Alberta Hansard — 1 May 2007, Afternoon sitting (13:00) (Legislature 26, Session 3)

20070501

Alberta — Debates (Hansard)

May 1, 2007 Alberta Hansard 721 Legislative Assembly of Alberta Title: Tuesday, May 1, 2007 1:00 p.m. Date: 07/05/01 [Mr. Shariff in the chair] head: Prayers The Acting Speaker: Let us pray. O source of all wisdom, care, and understanding, bless this province of ours and its people to be the guardians of the trust given unto them. Bring forth from this Assembly guidance to benefit all those who live within its borders and outside. Amen. Please be seated. head: Introduction of Guests The Acting Speaker: The hon. Minister of Tourism, Parks, Recreation and Culture. Mr. Goudreau: Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker.

It’s my pleasure today to introduce to you and through you to the rest of the Assembly a group of 30 visitors from Holy Family school in Grimshaw. They’re spending a good part of their week here in the city and, certainly, had to travel over six hours one way to get here. I don’t often have school groups here, and I’m very, very proud that we’ve got representation from Grimshaw. They are accompanied today by teachers Miss Jennifer Anderson and Miss Kim Conquergood, by parent helpers Ms Roxanne Stinn, Mrs. Heather Hockley, Mr. Clayton Cardinal, Mr. Henry Jonk, and Mr. Chester Dodgson.

They are seated in the public gallery. I would invite them to rise and receive the traditional warm welcome of this Assembly. The Acting Speaker: The hon. Minister of Infrastructure and Transportation. Mr. Ouellette: Well, thank you, Mr. Speaker. It gives me great pleasure to rise and introduce to you and through you Lorna Willert, who is one of my constituency assi stants in Innisfail. Lorna has worked for me for almost seven years. She is greatly involved in the community as well as a dedicated and loyal individual who has been extremely supportive and a definite asset to my team.

Lorna is joining us today in the members’ gallery, and I would ask her to rise and receive the warm welcome of the Assembly. The Acting Speaker: The hon. Deputy Speaker. Mr. Marz: Well, thank you, Mr. Speaker. The Royal Canadian Legion’s Alberta-Northwest Territories Command takes a keen interest in promoting the values of good citizenship among y oung people throughout the province. The Legion is in partnership with the Legislative Assembly office in a program that reflects that good work. It’s Mr. Speaker’s MLA for a Day program.

We are very appreciative of both their financial support and their involvement for this annual event, which began last evening and will conclude later this afternoon. In your gallery, Mr. Speaker, are Mr. Don Orr, the Legion’s command first vice-president, who is accompanied by his wife, Beryl Orr, and Darrel Jones, the Legion’s vice-president, and his companion, Darlene Burnett. Mr. Orr and his Legion team have been instrumental in ensuring that the participants have been so well looked after. We will now invite our guests to rise and receive the very warm welcome of this Assembly. My next introduction, Mr.

Speaker. I am pleased to introduce to you and to all members 59 students who are here today as partici- pants in your MLA for a Day program. The participants have spent time with the Royal Canadian Legion, debated a resolution, spent the night at a local hotel, visited in their member’s office, had lunch with them, and following question period they will receive a tour and briefing on the constituent elements of this House. The ultimate aim of the day’s activities is to further develop the interest and understanding of our parliamentary system among our student guests.

The students come from varying backgrounds, but one I would like to note is the granddaughter of a former executive director in the office of the former Premier Peter Lougheed. Our shadow colleagues are seated in both galleries. They are accompa- nied by their Legion chaperones Joan O’Reilly, Audrey Sluggett, Gordon McDonald, Wayne Donner, and Barb and Reid Morris. I would ask them as well to rise now and receive the traditional welcome of the Assembly. The Acting Speaker: The hon. Member for Edmonton-Mill Woods. Mrs. Mather: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

It is my honour to intro- duce to you and through you to the members of the Assembly 12 individuals who are concerned about the availability of support and service for children with autism and the many roadblocks to access assistance.

First of all, I’d like them to rise when I finish: Gail Wilkinson from Edmonton, Yvette Ludwig from Edmonton, Mary Jo Hague from Edmonton, Christine Barringham and Eric Barringham from Edmonton, Dabby Fong from Calgary, Guy Emond from Calgary, Sherry Miller from Calgary, Kierstin Hatt from Camrose, Brian Hockin from Wetaskiwin, Amy Anderson from Edmonton, and Assad Chaudhry from Edmonton. I’d like them to rise and please accept the warm and traditional welcome from the Assembly. The Acting Speaker: The hon. Member for Calgary-Mountain View. Dr. Swann: Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker.

It’s a great honour to introduce to you and to the Assembly six courageous Alberta landowners who are here to express their profound disappointment in the failure of our regulators to properly monitor and protect groundwater in the province. They are: from Rosebud, Fiona Lauridsen, Debbie Signer, and Jessica Ernst; from Ponoka, Shawn and Ronalie Campbell; and in absentia Dale Zimmerman, who was here a year ago with complaints of gross contamination of his groundwater. Could they please stand, and we’ll give them the usual welcome of the Legislature. The Acting Speaker: The hon. Member for Edmonton-Centre.

Ms Blakeman: Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. I’m very pleased today to have two introductions. The first person I’d like to introduce to you and through you to all members of the Assembly is Brianne Hudson. Now, Brianne is a very good example of citizen advocacy. She and her fellow residents of the Sierra building have done a great deal of media to publicize their situation around lack of rent control, and later I’ll be tabling a petition from them. I understand that Brianne is in the members’ gallery. I would ask her to please rise and accept the warm welcome of the Assembly. My second introduction, Mr.

Speaker, is a very active group of seniors. I’m not sure if they’re in the Assembly yet, but I’ll put this on the record for when they do arrive. This is the Minerva Senior Studies group out of Grant MacEwan Community College in my constituency of Edmonton-Centre. We’re expecting about 14 visitors. This is a really lively group. They’re getting together to

Alberta Hansard May 1, 2007722 study, for the most part, but I always enjoy my visits with them, and I’m looking forward to our usual tea and cake during Seniors’ Week. If that group is in the galleries, would they please rise and accept our welcome. The Acting Speaker: The hon. Member for Edmonton-Rutherford. Mr. R. Miller: Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. It is indeed my honour to introduce to you and through you to all members of this Assembly 33 bright, inquisitive young minds from Sweet Grass school, in the constituency of Edmonton-Rutherford.

They are visiting the Legislature today to observe their MLA in action and learn a little bit about our democratic process. They’re accompanied by teachers Mrs. Fiona Mark and Mr. Dean Hess. I would ask that they please now rise and receive the traditional warm welcome of the Assembly. The Acting Speaker: The hon. Member for Edmonton-Glenora. Dr. B. Miller: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I would like to introduce to you and through you to all members of the House a former page of this Assembly, Stacy Schell, who is visiting us.

Having observed MLA behaviour while she was here, she’s appropriately studying psychology and political science at the University of Western Ontario, and she’s back to visit with us for the summer. I invite her to stand and receive the warm welcome of the House. The Acting Speaker: The hon. Member for Edmonton-Highlands- Norwood. Mr. Mason: Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. I’m delighted to introduce to you and through you to this Assembly Melanie Kay, Teresa Alenuik, and Richard Konkin. They’re all workers on strike, entering the 235th day, at the Pal ace Casino here in Edmonton.

We’re very concerned about the state of Alberta labour laws and its impact on the Palace Casino employees. Melanie Kay has been at the Palace Casino for six and a half years and works as a slot cashier. Teresa Alenuik and Richard Konkin are both dealers at the Palace Casino and have been working there for the past seven years. Richard is also a member of the union’s bargaining committee. They are seated in the members’ gallery, and I would ask that they rise and receive the traditional warm welcome of this Assembly. 1:10 The Acting Speaker: The hon. Member for Edmonton-Manning. Mr. Backs: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I’m very pleased and honoured to introduce four visitors today that are in the members’ gallery, and I would like them to stand as I introduce them. First I’d like to introduce Laure Mwan, the Edmonton-Manning STEP student for this summer. She’s originally from the Democratic Republic of the Congo and came to Canada in 2000, didn’t know a word of English. She speaks excellent English now. She’s working in my constituency office for the summer as she’s a student at NAIT in office and records. I look forward to working with her. I’d also like to introduce the STEP student for my Legislature office, Kirstyn Rau.

She’s originally from Daysland. Her father served on town council there for several years, implanting an interest in politics. She’s in political science at Grant MacEwan and looks to go into law. I’d also like to introduce Robin Williams, who’s a legislative research assistant at my Legislature office. She’s finished her first year of business at NAIT and will be returning in the fall. I look forward to working with her. And last but not least is Catherine Obacz, their chief, my legisla- tive liaison and chief of staff for the office of the independent member. These women are all very independent, Mr.

Speaker, and I ask this Legislature to welcome them all in its traditional warm welcome. Thank you. The Acting Speaker: The hon. Member for Little Bow. Mr. McFarland: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. It’s a pleasure for me to rise today and introduce to you and through you two guests in the members’ gallery. The first is my constituency manager from Little Bow, Lois McLeod, who might just be the longest serving constitu- ency manager in the province now, since 1993. [interjections] I’ve been corrected already. Almost.

The second is our new leg. assist- ant, that is going to be help ing the MLA for Battle River-Wain- wright and myself, Mr. Deva Veylan. I’d ask that they please rise and receive the warm welcome of the Assembly. head: Members’ Statements The Acting Speaker: The hon. Member for Calgary-Lougheed. Climb and Run for Wilderness Mr. Rodney: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Two Saturdays ago, on April 21, the Alberta Wilderness Association hosted their 16th annual climb and run for wilderness in Calgary. Over 800 intrepid runners and climbers conquered all 802 steps of the Calgary Tower.

Over $150,000 was raised in Calgary’s premier Earth Day event. That’s over $150,000 in support of conservation and education programs that help protect our natural heritage. Congratulations to individual and team members in each of the numerous categories. There were all sorts of prizes awarded, but that’s not what it was about. I do want to make special mention of one truly inspirational participant. Her name, Mr. Speaker, is Phyllis Hart. She was back for her 11th tower climb, 11th year in a row. Phyllis Hart continues to inspire us all. She is 92 years young.

It was a truly festival-like atmosphere, with musicians and face painters and wildlife mascots cheering the athletes on. In addition, 25 individuals and groups showcased their work at the Wild Alberta Expo. Speaking of wildlife, I’d like to thank the members of our team, the Lougheed Lightning, including Joe Lougheed, Duane Monea, and Kurtis Averill, who certainly kept the fun in fundraising.

If you combine our efforts with those of three- and five-year-old Samantha and Kiana Averill, who climbed the tower a total of three times, and add another courtesy of our MLA for Calgary-Hays, we climbed the tower a total of 52 times. Mr. Speaker, I trust the members of this Assembly will join me in recognizing Christyann Olson and everyone at the Alberta Wilder- ness Association as they work on their own and with government to ensure that we continue to strive to find the correct balance between environment and economy. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The Acting Speaker: The hon. Member for Edmonton-Mill Creek.

Alberta Film and Television Awards Mr. Zwozdesky: Thank you. Mr. Speaker, this past weekend I had the pleasure of attending the 33rd annual Alberta film and television awards with numerous other colleagues as presented by the Alberta Motion Picture Industries Association, AMPIA. Film and television production in Alberta continues to skyrocket, and this annual awards

May 1, 2007 Alberta Hansard 723 night allows us an opportunity to congratulate and to thank all of the producers, directors, writers, actors, musicians, and numerous others who work behind the scenes and are at the heart of this incredible industry. Local productions are generating more and more attention for Alberta as well as more and more opportunities for our talented and creative artists.

Given the success of the Oscar-winning blockbuster Brokeback Mountain and the upcoming release of Brad Pitt’s The Assassination of Jesse James as well as the full-length feature film Christmas in Wonderland, that is being filmed at West Edmonton Mall as we speak, the landscapes and the spirit of Alberta are attracting major international attention as are the many economic advantages of filming right here in Alberta. We also have some of the most skilled and creative crews, producers, and performers anywhere in the world.

In support of this amazing industry, the Minister of Tourism, Parks, Recreation and Culture attended the awards show and announced that funding for the Alberta film development program is being increased to $18.3 million. This will help generate hundreds of millions of dollars’ worth of production right here in our prov- ince. As I have said on numerous occasions, film and television production will soon become a billion dollar industry in Alberta.

Congratulations to all the nominees and award winners, including my constituent Louis Sedmak, who captured the best original musical score award, along with Van Wilmott, and also to former Premier Ralph Klein, who received the Friend of the Industry award. Thank you, AMPIA, to your staff and volunteer board members, for another truly outstanding awards show and for continuing to promote Alberta as the place in which to film. The Acting Speaker: The hon. Member for Edmonton-Mill Woods. Autism Spectrum Disorder Mrs. Mather: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

One of the biggest misconceptions we have about those with autistic spectrum disorders is that they are insensitive and inhabit a world of their own. It’s my understanding that, on the contrary, some are more aware of our world than we are. Many find living in our world acutely uncom- fortable, even excruciating. The repetitive patterns that strike us as puzzling, irritating, and bizarre are coping mechanisms, often the only way these highly sensitive people can block the stimuli that assault their senses.

Chanting, reciting, and outright withdrawal can be attempts to take control of their world to limit distractions that surround them. Imagine someone pounding repeatedly on a hollow container near your head, shouting meaningless monosyllables at you, making a sound like fingernails scraping on a chalkboard, or flashing a strobe light on and off in the corner of your field of vision. These examples may give you a sense of the world, our world, that the autistic inhabit and their need to retreat from it. Fifty years ago air pollution was not an issue.

Fifteen years ago few believed second-hand cigarette smoke could be harmful or food preservatives were a problem for any but a few. How things have changed. These allergies were not peculiarities but an iceberg tip of a challenge we all need to take seriously. Mr. Speaker, I believe that by mid-century a host of other influences will be treated as seriously as hazardous chemicals. For now I believe that many of the autistic children are canaries in the mine. Let us, therefore, not see them as those to be fixed or normalized or tolerated.

Let us provide the supports to meet them as much as possible in their wo rld and a willingness to shape our own world in a way that will be safer and more hospitable for all. The Acting Speaker: The hon. Member for Calgary-Hays. Wheelchair Curling Champions Mr. Johnston: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. In March of this year I stood in this House and introduced the 2007 Alberta wheelchair champions. Well, it gets better. In April, from the 5th to the 9th, they attended the national championship in Ottawa, Ontario, and I attended the opening ceremonies on behalf of our Minister of Tourism, Parks, Recreation and Culture.

Mr. Speaker, although this team was at the wrong end of a 4-2 game against British Columbia, they went right to the finals. So they came up a little bit short this year. But the team of Anne Hibberd, Bridget Wilson, Jack Smart, spare Bob Johns, skip Bruno Yizek, and coach Ernie Comerford did a tremendous job this year in the first-ever nationals. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The Acting Speaker: The hon. Member for Edmonton-Beverly- Clareview. 1:20 May Day Mr. Martin: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I am proud to stand today and invite all members to join me in celebrating May Day 2007.

In 1884 May 1 was chosen by the Federation of Organized Trades and Labour Unions to recognize the hard-won and well-deserved gains made by working people through the trade union movement. In fact, the entire development of progressive social programs, including the Canada pension plan, public health care, and the 40-hour workweek, has resulted from the struggle of Canada’s labour movement. Over a hundred years later the importance of unions for all working people has never been more clear.

The labour movement has consistently been on the front lines in the fight to protect our public health care system, minimize environmental impact, and ensure that Alberta has a top-notch public education system. As May Day falls so closely to the International Day of Mourning, we would be remiss if we didn’t also acknowledge the very impor- tant role played by the labour movement in promoting workplace safety.

The shameful shortage of health and safety inspectors in this province means that the implementation of important safety measures is left to the honour system, a system which too often allows profit to get in the way of safety. In the absence of a strong commitment on the part of the government to monitor and enforce safety regulations, trade unions play a key role in advocating for worker protection. Alberta unions face particular challenges in their struggles for workplace fairness and dignity. Alberta has the worst la bour laws in the country.

As a bare minimum the government should commit to passing first contract arbitration legislation and introducing rules banning replacement workers. Such basic la bour laws might have prevented, and probably would have, the acrimonious strikes at Tyson Foods, Shaw, and A-Channel. They might also help resolve the current strike at Palace Casino. The Acting Speaker: The hon. Member for Wetaskiwin-Camrose. Camrose Fire Department Centennial Mr. Johnson: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Two weeks ago the Camrose Fire Department reached a significant milestone as it celebrated its 100th anniversary.

On Saturday, April 21, Camrose celebrated the history of its fire department through a special 100th anniversary firemen’s ball. This was a time to recognize the early

Alberta Hansard May 1, 2007724 beginnings of firefighters, which largely relied on local volunteers and horse-drawn pumpers. This year’s anniversary has particular meaning for the Camrose Fire Department as they will be moving into a new fire hall this June. This new fire hall is the third fire hall for the city of Camrose, replacing the existing facility, which was built in 1954. The grand opening of the new fire hall is slated to be held in conjunction with Camrose’s Founders Days this August. Founders Days, a week to celebrate our heritage, will also highlight Camrose’s first fire chief, Frank P.

Layton, and will display firefighting memorabilia during the event. The anniversary of the Camrose Fire Department is an opportune time to recognize the importance of firefighting in our province. Firefighting is a thankless and risk-filled profession. Firefighters understand that their role in the protection of persons and property can result in the ultimate sacrifice. We are very grateful for their dedication to their role in emergency response. Many firefighters in this province are volunteers and join fire departments in service to their community.

Volunteer fire depart- ments rely on the dedication of their members to be prepared for emergencies. The Camrose Fire Department is no different. They are a dedicated and committed force and drive the success of the department. Their accomplishments over the past 100 years are a reflection of their important service to the community. I want to congratulate fire chief Peter Krich and the Camrose Fire Department on their 100th anniversary. I want to thank them for their outstanding work and dedication, and I wish them the best as they move into a new fire hall. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. head: Presenting Petitions Mr.

Lougheed: Mr. Speaker, I’d like to present a petition asking the government to introduce legislation to suspend a graduated driver’s licence if the holder of the licence is involved in a serious collision resulting in injury or death. This petition is signed by many residents of Sherwood Park and Strathcona constituencies and is the first of many which will follow. Thank you. The Acting Speaker: Any others? The hon. Member for Edmonton- Manning. Mr. Backs: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I have a petition from Unity House in northeast Edmonton saying, “We the undersigned residents of Alberta, petition the Legislative Assembly to urge the Govern- ment of Alberta to hold rent increases to no more than the rise in the average monthly wage until December 31, 2010.” Thank you. The Acting Speaker: Hon. Member for Edmonton-Highlands- Norwood, did you have a petition? Mr. Mason: Mr. Speaker, yes, I do. I’d like to table a petition with 11 signatures.

The petition notes that Alberta is 1 of 3 provinces that do not provide basic protection for newly organized workers and calls on the Assembly to enact first contract legislation. head: Tabling Returns and Reports The Acting Speaker: The hon. Government House Leader. Mr. Hancock: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. It’s a privilege today to table the requisite number of copies of a calendar with respect to the appearances before Committee of Supply. I believe that all three House leaders have agreed to it. If there are any errors, I am sure I will be back tomorrow to correct same. It’s been a hard-negotiated process. Mr.

Mason: Mr. Speaker, I’d like to table copies of a call to action distributed today by Ben Seutter, president of the Edmonton Apartment Association. The memo notes that MLAs are hearing from tenants concerned about massive rental increases and that the Edmonton Apartment Association needs to “counter that influence.” The call to action also asks for a guarantee from the labour union supporters of the Member of Edmonton-Beverly-Clareview that people who work in the rental industry will limit their wage hikes to once every 365 days. The Acting Speaker: The hon. Member for Calgary-Varsity. Mr. Chase: Thank you, Mr.

Speaker. I have five tablings today. The first is a letter from Roshika Khanna and was sent to every MLA’s constituency office in Calgary. Mrs. Khanna is the program co-ordinator with the Calgary Scope Society, helping improve the lives of people with developmental disabilities. She explains that she’s been unable to find a two-bedroom rental unit at around $700 because of the lack of affordable units, the shortage of subsidized housing, and landlord attitudes towards disabled people on limited incomes for over two months.

The second is an e-mail from my constituent Trudy Hill, who works as a receptionist for the Alberta Research C ouncil. As a unionized government of Alberta employee she is not able to pay the increasing cost of living, including a recent 45 per cent rent increase. The third is an e-mail from a nother constituent, Robin Smith. When she moved to Calgary a year ago, she was only able to find an apartment that was at the top of her budget. She works full-time as a medical lab assistant in a Calgary hospital and some months ago had to take a 30 hour per week job as a customer service specialist.

Now working 70 hours per week and with a sick father she can’t go to visit. Her rent has been increased to $924 plus power and parking for a 550 square . . . The Acting Speaker: Hon. member, this is just tablings – okay? – not a speech. The hon. Member for Edmonton-Beverly-Clareview. Mr. Chase: Excuse me. I have two more tablings. The Acting Speaker: Make them brief, then, hon. Member for Calgary-Varsity. Mr. Chase: Thank you. The fourth e-mail is from my constituent Ken Elmquist, who received an increase from $765 to $1, 115 per month.

From another constituent, Candace Loken, whose rent is increased by $400, and she’s on CPP and disability, and it takes up her maximum of $900. The truth hurts. The Acting Speaker: The hon. Member for Edmonton-Beverly- Clareview. Mr. Martin: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I would like to table copies of an e-mail I received from Don Gunderson regarding the Afford- able Housing Task Force. He notes that despite the presentations made by people from across the province, most of the recommenda-

May 1, 2007 Alberta Hansard 725 tions were rejected. He says that rejection of these recommendations brings into question that sincerity of other policy review panels. Thank you. The Acting Speaker: We will get back to tablings later. head: Oral Question Period The Acting Speaker: The Leader of Her Majesty’s Loyal Opposi- tion. Calgary Municipal Funding Dr. Taft: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The Calgary Herald today released a poll that 7 out of 10 Calgarians support Mayor Bronconnier’s efforts to make sure that the Premier keeps to his promise about municipal funding.

Clearly, many Calgarians believe that this government is out of touch with their concerns and issues. To the President of the Treasury Board: given the strong support for the mayor’s position that no strings be attached to municipal funding, will the minister reconsider the strings attached to this government’s budget allocation to the city of Calgary so that local concerns can be met locally? 1:30 Mr. Snelgrove: Mr. Speaker, obviously, I wasn’t in the room with the Premier and the mayor. Obviously, the opposition leader wasn’t. They have discussed at length what they feel is right for Alberta.

Mayor Bronconnier may have his own agenda, and I would suggest that you should look very closely around you b ecause I think the way he is posturing, it has a lot more to do with politics and a lot less to do with dealing with the citizens of Calgary. The Acting Speaker: The first supplementary. Dr. Taft: Well, thank you, Mr. Speaker. I thought the President of the Treasury Board was in charge of the treasury. Mr.

Speaker, I’m quoting from a speech delivered minutes ago by the mayor of Calgary to the Economic Development Authority there: the promise made by the Premier was not kept in this budget; for example, of the $127 m illion earmarked for Calgary this year only $42 million will actually be available, unfettered, to address the infrastructure priorities of this city, meaning Calgary. To the same minister: what reply does this government have to the mayor and to the people of Calgary? Mr. Snelgrove: Mr. Speaker, let’s be clear. That’s new money. The city of Calgary already gets $272 million for infrastructure.

The city of Calgary is dealt with on a very fair and equitable basis as are the rest of the cities and towns in Alberta. Is the opposition leader suggesting that we should take money from them to s upport the mayor’s habits in Calgary? This Premier also committed to do what’s right for all Albertans, and that’s fair and equitable distribu- tion of money. The Acting Speaker: The second supplementary. Dr. Taft: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Well, let’s continue with this. This is quoting from the mayor of Calgary earlier today. What does the budget mean for Calgary?

Quote: it means that some important long-range investments may need to be delayed or cancelled. Then he goes on to say, quote: I am very disappointed to announce that in light of the province’s budget we will be suspending the work on two new LRT lines indefinitely. End quote. Given that we’ve just confirmed these announcements from the mayor, can I ask again the same minister: why does this government refuse to respond posi- tively to immediate and pressing transportation needs in Calgary? Mr. Snelgrove: Because we res pond to the needs of an entire community and not the political aspirations of one.

We spent $2.2 billion on health care in Calgary, $1.3 billion on education, $704 million on postsecondary funding. We as this government are trying to address the issues around homelessness, the issues around affordable housing, the transportation bottlenecks, and we will do it. As Mr. Speaker has seen, the mayor of Edmonton seems quite comfortable in sitting down with the relevant ministers and address- ing the issues, not creating them. The Acting Speaker: Second Official Oppos ition question. The hon. Member for Calgary-Currie. Affordable Housing Mr. Taylor: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Okay.

Let’s talk homeless- ness. He doesn’t understand Calgary; maybe he understands affordable housing, though I doubt it. The crisis continues in Alberta today. The mess is getting worse. Albertans are being forced out of their homes. No matter how many denials and excuses we hear from this government, the evidence points to this govern- ment’s policy failures as the main cu lprit.

To the President of the Treasury Board: when the Treasury Board approved the money for affordable housing, did it ever cross this minister’s mind that until these units were built, Albertans were going to face huge rent increases and often be forced out of their homes? Mr. Snelgrove: Mr. Speaker, let’s be clear. The housing situation in Alberta did not happen overnight, and it will not be solved overnight with the twinkle of the magic wand. This government has taken the responsible action, which, indeed, is increasing the supply of units to meet demand.

All of the other stuff in there is stopgaps, and it might make you feel good politically, but it doesn’t work. The Acting Speaker: First supplementary. The hon. Member for Calgary-Currie. Mr. Taylor: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Let’s be clear. In question period yesterday this House was told, “This government has learned from history that rent controls do not work.” Well, perhaps the government has not learned because the 1978 CMHC annual report released at the very time rents in this province were controlled noted that over 17,000 rental apartment units were started that year. Over 17,000.

Granted, in 1978 governments also offered tax breaks to rental property developers and provided rent control for tenants. So to the same minister: will this government change its stand and do what works, or is his advice to renters to go to Campers Village to shop for their next home? Mr. Snelgrove: Mr. Speaker, this government looks forward to solutions, not backwards. In 1978 the government was entering into huge debt to try and satisfy some of the housing requirements. That ended up with accumulated debts of $22 billion. We’re not doing that again.

It’s short sighted, it’s irresponsible, and it doesn’t work in the long term. Mr. Taylor: Well, Mr. Speaker, if anybody would know about short sighted, it would be this government. We support the government’s commitment to funding to create affordable housing, but solving the affordable housing crisis also

Alberta Hansard May 1, 2007726 takes not only money but leadership and innovation, and it takes land. You’ve got to have land to build the housing on. Municipali- ties like Hinton and Fort McMurray need the province to release land to them right now if they’re going to start constructing new housing. Will the President of the Treasury Board commit to releasing Crown land for affordable housing, and will he provide this land for affordable housing to municipalities for free or for a dollar, sir? Mr. Snelgrove: Mr. Speaker, the government works closely with Fort McMurray.

We met with the mayor last Tuesday, and we talked about how important it is to get a plan together so that we’re working towards a solution. The mayor of Edmonton came to the government with an opportunity to use some of the existing lands to build affordable housing, and this government was very supportive of initiatives like that that work with us and the departments and the related agencies to get a solution to it. So there are some good ideas in getting land, making land affordable where it’s necessary, but the successes have come when the mayors of large cities work with the government.

The Acting Speaker: Third Official Opposition question. The hon. Member for Calgary-Mountain View. Groundwater Stewardship Dr. Swann: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Groundwater is our most precious resource, more precious even than the valuable hydrocar- bons we extract from over 400,000 sites across the province. Rural landowners, unable now to drink their water, are here today demanding answers to the legitimate questions about dramatic pollution of their drinking water. They have composed a pledge for all Albertans, calling for responsible groundwater stewardship.

To the Minister of Environment: why after one and a half years of investigating contaminated groundwater from Wetaskiwin to Ponoka to Rosebud do we still have no answers for these rural folks? Mr. Renner: Well, Mr. Speaker, the member is exactly right. We should be and are committed to the management and stewardship of our groundwater. At the same time, I have to advise the member that there have been no conclusive opportunities for us to identify any direct links between the development of coal-bed methane and groundwater.

So the research that’s ongoing through monitoring of wells, through a number of initiatives that are under way is trying to arrive at the very answer to the question that this hon. member seeks. The Acting Speaker: First supplementary. Dr. Swann: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The government may need to hire some scientists to find this out. These folks with valid health and safety concerns about massive amounts of gas in water and unknown chemicals burning their skin have been repeatedly promised by the former Premier and Environ- ment minister rapid assessment and resolution of their problems.

To the minister again: when will these good farm folks have their water restored? Mr. Renner: Mr. Speaker, Alberta Environment is doing everything that it possibly can to get to the bottom of this issue. We’ve drilled a number of monitoring wells. We have a program of ongoing water testing. But I also need to advise this House that in some instances we have been unable to get the co-operation of the landowner to allow us to do ongoing monitoring and testing of the well in question. It’s very difficult to ge t to the bottom of the issue if you don’t get to the bottom of the well, let me say.

The Acting Speaker: Second supplementary. The hon. Member for Calgary-Mountain View. Dr. Swann: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The Rosenberg forum and its subsequent report recently criticized soundly the lack of investment and science in managing Alberta’s groundwater. Yesterday the Pembina Institute reported again, calling for a systematic and reliable groundwater monitoring system. The public has lost the trust in this government and its regulators in managing and monitor- ing our groundwater.

Final to the minister: with the growing concerns about oil and gas effects on groundwater, will he do the responsible thing and call for an independent review of groundwater impacts from oil and gas activity in this province? 1:40 Mr. Renner: Well, Mr. Speaker, a snapshot in time does not provide the amount of information that’s needed. That’s why it’s so important that we have ongoing monitoring that gives us accumu- lated information over time. That doesn’t happen overnight. I can’t just speed up the clock and get two years’ worth of information in six months. That’s part of the problem.

The other part of the problem, Mr. Speaker – in fact, it’s not a problem; it’s the solution – is that much of what the hon. member is referring to was part of the multistakeholder comm ittee that was formed one year ago that the Pembina Institute referred to yesterday, and frankly we’re making very, very good progress in implementing those recommendations. The Acting Speaker: The leader of the third party. Affordable Housing (continued) Mr. Mason: Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. The rent crisis has MLAs’ phones ringing off the hook.

So much so that the Edmonton Apartment Association has decided to help the government set the record straight. In a memorandum, which I just tabled, from the president of the Edmonton Apartment Association it says, “In a meeting with MLA, Thomas Lukaszuk, he did say that he received about 10 calls [or] letters per day from people complaining a bout rising rents,” and he guesses that “other MLAs are receiving similar calls.” He goes on to say, “It is not the private rental industry’s Constitutional responsibility to provide affordable housing for Albertans.” My question is to the President of the Treasury Board.

Given the statement, whose responsibility is it? The Acting Speaker: This chair is going to enforce the 45-second rule. Any response, President of the Treasury Board? Mr. Snelgrove: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The responsibility to look after certain people in our society that need our help is ours, and we take that responsib ility very seriously. Whether it be seniors or whether it be the infirm or mentally ill, we look after them. It’s not our responsibility to house everyone who comes to Alberta looking for a better life, but there are a lot coming, as you all know.

So the people that the Alberta government has responsibility for, we address. There is a temporary imbalance between the affordability and availability of suites and what the marketplace can offer, and that, unfortunately, will take some time to balance out.

May 1, 2007 Alberta Hansard 727 Mr. Mason: Mr. Speaker, tell that to the people who are ending up on the street. This memo goes on to say that “when people spend more than 30% of their gross monthly income on housing, then it is deemed unaffordable.” It goes on to say that in Europe and Asia and so on this is more like 50 per cent. “Consequently, our society is having these big discussions on arbitrary numbers.” It’s clear the apartment association thinks that people should pay up to 50 per cent of their income for rent. Will the government take steps to make sure that that does not become the case? Mr.

Snelgrove: Mr. Speaker, what the hon. member has gathered from his press release is certainly his opinion, and he can twist it around however he wants. The fact is that there are many thousands of very responsible, respectable, and diligent landlords who have developed a very good and strong relationship with their tenants, and we don’t hear about them. Unfortunately, in any business when the opportunity arises for some to take money, they do. That’s unfortu- nate, but that’s a fact of the system we live in. It creates enormous wealth, but it comes with its problem. It’s what we call the price of prosperity.

The responsibility for setting rental rates is the responsi- bility of the marketplace. The Acting Speaker: The hon. member. Mr. Mason: Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. The government couldn’t be more clear. I’ll go on to condo conversions, and the memo says: “There is this mistruth floating out there that condo conversions are evil. The condo market is responding to the housing needs of Albertans.

That is how the free market works.” Sounds like the minister. “If there was no need for condo’s then there wouldn’t be any conversions.” So is it the position of the government that there’s no problem with condo conversions and that regardless as to whether or not people get put out on the street, it’s the right of the people who own the buildings to convert into condominiums? Mr. Snelgrove: Yeah, I guess I would like to make that perfectly clear. Yes, it is their right as an owner of a property to use it as they do. We are, Mr.

Speaker, introducing legislation that will limit the notification time to that to make it fair. Obviously, it’s not just as easy to pack up and move to another spot whether you’re moving from a house, a condo, or an apartment. Converting a condo from a rental to an ownership doesn’t decrease the housing availability. It may move someone into what they consider an affordable housing unit and open up where they were. So it’s a negative sum game. You have ownership or rentership. It still accommodates people.

The Acting Speaker: Hon. members, before I recognize the next question, I’d like to caution the lead er of the third party. You are familiar with the rule of this House that we do not mention mem- bers’ names in the Assembly. The hon. Member for Airdrie-Chestermere. Enmax Electricity Transmission Line Ms Haley: Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. On the 19th of April Enmax Corporation announced its intention to build a 1,200- megawatt power plant, and they indicated in their press release that this new power plant would generate enough power for about two- thirds of Calgary’s requirements.

My constituents in Airdrie- Chestermere have been told for the past two years that a new transmission line that will go across their land is needed to prevent problems with power shortages for Calgary. This power is not to be used for export, yet Enmax is now boasting about being able to export power with the addition of this new proposed plant. In light of the new plant that Enmax wants to build, will the minister revisit the need for the transmission line so that my constituents can stop worrying about what will happen to their homes and land if the transmission line continues? The Acting Speaker: The hon.

Minister of Energy. Mr. Knight: Well, thank you, Mr. Speaker. First, what I will say is that we welcome the news from Enmax, a great asset, again, to the province of Alberta. It indicates that the robust system that we put in place with respect to the utility in Alberta is working. With respect to the line itself, th e line is still required. Whether or not Enmax out of Calgary develops 1,200 megawatts, AESO’s requirement on the 10-year plan in southern Alberta – 8,000 megawatts of electricity would be required in Alberta. So the line would still be required. Ms Haley: Well, Mr.

Speaker, I get confused when I hear that, because my constituents have been told that the power needs for Calgary are the reason for this transmission line, yet SNC-Lavalin is now building a tie-in between Great Falls, Montana, and Lethbridge. We have Enmax building a 1,200-megawatt power plant, which apparently now they can utilize for export. Why the need for the transmission line? I don’t understand. Mr. Knight: Mr.

Speaker, you know, the suggested use for this power that Enmax is going to put on, whether it’s exported or used internally, the transmission syst em, the heart of the system to provide reliable and consistent electricity for all Albertans, is the core and the backbone of the system in the province of Alberta. In order to allow the movement of electricity either into or out of the province of Alberta, the transmission system must be fortified. This particular piece of business in front of us with respect to a 500-kV line is necessary.

Ms Haley: Well, given that the minister indicates that it is neces- sary, I’m going to ask him if he can assure my constituents of two things. First, the way the system was utilized to decide that this transmission was needed: will he do a fairness review of it to ensure that my constituents were treated fairly? Also, w ill a second look be given at putting this transmission line underground instead of overtop on huge towers? The Acting Speaker: The hon. minister. Mr. Knight: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Again, technology with respect to the transmission systems globally changes on an ongoing basis.

This particular line, that now is in hearings with the EUB, certainly uses technology that is current for the time. We do not have in front of us, that I’m aware of, the technology and capability to move the amount of power that we require to move over the distances that we require with buried cable at this point in time. In the future is that possible? I wouldn’t hazard a guess to say that it is or isn’t. All I can say is that th is particular line is in front of the EUB as an application currently, and they will deal with it. The Acting Speaker: The hon. Member for Edmonton-Mill Woods.

Autism Spectrum Disorder Mrs. Mather: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Autism spectrum disorder is a developmental disorder that affects thousands of Albertans.

Alberta Hansard May 1, 2007728 High-quality care and intensive intervention can dramatically improve the quality of life of children with autism and their families. The needs of children with autism are assessed by a multi- disciplinary team that offers recommendations and determines eligibility for services. To the Minister of Children’s Services: since the expertise of each team member is essential in making these critical decisions, can the minister please tell us how their knowl- edge and expertise regarding autism are assessed? 1:50 The Acting Speaker: The hon.

Minister of Tourism, Parks, Recreation and Culture. Mr. Goudreau: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The Minister of Chil- dren’s Services, the MLA for Banff-Cochrane, is away today. [interjections] I’m sorry. Certainly, I want to indicate that, you know, we as a province take autism very, very seriously, and I will pass on the comments to the minister. The Acting Speaker: Hon. minister, you are aware of violating that rule as well. The hon. Member for Edmonton-Mill Woods. Mrs. Mather: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. We do have some serious questions, and I will continue.

The multidisciplinary teams play the biggest role in deciding the level of services available to children with autism on a case-by-case basis. We’ve heard concerns that wait times for assessment delay access to necessary services, that team members do not always meet with the children they are supposed to assess, and that the process lacks transparency. To the Minister of Children’s Services: what reviews of these multidisciplinary teams have been completed to date to ensure that the best practices are in place? Mr. Goudreau: Mr.

Speaker, I will take the questions under advisement and pass them on to the minister. The Acting Speaker: The hon. Member for Edmonton-Mill Woods. Mrs. Mather: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Perhaps I could ask for written responses to these questions. I have another one for the representative of the minister. Many children with autism spectrum disorder are not receiving the care that they need to become safe, healthy, and independent adults. We have heard from stakeholders and constituents that it is common for services for children with autism to receive yearly rollbacks.

This leads to a lengthy appeals process and unnecessary stress on families. Again to the representative of the Minister of Children’s Services: can the minister tell us when families can expect to receive the stable funding and services they need for their children without roadblocks? The Acting Speaker: The hon. Minister of Tourism, Parks, Recreation and Culture. Mr. Goudreau: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. You know, I certainly appreciate the questions, and I will ensure that the minister receives those questions. Thank you. The Acting Speaker: The hon. Member for Calgary-Lougheed.

Calgary Municipal Funding (continued) Mr. Rodney: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Considering the phenome- nal growth in Calgary, complaints have been made that recent funding announcements are proportionately inappropriate. My first question is to the minister of municipal affairs. How close does $400 m illion come to meeting the actual needs of Calgarians, and does this handcuff the mayor of Calgary? The Acting Speaker: The hon. minister. Mr. Renner: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I’m pleased to respond on behalf of the minister of municipal affairs.

This funding announce- ment I think is critical when we put it into the context of the overall budget of government. As you know, there was a commitment made by our Premier and by our government that over a three-year period of time $1.4 billion that is currently used by the provincial govern- ment and is part of the requisition to municipalities on property taxes for education would be replaced with dollars from general revenue. That’s exactly what has taken place . . . The Acting Speaker: The hon. Member for Calgary-Lougheed. Mr. Rodney: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

My first supplemental is to the Minister of Finance. The mayor of Calgary has accused the provincial government of shortchanging the city in the budget both in terms of amounts dedicated to certain identified needs and with regard to the total dollar figure. Can the minister please put in context how Calgarians have done in this budget compared to previous years, including two years ago when $1 billion was given to the city for infrastructure with no strings attached? The Acting Speaker: The hon. Minister of Finance. Dr. Oberg: Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker.

In this budget alone for the city of Calgary there is roughly 5 and a half billion dollars worth of funding. That’s 5 and a half billion dollars that is going to the city of Calgary. We’re seeing $272 million simply for the $600 million municipal infrastructure program plus a fuel tax. If the hon. member remembers, we gave 5 cents a litre to the cities of Edmonton and Calgary to be utilized for their infrastructure needs. So, Mr. Speaker, I would say that the cities of Calgary and Edmonton and all of the province are doing extremely well.

We have increased funding 600 per cent in the last four years – six times in the last four years – to municipalities. Mr. Rodney: My final supplementary is indeed to the Minister of Finance as well. Minister of Finance, what can Calgarians look forward to specifically with respect to provincial funding for the city of Calgary in the near future? The Acting Speaker: The hon. Minister of Finance. Dr. Oberg: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Included in this budget is $2.2 billion for the health region. There’s $1.3 billion for education. There’s $704 million for postsecondary education.

We also have to remember that there’s a ring road being built. There’s a huge ring road that’s being built around the city. There’s a south Calgary hospital. It goes on and on and on. We’re in this province together, and it’s time we started looking at a partnership as opposed to a fight.

May 1, 2007 Alberta Hansard 729 *See p. 770, right col., para. 6 The Acting Speaker: The hon. Member for Edmonton-Centre. Continuing Care Standards Ms Blakeman: Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. Major cracks in the walls, water stains behind electrical panels, flooding in the basement, mould and mushroom growth in the crawl space, multiple incidents of fire, and two out of three exits that would be virtually useless in the event of an emergency evacuation. No, I’m not talking about the Legislature Annex.

These are some of the ongoing problems that put the safety of staff and residents at risk at the Good Samaritan Pembina Village in Evansburg. My questions are to the minister of health. Does the minister think that it’s appropriate for vulnerable seniors, many of whom require wheelchairs and walkers, to live in a building with so many hazards and risks to their health and safety? The Acting Speaker: The hon. Minister of Health and Wellness. Mr. Hancock: Well, thank you, Mr. Speaker.

One would hope that no senior would have to live in inappropriate housing or in any housing that would provide risk to their health or safety. As to the particular circumstances enunciated by the hon. member, I’m not sure that I can agree that those are the circumstances in place, but I’ll be more than happy to have an investigation.* Ms Blakeman: Well, thank you very much, Mr. Minister, but these issues are not new. They were all identified by the Health Facilities Review Committee in 2004.

There has been a follow-up report, and three years later local health and safety professionals are distressed that these problems still have not been addressed. What is the point of having a committee that can’t monitor and enforce compliance? Mr. Hancock: Well, Mr. Speaker, it’s very important to have a committee who will review health facilities across the province and make reports. It’s also very important to follow up on those reports, and I certainly indicate that I will follow up on the report to determine what, in fact, has happened in that case.

The hon. member will know, as she’s been shadowing me for the last four months, that health is a very big portfolio with lots of facilities. It’s a big portfolio, so for her to expect me to respond to a particular report on a given day without having any advance notice of it is quite inappropriate. But I’m more than happy to look into it and see what has happened in that particular instance because we’re all concerned about the quality of life of seniors in this province and their ability to live in appropriate housing. The Acting Speaker: Second supplementary. The hon. Member for Edmonton-Centre.

Ms Blakeman: Thank you. Well, the minister has had not one but two reports on this particular facility, and the Auditor General’s 2005 report on seniors’ care clearly stated that the Health Facilities Review Committee “[does] not inspect facilities for compliance with the Basic Standards and [does] not have enforcement mechanisms to ensure that facilities rectify non-compliance.” Will the minister finally eliminate the ineffective Health Facilities Review Committee and put its $881,000 budget toward real monitoring and enforce- ment? Mr. Hancock: Mr.

Speaker, I can advise the House that we are currently undergoing a review of governance and accountability structures with respect to RHAs and other health authorities and with respect to every aspect of the health department. We’ll include the facilities review committee and their role, mandate, and purpose. So I’ll be more than happy to take the advice of the member with respect to whether there are some roles and responsibilities that could be added or other issues.

I’ll be more than happy to have her advice and the advice of any other members of this House as to how we can do a more effective job of ensuring that housing and health care for our seniors and for all Albertans is up to the highest quality. The Acting Speaker: The hon. Member for Wetaskiwin-Camrose. Barley Research Mr. Johnson: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I recently met with representatives from the Alberta Barley Commission regarding Alberta Agriculture and Food’s malt barley research program, which takes place at Lacombe.

During this meeting I was informed that the research program was being phased out and that fewer researchers are working on barley projects. This is of concern to the many Albertans who rely on malt barley to make a living. My question is to the Minister of Agriculture and Food. Is barley research at Lacombe being discontinued, and if so, why? 2:00 The Acting Speaker: The hon. Minister for Agriculture and Food. Mr. Groeneveld: Well, thank you, Mr. Speaker. Barley research at the Field Crop Development Centre in Lacombe is not being discontinued.

Our current research investment is however being redirected to focus on barley and triticale for food and biofuel use. Two other organizations currently in western Canada have malt barley programs like our current research program, so we’re investing in new research projects that will set Albertans apart, and we’re not going to reinvent the wheel. Mr. Johnson: To the same minister. The barley sector is an important part of Alberta’s agricultural industry. What other research initiatives relative to this sector are being conducted or supported by your department? Mr. Groeneveld: Well, Mr.

Speaker, there’s a lot of exciting research taking place today. We’ve invested very heavily in genetic research to increase profit for our farmers. This research will focus on things like increasing yield and nutrition, improving water efficiency, and protecting crops from diseases and pests. Our scientists are also working on a new technology that can evaluate the attributes and the quality of a crop. This technology has the incredible potential to result in payment to grain farmers based on the quality of their crops rather than payment on the bushel or by the tonne. The Acting Speaker: The hon.

Member for Wetaskiwin-Camrose. Mr. Johnson: Thank you. My final supplemental is to the same minister. Can the minister tell the House what else is being done to encourage and promote agricultural research in his department, and does it really benefit the producers? Mr. Groeneveld: Well, certainly, Mr. Speaker. Research is vital. For example, the Institute for Food and Agricultural Sciences Alberta, also known as IFASA, brings together scientists from Agriculture and Food, the University of Alberta, the Alberta Research Council, and Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada.

They focus on research into a number of priorities: value-added meat

Alberta Hansard May 1, 2007730 products, managing soil nutrients and the environment, feed grain quality and supply, and, of course, our new bioenergy products. The Acting Speaker: The hon. Member for Edmonton-Gold Bar. Royalty Revenues Mr. MacDonald: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The Department of Energy censored hundreds of pages in the royalty review documents that it tabled two weeks ago.

One of the censored charts, that is available publicly in the Department of Energy’s library, reveals that Alberta takes 5 per cent less than Wyoming, 6 per cent less than Colorado, 8 per cent less than Oklahoma, 10 per cent less than New Mexico, and 12 per cent less than both Louisiana and Texas. My first question is to the Minister of Energy. How many of the other censored documents also show that this government does not collect a fair share in royalties for Albertans, the owners of the resource? The Acting Speaker: The hon. Minister of Energy. Mr. Knight: Well, thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Certainly, the hon. member indicates what has been done by this ministry and by this government. To be open, transparent, and fair, I have tabled in the Legislature certain documents related to a previous royalty review. In those documents that were tabled here, there were some excep- tions. Again, department staff working with respect to the FOIP requirements may have severed some pieces of those documents; however, what I did say was that I had the department then put all of the documents on public review in the library. That’s where the information came from. The Acting Speaker: First supplementary. The hon.

Member for Edmonton-Gold Bar. Mr. MacDonald: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The Minister of Energy can’t get his story straight. Two weeks ago he said that Texas is the best oil- and gas-producing state to compare Alberta to when looking at royalties. When the truth was revealed, showing that Texas collects much more in royalties, the minister changed his story, saying that it isn’t fair to compare Alberta to other jurisdic- tions. Again to the Minister of Energy: how many millions of dollars have been lost due to this government’s failure to collect a fair share of royalties on behalf of Albertans?

How much money have you squandered and lost? Mr. Knight: Mr. Speaker, absolutely none. I can tell you today as I stand here that the development that’s happened in the province of Alberta, the development that’s happened in the country of Canada, the development that’s happened that does provide tremendous asset and tremendous resource for the country, for the province, for North America, and globally would not – would not – have taken place without the foresight of this government in 1996 and 1997 to put a generic oil sands royalty system in place. This hon. member picks a piece out of Texas.

If he wants to compare the royalties in Alberta with Texas, ask him to make comparisons with the deep gulf drilling. Mr. MacDonald: I just may do that because I know what I’ll find. Again to the Minister of Energy: why did this government fail to increase royalty rates when two years ago your own officials in the Department of Energy stated, and I quote: we are not capturing our fair share at high prices. End of quote. Why didn’t you increase royalties to a fair rate then? The Acting Speaker: The hon. Minister of Energy. Mr. Knight: Well, thank you very much. Mr.

Speaker, I think that the hon. member opposite will know that two years ago I wasn’t standing here. Look ahead. Look to the future. Don’t look behind you. We’re working with this. We’re working with the situation, and this hon. member absolutely refuses to listen. I answered a question last week which very clearly indicated that last year we changed four – count them: one, two, three, four – royalty systems, that took back $300 million for Albertans. [interjections] The Acting Speaker: The hon. Member for Edmonton-Beverly- Clareview. Affordable Housing (continued) Mr. Martin: Mr.

Speaker, I think you said Edmonton-Beverly- Clareview. Mr. Speaker, it should be clear to everybody, including members opposite, that we still have a housing crisis in this province. Landlords are taking advantage of the economy to actually gouge renters. The government has a responsibility to all Albertans. Of calls into my office, a couple of examples: Beverly McGowan, rent increased $375 past six months, 69 years of age, wondering a bout how she’s going to pay the rent; Pat Reddy; Patrick Quigley, rent increased $250, rent will now take three-quarters of the income.

Yesterday we asked just to even have a debate in a policy field committee. Government members turned us down. My question is to the Government House Leader. Would the Government House Leader agree that this is precisely the kind of . . . The Acting Speaker: Hon. member, as I said, I will be enforcing the 45-second rule. I don’t know if any minister wants to respond to that comment. Second question. Mr. Martin: Well, the minister may not want to answer it because it’s a serious problem. This is precisely what we talked about, having policy field committees dealing with real issues.

My question is: why would the government not bring this to a policy field committee? Mr. Hancock: I think that’s an excellent idea, but it’s one of many excellent ideas, and it should only be taken into consideration when we discuss how to move forward with additional policy discussion around the question of affordable housing. It’s one of the things that a policy field committee could do, but it’s one of many options that need to be taken into account by the Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing and by the government in determining how to move to the next step on this. Mr. Martin: Mr.

Speaker, that’s all very well and dandy. People’s rents are going up. We can’t even have a debate in the policy field committee: that’s what we’re saying. What I’m saying to this minister as the Government House Leader who believes in the policy field committees is: why wouldn’t he use his authority and say: “Look, this is a real issue for real Albertans. Let’s have it go back to the policy field committee”? Would he provide that leadership? Mr. Hancock: Well, Mr.

Speaker, what was inappropriate was the method by which the hon. member attempted to hijack the House yesterday by bringing a Standing Order 42 motion to try and accomplish indirectly what he can’t accomplish directly. What can be done is that when policy field committees are set up, there may be an opportunity for a resolution to ask the policy field committee

May 1, 2007 Alberta Hansard 731 to deal with that as an issue, or it may be something that the committee can deal with by itself, but it’s entirely inappropriate for the hon. member to ask for the House’s business to be adjourned under Standing Order 42, which is what he was trying to do. That’s what he was trying to do: use an inappropriate method to raise an appropriate issue. I’m all alive to the question of how we do policy discussion in this House. 2:10 Freehold Mineral Rights Mr. Doerksen: Mr. Speaker, I’m sure the Minister of Energy is still all worked up, but I’d like to ask him a few more questions.

Recently I received some calls from constituents who are owners of freehold mineral rights. Last month the Energy and Utilities Board upheld the application for 28 well licences for coal-bed methane on split-title lands. This ruling indicates that those parties that held the natural gas rights also held the rights to the coal-bed methane. This issue is of significant interest to freehold mineral rights owners. My questions today are to the Minister of Energy. Can the minister advise this Assembly whether this decision is legally binding? The Acting Speaker: The hon. Minister of Energy. Mr.

Knight: Well, thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. This particular issue and the EUB’s rulin g with respect to the 28 is not legally binding. The EUB hearing arose on freehold mineral lands where one party was the holder of the coal rights and another party or other parties had leased the gas rights. Both claimed legal entitlement to the coal-bed methane. They’re private disputes. In these particular ones the mineral title owners have legal options available to them if they wish to pursue them, and in this case the EUB has laid out a path forward. Mr. Doerksen: Mr.

Speaker, to the same minister: what effect does this ruling by the EUB have on the other split-title lands located throughout our province and the mineral rights associated with them? The Acting Speaker: The hon. Minister of Energy. Mr. Knight: Well, thank you, Mr. Speaker. Again, this is an extremely complex issue because the ownership of coal-bed methane ultimately depends on the wording of some of the original mineral grants, and some of these go back many, many years.

For that reason, the EUB decision, while it provides clarity with respect to the issue of entitlement on these particular leases, only deals with those specific situations, and it doesn’t apply to other mineral rights. Mr. Doerksen: Minister, you’re going to be receiving petitions from these people that are affected asking the government of Alberta to take immediate steps to introduce di rective, retroactive legislation applicable to both Crown and freehold lands stating that CBM is a natural gas. As minister are you prepared to bring this legislation forward? The Acting Speaker: The hon. minister. Mr.

Knight: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. At this time we don’t have plans to put forward legislation to deal with the issue. Of course, I’m very aware that individuals on both sides of the issue are coming forward with respect to lobbying on behalf of their particular side of the issue. We deal with thousands of mineral grants in the province of Alberta, and it makes it extremely difficult at this point in time to implement encompassing legislation. However, we continue to monitor the situation.

We’re certainly taking it very seriously, and we understand that there are many Albertans quite concerned and interested in the outcome. The Acting Speaker: The hon. Member for St. Albert. Teachers’ Unfunded Pension Liability Mr. Flaherty: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Yesterday the Minister of Education was asked an important question about the surprise offer on the teachers’ unfunded pension liability. His answers did not satisfy the Official Opposition and certainly not the Alberta teachers.

The minister stated that his pension deal has nothing to do with labour negotiations, yet his letter to the ATA states that if teachers strike, the deal could be off. This will clearly bias the bargaining process. To the Minister of Education: why is the minister using the unfunded liability to control and manipulate the Alberta teachers? Mr. Liepert: Mr. Speaker, I want to make it clear that this was not a surprise offer. This was a good-faith initiative by the government which will go ahead.

This good-faith initiative by government is all about recruitment and retention of the best young teachers in the business. The Acting Speaker: The hon. Member for St. Albert. Mr. Flaherty: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. In April I presented a motion urging this government to immediately initiate negotiations to find a reasonable term solution to the teachers’ unfunded liability situation. At that time the minister said that an agreement would be negotiated with the Alberta Teachers’ Association and pledged that he would not politicize the issue. The minister now has taken the exact opposite approach.

To the Minister of Education: how can the minister explain his complete flip-flop on the unfunded pension liability question? Mr. Liepert: Mr. Speaker, let’s put the truth out on the table. What we have done is given a short-term, one-year, good faith initiative to ensure that our young t eachers stay in the profession while we negotiate a long-term resolution with the Alberta Teachers’ Associa- tion, and that will take place over the course of the next year after we have some input from the task force that will look at all of the options to ensure that we get the very best basis to get a long-term resolution.

The Acting Speaker: The hon. member. Mr. Flaherty: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. A letter giving an ultima- tum is not negotiation. The minister previously promised in this House that a deal on the unfunded pension liability will be reached through negotiation with Alberta teachers. This has not occurred. To the Minister of Education: if the minister is confident in his plan or his process of getting this solved, why didn’t he discuss this with the Alberta teachers? What are you afraid of, Mr. Minister? What are you afraid of? Mr. Liepert: Mr. Speaker, the $25 million good faith offer is not a negotiation.

This is a good faith offer on the part of government, so there’s nothing to negotiate. What we will negotiate is a long-term resolution. I’m not sure what part of the last answer the hon. member didn’t understand, but it’s the long-term resolution that we will negotiate with the ATA, and this particular offer in the budget is free money.

Alberta Hansard May 1, 2007732 The Acting Speaker: The hon. Member for West Yellowhead. Land-use Framework Consultation Mr. Strang: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. A number of my constituents expressed interest in providing input to the land-use framework consultation. The first session will be held in West Yellowhead, in Edson, on May 14. My question is for the Minister of Sustainable Resource Development. How much is the minister planning to encourage Albertans about this very complex topic of land use in Alberta? The Acting Speaker: The hon. minister. Dr. Morton: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I am happy to report to this House that from May 14 to 31 there’ll be 17 public sessions where Albertans will have the opportunity to share their views on land use with Sustainable Resource Development and the government of Alberta. We’re encouraging all Albertans to participate in this process. For those that are listening or watching today, you can find the dates and locations at www.landuse.gov.ab.ca or call toll-free at 310-4455. There’ll also be ads in the newspapers advertising these meetings. Thank you. 2:20 The Acting Speaker: The hon. Member for West Yellowhead. Mr. Strang: Thank you very much, Mr.

Speaker. My first supple- mentary question is to the same minister. What format will the sessions take, and how can the public be assured their comments will be used? Dr. Morton: Mr. Speaker, we’re very anxious to hear from Albertans on this. These meetings will go from approximately 2 in the afternoon until the evening, so it’s flexible to meet people’s time schedules. There are two very interesting pamphlets that will be available. One is a workbook; the other explains. These can be sent in. We’ll be reading these results, and they’ll be fed into the final result. The Acting Speaker: The hon.

Member for West Yellowhead. Mr. Strang: Thanks, Mr. Speaker. My second supplementary question is to the same minister. What should I tell my constituents about the media reports that the Alberta government is considering user fees for rugged trails designed for all-terrain vehicles? Dr. Morton: Thank you for that question, hon. member. This is an opportunity to clarify earlier remarks. We have been there. Very specifically, I have been in consultation with off-road vehicle users interested in improving the quality of off-road trails and recreation in our forests.

They are the ones that brought the issue of fees to improve the trails and bridges and so forth to protect the environ- ment. But I want to clarify: this does not apply to parks. Okay, fellows? It doesn’t apply to parks. This is forestry land-use areas. I would like to report that I’ll be spending the May long weekend and also June 2 with various off-road vehicle groups in southern Alberta examining this issue. The Acting Speaker: Hon. members, the time allocated for question period has now elapsed.

Hon. members, before we proceed with Tabling Returns and Reports, may we briefly revert to Introduction of Guests? [Unanimous consent granted] head: Introduction of Guests (reversion) The Acting Speaker: The hon. Deputy Speaker. Mr. Marz: Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. Today we have with us in the members’ gallery 38 guests from the Trochu Valley high school. This is a school that is very astute in bringing the class up here every year and teaching parliamentary democracy. Unfortu- nately, only one of the class could come up for the MLA for a Day program, so the class did the next best thing: they all came.

We have with the class of 38 their teachers Mrs. Fran Winther and Mr. Bill Cunningham. I’d ask them to all rise and r eceive the warm welcome of the Assembly. The Acting Speaker: The hon. Member for Drayton Valley-Calmar. Rev. Abbott: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. As I looked up in the gallery, I also noticed another former page of the Assembly, Natalie Wilson. Natalie’s mother is a teacher in Calmar. Her brother is currently a page. I see him sitting over there.

I’m going to ask if Natalie would stand in the public gallery and also receive the warm welcome of the Assembly. head: Tabling Returns and Reports (continued) The Acting Speaker: The hon. Member for Edmonton-Ellerslie. Mr. Agnihotri: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I have a tabling from my constituent Jim Sexsmith, who is a senior. He is on a fixed income, no savings, dependent on oxygen. He has emphysema, living in an apartment, and can’t find another place. The rent has increased this year and another 20 per cent increase coming very soon. No affordable home available for seniors, and he needs some help.

I have five copies. Thank you. The Acting Speaker: The hon. Member for St. Albert. Mr. Flaherty: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I am pleased to rise today to table the appropriate number of copies of a letter from the Minister of Education to the Alberta Teachers’ Association regard- ing the teachers’ unfunded pension liability. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The Acting Speaker: The hon. Member for Edmonton-Mill Woods. Mrs. Mather: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I have two tablings this afternoon. The first is from a constituent, Deb Newman, who is saying: “Is there no way that we can stop this robbery?

Has no one in government considered that it is time to bring back ‘rent con- trol’?” The other one is from Velvet Martin about children with special needs. She says: The most cost-effective way to manage government funding for children with special needs is via support of natural family involve- ment. Families faced with life -altering changes when a child is

May 1, 2007 Alberta Hansard 733 born/develops severe disability ar e as vulnerable as the children themselves. Natural parents must be encouraged and regarded as valued, responsible care-givers. The Acting Speaker: The hon. Member for Edmonton-Manning. Mr. Backs: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I have two sets of tablings with the appropriate number of copies. One is notes for a statement from the independent Member for Edmonton-Manning on April 30, 2007, which was not given unanimous consent in this Assembly. It speaks to the workers’ day of mourning.

Another is from Gary Hunt and the citizens’ rights group operated by Victims of Violence. It speaks to a meeting this Saturday at Sacred Heart Church from 12 to 4 p.m. to build an organization for victims’ and citizens’ rights, to implement changes to help them. The Acting Speaker: The hon. Member for Edmonton-Centre. Ms Blakeman: Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. Earlier today I introduced one of my constituen ts, Brianne Hudson. I’d like to table a letter that she sent to me that’s also got a petition attached to it that is signed by all of the te nants of the Sierra building.

They write that they support the legislation that is supposed to be intro- duced – and we were actually expecting it today – which would limit the number of times landlords could raise the rent to once per year. They feel that there is a great need for rent control in the province and also ask that rent not be increased by more than 5 per cent per year. So on behalf of those tenants of the Sierra building – and I congratulate them on their advocacy – I would like to table the appropriate number of copies of their submission to the Assembly. Thank you.

The Acting Speaker: Hon. members, on your table there was a ribbon placed today. It’s a card and a pin, Give the Gift of Life, from the Minister of Health and Wellness in recognition of National Organ and Tissue Donor Awareness Week. As well, hon. members, the Government House Leader had tabled the calendar for the Committee of Supply, and I believe there are some changes in it. I’m given to understand that the Government House Leader will be tabling a revised version before the end of the day. Would you like to speak to that matter? Mr.

Hancock: I just wanted to draw the House’s attention to the fact that we switched, actually, May 14 and May 15. We got the departments right, but we forgot to switch the designated parties. So May 14 should be the New Democrats with the ministries of Energy and Environment, and May 15 in the evening should be the Liberals with the ministries of Infrastructure and Transportation and Employ- ment, Immigration and Industry. We will correct that for the record. The Acting Speaker: Very well. The record will reflect that. Thank you. head: Orders of the Day head: Government Motions Provincial Fiscal Policies 17. Dr.

Oberg moved:

Be it resolved that the Assembly approve in general the business plans and fiscal policies of the government. [Adjourned debate April 19: Ms Blakeman] The Acting Speaker: The Leader of Her Majesty’s Loyal Opposi- tion. Dr. Taft: Well, thank you, Mr. Speaker. On behalf of all Albertans and as Leader of the Official Opposition, this extraordinary caucus of people, it’s my duty and my privilege to rise and respond to the budget delivered in this Assembly two weeks ago. The first budget of the Stelmach government represents, in our view, a colossal failure of vision.

We need to start saving now to build a sustainable future for Alberta, but the government has ignored the need to save for the future. Instead, they’ve given us a fire alarm budget that drowns the political fires of today in a flood of nonrenewable oil sands cash while ignoring the needs of tomor- row. When I responded to last year’s budget, I said that there were a few things to like. The same holds true this year. For example, it’s good to see that at long last th e government is doing something to address the province’s massive infrastructure debt, even if action is coming years too late.

There’s a little more money for AISH. There’s some funding for the Water for Life strategy and a little more support for the arts. But, by and large, this is a panicky, hurry up and spend budget prompted by a growing crisis of confidence among Albertans, confidence lost because the government’s abject failure to plan for the boom has led to economic chaos and declining public services.

When people are stuck for hours in emergency rooms – and just yesterday we brought a tragic example to this Assembly – when children can’t get to school because there aren’t enough buses to go around, when there aren’t enough child care sp aces or affordable housing units to serve even a fraction of Albertans seeking them out, you know that this government has a serious problem. So out comes the money hose, crank open the valve, hurry up and spend before people really start getting mad.

Tragically, even the good aspects of this budget, particularly the long overdue funding for infrastructure, will have their positive impact dramatically lessened by the inflation and labour shortages that are the legacies of this very government’s failure to plan. Health care is still the number one concern on Albertan’s minds. Where is the planning to make health care accessible again? Construction still hasn’t begun on Calgary’s desperately needed new hospital. The people of Calgary shouldn’t have to wait any longer to know with certainty that they are going to get their hospital.

Along with this flood of cash comes an unprecedented abandon- ment of responsibility. Instead of tackling issues such as affordable housing or implementing the Water for Life strategy, the provincial government forks over money, then tells our already overloaded municipal governments to go and solve the problems on their own. The government could have saved Albertans untold stress had they simply implemented the Alberta Liberal affordable housing strategy.

Instead, they throw money at the problem, throw the problem at our cities, and wash their hands of the affair. 2:30 This budget was designed to win back the favour of the hundreds of thousands of disgruntled Albertans who have lost faith in a tired and visionless Tory regime. It’s one of the worst examples of short- term, self-serving political manoeuvring I’ve seen. Mr. Speaker, the government of Alberta has to do better. It has to start looking past politics because the very future of our province is at stake, nothing less than that. In a time of unparalleled opportunity it’s time for budgets that look ahead.

Instead, the government has given us a budget designed to cover up the mistakes of the past. One day soon, unless we change the way we budget right away, our government is going to turn on that money hose and experience a shock when only a few pennies trickle out. How will the govern- ment put out its self-inflicted political fires when that happens?

Alberta Hansard May 1, 2007734 Tory governments have taken huge oil and gas revenues for granted. The various oil booms have led the Tories to believe that they can spend their way out of any crisis, and this from a so-called conservative regime. So now we have an oil sands boom and a return to familiar but badly outdated patterns of thinking. When presented with a huge windfall – and oil and gas revenues are exactly that – any sensible Albertan would take some time to come up with a plan for the money. At the very least we should be asking ourselves what we want to achieve.

I believe and the Alberta Liberals believe that the answer is clear: we should be building a sustainable legacy for Alberta’s future so that when the oil and gas run out, tomorrow’s Albertans won’t be left holding the bag. Other oil-blessed governments have developed strategies to handle nonrenewable resource revenues. In Alaska, for example, the people decided to save the oil money and pay themselves personal divi- dends each year. In Norway they decided to keep taxes high and participate directly in the oil industry through a huge state oil company that, Mr.

Speaker, I might note is considering investing in the oil sands because it’s such a bargain here. The Norwegians then have put royalties in the bank with an obsession, a total amount exceeding $250 billion. In Dubai they launched a strategy to turn their dusty desert kingdom into a global financial retail and tourist centre for the exact reason that they knew that oil and gas revenues were nonrenewable. In Dubai it has worked, and that little kingdom is now a destination for people from around the world. None of those strategies is exactly right for Alberta, but at least all of those jurisdictions had a strategy.

They stuck with it, and today they have something to show for it. In contrast this Alberta government is spending our wealth as fast as it comes out of the ground. Over the course of the last several years the Tory govern- ment has grown more and more dependent upon nonrenewable oil and gas revenues to fund government services. Last year the Alberta government spent about $8,500 per person while collecting only $6,300 in sustainable revenues. That’s a sustainability gap of $2,200 per Albertan.

This government makes up the difference by spending our oil and gas revenues, and this budget that we are debating now widens the gap all the more. Now we’re looking at a dangerous chasm. If we don’t close the gap with sustainable funding – and this government shows no sign that it even recognizes the sustainability gap, Mr. Speaker – we’re looking at deficits, cuts in services, tax hikes, or all of the above. This government knows by now what an Alberta Liberal govern- ment would do to solve the problem. We’d take the bold step of actually saving some of Alberta’s nonrenewable resource revenues for tomorrow.

What a concept. This government had an opportunity to vote for an Alberta Liberal bill that would have saved 30 per cent of all nonrenewable resource revenues, savings that would have closed the sustainability gap and secured financial stability for decades to come. [interjections] I’m getting heckling from government members about doing the math. The fact is, Mr. Speaker, that we have done the math. We’ve worked with the economists. We’ve worked with the business leaders. It’s our plan they’re endorsing, not this government’s.

The legislation we introduced as our flagship bill, had it not been rejected by the government, would have reinvigorated the heritage fund so much so that in 20 years the Alberta government would earn more from heritage fund investments than from oil and gas, freeing us from the boom-and-bust cycles of resource-based economies. Endowments for the arts and postsecondary education would have given Alberta truly world-class universities and colleges and a booming arts scene with stable, sustainable, dependable funding at last. Am I driven by this issue, Mr. Speaker? Do I bring it up at every opportunity?

You bet I do. I’m driven by the idea of saving these once-in-a-lifetime revenues because I know how vital those savings are to our future. Without a plan for saving these precious revenues, this Tory budget is a failure. When it comes right down to it, well- planned, visionary budgets help Albertans. To those who say that Alberta cannot afford to build the heritage fund and long-term endowments, we say that Alberta cannot afford not to do so.

With a clear vision of what we want our oil and gas revenues to achieve, we can create a world-class postsecondary institution, we can fund a school nutrition program so that no child in the province goes hungry, we can provide substantial and sustainable support for the arts, we can help Albertans with disabili- ties with regular increases for things like autism programs and AISH, and we can make sure that Albertans never again have to put up with a lack of affordable housing, schools, or health care.

Where are the long-term, sustainable, regular increases to front-line staff for people with developmental disabilities? Where is the sustainable funding for long-term care beds and staff? Saving a portion of our nonrenewable resource revenues is one key to a sustainable future. A second is education. You can’t go wrong when you invest in education. For example, when students slip behind in math or reading in the elementary grades, we want them to get the boost they need.

Educators today can predict with almost perfect accuracy the specific children who will drop out of high school by checking to see if a student in grades 3 or 4 is below their grade level in reading and ar ithmetic. So let’s have a budget that invests in the programs that will help those kids achieve their full potential. Or imagine a future in which our universities rank alongside Cambridge and Harvard and Berkeley, where NAIT and SAIT rank with MIT, where people come from around the world for the privilege of studying at Alberta’s colleges and universities and trade schools.

Long after our oil and gas has lost its value, education will carry Alberta forward. [interjections] The Minister of Energy is heckling away. He’s suggesting that oil and gas will last a thousand years. Is that right, Mr. Minister? Apparently not. Our postsecondary endowments and our commitment to primary education will when we form government ensure that a solid education system will always be there to serve Albertans. In the meantime in this budget school boards will have to settle for a paltry 3 per cent increase that doesn’t even cover inflation. Mr.

Speaker, you can be sure that the Alberta Liberals are not looking forward to the labour unrest that this short-sighted budget is almost guaranteed to foster. Good budgets are crucial to Albertans who need a little help. We’d like to see support for AISH recipients increased at the same rate as MLA salaries. We’d like to see a provincial school nutrition program funded so that children don’t have to go to school hungry. It is shameful, Mr. Speaker, that the only province in this country that doesn’t provide school nutrition funding is Alberta.

And we’d like to see the elimination of Canada’s most unfair tax: the Alberta health care premiums. [interjections] Again I’m getting heckling about doing the math. Mr. Speaker, I’ll put my math skills against the minister of agriculture any day of the week. 2:40 The Acting Speaker: Hon. members, when the Minister of Finance tabled his budget, he was given the opportunity and latitude to speak and to finish his comments. Please allow the Leader of Her Maj- esty’s Loyal Opposition to bring his remarks to this Assembly. Dr. Taft: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

We’d like to see the elimination of Canada’s most unfair tax, the Alberta health care premiums. This is a regressive tax that hurts everyone, its only purpose to serve

May 1, 2007 Alberta Hansard 735 Conservative ideology. Get rid of it and help thousands of Alberta families get that much closer to making ends meet. These are manageable commitments that have big benefits. The third key to a bright future is caring for the environment. This year’s fire alarm budget missed the biggest fire of all: the threat of climate change and pollution to our land, air, and water. The budget barely acknowledged the need to respond to climate change despite the growing need for a comprehensive plan to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

An Alberta Liberal government would immediately implement a climate change strategy including actions such as substantial funding for carbon capture and sequestration, for clean technology research, and for a building retrofit program to help Albertans pay for energy- efficient upgrades to their homes, yet there’s no increase in this budget for Alberta Environment this year at a time when we need real government leadership on climate change. Alberta is the front line in the battle against global warning, but this budget leaves Albertans fighting without ammunition. Mr. Speaker, Alberta is at a crossroads.

If we continue as we have in the past, we will stumble into the future one ad hoc budget after another until one day we realize that we’ve let our astonishing opportunity pass us by. Or we can seize the moment. We can wake up to that opportunity and build a future of unparalleled success with budgets that close the sustainability gap and save for the future. I’d like to quote Charles Darwin. “It is not the strongest of the species that survive, nor the mo st intelligent, but the one most responsive to change.” Mr.

Speaker, this is a government that willfully ignores change, and by doing so, it is jeopardizing Al- berta’s future. Tomorrow’s historians may well look back upon this budget and say: this is when Alberta finally lost its chance to build a sustainable future. This is when the Conservatives failed to take advantage of their last opportunity to adapt to a changing world. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The Acting Speaker: The hon. Member for Edmonton-Highlands- Norwood. Mr. Mason: Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker.

Well, it’s a pleasure to rise and speak to the budget for 2007 of the provincial government and the first budget tabled by the cabinet appointed by the new Premier of our province. This budget focuses very much on repairing the damage that has been done over the last 10 or more years by the Conservative government by its failure to invest in Alberta’s infrastructure, and that is not only the new infrastructure that is needed for growth but also that which is necessary to repair and maintain the infrastructure which we have. Mr.

Speaker, when the former Premier, Ralph Klein, came to office, he came with a vow to eliminate Alberta’s debt, which was at that time $23 billion. Much of what has been done in terms of paying down that debt has been done at the expense of investment in our infrastructure. In fact, when you add up the numbers, you will find that the debt that this province now owes in infrastructure which needs to be repaired or replaced or new infrastructure which is required to meet the growth of th is province is very close to that figure. In other words, Mr.

Speaker, what the government has done is create a shell game with Albertans. They have taken a financial debt and converted it into a debt on the infrastructure which is of a similar magnitude. So the debt is not gone at all. It has not been paid off by this government as this government has claimed has been done. Rather, it’s simply been put into unmet costs for infrastruc- ture. So we have an enormous debt remaining, and that debt is in our roads. It’s in our hospitals. It’s in our bridges. It’s in our schools. But it is still a debt that future generations of this province will have to pay.

To give the government a little bit of credit, Mr. Speaker, they have attempted in this budget to begin to address that, so we’ve seen a dramatic increase in funding for infrastructure. But they’ve waited too late because now with the economy booming, with such demand for construction projects in the tar sands and other parts of the economy, the inflation rate has eaten up much of the spending that the government has allocated towards this infrastructure.

So instead of buying new bridges or schools or hospitals at a rate that the government could afford, we’re now expending perhaps 50 per cent more in order to obtain those things. The problem as we see it, Mr. Speaker, is that the ordinary people of this province have been forgotten in this budget and in this rush to rectify past mistakes. Working and middle-class families have been ignored. They have been left behind by this government.

Albertans with low incomes in particular will see their cost of living increase because of essential program funding in the budget which doesn’t even keep pace with Alberta’s soaring inflation rate. Rents are increasing and will continue to rise while the government turns its back on rent review and rent increase guidelines. Utility costs are rising as a result of the province’s failed experiment with deregula- tion. Mr. Speaker, inflation is eating up the gains of Alberta families in this period of economic growth. The last time inflation in Alberta was as high as it is today was in 1991.

Alberta’s inflation is almost double the next highest in the country. Municipalities like the city of Edmonton have said that they expect inflation on their construc- tion costs to reach 25 or 30 per cent this year. The government’s general budgeting practices have not changed. The Premier and the Minister of Finance have adopted their pred eces- sor’s practice of underestimating revenues and lowballing oil and gas prices. In his budget sp eech the Finance minister trumpeted a new plan for how to allocate surpluses. The NDP opposition expects him to keep this promise and will monitor the government closely.

The surplus allocation warrants discussion. It’s a clear indication that the Tories are planning for unplanned surpluses to continue, so the risk that government shuffles this money into slush funds also continues. Mr. Speaker, the budget fails to see the needs of its most vulnera- ble citizens as a priority. The Edmonton Social Planning Council points out that increases to vulnerable Albertans who depend on income supports are going up by only 5 per cent and in some cases not at all. AISH monthly benefits increased by 5 per cent to $1,050 effective April 1.

This year’s increase should allow AISH recipients living in subsidized accommodation to just keep pace with inflation, but those not living in subsidized accommodation will fall even further behind. The modest $18 million increase to Alberta seniors’ benefits this year will likely be used to cover the growing number of seniors eligible for the benefit. A 14.7 per cent increase has gone into funding for seniors’ lodges, which will allow for the addition of 250 more lodge units. 2:50 Mr.

Speaker, there’s not enough funding for child care in this budget, not nearly enough to cover the gap created by the cancella- tion of the child care and early childhood learning agreement by the federal Conservative government. So the extra funding will not meet the needs. It will not go very far in helping create more child care spaces, which are desperately needed as waiting lists for spaces grow across the province. Nor is there relief in this budget for parents who have found a place for their child or children but struggle to continue to cover the cost of care.

The NDP opposition supports affordable child care supported by public funding, which

Alberta Hansard May 1, 2007736 gives families a real chance to choose the option that is right for them. We can give parents who are forced to stay at home the option of entering the workforce and give their children a head start on learning. The budget falls short as well, Mr. Speaker, when it comes to education. After accounting for inflation, per student funding will actually be lower this year than last. Without proper funding for teachers and classroom s upplies children will be held back from their full potential. Across the province school boards have requested 172 new and repl acement schools.

The government has accepted 81 but has budgeted for fewer than half of them this year. Program funding, on the other hand, only received an increase of 5.5 per cent over last year. That’s exactly the rate of inflation, so it really isn’t an increase at all. Mr. Speaker, the Alberta School Boards Association points out that other sectors like the health regions were given more substantial increases, in the realm of 10 per cent, and this does not address upcoming teacher negotiations.

They have criticized a shift towards prescribed funding and away from general funding, which the school boards can allocate as they see fit. Of particular concern, Mr. Speaker, is that the government is holding out private partnerships as a panacea for building new schools. This method has failed. When a private company takes on a project to build a new school or a courthouse or a road, they borrow money to build the project.

They borrow it at a higher rate than that available to the government, and they expect the govern- ment to pay back every penny that they have borrowed to build a project, to cover all of their costs plus a profit. So, fundamentally, it’s an unescapable fact that P3s will always cost more than the traditional financing of government to build public projects. Not only that but the chances of shoddy workmanship, shortcuts, and other deficiencies exist as a very real concern. Mr. Speaker, the government’s approach to the rental crisis that we’re now facing reminds me of someone whistling past the graveyard.

There is tremendous upset in this province, right from one end of the province to the other, with respect to the costs of rent that people are being faced with, the gouging that is taking place. The government by slapping on a one rent increase per year rule has not dealt with the issue at all. It is seriously underestimating the seriousness of some of the rent increases that individuals are faced with. Any landlord that has not yet given a rent increase is eligible to increase the rent for any or all of his or her tenants as much as he wants.

We are seeing and we’re hearing every day about rent increases of $400, $500 that people are being asked to pay, yet the government does nothing. It’s pretty clear to me that many members opposite are feeling the heat from their constituents, particularly those that come from larger urban centres. You have to ask the question whether or not this new government has enough understanding of urban issues and the issues that face families that live in big cities in order to meet the needs of those people. I don’t think that they do.

There are currently 9,000 households on waiting lists for all forms of affordable housing in Alberta. The task force on housing calculated that for 12,000 units to be built over the next five years, a cost of $480 million per year for the next five years would be required. However, the government has said that it will build 11,200 units yet has promised only $96 million in enhanced capital support and $100 m illion in bl ock funding to municipa lities to address housing priorities in their community.

Clearly, even though the government has put all of its stock in getting new housing on the market as an alternative to any sort of rent limitations, they have not provided the funding. They have not backed up their promise with real funding. Mr. Speaker, that underlines this government’s approach from start to finish: big promises, very small delivery. That has become a real feature of this government. On health care the program spending is increased by 12.2 per cent, and the authorities are receiving a 9.5 increase in new funding, but these are just band-aid solutions. Mr.

Speaker, ambulance funding has remained static. Health regions are desperate for help when it comes to wait times in emergency rooms, and the failure to address the need for more funding for ambulances means the government is only adding to this problem. The municipality of Wood Buffalo is receiving an increase of $140 million, but that is not sufficient to meet the needs of this municipality. Eliminating health care premiums was a promise that the minister made in his campaign for the leadership of the Conservative party.

Eliminating this premium would have put money directly in the pockets of working and middle-class Albertan family, but once again the government chose not to do so. Mr. Speaker, just in closing, I wa nt to say that regular Alberta families are still struggling in this economy to make ends meet. The budget is inflationary. The government’s whole economic approach is inflationary. The massive capital spending is a response to years and years of neglect on the part of this province, and they are making lives more difficult for working and middle-class families. Rents are soaring.

Entry-level housing has all but vanished. Utility costs continue to rise faster than the national average. Child care spaces are rare and expensive. The average Albertan family is approaching a tipping point where the cost of living negates the many benefits we enjoy in our province. That’s why the NDP has called on the government to reach out and help working families, to deliver a budget that strikes a balance between necessary infrastructure development and support for regular people and their families. Mr. Speaker, the Premier and the Finance minister have chosen to focus on bricks and mortar.

Both of them are former infrastructure ministers, so they bear a great deal of responsibility for the mess that we’re in today, but in their rush to repair and build the schools, roads, and hospitals that are so badly needed, they have forgotten the needs of ordinary people. This government has forgotten the needs of ordinary people. Working families, middle-class families have not been adequately supported by this government and by this budget. The government has a blind spot when it comes to the people that they were elected to represent.

They are more concerned about helping and assisting the development of oil sands, not for the interests of the people of this province but for the American market and to serve the interests of the United States energy strategy. It’s time that they refocus their attention on the people that elected them, the people of this province who bu ilt this province. It’s time that this government provided meaningful support to working and middle-class families in this province, Mr. Speaker, but this government is running out of time. Thank you. The Acting Speaker: Standing Order 29(2)(a). Any comments or questions?

The hon. Member for Drayton Valley-Calmar. Rev. Abbott: Oh, yes, Mr. Speaker. Thank you very much. I’m just wondering if the hon. Member for Edmonton-Highlands-Norwood would give us some cost estimate of some of the proposals that he’s made in his speech. He talked about, of course, eliminating health care premiums, a billion dollars, and talked about investing several billion dollars in infrastructure. I’m just wondering if he could be a little more specific in those numbers and some of the other programs that he’s talked about.

If he could just let us know some of the cost that he’s talking about and where he proposes to get that money, that would be great.

May 1, 2007 Alberta Hansard 737 The Acting Speaker: The hon. member. Mr. Mason: Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. I’m happy to respond to the hon. Member for Drayton Valley-Calmar and just indicate that the budget, in our view, places far too much emphasis on getting out of the mess that the government itself has created. 3:00 Let us not forget that the government itself has talked about eliminating health care premiums. To listen to the Conservative leadership hopefuls in their debates, you would think you were having a convention of the Alberta Liberal party.

You know, they wanted to spend money on all kinds of different projects and give tax cuts at the same time. But let’s be clear, Mr. Speaker, that in fact it was a number of leadership contenders for the Conservative Party that promised the elimination of health care premiums. Not perhaps the individual that the hon. member supported – I understand that he was the lone caucus member supporting the Minister of Sustainable Resource Development, who I’m sure didn’t promise that – but there were so many Conservative leadership contenders . . . The Acting Speaker: This is supposed to be brief comments and questions.

Any others? The hon. Member for Drayton Valley- Calmar. Rev. Abbott: Well, thank you, Mr. Speaker. I think it’s interesting that the hon. member has chosen to dodge the question, one of the very things that he accuses us of during question period. I’m going to ask him once again, please. Could you please tell us the cost of your proposals in your speech? The Acting Speaker: The hon. Member for Edmonton-Highlands- Norwood. Mr. Mason: Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. Of course, it’s a question of priorities.

I know that the hon. member is very con- cerned about the cost, so he might be interested to know that there has been over $100 million allocated by this government in budgets to the support of the horse-racing industry in the last few years.

That’s a number that he might be very interested in because, of course, in the NDP we’re far more interested in reallocating money like that to actually help people who are, for example, on disability, seniors who are in inadequate or unsafe care. [The Deputy Speaker in the chair] There are lots of priorities for that money other than the rich horsemen and -women that, of course, support the Conservative Party and receive tremendous subsidization from the taxpayers, the ordinary people that that hon. member represents who pay their hard-earned money in taxes and then it gets spent on rich ranchers, to help them, I guess.

Mr. Speaker, those are the people that the Alberta New Democrats represent. They need to know that when they work hard and that money gets taken off their cheque every week by this provincial government, it’s put toward some real priorities that make a difference for working families. There’s not enough child care in this province. Rents are going through the roof. Utilities are too high. You know, when is the government going to wake up and start dealing with real priorities instead of taking taxpayers’ money to subsidize rich horse breeders and the horse-racing industry?

I’m sorry, but a New Democratic Party government would not have those kinds of wrong-headed priorities that seem to be supported by the hon. Member for Drayton Valley-Calmar. The Deputy Speaker: Are there others on Standing Order 29(2)(a)? If not, the hon. Member for Cardston-Taber-Warner. Mr. Hinman: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. It’s a real privilege to rise and to address the budget that we received approximately two weeks ago. I rise to speak to that budget, and I must say that many true conservatives are very disappointed in that budget, as I am.

This budget is not fiscally good for the family or for the communities that we live in. It has presented a hardship to them. This budget is a feeble effort or perhaps a desperate attempt to buy back votes that this government has lost. The problem, Mr. Speaker, is that those votes didn’t leave to go to the Liberal Party. They didn’t go and vote for them. They’re trying now to fight and to see who can spend the most money, and that’s a blatant problem with democracy where they’re trying to buy votes out of the public purse. Mr. Speaker, the price of poor planning is what this budget is about.

I would say that that is the true P3 of this Tory government: the price of poor planning. To make matters worse, they feel that the only way they can retain loyalty is to increase the conditions upon which that money that they’re giving out is met. It’s been universal with every municipal leader that I’ve talked to that they say that the new conditions for this municipal funding are unacceptable.

To the previous minister of municipal affairs, who travelled around and spoke with the different mayors and reeves, that was the number one message that they sent to him, that we need unconditional funding, and that has not been met. Just to go over a few of the problems, I guess. We have a Tory government here that is bragging that they’re spending six times more than other jurisdictions. This sounds like two princes that are out partying on the town to see who has the most money and the biggest budget to blow. The really sad thing, Mr.

Speaker, on this is the fact that the town doesn’t have the capacity to absorb that money, and we can use it specifically in the infrastructure position there. There are billions and billions of dollars that are being handed out and said: spend it now, spend it on this area, and do it before this time limit. It puts us in a position that we can’t accomplish it.

To give a simple analogy, we could say that perhaps there is the capacity – and I know that this government knows the capacity – of 2,000 kilo- metres of paving to do a year, yet they hand the money out to these municipal governments and say: here, do 3,000. Then, when they put it up for tender, those people know that they can’t all meet those tenders, so inflation goes up, and it’s a direct result of the sup- ply/demand shortage. Inflation is going rampant in the problem, and we’re not getting good value for our dollar.

The Alberta Alliance has been proposing and will continue to propose that this funding must go to the municipalities and allow them to have a capital savings plan and say: “You use it when it’s in your best interest. Perhaps, you’re in an emergency situation, and you need to spend it now. You decide.

But if you know you have the money in the bank, maybe you can go through some operating improvements, move it out three years for when you need to do that complete retrofit.” But because the c onditions are such that they have to spend it now and they don’t have capital savings accounts, we’re putting ourselves in a terrible situation. Inflation continues to go up, and we’re getting less for the dollars that were spent. This is not in the interest of the families and the communities they live in, Mr. Speaker. This government is very much addicted to spending. I want to quote the Finance minister.

He says, “We must never return to the shortfall scenarios that plagued Alberta in the past.” We all realize and know how critical that is, yet we’ve raised the stakes. We’ve raised the spending because they also quote that we live in the most

Alberta Hansard May 1, 2007738 volatile of provinces to gauge what our income is. I always appreciate that they want to lowball the price of oil so that we are on the safe side. That’s good fiscal planning. It’s prudent. It’s what we should do. But when we continue to raise the spending to that income and say, “Well, we still have some breathing room here,” it isn’t sustainable. We can’t go on. The last three budgets have all been: this is one-time spending. That’s what the addict says when they go out. They’re addicted to the oil and gas revenue. They’re addicted to the gambling revenue.

How many times have we listened to this government declare that we live in a volatile revenue province? Yet our budget is the largest ever, and our surplus is the smallest in the last three years. Yes, we have eliminated the balance at the bank, which is a great move. They’ve talked many times about the importance of not having to spend the interest money. That’s to our benefit, yet we run out. There have been many times that many people have spoken of a minimum 10-year infrastructure plan, Mr. Speaker.

What they need to do – and the problem with this new municipal funding is that they say: this is going to be a 10-year program. I’ve talked to different municipal leaders, and the problem is that there is no formula, there is no way of calculating. Is Calgary going to get $1.4 million for this project for the next 10 years? Is Taber going to get $600,000 for the next years? Is Fort McMurra y going to get this much for the next 10 years? The answer is: we don’t know, they don’t know, and the government won’t tell us. You can’t plan 10 years . . . Mr. Elsalhy: Because they don’t know. Mr.

Hinman: Well, they don’t want to commit. It’s very easy to say: well, I’ll wait and spend where I want to. But, Mr. Speaker, if we want value for our money, if we want the road construction crews, if we want the housing crews, if we want all those to be there, we need to have a 10-year plan that says: this is what we’re going to do. It can be conservative, it can be fiscally responsible, but we absolutely need to make sure that it’s long term. If this plan is 10 years, each year you renew that so it’s still 10 years and not run to the end with people wondering: well, now how is it going to be adjusted?

We just don’t know. It isn’t good enough. We need the long-term planning, and we need the formula so they know what it is that they’re going to get and not wonder: well, is Taber going to get this money for the next 10 years, or is it two years and then they’re going to change one of the requirements and we fall out of favour and then we can’t pay for our waste water treatment plant? They don’t know if they can borrow or go ahead, and then we get in the worse situation of things falling apart. 3:10 Mr. Speaker, I just want to go back for a minute. I’m very proud to put on the green ribbon today.

What disturbs me, though, is that it says on here: “this is an opportunity to acknowledge the shortage of organs and tissues for transplantation.” I don’t know that there is a shortage. What there is is a lack of knowledge of people to realize the importance of using our resources wisely. I signed the back of my health care card many years ago. I’ve talked to my family. They all know that. That was looking forward. We can’t have the intent and then after we die our family looking at that and wondering: oh, what do we do? This is the same problem. I don’t think that we have a shortage of money.

What we have is a shortage of forethought to say: this is what we need to do responsibly. In 2003 the infrastructure money was drastically cut, and those construction companies that were addressing that, they sold their equipment; they left the province because of the huge cut. Now we’ve got this huge demand, and the cost has gone through the roof. We need a long, steady slope to know that this is what the govern ment is going to spend over the next 10 years.

More important, they need those projects mapped out so that they can look, and they will bid accordingly and say, “Well, gosh, we should get this equipment; we should look at that and start to expand,” because they know what’s there. The further we can see down the future, Mr. Speaker, the better we are. Mr. Speaker, another area that I want to address is the fact that this government is continuing to grow at an unprecedented rate. The Official Opposition has mentioned it, the third opposition, and the Alliance will mention it again. We need to eliminate the health care premiums. This is an ideal time.

It’s the proper time for proper tax reform. There will never be a better time, I believe, than the present time to look at and realize that now we can and, I guess, should clarify, reduce, simplify the taxes. One of the great things that we’ve done is that we’ve gone to a flat tax here in the province. That’s a benefit to the people in the province. It’s a great example to the rest of the country. Why, though, do we still have health care premiums? It isn’t a good tax. It’s government regulation. It’s government bureaucracy.

What we can do is reduce the size of government plus reduce our taxes: two things, easy to do. We need to accomplish that. We also need to realize that there’s a shortage of labour, Mr

Document details

Collection	Alberta — Debates (Hansard)
Citation	20070501
Type	hansard
Volume / chapter	L26 S3 20070501 1300 01 han.pdf
Language	en
Format	json
Source	PROVINCIAL
Identifier	65aac263091a920982c1af9d452ac4f347d92235

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