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May 20,

HOUSE OF ASSEMBLY PROCEEDINGS

Vol. XLVII No. 29

The House met at 1:30 p.m.

MR.

SPEAKER (Wiseman): Order, please!

Admit strangers.

Today, before we start our proceedings, I want to

acknowledge a guest we have in the gallery today, Mr. Joe Santos.

He is an educator with O'Donel High in Mount Pearl.

Welcome to our gallery.

We will know a little more about him as we get a

Ministerial Statement in a few moments.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

Statements by Members

MR.

SPEAKER:

Today we have members' statements from the District of St. John's South, the

Member for the District of Burgeo La Poile, the Member for the District of

Cape St. Francis, the Member for the District of Port au Port, the Member for

the District of Fortune Bay Cape La Hune, and the Member for the District of

Baie Verte Springdale.

The hon. the Member for St. John's South.

MR.

OSBORNE:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Speaker, last week I had the honour of attending

the #81 N.L.C.C Polynia Annual Cadet and Parents Banquet.

This event was attended by young cadets, their parents, as well as a

number of senior members of the Church Lads Brigade.

For over 100 years the Church Lads Brigade has been

providing young people with an opportunity to learn respect, confidence and

leadership in a disciplined atmosphere.

The organization is to be commended for their years of community service.

A highlight of the evening was the presentation of

awards, where several young people were recognized and bestowed awards for their

accomplishments and commitment to that organization.

I would like to recognize those who received awards,

the parents who support and volunteer, along with many members who continue to

ensure that the CLB provides the valuable service that it does.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR.

SPEAKER:

The

hon. the Member for Burgeo La Poile.

MR.

A. PARSONS:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I rise today to pay tribute to the late Elizabeth Jane

Harvey of Isle aux Morts.

Elizabeth was born at Isle aux Morts on June 4, 1958,

the daughter of the late Samuel and Martha Francis.

Ms Elizabeth Harvey was instrumental in driving the

Income Tax issue for harvesters throughout this Province and the Province of

Quebec. For years, she raised the

matter in the media and on Open Line call-in shows.

In 2011, a federal judge ruled in favour of the harvesters.

She is also remembered as being a champion of many other causes,

including getting a dialysis unit in Port aux Basques.

Her latest call to me, just twenty-four hours before she passed, was to

advocate on behalf of her neighbours for improvements to a local road.

In 2012, Elizabeth received a Queen Elizabeth II

Diamond Jubilee Medal in recognition of her work.

She will be deeply missed by her husband Douglas, her

four children and their spouses, her eight grandchildren, two sisters, six

brothers, as well as a wide circle of friends throughout the Province.

Mr. Speaker, I ask all members of this House to join

with me in paying tribute to the late Elizabeth Jane Harvey, a true credit to

her family and community, and to extend condolences to her family on their loss.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR.

SPEAKER:

The

hon. the Member for Cape St. Francis.

MR.

K. PARSONS:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I rise in this hon. House today to recognize the Torbay

Volunteer Fire Department for forty years of service to the Towns of Torbay and

Flatrock.

The fire department was formed on April 9, 1974 with

twenty-nine members joining together under the leadership of their first Fire

Chief Bruce Escott. Over 161 members

have come and gone, and all have contributed to the success of the fire

department.

The department has forty well-trained members, with a

ladies auxiliary group consisting of fifteen members who are always available to

help the fire department. They are

an outstanding group of volunteers and are recognized as one of the top fire

departments in our Province.

Residents take great comfort in knowing they are there day and night as they

have responded to almost 4,000 calls over the forty years.

I would like to take the opportunity to commend Chief

Michael McGrath, who has been with the department since its inception for his

outstanding dedication; also, his wife Karen and family for supporting him and

being a huge part of his success in his career with the Torbay Volunteer Fire

Department.

I ask all hon. members to join with me in thanking all

the volunteers past and present for their service.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR.

SPEAKER:

The

hon. the Member for the District of Port au Port.

MR.

CORNECT:

When the curtain rises at the Stephenville Theatre Festival on July 11, it will

mark the thirty-sixth season of providing outstanding professional theatre to

Newfoundland and Labrador.

A lot of credit to the success of this festival is due

to leadership and commitment of the board of directors past and present.

At this time, a warm welcome is extended to Artistic Director Lois Brown,

and Musical Director Pamela Morgan, who will lead the cast at this year's

showcase.

Headlining the 2014 season is the Nobleman's Wedding . The

Birthday Party , Jack Meets the Cat , The

Country Show , Music From Home are

some of the amazing performances planned to entertain the patrons of this year's

festival. Also returning this year,

is audience pleaser A Night With ,

which will feature evenings of song and music with local musicians and artists.

Stephenville Theatre Festival also features other

productions including Two Horse Tales ,

Never Forgotten , and

The Driftwood Trilogy that comprises

of three plays: Falling Trees ,

Building Houses and

Wasting Paper .

Mr. Speaker, I ask all hon. members to join with me in

congratulating the Stephenville Theatre Festival and all involved on its

thirty-sixth season, July 11 to August 10.

Thank you,

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR.

SPEAKER:

The

hon. the Member for the District of Fortune Bay Cape La Hune.

PERRY:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I rise in this hon. House today to recognize the

outstanding commitment of the Joint Mayors Committee in the Coast of Bays.

I had the pleasure of attending the signing ceremony of their Memorandum

of Understanding for the Coast of Bays Regional Development Corporation last

Wednesday.

I am very pleased that the Joint Mayors Committee will

be working in partnership to address development and areas of mutual concern in

the region, as well as to support the goals of municipalities.

The Coast of Bays is an ideal place to live and work.

This organization will promote and facilitate public engagement in the

region's future development and strategically look to foster economic growth.

I had a great evening and enjoyed the excellent

performances and speeches of the young drummers and dancers.

I look forward to hearing about their accomplishments and achievements in

the years ahead.

I ask that all members of this hon. House join me in

wishing the new Regional Development Corporation great success to ensure the

Coast of Bays Region will continue to prosper well into the future.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR.

SPEAKER:

The

hon. the Member for Baie Verte Springdale.

MR.

POLLARD:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I rise in this hon. House today to congratulate the

Copper Ridge Academy Drama Troupe.

They captured the Regional Theatre Festival Championship in Grand Falls-Windsor

on April 11, 2014.

They performed a very challenging piece which

highlighted their talent, dedication, and creativity.

The group also won for best lighting and choreography.

Walking away with best overall performance is quite an honour, making the

entire school community very proud of their accomplishment.

Members include: Hayley Gillingham, Jonnie Ricketts,

Teriann Chislett, Robyn Wells, Lindsee Clarke, and Regina Madimbu.

Directors Mary Lou Stuckless and Neil Kirby are to be commended for their

huge contributions to the success of the group.

Also, they just returned from North Rustico, PEI, where

they participated in the Atlantic Drama Festival, capturing the best overall

excellence in lighting, and excellence in music, choral, and choreography.

In addition, Lindsee Clarke and Jonnie Ricketts are the proud recipients

of acting distinction awards.

Honourable members, I invite you to join me in

applauding the Copper Ridge Academy Drama Troupe upon their significant

achievement.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR.

SPEAKER:

Statements by Ministers.

Statements by Ministers

MR.

SPEAKER:

The

hon. the Minister of Finance and President of Treasury Board.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

JOHNSON:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to rise in this House today

to advise hon. members of more exciting news about our provincial economy.

As everyone here would know, the country's major banks and bond rating

agencies have noted the success of our economy.

I am pleased to advise members that in its report

How Canada Performs: Economy , which

was released last week, the Conference Board of Canada named Newfoundland and

Labrador as one of three provinces in Canada to receive a grade of A +

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

JOHNSON:

outperforming twenty-five other jurisdictions in Canada and around the world.

Mr. Speaker, with an A + rating, our Province

was not only ahead of Ontario, Quebec, BC, Manitoba, and the Maritimes for

economic performance; we were also ahead of Canada's national performance and

ahead of the US, the UK, Australia, France, Germany, and even Norway.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

JOHNSON:

the news release issued by the Conference Board, Glen Hodgson, Senior

Vice-President and Chief Economist, said, Alberta, Saskatchewan, and

Newfoundland and Labrador are A + economies they rank higher than

any advanced country in our analysis.

Mr. Speaker, our government has made significant

investments to strengthen the economy and to encourage continued growth.

Since 2006, we have decreased taxes, putting hundreds of millions of

dollars back into the hands of Newfoundlanders and Labradorians.

This year alone, savings to residents is approximately $600 million.

Our Province continues to maintain the lowest personal income tax rates

in Atlantic Canada. Total personal

income tax reductions since 2006 are estimated to have returned approximately $2

billion back to taxpayers in the Province.

Effective July 1, 2014, our government will decrease the small business

corporate income tax rate to 3 per cent.

As a result, this Province's small business tax rate will be tied with

Nova Scotia for the lowest rate in Atlantic Canada.

Newfoundland and Labrador has seen significant economic

growth over the past ten years and we led all other provinces in economic growth

last year. There have been

substantial improvements in many economic and financial indicators, with gains

in real household disposable income per capita a measure of average consumer

purchasing power outpacing all other provinces over this past decade.

Mr. Speaker, more people are working than ever before

and the unemployment rate is lower than any time since 1973.

For the first time in over forty years, Newfoundland and Labrador no

longer has the highest unemployment rate in Canada.

Mr. Speaker, we are very proud of our economic growth

over the last decade and the significant impact it is having on our people's

lives. Through our social and

economic plan we will continue to strengthen the business environment, encourage

the development of innovative industries, and diversify the economy.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR.

SPEAKER:

The

hon. the Member for Virginia Waters.

C. BENNETT:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I thank the minister for the advance copy of the

statement. The Conference Board of

Canada's report is clearly about revenue, and it identifies that this A grade,

after years of D grades, is due to oil revenue.

volatile oil revenues. The

Conference Board of Canada is also the same group who said our population will

decline to 482,000 by 2035, and predicts declining economic fortune for

Newfoundland and Labrador for the next two decades.

It is also the same group that said we have the worst

health care spending of any province in Canada the most per capita on health

care of any provinces, yet still the worst overall outcomes.

While this government may try to politically position

itself as the star of the moment based on a report from an organization that

in the past they have dismissed it is important to acknowledge that the board

in this report clearly raises concerns about long-term employment opportunities,

which this government, and all of us know, will decline after the large-scale

projects are completed. What is the

plan not to revert to the years of D ratings?

The report recognizes the value of the assets of the

people of the Province to add to revenue; but, let's be clear, economic

management, strong fiscal management, is ensuring that every penny of revenue is

accounted for and that it benefits the people of Newfoundland and Labrador.

Thank you.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR.

SPEAKER:

The

hon. the Leader of the Third Party.

MICHAEL:

Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker.

I thank the minister for the advance copy of her

statement. Of course, this has some

good news, but it has little to do really with how this government takes care of

the people that they are entrusted to take care of, with the money that they say

they are making for us.

It is good news for corporations and those who have

seen the benefit of the economic boom, but it is cold comfort for many in this

Province. I doubt people waiting

months for placement in suitable long-term care facilities would give government

an A + ; nor would people lying on gurneys in hospitals hallways or

people waiting months to see medical specialists; nor the parents of children

with autism spectrum disorder who have to wait months and years for a diagnosis

of their child; and I doubt people forced to destroy their vehicles on

provincial roads in atrocious disrepair would give that grade to government.

Mr. Speaker, I have a longer list, but time will not

allow me to list the many failings of this government in the way in which they

spend the money in this Province.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR.

SPEAKER:

The

hon. the Minister of Environment and Conservation.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

SHEA:

Mr.

Speaker, I rise today to update my hon. colleagues on an event I participated in

this past weekend in partnership with the Bonne Bay Marine Station in Norris

Point.

To better inform people about how the ocean is affected

by climate change, this government has partnered with the Bonne Bay Marine

Station and Memorial University to develop an interactive climate change exhibit

called Newfoundland and Labrador: A Sea of

Change .

The exhibit was funded by the Department of Fisheries

and Aquaculture, the Office of Climate Change and Energy Efficiency, and

Memorial University's Office of Public Engagement.

It allows visitors to learn how climate change is impacting the oceans

that surround Newfoundland and Labrador.

The interactive tool is powered by iPads at the Marine

Station and uses the latest technology to inform and educate visitors to the

centre as well as others who can download the interactive application to their

smartphones from the app store.

Mr. Speaker, climate change is one of the biggest

challenges facing jurisdictions around the world.

Scientists have determined that 90 per cent of all the extra heat caused

by global warming is absorbed by the ocean.

Water temperatures are rising, sea levels are increasing, and stronger

storms are happening more frequently.

As a government, we are acting to do our part.

The Turn Back the

Tide campaign on climate change was launched in 2012 to help Newfoundlanders

and Labradorians learn how climate change is impacting the Province and the ways

they can take action to tackle climate change and to make a difference.

To date, there have been over 58,000 visits to the Web site.

This significant work ensures that Newfoundland and Labrador is resilient

to the impacts of climate change, Mr. Speaker.

For example, Budget 2014 provided funding to continue

to the Coastal Erosion Vulnerability Project to help communities make informed

land-use decisions and identify areas for protection along our coastlines.

Mr. Speaker, I would like to invite my colleagues to

visit our Turn Back the Tide Web site and download the

Newfoundland and Labrador: A Sea of Change app to learn more about

the great work that is happening to tackle climate change in Newfoundland and

Labrador and how we can help make a difference.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR.

SPEAKER:

The

hon. the Member for St. John's South.

MR.

OSBORNE:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I would like to thank the minister for an advance copy

of her statement. Mr. Speaker, last

year or last session, I should say, I asked questions about the coastal

erosion plan in this House. The

minister responded with answers about emissions and emission controls.

That is because that report sat on the shelf for two-and-a-half years.

While I am delighted to see $500,000 in this year's Budget towards

coastal erosion, it was evident last session the minister did not know that the

coastal erosion plan was sitting on a shelf for two-and-a-half years.

Mr. Speaker, government is still sitting on their

energy conservation initiatives that were outlined in the 2007 Energy Plan.

Government promised a host of energy efficiency initiatives in 2007, and

we are still waiting to see those.

They even said that they would create a culture of conservation.

It is easy to talk the talk, Mr. Speaker, but without action, it is only

talk; it is only promises. We have

seen lots of policies, but no real action.

The minister mentioned as well in her statement

investments in Budget 2014; but, I have to ask, with so much attention being

paid to the weaknesses in our electric system this winter and government

preaching the importance of energy conservation, why and we are, on this side

of the House, very disappointed that in Budget 2014 there were no tangible

energy conservation programs.

Mr. Speaker, she talked about visits to the Web site

MR.

SPEAKER:

Order, please!

The member's time has expired.

The hon. the Member for St. John's East.

MR.

MURPHY:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I would like to thank the minister for the advance copy

of her statement. I am quite

surprised because this is a government that is leaning all the time towards

consumption and never on conservation.

So, sometimes I am surprised actually when I hear some conservation

messages coming out of them.

Mr. Speaker, one of the people I would like to mention,

and probably a place for government to turn in order to get some advice when it

comes to climate change in this Province, is a gentleman by the name of Mr.

Norman Catto I think I am pronouncing his last name right.

Working out of Memorial University, he has done innumerable studies

already on the effects of climate change, for example, on communities and upon

the coast here in Newfoundland and Labrador.

May I suggest that government look at some of the

studies that have already been done and probably turn more attention to those.

We already have some work that has been done in that direction and

government need not look further than that in order to progress with some of the

work that it needs to do and needs to do urgently on climate change.

Thank you very much.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR.

SPEAKER:

The

hon. the Minister Responsible for Workplace, Health, Safety and Compensation

Commission.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR.

CRUMMELL:

Mr.

Speaker, I am pleased to rise today to recognize educator and safety advocate,

Mr. Joe Santos, for his continued contributions to health and safety awareness

and the positive impact he continues to have on his students, his school, and

the greater community.

Mr. Santos is an educator at O'Donel High School in

Mount Pearl. He first introduced the

Workplace Safety 3220 course at O'Donel High, which is now in its third year and

has had over 170 enrolled. The

course, created in partnership with the Workplace Health, Safety and

Compensation Commission, provides students with an opportunity to learn the

importance of safety and emergency preparedness in the workplace and gives them

the tools to keep themselves and others safe when they move forward into summer

jobs and eventually careers of their own.

In addition to this, Mr. Speaker, as a certified Red

Cross First-Aid and Workplace Hazardous Materials Information System instructor,

Mr. Santos also ensures that all students in his classes are properly trained

and provides instruction to his peers during school district professional

development days.

He was also instrumental in arranging for the purchase

and installation of an automated external defibrillator (or AED) machine at

O'Donel High School, which was a first for any school in Newfoundland and

Labrador. When the machine was

installed, Mr. Santos took it upon himself to see that all staff, including the

school's custodian and evening users of the building, were adequately trained

and familiar with its use.

Mr. Santos is a leader, supporter, and mentor.

He has founded a popular first responders group at his school, arranged

for his students to benefit from the health and safety expertise of external

speakers, employers and other organizations, and even works with students who

compete in the workplace safety category at Skills Canada competitions.

Most recently, Mr. Speaker, he was named 2013's Health

and Safety Educator of the Year by Workplace Health, Safety and Compensation

Commission. With all his efforts in

furthering health and safety in our Province, Mr. Santos is very deserving of

this accolade.

I ask all hon. members to join me today to congratulate

Mr. Joe Santos on receiving the Health and Safety Educator of the Year award,

and to thank him for his continued contributions to the lives of young

Newfoundlanders and Labradorians.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR.

SPEAKER:

The

hon. the Member for Mount Pearl South.

MR.

LANE:

Mr.

Speaker, first of all, I would like to thank the minister for an advance copy of

his statement. We, too, in the

Official Opposition would like to congratulate Mr. Joe Santos on being named the

2013 Health and Safety Educator of the Year by the Workplace Health, Safety and

Compensation Commission.

I certainly want to acknowledge all of the great work

he has done at O'Donel High School, which happens to be in the District of Mount

Pearl South, by the way a beautiful school.

He has taken many initiatives, as indicated by the minister, whether it

be with the AED, which they put in the school, the training of the staff on it,

whether it be teaching students first aid, teaching students women's courses,

and of course the introduction of the Safety 3220 course.

Mr. Speaker, as I have indicated in the past in

speaking to similar Ministerial Statements, it is very important that we target

workers at a young age. We know that

many of the accidents that occur in the workplace involve new workers, young

workers. If we can target them at a

young age to change that mindset to get them into that mindset of health and

safety, then I think we are going to help reduce accidents and all the

associated costs in the future.

Congratulations to Mr. Santos.

You are certainly a great leader in the field of health and safety.

You have set a great example, and you are showing what it is to be

proactive in that field.

Thank you.

MR.

SPEAKER:

Order, please!

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR.

SPEAKER:

The

hon. the Member for St. John's East.

MR.

MURPHY:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I would also like to thank the minister for the advance

copy of his statement today.

Congratulations as well to Mr. Santos for all the work that he is doing

educating our young people, staff, and students at O'Donel High as regards to

worker safety and student safety in this case too.

It was only last week that we were talking about worker

safety here in the House. An

interesting statistic, I do not know if it got out in the debate or not, but

when you go to Workplace Health, Safety and Compensation Commission they talk

about the number of young people, for example, who are being injured in the

workplace these days.

We are talking about the average of two workers and

that is two workers too many, Mr. Speaker between the ages of fifteen and

twenty-four who get injured every day in the workplace, particularly most

noticeable of course in the service industries.

Just to make note of that.

Thank you very much, Mr. Santos, for all the work you

are doing. It just goes to show that

the more emphasis that we have on worker education, safety, and student

education, the better off we will all be.

Thank you very much.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR.

SPEAKER:

Before we start Oral Questions, I want to acknowledge another guest in the

gallery, the President of Municipalities Newfoundland and Labrador, Mr. Churence

Rogers.

Welcome to our gallery, Sir.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR.

SPEAKER:

Oral Questions.

Oral Questions

MR.

SPEAKER:

The

hon. the Leader of the Official Opposition.

MR.

BALL:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

It has been reported today that BP is in talks to buy

the refinery at Come By Chance. This

comes after news last fall that the refinery would be either sold, it would be

downsized, or closed.

I ask the Premier: Since there are hundreds of people

in communities who depend on the refinery for work, can you provide an update on

the status of the sale of the refinery?

MR.

SPEAKER:

The

hon. the Minister of Natural Resources.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR.

DALLEY:

Mr.

Speaker, I certainly want to echo a comment made by the Leader of the

Opposition, a concern that many people have who are working in a refinery and

the impact it would have directly on those employed and on the communities in

the surrounding area, as well as the contribution of the refinery to the economy

of Newfoundland and Labrador, Mr. Speaker.

I can report here today the discussions are ongoing

with Harvest and other proponents, Mr. Speaker.

We have not been advised that the refinery has been sold, but we have

been in discussions and I have been in discussions personally with the union as

well. Both the union and the company

are very clear on the position of government, that we want this refinery to

continue to operate in this Province.

We are prepared to support it and have discussions with the company as

discussions and negotiations are ongoing.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR.

SPEAKER:

The

hon. the Leader of the Official Opposition.

MR.

BALL:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Government placed a moratorium on fracking over six

months ago and at the time they said an internal review would be undertaken and

that the public would be given an opportunity to comment.

Now, we have heard very little about this since and both industry and the

anti-fracking groups are very concerned and have questions.

I ask the Premier: After six months, why have you yet

to engage the public in the open process of fracking?

MR.

SPEAKER:

The

hon. the Premier.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

PREMIER MARSHALL:

Mr.

Speaker, because of concerns members of the public had raised about this issue

of fracking and fracking has been around a long time.

It is really the issue of horizontal drilling and multi-stage fracturing;

that is the difference. We have

heard those concerns and that was one of the reasons we put in a moratorium.

Since that time, government has been engaged in its own

internal review. The government has

looked at the regulations to make sure they are robust and that they meet the

world-class standards. They have

looked at the geology in Bay St. George and the Green Point shale, and now the

department is giving consideration to the final piece, which is to have public

consultation.

We have heard the calls for external reviews.

Mr. Speaker, we understand the concerns and that is why we only support

economic development if it happens with public health and safety and mitigates

against

MR.

SPEAKER:

Order, please!

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR.

SPEAKER:

The

hon. the Leader of the Official Opposition.

MR.

BALL:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Many groups, of course, the anti-fracking awareness

group and indeed industry in itself, are very concerned about where this is

going. What they want to do and what

we are hearing from them is they want to be engaged in the process.

I ask the Premier: Why have you chosen such a very

secretive internal review right now and when indeed will we expect to see the

public involved?

MR.

SPEAKER:

The

hon. the Minister of Natural Resources.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR.

DALLEY:

Mr.

Speaker, I am well aware of the concerns and the interests of the anti-fracking

awareness groups. I have met with

them personally. I have had a

discussion and certainly made a commitment to them that as we proceed through

this process they will be fully engaged and I will give them every opportunity

for input.

I have taken those initiatives and we are doing some

internal work, Mr. Speaker. It is

nearing completion, at which time as I said clearly on a number of occasions

that will help determine our next steps, which will involve some form of public

consultation.

It is important we do this right.

It is a very sensitive issue.

The protection of health and safety and the environment is obviously a priority

for this government, but beyond that, Mr. Speaker, responsibility that comes for

economic development and to benefit people in every opportunity that we can is

also very important and a responsibility of this government.

We will find a way through this, Mr. Speaker, but everyone will have an

opportunity for input.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR.

SPEAKER:

The

hon. the Leader of the Official Opposition.

MR.

BALL:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Last week we saw the release of yet another report that

lays the blame of DarkNL on Nalcor.

The interim report by the Public Utilities Board says that Nalcor's deferral of

maintenance and failure to ensure availability of resources caused or

contributed to the power outages in January, 2014.

I ask the Premier: Now that the PUB and Liberty

Consulting have made it clear that decisions by Nalcor caused DarkNL, what are

you doing to restore accountability of this Crown corporation?

MR.

SPEAKER:

The

hon. the Minister of Natural Resources.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR.

DALLEY:

Mr.

Speaker, it was unfortunate in January we went through a very difficult time in

the Province with respect to power outages.

There was a commitment made both by myself as minister and our government

at the time that we would be supportive and co-operative to do all we can to

restore confidence and to ensure that we strengthen the reliability of our

utility system into the future.

The Public Utilities Board engaged in a study and some

work - Liberty Consulting, Newfoundland and Labrador Hydro, Newfoundland Power,

all contributed information around that unfortunate event, as well as

information, Mr. Speaker, that will help strengthen our utility system into the

future.

Mr. Speaker, we welcome these reports.

What is important here is it does not lie on a shelf, that we get

proactive, that we engage in priority recommendations, Mr. Speaker, and I have

every confidence we will move forward and do so.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR.

SPEAKER:

The

hon. the Leader of the Official Opposition.

MR.

BALL:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

What we are looking for and what people in the Province

are asking about is the accountability given the fact that we know there were

delays in maintenance and it was actually deferred.

The reports also conclude that the first request for the conservation

measures were issued too late to actually have any effect and that Newfoundland

Power was not asked for input or provided a copy of the advisory prior to the

release.

I ask the Premier: Who actually made the decision to

wait so late before issuing the conservation request on January 2?

MR.

SPEAKER:

The

hon. the Minister of Natural Resources.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR.

DALLEY:

Mr.

Speaker, the responsibility of the operation of our utility system in this

Province is a very complex system.

It rests with the utility operators themselves, Newfoundland and Labrador Hydro,

Newfoundland Power, and the key stakeholders as well, the Public Utilities

Board.

Through a series of reports that have been ongoing

since January, some very good information has been provided.

One of the things that were highlighted, Mr. Speaker, any time you go

through an experience that we went through it is important that the stakeholders

and parties involved review communications, ultimately communications that has a

concern for the general public and the safety of the general public.

Mr. Speaker, recommendations were made around

communications and I have every confidence that our utilities will certainly

comply and find ways to improve the whole situation that took place in January.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR.

SPEAKER:

The

hon. the Leader of the Official Opposition.

MR.

BALL:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

We understand the whole idea of responsibility and who

is responsible for this, but ultimately the responsibility lies right here with

this government.

What I asked you was: Who was part of the decision to

actually wait two hours before the announcement was made on the rolling black

outs? All I am asking is: Were you,

as minister, involved in that decision at all?

MR.

SPEAKER:

The

hon. the Minister of Natural Resources.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR.

DALLEY:

Mr.

Speaker, I will say that I am not involved in the direct operations, day-to-day

decisions around our utilities. As I

indicated, it is a very complex system.

We have an isolated system here in the Province.

We have a system in Labrador, as well.

Mr. Speaker, there are multiple stakeholders involved and thousands of

kilometres of transmission lines; hundreds and thousands of generation

capabilities out there, Mr. Speaker.

So it is a very complex system and I will leave it to the experts to make the

decisions around the operations.

Drilling down into the exact detail as to who made that

decision, I would have to go back and check it.

It certainly was not me who made the call two hours before, as the member

is alluding to. Again, Mr. Speaker,

in the larger picture, here is a commitment to improve reliability, to

strengthen our system, and any improvements that can be made from the experience

in January we are certainly going to be focused on that.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR.

SPEAKER:

The

hon. the Member for the District of Bay of Islands.

MR.

JOYCE:

Mr.

Speaker, fees collected from the taxpayers of this Province to implement and

operate the 911 telephone service is paid through the NL 911 service fund.

I ask the minister: In the event there is a significant

amount of excess revenues accumulated in the fund, are there safeguards in place

to prevent any of the funds from being directed to provincial coffers?

MR.

SPEAKER:

The

hon. the Minister of Municipal and Intergovernmental Affairs.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR.

KENT:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

We are very excited, as a government, to be advancing

legislation that is going to result in the establishment of Province-wide Basic

911 service for everyone in Newfoundland and Labrador.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR.

KENT:

answer the member's question, we are setting up through this legislation we

will have the ability to set up an arm's- length bureau, the Newfoundland and

Labrador 911 Bureau that will manage and monitor the 911 implementation and

collect the revenue that is associated with implementing the service.

This is going to be done on a cost-recovery basis.

So it is not the intention to build up a large surplus of funds.

These funds will also be used to do the development work that is

necessary to plan for Next Generation 911, but this will be done on a

cost-recovery basis.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR.

SPEAKER:

The

hon. the Member for the District of Bay of Islands.

MR.

JOYCE:

That was one of the questions we asked this morning in a briefing, Mr. Speaker,

so I ask the minister if he can follow up later and just get an answer back on

that.

Mr. Speaker, government has already invested through

Budgets 2013 and 2014 over $2 million to implement the 911 service.

I ask the minister: Will the government be recovering

the money it has invested from the 911 fees that residents will be charged on

their telephone bills?

MR.

SPEAKER:

The

hon. the Minister of Municipal and Intergovernmental Affairs.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR.

KENT:

Again, Mr. Speaker, the fees that are being collected are being collected solely

for the purpose of implementing the 911 service.

Beyond getting Basic service in place across the Province, we have to

begin the planning work for Next Generation 911 as well.

In terms of the budget dollars for this year, about

half of those dollars are being used for the actual technical set up, planning,

and development to get us ready for the end of this year to have Basic service

in place. The other $1 million is

being advanced to the public safety answering points, for instance, and to the

bureau to start their work. A

portion of those funds will indeed be recovered.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR.

SPEAKER:

The

hon. the Member for The Straits White Bay North.

MR.

MITCHELMORE:

Mr.

Speaker, forestry workers on the Great Northern Peninsula face uncertainty again

this season due to inaction and poor decision from this government.

A prosperous industry employing up to 400 people a few years ago has

dwindled to just dozens.

I ask the minister: What is your government prepared to

do to protect the small contractors and employees who work in the Peninsula's

forest industry?

MR.

SPEAKER:

The

hon. the Minister of Natural Resources.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR.

DALLEY:

Mr.

Speaker, the forest industry is obviously a very valuable industry in this

Province with some 5,500 people working in the industry.

It is a $250 million industry, Mr. Speaker.

Our government certainly acknowledges not only the value but we also

acknowledge the challenges in the forest industry over the past eight or ten

years, there is no question, Mr. Speaker.

Particularly on the Northern Peninsula, Mr. Speaker,

our government has committed $10 million to an industry on the Northern

Peninsula. I can assure you, any

players in the industry would certainly welcome that type of investment.

It has met with some challenges, Mr. Speaker, but we have progressively

been working with a company that has a keen interest on the Northern Peninsula,

and certainly I believe if we are able to bring that to a successful conclusion

that will benefit the entire region.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR.

SPEAKER:

The

hon. the Member for The Straits White Bay North.

MR.

MITCHELMORE:

Mr.

Speaker, contractors have been advised that an agreement with Corner Brook Pulp

and Paper expires in early June.

This means limited or no buyers for pulpwood for the Peninsula.

Contractors must make critical decisions to invest and hire workers under

a limited time frame and unstable conditions.

I ask the minister: Will he commit to working with

industry ensuring contractors have a buyer for pulp until a longer-term

arrangement can be established, possibly with Rentech?

MR.

SPEAKER:

The

hon. the Minister of Natural Resources.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR.

DALLEY:

Mr.

Speaker, I have certainly committed to work with anyone within these industries.

They are very important to the Province, they are important to their

communities, and above all else it is important to their families, and I

certainly understand that.

What we have to recognize as well, the challenges

within the industry, particularly in terms of the exchange of fibre that is

fundamental to the success of the forest industry.

Corner Brook Pulp and Paper is a key player.

We have made a significant investment on behalf of the people of the

Province, and particularly those engaged in the forest industry, to help protect

the long-term sustainability of the forest industry.

So the answer is quite simply, yes, I will continue to

work with them. We recognize Corner

Brook Pulp and Paper is only one answer.

We are very actively engaged with Rentech to provide another answer, Mr.

Speaker. Again, the goal is to

improve the long-term sustainability of the forest industry.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR.

SPEAKER:

The

hon. the Member for Virginia Waters.

C. BENNETT:

Mr.

Speaker, last week the minister asked me for ideas on how to reduce the $84

million worth of consulting fees.

The Auditor General reviewed government's administration of oil royalties in

2008, and again in 2013. In both

reviews, five years apart, the AG said the timeliness of audits was an issue.

He also said that outsourcing these audits was costing government

significantly more than if they did it in-house, and there are hundreds of

audits to be completed.

I ask the minister: Why hasn't your government listened

to the Auditor General and implemented corrective actions to cost-effectively

and in a timely manner complete oil royalty audits so that the people of the

Province receive the maximum benefits they are entitled to?

MR.

SPEAKER:

The

hon. the Minister of Finance and President of Treasury Board.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

JOHNSON:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Certainly, the member should check Hansard.

I did not ask her how to reduce it.

I asked her to point out to me which one she would not do.

Would she not do specialized training for foster families?

Would she not do things around dam engineering?

Mr. Speaker, we take the Auditor General very

seriously, and that is shown through the fact that we have initiated and nearly

completed 92 per cent of his recommendations over the last number of years.

I also committed in this House, Mr. Speaker, to go back

and look at the $84 million and talk to ministers and to table that, in terms of

what was listed in the AG's report.

I had my officials go back, Mr. Speaker, and they cannot find any reference in

the Auditor General's report to this $84 million.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR.

SPEAKER:

The

hon. the Member for Virginia Waters.

C. BENNETT:

Mr.

Speaker, since 1998, oil royalties account for $18.9 billion in revenue.

If audits are not completed in the required audit period, the Province

could lose millions in revenues.

Five years after the AG said there was an issue, it is still an issue.

I ask the minister: Do you think dismissing the Auditor

General and continuing to use external consultants for critical work your

government must do to safeguard the people's royalties is good use of taxpayers'

money?

MR.

SPEAKER:

The

hon. the Minister of Natural Resources.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR.

DALLEY:

Mr.

Speaker, I cannot figure out where they are.

Some days they come in this House and they argue we should not be using

external consultants; other days they are saying we should be using external

consultants.

Specific to the royalty question, Mr. Speaker, it is a

fair question in the fact that the royalties our government has established with

the oil companies in the production of oil offshore is absolutely significant to

the Province and significant to our future.

Built within that, there are mechanisms where we engage auditors in-house

and sometimes externally to do a detailed audit and review, making sure the

people of Newfoundland and Labrador get the full benefits we have agreed to with

these oil companies.

Mr. Speaker, the Auditor General did a review of that.

We certainly welcome his comments as we always do and we will certainly

continue to implement those as we go through the process.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR.

SPEAKER:

The

hon. the Member for Burgeo La Poile.

MR.

A. PARSONS:

Mr.

Speaker, our Province has the highest rate of diabetes in Canada; 11.4 per cent

of our population has diabetes. With

almost half our population living in rural communities, accessing diabetes care,

not to mention healthy foods to prevent the onset, is more challenging.

I ask the minister: What is your government doing to

combat this epidemic and to prevent diabetes?

MR.

SPEAKER:

The

hon. the Minister of Health and Community Services.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR.

DAVIS:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I thank the member opposite.

Diabetes in Newfoundland and Labrador is a very serious matter.

It affects families and communities throughout our Province.

We have taken a number of steps to ensure the best interests of patients

who live with diabetes and the effects of diabetes receive the best value

possible from the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador through health

services and otherwise.

We make significant investments throughout the

Province. We make investments with

community groups and organizations.

We make investments with groups that encourage an active lifestyle, healthy

lifestyles. As well, we also invest

significantly in the health care side once a person has been diagnosed with

diabetes.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR.

SPEAKER:

The

hon. the Member for Burgeo La Poile.

MR.

A. PARSONS:

Mr.

Speaker, sadly Aboriginal communities have an even higher rate of diabetes.

In 2011, our Auditor General indicated that one in three people living in

Innu communities in Labrador have diabetes.

These statistics are alarming when you think about the additional

barriers to care for Aboriginal people.

I ask the minister: What are you doing to address this

epidemic in our Aboriginal population?

MR.

SPEAKER:

The

hon. the Minister of Health and Community Services.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR.

DAVIS:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

When I speak of the investments we are making in health

care and specifically to his question in diabetes, those investments remain

throughout Newfoundland and Labrador.

We make investments in preventative measures.

It is a view and a goal that we must continue to strive towards.

We must encourage and support healthier lifestyles, better diets, and

physical activity. Also the

prevention of the onset of disease and illness throughout Newfoundland and

Labrador, we have invested heavily in that.

We work with partner organizations throughout the Province.

That is on the investment and the preventive side.

On the other side of when a person has diabetes and has

other health care matters, we have also made significant investments there

through dialysis, which throughout Newfoundland and Labrador has been

significant. There are over 500

Newfoundlanders and Labradorians requiring dialysis

MR.

SPEAKER:

Order, please!

The hon. the Member for Burgeo La Poile.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR.

A. PARSONS:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

My questions have been geared towards prevalence of

diabetes given our astronomical rate compared to the rest of Canada.

I noticed the minister mentioned dialysis, which if you talked to any

doctor is an admission of failure.

It is the back end; we are talking front end.

It costs over $100,000 per year to administer dialysis to one person.

Investing in dialysis at the end stage more needs to be done in

prevention and wellness.

I ask the minister again: What is your government

actually doing to lower the prevalence of diabetes and to ease the burden on our

health care system?

MR.

SPEAKER:

The

hon. the Minister of Health and Community Services.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR.

DAVIS:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

We are well aware of the benefits of preventing the

onset of illness prior to and not just dealing with the illnesses and diabetes

and the requirements for dialysis that exists after.

We have more dialysis units per capita in Newfoundland and Labrador today

than any other province in Canada.

That is reflective of the needs of the population of Canada because of the

number of people in Newfoundland and Labrador who suffer from diabetes and the

effects of diabetes.

We are making investments.

We have the chronic disease strategy in place as an example where we are

working throughout Newfoundland and Labrador to get better value and to create a

culture of a healthier lifestyle, better for the people of the Province, Mr.

Speaker.

MR.

SPEAKER:

Order, please!

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR.

SPEAKER:

The

hon. the Member for Torngat Mountains.

MR.

EDMUNDS:

Mr.

Speaker, many residents on the North Coast of Labrador are receiving hydro bills

that are often double or triple of what they were the previous month.

One bill went from a normal $150 per month to an astounding $1,500 the

next month. It appears that we are

already paying for Muskrat Falls in an area of the Province that will receive no

benefit whatsoever from the project.

I ask the minister: Why are the hydro bills so

inconsistent when there are metres on every home?

MR.

SPEAKER:

The

hon. the Minister of Natural Resources.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR.

DALLEY:

Mr.

Speaker, the member opposite is not paying for Muskrat Falls, just so that is

clear. None of the ratepayers are

paying for Muskrat Falls. That takes

place when the switch is thrown on Muskrat Falls.

It will be a great project for the people of

Newfoundland and Labrador. We will

move from an isolated to an interconnected system.

It will be a system that will give us more reliability, Mr. Speaker.

We will certainly acknowledge the efforts by Nalcor and the support of

this government to support the people in coastal Labrador where, there is no

question, there still remains a challenge.

We have small communities on diesel-operated systems; we are doing a

pilot project in Ramea to find a solution.

Again, we will continue to commit to the people of

MR.

SPEAKER:

Order, please!

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR.

SPEAKER:

The

hon. the Member for Torngat Mountains, for a quick question without any

preamble.

MR.

EDMUNDS:

Mr.

Speaker, will the minister conduct an investigation into the inconsistency of

billing, especially in Labrador?

MR.

SPEAKER:

The

hon. the Minister of Natural Resources, for a quick response.

MR.

DALLEY:

Mr.

Speaker, any time the ratepayers raise concerns around their bills, obviously

that is important and it has to be considered.

If there is a specific case the member wants to bring forward, I will

gladly make sure that someone looks into it.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR.

SPEAKER:

The

hon. Leader of the Third Party.

MICHAEL:

Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker.

There has been discussion in the media regarding

whether or not Nalcor has appropriate conflict of interest rules in place to

regulate actions of its board of directors.

I ask the Premier: Can he tell us if Nalcor has rules

governing conflict of interest and when were they brought in?

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Oh,

oh!

MR.

SPEAKER:

Order, please!

The hon. the Premier.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

PREMIER MARSHALL:

Mr.

Speaker, I understand that Nalcor does have a code of business conduct and

ethics. I have received a copy of it

and I just had an opportunity to go through it.

Mr. Speaker, under the Corporations Act, it is the

board of directors of a company that is required to manage the company.

I understand that under the Energy Corporation Act that the board of

directors of that company has a duty to carry out the aims, the powers, and the

objectives of the corporation.

I would expect that the board of directors if they felt

that there was anything lacking in course of conduct, or in business practices

or in governance, given the resources that they have, given their access to the

best legal advice in the country, I would expect the board of directors to

undertake that work to ensure that the board is reaching the highest standards

of governance.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR.

SPEAKER:

The

hon. Leader of the Third Party.

MICHAEL:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I ask the Premier: Is he tabling the document that he

has referred to?

Thank you.

PREMIER MARSHALL:

will be happy to table it.

MR.

SPEAKER:

The

hon. the Leader of the Third Party.

MICHAEL:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

The Province's Public Utilities Board, when it is

allowed to do its job, shows that it is more than capable of protecting the

interests of the people of the Province.

I ask the Premier: Will he now allow the PUB to oversee

the construction of the Muskrat Falls Project?

MR.

SPEAKER:

The

hon. the Premier.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

PREMIER MARSHALL:

Mr.

Speaker, we have the highest respect for the PUB as a regulator of the

electrical system in this Province, but we also, a number of years ago, set up a

corporation called Nalcor. The

objective of that corporation was to take advantage of the energy resources we

have to provide wealth and value for the people of the Province.

If we have to tweak the system from time to time to allow the people's

energy corporation to succeed and be successful, we will do so.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR.

SPEAKER:

The

hon. the Leader of the Third Party.

MICHAEL:

Mr.

Speaker, in Nova Scotia, the government have entrusted their utility board to

the overseeing of the construction of the Maritime Link.

I ask the Premier again: Why doesn't government have

the same faith in our PUB, especially as they have proven they are up to the

job?

MR.

SPEAKER:

The

hon. the Premier.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

PREMIER MARSHALL:

Mr.

Speaker, we have total confidence in the PUB to carry out their duties total

confidence. The difference is that

in Nova Scotia they are regulating a private company; here it is the regulation

of a company that is owned by the people of the Province.

It is the people's resources.

It is the people's energy company.

We are going to do whatever we can to ensure the people's energy company

succeeds and it is prosperous because it is going to provide wealth to the

people who own the resources, the people of Newfoundland and Labrador.

That is the difference.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR.

SPEAKER:

The

hon. the Leader of the Third Party.

MICHAEL:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

A company that is obviously proving it is not competent

for what it is supposed to be set up, according to the report.

Mr. Speaker, as the PUB notes in its latest report,

there is not much time before winter sets in again.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Oh,

oh!

MR.

SPEAKER:

Order, please!

MICHAEL:

notes Hydro's plan to install much needed extra power generation as ambitious.

I ask the Premier: Will his government assure this

House that extra power supply will be in place in time?

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR.

SPEAKER:

The

hon. the Minister of Natural Resources.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR.

DALLEY:

Mr.

Speaker, the member opposite is referencing Nalcor and their competencies.

I will just quote from the Member for Virginia Waters who served on the

board, a former Chair of the board, and very intimately involved with Nalcor and

the decisions. She had quoted on

Out of the Fog : I have a lot of confidence in the work Nalcor has

done; there are some incredible, talented people there who are very committed to

the Province and to our success. I

read that today because the people directly involved in Nalcor know the talent

of the people there and I want to echo that today.

Mr. Speaker, with respect to moving forward with some

of the recommendations from the reviews, absolutely, Nalcor are committed.

They welcomed the reports and they are going to do all they can to ensure

we do not have this situation again in the new year.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR.

SPEAKER:

The

hon. the Member for St. John's East.

MR.

MURPHY:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Department officials this morning said that local

knowledge, culture, and language will be important in successfully operating a

911 system in Labrador. At the same

time, government is considering running 911 calls from coastal Labrador out of

Corner Brook, instead of Labrador West where there is already a service.

I ask the minister: Will he recognize that Labrador

needs its own PSAP 911 dispatching centre located in Labrador to serve all of

Labrador?

MR.

SPEAKER:

The

hon. the Minister of Municipal and Intergovernmental Affairs.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR.

KENT:

Mr.

Speaker, it is really important to keep in mind that even with Basic

Province-wide 911 service fully implemented, the emergency response providers in

each of our communities, in each of our regions, will not change.

The same people in Labrador who are addressing unique cultural needs,

language needs and so on, on the ground delivering emergency services will be

the same people once Province-wide Basic 911 service is in place as well.

In terms of how many public safety answering points

there will be, we anticipate there will be two or three.

Whether there will be one in Labrador, whether there will be one required

in Labrador is something that we will determine in the months ahead.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR.

SPEAKER:

The hon. the Member for St. John's East.

MR.

MURPHY:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Speaker, some areas in our Province still have no

cellphone service but you could be paying an extra charge for 911 on your

cellphone even if you live in an area with no cellphone coverage.

I ask the minister: What is government going to do to

ensure that cellphone providers do their

part in the provision of 911 services?

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Oh,

oh!

MR.

SPEAKER:

Order, please!

The hon. the Minister of Municipal and

Intergovernmental Affairs.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR.

KENT:

Mr.

Speaker, while the regulation of cellphone service in this country is actually

an Industry Canada responsibility, a federal responsibility, this government has

done a great deal of work to improve cellphone coverage throughout Newfoundland

and Labrador.

The important piece of what we are doing here through

this 911 legislation is we are moving towards a service that will ensure that

for every land line and for every cellphone in Newfoundland and Labrador, people

can access the universal 911 emergency number.

This is a huge step forward.

It is one that has been important to us and we have been working on for some

time. We look forward to not

stopping there. We look forward to

taking it to the next level with Next Generation 911 service in the next few

years.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR.

SPEAKER:

The

time for Question Period has expired.

Presenting Reports by Standing and Select Committees.

Tabling of Documents.

Tabling of Documents

MR.

SPEAKER:

The

hon. the Minister of Natural Resources.

MR.

DALLEY:

Mr.

Speaker, in accordance with the Energy Corporation Act and the Hydro Corporation

Act, it is my pleasure to table the Nalcor Energy 2013 Business and Financial

Report, along with the 2013 Consolidated Financial Statements of Newfoundland

and Labrador Hydro.

MR.

SPEAKER:

Notices of Motion.

Notices of Motion

MR.

SPEAKER:

The

hon. the Government House Leader.

MR.

KING:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I give notice under Standing Order 11 that I shall move

that the House not adjourn at 5:30 p.m. on Thursday, May 22,

I give further notice under Standing Order 11 that I

shall move that the House not adjourn at 10:00 p.m. on Thursday, May 22, 2014.

MR.

SPEAKER:

Further notices of motion?

The hon. the Member for Fortune Bay Cape La Hune.

PERRY:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I give notice that I will on Wednesday be moving the

following private member's motion:

BE IT RESOLVED that the House of Assembly supports the

provincial government in its efforts to position Newfoundland and Labrador for

leadership in arctic development, which will be amplified in 2016 as our

Province hosts the Annual International Arctic Technology Conference.

This motion is seconded by the Member for Harbour Main.

MR.

SPEAKER:

The

hon. the Government House Leader.

MR.

KING:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I give notice that the motion just presented by the

Member for Fortune Bay Cape La Hune will be the private member's motion to be

debated this coming Wednesday.

MR.

SPEAKER:

Answers to Questions for which Notice has been Given.

Petitions.

Petitions

MR.

SPEAKER:

The

hon. the Member for Cartwright L'Anse au Clair.

DEMPSTER:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

To the hon. House of Assembly of the Province of

Newfoundland and Labrador in Parliament assembled, the petition of the

undersigned humbly sheweth:

WHEREAS until 2013, calcium was applied to

provincially-owned gravel roads in and around communities to suppress dust; and

WHEREAS dust suppression is very helpful for residents

experiencing health conditions like asthma and allergies; and

WHEREAS the cost of administering the calcium program

is very affordable to government; and

WHEREAS dust suppression is an effective way of

improving safety for the travelling public;

WHEREUPON the undersigned, your petitioners, humbly

pray and call upon the House of Assembly to urge the Government of Newfoundland

and Labrador, beginning in 2014, to reinstate the calcium application program on

provincially-owned gravel roads in and around communities.

As in duty bound, your petitioners will ever pray.

Mr. Speaker, I believe the minister was on and did an

interview this morning talking about this very thing, which is a huge issue.

Again, now we are coming into the spring and summer season, we are

getting warmer weather, we are getting huge amounts of dust flying around.

It is causing health hazards for the people in those coastal communities

who are in my district. He said: It

is the dust you cannot see that you have to worry about, not the dust that you

can see. Well, I want to assure the

minister, Mr. Speaker, that where there is dust you can see, there is definitely

dust that you cannot see.

I have a definition here: road dust is he talked

about it not being serious to the people road dust is earthen material or dirt

that becomes airborne primarily by the friction of tires moving on unpaved dirt

roads and dust-covered paved roads.

It consists mainly of coarse material, which in some cases may be contaminated

with man-made and naturally occurring pollutants such as asbestos, mining

by-products, animal and human waste, snow and ice control application salt, and

engine oil.

Mr. Speaker, these are some of the serious things that

the residents in my district are breathing in.

I was in Cartwright on the weekend, it was a hot day.

It was absolutely terrible.

The media is interested in coming in now and doing some more coverage of this.

I asked them to bring a load of masks while they are there for the

children to wear in those communities.

Seven hundred thousand dollars I think it was, Mr. Speaker is the

amount it was costing the whole entire Province.

Yet, we see that the government made this dollars and cents decision.

It is absolutely terrible.

Mr. Speaker, we need an analysis of dust.

What is the link between dust and cancer?

I would like to know where the Health department sits on this and how

they feel about the dust that the people in those communities are breathing in

just because a small nominal amount of money was cut.

He made a comment it was ground dust.

We know that ground dust is dangerous.

Silica, fine sand, and fine sand particles are all very dangerous, Mr.

Speaker, when you are breathing it into your lungs and for people who have

breathing problems. I will continue

to petition for the reinstatement of this calcium.

Thank you.

MR.

SPEAKER:

The

hon. the Member for Mount Pearl South.

MR.

LANE:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

To the hon. House of Assembly of the Province of

Newfoundland and Labrador in Parliament assembled, the petition of the

undersigned residents humbly sheweth:

WHEREAS there are extreme overcrowding issues at St.

Peter's Elementary and Mount Pearl Senior High, a direct result of poor planning

by the Department of Education; and

Board to deal with this now crisis situation will have a devastating impact on

many students, families and teachers in Mount Pearl Senior High, Mount Pearl

Intermediate, St. Peter's Elementary and Newtown Elementary; and

WHEREAS there are other less disruptive solutions which

can be introduced to alleviate this overcrowding issue including capital

investment as a preferred option as well as catchment area realignment; and

the financial flexibility by the Minister of Education to explore more suitable

options; and

WHEREAS the government has intervened in board

decisions in the past such as in 2005 in Bishop's Falls reversing the closure of

Leo Burke Academy;

WHEREUPON the undersigned, your petitioners, humbly

pray and call upon the House of Assembly to urge the Government of Newfoundland

and Labrador to intervene in this matter, commit appropriate resources to the

As in duty bound, your petitioners will ever pray.

Mr. Speaker, I table this petition again today.

I will continue to do so from now until this session of the House

concludes. I do so on behalf of the

many students, the many families, the many teachers in the Mount Pearl school

system who are going to be negatively impacted, I would say devastated, many of

them, as a result of this poor decision that was made by the board.

As indicated in the past, this need not have happened,

had there been proper planning done by the then Eastern School District under

the auspices of the Department of Education, ultimately the responsibility of

the Minister of Education. Instead

of letting the situation deteriorate year over year over year, had they taken

action a number of years ago we would not find ourselves in this situation that

we find ourselves today.

Mr. Speaker, I have questioned the minister, the new

minister, and basically all I got from the minister was insults coming across

the other side. Despite that, I will

not be deterred in any way from continuing to fight for the students in my

district. I will present this

petition every day, if nothing else, to remind the minister of how he is failing

the students of Mount Pearl.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

MR.

SPEAKER:

The

hon. the Member for The Straits White Bay North.

MR.

MITCHELMORE:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

To the hon. House of Assembly of the Province of

Newfoundland and Labrador in Parliament assembled, the petition of the

undersigned residents of Newfoundland and Labrador humbly sheweth:

WHEREAS Route 434, Conche Road, is 17.6 kilometres of

unpaved road; and

WHEREAS the current road conditions are deplorable; and

WHEREAS the Canadian Automobile Association ranked

Route 434 the seventh worst road in Atlantic Canada; and

WHEREAS it is government's obligation to provide basic

infrastructure to all Newfoundlanders and Labradorians; and

WHEREAS an improved paved road would enhance local

business, fish processing operations and tourism, which is vital to the health

of the communities affected;

We, the undersigned, petition the House of Assembly to

urge government to allocate funds in the provincial roads program to pave Route

As in duty bound, your petitioners will ever pray.

Mr. Speaker, last week in the House of Assembly when I

asked about the condition of paved roads, the minister did say that he was in

discussions with the mayor from the community of Conche.

So, we will see where those discussions go and where the commitment with

government lies for paving this particular road, which is a community hub which

has a fish processing plant that has over 600 commercial trucks go through over

this gravel road. There are a lot of

commuters from Englee, Roddickton, Bide Arm, Croak, St. Julien's, Main Brook,

and outside the district whether it be from Piccadilly or other areas of the

Province that are employed at this facility.

My colleague for Cartwright L'Anse au Clair talked

about dust and the impacts of dust on someone's health.

Well, there is a significant amount of dust happening on Route 434.

At minimum right now the minister should look at establishing dust

monitors. We should be doing that so

that we collect additional information as to what the implications of this dust

are having on people's health and the impact and the long-term consequences.

I think that is a great initiative brought forward and

suggestion when it comes to what happened when you cut the calcium chloride

program, especially for roads and communities in Labrador.

This is essential; we need to look at infrastructure and how we build

stronger communities. Conche has a

very vital and vibrant community, and it can get even more prosperous if we look

at paving this road. A multi-year

plan could be the direction taken.

I will continue to put forward this petition on behalf

of constituents. It is signed by St.

Anthony, Bide Arm, Roddickton, Main Brook, Englee, and Conche as well.

It is really a regional thing, and I think you will be hearing more from

the Northern Peninsula East regional joint council on this issue.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

MR.

SPEAKER:

The

hon. the Member for the District of Bay of Islands.

MR.

JOYCE:

Mr.

Speaker, I rise today to present a petition to the hon. the House of Assembly

concerning the hospital in Corner Brook:

WHEREAS we wish to raise concerns regarding the recent

delays of the construction of the new hospital in Corner Brook;

WHEREUPON the undersigned, your petitioners, humbly

pray and call upon the House of Assembly to urge the Government of Newfoundland

and Labrador to commit to the planning and construction of a new hospital in

Corner Brook as previously committed to and in a timely manner as originally

announced without further delay or changes.

Mr. Speaker, I have petitions today from people from

Happy Valley Road, Summerside, Fords Road, Pasadena, Corner Brook, and Windsor

Street. I have petitions, Mr.

Speaker, because the people are concerned about the delays of the hospital.

We hear different dates of when the hospital will

begin. The latest was 2015.

The other report was it was going to be 2016.

From my understanding, the residence

part is going to be built first and

then after that the long-term care facility.

Mr. Speaker, there is one thing I have to raise to the

Minister of Health, the Member for Humber East, and the Member for Humber East.

In Corner Brook now, the hospital now, there is a major problem with the

number of residents for long-term care.

My question is: Creating 100 beds at the new long-term care facility, is

it enough? That is one of the

concerns we have with the hospital.

First when the long-term care facility was

reconfigured, Mr. Speaker, back in 2004, there were 100 beds cut out.

Now we are putting 100 beds back in.

The day the long-term care facility opens, the beds will be filled.

Shouldn't we plan ahead? This

is a concern that a lot of people in Corner Brook now have on the hospital

itself. What will be scaled back?

I mentioned earlier, Mr. Speaker, about the

ultrasounds. There will be six down

to three machines. Is that being

scaled back because of the radiation unit and because of the PET scanner unit in

the hospital? These are the types of

questions we cannot get answered.

These are the types of questions people are asking.

The action committee

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Oh,

oh!

MR.

SPEAKER:

Order, please!

MR.

JOYCE:

know it touches a nerve over there, and I am well aware of that, but this is an

important issue that I am going to continue to raise.

They can harp as much as they like, but I will continue to raise the

concerns. I present this petition on

behalf of the residents of Western Newfoundland and Labrador, and I will

continue trying to get answers.

Answers are what we need, Mr. Speaker, not rightsizing or downsizing; we need

answers to ensure that when the design is done that it is going to meet the

needs.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

MR.

SPEAKER:

The

hon. the Member for St. John's North.

MR.

KIRBY:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. You caught

me off guard there.

To the hon. House of Assembly of the Province of

Newfoundland and Labrador in Parliament assembled, the petition of the

undersigned residents of Newfoundland and Labrador humbly sheweth:

WHEREAS in 2006, the provincial government created a

commission to review the Individualized Student Support Plan/Pathways model and

make recommendations to improve the delivery of special education programming in

the K-12 education system; and

WHEREAS in 2007, the ISSP/Pathways Commission delivered

a final report to government outlining seventy-five recommendations for creating

a better system for the delivery of special education programming; and

WHEREAS to date, many important recommendations of the

ISSP/Pathways Commission have not been acted upon, including those related to:

public disclosure of assessment and wait-list information; guidelines for

comprehensive and ethical assessment practices; procedures to address the needs

of all at-risk students; creating an effective appeals process for families;

meeting the needs of exceptionally able in other words, gifted learners;

expanding the role of student assistants into teacher assistant roles;

introducing special education department heads in schools; and improving on

special education teacher qualifications and certification;

WHEREUPON the undersigned, your petitioners, humbly

pray and call upon the House of Assembly to urge government to fully implement

the recommendations of the ISSP/Pathways Commission in order to improve the

delivery of special education programming for all students, parents, teachers,

and schools.

As in duty bound, your petitioners will ever pray.

Mr. Speaker, we have people who have signed this from

all around the City of St. John's.

This is an important petition and one that I have presented a number of times

before. A number of these

recommendations could be acted upon and implemented with a relatively modest

investment. One of those, which I

think would work nicely with this government's newfound commitment to openness

and transparency, would be the public disclosure of assessment and wait-list

information. We should not have to

request that information. If

government is truly interested in being open and transparent, that assessment

information, that wait-list information, times for wait-lists, breakdowns by

school for wait-list times for assessments I said in the House earlier last

week that some of those assessments to be done by guidance counsellors can take

up to twenty hours to do because of the shortage of guidance staff we have in

our schools. Unfortunately, we have

wait-lists of twenty, thirty or more students in some schools who are waiting

for assessments.

That sort of information can be made publicly available

on government's new openness and transparency wait-list with a modest

investment.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker; I will continue to raise this.

MR.

SPEAKER:

The

hon. the Member for the District of St. Barbe.

MR.

J. BENNETT:

Mr.

Speaker, a petition to the hon. House of Assembly of the Province of

Newfoundland and Labrador in Parliament assembled, the petition of the

undersigned humbly sheweth:

WHEREAS there is no cellphone service in the Town of

Trout River, which is an enclave community in Gros Morne National Park; and

WHEREAS visitors to Gros Morne National Park, more than

100,000 annually, expect to communicate by cellphone when they visit the park;

and

WHEREAS cellphone service has become a very important

aspect of everyday living for residents; and

WHEREAS cellphone service is an essential safety tool

for visitors and residents; and

WHEREAS cellphone service is essential for business

development;

WHEREUPON the undersigned, your petitioners, humbly

pray and call upon the House of Assembly to urge the Government of Newfoundland

and Labrador to partner with the private sector to extend cellphone coverage

throughout Gros Morne National Park and the enclave community of Trout River.

As in duty bound, your petitioners will ever pray.

Mr. Speaker, government has announced today, and

provided a briefing, that 911 coverage is going to be extended throughout the

Province. This, in the case of Trout

River, will be one more reminder of what they are not going to get.

They are not going to be able to receive 911 coverage because they cannot

get cellphone coverage.

Mr. Speaker, many of the residents of Trout River own

cellphones. Several hundred of them

apparently own cellphones, not because they can use the cellphones at home, not

because they can receive a call but because when they travel they are able to

phone home.

Imagine the frustration now of recognizing that they

will have cellphones, they will not have cellphone coverage.

The 911 coverage will be extended all through Trout River Gulch where

people travel on a regular basis through all sorts of weather.

People will be coming from worldwide, as they have done so in the last

few weeks with the Royal Ontario Museum going to Trout River to recover a

massive blue whale, all of this, and no cellphone coverage.

Mr. Speaker, the residents of Trout River, a town that

is properly incorporated, pays its dues and fees as every other town.

By the names and addresses, I can see they have streets.

They have street numbers.

They are fully engaged, but they are being left behind by this government.

This is a petition by more residents of the Town of

Trout River asking government to partner with the private sector to extend

cellphone coverage so they can be fully able to engage, to receive, or make 911

calls.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

MR.

SPEAKER:

The

hon. the Government House Leader.

MR.

KING:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

As per Standing Order 32, I move, seconded by the

Minister of Advanced Education and Skills, we move to Orders of the Day.

MR.

SPEAKER:

has been moved and seconded that we now move to orders of the day.

All those in favour, aye'.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Aye.

MR.

SPEAKER:

All

those against, nay'.

Motion carried.

Orders of the Day.

Orders of the Day

MR.

SPEAKER:

The

hon. the Government House Leader.

MR.

KING:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Pursuant to Standing Order 11, I move, seconded by the

Minister of Advanced Education and Skills, that the House not adjourn at 5:30

p.m. today, Tuesday, May 20, 2014.

MR.

SPEAKER:

has been moved and seconded that this House do not adjourn on Tuesday, May 20,

2014 at 5:30 p.m.

All those in favour, aye'.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Aye.

MR.

SPEAKER:

All

those against, nay'.

Motion carried.

The hon. the Government House Leader.

MR.

KING:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Once again, Pursuant to Standing Order 11, I move,

seconded by the Minister of Environment and Conservation, that the House not

adjourn at 10:00 p.m. today, Tuesday, May 20, 2014.

MR.

SPEAKER:

is moved and seconded that this House do not adjourn at 10:00 p.m. on Tuesday,

May 20, 2014.

All those in favour, aye'.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Aye.

MR.

SPEAKER:

All

those against, nay'.

Motion carried.

The hon. the Government House Leader.

MR.

KING:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

This time I would like to call from the Order Paper,

Order 8, second reading of a bill,

An Act To Establish And Implement A

Province-Wide 911 Telephone Service For The Reporting Of Emergencies.

(Bill 14)

MR.

SPEAKER:

The

hon. the Minister of Municipal and Intergovernmental Affairs.

MR.

KENT:

Mr.

Speaker, I move, seconded by the Minister of Justice, that Bill 14,

An Act To

Establish And Implement A Province-Wide 911 Telephone Service For The Reporting

Of Emergencies, be now read the second time.

MR.

SPEAKER:

is moved and seconded that Bill 14,

An Act To Establish And Implement A

Province-Wide 911 Telephone Service For The Reporting Of Emergencies, be now

read a second time.

Motion, second reading of a bill,

An Act To Establish

And Implement A Province-Wide 911 Telephone Service For The Reporting Of

Emergencies. (Bill 14)

MR.

SPEAKER:

The

hon. the Minister of Municipal and Intergovernmental Affairs.

MR.

KENT:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

As Minister Responsible for Fire and Emergency Services

Newfoundland and Labrador, it is with great pleasure that I stand before you

today to open debate on Bill 14 and talk about the work we have undertaken to

implement a Province-wide Basic 911 service for the residents of Newfoundland

and Labrador.

Mr. Speaker, as a government, we are very much

committed to expanding 911 service to all residents in this Province by the end

of this calendar year. The purpose

of the Basic 911 service is to facilitate the contact of emergency services by

residents. It is a widely recognized

and easily remembered number that is available to almost everyone in Canada and

the United States. I am pleased to

say that all residents will soon have access to this internationally recognized

emergency telephone number on both land lines and mobile phones where cellular

signals are accessible.

The 911 service model will incorporate a call-taking

service where the call taker will relay the 911 call to the appropriate

emergency response agency, whether it is the police, a fire department, or an

ambulance. The dispatching of

services will be carried out by the respective emergency service provider and is

consistent with the practice in the Maritime Provinces.

Currently, the 911 service is available in three areas

of the Province by land line and this covers approximately 40 per cent of the

Province's population. Residents in

the Northeast Avalon region, Corner Brook-Bay of Islands region, and the

Labrador West region already have access to Basic 911 by land line.

All residents of Newfoundland and Labrador can currently access 911 from

a cellphone where cell signals are available.

As reflected in the recent Budget,

Budget 2014: Shared Prosperity, Fair

Society, Balanced Outlook , the provincial government is committed to

ensuring residents share fully and equally in the prosperity resulting from the

Province's recent economic growth.

In keeping with this theme, the government believes that all Newfoundlanders and

Labradorians need and rightfully expect to have a Basic 911 service available on

their land line telephones.

Therefore, the approval of the Emergency 911 Act is crucial to ensure we deliver

on this commitment for all Newfoundlanders and Labradorians.

The approval of this bill will provide the legislative framework for the

establishment and operation of a Province-wide Basic 911 telephone service and

the rollout of Next Generation 911.

Mr. Speaker, the 2012 report by POMAX Public Safety

Incorporated outlined areas to be examined before a Basic 911 service could

effectively be put in place, including infrastructure, financing, governance,

and legislation. Therefore, in

preparation for the expansion of Basic 911, Fire and Emergency Services

officials began this work in August, 2012.

A senior-level 911 implementation team was established beginning in

August of last year to continue with Province-wide implementation of Basic 911

by December, 2014. The 911 team

continues to make steady progress towards our goal of having a Basic 911 service

for all residents.

There are three key parts contained within this bill.

Part I establishes the emergency 911 telephone service and requires

participation by every municipality, emergency service provider, and public

safety answering point, the 911 call centre.

It also provides for the Lieutenant Governor in Council to determine the

location and boundaries of the primary public safety answering points and calls

for emergency service providers, such as fire departments, ambulances, and

police forces, to identify their emergency response zones.

The identification of these zones will enable the 911

implementation team to accurately define geographical boundaries of the

responsible emergency providers, which will then be incorporated into the

technology used at the public safety answering points.

The 911 implementation team will record these zones, following

consultations with municipalities and emergency service providers throughout the

Province.

Mr. Speaker,

Part II of the bill also establishes the

Newfoundland and Labrador 911 Bureau, which will operate as a not-for-profit

corporation. Consistent with policy

direction to establish an entity at arm's-length from government, the

Newfoundland and Labrador 911 Bureau will own its property, be responsible for

its staff, and liable for its contracts.

It is also charged with establishing and operating an emergency 911

telephone service in a manner that is efficient and cost effective.

This service will be flexible, responding to changing technologies, while

also protecting the confidentiality and security of the information that it is

required to collect.

Mr. Speaker, the bill also facilitates the creation of

a board of directors for the Newfoundland and Labrador 911 Bureau to be

appointed by the Lieutenant Governor in Council.

The board of directors will consist of a maximum of nine individuals,

including the director of the bureau, a representative from Municipalities

Newfoundland and Labrador, a representative from each primary public safety

answering point, and at least one director who is a resident of Labrador.

The operations and duties of the board include conducting regular board

meetings, holding annual general meetings, and submitting annual reports and

audited financial statements to government.

Mr. Speaker, in order to fund this service, the bill

provides authority for the Lieutenant Governor in Council to establish a fee,

which will be charged to subscribers of wireless and landline telephone service.

I will just quote POMAX's report, In conclusion, we

find that a cautious, progressive, and planned implementation of Basic 9-1-1

and, eventually, a multi-year plan resulting in the implementation of Next

Generation 9-1-1 throughout Newfoundland and Labrador is quite feasible at an

estimated (based on what we know at this time), equivalent of less than $0.75

per month per telephone line or wireless subscription.

It was also noted that and again I quote these

estimates could vary significantly from a final tally, however, further

investigation after this feasibility study and the involvement of various

government departments and stakeholders will refine the approximations.

Mr. Speaker, fees collected will fund the expansion and

ongoing operations of Basic 911, including the Newfoundland and Labrador 911

Bureau, the public awareness campaign, and the modernization of technology that

is required as we move towards next generation 911.

A small portion of the fees collected will cover the administrative costs

of the telecommunications service provider.

It is also important to note that the levy fees will be

reviewed over time, and the Lieutenant Governor in Council has the authority to

reduce the levy fee if it is deemed necessary.

The bill also establishes a fund known as the Newfoundland and Labrador

911 service fund into which fees will be deposited for use by the 911 Bureau on

a not-for-profit basis. The funds

are for the purposes of developing, operating, and improving the emergency 911

telephone service and they are for no other purpose.

The Newfoundland and Labrador 911 Bureau is mandated to

ensure the confidentiality and security of information provided to it by the

telecommunications service provider.

Liability protection will be provided to the individuals who provide the

emergency 911 telephone service when acting in good faith.

The 911 telephone service is intended for a person, not

an alarm, who is in need of a live voice for emergency reasons.

To protect the integrity of the system, the bill prohibits a person from

connecting an automatic alarm system of any kind to the emergency 911 telephone

service. In addition, the bill

states that a person shall not use or permit another person to use a telephone

to place a false call to the number 911.

Depending on the circumstances, provisions of the Criminal Code of Canada

respecting public mischief, false messages, or indecent or harassing phone calls

could be applicable.

Mr. Speaker, municipalities and other stakeholders have

an important role to play in implementing the new service.

They have had an opportunity to be directly involved in identifying their

emergency response zones through consultations with the 911 implementation team

that took place across the Province throughout April and earlier this month.

If a council that has an established fire department is

unwilling or unable to identify its emergency response zone, the bill makes a

provision for an amendment to the Fire Protection Services Act that allows the

fire commissioner to determine emergency response zones.

This provision was included to ensure that if there is a boundary dispute

among neighboring fire departments for instance, that there is a clear avenue

for resolution.

While Basic 911 service will not improve emergency

response times on its own, government has made significant investments to

improve response capabilities for Fire and Emergency Services.

Since 2003, the provincial government has continued to advance efforts in

fire truck and equipment funding, training, and support for the approximately

5,900 volunteer firefighters across Newfoundland and Labrador.

Also since 2003, the government has contributed $19.1 million in funding

towards the purchase of 125 emergency response vehicles for communities

throughout the Province.

Mr. Speaker, as recently announced in Budget 2014, the

provincial government has made a record-breaking commitment of $5 million to

fund firefighting equipment and vehicles in 2014-2015.

This is a $3 million increase in vehicle and equipment funding from last

year and the provincial government's investment this year is the largest ever

made in fire protection services in this Province.

This investment will allow Fire and Emergency Services

Newfoundland and Labrador to invest in three critical areas: regional rescue

vehicle extrication services, regional fire protection services, and the

replacement of aging fire protection vehicles.

Mr. Speaker, as our Province continues to attract new

and diverse industries, it is important that our firefighters are equipped with

the necessary resources and skills to respond to any type of emergency situation

that they face; therefore, we have also included $120,000 to support hazardous

materials response training for the nine municipal based fire departments that

participate in the program. This

funding will support ongoing training initiatives for these firefighters and

help address their occupational health and safety needs.

Mr. Speaker, we also have a fire and emergency services

training school, it is held annually

MR.

JOYCE:

point of order, please.

MR.

SPEAKER:

Order, please!

The Member for the Bay of Islands, on a point of order.

MR.

JOYCE:

just ask the minister: Are we speaking about the Municipal Affairs budget or are

we speaking about 911services?

MR.

SPEAKER:

Order, please!

There is no point of order.

The hon. the Minister of Municipal Affairs.

MR.

KENT:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

As I was saying before I was interrupted, we also have

a Fire and Emergency Services training school that is held annually.

It offers approximately thirty-five courses in the latest techniques and

approaches for municipal workers, emergency management partners, and

firefighters.

This year the training school will be held in

Clarenville from May 24-30 and the curriculum has been expanded with three new

courses, including a mental health first aid for youth program.

This program was developed in partnership with the Royal Newfoundland

Constabulary, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, the Department of Health and

Community Services, and the Paramedic Association of Newfoundland and Labrador.

This training effort will provide an opportunity for

interested fire service personnel to participate in a train-the-trainer course

and help educate other first responders to identify a mental health crisis

situation in any emergency response call.

Mr. Speaker, due to the geographical realities of

Newfoundland and Labrador, we recognize that the training school cannot address

the educational needs of all career and volunteer firefighters in the Province;

therefore, since 2011, our government has offered a financial incentive to

municipal fire departments who offer training within their regions, thus

expanding opportunities for training at the local level.

To date, over $56,000 has been paid out to municipalities Province-wide

to meet this objective.

Our government has pursued other measures in support of

fire and emergency service capabilities as well.

For example, on June 18, 2013, the provincial government demonstrated its

continuous efforts to enhance ground search and rescue capabilities by signing

an agreement with the Civil Air Search and Rescue Association of Newfoundland

and Labrador, a volunteer, non-profit aviation association.

This agreement augments air search support services to supplement ground

search and rescue programs in the Province.

Budget 2014 also provides an additional grant in the

amount of $580,000 over the next five years for the Newfoundland and Labrador

Search and Rescue Association to upgrade vehicles and equipment and for radio

licensing fees. In addition to

search and rescue capabilities, approximately $920 million has been invested in

policing services since 2004 and more than 140 additional front-line police

officers have been deployed throughout Newfoundland and Labrador.

Additionally, Budget 2014 sees an investment of $4.8

million for police services, which, among other things, will be used for

additional funding for Combined Forces Special Enforcement Unit, Newfoundland

and Labrador

MR.

SPEAKER:

Order, please!

The Speaker is having trouble trying to determine the

relevance of the minister's comments to the principle of the bill.

I would ask the minister to speak to the principle of the bill.

MR.

KENT:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Speaking to our emergency response capabilities on the

ground in communities and in regions in Newfoundland and Labrador is what I am

attempting to do through my remarks.

While certain members opposite do not seem interested, I think it is really

important to let Newfoundlanders and Labradorians know what kind of emergency

response capability exists on the ground because that is an essential component

of emergency response and it is very much related to the Province-wide Basic 911

service that we are implementing.

Anyway, I will move on.

With many important investments being made to support our Fire and

Emergency Services capabilities, the passing of this emergency 911 bill is

definitely the next logical step, and that is the point I am trying to make this

afternoon, Mr. Speaker. Having Basic

911 coverage for all land line telephones in the Province will also provide the

groundwork needed for Next Generation 911, which will allow emergency services

to keep pace with changing methods of communication and data transfer such as

text messaging and image sharing.

Mr. Speaker, once this bill has passed and the

implementation work has been completed, Basic 911 services will be available to

all those who have land lines and also to those with mobile telephones where a

cellular telephone signal is available.

I am certainly very pleased to be part of this important legislation that

will ultimately improve the safety of all residents and visitors to Newfoundland

and Labrador through the expansion of Basic 911 service.

I will conclude my remarks at this point and I will

have a chance to speak later in second reading at the conclusion of the debate.

Thank you.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR.

SPEAKER:

The

hon. the Member for Mount Pearl South.

MR.

LANE:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

It is my pleasure to have an opportunity to speak to

Bill 14,

An Act To Establish And Implement A Province-Wide 911 Telephone Service

For The Reporting Of Emergencies.

Mr. Speaker, first of all, just let me say that on the

surface and in principle I agree with this legislation.

It has certainly been a long time coming for sure.

There is no doubt, Mr. Speaker, that 911 is a universal number that we

all recognize, but unfortunately for many years here in this Province and I am

sure we are not alone there are many areas throughout the Province where 911

is not available. We have been able

to enjoy the 911 service here in the St. John's-Mount Pearl area so we have

been able to do that.

Mr. Speaker, I am going to take my seat, and I will

speak a little later to it, now that the Member for Bay of Islands is here.

Thank you.

MR.

JOYCE:

leave by the House Leader.

MR.

SPEAKER:

Order, please!

MR.

JOYCE:

leave by the House Leader, I (inaudible) stand up for a second as the critic and

I can finish off (inaudible) fifty-eight minutes.

MR.

SPEAKER:

The

member has twenty minutes to speak.

The hon. the Member for Bay of Islands.

MR.

JOYCE:

But, Mr. Speaker, the critic has one hour, and by leave, because I had to step

out for a second that the Government House Leader

MR.

SPEAKER:

Order, please!

The Standing Orders recognize the first speaker on the

opposite side with sixty minutes after the minister speaks.

The first speaker was the Member for Mount Pearl South who is now sitting

down and his time has expired.

I recognize the Member for Bay of Islands who has

twenty minutes to speak.

MR.

JOYCE:

Mr.

Speaker, and I thank the Government House Leader, but I thought anything we

could do in here with leave we can do it as one day we had a petition here

where the Premier got up and spoke on a petition by leave.

MR.

SPEAKER:

Order, please!

I would ask the member to speak to the bill.

MR.

JOYCE:

know; it is just to point it out.

Mr. Speaker, I just heard the minister talk about some

of the capabilities of the I want to talk about some of the capabilities of

Municipal Affairs that are not, Mr. Speaker, right now in the

and I will do that at a later time because I will have fifteen minutes to speak

about Municipal Affairs also with the lack of services.

I will speak on the bill

now.

First of all, to the minister himself, I will just

thank the officials, Mr. Speaker, for the briefing they gave us this morning.

It was a good briefing by all the officials.

This 911 service, Mr. Speaker, was in first reading

last week. Today, we received a

briefing this morning, the minister had a press conference today, and now we are

up debating the bill. Especially in

a bill where we are all trying to improve the services for people in

Newfoundland and Labrador, we need more time to do a bit of research on it, to

do a bit more review. If there is

any way and this is with government and ourselves also, to give more time to

do a bit of review on the bill itself so we can add some positive comments and

we can make some highlights, some issues that can definitely enhance the bill.

That is something I bring to the Government House Leader, if there is any

way especially something so important as 911.

I heard the minister go on about the enhanced services,

Mr. Speaker, in around like I will use Frenchman's Cove, for example.

There is no water and sewer in a part of Frenchman's Cove.

Even if 911 were called, there is no fire protection.

This has been on the radar; it has been stopped for the longest while.

The funding has not come through.

Even if we called 911, there are no services there for fire protection,

and it is a big concern.

The minister mentioned some other things in it.

I will go through some more at a later time, Mr. Speaker, on that.

The minister mentioned POMAX Consulting Incorporated.

They did a feasibility study on it.

It is now estimated that 40 per cent of the population have Basic 911

service right now; the Northeast Avalon.

I know in Corner Brook we have it.

Parts of Labrador have the Basic 911 service.

Lab City and Wabush has it, I believe.

What we are discussing here today is an enhancement of the 911 service

for all the Province of Newfoundland and Labrador.

We all know the government opposite and the

Opposition that there are a lot of challenges to this.

This is not something where anybody can walk in and wave a magic wand to

it and expect that everybody in this Province will have an enhanced 911 service.

We are going to offer some suggestions to the 911

service. We will be supporting this

Basic 911 service. There will be

some questions that we will be asking.

There will be some questions that we will be raising, but we do support

the basic concept of 911 in the Province of Newfoundland and Labrador for all of

the residents of Newfoundland and Labrador, Mr. Speaker.

Another concern that was brought up today, and it was

brought up at the technical briefing and was also brought up at the press

conference, was cellphone coverage.

Mr. Speaker, we heard members on this side on numerous occasions bring up

cellphone coverage. We asked the

former Minister of Industry and Trade about it.

Is there any plan with the federal government to try to bring in

cellphone coverage in certain areas of the Province?

Mr. Speaker, as we all know when you go around the

Province, there are certain parts of the Province, vast parts of the Province

actually, where you cannot get cellphone coverage.

I will just use this for an example, Mr. Speaker.

If you are driving in an area which is isolated, you have an accident, or

come upon an accident, or there is some emergency, you cannot get hold to 911.

In my opinion, we have to try to find and develop some

strategy I know the former minister is looking at me attentively.

We have asked: Is there some plan to have a 911 cellphone coverage across

the Province of Newfoundland and Labrador with the federal government?

I do not expect that to happen overnight.

The easiest thing in the world to do is stand up and say we want this,

but the implications of it and the cost of it.

Have we ever developed a strategy whereby we can start making

representation to this, whereby we can start and this would enhance the 911

service all throughout the Province.

That is something that I think that the Minister for

Municipal and Intergovernmental Affairs should also try to bring up to enhance

it. We would be supportive of

cellphone coverage throughout the Province of Newfoundland and Labrador on this

side. Before we do that, we need to

come up with a comprehensive plan that we can approach the federal government.

We need the federal government on side, we need the Province of

Newfoundland and Labrador on side, and we need the service providers on side

also to ensure that we can get cellphone coverage throughout the Province of

Newfoundland and Labrador. That

would enhance this 911. Again, I say

to the minister, it is not going to happen overnight.

It is definitely not going to happen overnight, but if there was some

strategy that we can look at for down in the road.

Mr. Speaker, I know in a lot of cases with 911, being

able to call the same number anywhere in this Province of Newfoundland and

Labrador, land line or if you have cellphone coverage, that will enhance safety.

It definitely will. In some

areas of the Province if you were going to call a hospital, for example, you

need to know the hospital number. If

you are going to call the fire department, you need to know the fire department

number. If you are going to call an

ambulance, there is a different number.

In this case, Mr. Speaker, it is just call one number: 911.

It is a great concept. Even

people with cellphone coverage in service areas, they definitely can use 911.

People with cellphones and I think people must be aware of this you

can use it if you are in the range, so it is not just landlines that we are

talking about here.

When this concept first came about a few years back, it

took almost four to five years to bring it to this stage.

We are not sure how long it is going to take to bring this to the next

stage, the enhanced 911, the Next Generation 911, but we have to strive towards

it. We definitely have to strive

towards the Next Generation 911 Mr.

Speaker, there is no doubt there are going to be challenges, there is no doubt

that there is going to be issues arising from it, but we have to approach it in

such a way that it is all inclusive, that any new idea that can enhance this

bill will definitely enhance the bill.

Mr. Speaker, just for an example, in Corner Brook right

now it goes to the RNC. The RNC have

people on staff. If you call 911 in

the Corner Brook, Bay of Islands area, it goes to the RNC.

If this new Basic 911 system is in place now, the question a lot of

people will be asking is: Will it improve and make it quicker?

The answer is no. It will

make it better, it will be easier for the people, but it will not make the

service any quicker, Mr. Speaker.

This is a system where you call it all has the same three digits throughout

the Province of Newfoundland and Labrador, but, Mr. Speaker, the dispatchers

then will take the information and pass it on to the emergency personnel.

People have to be aware that this will not increase the time that someone

will respond to an emergency.

Mr. Speaker, the new advanced 911 that is planning on

coming in, this has been implemented in other places across Canada and North

America. This will allow for

texting, hearing impaired, be able to allow for images and videos of the

emergency scene. Again, I think the

timeline is looking at three or four years before we are bringing that system

in. Mr. Speaker, this is further

down the road and this is a progression that we are all looking for.

Some of the findings of the feasibility studies: The

infrastructure, technical, and organizational resources already exist in

Newfoundland and Labrador to support the extension of 911.

We have the system now where we can use the 911 in Newfoundland and

Labrador. The system exists now.

The system is there whereby this service can be provided by the local

carriers here in Newfoundland and Labrador as we speak.

We were talking earlier about the cost.

This is something that the minister spoke about earlier.

How much will it cost for the implementation of this program?

We have a major concern, or I do, personally, because there are two

things happening here. Every person

who has a phone in Newfoundland and Labrador will be charged up to there has

been no limit set. They are saying

the maximum that it should be is $1 per phone per month.

If some household has three phones, you will be charged

$3 extra a month. If some household

has two phones with two different numbers and their kids have three different

cellphones, it is an extra $5 a month.

The estimated cost of revenue from this, Mr. Speaker and we were told

this morning at the technical briefing there are 600,000 phones.

The estimated income from this would be almost $7 million.

That is a lot of money. These

are some of the concerns that we have.

Mr. Speaker, with the $7 million, if a business has

eight, ten phones, they will be charged for each phone in that business.

This can become a huge amount of money being collected.

The question I asked at the briefing this morning is, what will all this

money be used for? They mentioned

also it is going to take back the money that the government put in.

I think it was, just off memory, $155,000 last year; $2.1 million that

was in the Budget this year to enhance this program.

This $2.1 million will be collected back from this fee.

That is what we were informed this morning.

That is why I asked a question today for the minister to clarify if that

was actually fact.

Mr. Speaker, I asked a question also about if and

this is very important to the minister.

I asked the question, is there any guarantee that these funds have to

stay within the organization that was set-up?

Can government get at it through general revenues?

The answer was yes, if the association that is set-up asked the

government or the government asked them, they can ask the government to take the

funds. There is no guarantee that

this will not be put in general revenues.

That is what we were told this morning, that there is a possibility.

I ask the minister if he can try to find some way to

guarantee that the funds have to. It

says in the legislation may. There

is no shall stay into the registered body.

This is a big concern for us because right now if there becomes an excess

of funds, what will happen to the funds?

That is the question I would like answered by the minister.

Will there be funds given back to the ratepayers and decrease the monthly

amount, or will it just stay, collect the money and government it could be any

government. I am not just saying

this government, it could be any government that happens to come into play later

on could ask for these funds and use them for some other possibility.

Mr. Speaker, the other question that was asked today, I

think by the Third Party, was: Will any of these funds be used for cellphone

towers? It is a legitimate question.

We were told no, they cannot be used for cellphone towers.

This is something also. Will

any of this be used by the business people who say, well, now there is money

going to the government, give us some of that money; we will put up cellphone

towers. The ratepayers will be

paying for it, not the providers, Mr. Speaker, or the people who do not even

need it; who will not need the cellphone towers will be paying for it.

So that is a few guarantees, I say to the minister, that we need.

Under the briefing we had this morning, Mr. Speaker,

concerning this act, every municipality emergency service provider is required

to participate. I ask the minister,

will that be enshrined in this legislation that every emergency provider if

they are volunteers, will they be mandated to participate in the enhanced 911

service? A lot of the groups that I

already know fire departments are mostly volunteer they would participate no

matter what happens but we need municipalities involved for many reasons.

One of the reasons we need them, Mr. Speaker, is to

ensure that all the municipalities we need a number system on their house.

That is a major concern in rural Newfoundland and Labrador, the location

of a house. I will just use an

example of out in York Harbour, which I am very familiar with.

Out in York Harbour, each house does not have a number.

When an emergency number comes in now with the 911, because if we go to

the local dispatcher now it would be fine, but when you get into the enhanced

system, Mr. Speaker, when you have a locater you need numbers on the houses so

that the emergency responders will be able to track down the house itself.

So that is very important.

With the municipalities, and I spoke to MNL today, they

are in favour of this also. There is

a lot of work that needs to be done with it.

We will ensure that anything we can do to help out.

This is something for the minister, how are we going to get local service

districts to co-operate? They are

not mandated now by Municipal Affairs.

This becomes the bigger picture, is will the local service districts and

the limited community governments, how will they be mandated or forced to

participate in this? This is

something we did not have explained.

I ask the minister if he can explain to us how this is

going to be done with the local service districts.

A lot of the local service districts now are off on their own, they have

no regional authority. For the next

stage we need to ensure that everybody is involved and that government has the

authority over the legislation.

Mr. Speaker, the other part of the briefing we had

today is Cabinet shall determine location of public safety answering points and

determine its boundaries. As we were

told in the briefing today, is that one cut off point here will be Sunnyside, I

believe we were told this morning Sunnyside.

East will be to St. John's.

Sunnyside to out west will be Corner Brook.

It takes in the lower parts of Labrador.

Then the one in Lab West, I think they are looking to see how they can

enhance that and see if there is some way to incorporate all of Labrador.

So, Mr. Speaker

MR.

SPEAKER:

Order, please!

I remind the member his time has expired.

MR.

JOYCE:

By leave, Mr. Speaker?

MR.

SPEAKER:

Does the member have leave?

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Oh,

oh!

MR.

SPEAKER:

Order, please!

A previous ruling of the House, when we give members

leave, it is for a maximum of two minutes but I am of the understanding that you

want to give the member forty minutes leave?

MR.

KING:

(Inaudible) the maximum.

MR.

SPEAKER:

Forty minutes. The member has leave

for forty minutes.

The hon. the Member for Bay of Islands.

MR.

JOYCE:

Mr.

Speaker, I will not be going forty, but thank you for that, to the Government

House Leader.

Mr. Speaker, earlier when I said that I am not sure if

you were here when we gave leave to the Premier to speak on a petition.

We were told by the Speaker at the time that the House can decide

whatever they want by leave. That is

why I thought they can anyway, thank you for that, for reviewing it and

ensuring that I have the time I needed.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Speaker, as I was saying earlier, that is going to

be the three points focal points that we were told in the briefing today.

From my understanding, Mr. Speaker, the St. John's Regional Fire

Department will be doing Sunnyside East on this.

Then from Corner Brook, they are in negotiation with the City of Corner

Brook for the fire department, from my understanding.

To the people at the RNC in Corner Brook who are answering 911 now and

I ask the minister to clarify this because we were told today, and just to

confirm it, because I have no misgivings about what we were told at the

briefing. It was a great briefing

and I thank the officials for it. I

know people who are working with 911 in Corner Brook now.

The question I asked: Will these people be displaced if

the fire department in Corner Brook we were told, and I am sure there are

going to be a few of them watching today, that, no, whoever is working at the

RNC now, at the 911 at the RNC, will remain.

When the duties are moved on to the fire department, if this works out in

the negotiations with the City of Corner Brook for their fire departments, they

will be reassigned other duties to ensure that their jobs are still there.

That is one question I had this morning and that is the answer I was

told. I ask the minister to confirm

that just to alleviate the concerns of some of the 911 dispatchers now because I

would hate to see anybody displaced because of this.

Also from my understanding, Mr. Speaker, Lab West right

now is being administered by the Royal Newfoundland Constabulary.

That is my understanding. Who

will be doing it in the near future is the Constabulary in Lab West.

If the Constabulary are going to be doing it also in Lab West, a concern

was brought up this morning about Southern Labrador and if there was any way we

could encompass all of Labrador in the future instead of having someone in

Corner Brook answer the calls from people from Labrador, especially if we get

into the new 911 enhanced services.

It is very, very important.

Another point we were told at the briefing today, Mr.

Speaker and I have to ensure we are on record with this also.

This is very important. If

this was implemented January 1, 2015 and a call came into Corner Brook and I

ask the minister if what I am saying here is incorrect that the minister clarify

it because it is very important. If

a call came in to a dispatcher at the fire department in Corner Brook now,

January 1, 2015, when this is in place, the dispatcher then will notify the

responders in that local area who do have the local knowledge of the area.

That is a big concern because some people are saying:

Well, how would someone in Corner Brook know what is happening down on the Baie

Verte Peninsula? From my

understanding is that when a call comes in to a dispatcher in Corner Brook, the

dispatcher then will contact emergency services in that local area, whoever they

would be. That is very important for

the general public. Someone in St.

John's is not going to be trying to give information, help some emergency

responder to get to a location that he is not familiar with.

Someone in Corner Brook is not going to be doing it.

The Constabulary also in Lab West, from my understanding, will be

contacting the emergency service provider in the area.

That is my understanding of it, and I see the minister nodding.

I thank the staff that gave the briefing today.

They were very adamant that this is the way it would be, Mr. Speaker.

When this happens, Mr. Speaker, it is very important

that whoever is directing the responders or whoever is directing the emergency

personnel that they have a bit of a local knowledge or have some idea on this.

The system with the Basic 911 will keep that in place; it will ensure

that.

Mr. Speaker, this is important so we do not delay the

services and this is the procedure that we are told, and the minister agrees, is

going to be in place for that. For

people who think that because Corner Brook is doing Sunnyside West, Gander,

Grand Falls, and other areas that someone in Corner Brook is going to be

directing emergency personnel; it is not the case.

The 911 initial contact will contact the emergency personnel at the

location, Mr. Speaker. That is very

important.

I am just going to speak for a little while about the

corporation that is going to be set up with this here.

The corporation will be entitled NL 911 Bureau Inc.

That is what will be established.

The corporation is not an agent of the Crown, Mr. Speaker.

We have the bill here and we will go through the bill.

We can go through each clause in Committee under the bill.

We will go through each clause.

The Newfoundland and Labrador 911 Bureau Inc. is a