirituality. It doesn’t take too long before you enter most any one of our natural areas in B.C. till you’re reminded about how connected we are to the greatness of nature, of this place that we all live on; how small we are; how we should perhaps be a bit humbler, which I think is something that our constituents would appreciate from every one of us elected politicians. Humility is a good thing, and nature can certainly provide that.

You know, one thing that I think I’d recommend everyone in this House and at home do if they’re interested in the history of parks, if they’re interested in how B.C. created the number of parks or announced or named them — the parks were there before we called them a park; that’s an important thing that I’ll touch on soon — is to pick up a book that I read the other day, which I don’t think got the same attention that it should have.

It’s from 2011. It’s called British Columbia’s Magnificent Parks: The First 100 Years , by James D. Anderson. He’s a former B.C. Parks employee, a staff member who worked for many years in the trenches helping to build our parks and our Ministry of Environment, as we know it today. He goes through the history of each and every park, from Strathcona on upwards: how they came to be, the difference between classifications of parks, how we used to manage parks.

What was interesting, I think, in the book was how many times the creation of the parks didn’t come from politicians. It wasn’t political leaders who wanted to pat themselves on the back and stand in front of a press conference. No, it came about because of community action and the staff in the ministry themselves. Staff members went out and scoured the province — on horseback in the early days, in many cases — to find what we had, what was here, what needed to be protected, what particularly spectacular places needed to be saved.

Now, of course, I think it’s important to acknowledge that First Nations people, who were here long before most of us, were here protecting those areas, working with those areas and living with those areas. Of course, in this bill today, there’s actually a recognition of that, to an extent. I do want to acknowledge and thank the government for doing that.

One very simple way to understand it would be to look at sẁiẁs Park, what was formally known as Haynes Point Park — which, of course, before that had an Osoyoos Nation name. To change the name to just the First Nations name, in the Osoyoos language, I think is really important, because it frames how we should understand that park.

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It wasn’t a park all of a sudden on which now we go: “Oh, now the First Nations people are wanting there.” In fact, no, it was one of the major crossing points for the nation. I understand, in talking to the Osoyoos Nation as well as archaeologists up there, it’s an incredibly important park for the history and understanding of civilization, of settlement, of living in the Okanagan Valley for thousands upon thousands of years.

It’s very important that we acknowledge that and that it be understood, because too often our parks have been created, and only now are we acknowledging that, no, they were village sites, their homes. They were foraging and hunting sites, important religious and cultural sites for First Nations, straight through to today.

The naming of a park, or the creation of a park, didn’t change that. Sometimes, unfortunately, in a number of cases, the B.C. government of the day acted in such a way as to try to dispossess the people who were on the land to begin with, who were there, and to keep them away from territory that they knew better than the B.C. Parks staff or the ministry or the politicians who were stepping in and saying: “No, this is a park. Don’t you know how important this is?” Well, obviously, the nations did, as they were protecting and taking care of the areas for many generations prior to us. I think that is very important.

I do want to acknowledge that the Ancient Forest Park, which is being created in this legislation, was created in partnership with the Lheidli T’enneh First Nation. Chun T’oh Whudujut, I believe, is how I heard others say it, and I’m going to meet a Lheidli T’enneh First Nation person to learn it one of these days when I actually get up there and do a fuller walk around the park.

I must admit that I only did complete half of it. I was late, but I’d always heard that it was a place to visit. Prior to its becoming a provincial park, I did get in for a visit and a hike along that volunteer-created trail part of the way. I realized that I was going to be late for a meeting, so I had to pull myself out of my temple, out of the forest, and get out there on the road to get to another meeting in the community.

It’s an incredible place. I do want to thank the volunteers. Again, going back to my earlier point: it’s volunteers, community members who are out on the land, who get to see these places, who know these places, who then raise them, often, with politicians or ministry staff who

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then bring forward these recommendations for action. It’s an exciting day to be able to see that part of a new park, the actual creation of a new park here. Community; First Nations; volunteers; the government, in this case; forestry and others are coming together to say: “We need to protect these parks. These places are important.”

Our parks need our help. I know we’re shifting some boundaries, adding a few bits and bobs here and there in a couple of other areas — important changes, absolutely — but we’re not, at least in my view, doing enough to acknowledge that parks are incredibly important places in a time of climate change.

The connections between parks are vital. It doesn’t do us all that much good if we protect an endangered species in one park, but all of a sudden they can’t get anywhere else. That makes them prone, of course, to disease and various other things, because they cannot interbreed with other creatures of the same ilk. They can’t do their business, so to speak, and they can die very quickly.

That’s happening across Canada now, as we’re seeing a die-off globally of endangered species, unlike any we’ve seen for many, many years — since the ice age, they say — from anthropogenic changes, human-caused changes, which are impacting species in ways we could never predict.

While we’ve managed to protect many areas that are important for ecosystems and ecological health, unfortunately the linkages between them are not that great. So you can get an island effect, where you have islands of protection which aren’t integrated to create an entirety of protection which a species may need to survive. We need to look at that.

Does that mean new parks? Yes. Does that mean changes to certain other areas — that maybe it’s not a park, but it’s a conservation area, or it’s an area with limited uses? Yes, we need to look at that kind of thing. It’s looking at how we can do things where there are already settlements in areas that are blocking species diversity and seeing how we can integrate species into our communities rather than keeping them out.

Sometimes something as simple as ensuring that there’s an access way under a road for amphibians could be all the difference in terms of: do they survive or not? That has to be integrated into all of our thinking.

I, of course, as well, would urge that we should look to actually get a B.C. species-at-risk act so that B.C. by law is much stronger in terms of how we address species at risk, so that we actually have an obligation to ensure that we’re not saying goodbye to certain species for the last time, never to be seen again in this province, by us or anybody. To the next generation, surely, we have an responsibility to do that.

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There are other challenges with our parks. Of course, climate change is a massive one, in terms of changes to the parks themselves.

Maintenance issues. We people coming into parks can do all sorts of things. We can do great things; we can do damaging things. In some cases, maintenance and enforcement and conservation really aren’t keeping pace with the demands the public is putting on places. You’re finding very sensitive environmental areas trampled. You’re finding, in some cases….

Boardwalks are important to keep people off of very sensitive ecosystems, aquatic ecosystems. etc. You find boardwalks broken or nonexistent. Then, of course, people are trampling through the bogs, trampling through the brush, creating a real mess, in some cases, in environments that take hundreds, if not thousands, of years to bounce back to the strength that they had before. With climate change and that stress, that’s even more difficult.

When I read through mountaineer websites, when I read hiking websites, Facebook, etc. — I’m a bit of hiker, bit of an outdoor enthusiast — what I hear loud and clear from most parts of the province is this. This incredible trail, which I last took in the 1990s…. It was clean. It was clear. It had just been rebuilt. Now you can’t find it anymore. You find that in park after park after park. Trails that were built through student grants, in some cases….

The government of the day had programs designed to get youth working — youth unemployment programs to help youth get employed, and not just youth — and environmental leadership programs, where you could go out and build trails. Maybe it was a small grant to a community organization in B.C. parks. Those don’t really exist anymore, and we’re seeing the damage in park after park after park.

You hear about it — unfortunately, sometimes — from visitors, who come here. They say: “I love the place. You’ve got incredible natural areas. But, you know, you really don’t take care of them very well. Why?” They compare us to Washington state, Oregon, Alberta. They compare us, in those cases, unfavourably. They say we’ve got incredible assets, which are better than any of those provinces, but that we’re not taking care of them as we should.

Certainly, as we add more parks in B.C., I would argue that you have to add more parks protection and support — support to keep those parks healthy, support to keep those ecosystems healthy and to deal with the conservation challenges. Sometimes people go into parks and do some pretty bad things. They cut trees down — massive cedars. I was at one park on Vancouver Island — Carmanah Valley. What happened there? Well, somebody came and chopped down an old-growth cedar, put it in the back of their pickup truck and drove away. Now, it’s far away. It’s hard to get there. So I understand it can be challenging at times to get enforcement actions.

But really, when you talk to anybody who works in parks these days or who volunteers or who just uses them a lot, for the most part they can’t tell you the last time they saw somebody actually employed by the parks de-

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partment, by the Ministry of Environment, actually out in the field. The park rangers, the conservation officers, will tell you the same thing. They say it used to be any time, anywhere. Now they say it’s call me, maybe. “You call me. Maybe I’ll respond. Maybe I won’t. Maybe I’ll have gas money to be able to get to the issue. Maybe I can’t. Maybe I’m the only conservation officer in an area the size of France.”

That’s actually true. That happens in a number of parts of B.C., where it’s good luck getting an officer out. They want to come, but there are too few of them, and the geography is vast. Environmental laws go unpunished. People break them. They don’t have to deal with any repercussion. We see that all across the province. I know that the Wildlife Federation has raised this issue time and time again. They want action. Ecotourism businesses want action. But unfortunately, we’re not getting there.

While we create new laws, while we pass more protected areas, while we create more conservancies, I think we also have a duty and obligation to ensure that they’re more than just a word on a paper, that they actually have that standard of protection and support. A class A park should be a class A park. It should be an area that we put our utmost attention to protecting and ensuring it’s there in just as healthy, if not healthier, a situation in the future. Many of our parks, to be honest, need some help. They really do.

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Of course, forestry. In that tradition, we have a lot of work to do to help re-establish some of the ecosystems that may have been impacted during days when we didn’t have very good protections to ensure that forestry was done to the level of protections that we should have — challenges which, I might add, we continue to face in some parts of this province.

I’m excited to be able to visit a number of these parks in the future when they are actually officially parks, in the case of the Ancient Forest. I’m excited that we’re seeing interest, at least, in the naming of parks. I’m certainly hopeful we can then follow that up with investments in parks.

Finally, I think there are a few things we still have left to do. In British Columbia’s Magnificent Parks: The First 100 Years , something James D. Anderson had to say a lot about was the importance of acquiring parks and the importance of people thinking forward, thinking long term about how to create places to visit, places that people want to go to. He identified a few parks in B.C. which wouldn’t have come about if it hadn’t been for the staff and community members and others working together, some of them Rathtrevor Park, Ruckle Park on Saltspring, Porteau Cove, Okanagan Lake.

For many people in B.C., when they hear those names, they think of camping. They think: “Oh well, I’ve been to that park. I’ve stayed in that park.” They’re incredible parks. They are some of the parks with the highest occupancy rates in B.C. Why is that? They’re close to population centres. That helps. But they’re incredibly useful places that you can get to quickly — bring your family, hang out, visit, have an up-close-and-personal visit with nature. And they were purchased through a fund in the budget to purchase parks.

I think we need to have that fund in a bigger way again, where community members can raise money. They can put money together. Others maybe want to donate a property or sell part of their property, what have you — ways that we can expand the system through community support, ways that we can work with the tourism industry as well. So when there is a site that would draw a lot of interest — tourism interest, public interest as well — we can step in and protect it and make sure that it’s there forever.

Park architects of the past, park staff, community members and a few brave — well, I wouldn’t say brave, actually; that would be the wrong term — a few hopeful politicians — and actually, once they did it, then all the politicians wanted to get in on it — have helped expand the park system in B.C. to a level that we’ve never seen before. There are still a few ecosystems which aren’t included — one that I think we need included in the national park in Okanagan-Similkameen — but that’s still to come, I hope. I knock on wood.

We’ve still got a way to go for sure, but this is a good day to declare a new park, and I’m proud to support the bill.

D. Plecas: I’m pleased to rise today on behalf of my constituents in Abbotsford South and speak to, and in favour of, Bill 15. That is the Protected Areas of British Columbia Amendment Act, 2016.

British Columbia, as we all know, is known around the world for its pristine natural beauty. We as British Columbians are lucky to have such an immense natural playground, which offers endless opportunities for outdoor adventure and exploration. Our incredible system of parks not only protects significant ecological and cul-

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tural values, but it also provides visitors and residents alike with unforgettable experiences.

Bill 15 demonstrates government’s commitment to preserving our province’s spectacular natural beauty for generations in the future and for all British Columbians. If this legislation is passed, B.C.’s parks and protected area systems will increase by more than 11,000 hectares.

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The proposed legislation will establish one new class A park, add land to four parks and one conservancy, add marine foreshore to one park, adjust the boundary of one park and will make administrative changes to clarify park descriptions. These administrative changes include changing the names of four parks and clarifying several park descriptions.

The proposed class A provincial park named the Ancient Forest or Chun T’oh Whudujut Park is an ecological marvel in our province. Located 120 kilometres east of Prince George along Highway 16, the Ancient Forest is part of the interior cedar-hemlock forest, which is the only known inland temperate rainforest on earth. The area is home to a diverse and healthy ecosystem, including some of the oldest western cedar trees in the province.

Class A parks are lands dedicated to the preservation of their natural environments for the inspiration, use and enjoyment of the public. Development in a class A park is limited to that which is necessary for the preservation and maintenance of its recreational values and ensuring that the Ancient Forest remains a pristine natural wonder for future generations to explore.

There were many groups that were extensively involved in preserving this space, and I would like to take this opportunity to mention some of them today. In July ’15, the province signed an agreement with the Lheidli T’enneh First Nation and the Caledonia Ramblers Hiking Society, a community-based conservation organization, to explore the possibilities of protecting this special area.

Since that time, extensive consultation about the Ancient Forest Park proposal has been undertaken with local government, First Nations and the public in order to create this legislation. A series of community meetings were held in surrounding communities, including McBride, Dome Creek, Shelley and Prince George. A consultation paper was posted on line for public feedback, and it drew more than 100 submissions.

Local governments — including the regional district of Fraser–Fort George, the city of Prince George and the village of McBride — were invited to attend open houses. In addition, the Lheidli T’enneh First Nation, which is the only First Nation whose traditional territory includes a proposed park, has been working closely in partnership with the government throughout this process. They have even provided part of the name for the park, Chun T’oh Whudujut, which means “oldest trees.”

I would also like to mention Darwyn Coxson, a biology professor from the University of Northern British Columbia, who was very helpful and knowledgable as resource throughout the consultation process.

The Ancient Forest Provincial Park will be managed within the current budget of B.C. Parks, which will continue the existing arrangement with the Caledonia Ramblers Hiking Society for the maintenance of the popular hiking trail and boardwalk in the park. After establishing this area as a provincial park, work can begin on getting the area named as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Bill 15 will also provide land or foreshore additions to five parks and one conservatory, making up 530 hectares of the total increase to B.C. parks and protected areas. Halkett Bay Marine Park will be increased by 136 hectares of marine foreshore, which protects a recently discovered rare glass sponge reef southeast of Gambier Island.

Okanagan Mountain Park will be increased by 263 hectares, resulting from Crown lands being added to the park. Prudhomme Lake Park will see additions of 2.2 hectares of land and 1.96 hectares of lake foreshore as a result of a private land acquisition. Tweedsmuir Park and sx̌ʷəx̌ʷnitkʷ Park will see increases of 98 hectares and 0.4 hectares respectively, due to a private land acquisition.

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Finally, the Sheemahant conservancy will be increased by 28.5 hectares, resulting from the inclusion of a former forestry road and cutting area.

I would also like to note that Bill 15 will make slight changes to the boundaries of the Nahatlach Park, with the removal of 1.2 hectares to offer those lands to the Boston Bar First Nations as part of a negotiated settlement.

Bill 15 also proposes name changes to four class A parks. Halkett Bay Park is being changed to Halkett Bay Marine Park to reflect the increased significance of marine foreshore in the park’s area. Tazdli Wyiez Bin/Burnie-Shea Park is being renamed to just Burnie-Shea Park. This change is being made at the request of the Wet’suwet’en First Nations, who did not feel the name they originally identified for the park reflected the correct meaning.

The legislation also removes the words Haynes Point and Okanagan Falls from sẁiẁs and sx̌ʷəx̌ʷnitkʷ parks, following their official renaming on May 15 to their traditional First Nations names. These two park names are being changed, again, to reflect commitments made by the province in a more recent discussion with the Osoyoos Indian Band.

To summarize, the changes proposed by Bill 15 reflect government’s commitment to work with First Nations and other groups to ensure that B.C.’s natural beauty can continue to awe and inspire generations to come. For these reasons, with my constituents in Abbotsford South in mind, I am proud to speak in support of this act today.

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J. Rice: I’m happy to rise today to speak to Bill 15, Protected Areas of British Columbia Amendment Act, 2016. As mentioned earlier, the proposed bill creates a new class A provincial park near Prince George, preserving an ancient forest. It adds land and aquatic foreshore to five parks and one conservancy, and it adjusts the boundary of another park and makes some administrative changes to clarify park descriptions.

I will rise today and support this bill, but I’ll take the opportunity to make comments on two of the impacted parks which fall within my constituency — one being Prudhomme Lake Park, which is just outside of Prince Rupert — a very popular area used by local residents and visitors. Another park, a much larger park, which is Tweedsmuir Park, encompasses so many constituencies of so many MLAs. But the proposed changes in this amendment act impact the area of the park close to my constituency — Bella Coola.

I think I’ll talk a little bit about just the fact that in the central coast…. To access Tweedsmuir Park in the Bella Coola area, that part of the park, one of the ways of getting there is by ferry. This is the central coast ferry route that was cut, subsequently, in the last two years. We’ve lost the key tool to accessing this part of Tweedsmuir Park. It’s a gorgeous park. I visit it every time I visit my constituents in the central coast.

I’ve also had the pleasure of staying in a cabin within Tweedsmuir Park near the Atnarko River watershed area, which is an area that is being expanded in this particular bill — lots of grizzly bears, lots of wildlife in general. Last summer was probably one of the few trips where I had more pictures of animals than I did of people — of foxes and bears and other wildlife, lots of waterfowl.

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A really beautiful area, a stunning area. The awesome photographers that we have in the central coast, in the Bella Coola Valley, are residents that take phenomenal photographs that are hugely popular on the Internet and draw a lot of people to wanting to visit the area.

However, as I’ve mentioned in other opportunities speaking in the House, the key way of getting to this part of Tweedsmuir Park is by ferry, and we’ve lost the Queen of Chilliwack ferry, which used to take over 100 cars. It’s been replaced by the winter ferry, which is the Nimpkish , which has a maximum carload of 16 vehicles. There has been quite a bit of research done in the area on how this is providing a big choke in tourism.

The central coast has had to reinvent itself on more than one occasion: being in the heart of the Great Bear Rainforest, participating in the new management regime of ecosystem-based management, which, generally speaking, most people are supportive of because it makes sense. It makes ecological sense. It benefits the people. It benefits First Nations. It benefits the wildlife. It preserves sensitive areas. It allows for a robust and sustainable forest industry.

Considering that people had to really make big changes in their lives and their livelihoods in the Bella Coola Valley near Tweedsmuir Park, tourism — which was the idea of the provincial government, this B.C. Liberal government for…. That was the idea that this government had for Bella Coola Valley residents to reinvent themselves with, and so they did.

There were some resources put into the valley many years ago for the residents of the Bella Coola Valley to reinvent themselves as an ecotourism centre. We have gorgeous lodges. We have accommodations, from motels all the way up to really remote cabins, to camping — beautiful places within Tweedsmuir and outside of Tweedsmuir.

We have rafting guides. We have photography tours. It’s a very phenomenal place to witness grizzly bears. In the fall, the amount of grizzly bears that we see in and outside of the park, even in the communities and people’s backyards, is pretty spectacular. This is something that is really attractive to tourists.

My concern is that in expanding Tweedsmuir Park and creating a beautiful gem for British Columbians and tourists alike to visit and to participate in, we have also got to support the mechanisms for people to get there, which is providing that area, the Bella Coola Valley area, a robust ferry system.

We have another option of getting into that southern part or eastern part of Tweedsmuir Park, which is by road, Highway 20 from Williams Lake. It’s an infamous highway. There’s the infamous hill. Not all vehicles can do that trip in the wintertime. It’s a long drive. It’s a beautiful drive. I’ve done it. However, many tourists are reticent to take a long drive into the Bella Coola Valley to see this part of Tweedsmuir Park and then do the return trip up the hill back out.

What tourists really want to do is the circle tour. It used to be called the Discovery coast circle tour. You drive in one way and ferry out the other, going down to the northern part of Vancouver Island, possibly through Vancouver and up through the Interior. Or they do that trip in reverse. They come up from the Vancouver area or even the United States, travel through Vancouver Island, get on the ferry in Port Hardy, get off in Bella Coola and drive out the highway — drive out and camp and participate, go fishing, hiking, take photography trips — through Tweedsmuir Park and back out through Williams Lake and down again. Some of them travel up even north.

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It’s really hard to do this trip now. I tried to book the circle tour last spring for this past summer. I was quite proud of myself for being organized and pre-emptive in planning my trip in March to take in July or August. However, by the end of March, the ferry had been already booked up until September. So I wasn’t pre-emptive enough, and I wasn’t organized enough, because the 16-vehicle ferry had already been booked up.

Great opportunities for aboriginal tourism in this area. Just outside of Tweedsmuir Park are some beauti-

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ful petroglyphs. I’ve actually seen rock art or petroglyphs and petrographs all over our province, but I’ve never seen so many in such a small area, I guess you could say, or so close together. You can take a tour with a Nuxalk guide who will show you all these beautiful petroglyphs with interesting creation stories, interesting history.

Yet, in order to do that, we have again removed the one key tool for people to participate. While I support expanding Tweedsmuir Park, protecting an area that is a crucial area…. The particular expansion area is crucial for salmon, a salmon habitat area, a salmon feeding area. It’s also an important area for waterfowl and other wildlife. It’s an important area to protect.

[R. Lee in the chair.]

It’s also an important area to share with British Columbians, to share with tourists. Therefore, while I support the expansion of the park, I also support the implementation of a robust ferry system so that people can actually witness this area and participate and we can provide economic stability for the residents of the Bella Coola Valley. I feel that they have unfairly been the bearers of a huge burden of constant government cutbacks and changes, with limited consultation, to the area.

They’re very resourceful people. However, it’s a real struggle for them to continuously face ferry cuts — not even ferry changes, but ferry cuts — and the huge impact of removing the Queen of Chilliwack. A ferry of a decent size could actually allow them to have a tourism economy, which they were encouraged to do with changes to the way forestry practices were conducted in that valley. I feel that they are at least deserving of some basic, minimum-service levels, as well as opportunities for a robust tourism industry.

The other park that is impacted by this amendment act is Prudhomme Lake Park, which is just outside of Prince Rupert. It’s maybe 16 kilometres, I believe. It’s a short drive. That’s all I recall. I’ve been to the area numerous times, although I’m sad to say I haven’t visited the area in recent times due to my schedule. However, I’ve been inspired to go back and perhaps do some kayaking on the lake, which is something I enjoyed a few years back before being an MLA. I look forward to bringing that back into my life.

It’s an interesting park in that it is on a lake and it’s so close to the ocean at Prince Rupert. There are some cottages that are only accessible by boat or by kayak or canoe. It’s a heavily utilized area. Quite a few people have cabins on the other side of the lake. You can see the cars that belong to the cabin owners just lined up along Highway 16.

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It’s an area of high congestion that really needs some attention. Not only that, there is the campsite, which is heavily utilized by Prince Rupert residents because it is so close to Prince Rupert. It’s one of the closest places to camp if you’re a Prince Rupert resident and therefore very popular. Expanding that area to allow for camping, I think, would be a good idea.

I’m not sure. I’ve looked at the map, but I can’t tell from the map how it would impact the cabin owners, so I’m reticent to speak to that. But if it makes for easier access for the cabin owners and the campers, then of course I would be supportive of that, especially just in regards to the safety of accessing and enjoying the park.

I know it’s a bit concerning to have so many vehicles parked along the side of the highway. The boat ramp, or the water access area, is heavily utilized by boaters as well as canoeists and kayakers. It’s been brought to my attention that any way we could support the recreational users of Prudhomme Lake would be appreciated and beneficial. Again, considering it’s a highly utilized area, anything to make sure that safety is of utmost concern — and fairness in allowing people to access and enjoy the area.

It’s a great place that is located so close to Prince Rupert, a great escape for folks. I do know that it’s also visited by tourists from afar. People that are going on to Haida Gwaii or up to Alaska will often stop and stay in Prudhomme or near by. So anything we can do to accommodate that and, again, bring in tourism dollars to Prince Rupert I would greatly support.

One thing I’d like to talk about…. While we’re expanding parks, which I think most