►
From YouTube: MARCH 18 2021 Question Period
Description
The Legislative Assembly of British Columbia
1st Session
42nd Parliament
C
At
a
time
when
penticton
is
asking
for
more
mental
health
support,
the
government
is
cutting
funding
to
the
pathways
program
to
the
addiction
treatment
center,
so
desperately
needed
so
to
the
premier.
Does
he
believe
that
cutting
services
ignoring
the
needs
of
people
in
penticton
and
elsewhere,
threatening
and
bullying
a
community
is
acceptable.
D
Attorney
general,
thank
you
very
much,
honorable
chair
and
thank
you
to
the
member
for
the
important
question.
You
know
it's.
It's
a
difficult
situation
as
a
minister
for
housing
when
a
municipality
makes
a
decision
to
close
an
emergency
shelter
with
42
people
in
it,
and
they
have
nowhere
to
go.
D
D
The
alternative
is
to,
as
the
member
says-
and
I
freely
acknowledge
this-
to
use
what
are
quite
draconian
provincial
powers
to
override
that
local
decision
and
can
continue
to
operate
the
shelter.
There
are
no
good
options
here.
I
don't
pretend
that
this
was
a
good
option
or
a
solution
to
homelessness.
D
D
C
B
C
And
to
suggest
that
the
locally
affect
elected
officials
in
penticton,
don't
care
about
the
residents
in
their
community
would
be
absolutely
inaccurate,
and
the
minister
should
withdraw
that
remark.
He
has
been
the
problem
in
this
discussion
from
the
beginning.
Let's
be
clear.
Penticton
was
shocked
when
this
minister,
instead
of
sitting
down
and
having
thoughtful
and
reasonable
discussions
about
an
issue
that
matters
to
the
local
penticton
council
and
all
british
colombians
he
started
to
bully
and
threaten
that.
If
they
didn't
listen,
it
was
his
way
or
the
highway.
C
So
let's
be
clear
needs
and
so
do
other
communities
across
british
columbia,
full
wrap-around
services
to
support
people
with
mental
health
and
addictions
challenges.
That's
what
the
penticton
council
was
asking
this
minister,
for
instead
what
did
they
get
bullying
and
threats?
So
how
can
the
premier
once
again
to
the
premier?
How
can
he
justify
bullying
municipalities
at
the
very
same
time
that
he
and
his
government
are
failing
to
provide
adequate
resort,
adequate
resources
for
people
who
need
help
and
closing
an
addictions,
treatment
center.
D
General
well,
thank
you,
mr
the
member's
simply
wrong.
The
reason
she
doesn't
provide
any
quotes
of
my
insults
and
bullying
is
because
they
don't
exist,
they
do
not
exist
and-
and
she
suggests.
D
Remember
that
we
would
provide
tents
to
people
as
a
basic
shelter
from
the
elements
the
member
says:
that's
bullying!
Well,
that's
just
a
fact,
and
I
had
two
meetings
with
penticton
extended
meetings
on
zoom,
more
meetings
than
any
other
city
that
doesn't
have
an
active
encampment
before
they
made
this
decision
in
an
effort
to
avoid
this
outcome,
and
so
you
know
I
in
one
of
those
meetings
I
said
to
penticton
council.
I
said
I
suspect
we
agree
on
far
more
than
we
disagree
on
and
let's
keep
working
until
we
find
something
we
disagree
on.
D
D
A
A
We
all
agree
with
that,
but
penticton
has
learned
the
premier's
idea
of
doing
more
actually
means
threatening
more
tent
cities
and
fewer
addiction
treatment
centers.
My
question
is
to
the
minister
of
mental
health
and
addictions.
Will
she
stop
making
the
situation
worse
and
restore
the
cuts
to
the
pathways
addiction
treatment
center.
D
Attorney
general,
thank
you,
mr
chair,
so
currently
in
vancouver
and
victoria
we're
spending
literally
tens
of
millions
of
dollars
of
public
money
to
respond
to
encampments
we're
dealing
with
encampments
across
the
province
and
and
I'll
be
blunt.
These
are
the
product
of
16
years
of
under
investment.
D
D
So
I
understand
if
the
members
have
concerns
about
providing
services
in
their
community,
I
want
to
work
with
them.
The
minister
for
mental
health
and
addiction
wants
to
work
with
them.
We
want
to
work
with
city
councils.
We
are
working
with
city
councils
across
the
province
in
really
constructive
ways.
Penticton
is
the
only
city
where
we
are
using
paramountzy
right
now
and
so
I'll
just
say
with
respect.
I
think
that
in
this
house
we
share
concerns
about
homelessness,
addiction
and
mental
health,
and
this
government
has
done
a
lot
more
than
we've
seen.
Thank
you.
A
Thank
you,
mr
speaker,
and
to
the
attorney
general.
My
question
was
on
pathways
and
clearly
we
have
a
minister
responsible
for
mental
health
and
addictions
that
has
little
responsibility
for
the
file
of
mental
health
and
addictions.
We'll
try
it
again
for
20
years
pathways
has
delivered
critical
services.
E
Thank
you,
mr
speaker.
As
I've
said
before
to
the
member
pathways
has
been
a
valued
contributor
in
penticton
for
almost
two
decades,
we're
grateful
for
their
work.
Addictions
counseling
is
important.
Their
service,
their
contracted
service
to
interior
health,
has
been
valuable
and
appreciated.
This
is
what
island.
E
This
is
an
expansion
of
service,
which
is
just
what
our
government
is
committed
to
and
just
what
people
across
british
columbia
and
in
the
south
okanagan
have
been
asking,
but
this
is
what
else
we've
brought
to
penticton
a
new
urgent
primary
care
center
is
opening
at
the
end
of
march.
It
will
provide
long-term
primary
care,
but
with
a
particular
focus
on
people
with
mental
health
and
addictions.
E
We've
also
added
this
month
in
the
interior,
five
new
innovative
outreach
teams,
they're
called
integrated
treatment
teams
being
able
to
deliver
service
to
people
that
have
not
been
able
to
walk
in
the
door
of
counseling
or
addictions,
treatment
and
recovery
center
because
of
child
care,
because
there's
much
more
to
do,
but
we
are
delivering
a
tremendous
expansion.
It's
going
to
help
people.
Thank
you.
F
E
Thank
you,
mr
speaker.
We
are
committed
to
expansion,
to
expanding
access
to
mental
health
and
addictions,
treatment
and
support
up
in
four
years.
We
have
done
so
much
more
than
the
previous
government
did.
We
are
reaching
more
people,
we've
made
historic
investments,
we've
expanded
in
every
way,
access
and
and
the
range
of
services
we've
been
building
a
continuum
of
care
for
mental
health
and
addictions
treatment.
E
While
fighting
to
public
health
emergencies.
There
was
no
system
in
place
when
we
formed
government
in
2017,
10
youth
treatment
beds
have
opened
in
kelowna
in
early
march.
Another
ten
are
gonna,
be
ready
by
the
end
of
the
month,
we're
adding
more
beds
as
we
enhance
and
streamline
services
to
get
better
quality
care.
A
new
20
bed
specialized
treatment
center
for
youth
opened
in
chilliwack
last
summer,
supporting
youth
ages
13
to
18.
E
the
ashnola
at
the
crossing
center
in
cara
mios
hasn't
been
open
for
more
than
a
year.
We
did
let
interior
health,
let
the
center
know
earlier
this
year
that
they
won't
be
renewing
their
contract.
In
fact,
ashnola
did
not
apply
to
have
their
contract
renewed,
but
we
are
adding
services
in.
In
many
other
areas
in
the
region,
people
accessing
support
in
their
most
terrible
type
of
need.
F
Well.
Thank
you,
mr
speaker.
Again,
this
is
a
government.
That's
been
in
power
now
for
four
years.
They
keep
talking
about
the
former
government.
They
are
the
former
government
and,
and
in
these
last
four
years,
homelessness
is
up
dramatically.
10
cities
are
popping
up
everywhere.
Overdoses
and
deaths
from
overdoses
are
up.
That's
on
their
watch,
their
four
years
in
in
office,
and
the
bottom
line
is
this.
F
The
addiction
crisis
is
is
worse
than
it's
ever
been
again
under
this
government
communities
and
social
service
agencies
are
practically
begging
the
government
to
provide
the
supports
or
the
additional
resources
needed
so
that
they
can
better
support
vulnerable
populations
in
their
communities.
F
In
my
hometown,
kamloops
city
council
just
recently
passed
a
motion
calling
on
or
urging
pleading
for
this
government
to
to
ensure
that
they're
directing
true
a
wrap
around
supports
and
services
to
to
ensure
that
the
people
who
need
those
those
those
supports
are
getting
them
in
in
kamloops.
So
again
to
the
minister
of
mental
health
and
addiction.
Will
she
stop
making
the
situation
worse
and
will
she
ensure
that
the
supports
are
provided
that
are
desperately
needed
by
vulnerable
populations
in
communities
across
the
province.
E
Thank
you,
mr
speaker,
that
there
is
more
to
do
is
not
in
question
that
the
pandemic
has
made
everything
worse.
It
has
increased
homelessness,
it
has
increased
the
overdose
crisis,
it
has
stretched
people's
personal
mental
health
and
it
is
meant
that
mental
health
and
addiction
services
have
had
to
go
to
have
capacity
and
modify
their
operations.
Everything
is
harder
right
now.
There's
no
question
and
our
government
before
the
pandemic
had
invested
and
expanded
services
deeply
and
since
the
pandemic
began
have
stepped
up
in
every
way.
E
In
many
of
the
ways
that
kamloops
council
is
asking
safe
supply
decriminalization
as
a
way
to
remove
stigma,
we
have
transformed
province
wide
in
the
the
greatest
and
fastest
transformation
of
mental
care.
Healthcare
access
meant
online
mental
health
supports
that
are
reaching
people
in
in
every
corner
of
the
province.
We
are,
we've
opened
bc's.
E
First
mental
health
and
response
center
in
surrey
opened
new
mental
health
and
a
wellness
center
at
royal
columbian
and
that
the
opposition
dedicated
only
one
quarter
of
the
budget
in
this
october
campaign
that
what
our
government
and
our
party
was
willing
to
commit
to
mental
health
and
addictions
tells
me
a
lot
about
the
level
of
their
commitment
to
the
cause
and
the
voters
chose.
G
Mr
speaker,
on
this
government's
website,
there
is
this
wonderful
video
and
it's
currently
there
and
it
talks
about
the
value
of
the
sequoia
and
the
alder
youth
recovery
homes,
both
located
in
vancouver,
and
these
provide
needed
beds
for
young
people
experiencing
homelessness,
mental
health
and
addiction.
Now,
the
only
problem
with
this
great
video
is
that
government
cut
the
funding
last
year
to
both
sequoia
and
alder
alder
house
and
they're
both
closed
now.
E
The
expansion
of
services
for
in
every
way,
whether
it's
youth,
whether
it's
overdose,
whether
it's
addiction
is
unprecedented,
the
need
is
unprecedented
and
there
is
absolutely
more
to
do.
There
are
many
services
that
have
moved
in-house
because
they
should
be
part
of
the
health
care
delivery
system.
We
don't
want
to
have
mental
health
and
addictions
treatment
separated
from
health
care.
This
this
happens,
contracts
change
with
the
health
authorities,
but
in
every
way
we've
expanded
access
to
services.
E
Doubling
youth
treatment
beds,
launching
new
health
services
for
post-secondary
students,
24
7,
access
to
counseling,
expansion
of
funding
for
suicide
prevention
and
mental
wellness
in
indigenous
communities,
a
building
with
the
first
nations
health
authority,
six
rebuilt
addictions,
treatment,
centers.
I
could
talk
all
day
about
the
work
that
we
implement.
G
You,
mr
speaker,
as
my
colleagues
have
pointed
out,
and
as
I've
heard
from
my
social
services.
Colleagues,
under
this
government,
things
have
gotten
worse.
They
have
not
gotten
better.
This
minister
is
responsible
for
ensuring
that
the
services
are
there
for
people,
but
her
budget
is
smaller
than
the
office
of
the
premier.
G
E
We
have
got
a
long
way
to
go
to
overcome
the
overdose
crisis
and
to
connect
people
immediately
and
quickly,
with
the
mental
health
supports
that
they
need,
but
wait
times
are
shorter.
There
are
more
services
available
since,
in
the
four
years
that
we
have
had
government,
the
pandemic
has
set
everything
back
on
homelessness.
Mental
health
and
overdose
crisis.
There's
a
direct
link,
but
thank
goodness,
we
put
so
many
of
those
supports
in
place.
E
746
million
from
my
ministry
alone
on
to
mental
health
and
addictions
over
a
five-year
period
out
of
the
health
minister's
budget,
2.7
billion
dollars
annually
and
I'll
remind
the
member
again,
her
own
party
committed
only
25
of
what
new
democrats
did
to
the
public
in
the
election
campaign
in
october
just
six
months
ago.
That
to
me
says
a
lot
about
the
bc
liberals
commitment
to
the
cause,
let
alone
what
they
failed
to
do
over
the
16
years.
They
had
that
they
were
in
power.
Thank
you.
H
Yesterday,
christine
sorenson
president
of
the
bc
nurses
union
had
this
to
say
about
mental
health
services,
and
I
quote:
we
are
under-resourced
and
understaffed
and
we
have
no
place
sometimes
to
refer
patients
when
they
are
discharged.
End
quote
this
is
happening
under
the
watch
of
this
minister
of
mental
health
and
addictions.
H
E
Thank
you,
mr
speaker,
that
workers
on
the
front
line,
whether
they're
in
the
nonprofit
center
or
whether
they're
nurses
and
healthcare
practitioners
were
asked
to
do
so
much
with
so
little
support
is
something
that
we
are
working
hard
to
overcome.
We've
expanded
people
in
seats,
the
expansion
of
funding
to
healthcare
workers
is
unprecedented.
E
Under
the
four
years
we've
been
in
government,
the
expansion
of
services
for
people
seeking
help
the
reduction
in
wait
times,
although
it's
still
too
long,
is
again
unprecedented
in
bc's
history,
and
we
are
not
only
relying
on
on
nurses
and
primary
care
providers,
but
expanding
from
a
peer
support
perspective.
E
We've
got
eight
new
foundries
about
to
open
up
that'll,
be
a
total
of
19
across
the
province
where
youth
and
young
people
up
to
age
24
can
access
mental
health
and
addiction
supports,
especially
on
a
peer
level,
so
that
they
can
support
each
other.
Increasing
support
for
mental
health
in
the
workplace
and
an
unprecedented
increase
in
the
budget,
commitment
to
both
public
health
and
also
to
mental
health
and
overdose
horizons.
H
E
As
was
stated
so
clearly
by
dr
bonnie
henry,
it
is
hard
to
fight
to
public
health
emergencies
when
there
was
no
system
of
care
in
place
when
in
2017.
we've
been
working
hard
every
day.
The
creation
of
a
dedicated
ministry,
the
first
in
canada,
to
focus
every
day
on
mental
health
and
and
overcoming
the
overdose
crisis
is
an
expression
of
our
commitment
to
building
that
system
of
care
where
there
was
none.
E
The
unprecedented
expansion
of
services,
both
on
overdose
response
and
on
on
mental
health
and
and
combating
mental
illness,
is
unprecedented.
The
extent
of
the
budget
again
unprecedented
is
there
more
to
do.
Yes,
there
is,
is
every
like
life
lost
tragic.
Yes,
there
is.
We
are
working
hard
in
every
way
to
make
things
better
and
I'm
delighted
to
hear
the
opposition
now
cares
about
this
issue,
and
I
hope
we
can
work
together
on
this.
Thank
you.
I
I
They
are
hearing
threats
and
they
are
hearing
insults
and
to
the
minister
of
mental
health.
If
you
live
in
prince
george
you're
scratching
your
head,
because
you're
trying
to
understand
how
it
is
and
why
the
government
actually
opposed
a
proposal
that
would
create
a
desperately
needed
60-bed
treatment
facility
in
prince
george.
Can
the
minister
of
mental
health
explain
how
it
is
that
with
record
numbers
of
people
dying,
she
couldn't
even
manage
to
convince
her
own
cabinet
colleague,
the
minister
of
agriculture,
not
to
oppose
the
creation
of
a
desperately
needed
treatment
facility
in
prince
george.
E
That
the
overdose
crisis
has
taken
so
many
lives
in
british
columbia
and
that
it's
hit
indigenous
people
disproportionately
is
not
fair
because
of
that
our
partnership
with
first
nations
health
authority,
our
government
is-
has
committed
20
million
dollars
to
build
two
new
and
six
for
plate
replacement
healing
centers
that
the
first
nations
health
authority
will
oversee.
On
march
the
fifth
march,
the
fourth
chief
kareem
karina
lewin,
wrote
to
me
letting
me
know
that
the
independent
agricultural
land
commission
had
turned
down
the
carrier's
county's
application
for
non-farm
use.
E
On
march
the
9th
I
met
with
the
chief
and
committed
to
her
at
that
point
that
we
are
continued
investors
in
the
project,
we're
counting
on
carriers
kenny
being
able
to
build
it,
because
the
need
is
so
deep.
The
independent
alc
said
that
they
found
that
not
to
be
an
appropriate
non-farm
use.
I
committed
to
the
chief.
I
will
work
with
my
counterparts
to
try
to
find
a
path
forward.
It
was
not
the
ndp
government
that
opposed
the
non-farm
use
application
is
the
ndp
government
that
is
investing
with
carrie
and
new
construction.
I
I
1726
people
have
died.
Mr
speaker,
all
of
us
are
impacted
by
that
all
of
us
care
about
that,
but
apparently
in
the
minds
of
the
officials
within
the
agriculture
ministry,
who
opposed
the
proposal
prince
george
that
doesn't
qualify,
that
represents
an
appreciation
of
the
social
benefits.
We're
talking
about
people
saying
alive,
mr
speaker,
the
minister
says
she
cares
about
keeping
people
alive.
I
believe
she
cares
about
people
staying
alive.
I
J
Government
house
leader,
thank
you
honorable
speaker
and
I
appreciate
the
members
question
and
the
member's
concern
sounded
like
there
was
a
question.
Okay.
J
I
Well
then,
the
government
house
leader
may
want
to
step
in,
but
there
is
actually
only
one
person
that
can
answer
this
question
and
it
is
the
minister
for
mental
health
who
has
explained
what
she
did
after
the
decision.
But
we'd
like
to
know-
and
I
want
the
minister
to
explain
to
this
house
the
minister
of
mental
health,
what
she
did
before
the
decision
from
the
alc
to
ensure
that
members
and
colleagues
in
her
government
were
supportive
of
a
desperately
needed
facility
that
should
be
built,
can
be
built,
would
be
built.
J
Government
house
leader,
thank
you,
honorable
speaker
and,
as
I
said,
I
appreciate
the
question
from
my
colleague
across
the
way,
but
let's
be
clear,
the
minister
of
mental
health
and
addictions
has
outlined
step
by
step
all
the
kinds
of
programs
and
investments
this
government
has
made
since
taking
office
four
years
ago.