Questions and responses 44th Parliament, 1st session November 22, 2021, to January 6, 2025

With regard to government analysis of the impact of the Bank of Canada's low inflation target on the British Columbia economy: (a) has the government done any projections on the impact of maintaining the low inflation target on British Columbia's economy, and, if so, what are the results of such projections, broken down by economic indicator; and (b) has the government done any projections on the impact of abandoning the low inflation target on British Columbia's economy, and, if so, what are the results of such projections, broken down by economic indicator?

With regard to the Housing Support Program in British Columbia, formerly known as the New Approach for Housing Support program, broken down by community and fiscal year since 2015-16: (a) how much funding was requested through the program; (b) how much funding was delivered through the program; and (c) what is the total number of new homes built with contributions from the program?

With regard to federal government statistics on labour shortages in British Columbia: (a) what are the government's estimates on the percentage and number of businesses in British Columbia that encountered a labour shortage in (i) 2019, (ii) 2020, (iii) 2021; (b) what is the breakdown of (a) by sector and industry; (c) what is the projected labour shortage in British Columbia for (i) 2022, (ii) 2023; and (d) what is the breakdown of (c) by sector and industry?

With regard to federally owned lands in British Columbia: (a) what federally owned lands fall within the municipal boundaries of the (i) City of Terrace, (ii) the District of Kitimat, (iii) Town of Smithers, (iv) City of Prince Rupert; and (b) for each parcel in (a), what is the (i) size in hectares, (ii) current use?

With regard to the Fraser Salmon Collaborative Management Agreement: (a) have any environmental assessments been done on how this agreement has impacted BC salmon stocks since the agreement became effective in July 2019, and, if so, what are the details, including the date the assessments were conducted and the findings; (b) what negative impacts have been found by government studies or assessments related to the agreement and what specific actions has the government taken to reduce or reverse these negative impacts, if any; and (c) does the agreement usurp any Department of Fisheries and Oceans regulations related to the salmon stock and, if so, which regulations?

With regard to the National Trade Corridors Fund (NTCF): (a) under the “National Call to Address Capacity Constraints” first call for proposals in July 2017, how many projects were approved for British Columbia; (b) under the “Continuous call for Trade Diversification” launched on January 15, 2019, how many projects were approved for British Columbia; (c) under the “lncreasing the Fluidity of Canada's Supply Chains” launched on December 9, 2021, how many projects were approved for British Columbia; (d) under the “Relieving Supply Chain Congestion at Canadian Ports” launched on January 31, 2022, how many projects were approved for British Columbia; (e) under the “Advancing Supply Chain Digitalization” launched on February 13, 2023, how many projects were approved for British Columbia; (f) what is the current status of every NTCF funded project in British Columbia; and (g) how much program spending has been done each year since 2017-18?

With regard to the government's allocation of funds for the upgrading of the existing Lions Gate Primary Wastewater Treatment Plant (Lions Gate) and construction of the North Shore Wastewater Treatment Plant (North Shore), both located in Vancouver, British Columbia: (a) since 2016, what are the total amounts of funds allocated by the government to the Lions Gate and North Shore projects; (b) what were the dates of the allocations; (c) what are the amounts of allocations that the government will make to Lions Gate and North Shore in the 2022-23 fiscal year; and (d) when will the North Shore project be completed?

With regard to delayed federally funded infrastructure projects in British Columbia: what are the details of all projects which have yet to be completed, and have had their original expected completion date delayed by more than six months, including, for each, (i) the project location, (ii) the project description, (iii) the original expected completion date, (iv) the revised expected completion date, (v) the original total projected budget of project, (vi) the most recent total projected budget of project, (vii) the original federal contribution, (viii) whether or not the federal contribution has been or will be increased, and, if so, to what amount, (ix) the specific reason for the delay?

With regard to the government's Disaster Mitigation Adaptation Fund applications and the statements made by the Mayor of Merritt, Michael Goetz, and the Mayor of Princeton, Spencer Coyne, both in British Columbia, that their municipalities' applications for funding under this program were denied by the government without explanation: (a) why was Merritt’s application denied; (b) why was Princeton’s application denied; and (c) how do these funding rejections align with the Prime Minister’s statement to these communities after the flooding that he and his government would “have their backs”?

With regard to the impact of inflation on the Market Basket Measure (MBM) and the poverty line: (a) what is the current, or latest, MBM for the reference family and various poverty lines in each of the MBM geographic areas in British Columbia; (b) what was the 2018-base MBM for the reference family and various poverty lines in each geographic area in (a); (c) what percentage of individuals living in each area in (a) were below each poverty line in 2018; (d) what percentage of individuals living in each area in (a) fall below each poverty line based on the current, or latest, MBM; and (e) what are the government's estimates or projections for where the poverty lines mentioned in (b) will be by the end of (i) 2022, (ii) 2023, (iii) 2024?

With regard to individuals who entered Canada through land crossings in British Columbia: (a) how many individuals entered through irregular or illegal crossings, in total and broken down by month since January 1, 2022; and (b) what is the breakdown of (a) by approximate geographic location of the crossings?

With regard to the $20 million allocated in budget 2021 for the development of a responsible plan to transition open net-pen salmon farming in coastal British Columbia by 2025: what are the details of each consultation, including the (i) date, (ii) location, (iii) attendees, (iv) topic discussed, (v) cost of each meeting?

With regard to the consultations undertaken as part of the government’s intention to transition away from open-net pen aquaculture in British Columbia, since November 1, 2021: what are the details of all consultations undertaken, including the (i) date of the meeting, (ii) list of the attendees, (iii) components of the framework for sustainable aquaculture discussed, (iv) length of the meeting?

With regard to projects funded in British Columbia through the Disaster Mitigation and Adaptation Fund: what are the details of all projects projected to be completed in over the next five years, including the (i) location, (ii) project description, (iii) expected completion date, (iv) total project cost, (v) total federal funding commitment?

With regard to the Disaster Financial Assistance Arrangements (DFAA) funding for British Columbia, from 2015 to 2023: (a) what is the total amount of funding committed, broken down by specific project; (b) what is the total amount of funding spent, broken down by specific project?

With regard to the monitoring studies of recreational fishing areas in British Columbia: (a) what studies have been done concerning the mark selective fishing (MSF) program currently in place requiring wild unmarked fish to be released unharmed; (b) what are the results of the studies on MSF program; (c) how is the system being enforced; (d) what steps is the Department of Fisheries and Oceans undertaking to implement a comprehensive MSF program for Chinook salmon; (e) what public consultations have been undertaken in this regard; and (f) what are the results of the public consultations?

With regard to the Freshwater Action Plan: (a) what is the total amount of funding committed, broken down by each priority watershed identified in the plan; (b) what is the total amount of funding, broken down by each priority watershed identified in the plan; (c) what is the total amount of funding spent for freshwater protection in British Columbia?

With regard to the events on February 17, 2022, near Houston, British Columbia, described by the Royal Canada Mounted Police as "a violent confrontation with employees of Coastal Gaslink", which also included a road blockade: (a) does the Marten Forest Service Road and the Coastal GasLink location near it meet the meaning of "infrastructure for the supply of utilities such as ... gas", for the purposes of paragraph (a) of the definition of "critical infrastructure" in section 1 of the Emergency Measures Regulations; (b) what are the details of the actions taken under the Emergency Measures Regulations to prevent, mitigate or respond to these acts or, if none, why were none taken; and (c) what are the details of the actions taken under the Emergency Economic Measures Order to prevent, mitigate or respond to these acts or, if none, why were none taken?

With regard to Health Canada’s approval of licenses to organizations to possess, produce, sell or distribute substances, as per British Columbia’s subsection 56(1) exemption under the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act or any other similar type of government granted exemptions: (a) how many organizations are currently being reviewed for a Controlled Drug and Substances Dealer’s License (“Dealer’s License”), broken down by (i) cocaine, (ii) hydromorphone, (iii) diacetylmorphine, (iv) fentanyl, (v) methamphetamine, (vi) psilocybin, (vii) psilocin, (viii) 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine, (ix) amphetamine, (x) oxycodone, (xi) MDMA, (xii) morphine, (xiii) opium, (xiv) other substances, broken down by substance; (b) how many organizations have been approved for a Controlled Drug and Substances Dealer’s License (“Dealer’s License”), broken down by (i) cocaine, (ii) hydromorphone, (iii) diacetylmorphine, (iv) fentanyl, (v) methamphetamine, (vi) psilocybin, (vii) psilocin, (viii) 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine, (ix) amphetamine, (x) oxycodone, (xi) MDMA, (xii) morphine, (xiii) opium, (xiv) other substances, broken down by substance; (c) how many inspections of license holders have been conducted by Health Canada since British Columbia’s exemption was granted; (d) what number of enforcement actions have been taken by Health Canada against license holders found to be in non-compliance, including the number of licenses refused, suspended or revoked and the number of administrative monetary penalties issued; (e) what criteria were used to approve Adastra Labs for (i) their Controlled Drug and Substances Dealer's License, (ii) the amendment to include cocaine, on February 17, 2023; (f) is the claim in the February 22, 2023, press release from Adastra Labs that the company “received approval from Health Canada on February 17, 2023, for its amendment to include cocaine as a substance that the Company can legally possess, produce, sell and distribute” accurate and, if not, what is inaccurate about the claim; and (g) what are the details of all such licenses approved by Health Canada since January 1, 2022, including, for each, the (i) vendor, (ii) date of the approval, (iii) specific substances approved, (iv) type of activities permitted with the license (possession, production, distribution, sale)?

With regard to the $5 billion in funding through the Disaster Financial Assistance Arrangements to British Columbia, committed in the 2021 Fall Economic Statement, in response to extreme weather events: (a) how much of this commitment has been delivered to British Columbia to date, in total, and broken down by specific project funded; (b) when will the outstanding amount be delivered; and (c) what is required before the outstanding amount is provided to British Columbia?