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March 31, 2015 HOUSE

OF ASSEMBLY PROCEEDINGS

Vol. XLVII No. 70

The

House met at 1:30 p.m.

MR. SPEAKER (Verge):

Order, please!

Admit

strangers.

Today I

am pleased to welcome to the public gallery the Mayor of St. Brendan's, Her

Worship Veronica Broomfield.

Welcome

to the House of Assembly.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

In actual fact my lovely wife

is up there too, but she said not to mention her.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

Statements by

Members

MR. SPEAKER:

Today we will hear members'

statement from the Members from the District of The Straits White Bay North,

the District of St. John's East, the District of Baie Verte Springdale, the

District of Cartwright L'Anse au Clair, the District of Burgeo La Poile, and

the District of Cape St. Francis.

The hon.

the Member for the District of The Straits White Bay North.

MR. MITCHELMORE:

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to

recognize nine-year-old Hailey Blake of St. Anthony, who became the proud winner

of a country-wide contest held by Cross Country Canada.

Jackrabbits from across the nation were asked to design a picture for the 2016

toques. Hailey put her imagination

to work, her pencils to paper, and designed a brilliant red cup of hot chocolate

incorporating a set of skis that dazzled the judges enough to place her in the

top ten.

It was

then up to fans and peers to hit Facebook and judge the finalists.

Initially a close race, until Natalie Hughes of Aurora Nordic Ski Club,

St. Anthony reached out to ski clubs from across the Province.

Shares turned to likes from across the country, support from her own ski

club and, of course, family and friends helped Hailey come out on top.

Hailey's

design will be on 11,000 toques for all jackrabbits across Canada.

Hailey was very excited for the win, but the humble girl that she is gave

lots of thank yous for all who helped.

I ask

all hon. members to congratulate Hailey Blake, a talented young artist, on her

national accomplishment.

Thank

you.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Member for the

District of St. John's East.

MR. MURPHY:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Today I

am happy to tell you about a creative, educational, and award-winning project in

my district. Madame Line Daly's

Grade 6 French Immersion class at Vanier Elementary School in my district of St.

John's East was one of the grand prize winners in this year's Take Charge NL

Kids in Charge contest.

Take

Charge NL challenged elementary school classes to devise a creative,

informative, and fun way to explain why saving energy is important and

demonstrate what to do to save energy.

The contest was sponsored by Newfoundland Power, Newfoundland Hydro, and

the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador; the prize was five iPads for the

classroom, and a pizza party.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. MURPHY:

The Grade 6 class produced a

video modelled after that of old TV standby,

Family Feud .

They asked and answered questions about how to save energy at home and

school, with the contestants answering with examples and reasons why

conservation is so important.

The

students created, produced, and filmed the video themselves, with just a little

guidance from Madame Daly, and, Mr. Speaker, they did it all

en franais .

Flicitations

to Madame Daly's Grade

6 French Immersion class for creatively enforcing the energy conservation

message.

Thank

you very much, Mr. Speaker.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Member for the

District of Baie Verte Springdale.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. POLLARD:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

In its

early years, Springdale Stadium was jam packed with the loyal fans and

supporters as the Springdale Braves senior hockey team usually crushed their

opponents, providing exciting entertainment.

In more

recent times, it is also the place to assemble to support the Silver Gliders

figure skating club which, over the years, has contributed immensely to the

recreational and social needs of our tender-hearted youth.

Saturday, March 21, I had the pleasure to attend their 2015 program called TRUE

COLORS, as forty-two enthusiastic skaters hit the ice.

Performing to their individual programs, the skaters put proud smiles on the

faces of their family members as they demonstrated poise, flexibility, balance,

and talent.

Senior

coach, Leanne Roberts and Junior coaches, Kendyl Andrews, Melissa Bowers, Olivia

Bowers, Natasha Lawler, Hailey Noseworthy, and Leanne Warford are to be

applauded for their dedicated leadership.

In addition to the sponsors of the event, the parents are to be

recognized for their willingness to support the local club in sacrificial ways.

I ask

all hon. colleagues to help me congratulate President, Paula Strowbridge, and

her executive, and the Silver Gliders Figure skating club for their outstanding

work and commitment.

Thank

you, Mr. Speaker.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Member for the

District of Cartwright L'Anse au Clair.

MS DEMPSTER:

Thank you.

Mr.

Speaker, I rise in this hon. House to recognize the forty-first anniversary of

the Labrador Flag.

The flag

was designed by Mike Martin in 1973 in response to a request from the Government

of Newfoundland and Labrador to adopt a special project commemorating the

twenty-fifth anniversary of Newfoundland and Labrador's Confederation with

Canada.

In the

words of Mr. Martin, it was never meant to be a separatist flag, it was meant

to be a positive symbol of who we were, and are, and hope to be collectively,

all races, religions, and political parties, proud of ourselves and our

heritage.

The

Combined Councils of Labrador first requested to have the Labrador Flag flown at

the borders in 2006, but until yesterday were denied.

In September last year, the residents took matters in their own hands and

the flag has been proudly flying since then.

The

Labrador Flag has been seen in all corners of the world, brought there by proud

Labradorians who appreciate their heritage and the land they call home.

Mr.

Speaker, I ask all hon. members to join me on this day, March 31, in paying

respect to a symbol that proudly unites us as a people, the Labrador Flag.

Thank

you.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Member for the

District of Burgeo La Poile.

MR. A. PARSONS:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I rise

today to congratulate Mr. Chuck Keeping, a member of the band, Big Wreck, on the

group's nomination for a 2015 Juno Award for their album: Ghosts.

Prior to

drumming for Big Wreck, Chuck played with some well-known names, including

Fathead, Jeff Healey, Jeremy Fisher, and Suzie McNeil.

He has opened for Aerosmith, Slash, Motley Crue, Alan Jackson and Great

Big Sea, among others. He has twice

been nominated for drummer of the year at the Canadian Maple Blues Awards.

Chuck, a

native of Port aux Basques, first picked up drumsticks at the age of eleven when

his guitarist father needed a replacement drummer for a booked show.

Chuck graduated from St. James Regional High and continued on to the

Ontario Institute of Audio Recording Technology.

After graduating, he started playing sessions with musicians ranging from

pop to country. He auditioned for

Big Wreck when the band was on its reunion tour three years ago.

Chuck is

the son of a very proud Roy and Norma Keeping of Port aux Basques.

Mr.

Speaker, I ask all members of this House to join with me in extending

congratulations to this multi-talented artist and wish Chuck well with all his

future endeavours.

Thank

you, Mr. Speaker.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Member for the

District of Cape St. Francis.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. K. PARSONS:

Thank you very much, Mr.

Speaker.

I rise

in this hon. House today to congratulate the inductees into the Torbay Sports

Hall of Fame. They are:

Delores

Manning, a member of the Torbay Ladies Chargers team in the 1970s and 1980s who

was a solid two-way player. She was

also an all-star outfielder and third basemen for the Torbay Ladies Fast Pitch

softball league.

Tony

Redmond has a long decorated career in bowling since he started in 1972 at the

YBL league. He holds several

records, both provincially and nationally.

Tony is currently a director and coach with disabled bowlers and helps

organize the sport of bocce.

George

Bursell served as coach and administrator at the St. John's Ladies Hockey League

and minor hockey coach, linesman, and referee in Torbay.

He is now the President of the St. John's Junior Hockey league and

Eastern Director for Junior Hockey NL.

Alex

Byrne, a team captain who helped his team win four Avalon East hockey

championships in the 1970s and 1980s.

Alex was also an all-star shortstop who won several championships in the

Torbay men's league, slo-pitch and mercantile leagues.

He also coached and was an administrator in minor hockey and minor

softball, and also an outstanding bowler.

I ask

all hon. members to join with me in congratulating these inductees into the

Torbay Sports Hall of Fame.

Thank

you, Mr. Speaker.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

Statements by Ministers.

Statements by

Ministers

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Minister of

Business, Tourism, Culture and Rural Development.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. KING:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I will

do my statement in spite of the jest I hear on all sides of the House this

afternoon.

Mr.

Speaker, I rise in the House today to share the enthusiasm I experienced last

week during my participation in the Arctic Technology Conference in Copenhagen,

Denmark.

The

Arctic Technology Conference, which is known as ATC, is a gathering of global

business and academic leaders. The

conference provides an unparalleled opportunity for Newfoundland and Labrador's

best to come together with the industry's finest to share ideas, current

research, and cutting-edge technology.

Mr.

Speaker, with a mature offshore supply and service industry with over 600

companies, all in support of an industry that is operating successfully in

Arctic-like conditions ATC provided the organizations involved with a

tremendous opportunity to demonstrate the fundamental role our Province will

play in future Arctic activity.

Our

government has long recognized Newfoundland and Labrador's extensive

Arctic-related capabilities and expertise.

Newfoundland and Labrador's strategic location, world-class infrastructure, and

waters colder than anywhere else south of the Arctic Circle, make our Province

the ultimate proving ground for developing cutting-edge solutions to operational

challenges in the Arctic.

Our

strong ocean technology cluster was well represented in Copenhagen, Mr. Speaker.

I led a total of nineteen companies, including ones such as: Oceanic

Consulting, GRI Simulations, C-Core, Canatec, Intecsea, Memorial University,

Subsea 7, Fugro, and Provincial Aerospace.

Mr.

Speaker, we are quite proud of the delegates that participated in this important

conference, and even prouder that Newfoundland and Labrador will host this

conference in St. John's next year.

As the

ideal staging ground for Arctic-related activities, Newfoundland and Labrador is

the path to the Arctic and hosting ATC in 2016 will further establish this

position in the international community.

The

conference will provide an international platform for Newfoundland and

Labrador's ocean technology sector and bring greater awareness to the Province's

research and development in emerging technologies, extraordinary marine

infrastructure, as well as bring attention to local leading-edge companies

operating in the sector.

The

world's most comprehensive Arctic event, Mr. Speaker, we anticipate that ATC

will draw more than 1,000 delegates and more than 100 exhibitors from around the

world.

I look

forward to welcoming delegates to our Province so they can see first-hand the

world-class capabilities we have right here in Newfoundland and Labrador and the

extensive potential we have in the ocean technology sector.

Thank

you.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Member for

Trinity Bay de Verde.

MR. CROCKER:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I thank

the minister for an advance copy of his statement.

We are happy to hear that Newfoundland and Labrador was well represented

by academia and industry at the Arctic Technologies Conference.

We very must look forward to hosting the conference here in Newfoundland

and Labrador next year.

Mr.

Speaker, Newfoundland and Labrador is geographically positioned to be the

gateway to the North. Unfortunately,

this government has missed opportunity after opportunity for our Province to

capitalize on our location.

We can

look to Nova Scotia who won a $25 billion contract to build vessels under the

federal government's National Shipbuilding Procurement Strategy.

While Nova Scotia is wining $25 billion contracts, this government cannot

even successfully implement a ferry replacement strategy.

We have

also have the two Coast Guard marine communications and traffic centres in St.

Anthony and St. John's slated to close; the two busiest centres in the Province.

The

minister says his government has long recognized Newfoundland and Labrador's

extensive Arctic-related capabilities and experience, what they fail to do is

maximize on those capabilities.

Thank

you, Mr. Speaker.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Member for St.

John's East.

MR. MURPHY:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I also

thank the minister for the advance copy of his statement here in the House

today.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Oh, oh!

MR. SPEAKER:

Order, please!

MR. MURPHY:

Congratulations for getting

the Arctic Technology Conference and its members to come here; that is no easy

feat. So, congratulations to

government for that, but we are also hoping to hear about the interesting

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Oh, oh!

MR. SPEAKER:

Order, please!

MR. MURPHY:

advancements in

technologies in northern environments as well.

In the

statement comes a focus on our offshore supply and service, which are mostly oil

related. We also hope that there is

also going to be a focus on protecting the fragile Arctic environment, as much

as there is a focus on exploiting it.

We have that duty to future generations, Mr. Speaker, to protect it.

Thank

you very much.

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Minister of

Service Newfoundland and Labrador.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. CRUMMELL:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Mr.

Speaker, I rise in this hon. House to note the conclusion of Fraud Prevention

Month. This occasion is recognized

throughout Canada each March to raise awareness of the dangers of all types of

fraud, and to provide information that helps people protect themselves against

it.

Mr.

Speaker, as part of Fraud Prevention Month, jurisdictions across Canada promote

Check Registration Day. Observed

this year on March 18, this annual event was created by the Canadian Securities

Administrators to guard against investment fraud.

It encourages consumers to check the registration of any investment

service provider before engaging their services.

Mr.

Speaker, Service NL, in partnership with other Canadian Securities

Administrators, will only register firms and individuals that meet specific

qualifications and standards.

Knowing if a service provider is registered confirms whether an individual or

company is authorized to sell investments or offer investment advice.

Consumers can check for registration quickly by using the National Registration

search engine at

www.aretheyregistered.com ,

or by contacting the Financial Services Regulation Division of Service NL at

709-729-2602.

Mr.

Speaker, the Consumer and Commercial Affairs Branch of Service NL is dedicated

to protecting the people of our Province from all types of fraud, and makes

information and resources available to keep Newfoundlanders and Labradorians

informed. I encourage everyone to

visit the Service NL website, where they will find useful information that helps

protect consumers throughout the Province, including a list of all currently

licensed or registered financial service providers.

The

consumer protection services provided by our government play an important role

in realizing our vision for a prosperous Newfoundland and Labrador.

Through regulation and information sharing, we help protect the interests

of consumers across a wide range of financial activities.

As Fraud Prevention Month concludes, I encourage people throughout the

Province to learn more about the risks associated with various types of fraud

that take place, and to avail of the information and services we provide to stay

informed and protect themselves.

Thank

you, Mr. Speaker.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Member for Mount

Pearl South.

MR. LANE:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I thank

the minister for an advance copy of his statement.

I, and my colleagues, would like to join the minister in recognizing

Fraud Protection Month. This is an

important occasion, as we are too often hearing about victims of fraud, who

often are seniors.

Service

Newfoundland and Labrador, through its Consumer and Commercial Affairs Branch

may be dedicated, as the minister says, to informing people about such frauds.

However, the department has been falling down on the job when it comes to

consumer protection.

Whether

it be the failure to implement payday loan legislation, whether it be the

failure to protect purchasers of pre-paid funerals by not collecting audited

statements, whether it be the removal of requirements for insurance audits and

I might add that was done without consultation with the insurance brokers

whether it be failure to place food safety inspections for public food

preparation areas online, or whether it be failure to amend the Residential

Tenancies Act, it is fine for the minister to stand up here, talk about consumer

protection, but it is quite another thing to actually act.

Thank

you, Mr. Speaker.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Member for St.

John's East.

MR. MURPHY:

I, too, would also like to

thank the minister for the advance copy of his statement in the House here

today, Mr. Speaker. I am glad to see

the government is informing us of these online resources that we can check to

see if an investment service provider is legitimate.

We would, however, like to see government support more outreach to

protect seniors who are targets of fraudsters trying to get their money and

personal data, using such things as phoney prizes, services, or information to

get their foot in the door of some of these seniors.

Not

every senior has access to a computer and many have difficulty navigating the

system, Mr. Speaker. Groups such as

the Seniors Resource Centre help seniors learn how to spot scams and identity

thief and protect themselves. They

need more resources to do this important work, Mr. Speaker.

I hope that is going to be a consideration of this government in the

upcoming Budget.

Thank

you very much.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Minister of

Natural Resources.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. DALLEY:

Mr. Speaker, I rise in this

hon. House to highlight the 2015 Call for Bids announced today by the

Canada-Newfoundland and Labrador Offshore Petroleum Board.

This is

the first Call for Bids under the scheduled land tenure regime in our offshore

area. The Call for Bids consists of

eleven parcels and a total of 2.5 million hectares in the Eastern Newfoundland

Region. The minimum bid for each

parcel offered is $10 million in work commitments.

The new

land tenure regime is a huge step forward in the Province's offshore industry.

It was developed based on global best practices from leading exploration

jurisdictions and through discussion with stakeholders.

With the

new regime, transparency and predictability are ensured for companies interested

in doing business in our offshore industry.

Exploration companies will now have additional time to evaluate petroleum

prospects, conduct geoscientific work, and prepare for the Call for Bids

process.

The new

regime is already creating a strong interest among present players in the

Province and it is proving to be particularly beneficial to those companies

contemplating business in our Province.

The

petroleum industry as a whole continues to generate tremendous benefits to this

Province. In 2014 alone there was

$3.4 billion spent in this Province, and close to 12,000 Newfoundland and

Labrador residents employed at peak.

Through

Nalcor, we continue to promote our oil and gas potential through seismic work

which is providing us with a better understanding of what lies beneath our

offshore subsurface. This work is

attracting the attention of the global oil and gas industry.

In 2014, working with globally recognized partners TGS and PGS, Nalcor

acquired 37,500 kilometres of multi-client two dimensional seismic.

This is the most data captured offshore Newfoundland and Labrador in a

single year since 1983. The seismic

program is one of the largest ongoing offshore 2D seismic programs in the world

today. Multi-client seismic data is

available to explorers through licensing arrangements with TGS.

Continued exploration activity will help to sustain growth and development,

while supporting long-term economic and employment opportunities for

Newfoundlanders and Labradorians.

Mr.

Speaker, the initiatives I am outlining today, including the move to the new

land tenure regime and our commitment to offshore exploration are consistent

with our government's long-term Energy Plan.

I look forward to seeing the results of the Call for Bids announced today

and to continuing efforts in offshore exploration to sustain economic prosperity

in Newfoundland and Labrador.

Thank

you, Mr. Speaker.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Leader of the

Official Opposition.

MR. BALL:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

The Call

for Bids in the new land tenure regime in the offshore, we see this as something

that we support. This is a positive

initiative that we see coming and we look forward to the results that come from

this. As we know, as Newfoundlanders

and Labradorians, oil will always be a major component of our economy for years

to come. How we spend that oil money

to diversify our economy will be extremely important.

It was

just three months ago, on December 12, 2014, when the partnership comprised of

ExxonMobil, Suncor, and ConocoPhillips paid a record $559 million for a large

piece of land in the Flemish Pass.

Of course, we look forward to that because that is really a new basin for us as

Newfoundlanders and Labradorians.

Last

week we just heard at the Nalcor AGM, the importance of seismic and the work

that is being done with that. That

really is data we can use to attract further exploration and more industry to

our Province; $250 million of that was invested in 2011 to 2015, $45 million

being Nalcor's share. That data is

extremely important to us, but what is also important is that Newfoundlanders

and Labradorians will continue to be the primary beneficiaries of that, and the

offshore will always be a safe place for Newfoundlanders and Labradorians to

work.

Thank

you, Mr. Speaker.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Member for

Signal Hill Quidi Vidi.

MS MICHAEL:

Thank you very much, Mr.

Speaker.

I too

thank the minister for the advance copy of his statement.

The new land tenure system is indeed an improvement.

We are all excited about recent finds in the Flemish Pass.

Hopefully this latest call for bids will see more interest in exploration in our

offshore. Some are saying the

Flemish Pass is the next North Sea.

Here's hoping.

Meanwhile, I hope the minister is doing his homework.

There are very serious unresolved environmental issues regarding

deepwater drilling. These have to be

faced. There is also the issue of

who pays the United Nations fees on oil drilled outside of Canada's 200-mile

limit, just to name a couple that we face in the future oil industry

development.

Thank

you very much, Mr. Speaker.

MR. SPEAKER:

Oral Questions.

Oral Questions

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Leader of the

Official Opposition.

MR. BALL:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

November 27, Nalcor provided an update on their winter readiness and launched

the We Are Winter Ready ad campaign.

That campaign cost $400,000. That

was ironically on the same day that this government announced a freeze on

discretionary spending.

I ask

the Premier: Do you approve of Nalcor spending $400,000 on a winter readiness ad

campaign?

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Minister of

Natural Resources.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. DALLEY:

Mr. Speaker, last January

2014, the Province went through a very difficult time with respect to power

outages. There was a considerable

cry for some answers.

As a

government we wanted answers, and we said we would get answers.

We have also gotten answers in an action plan.

Through internal reviews, independent reviews, the Public Utilities

Board, Liberty, there were some eighty-two recommendations put forward that

Hydro has accepted, Mr. Speaker.

Within those recommendations was a strong message that we needed more

communications.

I think

we all agree the importance of informing people.

The efforts here, Mr. Speaker, of money being spent, were all a part of

the process to improve the system and improve communications.

MR. SPEAKER:

Order, please!

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Leader of the

Official Opposition.

MR. BALL:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

The

minister's comments did not address one thing.

Nalcor was not winter ready and failed to their first test actually on

March 4, 2015. They failed to

communicate with the public even though they knew there were issues hours before

the power was cut.

I ask

the Premier: How do you justify allowing Nalcor to spend $400,000 of taxpayers'

money in Newfoundland and Labrador when they obviously were not winter ready?

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Minister of

Natural Resources.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. DALLEY:

Mr. Speaker, I will remind

the Leader of the Opposition you cannot have it two ways.

You cannot come out and criticize a company for not communicating, not

being prepared, and then when they go and spend the money and do the work, Mr.

Speaker, to blame them for spending money when they are actually trying to do

what is expected of them.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Oh, oh!

MR. SPEAKER:

Order, please!

MR. DALLEY:

With respect to the system,

Mr. Speaker, we are dealing with a very complex system: 15,000 kilometres of

power lines, 2,000 megawatts of power generation, over 800 employees working.

We have nine hydroelectric stations, gas turbines.

We have diesel stations. We

have fifty-four high voltage stations, Mr. Speaker, a very complex system that

is old. There will be breakdowns.

I say to the people of the Province, what is important here is that we

deal with that and we make sure they respond appropriately.

MR. SPEAKER:

Order, please!

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Leader of the Official Opposition.

MR. BALL:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Well,

with all respect to the people of Newfoundland and Labrador, when you are going

to spend $400,000 on an ad campaign you should be ready and be able to support

what the ad campaign is saying.

After

the DarkNL debacle, Nalcor introduced a new notification protocol.

They committed to informing the public in advance of significant issues

within the system. On March 4, they

failed to communicate significant issues that led to the blackouts.

I ask

the Premier: Why didn't Nalcor follow their own protocol which was part of the

$400,000 ad campaign?

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Minister of

Natural Resources.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. DALLEY:

This has been acknowledged, Mr. Speaker, by Newfoundland and Labrador Hydro, and

the recommendations that have come from all the reviews that have been made, the

importance of communication not only to their stakeholders, but certainly in

working with the other utility, Newfoundland Power as well.

They have implemented a new system, and I

acknowledge that some tweaks have to be made with that new system.

We have acknowledged that.

Secondly, Mr. Speaker, March 4, the generation was available.

The plan was to start up the new CT.

They had a glitch in the morning, Mr. Speaker, but a few hours shortly

after that they had it rectified.

The

problem, Mr. Speaker, any time the power is out it is inconvenient for people.

We have to recognize that, and we fully expect Hydro to implement these

new measures and to ensure that the system is reliable for all of Newfoundland

and Labrador.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Leader of the

Official Opposition.

MR. BALL:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I will

ask the minister a very frank question: Do you support the communications that

Hydro put out on March 4, 2015? Is

that acceptable to you? Because it

seems that it is.

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Minister of

Natural Resources.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. DALLEY:

Mr. Speaker, unlike the

Leader of the Opposition, who time and time again stands here, time and time

again with information attacking some of the very Newfoundlanders and

Labradorians who are putting this system in, Mr. Speaker

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Oh, oh!

MR. SPEAKER:

Order, please!

MR. DALLEY:

Time and time again, Mr.

Speaker, we have stood here. We have

seen the incredible amount of work that is done, we have seen the money that is

spent, Mr. Speaker. We have seen the

work that has gone on with the Public Utilities Board and I think everybody

understands the complexity of what goes on.

When

there is an issue, Mr. Speaker, they respond to it as they should.

They report it as they should.

I will say and give people the commitment, as minister and as a

government, we are going to make sure Hydro continues to do that, Mr. Speaker.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Leader of the

Official Opposition.

MR. BALL:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Well, we

are in no way attacking Newfoundlanders and Labradorians.

What we are doing, however, I say to the minister, is protecting

Newfoundlanders and Labradorians from more blackouts and more outages.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. BALL:

So I ask the Minister: Are

you okay with what happened on March 4, 2015?

Just say yes or no.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Oh, oh!

MR. SPEAKER:

Order, please!

The hon.

the Minister of Natural Resources.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. DALLEY:

Mr. Speaker, I am never okay

when the power goes off. I am like

every other Newfoundlander and Labradorian.

The power goes out, we have a problem and we have a history in this

Province, Mr. Speaker. This is not

new. It is not new to the people of

the Province for the power to go out.

What we

are seeing, Mr. Speaker, is improved investments of $209 million last year on

generation, transmission, and distribution.

What we are seeing is an investment in a combustion turbine to provide an

additional 123 megawatts of power.

What we are seeing is a new communication plan.

That is being brought forward and being worked on.

What we are seeing, Mr. Speaker, is Newfoundlanders and Labradorians

stepping up to the challenge and delivering for the people of the Province.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Leader of the

Official Opposition.

MR. BALL:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Two

weeks ago I asked if taxpayers in Newfoundland and Labrador or Astaldi of Italy

were on the hook for additional costs at Muskrat Falls.

At that point, the minister said he would get back, that he would check

it out.

So I ask

the minister: Who is on the hook for the extra costs?

Is it Newfoundlanders and Labradorians or is it Astaldi?

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Minister of

Natural Resources.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. DALLEY:

Mr. Speaker, I thought I

answered that question yesterday.

The

contract with Astaldi is a lump-sum contract.

As I have said before, there are various types of contracts with so many

different contractors at the Muskrat Falls site, but with Astaldi it is lump

sum. They have a scope of work to

do, Mr. Speaker, and within that scope of work they have to deliver for the

price that they are being paid.

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Leader of the

Official Opposition.

MR. BALL:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Well,

speaking of contracts with Astaldi, our access to information request for

Astaldi's contract was over ninety pages, completely withheld or other partially

redacted.

I ask

the Premier: In the spirit of openness and accountability, that you say is the

direction you want to take your government in, why don't you do the right thing,

release the contract with Astaldi?

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Minister of

Natural Resources.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. DALLEY:

Mr. Speaker, again, we have

addressed those issues a number of times.

We have made a full commitment to the people of the Province that when it

is appropriate and it is not commercially sensitive, we will release those

documents, Mr. Speaker. There are

still ongoing contracts and work being done at Muskrat Falls.

In the

spirit of openness and transparency, Mr. Speaker, since the leader brought it

up, I am sure we would all be delighted to see the list of names at the $10,000

a plate dinner that Brian Tobin arranged for him.

In the spirit of openness and transparency, maybe he can share that with

the people of the Province.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

Order, please!

The hon.

the Leader of the Official Opposition.

MR. BALL:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I can

assure you now, those people who joined us at the dinner went there willingly.

That information will be available to the people of the Province.

Mr.

Speaker, the new Access to Information law will require government to prove why

information is redacted. It is then

up to the Privacy Commissioner to see if the information will be released.

I ask

the Premier: In the spirit of these new recommendations, will you make Nalcor

justify the redactions to the Privacy Commissioner?

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Minister of

Natural Resources.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. DALLEY:

Mr. Speaker, here we go

again. They want it both ways, Mr.

Speaker.

They

want to put pressure on about cost pressures and

schedule pressures about the

project. They want to stand here day

after day and criticize the project, even though the Member for Virginia Waters

said: This is not a nice to do; this is a must do.

We must built Muskrat Falls, was what the Member for Virginia Waters said

when she was a part of the Nalcor board.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

Order, please!

MR. DALLEY:

You cannot have it two ways,

Mr. Speaker. You cannot criticize

over here around cost pressures but at the same time expect Nalcor or government

to release information that could potentially increase the cost of Muskrat

Falls. We are not going to do it,

Mr. Speaker.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Leader of the

Official Opposition.

MR. BALL:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

You talk

about speaking out of two sides of their mouth.

We have a government here who claims to be open and transparent.

They are already on record as saying there are scheduling pressures.

They are already on record as saying there is a dome up there that is now

doomed. Pouring concrete in the

summer should not be anything new in Newfoundland and Labrador.

You have advanced over $100 million.

You have increasing members on Nalcor.

Why will

you not release this contract?

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Minister of

Natural Resources.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. DALLEY:

Mr. Speaker, I appreciate the

fact that the member just outlined a lot of things that we are making public to

the people of the Province. The fact

is our commitment that we would share what is going on in Muskrat Falls is

absolute, and we make that commitment.

He has also pointed out a number of things we are providing the

necessary oversight, Mr. Speaker, on Muskrat Falls.

What we

will not do is jeopardize the cost of Muskrat Falls, because the reality is the

ratepayers of Newfoundland and Labrador are going to pay that cost.

We are not prepared, for the sake of the Leader of the Opposition looking

for information that is commercially sensitive, we will not risk the ratepayers

of Newfoundland and Labrador.

If you

want to be open and transparent, give us the names of the $10,000 a plate

dinner.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

Order, please!

The hon.

the Member for Burgeo La Poile.

MR. A. PARSONS:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I am

sure there are a few members on the other side who would like to know the next

time we have a dinner.

Early

diagnosis is the most powerful tool to make a difference in the life of a child

with autism. The number of children

being diagnosed with autism in our Province continues to climb.

Mr. Speaker, 106 were diagnosed in 2010, 125 in 2012, and 146 last year.

As of July, there were 331 children waiting up to eighteen months for OT

services after they have been diagnosed with autism.

I ask

the minister: Is this acceptable?

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Minister of

Health and Community Services.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. KENT:

Mr. Speaker, the member

opposite raises a very important issue.

We want to make sure there is timely access for services for children

with autism and other developmental disabilities, not only autism.

That is a high priority for the Department of Health and Community

Services as well.

That is

why we have added new staffing positions to try and address some of the needs.

We have invested money in new programs and services, including additional

funding for the Applied Behavioural Analysis Program.

Specifically related to wait-time management, we have undertaken a number of

initiatives in recent years that have seen a decrease in average wait times in a

number of areas. We are going to

continue to work on this, Mr. Speaker.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Member for

Burgeo La Poile.

MR. A. PARSONS:

Mr. Speaker, as always, this

government constantly touts the money that they are putting into autism.

However, professionals are telling us that the problem is not the money,

it is how it is being spent. Health

care is not talking to education.

Education does not talk to health care.

It is time for a new approach.

I ask

the minister: Why haven't you put a provincial autism strategy in place to deal

with this growing problem?

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Minister of

Education and Early Childhood Development.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MS SULLIVAN:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

As you

can see, the minister and I absolutely do work together.

So you just might want to take note of that over on the other side.

Mr.

Speaker, autism certainly is an issue in Newfoundland and Labrador that we are

very, very concerned about. We know

the incidence is on the rise.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Oh, oh!

MR. SPEAKER:

Order, please!

MS SULLIVAN:

That is why we have taken

opportunity to put new supports in place, Mr. Speaker.

A broad range of supports: itinerants, speech-language pathologists,

educational psychologists, guidance counsellors, special education teachers, our

IRTs with additional training, when necessary alternate transportation systems

have been approved, assistive technology, and so on.

We continue to work and we will continue to meet the needs.

MR. SPEAKER:

Order, please!

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Member for

Burgeo La Poile.

MR. A. PARSONS:

Again, Mr. Speaker, it is

apparent that the minister has no idea what is going on in the front lines, what

we are hearing from parents and front-line workers.

The

Federation of School Councils is calling on government to implement secure

treatment for youth whose addiction issues pose a threat to their own or other's

safety. Government said last year it

would draft legislation in the summer of 2014 to protect the rights of youth

receiving secure treatment.

Given

this government's absolute lack of legislation currently on the agenda, I ask

the minister: Why haven't you introduced the secure treatment legislation?

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Minister of

Health and Community Services.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. KENT:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

The

member has raised yet another important issue.

The secure treatment legislation that he is referring to is in the works.

It is something that we are working on within the Department of Health

and Community Services. We are

consulting with a number of stakeholders.

There

have been some questions and concerns raised as part of that process that we are

trying to address. This is a very

significant piece of legislation and we want to get it right.

It is still on our agenda, and I would hope over the next year that we

can bring that legislation forward.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Member for St.

John's South.

MR. OSBORNE:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

The

Supreme Court almost seven years ago upheld an earlier decision of the

arbitration board to compensate employees affected by the 2005 closure of

thirteen provincial highway depots.

The arbitration board again, two-and-a-half years ago ordered redress for

those employees. These workers have

proven their case and government owes them wages.

I ask

the minister: Why has government failed to meet its obligations and compensate

employees affected by the closure of these depots?

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Minister of

Transportation and Works.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. BRAZIL:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

We take,

very diligently, the work that is being done by our employees, Mr. Speaker.

In the closure of these depots a number of years ago, we were in complete

compliance with the collective agreement at the time.

This

process is still before the courts, Mr. Speaker, and the process will unfold.

Once it unfolds, then this Administration will rectify it based on the

ruling of the courts.

Thank

you, Mr. Speaker.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Member for St.

John's South.

MR. OSBORNE:

Mr. Speaker, the court has

ruled. The arbitration board has

ruled. The decision is clear:

Government owes them the money. It

is not still before the courts.

Back in

December when I asked the same issue, the Minister of Finance said government

would respect the decision of the arbitration board, move forward, and make the

appropriate adjustments. Over three

months later, and still nothing has happened to compensate these employees.

Why has

government dragged its heels on this issue?

Mr. Speaker, I ask why these workers still have to wait.

They have been waiting over ten years for compensation.

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Minister of

Transportation and Works.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. BRAZIL:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

There is

a process that is being followed here.

It is very complex. We want

to ensure that the employees who are entitled to restitution there will indeed

get that restitution. This process

is unfolding, and there will be decisions and there will be payouts made over

the next number of months, Mr. Speaker.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Member for

Trinity Bay de Verde.

MR. CROCKER:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

In the

2011 Blue Book, government promised to develop an online BUYNL catalogue to

showcase locally manufactured products.

I ask

the minister: Where is the catalogue?

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Minister of

Business, Tourism, Culture and Rural Development.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. KING:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

To be

very frank, I cannot answer the question; I have no idea where that issue is.

I can say to the member, I spent a considerable amount of time during my

tenure in this department, as I know my predecessors did, in encouraging people

to shop and spend their money within the Province, and encouraging those outside

of the Province to have some inward investment into the Province, as I was doing

over the last number of days outside of Newfoundland and Labrador, Mr. Speaker.

To the

member's question, I will certainly endeavour to find out an update on the

status of that and get back to you.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Member for

Trinity Bay de Verde.

MR. CROCKER:

Mr. Speaker, clearly

manufacturing and export are not priorities of this government.

The export directory on the department's website was last updated in

2008, includes a message from the former Minister Trevor Taylor, and lists

Abitibi-Consolidated as an exporter in our Province.

I ask

the minister: Do you plan on updating the directory any time soon?

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Minister of

Business, Tourism, Culture and Rural Development.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. KING:

Mr. Speaker, it is

unfortunate

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Oh, oh!

MR. SPEAKER:

Order, please!

MR. KING:

if all that the member

opposite is relying on for his research is a little bit of online information.

It is too bad he is not actually engaging

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Oh, oh!

MR. SPEAKER:

Order, please!

MR. KING:

with the Canadian

Manufacturers & Exporters association, whom I am meeting with later today, along

with a number of my colleagues, Mr. Speaker.

Because if he engaged with them, he would find a completely different

picture of the engagement of this government and this government's track record

over the last ten years on working with small and medium enterprises.

He could find out very clearly, as is the colleague sitting next to him

can attest, about the investments we have made in the tourism and hospitality

industry for small- and medium-sized businesses.

Members of this House personally, in some respects, have benefited from

that.

MR. SPEAKER:

Order, please!

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Member for St.

George's Stephenville East.

MR. REID:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

The

review of the Province's Lands Act, which is currently underway, provides a

discussion guide to encourage participation.

One of the items not mentioned in the guide is the issue of designating

Crown lands for agricultural purposes.

I ask

the minister responsible for agriculture: Will the ongoing review consider

proposals which would see agricultural uses of Crown land given a higher

priority so it can become easier for farmers to access Crown lands in the

future?

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Minister

Responsible for the Forestry and Agrifoods Agency.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. GRANTER:

Mr. Speaker, I understand

there is a separate review taking place with that particular issue.

I will get the details of that and report back to the hon. member where

we are on that review.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Member for St.

George's Stephenville East.

MR. REID:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Food

shortages are nothing new in our Province.

Recent bad weather in the Gulf has left lots of store shelves empty.

The Province's Food Security Network says we do not produce enough of our

food and we have only two or three days of supply of fresh vegetables at any

given time.

I ask

the minister: When this review is complete, will it make it easier for local

farmers to access Crown land so they can increase production of food in our

Province?

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Minister

Responsible for the Forestry and Agrifoods Agency.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. GRANTER:

Mr. Speaker, as people would

know, the Province is self-sufficient in milk and eggs in the Province.

In actual fact, Mr. Speaker, some of our products in excess, we ship

outside the Province.

We all

understand the challenges we face here in the Province, especially with the ice

conditions as it was this past winter and the previous winter, but there are a

number of programs in our department which look at food security.

In fact, Mr. Speaker, the work that is being done at Grenfell Campus of

Memorial University, with the research that is taking place there, we all look

forward to a greater food security in the Province.

Our department in forestry and agrifoods is looking at that.

Over the

years to come, Mr. Speaker, we will continue to invest in the food security of

the Province.

Thank

you very much.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Member for

Conception Bay South.

MR. HILLIER:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Mr.

Speaker, last week government employees were asked to complete an electronic

survey on poverty reduction. Phase

II of the Poverty Reduction Strategy is now four years late.

In November, 2012, the minister responsible said Phase II was coming very

soon.

I ask

the minister: Will you show some accountability and commit to a release date for

the Poverty Reduction Strategy? Soon

does not cut it.

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Minister of

Seniors, Wellness and Social Development.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. JACKMAN:

Mr. Speaker, I am very

pleased to say that I cannot remember the exact date.

Just a matter of a few weeks ago there was a summit held in the city

around poverty reduction. I believe

there were some-ninety to 100 people who some of the people who were there

live with this issue day in and day out.

As a result of all of that and a follow up now to that summit, Mr.

Speaker, we have that document in preparation.

I would expect that it will be coming out within the next month or the

next couple of months, Mr. Speaker.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Member for

Conception Bay South.

MR. HILLIER:

Mr. Speaker, despite the fact

that we are touting ourselves as a have Province, and despite the fact that to a

person, government members spent last week bragging about how they had so wisely

spent $20 billion.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Oh, oh!

MR. SPEAKER:

Order, please!

MR. HILLIER:

I ask the minister: How can

you justify Newfoundland and Labrador still having the highest unemployment rate

amongst provinces and still having the highest food bank usage in the country at

twice the national average?

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Minister of

Seniors, Wellness and Social Development.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. JACKMAN:

Mr. Speaker, I just would

like to point out to the member that our Poverty Reduction Strategy, since we

have been in government

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Oh, oh!

MR. SPEAKER:

Order, please!

MR. JACKMAN:

an investment of $1 billion.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Oh, oh!

MR. SPEAKER:

Order, please!

MR. JACKMAN:

Mr. Speaker, $1 billion in

poverty reduction.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. JACKMAN:

I would point out, Mr.

Speaker, that in terms of unemployment records, 2014

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Oh, oh!

MR. SPEAKER:

Order, please!

MR. JACKMAN:

was the second-lowest unemployment rate in Newfoundland since has been record

in 1976, 2013 being the lowest unemployment rates that this Province has had.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. JACKMAN:

Mr. Speaker, it speaks to

what is happening in the Province, very positive results.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Member for The

Straits White Bay North.

MR. MITCHELMORE:

Mr. Speaker, government says

it is committed to proactive disclosure of information; however, upon receiving

the public library board minutes, which I accessed through an ATIPP request, I

was disappointed to find that many of those minutes were redacted.

I ask

the minister: If the minutes of a public library board meeting were redacted,

where does your government truly stand on proactive disclosure?

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Minister of

Education and Early Childhood Development.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MS SULLIVAN:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Mr.

Speaker, he is referring to something from the public information libraries

board. That is not something that I would

be responsible for from the perspective of knowing how they would respond to

outside inquiries. However, I will

certainly ask them what their position is with regard to that.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Member for

Signal Hill Quidi Vidi.

MS MICHAEL:

Thank you very much, Mr.

Speaker.

Today is

the first anniversary of the expiry of the federal-provincial Health Accord.

In its place, the Harper government has imposed a new formula for federal

funding that has already cost this Province $22.4 million and will cost $491

million over a decade.

I ask

the Premier: Has he done anything to defend Newfoundland and Labrador from this

deep and unfair cut in federal health care funding?

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Minister of

Finance and President of Treasury Board.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. WISEMAN:

Mr. Speaker, obviously when

any interruption of the flow of funding from the federal government to the

Province it will have an impact on our Province.

Not just ours though, this is something that is affecting every province

in the country.

It is

something that has been talked about by Health Ministers, it is something that

has been talked about by Finance Ministers, and talked about by Premiers I say,

Mr. Speaker. This is an issue that

affects an entire country. It is a

decision that the federal government has made.

Unfortunately, we are in a position now today where we need to make an

adjustment to accommodate and adjust our budgets accordingly.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Member for

Signal Hill Quidi Vidi.

MS MICHAEL:

Thank you very much, Mr.

Speaker.

Well, in

all of those meetings of ministers and first ministers, et cetera, I ask the

Premier: In speaking with the other provinces, have they taken a stand against

the new federal funding formula which threatens the viability of our health care

system? How strongly did they stand

against Prime Minister Harper?

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Minister of

Finance and President of Treasury Board.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. WISEMAN:

Mr. Speaker, many times in

the House members opposite stand and talk about what this government will do on

any front in terms of making representation to the federal government.

One of

the things we have experienced over the last number of years is regardless of

how compelling an argument we may make, regardless of how strongly we may make

an argument, regardless of how many allies we may have in joining us in making

an argument with the federal government on many fiscal fronts and on many policy

fronts, we have absolutely no control of what that federal government will do.

We,

unfortunately, find ourselves in a position as provinces, that we find ourselves

reacting frequently to decisions the federal government make and we need to

adjust our issues accordingly.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Member for St.

John's East.

MR. MURPHY:

Mr. Speaker, again this year

the Canadian Automobile Association is having a contest asking drivers for

Canada's worst roads. Two roads are

on that list from Newfoundland and Labrador.

These same roads were on the list from two years ago.

I ask

the minister: Why wasn't something done about these roads before now?

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Minister of

Transportation and Works.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. BRAZIL:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

We have

10,000 kilometres of road in this Province, Mr. Speaker.

We have a very harsh terrain.

We spend more money per capita than any other province in this country to ensure

our roads are safe and to try to bring them up to Canadian grades.

Our 900 staff who go out every day in adverse weather to improve the

safety of our roads here are second to none, Mr. Speaker.

I would

love to be able to do every road, every year, but we have to look at the

necessity of where people are travelling, how we maintain those roads, bring

them up to par, and make sure that we can continue to keep our roads safe, and,

Mr. Speaker, our employees do that every day.

Thank

you, Mr. Speaker.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Member for St.

John's East.

MR. MURPHY:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Last

year in the Budget they projected to collect $183 million in road taxation but

only a little over $80 million was put back in.

I ask

the minister: Why the difference if the money was there?

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Minister of

Transportation and Works.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. BRAZIL:

Again, Mr. Speaker, I

reiterate. We have put in more per

capita than any other province in this country, keeping in mind the terrain

here. We may not get the same return

because of the additional work that has to be done on our roads to maintain them

and bring them up to par to get them ready for paving and get them ready for

grading.

Again,

when it comes to our spring thaw here, this is perhaps the worst time for our

roads. Our staff are out there doing

everything to keep the roads maintained until we can further invest, further put

contracts out to the private sector, and further improve our roads here for the

people of this Province.

Thank

you, Mr. Speaker.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Member for St.

John's East.

MR. MURPHY:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Even the

Auditor General could not find evidence of a plan for roads and bridges in the

Province. Why doesn't the government have a plan to address road and bridge

maintenance and repair? We have

already seen that the government has the money, why aren't they owning up to the

people who are consuming fuels in this Province?

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Minister of

Transportation and Works.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. BRAZIL:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Mr.

Speaker, we have a daily plan, as I mentioned earlier; 900 of our valued

employees go out every day to maintain our roads.

Let's talk about bridges; we have done over 100 bridges that we have

replaced at a value of $100 million over the last number of years, and we are

continuing to invest millions of dollars a year in road replacement and in

bridge improvements.

We are

committed to this. Our roads program

is second to none in this country, and we continue to do that.

We have a strategy; it happens every day.

Mr. Speaker, stay tuned for a long-term strategy around how we improve

the roads and bridges in this Province.

Thank

you.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

Order, please!

The time

for Question Period has expired.

Presenting Reports by Standing and Select Committees.

Tabling

of Documents.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Oh, oh!

MR. SPEAKER:

Order, please!

Tabling of

Documents

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Government House

Leader.

MR. KING:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I am

pleased to rise today to table the Strategic Plan for the years 2014-2017 on

behalf of the Department of Justice and Public Safety.

MR. SPEAKER:

Further tabling of documents?

The hon.

the Minister of Seniors, Wellness and Social Development.

MR. JACKMAN:

Mr. Speaker, in accordance

with the Transparency and Accountability Act, it is my pleasure to table the

2014-2017 Strategic Plan for the Department of Seniors, Wellness and Social

Development.

MR. SPEAKER:

Further tabling of documents?

Notices

of Motion.

Answers

to Questions for which Notice has been Given.

Petitions.

Petitions

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Member for St.

John's North.

MR. KIRBY:

To the hon. House of Assembly

of the Province of Newfoundland and Labrador in Parliament assembled, the

petition of the undersigned residents of Newfoundland and Labrador humbly

sheweth:

WHEREAS

many parents have expressed concern about the impact of overcrowding at Beachy

Cove Elementary on the student's mental and physical well-being; and

WHEREAS

many parents have questioned the impact of major space restrictions at Beachy

Cove Elementary and the ability of the school to continue delivering quality

curriculum to their growing student population; and

WHEREAS

plan, tender, and construct the approved intermediate (Grade 5-9) school in

Portugal Cove-St. Phillips;

WHEREUPON the undersigned, your petitioners, humbly pray and call upon the House

of Assembly to urge government to provide all necessary resources in Budget 2015

and beyond to have Portugal Cove-St. Phillips intermediate school constructed,

commissioned, and operational for students in September 2016.

As in

duty bound, your petitioners will ever pray.

Mr.

Speaker, there are 100 or more signatures on this petition again today.

There is more coming I understand.

The situation in Portugal Cove-St. Phillips is symptomatic of the

situation that exists across the Northeast Avalon on a band that roughly goes

from Mount Pearl right down to Torbay.

It does not only exist here on the Northeast Avalon.

There are schools overcrowding in other communities; for example, in Deer

Lake in the Leader of the Official Opposition, the Member for Humber Valley's

district, and other districts in the Province in other schools.

Last

bus kids from Paradise all the way down to the former Newfoundland School for

the Deaf because government has failed to plan in that community for schools

construction. As I said before, it

is sort of ironic, we were at a meeting out in CBS a while back, and ten minutes

before the meeting was scheduled to begin, the Department of Transportation and

Works issued a press release promising the construction of a school, which was

subject to that meeting, for 2016.

There

are five or six schools that have been committed to for that for September of

that year. Parents are very

This

school was committed to four years ago now.

We still do not have a tender issued for this school.

Parents are wondering when it is going to happen.

The Minister of Transportation and Works, who represents many of the

people in that community, said that he is hopefully optimistic that it is going

to be constructed for 2016. It is

not going to happen if he does not issue the tender, Mr. Speaker.

Thank

you.

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Member for

Carbonear Harbour Grace.

MR. SLADE:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

To the

hon. House of Assembly of the Province of Newfoundland and Labrador in

Parliament assembled, the petition of the undersigned residents humbly sheweth:

WHEREAS

the community of Bristol's Hope is expressing ongoing concern regarding the need

to making repairs to Beach Road which has been severely damaged by storm waves

and this has caused major concerns to the community of Bristol's Hope as it

pertains to fire protection and safety; and

WHEREAS

the lack of repair by government constitutes a fire and safety hazard to the

community since the residents will be trapped if a fire ever took place; and

WHEREAS

this damaged roadway is also creating an environmental concern, as the Atlantic

Ocean has washed over the roadway and out into a freshwater pond where the fish

in this pond are; and

WHEREAS

this area serves as a caplin run area each year which attract a great many of

local residents and tourists to the site;

WHEREAS

the federal government refuses to assist with this repair, as they deem there is

no associated fishing activity to justify investment;

WHEREUPON the undersigned, your petitioners, humbly pray and call upon the House

of Assembly to urge government to respond to pleas from the community residents

to have this road repaired to previous condition, to urge government to repair

the road.

As in

duty bound, your petitioners will ever pray.

Now, Mr.

Speaker, this is several times since I have brought this petition here.

I am just going to use one; there are several issues here into it.

The most important issue of all that is in this, is it is a heavy wooded

area. There are a fair number of

homes down there. This road not

being there any more and which, by the way, the Department of Transportation

looked after that road, kept that road in shape up until that point in time.

A few years back they gave up on that one, and they also gave up on the

one down in Freshwater.

So, Mr.

Speaker, that is the most important concern here: the escape route for those

people. If they happen to get nipped

in there, of course there are going to be all kinds of problems.

Now, Mr.

Speaker, I just wanted to ask a question here of somebody, and for somebody to

explain to me that if I took a backhoe and I went down in Bristol's Hope and

start infilling a pond, would I not be stopped by the Department of Environment

or one of the other departments over there?

I think I would be stopped fairly quickly.

Yet, this continues on, and the infilling of the pond continues on, and

nobody over there seems to care. It

is absolutely amazing when I sit here and I present this petition day after day.

Mr. Speaker, it is about the safety of the residents in Bristol's Hope.

Thank

you very much, Mr. Speaker.

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Member for St.

Barbe.

MR. J. BENNETT:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

petition to the hon. House of Assembly of the Province of Newfoundland and

Labrador in Parliament assembled, the petition of the undersigned humbly

sheweth:

WHEREAS

there is no cellphone service in the Town of Trout River, which is an enclave

community in Gros Morne National Park; and

WHEREAS

visitors to Gros Morne National Park, more than 100,000 annually, expect to

communicate by cellphone when they visit the park; and

WHEREAS

cellphone service has become a very important aspect of everyday living for

residents; and

WHEREAS

cellphone service is an essential safety tool for visitors and residents; and

WHEREAS

cellphone service is essential for business development;

WHEREUPON the undersigned, your petitioners, humbly pray and call upon the House

of Assembly to partner with the private sector to extend cellphone coverage

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

And as

in duty bound, your petitioners will ever pray.

Mr.

Speaker, since I began presenting copies of this petition, more and more people

have signed it. In this case, the

first name is somebody from Dartmouth, Nova Scotia who was visiting who wanted

to sign the petition.

Not only

have I done that, I have approached Bell Mobility to find out if Bell Mobility

had any interest whatsoever in extending cellphone service throughout Gros Morne

National Park. I was quite satisfied

to find that, yes, they were very interested.

In fact,

through my office, at their request, we scoped out various areas in the park

where cellphones could be installed, where there were already services

available, and where there were already towers.

We were able to identify there is a tower on Cow Head.

That tower is owned by Bell Aliant.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Oh, oh!

MR. SPEAKER:

Order, please!

MR. J. BENNETT:

The tower that is owned by

Bell Aliant could be partnered with Bell Mobility.

They prepared a proposal and put it to government.

All of

the people who visit Gros Morne National Park from approximately Martin's Point

right on down through Cow Head, all of the people who take the beautiful boat

tour who have no cellphone service today would have cellphone service if

government would simply partner with Bell Mobility and help them install that

cellphone transmitter on a tower which already exists in Cow Head.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Oh, oh!

MR. SPEAKER:

Order, please!

MR. J. BENNETT:

Mr. Speaker, this government

is showing absolutely no interest whatsoever in partnering with the private

sector. It is all talk, talk, talk

when it comes to extending coverage throughout the Province.

Meanwhile, they just hide their heads and provide no service whatsoever.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Oh, oh!

MR. SPEAKER:

Order, please!

MR. J. BENNETT:

Once again, I call on

government to partner with the private sector to look for solutions to cellphone

service in Gros Morne National Park.

The people last week who were trapped in a snow bank with no cellphone service,

they could not very well access a Province-wide 911 service even though they are

paying for it on their phone bill.

They sat in a snow bank. They could

easily have cellphone service, but this government has no interest in advancing

cellphone coverage throughout this Province.

Thank

you, Mr. Speaker.

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Member for

Trinity Bay de Verde.

MR. CROCKER:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

To the

hon. House of Assembly of the Province of Newfoundland and Labrador in

Parliament assembled, the petition of the undersigned humbly sheweth:

WHEREAS

many communities in the District of Trinity Bay de Verde do not have cellphone

coverage; and

WHEREAS residents of the district require cellphone coverage to ensure their

safety and communications abilities; and

WHEREAS

cellphone coverage on many portions of the highway in the district is very poor

or non-existent;

WHEREUPON the undersigned, your petitioners, humbly pray and call upon the House

of Assembly to urge the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador to work with the

appropriate agencies to provide adequate cellphone coverage throughout the

entire District of Trinity Bay de Verde.

And as

in duty bound, your petitioners will ever pray.

Thank

you, Mr. Speaker, for the opportunity this afternoon to enter this petition on

behalf of my constituents and the people of the District of Trinity Bay de

Verde. We just heard the Member for

St. Barbe talk about the issues of cellphone coverage in his district and we

hear the Member for Burgeo La Poile on a regular basis also talking about the

cellphone issues in his district.

If we

look at it, Mr. Speaker, in 2015 and the conditions we have had this winter with

people being stranded on highways.

There are three main routes in Trinity Bay de Verde.

There is Route 74, Route 70, and Route 80.

Nowhere on any of those three routes can you access adequate cellphone

coverage. We are all now paying for

911 through the seventy-five cents that each and every one of us pays on our

cellphone bill, our kid's cellphone bill and seventy-five cents on your home

line.

Mr.

Speaker, government often talks about how this is a federal responsibility.

No one is disputing it is a federal responsibility.

It is interesting; the government has not taken the initiative on

cellphone coverage in our Province.

I am

going to refer to an ATIPP request, Mr. Speaker, dated March 13, 2015.

This request was quite simple.

The requester asked for any briefing notes regarding cellphone coverage

in Newfoundland and Labrador since January 1, 2014.

So about fourteen months ago.

This person wanted to know what the government of the Province was doing with

regard to cellphone coverage.

Well,

Mr. Speaker, the answer was quite clear: through our search we have found no

responsive records that directly address your request.

In fifteen months there was no activity in the Department of Business,

Tourism, Culture and Rural Development, or ITRD, whatever the department was

fourteen months ago. There was no

activity identified in the ATIPP request of what the government had been doing

with regard to cellphone coverage.

Obviously, the government is not talking to the federal government about

cellphone coverage. Even though it is a

federal responsibility, our government should be at least advocating on behalf

of the citizens of our Province.

Mr.

Speaker, government does have a role to play.

MR. SPEAKER:

Order, please!

MR. CROCKER:

I appreciate the opportunity

to enter this petition.

MR. SPEAKER:

I remind the member his time

has expired.

The hon.

the Member for St. John's Centre.

MS ROGERS:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

To the

hon. House of Assembly of the Province of Newfoundland and Labrador in

Parliament assembled, the petition of the undersigned residents of Newfoundland

and Labrador humbly sheweth:

WHEREAS

the Family Violence Intervention Court provided a comprehensive approach to

domestic violence in a court setting that fully understood and dealt with the

complex issues of domestic violence; and

WHEREAS

domestic violence continues to be one of the most serious issues facing our

Province today and the cost of the impact of domestic violence is great, both

economically and in human suffering; and

WHEREAS

the Family Violence Intervention Court was welcomed and endorsed by all aspects

of the justice system including the police, courts, prosecutors, defence

counsel, Child, Youth and Family Services, as well as victims, offenders,

community agencies, and women's groups; and

WHEREAS

the recidivism rate for offenders going through the court was 10 per cent

compared to 40 per cent for those who did not; and

WHEREAS

a budget for the court was only 0.2 per cent of the entire budget of the

Department of Justice;

WHEREUPON the undersigned, your petitioners, humbly pray and call upon the House

of Assembly to urge government to reinstate the Family Violence Intervention

Court.

And as

in duty bound, your petitioners will ever pray.

Mr.

Speaker, I stand yet again. I should

have been keeping track of how many times I have stood in this House and

presented this petition. I see it as

an opportunity to do some education in the House in terms of making sure that

every MHA here in this House of Assembly understands the importance of the

court, the impact that it has on people's lives, and the impact that it has on

our justice system.

One of

the issues we know is that the Family Violence Intervention Court makes it safer

for women and children who are predominantly the victims of domestic violence.

I would like to explain how it does that.

Mr.

Speaker, this is how it makes it safer for women.

The reason it makes it safer for women is that there is constant contact

with the offender. First of all, it

is not just any for short I will say that most offenders in the court are

male. For a man to be able to take

advantage of and go through the Family Violence Intervention Court, he has to

first admit his guilt. So he stands

up in a court of law and he says I admit my guilt; I take full responsibility

for what I have done.

Then

there is a risk assessment done by a specialist who assesses whether or not he

would be a good candidate for this court, or whether or not his violence is to

the point where the woman or children are in danger.

If the risk assessor feels that there is not likely a chance of

re-offence, then that offender is admitted to a program.

In that program he has to attend a therapy session for a period of a

number of months and constantly is in contact with the court.

That is how it makes it safer for women.

MR. SPEAKER:

Order, please!

MS ROGERS:

Thank you very much, Mr.

Speaker.

MR. SPEAKER:

Order, please!

The hon.

the Member for Burgeo La Poile.

MR. A. PARSONS:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I have a

petition to the hon. House of Assembly of the Province of Newfoundland and

Labrador in Parliament assembled, the petition of the undersigned residents

humbly sheweth:

WHEREAS

the Applied Behaviour Analysis, ABA program, for children with autism is funded

by the Department of Health; and

WHEREAS

the program was introduced in 1999 and is in serious need of revision; and

WHEREAS

with the advances made in early diagnosis of autism, the number of

high-functioning children being diagnosed with autism has drastically increased;

and

WHEREAS

the current ABA program does not take into account that children on the autism

spectrum are involved in many educational, recreational and social activities

outside of the home; and

WHEREAS

the current ABA program requires that the therapist be accompanied at all times

by another adult which is not only inconvenient but can be quite costly when a

parent is unable to be that second adult due to work or other obligations; and

WHEREAS

the current ABA program ends at Grade 3 but autism is a lifelong social

disorder;

WHEREUPON the undersigned, your petitioners, humbly pray and call upon the House

to urge the government to implement a review of the ABA program with

considerations given to alternate programming options, and to extend autism

programming beyond Grade 3.

Now, Mr.

Speaker, I have stood up on a number of occasions and entered this petition, and

I enter it today with some special significance given that this Thursday

unfortunately, we will not be in the House, but this Thursday is World Autism

Awareness Day.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Oh, oh!

MR. SPEAKER:

Order, please!

MR. A. PARSONS:

Members of this caucus were

very proud to stand today and take pictures to recognize how we would like to

assist in that cause, because this is an issue that is a growing problem in this

Province. By problem, I mean the

number of children being diagnosed is increasing very significantly year over

year, yet we do not seem to see any changes as to how we treat this, how we

handle it. In fact, there is

absolutely no strategy whatsoever.

Whenever

we ask a question on this, the answer we get back again, that is a loose term

here, answer. What we get back is,

well, we have spent this money, we have spent that money.

The problem is if you talk to the people within the system they will say

money is not the issue, the plan is the issue.

We need to treat this differently.

I can

tell you when you talk to front line providers, when you talk to parents, when

you talk to educators, health care people, they say, we do not know what is

going on in the other system. They

are completely 'siloed.' One hand

does not know what the other is doing.

So, the

first thing that we should see is some co-operation between the two departments.

I do not know if it was a sign of irony today, that when I asked a

question the ministers did not know who should answer.

That just goes to show what is going on in those two departments.

There is absolutely no collaboration whatsoever.

We are seeing no changes. It

applies to so many things

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Oh, oh!

MR. SPEAKER:

Order, please!

MR. A. PARSONS:

We could get into the

legislation, but again that is something else.

Anyway,

Mr. Speaker, I am happy to stand here today and bring up this issue.

It is getting bigger. The

numbers diagnosed have increased drastically.

So until we see a plan from government which I do not think they plan

on bringing a plan out we are going to continue on this same path, with lots

of money being invested and children waiting eighteen months after diagnosis to

get OT, which is completely unacceptable.

Thank

you, Mr. Speaker.

MR. SPEAKER:

Order, please!

I would

ask all members, please, for their co-operation.

There is an awful lot of noise in the House of Assembly today, and I

would ask members for their co-operation.

The hon.

the Member for Cartwright L'Anse au Clair.

MS DEMPSTER:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

To the

hon. House of Assembly of the Province of Newfoundland and Labrador in

Parliament assembled, the petition of the undersigned humbly sheweth:

WHEREAS

most communities in the District of Cartwright L'Anse au Clair do not have

cellphone coverage; and

WHEREAS

residents of coastal Labrador require cell coverage to ensure their safety and

communications abilities; and

WHEREAS

the opening of the Trans-Labrador Highway has increased their dependency on

mobile communications;

WHEREUPON the undersigned, your petitioners, humbly pray and call upon the House

of Assembly to urge the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador to work with the

appropriate agencies to provide cellphone coverage along the Trans-Labrador

Highway and to communities in coastal Labrador.

As in

duty bound, your petitioners will ever pray.

Mr.

Speaker, I had the opportunity to present this petition yesterday and to speak

about the area where I live, the seventeen or eighteen communities.

There are probably only a couple of communities in that area that have

cellphone coverage. It is a large

district. When you leave Red Bay,

you can head on down the stretch to Goose Bay and you have 600 or 700 kilometres

that has absolutely nothing, other than the exception of two depots that you can

pull into and you may pick up Wi-Fi.

Mr.

Speaker, while we recognize that telecommunications is an area of federal

jurisdiction, it was very disheartening to just hear my colleague on a prior

petition reference the fact that, to date, right now the provincial government

has not done anything of asking the federal government to commit money to this

area to try and address a lot of these gaps that are existing.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Oh, oh!

MR. SPEAKER:

Order, please!

MS DEMPSTER:

I found it very interesting;

Mr. Speaker, I was looking at some stats.

According to Bell Mobility, recent statistics show that approximately 25

per cent of roads in Labrador have cell coverage.

I am going to go back, Mr. Speaker, I was not aware of that until a few

minutes ago, and I am going to ask him to provide the list because I believe it

is much less than that.

We have

a lot of road in Labrador. We have a

lot of big land, but we do have serious accidents.

We have loss of lives on the highway, like we have seen just recently.

You have people waiting for hours and hours and hours, because unless

someone comes along with a satellite phone, you have a six, seven, eight-hour

stretch of road there, often subject to inclement weather conditions and you

have absolutely no communications on that.

As I

said, I spent most of Thursday night dealing with a moose on that stretch of

road. I did not get home until 4:00

a.m. after I was rescued. So just

another little reason, I guess, of why we need some form of communication when

we are driving the Trans-Labrador Highway.

Thank

you, Mr. Speaker.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Member for St.

John's East.

MR. MURPHY:

Thank you very much, Mr.

Speaker.

To the

hon. House of Assembly of the Province of Newfoundland and Labrador in

Parliament assembled, the petition of the undersigned residents of Newfoundland

and Labrador humbly sheweth:

WHEREAS

Tordon 101 contains the chemicals 2, 4-D and Picloram; and

WEHREAS

the chemical Picloram is a known cancer causing carcinogen; and

WHEREAS

the provincial government has banned the cosmetic use of the pesticide 2, 4-D;

and

WHEREAS

safer alternatives are available to the provincial government for brush clearing

such as manual labour, alternative competitive seeding methods and/or mechanical

removal of brush; and

WHEREAS

the provincial government is responsible for ensuring the safety and well-being

of its citizens;

WHEREUPON the undersigned, your petitioners, humbly pray and call upon the House

of Assembly to urge government to cease the use of chemicals covered under its

own cosmetic pesticide ban and begin using safer methods of brush clearance that

will not place its citizens in harm's way.

And as

in duty bound, your petitioners will ever pray.

Mr.

Speaker, I am standing on behalf of the people of Bonavista in this particular

instance. I thank them for signing

this petition and sending it in, as well as some of the residents of

Stephenville, Black Duck Siding, and Kippens who have chosen to let government

know again their displeasure with the fact that chemicals are being used on the

roadside brush clearing. There are

better ways of doing it.

Mr.

Speaker, about two years ago, I think it was, when I first became aware they

were using these chemicals and that the ban of course had come into effect, I

had to note that at that particular time going down the Trans-Canada Highway

just outside Clarenville there were some gentlemen running around all over the

place without, it looked like, the full protective gear on and spraying these

chemicals around. It was quite

something. At that particular time I

think we took pictures and that became public.

There were some concerns that arose from that.

I wonder

if those people who were spraying these chemicals knew exactly what they were

ingesting, the possibility of these chemicals that they were ingesting, and how

their health is now, and how their health is going to be in the future.

I wonder if they asked themselves that question, Mr. Speaker.

If in the future because of breathing in some of these chemicals that are

used on roadside brush clearing, I wonder do they have that time bomb going on

that they are probably going to become fully aware of in another ten years from

now.

The

possibility is there, Mr. Speaker.

That is why I bring up the concern about these chemicals that are being brought

into the environment. We have a

duty, and government has a duty whenever it puts a plan together.

One of those plans includes health, another plan hopefully, according to

the minister when he says stay tuned for a road maintenance program coming up,

hopefully that is going to involve a plan that is going to be eliminating the

use of dangerous chemicals on our roadside.

Mr.

Speaker, again I want to thank the people of Bonavista for their role and

participation in this particular petition, as well as the people of the

immediate Port au Port and Stephenville area for their role in helping to get

that message to government.

Thank

you very much, Mr. Speaker.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Member for St.

George's Stephenville East.

MR. REID:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I have a

petition related to Internet access at a high school in the Codroy Valley.

Mr. Speaker, the petition reads:

We, the

undersigned staff and students of the Belanger Memorial of the Codroy Valley,

within St. George's Stephenville East district, draw the attention of the

House to the following:

WHEREAS

our recent upgrade of ten megabits of bandwidth is insufficient to the needs of

our school. We are unable to

complete the tasks of our education in an acceptable manner.

Please refer to the attached list of issues identified by staff and

students of the school;

WHEREUPON we, the undersigned petitioners, humbly pray and call upon the House

of Assembly to urge government to increase our bandwidth to 100 megabits, the

equivalent to that of other schools in the Province.

Mr.

Speaker, this petition has been signed by people, students in the school from

Doyles, from Codroy, from St. Andrew's, from South Branch, Upper Ferry,

O'Regan's, Tompkins, Searston, Millville, and other communities in the Codroy

Valley.

The

issues that the students at the school and the staff there at the school have

with the Internet not being adequate are that it takes too long to get connected

to the Internet

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Oh, oh!

MR. SPEAKER:

Order, please!

MR. REID:

It is difficult to conduct

research because the time it takes to download pages.

It is difficult to copy images.

It is hard to download files needed to create presentations.

The speed of the download makes it difficult to present in class, to use

more than one application at a time, and to use iPads for class activities.

Also,

students cannot participate in CDLI, online classes because of audio delays.

So, there are a number of issues there.

Students also have difficulty doing simple things like sending

attachments. Students are often late

in roll calls in online courses due to the time it takes them to log on.

Educational videos and clips cannot be streamed.

Teachers cannot avail of certain professional development videos that

they need to advance their skills.

Some course content such as You Be The Judge component of the Canadian law

course is not available to these students.

Another issue is time-sensitive messages are sometimes delayed because of

the speed of access at the school.

Overall,

the results are that students at this school are not getting the type of

education they need to be technologically competent and advance their skills,

their needs in a high-tech world. I

ask the minister to contact officials in her department to look into this.

MR. SPEAKER:

Order, please!

I remind

the member his time has expired.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Member for The

Straits White Bay North.

MR. MITCHELMORE:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

To the

hon. House of Assembly in the Province of Newfoundland and Labrador in

Parliament assembled, the petition of the undersigned residents in Newfoundland

and Labrador humbly sheweth:

WHEREAS

Route 434, Conche Road, is 17.6 kilometres of unpaved road; and

WHEREAS

the current road conditions are deplorable; and

WHEREAS

the Canadian Automobile Association ranked Route 434 the seventh worse road in

Atlantic Canada; and

WHEREAS

it is government's obligation to provide basic infrastructure to all

Newfoundlanders and Labradorians; and

WHEREAS

an improved paved road would enhance local business, fish processing operations

and tourism, which is vital to the health of the communities affected;

We, the

undersigned, petition the House of Assembly to urge the government to allocate

funds in the provincial roads program to pave Route 434.

As in

duty bound, your petitioners will ever pray.

Mr.

Speaker, since I have been elected, I have been petitioning, I have been raising

the issue of paving Route 434. I have written letters to many, many Ministers of

Transportation and Works. One of the

former Ministers of Transportation and Works committed and said that it was this

government's, across the way here, intention to pave Route 434.

The

people of Conche and the users of that highway are losing confidence in this

government that they are going to live up to their commitment.

The documentation that I have, shows that it would cost $2.3 million to

pave the 17.6 kilometres of road.

This government has made plans in the past but certainly abandoned them, like we

have seen with strategies.

In the

mid-2000s about $6 million was allocated to rebuild and realign this gravel

road, yet studies will show that if you do not put the blacktop on, you are

losing materials, there are amounts of dust, the impact for health and safety of

residents, where there is no cell coverage on that highway or even in the

community.

By not

paving this road or even committing to a multi-year plan to pave, you are

hindering the economic development that is happening in a vibrant town.

The people have spoken by putting out a Facebook group called the Face of

Disgrace highway; CAA, it is still ranked the seventh worse road; it has been in

the media on CBC, on NTV, and in local papers.

People

are very outspoken and upset about the lack of attention that this government

has given the town and people of Conche in past plans when they have paved the

road in failed chip seal, keeping the 25 per cent payment when there was a 75-25

per cent split for municipal roads and that failed after two years, government

had to come back in and require another 10 per cent and repave those roads in

the town. Then they repaved another

five kilometres of roads within the town itself under the failed program that

was under the provincial responsibility.

Mr. Speaker, this will not be the last time that I present this petition,

unless we see a commitment.

Thank

you, Mr. Speaker.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

Order, please!

Orders

of the Day.

Orders of the Day

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Government House

Leader.

MR. KING:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I would

like to call from the Order Paper, Order 2, third reading of a bill,

An Act To

Amend The Provincial Court Act, 1991, Bill 43.

It is so

moved by me, seconded by the Minister of Municipal and Intergovernmental

Affairs, that the said bill be now read the third time.

MR. SPEAKER:

Order, please!

It is

moved and seconded that the said bill be now read a third time.

Is it

the pleasure of the House to adopt the motion that the said bill be now read a

third time?

All

those in favour, 'aye.'

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Aye.

MR. SPEAKER:

All those against, 'nay.'

Carried.

CLERK:

A bill,

An Act To Amend The

Provincial Court Act, 1991. (Bill

43)

MR. SPEAKER:

This bill has now been read a

third time and it is ordered that the bill do pass and its title be as on the

Order Paper.

motion, a bill,

An Act To Amend The Provincial Court Act, 1991, read a third

time, ordered passed and its title be as on the Order Paper.

(Bill 43)

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Government House

Leader.

MR. KING:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

At this

point in time I am pleased to share with the House that we will be doing a

Speech from the Throne on April 21.

At this point it brings to a close this formal legislative agenda for

government.

I am

going to move that the House adjourn, seconded by the Minister of Fisheries and

Aquaculture, for the Easter break.

We will resume on April 21, which is a Tuesday.

We will commence with a closing out of the session and the Speech from

the Throne.

MR. SPEAKER:

Order, please!

The hon.

the Government House Leader, on April 21, will we be meeting at 11:00 a.m. to

prorogue?

MR. KING:

Yes, Mr. Speaker.

AN HON. MEMBER:

Are you sure it is the

twenty-first?

MR. KING:

I hear one of my colleagues

questioning if it is the twenty-first.

I stand to be corrected, but I believe the day is the Tuesday and Monday

is a holiday so the twenty-second?

MR. SPEAKER:

The twenty-first.

AN HON. MEMBER:

(Inaudible).

MR. KING:

I do not have any.

It is the Tuesday when we normally come back, the twenty-first.

So we will meet in the morning to prorogue, Mr. Speaker, that is correct,

and then the Speech from the Throne in the afternoon.

MR. SPEAKER:

The motion is that this House

do now adjourn.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Oh, oh!

MR. SPEAKER:

Order, please!

The

motion is that the House do now adjourn until Tuesday, April 21, at 11:00 a.m.

All

those in favour, 'aye.'

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Aye.

MR. SPEAKER:

All those against, 'nay.'

Carried.

motion, the House at its rising adjourned until Tuesday, April 21, at 11:00 a.m.