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From YouTube: NOVEMBER 2 2021 Question Period
Description
The Legislative Assembly of British Columbia
2nd Session
42nd Parliament
C
Mr
speaker,
jen
biddlecombe
is
the
parent
of
an
autistic
child
who
watched
the
minister
of
children
and
family
development
in
question
period.
Yesterday
she
says,
and
I
quote
the
minister
did
not
respond
to
any
of
the
questions,
no
straight
answers
on
how
anything
will
work.
My
concerns
were
not
addressed.
In
fact,
I
was
angry
at
her
response.
D
You,
honourable
speaker,
thank
you
to
the
member
for
the
question.
I
do
understand
that
there
are
many
concerns
out
there
in
community
and
I'm
really
want
to
hear
from
families,
and
we
now
have
opportunity
to
be
listening
to
families
and
listening
to
stakeholders,
not
only
families
with
children
with
autism,
but
also
all
those
other
families
that
have
been
shut
out
of
a
system
for
far
too
long.
D
Mr
speaker,
what
I
can
reassure
families
is
that
there
will
be
services
available
rather
than
having
to
wait
two
years
for
a
diagnosis
and
then
have
to
scramble
and
build
a
patchwork
of
services
for
their
child.
Parents
in
the
future
will
be
able
to
bring
their
child
into
a
hub
connect
with
a
professional
and
work
with
a
multi-disciplinary
team
and
build
a
system
of
services
around
their
child
and
youth.
C
The
minister
stood
in
the
house
yesterday
and
repeatedly
said
that
it's
important
to
listen
to
parents.
Well,
I
can
assure
you
that
we
know
this
minister's
inbox
is
overflowing
with
feedback
from
parents
who
are
upset.
Who
are
anxious
and
in
fact,
as
we
heard
earlier,
who
are
angry
she's
received
more
feedback
in
the
last
week
than
in
all
the
time
that
she
was
discussing
this
decision
where
behind
closed
doors.
C
D
Thank
you,
honorable
speaker,
and
nothing
immediately
is
happening
in
terms
of
autism
funding,
and
I
converse
your
members
of
this
house
that
our
ministry
has
been
making
investments
every
single
year
in
my
ministry,
including
in
respite
a
budget
lift
of
13
million
dollars
this
year
and
a
10
million
investment.
The
first
time
in
20
years,
in
really
vital
equipment.
D
A
Mr
speaker,
parents
and
advocates
that
listened
to
the
minister
yesterday
in
question
period
were
mystified
by
her
suggestion
that
the
right
time
to
consult
is
after
a
decision
and
announcement
has
already
been
made
quote
and
I'm
quoting
autism
bc.
I
think
that's
very
important
for
you
all
to
understand
quote.
We
autism
bc
deny
that
mcfd
had
consulted
us
in
their
decision
to
terminate
autism
funding.
A
D
E
A
Thank
you,
mr
speaker.
The
minister
may
want
to
look
at
some
of
the
twitter
comments
about
the
great
work
that
the
bc
liberal
party
did
in
their
time.
Supporting
increases.
A
F
A
D
Thank
you,
honourable
speaker,
and
I
can
reassure
the
member
and
families
in
british
columbia
that
services
will
continue
to
be
provided
to
families
where
their
children
have
been
diagnosed
with
autism,
and
in
addition
to
that,
the
other
families
that
I
hear
from
honorable
speaker
with
children
with
brain
injury
with
fetal
alcohol
spectrum
disorder
with
other
developmental
delays.
They
will
also
get
services.
They
have
not
been
receiving
services
until
now,
we're
going
to
build
a
public
system
so
that
there's
a
safety
net
of
supports
for
all
children
and
youth
with
support
needs,
including
children
with
autism.
G
G
The
results
are
in
the
listings
in
vancouver
in
october,
the
average
price
of
a
one
bedroom
apartment
was
twenty
one
hundred
and
fifty
five
dollars
per
month.
These
numbers
impact
people.
People
are
spending
so
much
on
rent
that
they're
unable
to
save
up
or
pay
off
student
debt.
They
can't
fi
find
housing
near
work
or
their
families.
The
constant
worry
is
having
negative
health
effects.
Researchers,
researchers
call
this
housing,
affordability
stress
and
it's
exacerbating
mental
health
challenges.
G
B
Thank
you,
honorable
speaker,
and
thank
you
to
the
member
for
the
question
and
and
for
his
spotlight
on
housing.
I
think
housing
is
one
of
the
most
important
issues
in
the
province
and
the
shortage
of
rental
housing
is
one
of
the
most
profound
challenges
we
face:
we're
making
some
traction
on
getting
new
rental
housing
built.
We
have
an
issue
where
our
population
is
increasing
far
more
dramatically
than
our
rental
housing
supply
is
in
that
situation.
B
Rents
are
going
up
and
there's
huge
pressure
placed
on
tenants
that
are
in
lower
rent
housing
as
landlords
want
to
evict
them
and
bring
in
folks
that
can
pay
more,
and
so
what
we
need
to
do
is
build
housing
and
rental
housing,
in
particular,
at
a
very
large
scale.
We
have
two
billion
dollars
going
into
the
housing
hub
to
build
rental,
housing
and.
B
B
When
you
look
at
the
previous
government,
not
even
close
honorable
speaker,
we
have
more
purpose-built
rental
units
registered
or
construction
by
june
and
2021
than
the
old
government
ever
registered
in
an
entire
year.
G
Thank
you,
mr
speaker.
The
minister's
correct,
there's
there's
been
a
number
of
actions
that
have
been
taken
over
the
last
three
years.
The
problem
is,
is
that,
over
that
time,
the
affordable
rentals
are
out
of
reach.
They
don't
exist
because
the
rental
market
is
out
of
control.
Mr
speaker
and
the
the
programs
that
the
minister
referenced
are
all
programs
that
are
going
to
fix
a
problem
in
the
future.
The
problem
is
exists
now
for
british
columbians.
G
It's
all
over
social
media
people
talking
about
their
stories
and
the
the
lack
of
affordability
in
their
housing.
The
the
extreme
challenges
that
our
cities
and
towns
are
facing
are
are
challenges
that
are
being
faced
now
so
through
you,
mr
speaker,
to
the
minister.
G
These
efforts
that
the
government's
outlined
have
not
gone
far
enough
people
need
support
now.
What
is
the
minister
doing
now
to
make
rental
housing
more
affordable
attorney
general.
B
B
I've
already
outlined
honorable
speaker
how
much
better
we're
doing
on
rental
housing
starts
the
previous
government.
I
think
they
should
be
a
bit
cautious,
the
opposition
about
jeering.
So
with
respect
to
what
we're
doing
right
now,
let's
listen
to
the
answer.
Please
donation,
yeah,
that's
fine!
Member!
That's.
A
B
A
B
Plus
two
percent
rent
increases
of
the
old
government.
We
put
a
ban
on
rent
increases
during
covid,
we
have
limited
rent
increases
to
inflation.
Only
we
have
increased
the
availability
of
the
safer
subsidy
for
seniors,
so
they're
able
to
stay
in
their
housing.
We've
increased
money
available
for
seniors
to
retrofit
housing,
so
they
can
stay
in
their
housing
longer.
We
have
increased
resources
to
the
residential
tenancy
branch
with
the
enforcement
branch,
by
the
way
that
the
previous
government
put
in,
but
never
funded,
to
support,
tenants
and
landlords.
B
H
Thanks
honorable
speaker,
my
questions
for
the
minister
of
forest.
I
understand
the
minister
and
the
government
are
poised
to
make
an
announcement
that
will
have
profoundly
negative
consequences
for
people
who
derive
a
living
from
working
in
bc's
forests.
As
the
the
details
emerge,
experts
and
stakeholders
are
already
sounding
the
alarm
bells.
H
H
B
E
Speaker
and
I
want
to
thank
the
member
for
the
question-
and
thank
excuse
me
thank
him
for
his
interest
in
forestry
now
something
that
they
didn't
have
when
they
were
in.
E
We
are
online
to
to
make
sure
that
we
are
meeting
the
commitments
of
the
recommendations
of
the
old
growth
strategic
review
and,
of
course
we
are
doing
economic
analysis,
but
for
now
we
were
going
to
be
announcing
our
process
for
deferrals.
We
also
will
be
announcing
how
we
are
going
to
move
forward
in
working
in
collaboration
and
cooperation
with
indigenous
nations,
because
that
was
the
number
one
recommendation
from
the
street
strategic
review.
H
Honourable
chair
well
we'll
we'll
come
to
the
the
issue
of
first
nations
involvement
and
their
response
here,
just
in
a
few
moments,
because
it
is
emblematic
of
the
response,
the
minister
is
getting
from
virtually
every
quarter
on
this
look.
H
H
The
minister
is
about
to-
and
I
think
a
moment
ago
just
did
confirm
that
she
and
the
government
are
about
to
defer
and
suspend
existing
cutting
permits
without
compensation.
H
Bc,
forest
dependent
families
won't
be
smiling
at
the
end
of
the
day.
I
can
guarantee
you
that.
H
Mr
speaker,
and
they
are
embarking
upon
all
of
this
in
the
absence
of
a
detailed
socio-economic
report
that
will
confirm
not
just
where
those
mills
are
going
to
close,
but
the
impact
that
is
going
to
be
felt
by
thousands
of
forest
dependent
families.
Will
the
minister
confirm
that
the
reason
she's
not
releasing
a
detailed
socioeconomic
report
is
because
she
doesn't
have
one.
E
How
it
is
we
support
communities
in
this
province,
but
also
how
it
is.
We
actually
have
a
vision
for
a
forest
industry
that
not
only
is
sustainable
and
is
going
to
be
here
for
generations
to
come.
We
are
supportive
of
forests
that
also
are
not
only
here
for
harvesting.
They
are
here
for
clean
water,
clean
air
and
to
ensure
that
they're
providing
all
the
biodiversity
they
need
to
provide.
We
have
a
vision
for
forest
in
this
province
and
we
are
going
to
be
sharing
it
and
I'll
be
happy
to
discuss
it
with
the
member
opposite.
H
H
That
is
hardly
a
strategy
for
long-term
economic
stability.
You
know:
is
there
a
worse
time
in
the
history
of
this
province,
to
layer
on
uncertainty
for
families
and
british
columbians
we've
come
through
this
incredibly
difficult
time,
and
the
minister
and
the
government
choose
this
moment
to
make
land
use
decisions
that
we
know
are
going
to
put
thousands
upon
thousands
of
people
out
of
work
I'll
ask
one
more
time.
H
B
I
I
We
just
heard
now
from
the
minister
of
forests
how
indigenous
people
are
full
partners,
and
I
want
to
actually
quote
the
premier
from
back
in
june,
where
the
premier
said
said
this
around
forest
management.
I
quote.
The
first
step
must
be
respecting
indigenous
land
management
rights
in
their
territory
and
a
quote
well.
I
The
bc.
First
nation
council
has
already
issued
a
press
release
regarding
the
minister's
announcement
coming
this
afternoon,
saying
the
ndp
has
done
just
the
opposite:
ndp
no
delivered
promises
chief
bill
williams.
Put
it
simply,
and
I
quote,
the
honor
of
the
crown
cannot
be
met
through
fundamentally
flawed
consultation.
End
quote
so
through
you
to
the
minister.
E
Thank
you,
mr
speaker,
and
I
thank
the
member
for
the
question
because
he's
right,
we
are
very
passionate
about
the
collaboration
government
to
government
discussions
with
indigenous
nations
and
also
ensuring
that
it
is
with
the
rights
and
title
holders.
I
respect
and
really
appreciate
the
work
done
by
the
the
first
nations
forestry
council
and
the
work
that
we
are
doing
and
continuing
to
do
have
been
with
the
rights
and
title
holders,
and
we
will
continue
to
do
that.
I
You,
honourable
chair,
and
I
find
that
that
comment
quite
interesting,
and
I
want
to
quote
clay
tindall,
who
is
the
general
manager
of
forest
operations
for
the
little
white
nation
who
suggests
any
or
who
says
any
suggestion
that
the
province
has
involved.
I
First
nations
and
forest
decisions
are
absurd
and
I
quote
the
little
watt
first
nation
just
spent
several
million
dollars
to
purchase
a
forest
license
in
their
territory
so
that
they
could
have
a
bigger
say
in
decisions
regarding
forest
management
in
their
territory,
and
now
the
government
comes
along
and
is
trying
to
tell
the
nation
what
they
can
and
cannot
do
and
quote
that's
a
quote.
That's
a
quote
directly
from
the
press
release
from
the
first
nation
forest
council.
I
First
nations
have
repeatedly
offered
to
work
collaboratively
with
this
government.
This
government
has
stood
up
and
touted
working
with
first
nations,
but
the
ndp
have,
according
to
the
first
to
the
first
nations
forest
council
have-
and
I
quote,
chosen
to
do
their
own
thing.
End
quote:
can
the
minister
explain
why
she
has
chosen
to
do
her
own
thing?
Instead
of
working
with
first
nations,
minister
of
forest.
E
F
Well,
thank
you,
mr
speaker.
None
of
the
minister's
answers
actually
stand
up
today
to
any
scrutiny
whatsoever.
We've
heard
about
reports
from
industry
and
concerns
of
industry
of
what
will
happen
and
the
lack
of
socioeconomic
reviews
and
planning
by
this
government
on
what
their
decisions
will
actually
mean
to
those
workers
in
those
communities.
F
We've
heard
about
a
lack
of
consultation
and
first
nations
themselves
saying
this.
This
is
not
us
inventing
quotes.
This
is
from
a
press
release.
It
gets
released
right
out
before
the
minister's
announcement
from
the
first
nations
forestry
council.
So
here's
the
facts
from
one
of
the
industry
reports.
That's
a
current
and
recent
report.
F
Four
of
the
mills
and
a
third
of
the
shingle
industry
will
close
on
the
coast.
Mr
speaker,
and
I
know
the
members
from
surrey
on
the
other
side
seemed
to
think
this
was
a
laughing
matter
shortly.
They
might
want
to
talk
to
their
shake
and
shingle
meals
in
siri
about
this
five
mills
and
two
veneer
plants
in
the
interior
will
close
and
the
pulp
and
paper
mills
will
close
and
be
on
severe
curtailments
throughout
the
province.
F
E
Thank
you,
mr
speaker,
and
thank
the
member,
but
I
I
know
I
think
it's
highly
inappropriate
to
speculate
on
deferrals
that
haven't
been
made
yet
to
speculate
on
mills
that
are
going
to
be
closed.
If
they're
we
haven't
even
had
those
government-to-government
discussions
concluded
with
indigenous
nations
on
whose
traditional
territory
those
mills
are.
E
Knows
workers
know
communities
knows,
and
indigenous
nations
certainly
know
that
we
have
been
doing
the
work
after
we
received
the
report
from
the
old
growth
strategic
review.
We
have
brought
together
a
technical
advisory
panel
looking
at
the
different
areas
of
the
province.
Looking
at
those
rare
iconic,
those
those
ancient
old
growth
trees
that
are
at
risk
to
irreversible
loss.
You
know
we're
looking
at
how
we're
going
to
manage
our
forest
industry
so
that
it's
managed
in
a
sustainable
way.
E
F
Thank
you,
mr
speaker.
Well,
these
are
very
serious
concerns
from
industry
from
indigenous
leadership
and
indigenous
communities
and
the
businesses
that
are
impacted
by
the
work
that
they
do
in
the
forest
industry
and
the
minister
to
date.
So
far
today
has
not
been
able
to
provide
any
assurance
whatsoever
or
actual
verification
that
they
have
actually
done
proper
socioeconomic
modeling
on
what
will
happen
with
decisions
that
will
be
made
and
announced
this
afternoon,
there
are
over
10
000
businesses
that
work
in
forestry.
F
This
includes
30
000,
indirect
jobs
like
equipment,
sales,
machinery,
repair
and
environmental
consulting
there's,
also
extra
jobs
like
in
diners
cafes,
grocery
stores
that
rely
on
forestry
workers
to
shop
there.
All
of
that
needs
to
be
looked
at,
but
it
hasn't
been
by
this
government,
and
this
minister
refuses
to
acknowledge
that
they
avoided
that.
F
B
E
Thank
you,
mr
speaker,
and
I'm
from
a
forest
industry.
I
understand
the
forest
industry.
I
understand
the
repercussions
of
what
happens
in
forest
industries
when
there's
downturns
when
mills
are
closed.
I
understand
what
happens
because
I
lived
through
it.
I
lived
through
thirty
thousand
people
in
this
province,
losing
jobs.
E
Unlike
members,
opposite,
we
are
ensuring
there
are
going
to
be
supports
in
place.
We
are
ensuring
that
if
there
are
going
to
be
any
repercussions
that
there
will
be
supports
in
place-
and
I
will
be
announcing
those
this
afternoon-
and
I
will
make
sure
to
that-
the
members
opposite
get
a
full
briefing
on
what
we're
announcing
a
full
briefing
on
the
supports.
We
are
now
announcing
a
full
briefing
and
how
we
are
moving
forward
with
a
vision
for
forestry
in
this
province,
a
vision
that
none
of
them
ever
came
forward
with
a
vision.