Alberta Hansard — 26 October 2010, Afternoon sitting (13:30) (Legislature 27, Session 3)

20101026

Alberta — Debates (Hansard)

Province of Alberta The 27th Legislature Third Session Alberta Hansard Tuesday, October 26, 2010 Issue 33 The Honourable Kenneth R. Kowalski, Speaker

Legislative Assembly of Alberta The 27th Legislature Third 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 Deputy Leader, 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, Hon. 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, Hon. F.L., Foothills-Rocky View (PC) Notley, Rachel, Edmonton-Strathcona (ND), ND Opposition House Leader Oberle, Hon.

Frank, Peace River (PC) Olson, Verlyn, QC, Wetaskiwin-Camrose (PC) Ouellette, Hon. Luke, Innisfail-Sylvan Lake (PC) Pastoor, Bridget Brennan, Lethbridge-East (AL), Official Opposition Deputy Whip Prins, Ray, Lacombe-Ponoka (PC) Quest, Dave, Strathcona (PC) Redford, Hon. Alison M., QC, Calgary-Elbow (PC), Deputy Government House Leader 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 (PC) Snelgrove, Hon.

Lloyd, Vermilion-Lloydminster (PC) Stelmach, Hon. Ed, Fort Saskatchewan-Vegreville (PC) 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 (Ind) VanderBurg, George, Whitecourt-Ste. Anne (PC) Vandermeer, Tony, Edmonton-Beverly-Clareview (PC) Weadick, 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 Clerk Assistant/Director of House Services Louise J. Kamuchik Law Clerk/Director of Interparliamentary Relations Robert H. Reynolds, QC Senior Parliamentary Counsel/ Clerk of Committees Shannon Dean Clerk of Journals/Table Research Micheline S. Gravel Parliamentary Counsel Stephanie LeBlanc 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: 68 Alberta Liberal: 8 Wildrose Alliance: 4 New Democrat: 2 Independent: 1

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

Raj Sherman Health and Wellness Greg Weadick Advanced Education and Technology 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 Blakeman DeLong Forsyth Groeneveld Johnston MacDonald Quest 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 Fawcett Griffiths Hinman Lund Marz Taft Taylor Weadick Woo-Paw Standing Committee on Health Chair: Mr.

McFarland Deputy Chair: Ms Pastoor Forsyth Groeneveld Horne Lindsay Notley Olson Quest Sherman Taft 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 Anderson Elniski Hehr Leskiw Mason Oberle Pastoor Rogers VanderBurg Weadick Standing Committee on Private Bills Chair: Dr.

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

Rodney Anderson Groeneveld Benito Kang Calahasen Mason Chase Olson Dallas Sandhu Elniski Vandermeer Fawcett Xiao Griffiths 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 Dallas Hehr Jacobs Mason McQueen Mitzel VanderBurg

October 26, 2010 Alberta Hansard 935 Legislative Assembly of Alberta Title: Tuesday, October 26, 2010 1:30 p.m. 1:30 p.m. Tuesday, October 26, 2010 [The Speaker in the chair] head: Prayers The Speaker: Welcome. I would ask hon. members to remain standing after the brief prayer so that we may pay tribute to a former colleague who has passed away. Give to each member of this Legislature a strong and abiding sense of the great responsibilities laid upon us. Give us a deep and thorough understanding of the needs of the people we serve. Amen.

Miss Wilma Helen Hunley September 6, 1920, to October 22, 2010 The Speaker: The Honourable Wilma Helen Hunley, former Member of the Legislative Assembly, sworn in as member 475 in the history of Alberta, and former Lieutenant Governor passed away on Friday, October 22, 2010. Miss Hunley was first elected in the election held on August 30, 1971, and served two terms until March 13, 1979. During her years of service she represented the constituency of Rocky Mountain House for the Progressive Conservative Party.

She served as minister without portfolio, chair of the Alberta Human Resources Research Council, and as Solicitor General as well as Minister of Social Services and Community Health. She was the first woman to be given full ministerial status in the Alberta government with her appointment as the first female Solicitor General of Alberta. She served on the select standing committees on Privileges and Elec- tions, Standing Orders and Printing; Public Accounts; Public Affairs; Public Affairs, Agriculture and Education; and the special committee to make a recommendation to the Assembly for the position of Ombudsman.

The Honourable Helen Hunley was Alberta’s 12th, and first female, Lieutenant Governor, serving from January 22, 1985, to March 11, 1991. Helen Hunley was also the first woman mayor of Rocky Mountain House, here in Alberta. She served as a Lieuten- ant, Canadian Women’s Army Corps, from 1941 to 1946 and served overseas in Great Britain from 1943 to 1945. Helen Hunley received the Order of Canada, status of Officer, in 1992 and the Golden Jubilee Medal in 2002. She was Dame of the Most Venerable Order of the Hospital of St.

John of Jerusalem in 1985 and received an Honorary Doctorate of Laws degree from the University of Alberta in 1985. She also served as an Honorary Lieutenant Colonel of the 20th Field Regiment of the Royal Canadian Artillery, starting in 1991, based in Red Deer, Alberta. With our admiration and respect there is gratitude to members of her family who shared the burdens of public office. Family members of Miss Hunley are with us here today in the Speaker’s gallery. Our prayers are with them.

In a moment of silent prayer I’d ask all to remember former hon. member and Alberta Lieutenant Governor Wilma Helen Hunley as you may have known her or known of her. Rest eternal grant unto her, O Lord, and let light perpetual shine upon her. Amen. Albertans will have the opportunity to pay their respects to the Honourable W. Helen Hunley, former Lieutenant Governor and former Member of the Legislative Assembly. Books of condolence are available to the public at a memorial table in the rotunda of the Alberta Legislature Building in Edmonton as well as McDougall Centre in Calgary.

These books are available for signing between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. Monday through Friday until November 5, 2010. Those who are unable to pay condolences at either of the memorial locations can do so online at www.gov.ab.ca. A memorial service will be held on Saturday, November 6, 2010, at 1:30 p.m. at the Christian Reformed Church, Rocky Mountain House, Alberta. This service will be open to the public. Please be seated. head: Introduction of Visitors The Speaker: Hon. members, in the Speaker’s gallery today are family members of the Honourable Helen Hunley, and I would like to introduce them, please.

I would ask them to stand. Please hold your recognition until we’ve concluded them all: Mrs. Arlene Miller, niece; Mr. Ron Miller, nephew-in-law; Mr. Kent Liang, nephew-in- law; Mr. Jim Bowhay, nephew; Tonya Olson, great-niece; Tabatha Brouwer, great-niece; Kalyn Hunley, great-niece; Rory Kirkpatrick. I would ask all members to join me in welcoming the members of the family of Helen Hunley. head: Introduction of Guests The Speaker: The hon. Minister of Transportation. Mr. Ouellette: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

It gives me great pleasure to rise today and introduce to you and through you to all members of the Assembly another bright young group of individuals visiting our Legislature today from my cons tituency. We have with us, again, another group of over 80 students, grade 6s from Innisfail middle school, who are seated in the members’ gallery, and they’re accompanied by their teachers and parent helpers. As I indicated yesterday and many times before, I think it is so important for Alberta children to visit the Legislature. As you know, they will be our leaders of tomorrow. The teachers that are with us are Mrs.

Rosemarie Pierzchalski, Ms Jill Kenway, Ms Becky Burbank, Mr. Cody Pivert. Our parent helpers are Mrs. Cheryl Janssen, Mrs. Linnea Thompson, Mrs. Dixie Ouellette, Mrs. Jody Bilton, Mrs. Nicole Pillman, Mrs. Janette Charlton, Ms Brenda Beagle, Mr. Bruce Layden, Mrs. Stacey Greig, Mr. Victor Hagglund, Mrs. Julie Ramrattan, and Mrs. Kim Vandermeer. I would like them all to rise in both galleries and receive the warm welcome of our Assembly. The Speaker: The hon. Member for Strathmore-Brooks. Mr. Doerksen: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

It also gives me great pleasure to introduce to you and through you to all members of this Assembly a group of 16 students from Strathmore high school. They’re accompanied today by their teacher, Rob Pirie, and one of their parents, Tracey Rogers. They drove down from Strathmore this morning and will be driving back today. I also am very privileged to have them here today, and I think it’s an excellent thing that they’ve come to visit us. They’re seated in the members’ gallery. I’d like to ask them to rise and receive the warm welcome of the Assembly. The Speaker: The hon. Member for Cypress-Medicine Hat. Mr.

Mitzel: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. It’s a pleasure to rise today and introduce to you and through you to all members of this Assembly a group of individuals from the office of the Auditor General. These individuals are seated in your gallery. I would like to ask them to rise and remain standing as I call their names: Merwan Saher, Auditor General, and Assistant Auditors General Brad Ireland, Ed Ryan, Jeff Dumont, and Jeff Olson. I would like

Alberta Hansard October 26, 2010936 to ask the Assembly to greet them with the traditional warm welcome. The Speaker: The hon. Member for Fort McMurray-Wood Buffalo. Mr. Boutilier: Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. It’s indeed my pleasure today to introduce one of my bosses, a constituent of Fort McMurray-Wood Buffalo. He has been there for quite a few years, along with his wife. He’s sitting in the members’ gallery. It’s my pleasure to introduce through you to all members of the Assembly Mr. Bill Nahirney, who is joining us in this Legislature for the first time in the history of Alberta.

I’d ask him to rise. 1:40head: Members’ Statements The Speaker: The hon. Member for Rocky Mountain House. Miss Wilma Helen Hunley Mr. Lund: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. It gives me a great deal of pleasure to rise today to honour and pay tribute to an outstanding Canadian, an exceptional Albertan, and a wonderful and caring citizen of Rocky Mountain House, the late Helen Hunley. The Honourable Helen Hunley was the eighth of 12 children. She was born in Acme, Alberta, in 1920 and moved to Rocky Mountain House in 1933.

She knew the value of education, trave lling some four miles one way from their homestead to the Crimson Lake school. She was raised to be a hard worker, hauling railway ties and mine props by horse-drawn sleigh to railway cars about eight miles away and then, later, working as a telephone operator. She had a tremendous memory for numbers, and she memorized all the telephone numbers in the town of Rocky Mountain House although she was always quick to add that there were only 55 of them. She enlisted in the Canadian Women’s Army Corps and served overseas from 1943 to 1945.

Upon returning, she was a partsman and later became the owner-operator of an International Harvester dealership, the only woman that had a dealership in North America. She established and managed an insurance agency, Helen Hunley Agencies Limited, which still operates today. Helen Hunley was always active in her community. She served as a town counc illor and mayor of Rocky Mountain House and in 1971 was elected to the Alberta Legislature. During her time as an MLA she was the first woman to hold a cabinet portfolio, serving as Solicitor General and Minister of Social Services and Community Health.

In 1986 Helen Hunley became Alberta’s first woman Lieutenant Governor. Being the first female to hold this position, she did not have any robes or official uniform of her own. To make sure that she was properly attired for her position, then Speaker Dr. David Carter offered to pay for her robes at his own expense, an offer which she cherished. Part of Helen’s philosophy about life was that all of us owe rent for the space we occupy on Earth, and that rent is paid by public service. I remember the advice she gave me when I entered into politics, which was that a promise made is a debt unpaid.

Helen Hunley worked all her life to try to repay that debt. Her life is an example to all Albertans of how one can be dedicated to the service and well-being of others. Helen celebrated her 90th birthday on September 6 and passed away this past Friday, October 22. On behalf of the Members of the Legislative Assembly I would like to extend condolences to the family of the Honourable Helen Hunley and thank them for her years of selfless service. Thank you. [Standing ovation] The Speaker: The hon. Member for Fort McMurray-Wood Buffalo. Democracy in Alberta Mr. Boutilier: Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker.

I salute the hon. member’s comments about our former Lieutenant Governor. I rise today as the MLA for Fort McMurray-Wood Buffalo, the oil sands capital of the world, and as the newest member of the Wildrose caucus. It remains an honour and a pr ivilege to serve Albertans and to be a strong voice for my cons tituents in the oil sands capital. My responsibility as their MLA is to bring their voices to this very Assembly because those voices are my bosses’, and those voices all across Alberta will decide in just over a year who will be their voice as MLA, who will be their voice as the next Premier.

Alberta has a rich history when it comes to change and the seismic shifts that have taken place over a rich 100 years. At the forefront of that change are Alberta values: the value of hard work, the value of honesty and looking Albertans squarely in the eye, the value of fairness as we sit here with four members as Alberta’s newest official party, and the value of respect, never forgetting who our bosses are. I hope all MLAs will never forget that. Finally, the value of direct democracy. Be it in the town halls or in coffee shops, this is the foundation of our great province.

Albertans raise their families on these important values. They know that I will always be a strong voice for my constituents because it is my responsibility as their MLA to be their voice. History can be an important teacher, as an independent MLA for the past year and now as a member of a 21st-century party with a 21st-century leader. Yes, history is a great teacher, and school is in, and class is about to get a whole lot more interesting for all of us. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The Speaker: The hon. Member for Calgary-Lougheed. Alberta Tourism Awards Mr. Rodney: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

As a member of the strategic tourism marketing commission I’m proud to rise today to celebrate excellence in Alberta’s tourism industry. Last night our Tourism, Parks and Recreation minister presented the 2010 Alberta tourism awards, or Altos, to organizations and individuals who have made outstanding contributions to our tourism sector. Every region of our fine province was represented in the list of finalists this year, and the winners showcased the talent and expertise in this $5 billion industry.

From the Alberta Pond Hockey Association doubling the size of its annual tournament in a few short years to sustainable business practices at Mount Engadine Lodge that respect the environment, the Royal Tyrrell Museum, the Canadian Badlands, the Remington Carriage Museum, Tourism Red Deer, and visitcalgary.com, all of the 2010 winners have set the bar very high indeed. Mr. Speaker, one individual in particular was recognized last night as one of Alberta’s great tourism ambassadors, Mr. LaVerne Erickson. Mr.

Erickson is the founder of the Rosebud School of the Arts and the founder of two signature Alberta attractions, the award- winning Rosebud Theatre and Canadian Badlands Passion Play. And that’s just the tip of the iceberg. I ask all members of the Assembly to join me now in congratulat- ing LaVerne Erickson and all of the 2010 Alberta t ourism award recipients and finalists for a job very well done. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The Speaker: The hon. Member for Edmonton-McClung.

October 26, 2010 Alberta Hansard 937 National Autism Awareness Month Mr. Xiao: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I’m pleased to rise today and recognize October as National Autism Awareness Month. Autism is a condition that affects the normal development of the brain, and it can have significant impacts on human behaviour. Children with autism suffer from a wide range of symptoms ranging from lack of speech to difficulty interacting with others. Mr. Speaker, autism is a fairly common condition, and it is estimated that 1 out of every 90 kids have some form of this disorder.

The month of October gives us the opportunity to reflect on the challenges faced by those dealing with autism as well as to recognize those organizations and individuals that have done so much to support families affected by this condition. Mr. Speaker, the Maier centre for autism in west Edmonton will be a world-class autism support facility. Much of the funding for this facility has come from community donors. One of them is my constituent, Mr. Klaus Maier, whom the facility is named after and who donated not only the land for the facility but also $1 million towards the project.

I’m very pleased that our government has recognized the invaluable role of the Maier centre and has recently presented a 1 and a half million dollar grant to assist with its development. Mr. Speaker, I’m very truly proud to live in a province where people are so generous and committed to helping those in need. On this day I would like to ask all the members of this House to recognize the challenges that families with autism face and to consider: what can we do to enhance the quality of the lives of families affected by autism? Thank you, Mr.

Speaker. head: Oral Question Period The Speaker: First Official Opposition main question. The hon. Leader of the Official Opposition. Waterfowl Deaths in Oil Sands Tailings Pond Dr. Swann: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. This province is facing a crisis of leadership. This administration has failed to protect the environment or demonstrate leadership in our energy industry since today we heard about a second, undetermined as yet, loss of ducks in our tailings ponds.

I’m at a loss to explain the Environment minister’s confusion and frustration over how this could happen when these are built directly in migratory bird patterns. To the Premier: will the Premier confirm that the estimated number of ducks killed last night is over a thousand? 1:50 Mr. Stelmach: Mr. Speaker, the event is being investigated as we speak. I’d say that this is sad and disappointing in light of the conclusion of the court proceedings and the judge’s decision last week, but we will update the House and all Albertans on the progress of the investigation and the findings of that investigation. Dr.

Swann: Well, since it’s only a few days since that sentence was handed down in a similar case, will the Premier finally use common sense and state publicly now that he will strengthen regulations to protect ducks and other wildlife in relation to our tailings ponds? Mr. Stelmach: Mr. Speaker, the regulations are there. Obviously, we not only enforce them, but we, with the federal government, took Syncrude to court. A decision has been made by the judge. It’s both a fine and money invested in further research and also deterrence.

Unfortunately, like I said, it just happened last week, and now we have this other incident, which not only is frustrating, you know; it makes one angry. On the other hand, let’s get the full detail of the investigation, and then, as I said, we will make that known to the House. Dr. Swann: Mr. Speaker, will the Premier be holding the Minister of Environment responsible for the repeat of the death of waterfowl at this pond and, if necessary, call for his resignation? Mr. Stelmach: Mr. Speaker, let’s be just a bit more pragmatic here. Let’s see what the investigation brings forward.

Rules are rules, and we’re there not only to make the rules but also to enforce them. There are many rules with respect to the environment. For any company that does not live up to the rules, we will enforce the legislation, but let’s first find out what the investigation will bring. The Speaker: Second Official Opposition main question. The hon. Leader of the Official Opposition. Villa Caritas Long-term Care Facility Dr. Swann: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Internal documents from Alberta Health Services show that the plan to convert Villa Caritas, a long-term care facility in Edmonton, into a psychogeriatric facility escalated from $12 million to $51 m illion. This change actually reduced long-term care beds in Edmonton by 150. To the Premier: why did the cost of this project increase to $51 million, 400 per cent, in just over a year? Mr. Stelmach: Mr.

Speaker, with respect to Villa Caritas and the discussion that occurred as a result of not only the resident psychia- trists but also staff at Alberta Hospital, Covenant Health had made some changes reflecting the needs of the residents that were transferred. But I will say that I will defend any of the additional changes to the living accommodations for our seniors. These are individuals with some mental health issues. They lived in multiple- person wards. They will now have individual beds, individual bedrooms.

They will have a nice, large green area, and they will have all of the services available in a much kinder setting. You can’t just add more beds without putting more investment in it and bringing it up to the 2010 standard. Dr. Swann: Mr. Speaker, $51.4 million could have funded 500 nurses for a year while this decision actually reduced long-term care beds in Edmonton. Is that your idea of good management, Mr. Premier? Mr. Stelmach: Mr.

Speaker, the investment was very worth while in terms of improving the quality of life for seniors that were in the Alberta Hospital facility, and I will stand upon that statement. It’s about time we started thinking about the quality of life in those institutions rather than bringing this forward and talking about how much it costs. Of course it costs. We’re spending about $7 billion in infrastructure, and we’re going to continue to do that because that is what improves the quality of life for all Albertans. Dr. Swann: Mr.

Speaker, this is about responsible use of the public purse in the long-term best interests of Albertans. Villa Caritas could have taken 150 people out of acute care and eased the emergency room crowding in Alberta. Does this Premier see this as an outrage, as most Albertans see it? Do you see how outraged we are at this decision, Mr. Premier?

Alberta Hansard October 26, 2010938 Mr. Stelmach: Mr. Speaker, I would ask the hon. member to speak to the family members of those individuals that were for a large portion of their time in Alberta Hospital and now are in new facilities in Villa Caritas. Talk to the family members, and then come back to this House and report directly what the family members said in terms of the improvement of quality of life and, most importantly, improvement of services. The Speaker: Third Official Opposition main question. The hon. Leader of the Official Opposition. Emergency Medical Services Dr. Swann: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Since doctors blew the whistle on unacceptable conditions in Alberta’s emergency rooms, this government has been practising management by panic. A plan for new beds was rolled out before they even had nurses to staff them. Sixty-eight of the total 79 RN positions advertised for Calgary by Alberta Health Services were posted by the minister just last week. To the Premier: why has the Premier ignored the problem until doctors in emergency rooms finally risked their jobs to speak out and protect their patients? Mr.

Stelmach: The minister has had consultations with all physi- cians, as I said yesterday, from eye doctors to bone and joint physicians, in improving access in those particular areas. He’s also had discussions with emergency docs. He’ll have one again today with the emergency physicians to work together – AHS, Alberta Health and Wellness, and the physicians and nurses, I may add, as well – to make sure that we continue with the plan to improve access to emergency rooms and free up more beds for those that can be admitted to our hospitals. Dr. Swann: Well, Mr. Speaker, it’s the same in Edmonton.

Forty- six out of 75 RN positions advertised were posted just this past week. How does the Premier defend this? Mr. Stelmach: Well, because we need more nurses. That’s why it’s posted. Dr. Swann: Clearly, Mr. Speaker, he doesn’t get it. We’re talking about two years of underfunded emergency and long-term care, and they’re lurching to solutions this past week. An Alberta Liberal government would ensure there were sufficient staff and funds immediately available to open more beds before making promises – before making promises – that take months to fulfill.

Why has the Premier not acted responsibly and taken this course of action over the past two years? Mr. Stelmach: Mr. Speaker, we have acted responsibly. We not only paid off the accumulated deficit for Alberta Health Services; we also topped up the amount of funding to Alberta Health Services, reflecting what they told us would be the increase in needs, plus to that we added another 6 per cent. There’ll be another 6 per cent added to this year’s budget and 6 per cent after that plus 4 and a half and 4 and a half further down the road. So that’s five years of committed funding.

That is the best funding commitment there is in the country of Canada, and it speaks very well for the publicly funded health care system. The Speaker: The hon. Member for Calgary-Glenmore. Mr. Hinman: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Yesterday this government shamefully shut down an emergency debate on the crisis state of our emergency rooms in Alberta. Albertans we have heard from are incensed that this government stonewalled this debate given the litany of horror stories that they have heard. There are pregnant women in triage and seniors with broken hips waiting hours and hours for care.

To the Premier: will he explain why he directed his MLAs and his minister of health to deny Albertans this critical debate? Mr. Stelmach: Mr. Speaker, as I said yesterday in the House during question period, plans are in place to take away a lot of the pressure in the emergency room service: adding additional long-term care beds, adding additional continuing care beds, and increasing the number of staff. We have, you know, at this particular time good co-operation with the physicians and nurses. The nurses came to the table earlier this year with a contract that’s going to help us meet the challenges.

I do commend the nurses’ union for that. I know the doctors are continuing to negotiate with the government, and we’re going to continue to work together to improve the performance of our health care system. Mr. Hinman: With due respect to the Premier, he didn’t answer the question. Given the hundreds of examples of emergency room horror stories and the escalating issues over the last two and a half years with nothing being addressed, why did he and the health minister say no to this important debate yesterday in the House? Mr. Stelmach: Mr. Speaker, nobody said no. This is a practice in the House.

They made a motion that it’s an emergency; we said that it’s not an emergency. We’re continuing to work with the health care professionals to make sure that we’re constantly improving the system. Chatting about it and debating about it here in this particular Assembly is not going to give us more beds, it’s not going to get more nurses working, nor is it going to attract more physicians to the province. That’s the plan we have, and we’re tackling it right now. 2:00 Mr. Hinman: Mr. Speaker, they’ve had two and a half years to address it. They didn’t, and it’s in an emergency state now.

I see they have no good answers, so let’s try something else. Given that these horror stories were only from one emergency ward in Alberta, will the Premier show some leadership, do the right thing, and release the full list of suboptimal outcomes for every Alberta hospital so Albertans have a real, full picture of the crisis that exists in this province? Release the lists. Mr. Stelmach: Mr. Speaker, I know that yesterday there was a debate, and the decision was made. There is a provision in the standing orders that if there are sufficient members to rise in the House, then they can call a vote. Guess what?

There wasn’t the sufficient prerequisite number of members in the House to do the vote. The Speaker: The hon. Member for Edmonton-Highlands- Norwood. Mr. Mason: Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. In a letter to emergency room doctors dated February 23, 2008, the Premier assured them that more nurses and other medical staff will be hired and trained, yet just one year later, with the Premier’s support, Alberta Health Services paid $24 million to buy out 448 nurses and imposed a hiring freeze. Today the government again says that staff shortages need to be overcome before we can fix the emergency room crisis.

When will the Premier get off this merry-go-round of

October 26, 2010 Alberta Hansard 939 incompetence and put a stop to the unnecessary suffering of critically ill people in emergency rooms around the province? Mr. Stelmach: Mr. Speaker, as I said before, we have added more money, considerably more money, into the system. We’re hiring more and more people every day, and that’s not only nurses but other health care professionals. Professions are coming together and forming partnerships through the primary care networks.

As the minister said yesterday, not necessarily everyone needs a doctor every day, but they may need a dietitian; they may need a respiratory therapist; they may need a physiotherapist. That is improving the efficiency of the system. I commend the people in health services for coming together with government and working towards a common goal, and that is constantly improving the system. Mr. Mason: Constantly improving the system?

Given that on March 23, 2009, Calgary hospital officials warned that the median wait time for emergency room patients who needed a hospital bed had grown to 16.6 hours and given that the government ignored the warning and given that the problem has continued to worsen since then, will the Premier admit that the government’s failure to act on the emergency room crisis has cost lives and imposed great and unnecessary suffering on critically ill patients? Mr. Stelmach: Mr. Speaker, nobody wants to wait in an emergency room. Everybody wants to be admitted as quickly as possible if the need is there for admission.

Some people in emergency, obviously, are there because we do need more either primary care networks or doctors in communities to deal with some of the matters immedi- ately. On the other hand, there is improvement, and there will be continued improvement in this particular area. We have added more continuing care beds to the system. We will continue to add more. Presently we’re adding about 2,000 seniors to the seniors’ list, to the demographics of this province. You know, in just a year that’ll be 24,000 people.

That’s just showing how quickly our population is aging, and that’s how quickly the system has to move forward. Mr. Mason: Mr. Speaker, if it wasn’t so tragic, it would be hilari- ous. The Premier has to take responsibility for this scandal. Why does the Premier refuse to own up to his government’s failure to take this crisis seriously two and a half years ago? Why won’t he take responsibility? Mr.

Stelmach: I will take responsibility for additional funding, especially the five-year commitment, and responsibility for working with all of the health care professionals, working towards agree- ments that will ensure that we have stability in the system and, most importantly, the good health system that we have today. It needs some improvement, but I can tell you that our number one goal is to make sure that it is sustainable for future generations.

What a lot of those people are talking about will never get us there to the next generation so that our youth in this province can enjoy the same good system we have today. The Speaker: The hon. Leader of the Official Opposition. Additional Beds to Relieve Emergency Wait Times Dr. Swann: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Well, this Premier has a strange way of measuring improvements in the health care system. I hope he can explain it to Albertans better than he has today. Alberta’s health care system is run based on political need, not on the needs of its people. Emergency room overcrowding has been ignored for two years.

The Premier stated yesterday that Alberta Health Services will open new acute-care beds in both Calgary and Edmonton within their current budget. To the Premier: if Alberta Health Services could open these beds with their current budgets, why did it take brave doctors and public outcry before the govern- ment acted last week? Mr. Stelmach: The Alberta Health Services Board had plans in place. They’re continuing to add more long-term care beds and continuing care facilities within the budget. Within the budget.

Like I said before, not only did we pay off the accumulated deficit; we topped up the budget to what they thought would be reflecting the needs of Albertans plus another 6 per cent over and above that, and that is the budget they’re working with. I believe there’s enough there to sustain the system and grow it and meet the growing demands. Dr. Swann: Mr. Speaker, every Albertan knows that the announce- ment made last week was made on the fly. That means the money to open the beds will have to come from somewhere. What’s going to be cut, Mr. Premier, to allow these beds to open? Mr. Stelmach: Mr.

Speaker, the same question was asked by the same member yesterday. I said that there won’t be any cuts; there’s additional money on the table. That’s why we paid off the deficit, added the dollars plus 6 per cent over and above. There is enough money in the system. Albertans know that there is enough money in the system. All they’re wanting is greater efficiencies and better co-operation amongst all those that deliver the services. Dr. Swann: On the contrary, Mr. Speaker, what Albertans want and what the opposition is looking for is some transparency. What money is being spent to open these beds?

It wasn’t listed in the budget. What money are we talking about, Mr. Premier? Mr. Stelmach: Mr. Speaker, I can tell you that every bed that opens in this province is not going to be identified in a budget document. There is a large amount of money going to Alberta Health Services. They take that money, and they make the best decisions for Alber- tans. To say that we’re going to go and add every bed is nonsense. The Speaker: The hon. Member for Athabasca-Redwater, followed by the hon. Member for Lethbridge-East. Protection of Landowner Rights Mr. Johnson: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Rural Albertans deeply treasure their land, and they take its stewardship very seriously. Landowners in my constituency have a lot of questions about recent legislation and how it will impact them and their property. My questions for the Minister of Infrastructure are about the former Bill 19, the Land Assembly Project Area Act. Can the minister reassure my constituents that there were essential reasons for bringing this legislation forward? The Speaker: The hon. minister. Mr. Danyluk: Well, thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. The member is absolutely right. Landowners have a very strong connection to the land.

As our province continues to grow, it is critical that we protect our land and our rural way of life for our children and grandchildren. That is why Albertans have asked us to plan for future development, to consult well in advance of any

Alberta Hansard October 26, 2010940 projects, to protect sensitive areas, to use transportation and utility corridors where they make sense, and to minimize the overall impact. The Speaker: And we’ll get to the answer right away. The hon. member. Mr. Johnson: Thanks, Mr. Speaker. Some of my constituents have been advised that Bill 19 extinguishes their landowner rights. Can the minister tell us what legal protections are in place for landowners under Bill 19? Mr. Danyluk: Mr. Speaker, first of all, this legislation is entirely about the protection of landowners. It does not extinguish any existing rights.

In fact, in addition it requires government to consult with landowners if the land might be used for future large-scale projects. It gives landowners the option to continue to work their land before the project is built. If they would rather sell the land, the government is required to buy it. The Speaker: The hon. member. Mr. Johnson: Thanks, Mr. Speaker. If through this act land owned by one of my constituents is designated for a long-term transporta- tion project, will the government freeze or prevent development on that land? Mr. Danyluk: Well, Mr.

Speaker, as a farmer I strongly believe that landowners need the freedom to work their land. The legislation does allow that. If a farmer wants to build a barn or wants to build a shed, he or she certainly can. It is true that major industrial development could not go ahead on the site of a future highway. This only makes sense, Mr. Speaker. We must protect rural landowners as development occurs into the future. To do that, Albertans have asked us to plan . . . The Speaker: Thank you. The hon. Member for Lethbridge-East. 2:10 Sale of Public Land for Commercial Use Ms Pastoor: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

This government is in the process of making a decision regarding the sale of land for a potato farm without public input. We have land swaps and apparent decisions regarding water allocation taking place without the involvement or knowledge of the public. The minister has stated that there’s nothing secretive about the deal, so to the Minister of Sustainable Resource Development: where are the consultation notes from the meetings with municipalities and individuals in the area, and will they ever be made public? Mr. Knight: Well, Mr.

Speaker, on the matter of meetings that are attended by ministers of the Crown and representatives from municipalities, other individuals in the province of Alberta, repre- sentatives of associations across the province, I believe that there’s an understanding that has been in place for an awfully long time that that information is privileged information. The member opposite may very well be right that notes from my meetings with people may not ever become public information.

Ms Pastoor: The minister stated yesterday, “God Himself may well provide the water.” Now, I haven’t spoken to God lately, but my understanding is that he’s counting on us to conserve it. Will there be a public water assessment report before you approve this deal? Mr. Knight: Mr. Speaker, first of all, I would suggest perhaps the member take the opportunity to do just that and have a little conversation.

But with respect to what we’re dealing with here today, we have in front of us as a government a proposal – a proposal – that has been brought forward to my department with respect to some public land that the proponent would like to develop. That’s the sum total of what we’re dealing with today. Ms Pastoor: Do we know how many acres of tax recovery land is included in this proposed purchase? Mr. Knight: Again, Mr. Speaker, there’s a proposal. It covers approximately 16,300 acres of land in south-central Alberta.

The situation as to how this land breaks down on an acreage basis: again, I’m afraid I cannot stand here today and say that I understand acre by acre how this land breaks down, which pieces of it may or may not have been recovered or retrieved by the government at some point in tax recovery; some of it was. The Speaker: The hon. Member for Lacombe-Ponoka, followed by the hon. Member for Edmonton-Gold Bar. Electricity Transmission Line Compensation Mr. Prins: Well, thank you very much, Mr. Speaker.

In the past few weeks I have attended a number of cons tituent meetings concerning the new proposed high-voltage DC power lines. My constituents are concerned with many issues related to this line. One of the main issues is the amount of compensation being paid to landowners for access to and use of their land. My question is to the Minister of Energy. How are the compensation rates for access and disturbance established for transmission lines? Mr. Liepert: Mr.

Speaker, first of all, it needs to be stated that the Alberta Utilities Commission will hold a public hearing on the transmission lines relative to the siting of such lines. The propo- nents of those transmission towers along with the landowners will negotiate a compensation, and if there is no agreement reached, it goes to the Surface Rights Board. I think at this particular stage it’s important to point out as well that the compensation is attempted to be a fair balance between the landowner and the consumer that ultimately pays the cost of those. The Speaker: The hon. member. Mr. Prins: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

My second and last question is again to the same minister, and that is: can the government, through regulation, set a minimum value for land based on industrial values rather than agricultural values? Mr. Liepert: Well, that’s an interesting concept, Mr. Speaker, because when many of these regulations were put into place, the province had not developed to the point where it is today. One of the reasons why the upgrade to the transmission system is required is because of the significant industrial development that’s taken place in Alberta over the past 40 to 50 years.

The concept of valuing it at an industrial base is something I’d be interested in discussing with my colleagues. The Speaker: The hon. Member for Edmonton-Gold Bar, followed by the hon. Member for Edmonton-Manning.

October 26, 2010 Alberta Hansard 941 Manufacturing Outsourcing for Kearl Lake Project Mr. MacDonald: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The Kearl Lake oil sands project is being supplied with over 200 large steel modules from a South Korean metal fabrication firm. This deal is worth over $250 million. In a letter dated June 2, 2010, to the Official Opposi- tion the Minister of Transportation writes, “Alberta Transportation has been working with Imperial Oil on this project for some time.” My first question is to the Minister of Transportation.

Why was the government working with Imperial Oil on this project when the steel fabrication industry in this province and the workers formerly employed in it were idle? Mr. Ouellette: Mr. Speaker, whenever we have people come to us and say that they have products that have to be moved, then we have to work with them on how they’re going to get them there. Mr. MacDonald: Again, Mr.

Speaker, to the same minister: why did the department not say, “If we are giving the tax concessions and the royalty breaks here in Alberta, this work should be done here in this province, not transported across the Pacific Ocean, up to Lewiston, Idaho, and then from there trucked to Fort McMurray”? Create jobs here in this province. Mr. Ouellette: Mr. Speaker, we have to be competitive. We try everything. We can create jobs in this province, but I’m not going to be a dictator and tell people where they have to buy the product.

I just have to make sure they can get the products to where they need them to do their business in Alberta. Mr. MacDonald: Mr. Speaker, my third question is to the minister of finance. Given that Imperial Oil plans to spend over $40 million to improve the bridges and the roads in Montana, will that $40 million tab for those infrastructure improvements be written off their royalty bill here in this province? Dr. Morton: Mr. Speaker, I have no doubt that the hon. member was opposed to NAFTA and the free trade agreement in the 1980s, like his Liberal counterparts.

The oil sands in this province are built on free trade, and until that party gets that message, they’re going to sit in opposition. I think my hon. colleague would also like to say something. Mr. Liepert: Mr. Speaker, I’d like to briefly supplement the answer to this question because this particular member has raised this issue in the past in this House. The time when that particular contract was let was back in the boom times in Alberta. A contract needed to be let by Imperial for the construction of these vessels, and it was not able to be met in this province.

The Speaker: We’ll come back to this, I’m sure, at another point in time. The hon. Member for Edmonton-Manning, followed by the hon. Member for Airdrie-Chestermere. Villa Caritas Long-term Care Facility (continued) Mr. Sandhu: Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. Last Friday I met with two patients from Alberta Hospital who were concerned with overcrowding. We have recently heard a bout long-term care patients in hospital beds who are blocking up ERs in Alberta. My questions are to the Minister of Health and Wellness.

Wouldn’t this problem have been avoided if Villa Caritas had remained a long- term care centre as was originally proposed? The Speaker: The hon. minister. Mr. Zwozdesky: Thank you, Mr. Speaker, and thank you to the hon. member for that question. I’m not one who likes to speculate at all on what-if scenarios. What I can tell you, though, is that we have done a lot, and I’ve announced a lot of that, and so has Alberta Health Services. Issues that are perplexing the emergency room departments that relate to continuing care are being addressed and dealt with.

We have opened more than 800 continuing care spaces that are new since April, and there are more on the way between now and the end of December, for example. Mr. Sandhu: Again to the same minister: what’s being done to address overcrowding issues in the adult mental health program at Alberta Hospital Edmonton? Mr. Zwozdesky: Mr. Speaker, Alberta Health Services, which is responsible for the general management of Alberta Hospital Edmonton, does have protocols in place that deal with overcrowding or the fluctuations of bed needs.

For example, they are looking at how to accommodate these people more quickly into the new Villa Caritas space. At the same time, let’s keep in mind that about a year ago there were 20 bed vacancies at Alberta Hospital Edmonton, I’m told. Also, I’ll just conclude by saying that we have a province-wide mental health strategy that is coming forward very quickly, and I’ll have that in a matter of months. Mr. Sandhu: My final question is to the same minister. Are additional mental health beds being added to the health system any time soon? 2:20 Mr. Zwozdesky: Well, the short answer, I’m happy to say, is yes.

In fact, the original projection for 106 of these mental health beds at the Villa Caritas has been increased by 44, so there will be almost immediately now an additional 44 mental health beds specifically to help out with the crowding situation that was alluded to earlier at Alberta Hospital Edmonton. Those new beds w ill go to the Villa Caritas site, a state-of-the-art facility, by the way. The Speaker: The hon. Member for Airdrie-Chestermere, followed by the hon. Member for Calgary-Buffalo. Emergency Medical Services (continued) Mr. Anderson: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Last week in the Calgary Herald it was reported that emergency room waits in Calgary hospitals had increased 54 per cent since last year. That is on average 14 to 20 hours longer than a year earlier. This is the track record of this minister of health’s superefficient Alberta health superboard. To the minister of health. The superboard experiment has failed. When will this minister disband the superboard and return control of our emergency rooms to the doctors and front-line staff, who actually know what the needs are? Mr. Zwozdesky: Mr.

Speaker, the doctors and the nurses and so many other administrators are an integral part of the system. They provide input very regularly. I’m going to get a lot of that input tonight, in fact, and I got some of it just a couple of hours ago when I dropped in at the Royal Alex hospital and had a visit and a chat there. I learned about some exciting new programs that they are bringing on stream. Those are all at the behest and in many cases at the direct leadership resulting from Alberta Health Services, who are

Alberta Hansard October 26, 2010942 working very hard to address some of these difficulties that have been flagged recently. Mr. Anderson: We need less chatting – that’s for sure – and more doing. Given the list released by our caucus yesterday of 322 emergency room horror stories over the past year in just one hospital, including men having strokes and heart attacks while waiting hours for a bed and pregnant women having cervical examinations in an open triage, when will the minister accept the fact that the superboard experiment has failed? It’s not working, Minister. Mr. Zwozdesky: Mr.

Speaker, I can tell you what we’re not going to do: go back to having 300 health authorities out there, like was the case, perhaps, in some jurisdictions. I can tell you that we’re not going to go back to having hundreds of payroll departments or dozens of CEOs. We’ve got one centralized system now that is in its infancy still. Of c ourse, there are some bumps and bruises and blemishes to be experienced along the way, but improvements are there, and cost efficiencies are there. Better health service access is coming, and it’s all part of this five-year funding plan that was just announced a few months ago.

It’s working. It just takes a little time to take shape. Mr. Anderson: You call a 54 per cent increase in emergency wait times more efficient? Serious? Mr. Speaker, is this minister honestly trying to tell Albertans that the extra 14 to 20 hours of waiting that each Albertan is facing in our emergency rooms today is somehow a justifiable result for the superboard’s first year? Honestly, is that what you’re saying, that it’s efficient enough? Mr. Zwozdesky: Mr.

Speaker, what I’m trying to explain to this hon. member is that we have for the first time in Canadian history a five-year funding plan that allows for a 6 per cent increase in each of the first three years, 4.5 per cent increases in years 4 and 5. That 6 per cent is what’s necessary to fix some of the kinds of problems that have been referred to. Had people followed what the Wildrose Alliance Party is talking about, they would have only seen a 3.5 per cent increase because that’s what they released the day after our budget. You tell me how that’s going to fix the problem. Online Gaming Mr. Hehr: Mr.

Speaker, Alberta Gaming stated in August that it intends to ante up and take a seat at the virtual table to provide sanctioned online gaming. B.C.’s Housing and Social Development minister stated unequivocally that online gambling will increase rates of addiction. To the Solicitor General: since this government dismantled AADAC last year, how are you planning to deal with this influx of gambling addicts? Mr. Oberle: Well, Mr. Speaker, as the hon. member would know, we have a number of programs that provide services to problem gamblers.

I think, first and foremost, I need to ensure that the hon. member is aware that the province of Alberta is not going to venture into the arena of online gaming. Mr. Hehr: Well, I guess I’ll follow up that question again. We are not going into online gaming here as they have done in B.C.? Mr. Oberle: I think that’s what I just said, Mr. Speaker. We have no plans at the moment to venture into the arena of online gaming. We will, as we always have, monitor developments in that arena, but we do not intend to proceed. Mr. Hehr: Thank you very much. The Speaker: The hon.

Member for Calgary-Montrose, followed by the hon. Member for Calgary-Varsity. Dual High School and University Enrolment Mr. Bhullar: Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. In 2009 this Legislature passed my Motion 508 urging the government to develop programs to offer real-world learning opportunities like dual enrolment, which is enrolment in postsecondary courses while in high school. My questions are to the Minister of Education. What has your ministry done to implement recommendations made by Motion 508, specifically postsecondary instruction while in high school? The Speaker: The hon. minister. Mr.

Hancock: Well, thank you, Mr. Speaker. There are a number of circumstances around the province which would provide those sorts of opportunities to students, and in fact they’ve proven to be very successful and very good projects. The paving health pathways initiatives, a three-year pilot specifically supported by $10 million in funding, resulted in dual enrolment opportunities for students in a number of jurisdictions in the health field specifically.

Students that are interested in pursuing careers in health care are accessing colleges and universities in their jurisdictions to attain some credits towards their degrees while they’re still, of course, in high school. We have a number of campuses, for example, which I can go on and mention a little later. The Speaker: The hon. member. Mr. Bhullar: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Given that dual enrolment has been shown to increase overall graduation rates for even high- risk students, will the minister commit to extending programs like these to more Alberta high schools? Mr. Hancock: Well, Mr.

Speaker, we’re encouraging school boards right across the province to look at programs that I would call programs of engagement; in other words, ways to help students with their transition not only throughout their K to 12 school career but transition to postsecondary.

As I was going to say, in Cold Lake, for example, the Cold Lake high school is co-located with Portage College; in Rocky Mountain House Red Deer College is co-located with the high school there; in Olds the high school is co-located with the college, opportunities there for students to avail themselves of postsecondary opportunities while they’re in high school, and it’s very successful in those circumstances. We’d look for more opportunities. The Speaker: The hon. member. Mr. Bhullar: Well, thank you, Mr. Minister. I’m glad they’re successful in those circumstances.

The point is to make those circumstances available everywhere. Would you commit to starting such programs in, let’s say, five schools in the Calgary area with the lowest high school graduation rates in an effort to increase those high school graduation rates? Mr. Hancock: Well, of course, Mr. Speaker, local programming in Calgary high schools would be something that the Calgary board of education or the Calgary separate board would be responsible to do, but we’re certainly collaborating with school boards, encouraging

October 26, 2010 Alberta Hansard 943 school boards to look at these sorts of opportunities, find better ways to do them. Not every school can be co-located on a college campus or a university campus, but there are ways to integrate those programs into the high school programs and allow students to take those courses ahead of time or at the same time as their high school courses, and it’s proven to be successful in those places that have used it. The Speaker: The hon. Member for Calgary-Varsity, followed by the hon. Member for Calgary-Mackay. Special-needs Education Mr. Chase: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Parents, students, and teachers have been anxiously waiting for a better way to provide special education in Alberta, but the government’s review of special needs has been two years in the making with another year to go. Meanwhile special-needs grants have been frozen, parents are facing the same delays getting supports for their kids, and the government’s plans are at best unclear. To the Minister of Education: what is the minister going to do to help families that are having trouble accessing special services for their children now? Mr. Hancock: Well, Mr.

Speaker, any parent that has a child with special needs now should be working with their school boards and with their schools to get access to the services that they need. If they have problems doing that, of c ourse, they have the opportunity to call our office, and we’ll assist them in working with their school boards to make sure that those opportunities are there. There’s no excuse for students who are entrusted to a school board to not have access to the programming they need. The Speaker: The hon. member. Mr. Chase: Thank you.

This is a case of not passing the buck to the school board so they could actually initiate the plans. Under his plan the minister says that separate classes will stay available for students with severe disabilities, but without some kind of coding system what is to prevent these students from being shuffled into regular classrooms without the necessary support to ensure their successful inclusion? Mr. Hancock: Well, Mr. Speaker, inclusion is not about every child being in any classroom; it’s about finding the appropriate educa- tional opportunity for each child included in the educational system.

That means that the parents and the teachers, the educators, the principals, the health support, and the support staff have to work together collaboratively to design the best educational program for that child. In some cases it will be complete inclusion in a class- room. In some cases it’ll be a partial inclusion in class rooms and partial special programming. Some parents will choose or perhaps the circumstances are such that a child needs separate programming. 2:30 The Speaker: The hon. member. Mr. Chase: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Inclusion without the necessary aids to support teachers is not working and will not work. With districts attempting to integrate classrooms according to the minister’s directives, where are the extra resources for teacher support and training that the government has been promising but has failed to deliver? Mr. Hancock: Well, Mr. Speaker, we haven’t directed school boards to include students in classrooms. That’s just a fallacy.

What we have done is a very careful program of redesign of special education programming in this province, working with stakeholders, working with parents, with school boards, with teachers, so that we can do a number of things. One is to make sure that teachers are well equipped to deal with the students that come into their class- rooms. One is to make sure that they’re supported by support staff that work with them as learning coaches and in other capacities to assist.

It’s not about coding and pigeonholing a child and labelling a child; it’s about the learning needs of the child and supporting those learning needs. We’re in the process. We’ll get there. Education Consultation Ms Woo-Paw: My questions are also to the Minister of Education.

On June 11 I was honoured to attend the announcement made by the ministers of Education, Health and Wellness, and Children and Youth Services on the Setting the Direction Framework: Govern- ment of Alberta Response, which addressed how government would work together to support children and youth through the implemen- tation of an inclusive education system. I know this will take some time, but Albertans have some questions still. The vision of the setting the direction framework is for an inclusive education system. Does this mean that every student will be in every classroom? The Speaker: The hon. minister. Mr.

Hancock: Well, thank you, Mr. Speaker. Again, an important question from Calgary-Varsity, supplemented by the question from my hon. colleague, because setting the direction is a very important process. It’s not about being speedy; it’s about getting the process right and doing it well. In doing that, there are a number of important things that we need to do. First of all, an inclusive education system in Alberta is a way of thinking and acting that demonstrates universal acceptance of and belonging for all students.

It’s a value-based approach, and the starting point for this should be the child’s home, school, community. It’s not an assumption that every child can be in every classroom. It goes beyond that, and it talks to what the capacities are that we need. Ms Woo-Paw: So how are you and your colleagues beginning to implement the proposed recommendations resulting from this framework? Mr. Hancock: Mr.

Speaker, we have a very important cross- ministry committee that’s led by Dianne McConnell in our depart- ment, working with Health and with Children and Youth Services to make sure that our ministry departments are aligned in the service delivery because a lot of supporting students with special needs is making sure that we use most effectively the health resources we have and the support resources we have. That’s first and foremost. Secondly, it’s about putting in place programming so that teachers can have access to the skills that they need for the children that they have in their classroom.

There are a number of other projects that are ongoing. Ms Woo-Paw: Well, specifically for teachers what are some of the short-term priorities that Education is focusing on? Mr. Hancock: Well, Mr. Speaker, we have a number of items in that area. I think there are 13 specific short-term items that we need to work on. One is making sure that we have professional develop-

Alberta Hansard October 26, 2010944 ment for teachers so that they can supplement their professional capacity to deal with the students who come into their care. One is setting up support resources like learning coaches and collaborative coaches to work with the schools and with the school boards to make sure that they identify the learning needs of the children and identify the support resources that those children need. A third is to work on reallocating the support resources so that they’re available on a more effective basis. The Speaker: The hon. Member for Calgary-Varsity, followed by the hon.

Member for Calgary-North Hill. Funding for Training Mr. Chase: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Yesterday in the House the Minister of Employment and Immigration described a software failure as merely an unfortunate situation that was quickly handled. This unfortunate situation, however, threatened thousands of students who ended up going to food banks, facing evictions from their homes, not able to afford their tuitions and to continue on with their education. Alberta Works did not work. Those on the f ront lines found the response from the minister’s department uncaring, unco-ordinated, and inefficient.

To the minister . . . The Speaker: The hon. minister can proceed now. Mr. Lukaszuk: Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker, for that fabulous question. Well, obviously, the member has difficulty with my using the term “unfortunate.” I cannot think of a better term. I know that member would probably like me to use the word “tragic,” and I imagine that for some individuals who found themselves in financial dire straits, it was tragic. We had a plan in place.

Emer- gency cheques were issued to individuals who needed emergency services, and they can rely on that plan to be in place if such an event was to ever occur in the future. Mr. Chase: That was cold comfort to the students at Bow Valley College that I spoke to. If the same minister is so confident in his department’s handling of the situation, will he table all documents in the House related to the transition to the new software system so that the public can see what contingency plans were in place? It was a screw-up. How are you going to fix it? Mr. Lukaszuk: Mr.

Speaker, my priority is to address the needs of Albertans. We found ourselves with a cohort of Albertans who obviously did not receive funding. A plan was put in place. Funding is being issued. Emergency funding has been issued. If the opposition is more interested in auditing our software program, they can have the pleasure of doing that, but we will be focusing on Albertans who need help. The Speaker: The hon. member. Mr. Chase: Thank you very much. That’s cold comfort for the students who are waiting three and a half months to get the cheques. My final question is to the Minister of Service Alberta.

As the ministry responsible for information technology leadership across government, will the minister investigate the software failure in Employment and Immigration to make sure this never happens again because it’s the same program for AISH and other special-needs programs? The Speaker: The hon. minister. Mrs. Klimchuk: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Indeed, commenting on this unfortunate incident with respect to the students and the challenges that the families are facing, as Minister of Service Alberta we take a lot of pride in the technology and the information we protect to make sure that Albertans are served well on a day-to-day basis. That is something we’re working on with Employment and Immigration, with the minister, to ensure that we can move forward and learn from this as well. The Speaker: The hon. Member for Calgary-North Hill, followed by the hon. Member for Calgary-Fort. Natural Gas Prices Mr. Fawcett: Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker.

Many of my constituents have been following the price of natural gas closely over the last few months. On June 7 the price was $4.84 per gigajoule, and today it’s only $3.39 per gigajoule. This is good news for our heating bills but is not so good news for government revenue. The minister has changed the fiscal forecast to $3.75 per gigajoule. I’m just wondering if this is a change that the minister sees for the long term, or is it just a short-term change? Dr. Morton: Mr. Speaker, the change in the prices for natural gas can be summed up in one word: it’s called U.S. shale gas.

For the past couple of decades the United States had less and less gas of their own. They were imbalanced between supply and demand. They depended upon imports from the rest of the world but primarily western Canada and particularly Alberta. With the advent of shale gas, which is the result of new technology, horizontal drilling and multiple fracking has unlocked trillions of new cubic feet of gas. That’s not good news for producers in the western Canada sedimen- tary basin. The Speaker: The hon. member. Mr. Fawcett: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

So what do sustained low natural gas prices mean for the overall financial picture of the government’s revenue? Dr. Morton: Mr. Speaker, it’s not a good-news story. Just to give you an example from my tenure here, from 2005, when I first became a member, to 2008 the natural resource revenues to this government averaged in the vicinity of $12 billion. Starting last year, this year, next year, post shale gas if you like, the average revenues to the government of Alberta will be in the vicinity of an average of $8 billion.

So there’s suddenly a $4 billion gap between what existed under the old regime and the new regime. The Speaker: The hon. member. Mr. Fawcett: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My last question to the same minister. Obviously, lots of talk today about health care and education. Albertans have relied on this robust revenue source in the past to fund these programs. What is the minister doing to replace this loss due to natural gas prices so that Albertans can continue to enjoy the same high-quality health care and education they have in the past? Dr. Morton: Mr. Speaker, there are some good-news stories on the revenue front.

There’s lots of shale gas in western Canada and in

October 26, 2010 Alberta Hansard 945 Alberta that will be produced using the new technology as well. Also, this new technology of horizontal drilling and multiple fracking is allowing the redrilling of old fields, Cardium and other fields like that, which were no longer producing at economical rates, but the combination of horizontal drilling and multiple fracking is allowing reaccess of that. Then, of course, there’s the dramatic growth in bitumen production from the oil sands that will gradually fill that hole. 2:40 The Speaker: Hon. members, that concludes the question period for today.

Eighteen members were recognized. There were 104 questions and responses. Please join me in congratulating the hon. Member for Battle River-Wainwright, who is celebrating an anniversary today, a rather young anniversary, I might add, but an anniversary nonetheless. In 30 seconds from now we’ll go back to the Routine with two additional members’ statements. head: Members’ Statements (continued) The Speaker: The hon. Member for Grande Prairie-Wapiti. Grande Prairie Entrepreneurial Award Mr. Drysdale: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I’m happy to advise the members of this Assembly today about a special honour earned by the bold and innovative entrepreneurs of Grande Prairie. Their talents and efforts have resulted in Grande Prairie being named Canada’s most entrepreneurial city by the Canadian Federation of Independent Business. Grande Prairie, in particular, earned top scores for the number of self-employed people, or entrepreneurs, in the city. Whether it’s in agriculture, forest industries, oil and gas, mining, or high tech, entrepreneurial opportunities abound in Grande Prairie.

While Grande Prairie is the top-ranked city, I’m also happy to tell you that it’s joined by four other Alberta cities in the top 10. The Canadian Federation of Independent Business makes its rankings based on three categories: presence, perspective, and policy. Policy is, of course, the category where our government’s actions have an impact. Mr. Speaker, our government’s Competi- tiveness Act, our action plan for Bringing Technology to Market, and our Campus Alberta and Alberta Innovates systems all work together to support an innovative and responsive economy in Grande Prairie and throughout our province.

For example, Mr. Speaker, Grande Prairie entrepreneurs have earned a number of innovation vouchers from Alberta Innovates: Technology Futures to commercialize their unique technology-based products and services. The Grande Prairie Centre for Research & Innovation reports that the Mighty Peace region is responsible for many of the patent inquiries made in Alberta last year. The city of Grande Prairie has adopted the BizPaL system to make it easier for businesses to start.

It’s obvious that bold initiatives, backed with effective programs, policies, and an entrepreneurial business climate, create an opportunity that benefits all Albertans. Mr. Speaker, I ask the members of this Assembly to join me in congratulating the entrepreneurs of Grande Prairie and all of Alberta. The Speaker: The hon. Member for Calgary-Varsity. Education for Special-needs Children Mr. Chase: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

As Official Opposition critic for Children and Youth Services as well as Education and Advanced Education and Technology I’ve been contacted by families from across the province that have extreme difficulty in accessing services. As just one example, Roseanne Ledingham, a tireless advocate for her daughter Ashley, has been trying since the last school term to ensure an effective transition for Ashley in moving from elementary school, in which she progressed with supports that included speech-language therapy, resource teachers, and an IPP, to junior high. Ashley is a child with severe and complex needs.

The June 2010 report for her learning team IPP included the old form of coding of 44, 58, and 57: severe physical or medical disab ility, mild and moderate physical or medical disability, and severe language delay. AHS school speech-language services report that Ashley has a history of significant medical and learning problems, delays in her fine motor skills, expressive, and receptive language skills, ADHD, FASD, severe behavioural disturbance, anxiety syndromes, partial complex seizure disorder, sleeping disorders, allergies, and asthma.

There is a cross-ministry policy framework for children and youth with special needs and complex needs and their families. It’s an excellent concept that unfortunately appears to be collecting dust on shelves. There was undoubtedly funding invested in consultations, task force meetings, et cetera, and the design and production of the actual documents. Yet Ashley’s mother and advocate, Roseanne, had never heard of it until yesterday. Ashley is now 12 years old. She is not receiving the necessary aid in the classroom, has no IPP, and has been denied funding for speech-language therapy.

Roseanne’s respite allowance was cut to one hour a week. Premier, your government can help Albertans now. This policy framework needs to have the actual policy developed. It has to be resourced, staffed, implemented, and supported by the government now. head: Presenting Petitions The Speaker: The hon. Member for Drayton Valley-Calmar. Mrs. McQueen: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I’d like to present a petition signed by 735 Albertans from around the province who are petitioning the Legislative Assembly to urge the government to ban the motocross r aceway development within the current Blue Rapids Provincial Recreation Area boundaries as the addition of a raceway would interfere with public peace, current and future residents of the area, and the environment. Thank you. head: Notices of Motions The Speaker: The hon. Government House Leader. Mr. Hancock: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I rise to give oral notice of the introduction of Bill 26, Mines and Minerals (Coalbed Methane) Amendment Act, 2010. head: Tabling Returns and Reports The Speaker: The hon. Member for Cypress-Medicine Hat and chair of the Leg. Offices Committee. Mr. Mitzel: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. As chair of the Standing Committee on Legislative Offices and in accordance with

section 19(5) of the Auditor General Act I’d like to table five copies of the report by the Auditor General entitled Report of the Auditor General of Alberta, October 2010. As well, I’d like to table five copies of the report by the Auditor General entitled Report of the Auditor General of Alberta: Results

Alberta Hansard October 26, 2010946 Analysis, Financial Statements, and Other Performance Information for the Year Ended March 31, 2010. Copies of these two reports are being distributed to all members today. The Speaker: The hon. Member for Edmonton-Gold Bar. Mr. MacDonald: Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. I have two tablings, and they both relate to my questions earlier today. The first is a letter that I received on behalf of the Official Opposition, dated June 2, 2010, from the Minister of Transportation, and I quoted this letter earlier regarding the Kearl oil sands project.

The second tabling I have is from the New York Times , and it’s dated October 21, 2010. It details what’s going on in Montana and Idaho regarding the shipments that we discussed in question period. Thank you. The Speaker: The hon. Member for Calgary-Varsity. Mr. Chase: Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. I am tabling the government’s Policy Framework for Services for Children and Youth with Special and Complex Needs and Their Families. Excellent reading, which obviously needs to be implemented. The Speaker: The hon. Member for Edmonton-Highlands- Norwood. Mr. Mason: Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker.

I’d like to table the appropriate number of copies of the e-mail and fax notice for the Standing Order 30 motion that I introduced yesterday, which our office sent to the Liberal House leader at 8:39 a.m. yesterday. head: Tablings to the Clerk The Clerk: I wish to advise the House that the following documents were deposited with the office of the Clerk. On behalf of the hon. Mr. Horner, Minister of Advanced Education and Technology, Alberta Innovates technology futures 2009-2010 annual report. On behalf of the hon. Mr. Knight, Minister of Sustainable Resource Development, responses to questions raised by Mr.

Hehr, hon. Member for Calgary-Buffalo; Ms Notley, hon. Member for Edmonton-Strathcona; Mr. Jacobs, hon. Member for Cardston- Taber-Warner; and Mr. Mitzel, hon. Member for Cypress-Medicine Hat, on March 8, 2010, in Department of Sustainable Resource Development main estimates debates. head: Orders of the Day head: Government Motions Electoral Boundaries Commission Final Report 18. Ms Redford moved on behalf of Mr. Hancock:

Be it resolved that pursuant to

section 11(1) of the Electoral Boundaries Commission Act the Legislative Assembly concur in the recommendations of the final report of the Alberta Electoral Boundaries Commission entitled Proposed Electoral Division Areas, Boundaries and Names for Alberta, which was tabled by the Speaker of the Legislative Assembly as an intersessional deposit on June 24, 2010, Sessional Paper 225/2010. The Speaker: The hon. Member for Edmonton-Gold Bar. 2:50 Mr. MacDonald: Yes. Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. It’s a pleasure to have the opportunity to rise and make some comments regarding Government Motion 18.

Certainly, we see this process as it follows through with the redistribution of the electoral boundaries. Since the last time it was done, of c ourse, we’ve had sh ifts in demographics, and some areas of the province have grown signifi- cantly while others, unfortunately, have not. You have this balance between large rural areas of the province, where it’s obvious there are difficulties for hon. members to get to each and every commu- nity regardless of their size, and you have the other side of the issue, which is the urban areas, where there may be a much larger popula- tion in a concentrated area.

Certainly, there are difficulties in representing those neighbour- hoods, or those communities, as well. You are dealing with a lot of problems. You are dealing with a lot of constituents, or citizens, who want access to government programs or want to give advice or express concerns on government policy. Regardless of where a respective member would have had the honour or the privilege of being elected, there certainly are issues. I think the issues of representation, that we all face regardless of our communities, have been helped in the last number of years by the changes in electronic communication.

It’s much, much easier to contact members regardless of how they decide to, whether it be by e-mail or by Twitter. Certainly, that has been a means of communi- cation that has come up in the media as recently as last week. But we do have our ways of communicating almost instantaneously now that we didn’t have, say, 20 years ago. I don’t understand, with the increase or the improvement in communication, why we would need this motion to go from 83 to 87 seats.

Certainly, if taxpayers or citizens were to stop and think about how this government has changed even since this Premier took over from his predecessor, people would realize exactly how much or how big this government has grown. There is the perception, which is not reality, that this is a small, disciplined government. It’s not. It’s a myth. When the Premier was elected – now, I could stand corrected, and perhaps the hon. member can correct me – there were 18 members in the cabinet. There could have been 16. [interjection] Eighteen members? We count them now: there are 24 ministries.

So that’s definitely an increase in the size of government. If we increase the number of seats from the current 83 to 87 as proposed in this motion, we’re going to see bigger government at a time when I d on’t think we need to see more representatives in this Assembly. Getting back to what I had said earlier, because of the changes in communication, Mr. Speaker, 83 representatives is sufficient for this province. Other provinces, British Columbia and Ontario of note, get by. Their MLAs have much larger constituencies if you just take a look at population alone.

We look at a province like Prince Edward Island, which actually reduced the number of MLAs that sit in their Legislative Assembly. The reduction of MLAs in this constituency was considered, but it was rejected. The idea that we would have 83 representatives here and that we would remain with that number was rejected. So in these difficult economic times we see the government growing in size. The government deficit is growing; there’s no doubt about that. This will be the third fiscal year in a row where we have seen a government deficit.

The public eventually is going to connect the dots, and they will realize that this is a government, regardless of how disciplined they think they are, that is big; it’s bloated. By expanding the size of the Assembly to 87 members, Mr. Speaker, we are just reflecting that trend. I think a smaller government – certainly, we could start with having 16 ministries. We’ve talked about this before, and I’m not going to bore the House with our observations, but I think they’re valid. They were almost good enough for the current Premier when

October 26, 2010 Alberta Hansard 947 he took office, but that discipline didn’t last long. In March of 2008 we saw the cabinet grow in size. Now, when this motion becomes a bill and then eventually, in some form or another, becomes a law, how will this reflect the economic times that we’re going through? We’re seeing a larger Assembly at the same time that we’re requesting that people do with less. Mr. Speaker, in conclusion, I’m looking forward to this debate. I understand there will be amendments to this Electoral Boundaries Commission Act as we saw it, as it was presented to the House.

Certainly, the constituency of Edmonton-Gold Bar will be following it with interest, to say the least. I had made a suggestion earlier – and we have to be realistic here. The city of Edmonton lost a seat in a central neighbourhood the last time there was redistribution. That constituency still has not been restored. We are going to get one seat, but when you look at the population growth, the city of Edmonton and, certainly, the city of Calgary is where the growth has occurred. It’s also occurred in Fort McMurray.

Those points were accepted by the commission but, in my view, overlooked, and I must express my disappointment in that. Essentially, what this motion and the bill to follow will give to the city of Edmonton is the one seat that was taken away the last time this occurred. At the same time the population increased signifi- cantly. We’re looking at this. It’s a balancing act, I know, between the interests of rural areas and urban areas, but I think that can be satisfied, Mr. Speaker, without increasing the size of this Assembly by four seats. Thank you. The Speaker: The hon. Member for Highwood. Mr.

Groeneveld: Well, thank you, Mr. Speaker. I would like to propose an amendment, but there was a delay in the publishing. I hope the Clerk maybe has the copies we need. Indeed, I don’t even have a copy of the amendment that’s at the Clerk’s desk. The Speaker: Well, just a second. We’ll have them circulated and see what this amendment is. Hon. members, just be a little patient. These first few days we have a whole new crew of pages, so they’re learning the system. Hon. Member for Highwood, you can proceed, please. 3:00 Mr. Groeneveld: Well, thank you, Mr. Speaker. I still don’t have a copy.

The Speaker: Oh, you don’t have a copy either. Mr. Groeneveld: It’s coming. Here we go. Well, thank you, Mr. Speaker. I’d like to propose an amendment by adding after “Sessional Paper 225/2010”: except that the name of the proposed electoral division of Okotoks- High River be changed to Highwood, and be it further resolved that the Assembly direct the Chief Electoral Officer to revise the DVD forming part of the final report by incorporating all the amendments to this motion and to transmit the revised DVD forthwith to the Speaker for tabling in the Assembly. The Speaker: Proceed. Mr. Groeneveld: Thank you, sir.

I’m going to do this very briefly. First of all, I’d certainly like to recognize the hard work of the boundary commission. Highwood, as I know it, certainly have accepted the changes to the boundary; it’s the name that we have some concerns about. The Highwood district came into being in 1971, Mr. Speaker. The constituency name really has some historical significance and portrays the nature of the landscape to the people of the area, which is dominated, of course, by the Highwood River.

The name Highwood itself, of course, has real local familiarity and support in the community, so the municipa lities within this constituency support keeping the name as Highwood. I have letters of support here from the town of High River, the town of Okotoks, the municipality of High River, the municipality of Okotoks, and the MD of Foothills, which are the only ones left in the Highwood constituency, Mr. Speaker. I ask my colleagues to support me in retaining the name as Highwood as we know it. The Speaker: The Assembly has before it an amendment to Motion 18. Further debate, discussion?

Shall I call the question? Hon. Members: Question. [Motion on amendment A1 carried] The Speaker: Just sit down for a second, please, because there’s one interesting little nuance that comes out of all of this. Under our Standing Order 29(2)(

a) we allow for a five-minute questi on-and- answer period. The hon. Member for Highwood gets up, puts forward a motion. We approve the motion. When does he get to do his five minutes of penance with respect to his arguments? An Hon. Member: At 6:05 tonight. The Speaker: At 6:05 tonight. These interesting things cause great consternation for the chair. The hon. Member for Strathcona. Mr. Quest: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I also wish to propose an amendment to Government Motion 18 and have copies distributed. The Speaker: Let’s have them distributed. We’ll have one delivered to the hon.

Member for Strathcona pronto, please, as well. Hon. Member for Strathcona, please proceed. Mr. Quest: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I wish to propose an amend- ment to Government Motion 18 concerning the names of the electoral divisions by requesting a name change to the riding that I represent. Mr.

Quest moved that Government Motion 18 be amended by adding the following after “Sessional Paper 225/2010”: “except that the name of the proposed electoral division of Strathcona be changed to Strathcona-Sherwood Park.” I propose that the name of my riding, Strathcona, be changed to Strathcona-Sherwood Park for a couple of reasons. This constitu- ency was renamed Strathcona in 2004, and since that time there’s been some fairly significant confusion between my constituency of Strathcona and Edmonton-Strathcona for obvious reasons. As well, it’d be appropriate to rename the constituency Strathcona-Sherwood Park.

The Strathcona constituency does now include approximately 17,000 residents in the urban Sherw ood Park area. The proposed boundary change will reduce the rural area of the county, so that will significantly increase the urban population of Sherwood Park as a percentage of the constituency. Thank you for your consideration, Mr. Speaker.

Alberta Hansard October 26, 2010948 The Speaker: Additional speakers? Shall I call the question? Hon. Members: Question. [Motion on amendment A2 carried] The Speaker: While we wait, the hon. Member for Calgary-Buffalo. Mr. Hehr: Not on this amendment. Is this back to the motion? The Speaker: The amendment is closed. We’ve concluded it. We’re waiting to see what else happens, so the next speaker up is the one I’ll recognize. The hon. Member for Calgary-Buffalo on the motion as amended twice. Mr. Hehr: I’ll speak on the motion. Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. I’m just following in the footsteps of the hon.

Member for Edmonton-Gold Bar, who reminded me of a certain circumstance about the motion put forward by the hon. Justice minister and some of the nuances contained in it. I agreed with much of what the Member for Edmonton-Gold Bar said and would like to reiterate, possibly, a few of his comments and add a few of my own, and we’ll see where this goes. Looking back at what has happened not only since the last time we adjusted the constituency boundaries here in Alberta, much has changed here in Alberta. We’ve had what has no doubt been an explosion in population growth.

This has occ urred in many areas throughout Alberta. It’s happened in Fort McMurray, it’s happened in Edmonton, it’s happened in Calgary, and it has happened in other jurisdictions as well, but primarily the growth has occurred in our cities. I think it’s fair to say that, and in my view that is essentially what has happened. We see some of the redrawing of the electoral maps. I’m not so certain it reflected that growth primarily on a representation by population basis. Now, I do know that that is not the test that was looked at by the good people who were in charge of redistributing our boundaries. The hon.

Justice minister will correct me, but it’s something to the effect of: what’s best suited to provide effective government? Effective government. Nevertheless, I believe, whether it would have been Edmonton to get another seat or Calgary to get another seat or another rural district, if we were going to add any seats at all to the current boundaries, which is another issue that I’ll touch on later in this debate, you know, it would have been more suited to be in one of those urban districts.

Primarily, that is where the popula- tion has gone, and in my view it would have been better on a representation by population basis. Now, there are arguments going forward that it is more difficult to represent a rural community. At the same point in time I put forward that it’s difficult to represent an urban constituency. The point is that we’ve moved on from that. The fact is that with technology – you see it all over the pl ace with BlackBerrys, with computers, with all these devices – I would maintain that it’s getting easier, not more difficult, to keep in contact with your constituents.

Those traditional cleavages that have existed between ridings in representing rural districts are beginning to disappear. I don’t believe those arguments were fully reflected in the redrawing of the constituency map, but that’s neither here nor there. We’re seem- ingly going ahead with the redrawing that is going to play out this way. 3:10 I guess one of the more important questions – I should have started with this; nevertheless, I’ll end with it – is: what was the necessity for adding four more seats to this honourable House?

In my view, it was something that was unnecessary, something that will add approximately $50 million to the provincial coffer expenses over the course of a four-year cycle, which is over the course of time no small change. If given the times, given the work that we do, which is necessary work – democracy has a cost, and democracy should be well funded. I understand all of those arguments. Nevertheless, with technology the way it has gone, with continuing improvements on that front, in my view, we could have done just fine leaving the number of seats in this honourable House the way it is.

I believe it would have led by example. If we’re not hiring civil servants, why are we hiring more MLAs? All those cross-parallel arguments of what we’re expecting our citizenry to go through we should in fact do in this House. Now, you can’t do that in all situations, but this would have been an excellent opportunity to show that we were leading by example, and in my view it should have been done. I believe we put forward numerous amendments on that front to limit the number of MLAs to be added to this honourable House. Nevertheless, those are my comments.

I applaud the work of the committee members who were named to redraw the electoral map. It is not easy work, and they did their best and, in their view, came up with appropriate compromises. We are just here to comment. I’d just like to thank them for the work they did to the best of their abilities. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I’ll let someone else take the floor. The Speaker: Well, hon. members, though, we do have Standing Order 29(2)(

b) available, which affords five minutes for questions and responses. Would any individual member in the House like to raise a question of the hon. Member for Calgary-Buffalo? Yes, hon. minister. Ms Redford: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I’ve listened with interest in the last eight or nine months to a fairly wide public discussion with respect to technology and the use of technology for elected represen- tatives and how having this technology certainly does help elected representatives represent their constituents.

However, I would appreciate the hon. member’s thoughts on not only the speed of communication and the quantity of communication but, from my own experience as an elected representative, the importance of the quality of the communication. I think we do spend an awful lot of time on cellphones, on BlackBerrys, perhaps on Twitter, on Facebook coming up with well- crafted phrases that are an important part of communicating in this new age.

However, I still believe that there is nothing that can duplicate sitting down f ace to face with a constituent and having a real conversation not only about what they’ve written to you but about how they came to that conclusion, why they feel that way, what their own personal experience has been. I think those conver- sations, which in this age of technology become not as frequent as they used to be, are a very important part of what we need to do as elected representatives. I’d certainly appreciate the hon. member’s views on that. Mr. Hehr: Thank you for the question.

How can you argue against something that sounds as rational as meeting with your constituent over coffee and discussing bills and going through the Orders of the Day. You can’t, okay? Simply put, you can’t. Nevertheless, there are ebbs and flows to these things and decisions that have to be made from time to time that are in the best interests of good government, best interests of, I guess, the financial realities that exist in this world. Okay? So I guess we could chop up our constituency even

October 26, 2010 Alberta Hansard 949 more and, let’s say, double our MLAs. That would allow for even more conversation, for me to go over to the Calgary Co-op more and say hi to more people and talk about more bills. Simply put, there has to be some sort of limit to what we can do as a democratic institution. In my view, we are hitting that number pretty right on at what we have currently. Now, I’m not a cabinet minister – I’m pointing out the obvious, yes – and I don’t have maybe as many people clamouring at my door as the hon. minister does.

Nevertheless, I would consider downtown Calgary-Buffalo a fairly busy riding with numerous individuals who may actually use government services more often than some other jurisdictions. In my view, I’m able to communicate fairly effec- tively with anyone who wants to get hold of me at any time. I realize that the arguments put forward by the hon. member are very solid, and I can’t argue against them. Nevertheless, there is a balance to these things. I appreciate her comments. The Speaker: Additional questions or comments? None? Then I’ll recognize the hon. Member for Calgary-Montrose, followed by the hon.

Member for Calgary-Varsity. Mr. Bhullar: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I, too, would move that Government Motion 18 be amended by adding something, and I guess they will distribute the motion at this point. The Speaker: It has not been distributed yet, Clerk? Just a second, sir. Okay. Hon. Member for Calgary-Montrose, please proceed. I think the distribution is just about complete. Mr. Bhullar: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

As noted, I move that Government Motion 18 be amended by adding the following after “Sessional Paper 225/2010”: “except that the name of the proposed electoral division of Calgary-Montrose be changed to Calgary- Greenway.” This is something proposed by the Calgary Parks Foundation and supported by community leaders. In June 1986 my predecessor the hon. Rick Orman, first-ever MLA for Calgary-Montrose, said in his maiden speech that he hoped that the northeast would have a park.

It’s with great pleasure that I speak about the east Calgary greenway, which is a large network of parks and green spaces that follows along the east Calgary ring road. This park is planned to be over 100 kilometres long, and the first phase of this development stretches from Airport Trail to 17th Avenue S.E., bordering every one of the five communities that will form the new boundary. Along the greenway there are recreational destinations like playgrounds, dog parks, and even a 3.1 hectare interpretative wetland.

This park is quickly becoming a dominant feature on the east side of Calgary, and it will be a major geographical marker of the east side. It’s used by many residents in my constituency and beyond. With the proposed changes to the electoral divisions even more of this park will be incorporated into the riding. Renaming the constituency Calgary-Greenway would reflect the growing impor- tance of this park and serve to unify the residents in east Calgary. 3:20 Mr. Speaker, as you know, there are precedents in other areas of our province for such proposed changes.

The constituency of Calgary-Fish Creek is named after Fish Creek park, and Calgary- Nose Hill is named after Nose Hill park. In addition to being a dominant feature in east Calgary, naming a constituency after a park has the added benefit of not excluding any residential community. Therefore, Mr. Speaker, I think this name, Calgary-Greenway, is reflective of the citizens of east Calgary. As I mentioned, community associations are supportive, and I strongly encourage all my colleagues in the House to join with me in supporting this name change. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The Speaker: Additional speakers? The hon.

Member for Edmonton-Gold Bar. Mr. MacDonald: Yes. Mr. Speaker, could the hon. Member for Calgary-Montrose provide more details in his historical vignette on the proposal to go to Calgary-Greenway? The Speaker: Hon. member, we’ll be a little flexible here today. Go ahead. Mr. Bhullar: Sir, I must confess that I am not as good at historical vignettes as the hon. Speaker. Members of this House would all, I think, concur with me that you, sir, are the master of that. The Calgary greenway is a project that will run along the perime- ter of the city of Calgary, around all of its outer borders.

At present the first phase of this project is being completed on the east side. That’s a big win for my constituents because, usually, when great things happen in Calgary, we’ve got to fight to make them happen on the east side. The first phase is happening on the east side. From 17th Ave. S.E., which is my southernmost boundary, it will run all the way up to Airport Trail. This is a unifier of all five communities that will be within the new boundary of the present Calgary- Montrose. This is more than merely a trail system. It’s a building block of community in many respects.

We have a great deal of seniors within our communities that use this as a meeting place, and quite frankly the work is not even fully completed yet. I’m incredibly excited by the east Calgary greenway. I’m proud of the fact that the first phase of this project is happening on the east side. I’m incredibly proud that the communities are supportive of this project. Quite frankly, I think it’ll become a major geographical marker for the east side of Calgary. The Speaker: We’re on an amendment. The hon. Member for Calgary-Glenmore. Mr. Hinman: Thanks, Mr. Speaker.

With the comments that have been proposed here in the House, I can’t help but ask a question. This greenway is going to go around the entire city. If you talk about Nose Hill or Fish Creek, those communities are there. Is it not going to be somewhat confusing down the road when this takes place and the greenway is the whole area? I wonder whether it’s appropriate to take Greenway. Then someone will wonder: “Well, is that northeast, southeast? Where in the city is it?” Geographically I don’t know that there’s going to be any connection to your riding 10 years from now, let alone in five. Mr. Bhullar: Mr.

Speaker, the point is that at present it will have connection to the community. It will for the next number of years, but it will also be a marker to say that east Calgary was first with the greenway. That’s why this is absolutely instrumental. East Calgary will have access to the greenway project long before other quadrants of the city. That’s why this is something that the residents of east Calgary are very proud of, sir.

I would invite you to come along with me and take a walk along this pathway system, and you will see that in these communities, where people from a vast number of nations around the world reside and where people making extremely large amounts of money and people just surviving live,

Alberta Hansard October 26, 2010950 this particular project is something that un ifies them. So this is something of significance to the people of the east side. With all due respect, I believe that for the next five to 10 years at the very least, sir, this project will be a very significant marker for the east side of Calgary. It’s something, as I said, the communities are supportive of, and the Calgary Parks Foundation has proposed this in writing. Quite frankly, I’m a big champion and supporter of this project. The Speaker: The hon. Member for Calgary-Buffalo. We’re still on the amendment. Mr. Hehr: Yeah.

Well, thank you, Mr. Speaker. I wasn’t as interested in this amendment as I am now. My interest has been piqued. It sounds to me like the Calgary greenway project is almost like Central Park now, the way we’ve had a discussion of this. The Speaker: I’ve got to just tell everybody now. We’re talking about an amendment to a constituency name. We’re not talking about building parks. The subject of this amendment is to change the name of the proposed electoral division of Calgary-Montrose to Calgary-Greenway. That is the subject of the amendment. Proceed. Mr.

Hehr: I guess I’m still hedging my bet, whether I’m going to be supportive or against it, until I’ve heard a little more. Is this greenway project more like a large series of parks, or is it like Central Park? It sounds like quite a system here that you have. [A timer sounded] The Speaker: Go ahead. Proceed. Mr. Hehr: I guess that it’s more just that my interest has been piqued here as to what exactly it is. I’m getting a fair representation from you, but just to sort of, I guess, broaden my scope and my knowledge, is this one large park? Is it a series of links?

I’m just really trying to picture this and the relevance to the community. The Speaker: Go ahead, sir. Mr. Bhullar: Thanks for the opportunity to explain. It’s a pathway system that runs, as I said, from 17th Avenue S.E., Elliston park, all the way up to Airport Trail. So that’s the pathway, hence the name east Calgary greenway. Then throughout the pathway there are locations where there are meeting places. There are ponds. There is an interpretive centre. So it’s a pathway system with a series of small parks incorporated into it. There will be playgrounds.

It’s a pretty significant piece of recreational infrastructure. I think that’s the best way that I can put it. The Speaker: Hon. members, the hon. Member for Calgary- Montrose was allowed to get up several times b ecause he was part of that five-minute question-and-answer thing. When the buzzer went when he was speaking, I should have had him sit down. But, well, it’s only day 2. So it was a nice thing. We’re still now on the amendment. If somebody wants to participate in the debate on the amendment, we’ll allow it, but then we’re going to bring this thing to a head. Hon.

Members: Question. [Motion on amendment A3 carried] The Speaker: I said earlier that I would recognize the hon. Member for Calgary-Varsity on the debate of the motion now, which has been amended three times. Then we’ll go to the hon. Member for Calgary-North Hill. Mr. Chase: Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker, for permitting me to speak to Bill 18, as you pointed out, thrice amended. I must admit that I have a little bit of difficulty with the title of Bill 18, which says Government Organization Amendment Act, 2010. The Speaker: I’m sorry, sir. We are on Motion 18, not the bill. Mr. Chase: Okay. Motion 18.

Thank you. The Speaker: It’s not the bill. It’s not the government reorganiza- tion act. Mr. Chase: I appreciate it. We’re talking a bout electoral bound- aries, not government organization. Thank you for that clarification. It was the numeracy that caused me some initial confusion, now corrected. With the establishment of electoral boundaries and the addition of four new electoral boundaries, I recognize the need to balance our increasing population in Alberta.

But I have to wonder in the name of efficiency how it is that our cities have considerably fewer aldermen or alderwomen or councillors or reeves to carry on the same local business and they seem to do it quite well. And we now require 87 individuals to carry out the governance of the province. 3:30 I appreciate the fact that my constituents call me on a regular basis. One of the methods I’ve used for contacting constituents, that has worked extremely well, is basically hanging out at the Grass- roots farmers’ market in Calgary-Varsity.

When people seeing all the other vendors ask me, “What are you se lling?” I simply reply: “I’m giving away democracy. It’s in short supply in this province.” We have some interesting discussions. Electoral boundaries – for example, the change was made, I believe, in 2003. Originally West Dalhousie, where I resided, was part of Calgary-Foothills. It was changed to Calgary-Varsity, which was a large help to me because that’s where I taught for 21 of my 34 years.

So I see the need to accommodate population shifts, but as a member of the Liberal Party, and having stated this clearly, we believe that in this case more is not better in terms of the governance of the province. In terms of the electoral boundaries and the commission as it represents improving democracy and governance in this province, it concerns me that the electoral officer Lorne Gibson . . . The Speaker: Hon. member, we have a point of order. The hon. Government House Leader. Point of Order Relevance Mr. Hancock: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I hesitate to interrupt the speaker, but I would do so under Standing Order 23(f). This speaker and a number of other speakers have referred to the number of seats, and of course that wasn’t within the purview of the Electoral Boundaries Commission. They had to abide by the law which had previously been passed by this Legislature, the Electoral Boundaries Commission Act, which increased the number of seats. So it’s not relevant to be speaking about the number of seats in the debate about the acceptance of the boundaries commission report because the

October 26, 2010 Alberta Hansard 951 boundaries commission could not do but design 87 seats as directed by this Legislature. The Speaker: Quite frankly, that’s a very valid point. I think we should deal with the motion that we have in front of us. The hon. Member for Calgary-Varsity. Mr. Chase: Thank you very much. The Speaker: That matter has been dealt with in the House. Mr. Chase: Thank you for the clarification, Mr. Speaker, and thank you, Government House Leader, for pointing out the relevance. Debate Continued Mr.

Chase: I realize that the Electoral Boundaries Commission was basically regulated by the discussion in this House, and I attempted to point out that this discussion on increasing and directing the boundaries commission to come up with four new electoral districts was not unanimous. I hope, Mr. Speaker, that that historical record and its relevance is worthy of note. What I am concerned about is what now takes place in the four new electoral boundaries, that we’re in the process of approving today. My concern is how we best improve the efficiency within those electoral boundaries.

How is it that we can potentially improve, for example, voter turnout in these new regions? One of the problems in previous electoral boundaries was the census. I’m hoping that the census information for these new boundaries will potentially be shared between the municipalities and the federal districts where there are overlaps. Having the numbers of voters, particularly in a new constituency, identified so that they can participate in the next election, whether it be 2012 or at some time earlier or later, is extremely important, and I’m hoping it’s viewed as relevant.

I would hope that as we go forward with this larger, expanded democracy, we can gain greater participation than we have to date. The 2008 election was highly disappointing. However, I take some hope in the r ecent t urnout, for example, in Calgary. Calgary, of course, is a recipient of two of these new electoral boundaries; call it timing or call it a reward for due diligence in Calgary and recognizing population growth. We just recently had a municipal election, Mr. Speaker, where we had over 50 per cent voter turnout. That is my hope not only for our four new electoral districts but for this province.

Thank you for allowing me to participate. The Speaker: Hon. members, Standing Order 29(2)(

b) is available for five minutes of questions or comments should members choose. The hon. Member for Airdrie-Chestermere. Mr. Anderson: Sure. I’d just like to hear more from the hon. member about his general feeling about the need for more MLAs, if we need more MLAs. Or do you think that should have been part of the report? I frankly think it’s very relevant. This is a democracy, and we do like free debate and free speech, so I’d like to hear a little bit more about that if you could. The Speaker: Well, unfortunately, the hon. member may wish to do that except that we are going to stay within the context.

I mean, the motion is very, very clear. The Assembly has dealt with all of these other matters previously. We can waste five minutes of time, you know, whistling, but let’s be relevant to what we have at hand today. Hon. Member for Airdrie-Chestermere, do you want to try again? Mr. Anderson: Well, may I get clarification? What are we allowed to talk about, Mr. Speaker? The Speaker: Well, let’s take a look at Motion 18. It says:

Be it resolved that pursuant to

section 11(1) of the Electoral Boundaries Commission Act the Legislative Assembly concur in the recommendations of the final report of the Alberta Electoral Boundaries Commission entitled Proposed Electoral Division Areas, Boundaries and Names for Alberta, which was tabled by the Speaker of the Legislative Assembly as an intersessional deposit on June 24, 2010. This report follows a discussion in the House about what the parameters would be for the Electoral Boundaries Commission.

It followed a process whereby leaders of the government, leaders of the opposition parties were to convey to the Speaker names that would then subsequently be appointed to form the Electoral Boundaries Commission. The Electoral Boundaries Commission then was created. It went out and held meetings. The document came back to the Assembly. It was reviewed by the Assembly. The committee went back out again and came back. So we’re dealing now with the final thing. In the meantime, we had a debate on a bill, in particular, that increased the number of ridings from 83 to 87.

What we’re dealing with now is the conclusion, the report. We’ve done all that other stuff. It’s now the 21st century, as I heard somebody say today. We’ll stick with that. Mr. Anderson: I’ll be brief. Could you tell us a little bit about whether you like the report’s boundaries for Calgary-Varsity, hon. member? Are there any communities that you think you would like to see in there, any ones that are not in there that, you know, you think should be in there, et cetera? What are your feelings on your own boundaries? Mr. Chase: Thank you. Mr. Speaker, I’m extremely proud of the constituency of Calgary-Varsity.

The reason for that pride is very similar to the pride I felt when Calgary voters turned out in the municipal election. I’m sure you’re aware of this, but Calgary- Varsity had the largest voter turnout in this past election, which indicates the engagement of Calgary-Varsity constituents. It had nothing to do with myself. I was one of a number of very capable candidates running for the position of representing Calgary-Varsity constituents. Mr. Speaker, I understand fully that the boundaries commission was given very strict parameters.

They did their work, they went throughout the province, and they came up with what they believed was their best recommendation. While I support the effort and the methodology in arriving at these suggestions, I do not support the conclusion. 3:40 I understand and am appreciative of the fact that Fort McMurray’s population was finally represented, especially with its satellite communities. I understand that Calgary’s population has grown significantly. If I were in favour of expanding electoral districts, which, Mr.

Speaker, I have clearly indicated that I’m not, if that were my reasoning in terms of population and representation, then I would suggest that Edmonton lost out because they previously had one of their constituency boundaries eliminated and the population has grown considerably since that was done. If I were a person who believed bigger is better, I would suggest that Edmonton was shortchanged; therefore, I cannot concur with the proposal of Motion 18 and the electoral boundaries findings. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Alberta Hansard October 26, 2010952 The Speaker: We still have time if there are additional questions or comments under this segment. If not, are there additio

Document details

Collection	Alberta — Debates (Hansard)
Citation	20101026
Type	hansard
Volume / chapter	L27 S3 20101026 1330 01 han.pdf
Language	en
Format	json
Source	PROVINCIAL
Identifier	997f4bad699b3ab403b00001358b6c924f5e3a0a

Source file is stored in the law ingest library (json).