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HALIFAX, THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 22, 2001 Fifty-eighth General Assembly Second Session 12:00 NOON SPEAKER Hon. Murray Scott DEPUTY SPEAKERS Mr. Brooke Taylor, Mr. Jerry Pye, Mr. David Wilson MR. SPEAKER: Order, please. We will begin the daily routine. PRESENTING AND READING PETITIONS PRESENTING REPORTS OF COMMITTEES MR. SPEAKER: The honourable Minister of Justice. HON. MICHAEL BAKER: Mr. Speaker, it is my pleasure to bring the report of the Law Amendments Committee. 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. 85 - Real Estate Trading 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. 7523 [Page 7524] TABLING REPORTS, REGULATIONS AND OTHER PAPERS MR. SPEAKER: The honourable Minister of Health. HON. JAMES MUIR: Mr. Speaker, with your permission, I would like to make an introduction prior to tabling this report. Mr. Speaker, I direct the attention of the House to east gallery where there are a number of members of the Health Research Foundation: Krista Connell, who is the Executive Director; Colleen Clattenburg, who is the Executive Assistant; Dr. Ingrid Sketris, who is from the Canadian Health Services Research Foundation; and Dr. Tom Larder, who is on the Board of Directors of the Nova Scotia Health Research Foundation. I would ask all members to give them a warm welcome. (Applause) Mr. Speaker, in addition to the warm welcome, I extend our thanks to those members because, due to their efforts, I am pleased to be able to table the first Annual Report of the Nova Scotia Health Research Foundation. MR. SPEAKER: The document is tabled. STATEMENTS BY MINISTERS GOVERNMENT NOTICES OF MOTION MR. SPEAKER: The honourable Premier. RESOLUTION NO. 2718 HON. JOHN HAMM (The Premier): Mr. Speaker, I hereby give notice that on a future day I shall move the adoption of the following resolution: Whereas on November 21, 2000, the member for Preston contacted my office and the Protocol Office to suggest that an Order of Nova Scotia be created; and Whereas during the spring 2001 sitting, the House passed Bill No. 10 to officially establish the Order of Nova Scotia; and Whereas yesterday, November 21, 2001, one year to the day that the member for Preston made the suggestion, the Province of Nova Scotia unveiled the insignia and selection process for the Order of Nova Scotia; Therefore be it resolved that this House congratulate and thank the member for Preston for his key role in bringing to the attention of government the value of recognizing outstanding Nova Scotians through the Order of Nova Scotia. (Applause) [Page 7525] Mr. Speaker, I request waiver. 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 Transportation and Public Works. RESOLUTION NO. 2719 HON. RONALD RUSSELL: Mr. Speaker, I hereby give notice that on a future day I shall move the adoption of the following resolution: Whereas yesterday, the Premier and the Minister of Tourism and Culture unveiled the Order of Nova Scotia; and Whereas many public servants from across government worked tirelessly on making the Order of Nova Scotia a reality; and Whereas one such employee was Chris Cairns, a graphic designer from Communications Nova Scotia, who designed the insignia for the Order of Nova Scotia approved by Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth II; Therefore be it resolved that the members of this House congratulate Chris Cairns of Communications Nova Scotia for using his considerable talents to provide the Order of Nova Scotia with a visual identity that is second to none. Mr. Speaker, I request waiver. 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. [Page 7526] The motion is carried. The honourable Minister of Tourism and Culture. RESOLUTION NO. 2720 HON. RODNEY MACDONALD: Mr. Speaker, I hereby give notice that on a future day I shall move the adoption of the following resolution: Whereas the Lunenburg County Historical Society preserves and presents heritage for the benefit of the people of LaHave, other Nova Scotians, and visitors from across Canada and the world, through the Fort Point Museum, a national historic site; and Whereas the society has struck a renaissance committee to develop a business plan in consultation with the local community and with tourism and heritage agencies for the purpose of helping the museum reach its full potential; and Whereas the Department of Tourism and Culture is pleased to support, through its Strategic Development Initiative, this endeavour which will lead the museum toward a more community-oriented and economically sustainable situation; [12:15 p.m.] Therefore be it resolved that the members of this House join me in congratulating the initiative of the Lunenburg County Historical Society in mapping out a plan for the continued success of Fort Point Museum as a partner in the heritage sector of the province. Mr. Speaker, I request waiver of notice. 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 Transportation and Public Works. [Page 7527] HON. RONALD RUSSELL: Mr. Speaker, I would like to ask for an introduction of the people who are in your gallery. I would like to introduce these members who are responsible for the design and the putting in place of the Order of Nova Scotia. I would ask them to stand, please, and receive the warm welcome of the House: Chris Cairns, Geoff Kerson, Susan Lucy, Pat Johnson Webb, Paul Chenard, Brian Murray, Andrew Barss and Daniel Mombourquette. I would ask the House to give them a warm welcome. (Applause) MR. SPEAKER: The honourable Minister of Education. RESOLUTION NO. 2721 HON. JANE PURVES: Mr. Speaker, I hereby give notice that on a future day I shall move the adoption of the following resolution: Whereas Sunday, November 25th is the International Day to End Violence Against Women and marks the beginning of a period known as 16 Days of Activism Against Gender Violence; and Whereas from 1989 to 2000, an average of five women in Nova Scotia died violently each year, many murdered by spouses or intimate partners. In 2001 to date, we know of no murders of women but one violent death of an infant girl; and Whereas we hope that the reduction in deaths this year signifies a lasting change, yet we know that only a continuing commitment and vigilance against violence will make this a lasting change; Therefore be it resolved that all members support the movement to end violence against women through personal commitment, organizational support and community action, and that we make our commitment known by wearing a purple ribbon during these 16 days of action on gender violence. Mr. Speaker, I request waiver of notice. 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 7528] The honourable Minister of Tourism and Culture. RESOLUTION NO. 2722 HON. RODNEY MACDONALD: Mr. Speaker, I hereby give notice that on a future day I shall move the adoption of the following resolution: Whereas last evening Donald Sobey, President of the Sobeys Art Foundation, announced the Sobey Art Award at a reception in the Art Gallery of Nova Scotia; and Whereas the Sobeys Art Foundation will award $50,000 to an outstanding Canadian artist younger than 40, and $15,000 as a second prize, while the host gallery will receive $10,000 to purchase contemporary Canadian art; and Whereas last evening Sobeys Inc. donated an Ivan Eyre painting to AGNS; Therefore be it resolved that the members of this House join me in thanking and congratulating Sobeys for this significant award and for supporting Canadian artists. Mr. Speaker, I request waiver of notice. 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 Health. RESOLUTION NO. 2723 HON. JAMES MUIR: Mr. Speaker, I hereby give notice that on a future day I shall move the adoption of the following resolution: Whereas the Town of Kentville has introduced a bylaw that will restrict where people can smoke in the town as of April 1, 2002; and Whereas that bylaw passed first reading this week; and [Page 7529] Whereas Nova Scotia has the highest smoking rates in all of Canada; Therefore be it resolved that all members of this House congratulate the Town of Kentville on this important initiative for the health of their citizens and encourage the town to pass this resolution. Mr. Speaker, I request waiver of notice. 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. INTRODUCTION OF BILLS NOTICES OF MOTION MR. SPEAKER: The honourable member for Cape Breton Centre. RESOLUTION NO. 2724 MR. FRANK CORBETT: Mr. Speaker, I hereby give notice that on a future day I shall move the adoption of the following resolution: Whereas coal mining has been a major factor in the history of Cape Breton since the early 18th Century, and in the past century Cape Breton coal fired the economic engine of Nova Scotia; and Whereas the phrase, there's blood on the coal, really understates the price paid by the over 1,200 Cape Breton coal miners who died to bring this black gold to the surface so that Nova Scotians might prosper; and Whereas today marks the end of the tragic but heroic traditions of coal mining in Cape Breton as the last shift and last ton of coal comes out of the Prince Mine; [Page 7530] Therefore be it resolved that this House observe a moment of silence for the over 1,200 Cape Breton coal miners who gave their lives so that Nova Scotia homes might have heat and our industries have fuel. Mr. Speaker, I request waiver of notice. 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. I would ask the honourable members to stand for a moment of silence for deceased coal miners in Cape Breton. [One minute of silence was observed.] MR. SPEAKER: Thank you. Please be seated. The honourable Leader of the Liberal Party. RESOLUTION NO. 2725 MR. WAYNE GAUDET: Mr. Speaker, I hereby give notice that on a future day I shall move the adoption of the following resolution: Whereas family physicians play a vital role in the lives of residents of rural communities; and Whereas for the past 30 years Queens County has been the beneficiary of the talents of Dr. David Large; and Whereas Dr. Large has tended to his patients both out of his office at the Queens General Hospital and has as well served as Chief of Staff for the Queens General Hospital; Therefore be it resolved that all members of this Legislature extend their sincere thanks to Dr. David Large for his many years of kind and compassionate caring and wish him and his wife, Marilyn, all the best in his retirement. [Page 7531] Mr. Speaker, I request waiver of notice. 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 member for Preston. RESOLUTION NO. 2726 MR. DAVID HENDSBEE: Mr. Speaker, I hereby give notice that on a future day I shall move the adoption of the following resolution: Whereas for 80 years the Nova Scotia Home for Coloured Children, the oldest co-ed residential facility in Nova Scotia, has been an important part of the local community; and Whereas while the home's original mandate was to provide for needy children in the Black community, its doors are open to help all at-risk children regardless of their racial origin, religious affiliation or ethnic background; and Whereas for eight decades the Nova Scotia Home for Coloured Children has relied on the generosity of the public through donations to its annual appeal, which happens to be the oldest continuous charitable telethon in North America; Therefore be it resolved that all members of this House pledge their support to the Nova Scotia Home for Coloured Children and please make a generous donation to the 70th Annual Christmas Broadcast for Funds airing Sunday, December 9th live, from 2:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. on Eastlink Cable 10, so that the home may continue to provide help and assistance to children in need. Mr. Speaker, I request waiver of notice. MR. SPEAKER: There has been a request for waiver. Is it agreed? [Page 7532] It is agreed. Would all those in favour of the motion please say Aye. Contrary minded, Nay. The motion is carried. The honourable member for Sackville-Cobequid. RESOLUTION NO. 2727 MR. JOHN HOLM: Mr. Speaker, I hereby give notice that on a future day I shall move the adoption of the following resolution: Whereas the 1997 fall session was described as "a frustrating three weeks. It's been designed to make the government look as good as possible, but nothing happened in this session."; and Whereas those are the words of one John Hamm, Progressive Conservative Leader; and Whereas the Liberals discovered the true benefit of a short, do-little session when they lost half their seats in the subsequent general election, starting the slide into third place; Therefore be it resolved that the 15 sitting days of this 2001 fall session have been as uneventful and even shorter than the infamous 1997 session that failed so miserably to save the timid Liberals from an electoral review. Mr. Speaker, I request waiver of notice. MR. SPEAKER: There has been a request for waiver. Is it agreed? I hear several Noes. The notice is tabled. The honourable member for Lunenburg West. RESOLUTION NO. 2728 MR. DONALD DOWNE: Mr. Speaker, I hereby give notice that on a future day I shall move the adoption of the following resolution: [Page 7533] Whereas the Alternate School Program has a proven record of providing education for students who have lost hope in the public school system; and Whereas the Nova Scotia Community College's new Transition Program allows students to obtain needed high school credits through the college; and Whereas the co-location of the Alternate School and Transition Programs at the Nova Scotia Community College, Lunenburg Campus in Bridgewater promises new incentives for high school students to stay in school; Therefore be it resolved that this House extend best wishes to the Alternate School and its Director, Richard Hurlburt; Transition Program Coordinator, Marsha Nauss; and the Nova Scotia Community College's Lunenburg Campus for success in their new co-location. Mr. Speaker, I request waiver of notice. 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 member for Cape Breton North. RESOLUTION NO. 2729 MR. CECIL CLARKE: Mr. Speaker, I hereby give notice that on a future day I shall move the adoption of the following resolution: Whereas a dynamic New Waterford icon, D.A. (Duncan Angus) MacKinnon passed away on Saturday, November 3rd, at the age of 73, leaving behind a legacy of community service and pride to friends and family; and Whereas D.A. MacKinnon was in his 59th year of barbering, he was a lifelong member of the Progressive Conservative Party, the Knights of Columbus, the Mount Carmel Parish, and a member of the Nova Scotia Mental Health Association, as well as being renowned as an avid bridge player, organizer and teacher; and [Page 7534] Whereas D.A.'s passing leaves a void impossible to fill, yet what remains is a history of fond memories, contributions and accomplishments to his beloved community of New Waterford; Therefore be it resolved that all members of this House extend their sympathy to D.A.'s family, especially Billie, Dan Willie, Spike and Theresa, and remember the decades of service he contributed to New Waterford to make it a better place to call home. Mr. Speaker, I request waiver of notice. 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 member for Halifax Needham. RESOLUTION NO. 2730 MS. MAUREEN MACDONALD: Mr. Speaker, I hereby give notice that on a future day I shall move the adoption of the following resolution: Whereas the Maritime School of Social Work was incorporated by a special Act of the Nova Scotia Legislature 60 years ago on April 15, 1941; and Whereas among the purposes and objectives of the school are to give instructions and training to social workers and students of social work, and to promote and advance social welfare education; and Whereas the Maritime School of Social Work will celebrate 60 years of social work education at its annual general meeting, where a panel of faculty and practitioners will lead a discussion examining the future of social work; Therefore be it resolved that members of the Nova Scotia Legislature extend congratulations and best wishes to the Maritime School of Social Work faculty, alumni, students and staff as they celebrate the occasion of their 60th Anniversary. [Page 7535] Mr. Speaker, I request waiver of notice. 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 member for Cape Breton Nova. RESOLUTION NO. 2731 MR. PAUL MACEWAN: Mr. Speaker, I hereby give notice that on a future day I shall move the adoption of the following resolution: Whereas Michael Campbell of 135 Daley Road, New Victoria, is 75 years old and will be 76 years old in two months, in January 2002; and Whereas Michael Campbell still plays competitive hockey three and four times per week and is a strong leader on the ice, breaking up plays and feeding the puck with well-placed forward passes; and Whereas Michael Campbell played 80 games in the 2000-01 season and played either the entire game or almost the entire game in each of these; Therefore be it resolved that this House congratulate Michael Campbell on his outstanding athletic achievement and demonstration that just because one gets older, there is no reason to believe that they cannot also get better. Mr. Speaker, I request waiver of notice. 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. [Page 7536] The motion is carried. The honourable member for Kings West. RESOLUTION NO. 2732 MR. JON CAREY: Mr. Speaker, on behalf of the member for Halifax Bedford Basin, I hereby give notice that on a future day I shall move the adoption of the following resolution: Whereas in mid-October the concrete started pouring to set the foundation for the long-awaited school in the Mainland North community; and Whereas this project remains a priority of all governments involved and is expected to be open in January 2003; and Whereas after long hours and much hard work, the plans have come together for this new school and the School Steering Team is confident in a successful completion; Therefore be it resolved that members congratulate all the people who remained dedicated to this project and worked so hard to ensure the plan would become a reality. Mr. Speaker, I request waiver of notice. 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 member for Cole Harbour-Eastern Passage. [12:30 p.m.] RESOLUTION NO. 2733 MR. KEVIN DEVEAUX: Mr. Speaker, I hereby give notice that on a future day I shall move the adoption of the following resolution: [Page 7537] Whereas Ocean View Manor has been an integral part of the communities of Eastern Passage and Cow Bay since it was opened in 1967; and [12:30 p.m.] Whereas Ocean View Manor has always had an excellent reputation as a first-rate, long-term care facility and has served the residents of the former Halifax County, and more recently Halifax Regional Municipality, with distinction; and Whereas in order to maintain its reputation as in innovative long-term care facility, Ocean View Manor is planning to expand to include a special-care unit for patients with Alzheimer's and dementia; Therefore be it resolved that this House recognize the valued service provided by Ocean View Manor, and support its efforts in bringing the first special-care unit to the Halifax Regional Municipality. Mr. Speaker, I request waiver of notice. 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 member for Cape Breton Nova. RESOLUTION NO. 2734 MR. PAUL MACEWAN: Mr. Speaker, I hereby give notice that on a future day I shall move the adoption of the following resolution: Whereas we were never persuaded that if the NDP formed the federal Government of Canada that Svend Robinson or any of their other MPs were appropriate choices for Minister of Defence; and Whereas to read Mark Parent's column in this morning's Daily News it seems that he is more NDP-lined than even Svend, with reference to Afghanistan and elsewhere; and [Page 7538] Whereas with the NDP looking for recruits, they should take a long look at the MLA for Kings North, for he looks, sounds, and acts like a socialist; Therefore be it resolved that the growth problems of the NDP could be effectively addressed and the quality of representation they deliver improved with the member for Kings North, who could be placed prominently in their lineup. I don't know to request waiver of notice on that one or not. SOME HON. MEMBERS: Agreed. MR. MACEWAN: Some say no. MR. SPEAKER: Order, please. Was there a request for waiver? MR. MACEWAN: Yes. MR. SPEAKER: There has been a request for waiver. Is it agreed? I hear several Noes. The notice is tabled. The honourable Minister of Tourism and Culture. RESOLUTION NO. 2735 HON. RODNEY MACDONALD: Mr. Speaker, I hereby give notice that on a future day I shall move the adoption of the following resolution: Whereas lessened employment declines in October have helped to keep the Cape Breton region's unemployment rate falling for the sixth straight month; and Whereas the unemployment rate in that region now stands at just above 14 per cent, one of the lowest in the area in recent times; and Whereas employment levels in the year 2001 for the Cape Breton region are the highest in over 10 years; [Page 7539] Therefore be it resolved that members of this House acknowledge the positive progress being made in increasing employment levels in the Cape Breton region, while recognizing that we have to do more work to maximize employment in Cape Breton and throughout the province. Mr. Speaker, I request waiver of notice. 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 member for Dartmouth North. RESOLUTION NO. 2736 MR. JERRY PYE: Mr. Speaker, I hereby give notice that on a future day I shall move the adoption of the following resolution: Whereas Campaign 2000 is a non-partisan, cross-Canada coalition of over 85 national, provincial, and community partner organizations committed to working together to end child/family poverty in Canada; and Whereas on November 26, 2001, Campaign 2000, in partnership with PhotoSensitive, professional photographers who volunteer their time for social causes, will simultaneously open the national photo exhibit, A National Disgrace . . . . Child Poverty in Canada; and Whereas this photo exhibit shows at the Captain William Spry Centre in Spryfield, bringing the everyday struggles of low-income families to the public's attention; Therefore be it resolved that the members of the Legislative Assembly commend Campaign 2000 and PhotoSensitive for their efforts to raise public and government awareness of the plight of children and families living in poverty, and wish them a successful showing of A National Disgrace . . . . Child Poverty in Canada. Mr. Speaker, I request waiver of notice. [Page 7540] 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 member for Richmond. RESOLUTION NO. 2737 MR. MICHEL SAMSON: Mr. Speaker, on behalf of my colleague, the honourable member for Dartmouth East, I hereby give notice that on a future day I shall move the adoption of the following resolution: Whereas paramedics are skilled basic and advanced-life-support practitioners, providing medical assistance in often times highly stressful situations; and Whereas the College of Paramedics honour the professionalism exhibited in paramedicine by naming an outstanding individual Paramedic of the Year; and Whereas Craig Desjardins, an advanced care paramedic from Pictou, has been awarded this honoured distinction; Therefore be it resolved that all members of this Legislature congratulate Mr. Craig Desjardins of Pictou, Nova Scotia, on being named Paramedic of the Year. Mr. Speaker, I request waiver of notice. 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. [Page 7541] The motion is carried. The honourable member for Kings North. RESOLUTION NO. 2738 MR. MARK PARENT: Mr. Speaker, I hereby give notice that on a future day I shall move the adoption of the following resolution: Whereas the Valley region continued at record high monthly employment levels for the area during the month of October; and Whereas the region's unemployment rate of 6.6 per cent is one of the lowest rates ever seen in the area; and Whereas over 3,000 more people are employed this year than last year in the Valley region; Therefore be it resolved that members of this House acknowledge the positive progress made in increasing employment levels in the Valley region while realizing that we have more work to do to maximize employment in the Annapolis Valley and throughout the province. Mr. Speaker, I request waiver of notice. 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 member for Halifax Needham. MS. MAUREEN MACDONALD: Mr. Speaker, with your permission I would like to make an introduction before I do my resolution. Mr. Speaker, in our west gallery today we are joined by members of the board and the staff of Bryony House. I would like to introduce them: Cathy Love, who is the Director at Bryony House; Anne Clarke, Rebecca Crowell and Daivi Kattilakoski, who are on the staff; [Page 7542] and Sandra Nimno, who is co-chairman of the board, along with Pamela Harrison, who is past-chairman of the board and who now works with the Transition House Association of Nova Scotia, as well as Mina - it is hard for me to see - a few more members of the staff are now joining us. So I would ask the women from Bryony House and the Halifax Transition House Association to stand and receive the warm welcome of the House. (Applause) MR. SPEAKER: The honourable member for Halifax Needham. RESOLUTION NO. 2739 MS. MAUREEN MACDONALD: Mr. Speaker, I hereby give notice that on a future day I shall move the adoption of the following resolution: Whereas Bryony House has for 23 years provided a refuge for abused women and their children and a variety of programs and services to make these women and children safe; and Whereas Bryony House provides temporary shelter, outreach services and public education on the issue of women abuse; and Whereas the board, staff and volunteers of Bryony House have provided invaluable safety and support to the many abused women and children who have passed through its doors over these years; Therefore be it resolved that this House thank the board, staff and volunteers of Bryony House for their 23 years of continuous care and support on behalf of abused women and children. Mr. Speaker, I request waiver of notice. 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 member for Cape Breton The Lakes. [Page 7543] RESOLUTION NO. 2740 MR. BRIAN BOUDREAU: Mr. Speaker, on behalf of my colleague, the honourable member for Dartmouth East, I hereby give notice that on a future day I shall move the adoption of the following resolution: Whereas on November 30, 2001, Marjorie O'Reilly, Provincial Director of the Terry Fox Foundation, will retire; and Whereas Marjorie has dedicated 17 years to the Nova Scotia Terry Fox Foundation office; and Whereas during her tenure, Marjorie has been instrumental in increasing Nova Scotia's contribution to cancer research from $387,000 to $846,273 last year; Therefore be it resolved that all members of this Legislature extend their thanks and best wishes to Mrs. Marjorie O'Reilly, her husband Jim and her family, for her many years of dedicated service to supporting cancer research and the Terry Fox Foundation office. Mr. Speaker, I request waiver of notice. 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 member for Guysborough-Port Hawkesbury. RESOLUTION NO. 2741 MR. RONALD CHISHOLM: Mr. Speaker, I hereby give notice that on a future day I shall move the adoption of the following resolution: Whereas the northeastern region of the province saw employment levels continue to hold in October at their relatively high summer levels; and [Page 7544] Whereas this leaves the region's October employment levels on par with the monthly highs experienced during the pipeline construction boom of 1999-2000; and Whereas employment is holding strong and is hitting record-high levels in the northeastern region of this province; Therefore be it resolved that the members of this House acknowledge the positive progress made in increasing employment levels in the northeastern region while realizing that we have more work to do to maximize employment in that region and throughout the province. Mr. Speaker, I request waiver. 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 member for Halifax Chebucto. RESOLUTION NO. 2742 MR. HOWARD EPSTEIN: Mr. Speaker, I hereby give notice that on a future day I shall move the adoption of the following resolution: Whereas 200,000 Canadians face being homeless annually, a number which will surely increase in the economic slowdown the nation faces; and Whereas homelessness was declared to be a national crisis by the Canadian Big City Mayors Group in 1999 who then called for a nation-wide initiative on affordable housing and changes to National Housing Policy; and Whereas the Community Action on Homelessness Group has, in the past several years, been pressing for provincial and municipal action in addressing homelessness in Nova Scotia, most recently having held workshops in September called "Through the Community Lens: Community Action on Homelessness Update, Lessons Learned and Next Steps"; [Page 7545] Therefore be it resolved that this House acknowledge the seriousness of the problem of homelessness in Nova Scotia by observing the National Housing Strategy Day of Action on Thursday, November 22, 2001. Mr. Speaker, I request waiver of notice. MR. SPEAKER: There has been a request for waiver. Is it agreed? I hear a No. The notice is tabled. The honourable member for Glace Bay. RESOLUTION NO. 2743 MR. DAVID WILSON: Mr. Speaker, I hereby give notice that on a future day I shall move the adoption of the following resolution: Whereas on his election Web site, the MLA for Yarmouth promises to fight to complete all 100-Series Highways which includes Highway No. 103 through Barrington; and Whereas the MLA for Yarmouth has sat silently in this session saying nothing about roads, cuts to the Yarmouth Hospital, the Yarmouth Airport or the ferry terminal; and Whereas yesterday the Minister of Transportation and Public Works essentially said the promises from the Yarmouth MLA are worthless; Therefore be it resolved that this government immediately reveal its plan for Highway No. 103 now instead of waiting until the day before they drop the writ. Mr. Speaker, I request waiver of notice. MR. SPEAKER: There has been a request for waiver. Is it agreed? I hear several Noes. The notice is tabled. [Page 7546] The honourable member for Shelburne. RESOLUTION NO. 2744 MR. CECIL O'DONNELL: Mr. Speaker, I hereby give notice that on a future day I shall move the adoption of the following resolution: Whereas the southern region saw an increase in employment through October when compared to last year's corresponding monthly levels; and Whereas this increase helped to lower the region's unemployment rate down to 9 per cent; and Whereas gains in the spring meant an increase in approximately 1,000 more employed people in the southern region than last year; Therefore be it resolved that members of this House acknowledge the positive progress made in increasing employment levels in the southern region while realizing that we have more work to do to maximize employment in that region and throughout the province. Mr. Speaker, I request waiver of notice. 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 member for Hants East. RESOLUTION NO. 2745 MR. JOHN MACDONELL: Mr. Speaker, I hereby give notice that on a future day I shall move the adoption of the following resolution: Whereas this country has largely been founded and shaped by people moving here to begin a new life; and [Page 7547] Whereas on May 24th of this year, 29 people were sworn in as new Canadians at the RCMP headquarters in Halifax; and Whereas Mrs. Leena Ribahi, at that time, took the Oath of Citizenship to become Shubenacadie's newest citizen; Therefore be it resolved that the members of this Legislature congratulate and welcome Mrs. Leena Ribahi of Shubenacadie and the others who, on May 24th, chose to become Canadians. Mr. Speaker, I request waiver of notice. 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 member for Lunenburg West. RESOLUTION NO. 2746 MR. DONALD DOWNE: Mr. Speaker, I hereby give notice that on a future day I shall move the adoption of the following resolution: Whereas the Minister of Transportation and Public Works recently received petitions from the people of Lunenburg West last year on the condition of Highway No. 208 stating that it is in need of serious repair; and Whereas the people of Lunenburg West have waited long enough for safe highways; and Whereas the Tories obviously forgot the blue book promise of non-partisan road priority lists; Therefore be it resolved that all members of this House remind the Minister of Transportation and Public Works of the blue book promise to repair roads based on needs, not political stripe, to ensure that the people of Lunenburg West have safer highways. [Page 7548] Mr. Speaker, I request waiver of notice. MR. SPEAKER: There has been a request for waiver. Is it agreed? I hear a No. The notice is tabled. The honourable member for Preston. RESOLUTION NO. 2747 MR. DAVID HENDSBEE: Mr. Speaker, I hereby give notice that on a future day I shall move the adoption of the following resolution: Whereas all members of this House have, through 2001, taken the opportunity to offer special recognition to volunteers in their communities as this was declared the International Year of the Volunteer; and Whereas while 2001 draws to a close, December 5th will see the launch of Resolve to Be Involved, a month-long campaign by Volunteer Canada, the National Volunteering Initiative and the Volunteer Resource Centre, to usher in the new public awareness program, I WILL, Volunteer, 2002; and [12:45 p.m.] Whereas this is a wonderful idea to utilize the momentum of 2001 and its international designation to encourage volunteers to rededicate themselves to their good works again in 2002; Therefore be it resolved that all members of this House acknowledge this effort of Volunteer Canada, and the National Volunteering Initiative, and the Volunteer Resource Centre, and join in the call to all our incredible Nova Scotian volunteers to once again offer their time and talent to those causes that rely so heavily upon their goodwill to carry out their good work. Mr. Speaker, I request waiver of notice. [Page 7549] 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 Leader of the Liberal Party. RESOLUTION NO. 2748 MR. WAYNE GAUDET: Mr. Speaker, I hereby give notice that on a future day I shall move the adoption of the following resolution: Whereas the Little Brook Volunteer Fire Department is holding its annual banquet on Saturday, November 24, 2001; and Whereas at that banquet four members will be honoured for long service; and Whereas Roland Boudreau will be recognized for 20 years, André LeBlanc for 22 years, Carl Deveau for 24 years and Wilson Comeau for 36 years; Therefore be it resolved that all members of this House congratulate Roland Boudreau, André LeBlanc, Carl Deveau, Wilson Comeau and all members of the Little Brook Volunteer Fire Department for their outstanding and dedicated service to the citizens of Clare. Mr. Speaker, I request waiver of notice. 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 7550] The honourable Minister of Transportation and Public Works. RESOLUTION NO. 2749 HON. RONALD RUSSELL: Mr. Speaker, I hereby give notice that on a future day I shall move the adoption of the following resolution: Whereas Hockey Night in Canada, with a viewership of 1 million-plus on Saturday evenings, is celebrating its 50th Anniversary this year on the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation; and Whereas once again, on January 5th of the new year, the CBC will host a new program entitled, Hockey Day in Canada, featuring, for the first three hours, stories about hockey from every corner of this country, before concluding the day with an NHL triple-header featuring all six Canadian NHL franchises; and Whereas Windsor, the "Birthplace of Hockey," has been chosen as the host of this year's show, with the town featuring an event described as the world's longest hockey game, plus a live version of the ever-popular Coach's Corner with Ron MacLean and Don Cherry, who will both be in Windsor on January 5th; Therefore be it resolved that MLAs commend organizers in Windsor of this prestigious event and thank the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation for recognizing Windsor, Nova Scotia as the "Birthplace of Hockey." Mr. Speaker, I request waiver of notice. 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. MR. BRIAN BOUDREAU: Mr. Speaker, I have a point of order. I am rising on a point of order, so is this the proper time? MR. SPEAKER: It sure is. [Page 7551] MR. BOUDREAU: Thank you, sir. Mr. Speaker, I rise and bring to the attention of you and all members of this House that on November 6th I asked the Premier a question in regard to details of the spending restriction order that he has issued, and in regard to his EA, his expenses. That exchange between the Premier and myself occurred on November 6th here in Question Period. Now 16 days later, which is today, I have not received that information. I rise to ask if the Premier is prepared to submit that information and table it in this House today before the end of business today in this House. MR. SPEAKER: Order, please. That is not a point of order. But if the honourable Premier would like to respond to the request. THE PREMIER: Yes, I assume that's the question about the change of ticket (Interruptions) MR. SPEAKER: Order, please. I'm not so sure this shouldn't be for Question Period. (Laughter) We will mark this down as the first question for the honourable member for Cape Breton The Lakes. However, for clarification, the honourable member for Cape Breton The Lakes. MR. BOUDREAU: Mr. Speaker, just to assist the Premier, I will table the document, the question that I asked on that particular day. That may help him. MR. SPEAKER: Maybe the honourable Premier could review that and respond. MR. BOUDREAU: Yes, but why I stand is that I would prefer to receive a commitment from the Premier to table that information today in the House . . . MR. SPEAKER: Order, please. It's not a question - it's not a point of order. AN HON. MEMBER: It is a question. MR. SPEAKER: It's a question but it's not a point of order. (Interruptions) Order, please. ORDERS OF THE DAY ORAL QUESTIONS PUT BY MEMBERS MR. SPEAKER: Question Period will begin at 12:50 p.m. and end at 1:50 p.m. The honourable member for Halifax Needham. [Page 7552] COMMUN. SERV.: BRYONY HOUSE - ASSISTANCE MS. MAUREEN MACDONALD: Mr. Speaker, I don't have to stand here and tell this House of the extremely vital and excellent service provided by Bryony House, because everyone in this House knows the importance of metro's only emergency shelter for abused women and children and their record of exemplary service but, Mr. Speaker, you may not be aware that Bryony House is in a serious deficit position. The board of Bryony House has written to the Minister of Community Services informing him of the situation and requesting immediate assistance. To date, Mr. Speaker, there has been no response. So I want to ask the Minister of Community Services, you know that the demand for this service increases every year and you know that this service could literally mean life or death for women in need of a safe place, so why haven't you responded to the board's letter? HON. PETER CHRISTIE: Mr. Speaker, the honourable member is quite right, we have had correspondence from the board of Bryony House. We are reviewing that and we will be working with the board to try to achieve all of our objectives. MS. MAUREEN MACDONALD: Mr. Speaker, I would like to table that letter from Bryony House to the minister. This is not the first time I've had to stand in my place and ask this minister questions about transition houses in Nova Scotia. Bryony House has been underfunded by the Department of Community Services for many years and they've been subsidizing their inadequate government funding through fundraising and private donations. However, this year those reserve funds are exhausted. They've made cuts to maintenance, office facilities, electricity, food, household supplies, even soap and toilet paper. They've cut women's support groups and the next cuts they'll have to make will be staff reductions. So, Mr. Speaker, my question to the minister is, will you commit today to immediately provide Bryony House with the funds they so desperately need to serve abused women and children in this province? MR. CHRISTIE: Mr. Speaker, the commitment I can give the honourable member is that we will work with Bryony House as we work with all the transition houses and women's centres across the province, to provide the services that people need throughout this whole province. MS. MAUREEN MACDONALD: Mr. Speaker, I've never had all that much success getting a straight answer from the Minister of Community Services so I would take my last question to the Premier. Earlier in the week the Premier had an article in The Chronicle-Herald, which I will table, in which he talked about better protection for Nova Scotians as being the underlying theme of many bills during this session, but these are just words on a [Page 7553] page without the resources to enforce the implementation intended if we're going to provide true protection to victims of family violence. So, Mr. Premier, will you direct your Minister of Community Services to loosen the financial noose imposed on Bryony House so the board and staff can get on with protecting abused women and children? THE PREMIER: Mr. Speaker, I refer that to the Minister of Community Services. MR. CHRISTIE: Mr. Speaker, to the honourable member, as I indicated before, we will work with all of the transition houses and women's centres to try to provide all those services throughout the province. MR. SPEAKER: The honourable Leader of the Liberal Party. JUSTICE - JAIL (BURNSIDE): DELAY - COSTS MR. WAYNE GAUDET: Mr. Speaker, my question is for the Minister of Justice. When this Tory Government made the blatant political decision to move the new correctional centre from Bedford to Burnside, this minister said he hoped the decision would be "cost neutral". Well, Nova Scotian taxpayers soon learned cost neutral meant they were already stuck with a bill for $1.2 million for the change in sites. The costs to taxpayers keep right on coming. This government closed three county jails to get ready for the new centre that was supposed to open in June, but delays meant that the Burnside jail was not fully operational until late last month. Through a freedom of information request, our caucus has learned that Nova Scotian taxpayers paid over $660,000 in rent from July to October for an empty jail. My question to the Minister of Justice is, does the minister consider paying for an empty jail a prudent use of taxpayers' dollars? HON. MICHAEL BAKER: The honourable gentleman who just asked that question should be ashamed of himself because the honourable gentleman who asked that question was part of a government that created the P3 contract that is in question. We've all seen the great success that honourable gentleman's P3 contracts have brought to Nova Scotia. MR. GAUDET: If the Minister of Justice wants to talk about the past, we're certainly ready on this side of the House to talk about the past. I am sure the Minister of Justice and all members of that side would love to hear the stories about what the John Buchanan and Donnie Cameron Tory Government left to Nova Scotians. Let's talk about the past, if they're so willing. MR. SPEAKER: Order, please. Let's talk about the here and now. [Page 7554] MR. GAUDET: Mr. Speaker, I am willing. Delays in opening the Burnside jail meant that inmates had to be transferred to other facilities to prevent overcrowding. The cost of sending 46 inmates to other facilities throughout P.E.I., New Brunswick and Nova Scotia . . . MR. SPEAKER: Order, please. I would ask the honourable members to give this member the respect the last one was given with the question, please. MR. GAUDET: Delays in opening the Burnside jail meant inmates had to be transferred to other facilities to prevent overcrowding. The cost of sending 46 inmates to other facilities throughout P.E.I., New Brunswick and Nova Scotia is over $130,000, and this doesn't even include the cost of sending individuals to psychiatric facilities in places like Quebec. The Minister of Community Services has been referred to as the $1.2 million man. Now he's the $2 million man and the price is still climbing. My question to the Minister of Justice is, why did your government spend $2 million to elect the member for Bedford-Fall River? MR. BAKER: Quite simply, those cost items are under discussion pursuant to the terms of the contract that his government negotiated with the developer. And I would ask the honourable member why that honourable member spent so much time putting a facility in a community where it didn't belong when it should have gone to Burnside. [1:00 p.m.] MR. GAUDET: It's this Tory Justice Minister, it's this Tory Government that closed these county jails in Nova Scotia. It's that bunch over there that (Interruptions) My last question is for the Premier. The Minister of Justice has said his government was committed to getting the best deal for the taxpayers of Nova Scotia in choosing a new site for the jail. This government's legacy is one of mismanagement and it lacks vision for the future of this province. They blame the previous Liberal Government, they blame the federal government, they blame health care workers and even the tragedy of September 11th for their poor record. My question to the Premier is, how can you tell Nova Scotians to be frugal and live within their means when your government has thrown away millions of dollars to buy just one seat for your Party? THE PREMIER: Mr. Speaker, the government has been having a great deal of difficulty in dealing with a number of contracts, particularly the P3 contracts that were put in place by that member and his government. Those contracts have not worked in the interests of the people of Nova Scotia and we have been dealing with that fallout ever since we became government. Because of that and because we saw the fallacy in doing business that way, we have not been signing P3 contracts and we will not be signing P3 contracts. It is very unfortunate that government decided that they would go down the P3 route. [Page 7555] MR. SPEAKER: The honourable member for Cape Breton Centre. NAT. RES.: COAL MINING (C.B.) - FUTURE MR. FRANK CORBETT: Mr. Speaker, my question is to the Minister of Natural Resources. Today is a dark day in the history of Cape Breton. The last ton of coal is being mined at Prince Mine, due to the horrendous mistakes and errors by the federal Liberal Government. The last ton of coal comes up, as I have said, today. I want to ask this minister what you will do to secure the future of the coal mining resource in Cape Breton? HON. ERNEST FAGE: Mr. Speaker, in response to the question, we are in discussions with the federal government and the intention will be that the coal leases for the Devco operations will be returned to the Province of Nova Scotia, in due course. MR. CORBETT: Mr. Speaker, that is of little comfort to a lot of people, so I am going to change my focus over to the Premier. Because of this provincial government's inaction, they are allowing the federal government, the federal Liberals, to flood and seal that mine, which will make it virtually useless to any private operator that may want to reopen that mine. It will be useless. So I want to ask you, Mr. Premier, why are you allowing the federal Liberal Government to scuttle coal mining in Cape Breton? THE PREMIER: Mr. Speaker, I refer that to the minister responsible. MR. FAGE: Mr. Speaker, as the honourable member knows the federal government is the employer, not the Province of Nova Scotia. What we have been doing is working with the federal government to ensure that proper environmental and remediation takes place on their surface ownership and when the time is right, we will receive the leases back and work with the people of Cape Breton and private enterprise to see what options are there. MR. CORBETT: Mr. Speaker, the time is now. If this government sits idly by and allows the federal government to seal and flood that mine, there will be no private operators to look at it. That is the reality. We are asking this provincial government to be proactive once when it comes to the economy of Cape Breton. So I am asking the Premier again, why won't you stand up to your federal counterparts and make sure that the Prince Mine is secured for private operation in the future? Do it now, Mr. Premier. THE PREMIER: Mr. Speaker, I refer that to the minister responsible. MR. FAGE: Mr. Speaker, as I have said to the honourable member, the coal mining history is over 200 years long in Nova Scotia and it is a very proud history, and there will be opportunities, I believe, for the coal industry in the future. This province's involvement is with the leases, and we will be working with other opportunities in the future. [Page 7556] MR. SPEAKER: The honourable member for Richmond. JUSTICE: JAIL - SITE MR. MICHEL SAMSON: Mr. Speaker, the financial fumbling by this government surrounding the new East Coast Forensic Psychiatric Hospital and Central Nova Scotia Correctional Facility continues. This government has had a history of blaming everyone else for their problems rather than accepting their own faults, and I want to see how they are going to be able to blame this one on the previous government. Mr. Speaker, the Premier, on October 19, 1999 said, "Mr. Speaker, the reason the jail was moved is because it was originally to have been built in the wrong place. It is now going to be built in the right place." He also said, "the decision of this government to relocate the jail was a decision that was made and it has resulted in the jail being in a much better situation than the one proposed by the previous government." He also said, ". . . I believe that the right decision was made . . . I believe it is the right site." and in fact, the Minister of Justice also said the, ". . . property was properly zoned . . ." My question to the Minister of Justice is, do you, today, stand by those exact comments made by the Premier and yourself in regard to the new site for the jail? HON. MICHAEL BAKER: Mr. Speaker, this is almost too easy, and I have always learned that even from the honourable member you should begin to smell something when it looks too easy. I will tell the honourable member that what went on with respect to the siting of that correctional centre was one of the best decisions that we have ever made. The reason that is, is we decided to put it in a community that wanted it, as opposed to in a community that didn't want it. Also, we didn't have to build a $5 million interchange, which that government would have had to do if they had put it in Bedford. MR. SAMSON: Mr. Speaker, like everything else this government does, we now see just how much thinking went into where to put the new site of the jail. Miller Composting is located in the Burnside Industrial Park under the terms of guidelines set by the Department of Environment and Labour. These guidelines set out the minimum distance between a composting facility and an institutional building as 500 metres. The 500 metre buffer zone means that the minister's wonderful new jail is too close to the composting facility. In fact, the Department of Justice has sent written complaints to Miller Composting about the odours from the plant, even though Miller Composting is meeting the guidelines. The minister has said, "We have a duty to ensure the safety of correctional officers." My question to the minister is, will you admit that in your haste to make this great political decision, that you actually put the jail in the wrong place? AN HON. MEMBER: The best decision you have ever made. [Page 7557] MR. BAKER: Absolutely, Mr. Speaker, and to be very honest, I don't know if the problem is that the jail is too close to Miller Composting or that Miller Composting is too close to the jail, but it is a rhetorical question because, to be perfectly honest, there are many Nova Scotians who don't live as well as the people who are in that correctional centre. (Interruptions) I am not ashamed about that correctional centre. (Interruptions) AN HON. MEMBER: Something stinks about that deal, Mike. Something stinks out there. ANOTHER HON. MEMBER: Yeah, there's a smell. MR. SPEAKER: Order, please. Order, please. AN HON. MEMBER: It's the last day of school. MR. SPEAKER: Grading day. (Laughter) The honourable member for Richmond on his final supplementary. MR. SAMSON: Mr. Speaker, with all due respect, based on an answer like that I can tell you what should be close to a composting facility and it is the Minister of Justice with that type of answer. (Interruptions) The fact is, Miller Composting was well established prior to the jail being built, so you went and built the jail next to a composting facility contrary to your own guidelines. Great job, minister, we are real proud of you. Mr. Speaker, my final supplementary is to the Premier of this province. On October 19, 1999, the Premier told the House that the reason the jail was being moved to Bedford is, ". . . because it was originally to have been built in the wrong place. It is now going to be built in the right place." We know that his government has built the jail too close to a composting facility, which is creating serious problems for staff, inmates and patients at the facility, and even though the minister cares nothing about patients or the inmates there, I am hoping the Premier will. My question to the Premier is, is this what you meant when you said that you were choosing the right place for the new jail? THE PREMIER: Mr. Speaker, I believe the jail was built in the right location. MR. SPEAKER: The honourable member for Cole Harbour-Eastern Passage. EDUC.: LEGAL FEES - CENTRALIZATION MR. KEVIN DEVEAUX: Mr. Speaker, my question is for the Minister of Education. Our office has obtained a document from the Department of Education outlining the legal [Page 7558] fees for the various school boards from 1998 to 2000. It adds up to $3.3 million spent on lawyers by the school boards over the last three years. I think that most of us would understand that large organizations are going to have legal fees, but the question is, how do we keep those fees down so that more money can go in the classroom? The minister wants to centralize legal services into her department, but we know that her department has created such fiascos as Knowledge House and the P3 contracts, so no one is absolutely sure that they know how to keep costs down as well. So my question to the minister is, what information does she have that proves that centralizing legal fees in her department will reduce legal fees for the school boards? HON. JANE PURVES: Mr. Speaker, this is one of the areas that we are looking into so that we can be sure of the facts before we move to centralize legal services, but this would be part of a centralization involving many government departments, not just Education and not just school boards. We are looking to see if we could do something more cost-efficient through the Department of Justice, not through my department, which the honourable member obviously does not trust. MR. DEVEAUX: Mr. Speaker, the document shows that only two school boards have actually spent more on legal fees in 2000 than they did in 1998. One of those boards is the Strait Regional School Board - and we can only imagine why that might be the case - but the other board is the Southwest Regional School Board, which is controlled directly out of the minister's office. It has had a 17 per cent increase in legal fees since her department has taken direct control of the board; it has gone up to $148,000 a year. So my question to the minister is, can she explain why she should be given control over the board's legal fees and legal services, when the board she currently has control over has seen a 17 per cent increase in its legal services since she has taken it over? MISS PURVES: Mr. Speaker, I believe I stated in my response to the first question that we are looking at centralizing legal services through the Department of Justice, not through my department. MR. DEVEAUX: Well, the other side of this coin, Mr. Speaker, is that some boards have actually done very well in reducing their legal fees. The Halifax Regional School Board has cut its legal bill in half since 1998; overall, the legal bills in the various boards have gone down 35 per cent since 1998. So my question is, if the Minister of Education can't control legal fee spending in her own department and with the Southwest Regional School Board and other boards doing a good job of controlling their legal expenses, why should this provincial government centralize legal services in their hands, whether it be Justice or Education or any other department? [Page 7559] MISS PURVES: Mr. Speaker, the member opposite knows the answer to that question. We are looking at a way to take legal fees down and we are looking for ways to not duplicate legal services in the various school boards. If we can learn some lessons from some of the boards, that is fine, but the object is to have more money in the classroom and less money in the hands of lawyers. MR. SPEAKER: The honourable member for Cape Breton The Lakes. EDUC.: SCH. CONST. - ASSURE MR. BRIAN BOUDREAU: Mr. Speaker, my question is to the Minister of Education. On June 21, 2000, the minister announced that the government would build the 17 new schools approved by the previous government. Parents, teachers, students and grandparents, are concerned that these schools may not be built given the current Education budget approved by the Finance Minister. My question is, could the minister assure this House that all of those schools will be built according to schedule? MR. JOHN HOLM: The answer is no. HON. JANE PURVES: Well, the member for Sackville-Cobequid had an answer there for me, but I think I will come up with my own. (Laughter) Mr. Speaker, there was one school that we did change our mind on in Isle Madame, but yes, we are committed to building the schools that we have said we would build. [1:15 p.m.] MR. BOUDREAU: Mr. Speaker, when the P3 process was put on hold by this government, the Rankin School (Interruptions) MR. SPEAKER: Order, please. The honourable member for Cape Breton The Lakes has the floor on his first supplementary. MR. BOUDREAU: It is kind of surprising, Mr. Speaker, that they are not interested in new schools for the children in this province. When the P3 process was put on hold by this government, the Rankin School in Iona was reviewed and it is scheduled to open in the year 2004, however, construction is scheduled to begin early next year. Will the minister give her personal assurance here today that the Rankin School in Iona will commence construction next year as planned? MISS PURVES: Mr. Speaker, yes, there are going to be new facilities for the Rankin School in Iona. To the best of my knowledge, those timelines are as expressed in the first place and construction will start next fall. [Page 7560] MR. BOUDREAU: Mr. Speaker, I do appreciate that reply from the minister. However, our concern in this caucus is schools for our children. My concern is not just with Rankin. Even though some of those schools are closing, there is still a need for good, quality buildings. Will the minister advise the parents, teachers and students, as well as the grandparents, at Rankin and across the province, that these schools will be built on schedule? MISS PURVES: Mr. Speaker, people have to be, and I know they have learned to be, very patient about new schools, but a lot of new and/or renovated schools have opened across this province and the ones that we have promised have been opening as close to schedule as possible and will continue to do so. MR. SPEAKER: The honourable member for Halifax Chebucto. ENVIRON. & LBR.: HOYT CASE (KINGS CO.) - DETAILS MR. HOWARD EPSTEIN: Mr. Speaker, my question is for the Minister of Environment and Labour. Sandra Hoyt of Blomidon, Kings County is a former Tory who will not be voting Tory in the next election because this Minister of Environment keeps giving her very real concerns the brush-off. Her neighbour, a non-resident, violated provincial laws by blocking off a stream, which crosses the Hoyt's farm and provides a critical source of water for their cattle. Now, Mrs. Hoyt tells me that a DOE inspector was at her farm inspecting the septic system installation and actually observed the illegal actions of her neighbour but failed to take action then and there when the damage could have been avoided. Can the minister explain how something like this could have taken place? HON. DAVID MORSE: Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the member opposite for his question. I am, indeed, familiar with this case. I would say that it is important that in this province we follow due process. I understand that the member's professional career before this was that of law, so he would appreciate that one should use the justice system when you're pursuing matters of a legal concern. That was done. MR. EPSTEIN: Mr. Speaker, let me tell you and let me tell that minister that Mrs. Hoyt is so mad she's ready to spit nails. It hardly seems necessary to point out that access to a supply of water is essential to any farming operation, especially in light of the drought conditions Valley farmers have faced in recent years. Now, it has taken the minister's department two years to take action and get this matter into the courts and, even then, this case was a procedural mess-up. When is the minister going to follow the lead of other provinces and hire prosecutors who specialize in environmental matters to ensure that our laws are effectively enforced and prosecuted? MR. MORSE: Mr. Speaker, that is a good question. In fact, I think the Minister of Justice would like to address that question. [Page 7561] HON. MICHAEL BAKER: Mr. Speaker, the Public Prosecution Service of Nova Scotia is responsible for prosecuting provincial offences. As I have indicated before in the House, the department and the Public Prosecution Service is constantly reviewing the matter to determine if there's a better way to prosecute these kinds of offences and we will be continuing to review the matter to determine how they should be prosecuted. MR. EPSTEIN: Well, that particular point has been under review for years with no progress. The Minister of Environment and Labour will know that there have been problems in the Kentville office at the same time his government has been slashing the budget in his department and laying off essential field service staff who could ensure our environmental laws are obeyed in the interests of ordinary Nova Scotians, like Mrs. Hoyt. Would the minister guarantee here, today, there will be no reductions in front-line staff in the Kentville office so long as he is the minister? MR. MORSE: Mr. Speaker, I want to tell the member I appreciate his question and it gives me a chance to point out again that the reductions in the Department of Environment's budget has not cost this department a single inspector and I would also like to inform the member opposite that a ministerial order was issued to address this problem. It was difficult because the neighbour was hard to serve and lives out of the country, but we finally caught up with him and as a result of that, there has been an agreement put in place to remove the dam and to compensate the Hoyts. MR. SPEAKER: The honourable member for Cape Breton Nova. SYSCO: SITE - PLANS MR. PAUL MACEWAN: Mr. Speaker, I would like to ask a question to the Minister of Transportation and Public Works relative to the Sydney Steel site. Members may not be aware that the Department of Transportation and Public Works has owned and managed, I suppose, all of that site that was not actually involved in producing steel in the last number of years, so that continues to be the case. We had an incident there yesterday of a tank being unearthed somehow and sending a spew of calcium, or something, over the neighbourhood. I would like to ask the minister briefly if he could outline to the House what the plans are of his government for the Sydney Steel site in Sydney? What are you going to do with it? HON. RONALD RUSSELL: Mr. Speaker, the Sydney Steel site reclamation is underway at the present time as the honourable member is aware. Insofar as yesterday's incident, I have received no report on it. I just hope the honourable member is correct in that it was calcium chloride because calcium chloride is benign. [Page 7562] MR. MACEWAN: Mr. Speaker, I have two copies here from the electronic issue of today's Cape Breton Post, one for the table and one for the minister. Now he will be briefed on that. It is very brief. I would like to ask the minister if he could comment in more detail perhaps on the plans of this government for the Sysco dock that's lying down there? It's a multi-million dollar facility, it's operational, is in a very strategic location, what do you plan to do with the dock might I ask? MR. RUSSELL: Mr. Speaker, I think that question could probably be best answered by the Minister of Economic Development. HON. GORDON BALSER: Mr. Speaker, I would like to clarify in the previous question, there was nothing in the dust that would harm people. In fact, the Department of Environment was aware, we've all followed that, but in terms of the actual wharf, we've been very clear on what we wanted to do with that as we move forward. We listened to what the people in Cape Breton were saying about that being a very valuable piece of infrastructure. We are currently negotiating to ensure that, as we go forward, that will have a solution that will not continue to rely on taxpayers' dollars and will, in fact, be a stimulus for the economy there as we move forward. MR. MACEWAN: There is only one final supplementary left, and there is so much one could ask on this subject it would take all afternoon. Let me ask the Minister of Transportation and Public Works; I have more faith in him, Mr. Speaker. (Interruptions) I would like to ask him if he could outline to the House what environmental remediation work is planned for the Sydney Steel site. I'm not talking about the coke ovens; I mean the actual lower plant, from the overpass down to the harbour. What environmental remediation work is planned for that site? Can 14 Sydney steelworkers - who have been trained as environmental remediators but are not certified - somehow, perhaps, be put to work there? MR. RUSSELL: Mr. Speaker, this is a divided responsibility in many respects. Again, the Minister of Economic Development is handling the remediation of the primary Sysco site, and I would pass the question on to the honourable minister. MR. BALSER: Mr. Speaker, as we move forward with demolition to remove the site and cleanup the site, a number of people have been employed. You have to recognize that it's not a particularly labour-intensive operation. A number of former steelworkers are working there, as are a number of the Trades Council people. [Page 7563] MR. SPEAKER: The honourable member for Cape Breton Centre. SERV. N.S. & MUN. REL.: NSPI - SUBSIDIES MR. FRANK CORBETT: Mr. Speaker, my question today is for the Minister of Service Nova Scotia and Municipal Relations. The Mayor of the Cape Breton Regional Municipality has spoken out against the cosy tax arrangements between NSPI and the province. In short, NSPI does not pay full taxes on the assessed value of its property. The mayor claims it costs the Cape Breton Regional Municipality $5 million annually, money a beleaguered municipality like CBRM could surely use. I want to ask this minister, does he think that the Cape Breton Regional Municipality should subsidize power rates for the rest of Nova Scotia at the expense of services for its own people in CBRM? HON. ANGUS MACISAAC: Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the honourable member for raising the question because he obviously raises an issue that is long standing in this province, the question of taxation around what was a former government-owned commission to now a privately-owned corporation. Of course there is a lot of history that goes with that. I can say to the honourable member that it is a matter which we consider appropriate to address, and we are in discussions with municipal units, as well as NSPI. MR. CORBETT: Mr. Speaker, I realize that these negotiations are going on with the UNSM on fiscal exchange, and it's no secret the UNSM, not just the CBRM, wants NSPI to pay property taxes based on assessment within each municipality. We're now asking a private, for-profit company to be subsidized by the ratepayers in CBRM, which is wrong. Has the minister proposed any reasonable alternative to the UNSM that would allow the NSPI to pay taxes directly to municipalities instead of these in-lieu payments? MR. MACISAAC: Mr. Speaker, as I indicated, we have had discussions with the UNSM, and we also have had discussions, ongoing discussions, with Nova Scotia Power. I just want to point out to the honourable member, and to members of the House, that it's really a question that has a tremendous economic impact on the province vis-à-vis power rates. It's a question of how this is to occur, and it's not something that is going to take place suddenly. I appreciate the honourable member raising the question, discussions are ongoing. [1:30 p.m.] MR. CORBETT: The minister cries wolf when he talks about assessment going up or electricity rates going up because they're regulated. Well, he may have deregulated the supplier, it's still deregulated through URB. That's a red herring. If he truly believes that regulation won't work and URB just rubber stamps NSPI's claim for rate increases, why won't you take the subsidy away from NSPI and stop paying that subsidy and don't download it on municipalities that are cash-strapped, like CBRM? [Page 7564] MR. MACISAAC: The honourable member knows that the fact that rates are regulated is of no guarantee that the rates will remain low. Gasoline prices on Prince Edward Island are regulated; gasoline prices on Prince Edward Island are still higher than they are in Nova Scotia because they're regulated. That is not a solution to this particular question. We will find a solution to it. It will be realistic and it will be one that the Nova Scotia economy can adjust to over time. MR. SPEAKER: The honourable member for Lunenburg West. FIN.: DHAs - BUDGET BALANCING MR. DONALD DOWNE: Mr. Speaker, my question is for the Minister of Finance. The minister will attest to the Public Accounts book that pointed out very clearly that this minister had tons of money to be able to balance the budget, but he didn't. The reality of what this book shows to all Nova Scotians is not that he didn't have enough money, but the reality is that this minister couldn't control expenditures. In the budget of 2001, the minister talked about the district health authorities and he stated, and I will repeat, "We will take significant steps designed to make these organizations more accountable for the tax dollars they spend . . . for the results they achieve." My question to the minister is, will you give us your assurance that the district health authorities will be in balance this year with the budget you approved this year, 2001? HON. NEIL LEBLANC: I can say one thing for a certainty, they'll be in better balance than the regional health boards that that minister and his government had in place. MR. DOWNE: In his budget address - and I will table this - the minister promised to make the district health authorities more accountable for the tax dollars they spend and the results that they achieve. Maybe the rhetoric this minister wants to give is great on an election campaign, but it doesn't answer the question in the House. Maybe the reality is this minister is afraid to answer the question. My question to the minister is straightforward, what steps is this minister going to take to make himself aware of the financial state of the district health authorities and ensure that they come in on budget as he committed? MR. LEBLANC: I have to say in all honesty that the district health authorities are much more accountable than regional health boards. I think that everyone in this House, if you look at it seriously, would know that regional health boards were much too big, did not have control of their budgets, did not understand what was going on. If you talked with specific hospitals, they didn't know what their budget specifically was, departments didn't know what their budgets were. Someone was supposedly in charge - no one was in charge. The fact of the matter is because of that they had huge deficits which that government basically allowed them to accumulate over a period of time whereby they could hide it. The facts speak the truth. Regional health boards did not work. [Page 7565] MR. DOWNE: It is very apparent that, number one, either this minister doesn't know what's going on at the district health authorities or, number two, he's afraid to answer the question in the House of Assembly. The minister thought that the DHAs had enough money last spring when he personally approved their budget. What can the minister do to assure this House that the DHAs will come in on budget without cuts in services? MR. LEBLANC: Mr. Speaker, in regard to DHAs, they have pressures and we have said that before. I gave an update the other day and I mentioned that they were having pressures. Obviously, Nova Scotians are looking for health care. The same member of that same Party is asking us to spend more money every day in this House on the DHAs. We will be giving a financial update very shortly and at that point in time, people will know that there are some over-expenditures in DHAs. There have also been some savings within the Department of Health and overall we are trying our best to manage health care expenses. But DHAs are much better than regional health boards because they are closer to the people, something that I believe in. MR. SPEAKER: The honourable member for Halifax Chebucto. ENVIRON. & LBR.: MARK-LYN CONST. - SITE IMPROVEMENTS MR. HOWARD EPSTEIN: Mr. Speaker, I have some questions for the Minister of Environment and Labour about Baltzer Bog. This sorry mess is all too typical of how Tory and Liberal Governments have approached environmental issues over the years. The basic problem with this so-called composting operation is that a full-scale environmental assessment ought to have been ordered in the first place, but that was the Liberal mess. The current government is compounding the problem. The Business Development Corporation put up $169,000 to get the Mark-Lyn company out of the Kentville Industrial Park and to do site improvements. Will the minister tell us just what site improvements exactly the company has made in exchange for this largesse? HON. DAVID MORSE: I want to thank the honourable member for his question and I want to assure him that there is no composting operation at Baltzer Bog and in fact the owner of Mark-Lyn Construction signed a petition that I drafted at the request of a public meeting agreeing that he would not apply to have a composting operation at Baltzer Bog and I hope that reassures the member. MR. EPSTEIN: Mr. Speaker, I noticed that my question wasn't even remotely answered. The relocation of the composting operation to Baltzer Bog was a fundamentally terrible choice. It should never have been allowed. Now after a lot of delays and dithering, the company was required to do site remediation, but this was done using inappropriate materials. Local residents, who have been monitoring all of this, were not believed when they made reports to the minister's department and they have had to do their own investigation [Page 7566] all along. Will the minister tell us the current state of play? Are charges going to be laid against the operator? MR. MORSE: Mr. Speaker, I would refer back to my first answer and again assure the member opposite that not only is there no composting operation at Baltzer Bog, but in fact there was never going to be one. MR. EPSTEIN: Mr. Speaker, the problem here and why we are concerned about it is threat to groundwater. The minister will know that the various regulations administered by his department are a mess. The Activities Designation Regulations and the Environmental Assessment Regulations are all written to favour activities such as the removal of aggregate, removal of top soil and peat moss, without providing adequate protection for underlying water resources and safe water is absolutely fundamental. I want to know, is the minister going to make improvements to these regulations so that the safety of our water supply is not put in question by shady operators sheltered under the minister's inadequate rules? MR. MORSE: Mr. Speaker, I regret the member opposite making a reference, to anybody that operates a business, in that manner in the province, but anyway, I would point out that at least he is a little bit closer to what is actually going on at this former bog site. About 20 years ago, this bog site was drained and used for agriculture. Since that time, based on expert opinions, it is no longer a bog site. It is used for a topsoil removal operation. There have been concerns brought forward and, as a result of that, a citizens liaison committee was put in place to give the community a voice in what's going on and there were some changes in the terms and conditions of their approval. MR. SPEAKER: The honourable member for Glace Bay. PREMIERS CONF. (B.C.): CHIEF OF STAFF - TRAVEL ARRANGEMENTS MR. DAVID WILSON: Mr. Speaker, the NDP seems to be unusually unruly today. Maybe they should be out with Alexa planning the future of their new Party. The old one doesn't work. (Interruptions) Mr. Speaker, on two separate occasions the Premier was asked to provide the reasons why his Chief of Staff booked an extra ticket to go to B.C. at considerable costs to the taxpayers of this province. The second ticket meant that instead of the original stopover of an hour in Toronto, the Chief of Staff now got to arrive early evening and stay overnight and the extra ticket was booked the day she departed at considerable expense. However, there was no hotel receipt for Toronto for the stay there that was filed. [Page 7567] Mr. Speaker, I can think of no urgent government business that would have required the Chief of Staff to change her ticket in order to arrive in Toronto early evening and since no hotel expense was filed, my question to the Premier is, Mr. Premier, did your Chief of Staff change her flight at taxpayers' expense for personal business? THE PREMIER: Mr. Speaker, the member opposite did ask that question on a previous occasion, allowing me to do a little research. My Chief of Staff, when in Victoria, became aware that she had to attend to government business in Toronto, meaning she had to purchase a ticket to Toronto. If she had gone ahead and altered her current ticket, the total cost to the province for that ticket would have been $4,800. By buying a new ticket, she was able to purchase that ticket for $1,000 and we received a credit for the unused part of the first ticket which can be used for further travel. The total saving, because of the quick thinking of staff, to the taxpayers was $2,500. MR. WILSON: Mr. Speaker, first of all, I would ask that the Premier table any documents that he's referring to, or that have been delivered to him recently and that he's reading from at this moment. He should table them right now and he hasn't answered my question. The Premier has promised to reveal the urgent nature of the meeting that caused taxpayers to be stuck with an expense of an unused airline ticket and I want to know, is the Premier unwilling to answer this question because his Chief of Staff was there on personal business? I want to know the answer now. THE PREMIER: Mr. Speaker, if the member opposite wouldn't read his question, he could have rephrased the question because I gave him part of the information in my previous answer, but what I can assure the member opposite is that the nature of the travel to Toronto was government business and it had to do with the Campaign for Fairness. MR. WILSON: Mr. Speaker, that certainly was money well spent on a Campaign for Fairness, but I would like to see documentation on that and I want to know - while the Premier of this province is telling Nova Scotians tighten your belts - why his staff is going around playing Who Wants to be a Millionaire? That would be funny except for the fact the Premier is scared to answer the questions that are put to him. (Interruptions) MR. SPEAKER: Order, please. MR. WILSON: Mr. Speaker, the paper trail in this case does not lie - an extra plane ticket, arriving too late in the day for a meeting, without a hotel bill. My question is, will the Premier finally admit that his Chief of Staff has gotten busted for using taxpayers' money like water, and will he act accordingly? [Page 7568] [1:45 p.m.] THE PREMIER: Mr. Speaker, it is difficult to know exactly what the member opposite is asking. But it would appear in his preamble that the member opposite fails to realize that Nova Scotia has a deal with Ottawa that goes back to the mid-1980's, that was actually endorsed by three Prime Ministers of Canada, that assured that Nova Scotians would become the principal beneficiaries. Now, I think Nova Scotians have a right to know, does that member and does that caucus support the legitimate claim of Nova Scotians to get what is coming to them by way of royalties or does he support his federal counterparts in Ottawa? (Interruptions) MR. SPEAKER: Order, please. The honourable member for Cole Harbour-Eastern Passage. EDUC.: BLAC - RECOMMENDATIONS MR. KEVIN DEVEAUX: Mr. Speaker, my question is for the Minister of Education. Back in 1995, the Black Learners Advisory Council, which was set up after incidents at Cole Harbour District High School in 1989, made 45 recommendations to the government on how to address racism towards African-Canadians in our education system. Since that time, only seven of those 45 recommendations have been fully implemented. So my question to the Minister of Education is, why is the minister unwilling or unable to implement necessary changes to prevent racism in our education system? HON. JANE PURVES: Mr. Speaker, the recommendations of the BLAC report we take very seriously, as did the previous government. I would like to point out that in spite of the fact that not all the recommendations have been fully implemented, or even partially implemented, the most important of them have been implemented. That includes a department within the Department of Education; it includes an advisory council; and last year, we went with fully-elected Black members of school boards in Nova Scotia. So I would suggest that even though our world is not perfect, we have things here in Nova Scotia in our education system that no other province in Canada has in order to help our Black population. MR. DEVEAUX: Mr. Speaker, while the BLAC has been replaced with the Council on African Canadian Education, also known as CACE, that organization recently reviewed the recommendations and this is the report. They had serious concerns with how the recommendations are being implemented by the minister and the Department of Education. So my question to the Minister of Education is, will the minister commit today to implementing the remainder of the recommendations as set down by the Black Learners Advisory Council? [Page 7569] MISS PURVES: Mr. Speaker, we are working with CACE to prioritize what we may do for this coming year. But I have to tell this House and, certainly, I have told the Council on African Canadian Education that they have to prioritize as well because a number of those recommendations are extremely expensive to report. We have many competing demands on the department and the government, and certainly not all of them are going to be done at once. That is not possible to be fair to all Nova Scotians. MR. DEVEAUX: My next question is to the Minister of Education, Mr. Speaker. CACE is also requesting an Afrocentric Learning Centre created to allow African-Canadian communities in Nova Scotia to have a centre from which to continue to improve our education system for all Nova Scotians. So my question to the minister is, will the minister commit today that her government is supportive of the Afrocentric Learning Centre and that there will be sufficient funding in the next budget to ensure that the centre will be created in the next fiscal year? MISS PURVES: Mr. Speaker, we have committed funding every year since we have been in office to help create the Afrocentric Learning Institute. Certainly, I make no commitments about next year's budget right now for the Afrocentric Learning Institute or for any other institution in the education system. MR. SPEAKER: The honourable member for Victoria. You have about five seconds for a quick snapper. MR. KENNETH MACASKILL: Thank you for recognizing me, Mr. Speaker. (Laughter) MR. SPEAKER: Thank you, and I would recognize the honourable member for Victoria anywhere. MR. DAVID WILSON: On a point of order, Mr. Speaker. As per the procedure and custom of this House, I have asked for a document to be tabled that the Premier was reading from in reply to one of my questions during Question Period. I would respectfully ask that you order the Premier to table that document, Mr. Speaker. (Interruptions) MR. SPEAKER: Order, please. I'm not about to order anyone in the House to do anything. However, I would remind the Premier that any documents that members have read from in this House are tabled as a matter of procedure. THE PREMIER: Mr. Speaker, I would be pleased to table the document. (Applause) [Page 7570] MR. SPEAKER: The honourable member for Lunenburg West on a very important introduction to the House of Assembly. MR. DONALD DOWNE: Mr. Speaker, it's my pleasure to introduce an individual in the west gallery who needs no introduction to many people who have been in this House for a number of years. This individual, when I was first elected I remember him coming around the hallways, coming up and talking to me, the odd time reciting some poetry that was very interesting to listen to. This individual was, I understand, sick over the summer and was not able to get around. I was happy to see, just yesterday, that he was up and around and back at the House. I would ask the members of this House to give a warm welcome to the individual in the west gallery, welcome him back, Mr. Joe Murray, who lived outside Parrsboro, he is a former RCMP, a runner, a poet, and all-round great Nova Scotian. Let's give him a warm welcome back to the Legislative Assembly. (Applause) MR. SPEAKER: We certainly welcome Joe, and hope that his health is improving. Welcome to the House today, Joe. GOVERNMENT BUSINESS MR. SPEAKER: The honourable Government House Leader. HON. RONALD RUSSELL: Mr. Speaker, it is a very fitting day to have Joe back with us. 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. RONALD RUSSELL: Mr. Speaker, would you please call Bill No. 92. Bill No. 92 - Fatality Investigations Act. MR. SPEAKER: The honourable Government House Leader. HON. RONALD RUSSELL: Mr. Speaker, on behalf of the Minister of Justice, I would ask for the unanimous consent of the House to refer the bill back to the Committee of the Whole House on Bills. [Page 7571] MR. SPEAKER: Is it agreed? It is agreed. The honourable Government House Leader. HON. RONALD RUSSELL: Mr. Speaker, I move that you do now leave the Chair and the House resolve itself into a Committee of the Whole House on Bills. MR. SPEAKER: Is it agreed? It is agreed. [The motion is carried.] [1:53 p.m. The House resolved itself into a CWH on Bills with Deputy Speaker Mr. Brooke Taylor in the Chair.] [2:28 p.m. CWH on Bills rose and the House reconvened. Mr. Speaker, Hon. Murray Scott, resumed the Chair.] MR. SPEAKER: The Chairman of the Committee of the Whole House on Bills reports: THE CLERK: That the committee has met and considered the following bills: Bill No. 85 - Real Estate Trading Act. Bill No. 94 - Halifax Regional Municipality Marketing Levy Act. and the chairman has been instructed to recommend these bills to the favourable consideration of the House, each without amendment; and Bill No. 92 - Fatality Investigations Act. and the chairman has been instructed to recommend this bill to the favourable consideration of the House, with certain amendments. MR. SPEAKER: Ordered that these bills be read for a third time on a future day. The honourable Government House Leader. [Page 7572] HON. RONALD RUSSELL: Mr. Speaker, I move that those bills be now read for a third time this day. MR. SPEAKER: Is it agreed? It is agreed. The honourable Government House Leader. HON. RONALD RUSSELL: 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. RONALD RUSSELL: Mr. Speaker, would you please call Bill No. 79. Bill No. 79 - Domestic Violence Intervention Act. MR. SPEAKER: The honourable Minister of Justice. HON. MICHAEL BAKER: Mr. Speaker, I will be very brief. I want to thank all the members of the Official Opposition and the Liberal Party for their support with respect to this bill. I believe that as a result of the presentations we received at the Law Amendments Committee and the intervention by all members, the bill is a better bill today. This bill will now provide that intervention orders may be made in many situations, with respect to interim custody of children. I believe it is a good bill. [2:30 p.m.] I wanted to repeat my commitment that I made in the Law Amendments Committee, which was that there will be an implementation committee formed with respect to this bill and that the implementation committee will include many stakeholders, including THANS, which for honourable members' information, is the Transition House Association of Nova Scotia. They are obviously very interested in the subject matter of this bill and have much to add to the subject from their diverse experience in the area. With that, I will close and say that I believe that this will make the lives of many Nova Scotians much better in the future. Thank you. [Page 7573] MR. SPEAKER: The honourable member for Cole Harbour-Eastern Passage. MR. KEVIN DEVEAUX: Mr. Speaker, I will speak for a couple of minutes on Bill No. 79 as well. Bill No. 79, from the start, was seen as good legislation. We had an opportunity in this House to pass legislation that would ensure that women, or anyone, but particularly women, who are in abusive relationships have an opportunity for emergency orders, not only to protect themselves from a person who was committing that violence, but also with regard to setting their matters in place, whether it by financial matters, who owns the home, possession of a vehicle, custody of the children. These are all things that we hoped this legislation would deal with. There was an opportunity in the Law Amendments Committee to hear from the Transition House Association of Nova Scotia and from Dal Legal Aid, they made some very good comments. They also commented that they hadn't been consulted. I thought that the Law Amendments Committee again proved that it was a good opportunity to hear from those who maybe the government didn't consult with, to learn that there are ways that we can do things differently. In particular, a couple of issues came up through THANS and through Dal Legal Aid that I think this government had agreed to make changes based on their recommendations. One is that now this legislation can involve emergency custody orders for children. I think that's a very important change in the legislation. As was said by THANS and Dal Legal Aid at the Law Amendments Committee, what's the use of having possession of the house for 30 days, what's the use of having possession of the car, what's the use of having emergency orders to ensure that someone cannot come near you when the custody of the children was in dispute and was an issue? Now those women who are in abusive relationships and incidents occur and this legislation is used, will have an opportunity to get emergency custody orders as well. That's good for them; that's good for Nova Scotia. I'm glad to see that this government, having listened to THANS, having listened to Dal Legal Aid, having listened to concerns that our caucus had brought up after the Law Amendments Committee recognized that it was important to do this, is going ahead with it. The second change, Mr. Speaker, was the removal of any reference to the director, I believe, of child protection through the Department of Community Services. There was some dispute as to why that person needed to be involved in this legislation. That has now been removed. I think that's a good thing. There's recognition that if there are standing orders from the court with regard to child custody prior to this legislation being utilized in any particular case, that will not be affected. Again, I think that's something everyone can agree on. If there are orders pending with regard to custody, they should remain in place until they can be addressed in a court that actually made those orders. [Page 7574] There was an issue with regard to notification. The legislation, originally when it came past second reading, stated that the orders issued by a Justice of the Peace would not be enforced until the respondent, in many cases the man, would have been notified. There are issues around whether someone could try to avoid service of the order. The legislation has again been changed to say that the order comes into effect immediately upon the Justice of the Peace issuing the order. That's good. A woman who may be in a rental unit, a woman who may have a car in a parking lot, for example, and wants possession of it, these things can be done without having to serve this on the respondent. Mr. Speaker, there were other things that we wanted, an implementation plan and an implementation committee. We're glad to see that the minister committed in third reading that the implementation committee will include members from the Transition House Association of Nova Scotia. We would like to see more community representatives, but we can take this, at least, as a stepping-off point with regard to this legislation. We would have also liked to have seen it applied to more than just conjugal relationships but to other relationships in a familial or domestic situation; maybe another day we can deal with that. What we have done with the emergency custody order, with the order coming into force upon being issued by a Justice of the Peace, we have tried to fine-tune this legislation to ensure that women who are in abusive relationships have real opportunity for protection of them and their children. I think the province is better off because of that. This legislation is good legislation. We're glad to see the government listened at the Law Amendments Committee. We're glad that THANS and the Dal Legal Aid came forward; they have made this legislation better. I think our Party will have no problem supporting that on third reading. MR. SPEAKER: The honourable member for Richmond. MR. MICHEL SAMSON: Mr. Speaker, it is a pleasure to rise on third reading to speak a few moments on the Domestic Violence Intervention Act. We have indicated our support for this bill at second reading, in Committee of the Whole House on Bills, and at the Law Amendments Committee. I am pleased that the minister did bring in some changes to better reflect some of the language in the legislation with the intention of the bill. Certainly it is the hope of all members of this House that as elected officials we can do everything possible to enact laws that are going to try to curb and, hopefully, one day put an end to domestic violence. It's a social issue which, unfortunately, affects all of our ridings, many of our constituents, and it is a problem that certainly needs to be addressed in the big picture of how we run government and social policy that we enact, but certainly what we've done with this bill is enable the procedure which, hopefully, will allow certain protection orders to be put [Page 7575] in place as efficiently as possible and as quickly as possible and that, hopefully, will avoid some of the unfortunate tragedies that have occurred as a result of domestic violence. Certainly this bill is not the solution that's going to end domestic violence, I could only wish that we were being asked to vote on such a bill that would be able to do so, but it is our belief, our caucus's belief, that it is a serious attempt to put in legislation that will, hopefully, make a dent in this, but at the same time, I think it is a call not only to government but to all members of the House to work together to try to enact proper social policy which will try to address the problems of domestic violence. I know certainly the Minister of Justice was quite big on talking about counselling through the Victim Services' surcharge through the court system. It's good that he recognizes the need for counselling in that circumstance. It is our sincere hope that the government will recognize that domestic violence is a reality. It takes place every day in this province and it certainly is something that needs to be looked at in the big picture, but Bill No. 79 is good legislation. It's an important step towards that and we certainly look to seeing, once the legislation is actually put in place, possible amendments or changes to it that will make it even stronger legislation. With that, Mr. Speaker, our caucus certainly will be giving its support to Bill No. 79 on third reading and certainly hope that the minister will enact the legislation as quickly as possible. MR. SPEAKER: The honourable member for Halifax Needham. MS. MAUREEN MACDONALD: Mr. Speaker, I would like to take a moment to briefly speak to Bill No. 79, An Act to Prevent the Continuation of Domestic Violence. As my colleague, the member for Cole Harbour-Eastern Passage, has said, this is a good bill and our caucus will be supporting it. I want to pay tribute to the work of the honourable member for Cole Harbour-Eastern Passage who worked very hard after the interventions of various women's organizations at the Law Amendments Committee to ensure that their concerns were taken to the Minister of Justice and would be reflected in an amended bill, a better piece of legislation for victims of domestic abuse. He worked very hard. He heard what they had to say and I certainly appreciate his work and having him as my colleague. Mr. Speaker, as we heard at the Law Amendments Committee from those who work on the front lines, shelter workers, and lawyers in the Legal Aid system, this is a piece of legislation that will, if implemented carefully with good lines of communication, make some difference in the kinds of horrendous situations that have unfortunately at times resulted in death for women in our province. It's important that the Transition House Association and other groups, in fact, be part of implementing this legislation. [Page 7576] Earlier today, Mr. Speaker, we talked about the need for resources to back up legislation like this, the resources that transition houses require to provide emergency shelter, resources that the Legal Aid services in this province require to represent women through the court process. It's a very complicated and intimidating process and one that people cannot go through on their own without representation. I would say to the government that we will continue to press this government to provide adequate resources to implement legislation like this. Mr. Speaker, we all are aware, I think, in this House that at the root of violence against women is inequality. Inequality is embedded in our society, in our cultural practices, in our economic system, in our laws and in our justice system. I think, unfortunately, in many respects this government has done little to address the underlying inequality in our society; if anything, in some ways, public policy from this government has actually contributed to a growing inequality. So, while we support this legislation, it certainly will be the position of this caucus that we would want greater attention from this government to improving the status of women in our society and dealing with their vulnerability, financially as well as physically. With that, Mr. Speaker, I would like to take my place. Thank you. MR. SPEAKER: The honourable member for Hants East. MR. JOHN MACDONELL: Mr. Speaker, I would like to make a few brief comments on this bill, Bill No. 79. I want to say that there are few days in this House of Assembly when I wish I were a lawyer. There are few days when I am anywhere that I wish I were a lawyer. I want to say that in my office I don't have cause to deal personally with issues around abuse to women. It's a very seldom thing, but I want to say I did have one case come before me. When that happened I wished that I were a lawyer. I want to say that what made this more difficult for me was that it was a person who I knew. If my memory is correct, in trying to deal with that issue and try to make it a better situation for that individual, it was around the accessibility to money. I think that one of the things dealt with in this piece of legislation is access to the bank account. I think that's a good thing. We try to deal through the Department of Community Services - and if my memory is correct and maybe the minister will correct me after I sit down, but it seemed to me that there was limited help for this individual for the reason that somehow she hadn't been flagged earlier. In other words, if she had come to the department prior to leaving the abusive situation they would have provided more help to her, which I thought was a ridiculous approach. So if I am wrong I would certainly appreciate the minister correcting me. If this piece of legislation will help, and I think it will, then I applaud the government in doing that. The honourable member for Richmond made the statement that it would be great to have a piece of legislation that would ensure that abuse happens no more. I would [Page 7577] agree thatif that was the bill we were dealing with today, all members of this House would vote yes and support and encourage that. Just as the government enacts endangered species legislation but allows for the continuation of clear cutting, this government will bring in Bill No. 79, which we see as progressive, but yet will not give funds for transition houses. I want to say that even today in Question Period, the responses of the Minister of Community Services to my colleague, the honourable member for Halifax Needham, that would indicate that there is still a long distance that we have to go in order to get full support for women in abusive situations. But I applaud the government for its initiative and I applaud my colleagues for their help in educating me. I would say that certainly this legislation is long overdue and hopefully, in the future, we can bring in legislation that will even improve this. Thank you. [2:45 p.m.] MR. SPEAKER: If I recognize the minister it will be to close debate. The honourable Minister of Justice. HON. MICHAEL BAKER: Mr. Speaker, it is truly my pleasure to rise and close debate on this bill. I think all the honourable members who have risen to speak on the bill, whether it's second reading or third reading, recognize that this is an important piece of legislation which will do a great deal to help, in particular, women who are often the victims of abuse, in dealing with those most difficult hours after that abuse has occurred and ensuring that they are protected and that their families are protected. That is what it is really about, to try to give some comfort to people who very much need that comfort at a difficult time in their lives. With that, I would move third reading. MR. SPEAKER: The motion is for third reading of Bill No. 79. Is the House ready for the Question? Would all those in favour of the motion please say Aye. Contrary minded, Nay. The motion is carried. Ordered that this bill do pass. Order that the title be as read by the Clerk. Ordered that the bill be engrossed. The honourable Government House Leader. HON. RONALD RUSSELL: Mr. Speaker, would you please call Bill No. 92. Bill No. 92 - Fatality Investigations Act. [Page 7578] MR. SPEAKER: The honourable Minister of Justice. HON. MICHAEL BAKER: Mr. Speaker, again, I think this is a very good bill, a bill which has modernized the Nova Scotia law with respect to conducting fatal investigations. As the Chief Medical Examiner said during the bill briefing here when the bill was introduced, this bill updates the law in Nova Scotia. It builds on the experiences that we received in Nova Scotia as a result of the tragic affair of Swissair and a number of the other very difficult cases we have had to deal with in Nova Scotia, not least of which, as he referred to, was the Comeau case. It makes it clear that he has the power to investigate fatalities and provide the families and Nova Scotians with the information they request. Mr. Speaker, I want to thank my colleagues in the other Parties for their co-operation with respect to the bill, and the honourable member for Richmond and Cole Harbour-Eastern Passage for their intervention. The change, as I said, that was made in Committee of the Whole House on Bills clearly reflects what the intent was. In any event, I think it clarifies the matter and I believe the bill is a good bill and deserves the support of the House. With that, I would move third reading. MR. SPEAKER: The honourable member for Cole Harbour-Eastern Passage. MR. KEVIN DEVEAUX: Mr. Speaker, I briefly just want to say that with the amendment that came back to the Committee of the Whole House on Bills, it does de-politicize the process. It was something, as I said, at the Committee of the Whole House on Bills, but I think it is important to put it on the record that it does de-politicize the process. I don't think any Minister of Justice or Attorney General wants to be in the position to have to make those difficult decisions. I am glad to see the legislation was amended to ensure that where the Chief Medical Officer recommends a fatality investigation, that that is something that the Attorney General or Minister of Justice must do, shall do. I am glad to see that that de-politicizes the process so we can ensure that when we have these inquiries, there will be no perception as to why they are being held. Thank you. MR. SPEAKER: The honourable member for Richmond. MR. MICHEL SAMSON: Mr. Speaker, it is a pleasure to rise to say a few words on Bill No. 92, the Fatality Investigations Act. First, I want to, on the record, thank both the Justice Critic for the NDP caucus, the honourable member for Cole Harbour-Eastern Passage and the Minister of Justice for accepting our amendment on the bill and bringing the bill back to the Committee of the Whole House on Bills so that we could deal with it. Our concern was that the role of the Justice Minister may have been compromised in the fact that the legislation was allowing only the Minister of Justice to be able to make the decision as to whether an inquiry should be held. We were certainly concerned, for political reasons, that [Page 7579] a minister somewhere down the road may make a decision not to hold an inquiry in order to avoid any potential political embarrassment. Again, I offer the example that if there should unfortunately be a fatality in one of our health institutions and it was discovered that it was as a result of a doctor shortage or nursing shortage or funding shortage, the minister of the day may not want to hold an inquiry for fear of embarrassment to his government and fellow colleague. We certainly never wanted to see that happen. I know that the minister indicated that the whole intent of the legislation was to make sure that if the Chief Medical Examiner recommended an inquiry, it would be held. The unfortunate thing was the legislation, the way it was worded, said that if the Chief Medical Examiner recommends an inquiry be held the minister may hold such an inquiry. Again, that left it to the discretion of the minister, who is an elected official, to determine whether it should be held or not. With the change that took place in the Committee of the Whole, the legislation now clearly states that where the Chief Medical Examiner recommends to the minister, under Section 26, that a fatality inquiry be held, the minister shall order that an inquiry be held. Clearly, now there is no doubt, there is no option there; if the Chief Medical Examiner recommends it, it will take place. We think that's stronger legislation and we think it's more reflective of where we wanted to go with this bill. Keep in mind, Mr. Speaker, that Nova Scotia I believe may be the only one, but certainly it was the first jurisdiction to have an independent judiciary. We have a Director of Public Prosecutions here, where decisions are made by an independent person, not by an elected official, as to whether prosecutions should take place or not. We're proud of the fact that we have that here in Nova Scotia. The fact is we want to make sure this legislation was along those same lines, that there be an independent judiciary here, and where an inquiry is recommended it will be held. With that, we've certainly indicated our support. We're pleased that the government and the NDP supported our resolution, which we believe will make for stronger legislation. We certainly will be giving our support to Bill No. 92 on third reading. MR. SPEAKER: The honourable member for Dartmouth East. DR. JAMES SMITH: Mr. Speaker, I'll be very brief. I know the minister is anxious to get out, there are some people with cameras outside. He must be very popular, they are waiting for him and wondering where he is, so I really wouldn't want to be responsible for holding him up. [Page 7580] Mr. Speaker, I just want to make a brief follow-up on Bill No. 92, an Act Respecting the Investigation of Fatalities. The member of our Liberal caucus, the member for Richmond, has complimented the government and the minister for accepting our amendment, which we thought was an important issue relative to the ordering of an inquiry. Just briefly, in closing I want to mention and make a plea to the government and to the minister, particularly as it's relative to Clause 3, the Governor in Council shall appoint a Chief Medical Examiner who must be a pathologist with training or experience in forensic pathology. Mr. Speaker, I have not used the other opportunities to address this bill on this particular matter, but I think we have seen very clearly the importance of the training of this Chief Medical Examiner. At the time of introduction, Dr. Vernon Bowes was here in the audience. I didn't get a chance to speak to him, but I have worked with him over the years, and I know him to be a very competent, qualified pathologist in these matters. It may not always be thus, and I think the role of the Chief Medical Examiner must be held at the highest possible level. We saw that in the person of Dr. John Butt, when he was involved and called upon in so many capacities, not only in the health matters of the pathology aspect of the Swissair but also in the legal implications of so many actions that had to be taken by the Chief Medical Examiner at that time, to say nothing about the importance that Dr. John Butt played in communicating this disaster around the world, really, and giving a true picture and perspective of some of the challenges of the Chief Medical Examiner's Office. I missed my other opportunities and didn't address this particular concern, but I would say to the minister and to the government that the Chief Medical Examiner must be more than just a pathologist. The other, with training or experience in forensic pathology, that is a key area and that should not be diminished. That should not mean a couple of weeks course here or there, attending a conference or that sort of thing. That part of it is crucial, and I just hope that this government is not in any way diminishing the qualifications needed for the Chief Medical Examiner's office. This is very important and as time goes on and new techniques, new technology, DNA testing and all the science that is brought to bear, this particular office needs to have great commitment that that person, the Chief Medical Examiner, should be fully qualified, not only as a pathologist, but as a forensic pathologist. That, in its own right, is a specialty and not to be taken lightly. Thank you. MR. SPEAKER: If I recognize the minister it will be to close debate. The honourable Minister of Justice. [Page 7581] HON. MICHAEL BAKER: Mr. Speaker, I thank all the members of the other Parties in the House for their support of this bill. It's been said before, but I believe that it's a much better bill and it's a good bill that will help modernize the law in Nova Scotia. With that, I close debate. MR. SPEAKER: The motion is for third reading of Bill No. 92. Is the House ready for the question? Would all those in favour of the motion please say Aye. Contrary minded, Nay. The motion is carried. Ordered that the 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. RONALD RUSSELL: Mr. Speaker, would you please call Bill No. 93. Bill No. 93 - Youth Justice Act. MR. SPEAKER: The honourable Minister of Justice. HON. MICHAEL BAKER: The purpose of this bill is quite simple. The federal government is bringing forward changes to the Young Offenders Act to change the process for criminal process with respect to young offenders. There is similar legislation, being the Young Persons Summary Proceedings Act, provincially which mirrors the federal legislation with respect to municipal and provincial offenses. The purpose of this legislation is simply to continue to mirror the federal legislation for ease of administration by police officers and other justice officials. With that, Mr. Speaker, I move third reading. MR. SPEAKER: The honourable member for Cole Harbour-Eastern Passage. MR. KEVIN DEVEAUX: Mr. Speaker, I am glad to have a couple of minutes to speak on this legislation. I spoke at a fair bit of length at second reading. I am not necessarily sure that my concerns have been addressed, but because this legislation mirrors the federal - what used to be known as the Young Offenders Act - it has a different name now, Youth Criminal Justice Act or what have you - our caucus won't stand in the way. Our concerns around the issues of community and victim involvement and extrajudicial sanctions, our concerns around minimum sentencing, are still things that we would like to see eventually addressed. If we're mirroring federal legislation, then I guess this is something that we must take up at the federal level as well. But, for purposes of this legislation, I would hope that in the implementation of the legislation, we guarantee and [Page 7582] ensure that victims and community members have certain ability to be part of any sentencing circles, restorative justice, extrajudicial sanctions - whatever you want to call it - to ensure that where we use alternatives to the courts for youth, even if it be for quasi-criminal offenses, we ensure that victims and communities are involved in that process. Having said that, given that this legislation mirrors that of the federal government, we won't be standing in the way of it at third reading. Thank you. MR. SPEAKER: The honourable member for Richmond. MR. MICHEL SAMSON: Mr. Speaker, it's a pleasure to rise and say a few words on Bill No. 93, the Youth Justice Act. It's refreshing to see this government finally doing something useful and rather than criticizing the federal government for all of their problems, bringing forward legislation which actually follows the lead of the federal Liberal government in Ottawa. It's good to see that the government is finally doing something positive rather than continually blaming the federal government for all of their self-created problems. This is a bill which we have raised some concerns about. It's interesting to see the government was elected on this get tough on justice mandate. The Minister of Justice certainly came in saying he was going to get a grip on all these justice issues. It's interesting to see that he's mirrored exactly what Ottawa has done. So any original thought or any of these get tough measures - he mentioned we're going to take action on those offenders who are under the age of 12. Ironically, that's not dealt with in this bill at all. So it's very interesting to see how this government has moved from that get tough stance. [3:00 p.m.] Mr. Speaker, we have raised some concerns and they continue to be there, especially as to the actual qualifications of who will get to be a youth court justice and what exactly are the qualifications of this that are not designated in the bill. We don't know at all what they are going to expect as to be knowledge, experience, qualifications or training; none of that is outlined right here and we certainly raise some concerns with that. One of the other major concerns, and I know that my colleague, the member for Dartmouth East, being a medical professional and also in his experience as a previous Minister of Justice, is extremely concerned about the language about the transfer of youth inmates under this legislation. Without going into the clauses, the legislation basically says they will do their best to make sure that youth inmates are not mixed in with adult inmates. Mr. Speaker, our position is that the legislation should say youth inmates will not be mixed in with adult inmates, that's it, period. The idea and the notion that this government is going to bring in this sort of legislation and then allow young offenders to be mixed in an [Page 7583] adult population kind of defeats the whole purpose of restorative justice in trying to keep people out of the mainstream justice system. We certainly hope that the minister will make sure that there is adequate facilities in this province to deal with young offenders and to provide them with all possible rehabilitation and that we do not see young offenders being housed in adult correctional institutions. Mr. Speaker, one of the other points which we raised, which we are still concerned, is that under the bill the police will be required to provide written notice to parents of young offenders charged with provincial offenses, but they will not be required to do so for those aged 16 and 17 charged with Motor Vehicle Act offenses. Instead, it says that they may give notice under the Act. Well, you know, we just dealt with this with another piece of legislation, the Fatality Investigations Act, as to the use of the word "may" compared to "shall" and this is another example of where we would have liked to have seen the language actually say "shall" give written notices rather than "may", because certainly anything that can be done to give notice to parents to make sure that they are aware of any sort of difficulties that their children may have been involved in with the law is something that we fully support. Mr. Speaker, with that, one of the last concerns that we did raise is with the actual maintenance of records under this bill and the records of young people. It certainly doesn't point out where these records are going to be kept or how they are going to be treated under the legislation. We certainly hope that the minister will keep this in mind when he's dealing with the regulations aspect and certainly the aspect of privacy and, in the whole hopes of rehabilitation and a new start, that the records of young offenders not be used as a detriment against them in the future when it is felt that they have shown retribution and certainly have been rehabilitated through the system. With that, Mr. Speaker, as has been said, this does mirror in many ways the federal legislation which we fully support, and other than the concerns that we have raised which the minister certainly has the ability to address in due course, we will certainly be giving our support for third reading of Bill No. 93. MR. SPEAKER: The honourable member for Hants East. MR. JOHN MACDONELL: Mr. Speaker, I will be brief on this bill as well. This is probably another one of those I wish I was a lawyer bills for me. I want to say to the minister that it's probably prudent on his part to try to mirror federal legislation in this regard. (Interruption) For the honourable member for Richmond, I will agree there probably are a few good federal Liberals. I probably should acknowledge, for the member, that the federal Minister of Justice grew up in Hants East, in Noel Shore. [Page 7584] Mr. Speaker, I want to say that probably if there is any group of individuals who actually deal with the effects of young offenders more than the victims do it is probably teachers in our schools. Certainly, for young offenders, their entry point into the justice system starts upon being caught, since there is such a various array of conditions that bring them to that point. In other words we can think of individuals who have made one mistake in their life and have been caught or we can think of individuals who were a long time getting caught making a number of infractions to the law. So you have to realize that everybody who comes to that entry point comes with a slightly different education to the point of breaking the law. I certainly would like to see the community and the victims have some say in this system and hopefully extra judicial sanctions, if appropriate, would include the community and the victims. Something else I would like to see, Mr. Speaker, is that there are certainly enough resources to ensure counselling for young offenders. I can think of individuals in the local community around where I live who have been known to the judiciary or the justice system for a long period of time. There are some punitive measures taken against them and they are returned back to the street and continue the process of cost to the community and society. Mr. Speaker, I think that initially there never was the remedial approach, there never was enough resources for rehabilitation of these individuals. Time and effort put into counselling and ensuring that whatever the source that caused them to go down this road was efficiently extinguished and to get them on the right track. I would say that this is something that leads young offenders to be older offenders. I think that it would be dollars well spent if the government would ensure that effort was put into trying to rehabilitate young offenders at a very early age as soon as they hit this entry point into the justice system and see that those safety nets, that help protect and prevent other young people from going down this road, that are not in place for them, in their particular situation, that they are shored-up and somebody is there to try to catch them when they fall and prevent them from re-entering the system. Certainly, I don't see that in this piece of legislation. I would like to see the government address this, either through the Department of Justice or the Department of Community Services or a combination of both, but I would say, along with my colleagues, I would be supportive of this moving forward and it looks as though it can help and I would hope that it does. Thank you. MR. SPEAKER: If I recognize the minister it will be to close debate. The honourable Minister of Justice. [Page 7585] HON. MICHAEL BAKER: Mr. Speaker, I thank the honourable members for their interventions with respect to the bill and with that, I will close debate. MR. SPEAKER: The motion is for third reading of Bill No. 93. Is the House ready for the question? Would all those in favour of the motion please say Aye. Contrary minded, Nay. The motion is carried. Ordered that this bill do pass. Order that the title be as read by the Clerk. Ordered that the bill be engrossed. MR. SPEAKER: The honourable Government House Leader. HON. RONALD RUSSELL: Mr. Speaker, would you please call the order of business, Private Members' Public Bills for Third Reading. PRIVATE MEMBERS' PUBLIC BILLS FOR THIRD READING MR. SPEAKER: The honourable Government House Leader. HON. RONALD RUSSELL: Mr. Speaker, would you please call Bill No. 95. Bill No. 95 - German Settlers Day Act. MR. SPEAKER: The honourable Minister of Justice. HON. MICHAEL BAKER: Mr. Speaker, much good can be said about this bill and much has been said already in second reading. In the interest of time, I won't take the time to mention it all, but I do think there is one thing that does deserve mention, and that was referred to by the honourable member for Halifax Needham the other day, which was, of course, the Little Dutch Church, which was really the first Lutheran Church in North America because it was formed by the German settlers who came to Halifax in 1750, and then went on to Lunenburg. That subsequently became an Anglican Church, as it is today. Mr. Speaker, the reason I mention that is because of St. John's Church in Lunenburg, the Anglican Church that so sadly burned on November 1st. That church was originally founded as a Church of England but also was the joint place of worship with the Presbyterians and the Lutherans. So there is a tradition of ecumenical worship in Lunenburg, which was continued from the very early days of the Little Dutch Church in Halifax, and then to Lunenburg. [Page 7586] Mr. Speaker, I thought that in the interest of acknowledging the importance of the St. John's Anglican Church to Lunenburg and to the German heritage of Nova Scotians that that should be mentioned. With that, I move third reading. MR. SPEAKER: The motion is for third reading of Bill No. 95. Is the House ready for the question? 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. RONALD RUSSELL: 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. RONALD RUSSELL: Mr. Speaker, would you please call Bill No. 80. Bill No. 80 - House of Assembly Act. MR. SPEAKER: The honourable Government House Leader. HON. RONALD RUSSELL: Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to move third reading of Bill No. 80, House of Assembly Act. MR. SPEAKER: The motion is for third reading of Bill No. 80. 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. RONALD RUSSELL: Mr. Speaker, would you please call Bill No. 85. [Page 7587] Bill No. 85 - Real Estate Trading Act. MR. SPEAKER: The honourable Minister of Service Nova Scotia and Municipal Relations. HON. ANGUS MACISAAC: Mr. Speaker, I move that this bill be now read for a third time. I want to thank members of the House for accommodating the amendments to this bill and passing it through as we have. MR. SPEAKER: The motion is for third reading of Bill No. 85. 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. RONALD RUSSELL: Mr. Speaker, would you please call the order of business, Private and Local Bills for Third Reading. PRIVATE AND LOCAL BILLS FOR THIRD READING MR. SPEAKER: The honourable Government House Leader. HON. RONALD RUSSELL: Mr. Speaker, would you please call Bill No. 94. Bill No. 94 - Halifax Regional Municipality Marketing Levy Act. MR. SPEAKER: The honourable member for Preston. MR. DAVID HENDSBEE: Mr. Speaker, I would like to rise to start debate in third reading. I would just like to speak for a couple of quick minutes on the Private and Local Bills Committee in regard to representations that were made for the one hour in that committee. There were representations from HRM, from citizens Mr. Wayne Anstey, Tourism and Culture Director, Mr. Lew Rogers; for the Hotel Association of Nova Scotia, Mr. Paul Stackhouse; from the Greater Halifax Conventions and Meeting Bureau, Mr. Nicholas Carson; and from the Tourism Industry Association of Nova Scotia, Mr. Carl Webb; and from the Innkeepers Guild of Nova Scotia, Mr. David MacDonald. [Page 7588] Various concerns and questions were raised by various committee members. I can assure you that all those concerns were raised and discussed thoroughly by members. One of the things discussed was a concern about students and accommodations. That was clarified in regard to the rules in the Act. Also, I just wanted to raise some of the important issues that were brought to our attention in committee. Other Canadian-North American destinations have increasing Tourism budgets, and this marketing levy would help the HRM become more competitive. Currently, in Tourism in HRM, $850,000 is spent. In other jurisdictions, for example, St. John's, Newfoundland, it is $1.2 million; Quebec City is $9 million; Montreal is $16 million; Toronto is $8.5 million, Ottawa is $4 million, Calgary is $5.8 million, Edmonton is $1.35 million, Banff and Vancouver, $10 million. Mr. Speaker, our rate of 1.5 per cent is very small in regard to the other ones that are charging 3 per cent to 5 per cent. I just wanted to wrap up by saying that, in conclusion, this market levy is going to make available funds for marketing, creating this Destination Marketing Organization, which will make HRM a place to come to enjoy. [3:15 p.m.] Mr. Speaker, with that I would like to move third reading. MR. SPEAKER: The honourable member for Cape Breton South. MR. MANNING MACDONALD: I rise to speak for a few moments on this particular bill. As you know, Mr. Speaker, in the Committee of the Whole House on Bills our Party moved an amendment to this bill and, of course, as you also know, in the Committee of the Whole House the proceedings are not transcribed as carefully as they are when you're in the Chair, Mr. Speaker, for the benefit of those who may have missed the amendment before, I want to read into the record the amendment. It simply states that it is an amendment to the Halifax Regional Municipality Marketing Levy Act as proposed by the MLA for Cape Breton The Lakes, Mr. Brian Boudreau, and the amendment would read as follows: "After Subsection 3(3)(c) add the following (d) a person who provides documentation indicating that they are accommodating a room as a result of (i) receiving medical treatment at a hospital or local health care centre; or (ii) seeking specialist medical advice." That was the amendment and to our complete disbelief, Mr. Speaker, the government voted against that amendment. Now, if the purpose of this bill is to strengthen the tourism sector in Halifax and provide some additional funding for that sector to enable that sector to do its work in HRM, then that's great. We don't have any difficulty with that, but we fail to see where that would apply to people who live outside of HRM who have to come to HRM [Page 7589] for medical treatment. I refer, of course, to people from Yarmouth, people from Annapolis, people from Digby, people from Pictou County, people from Cape Breton, people from Guysborough, citizens of Nova Scotia who have to come to Halifax for medical treatment sometimes on a regular basis and while they are here, they have to occupy a hotel room. Now, why this government wouldn't allow an amendment to alleviate those Nova Scotians from having to pay that tax is beyond me. The only reason I can see for that is that the amendment came from the member for Cape Breton The Lakes and the government didn't want to be put in the position of accepting an amendment from another Party other than their own. I believe that this bill standing on its own with that amendment would have been a better bill. It would have been a much better bill. It would have told Nova Scotians who have to come up here for medical treatment that we don't want to pick your pockets any more than you have to pay and people who come from my area and people who come from Yarmouth, or people who come from Shelburne, or people who come from North Sydney, or people who come from all of those areas have to pay at the present time a high hotel or motel rate in Halifax because of the fact that hotel rooms are traditionally more expensive in this area. I don't have a problem with that when it comes to tourism, when it comes to people coming here to vacation, or people coming here to conventions. I think in that respect this bill is good for HRM, but to turn around and put people who have to come up here for medical care in the same category is wrong, Mr. Speaker. It is wrong and I am surprised that the government turned thumbs down on that particular amendment that came before this House today. I would like somebody in the government to give me a rationale why that happened, why the government could not accept this amendment. AN HON. MEMBER: Ask the Premier, he's the boss. MR. MANNING MACDONALD: Maybe the Premier could go out there and tell the reporters who are waiting for an answer on this question why they're going to tax some rural Nova Scotians an extra percentage of their room rate to come to HRM for medical treatment, why they're going to lump them in with the tourist people and the conventioneers. I believe that this bill perhaps will be a bill that will spread throughout the province to other municipalities, particularly the Cape Breton Regional Municipality, and perhaps down in the Yarmouth area as a future way of generating revenue, but I would hope that the same thing would not apply in these other bills, that people who have to go to those areas for medical treatment would have to pay a premium on hotel rates to stay there. I am thinking about the regional hospital in Cape Breton and also the medical facilities in the Yarmouth area. It is not fair that those people who have to come here to seek medical advice or medical treatment should pay this premium. [Page 7590] You know, Mr. Speaker, it is not too late for the member for Preston, who introduced this bill, to get on his feet and say that he is prepared to give consideration to this amendment again. It is not too late for the member for Preston to agree that perhaps the government acted in haste in not accepting this amendment. What difference does it make to the people who put the amendment here? They didn't have that revenue before. They are going to get sufficient revenue from the tourist sector, from the conventioneers who come here. Why are they looking for additional revenue from people who have to come up here for medical treatment? In the closing of this debate sometime later today or perhaps tomorrow morning, I would hope that the member for Preston will explain why he voted against this amendment, to give me the rationale why the people from the tourist and convention business in this area would not go along with this amendment proposed by the member for Cape Breton The Lakes. Is it again the people from this area beating up on the poor areas of this province? Well, you people were the ones who voted against this amendment. I hit a nerve, Mr. Speaker. Bingo, that is exactly what is going on here. (Interruptions) I would ask the member for Sackville-Beaver Bank to go down to Sydney and tell those cancer patients who have to come up here that they have to pay a premium in a hotel to get cancer treatment in Halifax. If he thinks that is funny, if he thinks that is too bad for them, then shame on that member over there. The Premier would do well to tell those people to muzzle themselves over there because they get him in trouble every time you turn around with useless interventions over there from the backbenches, whenever they get a chance. You go down there and tell the people in Cape Breton who have to come up here for cancer treatment that they have to pay a premium to stay in a hotel room here. You tell them that, Mr. Barnet, you tell them that. You only live across the street from the cancer centre. We have people who live 250 miles from it. MR. SPEAKER: Order, please. I would ask the honourable member to direct his comments to the Chair, please. MR. MANNING MACDONALD: We would hope that maybe some of the backbenchers who voted against this would get up. Maybe the members from rural Nova Scotia on the Tory benches will go back and tell their people why they are going to have to pay more for a hotel room here in Halifax to get medical treatment. Mr. Speaker, this happens all too often, that a good bill is turned into something that we can't support because of foolish play on behalf of the government not to support a reasonably sound, or very sound recommendation here. I would like, before this day is over or tomorrow morning, whenever we finish debate on this third reading, that somebody on the government benches would tell me why it is appropriate for the people of Guysborough or the people of Yarmouth or the people of North Sydney or the people of Digby who come up [Page 7591] here for medical treatment to have to pay a premium in the hotels here. If somebody can convince me that is a good idea, then I will be prepared to listen. But I haven't heard anybody convince me of that yet. All they say over there is that, oh, it is sour grapes again from the members for Cape Breton. Well, we come from Cape Breton and there are a lot of people who have to come up here for medical treatment and it is at a very heavy expense and this is another added expense. I am sure that the member for Yarmouth has people in his constituency who would have to come up here and stay for nights and weeks. I am sure that they are not willing, or they don't want, to pay this expense themselves either. I am sure that, well, Shelburne - you can go all down through rural Nova Scotia - Musquodoboit Valley. Of course, their member is too busy fooling around with other things these days to worry about that, perhaps. I want to tell this House that - maybe he thinks this is a joke too. Everything else is a joke to him; maybe this is a joke as well. He's laughing over there, anyway. I want to say to you with these few remarks, Mr. Speaker, I am really upset that this government would take this amendment and disregard it - callous disregard for the people outside of HRM who have to come to this city for medical purposes. Unless this is changed, I am not going to be supporting this bill. Thank you. MR. SPEAKER: The honourable member for Sackville-Cobequid. MR. JOHN HOLM: I welcome the opportunity to speak for a few minutes on the piece of legislation that is before us. First of all, I want to indicate that we will be supporting the bill; however, in saying that, I also want to say that I think that it's still not too late for the government to be willing to make an amendment. Do an amendment, it has been done already. It might take a 10 minute recess for us to be able to resolve the issue and make this piece of legislation a little bit better and, in truth, much fairer for people of this province. When I say that, I say in all honesty that I wish the Liberal caucus had made the proposed amendment available to members of this House, as is the tradition, before the last minute. I don't know what the government's decision not to support the amendment is based on. We, like the government, were forced to make a snap decision because we didn't see the amendment before it was introduced. We like to try to share amendments with all other caucuses in advance so that we can try to win support on behalf of the amendment that we are advancing. That having been said - and I am taking the Liberals on good faith that they really do want to get an amendment through because I and our caucus members looked at the intent of the amendment and we felt that it was fair - that those who were coming, who were forced to come - and let's face it, metro is the area with so many medical services. You have to [Page 7592] come here to get those services, you can't get them in other places. So we are taking it that the Liberals advance this in good faith and that they want to - and correctly so - spare those who are forced to come here for medical treatment or appointments, to be spared from that additional tax. I think that is infinitely fair. The government members can only speak for themselves on what the rationale was for rejecting the amendment. Possibly they didn't like the wording. I am not a legal eagle. I am not a lawyer; I am not trained in crafting the legislation in the proper legal terms and I'm not sorry that I am not. However, we do have within the employment of the government - and probably the Legislative Counsel is here in the Chamber - legal expertise that can take the words and craft them quickly into the proper legalese. We know what the intent of the amendment is, and if the government members - and I say this through you, Mr. Speaker, with respect to the Premier and to his colleagues - if you are in support of the principle in the amendment that was rejected, which we in our caucus voted unanimously in support of because we support the principle, if the government is in support of the principle of the amendment, I say through you to the Premier, signal to your Government House Leader that you would like to have a brief recess. Surely to heavens it wouldn't take more than 10 or 15 minutes. The Clerks at the Table could help with the wording if the wording is not correct for the legalese. If, for example, we have to redefine the word documentation, because in the amendment it says, a person who provides documentation indicating - well, what kind of documentation? Are you saying documentation from a doctor. If that has to be defined, if that has to be clarified what kind of documentation is needed, rather than simply a letter from a neighbor, if it's that simple, surely to heavens, if the will is there to do it right then, obviously, we can resolve that. [3:30 p.m.] Now, I could move a recess, Mr. Speaker, that is not going to accomplish anything. I am actually continuing to talk a little bit longer than I had intended simply because I would like to give some government members, particularly the Premier, an opportunity to think for a moment or two about the fairness of this and to have a chance to maybe signal some of his colleagues that he would like to have a look at it, because it can be done. The amount of tax dollars that would be lost to HRM if that is done - you know, this bill, of course, isn't even going to go forward until we can get the clarification from Ottawa and get the exemption. So, Mr. Speaker, the amount of change, the amount of dollars that HRM would lose from collecting that tax from those who would be coming here to receive the medical treatment is extremely small by comparison. But, honestly, if somebody from Shelburne - and I will say Shelburne - if somebody from Kings North or Victoria has to come here, they [Page 7593] have the expense of the travel, they will have the expense of the meals, upon which they are paying tax by the way, and they will then have the expense of the accommodations. If somebody is healthy, they can often drive from Cape Breton to Halifax and back the same day. If somebody is ill and receiving treatment, they may be required to be here for a number of days and, in addition to that, they may not be in the physical condition to do such a drive and return in one day. The added costs they would have to bear, while the amount that they would spend would be peanuts to HRM, to them, in their situation, it could be quite extreme. Just on the basis of fairness, Mr. Premier, if you believe that it is inappropriate to have those who are ill, be taxed additionally to help promote tourism in Halifax and surrounding area - and that means my community as well - if you think that it is wrong to have that tax imposed, I ask you, please. I am not going to try to hold this up. Our caucus isn't going to be trying to hold this legislation up for long periods of time. That is not our intent. We can't stop this bill from passing. It's on your shoulders. Here's an opportunity. I don't like the way it was presented, I am not pretending I do. I don't like the fact that it only came in at the last minute at Committee of the Whole House on Bills and that we hadn't seen it earlier. I am not saying I like that process, but I do like the idea. AN HON. MEMBER: Well, why didn't you think about it? MR. HOLM: Well, it was just said, why didn't I think about? Well, Mr. Speaker, that's why we are here. We believe in listening. Yes, as the Premier says. Mr. Speaker, I confess and I say quite proudly that we are quite able to listen to good ideas that come from other caucuses, and this is a good idea; it's a good proposal. That's why I'm saying, through you, Mr. Speaker, to the Premier, I hope you will. If you want to get this through and through in a hurry, if you support the principle that it's unfair to charge additional tax to those who have to come for this, let's take a 10 minute recess. I urge you, Mr. Premier, to make that motion, and I know the Clerks at the Table are extremely capable. They have the ability to craft the amendment, word it slightly differently if that's a problem, to accomplish the same ends in a hurry, or Legislative Counsel who, I am sure, is no more than a short call away. He might actually be out in the Members' Lounge, as he often is. It will take no time to get the wordsmiths to do their work so that we can accomplish, collectively, what I hope all members of this House believe would be a fair thing to do. Mr. Speaker, with that I will take my seat and wait for the Premier, in hopes that he will be willing to get to his feet to urge that there is an adjournment so that this matter can be resolved in a way that would be satisfactory to all members in this House and, more importantly, in a fair way for those people who don't live in the close vicinity of our major medical facilities here in HRM. (Applause) [Page 7594] MR. SPEAKER: The honourable member for Lunenburg West. MR. DONALD DOWNE: Mr. Speaker, I too want to stand in regard to requesting a recess for all of us to have an opportunity to take another look at the amendment that was brought forward by our member from Cape Breton. I want to say I had an opportunity to meet with the representatives who helped draft this legislation and worked on it. I believe these individuals worked very hard - I know they worked very hard and are sincere in trying to bring forward a piece of legislation through a private member that would benefit the area. In principle, I think they're right on. I think it has great merits. The comment I remember in the meeting was we hope we've covered all the bases, I hope we've covered off all the issues, we're trying to and it's very difficult. As the Premier said here today, sometimes that's why we're in this Legislature. Ideas come up, suggestions come up from all Parties that are beneficial to a piece of legislation. That is why this particular amendment to the legislation is really not against the legislation, it is really an opportunity to help strengthen the legislation. I can't imagine the HRM, when they are out there to promote Nova Scotia and promote the HRM and the industry together, for tourism and economic opportunity and all that, I don't imagine they would be held up on the issue of the fact that the odd time there is somebody coming to Halifax from far distances in Nova Scotia, to have some provision inside that bill to help accommodate those individuals who are sick and need to stay at a hotel to attend to their physical requirements at the hospital; they need overnight accommodations. The individuals I met appeared to be very compassionate and caring about the community. I would think that would be one of the pluses to the beauty of how Halifax really is. I think Halifax, the HRM area, is a beautiful community. It has a lot of compassion and excitement and entertainment. I would like to see that the House would stop for a moment and realize that this is a legitimate request. It might be the wording, maybe somebody wants to just play with it a little bit here to get it worded properly, but the intent of what this amendment is, I can't honestly think of why anybody in this House would be against the intent of what this measure is all about. It doesn't take away from the motion of the Private Member's Bill. It doesn't take away from the concept of an opportunity for this community to start raising funds so that it can go after major events for this community in tourism. It doesn't stop the opportunity for those facilities to be able to build a fund to market HRM. It doesn't stop all that. It doesn't stop all the great initiatives that can come from this piece of legislation. That's why I personally think the legislation is the right idea. I am sure that those people who were involved in that legislation had maybe given some thought, or if that issue had come up earlier, maybe they would have reconsidered that particular point of how to address the circumstance where individuals who travel long [Page 7595] distances to Halifax, who need medical attention, to have some caveats within the legislation to allow for help for those individuals. I know that one of the issues was the issue of cascading tax. They were concerned about that. They don't want to cause a problem; they're trying to make this work, and we shouldn't lose sight of what they're trying to do. You are the government. You have the power. You have the votes. And why I am standing here today is to echo and support the comments from the member for Sackville-Cobequid about the issue of fairness. I would say a recess would be in order. If the Premier was willing to support that, I don't think it's asking an awful lot. I believe that, if anything, it strengthens the legislation in the fact that it shows the commitment of what this is all about, and that is showing the world that HRM is a great community and a great area. By gosh, I know they need the money, like any other city, to get out and promote. This is why this legislation is important, but having this caveat is not going to change a great deal of the funding capability of that body. In fact, if I read the legislation correctly, they have the provision of going from 1.5 per cent to 2 per cent. So if there is a big issue, they can move it to 2 per cent. All we're requesting - and I want to say that my colleague, the member for Cape Breton The Lakes, brought this issue up in our caucus. It made us stop and think. We, as a caucus, stopped - my gosh, that's a good idea. This is an important idea and an important suggestion. I am sure that all of you here today, given a chance to think about it, probably deep down inside say yes, this is probably a good suggestion for the right reasons, the right values and the right principles. That is why I ask the presenter of this Private Member's Bill - and I know the member cares about the community, and I know deep down inside he's a compassionate individual for the people. I know that. I ask him to ask his colleagues to maybe take a minute and reconsider how he can redraft this so that we can make sure that the member for Cape Breton The Lakes' suggestion is not cast out simply because he's for Cape Breton The Lakes, but because he is part of this Legislative Assembly, that we would want to support - as the Premier would say, that is why we're here today, to grow and do things that are right and that can come in this Legislature by all members. With those few words, Mr. Speaker, I again echo the member for Sackville-Cobequid in requesting a short recess so that we can find a resolve to this issue. Let's not throw the baby out with the bathwater, as that old farm expression goes. Let's make sure we bring the opportunities of this legislation forward so HRM can compete with Ontario and Toronto and Montreal and other areas and do a good job in marketing this area because it's going to help all of Nova Scotia. At the same time, let us have a little compassion for those individuals who are forced to come to HRM for medical reasons, who live far enough away that they cannot commute, to be able to have some benefit by the fact that those particular levied fees [Page 7596] or taxes are not imposed on them. I think that the recess - and I so move that we have a recess for a short term to resolve this issue. MR. SPEAKER: The honourable member for Timberlea-Prospect. Order, please. SOME HON. MEMBERS: Motion for recess. MR. SPEAKER: I believe the motion is out of order. The motion to recess would be out of order at this point. The honourable member for Timberlea-Prospect. The honourable member for Preston. MR. DAVID HENDSBEE: Before I close debate (Interruptions) [3:45 p.m.] MR. SPEAKER: Order, please. (Interruptions) MR. HENDSBEE: You know the rules. If I am recognized a second time, it is to close debate. AN HON. MEMBER: We know the rules. Do you know them? ANOTHER HON. MEMBER: No. MR. SPEAKER: The honourable member for Timberlea-Prospect. AN HON. MEMBER: He enforces the rules, not you, Hendsbee. MR. WILLIAM ESTABROOKS: Here we go on a personal tone again. Mr. Speaker, I want to take a few moments to bring the House up to date. As we are well aware of course, I live in a very fast growing area that over the years has attracted motels and hotels and tourist business. I will be very open with the member opposite, the member for Preston. He knows that I have been lobbied on this issue. He knows that I have been consulted and asked my opinions on this. In fact, I took the opportunity when suddenly, bang, it dropped on our desk and this amendment arrives. [Page 7597] So I took the opportunity, as I should do, and I went out to the phone and I called 876-2301, one of the best tourist destinations on the Bay Road. I spoke to one of the owners and operators of the hotel/motel along that road - the Stardust Motel. I said to them, look. I have been aware of this legislation and it is something that I am supporting. I have met with Lou Rogers. I have met with Mr. Barkhouse - I have got the name wrong - Mr. Stackhouse, right? Excuse me. I have been so involved with Lunenburg in the last number of weeks, all I can get is Barkhouse. I had the opportunity to ask this particular gentleman, if there is a situation that comes forward, and let's take the example that somebody from the community of New Waterford comes to your door and says, I am here for a week and I have a medical reason for being here, will you help him out? His response was, Mr. Estabrooks, send them out. Get them off the peninsula. Get them out here. I am saying to the people in that situation, I understand why this amendment is here and there is a way and a time to do things. The way and time to do things is in committee. It is to be brought forward in a thoughtful manner, but suddenly, here it is. It is brought forward. Now let me tell you, I want to tell you about Swissair. MR. SPEAKER: Order, please. MR. MICHEL SAMSON: On a point of order, Mr. Speaker. With all due respect to the member for Timberlea-Prospect, we do have a Private and Local Bills Committee where amendments can come forward, but amendments, in actuality, are debated here on the floor of this House through Committee of the Whole House, which took place this afternoon, as is regular for the Committee of the Whole House process, and then we allowed it to go to third reading. But that process has taken place. To continue to cast aspersions that this was a surprise dropped on here and is against the Rules of this House, we bring amendments in to the Committee of the Whole House. They are dealt with there and we go from there. There was no surprise here and I would hope that the member would know that can be dealt with in Committee of the Whole House on Bills and that is the regular process. In fact, I am sure he is aware that even on third reading, an amendment can even be brought forward if necessary in this case. MR. SPEAKER: Order, please. Before I recognize the honourable member for Timberlea-Prospect, from what I heard from both members, I believe the honourable member was actually alluding to the process, not casting aspersion on any member, not the way I heard his comments anyway. I agree, but again, it is not a point of order. It is a disagreement on the process, I guess, between two members. MR. ESTABROOKS: Mr. Speaker, I hope members of the House know that on occasion, there have been amendments accepted and I am very well aware of the fact that legislation has been brought forward in the past. I, on one occasion, I want the member for Shelburne to know there is always the one, that there is the opportunity to bring forth [Page 7598] amendments. The way the amendments are brought forward is the idea of process. It is a matter of consultation, whether it is with the lobby group involved, with the minister or, in this case, the private member who is bringing the legislation forward. So I have a situation on my hands because I know what is going on when it comes to the politics of this particular amendment. But, Mr. Speaker, I know what is right when it comes to, for example, the call that I have made. I know that I have spoken to these gentlemen and ladies who are in our lobby, are here in your gallery today, and I am aware of the fact that exceptions are always made for various reasons. However, the consequences are real important, and I want to talk about the Swissair disaster. What's the relevance, you could say, Mr. Speaker? Let's look at the situation that people came from all over the world and suddenly they were in the community that I and the member for Chester-St. Margaret's are fortunate enough to represent. Now, if there was an opportunity for these people to gouge and take advantage of, there it would have been. The result was that they showed unbelievable flexibility and that is, after all, their mandate in the business that they are in, to make sure that they have their customers and they will make those adjustments. I have thought about this and I know how things work in this caucus. I know how I am voting, I am voting in favour of the Private Member's Bill, I am voting in favour of it. The opportunity is still here to include and take a recess to see if this can be included as, I suppose we could say a friendly amendment, but obviously the government is not taking that opportunity. Let's be clear on the fact that the capital district, as a tourist destination, will benefit from this, and any other municipal jurisdiction that wants to bring forth this sort of legislation can. Let me tell you, as an example, Mr. Speaker, I am a regular attender at the Vince Ryan tournament in Cape Breton, a wonderful place to go, a tremendous place to go. We are there, of course, celebrating oldtimer's hockey and the spirit and example of a wonderful volunteer in the Cape Breton community. Under no circumstances would I be offended . . . MR. BRIAN BOUDREAU: Mr. Speaker, as a point of order, I think we're getting off the title of the bill. MR. SPEAKER: Order, please. (Interruption) It is, but I hear quite a few stories from all sides of the House, so it would be kind of ironic to say that this would be something -anyway, I would ask the honourable member to bring his comments around to third reading of Bill No. 94, please. MR. ESTABROOKS: You know the private member opposite, obviously with his municipal experience, is aware, as are other members aware who represent areas in the HRM, of the importance of bringing forth legislation which, at times, will help our areas. It is to that member's credit that he has taken the initiative to do this. I know, as a member who [Page 7599] serves a provincial area that's represented by the HRM, what the advantages will be to tourism here. It is very clear that this money is going to be used, this 1.5 per cent - and I hear it can go as far as 2 per cent on the bill - that this 1.5 per cent would be used to turn back into the tourist association so that there would be a promotion there, Mr. Speaker, so that the people who come to this district, we would be aware of the fact this is a destination, a destination in the hotel business. The good member for Halifax Fairview and I met and we listened to the points of view that were brought forward on the example of why this would be a positive piece of legislation. We caucused that legislation, we talked about this legislation. We now are in a situation where we will support, or I certainly will support this legislation. It's not in any way a reflection on other areas in this province. I know for a fact that if an MLA wants a Private Member's Bill brought forward and he or she is from another municipality, they could take the initiative and do the very same thing as the member for Preston. The member for Preston has done his homework. The member for Preston has met with the stakeholders, whether it's Carl Webb from TIANS, whether it's Judith Cabrita, whether it's the people here in your gallery today, Mr. Speaker, the homework has been done. It's unfortunate, that because of the timing, we are discussing a relevant matter that at times could have been dealt with at another time. I take the members at their best suggestion that a recess would be appropriate. That's not going to happen, Mr. Speaker, and I think what's best for the capital district, I think what's best for the tourism operators, I think what's best for the Stardust Motel on the St. Margarets Bay Road, that this piece of legislation be allowed to go ahead, be voted on and it will be supported by the member for Timberlea-Prospect. MR. SPEAKER: The honourable member for Glace Bay. MR. DAVID WILSON: Mr. Speaker, just in starting out I rise in agreement that, number one, we should be taking a recess at this point to reconsider what has happened here. Indeed, it's in the hands of the Premier to do that right now, which would be very easily done. Before I continue, I must say to the member for Timberlea-Prospect that perhaps he made the wrong phone call, perhaps that phone call should not have been made to a person who owns a popular inn but perhaps it should have been made to many former Cape Bretoners who are now a part of his constituency, who are going to have to phone home and tell their mothers and fathers and grandmothers and grandfathers that they are going to have to pay a tax for being sick now, to come up to Halifax to get treated. Maybe those are the phone calls that that member should be making, because that's exactly what's happening. [Page 7600] Of course, as I may remind everyone at this point, at some point the picket fence is going to start to feel kind of sore to the NDP once they finally decide to get off that fence once and for all. How can you be in support of it but support a motion and stand up and go on like they've been doing so far? (Interruptions) They're speaking out of both sides of their mouths, that's what's happening there. We don't need any apologies right now. This has been done before in this House. This has been done during this session. The fact of the matter is that amendments have moved during the process with very little notice twice this session. This has happened and those amendments have been accepted. AN HON. MEMBER: It happened today MR. WILSON: It happened today, as a matter of fact. That's all part of the process. This was no surprise. I'm absolutely amazed that members of the NDP would say, well, it's a big surprise, we didn't have time to think about it. Perhaps, it's because they didn't think of it. Perhaps because they didn't think of it they are not going to stand up and support what's going on here today at this time. Certainly we are all mature enough as elected members and representatives of our constituents to recognize a good idea when it's put forth. This has been a very good idea that came from the member for Cape Breton The Lakes and placed before the Liberal caucus in the form of an amendment, at the proper time, following the proper procedure, placed before this House of Assembly. How can you say that's a surprise? Mr. Speaker, if that's the case, then any amendment that comes before this House would be classified as a surprise. I am sure that no one is going to share their amendments, when they come out of caucus, with us as a Liberal caucus. I wouldn't expect the NDP caucus to do that, and I don't expect the Tory caucus to do that. Mr. Speaker, having said that, let's get back to the amendment itself. It's an amendment - from time to time in this House, as unbelievable, and I'm sure even the member for Kings North would agree with me here, from time to time in this House, there are things that make common sense that come forth in this House. Let me give you an example, and again it's an example of a Private Member's Bill. I proposed one myself to change the name of my riding from Cape Breton East to the name Glace Bay. Nothing that had any kind of significance or importance of the one we're talking about today, in dealing with people's medical problems and people's lives, but just a simple name change. The members opposite, the members to my right said that made common sense. It made sense. And it happened in this House. It can happen. [Page 7601] This is another example where we can take the time, take a recess, and again it's in the hands of the Premier to take that recess right now and call for that recess, and rethink exactly what's happening here. What you are talking about here is, in some cases, terminally ill people who are travelling to Halifax on a regular basis to receive, perhaps, cancer treatment or whatever treatment is available. It's only available in this area. (Interruption) Mr. Speaker, I can't for the life of me understand why a member of the NDP would sit in their seat and heckle me over the fact that I'm trying to defend the rights of terminally ill people in Cape Breton when they're being taxed as sick people by that government. I can't understand how the NDP can come out of the gates, the member for Dartmouth North is sitting there heckling me because I'm standing in my place on behalf of the sick people in my riding and on behalf of the people of Cape Breton. [4:00 p.m.] You know, Mr. Speaker, not only Cape Breton, but people from both ends of this province are going to be taxed by this levy. That's what's going to happen and I sincerely hope that this is not a case of the central area of this province, and that being the Halifax Regional Municipality, forgetting that there are other parts of this province that exist. I hope that's not the case because if it is, then I would say to every other member in this House who is not a representative of that central core, of that metro area, that now is the time that you should be standing up to speak on behalf of your constituents, on behalf of the people who aren't lucky enough to be based in the Halifax Regional Municipality and won't have to pay that extra levy, who don't have to travel for four and a half hours, five hours, six hours, to get to the treatment that they require in this province. We all know, as I've said before in the Committee of the Whole House earlier, the Halifax Regional Municipality is known as the area where you're going to receive the best treatment that you can possibly receive in this province. No one is arguing that. Indeed, it's used across the Atlantic Provinces as that kind of central treatment for medical reasons and we know that. No one is arguing here that this levy isn't necessary in terms of what it's required for and what the member for Preston is proposing, or who he is proposing it on behalf of. We're not arguing with that. We're simply saying, very simply saying that by doing this, the unfortunate, the disabled, the sick, the elderly in this province are now being forced (Interruption) Mr. Speaker, again the member for Dartmouth North hollers in his seat and will not stand up and defend the rights of the people in this province who just don't happen to be located in his riding. As I said, the elderly, the disabled, the sick, are all going to face another tax. This is nothing more than a tax on the sick of this province and it is shameful. It's despicable that this is happening right now. All that's required at this juncture in time is a recess to rethink. The members on the government side know that this matter can be fixed [Page 7602] rather easily and rather quickly just by giving it some second thought because the majority of members on that government side have constituents who are going to be adversely affected by this legislation. It is not a matter of saying, well, there is compassionate leave at this hotel or compassionate - whatever they call it - at that hotel in Halifax. The fact of the matter is it may not be, that's not the case. That's not enshrined in legislation that an innkeeper or hotel manager has to be compassionate. I have run into instances where that is not the case, not only in Halifax but in other parts of the province. We cannot take that for granted. That's why we are asking that this amendment become enshrined in a piece of legislation before this House of Assembly. Mr. Speaker, that is what we do as a living in this House. We ensure that what we are talking about here becomes law, it becomes legislation so that there will be no dispute. There will no room left to argue at a hotel desk in the middle of the night, am I getting a discount or not because I have to take cancer treatments for the next nine weeks in Halifax. That will be part of this bill. That's all we're asking. Mr. Speaker, it has been a session that some have quibbled about and some have said we haven't accomplished much during this session although the government and the Premier would probably tell you otherwise, but this is the one chance. We have passed some good legislation here, I will be the first to admit it, but this is the one chance to right a wrong which is about to occur and that wrong is not the bill itself. That wrong is that we have the chance to make an amendment to make that bill even better, even better than it possibly could, and if that's not the reason that we're all put here for, I don't know what is. We are sent here to represent our constituents and to take a look at such things as this bill and pieces of legislation and to try to make them better. This is not political. This has absolutely nothing to do with politics because if it did, I would only be talking about one part of this province. I am not. I am talking about Yarmouth. I am talking about Shelburne. I am talking about members who represent other parts of this province who are going to have to travel even further than people in ridings in Cape Breton. It is going to affect them, as well. I think the members opposite know that there are people in their constituency. Mr. Speaker, Heaven forbid, that anybody would be stricken with a fatal disease and would have to travel to Halifax and then on top of that, on top of the hotel bill, on top of the expenses, on top of the gas, on top of all the travel expenses that are there as well, on top of the personal anguish that they are going through at the moment, that they would be taxed again when they arrive at the hotel. It is not necessary. It does not have to happen at this point in time. Very simply put, this amendment, if accepted - what would happen here is a simple recess and the Premier would say, let's take however much time it takes. If possible, let's do [Page 7603] it. At this point in time, again, I would request that the House recess to reconsider this amendment. MR. SPEAKER: Order, please. The only way the House could consider a recess was if there was unanimous consent of the House. The honourable Government House Leader. HON. RONALD RUSSELL: Mr. Speaker, I was suggesting that with the consent of the House, we recess until 4:30 p.m. MR. SPEAKER: Is it agreed? It is agreed. [4:07 p.m. The House recessed.] [4:38 p.m. The House reconvened.] MR. SPEAKER: The honourable Government House Leader. HON. RONALD RUSSELL: Mr. Speaker, I move that Bill No. 94 be referred back to the Committee of the Whole House for amendment. MR. SPEAKER: Is it agreed? It is agreed. MR. SPEAKER: The honourable Government House Leader. HON. RONALD RUSSELL: Mr. Speaker, I move that you do now leave the Chair and that the House resolve itself into a Committee of the Whole House on Bills. MR. SPEAKER: Is it agreed? It is agreed. The motion is carried. [4:39 p.m. The House resolved itself into a CWH on Bills with Acting Deputy Chairman Mr. William Dooks in the Chair.] [Page 7604] [4:40 p.m. CWH on Bills rose and the House reconvened. Mr. Speaker, Hon. Murray Scott, resumed the Chair.] MR. SPEAKER: The Chairman of the Committee of the Whole House on Bills reports: THE CLERK: That the committee has met and considered the following bill: Bill No. 94 - Halifax Regional Municipality Marketing Levy Act. and the chairman has been instructed to recommend this bill to the favourable consideration of the House, with a certain amendment. MR. SPEAKER: Ordered that this bill be read for a third time. When shall it be read? SOME HON. MEMBERS: Now. MR. SPEAKER: The honourable Government House Leader. HON. RONALD RUSSELL: Mr. Speaker, would you please call the order of business, Private and Local Bills for Third Reading. PRIVATE AND LOCAL BILLS FOR THIRD READING MR. SPEAKER: The honourable Government House Leader. HON. RONALD RUSSELL: Mr. Speaker, would you please call Bill No. 94. Bill No. 94 - Halifax Regional Municipality Marketing Levy Act. MR. SPEAKER: The honourable member for Preston. MR. DAVID HENDSBEE: Mr. Speaker, I would like to rise again to move third reading of Bill No. 94. MR. SPEAKER: The honourable member for Richmond. MR. MICHEL SAMSON: Mr. Speaker, I will just rise briefly for the record just to explain what has taken place. Clearly, the concern that was being raised here, very simply, was that we were in support of this legislation in its purpose and its intent to help the tourism industry be able to put in a levy in order to assist and promote the marketing here, which in the end is going to benefit this province and all Nova Scotians. The concern was our fear that putting a levy on hotel rooms may have a negative effect on those Nova Scotians, wherever [Page 7605] they may reside, who would have to come to Halifax to seek medical treatment and stay in a hotel and may have been charged with this levy. The intention was to try to put an exemption in the bill to make sure that those who are here, and their families, for medical purposes would not be faced with this levy. Mr. Speaker, in the bill, on Page 2, Clause 3(8), it says that, "The Council may, in the manner prescribed by law, pass any by-laws that are necessary to implement a levy and, without limiting the generality of the foregoing, may pass a by-law to provide for . . ." We've now added the clause, as has been read into the record, which says that, "A by-law made pursuant to subsection (8) . . .", therefore if a bylaw is made to implement the levy, that it, ". . . shall include an exemption for persons, and their families, accommodated while receiving medical treatment at a hospital or a provincial health care centre or seeking specialist medical advice including, without restricting the generality of the foregoing, the manner of showing entitlement to the exemption." Mr. Speaker, this clearly reflects the concern that was raised. I believe, rather than leaving it to the Halifax Regional Municipality or any other municipal unit to put this in on their own, we as a provincial Legislature have said this is a requirement and this has to be done. I want to take this opportunity, on behalf of our caucus, certainly, to thank the member for Cape Breton The Lakes who brought this forward at our caucus, which brought it forward today in the regular course. Legislation has been going through this House at a fairly rapid speed, to say the least, but if there are any concerns that members have about legislation, this is the place to do it. We have seen now, on three occasions, that this government has been willing to go back to Committee of the Whole House at third reading stage to make necessary changes to the legislation. I think the government should be commended for that. I think what they have done here today has made for better legislation. It has avoided prolonged debate. I think this, in the end, is going to benefit Nova Scotians. I am pleased that the NDP caucus also supported this motion, and that at the end it is the government that made the decision to allow this amendment to go forward. [4:45 p.m.] Certainly, on behalf of our caucus, I want to give our thanks. I think we have made better legislation here while respecting the intent of the bill. I certainly, again, would be remiss if I did not commend the member for Preston who brought forward this legislation to start off with and I am sure who gave his consent to allow this amendment to take place. So with that, Mr. Speaker, I certainly will be supporting this. I believe my colleague has a few words to say. Thank you. [Page 7606] MR. SPEAKER: The honourable member for Dartmouth North. MR. JERRY PYE: Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to rise because I will certainly be somewhat brief this time. I had thought that this particular bill was going to be long and drawn out and I want to say to the government, thank you for preventing that from happening because in fact you brought in the amendments that are even stronger than the amendments that had been brought in by the previous government, the Liberal Party, simply because it includes family members as well, and I think the government ought to be acknowledged for that. I think that is the extent of it. So, Mr. Speaker, I want to say to you that the people in the public gallery who are here watching the debate must be growing tired as well waiting for the outcome of this decision. I want to tell you that I support - after serving 11 years on the Dartmouth Tourism and Convention Bureau, and fully understanding the benefits that tourism brings to this municipality - I can tell you very well, and to the members of the government that I will be supporting the amendment, I will be supporting the bill, and I think that we can move on from here. But I really want to say that we want to give credit where credit is due. At this particular time, it pleases me to stand in this Legislature and thank the government for the amendment that they have brought forward. MR. SPEAKER: The honourable member for Cape Breton The Lakes. MR. BRIAN BOUDREAU: Mr. Speaker, I rise because I think it is important to say a couple of things. I agree with some of the comments from the honourable member for Dartmouth North and other comments I don't agree with. However, I am on my feet today to recognize the effort put into this bill. For four or five years many organizations here in Halifax contributed a great deal of time - volunteer time, I might add - in putting forward the reference to bring this bill in and to try to make it as good as possible. I think it is very important to recognize that perhaps the Halifax area is at a little disadvantage - a large disadvantage - when we talk about the other centres. We do believe that this is a good bill for this area and that hopefully the Halifax community will benefit as well as Nova Scotia as a whole. So we are very pleased to see that the government is moving this amendment and we do accept that. I personally, Mr. Speaker, want to stress the fact that I did not bring this amendment forward to mislead other members of this House or for any other reason; the rules are set down and I followed those rules. Being a newer member of this House, I want to assure you, sir, and all members that there was no intention to mislead anything, or any tricks or anything like that. I reviewed the bill and focused on the bill and we came forward with the amendment. I do want to recognize all the government members and I think it is one example where the municipal experience in that backbench has come forward and they recognize that this would be wrong to tax the sick. I do want to stress my thank you to the Premier and his [Page 7607] government for recognizing this issue to be one that is very important to many Nova Scotians throughout our province, whether they be in urban or rural areas outside the Halifax area. So, Mr. Speaker, in closing, I want to also thank the honourable member for Preston for bringing forth this bill. It is obvious that his time and effort went into the bill as well, and I think that should be recognized. I take my place with a great deal of gratitude. For the people who are sick and disadvantaged in this province, I want to say thank you very much to the government. MR. SPEAKER: If I recognize the member it will be to close debate. The honourable member for Preston. MR. DAVID HENDSBEE: Mr. Speaker, I now do rise to close debate on Bill No. 94. We are a government that is sympathetic and listens. Even with this late amendment, we took the time to consider it and make a last minute adjustment. I want to make sure it is known for the record, this particular bill, as amended, now affects 44 of the 153 properties in HRM that provide accomodations. There were 109 other facilities that were not affected by the legislation, where accommodations could be sought. Also, this legislation allows the municipality to put in bylaws, where they could put bylaw rules in, could exempt 25 or 30. That could take another five or nine facilities off the list that presently could be affected by this particular bill. That would be done by the bylaws. I am disappointed that certain members of the House would not take the opportunity to allow for an opportuntiy for compassionate waiver to be developed by the industry. The hospitality industry is here to serve and I am sure they would have taken the considerations that were raised by members of this House into consideration while developing the bylaws. I would hope that when they do consider the bylaws, they take into consideration, if possible, other situations that may occur. We've seen Swissair Flight 111 and we saw September 11th, those disastrous situations have a particular crisis and perhaps they may have an opportunity to discuss those issues in bylaws. With that Mr. Speaker, I am hoping that this municipality will move forward and get the bylaw forward to the satisfaction, and that we'll have the waiver and GST in the very near future. With that, I would like to close debate. (Applause) MR. SPEAKER: The motion is for third reading of Bill No. 94. Would all those in favour of the motion please say Aye. Contrary minded, Nay. The motion is carried. [Page 7608] Ordered the bill do pass. Ordered the title be as read by the Clerk. Ordered that the bill be engrossed. The honourable Government House Leader. HON. RONALD RUSSELL: Mr. Speaker, do we have any approximation of when Her Honour will be here? (Interruption) Ten minutes? Mr. Speaker, I move that the House recess until 5:05 p.m. MR. SPEAKER: The House will recess until 5:05 p.m. [4:53 p.m. The House recessed.] [5:05 p.m. The House reconvened.] MR. SPEAKER: Order, please. ACTING SERGEANT-AT-ARMS: Her Honour the Lieutenant Governor is without. MR. SPEAKER: Let Her Honour be admitted. [The Speaker and the Clerks left the Chamber.] [The Lieutenant Governor, the Honourable Myra Freeman, preceded by her escort, and by Mr. Peter Theriault, Acting Sergeant-at-Arms, bearing the Mace, entered the House of Assembly Chamber. The Lieutenant Governor then took her seat on the Throne. The Acting Sergeant-at-Arms then departed and re-entered the Chamber followed by the Speaker, the Honourable Murray Scott; and the Chief Clerk of the House, Roderick MacArthur, Q.C.; and Assistant Clerk, Arthur Fordham, Q.C. The Speaker, with the Acting Sergeant-at-Arms on his right and the Clerk on his left, took up his position at the foot of the Speaker's Table.] ACTING SERGEANT-AT-ARMS: It is the wish of Her Honour that the ladies and gentlemen be seated. MR. SPEAKER: May it please Your Honour, the General Assembly of the Province has, in its present session, passed certain bills to which, in the name and on behalf of the General Assembly, I respectfully request Your Honour's Assent. [Page 7609] THE CLERK: Bill No. 7 - Lobbyists' Registration Act. Bill No. 22 - Liens Act. Bill No. 23 - Enforcement of Canadian Judgments and Decrees Act. Bill No. 29 - Elections Act. Bill No. 71 - Izaak Walton Killam Health Centre Act. Bill No. 73 - Agriculture and Marketing Act. Bill No. 74 - Costs and Fees Act. Bill No. 75 - Revenue Act. Bill No. 76 - Consumer Protection Act. Bill No. 77 - Motor Vehicle Act and Public Highways Act. Bill No. 78 - Conservation Easements Act. Bill No. 79 - Domestic Violence Intervention Act. Bill No. 80 - House of Assembly Act. Bill No. 82 - Municipal Law Amendment (2001) Act. Bill No. 84 - Vital Statistics Act. Bill No. 85 - Real Estate Trading Act. Bill No. 86 - Pharmacy Act. Bill No. 88 - Underground Hydrocarbons Storage Act. Bill No. 89 - Wildlife Act. Bill No. 90 - Co-operative Associations Act. [Page 7610] Bill No. 92 - Fatality Investigations Act. Bill No. 93 - Youth Justice Act. Bill No. 94 - Halifax Regional Municipality Marketing Levy Act. Bill No. 95 - German Settlers Day Act. [5:15 p.m.] THE LIEUTENANT GOVERNOR: In Her Majesty's name, I Assent to these Bills. [The Speaker and the Clerks left the Chamber.] [The Lieutenant Governor left the Chamber.] ACTING SERGEANT-AT-ARMS: His Honour, the Speaker. [The Speaker took the Chair.] MR. SPEAKER: Honourable members, I would ask that you now join me in the singing of the national anthem, as was agreed to by an all-Party committee. I think it very befitting at this time of year, especially with our national troops in other parts of the world. So, if you would join me in the singing of the national anthem, please. [The national anthem was sung by the members.] MR. SPEAKER: Thank you, please be seated. No doubt there will be a request for the legislative members to travel the province. (Laughter) The honourable Premier. HON. JOHN HAMM (The Premier): Mr. Speaker, I move that this General Assembly be adjourned, to meet again at the call of the Speaker. MR. SPEAKER: Is it agreed? It is agreed. [Page 7611] We are adjourned until the call of the Speaker. [The House rose at 5:18 p.m.] [Page 7612] NOTICES OF MOTION UNDER RULE 32(3) (Tabled on November 21, 2001) RESOLUTION NO. 2711 By: Mr. Richard Hurlburt (Yarmouth) I hereby give notice that on a future day I shall move the adoption of the following resolution: Whereas Yarmouth teenager Indriati Hood recently placed first in the senior category of the northeast area Wesleyan Church poetry competition held October 18th and 19th at Houghton College in New York, which included categories for poetry and literature, singing, acting, and dance; and Whereas Miss Hood competed against the seven other 16 to 18 year olds entered in her category, winning a trophy and $600 US scholarship to a Wesleyan college or university; and Whereas Miss Hood's courses in school are mostly science-related and she is considering a career in medicine or physiotherapy after graduation; Therefore be it resolved that members of this House congratulate Miss Indriati Hood for her recent artistic accomplishment and wish her continued success in all of her future studies and artistic endeavours. RESOLUTION NO. 2712 By: Mr. Richard Hurlburt (Yarmouth) I hereby give notice that on a future day I shall move the adoption of the following resolution: Whereas the Fidelis House Society held a very successful silent auction and roast beef supper fundraiser on October 11th at the Rodd Grand Hotel; and Whereas the Fidelis House Society in Kentville provides lodging and support for patients of the Valley Regional Hospital; and Whereas items for the silent auction came from a total of 31 local organizations, businesses, and individuals, in addition to 20 monetary gifts; [Page 7613] Therefore be it resolved that members of this House thank the organizers of the Fidelis House fundraiser, including Shirley Hubbard and Tammy O'Connell, as well as those who attended the event or donated a gift, for their great generosity and dedication in helping to provide lodging and support for patients in their community. RESOLUTION NO. 2713 By: Mr. Richard Hurlburt (Yarmouth) I hereby give notice that on a future day I shall move the adoption of the following resolution: Whereas National 4-H Week was held from October 31st to November 4th; and Whereas 4-H member and Grade 12 student, Dianna Murphy, of Yarmouth was one of six Nova Scotia members who won a travel award in the amount of $1,650; and Whereas 4-H volunteer leaders continually strive to improve their skills and knowledge for training tomorrow's 4-H leaders, a goal worked on by the participants at the national conference in Toronto; Therefore be it resolved that all members of this House congratulate Dianna Murphy on her recent award and her work with 4-H, and wish her well with her future plans which include the desire to attend the Nova Scotia Agricultural College, and veterinary college, as well as continue with her work in 4-H. RESOLUTION NO. 2714 By: Mr. Richard Hurlburt (Yarmouth) I hereby give notice that on a future day I shall move the adoption of the following resolution: Whereas the Yarmouth County Historical Society President Barb Smith recently unveiled a plaque to honour the efforts of two key volunteers with the museum; and Whereas Peter and Mary Eldridge were honoured for their tremendous efforts in realizing the museum's expansion fundraising goals; and Whereas this hard-working couple headed the museum's expansion fundraising committee, ensuring the funds needed for this vital cultural project were realized; [Page 7614] Therefore be it resolved that especially as this is the International Year of the Volunteer, all members of this House applaud the fundraising efforts of Peter and Mary Eldridge and thank them for giving so generously of their time so that the community of Yarmouth might have a vital, improved cultural resource. RESOLUTION NO. 2715 By: Mr. Richard Hurlburt (Yarmouth) I hereby give notice that on a future day I shall move the adoption of the following resolution: Whereas on Saturday, the CNIB fundraiser was held at the Grand Hotel and included music, food, entertainment, and an auction; and Whereas CNIB Big Band Swingtime Canteen with Auction was a success, thus ensuring necessary funds go to support this very important institute; and Whereas the CNIB came up with the idea to replace its door-to-door campaign, and included items from local artisans for the auction; Therefore be it resolved that members of this House congratulate the CNIB for this initiative and thank its co-chairs, Gayle D'Eon and Bob MacConnell, and their volunteers, for assembling what proved to be a successful fundraiser, and wish the institute best wishes in its continued work in the community and beyond. RESOLUTION NO. 2716 By: Mr. Richard Hurlburt (Yarmouth) I hereby give notice that on a future day I shall move the adoption of the following resolution: Whereas gospel singer, Shirley Durling, organized again this year a benefit concert for the physically and mentally challenged; and Whereas Ms. Durling, concert director and participating singer, changed sites for the event from TH'YARC to the Yarmouth Wesleyan Church to offer a different venue for its audience; and Whereas this year's proceeds from the concert, which featured talent from both inside and outside the Yarmouth area, will be directed to the local Special Olympics organization; [Page 7615] Therefore be it resolved that members of this House congratulate and thank all participants, but most especially Shirley Durling, for raising her voice and her energy to organize, direct, and participate in an event which not only offers an evening of music and song to the community but also raises funds for such a worthwhile cause. RESOLUTION NO. 2717 By: Mr. Richard Hurlburt (Yarmouth) I hereby give notice that on a future day I shall move the adoption of the following resolution: Whereas on November 1st, the Lions Club held its annual speak-out competition, organized by Al Mohe, a Vice-Principal, Yarmouth Consolidated Memorial High School; and Whereas this year's contestants ranged from Grades 9 through Grade 12 and wrote and presented a four-to-six minute speech, finishing with a question and answer session, two minutes in length, of questions by judges on their topic; and Whereas the three top contestants were Kyle Hill, Samantha Rideout, and Sarah Maynard of Yarmouth Consolidated; Therefore be it resolved that members of this House congratulate the Lions Club and all contestants, commend the top three performers, and wish Kyle Hill luck as he proceeds to the zone level speak-out. [Page 7616] NOTICES OF MOTION UNDER RULE 32(3) (Tabled on November 22, 2001) RESOLUTION NO. 2750 By: Mr. Jerry Pye (Dartmouth North) I hereby give notice that on a future day I shall move the adoption of the following resolution: Whereas in November 1989, the House of Commons declared, by way of an all-Party resolution that "This house seeks to achieve the goal of eliminating poverty among Canadian children by year 2000"; and Whereas Campaign 2000's Child Poverty in Canada Report Card states that child poverty has increased 43 per cent between 1989 and 2000; and Whereas this government recently cut assistance levels that will only deepen the grinding poverty faced by children of single-parent families; Therefore be it resolved that in the spirit of eliminating child poverty in Nova Scotia, this House calls upon the Minister of Community Services to introduce realistic levels of assistance for single-parent families. RESOLUTION NO. 2751 By: Hon. Murray Scott (The Speaker) I hereby give notice that on a future day I shall move the adoption of the following resolution: Whereas the Shore Drive Community Development Association was formed to encourage economic development, discuss community issues and encourage tourism in the area; and Whereas on October 24, 2001, the board held its inaugural meeting and elected its first Board of Directors: Chairman, Terry Shaw; Vice-Chairman, Andrew Wagstaff; Treasurer, Sharon Benjamin; Secretary, Debbie White; Roberta Dowe; Irene Taylor; Jim Townsend; Wayne Tibbets; Brian Fillmore; and Michael Fuller; and [Page 7617] Whereas it is thanks to the community that the board, which will hopefully contribute greatly to the area through the development of positive initiatives, was formed; Therefore be it resolved that all members of this House commend this community initiative, congratulate the executive for giving of their time and abilities to make this happen and wish them luck with their deliberations. RESOLUTION NO. 2752 By: Mr. Cecil Clarke (Cape Breton North) I hereby give notice that on a future day I shall move the adoption of the following resolution: Whereas the Canadian Peacekeeping Service Medal was created in the spirit of the 1988 Nobel Peace Prize, recognizing the collective efforts of our peackekeepers in the cause of peace; and Whereas this medal, which recognizes the extraordinary efforts and leadership role of Canadian Peacekeepers who, to defend the ideal peace cherished by themselves and others, have served Canada in theaters of war during the past 53 years; and Whereas among those recently honoured was Robert Rushton, for his services in the interest of world peace; Therefore be it resolved that all members commend Robert Rushton and acknowledge the honour of receiving the Canadian Peacekeeping Service Medal and the efforts made in the interest of peace, which have made all Canadians so proud. RESOLUTION NO. 2753 By: Mr. Cecil Clarke (Cape Breton North) I hereby give notice that on a future day I shall move the adoption of the following resolution: Whereas the closure of Devco is the end of a chapter of Cape Breton's history, a history which is at the core of who Cape Bretoners are and where they come from; and Whereas but we are at the start of a new chapter and this is the time to seize new opportunities and a time for Cape Breton to send a message to the rest of the world that it has a skilled workforce and can compete in the international marketplace; and [Page 7618] Whereas although there is no "quick fix" for Cape Breton, we can find a place in the new economy for our youth and a way to bridge the employment gap for others so that people can have the dignity of putting in an honest day's work for an honest day's pay; and Therefore be it resolved that all members of this House look on today as the start of a new chapter in the life of Cape Bretoners and agree to send a message, loud and clear, to the federal government to address the important issues at hand. RESOLUTION NO. 2754 By: Mr. Cecil Clarke (Cape Breton North) I hereby give notice that on a future day I shall move the adoption of the following resolution: Whereas the strength and success of Nova Scotia depends on the strength of our communities and that, in turn, relies on the dedication of hard-working individuals; and Whereas Dr. John Burke's involvement with the Progressive Conservative Party spans 30 active and committed years; and Whereas during this time, he has served as the member of the Legislative Assembly for Cape Breton South, and dedicated years of time and support for public and community service; Therefore be it resolved that the members of this House congratulate Dr. John Burke for his long-standing commitment to the Progressive Conservative Party and his sincere dedication to the betterment of his province, community and Cape Breton. RESOLUTION NO. 2755 By: Mr. Donald Downe (Lunenburg West) I hereby give notice that on a future day I shall move the adoption of the following resolution: Whereas the American Bus Association has selected the Lunenburg Folk Harbour Festival as one of its top 100 events in North America; and Whereas the Lunenburg Folk Harbour Festival was the only southwestern Nova Scotian event to be selected for this year's list, published recently as a 20 page supplement to Destinations magazine; and [Page 7619] Whereas festival organizers and the South Shore Tourist Association are working together to promote motorcoach visits, which can contribute as much as $11,000 U.S. each day to a community's economy; Therefore be it resolved that this House extend its congratulations to President Barb Kehoe and other members of the Lunenburg Folk Harbour Society for their achievement in earning international recognition for a world-class event. RESOLUTION NO. 2756 By: Ms. Maureen MacDonald (Halifax Needham) I hereby give notice that on a future day I shall move the adoption of the following resolution: Whereas the Canada Games have been held at two year intervals since 1967, allowing approximately 45,000 young Canadians to participate in the games and allowing another 180,000 to engage in tryouts and qualifying events; and Whereas Mr. Roger Keating of Halifax Needham was a coach for tennis in the 2001 Canada Summer Games; and Whereas through hard work and dedication, Mr. Keating has helped to promote excellence in sport, sport development and healthy, active lifestyles; Therefore be it resolved that this House congratulate Mr. Keating for his dedication to sport and leadership demonstrated by many long hours of coaching. RESOLUTION NO. 2757 By: Ms. Maureen MacDonald (Halifax Needham) I hereby give notice that on a future day I shall move the adoption of the following resolution: Whereas Family Help is a distance treatment service being developed to provide up-to-date primary care, mental health treatment for families with significant problems who are currently not seen in mental health services; and Whereas Family Help will treat families who require help with specific, significant problems and are referred by family physicians; and [Page 7620] Whereas in August 2001, HRDC awarded Cathy Thurston, Director of Cumberland Mental Health Services and co-investigator of Family Help a $250,000 grant to design and pilot a web-based version of Family Help; Therefore be it resolved that the House congratulate Cathy Thurston on receiving an HRDC grant for the development of a web-based Family Help, and wish the principal investigators and staff of Family Help every success as they hold the Family Help launch today in Truro. RESOLUTION NO. 2758 By: Ms. Maureen MacDonald (Halifax Needham) I hereby give notice that on a future day I shall move the adoption of the following resolution: Whereas Marjorie O'Reilly, long time Provincial Director of the Terry Fox Foundation, will retire on November 30th; and Whereas during Ms. O'Reilly's 17 years of service, Nova Scotia has led the country in per capita fundraising for cancer research not only last year, but for many other years; and Whereas Terry Fox would be so proud of the accomplishments of Ms. O'Reilly and the corps of dedicated volunteers who have accomplished so much in his name over these many years; Therefore be it resolved that this House congratulate Marjorie O'Reilly, Executive Director of the Nova Scotia office of the Terry Fox Foundation, for her years of service to finding a cure for cancer and wish her a happy and productive retirement. RESOLUTION NO. 2759 By: Ms. Maureen MacDonald (Halifax Needham) I hereby give notice that on a future day I shall move the adoption of the following resolution: Whereas the Canada Games have been held at two year intervals since 1967, allowing approximately 45,000 young Canadians to participate in the games and allowing another 180,000 to engage in tryouts and qualifying events; and [Page 7621] Whereas Mr. Dan Ota of Halifax Needham was a coach for volleyball in the 2001 Canada Summer Games; and Whereas through hard work and dedication, Mr. Ota has helped to promote excellence in sport, sport development and healthy, active lifestyles; Therefore be it resolved that this House congratulate Mr. Ota for his dedication to sport and leadership demonstrated by many long hours of coaching. RESOLUTION NO. 2760 By: Ms. Maureen MacDonald (Halifax Needham) I hereby give notice that on a future day I shall move the adoption of the following resolution: Whereas the Canada Games have been held at two year intervals since 1967, allowing approximately 45,000 young Canadians to participate in the games and allowing another 180,000 to engage in tryouts and qualifying events; and Whereas Ms. Allison Walker of Halifax Needham was a coach for volleyball in the 2001 Canada Summer Games; and Whereas through hard work and dedication, Ms. Walker has helped to promote excellence in sport, sport development and healthy, active lifestyles; Therefore be it resolved that this House congratulate Ms. Walker for his dedication to sport and leadership demonstrated by many long hours of coaching. RESOLUTION NO. 2761 By: Ms. Maureen MacDonald (Halifax Needham) I hereby give notice that on a future day I shall move the adoption of the following resolution: Whereas the Canada Games have been held at two year intervals since 1967, allowing approximately 45,000 young Canadians to participate in the games and allowing another 180,000 to engage in tryouts and qualifying events; and Whereas Mr. Jarrett McKay of Halifax Needham was a coach for diving in the 2001 Canada Summer Games; and [Page 7622] Whereas through hard work and dedication, Mr. McKay has helped to promote excellence in sport, sport development and healthy, active lifestyles; Therefore be it resolved that this House congratulate Mr. McKay for his dedication to sport and leadership demonstrated by many long hours of coaching. RESOLUTION NO. 2762 By: Ms. Maureen MacDonald (Halifax Needham) I hereby give notice that on a future day I shall move the adoption of the following resolution: Whereas the Canada Games have been held at two year intervals since 1967, allowing approximately 45,000 young Canadians to participate in the games and allowing another 180,000 to engage in tryouts and qualifying events; and Whereas Ms. Erin Boyd of Halifax Needham was a manager for cycling in the 2001 Canada Summer Games; and Whereas through hard work and dedication, Ms. Boyd has helped to promote excellence in sport, sport development and healthy, active lifestyles; Therefore be it resolved that this House congratulate Ms. Boyd for her dedication and leadership. RESOLUTION NO. 2763 By: Ms. Maureen MacDonald (Halifax Needham) I hereby give notice that on a future day I shall move the adoption of the following resolution: Whereas the Canada Games have been held at two year intervals since 1967, allowing approximately 45,000 young Canadians to participate in the games and allowing another 180,000 to engage in tryouts and qualifying events; and Whereas Mr. Phillipe Caron of Halifax Needham participated in the 2001 Canada Summer Games for swimming; and Whereas through hard work and dedication, Mr. Caron has helped to promote excellence in sport, sport development and healthy, active lifestyles; [Page 7623] Therefore be it resolved that this House congratulate Mr. Caron for his recent athletic success, and for his dedication to sport demonstrated by many long hours of training and practice. RESOLUTION NO. 2764 By: Ms. Maureen MacDonald (Halifax Needham) I hereby give notice that on a future day I shall move the adoption of the following resolution: Whereas the Canada Games have been held at two year intervals since 1967, allowing approximately 45,000 young Canadians to participate in the games and allowing another 180,000 to engage in tryouts and qualifying events; and Whereas Ms. Pamela Rogers of Halifax Needham participated in the 2001 Canada Summer Games; and Whereas through hard work and dedication, Ms. Rogers has helped to promote excellence in sport, sport development and healthy, active lifestyles; Therefore be it resolved that this House congratulate Ms. Rogers for her recent athletic success, and for her dedication to sport demonstrated by many long hours of training. RESOLUTION NO. 2765 By: Ms. Maureen MacDonald (Halifax Needham) I hereby give notice that on a future day I shall move the adoption of the following resolution: Whereas the Canada Games have been held at two year intervals since 1967, allowing approximately 45,000 young Canadians to participate in the games and allowing another 180,000 to engage in tryouts and qualifying events; and Whereas Mr. Brent Cooper of Halifax Needham won the bronze medal for men's basketball at the 2001 Canada Summer Games; and Whereas through hard work and dedication, Mr. Cooper has helped to promote excellence in sport, sport development and healthy, active lifestyles; [Page 7624] Therefore be it resolved that this House congratulate Mr. Cooper for his recent athletic success, a fine reward for his dedication to sport demonstrated by many long hours of practice and training. RESOLUTION NO. 2766 By: Ms. Maureen MacDonald (Halifax Needham) I hereby give notice that on a future day I shall move the adoption of the following resolution: Whereas the Canada Games have been held at two year intervals since 1967, allowing approximately 45,000 young Canadians to participate in the games and allowing another 180,000 to engage in tryouts and qualifying events; and Whereas Mr. David Burton of Halifax Needham participated in the 2001 Canada Summer Games for rugby; and Whereas through hard work and dedication, Mr. Burton has helped to promote excellence in sport, sport development and healthy, active lifestyles; Therefore be it resolved that this House congratulate Mr. Burton for his recent athletic success, and for his dedication to sport demonstrated by many long hours of training and practice. RESOLUTION NO. 2767 By: Mr. Robert Chisholm (Halifax Atlantic) I hereby give notice that on a future day I shall move the adoption of the following resolution: Whereas the staff of the Nova Scotia Liquor Commission outlet in Spryfield raised more than $2,500 last year for the Children's Wish Foundation, an organization dedicated to granting wishes to children who are facing high-risk, life-threatening diseases; and Whereas many businesses and organizations in the community have contributed to the Children's Wish Foundation's fundraising projects this year; and Whereas fundraising efforts are continuing with the sale of Children's Wish Cards at the Spryfield outlet of the Nova Scotia Liquor Commission; [Page 7625] Therefore be it resolved that this House congratulate the local businesses and organizations in Spryfield, and especially the Spryfield outlet of the Nova Scotia Liquor Commission, for their continued support of the Children's Wish Foundation. RESOLUTION NO. 2768 By: Mr. Robert Chisholm (Halifax Atlantic) I hereby give notice that on a future day I shall move the adoption of the following resolution: Whereas the Captain William Spry Community Centre in Spryfield has for many years offered a vibrant local community resource and meeting place; and Whereas the facility houses the constituency office of the Halifax Atlantic MLA, the local library, and the Lions Wave Pool, as well as other community organizations; and Whereas Joan McDonnell, as Facility Manager, has contributed greatly to the establishment of this community centre; Therefore be it resolved that we wish Joan McDonnell good luck in her new position as Regional Coordinator with Parks and Recreation and welcome Peggy Allen of Herring Cove as the new Facility Manager for the Captain William Spry Community Centre. RESOLUTION NO. 2769 By: Mr. Timothy Olive (Dartmouth South) I hereby give notice that on a future day I shall move the adoption of the following resolution: Whereas immigrants have contributed significantly to the growth and cultural diversity of Nova Scotia and current demographic trends indicate that there is minimal population growth in Nova Scotia without immigration; and Whereas Nova Scotia is embarking on a new economy which is knowledge-based and needs more skilled workers and entrepreneurs and the province wants to position itself in the global economy as a key player; and Whereas the encouragement of increased immigration to Nova Scotia is a positive step toward these goals; [Page 7626] Therefore be it resolved that members of this House acknowledge the significant contributions to Nova Scotia and all of Canada thanks to those who immigrate to our country and support continued work to attract, retain, and integrate immigrants to Nova Scotia. RESOLUTION NO. 2770 By: Mr. Richard Hurlburt (Yarmouth) I hereby give notice that on a future day I shall move the adoption of the following resolution: Whereas Samantha Rideout, Yarmouth Consolidated Memorial High School, Maggie Arenburg, Yarmouth Junior High School, Tracie d'Entremont, Ecole Wedgeport, and Michelle Surette, Ecole Jean-Marie, Saulnierville, were the southwestern regional winners of the N.S. Recycles Day School Contest, part of National Waste Reduction Week in October; and Whereas these four youth should not only be proud of excelling in the contest, but also of being part of a movement to change attitudes about recycling in Nova Scotia; and Whereas 3,000 students representing 120 schools from across the province entered the contest with prizes awarded to winners from each of seven geographic regions; Therefore be it resolved that members of this House congratulate the four southwestern Nova Scotia winners and thank them for caring about an issue as important to their future as recycling. RESOLUTION NO. 2771 By: Mr. Richard Hurlburt (Yarmouth) I hereby give notice that on a future day I shall move the adoption of the following resolution: Whereas Halloween in Yarmouth is a lot safer for our youth thanks to students and teacher, Ken Langille, of Yarmouth Consolidated Memorial High School; and Whereas the program has become so successful, with acts of vandalism reduced significantly, the numbers of students needed to patrol the community is kept to about 40 - those enrolled in Mr. Langille's law enforcement course; and [Page 7627] Whereas the Grade 12 program not only encourages students to assist law enforcement and to help on Halloween night, it also gives students first aid, workplace hazardous materials safety training and a raft of other training certificates as required aspects of the course; Therefore be it resolved that members of this House congratulate both Mr. Langille and students of his Grade 12 law enforcement course for making Halloween safe and fun for the young people of the community, just as it is supposed to be, and commend the school for offering the course to encourage the appreciation of law enforcement. RESOLUTION NO. 2772 By: Mr. Richard Hurlburt (Yarmouth) I hereby give notice that on a future day I shall move the adoption of the following resolution: Whereas the Nova Scotia Department of Environment and Labour, Office of the Fire Marshal, recently recognized The Vanguard for its outstanding contribution to fire safety; and Whereas the award was presented to editor, Fred Hatfield, by Yarmouth Fire Chief Ken Kelly on November 1, 2001; and Whereas for a quarter century, the paper has hosted Firefighters' Corner, originated by the late Assistant Deputy Chief Paul Cleveland and followed by the now Deputy Fire Marshal, Harold Pothier, with support from the editor and his newsroom staff; Therefore be it resolved that members of this House congratulate Fred Hatfield of the Yarmouth Vanguard on the receipt of the Media Award and thank him and those who have assisted in composing the information shared from the pages of The Vanguard who have supported local fire departments, the fire service, following up on fires, fire prevention and other events with which each department became involved. RESOLUTION NO. 2773 By: Mr. Richard Hurlburt (Yarmouth) I hereby give notice that on a future day I shall move the adoption of the following resolution: [Page 7628] Whereas the annual Yarmouth Fire Department banquet was recently held where service awards were presented to those who have given tremendous support to the department; and Whereas five year awards went to Gayna Jacquard and Gwen Lake; 15 year awards to mother and daughter, Shirley Deveau and Lisa McKay; a 33 year recognition went to Della Robicheau; a 10 year award was given to volunteer Gordie Grant; the 25 year award and 25 year Nova Scotia medal went to Rev. Bill Newell; and the 20 year federal service went to retired firefighter Bruce Trask; and Whereas after 19 years, Terry Muise was retired from the active volunteer list and was presented with a watch by President Duane Cleveland and a veteran's certificate from the town; Bruce Hopkins received a special presentation after 50 years as a board member and curator; and CJLS radio's Ray Zinck was awarded a certificate of appreciation for the station's continued support; Therefore be it resolved that members of this House congratulate all recipients on their years of devoted service to the fire department and thank them for their service to their community. RESOLUTION NO. 2774 By: Hon. John Hamm (The Premier) I hereby give notice that on a future day I shall move the adoption of the following resolution: Whereas promoting the values and benefits of recreation to young people is important for developing healthy lifestyles and opening doors for a broader look at the world; and Whereas the International Children's Games is a sporting event which promotes top athletic competition for promising young athletes and provides an important cultural experience, thereby building peace through sport; and Whereas these games are between municipalities, not nations, and Szombathely, Hungary, was this year's host and the Annapolis Valley Team - one of only three ever to attend from Canada - sent 15 athletes, aged 12 to 15, to compete and meet people from all over the world. [Page 7629] Therefore be it resolved that all members of this House applaud the Annapolis Valley International Children's Games Society for providing this athletic and cultural opportunity, congratulate the athletes on their motivation and love of sport and wish the society success as it works toward hosting these international games. RESOLUTION NO. 2775 By: Hon. Gordon Balser (Minister of Economic Development) I hereby give notice that on a future day I shall move the adoption of the following resolution: Whereas Chris Hersey of Digby was selected as the only Digby player in the Western Valley AAA Atom Team; and Whereas he has worked hard to develop his skills through his participation in the local minor hockey program; and Whereas we all know the sacrifices that parents and grandparents must make in supporting their children in minor athletics; Therefore be it resolved that the members of this House congratulate this young athlete, his parents, Mark and Donna Hersey, and grandparents, Frank and Jean Marshall, for their commitment to this sport. RESOLUTION NO. 2776 By: Hon. Gordon Balser (Minister of Economic Development) I hereby give notice that on a future day I shall move the adoption of the following resolution: Whereas on September 22nd five members of the Tuscan Lodge #111 celebrated 50 years of membership; and Whereas these individuals have all, each in their own way, played a significant role in bettering the lives of the people in their communities, as demonstrated by the number of individuals who attended this 50 year Jewel presentation; and Whereas Ron Kinney, Willard Kinney, Scott Kinney, Sherman Prime and Arthur Rice all joined the Lodge on the same day, July 18, 1951; [Page 7630] Therefore be it resolved that the members of this House applaud the long-term contribution of these community leaders and congratulate them on this prestigious recognition. RESOLUTION NO. 2777 By: Hon. Gordon Balser (Minister of Economic Development) I hereby give notice that on a future day I shall move the adoption of the following resolution: Whereas on September 26, 2001, Arthur Millard Rice was recognized by the Tuscan Lodge #111 for 50 years of service; and Whereas Mr. Rice has long been a community leader, serving on municipal council, with the Board of Trade and with the fire department; and Whereas Mr. Rice has actively participated in the development of the economy of this area, having been in business for 49 years prior to his retirement in 2000; Therefore be it resolved that the members of this House join with the community, his wife, Geraldine, his four children, nine grandchildren and seven great-grandchildren in expressing our appreciation for his many contributions and congratulating him on this achievement. RESOLUTION NO. 2778 By: Hon. Gordon Balser (Minister of Economic Development) I hereby give notice that on a future day I shall move the adoption of the following resolution: Whereas the Pearson Peacekeeping Centre has over the years provided training for personnel from over 130 countries; and Whereas this centre, located on the former CFB Cornwallis site, has gained an international reputation for developing new policies and strategies necessary for securing peace in many troubled countries; and Whereas this facility, through this international outreach, has brought great credit to Nova Scotia and Canada; [Page 7631] Therefore be it resolved that the members of this House pay tribute to the dedicated and professional staff of the Pearson Peacekeeping Centre for their important contribution to international peacekeeping and to the many military and civilian personnel from Canada and all over the world who have participated in the Centre's peacekeeping education, training and research programs. RESOLUTION NO. 2779 By: Mr. Timothy Olive (Dartmouth South) I hereby give notice that on a future day I shall move the adoption of the following resolution: Whereas delegates from 52 national sections of the International Council of Folklore Festivals and Traditional Arts Organizations present at its 31st World Congress held in Porto, Portugal, in view of the increasing violence in the world and especially the events of September 11th and their aftermath, committed to take additional steps to promote a world of peace and understanding; and Whereas the CIOFF World Conference agreed that acts of violence and their effects on every aspect of life are increasing worldwide, the sorrow for lives lost is shared by all, and that as the basic quality of life is being threatened there is a basic need for people to live in peace; and Whereas the group also agreed that preserving and respecting cultural diversity, with its existing languages, religions, traditions and customs which are also expressed through traditional arts, music, song and dance, is of utmost importance, and the creative abilities of individuals and communities should be encouraged and cherished, and that human life and dignity in all its aspects should be respected and protected, and equality amongst all human beings should be recognized and promoted; Therefore be it resolved that members of this House acknowledge the CIOFF call to the Director General of UNESCO and members of the World Congress to join them in their noble pursuit of world peace and understanding. RESOLUTION NO. 2780 By: Mr. James DeWolfe (Pictou East) I hereby give notice that on a future day I shall move the adoption of the following resolution: [Page 7632] Whereas eight Mi'kmaq from six Mi'kmaq communities, Pictou Landing, Afton, Chapel Island, Membertou, Millbrook and Abegweit, have now become certified mentors through the highly successful Mentor Certificate Pilot Program funded by the Department of Fisheries and Oceans; and Whereas the participants in the program, Jerome Basque, George Smith, Michael Francis, Thomas Beadle, Tim Sock, High Francis Fred Sylliboy and Keith Julien, Jr., will now teach 24 trainees from Bear River, Afton, Pictou Landing, Millbrook, Eskasoni and Glooscap about the safety and conservation issues surrounding the fishing industry; and Whereas Pictou Landing community Elder Raymond Francis stressed the importance of safety and conservation to the newly trained fishers; Therefore be it resolved that members of this House congratulate all of the participants in the Mentor Certificate Pilot Program for their dedication to their community, to mentoring and community education, and to safe and sustainable fishing. RESOLUTION NO. 2781 By: Mr. James DeWolfe (Pictou East) I hereby give notice that on a future day I shall move the adoption of the following resolution: Whereas the French River-Telford Women's Institute recently celebrated its 44th Anniversary, when Jean Patterson was made a life member of the branch and received her life pin; and Whereas the branch, established in 1947 by the late Jesse Kinley, has long served the community, with members contributing countless volunteer hours and giving financial support to the sick, seniors and students; and Whereas the occasion was also bittersweet with the group meeting for the last time, disbanding because of declining membership; Therefore be it resolved that members of this House of Assembly salute the French River-Telford Women's Institute, its past and present members, and acknowledge their valued service which people in French River and Telford will not forget. [Page 7633] RESOLUTION NO. 2782 By: Mr. Jon Carey (Kings West) I hereby give notice that on a future day I shall move the adoption of the following resolution: Whereas the member for Halifax Needham continually attempts to relay false information on the issue of nursing numbers here in Nova Scotia; and Whereas for the member for Halifax Needham's information, all 280 of the nursing educational seats in the province were filled last year, with 82 third-year nursing students completing 10-week work terms in various parts of the province; and Whereas last year 76 per cent of all new nursing graduates from Nova Scotia remained here in Nova Scotia; Therefore be it resolved that members of this House of Assembly admonish the fear-mongering tactics of this member and ensure she is aware that there are more nurses working in this province since 1999 and that this government will continue to work to retain and recruit nurses to our province to provide a premium level of care for those in need. RESOLUTION NO. 2783 By: Ms. Mary Ann McGrath (Halifax Bedford Basin) I hereby give notice that on a future day I shall move the adoption of the following resolution: Whereas since the doors of the Keshen Goodman Library opened in July, the library has circulated hundreds of thousands of items; and Whereas already the region's third-largest, the new library carries approximately 100,000 volumes, 45 computer workstations, and meeting rooms for the community's use; and Whereas the Keshen Goodman Library also has a computer training centre, which has been a huge success, and has full attendance at many computer classes; Therefore be it resolved that all members applaud the opening of the Keshen Goodman Library and the contributions it will make in the community. [Page 7634] RESOLUTION NO. 2784 By: Ms. Mary Ann McGrath (Halifax Bedford Basin) I hereby give notice that on a future day I shall move the adoption of the following resolution: Whereas the King of Donair men's senior soccer team won the Canadian Senior Men's Championship; and Whereas the team played in the national championships this fall in Otobiko; and Whereas the team's success is a win for all soccer lovers in metro; Therefore be it resolved that all members congratulate the King of Donair team and Manager, Mourad Farid, on this success. RESOLUTION NO. 2785 By: Mr. William Estabrooks (Timberlea-Prospect) I hereby give notice that on a future day I shall move the adoption of the following resolution: Whereas according to a Department of Transportation and Public Works traffic count report, 2,070 vehicles daily used the Prospect Bay Road during the week of August 9th to August 16th; and Whereas these statistics indicate growing use of the Prospect Bay Road; and Whereas this road is part of the popular Lighthouse tourist route and a busy commuter highway for local residents; Therefore be it resolved that the Minister of Transportation and Public Works make improvements to the Prospect Bay Road based on Department of Transportation and Public Works statistics which indicate its growing use by tourists and commuters. [Page 7635] RESOLUTION NO. 2786 By: Mr. Frank Corbett (Cape Breton Centre) I hereby give notice that on a future day I shall move the adoption of the following resolution: Whereas truckers spend their days and nights on the road in all weather conditions; and Whereas Cecil Mackie of Gardiner Mines was just doing his job on March 23, 2001, when he came upon an overturned car; and Whereas Cecil not only stayed with the occupants of the car until the ambulance arrived, he also waited with them until the tow truck arrived and drove them to their destination afterwards; Therefore be it resolved that this House recognize the selfless actions of Cecil Mackie which garnered him the 2001 Good Samaritan Award from the Atlantic Provinces Trucking Association. RESOLUTION NO. 2787 By: Mr. William Estabrooks (Timberlea-Prospect) I hereby give notice that on a future day I shall move the adoption of the following resolution: Whereas according to a Department of Transportation and Public Works traffic count report, 2,080 vehicles daily used the Terence Bay Road during the week of August 9th to 16th; and Whereas these statistics indicate growing use of the Terence Bay Road; and Whereas this road is part of the popular Lighthouse Tourist Route and a busy commuter highway for local residents; Therefore be it resolved that the Minister of Transportation and Public Works make improvements to the Terence Bay Road based on these DOT statistics which indicate growing use of this highway for tourist and commuter purposes. [Page 7636] RESOLUTION NO. 2788 By: Mr. William Estabrooks (Timberlea-Prospect) I hereby give notice that on a future day I shall move the adoption of the following resolution: Whereas according to a Department of Transportation and Public Works traffic count report, 2,970 vehicles daily used the Prospect Road through the community of Shad Bay during the week of August 9th to 16th; and Whereas these statistics indicate growing use of Route 333 from Shad Bay through to West Dover; and Whereas this road is part of the popular Lighthouse Tourist Route and a busy commuter highway for local residents; Therefore be it resolved that the Minister of Transportation and Public Works make improvements to Highway 333 from Shad Bay to West Dover based on these DOT statistics which indicate growing use of this highway for tourist and commuter purposes. RESOLUTION NO. 2789 By: Mr. Howard Epstein (Halifax Chebucto) I hereby give notice that on a future day I shall move the adoption of the following resolution: Whereas the Canadian National Site Licensing Project is a $50 million on-line database of mainly scientific journals and research sources; and Whereas the project will save money for 64 participating university libraries across Canada, including Halifax's Dalhousie, Mount Saint Vincent, Saint Mary's Universities and Nova Scotia College of Art and Design; and Whereas the service provides access to over 750 journals which universities wouldn't otherwise be able to afford; Therefore be it resolved that the project's steering committee be commended for its cost-sharing initiative with other universities in enabling access to costly journals. [Page 7637] RESOLUTION NO. 2790 By: Mr. Howard Epstein (Halifax Chebucto) I hereby give notice that on a future day I shall move the adoption of the following resolution: Whereas the Canadian National Site Licensing Project is a $50 million on-line database of mainly scientific journals and research sources; and Whereas the project will save money for 64 participating university libraries across Canada, including Halifax's Dalhousie, Mount Saint Vincent, Saint Mary's Universities and Nova Scotia College of Art and Design; and Whereas the service provides access to over 750 journals which universities wouldn't otherwise be able to afford; Therefore be it resolved that the steering committee for the Canadian National Site Licensing project be commended for its cost-sharing initiative with universities in enabling access to costly journals. RESOLUTION NO. 2791 By: Mr. Kevin Deveaux (Cole Harbour-Eastern Passage) I hereby give notice that on a future day I shall move the adoption of the following resolution: Whereas the Nova Scotia College of Art and Design has a long history of working with and helping those in the community; and Whereas since 1994 NSCAD has produced the Hungry Bowl, an annual event to raise money for, among others, Adsum House, Hope Cottage and Phoenix House; and Whereas the event involves a choice of delicious soup from local restaurants and a selection of handmade bowls from students at NSCAD; Therefore be it resolved that this House recognize the efforts of the Nova Scotia College of Art and Design and its students for the eighth Hungry Bowl and wish them all the best for this year's event. [Page 7638] RESOLUTION NO. 2792 By: Mr. John MacDonell (Hants East) I hereby give notice that on a future day I shall move the adoption of the following resolution: Whereas this year has been declared by the United Nations the International Year of the Volunteer; and Whereas the Colchester/East Hants Seniors Council joined forces with the Cumberland Seniors Council to strike special pewter pins and certificates for presentation to a number of worthy recipients; and Whereas Ms. Mary Sheppard of Hants East was honoured with a pin and a certificate; Therefore be it resolved that the members of this Legislature congratulate Ms. Sheppard for choosing to be an important part of her community with her unpaid time. RESOLUTION NO. 2793 By: Mr. John MacDonell (Hants East) I hereby give notice that on a future day I shall move the adoption of the following resolution: Whereas this year has been declared by the United Nations the International Year of the Volunteer; and Whereas the Colchester/East Hants Seniors Council joined forces with the Cumberland Seniors Council to strike special pewter pins and certificates for presentation to a number of worthy recipients; and Whereas Mr. Ron Tynes of Hants East was honoured with a pin and a certificate; Therefore be it resolved that the members of this Legislature congratulate Mr. Ron Tynes of Hants East for his example of giving freely of his time to his community. [Page 7639] RESOLUTION NO. 2794 By: Mr. John MacDonell (Hants East) I hereby give notice that on a future day I shall move the adoption of the following resolution: Whereas this year has been declared by the United Nations the International Year of the Volunteer; and Whereas the Colchester/East Hants Seniors Council joined forces with the Cumberland Seniors Council to strike special pewter pins and certificates for presentation to a number of worthy recipients; and Whereas Mr. Ralph Willis, Jr. of Hants East was honoured with a pin and a certificate; Therefore be it resolved that the members of this Legislature congratulate Mr. Ralph Willis, Jr. of Hants East for his unselfish sharing of his talents and time with his community. RESOLUTION NO. 2795 By: Mr. John MacDonell (Hants East) I hereby give notice that on a future day I shall move the adoption of the following resolution: Whereas this year has been declared by the United Nations the International Year of the Volunteer; and Whereas the Colchester/East Hants Seniors Council joined forces with the Cumberland Seniors Council to strike special pewter pins and certificates for presentation to a number of worthy recipients; and Whereas Ms. Elsie Upshaw of Hants East was honoured with a pin and a certificate; Therefore be it resolved that the members of this Legislature congratulate Ms. Elsie Upshaw of Hants East for her lifelong contribution of her unpaid time and talents to her community. [Page 7640] RESOLUTION NO. 2796 By: Mr. John MacDonell (Hants East) I hereby give notice that on a future day I shall move the adoption of the following resolution: Whereas this year has been declared by the United Nations the International Year of the Volunteer; and Whereas the Colchester/East Hants Seniors Council joined forces with the Cumberland Seniors Council to strike special pewter pins and certificates for presentation to a number of worthy recipients; and Whereas Ms. Leona Oliver of Hants East was honoured with a pin and a certificate; Therefore be it resolved that the members of this Legislature congratulate Ms. Leona Oliver of Hants East for pitching in so often to help her community that she became an example of that which is fine and good. RESOLUTION NO. 2797 By: Mr. John MacDonell (Hants East) I hereby give notice that on a future day I shall move the adoption of the following resolution: Whereas this year has been declared by the United Nations the International Year of the Volunteer; and Whereas the Colchester/East Hants Seniors Council joined forces with the Cumberland Seniors Council to strike special pewter pins and certificates for presentation to a number of worthy recipients; and Whereas Ms. Norma Byard of Hants East was honoured with a pin and a certificate; Therefore be it resolved that the members of this Legislature congratulate Ms. Norma Byard of Hants East for achieving a level of volunteerism above and beyond merely 'just doing her part'. [Page 7641] RESOLUTION NO. 2798 By: Mr. John MacDonell (Hants East) I hereby give notice that on a future day I shall move the adoption of the following resolution: Whereas this year has been declared by the United Nations the International Year of the Volunteer; and Whereas the Colchester/East Hants Seniors Council joined forces with the Cumberland Seniors Council to strike special pewter pins and certificates for presentation to a number of worthy recipients; and Whereas Mrs. Irene Wotherspoon of Belnan was honoured with a pin and a certificate; Therefore be it resolved that the members of this Legislature congratulate Mrs. Irene Wotherspoon of Belnan for her countless hours of hard work behind the health care scene that benefits Hants East in many positive ways. RESOLUTION NO. 2799 By: Mr. John MacDonell (Hants East) I hereby give notice that on a future day I shall move the adoption of the following resolution: Whereas this year has been declared by the United Nations the International Year of the Volunteer; and Whereas the Colchester/East Hants Seniors Council joined forces with the Cumberland Seniors Council to strike special pewter pins and certificates for presentation to a number of worthy recipients; and Whereas Mr. Al Wallace of Elmsdale was honoured with a pin and a certificate; Therefore be it resolved that the members of this Legislature congratulate Mr. Wallace for his commitment to the concept of volunteerism, which has led to so much positive benefit to his community. [Page 7642] RESOLUTION NO. 2800 By: Mr. John MacDonell (Hants East) I hereby give notice that on a future day I shall move the adoption of the following resolution: Whereas this year has been declared by the United Nations the International Year of the Volunteer; and Whereas the Colchester/East Hants Seniors Council joined forces with the Cumberland Seniors Council to strike special pewter pins and certificates for presentation to a number of worthy recipients; and Whereas Ms. Dot Buchanan of Enfield was honoured with a pin and a certificate; Therefore be it resolved that the members of this Legislature congratulate Ms. Dot Buchanan for her long and multitudinous contributions to the improvement and enjoyment of her community. RESOLUTION NO. 2801 By: Mr. John MacDonell (Hants East) I hereby give notice that on a future day I shall move the adoption of the following resolution: Whereas this year has been declared by the United Nations the International Year of the Volunteer; and Whereas the Colchester/East Hants Seniors Council joined forces with the Cumberland Seniors Council to strike special pewter pins and certificates for presentation to a number of worthy recipients; and Whereas Mr. Paul Bolivar of Enfield was honoured with a pin and a certificate; Therefore be it resolved that the members of this Legislature congratulate Mr. Paul Bolivar for his outstanding example of volunteering without expectation of reward or remuneration. [Page 7643] RESOLUTION NO. 2802 By: Mr. John MacDonell (Hants East) I hereby give notice that on a future day I shall move the adoption of the following resolution: Whereas this year has been declared by the United Nations the International Year of the Volunteer; and Whereas the Colchester/East Hants Seniors Council joined forces with the Cumberland Seniors Council to strike special pewter pins and certificates for presentation to a number of worthy recipients; and Whereas Ms. Lorna Johnson of Hants East was honoured with a pin and a certificate; Therefore be it resolved that the members of this Legislature congratulate Ms. Lorna Johnson for her outstanding example of volunteering without expectation of reward or remuneration. RESOLUTION NO. 2803 By: Mr. John MacDonell (Hants East) I hereby give notice that on a future day I shall move the adoption of the following resolution: Whereas the Atlantic Canada Entrepreneur of the Year Award, alas, can be presented to only one of several very deserving nominees; and Whereas Bud Weatherhead of Rainbow Farms in Upper Rawdon was nominated as a finalist in this year's program, sponsored by Ernst & Young; and Whereas four businesses from Hants County were short-listed as finalists for the Atlantic Canada Entrepreneur of the Year Award; Therefore be it resolved that members of this House congratulate Bud Weatherhead of Rainbow Farms in Upper Rawdon on being nominated for Entrepreneur of the Year and salute the spirit of entrepreneurship in Hants County. [Page 7644] RESOLUTION NO. 2804 By: Mr. John MacDonell (Hants East) I hereby give notice that on a future day I shall move the adoption of the following resolution: Whereas this year has been declared by the United Nations the International Year of the Volunteer; and Whereas the Colchester/East Hants Seniors Council joined forces with the Cumberland Seniors Council to strike special pewter pins and certificates for presentation to a number of worthy recipients; and Whereas Mr. Jim Hnatiuk of Lantz was honoured with a pin and a certificate; Therefore be it resolved that the members of this Legislature congratulate Mr. Hnatiuk of Lantz for his wonderful example of volunteer effort on behalf of his community. RESOLUTION NO. 2805 By: Mr. John MacDonell (Hants East) I hereby give notice that on a future day I shall move the adoption of the following resolution: Whereas this year has been declared by the United Nations the International Year of the Volunteer; and Whereas the Colchester/East Hants Seniors Council joined forces with the Cumberland Seniors Council to strike special pewter pins and certificates for presentation to a number of worthy recipients; and Whereas Mrs. Hilda Ray of Hants East was honoured with a pin and a certificate; Therefore be it resolved that the members of this Legislature congratulate Mrs. Ray for volunteering her time and noteworthy talents for the betterment of her community. [Page 7645] RESOLUTION NO. 2806 By: Hon. John Hamm (The Premier) I hereby give notice that on a future day I shall move the adoption of the following resolution: Whereas the White Ribbon Campaign is an effort by men to help put an end to violence against women; and Whereas wearing the white ribbon symbolizes a personal pledge to not commit, condone or remain silent about violence against women; and Whereas the 10th Anniversary of the White Ribbon Campaign takes place from November 25th until December 6th; Therefore be it resolved that members of this House recognize White Ribbon Days and encourage all Nova Scotians to work to end violence against women. RESOLUTION NO. 2807 By: Mr. James DeWolfe (Pictou East) I hereby give notice that on a future day I shall move the adoption of the following resolution: Whereas an unparalleled workshop recently took place for the first time at the Salvation Army Hall in Westville; and Whereas the workshop challenged individuals as well as organizations to examine the roles they play in their respective communities; and Whereas the Community Capacity Building workshop involved non-profit groups and local politicians; Therefore be it resolved that members of this House of Assembly acknowledge the work of dedicated organizers such as Glenn MacLeod and Major Carson Durdle in being able to put on a workshop of this magnitude which, down the road, can only lead to improvements in the way of life for local communities. [Page 7646] RESOLUTION NO. 2808 By: Mr. James DeWolfe (Pictou East) I hereby give notice that on a future day I shall move the adoption of the following resolution: Whereas an educational program has been established between students at the Victoria Middle School in Westville and the New Glasgow/Westville Police service; and Whereas the program is one of drug safety designed to show students the benefits of staying away from illegal drugs; and Whereas the New Glasgow/Westville Police Department donated more than 160 books to students at the Victoria Middle School to promote and encourage the benefits of staying away from or getting involved in the dealing, selling or taking of illicit narcotics; Therefore be it resolved that all members of this House of Assembly salute the students and teaching staff at the Victoria Middle School in Westville, as well as the New Glasgow/Westville community policing initiative for their participation in this worthwhile initiative. RESOLUTION NO. 2809 By: Mr. James DeWolfe (Pictou East) I hereby give notice that on a future day I shall move the adoption of the following resolution: Whereas more than 20 cross-country teams recently competed in a high school event in Halifax, which saw 85 runners from across the province participate; and Whereas the Westville High School team settled for second place and silver medals in the senior boys' division; and Whereas silver medalists from Westville High were Mike Campbell, Mike Currie, Jeff Olmstead, Ryan Deagle, Matt Rutledge and Travis Gaudet; Therefore be it resolved that members of this House of Assembly commend the Westville High School Senior Boys' Division cross-country running team for winning silver in Halifax and wish them every success with the rest of their school year.