BC Today – Daily Report July 30, 2020 Quotation of the day “It was a difficult decision, but you know, Science World is a fabulous organization.” Liberal MLA Tracy Redies announces she will be resigning her seat to serve as CEO of ​ ​ Science World, effective August 31. Today in B.C. On the schedule The house sits virtually today to continue debating ministry estimates. Section A of the Committee of Supply is set to review the estimates for the Ministry of Advanced Education, Skills and Training with the estimates for the Ministry of Forests, Lands, Natural Resource Operations and Rural Development on deck. Section C will debate the estimates for the Ministry of Public Safety and Solicitor General. Wednesday’s debates and proceedings Two more private member’s bills were introduced by Liberal MLAs yesterday. Liberal ICBC critic Jas Johal put forward M208, Insurance Corporation Amendment Act, which ​ ​ ​ ​ would allow for any savings ICBC has seen as a result of the pandemic to be paid to drivers in the form of a rebate. Liberal Liquor and Gaming critic John Yap introduced M209, Liquor Control and Licensing ​ ​ ​ ​ Amendment Act, which would allow restaurants to continue selling alcoholic beverages with takeout and delivery orders and to buy alcohol from private retailers. Bill 18, Economic Stabilization Act (COVID-19), cleared third reading. The bill enacts a suite of ​ tax measures aimed at helping businesses weather the COVID-19 pandemic and allows the government to table deficit budgets through 2024 MLAs spent the rest of the day at committee stage on Bill 23, Workers Compensation ​ ​ Amendment Act. ‘Learning groups’ to anchor full-time school restart in September The majority of B.C. students are expected to start the new school year back in the classroom, Education Minister Rob Fleming announced Wednesday. ​ ​ The province is planning for a full-time start to the 2020-21 school year on September 8. Schools will reopen in Stage 2 of the province’s education restart plan, which was first ​ ​ announced ahead of the voluntary, part-time return to classroom learning that took place in June. “It is a robust plan that I believe puts the health and safety of our children, teachers and staff at the top of our list,” said Dr. Bonnie Henry of the guidelines she helped create. ​ ​ The province is ponying up $45.6 million to offset the extra costs of pandemic-era schooling. Additional staff and cleaning hours will get the lion’s share at $23 million, and another $5.1 million will go toward the cost of cleaning supplies. A further $9.2 million will improve and increase hand hygiene facilities, and $2.2 million will make reusable face masks available for staff and students, upon request. Independent schools will get an additional $3 million, and an identical amount will support remote learning options for students with disabilities and complex needs. Small, consistent groups; masks ‘on request’ To reduce transmission risks among students and teachers, cohorts — which the government has dubbed “learning groups” —will be organized so the same pack of students and teachers spend most of their time together, including breaks. In elementary and middle schools, the maximum size of a cohort is 60. For secondary schools— where students are better able to understand and comply with physical distancing and hygiene guidelines — up to 120 people can be included in a cohort. Cohort members may have different classes but will be able to “interact and connect” with each other outside of the classroom in common areas such as gyms, libraries and playgrounds. There will be no inter-school sports, assemblies or rallies this school year. Due to space constraints, 16 schools with between 1,500 and 2,00 students in the Lower Mainland and the Okanagan may have to stick with a hybrid in-class and online learning model. Accommodations for immuno-compromised students will be made on an individual basis. ‘Too much, too soon,’ say teachers BC Teachers’ Federation president Teri Mooring said the province’s plan “needs more time and ​ ​ a lot more work” before teachers and students can safely return to the classroom. “This announcement misses the mark on several critical components,” she said in a statement. BCTF wants the school year’s start date pushed back, smaller class sizes and the policy to be sent back to the government’s working groups on the school restart. The union also wants teachers granted more time for training and health and safety orientations in September and is calling for more “authentic consultation” between union locals and school districts. Fleming said there is time to address Mooring’s concerns before September 8. “We will get there,” he said. “She has my commitment that we will continue to collaborate with the organization.” Detailed operational guidance is still in development. Families can expect to hear from their school district or independent school “throughout the summer” about updated health and safety guidelines, cohorts and schedules, and enrollment and registration information, per the education ministry. Final details are expected to be submitted to the ministry and posted online by August 26. Liberal Education critic Dan Davies called it a “thin plan.” He said the NDP is burdening school ​ ​ districts with the bulk of responsibility for working out the details while parents are being left with little more certainty than before the plan was announced. He also took a swipe at the government’s spring announcement that budgets for Independent Distributed Learning schools would be reduced by September. “Normally we would agree with the minister’s suggestion to ‘rely on our distance learning resources,’ except he slashed $12 million from Independent Distributed Learning school budgets earlier this year, so I’m not sure what resources the minister is referring to,” Davies said. Redies steps down to run Science World Liberal MLA Tracy Redies (Surrey—White Rock) will not be finishing her term. Yesterday, the ​ ​ rookie MLA and former finance critic announced she will be resigning her seat effective August 31 to take a position as CEO of Science World. “I can speak for everyone on our team when I say we’ll miss her expertise, professionalism, and passion for public service,” Liberal Leader Andrew Wilkinson said in a statement. “I know this ​ ​ decision was not an easy one for her.” Redies has been absent from the house since last fall when she fell ill with a viral infection ​ ​ acquired during a trip to Brazil. “It took out about 80 per cent of my heart function,” she told reporters yesterday, adding she has since recovered to about two-thirds of cardiac function. Science World recruited the former Coast Capital Savings CEO. “I just know that this experience I've had with government — even being in opposition — is going to be very helpful for me as I go forward,” she said. Finance Minister Carole James wished Redies well. “When I went into my estimates, I had to ​ ​ make sure that I was ready because I knew I would be getting very probing questions coming from Tracy,” she told reporters. Surrey—White Rock is a relatively safe riding for the Liberals. In 2017, Redies won it with just less than half the vote — the Liberals’ poorest showing in the riding since the mid-90s. Premier John Horgan will have six months from the effective date of Redies’ resignation to call ​ ​ a by-election to fill her seat. Today’s events July 30 at 12:45 p.m. – Online ​ ​ Forests, Lands, Natural Resource Operations and Rural Development Minister Doug ​ Donaldson will be joined by Thompson Rivers University president Brett Fairbairn and ​ ​ ​ Kamloops deputy mayor Dale Bass for an announcement about a new research chair to ​ ​ improve the ability to forecast, prevent and respond to wildfire emergencies in B.C. July 30 at 3 p.m. – Online ​ ​ Dr. Bonnie Henry and Health Minister Adrian Dix will provide an update on Covid in B.C. ​ ​ ​ Topics of conversation ● B.C. reported 41 new cases of COVID-19, 259 of them active (up six), with six people in hospital, two of them critical. No new deaths were reported, leaving the provincial total at 194. ○ Six of the new cases are on Haida Gwaii. The outbreak there now totals 20 cases, 13 of them active. ○ Sixteen new cases were reported in connection with the Fraser Valley Packers Inc., bringing the blueberry-farm outbreak to a total of 31. An exposure alert was issued for anyone who visited the Liquid Zoo nightclub in Kelowna from July 15 to 18. ● There’s a new candidate in the BC Green Party leadership race. Cam Brewer, a lawyer ​ ​ ​ ​ and entrepreneur from Vancouver, announced his campaign late last week, just ahead of the July 27 registration deadline. ○ An official leadership debate is set to take place on September 1. Voting — online or by telephone, using a ranked ballot — is set to take place​ from September 5 to 13. ○ The party’s next leader will be announced on September 14. ● Two NDP MPs from B.C. are calling for an update on the costs of the Trans Mountain pipeline and expansion project. Laurel Collins, the party’s Environment critic and ​ ​ member for Victoria, and NDP Finance critic Peter Julian, member for New ​ ​ Westminster—Burnaby, want the parliamentary budget officer to provide current costs, noting an analysis released in November 2019 found the expansion project would be “uneconomical” if completion was pushed beyond December 2021. News briefs Guidelines for safe byelections, assent votes ● After suspending four scheduled byelections in March, Municipal Affairs Minister Selina ​ Robinson has released guidelines for local governments to conduct byelections and ​ ​ ​ assent votes safely during the pandemic. Mail-in ballots and advanced voting options get the green light while “high-touch interactions” during registration should be minimized.