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25 septembre 2018

  HANSARD18-11

DEBATES AND PROCEEDINGS

Speaker: Honourable Kevin Murphy

Published by Order of the Legislature by Hansard Reporting Services and printed by the Queen's Printer.

Available on INTERNET at http://nslegislature.ca/legislative-business/hansard-debates/



Second Session

TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 25, 2018

TABLE OF CONTENTSPAGE
 

PRESENTING AND READING PETITIONS:
Gov't. (N.S.): Health Care Serv. Delivery - Needs Improvement,
677
PRESENTING REPORTS OF COMMITTEES:
Law Amendments Committee,
678
Law Amendments Committee,
678
GOVERNMENT NOTICES OF MOTION:
Res. 151, Premier's Award of Excellence: Outstanding Public Serv
- Congrats., The Premier »
679
Vote - Affirmative
680
Res. 152, Long Service Awards: Outstanding Public Serv. - Congrats.,
680
Vote - Affirmative
680
Res. 153, Long Service Awards: Outstanding Public Serv. - Congrats.,
681
Vote - Affirmative
681
Res. 154, Ntl. Forest Week: Management & Awareness - Recog.,
681
Vote - Affirmative
682
Res. 155, Premier's Award of Excellence: N.S. Office of Immigr
- Commend, Hon. L. Metlege Diab
682
Vote - Affirmative
683
Res. 156, Rafuse, Byron: FCPA - Congrats.,
683
Vote - Affirmative
684
INTRODUCTION OF BILLS:
No. 55, Region of Windsor and West Hants Municipality Act,
684
No. 56, Municipal Grants Act,
684
No. 57, Credit Union Act,
684
No. 58, Municipal Government Act and Halifax Regional Municipality Charter,
684
No. 59, Workers' Compensation Act,
685
No. 60, Real Property Act,
685
No. 61, Protecting Children on the Internet Act,
685
No. 62, Employment Support and Income Assistance Act,
685
STATEMENTS BY MEMBERS:
Muriel "Fluff" Baillie: Death of - Tribute,
686
Pickup, Michael: Bk., Nan-Made,
686
Paramjothy, Kapilan: Com. Involvement - Thanks,
687
#MeToo: Those Who Speak Out - Support,
687
Deep Roots: Musical Fest. Vols. - Congrats.,
688
Muise, Lucy: 100th Birthday - Best Wishes,
688
United Communities Fire Dept.: 45th Anniv. - Congrats.,
689
Laraque, Jules - Cst.: Police Long Serv. Award - Congrats.,
689
Schulich Sch. of Law: Criminal Justice Conf. - Congrats.,
690
Pharmacists' Take Your MLA to Work Day - Valuable Experience,
690
McCulley, Adam - Lawyer: Career Advancement - Congrats.,
691
Patriquin, David - Ph.D.: Wilderness Educ. - Thanks,
691
Willcox, Bill - Cpl., RCMP: Retirement - Congrats.,
692
Adm. Digby Museum: Gift Shop Reno. - Congrats.,
692
Potter, Freda: 6th N. Sydney Brownie Vol. - Thanks,
693
Sherbrooke and Area Fire Hall: New Facility - Thanks,
693
JC's TaeKwon-Do Team: Ntl. Comp. - Good Luck,
693
Kadlec, Dusan: Death of - Tribute,
Hon. L. Metlege Diab
694
10 Days in Oct.: Cultural Fest. - Commend,
694
Com. Connexions Network: Building Rltnships. - Best Wishes,
695
Quayside Beer Garden: New Venture - Congrats.,
695
Stewart, Jane: Retirement - Congrats.,
696
MacIntosh, Reagh: Retirement - Congrats.,
696
Johnson, Breeanna: Ian MacLeod Scholarship - Congrats.,
697
Murphy, Stephen, Cst.: Long Serv. Award - Congrats.,
697
Fares, Ava: Christening - Congrats.,
698
Bailly: Girl Pwr. Fundraising - Best Wishes,
698
Amherst Coyotes Soccer: Special Olympics Athls. - Congrats.,
699
Baie Sainte-Marie Gran Fondo: Vols. - Congrats.,
699
Peggy's Cove Fest. of the Arts: 8th Anniv. - Congrats.,
700
Romeo, Eileen/MacDougall, Evelyn: Miners Mem. Day - Thanks,
700
Williams Lake Conserv. Co. - 50th Anniv. - Congrats.,
701
Parents: Supporting Children in Sport - Commend,
701
Quinlan, Kathleen: Entrepreneur Awards - Congrats.,
701
Kabalen, Michael & Nicole: Son, Nathan - Birth Congrats.,
702
ORAL QUESTIONS PUT BY MEMBERS TO MINISTERS:
No. 146, Prem. - Long-Term Care Facilities: Abuse Cases - Spike,
703
No. 147, Prem. - Credit Rating: Hollow Ring - Acknowledge,
705
No. 148, H&W - Fmr. Minister: Private Emails - Exist,
706
No. 149, Prem.: Nursing Home Abuse - Standard of Care,
707
No. 150, Prem. - PAC Meetings: Lack of - Explain,
709
No. 151, H&W - Mental Health Serv.: Provision - Equal Access,
710
No. 152, H&W: EHS Review - Cost/Timeline,
711
No. 153, H&W - Min.: Citizens of C.B. - Ignoring,
712
No. 154, H&W - Physicians: APP - Details,
714
No. 155, H&W: All Saints Springhill Hosp. - ER Closure,
715
No. 156, H&W - Home Care Serv.: Funding Model - Adequacy,
716
No. 157, H&W - SANE Prog. (Truro): Avail. - Timeline,
717
No. 158, Bus.: Rural Internet Serv. - Improvements,
718
No. 159, L&F: Fighting Forest Fires - Whose Resp.?
720
No. 160, Immig. - Entry Streams: Caregiver Gap - Fill,
721
GOVERNMENT BUSINESS:
PUBLIC BILLS FOR SECOND READING:
No. 49, Gaming Control Act
722
723
724
725
Vote - Affirmative
726
No. 51, Halifax Convention Centre Act
726
727
728
729
730
Vote - Affirmative
731
PUBLIC BILLS FOR THIRD READING:
No. 2, Develop Nova Scotia Act
732
733
735
737
Vote - Affirmative
738
No. 4, Corporations Registration Act
738
738
741
742
Vote - Affirmative
743
No. 10, Liquor Control Act
743
Vote - Affirmative
744
No. 13, Day Care Act
744
745
Mr. C. Chender
746
747
Vote - Affirmative
748
No. 16, Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity Protection Act
748
749
750
752
Vote - Affirmative
752
No. 23, Canadian Free Trade Agreement Implementation Act
752
753
755
758
Vote - Affirmative
758
ADJOURNMENT, House rose to meet again on Wed., Sept. 26th at 1:00 p.m
759
NOTICES OF MOTION UNDER RULE 32(3):
Res. 157, Four Valleys Vol. Fire Dept.: 40th Anniv. - Recog.,
760
Res. 158, Lillian Fraser Mem. Hosp.: 50th Anniv. - Congrats.,
760
Res. 159, Francis, Ed: Lifetime Achievement Award: Congrats.,
761
Res. 160, Brier Island Cruises: Tourism Excellence Award - Congrats.,
761
Res. 161, Car Quest Digby: Env. Serv. Award: Congrats.,
762
Res. 162, Thomas, Richard: Lifetime Achievement Award: Congrats.,
762
Res. 163, Car Quest Digby: Bus. Excellence Award: Congrats.,
763
Res. 164, Transport de Clare/Sports Entmt. Atl.: Com. Contrib. Award
- Congrats., Mr. Gordon Wilson « »
763
Res. 165, Crows Nest Rest.: Cust. Serv. Award: Congrats.,
764
Res. 166, Lazy Bear Brewing: IR Entrepreneur Award - Congrats.,
764
Res. 167, Weneli's Yard and Garden: Rising Star Award - Congrats.,
764
Res. 168, Antig. Celtics - U13 Soccer: Dennis Fowlie - Congrats.,
765
Res. 169, Antig. Celtics - U13 Soccer: Owen Juurlink - Congrats.,
765
Res. 170, Antig. Celtics - U13 Soccer: Jacob Kell - Congrats.,
766
Res. 171, Antig. Celtics - U13 Soccer: Nicholas Delorey - Congrats.,
766
Res. 172, Antig. Celtics - U13 Soccer: Ryan MacDonald - Congrats.,
767
Res. 173, Antig. Celtics - U13 Soccer: Kevin Walker - Congrats.,
767
Res. 174, Antig. Celtics - U13 Soccer: Parker Benoit - Congrats.,
767
Res. 175, Antig. Celtics - U13 Soccer: Coach, Josh Read - Congrats.,
768
Res. 176, Antig. Celtics - U13 Soccer: Asst. Coach, Paul Colton
- Congrats., Hon. R. Delorey « »
768
Res. 177, Antig. Celtics - U13 Soccer: Jack Milner - Congrats.,
769
Res. 178, Antig. Celtics - U13 Soccer: Alex MacNeil - Congrats.,
769
Res. 179, Antig. Celtics - U13 Soccer: Jacob Colton - Congrats.,
770
Res. 180, Antig. Celtics - U13 Soccer: Evan MacIsaac - Congrats.,
770
Res. 181, Antig. Celtics - U13 Soccer: Carson Wallace - Congrats.,
770
Res. 182, Antig. Celtics - U13 Soccer: Aidan Tourond - Congrats.,
771
Res. 183, MacDonald, R.K. Nursing Home: 60th Anniv. - Congrats.,
771
Res. 184, Khoury, Dr. Joseph - Tudor & Stuart Book Series: Editor
- Congrats., Hon. R. Delorey « »
772
Res. 185, Tracadie & Dist. FD : Vol. Dedication - Thank,
772
Res. 186, Valley United Soccer - U15 Girls: Dara Ramirez, Coach
- Congrats., Mr. J. Lohr »
773
Res. 187, Valley United Soccer - U15 Girls: Fisher Akao, Asst. Coach
- Congrats., Mr. J. Lohr « »
773
Res. 188, Valley United Soccer - U15 Girls: Isabella Jane Alice Davar Akao,
- Congrats., Mr. J. Lohr « »
774
Res. 189, Valley United Soccer - U15 Girls: Jenna Cavell Turner
- Congrats., Mr. J. Lohr « »
774
Res. 190, Valley United Soccer - U15 Girls: Macy Amille Chiasson
- Congrats., Mr. J. Lohr « »
775
Res. 191, Valley United Soccer - U15 Girls: Megan Jane Woodsworth
- Congrats., Mr. J. Lohr « »
775
Res. 192, Valley United Soccer - U15 Girls: Milena Marcel Ramirez
- Congrats., Mr. J. Lohr « »
776
Res. 193, Valley United Soccer - U15 Girls: Alanna Marie Chiasson
- Congrats., Mr. J. Lohr « »
776
Res. 194, Valley United Soccer - U15 Girls: Alexa Diana Derrick
- Congrats., Mr. J. Lohr « »
777
Res. 195, Valley United Soccer - U15 Girls: Allison Rebecca Rutt
- Congrats., Mr. J. Lohr « »
777
Res. 196, Valley United Soccer - U15 Girls: Annika Quinn Whynot
- Congrats., Mr. J. Lohr « »
778
Res. 197, Valley United Soccer - U15 Girls: Bethany Lorilee Rhodenizer
- Congrats., Mr. J. Lohr « »
778
Res. 198, Valley United Soccer - U15 Girls: Emily Dawn Rutt
- Congrats., Mr. J. Lohr « »
779
Res. 199, Valley United Soccer - U15 Girls: Jenica Kathleen Saunders
- Congrats., Mr. J. Lohr « »
779
Res. 200, Valley United Soccer - U15 Girls: Julia Jean Bennett
- Congrats., Mr. J. Lohr « »
780
Res. 201, Valley United Soccer - U15 Girls: Lauren Faye Hainstock
- Congrats., Mr. J. Lohr « »
780
Res. 202, Valley United Soccer - U15 Girls: Neila Maureen MacDonald
- Congrats., Mr. J. Lohr « »
781
Res. 203, Valley United Soccer - U15 Girls: Sophie Marie Messom
- Congrats., Mr. J. Lohr « »
781
Res. 204, Valley United Soccer - U15 Girls: Sydney Johannah Cummins
- Congrats., Mr. J. Lohr « »
782
Res. 205, East. Shore GS&R: Ivan Laybolt - Thank,
782
Res. 206, East. Shore GS&R: Daryl Hayes - Thank,
783
Res. 207, East. Shore GS&R: Brian Tibbo - Thank,
783
Res. 208, East. Shore GS&R: Alan Duchesne - Thank,
783
Res. 209, East. Shore GS&R: Mike McLaughlin - Thank,
784
Res. 210, East. Shore GS&R: Ian Firth - Thank,
784
Res. 211, East. Shore GS&R: Bill Dunn - Thank,
785
Res. 212, East. Shore GS&R: Carrie Keddy - Thank,
785
Res. 213, East. Shore GS&R: Deborah Conrod - Thank,
786
Res. 214, East. Shore GS&R: Sarah Wechsler - Thank,
786
Res. 215, East. Shore GS&R: Lorna George - Thank,
786
Res. 216, East. Shore GS&R: Darrell McCurdy - Thank,
787
Res. 217, East. Shore GS&R: Daniel Cole - Thank,
787
Res. 218, East. Shore GS&R: Colleen Prentice - Thank,
788
Res. 219, East. Shore GS&R: Donald Mosher - Thank,
788
Res. 220, East. Shore GS&R: Gilles Lavergne - Thank,
789
Res. 221, East. Shore GS&R: Penelope Roche - Thank,
789
Res. 222, East. Shore GS&R: Krista Arnold - Thank,
789
Res. 223, East. Shore GS&R: Patrick McGrath - Thank,
790
Res. 224, East. Shore GS&R: Darrell Myatt - Thank,
790
Res. 225, East. Shore GS&R: Stefan Karsch - Thank,
791
Res. 226, East. Shore GS&R: Robin Clayton - Thank,
791
Res. 227, East. Shore GS&R: Shaun Perry - Thank,
792
Res. 228, East. Shore GS&R: Lawrence Morris - Thank,
792
Res. 229, East. Shore GS&R: Nicholas Boutilier- Thank,
792
Res. 230, East. Shore GS&R: Sherry Karsch - Thank,
793
Res. 231, East. Shore GS&R: Troy Publicover - Thank,
793
Res. 232, East. Shore GS&R: Janet DeBaie - Thank,
794
Res. 233, East. Shore GS&R: Gloria Richard - Thank,
794
Res. 234, East. Shore GS&R: Michael Karsch - Thank,
795
Res. 235, East. Shore GS&R: Bonita Carpenter - Thank,
795
Res. 236, East. Shore GS&R: Tim O'Brien - Thank,
795
Res. 237, East. Shore GS&R: Amanda Dyke - Thank,
796
Res. 238, East. Shore GS&R: Carl Youngbluth- Thank,
796
Res. 239, East. Shore GS&R: Dave Rockwood - Thank,
797
Res. 240, East. Shore GS&R: Jacqueline Lowe - Thank,
797
Res. 241, East. Shore GS&R: Jamie Neiforth - Thank,
798
Res. 242, East. Shore GS&R: Marcel DeSutter - Thank,
798
Res. 243, East. Shore GS&R: Vince Sawler - Thank,
798
Res. 244, East. Shore GS&R: Albert Rothwell - Thank,
799
Res. 245, East. Shore GS&R: Colin Pugh - Thank,
799
Res. 246, East. Shore GS&R: Richard Ward - Thank,
800
Res. 247, East. Shore GS&R: Brian McKay- Thank,
800
Res. 248, East. Shore GS&R: Gary Hiltz - Thank,
801
Res. 249, East. Shore GS&R: Kevin Dzwolak - Thank,
801
Res. 250, East. Shore GS&R: Ron Jeppesen - Thank,
801

 

 

[Page 677]

HALIFAX, TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 25, 2018

Sixty-third General Assembly

Second Session

1:00 P.M.

SPEAKER

Hon. Kevin Murphy

 

DEPUTY SPEAKERS

Ms. Suzanne Lohnes-Croft, Mr. Brendan Maguire

MR. SPEAKER » : Order, please. We'll begin the daily routine.

 

PRESENTING AND READING PETITIONS

MR. SPEAKER « » : The honourable member for Queens-Shelburne.

MS. KIM MASLAND « » : Mr. Speaker, I beg leave to present a petition.

On September 22nd, I attended a health care rally in Shelburne. I've been asked to present this petition with the operative clause being:

"We the undersigned residents of Shelburne County call upon the Government of Nova Scotia to:

·         Guarantee Access to Family Doctors

·         Decrease Wait Times

·         Ensure Access to Services Locally

·         ER Service Available 24/7

[Page 678]

·         Restore Local Decision Making."

The petition has 2,370 signatures, and I have affixed mine.

MR. SPEAKER « » : The petition is tabled.

PRESENTING REPORTS OF COMMITTEES

MR. SPEAKER « » : The honourable Minister of Justice.

HON. MARK FUREY « » : Mr. Speaker, as Chairman of the Committee on Law Amendments, I am directed to report that the committee has met and considered the following bill:

Bill No. 38 - Residential Tenancies Act.

and the committee recommends this bill to the favourable consideration of the House, with certain amendments.

MR. SPEAKER « » : Ordered that this bill be referred to the Committee of the Whole House on Bills.

The honourable Minister of Justice.

HON. MARK FUREY « » : Mr. Speaker, as Chairman of the Committee on Law Amendments, I am directed to report that the committee has met and considered the following bills:

Bill No. 27 - Animal Protection Act.

Bill No. 29 - Labour Standards Code.

Bill No. 32 - Body Armour Control Act.

Bill No. 42 - Vital Statistics Act.

Bill No. 44 - Change of Name Act.

Bill No. 45 - Senior Citizens' Property Tax Rebate Act.

Bill No. 48 - An Act to Amend Various Statutes Administered by Service Nova Scotia.

and the committee recommends these bills to the favourable consideration of the House, each without amendment.

[Page 679]

MR. SPEAKER « » : Ordered that these bills be referred to the Committee of the Whole House on Bills.

TABLING REPORTS, REGULATIONS AND OTHER PAPERS

STATEMENTS BY MINISTERS

GOVERNMENT NOTICES OF MOTION

MR. SPEAKER « » : The honourable Premier.

RESOLUTION NO. 151

HON. STEPHEN MCNEIL « » : Mr. Speaker, I hereby give notice that on a future day I shall move the adoption of the following resolution:

Whereas today, September 25th, a number of Nova Scotia Government employees - one individual, two teams, and one department - received the Premier's Award of Excellence, which is the most prestigious government award; and

Whereas this award recognizes exceptional efforts of public servants who deliver high-quality programs and services to Nova Scotia families, communities, and businesses; and

Whereas these employees reflect government's commitment to Public Service excellence, innovation, and continuous improvement, while demonstrating the courage to step into new territory to achieve their goals;

Therefore be it resolved that the Nova Scotia Legislature congratulate these employees who are doing extraordinary work, and all civil servants across the province who work tirelessly to serve the citizens of Nova Scotia.

Mr. Speaker, I request waiver of notice and passage without debate.

MR. SPEAKER « » : There has been a request for waiver.

Is it agreed?

It is agreed.

Would all those in favour of the motion please say Aye. Contrary minded, Nay.

The motion is carried.

[Page 680]

The honourable Government House Leader.

RESOLUTION NO. 152

HON. GEOFF MACLELLAN « » : Mr. Speaker, I hereby give notice that on a future day I shall move the adoption of the following resolution:

Whereas on September 25, 2018, seven staff members of the Nova Scotia Legislature will receive Long Service Awards; and

Whereas Michael Laffin and Sherry Reynolds will receive Long Service Awards for 35 years, Peter Theriault and Heather MacDonald for 30 years, and Neil Ferguson, Annette Boucher, and Shirley (Darlene) Henry for 25 years; and

Whereas this group of dedicated civil servants continue to ensure the successful operation through their respective roles with the Nova Scotia House of Assembly, the Speaker's Administration Office, the Office of the Legislative Counsel, and the Legislative Committees Office;

Therefore be it resolved that members of this House of Assembly join me in congratulating Michael Laffin, Sherry Reynolds, Peter Theriault, Heather MacDonald, Neil Ferguson, Annette Boucher, and Darlene Henry on receiving their Long Service Awards from the Province of Nova Scotia in recognition of their outstanding service and dedicated service to this province. (Standing Ovation)

Mr. Speaker, I request waiver of notice and passage without debate.

MR. SPEAKER « » : There has been a request for waiver.

Is it agreed?

It is agreed.

Would all those in favour of the motion please say Aye. Contrary minded, Nay.

The motion is carried.

The honourable Minister of the Public Service Commission.

RESOLUTION NO. 153

[Page 681]

HON. TONY INCE « » : Mr. Speaker, I hereby give notice that on a future day I shall move the adoption of the following resolution:

Whereas today, September 25th, more than 300 Nova Scotia Government employees received a Long Service Award for 25, 30, 35, 40, 45, and even 50 years of service to the province, an incredible achievement; and

Whereas there are more than 10,000 employees within the province committed to serving the citizens of Nova Scotia over many years; and

Whereas government employees are providing families, businesses, and communities with programs and services they rely on day in and day out;

Therefore be it resolved that the Nova Scotia Legislature congratulate these long-service employees, and all civil servants in the province who work tirelessly to serve the citizens of Nova Scotia.

Mr. Speaker, I request waiver of notice and passage without debate.

MR. SPEAKER « » : There has been a request for waiver.

Is it agreed?

It is agreed.

Would all those in favour of the motion please say Aye. Contrary minded, Nay.

The motion is carried.

The honourable Minister of Lands and Forestry.

RESOLUTION NO. 154

HON. IAIN RANKIN « » : Mr. Speaker, I hereby give notice that on a future day I shall move the adoption of the following resolution:

Whereas September 23rd to September 29th is National Forest Week, and Nova Scotians are invited to learn about our forest heritage and sustainable management of a resource that's fundamental to our economy, culture, traditions, and history; and

Whereas the 2018 Provincial Woodland Owner of the Year winner, Kevin Veinotte and his family, will host a field day on their property in West Northfield, Lunenburg County, to raise awareness of our forests; and

[Page 682]

Whereas our forests provide habitats for our diverse wildlife populations as well as recreational opportunities and economic benefits;

Therefore be it resolved that members of the House of Assembly recognize outstanding woodland stewards who encourage sustainable woodland management and increase public awareness of the importance of private woodlots.

Mr. Speaker, I request waiver of notice and passage without debate.

MR. SPEAKER « » : There has been a request for waiver.

Is it agreed?

It is agreed.

Would all those in favour of the motion please say Aye. Contrary minded, Nay.

The motion is carried.

The honourable Minister of Immigration.

RESOLUTION NO. 155

HON. LENA METLEGE DIAB: Mr. Speaker, I hereby give notice that on a future day I shall move the adoption of the following resolution:

Whereas today, the staff of the Nova Scotia Office of Immigration was a recipient of the Premier's Award of Excellence which celebrates public servants who go above and beyond in delivering programs and services to Nova Scotians; and

Whereas this small but mighty team of 35 employees works hard every day to support a record number of applicants which has resulted in our province welcoming about 5,000 newcomers annually - as of July 31, 2018, Nova Scotia's total landings for the year were 3,530 newcomers, the highest number in the Atlantic Region, and we've been surpassing our Provincial Nominee Program allocation year over year since 2014 and these results are helping to grow our population and strengthen our economy; and

Whereas the team at Immigration leads with passion and a commitment to excellence every day, creating long-term benefits for our province, and through their leadership they are helping to build Nova Scotia's future;

Therefore be it resolved that members of the House of Assembly join me in congratulating the team at the Nova Scotia Office of Immigration for their outstanding contributions, passion, commitment, and service excellence - they are a testament to how a small group of committed and passionate people can change our province and the world.

[Page 683]

Mr. Speaker, I request waiver of notice and passage without debate.

MR. SPEAKER « » : There has been a request for waiver.

Is it agreed?

It is agreed.

Would all those in favour of the motion please say Aye. Contrary minded, Nay.

The motion is carried.

The honourable Minister of Finance and Treasury Board.

HON. KAREN CASEY « » : Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I beg leave to make an introduction.

MR. SPEAKER « » : Permission granted.

MS. CASEY « » : I would draw the members' attention to the gallery opposite where we have my Deputy Minister, Byron Rafuse, who is here. I want to congratulate Byron. Please stand and take the warm welcome of the House and pay attention to this resolution. (Applause)

MR. SPEAKER « » : The honourable Minister of Finance and Treasury Board.

RESOLUTION NO. 156

HON. KAREN CASEY « » : Mr. Speaker, I hereby give notice that on a future day I shall move the adoption of the following resolution:

Whereas the Chartered Professional Accountants of Nova Scotia designated six members as Fellows of the Chartered Professional Accountants, an honour the Institute only bestows to CPAs whose careers and community involvement "have earned them distinction and brought honour to the accounting profession"; and

Whereas Byron Rafuse, the Deputy Finance Minister, is a very deserving recipient of this highest designation in his profession and as of this date, has been recognized with a 35-year Long Service Award by the Government of Nova Scotia; and

Whereas Byron joins five other Nova Scotian accountants in receiving this award: Michael Pickup, Wenda Bennett, Marlene Usher, John MacNeil, and Peterson Downes;

[Page 684]

Therefore be it resolved all members of the Legislature congratulate Byron and the other recipients for receiving this very prestigious honour.

Mr. Speaker, I ask for waiver of notice and passage without debate.

MR. SPEAKER « » : There has been a request for a waiver.

Is it agreed?

It is agreed.

Would all those in favour of the motion please say Aye. Contrary minded, Nay.

The motion is carried.

The honourable Minister of Municipal Affairs.

HON. CHUCK PORTER « » : Mr. Speaker, may I be permitted to do an introduction?

MR. SPEAKER « » : Permission granted.

MR. PORTER « » : I'd like to recognize and the members of the House to recognize in the gallery opposite the Warden of the Municipality of West Hants, Mr. Abraham Zebian, and representing the Town of Windsor this afternoon we have the CAO, Mr. Louis Coutinho. I ask you to please give them a warm welcome.

INTRODUCTION OF BILLS

Bill No. 55 - Entitled an Act to Incorporate the Region of Windsor and West Hants Municipality. (Hon. Chuck Porter)

Bill No. 56 - Entitled an Act to Amend Chapter 302 of the Revised Statutes 1989. The Municipal Grants Act. (Ms. Karla MacFarlane)

Bill No. 57 - Entitled an Act to Amend Chapter 4 of the Acts of 1994. The Credit Union Act. (Ms. Susan Leblanc)

Bill No. 58 - Entitled an Act to Amend Chapter 18 of the Acts of 1998. The Municipal Government Act; and Charter 39 of the Acts of 2008. The Halifax Regional Municipality Charter. (Hon. Chuck Porter)

MR. SPEAKER « » : Ordered that these bills be read a second time on a future day.

[Page 685]

The honourable Minister of Municipal Affairs.

HON. CHUCK PORTER « » : Mr. Speaker, permission to make an introduction?

MR. SPEAKER « » : Permission granted.

MR. PORTER « » : Thank you. I would ask the members of the House to give a warm welcome to Mr. Gordon Smith who is in the gallery opposite who has had an incredible amount of work put into this bill we are about to table. He works for the Department of Municipal Affairs as a planner and great plans went into this bill, so I would ask the members to give him a warm welcome.

MR. SPEAKER « » : The honourable member for Pictou Centre.

HON. PAT DUNN « » : Mr. Speaker, permission for an introduction?

MR. SPEAKER « » : Permission granted.

MR. DUNN « » : Mr. Speaker, there is a constituent of mine in the west gallery today. It's his first visit to the House of Assembly and I want you to focus your attention to that gallery. Mr. MacKinnon had suffered an injury in 2012 and is still struggling with the WCB. I would ask Mr. MacKinnon to stand up and get the warm welcome of the House. (Applause)

INTRODUCTION OF BILLS

Bill No. 59 - Entitled an Act to Amend Chapter 10 of the Acts of 1994-1995. The Workers' Compensation Act. (Hon. Pat Dunn)

Bill No. 60 - Entitled an Act to Amend Chapter 385 of the Revised Statutes 1989. The Real Property Act, to Eliminate Covenants that Restrict Access to Food or Medicine. (Ms. Claudia Chender)

Bill No. 61 - Entitled an Act to Protect Children from Sexual Exploitation on the Internet. (Mr. Allan MacMaster)

Bill No. 62 - Entitled an Act to Amend Chapter 27 of the Acts of 2000. The Employment Support and Income Assistance Act. (Ms. Susan Leblanc)

MR. SPEAKER « » : Ordered that these bills be read a second time on a future day.

NOTICES OF MOTION

[Page 686]

STATEMENTS BY MEMBERS

MR. SPEAKER « » : The honourable member for Pictou West.

MURIEL "FLUFF" BAILLIE: DEATH OF - TRIBUTE

MS. KARLA MACFARLANE « » : Mr. Speaker, it is my sad duty to inform members that on the weekend the former member for Pictou West, Muriel "Fluff" Baillie, passed away. Fluff represented Pictou West from 1999 until 2003 with unwavering commitment and compassion. Before her election, Fluff was a wonderful and well-loved school principal.

Mr. Speaker, Fluff was a generous and valued advisor to me but, more than that, she was a dear friend. I will miss her keen sense of humour and her infectious sense of fun. When Fluff got that twinkle in her eye, you knew an adventure and a good laugh wouldn't be far behind.

I know all MLAs join me in sending our most sincere condolences to the friends and family of Fluff Baillie, especially her children Deborah, Raymond, and Donald. May God bless her. I request a moment of silence for our past colleague. (Standing Ovation)

MR. SPEAKER « » : I would ask that all members please rise as we observe a moment of silence for the passing of former member Fluff Baillie.

[A moment of silence was observed.]

The honourable member for Dartmouth North.

PICKUP, MICHAEL: BK., NAN-MADE - CONGRATS.

MS. SUSAN LEBLANC « » : Mr. Speaker, I rise today to congratulate Dartmouth North resident Michael Pickup on the publication of his first book, Nan-Made: How a Grandmother Made a Man, which was launched with a celebration on Friday evening.

The book chronicles Mr. Pickup's relationship with his grandmother, Mary Ann Pickup from Sydney, Cape Breton. Mary Ann, or Nan, as she was known to Michael, was the oldest of 12 siblings, the mother of five boys, a grandmother to 16 and a great-grandmother to 15. She was also a full-time health care worker, union leader, and community activist.

In each of the chapters of the book Mr. Pickup tells a story about life with Nan and the life lessons she taught him through that moment - lessons like acting without hesitation and learning to forgive. At the end of each chapter Michael brings the life lesson into the present day and offers a way that we can learn from Nan, too.

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As Nova Scotia's Auditor General, Mr. Pickup's contributions to the Province of Nova Scotia are vast and essential and now, as an author, his literary contributions will be felt as well. Nan-Made has been a bestseller on Amazon since its release, and the rave reviews are pouring in.

I ask all members in the House to join me in congratulating Michael Pickup on this wonderful achievement. (Applause)

MR. SPEAKER « » : The honourable member for Clayton Park West.

PARAMJOTHY, KAPILAN: COM. INVOLVEMENT - THANKS

MS. RAFAH DICOSTANZO « » : Mr. Speaker, I would like to recognize a good friend of the Clayton Park West community. Kapilan Paramjothy - he goes by PJ as well - has been with the Friends of Clayton Park group for over 13 years. His main goal is getting the youth involved in their community. His dedication never waivers, even if he is halfway across the world.

He has helped tremendously with the Parent-Teacher Association and the School Advisory Council at Park West School. He is also the co-chairman of the Institute for Citizenship Canada, where he helps to organize ceremonies and events. Kapilan even finds time to get involved in the Indian and Sri Lankan communities.

Mr. Speaker, I ask that the members of this House of Assembly join me in thanking Mr. Paramjothy for his work in Clayton Park West and beyond. Thank you, PJ.

MR. SPEAKER « » : The honourable member for Cole Harbour-Eastern Passage.

#METOO: THOSE WHO SPEAK OUT - SUPPORT

MS. BARBARA ADAMS « » : Last year women and men across the country and around the world rose up and spoke loudly when they publicly declared #MeToo, indicating that they too had been victims of sexual violence.

Recently the President of the United States cast doubt on a woman who declared she had been sexually assaulted. He said that if the incident was as bad as she said it was, she would have reported it to the police all those years ago.

Once again women and men are rising up to oppose this disgraceful statement. Actress Alyssa Milano has led the charge once again with the new hashtag, #WhyDidn'tIReport. CNN reporter Don Lemon spoke out publicly about his own sexual assault.

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I ask all members of the Legislature to support those who have the tremendous courage it takes to report sexual violence, as well as those who have chosen to remain silent.

MR. SPEAKER « » : The honourable member for Kings South.

DEEP ROOTS: MUSICAL FEST. VOLS. - CONGRATS.

MR. KEITH IRVING « » : Music is such an important part of our culture here in Nova Scotia, and this weekend the Deep Roots Music Festival kicks off their 15th year in Wolfville with an opening show by Jim Cuddy. A talent-filled lineup of musicians will take to stages throughout Wolfville and at venues in Windsor, Grand Pre, and Kentville. On Saturday, the music moves into the street with the Fresh Beats Rhythm Parade on Main Street.

The Deep Roots Music Cooperative was incorporated in 2003 by a group dedicated to developing and promoting the music scene in Nova Scotia's Annapolis Valley, and each year I am amazed by the hard work of the 170 volunteers in making Deep Roots one of the premier music festivals in Nova Scotia.

I would like the members of the Nova Scotia House of Assembly to join me in congratulating organizers, Peter Mowat and Lisa Hammett Vaughan, and the more than 170 volunteers that have made Deep Roots such a signature event in the Annapolis Valley for 15 years.

MR. SPEAKER « » : The honourable member for Victoria-The Lakes.

MUISE, LUCY: 100th BIRTHDAY - BEST WISHES

MR. KEITH BAIN « » : Mr. Speaker, I rise to congratulate Lucy Muise on the occasion of her 100th birthday today, September 25th. On September 23rd family and many friends gathered at the Bras d'Or Hall to wish Lucy all the best.

Lucy still resides at the farmhouse in Southside Boularderie, where she was born, and remains active in her community and beyond. A few weeks ago, I attended a breakfast at a local firehall and Lucy was in attendance. Later that same afternoon I attended another function at a neighbouring firehall and, lo and behold, who walks in but Lucy.

I ask all members of the Legislature to join me in congratulating Lucy Muise on her 100th birthday and wish her many more years of good health and happiness. Her family said it best, "They don't make them like they used to." Happy Birthday, Lucy.

[10:30 a.m.]

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MR. SPEAKER « » : The honourable member for Lunenburg West.

UNITED COMMUNITIES FIRE DEPT.: 45th ANNIV. - CONGRATS.

HON. MARK FUREY « » : Mr. Speaker, the United Communities Fire Department, whose motto is "Our family protecting your family since 1973," celebrated its 45th anniversary last June.

The fire department, which serves the communities of Broad Cove, Cherry Hill, and Vogler's Cove, is led by Fire Chief Wayne Smith. Chief Smith said that the department is fortunate to have 20 dedicated volunteer firefighters, two junior members, and a large squad of fantastic, high-energy volunteers. This active fire department responded to 40 calls in 2017.

It provides catering and hosts functions such as card parties, a music jam, and take-out dinners. It also runs a breakfast every fourth Saturday of the month that has served up to 430 people in a sitting with the help of over 30 volunteers. Their big annual summer fundraiser is the well-known provincial run the Cherry Hill Fun Run.

Mr. Speaker, I ask the members of this House of Assembly to join me in thanking the United Communities Fire Department and its volunteers for their service and congratulating them on their 45th anniversary.

MR. SPEAKER « » : The honourable member for Dartmouth East.

LARAQUE, JULES - CST.: POLICE LONG SERV. AWARD - CONGRATS.

MR. TIM HALMAN « » : Mr. Speaker, I rise today to congratulate Jules Laraque on receiving a police long service award this morning at a ceremony in Halifax. Jules is a community-minded police officer, and he approaches policing with the utmost professionalism, earning respect from everyone who interacts with him.

Not only is Jules an outstanding police officer, he's a good family man at heart. When he isn't keeping us safe on patrol, you can see Jules volunteering his time at a United Dartmouth Football Club game and cheering loudly on the sidelines. Jules is a positive influence on all those he encounters. I am grateful to consider him a friend, and I appreciate his service to Nova Scotia.

Mr. Speaker, I ask all members of the House to join me in congratulating Jules Laraque on receiving a police long service award and to wish him many more years serving our communities and province.

MR. SPEAKER « » : The honourable member for Dartmouth South.

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SCHULICH SCH. OF LAW: CRIMINAL JUSTICE CONF. - CONGRATS.

MS. CLAUDIA CHENDER « » : Mr. Speaker, I rise to congratulate the Schulich School of Law, the Canadian Prison Lawyers Association, and all of the organizers, volunteers, presenters, and participants who made the Prison Law Conference hosted at Dalhousie last weekend such a success.

Beginning with an amazing keynote, including first voices, Supreme Court Justices, legal experts, and others, the weekend was full of insightful and important presentations. It was a timely opportunity to learn about, consider, and debate many of the issues we've been hearing about here in Nova Scotia. It was a wonderful chance to sit with a diverse group of delegates, from the Nova Scotia Correctional Services staff to first voices, from Correctional Services of Canada staff to Elizabeth Fry and John Howard Society representatives from across the country, as well as lawyers from across Canada. It was a truly unique and important event.

Kudos to the team that worked so hard to put this on, and here's hoping it has lasting benefits for everyone working to make the criminal justice system more humane, more effective, and much less needed.

MR. SPEAKER « » : The honourable member for Colchester North.

PHARMACISTS' TAKE YOUR MLA TO WORK DAY

- VALUABLE EXPERIENCE

HON. KAREN CASEY « » : On September 24, 2018, the Pharmacy Association of Nova Scotia and member pharmacies hosted the second Take Your MLA to Work Day.

The purpose was to provide MLAs with an up-close and personal view of the many services that pharmacy teams provide throughout Nova Scotia. MLAs got to see such things as collaborative care and chronic disease management services, prescription renewals, injections, minor ailment assessments, medication reviews, and compliance packaging, to name a few. There are more than 1,500 pharmacists in Nova Scotia.

This year, I joined Todd MacKinnon at Bayside Guardian Pharmacy in Bass River. All the communities along the shore are fortunate to have a pharmacy there, the only one between Truro and Parrsboro. For many, the close proximity to their rural homes allows residents to become more active in managing their own personal health and to develop a very respectful and sometimes social relationship with Todd and other pharmacists.

MR. SPEAKER « » : The honourable member for Sackville-Beaver Bank.

MCCULLEY, ADAM - LAWYER: CAREER ADVANCEMENT - CONGRATS.

[Page 691]

MR. BRAD JOHNS « » : I'm very happy to be able to rise today to recognize Sackville resident Adam McCulley on his appointment today as one of Nova Scotia's newest Crown attorneys.

Adam, who is a native of Lower Sackville, graduated from Mount Saint Vincent University in 2003 with his B.A. and then from Nova Scotia Community College in 2006 with a paralegal diploma. While working as a litigation paralegal with the child protection team of the Nova Scotia Department of Justice, Mr. McCulley entered into Dalhousie University, where he received his law degree in 2017 and went on to article with the Nova Scotia Department of Justice.

I personally got to work with Adam while he was the treasurer and then chair of the Sackville Heights Community Centre board of directors, and I also know that he's a certified Hockey Canada coach.

I ask that all members of the Legislature join me today in congratulating Adam, and I hope that he enjoys his new position.

MR. SPEAKER « » : The honourable member for Halifax Citadel-Sable Island.

PATRIQUIN, DAVID – Ph.D.: WILDERNESS EDUC. - THANKS

HON. LABI KOUSOULIS « » : Mr. Speaker, I would like to recognize Dr. David Patriquin, retired professor of biology at Dalhousie University, who continues to contribute significantly to the scientific education of many community organizations related to the Five Bridge Lakes Wilderness Area.

Dr. Patriquin continues to be an active teacher in our community. In the past two years he has given talks and conducted field trips for organizations as well as the general public. Following a recent nature walk with Dr. Patriquin, one participant was heard to comment that she would never look at the woods quite the same again.

Dr. Patriquin's expertise is wide ranging. His topics include: methods of plant identification, habitats and species in the Halifax area; multiaged old growth red oak stand on the Chebucto Peninsula; life on a sandy shore; and plants and woodlands of the newly-designated Five Bridge Lakes Wilderness Area.

In 2017, Dr. Patriquin was awarded the Environment Stewardship Award from the Canadian Association of Retirees and Pensioners.

Mr. Speaker, I ask the members of the Nova Scotia House of Assembly to join me in recognizing and thanking Dr. David Patriquin for his outstanding contributions to his community's understanding of Nova Scotia's natural environment.

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MR. SPEAKER « » : The honourable member for Queens-Shelburne.

WILLCOX, BILL - CPL., RCMP: RETIREMENT - CONGRATS.

MS. KIM MASLAND « » : Mr. Speaker, I rise today to congratulate Corporal Bill Willcox, who recently retired after 30 years of service with the RCMP. Throughout his career he has worked in both federal and provincial policing in three divisions and 10 detachments, in both uniformed and plainclothes roles. His last detachment was Queens County, where I had the privilege to work with him.

Today Bill was presented with a Nova Scotia Police Long Service Award in recognition of his years of public service. I ask all members of this House to join me in wishing him a long and happy retirement, and thank him for all he has done to serve and protect Canadians over the years.

MR. SPEAKER « » : The honourable member for Clare-Digby.

ADM. DIGBY MUSEUM: GIFT SHOP RENO. - CONGRATS.

MR. GORDON WILSON « » : Mr. Speaker, the Admiral Digby Library and Historical Society has always strived to inform the communities of Digby and surrounding areas of its rich history and heritage, mainly through exhibitions and research housed at the Admiral Digby Museum. The museum, housed in a mid-1800s Georgian house, features period rooms that will bring visitors to a bygone era.

Recently, the historical society decided to renovate their gift shop to be ready for this last summer's tourism season, a renovation supported by the Town of Digby. In addition to educating the public on our past, as well as researching and preserving art from years ago, the museum, through its gift shop, will be able to promote today's artists and authors. With these changes, the historical society is taking a more proactive role in promoting the museum and its new and improved gift shop to the public.

I would like to congratulate the historical society and its efforts to consider new ways to interest people in our area's history, as well as promoting local artists.

MR. SPEAKER « » : The honourable member for Northside-Westmount.

POTTER, FREDA: 6th N. SYDNEY BROWNIE VOL. - THANKS

[Page 693]

MR. EDDIE ORRELL « » : Mr. Speaker, I rise today to salute Freda Potter of North Sydney.

Freda has volunteered for the past 28 years with the 6th North Sydney Brownies. She started when her daughter was young, and is still there because of the bond she has developed with young women as she shows them they can be everything they want to be. Camps, community events, and weekly meetings have so rewarded Freda that she feels compelled to continue helping to mould these girls into community-minded citizens.

I would like to take this opportunity to applaud Freda and all volunteers who give of their valuable time to make a difference, and believe you me, Mr. Speaker, they do. Thank you, Freda.

MR. SPEAKER « » : The honourable member for Guysborough-Eastern Shore- Tracadie.

SHERBROOKE AND AREA FIRE HALL: NEW FACILITY - THANKS

HON. LLOYD HINES « » : Mr. Speaker, it's a wonderful thing to see the dream of a small community come to fruition. Recently, at the grand opening of the Sherbrooke and Area Fire Hall, I did just that.

The people of Sherbrooke now have a brand-new multi-use facility, complete with a community room with seating for 70, a kitchenette, office space, and much-needed storage space for the brave firefighters. Building committee chair Ed Weir was instrumental in the four-bay fire hall being completed, due to his fundraising efforts and a campaign called Ladder Up. He credits the committee, local firefighters, and community members for their strong support and hard work being the main reason for this project coming to completion.

Mr. Speaker, I would like to join Mr. Weir in thanking the people of Sherbrooke for taking initiative and striving for their goal. The local firefighters and the greater community will benefit from this important piece of infrastructure for many years to come.

MR. SPEAKER « » : The honourable member for Cumberland North.

JC'S TAEKWON-DO TEAM: NTL. COMP. - GOOD LUCK

MS. ELIZABETH SMITH-MCCROSSIN « » : Mr. Speaker, I'd like to recognize Jim Ripley and his students at JC's TaeKwon-Do in Amherst.

They are currently raising funds through a bottle drive to compete in the national championships in Calgary. Jim has 15 students attending nationals, and two students who are trying to make Team Canada. This will be a great representation of Cumberland North on the national stage.

[Page 694]

I know Jim and his students will represent our community proudly. It is with true pleasure to wish Jim Ripley and his TaeKwon-Do students good luck in their upcoming national competitions.

MR. SPEAKER « » : The honourable member for Halifax Armdale.

KADLEC, DUSAN: DEATH OF - TRIBUTE

HON. LENA METLEGE DIAB: Mr. Speaker, on September 12th the art world and the Armdale community lost a shining light with the passing of celebrated painter Dusan Kadlec.

Born in Prague in 1942, he studied at the Academy of Fine Arts in his hometown where, as a young man, he honed his representational style of painting. Following graduation, his talents resulted in a number of commissions and ultimately an invitation to participate in the design of the Czech pavilion at Expo 67.

In 1968, the Kadlec family immigrated to Canada and settled here in Halifax. The beauty and character of our historic port city inspired him and thus began a remarkable career of translating Maritime history to canvas.

Over the next four decades, Dusan's richly detailed work solidified him as a leading Maritime artist. Indeed, his painting, Province Hall Ball 1864, hangs at the Confederation Centre in Charlottetown. Today his work can be found in collections internationally.

I express my condolences to the Kadlec family and celebrate the tremendous beauty he shared with the world through his art.

MR. SPEAKER « » : The honourable member for Cumberland South.

10 DAYS IN OCT.: CULTURAL FEST. - COMMEND

MR. TORY RUSHTON « » : Mr. Speaker, I rise today to acknowledge Parrsboro Creative's 10 Days in October - A Cultural Feast.

During the festival, the historic Town of Parrsboro becomes the canvas for a vibrant and diverse celebration of maritime cultural richness. The festival runs from October 1st to October 10th.

10 Days in October features artists of both local and international renown, as well as events and cultural programming unique to the spectacular Bay of Fundy.

[Page 695]

There will be many events over the 10 days, including a regional art exhibition, art and artisan display, ship models, movie night, ship stories and poems, food fares, music, a kitchen party, and much more.

I ask that the House join me in commending the Parrsboro Creative Office for putting together this outstanding event. We look forward to celebrating the creativity in our area.

MR. SPEAKER « » : The honourable member for Cole Harbour-Portland Valley.

COM. CONNEXIONS NETWORK: BUILDING RLTNSHIPS. - BEST WISHES

HON. TONY INCE « » : Mr. Speaker, I rise today to acknowledge a new non-profit in Cole Harbour-Portland Valley.

Community Connexions Network Nova Scotia works in community development through its three departments: children, youth, and families; community development and citizenship; and non-profit and partnership building.

The organization strives to bring together all demographics and various community partners, developing relationships that foster teamwork and citizenship, engaging individuals in businesses, in building a thriving community rich in diversity, inclusion, and volunteerism, as well as citizenship.

Connexions will soon open the Cole Harbour-Portland Valley's first youth centre. This centre will house a new after-school program, summer program, and other programs for children, youth, and families.

I am very excited to have this organization working in my constituency.

MR. SPEAKER « » : The honourable member for Pictou West.

QUAYSIDE BEER GARDEN: NEW VENTURE - CONGRATS.

MS. KARLA MACFARLANE « » : Mr. Speaker, the Hector Heritage Quay on the Pictou waterfront has a brand-new attraction. This summer, Uncle Leo's Brewery established the Quayside Beer Garden. This cozy and popular spot includes local craft brews, friendly staff and service, and an amazing atmosphere, and there are take-out menus for several local restaurants that deliver food to the hungry patrons.

Quayside Beer Garden highlights the beauty of Pictou Harbour to locals and tourists alike. This is a prime example of the entrepreneurial spirit of the citizens of Pictou West and highlights the great business and attraction options available on Pictou's waterfront.

[Page 696]

It is a pleasure to congratulate the owners and operators, Karl and Rebecca Whiffen, and their staff of Uncle Leo's for their new establishment and to wish them continued success in the future.

[1:45 p.m.]

MR. SPEAKER « » : The honourable member for Timberlea-Prospect.

STEWART, JANE: RETIREMENT - CONGRATS.

HON. IAIN RANKIN « » : Mr. Speaker, I would like to recognize Jane Stewart of Whites Lake. June 1st of this year marked the first day of Jane's retirement after 27 and a half years working at the Hatchet Lake Community Pharmacy. Jane has been a constant as the pharmacy grew and changed from the old schoolhouse to the new Guardian Drugs building. She has seen generations of babies grow into adulthood and knows most customers by name.

Over her years of loyal service, Jane has become a friend to many. Her genuine smile and welcoming ways cheer customers who appreciate her positivity and her joie de vivre. Jane will be missed daily by her work family, but their strong bonds will endure as Jane embarks on her new adventures.

I would like the members of the Nova Scotia House of Assembly to join me in congratulating Jane and wish her a long and happy retirement.

MR. SPEAKER « » : The honourable member for Dartmouth East.

MACINTOSH, REAGH: RETIREMENT - CONGRATS.

MR. TIM HALMAN « » : Mr. Speaker, I rise today to celebrate the upcoming retirement of Reagh MacIntosh. A true teacher's teacher, Reagh has had a positive impact on everyone he has met, whether it was in the classroom teaching English or on the ice coaching women's hockey at Prince Andrew High School.

Mr. Mac provided a positive learning environment to all those who entered his classroom or laced up their skates. He always challenges his students and holds them to very high standards. He is a true master teacher. I am grateful to have had the opportunity to teach with Reagh and know that the many students he taught over the years are grateful to have been in his class. You always left Mr. Mac's class stronger.

I ask all members of the House to join me in wishing Reagh MacIntosh a successful retirement, and I look forward to seeing him around the rinks and the lakes of Dartmouth for years to come.

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MR. SPEAKER « » : The honourable member for Waverley-Fall River-Beaver Bank.

JOHNSON, BREEANNA: IAN MACLEOD SCHOLARSHIP - CONGRATS.

MR. BILL HORNE « » : Mr. Speaker, this year, Fall River Station 45 volunteer firefighters awarded Breeanna Johnson of Grand Lake the Ian MacLeod Memorial Scholarship, which is worth $1,000. Breeanna is a graduate of Lockview High School and will be continuing her studies at the NSCC in Truro studying criminal justice.

I would like to thank the Station 45 firefighters for their support on the youth of our community. I also ask that all members of the Legislature join me in congratulating and wishing Breeanna the best in her continuing education.

MR. SPEAKER « » : The honourable member for Queens-Shelburne.

MURPHY, STEPHEN, CST.: LONG SERV. AWARD - CONGRATS.

MS. KIM MASLAND « » : Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize and congratulate RCMP Constable Stephen Murphy, a resident of Queens County, who received his Nova Scotia Police Long Service Award this morning.

Murph, as he is known to his co-workers and fellow Liverpool residents, has dedicated his entire 15-year career to serving the citizens of the South Shore. Murph's career has been in uniform general policing duty and plain clothes with a street enforcement team. Murph is respected amongst his peers as a valuable resource in investigating stolen automobiles.

I am very pleased to have this opportunity to congratulate and thank Constable Murphy for his service and dedication to our province.

MR. SPEAKER « » : The honourable Minister of Health and Wellness on an introduction.

HON. RANDY DELOREY « » : Mr. Speaker, I'd like to draw the members' attention to the east gallery where I would ask the members, the people that are here from St. Francis Xavier University's Coady International Institute diploma program to please rise and receive the warm welcome of the House.

These are international students in Antigonish studying this Fall at the Coady International Institute to learn the principles that they can take back home to their communities where they are leaders, themselves, from around the world, including Ghana, Ethiopia, India. I'm forgetting some of the countries when I spoke to them earlier, but a wide range of countries are being represented. There's Jamaica, as well, so please give them the warm welcome of the House. (Standing Ovation)

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MR. SPEAKER « » : The honourable member for Antigonish on another introduction.

HON. RANDY DELOREY « » : I thank my colleagues for their indulgence. I'd like to again draw the members' attention to the east gallery where I'd like to introduce Dr. Meghan Burns, if you'd please stand. Meghan is from Sarnia, Ontario, and a second-year resident in the Dalhousie family medicine program. I understand she's planning to open a practice in Sydney with two fellow residents when she completes her practice. Please receive the warm welcome of the House. (Applause)

MR. SPEAKER « » : The honourable member for Fairview-Clayton Park.

FARES, AVA: CHRISTENING - CONGRATS.

HON. PATRICIA ARAB « » : Mr. Speaker, one of Fairview-Clayton Park's cutest constituents, Ava Laurence Fares, was christened this Sunday at Our Lady of Lebanon Maronite Catholic Church by the patriarch of the Maronite faith, His Beatitude Cardinal Mar Béchara Boutros Raï, who is the Maronite Patriarch of Antioch and All the East. Ava, who is also my little cousin, is the most adorable, precocious, inquisitive six-month-old and is a ray of sunshine and happiness to our entire family.

I would like to ask the members of this House to join me in congratulating her on her christening and also wishing her a very happy half birthday.

MR. SPEAKER « » : The honourable member for Hammonds Plains-Lucasville.

BAILLY: GIRL PWR. FUNDRAISING - BEST WISHES

MR. BEN JESSOME « » : Mr. Speaker, Bailly is a local company recently launched that sells cruelty-free, vegan perfume oils with a softer scent for people sensitive to fragrance. The company is owned and operated by Ariel Gough and Edwina Govindsamy, two women who both have businesses of their own but decided they wanted to create something together.

They are giving 50 per cent of each sale of their perfume to Just Like My Child Foundation's Girl Power Project. Through this program, impoverished girls 12 to 15 in eastern Africa receive workshops, mentoring, and other tools for two years so that they can stay in school and avoid child marriage, early pregnancy, violence, and disease. Their goal is to raise just over $10,000 in the first year, which would help to support 50 girls in the Girl Power Project.

Ariel said the whole idea was inspired by women like them - young, diverse women who are into fashion and beauty and who are goal-oriented and ambitious but who are also socially conscious.

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I'd ask members of the House to wish them well in this endeavour.

MR. SPEAKER « » : The honourable member for Cumberland North.

AMHERST COYOTES SOCCER:

SPECIAL OLYMPICS ATHLS. - CONGRATS.

MS. ELIZABETH SMITH-MCCROSSIN « » : Mr. Speaker, today I'd like to congratulate the Amherst Coyote soccer team for winning the gold medal in the Nova Scotia Special Olympics this summer in Halifax. Members of the team include: coach Acacia Dunphy, coach Lisa Hines, Allison Borden, Brandon Ott, Jacob Fisher, Tim Bird, Ryan Mootrey, Cory Hansen, Jesse Williams, Robert Babineau, Rebecca Sprague, Robyn Munro, and Terry Black.

The Coyotes won in the white cap division with a 4-3 victory. I'd like to congratulate these fine athletes on their hard work and victory and making Amherst proud.

MR. SPEAKER « » : The honourable member for Hammonds Plains-Lucasville.

MR. BEN JESSOME « » : Mr. Speaker, I beg leave to make an introduction.

MR. SPEAKER « » : Permission granted.

MR. JESSOME « » : I direct all members' attention to the east gallery where we're joined by our friend, Mr. Rod Wilson, former Liberal candidate, health care guru in the north end of Halifax. I just wanted to acknowledge his presence here today and say thank you for your continued commitment to our community here in Halifax. (Applause)

MR. SPEAKER « » : The honourable member for Argyle-Barrington.

BAIE SAINTE-MARIE GRAN FONDO: VOLS. - CONGRATS.

HON. CHRISTOPHER D'ENTREMONT « » : Mr. Speaker, it is my honour to stand for a few moments and thank the hard-working volunteers and all the organizers of the Baie Sainte-Marie Gran Fondo that happened this weekend in Saulnierville in the beautiful constituency of Clare-Digby. There were over 1,000 participants in the three or four levels of rides. There of course was the Super Fondo, which was 161 kilometres; the Gran Fondo, which is about 118 kilometres; the Medio Fondo, which I participated in and was 67 kilometres; and the Piccolo Fondo, which was 35 kilometres.

There were hundreds, of course thousands of participants, hundreds of volunteers. They did a phenomenal job and of course they made our province proud, they made our area proud. I just want to make sure I thank all the volunteers for their very hard work and of course get the warm welcome of this House. (Applause)

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MR. SPEAKER « » : The honourable member for Chester-St. Margaret's.

PEGGY'S COVE FEST. OF THE ARTS: 8th ANNIV. - CONGRATS.

MR. HUGH MACKAY « » : Mr. Speaker, I rise to congratulate the group of volunteer artists and art supporters who created the successful 8th annual Peggy's Cove Area Festival of the Arts, which took place this past July. The celebration of the arts is now a highly anticipated summer event for both resident and visiting art lovers.

The studio tour featured 60 artists and galleries at 39 locations across the catchment area of Prospect, Peggy's Cove, Tantallon, St. Margarets Bay, and the Aspotogan Peninsula. Visitors to these various locations were guided along the routes by the distinctive blue lighthouse signs the festival organizers created. Guide books with a map marking studio locations, local restaurants, and points of interest enhanced the visitor experience.

The two-day Plein Air painting event at Peggy's Cove is always a huge attraction. Visitors can watch artists at work, enjoy local artists' demonstrations, while the children's art tent offers creative activities.

Mr. Speaker, I invite the members of the House of Assembly to join me in congratulating the organizers of the 8th annual Peggy's Cove Area Festival of the Arts and wish them many more years of success.

MR. SPEAKER « » : The honourable member for Northside-Westmount.

ROMEO, EILEEN/MACDOUGALL, EVELYN:

MINERS MEM. DAY - THANKS

MR. EDDIE ORRELL « » : Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize the efforts of Evelyn MacDougall and Eileen Romeo who have organized a Miners Memorial Day in St. Stephen's Cemetery each June 11th for the last 19 years.

Each successive year the attendance has been steadily expanding as the community gathers to honour, celebrate, and memorialize all miners and the role they helped to play in so many communities.

I would like to take this opportunity to thank Evelyn and Eileen for recognizing the impact of miners on our communities and the many who gave their lives to this profession.

MR. SPEAKER « » : The honourable member for Halifax Atlantic.

[Page 701]

WILLIAMS LAKE CONSERV. CO. - 50th ANNIV. - CONGRATS.

MR. BRENDAN MAGUIRE « » : Mr. Speaker, on September 22nd, I was proud to attend the 50th anniversary of the Williams Lake Conservation Company at the Purcell's Cove Social Club. For 50 years, the volunteers and members have been stewards of our beloved Williams Lake. They've worked tirelessly to protect our natural surroundings and pass them down to future generations.

Mr. Speaker, most recently they've worked with the Nature Conservancy of Canada and the Purcell's Cove Backland Group to preserve the backlands and create the largest nature trust in all of HRM. Without their hard work and love for community, none of this would be possible. So, to all members past and present, happy 50th.

MR. SPEAKER « » : The honourable member for Pictou Centre.

PARENTS: SUPPORTING CHILDREN IN SPORT - COMMEND

HON. PAT DUNN « » : Mr. Speaker, it is that time of year that moms and dads find themselves for the first time on a cold early Saturday or Sunday morning watching their child practise or playing in Canada's favourite sport: hockey.

Many of us can remember the early weekend mornings as the next hockey star pulled their gear on, sometimes with pajamas underneath and the wrinkles of the pillow still on their face, and waiting for someone to tie their skates. To some new hockey parents' dismay, they'd watch for an hour to see their child lay on the ice and make snow angels. But what the child will gain from this sport cannot be measured in time or dollars.

MR. SPEAKER « » : The honourable member for Lunenburg.

QUINLAN, KATHLEEN: ENTREPRENEUR AWARDS - CONGRATS.

MS. SUZANNE LOHNES-CROFT « » : Mr. Speaker, I rise today to congratulate Kathleen Quinlan, a founding partner of Fiore Botanica Natural Skin Care, for being named a finalist in the 2018 RBC Canadian Women Entrepreneur Awards. Kathleen is only one of three applicants in Canada to make it to the finalist status for the Micro Business Award.

The RBC Canadian Women Entrepreneur Awards recognize female business owners from across Canada who make substantial contributions to the economy and embody a strong vision and passion. Winners of the awards were announced for the 26th annual awards gala on November 21st at the Fairmount Royal York Hotel in downtown Toronto.

Mr. Speaker, I would ask that you and all members of this House of Assembly please join me in congratulating Kathleen Quinlan and wish her all the best at the awards gala on November 21st.

[Page 702]

MR. SPEAKER « » : The honourable member for Dartmouth East.

MR. TIM HALMAN « » : Mr. Speaker, I beg leave to make an introduction.

MR. SPEAKER « » : Permission granted.

MR. HALMAN « » : In the west gallery, we have two of my former students at Prince Andrew High School. We have Mr. Ryan MacDonald, who just returned from teaching English as a second language in South Korea, and we have Ms. Charlotte Court who just completed her Bachelor of Science at the University of Prince Edward Island. I ask all members of the House to please give Charlotte and Ryan a warm welcome. (Applause)

MR. SPEAKER « » : The honourable member for Fairview-Clayton Park.

KABALEN, MICHAEL & NICOLE: SON, NATHAN - BIRTH CONGRATS.

HON. PATRICIA ARAB « » : Mr. Speaker, I rise today to celebrate the birth of a very special constituent in Fairview-Clayton Park. Nathan Michael Cablan was born on August 16, 2018, at 10:26 p.m. to his very thankful dad, Michael, and a former page here at Province House, mom Nicole.

Nathan is a true blessing and joy to his family, and I'm excited to be able to watch him grow and see the remarkable young man I know that he will become. I'd like to ask the members of this House to join me in congratulating Michael and Nicole and celebrating baby Nathan.

MR. SPEAKER « » : The honourable member for Cole Harbour-Portland Valley.

HON. TONY INCE « » : Mr. Speaker, I rise today to acknowledge Maryann Ritcey. For 25 years, Maryann owned and operated a small business in Cole Harbour. Her gift shop, Maryann's Gifts, has provided our community with one-of-a-kind Mother's Day gifts, birthday presents, furniture pieces . . . . (Interruption)

MR. SPEAKER « » : Order, please. Thank you very much for the reminder. I was so enthralled by the members' statements. We'll add a couple of seconds to the clock at the end.

[2:00 p.m.]

[Page 703]

ORDERS OF THE DAY

ORAL QUESTIONS PUT BY MEMBERS TO MINISTERS

MR. SPEAKER « » : The honourable Leader of the Official Opposition.

PREM. - LONG-TERM CARE FACILITIES: ABUSE CASES - SPIKE

MS. KARLA MACFARLANE « » : My question is for the Premier. We were all shocked at the recent news that there had been a spike in abuse at Nova Scotia's long-term care facilities: 42 cases actually were reported in 2017. That's nearly double the average from the previous two years. These involve cases of neglect, physical abuse, emotional abuse, and even sexual abuse. Some cases were between residents, some between staff, and some between other residents with residents.

This is an all-too-familiar pattern for our health care system. I would like to know: How does the Premier expect Nova Scotians to trust that their parents, grandparents, and siblings are safe in long-term care in Nova Scotia?

HON. STEPHEN MCNEIL « » : First of all, I want to thank all of those across our province who are providing care in long-term care facilities from one end of Nova Scotia to the other. I read the report the honourable member is referring to. I have asked the Department of Health and Wellness for some information related to some parts of that report that the honourable member referred to.

I think it's also for us to recognize that some of our loved ones who are in long-term care facilities have illnesses that are causing them to react differently than they ordinarily would as we try to put supports around them. That's part of what this committee will do, is look at how do we continue to make sure that we provide the appropriate care for our loved ones, at the same time ensuring that the safety of those in those facilities is paramount.

MS. MACFARLANE « » : Mr. Speaker, it was a struggle for the CBC to sift through the records they obtained from the FOIPOP officer for any useable information, and I will table that story by CBC. According to the article, descriptions of many of the reports are greyed out, and most of the directives given to the facilities are redacted. Government is obviously reluctant to give the details, which manipulates the FOIPOP system. This is obviously a disgraceful pattern for government, secrecy, which continues at the expense of taxpayers.

What directives have been given to long-term care facilities, and why does the Government want to keep it such a secret?

THE PREMIER « » : Again, I want to thank the honourable member for the question. The honourable member's original question recognized that the FOIPOP officer had received information that led to the belief that actual incidences was on the rise. There's no way government is trying to hide from this. This is a very serious issue.

[Page 704]

There were a number of suggestions inside of that report that are concerning, we need to continue to make sure that we work with those who are providing care in our long-term care facilities. It's why we've actually gone out and put together an expert panel to look at how do we best ensure that we deal with the issues that the honourable member is referring to today, the issues of bedsores that we've heard about. They're not new phenomena, but we need to deal with them, the seriousness of these.

We can make sure that as we continue to live longer, as we continue to have illnesses that are causing some of us to act differently than we normally would, we need to make sure that we have the right kind of environment and services to provide them.

MS. MACFARLANE « » : Mr. Speaker, these are new cases that I'm speaking about that just came out in a story as of yesterday. There's not just one thing that is wrong in the system.

Some facilities don't have enough staff. Some facilities have enough staff, but they're not properly trained. Some people say reports are filed, some people say reports are never received. The left hand doesn't know what the right hand is doing, and the right hand thinks the left hand is a foot. This is all-too-familiar a pattern for this Government's inability to manage complex problems.

We're all suffering through this Premier's fix for health care. I would like to know what his fix is particularly for long-term health care in Nova Scotia.

THE PREMIER « » : I think it's important to recognize that almost all residents in long-term care facilities are experiencing treatment that we believe and know they deserve, Mr. Speaker - the same kind of level of service that we want to ensure that every resident in our long-term care facilities has. It's their home. All of us want to ensure that we have the safety and surrounding environments in our homes.

We do know though, Mr. Speaker, there have been incidents, not just in the last number of years but over periods of time, where the safety of some people in our residences has been put in jeopardy. The honourable member is referring to reports that have been brought out. I said that's one of the things that we're having this expert panel look at, to bring us back recommendations, that said we want to have specific recommendations where we can make the investments and continue to improve the long-term care that we offer to our residents.

MR. SPEAKER « » : The honourable Leader of the New Democratic Party.

PREM. - CREDIT RATING: HOLLOW RING - ACKNOWLEDGE

[Page 705]

MR. GARY BURRILL « » : Throughout this sitting of the House, the Premier has repeatedly trumpeted the Standard & Poor's recent revision of the province's credit rating. It is important as everybody recognizes a positive credit rating for the province is, it's also true that this trumpeting rings hollow to a lot of people in the province. Amongst them would be those single people who must rely on income assistance and who, at the moment, the government is forcing them to live on $810 a month, the second-lowest assistance level anywhere in the country.

I submit that as long as this remains the case, bond rating agency or no bond rating agency, the government's economic work remains a failure. I want to ask the Premier « » : Will he acknowledge that this is a fair and reasonable assessment?

THE PREMIER « » : Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the honourable member for recognizing that Standard & Poor's has recognized the great work of our province. And all Nova Scotians continue to improve the financial outlook of our province. But it's not just simply to get to an end by balancing the budget, there's a reason for that.

Today I celebrated public servants who are dealing with the issue of programs of opportunities for Nova Scotians - over 650 young Nova Scotians have a job because of that investment we made into that particular program. Today I recognized the Department of Immigration that is hitting every target to increase our population, providing new economic opportunities. This past weekend I celebrated with the Lebanese community who are not only building this city, but they are hiring our sons and daughters and providing more job opportunities.

Furthermore, Mr. Speaker, I want to tell the honourable member that when we had an opportunity, the single largest tax cut in the history of our province was directed to the very people he is referring to. We know there's more work to do, and we're going to continue to make sure we have the right balance sheet to make those investments.

MR. BURRILL « » : Under the heading of those for whom the credit rating news rings hollow - when we hear it trumpeted in this kind of way - are those who are working in the province for minimum wage.

Here's a fact that Standard & Poor's doesn't mention: 40 per cent of the people who live below the poverty line in Nova Scotia have a full-time, all-year-round job and often are unable to buy their groceries because their job doesn't pay them enough to do so. The reason for that is that we are going to have in one week the lowest minimum wage in the entire country.

I want to ask the Premier « » : Does he not feel some sense, at this point, of having fallen short, just shy now of the sixth year of his government being in power, that we are in a situation where the lowest-paid people in our province are the lowest-paid in the entire country?

[Page 706]

THE PREMIER « » : Mr. Speaker, again I want to thank the honourable member for the question. As again in my first answer, I said the single largest tax cut in the history of our province was directed towards those Nova Scotians he is referring to.

One the mistakes though I will say, we're going to continue to look for ways to ensure that we improve the lives of all Nova Scotians. When it comes to the minimum wage we're also following the program that was put in place by the New Democratic Party. He is probably right, Mr. Speaker, it probably was a mistake and I should review it.

MR. BURRILL « » : Others who remain unuplifted by the various pieces of financial information the Premier is bringing forward are the people who took out, last year, the 200,000 payday loans that were lent in our province and the 4,000 people in our province who declared personal bankruptcy.

I want to ask: Does the Premier not find it a bit unseemly or a bit unfitting to speak in these self-congratulatory and boastful times in the midst of a time when so many people in our province are experiencing such intense financial problems?

THE PREMIER « » : Mr. Speaker, more Nova Scotians are working today than ever before at full-time jobs. I want to remind the honourable member that we're seeing start-ups increasing in our province, improving job opportunities for young Nova Scotians, and we're seeing the construction boom not only in the city but in our highways across the province that are hiring Nova Scotians.

We're seeing young people who see a future for themselves, attaching them to workplace in this province. We're leading the country when it comes to economic outlook. Every other major financial institution recognizes the good work that our province is doing, the good work that Nova Scotians are doing, and we going to continue to make sure that we provide economic opportunities for all Nova Scotians.

MR. SPEAKER « » : The honourable Leader of the Official Opposition.

H&W - FMR. MINISTER: PRIVATE EMAILS - EXIST

MS. KARLA MACFARLANE « » : Mr. Speaker, we're still trying to get to the bottom of the use of private email by the former Minister of Health and Wellness.

The FOIPOP Commissioner has asked for the Department of Health and Wellness to produce certain emails to and from the former Minister of Health and Wellness. It is a simple request - just turn over the emails. There has been no indication that the Department of Health and Wellness has even searched for these emails.

I asked the Premier last week, but I'll ask the Minister of Health and Wellness now. My question to the Minister of Health and Wellness is: Can he confirm that the emails still exist, or have they been deleted?

[Page 707]

HON. RANDY DELOREY « » : Mr. Speaker, I can confirm that the department did undertake a search to identify emails and provided a body of email material, as requested by the applicant. That information was provided, it went out from the department and that search was undertaken on systems that were under the care and control of the department. That information was provided as part of that request.

MS. MACFARLANE « » : So the request was to share the emails and the FOIPOP Commissioner was clear in her report, that's what the request was.

The department ought to have care and control of those emails, and basic record-keeping practices should allow the department to find these emails quickly, unless they have failed in these basic record-keeping practices. No one needs to get pulled off doctor recruitment to fulfill the Commissioner's request.

My question to the minister is: If the minister has the emails, will the minister produce them and if he does not, will he explain how his department has failed to maintain simple record-keeping practices?

MR. DELOREY « » : Mr. Speaker, as I mentioned previously, the department did receive a request through the FOIPOP process. The request was amended, the information was searched, based upon that amended request, and that information was provided back to the applicant. That work was done and that information was provided.

MR. SPEAKER « » : The honourable Leader of the New Democratic Party.

PREM.: NURSING HOME ABUSE - STANDARD OF CARE

MR. GARY BURRILL « » : Mr. Speaker, I'd like to return to the question of the nursing home revelations we received today that my colleague brought up earlier.

It is striking, originally, in that it refers to a level in 2017 almost as great as putting 15 and 16 together for reports of abuse; but striking, also, in that a number of those incident reports contained references to an element in the incident of a shortage of staff or an inadequate staff to resident ratio in the context in which that incident happened.

Now it's pretty well four years since the government began its program of cuts in nursing home funding, and in that time administrators, employees, families, residents have all spoken about how the impact of those cuts has impacted staffing levels around the province.

My question to the Premier is: Will the Premier acknowledge that with this report today there is now more mounting evidence that his government has failed to uphold an appropriate standard of care in our nursing homes?

[Page 708]

THE PREMIER « » : Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the honourable member for the question. He knows, as I've said, we've appointed an expert panel to go out and look at long-term care facilities.

We await the recommendations that they will bring in to us - I think it's sometime around the end of November. That timeline is a little - through the budget process to make those investments. Our hope is that we'll get specific recommendations from this committee.

MR. BURRILL « » : But think about the time that passed before the panel was appointed. Month after month, season after season, year in and year out we questioned the Premier about emerging reported problems in nursing homes, and throughout all that time we were dismissed and brushed aside with answers about the government's investments and policies about home care.

Now, after all of that time, earlier this month the evidence somehow seems to have finally broken through and we do have the announcement of the panel and we are, in our party, hopeful about the work and recommendations of the panel. But we remain dismayed about all the time, all the years that will have passed before any substantive changes in staffing levels are going to be made.

My question to the Premier is: Is he not concerned that his change of heart now has come too late in the day for many who would have benefitted over the past number of years by staffing increases?

[2:15 p.m.]

THE PREMIER « » : Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the honourable member for the question and I want to tell him there are hard-working Nova Scotians across the province who are providing quality care to our loved ones in nursing homes from one end of this province to the other. There have always been challenges. They didn't resurface five years ago. There were challenges when they were in government; there were challenges when they were in government. We continue to work to ensure that we provide the care as required.

He referred to home care, Mr. Speaker. It's an important component. We're hearing from Nova Scotians who tell us they want to be in their home as long as possible. We need to provide them the supports, and that's what we're doing. At the same time, we'll wait for the report to come back from the expert panel about long-term care.

MR. SPEAKER « » : The honourable member for Argyle-Barrington

[Page 709]

PREM. - PAC MEETINGS: LACK OF - EXPLAIN

HON. CHRISTOPHER D'ENTREMONT « » : Mr. Speaker, it has been a custom of this House that the Public Accounts Committee meet weekly for 10 months out of the year. The Public Accounts Committee has not met to question departmental officials in an open public meeting since June 6th. Due to the procedural maneuvering by the government members of the committee, October 10th is realistically the next time PAC will see an actual department witness. That's four months and at least eight traditional meeting dates that will have been wasted. Can the Premier explain why the Public Accounts Committee has gone a third of a year without any departmental witnesses showing up?

THE PREMIER « » : Mr. Speaker, the honourable member would know it has also been the tradition of this House that when June comes, there are no witnesses in the months that he's referring to. The reality of it is that this House was prorogued. We had the Throne Speech, committees are being reconstituted, as he knows. We answered the request about having a health policy committee.

I look forward to Public Accounts Committee when they come out. I'd also remind this House, when you look across the country, we sit more than any other Canadian jurisdiction by twice as much.

MR. D'ENTREMONT « » : The Premier knows full well that the committee stopped a few weeks short of their normal length. It is Right to Know Week; it's an opportunity to raise awareness of an individual's right to access government information while promoting freedom of information as essential to both democracy and good governance. The Public Accounts Committee is a vital means for members of this House to examine the affairs of government. It's a key pillar in transparency and accountability.

I understand it meets more frequently than the Premier would like, but it has always been the nature of our committee. Can the Premier tell us why is he avoiding accountability by not allowing departmental officials to appear before a PAC?

THE PREMIER « » : Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the honourable member for the question, but I do want to correct him. The fact of the matter is, it did not stop meeting any earlier than it had in the past. The reality is that he can go check the dates, if he likes. The reality of it is that's simply not true. The reality is that we don't sit through the summer months. Now, those members who sit on the committee will put their work together.

The Premier doesn't run the committee he's referring to. Mr. Speaker, I'm out selling this province. I have more young people working here. That's why we're getting great ratings, why our exports are up, why more young people are seeing a future in this province, why we're seeing more international students want to come live, work, and play here and grow our economy. That's what we're doing. That's my job and I'm going to continue to do it. Do you want to know why? Because we're having great success.

[Page 710]

MR. SPEAKER « » : The honourable member for Northside-Westmount.

H&W - MENTAL HEALTH SERV.: PROVISION - EQUAL ACCESS

MR. EDDIE ORRELL « » : Mr. Speaker, my question is to the Minister of Health and Wellness. My office received a call from a woman crying out for help because of the lack of response she is receiving from the health care system. This woman struggles daily with depression and has been at times suicidal. Since relocating to Truro, she no longer is able to see her psychologist in Yarmouth twice a month. She believes that she is not receiving equal access because of where she lives in the province - now Truro. My question to the minister: Does he feel there is equal access to the provision of services for all Nova Scotians suffering from poor mental health and will he commit to follow up with this individual?

HON. RANDY DELOREY « » : Mr. Speaker, without getting into details of specific individuals, as the member would know, as minister I'm not able to do. I believe the member did have conversations with other representatives of the Legislature from two different Parties that did advise that there has been a lot of work and support being provided to the individual that he referenced. There are supports available, the member would know, including a crisis line for individuals if they are in a period of crisis.

We have been investing heavily, as all members of this Legislature, in improving mental health care access. Mr. Speaker, we'll continue to take those steps and encourage the member if he has the individual case, we can get him in touch with the appropriate people to provide the care that's needed.

MR. ORRELL « » : Mr. Speaker, it's a shame that Nova Scotians requesting help in their time of need are considered noise to this government. It's also a shame - and some people would call it pathetic - the responses we are receiving from this minister are no way close to the questions we are asking.

Last week, I asked the minister to attend a rally in Cape Breton this past week, so he could listen to hundreds in attendance, but there was a no-show again. The minister wouldn't answer me a simple question of yes or no, but he told the Cape Breton Post that he had a scheduling conflict. I'll table that article, Mr. Speaker.

My question to the minister is: If he couldn't attend because of a scheduling conflict, why didn't he simply just answer our question when we asked last week and explain to us the reason why?

MR. DELOREY « » : The member opposite raises some concerns. As I think the member demonstrated in his first question, we do work, I think, as all members of this Legislature, on behalf of our constituents. We work with the government officials, the health care partners, to help navigate that system when our constituents aren't sure where to turn.

[Page 711]

Again, the member opposite bringing concerns to the floor when he knows full well that not just the system, but other MLAs within this Legislature, within the community, are reaching out, are trying to provide that support to individuals.

I think it's that kind of approach, Mr. Speaker, that is a challenge and the approach that member is trying to bring when we're working to improve the health care system and all he is trying to do is find fault and not recognize the important investments that we've been making in our health care system across the province.

MR. SPEAKER « » : The honourable member for Victoria-The Lakes.

H&W: EHS REVIEW - COST/TIMELINE

MR. KEITH BAIN « » : In early August, government sent out an RFP to review emergency health services in our province. Nova Scotians see ambulances lined up at hospitals and worry they won't be available if and when they need it.

The time for interested companies to submit a bid on the review has passed. My question to the Minister of Health and Wellness: Will the minister update the House on how much the EHS review will cost and when it will be completed?

HON. RANDY DELOREY « » : As the member knows, the RFP did go out. The work is ongoing, the member knows we have a keen interest in improving our EHS system, including offload times, where there were a number of questions brought up last week.

I've mentioned the efforts that are ongoing to make those improvements. I've met and had conversations with both union representatives of our paramedics, as well as paramedics on the front line, Mr. Speaker. I've taken the information they've provided to heart and we are working to improve the system. That's what part of that RFP is all about.

MR. BAIN « » : Mr. Speaker, the problems are not entirely EHS issues. It's an issue of the assembly line of health care. There are other issues that if addressed, would reduce the problems with EHS waiting at hospitals. ER departments are the canary in the coal mine of the health care system. Problems there indicate problems throughout the entire system.

My question to the minister: Will the minister admit that any EHS redesign, no matter how good, is doomed to fail if he doesn't recognize and fix the many other issues in the health care system?

MR. DELOREY « » : I believe, as I alluded to in my first response, as I mentioned several times last week in response to questions about ambulance offload times, Mr. Speaker, the fact of the matter is that we do recognize that our health care system is integrated. We rely on a wide variety of health care professionals in a wide variety of roles to provide the care that Nova Scotians need.

[Page 712]

Mr. Speaker, an example I used, which was a change that incorporated changes within our hospital environment emergency department, making use of the skill sets of nurses as well as paramedics, that help support and improve the offload times at the Dartmouth General Hospital. Work is under way to understand exactly how well those impacts have been and how we can roll it out in other parts of our hospital systems.

MR. SPEAKER « » : The honourable member for Cape Breton Centre.

H&W - MIN.: CITIZENS OF C.B. - IGNORING

MS. TAMMY MARTIN « » : Mr. Speaker, my question is for the Minister of Health and Wellness. This weekend people gathered at the Cape Breton County Exhibition grounds to raise their concerns about the closures of community hospitals in the CBRM. Unfortunately, the minister was unable to attend.

I wonder, would he have rearranged his schedule had he known that more than 400 concerned citizens would show up looking for someone they could hold accountable for this decision? Mr. Speaker, what is the minister's excuse for ignoring the citizens of Cape Breton?

HON. RANDY DELOREY « » : What we're doing, from a health care perspective in the Cape Breton region, is well known. We are investing in that region. We are revitalizing the infrastructure of our health care system in New Waterford and North Sydney, providing new primary health care facilities where citizens will receive primary health care services. They'll continue to receive blood services, X-rays, and other health care services in those facilities. We're nearly doubling our long-term care access in those communities.

We're expanding our emergency room and doubling the size of our cancer care centre at Cape Breton Regional and expanding services in Glace Bay as well . . . (Interruption)

MR. SPEAKER « » : Order, please. The honourable Minister of Health and Wellness has the floor.

MR. DELOREY « » : Mr. Speaker, I categorically disagree with the member's suggestion that we're ignoring Cape Bretoners. In fact, we're investing in health care for Cape Bretoners.

MS. MARTIN « » : Mr. Speaker, I applaud the minister's response. If he categorically disagrees, then the minister should probably watch the video where doctors described at the meeting in North Sydney just how they were not informed or included in the decisions, and they completely disagree with you.

[Page 713]

This past weekend, emergency rooms in New Waterford and North Sydney were closed again. Residents are frustrated and for good reason. They've been asking for answers, and they're getting silence. We are not getting new beds. We are not getting one new bed in the emergency room in the Cape Breton Regional Hospital, and we all know that.

I would like to ask once again, with the minister having enough notice to free your schedule: Will you come to New Waterford to consult with the residents on the closure of their hospital on October 14th and actually listen to their concerns?

MR. DELOREY « » : First, as the member would know, and we have been very clear since we made the announcement in June, the next phase, which is under way, of this revitalization process is to do the functional plan. Based on the member's comments, I'm not sure if she has received a copy of that plan, because I certainly haven't, for her to make accusations and conclusions that simply haven't been there, the suggestions around expanding ?. (Interruption)

MR. SPEAKER « » : Order, please. The honourable member for Cape Breton Centre will come to order.

The honourable Minister of Health and Wellness.

MR. DELOREY « » : That would be her conclusion, that there would be no changes or expansion in the emergency departments. That's exactly what the functional planning process is all about . . . . (Interruption)

MR. SPEAKER « » : Order, please. The honourable member for Cape Breton Centre will excuse herself for the balance of Question Period.

The honourable Minister of Health and Wellness.

MR. DELOREY « » : That's exactly what the functional planning process is about. That work is under way. That's where consultation is taking place to understand the impact and the opportunities to properly design these facilities in New Waterford and North Sydney as well as Cape Breton and Glace Bay to improve the future of health care for all Cape Bretoners.

MR. SPEAKER « » : The honourable member for Cole Harbour-Eastern Passage.

H&W - PHYSICIANS: APP - DETAILS

[Page 714]

MS. BARBARA ADAMS « » : My question is for the Minister of Health and Wellness. As everybody is now well aware, the Cole Harbour-Eastern Passage constituency that I represent does not have a single family doctor, and we're one of the few that does not have funding for a collaborative health centre. Those fortunate to have a family doctor are terrified that their doctor is going to leave the province or retire, particularly as our doctors are the lowest-paid in Canada.

In order to address this issue, many physicians are looking to change their fee structure from the fee-for-service model to the alternative-payment plan. Can the minister detail for the House how many physicians have successfully switched to the alternative-payment plan and how many are currently in the process of switching?

HON. RANDY DELOREY « » : I think one of the things that the honourable member forgot to reference was the progress being made to provide a nurse practitioner in her community to provide that care for her community that hadn't been there in many, many years.

Mr. Speaker, with respect to the current numbers of physician breakdown based upon their compensation model, I don't have that in detail at my fingertips. I can certainly reach out to staff and get that information back to the member.

MS. ADAMS « » : I do applaud the minister for giving me the funding for a clinical nurse practitioner, but I have been dragging the process along for the past 14 months, and we still don't have one yet, so I'm going to encourage the minister to help speed that along.

I recently learned that four physicians including my own family doctor from the Albro Lake Medical Clinic in Dartmouth had been waiting for over five months to find out if their application to move from fee-for-service to the alternative-payment plan has been accepted. As we struggle to attract new doctors, we cannot afford to frustrate the physicians we already have. These critical health professionals are being stalled for months on end for an answer to their funding change application.

My question to the Minister of Health and Wellness is: what is an acceptable turnaround time for a physician to change from fee-for-service to the alternative-payment plan?

MR. DELOREY « » : Mr. Speaker, I think one of the important things to recognize when it comes to discussing the different models of compensation that are available for physicians in the province is not just the traditional two models known as the fee-for- service, which would be your historical, traditional model, and the alternative-payment, APP, or some people refer to as a salaried approach. In fact, a new third model which Doctors Nova Scotia has certainly been advocating for is the notion of a blended capitation approach of model. So, there's a lot of work ongoing engaged with the association representing physicians across the province.

[Page 715]

We know we're going into negotiations, so there's a lot of work ongoing around what the best model is to ensure, as the member's concern was highlighted and duly noted, that we have the right model to make this an attractive place for all physicians to work.

MR. SPEAKER « » : The honourable member for Cumberland South.

H&W: ALL SAINTS SPRINGHILL HOSP. - ER CLOSURE

MR. TORY RUSHTON « » : Mr. Speaker, my question is for the Minister of Health and Wellness. Last week, I stood here and asked the minister about the closure at All Saints Springhill Hospital in South Cumberland. As I stated last week, All Saints Springhill Hospital was closed 202 hours since August 1st, and South Cumberland Community Care Centre ER closed for 252 hours since July 29th. That's more than a quarter of the time for All Saints Springhill Hospital and more than a third of the time for South Cumberland Community Care Centre.

We have learned that the ER at All Saints Springhill Hospital will be closed all but 12 hours this week. My question to the minister is: Are the regular closures of the ER hospital good groundwork for eventually closing All Saints Springhill Hospital?

HON. RANDY DELOREY « » : Mr. Speaker, as the member may know, the preceding circumstances that result in the Nova Scotia Health Authority advising of closures of emergency departments in communities and the examples cited by the member is a last resort. That occurs after they have exhausted their efforts to find staff for vacancies that may be temporary vacancies for vacations or other absentees within the system.

We've taken steps as a government to improve the locum funding opportunities to encourage physicians to be available. We continue our recruitment efforts. NSHA has hired additional recruitment staff in the northern zone to help improve the situation for communities like the member's.

MR. RUSHTON « » : Mr. Speaker, I do recognize the locum program, that they are trying to make it work but, quite frankly, it's just not working for these two hospitals. The closure at Northside General Hospital and New Waterford Consolidated Hospital sent shockwaves throughout this province. Everyone is sensitive to this pattern and people believe that if their hospital is not a regional hospital that their days are numbered.

Again, I will ask the minister today: As long as he is Minister of Health and Wellness, will he commit to me as the member for Cumberland South, that All Saints Springhill Hospital and South Cumberland Community Care Centre in Parrsboro will remain open?

MR. DELOREY « » : Mr. Speaker, as I've committed to the member and his colleagues and all members of this Legislature in the past, my commitment to this Legislature, indeed, to all Nova Scotians is to fulfill my mandate to the best of my abilities. That's the oath I took as a member and as a minister. I will continue to do that and fulfill my obligations, and that means to make the best decisions possible to ensure that we provide the best care possible to all Nova Scotians.

[Page 716]

We'll continue to do that and we do that by hearing from our front-line professionals, our health care professionals who provide input and advice on the policies that we need to adopt to move forward. We continue to make those changes, as the member acknowledged, around recruitment and locum programs. We'll continue to do that to provide the care Nova Scotians need and deserve.

MR. SPEAKER « » : The honourable member for Victoria-The Lakes.

H&W - HOME CARE SERV.: FUNDING MODEL - ADEQUACY

MR. KEITH BAIN « » : Mr. Speaker, my question is to the Minister of Health and Wellness. The delivery of home care services in Nova Scotia is in crisis and needs a new funding model to properly address the current shortfalls that service providers are facing. In order to deliver services, agencies must often overspend due to travel time and cancelled visits. Some agencies must repay the government for the over-expenditure, but not all do. Staff are stressed because there is constant pressure to reduce travel time, which is nearly impossible given fluctuating client demand and, in many cases, geography. The government talks a big game in home care, yet providers still lack adequate funding, creating systemic stress amongst agencies and workers.

My question to the minister: When will the funding model be changed to adequately fund this essential service?

HON. RANDY DELOREY « » : Mr. Speaker, we've been investing heavily in home care services throughout the province. This has been something we committed to. It's something that we've taken action on. I believe the increased investment has been something in the vicinity of over $65 million targeted toward home care services and expansion.

The results of that are clear. In many parts of the province, we've virtually eliminated wait times for people to get access to home care. We've seen lots of improvements throughout the province as a result of these investments.

MR. BAIN « » : Mr. Speaker, many home care service providers are experiencing staff recruitment and retention issues across the province. With the fluctuation of caseloads, few employees in home care have a guaranteed income. Because of staffing issues, hospital stays are prolonged because care cannot be put in place in the home. Wait-lists for those who require care grow, and in some cases a missed visit can occur, causing undue stress to those in need.

[Page 717]

My question to the minister: What is government's plan to recruit and retain home care workers?

MR. DELOREY « » : Mr. Speaker, the work we have committed to around home care continues. We recognize that the care of many Nova Scotians, and their preference in many instances, is to stay at home as long as possible. We recognize that in order to do that, they require the appropriate cares and supports. That's why we've made significant investments - I believe over $65 million in the last number of years of increased investments toward our home care services. That's what we've been doing in an effort to address wait-lists and ensure that the care people need in their homes is available when they need it.

MR. SPEAKER « » : The honourable member for Truro-Bible Hill-Millbrook-Salmon River.

H&W - SANE PROG. (TRURO): AVAIL. - TIMELINE

MS. LENORE ZANN « » : Mr. Speaker, my question today is for the Minister of Health and Wellness. Over the past few weeks, we've heard terrible examples of the service gaps for people who've experienced sexual violence, including two totally unacceptable cases of women in the Truro region, one of whom left the hospital with only a pamphlet, while the other left the RCMP empty-handed.

I have voiced my concerns several times, and both the Central Nova Women's Resource Centre and the Colchester Sexual Assault Centre have also voiced their concerns about this lack of essential health service in our Central Nova region. In fact, they've sent two letters to the Nova Scotia Health Authority and the Minister of Health and Wellness.

My question for the minister is: Can the minister confirm today when the Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner Program will be available in Truro?

HON. RANDY DELOREY « » : Mr. Speaker, I do appreciate the member raising this important question. While it is on behalf of constituents and of concern for all Nova Scotians, I think members of the House know specifically how personal this question is for the member.

I don't have the exact dates lined up, but I can assure the member that work is ongoing. We're looking at a couple of different proposals for addressing and getting that set up. I've met with representatives of a women's organization that provides SANE services to learn about their proposal. I've met with representatives from the department as well as the Nova Scotia Health Authority to discuss this, and they are working on bringing those detailed proposals on a path forward to get this implemented - both short- and long-term solutions.

[Page 718]

MS. ZANN « » : Mr. Speaker, I appreciate that response. The SANE programs are currently operating in Halifax, Dartmouth, Lower Sackville, Antigonish, New Glasgow, the Port Hawkesbury area, and Yarmouth, and the government has also recently announced additional sites in Cape Breton and Annapolis Valley and the South Shore. That's wonderful for you people, but we don't have one in Central Colchester, and it's a big problem.

The Colchester Sexual Assault Centre has collaborated with the Antigonish Women's Resource Centre and SANE personnel to establish a viable proposal to address the lack of essential services in our region, but they do need government support to put their plans into action.

Mr. Speaker, will the minister commit today to provide the Colchester Sexual Assault Centre with the funding needed to provide these essential services in our area?

MR. DELOREY « » : Mr. Speaker I thank the member for the question. Indeed, the Women's Resource Centre I met with, that the member referenced there, and I met with the Antigonish Women's Resource Centre about two weeks ago and received that proposal.

My colleague, the member for Colchester North, met with both the Colchester Women's Resource Centre as well as the Antigonish Women's Resource Centre about a week ago, I believe. She also received that proposal and brought it to my attention.

As I've mentioned, the work is under way to determine if that proposal, or for short- or long-term, or if there's another path forward, but the work is under way. As I said, we are committed to bringing the model forward to Truro. I am waiting for the final details on what proposed approach is best suited to get the service there in the short term as well as the long term, for the northern region.

MR. SPEAKER « » : The honourable member for Inverness.

BUS.: RURAL INTERNET SERV. - IMPROVEMENTS

MR. ALLAN MACMASTER « » : I was afraid I was going to be left standing in the lurch there for a second, but I have a question for the Minister of Business.

I recently plugged my laptop into my desk here at the Legislature and I can report we have incredible high-speed Internet service. We have speed of up to almost 850 megabytes per second but, in rural Nova Scotia, many people are living with less than one megabyte per second.

High-speed Internet is as important today in a home as indoor plumbing. It's a base requirement for most people in terms of where they live and being able to work at home.

[Page 719]

The government has announced millions to improve Internet service, and it would appear that private industry in the province is content to let government fix the problem. My question to the minister is: Does the minister realize that his government's announcement of millions of dollars has effectively stalled any further improvements by the private sector for rural Internet users?

HON. GEOFF MACLELLAN « » : Mr. Speaker, I do thank the member for the question, although I completely disagree with the premise of that.

The term commonly used is "market failure." The reality is that in some areas, some regions of the province, there's no business plan, there's no - it doesn't make any viable sense for a private sector operator to try to invest to get to these remote places. That's just the reality of it, so they look to government, they look to the people who they elect to put together a program that provides that and invests very important tax dollars to get that job done.

Mr. Speaker, at $193 million, we are setting the tone for the entire nation with respect to broadband and Internet investments.

MR. MACMASTER « » : Mr. Speaker, I hope the minister is not arguing that Internet service providers are poor, because we know they're not. They are very profitable and I can understand - but I think there has to be some acknowledgement by industry that they play a role in the economy. Sometimes business cases improve in areas of the province and I can appreciate the government wants to get this right.

A minister commented last week that a past government promised to deliver high-speed for all, but did not achieve that. The fact is that the companies that took that subsidy did have to connect anyone who came to them within that five-year period.

My question to the minister is: What conversations has the minister had with industry? Do they remain committed to constant improvement of service and continued investment of their own to improve service in rural Nova Scotia, because we are not seeing it throughout most of the province?

MR. MACLELLAN « » : Mr. Speaker, with respect to the promise to get Internet access to all Nova Scotians a number of years back, what I said around that was that it was an impossible task and I think that even the Premier of the day, and the government of the day, didn't appreciate the magnitude of that challenge.

That wasn't a criticism; that's just the reality of it. It's half a billion dollars as we stand here, so it was something that you couldn't predict at that time. I know they wanted to get there but obviously that's something that we're still not even close to, but we are going to get us a whole lot closer.

[Page 720]

With respect to the ISPs, we know who they are; we know who the players are. They're going to have a very important role here. I'm not going to throw them under the bus and make this that they're part of this problem. They are going to be part of the solution and that includes private sector investments, so they're going to help us get there.

MR. SPEAKER « » : The honourable member for Argyle-Barrington.

L&F: FIGHTING FOREST FIRES - WHOSE RESP.?

HON. CHRISTOPHER D'ENTREMONT « » : Mr. Speaker, my question is to the Minister of Lands and Forestry.

I received a letter from the Yarmouth County Mutual Aid Association, which I will table - I'll find it here in my notes. The Mutual Aid Association has become concerned with the forest fire capacity, and the firefighting capacity in Yarmouth County and surrounding areas. According to the letter, more and more volunteer firefighters are being called out to fight forest fires. Now this traditionally has been a responsibility of the province.

My question to the Minister of Lands and Forestry: Can the minister provide some detail on the current forest-firefighting capacity in Yarmouth?

[2.45 p.m.]

HON. IAIN RANKIN « » : Mr. Speaker, I thank the member opposite for the question. There have been no reductions in staff over the last number of years. We always move our resources around, given where the activity and the forest fires are occurring. There are also no burn zones that we put up and I know the member's area applies to that. We also base our helicopters in strategic areas, so we continue to provide that service in that area.

MR. D'ENTREMONT « » : You know, Mr. Speaker, I do believe what the Mutual Aid Association is telling us they are putting more hours into forest fires than they had before. With the recent drought conditions, I can certainly understand why this summer might see an uptick in forest fires. The Mutual Aid Association claims that this has been ongoing for a few years now. Volunteer firefighters are primarily focused on residential fire protection and the occasional small brush or grass fire. When the volunteers are called out to fight forest fires, resources end up being spread thin and that creates vulnerabilities in fire coverage across the county.

Would the minister commit to properly resourcing department firefighting capacity in the Yarmouth area so volunteer firefighters can focus on their residences?

MR. RANKIN « » : I want to thank all the firefighters across the province who deliver an outstanding service. I'm very impressed with all the work they have been doing and I want to actually remind the member that when we do need more resources, our sister provinces are there to help out as we help and reciprocate that service to them.

[Page 721]

I also want to table a chart here that shows that our service and our FTEs in the area and throughout southwestern Nova Scotia has remained at the same level since 2016-17.

MR. SPEAKER « » : The honourable member for Dartmouth East.

IMMIG. - ENTRY STREAMS: CAREGIVER GAP - FILL

MR. TIM HALMAN « » : Mr. Speaker, my question is for the Minister of Immigration. The Nova Scotia Express Entry Programs are meant to speed up the immigration process for applicants with specific employment qualifications. With our aging population, we are in need of people who work in caregiving occupations. This year we have opened new streams to fill gaps in other professions that have shown a clear need, like early childhood educators.

Unfortunately, caregiving professions do not quality for the Express Entry streams. My question is this, Mr. Speaker « » : Is there any action being taken to open Express Entry immigration streams to caregiving professions?

HON. LENA METLEGE DIAB: Mr. Speaker, I really want to thank my colleague for the very important question. It also gives me the opportunity to tell all members of the great work and success that we're having in the Nova Scotia Office of Immigration in all of our streams.

First, I do want to thank the office, the staff, the Premier, for making immigration a priority for the last number of years in this province. I want to really express again and let Nova Scotians know of the great work we're doing in terms of our landings; it's the highest number that we have in this region. Our retention levels are the highest numbers that we have in the region, so is our population growth. All of that is leading to economic success in our express entry and in all of our six streams at the Provincial Nominee Program (PNP).

MR. HALMAN « » : At a meeting earlier this year with Northwood Home Care, I learned they needed to hire 50 to 60 people immediately to fill the needs of their patients. Mr. Speaker, I have constituents who are certified in caregiving professions, but are unable to work because of their immigration status and have been turned away from the Express Entry streams.

Mr. Speaker, these individuals want to work to help fill the clear gaps in our system, but they face long wait times until they are able to work here. My question is this: Does the minister plan to use the Department of Immigration to fill the gaps in our caregiving professions?

[Page 722]

MS. DIAB » : Thank you for the question. We definitely do, so we have a number of streams. We've got six streams, we've got two under the Express Entry, but I also want to remind you that we have the skilled stream as well, which they can definitely use. We also have the Atlantic Immigration Pilot Program, which has been working marvellously in the province over the last year and a half. I invite them to contact us and we will help steer them in the specific direction that they need to come to it. It may not necessarily be Express Entry, it could be one of the other streams. We're always there to assist them in that.

MR. SPEAKER « » : The time allotted for Oral Questions Put by Members to Ministers with a little bit of extra time there added on has expired.

GOVERNMENT BUSINESS

MR. SPEAKER « » : The honourable Government House Leader.

HON. GEOFF MACLELLAN « » : Mr. Speaker, would you please call Public Bills for Second Reading?

PUBLIC BILLS FOR SECOND READING

MR. SPEAKER « » : The honourable Government House Leader.

HON. GEOFF MACLELLAN « » : Mr. Speaker, would you please call Bill No. 49?

Bill No. 49 - Gaming Control Act.

MR. SPEAKER « » : The honourable Minister of Finance and Treasury Board.

HON. KAREN CASEY « » : Mr. Speaker, I move that Bill No. 49 now be read a second time.

This legislation is called An Act to Amend Chapter 4 of the Acts of 1994-95, the Gaming Control Act, and it is specific to a casino voluntary self-exclusion program. Bill No. 49 will provide authority to improve an important program that helps people who are concerned about their gambling.

Government is committed to helping those who are experiencing gambling-related problems and supports a number of resources to assist those Nova Scotians. Those include the Gambling Support Network, responsible gambling resource centres at both casino in Sydney and Halifax, addiction counselling, and awareness and education programs including brochures, online information, and recognizing Gambling Awareness Week. In addition, Mr. Speaker, the Casino Responsible Gambling Training Program for employees includes information to support players; 100 per cent of all employees have completed that training. There is also an assessment program for new products with a focus on social responsibility.

[Page 723]

One of the programs we have as part of government allows people to ban themselves from Nova Scotia's two casinos. That is the Voluntary Exclusion program, which was introduced in 1995 and has not been updated since that time. It is not flexible, it is not an effective program, and the Responsible Gaming Strategy recommended that the Nova Scotia Gaming Corporation review the current voluntary self-exclusion practices.

Bill No. 49 will provide the authority for more flexibility for the program to adopt best practices. It will also provide authority for the implementation of variable time lengths for the voluntary ban, to provide more options for participants, the disentitlement of prizes or winnings, and a forfeiture of wagers if a person is under a voluntary ban and enters a casino in contravention of their self-exclusion. In addition, it will help players better manage their play.

A key element of the program is the length of time the ban is in place. Currently, it is a mandatory lifetime ban. Nova Scotia is the only province with a lifetime ban in their Voluntary Exclusion program. Also, if a participant wants to leave the program, there is currently a very cumbersome process involving an application to Service Nova Scotia, appearing before a Nova Scotia Utility and Review Board (URB) hearing, and possibly a psychological assessment, and/or a financial assessment. These are not best practices. Government intends to modernize the program to make it flexible and to reflect the best practices for the players to help themselves.

Once the legislation passes, work will begin to develop this program. The legislation provides the authority to amend the regulations. Consultation with stakeholders, the addictions council, the Responsible Gambling Council, Department of Health and Wellness, and the Department of Justice - as well as in outreach to those who may have a problem with gambling, or to friends of those who may have a problem - will be an important part of the process to develop the new regulations.

Mr. Speaker, I welcome the comments from other members of the Legislature as we proceed with second reading on Bill No. 49.

MR. SPEAKER « » : The honourable member for Argyle-Barrington.

HON. CHRISTOPHER D'ENTREMONT « » : I'll just speak for a few moments on Bill No. 49, the Gaming Control Act. The minister brings up the issue of the Voluntary Exclusion program, and I understand going to best practices and looking at how other provinces are doing. I think we're adopting British Columbia's model in how this self-exclusion issue works.

Those individuals who find themselves addicted to gambling, of course, for a long time, they identified themselves. Basically, their pictures were put into a big binder, and then it was up to staff of the casino to review that book once in a while to make sure that that person was not in gambling. That's not a very effective program, quite honestly. So, hopefully, there are more updates to how the monitoring of these individuals is going to be - if you do self-exclude how that fits in, how the monitoring of it is going to continue.

[Page 724]

The question that I have for the minister - and I hope she has the opportunity to update us or to inform us on her closing remarks - really revolves around the issue of if somebody who is self-excluded does go to the casino and plays something, whatever it is, because by the time staff looks through that book and tries to figure out whether you're excluded or not is quite difficult.

Let's say they win something - they won $500 on a machine or on one of the tables. They then show up to pick up their cheque and then it's probably where they're going to get identified, so they're not eligible to actually take those winnings because they're excluded. Where does that money go? Is it put into a fund for problem gamblers or other problem gambling programs or is it taken in by the casino as revenue or is it just given to the general coffers of the province?

So there's a question around that one that I hope she has the opportunity to answer during her response but, beyond that, I think this is very little concern on the bill as it goes forward.

MR. SPEAKER « » : The honourable member for Sackville-Cobequid.

HON. DAVID WILSON « » : Mr. Speaker, I'm pleased that the government is thinking about the issue of gambling and gambling addiction. I know this change to the Voluntary Exclusion program in Nova Scotia is to align ourselves with what other jurisdictions have put in place, and it's my understanding we are the only jurisdiction that has a lifetime ban in place. So, I could understand to some degree looking at that and revisiting it, but this is a great opportunity, or it was a great opportunity for the government to look at gambling here in Nova Scotia.

We know over the last number of years there have been some changes with previous implementation of programs, services, and it's my understanding that at the time of those changes the government indicated that, you know, the programs weren't meeting the goals that initially were sought after. Which is fine, Mr. Speaker, but we do, I think, in Nova Scotia recognize that the government does have a very important role to play when it comes to gambling here in Nova Scotia and I've always indicated and supported the fact that we do need to have a regulated gambling and gaming system in Nova Scotia.

Over the 15 years that I've been here, we've seen reports time and time again around jurisdictions that don't have that regulated form of gambling oversight and it's pretty scary what goes on. It's kind of what has been described in the past as the wild, wild west of gaming in jurisdictions around the globe when they don't have a regulated system. We've always taken that stance - and it's important I think for the current government to recognize that they need to look at every opportunity they can to make sure that not only we regulate gaming in the province, but we try to mitigate the negative impact that it has. We cannot put our heads in the sand and say that gaming does not have a negative impact on the lives of Nova Scotians in this province.

[Page 725]

We know a number of years ago there was a gaming strategy in the province that was updated, I might say by a very good minister, Mr. Speaker - I tried to do that without a smile - but the truth is that the last update of the gaming strategy that I produced was some time ago, 2010 or 2011. So we're six, seven years past the update and I know previous to the previous government, the Progressive Conservatives did an update of the gaming strategy.

Maybe the minister in her closing comments could indicate that this is on the burner of her department to update the gaming strategy to make sure that the government is not only regulating gaming in the province like we see with the Voluntary Exclusion program and updating that, but really important to make sure that we're looking at the negative affects of gaming in this province and that's the addiction that we see many, many people have in the province.

[3:00 p.m.]

We do look forward to seeing if there are any presenters and any witnesses at Law Amendments Committee but I would encourage, at this time, the government to seriously take a look at making sure that they update the gaming strategy so that Nova Scotians know that the government understands that yes, we're in the business of gambling in the province, as a government, but we're also in the business of trying to mitigate the negative impact that it has on some people here in Nova Scotia, Mr. Speaker.

MR. SPEAKER « » : If I recognize the minister it will be close the debate.

The honourable Minister of Finance and Treasury Board.

HON. KAREN CASEY « » : Mr. Speaker, I do want to thank the two members opposite who spoke to this bill and specifically to the first speaker, regarding the funds. I know that when it does take time for people, when they are on the floor, if they are not supposed to be there, to be identified. I do know that security is certainly aware but there may be some winnings before somebody is identified and asked to leave.

I will get the answer to that question for the member and share it with all because it is an important question. We know the winnings can't leave with the person who is self-excluded, but we do need to know what happens to those.

I would also say to the member for Sackville-Cobequid, I do want to congratulate him on being the author of the second edition of the Responsible Gaming Strategy. In 2005, I believe, the first Responsible Gaming Strategy was introduced. It was updated in 2011 by the government of the day.

[Page 726]

We certainly follow that gaming strategy. We recognize the importance any government has for social responsibility to ensure that we have programs in place to help those who either self-identify as needing help or whose family members or friends may identify. It's important that we keep our eyes on the program and if they are effective. If they are, we will continue or enhance them and if they are not, we will discontinue them, but we certainly are cognizant of that.

We do have a huge responsibility as government to make sure that in a province where gaming and gambling is regulated that the regulations are meeting the objectives of all of us, so we will certainly keep our eye on that. With those few comments, I look forward to the responses that we may get, to the information we may get and the comments from Law Amendments Committee.

MR. SPEAKER « » : The motion is for second reading of Bill No. 49. Would all those in favour of the motion please say Aye. Contrary minded, Nay.

The motion is carried.

Ordered that this bill be referred to the Committee on Law Amendments.

The honourable Government House Leader.

HON. GEOFF MACLELLAN « » : Mr. Speaker, would you please call Bill No. 51.

Bill No. 51 - Halifax Convention Centre Act.

MR. SPEAKER « » : The honourable Minister of Business.

HON. GEOFF MACLELLAN « » : Mr. Speaker, I move that Bill No. 51, the Halifax Convention Centre Act, be now read a second time. This government is doing things differently to grow our economy, attract new investment, more immigrants and more visitors to Nova Scotia.

A modern Halifax Convention Centre is certainly a key part of that. While the convention centre itself is a spectacular and vibrant part of the city, the amendments in this bill are very much routine.

Events East manages and operates the Convention Centre, and the province and the Halifax Regional Municipality have a 50-50 partnership in owning the centre. The amendments to this legislation give Events East more clarity about their business and at the same time the amendments ensure that the oversight is in line with other public entities and Crown Corporations.

[Page 727]

This legislation will provide more organizational clarity, which is good for the province and the municipality, as shareholders. It is good for Events East, Mr. Speaker, it will allow them to focus on identifying business, attracting large events and welcoming visitors.

So far so good this year. In the first year of operations the Convention Centre will host more than 160 events, attracting more than 100,000 guests. With that I turn it over to the Opposition for your comments.

MR. SPEAKER « » : The honourable member for Inverness.

MR. ALLAN MACMASTER « » : Mr. Speaker, thank you for the opportunity to speak on this piece of legislation. I rise with some concern and some surprise to see government reducing what appears to be at least, in looking at the legislation, reducing the amount of accountability for an asset which Nova Scotians have invested significantly in, to the tune of millions of dollars and something that they have invested in and that is going to be employing Nova Scotians essentially through government.

Mr. Speaker, I rise with some concern because I think about eliminating an annual report of accountability. Why do that? If we are shareholders in that operation in terms of past investment made in it, that alone, especially to the tune that we've made it in, would suggest that we should be asking for an annual report of accountability. Are we not interested in how the centre does? Do we not have a stake in it, given our past investment?

So, I rise with concern about that. I do know that there are some other elements in here about allowing them to decide their own timing for strategic planning. It would appear, based on what I'm reading, and I may be wrong, they no longer need to provide estimates for the budget in the Spring. Those are causes for concern, Mr. Speaker. Maybe the minister can address those as the bill proceeds, as I know it will, because I'm sure that government members will be supporting it.

I also think about executive compensation. Mr. Speaker, show me an executive who doesn't think they're worth $1 million a year. I used to work in the investment industry and if you looked at the reports of publicly traded companies, it was absolutely astounding to see the amounts of compensation paid to individuals. To the point you could not imagine how anybody could be worth that kind of money, how anybody in a business operation could contribute that much value to be paid upwards of a $1 million a year or upwards of $10 million a year or $15 million a year.

I think about all the Nova Scotians out there who are working for much less than that. We've heard comments today about people in the province, 40 per cent of people living below the poverty line are actually working full-time jobs. I think that is gross inequity and I don't think it really serves our society well. This is an asset that has been paid for largely by the public. I know there has been private sector investment. With all those things considered, I think in this Legislature we need to think about executive compensation and what it means with this legislation to just remove the cap on that.

[Page 728]

Mr. Speaker, I rise with those concerns. I'm not going to say too much more today, but I wanted to put those comments on the record and I look forward to hearing other members comments of the House and maybe perhaps hearing from the public as well.

MR. SPEAKER « » : The honourable member for Dartmouth South.

MS. CLAUDIA CHENDER « » : Mr. Speaker, I also look forward to hopefully hearing from some members of the public on this at Law Amendments. This is substantially publicly-owned and so I think they certainly have a say. To that end, while some of these changes certainly are administrative and routine, as the minister said, there are others that cause some red flags. I have to say that whenever you hear the word "routine" connected with some piece of legislation, it's a little bit of an indication that we're not to look a little bit closer.

In my conversations with people around the Halifax Regional Municipality, it seems as though they are satisfied with the substance of this bill, which I think is important because they are also co-owners and have liability for the Convention Centre. But I am, like my colleague, concerned about the reduction in public oversight. It's a public project. It was built with public funds and the public has a right to a detailed understanding of the decisions made by Events East.

I understand that some of these rules were set in place before Events East began operating. Some of this may be unnecessary paperwork, but in so many areas, this government repeatedly downplays the importance of public accountability and transparency. The lack of transparency we're hearing so much about is also becoming a concern not just for some members of this House, but also for the public around Events East.

It may be that Events East doesn't need to report on its performance in comparison to other convention centres in the province, but I don't know why we would lower the standards by which we judge our Convention Centre's success in order to come into line with what other people are doing. I think we should always be looking to create best practices, particularly when it comes to government oversight.

We'll be following this closely. As I said, we are all for streamlining the process and reducing unnecessary paperwork, but we are always more concerned with not sacrificing transparency and accountability.

[Page 729]

With those few comments, I'll take my seat.

MR. SPEAKER « » : The honourable member for Cape Breton-Richmond.

MS. ALANA PAON « » : Mr. Speaker, it's a pleasure to rise today to say a few words here towards the Halifax Convention Centre bill, the amendments that are being put forward. I would like to echo the comments of my colleagues and put them on record. There does seem to be a slippery slope here, as far as removing certain levels of accountability, especially when it comes to Crown corporations.

At the end of the day, Nova Scotians, as much as there is private investment, obviously, that has been put forward in this project - also, there's a great deal of public money, public funds, both on a municipal level and provincial level and so forth - they are the primary shareholders in any type of project of this magnitude that's put under the auspices of a Crown corporation. It's really important, and I don't know any corporation or any corporate shareholders that would ever put up with not having several layers of accountability as far as knowing where their dollars are being invested on an annual basis. We seem to be asking the province and the people of Nova Scotia to adhere to a different standard.

As far as public accountability, we seem to be eroding that process. I'll state that again - it was only four years ago that this government put forward this Crown corporation in the first place. In it, it was stated that it would be accountable to Nova Scotians for its results. In fact, it was the former Minister of ERDT who stated, "It will be accountable to Nova Scotians for its results."

Well, I would like to hold the government to that statement and make certain that when I see changes in a bill that has such a large potential to affect a lot of Nova Scotians - and I see, for example, in some of the changes that raise the contract ceiling requiring the minister and HRM CEO to sign off from $250,000 to $500,000 for any agreement or contract that will result in compensation, including benefits or payments, excluding applicable consumption taxes - boy, that raises a large red flag for me.

Most Nova Scotians are barely scraping by. Perhaps in government terms and public coffer terms, $250,000 or $500,000 doesn't seem like a whole lot. Well, to the average Nova Scotian, I think they would feel a lot more confident knowing that there are extra layers of accountability in signing off on any dollars that are going through public coffers, but especially dollars of this magnitude.

There are many more things that I could say on this. I'll hold my comments to go through Law Amendments.

[Page 730]

If I may say, Mr. Speaker, I really do hope, even though it's the middle of the day - or kind of the middle of the day or middle of the afternoon; 3:00 p.m. is usually when we hold Law Amendments - it is so vitally important that Nova Scotians come forward if they have concerns about this. I know that many Nova Scotians have a lot on their plate in the middle of the day. Many people are working. But this affects all legislation that goes through this House. It affects the average Nova Scotian every single day because it's their money that is being invested in these projects, and it's their money that needs to be properly accounted for.

MR. SPEAKER « » : If I recognize the minister it will be to close the debate.

The honourable Minister of Business.

HON. GEOFF MACLELLAN « » : Mr. Speaker, I do thank the members opposite for their comments. As always, I look forward to the Law Amendments process and the participation of the public on this, should there be any representation. I want to make it very clear to the Opposition, though, I can appreciate the concern, if that's the one that they're around with respect to the operational plan. What's required in the outdated legislation and how the governance works is very much redundant.

[3:15 p.m.]

With respect to the reporting, an annual business plan is standard for Crown corporations. They are required to do that. So that will be an annual report. Also, the strategic plan that they are required to produce - not only do they produce that but there's a third-party vetting, a third-party inspection verification of that process, so it's not us approving it. It's no one inside the government. It would be third-party verified documents, so that's number two.

Third, because it is an important partnership between the HRM and the Province, we have the ability to essentially go in at any time if there is any issue, if there is anything that happens, if there's a particular incident or anything of that nature, we have the full authority and ability to go in and check to see what is happening with respect to that. There are layers of oversight.

The operational plan that is mentioned here is redundant in the sense that it's very specific. It's just the operational piece of a Crown corporation. An annual business plan covers all of that, as does the strategic plan. This is very much getting rid of an extra layer that really isn't necessary with respect to the other reporting measures that are required here in this Act.

Again, the partnership is critical and at no point in time would the HRM, the province, or anybody want to provide less oversight. Those are the types of things that don't happen in modern-day governments. We're not going to provide less scrutiny, less oversight, less accountability for any Crown corporation or any entity of government, so that's a non-starter for us.

[Page 731]

This is really about having an extra layer that isn't required and the HRM are in lockstep with us.

With respect to the budget process, the remuneration, these other pieces, they'll apply and sort of follow the standard practice. There will be nothing left outside of that, so it will be the normal reporting, the normal process of operations that all Crown corporations go through, so it will be no different.

I have a ton of faith in Carrie Cousins and I have a ton of faith in Justin McDonough, the board chair, and I think they're going to get this right. The whole purpose of this legislation is to get a modernized Events East structure that reflects what we need in this joint partnership for such an important facility in our province. It's going to be really a flag for our province and for the region, so having the right structure in place is important.

We're not doing this to open up the cookie jar and they can decide what they're going to pay themselves. That's not how it works in this day and age, that's not what any of these people would be interested in.

Their mandate, their goal, their motivation is not to break down the rules so they can access more money. That's just not what this is. This is about with respect to the $500,000. What that is about is there are recurring contracts that obviously a facility of this magnitude would have, so rather than having to come back through Cabinet and HRM, they have the ability to manage these things on their own which is a very reasonable thing.

Again, this is about the operations and it's about contracts that would exist in terms of the convention centre functions. It's not about their salaries or anything related to remuneration specifically and, again, that's not something that I don't think Carrie and the board members are interested in.

With that I do appreciate the comments from the members opposite and I look forward to Law Amendments Committee, as well, and we'll see where it goes from there.

MR. SPEAKER « » : The motion is for second reading of Bill No. 51. Would all those in favour of the motion please say Aye. Contrary minded, Nay.

The motion is carried.

Ordered that this bill be referred to the Committee on Law Amendments.

The honourable Government House Leader.

[Page 732]

HON. GEOFF MACLELLAN « » : Mr. Speaker, would you please call the order of business, Public Bills for Third Reading.

PUBLIC BILLS FOR THIRD READING

MR. SPEAKER « » : The honourable Government House Leader.

HON. GEOFF MACLELLAN « » : Mr. Speaker, would you please call Bill No. 2.

Bill No. 2 - Develop Nova Scotia Act.

MR. SPEAKER « » : The honourable Minister of Business.

HON. GEOFF MACLELLAN « » : Mr. Speaker, I move that Bill No. 2, the Develop Nova Scotia Act, now be read for a third time and do pass.

I want to thank the members in this House for their attention to this bill and their thoughtful remarks. This bill was drafted after looking at the mandates and best practices of Crown corporations here and outside of the province, as well. This bill will empower Develop Nova Scotia to focus on strategic economic infrastructure, including improving high-speed Internet service for the people of Nova Scotia.

We know that high-speed Internet is an economic game changer for this province, and we know that connectivity is crucial to building stronger communities and a stronger provincial economy.

We want to connect as many Nova Scotians at home and at work as soon as we can. This bill also mandates Develop Nova Scotia to do more to help build those stronger communities. That's the focus on what is known as place-making, ensuring our vibrant communities can attract and retain more people and promote economic growth, investment, business, and social enterprise.

Here is what the president and CEO of the Cape Breton Partnership feels about it. Carla Arsenault says that the Cape Breton Partnership recognizes that the talent attraction and retention is the cornerstone of economic development. Place-making across Nova Scotia has the ability to shape environments where social, cultural, and economic values thrive and, in turn, inspires prosperous communities where people want to live, work, play, and learn.

By capitalizing on our innovative assets and engaging in creative discussion, place-making will build a vibrant province that is competitive and connected through Develop Nova Scotia's new provincial mandate - and I can add that the team at Develop Nova Scotia has already shown the expertise to manage projects worth hundreds of millions of dollars.

[Page 733]

They led the COVE redevelopment in Dartmouth, now home to more than 40 ocean-related businesses, and a key to landing the Ocean Supercluster contract as well. They understand how to work with business to create growth and how to create places that are attractive to people. Jim Hanlon is the CEO of the COVE and he put it this way: Develop Nova Scotia as the lead on the redevelopment has shown vision, flexibility, and focus throughout this project.

COVE is already showing its value in growing Nova Scotia's ocean economy and it's indicative of the value that Develop Nova Scotia can bring to our economy at large. Jennifer Angel and her team have expertise in project management and complex public-private partnerships. This bill will enable Develop Nova Scotia to continue its transformative work beyond the harbours of Halifax and Lunenburg to the communities all over this great province.

Thank you, again, to all members of the House.

MR. SPEAKER « » : The honourable member for Cape Breton-Richmond.

MS. ALANA PAON « » : Mr. Speaker, thank you for allowing me the opportunity to speak towards Bill No. 2 changes that are recommended towards a couple of clauses and pages here in the original Develop Nova Scotia Act.

It's very apparent that we're really between a rock and a hard place as far as voting yes or no on this particular bill in my heart of hearts simply because of the very few changes that I had put forth in this House, which I truly believe does reflect changes that should be made in order to protect and truly represent all Nova Scotians with regard to the economic development that is proposed to be going forward under Develop Nova Scotia.

It's unfortunate that those changes were not accepted, and I know it was a little bit heated the last time we were talking about Develop Nova Scotia within this Chamber. I appreciate that the minister apologized for some of the remarks that he made at that time and I accept his apology . . . (Interruption) He did. He apologized. It may not be on record, but it's all good.

I wanted to say that it is extremely important that we do roll out broadband service as well as cellular service in this province. As the minister said, I have absolutely no doubt that Jennifer Angel and her team are more than capable of being able to manage the scope of the project ahead for broadband service. Certainly, it's no disparity towards her or anyone who obviously works within her team structure, but what I'm truly concerned about with putting forth this bill without the amendments that were suggested was really the lack of having regional representation at the table at the board level.

There's a lot of money that's going to be rolling through this Crown corporation just with the broadband service project loan. It's $193 million. That's a lot of money and we want to be 100 per cent sure that every single Nova Scotian and every single region within Nova Scotia has an equal opportunity to be able to access those services, that the project that is about to be rolled out will, hopefully, enact throughout Nova Scotia.

[Page 734]

I know in my constituency in particular we have a huge problem with accessing just basic land lines. Cellular phone service is missing in a great deal of the Cape Breton constituency, the Cape Breton-Richmond constituency rather, and there's really no guarantee because I don't know yet what the guidelines for the project rollout will be.

It makes me very uncomfortable when there are announcements that are made, for example, by this government for something such as the pilot project that's going on across the province with ATVers, and we see that most of those projects, save one - in fact, all of the projects, save one - are in Liberal constituencies. There is no doubt in my mind that there's obviously favouritism towards certain regions of the province based on what colour the constituency perhaps flies at this time.

At the end of the day, I am a member of the Opposition, and I look across the floor and we have a majority across the floor. In the end, the governing Party does not have to listen to any of our concerns or any of our suggestions. They don't have to enact, I will say, any of our suggestions, necessarily, because we know that in the end they can pass whatever it is that they wish.

What I would really like to see happen in this House, and I certainly do hope that the minister and those representatives who are across from me whom I respect - and I would hope that they respect me in return - this is something that is of grave concern to me. I would like to have seen representation on the board of directors from across this province. Perhaps that's an amendment that will only be able to be made when there's a change in government next time around. I can put on record right now that it will be an amendment that I will certainly be putting forward to caucus to make next time around should we be so lucky as to change seats.

I would like to say as well a thank you to the minister and his staff. I know that putting legislation forward is always quite a feat. There are a lot of things in here that need to be sorted out. Hopefully, there are a lot of consultations that are done.

With regard to the area that speaks about strategic planning, and we just saw it again with the bill that we just spoke about only a few moments ago for the Halifax Convention Centre, it seems that there is a trend currently with this government to scale back on a certain amount of accountability. With the strategic planning process yet again, within Develop Nova Scotia, and also the Convention Centre - and I mentioned this before - five years is way too long to have a reporting process on whether a strategic plan is actually working or not. So, certainly, I would be looking to make amendments to that as well with the other bill.

[Page 735]

Again, there is no way that my caucus, without being slammed, I don't think, would be able to say no on this bill. We need to get moving, obviously, on this project. We need to have a Crown corporation, I'm in agreement with that, to take the lead in rolling that project out.

In the end, Mr. Speaker, all I want to say is that I really would like to make certain that this government hears that all Nova Scotians, especially those Nova Scotians who are shareholders within Crown corporations, corporate shareholders in these projects - they should be permitted to have the highest level of accountability that is available to them to make certain that their dollars are being spent in the right direction.

With that, Mr. Speaker, my caucus mates and I will eventually say yes to this bill, and I thank you for hearing my comments today.

MR. SPEAKER « » : The honourable member for Dartmouth South.

MS. CLAUDIA CHENDER « » : I'm pleased to rise and say a few words about the Develop Nova Scotia Bill. As I said at third reading, I am interested and glad to see the place-making approach to economic development named and, at least to some extent, adopted by this government. That word is a bit of a buzzword right now, but it certainly signals an approach to economic development that focuses on building quality of life and attracting people and talent to come here, as the minister spoke about, focusing on communities. I have to say it does seem like a bit of a change of direction from the government's economic development strategy, which we heard this morning is based mostly on the Premier leaving Nova Scotia and going to China.

[3:30 p.m.]

I hope this change in direction means that we'll be seeing investments in public services soon, to undo the cuts the government has delivered to the quality and affordability of life in Nova Scotia. I hope that paying attention to place-making will make the government reconsider a number of its policies, which are directly at odds with this idea, for example, around schools.

The province hasn't opened a single hub school. Hub schools are at the heart of something like a place-making strategy. They can create a bustling hub in a community with much-needed space for services, arts, and small business. Instead, the province continues to shut down small schools in favour of big schools, although I have to say we don't know what the province plans to do much at all with schools any more, nor do we have impact in that, without any thought to walkability, integrated mobility, or the province's role in community building.

It is disappointing, short-term thinking that is penny wise and pound foolish, and I certainly hope that Develop Nova Scotia signals a change to that.

[Page 736]

I also very much support the expansion of the board to give regional representation, which is important, and I am disappointed the members did not choose to support my colleague's proposed amendment that would have made the commitment to regional representation explicit and legislated.

Develop Nova Scotia's new mandate is to be province-wide and it will be taking on problems that impact rural communities across the province, so there should be input from those regions all the way through the operations, including at its highest level.

The rural internet initiative is precisely that: a rural initiative. Having people on the board with local knowledge and local networks specific to each region of Nova Scotia will help make the best decisions and increase the likelihood that projects will be successful and responsive to local conditions.

We've heard from the minister, we've heard from Develop Nova Scotia in their consultations that this is exactly what they plan to do. They want to be responsive to projects, from those that are shovel-ready to those that have not even been contemplated yet. In order to do that, they have to understand the local circumstances on the ground, they have to understand the genesis of those projects, what the communities need, how those needs are best served.

I'd like to add that for the same reasons, I'd encourage Develop Nova Scotia to use proactive strategies to make sure there is diversity on the board and not just the usual suspects. With that said, I need to repeat, again, the deep concerns I have about the government's rural Internet plan altogether. As I've said before, Nova Scotia desperately needs to step up and take leadership with the rural Internet initiative, so I'm glad to see the investments that the government has announced and I'm glad to see the creation of Develop Nova Scotia.

Unfortunately, I fear this plan may be set up to replicate past failure. The minister said during Question Period in the last sitting that the infrastructure built with public money would be public infrastructure, but it has become clear that that is not the case. The minister also said this would not be a giveaway of public money to the big utilities, but there's nothing that we've seen in the mandate of Develop Nova Scotia or what we know of the Internet Funding Trust that gives us confidence in that assertion.

In 2007 when the Progressive Conservative Government spent $26 million to bring broadband to rural Nova Scotia, the majority of that money went to Eastlink and Seaside Wireless. The results were inadequate from the start and here we are still grappling with the same problem. Repeating the same market solutions to a textbook case of market failure, in the minister's words, doesn't make sense. The main difference between this plan and the 2007 plan is that the government is telling itself, and the rest of us, that it's going to negotiate better contracts than it did in 2007. Unfortunately, believing in being able to negotiate better contracts is a documented self-deception that governments across jurisdictions have told themselves, repeating past mistakes and entering into new public-private partnerships that waste public dollars.

[Page 737]

Even if the Premier or the minister had been reading The Art of the Deal, it won't change the fact that in a fundamentally unprofitable market, again as acknowledged by the minister, there is no incentive for Eastlink, Bell, Seaside, or anyone else to significantly improve access or quality in the future. It's a market failure. Unfortunately, this is a recipe for endless government subsidy, high Internet prices, and poor service. It's sad because we don't have to look far, just to Saskatchewan, to see that SaskTel, a publicly-owned alternative, gives Saskatchewan the lowest prices and highest-rated customer satisfaction in Canada and delivers revenue to the province at the same time.

Internet affordability is a major issue in this province and we haven't heard the government say anything about it in their Internet strategy. We've heard about access but we have not heard about affordability. Even in the existing places where we do have access to Internet - like this House, as my colleague pointed out - we have some of the highest prices in the world. Canada has some of the highest prices in the world and Nova Scotia has some of the highest prices in Canada. This puts us at a disadvantage in the digital age, but there is no mention of affordability in Develop Nova Scotia's mandate regarding Internet, nor in any of the presentations that they made to the public.

The Eastern Ontario Regional Network, which members of the department have mentioned positively as a model for Nova Scotia, has a goal of delivering prices to rural residents that are comparable to urban residents, but that is an aspirational goal and not a commitment. We need it to be a commitment if we're going to say that we have addressed urban rural inequality in Internet access. Why would we spend all this money to bring Internet to the parts of the province that so badly need it if we can't be sure that they'll be able to afford it? And we shouldn't stop there. We should be lowering prices for all Nova Scotians.

In closing, I'm hopeful that the expanded scope of Develop Nova Scotia will have a positive impact for Nova Scotians. Unfortunately, in the area of rural Internet, I fear we're setting ourselves up to repeat the mistakes of the past. With those few comments, I'll take my seat.

MR. SPEAKER « » : If I recognize the minister it will be to close the debate.

The honourable Minister of Business.

HON. GEOFF MACLELLAN « » : Mr. Speaker, I thank my honourable colleagues opposite for their comments. With that, I'd like to close third reading on Bill No. 2.

MR. SPEAKER « » : The motion is for third reading of Bill No. 2. Would all those in favour of the motion please say Aye. Contrary minded, Nay.

[Page 738]

The motion is carried.

Ordered that this bill do pass. Ordered that the title be as read by the Clerk. Ordered that the bill be engrossed.

The honourable Government House Leader.

HON. GEOFF MACLELLAN « » : Mr. Speaker, would you please call Bill No. 4.

Bill No. 4 - Corporations Registration Act.

MR. SPEAKER « » : The honourable Minister of Business.

HON. GEOFF MACLELLAN « » : Mr. Speaker, I move that Bill No. 4, the Corporations Registration Act, now be read a third time and do pass.

The Corporations Registration Act promotes economic growth, fosters a spirit of entrepreneurship, and encourages new business. We are going from a province with one of the highest costs for start-up to the lowest in the country.

With this bill, we are waiving the annual registration fee for Nova Scotia companies during their first year of operation. By way of a regulatory change that has been made to the Companies Act, we are reducing the incorporation fee for a limited company from $336.40 to $200. Both of these changes will take effect January 1, 2019. This means that in the first year of operation, the cost to incorporate and register a limited company will be $200, Madam Speaker, which is significantly less than the current combined cost of $454.75. For cost comparison, New Brunswick is $262 if the filing is online and $312 for a paper filing. Prince Edward Island is $250. Ontario is $360 for a paper filing, as well.

This bill benefits thousands of entrepreneurs who want to start and grow a business here in Nova Scotia. In addition to going from one of the highest incorporation fees to one of the lowest in the country, we are also moving the service standard to process incorporation documents from a five-to-ten day wait to three days. This will help get businesses up and running sooner.

With that, I'll conclude my remarks and ask the members opposite to comment.

MADAM SPEAKER « » : The honourable member for Cape Breton-Richmond.

MS. ALANA PAON « » : Madam Speaker, it's a pleasure to rise today to speak to Bill No. 4, the Corporations Registration Act, the amendments. Again, as has been mentioned in the past by myself and my colleagues, any time service fees toward businesses are looking to be reduced in a predictable and sustained way, it would be unusual for us not to give our support. That's what's ultimately happening here.

[Page 739]

There's not really a sense here that - and I want to say this without picking on the minister or his department - this is a really great step in the right direction. It obviously reduces red tape for certain companies that are looking to incorporate. However, when it comes to new start-ups, new businesses and small and medium-size enterprises that are just starting up, there's not going to be a stampede of new incorporations here on that level. Incorporations mostly happen when businesses are at a certain level. They're usually established and moving on obviously to a different kind of level and looking at incorporating for numerous reasons, including liability. Lower incorporation cost will be a minor cost savings really for SMEs, but also for anyone trying to incorporate a holding company, et cetera.

The intention of this legislation and, again, it's wonderful to see the government is listening to stakeholders and business owners, including the CFIB, and are in agreement - as we are as well - in the reduction of red tape for business owners. But to reduce the cost of a new limited company, the incorporation of a new limited company in Nova Scotia by waiving the first year's annual fee under the Corporations Registration Act is really the intent of this legislation and related reduction of incorporation costs will be as well by cutting the fee under the Companies Act for a new limited company incorporation to $200 effected in forthcoming regulations. So, again, $200 is nothing to sneeze at, but $200 when you're looking at incorporating, obviously incorporation comes with some massive annual bills usually for, you know, to do annual accounting at a different level, as well as obviously the cost of incorporation. The legal fees are sometimes astronomical. It can be many, many thousands of dollars.

The processing of incorporations at the Registry of Joint Stock Companies we know will drop from a five-to-ten business day standard to a three business day standard and is supposed to be going into effect immediately. That's always wonderful to hear that anyone, including business owners who are extremely busy with just trying to get through their day to day and their mound of paperwork that usually is involved in running a small business, will obviously be able to go through the process a little bit more quickly through Service Nova Scotia.

The cost overall to government is about $750,000, and I'm assuming this is likely going to be included in the red-tape reduction target of about $25 million. New limited company incorporations in Nova Scotia are subject to some of the highest incorporation fees in the country and it's about $336.40 to be exact for incorporation in the Companies Act. An additional $118.35 in incorporation under the Corporations Registration Act in payment of the first year's annual registration fee. That's a total, easy math, of $454.75 and that doesn't include standard legal fees, name search, incidentals, that kind of thing. That's in the range of about $2,000 to $3,000, as I mentioned earlier. This is a huge cost to small businesses. Many small businesses that are just starting up and, again, I know the government has been really marketing this as being able to assist small businesses in moving forward and even getting to start up, but most small businesses that I know and that many people know are just trying to get by, let alone having to spend thousands of dollars on incorporation costs. It's not practical for most of them to incorporate, nor is it necessary to incorporate from the get go.

[Page 740]

So, after amendments and regulations are in effect, effective fee for incorporating a new limited company will drop to $200. Again, it's always wonderful to see that fees are dropping and the annual fee of $118.35 will still be owing on the final day of the anniversary month of incorporation each subsequent year of operation. So, there's a net savings there for a business owner of about $255. The drop in the incorporation fee under the Companies Act to $200 will finally align Nova Scotia with fees for incorporation pursuant to the federal Canada Business Corporations Act. It's always good when we can finally align ourselves with what's going on federally.

While these changes reduce the effective initial incorporation fees to $200 aligned with the lowest in the country, Nova Scotia remains one of the more expensive provinces in which to maintain a business registration. We still remain one of the most expensive provinces again in which to maintain a business registration. So changes to the back end Registry of Joint Stock Companies theoretically will improve the service standards, but that still remains to be about a year away.

[3:45 p.m.]

I know it takes time obviously to be able to organize these things, to be able to get either staff in place or new technology in place to be able to enact these new measures. However, it would be really great to be able to see this done a little more quickly, and I certainly look forward to when those service standards will, in fact, be enacted. I'm thinking that as much as it is supposed to be a year away, I think it's probably likely going to be closer to 18 months, based on the conversations that I've had.

In the meantime, Registry plans to hire two new staff members to provide additional capacity and meet the new three-business day standards. So the hires - and this is a hard one for me - will be dismissed once the database upgrades are complete. I never really like to see anybody losing their jobs, I obviously never like to see a reduction in employment in our province. I know that things have to get streamlined, things have to improve, technology obviously is always improving and making things faster for us to be able to access. But it's always a bitter pill to swallow when we know that good people in Nova Scotia that are obviously having to pay mortgages, have children and have bills to pay will probably be dismissed, due to this new protocol.

In the end, again we're very much in favour of seeing fees reduced in this province. Entrepreneurs overall will benefit from the lowest incorporation fees in the country, but will changes help new businesses in the start-up phase? I don't think so. This is not something that really is going to help new start-ups. Again, and I will reiterate, it is really changes that are going to be happening that are going to be assisting more businesses that have established themselves or businesses that obviously have enough capacity at start-up to be able to pay for incorporation fees, both legal and all the accounting that comes with it.

[Page 741]

With that, Mr. Speaker, again I would thank the minister for the work that he and his staff have done in helping local businesses to be able to reduce overall costs at the end of the day. With that, I will take my seat.

MR. SPEAKER « » : The honourable member for Dartmouth South.

MS. CLAUDIA CHENDER « » : Madam Speaker, I am pleased to rise and say a few words about the Corporations Act. This bill is fine, on its face. As we said before, there's no problem in making it cheaper for businesses to incorporate in Nova Scotia, to streamline that process, but we are of the opinion that incorporation fees are not the biggest challenge facing Nova Scotia businesses at the moment.

Advocates for this bill who have been quoted widely have even said that this fee reduction won't result in more businesses of any size incorporating, but that it is mostly a symbolic bill and it sends a signal. The signal is that Nova Scotia will now have the lowest incorporation fees in the country and that's great. But we also have the lowest minimum wage in the country, we also have the fastest-rising tuition fees in the country, some of the highest student debt in the country, some of the worst child poverty in the country. Municipalities are struggling to fix roads and improve infrastructure. Housing and child care are increasingly unaffordable.

I just want to say to the members of this House that those facts also impact our economy and that they also send signals. Those signals are the ones that we certainly wish that the government was paying a little bit more attention to because, for successful businesses and successful entrepreneurs to set up shop here, we need people to feel secure about the future of Nova Scotia to take risks. We need happy consumers with money in their pockets. We hear about this all the time, we need healthy employees who can be reliable and focused at work and we need to be building on the incredible quality of life that we have here. We need to have communities that people want to come and live and invest in, where they feel happy and healthy and secure.

To that end, I would just like to say a few things. In response to my comments at second reading, the minister said that this reduction in fees is an expenditure that will help create more entrepreneurs, create more businesses, and create wealth in the province to generate revenue for the province to fund social programs. Leaving aside, again, the fact advocates for this fee have said that it will not do that, I want to counter the insinuation that our caucus doesn't care about these issues.

This mindset, this focus, on keeping taxes on corporations and the wealthy low, keeping our regulations relatively lax, keeping our cost of labour low - all of these result in less government revenue, which means declining public services. This is trickle-down economics, Madam Speaker, and it's a development strategy that has failed over and over and over again. When Ronald Reagan introduced it, he made similar comments to those that we have heard in this House - that corporate tax cuts would result in more revenue for public services because of business confidence - but it didn't happen.

[Page 742]

The evidence from past decades of this is so clear that the IMF is even concluding that its past policy advice in this area was wrong. I could go on and on, Madam Speaker, but I'll say that the study from the IMF has advice for policymakers, which is that efforts by governments to reduce debt-to-GDP ratio by cutting spending to pay down debt are counterproductive because they undermine growth. Instead, countries should pursue growth-stimulating spending - this is from the IMF - and the debt-to-GDP ratio will decline naturally through the GDP growth achieved.

Growth stimulation is what Nova Scotians need, Madam Speaker. This can reduce costs for small businesses in much more meaningful ways than reducing incorporation fees, and we can improve the quality of life for Nova Scotians at the same time. Affordable child care, a living wage, affordable housing, affordable and accessible rural and urban public transit, high-quality schools, functioning health care - these are all things that we can and should be pursuing to make inclusive growth something more than a buzzword, and it's not hard to do. The Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives publishes an alternative budget every year that looks at inclusive growth.

For advice on where to cut red tape, I might recommend that the government take a look at the work of the Centre for Local Prosperity on creating economic resilience through import replacement. They have specific recommendations on provincial red tape to cut that would support community-driven businesses, thereby creating wealth that would stay and circulate in the community. That's a place-making initiative if I've ever heard one.

All of this is to say, I found the minister's comments and focus on this bill a little bit disappointing because there's so much more we can and should be doing for business in this province. Along with my colleagues, we will be supporting this bill because reducing incorporation costs is great. It's just not that big of a thing.

We're happy to do this, but we wish we were doing a whole lot more.

MADAM SPEAKER « » : If I recognize the minister it will be to close the debate.

The honourable Minister of Service Nova Scotia.

HON. GEOFF MACLELLAN « » : With that, I move to close debate on Bill No. 4, the Corporations Registration Act.

MADAM SPEAKER « » : The motion is for third reading of Bill No. 4. Would all those in favour of the motion please say Aye. Contrary minded, Nay.

[Page 743]

The motion is carried.

Ordered that this bill do pass. Ordered that the title be as read by the Clerk. Ordered that the bill be engrossed.

The honourable Government House Leader.

HON. GEOFF MACLELLAN « » : Madam Speaker, would you please call Bill No. 10.

Bill No. 10 - Liquor Control Act.

MR. SPEAKER « » : The honourable Minister of Finance and Treasury Board.

HON. KAREN CASEY « » : Madam Speaker, I move that Bill No. 10 to amend the Liquor Control Act be now read a third time and do pass.

The amendments to the Liquor Control Act will reduce red tape for businesses and for the Nova Scotia Liquor Corporation when they are wanting to set up establishments that manufacture and sell alcohol in Nova Scotia communities. The current plebiscite requirement extends back to Prohibition and has become outdated.

Nova Scotia is the last jurisdiction in Canada that requires plebiscites, which can be costly and add months to the time it takes to obtain the licensing and permitting required to open a business. The amendments eliminate the requirement for a plebiscite to be held prior to a business that is manufacturing or selling alcohol in a dry community. Requirements to obtain licenses and permits and to follow municipal zoning bylaws remain unchanged. Municipalities will have until January 1st, 2019 to explore whether more bylaws are needed in their communities. I encourage communities to work with their municipalities to create additional zoning bylaws if required.

I'm pleased that this change will allow businesses to better plan and make timely decisions when opening a new establishment. It will also bring Nova Scotia in line with all other provinces.

MADAM SPEAKER « » : If I recognize the minister it will be to close the debate.

The honourable Minister of Finance and Treasury Board.

HON. KAREN CASEY « » : Madam Speaker, I move that Bill No. 10, an Act to Amend the Liquor Control Act, now be read a third time and do pass.

MADAM SPEAKER « » : The motions is for third reading of Bill No. 10. Would all those in favour of the motion pleas say Aye. Contrary minded, Nay.

[Page 744]

The motion is carried.

Ordered that this bill do pass. Ordered that the title be read as by the Clerk. Ordered that the bill be engrossed.

The honourable Government House Leader.

HON. GEOFF MACLELLAN « » : Madam Speaker, would you please call Bill No. 13.

Bill No. 13 - Day Care Act

MADAM SPEAKER « » : The honourable Minister of Education and Early Childhood Development.

HON. ZACH CHURCHILL « » : Madam Speaker, I'm happy to stand and move that Bill No. 13 be read a third time and do pass.

This is part of our quality initiative. The changes to this bill will allow our regulated agencies to further investigate any concerns related to home care spaces in our regulated childcare sector. This allows the department to partner with them in ensuring that oversight to ensure health, safety, and quality programming. This is part of our broader agenda to make regulated childcare sector and government-provided early learning more accessible, affordable, and available to every single community in Nova Scotia.

We've invested over $65 million into the regulated childcare sector to reduce fees for families, so any family making $70,000 or below - because of our initiatives and federal funding that has allowed us to do this - will save hundreds to thousands of dollars in child care. We are also starting from a position where only one-in-four of our zero to 4-year-old children were able to access regulated child care and early learning initiatives. I'm happy to state that because of the investments we've made, because of the partnership we have with the federal government - we've actually expanded the regulated childcare sector.

This is separate from our pre-Primary program - we've expanded that by 1,500 spaces to date and we plan on increasing that expansion over the course of the next number of years. Compared to 2016, we went from having 25 per cent coverage and access to regulated child care sector, to now today having about 40 per cent coverage. This work is just beginning. Over the course of the next number of years, we're going to have full and complete access from one end of the province to the other.

On top of that, we've created over 3,000 spaces for 4-year-olds in our pre-Primary program. So at the same time, we're bringing in this new universal program which we know will be greatly beneficial to 4-year-olds. We've also expanded the regulated childcare sector and have worked with them on adapting to the pre-Primary reality and that is resulting in significant success in increasing access and affordability to regulated child care and also, with the changes we're making today, ensuring that all of our spaces operate at the highest standards of quality and safety.

[Page 745]

With that, I look forward to hearing the comments from the members opposite.

MADAM SPEAKER « » : The honourable member for Dartmouth East.

MR. TIM HALMAN « » : Madam Speaker, I want to thank the minister for his comments. I'm honoured to rise at third reading to speak on Bill No. 13, the Day Care Act.

As members of this House are aware, part of Bill No. 13 is a housekeeping bill where language is modernized, where we're seeing updated language being used, and certainly that is to the Opposition's liking. Seeing bills being updated to ensure that inclusive language is being used is definitely very important.

[4:00 p.m.]

As the minister indicated, yes, it does strengthen regulations. Certainly, the ongoing monitoring of how those regulations will be implemented, as it may affect programming is very important and certainly the Official Opposition will continue to monitor how these regulations are implemented.

In many respects, Madam Speaker, this bill like many bills from the government, it's a road map. At the end of the day, it's seeing how these regulations will be implemented. Certainly, at times I've noticed the law of unintended consequences hovers over this government, not always being fully aware at times how the new regulations they are implementing will impact program delivery.

Madam Speaker, the minister cites pre-Primary. Certainly, this Official Opposition was not opposed to pre-Primary in principle. We had great reservations with the hasty, quick roll-out of pre-Primary, so while the minister indicates the importance of that program, we also have to remember that with the hasty roll-out of that program we saw issues related to capacity where we have situations where pre-Primary will be attending junior highs, we have issues around catchment areas, and we have issues around access to playgrounds for four-year-olds.

I believe all that can be linked back to a hasty roll-out. Certainly, as it relates to Bill No. 13 the same principle applies, Madam Speaker. We'll continue to monitor and we'll continue to look at how these regulations are being implemented. With those few words, I take my seat.

MADAM SPEAKER « » : The honourable member for Dartmouth South.

[Page 746]

MS. CLAUDIA CHENDER « » : It's my pleasure to rise again to speak to third reading of the Day Care Act. This is a housekeeping bill; the changes are relatively small. As I said previously, I do appreciate the importance and the significance for the sector in changing the language to reflect the professional work done by early childhood educators across the province. I think it's important, and similarly, more fully reflecting family home child care in the legislation will hopefully relate to a greater acknowledgement of the role of those service providers in our community as well.

Unfortunately, the same factors for a long time have affected the entrance and retention of early childhood educators, which isn't addressed in this bill. I know the government is doing some work in this regard but it remains a challenge. There are low wages, stressful working conditions, and a lack of recognition paid to early childhood educators, so we appreciate that there is some work being done here.

We need to look at how we attract people and keep people in the field. We need to look at wages, working conditions, length of their day, planning and programming, and benefits for early childhood providers, certainly those who are in the pre-Primary program. I think that is being contemplated by government and by the hard work of the department, but we still have a very broad sector outside of that, which has suffered somewhat from the introduction of pre-Primary in terms of workforce issues and which does continue to require more attention.

I suggest that an opportunity to this end was somewhat missed with existing providers as alternative sites for the program. I know the government has said that this is something they would consider, but we're hearing about students in portables all over HRM, three-year-olds and four-year-olds being put in with junior high schools. I have to believe that there are licensed early childhood education centres that could accommodate some of these programs which would go a long way to continuing to ensure their viability and the availability of those spots.

I think we need to be working closely with the sector to make sure that changes in government policy don't have a negative impact, that we don't have those unintended consequences, both for the sector and the workforce issues that I mentioned, but especially for our young children who are cared for and educated by the folks working in this sector.

I hope that these amendments do improve the childcare landscape in the province. I hope that there aren't any of those unintended consequences but, most importantly, I look forward to someday soon being able to discuss the additional changes needed to build a truly universal high-quality, affordable, and accessible system of early learning and child care in Nova Scotia.

I can anticipate the minister's comments. We've heard all of the great things that the minister has done. He is never at a loss for words to tell us about the wonderful work of the people in the department, and I applaud the hard-working civil servants in that department, but I would argue that we still have a long way to go and it would be nice, sometimes, to be able to, in fact, discuss changes rather than just having to digest them.

[Page 747]

MADAM SPEAKER « » : If I recognize the minister it will be to close the debate.

HON. ZACH CHURCHILL « » : Madam Speaker, just three issues quickly that were brought up.

Playgrounds - it is not part of the early learning program for four-year-olds to have them play on the playground equipment that is intended for older students. We have loose parts and a focus on outdoor play and activity in parks, wooded areas, and these sorts of things to enhance the outdoor play curriculum. We actually have loose parts play equipment that help four-year-olds build new playground areas. That is intentional, the reason why we have it that way.

Wages - the member for Dartmouth South mentioned wages. A significant portion of the investments we have made have gone to setting wage floors in a sector. That has now led to a situation where we are at or above the national average when it comes to wages, and we are coming from a place right at the very bottom, so I know all of us can recognize an important investment to make sure that these meaningful, important, and critical positions in our society are properly compensated for and that the wages are competitive.

We are looking at pilots with private providers. Our intention is to have pre-Primary in schools, preferably schools where the children will be going, because we know that this creates the best scenario for the transition into the academic learning environment.

Where there are issues of space, we are looking at partnering with the child care providers and also looking at providing partnership opportunities to work on before- and after-school programming as well.

I realize that pre-Primary has created a stress, a challenge for some operators' business models, but the fact is that we worked with each and every one of those operators to help them adapt to these changes, to adapt their business models, and that has resulted in pretty significant growth from one end of the province to the other in the regular childcare sector.

The fact that that's happening along with the growth in the pre-Primary program really indicates the fact that we have been thoughtful, deliberate, and successful with a very smooth implementation that has increased access to early learning and childcare opportunities to families across the province.

With those short words, I would like to move that we close third reading on Bill No. 13.

[Page 748]

MADAM SPEAKER « » : The motion is for third reading of Bill No. 13. Would all those in favour of the motion please say Aye. Contrary minded, Nay.

The motion is carried.

Ordered that this bill do pass. Ordered that the title be as read by the Clerk. Ordered that the bill be engrossed.

The honourable Government House Leader.

HON. GEOFF MACLELLAN « » : Madam Speaker, would you please call Bill No. 16.

Bill No. 16 - Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity Protection Act.

MADAM SPEAKER « » : The honourable Minister of Justice.

HON. MARK FUREY « » : Madam Speaker, I move that Bill No. 16 be read a third time.

With this bill, we are demonstrating clear and unequivocal support for, and commitment to, maintaining the rights of the 2SLGBTIQ+ individuals.

It strikes the right balance, it's a strong piece of legislation, and it's progressive. With it, collectively in this Legislature, we're standing against harmful social attitudes, the negative historical narratives, and the widespread discrimination of this community. Although we have differed on the consent issue on importance of respecting the case law around consent, I believe this bill is one all of us in this House are pleased to stand together on.

The adoption of Bill No. 16 will place Nova Scotia among only three provinces in the country to prohibit the use of harmful interventions on young people who are 2SLGBTIQ+. We have learned from Ontario and Manitoba and we've gone further. As I've mentioned during second reading debate, this Act will prohibit the use of practices that would try to change the sexual orientation or gender identity of young people under the age of 19. It would prohibit health care professionals and people in trust and authority over our youth from providing this intervention.

I was asked by a reporter not that long ago if the legislation was "a fix without a problem." Well, I think we've heard unfortunately from advocates and others over the past few weeks that there regrettably is support for this controversial practice in our communities. That is why we must be vigilant and why this legislation is important. These harmful practices have no place in our province. These interventions are harmful to both the mental and physical health of young people and have been widely condemned by human rights and credible health organizations around the world.

[Page 749]

I want to thank my colleagues in Opposition for their thoughtful debate on this bill and for the shared concerns for our 2SLGBTIQ+ youth. We want our youth to be proud of who they are and to know they have their community and their government standing behind them.

With those few remarks, I will take my seat and value the input and comments of my colleagues.

MADAM SPEAKER « » : The honourable member for Pictou West.

MS. KARLA MACFARLANE « » : Madam Speaker, I want to thank the minister for his remarks. It's always a great honour and privilege to stand in my place and particularly speak to Bill No. 16, respecting sexual orientation and gender identity protection. I believe everyone in the Chamber knows how pleased I am with this bill. I often wonder sometimes and feel almost guilty as to why I, myself, didn't bring this bill here sooner.

You know, our world or at least the world that we live in, the material world, can be a place where the true meaning of life is somewhat camouflaged with what's really, truly important. Human decency, caring, sharing, loving unconditionally are what's important. Everyone is better when they are loved unconditionally. I always say, if it's important to you, you will find a way; if it's not, you will find an excuse. What makes me really happy in this Chamber this session is that we all realize this is an important bill to collectively come together and pass and, as the minister stated, it is progressive. I'm really proud that we are the third province in Canada that's coming forth with this type of legislation. We also know that the City of Vancouver has come out with legislation and that the Province of British Columbia is also in the process, I believe, of coming out with legislation.

I want to personally thank my dear friends and many of my friends that actually have gone through conversion therapy but, particularly, I want to thank Brenda Hattie, John Carter, and my dear friend and mentor, Gerard Veldhoven. I'm really honoured that he took time over the last number of years to keep an open dialogue about this subject and to provide his wisdom and knowledge and friendship through this. I'm so very pleased with this bill, very happy, I congratulate the minister, I congratulate everyone in here. It's a good feeling that we're moving forward with this.

With those words, please know that we fully endorse this bill.

[4:15 p.m.]

[Page 750]

MADAM SPEAKER « » : The honourable member for Dartmouth North.

MS. SUSAN LEBLANC « » : Madam Speaker, I'd also like to echo my colleague's comments on thanking the minister, and representatives for all three Parties for bringing similar legislation to the floor of the House. I think it's significant that we all feel compelled to address this issue. I'm anticipating that this bill is going to pass, so it's a day to celebrate a victory for human rights in Nova Scotia.

The goal of the legislation is to establish a law that respects and protects the sexual orientation and gender identity of all citizens. As members of this Legislature we want to ensure that no person of any age in any community in our province will be subjected to a practice that doesn't work, that causes harm, that reinforces intolerance, discriminatory, homophobic, and transphobic attitudes and ideas.

What we want to do is we want to make sure that no child in this province is told they are sick or are an embarrassment to their family or unwelcome in their community, the list goes on, because of their sexual orientation or gender identity.

I just want to take a moment to talk about my existence as a parent of young children and watching my children grapple with the ideas of gender and their gender identities and what that means and what my role is in them doing that, as a parent. And what all our roles are when our children are growing up and figuring out who they are.

I'm very conscious that transphobic and homophobic ideas and perceptions are affecting children at extremely young ages in our society. I remember being at Chapters one time and looking at this . . .

MADAM SPEAKER « » : Order, can we keep the chatter down a bit in the Chamber? I'm having difficulty hearing the speaker.

The honourable member for Dartmouth North.

MS. LEBLANC « » : . . being at Chapters and noticing in the kids' area there was this display of toys for girls and toys for boys. I took pictures of them, this was well before I was in politics, and I posted them on Facebook and I said, what's wrong with this picture? How come my girl can't be expected to play with this little beanbag that is like blue, or whatever, and how come my, I didn't have a son at the time, but how come my boy wouldn't be able to play with a doll?

Most of the reactions on that Facebook post agreed with me. But again, at the top of this Facebook bubble that we live in, there were many people who did say that I was naive and that obviously there's big differences between boys and girls and there are girls' toys and there are boys' toys. There was this great debate that happened.

[Page 751]

The result for me was realizing we are all affected by these early notions of what gender is and what the expectations of boys and girls in our society are. As a mother of a boy who loves to wear pink rainboots, I have felt that feeling of sideways glances when I take him through the mall. Am I somehow failing my child because he's wearing pink rainboots? What I'm actually trying to do is instill in my children the true belief that whoever they are is perfect.

I also want to shout out to the organizations in our communities that are advancing these notions in our children. The daycare where my children went was an amazing place. I remember again my beautiful little boy, who is somehow not wearing dresses any more. He used to wear dresses, or one particular dress actually, I think it was just the dress itself that he loved. He would wear it to daycare and again I felt that funny little feeling like, are people going to make fun of him? Are people going to judge him? Are people going to make it hard for him? Are they going to say why are you wearing a dress and commenting on those things?

Instead what happened is those teachers would pull me aside and they'd say, thank you for letting him wear a dress to daycare. I was like yes, that's what he wanted to wear. I just really valued those comments from those teachers because I knew my son was safe there, no matter who he was, what he wore, as long as he didn't bite another child and break the skin, then we were going to be okay, which, let's face it, we couldn't count on that either. So, this is all to say that, as I already said, our children, we need to protect them and we need to uphold whoever they are and we need to allow them the ability to figure that out.

We want to create communities where all children are welcomed and loved for who they are so they don't grow up internalizing shame and hatred and so to meet that goal, we actually proposed an amendment to this bill. We argued against the clause that allows the children aged 16 and over to consent and I've had much discussion with the minister about this clause and I appreciate his explanation. But I will again express my opposition to that one clause because I don't believe that what a child 16 to 18 years old would be consenting to is something that is considered a health practice. We know that this practice has been disallowed by numerous health regulators and we know that it's a practice that feeds off internalized transphobia and homophobia.

So, just, I'd like to again thank the minister and the government for bringing this bill forward. I just hope that at the end of this debate we have done enough to protect the children in our province and everyone in our province. By the way, I forgot to mention that this is not just about youth and children. It's about all 2SLGBTQ+ members of the community and that we've done enough to protect and respect the sexual orientation and gender identity of all Nova Scotians.

Just in closing, I would encourage us as members of the provincial government to work with other levels of government, our municipal councillors, and our federal representatives, to see if we can't put forward or can't advance the rights of these communities, these people at all levels of government to see if we can strengthen protections for them.

[Page 752]

MADAM SPEAKER « » : If I recognize the minister it will be to close the debate.

The honourable Minister of Justice.

HON. MARK FUREY « » : Madam Speaker, I want to thank again my colleagues the members for Pictou West and Dartmouth North for their passion and interest in this particular discussion. With those few comments, I rise to close debate on Bill No. 16.

MADAM SPEAKER « » : The motion is for third reading of Bill No. 16. Would all those in favour of the motion please say Aye. Contrary minded, Nay.

The motion is carried.

Ordered that this bill do pass. Ordered that the title be as read by the Clerk. Ordered that the bill be engrossed.

The honourable Government House Leader.

HON. GEOFF MACLELLAN « » : Madam Speaker, would you please call Bill No. 23.

Bill No. 23 - Canadian Free Trade Agreement Implementation Act.

MADAM SPEAKER « » : The honourable Minister of Trade.

HON. GEOFF MACLELLAN « » : Madam Speaker, I move that Bill No. 23, a bill entitled the Canadian Free Trade Agreement Implementation Act, be now read a third time and do pass. During second reading, we heard from members of this House who spoke about the bill and I want to thank them for bringing their points forward.

The Canadian Free Trade Agreement will strengthen and modernize internal trade and help to enhance interprovincial commerce. This agreement is important to Nova Scotia because over half of our trade is interprovincial. In fact, in 2016, our exports to other provinces and territories totalled more than $8.4 billion.

As I mentioned in my remarks on second reading, the new framework is designed to do as follows: enhance the flow of goods and services, investment, and labour mobility; eliminate technical barriers to trade; greatly expand procurement coverage; promote regulatory co-operation within Canada; and it helps the province meet its obligation by making dispute resolution enforceable.

The passing of this bill also meets our Province's obligation with other provinces, territories, and the federal government to have the legislation in place by December 31st. While we've been working to enhance and promote compliance in advance of this legislation, the agreement contains obligations for binding dispute resolution, for government to government, and individual business to government disputes. The CFTA incorporates the former AIT dispute settlement chapter, with enhancements to ensure jurisdictions are living up to the agreements and its rules.

[Page 753]

To put it simply - fewer barriers to trade, investment, and labour mobility within Canada creates jobs and important opportunities for Nova Scotians.

With labour mobility, for instance, it should be possible for an architect or an engineer to move from anywhere in Canada to Nova Scotia and be able to meet the certification requirement, so they can begin working here - just as it is important for Nova Scotia architects and engineers certified here to be able to meet the certification requirements in other provinces and territories so they can work there.

National local level stakeholder groups are advocates of this modernized internal trade agreement. As well, no concerns about this bill were raised during Law Amendments.

With that, I close my comments and look forward to the remarks from the members opposite.

MADAM SPEAKER « » : The honourable member for Cape Breton-Richmond.

MS. ALANA PAON « » : Madam Speaker, thank you for this opportunity to speak to this bill. As I was putting some notes together this morning, I realized that 30 years ago this year I would have been in high school and debating the North America Free Trade Agreement in Model Parliament. So, it is really interesting to me, as we go through this process of enacting within our province the CFTA ?. (Interruption)

Oh, the honourable member next to me is correcting me and telling me that I must have been in elementary school at the time - and I thank him for those kind comments, but I do assure you that I was in high school.

I know at that time when we were debating the NAFTA, there was a flurry of conversation throughout the media, nationally and within the province, that people were afraid. They were afraid of what this was going to mean to Canada and commerce within Canada, what it was going to mean to businesses within Canada and within our province as well.

Now we are 30 years later and here we are trying to negotiate again with our neighbours down south and having a bit of a time in being able to solidify an agreement on the NAFTA. But it is really interesting to see in 30 years how far we've come as far as opening up our borders to international trade, and now with the Canadian Free Trade Agreement that we are, in fact, focusing back in on trade within our own borders within Canada. I feel like I'm coming full circle today in speaking about this – a proud moment for me.

[Page 754]

As far as enhancing domestic commerce, it is always really important, obviously, that we try to open up possibility for businesses to be able to do commerce both nationally and internationally because our internal trade represents about 6 per cent of Canada's GDP overall - I think it's about $385 billion. It's a huge amount of money.

Being able to have Nova Scotia companies bid on projects that are either government projects, or projects in other parts of Canada, without any kind of tariffs or any other barriers is obviously extremely beneficial, but considering that this province still has the highest taxes in the country it's really difficult for business owners within this province to be able to compete on a fair level with all the other areas within Canada.

So, if you are paying corporate taxes that are a lot less in other parts of Canada and you are bidding basically on a project here in Nova Scotia and a business in Nova Scotia is bidding on that same project, there is a bit of an unequal playing field that arises, depending on where your business is registered or incorporated - and I have some real concerns about that.

This is just one aspect and obviously it is kind of like - just like with NAFTA when it was first negotiated, and CETA and with CPTPP, that we have now as far as our international agreements, you never really quite know what you are getting yourself into right away. It's kind of like buying a new car - if I can use that as a comparative - and until you actually drive it for a couple of years and you figure out all the idiosyncrasies that that vehicle may have, you never quite know exactly what you are getting into, even though you have the specifications of what it is that you are buying as a vehicle to try and increase your overall mobility.

[4:30 p.m.]

Part of it obviously at the CFTA is to try and obviously lower trade barriers within Canada, hopefully to raise productivity to create more jobs and business opportunities for Canadians. But also, what is most important within this House of Assembly is that we create more jobs and business opportunities for Nova Scotians. That's why we're here. We're here to make certain that Nova Scotians are not going to be left behind or in ways that we have not yet foreseen are going to be negatively affected by this new Canada Free Trade Agreement.

Some questions that have arisen on my end, reading through the literature and there's a lot to go through, I know maybe the average Nova Scotian, I'm not sure how and if they're kind of understanding how this is going to affect them on a day-to-day basis but it will. Again, any legislation that goes through this House affects average Nova Scotians every day, but certainly a trade agreement that reduces barriers and regulations across borders within Canada will affect all of us.

[Page 755]

What will that mean for changes in Nova Scotia? We do not yet know. Do we know what aspects of the Nova Scotia economy are going to be negatively impacted as well as positively impacted? We do not yet know.

We do know that we have excellent post-secondary institutions here within our province and it's wonderful to know that obviously part of this agreement is going to include labour mobility. We certainly have a labour shortage as far as tradespeople. We're crying for tradespeople in most projects that are going on throughout Nova Scotia. It's absolutely wonderful to know that those Nova Scotians who have gone away, perhaps out West and got their Red Seals out in the oil patch or working in Calgary or Saskatchewan, will be able to come home without any kind of red-tape issues as far as having their Red Seals recognized here in this province as well. I certainly would welcome any Nova Scotians who want to come back home and make a life for themselves here again. It certainly would be a benefit to our province.

Overall, this obviously, and I don't want to use the two words house keeping, but this is a bill that obviously we're mandated to put into effect before the end of the year. Our deadline was December 31st, so we're three months shy of the drop-dead date when it comes to making certain that we have this in place.

It would have been nice to have been able to put this forward a little bit earlier, so we would all have had a chance to take an in-depth look at what this means for Nova Scotia before kind of pushing it through a bit at the eleventh hour here, having had the CFTA signed federally on July 1st. Nevertheless, we need this to come into effect. Nova Scotia needs to have a strong business voice nationally and internationally if we're going to compete within our own borders and the rest of the world.

With the growing need for skilled workers, again, Madam Speaker, and our strong post secondary education, it's important for Nova Scotia to be part of any labour mobility programs. I know this bill allows for that. With that, I will take my seat and I thank you for this opportunity to speak on this extremely important piece of legislation.

MADAM SPEAKER « » : The honourable member for Sackville-Cobequid.

HON. DAVID WILSON « » : Madam Speaker, I too want to just say a few words on Bill No. 23. I know I spoke a little bit at second reading around some of the issues and concerns and just really trying to get across how important these types of trade agreements are.

Of course, this bill is a requirement of an agreement that the province has signed over a year ago and we are getting close to the end of the year. Within that agreement, each jurisdiction was required to make sure that they have a stand-alone piece of legislation dealing with a number of items that were agreed upon and hence why we're here.

[Page 756]

I, too, would echo a bit of a concern that my colleague just mentioned. It was around maybe having a little more time to make sure that not only the MLAs in the House when we're dealing with this bill, but the business community and Nova Scotians who will be impacted by a trade agreement, and they will, that they understand it and flush out any concerns.

I know I had brought up a concern around the timing close to the end of the year, and the Government House Leader indicated that he was adamant that we won't need to call the Legislature back to address an oversight in this legislation. I hope that that's true, Madam Speaker, but never say something is 100 per cent guaranteed. I have been here many times over the last number of years where we have had to change direction, government had to change direction. I hope that's true.

I indicated that, interestingly enough, part of the requirement is for us to have legislation to deal with a dispute resolution mechanism in our legislation and other jurisdictions to have that in case there is something that crops up that is at dispute between two jurisdictions, for example. It's interesting that we're seeing that that's at the essence, I think, of the NAFTA negotiations that are going on within the two federal governments of our country and the U.S.

I hope that the government stays firm in their commitment to make sure that that mechanism for dispute resolution continues to be in any kind of North American trade agreement because it is important. We're not always going to get along. As much as we have had a good relationship, as we have seen with the U.S., a change in administration can really tip the cart to uncertainty when you're dealing with trade agreements, for example. Just look at NAFTA, Madam Speaker. It's important for us to have that in this legislation as we move forward.

I did mention a little bit about labour force mobility during second reading and how important it is for Nova Scotians to make sure that they have every opportunity that they have to find gainful employment. We hope that that's here in Nova Scotia, but if Nova Scotians go through their education system, and they get the training they need, I would hope that, through an agreement like this, it's easier for them to make that transition if they have to leave the province to make sure that the qualifications, the education that they received here in Nova Scotia is recognized across the country.

Since second reading, I know that members of our caucus have received a letter, and I don't know if it was sent to government members. I would assume that it was. It's from the president of Local 361 of the Brewer and Soft Drink Workers, UFCW, Madam Speaker. I'll table the letter in hopes that the Government House Leader can make sure that the Premier himself knows about it and maybe addresses the concerns. It was around comments that the Premier made outside in the media around the fact that - I think it was around alcohol.

[Page 757]

It says here in the letter that in the media the Premier had indicated that he was optimistic that interprovincial trade barriers that prevent alcohol from moving as freely as possible from one province to another could soon become less restrictive. Mr. Roberts indicates that unfortunately the story did not go into much detail about exactly what that could mean. Mr. Roberts is concerned because he does represent 130 unionized workers at Oland Brewery here in Halifax. Whenever something is said in the media, especially around trade and business that may be impacted - Mr. Roberts wrote a letter. I will table that.

I hope the Government House Leader gets a copy of it and follows up with Mr. Roberts to make sure that not only do we support a trade agreement around the province, but we also support that it may have an impact in our province. If that's not the case in this situation, then hopefully that can be relayed on to Mr. Roberts and the workers here.

With any trade agreement, and I know a few have been mentioned before - the Trans-Pacific Partnership or the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement, TPP or CETA - there are people who benefit from those trade agreements and the removal of tariffs and barriers, but there are some negative impacts. It happens. It's happened with CETA. It happened with NAFTA, when it was signed a number of years ago, and it's happened with TPP as well, Madam Speaker.

I hope that those impacts are limited to the businesses here in Nova Scotia. We want a strong economy. We want good interprovincial trade. But unfortunately, a lot of what we have, and the impact it has on Nova Scotia, is out of our control. It's in the control of our federal government. It's in control of the federal government to the south of us.

I hope that we see a resolution with the NAFTA agreements, but for sure with this one, we do support the idea of hopefully ensuring that our businesses here in Nova Scotia have every opportunity to thrive, to grow, to employ more people, and to really contribute to our economy in a positive way.

We do support it, but I would hope that the government will look into the concerns, which may be valid or may not be valid, from Mr. Roberts, who is the president of Local 361 of the Brewery and Soft Drink Workers with UFCW.

MADAM SPEAKER « » : If I recognize the minister it will be to close the debate.

The honourable Minister of Trade.

HON. GEOFF MACLELLAN « » : Madam Speaker, I will do so. I just want to address the comments from the member for Sackville-Cobequid. It's absolutely a valid concern, but that is not the case whatsoever. I've heard the Premier address the alcohol beverages interprovincial travel many times. He is absolutely and was very much specific to consumer consumption, nothing to do with the alcoholic beverage producers whatsoever.

[Page 758]

I did get that correspondence and I will officially respond to Mr. Roberts in the next day, but I just wanted the House and the member to know that it's very much around consumer consumption and consumer purchase, nothing to do with the producers.

With that, I move to close debate third reading of Bill No. 23, the Canadian Free Trade Agreement Implementation Act.

MADAM SPEAKER « » : The motion is for third reading of Bill No. 23. Would all those in favour of the motion please say Aye. Contrary minded, Nay.

The motion is carried.

Ordered that this bill do pass. Ordered that the title be as read by the Clerk. Ordered that the bill be engrossed.

The honourable Government House Leader.

HON. GEOFF MACLELLAN « » : Madam Speaker, that concludes government business for today. I move that the House do now rise to meet again tomorrow, Wednesday, September 26, 2018, between the hours of 1:00 p.m. and 5:30 p.m.

Seeing that tomorrow is Opposition Day, I would turn it over to the honourable Official Opposition House Leader to call our business.

MADAM SPEAKER « » : The honourable Official Opposition House Leader.

HON. CHRISTOPHER D'ENTREMONT « » : Madam Speaker, tomorrow after the daily routine and Question Period, we will be calling Bill No. 56, the Municipal Grants Act, and Bill No. 61, the Protecting Children on the Internet Act - both of those were introduced this morning - and Resolution No. 128, on palliative care.

I now move that we rise to meet again between the hours of 1:00 p.m. and 5:30 p.m. tomorrow.

MADAM SPEAKER « » : The motion is that the House rise to meet again on September 26th between the hours of 1:00 p.m. and 5:30 p.m.

Would all those in favour of the motion please say Aye. Contrary minded, Nay.

The motion is carried.

[Page 759]

We stand adjourned until tomorrow at 1:00 p.m.

[The House rose at 4:44 p.m.]

NOTICES OF MOTION UNDER RULE 32(3)

[Page 760]

RESOLUTION NO. 157

By: Hon. Randy Delorey « » (Health and Wellness)

I hereby give notice that on a future day I shall move the adoption of the following resolution:

Whereas the Four Valleys Volunteer Fire Department is celebrating its 40th Anniversary in 2018; and

Whereas the doors of the fire hall officially opened in the Spring of 1978 and since then has seen many volunteers provide a valuable service to the community; and

Whereas the department provides service to the communities of Maryvale, North Grant, Pleasant Valley, Big Marsh, Malignant Cove, Georgeville, Arisaig, McArras Brook and Knoydart;

Therefore be it resolved that the members of the House of Assembly recognize the dedication and longevity of the Four Valleys Volunteer Fire Department and thank all of its past and present members for their service.

RESOLUTION NO. 158

By: Hon. Karen Casey « » (Finance and Treasury Board)

I hereby give notice that on a future day I shall move the adoption of the following resolution:

Whereas in 2014 the staff and auxiliary at the Lillian Fraser Memorial Hospital in Tatamagouche wanted to create a space where patients, especially those who have an extended stay, their families and the health care staff, could go outside to enjoy fresh air and natural sunlight in a relaxing and safe environment; and

Whereas fundraising for the healing garden came from the efforts of the hospital auxiliary which holds a Chowder Fest in March, Strawberry Fest in July, helps with Sara Bonnyman's open house in October, along with donations from the community through Scotiabank, memorials, and personal donations; and

Whereas the hospital and auxiliary celebrated the healing garden and their 50 years of service this year with a special event in July;

Therefore be it resolved that all members of this House of Assembly congratulate the Lillian Fraser Memorial Hospital for being a vital part of Tatamagouche and the surrounding communities for 50 years.

[Page 761]

RESOLUTION NO. 159

By: Mr. Gordon Wilson « » (Clare-Digby)

I hereby give notice that on a future day I shall move the adoption of the following resolution:

Whereas the 2018 Digby and Area Board of Trade Awards dinner was held on June 20, 2018; and

Whereas Ed Francis received the Lifetime Achievement Award; and

Whereas this award is presented to a business or an individual who has made a significant contribution to the community;

Therefore be it resolved that all members of this House of Assembly congratulate Ed Francis on receiving this award and wish him continued success.

RESOLUTION NO. 160

By: Mr. Gordon Wilson « » (Clare-Digby)

I hereby give notice that on a future day I shall move the adoption of the following resolution:

Whereas the 2018 Digby and Area Board of Trade Awards dinner was held on June 20, 2018; and

Whereas Brier Island Whale and Seabird Cruises received the Hospitality Tourism Excellence Award; and

Whereas this award is presented to a business/organization/person who has made a significant contribution to the enhancement/development of our tourism product and shown a consistent pattern of providing a positive tourism experience for travellers to our area;

Therefore be it resolved that all members of this House of Assembly congratulate Brier Island Whale and Seabird Cruises on receiving this award and wish them continued success.

RESOLUTION NO. 161

[Page 762]

By: Mr. Gordon Wilson « » (Clare-Digby)

I hereby give notice that on a future day I shall move the adoption of the following resolution:

Whereas the 2018 Digby and Area Board of Trade Awards dinner was held on June 20, 2018; and

Whereas Glenn Dunn, Car Quest Digby, received the Environmental Service Award; and

Whereas this award recognizes the individual or business who has demonstrated outstanding dedication to, involvement in, and accomplishment of environmental goals with a particular emphasis on proper solid waste management or waste reduction initiatives;

Therefore be it resolved that all members of this House of Assembly congratulate Glenn Dunn, Car Quest Digby, on receiving this award and wish him continued success.

RESOLUTION NO. 162

By: Mr. Gordon Wilson « » (Clare-Digby)

I hereby give notice that on a future day I shall move the adoption of the following resolution:

Whereas the 2018 Digby and Area Board of Trade Awards dinner was held on June 20, 2018; and

Whereas Richard Thomas received the Lifetime Achievement Award; and

Whereas this award is presented to a business or an individual who has made a significant contribution to the community;

Therefore be it resolved that all members of this House of Assembly congratulate Richard Thomas on receiving this award and wish him continued success.

RESOLUTION NO. 163

[Page 763]

By: Mr. Gordon Wilson « » (Clare-Digby)

I hereby give notice that on a future day I shall move the adoption of the following resolution:

Whereas the 2018 Digby and Area Board of Trade Awards dinner was held on June 20, 2018; and

Whereas Glenn Dunn, Car Quest Digby, received the Business Excellence Award; and

Whereas this award is presented to a business individual who has, through consistent performance and solid practices, made a positive impact in this area; this award is one of achievement within the business community;

Therefore be it resolved that all members of this House of Assembly congratulate Glenn Dunn, Car Quest Digby, on receiving this award and wish him continued success.

RESOLUTION NO. 164

By: Mr. Gordon Wilson « » (Clare-Digby)

I hereby give notice that on a future day I shall move the adoption of the following resolution:

Whereas the 2018 Digby and Area Board of Trade Awards dinner was held on June 20, 2018; and

Whereas Transport de Clare and Sports Entertainment Atlantic, Chris Larsen, received the Community Contribution Award; and

Whereas this award is presented to a business that has made a significant contribution to the community through its consistent support of projects/programs that are for the benefit of our area;

Therefore be it resolved that all members of this House of Assembly congratulate Transport de Clare and Sports Entertainment Atlantic, Chris Larsen, on receiving this award and wish them continued success.

RESOLUTION NO. 165

[Page 764]

By: Mr. Gordon Wilson « » (Clare-Digby)

I hereby give notice that on a future day I shall move the adoption of the following resolution:

Whereas the 2018 Digby and Area Board of Trade Awards dinner was held on June 20, 2018; and

Whereas the Crow's Nest Restaurant received the Customer Service Award; and

Whereas this award is presented to a business or service association that has consistently provided excellent service to its customers;

Therefore be it resolved that all members of this House of Assembly congratulate the Crow's Nest Restaurant on receiving this award and wish them continued success.

RESOLUTION NO. 166

By: Mr. Gordon Wilson « » (Clare-Digby)

I hereby give notice that on a future day I shall move the adoption of the following resolution:

Whereas the 2018 Digby and Area Board of Trade Awards dinner was held on June 20, 2018; and

Whereas Lazy Bear Brewing received the Ian Russell Entrepreneur Award; and

Whereas this award is presented to a business/individual who has developed a product or enhanced a marketing opportunity that is unique or innovative;

Therefore be it resolved that all members of this House of Assembly congratulate Lazy Bear Brewing on receiving this award and wish them continued success.

RESOLUTION NO. 167

By: Mr. Gordon Wilson « » (Clare-Digby)

I hereby give notice that on a future day I shall move the adoption of the following resolution:

Whereas the 2018 Digby and Area Board of Trade Awards dinner was held on June 20, 2018; and

[Page 765]

Whereas Weneli's Yard and Garden received the Rising Star Award; and

Whereas this award is presented to a young entrepreneur who has demonstrated an innovative approach to business and economic development in our area;

Therefore be it resolved that all members of this House of Assembly congratulate Weneli's Yard and Garden on receiving this award and wish them continued success.

RESOLUTION NO. 168

By: Hon. Randy Delorey « » (Health and Wellness)

I hereby give notice that on a future day I shall move the adoption of the following resolution:

Whereas the Antigonish Celtics U13 boys soccer team had a successful 2018 season; and

Whereas the team secured the bronze medal with a win in overtime at Provincials, held in Cole Harbour September 1st - 2nd; and

Whereas Dennis Fowlie had a great performance for his team, among 13 players;

Therefore be it resolved that the members of this House of Assembly congratulate Dennis Fowlie, his coaches, and his fellow teammates on placing third at the 2018 Provincials.

RESOLUTION NO. 169

By: Hon. Randy Delorey « » (Health and Wellness)

I hereby give notice that on a future day I shall move the adoption of the following resolution:

Whereas the Antigonish Celtics U13 boys soccer team had a successful 2018 season; and

Whereas the team secured the bronze medal with a win in overtime at Provincials, held in Cole Harbour September 1st - 2nd; and

Whereas Owen Juurlink had a great performance for his team, among 13 players;

Therefore be it resolved that the members of this House of Assembly congratulate Owen Juurlink, his coaches, and his fellow teammates on placing third at the 2018 Provincials.

[Page 766]

RESOLUTION NO. 170

By: Hon. Randy Delorey « » (Health and Wellness)

I hereby give notice that on a future day I shall move the adoption of the following resolution:

Whereas the Antigonish Celtics U13 boys soccer team had a successful 2018 season; and

Whereas the team secured the bronze medal with a win in overtime at Provincials, held in Cole Harbour September 1st - 2nd; and

Whereas Jacob Kell had a great performance for his team, among 13 players;

Therefore be it resolved that the members of this House of Assembly congratulate Jacob Kell, his coaches, and his fellow teammates on placing third at the 2018 Provincials.

RESOLUTION NO. 171

By: Hon. Randy Delorey « » (Health and Wellness)

I hereby give notice that on a future day I shall move the adoption of the following resolution:

Whereas the Antigonish Celtics U13 boys soccer team had a successful 2018 season; and

Whereas the team secured the bronze medal with a win in overtime at Provincials, held in Cole Harbour September 1st - 2nd; and

Whereas Nicholas Delorey had a great performance for his team, among 13 players;

Therefore be it resolved that the members of this House of Assembly congratulate Nicholas Delorey, his coaches, and his fellow teammates on placing third at the 2018 Provincials.

RESOLUTION NO. 172

[Page 767]

By: Hon. Randy Delorey « » (Health and Wellness)

I hereby give notice that on a future day I shall move the adoption of the following resolution:

Whereas the Antigonish Celtics U13 boys soccer team had a successful 2018 season; and

Whereas the team secured the bronze medal with a win in overtime at Provincials, held in Cole Harbour September 1st - 2nd; and

Whereas Ryan MacDonald had a great performance for his team, among 13 players;

Therefore be it resolved that the members of this House of Assembly congratulate Ryan MacDonald, his coaches, and his fellow teammates on placing third at the 2018 Provincials.

RESOLUTION NO. 173

By: Hon. Randy Delorey « » (Health and Wellness)

I hereby give notice that on a future day I shall move the adoption of the following resolution:

Whereas the Antigonish Celtics U13 boys soccer team had a successful 2018 season; and

Whereas the team secured the bronze medal with a win in overtime at Provincials, held in Cole Harbour September 1st - 2nd; and

Whereas Kevin Walker had a great performance for his team, among 13 players;

Therefore be it resolved that the members of this House of Assembly congratulate Kevin Walker, his coaches, and his fellow teammates on placing third at the 2018 Provincials.

RESOLUTION NO. 174

By: Hon. Randy Delorey « » (Health and Wellness)

I hereby give notice that on a future day I shall move the adoption of the following resolution:

Whereas the Antigonish Celtics U13 boys soccer team had a successful 2018 season; and

[Page 768]

Whereas the team secured the bronze medal with a win in overtime at Provincials, held in Cole Harbour September 1st - 2nd; and

Whereas Parker Benoit had a great performance for his team, among 13 players;

Therefore be it resolved that the members of this House of Assembly congratulate Parker Benoit, his coaches, and his fellow teammates on placing third at the 2018 Provincials.

RESOLUTION NO. 175

By: Hon. Randy Delorey « » (Health and Wellness)

I hereby give notice that on a future day I shall move the adoption of the following resolution:

Whereas the Antigonish Celtics U13 boys soccer team had a successful 2018 season; and

Whereas the team secured the bronze medal with a win in overtime at Provincials, held in Cole Harbour September 1st - 2nd; and

Whereas Josh Read was the coach of the team of 13 players;

Therefore be it resolved that the members of this House of Assembly congratulate Coach Josh Read his team on placing third at the 2018 Provincials.

RESOLUTION NO. 176

By: Hon. Randy Delorey « » (Health and Wellness)

I hereby give notice that on a future day I shall move the adoption of the following resolution:

Whereas the Antigonish Celtics U13 boys soccer team had a successful 2018 season; and

Whereas the team secured the bronze medal with a win in overtime at Provincials, held in Cole Harbour September 1st - 2nd; and

Whereas Paul Colton was the Assistant Coach of the team of 13 players;

Therefore be it resolved that the members of this House of Assembly congratulate Assistant Coach Paul Colton and his team on placing third at the 2018 Provincials.

[Page 769]

RESOLUTION NO. 177

By: Hon. Randy Delorey « » (Health and Wellness)

I hereby give notice that on a future day I shall move the adoption of the following resolution:

Whereas the Antigonish Celtics U13 boys soccer team had a successful 2018 season; and

Whereas the team secured the bronze medal with a win in overtime at Provincials, held in Cole Harbour September 1st - 2nd; and

Whereas Jack Milner had a great performance for his team, among 13 players;

Therefore be it resolved that the members of this House of Assembly congratulate Jack Milner, his coaches, and his fellow teammates on placing third at the 2018 Provincials.

RESOLUTION NO. 178

By: Hon. Randy Delorey « » (Health and Wellness)

I hereby give notice that on a future day I shall move the adoption of the following resolution:

Whereas the Antigonish Celtics U13 boys soccer team had a successful 2018 season; and

Whereas the team secured the bronze medal with a win in overtime at Provincials, held in Cole Harbour September 1st - 2nd; and

Whereas Alex MacNeil had a great performance for his team, among 13 players;

Therefore be it resolved that the members of this House of Assembly congratulate Alex MacNeil, his coaches, and his fellow teammates on placing third at the 2018 Provincials.

RESOLUTION NO. 179

[Page 770]

By: Hon. Randy Delorey « » (Health and Wellness)

I hereby give notice that on a future day I shall move the adoption of the following resolution:

Whereas the Antigonish Celtics U13 boys soccer team had a successful 2018 season; and

Whereas the team secured the bronze medal with a win in overtime at Provincials, held in Cole Harbour September 1st - 2nd; and

Whereas Jacob Colton had a great performance for his team, among 13 players;

Therefore be it resolved that the members of this House of Assembly congratulate Jacob Colton, his coaches, and his fellow teammates on placing third at the 2018 Provincials.

RESOLUTION NO. 180

By: Hon. Randy Delorey « » (Health and Wellness)

I hereby give notice that on a future day I shall move the adoption of the following resolution:

Whereas the Antigonish Celtics U13 boys soccer team had a successful 2018 season; and

Whereas the team secured the bronze medal with a win in overtime at Provincials, held in Cole Harbour September 1st - 2nd; and

Whereas Evan MacIsaac had a great performance for his team, among 13 players;

Therefore be it resolved that the members of this House of Assembly congratulate Evan MacIsaac, his coaches, and his fellow teammates on placing third at the 2018 Provincials.

RESOLUTION NO. 181

By: Hon. Randy Delorey « » (Health and Wellness)

I hereby give notice that on a future day I shall move the adoption of the following resolution:

Whereas the Antigonish Celtics U13 boys soccer team had a successful 2018 season; and

[Page 771]

Whereas the team secured the bronze medal with a win in overtime at Provincials, held in Cole Harbour September 1st - 2nd; and

Whereas Carson Wallace had a great performance for his team, among 13 players;

Therefore be it resolved that the members of this House of Assembly congratulate Carson Wallace, his coaches, and his fellow teammates on placing third at the 2018 Provincials.

RESOLUTION NO. 182

By: Hon. Randy Delorey « » (Health and Wellness)

I hereby give notice that on a future day I shall move the adoption of the following resolution:

Whereas the Antigonish Celtics U13 boys soccer team had a successful 2018 season; and

Whereas the team secured the bronze medal with a win in overtime at Provincials, held in Cole Harbour September 1st - 2nd; and

Whereas Aidan Tourond had a great performance for his team, among 13 players;

Therefore be it resolved that the members of this House of Assembly congratulate Aidan Tourond, his coaches, and his fellow teammates on placing third at the 2018 Provincials.

RESOLUTION NO. 183

By: Hon. Randy Delorey « » (Health and Wellness)

I hereby give notice that on a future day I shall move the adoption of the following resolution:

Whereas the R.K. MacDonald Nursing Home is celebrating its 60th Anniversary in 2018; and

Whereas the R.K. is well-known for providing excellent care for its residents in a home-like environment; and

Whereas the R.K. is an integral part of the Antigonish community;

[Page 772]

Therefore be it resolved that the members of the House of Assembly recognize the dedication of the past and present staff and board of directors of the R.K. MacDonald Nursing Home and thank them for the important service they provide for Antigonish residents.

RESOLUTION NO. 184

By: Hon. Randy Delorey « » (Health and Wellness)

I hereby give notice that on a future day I shall move the adoption of the following resolution:

Whereas Dr. Joseph Khoury is an English literature professor at St. F.X. and a well-known Renaissance scholar; and

Whereas he was approached by the Tudor and Stuart Book Series at the Centre for Reformation and Renaissance Studies at Victoria University at the University of Toronto to edit and re-energize the series; and

Whereas as editor, he will be responsible for modernizing the series of books from the Tudor and Stuart ages so that they are easier to understand, which will make them important student tools for teachers and scholars;

Therefore be it resolved that the members of the House of Assembly congratulate Dr. Joseph Khoury for being appointed editor of the Tudor and Stuart Book Series and wish him the best of luck in his new role.

RESOLUTION NO. 185

By: Hon. Randy Delorey « » (Health and Wellness)

I hereby give notice that on a future day I shall move the adoption of the following resolution:

Whereas the Tracadie and District Volunteer Fire Department celebrated its 50th Anniversary in 2018; and

Whereas having been formed in 1968, the department has seen many volunteers provide a valuable service to the community; and

Whereas five founding members who are still active members today have been honoured as life members of the department;

Therefore be it resolved that the members of the House of Assembly recognize the dedication and longevity of the Tracadie and District Volunteer Fire Department and thank all of its past and present members for their service.

[Page 773]

RESOLUTION NO. 186

By: Mr. John Lohr « » (Kings North)

I hereby give notice that on a future day I shall move the adoption of the following resolution:

Whereas the Valley United U15AAA girls soccer team finished the 2018 season in first place in the Nova Scotia Soccer League with a record of 11 wins and three ties, scoring 54 goals while conceding only 10; and

Whereas the team won gold in the Sheila and Stephenie Allt Memorial Tournament in Halifax and gold in the 29th Annual Gunn Baldursson Memorial Tournament in Wolfville; and

Whereas the Valley United U15AAA girls finished the season as the NSSL 2018 provincial champions;

Therefore be it resolved that all members of the Legislature join me in congratulating Dara Ramirez, head coach, on her participation in the outstanding accomplishments of the 2018 Valley United U15AAA girls soccer team.

RESOLUTION NO. 187

By: Mr. John Lohr « » (Kings North)

I hereby give notice that on a future day I shall move the adoption of the following resolution:

Whereas the Valley United U15AAA girls soccer team finished the 2018 season in first place in the Nova Scotia Soccer League with a record of 11 wins and three ties, scoring 54 goals while conceding only 10; and

Whereas the team won gold in the Sheila and Stephenie Allt Memorial Tournament in Halifax and gold in the 29th Annual Gunn Baldursson Memorial Tournament in Wolfville; and

Whereas the Valley United U15AAA girls finished the season as the NSSL 2018 provincial champions;

Therefore be it resolved that all members of the Legislature join me in congratulating Fisher Akao, assistant coach, on his participation in the outstanding accomplishments of the 2018 Valley United U15AAA girls soccer team.

[Page 774]

RESOLUTION NO. 188

By: Mr. John Lohr « » (Kings North)

I hereby give notice that on a future day I shall move the adoption of the following resolution:

Whereas the Valley United U15AAA girls soccer team finished the 2018 season in first place in the Nova Scotia Soccer League with a record of 11 wins and three ties, scoring 54 goals while conceding only 10; and

Whereas the team won gold in the Sheila and Stephenie Allt Memorial Tournament in Halifax and gold in the 29th Annual Gunn Baldursson Memorial Tournament in Wolfville; and

Whereas the Valley United U15AAA girls finished the season as the NSSL 2018 provincial champions;

Therefore be it resolved that all members of the Legislature join me in congratulating Isabella Jane Alice Davar Akao on her participation in the outstanding accomplishments of the 2018 Valley United U15AAA girls soccer team.

RESOLUTION NO. 189

By: Mr. John Lohr « » (Kings North)

I hereby give notice that on a future day I shall move the adoption of the following resolution:

Whereas the Valley United U15AAA girls soccer team finished the 2018 season in first place in the Nova Scotia Soccer League with a record of 11 wins and three ties, scoring 54 goals while conceding only 10; and

Whereas the team won gold in the Sheila and Stephenie Allt Memorial Tournament in Halifax and gold in the 29th Annual Gunn Baldursson Memorial Tournament in Wolfville; and

Whereas the Valley United U15AAA girls finished the season as the NSSL 2018 provincial champions;

Therefore be it resolved that all members of the Legislature join me in congratulating Jenna Cavell Turner on her participation in the outstanding accomplishments of the 2018 Valley United U15AAA girls soccer team.

[Page 775]

RESOLUTION NO. 190

By: Mr. John Lohr « » (Kings North)

I hereby give notice that on a future day I shall move the adoption of the following resolution:

Whereas the Valley United U15AAA girls soccer team finished the 2018 season in first place in the Nova Scotia Soccer League with a record of 11 wins and three ties, scoring 54 goals while conceding only 10; and

Whereas the team won gold in the Sheila and Stephenie Allt Memorial Tournament in Halifax and gold in the 29th Annual Gunn Baldursson Memorial Tournament in Wolfville; and

Whereas the Valley United U15AAA girls finished the season as the NSSL 2018 provincial champions;

Therefore be it resolved that all members of the Legislature join me in congratulating Macy Amille Chiasson on her participation in the outstanding accomplishments of the 2018 Valley United U15AAA girls soccer team.

RESOLUTION NO. 191

By: Mr. John Lohr « » (Kings North)

I hereby give notice that on a future day I shall move the adoption of the following resolution:

Whereas the Valley United U15AAA girls soccer team finished the 2018 season in first place in the Nova Scotia Soccer League with a record of 11 wins and three ties, scoring 54 goals while conceding only 10; and

Whereas the team won gold in the Sheila and Stephenie Allt Memorial Tournament in Halifax and gold in the 29th Annual Gunn Baldursson Memorial Tournament in Wolfville; and

Whereas the Valley United U15AAA girls finished the season as the NSSL 2018 provincial champions;

Therefore be it resolved that all members of the Legislature join me in congratulating Megan Jane Woodworth on her participation in the outstanding accomplishments of the 2018 Valley United U15AAA girls soccer team.

[Page 776]

RESOLUTION NO. 192

By: Mr. John Lohr « » (Kings North)

I hereby give notice that on a future day I shall move the adoption of the following resolution:

Whereas the Valley United U15AAA girls soccer team finished the 2018 season in first place in the Nova Scotia Soccer League with a record of 11 wins and three ties, scoring 54 goals while conceding only 10; and

Whereas the team won gold in the Sheila and Stephenie Allt Memorial Tournament in Halifax and gold in the 29th Annual Gunn Baldursson Memorial Tournament in Wolfville; and

Whereas the Valley United U15AAA girls finished the season as the NSSL 2018 provincial champions;

Therefore be it resolved that all members of the Legislature join me in congratulating Milena Marcel Ramirez on her participation in the outstanding accomplishments of the 2018 Valley United U15AAA girls soccer team.

RESOLUTION NO. 193

By: Mr. John Lohr « » (Kings North)

I hereby give notice that on a future day I shall move the adoption of the following resolution:

Whereas the Valley United U15AAA girls soccer team finished the 2018 season in first place in the Nova Scotia Soccer League with a record of 11 wins and three ties, scoring 54 goals while conceding only 10; and

Whereas the team won gold in the Sheila and Stephenie Allt Memorial Tournament in Halifax and gold in the 29th Annual Gunn Baldursson Memorial Tournament in Wolfville; and

Whereas the Valley United U15AAA girls finished the season as the NSSL 2018 provincial champions;

Therefore be it resolved that all members of the Legislature join me in congratulating Alanna Marie Chiasson, manager, on her participation in the outstanding accomplishments of the 2018 Valley United U15AAA girls soccer team.

[Page 777]

RESOLUTION NO. 194

By: Mr. John Lohr « » (Kings North)

I hereby give notice that on a future day I shall move the adoption of the following resolution:

Whereas the Valley United U15AAA girls soccer team finished the 2018 season in first place in the Nova Scotia Soccer League with a record of 11 wins and three ties, scoring 54 goals while conceding only 10; and

Whereas the team won gold in the Sheila and Stephenie Allt Memorial Tournament in Halifax and gold in the 29th Annual Gunn Baldursson Memorial Tournament in Wolfville; and

Whereas the Valley United U15AAA girls finished the season as the NSSL 2018 provincial champions;

Therefore be it resolved that all members of the Legislature join me in congratulating Alexa Diana Derrick on her participation in the outstanding accomplishments of the 2018 Valley United U15AAA girls soccer team.

RESOLUTION NO. 195

By: Mr. John Lohr « » (Kings North)

I hereby give notice that on a future day I shall move the adoption of the following resolution:

Whereas the Valley United U15AAA girls soccer team finished the 2018 season in first place in the Nova Scotia Soccer League with a record of 11 wins and three ties, scoring 54 goals while conceding only 10; and

Whereas the team won gold in the Sheila and Stephenie Allt Memorial Tournament in Halifax and gold in the 29th Annual Gunn Baldursson Memorial Tournament in Wolfville; and

Whereas the Valley United U15AAA girls finished the season as the NSSL 2018 provincial champions;

Therefore be it resolved that all members of the Legislature join me in congratulating Allison Rebecca Rutt on her participation in the outstanding accomplishments of the 2018 Valley United U15AAA girls soccer team.

[Page 778]

RESOLUTION NO. 196

By: Mr. John Lohr « » (Kings North)

I hereby give notice that on a future day I shall move the adoption of the following resolution:

Whereas the Valley United U15AAA girls soccer team finished the 2018 season in first place in the Nova Scotia Soccer League with a record of 11 wins and three ties, scoring 54 goals while conceding only 10; and

Whereas the team won gold in the Sheila and Stephenie Allt Memorial Tournament in Halifax and gold in the 29th Annual Gunn Baldursson Memorial Tournament in Wolfville; and

Whereas the Valley United U15AAA girls finished the season as the NSSL 2018 provincial champions;

Therefore be it resolved that all members of the Legislature join me in congratulating Annika Quinn Whynot on her participation in the outstanding accomplishments of the 2018 Valley United U15AAA girls soccer team.

RESOLUTION NO. 197

By: Mr. John Lohr « » (Kings North)

I hereby give notice that on a future day I shall move the adoption of the following resolution:

Whereas the Valley United U15AAA girls soccer team finished the 2018 season in first place in the Nova Scotia Soccer League with a record of 11 wins and three ties, scoring 54 goals while conceding only 10; and

Whereas the team won gold in the Sheila and Stephenie Allt Memorial Tournament in Halifax and gold in the 29th Annual Gunn Baldursson Memorial Tournament in Wolfville; and

Whereas the Valley United U15AAA girls finished the season as the NSSL 2018 provincial champions;

Therefore be it resolved that all members of the Legislature join me in congratulating Bethany Lorilee Rhodenizer on her participation in the outstanding accomplishments of the 2018 Valley United U15AAA girls soccer team.

[Page 779]

RESOLUTION NO. 198

By: Mr. John Lohr « » (Kings North)

I hereby give notice that on a future day I shall move the adoption of the following resolution:

Whereas the Valley United U15AAA girls soccer team finished the 2018 season in first place in the Nova Scotia Soccer League with a record of 11 wins and three ties, scoring 54 goals while conceding only 10; and

Whereas the team won gold in the Sheila and Stephenie Allt Memorial Tournament in Halifax and gold in the 29th Annual Gunn Baldursson Memorial Tournament in Wolfville; and

Whereas the Valley United U15AAA girls finished the season as the NSSL 2018 provincial champions;

Therefore be it resolved that all members of the Legislature join me in congratulating Emily Dawn Rutt on her participation in the outstanding accomplishments of the 2018 Valley United U15AAA girls soccer team.

RESOLUTION NO. 199

By: Mr. John Lohr « » (Kings North)

I hereby give notice that on a future day I shall move the adoption of the following resolution:

Whereas the Valley United U15AAA girls soccer team finished the 2018 season in first place in the Nova Scotia Soccer League with a record of 11 wins and three ties, scoring 54 goals while conceding only 10; and

Whereas the team won gold in the Sheila and Stephenie Allt Memorial Tournament in Halifax and gold in the 29th Annual Gunn Baldursson Memorial Tournament in Wolfville; and

Whereas the Valley United U15AAA girls finished the season as the NSSL 2018 provincial champions;

Therefore be it resolved that all members of the Legislature join me in congratulating Jenica Kathleen Saunders on her participation in the outstanding accomplishments of the 2018 Valley United U15AAA girls soccer team.

[Page 780]

RESOLUTION NO. 200

By: Mr. John Lohr « » (Kings North)

I hereby give notice that on a future day I shall move the adoption of the following resolution:

Whereas the Valley United U15AAA girls soccer team finished the 2018 season in first place in the Nova Scotia Soccer League with a record of 11 wins and three ties, scoring 54 goals while conceding only 10; and

Whereas the team won gold in the Sheila and Stephenie Allt Memorial Tournament in Halifax and gold in the 29th Annual Gunn Baldursson Memorial Tournament in Wolfville; and

Whereas the Valley United U15AAA girls finished the season as the NSSL 2018 provincial champions;

Therefore be it resolved that all members of the Legislature join me in congratulating Julia Jean Bennett on her participation in the outstanding accomplishments of the 2018 Valley United U15AAA girls soccer team.

RESOLUTION NO. 201

By: Mr. John Lohr « » (Kings North)

I hereby give notice that on a future day I shall move the adoption of the following resolution:

Whereas the Valley United U15AAA girls soccer team finished the 2018 season in first place in the Nova Scotia Soccer League with a record of 11 wins and three ties, scoring 54 goals while conceding only 10; and

Whereas the team won gold in the Sheila and Stephenie Allt Memorial Tournament in Halifax and gold in the 29th Annual Gunn Baldursson Memorial Tournament in Wolfville; and

Whereas the Valley United U15AAA girls finished the season as the NSSL 2018 provincial champions;

Therefore be it resolved that all members of the Legislature join me in congratulating Lauren Faye Hainstock on her participation in the outstanding accomplishments of the 2018 Valley United U15AAA girls soccer team.

[Page 781]

RESOLUTION NO. 202

By: Mr. John Lohr « » (Kings North)

I hereby give notice that on a future day I shall move the adoption of the following resolution:

Whereas the Valley United U15AAA girls soccer team finished the 2018 season in first place in the Nova Scotia Soccer League with a record of 11 wins and three ties, scoring 54 goals while conceding only 10; and

Whereas the team won gold in the Sheila and Stephenie Allt Memorial Tournament in Halifax and gold in the 29th Annual Gunn Baldursson Memorial Tournament in Wolfville; and

Whereas the Valley United U15AAA girls finished the season as the NSSL 2018 provincial champions;

Therefore be it resolved that all members of the Legislature join me in congratulating Neila Maureen MacDonald on her participation in the outstanding accomplishments of the 2018 Valley United U15AAA girls soccer team.

RESOLUTION NO. 203

By: Mr. John Lohr « » (Kings North)

I hereby give notice that on a future day I shall move the adoption of the following resolution:

Whereas the Valley United U15AAA girls soccer team finished the 2018 season in first place in the Nova Scotia Soccer League with a record of 11 wins and three ties, scoring 54 goals while conceding only 10; and

Whereas the team won gold in the Sheila and Stephenie Allt Memorial Tournament in Halifax and gold in the 29th Annual Gunn Baldursson Memorial Tournament in Wolfville; and

Whereas the Valley United U15AAA girls finished the season as the NSSL 2018 provincial champions;

Therefore be it resolved that all members of the Legislature join me in congratulating Sophie Marie Messom on her participation in the outstanding accomplishments of the 2018 Valley United U15AAA girls soccer team.

[Page 782]

RESOLUTION NO. 204

By: Mr. John Lohr « » (Kings North)

I hereby give notice that on a future day I shall move the adoption of the following resolution:

Whereas the Valley United U15AAA girls soccer team finished the 2018 season in first place in the Nova Scotia Soccer League with a record of 11 wins and three ties, scoring 54 goals while conceding only 10; and

Whereas the team won gold in the Sheila and Stephenie Allt Memorial Tournament in Halifax and gold in the 29th Annual Gunn Baldursson Memorial Tournament in Wolfville; and

Whereas the Valley United U15AAA girls finished the season as the NSSL 2018 provincial champions;

Therefore be it resolved that all members of the Legislature join me in congratulating Sydney Johannah Cummins on her participation in the outstanding accomplishments of the 2018 Valley United U15AAA girls soccer team.

RESOLUTION NO. 205

By: Hon. Kevin Murphy « » (The Speaker)

I hereby give notice that on a future day I shall move the adoption of the following resolution:

Whereas Eastern Shore Ground Search and Rescue is a volunteer organization dedicated to helping others in a time of urgent need; and

Whereas Eastern Shore Ground Search and Rescue recently held a banquet to honour those dedicated volunteers who are part of its outstanding team; and

Whereas Ivan Laybolt was recognized for his 43 years of dedicated service;

Therefore be it resolved that all members of this House of Assembly thank Ivan Laybolt for his volunteer time and commitment to Eastern Shore Ground Search and Rescue.

RESOLUTION NO. 206

[Page 783]

By: Hon. Kevin Murphy « » (The Speaker)

I hereby give notice that on a future day I shall move the adoption of the following resolution:

Whereas Eastern Shore Ground Search and Rescue is a volunteer organization dedicated to helping others in a time of urgent need; and

Whereas Eastern Shore Ground Search and Rescue recently held a banquet to honour those dedicated volunteers who are part of its outstanding team; and

Whereas Daryl Hayes was recognized for his 39 years of dedicated service;

Therefore be it resolved that all members of this House of Assembly thank Daryl Hayes for his volunteer time and commitment to Eastern Shore Ground Search and Rescue.

RESOLUTION NO. 207

By: Hon. Kevin Murphy « » (The Speaker)

I hereby give notice that on a future day I shall move the adoption of the following resolution:

Whereas Eastern Shore Ground Search and Rescue is a volunteer organization dedicated to helping others in a time of urgent need; and

Whereas Eastern Shore Ground Search and Rescue recently held a banquet to honour those dedicated volunteers who are part of its outstanding team; and

Whereas Brian Tibbo was recognized for his 39 years of dedicated service;

Therefore be it resolved that all members of this House of Assembly thank Brian Tibbo for his volunteer time and commitment to Eastern Shore Ground Search and Rescue.

RESOLUTION NO. 208

By: Hon. Kevin Murphy « » (The Speaker)

I hereby give notice that on a future day I shall move the adoption of the following resolution:

Whereas Eastern Shore Ground Search and Rescue is a volunteer organization dedicated to helping others in a time of urgent need; and

[Page 784]

Whereas Eastern Shore Ground Search and Rescue recently held a banquet to honour those dedicated volunteers who are part of its outstanding team; and

Whereas Alan Duchesne was recognized for his 36 years of dedicated service;

Therefore be it resolved that all members of this House of Assembly thank Alan Duchesne for his volunteer time and commitment to Eastern Shore Ground Search and Rescue.

RESOLUTION NO. 209

By: Hon. Kevin Murphy « » (The Speaker)

I hereby give notice that on a future day I shall move the adoption of the following resolution:

Whereas Eastern Shore Ground Search and Rescue is a volunteer organization dedicated to helping others in a time of urgent need; and

Whereas Eastern Shore Ground Search and Rescue recently held a banquet to honour those dedicated volunteers who are part of its outstanding team; and

Whereas Mike McLaughlin was recognized for his 33 years of dedicated service;

Therefore be it resolved that all members of this House of Assembly thank Mike McLaughlin for his volunteer time and commitment to Eastern Shore Ground Search and Rescue.

RESOLUTION NO. 210

By: Hon. Kevin Murphy « » (The Speaker)

I hereby give notice that on a future day I shall move the adoption of the following resolution:

Whereas Eastern Shore Ground Search and Rescue is a volunteer organization dedicated to helping others in a time of urgent need; and

Whereas Eastern Shore Ground Search and Rescue recently held a banquet to honour those dedicated volunteers who are part of its outstanding team; and

Whereas Ian Firth was recognized for his 32 years of dedicated service;

[Page 785]

Therefore be it resolved that all members of this House of Assembly thank Ian Firth for his volunteer time and commitment to Eastern Shore Ground Search and Rescue.

RESOLUTION NO. 211

By: Hon. Kevin Murphy « » (The Speaker)

I hereby give notice that on a future day I shall move the adoption of the following resolution:

Whereas Eastern Shore Ground Search and Rescue is a volunteer organization dedicated to helping others in a time of urgent need; and

Whereas Eastern Shore Ground Search and Rescue recently held a banquet to honour those dedicated volunteers who are part of its outstanding team; and

Whereas Bill Dunn was recognized for his 28 years of dedicated service;

Therefore be it resolved that all members of this House of Assembly thank Bill Dunn for his volunteer time and commitment to Eastern Shore Ground Search and Rescue.

RESOLUTION NO. 212

By: Hon. Kevin Murphy « » (The Speaker)

I hereby give notice that on a future day I shall move the adoption of the following resolution:

Whereas Eastern Shore Ground Search and Rescue is a volunteer organization dedicated to helping others in a time of urgent need; and

Whereas Eastern Shore Ground Search and Rescue recently held a banquet to honour those dedicated volunteers who are part of its outstanding team; and

Whereas Carrie Keddy was recognized for her 22 years of dedicated service;

Therefore be it resolved that all members of this House of Assembly thank Carrie Keddy for her volunteer time and commitment to Eastern Shore Ground Search and Rescue.

RESOLUTION NO. 213

[Page 786]

By: Hon. Kevin Murphy « » (The Speaker)

I hereby give notice that on a future day I shall move the adoption of the following resolution:

Whereas Eastern Shore Ground Search and Rescue is a volunteer organization dedicated to helping others in a time of urgent need; and

Whereas Eastern Shore Ground Search and Rescue recently held a banquet to honour those dedicated volunteers who are part of its outstanding team; and

Whereas Deborah Conrod was recognized for her 22 years of dedicated service;

Therefore be it resolved that all members of this House of Assembly thank Deborah Conrod for her volunteer time and commitment to Eastern Shore Ground Search and Rescue.

RESOLUTION NO. 214

By: Hon. Kevin Murphy « » (The Speaker)

I hereby give notice that on a future day I shall move the adoption of the following resolution:

Whereas Eastern Shore Ground Search and Rescue is a volunteer organization dedicated to helping others in a time of urgent need; and

Whereas Eastern Shore Ground Search and Rescue recently held a banquet to honour those dedicated volunteers who are part of its outstanding team; and

Whereas Sarah Wechsler was recognized for her 19 years of dedicated service;

Therefore be it resolved that all members of this House of Assembly thank Sarah Wechsler for her volunteer time and commitment to Eastern Shore Ground Search and Rescue.

RESOLUTION NO. 215

By: Hon. Kevin Murphy « » (The Speaker)

I hereby give notice that on a future day I shall move the adoption of the following resolution:

Whereas Eastern Shore Ground Search and Rescue is a volunteer organization dedicated to helping others in a time of urgent need; and

[Page 787]

Whereas Eastern Shore Ground Search and Rescue recently held a banquet to honour those dedicated volunteers who are part of its outstanding team; and

Whereas Lorna George was recognized for her 15 years of dedicated service;

Therefore be it resolved that all members of this House of Assembly thank Lorna George for her volunteer time and commitment to Eastern Shore Ground Search and Rescue.

RESOLUTION NO. 216

By: Hon. Kevin Murphy « » (The Speaker)

I hereby give notice that on a future day I shall move the adoption of the following resolution:

Whereas Eastern Shore Ground Search and Rescue is a volunteer organization dedicated to helping others in a time of urgent need; and

Whereas Eastern Shore Ground Search and Rescue recently held a banquet to honour those dedicated volunteers who are part of its outstanding team; and

Whereas Darrell McCurdy was recognized for his 14 years of dedicated service;

Therefore be it resolved that all members of this House of Assembly thank Darrell McCurdy for his volunteer time and commitment to Eastern Shore Ground Search and Rescue.

RESOLUTION NO. 217

By: Hon. Kevin Murphy « » (The Speaker)

I hereby give notice that on a future day I shall move the adoption of the following resolution:

Whereas Eastern Shore Ground Search and Rescue is a volunteer organization dedicated to helping others in a time of urgent need; and

Whereas Eastern Shore Ground Search and Rescue recently held a banquet to honour those dedicated volunteers who are part of its outstanding team; and

Whereas Daniel Cole was recognized for his 13 years of dedicated service;

[Page 788]

Therefore be it resolved that all members of this House of Assembly thank Daniel Cole for his volunteer time and commitment to Eastern Shore Ground Search and Rescue.

RESOLUTION NO. 218

By: Hon. Kevin Murphy « » (The Speaker)

I hereby give notice that on a future day I shall move the adoption of the following resolution:

Whereas Eastern Shore Ground Search and Rescue is a volunteer organization dedicated to helping others in a time of urgent need; and

Whereas Eastern Shore Ground Search and Rescue recently held a banquet to honour those dedicated volunteers who are part of its outstanding team; and

Whereas Colleen Prentice was recognized for her 13 years of dedicated service;

Therefore be it resolved that all members of this House of Assembly thank Colleen Prentice for her volunteer time and commitment to Eastern Shore Ground Search and Rescue.

RESOLUTION NO. 219

By: Hon. Kevin Murphy « » (The Speaker)

I hereby give notice that on a future day I shall move the adoption of the following resolution:

Whereas Eastern Shore Ground Search and Rescue is a volunteer organization dedicated to helping others in a time of urgent need; and

Whereas Eastern Shore Ground Search and Rescue recently held a banquet to honour those dedicated volunteers who are part of its outstanding team; and

Whereas Donald Mosher was recognized for his 13 years of dedicated service;

Therefore be it resolved that all members of this House of Assembly thank Donald Mosher for his volunteer time and commitment to Eastern Shore Ground Search and Rescue.

RESOLUTION NO. 220

[Page 789]

By: Hon. Kevin Murphy « » (The Speaker)

I hereby give notice that on a future day I shall move the adoption of the following resolution:

Whereas Eastern Shore Ground Search and Rescue is a volunteer organization dedicated to helping others in a time of urgent need; and

Whereas Eastern Shore Ground Search and Rescue recently held a banquet to honour those dedicated volunteers who are part of its outstanding team; and

Whereas Gilles Lavergne was recognized for his 12 years of dedicated service;

Therefore be it resolved that all members of this House of Assembly thank Gilles Lavergne for his volunteer time and commitment to Eastern Shore Ground Search and Rescue.

RESOLUTION NO. 221

By: Hon. Kevin Murphy « » (The Speaker)

I hereby give notice that on a future day I shall move the adoption of the following resolution:

Whereas Eastern Shore Ground Search and Rescue is a volunteer organization dedicated to helping others in a time of urgent need; and

Whereas Eastern Shore Ground Search and Rescue recently held a banquet to honour those dedicated volunteers who are part of its outstanding team; and

Whereas Penelope Roche was recognized for her 11 years of dedicated service;

Therefore be it resolved that all members of this House of Assembly thank Penelope Roache for her volunteer time and commitment to Eastern Shore Ground Search and Rescue.

RESOLUTION NO. 222

By: Hon. Kevin Murphy « » (The Speaker)

I hereby give notice that on a future day I shall move the adoption of the following resolution:

Whereas Eastern Shore Ground Search and Rescue is a volunteer organization dedicated to helping others in a time of urgent need; and

[Page 790]

Whereas Eastern Shore Ground Search and Rescue recently held a banquet to honour those dedicated volunteers who are part of its outstanding team; and

Whereas Krista Arnold recognized for her 11 years of dedicated service;

Therefore be it resolved that all members of this House of Assembly thank Krista Arnold for her volunteer time and commitment to Eastern Shore Ground Search and Rescue.

RESOLUTION NO. 223

By: Hon. Kevin Murphy « » (The Speaker)

I hereby give notice that on a future day I shall move the adoption of the following resolution:

Whereas Eastern Shore Ground Search and Rescue is a volunteer organization dedicated to helping others in a time of urgent need; and

Whereas Eastern Shore Ground Search and Rescue recently held a banquet to honour those dedicated volunteers who are part of its outstanding team; and

Whereas Patrick McGrath MD was recognized for his 11 years of dedicated service;

Therefore be it resolved that all members of this House of Assembly thank Patrick McGrath MD for his volunteer time and commitment to Eastern Shore Ground Search and Rescue.

RESOLUTION NO. 224

By: Hon. Kevin Murphy « » (The Speaker)

I hereby give notice that on a future day I shall move the adoption of the following resolution:

Whereas Eastern Shore Ground Search and Rescue is a volunteer organization dedicated to helping others in a time of urgent need; and

Whereas Eastern Shore Ground Search and Rescue recently held a banquet to honour those dedicated volunteers who are part of its outstanding team; and

Whereas Darrell Myatt was recognized for his 11 years of dedicated service;

[Page 791]

Therefore be it resolved that all members of this House of Assembly thank Darrell Myatt for his volunteer time and commitment to Eastern Shore Ground Search and Rescue.

RESOLUTION NO. 225

By: Hon. Kevin Murphy « » (The Speaker)

I hereby give notice that on a future day I shall move the adoption of the following resolution:

Whereas Eastern Shore Ground Search and Rescue is a volunteer organization dedicated to helping others in a time of urgent need; and

Whereas Eastern Shore Ground Search and Rescue recently held a banquet to honour those dedicated volunteers who are part of its outstanding team; and

Whereas Stefan Karsch was recognized for his 10 years of dedicated service;

Therefore be it resolved that all members of this House of Assembly thank Stefan Karsch for his volunteer time and commitment to Eastern Shore Ground Search and Rescue.

RESOLUTION NO. 226

By: Hon. Kevin Murphy « » (The Speaker)

I hereby give notice that on a future day I shall move the adoption of the following resolution:

Whereas Eastern Shore Ground Search and Rescue is a volunteer organization dedicated to helping others in a time of urgent need; and

Whereas Eastern Shore Ground Search and Rescue recently held a banquet to honour those dedicated volunteers who are part of its outstanding team; and

Whereas Robin Clayton was recognized for 10 years of dedicated service;

Therefore be it resolved that all members of this House of Assembly thank Robin Clayton for their volunteer time and commitment to Eastern Shore Ground Search and Rescue.

RESOLUTION NO. 227

[Page 792]

By: Hon. Kevin Murphy « » (The Speaker)

I hereby give notice that on a future day I shall move the adoption of the following resolution:

Whereas Eastern Shore Ground Search and Rescue is a volunteer organization dedicated to helping others in a time of urgent need; and

Whereas Eastern Shore Ground Search and Rescue recently held a banquet to honour those dedicated volunteers who are part of its outstanding team; and

Whereas Shaun Perry was recognized for his 10 years of dedicated service;

Therefore be it resolved that all members of this House of Assembly thank Shaun Perry for his volunteer time and commitment to Eastern Shore Ground Search and Rescue.

RESOLUTION NO. 228

By: Hon. Kevin Murphy « » (The Speaker)

I hereby give notice that on a future day I shall move the adoption of the following resolution:

Whereas Eastern Shore Ground Search and Rescue is a volunteer organization dedicated to helping others in a time of urgent need; and

Whereas Eastern Shore Ground Search and Rescue recently held a banquet to honour those dedicated volunteers who are part of its outstanding team; and

Whereas Lawrence Morris was recognized for his 10 years of dedicated service;

Therefore be it resolved that all members of this House of Assembly thank Lawrence Morris for his volunteer time and commitment to Eastern Shore Ground Search and Rescue.

RESOLUTION NO. 229

By: Hon. Kevin Murphy « » (The Speaker)

I hereby give notice that on a future day I shall move the adoption of the following resolution:

Whereas Eastern Shore Ground Search and Rescue is a volunteer organization dedicated to helping others in a time of urgent need; and

[Page 793]

Whereas Eastern Shore Ground Search and Rescue recently held a banquet to honour those dedicated volunteers who are part of its outstanding team; and

Whereas Nicholas Boutilier was recognized for his 10 years of dedicated service;

Therefore be it resolved that all members of this House of Assembly thank Nicholas Boutilier for his volunteer time and commitment to Eastern Shore Ground Search and Rescue.

RESOLUTION NO. 230

By: Hon. Kevin Murphy « » (The Speaker)

I hereby give notice that on a future day I shall move the adoption of the following resolution:

Whereas Eastern Shore Ground Search and Rescue is a volunteer organization dedicated to helping others in a time of urgent need; and

Whereas Eastern Shore Ground Search and Rescue recently held a banquet to honour those dedicated volunteers who are part of its outstanding team; and

Whereas Sherry Karsch was recognized for her 10 years of dedicated service;

Therefore be it resolved that all members of this House of Assembly thank Sherry Karsch for her volunteer time and commitment to Eastern Shore Ground Search and Rescue.

RESOLUTION NO. 231

By: Hon. Kevin Murphy « » (The Speaker)

I hereby give notice that on a future day I shall move the adoption of the following resolution:

Whereas Eastern Shore Ground Search and Rescue is a volunteer organization dedicated to helping others in a time of urgent need; and

Whereas Eastern Shore Ground Search and Rescue recently held a banquet to honour those dedicated volunteers who are part of its outstanding team; and

Whereas Troy Publicover was recognized for his nine years of dedicated service;

[Page 794]

Therefore be it resolved that all members of this House of Assembly thank Troy Publicover for his volunteer time and commitment to Eastern Shore Ground Search and Rescue.

RESOLUTION NO. 232

By: Hon. Kevin Murphy « » (The Speaker)

I hereby give notice that on a future day I shall move the adoption of the following resolution:

Whereas Eastern Shore Ground Search and Rescue is a volunteer organization dedicated to helping others in a time of urgent need; and

Whereas Eastern Shore Ground Search and Rescue recently held a banquet to honour those dedicated volunteers who are part of its outstanding team; and

Whereas Janet DeBaie was recognized for her nine years of dedicated service;

Therefore be it resolved that all members of this House of Assembly thank Janet DeBaie for her volunteer time and commitment to Eastern Shore Ground Search and Rescue.

RESOLUTION NO. 233

By: Hon. Kevin Murphy « » (The Speaker)

I hereby give notice that on a future day I shall move the adoption of the following resolution:

Whereas Eastern Shore Ground Search and Rescue is a volunteer organization dedicated to helping others in a time of urgent need; and

Whereas Eastern Shore Ground Search and Rescue recently held a banquet to honour those dedicated volunteers who are part of its outstanding team; and

Whereas Gloria Richard was recognized for her eight years of dedicated service;

Therefore be it resolved that all members of this House of Assembly thank Gloria Richard for her volunteer time and commitment to Eastern Shore Ground Search and Rescue.

RESOLUTION NO. 234

[Page 795]

By: Hon. Kevin Murphy « » (The Speaker)

I hereby give notice that on a future day I shall move the adoption of the following resolution:

Whereas Eastern Shore Ground Search and Rescue is a volunteer organization dedicated to helping others in a time of urgent need; and

Whereas Eastern Shore Ground Search and Rescue recently held a banquet to honour those dedicated volunteers who are part of its outstanding team; and

Whereas Michael Karsch was recognized for his eight years of dedicated service;

Therefore be it resolved that all members of this House of Assembly thank Michael Karsch for his volunteer time and commitment to Eastern Shore Ground Search and Rescue.

RESOLUTION NO. 235

By: Hon. Kevin Murphy « » (The Speaker)

I hereby give notice that on a future day I shall move the adoption of the following resolution:

Whereas Eastern Shore Ground Search and Rescue is a volunteer organization dedicated to helping others in a time of urgent need; and

Whereas Eastern Shore Ground Search and Rescue recently held a banquet to honour those dedicated volunteers who are part of its outstanding team; and

Whereas Bonita Carpenter was recognized for her seven years of dedicated service;

Therefore be it resolved that all members of this House of Assembly thank Bonita Carpenter for her volunteer time and commitment to Eastern Shore Ground Search and Rescue.

RESOLUTION NO. 236

By: Hon. Kevin Murphy « » (The Speaker)

I hereby give notice that on a future day I shall move the adoption of the following resolution:

Whereas Eastern Shore Ground Search and Rescue is a volunteer organization dedicated to helping others in a time of urgent need; and

[Page 796]

Whereas Eastern Shore Ground Search and Rescue recently held a banquet to honour those dedicated volunteers who are part of its outstanding team; and

Whereas Tim O'Brien was recognized for his seven years of dedicated service;

Therefore be it resolved that all members of this House of Assembly thank Tim O'Brien for his volunteer time and commitment to Eastern Shore Ground Search and Rescue.

RESOLUTION NO. 237

By: Hon. Kevin Murphy « » (The Speaker)

I hereby give notice that on a future day I shall move the adoption of the following resolution:

Whereas Eastern Shore Ground Search and Rescue is a volunteer organization dedicated to helping others in a time of urgent need; and

Whereas Eastern Shore Ground Search and Rescue recently held a banquet to honour those dedicated volunteers who are part of its outstanding team; and

Whereas Amanda Dyke was recognized for his 7 years of dedicated service;

Therefore be it resolved that all members of this House of Assembly thank Amanda Dyke for her volunteer time and commitment to the Eastern Shore Ground Search and Rescue.

RESOLUTION NO. 238

By: Hon. Kevin Murphy « » (The Speaker)

I hereby give notice that on a future day I shall move the adoption of the following resolution:

Whereas Eastern Shore Ground Search and Rescue is a volunteer organization dedicated to helping others in a time of urgent need; and

Whereas Eastern Shore Ground Search and Rescue recently held a banquet to honour those dedicated volunteers who are part of its outstanding team; and

Whereas Carl Youngbluth was recognized for his 6 years of dedicated service;

[Page 797]

Therefore be it resolved that all members of this House of Assembly thank Carl Youngbluth for his volunteer time and commitment to the Eastern Shore Ground Search and Rescue.

RESOLUTION NO. 239

By: Hon. Kevin Murphy « » (The Speaker)

I hereby give notice that on a future day I shall move the adoption of the following resolution:

Whereas Eastern Shore Ground Search and Rescue is a volunteer organization dedicated to helping others in a time of urgent need; and

Whereas Eastern Shore Ground Search and Rescue recently held a banquet to honour those dedicated volunteers who are part of its outstanding team; and

Whereas Dave Rockwood was recognized for his 6 years of dedicated service;

Therefore be it resolved that all members of this House of Assembly thank Dave Rockwood for his volunteer time and commitment to the Eastern Shore Ground Search and Rescue.

RESOLUTION NO. 240

By: Hon. Kevin Murphy « » (The Speaker)

I hereby give notice that on a future day I shall move the adoption of the following resolution:

Whereas Eastern Shore Ground Search and Rescue is a volunteer organization dedicated to helping others in a time of urgent need; and

Whereas Eastern Shore Ground Search and Rescue recently held a banquet to honour those dedicated volunteers who are part of its outstanding team; and

Whereas Jacqueline Lowe was recognized for her 5 years of dedicated service;

Therefore be it resolved that all members of this House of Assembly thank Jacqueline Lowe for her volunteer time and commitment to the Eastern Shore Ground Search and Rescue.

RESOLUTION NO. 241

[Page 798]

By: Hon. Kevin Murphy « » (The Speaker)

I hereby give notice that on a future day I shall move the adoption of the following resolution:

Whereas Eastern Shore Ground Search and Rescue is a volunteer organization dedicated to helping others in a time of urgent need; and

Whereas Eastern Shore Ground Search and Rescue recently held a banquet to honour those dedicated volunteers who are part of its outstanding team; and

Whereas Jamie Neiforth was recognized for his 5 years of dedicated service;

Therefore be it resolved that all members of this House of Assembly thank Jamie Neiforth for their volunteer time and commitment to the Eastern Shore Ground Search and Rescue.

RESOLUTION NO. 242

By: Hon. Kevin Murphy « » (The Speaker)

I hereby give notice that on a future day I shall move the adoption of the following resolution:

Whereas Eastern Shore Ground Search and Rescue is a volunteer organization dedicated to helping others in a time of urgent need; and

Whereas Eastern Shore Ground Search and Rescue recently held a banquet to honour those dedicated volunteers who are part of its outstanding team; and

Whereas Marcel DeSutter was recognized for his five years of dedicated service;

Therefore be it resolved that all members of this House of Assembly thank Marcel DeSutter for his volunteer time and commitment to the Eastern Shore Ground Search and Rescue.

RESOLUTION NO. 243

By: Hon. Kevin Murphy « » (The Speaker)

I hereby give notice that on a future day I shall move the adoption of the following resolution:

Whereas Eastern Shore Ground Search and Rescue is a volunteer organization dedicated to helping others in a time of urgent need; and

[Page 799]

Whereas Eastern Shore Ground Search and Rescue recently held a banquet to honour those dedicated volunteers who are part of its outstanding team; and

Whereas Vince Sawler was recognized for his five years of dedicated service;

Therefore be it resolved that all members of this House of Assembly thank Vince Sawler for his volunteer time and commitment to the Eastern Shore Ground Search and Rescue.

RESOLUTION NO. 244

By: Hon. Kevin Murphy « » (The Speaker)

I hereby give notice that on a future day I shall move the adoption of the following resolution:

Whereas Eastern Shore Ground Search and Rescue is a volunteer organization dedicated to helping others in a time of urgent need; and

Whereas Eastern Shore Ground Search and Rescue recently held a banquet to honour those dedicated volunteers who are part of its outstanding team; and

Whereas Albert Rothwell was recognized for his five years of dedicated service;

Therefore be it resolved that all members of this House of Assembly thank Albert Rothwell for his volunteer time and commitment to the Eastern Shore Ground Search and Rescue.

RESOLUTION NO. 245

By: Hon. Kevin Murphy « » (The Speaker)

I hereby give notice that on a future day I shall move the adoption of the following resolution:

Whereas Eastern Shore Ground Search and Rescue is a volunteer organization dedicated to helping others in a time of urgent need; and

Whereas Eastern Shore Ground Search and Rescue recently held a banquet to honour those dedicated volunteers who are part of its outstanding team; and

Whereas Colin Pugh was recognized for his five years of dedicated service;

[Page 800]

Therefore be it resolved that all members of this House of Assembly thank Colin Pugh for his volunteer time and commitment to Eastern Shore Ground Search and Rescue.

RESOLUTION NO. 246

By: Hon. Kevin Murphy « » (The Speaker)

I hereby give notice that on a future day I shall move the adoption of the following resolution:

Whereas Eastern Shore Ground Search and Rescue is a volunteer organization dedicated to helping others in a time of urgent need; and

Whereas Eastern Shore Ground Search and Rescue recently held a banquet to honour those dedicated volunteers who are part of its outstanding team; and

Whereas Richard Ward was recognized for his five years of dedicated service;

Therefore be it resolved that all members of this House of Assembly thank Richard Ward for his volunteer time and commitment to Eastern Shore Ground Search and Rescue.

RESOLUTION NO. 247

By: Hon. Kevin Murphy « » (The Speaker)

I hereby give notice that on a future day I shall move the adoption of the following resolution:

Whereas Eastern Shore Ground Search and Rescue is a volunteer organization dedicated to helping others in a time of urgent need; and

Whereas Eastern Shore Ground Search and Rescue recently held a banquet to honour those dedicated volunteers who are part of its outstanding team; and

Whereas Brian McKay was recognized for his five years of dedicated service;

Therefore be it resolved that all members of this House of Assembly thank Brian McKay for his volunteer time and commitment to Eastern Shore Ground Search and Rescue.

RESOLUTION NO. 248

[Page 801]

By: Hon. Kevin Murphy « » (The Speaker)

I hereby give notice that on a future day I shall move the adoption of the following resolution:

Whereas Eastern Shore Ground Search and Rescue is a volunteer organization dedicated to helping others in a time of urgent need; and

Whereas Eastern Shore Ground Search and Rescue recently held a banquet to honour those dedicated volunteers who are part of its outstanding team; and

Whereas Gary Hiltz was recognized for his five years of dedicated service;

Therefore be it resolved that all members of this House of Assembly thank Gary Hiltz for his volunteer time and commitment to Eastern Shore Ground Search and Rescue.

RESOLUTION NO. 249

By: Hon. Kevin Murphy « » (The Speaker)

I hereby give notice that on a future day I shall move the adoption of the following resolution:

Whereas Eastern Shore Ground Search and Rescue is a volunteer organization dedicated to helping others in a time of urgent need; and

Whereas Eastern Shore Ground Search and Rescue recently held a banquet to honour those dedicated volunteers who are part of its outstanding team; and

Whereas Kevin Dzwolak was recognized for his five years of dedicated service;

Therefore be it resolved that all members of this House of Assembly thank Kevin Dzwolak for his volunteer time and commitment to Eastern Shore Ground Search and Rescue.

RESOLUTION NO. 250

By: Hon. Kevin Murphy « » (The Speaker)

I hereby give notice that on a future day I shall move the adoption of the following resolution:

Whereas Eastern Shore Ground Search and Rescue is a volunteer organization dedicated to helping others in a time of urgent need; and

[Page 802]

Whereas Eastern Shore Ground Search and Rescue recently held a banquet to honour those dedicated volunteers who are part of its outstanding team; and

Whereas Ron Jeppesen was recognized for his five years of dedicated service;

Therefore be it resolved that all members of this House of Assembly thank Ron Jeppesen for his volunteer time and commitment to Eastern Shore Ground Search and Rescue.