Province of Alberta The 27th Legislature Fourth Session Alberta Hansard Tuesday, March 8, 2011 Issue 9 The Honourable Kenneth R. Kowalski, Speaker

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

March 8, 2011 Alberta Hansard 231 Legislative Assembly of Alberta Title: Tuesday, March 8, 2011 1:30 p.m. 1:30 p.m. Tuesday, March 8, 2011 [The Speaker in the chair] head: Prayers The Speaker: Good afternoon. Let us pray. Guide us all in our deliberations and debate that we may determine courses of action which will be to the enduring benefit of our province of Alberta. Amen. Please be seated. head: Introduction of Guests The Speaker: The hon. Member for Edmonton-Ellerslie. Mr. Bhardwaj: Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker.

It is an hon- our for me to rise today and introduce to you and through you 52 bright young students from my constituency of Edmonton - Ellerslie and Ellerslie Campus elementary an d junior high school. They are here with their teachers to enjoy a week at the Legisl a- ture. Joining them today are their teachers Mark Campeau, Blair Faulkner, and Tom Klimaszewski. At this time I would ask them all to please rise and receive the tradition al warm welcome of the Assembly. The Speaker: The hon. Minister of Municipal Affairs. Mr. Goudreau: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

It gives me great pleas- ure to introduce to you and through you to all members of the Assembly leaders from Alberta’s francophone com munity who participated this morning in a ceremony in the Legislature rotunda as part of Les Rendez-vous de la Francophonie, a national celebra- tion of French culture and history. The executives are from the Association canadienne-française de l’Alberta, or ACFA. The ACFA is the provincial organization representing all francophones. We also have members from the Campus Saint-Jean choir.

Forty choristers from the Chorale Saint - Jean lent their amazing voices this morning to the ceremony in the rotunda. The gr oup has been invited to tour France this summer, and in 2012 they will be hosting more than 1,000 choristers right here in Edmonton for the Choralies Internationales, the most i m- portant international French-language choir competition. The Alberta government is proud of its strong relations with the francophone community in making sure French-speaking Albe r- tans have access to the services and resources they need.

We also appreciate the good work that they do in representing the province across Canada and around the world. I would ask our guests to stand as I introduce them. Dolorèse Nolette, Denis Perreaux, Laurier Fagnan, Casey Edmunds, Marcelline Forestier, and Denis Fortin. Also joining them on this special day is a member of my staff, M. Denis Tardif, executive director of the Francophone Secretariat. These individuals are in the public gallery today. Please join me in offering them the warmest welcome of this Assembly. The Speaker: The hon. Minister of Energy. Mr. Liepert: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

It gives me pleasure today to introduce two gentlemen who are very familiar to members of this House, the chairman of the Energy Resources Conservation Board, Mr. Dan McFadyen, and his sidekick, Rich Jones. I’d ask them to stand and receive the welcome of the Assembly. The Speaker: The hon. Member for Calgary-Bow. Ms DeLong: Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. You know, I don’t get as many people up from Calgary as I would like. In fact, I’m thinking of adding something to my newsletter, inviting more of my constituents up here. But today I do have a constituent who is here.

He works with the Calgary Zoo, as you know the second largest zoo in Canada. He works on the whooping crane, building the population of the whooping crane. If everyone could please join me in we lcoming Mr. Dwight Knapik. If you could rise, Dwight. Thank you. The Speaker: The hon. Member for Edmonton-Riverview. Dr. Taft: Well, thanks, Mr. Speaker. One of the real privileges of being the Member for Edmonton -Riverview is that I get to be the MLA for the University of Alberta, and I’m honoured today to introduce to you and to all members of the Assembly some special guests from the university.

They represent one of that institution’s most notable organizations. It’s known as WISEST, which stands for Women in Scholarship, Engineering, Science and Technology.

I will be rising later today to make a statement in recognition of International Women’s Day and the important role that WISEST plays, but for now let me make the int roductions: Denise He m- mings, who is chair of WISEST; Grace Ennis, who is the WISEST co-ordinator; Kerry Humphrey, who is the WISEST assistant co- ordinator; Jen Duffy, who is the WISEST outreach co- ordinator; and George Pavlich, who is associate vice -president of research at the University of Alberta. Please stand, and please give them a warm welcome. The Speaker: The hon. Member for Edmonton-Centre. Ms Blakeman: Thank you very much, Mr.

Speaker. As you well know, today is the 100th anniversary of Internatio nal Women’s Day, and there are two sets of introductions that I would like to do. The first is a representative from an organization called Equal Voice, which is a not -for-profit devoted to the still -bold idea that we need to get more women elected to ever y level of government in Canada. That is Sandra Ngo. Sandra, please rise. She’s a third - year nutrition and food science student at the U of A. She found out through another member at the U of A, Meagan McLavish, who was not able to join us.

I note in the paper today that Equal Voice is sponsoring a speaker in Ottawa for a conference, Lev e- raging Women’s Leadership for the 21st Century: Changing the Game. That speaker says: today it’s understood that if we only use men, we lose a lot of potential and opportunities. Thank you very much, Sandra, for joining us today and representing Equal Voice. Please join me in welcoming her. My second introduction is of two members of a very long - standing organization that has been very supportive of women and women’s status in our community.

Jacquie Foord is the fairly recent chief executive officer of the YWCA here in Edmonton. With her is Amber Niemeier, who is the communicating and ma r- ket manager. I’ll have them rise. As you know, the YW has been working for women in Canada and Alberta for many, many, many years. Please join me in welcoming these two representatives here today. The Speaker: The hon. Member for Edmonton-Mill Woods. Mr. Benito: Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. It’s my distinct pleasure to introduce to you a couple of my friends who are me m- bers of the francophone community. One is originally from the

232 Alberta Hansard March 8, 2011 Haitian community, and the other one is originally from the Congo. Mr. Amson Saintimé is the president of the Haitian com- munity services centre, and Mr. Sugar-Eric Yumba is the president of the SOS Amitié friend associa tion. I would like our colleagues to give them warm applause from this Assembly. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The Speaker: Hon. Member for Edmonton-Highlands-Norwood, you have an introduction on behalf of your colleague. Mr. Mason: Yes. Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. On behalf of my colleague the hon.

Member for Edmonton-Strathcona I would like to introduce to you and through you to this Assembly our guests from the Sexual Assault Voices of Edmonton, also known as SAVE. SAVE is a coaliti on of sexual assault centres, educational organizations, community members, and the police. It works to change societal attitudes about sexual assault through awareness-raising campaigns that place responsibility on the per- petrators of sexual assault and challenge rape myths and victim blaming. I would ask our guests to rise as I read their names so that they can receive the warm traditional welcome of the Assem- bly.

They are Dorian Smith, Laura Collison, Lise Gotell, Monique Méthot, Pragya Sharma, and Cindy Davies. Welcome. Thank you. head: Ministerial Statements The Speaker: The hon. Minister of Children and Youth Services. 1:40 International Women’s Day Mrs. Fritz: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I am honoured and privi- leged to rise today and reco gnize March 8 as International Women’s Day. This is a very sp ecial day as it is the 100th anni- versary of International Women’s Day. Today we celebrate, recognize, and honour the many extraordinary achievements of women in Alberta, Canada, and around the world.

Our province proudly acknowledges this day and reaffirms our commitment to the equality, freedom, and advancement of women. Alberta’s Famous Five – Em ily Murphy, Louise McKinney, Nellie McClung, Irene Parlby, a nd Henrietta Muir Edwards – helped pave the way, Mr. Speaker, for future generations of wom- en in Alberta and across Canada. My colleagues and I appreciate the great contribution that all wome n have made to make this day possible. Canada’s theme is Girls’ Ri ghts Matter, which focuses on the importance of equality and access to opportunity for all girls and women.

We know that a young woman who enjoys equality has a greater likelihood of being self-confident and aware of her own potential and of being empowered to access the education, train- ing, and career opportunities that will contribute to her success in life. We also know, Mr. Speaker, that women still have many difficult challenges, which is why Alberta continues to take action on women’s issues. Women have told us that better access to quality, affordable child care would make a real difference for their families.

Our Premier heard this request, and over the past three years we have created more than 18,000 new child care spaces. This means that women and their families now have access to more than 90,000 spaces across the province, and we also have child care subsidies to help lower income women with the cost of quality care for their children. We are working hard to help prevent family violence. Our Persons Case scholarship is awarded each year to students whose studies contribute to the advancement of women. You can see, Mr.

Speaker, that incredible progress has been made, but we know that more still needs to be done to address challenges such as poverty and inequality. To help address these challenges, we work nationally with the federal-provincial- territorial groups on women’s issu es for aboriginal women, eco- nomic equality, and human trafficking. Today across Alberta, Mr. Speaker, many communities are celebrating the achievements of women, and they’re shining their light on their efforts as they encourage the next generation to fol- low in their footsteps. Mr.

Speaker, I now ask that all members of the Assembly join me in honouring the contributions, the talents, the leadership of women across the province as they are a true inspiration to all of us. The Speaker: On behalf of the Official Opposition, the hon. Member for Edmonton-Centre. Ms Blakeman: Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker.

A hundred years ago, as the world struggled to come to terms with rapid population growth and technological progress, socialist parties in Europe and the Americas spearheaded an international movement to force recognition of the inherent right of women to vote, work, and be free of gender-based disc rimination. Several years later Albertans elected Loui se McKinney to our Legislature, the first woman to achieve this feat across what was then the British Em- pire. More milestones followed he re in Alberta, across Canada, and around the world as women asserted their rights throughout the course of the 20th century.

Now recognized and supported by the United Nations, Interna- tional Women’s Day has grown in importance year by year with thousands of events held worldwide annually. We have had, however briefly, a woman Prime Minister. We’ve had female Premiers, Lieutenant Governors, Governors General. Women lawyers, judges, businessw omen, and administrators are now, if not common, at least present in greater numbers than ever before. We haven’t had any women Premiers in Alberta yet, but that could very easily change sometime in the next few months.

There has been definite progress, a century’s worth, but the journey to true equality for women continues. Women still earn less than men for doing the same work. Women are still under- represented in politics and far less likely to serve as CEOs. Worldwide, women do two-thirds of all human work yet earn only 10 per cent of the total income and own 1 per cent of the world’s property. Women are far mo re likely than men to be the victims of domestic abuse and sexu al assault. The sexual beha- viour of women is judged by a far different and hypocritical standard than that of men.

Women continue to be objectified and stereotyped across the media. Posi tive portrayals of women are still far outnumbered by these regressive stereotypes. Even in the developed economies women are still risking their careers when they become pregnant. The list of barriers and struggles goes on, and that’s why International Women’s Day is as much a call for continued action as a celebration.

I firmly believe that when it co mes to these issu es, the instiga- tors of change are middle-aged women and young people, the middle-aged because we’ve seen injustice and stupidity, lived through it, and felt the effects, and the young because they’re still full of idealism and a powerful de sire to change the world. The middle-aged women effect change with their experience and mon- ey; the young provide energy and time. Today I salute all women who fight daily to ensure their inherent rights to respect and equal treatment are recognized. Thank you.

March 8, 2011 Alberta Hansard 233 The Speaker: I suspect that requests will be made to have a rep- resentative of the third and the fourth parties participate in this, so I’ll ask the question. We’ll need unanimous consent, and the ques- tion will be in the negative form. Does anybody oppose seeing two additional speakers participate? If so, please say no. [Unanimous consent granted] The Speaker: The hon. Member for Calgary-Fish Creek. Mrs. Forsyth: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I’m pleased to rise today to speak about the 100th anniversary of International Women’s Day.

The first Women’s Day was observed in 1909, during a time of great expansion in the industrialized world. In Alberta we have a strong tradition of female empowerment. In 1927 Emily Mur- phy, Henrietta Muir Edwards, Louise McKinney, Irene Parlby, and Nellie McClung convinced Prime Minister Mackenzie King to ask the Canadian Supreme Court to clarify the word “persons” under the British North America Act of 1867. When the Canadian court confirmed that persons were men and only men, these women persuaded the government of Canada to appeal to the J u- dicial Committee of the British Privy C ouncil.

There they won their case, and on October 18, 1929, Canadian women were l e- gally called persons. These pioneering women came to be known as the Famous Five and stand as role models to this day for women young and old. Now equal rights are enshrined in the 1982 Constitution. Mr. Speaker, you have noted that Christy Clark was recently elected as leader of the B.C. Liberal Party and will soon be the Premier of B.C. It’s clear now that women can do whatever they set out to do, whether it’s raising children, driving a tractor-trailer, or becoming the next Premier in this province. I’d like to end with a quote.

Golda Meir, the first female Prime Minister of Israel, said: “It’s no accident many accuse me of co n- ducting public affairs with my heart instead o f my head. Well, what if I do? Those who don’t know how to weep with their whole heart don’t know how to laugh either.” The Speaker: The hon. Member for Edmonton-Strathcona. Ms Notley: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. One hundred years ago thousands of women marche d in the streets of New York to call for better pay, decent hours of work, and voting rights. Women’s Day began in a very practical way, with recognition of the unfai r- ness that marked the lives of women.

International Women’s Day is rooted in working for economic, political, and social justice for women, the full and equitable cit i- zenship of women. We need this clear perspective on the day in 2011 as well because full equality still needs to be something we struggle for, something that is not easily delivered. Today in Edmonton women are marking this day at NorQuest College to draw attention to the importance of equal access to education and training as the pathway to decent work for women.

Later this month the Network for the Advancement of African- Canadian Women will mark the day to draw our attention to the many achievements of African -Canadian women that result in better lives for all of us. The NDP opposition is thankful for the work of organizations that take the full participation of women seriously and call our attention to what this means. Alberta has the biggest wage gap between women and men in Canada, and it is getting worse. Two -thirds of low -wage workers over the age of 25 in Alberta are women. Women depending on EI are increasing while the numbers for men are falling.

Amongst our seniors poverty is a more serious challenge for women, yet this government resists pension reform that would offer women a be t- ter chance of economic security in their senior years. During the working years women are challenged by Alberta’s inadequate number of regulated, affordable child care spaces.

Recent add i- tions do not meet the demand, and on a per capita basis Alberta is still near the very bottom of spending on child care. 1:50 Looking around this Assembly, we also make note on this day that there is still much to be done to ensure that women are able to actively participate in the political arena in numbers equal to that of men. Ultimately it is very important to remember and celebrate the successes of the cou rageous and uncompromising women of the past. However, we do a disservice to their efforts if we fail to a c- knowledge that true equality for women remains elusive.

As such, this day is a good one, in which all members of this Assembly can commit themselves to working for the change needed to obtain true equality amongst all Albertans. Thank you. The Speaker: Before we move on to the question period, I do want to recognize one woman in this Assembly, and that’s the Member for Calgary-Elbow. Happy birthday plus one day. head: Oral Question Period The Speaker: First Official Opposition main question. The hon. Leader of the Official Opposition. Emergency Medical Services Dr. Swann: Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker.

Well, this go v- ernment continues to duck, dive, and stonewall by not calling for an independent investigation into compromised emergency room care for 322 patients. The chairman of the Health Quality Council of Alberta is saying that the government’s internal review lacks inde- pendence. We applaud the Health Quality Council’s effort to restore public confidence in health care even as these Tories mismanage health and continue to fail Albertans. To the minister: will the gov- ernment do the right thing and support the Health Quality Council request to expand their mandate, allow them to investigate . . .

The Speaker: The hon. minister. Mr. Zwozdesky: Mr. Speaker, the Health Quality Council does a tremendous amount of good work in this province. They do qua l- ity assurance reviews when they’re asked to by either me as minister or by the Alberta Health Services folks. Under the regula- tion that they exist, they have a very clear mandate, and to my knowledge they’re accomplishing it very, very well. Dr. Swann: I did say duck, dive, and deny, didn’t I, Mr. Speaker?

Will the government finally do the right thing and allow the Health Quality Council to launch an investigation into the 322 cases that you’ve had on your government books since 2008? Mr. Zwozdesky: Mr. Speaker, let’s put this into context. On Thanksgiving Day weekend last year I was written a letter by the chair or the president of the emergency doctors, and along with that he cited 322 cases. His request at the time was: please use these 322 incident s to help address the backlogs in emergency departments. That was the primary purpose of that list of 322 cases.

We immediately got Alberta Health Services’ senior team clinicians onto that. They are looking at that review right now. But where do you start that review when you don’t have names? You

234 Alberta Hansard March 8, 2011 have to verify 322 people. It’s just about impossible, but they are doing the best they can as fast as they can. Dr. Swann: Well, Mr. Speaker, it’s clear this government isn’t into building trust in our health ca re system. How can Albertans, including the health care workers in this system, have any trust in this government when since 2008 you have failed to investigate 322 concrete cases of malpractice? Mr. Zwozdesky: Mr. Speaker, that’s a pretty serious allegati on right there. I think he’d better be prepared to say that where it counts, out there.

We’ve already had one doctor alleging this; now we have another one. Step up to the plate, step outside, and say that if that’s what you’re going to say. Otherwise, what conclusion can we come to? If you know something, say it. The Speaker: Second Official Opposition main question. The hon. Member for Calgary-Varsity. Workplace Safety Mr. Chase: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. An explosion at a natural gas well southwest of Eds on has left 12 workers injured.

The A l- berta Liberals have been advocating for years for the government to ramp up work site safety enforcement, but this government is only belatedly taking our advice. To the Minister of Employment and Immigration: if the m inister now believes we need to boost the number of safety inspectors significantly to deal with the ec o- nomic upturn, isn’t he conceding that this government severely understaffed and underfunded worker safety programs during the past boom? Mr. Lukaszuk: Mr. Speaker, there is a prime example of som e- one blowing out a candle just to prove that it’s dark.

A 52 per cent increase in occupational health and safety officers over the last year, new office in Fort McMurray, enhanced enforcement of the Occupational H ealth and Safety Act, enhancement of education, training for our staff, full adherence to the Auditor General’s r e- port, full adherence to some of the criticism levied against this department in the media: how much more proof does this man need to show him that this government is committed to occup a- tional health and safety? Mr. Chase: Mr.

Speaker, what I’d like to see is that we don’t have four sets of industrial gas - and oil-related accidents within a two-month period going forward. Haste makes waste, Mr. Minister, and it leads to errors and inju- ries but not in the case of hiring occupational safety. Given that the number of safety inspectors stayed practically constant throughout the recession, was this government’s hiring freeze behind the failure to incr ease safety enforcement before the inci- dents at Horizon earlier this year and now in Edson? Mr. Lukaszuk: Mr.

Speaker, first of all, occupational health and safety is a co -operation between workers, employers, and this government. All initiatives, includin g hiring the additional occ u- pational health and safety officers, are paid for by the employers of Alberta through the Workers’ Compensation Board; hence, hiring freezes or any budgetary restraints of this government had nothing to do with this, and this member knows that very well. Mr. Chase: Workmen’s compensation is a sad commentary, Mr. Speaker.

Given that an enhanced inspection program uncovered gross safety violations in the construction industry last December, will the minister order a similar program for the oil and gas sector after these four incidents within a two-month period? Mr. Lukaszuk: Mr. Speaker, what this member is also not willing to tell you is the fact that the gas and oil sector, particularly in northern Alberta, actually has some of t he fewest incidences of occupational health and safety violations and incidents in Alberta.

The fact of the matter is that we have taken, also as part of our enforcement, focused inspections of businesses. We’re focusing on forklifts right now. We will be looking at the residential co n- struction industry. We will be looking at young workers. Commitment is showing. This member just chooses to ignore it. The Speaker: Third Official Opposition main question. The hon. Member for Edmonton-Centre. Gender Equality Ms Blakeman: Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. Two things, I believe, are critical to women’s equal participation in the life of this province, economic equality and representational equality.

To the President of the Treasury Board. Today is the 100th ann iver- sary of International Women’s Day. Let’s do a report card. With fewer than 10 exceptions why is it that none of the rest of the gov- ernment agencies, boards, and commissions have enough women appointed to achieve the critical mass necessary for equitabl e rep- resentation? Mr. Snelgrove: Mr. Speaker, I’ve got to tell you that I would be the last one to suggest that there was anything about the total r e- spect and equality in my life for women.

But I’ve got to say this: these boards and agencies that are mandated to run the different responsibilities they have have a job to do first. While we all need to work in our lives and in government to provide opportunities for women to achieve those goals, it can’t come at the expense of the skills that are in that board. Why there are not as many women I can’t tell. Possibly there weren’t as many applications, but the fact is that this government is very committed to equality for women. Ms Blakeman: With respect, that is utter nonsense.

To the same minister: given that this government has contracted delivery of many services to not -for-profits, which have predom i- nantly female employees receiving lower pay and fewer benefits than in the public sector, how much has the government closed that wage gap? By how many cents per hour? Mr. Snelgrove: Mr. Speaker, I have no idea what the wage gap is and how much it has closed or not closed. Ms Blakeman: Well, you are the minister in charge of the Treasury Board. Let me try one more time.

To the same mini s- ter: given that the poores t families are those headed by single - parent females and that although 70 per cent of them are wor k- ing, they still have just one -eighth of the assets the average Canadian family enjoys, what has this government done to r e- duce this gap in the last five year s? Mr. Snelgrove: Mr. Speaker, I’ve got to tell you that when we hire, we don’t hire based on whether they’re a man or a woman. We hire on credentials, and our paycheques don’t know where they’re going. We do not discriminate at any level in this gover n- ment.

To suggest that somehow Alberta is different from the rest of world, where across the world we recognize that there’s a long way to go so that women do achieve final equality, to try and push

March 8, 2011 Alberta Hansard 235 out some of the good work that corporate human resources have done in departments in this government is detestable. The Speaker: The hon. Member for Fort McMurray -Wood Buffalo. 2:00 Emergency Medical Services (continued) Mr. Boutilier: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The verdict is in. Clearly, there is enough evidence to go forward with an independent r e- view by the Health Quality Council, as reported today by the highly respected Dr. Lorne Tyrrell, chair of the council.

Will the minister of he alth today commit to all Albertans and this Asse m- bly to launch an investigation right here, right now, today? Mr. Zwozdesky: Mr. Speaker, I don’t think there’s been any evidence or proof provided yet to substantiate the allegations that were made in this H ouse last week. However, I am prepared to consider any type of appropriate action at the appropriate time once we have the appropriate information in front of us. So far we don’t. Mr. Boutilier: Mr. Speaker, given the response, the non-answer by the minister, Dr.

Lorne Tyrrell, a highly respected medical doctor, who is the chair of the Health Quality Council, said that there should be an investigation. Will this minister for this A s- sembly and for all Albertans do the right thing and launch an investigation today? Mr. Zwozdesky: Mr. Speaker, I have said already that I don’t have the basis upon which to launch such a request to the Health Quality Council. What we do have is a review of the 322 cases, which the member tabled essentially yesterday, which were brought to our attention last fall for the purpose of helping out emergency rooms.

We’ve looked into that, and we’ve taken con- crete action. We’ve opened more beds, we’ve got new protocols, and we have more people on staff. That’s what we’re doing. We’re looking after protecting this system and improving it, and that’s very positive news for Albertans to hear. Mr. Boutilier: Mr. Speaker, one more time: will this minister respect Dr. Lorne Tyrrell on his advice to launch an investigation for the 322 that he’s r eferenced in the ER crisis? To protect all Albertans, will you launch an investigation today? Yes or no? Mr. Zwozdesky: Mr.

Speaker, the short answer is no, not at this time because there is nothing upon which to base such a launc h- ing. You have 322 cases. There are no names attached there. There are dates that would have to be verified; there are locations that have to be verified; there are other physicians that would have to be contacted. That’s what the senior clinicians are doing today and have been doi ng for the past four months. It’s complicated because usually a health quality assurance . . . The Speaker: The hon. Member for Edmonton-Highlands - Norwood. Villa Caritas Geriatric Mental Health Facility Mr.

Mason: Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. Yesterd ay the Premier opened the geriatric psychiatric unit at Villa Caritas. Amidst all the fine words and self -congratulations the Premier failed to mention the recent suicide of a patient at Villa Caritas. The government was warned that Villa Caritas was desig ned as a long-term care facility and lacks many essential features necessary to ensure the safety of psychiatric patients. Now a patient is dead.

To the health minister: will the minister admit that this gover n- ment’s negligence and incompetence have result ed in psychiatric patients being placed in unsafe conditions, which led to the death of a patient? Mr. Zwozdesky: Mr. Speaker, how unfortunate to characterize a question that way. Our hearts go out collectively and directly to the family of the person who suffered this particular demise.

I can assure you, having been at Villa Caritas on a few occa- sions now as well a s at Alberta Hospital as well as at the location in Ponoka, that outstanding care is provided for people with me n- tal health difficulties in this province, including the circumstance referred to by this member. Mr. Mason: Mr.

Speaker, well, given that a cur sory inspection would show that the showers and bathrooms are potential places for suicide, that there are blind spots in the buildings, the light fixtures are potentially dangerous, and there’s insufficient staff and given that upgrades to Villa Caritas w ere inadequate to ensure the safety of psychiatric patients and given that the geriatric unit at Alberta Hospital was properly designed for seniors with serious mental illnesses, why did this minister proceed to transfer patients, knowing they were being put at risk? Mr. Zwozdesky: Mr.

Speaker, no patients were put at risk, and no patients ever will be knowingly put at risk. Let’s get serious here. We have a state-of -the-art facility with hugely improved facilities and amenities. If you’d just go over there, hon. member, and walk through, take a look at the increased space that they have, take a look at the integrated services that they now enjoy, take a look at the extremely capable staff that are providing those services, you’ll come to the same conclusion we all have, that it’s an ou t- standing facility doing outstanding work for some very vulnerable people who need it. Mr.

Mason: Then how, Mr. Minister, did a patient manage to commit suicide within days of moving into this safe facility? Given this governm ent’s record of mismanagement, that i n- cludes unnecessary deaths in ERs and on surgery wait -lists, and given the tragic and preventable death at Villa Caritas, will the health minister admit that his government’s abysmal mismanag e- ment of the health care sys tem has led to numerous deaths, unnecessary deaths, of Albertans? Mr. Zwozdesky: Well, Mr. Speaker, you know, there is a lot that can be done to help protect the safety of the individuals in question.

That’s one reason why we upped the dollar amount for the building of that facility to 51 and a half million dollars, to ensure that the best protections possible could be there, to ensure that the state -of-the-art equipment necessary to help these people would be there, to ensure the best possible environment for them to live out their years. That’s what we’ve done, and that’s what we’re going to continue to do: help those people, not attack them, not accuse them.

Speaker’s Ruling Decorum The Speaker: I would think that when an hon. member raises a question about the suicide of an individual and an hon. minister was giving a response, most members would listen attentively instead of acting out. For what reason is beyond me. The hon. Member for Calgary-Mountain View.

236 Alberta Hansard March 8, 2011 Emergency Medical Services (continued) Dr. Swann: Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. Well, I have to go back to the health minister and ask him again. In all seriou s- ness, the confidence in our health care system is at an all -time low. We know that two -thirds of Albertans have said that they don’t believe the government is managing it appropriately. Health professionals in their survey indicated nonconfidence in the ma n- agement of the health system. Returning these 322 cases to the Health Quality Council would help to restore trust in the health care system.

Will you do that, sir? Mr. Zwozdesky: Mr. Speaker, I will be speaking with individuals involved in this review very soon. If there are some appropriate actions that they feel are warranted or that I feel are warranted, I can assure this member and I can assure all Albertans that those steps will be taken. Dr. Swann: Well, Mr. Speaker, it’s almost unprecedented that the head of the Health Quality Council, Dr. Lorne Tyrrell, a well - respected physician in the province, has requested this. Is there something that you don’t trust about his judgment on this? Mr. Zwozdesky: Mr.

Speaker, I don’t know where the hon. member is getting his information. I have not had a request of that nature put to me by Dr. Tyrrell. I know Dr. Tyrell very well; I respect him highly. If he has a request like that for me, then I will certainly sit down and consider it. The Speaker: The hon. leader. Dr. Swann: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Well, again to the minister: does he deny that his department has been aware of these 322 cases since 2008? Mr. Zwozdesky: Mr. Speaker, I believe those cases were referred to Alberta Health Services. I think they are the ones who are the custodians of the 322 incidents.

As I’ve indicated before, a typical health quality assurance review deals with one case, maybe two. That’s typical. In this instance there’s just not enough information upon which to accelerate that review. It’s taking its own course. It’s being done by doctors not unlike the doctor who is question- ing me right now. It’s being done in a very thorough fashion. So let’s allow that process to move along, and if they find something, they will let us know. The Speaker: The hon. Member for Calgary -Lougheed, followed by the hon. Member for Calgary-Buffalo. Securities Regulation Mr. Rodney: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

The A lberta government has been challenging the federal government’s move to establish a single national securities regulator to the point where it took its case to the Alberta Court of Appeal in January. This morning the court released its opinion, and it agreed that securities regulation is a matter of provincial jurisdiction. My first question is to the Min- ister of Finance and Enterprise. What are the repercussions regarding Alberta’s future fight against a federal securities regula- tor? Where does it go from here? Mr. Snelgrove: Well, thank you, hon. member. Mr.

Speaker, obviously, we are happy that the Alberta Court of Appeal has interpreted and adjudicated basically along the same lines that our argument was based on, that securities regulation is a provinci al matter constitutionally. They reinforced that. This isn’t the end of the fight, but it’s always helpful to have a level of court at that stage that supports your argument totally. 2:10 Mr. Rodney: My next question is to the same minister. Perhaps not su rprisingly, Alberta has been accused by some as fighting with the feds for no good reason in this case.

What’s the mini s- ter’s rationale for these efforts in this particular case at this particular time? Mr. Snelgrove: Well, I think that on the securities r egulator there is a very good reason. Maybe more importantly, Mr. Speaker, there is a matter of principle involved, that constitutionally we have rights and responsibilities in our province, and we need to make sure that we challenge these on an ongoing ba sis. The si m- ple fact around the securities regulator is that most of the other provinces support the initiative. So I’m not trying to pick a fight with anybody.

Well, maybe with some people but certainly not with the federal government. The Speaker: The hon. member. Mr. Rodney: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My last question is to the same minister. Canadian provinces support the system which is already in place, so can the minister please clarify why he feels there’s such a need for Alberta and other provi nces to continue to push back regarding the latest federal proposal? Mr. Snelgrove: Mr. Speaker, it’s because history has shown us through these very difficult times in a recession that the system we have works. The American system falls under a single regulator.

It was a disaster. We’ve got a national-in-scale system that the prov- inces administer. You know, to use the old saying, if it’s not broken, don’t fix it. That’s where we are with Alberta. It’s our responsibility, and we’re doing a darn good job of implementing it. Political Contributions by Municipal Officials Mr. Hehr: Mr. Speaker, a freedom of information request r e- vealed that seven elected representatives from the county of Barrhead’s council, their spouses, and two staff members attended a 2009 fundraising event for the Barrhead PC association at a cost of $720. I’m certain that it was a wonderful event.

Now, I wouldn’t be asking about this except that the elected officials’ tickets were paid for by the county of Barrhead or, in other words, their taxpayers, which is a clear violation of the Election Act. To the Minister of Justice: will the minister notify both Elections Alberta and the PC Party of this incident so that monies can be returned to these taxpayers? The Speaker: The hon. minister. Mr. Olson: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I stand to be corrected, but I believe the money has already been returned. Mr.

Hehr: Well, I thank you for that honest and clear answer, but if I gave you some documents, could you further investigate? And if you find out that this matter has been taken care of, I would be happy, and we’ll move on from there. The Speaker: The hon. minister. Mr. Olson: Thank you. I’ll certainly undertake to look at wha t- ever documents the hon. member wants to pass along, and we’ll act accordingly.

March 8, 2011 Alberta Hansard 237 The Speaker: The hon. member. Mr. Hehr: Thank you very much. I’ll leave it there. The Speaker: The hon. Member for Strathcona, followed by the hon. Member for Calgary-McCall. Heartland Electricity Transmission Project Mr. Quest: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. One of the proposed routes for the heartland transmission line runs through the east TUC and through my constituency. Many of my constituents are very con- cerned about this 500-kV line being so close in proximity to homes and a near by school and are strongly advocating putting this line underground.

My first question is to the Minister of E n- ergy. I understand that the cost of underground is generally higher, but what’s being done to ensure that an accurate estimate for at least a portion of this line being buried will be considered? Mr. Liepert: Well, first, Mr. Speaker, I think it’s important to note in the Assembly that the Alberta Utilities Commission, which is an independent, quasi -judicial body, will begin its hearing into this particular line in just over a month. We need to ensure that no comments are made that are going to be perceived as trying to influence that decision.

But there have been a number of studies done over the past year, and I’m sure that those will be presented during the hearing. It will be up to the commission to make it s decision relative to the siting of the line. The Speaker: The hon. member. Mr. Quest: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My first supplemental to the same minister: what can you tell my constituents to reassure them that environmental and health concerns will be th oroughly consid- ered during that process? Mr. Liepert: Mr.

Speaker, Health Canada assesses and monitors health and safety risks that are associated with radiation -emitting devices – that includes power lines, cellular telephones – and en- sures that Canadians are protected under our laws. I know that on the website of Health Canada it states that there is research that has shown that these electronic currents are not associated with any known health risks. That being said, the commission is obl i- gated during the hearing process that if there’s any evidence to the contrary that may be presented . . . The Speaker: The hon. member. Mr. Quest: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

My final question, again to the same minister: what assurances can the minister give that all possible routes and technologies will be given fair consideration? Minister, I’ve heard today that the TFO crews may already be working in the TUC. Mr. Liepert: Well, Mr. Speaker, I think we need to be clear on the very last comment made by the member. There is some soil testing going on both in this particular route and the alternate route.

That’s part of the pre -engineering work that’s needed to ensure that they have adequate information relative to costing and should in no way be construed that the project will be approved. In fact, the AUC, just to be clear, can either approve the application, approve it with conditions, or deny it. So let’s let the hearing take place, and the decision will be rendered. The Speaker: The hon. Member for Calgary-McCall, followed by the hon. Member for Edmonton-Ellerslie. Twinning of Highway 63 Mr. Kang: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Fort McMurray is booming again, and highway 63 is as dangerous as ever.

Twinning is esse n- tial. We have been at it since 2007 and are not expected to be completed before 2015. That is over eight years later. There is no excuse for twinning this highway in small, time -wasting incr e- ments instead of one dedicated project. To the Minister of Transportation: why has the minister chosen the most delayed method of completing this project? Mr. Ouellette: Well, I’d like to thank the hon. member for bring- ing that question forward because I’d like to clarify what that’s about. Highway 63 is a huge, huge project, and we plan on getting it done. But let me tell you, Mr.

S peaker, that it’s a $2 billion pro- ject. I have to go by what the hon. members on the other side keep saying: delay, delay, delay. We don’t want to delay. We’re trying to get it done as fast as we possibly can. The Speaker: The hon. member. Mr. Kang: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I think the minister has a l- ready been delaying, delaying, delaying that project. To the minister again: with Alberta coming out of the recession and the oil sands being very much in demand world-wide, would it not be essential to complete this infrastructure in a timely fas h- ion? Mr. Ouellette: Mr.

Speaker, I’d like the hon. member to know that we’re spending $190 million on highway 63 this year. We’re carrying on with two complete interchanges. We’re carrying on with a five -lane br idge that we’re building in Fort McMurray. I agree that people in Fort McMurray deserve a great quality of life. We’re moving ahead with the infrastructure as fast as we can. The Speaker: The hon. member. Mr. Kang: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. To the minister a gain: will the minister commit to completing the twinning of highway 63 before 2015?

You found $2 billion for carbon capture, but you don’t have enough money to fix this highway properly. Mr. Ouellette: Mr. Speaker, again I have to tell you that we’re moving ahead as fast as we can. We partnered with the federal government on this, and they’re actually going to put $150 million into this project. We are moving ahead with it. We can only do as much as our budget allows us to do, so I can’t promise an actual date of finishing it. The Speaker: The hon. Member for Edmonton-Ellerslie, followed by the hon. Member for Edmonton-Strathcona. Villa Caritas Geriatric Mental Health Facility (continued) Mr.

Bhardwaj: Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. Yesterday I attended the official opening of Villa Caritas, which is an ou t- standing state-of-the-art facility for geriatric mental health patients in west Edmonton. While everyone was very supportive of this new facility and the outstanding mental health services it will provide, several attendees had some questions, which I will be addressing to the Minister of Health and Wellness.

While this appears to be a good move for the patients referred, why is it tak- ing so long to present concrete actions for numerous other Albertans who are experiencing mental health . . .

238 Alberta Hansard March 8, 2011 The Speaker: The hon. minister. 2:20 Mr. Zwozdesky: Mr. Speaker, it’s true that we’re working on a province-wide strategy to help people with addictions and/or me n- tal health issues. In fact, it’s a staple in our fiv e-year health action plan. But let’s not lose sight of the fact that we’re already spen d- ing over $500 million to help people with these particular circumstances. We are also opening up new mental health treat- ment and residential beds, about 35 of them, that I just announced.

We’re also adding 65 mental health staff into our schools and clinics throughout Alberta. We’re also augmenting the 90 clinics that we have across Alberta that help people with mental health and/or addictions issues. Finally, we’re also doing everything we can to bring in experts in this area to help us craft the best strategy for mental health going forward. The Speaker: The hon. member. Mr. Bhardwaj: Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker.

My next question to the same minister: what impact will the decision to use Villa Caritas as a facility to support seniors with mental health issues, not as a long -term bed facility as originally intended, have on seniors looking for long-term care beds in Edmonton? Mr. Zwozdesky: Mr. Speaker, the good news is that the long - term care beds that were available at the old Edmonton General hospital site still are available. I was there not long ago visiting some folks, and I c an tell you that the care there is truly ou t- standing.

With respect to other people who might require these kinds of services, please know that the services will be there. We’re open- ing a lot more continuing care spaces for people who have that level of need, and we’re opening more residential and detox beds, or treatment beds as they’re called, for people in those circu m- stances. The Speaker: The hon. member. Mr. Bhardwaj: Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker.

My final question to the same minister: since only 106 of 150 beds will be occupied by the patients from Alberta Hospital Edmonton, what are the plans for the remaining 44 beds, and who will be occupy- ing them? Mr. Zwozdesky: Mr. Speaker, in fact, we’re going to augment the 106 beds up to 120 beds specifica lly for geriatric mental health patients. When you combine that with the other beds r e- ferred to, that will increase our mental health capacity for that group by about 42 per cent in our area. That’s a huge increase.

With respect to the other 30 beds those are going to be specia l- ized transition beds to help address the needs of seniors with mental health issues. The Speaker: The hon. Member for Edmonton-Strathcona, fo l- lowed by the hon. Member for Lethbridge-East. Workplace Safety (continued) Ms Notley: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The nine workers injured in a well explosion yesterday remind us of this government’s chronic record of failure on workplace safety. The minister’s self - congratulatory announcement on new inspectors merely brings Alberta up to the national average a few years from now.

To the minister: will he agree that injured workers and their families can’t afford to wait and hire 40 new inspectors this year? Mr. Lukaszuk: Mr. Speaker, this government has made a solid commitment to occupational health and safety. We have increased enforcement of occupational health and safety. We have increased education. We are working in co-operation both with organized labour and with employers to make sure that we develop the best practices. We have increased the number of occupational health and safety inspectors by 52 per cent just in one year. We will be monitoring it.

If there is economic growth and if we find that it is warranted to have additional officers, that is always open. The number 40 is as good a number as . . . The Speaker: The hon. member.

Ms Notley: Well, given that Tory funding for worker safety is lower today than it was in 1991 while at the same time the number of Albertans working in dangerous occupations has more than doubled and given that our province’s worker fatality rate contin- ues well above the national average, will the minister admit that his hold-the-line budget for worker safety in the face of increased industrial activity is a predictable recipe for more worker injury and deaths? Mr. Lukaszuk: Well, Mr. Speaker, this member calls it Tory funding for occupational health and safety.

I have clearly indi- cated that occupational health and safety is fully funded by all employers in the province of Alberta. So maybe indirectly she is correct because most sensible employers in Alberta tend to be Tory supporters. But the fact of the matter is that there is a great expense for occupational health and safety, and we have full commitment not only by employers but also by workers within the sectors. Ms Notley: Well, employers are Tory supporters because they pay the lowest WCB premiums in the country, Minister.

Given that Alberta is one of the few provinces in the country to not mandate worker safety committees by law, giving the tools to the very workers whose lives are otherwise at risk, can the mini s- ter explain this glaring omission and tell us how workers are supposed to keep themselves safe in this province? Mr. Lukaszuk: Mr. Speaker, the member just contradicted her- self. The reason Alberta empl oyers pay the lowest WCB premiums is that that reflects the caseload and the number of claims that WCB is dealing with. However, I don’t know how many times I can reiterate it.

I’m not only saying it, but I’m act u- ally walking the talk to show all Alberta w orkers that their safety on the job is our priority. Albertans demand safe workplaces, and they shall receive safe workplaces. The Speaker: The hon. Member for Lethbridge-East, followed by the hon. Member for Calgary-Bow. Energy Efficiency Building Standards Ms Pastoor: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. An updated national buil d- ing code featuring higher energy efficiency standards for all large buildings is expected by the end of 2011 and for houses by the end of 2012.

Three years ago this government committed to im ple- menting energy efficiency standards in building codes for homes and commercial buildings in its climate change strategy. To the Minister of Municipal Affairs: have Albertans been misled as it appears there is no action on this file three years later?

March 8, 2011 Alberta Hansard 239 Mr. Goudreau: Mr. Speaker, I appreciate the question from the hon. member. No doubt, we continue to do our work. The building codes and the energy codes are part of a national process that we are undertaking, and we are working with our federal and provi n- cial and territorial counterparts to see this move. The member is right. The building code, the one part, was actually published, I believe, on November 29 of 2010 to become effective in 2011, and we’re following that. Ms Pastoor: Thank you, Mr. Minister.

You’ve answered part of the question, which would be: is this government going to adopt national building codes for large buildings and houses, or are we waiting for an Alberta solution? The building codes are there. Why don’t we just slip in underneath, and they’re effective? Mr. Goudreau: Well, Mr. Speaker, I think it’s appropriate to say that we should have only one building code. Rather than having interim codes, we are working with our national counterparts to bring in one code that will be suitable for a ll Albertans.

Certainly, we are hearing from Albertans as well that they want changes for both the commercial buildings and their residential buildings and that energy efficiency is extremely important to them. We’re look- ing at all of those aspects. The Speaker: The hon. member. Ms Pastoor: Thank you. To the same minister: will you commit to having these national energy standards for large buildings by the end of 2012 and for houses by the end of 2013? How close are we to having the national standard by those dates? Mr. Goudreau: Mr. Speaker, we are still doing a review of the consultation that we did.

There was a lot of consultation that oc- curred in the fall of 2009. We met with stakeholders. Now that we’re talking about energy efficiencies, we met with them to see how they might be implemented in the Alberta building codes for both homes and other buildings. We are waiting, basically, to look at implementing the model codes when they become available later on this year and into 2012. The Speaker: The hon. Member for Calgary -Bow, followed by the hon. Member for Calgary-Glenmore. Health Research Funding Ms DeLong: Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker.

We’ve all heard about Alberta’s excellent track record when it comes to life- changing and life -saving health research. If you haven’t, please call me; I’d be glad to fill you in. We’re making great strides to- wards curing diabetes, eliminating viruses, and better understanding the human brain. Yet I still get challenged with rumours that funding for this ki nd of research is in jeopardy. My questions today are to the Minister of Advanced Education and Technology. Bottom line: is funding for health research in Alberta increasing or decreasing? Mr.

Weadick: Well, I’d like to thank the member for that que s- tion. I’m very pleased to say today that in 2010-2011 Alberta Innovates will be putting $83 million into health research in this province. That’s up from $75 million only one year ago, so a si g- nificant increase. This research will go into all types of health research across the province, and we’re so excited to see this r e- search being done right here. The Speaker: And his budget will be dealt with on April 12. Proceed. Ms DeLong: Thank you. My second question is to the same mi n- ister.

Will research funding be available for research that has the potential to reduce wait -lists or address other challenges facing our current health care system here in Alberta? The Speaker: The hon. minister. Mr. Weadick: Well, thank you, Mr. Speaker. That is one of the focuses of health research being done. In fact, on Friday we were in Calgary at the University of Calgary opening the medical ward of the 21st century, a place where companies and doctors can go to test the newest equipment, look at new ways of delivering health care that are more patient focused.

There’s a company called Xsensor out of Calgary that has designed a sheet that goes on the bed and will detect pressure points and allow nurses to turn patients in time to get rid of bed sores and those kinds of things. This is critical research that’s moving us forward. 2:30 The Speaker: The hon. member. Ms DeLong: Thank you very much. To the same minister: there are also questions that this strategy is considered political interfe r- ence in research. The Speaker: The hon. minister. Mr. Weadick: Well, thank you. Yes, I have heard that.

I think it’s critically important that the government sets priorities for its spending of tax dollars. At the high level the government has set some priority areas around maternal and child health an d around addictions and other things. I think that’s critically important. Alberta Innovates will determine which areas are going to be funded, how they’re going to be funded, which programs will receive the funding, and it’s up to them to try to priorize those projects. So it is at arm’s length to government. Thank you. The Speaker: The hon. Member for Calgary -Glenmore, followed by the hon.

Member for Livingstone-Macleod. Capital Infrastructure Planning Mr. Hinman: Well, thank you, Mr. Speaker. It’s obvious that this government continues to miss the lesson when it comes to prior i- tizing infrastructure. We have a government that is putting MLA offices ahead of children in severely overcrowded classrooms and ahead of seniors stuck in acute -care beds and ER p atients in the halls of our hospitals.

To the Minister of Infrastructure: are you as ignorant and as fiscally irresponsible as the Member for Edmonton-Calder to say that had you prioritized schools and se n- iors’ care facilities ahead of the federal building , construction workers would have no work? The Speaker: We’re going to find some temperance in language in here, or we’re going to have a real shambles, points of privilege included. Mr. Danyluk: Mr. Speaker, let me be very clear. I think the hon. member opposite needs to know that we are building 14 new schools at this time: 10 core schools, four high schools.

We have 41 health projects that are on the go, five major hospital builds, five cancer institutes that we’re building, and we are also building 13 seniors’ projects, that are going to have over a thousand spaces. That is part of what this government is doing in relation to infr a- structure.

240 Alberta Hansard March 8, 2011 Mr. Hinman: It’s good that he prioritizes his answers. I wish he’d prioritize his buildings. Given that this government was in complete denial of the eco- nomic conditions that we were in when they decided to go ahead with the federal building, does the minister really think that if we were to have had a prioritized public infrastructure list at the time, the citizens of Alberta would have agreed to renovate the federal building ahead of desperately need ed long-term care beds for sen- iors and classrooms for our overcrowded children? Mr. Danyluk: Well, Mr.

Speaker, I think I need to express to the hon. member opposite that there is a balance. There is a balance to having health care faci lities. There is a balance with educational facilities, schools. At the same ti me, we do have to have office buildings, and those office buildi ngs hold individuals that are there to help Albertans, to serve the needs of Albertans. We can- not stop development or construction. I also need to say to you that this project was started in 2008. Mr. Hinman: Well, Mr.

Speaker, given that the federal building stood vacant for 20 years, a delay of two or three more years would not have changed the value or the opportunity to redevelop the property. How long will the minister continue to declare that new MLA offices are more urgent than the need to move our seniors out of acute-care beds and into long-term care facilities and our children out of severely overcrowded cl assrooms into new schools? He needs to make the list public. Prioritize the list and make it public. The Speaker: The hon. minister. Mr. Danyluk: Well, thank you very much, Mr. Speaker.

I don’t believe that the hon. member opposite heard. The list is public. All he has to do is look it up on the website, maybe pay attention to the newspapers as he usually do es. I would say to you: 14 new schools, 41 projects in health care , seniors’ housing. That is the list. That is the list that you have before you, and if you can’t un- derstand that list, I’m not sure how I can help you . . . The Speaker: If the two of you don’t start talking through me, I’m not going to recognize either one of you again for a long pe- riod of time. The hon. Member for Livingstone-Macleod, followed by the hon.

Member for Edmonton-Gold Bar. Cattle Price Insurance Program Mr. Berger: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Alberta cattle producers face great risks due to the volatility of the Canadian dollar and other market forces that are beyond their control. To the minister of agriculture: what, if anything, is your ministry doing to enable cattle producers to protect themselves in these turbulent times? The Speaker: The hon. minister of agriculture. Mr. Hayden: Well, thank you, Mr. Speaker.

This government does recognize the effects of the volatility of the cattle market on our Canadian dollar, and we have produced an insurance program for calves that’s being handled through the AFSC. It’s a market-driven program to add some surety to the industry. It reflects the market prices as indicated through our auction marts throughout the province to make sure that there are safeguards for these producers. The Speaker: The hon. member. Mr. Berger: Thank you. Back to the same minister.

Now, that sounds good if you’re a large-scale producer, but is this available for smaller and medium-sized producers, or are they even eligible to apply? The Speaker: The hon. minister. Mr. Hayden: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The size of the operation doesn’t matter for coverage in th is program. You have to be an agricultural producer that raises livestock and to have them for over 60 days. You have to be over the age of 18. That’s the policy. The Speaker: The hon. member. Mr. Berger: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Okay.

We’ve enabled the beef producers with this price in surance option, and that’s good, but is it available to the producers of any of the other livestock species we raise here in Alberta? The Speaker: The hon. minister. Mr. Hayden: Well, thank you, Mr. Speaker. This program is fairly new. We started it with a portion of the livestock, the cattle industry, initially. We are moving now to develop a program for the hog sector also. Of course, agri culture is our largest renewable industry in this province, so it’s important that we keep it viable, and these programs are going to help. The Speaker: The hon.

Member for Edmonton-Gold Bar, fol- lowed by the hon. Member for Edmonton-Calder. Health Authority Admi nistrative Expenses Mr. MacDonald: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. This government until 2006 gave taxpayers a breakdown of administrative expenses in- curred directly by health author ities. These expenses were broken down by general administration, human resources, finance, et cet era. My first question is to the minister of health.

Why did this government in 2006 stop the good accounting practice of giving taxpayers a breakdown of the millions of dollars that were spent annually on administrative expenses by health authorities? Mr. Zwozdesky: Mr. Speaker, I don’t carry around information going back to 2006 in my hip pocket. I’m sure that the accounting that is done and the reporting back to Albertans that is done on a regular basis would cover off so me of those questions the hon. member is asking. Secondly, if he has that kind of detail that he wants to go back five years, perhaps he should bring it forward in a more proper forum.

Speaker’s Ruling Questions about a Previous Responsibility The Speaker: I would refer all members to Beauchesne’s 409(6). A question must be within the administrative competence of the Government. The Minister to whom the question is directed is responsible to the House for his or her present Ministry and not for any decisions taken in a previous portfolio. Proceed. Mr. MacDonald: This minister is responsible for the budgets of not only this year but of previous years for the health department. The Speaker: Sit down. He is only responsible for the budgets that he is minister of during that time frame.

He’s not responsible for anything that happened in 1934. Proceed.

March 8, 2011 Alberta Hansard 241 Health Authority Administrative Expenses (continued) Mr. MacDonald: I’m not talking about 1934; I’m talking about 2006. Given that after 2006 – after 2006 – hon. minister, administr a- tion fees skyrocketed by millions of dollars annually, who ordered the changes to be made so that there was no longer a full discl o- sure of these administrative fees in your annual reports? Mr. Zwozdesky: Mr. Speaker, there is full disclosure. There al- ways is. Not only that, but it’s also audited.

I think that what the hon. member is missing here, though, is the large population growth that this province has experienced. People are moving here for a reason, and one of them is the best health care services anywhere in the country. Mr. MacDonald: Mr. Speaker, more money was spent, and there was less disclosure. Again to the minister: are any legal fees directly incurred by the health authorities hidden in the category of general administration? Mr. Zwozdesky: Mr. Speaker, I’m not sure where they put legal fees specifically, but I’m sure that they’re there. I’m sure they’re accounted for.

What we can do is find out exactly which line item they’re included in. I can assure you that it’s important to have people who repre- sent you on legal fronts. Sometimes you need them for your own protection here. The Speaker: The hon. Member for Edmonton-Calder. 2:40 NAIT Program Closures Mr. Elniski: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My questions this afte r- noon are for the minister of advanced education. Minister, every year an academic review is conducted to determine the long -term need for programs of study at an institution such as NAIT in my constituency of Edmonton-Calder .

Apprenticeship training pr o- grams have never been in questio n, yet others have been terminated due to a lack of enrolment. Given the current demands for avionics and airframe professionals and that both programs are fully subscribed, can the minister tell me why these and seven other programs are being considered for termination? The Speaker: The hon. minister. Mr. Weadick: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. This is an important issue, and I would like to thank the Member for Edmonton-Calder for bringing it up.

Each and every year all of our postsecondary institutions review all of their programs, and we believe that they should. We believe it’s critically important that they deliver the programs that Albertans need, that they deliver the services so our young people and our tradesmen can get jobs. Each and every year they review them. Through that process they come up with new programs they’d like to add and programs they’d like to remove. This is one of those where that particular school has suggested these programs for removal. The Speaker: The hon. member. Mr. Elniski: Thank you.

My only supplemental is to the same minister. Mr. Speaker, given that this minister has the final say in these matters, what will he be basing his decision on? The Speaker: The hon. minister. Mr. Weadick: Well, thank you, Mr. Speaker. As you know, the institution NAIT will come before the department and make their recommendations as to what we should do with these programs, what enrolment for the future looks like, what the employment picture for these trades will be, and what it would look like acros s Campus Alberta for delivery. We’ll wait, and we’ll work with that institution to see what the outcome is.

The Speaker: The hon. member. Mr. Elniski: No further questions. The Speaker: That’s it? Okay. Hon. members, 18 members were recognized today. That was 104 questions and responses In a few seconds from now we will continue with the Routine. We will be going to Members’ Statements in 15 seconds from now. head: Members’ Statements The Speaker: The hon. Member for Strathmore-Brooks. Affordable Housing Project in Strathmore Mr. Doerksen: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. We often hear about the high cost of living in Alberta, and as we come out of this economic downturn, I don’t expect this to change.

What has changed, ho w- ever, is the public expenditure of resources and know-how to make home ownership affordable to more lower income Albertans. I had the pleasure of attending the project launch for the pe r- petually affordable housing project, that highlighted the innovation in housing that we’re seeing across the province. The town of Strathmore has entered into a partnership with Classic Communities to develop a 48-unit perpetually affordable home ownership project. Housing and Urban Affairs has committed over $1.6 million to the town of Strathmore.

This funding along with commitments from the town of Strath- more, the Strathmore affordable housing society, and Classic Communities has created a unique opportunity for low -income families. These are two- and three-bedroom units and are affordable to families making as little as $25,000 a year in annual income. The units will remain affordable in perpetuity, approximately 70 per cent of market value, regardless of changes in the market, thanks to the public funds remaining in the equity of this project.

While people of all ages can qualify to invest in this project, it is particularly attrac- tive to young people who want to invest in home ownership. This project offers the opportunity for home ownership at a cost that is competitive with local rental rates. Mr. Speaker, p artnerships with the private sector, municipal i- ties, and nonprofit organizations have enabled Housing and Urban Affairs to reduce its budget by 36 per cent while at the same time meeting targets for increased affordable housing and, in this case, home ownership.

This project is an example of an innovative and responsible expenditure of public funding. I would like to acknowledge the town of Strathmore, Classic Communities, and the Strathmore affordable housing society for ena- bling home ownership and allowing lower income earners to make an investment in their future through equity in their own homes. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The Speaker: The hon. Member for Calgary-Fish Creek. Children’s Mental Health and Addiction Initiatives Mrs. Forsyth: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. In 2009, after consult a- tion with mental health and addictions experts, parents, and

242 Alberta Hansard March 8, 2011 children, I introduced the Protection of Children Abusing Drugs Amendment Act. With the support of this very House it passed. Upon proclamation of the bill children abusing drugs would be held in treatment for 10 days and not the current five. PCHAD, as it’s known, was the sixth bill out of 62 introduced by government during the spring session. That shows me that it was a priority of the government at the time. Sadly, Mr. Speaker, I can’t say the same now. It is still waiting to be proclaimed and made into law.

Addictions professionals have all indicated that five days of treatment is not enough to un- pickle their brain and get them ready for the rest of their lives by keeping these children clean and sober. The government’s track record on children, especially our most vulnerable, is shameful. The Mandatory Reporting of Child Pornography Act is another one of the 62 bills that are waiting to be made t he law of the land. This sends a clear message, Mr. Speaker: abused and vulnerable children do not seem to be a priority of this government. Mental health and addiction treatment is a growing concern for all Albertans.

While the government talks more and more about the importance of treating addiction and mental health issues, they do not back this talk up with action. Action, Mr. Speaker, talks louder than words. Action would be proclaiming these bills i m- mediately. People with mental health and addiction issues are stuck in a vicious cycle that they cannot get out of alone. There are people that end up in hospitals, correctional facilities, or even homeless.

If the government was truly serious, as indicated in the Speech from the Throne, they would properl y fund mental health and addiction initiatives and consult with the experts in the field. We need to move forward, Mr. Speaker. We need to move fo r- ward now and do what’s right for our Alberta families. The Speaker: The hon. Member for Calgary -Nose Hill , en fran- çais, s’il vous plat. Les Rendez-vous de la Francophonie Dr. Brown: Merci, M. le Président.

Aujourd’hui je me lève à l’Assemblée pour souligner le début des Rendez -vous de la Fra n- cophonie, une célébration nationale de la culture, de la langue, et du patrimoine français qui se déroulera du 4 au 20 mars. Ici en Alberta les communautés francophones ont lancé les fes- tivités le 4 mars 2011 avec des levers de drapeaux partout à travers la province, et les festivités se poursuivront pendant les deux prochaines semaines pour tous les Albertains de tous les âges et d’origines diverses.

Le thème cette année célèbre comment l’interaction enrichit la compréhension, quelque chose que l’on connaît bien en Alberta. Pour les francophones cette interaction est ancrée depuis 150 ans avec l’établissement de St. Albert, la plus vieille colonisation de langue française de la province. Les Pères Oblats et les Sœurs Grises ont travaillé étroitement avec les Premières nations et les Métis afin d’accroître le commerce et a fin de construire certaines des premières écoles et des premiers hôpitaux de la province.

Les Rendez-vous de la Francophonie sont une occasion pour interagir l’un avec l’autre et pour découvrir le nouveau visage de la francophonie albertaine. En valorisant l’interaction et le partage de notre richesse culturelle, nous aidons nos communautés à cro î- tre, et nous créons une société plus accueillante et inclusive. M. le Président, je tiens à remercier les membres de cette Chambre pour leur appui conti nu, et je vous invite tous à partic i- per à ces célébrations afin de souligner les contributions des francophones au riche patrimoine albertain. The Speaker: The hon. Member for West Yellowhead.

Northland Community Engagement Team Mr. Campbell: Thank you, M r. Speaker. In January 2010 the Minister of Education dissolved the Northland school division board and appointed an official trustee to oversee the jurisdiction. He also appointed an inquiry team to look at the governance, management, and operations of th is vast northern jurisdiction.

In January of this year the inquiry team issued its report, calling for an improvement strategy to focus on three priorities: English and aboriginal language and numeracy development, improving st u- dent attendance, and strengt hening parental engagement with schools by improving communication and trust. Earlier this month a team with strong connections to aboriginal education was established to provide strategic advice, direction, and leadership to address these issues.

This team will engage the commu- nity in the transformation of Northland into a special -purpose authority for aboriginal education, one able to capitalize on its unique character to provide excellence in First Nations and Métis education. The team will be led by the capable Member for Lesser Slave Lake and Dr. Colin Kelly, the official trustee, and includes community elders, Métis and Treaty 8 members, a postsecondary member, and a member of the FNMI Education Partnership Council. Mr. Speaker, I’m pleased that two of the members are from my constituency, Mr.

Alvin Findlay of the Métis local 1994 and Dave MacPhee of the Aseniwuche Nation. Their mission will be to de- velop and deliver strategies and initiatives we know are crucial to the educational success of the boys and girls who depend on Northland schools to prepare them for their future. Clearly, co m- munities need to be involved in those strategies and initiatives. 2:50 Mr.

Speaker, I echo the sentiments of the Minister of Education, who said that “engaging Northl and communities in the future of education of their young people is essential if we want the st u- dents in those communities to find genuine and lasting success.” Mr. Speaker, on behalf of this Assembly I thank the members of the team for their commitment t o FNMI education and their wi l- lingness to participate in this incredibly important work. The Speaker: The hon. Member for Edmonton-Mill Woods. Meadows Fire and EMS Station Mr. Benito: Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker.

I rise today to recognize the Meadows fire and rescue station. Located at 28th Avenue and 34th Street in my constituency of Edmonton- Mill Woods, the Meadows fire and emergency medical services station opened in October of 2009. The cost of constructing the more than 14,000 square foot facility was $6.5 million. Going forward, the station will save resources by having fire and emergency medical services at the same site. It also means quicker response time if the call is coming from the same area.

I was very fortunate to be in attendance at the grand opening alongside many community members and Edmonton’s mayor, Stephen Mandel. Mr. Speaker, the construction of the Meadows fire and EMS station would not have been possible ha d it not been for the funding from the provincial government under the gui d- ance of this province’s Premier. This funding was made possible through the municipal sustai n- ability initiative, known as MSI.

MSI is the province of Alberta’s commitment to providing significant long -term funding to e n- hance municipal sustainability and to enable municipalities to meet the demand of growth. The opening of the Meadows fire and EMS station is a perfect example of how MSI funding can directly impact a community and help it meet its needs.

March 8, 2011 Alberta Hansard 243 I commend this very important program and would like to re c- ognize its benefits to the Meadows community of Mill Woods. To all the officers and members of Meadows fire and rescue station: keep up the good job you are all doing, and we salute you for making our community better. Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. Women in Scholarship, Engineering, Science and Technology Dr. Taft: Mr.

Speaker, this year marks the 100th anniversary of International Women’s Day, celebrated today by people around the world, people who are doing their best to ensure that women everywhere enjoy better health, safety, respect, freedom, and equal pay for equal work. I’m proud to say that in my constituency of Edmonton-Riverview there’s an organization dedicated to pur- suing those goals.

WISEST, Women in Scholarship, Engineering, Science and Technology, is an organization created by the Univer- sity of Alberta designed to increase gender diversity in the workplace, especially in the fields that constitute its acronym. Since 1982 WISEST has been encouraging women to choose careers in science and engineering. Over 600 volunteers develop programs to draw more women to these fields. WISEST reaches out to girls and young women while they are still in secondary school, pr oviding opportunities to get a taste of what it’s like to work in science or engineering. Their efforts have certainly borne fruit.

Across Canada women are now pursuing undergraduate science degrees at university in roughly equal numbers to men. Of course , much work remains to be done. Women remain in the minority at the postgraduate level and in high -level leadership positions in industry and academia and government. Women still don’t earn as much as men doing equivalent jobs, and the glass ceiling remains firmly in place across a wide spectrum of indu s- tries and institutions. But, Mr.

Speaker, I firmly believe that one day we’ll solve these problems and create a society with true equality and freedom for everyone, a society rich with opportuni- ties for girls and boys, women and men, one in which culture, religion, sexual orientation, skin colour, or gender never interfere with anyone’s human rights or potential. People like the folks at WISEST are working to create a better world, and I thank them for it. head: Presenting Reports by Standing and Special Committees The Speaker: The hon. Member for Edmonton-Gold Bar. Mr. MacDonald: Yes. Thank you very much.

As chair of the Standing Committee on Public Accounts I’m pleased to table five copies of the committee’s report on its 2010 activities. Additional copies of the report have also been provided for all members of this Assembly. Thank you. head: Tabling Returns and Reports The Speaker: The hon. Minister of Employment and Immigration. Mr. Lukaszuk: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

On the topic of occ u- pational health and safety, while our inspectors right now are doing focused inspections of forklifts and related equipment, I would like to table the required amount of a new publication known as Forklift Health & Safety: Best Practices Guideline. It’s a brand new guideline that is available to employers and employees both in paper and electroni c format. I would encour- age all employers to take a look at it. It’s showing them what the best practices and usage are of these potentially very dangerous pieces of equipment. Also, Working Alone Safely: A Guide for Employers and E m- ployees.

For situations where workers are required to work alone, guidelines and best practices for those. On a somewhat different topic, Mr. Speaker, today I’d like to table five copies of the Alberta Veterinary Medical Association 2010 annual report, as required. Also, Mr. Speaker, if I may, I will be tabling the required nu m- ber of the annual report of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Alberta for the year 2010. Thank you. The Speaker: I have down the hon. Member for Calgary - Mountain View. Is anybody doing a tabling on his behalf? Then the hon. Member for Lethbridge-East. Ms Pastoor: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I have two tablings today, one from Wendy Aikins in Fort Macleod and Bonnie May in Lethbridge, both of whom are appalled at the permission given for the deforestation of blocks of forestry in the special places Castle - Crown area. The Speaker: Edmonton-Centre, were you doing a tabling? Ms Blakeman: No, sir. That was yesterday. The Speaker: The hon. Member for Calgary-Varsity. Mr. Chase: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I am tabling e -mails from the following individuals who are seeking the preservation of the Castle wilderness area: Peter McClure, Randy Jaggard, Lin Heidt, Cat Neshine, Carole Gregoire- Voskamp, Barb Collier, Kelly Marsh, Lisa Mutch, Ena Spalding, Tim Coogan, Shirley Whalen, Jim Laird, Lois Betteridge, Ruth Zenger, Tom Wispinski, Peter Ward, Tracy Jacobson, Siobhan Brennan, Susan Brooks, Brian Vaccaro, Shirley Langlois, Gordon and Ann Rycroft, Lynn Ta y- lor, Geraldine Young, and Chris Brown. Mr. Hehr: Mr. Speaker, I have a tabling here, and it’s the requi- site number of copies from the county of Barrhead.

It’s a copy of the minutes of the council meeting held on July 21, 2009, where a resolution was carried to purchase two tables for a supper sche d- uled on November 21, 2009, a copy of the cheque that was sent to pay for two tables, a copy of the invitation to the event, and a copy of the list of people who attended. I just put that on the record. It is in regard to my question earlier today. The Speaker: In regard to my 30th anniversary. Mr. Hehr: Yes, it was. I hope it was a wonderful time.

The Speaker: It was, and they all ate. 3:00 head: Orders of the Day head: Government Bills and Orders Committee of the Whole [Mr. Cao in the chair] The Chair: I would like to call the committee to order.

244 Alberta Hansard March 8, 2011 Bill 9 Appropriation (Supplementary Supply) Act, 2011 The Chair: Are there any comments, questions, or amendments to be offered with respect to this bill? The hon. Minister of Finance and Enterprise. Mr. Snelgrove: Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Just a few comments, a little bit, in response to some of the opposition members who were actually interested enough to be here before. To the point, the budget. The $4.8 billion deficit is actually very close to what was forecast. As a matter of fact, it’s within $73 million. I think it’s interesting, Mr.

Chairman, to look historically at the trend around the sup estimates: from 2005-06 a supplementary esti- mate that was 13 per cent of the budget falling over time in ’06-07 to 7 per cent, in ’07-08 to 6 per cent, in ’08-09 to 3 per cent, in ’09- 10 to 3 per cent, and now to 2 per cent. I think the direction that the government has gone to manage and forecast as well as possible their expenditures and then to live with them is not only backed up by the numbers; it’s certainly backed up by the trend.

It is interesting that some of the counsel being provided to the Wildrose’s last opportunity was three and a half times what our supplementary supply is now, but that was then. Mr. Chairman, it’s a simple point that this is the smallest sup in the absolute do l- lar amount and relative to the original appropriation of the year. So I look forward to the comments. The Chair: The hon. Member for Edmonton-Gold Bar on the bill. Mr. MacDonald: Yes. Thank you very much, Mr. Chairman.

It’s a pleasure to again get an opportunity to participate in the debate or discussion regarding Bill 9, the Appropriation (Supplementary Supply) Act, 2011. We again are looking at significant amounts of money in various departments, but I’m told – I’m reassured, actu- ally – it’s not as much as usual. It’s puzzling to me, just the general tone of the government these days. They’re certainly like an unrepentant teenager asking for a larger allowance without any explanation as to where they spent what they already got and what they intend to do with this.

I was startled in question period today when I was directing questions regarding the financial statements of a ministry. “Well, we don’t want to talk about this. We c an’t talk about it because it was in the past.” Well, whenever you look at the past expenditures of this government and their past habits of requesting additional funding through supplementary supply, certainly it is an indication that the budget and the budgeting process initially, regardless of what year we’re in, is not a sound exercise.

The numbers that we’re dealing with are not sound because we seem to be always coming back, regardless of the circumstances, asking for more, whether it’s in Aboriginal Relations, whether it’s in Advanced Education and Technology. Certainly, in Children and Youth Services and Employment and Immigration, when we were discussing this before, it struck a chord with me because last year I looked in government estimates and t he same elements that were cut last year around this time in the budgeting process: well, we’re now looking for that money back. We need that money.

I don’t for a minute doubt the sincerity of the hon. minister of children’s services nor the Minister of Employment and Immigra- tion. As a result of circumstances that are very, very difficult to control, they need the money to fund their programs. I have no doubt about that. But there are other areas to be cut, Mr. Chai r- man, other than those programs last year . The people programs seem to be the first to go.

Now, the other day I was waiting for the budget to be released, and I thought, for instance, I would add up the amount of money over the years that Horse Racing Alberta has received: $365 mi l- lion plus what’s there this year. That’s pretty close to $400 million over a short period of time. I would use that, Mr. Chairman, as an example of the wrong priorities of a government. That program should be eliminated, but it’s not. Instead what do we do?

We nickel and dime ministries like Children and Youth Services, like Employment and Immigration, and we have to at some point go back through the supplementary supply process and ask for more money. That would only be one example, and I’m not going to discuss it any further now. Certainly, I think if this government was sincere about fiscal control or fiscal restraint, they would reduce the size of cabinet. A smart government is not necessarily one that’s 24 or 22 ministries. It could be reduced significantly, perhaps as far down as 16 or 17 portfolios. I think that would work.

That is not unreasonable or, I don’t think, unusual. Now, I would like specifically at this time to talk about Justice and Attorney General, the Justice department and the request here for 9 and a half million dollars. We are looking at initiatives for safe communities. Good idea. You can go back and you can see in previous annual reports where some of that money – and I’m on memory here, Mr. Chairman, and please correct me if I’m wrong – went u nexpended.

The additions from this supplementary amount plus interim ministry transfers will increase the budget for the safe communities program from $18 million to over $30 mi l- lion. That’s better than 65 per cent. The supplementary amount will contribute 49 per cent more than what was originally bud- geted and, I believe, the same amount more in a percentage than was spent in the last fiscal year. Safe communities initiatives, as we know, cover a wide range of activities. Could the government please explain precisely which of these activities require the additional funding?

In particular, how much of the additional funding is for the safe communities inn o- vation fund, which provides funding to community -based crime prevention and crime reduction projects? Now, according to the ministry’s 2009- 10 annual report the ministry developed elaborate processes to educate communities about plans, services, and funding opportunities relating to the safe communities program as well as a process designed to deliver grant funding effectively.

I had the opportunity of attending in a local school gymnasium one of these meetings to educate the community members, and I was kind of taken aback by how the grant funding programs worked. I had to correct some of the gov- ernment employees that were there, that this was taxpayer money; it didn’t belong to the governing party. That was what the people in attendance were led to believe.

There were two parts of this funding, and again I had to correct those who were there on behalf of th is government, explaining the safe communities program, about exactly where the money was coming from, who was r e- sponsible for it, and where it should go. 3:10 One would assume that spending on grant programs is well within the control of the ministry. Also, this is, as far as I know, certainly not a new grant program. The ministry reported funding 30 pilot projects in 2009- 10, so it has significant experience in administering the program.

Again, can the government please explain why this program exceeded its budget by close to half and what the ministry has done during the current fiscal year to bring this overspending back into line? Since the funds were delivered to the local communities, can the government explain what speci f- ic results were expected fro m the spending this year and how, specifically, the recipients of grant funding are contributing to the ministry’s performance goals with respect to safe communities?

March 8, 2011 Alberta Hansard 245 In conclusion of my questions regarding Justice at this time and this 9 and a half million dollar request: can the government please explain why the program again exceeded its budget and what we’re doing to ensure that this doesn’t happen in the future? Now, I have a few more questions as well, Mr. Chairman, r e- garding the Infrastructure budg et. Certainly, we heard earlier in question period from the government how important they consider infrastructure. With this request we’re looking for a little better than $57 million in infrastructure spending.

But I note that last year in the fiscal plan , not the current one that we’re debating in budget estimates, there was anywhere between a 10 per cent and a 20 per cent reduction in construction contracts from what was anticipated to what eventually happened after all the bid packages were opened and a decision was made regarding who was going to do what, where, and for how much. With that kind of cost saving it’s not unusual to expect that a capital plan can be stretched out over a long period of time and get more projects built for the budget that is set aside.

You may have to wait a year or two longer – that’s true – but, certainly, you’re going to get a much better bang for your buck. If I can believe what I’m reading in the fiscal plan, if I can b e- lieve that it is true and that there are these savi ngs that I talked about, 10 to 20 per cent, then my question would be: why, then, do we need this additional money? Mr. Chairman, in conclusion, I would like to remind this House of the news program I watched, where the Premier was talking about getting a head of all this construction now, before inflation hit.

I was wondering what sort of economic advice the Premier was getting that wasn’t being shared with the citizens or the ta x- payers. I know that in Brazil there are significant pressures on the cost of living. Certainly, there are in other areas of the world. We, fortunately, are not faced with that here.

But the Premier seemed bound and determined that we had to proceed with a lot of these projects before costs went sky -high, and I would like an explana- tion as to the Premier’s concerns and issues regarding this inflationary threat and how the $57.6 million that’s requested un- der Infrastructure may or may not be affected. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. The Chair: The hon. Member for Calgary-Varsity. Mr. Chase: Thank you very much. To begin with, Mr.

Chair, I think what we as Alberta’s Official Opposition, the Liberal Party, have been saying all along with regard to health – it’s not money; it’s manage- ment – can basically be applied to the whole budgetary process. I find it absolutely amazing that we are spending in this month of March alone practically three-quarters of a billion dollars to tide us over. Now, I appreciate the statistics that the hon. minister of the Treas- ury Board and finance provided us, that we’re within 2 per cent of where we should be.

In other words, if you were to look at it from the other end and you were assigning a mark, you’d say: well, let’s give the government 98 per cent on their ability to anticipate. What other province has this k ind of money? Yet the efficiency with which they choose to invest their monies seems to create a much more productive result than what we’re seeing here in Alberta.

If three-quarters of a billion dollars represents only 2 per cent of the 2010-2011 budget, then surely we can be using that money in a better fashion, investing, as we have suggested and in my r e- sponse to the throne speech, in terms of putting people first. But that’s not what’s happening. People are getting hammered in this budget. Again, what we see is the government continuing, for example, to underwrite horse racing to the tune of $25 million; $400 million on the ponies has been sort of bet away. Now, when you look at what happened with the AISH budgeting and the supplemental supply, AISH has been frozen.

Talk about vulnerable people: $1,083 plus some pharmaceutical benefits. We look at what happened with ESL. There’s a growing trend. It’s called: beat up on your immigrant population. Last year the government cut funding for the English Express newspaper, that was a key tool in teaching English as a second language to st u- dents throughout the province. Now, not only did Advanced Education beat up on ESL students last year, but they seem to have set a trend because this year Education reduced the funding for English as a second language, and Employment and Immigr a- tion also cut back on ESL support programs.

What are we saying to the world, that immigration isn’t important to us? The minister tried to pass it off as being a federal problem. Yes, the feds determine what the immigration rules are, but once the individuals arrive in this province, we don’t expect the federal gov- ernment to keep providing the additional subsidy and support. The province should be responsible for the people within its borders. Another example of a very sad circumstance and a very vulner- able population is special -needs funding in Education. It’s frozen for the third year running.

The Education proposed budget barely covers the cost of the increased bargained wages for t he last year of a five-year contract. Unless the Minister of Education can per- suade his counterparts in Treasury, we’re going to see severe reductions in teachers and staff throughout the province, which is going to have a very adverse effect on students and their learning. Speaking of students and learning, the government seems to have something against innovation. AISI, the program that’s sup- posed to stimulate out -of-the-box thinking in the education program: its budget was sliced in half.

Now, I don’t s ee that as being progressive. Possibly it fits into the conservative half of the equation, but it certainly isn’t progressive. 3:20 Also, in advanced education, instead of increasing grants and bursaries, what the government has done is increased loans. I n other words, it’s increased debt. In speaking with members of the representatives of students in colleges and technical institutes this morning, they’re very concerned about what happened, for exa m- ple, at Red Deer College, which seems to have followed wh at’s happened at the U of A and the U of C.

At Red Deer College their facility fee, basically, from which they derive no direct benefit, academic or otherwise, has been increased by $290 for the year. At the U of A and the U of C it’s closer to $500. Again, there’s no comparative benefit for that increased funding. The whole nature of the budgeting process, what the government considers to be a priority – for example, my hon. Member for Calgary-McCall was concerned with the Minister of Transportation about how long it’s taking to finally twin highway 63, which is the direct route to Alberta’s most valuable, hopefully sustainable r e- source wealth.

The government was willing to spend $2 billion on carbon sequestration, which is just a single tool, versus getti ng people and goods safely back and forth to Fort McMurray. Again, Mr. Chair, it’s not the amount of money so much as how the money is invested. My concerns with sup supply may seem to the Treasury ministry as just being a small amount, only 2 per cent of the actual amount of the 2010 -2011 budget, but 700-plus mi l- lion dollars is a significant amount of money and should be invested wisely. I don’t see renewable projects being supported. We’ve seen reductions in Education.

We’ve seen reductions to Employment and Immigration. We’ve seen freezing in programs like AISH and special needs. There doesn’t seem to be any i n- vestment in people or diversification. The government has further subsidized drilling projects where incentives are no longer required to get the drilling up and ru n-

246 Alberta Hansard March 8, 2011 ning. The government has basically given the majority of the money that it earned through the increased land sales, that it bragged about, back to the industry in terms of drilling initiatives. It’s the sense that Albertans have trouble getting a handle on. Then we not only have supplemental supply, Mr. Chair, but very shortly we’re going to have interim supply, and then as of April 1 we’re going to have the main budget kick into effect. Mr. Chair, I am concerned about how quickly we’r e burning through the sustainability fund. I’m very grateful for that fund.

As has been pointed out frequently, it was a Liberal suggestion that was gratefully taken by this government. But even in the worst of economic times, if we’re not using the money that we have in the wisest manner possible, which, incidentally, includes putting at least some away in the heritage trust fund – it has not grown, basi- cally, since Lougheed left it. Now, one of the financial arguments that I find rather ludicrous is the notion that had we built up our heritage trust fund to a greater extent last year, we would have lost even more from it in terms of poor investments. Again, Mr.

Chair, this draws a direct relationship with the types of investments the government made and continues to make that don’t produce the types of returns that are necessary. As I said under putting people first in my response to the throne speech, if we are to diversify our economy, then we have to invest in education. We have to bring into account t he English as a second language students, whether it’s in immigration and e m- ployment or whether it’s in education. We have to invest in early childhood/kindergarten programs. We have to provide that half - day programming support.

We have to provide full -day support for kindergarten students. This would serve two purposes. It would reduce the need for child care, and it would also provide an education for those young children. We are so fortunate in this province that we are still able to have nonrenewable r esources serve as the basis of our economy, but, Mr.

Chair, if we don’t use the money that we currently have from those nonrenewable resources to diversify our economy, chiefly through education and through supports for our people, where are we going to be years down the road, when our nonrenewable r e- sources are depleted or alternative energy sources are discovered that render them less attractive? There is this tremendous rush to get everything out of the ground, and in so doing, we’re not only exploiting our resources, but we’re exploiting the people who take those resources out of the ground. Mr. Chair, we’re fortunate to have this economic circumstance.

We should be viewing it as a blessing rather than a problem. Until we start to manage our economy bet ter and prioritize our inves t- ments, beginning with people, we’re going to continue to be riding these boom-and-bust cycles because the majority of our economy is based on external, globally set prices. We’ve got to get off this rollercoaster and invest in our people, diversify our economy. It’s going to take more than 14 per cent participation in postsecondary or a two -thirds graduation from high school rate in three years as opposed to going back for a fourth and a fifth. Mr.

Chair, probably our least realized resource yet the source of ongoing problems is our support for First Nations. Seventy per cent of the children in care come from First Nations. First Nations are the most rapidly growing portion of the population. First N a- tions represent the solution if we invest in First Nations in terms of restoration of pride, opportunities to participate in the economy, not through converting or subverting but in recognizing the abil i- ties and qualities and moving forward. Thank you, Mr. Chair. The Chair: Any other hon. members? The hon. Government House Leader. Mr.

Hancock: Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I would move that we adjourn debate. [The voice vote indicated that the motion to adjourn debate carried] [Several members rose calling for a division. The division bell was rung at 3:30 p.m.] [Ten minutes having elapsed, the committee divided] [Mr.

Cao in the chair] For the motion: Amery Hancock Ouellette Berger Hayden Quest Brown Horne Redford Calahasen Jacobs Rogers Campbell Klimchuk Sandhu DeLong Knight Snelgrove Drysdale Leskiw VanderBurg Fawcett Lindsay Vandermeer Fritz Oberle Webber Griffiths Olson Zwozdesky Groeneveld Against the motion: Anderson Forsyth MacDonald Blakeman Hinman Mason Boutilier Kang Taylor Chase Totals: For – 31 Against – 10 [Motion to adjourn debate carried] The Chair: The hon. Government House Leader. Mr. Hancock: Thank you, Mr. Chair.

I move that the committee rise and report progress. [The voice vote indicated that the motion that the committee rise and report progress carried] [Several members rose calling for a division. The division bell was rung at 3:43 p.m.] [Ten minutes having elapsed, the committee divided] [Mr.

Cao in the chair] For the motion: Allred Fritz Oberle Amery Griffiths Olson Berger Groeneveld Ouellette Blakeman Hancock Quest Brown Horne Redford Calahasen Jacobs Rogers Campbell Kang Sandhu Chase Klimchuk Snelgrove DeLong Knight Vandermeer Drysdale Leskiw Webber Fawcett Lindsay Zwozdesky Against the motion: Anderson Hinman Mason Boutilier MacDonald Taylor Totals: For – 33 Against – 6 [Motion that the committee rise and report progress carried]

March 8, 2011 Alberta Hansard 247 The Chair: Now the committee shall rise and report progress. [The Deputy Speaker in the chair] Dr. Brown: Mr. Speaker, the Com mittee of the Whole has had under consideration a certain bill. The committee reports progress on the following bill: Bill 9. [The voice vote indicated that the committee report was concurred in] [Several members rose calling for a division.

The division bell was rung at 3:56 p.m.] [Ten minutes having elapsed, the Assembly divided] [The Deputy Speaker in the chair] For the motion: Allred Griffiths Oberle Amery Groeneveld Olson Berger Hancock Ouellette Blakeman Horne Quest Brown Jacobs Redford Calahasen Kang Rogers Campbell Klimchuk Sandhu Chase Knight Snelgrove DeLong Leskiw Vandermeer Drysdale Lindsay Webber Fawcett McFarland Zwozdesky Fritz Against the motion: Anderson Hinman Taylor Boutilier Mason Totals: For – 34 Against – 5 [The committee report was concurred in] 4:10 head: Government Bills and Orders Second Reading Bill 10 Alberta Land Stewardship Amendment Act, 2011 The Deputy Speaker: The hon.

Minister of Sustainable Resource Development. Mr. Knight: Well, thank you, Mr. Speaker. I rise to move second reading of Bill 10, the Alberta Land Stewardship Amendment Act, 2011. Mr. Speaker, there is in the province of Alberta, I believe, a pressing need for land-use planning. In the period of time of 2001 to 2006 the province of Alberta gained a population that was a l- most four times the size of the population of the city of Red Deer.

We have, indeed, got a population growth that also includes a growing economy and a fast -paced economy; industrial, reside n- tial, and community pressure on the land base in the province of Alberta; and concerns around the quality of our airshed and the quantity and quality of water resources. All of these things need to be taken into consideration with regional plans. We need to remember, you know, the issues that we had.

Some of the members of the House, in certain ridings in the province, would remember the issues that we had around providing adequate housing and services for the people that had come to the province to work and the issue around infrastructure that was felt to be lacking with respect to that pressure. People were very worried at that point in time about the impact of development on air, land, and water in the province and the impact also on critical habitat for wildlife, on habi- tat for recreational areas, and the like. So, Mr. Speaker, we needed to manage multiple pressures on the landscape.

Out of that was born the land- use framework and nearly three years of consultation with Albertans with respect to land -use plan- ning.

There were always questions when we did the planning that we had initiated in the land -use framework – where is the plan? what is going to be the outcome of the land-use framework? what is this government’s commitment to co -ordinated regional pla n- ning? – and the differences across the province, southern Alberta being completely different from areas in the oil sands or the for e- stry-intensive northwest parts of the province, and each region’s unique needs and the challenges that each region had.

We wanted to make sure that we considered the combined impact of all of the activities that were occurring on the land base, considered the needs for conservation, the needs for more balanced development over the long term. From these questions that Albertans were posing to us came the Alberta Land Stewardship Act. We created the Land Stewardship Act to support regional planning, Mr. Speaker. It gives the a u- thority to establish seven planning regions in the province based on watersheds. It will define, and ha s defined, what a regional plan may address. Some examples, Mr.

Speaker, would be the environmental i m- pact and the identification of lands for conservation. We have established a role for regional advisory councils to take a look at each of the regions an d provide government with their advice and a vision for a plan for each of the regions. The act would help us to establish that we can look at conservation tools that might do things like help reduce agricultural fragmentation.

There are o p- portunities ther e for making sure that the eco stewardship of the land and the opportunity for eco goods and services, the benefits of that, could perhaps be enjoyed by the agricultural community. We have respected local decision-making and people’s property rights in th e legislation. I can’t express strongly enough, Mr.

Speaker, that when we’re looking at these amendments, we cannot cancel or take away, remove, or rescind somebody’s land title or their freehold mineral rights or a number of other issues that, you know, had been discussed in our opportunities to be around the province talking to individuals and groups of people relative to what happens when you put a regional plan in place. Mr. Speaker, we’ve also in this particular amendment made sure that we provided for compensation if private land that is identified for conservation is indeed put into things like a conservation di- rective.

We’ve defined that there are statutory consents that, indeed, may require us to look at compensation. We have also defined that statutory consents do not include things like land title. Also, it’s very clear that the existing provisions for compensation and appeal remain for any individual that is directly or adversely affected by what might happen in a regional plan. I think that the re have been some, probably deliberate, interpr e- tations of the original act that were never intended.

I believe that in certain circumstances as I’ve gone around and talked to Alber- tans, they in some cases were fearful, in most cases anxious. In some cases, most certainly, landowners were angry. The Premier asked me to review the original act and to be sure that I could clarify for Albertans what the intent of this act is, and where there was necessity for change, we should look at the r e- qu