British Columbia Hansard — 16 December 2020, p.m., Issue 12 (42nd Parliament, 1st Session)

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British Columbia — Debates (Hansard)

First Session, 42nd Parliament OFFICIAL REPORT OF DEBATES (HANSARD) Wednesday, December 16, 2020 Afternoon Sitting Issue No. 12 THE HONOURABLE RAJ CHOUHAN, SPEAKER ISSN 1499-2175

PROVINCE OF BRITISH COLUMBIA (Entered Confederation July 20, 1871) LIEUTENANT-GOVERNOR Her Honour the Honourable Janet Austin, OBC First Session, 42nd Parliament SPEAKER OF THE LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY Honourable Raj Chouhan EXECUTIVE COUNCIL Premier and President of the Executive Council ............................................................................................................... Hon. John Horgan Minister of Advanced Education and Skills Training...........................................................................................................Hon.

Anne Kang Minister of Agriculture, Food and Fisheries......................................................................................................................Hon. Lana Popham Attorney General and Minister Responsible for Housing .............................................................................................Hon. David Eby, QC Minister of Children and Family Development ....................................................................................................................Hon.

Mitzi Dean Minister of State for Child Care...................................................................................................................................... Hon. Katrina Chen Minister of Citizens’ Services.....................................................................................................................................................Hon. Lisa Beare Minister of Education .................................................................................................................................................. Hon.

Jennifer Whiteside Minister of Energy, Mines and Low Carbon Innovation ................................................................................................ Hon. Bruce Ralston Minister of Environment and Climate Change Strategy............................................................................................. Hon. George Heyman Minister of Finance .......................................................................................................................................................... Hon.

Selina Robinson Minister of Forests, Lands, Natural Resource Operations and Rural Development ................................................ Hon. Katrine Conroy Minister of State for Lands and Natural Resource Operations................................................................................. Hon. Nathan Cullen Minister of Health and Minister Responsible for Francophone Affairs.............................................................................Hon.

Adrian Dix Minister of Indigenous Relations and Reconciliation .......................................................................................... Hon. Murray Rankin, QC Minister of Jobs, Economic Recovery and Innovation....................................................................................................... Hon. Ravi Kahlon Minister of State for Trade...............................................................................................................................................Hon.

George Chow Minister of Labour ...................................................................................................................................................................Hon. Harry Bains Minister of Mental Health and Addictions.............................................................................................................. Hon. Sheila Malcolmson Minister of Municipal Affairs ............................................................................................................................................. Hon.

Josie Osborne Minister of Public Safety and Solicitor General ........................................................................................................... Hon. Mike Farnworth Minister of Social Development and Poverty Reduction........................................................................................... Hon. Nicholas Simons Minister of Tourism, Arts, Culture and Sport .................................................................................................................. Hon.

Melanie Mark Minister of Transportation and Infrastructure................................................................................................................... Hon. Rob Fleming Minister of State for Infrastructure ................................................................................................................................... Hon.

Bowinn Ma LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY Leader of the Official Opposition...................................................................................................................................................Shirley Bond Leader of the Third Party .......................................................................................................................................................... Sonia Furstenau Deputy Speaker..........................................................................................................................................................

Spencer Chandra Herbert Assistant Deputy Speaker..............................................................................................................................................................Norm Letnick Deputy Chair, Committee of the Whole .......................................................................................................................... Ronna-Rae Leonard Clerk of the Legislative Assembly ...........................................................................................................................................

Kate Ryan-Lloyd Law Clerk and Parliamentary Counsel.............................................................................................................................. Seunghee Suzie Seo Clerk Assistant, Parliamentary Services........................................................................................................................... Artour Sogomonian Clerk of Committees.......................................................................................................................................................................

Jennifer Arril Clerk Assistant, Committees and Interparliamentary Relations ..............................................................................................Susan Sourial Senior Research Analyst ................................................................................................................................................................... Karan Riarh Acting Sergeant-at-Arms..................................................................................................................................................................Greg Nelson

ALPHABETICAL LIST OF MEMBERS Alexis, Pam (BC NDP) ............................................................Abbotsford-Mission Anderson, Brittny (BC NDP) .........................................................Nelson-Creston Ashton, Dan (BC Liberal Party) ............................................................... Penticton Babchuk, Michele (BC NDP)...............................................................North Island Bailey, Brenda (BC NDP).................................................. Vancouver–False Creek Bains, Hon. Harry (BC NDP).........................................................

Surrey-Newton Banman, Bruce (BC Liberal Party) ............................................ Abbotsford South Beare, Hon. Lisa (BC NDP) .......................................

Maple Ridge–Pitt Meadows Begg, Garry (BC NDP).................................................................Surrey-Guildford Bernier, Mike (BC Liberal Party) ...............................................Peace River South Bond, Shirley (BC Liberal Party).................................Prince George–Valemount Brar, Jagrup (BC NDP) ................................................................Surrey-Fleetwood Cadieux, Stephanie (BC Liberal Party) .............................................

Surrey South Chandra Herbert, Spencer (BC NDP).................................Vancouver–West End Chant, Susie (BC NDP) ..............................................North Vancouver–Seymour Chen, Hon. Katrina (BC NDP) ............................................... Burnaby-Lougheed Chouhan, Hon. Raj (BC NDP).................................................Burnaby-Edmonds Chow, Hon. George (BC NDP) ..........................................Vancouver-Fraserview Clovechok, Doug (BC Liberal Party)........................Columbia River–Revelstoke Conroy, Hon.

Katrine (BC NDP) ....................................................Kootenay West Coulter, Dan (BC NDP) .......................................................................... Chilliwack Cullen, Hon. Nathan (BC NDP) ................................................................... Stikine Davies, Dan (BC Liberal Party)................................................. Peace River North de Jong, Michael, QC (BC Liberal Party)....................................Abbotsford West Dean, Hon. Mitzi (BC NDP) ...............................................

Esquimalt-Metchosin D’Eith, Bob (BC NDP) .........................................................Maple Ridge–Mission Dix, Hon. Adrian (BC NDP) ................................................ Vancouver-Kingsway Doerkson, Lorne (BC Liberal Party) ........................................Cariboo-Chilcotin Donnelly, Fin (BC NDP) .......................................... Coquitlam–Burke Mountain Dykeman, Megan (BC NDP)............................................................... Langley East Eby, Hon. David, QC (BC NDP).......................................

Vancouver–Point Grey Elmore, Mable (BC NDP) ..................................................Vancouver-Kensington Farnworth, Hon. Mike (BC NDP) .................................................Port Coquitlam Fleming, Hon. Rob (BC NDP) ...............................................

Victoria–Swan Lake Furstenau, Sonia (BC Green Party) .............................................Cowichan Valley Glumac, Rick (BC NDP) ..................................................Port Moody–Coquitlam Greene, Kelly (BC NDP) ........................................................Richmond-Steveston Halford, Trevor (BC Liberal Party) .........................................Surrey–White Rock Heyman, Hon. George (BC NDP) .........................................Vancouver-Fairview Horgan, Hon. John (BC NDP) ......................................... Langford–Juan de Fuca Kahlon, Hon.

Ravi (BC NDP) .............................................................. Delta North Kang, Hon. Anne (BC NDP) .................................................. Burnaby–Deer Lake Kirkpatrick, Karin (BC Liberal Party) ........................West Vancouver–Capilano Kyllo, Greg (BC Liberal Party)....................................................................Shuswap Lee, Michael (BC Liberal Party) ..............................................Vancouver-Langara Leonard, Ronna-Rae (BC NDP)...............................................

Courtenay-Comox Letnick, Norm (BC Liberal Party) .................................. Kelowna–Lake Country Lore, Grace (BC NDP)........................................................... Victoria–Beacon Hill Ma, Hon. Bowinn (BC NDP).....................................North Vancouver–Lonsdale Malcolmson, Hon. Sheila (BC NDP)........................................................Nanaimo Mark, Hon. Melanie (BC NDP).................................Vancouver–Mount Pleasant Mercier, Andrew (BC NDP) ........................................................................

Langley Merrifield, Renee (BC Liberal Party)......................................... Kelowna-Mission Milobar, Peter (BC Liberal Party) .......................... Kamloops–North Thompson Morris, Mike (BC Liberal Party) ................................. Prince George–Mackenzie Oakes, Coralee (BC Liberal Party).................................................. Cariboo North Olsen, Adam (BC Green Party)............................ Saanich North and the Islands Osborne, Hon.

Josie (BC NDP)........................................Mid Island–Pacific Rim Paddon, Kelli (BC NDP) ................................................................Chilliwack-Kent Paton, Ian (BC Liberal Party) ............................................................... Delta South Popham, Hon. Lana (BC NDP)........................................................ Saanich South Ralston, Hon. Bruce (BC NDP)......................................................Surrey-Whalley Rankin, Hon.

Murray, QC (BC NDP) .............................Oak Bay–Gordon Head Rice, Jennifer (BC NDP) ...................................................................... North Coast Robinson, Hon. Selina (BC NDP)...................................Coquitlam-Maillardville Ross, Ellis (BC Liberal Party)......................................................................... Skeena Routledge, Janet (BC NDP) .............................................................Burnaby North Routley, Doug (BC NDP)...........................................

Nanaimo–North Cowichan Russell, Roly (BC NDP).................................................... Boundary-Similkameen Rustad, John (BC Liberal Party)......................................................Nechako Lakes Sandhu, Harwinder (BC NDP) .................................................Vernon-Monashee Sharma, Niki (BC NDP)..........................................................Vancouver-Hastings Shypitka, Tom (BC Liberal Party) .................................................... Kootenay East Simons, Hon. Nicholas (BC NDP).........................

Powell River–Sunshine Coast Sims, Jinny (BC NDP) ................................................................. Surrey-Panorama Singh, Aman (BC NDP) .............................................Richmond-Queensborough Singh, Rachna (BC NDP)...................................................Surrey–Green Timbers Starchuk, Mike (BC NDP) ......................................................... Surrey-Cloverdale Stewart, Ben (BC Liberal Party) .......................................................

Kelowna West Stone, Todd (BC Liberal Party) ...............................Kamloops–South Thompson Sturdy, Jordan (BC Liberal Party) ............................. West Vancouver–Sea to Sky Tegart, Jackie (BC Liberal Party)....................................................... Fraser-Nicola Walker, Adam (BC NDP) ....................................................... Parksville-Qualicum Wat, Teresa (BC Liberal Party) ....................................... Richmond North Centre Whiteside, Hon. Jennifer (BC NDP) .........................................

New Westminster Wilkinson, Andrew, QC (BC Liberal Party)......................Vancouver-Quilchena Y ao, Henry (BC NDP) ..................................................... Richmond South Centre LIST OF MEMBERS BY RIDING Abbotsford-Mission................................................................................. Pam Alexis Abbotsford South...............................................................................Bruce Banman Abbotsford West......................................................................

Michael de Jong, QC Boundary-Similkameen........................................................................ Roly Russell Burnaby–Deer Lake....................................................................... Hon. Anne Kang Burnaby-Edmonds......................................................................Hon. Raj Chouhan Burnaby-Lougheed .................................................................... Hon. Katrina Chen Burnaby North .................................................................................

Janet Routledge Cariboo-Chilcotin ..........................................................................Lorne Doerkson Cariboo North.................................................................................... Coralee Oakes Chilliwack ...............................................................................................Dan Coulter Chilliwack-Kent .................................................................................... Kelli Paddon Columbia River–Revelstoke .........................................................

Doug Clovechok Coquitlam–Burke Mountain...............................................................Fin Donnelly Coquitlam-Maillardville ...................................................... Hon. Selina Robinson Courtenay-Comox................................................................... Ronna-Rae Leonard Cowichan Valley ............................................................................. Sonia Furstenau Delta North................................................................................... Hon.

Ravi Kahlon Delta South ..................................................................................................Ian Paton Esquimalt-Metchosin .................................................................... Hon. Mitzi Dean Fraser-Nicola .........................................................................................

Jackie Tegart Kamloops–North Thompson .............................................................Peter Milobar Kamloops–South Thompson..................................................................Todd Stone Kelowna–Lake Country .....................................................................Norm Letnick Kelowna-Mission ...........................................................................

Renee Merrifield Kelowna West ..........................................................................................Ben Stewart Kootenay East.......................................................................................Tom Shypitka Kootenay West........................................................................ Hon. Katrine Conroy Langford–Juan de Fuca .............................................................. Hon.

John Horgan Langley .............................................................................................Andrew Mercier Langley East....................................................................................Megan Dykeman Maple Ridge–Mission.............................................................................. Bob D’Eith Maple Ridge–Pitt Meadows............................................................Hon. Lisa Beare Mid Island–Pacific Rim............................................................ Hon.

Josie Osborne Nanaimo.............................................................................Hon. Sheila Malcolmson Nanaimo–North Cowichan............................................................... Doug Routley Nechako Lakes........................................................................................ John Rustad Nelson-Creston ............................................................................. Brittny Anderson New Westminster.............................................................. Hon.

Jennifer Whiteside North Coast ........................................................................................... Jennifer Rice North Island................................................................................... Michele Babchuk North Vancouver–Lonsdale......................................................... Hon. Bowinn Ma North Vancouver–Seymour...................................................................Susie Chant Oak Bay–Gordon Head..................................................Hon.

Murray Rankin, QC Parksville-Qualicum........................................................................... Adam Walker Peace River North ................................................................................... Dan Davies Peace River South ................................................................................ Mike Bernier Penticton ................................................................................................. Dan Ashton Port Coquitlam...................................................................... Hon.

Mike Farnworth Port Moody–Coquitlam.......................................................................Rick Glumac Powell River–Sunshine Coast..............................................Hon. Nicholas Simons Prince George–Mackenzie....................................................................Mike Morris Prince George–Valemount ..................................................................

Shirley Bond Richmond North Centre..........................................................................Teresa Wat Richmond-Queensborough..................................................................Aman Singh Richmond South Centre .......................................................................... Henry Y ao Richmond-Steveston ............................................................................

Kelly Greene Saanich North and the Islands .............................................................Adam Olsen Saanich South .............................................................................Hon. Lana Popham Shuswap...................................................................................................... Greg Kyllo Skeena........................................................................................................... Ellis Ross Stikine........................................................................................ Hon.

Nathan Cullen Surrey-Cloverdale .............................................................................. Mike Starchuk Surrey-Fleetwood.....................................................................................Jagrup Brar Surrey–Green Timbers........................................................................Rachna Singh Surrey-Guildford......................................................................................Garry Begg Surrey-Newton ..............................................................................Hon.

Harry Bains Surrey-Panorama ...................................................................................... Jinny Sims Surrey South ................................................................................ Stephanie Cadieux Surrey-Whalley ......................................................................... Hon. Bruce Ralston Surrey–White Rock .......................................................................... Trevor Halford Vancouver-Fairview.............................................................. Hon.

George Heyman Vancouver–False Creek...................................................................... Brenda Bailey Vancouver-Fraserview...............................................................Hon. George Chow Vancouver-Hastings ..............................................................................Niki Sharma Vancouver-Kensington....................................................................... Mable Elmore Vancouver-Kingsway..................................................................... Hon.

Adrian Dix Vancouver-Langara................................................................................ Michael Lee Vancouver–Mount Pleasant..................................................... Hon. Melanie Mark Vancouver–Point Grey ............................................................Hon. David Eby, QC Vancouver-Quilchena........................................................Andrew Wilkinson, QC Vancouver–West End .....................................................Spencer Chandra Herbert Vernon-Monashee .....................................................................

Harwinder Sandhu Victoria–Beacon Hill............................................................................... Grace Lore Victoria–Swan Lake.................................................................... Hon. Rob Fleming West Vancouver–Capilano...........................................................Karin Kirkpatrick West Vancouver–Sea to Sky................................................................Jordan Sturdy Party Standings: BC NDP 57; BC Liberal Party 28; BC Green Party 2

CONTENTS Wednesday, December 16, 2020 Afternoon Sitting Page Routine Business Introductions by Members....................................................................................................................................................... 261 Tributes ....................................................................................................................................................................................... 261 Duane Earle S.

Chant Introductions by Members....................................................................................................................................................... 261 Tributes ....................................................................................................................................................................................... 261 Ron McLeod Hon. B. Ma William King Hon. K.

Conroy Statements (Standing Order 25B) ........................................................................................................................................... 262 High-speed Internet access and Connected Coast project M. Babchuk Kelowna Chamber of Commerce business award recipients R. Merrifield Richmond community response to COVID-19 K. Greene Squamish Chamber of Commerce business award recipients J. Sturdy International Day to End Violence Against Sex Workers G. Lore South Vancouver Seniors Network M.

Lee Oral Questions........................................................................................................................................................................... 264 COVID-19 response for tourism industry and report recommendations S. Bond Hon. M. Mark T. Wat Access to information on COVID-19 in schools and school safety plans S. Furstenau Hon. J. Whiteside COVID-19 response for small businesses T. Stone Hon. R. Kahlon COVID-19 response for restaurant industry and cap on delivery service fees T. Halford Hon. R. Kahlon Child care funding K. Kirkpatrick Hon. K.

Chen Tabling Documents................................................................................................................................................................... 270 Statement of 2019-20 borrowings Office of the Human Rights Commissioner, annual report, 2019-20, and service plan, 2020-21–2022-23 Report pursuant to the COVID-19 Related Measures Act regarding Order-in-Council 620/2020 Office of the Merit Commissioner, merit performance audit, 2019-20 CleanBC climate change accountability report, 2020 Orders of the Day Committee of the Whole House.............................................................................................................................................. 270 Bill 3 — Finance Statutes Amendment Act, 2020(continued) M.

Bernier Hon. S. Robinson S. Furstenau

Reporting of Bills....................................................................................................................................................................... 276 Bill 3 — Finance Statutes Amendment Act, 2020 Third Reading of Bills ............................................................................................................................................................... 276 Bill 3 — Finance Statutes Amendment Act, 2020 Presentation of Estimates ......................................................................................................................................................... 276 Supplementary estimates for the fiscal year ending March 31, 2021 Committee of Supply ................................................................................................................................................................ 277 Supplementary estimates (No. 3): Other appropriations Hon.

S. Robinson M. Bernier T. Wat D. Davies S. Furstenau T. Stone Third Reading of Bills ............................................................................................................................................................... 292 Bill 3 — Finance Statutes Amendment Act, 2020(continued)

WEDNESDAY , DECEMBER 16, 2020 The House met at 1:34 p.m. [Mr. Speaker in the chair.] Routine Business Prayers and reflections: N. Letnick. [1:35 p.m.] Introductions by Members B. Anderson:Today I would like to wish my dad, Terry Anderson, a very happy birthday, and I want to tell you a little story. Two weeks ago, my dad felt shortness of breath. This is a man who plays hockey three days a week, cross-country skis hundreds of kilometres every winter and has built one of the most impressive river rock walls in Nelson. But due to his shortness of breath, he had a COVID test, which we found out was negative.

The next morning his condition had worsened signific- antly. My mom had to call the ambulance, and my dad was rushed to Kootenay Lake Hospital. He was admitted right away and underwent a series of tests. Friday night, we found out my dad was okay. He had a blood clot in his lung, it was treatable, and he was able to come home. When my dad and I were talking about his experience, I asked if I could share it publicly, and he agreed. We wanted to share it because if the hospital had been overrun by COVID patients, he would have not received the excellent treatment that he did receive.

If our medical system was overrun by COVID patients, he might not have even got- ten an ambulance. Without prompt diagnosis and treat- ment, he may be in a very different situation today. We might not be celebrating his birthday. So on behalf of my family, I would like to thank the health care workers — everyone in that building from the cooks and the cleaners to the nurses, doctors, techs and specialists. Thank you. I would like to extend my family’s gratitude to every essential service worker in the province. Thank you for keeping things ticking along and for keep- ing people safe.

All my dad wants for his birthday is for everyone to fol- low Dr. Bonnie Henry’s orders so that we can keep our communities, our families and ourselves safe. Today, Dad, happy birthday, and to my mom, Debi Anderson, whose birthday is on December 26, happy birthday. I love both of you so much. Please, I ask everyone in this House to wish my parents a very happy birthday. Tributes DUANE EARLE S. Chant:I would like to sadly acknowledge and intro- duce Master Sailor Duane Earle. Master Sailor Duane Earle is posted on HMCSWinnipeg.

On Monday, he was declared missing from the boat, when the boat was 500 miles off the west coast of San Francisco, steaming home to Victoria. He is a member of the Royal Canadian Navy. The navy is something that we don’t think about all that often, even though we are a massive maritime province. Our coastal waters are managed by our Coast Guard, by our navy, by our fisheries people, by our streamkeepers. Sailors are pos- ted to either of the two main areas, which are Halifax and Victoria.

The sailors that are posted to the ships in Victoria and to the base in Victoria call Victoria home, even though they may be from all parts of Canada. The naval folks put their days in at sea. We don’t see them very often. We don’t know what they do. But we need to remember them, because in a time of need, they are available to us. When COVID started out, there were ships sent off to sea for six and eight weeks at a time to make sure that we had people that were COVID-free, ready to act and ready to go into action so they could bring those ships in and have skilled workers available to do whatever.

I express my deep sadness and my support to the family of Master Sailor Duane Earle. I hope we get a good answer back to this story, but I’m not sure that that will happen. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I appreciate the time. [1:40 p.m.] Introductions by Members M. Dykeman:I rise to recognize Donna Gabriel Robins, who is a member of the Kwantlen First Nation. Donna Gabriel Robins recently retired as district coordinator of the Aboriginal program for the Langley school district, after 26 years as an educator.

She played a significant role in growing the Langley school district Aboriginal program into the robust program it is today. Last night in her honour, the Langley board of educa- tion announced that the new elementary school currently being built in the fast-growing Willoughby area of Langley will be named Donna Gabriel Robins Elementary. Would the House please join me in congratulating Donna Gabriel Robins on this well-deserved honour. Tributes RON McLEOD Hon. B. Ma:It is my honour to introduce a 90-year con- stituent of my riding of North Vancouver–Lonsdale to the House today, Ronald Crawford James McLeod.

Born on 261

January 17, 1930, Ron began working at the grain elevat- or on the North Vancouver waterfront at the age of 15 and retired 52 years later at the age of 67. He spent his entire life in British Columbia and explored all corners as a log- ging truck driver, welder, millwright and property man- ager. His second home was on Green Lake in the Cariboo, where he taught his grandchildren to chop wood and fix outboard engines. Sadly, Ron passed away this morning.

A caring father, grandfather and husband, Ron joins the love of his life, Mary McLeod, and is survived by his three children — Ryan, Diane and Vicki; and four grandchildren — Ross, Neil, Marianne and Scott Andrews, who is also the min- isterial adviser for the Minister of Tourism, Arts, Culture and Sport. WILLIAM KING Hon. K. Conroy:I have some sad news to share, as well, today. Former MLA William “Bill” King died on Decem- ber 3 at the age of 90. He was born in September 1930 in Tisdale, Saskatchewan. He married Audrey Lennard on October 10, 1953, and he had two children, Linda and William Jr.

He attended Nelson High School in Nelson and the Labour College of Canada at the University of Montreal in ’67. He actually entered into politics in 1943, when he acted as a runner between polling stations and the campaign headquarters of Bert Herridge, CCF MLA for Rossland- Trail. He continued to be involved. He was first elected as MLA to the B.C. provincial Legislature in the Revelstoke- Slocan constituency on July 15, 1968, in a by-election but was defeated in ’69. He was re-elected in 1972 when the New Democratic Party became government. Premier Dave Barrett appointed Bill as the Minister of Labour.

During his time as Minister of Labour, Bill intro- duced B.C. ’s first labour code and human rights legislation. He was the first to appoint women to key civil service pos- itions in B.C. In the general election of ’75, NDP Leader Dave Barrett lost his seat in the Legislature, so Bill stepped up and served as Leader of the Opposition until Dave returned to the House when he won a by-election in June of ’76. He was then elected as MLA for the new riding of Shuswap-Revelstoke in the 1979 general election.

When he retired, he moved from Revelstoke to the Trail area to be closer to his family, eventually living at the Mountain Side Village in Fruitvale. As a widower, he got a second chance at love when he married his second wife, Glenna, four years ago. He was very pleased with that, at 86, when he told me he was get- ting married again. They loved to travel. They shared a lot of laughter. In fact, Bill was infamous for not only telling many labour stories of labour history, but he was also famous for his inability to tell a joke.

He would start laughing so hard as he told the joke that he never could get the punchline out. He will be sadly missed by his family, by his many, many friends and his extended family at Mountain Side. I ask the Speaker to please extend condolences to his family on the House’s behalf. [1:45 p.m.] Statements (Standing Order 25B) HIGH-SPEED INTERNET ACCESS AND CONNECTED COAST PROJECT M.

Babchuk: I rise in the House to congratulate chair Brad Unger and the Strathcona regional district board; the mayor of Prince Rupert, Lee Brain, and his council; and the board of CityWest telecommunications, a com- pany wholly-owned by the city of Prince Rupert, on a very successful collaboration. They’ve recently signed and final- ized a joint venture contract and procurement contracts that will allow the Connected Coast project to physically begin its important work in the spring of 2021.

The Connected Coast project is an initiative to bring high-speed sub-sea broadband fibre to 148 landing sites in rural, remote and Indigenous coastal communities. The project will circumnavigate Vancouver Island, reach the Gulf Islands and the Sunshine Coast, as well as communit- ies along the central and north coast, including Haida Gwaii. Connecting directly into the Vancouver Internet Exchange means coastal communities and those east of Prince Rupert to Prince George will have, for the first time, reliable Internet with the required redundancy.

This pro- ject is funded by both the government of Canada and the province of British Columbia through the Connecting B.C. program. We have learned from living with the COVID-19 pan- demic how much of a necessity connectivity is to British Columbians. It truly has become our virtual highway. It is very frequently the way we need to connect these days, not only between friends and family but also for small business and industry. It affects so many parts of our lives.

Closing the digital divide is essential to ensure people in rural, remote and Indigenous communities can enjoy the immense benefits of modern connectivity, including the ability to learn and work from home, grow a business or access modern services. These places are home to vibrant people who care deeply about their community. I’m excited to see the incredible benefits high-speed Internet will bring to these regions. I ask the House to congratulate, once again, our local government leaders for their vision and their persist- ence in seeing this initiative finally come to fruition.

KELOWNA CHAMBER OF COMMERCE BUSINESS AW ARD RECIPIENTS R. Merrifield:Kelowna — the Okanagan — is an 262 British Columbia Debates Wednesday, December 16, 2020

incredible place for entrepreneurs. The ethos is incredible, but the life of an entrepreneur is not always easy. In a year when business has been more difficult than ever before, in dealing with COVID shutdowns; protocols; and, mostly, keeping our public safe, there have still been some busi- nesses that have not only succeeded but thrived and some entrepreneurs that have cut through and innovated. They employed people and made sure that we were on the cut- ting edge. Recently, the Kelowna Chamber of Commerce announced its Business Excellence Awards.

I wanted to give them further recognition here in the House of their hard work, dedication and celebration of their resilience. These winners have shown grit, innovation and generosity of spirit toward their employees and, moreover, their com- munity.

The winners of the Business Excellence Awards of 2020 were: Arts and Entertainment Award to the Kelowna Pride Society; Rising Star Business of the Y ear to Shambhu’s Spice House Cuisine of India; Marketing Campaign of the Y ear to Okanagan Bucketlist; Social Leadership Award to Secure-Rite Mobile Storage; Ethics in Business Award to Inspire Property Management Ltd; Not-for-Profit Excel- lence Award to the Bridge Y outh and Family Services Soci- ety; Technology Innovator of the Y ear to Hybrid Elevator Inc. Our Y oung Entrepreneur of the Y ear was Brandon Pan- opoulos from TKI Construction Ltd.

Excellence in Tour- ism went to Big White Ski Resort Ltd. Inclusive Workplace went to Hampton Pools and Landscape. Small Business of the Y ear was Portia-Ella. Mid-size Business of the Y ear went to Secure-Rite Mobile Storage, and Large Business of the Y ear was Highstreet Ventures Inc. For the second time ever in Kelowna’s history, the Business Leader of the Y ear was a woman, Laurel Douglas. Congratulations to these winners and to all of the busi- nesses in Kelowna and the Okanagan. I am so proud of who you are and all that you do. RICHMOND COMMUNITY RESPONSE TO COVID-19 K.

Greene:This year has been exceptionally hard on British Columbians, but the effects have not been felt equally. We may all be in the same storm, but we are not in the same boats. Over the months since “normal” was thrown out the window in March, so many caring people have stepped forward with a helping hand for friends, neighbours and people they have never met. I am so proud of my community. They have come together in a time of need. [1:50 p.m.] Let’s look to the helpers. Karina Reid started a Facebook group, Coming Together Richmond.

Through the page, people have connected with resources, donations and countless volunteer hours. When the Richmond food bank needed volunteer drivers for home deliveries for those with health concerns or seniors, members of the group stepped up to help. In particular, Chris Dinnell, who’ d relied on the food bank when he was a young father, was eager to give back to the community. The executive director of the food bank has called the volunteers from Coming Together Rich- mond a godsend.

Nurses from Richmond Hospital have expressed their thanks for the painted kindness rocks from Steveston Rocks that lifted their spirits. Shane Dagan, owner of the Steveston Seafood House, has donated meals to the oncology unit at B.C. Children’s Hospital and $2,000 to the Richmond Food Bank. Michael Sachs realized that there was a need for COV- ID-safe delivery of challah for families to have at dinners, and started delivering 40 challah each week with his chil- dren.

Two children in the Seafair neighbourhood recently delivered 100 care packages to neighbours to lift people’s spirits and show how we’re all in this together. St. Joseph the Worker Parish has created an interactive map of homes with Christmas light displays to build community and bring cheer to all. There are so many more who have worked to lift up those in our community who need help. Donations and volunteers for our non-profits are so important, especially in a year of crisis like this one. In these times of need, we look to the helpers but are inspired to be the helpers too.

I encourage everyone to think about how they can be help- ers in their community too. SQUAMISH CHAMBER OF COMMERCE BUSINESS AW ARD RECIPIENTS J. Sturdy:As here in the Legislature, we have had to adapt to virtual circumstances, so have organizations right across all of our communities. The Squamish Chamber of Commerce, for example, recently hosted, online, very suc- cessful Business Excellence Awards. The chamber felt it important to shift award categories to better reflect cur- rent business realities in Squamish: resilience, collabora- tion and determination were highlighted.

If the nominees are any indication, there is no doubt that the Squamish business community has adapted to change and kept on keeping on. The winner this year for innovation and resilience was Alice and Brohm for Real Fruit Ice Cream. They some- how managed to adapt their business model to support ice cream pint delivery. The community collaboration award went to Under One Roof, an organization that truly defines collaboration.

The team has evolved, over the years, an amazing project that supports the homeless with food, shelter and community and encourages par- ticipation, because they know that everyone has some- thing to offer. The award for youth champion went to Sara Constantin and the Squamish Dance Centre for supportive and Wednesday, December 16, 2020 British Columbia Debates 263

healthy youth engagement and adaptation to online parti- cipation. The Bill Manson Citizen of the Y ear Award went to Christine Baker for her work on Squamish Nation affordable housing and economic development. Finally, the Sea to Sky Gondola was recognized with the Business of the Y ear award. It is truly remarkable what this business has had to endure, and they’re not out of it yet. Sabotage of the gondola cable — not once but twice, on top of COVID tourism impacts — is hard to work into any business plan.

The Sea to Sky Gondola is an experience that is iconic to Squamish and British Columbia, and it’s imperative that we understand and find resolution to these repeated and targeted acts of vandalism. Tough times, but these businesses, amongst many right across British Columbia, have demonstrated resili- ence, perseverance and creativity in the face of signific- ant adversity. Congratulations to all and a wish for a bet- ter 2021. INTERNATIONAL DAY TO END VIOLENCE AGAINST SEX WORKERS G. Lore:December 17 is the International Day to End Violence Against Sex Workers.

Gender-based violence exists in every corner of our province, but some folks are more likely to be targeted than others. Eighty percent of sex workers have experienced harassment. They face high- er rates of domestic violence, and one in five has been physically or sexually assaulted. Sex workers who are Indigenous, racialized, two-spirit, trans or queer, as well as those who work at street-level sex work are more likely to be vulnerable. When they seek supports, they often face stigma, are dismissed or blamed.

During COVID-19, sex workers have experienced more violence, have been exposed to the virus while work- ing indoors, and have lost revenue from live venues. The increased risks associated with our toxic drug supply have also disproportionately hit this community. [1:55 p.m.] Like so many in our province, however, organizations that work with and for sex workers have risen to the chal- lenge of the pandemic and found ways to support their community, while reducing transmission. In my community, Peers offers outreach and harm reduction. They offer drop-in, education and employment.

Their work is done with, by and for sex workers. The Vic- toria Sexual Assault Centre has recently received funding to ensure that their one-of-a-kind clinic — which reduces barriers to access and increases trauma-informed care — stays open. In Vancouver, WISH, an organization I volun- teered with in a previous life, worked with B.C. Housing to open the first low-barrier shelter in Canada for women and two-spirit street-level sex workers. It’s been open for two months now, and it’s open 24-7.

I stand today to recognize Red Umbrella Day and to stand in solidarity with sex workers, who, like all British Columbians, deserve to live and work free from violence. SOUTH V ANCOUVER SENIORS NETWORK M. Lee: As the MLA for Vancouver-Langara, I work with the South Vancouver Seniors Network, an umbrella group of community organizations serving seniors. It focuses on strengthening collaborations and initiatives that support seniors, including mental and physical health supports, grocery and meal delivery, elder abuse and neglect, caregiver support, and advocacy, informa- tion and referrals.

Participating partners include Marpole Oakridge Fam- ily Place, the Jewish Seniors Alliance, Marpole Neighbour- hood House, Sunset Community Centre, Langara College, South Vancouver Neighbourhood House and more than 25 other organizations. The network partners meet reg- ularly to share information and collaborate on initiatives such as seniors forums, weekly webinars and support for volunteer teams to reach out to isolated seniors.

With COVID-19, partner organizations have doubled down on supporting each other’s efforts, including moving more services online with help from Langara College stu- dents, working together to support food distribution and providing wellness supports through peer groups. Since the pandemic, the network has hosted over 30 webinars to enable seniors and caregivers to connect and receive infor- mation to deal with its impacts.

The webinars are facilit- ated by Andrea Krombein, the seniors outreach coordinat- or at the Marpole Oakridge Family Place, and Grace Hann, the trainer and supervisor of peer support services at the Jewish Seniors Alliance. COVID-19 has shown us how communities can come together to support each other, and the South Vancouver Seniors Network is a great example of it. It’s through on- the-ground, community networks of organizations like these that we are best able to ensure that seniors, the eld- erly and caregivers can get the help they need.

A heartfelt thank-you to Andrea Krombein, Grace Hann and the all hard-working and caring staff and volun- teers with the South Vancouver Seniors Network — who, in these past months, have been so giving of their time, effort and compassion to support others. We are a better and a stronger community because of your efforts. Oral Questions COVID-19 RESPONSE FOR TOURISM INDUSTRY AND REPORT RECOMMENDATIONS S.

Bond:Y esterday when the Premier was asked to alle- viate the anxiety and concern of thousands of low-income British Columbians, including seniors and persons with disabilities in our province, by ending the clawback and in fact confirming that the cuts that he made would be 264 British Columbia Debates Wednesday, December 16, 2020

restored and made permanent, the Premier said the most unbelievable thing. He said that he would be advocating for that to happen. Well, if that’s the case, then just who is in charge over there? Last week we had the Tourism Minister say she’ll advoc- ate for support for the tourism sector, which they desper- ately need. Royce Chwin, of Tourism Vancouver, put it simply when describing the sector’s position: “The time- line is now. In fact, the timeline is past. ” To the Premier, when will the tourism sector finally receive the financial support that they were promised and so desperately require? Hon. M.

Mark: I appreciate the question from the member opposite. I did receive the report on December 9. There are seven key recommendations. [2:00 p.m.] When I describe “advocating, ” it’s going to work at the cabinet table. Approval needs to go through a process through treasury. The member opposite knows that, as a former member of cabinet. Help is on the way, and we’ll be giving an update soon. I want to acknowledge that the task force went to work quickly. They gave us recommendations…. Interjection. Mr. Speaker:Member. Carry on. Hon. M.

Mark:The task force worked around the clock to get us a report, and I am working around the clock with the public service and our team to deliver on those recommendations. Stay tuned. We will have news coming shortly. Mr. Speaker:The Leader of the Official Opposition on a supplemental. S. Bond:It’s apparent the task force worked quickly. But apparently, the minister and the government can’t figure out how to do that. I’m sure the Premier and the minister have the statistics. These are small businesses. Many of them are family- run. They lost their summer, they lost their fall, and now they’re losing their winter.

They are in desperate need of support. For the minister to suggest she’s working around the clock and is advocating…. What the sector wants the min- ister to do is accept the report, accept the recommend- ations and deliver the support that the tourism industry needs — not just today. They needed it yesterday. This Premier’s own task force said — their own task force — this government needs to do a better job of getting the help directly into the hands of the tourism sector. The minister has the opportunity today to stand up in the Legislature and to say yes, to move from advocacy to action.

Here’s her chance to show the sector that she actu- ally means business. Hon. M. Mark: What the member opposite forgot to mention in the question was that we are still in the middle of a global pandemic. And right now everyone…. Interjections. Mr. Speaker:Members, let’s hear the answer, please. Members, we heard the question. Minister. Hon. M. Mark:The member opposite is saying that they are desperate. I recognize that. I recognize that this is a dif- ficult time for everyone across the province. It is difficult for Dr. Bonnie Henry to deliver a message that we need to flatten our curve and do our part.

We are managing that while we take sacrifices. The action for the report…. Interjection. Mr. Speaker:Member. Hon. M. Mark:I am moving as quickly as I can with the public service to move on the recommendations. The first recommendation is to match some funds with the work of my colleague behind me, the Minister for Jobs, Economic Recovery and Innovation. We are working together. Stay tuned, Member. News is coming to the industry that I believe they are going to feel very optimistic about. T. Wat:Tourism operators need the money now. The word is “now. ” They need help to survive into 2021.

Established in 2000, Super Vacation is one of the largest tour operators in the province, but the company has had to lay off staff and are down to only two people in their office. The company just renewed its Richmond office lease this month and cannot seek rental assistance from the landlord nor the government. The owner jokingly says his only task every day is to water the plants. But this is no joke to the men who face losing their livelihood. The question is to the Premier. The Premier has a in the cabinet, and the Tourism Minister has a in the cabinet. The Jobs Minister has a in the cabinet.

When will the tourism sector see the promised money? Hon. M. Mark: I appreciate the question from the member opposite. We are working around the clock with the public service. It’s not about just reviewing the report. I know that the members opposite are rolling their eyes that we have to review the report. We are reviewing and acting. There are seven key recommendations, and we are working as Wednesday, December 16, 2020 British Columbia Debates 265

quickly as possible together. I’m working with my col- league, the Minister of Jobs, Economic Recovery and Innovation, to get results out the door as quickly as pos- sible. [2:05 p.m.] We are here in the chamber, and there is good news coming to this sector as soon as possible. Interjection. Hon. M. Mark:Trust me, . There is good news on the way to the sector. But more importantly, I want to go back to the fact that the sector gave us advice. They worked with government. They’ve given us counsel. They want us to invest in Indigenous tourism. That’s the second recom- mendation. We’re listening.

We’re reviewing, and we’re going to act as quickly as possible. Good news to come to the sector in the coming days. Mr. Speaker:The member for Richmond North Centre on a supplemental. T. Wat:Listening, listening, listening. We have heard that time and time again. Let me try to refresh the newly appointed minister about the chronology of the tourism sector’s request for help. They submitted a report on the 21st of July asking for $680 million. And what do they get? They have to wait three months for this government because of a snap election. A few days before that, they only promised $15 million.

So it’s not just last week that they submitted the report. What are the Premier and the minister waiting for? Tour operators have been begging for months, and no assistance has come. The minister says: “Wait, wait, wait. ” But for how long, and for what? The next budget, which the NDP is delaying until May? Again, to the Premier or maybe to the minister, will he or she stop refusing assistance to the men and women who need it now and start getting the help directly into the hands of the small business owners? Hon. M.

Mark:I would like to point out to the member opposite one of the actions that our government has taken was to give a portion of the $10 million in the member’s riding to help with tourism while we’re going through the pandemic. I’ll remind the member that we’re trying to support the tourism sector, to keep the lights on and the workforce intact. Some of that was to build infrastructure, build some of the space on the outside of their community. Destina- tion development funds went out the door in the middle of this pandemic, not just last week. It’s not just talk.

It’s not just last month — since the beginning of the pandemic. One of the first actions that we took was to dedicate $50 million to the task force. We received the report from the task force last week. We are committed to act on the recommendations. There is good news to come to the sector. For the member opposite to suggest that we don’t care about how hard this is — that is not accurate. We know how hard it is to all of our communities, all across the regions, which is why we’ve invested in the destination development funds across the province, and there’s more to come.

ACCESS TO INFORMATION ON COVID-19 IN SCHOOLS AND SCHOOL SAFETY PLANS S. Furstenau:A letter sent yesterday from the Surrey Teachers Association, B.C. ’s largest school district, talks about severe overcrowding in classrooms and reads: “We are not safe…. Our daily levels of stress are almost unbear- able…. Every day we continue to put ourselves, our loved ones and communities at risk. It is dangerous and unfair to be expected to continue in this way without appropriate measures to ensure our safety. ” We are not safe. Y et from government, what teachers hear is: “Don’t worry.

Y ou should feel safe. ” Teachers deserve to feel respected. Teachers deserve to feel safe, and they deserve to feel heard by their employer, the government. School communities aren’t even afforded clear and consistent information about what is unfolding around them. My question is to the Minister of Education. The most extensive and up-to-date database about COVID cases in schools is being managed by parents through the B.C. school COVID tracker on Facebook, which over 40,000 people turn to for information.

Will this government begin providing school communities with comprehensive, clear and timely data about exposures in B.C. schools, as is done in other provinces? [2:10 p.m.] Hon. J. Whiteside:Thank you to the member for the question. I know that we all share concern for what is hap- pening across our school system. Of course, I’ve seen the letter from the Surrey Teachers Association. I think there’s no question that what’s happening for folks, and the anxi- ety, reflects the fact that we’re in the middle an unpreced- ented public health crisis. We have, in fact, been listening to teachers.

We’ve been working with teachers, support staff, principals, superin- tendents, school trustees and parents all throughout the summer to develop the safety plans that are now in place in our school districts. We continue that work with all of our education partners, including our rights holders. Our districts have been very responsive to issues as they’ve aris- en on the local terrain. For example, in Surrey, we’ve seen the Fraser Health Authority introduce a new notification system to try to be more responsive.

Acting under the direction of the provincial health officer, we have seen the development of a rapid response 266 British Columbia Debates Wednesday, December 16, 2020

team so that health authorities can work more closely and be more responsive with school districts when there are changes or developments in COVID transition in the com- munities that affect schools. We’ll continue to work with our partners in that regard. Mr. Speaker:The Leader of the Third Party on a supple- mental. S. Furstenau:I appreciate the minister’s response and a recognition that there’s always work to do to do better in the moment that we’re in. We are in this global pandemic. It is impacting everybody.

What we are hearing and, I think, what the public is see- ing — and I know that I expect government is also seeing — is that there is still a significant number of teachers who feel their anxiety levels and their worry and their stress are having health and mental health impacts. It only takes a quick perusal of Twitter or Facebook to see teachers talk- ing about it. I saw one this morning, breaking down into tears at 8:15 in the morning. This is a significant impact to people’s well-being and health. The tracker’s administrator, Kathy Marliss, said onThe Mike Smyth Show yesterday: “It’s been a rough few days.

Y ou can see the progression happening over the last couple of weeks. ” As Dr. Henry points out, school transmissions often reflect community transmissions. Both have been rising. “But it’s been a big peak in the last two days, where we recorded over 50 schools each day — a lot of messages to sift through, a lot of really concerned parents and fam- ilies. Exposure notices are becoming more and more com- plicated and confusing. ” My question again is to the Minister of Education.

From Kathy’s database, we can see that over 1,500 COVID school exposure notices have been sent out in B.C. since September, with a significant spike in the last few days. With a growing number of exposure notices, can we expect to see government take additional steps to ensure that teachers and parents can feel more confident in their classrooms? Hon. J. Whiteside:Again, thank you to the member for the question. I want to acknowledge that I think the work that’s being done on the front lines of our education sys- tem is nothing short of extraordinary.

The fact that we have 90 percent of kids who returned to the classroom in September — that 80 percent of those are actually in a seat, in a classroom — and the fact that we are seeing a good adherence to kids coming to school, showing up at school, is a real testament to the work that everybody is doing across the sector to keep kids in school and to do our utmost to keep them safe. Again, I appreciate the anxiety that is out there.

We’ve invested, so far, just this fall, over $150 million to fund additional teachers, additional counsellors, additional cus- todians and more educational assistants and to invest in the PPE to support the safety plans that have been developed. Obviously, we’re watching the numbers very closely. We’ve had some recent changes to the notification system, particularly in Fraser Health. We’re looking at the impact of how that new notification system is landing. We’re going to be working with our partners. In fact, our provincial steering committee is meeting this after- noon.

I’m going to be on that call with all of our partners, where we will discuss issues such as this — how these kinds of processes are working and where we need to be making adjustments and improvements. We’ll continue to be responsive to that. [2:15 p.m.] COVID-19 RESPONSE FOR SMALL BUSINESSES T. Stone:Countless tourism operators, restaurants and mom-and-pop shops have had to make the painful decision to lay off employees and close their doors. As every day goes by that this government fails to act, regret- tably, many more are making this same decision as we speak.

The government has had nine months — not nine days, not nine weeks. Government has had nine months to provide direct supports to these businesses. But instead, delays, red tape and a snap election have gotten in the way. Now, the other day, the Minister of Jobs and Economic Recovery told this House that only 1,400 businesses had actually made it into the process of applying for the small and medium-sized business recovery grant program. The minister also, at that time, failed to acknowledge that this program has been riddled with restrictive eligibility requirements. My question to the Premier is this.

Will he step up, will he fix this flawed program, and will he throw small businesses that lifeline that they need now, not months from now but now, in order to survive through the coming months? Hon. R. Kahlon: Thank you to the member for the question. We know that it’s a tough time. We know many small businesses are struggling. This is not a surprise to anyone in this House. I’ve been listening to small business owners for the last few weeks giving suggestions on how we can improve our systems, how we can make the pro- gram more accessible to additional businesses.

It’s been really fruitful, and I really appreciate their feedback. We’ve been actioning on that. What we’ve done is we’ve taken the opportunities, the suggestions that have been made by stakeholders, and we’ve been working with them all last week to make sure that we get it right. That work continues, and there will be some positive news on that. I do want to say to the member that we have one of Wednesday, December 16, 2020 British Columbia Debates 267

the most comprehensive plans in Canada. If you com- pare us to many of the other provinces, you’ll see that we’ve made significantly more investments in support- ing small businesses. Hon. Member, you’ll know that there’s $190 million of tax credits for small businesses to be able to hire new employees but also bring back employees that they had — $190 million. We also know that just recently, the federal government stepped up with a rent support program for small busi- nesses. So the supports are there.

We are going to continue to try to make the supports more flexible and make sure that more businesses have an opportunity to access the resources that we have put on the table. Mr. Speaker: The member for Kamloops–South Thompson on a supplemental. T. Stone:Mr. Speaker, 1,400 businesses across the entire province of British Columbia. That’s it. That’s the total number that have been able to access this particular pro- gram, the small and medium-sized business recovery grant program.

Many words come to mind when I think of the govern- ment’s track record on this. “Pathetic, insufficient, regret- table. ” I’ll go with “pathetic” as well. The minister needs to own up to a failure on his government’s part to actually provide direct supports to small businesses. He says he’s talked with small business organizations. He says that he’s met with small business organizations. The reality is this. Very little of the support that his gov- ernment has announced has actually made its way to small businesses. That’s a big problem, and these busi- nesses are closing. They’re closing all over the province.

Sadly, once that clothing shop that’s been open for 25 years closes its doors, it’s never coming back. It’s hollow- ing out our downtowns. Now, the government talks about…. The minister just mentioned the tax deferrals. He talks about supports for businesses to hire more people or to purchase new machinery. Businesses can’t even consider hiring more people or increasing their payroll or buying new equip- ment when they can’t afford to keep the lights on, with all due respect to the minister. Small businesses really need that direct support. My question, again to the Premier, is this.

How many more small businesses have to fail before this govern- ment fixes their flawed business economic recovery pro- gram so all of those local pizzerias, those local clothing shops, those local boutiques have the supports that they need in order to stay in business, make it through these months ahead and come out on the other side stronger than ever before? Hon. R. Kahlon:Again, we know it’s a challenging time. The world is dealing with a pandemic. This is not only a B.C. problem. This is a problem across the country. [2:20 p.m.] We have one of the most comprehensive plans to sup- port small businesses.

We’ve been supporting them all year. We’re going to continue to do that. Recently a survey came out. Two-thirds of all businesses in B.C. are getting supports either from the provincial government or the fed- eral government, and 98.5 percent of jobs… Interjections. Mr. Speaker:Members. Hon. R. Kahlon:…that we lost from before COVID hit have come back. We’re fortunate to see those numbers. We know a lot of those supports that we brought in as a province have supported the jobs returning. We also know there are challenging times ahead.

We understand that with the new health restrictions and not being able to have meals with people outside of your household, it’s going to have an impact on families. It’s going to have an impact on jobs. It’s going to have an impact on restaurants. We know that. The $300 million in grants is available for small busi- nesses. I urge anyone watching today…. I urge the mem- bers of the opposition as well as of the Third Party to sug- gest to small businesses that are struggling to apply. We are open. We are open. Interjections. Mr. Speaker:Thank you, Member. Hon. R.

Kahlon:We encourage businesses to continue to apply. We’re going to continue to be nimble. The prob- lems we encountered in March are different than the ones we have in June, are different from the ones in September and are different now. We can continue to adjust our programming accord- ingly, and we will continue to do that, . COVID-19 RESPONSE FOR RESTAURANT INDUSTRY AND CAP ON DELIVERY SERVICE FEES T. Halford:I just heard the minister speak about the impacts on restaurants. I’m going to speak about that too. Y esterday I spoke with a local restaurant owner.

He’s blowing through his life savings right now trying to stay open. He doesn’t think he’s going to make it into January. He has been open 25 years. I don’t think he’s going to make it into January. And what’s this government’s response? Nothing. Silence. Two campaign commitments, both broken. He’s financially broke, but he’s not going to qualify 268 British Columbia Debates Wednesday, December 16, 2020

for the recovery benefit, because it’s based on his 2019 tax return. The other promise that was made? A cap on delivery fees, charges for restaurants. My question to the Premier: will he keep that promise? Hon. R. Kahlon:Thank you to the member for a second time asking questions in question period. I would say to the member that if he would like, I’m happy to speak to that business owner and his community. I think it’ d be great for him to chat and for me to hear the challenges that he’s facing.

I know that the piece around when businesses were in operation and how they can qual- ify is an important issue to many small businesses, one that we hope to have positive news on in the coming days. I would say to the member that we have been nimble all the way through. We want to support as many small busi- nesses in B.C. as possible, and we’re going to continue to do that work. Mr. Speaker:The member for Surrey–White Rock on a supplemental. T. Halford:Y ou can be responsible by actually doing what you say you’re going to do. Y ou made a commitment on October 9; we also made that commitment.

We have followed through on our commitment. I’ve tabled a bill yet nothing, crickets. This government is sitting on its hands while people are losing their jobs. They’re losing their live- lihoods. Last week this Premier stood in the House, and he proudly said that politics are behind us. Prove it. My question is to the Premier. Call the bill. Hon. R. Kahlon:Again I’ll say to the member that we have one of the most comprehensive small business plans across the country. We continue to provide supports for them. Interjections. Mr. Speaker:Members. Hon. R.

Kahlon:If the members would like to hear the answer, maybe they can…. Interjections. Mr. Speaker:Any further comments from the opposi- tion? No. The minister will continue. Hon. R. Kahlon: A very hostile bunch today, hon. Speaker. I’ll just say to the member that we did have a commit- ment. We did make a commitment to bring a 15 percent cap in. We are committed to that. It’s in the mandate letter for the minister. Staff have been meeting with app-based providers. [2:25 p.m.] I appreciate that the B.C. Liberals wanted to intervene in the market. I think that it’s nice to see there’s a unity…. Interjections. Mr.

Speaker:Members. Hon. R. Kahlon:No more free-market, free-enterprise coalition over there. I will say to the member that this is a serious issue. Staff are in conversations with these app providers about the importance for action. Y ou’ll hear more information in the coming days, Mem- ber. CHILD CARE FUNDING K. Kirkpatrick:We know that child care is a concern for parents as they struggle to survive economically during this pandemic. The lack of child care impacts women and their employment disproportionately during this time. The NDP made a promise to those parents.

They com- mitted to spending an additional $250 million this fiscal year on child care. It’s not in the bill that you’ve brought us today, and the government doesn’t plan to deliver a budget for an additional five months. To the Premier, where is the money that has been prom- ised to these parents? Hon. K. Chen: As a mother myself, I know that many parents and families in B.C. have really been struggling with early learning and care opportunities, especially dur- ing this pandemic. So many families are struggling with the decision to return to work or to count on the very important child care services.

I also want to take this opportunity to thank early child- hood educators and child care providers who have been working really hard on the front lines supporting family needs. Our government, ever since 2017, has been starting the work. After years and years of neglect of the child care crisis by the previous government, we have started the work to build an inclusive, universal, quality child care sys- tem for B.C. families. That includes over three dozen ini- tiatives to bring down the cost of child care, to accelerate the creation of spaces and, also, to support early childhood educators.

As we’ve seen how child care is really key to families, to children and to the recovery of our economy during this pandemic, we are committed to continue that work. We have rolled out the temporary emergency funding to support child care providers and families and to be able Wednesday, December 16, 2020 British Columbia Debates 269

to maintain the services. We have supported child care providers with an additional $40 million of health and safety grants. All of our programs are continuing to support and to bring relief to families and to bring down child care costs, and we will continue that work. Mr. Speaker:The member for West Vancouver–Capi- lano on a supplemental. K. Kirkpatrick:I appreciate your comments. They’re quite aspirational. But this is a government that seems unable to deliver for parents now.

The Representative for Children and Y outh asked the Premier to extend support for families with children and youth with special needs, and that request was denied. Now parents, particularly stressed-out moms, are wonder- ing where that promised $250 million more for child care this year is. To the Premier, will this government keep its promise to parents and deliver the money that it promised? Hon. K. Chen:I thank the member for raising this very important question. But let’s remember. We inherited a broken system in 2017. We have been taking action since day one, since we became government in 2017.

We’ve been taking action and making sure we can fund child care services to bring down the cost of child care and to accelerate the creation of spaces. We have been doing that work non-stop since day one, since we became gov- ernment in 2017. We will continue that work. That is why we are the only province in Canada, during this pandemic, to provide temporary emergency funding to support providers who are open and also who are closed. We’re the only province to support providers who are closed so they can come back and continue to maintain the important services.

We have a lot of work to do to build an inclusive, univer- sal, quality child care system. We will continue to do that,

whereas the members opposite, when they were in govern- ment, ignored the child care crisis for 16 long years. [2:30 p.m.] [End of question period.] Tabling Documents Hon. S. Robinson:Pursuant to the Financial Admin- istration Act, I’m pleased to present reports for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2020, on all amounts borrowed by government and all amounts loaned to government bod- ies. These reports provide an overview of the province’s borrowing activity in fiscal ’19-20. Mr. Speaker:Members, I have the honour to present the following reports.

Laying the Foundations, annual report 2019-20 and ser- vice plan ’20-21–’22-23, from the Office of the Human Rights Commissioner. The report made on December 14, 2020, regarding a regulation made under the COVID-19 Related Measures Act, from the office of the Attorney General and the Min- ister Responsible for Housing. The 2019-2020 Merit Performance Audit Report, Upholding Fair Hiring in the Public Service, from the Office of the Merit Commissioner. Hon. M. Farnworth:I table, on behalf of the Ministry of Environment, the2020 Climate Change Accountability Report. Orders of the Day Hon. M.

Farnworth:I call continued committee stage on Bill 3. Committee of the Whole House BILL 3 — FINANCE STATUTES AMENDMENT ACT, 2020 (continued) The House in Committee of the Whole on Bill 3; S. Chandra Herbert in the chair. The committee met at 2:33 p.m. The Chair:Members, we are here for committee stage of Bill 3, Finance Statutes Amendment Act, 2020. On clause 2(continued). Interjection. The Chair:I’m ready to ask the question, but the mem- ber is ready to ask a question himself. M. Bernier:Well, thank you, Chair, and welcome back.

I was just trying to make eye contact with the minister to make sure I wasn’t jumping ahead of, maybe, some open- ing remarks she wants to make. But that’s not the case today. We’ll just continue on. I’m going to just make some very quick, I think, poin- ted questions that will help move this

section through. I found out — as, I think, most people found out just before lunch here — that the minister announced that she’s going to do a fiscal update tomorrow. Can she just confirm that for me? Hon. S. Robinson:Y es, that’s correct. M. Bernier: Maybe she can help me out, then. I’ve 270 British Columbia Debates Wednesday, December 16, 2020

looked through the entire act, and there’s no definition of what a fiscal update is. Could she explain what that will be? [2:35 p.m.] Hon. S. Robinson:The member asked a good question. While it’s not required, we are choosing to do that. We think that’s an important piece to let British Columbians know the economic status. So we are choosing to do an update. It will provide the same information that you would normally get in a quarterly report, a second quarterly report. M. Bernier:Maybe the minister can just quickly help me understand this, then, because that’s not an answer to what my question was.

When the ministers on this side of the House…. They used to criticize all the time when a bill was put forward, when something might be added and no

definitions put to it. This might be a perfect opportunity for the minister to clarify the questions we had yesterday. Did this go through the legislative drafting process? I think they might have caught this. So my answer, probably, to my own question is: I don’t think they did, when they put this through. Right in this

section that we’re talking about, the minis- ter is asking us to add a

section that specifically says, and uses the terminology, that the minister will be able to now provide fiscal updates. I’m using that wording very care- fully: “fiscal updates. ” The minister has announced that tomorrow, she’s going to use a fiscal update. There’s no definition, no terminology and no qualifications anywhere in the act that I can find that defines what a “fiscal update” is. Can the minister explain to me why, through the pro- cess of the drafting, then, if they’re going to be adding a whole new

section in this

section here…? Just so I know and put it on the record, in

section 10, they’re adding a whole subsection (6) with the wording and terminology of a “fiscal update. ” Why was that not included in

definitions so that people and future governments will know what the requirements are and what that means? [2:40 p.m.] Hon. S. Robinson:The member knows that when this was debated in the summer, it didn’t exist. This piece did not exist in the legislation. We recognize that by having this 150 days, as opposed to 120 days, it became an extended period of time. Recog- nizing that, part of what’s necessary to have happen in this time, and the reason for the extension, is that the pub- lic service needs the time to do its job in putting this all together.

By creating a fiscal update that says you have to report out publicly to the state of affairs in some format, it does provide discretion. It recognizes that that extra 30 days is a little bit too long to go without anything. The choice — and the member is smiling at me — is recognizing that part of the rationale for doing this is that the public service is absolutely exhausted and that we need to make sure that we have the resources necessary to develop a fulsome, meaningful budget that makes a differ- ence in people’s lives.

To require all that is required in a quarterly report would be completely overwhelming and sort of defeat the purpose of creating the space to do the budget. This is sort of an interim step to make sure that there is a placeholder, a requirement for the Minister of Finance to report out what the status is, in broad perspective, so that everybody understands what the state of affairs is, what the forecast looks like, what the economic indicators are and what the fiscal status is for the province — so that there’s some understanding of what’s going on until the budget can be tabled before April 30. M.

Bernier:It still didn’t really, technically, answer my question, but it actually gives me a few more thoughts. I’m quite surprised, actually, that the minister is using the ter- minology that she is through this. I’m going to give the minister an opportunity, obviously, to correct me again if I’m wrong, because she has the abil- ity to have the public servants right there to be able to answer these questions for her. Again, there’s nowhere in the act that defines the legal requirements of what a fisc- al update is. Is this another case of “take my word for it”? I’m not sure.

This isn’t just for this minister, but the whole point of legislation is to put in parameters and guidelines for future ministers and governments as well. [2:45 p.m.] This minister might have an understanding of what she believes a fiscal update to be. But again, there’s nowhere that I can find…. They went through the trouble of bring- ing only this piece of legislation forward, and wanting to change this

section to allow for a fiscal update, but not the trouble to define what a “fiscal update” is, other than what the minister just put on the record. That’s not in the act, that I can see, anywhere. I guess the question is: oth- er than being in the act — fiscal update — what are the legal requirements, if any? What are the parameters and guidelines expected of a fiscal update, if any? Not to sound demeaning in any way to the minister, but without that definition, the minister can stand up tomor- row and basically say: “Hey, everything is great. I’ll talk to you next June. ” I’m not sure what the guidelines are.

Can she be a little bit more specific? Obviously, her staff has an understanding of what the expectations are. I’m sure they’ve already briefed her on what she’s going to be doing tomorrow. That should give a good understanding of what a fiscal update is. Can she answer why it’s not put in the act for future governments to know? Hon. S. Robinson:I want to express gratitude to the member for his question, because, as it turns out, there’s Wednesday, December 16, 2020 British Columbia Debates 271

nothing in the act that tells us what has to be in a budget either. It’s up to government to put one together, and that is what governments do. I want to let the member know that when I was asked to be Finance Minister, this particular issue came before me — around the challenges of the time crunch that we’re facing and the fact that in this time of COVID, the public service has been run off their feet. They’ve been doing their best. They’ve been rolling out myriads of programs to get resources out into communities, out to businesses, out to individuals. They need time to put together a robust, meaningful budget.

So we’re here before the House, look- ing for a 30-day extension to what our obligations are in terms of getting this important work done. What was before me was a period of time when there actually wouldn’t be any reporting out, and that just wasn’t acceptable to me. It wasn’t acceptable to me as an MLA. It wasn’t acceptable to me as a Minister of Finance. I’m sure it wouldn’t be acceptable to the opposition and to the people of British Columbia. Having some sort of update would be wise, responsible and transparent.

Now, recognizing that Ministers of Finance have a responsibility to manage the fiscal affairs of government…. Keeping an eye on the economic outlook, providing a budget that delivers the services that people count on and making sure that the systems that we all count on are there for us, not just now but well into the future, is the respons- ibility of government. It’s a responsibility of the Finance Minister, and I take that responsibility very seriously.

It’s for that reason that we put in this section, to say that you cannot go all of these months without reporting back to the people about what the state of affairs is, fiscally. [2:50 p.m.] It’s with that in mind that this subsection 10(6) — I think that’s what we’re referring to — is being put into legislation. I want to point out that it wasn’t there before. If we didn’t have this in there, you would go for quite a num- ber of months without any required reporting of any kind. M. Bernier:I just want to remind the minister of some- thing.

I mean, her opening comments and that answer is: there’s nowhere in the legislation on how to do a budget. Well, no kidding. That’s government’s job. That’s the minis- ter’s job. That’s why they run an election with a plan. They do all that. But there are parameters. There is law put in place by government of how to frame a budget, how to report on a budget and what they’re supposed to do. I’m not asking for the minister to tell me what she’s put- ting in the budget right now. We’ll get to those discussions.

I’m talking about the parameters about reporting on what government’s obligations are, which is what’s in front of us right now. So for the minister to say that there’s no law about putting a budget together…. I expect the minister to do the due diligence. All sides of this House and the public want her to do due diligence. I’m specifically asking about the requirements and if, in this legislation, there are actually going to be legal parameters around the reporting obligations of the minister based on the budget that she puts together.

The minister just said just now that we’ d go through this lengthy time without this section. Can the minister, then, maybe answer for me: what’s the difference between a fisc- al update and a quarterly report? Hon. S. Robinson:I do want to go back to an earlier question that the member asked about where there is a definition of a “fiscal update. ” What’s interesting is that there’s no definition of “a budget” so that’s my comparator, although we do one every year. With a fiscal update, this is about…. It could be as broad as a quarterly.

It could be what my previous colleague, Car- ole James, did in July, which is less formal. It depends on the context. Remember, we’re putting this in because noth- ing exists, and it is important that there is a reporting of some kind — and that the contexts change. Remember, this is only in an election year. I think it’s really important to remind the member and to remind anyone who’s watching that this is only when there’s an election year. Right now our elections happen in the fall. That’s part of the legislative calendar, that elections happen in the fall.

This is to ensure that there is a relatively early opportunity for a Finance Minister to report out in some fashion about the state of affairs. They could be very specific and get very detailed, like you would in a quarterly, which is much broader and it has various elements. Or it could be, essentially, just an update on a number of indicators or elements that you would see in a quarterly report. Again, it’s just dependent on what is happening and what is needed. [2:55 p.m.] M. Bernier:I’m listening very carefully to the words that the minister put forward, which appear to be very convenient.

I want to go back to not only some of the commentary we had yesterday but to the actual

section here. When we look at quarterly reports in

section 10 of the law, of the act that binds government and the process which government is to follow and, specifically, this minister is to follow…. It was determined yesterday, and the minister agreed, that quarterly means every three months. The minister also said yesterday that the last semi-report, unofficial, from the previous minister, came forward. So I’m not sure if that was a fiscal update or a quarterly report. We never got a clear answer. Maybe the minister can clarify that. But it’s very specific in subsection 10(1) that the quarterly reports of government must be prepared in accordance with the

section and established by Treasury Board and must include…. I read that stuff into the record yesterday. That’s a quarterly report. It doesn’t say anything about a fiscal update or whatever the minister or govern- ment chooses to put forward. It specifically says in law that 272 British Columbia Debates Wednesday, December 16, 2020

the government must put forward, and this minister must put forward, a quarterly report to this House, to the pub- lic, for scrutiny, transparency and accountability, which is part of this act. The minister did not define or confirm if tomorrow’s fiscal update is going to qualify as a quarterly report. Is the minister putting this

section in now to exempt herself in some way from having to follow through with the present law requirement of a quarterly report for Q2? We have yet to find out when that would be, which we would assume, if we go every three months, would be this month. Hon. S. Robinson:The people that are talking in my ear are teaching me a lot about the legislation. Just so the member can also learn, apparently, in

section 12, the min- ister can provide, as needed, a fiscal forecast, and there’s no definition of a fiscal forecast. So there are other examples of opportunities for Finance ministers to provide infor- mation that are not defined specifically, and it provides opportunity to share information, be transparent, but it’s not as specifically defined as the member is somehow sug- gesting. In terms of his question around…. I believe, if I recall, it was about the second quarterly. Right now it’s not required. The way the legislation reads, it’s not required. So there’s no obligation on government.

Because we had a fall election…. That is what the legislation says. That is what exists on the books. [3:00 p.m.] To me, by going to an extra month, that’s too far a gap without the people of B.C. hearing what’s going on, get- ting some sense of what’s happening with the fiscal picture, what the forecast might look, what the fiscal challenges might be or the opportunities might be for government. I hope the member supports this section, because I think it’s a good section. It’s about accountability. It’s about transparency, and it’s about making sure that we do more, not less. I look forward to seeing this

section pass. M. Bernier: I mean, obviously, I was asking those questions. I’m very well aware of the act and the require- ments of the minister. So I appreciate the comments from her. Y es, I know that technically it’s not required because of an election being called. Because there’s a fall election, the obligation for the Q2 report does change for the minister. Again, the whole point of me bringing up this line of questioning was to highlight the fact that here we have a government who’s putting legislation in front of us right after an election to extend the time before they put a budget.

They’re also asking us to approve more money, and we’ll get to that, I guess, soon, later on today. Mean- while, they haven’t put forward a Q2 report, conveniently, because the legislation allows it because of the election. I guess the question I had was: is the minister, as she’s putting this change forward, going to be giving the equi- valent of, tomorrow, a Q2 report? Is she justifying that as a Q2 report, technically, tomorrow? And will the Q3 report still be on time in the spring? The Chair:If I might, Member, is this towards

section 2, or is this just a greater question around finance? I’m just asking around clause 2. M. Bernier: With all due respect, Chair, I’m aware that we’re still on clause 2, and my questions are appro- priate to that. The Chair:I would appreciate if the member would stick to the clause that we’re talking about. It seems to the Chair that the member is going a little outside of the realm of the clause. The member might want to debate it, but this is the opinion of the Chair. Thank you. Hon. S. Robinson:The update will be tomorrow, and the member is welcome to listen to it.

The third quarterly report will be included with the budget as it always is. Clause 2 approved. On clause 3. M. Bernier:Now we’re on clause 3, and I’ll be speaking to that, the Financial Administration Act. Just a few ques- tions to this. [3:05 p.m.] Can the minister explain — when we just talked about in the previous sections, or that we talked about in this bill, extending the time for government to put forward a budget — why there’s now this

section around special war- rants? Can she explain when the circumstances would be for her to use special warrants? Hon. S. Robinson:So the fiscal year-end — of course, everyone knows in this House — is March 31. Special war- rants provide an authority to continue spending past that date until you could bring forward a budget and 15 days past that to get a supply bill passed until the estimates pro- cess is finished. If in session, you use interim supply to help keep paying the services that people count on. A special warrant is if you can’t call the House back.

I want to remind the member, and all of the members, what happened in March. We had this pandemic and try- ing to figure out how to call everyone back when it didn’t feel safe, when we didn’t know how to get everyone into the House in a way that would be safe. And we didn’t have this tool to carry on keeping government going unless people could come back into the House. Now, it was chaotic. It was stressful. Some would argue it was risky. It’s not what people wanted to do. I know that the decision was made to keep those on the Island, to give them…. So we would travel less.

We come from all parts Wednesday, December 16, 2020 British Columbia Debates 273

of the province, and we’re all told not to travel and that there’s risk with that. That created some significant chal- lenges. Hats off to all those that brought the technology forward. It’s been a significant learning for everybody. [3:10 p.m.] That was just an example of what happens when you don’t have a fail-safe like the special warrant. It’s from that exercise that suggested that perhaps it should be part of the legislation, so that should something like that ever happen again, there is still this tool available to keep things going. I want to draw the member’s attention….

He’s probably going to ask about the formula. It’s very prescribed about what is possible. That’s a fail-safe to make sure that it’s really about the continuation so that things can continue for those that rely on government services. M. Bernier:Typically, as the minister was saying, we have interim supply, which typically has worked in the past. Way in the past, special warrants used to be used quite regularly. The minister also highlighted this spring and the difficulties of getting to the House and all of those issues.

With all due respect, we’ve got the same warnings right now, but the government had no problem calling us back to do this bill, which seems to be so important to gov- ernment. My question around that, though, would be…. In March — March 23, if I remember — then minister Carole James said things were functioning great. Special warrants weren’t needed. There were opportunities for interim sup- ply, that we could actually use all those systems. Was that minister wrong? Things worked fine under that minister to be able to do it that way. What’s changed? Hon. S.

Robinson:Again, talking with staff who were on the ground working with the Finance Minister to call the Legislature back…. They’re saying that actually the member’s perception isn’t accurate — that the minister at the time, Carole James, was not happy about bringing the House back, but she had no other tool. It was not what she wanted to do. Remember this was at the end of March. We didn’t know anything about this virus. We didn’t have the technology the way that we’ve built it up over the last num- ber of months. She was quite apologetic about having to do this because she had no other choice.

She had no other choice except to bring us back to keep government going. But it’s not what she wanted to do, because it put everybody at risk. It put all of our families at risk in terms of going home, and we didn’t know. It was very instructive to government around the fragil- ity of what could happen. We know that there are other risks. I don’t like to think about it because it makes me too anxious, and I don’t like to live life like that. I had a mother who lived like that, and I choose not to, because it can be very stressful.

But I think it is in our best interests and British Col- umbians’ best interests to have a tool that allows the con- tinuation of government when stuff happens in a way that prevents us from coming to this place to do the work, and to only use it when we are prevented from coming to this place to do the work. [3:15 p.m.] We all talk about earthquake preparedness, for example. What happens if we can’t convene the House in that instance? What happens should some other impact — I don’t want to create more anxiety — some other disease, keep us from coming together?

Or what happens if the technology completely fails us in some way, some different kind of virus happens? I mean, I think that the Legislature has experienced some of that. That’s created significant challenges. So this just shows us that there’s a piece of fra- gility around our ability to keep things going in a crisis, and this is a tool that will help keep things going. S. Furstenau:I just wanted to weigh in a little bit on this conversation. It’s one that I think merits a lot of thought and discussion, because there are things that are fragile, and that includes democracy.

In situations like we’re seeing right now, with a global pandemic and other disasters, there are precedents where governments have actually chosen to undermine the function of democracy as a result of disasters. Naomi Klein has a book calledDisaster Cap- italism, for example. That is the other side of this question around fragility. Of course government needs to keep operating in the face of challenges and disasters. But I see 2020 as very different.

We showed, all of us, that the commitment to parliamentary democracy, the commitment to account- ability and transparency and legislative work was such that it motivated all of us to put that at the forefront — to come back in March, to come back in June. Extraordin- ary work was done by the staff and the IT department to achieve exactly what we’re achieving right now, which is that the vast majority of MLAs are not in this building, but we are proceeding with the work of the Legislature and the parliamentary work in a way that makes it work at a time like this.

The tool of special warrants, while there can be a case made, I think is one that also presents risk, because if a government isn’t motivated strongly to resume the work of the parliament and the Legislature, then it can be easier to simply proceed and make decisions without the oversight and accountability that is afforded with the work that we do here. So this is the worry that I have. I guess I’ll put it to a question.

Does the minister rec- ognize that there can be a loss of transparency with the use of special warrants, and does she take into account the importance of maintaining transparency, particularly in the case of challenging conditions like we’re in this year? [3:20 p.m.] Hon. S. Robinson:I appreciate the member’s question. 274 British Columbia Debates Wednesday, December 16, 2020

I, too, readDisaster Capitalism. It’s a fascinating book. I do agree that democracy is fragile, and we need to protect it. And it’s for that reason that this special warrant is very narrow. First of all, it’s a very restrictive formula. Y ou can’t do any new programs; it’s just about continuing what currently exists. Y ou can’t add anything new, can’t build anything new. It’s only up to 45 days that you can be within this special warrant framework. And it really is to be used in that crisis context. There are clauses in this act to protect it.

Y ou also need to be accountable for it, so it needs to be built into the budget process and to the estimates. It’s not separate from. Y ou just go backwards to when you had the warrant, when you use it. It needs to be included in the entire budget and estimates debate. So we’ve put, I would say, a cage around it, around how it needs to be accounted for and how it needs to be used. The member had asked about transparency. With that use of the special warrant, you have to capture any spend- ing that happened during that time.

It needs to be accoun- ted for in the estimates debate, in the budget process, so that gets voted on by the entire House. So that, too, is part of that. The last thing I want to mention when we talk about transparency is…. That’s what the fiscal update piece in the previous

section is about — making sure that there is some sort of update if we’re going to go a little bit longer in order to get a budget together. At a minimum, there needs to be some accountability to the people of this province, to this House, so that they understand where things stand fiscally for the province. M. Bernier:I just want to finish off this

section by trying to understand and put some timelines, I guess a thought process, around what the minister just said. Maybe she’ll appreciate and understand my skepticism — or maybe even my line of questioning, if she doesn’t want to understand my skepticism — on this issue. The minister just said that she’s put this forward, these opportunities for special warrants, in the case of maybe, coincidentally, a pandemic situation where government can’t be called back. The minister, as part of the same act, has asked for a 30-day delay in putting a budget process forward.

The minister also just said — and I will para- phrase: “Don’t worry; it’ll be built into the budget pro- cess. ” [3:25 p.m.] What that sounds like is on paper we’re not going to have a budget by the end of May like we’re supposed to. We’re now going to make it go until April. But don’t worry. We’re giving ourselves special powers to be able to have special warrants for that month without having to have the scrutiny or justification of bringing that forward to the House for legislational discussion. But don’t worry. It’ll be built into the budget. We can debate it after the decision is already made.

What the minister is saying, and she’ll correct me if I’m wrong, is there’s a delay. She has the opportunity now to have special warrants to extend the financial situation of the government as she or cabinet so chooses, without com- ing to the House for a vote. Is that true? Hon. S. Robinson:In a normal year, in a non-election year, when we bring forward our budget and our estimates books, we also table an interim supply, knowing full well that the budget isn’t going to pass until well after March 31. It’s how I’ve always experienced this place to operate.

It’s the interim supply bill that helps us carry on with the nor- mal activities of government until we can pass a budget. Oftentimes it wouldn’t be until May, even though the year- end was March 31. It just means that things continue on status quo until the budget passes. This really isn’t any different. This is really not any dif- ferent. It’s the same idea, to pass an interim supply until the budget is fully debated in the House, with estimates and the wholemegillah, as my people like to say. Whether the budget passes in May or June, there is the opportunity to continue the status quo, keep things going. [N.

Letnick in the chair.] The special warrant is in that rare case, like we saw this last March, where there is a gap. There’s a risk. There’s a risk to not having the opportunity to get people in this House to pass an interim supply bill to make sure that gov- ernment continues to operate. Again, we’ve created a cage around it. Mr. Chair, welcome. We’ve created a cage around it so that it’s very specific, it’s very narrow, and it’s, at most, 45 days. [3:30 p.m.] Clause 3 approved on division. On clause 4. M.

Bernier: As discussed yesterday, I promised the minister that we probably wouldn’t get into too much detail on the nuts and bolts of this section, but I do have, obviously, a couple of questions. I just want to frame this. This is on

section 4 of the…. Again, I’ll sound like a broken record when I say the only bill that was so important to government to bring forward right now, in the middle of a pandemic, while everybody is asking for help. That aside, it will probably be the last time I get to say that during this bill. This is around the homeowners’ grants. Can the min- ister explain why…? I won’t ask her to explain why she feels this is so important right now. Why is the minister bringing this

section forward, if I understand this

section Wednesday, December 16, 2020 British Columbia Debates 275

of the bill correctly, for government to take on, save some questions here, the responsibility of gathering and garner- ing the information applications for homeowners’ grants? Presently, right now, people go, as most know…. Y ou go down to your local city hall or go online. In rural areas, you have to actually go in personally in a lot of places. Can the minister just answer why government wants to take on that responsibility now, away from local govern- ment? Hon. S. Robinson:This was included in Budget 2020 to centralize the administration of this grant. It is bur- densome to municipalities.

I know that the member, I’m sure, would see the amount of work that would go in when this administrative requirement came into municipalities. It is a provincial program, so it’s for that reason.

Also, more so, it was to make sure that we had part of a tax- fairness understanding and that only those who are eli- gible — for example, if someone owned a home in Dawson Creek and another home in, let’s say, Vancouver, and per- haps they would apply for the homeowner grant in both communities — that wouldn’t be noticed, necessarily. [3:35 p.m.] This is a way to centralize it to make sure that there is tax fairness and, because it is a provincial program, to make sure that it’s more readily able to deliver on a program that is a provincial program. M.

Bernier:Well, I completely understand, as I know the minister does, this issue, as former local government people too. She sparked an interesting thought in myself. If this is now going to be centralized, and they’re gathering this information, what other areas will they use this inform- ation for as far as tracking purposes? This is no longer, maybe, just collecting information around homeowners’ grants and eligibility on one or two or more homes that could or could not be wrongfully applied for.

Is government going to use this information for cross- referencing any other taxation or policies that the govern- ment has, right now, already put in place or future ones? I’m just kind of curious what they want to use that inform- ation for. Hon. S. Robinson: All of the tax acts, as well as the Home Owner Grant Act, allow the ministry to share infor- mation and cross-reference. [3:40 p.m.] S. Furstenau:Just following up on that, the previous question, and wanting to get a little bit more detail.

For example, will there be better capacity for data collection at the provincial level and tracking of home ownership, of tax compliance? Can the minister provide any kind of indica- tion of the connection to the speculation tax and auditing people’s declarations? Will this change improve the capa- city for the province to do that? Hon. S. Robinson: I knew the answer, but I wanted to just double-check with the people who actually do the work about what the implications are for them. Y es, it will provide them with more data. It will provide them with more information.

And yes, it will help with the audit and compliance work that they undertake. Clauses 4 and 5 approved. Title approved. Hon. S. Robinson:I move that the committee rise and report the bill complete without amendment. Motion approved. The committee rose at 3:43 p.m. The House resumed; Mr. Speaker in the chair. Reporting of Bills BILL 3 — FINANCE STATUTES AMENDMENT ACT, 2020 Bill 3, Finance Statutes Amendment Act, 2020, reported complete without amendment. Mr. Speaker:When shall the bill be read a third time? Hon. S. Robinson:Now, Mr. Speaker. Third Reading of Bills BILL 3 — FINANCE STATUTES AMENDMENT ACT, 2020 Mr.

Speaker:Members, you heard the motion. The motion carries. Division has been called. According to the sessional order that we passed earlier, the third division will be taken today after six o’ clock. Members, the House will be in recess for ten minutes. The House recessed from 3:45 p.m. to 3:52 p.m. [Mr. Speaker in the chair.] 276 British Columbia Debates Wednesday, December 16, 2020

Presentation of Estimates SUPPLEMENTARY ESTIMATES FOR THE FISCAL YEAR ENDING MARCH 31, 2021 Hon. S. Robinson:I move that the message from Her Honour, the Lieutenant-Governor, presented to this House on December 8, 2020, in the supplementary estim- ates (No. 3) fiscal year ending March 31, 2021, accompa- nying the same be referred to the Committee of Supply. Motion approved. Hon. S. Robinson: I move that this House forthwith resolve itself for this session into a committee to consider the supply to be granted to Her Majesty. Motion approved. Hon. M.

Farnworth:I call Committee of Supply to con- sider the supplementary estimates. Committee of Supply SUPPLEMENTARY ESTIMATES (No. 3): OTHER APPROPRIATIONS The House in Committee of Supply; S. Chandra Herbert in the chair. The committee met at 3:54 p.m. On Vote 52(S): contingencies (all ministries), pandemic response and economic recovery, $2,000,000,000. Hon. S. Robinson: I’m pleased to rise today to seek additional funding for COVID-19 response and recovery measures to serve the people of British Columbia.

We are seeking approval to table additional supplementary estim- ates of $2 billion for further relief measures that will sup- port British Columbians as we move through this pan- demic. [3:55 p.m.] It is a stressful time. We want people to know that we will continue to do everything we can to support them through this pandemic. This additional $2 billion will help fund additional programs that will help our province recover from the pandemic. Just last week our government was proud to announce the B.C. recovery benefit, which will be available to up to 3.7 million British Columbians in just a few short days.

People can start to apply for this on Friday. This money will give people a bit more breathing room and peace of mind to get them through the holidays and into the new year. The estimated cost for this program is $1.7 billion. We are also adding a new recovery supplement to income and disability assistance clients whose previous crisis funding is set to expire at the end of this month. They will automatically receive an additional $150 a month, starting in January through to March.

Coupled together, the recovery benefit and the recovery supplement will provide vulnerable families with more money in their pockets during this difficult winter season. The estimated cost for this program is $110 million. Finally, this funding will help support a new refundable tax credit, the increased employment incentive that was announced in September as part of the Stronger B.C. eco- nomic recovery plan.

The credit will be available to employers who increase their employment of low- to middle-income employees in the last quarter of 2020 and to employers who retain employees they hired in August and September. The estimated cost for this program is $190 million. While the rebates won’t come until the spring, this is a tax rebate that businesses can bank on today. These busi- nesses are supporting employment right now and betting on a brighter future as they move through recovery, espe- cially now that we know we have a vaccine that is currently being deployed here in the province.

This is all part of the important work of supporting people now and building a robust and meaningful fiscal plan, a plan centred on looking out for people and their families, investing in health care and seniors care to pro- tect people and fight COVID-19 and building a recovery that includes everyone, not just those at the top. While we do that work, we will continue to roll out new programs to help people and to help businesses recover. M.

Bernier:Let me just start by acknowledging, on behalf of the opposition, the recognition of the challenges that the people in British Columbia are going through right now — the fact that they are looking for help and the fact that they need help, whether that’s families, individu- als, businesses. The minister spoke about where some of these supports are going, and we applaud that. We’re hear- ing the same things.

We want to see people who are genu- inely struggling, people who are genuinely in need right now, specifically because of COVID, which is what this extra money the minister has asked for appears to be ear- marked for. Through the course of the questioning that I’ll have and some of my colleagues will have, it is not to criticize gov- ernment’s attempt to help people. It’s to better understand what that help will be, how people will apply and how it’ll genuinely affect the lives of people, which is what’s needed right now.

We’re going to get into some questions and some details, more around process, at some point — with the acknowledgment, though, and understanding, hope- fully, for people watching, that this is the technical side of making sure they get the help that they need. [4:00 p.m.] We want to make sure that if something is approved Wednesday, December 16, 2020 British Columbia Debates 277

through the House, it’s genuinely going where that need is. That’s what this is about. These are extraordinary times, when the minister has had to come forward for the second time, to this House, to ask for more money. We’ll get into some of those discussions after. Before I go into some of those details, though, we have a couple of people on Zoom. They’re going to ask a few questions. Maybe I’ll just help by advising the Chair that the next person up to ask questions, please, would be the member for Richmond North Centre. T. Wat:The question to the minister is….

Many workers in the tourism sector need government to act fast and, in fact, to act now, if not yesterday, to provide them imme- diate support. Many of these tourism workers are not covered by the COVID recovery benefit that we are now discussing since this is based on 2019 income, which was before they were laid off. We all know how tough it has been in the last ten to 11 months. Minister, will the tourism workers that operate have immediate access to support before the April budget? Hon. S.

Robinson:If I understand the member’s query accurately, we’ve allocated significant resources — over $1½ billion to support economic recovery measures, including $405 million for business supports, including the small and medium-sized business recovery grant and tourism supports. I know that the member canvassed the minister about that earlier today in question period, and that this is a sup- port program that was put in place in September.

There is additional work that is being done with the Minister of Tourism, Arts, Culture and Sport and work that she’s doing with the tourism task force in order to better understand and respond more specifically to that sector given their unique needs. They have been especially hard hit. We rec- ognize that, so tailoring a program that specifically meets their needs is absolutely a priority for this government. T. Wat:I think the minister might not be understand- ing my question. My question is…. We are not discuss- ing the $1.7 billion for the recovery benefit and the extra $300 million.

From what the minister said earlier, at the beginning of this discussion, it seems that tourism has been excluded from this recovery benefit — $2 billion. In the final report, the tourism task force admitted to this government on December 9, said in the executive

summary…. [4:05 p.m.] Let me quote. “This report is primarily about emergency funding needed now for the unique needs of our tourism industry in B.C. and, more specifically, its businesses and workforce. ” Relief is necessary now. The Premier said yesterday, when responding to a ques- tion from the media: “I’m one at the cabinet table. The Minister of Finance makes the ultimate decision on this. That’s how our system works.

I’ve complete confidence in the Finance Minister to adjudicate over the various industry requests for funding that will come her way. ” So the Minister of Finance has all the authority and power to rescue the dying tourism industry. I’m sure many tourism operators and workers are watching now, and they would like to give the minister a thumbs up if the minister will now commit in this House to include the tourism industry in your $2 billion recovery benefit so that you can help this ailing industry. The Chair:Thank you, Member. Of course, through the Chair. T. Wat:Oh, sorry. Through the Chair. Hon. S.

Robinson:Thank you for the…. I have clarity now of the question. I want to remind the member that the recovery benefit that is being brought forward is open to everybody, regardless of where they work, including those who work in the tourism sector, in the restaurant sector, the services sector. That is for them and their families. That’s to get money into their pockets now. The application will go online. I want to encourage everyone to go online. I hope all the members of the House will encourage their constituents to go online. It is going to be the fastest way to get the supports.

They can get the supports that they need now so that they have money in their pockets, because we do hear from people that have suffered very significantly because there are significant challenges. We know that until global travel restrictions are eased, it’s going to be very significant for this sector. We are a beautiful place. It’s where people want to come, and because of thi

Document details

Collection	British Columbia — Debates (Hansard)
Citation	20201216pm-Hansard-n12
Type	hansard
Volume / chapter	20201216pm Hansard n12
Language	en
Format	pdf
Source	PROVINCIAL
Identifier	f9157d79ac4024f12ba4ce8638f1d83e132c27ba

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