Bill M214 — Firefighters’ Health Act

I move that Bill M214 be now read a second time. Nobody prepares you for the momentous privilege it is to bring legislation to this chamber. I am here today to speak to Bill 214, the Firefighters’ Health Act. As announced earlier, in this chamber today to witness this event are four members of the Township of Langley Fire Department, four men whom I hold extreme respect and esteem for. Bill 214 was born of personal stories from my community, which are not unlike the many stories from every community in British Columbia, about the men and women who serve us and protect us, who are also disadvantaged with health implications due to their job. Now, I’m going to tell you a bit of how the concept of this bill came to be. It is not political but a carry-through of deep and consistent commitment to the TLFD that has already been underway in my community for years. I will let others here speak to stories of why this bill is important to them, and there are many. But the following is mine, and hopefully, at the committee stage, there will be more. Capt. Jordan Sparrow is someone who I’ve known since we were kids. He was, for many years, the little brother I never had, while being part of a family which was as close to me as mine was during those formative years. Even as life has moved on in a once small town, as Langley used to be, he is someone who, throughout my community, is known as the president of our local IAFF. Our paths continually cross in his role as a first responder and in mine as a municipal councillor — something that seems to be unfairly controversial in this chamber. When Captain Sparrow and our IAFF secretary, Capt. Brad Wegesser, came to Victoria a few months ago, they talked at great lengths about different needs of firefighters, which was out of my jurisdiction at the local level. You see, when they advocated for me at the municipal level, it was for what I could accomplish there. That was a big investment. That was being part of a mayor and council team that has invested over $50 million in a 2½-year period to the needs of our fire department. First responders and community safety are the biggest draws of your property taxes, which explains the chronic lack of investments to fire departments throughout this province, because no politician wants to deal with the blowback on the ever-increasing property tax. However, my teammates and I made the bold decision to put money into action and not just speak about supporting firefighters. In a 2½-year period, we have approved 33 new firefighters, approved and financed a new fire hall, made a $10 million advance purchase of new fire trucks and equipment and renovated multiple existing halls, and on and on we go. So when my Local 4550 came to me as an MLA, there was a pre-existing relationship of trust and understanding that my work in supporting firefighters didn’t stop at the local level. Captain Sparrow is 46. Captain Sparrow’s family has a history of colon cancer. He is two to four times higher to die of cancer than I am just because of being a firefighter. However, now it’s even higher due to family history. When meeting with Captain Sparrow and Captain Wegesser, it was there that they advocated for supporting firefighters in their need for advanced and regular health screenings and to make improvements to the Workers Compensation Act regarding presumptive cancers and the length of service required to qualify. Currently the act requires lengths of service anywhere from five to 20 years and only a limited number of types of cancer. But more research has been done since the last revision of the act, which is why this bill is here today. It needs to be updated. It needs to be expanded. It was a no-brainer to use my one opportunity in this parliamentary session to advance a bill that would not only increase my friends’ health outcomes and also those of the 13,000 other firefighters in this province. It’s not lost on me — the irony that this is most likely the last time I will be able to speak as both an MLA and a local elected official while presenting a bill that is a direct result of wearing both those hats. For those in this chamber, I encourage you to look up to the balcony and know that our actions have a direct effect on my community. The work of further advancing my firefighters is not done. The advanced protection of my ever-growing community is not complete. Progressive councils like ours are hard to come by but are paving the way and being noticed for the big investments in firefighters’ health and well-being in their communities. This bill is a direct example of how and why closer relations with local governments benefit those we serve. Bill 214 is not a new concept. It’s been floating around this building for years, knowing these changes needed to be made while at the same time having neither past governments bold enough to take the step to accomplish it in a timely manner. Bill 214 was written to be collaborative, to take the politics out of doing the right thing. It is a starting point for a comprehensive health screening plan to be put into motion but with a reasonable timeline, open for amendments as input comes in. I welcome that. We can no longer punt this bill down the road. We can no longer ask those who risk their lives for us to wait longer for earlier health screening legislation and to work longer to qualify for coverage. The scientific evidence is there. Cancer kills, and it kills firefighters indiscriminately faster and earlier. All you need to do is go to your local fire hall and ask this question of any member there: do you know a colleague battling cancer? The answer will be yes, and that is why you must say yes to supporting Bill 214. Inside this chamber and the Fraser River Presentation Theatre at city hall, I will address you as Chief de Roy, Deputy Chief Parker, Captain Sparrow, Captain Wegesser. Outside those chambers, it’s Jason, Cory, Jordan and Brad. This is for you and your service to our community, and this bill is my service to you in response. Thank you.

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