B.C. Today – Daily Report December 17, 2018 Quotation of the day “They are not going anywhere and we are not leaving ... We ​ have to find a way forward and it needs to be about reconciling a past that was illegal with a future that will be prosperous for everybody.” Premier John Horgan reiterates his commitment to introducing legislation enacting the ​ ​ principles of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples in 2019. Today in B.C. On the schedule The House is adjourned for the winter break. MLAs are scheduled to return to the House on February 12, 2019 for the delivery of the government’s throne speech. Committees this week The Select Standing Committee on Finance and Government Services will meet at 9 a.m. on Tuesday, and the Legislative Assembly Management Committee is scheduled to meet at the same time on Wednesday. No agenda has yet been released for either meeting. ICBC requests clearance to hike auto insurance rates ICBC submitted a request to raise basic insurance rates by 6.3 per cent to the B.C. Utilities ​ ​ Commission (BCUC) on Friday. The provincial auto-insurer expects to lose $890 million this fiscal year, even after a rate increase of 6.4 per cent this spring. If approved, the new increase will take effect on April 1, 2019 and is expected to cost the average ICBC customer an extra $60 annually on their basic insurance. Attorney General David Eby blamed the hike on the financial crisis at ICBC left by the previous ​ ​ government, saying the 2019 increase would have been almost 40 per cent if the NDP had not “moved to stop the bleeding” at the public insurer. The NDP government’s changes to ICBC, including limits on minor injury claims and higher fines for drivers who cause multiple accidents or drive recklessly, are expected to save $1 billion annually once they are implemented next year. Liberal Party Leader Andrew Wilkinson said the requested rate increase is another example of ​ ​ the NDP government failing to live up to its promise to improve affordability in B.C. Wilkinson has previously pushed for a “root and branch overhaul” of ICBC, saying the government should look at best practices in other jurisdictions — including privatized insurance — for a solution. “The goal is to see rates go down for good drivers,” he said in response to Friday’s rate increase request. “To do that, we’re ready to send ICBC to the wrecking yard.” Despite the staggering losses and substantial rate increases, ICBC’s chief investment officer will take home a $50,000 bonus this year for meeting her targets. CIO Alison Gould is the only ​ ​ ​ ICBC executive getting a performance payout this year, according to Attorney General Eby. “ICBC compensation is at its lowest level since 2012,” Eby said. “They don’t get bonuses, the issue is they don’t get their full salary if they don’t hit the targets.” B.C. partners with Ottawa and First Nations to phase out open-net fish farming By 2023, 17 open-net fish farms located in the Broughton Archipelago off the northeast coast of Vancouver Island will be closed or moved in a bid to protect wild salmon stocks. Friday’s announcement came after the B.C. government spent more than a year in talks with local First Nations, many of whom oppose the fish farms operating in their traditional territory. In June, the B.C. government announced new guidelines requiring fish farm operators to gain ​ ​ approval from First Nations and to satisfy Fisheries and Oceans Canada requirements. Critics of open-net fish farming say the operations negatively impact the health of migrating salmon by spreading diseases and sea lice, which can be lethal to young fish. The B.C. Salmon Farmers Association disputes the evidence of these claims. The 'Namgis, Kwikwasut'inuxw Haxwa'mis and Mamalilikulla Nations and two fish farm ​ operators, Marine Harvest and Cermaq, have committed to working with government to create a “farm-free migration corridor” for wild salmon. This will involve closing four existing fish farms next year, two in 2020 and four more by 2022. Seven more fish farms will see their tenures end in 2023 unless they can secure First Nations approval and licences from Fisheries and Oceans Canada. Fish farms will also be required to implement new technologies to mitigate the risks they pose to wild salmon. The agreement between the government, industry and First Nations also provides for salmon habitat restoration and prioritizes economic development and employment opportunities for First Nations and local communities. The aim is “an orderly transition” for the industry. "We approached these discussions seeking solutions that would both address the concerns of the First Nations and maintain our commitment to the well-being of our employees, support businesses and stakeholders,” Marine Harvest managing director Diane Morrison said in a ​ ​ statement. Kwikwasut'inuxw Haxwa'mis First Nation elected chief councillor Robert Chamberlin, who ​ ​ chaired the First Nations steering committee on the issue, welcomed the agreement. “We are grateful that governments and industry are finally starting to listen and work with us to find solutions that aim to protect and restore wild salmon and other resources," he said in a statement. B.C. Liberal Party reaction In a news release, the B.C. Liberal caucus acknowledged the fish farm announcement as “a positive first step in reconciliation,” but said it leaves “many questions about future investment unanswered.” “What we are not seeing here is a clear path forward for industry operations in other parts of the province,” Liberal agriculture critic Ian Paton said in a statement. “Will the NDP create an even ​ ​ playing field for all industry or will we see them continue their troubling trend of picking winners and losers?” Liberal environment critic Peter Milobar expressed concern that the fish farm “tenure ​ ​ cancellations will become the template for future resource management” projects under the NDP government, leading to a decline in “good paying jobs for families in communities and First Nations” in B.C. B.C. Green Party reaction Green Party MLA Adam Olsen, who serves as the party’s agriculture critic, commended the ​ ​ government on taking action to protect wild salmon but said more needs to be done to protect B.C.’s salmon stocks. “We need a province-wide approach that addresses the risks and harms to wild salmon throughout the province,” Olsen said in a statement. B.C. also needs to do better to address “habitat and ecosystem degradation, climate change and poor management” — all of which are negatively impacting the province’s wild salmon populations. Today’s events December 17 at 11 a.m. – Nanaimo ​ Municipal Affairs and Housing Minister Selina Robinson will be joined by Nanaimo Mayor ​ ​ Leonard Krog and Charlene McKay, board chair for Nanaimo Ladysmith Public Schools, to ​ ​ ​ announce “a new partnership.” December 17 at 11:25 a.m. – Vancouver ​ Transportation and Infrastructure Minister Claire Trevena will be joined by Stan Cowdell, ​ ​ ​ ​ executive director of Westmar Advisors Inc., to make an “official announcement” regarding the independent technical review of the George Massey crossing. December 17 at 12 p.m. – Vancouver ​ Minister of State for Trade George Chow, who represents the Vancouver—Fraserview riding, ​ ​ will join Vancouver city councillor Melissa De Genova and representatives from S.U.C.C.E.S.S. ​ ​ ​ for the groundbreaking of a new affordable housing development at 3182 Riverwalk Avenue. December 17 at 1 p.m. – North Vancouver ​ Federal Fisheries, Oceans and Canadian Coast Guard Minister Jonathan Wilkinson will be ​ ​ joined by NDP MLA Bowinn Ma (North Vancouver—Lonsdale) at a groundbreaking ceremony ​ ​ for phases 2 and 4 of the Lower Lynn Project in Bridgeman Park. ​ ​ Topics of conversation ● On Saturday, the B.C. Green Party selected Michele Ney as its candidate for the ​ ​ ​ ​ upcoming Nanaimo by-election. Ney is the daughter of former Nanaimo mayor Frank ​ Ney and beat out environmental advocate Duane Nickull for the party nomination. ​ ​ ​ ○ NDP MP Sheila Malcolmson was acclaimed the B.C. NPD’s by-election ​ ​ candidate yesterday while the B.C. Liberal Party chose Nanaimo businessmen Tony Harris last month. ​ ● The B.C. Legislature’s quarterly financial reports were published on Friday. They include ​ ​ summary disclosure reports about MLA compensation, travel and constituency office expenses, including receipts for MLA travel and constituency office expenses. ● Another negotiation session on the Columbia River Treaty took place in Vancouver last week. The latest round of talks focused on “flood-risk management, scientific information ​ on ecosystems, energy co-ordination and Libby Dam operations,” according to a statement from Katrine Conroy, the B.C. minister responsible for the file. Conroy said ​ ​ the B.C. government has also been consulting with Indigenous nations in the Columbia basin to ensure their interests are addressed as negotiations with the United States continue. ○ The next phase of negotiations will take place in Washington, D.C. in February. ● British Columbians can submit suggestions about the province’s plan to establish a ​ ​ Chinese Canadian museum in Vancouver.. Community meetings on the museum proposal will be held in Vancouver, Kamloops and Victoria in January. ○ In September 2018, the province and the City of Vancouver signed a memorandum of understanding to create a Chinese Canadian museum and to ​ pursue a UNESCO World Heritage designation for Vancouver’s Chinatown neighbourhood. News briefs - Governmental Ministry of Indigenous Relations and Reconciliation The Lake Babine Nation has signed a tripartite memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the ​ ​ governments of Canada and British Columbia that commits the parties to continue to work toward a long-term “Foundation Agreement,” according to the Ministry of Indigenous Relations and Reconciliation. The MOU provides a framework to implement the nation’s right of self-government and economic self-determination.