Fifth Session, 38th Parliament
official report of Debates of the Legislative Assembly
(hansard)
Thursday, March 12, 2009 Afternoon Sitting Volume 40, Number 3
the honourable bill barisoff, speaker
ISSN 0709-1281 PROVINCE OF BRITISH COLUMBIA (Entered Confederation July 20, 1871)
LIEUTENANT-GOVERNOR His Honour the Honourable Steven L. Point, OBC
Fifth Session, 38th Parliament
SPEAKER OF THE LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY Honourable Bill Barisoff
EXECUTIVE COUNCIL
Premier and President of the Executive Council...... Hon. Gordon Campbell Minister of State for Intergovernmental Relations...... Hon. Joan McIntyre Deputy Premier and Minister of Education and Minister Responsible for Early Learning and Literacy...... Hon. Shirley Bond Minister of Aboriginal Relations and Reconciliation...... Hon. Michael de Jong Minister of Advanced Education and Labour Market Development...... Hon. Murray Coell Minister of Agriculture and Lands...... Hon. Ron Cantelon Attorney General and Minister Responsible for Multiculturalism...... Hon. Wally Oppal, QC Minister of Children and Family Development...... Hon. Tom Christensen Minister of State for Childcare...... Hon. Linda Reid Minister of Community Development...... Hon. Kevin Krueger Minister of Energy, Mines and Petroleum Resources...... Hon. Blair Lekstrom Minister of State for Mining...... Hon. Gordon Hogg Minister of Environment and Minister Responsible for Climate Action...... Hon. Barry Penner Minister of Finance and Minister Responsible for the Olympics...... Hon. Colin Hansen Minister of Forests and Range...... Hon. Pat Bell Minister of Health Services...... Hon. George Abbott Minister of Healthy Living and Sport...... Hon. Mary Polak Minister of Housing and Social Development...... Hon. Rich Coleman Minister of Labour and Citizens' Services...... Hon. Iain Black Minister of Public Safety and Solicitor General...... Hon. John van Dongen Minister of Small Business, Technology and Economic Development and Minister Responsible for the Asia-Pacific Initiative...... Hon. Ida Chong Minister of Tourism, Culture and the Arts...... Hon. Bill Bennett Minister of Transportation and Infrastructure...... Hon. Kevin Falcon
LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY
Leader of the OfficialO pposition...... Carole James Deputy Speaker...... Sindi Hawkins Deputy Speaker...... Katherine Whittred Assistant Deputy Speaker...... Sue Hammell Deputy Chair, Committee of the Whole...... Harry Bloy Clerk of the Legislative Assembly...... E. George MacMinn, OBC, QC Clerk Assistant...... Robert Vaive Clerk Assistant and Law Clerk...... Ian D. Izard, QC Clerk Assistant and Clerk of Committees...... Craig H. James Clerk Assistant and Committee Clerk...... Kate Ryan-Lloyd Sergeant-at-Arms...... Gary Lenz Director, Hansard Services...... Jo-Anne Kern Legislative Librarian...... Jane Taylor Legislative Comptroller...... Dan Arbic ALPHABETICAL LIST OF MEMBERS LIST OF MEMBERS BY RIDING
Abbott, Hon. George (L)...... Shuswap Abbotsford-Clayburn...... Hon. John van Dongen Austin, Robin (NDP)...... Skeena Abbotsford–Mount Lehman...... Hon. Michael de Jong Bains, Harry (NDP)...... Surrey-Newton Alberni-Qualicum...... Scott Fraser Barisoff, Hon. Bill (L)...... Penticton–Okanagan Valley Bulkley Valley–Stikine...... Dennis MacKay Bell, Hon. Pat (L)...... Prince George North Burnaby North...... Richard T. Lee Bennett, Hon. Bill (L)...... East Kootenay Burnaby-Edmonds...... Raj Chouhan Black, Hon. Iain (L)...... Port Moody–Westwood Burnaby-Willingdon...... John Nuraney Bloy, Harry (L)...... Burquitlam Burquitlam...... Harry Bloy Bond, Hon. Shirley (L)...... Prince George–Mount Robson Cariboo North...... Bob Simpson Brar, Jagrup (NDP)...... Surrey–Panorama Ridge Cariboo South...... Charlie Wyse Campbell, Hon. Gordon (L)...... Vancouver–Point Grey Chilliwack-Kent...... Hon. Barry Penner Cantelon, Hon. Ron (L)...... Nanaimo-Parksville Chilliwack-Sumas...... John Les Chong, Hon. Ida (L)...... Oak Bay–Gordon Head Columbia River–Revelstoke...... Norm Macdonald Chouhan, Raj (NDP)...... Burnaby-Edmonds Comox Valley...... Vacant Christensen, Hon. Tom (L)...... Okanagan-Vernon Coquitlam-Maillardville...... Diane Thorne Chudnovsky, Dave (NDP)...... Vancouver-Kensington Cowichan-Ladysmith...... Doug Routley Coell, Hon. Murray (L)...... Saanich North and the Islands Delta North...... Guy Gentner Coleman, Hon. Rich (L)...... Fort Langley–Aldergrove Delta South...... Valerie Roddick Conroy, Katrine (NDP)...... West Kootenay–Boundary East Kootenay...... Hon. Bill Bennett Coons, Gary (NDP)...... North Coast Esquimalt-Metchosin...... Maurine Karagianis Cubberley, David (NDP)...... Saanich South Fort Langley–Aldergrove...... Hon. Rich Coleman de Jong, Hon. Michael (L)...... Abbotsford–Mount Lehman Kamloops...... Claude Richmond Dix, Adrian (NDP)...... Vancouver-Kingsway Kamloops–North Thompson...... Hon. Kevin Krueger Evans, Corky (NDP)...... Nelson-Creston Kelowna–Lake Country...... Al Horning Falcon, Hon. Kevin (L)...... Surrey-Cloverdale Kelowna-Mission...... Sindi Hawkins Farnworth, Mike (NDP)...... Port Coquitlam–Burke Mountain Langley...... Hon. Mary Polak Fleming, Rob (NDP)...... Victoria-Hillside Malahat–Juan de Fuca...... John Horgan Fraser, Scott (NDP)...... Alberni-Qualicum Maple Ridge–Mission...... Randy Hawes Gentner, Guy (NDP)...... Delta North Maple Ridge–Pitt Meadows...... Michael Sather Hammell, Sue (NDP)...... Surrey–Green Timbers Nanaimo...... Leonard Krog Hansen, Hon. Colin (L)...... Vancouver-Quilchena Nanaimo-Parksville...... Hon. Ron Cantelon Hawes, Randy (L)...... Maple Ridge–Mission Nelson-Creston...... Corky Evans Hawkins, Sindi (L)...... Kelowna-Mission New Westminster...... Chuck Puchmayr Hayer, Dave S. (L)...... Surrey-Tynehead North Coast...... Gary Coons Herbert, Spencer (NDP)...... Vancouver-Burrard North Island...... Claire Trevena Hogg, Hon. Gordon (L)...... Surrey–White Rock North Vancouver–Lonsdale...... Katherine Whittred Horgan, John (NDP)...... Malahat–Juan de Fuca North Vancouver–Seymour...... Daniel Jarvis Horning, Al (L)...... Kelowna–Lake Country Oak Bay–Gordon Head...... Hon. Ida Chong Ilich, Olga (L)...... Richmond Centre Okanagan-Vernon...... Hon. Tom Christensen James, Carole (NDP)...... Victoria–Beacon Hill Okanagan-Westside...... Rick Thorpe Jarvis, Daniel (L)...... North Vancouver–Seymour Peace River North...... Vacant Karagianis, Maurine (NDP)...... Esquimalt-Metchosin Peace River South...... Hon. Blair Lekstrom Krog, Leonard (NDP)...... Nanaimo Penticton–Okanagan Valley...... Hon. Bill Barisoff Krueger, Hon. Kevin (L)...... Kamloops–North Thompson Port Coquitlam–Burke Mountain...... Mike Farnworth Kwan, Jenny Wai Ching (NDP)...... Vancouver–Mount Pleasant Port Moody–Westwood...... Hon. Iain Black Lali, Harry (NDP)...... Yale‑Lillooet Powell River–Sunshine Coast...... Nicholas Simons Lee, Richard T. (L)...... Burnaby North Prince George North...... Hon. Pat Bell Lekstrom, Hon. Blair (L)...... Peace River South Prince George–Mount Robson...... Hon. Shirley Bond Les, John (L)...... Chilliwack-Sumas Prince George–Omineca...... John Rustad Macdonald, Norm (NDP)...... Columbia River–Revelstoke Richmond Centre...... Olga Ilich McGinn, Jenn (NDP)...... Vancouver-Fairview Richmond East...... Hon. Linda Reid McIntyre, Hon. Joan (L)...... West Vancouver–Garibaldi Richmond-Steveston...... John Yap MacKay, Dennis (L)...... Bulkley Valley–Stikine Saanich North and the Islands...... Hon. Murray Coell Nuraney, John (L)...... Burnaby-Willingdon Saanich South...... David Cubberley Oppal, Hon. Wally, QC (L)...... Vancouver-Fraserview Shuswap...... Hon. George Abbott Penner, Hon. Barry (L)...... Chilliwack-Kent Skeena...... Robin Austin Polak, Hon. Mary (L)...... Langley Surrey-Cloverdale...... Hon. Kevin Falcon Puchmayr, Chuck (NDP)...... New Westminster Surrey–Green Timbers...... Sue Hammell Ralston, Bruce (NDP)...... Surrey-Whalley Surrey-Newton...... Harry Bains Reid, Hon. Linda (L)...... Richmond East Surrey–Panorama Ridge...... Jagrup Brar Richmond, Claude (L)...... Kamloops Surrey-Tynehead...... Dave S. Hayer Roddick, Valerie (L)...... Delta South Surrey-Whalley...... Bruce Ralston Routley, Doug (NDP)...... Cowichan-Ladysmith Surrey–White Rock...... Hon. Gordon Hogg Rustad, John (L)...... Prince George–Omineca Vancouver-Burrard...... Spencer Herbert Sather, Michael (NDP)...... Maple Ridge–Pitt Meadows Vancouver-Fairview...... Jenn McGinn Simons, Nicholas (NDP)...... Powell River–Sunshine Coast Vancouver-Fraserview...... Hon. Wally Oppal, QC Simpson, Bob (NDP)...... Cariboo North Vancouver-Hastings...... Shane Simpson Simpson, Shane (NDP)...... Vancouver-Hastings Vancouver-Kensington...... David Chudnovsky Sultan, Ralph (L)...... West Vancouver–Capilano Vancouver-Kingsway...... Adrian Dix Thorne, Diane (NDP)...... Coquitlam-Maillardville Vancouver-Langara...... Vacant Thorpe, Rick (L)...... Okanagan-Westside Vancouver–Mount Pleasant...... Jenny Wai Ching Kwan Trevena, Claire (NDP)...... North Island Vancouver–Point Grey...... Hon. Gordon Campbell van Dongen, Hon. John (L)...... Abbotsford-Clayburn Vancouver-Quilchena...... Hon. Colin Hansen Whittred, Katherine (L)...... North Vancouver–Lonsdale Victoria–Beacon Hill...... Carole James Wyse, Charlie (NDP)...... Cariboo South Victoria-Hillside...... Rob Fleming Yap, John (L)...... Richmond-Steveston West Kootenay–Boundary...... Katrine Conroy Vacant...... Comox Valley West Vancouver–Capilano...... Ralph Sultan Vacant...... Peace River North West Vancouver–Garibaldi...... Hon. Joan McIntyre Vacant...... Vancouver-Langara Yale-Lillooet...... Harry Lali
Party Standings: Liberal 42; New Democratic 34; Vacant 3
CONTENTS
Thursday, March 12, 2009 Afternoon Sitting
Routine Proceedings
Page
Introductions by Members...... 14473
Tributes...... 14473 Victoria Racquet Club amateur hockey champions Hon. I. Chong
Introductions by Members...... 14473
Introduction and First Reading of Bills...... 14474 Safer Communities and Neighbourhoods Act, 2009 (Bill M203) B. Ralston
Statements (Standing Order 25b)...... 14475 Social workers in B.C. J. McGinn Canadian Agricultural Safety Week V. Roddick Belmont Secondary School J. Horgan Journée de la Francophonie J. Nuraney Treatments for kidney disease K. Conroy Ethel Tibbits Awards J. Yap
Oral Questions...... 14477 Role of Patrick Kinsella in B.C. Rail sale L. Krog Hon. W. Oppal J. Horgan B. Ralston Government legal proceedings in Frank Paul inquiry J. Kwan Hon. J. van Dongen Report recommendations from Frank Paul inquiry M. Farnworth Hon. J. van Dongen Transition assistance for forest workers B. Simpson Hon. K. Krueger G. Coons Long-term care beds in Campbell River C. Trevena Hon. G. Abbott Lodge on 4th seniors care facility D. Routley Hon. G. Abbott Petitions...... 14482 M. Karagianis C. Trevena J. Horgan R. Fleming D. Routley S. Herbert J. McGinn S. Fraser
Committee of the Whole House...... 14483 Workers Compensation Amendment Act, 2009 (Bill 8) Hon. I. Black K. Conroy
Report and Third Reading of Bills...... 14484 Workers Compensation Amendment Act, 2009 (Bill 8)
Budget Debate (continued)...... 14484 R. Thorpe J. Brar V. Roddick C. Wyse D. Hayer J. McGinn Hon. J. McIntyre
Speaker's Statement...... 14511 Appropriate attire in the chamber
Royal Assent to Bills...... 14511 Budget Measures Implementation Act, 2009 (Bill 2) Ministerial Accountability Bases Act, 2008-2009 (Bill 4) Workers Compensation Amendment Act, 2009 (Bill 8) Supply Act, 2008-2009 (Supplementary Estimates) (Bill 3) Supply Act (No. 1), 2009 (Bill 5) 14473
THURSDAY, MARCH 12, 2009 years. She's young, dynamic, articulate and principled. She's one of the best political organizers in the province. The House met at 1:34 p.m. I don't think this is the last time we'll see her in this House. Please join me in welcoming Rachel Marcuse. [Mr. Speaker in the chair.] Hon. K. Falcon: Today in the gallery we have three Introductions by Members outstanding labour leaders who represent individuals who build and transport our economy. Today we are Hon. M. de Jong: Mr. Speaker, one of the individuals joined by Don McGill of the Teamsters, Mike Garisto that influenced my life, earlier life in particular, a great from the Teamsters Rail Conference and Gary Kroeker deal is in the gallery today. He is now the mayor of the city from the Operating Engineers. I would ask the House to of Abbotsford, and his name is George Peary. He is accom- please make these leaders welcome. panied by a team that includes Frank Pizzuto and, from the Abbotsford Chamber of Commerce, Mr. Alvin Epp. H. Bains: In the gallery — if they haven't made it up I hope all members will make this dynamic threesome to the gallery yet, they probably are looking around and welcome here in the chamber today. visiting our beautiful building here — are two groups of [1335] students from Strawberry Hill School, grade 5. They are accompanied by their teachers Rapinder Gill, Sharon C. Evans: Joining us, just to the left of Hansard, are Goodwall and Harmony Wilson. A total of 56 of them Tina and Dave Coletti, their daughter Christine, her are here. So please help me welcome them to this place. best friend Elise and Tina's sister-in-law Jodi Laurie. I explained to Christine and Elise that this building Hon. J. McIntyre: [French was spoken.] Today I have actually belongs to them, so would members please wel- the pleasure of welcoming His Worship Richard Stewart, come their landlords. mayor of Coquitlam; Dr. Réal Roy, president of the Fédération des francophones de la Colombie-Britannique; Tributes Francine Bolduc from le COVAN, or VANOC; Robert Rothon from Canadian Parents for French; and Claire VICTORIA RACQUET CLUB Grisé, president of the Société francophone de Victoria. AMATEUR HOCKEY CHAMPIONS We also have the pleasure to welcome fifth- and sixth- grade students from Ecole Victor Brodeur in Victoria, one Hon. I. Chong: I would like today to congratulate the of the schools from the Conseil scolaire francophone. Victoria Racquet Club Kings, who are from my riding We also had the privilege of having three athletes, of Oak Bay–Gordon Head, on their successful victory Olympic-quality athletes, at our celebration: Carly Grigg, of the Vancouver Island championships for the midget Erinne Willock and Michelle Bartlemann. I hope the triple-A division in the B.C. Amateur Hockey league. House will make them all feel very welcome aujourd'hui. The team, along with several parents, will be travel- ling to Prince George very shortly to participate in the M. Farnworth: It's my pleasure to welcome to this provincial championships, which I hope are going to chamber, as others on the government side have done, a receive a warm welcome in my colleague's hometown. former MLA but now the mayor for Coquitlam, which Clearly, there will be spirited competition, but I think is the Burke Mountain part of my riding. It's my pleas- it's appropriate to put in the Hansard records how well ure to welcome Richard Stewart to this House and ask the Victoria Racquet Club Kings did this past year. everyone to make him most welcome. Their statistics — because I know how important it [1340] is for those sports fans out there — are a whopping 31 wins, seven losses and five ties. They were undefeated in Hon. T. Christensen: I am pleased to welcome today the playoffs and are now on a 12-game winning streak and hope everybody will join me in welcoming three and headed to the provincial championships. valued employees within the Ministry of Children and Not only would I like to congratulate them, but I would Family Development. All three are involved in that some- like to wish all participating teams and volunteers and par- what unenviable position of trying to keep ministers ents the very best as they participate in Prince George. organized, deputy ministers organized and other senior staff within the ministry organized and coordinated. Introductions by Members Please join me in welcoming Zita Teng, who's an exec- utive assistant in the deputy minister's office; Breanna D. Chudnovsky: Today in the gallery we are joined Viala, who's a manager of executive operations; and my by Rachel Marcuse. Rachel has been my constituency own administrative coordinator, Linsey Cole. Please help assistant on a part-time basis for the last number of me welcome them all. 14474 British Columbia Debates Thursday, March 12, 2009
Mr. Speaker: Opposition House Leader for a second V. Roddick: In the gallery today are two super women go-round. who are married to great-grandsons of two of Ladner's pioneer still-farming families: Jackey Zellweger, Swedish- M. Farnworth: Hon. Speaker, I don't usually get many Irish-Swiss, and Sam Guichon, French. They both run me visitors from my riding over here in Victoria. and my office, and I am forever grateful. Joining them is the next generation, Chrissy Zellweger, An Hon. Member: All your friends. a fabulous young lady who is here attending UVic. Would the House please make them very welcome. M. Farnworth: Hey, no one of my immediate family has been here my entire time as an MLA — not once. H. Bloy: I'd like to introduce two great British Columbians in the gallery today. These two individ- Interjections. uals were in Victoria today talking to the Minister of Advanced Education, proposing a public service intern- Mr. Speaker: And this isn't even question period. ship program for immigrant professionals. I believe this is a great opportunity for the government to gain access M. Farnworth: There is a very important constitu- to some strong professionals to work for government. ent in my riding, and that is Gary Kroeker. He and his We have Patrick Coady, coordinator of the B.C. Inter- members have built an awful lot of roads and bridges nationally Trained Professionals Network, and Sakya and schools in my constituency since 1991 and my Newman, who is the BCITP Victoria representative and being an MLA. I want to welcome him here and tell him a success story in her own right. She came from Panama that I look forward to him and his members building an four years ago and was just recently hired by the prov- awful lot more roads and bridges in my constituency in incial government. Would the House please make them the future. welcome. [1345] Hon. I. Chong: Earlier today I introduced an individual, and I note that he has now returned for a repeat attendance C. Wyse: I believe today we have visiting with us in to watch us at question period. I wanted to again provide the House two constituents from up in the Cariboo a further welcome and introduction to him. He's the Hon. area. I say they may be here because they also may be on Jim Kenyon, Minister of Economic Development from Cariboo time. They are in transit. I am expecting them the Yukon. He's also responsible for the Yukon Housing to be here. I would ask the House to join with me in Corporation, the Yukon Development Corporation and welcoming Chris and Ray Hornby from Williams Lake. the Yukon Energy Corporation. I know he is very familiar with many members in this Hon. I. Black: You know, Mr. Speaker, 60 percent of House because he has been an avid supporter and par- the great riding of Port Moody–Westwood is contained ticipant member of the PNWER organization, so I know within the city of Coquitlam. I would be remiss if I didn't many members on both sides of the House will have met add the welcome to Mayor Richard Stewart, who is the him over a period of years. friend of many in this House. Bienvenue, mon ami. He joined us earlier today at an announcement. But not just that, he's come to every event and announce- Hon. L. Reid: I am joined today by a woman, Lynda ment thus far this morning and has decided to join us Turney, from Duncan, British Columbia. She and I at question period. He would like us to be on our best attended high school together, so we've known each other behaviour. I hope the House would please make him for a long, long time. I would ask this House to please welcome. make her welcome.
L. Krog: I apologize if the Minister of Intergovern- Introduction and mental Relations already introduced this person, but my First Reading of Bills ears are somewhat stuffed today. Joanne Hogan is with us, the president of the local francophone association in Safer Communities and Nanaimo, an active supporter of community events and Neighbourhoods Act, 2009 French culture in central Vancouver Island. I would ask the House to make her welcome, please. B. Ralston presented a bill intituled Safer Communities Also wandering around the building is my sister-in- and Neighbourhoods Act, 2009. law Valerie Caselton and her daughter Morgan. I think it's the first time Morgan has been to this place, and as B. Ralston: I move that a bill intituled Safer Com- a teenager, I'm sure we're going to provide her with the munities and Neighbourhoods Act, 2009, be introduced greatest display possible in question period. and read a first time now. Thursday, March 12, 2009 British Columbia Debates 14475
Motion approved. and advocacy to ensure that patients get the support they need and deserve. B. Ralston: The Safer Communities and Neighbour- Unfortunately, the current reality is that our social hoods Act will help communities across the province workers have to help more people with fewer resources with additional legal tools to help make neighbourhoods than ever before because of the cutbacks we've seen over safer for our citizens. the last eight years. I hope we can use Social Work Week This legislation provides legal methods to hold land- to recognize the vital role that social workers play in lords accountable if a pattern of criminal activity occurs our society but also to look ahead at how far we have on their properties. This legislation will also provide left to go in supporting some of our most hard-working, authorities with additional means to target criminal caring citizens. organizations and gang-related activities operating in We need to recognize social workers do make a differ- residential neighbourhoods. ence in B.C. and make sure that they have the resources The provinces of Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba necessary to provide the help that they do. have enacted similar legislation. It works. This legislation also provides safeguards to protect vulnerable tenants who CANADIAN AGRICULTURAL SAFETY WEEK may face eviction as a result of enforcement actions. I move that the bill be placed on the orders of the day for V. Roddick: It is Canadian Agricultural Safety Week, second reading at the next sitting of the House after today. and we want to recognize this in British Columbia. On behalf of the province, our deepest condolences to Bill M203, Safer Communities and Neighbourhoods the families of the three workers that lost their lives last Act, 2009, introduced, read a first time and ordered to fall in Langley. be placed on orders of the day for second reading at the [1350] next sitting of the House after today. This incident has highlighted the need to be ever- mindful of safety issues and the need for adequate Statements training in all industries. However, as the Parliamentary (Standing Order 25b) Secretary for Agriculture and as someone who is active in agribusiness, I know firsthand how important it is SOCIAL WORKERS IN B.C. that we look out for everyone's well-being and safety. FARSHA, the Farm and Ranch Safety and Health J. McGinn: It's my great pleasure to rise in the House Association, funded through WorkSafe B.C., has recently today to recognize the extraordinary contributions brought in a Spanish contractor and employs Vietnamese- made by social workers in our community. March 9 to and Punjabi-speaking coordinators to provide safety March 15 is Social Work Week in B.C. This year's theme training to workers in Delta and across B.C. The west- is "Strength, Spirit and Compassion: Social Workers ern agricultural labour initiative, WALI, facilitates and Make a Difference." coordinates requests for temporary foreign workers. Social workers play a key role in our society by A single accident is one accident too many, but it is empowering individuals and their families to overcome encouraging that in the last few years, the injury rate barriers in their lives. They have the skills and dedica- in agriculture is on the decline. In recognition of farm tion needed to provide help and support during this safety week, I would like to say thank you to everyone economic downturn through their work and their advo- who is dedicated to the task of ensuring safe, proper cacy of social justice and standing up with communities housing and working conditions. and individuals fighting poverty, discrimination and Agriculture is often hard manual labour, the import- oppression. ance of which is often overlooked.I would urge everyone In my constituency of Vancouver-Fairview alone, to remember how important farmers and farmworkers social workers make a tremendous impact in a variety are to life in B.C., because we all still have to eat to live. of settings. At Little Mountain Neighbourhood House social workers provide support for families facing BELMONT SECONDARY SCHOOL financial and life challenges. At the Jewish Family Services Agency social workers have developed pro- J. Horgan: Last week I attended an evening at the grams to help people with mental disabilities in our Grammies, a gala celebration of music performed by community. an exceptional group of students at Belmont Secondary At the SAFER program social workers provide School in Langford. Every year I attend musical produc- counselling to suicidal individuals and their families tions at Belmont, and every year I'm astounded at the during their darkest hours and promote healing. At the sheer talent of the students and the effort taken by the Vancouver General Hospital and the Children's and participants, teachers, parents and other volunteers to Women's hospital, social workers provide crisis support produce such professional events. 14476 British Columbia Debates Thursday, March 12, 2009
Belmont is also a leader in green thinking and environ- Grigg, Michelle Bartlemann — were recognized. I'm mental learning. Through its various green teams, students sure that we all wish them best of luck in their future are learning to be environmental stewards and taking the endeavours in both winter and summer sports. initiative to make our community and our world more My colleague the Minister of Healthy Living and sustainable. I encourage all schools in the district to par- Sport was also part of today's celebration. The minister ticipate in the Belmont Earth Hour challenge hosted by invited us to adopt a healthy lifestyle not only to main- the school's eco-committee and turn off their classroom tain good health but also as a tribute to our athletes who lights at one o'clock, Friday, March 27. are training hard to compete in Olympic and Paralympic Belmont's hockey school academy is committed to sup- Games. porting the development of young hockey players. Soccer, To commemorate this historic fact this year, the year volleyball, basketball and football are all flourishing parts 2009, the city of Coquitlam is celebrating the foundation of a successful athletic program. of the presence of francophone communities in British The gateway to the trades carpentry and cosmetology Columbia with the 100th anniversary of Maillardville, programs speak further to the diverse opportunities where the first francophone community emerged. offered by the school. Belmont also has a very strong academic record, with one in five Belmont students TREATMENTS FOR KIDNEY DISEASE enrolled in advanced placement and pre-AP courses in the areas of English, French, calculus, studio art, music K. Conroy: A number of members in this House and theory and social studies. their families have had challenging health experiences. The arts, the environment, trades, athletics and aca- Our family is no different, due to the ongoing experience demics — these are just a few of the impressive programs my husband Ed has had with many levels of health care provided by the one and only high school in the West throughout the province. March being Kidney Month Shore located in the fastest-growing area of the province. in B.C. and today being World Kidney Day, I want to These students can take pride in their accomplishments, talk about the latest focus in our life, and that would be and the teachers can take pleasure in helping develop kidneys. our next generation of leaders. Last year I acknowledged the amazing people who Tonight at 7:30 district 62 is holding a public forum at work in the regional renal unit in Trail, who continue to Belmont to discuss the pressing need to replace the old provide the excellent dialysis service for Ed and others building. As a local MLA and a parent of two Belmont in a caring and compassionate manner. Again, I say a grads, I encourage all community members to come out huge thanks to all of them for being there. and participate in this discussion. Despite the crumbling In the last year we've had the pleasure of getting to walls, the duct tape covering the holes in the floor and a know the staff from the renal unit at Kelowna General leaky roof, there is strong school spirit. But the time has Hospital, another great group of caring professionals. I come to build a new school for the 21st century. Let's want to thank them too. get on with it. Our journey has taken us into the world of kidney disease, and it has taken us on another turn. Ed has now JOURNÉE DE LA FRANCOPHONIE become eligible for a kidney transplant, a transplant that would not only give him a much better quality of life but J. Nuraney: [French was spoken.] save the health care system thousands of dollars in dialysis I am pleased to announce that on March 20, 2009, cost. The transplants are cost-effective. The average cost we will have a proclamation for the Journée de la of dialysis treatment is $50,000 a year. By comparison, the Francophonie in British Columbia. As the House will not one-time cost of a kidney transplant is $20,000. be sitting on that day, we are taking advantage to make I want to thank the people who work with the B.C. Renal this declaration today. Agency throughout the province and the kidney team at This year Francophonie Day of 2009 was celebrated B.C. Transplant. Today in B.C., 220 people are actually in style earlier this afternoon here in the rotunda of the waiting for a kidney transplant. For them, the wait-list for legislative building. This year's event was hosted by my a cadaver donor kidney can be up to eight years. colleague the Minister of State for Intergovernmental However, with the new programs that have been Relations, who is also responsible for francophone introduced, there are more opportunities for living affairs. The celebration was attended by many in the donors to make that gift of life. Family members with Francophonie community. It was filled with music, fun, the same blood type who can meet all the requirements friends and great food. can donate a kidney. The paired kidney exchange pro- [1355] gram makes it possible for patients with living donors This year's theme of B.C. Francophonie Day is sports who are not blood-type compatible to swap donors and the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games. with another couple in the same situation, enabling two These francophone athletes — Erinne Willock, Carly kidney patients to receive a transplant. Thursday, March 12, 2009 British Columbia Debates 14477
Just recently we have learned of another option, Oral Questions an option that will be available to us only because of research. I want to take a moment to acknowledge ROLE OF PATRICK KINSELLA the medical researchers, the unsung heroes who work IN B.C. RAIL SALE in their labs and struggle through the complexities of kidney disease and once in a while say: "Eureka. We L. Krog: Yesterday the Attorney General said he have it." couldn't answer questions about Mr. Kinsella because This time they have. They have found a way for an the B.C. Rail corruption case is before the courts. Later A donor, me, to potentially give an O recipient, Ed, a he said he had no idea if payments to Mr. Kinsella were kidney. For that I want to say thanks. Thanks on behalf before the courts. The fact remains that the Premier's of all the families who, like our family, could potentially friend and campaign manager received $300,000 in benefit. public money, and this government thinks it's none of the public's business to know what he was paid for. ETHEL TIBBITS AWARDS My question is to the Attorney General. Why did B.C. Rail pay $300,000 to the Premier's friend, and why is the J. Yap: The 16th annual Ethel Tibbits Women of Premier hiding the truth? Distinction Awards were held on Tuesday with 300 community members in attendance to celebrate the Hon. W. Oppal: I have no idea if any of those facts achievements of a truly distinguished group of women alleged are accurate or not, and I'm not going to com- who embody the spirit of community. The awards are ment on them. named in honour of the Richmond Review newspaper's visionary editor Ethel Tibbits. Mr. Speaker: The member has a supplemental. Ethel became editor in 1934 and was well known for her outspoken nature and her passion for standing up L. Krog: Perhaps the Attorney General is not aware for what she believed in, characteristics that all of the that B.C. Rail is a Crown corporation. Perhaps he's not award winners share. Ethel Tibbits was truly one of a aware that he's the chief legal spokesperson for this kind and the perfect inspiration for awards to honour government. Perhaps he's not aware that this is not the women who carry on her tradition of community work. B.C. Court of Appeal and that he's expected to actually With 27 nominees in total, the organizers had quite the answer public questions in a public place. task to pick winners, as all the women nominated were I want to ask him again: what did Mr. Kinsella do for truly deserving of recognition. $300,000? Tell us here in this chamber today. Melanie Pudlas, a three-time nominee, was awarded the arts award for her work in dance at the Richmond Hon. W. Oppal: Perhaps the member doesn't know, arts centre. Prianka Dhir, an R.C. Palmer Secondary stu- but the matter of B.C. Rail is before the Supreme Court dent, won the youth award for her volunteering. With of British Columbia, and I will not make any comment over 30 years of experience with coaching and skating, on it. Connaught figure skating club's Marilyn Grubb took home the sports award. Ami McKay was awarded the Mr. Speaker: The member has a further supplemental. business award for her environmentally friendly line of furniture. L. Krog: The facts are not in dispute. They are public Frances Clark was awarded, in a new category, the record. Mr. Kinsella and his companies received $300,000 pioneer award for her advocacy for and founding of of taxpayers' money. The question is: what did he do that the Richmond Centre for Disability. A winner close to he got paid to do for $300,000? A big chunk of change my heart, Nina Graham, a longtime friend, won the for most people in the streets of Victoria. Taxpayers' dol- community award for her extensive volunteering in lars. Let this Attorney General stand in this House today Richmond. and tell us: what did Mr. Kinsella do for $300,000? TheE thel Tibbits Awards also serve as a fundraiser for Nova House, a domestic violence shelter, the Richmond Hon. W. Oppal: The fact that something is of public Hospital maternity ward and the Richmond Women's record does not mean that it can be the subject of com- Resource Centre, as well as funding a scholarship for ment. Every piece of evidence given in a courtroom is a women returning to school. matter of public record. Every document that's ever filed [1400] in a courtroom is a matter of public record. That doesn't Mr. Speaker, Members of the House, please join me in mean that we need to comment on it. thanking these six women and all the other nominees for giving their time and energy towards making Richmond J. Horgan: Yesterday in this place the Attorney and, indeed, British Columbia a better place. General said he would not comment on Mr. Kinsella's 14478 British Columbia Debates Thursday, March 12, 2009
contract for $300,000. Yesterday in the hallway he went Interjections. on at some length talking about whether or not the case was relevant, whether or not Mr. Kinsella's contract was Mr. Speaker: Members. or was not relevant. Continue, Attorney. So I'm curious, and I'm certain that people in this House are curious and that the people of British Hon. W. Oppal: The opposition members seem to Columbia are curious. What is it today? Is it what you're have missed the point. It underscores the reason for going to say in the House or out of the House that mat- the rule that people in this House should not be com- ters? Three hundred thousand bucks of public money up menting on those matters that are before the court. in smoke. We don't know what happened. What did he do? Give us something. Give us anything B. Ralston: I think the Attorney General has the so we can go back to our constituents and say you're not obligation to give us the other side of the story, which squandering tax dollars to political pals. is what the judge said — that those comments of that defence lawyer had absolutely no bearing on the deci- Hon. W. Oppal: Yesterday it's fairly clear that the sion that she proposed to make. So can the Attorney opposition drew a link between the B.C. Rail trial and General tell us here in this House: what did Mr. Kinsella Mr. Kinsella, and I'm not going to answer the question. do for that $300,000? [Applause.] Hon. W. Oppal: Obviously, that member there has Mr. Speaker: The member has a supplemental. missed the whole point of the argument. The fact is that it's the appearance of justice. It's the appearance of people J. Horgan: A tepid round of applause for the non- in this House making comments about matters before the answers. They're getting silent on the other side, because court. I well know that the judge, at the end of the day…. they're as concerned as we are. I'm absolutely convinced that every backbencher on that side of the House, when Interjections. they go back to their communities, wants to know what the Premier's pal did for 300 grand. Mr. Speaker: Continue, Attorney. [1405] If the Attorney won't answer, maybe Mr. Infrastruc- Hon. W. Oppal: I well know that at the end of the day, ture can answer. Maybe the Minister of Transportation the judge dismissed the argument. That's not the point. has an idea of what he could have done if he had $300,000, The point is that no one in here should be even speaking rather than giving it to a guy who did nothing. about those matters before the court.
Hon. W. Oppal: You know, yesterday a defence lawyer Interjections. in the Provincial Court in Vancouver made a comment. Mr. Speaker: Continue, Attorney. Interjections. Hon. W. Oppal: The point is, the principle is that we Mr. Speaker: Continue, Attorney. operate under the doctrine of separation of powers, and we should not even be commenting on anything that is Hon. W. Oppal: Yesterday a defence lawyer in the directly or indirectly before the courts. That member Provincial Court in Vancouver made reference to cer- well knows that. He is a member of the Bar. tain comments that I had made, general comments that I had made, regarding bail law in this province. He used government legal proceedings my comments to…. in FRANK PAUL INQUIRY
Interjections. J. Kwan: "Frank Paul died cold and alone in a back alley in Vancouver sometime on December 5 to 6, Mr. Speaker: Members. 1998." That's the opening line of the interim report by Continue, Attorney. the Davies commission, which the government finally released today, after sitting on it for six weeks. Hon. W. Oppal: He argued before the judge that it Commissioner Davies is unable to provide a final and was inappropriate for the Attorney General to be making full report because the Attorney General commenced general comments about the law on bail. He argued that legal proceedings to block a key part of the inquiry. The that jeopardized his client's right to a fair hearing. I family of Frank Paul, his friends and the public want would think that the members opposite would…. closure. They deserve answers, not more stonewalling. Thursday, March 12, 2009 British Columbia Debates 14479
Will the Attorney General commit today to end the legal to ensure that the system never fails anyone again, and barriers, to stop the stonewalling and allow the commis- they're to fix the flaws and the failures. Does the Solicitor sion to complete its work? General support those recommendations, and will the government be implementing all the recommendations Hon. J. van Dongen: As the member stated, the in the report? Attorney General tabled the report today of the commis- sion of inquiry into the death of Frank Paul. Frank Paul Hon. J. van Dongen: The government will be review was a native man in the Downtown Eastside. ing all of the recommendations carefully, but it's import- I want to, first of all, express the sympathy of the gov- ant to note that our government has been acting on all of ernment to the family and friends of Frank Paul. I also the issues that have been raised by Commissioner Davies. want to acknowledge the first nations leadership who Our government has been acting on a number of supported this inquiry. fronts on those issues — for example, changes in the [1410] Coroners Act that were initiated in 2007 and the Josiah I think it's important to note that the report is very Wood report looking into the independent police com- clear in that the system failed Frank Paul, both in terms plaint process, which we commissioned and which of the conduct of the police and the subsequent review of forms the foundation for the Police Act amendments their conduct, and in terms of the social services that were that have been tabled in this House. available to him. They did not meet his needs in terms of Through the Ministry of Health, the Ministry of his medical condition and his possible addictions. Housing and Social Development and the Vancouver The criminal justice branch, in answer to the member's Coastal Health Authority, our government is acting to question, felt it was an important principle of independ- implement programs for people in terms of medical aid ence that needed to be upheld. The decision of the and addictions treatment that are specifically targeted to B.C. Supreme Court in that regard is currently in the B.C. help people like Frank Paul. Court of Appeal, and we can't comment any further on that at this point. Mr. Speaker: The member has a supplemental.
Mr. Speaker: The member has a supplemental. M. Farnworth: The government's had the report for six weeks. The minister, by saying that they're working J. Kwan: Commissioner Davies, a respected judge, on some of the recommendations, the information and ruled that he had the authority to fully investigate. The the issues raised by these recommendations, clearly ruling was upheld by another respected B.C. Supreme indicates that the government has been thinking about Court judge. Justice Melnick wrote: "By personally sign- which recommendations to implement and which not ing the order-in-council establishing the inquiry's terms of to implement. reference, the Attorney General was effectively giving the Can the minister tell this House when we will know Assistant Deputy Attorney General in charge of the branch which specific recommendations will be implemented? a lawful, binding directive under section 6 of the Crown And can he also tell this House which recommendations Counsel Act to waive both immunity and privilege." the government does not intend to move on? Two judges have ruled on this now. If the Attorney General truly believes that the family and friends of Hon. J. van Dongen: It's important to note that the Frank Paul and the public deserve to know the truth, tragic event that is the subject of this inquiry happened all the circumstances related to the death of Frank Paul, in December of 1998. On all of the issues raised in the will he stand up today and waive and remove the legal report and in the recommendations, the 12 recom- barriers and roadblocks? mendations in the report…. On all of those issues, the government has been acting — in some cases, starting Hon. J. van Dongen: The criminal justice branch feels years ago. there's an important principle at issue here in our system [1415] of justice, in our legal system. B.C. Supreme Court deci- Our government will continue to implement elements sions are appealable to the B.C. Court of Appeal. That's of the report that haven't been implemented, and we a decision made by the criminal justice branch to follow will continue to pursue the very specific recommenda- through on that appeal. tions that Commissioner Davies made. For example, he suggested there needs to be a civilian-based addictions Report recommendations treatment service particularly geared to first nations from Frank paul inquiry people in the Downtown Eastside. In 1998 there were 12 aboriginal service providers M. Farnworth: The report says the system failed in the Downtown Eastside. None of them provided the Frank Paul. The recommendations in that report are specific service that Frank Paul needed. The Vancouver 14480 British Columbia Debates Thursday, March 12, 2009
Coastal Health Authority is putting in place an alcohol neglected by this government. He's desperately looking management program that will specifically meet the for help from the minister. He says, "The forest indus- recommendations made by Commissioner Davies. try and my family need assistance now," and that if the transitional assistance program was open, he would be TRANSITiON ASSISTANCE FOR the first to apply. FOREST WORKERS My question to the minister: what date will it be open for applications so that hard-working British Columbians B. Simpson: I ask the Minister of Community like Gary Weeks and the thousands of other workers get Development to inform this House of the exact date the help they need? that forest workers will be able to apply for transition assistance. Hon. K. Krueger: Many of the workers that we're talking about have already also applied for tuition Hon. K. Krueger: We are reconstituting the group assistance, and those decisions continue to be made. of stakeholders that advised us when we first rolled out We are presently taking action right across the prov- the community development trust. When we have their ince to ensure that there's work available to displaced recommendations, we'll be inviting applications again. I people from all the resource industries. This includes don't have a firm date yet. a $14 billion investment in important infrastructure projects. Mr. Speaker: Member has a supplemental. [1420] Jobs are being created constantly through the job B. Simpson: The last opportunity that forest workers opportunities program, and also through these many had to apply was August 15, 2008. Tens of thousands infrastructure grants that are being announced. Some of forest workers and their families have lost their jobs were announced again today. Jobs are tremendously or had their jobs put at risk since then. They have been important to British Columbians. Jobs are the first and pleading with this minister, the Minister of Forests and highest priority of this government. the Premier's office to give them another opportunity to get transition assistance. Mr. Speaker: Member has a supplemental. The former mayor of WilliamsL ake suggests that their unemployment rate in Williams Lake is hovering around G. Coons: This deliberate neglect and abandonment 35 percent. The minister must inform these families, give by this minister is shameful. Workers deserve respect them some certainty. When are you going to reopen and action from this minister. transition assistance for these workers? What date will In Sandspit, Joni Fraser, who works in the forest that happen? industry, says she lives in a ghost town where the biggest export besides raw logs is our young people. She says Hon. K. Krueger: We had 2,294 applications for tran- that this Liberal government has been sucking the life sition assistance. Some 83 percent of those have been out of our industry and that workers, families and com- approved. The average payment has been $36,813. munities are nothing but political pawns to be sacrificed We feel tremendous concern and compassion for dis- by this government. placed workers in the forest industry and other industries Will the minister commit today to opening up the in British Columbia in these tough economic times. The needed applications and putting in provincial money so throne speech made a commitment to expanding these that workers and families get the help they need? programs to other resource industries. In the meantime, we're employing hundreds of British Hon. K. Krueger: I have in front of me a printout Columbians through the job opportunities program, which indicates that there's been a job opportunities and we've had 1,538 applications for tuition assistance program grant to Port Clements in the member's riding. and a 90 percent approval rate on those. As I said to the I see that there have been six in the member's riding — member, we're working on the question that he's asked, who represents Columbia River–Revelstoke. I see that and that is what I've been conveying to workers and the member for Cariboo South has had eight different their representatives. job opportunity program approvals. We think that…. G. Coons: Workers need help now. It's obvious by this minister's response that he's so out of touch with Interjections. what's happening in rural British Columbia. He's got to get hold of this file. Mr. Speaker: Take your seat, Member. Gary Weeks, a registered log scaler from the Queen Members. Members. Charlottes, is one of the thousands of British Columbians Continue, Minister. Thursday, March 12, 2009 British Columbia Debates 14481
Hon. K. Krueger: The forestry critic, the member for beds so people can stay in their communities and not be Cariboo North, of all people, just said these are weed- forced out when they need to stay in their communities? whacking jobs. That is so demeaning and disrespectful to the workers, who are eager to take these jobs, and Hon. G. Abbott: This member, like so many of her their employers. colleagues, is attempting to talk out of both sides of her We had the same kind of commentary from the NDP mouth. There has been, asI noted, a 95 percent increase candidate in Kamloops–North Thompson the other day since 2001 in the number of residential care and assisted- — and people that he brought with him to an announce- living units in Campbell River. ment. I can tell the member that that's very offensive to the people who fill these jobs, who generally are making Interjections. $20 per hour or more. Mr. Speaker: Take your seat for a second, Member. LONG-TERM CARE BEDS Members. IN CAMPBELL RIVER Continue, Minister.
C. Trevena: John Hussey has been living in Campbell Hon. G. Abbott: New Horizons, which the member River for more than a quarter of a century. He's on an referenced, is 86 total units, and 80 of those are under emergency list for long-term care. There are six beds contract with the Vancouver Island Health Authority. open at New Horizons, but they're private. So Mr. Hussey Six are private-pay beds. The member, if I hear her has been told he has to go to Courtenay. correctly, is saying that we should acquire all of the VIHA has said that Campbell River needs at least 60 private-pay beds in communities as well as the 80 that more beds to deal with the current needs in our com- we have contracted. munity. To the Minister of Health: why can't those six Obviously, they're attempting to say two different beds be used to start to ease the crisis? things here. Is the member telling me now that some- how we should acquire all the private-pay beds in the Hon. G. Abbott: I thank the member for her ques- province? If she is, they've made another new, interest- tion. I'm pleased to note, first of all, back in 2001, 127 ing policy pronouncement on the fly here. But I do look total long-term care beds in Campbell River — today forward to hearing from her now just exactly what the 248 long-term care beds. That is a 95 percent increase NDP's position is on this. in the number of residential care and assisted-living beds serving the community of Campbell River. So…. LODGE ON 4th SENIORS CARE FACILITY
Interjections. D. Routley: Talking out of both sides of one's mouth is promising 5,000 long-term care beds and then switch- Mr. Speaker: Continue, Minister. ing that with assisted living…
Hon. G. Abbott: I have been fully briefed on the case Interjections. of Mr. Hussey. There are some details of that case that I think are inappropriate to share with the member in this Mr. Speaker: Members. House. I'd be glad to do that outside this House. Member, just take your seat. Needless to say, Mr. Hussey has not been obliged to go out of the community. He can remain in the community Interjections. with supports if that's his wish, or he can undertake to utilize the residential care option that's been provided to Mr. Speaker: Members. him in Courtenay. He is not obliged to undertake that if Just stay sitting down. he does not wish to. Continue, Member.
Mr. Speaker: The member has a supplemental. D. Routley: …and breaking that promise. That's talk- ing out of both sides of your mouth, Minister. That's C. Trevena: Mr. Hussey is being told that if he wants what the B.C. Liberal government has done. public care, he has to go to Courtenay. If he had $69,000 The Lodge on 4th in Ladysmith is a privately oper- a year, he could stay in his hometown of Campbell River. ated seniors facility, and it continues to be a problem. That is blatantly unfair. The staff struggle to continue giving adequate care [1425] despite diminishing and decreasing staffing levels. The I'd like to ask the Minister of Health: will he commit to residents, their families, this member — we support putting public health dollars into public long-term care those noble efforts. But there just isn't enough staff. 14482 British Columbia Debates Thursday, March 12, 2009
I've asked the minister in question period. I've asked C. Trevena: I have a petition to present. in estimates. I've asked Mr. Waldner, the CEO of VIHA, directly. The operator says VIHA isn't providing enough Mr. Speaker: Proceed. funds. VIHA says the operator is a bad businessman. The minister just points at both and says it's their problem. C. Trevena: I have a petition with 2,000 signatures The people of Ladysmith have had enough of this calling on the government to protect old growth and passing the buck. The minister is responsible to provide also to protect jobs by stopping exporting logs. care levels to seniors. What will he do today to ensure care levels at Lodge on 4th? J. Horgan: I have a petition.
Hon. G. Abbott: I'm well familiar with the issues at Mr. Speaker: Proceed. the Lodge on 4th in Ladysmith. I had the opportunity to meet with the owners and managers of that group to J. Horgan: I have a petition with over 2,000 names try to better understand the situation that faced them, calling on this place to protect old-growth forests and to and I can advise the member that the Vancouver Island ensure that we stop exporting logs. Health Authority is working hard to attempt to resolve the challenges that face the Lodge on 4th. R. Fleming: I have two petitions this afternoon. But the Lodge on 4th — it's interesting — is one of the The first is from constituents demanding that the B.C. facilities that comprise the more than 5,800 units that we government take immediate action to address current have delivered across the province of British Columbia funding shortfalls and to support the public education since 2005. system. [1430] The second petition is from constituents of the south Island to reduce tuition fees, increase funding to Interjections. improve the quality of our education system, restore upfront provincial grants and reduce interest rates on Mr. Speaker: Members. Members. B.C. student loans. Continue, Minister. D. Routley: A petition. Hon. G. Abbott: In the 2005 election we promised an incremental 5,000 residential care and assisted-living Mr. Speaker: Proceed. beds. Today, over 5,800 incremental units of residential care and assisted living. Further…. D. Routley: I have a petition signed by over 1,700 Vancouver Island residents calling for the protection Interjections. of old-growth forests and the banning of raw log exports. Mr. Speaker: Members. S. Herbert: I'm presenting a petition seeking for Hon. G. Abbott: I am remarkably proud to be a part this House to take action to stop exporting our jobs of a government that not only delivered on that promise with our raw logs and to stand up for our ancient but also has taken more than 6,000 substandard units forests. that we inherited from the New Democratic Party — substandard units, narrow hallways. We've remediated J. McGinn: I present a petition of 4,500 names to urge those units. Quantitatively and qualitatively, we have the action by the government to protect our ancient forests best seniors care ever in the history of British Columbia. and to stop exporting our jobs with our logs.
[End of question period.] S. Fraser: I'm submitting 25 pounds of petitions urging action to ensure that we have old-growth forests M. Karagianis: Mr. Speaker, I have a petition to present. for the future and that we stop exporting our jobs with our logs. The total is 30,000 signatures. Mr. Speaker: Proceed. Orders of the Day Petitions Hon. M. de Jong: I call committee stage debate M. Karagianis: I have here in excess of 7,500 names on Bill 8, Workers Compensation Amendment Act, of petition asking to ensure that old-growth forests sur- 2009. vive and to stop exporting jobs and logs. [1435] Thursday, March 12, 2009 British Columbia Debates 14483
Committee of the Whole House Hon. I. Black: We're not providing the retroactivity earlier than that date in order to maintain consistency Workers Compensation for the workers compensation system. Generally, the Amendment Act, 2009 historical approach for workers compensation legisla- tion in British Columbia is that changes that affect The House in Committee of the Whole on Bill 8; H. entitlement to benefits are not retroactive. Bloy in the chair. K. Conroy: I need clarification on that, then, please. The committee met at 2:37 p.m. You said that it would be done on a case-by-case basis, but now you're saying that due to the Workers Compensation Hon. I. Black: I just wanted to very quickly introduce Act, they will not be retroactive. the staffI have with me. I have my deputy minister, Paul Straszak, from the Labour side of our ministry as well as Hon. I. Black: It is the presumption that is not Michael Tanner, who is our director of legislation. retroactive. The individual cases will be adjudicated by Just to remind members of what Bill 8 is accomplishing. WorkSafe B.C. on a case-by-case basis. This amendment will enact a lung cancer presumption for firefighters who are non-smokers, effective May 27, K. Conroy: Then what this legislation is setting up 2008, as announced publicly by the former Minister of is that firemen and their families who have contracted Labour and Citizens' Services in May of 2008. lung cancer through non-smoking will have to go to It establishes the presumption that if a qualifying WCB and plead their case on a case-by-case basis. Once firefighter contracts primary site lung cancer, WorkSafe they are already struggling with the effects of lung cancer, B.C. must presume that it was caused by the worker's they will have to also go to WCB and plead their case in employment as a firefighter, unless the contrary is order for it to be compensable? proved. This presumption means that firefighters will be eligible for workers compensation benefits without Hon. I. Black: If the firefighters were diagnosed with having to provide scientific and medical evidence that lung cancer on or after May 27, 2008, they will receive the cancer was caused by their work in their specific the benefit of the presumption that it is job-caused, and situation. if the diagnosis is prior to that date, then their case will be adjudicated by WorkSafe B.C., as it does with many Section 1 approved. other ailments.
On section 2. K. Conroy: To that end, I'd like to propose an amend- ment to the bill, which I've already supplied to the K. Conroy: Just on subsection 2(c)(ii), in the case of Chair. primary site lung cancer, and the date of May 27, 2008. I'd just like to amend it as follows. Why is the date May 27, '08, the date that it's retroactive [Section 2(c) is amended by repealing the phrase "May 27, 2008" to? and substituting the following: November 16, 2005]
Hon. I. Black: The date is such because that is the day The Chair: Minister, do you want to talk to it? the government announced its intention to provide this presumption. On the amendment.
K. Conroy: Then amI clear in understanding that any Hon. I. Black: This question and this proposed amend- firefighters who potentially contracted the disease prior ment. The content of it and the spirit of it have already to that date will not be eligible for the retroactivity on been canvassed. This is about maintaining consistency this bill? with the workers compensation system in general. The historical approach for workers compensation legisla- Hon. I. Black: Those individuals would not get the tion in B.C. is that changes that affect entitlement to benefit of presumption, but their cases would be adjudi- benefits are not retroactive. cated on a case-by-case basis by WorkSafe B.C. The Chair: Having examined the amendment, the K. Conroy: To clarify, then. If that was the case, why amendment is out of order as it creates an impost, which would the minister not have just made it so that their is out of order in the hands of a private member, con- cases would be approved as of April 11, 2005, like all the trary to Standing Order 67. other cases have been set in the previous bill? [1440] Amendment ruled out of order. 14484 British Columbia Debates Thursday, March 12, 2009
K. Conroy: Thank you for that ruling, and it's unfortu- Hon. I. Black: I move that the committee rise and nate that firefighters who have contracted lung cancer report the bill complete without amendment. prior to this date will have to go through the process, as explained by the minister. In fact, November 16 was the Motion approved. first time that lung cancer was introduced in the House through a motion by the member for New Westminster. The committee rose at 2:47 p.m. So that is actually the first date that it was first intro- duced in the House, not May 27, 2008. But I will accept The House resumed; Mr. Speaker in the chair. the Chair's ruling on that. Report and Section 2 approved. Third Reading of Bills
On section 3. WORKERS COMPENSATION AMENDMENT ACT, 2009 K. Conroy: Under "interim period," it means "the period starting May 27, 2008 and ending on the effect- Bill 8, Workers Compensation Amendment Act, 2009, ive date." So I know this has been canvassed, but I just reported complete without amendment, read a third want to bring it to the attention of the Chair that we are time and passed. again asking for that interim period to be changed to November 16, 2005, because that is actually the date that Hon. I. Chong: I now call continued debate on the the whole issue of lung cancer and presumption of lung budget. cancer was first introduced in thisH ouse by the member for New Westminster. Budget Debate [1445] (continued) I think that would be the date that should be effective, as opposed to May 27, 2008. R. Thorpe: I rise to speak on Budget 2009 and my support for Budget 2009. It is the right budget for the chal- Hon. I. Black: I appreciate the perspective of the lenges we face today — the right budget at the right time. member opposite, though I may not agree with it, nor the historical account. However, the context and content [H. Bloy in the chair.] of that question has been asked and answered. The world is in global recession — the first time K. Conroy: Just for the minister's knowledge, the his- there has been a global recession since World War II. torical account is in Hansard, so it's there for his reading. Budget 2009 takes into account the world situation all But I have put the amendment forward. Canadians and all British Columbians are facing. Yet I would like to acknowledge another amendment that despite unprecedented global economic turmoil, our I've put forward. Budget 2009 shows British Columbians that your govern- ment is listening. In these tough economic times we will The Chair:Proceed. improve public services and make critical investments to create jobs — yes, jobs — here in British Columbia. K. Conroy: That's under section 3. Budget 2009 plans to create tens of thousands of jobs, [Section 3 is amended by repealing the phrase "May 27, 2008" and and Budget 2009 positions British Columbia as a leader substituting the following: November 16, 2005] for the economic recovery. Budget 2009 invests almost $14 billion in infrastructure programs in every region of On the amendment. British Columbia. Yes, jobs. Over the years, our government has developed great The Chair:A fter reviewing the proposed amendment, working partnerships. The first partnership thatI 'm very the amendment is out of order as it creates an impost, proud of is the one…. which is out of the hands of a private member, contrary [1450] to Standing Order 67. I want to say thanks to the citizens and the mayors and councils in Summerland, in Peachland, in west Kelowna, Amendment ruled out of order. Central Okanagan regional district and the Westbank First Nation. We have worked together in partnership to Sections 3 and 4 approved. move our communities forward. With our federal government, I want to thank my MP Title approved. for the area that I live in, the Hon. Stockwell Day, for his Thursday, March 12, 2009 British Columbia Debates 14485
commitment to British Columbians. British Columbian a quote from the Leader of the Opposition: "I believe taxpayers want their elected representatives to work strongly in balanced budgets. I believe strongly in together, and we have an excellent working relationship. making sure that fiscal situations are strong and that Thank you, Stockwell, for working so closely with us to our economy is strong." That's what the Leader of the achieve the goals that British Columbians want. Opposition said on November 6. Another quote that I also want to thank Prime Minister Stephen Harper I have here says: "I've said all along that I believed in for working in partnership with British Columbia and balance budgets. I believe in fiscal responsibility." That's to acknowledge the support and leadership he has what the Leader of the Opposition said on January 28 shown British Columbia in working in a very positive of this year. partnership with our Premier and our province. Thank But then there's the NDP Finance critic. The member you, Prime Minister. for Surrey-Whalley recently — after voting for balanced- I also want to thank all British Columbians who have budget legislation that would see the budget balanced in worked in partnership with our government over the 2011-2012 — said: "That's the law at the present time, past eight years. Together with British Columbians, and yes." Quite frankly, that translates to: the NDP will not by working hard, we have restored British Columbia as honour the balanced-budget legislation that they voted one of Canada's leading provinces. for in this House only a couple of weeks ago. Hypocrites. As a caring fiscal hawk, I was driven to public office That's what they are — hypocrites. with the goal to restore fiscal responsibility, balance Then the member for Surrey-Whalley said the fol- budgets, cut red tape, reduce unemployment and build lowing, on The Bill Good Show on November 25: "We're a strong economy so that we could help those truly in committed, and what our leader has said is that if the need and so our children could find jobs close to home money is not there, we won't spend it. Our commitment and not have to leave the Okanagan, not have to leave is to undertake these initiatives and keep them within a British Columbia. balanced budget." One day they say this; one day they We have achieved so much by working together in say that. partnership with British Columbians: the best econ- [1455] omy British Columbia has seen for years, in the past It sounds like the same old NDP to me. Sounds eight years; and the lowest personal income tax rates like Glen Clark is in this building somewhere. British in Canada, here in British Columbia. We have achieved Columbians, take note. Take note, British Columbians, the lowest unemployment rates we've seen in the past 30 that if the NDP are ever re-elected in British Columbia years, right here in British Columbia. and bring their reckless and irresponsible tax and spend I'm particularly pleased that the significant reduction and tax and spend as in the '90s here, British Columbia in youth unemployment has taken place so that our best will fall backwards once again. and brightest can stay in British Columbia, find oppor- Another quote from the Leader of the Opposition. tunity in British Columbia, find opportunities in their When people say things, when people are leaders, people communities. By building strong communities, we build actually expect that they're going to do what they say. So a strong province, and I'm so proud of that. Also, British let us just do this quote. "We will come forward with a Columbians working together have re-established fully costed election platform, just as we did in the last British Columbia with a triple-A credit rating. And yes, election. It will be done with a balanced budget." That is today our students and our youth can find jobs in the on the Voice of the Province of October of this past year. Okanagan, one of the fastest-growing parts of the prov- The election cycle is four years. That's what the elec- ince of British Columbia. tion cycle is, but our budget cycle is three years, so one Budget 2009 builds stability, builds confidence, cre- would obviously think that the Leader of the Opposition ates jobs in every region of British Columbia in these was going to bring forward a detailed, costed platform unprecedented times of economic challenge. British for three years, just as the government has tabled. Columbians know where our government stands and Then on March 10 what does a senior insider of the what our government's plans are. They know because NDP caucus from Nanaimo say, the one that always we've told them. stands in this House and demands transparency and full But the question is…. The question that British disclosure? What did he say on CKNW? He said that the Columbians want answered is: what is the NDP going NDP will produce a platform "for one year of finances to do? We know that the NDP destroyed the fiscal cred- only" — so it's the old move-the-numbers-around trick, ibility of British Columbia in the '90s, destroyed our the old fudge-it budget — and would not make commit- credit rating, doubled our debt, increased taxes for all ments. "No commitments beyond the first year." There's and made British Columbia a have-not province. NDP the NDP, same old tricks. Glen, where are you? equals fiscal mismanagement. The reckless NDP leader is breaking another com- The current leader of the NDP says she has changed mitment. Refusing to produce a three-year budget plan how the NDP would manage B.C.'s finances. This is proves the NDP have no intention to live up to their 14486 British Columbia Debates Thursday, March 12, 2009
commitment to balance the budget by 2011-2012, as ourselves. We need to work in partnership, and there are they voted unanimously in this House to do. The NDP so many people I have to thank. are here to try to deceive British Columbians, and we The one thing that members on that side of theH ouse know they just want to spend, spend, spend. will agree with me on is that they need the help of others It's true. The picture is clear. TheN DP have not learned to achieve their goals. We can all agree on that. from their errors of the 1990s, and they want British My first thanks go to the citizens of Penticton, Columbia to believe that their reckless and irrespon- Naramata, Summerland, Peachland, Westbank, West sible spending is good enough as they move forward. Kelowna, Westside Road and both the Penticton and I'm here to say that's not acceptable. British Columbians Westbank First Nations, who have honoured me by do not want to go back to a have-not province. They've electing me to this chamber for three terms, 13 years. had it. They enjoy leading Canada. They don't want to My second thanks go to those who gave me the initial go backwards. encouragement to embark on this journey: Judy and I am very thankful for the opportunity to serve the Tony, Janice and Rob, Linda and Ron, Carol-Lee, Finchie, voters of Okanagan-Penticton and Okanagan-Westside Bob. Thank you. — the honour they have given me to serve for three My third thanks go to the staff members who have terms and 13 years. I remain committed to working for worked with me over the years: Marion, Maureen, Sarjit, those constituents up to and when the writ is dropped. Candice, Jamie, Sam, Caroline, Lisa, Jenn, Kelsie, Kiel, Together and working in partnership, there are many and many more. things we have achieved. A special thanks goes to Mike Reed. Mike Reed has Let me just mention a few. The major expansion of the worked with me for 13 years, and I know members on this Kelowna General Hospital; new cardiac services at KGH; side can appreciate that someone who would work with me a new medical school at UBC Okanagan; expansion of for 13 years deserves that hand. I know that. [Applause.] the Okanagan College; a new university, the University It's all about character-building, as the member from of British Columbia Okanagan; the new William R. the Cariboo knows. Bennett Bridge; the new Campbell interchange, working My fourth thanks go to those who have worked tire- in partnership with the Westbank First Nation; improve- lessly to help me get elected and then re-elected twice. ments to the Westside Road with WRC committee, the There were hundreds. Today I will only be able to men- first time in the history of the province; major water and tion a few. We'll start with Judy, A.J., Sy, Jamie, Orv, Harry, sewer projects at Casa Loma, West Kelowna, Peachland, Cathie, Bruce, Gerry, Christa-Lee, Carla, Walt, Irene, Summerland, and lastly Faulder. Otto, Tracey, Kim, Allen, Linda, Marion, Al, Chuck, Joy, It just keeps coming. Spirit Squares in West Kelowna, Graham, Wayne, Jim, Anne and Jane, Stan, and many, Peachland and Summerland; widening Highway 97 at many more. I just want to say thanks to those folks. Okanagan park; rebuilding the trestles at Myra Canyon I also want to say thanks to my colleagues — to the that were destroyed in the fire of 2003. team of '96, to the team of 2001, to the team of 2005. Currently we are four-laning 71/2 kilometres north of Without question, the learning, the challenges, the Summerland, where people have died year after year, accomplishments are many and will be treasured, espe- removing 1.6 million cubic metres of rock; the expan- cially our friendships. sion of the Mount Boucherie Secondary School, working I also want to thank the Premier. with PACs throughout the riding; new senior facilities in Premier, thank you for your vision. Thank you for every one of my communities. your work ethic. Thank you for your leadership. Thank Working with the Boys and Girls Club of West you for your friendship. And Premier, isn't it great to be Kelowna; working with the Peachland Wellness Centre; a grandpa? StrongStarts, where you can go in and see the magical My biggest thanks, my biggest thank-you, is to the smiles of children in the StrongStarts. one without whose support this journey could have [1500] never begun or continued for 13 years — my wife and That's what we've been able to achieve — working my best friend, Yasmin John-Thorpe, or Doll, as her with Summerland Asset Development Initiative, which father called her. has taken troubled youth off the streets and given Your support, listening, advice, strength and love them opportunities in our community; working with have made this journey possible and, in my opinion, so exceptional volunteers on a new Agur Lake Camp for rewarding. Thank you, Doll. those with disabilities; working in partnership on many I must also say thanks to my daughters Richa and projects with the Westbank First Nation; and moving Ranette and my son Jason for their understanding and forward on the Westside urgent care centre, just to name support, and a very, very special thank-you goes to my a few. grandson Eben — or as I like to call him, Rocco — for It has been a pleasure to work on behalf of my con- bringing focus to why we do what we do — making stituents, but as we all know, we can't do these things by decisions today and building a future for our children Thursday, March 12, 2009 British Columbia Debates 14487
and, most importantly, for our grandchildren. So thank all members of this House for the memories that we will you, Rocco. all share. [1505] I don't know. It must be a moment of weakness. I'm I've also had the opportunity to serve the public, and going to agree on two things with the member for it has been a privilege to serve as their MLA. Yes, many Nelson-Creston today. That is a first in 13 years. We are memories to treasure, but I'd like to share just a few of my honoured to serve in these buildings. I look forward to most treasured memories. It's not about the opening of a coming back to these buildings to see many of you here. new facility. It's not about a bridge. It's about those that But we have been given a very, very special opportun- we all are elected to serve. In my particular case over the ity that very few get. We should treasure that. We should years, a few come to mind that I will treasure forever. treasure our democratic processes as we all continue to The young man with disabilities, Paul, who needed work for what we as individuals believe in — hopefully, help to walk across the stage for his high school gradua- at all times putting British Columbia, our province, first; tion. We were able to help him, and yes, he got out of his putting the people of British Columbia first; and making wheelchair, and he walked across the stage to receive sure that we can help those truly in need. his Dogwood. I would also like to thank the staff in this building and The senior lady who needed bridging until SAFER also the ministries. As MLAs we get to have interface became available. We were able to help her, and now, with folks in various ministries throughout government. with SAFER, she lives with certainty and comfort. As a former minister, I want to say thank you to the staff The disabled senior who provided us with his experi- and the ministries that I worked with. ences, which resulted in changes to the homeowner I'm very proud of the accomplishments that, by us grant for those with disabilities. working together…. Whether it was in Competition, The disabled senior who needed help with his driver's Science and Enterprise or whether it was in Provincial licence and the issues with the special vehicle that he Revenue or whether it was in Small Business and Revenue, had. Together we were able to make changes so that our accomplishments are the result of their dedication, people who have those disabilities and have those safety their work, their tenacity, their interface with British components, if you will, in their vehicles can do what we Columbians. That's how we work in partnership. That's do — drive our vehicles. how we achieve things. The parents who gave us the reason to pursue changes to [1510] the child care subsidy program — to take a program that It's getting close for me to turn the page to the next layered some 30,000 pages on families and parents who chapter of my life, but I will be busy until about 8:30 on were entitled to help. Working together with those parents, May 12. I am very, very hopeful that my friends will be we were able to reduce that red tape to three pages. here and my other friends will be there. The young constituent who needed brain tumour sur- I look forward to returning to the House to see you. gery in California. We were able to assist him with air As you go out on the campaign trail, I wish you and your travel and air travel for his family so they could be with families and your friends all the very best. Do it in a him in California. positive spirit. Do it in a healthy debating spirit. I think I These are a few examples that I have had over the agreed again with my friend from Nelson-Creston. That past 13 years, and I know every member in this House will be the third today. Do it for the right reasons. Don't has those special examples, whether you've served 19 do it for the wrong reasons. years or 23 years or four years or whatever. That is whyI I stand here, and I will vote for Budget 2009 because I believe all members of this House are elected — to help believe in the support and the investments in health care. those and those special cases. And I know that all mem- Since we've been government, the health care budget has bers try to do that the best they can. increased by 61 percent. I know some members on the Yes — I want the members on the opposition to hear other side of the House somehow — I don't know where this — I will vote yes for Budget 2009, because it's the right they went to school or where they took math — interpret budget at the right time. It's about jobs, it's about stability, that as a cut. I don't understand how $8.3 billion to $17.5 it's about partnerships, and it's about confidence. billion is a cut. I don't get that math. I'm only an accountant, To all members of this House: I want to say thank you but maybe I would learn that. I don't think I'll learn that. for the opportunity to serve with you. Yes, from time to I'm also very pleased by the investment in K-to-12 time my colleague from Nelson-Creston wants to get up education and pleased that the Minister of Education is and talk about socialism, and I listen to him. I like to get beside me today. Funding to the highest levels in the his- up and talk about the power of the individual and free tory of the province of British Columbia for K-to-12. enterprise, and he listens to me. I'm pleased that the Minister of Advanced Education The member from Nelson did say something that I is investing, I believe, $228 million more in advanced do agree with. It's about us sharing our differences and education in the province over the next three years. having the debate and having the dialogue. So I thank I'm also pleased that in the past two years I've worked 14488 British Columbia Debates Thursday, March 12, 2009 with the Minister of Human Resources and Housing Debate Continued on a number of things. I'm pleased that we're making progress on dealing with the homelessness issue. J. Brar: It's a real honour for me to stand up in this It's not an issue just for Vancouver. It's an issue in House and speak on many important issues to the people communities throughout British Columbia. These issues of British Columbia. Today I will give my response to the were not created overnight. They will not be solved over- budget, introduced by the government a few weeks ago. night. Sometimes it would be very good if we could park Before I do that, I want to wish well to the member the political rhetoric and actually focus on the people. for Okanagan-Westside who just finished his speech, I'm also very, very pleased that our government has because this is his last speech. I wish him well for his been able to reduce the taxation burden and put the future endeavours and for the services he has provided money where I believe it's most powerful — in the to the people of British Columbia during the last many, pockets of British Columbians, to let them make their many years. decisions. I do not believe that the best place to put it is I would also like to thank many other people who in big central government. have been part of my journey as the MLA of Surrey– There's where I will disagree with my friend from Panorama Ridge since I was first elected through the Nelson-Creston. I think it's important to put it back by-election in 2004. To my staff in my Surrey office, into small business. That's why I was pleased, as the Ruby Bhandal, Murray Bilida and Peter Leblanc: thanks Minister of Small Business and Revenue, to work with for your passion and commitment to serve the people of the Small Business Roundtable, with the B.C. Cham- Surrey to the best of your ability. ber of Commerce, with the Canadian Federation of To my fellow members on both sides of this House: Independent Business, with the Retail Council of British thanks for your hard work and commitment serving the Columbia, with the restaurant and hotel association of people of British Columbia. British Columbia — all those like-minded small business To our staff in Victoria, Gurbinder Kang, Brian organizations. All they want is the opportunity to have a Kowalski and others: thanks for your able support and chance to succeed and look after their employees. meaningful assistance to me on a day-to-day basis. I think — as a matter of fact, I know — that Budget To our communication team and research team: 2009 gives us those opportunities to continue to make thanks for your valuable support and advice on issues British Columbia strong, to continue to grow British very important to the people of British Columbia. Columbia, to continue to give opportunities in every To our intern team: thanks for your energy and region of the province of British Columbia for those that innovative ideas, providing me a springboard to think seek them. I know and you know that British Columbia outside the generation-old box. is still where people in Canada want to come. To my friends and my supporters: thanks for standing Our future is bright. Our work will be there. But when with me during good times and during tough times. we all work together in our communities, in our prov- To the love of my life, my friend, my partner, Rajwant ince, in our country, we can achieve so very, very much. Brar; to my daughter Noor; and to my son, Fateh: I love Mr. Speaker, let me just close by saying to you and, you so much, and I'm proud of you. through the Chair, to all members of this House, to the To my brother Jaswant Brar and my sister-in-law Brigit constituents that I've had the pleasure to represent and Brar: thanks for being lifetime friends and advisers. to all: thank you very much for the opportunity to serve. I would like to start my critique to the budget It's been my pleasure, and I wish you all well in your speech, but I would like to add at the beginning, to the future endeavours. member for Okanagan-Westside, that the second part of his speech was much better — actually, the best that R. Lee: I ask leave to make an introduction. I have heard in this House since I've been here — as compared to his own past standards in terms of tone, Deputy Speaker: Proceed. volume and content. So I appreciate the non-partisan [1515] delivery of his speech. So Mr. Speaker, think about a busload of 46 people Introductions by Members going on the wrong side of the highway. People are shouting to stop them, but they won't listen. They con- R. Lee: In the gallery today we have two visitors from tinue driving on the wrong side of the highway. Burnaby, Wendy Wang, vice-president of the Greater [1520] Vancouver Table Tennis Association, and Zhiyong Wu, Another busload of people are police officers driving visiting coach from Putong, Shanghai, China. My daugh- parallel but on the other side of the highway, warning ter Leanne benefited tremendously from the GVTTA, as them to stop because they are going in the wrong dir- well as, most recently, under Mr. Wu's coaching. May ection. The driver of the bus is so overexcited with the the House join me in welcoming them. power given to him by the people of British Columbia Thursday, March 12, 2009 British Columbia Debates 14489
that he wouldn't even listen to the same people of the than that. That shows clearly that the Premier is com- province. pletely out of touch with the health care needs of the He continued driving on the wrong side of the high- people of Surrey. way until he ran out of gas and was not able to go any [1525] further. Guess what. They had no choice then but to In 2001 the B.C. Liberals promised to provide the best make a U-turn. The driver of the bus was very surprised health care when and where you need it. In fact, they to find that making a U-turn at that point was an illegal did exactly the opposite. They closed hospitals. They pri- action. Therefore, they had to shamelessly plead to the vatized services key to the quality of care. They closed people and the police for changing the rules to allow acute care beds in the province as well as in the city of them to make the U-turn. Surrey, the fastest-growing community in the province. That is the story of this budget. The budget is Ua -turn The story of Surrey Memorial Hospital is a prime made just before the pending provincial election with example to show that B.C. Liberals don't care about a sole purpose, and the purpose is to stay in power by the people of Surrey. Because of their broken prom- making promises they have no intentions of fulfilling — ises, Surrey Memorial Hospital has now become the as they did during the last eight years. A brief look at second-largest hospital in British Columbia by volume the last eight years' economic record of mismanagement of patients. It is home to the busiest emergency depart- supports the argument that the Premier has no intention ment in the province, with up to 75,000 visits per year. of fulfilling his promises in this budget and no inten- Between 300 and 500 patients leave the emergency tion of protecting vital public services such as education, room every month without seeing a doctor because of health care and public safety. the extreme wait times. We see that the Liberals have broken all records, The Premier didn't listen to the people of Surrey wasting hundreds of millions of dollars of the people at all during the first four years in power. The only of British Columbia on cost overruns. A $500 million time the Premier found some time to visit the city of cost overrun on the convention centre alone is a prime Surrey was in the middle of the last election, when example. Last October the Premier said he would cut he made the promise to build a new hospital to the the waste. Instead, he spent tens of millions of dollars people of Surrey. on pre-election ads and hundreds of millions more on The construction of that hospital was to begin in pet projects like a retractable roof for B.C. Place. He 2007, with a completion date in 2009, but 2007 has said he would speed up infrastructure projects. Instead, gone, and the Premier has done nothing. Now 2008 is he spent millions on failed privatization schemes, gone, and the only thing the Premier has given to the delaying projects and wasting taxpayer dollars on off- people of Surrey is just a model of the hospital. The shore bidders. reality is that the Premier has broken his promise and The Premier also broke all the records by giving him- delayed the out-patient hospital to 2011. That means self a raise of $65,000 a year. Similarly, he has given the Premier failed to make any improvements at all his highest-paid advisers a raise of 43 percent. That is during the first two terms of the B.C. Liberals, as far as his economic vision: take care of the few and forget health care is concerned, for the people of Surrey, and about the rest; take care of the rich and forget about that is a shame. the poor. The people of Surrey deserve better. The people of As a member of this Legislative Assembly, I get the Surrey have a dream. The dream is to see the new out- opportunity to attend lots of community events and patient hospital up and running. I share that dream with meet with lots of people. During the past four years, I the people of Surrey, and I will continue standing up for have visited lots of organizations and attended hundreds the people of Surrey until we see the new hospital up of events in the community. I have met and listened to and running. seniors, students, patients, workers, small businesses, Another promise the Premier made to the people victims of crime, newcomers — and the list goes on. of Surrey during the last election was to build a new They have shared their stories with me as to how they state-of-the-art emergency room. The construction was have been left behind by the B.C. Liberals. I would like to begin in 2008, with completion in 2010. Very sur- to share some of the most powerful stories from those prisingly, there is no money in this budget to start the people, which bother me the most. construction, to start the new emergency room. In fact, The first story is about the crisis we have in health the Premier has also delayed the construction of the new care. The people of Surrey say: "We need a new hospi- emergency room to 2014. The people have to suffer for tal, not just a model." The people of Surrey are waiting five more years. and waiting for a new hospital, announced by the B.C. People in Surrey are really, really worried to learn Liberals more than ten times. After eight years in power that the B.C. Liberals failed to build the new emer- the only thing the Premier could offer to the people of gency room and the new out-patient hospital during Surrey is just a model, that big model. Nothing more good times. Can they now build these facilities during 14490 British Columbia Debates Thursday, March 12, 2009
bad times? That's a big question that people have on that was the height of arrogance I have ever seen from their minds. this Premier. I would like to share a story with you. Four months Because of the wrong priorities of this government, ago a teenage girl bitten by a dog had to wait for six Fleetwood Elementary School will become a bedtime hours at the emergency room and received 40 stitches. story. Once upon a time there was a school named Imagine the pain this girl experienced for six long hours Fleetwood Elementary School. This school was closed to receive 40 stitches. That is the level of crisis we have by the B.C. Liberals when the population in the area was in the emergency room in Surrey. How can the people growing and when B.C. had the biggest surplus. This is of Surrey wait for five more years without any improve- the bedtime story that school has become. ments? That is beyond my understanding, and people Parents and children are now concerned to know: if don't understand that as well. they closed 177 schools during good times, what will they do during bad times? That is the question people [K. Whittred in the chair.] are asking of this government. The other story thatI hear at the door is that we don't That tells very clearly that the B.C. Liberal govern- feel safe. The people have the right to feel safe. People ment and the Premier are completely out of touch have the right to take their children to parks, beaches with the health care needs of the people of Surrey. and malls without any fear. People have lost that right. Therefore, the people of Surrey have lost their trust in Our streets have been taken over by gangs. Gang mem- this government. bers are killing themselves on the streets in Vancouver, [1530] Surrey and many other cities in the Lower Mainland. Another promise they made to the people of British Innocent bystanders are being caught in the crossfire. Columbia was they promised to build and operate an In communities throughout this province, people don't additional 5,000 new long-term care beds. That was the feel safe anymore. promise made in 2001, but in reality they did exactly Because of the failures of the B.C. Liberals on this file, the opposite. Between 2002 and 2004 the government crime has been rising since they took over. This budget closed 26 residential care facilities throughout the prov- has no hope. It makes the situation from bad to worse. ince for a net loss of 2,500 beds, or 15 percent of the total The B.C. Liberals have cut funding for policing, cut bed stock. funding for prosecution. How are the gangs going to get The other story that the people of Surrey have shared under control? with me is save our schools. Once upon a time the B.C. That response from the Premier clearly indicates Liberals made a promise to provide the best educa- that the Premier is not serious and that the Premier is tion system so that no child is left behind. It's a good completely out of touch with the issue of public safety. slogan, but in fact, they did exactly the opposite. The Parents and children are concerned to know: if the B.C. Liberals closed 177 schools in the province of B.C. Liberals couldn't make our streets safer during British Columbia. The rationale given to the people was good times, how can they make our streets safer during that they closed those schools because the number of bad times? That's a question this government needs to students is declining. respond to the people of British Columbia. One of those schools is a school in the city of Surrey, [1535] Fleetwood Elementary School. The city of Surrey is The other story that I hear at the door is that the aver- the fastest-growing community in the province and age family and small business didn't benefit from the in the country. In fact, we receive almost 1,000 new good economy of B.C. There's no doubt that B.C. was people every month. That is the level of growth that blessed with a good economy, but the B.C. Liberals has been going on in the city for the last many, many failed to make it a successful economy because of their years. The location of this school is in Fleetwood, the one-sided policies to benefit only the rich. fastest-growing constituency we have in the city of They gave big tax cuts three times to the richest, who Surrey. But the B.C. Liberals are so out of touch with don't need them and never asked for it. They gave 43 the reality and needs of our children that they closed percent pay hikes to their senior staff.O n the other side, that school anyway. the Premier is so arrogant that he has constantly refused The parents fought back to save this school. The stu- to raise the minimum wage for working families. The dents of the elementary school fought back to save only people who did not get any raise are people who are this school. The opposition MLAs joined the parents working for minimum wage, and that is a shame. and the students to save this school. The only people Life has in fact become too costly for average fam- who remained silent were the B.C. Liberals, including ilies under the B.C. Liberals. The transit fare has gone the local MLAs. They didn't even care to meet with up. It now costs $10 to take a return trip from Surrey the parents and the teachers and the students of that to Vancouver. It is hard for working families to afford school. The Premier is known for his arrogance, but that. Thursday, March 12, 2009 British Columbia Debates 14491
Tuition fees have gone up over 100 percent. They are The list goes on. I cannot support this budget, because now the second-highest in the country. The cost of MSP this budget does not provide any hope to average fam- has doubled. The cost of insurance has gone up. The cost ilies, which should be the case because everyone matters of the driver's licence fee has gone up. On top of that, in this province. the Premier has introduced a new gas tax at the pump. With that, I will take my seat. Thank you very much Average families and small businesses, including the taxi for listening. industry and the trucking industry, are being forced to pay when big corporations were given subsidies. V. Roddick: I rise with great pride and enthusiasm, Particularly oil and gas companies were given subsidies Madam Speaker, hon. Members and guests in the gallery, at the same time. for my last budget speech. So people are concerned. If the B.C. Liberals couldn't In 2001 a new era for British Columbia dawned, a make life affordable for average families during good vision for hope and prosperity for the next decade and times, how can they make life affordable during bad beyond. In that year we made 201 specific commitments. times? That's a question this government needs to The following are just a few examples. answer. There are many, many other storiesI have heard We brought in balanced budgets; cut provincial from the people. income tax; ensured public services appointed by merit, Forestry workers have told me that the B.C. Liberals not patronage; restored workers' democratic rights to have killed the forest industry because of their self- secret ballot certification; restored open tendering; serving and one-sided policies. B.C. Rail workers told protected public ownership of B.C. Hydro, all its dams, me that they promised not to sell or privatize B.C. Rail. reservoirs and lines; focused resources on improving In reality, they did the opposite. B.C. Rail was sold to northern and rural transportation and infrastructure; CN Rail in 2004. There are lots and lots of important encouraged mineral exploration; increased trades and questions regarding the B.C. Rail corruption case, but technical training; preserved Burns Bog; and pro- the B.C. Liberals are constantly refusing to answer those moted clean and renewable alternative energy sources; questions. and support for more flexibility and choice in public People have told me that it is unacceptable that for the schooling. fifth year in a row, child poverty remains the highest in We guaranteed that parents of students attending the province of British Columbia. People have told me schools are entitled to volunteer; expanded training that the number of homeless people in this province has to care aides, licensed practical and registered nurses; gone up significantly as a direct result of B.C. Liberal increased the number of medical school graduates; policies. Workers have told me that they didn't get a gave ambulance attendants access to training and better raise during the last eight years when, on the other hand, life-support and communications equipment; increased the Premier gave himself a raise of $65,000 per year. emphasis on early childhood intervention programs Students have told me that their tuition fees have gone for families with special needs children; introduced up 100 percent or more, and their debt load is grow- free votes to the Legislature; appointed the Citizens' ing every day. People have told me that life has become Assembly on Electoral Reform and established fixed costly under the B.C. Liberals because of the rising costs election dates. of almost everything. This budget does not provide any We raised health care funding by 66 percent since 2001 hope to those people. People are very, very concerned. If and established 5,000 intermediate and long-term care that is what the Liberals were able to do during the good beds plus new assisted-living units. We have invested over times, what would they do during the bad times? $200 million in housing; purchased 45 existing buildings I would like to conclude by saying that it pains me and are constructing new units; worked in partnership when a young girl had to wait for six hours at the emer- — an unknown word — with the federal government for gency room at Surrey Memorial Hospital to receive 60 B.C.'s fair share of federal tax dollars; pushed to elim- stitches, even if she is not my daughter. It bothers me inate interprovincial trade barriers with TILMA; and when a retired senior, who spent his entire life build- embarked on aboriginal treaty negotiations. ing this province, has to go to a food bank to receive a All of these commitments are aimed at revitalizing the hamper, even if he's not my relative. economy, restoring sound fiscal management and put- [1540] ting patients, students, people first. We have continued It concerns me when a mother doesn't feel safe taking to build on these commitments and many, many more her kids to a park, even if she's not my sister. It both- great goals over the past eight years. We are putting ers me when a student is unable to continue his study more tax dollars into individuals' pockets and into small because he cannot pay high tuition fees, even if he is not businesses, the backbone of our economy. my brother. For example, we are investing in silviculture and This budget does not provide any hope to average training to replace our lost pine beetle wood, plus head- families, to seniors, to forestry workers, to the homeless. ing into the urban areas with the goal of planting four 14492 British Columbia Debates Thursday, March 12, 2009
million new trees at schools, hospitals and public places budgets were reckless and irresponsible. These budgets across the province. We are committed to making better became "monuments to drivel." They droveB .C.'s growth use of every tree and, more importantly, to doing a rate of GDP from fifth place internationally in 1993 to better job at growing trees as well as marketing the fact 29th place out of 31 jurisdictions by 2001. that wood is good. Under a B.C. Liberal government, we have climbed [1545] out of that hole. We've had five years of better than aver- Environmentally, we are leading the world with our age employment growth. Listen up, Delta North. Our revenue-neutral carbon tax. Since 2001 we have deliv- plan, based on productive economy, also includes sup- ered 103 positive tax cuts and reductions for individual port for the arts, heritage and cultural diversity. Even in British Columbians, small businesses and corporations. today's economy, that support remains. We have worked to unite British Columbia, to find [1550] solutions to all kinds of issues and challenges — social, The provinces, territories and federal government environmental, economic. We've developed a new era realize there is strength in numbers, strength in con- of common purpose with a focus on people in need. We sensus. Our financial world is facing its worst crisis in are builders in the truest sense of the word. 75 years. There are no easy solutions, but we are acting Does this sound familiar? It should. TheU nited States, to help alleviate the impacts and emerge stronger than our biggest trading partner, just elected a new President ever. who says his people can by working together — can. Of Madam Speaker, this is not the time for a traditional course they can. B.C. has proven it. budget. We as a government are committed to being flex- We have a team led by a Premier who has worked ible and responsive to our families and our communities. determinedly to ensure that this province can and does, With $6.6 billion in revenue evaporating due to global year after year. We have provided real leadership, real circumstances, we must make immediate and dramatic progress in education, health care, support systems, investments in our infrastructure that will keep people environment and jobs. working and position ourselves for future growth. Just as Barack Obama has asked the people of the We must all work together. Party politics will not help United States to pull together to rebuild their country, our families and their communities, our province or our people from all walks of life in British Columbia have country. We are focusing on two key priorities for our worked to make our province the best place on earth. As jobs, competitiveness and productivity. I said in my second session in the Legislature eight years On October 22, 2008, the Premier announced a plan ago, if we find ourselves riding a dead horse, dismount. to build economic strength for the future by undertaking Sometimes it takes longer than we would like to change five initiatives: create a new economic advisory council mounts, but change we can, and change we do. composed of top Canadian CEOs, academics and econo- Unlike the member for Delta North, who cannot mists; organize a new Northern Economic Summit to seem to understand the role of being a member of the focus on northern issues; organize a two-day economic Legislature and representing his riding provincially…. summit to investigate ways to capitalize on economic He still, after four years, has his head buried in munici- opportunities; implement the Trade, Investment and pal minutiae, which honestly does not help Delta or the Labour Mobility Agreement, TILMA, with Alberta by province. April 1, 2009; and work with other provinces and the On the other hand, we have accomplished a great federal government to eliminate regulatory duplication deal, and the all-important social well-being of British and reduce the cost of federal-provincial overlap. Columbia is improving. As noted in the B.C. Progress To support families and small businesses during this Board report, the province has been able to maintain its economic downturn, we promptly announced several first-place standing in environmental quality and health key measures as a stimulus to the economy: unlimited outcomes. deposit insurance for deposits to credit unions, new We have the second-highest rate of university comple- pension opportunities for private sector employees with- tion, the second-lowest top marginal personal income out access to pension plans, an accelerated retroactive tax rate. We also rank third in terms of standard of living, personal income tax cut of 5 percent, school property real average hourly wages and government surpluses. tax rebate for industry, accelerated tax benefits for small The Progress Board also says that we have the lowest businesses, double commission paid to business for PST rate of cancer mortality, the highest life expectancy at and HRT collection, accelerated public infrastructure birth, the largest proportion of land base protected from and curtailing avoidable government spending. development and the second-lowest greenhouse gas These measures account for an additional accumula- emissions. tion of $485 million in tax relief and support for business, There's more good news, Madam Speaker. Personal families and individuals over the next three years. Most disposable income growth beat the national average in fortunately for British Columbia, we are the host for 2006 and 2007. When the NDP was last in power, their the 2010 Winter Olympic and Paralympic Games only Thursday, March 12, 2009 British Columbia Debates 14493
a year away. As we have seen, our marvellous Spirit of going to be faced with enormous challenges over the 2010 committees and athletes provincewide are holding next several years, challenges that would overshadow great countdown events. the one-time threat to our now hugely successful Delta Every community stands to benefit, every young Hospital. person. It's something to look forward to. It's exciting; Delta South changed forever with the opening of the it's positive. GamesTown and Spirit Squares are excel- Massey Tunnel. Since that time our community has con- lent examples. We are striving to equalize opportunities tinued to face increasing pressures. Of these issues, the across B.C., and the 2010 games are a perfect stimulus. Tsawwassen First Nation treaty has been a real achieve- That doesn't mean it's all going to be smooth sailing. ment, the first urban treaty in B.C. We now have the Life, unfortunately, just isn't perfect at all times, but we opportunity to combine our extensive local talents to must keep our eyes on the horizon. Our forefathers did, work with and work beside the Tsawwassen First Nation and we cannot let them down. in their ongoing community development. Through interprovincial meetings, groups like NP WER, My role has been to represent this community and Pacific Northwest Economic Region, developed partner- reinforce to my government that Delta South, a gateway ships with American west coast states in areas of climate community, is host to or affected by many serious issues. change and economic development. The port and its proposed expansion. The B.C. Ferry ter- British Columbia is building a foundation that will minal. Four highways: 10, 17, 91, 99. The South Fraser enable us to strengthen our nation and thereby strengthen perimeter road. Three rail lines. The Tsawwassen First North America. Our municipalities, through their col- Nation's ongoing development. Burns Bog. Vancouver lective bodies — the UBCM, Metro Vancouver, plus our landfill. The agricultural land reserve and our farming first nations people — bring the necessary grass-roots industry. The FraserR iver and our fishing industry, plus perspective to this vision. dredging, diking and flooding issues. Brunswick lands Delta South has had, as I've brought to this floor every buyback. Boundary Bay Airport. Delta Hospital and the year since 2000, more than its share of ongoing chal- VITR transmission line project. lenges. Many difficult decisions have been made by our There is — pardon the pun on this one — power in caucus over the past years. numbers. A unified voice — andI repeat: a unified voice [1555] — dedicated to Delta South would be capable of wading I have to say that serving as MLA for Delta South has through the quagmire of six separate provincial govern- been an honour and a privilege, hard but exhilarating ment ministries: Agriculture, Aboriginal Reconciliation, work — and fun. I have been touched by the extraordin- Energy, Environment, Health and Transportation. There ary contributions of constituents who have poured their are also five levels of government required for cooper- hearts into our community. ation: federal, provincial, municipal, Metro Vancouver My thanks to the people of Ladner and Tsawwassen and Tsawwassen First Nation. for your incredible participation and for the love and [1600] support of your community. You are truly amazing. And All of these issues hugely affect residents and local my thanks to the members of our riding association and farmers and have resulted in the loss of approximately to my office staff: Elizabeth Merritt, Tim McDougall, 1,000 acres of our first-class agricultural land base, as Jackey Zellweger and company, who have been second well as heavily increasing truck, rail and marine traffic to none. within the surrounding area. The legislative team here over the years, all of you who Such challenges in our community require an incred- have diligently and patiently aided a hopeless techno- ible amount of work and negotiation. Cooperation at all dolt. The dining room staff, who have kept us alive and levels of government is vital to successful negotiation well fed and, most importantly, the unflagging support and resolution. Believe me. It is the only way. Municipal, of my entire family, especially my husband Noel who, as provincial, federal, Metro Vancouver, Tsawwassen First I recently said, can now retire from driving Miss Daisy. Nation and school trustees need to join forces and As the Parliamentary Secretary for Agriculture develop a demonstrated willingness to work together to Planning and Chair of the Select Standing Committee find solutions and areas of consensus and to negotiate on Health, I have had the opportunity to meet with mitigation where and when necessary. people from every part of this province to hear their To work together rather than independently is our ideas on sustaining and strengthening our agriculture responsibility as elected officials. This will produce a and health sectors. I have been heartened by my riding's spirit of collaboration and cooperation. We may not and our province's talented and caring citizens. Many of always agree, but we need to compromise for the greater their suggestions and solutions have been implemented good of our community. In other words, we can disagree by the province. without being disagreeable. As long ago as July 2003, when I spoke to the Rotary Over the years the community and its superb vol- Club of Tsawwassen, I stated that Delta South was unteers have hosted an amazing assortment of forums. 14494 British Columbia Debates Thursday, March 12, 2009
To name just a few: the Delta Conversation on Health, delivered, as do the transportation, mining and energy women's forums, seniors forums, health fair, employ- plans. ment fair. We're a community of doers, but because My thanks to the Premier of B.C. and the Minister Delta South has had so many big-ticket challenges, we of Agriculture for providing the wisdom and leadership have difficulty recognizing our many individual- suc which enabled our MLA team to lay the foundation for cesses and extra investments. growing a healthy future for B.C. families. Thanks also For example, health: Delta Hospital redevelopment, to a whole host of terrifically talented agriculturalists, acute care, CT scanner and hospice — $17 million, plus all both ministerial and private. This plan would never the expanded, dedicated operational costs. Environment: have made it without their unflagging help and guid- Burns Bog, $28.6 million. Seniors: McKee House Seniors ance. My particular thanks go to Andy Dolberg, Heather Rec Centre, Lions Wellness Park, Kinsmen retired assisted Anderson, Dave Melnychuk and Carla Shore. living — $7.1 million. Education: seismic upgrades to We are working to ensure that our farmers and farm schools, literacy innovation grants, South Delta Secondary families are able to continue growing, both in products expansion, North Delta Secondary renovations, Strong- and, equally as important, in profits. School property Start early learning, school playground grants — $36.63 tax on classified farmland will be reduced by 50 percent million. Child care: Bright Eyes Academy at Holly Park, for the 2011 tax year and beyond. Genome B.C. and Rainbow Connection at Pebble Hill for $260,000. Trans- the B.C. Innovation Council have been given research portation: Highway 10, 17 and 99 access improvement; money and project grants as a step towards advancing Deas tunnel upgrade, plus designated truck lanes; HOV our productivity. down from three to two occupants — $25.2 million. The provincial and federal governments are investing Plus many miscellaneous items, such as traffic fine $24 million over three years for flood protection, a huge revenue-sharing; Boundary Bay sea dike reinforcement; issue for those of us who live and farm on the banks of community charity gaming grants; Spirit Square; BC150 the Fraser River. In fact, for the future of Delta South, Years: Rivermania; and Holly Park synthetic field, with I would like to see the municipality, Metro Vancouver, its fantastic washrooms, which of course have left me Tsawwassen First Nation and the provincial and federal flushed with pride — for a total of $29.1 million. governments working together with DFO, Delta Farmers As I have said, there are so many stellar volunteers in Institute, Delta Farmland and Wildlife Trust and other our community that I am loath to name any particular environmental groups — such as the Suzuki Foundation, individual. But I have to mention Harry Caine, known Ducks Unlimited, etc. — to expand and protect the locally as our Energizer Bunny. And the Tsawwassen Fraser River delta and our incredible farmland. Boundary Bay Lions are to be thanked for their contri- Early pioneers built Richmond, Lulu Island and Sea bution to 18 seniors wellness parks across the province. Island and Delta South. Now, with the threat of global I am working on many more of these successes, so warming, we are desperately in need of surge dikes as stay tuned, because a positive, constructive approach well as more land for our farmers and wildlife. Last year does produce results. By taking this kind of action, Delta even Richmond school fields were being eaten bare by will be a better place. snow geese. Let's look at the possibility of building more [1605] land through accretion and diking. Let's work collect- Now, in the past eight years it goes without saying that ively to see if such a concept is attainable or practical. the constituency highlight was the saving, reorganiza- It is in Winnipeg. Duffs Ditch is indispensable. British tion and expansion of Delta Hospital. This year we have Columbia does think outside the box, because we can. the separate hospice unit being built on the hospital On that note, I would like to thank each and every grounds. The new addition for theCT scanner is in place, one of my colleagues, who over the years have been as of Saturday, February 21 — a terrifically exciting and inordinately patient and generous with their time. You satisfying moment for all of us. Among the many other were always there. available treatments, thanks to this upgrade and the CT [1610] scanner, we can now plug into the B.C. stroke strategy, I support this budget, and in closing, I would like to which has opened three clinics in the Fraser Health area say that our future is ours to build. Serving Delta South to coordinate and integrate stroke care protocols, activ- and the province under the leadership of the Premier ities and services across the region. has been the experience of a lifetime, and it has given me Provincially, for me, it was the creation of a provincial full confidence in the overall future ofB ritish Columbia agriculture plan to set the direction of the agriculture for our children our grandchildren. industry in British Columbia and re-establish the essen- tial link between agriculture and society as a whole, C. Wyse: Madam Speaker, it is indeed my pleasure once because as we know, we still all have to eat to live. more to have this opportunity to address you, the rest of This plan will not languish on a shelf. It is part and the House and British Columbians with my response parcel of the Ministry of Agriculture and must be to the budget that has been introduced. But before I do Thursday, March 12, 2009 British Columbia Debates 14495
that, I would like to take just a moment of your time and The budget itself contains a quarter of a billion dollars acknowledge the riding that has indeed been my pleasure — that's $250 million — of further cuts that are necessary to represent over the last four years. in order to actually bring this overall plan into balance. This is a huge riding geographically. It includes the There are many, many financial experts who also look at communities of Ashcroft, Cache Creek, Clinton, 100 the revenue projections that are contained, whether it be Mile House, Williams Lake. It includes portions of two for this year or whether for the upcoming two years, and regional districts: Thompson-Nicola regional district, question the validity of those revenue forecasts in actual Cariboo regional district. Geographically, the commun- fact being met. ity of Savona…. When those individuals get up in the You see, those concerns already point out that this morning, they look out across Kamloops Lake. The budget is simply the start of a different agenda, a hidden riding goes all the way up to Williams Lake. It goes out agenda in one sense — that if you don't sit down and west to Anahim Lake, and it includes Bridge Lake and go through it and find items of this nature, you do not the Interlakes. A huge geographical area that also con- know what is coming down the track. tains with it, besides those communities that I've talked While I'm here talking about coming down the track, about…. It includes the first nations of three great com- that reminds me of a promise that was made not to sell munities: the Tsilhqot'in, the Shuswap and the Carrier. the tracks of B.C. Rail, a service that has had a profound It's appropriate for me to mention that geography, effect upon the interior of the province from where I'm because contained within it — as I'm here to talk about from. The fact that the railway is no longer owned and the budget — it also has the industries of forestry, agri- being run for the betterment of the province of B.C. — culture, mining and tourism that form the basis. As my for the opening up of the province's interior, for looking discussion unfolds, there will be a rationale that I'm sure after the industries of forestry, agriculture and mining. people will understand why this budget is not support- What I hear with increasing volume is that with that able. Where it fails in those areas, I will be discussing broken promise, in these very tough economic times that with you relatively shortly. are facing everywhere in the province, those industries Before I go on, in serving that vast geography, I have cannot and do not receive the railcars in quantity and in a had the support of people back in the constituency: timely fashion for them to be able to stay in business. They Mark Woons; Jayne Ducker; Robert Chometski; and, are forced to look at other means of providing their prod- Larry Day, who has been with me the longest. They have uct and getting it to market — more expensive means. worked diligently in looking after the interests of the When I go through the budget itself and I go through constituents, making sure that their needs have been the ministries, I'll be talking further upon where the met to the best of our ability. budget fails those industries. It is those industries that Here in Victoria, I've been supported by many staffs, employ the people from where I am from. It employs the as we all have been. However, I would like to acknow- people, and they have been abandoned. They have been ledge my assistant down here, Terese Scambler, who has left by the wayside. worked diligently in making sure that I'm organized in the sense that I know where I need to be. Interjection. Finally, before I go on to the budget itself, I would like to acknowledge my wife, who has been very supportive, C. Wyse: At the same time, the policy decisions that like many of us here in the House with our significant have been made here in Victoria, as the Minister of others who have supported the time that it takes in order Community Development is well aware, are not contrib- for all of us to attempt to do the best job in representing uting to their viability to be able to stay employed. all of the constituents that are found in our riding and So those are some of the concerns. As we go through also, at the same time, to do our best to ensure that the the budget, we look at the various ministries and we needs of all four million British Columbians themselves have a look at where the funds have been placed and are looked after and addressed. the support that it will not provide to those industries — Having said that, I wish to return to the budget itself, reasons why I will not be supporting this budget. a budget that continues the practice of not looking after [1620] the interests of all British Columbians equally, continues But before we move on from there, I think we also on with the practice of looking after the interests of the need to take a look at what the record is from the gov- exceptionally wealthy and looking after the interests of ernment for the last eight years and the effect it has had the large corporations. upon the area where I am from. [1615] I've identified areas of significant financial shortfalls. When you look at this budget, it has some shortfalls That means that there are additional cuts coming. There is that are contained in it. But they are evident, to find what more heartache to take place, and let's talk about some of they are, because it is there…. In a moment I'm going to the heartache that the Interior has been subject to already — draw attention to a couple that concern me. not for a long time but just a little bit to give the flavour. 14496 British Columbia Debates Thursday, March 12, 2009
We have issues with homelessness. We have issues making a viable living financially as either a meat pro- around minimum wage. We have issues around child cessor or a producer, and there is no game plan here in poverty. We have issues around class size and composition. Victoria. We have a whole variety of issues, none of which is over- There are no funds in the budget to develop a game shadowed by the thousands of people that have recently plan in Victoria. There are no funds in this budget to been laid off in my area — thousands. Shortly, we'll also get the information that is required to make informed, be talking about, as we go through the budget, what is not planned, thoughtful decisions so that our food security found in the budget for supporting those people. may be dealt with and looked after. Let me continue to go back through those industries We've got a government whose policy is one of taking and have a look at the budget itself and what is there and the arable lands of the province and treating it as a what isn't there in support for them. Let's begin alpha- land bank, as the previous speaker readily admitted. A betically with agriculture, the base industry where I'm thousand acres of the most arable land in the province from, and what is contained for it in the budget, what the used to address whatever pet project the Premier has policies and practices and decisions by this government in mind and wishes to deal with. It takes hundreds of have meant for agriculture. It will be clear why this budget thousands of years for Mother Nature to make arable would not be supportable on its own, on that one item. lands. To give it away willy-nilly, to then turn around When you look at agriculture, you see contained in it and suggest that we have protected food security by an increase of 3.1 percent. And I thought: "Great. Here taking lands of less quality, putting it in the ALR and is a government that has finally recognized that it has putting it in climatic regions that are less supportive of ignored this industry all this century." All this century food production…. they have ignored it. With the advent of mad cow, the Madam Speaker, those are concerns that I have, but agriculture industry asked for help. They looked for sup- one more before we leave agriculture and move on — port from their government here in British Columbia, the SRM, specified risk materials. The costs of disposing and they got diddly-squat. But I will come back to that. of those materials are increasing substantially. As my I want to go back to the budget and talk about it and colleague the Community Development Minister is what is not contained within it. When you remove one aware, the costs of getting rid of those products is going line item alone — and by name it's called the Crown from seven and a half cents per pound to 121/2 cents per lands special account, which deals with future Crown pound. Pelts that used to be able to get some money now land deposition — it has moved from $87 million to will have a cost associated with them for disposal. $127 million, and it will go back to $57 million. This is an industry that is being squeezed on all sides, When you take that one line item out of there, rather and we have a government here in British Columbia that than a 3 percent increase for agriculture, you have, on expects the individual farmer and rancher, on their own, average, a 7 percent decrease on every line item that sup- to carry all that cost and speak with pride of having the ports this entry — a 7 percent decrease for an industry that lowest support financially of any province inC anada for has been struggling to stay afloat. For a government that the agriculture industry. talks about interest in food security and food production, That's the first industry that is in Cariboo South that for all this century they have not been doing such. I'm drawing to this House's and to the people of British The productive insurance special account. That's the Columbia's attention — the shortfalls that exist in this account that looks after the very special challenges that budget and why, in my judgment, it is not supportable. face agriculture, from drought and so on. Very trying Before I go back to the industries, I have one more critic times. My colleague from the Peace recognizes that they area to deal with, and that's local government. I've looked have been in a drought for three years. Very trying times. at this budget through the eyes of local government, and That fund is stuck at $111/2 million. Madam Speaker, this is what I've discovered. What I have discovered are there is nothing in this budget for agriculture. massive cuts to local governments and services almost [1625] entirely in the transfers through grants and agreements But let's talk about some of the policies that have been to local governments. That is down 24 percent. They are put into place and the effect that they have had upon the front-end-loaded with their announcements. production costs of this industry that has been strug- [1630] gling. Let me talk about some of those. The Minister of Community Development, very The meat industry regulations.A good idea when you rightfully so throughout estimate procedures, was able start talking about that when you're dealing with health, to have demonstrated with the estimates that he was but we have a government that has no idea how many building a budget to take out on the campaign trail — animals are in production in this province, what species the same minister who should also be aware that this is they are, where they are and what the slaughtering cap- front-end-loaded money. acity is. When you take the meat-processing industry down, you take ranching down. There is no means of [H. Bloy in the chair.] Thursday, March 12, 2009 British Columbia Debates 14497
When you examine that box of money, what the gov- I looked through the budget. Guess what. Commod- ernment has done is simply say: "The funds that you ities are down, but that's back to the revenue aspect that would normally receive from here in Victoria over the may be plugged upwards, but I can't find the money. I next three years…. We will collect it together. We'll wrap cannot find the money to deal with first nations issues it up in a box. We'll put a ribbon around it and give it to and resolution of those items. you in the first year, but you will sign a contract that says This is a government that this century has squandered you acknowledge that you are not going to get any more the time that should have been spent on discussing in the upcoming two years and that the money that you those issues and resolving them. But no, they didn't. receive front-ended is going to drop." According to what I'm hearing from the other side, we Where I'm from, the people aren't working. Their have to hurry up and get on with those items. costs haven't gone away. They still need the services. We have to hurry up and get on with those items, There are still the demands on them, and there's no because they're 150-plus years out of date for having been assistance. There's some smoke being blown, and there addressed. I spent time attempting to bring together the are some mirrors being moved around, but there's no parties that were involved over my short period of time — support in the budget for them. the federals, the provincials and the first nations — to keep I have heard from my colleagues on the other side: it at the table so that they could resolve the issues. I wasn't "Wait. There are great infrastructure funds coming." successful. And where does that come in? It's because the They're coming from somewhere. I don't know whether economic development for all of us is in play in my riding. it's Ottawa. I don't know whether it's here in Victoria, I failed in my job in trying to bring it together. but I have not heard an announcement yet that there's I'm not going to mention that every time people got going to be an agreement in place — federal, provincial, together, either the federal government or the provin- municipal — for sharing those funds. cial government went to court and challenged what was Who knows whether my colleagues on the other side going on. I'm not going to mention that. I'm not going to are going to palm the money off the table when it comes talk about how the parties would then fly apart.N o, that from Ottawa and put it into their pet projects that are would be petty on my part. all over budget, out of control and can't be financed? Here we are, having wasted this century on address- There's concern by local government about having trust ing this issue. It matters for all British Columbians. I here in Victoria, about how they've been treated, and couldn't find any hope in the budget for that either. there's nothing in this budget to suggest that they would Forestry is another industry I know I've mentioned. In be treated any differently. the last few weeks, hundreds of employed people in my But I digress. I wish to return to my riding. I hope I riding of Cariboo South have been laid off. They've lost mentioned mining and its importance where I'm from. I their jobs, and there is no backup plan for them. There know that I mentioned first nations.I know that. Mining, is no support for them — an EI program that has got first nations, agriculture, forestry — what is the relation- gaping holes in it. There is no transition plan for them ship? When I was first elected — it seems so long ago to deal with issues. There's no transition plan financially now — I met with representatives of first nations up in for the communities that are affected by it. my area, and they were very clear. They said: "We have Here in this House, we could not get a commitment to find resolution to issues of first nations." for a date when we would know when people could So in my naivety, I wrote the Premier back in January, apply for those types of funds. There's not a penny in the first year I was elected, and said the equivalent of: this budget to provide support for those individuals, "Mr. Premier, we have to begin to work on resolving those communities, to support the business people that these issues." Why? For sure there's the self-evidence of have absolutely no support at all. As the doors shut, they how first nations have been dealt with and those items. go away. But I'm relatively naive, and I thought: "Oh yeah. Where This budget fails. It fails the test of looking after the I'm from in Cariboo South out in the Chilcotin, the needs of the people of where I'm from. It fails the test Nechako basin comes down." Nechako basin — my col- of looking after the needs of all British Columbians, leagues from up in the Peace country would recognize because it is those industries that have provided the that's the oil and gas formations. wealth. They'd also recognize the porphyries that exist out in [1640] the Chilcotin. They're porphyry deposits that in actual At the same time that that has taken place, this gov- fact are Gibraltar mine and Mount Polley. My colleague ernment here in Victoria has ignored the Interior and up from the Smithers area…. Another porphyry. Over the rural part of the province. My riding shares those in Kamloops, another porphyry. Over in Ashcroft there scars, and they're deep. are those deposits. For them to be developed, it requires I close by reminding people that the budget has got a that there's an agreement and things will move. quarter-billion dollars yet to be found. It's got revenues [1635] in it that are highly optimistic, and there will be a return 14498 British Columbia Debates Thursday, March 12, 2009
down here to the Campbell days of cut and slash on the The new tower will also have a new rooftop helicopter backs of the ordinary people of British Columbia. pad for emergency use. This is just one more investment It's with that that I thank you for listening to me, and we are making in health care throughout Surrey, and it I will not be voting for this budget. will create 3,760 jobs. That is prudent. All this comes on the heels of 73 new acute care beds D. Hayer: First of all, I want to thank my constitu- that we opened at Surrey Memorial Hospital in August, ents, my volunteers, my wife, my children, my mom, my 2008. As well, there was a $10 million expansion to family and friends and many other workers, teachers, Surrey Memorial's kidney dialysis unit, increasing the mill workers and other businesses who come regularly stations from 18 to 30. for coffee meetings and share their concerns with me for This is all part of a $30 million upgrade initiative at the last eight years. I want to thank them for working Surrey Memorial begun in 2005 to build capacity, expand with me and helping me out, providing information. services and ease congestion at the Surrey Memorial Also, I want to thank my staff, Manuel Santos, Mark Hospital. These additional beds represent a 26 percent Rushton, Gina Andersen, Gillian Dolding, Tim Morrison, increase in acute care beds in Surrey, 491 of them since Grace Lore, Christie Pruden, Paul Keenleyside and other Fraser Health was created by our government. support staff for the help and support they provided me For the cancer services, this government has spent over the last eight years of my job as an MLA for Surrey- $12.5 million on renovation to the B.C. Cancer Centre in Tynehead. Without their help, I could not have been Surrey, vastly improving services to the cancer patients able to do the job I've been able to do either in Victoria in our community. or in my constituency. [1645] Mr. Speaker, I want to thank you very much for giving Just a couple of weeks ago I attended the first con- me the opportunity to respond to this budget speech. Do crete pouring for the new ambulatory outpatient day you know that by dictionary definition, the word "prudent" care hospital being built on Fraser Highway and 140th means sensible, marked by sound judgment? It also means Street. This tremendous new facility will be 188,000 wise, cautious and careful in providing for the future. square feet, is worth $239 million and is expected to Prudent is an apt and precise description for this budget. create 1,500 construction jobs. The new hospital will As we are all acutely aware, the global economic troubles feature expanded day surgery and diagnostic services are also having a profound effect on British Columbia. including four operating rooms and ten procedure Our citizens are concerned. They're worried about their rooms. It will also include a primary care area for future. Yet this budget in many ways addresses those seniors and people living with chronic disease or HIV worries. It provides for jobs and, regardless of the future and AIDS. implications of any economic downturn, protects health Across B.C. $2.9 billion in capital spending will be care and education, the keys to protect our residents and invested in construction and renovation for health care future opportunities for our children. facilities over the next three years. But investments in Protection is also there for this year and coming years health care don't end with infrastructure additions. in job creation and in jobs that will be created through Funding for health care has increased every year since this budget. In my city of Surrey alone, the largest expan- our first budget in 2001, when we were elected. This year sion in the history of the Fraser Health — well over half we are adding an additional $4.8 billion over the three a billion dollars — will be spent to build a new critical years to what we have already spent — almost three- care tower at Surrey Memorial Hospital. quarters more on health care since our government That project alone will create, over its construction first took office in 2001. In 2001 health care spending phase, thousands of direct and indirect jobs. This new was $9.365 billion. In the 2009-10 budget, government tower at Surrey Memorial Hospital will add 151 acute spending on health care is budgeted at $15.7 billion. care beds and will expand many services, including That's an increase of almost 68 percent. 48 children's neonatal intensive care beds, specialized On mental health and drug and addiction services we mental health and geriatric units. are spending over $1.2 billion. Our mental health and The new tower is projected to cost between $500 addictions services budget is 42 percent more than in million to $600 million and will contain a new emer- 2001, when our government came into this province. gency department that will be five times larger than the There are now 7,776 mental health beds. That is 2,836 one existing at the Surrey Memorial Hospital and will more than the 4,940 in place in 2001 under the NDP, an include a separate children's ER and an enhanced minor increase of 44 percent. treatment unit. The maternity department will have 13 In the area of education and training of health care new birthing beds, private rooms for mothers and their professionals who will staff those wonderful new addi- families, and additional academic space for new doctors tions to our health care system, we have made great and other health care professionals in partnership with strides. We have invested $189 million since 2001 in our the UBC medical school and Fraser Health. B.C. nursing strategy to attract and retain nurses. Thursday, March 12, 2009 British Columbia Debates 14499
We've increased the number of nurse training spaces attending our schools. Yet despite that huge decline, by 93 percent since 2001. We have added 23 new nurs- this government is spending more money per pupil on ing programs. We now have a record number of nursing education than at any other time in our history. This is graduates and practising nurses programs. When I talk thinking for the future. to the nurses and people in health care, they're very happy In the area of post-secondary education, a further $1.7 to see so many new spaces created and that there are so billion will be invested in facilities including projects many new opportunities for them in new facilities. that increase student capacity. I know how important New medical schools were added to Prince George that is to the young people in my riding, who are now and Victoria, and we are now graduating 256 medical able to obtain post-secondary degrees at the wonderful doctors every year, up from 128 in 2001-2002. The new Surrey campus of Surrey Simon Fraser University number of medical school spaces in B.C. has doubled and at Surrey's own Kwantlen Polytechnic University. since 2001 when our government was formed, from 128 In fact, since 2001 our government has funded more to 256. than 1,000 new student seats at the four Kwantlen We are adding a fourth program at UBC Okanagan, University campuses. Also, the Surrey campus of SFU which will allow us to increase the number of medical has received almost $70 million from the Ministry of doctor grads to 288 per year. Also, the spaces for resi- Advanced Education. In 2008-09 we are funding a total dency for international medical school graduates have of 19,464 student spaces at SFU. increased by 800 percent, from two to 18. Couple those excellent centres of higher learning with For our children's future, another $1.3 billion will be the new world-class $42.3 million trades and technol- invested in job creation to replace, renovate or expand ogy centre in Cloverdale and Surrey, and our students schools offering kindergarten to grade 12. We are con- have at hand and close to home the ability to learn skills tinuing to invest in our future with increased funding for and trades that will serve them well in their careers any- our students with a per-pupil funding increase in this where in the world. This 17,000-square-metre building budget to $8,242 for each child. That is the highest-ever has room for more than 900 students. funding for education in the history of this province. All these advanced education centres will provide Since this government was elected in 2001, we have built Surrey students with training to take advantage of all new schools throughout the Surrey district. Rosemary job opportunities our government is creating through Heights Elementary opened in 2008, White Rock Elemen- infrastructure investment. There will be capacity, and tary in 2007. Panorama Ridge Secondary School, Pacific there will be plenty of jobs. Heights Elementary School and Cambridge Elementary Our government is putting more than $2.3 billion all opened in 2006. Bridgeview Elementary and Surrey into transportation projects, including the new ten-lane Centre Elementary opened in 2003. Kwantlen Secondary, Port Mann bridge crossing — which will be designed to A.J. McLellan Elementary and Morgan Elementary opened have buses, bicycles and also a light rail system in the in 2002. future — and the South Fraser perimeter road. We also opened Sullivan Heights Secondary, Coast In addition to these, we will soon see the freeway Meridian Elementary and Chimney Hill Elementary. In widened through my constituency all the way into addition, Hazelgrove Elementary is expected to open Vancouver. We will soon see the new Golden Ears bridge this year, and Woodward Hill Elementary is also under coming on line, and the Pacific Highway–176th Street construction, expected to open in 2010. four-laning project is close to completion, creating a Most of these are brand-new schools, while some seamless route for across-the-border traffic going to and of the others were built to replace aging facilities to from the United States. That is prudent. improve the educational environment for our children. We are also expanding the SkyTrain transit system, That is thinking and building for the future. all the way to Guildford and to the Fraser Highway I also want to point out that since 2001 we have and 168th Street and then to Langley and Newton, and increased the number of teachers in Surrey by 365. In doubling the number of buses in Surrey and our area. 2001 Surrey school district had 3,391 teachers, and These are vital links in our transportation system that today they have more than 3,756 teachers working in will enhance travel, save millions of dollars and get the Surrey school district. In other words, Surrey schools B.C.'s goods to market and ports and consumers quicker are far better off today than they were eight years ago. at less cost. They have more schools, newer and better schools, and On top of all that, the smooth traffic flow will elim- we have more teachers. inate the huge quantity of vehicle pollution that is now [1650] generated in my riding due to hour-long tie-ups at the All these investments in Surrey's education system Port Mann Bridge. My constituents are thrilled that have been built at the time when elsewhere across the the construction has begun on the new ten-lane Port province, school enrolment has declined by 50,000 Mann Bridge crossing and the addition of extra lanes on students. That is a huge drop in the number of children Highway 1 all the way from Vancouver to Langley. 14500 British Columbia Debates Thursday, March 12, 2009
They appreciate that the government is also updating built or committed to building more than 16,000 units the interchanges at 152nd Street, 160th Street and 176th of social housing, including over 4,000 assisted-living Street on Highway 1. They are impressed that after 20 units for seniors. years of needing it, construction has finally begun on the Today there are more than 4,400 supportive housing South Fraser perimeter road. They are also thrilled that units in communities all across B.C., more than three after 20 years of wanting it, there's finally a new under- times the number of units under the NDP government, pass soon to be opened at 156th Street and Highway when in 2001 there were only 1,300 units. The Surrey 1 connecting Fraser Heights and Guildford to vastly seniors have not been overlooked in the provisions of improve north and south traffic flow. more residential care facilities. In the Port Kells area there are now new on- and off- Last March 26 we opened the new 191-bed CareLife ramps at 192nd Street and Highway 1 to ease commuter Fleetwood residential care facility, and 157 of those beds congestion and improve commercial truck traffic flow. are funded by Fraser Health. On June 23 last year we Surrey residents are also impressed with the four-laning opened Laurel Place, a 215-bed residential care facility and widening of both Fraser Highway and Highway 10, with 162 beds plus 20 hospital beds funded by Fraser which were needed for a long period of time. Health. We also have Rosemary Heights Seniors Village, All these new improvements have come after years of which is a new 151-unit campus of care with 61 assisted- wanting them. They have come only through the hard living units and 90 residential care beds. The province work, effort and investment of our government. These will supplement with annual funding of $240 for rent investments will allow my constituents to save time and for 42 of those residential units under the Independent fuel wasted while stuck in traffic and will get them to Living B.C. program, while Fraser Health funds 85 of work and back home much quicker. It will get them the residential care beds. to the shopping centres much faster and allow them For those who face end of life, we opened 20 beds at to get the children back and forth much faster to the Laurel Place Hospice in May, which doubled the number recreation centres and all other activities the children of hospice beds formerly available at Surrey Memorial are involved in. Shirley Dean Pavilion. Surrey also received 53 assisted- These investments are also a means to reduce costs living units at Elim Housing in spring of 2006 and 80 and increase profit for the businesses in Surrey, who are residential care beds at Elim in winter of 2008, which are very pleased to see contained in this budget the indus- funded by the province through Fraser Health. I will be trial property tax credit for the 2009 tax year. going to the opening ceremony this Friday. [1655] Mr. Speaker, 29 beds have been added to the Evergreen The Port Kells area of my riding is one of B.C.'s most Cottages, 59 beds at Fleetwood Place and 60 at the new vibrant industrial areas, and taxpayers on both major Fleetwood Villa. In total, there are now 2,091 residential and light industrial properties in Port Kells and across care, supportive housing and assisted-living units for B.C. will now see the provincial school tax reduced by our seniors in Surrey funded by our province. In 2001 50 percent. That means that across the province, $155 when this government took office, there were only 939. million will be saved by industry over the next three Across the province today there are 5,896 net new years. That is prudent. residential care beds, assisted-living and supportive The farmers in Surrey and throughout the Fraser housing units, compared to 2001. There are also 6,539 Valley will now see an exemption for PST on purchase replacement units, for the total of 12,435 new replace- of egg-packaging equipment and on refrigeration equip- ment bed units that have been opened, replacing many ment used for cooling and cold storage of farm products, beds that were old and unsuitable. including berries, vegetables and other produce that In 2008-2009 we will spend over $2.2 billion on make our farmland so valuable. home and community care for seniors, an increase of This budget also provides for the most vulnerable in $686 million from 2001 — 44 percent more than the our society. Included in it is $110 million to support vul- NDP spent in 2001. For independent seniors we have nerable children and families and another $110 million the SAFER program, which provides rental subsidies over the three years to meet the increased income assist- for seniors. More than 15,700 of them have received ance needs of vulnerable British Columbians during this rental assistance — 3,500 more than in 2001 when our economic downturn. government took office. The average assistance is $151 To help end the cycle of homelessness, our govern- a month, and the maximum is $210 for single seniors, ment is investing an additional $34 million in outreach with $226.50 for a couple in Surrey and throughout the and interim assistance. In fact, this government is spend- Lower Mainland. ing more on housing and converting homelessness than We also increased the property tax homeowner grant ever before in the province's history. Since our first elec- to $845 and raised the property value threshold to $1.05 tion, our government has tripled the housing budget to million to cushion the tax effect for seniors whose more than $400 million today. This government has also homes have increased dramatically in value. This move Thursday, March 12, 2009 British Columbia Debates 14501
has allowed them to keep and maintain the family home Osoyoos and Logan Lake. This investment of $34 mil- they have lived in for years. In addition, there is now no lion provides some 560 housing units. property value threshold for low-income seniors, people Last year alone we invested $130 million in 45 build- with disabilities or veterans. ings to protect and upgrade some 2,000 units of existing [1700] affordable housing — most of which, if we had not As well, as part of the Premier's economic recovery intervened on behalf of those in need, would have been plan announced in the fall of 2008, families can now converted into more expensive forms of housing or defer their home property taxes for two years. And for changed to other uses. low-income families we launched the 2008 rental assist- For those who require additional services, our gov- ance plan, which provides up to a maximum of $765 a ernment has stepped up to the plate. In Surrey we have month in rental assistance for those families earning less opened Creekside Withdrawal Management Centre, than $35,000 a year. which replaced the existing Maple Cottage in Burnaby. Also for low-income families, the child care subsidy The two-storey Creekside Centre on 94A Avenue, adja- program was expanded in 2005 when the qualifying cent to Surrey Memorial Hospital, contains 24 adult annual income threshold for families was increased beds and six more dedicated to addicted youth. This from $21,000 to $38,000. This increase in the number centre provides a 24-hour, safe, supportive, medically of eligible families benefited more than 12,000 children. supervised environment for those adults and youth who The child care subsidy program supports around 50,000 want to withdraw from substance abuse. individual children each year. This government also Our government also invested $10.9 million in Phoenix funds approximately 90,000 child care spaces through- Centre, which offers integrated addiction services and out the province, an increase of more than 40 percent provides the continual support for those recovering since 2003. And the Fair PharmaCare program lowered from addiction and mental illness. The Phoenix Centre drug costs for 2,080 people. is the first development of its kind in British Columbia Last year the budget provided an additional $104 to combine clinical addiction services with transitional million over the four years to help break the cycle of housing, employment and educational services. This homelessness; $78 million of that will allow emergency centre provides 28 early stabilization and addiction ser- shelters to stay open 24 hours a day, seven days a week. vices beds and 36 transitional housing units. It's operated There are now more than 1,500 shelter beds available by the non-profit Phoenix Drug and Alcohol Recovery in B.C., nearly double the 850 beds that were available and Education Society. when we took office from the NDP. That is all about caring for the vulnerable in our soci- Last year we established a $13 million outreach ety and making decisions and decisive action to help program to expand homeless housing and supportive them live in comfort and security. services. To date, more than 4,500 people have obtained [1705] housing as a result of the services. We also provided $3 This action and these decisions are all about caring million over the four years in rent supplements to help about the future for everyone, and we want to make sure homeless people find rental accommodation. that our sound financial management is there. We want There is a lot more — $10 million in one-time fund- to make sure we can do everything we can by having a ing for the pre-development costs of city-owned sites in sound financial management plan for the future and a cities across the province to help fast-track construction plan for today. of affordable and supportive housing units. In the agree- We are keeping on that plan. We have that plan. That ments we have already reached are the cities of Surrey, is prudent. That is keeping British Columbia strong, Vancouver, Victoria, Kelowna, Abbotsford, Maple Ridge, keeping our province at the forefront of fiscal respon- Campbell River and Nanaimo. The approval process has sibility and keeping British Columbia a leader in the role been fast-tracked for almost 2,000 new supportive hous- of economic prudence for all of Canada. ing units and shelter beds. Our government's plan is to invest close to $14 billion Also, as a result of last year's budget, our government in infrastructure over the next three years, which will has spent, over the past few months, $96 million to donate some 88,000 jobs, and that is what the dictionary purchase 25 hotels to preserve the stock of some 1,440 describes as prudent, careful action to provide for the affordable housing units. In addition, we are investing future. Just as prudent is the government's decision to another $90 million to renovate these units to provide cut back discretionary spending on such things as travel services to help people break the cycle of homelessness. and advertising for our government employees and gov- In addition to those hotels in Vancouver, Victoria ernment members. and New Westminster, our government has preserved Because we have been prudent in all the years follow- additional affordable housing by purchasing buildings ing the 2001 election, B.C. has the best possible, triple-A in Surrey, Kamloops, Burnaby, Quesnel, Port Alberni, credit rating — the best in Canada. It is that solid finan- Prince George, Mission, Williams Lake, Abbotsford, cial foundation that will help our citizens weather this 14502 British Columbia Debates Thursday, March 12, 2009
current economic turmoil, and when the economic print suspects at site; and also introduce Bill C-25, 26 and turmoil is over, we will return by 2011-12 to a balanced mandatory minimum sentences in Ottawa. budget so that we will not leave decades of deficit for Since 2001 we have added 950 new police officers into future generations to look after. That is prudent. communities across B.C., and 100 percent of the fine Also prudent is the assistance we are providing to the revenue is returned to B.C. municipalities to help fund home property owners through the temporary property local policing. I want to point out that since 2001 Surrey tax deferral program, which was introduced in the 2009 has received almost $26 million from our government and 2010 tax years to help those homeowners who are for fine revenue to help fight crime. experiencing financial difficulties. As well, there are exten- [1710] sions included in this budget for the extension of provincial Last year over $1 million was given to three jurisdic- sales tax on energy-efficient home heating equipment, as tions — one of them is Surrey — for the pilot project well as for specialized commercial vehicles. that will increase the use of closed-circuit TVs in high- This budget also increases the low-income climate crime areas. The prolific offender management project action tax credit by 10 percent, effective 2011, which will also be piloted in five jurisdictions, including Surrey. will put some $15 million a year back into the pockets of This project will involve a more integrated, multi-agency families who need it the most. For those whose land is response, because many of those chronic offenders are classified as farm, property tax costs will be reduced by dealing with issues such as drug addiction, mental ill- 50 percent in 2011. ness, unemployment and homelessness. Remember, everyone is better off thanks to the tax Our government is also committed to providing funds scheme this government introduced and continues to in support of the environment, parks, recreation and improve on, and that is almost eight years ago when we healthy living in our community. In Surrey we had invested took office. In fact, one of the first things our govern- $500,000 to expand the public spaces for community gath- ment did in 2001 was to reduce personal income tax by erings with special grants to the Spirit Square in Holland 25 percent. Today, as a result of our tax cuts, we have Park. The province has also transferred approximately 77 completely eliminated provincial income tax for every- acres of land in the heart of Surrey worth millions of dol- one earning less than $15,500 a year. That means almost lars to the city of Surrey to protect public park space in 250,000 low-income British Columbians will now pay Green Timbers Park for all the community to enjoy for no provincial income tax at all. That's the first time in generations to come. We have made Surrey a better place this province's history. to play for our youth. Those earning less than $112,000 a year pay the lowest I have a lot more to say. I notice my time has run out, income tax in Canada. When we took government in so I'll continue later on, whenever I can get back to this. 2001, under the NDP, British Columbia had paid the highest income taxes in North America. Our 2.5 per- J. McGinn: I've been suffering from laryngitis these cent tax rate for small business is also the lowest tax rate past few days, so I'm hoping that my voice will hold out in Canada, and B.C. has the lowest business income tax for the duration of my speech. rate in all of the G7 countries. It's with great pleasure that I rise to give my first budget Another issue that is of great concern to my constitu- speech in this House. I'd like to start by recognizing that ents and all of British Columbia is public safety. That is we're on the traditional territory of the Songhees First why, on February 13 of this year, the Premier announced Nation and give respect to the first nations of B.C. for an additional 168 police officers and ten prosecutors as welcoming us to their traditional territory. part of the comprehensive initiative to strengthen B.C.'s I just want to also give a warm thanks to all the people fight against gang and gun violence. in Vancouver-Fairview that made it possible for me to The public safety package also included $185 million represent them here. It's indeed a great, great pleasure to invest in new jail cells and new regulations around the to represent my residents of Vancouver-Fairview in this sale of body armour, revisions to the Motor Vehicle Act chamber. to outlaw modified armoured vehicles and aggressively I really wanted to send a sincere thanks out to my staff utilize the Civil Forfeiture Act to seize and sell vehicles in Vancouver-Fairview, Jarrah Hodge and Steven Klein. and property obtained through criminal means. So we They're working hard for the people of Vancouver- want to go after the gangs and stop them. Fairview, and here in Victoria, my staff, Susan Farmer. We're lobbying the federal government to make chan- I just really want to send my great appreciation for the ges to the Criminal Code to make it harder for those hard work that they do to help me to do my job. accused of gun offences to get bail; eliminate two-for-one I also wanted to say a big thank you to the residents time served; expand the ability to obtain and utilize wire- of Vancouver-Fairview. I might be a newcomer here tap evidence; also, new technologies so we can put them as an MLA, but I'll tell you. I've been out there on the in jail; simplify evidence disclosure requirements; more ground the last several months meeting with groups and protection against intimidation; stronger power to finger- individuals, whether it's out on the doorstep, at a com- Thursday, March 12, 2009 British Columbia Debates 14503
munity meeting or in my office. I've been out there and a child care program. Imagine what that would do to hearing their ideas, and they've been providing me with help children and working families in our province. their input, their critiques and their ideas, never hesitant Speaking about kids, British Columbia has the great to contribute and support me in my work and ensuring shame, five years running now, of having the highest child that their voices are heard here in the Legislature. poverty rate in our country. This is absolutely shameful I take those responsibilities quite seriously as their in a province as rich and prosperous as ours, and there's representative, and I just wanted to take a moment here no provincial child poverty plan in B.C., despite having this afternoon to tell you a bit about what I've been hear- the highest child poverty rate in the country. ing in my constituency. I've been hearing from young There was a study done a few months ago. It was con- families who are facing increasing pressures to make ducted about poverty in our province. Some 91 percent ends meet. Vancouver-Fairview is actually one of the of respondents said that they would feel proud if our most expensive constituencies in the province in which to Premier took action and leadership on poverty reduc- live. Families are being challenged by high rents, and high tion, and 87 percent of British Columbians said now housing prices are being driven out of reach for many. was the time for strong political leadership to reduce the Hydro prices are increasing, and transit prices are number of poor people in our province. This budget falls always increasing, while the lineups for buses continue short of that kind of leadership that British Columbians to rise just along with them. Ferry prices are increasing, want and expect from their government. as is ICBC. Furthermore, British Columbians believe that an eco- More and more families are being faced with both nomic recession is exactly the time when governments parents having to work to accommodate these rising need to act on poverty reduction. When asked further prices. They need safe and affordable child care to whether in the face of a recession governments will have ensure that their children have somewhere to go before to focus on other priorities or whether an economic and after school. There are not enough child care spaces downturn makes it a more important priority than ever to meet this great demand. I see very little in this budget to help the poor, 77 percent chose the latter. Again, this to address the wait-lists for child care. seems to indicate just how out of touch this government There was an opportunity, however. There was an is with the interests and the concerns of the majority of opportunity to create a voluntary all-day kindergarten British Columbians. program for five-year-olds this September. This pro- But when we're talking about child poverty, what we're gram would help to address some of the pressures for really talking about here is poverty for their parents, working families, but this opportunity was lost in this particularly women's poverty, since the majority of poor budget. Again, children and their working parents fail children are often raised by a single parent, usually a to be a priority for this government. woman. In fact, children living with single parents have Lack of affordable and available child care in my nearly four times the poverty rate compared to that of community is a major concern to the residents of children in two-parent families. That's 43 percent - com Vancouver-Fairview. I've talked to parents who are being pared to 11 percent. In B.C. poverty among single mothers forced to consider having to quit their jobs because rose an astounding 15.8 percent between 2001 and 2005. there's no after-school care for their children. Parents Vancouver was worse still, at a 24 percent increase. have been forced into desperate situations because of The budget fails to address child poverty in any mean- the decision of this government not to invest in all-day ingful way. It has also failed eight years counting now to kindergarten programs. raise the wage for the lowest-paid workers in our prov- [1715] ince. Full-time earnings for minimum-wage workers in The Mount Pleasant Child Care Centre, which is B.C. amount to only $16,640. That's more than $5,000 located in my constituency at Ontario and 16th, is strug- below the StatsCan poverty line for an individual living gling to find operational dollars to ensure child care in a large urban centre. programs continue while the centre is relocating. Parents It's with significance that women constitute two-thirds are worried they won't have a space for their child and of all B.C. workers earning the minimum wage. If this are calling on the provincial government to step up and government truly cared about the welfare of our children, provide the necessary funding for this vital program. they would raise the minimum wage to assist low-income The government has invested less money into child parents to provide their children with a better standard care than it has on a new roof for B.C. Place Stadium. of living. It's quite appalling. Clearly, when the member from Now, I think — and I think my colleagues on this side Point Grey stated that all he has tried to do in public of the House would agree with me — that kids are worth life is about children, he was spewing rhetoric instead of the investment. It astounds me that any government delivering services. in this day and age can take an approach that actually If this government really cared about children in this undervalues, undercuts and undermines our kids. Our province, they would invest 1 percent of the GDP towards kids are our future. From child care to education to 14504 British Columbia Debates Thursday, March 12, 2009
eradicating child poverty, we need to radically improve primarily hurt women, who are likely to have fewer the prospects and the potential for our kids, and this resources than their ex-partners to deal with family law budget does not do that. matters and are much more likely to be victims of abuse, Homelessness is also a key concern in the riding of violence or harassment. Vancouver-Fairview. My constituents ask me how it got It seems strange to me that these cuts would be this bad and how, in just a short number of years, we have coming at a time like this. There's a direct correlation to failed our most vulnerable citizens. Whatever happened economic downturns and increases in family violence. to us being a caring and a compassionate society? In the last year alone battered women's support services [1720] saw a 36 percent increase in demand for their services. In the most recent homelessness count in Vancouver This is across the board, and a disproportionately high that was conducted in March of last year, 2,660 people number of these women are immigrants, refugees and were found to be homeless. There's also a growing non-status women. number of the hidden homeless. These are mostly The cuts to legal aid mean that far too often these women and children who are staying at the homes of women will have to self-represent in an alien system, their friends or their family. After almost eight years of where English is not their first language, and they will Liberal government policies, homelessness in our prov- have to experience the trauma all over again. Clearly, ince has risen by over 300 percent. women who have been victimized by violence deserve In a recently published report entitled Homelessness: better treatment. Clear Focus Needed the Auditor General has concluded In a similar vein, it's absolutely astounding to me that that the government has not been successful in reducing there is nothing in the budget to deal with the press- homelessness. TheA uditor General states that the govern- ing issue of gang violence. You can't turn on the TV or ment has not established a clear direction for addressing read the newspaper these days without hearing about homelessness. Its goals and objectives are ill-defined, and the horrible and deplorable situation of gang violence it has no overall measure or target for homelessness. in our city. I've been hearing from my constituents in The government lacks a profile of the homeless Vancouver-Fairview, who are fearful to leave their homes, population, the Auditor General further states. He worried that they might be caught in the crossfire. One recommends that the government ensure it has compre- of these incidents happened in my own constituency, in hensive information about the numbers and the needs Vancouver-Fairview, at Arbutus and Broadway. of homeless people to guide its decision-making. The violence is so random that nowhere seems safe He further states that homelessness is growing in B.C. anymore. The Premier himself has said that gang -vio This is contrary to what we've heard from the members lence is absolutely unacceptable and that we have to do opposite. The Auditor General states again that home- everything we can to stop it. Well, what we need is more lessness is growing in British Columbia, and then he than empty words. We need some action. states that the government's reporting on homelessness This is from the same government that has closed is inadequate. jails, made cuts to prosecutors and made significant cuts The inaction is deafening. The disappearance of low- to important community programs. My constituents income housing and the lack of necessary supports are expect action from their government on this issue. In appalling. They say that we can judge a society by how it fact, they deserve it. treats its most vulnerable. Well, I would suggest that this [1725] government would be judged quite poorly by the lack I've also heard from small businesses on Cambie of action on homelessness and the reasons that cause Street. They've been adversely impacted by the Canada homelessness. line construction and have been calling for compensa- I've also been hearing from people in my constitu- tion from this government. Yet we see no allocation of ency who are concerned about cuts to legal aid. The compensation for these businesses, despite the fact that Vancouver Family Law Clinic run by the Legal Services over 50 businesses have either gone bankrupt or have Society is slated to be closed by April 30 of this year. This been forced to relocate. is in spite of the fact that there is a family law crisis in Instead of sitting down with these businesses and B.C., in which Legal Services acknowledges that there negotiating a deal, the Liberal government is fighting are just simply not enough lawyers to take on family law their claim for settlement in court, using taxpayers' and child protection legal aid cases. dollars to fight these small family-owned businesses in The Family Law Clinic is a place of last resort for court — instead of sitting down and trying to negotiate some of the most difficult cases that private bar lawyers a deal with them, which is the right thing to do for the just won't take. With no family staff lawyers, the most business community. vulnerable people — those with mental health issues, Leading up to the budget, the government announced literacy challenges, language barriers and victims of that it would have to go into a deficit this year. The domestic violence — will go unserved. These cuts will Premier said that this decision caused him great pain Thursday, March 12, 2009 British Columbia Debates 14505
and that he had sleepless nights, tossing and turning The government claims that this budget provides the about this decision. highest-ever per-student funding, but let's look at the Prior to entering this chamber as a member of the reality. School boards are faced with declining enrolment Legislature, I worked as a banker at Canada's largest numbers. A school's operating costs do not necessarily credit union, Vancity. At Vancity we saw the signs decline when enrolment declines. The funding-per-student of the economic crisis about to unfold. As a banker, I allocation is not adjusted for inflation. The budget does took the precautionary measures that were necessary in not take into consideration the changing complexity of times of a credit crunch. I was prudent and responsible the needs in the student population and the increased when lending money to small businesses and non-profit vulnerability of students entering the K-to-12 system. organizations, because that was the necessary and the It does not provide a per-student amount based on responsible thing to do, both for the credit union and what it would cost to properly fund unmet needs in the for our members. public school system, such as addressing class size, com- We all knew that an economic downturn was about position issues, increasing support for special education to happen. We knew that well over a year ago. But the and fully funding new initiatives. Premier and the members opposite state that it was only [1730] last December that they realized the negative impact The parents I speak to in Vancouver-Fairview have a of the global economic crisis in B.C. and for the 2009 great deal of concern about the funding for education. budget. They want to ensure that their children receive the best I have a question. Were they asleep at the wheel, or education possible and that opportunities exist for them. do they just not understand the economy? Burying their They feel that this budget fails to do that, especially for heads in the sand is absolutely irresponsible, and now the children most in need. We need to invest in sustain- British Columbians are paying the cost, and they're able and predictable funding so that our school boards paying it dearly. can plan over the long term for our students' future. The government did not show the same amount of I've also talked to post-secondary students in my caution and prudence that our financial institutions riding, students who are doing the right thing, the were showing. Instead, we saw reckless and irresponsible responsible thing, out there gaining the skills necessary cost overruns on the convention centre and misplaced to allow them to be productive members of our soci- priorities, like wasteful spending of $365 million on a ety and contributors to our economy. However, this new roof for B.C. Place. government is making that goal much less attainable Now all of a sudden it seems that the government for countless post-secondary students in our province. has woken up, and they've realized the economic cir- We've seen escalating tuition fees, skyrocketing student cumstances that are upon us. Yet this budget does very debt and funding clawbacks. little for the most vulnerable in our society. They said Since 2001 tuition in B.C. has gone up from $2,500 to we had to go into deficit so we could support import- $5,000 — double. This is the fastest increase in Canada. ant programs like health care and education. Those As a result, under this government's watch we've seen are, for sure, important programs and deserving of student debt loads go from one of the lowest in the protection. country to the second highest. The concern of student However, the reality is that this budget does not pro- debt is precluding so many students from entering tect education at all. The budget includes an increase post-secondary institutions, hence reducing their future for education of about $73 million. However, this is earning potential. less than half the increase in 2008-2009. Public schools We need to invest in our future and invest in the received the lowest percentage increase in funding of all future of our young people by providing them with education programs in this budget for 2009-2010. better opportunities and easier access to post-secondary The Ministry of Education's three-year plan shows education. In the long run this investment will increase funding for education programs cut in half each sub- productivity in our province. sequent year. That means that the very real and painful Despite the fact that there has been an increase in shortfalls boards of education across the province are spending in health care, seniors in my community are experiencing will only increase in subsequent years. still not having their needs met. Recently I met with St. A couple of weeks ago I had an opportunity to meet Jude's Anglican Home in Vancouver-Fairview. Staff and with members of the Vancouver school board. The volunteers at St. Jude's are some of the most dedicated Vancouver school board is facing a massive deficit in and hard-working people I've had the pleasure to meet. their budget. They're faced with making some very They've told me about the challenges they have in pro- difficult decisions that will impact some of our most viding care for the residents in their home. vulnerable students — students with special needs. The recommended care for long-term care is between 2.8 and 3.2 hours per resident. However, the fact of the [K. Whittred in the chair.] matter is that St. Jude's Anglican Home is only receiving 14506 British Columbia Debates Thursday, March 12, 2009
funding for 2.3 hours of care. This is in spite of the fact of legal aid, small business people on Cambie Street, that the needs of the residents are growing. Residents minimum-wage workers, homeless people and those at need more assistance with basic needs such as eating risk of being homeless. or going to the washroom. Due to a lack of funding for It's a budget that does not speak to the values of the seniors long-term care, a resident is lucky to have one people I am here to represent. I thank you for the oppor- bath a week. tunity to add my comments to this debate. This is the case not just in this home. It's a systemic problem throughout the region — in fact, throughout Hon. J. McIntyre: I rise to take my place in this debate the province, as my friend from Cowichan-Ladysmith for Budget 2009 with great pleasure. will certainly attest. Surely, the people that built this Before I begin my remarks, I would really like to take province deserve better than what has been afforded to a few moments to respond to the speaker before me, them. the member for Vancouver-Fairview, who I really take In fact, overall in Vancouver-Fairview we've lost exception to. I found that her comments painted a pic- almost 300 long-term care beds for seniors since the Lib- ture of this government and the way that we have treated erals have been in office. We've also seen a disappearance people, seniors and single mothers, that looks as if we of affordable, non-profit long-term care beds, replaced have absolutely no compassion and gives us no credit instead with expensive, private care beds charging for the many steps that we have taken. They're wrong. $5,000 a month — certainly out of reach for many, many They're absolutely wrong. [Applause.] seniors in my community. I've met with seniors in my Don't applaud, because you're wrong. You're wrong. If community, the South Granville Seniors Centre. They've you're applauding for that, you're misguided. expressed their frustration and their anger about cuts to Let me speak about what we've done. Let me actually home care. talk about their record on single mothers. There were mothers at the lower end of the wage where they made Deputy Speaker: Member, just a moment. them pay full provincial income taxes. They paid full Members, the noise level is getting to the point where MSP. They did not have any access to programs like I can't hear the speaker. Could we give the speaker the Fair PharmaCare. No, their answer for those people courtesy of her time. who are most disadvantaged was to put them on welfare. J. McGinn: As I was mentioning, I've been meet- This government has taken a completely different ing with seniors in my community over at the South approach. We created jobs — thousands, hundreds of Granville Seniors Centre, and what these seniors have thousands of jobs to give people dignity. been saying to me is that they're expressing their frustra- Then we talk about minimum wage. It shows the tion about the cuts to home care services. fundamental misunderstanding about economic mat- You see, these seniors are lucky enough to live in ters that the members of the opposition have. They their own homes. They're independent, but some- don't understand that by raising the minimum wage times they need a little help around the house just to at this point in time, in an economic downturn, over make life a little bit easier for them, help with light 50,000 jobs would be lost, and $450 million would housekeeping or bathing or grooming. But what's be imposed on the small business community at the happened since the Liberal government has come to worst possible time. It would impact the very people power is that access to home care services has been she was talking about: the vulnerable single parents slashed. This greatly hinders seniors' ability to live and youth and seniors. That's the NDP version of independently. economic stimulus, and it shows complete lack of [1735] understanding. Also, the provision of home care services just makes Similarly, when the opposition talks about the lower- sense from an economic point of view. It's much cheaper wage earners, again they don't give credit. They no longer to have seniors in their own homes, where they want to pay MSP premiums. They pay no provincial tax. They be, and with extra supports so that they can have their do have access to programs like Fair PharmaCare, and homes cleaned and themselves taken care of. The cuts to there are subsidies for child care that we've expanded home care services don't make any sense from either a and subsidies for rental. They do not paint an accurate human or a financial perspective. picture of what's going on out there. I cannot, with any good conscience, support this One last topic, before I move to my remarks, is home- budget. It is not, as it reports to be, a budget that pro- lessness. I would like the member who talked before me, vides stability and confidence.I t's a budget that provides and who again created the most negative picture, to ask volatility and instability to many in our community. It's the former NDP member of this House who is now the a budget that neglects students and teachers, health care mayor of Vancouver, the city she purports to serve, if workers, seniors, parents and children, women in need he's not pleased with the partnerships that are going on Thursday, March 12, 2009 British Columbia Debates 14507 with the provincial government to deal with the tragic answer to every issue is: "Just throw money at the prob- situation we have with the homeless, particularly the lem. Spend money, more money." Downtown Eastside. Or even worse, we could have added to the debt instead We are beginning to see the effects of several years of paying it off, as we have done over the last few years so of work where this government has tripled the budget, that we and future generations are not hobbled by inter- over $300 million, to deal with this situation. We have est charges and the high rates of borrowing. But no. Our people being housed. Those with the worst sort of addic- fiscal discipline resulted in us achieving a triple-A credit tions and mental health problems now have a place at rating, an achievement to be especially proud of as we Willingdon, opened last summer, where they can go to balanced our last budget by law and raised this province get compassionate treatment for their problems. from worst — where the NDP had plummeted us with a [1740] series of fudge-it budgets — to first in the country. We've opened Keremeos Crossing to help youth with In fact, this current economic downturn could not addictions — all sorts of programs and homes and things have come at a worse time, as we were just finally, that are being revamped to help and serve the most vul- finally digging ourselves out of the hole that the NDP nerable. This government is proud of the record that placed us in when they virtually doubled the operating we're doing, and I want to be on the record to correct the debt under their regime of spending way beyond their misperceptions that this opposition continues to paint. means for programs, for services, in salaries, that we With that, I'd like to turn to my remarks, because…. could not afford. Interestingly, also at a time when they invested next to Interjection. no capital in critical infrastructure and aspects such as skills training and health care education for doctors and Hon. J. McIntyre: My positive remarks. Yes, thank nurses, where they generated no new numbers at a time you. The positive picture of what's going on. that was most important, as we knew we were having I will be responding, of course, to the budget. This is an aging workforce…. No, they invested nothing. That's the last budget of my first term in office and, I have to why we find ourselves partially in the situation we do say, the first one, however, that unfortunately, we cannot today with a labour shortage in health care. call Balanced Budget 2009, like the numbers before us So yes, this budget forecasts a deficit over the next two since 2004. years before we estimate a return to a balanced budget in As was portrayed in our debate on Bill 48, this was 2011-12. However, when you hear news of Alberta run- not an easy decision for any of us to take on this side ning a billion-dollar deficit and Ontario more than ten of the House, to allow government to run a tempor- times that, B.C.'s comparatively healthy position comes ary deficit.B ut I think everyone by now acknowledges right into focus. that we are unexpectedly in very tough times due to We have managed well, and as many have pointed out, global forces that were way beyond Canada's, much we are the best jurisdiction to be living in to withstand less B.C.'s, control. these turbulent times. When you actually see beyond I know that much has been said in the media and in the highlights of the budget and dig into the details, it conversation, much speculation about how long we're in is evident that we have skilfully managed to not only for this downturn. Are we at the bottom, and where is preserve the pledged funding in our operating budget the bottom? But let me reassure this House and members for core services, including the planned increases — and viewers at home that when our Finance Minister put notice the operative word "increases" — in key areas the finishing touches on this budget, despite the num- like health. bers changing regularly, he did it with the best available [1745] knowledge and forecasts. We have also identified over $300 million for funding He did it with our professional and highly skilled a whole range of social programs, like $110 million for Finance Ministry staff and a council of 12 independent B.C. families with children, families and children in care, economists who were providing advice right up into children with special needs, and child care subsidies; January. Then we took their average forecast of a flat $110 million in new funding for income assistance; and growth, of zero percent growth, and added again our $73 million for programs and services for adults with usual prudence to go with an even lower, more con- developmental disabilities. servative figure of minus 0.9 percent. To help end the cycle of homelessness, our govern- Our record of budgeting over these past two terms ment is investing an additional $34 million in the has been characterized by fiscal discipline.I t would have outreach teams and interim assistance, all the kinds been very easy to spend every penny while our economy of things that are so important for those that are most was firing on all cylinders and have nothing for a rainy vulnerable. This government does care. Members on day, as the NDP members opposite would no doubt this side of the House do care, and we're actually acting have done. That's what they would have had us do. Their instead of just talking. 14508 British Columbia Debates Thursday, March 12, 2009
Let me speak for a moment about education fund- In any discussion about our budget I'd like us not ing. While enrolment is dropping and continues to drop, to forget for one moment the steps that our Premier again, we have education funding at the highest levels for and our government took last fall. Instead of waiting people in the whole province's history, over $8,200 now. for Budget 2009, when the economy turned down so Additionally, for post-secondary education this budget quickly, we took swift action. We wanted to provide tax provides an investment of $228 million. It's almost a quar- relief and other measures to shore up confidence and ter of a billion dollars over three years for post-secondary provide concrete assistance to those starting to suffer education at a critical time, when we heard loud and clear the ill effects of this global economic situation like forest in our economic summits that it is imperative to be pro- workers, for whom there are no takers for their products viding skills training and retooling for the new economy in today's market. when we emerge out of this downturn. In October we announced a series of key measures. In We need our workers to be prepared for the 21st November we came back to this House to enshrine the century economy, where we'll be emphasizing all the proposals into legislation. Key measures such as acceler- IT skills and opportunities and ties with Asia-Pacific ating personal income tax relief with a total of 5 percent markets. We need some of our workers retrained and retroactive to January 1, 2008, putting $144 million back retooled, and we need to make sure that the younger into taxpayers' pockets and into the economy. That's on top generation coming up behind us has the appropriate of the 25 percent cut in June 2001 and the additional ten skills for the new economy. points in a subsequent balanced budget a few years ago. Let me also remind the House that 90 percent of all [1750] new spending in this budget is allocated to health care. Also, let me share with you a couple of facts. Let me With a commitment of an additional almost $1 billion put it in terms that I'd be confident that people at home — $945 million — to the $3.9 billion over three years could relate to, things like a family of four which is earn- previously allocated, bringing the total to a staggering ing about $70,000 now pays over $2,000 less per year in almost $5 billion…. By 2011-2012 this will translate to provincial tax than when we took office. That's 45 -per a budget of $171/2 billion, closing in on 50 cents of every cent less. dollar this province spends. When we started in 2001, Another example: a single individual earning $20,000 this funding was at about $10 billion. So much for the now pays over $600 less in provincial taxes. That's a sig- myths that the NDP continue to spread about health nificant amount when you are just entering the workforce care cuts. Only the NDP could figure out that 5 billion or you're a senior on a fixed income. In November we additional dollars is a cut. accelerated tax relief for small business as well. Effective All of this is in addition to our capital spending, December 1, 2008, the rate was dropped to 2.5 percent, a designed to keep workers working and money circulat- full two years ahead of schedule and, incidentally, down ing in the economy. This is about jobs, jobs, jobs. A $14 from the 4.5 percent that we inherited in 2001. billion investment in infrastructure projects in every I operated a small business. For many years I had to region of the province, and $2 billion will be cost-shared meet a payroll. I know how appreciative a tax break is, with the federal government for new projects that we're and this step alone for small business is injecting $146 accelerating over the next few years. million back into this economy when we most need In fact, Minister Baird, the Minister of Transport and it. We established a new property tax credit to help Infrastructure in the federal government, was here today industries stay competitive, where 50 percent of school with our Minister of Transportation and Infrastructure property taxes are rebated to light and heavy industry. to announce millions of dollars for five highway projects In this budget we raised it to 60 percent to try and give in the B.C. interior — right today. those most in need some relief. So this investment — not this investment in particu- We also legislated property tax relief with a deferment lar but the investment that we're doing over the province of property taxes for those in areas who are struggling, — is estimated to be 88,000 jobs, and every job, every as well as protecting RRSPs from creditors. These com- single job, counts. It matters to families. bined steps provide B.C. with a competitive advantage This investment means new housing for seniors, new at this time, in these difficult economic times. Right housing for first nations and new housing for the home- now British Columbians earning up to $116,000 pay less. This funding is for hospitals, for schools, for bridges, the lowest provincial income taxes in the entire country, for roads, for community buildings. Since 2001 a stag- and we're very proud of that. gering $31 billion has been expended on capital projects Since 2001 we've reduced the provincial debt, and which this NDP opposition neglected for a decade. we've cut taxes over 120 times. We are the party of tax Today we're building a new critical care tower at Surrey cuts. The NDP has the opposite record, a record of Memorial; a new Surrey out-patient hospital; revamping adding to the tax burden, no matter what they claim. Royal Jubilee; expanding hospitals in Vernon, Kelowna, That's the clear difference between this side of theH ouse Fort St. John; a new cancer centre in Prince George. and that side. Thursday, March 12, 2009 British Columbia Debates 14509
As my first term nears its end, I have been reflecting from schools and hospitals, things like that. That's their for some months now on why I first ran for office, what record. Our approach is very different, and again, that's originally motivated me. I think, first and foremost, that what differentiates us. I was very determined. I wanted do whatever I could Here's another point of differentiation. We're building on my part to ensure that the B.C. Liberal government a genuine relationship with our first nations. We have received another mandate. From 2001 to 2005, members treaties, treaty success. We have economic accords that who served in this House before me did heavy lifting. are allowing first nations access to revenue and a land They had to make some very, very difficult decisions base that will forever change how they're recognized in about how to get this economy turned around. this province and in this country and will provide untold I really believed in my heart that they deserved a opportunities for their people and the youth coming up chance to follow through. They proved that they could behind the current leadership. We have engaged in genu- do, and they deserved an opportunity to do what they ine reconciliation and recognition of the past injustices, wanted to do, to provide investments back into this something that has needed addressing for generations. province and look after the people of this province and We are continuing to further that new relationship in reinvest in health care, education, social programs, the ongoing discussions about a statutory framework that environment, all sorts of things like that. I believed they will guide how the Crown and first nations will relate. We deserved that chance. are still committed to narrowing the socioeconomic gap We delivered. We have a huge list of accomplishments far between aboriginals and non-aboriginal populations. too long for my allotted time today that prove the power of Another success is unprecedented labour peace, by a strong economy. In a few short years we had a provincial treating workers respectfully. We've put an end to man- economy on fire with jobs looking for workers, instead of datory retirement. These are major achievements on a the other way around. We created well over 400,000 jobs. provincial scale. We had in-migration to the province to reverse the mass The second reason I jumped into politics. I wanted to exodus under the NDP's watch. The skills training — we ensure that the benefits and rewards of a strong economy more than doubled apprenticeships. were returned to my region of the province, especially as Our policies produced a high-employment, high- 2010 loomed and the world was shining a spotlight on wage economy — again, something we are very proud of. us as we prepared for hosting the world. Now I abso- Youth wages have been at the highest levels ever, peaking lutely can't believe that it's going to be here in less than a at over $13 an hour. An average wage in this province a year's time. We delivered on that front as well. short time ago was above $20 an hour. We have over one We have a whole variety of accomplishments in the million women employed in British Columbia for the riding that I have been so privileged to serve for the last very first time. four years. Of course, I have to start my comments by We've had record funding in health with the $5 billion pointing to the safety upgrade of the Sea to Sky Highway added that I mentioned earlier and, again, in education that links my communities, which is over 80 percent the highest per-pupil funding at $8,240. In advanced complete now, well on schedule for completion by this education, thousands of new spaces, making educa- fall. We have upgrades, three and four lanes now, sightline tion more accessible. Five new university designations, improvements, additional passing lanes. We have taken a including Capilano. We've capped tuition increases to notorious road…. This road, along with theK icking Horse the rate of inflation. Pass, were the top two priorities in this province for high- In the area of the environment our Premier has been way upgrade for years and years. I'm very proud of that. taking a bold stand, recognized around North America We have an ambitious goal of reducing accidents by 30 and in Europe for having B.C. lead North America in percent, and I am confident that that highway will now putting a price on carbon. We've been working with be much safer and easier for the almost 15,000 travellers our U. S. partners in the western climate initiative on an per day — the visitors, the commuters, the commercial integrated cap-and-trade system that President Obama traffic — that make use of the Sea to Sky corridor. is now calling for. We've been expanding development Infrastructure grants. It's maybe not the most excit- of renewables, of clean, green sources of energy, and ing topic, but it's completely essential, especially in that's an industry that these members opposite would some of the rural communities that I represent that put out of business. have small tax bases. There have been many projects [1755] that the government has been able to support in the They have promised that if they were elected, they last four years dealing with water and wastewater treat- would shut that industry down. They would destroy ment, debris torrent, diking — all the kinds of things jobs. They would lose those opportunities for green that are so important to the communities like Squamish, energy. They would lose opportunities for those living Pemberton and Whistler that I represent. in rural areas and for our first nations partners. And On the environment. As well as what we're doing on they would divert billions of dollars in investment away a provincial basis, we've spent millions of dollars for 14510 British Columbia Debates Thursday, March 12, 2009
upgrades in the provincial parks. I think there are almost organizations such as the Sea to Sky community services 20 parks in my constituency. We've expanded protected do such a wonderful job. Public safety — returning 100 land. We've signed the Squamish estuary agreement percent of traffic fines to all the communities in the -cor with our first nations. We've added hundreds of thou- ridor where they can spend money on public safety and sands of dollars for trails in the Sea to Sky corridor and reducing crime. This list goes on and on. millions of dollars for a spirit trail that's connecting As I wind down here, as I see we are getting on in Horseshoe Bay and West Vancouver to Deep Cove in the day, I do want to speak about a topic near and dear North Vancouver, a proposed lasting legacy that will be to my heart, and that is the upcoming 2010 Olympic there for generations behind us to enjoy. and Paralympic Games — the Olympics that the NDP We managed to sign a land resource management plan opposition leader never supported from the outset, the for the Sea to Sky region, and it just won an award, I'm proud Olympics that the NDP members across here bash every to say and announce in this House, from the Fraser Basin single day as we sit here in the House, that every day Management Council. That was a culmination of years of they find a reason to fearmonger…. work on the part of local elected officials, those environ- In direct contrast, members on this side of the House mental groups, commercial interests and loggers with the and I personally have been boosters for virtually this input of three different first nations, creating conservancies entire decade. I volunteered on the communications and spirit places. As I said, untold land protection. It's a committee, assisting in overseeing the polling that high-level vision for land use in our whole region. was going on to include in our bid book in the early We've also successfully engaged the first nations in 2000s. opportunities in the Sea to Sky corridor: legacy lands; I attended in Prague in 2003, when Canada and land agreements for the Sea to Sky Highway accommoda- B.C. were successfully awarded the privilege of hosting tion; apprenticeships on the highway, particularly for first the 2010 games. Along with hundreds of thousands nations; the Squamish-Lillooet cultural centre, which the of British Columbians, I was beaming with pride then government supported to the tune of $6 million, along when we were awarded the games, and today I continue with private sector support from Bell Canada. to be as proud of all that B.C. and all of Canada will be In education we have four new StrongStart centres — able to showcase to the world very, very soon. two in West Van, one in Pemberton and one in Squamish Our venues have been completed well in advance, — where parents and caregivers can drop in with their chil- according to plan and to ensure that we have the dren for free to have an early learning experience that will opportunity for all of our athletes to hone their skills prepare them for kindergarten. We have the designation of and practise in their own back yard to give them that Capilano College now as Capilano University. We've had competitive edge. We've succeeded in doing that. Not literacy grants and funding, awards for high school train- only our athletes but our volunteers have also had the ing apprenticeships, grants for playground equipment. opportunity at a series of test events and World Cups to In health care we've managed, with the help of our test their training and their procedures. residents, to raise money for a CT scanner in Whistler, Additionally, we've had the great opportunity of all expand the Squamish Hospital emergency department the economic spinoffs before and after 2010 that could and expand Hilltop seniors home in Squamish — not not come at a better time. Estimates now say that about to forget the expansion of the emergency department at $3 million to $4 million a day are going into the British Lions Gate Hospital in North Vancouver. Columbia economy related to the games, just at a time [1800] when we need it. In child care, we were able to do significant capital I have been privileged over the last years to meet developments at three different centres and expand and hear stories of the amazing impact that hosting an subsidies for families in need. We've doubled spaces Olympics will have on all of our citizens, especially our that we support. youngsters. We've heard stories about youngsters that Assistance for women. I had the opportunity with my were…. The shy youngster in the school, when the school colleague from Oak Bay–Gordon Head when she was principal awarded him with being a torchbearer — this responsible for women and seniors…. We took a tour was a story that was told by the Governor of Utah — and of Pearl's Place in Squamish, where we were able to how something like that transformed that young fellow's announce an extra $100,000 a year for that centre alone life. I think we can barely imagine what this is going to to do 24-7 funding for transition families, to assist those mean, particularly for our youth. fleeing abuse, which is again another example of why I ask you to imagine for a moment what people are going and how we care and that we have actually delivered to feel in this country when the torch race begins this fall. what we feel and what we care about, what we talk about. Just think about that for a moment. When this torch goes We actually are able to deliver. across our country, reaches the most northern parts and We've managed to expand moneys for homeless shelters goes through hundreds of communities in our province, and outreach programs in places like Squamish, where just imagine what our citizens are going to feel. Thursday, March 12, 2009 British Columbia Debates 14511
I've been so privileged and fortunate to have repre- of this House have been in attendance in this chamber sented for the last four years this corridor that links improperly dressed, thereby contravening the longstand- Vancouver and Whistler. Our school children, our ing traditions of parliamentary democracies throughout homestay families, our volunteers are all going to get to the Commonwealth. experience a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. We will be The Chair considers this to be a serious offence. the beneficiaries of all the lasting legacies for years to Therefore, it's my decision that the offending members, come, and I can hardly wait. I'm very anxious to return whom I will not specifically name, will be excluded to the constituency and to this venerable House after from attending this chamber from April 14, 2009, May 12 to continue to work on behalf of my constitu- for the balance of the session. Should the offending ents and to assist them in taking full advantage of all the members identify themselves and offer the appropri- opportunities that I foresee. ate apology, I would be prepared to reconsider this I'll obviously be voting in favour of this budget, a decision. budget that reflects these times and that is manageable. If the hon. members would just stay in their seats, the We're asking all British Columbians to help get the Lieutenant-Governor is in the precinct and will be in province through this downturn. By working together, shortly. we will return to economic strength and prosperity. We [1810-1825] need stability, we need experience, and we need to main- tain confidence in British Columbia's potential. Royal Assent to Bills As I close, let me say that these past four years have been one of the most rewarding experiences of my career. His Honour the Lieutenant-Governor entered the I could not perform this job without the unwavering chamber and took his seat on the throne. support of my husband Andrew and my two children, Leigh and Drew, who allow me the time away from my Clerk Assistant: family to serve my constituents. Budget Measures Implementation Act, 2009 [1805] Ministerial Accountability Bases Act, 2008-2009 My thanks, also, to my constituency assistant, Judi Workers Compensation Amendment Act, 2009 Fee, whose talent and compassion and years of experi- In Her Majesty's name, His Honour the Lieutenant- ence on this job give me comfort that my constituents Governor doth assent to these acts. are receiving all the assistance they so deserve. Supply Act, 2008-2009 (Supplementary Estimates) Supply Act (No. 1), 2009 Hon. J. McIntyre moved adjournment of debate. In Her Majesty's name, His Honour the Lieutenant- Governor doth thank Her Majesty's loyal subjects, accept Motion approved. their benevolence and assent to these acts.
Deputy Speaker: Members, I will call a recess until His Honour the Lieutenant-Governor retired from the call of the Chair. the chamber.
The House recessed from 6:06 p.m. to 6:07 p.m. [Mr. Speaker in the chair.]
[Mr. Speaker in the chair.] Hon. M. de Jong: Safe travels to everyone. A good week at home. Mr. Speaker: Hon. Members, we'll reconvene the House. The Lieutenant-Governor will be here shortly. Hon. M. de Jong moved adjournment of the House.
Speaker's Statement Motion approved.
APPROPRIATE ATTIRE IN THE CHAMBER Mr. Speaker: This House stands adjourned until March 23 at 10 a.m. Mr. Speaker: Before the Lieutenant-Governor comes, it has been brought to my attention that two members The House adjourned at 6:30 p.m.
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