 Good morning everyone. My respected ones the feelings I have inside are really good in the NIMO and from Kinkoloth the Nisgut Valley Which means people of the inlet referring directly to the broad inlet and it's indeed my pleasure to be here today the announcement of the exciting announcements that are coming up, so I better not spoil the effect and I will turn it over to Back to you. Thank you Thank you so much so much Carlene and and thank you so much for the warm welcome today I would also begin by introducing some of the speakers that we have with us today We have of course our premier premier John Horgan. That's here in Victoria We have at the BCIT campus campus in Burnaby. We have Andrew Mercier the parliamentary secretary for skills training Kathy Kinloch the president of BCIT and Shaq Davis a carpentry apprentice at BCIT And so I want to thank you all for joining with us today It is an exciting day and to provide more information about what today's announcement is. I'd now like to invite up premier John Horgan Thank you, rabbi Thank you everyone for joining us today, and I want to have the outset Thank Carlene very much for getting us started in a good way I too I'm coming to you from the territory of the scrum The Songhees and the scrimalt first nation and I want to thank them for allowing us to work or live on their territory This past week we've been able to lift some of the restrictions that the global pandemic have brought to our economy and to our communities But all through the pandemic our focus has always been on keeping people safe and keeping our economy working The last two years of the pandemic and the extreme Weather events of the past couple of years have changed our lives changed our economy and changed our future The events have exposed vulnerabilities in our society and we can't go back to the ways that were But despite all that we've been through The economic recovery in British Columbia is leading the country with the lowest unemployment rate and the highest job recovery rate More people are working today than were when the pandemic began And our economic vision has always been to put people right at the center of everything that we do We cannot have economic growth that leaves people behind And it's true that the pandemic has disproportionately affected the most vulnerable And that is why we need to focus on continuing our strong economic growth with people at the center of what we do Throughout the pandemic British Columbia also led the country in supports for business supports for people and supports for communities And despite our collective successes challenges still exist But if we continue to work together and focusing on our strengths and addressing collectively our challenges Unconfident that British British columbians will come through this stronger than ever before And that's why I asked minister call on to lead the discussion on the development of an economic plan for today And for tomorrow The plan is to ensure that our economic success continues for the long term and we'll have again People at the center of it so that all British columbians can benefit from our natural abundance As well as our innovative economy and our dynamic population This plan of course is a result of extensive consultations Minister call on and others have conducted with British columbians in business labor First nations municipalities universities and colleges Entrepreneurs not for profits and many many more All of those people all of those groups have had a say in part and parcel of what we're bringing forward today And of course we are building on our advantages as we would expect And we're wanting to focus on the news that minister kang and minister call on Provided just a few days ago that over the next decade We're going to need to fill one million job vacancies. That means we have to focus on Training the next generation of skilled workers And that also means we need to look to adding more people to our population to meet these challenges What we've heard coming through the pandemic is that businesses need workers without a strong skilled workforce Our economy will sputter and stumble. We want to avoid that British columbians want to avoid that and this plan will take us down that road to the success that we all want to see An important first step is today. We are announcing a new trades and technology Complex at the bc it campus in bernabé It will include four new buildings with 300 seats for students to enter the high demand trades of the future It's very exciting and I know Kathy kinlock president of bc it will have something to say about that as well as parliamentary secretary mercy a who is at the sites today And we'll be able to talk about the heart of our plan which is to train people for those vacancies that will be coming Businesses have told us time and time again. They need more talent They've also told us that we need to have a housing strategy That will make housing more affordable for the new generation of workers that will be building the economy of the future They've told us that we need child care plans that are affordable. They've told us we need to build infrastructure Whether it be our roads or bridges our transit systems our hospitals our universities our high schools All of that is part and parcel of a plan that puts people first We need to build the public infrastructure so that our private sector economy can continue to thrive and prosper whether it's um Small business diversification, whether it's our vibrant life sciences sector Whether it's our natural resources which we continue to have an abundance But must be stewarded with a view to sustainability going forward We need to focus all the while on inclusive growth and a clean economic recovery Businesses depending on all of us going forward Depending on businesses that can attract and retain skilled workers our plan at its core is all about that I want to say that uh BC's economic plan as you've seen behind me and as rabbi and I will be carrying around As our codex for how we build the economy of the future starting today is very exciting There's lots of work to do and I'll pass it back to minister Calan. He'll have more comments to make. Thank you very much Thank you. Thank you so much premier. It's been a tremendous honor to lead and and uh and develop this This plan it's been a labor of love for this province that we call home and as the premier said People have been through a lot over the last two years and we've learned a lot about ourselves about our province and most of all We've learned that at our best. We are a community We look out after each other. We make sacrifices for one another We trust one of another and we pull together And that spirit should give us all hope And it points to the way to an even stronger BC As the premier mentioned We have listened to thousands of British colombians from all walks of life I want to thank all of them for their thoughtful and considered input to this plan You told us what you care about jobs competitiveness climate action skills training good public services childcare and housing You told us that now more than ever an economy built for people is an economy built to succeed From the start through the pandemic floods fires That's what we've worked to do We have put people first Today once again BC leads the country in economic growth Wages are rising and the last year saw the largest amount of people move to British Columbia in over 20 years We have come a long way, but there's still so much more to do That's why the stronger BC economic plan is all about The stronger BC economic plan is about looking ahead 10 15 years It sets two big goals for bc to achieve over the long term inclusive and clean growth And it puts forward six missions that will help keep us on track The stronger BC economic plan is for you and your family It builds on an economy that works for everyone Let me take a moment to touch on some of the plan's highlights The stronger BC economic plan closes the skills gap with a comprehensive strategy to fill the jobs of tomorrow Last week we learned that there's over 1 million new job openings expected in BC over the next decade 80 of those jobs will require some form of post-secondary education or skills training Shortly we'll be joined by Shaq, a carpentry student at BCIT And I know many people young people are watching today and I want to speak to them directly I know that the last two years have been tremendously challenging You have made tremendous sacrifices more than perhaps many generations before us I want to say thank you. We all want to say thank you As we come out of this pandemic, we have your back Our government will help you fulfill your potential and realize your dreams This plan is for you The stronger BC economic plan adds value and jobs to our natural resource sector For generations, British Columbians resource workers have built this province Generating the wealth that we all depend on Almost three-quarter of BC's exports come from our natural resource sector They account for half of our economic base For BC resource-based communities, I want to say we hear you This plan is for you The stronger BC economic plan improves competitiveness It leverages BC's low carbon advantage and invests in high-impact BC companies It reduces barriers for workforce participation I talk a lot about this but I want to underline this today Affordable childcare is our competitive advantage here in BC To businesses who need new workers and to parents struggling to balance the need of work and home This plan is for you The stronger BC economic plan supports BC's job creators It grows our economy and it fosters innovation To every small business owner working long hours and to every entrepreneur taking a risk on a new idea This plan is for you The stronger BC economic plan builds on modern economic infrastructure Roads bridges transit across BC To commuters transit users cab drivers and truckers Everyone who relies on this infrastructure. This plan is for you The stronger BC economic plan helps businesses and people Transition to clean energy solutions I'm so proud that BC has the best climate action plan in North America with clean BC We are showing the world that tackling climate emergency is creating new economic opportunities and jobs across our economy To every innovator working on low carbon technologies To every British colombian doing their part to reduce emissions. This plan is for you The stronger BC economic plan seeks out new partnerships with first nations to support economic initiatives Indigenous peoples and leaders must be full partners of all aspects of our economy It's an enormous economic advantage for BC We know that our economic future requires full participation of indigenous peoples This plan is for you The stronger BC economic plan opens up new markets by promoting BC's unparalleled commitment to environmental and social responsibility It closes the digital divide it builds more affordable housing It positions BC to be a global leader in new technologies like mass timber and it grows BC's agritek and manufacturing sectors This plan is for all British colombians Friends I could go on but I know you're excited to hear from everyone that's gathered So let me conclude by saying this As a minister for jobs economic recovery and innovation I've been in awe of the grit and determination shown by BC's business and workers As tough as the COVID pandemic has been you have helped bring out the best in us I want to say thank you. We all want to say thank you It's not over yet But the days are getting brighter and with this plan our government is keeping our focus on where belongs on you With an economy built for your family an economy that's built for all An economy that's built to succeed a stronger BC for everyone. So with that I want to say I want to turn this over to my colleague the parliamentary secretary of skills trading Andrew Mercier over at BCIT Training Andrew Mercier over at BCIT But thank you minister call on and I'd like to acknowledge as well that I'm here in bernabé at BCIT on the traditional territory of the Musqueam Squamish and slay with tooth first nations And I'd like to acknowledge the hard work that the minister of advanced education and skills training and kang has done To make this project a reality The best part of my job as the parliamentary secretary for skills training hands down is speaking with apprentices I am so filled with hope When I speak with apprentices they are these are the people that have kept the lights on kept Supply chains moving kept our infrastructure running throughout the pandemic And they're the folks that are going to be helping build our recovery and I'm heartened by the conversation I just had this morning with uh fourth year BCIT carpentry student jack davis who will be hearing from shortly BCIT is one of the largest trades and technology education providers in this province And we do it better in this province than anywhere else BCIT works closely with industry To make sure that we are training the people we need For the jobs for tomorrow and we're investing here today In a new trades and technology complex at BCIT here in bernabé This will result in four new purpose built spaces at the bernabé campus And it is going to support students from more than 20 different programs from plumbing and steam fitters to engineers Carpenters and more and I think importantly It's going to help support The stronger bc economic plan by making sure that those workforce development priorities You know are enshrined in this project It will create spaces for marine fitters so that metal fabricators and boiler makers can take full advantage of the shipbuilding industry And as well You know make sure that there's space for iron workers and carpenters to upgrade so that we can stay ahead of emerging technologies Like mass timber. This is more than a building. What this represents is a generational Investment in skills training and economic development in this province It's going to create just from the construction of the building itself 600 jobs, but it's also going to ensure that we're training thousands of apprentices to fill the over 85,000 Jobs in the skilled trades that we're going to need to fill in the next 10 years This is the future of British Columbia and we need to invest in the best possible facilities for our students So I want to thank bcit for bringing this project forward I know kathy kinlock has done a lot of work on this and also I want to take a moment I just thank the local mla for uh, bernieby north janet rutledge for the advocacy that she's done for this project So i'd like to invite kathy to come on up and say a few words about the project Well, thank you, um, and remercier parliamentary secretary and thank everyone here for being on campus Today here in big in vancouver, but also in in victoria. It's great to see you all and Thank you as well for your leadership Premier horgan. It's great to see you back Um, mr. Kevlin. It's great to see you often see you on our campus ourselves. So it's super and carleen Thank you for being a member of our of our family and being such a guiding light for us. Thank you So my thanks to all of you for your support. We're speaking to you today With excitement and hope and we're really excited about phase one of the new bcit trades and technology Complex, it just seems to roll off my lips. So i'm so pleased about that Today's funding announcement signals as has been noted phase one of the bcit's new trade and technology complex It will transform bcit's bernaby campus and our trades and technology training for learners in 20 programs This transformation will also provide incredible faculty and staff More services than they've ever had before and they've been working in less than acceptable services with 50 year old building It will transform our our technology training as well for our learners, which is so important and members Can expect to see new buildings with collaborative spaces state of the art shops covered learning arenas And the continuing daylighting of uh, gishan creek which will serve as a new pedestrian green space As well as a living lab for students studying ecological restoration This investment will help in bcit's important role in the province ongoing pandemic recovery and Facilitate our current and future success in ensuring highly skilled workers are Key for bc industry and we will provide those and we will continue to work with employers I'd like to acknowledge the generous donations as well that have come in from The public sector from private sector. I should say with the leadership of dr. David podmore who will be contributing to the these donations will allow us to have extra Funding to No doubt there'll be extras as we go along on the course of the build So our capital campaign has been very successful and wanted to acknowledge the work that's going on I'd now like to To invite shack up to the podium to say a bit about his own trade's journey and what This investment means because at the end of the day, it's all about the success of our bcit students And I have no doubt shack will be a key success Um person coming forward. Please come forward and thank you again Hello everyone. My name is shekeel davis and I am a level four carpentry apprentice here at bcit I'm honored to be a part of this day and to share what all this generous funding needs to me as a trade student I came to bcit with a degree in urban geography from ubc While also having played football there for five years It was there one summer that I got a part-time job as a carpenter and It was then my love for carpentry developed After graduating I took the level one carpentry apprentice program here at bcit and Got a job as a carpenter apprentice And pretty much you can fast forward five years later. I'm about to take my red seal exam next week Bcit is a place where students learn to maximize their potential While gaining hands-on work experience that is applicable to everyday life Thanks to the support from bcit the provincial government and industry partners There will be more educational opportunities For students like myself in pursuing our career goals and becoming innovators for the trades industry. Thank you I'd like to thank shack for Carpentry and wish him luck on his red seal exam next week And thank kathy as well, and I'll hand it back over to minister call on in victoria Thank you so much andrew for your comments and thank you to kathy and a big thank you to shack We were all clapping over here with your remarks With that we will bring premier horgan up and pass the mic over to lindsay to take any questions Thank you everyone as a reminder to media on the phone line Please press star one to enter the queue. You're limited to one question and one follow-up First question today is from vaughn palmer. Thank you for son. Go ahead. There you go Yeah, sorry Yeah, a stronger bc premier was the theme of your 2020 election platform and as I recall many of the same talking points were in it This is a vision statement 18 months later. What's new about it? Well, what's new about it is the announcement coming from bcit today vaughn of creating 136 million dollar facility for 300 spaces 20 different programs and these initiatives will be duplicated Going forward minister call on minister popham will be making An announcement on saturday with respect to expanding our agri tech components So all of the elements that are in the stronger bc plan are either underway or about to be Launched and as you know full well Watching public events over the period of time that That the ambitions and the aspirations become reality over time We have our budget next week that will lay out for example The creation of a new ministry that is particularly focused on ensuring that reconciliation the declaration on the rights of indigenous peoples and Certainty on the land base can be there for communities indigenous people investors and workers So all of the elements of the plan as you see it today as we've talked about Over our time in government are coming to reality the building that andrew standing That the building that we talked about today will be a community benefits building So not only will we be putting public resources into creating the spaces For people to learn as we build that space people will be learning as well And it's those types of targeted investments that will help us meet the skill shortages that are so obvious to us now You know vaughn and others who will be coming to ask questions afterwards every sector of our economy Is crying out for more people We have the lowest unemployment rate in the country more people are coming here than have come in decades And that is not likely to stop with the opportunities and benefits of coming To british columbia where we're focusing on public housing Public health care child care and all the other component parts that make our economy so robust and add to our competitiveness So what's new is that we're underway and we're launching Not just a building today not just agri-tech on the weekend But every part and parcel of what we've got in the plan here is going forward whether it be connecting communities through Broadband policies that are being accelerated But all of those components will will seamlessly come together into one stronger bc economic plan Do you want to have that sure go ahead? Yeah, thanks. Thanks vaughn and this plan is about making life better today and preparing us for tomorrow We've taken the learnings from the pandemic from the floods the fires all the challenges we've faced over the last two years And and and heard from british columbians and what we heard from them Is we need to close the scales gap We need to invest in support some new growing sectors life sciences agri-tech clean tech Some of that is highlighted in the plan 13 new actions to make life better for british columbians today In the in the years ahead Vaughn do you have a follow-up? Yes, please uh premier Can you hear me this time? You're good Yeah, okay. Sorry about that Yeah, could you explain the relationship between this? Economic plan and the one your government put out two years ago And the reason i'm asking is because that plan Had such goals in it as improving the standard of living for all british columbians And producing Greater government revenues without raising taxes So are those two goals from two years ago still goals or is this plan intended to supersede that plan? No, no this this builds on the work that don right did my deputy former president of bc it Built on this plan builds on that those foundational elements of what is the historic position of the bc economy And now we're taking it into the future as as rabbi has said Real wages have been going up since Don writes plan and we want to see them continuing to go up So the quality of life is improving because we're reducing costs for people whether it be eliminating medical services premiums Bringing forward the child Opportunity benefit that puts you know 650 dollars a month into the pockets of Families for children under the age of 18 All of these programs that we put in place and those that we've put in place through The covid pandemic allow us to have a little bit more comfort obviously affordabilities a number one issue for british columbians inflation is At very high these are largely Policies that will have to be addressed by the federal government, but we're working collaboratively on a range of issues and and The needs to ensure that we're competitive in our in our businesses to need to ensure that we're building the infrastructure That the economy will need as well as those public services and I We have always leaned as you know von leaned in on the public service side because that's also about people And nowhere is it more important than if we look over the past two years at the critical importance of healthcare workers Whether that be in long-term care acute care Home care we've needed those workers to show up every day and they've done so We also now need to relieve the pressure on them by making sure we're training More care aides more nurses more gps more Nurse practitioners so that we can continue to grow these private public sector services. That helps our private sector remain competitive I just add that This plan builds on the work that was done two years ago But what we heard clearly from all the people we engaged with was a lot has changed over the last two years The pandemic as the premier highlighted has exposed And the floods and the fires have exposed a lot of vulnerabilities in our economy And those things need to be addressed and so this is an addition on top of the work that was done Reflecting all the lessons that we've learned over the last two years And and this is what we heard from british columbians. So that's why it's reflected in this document Next question is from rob schott before you start rob. I just save on two questions for answers. That's a pretty good economy there Go ahead rob. Go ahead rob Okay, maybe I get four answers too Um, I just wanted to ask about the sort of progressive indicators Of that this plan is is kind of building on from that uk advisor. Like we know the economic indicators gp We're gonna hear finance officials next week in the budget tell us in great detail how they track them and why they're important How do you use progressive indicators? And how do you track them in real time to make them useful to you when you're when you're making decisions? Thanks rob and and thank you for highlighting the fact that You know most jurisdictions around the world are moving beyond just gdp and jobs as a metric And so it's critically important for us as an economy to do that work as well New zealand scotland most of the jurisdictions in europe are looking at of course continue to look at jobs in gdp But also looking at how do we track inequality to make sure that people have an opportunity to Continue to compete in the in the changing economy How do we track a new rental housing starts because we know housing is going to be critically important So there's a whole metrics that that are been developed by the un and others And we're going to be working with those metrics on a live dashboard so people can see how we're progressing I think it's vitally important for us to get a sense of how the economy is moving and how it's impacting people And we know for example if gdp goes up Sometimes it means the climate is being impacted and and people are not seeing the benefit of that growth And so we wanted to create metrics that show the real growth opportunity But can also track the changes that affect people on their day-to-day lives And that's what's reflected in the dashboard all the metrics we've chosen come from public information So it's not some some data that's not available to the public And we're going to continue to work with the business community and other stakeholders on perhaps other metrics that they might think That would be relevant for us to track in bc Do you have a follow-up Rob? Sure just an off-topic question for the premier on saturday an island health worker in james bay had their car blocked By multiple protesters yelling obscenities and because of that island health has done a review And will be taking logos off its vehicles in certain situations and asking victoria police for escorts I just wondered if you could Give us your thoughts I guess on the fact that it's gotten to the point where health care staff Here in the island have to ride in unmarked cars with police escorts to do their job Well, thanks for that rob and I was unaware of this So my first reaction is profound disappointment that uh, as I said on tuesday we can Disagree, but we shouldn't be disagreeable and and what we've seen Uh for the past couple of years quite frankly prior to the pandemic and throughout is a level of Of frustration across the board. I understand that but taking that to another level and and People yelling at school children For wearing masks when this is a decision that's been made in collaboration with with families with educators with school boards Is just not acceptable and going to those health care workers going to their work site where they have gone day after day Sometimes double shifts and I as you know have been through the public health care system very intensely over the past number of months and The the the the look on people's faces from double shifts and the prospect of I have to stay because there's no one to Take my place because they're ill or they've got Potential symptoms. The last thing these heroes need quite frankly is thuggery and belligerence from those who will be there Regardless of that thuggery and belligerence those health care workers will be there to hold their hand as they're intubated So it's just not acceptable. I think I speak for all British columbians Profound regret that there's that level of stupidity in some of our fellow citizens Next question is from richards. Usman global news Premier one of the parts this plan obviously is built on strong tourism sector There are concerns from tourism operators in the province right now around the federal government's testing policy at the border Some of your other premiers along with governors have raised concerns about it Do you believe that the federal government should waive? the testing requirements To travel back into canada and do you believe there should be another exemption in place for trips that are Shorter than 72 hours and what impact are you are you concerned about any impact? This could have on the tourism economy with the discouraging travelers from coming here Well, well first of all, I just want to say that I'm grateful that We've been getting advice from public health over the past number of days and into this week That we can relieve many of the restrictions that we had in place Still keeping those important public policy measures like masking in public places using the immunization card to ensure that Large ticketed and and seated events have or restaurants and and other Collections of people beyond a handful are as safe as they can possibly be and I'm grateful for that advice And I know most British columbians are as well With respect to border issues, this has been a challenge from the beginning of the pandemic And you know Richard you've been You and your outlet have been covering the pandemic every night At noon and sometimes in between Making sure that British columbians understand that the risks the challenges And where we need to go on any given day and we were among the first provinces to say that we needed tougher border restrictions That was at the beginning of the pandemic. We knew less about the the virus that we do now We have more Procedures in place to protect people whether it be our immunization plan, which is Has been the largest in our history and the uptake of British columbians leads the country So we have more tools available to us as dr. Henry repeats to protect each other and to Continue to have our economy grow and prosper Our tourism sector has been hardest hit because people have not been moving around and you will know from your social network That people are yearning to get back on the road, but they're also apprehensive So there's going to be the marketplace will have to figure itself out But those who are ready to travel are frustrated by Extra layers of complication to their travel plans. They've already been double vaccinated in some cases double vaccinated and boosted They're going to take protocols and procedures to put in place to protect themselves as they go forward And I think the federal government has seized of that They've started to talk about we're leaving those restrictions And I think that the sooner they can get to that The better for all of us and certainly the best best for the tourism industry I'll add while we're still on this subject that I know The cruise industry for example was concerned a year ago about provocative measures by some in congress And we have worked myself personally and minister call on and others minister melanie mark have worked directly with International providers as well as those Locally affected by any changes to the cruise ship industry that is also going to require some federal Regulation changes and I'm looking forward to working with the appropriate federal ministers to make sure that can happen Do you have a follow-up Richard? I'm sure the new news is thrilled for the shout out. Uh, I'm just trying to understand specifically Should there be testing requirements in place for trip shorter than 72 hours? You were outspoken about this In the fall the rules got changed and then omicron came We have largely seen most omicron restrictions eased. This one hasn't so should that like are you advocating with your other premiers to get rid of this? and and just specifically on today's plan You know, where are those growth sectors that the province needs to focus on how crucial Is agriculture here how crucial? You know in the tourism front his first nations tourism if minister call under yourself could speak to that as well But I just want to know specifically are you advocating to get rid of that 72 hour? Or to bring back to 72 hour exception like you advocated for in the fall Well, I know that the federal government is working on this so I haven't been advocating in our conversation This week was focused on events at the borders the federal initiative to bring forward The emergencies act that was the focus of our conversation and that is I think been the focus of the federal government throughout this week And that says it should be I had early signals that they were moving away from their testing policy I'm grateful to hear that I had my son just on a personal level my son traveled back from the uk over Christmas and Was caught up in a series of testing Challenges snafus if I can say that on family television, I think I can And and so I know firsthand the how frustrating it can be for travelers who have taken precautions They're fully masked. They're fully vaccinated and in his case He'd already had cove it back at the beginning of the pandemic So he was frustrated that he had to continue to try and find The appropriate test and again there was some uncertainty about what was the right test and where could it be accessed? And how much would it cost so it's not the cost question that although that's frustrating for travelers it's another level of Percaution that I don't know is necessary at this point and I don't believe that's the view of the public health office either The federal government had given early indications that they were going to get on this I'll cut them some slack because of the other challenges they're facing this week And I also want to I don't want to miss the opportunity to say that when I engage with the federal government My first second and third priority is focusing on the canada health transfer and the importance Of having an equal partner in the delivery of health care services in bc. That's my Primary objective with the federal government at this time although there are numerous other issues We deal with on a daily basis at the ministerial level And I know minister dicks is is engaging with his opposite numbers on these health questions I'll add that Part of the plan is that people are our competitive advantage. So investments in people We know are going to give us lots of opportunities Whether that's opportunities in agritek We believe there's great opportunities in life sciences with our clean tech and innovation We have a tech sector that's growing very fast But also getting more value from our resource sector getting more value and more jobs from all our resources So this plan is about supporting the economy across the province It has elements for people in rural communities. It has Elements for people in downtown vancouver and that was the part we heard from british columbians And that's what i'm really proud of for this of this plan Next question is from bender sagent ctv Hi there. I'm just wondering in premier I was speaking to somebody this morning in the construction industry who spoke about an acute labor shortage And while he acknowledged that the industry can do more to be inclusive and draw more people into it He also spoke about you know limits on apprenticeships and Also, you know the rules around being unionized for certain government contracts And i'm just wondering with the expected labor shortages. Are those things that your government is looking to perhaps reconsider? No, we're we're in fact accelerating our plans to train more people And I say to the to the construction sector shack is going to have his red seal shortly And he'll be looking forward to getting on to a job site and practicing his trade Duly certified and ready to go and we need more shacks. We need to multiply him 10 times over to meet the shortages that Your your commentator focused on I believe and as minister callon has said we need to focus on people We need to talk about skills and trades training In high school so that there's a path forward Shack story is not Unique he went to post-secondary education to to follow a passion and in the process found another passion And I think that young people and myself when I was younger and many of the young people I know start with a view of going in one direction and then find out they're going in another Our job as government is to open as many doors as possible for opportunity to make sure that we're training the next generation We have a baby boom generation that's heading for retirements And that's going to create huge vacancies on top of the vacancies that minister callon and minister kang talked about and just general economic growth and the need To have more people to do the work that's required So our focus is on training more people so they can get into the industry and they can start Right away building their their their hopes and dreams in the community of their choice follow-up bender Yeah, I'm just wondering also With regards to immigration. I just given like the large number of job openings over the next 10 years Do you plan to have conversations or have there been conversations with the federal government about Better tailoring some of those programs to meet the needs absolutely and that's a great question We raise that regularly British Columbia as well as other provinces Quebec has a different relationship that's been built over over time when it comes to immigration We've talked to the federal government about What British columbia's needs are? We are a diverse dynamic multicultural community and we require more people to meet the needs of today And the needs of the future so immigration is a key part of that I think I touched upon that in my my opening remarks But it is it is challenging to make sure that we get the balance right Working with the federal government who have primary responsibility. We have a what's called a p&p program We'd like to see that expanded and and more opportunity for For provincial input into immigration policy going forward But with with everyone that comes we require more services And so as much as we need more people we also once they arrive they're going to need housing They're going to need child care. They're going to need transit. They're going to need access to K to 12 they're going to need access to To healthcare so for everyone who comes we need more people to provide services as well So it sounds like it's a cycle But that's again what built this great province. I'm the child of an immigrant as is Ravi So we speak with some experience about the benefits of having a policy in place nationally that can meet the needs of our province Next question Lisa used us city news Hi there. I'm just wondering uh minister or premier For people who are listening to this I'm just wondering what the takeaway is for them for how their life is going to be better I'm looking at you know people who have kids or a dog or both Who are trying to find a place to rent because you know owning a place is just you know Not even in the realm of possibility for them and you're saying that life has improved But I think there's a lot of people who are still feeling so incredibly stuck Where they are and when you're looking at a million more jobs, they just don't and bringing more people here I think people are just not seeing how they fit in or how they're going to have a home to live in Very good question and one of the key issues that we've heard from industry Even I would I would argue back when I was in opposition and talking to business leaders First second and third for them was the high cost of housing We put in place initiatives to try and drive that cost down We've been successful in some areas and we're still working on success in others I give an example the number of vacant homes in vancouver has declined while it's gone up in Toronto so 40 increase in vacant homes in Toronto a 10 reduction in vacant homes in vancouver We put in place measures to reduce the rate of increases in rents for for For people and focused on how we can reduce their costs Housing is a big challenge minister ebe is absolutely Diving into that with the gusto that he brings to all of the files I've asked him to take on and we've seen measurable improvements that does not necessarily translate for everyone in the community, but the more we can build the more supply there is The less the cost will be and if we put in place programs that discourage Speculation encourage people to utilize their housing build more on campus housing and Kathy kinlock can talk about the importance of that if we're building student housing that frees up housing stock in the broader community And we built just in one example We built hundreds and hundreds of student houses Since 2017, but just in cam loops at thompson rivers university We built more student housing than the former government did in 16 years across the province So these initiatives all help us build the type of community. We want that's inclusive. That's affordable that meets the needs of everybody Follow up lisa I'm guessing we'll hear more about this at the budget on tuesday, but i'm wondering if you can talk about for Purchasing houses. Is there anything more that can be done? You know you say driving the cost down But certainly for houses, you know, they keep going up and up. I know aria Assessment certainly did. So what more are you doing? What more can be done to have? We'll hear You'll have more to say about that next week And i'm glad I had a budget question that I could defer lisa. Thank you for that But minister robinson former housing minister In her new role as finance minister has been seized of those challenges And she and minister ebe have been working collaboratively on strategies to implement the plans that we put in place and to make sure we're building not just Houses for sale, but also rental accommodation that is more family focused two and three bedroom units rather than Bachelor apartments in the sky we want to make sure that when we when we are building housing We're building it for with a view to family so they can grow in place And make those investments whether it be a purchase or rental Make those decisions that meet their needs at this point in their lives Next question is from alexandra sagan the logic Are you there alexandra go ahead Can you hear me? Yes Um, I'm just looking to learn more about the esg brand that you mentioned in the in the report What is that going to look like is it something akin to like the b-core certification? But a provincial stamp any color you can provide on that We're really excited about the esg center of excellence We heard from all people that we met with that there's a huge opportunity for us to be able to not only attract more investments to british columbia, but also to be able to brand and Export a lot of the goods and services that we produce here because of our strong environmental and sustainable governance principles The esg center of excellence will be require some consultation I think one of the main things that we've heard is don't create your own brand work with other Jurisdictions so that every jurisdiction is not creating their own standards And that work is going to happen with minister hayman With myself and minister rollstone. And so a lot of that consultation will happen over the next few months And more details will come soon Do you have a follow-up alexandra? I do um, and there's a couple of new centers mentioned the esg center one for agritag Are these physical hugs that you're you're planning or a way more virtual or a hybrid model? Well, um, you're you're trying to get me to scoop an announcement that will come But I will say that agritag and life science sectors Both have opportunities for our economy to grow We know through the pandemic That all of a sudden people are aware of where their food comes from And they're concerned about how we ensure that we can continue to produce food with climate change in particular And so agritag gives us the opportunity to produce food with 80 less water Produce more food without pesticides and have it locally grown So we're excited about the opportunities We'll have more to say in the coming days and of course a life science sector here in British Columbia is the fastest growing in the country BC actually had a very important role to play in the mRNA vaccine that is saving lives across the world We're proud of that But we know there's more opportunities and we're working with the sector and they'll Be more to come on that as well in the coming coming days and weeks ahead Our last question today is from Mira Bain cbc There's a letter signed by 25 municipal From communities throughout bc basically urging the province to allocate funding is Who would be affected by this deferral and i'm wondering is there any action on that fund? well, there's lots of action on sustainable forestry in British Columbia after the 2020 election campaign i appointed Katrina Conroy the first woman forest minister in bc history Comes from the interior comes from the resource sector To look and work on how we could implement the plan that we commissioned back in growth for the highest Value to community now and into the future and we've made great progress on that despite some of the more vocal People in communities across British Columbia. We've made significant announcements about deferrals working with indigenous communities to meet our obligations not just through the declaration, but Through repeated supreme court decisions about rights and title And we have been trying to focus and part and parcel of Mr. Cowan's work and the creation of a new ministry Coming through the next budget and into the next fiscal year is to make sure that we can do that permitting work We can do that Transfer of licenses when it's appropriate to do so so that we can continue to have vibrant forestry activity But in a way that's sustainable and protects those values that are most important to all british columbians And it's not a an easy dance. I'd say it that way But we have gone to great lengths to ensure that we're including as many people as possible in the decision making process And ensuring that we can go forward so communities can be vibrant workers are protected or in a position to To continue in the sector in another way mass timbers a part of that We've been talking about value added in our forest industry for decades I can remember working in a pulp mill talking about having people in the lunchroom talking about value added and that was 40 years ago So we've got a long way We've come a long way But we've got a lot of work to do our plan will assist in that regard and it will include first nations It will include workers and it will include communities Follow-up mera Yes, uh, and this is sort of a question. Uh, this is for By all the rules of the rules, uh, if violators That's a very sensitive point Across the province The hundreds of thousands in fact millions of british columbians have made sacrifices significant sacrifices personal financial Over the past mr. Farnworth and his his crew as well as Public health i've been working on this with the various health authorities so we can better manage those That are flagrantly disregarding the rules that everyone else followed I can't get into any more details than that unless I look at specific cases, but I just want to say to those Millions of british columbians who have made sacrifices my Eternal gratitude and thanks and not just for on behalf of my government, but all british columbians We have been successful here by any measure compared to others across the country or the continent Because we have hung together and we have regarded the rules equally as best we can and I go back to an earlier question about A citizen yelling and threatening A health care worker or citizens yelling and threatening children. That is not how we should act We need to hang together and and I know the vast majority like 90 percent of british columbians are thinking and living that way And i'm very grateful to live in a province that has been responsive to the challenges By working together on top of the fires on top of the floods on top of the heat domes All of us have been stretched beyond imagination And when we see others not following the rules disregarding the collective activities of the rest of us It's extremely frustrating and and we're aware of that and and the minister is keeping an eye on that to the best visibility Thanks for the question Want to get on that? I'll share that Overwhelmingly majority of businesses in british columbia are following the rules are doing what it was required to keep themselves Their workers and their community safe We made it clear even through our financial supports that businesses that weren't following the rules that weren't Trying to make their community a safe place wouldn't get access to grants and we've followed through on that commitment Some businesses that were defying health orders did not receive financial supports And we continue to support highest per capita supports for people and businesses for those that are following the rules Thank media for joining us today. We will now take a group