Province of Alberta The 27th Legislature Fourth Session Alberta Hansard Tuesday, March 22, 2011 Issue 17 The Honourable Kenneth R. Kowalski, Speaker

Legislative Assembly of Alberta The 27th Legislature Fourth Session Kowalski, Hon. Ken, Barrhead-Morinville-Westlock, Speaker Cao, Wayne C.N., Calgary-Fort, Deputy Speaker and Chair of Committees Mitzel, Len, Cypress-Medicine Hat, Deputy Chair of Committees Ady, Hon. Cindy, Calgary-Shaw (PC) Allred, Ken, St. Albert (PC) Amery, Moe, Calgary-East (PC) Anderson, Rob, Airdrie-Chestermere (WA), WA Opposition House Leader Benito, Carl, Edmonton-Mill Woods (PC) Berger, Evan, Livingstone-Macleod (PC) Bhardwaj, Naresh, Edmonton-Ellerslie (PC) Bhullar, Manmeet Singh, Calgary-Montrose (PC) Blackett, Hon.

Lindsay, Calgary-North West (PC) Blakeman, Laurie, Edmonton-Centre (AL), Official Opposition House Leader Boutilier, Guy C., Fort McMurray-Wood Buffalo (WA) Brown, Dr. Neil, QC, Calgary-Nose Hill (PC) Calahasen, Pearl, Lesser Slave Lake (PC) Campbell, Robin, West Yellowhead (PC), Government Whip Chase, Harry B., Calgary-Varsity (AL), Official Opposition Whip Dallas, Cal, Red Deer-South (PC) Danyluk, Hon. Ray, Lac La Biche-St. Paul (PC) DeLong, Alana, Calgary-Bow (PC) Denis, Hon.

Jonathan, QC, Calgary-Egmont (PC), Deputy Government House Leader Doerksen, Arno, Strathmore-Brooks (PC), Deputy Government Whip Drysdale, Wayne, Grande Prairie-Wapiti (PC) Elniski, Doug, Edmonton-Calder (PC) Evans, Hon. Iris, Sherwood Park (PC) Fawcett, Kyle, Calgary-North Hill (PC) Forsyth, Heather, Calgary-Fish Creek (WA), WA Opposition Whip Fritz, Hon. Yvonne, Calgary-Cross (PC) Goudreau, Hon. Hector G., Dunvegan-Central Peace (PC) Griffiths, Doug, Battle River-Wainwright (PC) Groeneveld, George, Highwood (PC) Hancock, Hon. Dave, QC, Edmonton-Whitemud (PC), Government House Leader Hayden, Hon.

Jack, Drumheller-Stettler (PC) Hehr, Kent, Calgary-Buffalo (AL) Hinman, Paul, Calgary-Glenmore (WA), WA Opposition Deputy Leader Horne, Fred, Edmonton-Rutherford (PC) Horner, Doug, Spruce Grove-Sturgeon-St. Albert (PC) Jablonski, Hon. Mary Anne, Red Deer-North (PC) Jacobs, Broyce, Cardston-Taber-Warner (PC) Johnson, Jeff, Athabasca-Redwater (PC) Johnston, Art, Calgary-Hays (PC) Kang, Darshan S., Calgary-McCall (AL) Klimchuk, Hon. Heather, Edmonton-Glenora (PC) Knight, Hon. Mel, Grande Prairie-Smoky (PC) Leskiw, Genia, Bonnyville-Cold Lake (PC) Liepert, Hon.

Ron, Calgary-West (PC) Lindsay, Fred, Stony Plain (PC) Lukaszuk, Hon. Thomas A., Edmonton-Castle Downs (PC), Deputy Government House Leader Lund, Ty, Rocky Mountain House (PC) MacDonald, Hugh, Edmonton-Gold Bar (AL) Marz, Richard, Olds-Didsbury-Three Hills (PC) Mason, Brian, Edmonton-Highlands-Norwood (ND), Leader of the ND Opposition McFarland, Barry, Little Bow (PC) McQueen, Diana, Drayton Valley-Calmar (PC) Morton, F.L., Foothills-Rocky View (PC) Notley, Rachel, Edmonton-Strathcona (ND), ND Opposition House Leader Oberle, Hon. Frank, Peace River (PC) Olson, Hon.

Verlyn, QC, Wetaskiwin-Camrose (PC), Deputy Government House Leader Ouellette, Hon. Luke, Innisfail-Sylvan Lake (PC) Pastoor, Bridget Brennan, Lethbridge-East (AL), Official Opposition Deputy Whip, Official Opposition Deputy Leader Prins, Ray, Lacombe-Ponoka (PC) Quest, Dave, Strathcona (PC) Redford, Alison M., QC, Calgary-Elbow (PC) Renner, Hon. Rob, Medicine Hat (PC), Deputy Government House Leader Rodney, Dave, Calgary-Lougheed (PC) Rogers, George, Leduc-Beaumont-Devon (PC) Sandhu, Peter, Edmonton-Manning (PC) Sarich, Janice, Edmonton-Decore (PC) Sherman, Dr. Raj, Edmonton-Meadowlark (Ind) Snelgrove, Hon.

Lloyd, Vermilion-Lloydminster (PC) Stelmach, Hon. Ed, Fort Saskatchewan-Vegreville (PC), Premier Swann, Dr. David, Calgary-Mountain View (AL), Leader of the Official Opposition Taft, Dr. Kevin, Edmonton-Riverview (AL) Tarchuk, Janis, Banff-Cochrane (PC) Taylor, Dave, Calgary-Currie (AB) VanderBurg, George, Whitecourt-Ste. Anne (PC) Vandermeer, Tony, Edmonton-Beverly-Clareview (PC) Weadick, Hon. Greg, Lethbridge-West (PC) Webber, Hon. Len, Calgary-Foothills (PC) Woo-Paw, Teresa, Calgary-Mackay (PC) Xiao, David H., Edmonton-McClung (PC) Zwozdesky, Hon.

Gene, Edmonton-Mill Creek (PC), Deputy Government House Leader Officers and Officials of the Legislative Assembly Clerk W.J. David McNeil Law Clerk/Director of Interparliamentary Relations Robert H. Reynolds, QC Senior Parliamentary Counsel/ Director of House Services Shannon Dean Manager – House Proceedings Micheline S. Gravel Parliamentary Counsel Stephanie LeBlanc Committee Research Co-ordinator Philip Massolin Sergeant-at-Arms Brian G. Hodgson Assistant Sergeant-at-Arms Chris Caughell Assistant Sergeant-at-Arms Gordon H.

Munk Managing Editor of Alberta Hansard Liz Sim Party standings: Progressive Conservative: 67 Alberta Liberal: 8 Wildrose Alliance: 4 New Democrat: 2 Alberta: 1 Independent: 1

Executive Council Ed Stelmach Premier, President of Executive Council, Chair of Agenda and Priorities Committee, Vice-chair of Treasury Board, Liaison to the Canadian Armed Forces Lloyd Snelgrove President of the Treasury Board, Minister of Finance and Enterprise Dave Hancock Minister of Education, Political Minister for Edmonton Iris Evans Minister of International and Intergovernmental Relations Mel Knight Minister of Sustainable Resource Development Luke Ouellette Minister of Transportation Rob Renner Minister of Environment Verlyn Olson Minister of Justice and Attorney General Yvonne Fritz Minister of Children and Youth Services, Political Minister for Calgary Jack Hayden Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Political Minister for Rural Alberta Ray Danyluk Minister of Infrastructure Gene Zwozdesky Minister of Health and Wellness Ron Liepert Minister of Energy Mary Anne Jablonski Minister of Seniors and Community Supports Len Webber Minister of Aboriginal Relations Heather Klimchuk Minister of Service Alberta Lindsay Blackett Minister of Culture and Community Spirit Cindy Ady Minister of Tourism, Parks and Recreation Hector Goudreau Minister of Municipal Affairs Frank Oberle Solicitor General and Minister of Public Security Jonathan Denis Minister of Housing and Urban Affairs Thomas Lukaszuk Minister of Employment and Immigration Greg Weadick Minister of Advanced Education and Technology Parliamentary Assistants Evan Berger Sustainable Resource Development Manmeet Singh Bhullar Municipal Affairs Cal Dallas Finance and Enterprise Fred Horne Health and Wellness Broyce Jacobs Agriculture and Rural Development Jeff Johnson Treasury Board (Oil Sands Sustainable Development Secretariat) Diana McQueen Energy Janice Sarich Education Teresa Woo-Paw Employment and Immigration

STANDING AND SPECIAL COMMITTEES OF THE LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY OF ALBERTA Standing Committee on the Alberta Heritage Savings Trust Fund Chair: Ms Tarchuk Deputy Chair: Mr. Elniski DeLong Forsyth Groeneveld Johnston MacDonald Quest Taft Standing Committee on Community Services Chair: Mr. Doerksen Deputy Chair: Mr. Hehr Allred Anderson Benito Bhullar Chase Johnston Notley Rodney Sarich Taylor Standing Committee on the Economy Chair: Mr. Bhardwaj Deputy Chair: Mr. Chase Amery Dallas Fawcett Hinman Johnson Lund Taft Tarchuk Taylor Woo-Paw Standing Committee on Health Chair: Mr.

McFarland Deputy Chair: Ms Pastoor Forsyth Griffiths Groeneveld Horne Lindsay Notley Quest Sherman Swann Vandermeer Standing Committee on Legislative Offices Chair: Mr. Mitzel Deputy Chair: Mr. Lund Bhullar Blakeman Campbell Hinman Lindsay MacDonald Marz Notley Quest Rogers Special Standing Committee on Members’ Services Chair: Mr. Kowalski Deputy Chair: Mr. Campbell Amery Anderson Bhullar Elniski Hehr Leskiw Mason Pastoor Rogers VanderBurg Standing Committee on Private Bills Chair: Dr.

Brown Deputy Chair: Ms Woo-Paw Allred Benito Boutilier Calahasen Dallas Doerksen Drysdale Hinman Horner Jacobs Kang Lindsay McQueen Morton Redford Sandhu Sarich Taft Xiao Standing Committee on Privileges and Elections, Standing Orders and Printing Chair: Mr. Prins Deputy Chair: Mr. Hancock Amery Berger Calahasen DeLong Doerksen Forsyth Groeneveld Hinman Jacobs Leskiw Lindsay McFarland Mitzel Notley Pastoor Quest Sherman Tarchuk Taylor Standing Committee on Public Accounts Chair: Mr. MacDonald Deputy Chair: Mr.

Rodney Allred Anderson Benito Calahasen Chase Dallas Elniski Fawcett Griffiths Groeneveld Kang Mason Sandhu Vandermeer Xiao Standing Committee on Public Safety and Services Chair: Mr. Drysdale Deputy Chair: Mr. Kang Boutilier Brown Calahasen Cao Forsyth Johnson MacDonald Rogers Sandhu Xiao Standing Committee on Resources and Environment Chair: Mr. Prins Deputy Chair: Ms Blakeman Anderson Berger Boutilier Hehr Jacobs Marz Mason McQueen Mitzel VanderBurg Select Special Ombudsman Search Committee Chair: Mr. Mitzel Deputy Chair: Mr. Lund Blakeman Hinman Lindsay Marz Notley Quest Rogers

March 22, 2011 Alberta Hansard 471 Legislative Assembly of Alberta Title: Tuesday, March 22, 2011 1:30 p.m. 1:30 p.m. Tuesday, March 22, 2011 [The Speaker in the chair] head: Prayers The Speaker: Good afternoon. Let us pray. Let us keep ever mindful of the special and unique opportunity we have to work for our constituents and our prov- ince, and in that work let us find strength and wisdom. Amen. Please be seated. head: Introduction of Guests The Speaker: The hon. Minister of Culture and Community Spirit. Mr. Blackett: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

As a Calgary MLA I don’t often get the opportunity to receive visiting students, so it’s with great pleasure today that I introduce to you and through you to all members of the Assembly 81 grade six students from St. Basil Catholic school, located in my constituency of Calgary-North West. Accompanying the students are teachers Anil Dolan, Carolyn Krahn, and Marianne Murray, along with 18 parent chaperones.

Although this school has not yet been seated in the members’ and public galleries as they will be joining us shortly from 2 to 3 p.m. to observe today’s question period, I would still ask that they receive the traditional warm welcome of the Assembly. The Speaker: The hon. Member for Battle River-Wainwright. Mr. Griffiths: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. It gives me great pleasure to rise today to introduce to you and through you to members of this Assembly a group of 41 students that are here from the Battle River-Wainwright constituency. Specifically, they come from Blessed Sacrament scho ol in Wainwright.

They are accompanied today by three teachers and helpers: Mrs. Michelle Folk, Mrs. Michelle Nanias, and Mr. Rene Rajotte. These teachers always invite me to come in and do a mock Legislature, and I get to spend a couple of hours with thes e students because I was a teacher. In nine years the most enjoyable part of this job is when I get to go back into the classroom. I understand groups 1 and 2 are seated behind me in the members’ gallery, and group 3 is seated in the public gallery. I would ask them to all rise and receive the trad i- tional warm welcome of this Assembly. The Speaker: The hon.

Member for Edmonton-Decore. Mrs. Sarich: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. It is indeed an honour and a privilege to rise today to introduce to you and through you to all members of the Assembly visitors from the constituency of Edmonton-Decore. There are 24 bright and wonderful students, filled with pass ion for education, from Northmount elementary school, where they work towards providing a safe, positive lear n- ing environment in which students as lifelong learners develop their skills, knowledge, and attitudes to become responsible, car- ing, and productiv e citizens. They are joined today by their teacher, Mrs.

Krystal Lim. I would ask them now to please rise and receive the traditional warm welcome of the House. Thank you. The Speaker: The hon. Member for Whitecourt-Ste. Anne. Mr. VanderBurg: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. It’s indeed an honour and a privilege to introduce the 45 students and parents from the Percy Baxter school. They are seated in the members’ and public galleries. Today was one of those testimonies to the bus driver. We had some whiteouts betwe en Whitecourt and Edmonton, and he got here safely with the students and I’m sure will get safely back to Whitecourt.

I’d ask them now to rise and receive the warm welcome of this Assembly. The Speaker: The hon. Member for Edmonton-Ellerslie. Mr. Bhardwaj: Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. It’s an hon- our for me to rise today and introduce to you and through you individuals who have travelled here from India on a trade mission to explore Alberta and the many opportunities we have to offer. They are Sukhdev S ingh, Sikandar Singh, and Harnek Singh, vi s- iting on behalf of the Pearl Group of companies. Their visit was initiated following the Premier’s mission to India in November 2010.

Joining them today are local prominent members Yash Sharma, editor of Asian Tri bune; and Atul Seth, a local accoun t- ant. At this time they’re all standing. I’d like to ask the Assembly to give them a traditional warm welcome. The Speaker: The hon. Member for Little Bow. Mr. McFarland: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. It’s a pleasure for me today to introduce to you and to all members of the Assembly a few of the councillors from Vulcan county. They’re up for the AAMD and C. We had a luncheon get -together with the guys. As they have their names announced, I’d ask that they please rise.

There are Councillor Ian Donovan from the Mossleigh area; Councillor Rick Geschwendt from Champion, whose family just got the 100-year Century farm award last year; Councillor Rod Ruark from north of Vulcan; CAO Leo Ludwig, the new admini s- trator, who is a former cl assmate of our Member for Edmonton- Manning; and, of course, our new reeve, Dave Schneider, from the Vulcan area. I see that they’re standing. Would you please give them a warm welcome? Enjoy the AAMD and C. The Speaker: The hon. Member for Strathmore-Brooks. Mr. Doerksen: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

It’s a pleasure for me to introduce to you and through you to all members of the Assembly today a friend of mine who I haven’t met for about 20 years and happened to meet in the cafeteria downstairs today. Walt Wien s drove a coach-load of young people up here from Cochrane today. Walt is a former owner of Braman Furniture in Lethbridge and a friend of mine. As I said, it was a happy circumstance that we met today. I’d like to ask Walt to rise and enjoy the traditiona l warm welcome of this Assembly. The Speaker: The hon. Minister of Advanced Education and Technology. Mr. Weadick: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I’d like to introduce to you and through you a good friend, a long -time acquaintance, and someone I’ve spent a lot of time with, Mr. Leo Ludwig, who is now working in the county of Vulcan. The Speaker: The hon. Member for Calgary-East. Mr. Amery: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. It’s my pleasure to intr o- duce to you and through you to all members of the Assembly two guests from the great constituency of Calgary -East. Mr. Khushroop Gill relocated to Calgary from India approximately nine years ago, and he tells me that Alberta is the best place in

472 Alberta Hansard March 22, 2011 the world in which to work, live, and raise a family. Also, we have Mr. Jag Goodoo, who is no stranger to many members of this Assembly. He was a great friend to the late hon. Harry So- hal. Mr. Goodoo in 1994-95 was the first private Albertan to voluntarily donate 5 per cent of his pay to the elimination of the budget deficit. They’re both seated in the public gallery. I’d like to ask them to rise and receive the traditional warm welcome of the Assembly. The Speaker: The hon. Member for Calgary-Glenmore. Mr. Hinman: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

It’s always a pleasure to rise and introduce to you and to all members of this Assembly the awesome Albertans who come to participate and to watch what goes on in this House. I’d like to ask James Cole, the president of the Calgary-Elbow constituency, to rise and receive the warm welcome of this Assembly. head: Members’ Statements The Speaker: The hon. Member for Whitecourt-Ste. Anne. Whitecourt Health Care Centre X-ray Unit Mr. VanderBurg: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Recently it was an- nounced that there will soon be a new X-ray machine at the Whitecourt health care centre. This was welcome news to my constituency.

The new equipment will help ensure that residents of Whitecourt-Ste. Anne are able to access the health care and services they need. This new mach ine will provide consistent and reliable services to patients in the Whitecourt area and will be easier for staff to operate. Through infrastructure mainte nance programs Alberta Health Services maintains over 120 health care sites and approximately 500 buildings throughout the province. Providing new equipment like this X-ray unit is a priority for Alberta Health Services and this government.

Alberta Health Services is strategi cally investing in the health system to support patients and communities like Whitecourt to stay healthy and to manage illness effectively. I’d like to thank not only the current health minister but his predecessor for all their care and concern for my constituents and for taking the time to visit the health care facilities within Whitecourt-Ste. Anne. Lastly, I’d like to thank all the health care workers not only in Whitecourt-Ste. Anne but throughout the province for their excellent work and caring and dedication. Thank you, sir. The Speaker: The hon.

Member for Calgary-Fish Creek. Seniors’ Care Mrs. Forsyth: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. This government brags about how they’re taking care of our seniors in this province. They brag about how they’re increasing continuing care spaces. They tweet about how they’re improving access and opening more as- sisted living beds. What they don’t brag about are the seniors that can’t stay in assisted living or don’t belong there in the first place. What do you do with an 86-year-old senior in assisted living who is lashing out at his spouse both verbally and physically be- cause of dementia?

What do you do with a senior with incontinence problems? What do you do with a senior who spends hours wandering the hall looking for their home, not realizing that they moved months ago? These ar e our beloved seniors that have fallen through the cracks. 1:40 This government insists that seniors should be in assisted living and not long-term care. Proof is in their action. No additional long-term cares have been built in years. ASL homes charge $20 for a bath, $500 for incontinence management, and $7 to be es- corted for their meals.

Seniors are being nickelled and dimed so that this government can pinch pennies. If a senior belongs in long-term care, put them in long-term care. The government needs to be clear: assisted living is not long-term care. What’s going on doesn’t save m oney for seniors or government. Hospital beds cost $250,000 per year while long-term care beds cost about $60,000. Our ER and long-term care backlogs could be solved if we built the right beds, giving the seniors the right care at the right time and in the right place.

This government needs to educate itself on the difference between assisted living and long- term care. This government needs to be honest to Albertans and do what’s right for seniors. I want to thank the families and health care professionals that do an exceptional job of providing care for all of our seniors. Day in and day out they make sure that our seniors, who have given so much to Alberta, receive the care in return. The Speaker: The hon. Member for Strathmore-Brooks. World Water Day Mr. Doerksen: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Today is World Water Day.

World Water Day was estab lished by the United Nations in 1993 to recognize the importance of fresh water and promote ef- fective water management. The theme or focus this year is Water for Cities or, I would suggest, wa ter for people. The objective of World Water Day 2011 is to focus international attention on the impact of rapid urban population growth, industrialization, and uncertainties caused by variables like climate, people conflicts, and natural disasters on urban water systems.

This is the first time in human history that most of th e world’s population live in cities, 3.3 billion people, and the urban landscape continues to grow. Mr. Speaker, we are fortunate to live in Alberta, where we have access to some of the safest drinking water in the world. As such, I want to focus on some of the positive and forward-looking initia- tives we have in Alberta to manage this important resource responsibly. Advanced water treatm ent facilities to serve our cit- ies, regional systems to support smaller communities, and Alberta’s groundwater mapping pr ojects are important initiatives.

Responsible and efficient management of water by industry and agriculture accommodates expande d use of water as Alberta grows. Important and forward-looking land-use planning around Alberta’s watersheds will further secure the long-term availability and efficient use of fresh water for people in this province. These ongoing commitments are part of Wa ter for Life, Alberta’s strat- egy to safeguard and manage our water resources today and in the future. It is our commitment to ensure safe, secure drinking water and healthy aquatic ecosystems in our province. Mr.

Speaker, World Water Day serves to remind us of our shared responsibility to protect water resources now and for future generations. Thank you. Health Care System Strengths Dr. Brown: Mr. Speaker, I would like to highlight some more strengths of health care in Al berta. Our province dedicates the highest amount per capita for health of any Canadian province. Alberta pays $4,712 per capita, far exceeding the national average

March 22, 2011 Alberta Hansard 473 of $3,673. We’ve been successful in attracting the best and bright- est in medical fields by having the best -paid doctors in Canada and among the best-paid nurses. Alberta has funded top-quality, internationally competitive health research for the last 30 years, bringing leading -edge clinical treat- ments to Albertans and to others around the world. For example, our hospitals provide advanced organ and tissue transplant procedures.

Last year the University of Calgary researchers made the first-ever documented transplant of living cartilage into a shoulder and al so made extending the life of donor cartilage tissue possible. Alberta’s researchers lead their fields in areas like cardiovascular health, brain development and health, diabetes, biomedical technologies, infe c- tious diseases, and bone and joint health.

Alberta research has improved wait times for health and knee replacements, helped to treat antibiotic infections like the virulent hospital bug Clostridium difficile, allowed scientists to commun i- cate with the brain, and saved heart -damaged babies’ lives.

Alberta has taken a leadership position in the treatment of diabetes with several advancements in programs, including performing the first insulin -producing islet transplants, greatly reducing patient need for insulin, and programs like the mobile diabetes s creening initiative and the Alberta monitoring for health program which assists low-income Albertans with their diabetic supplies. I could continue, Mr. Speaker, but as you can see, the publicly funded universal health care system in Alberta is strong and inno- vative and continues to be on track to be the best performing health care system in all of Canada.

The Speaker: The hon. Member for Calgary-Mackay. Continuing Care for Seniors Ms Woo-Paw: Thank you. Mr. Speaker, 2011 marks the first year that baby boomers start turning 65. By 2030 1 out of 5 Albertans will be seniors, and just as our demographics are changing so, too, is our way of doing things. Today seniors are more independent and healt hier than previous generations. Albertans have told us their preference is to age in their own homes and in homelike se t- tings in the community.

In November we released our five- year health action plan, and one of the strategies is to provide more choice in continuing care. Mr. Speaker, as part of that plan we are adding 5,300 continuing care spaces over the next five years, but providing more spaces is just one aspect of the strategy. More than 107,000 Albertans r e- ceive home-care services, allowing them to remain independent for as long as possible. We are expanding and adjusting home care. In this year’s budget we announced an expansion of home - care hours to allow at least 3,000 more people to receive services.

We are increasing support to caregivers. We are developing pilot projects that remove barriers and use technology to help se n- iors age in their own homes and close to their communities. The emergency to home pilot project in several emergency depar t- ments throughout the province links emergency department home- care co-ordinators with seniors in the ED to ensure that those who can return home have the support services they need to do so.

The neighbours helping neighbours initiative partners volun- teers with seniors or those with disabilities to help the m with everyday tasks and to keep them connected with their commun i- ties. We are also launching a project that tests new technologies aimed at providing increased safety for those who live on their own. Mr. Speaker, we are building a stronger, more integrated prov- ince-wide health system that will be sustainable for years to come, a health system that will help deliver quality care to Albertans. Castle Special Management Area Mr. Chase: Assault on the Castle. Mr.

Speaker, each day of this spring session I have tried and will continue to place on the record the names of the over 1,000 individuals who have contacted my office regarding the devastation being allowed to take place in the Castle-Crown by this government either overtly through clear -cut logging, euphemistically referred to as block cutting, where sp e- cies-unique old-growth forest is turned into a checkerboard of cuts under the pretense of pine beetle control, or subvertly by having insufficient staff available to arrest the off -road outlaws whose illegally carved trails further scar the landscape throughout large sections of the Castle.

In question period, during budget debates, through tablings, and now as a member’s statement on behalf of all outraged Albertans I am calling this government to account. As they were with Bill 29, the Alberta Parks Act, which proposed to take governance out of the Legislature to behind closed ministerial doors, Alberta’s citi- zens are similarly opposed to allowing the SRD minister dictatorial control of their Crown lan d and, in many cases, their livelihoods.

In addition to the numerous communications I and other gov- ernment MLAs have received but have yet to table, several newspaper articles have been written about this government’s ongoing assault on the Castle and dem anding that the area be r e- stored to protective status through the establishment of the Andy Russell I’tai Sah Kòp wilderness park.

Among the journalists who have answered the call of the Castle and raised the alarm are Kelly Cryderman of the Herald, Bill Kaufmann of the Sun, Dave Mabell and Gerald Gauthier of the Lethbridge Herald , Rose Sanchez of the Prairie Post, Lorne Fitch, a biologist, in a Pincher Creek Echo

article and the Nanton News. Examples of government’s centralization, exploitation, and behind-closed-doors mismanagement are growing daily. As a local physician recently noted: sunshine is the best antiseptic, to which I would add that a large voter turnout would provide the best cure. head: Oral Question Period The Speaker: First Official Opposition main question. The hon. Leader of the Official Opposition. Health Quality Council Review Dr. Swann: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Well, a doctor a day conti n- ues to come forward with damning allegations of intimidation, yet this Premier continues to duck and dive and dodge questions in the House. Well, Mr. Premier, you can’t hide forever, and you can’t rely on your damage control strategy of referring everything to the Health Quality Council as a quick fix, hoping the problem goes away. Albertans see through the government’s blatant attempt at PR spin and damage control. Mr. Premier, what are you hiding, and who are you protecting by avoiding the calls for an indepen d- ent inquiry? 1:50 Mr. Stelmach: Mr.

Speaker, we are going to have an in dependent inquiry. That is going to be done by the Health Quality Council under some very, very robust terms of reference that they the m- selves wrote. They’ll be conducting their review based on those terms of reference. Dr. Swann: To restore public confidence is to call an independent public inquiry. The Premier knows this. If you won’t, please tell

474 Alberta Hansard March 22, 2011 Albertans why restoring public confidence in our health care sy s- tem is not a priority of yours. Mr. Stelmach: Mr. Speaker, as I said, the Health Quality Council will conduct a full review. We asked them to conduct a full review of wait times in emergency rooms and also look at cancer surgery. Given their terms of reference, that they wrote, they’ll be able to listen to any evidence that comes forward from any individual, any Albertan that might want to bring evidence forward to the Health Quality Council. Dr.

Swann: Well, can the Premier explain how the Health Quality Council is going to subpoena people and records? Mr. Stelmach: I would think that with the list that the hon. me m- ber provided the other day, these physicians – and there may be some, perhaps, nurses and other health care providers – will come forward to the Health Quality Council and deliver their evidence. It will be done in full confidence and in complete impartiality. The Speaker: Second Official Opposition main question. The hon. Leader of the Official Opposition. Health Care Ethics and Compliance Dr. Swann: Mr.

Speaker, the Tories continue to add insult to injury by insisting that health professionals are free to speak and then referring to the code of conduct. What they neglect to me n- tion is that every avenue of raising concerns leads to the same destination: the ethics and compliance officer. Th is officer hap- pens to be the former legal counsel of Capital health and has had a record of brushing away legitimate concerns of health profession- als.

Again to the Premier: how can you say that the old culture of intimidation is gone from Alberta Health Se rvices when the same people are still in senior positions calling the shots? Mr. Stelmach: Mr. Speaker, the people that are assigned respo n- sible positions within Alberta Health Services have delivered those services extremely well. They have a huge respons ibility. They’re trying to resolve a lot of the issues. I know that one of the issues brought forward yesterday was the complaints by two nurses. That is public. It was on the website. There’s nothing there to hide.

Anybody and any Albertan can look at wha t is on the website with respect to the complaint from the nurses. Dr. Swann: Mr. Speaker, this Premier continues to insist that there’s a comprehensive process when everything eventually ends up in the hands of one person: that ethics and compliance offic er who has been there for a decade. How do you explain that, Mr. Premier? How can people have confidence? Mr. Stelmach: Actually, when a person has been in a position for that period of time, he must be doing a good job and be qualified to do that.

You know, I’m sure that the individual in question must have heard many individual cases that have come forward and used best judgment to listen to both sides and make the decision at the end of the day. Dr. Swann: Given that the closed -door review cannot compel witnesses nor grant immunity to witnesses nor subpoena doc u- ments, will the Premier finally allow a public inquiry, or is he waiting to be tipped off on the next damning case of complaint? Mr. Stelmach: As I said, Mr. Speaker, we’ll continue with the Health Quality Council review. The terms of reference are in place, and the review will start.

The first report will be in about three months, the secondary report in about six months, and the final report within nine months. We’ll know within three months which direction the Health Quality Council is heading. The Speaker: Third Official Opposition main question. The hon. Member for Edmonton-Centre. Provincial Environmental Monitoring Panel Ms Blakeman: Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. The 2009 Alberta Public A gencies Governance Act was to take the politics out of appointments to government agencies, boards, and commi t- tees.

Now I understand why it languishes in legislative purgatory and was never proclaimed, because here we are with another Tory buddy appointed to the water monitoring panel, a buddy that is now being investigated by the RCMP. To the Premier: why did the government feel it was acceptable to overlook the conflict -of- interest issues and appoint a friend to the water monitoring panel in the first place? Mr. Renner: Mr. Speaker, the panel that was appointed included a number of experts from a number of various fields.

The member in question was appointed because he is the executive director of the Canada School of Energy and Environment and brings expe r- tise to the panel that would have been very beneficial such as having an in-depth knowledge of the kind of research that is going on at the various institutions, academic and otherwise, across the entire country. Ms Blakeman: Well, he’s now on leave from that committee as well. Back to the Premier. Was it worth it to appoint a friend when it could irreparably damage the credibility of the recommendations of that committee? Mr. Renner: Well, Mr.

Speaker, the suggestion that so mehow this was an appointment of a friend I think is ludicrous. I’ve just explained the reason why the appointment was made. Does this member think that the most recent allegations were known to this minister when the appointment was made? It’s a ridiculous su g- gestion to think that the recent allegations came into part of that decision. Ms Blakeman: Well, Mr. Speaker, if that act had been in place, maybe they would have known. Back to the Premier.

Won’t the fact that the panel is mired in controversy and short a member for an undetermined period of time impact the ability of the board to fulfill its mandate? Mr. Renner: Mr. Speaker, this member is suggesting that this board somehow is not going to be able to fulfill its mandate. I would suggest to her that that’s simply not true. There are e x- tremely capable people on that board. The co -chairs, Mr. Kvisle and Dr. Tennant: I have the utmost faith that they will be able to work with the rest of the members of that panel and come forward with very, very credible recommendations. The Speaker: The hon.

Member for Fort McMurray -Wood Buffalo. Patient Advocacy by Health Professionals Mr. Boutilier: Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. Dr. Lloyd Maybaum spoke out for his patients. Good for him. Superboard officials, again using intimidation and bullying, said, and I quote: we want his head on a platter. The minister of health actually, in

March 22, 2011 Alberta Hansard 475 fairness, had an opportunity to demonstrate leadership and send a strong message that your government does not tolerate this type of behaviour, but the minister did absolutely nothing. Why does this minister continue to support intimidation and bullying of Alberta doctors and nurses by his nonaction? Mr. Zwozdesky: Mr. Speaker, nobody in the government sup- ports anything of that kind whatsoever. There’s a very clear policy that was signed by a three- way group last June. I will repeat it again.

It suggests very strongly that it is doctors’ duty and respon- sibility to advocate on behalf of their patients. There was an open letter to physician s signed by the Alberta Health Services leader- ship just a couple of weeks back here suggesting exactly the same thing. There’s also a change to the medical staff bylaws to ensure that that does not happen again. The Speaker: The hon. member. Mr. Boutilier: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Given your other failure to take action, based on that response my next question is: how can you say to Alberta doctors and nurses that they should feel free to come forward and speak out based on what you have said in the past? Mr. Zwozdesky: Mr. Speaker, because it is in their Hippocratic oath in slightly different words. It’s also in the bylaws. It’s also in the letters that I’ve just enunciated. I think the other thing that’s important here is for us to turn this page, to move on and get on with the excellent services that are needed today and tomorrow. Not much we can do about the past, Mr.

Speaker, where they continue to live. The Speaker: The hon. member. Mr. Boutilier: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Given that this minister wants the issue to die – I don’t, nor do Albertans – my third ques- tion is to the Premier. Given the dark cloud of intimidation hanging over the government, through the chair to the Premier: will you take full action now and show leadership before you r e- tire and call a public inquiry for the benefit of Albertans? Mr. Stelmach: Mr. Speaker, for the benefit of all Albertans again I’ll refer to the letter, as I did yesterday, which went out to Dr. Maybaum.

It says very clearly: this is not a matter of forcing you to be quiet, but it is a matter of teamwork and leadership. That to me is not some sort of intimidation of a physician that’s coming forward and speaking out from his area of expertise. The Speaker: Hon. Member for Fort McMurray-Wood Buffalo, if you quoted from a document in your first question, would you kindly table it at the appropriate time? To the Premier: you quoted from a letter. I don’t know if that’s been tabled or not, but I would expect it to be. The hon. Member for Edmonton-Highlands-Norwood. 2:00 Health Quality Council Review (continued) Mr.

Mason: Thanks very much, Mr. Speaker. Well, we know that this Tory government is the most secretive in Canada, and we also know that this culture of secrecy has seeped down into the health care system, intimidating front-line health care professionals from speaking out on behalf of their patients. To clear the air about the role of the Minister of Health and Wellness, will the Premier ask him to testify in public before the so -called hearing of the Health Quality Council? Mr. Stelmach: Mr. Speaker, last week the Health Quality Council issued very rigorous terms of reference.

They will be conducting their inquiry based on those terms of reference. I’m eager for the committee to get going in terms of listening to the evidence that’s going to come forward. Once again it’s about waiting times in surgery and also with respect to ER, but they’ve also expanded the terms of reference so that if any physician or health care provider wants to come forward with any ideas or what happened in the past, they’re free to do so. The Speaker: The hon. member. Mr. Mason: Thanks very much, Mr. Speaker.

Well, given that the Minister of International and Intergovernmental Relations, the Energy minister, the current Minister of Health and Wellness, and Mr. Gary Mar, PC leadership candidate, were all health ministers during this period of intimidation of health care professionals, will the Premier formally request his colleagues to appear before his so-called public hearing of the Health Quality Council and give testimony in public? Mr. Stelmach: Mr. Speaker, the Health Quality Council will co n- duct the hearings, and they will conduct them in the manner that they feel is the best to get the most information out.

The Speaker: The hon. member. Mr. Mason: Thanks very much, Mr. Speaker. Well, you know, will he ask his colleagues, then, to volunteer, I guess is my given? Given again that the culture of intimidation took place first when Mr. Gary Mar was the minister of health, will he formally request Mr. Mar appear before the so -called hearing at the Health Quality Council and give public testimony? Mr. Stelmach: Mr. Speaker, I do have the five copies of the ap- propriate tabling, and I’m going to quote from one of them.

Despite all of our challenges in Alberta, we continue to provide a high standard of medical care and public health se r- vices and programs to all Albertans. It is time to reflect on these blessings; we are incredibly fortunate. And so I respectfully submit that it is time for us all to move forward and to continue to rebuild the excellence that we have previously seen in our public health and other health se r- vices in Alberta. That is from Dr. Ameeta Singh, which is in a letter to the Edmo n- ton Journal. The Speaker: The hon. Leader of the Official Opposition. Emergency Room Wait Times Dr.

Swann: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Well, following up to the Premier, the Canadian Institute for Health Information just r e- leased a report o n wait times for six procedures like heart bypass surgery. While the rest of Canada is making progress, Alberta is the o nly province that has either made no headway or in some ways is getting worse. To the Premier: why does the Premier co n- tinue to claim we have the best performing health system when the facts show that we lag behind the rest of Canada? Mr. Stelmach: Actually, Mr. Speaker, he’s wrong.

According to the information I have from the report that came out, the benc h- mark right across Canada is 99, and we’re lower than 99. There is a lot of room for improvement – there’s no doubt about it – in all of the areas. But t o say that we’re the worst in Canada is abs o- lutely ridiculous.

476 Alberta Hansard March 22, 2011 Dr. Swann: Mr. Speaker, the new data parallels the lack of pr o- gress on lengths of stay and wait times in emergency rooms. When will the Premier heed our call to open mothballed facilities and mobilize additional staffing and relieve pressure on the ERs? Mr. Stelmach: Mr. Speaker, that’s what we’ve been doing for the last couple of months. There will be 3,200 more cataract surgeries done. There will be more staff hired.

In fact, with $2.6 billion in our three -year capital plan a lot of hospitals will be completed later in 2011 and in the beginning of 2012, that will add even more room for the many new Albertans that continue to move here to the province from Ontario, B.C., and other countries. Dr. Swann: Mr. Premier, will you restore confidence in the sy s- tem and call a public inquiry now? Mr. Stelmach: Mr. Speaker, as I said before, the Health Quality Council is prepared to begin its review.

Again it was directed to look at cancer wait times, look at emergency room waiting times, but they’ve also expanded their terms of reference to hear from all Albertans in terms of those that are providing health care to come forward with ideas on how to improve the system, and if there was something that happene d in the past, they can very easily bring that to the Health Quality Council. There are physicians that are interested in hearing what others are saying about the health system. The Speaker: The hon. Member for Strathcona, followed by the hon. Member for Edmonton-Riverview.

Income Support for Emergency Housing Mr. Quest: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. From time to time situations arise where unexpected tragedy strikes Albertans and their homes are destroyed or otherwise uninhabitable, instances such as the evacuation of the Penhorwood condominiums in Fort McMurray or the fire on the weekend at the apartment complex in north E d- monton. My question to the Minister of Employment and Immigration: in situations like this, what does your ministry do? The Speaker: The hon. minister. Mr. Lukaszuk: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Well, in situatio ns like these or, frankly, in any situation where an Albertan finds himself in financial peril, Alberta Works benefits dispensed through this ministry, through the 59 offices that we have throughout the prov- ince, provide benefits such as damage deposits, r ental arrears, utility arrears, utility payments, or other emergency benefits su b- ject to eligibility. Obviously, as stewards of taxpayers’ dollars we make sure that those Albertans who need those benefits, that assis- tance, will receive it. The Speaker: The hon. member. Mr. Quest: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. To the same minister.

When people are suddenly displaced, they do need help. What types of situations do the benefits you just mentioned cover? Mr. Lukaszuk: Well, Mr. Speaker, this actually gives me an o p- portunity to extend my gratitude to our staff throughout the entire province. As a matter of fact, during any emergency, no matter when it happens, in the middle of the night, or where it happens, our staff make sure to be there on the site of the emergency to offer immediate assistance and to make Albertans aware of the plethora of benefits that may be available to them.

For example, in the condominium situation and our recent fire in Edmonton our staff would be on-site at the time of evacuation, or whatever the peril is, and make themselves available to provide that immediate assistance. The Speaker: The hon. member. Mr. Quest: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Again to the same minister: so what level of benefits are provided to these people that you’re talking to on-site? Mr. Lukaszuk: Mr. Speaker, that would vary based on the situa- tion. Obviously, every applicant, Albertan, must apply or must exhibit their need to one of our staff.

Their eligibility is evaluated based on what their financial situation happens to be. As stewards of public dollars we will always provide assistance to those who truly need it and show that they need it. As I indicated earlier, basic expenses are taken care of by the department for those A l- bertans who need that help. Noninstructional Postsecondary Tuition Fees Dr. Taft: Mr.

Speaker, despite this government’s earlier promise that the cost of postsecondary tuition fees would be capped at the rate of inflation, the minister of advanced education has allowed professional faculties at both the U of A and the U of C to signif i- cantly raise tuition fees. Further, he’s allowing a growing list of institutions to charge mandatory noninstructional fees that are little more than end runs around tuition caps. To this minister: since students were previously consulted and then betrayed, where does he stand on tuition fee increases? The Speaker: The hon. minister. Mr.

Weadick: Well, thank you, Mr. Speaker. I would like to stand and say that we’re very pleased and proud that we do co n- sult with our students. We work very closely with them on many of these issues. I can tell this member that they have not been b e- trayed. We continue to work with our students. It’s critically important that they be at the table. There were six market modif i- ers that were approved last year that will come into effect later this year, that were supported by the student faculties in those areas, and they’re there to help bring those schools in line with others similar. Dr.

Taft: Well, to the same minister: first, I’d ask him to table the details of that information; and then, since this minister told this Assembly on March 9 that he’s been discussing ways that students could be involved in voting on noninstructional fees, will he con- firm that those discussions are going to lead to binding votes? The Speaker: The hon. minister. Mr. Weadick: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Yes. We’ve had discu s- sions with the students around fees, and there are a number of different kinds of fees that are available through the school.

Some of them are directly for sporting events, for those types of things, for use of athletic facilities, and those are between the students and the schools. The fees that seem to be causing the largest amount of angst are those fees which are simply for extra costs of operations, and those do not have support from this department. We believe that the CPI modifier is the appropriate way to handle tuition. Dr. Taft: Well, there was a glimmer of hope in the minister’s comments. I’d like to follow up on them. When he indicated that those mandatory noninstructional fees that do not have a direct tie

March 22, 2011 Alberta Hansard 477 to any particular service are not supported by his department, will he, then, order colleges and universities and institutions around the province to stop that practice? 2:10 The Speaker: The hon. minister. Mr. Weadick: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. We’re reluctant to simply across the board stop that practice. Right now our educat ion sys- tem is based on access and quality, and we want to make sure that it’s affordable but that the quality remains. We want to work with our institutions and with our students to make sure that we can keep those three pillars here.

We don’t want to tie the hands of all of our institutions, but we believe the students must be involved in helping to make those decisions, and we will continue to work with the students. The Speaker: The hon. Member for Whitecourt-Ste. Anne , fo l- lowed by the hon. Member for Calgary-Varsity. Gravel Extraction Management Mr. VanderBurg: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The sand and gravel rush is on in Whitecourt-Ste. Anne . Many applications for new projects are being made within my constituency. The overall land impacts, water impacts, and dust and noise concerns are causing a problem for my constituents.

Counties are not able to respond to the issues being raised by the residents. My questions are all to the Minister of Environment. How is your department ensuring that the environment continues to be protected with the growing num- ber of gravel pits in Alberta, especially within the Lac Ste. Anne county in my constituency? The Speaker: The hon. minister. Mr. Renner: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Well, first of all, the initial responsibility for zoning lies at the local level, so the municipality makes a decision whether or not to zone for a gravel pit.

Once that’s taken place, the applicant must follow a prescribed code of practice that is designed to protect the environment. Larger oper a- tions require licences, and in the process of approving those licence applications, there is a great deal of effort on the part of my staff . . . The Speaker: The hon. member. Mr.

VanderBurg: Well, getting a little closer to the situation, given that the Riparia resources application is currently before the department, how will the minister ensure that the residents in the area are properly consulted so that their concerns are fully under- stood and considered before this application is approved? Mr. Renner: Well, Mr. Speaker, on this particular application I understand that we have received an application along with a se c- ondary application under the Water Act. It’s currently undergoing our comprehensive environmental review, like all applications.

This is an open a nd transparent process that requires public notif i- cation. I understand that to date six statements of concern have been received, and our staff will take into account these statements of concern plus all of the other environmental issues in their con- sideration of whether or not to approve the application. Mr. VanderBurg: Mr. Speaker, to the same minister: how is the minister ensuring that appropriate decision -making now in the absence of a regional plan under the land-use framework is done? Mr. Renner: Well, Mr.

Speaker, every application is evaluated for potential impacts on the environment. Decisions that are made today use an existing process that ensures that we have the ult i- mate focus on protecting the environment. Once a regional plan comes into place, I would suggest that that will help to further inform the decision-makers about the achievement of locally d e- termined outcomes that balance both development and the environment. The Speaker: The hon. Member for Calgary-Varsity, followed by the hon. Member for Calgary-Bow. Castle Special Management Area Mr. Chase: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

In freedom to exploit A l- berta, private government -sanctioned greed consistently outweighs public good. Who you know in government trumps scientific evidence. Ironically, the greatest threat to sustainability is the minister of the moment. To the Minister of Sustainable R e- source Development: given the devastating environmental and economic costs of the 2003 Lost Creek fire, why would you e x- pose the Castle to the heightened threat of tinder -dry clear-cutting this summer? Mr. Knight: Well, Mr.

Speaker, with respect to the region that the hon. member talks about, there has been a program in place to manage the forest land use in that region. Probably better than 50 years of commercial logging operations have been going on there. A lot of the lovely, pristine trees that these folks are looking at today are actually ones that were put in place in reforestation pr o- jects 60 years ago. The Speaker: The hon. member. Mr. Chase: Thank you.

Again to the Minister of SRD: is it your ministry’s master plan to deliberately wipe out naturally diverse old-growth forest in the Castle in order to create more convenient, single-species tree farms for future harvesting? And don’t give me the 60-year bit. Mr. Knight: And don’t keep standing over there and pointing at me. Mr. Speaker, the situation with respect to the Castle is that two - thirds of that area is off limits to logging in the first place. Of the remaining one -third that is available to log, only 1 per cent per year will be logged, and it must be reforested according to Alberta law.

The Speaker: The hon. member. Mr. Chase: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Alberta law is limited. It’s a farce. Does the fact that 85 per cent of southern Albertans recently polled by the Lethbridge College are opposed to this government’s clear-cutting of their environmental, recreational, and economic legacy mean nothing to this cut first, measure not government? Who’s got your ear, Mr. Minister? Mr. Knight: Mr. Speaker, who’s got my ear is not the gentleman opposite. That was an interesting statement he made about the law in Alberta given that he’s a lawmaker. Mr.

Speaker, the University of Lethbridge: we very much work with them with res pect to watershed issues in the area and that type of thing. Another thing is that the studies that have been done relative to that issue and to the drainage that comes into the rivers in the area indicate that the rivers are in good-quality condition.

478 Alberta Hansard March 22, 2011 The Speaker: The hon. Member for Calgary -Bow, followed by the hon. Member for Edmonton-Strathcona. Fish Population in the Bow River Ms DeLong: Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. Downstream of Calgary the Bow River is one of the top trout fisheries in the whole world. Upstream as the Bow River runs through the con- stituency of Calgary -Bow: not so many fish. I have been told in the past that the reason there are fewer fish in my area is because the water is so clean that there are too few nutrients for the little bugs to grow, and the fish need these bugs for food.

Now, a recent report has . . . The Speaker: Sorry. The time has gone. The hon. minister. Mr. Knight: Well, Mr. Speaker, we had so much interest in that question, and I think I actually have not a bad a nswer. According to the data that we have, fish populations are not declining in the Bow River within the city limits of Calgary. Current regulations allow limited fish harvest, but the latest information I have, in the creel assessment in 2006, is that th e fish quantity and quality within the city limits of Calgary have remained as they have been for a number of years. The Speaker: The hon. member.

Ms DeLong: Thank you. A few years ago I reviewed the data regarding nutrient load in the Bow River, and as it comes through Calgary-Bow, aside from flood conditions our water quality was excellent. To the Minister of Environment: has our water quality been improving or declining? Mr. Renner: Mr. Speaker, if the member is referring to that reach of the Bow River immediately upstream of Calgary, I would su g- gest that it probably has been improving since we’ve improved the infrastructure that’s in place for the management and the treatment of municipal sewer from Canmore and Cochrane.

I also have to point out that we also need to be concerned with the health of the rivers right across the entire province. There are concerns with respect to nutrient quality . . . The Speaker: The hon. member. Ms DeLong: No further supplementals. Thank you. The Speaker: The hon. Member for Edmonton-Strathcona, fo l- lowed by the hon. Member for Lethbridge-East. Provincial Environmental Monitoring Panel (continued) Ms Notley: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Last week Albertans learned that a member of the oil sands monitoring panel, so touted by the Minister of Environment, is under investigation by the RCMP for criminal lobbying activities. Can the Minister of Environment explain to Albertans why he d id not immediately show leadership in completely removing Bruce Carson from the panel now and in the future and, more importantly, why he won’t do so now? Mr. Renner: Mr. Speaker, the last I heard is that in this country individuals are still innocent unti l proven guilty. I understand that allegations have been made and that an investigation is under way. Mr.

Carson has offered his leave of absence. I have accepted that leave of absence pending the outcome of the investigation. I think it’s a perfectly appropriate response. Ms Notley: Well, Mr. Speaker, given that Carson’s fiancée has a financial stake from which she stands to earn tens of millions of dollars in a water treatment company, a company for which he has been lobbying, and given that this company would have a fina n- cial interest in monitoring on the Athabasca River, can the minister explain how he failed to suss out this obvious conflict before appointing Carson to his panel? Mr. Renner: Mr. Speaker, Mr.

Carson was appointed to this panel in his capacity as executive director of the Canada School of Energy and Environment. It’s not common practice for us to delve into that degree of personal scrutiny prior to making appointments of this nature. 2:20 Ms Notley: Well, definitely, the minister doesn’t vet for conflict of interest. Given that the minister clearly doesn’t vet for criminal records, will this minister admit that the only thing he does look for in his appointees to his sham of a panel is close connecti ons to the Conservative Party? Mr. Renner: Mr. Speaker, let me repeat what I said the first time.

Allegations have been made. These allegations to date have not been substantiated, and an investigation is under way. At the con- clusion of that investigation appropriate action will be taken. The Speaker: The hon. Member for Lethbridge-East, followed by the hon. Member for Calgary-MacKay. Labour Protection for Paid Farm Workers Ms Pastoor: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. A trucking company e m- ployee is in serious condi tion in hospital after machinery he was operating hit an overhead power line in Wetaskiwin on Saturday.

To the Minister of Employment and Immigration: is occupational health and safety investigating this incident? Mr. Lukaszuk: Mr. Speaker, it’s unfortunate when any Albertan gets hurt, be it on or off the job. I am not certain of the specifics of the particular accident she is referring to, but as always I extend a welcome to this member to contact my office. As a matter of fact, come in person to my office , tell me which file you’re talking about, and I’ll have it checked for you right away.

Ms Pastoor: Well, given that this incident probably merits – not probably; it does merit – an OHS investigation, why is it that OHS cannot investigate the deaths of two men who were electrocuted in December when machinery they were transporting from a farm hit an overhead power line? Mr. Lukaszuk: Well, Mr. Speaker, it appears the member knew the answer to her first question; she just answered it, so maybe she will not want to meet with me.

The fact is that in any workplace where occupational health and safety applies, every single incident and accident is investigated duly, and the findings of those investigations are shared with my office. Again, if she is making a ref erence to a specific accident somewhere in Alberta, if she gives more accurate detail of which accident she is talking about, I will take a look into it. Ms Pastoor: Well, it was a fairly publicized and fairly serious incident that happened last Saturday.

March 22, 2011 Alberta Hansard 479 Is the safety of a farm worker worth so much less than the safety of any kind of worker in Alberta? Can the minister explain why Alberta is the only province in Canada – the only province in Canada – where farm employees are not covered in the same way by workplace laws? Mr. Lukaszuk: Mr. Speaker, no one’s life or health or safety is more important than another person’s, obviously.

The member knows very well that the Occupational Health and Safety Act does not apply to farms, and for that reason our minist er of agriculture has put a program in place that will be assisting our farmers with matters of occupational health and safety on Alberta farms. The Speaker: The hon. Member for Calgary -MacKay, followed by the hon. Member for Calgary-Glenmore. Innovation Voucher Program Ms Woo-Paw: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Albertans have heard a lot lately about the importance of innovation in the Alberta econ- omy.

Initiatives like the innovation vouchers go a long way to boost innovation among smaller Alberta companies. How ever, I have been contacted by constituents concerned that this valuable program is being discontinued. My question is to the Minister of Advanced Education and Technology. Why is this voucher pr o- gram no longer accepting applications? The Speaker: The hon. minister. Mr. Weadick: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The innovation voucher program was indeed a very popular program. It was launched as a pilot program. It provided 350 companies in 44 communities with $11 million to use towards innovation research.

It was an ex- tremely positive pilot. We’re now reviewing that so that we can come forward with an even better program in the future, and it will be continuing to run into the future. Ms Woo-Paw: My question is to the same minister. If the pr o- gram is so positive and successful, can the minister tell us why we need the review? The Speaker: The hon. minister. Mr. Weadick: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. It was run as a pilot pr o- gram. Through the project we have heard some issues around how to access it, some players that couldn’t get access, and some of the research places that didn’t receive any of the vouchers.

Today in Calgary at the Nanotech Showcase I spoke with a gentleman who’s developing a Band-Aid that can read your body vitals and your core temperature from a distance. That can be very positive. He received a voucher, but he said that some of the companies weren’t available that could do the research, and he’s looking forward to the next one. Ms Woo-Paw: Again a question to the same minister. Would companies have an opportunity to provide input to the review? The Speaker: The hon. minister. Mr. Weadick: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

That’s exactly what the review will do over the next couple of months: talk to those pe o- ple that receive vouchers and some of the research that was provided and see if we can make this program a little easier to access. Sometimes we put programs in, and the paperwork can be onerous. It can be difficult to fill out for some smaller companies and users. We want to make sure that this is streamlined an d easy to access for Alberta companies. The Speaker: The hon. Member for Calgary -Glenmore, followed by the hon. Member for Calgary-North Hill. Patient Advocacy by Health Professionals (continued) Mr. Hinman: Mr.

Speaker, again today this government has said that no investigation is necessary for the top officials who de- manded the doctor’s head on a platter. This government resembles a centralized autocratic regime. Municipal officials and PC MLAs know that if they criticize the government, they will pay a price even if their concerns are totally valid. This cripples our demo c- ratic system. To the minister of health: how can you not see that intimidating our health practitioners cripples our health care sy s- tem also and that a public inquiry is the only way to clear the air? Mr. Zwozdesky: Mr.

Speaker, I’ve had an opportunity to read this letter that is being referred to, and nowhere in here do I see anyone using the term “called for the head on a platter.” What I see here is someone who at the time was a physi cian lead, who wrote a letter asking for his colleagues to take up the cause for more mental health capacity. I can assure the member that that is going to happen. I indicated yesterday that there are 33 beds planned for the new south Calgary health campus . Thirteen of them are brand new, additional capacity beds. Mr. Hinman: Well, there’s the problem. They don’t follow up. It’s in the paper.

The quote was there. It’s been tabled. A head on the platter isn’t intimidating? Given the explicit declaration in the superboard’s original code of conduct that all health workers must fall in line and the r e- peated corroboration that has been coming out from individuals that have been reprimanded for advocating for the patients, will the minister explain why he uses m ilitary discipline to control our 90,000-strong army of health care workers? Mr. Zwozdesky: Well, Mr. Speaker, I think it’s time for even that member in that party to get into the present tense. There is no such muzzling order in effect.

What there is is an open policy that is now a duty to disclosure policy, so why they keep raising things from the past and inferring that they’re still in place or perhaps never were in place I don’t know. The fact is that today it’s an open, transparent process that encour ages doctors, nurses, and other health providers to speak out. You know what? They’re listening, and they’re responding appropriately. Mr. Hinman: Mr. Speaker, this is a 1970s horror show. Triple D: deny, deny, deny.

Given how many times the opposition has pointed this out to him, does the minister still not realize that the Health Quality Council is only capable of investigating health quality concerns, that the multiple allegations of workplace in- timidation coming from the top of the health department calls for a public inquiry and a full . . . The Speaker: The hon. minister. Mr. Zwozdesky: Mr.

Speaker, I think the Health Quality Council has made it very clear that they have set precedent in this particu- lar case because they have gone out there and designed their own terms of reference, and very soon we’re expecting them to tell us who their panel members are going to be. None of us knows who that is. They’re going to tell us who their health advisers might be.

480 Alberta Hansard March 22, 2011 I would warn this member to not mislead, misco mmunicate, and misappropriate statements. The Speaker: The hon. Member for Calgary-North Hill, followed by the hon. Member for Calgary-Buffalo. Education Property Tax Mr. Fawcett: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Today many Calgarians are wondering why they thought they were getting a cut in prop- erty tax only to find out the city of Calgary is moving in on the available tax base. This has many people scratching their heads, from taxpayers to school boards. My question is to the Minister of Finance and Enterprise.

Has the government changed its policy on the collection of revenue via property tax so that municipalities like Calgary can collect more revenue? Mr. Snelgrove: Well, Mr. Speaker, t he answer is no. We deter- mine the amount of money that we’re going to collect on behalf of Education, and we assess that equitably across Alberta municipali- ties. Whatever reason the city of Calgary feels it needs to raise taxes is a complete issue between the residents of the city of Ca l- gary and their city council. The Speaker: The hon. member. Mr. Fawcett: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Given that the reduced revenues have caused challenges to the provincial budget and given that Calgary taxpayers are not seeing a break in their pro p- erty taxes this year, does the minister not think it’s prudent to change this particular policy at this time? 2:30 Mr. Snelgrove: No. That was my first answer. Mr. Speaker, we committed years ago to a tax structure around education that commits only to growth, and that’s approximately 2 and a half per cent that we’re adding this year. That is not to sug- gest that the city of Calgary isn’t responsible to its own citizens or residents for its tax base.

Whether they would assume it’s because we didn’t charge as much as we could have for education or for whatever reason, they are separate issues. The Speaker: The hon. member. Third question. Mr. Fawcett: Yes. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My next question is to the Minister of Education.

Given tha t the province is leaving $47 million available in property tax revenue in Calgary and given that the Calgary board of education is facing close to a $50 million shortfall in its budget, is the minister still committed to the policy that the education port ion of the property tax is to provide basic support for Alberta’s K to 12 education system? The Speaker: The hon. minister. Mr. Hancock: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The education property tax provides about 30 per cent of the cost of basic education to the system. It’s not the full cost; it’s about 30 per cent of it.

It’s about $602 million from the city of Calgary during the 2011 year of the $1.27 billion in provincial funding. The reality is that in our education property tax we have i n- creased the amount collected by the growth in assessment, not by the inflation value. I don’t think citizens in Calgary would want us to grow our education pr operty tax assessment because the value of their property grew by way of inflation. I think they would expect that we would capture that same tax from the growth in the assessment roll because of new houses and new businesses. Education Funding Mr. Hehr: Mr.

Speaker, like I indicated yesterday, the Education budget reads like an insurance agreement in that what the large print giveth, the small print taketh away. A 4.7 per cent increase in the top line looks impressive until cuts to school board grants are factored in. To the Minister of Education. School boards have indicated the results of cuts to the rural sustainability initiative and cuts to AISI. Teachers will have to be let go, and this will lead to higher student to teacher ratios in the classroom. Does the minister deny that this is a result of his budget? Mr. Hancock: Mr.

Speaker, that could well be a result of the budget. There’s no question that while the budget was increased by 4.7 per cent, which is an incredible amount of increase to the budget in any department, that’s only $258 million – only $258 million – and in order to cover all the costs that are on the table, we needed about $363 million. So we had to find targeted grants in the amount of about $107 million. That is going to have an impact. When 98 per cent of our budget goes through the school boards, it will have an impact. But the other side of this equation is . . . The Speaker: The hon. member, please. Mr.

Hehr: Given that the rural stabilization grant cuts will force schools like the one in Lougheed to close down and this will force kids to go to school in another jurisdiction, my question is again for the Education minister. How long of a school bus ride to the next community is acceptable to this minister? Mr. Hancock: Mr. Speaker, how long of a school bus ride is a c- ceptable is really a question for the local community. In my particular case I wouldn’t want a child to have to ride for more than an hour any way, but that’s my personal view. The premise of the question is wrong.

The budget is not forcing anybody to close a school. School boards decide the priority for their funding. School boards across the province have in excess of $300 million of operating sur plus, and if it’s their priority, they can keep the schools open. Mr. Hehr: The premise of the question is: who is providing the money for our local school boards? Is that you, Mr. Minister? If it is, are you providing them with ample funding? Mr. Hancock: Well, I don’t have that kind of money, Mr.

Speaker, but the Alberta taxpayer wants to support education in this province and does support education in this province well, to the tune of $6.2 billion a year. If you add the opted out, it’s probably up around $6.4 billion a year. It’s an incredible amount of money for a very, very important function; that is, making sure that each and every child has an opportunity for a good education. We do have local school boards, and it’s their job to make sure that the education system operates well for their local students. The Speaker: The hon. Member for Edmonton- Manning, fo l- lowed by the hon.

Member for Edmonton-Gold Bar. Foreign Qualifications and Credentials Mr. Sandhu: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. A newly released repo rt by the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives talks about visible minorities in the workforce, and it says that on the whole they earn less than white Canadians. My first question is to the Minister of Employment and Immigration. Why do we encourage im migrants

March 22, 2011 Alberta Hansard 481 to come to Alberta if they are not going to be successful in the workforce? Mr. Lukaszuk: Mr. Speaker, we encourage immigrants to come to Alberta because we know for a fact that we’re walking into a perfect storm relative to worker shortages for many years to come. If we want to continue to enjoy the lifestyle that we have right now and the services that are available to us, we will need wor k- ers, and many of them will come from outside. But we also work very hard to make sure that the pay and the c onditions under which, frankly, all Albertans work are equitable to all.

The Speaker: The hon. member. Mr. Sandhu: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My second question is also to the same minister. I get questions from many people saying that they are frustrated wit h the job market, where employers tell them that they don’t have Canadian work experience and qualif i- cations. To the minister: what’s your ministry doing to help skilled, educated newcomers get their qualifications and exper i- ence recognized? Mr. Lukaszuk: That’s a very good question, Mr. Speaker.

In conjunction with various governing bodies like colleges and inst i- tutes that govern professions, we work on foreign credentials recognition to make sure that every immigrant works to his or her maximum capacity. At the same time, there is great room for i m- provement on the federal side to make sure that we inform prospective immigrants whether their credentials will or will not be recognized here in Canada upon their arrival. Mr. Sandhu: My last question is also to the same minister.

Does this mean that foreign-trained engineers, doctors, accountants, and other highly skilled professionals can stop working at entry -level jobs unrelated to their professions? Mr. Lukaszuk: Mr. Speaker, not necessarily in all cases, but provincial programs are put in place that allow foreign-trained professionals like medical doctors to be assessed and when shor t- comings are detected, to avail themselves of additional education to one day meet our Canadian standards.

At the end of the day – and I’m sure our minister of health would agree – we have to have a balance of recognizing foreign credentials but, at the same time, not jeopardizing the quality of care that Albertans receive in our hospitals. It’s a difficult balance to strike, but at the end of the day, again, we will continue to attract immigrants and make sure that they work to the maximum of their ability. Funding for Police Officers Mr. MacDonald: Last week a convicted murderer escaped from the federal prison in Drumheller, stole a vehicle, held two women hostage, then had a shootout with police.

The Solicitor General has said that he found this four -day rampage concerning and a reason for pushing the federal government on its crime legislation. To the Solicitor General, please. This incident was not about gaps in the law; it was about getting police out to stop serious crime. Why is this minister passing the buck to the federal government? Mr. Oberle: I’m doing no such thing, Mr. Spe aker. The fact of the matter is that the inmate was in federal custody and was under escort of a federal agent. It happened in our province.

I have expressed my concern that it happened in our province, and I am seeking a comment from the federal minister on how it happened and how we might be able to avoid such incidents in the future. The Speaker: The hon. member. Mr. MacDonald: Thank you.

Again to the same minister: given that Stats Canada data show that to the end of 2010 Alberta ranked 12th out of 13 provinces and territories for the number of police officers relative to population, why is the Solicitor General loo k- ing to federal government laws instead of solving the problem right here on the ground in this province by hiring more police officers? Mr. Oberle: Well, I might point out, Mr. Speaker, that the me m- ber’s statistics are wrong. We’ve had this debate before; we’ll probably have it in estimates again.

He should be prepared to e x- plain why our crime statistics are going down under our current police force. Yet again I would point out to him that it was not a police off i- cer that was escorting this prisoner. The fact that the prisoner escaped has absolutely nothing to do with the number of police that we have in the province. The Speaker: The hon. member. Mr. MacDonald: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The Stats Canada information is here, for your interest. Again to the same minister. Being taken hostage in your own home should be more than just concerning.

It strikes at the heart of our cherished belief that we should be safe in our own homes. What is the Solicitor General doing to bring policing to a level that will protect Albertans from being taken hostage in their own home? Mr. Oberle: Well, that’s precisely why that member, Mr. Speaker, wouldn’t accomplish anything with his query. The num- ber of police officers in our province has absolutely nothing whatsoever to do with the fact that a criminal escaped. I am deeply concerned that a criminal escaped.

I’m going to take it up with the federal minister, the only avenue I have to solve the problem. 2:40 The Speaker: Well, 19 members were recognized today. There were 112 questions and responses. I would like to point out that there has been some creeping in here of

preambles on the second or the third questions. That’s pretty noticeable today, and that seems to then give rise to a lot of increased volatility and emotion because it tends to be debate and argumentative. We were doing okay Thursday and yesterday, so let’s see if tomorrow we can come back and try it again. Okay? This creeping in is really not that healthy. In a few seconds from now we’ll continue with the Routine. We’re making good progress today. head: Notices of Motions The Speaker: The hon. Member for Airdrie-Chestermere. Mr. Anderson: Yes. Mr.

Speaker, I’d like to bring notice that under Standing Order 30 we’ll request leave to adjourn the ordi- nary business of the Assembly to discuss a matter of urgent public importance; namely, the need for a public inquiry, the urgency of debating whether there is a need for a public inquiry given new revelations that have come . . .

482 Alberta Hansard March 22, 2011 The Speaker: I think you had better read into the record your motion. That’s the only thing we’re talking about. Mr. Anderson: Okay. Sorry, Mr. Speaker. Pursuant to Stand ing Order 30

be it resolved that the ordinary business of the Legislative Assembly be adjourned to discuss a matter of urgent public importance; namely, that given new evi- dence from health professionals concerning threats to their careers that follow from public advocacy for patients, in particu- lar the release of a letter by Dr.

Lloyd Maybaum containing an explicit threat from his superior in 2008, the government needs to immediately appoint a commission under the Public Inquiries Act to investigate allegations that health care professionals may have been intimidated or faced the loss of employment or pr o- fessional certification or had their character or mental health questioned unfairly in order to prevent them from speaking out publicly about deficiencies i n the delivery of health care and, further, that individuals may have received payments from pu b- lic health authorities in exchange for their silence. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

The Speaker: Hon. member, it’s also appropriate that copies be prepared and avail able for all members of the House. Table off i- cers have advised me they have not been notified that you will be providing the appropriate number of copies, in this case being 90. You’ll have to have them here in a couple of minutes from now. Mr. Anderson: Yeah. head: Introduction of Bills The Speaker: The hon. Member for Drayton Valley-Calmar. Bill 16 Energy Statutes Amendment Act, 2011 Mrs. McQueen: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I request leave to i n- troduce Bill 16, Energy Statutes Amendment Act, 2011.

This bill supports the important work of both the Alberta Util i- ties Commission, the AUC, and the Energy Resources Conservation Board, the ERCB. Amendments will update existing legislation to authorize the regulation of extraction of coal through in situ gasifi cation or li q- uefaction. Further amendments will remove duplication in approval requirements for the use of large amounts of energy for industrial and manufacturing operations and will enable the ERCB to make regulations and to approve amendments to coal pe rmits in line with other industries that the ERCB regulates.

Other amen d- ments support the effective functioning of the electricity market in ensuring service quality to utility consumers. Mr. Speaker, I move first reading of Bill 16 and encourage all members to support its passage. Thank you. [Motion carried; Bill 16 read a first time] The Speaker: The hon. Government House Leader. Mr. Hancock: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I’d move that Bill 16 be moved onto the Order Paper under Government Bills and Orders. [Motion carried] head: Tabling Returns and Reports The Speaker: The hon. Leader of the Official Opposition. Ms Blakeman: Sir, can I table on his behalf, please?

The Speaker: Proceed. Ms Blakeman: Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. Two tablings on behalf of the Leader of the Official Opposition, and then I’ll ask permission to continue and do my own tablings. The first is referencing tablings we tried to do yesterday, so this is a letter from the U nited Nurses of Alberta signed by Karen Craik and Jane Sustrik. They are concerned that there was no ser i- ous investigation and that the dismissal of a complaint was completed without even interviewing the complainants, and they feel that this is a very serious problem.

The second is in reference to comments that the Leader of the Official Opposition made today, and that is Wait Times in Ca n- ada: A Comparison by Province, 2011, from the Canadian Institute for Health Information. This was released in March of 2011, the appropriate number of copies of that. May I continue with my own tablings? The Speaker: Yes. Ms Blakeman: Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. I have two additional tablings. One is a tabling to correct a tabling I did be- fore in which I did not include the e- mail header that showed that this was an e- mail.

Again, it is from Naomi Fridhandler, who is a U of A medical student who wrote me with her concerns about the potential loss of funding for the Alberta Medical Association’s physician and family support program. This is through the neg o- tiations between the Alberta Medical Association and the government. I will table those documents again. Finally, my second tabling is notification of a rally here at the Legislative Assembly for Saturday, March 26, at 1 p.m., which is people interested in health asking for a public inquiry now. They can contact Friends of Medicare for additional information.

Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. The Speaker: Hon. Government House Leader, when the Premier was speaking today, there were documents to be tabled, as I recall. Mr. Hancock: Yes, indeed, Mr. Speaker. I table on his behalf the appropriate number of copies of a document entitled Time for a Truce in Health -care Debate. It’s a digital version of a copy of a letter published in the Edmonton Journal on March 22 at page A19 in the letters section, final edition, from Dr. Ameeta Singh, and it includes the quote that the Premier referenced. The Speaker: Hon.

Member for Fort McMurray -Wood Buffalo, as I recall, you quoted from a letter. Kindly table it. Mr. Boutilier: Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. I provide the requisite number of copies. In question period this afternoon, as was indicated earlier, with the minister of health an exchange took place, and the quotation was where Dr. Maybaum said that he was told to keep quiet and that there were people high up in the gov- ernment who want his head on a platter. I submit them today. The Speaker: The hon. Member for Calgary-Varsity. Mr. Chase: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I have f our sets of tablings today concerning the Castle, the first of which includes the authors and articles I referenced in my member’s statement as well as a more recently published

article by Trevor Howell and one by Susan Quinlan of the Prairie Post entitled Parks Legislation under Revision, Drawing Concern. My second set of tablings is an e -mail from Juergen Boden of Oststeinbek, Germany, who is seeking the preservation of the Castle wilderness by stating:

March 22, 2011 Alberta Hansard 483 We here at Alouette Verlag – Book and Film Producti ons – are in strict opposition of your plans to undertake block -cut logging in this unique wilderness place as it is of irreplaceable spiritual, ecological and recreational value for all Canadians and for all visitors from abroad. My third set, Mr. Speaker, has to do with the following indi- viduals who share Mr. Boden’s concerns regarding the Alberta government’s exploitation of the Castle.

The individuals include Taylor Will, Shawna Edworthy, Leslie Stastook, Sue Sargent, Jenny Ferguson, Alexandra Shriner, Jessica Eustace, Mark Mathe- son, Nyk Danu, Erica Heuer, Shizu Futa, Chelsea Vignola, Robyn Duncan, Linda Rae, Peter Herrmann, Dana Rothkop, Dr. Emma Griffiths, Sanne van der Ros, Chelsea Boida, Dana Armitage, Laura Dupont, Betty McInnes, Melissa Lawrence, Anita R o- maniuk, and Phillip Sorbetti. 2:50 Mr.

Speaker, my last set involves Jeremy Kurtz, Debra Yendall, Robert Klei, John Postma, Cecilie Davidson, Harold Funk, David Feeny, Sheila Winder, Paul Falvo, Emma Pike, Mark Essiembre, Jennifer Groot, Sue Maxwe ll, Sarah Fletcher, Lesley Willows, Carol Zhong, Susan Bull, Mary Gorecki, Bob Stuart, Margaret Kennedy, Dianne Olmstead, Rita MacDonald, Senan Griffin, Wal- ter Mirosh, and Marjorie Larson, all concerned about the Castle. Thank you. The Speaker: The hon. Member for Calgary-Glenmore. Mr. Hinman: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I have the appropriate number of copies and would like to table a program.

Immigrant Services Calgary had a wonderful gala, called the immigrants of distinction awards, on the 19th of March, 2011, down in Calgary. I had the honour of attending. The contribution and the recognition of the various immigrants that have come to Alberta recently – and some of them have even been here for quite some time. The contribution that they’ve made: it’s just incredible. I think that the Members of the Legislative Assembly would find it quite intrig u- ing to read. The Speaker: The hon. Minister of Employment and Immigration. Mr. Lukaszuk: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. A couple of tablings.

Earlier during questions to me there was a reference to a report, Canada’s Colour Coded Labour Market, on the gap between sal a- ries of Caucasian and non-Caucasian immigrants to Canada. I’d like to table copies of that particular report. Also, a copy of a letter that I issued to the hon.

Member for Fort McMurray-Wood Buffalo in response to his letter, as he tabled, outlining the wide scope of services that our office in Fort McMurray has been and continues to offer not only to all residents in Fort McMurray but particularly to those affected in the condo and also inviting him to stop over in Fort McMurray one day to visit our staff and perhaps express his gratitude for the same. head: Request for Emergency Debate The Speaker: Hon. Member for Airdrie -Chestermere, please proceed with your Standing Order 30 application, with brief a r- guments in favour of urgency.

Patient Advocacy by Health Professionals Mr. Anderson: Yes. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. This is my first Standing Order 30, so please bear with me. I will try to do my best. Standing Order 30(1), of course, states: After the daily routine and before the Orders of the Day, any Member may request leave to move to adjourn the ordinary business of the Assembly to di scuss a matter of urgent public importance when written notice has been given to the Speaker at least 2 hours prior to the sitting of the Assembly.

As I understand it, the question here is: is this matter that we are bringing forward here of urgent public importance? Is there public importance, and is it urgent? Or can we discuss this at other times and places in the Legislature during session here? The reason that we in the Wildrose feel that it is of urgent pub- lic importance is – I don’t think the public importance

part is in dispute. I think, obviously, we’re talking about health care. We’re talking about a crisis of confidence in the system, with all these different doctors and individuals coming forward and saying that they’ve been intimidated into not advocating for their patients. That’s well documented. I do think that it is important, and we see this with the government’s own actions by calling for an Alberta Health Quality Council review. So I don’t think public importance is too much of the issue here.

What I do think is the issue and what there may be a debate over is the urgency, especially given that we did have a debate on a different motion, put forth by the Liberal caucus last week, last Monday actually. We also had submitted a notice of Sta nding Order 30 at that time, too, but you can only debate one in a day. So we debated for about an hour and a half the issue that the Li b- erals brought forward, and it was a good debate.

Now, aside from the fact that we don’t think there was enough time during that debate – but that’s not at issue here – the prob- lem is that since that debate took place last Monday, there has been literally an avalanche of new information, new revelation that has come forward that was not known at the time that we had the debate. For example, last Monday the only thing that we had, really, was the allegations by Dr. McNamee in a somewhat older stat e- ment of claim that he had been essentially bullied, intimidated, essentially let go for advocating on behalf of his patients. We had that document.

There were some other doctors who were off the record saying a few things, which are very serious allegations, but there was nothing, really, other than that. There wasn’t all that much besides that. We also had, of course, at that ti me, obviously, what happened with the Member for Edmonton-Meadowlark last fall as well as what happened to the Leader of the Opposition while he was in Medicine Hat.

We had these kinds of past issues that were dealt with and that we discussed in that emergency debate on Monday, but since then, I would submit, the evidence has compounded greatly, to the point where we have, of course, as has been tabled earlier in this House, the AMA, the Alberta Medical Association, coming forward with two letters. The fir st, given a few days ago, on the 14th, said that for the first time ever the government had resorted to intimidation tactics to get the AMA to agree to the government agreement.

There was a letter a couple of days later, also from the AMA, that’s also been tabled in this Legislature, that specifically noted that there needs to be a clearing of the air and that they fully su p- ported a public inquiry and would co-operate should one be called. That’s the AMA, representing doctors and our physicians as a whole. It is, obviously, very problematic if you have, essentially, the body that represents the physicians in Alberta saying that there needs to be a clearing of the air publicly.

If we do not clear the air, if we refuse at this point to have a full public inqu iry, I think that I could say that the people that we’re talking to, the people that I know other opposition parties are talking to, would feel that there is truly a crisis of confidence in the health care system, not just by

484 Alberta Hansard March 22, 2011 the public but by the very doc tors that work in the system. How can we go forward in that way? That is one of the major things that has changed since last week. The other thing that I think has created some urgency, Mr. Speaker, between last Monday’s debate and where we sit today, eight days later, is the letter, the smoking gun, brought forward by Dr. Lloyd Maybaum. The letter – and that’s been tabled in this Legislature as well – clearly threatens his position within Alberta Health Services.

It was written by a member of Alberta Heal th Services who is now a very senior AHS official in the area of mental health and addictions. To have that person still at AHS after writing this letter – now, we don’t know who directed that individual to write that letter. We don’t have a clue about that. The thing is, Mr. Speaker, that unless we have a debate today and determine whether or not – we’d have to understand how we’re going to get to that information, or else we’ll never know, and these intimidation tactics will continue.

Clearly, we have to debate whether the Alberta Health Quality Council is the right forum to get at that information or if a full independent public inquiry, with powers of subpoena and the ability to compel ev i- dence, et cetera, is the right vehicle to go forward on this. I won’t make arguments on that because that’s not what we’re debating right here, but we absolutely have to have that debate as we move forward. 3:00 The other major and, I think, frankly, scary thing that has come up since last week is, again, the same Dr.

Maybaum, who quotes a senior health official in Calgary telling him that there are people high up in the government – it doesn’t even say health officials; it just says high up in the government – who want his head on a platter. The Member for Fort McMurray-Wood Buffalo just tabled that document a few minutes ago. That’s a very threatening and menacing tone. It is very recent. This is around 2008, so it i n- volves the sitting government. It happened during the time that the current administration was elected. It is very important that we get to the bottom of this.

Again, we did not have any of this information prior to last week. Of course, there are others since last week, and I’m only going to go there because . . . The Speaker: Hon. member, please. I have now given you the liberty of eight minutes to briefly state your case about the urge n- cy. If, in fact, Standing Order 30 was upheld, you would have a maximum of 10 minutes to speak. On the argument for urgency you have spent eight. Is there additional infor mation you have to provide to deal with the question of urgency? Mr. Anderson: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I will wrap up, then.

Very quickly, on the issue of urgency there are many doctors that are coming forward not only to us but to other opposition parties as well as having been quoted in numerous reports, saying that they cannot and will not come forward unless there is a full public inquiry. My fear is that if we don’t have this debate today and if we don’t settle this issue and give them a forum in which they can come forward, we will lose the opportunity that we have right now, right this second, where doctors are finally willing to come forward and talk about this on the record.

If we don’t do this today, if we continue to delay, I fear that the intimidation tactics will continue. These doctors, in order to save their careers and to be able to get the operating time that they need, et cetera, will slide back into the shadows and will forever not testify before a full public inquiry. So those are m y arguments on urgency, Mr. Speaker. The Speaker: Can I have some idea as to how many individuals would like to participate in this?

The standing orders are very clear: The Member may briefly state the arguments in favour of the request for leave and the S peaker may allow such debate as he or she considers relevant to the question of urgency of debate and shall then rule on whether or not the request for leave is in order. So can I get some idea of how many want to participate? No. Sorry. I’ll accept two speakers: the Government House Leader and the Opposition House Leader. Briefly, please, on urgency. Mr. Hancock: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I was tempted to intervene earlier, but I just got the notice of motion, actually, quite late in the process, which in itself is a departure from the normal process. Under Standing Order 30(7)(d) “the motion must not revive discussion on a matter that has been discussed in the same session pursuant to this Standing Order.” Very clearly, this is on exactly the same topic. In fact, the hon. member in his comments refe r- enced the fact that we had this debate one week earlier, but he didn’t have as much information to say at that time.

He wants another opportunity on the same discussion so that he can bring forward more information. He might have more information, but it is the same discussion, and it’s out of order to have a Standing Order 30 motion that revives discussion on a matter that has been discussed in the same session pursuant to this standing order.

The Speaker will recall that on March 14 – and it’s referenced in Hansard issue 12, page 328 – the motion was that new evidence has surfaced, almost the same language, “demonstrating that the government silenced critics of the health care system, thereby contributing to the crisis in Alberta’s health care.” It’s exactly the same language as the hon. member used in supporting the need for another opportunity for him to discuss and for this House to di s- cuss exactly the same issue that was debated on March 14. Mr. Speaker, t he motion is out of order under our standing or- ders.

It’s clearly out of order under our standing orders. The hon. member, as you pointed out, in his rather lengthy short process to suggest urgency goes on to misquote some of the letters that have been tabled in the House – they’ve been tabled in the House, and they’ve now been available for people to read for a week; he still can’t read them – saying that the AMA in their second letter fully supported a public inquiry. Well, they didn’t. It’s clear on the surface of it. The short of it is, Mr. Speaker, that there is a public investig a- tion happening through the Health Quality Council.

There is an opportunity for all of the information to come forward to the Health Quality Council. The terms of reference of the Health Quality Council inquiry have been made public. The opportunity is there for any person who’s an employee of Alberta Health Se r- vices or who otherwise operates in the health system to go before the Health Quality Council. An interim report will b e made public in three months, a subsequent report in six months, and a final report in nine months.

There will be opportunity to discern this once the information is actually known rather than the allegations that are being brought forward. There’s plenty of time to deal with this issue if there is an issue. The short of it is that we had an emergency debate on this a week ago, and it’s not in order to have another one today. The Speaker: The hon. Opposition House Leader. Ms Blakeman: Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. Indeed, there was a debate a week ago. That’s clearly on the record. But equally on the record through tablings and other means of raising the issue

March 22, 2011 Alberta Hansard 485 is that there have been quite a stack, a litany of new things to co n- sider along with this issue. I just want to address what appears in 387, where it’s asking that there should be no other reasonable opportunity for debate on this particular issue. That contributes to the urgency of having the debate now in that we have had no bill debate come be fore us in which we could have done this.

There’s been no government m o- tion in which we could have discussed it although we did manage to have a government motion to discuss interfering in another level of government, so clearly there was time to do that. But there was no government motion to discuss a public inquiry in health care. There was no private member’s bill or motion on the Order Paper. The appropriation bill was for interim supply and was limited in the amount of debate that was allocated for th at in that the government had the power to and did in fact call adjour n- ment to the speakers and then brought it back for a vote later.

There were not written questions or motions for returns on this issue, and it would take us three weeks to get one throug h the process in order to have it up. So it’s impossible for us to do that now. A number of questions were raised in question period, but I am very mindful of the number of times the Speaker has reminded us that question period is not to provoke debate and that, therefore, that is an inappropriate place to discuss the complexity of the issue before us. Having just raised the context of, “Where else could we have discussed this?” there is a debate coming on the ministry of health, but, Mr.

Speaker, that is not for some three weeks, almost four weeks from now. Given the speed at which things have changed on this issue, I would have to say that three weeks away is far too long to wait in order to be able to have a serious conversation about the additional all egations that have been brought forward and personal commentary and testimonials that have come fo r- ward in the last seven days. Clearly, the urgency of the issue is mounting. Thank you very much. The Speaker: Thank you very much, hon. member, for the bre v- ity with which you addressed this matter. That’s very much appreciated.

I say that, hon. members, because there is a Routine this afte r- noon. The standing orders suggest that should there be an estimate this afternoon, which there will be, a minimum of thr ee hours must be addressed to that estimate. So if it takes me five minutes now to deal with this, then presumably your estimate will start at 3:15 and it would not curtail itself until at least 6:15, which would then set that the next segment tonight, which has to be 30 minutes thereafter, would not be able to commence until at least 6:45, which means that you would be here till at least 9:45.

Time is important, and I value your attendance in the House. 3:10 I am prepared to rule on whether the request for leave on this motion to proceed is in order under Standing Order 30(2). The hon. Member for Airdrie-Chestermere did meet the requirements of providing at least two hours’ notice to my office by providing the required words to me at 11:23 this morning, March 22, 2011. As I’ve indicated many times before in these interventions, the relevant parliamentary authorities on this subject are pages 689 to 696, House of Commons Procedure and Practice , second edition, and Beauchesne’s, paragraphs 387 to 390.

Hon. members, last Monday, March 14, 2011, this Assembly adjourned the ordinary business to discuss a matter of urgent pub- lic importance under Standing Order 30. The motion from last Monday can be found at Alberta Hansard for that day at page 328, and it read as follows: Pursuant to Standing Order 30

be it resolved that the ordinary business of the Legislative Assembly be adjourned to discuss a matter of urgent public importance; namely, the new evidence that has surfaced demonstrating that the government silenced critics of the health care system, thereby undermining conf i- dence in public health and contributing to the crisis in Alberta’s health care system.

Standing Order 30(7)(d), which has been alluded to, states that one of the applicable conditions for a request under this standing order is that “t he motion must not revive discussion on a matter that has been discussed in the same session pursuant to this Stand- ing Order.” I recognize that the Member for Airdrie -Chestermere is trying to cast his request in a different light than the motion by the Me m- ber for Edmonton-Centre last week, but in the chair’s view it is substantially the same issue and, therefore, out of order. The hon.

Member for Airdrie-Chestermere as well in his r e- marks this afternoon basically said that there was need for a decision and a decision made today with respect to the matter, but Standing Order 30(6) clearly states, “An emergency debate does not entail any decision of the Assembly.” The chair refers members who are interested in previous rulings concerning the application of Standing Order 30(7)(

d) to Alberta Hansard for July 20, 1989, at page 890, and to November 17, 2005, at pages 1718 to 1719. Furthermore – and I repeat it again – this motion would seem to entail a decision of the Assembly if it was permitted to proceed, which violates Standing Order 30(6). And there are very applic a- ble words in there, the need “to immediately appoint a commission.” Accordingly, the chair does not find the request for leave in order under the Assembly’s rules, and the question will not be put. head: Orders of the Day head: Committee of Supply [Mr.

Cao in the chair] The Chair: Hon. members, the chair would like to call the Com- mittee of Supply to order. head: Main Estimates 2011-12 Environment The Chair: Hon. Minister of Environment, please, you have the floor now. Mr. Renner: Thank you, Mr. Chairman. First of all, I would like to thank my staff for joining me here this afternoon.

I’m looking forward to the next three hours: talking about some of the great things that are under way in Environment, clarifying some co m- ments and q uestions that the members of the House might have, and hopefully cajoling all the members of this committee into recommending the support of my budget when the appropriate time comes. Just before we get into some brief introductory comments, I would like to take a moment to introduce all the folks that have joined me here this afternoon. To my immediate right is Mr. Jim Ellis, deputy minister. Next to him is Mr.

Bob Barraclough, assis- tant deputy minister of monitoring and science. Bob is the newest ADM, that was appointed to take on our newly created division of

486 Alberta Hansard March 22, 2011 monitoring and science. Next to him is Mike Dalrymple, senior financial officer. Next to Mike is Ernie Hui, assistant deputy min- ister of policy. To my left is Ms Bev Yee, assistant deputy minister f or strategy; Mr. Rick Brown, assistant deputy minister responsible for operations; and finally, Mr. Al Sanderson, who’s the assistant deputy minister responsible for corporate services. Also joining us in the members’ gallery: Mr. Jeff Kasbrick, my executive assistant; Mr.

Josh McGregor, special assistant to the minister for my office; Erin Carrier, acting director of commun i- cations; Martin Krezalek, executive director to the deputy minister; and Shelly Little,

section head, financial planning and reporting. Mr. Chairman, I want to just briefly begin things by expressing my confidence that we continue to operate effectively within the allocated budget, maintaining our commitment to protecting the environment that Albertans hold so very dear. Committee me m- bers may notice that Environment’s overall budget has decreased to $290 million this year, compared to last year’s $308 million. I do want to take a few moments to talk about how that came about, and then we can get into it in a little bit more detail a little bit later.

I also want to point out, you may have noticed, that we have reorganized the department. In previous years I expressed frustr a- tion that I didn’t think that the department was organized to the point where it made strategic sense, and that has been rectified. The budget has been rejigged as best as possible so that we can have true comparables from one year to the next. So where people have been moved around, we took the dollars with them. I think that you will find that for the most part the comparables make sense, and we can deal with those questions throughout.

The 2011 budget has been updated to reflect that structure. The new orga n- izational design streamlines our operations and will ultimately improve environmental management across the province. I also want to point out that water for life no longer has its own line item within the budget. It’s included among a number of divi- sional budgets, but I can assure all members that we remain committed to the strategy, which includes implementing a provi n- cial wetlands policy.

Our priority areas for the 2011 budget: $121 million for climate change, that includes $68 million for the climate change and emis- sions management fund – that is what we expect to collect this year – and $51 million for proje cts under the Canada ecotrust for clean air and climate change fund. We have $97 million for ong o- ing environmental operations programs – that includes compliance, enforcement, regulatory work, and approvals – and $22 million of nonvoted operating amortization of the water infra- structure throughout the province of Alberta. There is $17 million for monitoring, science, and reporting.

That’s a 21 per cent i n- crease over last year. It will support the development of a world - class environmental monitoring system that is now being deve l- oped by an independent monitoring panel, that will be providing their recommendations in June of this year. 3:20 The budget also includes $18.9 million for water for life. As I mentioned earlier, it is divided out among a number of different divisions within the budget. Cross ministry there is about $25 million in the government of Alberta budget that can be directly attributed to water for life.

We also have $190 million in Alberta’s capital plan to support drinking water and waste water. That is not in my budget – that is in the Transportation budget – but it’s a significant part of what we do in Alberta Environment. I mentioned that we have an overall decrease in our budget this year, $10 million less than last year. Nine and a h alf million for that is the Bassano dam settlement. So the budget -to-budget drop is actually $18 million. Our budget is $18 million less than it was last year because we had an increase for the Bassano dam settl e- ment that was added into the budget.

The rea son for that is quite simple: less money was paid than forecast into the climate change and emissions management funds. That’s good news. That means that more facilities are improving their operations or purchasing offsets under our CO2 management program. We also include in this budget $1.1 million for the Bassano dam for access payment and $9.5 million for discontinuance of claims and litigation by Siksika in the first annual access payment. I need to point out that the Bassano dam is really a crucial pi ece of A l- berta’s water management infrastructure.

This settlement involves the Alberta government, the federal government, as well as the Eastern irrigation district. It secures water supply for many Albe r- tans and secures the historical wrong that goes all the way back to 1910, when land was taken from the Siksika First Nation for the construction of the dam. All payments are not yet paid and are awaiting federal approval, but we’re confident that that will take place. Our budget protects our core programs, takes action on strategic priorities, and shows that we are being fiscally responsible with Albertans’ tax dollars. With that, Mr.

Chairman, I’m more than happy to take que s- tions. I understand it’s the practice of this committee that the first period of time is allocated to the Official Opposition. I would be more than willing to engage in a to-and-fro if that’s the wish, but I leave that up to the Member for Edmonton-Centre. The Chair: The next hour is allocated to the Official Opposition, and l ike the minister said, there will be a dialogue between you two. The hon. Member for Edmonton-Centre. Ms Blakeman: Thanks very much, Mr. Speaker.

I just want to express my appreciation to the staff members from the Depar t- ment of Environment that have joine d us on the floor and have joined us in the gallery. I know that sometimes this is regarded as not your favourite day. Nonetheless, I understand how hard you work and how dedicated you are to environmental stewardship in this province, and I do appreciate it. I’d also like to express my appreciation to Avril McCalla, who’s joining me on the floor today.

She is responsible for approx i- mately half of the portfolio research that we are currently doing in the Official Opposition, so I’m very grateful to have he r on the floor with me today, seeing as she has about 11 other ministries to be looking after at exactly the same time. Cutting right to the chase, as you all know I like to do: tough year for credibility around the government and protection of the environment. What I want to do today is ask a few questions. I’m more than willing, by the way, Mr. Chair, to engage in a back and forth for the 60 minutes’ time that we have.

What I’d like to do is ask a few general questions about the budget and then talk about monitoring, tailings ponds management and reclamation, water, emergency response, climate change and the climate change emi s- sions management program, alternative energy, including energy conservation and energy efficiency, cumulative effects manag e- ment. Then I’ve got some odds and sods if we get there, and if we don’t, I’ll just pass the list on to you. Let me try going through that first list of questions. I’m ref e- rencing page 142 of the estimates.

As we look back and forward at a tendency here, between 2008-09 and this year of ’11-12 we saw a fairly significant increase in the total budget for Environment

March 22, 2011 Alberta Hansard 487 and then a kind of slower but steady decline. I’m wondering, gi v- en how important the environment is and our good name internationally, why there hasn’ t been better support – and this might be a difficult for the minister to answer – for a plateauing of his budget rather than a decrease of his budget given the recession that we were in. The second question in that series. There was a forecast last year of it looks to us like $227.8 million, but the actual amount was quite a bit less, at $199.7 million.

So what money didn’t get spent last year, and did that stay the same this year? Did it get replenished, or did it stay at the same of whatever got cut out of the previous year? I’m a little concerned that stuff has been cut quite a bit, and then it’s going to stay at that level. That’s part of the trouble that we’re experiencing in health care right now, so I don’t want to see the same trend. There’s also a great deal of fluctuation between the actuals and the budgeted amounts over the last couple of years. I’m wonde r- ing: is there a particular reason why this budget is fluctuating consistently over the years?

Now, I’ve just got one more question in that se ries. Under se c- tion 2 of the estimates, under Policy, the $74.8 million: how exactly is this policy money spent? What do Albertans get for it? How exactly is it broken down? I mean, clearly, we can see some general categories there, but I have no idea what programs are included in that or aren’t included in that. I will let the minister just answer some of those questions very quickly. Mr. Renner: Thanks, Mr. Chairman. I want to begin with some general comments. The member pointed out that our budget has climbed and appears to have dropped.

I tried to explain that in my opening comments; I don’t think I did a very good job. I want to point out that the reason why there are changes in our budget is because of the magnitude of some of the one -time charges that come into our budget. I talked about the ecotrust fund. This was an injection of dollars that were federal dollars that basically passed through our budget. We are over time allocating and expending those dollars, and as we run out of that fund, those dollars are no longer reflected in our budget. Those dollars are not used to pay for costs of operating Alberta Environment’s budget.

We made very, very clear to our staff that we didn’t want to compromise our ability to do the work of the department by taking some of these one-time federal dollars and becoming dependent upon them within the department. That would be the reason why it would appear that the dollars are going less, because the amount of funding that’s coming out of there is less. 3:30 The other reason, as I explained, was that this year the estimate for the emissions management fund is about $10 million less than it was last year. That, too, is a flow-through fund. Dollars come in; dollars go out.

We are estimating that the amount that we coll ect will be less because we’re seeing higher than anticipated take-up on some of our programs that were developed here in Alberta for offset credits. So rather than paying the $15 a tonne into our com- pliance fund, some of the designated emitters are finding opportunities to buy offsets. It’s good news. They’re Alberta - based offsets. That was the reason why we put the program in there in the first place. But those dollars, then, don’t end up com- ing through our budget.

Then, finally, I did explain that last year we had included some of the settlement costs for the Bassano dam. They actually went through in supplemental estimates; we just dealt with them a while ago. But they have to be reflected in the reporting for last year. When we report what we expect th e forecast is going to be, we include those dollars because we expect that they will be ex- pended in last year’s budget. Those were, again, one time. They do not affect our ability to continue to operate the department for our operations side. The member also talked specifically about the policy side of our department.

There are, as you can see outlined on lines 2.1 through to 2.5, five different areas where these dollars are all o- cated. Air, land, and waste policy is geared primarily toward policy development, so the kind of things we do there is to provide le a- dership and policy advice for the development of the air quality management system. That’s something that we’ve been doing on a national basis. Alberta has been taking the lead in developing the air q uality management system. We collaborate with the federal government and the provinces to implement that program.

It sup- ports the development of air plans that feed into the land- use framework. So although we are not the ministry responsible for Alberta land stewardship, we will be responsible for providing the scientific input for the development of air and water limits and triggers along the way. It supports the development and impl e- mentation of the greening government strategy, continues to implement our Too Good To Waste strategy. I won’t go on be- cause I’ve got a lot here. The othe