Third Session, 42nd Parliament

(2022) OFFICIAL REPORT

OF DEBATES

(HANSARD)

Wednesday, October 5, 2022

Afternoon Sitting

Issue No. 225

ISSN 1499-2175

The HTML transcript is provided for informational purposes only.

The PDF transcript remains the official digital version.

CONTENTS

Routine Business

Statements

50th anniversary of Hansard in B.C.

Hon. M. Farnworth

P. Milobar

Introductions by Members

Statements

50th anniversary of Hansard in B.C.

A. Olsen

Introductions by Members

Tributes

Gloria Macdonald

A. Singh

Introductions by Members

Introduction and First Reading of Bills

Bill 32 — Gaming Control Act

Hon. M. Farnworth

Bill 31 — B.C. Pavilion Corporation Act

Hon. N. Cullen

Statements (Standing Order 25B)

Breast cancer screening and breast density information

J. Routledge

World Teachers Day and role of teachers during COVID-19

E. Sturko

World Mental Health Day and mental health advocacy and services

R. Singh

Bird banding program at Mackenzie Nature Observatory

M. Morris

Registered disability savings plans

D. Coulter

School-based nutrition program in Kelowna West

B. Stewart

Oral Questions

Crime in communities and handling of cases by justice system

K. Falcon

Hon. M. Rankin

Hon. M. Farnworth

E. Sturko

Coastal GasLink pipeline project environmental compliance

and enforcement

A. Olsen

Hon. G. Heyman

Coastal GasLink pipeline project and government response

to protests

A. Olsen

Hon. M. Farnworth

Crime in Kelowna and handling of cases by justice system

R. Merrifield

Hon. M. Rankin

Action on gas prices

T. Stone

Hon. B. Ralston

Tabling Documents

Elections B.C., annual report, 2021-22, and service plan, 2022-23–2024-25

TogetherBC, annual report, 2021

Orders of the Day

Second Reading of Bills

Bill 30 — Cannabis Control and Licensing Amendment Act, 2022

Hon. M. Farnworth

M. Morris

H. Yao

G. Kyllo

A. Singh

L. Doerkson

B. Anderson

T. Wat

R. Russell

J. Rice

Hon. L. Beare

Bill 29 — Mortgage Services Act

Hon. M. Farnworth

P. Milobar

B. Bailey

K. Kirkpatrick

H. Yao

B. D’Eith

A. Mercier

A. Singh

K. Paddon

G. Lore

Hon. N. Cullen

Hon. M. Farnworth

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 5, 2022

The House met at 1:34 p.m.

[Mr. Speaker in the chair.]

Routine Business

Prayers and reflections: G. Lore.

[1:35 p.m.]

Statements

50 th ANNIVERSARY OF

Hansard IN B.C.

Hon. M. Farnworth: Today is a very special day for a very important group of people

in this chamber. I am talking about Hansard. Today is the 50th

anniversary of Hansard.

Hansard is the official record of this place. Its

journals, its proceedings, the debates, the arguments, the emotion that

is captured in the words exchanged in this place — every single one of

them is recorded by Hansard in the form of the Blues and then

the official record. You can go online.

When I started in this place, you could not do that. There were

the boxes behind us; the Blues would go there. The paper copies

would go there, and people would go and check to go: “I did not say

that.” But Hansard was that final verdict that yes, you did.

When it was brought in, in 1972, it was a most welcome addition to how

this place functions. Prior to that, that record did not

exist.

For 50 years, dedicated staff of Hansard have sat not just in the

session that we have now, with our far more civilized sitting hours, but

they were there through those long night sessions that sometimes went 24

or even 32 hours in a row. People were exhausted, but they did their job

up there, never complaining. They did it fall sessions; they did it

spring sessions. They did it prior to elections. They did it for

emergency sessions that were sometimes called on short

notice.

They do an incredible, amazing job for each and every one of us

and for the public of this province. I would like us to recognize that

and give them a very big, heartfelt round of applause.

[Applause.]

Mr. Speaker: Hansard, is something happening?

P. Milobar: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I think Hansard was messing with your

microphone there.

On behalf of the official opposition, I’d also like to echo what

the Government House Leader has said about Han­sard. I know, as

newly elected in 2017, it was an invaluable resource to be able to look

back and remind members that are now in government what they used to say

when they were in opposition and say it with great accuracy. I know the

same has happened vice versa over the years by the various

members.

It is a very important role they play in our democracy — our

committee meeting structure as well. It makes it much more open and

transparent and easy for the public to go back and find out what was

actually said in those committee meetings and various

deliberations.

Thank you to Hansard for 50 years, on behalf of the

opposition.

Introductions by Members

P. Milobar: I’d also like to take a moment to make an introduction, as well, of

special guests we have. It’s my pleasure to welcome the members of the

Public Accounts Committee of the National Assembly of the Parliament of the

Co-operative Republic of Guyana.

We have several members here today. We have Mr. Figueira. He’s the

chairman. Mr. Seeraj is an MP. Ms. Fernandes is an MP. They’re accompanied

by Mr. Shuman, Deputy Speaker; Mr. Sharma, the Auditor General; Mrs.

D’Andrade, Clerk of Committees; Ms. Singh, Assistant Clerk of Committees;

Mr. Nickram, Assistant Clerk of Committees; and Mr. Hardeen, a research and

analytical assistant.

This delegation has met with both the Public Accounts Committees a

couple times this week as well as several staff in the Clerk’s office in the

building as well to better understand how we operate things on behalf of the

residents of British Columbia.

Will the House please make the delegation from Guyana very

welcome.

[1:40 p.m.]

Hon. R. Fleming: Mr. Speaker, I have two introductions I wish to make today.

Joining us in the gallery I’m very pleased to have in our company

today the entire executive board of the B.C. Road Builders and Heavy

Construction Association. I don’t have to tell members of this House how

important their association is during normal times. But through the

extraordinary times we’ve been through in our province, their work is even

more valuable.

This organization was a key partner in our response to the atmospheric

river that hit southern British Columbia last November, heavily damaging

most of our highways, disrupting our all-important supply chain. I can tell

you that some of the folks in the gallery were there on the Coquihalla for

35 days straight. They exceeded everybody’s expectations and had that

highway reopened for commerce and for travel five days before Christmas. I

would like to thank them.

I would also like to introduce Nicholas Adams to our chamber this

morning. He is the western director for the Labourers International Union of

North America. He has recently moved to British Columbia. It’s fantastic to

have a new resident here. He represents the 10,000 — and growing — members

of his union in British Columbia, 150,000 across the country. Of course,

part of that organization is improving working conditions and providing good

wages for working families and good benefits for their loved ones and

children.

These members of the Labourers International Union were also very

intrinsic to our response to the atmospheric river events. It was their

members operating equipment and getting our highways back up and running.

Obviously, construction plays an incredibly important

part in our economy,

and every member of this House knows and appreciates what that means in our

daily lives. I would also like to welcome Mr. Adams to the House this

afternoon.

To our two guests, of both the B. C. Road Builders and the Labourers

International Union: what a great partnership to have — labour and the

management of companies here, who have done such great service to the

province of British Columbia.

Statements

50 th ANNIVERSARY OF

Hansard IN B.C.

A. Olsen: Mr. Speaker, I would like to echo the sentiments that were raised

and the comments that were raised by my colleagues from government and

from the official opposition, and just to add our caucus’s voice to the

gratitude that we have for Hansard and the incredibly important job that

they do on behalf of all British Columbians.

Our democracy is really founded in the ability to access

information and for the people of B.C. to be able to see the work that

we do in this building. Without Hansard , that would be made

near impossible.

So I just want to raise my hands to the good work and the good

people of Hansard. HÍSW̱ḴE

SIÁM; thank you.

Introductions by Members

E. Ross: Mr. Speaker, I’d like to welcome back a very special guest to the

House, Michelle Stilwell. Michelle Stilwell was elected to the Legislative

Assembly in 2013 and served till 2020. She served as caucus chair for our

B.C. Liberal Party and as Parliamentary Secretary for Healthy Living and

Seniors for two years before being sworn in as Minister for Social

Development and Social Innovation.

She has got an accomplished athletic career. I used to joke with her

that her office was set up as a shrine to herself, but her achievements are

quite impressive, so I ask for a bit of indulgence in explaining what she

accomplished.

In 2008 at the Paralympic Games, she won two gold medals in the

women’s T52 200-metre and 100-metre events. This was followed by three gold

medals and one silver at the 2011 World Championships in Christchurch, New

Zealand.

That wasn’t enough. At the London 2012 Paralympic Games, Stilwell

defended her Paralympic gold medal in the women’s 200 metres. Four days

later she captured a silver medal in 100 metres. The following year she

competed in the 2013 IPC Athletics World Championships and set a new world

record in the women’s T52 class 800 metres.

In 2016, her last Paralympic Games, Michelle Stilwell earned a gold

medal while also setting a Paralympics record during the T52 wheelchair

400-metre race. The following year she retired and was inducted into the

B.C. Sports Hall of Fame. She was also inducted into the Manitoba Sports

Hall of Fame in 2019.

[1:45 p.m.]

On a personal note, she actually, along with Stephanie Cadieux and Sam

Sullivan, taught me a lot about what it’s like to live with a disability.

With Stephanie Cadieux, I asked Stephanie Cadieux about whether or not I

could help her with her wheelchair. She said: “Sure. Great. I welcome the

help.”

With Sam Sullivan, I asked to help him, but he said: “I appreciate it,

but you can’t help me. I have my wheelchair, and I’m specific in my needs,

so you really can’t help me.” I tried to help Michelle Stilwell, and she

almost tore my head off. “I don’t need your help. Did I ask for your

help?”

She, Stephanie and Sam really taught me a lot, even to the point where

Michelle Stilwell invited me down to a Wounded Warriors basketball game,

wheelchair, just down here, just down the road. It was quite remarkable for

the veterans that served in the military who were dealing with mental health

issues, some with some physical issues but were still out there in a group

exercise, trying to deal with their issues.

When we walked into the gymnasium, they swarmed around her. She’s a

rock star. Meanwhile, I was the guy standing off in the back trying to get

noticed as an MLA. They didn’t care about me. That was the kind of reception

she got, and quite deservedly.

I was so humbled by that experience. I went back to Skeena and told

everybody about the veterans that served in the military as well as what

it’s like to play basketball in a wheelchair, which is extremely

difficult.

She also taught me a lot about people who live on the autism spectrum

by talking about her son, Kai, whom she is very proud of and who, as we

speak, because of the services that were provided by the B.C. government and

other agencies, is now working towards an indepen­dent life, including

being an entrepreneur. His popcorn is being distributed outside the

Legislature on the lawn as we speak right now.

It’s been an incredible honour to know and to work with Michelle

Stilwell.

Will the House please welcome back the hon. Michelle

Stilwell.

D. Coulter: Joining us in the gallery today are Neil Belanger, from B.C.

Aboriginal Network on Disability; Stephanie Debisschop, Khair Hamzah and

Liss Cairns, from Plan Institute; Karla Verschoor, from Inclusion B.C.;

Lauren Stinson, with her father, Glenn Stinson, from Disability Alliance

B.C.; and Liz Maze, from B.C.’s Office of the Human Rights

Commissioner.

They are here today raising awareness about the registered disability

savings plan and are partners with the Ministry of Social Development and

Poverty Reduction.

Would the House please join me in welcoming them today.

D. Clovechok: It gives me a great deal of pleasure today to introduce to this House

a friend of mine, a young woman from Manitoba, from Winnipeg, who, in my

extended family’s heart, and in our heart, is a gold medallist as well

because she’s a nurse. In her brief yet very effective nursing career so far

— she’s only been doing it for two years — she’s been involved with

pediatric care and birthing and women’s care.

During COVID, she spent a ton of time in extended homes, giving out

vaccinations, and she’s here in Victoria and has been, I think, for about

six or seven weeks now — she’s got two more weeks — as a travelling nurse.

The minister will know all about what travelling nurses are all about,

helping to fill in some of the gaps here in Victoria.

If this House would make Annette Molda feel very, very

welcome.

Good luck in your career, and we’re glad to have you here.

Tributes

GLORIA MACDONALD

A. Singh: Gloria Millicent Ada Macdonald would have been 86 years old today.

Gloria passed away two weeks ago, with her daughter Sharon and son David

at her side. She was Leni’s great-grandmother and my wife Katrina’s

grandmother. We also got to sit with her on her last day.

Born in 1936 in Glasgow, Scotland, she had to flee her home in the

middle of the night, like many others, during the bombing of World War

II. At the age of 19, she moved to Canada with her dog Jiddy and

eventually moved to Deep Cove in North Vancouver, where, with Grandpa

Ian Macdonald, she raised her family.

Although a wee woman in stature, she made up for it in the

enormous presence of generosity she had. She was an enormous animal

lover and went out of her way to help countless injured raccoons,

squirrels, birds and other wildlife, and she loved dogs, especially

rescues. She was also an ardent humanitarian.

[1:50 p.m.]

There is a story of her in Glasgow purposefully sitting next to an

Indian woman — this is in the ’50s — in a bus and keeping her company

whilst others glared and shunned. That was Grandma, just a truly

wonderful human being.

Co-là-breith sona dhut .

Happy birthday to you,

Grandma.

Introductions by Members

B. Stewart: I, along with the Minister of Transportation, want to welcome the B.C.

Road Builders. I had a chance to meet with their executive, as well as their

board members, today, and I just want to name Robert Hasell of Emil Anderson

Group, who is their chair.

I have to say that when the destruction that the minister mentioned,

on our highways, happened this year, it was Emil Anderson construction —

which in 1966, when the Hope-Princeton slide happened, had one of their huge

excavators out there and reopened that road in six days. Not much of a road,

mind you, but anyways….

Also welcoming Lincoln Kyne, Paul Simpson, Scott Griffin of their

board, and Peter Ashcroft, Glen Barker and Colin Blonarowitz and Grayson

Doyle, Steve Drummond, Lyle Johnson, Stephen, McNeil, Chris Moore, Shane

O’Donnell, Vanessa Werden and Joe Wrobel and Matt Pitcairn and Scott Kelly

of the executive.

Thanks very much for them inviting me today to come out and meet with

them and hear about ideas that they have about continuing to improve British

Columbia’s infrastructure and transportation networks.

S. Furstenau: In the gallery today is Jeremy Perkins. He’s here shadowing me. He’s a

student at Vancouver Island University and a resident of Duncan, and it’s

been a delight to have him here today.

Would the House please make Jeremy feel most welcome.

J. Routledge: I, too, would like to welcome our guests from Guyana. I had the

opportunity of presenting at a workshop on strengthening parliamentary

structures and processes in Georgetown in May.

I learned so much from them,

and they showed me such warmth and hospitality while I was there. I’m so

glad that we’re able to reciprocate, and I hope their stay in Victoria is

equally rewarding.

M. Lee: I’d just like to join the Member for Chilliwack in recognizing all of

the good community organizations that are in front of the Legislative

Assembly to recognize October as Community Inclusion Month.

Specifically, I’d like to welcome Neil Belanger with the B.C.

Aboriginal Network on Disability Society. Welcome to Neil. He and I had a

good discussion about the advocacy work and the supports that the B.C.

Aboriginal Network on Disability does to meet the needs of Indigenous

peoples living with disabilities.

Hon. S. Malcolmson: From my ministry, Mental Health and Addictions, will the Legislature

please welcome Arianna Klus and Molly Wilkins. They are at the front line of

all the details and demands that my minister’s office puts on them, managing

all the details and also interacting and corresponding with families and

people struggling with mental health and addictions, with great heart and

great spirit.

I’m grateful for them, and I hope that the House will make them

welcome.

R. Russell: I rise this afternoon to wish happy birthday to somebody who I love

very dearly. I would apologize to some of you on both sides of this House,

for he is certainly also the one who taught me my disdain for authority,

also my passion for much of what put me here today.

He helped instill in me a love of poetry, the importance of the

talking stick and the value of, in the words of Walt Whitman in a favorite

poem of his: “Gently, but with undeniable will, divesting myself of the

holds that would hold me.”

Happy birthday to my dad.

[1:55 p.m.]

Introduction and

First Reading of Bills

BILL 32 — GAMING CONTROL ACT

Hon. M. Farnworth presented a message from Her Honour the

Lieutenant-Governor: a bill intituled Gaming Control Act.

Hon. M. Farnworth: I move that the bill be Introduced and read a first time

now.

I am pleased to introduce Bill 32, the Gaming Control Act. This

bill repeals and replaces the Gaming Control Act to deliver on

government’s commitment to address systemic weaknesses in British

Columbia’s gaming regulatory framework.

The Gaming Control Act will better protect the integrity of the

industry and better protect players, public health, and safety.

Repealing and replacing the Gaming Control Act ensures that the

legislation is clarified and modernized, to improve transparency and

align with more recent British Columbia regulatory acts.

The new act will clarify the general manager’s role of regulating

the gaming industry and the B.C. Lottery Corp.’s role of conducting and

managing provincial gaming. This legislation strengthens the general

manager’s role by providing the authority to make and enforce

regulations and by introducing two new offences to prevent money

laundering in casinos. New statutory authorities will allow the general

manager to effectively regulate the British Columbia Lottery Corp.’s

conduct and management of provincial gaming, including through an

en­hanced administrative monetary penalty structure.

These changes will address ten German report recommendations for

the gambling sector and the intent of one Cullen commission

recommendation by enabling the general manager to set regulations

applicable to the British Columbia Lottery Corp. The remaining three

Cullen recommendations related to gambling will be addressed through

regulation and policy.

Mr. Speaker: Members, the question is the first reading of the bill.

Motion approved.

Hon. M. Farnworth: 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 32, Gaming Control Act, introduced, read a first time and

ordered to be placed on orders of the day for second reading at the next

sitting of the House after today.

BILL 31 — B.C. PAVILION

CORPORATION

ACT

Hon. N. Cullen presented a message from Her Honour the

Lieutenant-Governor: a bill intituled B.C. Pavilion Corporation

Act.

Hon. N. Cullen: I move that the bill be introduced and read a first time

now.

I am pleased to introduce Bill 31, which consists of amendments to

repeal the British Columbia Enterprise Corporation Act, except for the

provisions of that act which will affect the B.C. Pavilion Corp., which

will continue as the B.C. Pavilion Corporation Act.

Bill 31 is intended to streamline the province’s current

legislation by eliminating redundant statutes related to the British

Columbia Enterprise Corp. an entity which has not carried on business in

over 30 years, and continuing specific provisions related to the B.C.

Pavilion Corp. under a more appropriately named act.

Specifically, the proposed amendments will dissolve the British

Columbia Enterprise Corp. and cancel all of its shares to reflect the

fact that, indeed, it has not done anything for 30 years and repeal the

British Columbia Enterprise Corporation Act, as that legislation would

no longer be needed. It will also preserve the powers of the B.C.

Pavilion Corp. and ensure that it can continue to meet its mandate of

generating economic and community benefit for the people of British

Columbia while balancing the need to prudently manage its public

facilities — B.C. Place and the Vancouver Convention Centre.

I’m pleased to table these amendments to repeal unnecessary

legislation and continue the work of the B.C. Pavilion Corp. under a

newly named act, which will streamline the province’s legislation and

make it more accessible to the public that we serve.

Mr. Speaker: The question is the first reading of the bill.

Motion approved.

Hon. N. Cullen: I move that the bill be placed on the orders of the day for the

second reading at the next sitting of the House after today.

Bill 31, B.C. Pavilion Corporation Act, introduced, read a first time

and ordered to be placed on orders of the day for second reading at the next

sitting of the House after today.

Statements

(Standing Order 25B)

BREAST CANCER SCREENING

AND BREAST DENSITY

INFORMATION

J. Routledge: October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month. It’s dedicated to

educating everyone about breast cancer, the importance of early

detection and of timely, high-quality care.

This month we also celebrate the progress we’ve made. Thirty years

ago, B.C. became the first province to establish a breast cancer

screening program. Universal access to mammograms has reduced the number

of deaths by about 25 percent. Yet it continues to be the most common

form of cancer in women, and 3,500 British Columbian women are diagnosed

with it every year.

[2:00 p.m.]

One in eight British Columbian women will be diagnosed with it in

her lifetime, and I was one of them. A few years ago, I was one of them.

I was lucky. It was detected early, and treatment was

undramatic.

This October also marks four years since B.C. became the first

province to share breast density information directly with women and our

family physicians. When we receive our mammogram results, we also find

out if we have dense breasts. If we do, we can get referred for an

ultrasound, because we now know that a cancerous growth in a dense

breast may not be detected by a mammogram alone. It will likely be

masked by tissue.

I want to thank the many individual women and organizations who

shared their stories and advocated for change. Some of them met with

women MLAs from all three parties here in the Legislative Library. They

told us their stories. They explained the significance of breast

density. They warned us about the consequences of not being informed

about our density, and they motivated us to work together to save lives.

It was a proud moment of cross-party collaboration. There can be life

after breast cancer, but only if it’s detected early.

WORLD TEACHERS DAY AND

ROLE OF TEACHERS DURING

COVID-19

E. Sturko: Today is World Teachers Day. It’s a day marked by the United

Nations to celebrate teachers around the globe. It commemorates the

anniversary of the adoption of the 1966 UNESCO recommendation concerning

the status of teachers, which set benchmarks regarding the rights and

responsibilities of teachers and helped to create global standards for

recruitment, employment and teaching and learning conditions.

For this year’s World Teachers Day, the United Nations has adopted

the theme: “The transformation of education begins with teachers.” As we

witnessed here in B.C. during the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic,

teachers were key in transforming education across the province. In

particular, they transformed the delivery of education. When schools

closed, teachers and educators quickly pivoted and adapted their

curricula to online and remote education.

We witnessed their unwavering dedication and commitment to their

students as they innovated and experimented with new platforms,

facilitating virtual field trips, recess groups and other activities

that helped learners connect with others during their separation from

the class­room. Teachers were key in supporting their students and

their families in the transition to virtual learning. And when,

thankfully, in-class learning resumed, teachers transformed education

again, creating activities and learning opportunities that helped to

safeguard learners and their families.

When we reflect on how teachers were able to transform education

here in B.C. during the uncertainty of this pandemic, it’s remarkable.

So today I say: happy World Teachers Day, and thank you to all of

British Columbia’s teachers and educators who continue to transform

education.

WORLD MENTAL HEALTH DAY AND

MENTAL HEALTH ADVOCACY AND

SERVICES

R. Singh: I rise before you all to acknowledge World Mental Health Day, a

day that has come to have greater significance in recent years, as the

seriousness of mental health begins to be more commonly recognized

globally. The importance of mental health cannot be overstated in our

pursuit of happiness and our aspirations for ourselves and our loved

ones. This day gives us an opportunity to rekindle our conversations

around emotional and mental well-being in the form of a commitment

towards the well-being of those around us.

Some international agencies state growing economic inequalities,

food and job insecurity, violence, increasing conflicts, misinformation

and political divisiveness as main reasons that continue to disrupt the

progress made around mental health. The last two years have only

aggravated the issue, as the pandemic has caused major changes in our

social and professional lives, resulting in a reported increase in

mental health issues.

However, despite the enormity of challenges, I want to highlight

and applaud the efforts of all those who continue to work tirelessly to

not only educate people about mental health, but have also provided

resources to help people affected by these issues. There are far too

many organizations and heroes to name, but I thought I would mention a

network close to home that has been quite diligent in educating about

mental health and advocating for services around it.

[2:05 p.m.]

This network is the South Asian Mental Health Alliance, and their

mission, through its growing number of volunteers, is to create

awareness, foster acceptance, provide links to support and resources and

empower all affected by mental illness.

With this, I implore all my colleagues and friends here in the

House to join me in not only acknowledging World Mental Health Day but

also in appreciation for all those working in the field to ensure the

end of stigma around mental health.

BIRD BANDING PROGRAM AT

MACKENZIE NATURE

OBSERVATORY

M. Morris: In July of this year, I had the pleasure of attending the

Mackenzie Nature Observatory, also known as the Mugaha Marsh Banding

Station, located about 15 kilometres northwest of Mackenzie, or about

200 kilometres northwest of Prince George. It’s one of 25 Canadian

stations of the Canadian Migration Monitoring Network.

The Migration Monitoring Network started in 1994 as a cooperative

between the Canadian Wildlife Service, the Forest Service and the local

Mackenzie Fish and Game Association. It was and still is supported by

local businesses and individuals, the district of Mackenzie Community

Forest, and scores of volunteers, many of them from communities across

B.C. and Canada.

The banding station has recently become an active participant in

the Motus Wildlife Tracking System, a program of Birds Canada and an

international research network using automated radio telemetry to

simultaneously track hundreds of individual species of birds, bats and

insects.

Qualified professional biologists are hired to band each bird as

it’s captured in the delicate netting. Trained volunteers check the nets

every 30 minutes while the nets are active. Birds are fitted with a

small metal band with a unique number. The number reflects the species,

the age and the sex of the bird, along with measurements of wing length,

presence of fat, molt and weight.

The banding station operates only during the fall migration

season, from July 19 to September 23 every year. The final count for the

2022 season: 2,360 birds of 61 different species. An additional 300

previously banded birds from 2019 and 2020 were captured and released,

along with about 300 birds that were captured earlier than

Each year at the same time, on the same dates and over a

standardized route, a one-hour census is conducted, recording all birds

observed or heard. This data is recorded and analyzed by Birds

Canada.

I wish to thank all the volunteers and contributors to this

extremely worthwhile program that assists in monitoring the health of

our biodiversity.

REGISTERED DISABILITY SAVINGS PLANS

D. Coulter: October is Registered Disability Savings Plan, or RDSP, Awareness

Month in British Columbia. RDSPs are long-term savings plans to help

people with disabilities who qualify for the disability tax credit to

save for the future.

Contributions are matched by the federal government, and any

interest and investment income generated within the account is tax

deferred. This month is an opportunity to increase awareness of RDSPs

and how they can help ensure a stable and independent financial future

for people with disabilities, since only about 31,000 people in B.C.

have one.

RDSPs are a great savings tool that help people with disabilities

and their families save for their long-term needs without impacting

disability assistance. This plan is for people under the age of 60 who

qualify for the disability tax credit.

Savings can grow quickly, because the federal government matches

up to $3 for every dollar deposited through the Canadian savings grant

program up to a lifetime maximum of $70,000. For people living on low

income, the federal government will provide up to $1,000 each to a

lifetime maximum of $20,000.

We want to make sure that every eligible person in the province

knows about this savings plan and how to sign up. Poverty reduction is a

priority for government, and the RDSP is a valuable tool that can

support people with disabilities. It’s an opportunity for people with

disabilities to have peace of mind, knowing that they will have savings

available as they age.

[2:10 p.m.]

I encourage everyone to visit rdsp.com to sign up, help someone

start a plan today or visit their local bank or credit union for more

information.

I’d like to invite all members to join me in recognizing October

as Registered Disability Savings Plan Awareness Month as we work

together for a stronger B.C.

SCHOOL-BASED NUTRITION

PROGRAM IN KELOWNA

WEST

B. Stewart: As the cost of living increases and simple necessities like fuel

and groceries continue to get more expensive, more and more British

Columbians are facing food insecurity.

The Central Okanagan Food Bank reports that over 35 percent of

food bank visitations are children under the age of 15 and that 42

percent of the student population at the University of British Columbia

Okanagan campus are going hungry as they struggle with academics and

work amidst financial hardship. It’s during times like this that it is

crucial that communities come together to support their neighbors in

need, and I’m proud to say that that’s exactly what’s happening back in

my home and my constituency of Kelowna West.

Recently the local community came together to raise $60,000 for

the program called Not on Our Watch, which supports school-based

nutrition programs which are critical for children to effectively engage

and reach their full potential, because students cannot learn and grow

on an empty stomach.

The Not on Our Watch campaign helps ensure that students receive

healthy and nutritious food, given to them in a backpack as a discreet

way for them to carry the food home. The campaign will not only help

feed through the nourishment of food, but also engage directly with the

teachers and schools to ensure that backpacks go to those in

need.

I’d like to thank the Central Okanagan Food Bank for their

continuous and dedicated support to create a hunger-free community, and

I’m happy to report today that the Not on Our Watch campaign has reached

its goal, an amazing testament to the generosity and support of the

people of West Kelowna and Kelowna and another reason why I’m so proud

to call the region home.

Oral Questions

CRIME IN COMMUNITIES AND

HANDLING OF CASES BY JUSTICE

SYSTEM

K. Falcon: Yesterday the NDP defended the catch-and-release program of the

former Attorney General by claiming it was futile to do their basic job

of arresting criminals and prosecuting them. The results of this

soft-on-crime approach are evident to anybody that’s paying attention. A

woman followed into her apartment, thrown on the ground and assaulted. A

hatchet attack on SkyTrain. A baby in a stroller attacked with a glass

bottle. A woman slashed in the neck with a machete. A near-fatal

stabbing of a food delivery worker. The list is endless.

The NDP are completely detached from the reality of what’s taking

place in communities right across this province. This Attorney General

has even dismissed the stories of these victims as “anecdotal rhetoric.”

That is shameful.

Will this government admit that the catch-and-release program of

the former Attorney General is a failure and direct Crown counsel

prosecutors to request the detention of prolific offenders who are

terrorizing our communities?

Hon. M. Rankin: I wholeheartedly agree with the Leader of the Opposition. People

deserve to feel safe.

Interjections.

Hon. M. Rankin: British Columbians share the frustration that the member adverts

to, but his own colleague has pointed out what I believe I had said:

that it is futile to just charge people. In fact, the member for Surrey

South, herself a police officer, said this on August 31: “We cannot

arrest our way out of these problems.” She’s right. The opposition

leader is out of step with the experts, even with the police and even

with his own new colleague.

[2:15 p.m.]

They have ignored the evidence — and dismissed it — of the expert

report by former Vancouver Police Chief LePard and Dr. Amanda Butler,

who had many recommendations, three of which we’ve already accepted and

are implementing, and others, of course, that we are looking at

closely.

The former government dismantled the social and health supports

that experts have told us we need to have in place to keep our

communities safe. Just one of those examples was the very successful

repeat offender management pilot project that was shown to reduce

reoffending by 40 percent in its first year.

Interjections.

Mr. Speaker: Members.

Hon. M. Rankin: The opposition leader does a disservice to the complexity of these

issues that communities are facing, caused by the effects of the

pandemic; federal legislation, which they don’t want to talk about; and

the fact that we have a lot to do with local governments and community

service agencies to step up and do this in partnership.

Interjections.

Mr. Speaker: Members. Members.

Order.

Hon. M. Rankin: The prosecution service is doing its job. It’s one part of the

criminal justice system, and we will make sure that that is a robust

response, an enforcement response. But we are going to work to be tough

on crime as well as tough on the causes of crime.

Mr. Speaker: Leader of the Official Opposition, supplemental.

K. Falcon: Where do I even begin? Well, why don’t I begin with the co-chair

of the report that the member goes on about, who loves to post tweets,

for example — this is Amanda Butler I’m referring to — like “Defund the

police.”

Well, that tells you what you need to know about the kind of

advice this Attorney General, the former Attorney General wants to take

when it comes to reforming the crisis that has taken place in every

community in this province. The Attorney General continues to ignore the

devastating impact this increase in violent crime is having on innocent

victims.

It’s not just him. NDP MLAs refuse to stand up for their

constituents and denounce the Attorney General’s catch-and-release

system. The Minister of State for Trade says nothing about the

lawlessness, graffiti and unprovoked stabbings that are taking place in

our once-beautiful Chinatown. The Minister for Mental Health and

Addictions is silent about the random murders taking place in local

coffee shops and the local park. The MLA for Vancouver–​False

Creek refuses to speak up about the total disorder and chaos in

Yaletown, where only recently, a young man was stabbed to death by a

random stranger.

People are literally living in fear of going out in their

communities across this province as a result of five years of the worst

Attorney General we’ve had in the history of this province, who now

wants to be the next Premier, who now wants to be promoted to be the

next Premier when he should have been fired as the Attorney

General.

So my question to this government is: when are they going to scrap

the former Attorney General’s catch-and-release program and keep violent

prolific offenders off our streets?

Hon. M. Farnworth: I appreciate the member’s question. But what I also want to know

is…. It’s the fact that this member seems to think the solution to the

challenges that communities face around violent crime is done by

sloganeering. It’s not. It’s done by a government taking action on these

issues, on every single facet that’s involved.

Interjections.

Mr. Speaker: Members. Members.

Members, you’re wasting time.

Hon. M. Farnworth: Let’s start with their record.

Interjections.

Mr. Speaker: Members.

Hon. M. Farnworth: Let’s start with their record, and we’ll build to what’s happening

today, which is action by this government. Let’s start with this

record.

The new member from Surrey used to be a police officer. There was

a time in this province that you would think, as a police officer, that

only the cops should get body armour, not the bad guys.

[2:20 p.m.]

Well, when we sat on that side of the House and introduced a

private member’s bill to regulate body armour, to keep it out of the

hands of the thugs and the criminals. Guess what. They mocked that and

shot it down. They then turned a blind eye…

Interjections.

Mr. Speaker: Members. Members.

Hon. M. Farnworth: …to money laundering, to duffle bags stuffed with money. They

turned a blind eye to that while that took place.

We came into office, and from day one, we started to address these

problems. The Attorney General, who they deride, commissioned a report

into the state of money laundering in this province. It was outrageous.

Recommendations from…. Once we received, we started to implement and

clean up that shameful episode from that side of the House.

Interjections.

Mr. Speaker: Members.

Hon. M. Farnworth: Now we understand the challenges that communities are facing. The

report that was commissioned, by experts such as LePard and Butler —

which, again, the Leader of the Opposition wants to deride — contains

recommendations, recommendations we are implementing, including programs

they cut.

Interjections.

Mr. Speaker: Keep talking.

Members, when the question is being asked, nobody should

interrupt. When the answer is provided, nobody should interrupt. Wait

for the answer to be complete. Then you can rebut, or you can ask

another question. That’s the only way to conduct question

period.

E. Sturko: There’s a difference between what I say and mean and the NDP. The

difference is that I believe we need to prosecute the criminals that get

arrested, unlike the NDP’s catch-and-release justice system. I’m really

glad that they’re listening to me. I hope that the NDP hear me

now.

Police are doing their jobs. Nobody is more frustrated than police

in this province. They’re catching criminals, and the NDP are releasing

them.

The basic responsibility of the Attorney General is to keep people

safe, but he is failing just like the former Attorney General. Yesterday

he finally admitted that he has the power to issue directives that could

end catch and release, but instead of acting, he was wants to examine it

further. He wants to launch another consultation followed by, no doubt,

an engagement leading to the creation of a committee. Well, I can tell

you that people are sick and tired of the NDP’s excuses, studies and

committees. They want results.

When will this Attorney General stop the previous Attorney

General’s catch-and-release justice system and keep violent, prolific

offenders off the streets?

Interjections.

Mr. Speaker: He hasn’t even started, Members. Wait till he provides the

answer.

Members, when the member was asking a question, they did not

interrupt. So let’s show the same courtesy.

Hon. M. Farnworth: I’m standing up because…. I just listened to the question from the

member. I appreciate the question, and I appreciate how she asked

it.

The nice thing, hon. Member — and you should remember this from

your side on this side of the House — is that the Government House

Leader can get up and answer any question that they choose

to.

Interjections.

Mr. Speaker: Shhh, Members.

Members, that’s enough.

Hon. M. Farnworth: The member talked about committees and studies. I just want to

remind that member…. As she said on August 31, this is a very complex

issue. You don’t just arrest yourself out of it. You need to take a

whole range of actions, and that’s what the study that we asked to be

commissioned has done. Critical recommendations of that are being

implemented right now.

[2:25 p.m.]

One of those is the prolific offender management program, which

was cut by that government. It was cut. It was cut. It was

cut.

Interjections.

Mr. Speaker: Members. Members.

Hon. M. Farnworth: It’s not just me saying that. The chief of police here in Victoria

welcomed the return of this program because it was previously

successful. So the obvious question is: if it was successful and dealing

and reducing 40 percent of people reoffending, why on earth would they

not have funded it? Why on earth did they cut it? Because their

priorities weren’t public safety back then.

We are ensuring, whether it is police and getting the resources

that they need, doing what they’re asking us to do, whether it is

increasing the resources available in the Crown prosecutorial service or

whether it’s increasing the mental health services that are required,

the whole complex of initiatives required to deal with the challenges,

that those who suffer from mental health problems get the help they need

and that those who commit violent crimes go to jail, where they belong.

That’s what we’re trying to do, and we’ll continue to do

that.

Interjections.

Mr. Speaker: Okay, let’s hear the supplemental.

Member for Surrey South.

E. Sturko: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Yesterday, while busy defending his predecessor’s

catch-and-release justice system, the Attorney General asked for

patience so that he could travel to Ottawa and talk to the feds. He has

repeatedly used the federal Bill C-75 as an excuse for inaction. The

last time he was in Ottawa, as an MP, he was praising the measures of

Bill C-75: “…requiring that the least onerous form of release be

imposed, is a good thing.” “The bail reform provisions” in C-75 “are

exemplary.”

This Attorney General has no credibility when it comes to being

tough on prolific offenders, just like the former Attorney General, who

wrote the handbook called How to Sue the Police .

How can victims of these constant random attacks have any faith

that this NDP government will keep them safe when they’re consistently

placing the interests of violent offenders over keeping people

safe?

Hon. M. Rankin: It’s clear that the member has changed the position that she

understood and advocated on August 31.

This is not a simple question of arresting ourselves out of this

problem. We accept that people must face the consequences for criminal

activity, and strong enforcement is required.

Interjections.

Mr. Speaker: Members.

Hon. M. Rankin: We need to be, as my colleague pointed out, tough on the causes of

crime as well.

Now, it’s not just Bill C-75 which is at issue. It is also…. Of

course, it’s the implementation.

Interjections.

Mr. Speaker: Okay, Members. Calm down.

Members. Take a deep breath.

Hon. M. Rankin: It’s the implementation of Bill C-75, over time, by the courts,

which has also been a problem.

In 2020, the Supreme Court of Canada made a judgment called

Zora , which is a case that said the following: “The default

form of bail for most crimes is release on an undertaking to attend

trial, without any other conditions. Bail conditions can be imposed but

only if they are clearly articulated, minimal in number, necessary,

reasonable, the least onerous in the circumstances, and sufficiently

linked to the accused’s risks….” That is what the Supreme Court of

Canada did with the legislation to which the member refers.

We need to understand how we can ensure that people face

consequences in bail and be remanded, where appropriate. I do not

apologize for trying to understand, with our federal colleagues, how we

can do better in that regard.

This started because the urban mayors came to this government and

asked to collaborate with us to deal with real problems, problems that

we are equally concerned about involving repeat offenders and random

violent attacks in their communities. We are working with them, and

they’ve been supportive of our efforts in response to the LePard-Butler

report. I intend — and make no apologies for — to make sure that our

federal colleague understands that as well.

[2:30 p.m.]

COASTAL GASLINK PIPELINE PROJECT

ENVIRONMENTAL

COMPLIANCE

AND ENFORCEMENT

A. Olsen: Last week Coastal GasLink Pipeline company began drilling under

the Wedzin Kwa, also known as the Morice River, in the Wet’suwet’en

territory, at the very same time as five species of the iconic pacific

salmon were spawning in that river.

Coastal GasLink cannot be trusted to protect our environment. In

fact, this company has already been issued 51 warnings, 16 orders and

two fines by the B.C. environmental assessment office. They’ve damaged

wetlands, rivers and lakes along the pipeline route. Now they’re

drilling just a stone’s throw away from millions of salmon eggs,

imperilling an entire generation of salmon.

As I looked into this, there was a mess of compliance and

regulatory issues with this project and absolutely no responsibility

being taken by Environment, by Energy or by the federal government.

Everybody with any authority is just standing on the sidelines while

this company — with a terrible environmental record — drills, digs and

blasts under the largest remaining chinook spawning grounds in the

Skeena system.

My question is to the Minister of Environment and Climate Change

Strategy. One thing is clear: if this company is not in compliance with

their agreements, orders and environmental regulations, the minister has

a responsibility to issue a stop-work order. Will he do that today,

until this company gets into compliance?

Hon. G. Heyman: Thank you to the member for the question. I, however, reject the

premise of his statement that we, that the environmental assessment

office and that responsible officials have stood by and done nothing.

That is simply not true.

Multiple inspections have taken place. Multiple investigations

have taken place. Significant penalties have been issued. We recently

added to our ability to control what this company does and keep a

watchful eye over them and take appropriate action by entering into a

compliance agreement, which is in addition to the conditions that exist

in the certificate.

The company must meet additional new performance conditions under

that agreement. We are monitoring it on a regular basis, and we intend

to ensure that the transgressions and issues of non-compliance cease. I

am seized of the issue.

COASTAL GASLINK PIPELINE PROJECT

AND GOVERNMENT

RESPONSE TO PROTESTS

A. Olsen: Well, I think the minister knows that even if there’s a compliance

agreement, they’re out of compliance from that compliance agreement,

according to reviews that were done in August.

Yesterday — just switching gears a little bit on this important

issue — we recognized the day of action to stop violence against

Indigenous women, specifically the shameful reality of missing and

murdered Indigenous women, girls, two-spirit and gender-diverse people

in this province. Just a few months ago a video circulated showing

heavily armed RCMP using a chainsaw to cut down the door of a cabin to

violently arrest Indigenous women in their own territory.

This government has chosen the route of more violence against

Indigenous people. They’ve chosen to hide behind an injunction instead

of using diplomacy, which has always been a choice. But the choice that

they’ve chosen has been the more expensive choice. It’s been the choice

to spend tens of millions of taxpayer dollars for a paramilitary force,

attempting to arrest their way out of the problem that was created by

this government. It’s a choice to spend hundreds of millions of taxpayer

dollars continuing to lose the same legal battles repeatedly.

In the years since this B.C. NDP government took office, it

continues, at great taxpayer expense, to invest, subsidize, defend and

celebrate an industry, knowing the unacceptable violence that shrouds

it.

To the Minister of Indigenous Relations and Reconciliation,

yesterday he asked the public to stop acting violently against

Indigenous women and girls, so why does his B.C. NDP government continue

to sanction and fund it through taxpayer dollars instead of using the

power that they have for peaceful diplomacy?

[2:35 p.m.]

Hon. M. Farnworth: I appreciate the question from the member. As the member well

knows, because we’ve addressed questions similar to what he just asked

in the past, there is an injunction in place on the pipeline. There have

been protesters up there. The police have to enforce that injunction.

They do it in a variety of ways. Their first line is always to try and

de-escalate and to use diplomacy, as the member says, to be able to

resolve disputes.

We also know that there have been situations where small bands,

small groups outside the main protesters, have themselves engaged in

violent activity. We saw that at a work camp. We saw that where workers

were swarmed, equipment was damaged and buildings were

damaged.

The police have to deal with those situations. They make

operational decisions based on the situation on the ground. And there

are processes and legislation and rules and protocols in place that…. If

there are things, they will themselves be held accountable, and those

actions are often taken.

They have a very difficult job, and they are doing it. But I can

tell you that their first line of intervention is to de-escalate and to

resolve peacefully.

CRIME IN KELOWNA AND

HANDLING OF CASES BY JUSTICE

SYSTEM

R. Merrifield: People don’t feel safe. They don’t feel safe under the former

Attorney’s catch-and-release justice system. They don’t feel safe under

the praise of Bill C-75’s soft-on-crime justice system.

This problem is getting worse, not better. In Kelowna on Monday, a

man well known to police was arrested for break and enter. This suspect

is listed on 220 police files, including shoplifting, theft of vehicle,

causing a disturbance and assault. He has been convicted 33 times since

2017. But shockingly, as of last night, this prolific offender is back

out on the streets and in our community.

When is this Attorney General going to prioritize keeping people

safe and end the catch-and-release system of the soft-on-crime former

Attorney General?

Hon. M. Rankin: Thank you to the hon. member for her question. I’m aware of the

situation in Kelowna, of course, and it’s one that I’ve spoken about to

the mayor and others at the UBCM and elsewhere.

I think the frustration the member speaks of is something we all

share. We need and people deserve to feel safe in Kelowna and everywhere

in our community. That is why we need to have, in our judgment, both a

hard-on-crime and hard-on-the-causes-of-crime approach. That’s what I’m

trying to suggest is our position.

Our government has a talented cadre of Crown counsel — 500 in

number in Kelowna and elsewhere — led by an individual appointed under

the leadership of the former government, who every day is bringing

cases, getting reports to Crown counsel from the police and advancing

them through the criminal justice system. We have increased the budget

of that entity by almost a third since we took power. That is the kind

of thing we’re doing to try to keep people safe in Kelowna.

But in conversations with the mayor and his council, we understand

there’s a lot more that can be done. That is why we welcome their strong

support for the LePard-Butler report. The fact that we are implementing

parts of it now — and more to come later — has been appreciated by them

and other urban mayors. We’ve got a lot of work to do, and we’re going

to do it.

ACTION ON GAS PRICES

T. Stone: Perhaps there’s been no bigger broken promise from the NDP than

making life more affordable. Under the NDP, B.C. has the highest gas

prices and the highest gas taxes in all of North America.

When this government first promised gas price relief back in 2018,

four years ago, prices were at $1.50 a litre. Today, heading into the

long weekend, where families across British Columbia will gather for

Thanksgiving, drivers could be facing record-high gas prices of up to

$2.50 a litre.

[2:40 p.m.]

The worst part of this is that the NDP have done absolutely

nothing to solve the high cost of gas in this province, other than

setting up a meaningless website that publishes information that’s

already publicly available. Other prov­inces, like Alberta and

Ontario, have actually provided substantive, real relief for the drivers

in their provinces. In fact, today drivers in Toronto are paying 73

cents a litre less than drivers in Vancouver.

Drivers know when they’re being gouged. When will the NDP follow

through on their promise to give British Columbians real relief from

punishingly high gas prices at the pumps?

Hon. B. Ralston: I want to thank the member for the question. It is an important

question in today’s British Columbia economy.

Inflation affects every part of our economy. We understand — and I

think every member of the chamber understands — the impact that higher

gas prices have on family budgets.

The member opposite knows full well that global instability and

Putin’s war in the Ukraine have caused global pressure on oil prices,

and that’s upward pressure.

Interjections.

Mr. Speaker: Members. Members.

Hon. B. Ralston: Just today in Vienna, OPEC decided to restrict production by two

million barrels a day. That’s fully 2 percent of global supply, and that

will have an upward pressure on prices.

Here in British Columbia…. The member talks about Ontario and

Alberta. I’ll get to Alberta a little bit later. What happens here is….

There are regional factors that play into increases in prices

here.

Much of British Columbia’s supply comes from south of the border.

Experts like Werner Antweiler, a professor at UBC, and Paul Pasco, a

fuel expert, have said that part of that is driven by refinery closures,

both scheduled and unscheduled, which, in the case of the one in Ohio,

will extend into the new year.

Interjections.

Mr. Speaker: Members.

Hon. B. Ralston: Ethanol prices, which is a component of gasoline…. Corn prices

have gone up. That plays into prices as well.

Those factors are out of the control of the government. They’re

part of the regional economy, and they’re driving the prices.

Let me conclude by mentioning Alberta.

Interjections.

Mr. Speaker: Members. Members.

Hon. B. Ralston: You mentioned Alberta. Alberta lowered taxes on gasoline, but they

admitted defeat. On October 1, they reinstated those very taxes on

gasoline.

[End of question period.]

Tabling Documents

Mr. Speaker: Members, I have the honour to present Election B.C.’s report A

Year of Change: 2021-22 Annual Report and 2022-23–2024-25 Service

Plan .

Hon. N. Simons: I have the honour to present TogetherBC: British Columbia’s

Poverty Reduction Strategy — 2021 Annual Report .

The report describes actions taken and provides a comprehensive list

of programs and government services that have reduced poverty in the 2021

calendar year.

Orders of the Day

Hon. M. Farnworth: I call second reading, Bill 30, Cannabis Control and Licensing

Act.

[2:45 p.m.]

[S. Chandra Herbert in the chair.]

Second Reading of Bills

BILL 30 — CANNABIS CONTROL AND

LICENSING AMENDMENT ACT,

Hon. M. Farnworth: I move that Bill 30 now be read a second time.

It’s my pleasure to rise today to speak about Bill 30, the

Cannabis Control and Licensing Amendment Act, 2022.

In the four years since cannabis was legalized, we’ve seen the

growth of a new legal industry that pays their taxes, contributes to

their communities and complies with strict public health and safety

rules. Most B.C. cannabis consumers now buy legal cannabis from one of

over 450 regulated stores, and sales topped $500 million in 2021. B.C.

produces some of the best cannabis in the world, and the value of legal

cannabis to B.C.’s GDP surpassed $1 billion in 2021.

Legalization is a process; it is not an event. At the time of

legalization, B.C. was at the centre of Canada’s illicit cannabis

market. The shift from illicit to legal sales was not going to happen

overnight. Our current estimate is that just under half the value of all

cannabis consumed in B.C. is produced and sold illicitly. Illicit

sellers do not abide by the strict federal and provincial laws that aim

to protect minors and promote public health and safety, and illicit

cannabis continues to be a profitable business for organized

crime.

The community safety unit, or CSU, is the primary enforcement unit

for illicit cannabis sales in the province. They work closely with

police but primarily rely on seizures and monetary penalties. CSU

represents a made-in-B.C. approach to illicit cannabis sales that aims

to reduce pressure on the criminal justice system through progressive

enforcement and non-criminal sanctions, the administrative

penalties.

CSU was initially designed when illicit brick-and-mortar stores

were top of mind. After successfully closing the vast majority of those

stores, we’ve seen the remaining illicit operators pivot into the online

space to evade enforcement.

These amendments will improve CSU’s ability to target illicit

online stores and production sites by clarifying and, in some places,

expanding CSU inspection and seizure authorities. They will also improve

CSU’s ability to track online illicit cannabis back to its source by

authorizing the director of the CSU, the community safety unit, to be

able to purchase illicit cannabis that is online.

[2:50 p.m.]

Other amendments will clarify the role of the director around

administrative hearings — for example, clarifying that the director is

not the appropriate decision-maker to consider constitutional arguments,

which is the proper role of the courts.

Before I close, I want to add some further comments. We know that

there are…. I said at the beginning of my remarks that the legalization

of cannabis is not an event. It is an ongoing process.

I believe this legislation — coupled with the significant changes

we have made, in consultation with the cannabis industry, around issues

such as direct delivery, being able to order online and the developments

which we’re taking in terms of going to Farmgate — is going to expand

the opportunities, along with the

section 119 agreements that we have

been putting in place, which are now being championed by many First

Nations, First Nations who have been reluctant to enter that legal

market.

It’s starting to show a path that will ensure that we continue to

expand the legal market, that we are able to take the enforcement

necessary on the illegal market, that we are keeping up with the changes

that we see happening as regulations change. The online issue is

particularly important. These tools, given to the community safety unit,

are going to enable them to continue to not only do the work that they

have currently been doing but to be able to expand to those areas where

we are still seeing illicit cannabis sales.

At the same time, this is the provincial responsibility. We are

also working at the federal level to deal with some of the bigger

challenges that we face in terms of the medical licensing regime and the

ability of Health Canada, in terms of the regulatory framework which

they operate under, which can be challenging, for producers who want to

enter that legal market, to be able to get into.

We also want to ensure that they understand…. One of the key

components, in terms of enforcement, is also on the inspection side, on

the medical health side of cannabis. So when someone has a licence to

grow 20 plants, that is all they are growing: 20 plants. Right now there

is very little enforcement or inspection done by Health Canada. That is

something that we will continue to push them on, to change that, to

ensure that that is taking place, because that is one of the biggest

sources, still, of illegal cannabis.

All of these things — these initiatives with this legislation

before us today, the work that has been done already today, working with

that industry — are going to continue to ensure that we can continue to

grow the legal cannabis market in this province. So if we are around 50

percent, with a value to our provincial GDP of $1 billion and over $500

million in sales, we are able to grow that.

That benefits not just the province and the provincial treasury

but also ensures that consumers are buying their cannabis from a legal,

safe, tested store that they have confidence in. We know that that is

working. We know that the majority of people now do buy their cannabis

from a legal store.

There will be more discussion, obviously, on the different

sections of this bill. That will take place in committee stage. I look

forward to the discussion around these changes, many of which have been

developed in consultation with the industry itself, that respond to the

industry, to things that they have been asking for. We will continue on

that path.

I know that there will be a number of members from both sides of

the House who will have an important contribution to make on the second

reading debate of this bill. I look forward to that.

With that, I will take my place.

[2:55 p.m.]

M. Morris: This is a transition period. It’s new legislation. The

legalization of cannabis is something new for all of Canada, but what’s

not new in British Columbia is the involvement of organized crime in

cannabis and the illegal production of cannabis.

I understand…. In going through this particular bill, I see the

necessity for a lot of the amendments that are being put forward here.

We have to modernize. We have to keep up with online sales, the use of

electronic devices. There are a number of things, which I’m very happy

to see in here, that will give the community safety unit the necessary

tools to conduct searches, inspections and whatnot throughout the

program.

What appears to be missing from this, in my view…. We’ll examine

it more during the committee stage of this.

We’ve had a number of illegal retail sales outlets proliferate in

some of our more vulnerable communities around the province. Some are

growing their own product. As the minister alluded to, there are some

significant health concerns with a lot of the cannabis that is grown

illegally. I think that needs to be held foremost in our minds here. Are

we jeopardizing the health and safety of British Columbians who are

buying the illegally produced cannabis from these illegal retail

outlets? We’re going to be examining that in a little bit more detail as

we move forward.

There’s a curiosity in this bill put forward here, where it is

outlining, legislatively, that the director has no authority to address

constitutional questions that are presented during the administrative

process of this particular bill — when he’s administering penalties, for

an example. That’s the case with a lot of different tribunals that we

see within the province.

This legislation, initially, was mirroring the Liquor Control and

Licensing Act legislation as a basis for its development. I see this

as…. This is new. This is unique in this particular legislation. During

the committee stage, I’d like to pop the hood open on this particular

issue, as well, to find out why this is.

I know there are a number of avenues available to the government,

the community safety unit and the director. If there’s a constitutional

question that arises, there’s already legislation in place that allows

government to go to court and get an opinion on whatever that question

might be that arises. Or they can proceed by way of court proceedings,

criminally instead of administratively, through here, and have the

situation aired in court. So I’m a little curious as to why this

particular

section was put in here.

We have a duty, government has a duty, to ensure the safety of

British Columbians. That’s paramount, the health and safety of British

Columbians.

I think the other duty, which seems to be missed, in large part,

by this government, is…. When it comes to respecting the rigour that

they built into this statute, that legitimate retailers have to go

through in order to be licensed and the cost that these legitimate

retailers have to endure in order to obtain a licence from the

government to sell legally produced cannabis in British

Columbia….

It must be a devastating blow to them to see the number of illegal

retail cannabis sales outlets proliferating through different parts of

the country, of the province, in some of our more vulnerable

communities, within metres of a legitimate retail outlet that has gone

through the rigours necessary in order to be licensed, and the money

that they must be losing in order to compete with the illegal sales that

we have. This government seems to be doing nothing about it.

There are examples. There’s statistical data available about the

community safety unit and the number of administrative penalties they

have assessed. So far, it’s in the millions of dollars. They’ve

collected but a fraction of that, I understand.

That’s the low-hanging fruit. They drive by dozens of illegal

retail outlets in the process of going to one that might present less of

a challenge in administering the administrative penalties or prosecuting

those particular ones. I think that’s wrong. I think they should be

looking at all of them with the same vigour and interest that they

do.

[3:00 p.m.]

A lot of these communities that do have these illegal retail

outlets are extremely vulnerable to the impacts of organized crime

infiltrating these communities — I’ve seen it in my service as a police

officer, and we’ve seen it happen in other provinces across Canada — to

the point where organized crime will have such an impact on those

communities that the quality of life goes down in those communities, and

the safety of the individuals in those communities is impacted by having

organized crime in such close proximity to the men and women that live

in those communities.

There’s a number of things in this. It’s a short bill, basically.

It’s not too long. There are a number of things in this bill that do

make a lot of sense, but I think that during the committee stage we’ll

have a chance to examine some of those clauses in this bill that raise

other questions. I want to find out what’s going on behind the scenes. I

want to find out whether this bill is providing the tools necessary for

a fully funded and fully staffed community safety unit to do what is

necessary to keep British Columbians safe throughout the province

here.

I’m going to keep my comments to that. We will dive into it a

little bit more during the committee stage, but I will let some of my

other colleagues speak on this matter as well.

H. Yao: It’s nice to actually be able to speak again, right after the

summer break. I’m privileged to be able to stand up and speak about the

Cannabis Control and Licensing Act. I’m just sitting here listening to

the opposition bring up a lot of interesting points. That’s what creates

a considerable amount of reassurance for me.

This act is designed to help our legal businesses to be able to

protect their profits, to protect their activities, to protect the

rigorous efforts they’ve put into getting the proper licence through

Health Canada to ensure that they are able to operate properly and that

we combat against illegal activities.

I want to take a few steps back first. As we know, B.C. has quite

a history when it comes to illegal cannabis, and when the federal

government decided to legalize cannabis, our government, obviously, in

going through this process, tried to ensure that we’d go through the

legalization process to ensure greater protection. It’s not just simply

for the businesses that are running cannabis stores. We are also talking

about different protections for children — for youth — to make sure that

product safety is established in there.

I think this is a really great reflection that after the last few

years, our government has realized that on certain aspects, we need to

step up. For example, as our Minister of Public Safety and Solicitor

General mentioned earlier, very clearly, online sales have become a huge

issue. We understand the realities today, what with the modernized

technology and with a lot of opportunities.

If we don’t step up with our enforcement strategy, illegal

cannabis will find a way to slip through our system, not just selling at

an undercut profit and undermining all the requirements and rigorous

demands upon typical small and medium-sized businesses in B.C. but also

placing our youth and children in vulnerable circumstances when they are

able to sell items to people that shouldn’t have access to

it.

Taking a look at this legislation, I’m encouraged by our

government’s steps forward to really ask ourselves how we can further

strengthen our determination to create a fair, just and safe environment

for British Columbians. When people have chosen to utilize cannabis for

recreational purposes, they don’t get it from a store that is being

licensed, and we know those stores. They go through a rigorous system.

We’re talking about facility upgrades. We’re talking about recordkeeping

methods. We’re talking about process, security clearance

checks.

We’re talking about physical security to ensure that whatever they

produce, whatever they sell, whatever they distribute in our community

is in proper compliance with government and with protection and safety

of our children and families. Unfortunately, illegal cannabis activities

undermine that.

I want to thank the opposition member for bringing up, so many

times, how illegal cannabis is creating problems, not just for our

province, not just for our families, but also for our youth and children

and, of course, legal businesses who went through such a rigorous,

determined and committed effort to ensure that whatever it produces,

whatever it delivers, is in compliance.

I’m so excited that our Minister of Public Safety and Solicitor

General has introduced this bill for our government, to ensure we can

find all kinds of ways to empower our community safety units to ensure

that they are able to purchase online products and to examine them to

ensure that they are properly in compliance, to support

community.

[3:05 p.m.]

Of course, we’re talking more now about the criminal component. I

appreciate that there’s much more work to do — and our government is

determined to do more to bring safety and security, not just for British

Columbians but also for our small businesses — but this is really more

focused on how we can undermine, actually reduce and, hopefully,

eliminate illegal cannabis sales in our province.

I also want to take a little bit more focus on…. We’re talking

about different businesses, and we’re really trying to find ways to

ensure that youth and children are safe. When we actually follow the

compliance and legalization process, it gives government greater

opportunities to step in to address challenges that often put our safety

into question. Of course, we worry about gang activities. We worry about

illegal criminal activities. We worry about illegal profits that end up

benefiting criminal activity instead of the provincial government’s GDP,

instead of benefiting those community services that can be funded by our

provincial government.

I’m so glad that we’re working together to continue to find a way

to really come together and combat against illegal cannabis and to

ensure our provincial government’s community safety units can work

together to reduce illegal activities with cannabis and to continue to

find ways to support small businesses, support families, support

communities and really return those profits back to our province, to

really find ways to strengthen our community services and sense of

safety, and to strengthen British Columbia’s prosperity.

I don’t have much more to say, so I thank you for the opportunity

to speak, Mr. Speaker.

G. Kyllo: It certainly gives me great pride to rise in the House today and

to speak to the amendments coming forward on Bill 30. As my colleague

the member for Prince George–Mackenzie has indicated, the cannabis

legislation is relatively new — I think we’re about three years in — so

we certainly appreciate the need to continue to update and to amend the

legislation as we see the cannabis sales moving more to an online

environment.

We certainly welcome those additions that give additional strength

and opportunity for the community safety unit, the CSU, to actually

investigate and crack down on the sale of illegal cannabis throughout

the province. The challenge is that, largely, we have seen a

proliferation, an increase, in the number of unlicensed, illegal

cannabis retail operations throughout British Columbia.

In my riding of Shuswap, a small riding with only about 59,000

constituents, there are over 24 unlicensed retail cannabis sales shops —

24 in the Shuswap riding alone. That’s only one of 87 ridings in the

province. The challenge is: where are these operations getting their

drugs from? Where’s the cannabis coming from?

They’re unlicensed. They don’t have the ability of purchasing

cannabis from the licensed producers that are under federal legislation.

They’re buying their product from organized crime. We’re seeing

organized crime in the communities around the province — a proliferation

throughout the Shuswap — where organized crime are now embedding

themselves in these communities and actually selling illicit product to

these unlicensed stores.

Now, the Solicitor General mentioned how important this is and is

quite proud of the fact that, as he’s indicating, 50 percent of cannabis

sales in the province are now through licensed stores. That’s a

significant number of stores set up that are unlicensed. They have no

insurance, no security cameras, many of them. Nobody is monitoring. The

community safety unit is not paying any attention. I drive by these

stores, and I see young kids, well under the age of 19, standing outside

smoking marijuana, and nobody is paying attention.

You approach the RCMP, and they point to the provincial

government. The provincial government are the ones that have the

responsibility, through the community safety unit. When you call the

community safety unit: crickets, absolute crickets. You call them and

ask them to actually investigate; nothing happens.

The worst

part is that the government, the Solicitor General, last

year came out with a report that indicated that a lot of the illicit

cannabis product that they actually have confiscated and they have found

is contaminated. There are carcinogens in it. Many producers put a

product into the soil which actually adds weight to the product, and

it’s carcinogenic.

[3:10 p.m.]

Fair enough. The Solicitor General today references that maybe

Health Canada should do something about it. Well, I don’t think it’s

Health Canada’s responsibility to actually investigate and sample

illegal, illicit product that’s being sold across B.C.

This government is doing nothing. These stores are not just

selling cannabis. Heroin, cocaine, MDMA — all these products are being

sold in these unlicensed stores throughout British Columbia with

reckless abandon. For the minister to stand up today and introduce a new

bill that, from what we can see, actually takes away responsibility of

this government…. There’s a specific clause that talks about

jurisdiction. The particular clause establishes that the director does

not have the jurisdiction over constitutional questions when considering

whether to impose a monetary penalty or consider a compliance order.

This is a copout.

This is an opportunity for this government, through this

particular clause, from my understanding of it at this initial reading,

to actually choose, for any unlicensed stores, if there’s any kind of a

constitutional question: “Not for us. We don’t have to worry about

it.”

Well, I’ll tell you what: crime is up. Overdose deaths are up.

Nobody starts using drugs with the intention of becoming an addict. But

when you have unlicensed stores that are selling to youth, that are

selling not just cannabis products…. They’re selling heroin, cocaine,

MDMA. You name it; you can get it at these unlicensed stores. The CSU is

standing by and ignoring it, and this government is doing the

same.

The soft-on-crime agenda and the catch and release are all coming

to fruition, and we’re going to see absolute chaos in this province. I

certainly welcome any initiatives that this government undertakes to pay

attention and to give themselves additional investigative powers to

actually do something, but the reality is that on the ground, the

problem is getting worse, not better.

A. Singh: Right away, I’m going to address something here. Licensed stores

selling heroin? First time I’m ever hearing about this. If you have

actual evidence of that, we would love to see that. Heroin in stores —

it’s the first I’ve ever heard of it.

I regularly attend Alcoholics Anonymous meetings. I’ve been very

open about that. There are lots and lots of people who use other

substances or were using other substances and are recovering from that.

I have a fair amount of knowledge on the subject of where those things

are obtained. I have never, ever come across someone who’s ever spoken

about a heroin store.

Anyway, I will leave it at that. Please bring us some evidence. We

would love to see that, and we will refer that on to the CSU and get

them to enforce the law as it is. Conjecture statements like that do not

help the situation. This Cannabis Control and Licensing Act — I’m in

full support of it — is a phenomenal piece of legislation to address

that.

You know Al Capone? Everybody’s heard of Al Capone, right?

Kingpins like Al Capone were able to rake in hundreds of millions, of

today’s dollar amounts in those days. At the turn of the century, the

term “organized crime” did not exist until Prohibition. This is just a

bit of background on what’s happening. Once prohibition came in, you saw

gangsters getting together.

Gangsters used to actually be employed by political bosses. This

is maybe a small history lesson on our — well, more the U.S.’s — system.

Politicians used to be sort of gangsters themselves, and they would

employ these gangsters to do things for them. When Prohibition came

about, those gangsters on the street saw that as a great business

opportunity, and hence we have the Mafia and gangs like Al

Capone’s.

[3:15 p.m.]

“Organized crime — what does that have to do with this?” you ask.

Well, this is exactly what this bill is trying to address. Before

cannabis was legalized, illicit gangs made a lot of money through the

sale of cannabis and other substances. Unfortunately, with the federal

legalization of cannabis, with the whole regime that has been set up and

with the stores that we have, those illicit sales haven’t gone away.

That organized crime part of it still hasn’t gone away.

This legislation is part of the part of the solution to that. It’s

part of the solution to addressing that. This is really important,

because not only does that organized crime part of it benefit from the

sale of illicit cannabis, but it’s the same milieu of people that also

puts poisonous drugs into our system. It’s the same people who are

responsible for the opioid crisis that we’re in right now.

So not only does this address some holes, some gaps in the

administrative system right now, but it will hopefully help…. If you get

rid of those gangs, you get rid of all of these problems. You really are

a step forward there. The Cannabis Control and Licensing Act includes an

extensive compliance and enforcement regime. A key component of this

regime is, as people have spoken of before, the CSU, the community

safety unit, which is the authority that looks at compliance and

enforcement with respect to unlicensed sales.

Amendments to the CCLA — we will abbreviate and call it that —

will strengthen this enforcement against illicit cannabis operations.

These amendments that we’re going to pass — they will be passed — ensure

that the CSU has the necessary authority to conduct enforcement against

illicit online businesses. Especially with COVID, we saw that. We saw a

shift from bricks and mortar onto online, not only in legitimate

businesses but also in illicit businesses. It will also clarify the

processes for administrative hearings regarding cannabis

enforcement.

These amendments are another way that we are cracking down on

illicit cannabis operations and ensuring that British Columbians who

choose to consume cannabis products can buy safe, legal products. Again,

one of the benefits of that is you get rid of the money that gangs are

making from illicit cannabis. You’re breaking into their profit margin.

You’re making it less profitable for them. It will also have an effect

on the opioid crisis as well.

The proposed amendments, as I’ve spoken, will streamline

administrative hearings for cannabis enforcement and ensure that the CSU

has the necessary authority to conduct enforcement against illicit

online businesses. What is the CSU, you ask? The CSU became operational

in April of 2019 and operates with investigations created through a

variety of reactive and proactive strategies, with complaints being

received from the public, from store owners, from me and you, from

government agencies, police — again, legal market operators and

others.

B.C. is the only province in Canada to establish an enforcement

unit to enforce cannabis legalization and to deal with illegal retail

sales. Pre-legalization, British Columbia was the centre of Canada’s

illicit cannabis market. We all knew that the transition to a legal

industry would be challenging, given that history. We all knew that. For

generations, B.C. has been the centre of that. B.C. now has a

comprehensive compliance and enforcement regime, with the CSU playing a

complete, central role in this.

The CSU’s approach to enforcement activities is focused on

non-criminal sanctions, through administrative monetary penalties.

Again, hit them in the pocket; hit them where it hurts. The unit is

continuing to make significant progress in disrupting illicit market

supply and sales channels. The CSU reviews each complaint, and it’ll

follow up with investigations as required. CSU officers are actively

following up with unlicensed retailers, in communities across B.C., as

we speak now.

All along, though the aim of our whole scheme was originally

voluntary compliance, we’ve been very clear that once legal cannabis

retail outlets became operational in a community, the illegal retailers

would face enforcement activities from the CSU. This is just another way

that we’re protecting cannabis consumers and those retailers who are

doing the right thing and have obtained their licences in the proper

manner. This will also ensure that our public is buying safe, tested

products from a legal source.

[3:20 p.m.]

A key aspect of our cannabis strategy is to eliminate the illicit

market and to keep profits out of the hands of organized crime. Many

reasons for that, of course. The CSU is a regulatory enforcement unit

that has enforcement authority over all illicit cannabis

operations.

When dealing with illegal growing operations, especially where

criminal gang elements are involved, the Combined Forces Special

Enforcement Unit B.C., with the CSU, provides provincewide coordination

for organized crime and gang prevention and disruption and also conducts

operations, in many jurisdictions, that have a positive impact on the

Lower Mainland gang problem.

To engage in commercial cannabis production in B.C., a federal

licence issued by Health Canada is required. Applications are subject,

as has been spoken of before, to a rigorous review process, including an

assessment of the physical security measures in place at the facility,

recordkeeping methods, safekeeping methods, entry and exit of the

product. It’s quite voluminous, going through the administrative

requirements to get these licences.

The CSU delivers a provincewide compliance and en­forcement

program, prioritizing public safety, protecting our youth and our

children and eliminating the criminal element of the cannabis industry.

That really is the whole crux of this legislation: to get rid of that

criminal element, to give the CSU the powers to be able to do that, to

be able to enforce the laws that already exist.

Overall, B.C. is making progress on capturing the illicit market,

on getting rid of the illicit market. Monthly licensed cannabis retail

sales have grown steadily over the last few years. We learned from the

2021 B.C. Cannabis Use Survey that a majority of people in

British Columbia buy their cannabis product from legal sources. People

want to do the right thing. They want to buy from a licensed retail

store.

The legal cannabis production sector also has grown each year

since legalization. As of August of this year, B.C. had 212 federally

licensed cannabis producers, 74 of which are microproducers, as well as

34 public cannabis stores, with 441 licences issued for private cannabis

retail stores.

Illicit online cannabis sales occur — and this is the really big

problem — again being exacerbated by COVID. Illicit online cannabis

sales occur from websites that can be operated from anywhere in the

world, making it really challenging to investigate and enforce against

this. The CSU continues to work with law enforcement, their technology

partners and partners locally and across Canada to investigate and

disrupt illegal sales online.

CSU is an active member of a national working group comprising

representatives from the federal government, Public Safety Canada and

Health Canada, provincial governments across the country, various police

force agencies and Canada Post — because, frankly, that’s where a lot of

the online sales are posted through. It focuses on investigations and

disrupting those illegal online cannabis sales.

CSU’s enforcement actions have been successful so far in

disrupting online illicit cannabis sales and shutting them down when the

enforcement does occur. Some recent statistics — these are very recent —

as of September 28 of this year, the CSU has made 308 visits to

unlicensed retailers for educational purposes, giving them information

on becoming a legalized operator and giving them what the role of the

CSU is in this; 84 unlicensed retailers have had follow-up enforcement

action when they choose to continue to operate without a licence after

initial education visits — again, a collaborative approach.

CSU has seized approximately $31 million in cannabis from the

illegal market. That’s money that would have gone to gangs, that would

have gone to organized crime, that would have made the opiate crisis

worse and that would have bought guns. Some 180 unlicensed retailers

have either closed or completely closed, or have stopped selling

cannabis, as a direct result of the CSU’s actions, and 58 notices of

administrative monetary penalty have been issued, with proposed

penalties totalling approximately $39.9 million — almost $40 million —

with approximately $1.4 million of these penalties having already been

collected.

Over 1,000 illicit cannabis websites have been investigated, and

635 of these were successfully disrupted by the CSU and closed. There’s

more information that’s available, and I encourage you all to go and

look at that.

[3:25 p.m.]

The CSU continues to maintain dialogue with First Nations

communities and governments to address unlicensed retailers that are

operating on Indigenous land. CSU works closely to build positive

relationships with Indigenous governments, understanding where they have

different perspectives and where possible collaboration and resolution

can get a result. Again, this is in line with what the CSU did with

unlicensed retailers to come in and educate them: “Here’s a way to get

licensed.” They’ve been operating for a long time. It gives them some

time to either remedy or close.

All in all, it’s much-needed legislation. As we get further and

further away from the beginning of cannabis legalization and as we see

and we experience what this whole regime is like, we see certain

administrative holes. That’s really what this act is designed to do.

It’s designed to plug those holes and give our enforcement unit, the

CSU, more oomph, so that they can actually do their job. That’s why I

support this bill.

L. Doerkson: I want to just take a very brief few minutes to add my comments on

Bill 30, the Cannabis Control and Licensing Amendment Act,

Some of the comments that I just heard are probably…. My concern,

why I would support this bill and almost feel that it doesn’t go far

enough…. With some of the numbers that I heard with respect to illegal

operations, it sounded to me like they outnumber the licensed operations

in this province — if I heard that correctly. I certainly would stand to

be corrected.

[J. Tegart in the chair.]

The Solicitor General mentioned in his comments earlier that legal

operations are faced with the challenge of competing against these

illegal operations. The reason why this is important to me is that, as

the member for Shuswap mentioned, so many operations are clearly illegal

in his riding. We’ve had a number of them in Cariboo-Chilcotin, as well,

where we’ve just had a cannabis operation closed down by the authorities

— certainly a good step in the right direction.

Again, I think there’s support from our side of the House for this

bill. What concerns me is that it’s not being acknowledged how many

operations are actually functioning right now and have been for years. I

think that that has to be noted.

As I mentioned before, we have a number of operations in

Cariboo-Chilcotin. I think many of your members have actually toured one

of the operations along with me. They joined us for a tour at the

Williams Lake First Nation, where they’ve built an incredible

farm-to-retail operation. Part of their operation is retail outlets

throughout the province. Of course, they find it very challenging to

compete against these illegal operations that are throughout the

province. I’m sure I could get that confirmed by the Chief of the

Williams Lake First Nation.

It certainly goes further than that. We certainly have a number of

retail operations in Cariboo-Chilcotin that have, obviously, gone

through the painstaking licensing process. They’ve spent thousands —

hundreds of thousands, in fact — on their operations to build beautiful

retail outlets, and then find themselves competing against a container,

literally a sea can on the side of the road at Lac la Hache, which was

just taken down.

So in the committee stage, I need to understand just how it is

that these operations are able to set up in the first place. It’s

extremely concerning. To the operators — who have just faced not only

COVID but a labour strike that caused many challenges for their supply —

these retailers are like so many small businesses in our

province.

[3:30 p.m.]

They are facing so many challenges, but many of our retailers are

not facing these types of illegal operations. So I think we really have

to acknowledge that they are prolific throughout the entire province. To

the member for Shuswap’s comments, I absolutely agree. Until we admit

that we have the problem, I don’t know that we can deal with

it.

Now, I know this bill will certainly deal with changes that are

occurring online. I think, during the committee stage, we’ll find out

just how far that reach will be. Will it affect so many of these

operations that are throughout the province?

That’s, I guess, all that I really have to say about Bill 30. I

definitely am looking forward to…. I’m sure members of my community and,

certainly, owners of these retail operations will be watching this very

closely. We have many through Cariboo-Chilcotin, and I know that they

are very concerned about the illegal market.

Just one last point, with respect to the numbers that we heard

earlier. I’m going to be very focused. I hope that the Solicitor General

will clear that up during the committee stage. The idea that our legal

operators may be out-numbered by illegal operators is definitely a very

big concern.

B. Anderson: I’m absolutely thrilled to be here today and to be able to speak

in favour of this bill.

Before cannabis legalization, I actually flew to Ottawa with a

friend who invited me so that we would be able to speak with MPs and

senators about enabling craft growers to enter the market. It’s really

important for legacy cultivators to be able to operate legally and,

also, to allow outdoor cannabis. If you would have told me then, in

Ottawa, that I would get to speak on cannabis in the B.C. Legislature

today, I wouldn’t have believed you, but here I am. So I’m absolutely

thrilled.

Cannabis cultivation has always been a large part of the economy

in British Columbia but, also, specifically in the Kootenays. A lot of

people have been calling for legalization for years. It had provided an

economic opportunity of real rural economic diversification when things

like sawmills shut down and the logging industry was hurt.

We have a large concentration of growers in the Kootenays that are

highly skilled at cultivating some of the best cannabis on the planet. I

would just like to thank them and people across British Columbia for the

efforts that they made to ensure that cannabis would be

legalized.

Now, I know many folks, once cannabis was legalized, thought:

“That’s not what we meant.” When we look at the federal regime…. They

really took, in my opinion, a fear-based approach. It is tremendously

difficult for cultivators to actually be able to transition and move

from the medical market into the regulated market, but some of them

have. I know it was a very challenging few years for many folks that

have worked so hard to enter into this regulated space.

Speaking with people…. This is one of the most challenging sectors

to be a part of. So I thank all of them for the work that they’ve been

doing. I also want to thank all of the people that have been reaching

out to me personally, that have been working with folks like the

cannabis secretariat and that have been trying to improve regulations

and policy on local government levels, on provincial levels and on

federal levels.

Someone did tell me, I think it was on the first day of cannabis

legalization, that this is actually…. In their opinion, this is going to

be the worst point that we’re at for cannabis legalization, and it’s

only going to get better from here. It’s by listening to the people that

are the experts and that are in this industry that we are seeing

movements here provincially.

We just announced yesterday that we’re going to be allowing farm

gate, which is an incredible opportunity for producers. It means that

they are going to be able to vertically integrate and actually sell

their product from their cultivation site. This is really important.

When we look at, say, the wine industry and all the tourism that

surrounds that…. The opportunity to show how and where the cannabis that

consumers are enjoying is being cultivated is, I think, a really key

piece.

[3:35 p.m.]

I know a lot of folks have been working for a really long time.

The Craft Cannabis Association, the Kootenay economic cannabis council

and others from across British Columbia have been calling for these

moves. These are moves…. The cannabis secretariat took time to speak

with all of these folks and understand how to do this right. So I’m

really glad that we’re making those steps.

Another piece, in August, was direct delivery. When we introduced

that, I know a lot of folks reached out, and they were absolutely

thrilled. Of course, then there were challenges with the supply chain

due to the labour strike.

By direct delivery, you’re enabling growers and processors to have

direct relationships with dispensaries, and that’s really critical. It

was being called for from the producers, from the processors but also

from the dispensaries themselves.

We are making moves forward in cannabis in British Columbia. I

truly believe that there’s a huge rural economic opportunity here. In

rural British Columbia, we’ve had decades of experience in growing some

of the best cannabis in the world. So I am grateful to be able to speak

on this bill today.

Another thing we’re exploring is cannabis consumption spaces.

Currently, in our provincial legislation, you are not allowed to

advertise a place to go to, to consume cannabis or advertise a place to

go to after consuming cannabis. We know, in other places, there are

things like Ganja Yoga or AirBud&B. These are cannabis-friendly

spaces. There’s someone in my local community that has been wanting to

see and explore what that looks like.

It also means places like music festivals, where people — this

might be shocking to some folks — have traditionally been smoking or

consuming cannabis for a very long time. By making these changes here

provincially, I think it’s going to be a huge economic opportunity for

our sector.

I’ve met with a lot of dispensaries, not just locally in my

riding, but also, folks have reached out to me from across the province.

One of the key challenges that they had noted was….There are huge

opportunities for people. They’re purchasing online. So they’re not

actually purchasing directly from the dispensaries that are regulated.

This is going to help to address some of that, in this bill.

I also want to talk a little bit about medical cannabis. There is

some concern about medical cannabis. The minister spoke to that when he

was introducing the bill today. I also want to say that it is a really

key and important component of cannabis, cannabis as a

medicine.

The Premier did come to the Kootenays last summer. We were able to

tour a medical cannabis…. It’s a small outdoor farm. They actually have

a partnership with the University of Saskatchewan. They’re looking at

different strains and figuring out — it’s an adaptogenic plant — how

specific strains are able to help people, in different ways, that are

experiencing different medical challenges.

Being able to provide that access I think really continues to be

key. Again, we have some of the most incredible experts on this right in

the Kootenays, in my riding, which I could not be more proud

of.

Going back, also, to having growers transition, the federal

government has made, in my opinion, very little effort to actually….

They brought this in saying that this is going to reduce crime. Then

they never….

I know some other folks have talked about organized crime. In my

community, most of the people that are cultivating cannabis,

historically were cultivating cannabis, were not involved in the type of

organized crime you think of. They often got into the cannabis industry

because they themselves were sick and they needed cannabis in order to

feel better and to get them through whatever medical condition. Then

they found out that they were really good at that. So then they were

providing that medicine, again, to other people.

I spoke with a lot of folks. With cannabis legalization, they

really wanted to transition, but the pathway forward was not clear. We

had folks rolling through the Kootenays at events that were making these

massive promises. “If you sign up with us, we’re going to guarantee that

you’re going to be able to transition.” Then they were abandoning these

folks, after getting paid large amounts of money.

[3:40 p.m.]

It was really creating a lot of strain and stress on our

community. I was really grateful when the provincial government actually

funded the cannabis business transition initiative, which was through

Community Futures. They worked with hundreds of cultivators locally

there to try to support them through that transition. Some of them found

out that it wasn’t going to be possible for them, but some of them were

successful.

Greg, up near Kaslo, was one of those folks. I’ve met with Greg a

few times. We’ve talked about the challenges of being a small,

microproducer. Greg is really good at what he does. When I met with him

again this summer and we sat in his backyard, he was feeling that it was

finally actually worth it for him. After he had gone through all of

those struggles, he was starting to see the light.

Part of the work that we’re doing here today is going to support

people like Greg, people like Che, people like Janeen, people like

Buddy’s Place and The Potorium — all of these folks that have been

working really hard to make it in the legal cannabis sphere. We need to

continue to support the economic opportunities and make these changes so

that, in places in rural British Columbia, we can have a thriving

cannabis industry that’s going to benefit our entire rural

economy.

With this, I am very grateful. Again, I just want to say a huge

thank-you to all of the advocates that have worked incredibly hard to

get us where we’re at. We know that there’s more work to do.

I will continue to voice my support and keep feeding what you’re

telling me to our government so we can make those changes. I know folks

like the cannabis secretariat and the minister are also

listening.

I did want to speak to getting to meet Chief Sellers and the

Williams Lake First Nation — and their entire team, of course — up in

Williams Lake at the Sugar Cane Cannabis facility in June. It was

incredible to meet with them. They have this brand-new, beautiful band

office. We sat down. They talked about some of the challenges that they

were facing but really about the opportunity that they saw for their

entire community.

We drove down to the space. You walk in. It’s going to be the

space where they’re going to be selling their cannabis. It’s an

absolutely beautiful space — huge, big windows. Then a button is

pressed. There’s a window, and there’s sort of this garage door effect

that lifts up. You can see the cannabis plants actually being grown,

right there, where that product is going to be sold.

Things like that…. We’re actually lifting the veil of the cannabis

industry. Folks are getting to learn more about the plant, what works

for them and what doesn’t work for them.

It’s an adaptogenic plant. Different people find canna­bis….

Different cannabis is going to work for them in different ways. By being

able to actually see what these plants are like and then purchase the

product right there…. It’s creating a tourism opportunity. It’s an

economic opportunity.

I could see the pride and how excited they were. We got to meet

some of the folks that were trimming. They were talking about how that’s

where they wanted to work and just the jobs that they were creating in

these rural and remote communities.

These are Indigenous communities. It’s a piece of reconciliation.

We’ve had six First Nations sign 119 agreements, which is

fantastic.

I just want to, again, say my support for this bill, thank the

minister for the work that they’ve done, thank the cannabis secretariat

and thank all of the advocates in the cannabis industry for all of the

work that they’ve done over the years.

T. Wat: I’m pleased to rise in the House today to speak briefly on Bill

30. I do acknowledge the need for this bill, especially as we strive to

ensure that our legislation is up to date with the cannabis market and

the realities on the ground.

My constituents in Richmond North Centre, with over 50 percent

being Chinese Canadians, are concerned about the availability of

cannabis and how this government is ensuring that our families are kept

safe.

[3:45 p.m.]

As the authority responsible for compliance and en­forcement

under the Cannabis Control and Licensing Act, it is important, as this

bill proposes, that commun­ity safety unit, CSU, investigations

can be effectively carried out while the illicit market shifts and

changes. This is especially important, as cannabis has become so widely

available and more accessible within our society today. This has only

increased the concern that people have about ensuring that these

substances are not contaminated and exposed to young people and that the

government is taking active measures to adapt and evolve alongside

cannabis.

While this bill puts forward straightforward steps to address some

of this concern, the recent surge in online illegal dispensaries is

extremely troubling. Not only are these websites making cannabis

available to young children and others under 19, but this product also

completely skips government oversight for ensuring these substances are

regulated, inspected and safe for consumption.

As we all know, the Internet — and what we are able to do with it

— is quite complex and ever changing, which is why it is crucial that we

constantly look to improve the efforts of government enforcement on this

matter. The failure to do so can be a significant risk to the public.

During times like this, when we have rising issues of crime, mental

health and health care, we must be doing what we can, proactively, to

keep the public safe.

It is encouraging to see this legislation brought forward. We look

forward to paying more close attention to clause 14 as we enter the

committee stage. I do echo the sentiments my colleagues have shared on

this matter.

R. Russell: I’m proud and happy to rise in the House today to speak in favour

of this bill. I think when legalization did happen, we saw a lot of

opportunity. We certainly saw a lot of challenges at the same time. This

bill is put in place to help us address some of those challenges

particularly associated with that.

I think part of the opportunity that we saw there — and the

challenge, at the same time — is: how do we support producers that were

illicit to transition into the legal market? How do we make sure that

we’re providing safe product for consumers that we know have an interest

in that product? How do we reduce some of the stigma associated with

cannabis use at the same time?

I know, for a lot of us…. We’ve heard the member for

Nelson-Creston speak to it, and I think the member for Cariboo-Chilcotin

was also referencing the same — the need to make sure we can do this in

a meaningful way so that it actually contributes to rural economic

development in a functional and an effective way.

It’s one of these opportunities — particularly with the growth in

the craft end of the spectrum, I would say — for rural economies to

build more resilience into the economic engines that they have. It’s an

agricultural product that comes with high value and high labour involved

with the preparation and processing. Those are the kinds of economic

opportunities, I think, that really do matter for our rural communities

but only if we can do so safely and in a way that we know is supporting

those communities.

There were a lot of questions that I thought might be asked. My

colleague from Richmond-Queensborough answered a lot of those questions,

so I won’t go over those.

I will say that this bill…. We heard the Attorney General earlier

today talk about being hard on crime but also being hard on the causes

of crime. I think that this is partly what we’re trying to move forward

here — a bill that gives us more of the tools, gives the authority to

the community safety unit to be able to do a better job of compliance

and enforcement in these illegal operations specifically.

[3:50 p.m.]

I appreciate the comments from the member for Cariboo-Chilcotin

earlier. I think I agree with most of those. As he referenced, as well

as the member for Nelson-Creston, we had a good opportunity to see, from

Williams Lake First Nation — and hear from them — about not only all of

the processes that they had in place to deliver a safe product in a safe

way, but also to hear from them about how important this can be for

their members and for their nation to be able to help build that

economic independence and economic development.

That, so that people know, is translated into economic

opportunities from retail outlets in a lot of communities well beyond

Williams Lake. This is again, for me, from that rural development

perspective, a really valuable opportunity to those bands, to those

nations and beyond.

In the same vein, I have been working with Osoyoos Indian Band. I

know it is a topic of very high interest to them. I’ve been working with

Chief Louie there, as well as Councillor McGinnis. The opportunities

there that they see are also enormous. They’ve been exploring the

section 119 opportunities to see how they help build that as

well.

Other bands that I have met across the province have also

mentioned…. You know, there are a lot that struggle with this challenge

of illegal operators that are setting up. Once they have legal

operations that are in the area or on the reserve, for example, how do

they effectively navigate through the process of compliance and

enforcement on those illegal operations?

A number of bands that I have been talking to want to see that,

but they need the tools to make sure they’re able to do that. This piece

of legislation, for me, is promising for that reason. It helps give us

more tools to walk down that path.

In our Declaration Act action plan, we made a commitment to:

“Advance a collaborative approach to cannabis-related governance and

jurisdictions between First Nations and the province….” This is really

the impetus for me to stand up and speak to this, as I see this as a

step in the right direction on that front, helping us help those nations

and bands that want to operate in a safe way to do that

effectively.

I also would say that in some of these situations, we’ve seen what

I would call cultural appropriation. I don’t know what the current term

might be for private ventures that are not Indigenous-owned

misrepresenting themselves as being owned and operated by Indigenous

communities or Indigenous members of those nations. This also gives us

one more tool in the toolkit to help push back against those kinds of

operators.

Really, my main point here is to support this from the perspective

of rural economic development, in a safe way that is good for our

communities; support rural resilience in the communities, which we care

about; and help develop an opportunity.

We know, if it’s done right, it can certainly serve our

communities well and deliver a lot of benefits, as long as we’re taking

steps to do so in a safe and responsible way and helping develop the

industry that could be of huge benefit in our rural communities,

particularly around the craft sector and helping transition those other

operators.

J. Rice: I rise today to speak to the Cannabis Control and Licensing Act.

The Cannabis Control and Licensing Act includes an extensive compliance

and enforcement regime. A key component of this regime is the community

safety unit, which my colleagues were just speaking of earlier and which

has the authority for compliance and enforcement with respect to

unlicensed sales.

The amendments to the Cannabis Control and Licensing Act will

strengthen enforcement against illicit cannabis operations. The

amendments ensure that the CSU, the community safety unit, has the

necessary authority to conduct enforcement against illicit online

businesses and clarify the process for administrative hearings regarding

cannabis enforcement.

[3:55 p.m.]

These amendments are another way we are cracking down on illicit

cannabis operations and ensuring that British Columbians who choose to

consume cannabis can buy safe, legal products. The proposed amendments

to the Cannabis Control and Licensing Act will streamline administrative

hearings for cannabis enforcement and ensure the community safety unit

has the necessary auth­ority to conduct enforcement against

illicit online businesses.

The CSU became operational in April 2019 and operates with

investigations created through a variety of reactive and proactive

strategies, with complaints being received from the public, government

agencies, police, legal market operators and others.

B.C. is the only province in Canada to establish an

en­forcement unit to enforce cannabis legalization and deal with

illegal retail sales. Pre-legalization, B.C. was the center of Canada’s

illicit cannabis market. We knew that the transition to a legal industry

would be challenging, given that history. B.C. has a comprehensive

compliance and enforcement regime, with the CSU playing a central role.

The CSU’s approach to enforcement activities is focused on non-criminal

sanctions through administrative monetary penalties. The unit is

continuing to make significant progress, disrupting the illicit market

supply and sales channels.

The CSU reviews each complaint and will follow up with

investigations as required. CSU officers are actively following up with

unlicensed retailers in communities across British Columbia and have

been increasing enforcement action. All along, the aim has been

voluntary compliance, and we have been very clear that once legal

cannabis retail outlets became operational in a community, the illegal

retailers would face enforcement activities from the CSU. This is just

another way we’re protecting cannabis consumers, and ensuring that they

can buy safe, tested products from a legal source.

A key aspect of B.C’s cannabis strategy is to eliminate the

illicit market and keep profits out of the hands of organized crime. The

CSU is a regulatory enforcement unit that has enforcement authority over

these illicit cannabis operations. When dealing with illegal growing

operations, especially when gang elements are involved, Combined Forces

Special Enforcement Unit, the CFSEU-BC, provides provincewide

coordination for organized crime, gang prevention and disruption, and

conducts operations in many jurisdictions that have a positive impact on

the Lower Mainland gang problem.

To engage in commercial cannabis production in B. C., a federal

licence is issued by Health Canada. It’s required. Applications are

subject to a rigorous review process, including an assessment of the

physical security measures in place at the facility, recordkeeping

methods and procedures and security clearance checks. The CSU delivers a

provincewide compliance and enforcement program, prioritizing public

safety, protecting youth and children and eliminating the criminal

element of the cannabis industry.

Overall, B.C. is making progress on capturing the illicit market.

Monthly licensed cannabis retail sales have grown steadily, and we

learned from the 2021 B.C. Cannabis Youth Survey that the

majority of people in B.C. buy their cannabis products from legal

sources. The legal cannabis production sector has also grown each year

since legalization. As of this past August, B.C. had 212 federally

licensed cannabis producers, 74 of which are microproducers, as well as

34 public cannabis stores, and 441 licences issued for private cannabis

retail stores.

[4:00 p.m.]

Illicit online cannabis sales occur from websites that can be

operated from anywhere, making them extremely challenging to investigate

and enforce against. The CSU continues to work with law enforcement

partners, locally and across Canada, to investigate and disrupt illegal

online sales. The CSU is an active member of a national working group

comprising representatives from federal government departments, Public

Safety Canada, Health Canada, provincial governments, various police

agencies and Canada Post that focuses on investigations and disruption

of illegal online cannabis sales.

The CSU’s enforcement actions have be