April 29, 2010

HANSARD 10-24

DEBATES AND PROCEEDINGS

Speaker: Honourable Charlie Parker

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

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

Second Session

THURSDAY, APRIL 29, 2010

TABLE OF CONTENTS PAGE
SPEAKER'S RULING:
Imputing motives or impugning the reputation of a member; remarks by the
member for Dartmouth East (Pt. of Order by Hon. F. Corbett [Hansard P. 1552, 04/28/10])
Member withdraw unparliamentary remarks. 1577
PRESENTING AND READING PETITIONS:
Justice - Correctional Facility (Cumb. Co.), Hon. M. Scott 1578
TIR - Haley Drive (Yar.Co.) - Pave, Hon. C. d'Entremont 1579
Fin. - N.S./N.B.: Tax Differential - Review, Mr. B. Skabar 1579
TABLING REPORTS, REGULATIONS AND OTHER PAPERS:
Energy - Renewable Electricity Plan, Hon. W. Estabrooks 1580
GOVERNMENT NOTICES OF MOTION:
Res. 831, King's College - Educ. Experience: Faculty/Staff
- Congrats., The Premier (by Hon. F. Corbett) 1580
Vote - Affirmative 1581
Res. 832, Burton, Jim - Pub. Educ.: Serv. - Congrats.,
Hon. M. More 1581
Vote - Affirmative 1581
Res. 833, Operation Lifesaver Comm. (N.S.): Safety Presentations
- Congrats., Hon. W. Estabrooks 1582
Vote - Affirmative 1582
Res. 834, Theriault, A.F. & Sons - Lauriers de la PME Award,
Hon. S. Belliveau 1582
Vote - Affirmative 1583
INTRODUCTION OF BILLS:
No. 53, Fur Industry Act, Hon. J. MacDonell 1583
No. 54, Joseph Howe Day Act, Ms. D. Whalen 1583
NOTICES OF MOTION:
Res. 835, Buchanan, Katelyn - Prov. Vol. Award,
Ms. D. Whalen 1583
Vote - Affirmative 1584
Res. 836, Montreal Canadiens: Playoff Effort - Acknowledge,
Hon. C. d'Entremont 1584
Res. 837, Crawford, Carol - Shining Star Award,
Hon. J. MacDonell 1585
Vote - Affirmative 1586
Res. 838, Boyle, Gail - Lifelong Learning: Efforts - Congrats.,
Mr. T. Zinck 1586
Vote - Affirmative 1587
Res. 839, Intl. Dance Day (04/28/10) - Recognize,
Mr. A. Younger 1587
Vote - Affirmative 1588
Res. 840, Carmichael, Simone - CTV News Maritimer of the Week,
Mr. K. Bain 1588
Vote - Affirmative 1589
Res. 841, Wickwire Acad.: Grade 5 Wentzell Class - Booklet Publication,
Ms. V. Conrad 1589
Vote - Affirmative 1589
Res. 842, Boudreau, Dr. Harold: Clare Commun. Health Bd.
- Recognition Award, Hon. W. Gaudet 1589
Vote - Affirmative 1590
Res. 843, Port Morien Wildlife Assoc. - Anglers & Hunters Award,
Mr. A. MacLeod 1590
Vote - Affirmative 1591
Res. 844, Habitat For Humanity (S. Shore Chapter) - Fundraising,
Mr. G. Ramey (by Mr. B. Skabar) 1591
Vote - Affirmative 1592
Res. 845, Smith, Bill - TIR Carrick Award,
Mr. L. Glavine 1592
Vote - Affirmative 1592
Res. 846, Ellershouse Commun. Breakfast: Vols. - Commend,
Mr. C. Porter 1592
Vote - Affirmative 1593
Res. 847, NSCC (Akerley Campus): Skills Dev. Comp. - Congrats.,
Mr. A. Younger 1593
Vote - Affirmative 1594
Res. 848, Munro, Shelby - Vol. of the Week,
Hon. K. Casey 1594
Vote - Affirmative 1595
Res. 849, Coun. of Canadians (S. Shore Chap.): Commun. Dialogue
- Importance, Ms. P. Birdsall 1595
Vote - Affirmative 1596
Res. 850, New Waterford Cons. Hosp.: ER Closures - Explain,
Ms. K. Regan 1596
Res. 851, River Hebert Dist. HS: AIMS Ranking - Congrats.,
Hon. M. Scott 1596
Vote - Affirmative 1597
Res. 852, Reddick, Bessie - Guysborough Dist. Mun. Vol. Award (2010)
Mr. J. Boudreau 1597
Vote - Affirmative 1598
Res. 853, Johnston, Alma - Birthday (70th),
Hon. K. Colwell 1598
Vote - Affirmative 1599
Res. 854, Tri County Ford - President's Choice Award (2009),
Hon. K. Casey 1599
Vote - Affirmative 1599
Res. 855, Henley, Larry & Lucy: Wheels in Motion - Fundraising,
Mr. G. Burrill 1599
Vote - Affirmative 1600
Res. 856, Digby Reg. HS - Movie Licence: Students - Congrats.,
Mr. H. Theriault 1600
Vote - Affirmative 1601
Res. 857, Jackman, Jason et al: Bust a Move for Breast Health
- Participation, Mr. C. Porter 1601
Vote - Affirmative 1602
Res. 858, MacNeil, Shirley: Heart & Stroke Fdn. Gold Pin - Congrats.,
Mr. A. MacLeod 1602
Vote - Affirmative 1602
Res. 859, Intl. Make-a-Wish Day - Recognize,
Ms. K. Regan 1603
Vote - Affirmative 1603
Res. 860, Reddick-Jackson, Sherry: Basketball Accomplishments
- Congrats., Mr. K. Bain 1603
Vote - Affirmative 1604
Res. 861, Simensen, Ragnar: Bus. Acumen - Recognize,
Hon. K. Colwell 1604
Vote - Affirmative 1605
Res. 862, Yarmouth Mun.: Skateboard Park - Best Wishes,
Hon. C. d'Entremont 1605
Vote - Affirmative 1605
Res. 863, Dress for Success: Staff/Bd./Vols. - Congrats.,
Ms. D. Whalen 1606
Vote - Affirmative 1606
Res. 864, NDP Gov't. - Prov. Debt: Responsibility - Admit,
Hon. M. Scott 1606
Res. 865, Tidd, Kayla: HMCS Oriole Trip - Congrats.,
Mr. H. Theriault 1607
Vote - Affirmative 1608
Res. 866, Hodges, Brian/MacNeil, Adrian/Ritchie, David
- TIR Carrick Award, Mr. L. Glavine 1608
Vote - Affirmative 1608
ORAL QUESTIONS PUT BY MEMBERS:
No. 236, Educ.: Hfx. Reg. Sch. Bd./Dept. - Contact Policy,
Ms. K. Regan 1609
No. 237, Energy - Biomass Policy: Firewood - Scarcity,
Mr. A. MacLeod 1610
No. 238, NDP Gov't. - Consultants' Repts.: Elimination
- Cost Savings, Hon. S. McNeil 1612
No. 239, Energy - Consultants' Tender: Costs - Explain,
Mr. A. Younger 1613
No. 240, Health - ERs: Open - Year-Round,
Mr. A. MacLeod 1614
No. 241, ERD: Student Career Skill Dev. Prog. - Details,
Hon. K. Colwell 1615
No. 242, Disabled Persons Commn.: Taxis - Wheelchair Accessibility,
Ms. D. Whalen 1617
No. 243, Queens MLA - Newspaper Article (2009)/Current: Situation
- Discrepancy, Hon. C. d'Entremont 1619
No. 244, ERD - Northern Timber: Legal Fees/Costs - Details,
Mr. L. Glavine 1620
No. 245, Com. Serv. - Dept.: Budget Cuts - List Table,
Hon. Manning MacDonald 1621
No. 246, TIR - Paving: Five-Year Plan - Introduction,
Hon. M. Scott 1622
No. 247, Fish. & Aquaculture - Coastal Communities: Tour
- Time Frame, Mr. H. Theriault 1624
No. 248, TIR - Paving: Tenders/Kms. - Details,
Mr. C. Porter 1626
No. 249, TIR - Staff/Operation: Reduction Target - Status,
Hon. W. Gaudet 1628
GOVERNMENT BUSINESS:
PRIVATE AND LOCAL BILLS FOR SECOND READING:
No. 43, Congregation of the Baptist Church at Canard
Mr. J. Morton 1629
Vote - Affirmative 1631
No. 49, Royal Cape Breton Yacht Club
Hon. Manning MacDonald 1632
Vote - Affirmative 1632
PUBLIC BILLS FOR SECOND READING:
No. 22, Security and Investigative Services Act
Hon. R. Landry 1632
Hon. M. Samson 1634
Hon. M. Scott 1636
Ms. D. Whalen 1639
Mr. A. Younger 1642
Hon. G. Steele 1645
Vote - Affirmative 1645
No. 35, Finance Act
Hon. G. Steele 1645
Mr. L. Glavine 1647
Hon. C. d'Entremont 1648
Ms. D. Whalen 1649
Hon. G. Steele 1653
Vote - Affirmative 1653
No. 38, Voluntary Carbon Emissions Offset Fund Act
Hon. S. Belliveau 1653
Mr. A. Younger 1655
Mr. C. Porter 1656
Hon. S. Belliveau 1658
Vote - Affirmative 1658
No. 47, Education Act
Hon. M. More 1658
Ms. K. Regan 1659
Hon. K. Casey 1660
Hon. M. More 1662
Vote - Affirmative 1663
No. 51, Revenue Act
Hon. R. Jennex 1663
Ms. D. Whalen 1664
Hon. C. d'Entremont 1665
Mr. L. Glavine 1666
Hon. R. Jennex 1666
Vote - Affirmative 1666
ADJOURNMENT:
MOTION UNDER RULE 5(5):
Fish. & Aquaculture: Aquaculture Prioritize:
Mr. H. Theriault 1668
Hon. S. Belliveau 1670
Hon. C. d'Entremont 1672
ADJOURNMENT, House rose to meet again on Fri., Apr. 30th at 9:00 a.m. 1675
NOTICES OF MOTION UNDER RULE 32(3):
Res. 867, Wilson, Maxime - N.S. Junior C Hockey League Rookie of Yr.,
Hon. W. Gaudet 1676
Res. 868, Taylor Cyrus: Boxing Medal - Congrats.,
Hon. S. McNeil 1676
Res. 869, Pace, Diane - St. Marys Mun. Dist. Vol. Award,
Mr. J. Boudreau 1677
Res. 870, Fraser, Donald - St. Marys Mun. Dist. Vol. Award,
Mr. J. Boudreau 1677
Res. 871, Kaiser, Donna - St. Marys Mun. Dist. Vol. Award,
Mr. J. Boudreau 1678
Res. 872, Strongman, Edith - St. Marys Mun. Dist. Vol. Award,
Mr. J. Boudreau 1678
Res. 873, Mailman, Elaine - St. Marys Mun. Dist. Vol. Award,
Mr. J. Boudreau 1679
Res. 874, Kaiser, Ellis - St. Marys Mun. Dist. Vol. Award,
Mr. J. Boudreau 1679
Res. 875, MacIntosh, Gloria - St. Marys Mun. Dist. Vol. Award,
Mr. J. Boudreau 1680
Res. 876, Hayes, Iris - St. Marys Mun. Dist. Vol. Award,
Mr. J. Boudreau 1680
Res. 877, Pryde, Jean - St. Marys Mun. Dist. Vol. Award,
Mr. J. Boudreau 1681
Res. 878, Archibald, John Arthur - St. Marys Mun. Dist. Vol. Award,
Mr. J. Boudreau 1681
Res. 879, MacDonald, Julie - St. Marys Mun. Dist. Vol. Award,
Mr. J. Boudreau 1682
Res. 880, MacDonald, Lisa - St. Marys Mun. Dist. Vol. Award,
Mr. J. Boudreau 1682
Res. 881, Harpell, Lottie - St. Marys Mun. Dist. Vol. Award,
Mr. J. Boudreau 1683
Res. 882, Pulsifer, Mark - St. Marys Mun. Dist. Vol. Award,
Mr. J. Boudreau 1683
Res. 883, MacDonald, Melba - St. Marys Mun. Dist. Vol. Award,
Mr. J. Boudreau 1684
Res. 884, Beaver, Nancy - St. Marys Mun. Dist. Vol. Award,
Mr. J. Boudreau 1684
Res. 885, Sutherland, Pauline - St. Marys Mun. Dist. Vol. Award,
Mr. J. Boudreau 1685
Res. 886, Feltmate, Raymond - St. Marys Mun. Dist. Vol. Award,
Mr. J. Boudreau 1685
Res. 887, Stansfield, Ronald - St. Marys Mun. Dist. Vol. Award,
Mr. J. Boudreau 1686
Res. 888, Harpell, Sandra - St. Marys Mun. Dist. Vol. Award,
Mr. J. Boudreau 1686
Res. 889, Long, Shirley - St. Marys Mun. Dist. Vol. Award,
Mr. J. Boudreau 1687
Res. 890, MacDonald, Wayne - St. Marys Mun. Dist. Vol. Award,
Mr. J. Boudreau 1687
Res. 891, MacIntosh, Wayne - St. Marys Mun. Dist. Vol. Award,
Mr. J. Boudreau 1688
Res. 892, Furlong, Barbara - St. Marys Mun. Dist. Vol. Award,
Mr. J. Boudreau 1688
Res. 893, Hallett, Charlie - St. Marys Mun. Dist. Vol. Award,
Mr. J. Boudreau 1689
Res. 894, Wuff, Clara - St. Marys Mun. Dist. Vol. Award,
Mr. J. Boudreau ~ 1689
Res. 895, Nauffts, Connie - St. Marys Mun. Dist. Vol. Award,
Mr. J. Boudreau 1690
Res. 896, Mailman, Courtney - St. Marys Mun. Dist. Vol. Award,
Mr. J. Boudreau 1690
Res. 897, Fogga, David - St. Marys Mun. Dist. Vol. Award,
Mr. J. Boudreau 1691
Res. 898, Seaboyer, Tabitha - NSSAF Basketball Championship,
Hon. S. Belliveau 1691
Res. 899, MacDonald, Bethany - NSSAF Basketball Championship,
Hon. S. Belliveau 1692
Res. 900, Perham, Cain - Tri-Co. Reg. Sch. Bd. Science
Olympics, Hon. S. Belliveau 1692
Res. 901, MacKay, Carly - NSSAF Basketball Championship,
Hon. S. Belliveau 1693
Res. 902, O'Connell, Carrie - Tri-Co. Reg. Sch. Bd. Science
Olympics, Hon. S. Belliveau 1693
Res. 903, Brown, Cassandra - NSSAF Basketball Championship,
Hon. S. Belliveau 1694
Res. 904, Goulden, Chelsea - NSSAF Basketball Championship,
Hon. S. Belliveau 1694
Res. 905, Hines, Chelsea: Hair Donation - Congrats,
Hon. S. Belliveau 1695
Res. 906, Nickerson, Crandall: Terry Fox Run - Participation,
Hon. S. Belliveau 1695
Res. 907, Wile, David: Summer Games - Medals Congrats.,
Hon. S. Belliveau 1696
Res. 908, Thornton, Derrick - Tri-Co. Reg. Sch. Bd. Science
Olympics, Hon. S. Belliveau 1696
Res. 909, O'Connell, Dottie: Summer Games - Congrats,
Hon. S. Belliveau 1697
Res. 910, Keller, Emily - NSSAF Basketball Championship,
Hon. S. Belliveau 1697
Res. 911, Crowell, Evan: Summer Games - Medals Congrats.,
Hon. S. Belliveau 1698
Res. 912, Bower, Faith - Tri-Co. Reg. Sch. Bd. Science
Olympics, Hon. S. Belliveau 1698
Res. 913, Cameron, Hannah - Tri-Co. Reg. Sch. Bd. Science
Olympics, Hon. S. Belliveau 1699
Res. 914, Barron, Heidi - NSSAF Basketball Championship,
Hon. S. Belliveau 1699
Res. 915, Scott, Jered - Tri-Co. Reg. Sch. Bd. Science
Olympics, Hon. S. Belliveau 1700
Res. 916, Atwood, Jessica - Atl. Can. Next Top Model,
Hon. S. Belliveau 1700
Res. 917, Poole, Julie - NSSAF Basketball Championship,
Hon. S. Belliveau 1701
Res. 918, Locke, Katie - NSSAF Basketball Championship,
Hon. S. Belliveau 1701
Res. 919, Blinkhorn, Lauren, NSSAF Basketball Championship,
Hon. S. Belliveau 1702
Res. 920, O'Connell, Linda: Rosalin Nickerson "Care" Fund Soc. -
Fundraising, Hon. S. Belliveau 1702
Res. 921, Chetwynd, Marlene: Rosalin Nickerson "Care" Fund Soc. -
Fundraising, Hon. S. Belliveau 1703
Res. 922, Chalnor, Mimi - Tri-Co. Reg. Sch. Bd. Science
Olympics, Hon. S. Belliveau 1703
Res. 923, Messenger, Patricia - Tri-Co. Reg. Sch. Bd. Science
Olympics, Hon. S. Belliveau 1704
Res. 924, Christie, Paula - NSSAF Basketball Championship,
Hon. S. Belliveau 1704
Res. 925, Hatfield, Rachel Leah: Hair Donation - Congrats.
Hon. S. Belliveau 1705
Res. 926, Fillmore, Rosalyn: NSSAF Basketball Championship,
Hon. S. Belliveau 1705
Res. 927, Burrill, Sarah - NSSAF Basketball Championship,
Hon. S. Belliveau 1706
Res. 928, Jacklyn Savanna - NSSAF Basketball Championship,
Hon. S. Belliveau 1706

[Page 1577]

HALIFAX, THURSDAY, APRIL 29, 2010

Sixty-first General Assembly

Second Session

12:00 NOON

SPEAKER

Hon. Charlie Parker

DEPUTY SPEAKERS

Mr. Gordon Gosse, Hon. Wayne Gaudet, Mr. Alfie MacLeod

MR. SPEAKER: Order, please. Before we begin the daily routine, the subject for this evening's late debate was submitted by the honourable member for Cape Breton South:

Therefore be it resolved that the NDP Government make aquaculture a priority for the Province of Nova Scotia.

This will be debated this evening at 6:00 p.m.

SPEAKER'S RULING: The honourable Government House Leader rose yesterday on a point of order at the end of Question Period, Wednesday, April 28th. He alleged that the honourable member for Dartmouth East "imputed motive" when he said the honourable ". . . Minister of Community Services voted for the budget for personal gain . . ." I checked Hansard, and the honourable member for Dartmouth East, in his first supplementary to the minister, said, ". . . maybe if the minister hadn't voted a tax rebate for herself she would have had more money to give to organizations . . ."

[Page 1578]

1577

In the member's second supplementary, the member used the words, ". . . she could have done more if she hadn't given herself a tax break and that was her choice and her government's choice and what they put money in and they made the wrong choice."

It is clear that the words of the honourable member for Dartmouth East, in at least one of his supplementaries, made it sound as if the minister had voted for a singular personal benefit as opposed to a benefit applied to a much broader class. That would amount to impugning motives or impugning the reputation of the member. In other words, it would be an unparliamentary expression.

The member for Dartmouth East, following the point of order raised by the Government House Leader, said in effect, he had indicated that she, referring to the minister, ". . . voted for a budget which included a tax break, which obviously in her income she would be beneficial to . . ." That impugnment would not be acceptable and I would ask the honourable member to withdraw any unparliamentary words, and that will be the end of the matter.

The honourable member for Dartmouth East.

MR. ANDREW YOUNGER: Thank you, Mr. Speaker, and I appreciate you taking the time to do that ruling and, as well, the Deputy Premier for raising that. I have also reviewed the Hansard and I can see where there might be some misinterpretation of what was intended by my remarks, and I certainly do withdraw those and apologize if the minister or the House was offended. My comments were solely meant to suggest that the government did have choices, and not to suggest that particular minister or any member of this House would vote for personal gain, but just that the government had choices on whether to have a tax break for high income earners or provide additional funds to the Dartmouth Adult Service Centre and other similar groups.

I do withdraw those remarks and I apologize that it resulted in this confusion.

MR. SPEAKER: Thank you, honourable member.

We will begin the daily routine.

PRESENTING AND READING PETITIONS

MR. SPEAKER: The honourable member for Cumberland South.

HON. MURRAY SCOTT: Mr. Speaker, we're now into day 23 of broken promises. You know this petition was started in Cumberland County as a result of the headline that

[Page 1579]

reads, "Dexter says he'd keep Tory promises." We all know what happened to those promises. The operative clause of this petition is:

"We, the residents of Cumberland County implore that Premier Darrell Dexter keep his word and build a correctional facility in Cumberland County!"

Mr. Speaker, this petition is signed by 177 people. I have affixed my signature and this brings the total to date to 2,680 people.

[12:15 p.m.]

MR. SPEAKER: The petition is tabled.

The honourable member for Argyle.

HON. CHRISTOPHER D'ENTREMONT: Mr. Speaker, I haven't started one on day one, but I will do this one as well. I beg leave to table a petition. The operative clause is:

"We the residents and property owners of Haley Drive in Deerfield, Yarmouth County are requesting that Haley Drive be paved as soon as possible."

This is signed by 17 residents and I have affixed my signature as well.

MR. SPEAKER: The petition is tabled.

The honourable member for Cumberland North.

MR. BRIAN SKABAR: Mr. Speaker, I would like to table a petition, the prayer of which reads:

"We, the undersigned, want the Legislative Assembly of Nova Scotia to undertake a review of the effects of the tax differential, including tobacco taxes, on businesses in Amherst and northern Cumberland County."

I have affixed my own signature and there are 623 signatures on this.

MR. SPEAKER: The petition is tabled.

PRESENTING REPORTS OF COMMITTEES

[Page 1580]

TABLING REPORTS, REGULATIONS AND OTHER PAPERS

MR. SPEAKER: The honourable Minister of Energy.

HON. WILLIAM ESTABROOKS: Mr. Speaker, I plan to table for the House, and each member has received a copy of, the Renewable Electricity Plan. It is good homework for all members, and I'll answer your questions at a different time.

MR. SPEAKER: The report is tabled.

STATEMENTS BY MINISTERS

GOVERNMENT NOTICES OF MOTION

MR. SPEAKER: The honourable Deputy Premier.

RESOLUTION NO. 831

HON. FRANK CORBETT: Mr. Speaker, on behalf of the Premier - and when I use first person, I'm doing it on behalf of the Premier - I hereby give notice that on a future day I shall move the adoption of the following resolution:

Whereas since the University of Kings College in Halifax opened its first campus in Windsor, Nova Scotia in 1789, the school has provided students from around the world - including myself - with an exceptional academic and social experience; and

Whereas the university's rigorous first-year Foundation Year Programme sees students reading the great books of western tradition and requires them to balance a demanding schedule of reading, writing, and extracurricular activities such as theatre and sports; and

Whereas for the second year in a row Maclean's University Student Survey found that students at the University of Kings College are the happiest in Canada with their first-year educational experience;

Therefore be it resolved that the members of this House congratulate the faculty and staff at the University of Kings College for their hard work in creating a unique educational experience for these students, and wish the university continued success in helping shape the next generation of young minds.

Mr. Speaker, I request waiver of notice.

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

[Page 1581]

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 Education.

RESOLUTION NO. 832

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

Whereas Jim Burton, the director of regional education services and regional education officer for the Cape Breton-Victoria Regional School Board and the Strait Regional School Board, has retired after 41 years of outstanding service to public education in Nova Scotia; and

Whereas Mr. Burton's work is well known and well respected by educators and community partners across the province; and

Whereas Mr. Burton's leadership in the regional offices and his extensive work to help meet the needs of all Nova Scotia students has earned him the unofficial title "the eyes and ears of the minister";

Therefore be it resolved that all members of this House congratulate Jim Burton for his long and dedicated service to public education in Nova Scotia, and extend him best wishes for the next phase of his life.

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 1582]

The honourable Minister of Transportation and Infrastructure Renewal.

RESOLUTION NO. 833

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

Whereas Operation Lifesaver is a co-operative national public safety program sponsored by Transport Canada and its provincial partners; and

Whereas the goal of the program is to raise public awareness of the dangers associated with trespassing near working rail yards; and

Whereas the week of April 26, 2010, is officially known as Rail Safety Week across our country;

Therefore be it resolved that all members of this House recognize and applaud the Nova Scotia Operation Lifesaver committee and the volunteers for organizing local events, including safety presentations in schools, mall displays, media interviews, and speeches.

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 Fisheries and Aquaculture.

RESOLUTION NO. 834

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

[Page 1583]

Whereas in December 2009, A.F. Theriault & Son Ltd. of Meteghan River, Nova Scotia, was honoured with a 2009 Lauriers de la PME competition award in the processing company category; and

Whereas this is a national competition that showcases francophone and Acadian entrepreneurship in the small- to medium-sized company division; and

Whereas A.F. Theriault & Son Ltd. is a local, third-generation family business, and one of the largest privately owned shipyards in the Atlantic Region in terms of boat building and repairs;

Therefore be it resolved that all members of the House of Assembly congratulate A.F. Theriault & Son Ltd. for receiving the 2009 Lauriers de la PME competition award, as well as an ongoing contribution to this industry.

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

Bill No. 53 - Entitled an Act Respecting the Fur Industry. (Hon. John MacDonell)

Bill No. 54 - Entitled an Act to Establish Joseph Howe Day. (Ms. Diana Whalen)

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

NOTICES OF MOTION

MR. SPEAKER: The honourable member for Halifax Clayton Park.

RESOLUTION NO. 835

[Page 1584]

MS. DIANA WHALEN: Mr. Speaker, I hereby give notice that on a future day I shall move the adoption of the following resolution:

Whereas Katelyn Buchanan, a resident of Halifax Clayton Park, was honoured at the 36th annual Provincial Volunteer Awards held April 12, 2010; and

Whereas Katelyn is an event coordinator with the Northern Lights Lantern Festival, a member of the Program Committee, and is part of the team responsible for planning, implementing, and evaluating the festival; and

Whereas Katelyn also assists at Feed Nova Scotia, the Ward 5 Neighbourhood Centre, Millwood High School in building a life-size play house auctioned off by the Sackville Legion, and is team manager for the Sackville Sonics Under 14 Girls Tier 1 Volleyball team;

Therefore be it resolved that the members of this House of Assembly congratulate Katelyn Buchanan for receiving the Provincial Volunteer Award and thank her for the many hours she has contributed to volunteering in her community.

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 Argyle.

RESOLUTION NO. 836

HON. CHRISTOPHER D'ENTREMONT: Mr. Speaker - and I do this a little bit under duress, and on behalf of the previous member for Lunenburg West - I hereby give notice that on a future day I shall move the adoption of the following resolution:

Whereas history was made on April 28, 2010, as the Montreal Canadiens became the first 8th place team to overcome a 3-1 series deficit to knock off a number-one ranked team in the Washington Capitals; and

[Page 1585]

Whereas goaltender Jaroslav Halak put forth an incredible effort, stopping 131 of 134 shots in the final three games to secure a berth in the second round of the playoffs; and

Whereas this victory was no small feat, as the Canadiens had to contain a high-powered Washington offence in knocking off the NHL's top team;

Therefore be it resolved that all members of this House of Assembly acknowledge the incredible effort put forth by the Montreal Canadiens in the first round of the playoffs, and wish this storied franchise well as it pursues its 25th Stanley Cup.

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 Deputy Premier.

HON. FRANK CORBETT: Mr. Speaker, on a point of order - I mean, that member is brilliant, and I think that deserves . . . (Interruptions)

MR. SPEAKER: It is not a point of order.

The honourable Minister of Agriculture.

RESOLUTION NO. 837

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

Whereas rural women have been formally organizing as volunteers for over 100 years; and

Whereas Women's Institutes, 4-H, and churches have all given women structures to facilitate volunteering for their communities; and

Whereas on April 23, 2010, the Municipality of East Hants recognized Carol Crawford of Upper Nine Mile River with the Shining Star Award for her many contributions

[Page 1586]

to her community through her involvement with the Women's Institutes, 4-H, and her church;

Therefore be it resolved that this House of Assembly congratulate Carol Crawford on her Shining Star Award and thank her for her example of community service.

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.

MR. TREVOR ZINCK: Mr. Speaker, if I may be permitted, I would like to make an introduction.

MR. SPEAKER: Certainly.

MR. ZINCK: I would like to draw the members' attention to the west gallery, where we're joined today by one of my constituents, Ms. Gail Boyle.

Many of us in HRM may not know Gail by name, but I can assure all members that they are familiar with her presence - that is because Gail Boyle has been a dedicated volunteer for many causes and non-profit organizations in the HRM area. Gail has volunteered over the years for the Tall Ships events, the Atlantic Film Festival, the International Air Show, the International Tattoo, the Atlantic Jazz Festival, the Multicultural Festival, the Epilepsy Association, the Buskers Festival, the Parade of Lights, the Children's Wish Foundation, Word on the Street, the French choir, and Walk for the Cure, to name just a few on a very long list.

Mr. Speaker, at this time I would like to ask Gail to please stand and receive a warm welcome from the House. (Applause)

MR. SPEAKER: The honourable member for Dartmouth North.

[Page 1587]

RESOLUTION NO. 838

MR. TREVOR ZINCK: Mr. Speaker, I hereby give notice that on a future day I shall move the adoption of the following resolution:

Whereas Gail Boyle and mentor Shandi Mitchell were recently recognized in Chatelaine's Holiday Edition 2009, where six literacy learners were associated with mentors who assisted each to write the story of their lives; and

Whereas in her youth, Gail wasn't given the chance to read or write - nobody thought she could - and she tried to hide not being able to read or write because she felt embarrassed and ashamed; and

Whereas over the years Gail has overcome these fears and she recognizes that learning to read and write has given her freedom, that now her world has opened up and people can no longer take advantage of her, and that it is okay to speak up for herself and others who may feel that they, too, have the freedom and right to an education;

Therefore be it resolved that the House of Assembly congratulate Gail Boyle for her efforts towards lifelong learning and recognize her tenacity to overcome epilepsy and life's obstacles to, in Gail's words, "become somebody who matters".

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. (Standing Ovation)

The honourable member for Dartmouth East.

[12:30 p.m.]

RESOLUTION NO. 839

MR. ANDREW YOUNGER: Mr. Speaker, I hereby give notice that on a future day I shall move the adoption of the following resolution:

[Page 1588]

Whereas the International Dance Committee of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization first recognized April 29th as International Dance Day in 1982; and

Whereas dance plays a vital role in the development of the cultural expression and community growth and will be celebrated through events and performances during International Dance Week which runs from April 24th to May 1st; and

Whereas artists, performers and dance enthusiasts will celebrate the 28th International Dance Day in Nova Scotia today to raise awareness about the value of supporting arts and culture in the province;

Therefore be it resolved that members of the House of Assembly recognize April 29th as International Dance Day and express their appreciation for the inspiring work of Nova Scotia's dance artists, educators and community members.

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 Victoria-The Lakes.

RESOLUTION NO. 840

MR. KEITH BAIN: Mr. Speaker, I hereby give notice that on a future day I shall move the adoption of the following resolution:

Whereas Simone Carmichael has been a volunteer playground supervisor at Baddeck Academy for 10 years, as well as assisting the school with extra-curricular activities and field trips; and

Whereas the CTV News Maritimer of the Week honours volunteers from around our region for their excellent community service in a variety of fields; and

[Page 1589]

Whereas Simone was presented with the Maritimer of the Week plaque for her dedication to the students and staff at Baddeck Academy;

Therefore be it resolved that all members of this House of Assembly acknowledge Simone Carmichael for her years of volunteer work and congratulate her on being named the CTV News Maritimer of the Week.

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 Queens.

RESOLUTION NO. 841

MS. VICKI CONRAD: Mr. Speaker, I hereby give notice that on a future day I shall move the adoption of the following resolution:

Whereas "Q is for Queens County", prepared by the Grade 5 Wentzell class at Dr. John C. Wickwire Academy has been published; and

Whereas the booklet has been prepared as a springboard for conversation and memories of growing up in Queens County; and

Whereas the booklet was possible with the help of parents, grandparents and friends as they helped compile the list of places and events in Queens County;

Therefore be it resolved that the House of Assembly thank and congratulate the Grade 5 Wentzell class of Dr. John C. Wickwire Academy on the publication of their booklet, "Q is for Queens County".

Mr. Speaker, I request waiver of notice.

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

Is it agreed?

[Page 1590]

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 Clare.

RESOLUTION NO. 842

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

Whereas the Clare Community Health Board recognizes annually an individual or society who contributes to the health and well-being of our community; and

Whereas this past year, the Clare Community Health Board presented their annual recognition to Dr. Harold Boudreau, President of the Meteghan Park Development Association; and

Whereas the park is a family-oriented recreational destination with activities for children and adults alike;

Therefore be it resolved that members of this House of Assembly congratulate Dr. Harold Boudreau, President of the Meteghan Family Park, and all the volunteers and sponsors who work to keep the park open and safe for families and wish them continued success in all future endeavours.

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 West.

[Page 1591]

RESOLUTION NO. 843

MR. ALFIE MACLEOD: Mr. Speaker, I hereby give notice that on a future day I shall move the adoption of the following resolution:

Whereas the Port Morien Wildlife Association was the recipient of the Valley Shield Award at the Nova Scotia Federation of Anglers and Hunters Annual Meeting; and

Whereas president Kirk MacNeil said the award was for outstanding effort toward the advancement of fresh water sport fishing in Nova Scotia; and

Whereas the award demonstrates the membership's involvement to promote, change, educate and conserve sport fishing within the area they represent, through a number of projects;

Therefore be it resolved that all members of this House of Assembly congratulate the Port Morien Wildlife Association for winning this prestigious award and for the continuance of such a worthwhile cause.

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 Cumberland North.

RESOLUTION NO. 844

MR. BRIAN SKABAR: Mr. Speaker, on behalf of the member for Lunenburg West, I hereby give notice that on a future day I shall move the adoption of the following resolution:

Whereas the South Shore Chapter of Habitat for Humanity held their 4th Annual Acadian Kitchen Party fundraiser on April 18th at St. Joseph's Parish Hall in Bridgewater; and

[Page 1592]

Whereas the money realized from this fundraiser will be used to help in the building of homes for those in financially vulnerable situations; and

Whereas this demonstrates the dedication and commitment on behalf of the many South Shore Chapter volunteers who work tirelessly for this cause;

Therefore be it resolved that this House of Assembly congratulate the South Shore Chapter of Habitat for Humanity for their dedication, selflessness and hard work.

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 Kings West.

RESOLUTION NO. 845

MR. LEO GLAVINE: Mr. Speaker, I hereby give notice that on a future day I shall move the adoption of the following resolution:

Whereas throughout Kings County, the Department of Transportation and Infrastructure Renewal staff work diligently to ensure the safety of the roads and promote a positive relationship with the community; and

Whereas Bill Smith has worked to build community relations through the "Plow for Food" program he created two winters ago and has collected over $4,300 in cash and over 4,400 pounds of food for local food banks; and

Whereas the success of the two annual food drives is attributed to the generosity of staff throughout Kings County;

Therefore be it resolved that the members of this House of Assembly recognize Bill Smith who will be receiving the Minister's Carrick Award for Above and Beyond the Call of Duty and wish him continued success in all future endeavours.

Mr. Speaker, I request waiver of notice.

[Page 1593]

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 West.

RESOLUTION NO. 846

MR. CHUCK PORTER: Mr. Speaker, I hereby give notice that on a future day I shall move the adoption of the following resolution:

Whereas a tremendous group of volunteers in the Ellershouse area of West Hants gather the last Saturday morning of each month for a fundraising breakfast which attracts over 200 people on average from all over Hants County; and

Whereas the majority of the funds raised go to assist the St. Croix Pastoral charge but one week the community group did take their proceeds and donated them to the Brooklyn Fire Hall fundraiser as the volunteer fire department worked diligently toward the construction of a badly-needed fire station; and

Whereas the breakfast first began in March 2007 and in slightly more than three years through a free will offering during each of the Saturday breakfasts, the community has raised a gross profit of $32,832.65 and when you take the purchasing of breakfast supplies away, there's a net profit of $17,894.23;

Therefore be it resolved that all members of this House of Assembly commend all volunteers who continue to make the monthly Ellershouse community breakfast such an overwhelming success with the best bacon, eggs and toast anywhere.

Mr. Speaker, I request waiver of notice.

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

Is it agreed?

It is agreed.

[Page 1594]

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

The motion is carried.

The honourable member for Dartmouth East.

RESOLUTION NO. 847

MR. ANDREW YOUNGER: Mr. Speaker, I hereby give notice that on a future day I shall move the adoption of the following resolution:

Whereas today, April 29th, at Akerley Campus students and apprentices under the age of 30 will be competing in the 13th Annual Nova Scotia Skills Competition in such areas as carpentry, hairstyling, 2D animation, photography and industrial wiring; and

Whereas the competition is an opportunity for students and apprentices to display their skills; and

Whereas this year's Skills Development Competition will include the category of poster design for the first time;

Therefore be it resolved that the members of this House of Assembly join me in congratulating the students and staff of the Nova Scotia Community College, Akerley Campus and wish all the competitors the very best in their endeavours.

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 Leader of the Progressive Conservative Party.

RESOLUTION NO. 848

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

[Page 1595]

Whereas Shelby Munro, a teenager from North River, Colchester County, is an air cadet with the 2928 Royal Canadian Air Cadet Corps; and

Whereas Shelby believes that volunteering is a natural part of living that brings great rewards to both the giver and the receiver; and

Whereas Shelby has offered assistance to the Royal Canadian Legion, Truro branch's poppy campaign; the Colchester Food Bank; the Salvation Army's Kettle campaign; the North River Fire Brigade; and the Relay for Life, and has helped fundraise for the building of wells in undeveloped countries and has raised money for people with leprosy;

Therefore be it resolved that all members of this House of Assembly congratulate Shelby Munro for the generous giving of his time in volunteer activities and for being chosen as Volunteer of the Week.

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.

RESOLUTION NO. 849

MS. PAM BIRDSALL: Mr. Speaker, I hereby give notice that on a future day I shall move the adoption of the following resolution:

Whereas Café Canada is a popular discussion forum sponsored monthly by the South Shore Chapter of the Council of Canadians at the Mahone Bay Centre; and

Whereas this month sees a two-day event starting April 30th, entitled What's Left on the South Shore: The Promise of Corporate Economies, presented by Saint Mary's University professor Errol Sharpe, examining the promise of industrialized corporate economies for the four Maritime resource sectors; and

[Page 1596]

Whereas Continuing the Conversation - What's Left on the South Shore: Creating New Economic Models will be a full-day event on May 1st, allowing facilitated discussion addressing specific questions;

Therefore be it resolved that this House of Assembly recognize the importance of a community dialogue and commend the South Shore Chapter of the Council of Canadians for facilitating free discussion on timely and important topics.

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 Bedford-Birch Cove.

RESOLUTION NO. 850

MS. KELLY REGAN: Mr. Speaker, I hereby give notice that on a future day I shall move the adoption of the following resolution:

Whereas in June 2009, the NDP campaigned on a promise that all emergency rooms in Nova Scotia will remain open 24 hours a day, seven days a week; and

Whereas two months later the NDP engaged a consultant who is poised to make recommendations which will enable the NDP to back away from this campaign promise; and

Whereas the hiring of outside consultants has been a hallmark of this NDP Government and has allowed the NDP to break other significant campaign promises, which include not balancing the budget, making program cuts, and hiking the HST;

Therefore be it resolved that the honourable member for Cape Breton Centre explain to his constituents who access emergency room services at New Waterford Consolidated why he promised to keep all ERs open 24/7 during the election and now finds it acceptable to break this campaign promise.

[Page 1597]

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 Cumberland South.

RESOLUTION NO. 851

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

Whereas the River Hebert High School was named the top high school in Cumberland County in the Atlantic Institute for Market Studies' eighth annual report card on schools; and

Whereas just four years ago the River Hebert High School was on the Chignecto-Central School Board's list of schools to close in the region; and

Whereas the community fought successfully to keep their school open and their children close to home;

Therefore be it resolved that all members of this House of Assembly congratulate the River Hebert District High School students and staff and the local community for being named the top high school in Cumberland County in the AIMS report card.

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 1598]

The honourable member for Guysborough-Sheet Harbour.

RESOLUTION NO. 852

MR. JIM BOUDREAU: Mr. Speaker, I hereby give notice that on a future day I shall move the adoption of the following resolution:

Whereas the Municipality of the District of Guysborough held its Volunteer Awards Night on April 19, 2010; and

Whereas each year the municipality recognizes the individuals who have made a significant contribution to their community; and

Whereas in recognition of her contribution to the Guysborough and Area Garden Club, Bessie Reddick is one of the 2010 Municipality of the District of Guysborough Volunteer Awards recipients;

Therefore be it resolved that the members of this House of Assembly congratulate Bessie Reddick on her Municipality of the District of Guysborough Volunteer Award and wish her continued success in her future endeavours.

Mr. Speaker, I request waiver of notice.

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

Is it agreed?

It is agreed.

[12:45 p.m.]

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. 853

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

[Page 1599]

Whereas Alma Felicia Johnston was born on April 29, 1940, raised in Cherry Brook and presently resides in the community of Humber Park which is right next door; and

Whereas Ms. Johnston is a retired teacher and guidance counsellor from the Halifax County school system with some 35 years of experience; and

Whereas Ms. Johnston has contributed to her community and church and won many awards, all too numerous to mention here as it would take over an hour or more to tell you about them all;

Therefore be it resolved that all members of this House wish Alma Johnston a happy 70th birthday today and thank her for many hours of work she has done for her community, her church and our 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 Leader of the Progressive Conservative Party.

RESOLUTION NO. 854

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

Whereas this North Shore business has been recognized for its commitment to provide exceptional customer service and satisfaction; and

Whereas Tri County Ford is among an elite group of Ford dealerships from across Canada, including nine in Atlantic Canada, to receive this award; and

Whereas this Tatamagouche-based Ford dealership has been acknowledged by Ford Canada with the 2009 President's Choice Award, the fourth consecutive year to receive the award;

[Page 1600]

Therefore be it resolved all members of the House of Assembly congratulate Tri County Ford for receiving this significant honour.

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 Colchester-Musquodoboit Valley.

RESOLUTION NO. 855

MR. GARY BURRILL: Mr. Speaker, I hereby give notice that on a future day I shall move the adoption of the following resolution:

Whereas Larry Henley of Dean, Nova Scotia, sustained a spinal cord injury in June 2000, and not long thereafter, together with Lucy Henley, his wife, became supportively involved with the fund and awareness program of Rick Hansen's Wheels in Motion; and

Whereas Wheels in Motion raises funds for a wide range of life-enhancing programs that allow people with spinal cord injury to live life to its full potential, including the annual wheelchair challenge, wherein teams race against the clock through an obstacle course designed to foster a better understanding of what it is like to navigate through life in a wheelchair; and

Whereas Larry and Lucy Henley through the wheelchair challenge team, Henley's Heroes, as well as through such other fundraising programs as an annual musical jamboree, a barbeque in Elmsdale and a Christmas luncheon at the couple's home have raised over $14,000 for Rick Hansen's Wheels in Motion;

Therefore be it resolved that this House salute Larry and Lucy Henley for their commitment to the values and purposes of the Rick Hansen Foundation, as well as for the spirit of strength and character through adversity that they truly represent.

Mr. Speaker, I request waiver of notice.

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

[Page 1601]

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 Digby-Annapolis.

RESOLUTION NO. 856

MR. HAROLD THERIAULT: Mr. Speaker, I hereby give notice that on a future day I shall move the adoption of the following resolution:

Whereas with the assistance of teacher Shawn Comeau and advice from the Canadian Association of Student Activity Advisers, an industrious group of students at Digby Regional High raised $1,700 to purchase a licence to allow them to show movies at the school; and

Whereas travelling from Digby to the nearest theatre to see a movie not yet out on DVD would take an hour's drive and cost up to $100 for gas, snacks and movie tickets; and

Whereas at the school, the cost for the kids Grade 6 or below is $4 and for everyone else it's $5, making it affordable for everyone who may otherwise not get to see a movie released in the theatre;

Therefore be it resolved the members of the House of Assembly congratulate these students for their entrepreneurial spirit and recognizing the need in their community, and for following through to fulfill that need.

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 Hanst West.

[Page 1602]

RESOLUTION NO. 857

MR. CHUCK PORTER: Mr. Speaker, I hereby give notice that on a future day I shall move the adoption of the following resolution:

Whereas the term "breast cancer" refers to a malignant tumour that has developed from cells in the breast and more than 700 women are diagnosed with this form of cancer each year in Nova Scotia and every second day a woman dies of this disease in our province alone; and

Whereas staff members Jason Jackman, Sherri Fletcher-Seaboyer, Heather Maccumber and Bruce Morris from the Sobeys store in Windsor, Hants County, participated in the QEII Bust a Move for Breast Health fundraising event in Halifax recently and collected donations towards the fight to find a cure for breast cancer; and

Whereas fundraising events such as the one these caring people participated in not only create necessary funding to help with research, they also heighten public awareness of the disease and the importance of regular checkups and keeping fit;

Therefore be it resolved that all members of the House of Assembly congratulate John, Sherri, Heather and Bruce on their dedication and perseverance and thank them wholeheartedly for making a difference.

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 West.

RESOLUTION NO. 858

MR. ALFIE MACLEOD: Mr. Speaker, I hereby give notice that on a future day I shall move the adoption of the following resolution:

[Page 1603]

Whereas the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Nova Scotia has a network of 4,500 volunteers who work towards the organization's goal of a society free of heart and stroke disease; and

Whereas since 1984, Shirley MacNeil of East Bay has volunteered her time and energy to the Heart and Stroke Foundation, raising money and awareness for this important cause; and

Whereas Shirley was one of only 14 Nova Scotians to be presented with the Heart and Stroke Foundation's 2009 Gold Pin to mark 25 years of service;

Therefore be it resolved that all members of this House of Assembly acknowledge the tremendous volunteer efforts of Shirley MacNeil and congratulate her on receiving her gold pin from the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Nova Scotia

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 Bedford-Birch Cove.

RESOLUTION NO. 859

MS. KELLY REGAN: Mr. Speaker, I hereby give notice that on a future day I shall move the adoption of the following resolution:

Whereas April 29th is International Make-A-Wish Day, celebrating the success of the Make-A-Wish Foundation in granting the wishes of children with life-threatening medical conditions, on five continents and in 35 countries; and

Whereas since its beginning, the Make-A-Wish Foundation has granted more than 240,000 wishes globally, thanks to the hard work and dedication of over 30,000 volunteers and many generous financial contributors; and

[Page 1604]

Whereas in 2001 a regional office was opened in Dartmouth, Nova Scotia, representing all four Atlantic Provinces, which has one of the highest donor rates in Canada, in addition to a substantial volunteer base;

Therefore be it resolved that members of this House of Assembly recognize International Make-A-Wish Day and congratulate our regional office for their success.

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 Victoria-The Lakes.

RESOLUTION NO. 860

MR. KEITH BAIN: Mr. Speaker, I hereby give notice that on a future day I shall move the adoption of the following resolution:

Whereas Sheray Reddick-Jackson, a former star basketball player at North Nova Education Centre, joined the college ranks after graduating from high school; and

Whereas Sheray became a valuable player this season with the Mount Saint Vincent University female basketball team; and

Whereas Sheray showed her superior skills including her great rebound, jump shot, good hands and most important, her love for the game;

Therefore be it resolved that all members of this House of Assembly congratulate Sheray Reddick-Jackson for being instrumental in her university's 25-1 winning record during her rookie season and winning the praise of pundits who have proclaimed that the sky is the limit for her basketball career.

Mr. Speaker, I request waiver of notice.

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

[Page 1605]

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. 861

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

Whereas Ragnar Simensen and his family immigrated to Canada from Norway in 1968 and when they came to visit Nova Scotia in 1978 they loved it so much they decided to stay in this province; and

Whereas Ragnar, Scanway Catering's owner and business manager is an engineer by profession and in 1990 turned his engineer's ring in for many hats he must wear in the dynamic food service industry;

Whereas among Ragnar's many talents, he is responsible for keeping Scanway's finances in order as well as making deliveries, with a smile, during some of their busier catering times;

Therefore be it resolved that the members of this House recognize Ragnar Simensen for his business acumen and work ethic and thank him for choosing to be a Nova Scotian.

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 Argyle.

[Page 1606]

RESOLUTION NO. 862

HON. CHRISTOPHER D'ENTREMONT: Mr. Speaker, I hereby give notice that on a future day I shall move the adoption of the following resolution:

Whereas the idea of a skateboard park in Yarmouth is one that has been discussed for a number of years; and

Whereas the Town of Yarmouth has reserved land by the south end playground for the project; and

Whereas the 6,600 square foot smooth concrete plan is expected to be financed by the Municipality of Yarmouth, the province and through fundraising;

Therefore be it resolved that all members of this House of Assembly join me in congratulating the Municipality of Yarmouth for their vision in keeping our youth active and wish them all the best with their skateboard park in Yarmouth.

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 Clayton Park.

RESOLUTION NO. 863

MS. DIANA WHALEN: Mr. Speaker, I hereby give notice that on a future day I shall move the adoption of the following resolution:

Whereas on Sunday, April 18th, hundreds of women came together at Pier 21 to mark the 10th Anniversary of Dress for Success Halifax; and

[Page 1607]

Whereas Dress for Success Halifax was established 10 years ago to help meet the needs of women who are trying to re-enter the workforce and provide financial security for themselves and their families;

Whereas the organization helps their clients to provide professional attire, a network of support and career development tools that enable women to overcome challenges in their life and work;

Therefore be it resolved that the members of this House congratulate the staff, board members and volunteers for Dress for Success Halifax and wish them continued success in the future.

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 Cumberland South.

RESOLUTION NO. 864

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

Whereas this NDP Government and Premier continue to blame the financial position of the province on previous governments; and

Whereas the current NDP Government inherited a record of balanced budgets and fiscal responsibility; and

Whereas a report commissioned by this NDP Government confirmed that the proposed Progressive Conservative Budget in 2009 was indeed a balanced budget;

Therefore be it resolved that all members of this House of Assembly encourage this NDP Government to admit to Nova Scotians that it was indeed an NDP Government that drove the province back into debt.

[Page 1608]

MR. SPEAKER: The notice is tabled.

The honourable member for Digby-Annapolis.

RESOLUTION NO. 865

MR. HAROLD THERIAULT: Mr. Speaker, I hereby give notice that on a future day I shall move the adoption of the following resolution:

Whereas 18-year-old Digby Neck resident Kayla Tidd was one of two Nova Scotia students from across Canada selected to spend four days on HMCS Oriole, a 90-year-old vessel off the coast of British Columbia; and

Whereas Kayla boarded the ship on March 29, 2010 and was at first intimidated by the military rule, but soon caught on to sailing, which she felt was a completely different experience from being on a lobster boat back home; and

Whereas Kayla felt closer to the water in a sailing vessel and the highlight of her trip was seeing a pod of 20 killer whales;

Therefore be it resolved that the members of the House of Assembly congratulate Kayla Tidd on her wonderful experience and wish her well in her future seafaring adventures.

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 Kings West.

RESOLUTION NO. 866

MR. LEO GLAVINE: Mr. Speaker, I hereby give notice that on a future day I shall move the adoption of the following resolution:

[Page 1609]

Whereas throughout Kings County the Department of Transportation and Infrastructure Renewal staff work diligently to ensure the safety of the roads; and

Whereas on December 19, 2009, while patrolling an area, it was discovered that there had been an accident and a vehicle had left the road; through hard work and coordinated efforts they were able to clear the road, communicate the necessary information and ensure emergency vehicles were able to reach the individual; and

Whereas the quick thinking and commitment to quality and safety prevented the loss of life;

Therefore be it resolved that members of this House of Assembly recognize Brian Hodges, Adrian MacNeil, and David Ritchie who will be receiving the minister's Carrick Award for Service to Clients and/or the Public.

Mr. Speaker, I request waiver of notice.

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

[1:00 p.m.]

Is it agreed?

It is agreed.

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

The motion is carried.

ORDERS OF THE DAY

ORAL QUESTIONS PUT BY MEMBERS

MR. SPEAKER: Just a friendly reminder as we go into Question Period that no electronic equipment is to be on during Question Period and all questions and answers are to be directed here through the Chair. The time now is 1:01 p.m. and we'll go until 2:01 p.m.

The honourable member for Bedford-Birch Cove.

EDUC.: HFX. REG. SCH. BD./DEPT. - CONTACT POLICY

MS. KELLY REGAN: Mr. Speaker, my question is for the Minister of Education. Yesterday when I asked whether the minister supported a new high school for Eastern

[Page 1610]

Passage, the minister replied there is a process for school boards recommending capital construction to the department. Yet last night, board superintendent Carole Olsen said she had been contacted the day before by the Deputy Minister of the Department of Education. According to Olsen, the deputy minister said that if staff from the board wanted to meet with staff from the department about this Eastern Passage issue, the deputy minister would make it happen.

Mr. Speaker, this offer was made before the HRSB meeting last night, prior to board members voting on staff's recommendation not to proceed with the school. Clearly the department wanted this phone call to have an impact on the decision-making process of the board. My question to the minister is, does the minister believe that contacting the board prior to a key vote is part of the standard process she spoke of yesterday, and did she direct her deputy minister to make the offer to Ms. Olsen?

HON. MARILYN MORE: Mr. Speaker, when I gave that information yesterday, that's exactly what I meant. It's not unusual for the deputy minister to get in touch with school boards. In fact, the deputy minister is in Sydney today meeting with the school board up there. Often when there are contentious issues, or more information is needed by a school board, or senior staff, or by the department staff, there are regular meetings set up between those individuals.

The accepted and understood process for requesting capital construction is to do it at the call of the provincial government. There were a significant number of capital construction projects put forward by school boards, and reviewed by the provincial Capital Construction Committee in 2009, and the government of that time decided on their priorities for the capital construction list.

MS. REGAN: Mr. Speaker, the member for Cole Harbour-Eastern Passage continues to push the school, and I'm quoting: "As Official Opposition certainly there was no question that there was an interest in having that high school. My continued role as the MLA is to continue to push this forward among my colleagues. We have an opportunity before us."

The member may want a new school, Mr. Speaker, but a school in Eastern Passage is not on the priority list for HRSB. Bicentennial School, Bedford West/South Elementary, Bedford South, Duncan MacMillan, Lakefront, Sheet Harbour, Highland Park, Sunnyside, Bedford Junior High, Cole Harbour District High are all on the HRSB capital construction priority list.

I want to know, Mr. Speaker, which one of these schools is the minister bumping off the priority list, for a school which staff recommend should not be built?

MS. MORE: I think it's well recognized that MLAs from all Parties try to represent the interests and the priorities of their communities to the extent that they can, and I

[Page 1611]

appreciate those local priorities. Certainly ministers, Cabinet, and the government have a responsibility to reflect the broader priorities and issues facing their particular departments. I don't anticipate that any of the committed capital construction requests will be changed in any way. Thank you.

MS. REGAN: Mr. Speaker, then the minister must have found some pot of money that the rest of us would be really happy to know about, because all we keep hearing from over there is that there's no money, no money, no money, but suddenly it's okay that there's going to be a new school built that isn't even recommended.

Yesterday during Question Period, the Premier said, "I don't see a conflict between people's aspirations for their children in Cole Harbour and the aspirations of people in Eastern Passage for their children." Well, today The ChronicleHerald reported that board superintendent Carole Olsen said "a new high school in Eastern Passage would likely spark a reconfiguration of school boundaries in the Dartmouth area and possibly result in closures." My question to the Deputy Premier is, the board superintendent says there is a conflict. Will you tell the member for Eastern Passage to stop pushing for a new school at the expense of other schools that are already on the list?

HON. FRANK CORBETT: Mr. Speaker, I would say that the member for Eastern Passage is doing what every MLA would want to do here: advocate on behalf of their constituents. For a fuller answer I'll hand it back to the Minister of Education.

MS. MORE: Mr. Speaker, we will be respecting the processes that have been put in place for regional school boards to request capital construction projects in this province. Thank you.

MR. SPEAKER: The honourable member for Cape Breton West.

ENERGY - BIOMASS POLICY: FIREWOOD - SCARCITY

MR. ALFIE MACLEOD: Mr. Speaker, my question through you is for the Minister of Energy. Our caucus is pleased to see biomass included in your new provincial energy policy. However, I suspect some members of your own caucus are not that happy. The MLA for Pictou West issued a press release on November 12, 2008, with the headline, "Nova Scotians Fear Firewood Becoming Scarce Commodity." Has the MLA for Pictou West expressed any concerns to you about what your new biomass policy will do to make firewood even more scarce?

HON. WILLIAM ESTABROOKS: Mr. Speaker, I thank the member for Cape Breton West. I think it's always important to understand that when you're making a plan such as was announced last Friday, there are various issues involved - biomass, tidal power, wind, solar. All of these are being considered when we look at renewables in this province. We have a

[Page 1612]

plan. It's a plan that's been well received, and it's a plan that we plan to continue and advocate on behalf of Nova Scotians as we move forward with renewable energy in this province.

MR. MACLEOD: Mr. Speaker, through you to the Minister of Natural Resources, back in November 2008 the MLA for Pictou West had concerns about people not being able to access adequate firewood to heat their homes. He wrote in his release, "Many Nova Scotians are facing a tough winter. The cost of everyday essentials are making it hard to make ends meet. Families that use wood are facing a shortage of firewood." My question to you is, has the NDP Government introduced a policy to help Nova Scotians who require wood to heat their homes or have they decided to once again leave the MLA for Pictou West, along with the other Nova Scotians, out in the cold?

HON. JOHN MACDONELL: Mr. Speaker, the Department of Natural Resources' policy around access to Crown land for firewood has been one where over time we have allowed less and less access for Nova Scotians to Crown land. In areas where it appears that there's no private sector component that can deliver that service, we still have allowed people to access Crown land in those areas, but by and large across the province we've withdrawn that privilege.

I do say to the member opposite, in terms of 7the renewable energy or renewable electricity strategy, we set a limit of 500,000 dry tons of fibre. Certainly in the NewPage agreement, which is kind of an aside but associated, we set a limit of 175,000 dry tons coming off Crown and the 165,000 will come off private. To this point there doesn't seem to be any major cry from the public that they can't access enough firewood.

MR. MACLEOD: Mr. Speaker, I thank the minister for his answer. My final supplementary is also for the Minister of Natural Resources and let me again quote from the MLA for Pictou West. "There are homeowners on the Eastern Shore who can no longer get cutting permits to cut firewood on Crown Land . . . Why are Nova Scotians being denied access to their traditional source of winter heat - firewood from Nova Scotia forests?"

Now, despite the concern expressed by the MLA for Pictou West when in Opposition, 26 permits to cut wood on Crown land in Cumberland County were pulled by this government. My question to the minister is, in the past 10 months since you formed government, has the MLA for Pictou West approached you or your department to get policy changes to allow people to cut firewood on Crown land?

MR. MACDONELL: Mr. Speaker, yes he has and the response I gave to the member for Pictou West is the same response I would give to all Nova Scotians, our policy isn't changing. There are some issues around the allocations of the licences or approvals for cutting on Crown land and one of them is the fact that just the additional load and the lack of people to enforce it, to watch it, is by and large is not a paying proposition for the Crown,

[Page 1613]

I might as well say to the member. Any reasonable way that we can actually put citizens in contact with contractors and so on, that they can meet their need for firewood, we try to do that.

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

NDP GOV'T. - CONSULTANTS' REPTS.: ELIMINATION

- COST SAVINGS

HON. STEPHEN MCNEIL: Mr. Speaker, my question is for the Deputy Premier. During the last election campaign, the NDP made many promises, one of them dealt with consultants, the NDP wasn't going to use them. That was one way to pay for their other promises. The Premier said he would reduce expenditures without cutting jobs or wages. Instead, costs would be reduced in areas such as external consultant fees. My question to the Deputy Premier is, how much money have you saved by eliminating consultants' reports?

HON. FRANK CORBETT: Mr. Speaker, I don't have that figure right at hand but that is something that we not only said that we would do during the election but we are doing that now. We're in the process, the extended management initiative is moving forward and that's in areas we're going to look at and clearly that will be done and when we have a total or number I'll gladly give it to the member.

MR. MCNEIL: Mr. Speaker, I understand why the Deputy Premier might be reluctant to come up with a figure right now. Once more this government said one thing during the election campaign but is doing quite another after the election. Well, let me rephrase the question to the Deputy Premier. How much money has the NDP Government spent on consultation including the Deloitte report, the Back to Balance consultation, the actuarial report on auto insurance changes, the Nova Scotia economic panel and the Dr. John Ross' ER study?

MR. CORBETT: Mr. Speaker, the hallmark of this government is to engage Nova Scotians. We have engaged in many forms, we found out what people are saying and we believe this is money well spent. We're moving this province forward by these studies.

MR. MCNEIL: Mr. Speaker, one answer before June 9th, another answer after June 9th. Let me help the Deputy Premier. The Deloitte report, $99,000; Dr. John Ross, $100,000; the actuarial report, $55,000. That's about $250,000 just to start with. Let me help the Deputy Premier with his research, why doesn't he just find for us how much it has cost Nova Scotians for the Back to Balance consultation and the Nova Scotia economic panel?

[1:15 p.m.]

[Page 1614]

MR. CORBETT: Mr. Speaker, I have to reiterate to the honourable Leader of the Official Opposition that these are models that we're using across this province to engage Nova Scotians and to help us move forward and get back to balance, as he told us.

Mr. Speaker, we want to listen, we want to hear from Nova Scotians, and that's what we're going to do - and we're going to move this province forward.

MR. SPEAKER: The honourable member for Dartmouth East.

ENERGY - CONSULTANTS' TENDER: COSTS - EXPLAIN

MR. ANDREW YOUNGER: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My question is for the Minister of Energy - and speaking of consultants' reports, yesterday a tender was issued to solicit proposals for qualified contractors to deliver a report providing advice and recommendations to the Nova Scotia Department of Energy on access to Nova Scotia's offshore.

Mr. Speaker, my question for the minister is, in this time of NDP economic frugality, why are you spending more money on consultants when you have experienced and qualified staff at the Department of Energy who can offer you this advice?

HON. WILLIAM ESTABROOKS: Mr. Speaker, I thank the member opposite for the question. Regardless of the decisions, you have to have the proper and good information that you need. There are people on staff who have recommended to me, as the minister, that it would be appropriate that we went for some outside sources. They looked at information that they could provide to us as staff, and as the minister I have accepted that advice; it is good advice. Based upon the information we're going to receive, hopefully we'll continue to make the wise decisions in the Department of Energy.

MR. YOUNGER: Mr. Speaker, the Deputy Premier just said that it is a hallmark of this government to engage Nova Scotians. Funny then that this tender asks the contractor to engage stakeholders in Calgary and Houston and just go to project meetings in Halifax.

Mr. Speaker, many of the phrases in this tender seem to point to a possible relaxing of offshore regulations, possibly with respect to environmental and royalty roles. Can the minister please tell me, what changes is he considering to offshore regulation and does he plan to bring those changes before the House of Assembly before enacting them?

MR. ESTABROOKS: Mr. Speaker, I thank the member opposite for the question. You know the Deputy Premier and the Premier of this province have set a tone when it comes to listening and consulting, and it's always important when we have issues of this nature that we listen to those involved. Not all the experts in this particular field live within Nova Scotia - there are experts in other parts of the country and other parts of the continent

[Page 1615]

and other parts of the world that would be consulted on such issues. And I would like to point out to the member opposite the parameters are sometimes determined because that's the sort of information that we need.

MR. YOUNGER: Mr. Speaker, while I agree with the Minister of Energy that there are sometimes experts in other areas and he should consult them, the tender does seem to exclude the expertise we have in Nova Scotia.

Mr. Speaker, we have been hearing a lot about the NDP Government contemplating invasive activity on Georges Bank of late - and it is interesting that this tender closes on May 12, 2010, a few weeks before the NDP Government has to make a decision on where it is going after the moratorium. I can't just help but wonder whether this code and this tender has something to do with the NDP's impending decision on Georges Bank. My question for the minister is, are you announcing this tender so you have a process to hide behind and not lift the moratorium on Georges Bank?

MR. ESTABROOKS: The member for Cape Breton Nova has reminded me again, and I thank him for the advice. Exclusions and conspiracies and crystal balls. We're looking at direction, we're looking at information, and that is what we want. If you're going to be looking at this as a particular way to avoid making a decision, that is not how this government works, that is not how the Department of Energy works, and that is not how this Minister of Energy works.

MR. SPEAKER: The honourable member for Cape Breton West.

HEALTH - ERs: OPEN - YEAR-ROUND

MR. ALFIE MACLEOD: Mr. Speaker, my question through you is to the Deputy Premier. In your Party's brochure that was sent to Nova Scotians last year during the provincial election, your Party's second commitment to today's families was to keep emergency rooms open and reduce health care waits - and that's a good commitment.

In March 2009 a Glace Bay resident said, "Residents in Glace Bay understand the problem and expect the government to come up with an effective plan to ensure there are adequate health care professionals working to keep our emergency rooms open. The expectations are the same in the summer months." Does the Deputy Premier agree with this statement?

HON. FRANK CORBETT: Mr. Speaker, I thank the member for the question. It's a good one but off the mark. Wait times and emergency times are down in Glace Bay, but for a fuller explanation I'll give it to the Minister of Health.

[Page 1616]

HON. MAUREEN MACDONALD: Mr. Speaker, I thank the honourable member for the question. The Deputy Premier indeed is correct, the hours have been cut considerably for emergency room closures at the Glace Bay Hospital and that's something that we're really pleased to see, but indeed we have to work on similar progress in emergency rooms in other parts of the province.

MR. MACLEOD: Mr. Speaker, my first supplementary question through you is again to the Deputy Premier. The Glace Bay resident who made that statement in a press release was Myrtle Campbell, the NDP candidate in the Glace Bay election. (Interruption) Funny how times have changed in a year. Just a quick glance at the Cape Breton District Health Authority's Web site shows that February was a particularly bad month for residents of Glace Bay with the emergency room being closed on February 1st, 7th, 8th, 13th, 14th, 15th, 16th, 24th, 25th and this month it has been closed on numerous occasions. So what exactly is being done, if these are better numbers than what has been in the past, what has been done to improve the numbers and how bad were they? (Interruptions)

MR. CORBETT: Mr. Speaker, I'm getting help from around here but, you know, I share the member's concern because we both have ridings in Industrial Cape Breton and are experiencing emergency room closures and one is too many for many aspects, but we're working to do the best we can and, indeed, I would say that the numbers, while they are not where we want, are better than when that letter was written.

MR. MACLEOD: Well, I want to thank the Deputy Premier for his answer. If he believes that's better, we really do have a challenge here, but again to the Deputy Premier, the residents of Glace Bay believe the Dexter NDP Government is intending to close the Glace Bay emergency room permanently. Can you assure them that this emergency room will remain open 24/7?

MR. CORBETT: Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the member for the question, and I believe it's a sincere question, but the responsibility of what emergency rooms are open or closed, at the end of the day, is the responsibility of the district health authority. So what I will do is I will repeat what John Malcom has said, the CEO, and he says there will be no permanent closures of emergency rooms in his jurisdiction.

MR. SPEAKER: The honourable member for Preston.

ERD: STUDENT CAREER SKILL DEV. PROG. - DETAILS

HON. KEITH COLWELL: Mr. Speaker, my question is to the Minister of Economic and Rural Development. Applications for the 2010 Student Career Skills Development Program were due in January. The deadline for organizations to receive assistance through this program from the department has also passed. My question is, have you contacted all the

[Page 1617]

eligible organizations with information on whether or not they will be receiving support from your department for this important program?

HON. PERCY PARIS: Mr. Speaker, I thank the member for the question. He's asking me specifically if I've contacted those organizations and the answer is no. However, what I will do is certainly, the member can rest assured that I will check with the department to see what contact has been made recently.

MR. COLWELL: Mr. Speaker, this program provides for economic development in the short term as well as in the long term. Students receive on-the-job training and mentorship where they acquire skills that would otherwise not be available to them. Organizations are able to expand their workforce, and in turn their capacity to offer services is increased.

My question to the minister is, by the end of Question Period today, will the minister table a list of all organizations that applied and what each has received by way of wage reimbursement on this very important program?

MR. PARIS: Mr. Speaker, certainly the department and I recognize how important that program is, not only to students but to Nova Scotians in general. For the member opposite, I will table what I can get and I'll leave it at that.

MR. COLWELL: Mr. Speaker, this program represents an investment in the economy of the Province of Nova Scotia. Between April 26th and September 3rd of this year, students can receive full-time employment and organizations have access to expanded staffing abilities. This is meaningful, career-related work experience, and is a tool that government should be engaged in to the full extent possible.

My question to the minister is, would the minister please tell this House if this year marks an increase in jobs or a decrease that will be supported?

MR. PARIS: Mr. Speaker, you know, I will reiterate that we, the government, recognize the importance of this initiative or else we wouldn't be involved in it. If the member would like to meet with me at any time to go over this program, I would be more than willing to meet with him or any member of this House to discuss that initiative and all initiatives we have in Economic and Rural Development. Thank you.

MR. SPEAKER: The honourable member for Argyle.

HON. CHRISTOPHER D'ENTREMONT: What a difference a year can make. In the February 4, 2009 edition of The Advance, in an article entitled "Thinking like a business - MLA," the member for Queens was speaking to the Kiwanis Club of Liverpool when she said, "Government, I think, has to start thinking like a business." Yet in the first 10 months

[Page 1618]

of NDP deficits, tax hikes, and reckless spending, nothing could have been further from an effective business model.

Mr. Speaker, my question to the Deputy Premier is, why did you send your current baby Minister of Transportation and Infrastructure Renewal out in her community to spread the NDP's culture of deceit?

MR. SPEAKER: I think your question is out of order. I'll go on to the next speaker.

The honourable member for Halifax Clayton Park. (Applause)

DISABLED PERSONS COMMN.: TAXIS

- WHEELCHAIR ACCESSIBILITY

MS. DIANA WHALEN: Mr. Speaker, my question is for the Minister responsible for the Disabled Persons Commission Act. Last week media reports highlighted a significant challenge individuals have accessing wheelchair-accessible taxis in Halifax. In Halifax there are only two providers. Both have applied for a subsidy under the Accessible Transportation Assistance Program but were told they'll have to wait until at least June before they get an answer about whether or not they'll be able to receive funding that will keep their taxis on the road. This is an important service to people with disabilities and it needs to be treated with urgency.

My question to the minister is, as minister responsible for the Disabled Persons Commission Act, what specific interventions have you made to your Cabinet colleagues to address the pressing need of more support for wheelchair-accessible taxis in Halifax?

HON. DENISE PETERSON-RAFUSE: Thank you very much for the question. It is a very important issue when we're talking about accessibility. One thing that I'm very proud of, actually, is this week I have met with groups throughout the Province of Nova Scotia representing the disabled community in the province and we're discussing what kind of strategies we can put together in all areas of the disabled community.

I do understand the importance of accessibility and we are going forward working on that. With respect to the grant application, that sits with Municipal Services, and they will be looking at it. Thank you.

[1:30 p.m.]

MS. WHALEN: Mr. Speaker, it's good to know the minister is looking into that. My second question is actually for the Minister of Service Nova Scotia and Municipal Relations. I'd like to outline a case to reinforce the problem. On April 14th, a family arrived here from Ottawa to visit an ailing family member who had been in hospital for three months. The

[Page 1619]

mother of this family is completely wheelchair-bound with an illness which sadly has no cure.

When they arrived in Halifax, there were no wheelchair accessible vans to rent. Her husband started to call taxi companies and found there were two cabs in the city which couldn't be booked because the company operating them couldn't guarantee that they would be working at the time that they arrived. It turns out these cabs have requested a subsidy which I mentioned under the accessible transportation program and they've been told to wait until at least June. The family actually called Tourism Nova Scotia officials and those officials were shocked that there were no taxis available; they said they were not aware of this situation.

My question to the Minister of Service Nova Scotia and Municipal Relations is, what have you done to expedite the request for a subsidy from the two operators so at least the meager service we now have in Halifax is not lost?

HON. RAMONA JENNEX: Mr. Speaker, thank you very much for that question. We are very concerned about transportation in Nova Scotia, accessible transportation. HRM does have Access-A-Bus that can be booked. This is an unfortunate situation I'm hearing about here today. I did have staff directed to make sure we will have the committee ready. There is a procedure in place around that funding that goes through my department. A number of applications are being compiled.

There is a committee that looks at this and they will be bringing that forth to me. The earliest possible date we have is in June to convene that committee and that procedure. I'm taking this very seriously, I will go back to the department and see if there is any way we can expedite that situation. Thank you.

MS. WHALEN: Mr. Speaker, I appreciate the minister's willingness to look at this, especially as this particular case brings it to the fore. It really shows us what's at stake here. We only have two operators, only two taxis on the road and they are in dire need of improvements or they can't operate.

My final question is to the minister responsible for the Disabled Persons Commission Act. I just wanted to make the point that it's clearly obvious that we need a solution to be found soon so the people living with disabilities have other options in the city. The Access-A-Bus that was mentioned requires booking at least a week or two in advance, it's very uncertain whether or not you will have use of it.

I wanted to make the point that next year we have the Canada Games coming to Halifax and there are going to be many more tourists and perhaps athletes that require the assistance of an accessible taxi. My final question to the minister responsible for the Disabled

[Page 1620]

Persons Commission Act is, will you along with your Cabinet colleagues develop an action plan to ensure this critical gap in accessible transportation is addressed?

HON. DENISE PETERSON-RAFUSE: Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the honourable member for bringing this forward because I know it's very important to her and it's very important to me and to our government. That's why I convened a meeting this week with stakeholders around the province who are concerned with those types of issues. We are looking at all different issues with respect to the disabled community. I can tell her, yes, we are working on it.

MR. SPEAKER: The honourable member for Argyle.

QUEENS MLA - NEWSPAPER ARTICLE (2009)/CURRENT:

SITUATION - DISCREPANCY

HON. CHRISTOPHER D'ENTREMONT: Mr. Speaker, I'll start again. What a difference a year makes. In the February 4, 2009 edition of The Advance, in an article entitled, Thinking Like A Business MLA the member for Queens was speaking to the Kiwanis Club in Liverpool when she stated, and I think you've heard the quote already, "Government, I think, has to start thinking like a business." Yet, in the first 10 months of NDP deficits, tax hikes and reckless spending, nothing could be further from a business model. My question to the Deputy Premier is, why is there such a discrepancy from then and now?

HON. FRANK CORBETT: Mr. Speaker, simply, there's no discrepancy. We inherited a financial quagmire. We're working our way out of it and as good business practice are , you make a plan, you build it as we are doing in back to balance and you move forward. This is a very solid business plan.

MR. D'ENTREMONT: Mr. Speaker, the MLA for Queens also warned about the danger of deficits, saying deficits hurt ". . . our children, our grandchildren, and our grandchildren's children . . ." So my question to the Deputy Premier is, what do you have to say to the member for Queens, who just one short year ago was so terribly concerned about the prospect of a deficit, now that in 10 short months of NDP Government having accumulated over $700 million in deficit spending?

MR. CORBETT: Mr. Speaker, he says "accumulated," we say "inherited." The member for Queens is absolutely right about deficits - that families pay for them and that is why we're trying to bring this province back to balance. That's why we're making the tough choices that that government wouldn't.

MR. D'ENTREMONT: Mr. Speaker, apparently the Deputy Premier is a little selective in what he hears from Deloitte when they say that we weren't in deficit position, that we were on our way to a balanced budget, that this government had presented a balanced

[Page 1621]

budget. So they forget all the money that they spent on consultants and things to hide behind, that they actually showed them that they are the ones who have created this deficit, they are the ones who have had $700 million that our children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren are going to have to pay for. Just like the member for Queens spoke about - and I'm glad that she talked about that because it really underlined that she does have concern for her community but apparently the NDP does not.

So, my final question to the Deputy Premier is, where has your government's and, particularly, the Queens MLA's concern for fiscal responsibility gone since the election campaign ended?

MR. CORBETT: Mr. Speaker, the member speaks of roads - he should have taken the road to Damascus because he would have been converted. As the member for Queens has said, she is absolutely right when she speaks about deficits and what we have to tackle.

Mr. Speaker, we are moving forward - we are not buying kiddie ATVs - we're making sound business decisions and we're moving this province forward, and I would wish he stop the rhetoric and come with us.

MR. SPEAKER: The honourable member for Kings West.

ERD - NORTHERN TIMBER: LEGAL FEES/COSTS - DETAILS

MR. LEO GLAVINE: Mr. Speaker, my question is for the Minister of Economic and Rural Development. After obtaining a copy of the contract between the government and Northern Timber Nova Scotia, I noted that there had been some adjustment in Appendix A - for instance, Clause 8 has been deleted in its entirety, which stated that the company shall pay all legal fees and costs related to the loan. My question to the minister is, if Northern Timber is not paying the legal fees, who is?

HON. PERCY PARIS: Mr. Speaker, to the member opposite. I appreciate that question, and certainly I will look into that. I can't recall off the top of my head because there have been so many transactions in the last 10 months, but I will certainly will find that out for you.

MR. GLAVINE: Mr. Speaker, I will shorten it up. The first paragraph of Clause 8 has also been deleted: The company shall purchase and maintain standard commercial insurance policies. My question to the minister is, why isn't your department requiring Northern Timber to purchase and maintain insurance?

MR. PARIS: Again, Mr. Speaker, we do so many transactions in the run of the week and in the run of six months, and certainly over the last 10 months, and when somebody asks to see about an individual contract it seems to me that the more appropriate approach, instead

[Page 1622]

of going through Question Period, would be to walk across the floor and ask me and I would be more than willing to have the conversation with you.

MR. GLAVINE: Well, Mr. Speaker, I wonder if you could adjourn for a moment and I will do just that (Laughter) I'm not getting anywhere with this question.

You know, this cost the province $75 million. This is big business for this province.

It seems as if the province not only loaned millions of dollars to this company, but is also picking up the legal and insurance fees. My question to the minister is, how much will the legal and insurance fees cost the taxpayers of Nova Scotia from your deal with Northern Timber?

MR. PARIS: Mr. Speaker, most of our transactions - and I'm not convinced that this is one of them - my recollection of that particular deal is that it was a loan. When we loan money, it's with the intent that we do get paid back, and usually there's an interest charge as well. So again, these transactions, they're very deep, they're very complex. They're not simple contracts and, again, we do so many of them, and I think in all fairness - and I certainly don't want to give inaccurate information to the House or to the member opposite - so again, I will do some research and I will certainly get back to the member.

MR. SPEAKER: The honourable member for Cape Breton South.

COM. SERV. - DEPT.: BUDGET CUTS

- LIST TABLE

HON. MANNING MACDONALD: Mr. Speaker, my question today is for the Minister of Community Services. The minister likes to talk about the few meager investments her department has made, but we know that there has been an expenditure management review and her department was instructed to make cuts. My first question to the minister is, can the minister please table a list of cuts to the Department of Community Services as a result of the expenditure management review?

HON. DENISE PETERSON-RAFUSE: I certainly can provide any information that I have concerning our expenditure management, because we're open and transparent. We've looked at all sorts of different areas within the department, but as I said, we actually received an increase from this government of $26 million.

MR. MANNING MACDONALD: I take it from that answer, Mr. Speaker, that the minister will provide the information I'm looking for today? That's what I asked her for. She said they're open and transparent, so I would expect to receive that before the close of business here today.

[Page 1623]

Mr. Speaker, my first supplementary: Nova Scotians deserve to know what changes are happening within the Department of Community Services. Many of our province's most vulnerable citizens rely on programs offered by that department and are severely affected by any cuts in spending. While some changes may well make sense, others could have a significant impact on the provision of these important programs and services. My question to the minister is, can she tell us the names of the individuals who were charged with the responsibility of determining the reductions in the Community Services budget?

MS. PETERSON-RAFUSE: Firstly, Mr. Speaker, what I would like to say about the information I need to table is I have to find out the availability of that from the staff. As soon as I have it, I will have it tabled. It may not be today, but it will be tabled in due course.

The other aspect that the honourable member has to understand with expenditure management is it's not going through and just cutting. It's looking at different areas to see if there's an overlap of services and if there are areas that can be streamlined. So we do not look at it as if we're cutting services from the people of Nova Scotia. What we're looking is building a better Department of Community Services so that department will no longer be a department of last resort but a stepping stone for people's futures in Nova Scotia.

MR. MANNING MACDONALD: I'm sure the clients of Community Services will be reassured by that answer. The minister should have that information in her briefing books over there, and all I asked for was to take them out of the briefing books and table them here today, because obviously that information should be available to the minister at all times.

Mr. Speaker, I don't doubt for a second that expenditure management is an easy process to manage. Government has set itself ambitious targets. They have reduced a total of $52 million this year in departmental savings and are poised to reduce departmental spending by another $198 million next year. My question to the minister is, can the minister please tell us the amount of savings found in her department budget this fiscal year and how much her department will lose next year?

MS. PETERSON-RAFUSE: Mr. Speaker, actually I guess I'll have to wipe off my little magic ball that I have to look in to predict the future. What we're trying to do - and people will understand this, there is a process and it takes time. We just began the expenditure management process so that's why we are looking and we're talking. One of the things that's very important to us, and that we are doing, is consulting with the people of Nova Scotia who are affected by our decisions. Now, that may be a new way of business for government here, but it's what we are doing. So that's a process that takes time, so we can talk to them to see what areas that, with their consultation, where we can improve services and what services that may be redundant that we have no longer offer but it is never going to be on the backs of Nova Scotians. Thank you.

MR. SPEAKER: The honourable member for Cumberland South.

[Page 1624]

TIR - PAVING: FIVE-YEAR PLAN - INTRODUCTION

HON. MURRAY SCOTT: Mr. Speaker, my question through you will be to the Minister of Transportation and Infrastructure Renewal. Recently the minister released a partial list of major projects to be forthcoming in the current road construction season. I'll table a copy of that release the minister released here shortly.

[1:45 p.m.]

Nova Scotians, of course, have heard a lot about the New Democratic Party Government's five-year plan for paving, something that will obviously be useful for all Nova Scotians. My question to the minister today is when will the minister introduce this five-year plan for paving in Nova Scotia? (Interruptions)

HON. WILLIAM ESTABROOKS: Mr. Speaker, I'll agree with the members opposite, it's a good question; in fact, there's a better plan. Let's be clear on the fact that when it comes to an important piece of strategy of this nature, looking at the balance between the dollars available and the decisions that have to be made moving forward with some purpose and direction,

I have not received a final draft as yet but I want to thank the staff for the many times they have purposely gone over this plan with me as we looked at it point by point. It should be available within, I would hope, prior to the summer - I should say, paving season. When it becomes available, I will make it public for all members of the House.

MR. SCOTT: Mr. Speaker, to the minister, thank you for the answer. As the minister, I know agrees, I've spoken to him on many occasions obviously about major highways in our province that need attention but the minister I know agrees as well that for many rural communities the lifeblood and lifeline for those communities are small, rural, secondary roads. I know many members of this House have spoken a lot in the last number of years in that regard.

Mr. Speaker, through you the question to the Minister of Transportation and Infrastructure Renewal is, can the minister explain the criteria for this plan and how it will be determined how that plan is divided between 100-Series Highways versus routes, trunks and local roads?

MR. ESTABROOKS: I thank the member opposite for the question and I agree with him completely. When we look at the criteria and the priorities as they are being determined at this time, it is extremely important that we remember, of course, that it is not just the 100-Series that move people and goods around in this province. For years there has been neglect of secondary roads and the lack of a clear plan as we see as we move forward.

[Page 1625]

No reflection on the previous government (Applause) No need for that applause. I want to point out to the members opposite and to the members of my caucus, as we've said many times before, this is not the sort of solution that has politics involved in it. It takes a plan with a purpose and a strategy. I've asked the staff to clearly review this, based upon some of the decisions the previous governments have made and where are we going to go as we address this issue.

There's no use pointing fingers, we should instead point to answers. That's the purpose of this plan. When it becomes available, the criteria and the priorities will be identified and I look forward to members opposite and members of my own caucus seeing what they think of this plan. When it hits my desk, shortly afterwards it will be made public.

MR. SCOTT: Mr. Speaker, thank you to the minister for the answer. Again through you to the Minister of Transportation and Infrastructure Renewal, I know it is late in the season and normally the minister's program is probably well underway for the season, a lot of planning work takes place by his engineers, as he mentioned a moment ago and I can certainly understand that.

I wonder if the minister can indicate to the House whether, in fact, this five-year plan, whether they've done the cost analysis of what determination the five-year plan will be, obviously the cost to the taxpayers and on the budget. Can the minister indicate to the House if he believes the projects allocated for the next five years will be allocated regionally and based on the number of kilometers of paved roads in this province?

MR. ESTABROOKS: Thank you for the question. That's the sort of question specifically that's necessary when you make these decisions. I know, having recently had the opportunity to tour certain roads in Pictou County where I've been told there's more roads than in any other county in the province, I've heard from members on this side of the House and I want members of the House to be aware of the fact that when it comes to priorities and the proper balance in making decisions, they key factor, of course, the affordability, the number of dollars involved, it is important that we measure this in terms of secondary roads as opposed to 100-Series roads, as opposed to projects all across this province, that we as elected officials can look and say, we have a plan.

Not all those roads are going to be taken care of tomorrow or this paving season, but they will be taken care of, because that is the commitment we have to have as elected officials, on both sides of this House, to provide safe roads, safe roads that are affordable, and with a plan that clearly outlines what our priorities are. I thank the member for the question.

MR. SPEAKER: The honourable member for Digby-Annapolis.

[Page 1626]

FISH. & AQUACULTURE - COASTAL COMMUNITIES:

TOUR - TIME FRAME

MR. HAROLD THERIAULT: Mr. Speaker, my question is for the Minister of Fisheries and Aquaculture. Coastal communities and the fishing industry built Nova Scotia. Yesterday, the government announced its plans to tour a few coastal communities to gather information. However, many people feel that these important consultations may be too rushed. My question to the minister is, why are you trying to pack these important consultations into eight days?

HON. STERLING BELLIVEAU: Thank you, Mr. Speaker, for the question, and for the member opposite, I really welcome the opportunity to address that question. There is some consultation going through the month of May, but I can assure you there's going to be ample opportunity for the members of the public, and for stakeholders to bring their discussions or their points forward. We have a website, there will be a number of ways that this information can be put forward, but I'll take your point into consideration and I'll reflect on that, thank you.

MR. THERIAULT: Mr. Speaker, Nova Scotia has hundreds of coastal communities and the department is only going to eight of them. Also, during the month of May is probably one of the busiest lobster fishing times in all Nova Scotia, and the minister should know that himself, being a fisherman. My question is, why is your department only going to eight coastal communities, and that a few people will end up making plans for everyone around the coastal communities of this province?

MR. BELLIVEAU: Mr. Speaker, again to the member opposite, this particular strategy was announced back on December 9th of the previous year. I think a lot of people are aware of this, particularly the stakeholders. There's municipal units that are very aware of this. I believe there is ample opportunity for this information to come forward. The member opposite can appreciate coastal communities are very important, and I think this process is right on the money, and I look forward to hearing all the discussions and those viewpoints.

MR. THERIAULT: Mr. Speaker, the feedback from these eight meetings around our coastlines may help change the way we use them forever. My question to the minister is, will the minister be attending all of these eight meetings?

MR. BELLIVEAU: Mr. Speaker, I do not know my schedule, or what the House of Assembly hours are, but I can assure you I'll take the member opposite's consideration under advisement. I will be trying to attend what I can during the present sitting of the House and I look forward to consultations with the members of Nova Scotia and I think that this is a good process. I think Nova Scotians, we live in a coastal community and I'm proud to be introducing this and participating in it.

[Page 1627]

MR. SPEAKER: The honourable member for Hants West.

TIR - PAVING: TENDERS/KMs. - DETAILS

MR. CHUCK PORTER: Mr. Speaker, my question today is through you to the Minister of Transportation and Infrastructure Renewal. I appreciate that the department has over 26,000 kilometres of roads and highways to look after and maintain annually. It took our government some time to begin catching up with many highway requests after the Liberal Administration, which held office from 1993 to 1999, made so many draconian reductions to highway work. In saying this, can you tell me how many kilometres of pavement have been or will be put out to tender this fiscal 2010-11?

HON. WILLIAM ESTABROOKS: Mr. Speaker, you know, there is no need to reference Draco, the Greek philosopher from before. Having sat in this House and worked with the government of the day, Mr. Huskilson in his day as a Transportation Minister was a co-operative member. I remember, when first getting elected, when I would be asking questions of this nature and based upon some of the challenges the government at that time faced, based upon some of the challenges that the government that you were a member of faced, now we are going to go through the same process.

At this time, I am not prepared to commit to the fact the number of kilometres - not that I only don't know it, I don't have any adding machine to total it up - but we will see what happens when those tenders cross Santa Claus' desk. (Laughter)

MR. PORTER: I'm glad to see Santa Claus doesn't only come on the 25th of December, Mr. Speaker. Again, to the Minister of Transportation and Infrastructure Renewal, I'm asking the minister today because there are bad roads and he knows it and then there are terrible roads, which he is aware of as well. But in the Greenhill-McKay section in the Ardoise area near Brooklyn, the road is absolutely miserable, it's in horrible shape. The road has pavement on it, if you want to call it that, Mr. Minster, but it needs to be rebuilt and a number of individuals reside on this stretch of road and there are even some businesses.

Is the minister or Santa Claus today able to give me the slightest hint when these people, these good people might see some improvements to the road that they travel daily?

MR. ESTABROOKS: Mr. Speaker, roads can be described in so many ways, I've heard bad, terrible and miserable but this particular road you just described in the Brookyn area is a miserable road, so in your scale of roads does that fit between bad and terrible?

[Page 1628]

I don't mean to make light of the comment, let me assure you. Having travelled the province and seen some of the hard miles that my new Jeep has been subjected to, I'm well aware of the fact that there are some roads in this province that need some help. That is, after all, one of the reason why your colleague, the member for Cumberland South, asked the very question about the five year plan. That five year plan is going to identify the need for a clear plan that gives direction and purpose as we address the issue of secondary roads. Roads that connect our communities to the major trunks and to major 100-Series Highways. (Applause)

And somebody from Pictou must be joining in with the applause. You know what they figure, the more they applause, the more asphalt they're going to get. (Laughter) And the member for Digby-Annapolis stopped - Mr. Speaker, could I have control . . .

MR. SPEAKER: Order, the honourable Minister of Transportation and Infrastructure Renewal has the floor.

MR. ESTABROOKS: But I do thank applause from the member for Digby-Annapolis. These are good questions and questions that I understand you have to introduce because, of course, we weren't in estimates. But when we look at how these roads are going to be taken care of, not just this necessary paving season but future seasons, the roads will be maintained in this province to make sure that we get the best bang for your buck, my buck and the buck of Nova Scotians.

MR. PORTER: Mr. Speaker, I thank the minister, I'm sure that Nova Scotians who are listening today will be very happy with that response that you're looking out for them.

My final question to the Minister of Transportation and Infrastructure Renewal - despite the tremendous amount of pavment put down by our previous government, your Party promised during last Spring's election campaign to budget 50 per cent more to resurface rural secondary roads by year two of your mandate. Year two will have reached this summer, so will the Greenhill-McKay Section Road be examined and work started to bring it up to a level local residents expect and deserve?

MR. ESTABROOKS: Thank you to the member opposite. I know that on this topic, literally, the clock is ticking when it comes to meeting expectations and meeting expectations is one of the reasons that we brought forward the five year plan. But I want the member opposite to know that rural secondary roads are a priority for this minister and this government.

It is a real consequence when we understand the fact that the people who live outside the urban core, and I happen to be responsible for a constituency where Timberlea is within the urban core and those particular roads and streets are taken care of by the city and then we have the more rural areas, the Prospect area. I'm aware of the fact that outside the urban core,

[Page 1629]

we must pay attention to secondary roads in more rural communities. That's the route of tourism, that's the route of making sure that commercial development is going to happen.

I want the member opposite to know that whether it is in the Brooklyn area or whether it is in the Timberlea-Prospect area, your road issues are being addressed and will be addressed in a timely fashion, in a fair fashion, an open fashion. Hopefully you will be satisfied with the five year plan and I thank you for the question.

MR. SPEAKER: The honourable member for Clare.

TIR - STAFF/OPERATION: REDUCTION TARGET

- STATUS

HON. WAYNE GAUDET: Mr. Speaker, my question is for the Minister of Transportation and Infrastructure Renewal. It has been well publicized that the Minister of Finance has directed all other ministers to provide a 1 per cent reduction on staff and operation in each department. My question to the minister is, has he achieved this target, and if so, where has he had to cut in order to reach the goal directed to him by the Minister of Finance?

[2:00 p.m.]

HON. WILLIAM ESTABROOKS: Thank you Mr. Speaker (Interruption) The member for Richmond is helping me out through this. I thank the member for the question. One of the concerns, of course, we have to make sure, particularly in the Department of Transportation and Infrastructure Renewal and the number of people who are employed - a huge department - it is important that the people who are delivering the services first-hand to Nova Scotians - those are the folks we must rely upon, whether they are plow operators in the wintertime or people who work with us in the summertime, in the Spring and Fall of the year.

I want to make it very clear that when the Department of Transportation and Infrastructure Renewal is looking at making budget decisions, the decisions are based on the fact that the service level . . .

MR. SPEAKER: Order, please. The time allotted for the Oral Question Period has expired.

The honourable member for Cumberland South.

HON. MURRAY SCOTT: Mr. Speaker, during Question Period I know that you didn't give the reason why, and maybe you could now - you ruled that a question was out of order and moved on to the next speaker. I wonder, first of all, if you could explain why. The second thing is, if it was something that you deemed was unparliamentary, I respect that. I

[Page 1630]

would just ask that in the future you consider either asking the member to retract a certain word or statement, if that's what it was, and allow the question to continue, or at least explain to us why you did it, and if you would consider that for the future.

MR. SPEAKER: Thank you. Well, I guess I felt at the time the question was inappropriate. Some of the language was even bordering on unparliamentary. Words such as "baby minister," and "deceitful," I think was the other word I heard there, so I just felt that was inappropriate. Perhaps the right thing is to ask the minister to rephrase the question at the time, but at the moment I decided it was inappropriate and I moved on to the next question.

The honourable member for Cumberland South.

HON. MURRAY SCOTT: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I just want to point out, for your information, you did allow the question to be repeated. The member got back up and asked the same question - he left a word out. Again, if you're going to point out that there's a word that's unparliamentary, I'd ask in the future to at least tell the member that it's unparliamentary and ask him to reword it and at least allow him to ask the question.

MR. SPEAKER: The point is well taken. I'll take that into consideration. Thank you.

GOVERNMENT BUSINESS

The honourable Government House Leader.

HON. FRANK CORBETT: Mr. Speaker, could you please call the order of business, Private and Local Bills for Second Reading.

PRIVATE AND LOCAL BILLS FOR SECOND READING

MR. SPEAKER: The honourable Government House Leader.

MR. CORBETT: Mr. Speaker, would you please call Bill No. 43.

Bill No. 43 - Congregation of the Baptist Church at Canard.

MR. SPEAKER: The honourable member for Kings North.

MR. JIM MORTON: Mr. Speaker, I rise to speak on the second reading of Bill No. 43. The name of the bill is an Act to Amend Chapter 6 of the Acts of 1844, an Act to authorize the Congregation of the Baptist Church at Canard, in Cornwallis, to appoint Trustees to take charge of the said Church, and Cemetery adjoining the same, and to enclose and ornament the same.

[Page 1631]

It is a long name, and I think it is somewhat fitting, actually, that it has a long name, because the cemetery has a very long history. It was actually - this Act was proclaimed, as the bill suggests, in 1844 - 166 years ago. I think it occurred with the foresight of the congregation of the church and those who prepared the framework for the cemetery.

Many of the congregation at that time would have been descendants of New England Planters, who I think took a keen interest in regulations and order as a population. In fact, their settlement here in Nova Scotia gave them some entitlement to the rule of law. It is probably fitting, too, that this bill is being suggested for amendment this year, because 2010 marks the 250th Anniversary of the arrival of the first New England Planters in Nova Scotia, and many of those people actually settled in what became known as the Township of Cornwallis. That is where the First Cornwallis Baptist Church is located.

The church is actually situated on the corner of Middle Dyke Road and Canard Street in Kings County. For those of you in this House who aren't so familiar with the area, that would be almost in the centre of Kings North, the riding that I represent. It is near a very impressive crop of blueberries known as Blueberry Acres, which I would welcome you to have a look at sometime in late August or early September. It is a wonderful experience. It is about a stone's throw from Sheffield Mills, which is the home of Eagle Watch, a February holiday, which brings hundreds, if not thousands, of people from Nova Scotia and probably across the world to look at hundreds of bald eagles. One of the really impressive things about that particular event - because I think it stimulates the winter economy - are the number of cameras and expensive photographic equipment that people bring there so I think it's just one of those things that drives our economy. (Interruption) They've got a great pancake breakfast, I'm hearing one of my colleagues say, and it is delicious, although probably not good for cholesterol levels.

The cemetery itself is located across the road, as we would say in the country, from the church. It has been lovingly groomed by members of the congregation through the fund that they've set up for more than a century and a half. If you're standing in the cemetery and looking off to the southeast, you get a panoramic view of the marshlands, which gives you a good sense of what the Annapolis Valley looks like at its most beautiful. To the southwest it looks off across farms and homes toward Kentville.

The church, the cemetery and, in fact, Canard, Upper Canard and Lower Canard might be one of the most beautiful parts of the beautiful Annapolis Valley. Of course, if you'd like to see that location, you don't have to wait for next year's Eagle Watch. We're just on the cusp of the Apple Blossom Festival, one of the largest parades in eastern Canada and I'd welcome all the members of the House to come out and participate in that. Some will, I know.

[Page 1632]

Over the years, this Act that I'm speaking of today has been amended several times as circumstances and needs have changed. A primary purpose of the existing Act is to manage an investment trust fund and the interest of the fund is reserved for the purpose of maintaining the cemetery. So the situation that the board of the church finds itself at this time is that over the years the board has been a careful steward of the funds that it has had at its disposal.

Probably 20 or more years ago the board made some very wise investments, which have grown significantly, so at this point the interest available now far exceeds the requirements for actually maintaining the cemetery, which is a problem that the church has decided to deal with in a very interesting way and, in fact, I would say it's a positive problem to have. The trustees and the congregation of Cornwallis Baptist have developed and agreed upon ideas about how to better utilize the resources that the trust fund provides.

The changes proposed in this amendment to the Act enable the trustees of the cemetery to use 80 per cent of the surplus income from the trust funds held for the operation of the cemetery for charitable purposes, whereas in the past, all of the funds were intended to be used for the cemetery upkeep itself. It also, as an additional function in this amendment, clarifies the specific membership of the Board of Trustees so that the right people are there.

In their consideration of these proposed amendments, the church has been conscious that it is the steward for a resource that could be effectively utilized for the good of the community it serves. The church believes that the surplus now existing in the cemetery fund should be used, to, quote from their language, in the spirit of Christian charity and not for the benefit of church operating expenses. It is also, and wisely I think, committed to the maintenance and growth of the trusted administrators.

First Cornwallis Baptist Church and its Pastor, Reverend Dr. Peter Lohnes, have been leaders in recognizing the needs of those who are most disadvantaged in the areas of Canard and Canning and beyond. They have seen the problems of hunger, problems with home heating and social exclusion. Dr. Lohnes himself has worked to bring members of the religious and wider communities together to consider solutions to these problems.

The amendments proposed in this bill are examples of this leadership. They're an illustration, I think, of the generosity of the members of the First Cornwallis Baptist Church and they're also - I think these amendments are - a creative means of preserving the cemetery and the heritage and the beauty of the area while reaching out to address the needs of the living.

I stand here, Mr. Speaker, pleased and proud to have introduced this bill. I hope that we'll have the support of the whole House. I know that its success will be a credit to the membership of the First Cornwallis Baptist Church and it will make an important

[Page 1633]

contribution to the welfare of the communities that I'm fortunate enough to represent. Thank you for the opportunity to speak on this bill. I move second reading of Bill No. 43.

MR. SPEAKER: The motion is for second reading of Bill No. 43. Would all those in favour of the motion please say Aye. Contrary minded, Nay.

The motion is carried.

Ordered that this bill be referred to the Committee on Private and Local Bills.

The honourable Government House Leader.

HON. FRANK CORBETT: Mr. Speaker, would you please call Bill No.49

Bill No. 49 - Royal Cape Breton Yacht Club.

MR. SPEAKER: The honourable member for Cape Breton South.

HON. MANNING MACDONALD: Mr. Speaker, I'm tempted to regale the House about the exploits of the Royal Cape Breton Yacht Club for the past 100 years but I think I'll probably save that for another day. I know that it would be very interesting for everybody, but today I'm just going to move Bill No. 49 for second reading.

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

The motion is carried.

Ordered that this bill be referred to the Committee on Private and Local Bills.

The honourable Government House Leader.

HON. FRANK CORBETT: Mr. Speaker, would you please call the order of business, Public Bills for Second Reading.

PUBLIC BILLS FOR SECOND READING

MR. SPEAKER: The honourable Government House Leader.

HON. FRANK CORBETT: Mr. Speaker, would you please call Bill No. 22.

Bill No. 22 - Security and Investigative Services Act.

[Page 1634]

MR. SPEAKER: The honourable Minister of Justice.

HON. ROSS LANDRY: Mr. Speaker, I'm pleased today to ask support for this important piece of legislation, an Act Respecting the Provision of Security Services and Investigative Services. The private security industry plays a valuable role in safeguarding life and property, enhancing public safety and security in Nova Scotia. The Department of Justice is responsible for regulating and monitoring the private security industry in the province to ensure the safety interests of the general public are protected.

Mr. Speaker, here in Nova Scotia the existing Private Investigators and Private Guards Act has not been amended in more than 35 years. It only requires private guards and private investigators for hire to be licensed. There is also no training requirements under the existing legislation. Governments are accountable to citizens to ensure that such legislation provides for overall public safety and meets the private security needs of the general public.

This bill will repeal and replace the existing Private Investigators and Private Guards Act. Security guards, private investigators and other individuals offering protection services to Nova Scotians should be screened, licensed and properly trained in their duties. This bill will do that. I will expand coverage to include in-house security guards and private investigators who interact with the public as well as bouncers, bodyguards and the Canadian Corps of Commissionaires.

In recent years we have heard about incidents in our bars where patrons have been injured and where private security guards themselves have been injured. The inclusion of mandatory training in this bill will ensure individuals have the knowledge and skills to perform their duties, to better protect themselves and the citizens of Nova Scotia. Security personnel will also benefit. This bill will introduce portable individual licences. If individuals meet all licensing requirements, they will be able to manage their own licences and change employers without having to reapply for a new licence and pay for another licensing fee. Portable licensing will create a pool of licensed individuals who will be available to work - immediately allowing companies to fulfill contracts and carry on business in a competitive market.

The bill will also include introduction of a code of conduct and establishes a formal regime for investigation, inspections, complaints and appeals. There are about 3,800 licensed security personnel in Nova Scotia now and we expect that that will grow significantly once additional security sectors are regulated. This bill will bring Nova Scotians into line with other Canadian provinces such as British Columbia, Alberta, Manitoba, Ontario, Quebec which have introduced similar legislation.

[2:15 p.m.]

[Page 1635]

This legislation is several years in the making. In 2007, staff at the Department of Justice began consulting with stakeholders by distributing a discussion paper and holding a series of meetings allowing Nova Scotians to have input. In the Spring of 2009, the proposed bill was posted on the department's Web site allowing further input that is reflected in legislation I introduced today. Once this bill is passed, the Department of Justice will be consulting with the industry once again as we develop standards and draft regulations. Input from the security industry is not only valuable, it is necessary for ensuring that we get these regulations right - right for Nova Scotia business and right for public safety.

I believe the new bill will provide an up-to-date regulatory framework which will increase public confidence in the level of professionalism of the private security industry. It will also reduce the opportunities for criminal activity to take place. In closing, I urge the members to support this bill so that we can get on with developing these important regulations. Thank you.

MR. SPEAKER: The honourable member for Richmond.

HON. MICHEL SAMSON: Mr. Speaker, as the Justice Critic for the Official Opposition, I'm pleased to rise and make a few remarks with regard to Bill No. 22, the Security and Investigative Services Act. This legislation, and the intent of this legislation, is very familiar to our caucus. As you will recall, our colleague, the member for Halifax Clayton Park, had introduced legislation on this very issue a few years ago.

It was in response to some of the events which had taken place, especially here in metro where there were some unfortunate incidents involving private security guards. In fact, I'm sure the member for Halifax Clayton Park will remind us of the stabbing that did take place following a youth dance at the old Halifax Forum and the very serious injuries that were encountered as a result, which did raise the issue of what training is made available to private security guards here in Nova Scotia only to find out that at the time there was very little training, there was only a licensing requirement.

The minister has indicated it's been almost 35 years since there has been a review and an update of the legislation relating to security and investigative services here in the Province of Nova Scotia. The bill that has been tabled by the government in many ways mirrors the legislation that was brought in by my colleague the member for Halifax Clayton Park so we're certainly pleased to see that legislation is moving. In fact, the legislation that my colleague, the member for Halifax Clayton Park, had introduced a few years ago didn't get second reading and unfortunately it died a natural death on the order paper and did not proceed any further than that.

One of the issues I wanted to raise, which was brought to my attention by counsel for one of the largest employers in Nova Scotia is the issue of how this will impact in-house security. In-house security is - for example, some of our large employers here in the province

[Page 1636]

have their own security personnel which they use. Now, the definition in the legislation says that if those security personnel have any interaction with the public they need to fall under the provisions of this bill.

The argument that is being made by at least one of our largest employers in the province, which I am suspecting may be showing up at the Law Amendments Committee process, is that, for the most part, our security personnel only deal with our employees. Now, is it possible they will deal with the public? Very rarely, but it is possible. Someone could be dropping off a resumé, someone could be delivering something to the place of employment and therefore, technically, they are dealing with members of the public. But, for the most part, their job is to deal with the staff of that specific workplace.

I know they do have some concerns. I'm hoping the minister will be open to hearing those concerns and seeing what possible amendments could be put in place so that we are not unnecessarily adding regulatory burdens to employers in Nova Scotia, especially at a time when we are talking about reducing red tape. I would certainly hope the government is not looking at putting unnecessary burdens on some of our largest employers in dealing with their own in-house security staff.

The minister has indicated that this will now apply to bouncers, bodyguards, commissionaires, investigators. It's amazing that we've allowed ourselves in this province to go this long without ensuring that these individuals practising this profession are not receiving mandatory levels of training.

The minister has highlighted some of the issues that have happened, especially downtown and in other licensed establishments where either the bouncers themselves have been injured, or that they, unfortunately, have caused injury to other parties. I can tell you, having gone to university here in the city and having frequented downtown, you quickly see that when there are incidents, these bouncers have little to no time to react. From the time that they encounter someone who is creating a disruption to the time that person is outside on the street is a matter of seconds. It's not a matter where they get to have a chit-chat with the person and get to have a discussion. They have to react very quickly, and in doing so they have to make decisions which I'm sure, upon review, may not have been the best decision.

Hopefully with this mandatory training, it will give them the opportunity to have the necessary skills in dealing with what are clearly very difficult situations. Especially for bouncers, in many cases, the individuals they're dealing with have consumed significant amounts of alcohol, which makes it that much more of a difficult situation - which I'm sure that the Minister of Justice, with his background, would have probably had significant experience in as well. So any training that can be made available there certainly is going to be welcome in assisting them in carrying out their duties and assisting the public who frequent establishments and have to have contact with either bouncers, bodyguards, commissionaires, or others.

[Page 1637]

Certainly I think the issue of the licensing being portable is very valuable, because I know in smaller communities, for example, some of the establishments, if they're holding special events, will only hire bouncers for those special events. They're not people they keep on staff, they're not people that they can provide employment on a regular basis, but on the odd occasion when they are doing an event, they call upon these bouncers. I think certainly it would be a reduction in red tape, having the licence portable so that these establishments don't have to apply or the individual being hired as a bouncer doesn't have to apply to get a licence for every single event. Certainly I think that that's going to be a welcome addition and will reduce some of the regulatory burden involved with that.

When you hear the figure of 3,800 Nova Scotians who are hired within these professions, it's certainly an indication of the amount of people who rely upon this for their employment and practice in this profession. The minister has indicated that with the new rules he expects there might be even more who will be registering, especially with the fact that their licences will be portable. We will see in good time whether those numbers do increase.

I wanted to take this opportunity again to thank my colleague, the member for Halifax Clayton Park, because had she not brought this forward to start off with, I'm not sure if the discussion which has led to Bill No. 22 being brought forward here would have taken place. Unfortunately, when my colleague, the member for Halifax Clayton Park, did bring it forward, it was while in Opposition - while, in fact, in the Third Party at the time, and under a minority government where no bills were assured easy passage in the House. We now have a bill that's being presented by a majority government that clearly does have the numbers to be able to make this bill go forward through the legislative process, and I'm certainly hopeful that that will take place.

Prior to that, I am certainly hopeful that the minister will be open to any potential amendments which may come during the Law Amendments Committee stage, of which he is the chairman. I can tell you, in my 12-plus years in this Chamber, I believe I've been a member of the Law Amendments Committee for those 12 years. We have seen many great ideas come forward by presenters, many practical suggestions which have been adopted by the governments of the day. It certainly worked very well under a minority situation in the fact that the two Opposition Parties could vote together to make amendments to the bill. I didn't get much of a chance in the Fall to assist in the Law Amendments Committee process, but I'm certainly hopeful that during this session the government will be open to friendly amendments to their legislation, whether it's on Bill No. 22 or whether it's on other pieces of legislation, because the Law Amendments Committee system does work.

We would only hope that there would be better ways of notifying Nova Scotians of this. Unfortunately, many are not aware of legislation that is going through this Chamber and the impacts on them, but we do still have a number of individuals and groups that do make

[Page 1638]

it a point to come and share with us their concerns and their positive suggestions regarding legislation. I have no doubt that Bill No. 22 will probably attract a number of presenters as well.

With that, Mr. Speaker, again I commend my colleague, the member for Halifax Clayton Park, for having brought this issue forward, created a debate on the matter, and brought forward legislation, which I agree with the Minister of Justice, I believe it will be a positive step and a move in the right direction for our province. With that, I thank you for the opportunity to make those comments.

MR. SPEAKER: The honourable member for Cumberland South.

HON. MURRAY SCOTT: Mr. Speaker, I want to begin by - the honourable member for Richmond mentioned he wasn't able to take part in a lot of the process in the Fall and I know he was preoccupied, I believe with an addition to his house. So I think on behalf of all the members here, we all want to say congratulations, but we're also hoping the honourable member is getting a longer night's sleep, hopefully, these days. Anyway, it's good to see him with us.

Mr. Speaker, in seriousness, I want to first of all congratulate the minister on bringing forward Bill No. 22. I remember when the member for Halifax Clayton Park actually brought the issue before the House as a result of issues that happened in HRM, and I want to congratulate her as well for that initiative at the time, and I want to congratulate the minister.

This bill reminds me a lot, when I listened to the minister speak, it reminds me a lot of what - when you look at other enforcement agencies in the Province of Nova Scotia and Atlantic Canada - it reminds me of those, the number of years how it evolved from basically police officers in Nova Scotia, many years ago, when you were sworn in as a police officer, you received a gun and a badge and you were basically told to go out and do the job. It has gone from that, fortunately today, where we have, I believe, some of most highly skilled, trained professional police officers in this country, right here in this province, as a result of very good training that's available at the Atlantic Police Academy and obviously through the Royal Canadian Mounted Police depot training out in the western part of our country, in Regina, Saskatchewan.

This bill is certainly a step in the right direction. It's a good bill. There are a couple of things that I'm hoping the Department of Justice will have a look at. I know at second reading I'm not allowed to go through each part of this bill, but there are a couple of things that I wanted to highlight. As I read through the bill, I noticed that there's talk about volunteer organizations that have people doing volunteer security work for them, and I use the example of Legions. When Legions in Nova Scotia have events and they have to hire or put in place volunteers, individuals who will do security work for them, there's going to be a concern with them, as I know there will be with small bars for example throughout the

[Page 1639]

province, in regard to the cost of training and the ability to allow staff to actually leave their employment to take advantage of the training.

So I hope the Department of Justice will look at, when they do the regulations - I'm sure there's going to be some fees attached to this licensing - I'm hoping they'll give consideration to allowing some of those fees collected to be considered available for those who will be placed at a disadvantage in regard to trying to find resources and the time for their staff to take advantage of this training.

Now, just back to the Legions, I noticed in here that they talk about those who are volunteering their time and there are some exemptions available. I also want to raise the issue, for example, of search and rescue. I know in my own area search and rescue organizations provide a tremendous amount of support services for organizations in the community, particularly police departments when it comes to security issues. I'm hoping, again, the Department of Justice will ensure that there's no additional burden placed on these organizations as they try to provide a very valuable service to the community.

I would be interested to know as well - the minister talked about consultation that has taken place over the last three years in the Department of Justice and the communities throughout Nova Scotia. I'm hoping the minister can provide us with some indication of who those organizations were that actually made representation to the department, what type of consultation was held with them, and what their suggestions and recommendations were and, in fact, if those recommendations and suggestions are reflected in this legislation.

There is an issue of rural versus urban. When you have large organizations in an urban area where they have the ability to place men or women in training, to take advantage of training that's available, and have other people prepared and able to take their place, as compared to maybe in rural areas where there may only be one individual who is working for or volunteering for an organization where they may not have that luxury. So I'm hoping the department will consider those as well.

[2:30 p.m.]

I hope, Mr. Speaker, that the restaurant and bar association of this province, which represents businesses large and small in this province, I'm hoping that they have had an opportunity, if they don't prior to this bill, certainly I'm sure they will at the Law Amendments Committee, to have their input in regard to this bill because I believe it will have a tremendous impact on this bill.

A couple of other things, Mr. Speaker. The bill talks about those who apply and who end up actually being - possibly end up with their licence either suspended or taken away. I noticed in the bill there doesn't seem to - there's an opportunity for the Registrar to refuse to renew a licence and I understand that. There's also an opportunity for a review, I understand that, but one thing I don't see in here is whether there's actual documentation

[Page 1640]

shared with the individual to show to them, prove to them why, in fact, they are being suspended or not being allowed to renew their licence. I think that's very important, to ensure that someone who is placed in this situation be given the opportunity to have full documentation in regard to what information has been used to either suspend or to refuse to renew that licence.

Again, this is a good bill. There are lots of opportunities in this to make our communities safer, to offer opportunity for those who want to take part in these professions in regard to security and obviously investigative services, to be better enhanced with good training. I'm very supportive, I know our caucus is, of not only training but especially education. I think a lot of times over the years education would have helped a lot in regard to some of the issues we've seen in that respect throughout Nova Scotia.

I am hoping that the Department of Justice and the minister will consider some of the thoughts from this side of the House. Obviously it's a bill that we will support going to the Law Amendments Committee. I do look forward to those who are most affected in the industry coming forward at the Law Amendments Committee and sharing their views. I, like my colleague the member for Richmond, really hope the Minister of Justice and the department will give full consideration to those suggestions made by those individuals.

Mr. Speaker, with those few comments, I'll now take my place and we look forward to passage of this, with our support from this side of the House, to the Law Amendments Committee for further consideration. Thank you.

MR. SPEAKER: The honourable member for Halifax Clayton Park.

MS. DIANA WHALEN: Thank you so much, Mr. Speaker. I am pleased today to have a chance to speak a little bit on second reading of Bill No. 22, which is an Act Respecting the Provision of Security and Investigative Services.

As was mentioned by a couple of the other members here, I had originally brought in a bill that had a similar intent, although it was more streamlined and, as was mentioned, it was brought in when, of course, we were in Opposition, as I still am, but even as a bill coming in as a Private Member's Bill in Opposition, it did receive second reading. That was in November 2008. The bill actually was introduced in December 2007. So clearly this is something - and at the time at second reading it was clear, all three Parties of the House were in favour of taking action on this and recognized the need for improvements and standards and changes to the way that this very important category of work is managed and regulated.

We've heard that there are thousands of people who are employed in this sector. The concern I had in 2007 and continue to have is that we have so many people who are able to don a uniform, go out and take a job where the public expects that they are going to be protected and where the individual should be concerned for their own safety, and that person

[Page 1641]

has not got the training or the preparation really needed to do their job properly and it is left very much to the employers. We should say the employers have many times offered their own in-house training or have offered training through other programs but they are not mandatory, Mr. Speaker.

What we wanted to see was that everybody employed in that field would have a minimum level of training, to protect themselves on the job and so that the public could have confidence and know that they are protected as well, when they are at a public event or at a place where there are large crowds. Or, as was mentioned, if you're in an establishment where there's a lot of people and there is drinking, you want to know that there is safety for both the patrons and for the people working.

What had led me to bring this forward in the first instance was an issue of a dance that was held at the Halifax Forum in the summertime several years ago where it got out of hand and a number, in fact I think two or three, of the security guards were stabbed. They were hospitalized, thank goodness nobody died, but it was really by the grace of God that nobody died because when you're having fights like that, it can be life and death. It just pointed out to me that these young men who had been hurt were actually university students who were just making a little money and had taken this job to make some money. So, you realize that they really had no preparation to step in there. As a parent, I worried about that. I thought this isn't right, that we should have, at least, the knowledge that they had gone through minimum training. So that was my intent in the initial go round of bringing in Bill No. 88, a number of years ago.

Now, I'm just very pleased that we've come full circle and now the government has brought their own bill in. I can lament that Bill No. 88 didn't pass a few years ago, especially where it had all-Party support. But it was held up in the Legislature and the House closed, as it is apt to do on short notice and it did not finish its way through the process.

So we have a lot more to look at in Bill No. 22, Mr. Speaker. We, again, are addressing the issue of safety for the public as well as occupational health and safety for the people who are donning those uniforms and playing that role as either a security guard, bouncer, bodyguard or investigator and I know that they've captured a lot of different categories in this bill.

Mr. Speaker, one of the concerns I have is, again, that a lot will come out in regulation with this bill. There is a lot more that needs to be spelled out in terms of the standards of training - what exactly is it going to require, how long it is going to take and so on. I'm anxious to see that and to know that people in the industry are going to be involved as that evolves.

I just wanted to make the point, and I'll certainly be listening at the Committee on Law Amendments to see if this is raised again, but the fact that the Department of Justice

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staff have talked on a number of occasions about a made-in-Nova Scotia solution, that we're going to develop our, sort of, plan and our standards on our own for Nova Scotia. I would remind the members of the House and you, Mr. Speaker, that we are a very small province and a number of other provinces have already enacted legislation, so they would provide models for what to do. We also have Canadian standards which are in place.

I wanted to refer to those, because right now, today, if a security company is going to provide any security service in a federal building, they need to be federally certified. There is a complete standard in place by the Government of Canada, it has a standard number and it basically provides a standard and complete training and certification program and it requires re-certification - it lays everything out to keep that licence current. Of course our Corps of Commissionaires would be meeting that standard because they do the security on, I think, virtually all of the federal buildings, if I'm not mistaken, port security and in other places.

So, knowing that we have a standard in place already that would meet the needs of, probably, 85 per cent of the employment categories that are captured in this bill. It would certainly meet the needs, I think, of security guards, the private guards, the in-house security and the commissionaires. That group together represents 85 per cent of the groups that are being talked about in this bill. There are a few other smaller ones that are in this as well that wouldn't be as much affected.

But I think my urging here would be that the government look at what is in place federally, because they have an exhaustive, extensive program in place and it is something that we could pick up and begin to introduce here, whether it is in-house with companies or through another training mechanism. It is available now and I don't think that we should delay the implementation of this Act while we wait to develop standards that are different from that here in our own province.

I just think that what, to me, is a shame is that we've already wasted three years. This should have been done earlier and the government has been looking at it for some time. So, Mr. Speaker, I just feel that as they go forward to write the regulations that will allow this to be come active and to put it into play, we have to consider what is going to meet the needs that we have, provide us with that security for the public and safety for the workers and do it in as an efficient way as possible.

So, I'm really asking today that they look at those standards, those Canadian Government standards in order to see if that doesn't meets the needs for a core curriculum in how we move forward.

Again, if we're going to try and develop it in-house and then manage it - because remember when you put a training program in place, you have to be able to come back periodically and ensure that the standards are being met. That the people who have been

[Page 1643]

trained are still meeting what we set out in our licensing, that they're actually getting the right training and have successfully learned the skills they need to know.

That means a lot of follow-up as well. It isn't just the enormous amount of time it will take Department of Justice staff to develop them. It means setting up a regime where you have an ongoing quality control and follow-up and enforcement of those standards. I think we should - because there's an existing system in place with those people that will come and monitor your success and whether or not you're meeting the standards, I think we should seriously look at adopting that as we go forward. I think that's the way to do it.

I think my main concern is, I don't want to see a tremendous delay while this bill passes here and then goes off to the bureaucracy to have the regulations developed. As we've seen in other bills, that can sometimes take years. I believe the safety of the public and the safety of the workers is paramount here. The sooner we can take action to put a standard in place and start moving on that, the better. I just feel it's very important, and in the enacting of these regulations - I know the minister has spoken to industry members and the companies and the owners of those companies that are active in Nova Scotia, but I think it's very important that dialogue continue and that there be an open consultative process as the regulations are developed.

These are our companies and employers who understand very much how it's going to impact them as they introduce these new standards into their business model. It's important that we understand whether it's doable, whether they can achieve what's being suggested. I know the training can be achieved. I'm talking about some of the other things that are built in around it, that have to do with the employment standards for the employer.

There are some concerns there is some significant cost for an employer in this model, and I just want to make sure they feel they've been listened to and that they have the opportunity to participate in that. I know it's not the normal process of the House - or really of government - to involve others in developing regulations, but I think in order to remain true to that spirit of co-operation there should be at least a reasonable amount of consultation and dialogue as we go forward.

I know we'll have an opportunity to speak again at third reading as we go through with more detail on the bill, but with those few comments, I simply wanted to let the government know some of my concerns. I'm extremely supportive of the idea of training - I certainly want to let you know that. I think this is an essential piece of legislation that we needed to have in place.

Nobody I have spoken to in the industry themselves has ever suggested that we don't need the training. I think that the players - both employees and employers - have said they are supportive of this because they know that it professionalizes a group of employees. It gives them skills that are going to be good for the province and good for them individually.

[Page 1644]

I think that's well accepted. I don't want to suggest that anybody has ever said they don't need it. I think they realize we need to improve this industry to make it all that it can be.

So I know we'll hear from more people at the Law Amendments Committee. I look forward to that debate then and to seeing this return on third reading. Thank you.

MR. SPEAKER: The honourable member for Dartmouth East.

MR. ANDREW YOUNGER: Mr. Speaker, I'm pleased to rise and speak to this bill. First of all, for the record, let me say that I support the principle of the bill, and as both the previous members for the Official Opposition have stated, the member for Halifax Clayton Park introduced a bill that probably would have been a much more appropriate bill to introduce at this time. It would have addressed the immediate need while allowing the government to continue on and look at the other needs.

The member for Cumberland South had asked the question about consultation and what changes. It was interesting to attend the press briefing of the Minister of Justice where he was asked that very question by the media. They asked him what changes had occurred to this bill as a result of the consultation, and he said none. At the end of my remarks, I'm going to table over 100 pages of letters and other documents the minister has received from organizations expressing concern about the bill in its current form.

I know a number of these groups, including a representative of the Canadian Corps of Commissionaires, on behalf of 1,700 commissionaires, is planning to appear at the Law Amendments Committee to ask for a delay in this bill - not opposing the bill, very clearly I want to state they are not opposing the bill, but asking that it be delayed until the regulations are posted.

I think this is reasonable, because I've listened to the minister's comments in the press briefing as well as in the House and he's indicated that he does not anticipate this bill coming into force for at least a year.

[2:45 p.m.]

Well, Mr. Speaker, the Canadian Corps of Commissionaires and the university associations - who have all expressed concern about this bill in its current form and concern primarily around what the regulations might say, in fairness - have received a letter in the last week stating that the draft regulations would be available within three or four days following the passage of this bill. Now, if the draft regulations are going to be available within three or four days after the passing of this bill, that says to me they must be available now, and there is no reason why the minister shouldn't table those draft regulations so that we can see what we're getting into because this bill hinges almost exclusively on the regulations.

[Page 1645]

We have no information in the bill, as it is written, on the use of force model, and we have no information on how it impacts some of the large employers that the member for Richmond referred to. It strikes me that this is going to move on to the Law Amendments Committee, perhaps as early as tomorrow, I guess, and a number of the organizations that may be on the list may or may not be able to suddenly arrive by nine o'clock tomorrow morning and be there, yet they have expressed these concerns in letter after letter, not only to this Justice Minister, but to the member for Cape Breton North when he was the minister - and I will table those letters as well - the concern is around knowing exactly what the impact will be.

I believe that I am being told the truth by members in the industry when they say to me that they support the bill. I honestly believe that they are telling me the truth, that they support the principle and that what their concern is are the regulations, because it is difficult for them to speak to it without knowing what those are.

They also express concern that the provincial Department of Justice in 2007 put out a discussion paper, entitled Regulating Private Security in Nova Scotia, as a preamble to this bill - and perhaps in response as well to the bill of the member for Halifax Clayton Park. The results were released in April 2007 and yet many of the key things that the industry had recommended to strengthen this bill are not actually included in this bill, and they have yet to actually receive an answer from the department as to why.

The other thing we do not have an answer for, and the Minister of Finance is here today and he has spoken quite eloquently about the need to contain costs - we all know that, we need to contain costs - and the Minister of Justice at the press conference was unable to put a price tag on what this bill is going to cost, because as it is currently written it envisions setting up a new administrative structure within the Department of Justice to actually administer the licensing of this bill. Most of the people who have made guesses have made fairly high guesses as to what the annual cost of this is.

I would think that at a time when we are concerned about the finances of the province, we would not entertain passing a bill that the Minister of Justice says he isn't even ready to enact for over a year from now - which means at least one more session of the Legislature - and which we don't have the firm costs on, and where there is concern about what the regulations are.

Mr. Speaker, I have some reasonable level of certainty that the bill, if it was tabled with the regulations and we knew what we were getting into, might even receive unanimous consent of the House at the end of the day, knowing that everybody knows what is going to happen. But I know that members of this Party have been burned before supporting a bill that then the regulations actually changed what everybody understood the intent was.

Over and over - no, not by you guys - we have now heard and I know that some of these people intend to appear, at least have registered for the Law Amendments Committee,

[Page 1646]

but the commissionaires of Nova Scotia, representing 1,700 people, all the university security agencies have now gotten together and raised the same concern, and the volunteer firefighter associations have now come forward and expressed concern about what the regulations might say, and that has to concern every member of this House.

While I can accept this going forward to the Law Amendments Committee at this time, I really must ask that the Minister of Justice, since his own department has now sent out a letter saying the regulations will be available within three or four days of this bill passing, that he table those draft regulations now - today, this week - so that we all know what it is that we are talking about, what it is that we are talking about when it comes to the use of force model, what it is that we're talking about when it comes to how it impacts the security agencies that the member for Richmond was talking about, and exactly what the training regime will be to ensure that the intent of the member for Halifax Clayton Park's original bill is actually carried through in this bill because at this point we don't even have enough in the bill to know that that intent will be carried forward.

With that, I will retire my remarks at this point. I will table this, over 100 pages of documentation, including letters back and forth between the minister's office and the previous minister's office and industry officials just asking that this clarity be provided. I hope that this will be addressed and I hope that it will be passed on to the Minister of Justice that we ask that he table the draft regulations this week before it comes for final reading.

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

The honourable Minister of Finance.

HON. GRAHAM STEELE: Mr. Speaker, on behalf of my colleague, the Minister of Justice, I would like to thank all members for their interventions. As always, we are open to constructive suggestions for change, whether they're coming from the Opposition at this stage or at the next stage or through the Law Amendments Committee process. All remarks made in this House will, of course, be carefully considered since we all want the bill to be as good as it can possibly be. On behalf of my colleague, the Minister of Justice, I would now move second reading of this bill.

MR. SPEAKER: The motion is for second reading of Bill No. 22. Would all those in favour of the motion please say Aye. Contrary minded, Nay.

The motion is carried.

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

The honourable Government House Leader.

[Page 1647]

HON. FRANK CORBETT: Mr. Speaker, would you please call Bill No. 35.

Bill No. 35 - Finance Act.

MR. SPEAKER: The honourable Minister of Finance.

HON. GRAHAM STEELE: Mr. Speaker, I'm here today to move for second reading Bill No. 35, which will repeal the Provincial Finance Act and introduce a new Finance Act. The Provincial Finance Act came into existence in 1942. Some of its provisions appear to go as far back as 1923. Since 1942, the last substantial revision to the Act was in 1962 and since then, there have been piecemeal amendments made over many years through many different bills.

This is the first time in over 40 years that the Act as a whole has been rewritten in its entirety. While I admit it may not be a particularly exciting topic for many people, it is an important one for the financial administration of the government of this province. If passed, this new Finance Act will take effect on August 1st of this year.

The move to repeal the current Provincial Finance Act and replace it with a new Finance Act was driven by a need to modernize the language, bring clarity, and improve control to certain sections of the current Act. I would like to mention that, among other things of course, we are changing the title. I thought it somewhat amusing when I looked at the Statutes of the province that the Provincial Finance Act was right between the Provincial Dog Act and the Provincial Fish Act, just ahead of the Provincial Fossil Act. It seemed to me that among other things we should just put it under "F" for Finance where it belonged. It is itself a bit of a fossil, as I've just said.

This new Finance Act, as I said, brings the Act up-to-date and uses modern language to govern the financial administration of the entire government. The new Finance Act, among other things, clearly addresses spending authority, a clearly fundamental role of this House and for the executive branch. This Act outlines five key sources of spending authority when each source of authority is required, removing any existing ambiguity. The five main sources of spending authority are, first, an appropriation; second, an additional appropriation; third, 50 per cent of the previous year's appropriation if there is no budget, as happened in the last fiscal year; fourth, a special warrant; or finally fifth, a final additional appropriation for year-end adjustments.

In addition, since the last major revision of the Provincial Finance Act, the province has adopted Generally Accepted Accounting Principles for the public sector, referred to in the jargon in the Department of Finance, which is replete with acronyms as PSGAAP. The language of the new Finance Act has been updated to be consistent with those principles which now govern the financial administration of the province, and while sometimes subtle, these wording changes are significant in financial management because they reflect the

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province's use of accrual accounting rather than cash accounting. Regarding financial transactions, the Finance Act will provide, if adopted, clear instructions to government entities on the requirements to get approval from Governor in Council or Treasury Board before committing government to future debt or operating funding obligations.

Another new addition to the Finance Act is the annual borrowing plan. It improves Governor in Council's control and oversight over borrowings and reflects the true workings of the capital markets. The new Finance Act requires an annual borrowing plan to be approved by Governor in Council before any borrowings are completed. Then, as Minister of Finance, I would have the responsibility to execute the borrowing plan as determined appropriate throughout the year.

Mr. Speaker, one of the oddities that struck me after I became the Minister of Finance is that under the existing practice the province would borrow money, sometimes in the hundreds of millions, even billions, of dollars, and then seek Cabinet approval. Needless to say, the first time I saw this process in action, I said to the Department of Finance that that makes no sense, why do we do it that way? The answer was a variation on, well, that's the way that we've always done it. I also asked the question, well, what would happen if Cabinet said no? The answer was essentially, well, no one would ever loan money to the province again. So it only makes sense that the Cabinet should approve the borrowing program in advance and then the Minister of Finance executes it through the very capable staff in our Liability Management and Treasury Services branch.

Mr. Speaker, we have also included in this bill a definition of the Government Reporting Entity, known as the GRE. I have to tell you that this department is just full of acronyms, and some I just refuse to use. Sometimes I just have to say to staff, I'm not ever using that acronym, and I try to take the expressions that they give to me and put it in what I think of as ordinary language. Anyway, the GRE is another one of those. It's defined as representing all entities included in the consolidated financial statements of the province, and this will provide guidance and structure to those looking to create new entities or to understand how a new entity will fit within the Government Reporting Entity.

As I said at the outset, this is fairly dry stuff, but fundamentally important to the proper financial administration of the province. Various definitions within the Finance Act have also been changed to make them more clear and understandable and to avoid ambiguity and confusion. For example, the term "consolidated fund" will be changed to "general revenue fund." This will provide clarity, as the term "consolidated fund" is often confused with the consolidated financial statements of the province, which are an entirely different thing - but both use the word "consolidated." The definition of "department" has also been changed to refer to those entities created under the Public Service Act. The definition in the current Act extends to entities that are potentially not controlled by the province, and obviously that's something that we need to avoid.

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Finally, another example of the changes that this rewrite would enact if adopted by this House is that "sale of Crown assets" has been changed to "sale of real property of the Government Reporting Entity." Real property is a well-understood legal term, and the requirement of net monetary proceeds being returned to the general revenue fund is considered by us to be appropriate control over public money.

I do understand that these measures and this rewriting of the provincial Finance Act may seem technical; however, they are essential for a modern and relevant Finance Act and essential for the proper financial administration of the government of the province.

MR. SPEAKER: The honourable member for Kings West.

[3:00 p.m.]

MR. LEO GLAVINE: Mr. Speaker, I just really want to say a few words about the Finance Act. I think the process of modernizing the Provincial Finance Act was long overdue, as the minister when he took on this portfolio discovered that there were some practices and processes that did need updating. So having the Act go through an overhaul that would make it more responsive and more in tune with the language of today, finally consistent with GAAP, that probably is one of the strongest aspects of the changes that are in this bill.

The area I want to point out - and my colleague as well, who is a former critic, will also make a few comments today - I think the annual borrowing plan approved by the Government of Canada and then the Finance Minister then executing the plan at his discretion is, in fact, the right order for this process to be executed because we're talking about very large sums of money. I think it would, indeed, be a misfortune for the province if something were to go astray in that process.

While it has a very strong technical component to it, I think it delivers actually a much smoother and much more understandable way of initiating financial transactions in the province, so we'll be pleased to support the Finance Act.

MR. SPEAKER: The honourable member for Argyle.

HON. CHRISTOPHER D'ENTREMONT: Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. I am glad to stand a few moments today and make a couple of comments on the Finance Act, on behalf of our Finance Critic, the member for Inverness. An Act that has been around as long as this one, of course, it is time for its renewal, it's time for its modernization. Government has changed dramatically since 1923, when the original parts of this Act were brought into place. We've gone from very small borrowing programs to extremely large borrowing programs. We've gone from a shaky kind of accounting to Generally Accepted Accounting

[Page 1650]

Principles, ones that we were very happy to bring forward in our term as government and one that we're very happy to see enshrined in the Finance Act.

If I am to question some of the pieces that are in here, it really follows upon what the honourable member for Kings West just spoke to when it comes to the authorization of borrowing plans. We borrow millions if not billions of dollars on an annual basis because a lot of the bonds and pieces come due and we have to go out and borrow them again because, of course, our debt is such that it will be a while before we start paying that down again.

Now, the challenge that I see and maybe it is for the minister to explain further, a lot of times the borrowing division within the Department of Finance really has to be reactive to markets and in some cases there's a good rate to be had on one day and that rate might not be available on the next day, for instance. So I would question the speed at which that division of the Department of Finance is going to be able to react to good bargains or deals when it comes to the interest rates that it will be paying on behalf of Nova Scotians. That division will have to prepare a report and recommendation to Cabinet, and we all know that that takes some time. I think ministers are finding out that as much as we can bring an idea forward to Cabinet and talk about it, by the time the paperwork is done a lot of time goes by. I see the Minister of Fisheries and Aquaculture shaking his head a little bit and his example would be around bringing forward the loan issue from the Load Board, for example. A lot of times it takes time for those things to come forward.

So, even though we accept the updating of this Act, the modernization of this Act, I wonder a little bit about the speed in which we will be able to borrow within the department, making sure that we have, of course, the best type of deal available to Nova Scotians when it comes to borrowing those dollars. With that, I again thank the minister for bringing this forward and, of course, am looking forward to it moving on in the legislative process.

MR. SPEAKER: The honourable member for Halifax Clayton Park.

MS. DIANA WHALEN: Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to be able to rise - and as was said, I am the former Finance Critic for the Liberal Party - and say a few words on the Finance Act, I couldn't let that pass. It is called an Act Respecting Provincial Financial Administration and I do think that it is a good thing and I don't know if that was something in the works when the current Finance Minister arrived or if he initiated it, but it certainly was something that needed to be updated. Usually we hear of it with something that was already in the works.

I did want to say that it is the right thing to do to update the language and to certainly bring our Finance Act into line with the modern accounting trends and the differences in even making the terminology a little bit more accessible, as you say, going from something

[Page 1651]

like the Consolidated Fund, which is a little bit obscure to most people, to calling it the General Revenue Fund, that makes a lot more sense. So, modernizing the language and hopefully, making it a little bit more accessible to people to understand is an important thing.

I'm not sure that I'm the only accountant in the House but I do have an accounting designation so I think I'm one of the few in this House of Assembly and with that in mind I certainly understand GAAP and how we've moved public sector accounting from a cash basis of reporting to looking at the same principles that are in place, by and large, as we have in business reporting and looking at obligations so that in the past if it wasn't cash in or cash out in a given year, it wasn't reported. Now, we have to report what the overall long-term obligations are and recognize them in the year that they're used and there are a lot of other things in place. If we have outstanding obligations for the next year, that would appear on this year's books if we, in fact, incurred it this year.

So those are the kind of things that GAAP takes into account. They take into account things where you have made an obligation this year but you haven't paid it, but you have to

recognize it against this year's revenue. So, it certainly is an important thing to do.

I wanted to just commend the staff in the Department of Finance because I know that the work they do is tremendously complex. The minister mentioned a little bit about the vast sums of money that are being borrowed in order to finance our ongoing operations and then repaid on a regular basis. We have lot of bonds that are coming due and maturing at all times through the year so it becomes a very technical and very sophisticated world that they're working in financially. I think that we are very fortunate to have very qualified and very professional people working in that area, because I know that each of us, as Nova Scotians, rely on their good judgment and on their care and the work they do and certainly the Minister of Finance relies on them, I am sure, to a large degree, because none of us can understand, fully, what they are managing and we need to rely on their skill and expertise. So it is very important to be doing that.

Whenever we talk about the spending authorities and the minister went through what is outlined in Bill No. 35 and that is the five spending authorities - and I quickly jotted them down because I wasn't sure if I could name all five, I now can because he has helped me out there, but as soon as we hear additional appropriations, really our antenna go up as members of the House. The Minister of Finance, himself, was probably the most vocal critic, I shall say, of signficant additional appropriations and money going through, particularly money that was approved and spending approved through Order in Council, and that's what I'm really referring to when Cabinet makes an arbitrary decision to large spending commitments outside of the House of Assembly.

So, we have our regular appropriations which are well-known, but then we have the other things, like special warrants that Cabinet can do or final appropriations that can be done and they don't come back here to the Legislature. We see the original budget and we approve

[Page 1652]

the original budget, but there are a lot of decisions made through the year and we saw over the years quite an increase in the use of that tool under the former government, the government no longer in power, but for the 10 years previously had been, there was a real increase in the use of these powers of Cabinet.

I'm hoping, I haven't had a chance to look at this clause by clause, and I don't imagine there's anything in here that would limit the power of Cabinet or set limits on that use. Because it is outlined here in the bill what the powers are and under which means government can spend money, I think it might be something of use to consider that there be limits or some safeguards put in place to prevent it being overused or even abused as a means to fund a lot of other, I'll call them pet projects, that come up through the year that never came back to the Legislature to be looked at.

I know there have been different private members' bills introduced here suggesting that those expenditures should come back to the Legislature or should be presented to the members of the House so they get a further approval. Ultimately, as a body, as all the members together representing the Legislature, we're responsible for the spending of the province. I think it's really the wrong tack to take to allow the government, and particularly the Cabinet, to sit and make those decisions without any consultation or any sober second thoughts, shall we say, from the rest of the House.

I would like to raise that because I think it was something that was of concern to the Minister of Finance when he was previously the Finance Critic for the Official Opposition. I've told him in the past, I always listened carefully when he spoke as a critic, I thought he often had some very good ideas.

On the sale of real property, I understand he mentioned the renaming of that, that it used to be called the sale of Crown assets. Now it's going to be called the sale of real property. I have just one aspect or point that I'd like to raise in looking at that. That is, particularly in the sale of property, there is, again, this is a decision made and taken at the Cabinet Table when real property is being sold and it doesn't come back to the public at any point to know that's happening.

I will just refer to the Blue Mountain-Birch Cove Lakes. We were very concerned about more of that property being sold prior to its now being named a wilderness protected area. It now has the protection that it cannot be sold or whittled down in any way but over the years, that large piece of land which is by Bayers Lake and close to Clayton Park and Hammonds Plains and Timberlea area, it had over the years had big chunks of it sold off to private owners. We were very fortunate that by the time we made it a wilderness area there was still 4,000 acres there and 3,300 of them protected.

We actually had members of the public and people involved in some of the conservation organizations watching every time there was a new list of Order in Council announcements that would come out. I don't know how quickly they appear on line, but after

[Page 1653]

a bit of a delay, decisions that were made at Cabinet do appear with an Order in Council number and you'd get a one-liner about what that Order in Council was. People were really on the high alert about would there have been a sale of property in that area because we didn't want to see it diminished in any way.

Over time we had seen even tiny slivers of property sold which gave access to some of the private landowners where they could get in, perhaps they could log or get in closer to land that they owned. We had been very concerned, even about small parcels changing hands. That could make a difference on what happened and what sort of use was made of the land that was up there.

So, what I would like to see is that when there are sales of property that prior to an Order in Council, there would be some means to notify the community or even confer with the community that there was going to be a sale of Crown lands. No matter whether it's big or small, I think the public have a right to know in advance. As you know, wherever we live in the province, where we know there's public land, we use it whether it's to walk our dog or to enjoy nature, to go for hikes. People see it as a public asset.

Right now there's no way to ensure that asset isn't sold out from under you by an Order in Council. There could have been an offer made that we're completely unaware of in the community and the government entertains that offer and a sale is made. I know that from the anxiety we felt in my community around looking at the Crown land in this particular case of the Blue Mountain-Birch Cove Lakes, that was a great concern to us. That Cabinet had the authority just at the stroke of a pen to sell public land in your area without even explaining why, like what is the benefit or what we're doing it for or what we're trading it for that might be a better benefit.

Previously, under the Progressive Conservative Government there had been a plan, I don't think it ever got very developed, but it was when the government wanted to bring Cape Split into public ownership. I'm not sure who owned it (Interruption) Minas Basin Pulp and Power owned Cape Split, which, as we know, is a park area. It's a wonderful landmark in the Valley, and actually a landmark from the Parrsboro Shore as well when you look across at that, across the Minas Basin.

[3:15 p.m.]

That was a laudable thing, that they wanted to bring Cape Split into public hands, but they had to find money or other land to trade to do it. We know that there had been discussions underway to trade a large amount of land in the Blue Mountain-Birch Cove Lakes area to Minas Basin, because they also have a property development arm and that would have been attractive land for them to develop for housing, or for some sort of commercial use, and we know that behind closed doors that was entertained and being thought of by the previous Progressive Conservative Government. That never came to the public, any public forum - it was more just almost rumour and innuendo that this was going

[Page 1654]

on and it was a possible threat. We were very relieved when that didn't happen and the government found the funds to actually buy Cape Split outright.

We know that in land development and development in general, there's a lot of swapping of land. A lot of times people who are in the land development area will approach government with suggestions. Even if they're in the resource area and they want land for logging or for mining purposes, there's a lot of swapping that goes on and a lot of propositions made to government. I would like to see this government - and I don't know if they can do it in this bill, I would somewhat doubt that they're going to add anything to the bill now - but I really felt it was a good opportunity to suggest to the Minister of Finance and to his colleagues that it would be seen in a very positive light in the public's eye - in any community, because every community has some public land that is Crown owned - and I think it would be a really positive sign to say, before we dispose of or sell or trade any public land, we will notify the community, and that means notification or consultation could be determined by the government. I think that it's wrong to have members of the public, Nova Scotians who have a concern about land in their area, have to comb through Orders in Council looking to see if it has happened and they've lost public land in their area.

So with that, Mr. Speaker, I certainly do look forward to seeing if anybody comes to the Law Amendments Committee on this bill and whether or not there will be any more light shed upon it, but I'm glad I had the opportunity to point out a few things that I think could be improving our provincial finances.

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

The honourable Minister of Finance.

HON. GRAHAM STEELE: Mr. Speaker, once again I would like to thank all members for their intervention. Of course, the government is open to constructive changes. We are always open to constructive changes and look forward to any representations from the Opposition, or indeed from any member of the public who appears at the Law Amendments Committee. With that, I move second reading Bill No. 35.

MR. SPEAKER: The motion is for second reading of Bill No. 35. Would all those in favour of the motion please say Aye. Contrary minded, Nay.

The motion is carried.

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

The honourable Government House Leader.

HON. FRANK CORBETT: Mr. Speaker, would you please call Bill No. 38.

[Page 1655]

Bill No. 38 - Voluntary Carbon Emissions Offset Fund Act.

MR. SPEAKER: The honourable Minister of Environment.

HON. STERLING BELLIVEAU: Mr. Speaker, I move second reading of Bill No. 38, an Act to Establish the Nova Scotia Voluntary Carbon Emissions Offset Fund.

Mr. Speaker, our government is committed to moving Nova Scotia to a low-carbon economy. We have shown this commitment by setting a new renewable energy target of 25 per cent by 2015 into law. We have also created a new goal of 40 per cent renewable energy by 2020. We are also the first and the only province to set hard caps on greenhouse gas emissions from the electricity sector. We've made significant investments in energy efficiency and tidal energy, and we have invested in new renewable energy companies. We are taking these steps to improve the environment and to also create new jobs for Nova Scotians and a stronger economy. It is the right thing to do.

Now, we are taking another major step forward. With the introduction of an Act to Establish the Nova Scotia Voluntary Carbon Emissions Offset Fund, we are giving all Nova Scotians a chance to participate in the low-carbon economy. Through this bill we will encourage Nova Scotians to support Nova Scotia-based projects that reduce air emissions that lead to climate change. This bill outlines how Nova Scotians can offset greenhouse gas emissions from their everyday activities. Nova Scotians will be able to do that by buying carbon credits from eligible Nova Scotia-based projects that reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Nova Scotian businesses, organizations and individuals have a lot to contribute to help us meet our climate change targets.

This bill will be a tool that allows them to participate. This will further efforts in our province already underway to reduce harmful air emissions. As we all know, individuals and businesses can reduce their carbon footprint by using less energy or using cleaner energy. However, it is very difficult and costly to reduce a carbon footprint to zero by using only tools of energy efficiency, conservation and renewable energy.

An additional way to address this problem is through volunteer carbon offset funds. This bill will allow for the creation of such a fund. These offset funds allow customers to purchase emission credits, a unit of carbon emissions reduction. It is usually measured in metric tonnes. When you purchase an emission credit, you are actually funding the removal of one tonne of carbon emissions from the atmosphere. By doing this, you create emission offset.

As we all know, individuals or businesses who want to offset their carbon emissions can complete energy efficiency or renewable energy projects that reduce their emissions as much as possible but, they can take the effort one step further with carbon offset funds. They

[Page 1656]

can purchase emission credits to apply against their remaining emissions. The carbon offset fund may grant money to projects such as tree planting or perhaps a project to extract gas from a landfill.

Here is a more specific example. If a commercial hothouse operator in Nova Scotia wanted to convert the heating of their operation from oil to natural gas or biomass, they could apply to the carbon offset fund. The resulting reduction in emissions from the fuel conversion would translate into carbon credits. The carbon credits go back to the fund where they are sold to investors to help offset their own emissions from their airplane flights or their business conferences or their factory or what have you.

The Carbon Offset Fund will reduce emissions in our province and contribute to the economy of our beautiful province. Unlike Air Canada carbon credits, for example, which may be applied to the economy of other jurisdictions, this fund will be by Nova Scotians and for Nova Scotians. The hothouse example is a good one and there can be many more like it.

We will be looking for projects that will achieve real emissions reductions in Nova Scotia. We will be laying out the criteria in more detail in the months ahead but generally we will be looking for projects that demonstrate that emissions can be reduced way beyond the levels that would normally occur in business operations left unchanged.

Through the Climate Change Directory, under the Department of Environment, we will be working out the details and bringing forward regulations. These regulations will cover what types of projects will be able to sell emission credits to the fund. We will certainly look at renewable energy efficiency and other types of projects that can lead to emissions reductions. If they are, in some way additional to the normal operations and can be verified, the volunteer Carbon Offset Trust will purchase emissions credits and offer then for sale.

We will establish a purchasing process and work with private developers to develop a supply of emission credits. We are not alone in this area, carbon offset funds occur elsewhere in the world. This fund is similar to the one set up in British Columbia, but is unique to Nova Scotia. It is a way for Nova Scotians to invest here at home and to help build a better life for families in all regions of our province.

Government is also doing its part. Our government will be preparing a strategy for reducing government's own carbon footprint - it will include an additional $5 million of this year's budget being invested in retrofitting government buildings to reduce energy use and emissions. The ecoNova Scotia fund of clean air and climate change has also helped and contributed $4.1 million toward the Government House-in-Order program to retrofit government buildings to use less energy.

This work is just part of an aggressive approach to reduce emissions throughout the province. We are committed to reducing our greenhouse gas emissions down to 10 per cent below 1990 levels by the year 2020. Climate change is a serious issue, and we believe this

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bill reflects genuine leadership in addressing it. Nova Scotians can use the Volunteer Carbon Emissions Offset Fund to join in, take part, and help make our province cleaner, greener, and more prosperous. This fund is all about working together for a healthy environment that is linked with a stronger economy. Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker.

MR. SPEAKER: The honourable member for Dartmouth East.

MR. ANDREW YOUNGER: Thank you, Mr. Speaker, and thank you to the minister for his remarks. I don't disagree with much of what he said. It's interesting that climate change and environmental issues have, in my view, become the issue not only locally but worldwide. When we look at financial impacts and so forth, I honestly believe that, in fact, the environmental issues we're facing in the world will actually direct what happens in terms of our economic future and many other issues.

I have no problem with establishing a fund - voluntary fund, let me be clear - where people can put money in in terms of offsets. Now, the comments I would have, I guess, is in speaking with departmental staff - they did suggest that Cabinet could have done this without a bill. We'll still support the bill, but they indicated they could have created the fund through the Department of Finance without the need for legislation. The answer that I still haven't got to yet - and hopefully by the time we hit third reading I'll have that answer - is why there is a need to have the Act anyway when, in fact, on Earth Day, when this bill was tabled, we could have actually started with a fund.

The other thing that I would like to see in this - it's unclear to me what is going to make anybody contribute right off the top. I know it's a voluntary thing and has a feel-good element, but what I would like to see is if the province is going to establish a fund, a made- in-Nova Scotia fund, then I would like to see a commitment by the Province of Nova Scotia to offset their own activities. If the government isn't willing to offset their own activities, then why is anybody from the private sector going to come forward and put money into a government fund? I just don't believe that's going to happen and so I would encourage the minister to look at that.

I think that this is another one of those cases where the devil is in the details and the devil is in the regulations, and that's a bit unfortunate - I have faith that the minister will ensure that should there be any monies appear in this fund that they are invested in Nova Scotia businesses to create Nova Scotia green jobs. It would be a shame to see a heavy oil engine manufacturer who decides to put a solar panel on his roof get funding out of this fund when the general operation might be contributing more toward carbon excesses than otherwise might be. So I think the devil is going to be in the details in making sure that the funds that are contributed to projects from this make a lot of sense.

I'll certainly support it going to second reading and I really don't have any problem - it's a voluntary fund so as a voluntary fund I have no problem supporting this bill right to

[Page 1658]

the end. I'm not sure why he didn't just do it through a Cabinet decree and create the fund, but nonetheless he wants to go by legislation and that's okay, we'll go with that. I would encourage the minister to come forward in due course with a plan to explain how the provincial government will be contributing to the fund that it, itself, is creating. Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker.

[3:30 p.m.]

MR. SPEAKER: The honourable member for Hants West.

MR. CHUCK PORTER: Mr. Speaker, I am pleased as well to have just a few minutes today to rise and speak to Bill No. 38. It is quite an interesting topic, obviously, with all that is going on, with green and more green these days, so it's good to have this bill before us. I guess really the only issues that I have, quickly going through it, where there are greenhouses gases now higher than they've ever been, something does have to be done. But again, this is a voluntary option and I think that we would like to see a little more than that.

In the minister's news release last week he said that businesses, organizations, and people will be able to purchase these emission credits from the fund, saying one carbon credit, of course, will remove or equal the removal of a ton of carbon emissions from the atmosphere.

I'd like to know, with this bill being strictly voluntary, does the minister have any type of firm commitment from businesses, organizations, or people who will actually participate in this plan. Perhaps he does, and we look forward to hearing more as it goes through further readings, and certainly through on the other side, or at Law Amendments Committee. From what I'm seeing, next year is the target, so it is going to be a little while being put into place, but that's fine as well, provided it is given the time that it needs and the right bill goes forward, and the right amendments, and people come in and offer their input.

Again, with the voluntary piece somewhat of a concern, we'd like to see it strong. We hope that many businesses will. I know that there are businesses now that purchase carbon credits. I know there is one in my backyard, with Minas Basin Pulp and Power, who is a great supporter and like this program. I think that it's a good program and again, I'd like to see - I want to be able to see Minas Basin Pulp and Power - I'm sure they want to as well, having spoken with them in great detail on some of these issues. They want to be able to purchase, it's a good thing. They see the credit and the benefit to those credits in the future.

There are many ways we can go by reducing the greenhouse gases in this province, whether it is through other means of transportation - I know that's an issue in this province, Mr. Speaker. We don't have great options for transportation in rural areas as we have here in HRM, so it's hard to promote how we cut greenhouse gas emissions. Perhaps the province should look at some of those types of things, I hope, as well.

[Page 1659]

I hope we hear from some of those groups as well, going ahead, the importance of cutting greenhouse gas emissions, not only through this type of voluntary bit, but trying to put some things in place that will better serve Nova Scotia as a whole, and North America, and the world in general itself.

I think there are a lot of opportunities, I think that there are people who will, and I know that there are people now who are taking an interest in this, and will take part in the legislation, and in the program that is being offered.

I hope there will be a way that we're reaching out, not just waiting for them to come to us, but that the government will reach out to some of these bigger industries in a way to help get them interested, give them the incentives that they require. Again, I'd like to see them working on a few other initiatives. I'll speak to that more as we go forward, probably in the Law Amendments Committee and through third reading there will be another opportunity.

I have lots of notes and lots of things I could talk to but I am not going to take a lot of time today to do it. I just wanted to make those few brief comments and state that I think the bill has great potential. Again, I'd really like to see it tough enough that we're making - and I hate to use the word, I don't want to use "dictate", I don't want to use the word and make it too strong - but we need to have something that say to companies, this is a good thing. This is a great thing to be part of and to take part in, and individuals as well, because as the minister, as I quoted a few minutes ago, his statement basically said, a carbon credit value is a ton of emissions, and if we can reduce that, as individuals, every little bit helps.

Perhaps some of us who are very keen in the world of recycling will be able to get involved in this, and we'll be able to take some kind of advantage, because there are a lot of people, individuals, who are actually very keen in recycling and reducing greenhouse gas emissions and however those things are created. They'll have a keen interest in this piece because it is an environmental piece, and there's a lot of everyday Nova Scotians who are interested in our current situation, and certainly where we're going to be in just a few short years when it comes to issues surrounding the environment. They are looking for things to be improved. We talk a lot about being leaders in this province, and I hope that what comes of this piece of legislation will, indeed, continue on the leadership that we've had in previous years.

With that, Mr. Speaker, I'll thank you very much for the opportunity to speak on Bill No. 38 this afternoon and take my seat.

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

The honourable Minister of Environment.

[Page 1660]

HON. STERLING BELLIVEAU: Mr. Speaker, first of all, I want to thank the members opposite for their kind comments regarding this particular bill. I want to close debate and move second reading of Bill No. 38.

MR. SPEAKER: The motion is for second reading of Bill No. 38. Would all those in favour of the motion please say Aye. Contrary minded, Nay.

The motion is carried.

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

The honourable Government House Leader.

HON. FRANK CORBETT: Mr. Speaker, would you please call Bill No. 47.

Bill No. 47 - Education Act.

MR. SPEAKER: The honourable Minister of Education.

HON. MARILYN MORE: Mr. Speaker, I'm pleased to stand today in support of Bill No. 47, an amendment to the Education Act which will further improve and clarify the school review process.

Everyone, I think, will agree that the decision to review a school for possible closure is always a difficult one, not only for school boards, but for parents, students and staff served by or working in that school. That is why it's important that we make the decision-making process as clear, as open and as accountable to the public as we can.

These proposed amendments will clarify the process and also serve to increase the opportunity for community engagement and public input. As many of you know, the House passed school review legislation in 2008 that increased community input into the process and expanded the time frame to one year. With two years of experience and school reviews undertaken by two boards since the legislation was passed, we discovered there is still some room for improvement.

In developing these new amendments, we sought advice from boards and school advisory councils involved in those school reviews that occurred in 2008-09 and 2009-10. We conducted two consultations last Fall, those focus group sessions identified some areas of concern and offered a number of helpful recommendations to improve the process. It was evident from those discussions that there is a need to clarify for boards exactly what circumstances should require the school review process and what exemptions should apply. Specifically, boards still question whether a review is required in situations where two or more neighbourhood schools are to be replaced by one new school.

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The amendments we have before us today clarify that any school which is identified by a school board for possible closure, be reviewed. This will ensure that all school communities whose school is under review will be involved and engaged in determining the fate of their school. The only exception will be situations where one school is closed and replaced with a new school with essentially no change in the student population.

This legislation will also allow us to make through regulation a number of other improvements, including one additional public meeting at the study committee stage of the process and more time for board staff and the study committee members to do their work. The total time allowed for a review will remain at one year but there will be new deadlines within the one year time frame which will allow staff and committee to complete the work they need to do away from the summer months.

My staff will also be developing regulations that will require boards to identify their sources of data and the methodologies they use for their enrollment projections when preparing their identification and impact assessment reports. That way the public will have a much greater confidence in the material being put forward to support the identification of a school for possible closure.

We will also be requiring that public notice of school board decisions be made available on the board Web site. By making the school review process clearer and providing more input at crucial stages of the process will mean better, more informed decision-making. Thank you and I look forward to what my colleagues have to say.

MR. SPEAKER: The honourable member for Bedford-Birch Cove.

MS. KELLY REGAN: Mr. Speaker, I'm pleased today to rise in my place to speak to Bill No. 47, an Act to Amend Chapter 1 of the Acts of 1995-96, the Education Act. The other day, when the minister held the bill briefing across the street, she mentioned something that, quite frankly, set off alarm bells in my ear when she talked about the data for closing schools.

We have just seen a report that was thrown out because the department - not this particular department, but the department in question - did not like the data collection. So I guess I'm just a little concerned when I hear that they are going to be having schools live up to certain sources of data, and my concern, I guess, is that - those sources, are they going to be politically motivated?

If, in fact, it is clear cut, and these are - I guess what really bothers me about this bill is that we talk about regulations. In fact, "regulations" is mentioned five times in a single page, but we have no idea what those regulations are. Those regulations could be anything, and maybe that's normal, to have regulations tabled afterward, but it seems to me that when we're talking legislation, the devil is in the details. How can I know that what you're going

[Page 1662]

to propose as a regulation is, in fact, adequate? We don't know that. We just have to sort of take it on faith.

So I have some objection that when we're voting on bills here, we don't see the regulations. In fact, if the minister wants to table those regulations before we actually vote on it, I think that would be great, because that would let us know what we're actually voting on. Because it seems to me, a lot of times when there are problems with bills, it is because the regulations that came in were not what members thought they were going to be.

The other thing that concerns me is the explanatory note that is added here: "(b) gives the Minister authority to make regulations with respect to exceptions to the school review process." To me, that authority already exists, and so I asked myself, why are we setting that out in legislation? It is almost as if the minister is trying to head off potential lawsuits or something like that, because they are, in fact, preparing to close the school or schools. So I have to ask myself, why change that? Why do that? Is it to protect the minister from lawsuits? Then I asked myself, gee, what schools are they preparing to close? That is my concern. Maybe I'm just being suspicious, but it does lead one to wonder, why make this change at this time?

While I think that the idea of the bill is a good idea, to have a sort of standard of regulations that are set out, I do note that most boards do have processes that are well defined and, in fact, a couple of boards have been looking at beefing up those processes. I just sort of wonder why we're making these changes now?

I would like to see the regulations and I really have concerns around the minister's wish to enshrine in law her ability to make exceptions to the school review process.

MR. SPEAKER: The honourable Leader of the Progressive Conservative Party.

HON. KAREN CASEY: Mr. Speaker, I'm pleased to stand today and speak about Bill No. 47, and to indicate that I have spoken to the minister. I did attend the briefing, and I have indicated to her that I would support anything that would strengthen the Education Act, and I make that statement publicly.

I do know that we have, based on the changes that were made in 2008, a very clearly-defined process, and I think it was deemed that was necessary at that time because boards needed direction and communities needed, I guess, a sense of satisfaction that there was a process that all boards would have to follow and all communities welcome that. That process was put in place to allow the very thing that the minister speaks about here and that is to make sure that community consultation, community input and community involvement were part of the process. The other components that were put in place at that time were that the timeline was clearly defined so communities knew when the process would start and they knew where along that process there would be opportunities for input, public meeting, consultation and sharing of report.

[Page 1663]

[3:45 p.m.]

Back in 2008 when that was adopted, I believe it did provide some sense of satisfaction and relief in communities that there would not be a decision made prematurely or without consultation. The other thing that was included at that time was the collection of data and I know that the minister has spoken to that. I'm not sure if that is the result of perhaps boards not being clear on the data that they were using. One board would be using one, another, another, and communities maybe were questioning that. I'm not sure about that, but I would expect that the sources of the data would very much be an important part of the process and again to build that confidence in communities that it was a clean process and it was based on not only their input but on the information that was available.

So that whole consistency and process was something that was welcomed by communities. I believe since that time, the minister has said that two boards have gone through that process, and I know I had some conversation with some folks whose school was under review. They asked me a question, can the board do this? My response was, in fact I copied for them the school closure process so they as a community would know exactly, and when we talked about it, the school board was going through the process, but they were reassured, you know, that there was a process and their board was following it. So I think those are two important things.

I did question at the time of the briefing, and I will raise it again, the need to have it put into legislation because as I read through the powers of the minister and the regulations of the minister, it appears to me that the authority currently exists for the minister to be very much a part of the process and the outcome of the process. If a change needed to be put in place, it could have been put in through regulation based on what is written about the regulations of the minister and the powers of the minister. So my only question is why and I look forward to, hopefully, that question being asked. If, in fact, there is something that we don't know about the rationale for this, then I would certainly ask the minister to share that. Again, I would go back and say that anything that will strengthen the process, anything that will give communities reassurance that the process is clear, they understand it, that it's followed.

We know that communities are always anxious and we know that as soon as somebody starts checking the enrolment in a school that the community gets in a panic and they believe that that means an automatic closure. So I think the process that we put in place and is now supported by this minister reassures them that that will not happen without their involvement and without their participation. So I look forward to this going forward. I would never stand in the way of any legislation that strengthens the Act or improves the process, but I will look forward to answers to the question.

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

[Page 1664]

The honourable Minister of Education.

HON. MARILYN MORE: Mr. Speaker, I thank the honourable members for their thoughtful comments. I do want to give credit to the former government. I think the process and the recommendations that resulted in the provincial school review policy that happened over I think 2007-08 were excellent and they make up probably 99.9 per cent of the provincial school policy.

What we're proposing here is just a minor clarification, and I do remember that they actually had two co-chairs of the committee who went around the province and did the consultation with parents and educators and school boards and students. I remember attending the consultation meeting for the metro area, which was actually held at Dartmouth High School. It was a very healthy debate about what criteria, perhaps, should trigger school reviews. It also included the consideration of some community factors, whereas usually boards are just looking at educational factors. I remember giving credit to the government at the time for both the process and the outcome of that.

What we're talking about here is really very minor, but the reason we want to include it in the bill, in legislation, is because there was some question about interpretation of the original, one small piece of the original Education Act as amended to reflect the new provincial school review policy, and that was over what happens if you close two schools and replace them with one? Boards were interpreting that as meaning you didn't have to do school review, and because one of the critical principles and values of the original policy was to broaden the opportunity for communities and parents to have input and be engaged in that decision-making process, it was felt that that small clarification was important enough to amend the Act so that everyone going into the process in the future would clearly understand that this had to apply in those situations.

Regulations usually happen after an Act is passed through this Legislature, and they're going to be very minor, but they'll be available for review. We'll certainly make them available to the critics when that happens, when they're passed by Order in Council, but they haven't been determined. They will be in response to the suggestions and recommendations that came from these two focus groups. There's not going to be anything new that I as minister or our government or the department are adding. Any of the changes under this amendment and the regulations evolved out of the suggestions of the two focus groups, and they were composed of people who had had experience through the full cycle of the relatively new provincial review policy.

We were listening to boards, we were listening to the school advisory councils, and that is the only reason that we've moved forward on this clarification resulting in the amendment. Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker, and it gives me great pleasure to move second reading of Bill No. 47.

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MR. SPEAKER: The motion is for second reading of Bill No. 47. Would all those in favour of the motion please say Aye. Contrary minded, Nay.

The motion is carried.

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

The honourable Government House Leader.

HON. FRANK CORBETT: Mr. Speaker, would you please call Bill No. 51.

Bill No. 51 - Revenue Act.

MR. SPEAKER: The honourable Minister of Service Nova Scotia and Municipal Relations.

HON. RAMONA JENNEX: Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to rise in the House of Assembly today to introduce Bill No. 51, Amendments to the Revenue Act, for second reading. Before I begin, I just would like to give credit where credit is due, this actually was brought forward by staff to do best practices around this and to enhance making sure that we can move forward appropriately as a province. This has actually come from staff and I'm very proud of them for bringing this forward in this form for us.

The changes in Bill No. 51 will provide additional tools in the province's effort to combat illegal tobacco activity. The amendments we are proposing will apply in particular to people who use their vehicles in the commission of tobacco-related offences. Once a person is convicted of a tobacco offence involving the use of a vehicle, their driver's licence, vehicle permit, or certificate of registration may be suspended. The suspension is for three months for the first offence, six months for the second, and one year for the third and subsequent offences.

Mr. Speaker, individuals who default on fines resulting from fuel or tobacco offences involving the use of a vehicle, won't be able to renew their licence or permit or transfer or register their vehicle. These measures will provide more incentives for people to pay the fines imposed by the courts for fuel and tobacco-related offences involving the use of a vehicle.

In 2009-10, approximately $3.9 million in fines have been levied in Nova Scotia for tobacco-related offences. About $1 million of outstanding fines have been marked for write-off. However, we will continue our efforts to collect those debts. Knowing that high fines are imposed on people convicted of tobacco offences and knowing that the province is serious about collecting those fines, is another deterrent for would-be smugglers. Clear language in

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the amendments will allow the courts to impose more substantial fines for those who sell or transport illegal tobacco products, in addition to possession.

Mr. Speaker, the combined measures will enhance Nova Scotia's ability to fight illegal tobacco activity. They are similar to laws passed in other provinces. It is important to fight the illegal tobacco trade for several reasons. The tax revenue lost to illegal tobacco could be supporting the programs and services that Nova Scotians want and need. These enhanced penalty provisions will help us reduce the sale of illegal tobacco and the resulting tax revenue losses. This will, in turn, make life more affordable for Nova Scotian families.

Tax revenue is not our only consideration, Mr. Speaker. We are thinking of the health of Nova Scotians. Nova Scotia's tobacco strategy has identified tobacco taxes and prices as a key element in reducing consumption of these harmful products. The illegal tobacco trade has an impact on the province's ability to effectively lower tobacco use among Nova Scotians. The tax revenue lost to illegal tobacco could be going towards funding health, education and other important programs and services for Nova Scotians.

Mr. Speaker, it is this government's hope that these new measures will help deter illegal tobacco activity, encourage the payment of fuel and tobacco-related fines, and improve the health of Nova Scotians. With that, I move second reading of Bill No. 51, the Revenue Act.

MR. SPEAKER: Thank you.

The honourable member for Halifax Clayton Park.

MS. DIANA WHALEN: Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. It is my pleasure to rise and just say a few words on the Revenue Act which is before us, which is Bill No. 51. I was listening to minister's comments on the bill and certainly this embodies something that is very important to all of the Legislature. First of all that we collect when there are fines due and that we do try to ensure that there are less illegal tobacco sales.

Every year when we look at the revenue of the province, and certainly some of it comes from tobacco sales and the taxes on that, there is a corresponding relationship to the underground economy and the illegal sale of tobacco. I know that even setting the price of tobacco is very - we do it very carefully because if it gets too high, we know that encourages the illegal sale of contraband tobacco.

I was reminded in hearing your comments of the court case we have recently won, as part of a national challenge to a couple of the tobacco companies for contraband tobacco, we won a settlement of $12.4 million. I asked the minister recently about that and whether the money had been received. As you know, Mr. Speaker, that came about because of a case that goes back many years which involved the illegal sale of tobacco and, as a result, we were

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compensated. That money is needed in the coffers of the province to improve the health of Nova Scotians, to be put back into programs and I had said specifically into tobacco cessation programs. We certainly would like to see those beefed up. We've had good success with those and we know that there are funds in Health Promotion and Protection, and in other areas, that could certainly benefit.

I do feel that when it comes from a source like tobacco, it is good to be able to put it back into those programs that relate to health. Mr. Speaker, I think that these amendments to the Revenue Act actually seem to strengthen the position of the province in terms of collecting and ensuring that funds are brought back into the public purse when they should be and that people cannot ignore fines and charges against them.

[4:00 p.m.]

For that reason, I certainly would like to support this going forward and we're interested to see these amendments. Often what we see here are small amendments but they can have some significant impacts. I appreciate the minister bringing them forward and we look forward to this going to the Law Amendments Committee. Thank you.

MR. SPEAKER: The honourable member for Argyle.

HON. CHRISTOPHER D'ENTREMONT: Mr. Speaker, seeing that our day is getting on a little, I just want to say that we do support the movement of this bill. We know there are many folks who seem to shirk their responsibility when it comes to paying their fines. This is one more mechanism in which we can sort of force their card hand, if you want to put it that way.

Illegal tobacco in this province continues to be a problem, especially as we're looking at the higher taxes that we're seeing on a carton of smokes. Of course, the reason for that is because we need to curb the usage of tobacco and tobacco products in our province to make sure we try to keep it as healthy as we possibly can.

The only thing I would say is that we need to have more bills like this one come forward. Looking at the benefits this has for maintenance enforcement, for example, where once people come to renew, they are shut down at that point. We can look at other places, whether it be other fines we have in this province, we should look at expanding this one as well. As far as this goes, our caucus does support this bill moving forward in this Legislature. Thank you.

MR. SPEAKER: The honourable member for Kings West.

[Page 1668]

MR. LEO GLAVINE: Mr. Speaker, I'm pleased to join in the debate and make a few comments on this Bill No. 51. This is already in practice, at least in Ontario and Manitoba. I think we will find it effective here in Nova Scotia.

We know this has become a very significant problem in our province. Now, there isn't a month goes by that we don't hear of some discovery of illegal tobacco products in our province. If this can become another tool - not necessarily a panacea but another tool that can effectively deter this illegal activity, especially as it relates to loss of driver's licence if these fines are not dealt with. Again, as we know, that's one of the effective mechanisms when people cannot drive. The removal of a licence here in association with the fines, I think has the potential to be very effective - in fact, a very powerful tool.

I think this comes at a good time and I applaud the minister for bringing it forward. As I said in my initial remarks, this is not a sometimes problem in our province; in fact, it's been a growing problem. We want to see this bill move on to the Law Amendments Committee and we'll support it at this stage and we look forward to hearing from the public as this moves through the House.

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

The honourable Minister of Service Nova Scotia and Municipal Relations.

HON. RAMONA JENNEX: Thank you very much for the comments from the members. I would like to make a comment on the comments about a month not going by that you hear in the news about seizures. I would like to thank the staff and our compliance officers with Service Nova Scotia and Municipal Relations, and also the RCMP for being so diligent around this. They need to be commended for their work.

I also want to thank staff for bringing this forward and doing the good work they're doing on behalf of Nova Scotians. Again, thank you for your comments, I appreciate them. With that, I close debate and move second reading of Bill No. 51.

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

The motion is carried.

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

The honourable Minister of Economic and Rural Development.

HON. PERCY PARIS: Mr. Speaker, today during Question Period I was asked two questions. One was referring to terms and conditions related to Northern Pulp, and I had

[Page 1669]

mentioned that I would make every effort to table something. I would like to table that document now.

Mr. Speaker, I was also asked a question related to the Student Skills Development Program. What I have are the 2009 records. The 2010 records are not complete, and I will say that those records are on the Web site - they will be on the Web site in their entirety when they are completed. So I would like to table that as well.

MR. SPEAKER: The information is tabled.

The honourable Government House Leader.

HON. FRANK CORBETT: Mr. Speaker, that concludes the government's business for today. We appreciate the cooperation of all members from all sides in getting through some substantive work today. With that, I move that the House do now rise to meet tomorrow from 9:00 a.m. until 3:00 p.m. After the daily routine, the order of business, will be Public Bills for Second Reading, and it will be Bill No. 52 and Bill No. 53. I move that we do now rise.

MR. SPEAKER: The motion before the House is for the House to now rise and meet again tomorrow at 9:00 a.m. Would all those in favour of the motion please say Aye. Contrary minded, Nay.

The motion is carried.

The House stands adjourned until 9:00 a.m. tomorrow.

We have now arrived at the moment of interruption. The adjournment debate was announced and chosen earlier and won by the honourable member for Cape Breton South. The adjournment motion is the following:

"Therefore be it resolved that the NDP Government make aquaculture a priority for the Province of Nova Scotia."

ADJOURNMENT

MOTION UNDER RULE 5(5)

MR. SPEAKER: The honourable member for Digby-Annapolis.

FISH & AQUACULTURE: AQUACULTURE PRIORITIZE

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MR. HAROLD THERIAULT: Mr. Speaker, I'm pleased to stand in my place today to speak on the resolution that the NDP put forward concerning aquaculture in this province.

Mr. Speaker, it's all about fish, I guess, the whole thing is, but what else it's about is more wealth for this province. This government, I believe, is scrambling to find ways to find more wealth, and that's a great thing, because we do need more wealth in this province. The coastal communities of this province are slowly going downhill because of the traditional fishery that created the wealth - for not only this province but this entire country - and I believe we can find a way to bring wealth back to our coastal communities and also this entire province.

This government right now is looking at royalties on oil - if they could find more oil off our province, which I don't believe would work too well. If they do go drill on Georges for oil, I don't believe too much wealth will be coming to this province, because any work that's done on Georges Bank for oil will be done out of the United States because of its proximity to that area. So what it would do for Nova Scotia would only be maybe a small royalty because it's on our grounds.

We need to look at growing fish in this province. Our traditional fishery has gone downhill. We still have a wonderful groundfish fishery, and there will always be a groundfish fishery, especially in the Georges Bank area, but the inland waters or inshore fisheries have diminished a lot over the years. I won't get into the reason for that, but we probably all know that, and I know the Minister of Fisheries knows why our inshore fisheries is down: because we have eight million seals in there that we have to feed daily. If you figure that up, it's more fish than Georges Bank can produce. Anybody who can't figure that needs a new calculator. I won't get into that issue, I want to get into growing some fish.

Mr. Speaker, we have over 7,000 kilometres of coastline around this province. I believe, with the demand for fish that there's going to be in the next 10 to 20 years on this planet, we better start looking at growing some food. The demand is going to grow greater and greater every year and fish is one of the things that is going to be in the greatest demand because medical people all over this world, doctors, say eat fish. Even my own doctor tells me to go buy and eat more fish, and sardines, a beautiful source of protein, omega 3, they're good for you. I eat my two cans every day, it's all I need. I'm staying healthy and I've lost a little weight, too, doing it. I feel better now than I did 20 years ago, and I believe the sardines are doing it - maybe not all sardines but a lot of it.

Here in Canada, we grow 100,000 tons of fish a year in all of Canada, as huge as this country is and all the coast it has - three coasts, the east, west and north - and all we grow is 100,000 tons of fish a year. New Brunswick grows 25,000 tons of those and Nova Scotia grows 25,000 tons. That's all we grow here in this province. If we could up that and grow 100,000 tons of fish around this province in its 7,000 kilometres of shoreline - and we need to pick out the places that we can really grow them in an environmentally friendly way. You

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can't grow fish everywhere but you can grow them in a lot of places where there's good flush and we know where they all are.

So if we could grow 100,000 tons of fish a year - and that's not a lot, that's all this country grows - Chile, I'll get into in a minute, grows 600,000 tons with not a lot more coastline than we've got - a Third World country, mind you, growing 600,000 tons a year. They got ahead of themselves so fast that they've got to stop and take a look at themselves now to see what they've done wrong because they were ahead of their time. But if we could grow 100,000 tons of fish around those coastlines in Nova Scotia, and process those fish in the communities that they're grown, we could put 10,000 people to work around our coast. We have the facilities, we have the know-how. Everyone who lives around the coast knows how to deal with fish, they've done it for generations - 400 years we've dealt with fish around the coast of this province.

Our inshore fishery, as I said earlier, has gone down so it is diminishing. We're looking at closing schools, we're looking at closing hospitals, we can't get our roads paved and we sit here and wonder why. We need to find the wealth back into the coastal communities of this province, and it is fish, that's how it started. One hundred years ago, when Alberta shot all their buffalo - what are we going to do for meat? Well, we're going to grow cattle. It's just common sense; when something disappears, you have to replace it so they decided to grow cattle.

I had a lovely steak last night with some of the boys. It's good, I don't eat sardines steady but I have a nice steak now and then. I'm not sure where it came from, I hope it came from local, but 10 chances out of one that it came from Alberta because they are probably the biggest beef producers in the world, other than Argentina. That is what they did, they went to growing cattle and it's a great part of their livelihood in Alberta, other than - well, we won't get back into oil because we're trying to wean the world off of oil. On the other hand, we're trying to get people to eat more fish, so what do you do? Go after oil on Georges Bank, kill the wild fishery off, or do we grow more fish, along with Georges Bank? Common sense tells me we have to grow more fish. If we could grow the 600,000 tons that Chile grows, and I think we could, in an environmentally friendly way, we have the veterinarians here. Chile was just starting to get veterinarians on line two or three years ago, after 20 years of growing them. They never even had a veterinarian there, they were way ahead of themselves.

It we could put 600,000 tons of fish growing in this province, we could put 54,000 people to work in our coastal communities - 54,000. The minister said the other night in estimates, what's the biggest income of this province? It's not oil. It is people. It's personal income taxes. So figure that out, Mr. Minister of Finance, 54,000 more people to work around the coastal communities of this province and in good paying jobs in aquaculture. I know the boys down home making $30,000 to $40,000 to $50,000 a year, the few that are at it in aquaculture. So figure that up by 50,000 people in our coastal communities.

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[4:15 p.m.]

So, Mr. Speaker, it is a common sense thing that we get back to what built this province and what built this country. We traded off fish back in the 1940s to foreign countries so they would buy the wares of Central Canada . We wonder what happened to our fisheries, it was the fish of Atlantic Canada that built us and it will be the fish that we grow in the future that will build us back. We could be one of the most wealthy provinces of this country because the demand is going to be there for that food.

With that, Mr. Speaker, I will take my place, thank you.

MR. SPEAKER: The honourable Minister of Fisheries and Aquaculture.

HON. STERLING BELLIVEAU: Mr. Speaker, I welcome the opportunity to have this debate here with my colleagues across the way. I am pleased to stand here tonight in the House to speak about aquaculture in Nova Scotia. This government recognizes the important economic contribution that all of our aquaculture operations make to our province.

We believe there is tremendous potential of the Nova Scotia aquaculture industry to be a leader in sustainable economic growth, in environmental management, in research and development.

Nova Scotia must invest in whatever it can to maintain special competitive advantages. Few other jurisdictions in the world can compete with our 13,300 kilometres of coastline. Aquaculture capitalizes on Nova Scotia's wealth in high quality fresh water and salt water resources. The markets for our farm fish are strong and are expected to remain so in the foreseeable future. In fact without aquaculture, the world will face serious seafood shortages.

Aquaculture now supplies 50 per cent of the world's food fish. It is expected to reach 60 per cent by 2020. Consumers around the world are demanding fish because it is a healthy food source for their diets. Farmed seafood includes all shellfish and finfish species, provides natural sources of essential nutrients such as Omega-3 fatty acids. The world market for seafood looks promising well into the future as wild fishery struggle to keep pace with a strong demand for healthy and delicious seafood. In fact, according to the FAO, without aquaculture, the world will face a seafood shortage of 50 million to 80 million tons by 2030.

A major opportunity exists now for our province to benefit from an aquaculture boom. British Columbia, New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island have limited ability to accommodate future expansions and successful aquaculture companies in Atlantic Canada are currently looking for more sites in Nova Scotia.

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We believe in the ability of this industry to provide many more high quality, sustainable jobs in rural Nova Scotia. In fact, given the very positive conditions for expansion that I've just noted, the aquaculture industry in this province is poised for greater success.

Mr. Speaker, we also believe in the ability of this industry to provide many more high quality sustainable jobs in rural Nova Scotia. This is an exciting time for aquaculturalists in Nova Scotia, with a variety of coastlines and many different coastal conditions. We are fortunate to be growing several fish and seafood species, from Atlantic salmon aquaculture to mussel culture, aquaculture is a growing industry in all our coastlines in many of our communities. We are currently growing trout on the South Shore, mussels in Cape Breton and along the Eastern Shore, and oysters from Yarmouth to Cape Breton.

The industry touches inland communities as well. Many of the salmon and trout hatcheries employ Nova Scotians in communities such as Debert, Chance Harbour and Big Falls. The arctic char facility on the Millbrook Band site is undergoing expansion as I speak. I am very pleased that in my community of Shelburne, the salmon and trout farms are providing year-round jobs to residents and their families right in this area. In the Windsor area we are looking for the first harvest this year. The state-of-the-art recirculating facility is growing European sea bass and also striped bass from the Stewiacke River.

Aquaculture is more than just fish, it's also very much about people. I invite my critics who are going to speak tonight, I invite them out to tour with me this summer. I know that I'll have an opportunity to visit a number of aquaculture sites so the invitation goes out and I can see that we can send a clear message that we have a united and co-operative government here that all Parties support aquaculture so I invite them to join me for a little tour of some of our sites this summer.

Aquaculture feed companies in Truro employ over 50 people and service salmon and trout farms in Nova Scotia, Newfoundland and Labrador, and New Brunswick. The trucking industry here moves aquaculture fish, gear and equipment. This industry needs highly-skilled workers to service aquaculture. Our Nova Scotia Agricultural College, does research for the industry, offers degree granting programs in aquaculture and is a base for aqua-marine health laboratories. Nova Scotia has a very credible and well-recognized environmental monitoring program, which has operated hands-on.

After seven years of extensive sampling, involving all active marine sites, the evidence conclusively shows that most agricultural operations have little or no measurable impacts on the ocean bottom. Furthermore, the evidence shows that there has been no significant environmental impact beyond the leased boundaries of any aquacultural site in Nova Scotia.

[Page 1674]

Nova Scotia knows and understands the fish business very well. We have excelled in markets around the world, especially in the eastern United States and for our commercial fisheries, and this puts us in a very desirable position to capitalize on the growing industry. We are very much closer to the markets than the larger salmon producers in Norway, Scotland and Chile, for example. Aquaculture offers a tremendous opportunity to expand our relatively new resource-based industry. Balancing sound aquaculture practices and knowledge and insight from the traditional fisheries allows the use of our generations of expertise.

Again, I want to point out that the member opposite, the member for Digby-Annapolis, I was basically moved several days ago, weeks ago, when the member for Digby-Annapolis put forward a resolution talking about the support of growing aquaculture. I felt at the time - and this is where that invitation comes out - that I think all Parties, that the PC Party would do that, that would show a clear majority.

Again, the invitation is there for my critics to join me this summer to go on a tour of some of these sites . I think that will send out the right message, a clear message, that all Parties in Nova Scotia are in support of aquaculture. To me, that has a very strong visual effect and I know the member opposite, the member for Digby-Annapolis, will assure me that the visual effect that I saw in Chile, when I saw a loaded vessel with salmon and I haven't seen that since the late 1970s. That is also a very strong visual and when you go there and see that vessel tie up and you see 300 people working in that fish plant, that is a strong visual impact. I think a clear message would be to see that the future of Nova Scotia aquaculture is strong and that we're strong in the future, in the hands of our future generations, our young people, especially in rural communities.

Again, the development of the aquaculture sector can grow our economy and create more jobs in this province, especially in rural coastal communities. We are all becoming leaders in the sustainable aquaculture and this continues success which helps the communities welcome aquaculture as a valid participant in our coastal zones. Together - and I emphasize together - we can continue to build aquaculture in Nova Scotia and provide for the future growth and our opportunities. Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker.

MR. SPEAKER: The honourable member for Argyle.

HON. CHRISTOPHER D'ENTREMONT: Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. I am very happy to stand and speak to aquaculture in our province. To the member for Shelburne, the Minister of Fisheries and Aquaculture , I can say that I support aquaculture and I can say that our caucus supports aquaculture. I'd be very happy to hop on the bus with you and be able to travel around the province and see aquaculture.

Now, I'm not the Fisheries and Aquaculture Critic, but I'm sure one of us will be there with you. I have had the opportunity on a number of occasions to visit the aquaculture

[Page 1675]

sites in our province to see the diversity of this production across our province. Whether it is in southwestern Nova Scotia, looking at the finfish aquaculture that is happening, the growing of steelhead trout - of course I have a good friend of mine, married to a cousin of mine, Sherman d'Entremont, who runs the one that is in the minister's riding there somewhere, or is it just past, into Queens? Yes, Port Mouton, sort of in that area.

What they've done over the number of years, what we had - let me go back a few years. Technology starts in eastern Canada. It seems we're wonderful with the science, with, of course, Dalhousie University, with Bedford Institute of Oceanography, with other organizations like that which develop a fishery, develop an aquaculture. Being Nova Scotians, we like helping people. We love to help people. That is sort of ingrained in who we are. So who did we help? Well, we helped the folks in New Brunswick, to start, and our technology got moved to New Brunswick.

Mr. Speaker, in a bit of time it seemed like New Brunswick was doing a little better than we were. All right, we didn't stop there, we had a number of people from Pubnico, actually, who went down to Chile to bring our technology to Chile. How many tons were you saying? It's like 600,000 tons of aquaculture product being developed in Chile.

Where is that technology from, Mr. Speaker? It's from here, right here. Where is the fish from? It is actually a strain of salmon from, I think, the lower Saint John River, but it is from Atlantic Canada. Now if that's not good enough, being the good Nova Scotians that we are - and I'm not mad at this, because again, it's what we are supposed to do as citizens and as Nova Scotians - we provided our technology to Norway and Scotland, who are known as sort of the heavyweights of aquaculture in the world - all our technology. They are able to take that technology and move leaps and bounds beyond where our aquaculture industry is today.

Why did that happen, Mr. Speaker? Well, of course we were Nova Scotians, but secondly, it is because our industry has been difficult. Whether it has been the cold waters off Digby Neck and not being certain what happens to the fish when, of course, the ice particles come through and there is a big freeze and there have been a number of areas that have been lost. (Interruption) Winter chill, thank you very much.

It has always been very difficult in this province to get an aquaculture lease, or at least to maintain it, or it has been extremely difficult to take one of those leases and expand them. We continue to put red tape in front of it; we continue to really fall to the pressure of our communities.

[4:30 p.m.]

Mr. Speaker, we are politicians. We are here to represent the needs of our communities, but we have stood in the way of the true development of the aquaculture industry in Nova Scotia. If we take Port Mouton, for example, I mean the finfish site there

[Page 1676]

had asked for an expansion and it set off two or three years of study and uncertainty in that Port Mouton area. Ultimately, you should have just done it or at least had the decency enough to tell the organization, the company, sorry you can't do it, instead of drawing those communities through thick and thin.

I can say I was on the tail end of that one when it was brought forward and it was still trying to be dealt with by our government, but once the NIMBY piece hits, once the "not in my backyard" piece hits, it's very difficult to pull yourself out of it and that's where we've gotten stuck over the years. What we need to have is a very progressive aquaculture policy, maybe some pre-work done, you know, before we take sites, really go around and take an inventory of the sites that we do have, and then be able to present to those to aquaculturalists and say here are some safe places you can go. Expand our system rather than them coming to us and saying, well, here are some coordinates of a spot that I would like to put down a trap, or here's the place where I'm going to put down a cage. We need to be a little more progressive on that, being able to provide them with the information that they need, and that will help our finfish, of course.

Now, we do have a very good oyster production, if I look at Nolan D'Eon, the oyster man in Lower Eel Brook, a phenomenal market right across Canada, doing very, very well, but of course he's getting to a point where he sells all his products. Anything he can grow, he's able to get rid of and he's buying it from other parts of the province that maybe don't have the markets today. They're doing phenomenally well.

There were trials on scallops; there were trials on mussels. Mussels still today do quite well. I know the member for Victoria-The Lakes - in St. Anns Bay, I remember that when I was the minister who eventually bit the bullet and said go and do it. And do you know what, Mr. Speaker? What happens there today is a wonderful organization that employs - I forget how many people but it's probably been 20 to 30, if I remember correctly, and all those worries are not there because they are providing employment in the area and it's not the big old monster that it was purported to be.

I think aquaculture is the future of fish production in our world. If we look at what's happening on some of our major banks, the loss of wild stocks, we're going to have to supplement that in some way. I did get to visit Norway, and I did see their aquaculture industry. It is phenomenal, it is something to behold. And they've gone beyond the salmon - they're growing cod and they're growing other wild stocks in order to provide those kinds of products to market. As a matter of fact the cod technology is from Newfoundland and Labrador, so again Maritimers being the good people they are providing their technology around the world.

We need to work with big companies like Cooke Aquaculture to help them expand in Nova Scotia, help the little guy who wants to start off and is an aquaculturist and has that training to be able to provide that kind of employment in our areas. They are biologists, they

[Page 1677]

are incredible people to bring to our constituencies. We need to work with the Aquaculture Association of Nova Scotia - who better to advocate for their own industry than the industry itself?

Mr. Speaker, every once in awhile, once a year, we have them come visit this Assembly and provide us with aquaculture products - I hope that they come again. But if I can finish off, it is simply to say that we're here to support the Minister of Fisheries and Aquaculture on that and, again, whether it's me or our critic, the member for Cape Breton West, we'll be along for the ride in supporting him on that.

MR. SPEAKER: The time allotted for debate on the late show has expired. I want to thank all the honourable members for having taken part in tonight's late show.

The motion for adjournment was made earlier. The House now stands adjourned until 9 a.m. tomorrow.

We are adjourned.

[The House rose at 4:35 p.m.]

[Page 1678]

NOTICES OF MOTION UNDER RULE 32(3)

RESOLUTION NO. 867

By: Hon. Wayne Gaudet (Clare)

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

Whereas the Nova Scotia Junior C Hockey League announced its award winners for the 2009-10 season; and

Whereas the Clare Lions team took two awards this past season; and

Whereas the Lions captured honours for team executive of the year and Maxime Wilson was named the leagues' rookie for the year;

Therefore be it resolved that the members of this House of Assembly congratulate Maxime Wilson for receiving the Nova Scotia Junior C Hockey League Rookie of the Year Award and wish him all the best with his future in hockey.

RESOLUTION NO. 868

By: Hon. Stephen McNeil (Leader of the Official Opposition)

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

Whereas Cyrus Taylor of Middleton's Pegasus Amateur Boxing Club and a student at Middleton Regional High School recently earned a silver medal at the Junior Amateur Boxing Championships held in Halifax; and

Whereas Cyrus' training and hard work paid off when he was able to beat out a very tough competitor from Alberta 11-1 to advance to the gold medal match; and

Whereas Cyrus boxed hard against a contender from Quebec and earned the respect of his coach, Bruce Harkness, who said, "We are all very proud of Cyrus and winning a silver medal at the national level shows the tremendous character and courage of this young man."

Therefore be it resolved that members of the Legislative Assembly congratulate Cyrus on this latest achievement and wish him continued success in the future.

[Page 1679]

RESOLUTION NO. 869

By: Mr. Jim Boudreau (Guysborough-Sheet Harbour)

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

Whereas the Municipality of the District of St. Marys will hold its volunteer awards night on May 1, 2010; and

Whereas each year the municipality recognizes individuals who have made a significant contribution to their community; and

Whereas in recognition of her contribution to the Guysborough County Kids First, Diane Pace is one of the 2010 Municipality of the District of St. Marys Volunteer Award recipients;

Therefore be it resolved that the members of this House of Assembly congratulate Diane Pace on her Municipality of the District of St. Marys Volunteer Award and wish her continued success in her future endeavours.

RESOLUTION NO. 870

By: Mr. Jim Boudreau (Guysborough-Sheet Harbour)

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

Whereas the Municipality of the District of St. Marys will hold its volunteer awards night on May 1, 2010; and

Whereas each year the municipality recognizes individuals who have made a significant contribution to their community; and

Whereas in recognition of his contribution to the Sherbrooke and Area Volunteer Fire Department and St. John's United Church, Donald Fraser is one of the 2010 Municipality of the District of St. Mary's Volunteer Awards recipients.

Therefore be it resolved that the members of this House of Assembly congratulate Donald Fraser on his District of St. Marys Volunteer Award and wish him continued success in his future endeavours.

[Page 1680]

RESOLUTION NO. 871

By: Mr. Jim Boudreau (Guysborough-Sheet Harbour)

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

Whereas the Municipality of the District of St. Marys will hold its volunteer awards night on May 1, 2010; and

Whereas each year the municipality recognizes individuals who have made a significant contribution to their community; and

Whereas in recognition of her contribution to the Seashore Volunteer Fire Department and the Port Bickerton Community Centre, Donna Kaiser is one of the 2010 Municipality of the District of St. Marys Volunteer Award recipients;

Therefore be it resolved that the members of this House of Assembly congratulate Donna Kaiser on her Municipality of the District of St. Marys Volunteer Award and wish her continued success in her future endeavours.

RESOLUTION NO. 872

By: Mr. Jim Boudreau (Guysborough-Sheet Harbour)

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

Whereas the Municipality of the District of St. Marys will hold its volunteer awards night on May 1, 2010; and

Whereas each year the municipality recognizes individuals who have made a significant contribution to their community; and

Whereas in recognition of her contribution to the Sherbrooke Women's Institute, Edith Strongman is one of the 2010 Municipality of the District of St. Marys Volunteer Award recipients;

Therefore be it resolved that the members of this House of Assembly congratulate Edith Strongman on her Municipality of the District of St. Marys Volunteer Award and wish her continued success in her future endeavours.

[Page 1681]

RESOLUTION NO. 873

By: Mr. Jim Boudreau (Guysborough-Sheet Harbour)

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

Whereas the Municipality of the District of St. Marys will hold its volunteer awards night on May 1, 2010; and

Whereas each year the municipality recognizes individuals who have made a significant contribution to their community; and

Whereas in recognition of her contribution to the St. Marys/Sonora Community Centre, Elaine Mailman is one of the 2010 Municipality of the District of St. Marys Volunteer Award recipients;

Therefore be it resolved that the members of this House of Assembly congratulate Elaine Mailman on her Municipality of the District of St. Marys Volunteer Award and wish her continued success in her future endeavours.

RESOLUTION NO. 874

By: Mr. Jim Boudreau (Guysborough-Sheet Harbour)

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

Whereas the Municipality of the District of St. Marys will hold its volunteer awards night on May 1, 2010; and

Whereas each year the municipality recognizes individuals who have made a significant contribution to their community; and

Whereas in recognition of his contribution to the Seashore Volunteer Fire Department and the Port Bickerton Community Centre, Ellis Kaiser is one of the 2010 Municipality of the District of St. Marys Volunteer Award recipients;

Therefore be it resolved that the members of this House of Assembly congratulate Ellis Kaiser on his Municipality of the District of St. Marys Volunteer Award and wish him continued success in his future endeavours.

[Page 1682]

RESOLUTION NO. 875

By: Mr. Jim Boudreau (Guysborough-Sheet Harbour)

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

Whereas the Municipality of the District of St. Marys will hold its volunteer awards night on May 1, 2010; and

Whereas each year the municipality recognizes individuals who have made a significant contribution to their community; and

Whereas in recognition of her contribution to the St. Marys Curling Club, Gloria MacIntosh is one of the 2010 Municipality of the District of St. Marys Volunteer Award recipients;

Therefore be it resolved that the members of this House of Assembly congratulate Gloria MacIntosh on her Municipality of the District of St. Marys Volunteer Award and wish her continued success in her future endeavours.

RESOLUTION NO. 876

By: Mr. Jim Boudreau (Guysborough-Sheet Harbour)

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

Whereas the Municipality of the District of St. Marys will hold its volunteer awards night on May 1, 2010; and

Whereas each year the municipality recognizes individuals who have made a significant contribution to their community; and

Whereas in recognition of her contribution to the Baptist Congregation of Port Hilford and the Anglican Parish of Liscomb, Iris Hayes is one of the 2010 Municipality of the District of St. Marys Volunteer Award recipients;

Therefore be it resolved that the members of this House of Assembly congratulate Iris Hayes on her Municipality of the District of St. Marys Volunteer Award and wish her continued success in her future endeavours.

[Page 1683]

RESOLUTION NO. 877

By: Mr. Jim Boudreau (Guysborough-Sheet Harbour)

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

Whereas the Municipality of the District of St. Marys will hold its volunteer awards night on May 1, 2010; and

Whereas each year the municipality recognizes individuals who have made a significant contribution to their community; and

Whereas in recognition of her contribution to the Florence Fraser Chapter No.47 Order of the Eastern Star, Jean Pryde is one of the 2010 Municipality of the District of St. Marys Volunteer Award recipients;

Therefore be it resolved that the members of this House of Assembly congratulate Jean Pryde on her Municipality of the District of St. Marys Volunteer Award and wish her continued success in her future endeavours.

RESOLUTION NO. 878

By: Mr. Jim Boudreau (Guysborough-Sheet Harbour)

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

Whereas the Municipality of the District of St. Marys will hold its volunteer awards night on May 1, 2010; and

Whereas each year the municipality recognizes individuals who have made a significant contribution to their community; and

Whereas in recognition of his contribution to the Kirk United Church, John Arthur Archibald is one of the 2010 Municipality of the District of St. Marys Volunteer Award recipients;

Therefore be it resolved that the members of this House of Assembly congratulate John Arthur Archibald on his Municipality of the District of St. Marys Volunteer Award and wish him continued success in his future endeavours.

[Page 1684]

RESOLUTION NO. 879

By: Mr. Jim Boudreau (Guysborough-Sheet Harbour)

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

Whereas the Municipality of the District of St. Marys will hold its volunteer awards night on May 1, 2010; and

Whereas each year the municipality recognizes individuals who have made a significant contribution to their community; and

Whereas in recognition of her contribution to the St. Marys Minor Hockey, Julie MacDonald is one of the 2010 Municipality of the District of St. Marys Volunteer Award recipients;

Therefore be it resolved that the members of this House of Assembly congratulate Julie MacDonald on her Municipality of the District of St. Marys Volunteer Award and wish her continued success in her future endeavours.

RESOLUTION NO. 880

By: Mr. Jim Boudreau (Guysborough-Sheet Harbour)

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

Whereas the Municipality of the District of St. Marys will hold its volunteer awards night on May 1, 2010; and

Whereas each year the municipality recognizes individuals who have made a significant contribution to their community; and

Whereas in recognition of her contribution to the Sherbrooke Show and Shine Committee, Lisa MacDonald is one of the 2010 Municipality of the District of St. Marys Volunteer Award recipients;

Therefore be it resolved that the members of this House of Assembly congratulate Lisa MacDonald on her Municipality of the District of St. Marys Volunteer Award and wish her continued success in her future endeavours.

[Page 1685]

RESOLUTION NO. 881

By: Mr. Jim Boudreau (Guysborough-Sheet Harbour)

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

Whereas the Municipality of the District of St. Marys will hold its volunteer awards night on May 1, 2010; and

Whereas each year the municipality recognizes individuals who have made a significant contribution to their community; and

Whereas in recognition of her contribution to the Port Bickerton Women's Institute, Lottie Harpell is one of the 2010 Municipality of the District of St. Marys Volunteer Award recipients;

Therefore be it resolved that the members of this House of Assembly congratulate Lottie Harpell on her Municipality of the District of St. Marys Volunteer Award and wish her continued success in her future endeavours.

RESOLUTION NO. 882

By: Mr. Jim Boudreau (Guysborough-Sheet Harbour)

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

Whereas the Municipality of the District of St. Marys will hold its volunteer awards night on May 1, 2010; and

Whereas each year the municipality recognizes individuals who have made a significant contribution to their community; and

Whereas in recognition of his contribution to the St. Marys River Association , Mark Pulsifer is one of the 2010 Municipality of the District of St. Marys Volunteer Award recipients;

Therefore be it resolved that the members of this House of Assembly congratulate Mark Pulsifer on his Municipality of the District of St. Marys Volunteer Award and wish him continued success in his future endeavours.

[Page 1686]

RESOLUTION NO. 883

By: Mr. Jim Boudreau (Guysborough-Sheet Harbour)

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

Whereas the Municipality of the District of St. Marys will hold its volunteer awards night on May 1, 2010; and

Whereas each year the municipality recognizes individuals who have made a significant contribution to their community; and

Whereas in recognition of her contribution to the St. Marys Garden Club, Melba MacDonald is one of the 2010 Municipality of the District of St. Marys Volunteer Award recipients;

Therefore be it resolved that the members of this House of Assembly congratulate Melba MacDonald on her Municipality of the District of St. Marys Volunteer Award and wish her continued success in her future endeavours.

RESOLUTION NO. 884

By: Mr. Jim Boudreau (Guysborough-Sheet Harbour)

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

Whereas the Municipality of the District of St. Marys will hold its volunteer awards night on May 1, 2010; and

Whereas each year the municipality recognizes individuals who have made a significant contribution to their community; and

Whereas in recognition of her contribution to the Historic Sherbrooke Village Development Society, Nancy Beaver is one of the 2010 Municipality of the District of St. Marys Volunteer Award recipients;

Therefore be it resolved that the members of this House of Assembly congratulate Nancy Beaver on her Municipality of the District of St. Marys Volunteer Award and wish her continued success in her future endeavours.

[Page 1687]

RESOLUTION NO. 885

By: Mr. Jim Boudreau (Guysborough-Sheet Harbour)

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

Whereas the Municipality of the District of St. Marys will hold its volunteer awards night on May 1, 2010; and

Whereas each year the municipality recognizes individuals who have made a significant contribution to their community; and

Whereas in recognition of her contribution to the New Town-Denver Women's Institute, Pauline Sutherland is one of the 2010 Municipality of the District of St. Marys Volunteer Award recipients;

Therefore be it resolved that the members of this House of Assembly congratulate Pauline Sutherland on her Municipality of the District of St. Marys Volunteer Award and wish her continued success in her future endeavours.

RESOLUTION NO. 886

By: Mr. Jim Boudreau (Guysborough-Sheet Harbour)

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

Whereas the Municipality of the District of St. Marys will hold its volunteer awards night on May 1, 2010; and

Whereas each year the municipality recognizes individuals who have made a significant contribution to their community; and

Whereas in recognition of his contribution to the Goshen Volunteer Fire Department, Raymond Feltmate is one of the 2010 Municipality of the District of St. Marys Volunteer Award recipients;

Therefore be it resolved that the members of this House of Assembly congratulate Raymond Feltmate on his Municipality of the District of St. Marys Volunteer Award and wish him continued success in his future endeavours.

[Page 1688]

RESOLUTION NO. 887

By: Mr. Jim Boudreau (Guysborough-Sheet Harbour)

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

Whereas the Municipality of the District of St. Marys will hold its volunteer awards night on May 1, 2010; and

Whereas each year the municipality recognizes individuals who have made a significant contribution to their community; and

Whereas in recognition of his contribution to the Port Bickerton and Area Planning Association, Ronald Stansfield is one of the 2010 Municipality of the District of St. Marys Volunteer Award recipients;

Therefore be it resolved that the members of this House of Assembly congratulate Ronald Stansfield on his Municipality of the District of St. Marys Volunteer Award and wish him continued success in his future endeavours.

RESOLUTION NO. 888

By: Mr. Jim Boudreau (Guysborough-Sheet Harbour)

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

Whereas the Municipality of the District of St. Marys will hold its volunteer awards night on May 1, 2010; and

Whereas each year the municipality recognizes individuals who have made a significant contribution to their community; and

Whereas in recognition of her contribution to the Indian Harbour Lake/Jordanville Community Centre, Sandra Harpell is one of the 2010 Municipality of the District of St. Marys Volunteer Award recipients;

Therefore be it resolved that the members of this House of Assembly congratulate Sandra Harpell on her Municipality of the District of St. Marys Volunteer Award and wish her continued success in her future endeavours.

[Page 1689]

RESOLUTION NO. 889

By: Mr. Jim Boudreau (Guysborough-Sheet Harbour)

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

Whereas the Municipality of the District of St. Marys will hold its volunteer awards night on May 1, 2010; and

Whereas each year the municipality recognizes individuals who have made a significant contribution to their community; and

Whereas in recognition of her contribution to the High-Crest Nursing Home, Sherbrooke, Shirley Long is one of the 2010 Municipality of the District of St. Marys Volunteer Awards recipients;

Therefore be it resolved that the members of this House of Assembly congratulate Shirley Long on her Municipality of the District of St. Marys Volunteer Award and wish her continued success in her future endeavours.

RESOLUTION NO. 890

By: Mr. Jim Boudreau (Guysborough-Sheet Harbour)

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

Whereas the Municipality of the District of St. Marys will hold its volunteer awards night on May 1, 2010; and

Whereas each year the municipality recognizes individuals who have made a significant contribution to their community; and

Whereas in recognition of his contribution to the St. Marys Garden Club, Wayne MacDonald is one of the 2010 Municipality of the District of St. Marys Volunteer Awards recipients;

Therefore be it resolved that the members of this House of Assembly congratulate Wayne MacDonald on his Municipality of the District of St. Marys Volunteer Award and wish him continued success in his future endeavours.

[Page 1690]

RESOLUTION NO. 891

By: Mr. Jim Boudreau (Guysborough-Sheet Harbour)

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

Whereas the Municipality of the District of St. Marys will hold its volunteer awards night on May 1, 2010; and

Whereas each year the municipality recognizes individuals who have made a significant contribution to their community; and

Whereas in recognition of his contribution to the St. Marys ATV Club and the Stillwater Community Centre, Wayne MacIntosh is one of the 2010 Municipality of the District of St. Marys Volunteer Awards recipients;

Therefore be it resolved that the members of this House of Assembly congratulate Wayne MacIntosh on his Municipality of the District of St. Marys Volunteer Award and wish him continued success in his future endeavours.

RESOLUTION NO. 892

By: Mr. Jim Boudreau (Guysborough-Sheet Harbour)

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

Whereas the Municipality of the District of St. Marys will hold its volunteer awards night on May 1, 2010; and

Whereas each year the municipality recognizes individuals who have made a significant contribution to their community; and

Whereas in recognition of her contribution to the Indian Harbour Lake and Jordanville Women's Institute, Barbara Furlong is one of the 2010 Municipality of the District of St. Marys Volunteer Awards recipients;

Therefore be it resolved that the members of this House of Assembly congratulate Barbara Furlong on her Municipality of the District of St. Marys Volunteer Award and wish her continued success in her future endeavours.

[Page 1691]

RESOLUTION NO. 893

By: Mr. Jim Boudreau (Guysborough-Sheet Harbour)

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

Whereas the Municipality of the District of St. Marys will hold its volunteer awards night on May 1, 2010; and

Whereas each year the municipality recognizes individuals who have made a significant contribution to their community; and

Whereas in recognition of his contribution to the St. Marys Trail Association, Charlie Hallett is one of the 2010 Municipality of the District of St. Marys Volunteer Awards recipients;

Therefore be it resolved that the members of this House of Assembly congratulate Charlie Hallett on his Municipality of the District of St. Marys Volunteer Award and wish him continued success in his future endeavours.

RESOLUTION NO. 894

By: Mr. Jim Boudreau (Guysborough-Sheet Harbour)

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

Whereas the Municipality of the District of St. Marys will hold its volunteer awards night on May 1, 2010; and

Whereas each year the municipality recognizes individuals who have made a significant contribution to their community; and

Whereas in recognition of her contribution to the St. Marys Seniors Club, Clara Wuff is one of the 2010 Municipality of the District of St. Marys Volunteer Awards recipients;

Therefore be it resolved that the members of this House of Assembly congratulate Clara Wuff on her Municipality of the District of St. Marys Volunteer Award and wish her continued success in her future endeavours.

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RESOLUTION NO. 895

By: Mr. Jim Boudreau (Guysborough-Sheet Harbour)

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

Whereas the Municipality of the District of St. Marys will hold its volunteer awards night on May 1, 2010; and

Whereas each year the municipality recognizes individuals who have made a significant contribution to their community; and

Whereas in recognition of her contribution to the Royal Canadian Legion Branch 86, Liscomb, Connie Nauffts is one of the 2010 Municipality of the District of St. Marys Volunteer Awards

Therefore be it resolved that the members of this House of Assembly congratulate Connie Nauffts on her Municipality of the District of St. Marys Volunteer Award and wish her continued success in her future endeavours.

RESOLUTION NO. 896

By: Mr. Jim Boudreau (Guysborough-Sheet Harbour)

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

Whereas the Municipality of the District of St. Marys will hold its volunteer awards night on May 1, 2010; and

Whereas each year the municipality recognizes individuals who have made a significant contribution to their community; and

Whereas in recognition of her contribution to the Calvary Faith Church, Courtney Mailman is one of the 2010 Municipality of the District of St. Marys Volunteer Awards recipients;

[Page 1693]

Therefore be it resolved that the members of this House of Assembly congratulate Courtney Mailman on her Municipality of the District of St. Marys Volunteer Award and wish her continued success in her future endeavours.

RESOLUTION NO. 897

By: Mr. Jim Boudreau (Guysborough-Sheet Harbour)

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

Whereas the Municipality of the District of St. Marys will hold its volunteer awards night on May 1, 2010; and

Whereas each year the municipality recognizes individuals who have made a significant contribution to their community; and

Whereas in recognition of his contribution to the Greenfield Oldsters David Fogga is one of the 2010 Municipality of the District of St. Marys Volunteer Awards recipients;

Therefore be it resolved that the members of this House of Assembly congratulate David Fogga on his Municipality of the District of St. Marys Volunteer Award and wish him continued success in his future endeavours.

RESOLUTION NO. 898

By: Hon. Sterling Belliveau (Fisheries and Aquaculture)

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

Whereas Tabitha Seaboyer, who is a member of the Shelburne Regional High School Rebels that captured the Nova Scotia Schools Athletic Federation Division III Senior Girls Basketball Championship on March 6, 2010; and

Whereas the Provincial Senior Girls Division III Basketball Championship banner is a first in the history of Shelburne Regional High School; and

Whereas the Shelburne Rebels have also captured the NSSAF Division III Senior Girls Western Regional Basketball Championship as well as the Shelburne/Yarmouth District Championship two years running;

[Page 1694]

Therefore be it resolved that this House of Assembly congratulates Tabitha Seaboyer, who, as a member of the Shelburne Regional High School Rebels captured the Nova Scotia Schools Athletic Federation Division III Senior Girls Basketball Championship on March 6, 2010.

RESOLUTION NO. 899

By: Hon. Sterling Belliveau (Fisheries and Aquaculture)

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

Whereas Bethany MacDonald, who is a member of the Shelburne Regional High School Rebels that captured the Nova Scotia Schools Athletic Federation Division III Senior Girls Basketball Championship on March 6, 2010; and

Whereas the Provincial Senior Girls Division III Basketball Championship banner is a first in the history of Shelburne Regional High School; and

Whereas the Shelburne Rebels have also captured the NSSAF Division III Senior Girls Western Regional Basketball Championship as well as the Shelburne/Yarmouth District Championship two years running;

Therefore be it resolved that this House of Assembly congratulates Bethany MacDonald, who, as a member of the Shelburne Regional High School Rebels captured the Nova Scotia Schools Athletic Federation Division III Senior Girls Basketball Championship on March 6, 2010.

RESOLUTION NO. 900

By: Hon. Sterling Belliveau (Fisheries and Aquaculture)

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

Whereas Hillcrest Academy student Cain Perham was a member of the winning team, Atomic Atoms, at the Tri-County Regional School Board's regional science olympics on June 4, 2009; and

Whereas Cain Perham helped his team to a third place finish in Grade 5 competition; and

[Page 1695]

Whereas the Atomic Atoms were among the 27 teams of Grades 4 through 6 students who advanced to the regional science olympics by topping district competition;

Therefore be it resolved that this House of Assembly congratulates Hillcrest Academy student Cain Perham, who was a member of the winning team, Atomic Atoms, at the Tri-County Regional School Board's regional science olympics on June 4, 2009.

RESOLUTION NO. 901

By: Hon. Sterling Belliveau (Fisheries and Aquaculture)

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

Whereas Carly MacKay, who is a member of the Shelburne Regional High School Rebels that captured the Nova Scotia Schools Athletic Federation Division III Senior Girls Basketball Championship on March 6, 2010; and

Whereas the Provincial Senior Girls Division III Basketball Championship banner is a first in the history of Shelburne Regional High School; and

Whereas the Shelburne Rebels have also captured the NSSAF Division III Senior Girls Western Regional Basketball Championship as well as the Shelburne/Yarmouth District Championship two years running;

Therefore be it resolved that this House of Assembly congratulates Carly MacKay, who, as a member of the Shelburne Regional High School Rebels captured the Nova Scotia Schools Athletic Federation Division III Senior Girls Basketball Championship on March 6, 2010.

RESOLUTION NO. 902

By: Hon. Sterling Belliveau (Fisheries and Aquaculture)

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

Whereas Forest Ridge Academy student Carrie O'Connell was a member of the winning team, Science Monkeys, ast the Tri-County Regional School Board's regional science olympics on June 4, 2009; and

[Page 1696]

Whereas Carrie O'Connell helped her team to a first place finish in Grade 4 competition; and

Whereas the Science Monkeys were among the 27 teams of Grades 4 through 6 students who advanced to the regional science olympics by topping district competition;

Therefore be it resolved that this House of assembly congratulates Forest Ridge Academy student Carrie O'Connell, who was a member of the winning team, Science Monkeys, at theTri-County Regional School Boards's regional science olympics on June 4, 2009

RESOLUTION NO. 903

By: Hon. Sterling Belliveau (Fisheries and Aquaculture)

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

Whereas Cassandra Brown, who is a member of the Shelburne Regional High School Rebels that captured the Nova Scotia Schools Athletic Federation Division III Senior Girls Basketball Championship on March 6, 2010; and

Whereas the Provincial Senior Girls Division III Basketball Championship banner is a first in the history of Shelburne Regional High School; and

Whereas the Shelburne Rebels have also captured the NSSAF Division III Senior Girls Western Regional Basketball Championship as well as the Shelburne/Yarmouth District Championship two years running;

Therefore be it resolved that this House of Assembly congratulates Cassandra Brown, who, as a member of the Shelburne Regional High School Rebels captured the Nova Scotia Schools Athletic Federation Division III Senior Girls Basketball Championship on March 6, 2010.

RESOLUTION NO. 904

By: Hon. Sterling Belliveau (Fisheries and Aquaculture)

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

[Page 1697]

Whereas Chelsea Goulden, who is a member of the Shelburne Regional High School Rebels that captured the Nova Scotia Schools Athletic Federation Division III Senior Girls Basketball Championship on March 6, 2010; and

Whereas the Provincial Senior Girls Division III Basketball Championship banner is a first in the history of Shelburne Regional High School; and

Whereas the Shelburne Rebels have also captured the NSSAF Division III Senior Girls Western Regional Basketball Championship as well as the Shelburne/Yarmouth District Championship two years running;

Therefore be it resolved that this House of Assembly congratulates Chelsea Goulden, who, as a member of the Shelburne Regional High School Rebels captured the Nova Scotia Schools Athletic Federation Division III Senior Girls Basketball Championship on March 6, 2010.

RESOLUTION NO. 905

By: Hon. Sterling Belliveau (Fisheries and Aquaculture)

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

Whereas 13 year old Chelsea Hines of Lower East Pubnico, Nova Scotia, donated 10 inches of her hair to Headquarters Hair Solutions Clinic on March 26, 2009; and

Whereas Chelsea Hines wanted to donate her hair so it could be used to make wigs for cancer patients; and

Whereas Chelsea Hines was very happy and very willing to donate her hair to the less fortunate that have been stricken with cancer;

Therefore be it resolved that this House of Assembly congratulates Chelsea Hines of Lower East Pubnico for donating 10 inches of her hair to Headquarters Hair Solutions Clinic on March 26, 2009.

RESOLUTION NO. 906

By: Hon. Sterling Belliveau (Fisheries and Aquaculture)

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

[Page 1698]

Whereas Woods Harbour resident Crandall Nickerson once again went above and beyond the call of duty by participating for the 17th time in the 29th Annual Terry Fox Run on September 13, 2009; and

Whereas Crandall Nickerson was once again one of the top fundraisers in the province, collecting more than $4,000 in pledges to support cancer research this year alone, at the tender age of 81; and

Whereas Crandall Nickerson raised close to $60,000 for cancer research since he began participating in the Woods Harbour Terry Fox Run in 1992;

Therefore be it resolved that this House of Assembly applaud Woods Harbour resident Crandall Nickerson for once again going above and beyond the call of duty by participating for the 17th time in the 20th Annual Terry Fox Run on September 13, 2009.

RESOLUTION NO. 907

By: Hon. Sterling Belliveau (Fisheries and Aquaculture)

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

Whereas Shelburne County Special Olympian David Wile won four medals at the Nova Scotia Summer Games held in Halifax July 17 to July 19, 2009; and

Whereas David Wile won a gold medal in shot put, a silver medal in the running long jump, and bronze medals in the 100 metre and 200 metre; and

Whereas David Wile consistently shows great sportsmanship, dedication and effort as a Special Olympian;

Therefore be it resolved that this House of Assembly congratulate Shelburne County Special Olympian David Wile for winning four medals at the Nova Scotia Summer Games held in Halifax on July 17 to July 19, 2009.

RESOLUTION NO. 908

By: Hon. Sterling Belliveau (Fisheries and Aquaculture)

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

[Page 1699]

Whereas Hillcrest Academy student Derrick Thornton was a member of the winning team, the Atomic Atoms, at the Tri-County Regional School Board's regional science olympics on June 4, 2009; and

Whereas Derrick Thornton helped his team to a third- place finish in Grade 5 competition; and

Whereas the Atomic Atoms were among the 27 teams of Grades 4 through 6 students who advanced to the regional science olympics by topping district competition;

Therefore be it resolved that this House of Assembly congratulate Hillcrest Academy student Derrick Thornton who was a member of the winning team, Atomic Atoms, at the Tri-County Regional School Board's regional science olympics on June 4, 2009.

RESOLUTION NO. 909

By: Hon. Sterling Belliveau (Fisheries and Aquaculture)

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

Whereas Shelburne County Special Olympian Dottie O'Connell posted a fourth-place finish at the Nova Scotia Summer Games held in Halifax July 17 to July 19, 2009; and

Whereas Dottie O'Connell gave her best effort in the sport of bowling; and

Whereas Dottie O'Connell consistently shows great sportsmanship, dedication and effort as a Special Olympian;

Therefore be it resolved that this House of Assembly congratulate Shelburne County Special Olympian Dottie O'Connell for posting a fourth-place finish at the Nova Scotia Summer Games held in Halifax on July 17 to July 19, 2009.

RESOLUTION NO. 910

By: Hon. Sterling Belliveau (Fisheries and Aquaculture)

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

[Page 1700]

Whereas Emily Keeler is a member of the Shelburne Regional High School Rebels that captured the Nova Scotia Schools Athletic Federation Division III Senior Girls Basketball Championship on March 6, 2010; and

Whereas the Provincial Senior Girls Division III Basketball Championship banner is a first in the history of Shelburne Regional High School; and

Whereas the Shelburne Rebels have also captured the NSSAF Division III Senior Girls Western Region Basketball Championship, as well as the Shelburne/Yarmouth District Championship two years running;

Therefore be it resolved that this House of Assembly congratulate Emily Keeler who, as a member of the Shelburne Regional High School Rebels, captured the Nova Scotia Schools Athletic Federation Division III Senior Girls Basketball Championship on March 6, 2010.

RESOLUTION NO. 911

By: Hon. Sterling Belliveau (Fisheries and Aquaculture)

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

Whereas Shelburne County Special Olympian Evan Crowell won two medals at the Nova Scotia Summer Games held in Halifax on July 17 to July 19, 2009; and

Whereas Evan Crowell was a silver medalist in both shot put and running long jump; and

Whereas Evan Crowell consistently shows great sportsmanship, dedication and effort as a Special Olympian;

Therefore be it resolved that this House of Assembly congratulate Shelburne County Special Olympian Evan Crowell for winning two medals at the Nova Scotia Summer Games held in Halifax on July 17 to July 19, 2009.

RESOLUTION NO. 912

By: Hon. Sterling Belliveau (Fisheries and Aquaculture)

[Page 1701]

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

Whereas Cape Sable Island Elementary School student Faith Bower was a member of the winning team, the Shockers, at the Tri-County Regional School Board's regional science olympics on June 4, 2009; and

Whereas Faith Bower helped her team to a first-place finish in Grade 6 competition; and

Whereas the Shockers were among the 27 teams of Grades 4 through 6 students who advanced to the regional science olympics by topping district competition;

Therefore be it resolved that this House of Assembly congratulate Cape Sable Island Elementary School student Faith Bower who was a member of the winning team, the Shockers, at the Tri-County Regional School Board's regional science olympics on June 4, 2009.

RESOLUTION NO. 913

By: Hon. Sterling Belliveau (Fisheries and Aquaculture)

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

Whereas Hillcrest Academy student Hannah Cameron was a member of the winning team, Atomic Atoms, at the Tri-County Regional School Board's regional science olympics on June 4, 2009; and

Whereas Hannah Cameron helped her team to a third-place finish in Grade 5 competition; and

Whereas the Atomic Atoms were among the 27 teams of Grades 4 through 6 students who advanced to the regional science olympics by topping district competition;

Therefore be it resolved that this House of Assembly congratulate Hillcrest Academy student Hannah Cameron who was a member of the winning team, the Atomic Atoms, at the Tri-County Regional School Board's regional science olympics on June 4, 2009.

RESOLUTION NO. 914

[Page 1702]

By: Hon. Sterling Belliveau (Fisheries and Aquaculture)

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

Whereas Heidi Barron, who is a member of the Shelburne Regional High School Rebels that captured the Nova Scotia Schools Athletic Federation Division III Senior Girls Basketball Championship on March 6, 2010; and

Whereas the Provincial Senior Girls Division III Basketball Championship banner is a first in the history of Shelburne Regional High School; and

Whereas the Shelburne Rebels have also captured the NSSAF Division III Senior Girls Western Region Basketball Championship, as well as the Shelburne/Yarmouth District Championship two years running;

Therefore be it resolved that this House of Assembly congratulate Heidi Barron, who as a member of the Shelburne Regional High School Rebels captured the Nova Scotia Schools Athletic Federation Division III Senior Girls Basketball Championship on March 6, 2010.

RESOLUTION NO. 915

By: Hon. Sterling Belliveau (Fisheries and Aquaculture)

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

Whereas Forest Ridge Academy student Jered Scott was a member of the overall winning team, the Mad Scientists, at the Tri-County Regional School Board's Regional Science Olympics on June 4, 2009; and

Whereas Jered Scott helped his Grade 5 team score 73 out of a possible 75 points to win both the Grade 5 event as well as the overall title at the Regional Science Olympics; and

Whereas the Mad Scientists placed first out of the 27 teams of Grades 4 through 6 students that competed at the Regional Science Olympics;

Therefore be it resolved that this House of Assembly congratulate Forest Ridge Academy student Jered Scott, who was a member of the overall winning team, the Mad Scientists, at the Tri-County Regional School Board's Regional Science Olympics on June 4, 2009.

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RESOLUTION NO. 916

By: Hon. Sterling Belliveau (Fisheries and Aquaculture)

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

Whereas 14-year-old Jessica Atwood of Barrington, Nova Scotia, was crowned Atlantic Canada's Next Top Model on November 15, 2009 at a competition in Dieppe, New Brunswick; and

Whereas Jessica Atwood, who is a Grade 9 student at the Barrington Municipal High School, also won top honours in the photography and swimsuit contests for her age group at the same competition; and

Whereas Jessica Atwood's talent and determination to pursue her lifelong dream of a modelling career has already taken her to the runways of Yarmouth, Halifax, and Montreal;

Therefore be it resolved that this House of Assembly congratulate 14-year-old Jessica Atwood of Barrington, Nova Scotia, who was crowned Atlantic Canada's Next Top Model on November 15, 2009 at a competition in Dieppe, New Brunswick.

RESOLUTION NO. 917

By: Hon. Sterling Belliveau (Fisheries and Aquaculture)

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

Whereas Julie Poole, who is a member of the Shelburne Regional High School Rebels that captured the Nova Scotia Schools Athletic Federation Division III Senior Girls Basketball Championship on March 6, 2010; and

Whereas the Provincial Senior Girls Division III Basketball Championship banner is a first in the history of Shelburne Regional High School; and

Whereas the Shelburne Rebels have also captured the NSSAF Division III Senior Girls Western Region Basketball Championship, as well as the Shelburne/Yarmouth District Championship two years running;

Therefore be it resolved that this House of Assembly congratulate Julie Poole, who as a member of the Shelburne Regional High School Rebels captured the Nova Scotia

[Page 1704]

Schools Athletic Federation Division III Senior Girls Basketball Championship on March 6, 2010.

RESOLUTION NO. 918

By: Hon. Sterling Belliveau (Fisheries and Aquaculture)

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

Whereas Katie Locke, who is a member of the Shelburne Regional High School Rebels that captured the Nova Scotia Schools Athletic Federation Division III Senior Girls Basketball Championship on March 6, 2010; and

Whereas the Provincial Senior Girls Division III Basketball Championship banner is a first in the history of Shelburne Regional High School; and

Whereas the Shelburne Rebels have also captured the NSSAF Division III Senior Girls Western Region Basketball Championship, as well as the Shelburne/Yarmouth District Championship two years running;

Therefore be it resolved that this House of Assembly congratulate Katie Locke, who as a member of the Shelburne Regional High School Rebels captured the Nova Scotia Schools Athletic Federation Division III Senior Girls Basketball Championship on March 6, 2010.

RESOLUTION NO. 919

By: Hon. Sterling Belliveau (Fisheries and Aquaculture)

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

Whereas Lauren Blinkhorn, who is a member of the Shelburne Regional High School Rebels that captured the Nova Scotia Schools Athletic Federation Division III Senior Girls Basketball Championship on March 6, 2010; and

Whereas the Provincial Senior Girls Division III Basketball Championship banner is a first in the history of Shelburne Regional High School; and

Whereas the Shelburne Rebels have also captured the NSSAF Division III Senior Girls Western Region Basketball Championship, as well as the Shelburne/Yarmouth District Championship two years running;

[Page 1705]

Therefore be it resolved that this House of Assembly congratulate Lauren Blinkhorn, who as a member of the Shelburne Regional High School Rebels captured the Nova Scotia Schools Athletic Federation Division III Senior Girls Basketball Championship on March 6, 2010.

RESOLUTION NO. 920

By: Hon. Sterling Belliveau (Fisheries and Aquaculture)

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

Whereas North East Point resident Linda O'Connell has once again gone above and beyond the call of duty in supporting the Rosalin Nickerson Care Fund Society's annual fundraiser, Walk for a Cause, on September 25, 2009; and

Whereas Linda O'Connell, along with friends Marlene Chetwynd, Clair Ross and Sharon Symonds have formed the Focus on Life Team, which fundraises throughout the year in support of the Rosalin Nickerson Care Fund; and

Whereas the Focus on Life Team has raised more than $27,000 in the last two years to support the fund, which helps local cancer patients financially, emotionally and spiritually;

Therefore be it resolved that this House of Assembly congratulate Linda O'Connell for once again going above and beyond the call of duty in supporting the Rosalin Nickerson Care Fund Society's annual fundraiser, Walk for a Cause, on September 25, 2009.

RESOLUTION NO. 921

By: Hon. Sterling Belliveau (Fisheries and Aquaculture)

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

Whereas North East Point resident Marlene Chetwynd has once again gone above and beyond the call of duty in supporting the Rosalin Nickerson Care Fund Society's annual fundraiser, Walk for a Cause, on September 25, 2009; and

Whereas Marlene Chetwynd, along with friends Clair Ross, Linda O'Connell and Sharon Symonds have formed the Focus on Life Team, which fundraises throughout the year in support of the Rosalin Nickerson Care Fund; and

[Page 1706]

Whereas the Focus on Life Team has raised more than $27,000 in the last two years to support the fund, which helps local cancer patients financially, emotionally and spiritually;

Therefore be it resolved that this House of Assembly congratulates North East Point resident Marlene Chetwynd for once again going above and beyond the call of duty in supporting the Rosalin Nickerson Care Fund Society's annual fundraiser, Walk for a Cause, on September 25, 2009.

RESOLUTION NO. 922

By: Hon. Sterling Belliveau (Fisheries and Aquaculture)

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

Whereas Hillcrest Academy student Mimi Chalnor was a member of the winning team, Atomic Atoms, at the Tri-County Regional School Board's regional science olympics on June 4, 2009; and

Whereas Mimi Chalnor helped her team to a first place finish in Grade 5 competition;

Whereas the Atomic Atoms were among the 27 teams of Grades 4 through 6 students who advanced to the regional science olympics by topping district competition;

Therefore be it resolved that this House of Assembly congratulate Hillcrest Academy student Mimi Chalnor, who was a member of the winning team, the Atomic Atoms, at the Tri-County Regional School Board's regional science olympics on June 4, 2009.

RESOLUTION NO. 923

By: Hon. Sterling Belliveau (Fisheries and Aquaculture)

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

Whereas Cape Sable Island Elementary School student Patricia Messenger was a member of the winning team, the Shockers, at the Tri-County Regional School Board's regional science olympics on June 4, 2009; and

Whereas Patricia Messenger helped her team to a first place finish in Grade 6 competition;

[Page 1707]

Whereas the Shockers were among the 27 teams of Grades 4 through 6 students who advanced to the regional science olympics by topping district competition;

Therefore be it resolved that this House of Assembly congratulate Cape Sable Island Elementary School student Patricia Messenger, who was a member of the winning team, the Shockers, at the Tri-County Regional School Board's regional science olympics on June 4, 2009.

RESOLUTION NO. 924

By: Hon. Sterling Belliveau (Fisheries and Aquaculture)

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

Whereas Paula Christie, who is a member of the Shelburne Regional High School Rebels that captured the Nova Scotia Schools Athletic Federation Division III Senior Girls Basketball Championship on March 6, 2010; and

Whereas the Provincial Senior Girls Division III Basketball Championship banner is a first in the history of Shelburne Regional High School; and

Whereas the Shelburne Rebels have also captured the NSSAF Division III Senior Girls Western Region Basketball Championship, as well as the Shelburne/Yarmouth District Championship two years running;

Therefore be it resolved that this House of Assembly congratulate Paula Christie, who as a member of the Shelburne Regional High School Rebels captured the Nova Scotia Schools Athletic Federation Division III Senior Girls Basketball Championship on March 6, 2010.

RESOLUTION NO. 925

By: Hon. Sterling Belliveau (Fisheries and Aquaculture)

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

Whereas Clam Point, N.S. resident Rachel Leah Hatfield donated 12 inches of her hair on December 23, 2009 to be used to make wigs for cancer patients; and

Whereas Rachel Leah Hatfield wanted to help cancer patients by her donation; and

[Page 1708]

Whereas Rachel Leah Hatfield was more than happy to make the donation;

Therefore be it resolved that this House of Assembly congratulate Clam Point, N.S. resident Rachel Leah Hatfield for donating 12 inches of her hair on December 23, 2009 to be used to make wigs for cancer patients.

RESOLUTION NO. 926

By: Hon. Sterling Belliveau (Fisheries and Aquaculture)

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

Whereas Rosalyn Fillmore, who is a member of the Shelburne Regional High School Rebels that captured the Nova Scotia Schools Athletic Federation Division III Senior Girls Basketball Championship on March 6, 2010; and

Whereas the Provincial Senior Girls Division III Basketball Championship banner is a first in the history of Shelburne Regional High School; and

Whereas the Shelburne Rebels have also captured the NSSAF Division III Senior Girls Western Region Basketball Championship, as well as the Shelburne/Yarmouth District Championship two years running;

Therefore be it resolved that this House of Assembly congratulate Rosalyn Fillmore, who as a member of the Shelburne Regional High School Rebels captured the Nova Scotia Schools Athletic Federation Division III Senior Girls Basketball Championship on March 6, 2010.

RESOLUTION NO. 927

By: Hon. Sterling Belliveau (Fisheries and Aquaculture)

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

Whereas Sarah Burrill, who is a member of the Shelburne Regional High School Rebels that captured the Nova Scotia Schools Athletic Federation Division III Senior Girls Basketball Championship on March 6, 2010; and

Whereas the Provincial Senior Girls Division III Basketball Championship banner is a first in the history of Shelburne Regional High School; and

[Page 1709]

Whereas the Shelburne Rebels have also captured the NSSAF Division III Senior Girls Western Region Basketball Championship, as well as the Shelburne/Yarmouth District Championship two years running;

Therefore be it resolved that this House of Assembly congratulate Sarah Burrill, who as a member of the Shelburne Regional High School Rebels captured the Nova Scotia Schools Athletic Federation Division III Senior Girls Basketball Championship on March 6, 2010.

RESOLUTION NO. 928

By: Hon. Sterling Belliveau (Fisheries and Aquaculture)

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

Whereas Savanna Jacklyn, who is a member of the Shelburne Regional High School Rebels that captured the Nova Scotia Schools Athletic Federation Division III Senior Girls Basketball Championship on March 6, 2010; and

Whereas the Provincial Senior Girls Division III Basketball Championship banner is a first in the history of Shelburne Regional High School; and

Whereas the Shelburne Rebels have also captured the NSSAF Division III Senior Girls Western Region Basketball Championship, as well as the Shelburne/Yarmouth District Championship two years running;

Therefore be it resolved that this House of Assembly congratulate Savanna Jacklyn, who as a member of the Shelburne Regional High School Rebels captured the Nova Scotia Schools Athletic Federation Division III Senior Girls Basketball Championship on March 6, 2010.

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