►
From YouTube: FEBRUARY 10 2022 Question Period
Description
The Legislative Assembly of British Columbia
3rd Session
42nd Parliament
C
Well,
thank
you,
mr
speaker,
so
so
for
years,
the
ndp
of
scapegoated
foreigners
they've
unleashed
a
blizzard
blizzard
of
taxes
that
have
done
absolutely
nothing
around
housing,
affordability.
The
ndp
have
said
increased
taxes
actually
would
help
solve
the
affordability
crisis.
But
now
they've
been
forced
to
talk
about
basic
economics,
and
I
quote:
no
tax
policy
is
going
to
put
a
roof
over
someone's
head.
C
C
D
Thank
you,
honorable,
speaker
and,
and
I'd
like
to
welcome
the
new
credit
for
housing
to
the
job.
I
I'm
very
glad
for
a
question
on
housing.
D
D
We
have
some,
we
have
some
differences
there,
but
where
I
don't
think
we
have
differences
is
around
the
need
for
more
housing
in
our
province.
Our
province
is
incredibly
successful
in
attracting
people
from
other
provinces
in
other
countries
to
come
and
move
here
we
have
a
94
increase
in
inter-provincial
migration
people
coming
to
bc.
We
have
a
200
percent
plus
increase
in
people
from
other
countries
coming
to
bc,
because
bc
has
a
successful
economy
that
works
for
everybody.
D
Now,
with
that
success
comes
challenges,
we
need
to
build
the
housing
for
the
folks
who
are
coming
we're
on
the
right
path.
We
have
the
most
new
housing
units
registered
since
2002
since
bc
started.
Collecting
data
on
this
53
189
starts,
of
which
12
899
are
rental.
We
have
a
lot
more
work
to
do
on
our
speaker.
C
C
This
government
is
giving
to
this
most
important
issue
for
the
people
of
british
columbia
when
they
themselves
have
basically
abandoned
the
policies
abandoned
the
idea
of
of
home,
affording
for
people
in
the
province
of
british
columbia.
Look
the
minister
can
stand
up
and
say
all
he
wants.
The
facts
are
the
facts.
People
are
not
able
to
afford
to
get
into
homes
in
british
columbia,
highest
increases.
C
We
have
ever
seen
for
home
affordability,
and
now
we
have
parents
like
sandra
mcmillan
and
conan
o'dell
from
saanich
right
here
in
the
premier's
backyard,
who
are
unable
to
afford
a
place
in
fact,
they're
being
kicked
out
this
saturday,
because
they
can't
afford
a
place
right
in
the
premier's
backyard
to
rent.
So
what
is
the
premier
going
to
do
for
sandra
and
conan
and
other
people
and
other
families
and
other
young
people
in
the
province?
British
columbia
that
can't
afford
to
get
into
the
housing
market
under
this
government?.
D
Thank
you,
honorable
speaker.
This
is
a
really
serious
issue
and
I
appreciate
the
member
asking
questions
about
this,
but
I
mean
it's
not
like
he
just
came
here
from
outer
space.
He
was
there
when
the
other
side
of
the
house
committed
to
26
990
housing
starts
for
this
year,
a
number
that
our
government
has
doubled.
D
D
B
B
B
The
ndp
have
allowed
the
housing
crisis
to
balloon
all
over
british
columbia.
Oh
well,
the
minister
can
shake
his
head,
but
let's
look
at
this
in
langley,
for
example,
a
detached
home
is
up
43
in
one
year.
That's
this
minister's
record
in
surrey.
Average
prices
are
up
over
40
percent
in
one
year
and
the
biggest
surrey
increase
is
in
north
surry
up
over
51
in
one
single
year.
B
So,
while
housing
costs
skyrocket
all
across
the
province
and
particularly
in
surrey,
what
do
we
hear
from
the
mlas
from
surrey?
Nothing
sitting
there
in
silence
as
the
dream
of
homeownership
becomes
the
impossible
dream
so
to
the
minister.
When
is
he
going
to
stop
with
the
empty
rhetoric
and
actually
put
some
measurable
outcomes
in
place.
D
You,
honorable
speaker,
I
mean
I
was
the
housing
critic.
I
sat
on
that
side.
Well,
this
side
of
the
house.
When
the
bc
liberals
were
in
power,
let
the
housing
market
get
out
of
control
with
international
money
empty
homes.
Eighteen
thousand
people
are
now
living
in
homes
that
were
previously
vacant
because
of
our
speculation
and
vacancy
tax.
Are
they
opposed.
D
D
We
had
to
drag
them
to
the
table
about
measuring
international
money
in
our
housing
market.
Oh,
don't
worry
it's
not
a
problem.
We
won't
help.
You
build
that
wall,
18
of
the
homes
in
richmond,
sold
to
international
buyers
16
in
burnaby,
and
once
they
got
those
numbers
honorable
speaker,
then
they
rushed
in
attacks
trying
to
do
something
at
the
tail
end.
That's
not
our
way.
We
are
not
rushing
solutions.
We're
acting
quickly,
we're
acting
quickly.
D
A
B
Thank
you
very
much,
mr
speaker.
Well,
the
person
who's
uncomfortable
in
this
house
should
be
the
minister
who
took
five
years
to
actually
figure
out.
There's
a
supply
side
to
the
argument.
That's
what
this
minister
should
be
uncomfortable
about
and
let's
be
clear,
they
have
not
done
one
single
thing
to
help
a
family
that
has
the
dream
of
a
new
home
in
british
columbia.
In
fact,
it's
gotten
worse
and
this
minister,
let's
be
clear,
all
he's
done
is
look
for.
Scapegoats,
tried
to
score
cheap
political
points.
That's
what
his
record
is
and
let's
be
clear.
B
They
can't
find
an
affordable
place
to
live
under
this
government
and
they
have
until
the
16th
until
they
are
out
of
options.
So
maybe
the
minister
can
stand
up
in
this
answer
and
speak
to
velma
and
maybe
explain
to
her
why
they
are
struggling
to
find
a
place.
That's
affordable
for
her
family
to
live
in.
A
D
Liberal
government
believed
that
the
market
would
solve
the
housing
problems
and
it
didn't
it
didn't.
Government
has
to
build
affordable
housing.
That's
why
we
committed
to
building
114
000
units.
That's
why
we're
delivering
it
well,
while
the
other
side
was
in
government
homelessness
tripled
honorable
speaker,
they
had
2
000,
supportive
housing
units
in
development
or
under
construction.
We
had
now
over
10
times
that
amount
in
16
years
they
built
130
units
of
student,
housing.
A
D
Imagine
passing
a
bill
honorable
speaker
for
tenants
that
says
we're
going
to
establish
an
enforcement
unit
to
protect
tenants
and
landlords
against
bad
actors
and
then
never
funding
that
enforcement
unit.
That's
what
the
other
government
did.
We
actually
funded
that
unit
to
protect
tenants
and
landlords.
We
capped
rent
increases
to
inflation.
D
E
Thank
you,
honourable
speaker.
The
world
health
organization
states,
and
I
quote
covet-
can
spread
in
poorly
ventilated
and
or
crowded
indoor
settings
where
people
tend
to
spend
long
periods
of
time.
This
is
because
aerosols
can
remain
suspended
in
the
air
or
travel
further
than
conversation
distance.
This
is
often
called
long-range,
aerosol
or
long-range
airborne
transmission.
E
F
I
think
the
member
will
know
from
the
beginning
of
the
pandemic,
dr
henry,
our
public
health
teams.
The
ministry
of
health
have
consistently
advised
people
that
outdoors
is
safer
than
endorse
that
we
need
to
take
specific
action
to
ensure
that
people
are
protected
indoors
and
that's
why
we've
had
all
of
the
measures
that
have
happened
over
time,
including
a
mass
mandate
that
continues
to
this
day,
including
the
bc
vaccine
card
that
continues
to
this
day
and
will
continue
for
some
months
to
come.
F
That
includes
other
public
health
measures
to
limit
capacity
and
to
limit
transmission
consistently
over
the
time.
That
has
been
the
case
because
outdoors
is
safer
than
indoors,
and
the
advice
in
this
question
has
been
repeatedly
answered
by
dr
henry
in
that
regard.
It's
it's
that
we
have
to
continue
to
take
the
steps
necessary
to
protect
one
another
and
to
protect
people's
health
in
a
global
pandemic,
and
that's
what
we'll
continue
to
do.
E
E
Clear
information,
knowledge
and
protections
made
available
to
citizens
are
essential
in
a
pandemic,
and
yet
in
bc,
health
care
workers
and
patients
in
hospitals
have
been
denied
access
to
the
most
basic
tool
for
an
airborne
virus,
which
is
an
n95
mask.
My
question,
for
you
onward
speaker
is
again
to
the
minister
of
health.
Will
he
commit
to
ensuring
that
british
columbians
indeed
have
access
to
the
protections
that
help
reduce
and
manage
an
airborne
virus,
including
n-95s.
F
Health,
honourable
speaker,
consistently
from
the
beginning
of
the
pandemic,
british
columbians,
and
I
mean
officials
in
the
ministry
of
health,
our
health
care
teams
that
made
extraordinary
efforts
to
make
sure
that
our
healthcare
workers
have
the
ppe
necessary
to
protect
themselves.
We
have
made
we
have
currently,
for
example,
7.7
million
and
95
mass.
F
Well,
honorable
speaker,
we
receive
a
contribution
from
the
opposition
house
leader,
but
those
are
in
place
because
it
is
absolutely
necessary
to
have
a
stockpile
of
mass
well
into
the
future,
a
lesson
that
was
well
learned
when
international
supply
lines
were
interrupted
and
traditional
suppliers
were
unable
to
provide
those
mass.
In
march
and
april
of
2020.,
we've
made
an
extraordinary
effort
to
ensure
that
the
ppe
is
available
to
keep
our
health
workers
safe,
and
it
is
used
with
the
guidance
of
those
who
are
expert
in
the
area
in
public
health.
G
Thanks,
mr
speaker,
for
years
the
the
government
has
tried
to
explain
and
blame
rapidly
escalating
housing
costs
on
foreigners
and
foreign
money,
and
we
heard
another
version
of
that
here
this
morning,
more
recently,
confronted
by
the
fact
that
the
data
simply
doesn't
support
that
assertion.
We
have
heard
the
government
and
the
the
minister
point
to
supply
is
a
problem
which
is
good
news
actually
because
it
means
we
might
finally
be
getting
to
the
the
root
of
the
problem.
G
But
there's
one
assertion,
mr
speaker,
that
the
ndp
government
has
maintained
consistently
throughout
the
years,
and
that
is
people
who
buy
real
estate
for
merely
for
the
purpose
of
holding
it
as
an
investment
are
engaged
in
a
nefarious
process
are
bad.
They
are
engaged
in
the
evil
enterprise
of
real
estate
speculation,
and
we
heard
the
minister
of
housing
assert
something
along
those
lines
again
just
a
few
moments
ago.
G
G
Will
the
minister
confirm
that
icbc
purchased
these
220
homes
in
january
of
2020
only
to
flip
them
a
year
and
a
half
later
for
a
significant
profit?
In
short,
will
the
minister
confirm
that
icbc,
a
wholly
owned
crown
agency,
is
engaged
in
precisely
the
kind
of
real
estate
speculation
that
he
and
his
colleagues
have
regularly
and
roundly
condemned.
D
Attorney
general.
Thank
you
very
much.
Honorable
speaker.
I
do
think
it's
a
problem
when
people
buy
residential
property
and
homes
as
an
investment
rather
than
as
a
place
to
live,
I
don't
think
it's
a
problem
when
large
institutional
investors
build
things
like
purpose-built
rental
housing,
so
these
are
important
distinctions.
I
I'm
not
surprised
you're.
A
member
that
owns
eight
properties,
bring
a
rounding,
powerful
defense
of
real
estate
speculation
to
this
house.
D
Honorable
speaker,
but
let
me
let
me
just
say
that
icbc
was
asked
to
support
an
effort
by
citizen
services
in
relation
to
the
masqui
first
nation
to
facilitate
them
in
buying
some
property
for
the
purposes
of
developing,
among
other
things,
affordable
housing,
icbc
supported
that
effort.
I
can
also
advise
the
member
to
the
best
of
my
knowledge.
Icbc
owns
no
residential
property.
Currently.
G
Thanks,
mr
specie,
mr
speaker,
so
lots
of
glossy
brochures
icbc
marketed
these
homes
as
a
major
development
opportunity,
220,
affordable
family
homes
being
marketed
by
a
crown
agency,
this
government's
agency
as
a
major
development
opportunity.
There
are
220
families
at
meadowwood
who
would
like
to
know
what
that
means
for
them.
They're
calling
my
office.
D
These
these
are
protections
that
the
other
side
knew
when
they
were
in
government
were
badly
needed.
They
watched
tenants
being
evicted
from
their
homes
for
redevelopment
and
they
didn't
act
because
they
had
other
priorities
and
when
the
other
side
actually
had
housing
owned
owned
by
bc,
housing,
the
social
housing
provider
they
sold
those
properties
off,
and
the
worst
example
of
that
was
the
little
mountain
site
where
that
site
was
bulldozed
and
left
vacant
by
the
private
developer
that
they
sold
it
to
and
those
families
were
displaced
from
that
site.
G
And,
and
with
all
due
respect
to
the
minister,
his
comments
will
be
of
more
interest
to
the
220
families,
who
are
now
left
in
an
uncertain
situation,
because
a
crown
agency,
a
commercial
crown
corporation,
has
been
involved
in
the
real
estate
speculation
business
that
he
and
his
colleagues
condem
weekly
monthly
on
a
regular
basis.
G
Icbc's
a
crown
corporation.
I
heard
the
minister
refer
a
moment
ago
to
the
matsui
first
nation
icbc
owned
this
property
for
a
year
and
a
half
before
it
decided
to
flip
it.
I
presume
the
minister
agrees
that
the
obligations
to
consult
and
accommodate
first
nations
around
the
disposition
of
crown
land
apply
equally
to
crown
corporations
commercial
crown
corporations
like
bc,
hydro
and
icbc.
G
Can
the
minister
describe
for
the
house
what
consultation
took
place
with
the
matsuri
first
nation
around
this
parcel
of
land
and
specifically
the
details
of
any
accommodation
that
was
negotiated
with
the
matsui
first
nation.
D
Thank
you,
honourable
speaker,
and
to
the
best
of
my
knowledge,
citizen
services
was
approached
by
matsui
first
nation.
They
were
interested
in
acquiring
a
third
site
for
the
purposes
of
affordable
housing
and
other
priorities
of
the
nation
and
citizen
services
approached
icbc
to
support
that
effort
of
mass.
We
first
nation
in
acquiring
that
site
through
accommodation
paid
through,
among
other
things,
the
sale
of
this
property.
I
can
advise
the
member
the
best
of
my
knowledge.
D
Icbc
is
not,
as
he
alleges,
engaging
in
real
estate
speculation
that
they
don't
own
any
residential
property
for
the
purposes
of
investment
currently
and
that
their
investments
are
managed
by
bci,
which
I
think
the
member
understands
as
well
is
independent
of
government
for
good
reason,
and
so
I
I
do
appreciate
his
questions.
But
this
facilitated
the
purchase
of
a
site
by
matsui
for
the
purposes
of
more
affordable
housing
and
the
tenants
on
the
site
are
protected
by
the
residential
tenancy
act.
H
Thank
you,
mr
speaker.
Well,
the
220
people,
our
families
that
live
there,
feel
it's
a
home,
feel
it's
their
residence
and
they
feel
icbc
owns
it
because
when
you
look,
it
very
clearly
says
owner
icbc,
which
is
a
crown
and
the
reason.
Perhaps
the
220
families
are
a
little
bit
less
at
ease
with
the
ministers.
Just
trust
us
everything
will
be
right
with
the
world
attitude
is
because
the
ndp
are
demo
evicting.
Another
46
families
from
the
alma
blackwell
residence
in
vancouver
through
their
own
community
housing
fund.
D
Honourable
speaker,
the
member-
this
is
the
second
question
he's
asked
me
by
the
way
and-
and
he
made
similarly
outrageous
allegations
and
the
last
question
he
asked
me.
He
never
gave
me
a
chance
and
he
never
corrected
on
the
record
his
allegations.
Last
time.
First
of
all,
with
respect
to
the
building
you
heard
the
member
from
abbotsford
say
that
it
was
owned
for
a
year
and
a
half
it
was
purchased
in
2010.
D
So
that's
simply
inaccurate,
but
with
rep
respect
to
the
former
house
leader,
he
stood
up
and
asked
me
a
question.
He
alleged
that
we
had
provide
16
million
in
low
interest
loans
to
development
in
merit
where
the
developer
was
supposed
to
build,
affordable
rental
housing
units
and
that
actually
decreased
the
number
of
affordable
rental
housing
units
that
were
going
to
be
built
at
that
site.
I
looked
into
it
I
was
concerned.
D
I
believed
him
when
he
stood
up
in
this
place
and
in
fact
the
city
council
approved
a
building
with
no
affordable
housing
in
it,
and
our
loan
actually
did
manifest
in
a
significant
number
of
affordable
units
at
the
site.
So
now
he
asks
a
question
about
a
redevelopment
of
a
site
not
owned
by
government
owned
by
a
private
housing
authority,
a
private
housing
society.
They
are
redeveloping
because
it's
a
leaky
condo
it
was
built
in
1986,
it
can't
be
kept,
and
so
we're
going
and
we're
doubling
the
number
of
affordable
units.
D
All
the
tenants
are
guaranteed
a
right
to
return
at
rent
geared
to
income.
If
their
incomes
are
higher,
the
rents
may
be
a
little
bit
higher
as
well,
but
it
will
be
rent
geared
to
income
and
they
are
guaranteed
a
right
to
return
and
bc.
Housing
is
working
with
them
on
interim
housing,
so
his
outrageous
allegations
in
this
place.
He
needs
to
fact
check
before
he
stands
up.
A
H
H
Imagine
just
imagine
what
type
of
a
government
that
would
be
in
terms
of
transparency.
Mr
speaker,
so
it's
interesting
though
the
deflection
the
minister
is
trying
to
engage
in
the
bottom
line
is
for
charles
family,
his
rent's,
doubling
his
rent's
going
from
3000
or
up
to
3
250,
and
they
will
be
evicted
because
they
can't
afford
that,
regardless
of
what
the
minister
wants
to
say
and
it's
their
community
housing
fund
that
is
enabling
this
stem
eviction
to
happen.
H
Lindsey
o'shea
doesn't
believe
the
minister's
excuses
and
she
and
other
families
have
been
forced
to
file.
Oh
an
foi
to
try
to
get
some
facts
out
of
this
government
to
learn
the
truth
about
why
they're
being
demon
evicted
from
their
home
as
well,
because,
as
we
know,
this
government
doesn't
want
to
actually
share
proactively
any
actual
meaningful
information
to
residents
so
far,
bc.
Housing
and
the
minister
have
hidden
from
the
media
and
have
not
responded
to
the
foi
request.
H
D
I've
written
two
separate
letters
outlining
this
to
the
tenants
who
have
written
to
me:
I've
directed
bc
housing
to
meet
with
them
and
to
work
with
the
housing
society
to
make
sure
that
tenants
have
this
information.
I
did
an
interview
yesterday
with
global
about
this.
I
don't
know
why
he's
saying
I'm
hiding
from
the
media.
This
member
makes
outrageous
allegations
that
are
not
true.
He
scares
families.
The
families
have
a
right
to
return
at
rent
geared
to
income.
That
is
fair.
D
We
are
doubling
the
number
of
affordable
housing
units
on
the
site
that
is
better
than
they
ever
did,
and
we
are
redeveloping
a
building
that
is
a
leaky
condo
from
1986
in
partnership
with
a
private
housing
society.
I
don't
know
what
the
member's
problem
is
with
this,
but
I
do
know
that
he
just
apologized
and
I
accept
it
for
his
inaccuracies.
I
I
D
Well,
thank
you,
honourable
speaker.
I'm
sure
the
member
will
remember
when
the
previous
government
allowed
rent
increases
beyond
the
rate
of
inflation.
I'm
sure
she'll,
remember
that
she'll
remember
when
this
government
changed
that
and
that
that
had
a
meaningful
impact
for
renters
in
terms
of
the
annual
rent
increases
they
face,
so
that
policy
change
a
family,
renting
a
two-bedroom
apartment
in
abbotsford.