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From YouTube: NOV 22 2022 Question Period
Description
The Legislative Assembly of British Columbia
3rd Session
42nd Parliament
C
C
Bc
now
has
the
highest
housing
prices
in
North
America
third
highest
on
the
planet.
Bc
now
has
the
highest
rents
in
all
of
Canada.
Under
this
NDP
government
and
we've
got
record
homelessness
and
social
disorder
in
virtually
every
community
in
the
province,
but
it's
not
just
their
utter
failure
to
provide
any
relief
for
working,
British
Columbians.
It's
also
their
total
incompetence
in
managing
the
one
Crown
Corporation
responsible
for
delivering
housing
to
those
most
in
need.
C
The
report
concludes
that
there
has
been
total
mismanagement
of
billions
of
dollars,
so
bad
that
the
premier,
then
the
housing
Minister
had
to
fire
the
entire
board
that
today's
Finance
Minister
had
appointed
so
Mr
Speaker,
given
his
complete
failure
as
a
housing
Minister
the
damning
report
on
BC
housing
and
the
ongoing
effort
to
try
and
bury
his
own
mismanagement.
How
can
anyone
trust
this
Premier
to
deliver
the
housing
that
people
need.
D
Thank
you,
Mr
Speaker.
We
acknowledge
in
this
house
that
there
is
a
housing
crisis,
and
that
is
why
this
week
we've
introduced
historic
legislation,
the
housing
Supply
act
that
will
allow
us
to
work
with
local
governments
to
create
the
housing
that
is
desperately
needed
in
so
many
parts
of
this
province.
Mr
Speaker.
This
government
has
done
an
enormous
amount
to
create
new
housing.
We
have
spent
seven
billion
dollars,
we're
on
target
to
spend
seven
billion
dollars
over
10
years
in
order
to
create
new
housing.
That's
desperately
needed
and
BC
housing
is
probably
the
largest
developer.
D
If
you
will
in
the
entire
country
Mr
Speaker,
we
are
tackling
this
crisis
head
on,
such
as
with
the
housing
Supply
act,
such
as
with
the
amendments
to
the
strata
property
act.
Yesterday,
Mr
Speaker
we're
also
trying
to
get
speculation
out
of
the
market,
and
that
is
why
we
passed
the
speculation
and
vacancy
tax
which
has
created
twenty
thousand
units.
D
D
C
C
I
think
you're,
the
mismanagement
at
BC
housing
under
this
Premier
is
staggering,
especially
since
when
you
consider
they've
only
Built
nine
percent
of
the
hundred
and
fourteen
thousand
homes,
they
promised
to
build
within
10
years
and
they're
halfway
through
their
mandate.
Already
in
that
10-year
period,
the
Ernst
young
report
paints
a
very
clear
picture
of
an
organization
in
chaos.
Bc
housing
is
poorly
managing
its
signature,
two
billion
dollar
housing,
Hub
Loan
program
contracts
being
awarded
without
any
criteria
and
a
lack
of
just
a
basic
paper
trail.
C
We've
got
a
board
that
sat
silent
while
the
CEO
personally
authorized
115
million
dollars
in
property
Acquisitions
without
the
necessary
approvals.
That's
right.
The
NDP
appointed
BC
housing
board
allowed
their
CEO
to
personally
approve
more
than
115
million
dollars
in
property
Acquisitions
without
any
discernible
due
diligence.
All
of
this
incompetence
happened
under
this
Premier
Well.
He
was
housing
Minister
and
he
owes
the
public
an
explanation.
So
Mr
Speaker.
E
D
Thank
you,
Mr
Speaker
I
entirely
disagree
with
the
characterization
offered
by
by
the
member.
We
have
a
highly
talented.
We
have
a
highly
talented,
CEO,
Alan
seckel,
whom
will
be
no
spray.
Who
will
be
no
stranger
to
the
people
on
that
side
of
the
aisle
Mr
Speaker
I
I
need
to
remind
the
house
what
Canadian
cmhc
said
that
we
are
making
up
for
last.
This.
D
Is
making
up
Mr
Speaker
for
lost
time
after
years,
when
the
former
government
didn't
build
houses
that
people
need
here's?
What
the
CME?
He
said.
Here's
what
the
cmhc
said.
They
said
more
than
twice
the
number
of
homes
are
under
construction.
When
than
when
the
opposition
leader
was
Finance,
Minister,
Mr
Speaker.
We
are
on
track
to
deliver
the
promises
we
made
for
a
hundred
and
fourteen
thousand
homes,
Mr
Speaker.
We
are
delivering
that
we
have
completed
36
071,
the
housings
that
is
under
construction
or
in
approval.
D
B
D
C
C
C
But
you
know
Mr
Speaker.
We
now
have
a
premier
who
believes
he's
Mr
competent,
but
the
real
truth
is
that
the
premier's
entire
time
as
housing
Minister
was
marked
by
chaos
and
dysfunction.
He
tried
to
bury
the
damning
Ernst
young
report
on
the
Canada
Day
long
weekend,
sound
familiar
and
chose
to
fire
the
incompetent
BC
housing
board
that
they
appointed
on
a
Friday
night
in
July
a
week
later,
but
the
turmoil
didn't
end
there.
F
C
Over
a
two-year
period
would
be
shocking
in
the
extreme,
but
in
an
already
deeply
troubled
organization
like
BC
housing.
It
is
stunning,
so
my
question
to
the
premier:
will
the
premier
acknowledge
the
mess
that
he
has
overseen
and
order
a
full,
independent
and
transparent
audit
of
BC
housing
today?
Will
he
do
that
foreign.
D
Mr
Speaker:
we
we
commissioned
a
report.
We
examined
it,
we
are
taking
action.
Mr
Speaker,
a
new
board
is
in
place
under
the
leadership
of
Alan
seckel,
a
very
eminent
British
Columbian,
who
worked
with
distinction
in
this
government
previously
Mr
Speaker,
the
rest
of
Canada
is
envious
of
BC
housing
and
the
extraordinary
accomplishments
that
they
have
made.
C
D
Housing
is
on
track,
as
I
said,
to
spend
seven
billion
dollars
over
10
years
to
address
the
housing
Supply
crisis
in
our
Province
I
was
in
Cranbrook
earlier
this
week
last
week
and
met
with
the
mayor
of
Cranbrook,
who
was
anxious
to
work
with
BC
housing
in
problems
that
their
Community
is
facing,
and
I've
had
conversations
with
people
across
British
Columbia
praising
us
for
the
work
that
BC
housing
is
doing
in
their
Community.
Do
we
have
a
housing
crisis
in
British
Columbia?
Yes,
we
do
do
we
have
the
people
to
do
the
work.
G
B
G
Part
of
a
damning
string
of
reports
for
BC
housing,
housing
and
it's
evidence
of
a
housing
program
in
chaos.
Thanks
to
a
whistleblower,
the
opposition
has
acquired
leaked
documents
of
another
audit,
damning
audit
that
was
covered
up
by
this
premium.
Another
accounting
firm.
This
one
BDO,
was
retained
to
do
a
financial
review
of
a
Tira.
Now
aterra
is
BC's
largest
non-profit
housing
provider,
with
an
annual
taxpayer-funded
budget
of
41
million
dollars,
Mr
Speaker.
That
review
outlines
severe
financial
mismanagement
and
a
complete
absence
of
oversight.
G
It
shows
that
atira
has
been
making
financial
decisions
with
draft
budgets,
not
actual
final
budgets
that
had
and
I
quote
incorrect,
incomplete
and
misleading
information,
and
quote
this
report
was
covered
up
at
a
time.
The
premier
was
also
pouring
hundreds
of
millions
of
taxpayers
dollars
into
a
housing
program
that
was
in
absolute
chaos
without
basic
oversight
and
with
worsening
outcomes.
Mr
Speaker
the
premier
chose
to
bury
the
BDO
report
detailing
this
financial
incompetence.
Will
the
premier
do
the
right
thing
today
and
order
a
full,
transparent,
independent
audit
of
BC
housing
and
atira.
G
B
D
You
Mr
Speaker.
Well,
we
did
initiate
a
review
of
BC
housing
to
look
at
their
organizational
capacity
and
financial
systems
and
control
and
to
make
sure
that
they
were
appropriately
supported
to
deliver
on
a
very
much
expanded
budget
and
mandate.
Since
the
NDP
came
to
power,
Mr
Speaker
and
the
report
was
commissioned,
an
independent
review
was
conducted
and
the
work
is
underway
to
implement
those
changes.
D
There
were
26
findings
and
44
recommendations
made
across
44
themes,
governance,
strategic
planning,
business
integration,
Human,
Resources
program,
design,
project,
Administration
processes,
and
there
were
suggestions
for
efficiencies
that
could
be
made.
Those
efficiencies
are
being
gained,
Mr
Speaker.
This
is
a
crown
corporation
that
is
subject
to
the
same
oversight,
the
same
accountability
and
transparency,
rules
of
other
Crown
corporations,
the
fact
of
an
independent
review.
D
B
G
You
Mr
Speaker,
well,
Ernst
young
says
that
BC
housing
is
in
complete
chaos.
Bdo
comes
out
with
a
different
report
and
says
that
there's
no
Financial
controls
no
Financial
oversight
within
BC
housing
on
its
with
respect
to
its
largest
housing
provider.
Atira
and
the
the
entire
Board
of
BC
housing
is
fired
without
any
explanation
whatsoever
within
the
two
years
that
the
the
current
Premier
and
then
housing
Minister
was
was
in
charge
of
oversight
Mr
Speaker.
G
This
incompetence
is
at
every
single
level
with
respect
to
BC
BC
housing
and
their
providers
and
the
premier
he
had
to
know
about
the
catastrophic
state
of
finances
at
a
Terra.
After
all,
the
premier
stood
alongside
an
atira
board
member
to
launch
partisan
attacks
in
the
by-election
that
elected
the
leader
of
the
opposition,
the
video
report,
the
video
report
found
and
I
quote
ineffective
board
oversight
and
assumptions
that
budget
overages
this
will
be
covered
by
BC
housing.
G
There
has
been
a
stunning
misuse
of
taxpayer
dollars
at
a
Tira
with
no
oversight
and
no
accountability.
The
premier
must
order
a
full,
independent
and
transparent
audit
of
BC
housing
in
atira.
My
question
to
the
premier
is
this:
at
minimum:
at
minimum.
Will
the
premier
at
least
stand
up
today
and
disclose
the
taxpayer-funded
salary
of
the
CEO
overseeing
atira
again
an
organization
that
is
clearly
in
absolute
disarray
and
failing
the
very
people
that
it's
supposed
to
be
helping
foreign.
B
D
Well,
thank
you.
Mr
Speaker.
As
I
said,
an
independent
review
was
commissioned.
There
has
been
great
growth
in
BC
housing
as
we
expand
and
Implement
our
aggressive
housing
policy,
and
we
have
taken
steps
to
ensure
through
the
independent
report
that
better
governance
arrangements
are
in
place.
That's
nothing
new.
They
have
an
implementation
plan
that
has
been
that
is
in
place
and
we're
working
with
BC
housing
to
figure
how
we
can
best
respond
to
the
recommendations
that
were
made.
D
That
comprehensive
implementation
plan
will
include
a
work
plan
for
2023
and
that'll,
be
completed
sometime
in
the
next
next
few
months.
Mr
Speaker.
We
want
to
ensure,
on
behalf
of
British
Columbia,
that
BC
housing
has
the
tools
necessary
to
respond
to
the
enormous
new
demands
that
made
upon
them
with
oversight
and
decision
mechanisms
that
do
the
job
Mr
Speaker.
H
A
I
thank
the
member
for
the
question
very
much.
Obviously,
the
issue
of
inflation
and
poverty
are
important
to
us
as
a
government
and
you've
seen
the
action
that
we've
taken
over
the
last
couple
of
years.
We
had
the
largest
single
increase
in
income
and
disability
assistance
rates
in
the
history
of
the
province.
A
And
we've
taken
a
number
of
other
affordability
measures
to
reduce
the
impact
of
inflation
and
rise
in
cost
of
living,
which
have
been
well
received
by
people
in
the
sector
and
we're
always
looking
at
ways
of
reducing
the
impact
of
of
higher
prices
on
people
and
always
looking
for
ways
of
reducing
poverty
in
this
province.
I
would
point
out
as
well
that
since
between
2016
and
2020,
we
raised
over
104
000
children
out
of
poverty
during
that
period
of
time,.
H
Thank
you,
Mr
Speaker,
I
understand
what
the
previous
government's
approach
to
Poverty
has
been.
Poverty
reduction
has
been
trying
to
get
an
understanding
of
what
our
new
premiers
approach
to
Poverty
has
been
is
going
to
be.
The
housing
measures
announced
yesterday
by
the
premier
don't
actually
guarantee
any
affordability
at
all
the
annual
income
for
disabled
people
in
British,
Columbia,
Mr
Speaker.
Even
after
what
the
minister
just
noted
is
a
dismal
sixteen
thousand
dollars.
H
That's
currently
ten
thousand
dollars
below
the
poverty
line,
even
under
this
so-called
progressive
government
that
we
have
here,
the
rates
continue
to
languish,
Mr
Speaker
and
the
increase
last
year
that
the
minister
just
mentioned.
The
increases
have
almost
been
entirely
erased
by
inflation.
H
It's
heartbreaking!
Really.
We
have
condemned
those
with
disabilities
to
live
in
poverty.
In
this
province
we
can't
fix
housing
without
an
intersectional
lens.
The
executive
director
of
BC's
homelessness,
Services
Association,
said
these
rates
quote,
fall
short
of
what's
needed
for
people
to
find
housing.
End
quote.
The
premier
must
start
by
recognizing
that
raising
our
assistance
rates
are
a
necessary
part
of
our
housing
strategy.
Will
the
premier
raise
the
income
and
disability
rates
to
be
above
the
poverty
line.
A
Thank
you
again.
I
I
do
actually
appreciate
getting
questions
on
this
issue
because
it's
important
that
we
keep
these
issues
in
front
of
the
public
of
BC,
and
we
know
that
the
previous
government
isn't
uninterested
in
this
and
as
a
fact,
as
a
matter
of
fact,
the
demonstrated
actions
of
our
government
have
have
indicated
quite
clearly
that
our
interest
is
in
reducing
poverty.
In
this
in
this
province
we
have
a
poverty
reduction
strategy.
We
have
measured
our
successes.
A
Our
successes
are
considerable,
but
there
is
always
more
work
to
do
and
absolutely
the
the
issues
that
the
member
raises
are
of
concern
to
us
all
of
us
as
members
of
the
government
caucus
and
we're
proud
to
continue
to
work
on
finding
ways
to
reduce
poverty,
and
that
may
include
rates.
It
may
include
other
benefits,
tax
benefits
that
have
been
rolled
out
over
the
last
number
of
months.
The
work
continues.
The
work
is
an
essential
core
of
our
our
government's
philosophy
and
our
interests
in
reducing
poverty
in
this
province.
F
The
video
report
found
and
I
quote
staff
look
for
ways
to
reduce
the
pressure
on
cash
flow
with
other
Downstream
consequences.
End
quote:
let
those
words
sink
in
that
means
cutting
corners
on
April,
the
11th,
the
winters
Hotel
operated
by
atira,
burned
down
in
a
deadly
Blaze
that
tragically
killed.
Two
people,
media
reports
and
Freedom
of
Information
documents
show
that,
prior
to
the
deadly
Winters
fire
extinguishers
were
empty
and
had
not
been
replaced
by
atira.
D
Mr
Speaker
we
empathize
with
the
the
situation
that
was
just
raised
by
The
Honorable
member.
There
is
no
cutting
of
corners
or
anything
of
the
sort.
Mr
Speaker.
That
issue
is
under
investigation
and
I
can
say
to
this
house
entirely
that
there
are
changes
that
are
being
made
in
the
governance
Arrangements
of
BC
housing,
I've
described
them
before
more
will
be
coming
as
we
Implement
those
changes
to
an
organization
that
is
growing
exponentially
since
this
government
came
to
office
and
decided
to
take
the
housing
crisis
seriously.
F
There
wasn't
cutting
corners,
the
fire
extinguishers
were
empty
and
that
wasn't
all
there
were
multiple
failures
at
the
Winter's
Hotel.
Not
only
were
there
not
working
fire
extinguishers,
the
building
sprinklers
and
fire
alarms
weren't
working
at
the
time,
Minister
can
speak
about
being
empathetic.
There
were
no
working
fire
extinguishers
or
alarms.
There
is
absolutely
no
accountability
or
transparency.
F
D
Speaker
reports
have
been
released.
There
are
certainly
issues
that
are
deserving
of
serious
scrutiny
and
investigation.
That
is
exactly
what's
going
on.
It's
clearly
unacceptable
for
fire
extinguishers,
fire
extinguishers
and
fire
alarms
to
be
not
functional.
We
obviously
accept
that
and
that
needs
to
be
dealt
with
head
on
Mr
Speaker,
but
there's
no
effort
to
cut
corners
or
to
somehow
deprive
the
public
of
information
about
this
important
issue.
That
is
what
we're
investigating.
That
is
what
people
of
British
Columbia
have
a
right
to
understand
and
that's
what
we'll
get
to
the
bottom
of
it.
E
Thank
you,
Mr
Speaker.
You
know
we've
heard
of
all
the
problems
with
with
BC
housing
today,
but
there's
another
reason
why
the
NDP
is
nowhere
closer
to
building
114
000
homes
that
they
promised
Stephanie
Allen
Stephanie
Allen
is
the
BC
housing's
vice
president
of
strategic
business
operations
and
performance
appointed
by
this
NDP
government
and
has
a
history
of
radical
and
controversial
claims.
E
Last
Summer.
She
accused
politicians
and
the
city
of
Nanaimo
of
hate
crimes
against
the
homeless,
and
this
July
this
July
just
a
few
months
ago,
Alan
compared
compared
owning
a
home
to
owning
slaves
and
I
quote
the
original
real
estate
investment
was
enslaved.
Africans
God
bless
everyone
trying
to
find
a
home
in
these
stolen
lands
as
capitalism
collapses
under
the
weight
of
its
greed
and
selfishness.
End
quote
you
gotta,
pause
and
think
about
that
for
a
second.
E
This
is
the
second
in
command
for
BC
housing,
a
senior
executive
making
decisions
for
BC
housing
comes
out
with
a
quote
like
that
and
I
wish.
I
was
done
because
this
person
makes
245
000
a
year,
making
decisions
wow,
245
000
a
year,
but
also
came
out
and
said,
and
I
quote
I'm,
not
sure
how
we
get
out
of
housing
in
a
climate
crisis
without
limiting
capitalism.
End
quote:
this
person
is
focusing
on
radical
politics
rather
than
delivering
on
the
four
billion
dollars.
E
D
Start
by
saying,
Mr
Speaker
that
it
is
not
this
government
that
appoints
the
individual
in
question.
It
is
the
CEO
who
made
that
appointment,
the
former
CEO
and,
if
you're,
asking,
if
this
government
accepts
the
statements
that
you're
attributing
to
that
person,
which,
of
course,
I'm
unaware
of.
Of
course,
we
do
not
foreign.
I
I
We've
heard
about
the
BDO
report,
which
was
buried
by
the
premier
when
he
was
the
housing
Minister
that
spoke
about
the
shortcomings
at
Arturo,
the
lack
of
oversight,
The
Cutting
of
Corners.
How
that
impacts?
What
happens
at
the
winters
hotel
and
the
minister
can
say
that
there
was
no
cutting
of
Corners
I,
think
the
average
person
out
there
thinking
non-functioning
fire
alarms
non-functioning
fire
sprinkler
systems
would
be
a
cutting
of
corners.
Here,
that's
a
cutting
of
Corners
that
led
to
a
fire
that
resulted
in
death.
I
D
Thank
you,
Mr
Speaker.
When
issues
were
identified
at
that
Crown
Corporation,
an
independent
report
was
commissioned.
A
number
of
recommendations
were
made
by
Ernst
young
in
order
to
improve
financial
management
and
governance.
Arrangements
of
that
of
that
board
an
arm's
length,
Crown
Corporation
those
changes
are
underway.
A
work
plan
will
be
will
be
finalized
in
the
weeks
to
come
and
Mr
Speaker.
D
Those
changes
respond
to
the
extraordinary
growth
of
the
work
that
BC
housing
has
had
to
do
as
we
step
up
to
do
the
work
that
was
never
done
under
the
former
government
that
is
delivering
homes
for
British
Columbia
we're
on
track
to
do
the
114
000
units
that
we
promised
to
do.
36,
000
underway
members.