Newfoundland and Labrador Hansard — Members' Statements; Statements by Ministers — 3 April 2014 (47th General Assembly, 3rd Session, Vol. XLVII No. 13)

2014-04-03

Newfoundland and Labrador — Debates (Hansard)

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April

3, 2014

HOUSE OF ASSEMBLY PROCEEDINGS

Vol. XLVII No. 13

The House met at 1:30 p.m.

MR. SPEAKER (Wiseman):

Order, please!

Admit strangers.

Statements by Members

MR. SPEAKER:

Today we will have members' statements from the

Member for the District of Signal Hill Quidi Vidi; the Member for the District

of The Straits White Bay North; the Member for the District of St. John's

East; the Member for the District of St. John's South; the Member for the

District of Burgeo La Poile; and the Member for the District of Cape St.

Francis.

Before I recognize the hon.

member

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Oh, oh!

MR. SPEAKER:

Order, please!

I want to acknowledge a

special quest in our gallery this afternoon, Mr. Ernie Lundrigan, a councillor

from the Town of St. Lawrence.

Welcome, Sir, to our

gallery.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Member for District of Signal Hill

Quidi Vidi.

MS MICHAEL:

Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker.

One of the great delights of

my District of Signal Hill Quidi Vidi is the tremendous variety of small

businesses that thrive there.

One of the best known is

Halliday's Meat Market, celebrating 100 years of operations this year.

Three generations of Hallidays have run the popular store, which has been

at the corner of Gower Street and King's Road since 1967.

Before that, it was a little further east but still in the district, at

the bottom of Signal Hill. William

Halliday was just seventeen when he opened the business, selling meat, milk and

eggs from the family farm on Nagle's Hill.

It is not only the Halliday

family which has a long attachment to the business customers are loyal; some

have been coming back for more than fifty years.

I still go there myself.

Halliday's sausages and streaks are legendary, as is their impeccable service.

I cannot forget the staff.

A recent Telegram

article says some of them have been there for twenty-seven

years. Regular customers will tell

you how refreshing it is to get a warm greeting from a familiar face.

I hope all hon. members will

join me in congratulating Halliday's Meat Market, an inspirational small

business, as well as enjoying their wonderful meat products.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Member for the District of The

Straits White Bay North.

MR. MITCHELMORE:

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to congratulate two winning teams from the

Occupational Health and Safety Game Show, Who Wants to Save a Life? hosted in

St. John's in March.

The 2014 senior champs came

from White Hills Academy, St. Anthony, consisting of Coach Jade Gibbons, players

Tiara Hillier, Jamie Green, Andrew Hicks, Bradley Warren, and James Rumbolt.

They each received a $1,000 scholarship and a $5,000 prize for their

school.

The 2014 junior runners-up

came from Canon Richards Memorial Academy, Flower's Cove, consisting of Coach

Lavinia Beaudion, and players Zack Applin, Blair Genge, Alyson Moores, Kierra

Pilgrim, and Tia White. They each

received $200 and iPad minis, plus returning $1,000 to their school.

Two young workers aged 15 to

24 are injured on the job each day in Newfoundland and Labrador.

I commend the Workplace Health, Safety and Compensation Commission for

reaching out to our youth through public engagement.

This interactive learning experience is an important way to promote

occupational health and safety.

I ask all members of this

House to recognize these teams as leaders and role models that will empower

their peers to take action and foster a culture of safety in Newfoundland and

Labrador. I am so very proud of your

accomplishments.

Thank you.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

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

MR. MURPHY:

Mr. Speaker, I am privileged today to celebrate a

woman who has been the welcoming face of this Province for thousands of new

immigrants over the past three decades.

Bridget Foster retired as the Executive Director of the Association for

New Canadians last September, but her work in the thirty-four years she was with

the ANC will not be forgotten by the many people that she helped.

Bridget immigrated to Canada

herself in 1978, and started volunteering shortly thereafter.

Her energy and determination built the Association for New Canadians to a

vibrant organization which provides education, child care, advice and advocacy

for people who are new to this Province and this country.

Last month, Bridget Foster

was awarded the latest in a long string of honours when she was inducted into

the Order of Newfoundland and Labrador.

I have been privileged in my

time as MHA to spend time with the Association for New Canadians and to see

firsthand what Bridget and the organization have accomplished, what the ANC

means to the people it serves, and how much love and respect they have for

Bridget herself.

I ask all hon. members to

join me in applauding Bridget Foster for her lifetime of advocacy and all the

best in her retirement.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

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

MR. OSBORNE:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I would like to recognize

the students from St. John Bosco School who participated in the DARE program

this year. This is a very important

program, as it encourages students to resist the peer pressure and temptations

of drugs and other substances.

Before graduating from there

DARE, the students gain confidence, learn how to stand up and say no to drugs,

and learn about the pitfalls of substance abuse.

The students who graduated

this year are: Brooklyn Bambrick, Faith Barnes, Janelle Bragg, Katelin Breen,

James Brown, Holly Cantwell, Faith Chipman, Stephanie Croke, Parker Dooley,

Winnie Druken, Brandon Earle, Brianna Hatcher, Steven Hayward, Sara-Jane Hunt,

Mary Ann Nolan Reid, Mackenzie Power, Olivia Walters, Gloria Walsh, Toni Marie

Vinnicombe, Logan Vinnicombe, Christian Starr, and it was headed up by Constable

Nixon.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Member for Burgeo La Poile.

MR. A. PARSONS:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I rise today to recognize

the first annual David Stone Memorial Hockey Tournament, which was held at Port

aux Basques this past weekend.

Last February 27,

thirteen-year-old David, of Margaree, died in a snowmobile accident.

He passed way too young and the tragedy was felt by the whole area.

It was a devastating time for the entire community.

David loved hockey and won a

gold medal the year before his passing, something his parents, Mike and Wanda,

said was huge highlight for him.

This tournament was a touching tribute by the Port aux Basques Minor Hockey

Association, which I was fortunate enough to be able to attend.

The tournament involved four

Pee Wee teams from the Western Region and drew large crowds all weekend.

David's parents, his teammates, and friends were also on hand to pay

tribute to David's memory. Port aux

Basques Minor Hockey plans on making this tournament an annual event.

Mr. Speaker, I ask all

members of this House to join with me in commending Port aux Basques Minor

Hockey on the creation of the David Stone Memorial Hockey Tournament and to

remember David Stone, whose memory will live on.

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:

I rise in this hon. House today to recognize the 2013-2014 Torbay

Business Award winners. On March 6,

the Town of Torbay announced the winners of these awards.

The New Business of the Year

was given to Prestige East Taxi.

Their business began in February of 2012 with only vehicle and two drivers.

Today they have three vehicles and a twenty-four seat shuttle bus and

they serve customers in the Torbay, Flatrock, and Pouch Cove areas.

Congratulations to Natasha and Donny Hanames.

Entrepreneur of the Year was

given to Ashley Putt, owner-operator of Groomingdale Pet Salon.

Her love and compassion for animals is one of the reasons why she is

doing so well. Congratulations to

Ashley.

Mr. Speaker, Business of the

Year was awarded to Yvonne O'Brien and Donna Kinsella, owner-operators of First

Steps Daycare. Both of these are

tireless volunteers and active residents of the Torbay area.

Congratulations to both of them.

I ask all hon. members to

join with me in congratulating the Town of Torbay for recognizing businesses in

their community, and also thanking the businesses in the area for putting so

much back in their communities.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

Statements by Ministers.

Statements by Ministers

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Minister of Tourism, Culture and

Recreation.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. FRENCH:

Mr. Speaker, I rise in this hon. House today to

commend the winners of the 2014 Doug Wheeler and Cultural Tourism Awards which

were presented last month during Hospitality Newfoundland and Labrador's annual

convention.

The Doug Wheeler Award is

presented annually by the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador to honour the

late Doug Wheeler, a long-time public servant who worked tirelessly to promote

the Province as a tourism destination.

The recipient of the 2014 award is Colleen Kennedy.

Ms Kennedy has been involved

in the Province's tourism industry for eighteen years and has been instrumental

in the establishment of significant tourism-related infrastructure on the West

Coast of the Province, including her work developing the cultural blueprint

known as Creative Gros Morne. Along

with her accomplishments, her enthusiasm, kindness and genuine friendly

personality which I have had the privilege of experiencing on numerous

occasions are well known throughout the Province.

This past February, Ms Kennedy was named a recipient of the 2013 Order of

Newfoundland and Labrador for her dedication and commitment to the Province and

its people.

Mr. Speaker, the Cultural

Tourism Award is presented each year by the Department of Tourism, Culture and

Recreation, in partnership with the Department of Canadian Heritage and

Hospitality Newfoundland and Labrador.

Cultural tourism is defined as the offering of an experience that

celebrates the intrinsic value of a community's culture, heritage, and

lifestyle. It is an opportunity to

connect the visitor with a way of life, to make the everyday exotic, and to

facilitate the encounters of people and place.

The award recognizes efforts which result in an enriched cultural tourism

experience for travellers to our Province.

The recipient of the 2014 Cultural Tourism Award is the Shorefast

Foundation.

Established in 2003, the

Shorefast Foundation was established as a registered charity whose purpose was

to develop a new model for economic and cultural resilience for Fogo Island.

The foundation epitomizes the attributes of cultural tourism by creating

informative opportunities that celebrate craft, cuisine, history, and art

presented through various festivals, special celebrations, and a world-class

inn. It remains dedicated to its

pursuit of innovative approaches to creating tourism experiences in celebration

of the Province's culture and heritage.

I invite all hon. members of

this House to join me in congratulating both award winners for their incredible

contributions to the Province's tourism industry.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Member for St. Barbe.

MR. BENNETT:

Mr. Speaker, I thank the minister for an advance

copy of his statement. I also thank

the Member for Bay of Islands for permitting me to respond to this Ministerial

Statement. Ordinarily, the critic

would respond, but because the Member for Bay of Islands recognizes that Ms

Kennedy lives less than half a kilometre away from my office in Rocky Harbour,

and I know her well, asked if I would like to respond, and indeed I would.

Everything the minister has

said is absolutely true regarding Ms Kennedy.

She is a dynamic person, a great community leader.

She has done an awful lot of good in our area and continues to do so.

What I said regarding

Colleen Kennedy, the same applies to the Shorefast Foundation.

When we see groups in our Province coming together in places like Fogo

Island, when they are joining together with all of their strengths, all of their

attributes, in order to promote community endeavours, that means the culture of

Newfoundland and Labrador is alive and well, and is thriving.

So I agree with the minister 100 per cent.

Thank you, Minister, for

recognizing Colleen Kennedy and the Shorefast Foundation.

Thank you to the Member for Bay of Islands for permitting me to respond.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

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

MS ROGERS:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I, too, would like to thank

the minister for an advance copy of his statement.

These awards reflect the pride of communities, and how wonderful to

celebrate them.

I want to thank and

congratulate the incredible Colleen Kennedy for her vision, her persistence and

determination, and thank her for the gift of creative Gros Morne.

The Shorefast Foundation has

been nothing but steadfast in their vision to create an incredible model that

supports the convergence of economic and cultural goals that is the pride of

Fogo. Both these awards promote the

treasures that are part of our cultural heritage, encouraging the people of

Newfoundland and Labrador to participate and also opening up our Province to the

world. Government must support these

initiatives as they pave the way for cultural and tourism innovation.

They represent years of work, years of courageous and informed risk

taking, and that has paid off.

Bravo Colleen Kennedy,

Shorefast, and all of those volunteers, employees and public sector workers who

have helped make these innovations and initiatives happen.

Thank you for your leadership.

We look forward to more.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Minister of Municipal and

Intergovernmental Affairs.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. KENT:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I rise in this hon. House to

recognize the incredible contributions of our Province's volunteers.

April 6-12 is National Volunteer Week, a time to celebrate the vital role

that volunteers play throughout our communities.

Mr. Speaker, from the

dedicated women and men involved in municipal governance, to those working with

our most vulnerable populations, volunteers are essential to the continued

social, cultural and economic development of Newfoundland and Labrador.

The theme of this year's

Volunteer Week is for the health of it!

It is a theme that points to the significant part that volunteering can

play as a component of an active and healthy lifestyle.

It also highlights the important role that volunteers play in making

Newfoundland and Labrador such an amazing place to live, work and do business.

Mr. Speaker, as I have

learned first-hand, volunteering has the ability to create a tremendous sense of

purpose, while it affords significant benefits for our residents and

neighbourhoods.

When I look at our

municipalities, for example, I see over 1,500 women and men many of whom are

unpaid as municipal councillors as they spend countless hours enhancing their

communities.

I also think of our

volunteer fire departments which are largely staffed by volunteers.

We have over 5,900 volunteer firefighters who give so freely of their

time to ensure they are ready to respond to emergencies in their region.

Speaking broadly about our

community sector, we have organizations like Habitat for Humanity, Big

Brothers/Big Sisters, scouting and guiding movements, Easter Seals, and the list

goes on. These are just a few

examples of the ways in which Newfoundlanders and Labradorians are giving back

to their communities.

Mr. Speaker, volunteering

also inspires our young people our Province's next generation of leaders.

In the coming weeks, the

provincial government will introduce amendments to our municipal legislation,

which will give councils the ability to appoint youth representatives so that

young people can have even greater involvement in local government.

The work and contributions

of volunteers no matter how small are making a tremendous difference for

individuals across our Province.

Mr. Speaker, so much work

happens through the tireless efforts of our volunteers; so this week let's

celebrate volunteers of all ages for the

health of it!

I ask all hon. members to

join with me in thanking volunteers for the valuable work they do each and every

day.

Thank you.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Member for the District of Bay of

Islands.

MR. JOYCE:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I thank the minister for the

advance copy of his statement. We,

too, would like to recognize all the volunteers across the Province of

Newfoundland and Labrador. Mr.

Speaker, I will just mention the fire departments.

I am attending the Cox's Cove firemen's ball this weekend, and they are

just one of the small groups that help out all throughout the Province of

Newfoundland and Labrador.

Mr. Speaker, I read in the

minister's statement, for the health of

it! and an active and healthy lifestyle.

I ask him: Would he speak to the Minister of Tourism for the $15,000 that

was cancelled for McIver's for the kids.

There are 100 kids out in McIver's and the Premier himself was going to

help out for that upgrade to their playground.

When you want to promote a healthy lifestyle, you should do it for all

the residents of Newfoundland and Labrador.

I, too, want to recognize

all the volunteers in the Province, Mr. Speaker.

There is one true spirit of volunteerism we are all proud of in

Newfoundland and Labrador. It is

Andrew Furey and Team Broken Earth, as we see what is happening and the

difference they are making in Haiti.

I know, Minister, that we,

without volunteers, would not be able to be such a great Province of

Newfoundland and Labrador, and I want to thank all of the volunteers for all

groups in Newfoundland and Labrador for their contributions to this society.

Thank you.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

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

MR. MURPHY:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I would also like to thank

the minister for the advance copy of his statement and, at the same time, thank

government for recognizing the volunteers.

We join with government in this occasion, in celebrating Volunteer Week.

Mr. Speaker, just a couple

of things that come to mind. When it

comes to volunteers, we all know the role they practice, of course, with

municipal politics; they do it for nothing.

The volunteer firefighters, we do not know what dangers they are going to

face when it comes to facing the immense fire.

As well, I will say this:

They are also essential in practicing democracy, as we are seeing with in the

by-election in Virginia Waters right now.

We have to thank volunteers for their role in democracy and, at the same

time as that, also let them know, and let the parents and the students who are

watching, when I talk to small business owners and the large business owners one

of the things that they look for on a resume is their resume of volunteerism,

their record of volunteerism (inaudible)

MR. SPEAKER:

Order, please!

I remind the member that his

time has expired.

MR. MURPHY:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

MR. SPEAKER:

Oral Questions.

Oral Questions

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Leader of the Official Opposition.

MR. BALL:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Over two years ago the

former Premier said that it is our goal to improve our debt position over the

next ten years to achieve the same per capita debt as the Canadian average, but

over this last year, this government has increased the net debt by over $1,500

per person.

I ask the Premier: Do you

still stand by your government's commitment and this goal to meet the Canadian

average?

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Premier.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

PREMIER MARSHALL:

I thank the Leader of the Opposition for his question.

Mr. Speaker, our government

over the last ten years have had six surpluses, we have accumulated over $5

billion in surpluses, and we have paid down our net debt by $4 billion.

Unfortunately, it has gone up lately, but it is still down about $2

billion.

I have to point out that

when the members opposite were in government, for the lengthy period of time

they were in government, they did not pay one cent down on the net debt.

That is the difference.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Leader of the Official Opposition.

MR. BALL:

I remind the Premier, and I am sure he knows, he

has spent some time in finance, there have been $18.9 billion in royalties.

Oil was at $25 a barrel. A

big difference, I say, Mr. Premier, than it was ten years ago.

Let's talk about that

record. Budget 2014, every person in

this Province will owe $18,600; that is over $5,000 more per person than the

Canadian average, in your commitment.

That is almost $4,000 more than it was four years ago.

There have been three Budgets since you set this goal and instead the per

capita debt is increasing.

I ask the Premier: Why?

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Premier.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

PREMIER MARSHALL:

Mr. Speaker, as I indicated, the government has run surpluses, and the

way you reduce your net debt, based on the definition of net debt, is that you

have to run surpluses. What we have

done is that, when the oil revenues fell a number of years ago, we met with

economists from Memorial University and we took counsel from them.

You do not have to do everything at once.

You have a plan, you put a plan in place a long-term plan you have

your targets, and you stick to it.

That is what we are doing, and the Finance Minister can explain that in a lot

more detail.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Leader of the Opposition.

MR. BALL:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Well, this government has

delivered three consecutive deficits - and borrowing a billion dollars this

year. Per-person debt has grown in

the last four years.

So I ask the Premier: How do

you plan to bring the debt down to the Canadian average when you have borrowed a

billion dollars this year and plan to borrow upwards to $400 million more next

year?

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Minister of Finance.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MS JOHNSON:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Last year we did release our

10-Year Sustainability Plan, Mr. Speaker, and that is a plan to do it over time.

We cannot harshly either cut or spend more, given where the revenues may

go each year. So, in consultations

with economists such as Wade Locke, you have to do some of the things that need

to be done.

We have listened to the

people through pre-Budget consultation.

There were serious issues that were raised, and we have listened to them,

bearing in mind that as we go forward we do need to be very conscious of where

we are going with net debt. We have

reduced on an overall basis of $2 billion since coming into power.

Our commitment remains the same, Mr. Speaker, because we need to ensure

the sustainability of our finances for all taxpayers in the future.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Leader of the Opposition.

MR. BALL:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Well, I ask the Minister of

Finance: The goal that you set two years ago to meet the Canadian national

average of per-capita net debt, is that still a goal of your government, and how

do you plan to meet it?

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Minister of Finance.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MS JOHNSON:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Yes, that certainly is still

our goal. We set out that commitment

last year, and it is a commitment that we seriously are committed to.

The first step in getting to that goal is getting back to surplus.

Mr. Speaker, in the Budget

next year we will be back into a surplus, the year after we will be into a

surplus. We need to be conscious of

our spending, which we have done this year with only a 2.1 per cent increase in

program growth, and we need to look at the pension issue.

We all know this year 74 per cent of our net debt is due to pension and

post-retirement benefits, so these are some of the issues that we need to look

at to get on the road to sustainability.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Leader of the Opposition.

MR. BALL:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Well, last night in our

Budget Estimates session we learned that government is now investing into the

horse-racing business. They are

using $50,000 in taxpayers' money for a membership in a horse-racing

association.

So I ask the Premier: Why

are you using $50,000 in taxpayer money to support a horse-racing membership?

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Minister of Finance.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MS JOHNSON:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Horse racing is a regulated

industry. It is regulated through

the Maritime Provinces. Standardbred

did regulate it for the Province here.

They have given us notice they will no longer be ensuring those

regulations are in place. We have a

responsibility, as well as the other Maritime Provinces to do that.

We set an amount of $50,000 in the Budget.

We think it is going to be lower than that.

We do generate revenue from that through taxes and we think it will come

in somewhere around that amount. To

be prudent, we did put $50,000 there.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Leader of the Official Opposition.

MR. BALL:

I ask the Minister of Finance again I

understand the need to promote small businesses around the Province, but $50,000

into a horse racing membership we do find that a bit puzzling.

When you look at the cuts that were made last year in groups that we all

know of, heard about, and listened to, these would be groups like the Coalition

of Persons with Disabilities whose funding was cut, I say, Mr. Speaker.

Why the horse racing

business and not some other business, Mr. Speaker?

MR. SPEAKER:

enforcement of this. We set aside

$50,000. We are in negotiations with

the Maritime Provinces to see exactly what that amount would be.

We think it is going to be lower.

We think it will be equivalent to the taxes we will receive from the

activity.

At the end of the day it

will likely be a wash, but it is something that we have to do as a government,

Mr. Speaker. If we were not ensuring

that the regulations were met, I suspect they would have a different line of

questions. This is ensuring we

adhere to our responsibility.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

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

MR. KIRBY:

Mr. Speaker, an advocate for our school system

recently e-mailed the Premier about how he was mistreated, in fact bullied, by a

Minister of the Crown in the lobby of the Confederation Building on Budget day.

The e-mail points out how this person who represents parents, teachers,

and students felt disrespected and bullied by the Minister of Education who is

supposed to be a defender of those who are bullied in society.

I say this is not funny folks.

I ask the Premier: Is he

aware of this; and, if so, how has he addressed this very serious allegation of

bullying and intimidation by one of his Cabinet ministers?

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Premier.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

PREMIER MARSHALL:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Speaker, I did receive

an e-mail making allegations of bullying on the part of the Minister of

Education. I did respond to that

individual. I had my Chief of Staff

meet with that individual. They were

gathering the information. They have

met with the Minister of Education, and I understand as soon as I have the

results of that I will take whatever action is appropriate.

MR. SPEAKER:

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

MR. KIRBY:

Mr. Speaker, I say clearly the fact that this

person feels like they were bullied by a Cabinet minister exposes the fact that

this government has not changed the way it operates.

Mr. Speaker, given that

bullying is one of the most serious issues faced by students, one too many

students face and are victims of, and that the Minister of Education has been

tasked by the Premier to lead the charge against bullying, I ask the Premier: Do

you still have confidence that a minister accused of bullying a person who

represents the interests of students can still affectively lead your

government's anti-bullying initiative?

MR. SPEAKER:

decreased by 17 per cent and the stay has also decreased by 11 per cent.

We recognize wait times are an issues and that is why recognized that in

this year's Budget with a significant investment, particularly around emergency

room wait times.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Member for Burgeo La Poile.

MR. A. PARSONS:

Mr. Speaker, highways and roads have been impassable for days on the

Southwest Coast, including Route 480 to Burgeo, Route 470 to Rose Blanche, and

the TCH from Cape Ray to Port aux Basques.

Highway crews are doing their best with the limited resources they have

available. Emergency response has

been put in jeopardy and schools have been closed.

I ask the minister: Why is

there a lack of resources in this region to deal with this emergency situation?

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Minister of Transportation and

Works.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. MCGRATH:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Speaker, I think this

winter and the snowstorm we had the other day speak for themselves and the very

strange weather we have been having.

There were snowbanks in the areas the member from across the way spoke about

that were fifteen to twenty feet high.

One of the things we have

done, instead of not having enough resources, we have actually put out extra

resources to deal with the highways on the West Coast.

We have partnered with the City of Corner Brook to bring extra equipment

and extra resources in to deal with the situation.

First and foremost, Mr.

Speaker, we have to deal with the safety of the employees in my department who,

I feel, are doing an excellent job in dealing with the situation.

Once it was safe to put the employees out there, they were very quick to

go out and deal with the situation.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Member for Burgeo La Poile.

MR. A. PARSONS:

Mr. Speaker, I say to the minister, I know full well the crews are doing

everything they can; there are not enough resources and it has been going on for

a week now.

Mr. Speaker, students from

communities all along Route 470, Margaree, Fox Roost, Isle aux Morts, Burnt

Islands, and Rose Blanche, have not been in school since last Wednesday because

school buses cannot travel on the roads.

I say to the minister: This

is unacceptable; what are you doing to ensure this crisis situation does not

happen again?

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Minister of Transportation and

Works.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. MCGRATH:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Speaker, again, I have

no control over the amount of snowfall that comes down.

When it comes to the school children, I am not sure if the member across

the way is suggesting that we take the school children and send them out in

unsafe conditions.

The employees with the

Department of Transportation and Works are working overtime, we have extra

resources in there, and we will continue to do our best to deal with the amount

of snow that is down; but when it comes to the safety, especially the school

children, we will not jeopardize that, Mr.

Speaker.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Member for Burgeo La Poile.

MR. A. PARSONS:

Mr. Speaker, I say to the minister, it is absolutely shameful that you

think we are talking about putting kids in unsafe conditions.

I am receiving calls from parents who are wondering when their kids can

get to school. I am sure parents are

wondering about the safety of their children.

I say to the minister when

will you answer this question: What are you going to do to make sure this stops?

These kids have not been in school for seven days - or should I ask the

Minister of Education?

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Minister of Transportation and

Works.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. MCGRATH:

Mr. Speaker, again, as I said, we will not

jeopardize the safety and I find it almost shameful that the member across the

way would even suggest that when we are dealing with weather conditions as we

have been this week, that we even think about sending school children out there.

As I said before and I will

state again, Mr. Speaker, the employees in the Department of Transportation and

Works are doing a phenomenal job in dealing with the weather conditions that we

have. They will continue to work

with the situations there. I feel

that they are doing an excellent job.

They will continue to do that, but we will not jeopardize the safety of

anyone in the Province under my department.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Member for St. Barbe.

MR. BENNETT:

Mr. Speaker, two months ago government announced

an operational review of Her Majesty's Penitentiary after an inmate was sent to

hospital following a disturbance in the chapel.

Mr. Speaker, in 2008, the Decades of Darkness review made recommendations

on improving safety, but still no action has been taken to address these

problems.

I ask the minister: The

status of the current operational review, when will it be released the current

one?

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Minister of Justice.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. KING:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I appreciate, once again,

the opportunity to speak to our government's commitment to Her Majesty's

Penitentiary. I correct the member

opposite. First of all, though, he

is factually incorrect in suggesting nothing has been with Decades of Darkness.

In actual fact, I think about 90 per cent plus of the recommendations,

perhaps more, have been implemented fully from that particular report.

I am not sure what

particular organization or operational review he is referring to.

I have announced no such operational review.

There was a review instituted internally as a result of the last major

incident regarding inmates and correctional officers, not an organizational

review.

I can say that our

commitment extends to HMP to the point where it is our government that announced

we will move alone, without the federal government's support, to invest in a new

penitentiary to support inmates and correctional officers.

MR. SPEAKER:

Order, please!

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Member for St. Barbe.

MR. BENNETT:

Mr. Speaker, six weeks ago, I wrote the minister

and asked him for an update on the seventy-seven recommendations of the Decades

of Darkness. I still have not

received a response to that request for an update to know where we are today.

Since then, he announced they are going to be able to use pepper spray

that was in the 2008 Decades of Darkness recommendations.

Mr. Speaker, correctional

officers identified sixteen concerns related to safety at Her Majesty's

Penitentiary when they met the minister back in February.

The minister identified that some of them may be budgetary items, yet the

budget for adult corrections has been cut by a million dollars from 2013.

I ask the minister:

Correctional workers requested an improved staffing ratio; why have you not

followed through and provided the necessary funding in the Budget?

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Minister of Justice.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. KING:

As I said, Mr. Speaker, to continue the train of

thought I was talking about a few minutes ago, we are the government that

continues to invest in HMP.

I say to the member

opposite, with greatest respect, if he has the permission of the correctional

officers association, I ask him to table the sixteen recommendations that he

claims were discussed in the meeting.

I say to the member, he was not present in the meeting, and there were

not there were not sixteen recommendations discussed.

There were a range of topics

MR. BENNETT:

(Inaudible).

MR. KING:

If the member would like the answer, he needs to

listen, Mr. Speaker, not shout at me and heckle across the House.

There were a number of

issues discussed, and we announced significant investment in that penitentiary,

besides the fact that we are building a new penitentiary; and the leadership of

the correctional officers are more than happy with what this government did in

response to their concerns, I say to the member.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Member for Cartwright L'Anse au

Clair.

MS DEMPSTER:

Mr. Speaker, not only has the Population Growth

Strategy been downgraded in priority by its reassignment from a deputy minister

to an executive director, that executive director already has a job planning

and co-ordination for the Cabinet Secretariat.

So I ask the Premier: Do you

plan on appointing another deputy minister responsible, or an executive director

for the Cabinet Secretariat; or, is this person expected now to do two jobs?

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Minister of Environment and

Conservation.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MS SHEA:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Speaker, there were

provincial consultations with regard to the Population Growth Strategy here in

Newfoundland and Labrador. There are

people who are working on this strategy whose credentials are absolutely

impeccable. One, I understand, is a

Rhodes Scholar, Mr. Speaker. I put

that person's credentials up against anybody in this Province who can take on

this type of work.

We have heard from the

people of Newfoundland and Labrador.

We have very professional people working on the Population Growth Strategy.

Once we are prepared to see that report and have it released, I think the

people of this Province will appreciate the hard work that these people put into

it.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Member for Cartwright L'Anse au

Clair.

MS DEMPSTER:

Mr. Speaker, I would like to say to the member

opposite that I did not question anybody's credentials yesterday I want to be

on record for that. I do not like

people playing semantics with my words.

Mr. Speaker, the discussion

paper on the Population Growth Strategy mentions the difficulty in attracting

former residents back to the Province once they leave.

We know for a fact that apprentices are being told by staff at the

Industrial Training Unit that they are better off getting their hours in

Alberta.

I ask the minister: When

your own staff are going against the tenets of the strategy, won't you admit

there is a gross failure of communication and co-ordination in your department?

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Minister of Environment and

Conservation.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MS SHEA:

Mr. Speaker, there is a communication problem

here, and it is the hon. member who is asking the questions.

She posed her questions

yesterday to make it sound as if the people who are doing the Population Growth

Strategy do not know what they are doing.

Mr. Speaker, their credentials are absolutely impeccable.

The people who work at the apprenticeship division of the Department of

Advanced Education and Skills are also very professional in all they do as well.

Mr. Speaker, if she thinks

getting up and questioning their credentials here in the House and then trying

to say she does not mean it, she is absolutely wrong.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Member for Cartwright L'Anse au

Clair.

MS DEMPSTER:

Mr. Speaker, we not only have a communication

problem but we have a serious hearing problem, because for the third time, I

questioned nobody's credentials. The

Population Growth Strategy was important enough for it to have a deputy

minister, now we have someone assigned who is already in another full-time job.

I am merely asking on behalf of the taxpayers' dollars in the Province

for some clarification. I will

continue to do that, Mr. Speaker.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Minister of Environment and

Conservation.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MS SHEA:

Mr. Speaker, there are people in Newfoundland and

Labrador who do have hearing problems and they do not need to be made fun of or

a joke of here in the House of Assembly.

Mr. Speaker, our Population

Growth Strategy is undertaken because we have serious issues with our

demographics in Newfoundland and Labrador.

Mr. Speaker, we are serious about that strategy.

We have the best people possible in this Province who will do it for us

and when that strategy is released, the people of this Province will be

impressed with that report.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Member for The Straits White Bay

North.

MR. MITCHELMORE:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

This government is

abandoning the youth of our Province by straying from the forty-one initiatives

in the Youth Retention and Attraction Strategy.

I ask the Minister of Public

Engagement: Why his office has failed to live up to the initiatives outlined in

the strategy to retain and attract youth in our Province?

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Minister of Municipal and

Intergovernmental Affairs.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. KENT:

Mr. Speaker, the Youth Retention and Attraction

Strategy, formerly under the Department of Advanced Education and Skills, has

been a real success story for our government.

Many of those recommendations that came out of the strategy, many of

those action items were implemented fully.

Many have been incorporated into the work of a variety of government

departments.

Through the Office of Public

Engagement, which was created over a year ago, we have been very much focused on

youth issues. We have regional

planners through the Rural Secretariat who are engaged with youth in every

single region of the Province. We

have a very successful Getting the Message Out program.

We provide millions of dollars in funding to youth organizations across

the Province. Our strategy is

working, and there is more work being done that I look forward to rolling out in

the months ahead.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Leader of the Third Party.

MS MICHAEL:

Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker.

As of January 20, 2014,

according to government's own figures, there were fifty-one persons in Eastern

Health waiting in acute care hospital beds for a long-term care bed, a key cause

of people lined up in ER waiting for hospital admission.

I ask the Premier: What is

this government's plan to free up acute care beds which are now occupied, of

necessity, by patients waiting for long-term care?

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Minister of Finance.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MS JOHNSON:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Speaker, our commitment

around long-term care is obvious. We

built many long-term care facilities around the Province, including the one

recently here in St. John's. As

well, in Budget 2014, this year we have included funding to look at long-term

care on both the Burin Peninsula and in Central Newfoundland, as well as

eighteen long-term care beds in Corner Brook.

Our commitment is solid.

Thank you.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Leader of the Third Party.

MS MICHAEL:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I ask the Premier: What is

their plan for the people who will not fit into the new long-term care facility

that will soon be opening? Because

it does not have an adequate number of beds for the waiting list or for the

people who are lying in acute care beds now.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Minister of Finance.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MS JOHNSON:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Speaker, we recognize

that long-term care beds are an issue throughout the Province.

We have invested in Corner Brook, we have invested in Clarenville, and we

have invested in Lab West in this year's Budget sorry, in Happy Valley-Goose

Bay in this year's Budget. We will

continue to invest as we have for long-term care planning on the Burin

Peninsula, in Central, and other regions as the need arises.

Mr. Speaker, our commitment

is solid and we will continue to do what needs to be done for long-term care in

the Province.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Leader of the Third Party.

MS MICHAEL:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

An awful lot of people are

not going to be helped by that answer.

In November of 2012, IOC

workers expressed concern that silica dust levels in the Labrador West mines

were eight times the acceptable level and called on government to enforce the

legal minimum dust levels. Now the

representatives are saying that dust levels are worse than ever.

Mr. Speaker, I ask the

Premier: Will he ensure that IOC is complying with minimum silica dust levels?

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Minister of Service NL.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. CRUMMELL:

Mr. Speaker, occupational health and safety is a

priority of our government. Service

NL OHS workers are up there on a regular basis in Labrador making sure the dust

levels are in compliance with the levels that are set, that are minimum levels.

We are monitoring the

situation. We are on-site on a

regular basis, Mr. Speaker, and we will continue to do so in the coming weeks

and months.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Leader of the Third Party.

MS MICHAEL:

Mr. Speaker, after much pressure the government

finally began the audit of medical records of mine workers affected by silica

dust last year.

Will the minister provide an

update on the progress of this medical silica dust study?

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Minister of Service NL.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. CRUMMELL:

Mr. Speaker, I do not have that information here

in front of me today but I certainly will provide that at the appropriate time.

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Leader of the Third Party.

MS MICHAEL:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Workers in the Labrador West

mines fought hard to get the Silica Code of Practice in 2006.

Mr. Speaker, I ask the

minister: Why isn't his department strictly enforcing this code?

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Minister of Service NL.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. CRUMMELL:

Mr. Speaker, Occupational Health and Safety

officers of Service NL are doing a tremendous job in Labrador.

They are monitoring the situation very closely.

We are aware of the situation.

We are aware of some of the dust levels that have been talked about in

the public, Mr. Speaker. We are on

the ground; we are doing the work that needs to be done.

The safety of the workers in these mines is a priority for our government

and will continue to be so, Mr. Speaker.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

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

MR. MURPHY:

Mr. Speaker, the 2002 Waste Management Strategy

clearly states that unlined landfill sites are unacceptable.

This year the department said that in order to keep costs at a minimum

they would not construct a lined landfill facility in the western region.

I ask the minister: How is

this meeting the goals of the Waste Management Strategy?

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Minister of Municipal and

Intergovernmental Affairs.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. KENT:

Mr. Speaker, we are making great progress with

our provincial Waste Management Strategy.

We also acknowledge there is a lot of work to do, but I can say to the

hon. member that 64 per cent of the Province's population is already disposing

of their waste in a lined landfill.

We did a detailed analysis

of the proposal to put a landfill facility on the West Coast of the Province.

MR. JOYCE:

(Inaudible).

MR. KENT:

I would ask some protection from the Member for

Bay of Islands, please, Mr. Speaker.

We have investigated it

fully. It will cost more.

It will have a negative impact on the environment.

Moving the waste from the West Coast to the Central Newfoundland facility

is the right answer, and we have engaged the communities on the West Coast to

arrive at that conclusion.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

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

MR. MURPHY:

Mr. Speaker, this strategy is already 60 per cent

over budget so far. Mr. Speaker,

given that the Auditor General says that the strategy needs a lot more work to

meet its goals up to 2020 timeline, I ask the minister: How much more is this

strategy going to cost?

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Minister of Municipal and

Intergovernmental Affairs.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. KENT:

Mr. Speaker, we want to ensure that we dispose of

our waste in a responsible way. A

lot of work has gone into the strategy, and there is more investment needed.

We have invested millions to date and there are still millions of dollars

required to complete the work. We

are well on our way to meeting the goals that are outlined in the provincial

Waste Management Strategy. We have

had a 60 per cent reduction in the number of disposal sites in Newfoundland and

Labrador. We are on our way to

meeting the target of 80 per cent, and there is more work to do.

We are engaging communities through the regional service boards, and a

lot of progress is being made.

In the case of the West

Coast, to the member's original question, it makes environmental sense and

economic sense to move waste to the Norris Arm site.

MR. SPEAKER:

Order, please!

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

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

quick question.

MR. MURPHY:

Mr. Speaker, what is the point of having a

strategy for waste management if you are not going to stick to the principles of

that strategy?

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Minister of Municipal and

Intergovernmental Affairs, for a quick response.

MR. KENT:

Mr. Speaker, we are deeply committed to the

principles of the strategy. We are

making progress, it is working, and we look forward to working with communities

across the Province as we continue to move forward.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

The time for Question Period has expired.

Presenting Reports by

Standing and Select Committees.

Tabling of Documents.

Tabling of Documents

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Minister of Finance.

MS JOHNSON:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Speaker, pursuant to

section 49.(2) of the Financial Administration Act, I wish to table the attached

list of temporary loans that were raised under

section 48 of the act since the

last report to the House on April 30, 2013.

In addition, Mr. Speaker,

pursuant to

section 55.(3) of the Financial Administration Act, I wish to report

that there were no guaranteed loans paid out by the Province since the last

annual report, also on April 30, 2013.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Oh, oh!

MR. SPEAKER:

Order, please!

MS JOHNSON:

In addition, Mr. Speaker, pursuant to

section

55.1(2) of the act, I wish to report that there has been no guaranteed debt of a

Crown corporation or agency assumed by the Province since April 30, 2013.

As well, Mr. Speaker,

pursuant to

section 5 of the Local Authority Guarantee Act, 2005, I wish to

table the annual report of loan guarantees provided to local governments to

enable them to arrange interim financing for capital projects.

I am pleased to report there were no new guarantees issued on behalf of

local governments during the fiscal year.

Mr. Speaker, the last report

under this act was tabled on April 30, 2013, and includes guarantees issued up

to and including March 31, 2013.

This current report covers the period from April 1, 2013 to March 31, 2014.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

MR. SPEAKER:

Further tabling of documents?

Notices of Motion.

Answers to Questions for

which Notice has been Given.

I remind members that anyone

who is standing at the time I call Petitions will not be recognized.

Petitions.

Petitions

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Member for Bay of Islands.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. JOYCE:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I understand the rule that

people should not be standing until they are noticed.

WHEREAS we wish to raise

concerns regarding the recent delay of the construction of the new hospital in

Corner Brook, Newfoundland and Labrador;

WHEREUPON the undersigned,

your petitioners, humbly pray and call upon the House of Assembly to urge the

Government of Newfoundland and Labrador to commit to the planning and

construction of a new hospital in Corner Brook, as previously committed to, in a

timely manner and as was originally announced without further delay or changes.

Once again, Mr. Speaker, I

have a petition here signed by people from McIver's, Meadows, Hampton, and all

over Western Newfoundland. We have

this petition again, and once again these residents of Western Newfoundland and

Labrador want a review done of the decisions made by this government.

I hear what the Premier has

said, that he is going to put $500,000 into a study to see if there should be

radiation and a PET scanner in the new hospital in Corner Brook.

A lot of people have concerns about that, Mr. Speaker a lot of people

have major concerns.

First of all, the

information that was presented to them from the Department of Health, is it

accurate information? If it is

accurate information, why is the Premier putting $500,000 of taxpayers' money

into doing a study after government already made the decision they are not going

to do it and they are not going to provide those services?

The other thing I ask the

Premier, who happens to be the Member for Humber East: What are the parameters

of this study? Will you make all the

findings of the study public? Will

you provide the people in his own district and all of Western Newfoundland

give it to all of us so we can have an open, transparent dialogue of the terms

of reference of this $500,000 we are spending?

The other question I ask the

Premier, Mr. Speaker, and I know a lot of residents are asking me to ask the

Premier through these petitions: Why are you presenting a study if you and your

government already made the decision on the hospital in Corner Brook?

Is it because you do not trust the information you are getting from the

Department of Health? That is the

question.

People heard the decision

from the Department of Health. They

heard the decision from the government.

Now we are going to do a study to see if we are going to change it.

I ask the Premier to make all this information known.

I thank you again, Mr.

Speaker.

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Member for Mount Pearl South.

MR. LANE:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

To the hon. House of

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

the petition of the undersigned residents humbly sheweth:

WHEREAS there is a waste

recovery facility being proposed by Eastern Waste Management in the Peak

Pond-Reids Pond area; and

WHEREAS such a site will

drastically impact the pond and general area in a negative way from an

environmental perspective; and

WHEREAS there are many

species of wildlife that will be negatively impacted by such a site such as

moose, rabbits, loons, ducks, Canada geese, et cetera; and

WHEREAS such a site will

result in litter and strong odours in the general area; and

WHEREAS there are a

significant number of cabins and permanent homes in the Peak Pond-Reids Pond

area, which will be negatively impacted by this site; and

WHEREAS Eastern Waste

Management has many sites available to them for such a facility, including

former dump sites in the area;

WHEREUPON the undersigned,

your petitioners, humbly pray call upon the House of Assembly to urge the

Government of Newfoundland and Labrador to intercede in the matter and advise

Eastern Waste Management to withdraw this proposal and find a more suitable

location for this waste recovery facility.

As in duty bound, your

petitioners will ever pray.

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to

rise again today to present this petition.

Today, pretty much, almost every signature is actually from Whitbourne.

I have one from Chance Cove and I have one from Bellevue, but the

majority of them are area residents of Whitbourne.

Mr. Speaker, this certainly

started out as I have indicated before, for me, I first became aware of it as

a result of residents of Mount Pearl who actually own cottages and so in the

Peak Pond-Reids Pond area.

They were certainly shocked

to find out and it was interesting, they only found out when they happened to

see something in a newspaper about it, because they were never notified by

Eastern Waste Management that this proposal was even coming forward.

Certainly, there are lots of

locations that such a facility could go.

I certainly support the need for this facility, absolutely, but there are

industrial sites, former dump sites, in the area where this could go.

Again, to have such a negative impact on the environment, have a negative

impact on the cabin owners, the residents of the general area in terms of issues

with rodents, odours, environment damage and so on, it makes no sense.

We should be looking to a site which was already a former industrial

site; that makes a lot more sense to use.

I call upon the government, as in this petition, to intercede with waste

management.

They say they are doing an

environmental assessment; there is no need for an environmental assessment.

Even from a technical perspective if they say okay, it is possible to do

Order, please!

MS ROGERS:

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

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Oh, oh!

MR. SPEAKER:

Order, please!

MS ROGERS:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

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 both great 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, the 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

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Oh, oh!

MR. SPEAKER:

Order, please!

MS ROGERS:

WHEREAS the 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.

As in duty bound, your

petitioners will ever pray.

Mr. Speaker, we are

currently going through Estimates procedures.

For people who are not quite familiar with what that is, what we do is we

look at the budgets of different departments, and the budgets that were

allocated in the Budget last year.

We look at whether or not they have overspent and why have they overspent, or

whether they have not spent all the money they had asked for and that they had

planned to use.

Mr. Speaker, it is a very

interesting process. There are

various reasons why departments go over budget.

There are various reasons why departments go under budget.

Yesterday, in response to a question from one of my colleagues to the

Minister of Justice, he asked: Why did you close the Family Violence

Intervention Court? The Minister of

Justice replied: It was a budgetary decision.

Mr. Speaker, I gasped;

@TelegramJames in fact tweeted that I had actually heckled.

It is something that I do not do in the House normally.

It was not a heckle. I gasped.

I could not believe the Minister of Justice actually said that he was

making a budgetary decision on the backs of battered women and children of

$500,000.

MR. SPEAKER:

Order, please!

The member's time has

expired.

MS ROGERS:

Thank you.

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Member for The Straits White Bay

North.

MR. MITCHELMORE:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I present a petition to the

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

Parliament assembled:

WHEREAS removal of midwifery

services will leave rural and isolated communities at a disadvantage in terms of

quality and service of health care being provided; and

WHEREAS Charles S. Curtis

Memorial Hospital has been employing a successful and operational model of

midwifery and has delivered outstanding care for over ninety years; and

WHEREAS privatization of

midwifery who are waiting five to seven years for regulation has stated,

government is an unreasonable time frame for those currently using these

services;

We, the undersigned,

petition the House of Assembly to urge the government to assist in preserving

our midwifery services at Charles S. Curtis Memorial Hospital.

As in duty bound your

petitioners will ever pray.

Mr. Speaker, I presented a

petition earlier on this matter which had over 600 names on it from across the

district, and there were several as well from Quebec, who utilize this service.

I received more from Quebec.

I know they are not residents of Newfoundland and Labrador as required.

This is an important service to women, to young families when it comes to

what is happening right now. The

midwives who are trained, who would be regulated in other jurisdictions, are now

having their duties quite limited.

We saw here today where the

Department of Finance is investing in a regulation for horse racing because that

regulation is needed to promote horse racing in the Province.

Yet, under the health act which was passed, the Health Professions Act in

2010, government knew then that it needed regulations for midwifery.

It is three and a half years later, those regulations still are not

implemented.

Mr. Speaker, it is all about

priorities. We should be looking at

the priorities of health outcomes, of how we can improve health outcomes, and

how people can get better delivery of care working in a team environment.

When you have a health care budget that is ballooning to almost $3

billion, the implementation of midwifery that has been working in a public

system should be preserved. Why is

government dragging its heels on creating these regulations so that we can have

midwifery retained at Charles S. Curtis Memorial?

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Member for the District of Signal

Hill-Quidi Vidi.

MS MICHAEL:

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 the US Centers for

Disease Control now estimates that autism spectrum disorder affects one in

sixty-eight children, which represents a 30 per cent increase from the estimate

two years ago; and

WHEREAS early diagnosis of

ASD is essential because there is a critical developmental period when early

intervention is vital for future success of children with ASD; and

WHEREAS there are

approximately 380 children on a two-year wait-list for an ASD diagnosis, which

in this Province can only be made by a developmental pediatrician, and there is

only one available at the Janeway Children's Hospital; and

WHEREAS although Budget 2014

announced that another developmental pediatrician will be recruited, more must

be done to reduce the wait-list for a diagnosis so that children can get the

early treatment they need; and

WHEREAS in other provinces

an ASD diagnosis can be made by specialists certified and trained in ADOS;

WHEREUPON the undersigned,

your petitioners, humbly pray and call upon the House of Assembly to urge

government to allow other specialists trained and certified with ADOS to make

the autism spectrum disorder diagnosis.

As in duty bound, your

petitioners will ever pray.

Mr. Speaker, I am very

pleased to be able to stand and present this petition on behalf of those who

have signed it. I know there are

going to be a lot more coming in because this is a major concern of people who,

yes, have children with autism, of people themselves who have autism, but also,

Mr. Speaker, of our community, because the community wants everybody to be taken

care of.

Government can deal with the

wait-list that we have of almost 400 children waiting for a diagnosis without

having to bring in new personnel, Mr. Speaker.

They are bringing in one new developmental pediatrician, but they could

do what happens in other provinces.

For example, in British

Columbia, people who are qualified specialists with regard to diagnosis is much

broader than what we have here in this Province.

A psychiatrist, a pediatrician, or a registered doctoral-level

psychologist can all be trained in the ADOS, which is Autism Diagnostic

Observation Schedule, to do diagnosis.

So we do not need to have to bring in a lot more of developmental

pediatricians. What we can do is

broaden the group of professionals in the medical profession who already are

here to be trained to do the diagnosis.

Thank you very much, Mr.

Speaker.

MR. SPEAKER:

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 the Strait of Belle

Isle is a very important transportation link between Labrador and the Island of

Newfoundland; and

WHEREAS both commercial and

residential traffic is continuously increasing because of the opening of the

Trans-Labrador Highway and increased development in Labrador; and

WHEREAS the existing ferry

service can no longer effectively handle the traffic; and

WHEREAS there have been many

interruptions in the ferry service, especially during the 2014 winter season;

WHEREUPON the undersigned,

your petitioners, humbly pray and call upon the House of Assembly to urge the

Government of Newfoundland and Labrador to complete a comprehensive feasibility

study for a fixed link across the Strait of Belle Isle that would include a

geological assessment and a full cost analysis.

Mr. Speaker, I have been up

on this petition a number of times.

The two closest points in the Strait of Belle Isle is nine miles.

Yet, for a few minutes in the air, if you do fly, it is costing people

almost $600 return. If you have a

family, a man and his wife, and they are on seasonal income and EI and a child

that they need to get to the other side, you are talking almost $1,000.

Just to put in perspective

the high cost of travel in Labrador, Mr. Speaker, twenty years ago when I was

here in university maybe twenty-five years ago people were flying down South

every spring for cheaper than I was flying into Labrador.

Mr. Speaker, we just saw the

tender go out on the new ferries again for the Strait of Belle Isle; $10 million

a year we are spending on ferry services $10 million.

For a billion dollars we are putting a subsea cable through the Strait of

Belle Isle, Mr. Speaker, and if we had had some vision and some planning from

the members opposite I believe that subsea cable could have been running through

a tunnel.

Nevertheless, it is not too

late. We had a prefeasibility study

that was done eight years ago. I

believe the time has come for all of the people who are trying to move goods,

commercial, and residential traffic in and out of the Big Land.

We are connected now, we have people from

Lab West, we have mega industrial projects, we have a heavy flow of traffic, and

it is nothing short of a nightmare, Mr. Speaker, every day.

As I speak right now, the

ferry service is once again disrupted.

The Larsen had to go and help

in another area; now we are waiting on the

Sir William Alexander , Mr. Speaker.

So, I call upon the Minister

of Transportation to move and urge his government to conduct a feasibility study

that will include a geological assessment so we can determine if this is

feasible. Mr. Speaker, once Route

138 is connected down the Quebec Lower North Shore, it is going to be much more

difficult. We are going to be behind

the eight ball again, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you.

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Member for St. Barbe.

MR. BENNETT:

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 we wish to raise

concern regarding the recent delay on the construction of the new hospital in

Corner Brook, Newfoundland and Labrador;

WHEREUPON the undersigned,

your petitioners, humbly pray and call upon the House of Assembly to urge the

Government of Newfoundland and Labrador to commit to the planning and

construction of a new hospital in Corner Brook as previously committed to and in

a timely manner as originally announced without further delay or changes.

As in duty bound, your

petitioners will ever pray.

Mr. Speaker, this petition

is making its rounds in Western Newfoundland and maybe in other parts of

Newfoundland, but for sure in Western Newfoundland.

A question I was asked in Trout River on Saturday afternoon regarding the

Corner Brook hospital I did not go to Trout River for people to ask me about

the Corner Brook hospital, but in fact a constituent was very concerned about

the Corner Brook hospital. He says:

We need the Corner Brook hospital.

He is in Trout River. We need the

Corner Brook hospital.

He said: Do you think they

are going to build the hospital? I

said: Well, what do you think? He

said: Well, if they do not build the hospital now, they are never going to build

the hospital; sure, the Premier is from Corner Brook and there are three fellows

running for the PC leadership from the West Coast and for sure one of them must

be in favour of the hospital; and you fellows have a guy from Deer Lake leading

your party and he could very well be the Premier.

If there is ever a chance to get a hospital in Corner Brook, for sure you

are going to get a hospital.

He said: Well, what about

all the members? Are they all on

side? I said: Oh, yes, we are all on

side. I named the members in our

Opposition. He said: Yes, I know you

guys are all on side, but what about the other members?

Doesn't Corner Brook have two members?

Yes, one is the Premier and then there is the Member for Humber West.

What is he saying about that?

For sure, this must be

important for Stephenville. Oh, yes,

there are two members for Stephenville, and one of them in the Cabinet.

How come they are not pushing for the hospital in Corner Brook?

I said: Well, yes, my son, I am sure they pushing for the hospital behind

closed doors. He said: Yes, that is

what they are always saying when they are doing nothing.

When politicians are on doing something, they are on their feet and you

know about it; when they are doing nothing, they are quiet.

He said: I do not think they are doing anything at all.

He said: Mr. Bennett, if

they build a hospital, do you think it is ever possible they are going to put in

that hospital and we are not going to get all the new stuff?

We are not going to get all the new stuff we are going to need in that

hospital for the next thirty, forty, or fifty years, he said, long after I am

dead. He said: I cannot believe they

are not going to build it, and if they do build it, we have to have all the new

equipment in the hospital.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Member for Burgeo La Poile.

MR. A. PARSONS:

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 hundreds of

residents of the South Coast of the Province of Newfoundland and Labrador,

including residents of the communities of Burgeo, Ramea, Grey River, and

Franois, use Route 480 on a regular basis for work, medical, educational, and

social reasons; and

WHEREAS there is no

cellphone coverage on Route 480; and

WHEREAS residents and users

of Route 480 require cellphone coverage to ensure their safety and communication

abilities; and

WHEREAS the Department of

IBRD announced significant funding to improve broadband in rural Newfoundland

and Labrador; and

WHEREAS the residents and

users of Route 480 feel the Department of Innovation, Business and Rural

Development should also invest in cellphone coverage for rural Newfoundland and

Labrador;

WHEREUPON the undersigned,

your petitioners, humbly pray and call upon the House to urge the government to

support the users of Route 480 in their request to obtain cellphone coverage

along Route 480.

Mr. Speaker, this is a

petition I have entered on a number of occasions this week.

I did Route 470 earlier and now I am doing Route 480, and both are in the

same situation. Both do not have

cellphone coverage.

I have asked on a number of

occasions to get some information on government's plans, or their strategy, or

even if they have a map that shows where there is coverage or where there is

not, but we have not gotten a single solitary answer on that so far.

That goes along with what this government has done on a consistent basis,

which is not answer questions or provide information.

This past week has shown the true limitations in what we have.

I already talked about the

gentleman who was stuck in his car overnight.

In fact, I have had contact with workers with Transportation and Works

who had difficulty providing updates about the condition of the roads because

they could not use cellphones.

I have already mentioned in

Question Period here today the number of phone calls and e-mails I have received

from parents and teachers along Route 470 about their kids who have not been in

school in a week. The Minister of

Education has said nothing. The

Minister of Transportation answered some questions today and accused the parents

of not putting the safety of their children as paramount.

I find that absolutely amazing.

What I would like to do here

is call upon the government to do the right thing.

We have been putting this in; it is time for the government to make a

move. The residents along Route 480,

the communities I listed, Burgeo, Ramea and I get the people from elsewhere,

from the Premier's district, the Member for Fortune Bay Cape La Hune.

They have come to me to sign these petitions because they cannot put a

petition in through the crowd across the way.

They cannot get their concerns across.

Cellphone coverage is a

necessity for the twenty-first century.

Let us hope that this government catches up.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

MR. SPEAKER:

Orders of the Day.

Orders of the Day

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Government House Leader.

MR. KING:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Speaker, Order 2 under

third reading, I move, seconded by the Minister of Service Newfoundland and

Labrador, that Bill 5,

An Act To Repeal The Printing Services Act, be now read

the third time.

MR. SPEAKER:

It is moved and seconded that the said bill be

now read a third time.

Is it the pleasure of the

House the motion be adopted?

All those in favour, aye'.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Aye.

MR. SPEAKER:

All those against, nay'.

Motion carried.

CLERK:

A bill,

An Act To Repeal The Printing Services Act.

(Bill 5)

MR. SPEAKER:

This bill is now read a third time and it is

ordered that the bill do pass and its title be as on the Order Paper.

On motion, a bill,

An Act

To Repeal The Printing Services Act, read a third time, ordered passed and its

title be as on the Order Paper.

(Bill 5)

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Government House Leader.

MR. KING:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

At this time I am going to

call Order 4. I move, seconded by

the Minister of Service Newfoundland and Labrador, that

An Act To Amend The

Vital Statistics Act, 2009, Bill 3, be now read a second time.

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Minister of Service NL

MR. CRUMMELL:

Mr. Speaker, I move, seconded by the Member for

Bonavista North, that Bill 3,

An Act To Amend The Vital Statistics Act, 2009, be

given a second reading.

MR. SPEAKER:

It is moved and seconded that Bill 3,

An Act To

Amend The Vital Statistics Act, 2009, be now read a second time.

All those in favour, aye'.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Aye.

Motion, second reading of a

bill,

An Act To Amend The Vital Statistics Act, 2009.

(Bill 3)

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Minister of Service NL.

MR. CRUMMELL:

Mr. Speaker, the Vital Statistics Division of

Service NL is responsible for the registration records for births, marriages,

and deaths and issue certificates to certify these events for various purposes,

including identity management. Many

of the provisions that Vital Statistics operates under are governed by the Vital

Statistics Act, 2009, which lays out the legal processes for the registration of

births, marriages, and deaths.

Mr. Speaker, the amendments

recommended in this bill relate specifically to

Part III of the act, which

pertains to the registration of deaths.

The proposed changes are minor in nature and will ensure the legislation

is consistent with current administrative practice and with the Fatalities

Investigations Act, which is administered by the Department of Justice.

Mr. Speaker, after working

with the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner to review the legislation, we have

determined that these amendments are necessary to match the legislation to

current practices to allow the Vital Statistics Act to function in tandem with

the Fatalities Investigations Act.

The bill will repeal

section 15(5) of the act to accurately reflect the

authorities of the Chief Medical Examiner as they are currently outlined under

the Fatalities Investigations Act.

Currently, Mr. Speaker, in

the event of death the funeral director is required to notify the Chief Medical

Examiner when the death is classified as a reportable death.

Reportable deaths are defined in sections 5 through 8 of the Fatalities

Investigations Act. They include:

death by violence, accident, or suicide; unexpected death of a healthy person or

a person not under the care of a physician where the cause of death is

undetermined; death as a result of improper or suspected negligent treatment;

certain types of death that occur at a treatment or care facility; deaths in

institutions such as correctional facilities, psychiatric units, or while in

custody; and employment-related deaths.

Mr. Speaker, currently the

Vital Statistics Act, 2009 requires that notification be provided under the same

circumstances described in

section 5 of the Fatalities Investigations Act, but

does not include the other circumstances for reportable deaths that are detailed

in sections 6 through 8 of the act.

As such, this bill will bring the Vital Statistics Act, 2009 in to line with the

Fatalities Investigations Act by adopting the same array of circumstances when

the Chief Medical Examiner is to be notified of a reportable death, as are

outlined in the Fatalities Investigations Act.

Mr. Speaker, this bill also

aligns the Vital Statistics Act, 2009 with the Fatalities Investigations Act by

allowing a funeral director to issue a burial permit after the body is examined

by either the Chief Medical Examiner, a medical examiner, or an investigator.

Currently, the act only permits a funeral director to issue a burial

permit once the Chief Medical Examiner has examined the body.

These amendments will allow for other medical examiners and investigators

to perform the required examination of the body, as it is already ready

permitted under the Fatalities Investigations Act.

Mr. Speaker, this bill will

also align the Vital Statistics Act, 2009 with the Fatalities Investigations Act

by allowing medical examiners, or with the consent of the medical examiner, a

medical practitioner, or nurse practitioner to sign the medical certificate

portion of the death registration form indicating the cause of death, which is

already provided for under the Fatalities Investigations Act.

Lastly, Mr. Speaker, these

amendments also clarify that when the cause of death is unknown and further

investigation is ongoing, the death certificate is to be submitted to the

funeral director as pending. When

the investigation is completed, the medical certificate portion of the death

registration form will be updated and forwarded directly to Vital Statistics.

To conclude, Mr. Speaker, I

would like to reiterate that these proposed amendments aim to bring the 2009

vital statistics legislation in line with current established practices and the

authorities of the Chief Medical Examiner, as outlined in the Fatalities

Investigations Act.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

MR. SPEAKER (Verge):

The hon. the Member for Mount Pearl South.

MR. LANE:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Speaker, it is a

pleasure for me stand in this hon. House to speak to Bill 3,

An Act to Amend the

Vital Statistics Act, 2009.

Mr. Speaker, there is really

not a whole lot of substance to what we are doing here, it is really

housekeeping. It is just keeping in

line with what the current practice is.

I attended a briefing with the minister's staff, I thank him for that.

I have no concerns around any of the amendments being made and I support

it. That is really all I have to say

about it, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you.

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Member for Bonavista South.

AN HON. MEMBER:

North.

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Member for Bonavista North.

MR. CROSS:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

It is indeed great to stand.

I am only going to be here for a moment or so because this bill, Bill 3,

An Act to Amend the Vital Statistics Act, 2009 is being amended for two main

reasons. One is the repealing of

section 15(5), because that is already dealt with in the Fatalities

Investigations Act; and, we are just repealing and replacing two sections, 17(2)

and 17(3) as it deals with burial permits, helping to make things a bit more

expeditious and not have investigations when we do not need to.

I believe, Mr. Speaker, support for this is inherent.

Thank you for that time.

MR. SPEAKER:

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

MR. MURPHY:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I will only take a minute

here to address this piece of legislation.

I am quite pleased to speak to this, particularly on the part of families

because I think while government is making a good move here when it comes to

bringing I guess you could say modernizing this piece of legislation, too, and

I guess we can also look at it as a reduction in some red tape.

It also alleviates some of the workload that the medical examiner is

going through by designating more responsibility on the part of the people he is

also working with.

One important point, I guess

the only point that I really want to make on this and probably came to mind when

we were doing this was when you are signing off on a death certificate, or the

duties of a funeral director, for example.

I have to commend government on pointing this out, too, when it came to

this piece of legislation. Families

have to begin a time of mourning. I

think what this does is bring some finality to one particular situation you are

dealing with so that the mourning process can begin.

I think that is going to be good for

families, when it comes to that, who are dealing with any kind of a death here.

I just wanted to bring that

point out. Again, I see it as a

piece of red tape reduction here. We

will be supporting this piece of legislation.

Thank you very much.

MR. SPEAKER:

If the Minister of Service NL speaks now he will

close the debate.

The hon. the Minister of

Service NL.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. CRUMMELL:

Thank you.

Mr. Speaker, obviously we

are all aligned on this amendment.

Again, it is relatively minor in nature.

It is something we have to do from a legal perspective.

The Chief Medical Examiner was engaged and involved in making sure this

happened. It was on his

recommendation that we are doing this, Mr. Speaker, and I am sure he will be

pleased when we enact this new amendment.

I will close debate there

now.

MR. SPEAKER:

Order, please!

Is it the pleasure of the

House that the said bill be now read a second 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 Vital Statistics Act, 2009.

(Bill 3)

MR. SPEAKER:

This bill has now been read a second time.

When shall the bill be

referred to a Committee of the Whole House?

MR. KING:

Now.

MR. SPEAKER:

Now.

On motion, a bill,

An Act

To Amend The Vital Statistics Act, 2009, read a second time, ordered referred

to a Committee of the Whole House presently, by leave.

(Bill 3)

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Government House Leader.

MR. KING:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

At this time I would like to

Act, Bill 10.

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Minister of Service NL

MR. CRUMMELL:

Mr. Speaker, I move seconded by the Member for

now be given a second reading.

MR. SPEAKER:

It is moved and seconded that Bill 10,

An Act to

Motion, second reading of a

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Minister of Service NL.

MR. CRUMMELL:

vital to ensuring that residents of Newfoundland and Labrador who have physical

disabilities have necessary and safe access to public buildings and facilities.

The act and its regulations

were constructed since the legislation came into effect in 1981, or any

buildings which are undergoing substantial renovations.

These requirements include

codes and other requirements to ensure proper access and safety such as the

for blue zone signage and curb cuts and access to public facilities such as

washrooms, public telephones, service kiosk, elevators and lifts, building links

and many, many others, Mr. Speaker.

Advisory Board advises the Minister of Service NL on matters concerning the

The board provides insights and advice on matters that have very real

impact on the daily lives of those with physical or sensory disabilities across

the Province.

As the board is currently

structured, there is no specific designation of a vice-chairperson.

By allowing for the designation of vice-chair, there is the ability to

have an individual to serve as interim chairperson should the chairperson resign

or otherwise be unavailable or unable to perform his or her duties at a given

time. This would ensure the

continued smooth functioning of the board.

Mr. Speaker, we feel that

vice-chair on the board is a necessary and responsible action.

In addition, in the event that a member resigns from either the Buildings

there are currently no provisions that allows a replacement member to be

appointed to fill the vacancy for the remainder of that person's term of office;

however, we can currently appoint individuals for two or three year terms.

As such, Mr. Speaker, we are

proposing amendments to the legislation; firstly,

section 18 of the act would be

amended to allow the Lieutenant Governor in Council to appoint a

that, in the absence of the chairperson, a vice-chairperson will fill that

leadership role.

Section 18 would also be

amended to allow for the appointment of a replacement member for a member who

may resign from their position on the board for the remainder of the unexpired

term.

In addition to these

Tribunal for the remainder of an unexpired term.

The continuity of the appeal tribunal is essential in ensuring the rights

of individuals who appeal decisions of the director responsible for buildings

Mr. Speaker, by making these

changes we can ensure continuity of both the advisory board and tribunal in

performing their important functions.

communities.

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.

It is a pleasure to stand

again, this time to speak to Bill 10,

An Act To Amend The Buildings

was the case with the last bill, we did receive a briefing on this.

I thank the minister and his staff for doing that.

There are not a whole lot of

changes here and I am not going to repeat what the minister said.

It makes sense to be able to appoint a vice-chairperson in the case the

chairperson is not available.

Obviously we want to make sure that we have mechanisms in place to replace board

members as needed. That is all good.

Certainly the committee

itself, Mr. Speaker I think it is a great concept to have a committee of

people who have disability. I am

assuming the people on the committee would be people who actually have

disabilities to be able to make commentary on the legislation and on the

enforcement of the legislation. I

certainly hope they make some commentary to the minister soon on blue zone

regulations, but that is a positive thing.

I did ask at the briefing

when was the last time there was any kind of a significant change to these

regulations, which would be I assume based on the work of the committee.

I was told 2006, which is eight years ago now.

I am not sure if there are other things in the act and regulations that

need to be updated; I would suspect there probably is.

We would like to see that happen.

Mr. Speaker, the only other

point I just wanted to make, particularly as we talk about openness and

transparency and so on and this does not apply just to this particular

committee, but I will just this committee as an example to make the point.

It could apply to any committee because we know government has many

committees across a whole bunch of departments.

Some of the committees and

boards and so on that the government has, the people actually receive

remuneration for serving on the board.

Then there are other boards which are basically volunteer, but there

would be travel involved and so on.

Sometimes there is a per diem and sometimes there are different rates of per

diems and so on.

In the case of this

particular committee again, a committee which I do support I was told that

basically there would be a per diem involved.

There are people from throughout the Province I assume maybe from

Labrador perhaps, and all around the Province, and typically they would meet two

or three times a year. That is what

I have been told. That being said,

they have not met for a full year.

That is an issue, and, hopefully, that will change; but they typically meet two

or three times a year. When they

meet obviously there are per diems involved; there is travel costs involved.

I guess if you are from out of town there would hotel costs involved, and

so on, I would assume, for accommodations.

That is all well and good;

but if that is going to happen with this or any committee that government has,

and if the taxpayer is going to pay that cost because ultimately it is the

taxpayers' money that is paying for the cost of every committee throughout

government, in all departments then what I would like to see, which does not

appear to be happening now, is I think it should be made public

It should be made public as

to who all of these committees are.

Government talks about putting stuff on their Web site, in the name of openness

and transparency; that is all good.

So on the Web site, we should be having committees, such as this one, so the

public knows who all the committees are, when the committees met, what was the

cost associated to these committee meetings, what are the minutes of the

meeting, I would like to see the minutes of the meeting, what are the

recommendations that were made to the minister, whether in this case

MR. SPEAKER:

Order, please!

I would ask the member to

make his comments relative to Bill 10.

MR. LANE:

Yes, Mr. Speaker, I am trying to draw it all in

here because we are talking about chair to co-chairs

MR. SPEAKER:

Order, please!

I have given the member some

latitude, but I cannot see where the member's comments are relative to Bill 10.

I would ask him to make his comments relative to Bill 10.

MR. LANE:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Well, Mr. Speaker, I will

just conclude by just saying that if we have this committee, which is does talk

about this committee, it talks about the vice-chair of this committee and so on,

if we are going to have it, I think that in the name of openness and

transparency we should know what the committee is doing, the public should know

and what the recommendations are, and what the government is going to do with

those recommendations. That should

be made public and placed on some sort of a Web site for the public to see,

seeing as how we are paying for it.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Member for Bonavista South.

MR. CROSS:

North.

MR. SPEAKER:

Bonavista North.

MR. CROSS:

Two out of two, Mr. Speaker.

As I said a few moments ago,

it is indeed a pleasure to stand here to first speak to Bill 10,

An Act To Amend

is something I pay very close attention to, and always have and will.

Most members of this hon. House know for what reason that is, and I am

sure most people in my district and around the Province probably appreciate that

by this time.

This particular act, it is

not just a housekeeping chore right now, Mr. Speaker.

This committee is very, very important to the functioning of people in

When the committee is not working, then these individuals are not

represented and their advice is not garnished and given to the minister and to

the department.

We had a wonderful briefing

today. Like the member opposite,

some questions we did ask, and a couple of questions I asked at the meeting will

probably answer a couple of the questions that he posed a moment or two ago.

First being that all of these people on this advisory committee to the

minister are afflicted with disabilities.

They are members of that community.

Even though it is not intended or was not intended, the committee is

pretty diverse as far as gender and geography is around our Province.

As well, none of the people

on that committee are representing let's say there was a person who was

actually a member of the Independent Living Resource Committee, they are not

there to represent that committee.

They are there in a general case for all disabilities, and to speak and advise

in all areas. That way the

membership, which totals seven at this point, can speak in general to all

disabilities. So no one is there

particularly like we are here as members for our district.

We are here collectively

fighting for our Province, but we also have, like in my case, Bonavista North

and the Speaker might think that I would want to represent Bonavista South too,

sometimes. It means that we have a

special interest in our district, but we also talk collectively for everyone in

the Province. That means all of the

members on this committee speak for that.

There was no stipulation to

allow if the chair resigned to appoint another chair, or there was no

stipulation that there was even a vice-chair nominated to this committee so that

in the interim case, as it is right now the current committee was refilled or

re-slotted in July, 2012. The chair

resigned recently, so until July, 2014, no meetings are able to be held because

there is no mechanism by which you can call the group to order.

By having it stipulated that

there would be a designated vice-chair who assumes office in the event that a

chair resigns, then, Mr. Speaker, it makes sense that you have continuity.

This assignment would mean the group can continue to advise the minister.

Right now, I am saying the minister is still getting good advice from his

officials, but at some point he also needs the input from this committee.

That is the reason why we are putting this amendment forward.

As the member opposite said

also, some people volunteer pretty well for these.

They might get remunerated for their expenses in attending sometimes, but

they volunteer or they are appointed for a two-year term.

Things can happen in the two years.

Someone who has a disability, their life may change as their degree of

disability increases and they may not be able to finish out their term.

Health reasons, for

completely different reasons, can affect that or, again, they may just not wish

to continue because they are not paid officials.

They have a right to leave this volunteer position.

With no procedure or mechanism in place to appoint in the short term, it

does not allow for meetings to take place and hence the continuity of advice is

affected.

Mr. Speaker, I am sure all

hon. members would accept that we are speaking today on behalf of this committee

or this group, and we would like to make sure all of the advice that could

possibly be given to the department, the good advice that comes, can continue.

In doing this amendment, we are allowing that to happen.

I ask all members for their

support, and I am very pleased to second this amendment.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

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

MR. MURPHY:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I take pleasure in standing

up and talking to Bill 10. Like the

Member for Bonavista North, I think he said some eloquent words when it came to

the committee, so I commend him on that.

I know the situation he goes

through on a daily basis when it comes to family, as do I, because I have a

handicapped brother-in-law who I love dearly, very much.

Walter is forty-three years old and I can appreciate the opportunity

right now, Mr. Speaker, to take myself for a minute, speak to this piece of

legislation and put myself in his shoes.

Sometimes it is hard to

relate to, I guess, for somebody who is able-bodied who does not have a family

member, for example, who is disabled but I look at this as being a very

important piece of legislation for that reason.

I commend government in this particular case for making these changes so

Board can continue, number one.

Number two, that they would be I guess while they will be meeting a little bit

more because they will have a vice-chair position, I would hope that they will

also be able to approach government with more timely advice and everything as

time goes on.

I look at this as being a

very positive move. If I could just

add a couple of more thoughts to this, Mr. Speaker, and probably consideration

too for the minister at future times, while he is making this small change I am

wondering about the representation on the board itself.

I know the names that are on the board there now, some of the names are

quite familiar and well-known names in the Province of Newfoundland and

Labrador. I think there is a good

dichotomy that has been captured here with the board presently as it sits.

At the same time like I

said, just a couple of thoughts because there was no chair, and the chair had

to resign for one reason or another, we know there was no vice-chair, so the

vice-chair position is put in. The

last time they actually met was basically last year.

So it has been a year. A lot

can happen to disabilities, for example, the whole issue in less than a year.

We saw some changes, for example, to this building in construction that

is happening here. We know that

awareness. We are a little bit more

sensitive to the awareness and the needs of those people.

The advisory board members

are chosen by government, and at times they have been members of disability

organizations. I would like to see a

little bit more representation that represents the dynamic of what we are seeing

happen in the Province, the demographic if you will.

For example, I do not know

about the representation that some of the present board members have but just as

an example, I would like to see somebody from the CNIB or the Seniors Resource

Centre because we have an aging population.

There is a chance for government to actually renew this board too and

probably have a few more meetings and address some of the seniors' issues that

we are going to be dealing with in the future when it comes to building

Hopefully, government may be

able to get this board to meet a little bit more often because I think we have

to become more sensitive to the needs of the disabled as well as the other

demographics like seniors, for example.

We are getting older and the demographics, the statistics, are saying

that we are going to have an older population as we go on.

I hope the government would take that under consideration as well.

Other than that, the last

time in my research that they actually met to conduct a review of the

legislation, as far as I know now like I said I could be wrong on this and

maybe the minister can correct me.

The last time that they actually reviewed the legislation was in 2004.

A lot has changed within those ten years.

I will leave those facts

with the government. Here is a time

when they can get in there and get better representation from the groups like

the Coalition of Persons with Disabilities, the CNIB as I said, the Seniors

Resource Centre, and have them play an active role in helping to grow the

Province and improving the overall way that we look at disabilities in this

Province.

Mr. Speaker, we are in

favour of this legislation. There

are a lot of things here that they can change too.

Hopefully the minister and this government will come back and have a look

at the overall legislation as we look at disabilities and make some future

improvements.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER:

If the hon. the Minister of Service Newfoundland

and Labrador speaks now, he will close the debate.

The hon. the Minister of

Service Newfoundland and Labrador.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. CRUMMELL:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

It is great to see that

everybody is supporting this bill.

It is obvious that it is a good piece of legislation.

Like the Member for Bonavista North mentioned, it is not just

housekeeping; it is important that we keep this committee functioning twelve

months of the year.

It has met two or three

times a year in the past. It should

be meeting at least two or three times a year going forward.

I am committed to doing at least that and more.

I agree with the Member for St. John's East; the more the better, for

sure. I take him under advisement

for sure with regard to his representation, the demographic shift in our

Province. I will relay that.

I know that the appointments

are up in June again, Mr. Speaker.

We will certainly be talking to the people who are on the board, seeing if they

are willing to stay, what their plans are, and how we are going to populate that

board in the future. I will keep

that in mind for sure.

In regard to a legislative

review, Mr. Speaker, in 2004 there was probably some legislative work done then.

The spring of 2006 is when we brought in a broad sweeping bunch of

legislation around this. Also, in

the fall of 2012 and winter 2012 we brought in some minor legislative changes as

well.

The board has been active in

the past and have contributed to what the legislation is in place today.

They have done some very good work.

We need to continue to make that happen.

Just a couple of other notes

before I close, Mr. Speaker. I just

want to thank the Member for Bonavista North for his comments.

His knowledge of the work and challenge of the disability community goes

far beyond most of the people here in this House.

I thank him of his comments, and his understanding of the importance of

the bill as well.

The Member for Mount Pearl

South, I will certainly take his recommendation under advisement as well.

It does have some merits, especially when it comes to posting expenses of

these boards. They can be sought and

found and provided I know that for a fact but posting it, hey, we are all

about that. We will certainly look

into that as well. So, we are okay

there.

I have just one last

comment, Mr. Speaker, before I close the debate.

Last spring was the last time this board met; it has been awhile.

The previous chairperson had to step down for some reasons, and,

unfortunately, they have not met since them.

This legislation will ensure that board will continue.

That is the purpose of this legislation.

We will have a vice-chair that can step into the role of chair while we

search to either backfill another vice-chair or appoint that vice-chair as the

board chair. It is good to see that

happen.

I am happy to say and

announce in the House here today, that we have identified a candidate who is

known to the disability community, who actually sits on the board right now that

has agreed to chair that board. We

are going through the process now of all of the approvals.

I had a great conversation with this individual.

She is like-minded. She would

like to see this board sit more often.

She is also very dedicated

to the role of what this board can do, and certainly in an advisement capacity,

we look forward to her she is passionate about what she wants to do.

We had a great discussion and I think she is going to be a great board

chair. In the next few days and

weeks, we will make that announcement known to everybody.

I suspect this board will be up and running very, very soon.

Mr. Speaker, I will close

debate and leave it to the floor of the House to decide.

Thank you.

MR. SPEAKER:

Is it the pleasure of the House that the said

bill be now read a second time?

All those in favour, aye'.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Aye.

MR. SPEAKER:

MR. KING:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I call from the Order Paper,

Motion 1. I move, seconded by the

Minister of Finance and President of Treasury Board, to move that this House

approves in general the budgetary policy of the government, the Budget Speech.

MR. SPEAKER:

The hon. the Member for Baie Verte Springdale.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. POLLARD:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

It is certainly a pleasure,

indeed, to rise in this hon. House today to speak on Budget 2014.

First of all, I would like to thank the people of Baie Verte Springdale

district for their ongoing support.

It is certainly an honour and a privilege to represent them wherever I go, not

only in the House of Assembly. As

MHAs, we are all cognizant of our responsibilities to represent our districts to

the best of our ability. We take our

job seriously, we do it with pride, we do it with humility, and we do it with

passion, Mr. Speaker.

I would also like to commend

the Premier and the Minister of Finance and her department officials for carving

a Budget that reflects the needs and the concerns of the people.

The pre-Budget consultations and the dialogue we had from MHAs, Cabinet

ministers, community groups, individuals all stakeholders yielded fruit.

Budget 2014 reflects these consultations, Mr. Speaker.

Furthermore, I would like to

thank the Premier and the Cabinet for listening and responding accordingly,

carving out a Budget that promotes the sharing of our wealth, a fair society,

and balancing economic sustainability with caring for those who need our help

the most such as seniors, such as children, such as youth.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. POLLARD:

To me, Budget 2014 reaches beyond social justice,

it reaches beyond a fair society, and it reaches beyond the sharing of wealth.

Budget 2014 is a Budget with a big heart, Mr. Speaker.

Picture this for a moment: A

strong, vibrant, healthy heart pumps blood and, therefore, oxygen throughout the

body to all parts of the body, to arteries, veins, capillaries, tissues, organ

systems, enabling the body to perform as a whole, a complete unit, Mr. Speaker.

No heart; no growth. No

heart; no life. No heart; no oxygen.

No heart; you have an empty, lifeless shell with no function and no

purpose in life.

So, Mr. Speaker, I liken

Budget 2014 to the human heart, biologically speaking.

Just as the heart sustains life and supplies the life-giving blood to the

body and oxygen, Budget 2014 supplies that essential funding to communities, to

groups, to individuals, and to the economy, and to people who are in desperate

need.

As a society we have that

responsibility, to help those in need.

That is how we were raised.

It is part of our culture, neighbours helping neighbours, families helping

families, community groups helping community groups.

Of course, as a government we foster, we culture that attitude, Mr.

Speaker, and we promote that in Budget 2014.

Budget 2014 keeps the

economy vibrant. Budget 2014, a big

heart, keeps the economy thriving.

Budget 2014, with a big heart, keeps the economy robust.

Budget 2014 keeps the economy firing on all cylinders, Mr. Speaker.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. POLLARD:

I was on a roll, Mr. Speaker.

As you know, when the

economy is firing on all cylinders it is evidence that the segments of our

society are performing very well. In

fact, what did the Conference Board of Canada say about Newfoundland and

Labrador's economy? It says that

Newfoundland and Labrador will outpace, by a long shot, all other provinces for

income, a growth of 3.5 per cent to $17.4 billion for 2014.

With respect to retail

sales, Mr. Speaker, Newfoundland was second among provinces in 2013 in retail

sales growth, driven by new car sales, which rose to the highest level ever

recorded in the Province. In 2014,

retail sales will grow by 3.5 per cent.

Finally, with respect to

capital investment, in 2013 capital investment was $12.3 billion, a record high.

Now, with respect to 2014, it will grow 2.4 per cent to $12.6 billion.

Mr. Speaker, I am not going

to hang my head and be shy about these economic indicators.

These economic indicators are based on hard, cold, bare statistics

factual. It is not based upon my

opinion or anybody else's opinion.

These indicators show that we have a robust economy.

A vibrant economy enables both government and the people to enjoy a real

good life, a quality way of life, what we all strive for.

People are working.

People are spending money.

People are vacationing. People feel

good about themselves. They have a

positive image about themselves, Mr. Speaker.

We have a lot to be positive about and nothing to be negative about, as

such, when we look at the picture as a whole.

We are a have Province, able to stand on our own two feet, and we are

able to pay our own way. We now have

a big say in determining our own destiny, instead of relying on other people or

Ottawa to map out or carve out our own economic future.

The umbilical cord has been

cut, Mr. Speaker. We are now adults.

We have come of age. We have

now matured. We can stand on our own

two feet and we can walk by our own selves.

No monetary figure can be put on that amount of pride.

No amount of money can be put on us having a positive image about

ourselves, a can-do attitude.

You remember, Mr. Speaker,

as educators we always remind our students about attitude.

What did we say about attitude?

Attitude determines you fill in the blank.

What is it? Attitude

determines altitude. I will say it

again, attitude determines altitude.

That is a very important phrase that we can always keep right across this

Province, not only as educators, but as government officials and as ordinary

citizens of Newfoundland and Labrador.

It is a great message for our youth to carry out.

SOME HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear!

MR. POLLARD:

Now, Mr. Speaker, getting back to Budget 2014, a

Budget with a big heart. Why do I

dub Budget 2014 a budget with a big heart, Mr. Speaker?

It pumps funds into

infrastructure that was and is aging throughout the Province and is unsafe;

upgrades in roads; upgrades in ferries; upgrades in bridges; construction of new

schools; upgrades to schools; long-term care facilities; I could go on, the

acquisition of new water bombers, all create jobs, Mr. Speaker, all create

employment. Not only that, but it

also leaves a legacy for modern facilities for the people of Newfoundland and

Labrador to enjoy long after we are long gone.

As an example, the $81

million injected into the Provincial Roads Improvement Program this year.

I am sure, Mr. Speaker, right across the Province people are all excited

and pleased. That is a very

significant amount put into the Provincial Roads Improvement Program this year.

People in my district, for

example, are delighted with the roadwork to be done on Route 410 which leads to

Fleur de Lys, and Route 414 which leads to La Scie, and Route 392 which leads to

Little Bay, St. Patricks, Beachside area.

Mr. Speaker, thanks to the

Minister of Transportation and the Premier for getting the job done, for getting

the tenders out early to take advantage of the short construction season.

We hope the snow goes by Augus

Document details

Collection	Newfoundland and Labrador — Debates (Hansard)
Citation	2014-04-03
Type	hansard
Volume / chapter	2014-04-03
Language	en
Format	htm
Source	PROVINCIAL
Identifier	d054dce58d5da313c7a64358bba86699ae066cca

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