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From YouTube: OCTOBER 6 2021 Question Period
Description
The Legislative Assembly of British Columbia
2nd Session
42nd Parliament
A
A
The
report
found
that,
and
I
quote,
inadequate
government
support,
compounded
risks
for
people
with
disabilities
and
older
people
during
the
recent
extreme
and
foreseeable
heat
wave
and
contributed
to
unnecessary
suffering
and
possibly
death.
End
quote:
british
colombians
were
absolutely
astounded
when
the
premier
responded
to
questions
about
vulnerable
people
dying
by
saying-
and
I
quote,
fatalities
are
a
part
of
life
and
there's
a
level
of
personal
responsibility.
C
I
think
we
recognize
that
the
events
of
the
heat
dome
weekend
around
june
28th,
29th
and
30th
were
very
significant
events
for
a
lot
of
british
columbians
570
cases
in
the
preliminary
findings
of
the
coroner
people
passing
away
related
to
heat.
This
was
a
singular
event
in
the
history
of
our
province,
one
that
had
not
occurred
before
in
this
way.
As
we
discussed
yesterday
with
the
minister
with
the
leader
of
the
opposition
in
2009,
there
was
a
significant
heat
wave
110
people
passed
away
at
that
time.
C
It
was
principally
focused
on
the
fraser
valley,
and
this
heat
dome
was
five
degrees
on
average
higher
than
that
unprecedented
in
the
history
of
our
province
and
that
caused
enormous
hardship
for
people.
The
actions
that
the
premier
has
taken
the
government
has
taken
have
increased,
resiliency
and
reduced
inequality.
A
A
600
almost
600
british
colombians
died.
They
were
spouses,
they
were
parents,
they
were
beloved
friends
and
not
a
single
answer
from
the
premier
of
british
columbia,
not
a
single
answer:
no
accountability
from
this
government.
Let's
look
at
what
the
report
said,
not
my
words
and
the
government
members
might
find
them
uncomfortable.
Here's.
What
the
report
of
an
international
watchdog
said
to
this
government,
the
provincial
government
was
slow
to
respond.
A
A
A
Many
died
at
home,
many
died
alone,
many
people
called
for
help
and
no
help
came,
and
none
of
us
will
forget.
I
can't
imagine
the
members
on
the
opposite
benches
will
forget
that
one
family
was
so
desperate
for
help,
they
called
a
fire
station
and
then
they
drove
their
beloved
relative
to
the
fire
station
and
despite
heroic
efforts
that
british
columbian
died
in
the
driveway
of
a
fire
hall,
it
is
clear
that
many
british
columbians
did
not
understand
the
risk
and
make
no
mistake
about
it.
The
premier's
comments
contributed
to
the
tragic
outcomes.
C
Thank
you
very
much,
honorable
speaker.
Thank
you,
the
member
for
question
honorable
speaker.
The
member
suggests
that
emergency
operations
and
health
authorities
weren't
in
place
in
advance
of
the
heat
tone
weekend
they
were
in
place.
They
were
in
place
across
the
weekend,
led
at
a
provincial
health
officer
level
by
dr
bonnie
henry
led
by
the
presidents
and
ceos
of
the
health
authority,
indeed
led
by
the
minister
of
health
myself.
C
D
Thank
you,
mr
speaker.
All
I
remember
when
the
climate
change
risk
assessment
report
was
presented
in
this
house
in
2019
a
report
commissioned
by
this
government,
and
it
was
similar
clapping
then.
Sadly,
all
they
did
was
clap
for
the
report
patted
themselves
on
the
back,
mr
speaker
and
then
did
nothing
about
the
warnings
in
that
report
about
the
potential
impact
of
heat
waves
and
in
fact
the
potential
in
that
report
was
less
than
what
actually
played
out.
D
The
temperature
inside
amber's
subsidized
housing
unit
was
39
celsius,
39
celsius
inside
her
house.
She
says
in
the
human
rights
watch
report,
and
I
quote,
I
have
never
been
so
sick
in
my
entire
life.
Money
is
scarce
for
anything
so
luxurious
as
a
proper
fan
or
heaven
forbid
an
air
conditioner
and
quote
it's
the
vulnerable
seniors
like
ember,
who
couldn't
afford
air
conditioning
or
even
a
proper
fan
that
the
premier
told
to
take
personal
responsibility.
D
The
570
families
want
to
see
some
personal
responsibility
out
of
this
premier,
some
personal
responsibility
from
the
premier
to
acknowledge
and
explain
why
he
ignored
his
own
commissioned
report
from
2019
and
took
no
action
in
the
days
leading
up
to
the
heat
wave
to
make
sure
those
570
vulnerability
colombians
were
protected.
Why
did
the
premier
not
take
proper
actions
knowing
this
was
coming.
C
Honorable
speaker,
the
emergency
systems
responded
in
bc
and
responded
at
a
staff
level
with
extraordinary
courage
around
around
what
occurred
that
weekend.
Our
ambulance,
paramedics,
firefighters
at
the
municipal
level,
staff
staff
of
the
government
staff
in
emergency
rooms,
staff
who
support
vulnerable
seniors
at
home,
who
require
home
support
staff
and
long-term
care,
and
all
of
our
families
and
friends
who
helped
one
another.
C
Everyone
got
on
board
to
help
one
another,
but
we
saw
a
heap
dome
and
a
heatwave
that
we
have
never
seen
before
and
its
impact
on
people,
particularly
people
of
lower
income,
particularly
people
with
other
vulnerabilities,
particularly
people
with
chronic
conditions
such
as
diabetes,
particularly
those
people,
were
profoundly
affected
by
it.
And
we
know
that-
and
we
have
to-
I
think,
in
response
to
a
one
in
a
thousand
year
thing
that
has
now
happened
is
to
build
and
create
resiliency
to
provide
supports.
C
That
means
actions
that
that
decrease
social
isolation,
which
was
in
part
of
course,
caused
by
the
other
public
health
emergencies
that
we're
facing
problems
that
are
dealt
with.
The
group
with
continuing
inequality,
which
has
been
reduced
in
the
last
number
of
years
for
people
and
support
for
vulnerable
seniors.
All
of
these
things.
All
of
these
investments
have
been
made
by
this
government
supported
by
this
legislature
and
the
previous
legislature,
but
we
need
to
do
more.
D
Well,
thank
you,
mr
speaker.
It's
a
little
disappointing.
The
other
side
seems
to
keep
clapping
for
an
answer
that
says
nothing
more
than
resilience
when
570
people
died
because
their
negligent
watch
of
ignoring
a
report,
this
isn't
about
the
first
responders
response.
They
were
working
flat
out.
The
first
responders
were
doing
everything
they
could
do
with
the
resources
provided
to
them,
or,
should
I
say,
the
lack
of
resources
provided
to
them
in
advance
by
the
premier
who
chose
to
ignore
his
own
climate
risk
assessment
report.
D
301
people
died
on
that
single
day
301,
but
on
that
very
same
day,
this
is
how
the
premier
described
how
he
felt,
and
I
quote,
we
were
a
bit
jolly
a
bit.
Giddy
end
quote
those
are
the
premier's
own
words
about
how
he
felt
on
the
day
his
government
failed
hundreds
of
vulnerable
british
colombians
members.
D
So
instead,
because
no
action
was
taken
on
that
report
about
a
heat
dome
event
with
warnings,
we
are
now
awaiting
a
coroner's
report
instead,
so
that
action
will
be
taken
based
on
a
coroner's
report
instead
of
a
climate
risk
assessment
report
done
ahead
of
time.
When
will
this
government
take
proper
responsibility,
stop
trying
to
pass
the
buck
and
actually
acknowledge
the
failings
of
his
own
government
when
it
came
to
this
climate
risk
assessment
report.
C
Thank
you
very
much
honorable
speaker
and
thank
you
to
the
member
for
his
question.
I
think
that,
when
one
can
say
definitively
is
on
key
areas
of
emergency
response,
action
has
been
taken
with
respect
to
the
ambulance
service.
C
We
went
from
funding
that
had
been
below
the
rate
of
inflation,
more
than
doubled
an
annual
increase,
so
we
went
from
420
to
560
million
dollars
a
year
and
now
we're
doing
more
because
we
are
acting
to
become
more
resilient,
we're
supporting
in
24
communities
in
rural
bc
going
to
a
24,
7
staffing
model
where
in
in
another
26
rural
in
remote
communities,
where
the
effects
of
climate
change.
I
don't
need
to
tell
anybody
in
this
house
are
as
profound
as
they
are
in
urban
areas.
C
That's
action
taken
to
become
more
resilient
and
we
have
to
take
more
so.
The
government
is
acting
on
climate
change,
it's
acting
on
inequality,
it's
acting
on
these
issues
and
still
these
events
happen
and
we
mourn
people,
and
we
should
be
inspired
to
take
more
action.
We
should
inspire
to
take
more
action.
The
idea,
honourable
speaker,
the
idea
that
this
did
not
have
something
to
do
with
climate
change
is
wrong.
It's
just
wrong
and
we
have
to
continue
to
work
together
as
a
community
as
a
community.
E
E
E
My
question,
honourable
speakers
to
the
minister
of
forest
lands,
natural
resources,
operations
and
rural
development.
On
june
2nd
of
this
year,
the
minister
stated
in
an
interview
on
cbc
quote.
I
expect
we'll
be
able
to
announce
additional
deferrals
this
summer.
Will
the
minister
be
announcing
these
additional
deferrals
now
that
summer
is
over.
F
Thank
you,
mr
speaker,
and
I
want
to
thank
the
member
for
the
question
and
I'm
really
happy
to
talk
about
this,
because
I
know
how
passionate
everybody
in
the
house
is
about
old
growth
and
about
our
forest
in
general,
and
just
just
to
remind
the
members
that
we
have
deferred
harvesting
of
old
growth
in
11
areas
across
the
province.
F
We've
created
an
independent
review
and
we
are
committed
to
implementing
all
of
those
recommendations.
As
I
have
been
saying,
and
all
of
those
recommendations
are
being
worked
on.
We've
protected
forest
habitats
for
caribou,
spotted
owl,
vulnerable
species
like
the
marble
maryland
and
the
northern
goshawk.
F
And
yes,
we
did
strike
a
new
independent
technical
advisory
panel.
I
think
it's
made
up
of
the
very
people
that
the
member
referred
to
working
together
to
identify
the
most
at
risk
old
growth
ecosystems
in
the
province
and
provide
a
basis
for
additional
deferrals.
The
member
may
roll
her
eyes,
but
these
are
significant
issues
that
we
have
dealt
with
and
that
we
are
moving
forward
on.
We
are
implementing
all
14
recommendations,
we
are
moving
forward
and
we
will
be
making
more
deferrals.
E
E
The
minister
of
health
yesterday
and
today
has
been
saying
we
need
to
take
action
on
climate
change.
We
need
to
take
action
to
ensure
that
british
columbia
becomes
more
resilient
to
climate
change.
The
most
I
am
quite
it's.
It's
astonishing
43,
more
approvals
of
all
growth
logging
under
this
government
than
the
year
before
43
more
according
to
government
data,
keepa.
E
E
E
E
F
Thank
you,
mr
speaker,
and
again
thank
the
member
for
questions
and
and
it's
interesting
that
she
referenced
fairy
creek
because
it
was
actually
the
message
that
was
coming
from
her
from
her
colleague
from
colleagues
outside
was
that
that
was
the
last
remaining
ecosystem,
the
last
remaining
old
growth,
and
we
did
protect
that
we
protected
that.
F
And
I
believe
I've
been
very
clear.
Our
government
has
been
very
clear
that,
in
order
to
protect
old
growth
force,
we
have
to
put
indigenous
peoples
at
the
front
of
the
discussion
and
that's
what
we're
doing.
We
are
having
those
discussions
with
indigenous
nations.
We
are
looking
at
areas
across
the
province,
but
we're
also
respecting
the
wants,
wishes
and
needs
of
indigenous
nations,
and
I
just
want
to
quote
hawaii
chief
counselor
robert
dennis,
who
said
to
people.
It
is
our
responsibility
to
take
care
of
our
land
for
future
generations.
We
are
the
decision
makers.
F
We
follow
the
guidance
of
our
elders
and
citizens
to
make
the
decisions
we
think
are
right.
We
are
asking
others
to
respect
that
process
and
follow
our
direction
on
our
territory.
Our
citizens
have
a
constitutionally
protected
right
to
manage
and
benefit
from
our
lands,
waters
and
resources,
and
I
think
that
we
should
all
respect
those
those
words
from
from
chief
counselor
robert
dennis.
G
Thank
you,
mr
speaker,
mr
speaker.
After
the
horrific
crash
involving
the
humboldt
broncos,
the
provincial
government
moved
to
improve
driving
training,
a
move
supported
by
the
industry
and,
quite
frankly,
everybody
everybody
on
this
side
of
the
house.
Drivers
would
have
the
opportunity
to
pass
a
test
proving
their
skills
before
the
new
regulations
came
into
effect
again
all
good,
but
then
the
pandemic
hit
and
icbc
has
not
offered
the
spaces
for
road
tests.
Darren
hudson
applied
june
1st
for
his
test
and
won't
get
one
until
after
the
rule,
change
comes
into
effect
on
october
18th.
G
That
decision
could
cost
him
up
to
fifteen
thousand
dollars.
One
company
in
my
riding
faces
hard
costs
of
about
fifty
five
thousand
dollars
and
a
total
loss
of
a
hundred
and
fifteen
thousand
dollars,
because
icbc
has
failed
to
deliver
the
road
tests
on
time,
and
today
the
province
doubled
down
on
penalizing
these
drivers,
who
are
ready
to
do
the
right
thing
to
the
premier
very
simple
question:
will
you
do
the
right
thing
and
grandfather
those
who
became?
Who?
B
Minister
of
public
safety.
Thank
you
honorable
speaker.
H
Parents
across
bc
are
frantic
and
worried
about
the
explosion
of
covid19
exposures
in
their
schools,
and
the
premier
wants
to
make
it
worse.
Instead
of
providing
the
leadership
that
our
parents
are
looking
for.
In
my
riding,
we
have
four
different
school
districts.
Does
the
premier
really
think
there
should
be
four
different
approaches
in
one
writing.
I
I
We're
now
in
our
third
school
year,
where
everyone
is
grappling
with
with
the
pandemic,
and
we
have
worked
hard
with
with
the
bccdc,
with
all
of
our
partners
over
the
course
of
this
pandemic,
to
ensure
that
we
have
robust,
strong
safety
plans
in
place
and
that's
what
allowed
us
to
keep
our
schools
open
and
to
keep
school
kids
in
class
for
all
of
last
year.
I
I
and
I
understand
I-
I
talk
to
a
lot
of
parents
and
and
teachers
and
people
in
the
school
community,
certainly
over
the
last
several
weeks,
and
I
understand
the
concerns
that
that
there
that
folks
have
with
respect
to
with
respect
to
exposures
in
schools
and
respect
with
respect
to
the
question
about
about
mandatory
vaccinations.
I
We
we
do
not
have
a
public
health
order.
That
would
allow
a
provincial
approach.
We
we
have
a
situation
where,
as
the
member
well
knows,
having
been
having
served
as
a
school
trustee
that
the
school
boards
are
the
employers
of
school
staff,
and
so
I
convened
a
meeting
of
of
all
of
our
education
partners
yesterday
to
support
the
development
of
guidelines
that
that
will
inform
the
decisions
that
boards
will
make
when
they
are
considering
mandatory
vaccination
policies
for
their
for
their
staff.
I
J
Thank
you,
honourable
speaker.
The
lack
of
a
back
to
school
plan
by
the
premier
has
meant
a
scary
return
to
the
classroom
for
students,
staff
and
teachers.
The
number
of
cases
in
our
schools
are
on
the
rise.
We've
seen.
The
education
minister
already
have
to
backtrack
on
notifications
and
masks,
and
british
columbia,
sadly,
is
behind
when
it
comes
to
using
rapid
tests
for
school
exposures.
J
Even
the
premier's
former
senior
advisor
myra
orrick
agrees,
and
she
says,
and
I
quote,
it
took
two
and
a
half
hours
to
get
my
kids
tested
for
coven
19
this
morning
at
bc's
children's
hospital,
given
the
lack
of
protection
for
kids,
the
at
the
least
the
province
could
can
do,
is
to
increase
testing
accessibility,
more
sites
and
more
staff
are
seriously
needed.
End
quote
and
I
can
attest
the
wait
is
longer
in
some
rural
areas.
J
We
know
that
this
government
is
sitting
on
hundreds
of
thousands,
if
not
millions,
of
rapid
tests
that
have
come
from
the
federal
government.
We've
seen
the
continued
stubbornness
resistance
by
this
government
to
use
rapid
tests,
so
will
the
premier
protect
school-aged
children
and
use
rapid
tests
in
schools
today.
C
Minister
of
health,
thank
you
and
thank
you
to
the
member
first
question.
I
know
he's
expressing
concern
of
many
people
in
this
community.
In
september,
the
gold
standard
test,
the
pcr
test.
There
were
more
pcr
tests
in
september
than
at
any
other
time
in
the
pandemic.
Indeed,
four
times
as
many
in
the
northern
health
authority,
as
we
did
as
I've
discussed
with
the
minister
that
had
taken
place
during
the
height
of
the
third
wave
of
covet
19.,
we
are
increasing
pcr
testing,
never
more
than
in
the
month
of
september.
C
Have
rapid
tests
been
used
more
in
bc?
The
technology
as
well
is
improving.
The
capacity
to
have
at-home
tests
is
improving
and
those
things
will
be
explored
by
the
people
who
are
directing
our
testing
policy,
the
people
who
are
qualified
to
do
it,
the
people
who
have
been
leading
it
from
the
beginning,
our
leaders
at
the
bccdc
in
the
provincial
health
office
and
our
government
will
continue
to
support
them
as
they
make
every
effort
to
ensure
that
children,
adults,
everybody
are
protected
as
much
as
absolutely
possible
from
covet
19.