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From YouTube: NOVEMBER 26 2019 Question Period
Description
The Legislative Assembly of British Columbia
4th Session
41st Parliament
NOVEMBER 26 2019 Question Period
C
Thank
You
mr.
speaker,
beginning
tomorrow.
Of
course,
we
know
that
commuters
could
well
wake
up
to
a
complete
shutdown
of
the
bus
and
see
bus
service
in
Vancouver.
More
than
a
million
rides
will
not
happen.
Half
a
million
commuters
will
have
no
option.
We
now
have
learned
that
60%
of
those
who
bus
to
work
or
to
school
don't
have
a
driver's
license
or
a
car
and
have
no
option.
They
will
be
completely
stranded.
So
it's
time
for
this
government
to
act
on
behalf
of
British
Columbians.
Do
something
real
in
fact
do
something
at
all.
C
So
the
question
goes
to
government,
presumably
to
the
labor
minister.
Perhaps
the
transportation
minister
cuz.
Perhaps
they
don't
agree
that
do-nothing
is
the
policy.
So
can
we
hear
from
anyone
on
the
government
ranks
who
has
an
idea
of
what
they're
actually
going
to
do
tomorrow,
rather
than
sit
in
their
offices
and
watch
television.
D
Mr.
speaker
I'm
more
optimistic
than
that
party
over
there,
every
is
going
to
be
when
it
comes
to
collective
bargaining.
Mr.
speaker,
it
is
always
incredibly
special
for
those
who
see
that
there
might
be
a
threat
of
transit
shut
down
and
no
one
wants
to
see
disruption
in
our
public
transportation.
The
Union
and
the
company
understand
their
responsibilities
to
those
who
they
serve
their
customers,
the
transit
riders.
That's
why,
mr.
speaker,
they
are
on
the
table
today,
negotiating
because
that's
where
the
the
the
the
contract
will
be
negotiated,
not
in
this
house.
C
It's
clearly
Minister
intends
to
do
absolutely
nothing
whether
it's
in
this
house
in
his
office
in
the
streets
of
Metro
Vancouver,
he's
going
to
do
nothing.
Well,
half
a
million
people
go
out
into
the
coldest
day
so
far
this
year
and
try
to
get
to
work,
try
to
get
the
kids
childcare
and
when
those
nurses
don't
show
up
in
the
critical
care
units
around
Vancouver,
it's
going
to
be
the
labor
minister
who's
sitting
in
his
office.
D
D
D
D
E
Thank
You
mr.
speaker,
more
than
11,000
people
use
the
SI
bus
and
people
in
the
North.
Shore
have
been
feeling
the
impact
of
this
strike
for
now.
For
weeks
now,
it's
going
to
get
a
whole
lot
worse
to
the
entire
Lower
Mainland
BC
Ferries
is
warning
foot-passengers.
They
could
be
stranded
at
the
to
us
and
terminal
because
the
strike
will
cut
off
all
public
transit.
D
Speaker
both
parties
are
at
the
collect
at
the
table
right
now,
and
they
are
bargaining
and
I
have
full
faith
in
both
of
both
of
those
parties
that
they
will
be
successfully
concluding
their
negotiations
today,
so
that
there
is
no
disruption,
because
I
know
both
of
those
parties
that
are
at
that
at
the
table.
Right
now,
they
understand
their
responsibility
to
their
customers,
the
transit
riders
and
everyone
else
who
use
transit.
Mr.
speaker,
they
are
working
hard
right
now
and
I
like
that
side.
D
D
E
76,000
UBC
and
SFU
students
regularly
use
the
bus
to
get
to
class
UBC
students
have
created
a
Facebook
event
to
camp
on
the
University
Mall.
A
few
students
are
using
Facebook
to
organize
a
hike
up,
Burnaby
Mountain
to
get
to
class
students
are
stressed,
they're
stressed
because
of
exams
and
now
they're
equally
stressed
because
they
don't
know
if
we're
going
to
get
to
school
tomorrow
because
of
the
transit
strike.
What
message
does
the
minister
have
to
the
thousands
of
students
who
won't
be
able
to
get
to
class
tomorrow
morning.
D
D
Mr.
speaker,
Mr
Speaker,
we
are
members,
mr.
speaker,
it
is
really
sad
that
the
opposition
opposition
are
trying
to
succour
a
cheap
political
points
here
at
the
expense
of
the
labor
dispute.
Mr.
speaker,
but
I
can
tell
you
mr.
speaker,
despite
the
ethereal
tricks,
they
know
the
dispute
will
be
resolved
at
the
bargaining
table
and
the
parties
are
at
the
bargaining
table.
It
will
be
resolved
and
I'm
very
hopeful.
F
You,
mr.
speaker,
over
a
year
ago,
I
asked
the
Minister
of
Health
for
realistic
timelines
about
when
community
members
in
my
riding
will
start
to
seeing
real
solutions
to
the
shortage
of
primary
health
care
services
on
Saanich,
north
and
the
islands.
His
response
he
mentioned
that
one
in
six
British
Columbians,
was
without
a
family
doctor.
He
also
promised
that
a
primary
care
network
would
be
established
in
several
areas
in
the
province,
including
the
Sante
Peninsula.
F
Within
the
year
in
April
of
this
year,
I
asked
again
the
Minister
of
Health
about
the
health
care
crisis
and
my
riding
in
many
other
areas
in
the
province.
His
response
was:
the
government
was
hiring
hundreds
of
family
practice,
doctors,
nurse
practitioners
and
clinical
pharmacists
teas
the
crisis.
At
the
time
the
Minister
was
quite
optimistic
about
getting
new
primary
care
networks
established
around
the
province
and,
in
particular,
specific
areas
of
the
province
experiencing
acute
shortages.
In
my
riding
today,
the
most
substantial
work
has
been
done.
Relieving
pressure
has
been
done
by
nonprofit
organizations.
F
G
It's
one
of
11
and
operation
14
that
we
announced
they're,
making
a
real
difference,
particularly
in
communities
around
British
Columbia
I
want
to
note,
particularly
the
extraordinary
work
by
doctors
and
nurse
practitioners
and
nurses
and
Prince
George,
who
developed
their
primary
care
network
working
hand-in-hand
with
an
urgent
primary
care
center.
That's
making
a
real
difference
for
people
here
in
the
South
Island
we're
also
taking
steps.
The
member
the
member
will
know
that
on
November,
the
22nd,
which
is
just
recently
the
final
proposal
around
the
South
Island
division
of
family
practice
proposal
was
submitted.
G
We're
taking
specific
steps
and
specific
action,
we're
working
with
doctors
and
nurse
practitioners
and
the
community
not
imposing
but
working
with
them,
and
that
will
lead
to
lasting
solutions.
I'm
very
proud
of
the
work
of
the
South
Island
division
of
family
practice,
very
proud
of
the
work
of
the
Ministry
of
Health
we're
making
progress
and
we
hope
to
have
announcements
soon.
F
You,
mr.
speaker
and
I
think
the
Minister
first
response
earlier
this
summer
and
the
situation
was
dire
early
this
summer,
at
times,
colonists
doctors
were
saying
that
primary
care
in
the
in
the
Greater
Victoria
area
was
in
the
verge
of
collapse.
I've
met
with
a
wide
variety
of
health
care
practitioners
in
my
writing,
to
discuss
the
situation
what's
going
on
in
their
offices,
health
professional
professionals
are
exhausted,
exasperated
feeling
underappreciated.
Mr.
speaker,
the
system
is
overburdened
and
practitioners
are
burning
out.
Mr.
F
speaker,
since
those
questions
last
year,
I've
had
a
constant
flow
of
communications
from
my
constituents,
who
are
equally
exhausted,
exasperated
in
feeling
as
ignored
as
those
in
the
health
care
system
that
we
rely
on
patient
attachment
to
primary
health
care
home
primary
health
care
home
is
important.
However,
it
is
just
a
single
metric.
It's
equally
important
that
we
not
forget
some
of
these
most
deeply
intimate
relationships
with
our
health
care
professionals.
We
must
focus
on
the
quality
of
life
of
both
patient
and
practice
again
to
the
Minister
of
Health.
F
G
Thank
You,
honorable
speaker
and
and
yes,
I,
think
in
particular,
young
doctors
have
a
different
view
of
the
way
the
their
practices
should
go
overwhelmingly.
For
example,
in
surveys
we
take
of
young
doctors,
there's
a
desire
to
move
to
alternate
payment
models
and
fee-for-service,
but
one
will
speak
er.
Both
are
essential
parts
of
our
system.
In
the
last
year,
for
example,
338
new
fee-for-service
general
practitioner
doctors
have
been
added
in
British
Columbia
over
the
past
year,
129
alternative
payment
plan.
Doctors
have
been
at
it
now.
G
Significant
numbers,
of
course,
are
retiring
as
well,
but
that
is
a
hundred
and
forty
new
net
new
doctors
in
2018
19.
That
doesn't
mean
that
we're
able
to
deal
with
all
of
the
challenges
out
there,
but
what
we're
doing
adding
urgent
and
primary
care
centers
and
in
this
area
the
problems
in
particular
the
most
successful
urgent
primary
care
center
in
lankford
we're
adding
primary
care
networks,
eyesight,
the
ones
storage,
the
ones
in
Penticton
that
are
working
and
making
extraordinary
transformational
change
at
a
local
level.
G
The
support
for
community
health
centers
such
as
Island
sexual
health
and
many
in
the
members
ridings,
which
have
helped
sustain
and
support
and
advance
community
health
centers.
This
is
a
comprehensive
plan
and
we're
doing
it
methodically
step-by-step
community
by
community
working
with
local
divisions
of
Family
Practice,
so
we're
at,
but
we're
dealing
with
the
problems
and
the
problems
faced
both
by
patients
and
doctors
in
the
system.
G
I
think
it's
an
effective
response,
we're
doing
it
as
I
say
in
partnership
with
the
divisions
of
Family
Practice,
and
it's
why
I
don't
think
there
has
ever
been
overall
as
good
a
relationship
between
the
provincial
government
and
doctors.
I
remind
the
member
that
98.5
percent
of
doctors
approved
our
latest
negotiated
agreement
in
British
Columbia,
which
is
an
extraordinary.
H
Thank
you
very
much
mr.
speaker
today
in
the
gallery,
we
have
representatives
from
the
MARPOL
and
Kitsilano
West.
Fourth
Business
Improvement
associations
they're
here
in
support
of
our
split
assessment
legislation,
which
would
provide
relief
to
small
businesses
that
are
facing
skyrocketing
property
taxes
literally
on
the
airspace.
The
undeveloped
airspace
over
their
heads
now,
I
also
have
with
me
here
today
a
July
3rd
2019
briefing
note
for
the
premiere,
which
says,
and
I
quote
the
there
will
be
a
particularly
strong
impact
on
those
operating
under
triple
net
leases
and
the
loss
of
jobs.
H
End
quote
in
relation
to
these
skyrocketing
property
taxes,
so
my
question
to
the
minister
of
municipal
affairs
would
be
this.
Can
the
minister
please
explain
to
the
small
business
representatives
who
are
here
in
the
gallery
today
why
she
has
taken
no
action
whatsoever
to
address
the
skyrocketing
skyrocketing
property
taxes
which
are
making
it
very,
very
difficult
for
these
businesses
to
to
continue
to
operate
and,
in
fact
has
resulted
in
lots
of
businesses
having
to
close
their
doors.
I
Thank
You
honorable
speaker,
this
is
a
critical
issue
for
small
business.
It's
also
a
critical
issue
for
nonprofits
and
the
arts
and
culture
organizations.
Honorable
speaker
now,
I
think
it's
important
too,
to
reflect
on
how
we
got
here,
because
we
got
here
because
of
out-of-control
skyrocketing
real
estate
prices
and
that
has
had
significant
impact.
I
Because
the
opposition
ignored
the
problem
for
a
decade
they
received,
they
received
correspondence
from
I
believe
owes
a
CFIB
about
a
decade
ago.
Saying:
will
you
help
us
with
this
and
they
ignored
it?
Well,
honourable
speaker:
we
have
not
ignored
it.
We
engage
with
stakeholders,
including
Vancouver
Metro
Vancouver,
to
look
at
short
term
and
long
term
strategies
to
improve
affordability.
And
that's
why,
honourable
speaker,
we
are
working
on
an
interim
solution
for
the
2020
tax
year.
While
we
develop
a
permanent
fix
to
this
situation.
H
Mr.
speaker,
the
minister
talks
about
in
terms
solutions,
she's
she's
been
aware
of
this.
This
issue
for
two
and
a
half
years
going
on
three
years
and
and
she's
done
absolutely
nothing.
She
talks
about
solutions
for
the
future
where,
where
is
action,
to
address
these
ability?
The
challenges
he's
faced.
H
And
just
and
just
less
yesterday
we
learned
that
the
City
of
Vancouver
is
now
proposing
a
further
8.2
percent
property
tax
hike
for
the
forthcoming
year.
The
property
taxes
are
going
to
go
up.
Mr.
speaker
now
in
in
the
in
the
gallery
in
in
the
gallery
with
us
today
is
Gordon
Bowman
he's
the
owner
owner
of
Marple
physiotherapy,
clinic
Gordon's,
small
business
employs
over
a
dozen
people
and
his
property
taxes
have
increased
by
63%
over
the
last
four
years.
H
Now
he's
worried
about
he's
worried
about
the
coming
tax
year
and
he
says,
and
I
quote:
I
cannot
sustain
being
taxed
on
the
air
and
not
what's
actually
there
and
quote.
There
are
many
tragic,
similar
stories
of
small
businesses
facing
the
same
dire
situation.
So
my
question
again
to
the
minister
would
be
this:
when
will
the
Minister
throw
small
businesses
a
lifeline
and
fix
this
unfair
tax,
which
is
hanging
over
the
heads
of
small
businesses
across
the
Lower
Mainland
Minister.
I
I
The
members
opposite
seem
to
think
that
they
have
absolutely
no
responsibility
in
this
and
I
just
want
to
point
out
that
in
july
2019
we
heard
from
the
Canadian
Federation
of
Independent
Business
Samantha
Howard,
who
says,
and
I
quote,
despite
pressure
from
organizations
like
CFIB
for
well
over
a
decade,
provincial
government
has
made
made
any
serious
effort
to
address
the
issue.
So,
honourable
speaker,
their
inaction
has
led
to
the
struggles
that
small
business
are
currently
facing
and
where.
A
A
A
I
Thank
you
very
much,
honorable,
speaker
and
I
want
to
say
to
all
the
business
owners
here
we
have
been
listening,
we've
been
hearing
and
in
fact,
last
year
last
year
we
invited
a
Business
Improvement
associations,
we
invited
other
others
to
our
working
group,
so
that
we
could
make
sure
that
we
understood
the
exact
nature
of
the
issue,
because
the
people
on
the
other
side
didn't
even
do
that.
Honourable
speaker,
they
didn't
even
gather
people
together
to
hear
what
was
going
on,
even
though
they
said
that
they
were
struggling.
Honourable.
J
A
Thank
you
very
much
mr.
speaker.
So
a
broad
coalition
of
stakeholders
is
calling
on
this
government
to
address
this
issue
before
neighborhoods
are
changed
forever.
Ausa
Lin.
The
gallery
today
is
ragnar
Bertelsen
of
Ragnar
jewelers
and
Donna
Holt,
a
fantastic
owner
of
Coco's
closet,
a
small
boutique
for
women's
clothing.
These
are
real
people
minister,
facing
unsustainable
tax
increases
under
this
government.
Will
the
Minister
commit
to
them
today
that
she
will
fix
this
for
the
2020
tax
year.
I
J
Last
week
the
Minister
of
State
for
child
care
sent
out
some
details
to
a
reporter
on
the
so
called
creation
of
childcare
spaces,
but
it's
clear
that
they're
fake
spaces,
because
most
are
not
actually
working.
Let
me
explain
mr.
speaker,
out
of
47
hundred
spaces
announced
as
long
as
a
year
and
a
half
ago,
fewer
than
1,700
are
operational
today
out
of
nearly
6,000
spaces
announced
in
this
fiscal
year.
Only
374
are
actually
working,
that's
about
as
close
to
zero
as
you
can
get.
K
K
B
K
K
Ever
since
we
became
government,
we've
been
working
hard
with
the
sector
which
child
care
providers
was.
Parents
was
early
childhood
educators
to
make
sure
we
put
together
a
comprehensive
plan
to
lower
child
care,
calls
for
the
first
time
in
BC's
history
and
a
salary,
the
creation
of
childcare
spaces,
and
this
is
the
fact
that
under
the
previous
government
in
about
four
years,
they
funded
about
four
thousand
spaces
and
we've
achieved
ten
thousand
spaces
in
a
year.
Only
a
little
over
here.
J
J
Thank
you.
Mr.
speaker,
this
government
promised
24,000
new
spaces
over
three
years
now,
after
two
years
of
trying,
only
2055
spaces
are
actually
operating.
That's
nine
percent
of
their
promised
after
spending
by
the
way
six
hundred
million
dollars.
So
will
the
Minister
today
make
the
following
more
forthright
announcement?
My
program
has
collapsed.
I've
been
announcing
safe
spaces,
not
making
spaces
I'm
90%
sure
in
my
promise,
to
parents
and
I'm
sorry
to
them.
What
the
minister
announced
that
today.
B
K
K
K
Honorable
speaker,
families
in
BC
are
struggling
with
the
shortage
of
childcare
spaces.
Early
childhood
educators,
a
struggling,
was
lack
of
the
support
and
what
do
the
Meza
officer
the
critic?
What's
the
critic
for
child
care
says
he
Britney
talked
about
early
childhood
educators.
He
said
we
might
as
well
your
battery
operated
machine
while
we're
investing
in
people
in
his
province.
K
B
B
L
Thank
you
very
much,
honorable
speaker,
well
having
failed
to
take
any
initiative
on
his
own
to
resolve
the
dispute
at
UNBC,
which
has
the
potential
to
see
students
lose
a
semester
of
their
education.
Today
we
have
the
Faculty
Association
at
UNBC,
asking
the
minister
to
appoint
a
special
mediator.
Here's
what
the
Faculty
Association
had
to
say
so
and
I
quote.
Without
an
agreement
this
week
there
is
almost
no
chance
of
saving
the
semester
without
disrupting
next
semester.
So
this
Minister
has
sat
on
his
hands.
L
D
You,
honorable
speaker-
and
it
is
a
situation
that
we
were
monitoring
very
very
closely.
Mediator-
was
involved
in
that
dispute
mr.
speaker
and
the
mediator
booked
out,
and
they
were
still
negotiating.
They
were
bargaining
as
later
last
night.
Mr.
speaker,
now
we
we
all
understand
the
the
dire
need
to
have
that
that
that
dispute
resolved
mediator
works
best
and
the
member
opposite
will
no
mediators
work
best
when
both
parties
are
willing
and
ready
to
participate.
They
have
I,
have
not
seen
the
requests
when
I
see
the
requests
members
when
I
when
I
leave
this
off.
L
Last
week,
apparently
the
member,
it
wasn't
even
sure
there
was
a
strike
at
UNBC
today
today,
despite
him
saying
he
has
closely
monitored
the
situation,
it's
been
in
the
media
for
hours
Minister.
Obviously,
you
should
know
that
they
have
made
a
request
for
a
special
mediator.
It
is
his
opportunity
to
stand
in
this
house
today
and
respond
directly
make
a
commitment,
get
it
on
the
public
record.
He's
done
nothing
to
this
point.
Here's
what
the
Faculty
Association
had
to
say
and
again
I
quote.
We
are
heartbroken
for
our
students
whose
lives
are
being
upended.
L
End
quote
with
the
help
of
a
mediator.
It
said.
Bargaining
can
be
completed
with
one
one
day
of
fulsome
negotiations
and
I
quote,
but
without
mediation
this
strike
could
stretch
on
for
weeks
Minister.
It
is
time
to
stand
in
this
house,
respect
the
wishes
of
the
Faculty
Association
and
protect
students,
education
at
the
University
of
northern
British
Columbia.
Will
he
commit
to
appointing
a
special
mediator
now
this.
D
F
D
Was
there
it
was
that
party
in
government
that
/u
NBC's
budget
about
1.3
million
dollars,
that's
the
mess
that
we
inherited.
That's
the
mast
of
the
both
parties
are
trying
to
deal
with
it
at
this
issue
is
mr.
people.
We
are
gonna
work
with
those
parties.
We
are
going
to
take
members
west
seriously
and
mr.
speaker
will
make
that
decision
in
due
course.