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From YouTube: OCTOBER 26 2021 Question Period
Description
The Legislative Assembly of British Columbia
2nd Session
42nd Parliament
A
Thank
you.
Mr
speaker,
emails
obtained
under
foi
show
that
alarm
bells
were
ringing
at
ecom
911
well
in
advance
of
a
heat
wave
that
took
the
lives
of
569
british
colombians
according
to
ecom's.
Vice
president
of
operations,
delays
in
transferring
ambulance
requests
from
9-1-1
call
takers
had
been
increasing
for
12
months
prior
to
the
heat
wave
on
june,
the
3rd.
Nearly
a
month
before
the
heat
wave,
an
internal
email
says,
and
I
quote:
there
are
spikes
we
cannot
manage
in
our
current
underfunded
model
bc.
A
C
Thank
you
very
much,
honourable
speaker,
and
thank
you
to
the
leader
of
the
opposition
for
her
question.
The
leader
of
the
opposition
will
know,
because
I
brief
on
these
subjects
regularly
that
the
situation
around
ambulance
calls
was
something
I
raised
in
public
around
june
the
3rd,
because
those
days
were
record
days
in
british
columbia.
They
weren't
heat
dome
days.
They
were
regular
days
and
we
were
seeing
an
extreme
uptake
in
the
use
of
our
ambulance
service
such
that
I
think
it
was
june.
C
The
4th
or
5th
in
that
range
it
was
the
highest
day
of
ambulance,
calls
at
that
time.
In
the
in
the
history
of
british
columbia,
except
for
new
year's
eve,
2017
and
2018,
we
have
been
adding
extraordinary
resources
to
our
ambulance
system.
We've
gone
from
a
funding
level
of
424
million
dollars
to
559
million.
During
that
period,
we
were
adding
resources
to
the
ambulance
system.
The
events
of
the
heat
dome
as
the
member
will
know
in
that
weekend
saw
an
increase
in
calls
so
significantly
beyond.
C
A
one
in
a
thousand
year
event,
which
has
now
happened,
and
we
now
have
to
respond
to
and
the
member
will
also
know
the
significant
investments
we've
made,
including
in
dispatch
30,
new
dispatchers
in
the
bch
ehs
part
of
the
system
and
the
ambulance
dispatch
part
of
the
system
to
address
that
issue.
But
there
are
extraordinary
challenges
facing
our
ambulance
system
and
healthcare
system
today,
because
of
two
public
health
emergencies,
and
we
are
responding
with
more
resources,
more
ambulance,
paramedics,
more
ambulances,
more
air
ambulance
and
more
dispatchers.
A
A
They
considered
holding
a
press
conference
to
directly
appeal
to
the
government,
not
in
2018
or
2019,
but
prior
to
the
heat
wave.
This
is
what
the
president
and
ceo
of
ecom
wrote
on
june.
The
30th-
and
I
quote
the
government
needs
to
get
in
this-
is
for
bch
ehs
and
the
ministry
of
health
to
fix
end
quote
so
again
to
the
premier.
C
Minister
of
health,
honorable
speaker,
the
people
of
bc
know
the
situation
the
ambulance
service,
because
we
regularly
reported
on
that
situation.
Throughout
the
pandemic,
there
were
periods
in
the
pandemic
when
ambulance
calls
were
down.
C
There
were
more
significant
periods,
particularly
on
vancouver
island
earlier
on
in
january
february,
and
then
the
whole
province,
starting
in
may
and
june,
where
we
saw
ambulance
demand,
increase
in
advance
of
the
heat
tone
to
an
extent
that
had
never
been
seen
before.
This
is
a
fact
and
something
we
regularly
reported
on.
C
It's
why
we
responded
by
significantly
increasing
resources
to
the
ambulance
service
in
2018,
in
2019,
in
2020
and
now
2021
to
deal
with
the
situation
that
we
that
we
dealt
with
at
those
times
and
to
see
a
significant
increase
in
service
and
honorable
speaker.
It
is
clear
that
the
extraordinary
events
of
that
week
and
the
continuing
extraordinary
events
facing
our
province
put
pressure
on
the
ambulance
service
and
we've
responded,
as
the
member
knows.
C
As
all
members
of
the
house
know
in
the
in
the,
I
think,
the
best
way
possible
by
adding
supports
and
resources
by
and
strengthening
both
the
leadership
and
the
on
the
ground
supports
the
ambulance
service
by
providing
more
service
in
24
communities,
rural
communities
and
adding
services
to
26
other
rural
communities
and
adding
ambulance
paramedics
and
dispatchers
in
urban
areas.
That
is
the
way
you
respond
to
the
challenge
and
we're
going
to
continue
to
do
that.
D
Thank
you,
mr
speaker.
These
foi
documents
show
deep
concern
from
e-com
about
a
crisis.
That's
been
growing
for
12
months.
On
june
29th,
the
president
and
ceo
wrote
quote
the
significant
risk
to
public
safety
safety
posed
by
call
answer.
Delays
in
transferring
9-1-1
calls
for
the
ambulance
service
to
bcehs
has
significantly
worsened.
D
C
Honourable
speaker,
the
ambulance
service
is,
I
think,
a
bin
since
its
creation
and
source
of
pride
in
bc,
and
it's
why,
when
I
became
minister
of
health,
I
doubled
our
rate
of
increase
in
investment
because
I
think
it
is
and
because
it
required
did
require
the
time.
I
think
everyone
knew
it
and
what
efforts
didn't
start.
C
Why
we
added
full-time
paramedics,
ambulances,
air
ambulances
and
dispatch
resources,
and
we
are
continuing
to
do
so
because
at
this
point
in
our
history,
when
our
primary
care
system
has
been
disproportionately
virtual,
there
are
extraordinary
pressures
on
our
ambulance
service
that
we've
seen
and
we're
responding
again
by
anti-ambulance
paramedics.
Hopefully
we
all
agree:
that's
a
good
idea,
adding
cars,
adding
air
ambulance
services,
adding
dispatchers
and
reforming
the
management
of
bc
ehs
and
putting
outstanding
leaders
in
charge
to
help
us
through
this
period.
D
You,
mr
speaker,
and
I
thank
the
minister.
This
government
often
talks
about
doubling
investments,
increasing
how
much
money
is
being
spent.
That
is
not
how
we
judge
success.
We
judge
success
by
the
outcomes
and
these
outcomes
are
not
good.
This
is
what
else
the
president
of
ecom
wrote
quote.
Bcehs
is
100
maxed
out.
I
was
told
last
night
that
over
200
calls
were
waiting
in
queues
to
be
assigned
to
an
ambulance
to
attend.
D
Fundamentally,
bcehs
must
remedy
this
problem.
Unquote.
We
know
that
by
june
3rd
ecom
was
convinced
that
the
problems
at
bc,
emergency
health
services
were
compromising
public
safety.
Mr
speaker,
yet
nothing
was
done
to
fix
the
problems
and
the
system
collapsed
during
the
heat
wave.
Mr
speaker,
why
did
the
premier
describe
the
failure
of
his
government
as
a
matter
of
personal
responsibility?.
C
The
member
says
that
hiring
more
paramedics
hiring
more
dispatchers,
adding
cars,
adding
air
ambulances
which
this
government
did
on
the
base
that
had
been
left
to
us
and
people
can
be
judged
on
that
too.
Honorable
speaker
was
not
the
right
course,
but
I
think
it
is
the
right
course.
What
we
know
is
that
we
need
to
continue
to
add
such
resources
to
meet
the
current
demand,
and
you
know,
honourable
speaker,
I
think
when
people
call
9-1-1
they
should
get
an
ambulance.
C
That's
what
I
think
and
that's
why
we're
adding
resources
to
meet
that,
because
that's
what
our
ambulance,
paramedics
think
and
our
dispatchers
think
and
people
econ
think
and
everyone
think,
and
so
we're
going
to
continue
our
efforts
to
improve
the
system
in
both
rural
and
urban
bc
in
every
community
in
bc
to
meet
that
challenge
in
in
the
current
time
and
I'm
very
proud
of
our
ambulance,
paramedics
and
our
our
teams.
For
all
of
their
efforts
to
make
this
happen,.
E
Thank
you
honorable
speaker.
Last
week,
the
international
energy
agency
released
their
world
energy
outlook
report.
The
report
is
designed
to
be
a
handbook
for
policy
makers
at
the
cope
26
climate
change
conference.
It's
long,
however,
what
it
found
is
that
fossil
fuel
development
is
inconsistent
with
keeping
climate
change
below
1.5
degrees
celsius.
E
Fossil
fuel
expansion
is
inconsistent
with
avoiding
disaster.
The
questions
this
morning
in
this
chamber
really
show
us
that
climate
change
is
a
public
health
emergency
and
it
will
continue
to
affect
every
aspect
of
our
society.
Yesterday,
this
government
announced
their
clean
bc
road
map
to
2030.
It
included
a
new
ghg
cap
on
natural
gas
or
lng,
but
made
sure
to
include
compliance
pathway
so
that
industry
can
get
away
with
continuing
to
develop
lng.
E
The
premier
proudly
proclaimed
lng
as
a
bridge
fuel.
It
is
not.
It
is
a
fossil
fuel
with
intensive
greenhouse
gas
emissions,
including
methane
through
you,
honourable
speaker,
to
the
minister
of
environment
and
climate
change.
Despite
dire
warnings,
will
this
government
allow
future
lng
development
in
british
columbia.
F
Thank
you
very
much
honorable
speaker
and
thank
you
to
the
member
for
the
question.
British
columbians,
like
people
around
the
globe,
have
experienced
the
effects
of
climate
change
in
the
last
couple
of
years,
and
particularly
this
year
that
exceed
anything
that
they
thought
they
would
see.
Although
climate
scientists
obviously
knew
what
was
coming,
we're
concerned
about
that
as
well
in
our
government,
and
we
understand
we
need
to
address
the
issue
of
climate
change
with
great
urgency.
F
The
member
the
leader
of
the
third
party
worked
with
us
in
the
in
the
previous
parliament
to
develop
our
clean
bc
climate
plan.
I
think
we
were
all
proud
of
that,
but
we
know
that
we
needed
to
design
a
roadmap
that
took
us
to
our
targets.
We
needed
to
close
that
loop
and
we
needed
to
up
our
ambition,
we're
proud
of
the
roadmap
that
we
released
yesterday.
It
is
significant.
F
That
includes
mandating
methane
emission
reductions
in
the
oil
and
gas
sector
of
75
percent
by
2030,
and
it
includes
a
commitment
honorable
speaker
to
work
with
the
sector
with
oil
and
gas
with
indigenous
nations
and
with
experts
to
design
the
measures
that
will
take
us
to
our
2030
sectoral
target
of
33
to
38
percent
reduction
in
oil
and
gas
emissions.
The
clean
bc
roadmap
is
modeled,
including
a
33
percent
reduction.
E
E
E
F
The
member
has
also
incorrectly
interpreted
the
road
map.
There
is
a
cap
on
emissions
from
oil
and
gas
use
domestically,
and
there
is
a
commitment
to
work
with
the
oil
and
gas
sector
with
indigenous
nations,
with
experts
to
put
in
place
programs
and
policies
to
ensure
that
we
meet
the
emission
reduction
sectoral
target
for
oil
and
gas
nbc.
F
Honorable
speaker,
the
member
keeps
looking
for
a
dramatic
statement.
I
don't
know
of
a
more
dramatic
statement
than
outlining
exactly
the
amount
of
emission
reductions
upstream
transmission
and
compression
that
we
expect
to
achieve
with
this
plan.
It
is
clear
we're
committed
to
reducing
emissions
from
the
oil
and
gas
sector.
G
C
Thank
you
very
much,
honourable
speaker,
and
you
know
anytime
that
people
have
to
wait
too
long
or
don't
get
the
service
they
need
in
our
health
care
system
these
times
or
any
other
time
is
a
serious
question.
I
take
the
question
very
seriously.
Of
course
it
doesn't
matter
who
you
are
it
doesn't
matter
who
you
are
in
our
province.
That's
what
the
public
health
care
system
is
all
about.
C
It's.
Why,
when
I
became
minister
of
health
and
clearly
a
major
upgrading
and
reform
of
the
ambulance
service
was
needed.
We
engaged
in
that
and
we
substantially
increased
resources.
The
numbers
are
there
they're
undisputed?
I
don't
think
they're
disputed
in
the
house.
This
dramatic
increase
other
than
mental
health
and
addictions,
the
largest
increase
of
any
area
of
health
care.
C
Since
I
became
minister
of
health,
which
is
a
significant
investment,
we
are
continuing
to
make
those
investments
upgrade
service
to
upgrade
service,
not
just
in
urban
bc
but
in
rural
bc,
where
the
gaps
can
be
even
as
the
member
will
know
more
stark.
So
we
are
continuing
our
efforts
to
add
dispatchers.
C
H
H
H
C
C
C
67
people
have
been
taken
from
critical
care
in
the
north
to
critical
care
in
the
south,
mostly
related
to
cobit
19,
and
mostly
because
this
has
become
a
pandemic
of
the
unvaccinated
and
people
take
those
steps
unhesitatingly
and
provide
the
care
unhesitatingly.
We've
added
air
ambulance
resources,
air
resources,
ambulance,
support
resources
in
the
north.
These
are
exceptional
times
and
exceptional
stresses,
and
I
appreciate
the
concern
of
the
honorable
member
for
his
constituents
and
I've
been
engaged
with
him
on
that
question.
H
H
Honorable
speaker,
it's
like
the
premier
has
forgotten
that
this
is
his
second
term
in
office,
but
these
are
his
decisions
and
that
the
impacts
are
real.
In
my
riding,
a
woman
fell
into
a
fire
and
suffered
severe
burns.
Her
husband
and
neighbors
rushed
to
assist
her
and,
as
anyone
would
called
9-1-1
expecting
assistance
help
failed
to
arrive
after
that
failure.
They
transported
the
woman
to
schwab
lake
general
hospital
she's,
then
flown
to
kamloops
and
then
flown
to
vancouver.
General
hospital
residents
expect
care
when
they
need
it.
H
C
Yes,
I've
been
minister
of
health
for
more
than
four
years.
Yes,
each
of
those
years
has
involved
a
record
increase
in
the
ambulance
service.
Yes,
I
gave
twice
as
much
priority
as
I've
been
given
before
to
those
issues,
but
you
know,
as
you
know,
on
the
ground
we're
dealing
with
two
public
health
emergencies
two
and
in
that
time,
we've
reduced
surgical,
wait
lists
our
urgent
and
primary
care.
Centers
have
wanted
outstanding
primary
care.
C
The
outcomes
of
people
with
cova,
19
and
critical
care
is
some
of
the
best
in
the
world
and
we
are
continuing
to
work
to
address
services
to
say
that
these
aren't
extraordinary
times
a
time
of
two
public
health
emergencies
is
simply
ignore.
What's
in
front
of
us-
and
I
know
the
members
know
that,
because
they're
fully
engaged
on
these
issues
every
day
and
in
their
community
and
that's
why
we've
got
to
do
and
continue
to
work
together
to
increase
levels
of
immunization
and
vaccination.
B
Member
for
delta
salt-
thank
you,
mr
speaker.
The
mayor
of
delta
is
fed
up
with
the
unacceptable
ambulance
delays
in
our
community.
In
a
letter
to
the
minister,
he
writes,
and
I
quote,
on
august
22nd,
there
was
only
one
call
taker
for
all
of
vancouver,
because
25
of
26
bcehs
dispatcher
seats
were
empty.
B
On
september
24th,
only
one
ambulance
was
operating
for
all
of
richmond
and
delta.
This
is
incredible
incompetence
for
an
area
of
over
300
000
people.
Mr
speaker,
we
haven't
heard
the
ndp
mlas
from
richmond
speak
up
about
this
ambulance
delay,
but
I
will,
mr
speaker:
will
the
premier
act
now
and
fix
this
ambulance
crisis.
C
Minister
of
health,
honorable
speaker,
what
I
would
say
is
that
the
challenges
facing
the
ambulance
system
are
not
of
a
new
date,
and
it's
why
we've
responded
the
way
we
have
with
budgets
every
year
that
has
significantly
increased
paramedics,
ambulances,
dispatchers
and
air
ambulance
services
across
bc.
This
is
a
recognition
of
both
a
structural
need
for
reform
and
that's
been
happening
and
of
urgent
services
that
are
provided
to
support
communities,
and
this
was
yes.
C
These
were
necessary
steps
and
more
will
be
required,
honorable
speaker,
and
that
is
why
I
think,
given
the
circumstances,
I
am
so
proud
of
the
response
of
our
ambulance,
paramedics
and
dispatchers,
who,
on
the
ground
in
challenging
times
when
we've
seen
an
unprecedented
increase
in
demand,
have
responded
with
with
courage
and
skill
and
dignity
and
are
working
so
very
hard,
and
we're
going
to
continue
honorable
speaker
to
do
what
we
have
done,
which
is
to
increase
the
investment
in
our
ambulance
service
and
hire
more
paramedics.
Add
ambulances
and
hire
more
dispatchers.
D
D
D
C
You
very
much
honorable
speaker,
and
certainly
if
the
member
has
brought
that
to
my
attention.
I'll,
certainly
look
in
to
the
issues
raised
by
herself
and
the
mayor
of
ashcroft,
because
those
are
are
things
that
shouldn't
happen
sometimes
do
happen,
but
shouldn't
happen
in
our
system.
We
have
continued
to
invest,
particularly
in
rural
primary
care.
C
The
member
will
know
that
the
issue
in
ashcroft
is
one
of
of
some
long
date
that
the
move
away
from
full-time
emergency
room
services
occurred
under
previous
government
for
reasons
that
were
real
at
the
time-
and
I
I
don't
pass
judgment
in
that,
but
we
are
working
hard
with
the
community
in
ashcroft
to
improve
emergency
room
services
and
to
improve
hospital
and
primary
care
services
and
with
regions
across
bc,
to
add
not
just
on-call
paramedics
but
full-time
paramedics
all
over
bc
to
ensure
that
our
service
is
ready
in
rural
bc
for
the
for
what's
coming
over
the
next
decade
as
well
as
this
year
and
this
month.
I
Thank
you,
mr
speaker.
Well,
the
problem
is
very
clear
and
the
problem
is
very
clearly
this
government's
failure
to
act
in
a
timely
fashion.
The
minister
can
stick
to
their
speaking
notes.
All
he
would
like,
but
the
reality
is
all
of
our
email.
Boxes
are
filling
up
with
story
after
story
of
delay
and
weight
and
delay
and
weight
and
a
failure
in
our
health
care
system.
I
This
minister
used
to
be
the
health
critic.
I
wonder
what
he
is.
A
health
critic
would
say
about
the
total
failure
of
the
health
care
system
right
now
to
address
these
needs.
We've
had
warnings
15
months
ago
about
a
shortage
of
dispatch,
ignored
and
then
a
heat
wave
comes
and
569
people
lose
their
lives.
I
I
One
person
died
and
that
scenario
another
had
to
be
airlifted
to
vancouver
healthcare
by
luck
and
circumstance,
not
by
phony
9-1-1
and
actually
having
somebody
pick
up.
The
phone
and
dispatching
according
to
e-comm
is
reported
in
the
thai.
That
call
was
one
of
5
000
and
that's
actually
a
typical
wednesday.
The
delay
was
actually
a
lack
of
dispatchers
so
again
equine
quotes.
During
this
time,
we
were
seeing
longer
delays
in
transferring
911
callers,
with
the
request
for
ambulance
to
bc.
Emergency
health
services.
End
quote
so
again.
I
When
will
this
premier
actually
address
the
shortcomings
and
actually
acknowledge
the
critical
crisis,
the
health
care
system
across
the
borders
in
british
columbia
and
actually
take
steps
to
fix
it?
Instead
of
blaming
people
for
trying
to
actually
get
health
care,
they
need
in
a
timely
fashion,
minister
of
health.
C
With
respect
to
the
the
last
line,
the
member
made
honorable
speaker
no
one's
done
that
ever
right,
no
one's
done
that
ever
and
I
think
when,
when
the
when
the
member
suggests
that
we
don't
take
this
issue
seriously,
we
don't
take
this
issue
seriously.
He
is
wrong.
He
refers
to
my
time
as
health
critic
yeah.
I
thought
the
government
there
under
invested
in
the
ambulance
service,
and
they
did
that's
why
I
doubled
the
level
of
funds.
C
Speaker
well,
honorable
speaker,
the
members
know
they
raised
in
their
questions
an
unprecedented
number
of
of
dispatches
and
unprecedented
number
of
responses.
Honorable
speaker,
and
we
have
to
continue
to
do
for
well.
Honorable
speaker,
it
was
day
one
and
yes,
when
I
was
health
critic.
Yes,
when
I
was
health
critic
and
the
previous
government
decided
to
take
away
the
independent
bargaining
rights
of
ambulance
paramedics
to
raise
these
issues
of
the
bargaining
term,
I
was
opposed
to
that.
C
Honorable
speaker,
I
believe,
honorable
speaker,
that
that
it's
working
together
with
our
ambulance,
pragmatics,
that
we
can
do
a
better
job,
and
so
I
restored
those
rights
at
the
bargaining
table
and
many
of
the
increases
in
services.
The
creation
of
hundreds
of
full-time
positions
are
a
direct
result
of
that
collaboration,
and
we
have.
C
C
We
just
have
to
continue
to
do
better
and
that's
why
we
in
on
july,
2nd
posted
hundreds
of
positions,
we're
adding
positions,
we're
adding
supports
in
rural
and
remote
bc
and
there's
significant
challenges
facing
a
health
care
system
during
two
public
health
emergencies,
and
we
are
responding
to
that
with
resources
and
effort,
and
this
public
health
emergency
of
cova
19
and
the
public
health
emergency.
In
the
overdose
crisis,
I
think
have
shown
our
health
care
system
working
together
to
help
people
in
difficult
times,
just
as
people
the
people
of
bc
have
done
the
same.