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HALIFAX, TUESDAY, APRIL 26, 2016

Sixty-second General Assembly

Second Session

1:00 P.M.

SPEAKER

Hon. Kevin Murphy

DEPUTY SPEAKERS

Mr. Gordon Wilson, Mr. Keith Irving

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

PRESENTING AND READING PETITIONS

PRESENTING REPORTS OF COMMITTEES

TABLING REPORTS, REGULATIONS AND OTHER PAPERS

MR. SPEAKER « » : As Speaker, it is my pleasure to table the Report of the Auditor General to the Nova Scotia House of Assembly, April 2016, the follow-up to 2012 and 2013 recommendations.

The report is tabled.

STATEMENTS BY MINISTERS

MR. SPEAKER « » : The honourable Minister of Transportation and Infrastructure Renewal.

HON. GEOFF MACLELLAN « » : Mr. Speaker, I rise today to acknowledge that we are in the midst of Public Rail Safety Week here in Canada. Public Rail Safety Week runs until May 1^st and gives us a chance to highlight the dangers when drivers, pedestrians, and trains meet. Most Nova Scotians do not realize how dangerous it is to walk on or near railroad tracks in the province, or how careful you have to be when taking your car over those railroad tracks.

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In 2015 there were 47 incidents resulting in injuries and 11 fatalities in Canada as a result of railway crossing collisions and trespassing on rail property. There are over 400 public crossings in Nova Scotia and at least that many private crossings.

It is important to use Rail Safety Week to highlight these dangers and to remind Nova Scotians that when you see tracks, think "train". By avoiding dangerous activities such as trespassing near tracks or trying to race a train to a crossing, we can reduce or eliminate these preventable injuries and deaths. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

MR. SPEAKER « » : The honourable member for Sydney River-Mira-Louisbourg.

HON. ALFIE MACLEOD « » : Mr. Speaker, I want to start by thanking the minister for providing a copy of his remarks in advance.

This is the 35^th year that the Rail Safety Week has existed, and I want to thank and acknowledge all those Nova Scotians who work to save lives by educating their fellow Nova Scotians about the hazards associated with railroads and trains. The dangers are present all year long, but I am pleased that we mark this week each year to bring additional focus to the issue.

While railroad companies and government have important roles to play in railroad safety, highlighting the dangers during Rail Safety Week ensures that Nova Scotians also know the dangers and also know their responsibilities. As the minister pointed out, there are hundreds of railroad crossings in our province, and we know that trespassing on rail property and incidents at railroad crossings can be deadly.

I join with the minister in asking Nova Scotians to avoid situations that put them in harm's way. Trains are large, heavy pieces of equipment that can't stop on a dime. By learning about these dangers we can help prevent tragedies. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

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

HON. STERLING BELLIVEAU « » : I also want to thank the minister for highlighting the importance of rail safety, and also pointing out the importance of public awareness campaigns. It is when we become complacent that we create the conditions for accidents to happen.

Mr. Speaker, the statistic given by the minister about injuries and fatalities around railways demonstrates there is an ongoing need for the education of the public - to that, the importance that we have proper signage around railway crossings.

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I also want to thank the men and women who work tirelessly to keep the tracks clear of debris and snow. Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker.

GOVERNMENT NOTICES OF MOTION

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

HON. LEO GLAVINE « » : Mr. Speaker, I beg leave to make an introduction.

MR. SPEAKER « » : Permission granted.

MR. GLAVINE « » : Thank you, Mr. Speaker, and I will ask our guests to stand when I call their names.

Joining us in the gallery today we have staff and board members from Brigadoon Village in Aylesford: David Graham, Executive Director; Michelle Bohaychuk, Director of Development; and Marly MacNeil, Communications and Media Officer. Also joining us is the founder of Brigadoon, David McKeage.

I would ask the members of the House to join me in giving them a warm welcome. (Applause)

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

RESOLUTION NO. 3205

HON. LEO GLAVINE « » : Mr. Speaker, I'll now read my Government Notice of Motion - I'll stick to the script because I can get carried away talking about Brigadoon.

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

Whereas children with chronic conditions or special needs are children first and foremost; and

Whereas Brigadoon Village opened in 2011 to offer camps where children with juvenile arthritis, asthma, epilepsy, now mental health, cancer, and other conditions can have fun with other kids living with the same condition; and

Whereas Brigadoon offers canoeing, fishing, wilderness camping, visual and performing arts, along with leadership skills for older campers;

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Therefore be it resolved that all members of this House congratulate Brigadoon Village staff, campers and their families, and wish them a wonderful 2016 camp season.

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

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

Is it agreed?

It is agreed.

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

The motion is carried.

The honourable Minister of Community Services.

RESOLUTION NO. 3206

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

Whereas Brenda Murray, Director of Strategic Policy and Decision Support at Community Services, epitomizes the behind-the-scenes civil servant, working tirelessly to support social equality and help mould the department's vision for better outcomes for the people we help; and

Whereas Brenda has always been the conscience of the department, reminding us of what's important and how we need to focus on doing the right thing; and

Whereas Brenda will be retiring from Community Services after 29 years of service;

Therefore be it resolved that all members of this House thank Brenda for her years of dedication and wish her well in her retirement.

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

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

Is it agreed?

It is agreed.

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

The motion is carried.

The honourable member for Halifax Chebucto on an introduction.

MR. JOACHIM STROINK » : Mr. Speaker, I'd like to direct the attention of the House to the east gallery, where we are honoured to be joined by a group of refugees from both Syria and Kosovo.

Mr. Speaker, Nova Scotians have a well-deserved reputation for hospitality. The way that the people of this province have opened their arms to refugees is truly a reflection of the better angels of our nature. The people sitting in the gallery today, and hundreds more just like them, have lived through unimaginable trauma. They have lost homes, businesses, and in many cases family members and friends. The very least we can do as a province is to offer them shelter and the chance at a better life.

Mr. Speaker, on a lighter note, I'm very familiar with the feeling that comes when someone butchers the pronunciation of your name; therefore, I would ask our guests for forgiveness as I stumble a bit with some of these names as I introduce them. So please stand as I try to read your names.

Abdalah Al Ahmed, Ahmad Aljenadi, Hosam Al Sayed, Yusuf Hibeycan, Mmun Maslamani, Naser Al Masalmeh, Shofa Al Hasoun, Aida Nuraj, Mahmoud Mubarak, Hiba Alhaj, Majed Alzamel, Kasem Al Zoubi, Marwan Ramadan, Jamal Al Ali, Mahmoud Abu Nabbout, Imad Daher, Abdulrazaq Mahmoud, Wafaa Hamad, Ahmad Ibrahim, and Manal Nourredin.

Also, I'd like to introduce the staff that are with them: Denise Herman and Martha Cody. So, please, if we could all give them a round of applause.

I wish them nothing but the best as they begin their new lives in Nova Scotia. Thank you very much for coming today. (Standing Ovation)

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

HON. LENA DIAB « » : Mr. Speaker, an explanatory word in Arabic first, please, before I do my notice of motion.

Hadrat ra'ees al majless,

Yess'edouni wa yousharifouni bi sifati ka wazira fi'l houkoumat wa na-i-bat fi'l majless, bi an ourahib lee awal marrat ahdath soukanana men Souriya wa li qira'at haza al'ish'ar al houkoumat fi al loughat al ingliziya 'ala amal an al qadimine aljedad ladina fi al moustaqbal al qarib sawfa takoun qadirat 'ala qira'ata wa fahem nafsah.

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

RESOLUTION NO. 3207

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

Whereas since December, we have welcomed more than 1,000 refugees to Nova Scotia through government-assisted, private, and blended sponsorship; and

Whereas it has been great to see the overwhelming support of so many people and communities assisting in the refugee effort by volunteering, donating goods, and pursuing private sponsorship; and

Whereas the Government of Nova Scotia has created a new fund that will give small grants to community and sponsoring groups helping our newest residents make their lives in Nova Scotia;

Therefore be it resolved that all members of the Legislature recognize the hard work of the Nova Scotia Office of Immigration and our many partners, including the Immigrant Services Association of Nova Scotia, the YMCA, the Emergency Management Office, 211, United Way, Red Cross, and the many volunteers on leading the refugee effort into its second phase.

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

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

Is it agreed?

It is agreed.

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

The motion is carried. (Standing Ovation)

The honourable Minister of Health and Wellness.

RESOLUTION NO. 3208

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

Whereas the Nova Scotia Nurses' Union was founded in 1976, 40 years ago, as a way of having nurses leading nurses; and

Whereas NSNU represents 7,000 nurses in acute care, long-term care, and community practice; and

Whereas current president Janet Hazelton has held her position since 2002 and is the longest serving president in NSNU history;

Therefore be it resolved that all members of this House congratulate Janet Hazelton, NSNU members, and staff on the 40^th Anniversary.

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

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

Is it agreed?

It is agreed.

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

The motion is carried.

Introduction of bills

Bill No. 165 - Entitled an Act to Amend Chapter 7 of the Acts of 1996. The Occupational Health and Safety Act. (Hon. Kelly Regan)

Bill No. 166 - Entitled an Act to Amend Chapter 31 of the Acts of 1996. The Sales Tax Act. (Hon. Denise Peterson-Rafuse)

Bill No. 167 - Entitled an Act to Amend Chapter 7 of the Acts of 2011. The Fair Drug Pricing Act. (Hon. David Wilson)

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

NOTICES OF MOTION

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STATEMENTS BY MEMBERS

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

N.S. NURSES UNION - ANNIV. (40^th)

HON. CHRISTOPHER D'ENTREMONT « » : Today I rise to recognize the Nova Scotia Nurses' Union, which will be celebrating its 40^th Anniversary at its annual meeting this week in Truro.

As nurses gather, all Nova Scotians should reflect on the hard work, professionalism, and compassion demonstrated every day by nurses across the province. Nurses are the backbone of our health care system through their work in a number of areas, from emergency health care to home care.

I call on all members of this House to congratulate the NSNU on its 40^th Anniversary and take time to thank a nurse in their lives.

MR. SPEAKER « » : The honourable member for Preston-Dartmouth.

St. John's Anglican Church (Westphal) - Anniv. (25^th)

HON. KEITH COLWELL « » : Mr. Speaker, I'd like to recognize and congratulate St. John's Anglican Church (Westphal), known as the church with the big heart, on the celebration of their 225^th year. The parish was founded in 1791, with the current church constructed in 1857. It has served the communities of Dartmouth since that date.

The church is deeply rooted in the community, and many people claim relationship to St. John's. The church property contains five British lime trees, sent by the Crown as a gift in 1867 to recognize the Confederation of our country. I applaud and congratulate the parishioners of St. John's Anglican Church (Westphal) on the 225^th Anniversary of service to our communities.

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

HEALTH & WELLNESS - INVERNESS: SWIMMING POOL - CONSTRUCT

MR. ALLAN MACMASTER « » : Over 130 people have signed a petition requesting that the government construct a swimming pool in northern Inverness County. Like many Nova Scotian communities, our aging population could benefit from the low-impact physical activity offered by swimming and other pool exercise. This is helpful for people with diabetes and cardiovascular disease and is also good for people's mental health.

People want and need to be empowered to take ownership of their own personal health. This petition is proof of that and proof of sincere interest in the construction of a pool in northern Inverness County. May the Minister of Health and Wellness and this government hear this message today here in the Legislature.

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

SENIORS HOUSING - BUDGET FREEZE

MS. MARIAN MANCINI « » : Last Fall, the seniors' public housing building Alderney Manor, which is in my community, was deeply affected by the outbreak of Legionnaire's disease that tragically claimed the life of one resident. For months, seniors were forced to bathe with bottled water or had to go to public showers at the Dartmouth Sportsplex. Given this crisis, I was dismayed to see that the budget for maintenance and capital improvements is exactly the same as the amount spent in 2015-16.

Mr. Speaker, given our aging housing stock, I would have hoped to see a significant investment from this government in order to keep our province's most vulnerable in comfortable and safe housing.

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

GOIT, JIM - PAUL HARRIS FELLOWSHIP

HON. KAREN CASEY « » : The Rotary Club of Truro has provided assistance to countless individuals with special needs for medical treatment or equipment since its beginning 90 years ago. It continues to focus on the needs of children with disabilities. Internationally, the club has contributed generously to the Polio Plus campaign of Rotary International to help eliminate polio, as well as to many other projects around the world.

The Paul Harris Fellowship was established in part to perpetuate the memory of Paul Harris, the founder of the Rotary. Donations of more than $1,000 to the annual program funds, Polio Plus, or the humanitarian grants program - or people whose amount has been contributed in their name - can be recognized as Paul Harris Fellows. Each new Paul Harris Fellow receives a commemorative certificate and a pin.

Jim Goit was a recipient of a Paul Harris Fellowship at the 90^th Anniversary charter night at the Best Western Glengarry in Truro in February. Please join me in extending congratulations to Jim Goit.

MR. SPEAKER « » : The honourable member for Sydney River-Mira-Louisbourg.

MACNEIL, SARAH - DAL. UNIV. BD. OF GOVERNORS AWARD

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HON. ALFIE MACLEOD « » : Mr. Speaker, Dalhousie Tigers women's hockey player Sarah MacNeil of Albert Bridge, the granddaughter of Sandy and Victor Ravenallo, recently received the Board of Governors Award. This award celebrates a student's contribution to the quality and vitality of the university through both academic and extracurricular accomplishment.

Sara was a volunteer with Bauer's First Shift program, Courage Canada Hockey for the Blind, and the Easter Seals sledge hockey program, among other organizations. Sarah is a four-time CIS Academic All-Canadian and has won a number of scholarships and awards.

I am proud to congratulate Sarah MacNeil for her outstanding commitment to her education and her extracurricular activities. Very well deserved, Sarah, congratulations. Thank you.

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

FISH. & AQUACULTURE: VICTORIA CO. SNOW CRAB FISHERY - CUTS

HON STERLING BELLIVEAU: Mr. Speaker, earlier this month, as fishers in Victoria County prepared to go catch snow crabs, they learned that their quota was cut by 54 per cent by the federal DFO, an estimated $6.5 million lost to the local economy. While other areas were cut by 15 to 20 per cent, it appears that the Victoria co-op fishers and plant workers will suffer the largest hit - a co-op that makes $26 million in annual sales and wages for workers.

Mr. Speaker, snow crab fishers and plant workers must be curious to know where the voices of their local MPs were, or the provincial Minister of Fisheries and Aquaculture was, when the federal Department of Fisheries and Oceans made this decision.

Mr. Speaker, their silence is deafening.

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

STRATHDEE, LEANNE - BEDFORD ADULT VOL. OF YR.

HON. KELLY REGAN « » : Mr. Speaker, I'd like to tell the members here today a bit about one of our volunteers in Bedford. Leanne Strathdee is a volunteer extraordinaire who is involved in many organizations and events in and around Bedford. She has always been a valued member of the Bedford Days Committee for 10 years, overseeing marketing, communications and protocol, and chairing meetings as well - always bringing her calm, professional demeanour to the task, thereby helping to make Bedford Days an enduring success.

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Leanne has also been involved in the Sisters Under Sail, a U.S. non-profit dedicated to helping teen girls build confidence and develop leadership skills as they train aboard the only all-female-crewed tall ship in the world, as well as Swing Fore the Kids Golf Tournament, Team Myles running group, the Parents and Children Together program, mentoring students in the Nova Scotia Community College Advanced PR Diploma program.

I'd like to congratulate Leanne on being named Bedford's Adult Volunteer of the Year, and thank her for her vast volunteer commitment.

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

A.G. BAILLIE MEM. SCH. - GARBAGE/RECYCLING PROJ.

HON. PAT DUNN « » : Mr. Speaker, today I rise to commend students at A.G. Baillie Memorial School for their interest and contribution to cutting down on garbage waste, gathering material for useful products and collecting certain plastic items that often don't get included in our recyclable bags at home.

The school's efforts have placed them among finalists in a national contest. Certain throwaway objects don't fit well with the usual stream of recyclables gathered within our communities. Living in a society that uses products every day, many that are discarded, students are learning valuable lessons throughout this project.

We salute the students, staff, and administration for participating in this very worthwhile project.

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

GREEN POWER LABS - DART. INNOVATION

MS. MARIAN MANCINI « » : Mr. Speaker, I rise today to acknowledge the tremendous work of Dartmouth-based Green Power Labs, a company working to make our world a greener and more sustainable place. Green Power Labs is based in Dartmouth, but their intellectual property is available in markets all over the world and they work with clients in the U.S., Mexico, Australia, France, Italy, China, and the list goes on.

Although the company develops cutting-edge solar power technology, CEO Alexandre Pavloski says his company's most meaningful accomplishment is bringing Nova Scotians back from out West to work.

Mr. Speaker, Green Power Labs employs 22 full-time employees in Dartmouth and is a testament to the spirit of innovation across the bridge.

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

ARMY, NAVY, AIR FORCE VETERANS UNIT 217 - FEEDBACK

MR. DAVID WILTON « » : Mr. Speaker, over the weekend I had an opportunity to speak to a group of veterans at the Army, Navy, Air Force Veterans Unit 217 in New Waterford.

Every year these veterans travel from across the province to meet and discuss issues that are of importance to the veterans' community. In my remarks I stress that government is obligated to care for veterans not just when they are actively serving but also when they are retired to civilian life.

Mr. Speaker, it goes without saying that all of us in the Chamber and across the province owe our veterans a debt that could never be repaid. I'd like to thank Everett Durdle for inviting me to speak to the group, for the outstanding feedback they provided with a wide range of issues. Thank you.

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

PICTOU CO. WEEKS JR. A CRUSHERS - KENT CUP

MR. TIM HOUSTON « » : Mr. Speaker, last night the Pictou County Weeks Junior A Crushers captured their first ever Kent Cup with a double overtime victory over the Dieppe Commandos. They rolled through the league, beating Valley in six games, beating South Shore in five games and then beating Dieppe in the finals in six games.

MVP Michael Lyle led the Crushers in scoring with 24 points, 13 goals and 11 assists in 17 games; Cole Murphy had 19 points; Garrett Lambke had 19 points; Benji Curtis had 16 points; as did Regan Spears, who tied the game for the Crushers last night in the third period and then scored the winner in double overtime to claim the Kent Cup.

So, congratulations to the Crushers. I should also mention goaltender Daniel Vautour, who led all goaltenders in the playoffs with a 2.02 goals against average and a save percentage of 0.92.

The Crushers now move on to the Fred Page Cup in Woodstock and I ask all members of the House to wish them continued success as they look to claim their second Fred Page Cup. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

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

LANTEIGNE, KAT/BLOODWATCH.ORG: PRIVATE CLINICS - BAN

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HON. DAVID WILSON « » : Mr. Speaker, today in the House we will be joined by Kat Lanteigne, co-founder of BloodWatch.org, an organization that has been travelling across our country urging provincial governments to ban private for-profit companies who collect blood plasma for the sole purpose of export.

Justice Horace Krever led the inquiry into the tainted blood scandal. The commission recommended that our national blood system be administered by a single, integrated national blood service. The Minister of Health and Wellness and the government must be leaders on this matter of public health care and the safety of Nova Scotians. I would hope that the government will do the right thing and ban these private clinics in our province.

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

SMITH, MEAGHAN - MUSICAL ACCOMPLISHMENTS

MR. IAIN RANKIN « » : Mr. Speaker, I would like to recognize Meaghan Smith of Timberlea. Meaghan is an incredible talent with an extraordinary voice. She is a gifted writer and an imaginative visual artist.

Since her debut release in 2004, Meaghan has gone on to release an EP. She has toured the world with her musical collaborator and partner Jason Mingo. She has opened for such artists as k.d. lang and her music has been featured on TV and on the big screen. On April 22, 2016, Meaghan performed at the Rebecca Cohen Auditorium with Symphony Nova Scotia to a delighted and sold out audience.

I would like the members of the Nova Scotia House of Assembly to join me in congratulating Meaghan on all of her successes to date, and to wish her and her family well in the future.

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

CLARKE, BEN - ASST. PROF. GOLFER OF YR. AWARD

MS. KARLA MACFARLANE « » : Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to congratulate Ben Clarke for receiving the Assistant Professional Golfer of the Year award, from the Professional Golfers Association.

Ben started golfing when he was 13 in Pictou. After graduating high school he completed a Professional Golf Management course at Holland College on Prince Edward Island. Ben also spent many years learning course management at the Abercrombie Golf and Country Club in Pictou County. Ben was hired to work in the Pro Shop at the Abercrombie Club and says he looks forward to returning to work again this year.

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The PGA of Canada Atlantic holds an awards gala every year to celebrate excellence within the industry. Congratulations Ben, for winning this prestigious award.

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

ROSEWAY MEDICAL CTR. - CONST. DELAY

HON. STERLING BELLIVEAU « » : On August 28, 2015, the Premier and the Minister of Health and Wellness announced $1.65 million to renovate the Roseway Medical Centre, with construction to start this Spring. Well, Mr. Speaker, Spring is here and now we learn that the original plan to renovate is no more. TIR has determined that the new medical centre is in order.

Mr. Speaker, the Mayor of Shelburne says that she is not impressed that the province is delaying this work for an additional 18 months. As Mayor Mattatall says and I quote, "The clinic is needed very badly but so are services at the hospital. We have neither at the moment."

Mr. Speaker, yet another broken promise. To be continued.

MR. SPEAKER « » : The honourable member for Sydney-Whitney Pier.

CHASE THE ACE: ASHBY LEGION/HORIZON ACHIEVEMENT CTR.

- VOLS. THANK

MR. DEREK MOMBOURQUETTE « » : I'm honoured to rise and talk briefly about what began as a small fundraiser for a local organization. It's become a phenom now, and a phenomenal event in Sydney for almost the last year. The Branch 138 Ashby Legion and the Horizon Achievement Centre in Sydney have been involved with Sydney's Chase the Ace for approximately 50 weeks now. That has seen hundreds of thousands of dollars raised to support veterans in our community and to eventually support the new building for the Horizon Achievement Centre, which supports adults with mental disabilities facing barriers to employment within the CBRM.

For approximately 50 weeks, we've had over 200 volunteers all over the CBRM volunteer their time to participate and to coordinate this very significant event for two great organizations. I want to take this opportunity to thank all of the volunteers who are involved with this great fundraiser for two great organizations.

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

MATHESON, SERENA - CRAWFORD AWARD

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MR. EDDIE ORRELL « » : I rise today to congratulate Serena Matheson of Westmount, a local teacher, social justice advocate, and community leader who received the 2016 Carl Anthony "Campy" Crawford Award. She has dedicated her life to leading and creating positive change in the community and has enhanced the lives of thousands of Cape Bretoners. Serena has demonstrated the core values Campy instilled through his policing as the first Black municipal police officer in Nova Scotia.

It's a true honour to have this opportunity to thank Serena for her years of dedication to community life in Cape Breton and the impact she has made.

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

BASQUE, ELSIE CHARLES: DEATH OF - TRIBUTE

MR. GORDON WILSON « » : I rise today to pay tribute to a special lady, Elsie Charles Basque, who recently passed away shy of her 100^th birthday. During her lifetime, Ms. Basque was a ground-breaker, a path encouraged by her father. He often said that "to be somebody, one needs a good education."

Though born and raised in Hectanooga, she spent two years away at a residential school. Seeing the failures of that school, her father enrolled her in the Sacred Heart Academy in Meteghan. She then went to the Normal School, and was the first Aboriginal to earn a teaching certificate and to teach in a non-native school. Later on, she taught for the Boston Indian Council, where her efforts with its anti-racism activities were recognized, and her research was sent as a position paper to the Senate.

After retiring, she returned to Clare, where she continued working on Aboriginal issues. For this, she received three honorary doctorates. She was named to the Order of Canada and was awarded the Queen's Jubilee Medal. She followed her father's advice, and accomplished so much despite the obstacles she must have faced.

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

STEVENSON, ANNA - GOV.-Gen.'s Caring Cdn. Award

MR. JOHN LOHR « » : Anna Stevenson is an incredible 13-year-old Grade 8 student at Kings County Academy who lives in my constituency and is involved in a whole host of volunteer activities that help people. Because of her dedication, Anna has been recognized with the Governor General's Caring Canadian Award.

Anna is a leader of the Action Team at her school, a Pathfinder with Girl Guides, and works twice a week with Sparks and Brownies. Her role in support of the "Because I am a Girl" campaign helped send two girls in a developing country to school for a year. She volunteers every Saturday with Acadia's SMILE program to assist children with disabilities to gain development with fine and gross motor skills.

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It is an honour and a pleasure to congratulate Anna on winning the Governor General's Caring Canadian Award and thank her for all she does for our community.

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

HFX. ATL. MLA - OFFICE ART: J.L. ILSLEY HS ART STUDENTS - THANK

MR. BRENDAN MAGUIRE « » : I rise today to speak of the amazing work done by the art students at J.L. Ilsley High School. This Fall they undertook a project under the direction of Sabine Fels, Arts Express instructor, to create a piece of art for my office. The students were asked to make something that represents an MLA's office, and it was up to them how they could interpret this.

I picked up the art in late February and I proudly have it displayed in my office. The students worked on a large piece of Plexiglas fit to cover a window on the inside of the office. They took pictures of themselves and made silhouettes from the pictures using black tape. The art shows several silhouettes and several open doors. It represents the constituents of Halifax Atlantic and the open door of an MLA's office for all people.

Mr. Speaker, I am so proud to have this extraordinary piece of art on display in my office, and I'd like to thank all the students who worked so hard on this project. Their artistic talent is remarkable and is now on display for everyone to enjoy.

MR. SPEAKER « » : The honourable member for Colchester-Musquodoboit Valley.

CHERNOBYL DISASTER - REMEMBER

MR. LARRY HARRISON « » : Mr. Speaker, 30 years ago today an experiment at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant in the former Soviet Union went terribly wrong. The resulting explosion spread radiation across Ukraine, Belarus, Russia, and other parts of Europe. The effects of the radiation were strongly evident in the children as many developed thyroid cancers, among other health issues.

Nova Scotian families opened their homes and their hearts to welcome these children of Chernobyl. The Chernobyl disaster is widely recognized as the worst nuclear accident in the world. Even after 30 years, the power plant and contaminated lands remain extremely dangerous.

Let us always remember those who paid the ultimate sacrifice to contain the accident and the role Nova Scotia played in supporting those affected by the Chernobyl disaster. Thank you.

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

RIPPEY, NATALIE:

RYL. CDN. LEGION NATL. POSTER CONTEST - CONGRATS.

MR. CHUCK PORTER « » : Mr. Speaker, for many years the Royal Canadian Legion in Windsor has sponsored the annual essay, poem, and poster contest, which is open to all schoolchildren. Natalie Rippey, from Windsor, was recently recognized for her achievement in winning honourable mention in the Senior Colour Poster category of the Royal Canadian Legion's National Poster Contest, as she competed against her peers. Her art work and her ability to clearly depict remembrance in such a sensitive way was very impressive, and she should be very proud of her accomplishment.

I'd like to invite all members of this House of Assembly to congratulate Natalie Rippey on this great achievement and wish her all the best.

MR. SPEAKER « » : The honourable member for Sydney River-Mira-Louisbourg.

MACDONALD, CYRIL - ANNE HOLLAND MEM. AWARD (2016)

HON. ALFIE MACLEOD « » : Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to Cyril MacDonald, of Albert Bridge, who was recently presented with the 2016 Anne Holland Memorial Award in recognition of an individual volunteer; this award is from the Cape Breton Regional Municipality.

Cyril has a long list of contributions to the community, from his involvement in numerous running groups to his work with the Cape Breton Special Olympics and the Dragon Boat Festival. Cyril MacDonald previously received the 2011 Youth Volunteer Award.

It is an honour to congratulate and thank Cyril for his many long hours of volunteering with all these organizations, and we wish him the very best as he moves forward in all these future endeavours. Thank you.

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

PORTER, GARRIDAN - HORATIO ALGER ASSOC. (CAN.) AWARD

MR. BEN JESSOME « » : Mr. Speaker, the Horatio Alger Association of Canada provides $650,000 annually in the form of scholarships to help support winning students in all Canadian provinces and territories. These scholarships are awarded to full-time students in their senior year of high school who have demonstrated integrity and perseverance in overcoming adversity, the commitment to pursue post-secondary education, and maintaining a good academic record.

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Mr. Speaker, I'd like to recognize and congratulate Mr. Garridan Porter, a Grade 12 student who attends Sir John A. Macdonald High School and is a resident of Upper Tantallon. Mr. Porter has been awarded a $5,000 scholarship from the Horatio Alger Association of Canada for his post-secondary studies. Garridan is one of 85 students to be awarded this scholarship in the country.

I'd like to wish him the best in his post-secondary education and all future endeavours.

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

MUSICAL FESTIVALS: VOLS. - THANK

HON. PAT DUNN « » : Mr. Speaker, Nova Scotia has a deep and rich music culture. The province has skilled and devoted local area music teachers; they are great supporters of school music programs and local music festivals that prepare students for further studies in a variety of related fields at community colleges and universities.

The music festival movement has been part of Nova Scotia's cultural fabric for 100 years. Each of the eight local festivals involves hundreds of entries and a vast army of volunteers to perform all the jobs that are needed to have such an event. Annually there are over 5,000 entries in the eight local festivals, representing well over 20,000 individuals.

Volunteers are the key to the continued success of music festivals across this province.

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

BOWLES, STELLA: TOP 25 UNDER 25 ENVIRONMENTALISTS (CAN.)

- NOMINATION

MS. SUZANNE LOHNES-CROFT « » : Mr. Speaker, I beg leave to make an introduction.

MR. SPEAKER « » : Permission granted.

MS. LOHNES-CROFT « » : I'd like to direct my colleagues to the east gallery, to a very special young student, Stella Bowles, and her mother, Andrea Conrad.

Today I'd like to recognize an extraordinary young woman - 12-year old Stella Bowles, of Dayspring, was recently nominated to join an exclusive club as a Top 25 Under-25 Environmentalist in Canada, by The Starfish Canada. While she is still awaiting the outcome of that nomination, Stella continues to champion for the environment. She has been testing water in the LaHave River to spearhead an effort to end strait-piping and to return the river to its natural state. What first started as a science fair project has taken on a life of its own. Stella has been gaining local, provincial and now national attention for her efforts, and it all began because she couldn't swim in the river she loves.

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Stella has been a shining example of how our young people are the stewards of our future. From where I stand, the future is in good hands. Mr. Speaker, I ask that all members of this House join me in congratulating Stella Bowles for her hard work to clean up the LaHave River, and wish her the best of luck with her Top 25 Under 25 Environmentalists in Canada nomination.

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

FOODLAND/CO-OP STORE MANAGERS: DOMINICAN REPUBLIC - CONVENTION/SCH. REPAIR

MR. TIM HOUSTON « » : Mr. Speaker, local Foodland and Co-op Store managers went to the Dominican Republic for a convention and they repaired a school. They saw a school that was falling down with chunks of cement missing from walls, open wires and peeling paint, but that school was still in use.

Robert Ball of the Westville Foodland said they formed a team, installed ceiling fans, patched, plumbed, painted and donated $2,500 for playground equipment; 55 pounds of school supplies topped off the initiative. Robert said the experience was humbling and he hopes the international giving project will continue. I want to add my personal thanks to all involved. I am proud we embrace newcomers to Nova Scotia and also proud that we reach out across the world to those in need.

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

SOUND MEDICS CURLING TEAM: SILVER DART BONSPIEL - CONGRATS.

MS. PAM EYKING « » : Mr. Speaker, I rise today to congratulate the Sound Medics curling team from the Baddeck Curling Club for winning the annual Silver Dart Bonspiel hosted in Baddeck, February 18-20.

Team members skip Donnie Anderson, second Jim Difiore, lead Wendy Breyfogle, and mate Theresa Buchanan captured the 12 team tournament after finishing the qualifying round with a 3-0 record, before winning their semi-final and final matches.

Mr. Speaker, please join me in congratulating the Sound Medics on their victory and all the organizers and sponsors who made the Bonspiel such a success.

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

BELANGER, DONNA: BOOK RELEASE - CONGRATS.

MS. KARLA MACFARLANE « » : Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to rise and congratulate Donna Belanger on the release of her children's book Angus McD and his Adventure at Sea.

Donna's years of experience as a tour guide at the Hector Heritage Quay inspired her to write this children's book about a boy full of energy, curiosity and imagination. While Angus McD is a fictional character, the ship Hector really did set sail for Pictou from Loch Broom, Scotland, with 189 passengers in 1773.

The book was illustrated by Candice Boudreau, a local artist, and has been dedicated to the Hector passengers and their descendants, as well as to author Sheree Fitch and Donna's husband James. Mr. Speaker, I congratulate Donna on her first publication.

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

BEDINGFIELD, RACHEL - CDN. ASSOC. FOR THE ADVANCEMENT OF WOMEN IN SPORT & PHYSICAL ACTIVITIY AWARD

MR. KEITH IRVING « » : Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to rise today to acknowledge Ms. Rachel Bedingfield of Gaspereau, for being honoured by the Canadian Association for the Advancement of Women in Sport and Physical Activity.

She has been recognized as one of the most 25 Influential Women of 2015. She's in good company on this list, side by side with the likes of Hayley Wickenheiser, the captain of the Canadian Women's Soccer Team, and the Premier of Ontario.

Ms. Bedingfield is co-chair of WomenActive Nova Scotia, a new provincial organization that aims to create more opportunities for girls and women within sport, recreation and physical activity. Ms. Bedingfield is a model for young women in this province for taking on leadership roles in our community.

On behalf of the Nova Scotia House of Assembly, I offer congratulations and thanks for the important community development work being accomplished by Ms. Bedingfield.

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

HON. DAVID WILSON « » : Mr. Speaker, I would like to draw the members' attention to the west gallery, where with us today is Ms. Kat Lanteingne who is a co-founder of BloodWatch.org. She is a writer, producer, and the writer of Tainted, which was a play about the tainted-blood scandal that happened in Canada. I would like all members to give a warm welcome to Kat in the west gallery. (Applause)

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

COMMUN. CARES YOUTH OUTREACH

- "RYAN'S HOPE - LOVE LIFE EXHIBIT"

MR. EDDIE ORRELL « » : Mr. Speaker, I rise today to thank the Community Cares Youth Outreach group for organizing the second Ryan's Hope - Love Life exhibit. The two-day art exhibition is meant to provide the philosophy of Ryan Gillis, a young addiction advocate who was killed in a car accident two years ago. His message was love life, live clean, and this event is an effort to keep his inspirational message alive. It is a true honour to have this opportunity to recognize the efforts of the Community Cares Youth Outreach program that tries to help young youth at risk to take control of their own lives.

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

DAFFODIL MO. (04/16): CDN. CANCER SOC. - DONATE

MR. STEPHEN GOUGH « » : Mr. Speaker, Daffodil Month in April is a national fundraising campaign for the Canadian Cancer Society. Throughout the month, volunteers are involved in numerous activities to raise vital funds for the fight against cancer.

As we are well in to April now, I can't help but to notice the lack of fresh daffodils that would normally be gracing entrances of the stores in our communities. This annual fundraiser has been devastated by the spoilage of the early spring flowers. The flowers were not kept cool enough to keep the buds intact. This resulted in 33,000 bunches of the Spring blooms unsaleable.

I am reaching out to everyone and asking that, even though the fresh varieties are not available, please make a donation and/or purchase the plastic pins to continue to support the Canadian Cancer Society.

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

FRAZEE, CATHERINE - ORDER OF CANADA

MR. JOHN LOHR « » : Mr. Speaker, the Order of Canada is intended to recognize outstanding achievement, dedication to community, and service to the nation. Catherine Frazee, now retired and most-deserving constituent from Baxters Harbour has been appointed an Officer of the Order of Canada for her advancement of the rights of persons with disabilities and as an advocate for social justice.

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Now a professor emerita, a writer, an educator, and activist for disability rights, Catherine was a teacher in the disability program at Ryerson University. She was a Chief Commissioner of the Ontario Human Rights Commission from 1989 to 1992. Catherine continues her work for the Canadian Association of Community Living, the Abilities Arts Festival, and with the Council of Canadians with Disabilities. I am pleased to congratulate Catherine on this great honour.

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

MCMULLIN, DEBBIE: SO. WOODSIDE ELEM. SCH. DONATIONS - THANK

MS. JOYCE TREEN « » : Mr. Speaker, South Woodside Elementary School recently contacted me regarding one of my constituents. They have been the recipient of many generous donations and acts of kindness over the past year. Debbie McMullin has graciously provided the school with many donations of backpacks and school supplies, all of which she has purchased with money out of her own pocket. These donations were greatly appreciated and put to good use.

The staff and children of South Woodside wanted to show their appreciation to Debbie and recently made her a handcrafted thank you card. It is good deeds like these that remind all of us of the compassion and generosity in this world. Please join me in thanking her for her generous contributions to the community. Good job, Debbie!

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

D'ENTREMONT, ANNE - EDUC. WK. AWARD

HON. JAMIE BAILLIE « » : Mr. Speaker, 25 educators from across Nova Scotia were recognized during the Education Week awards ceremony held on April 18. This year's theme was Media Literacy: Empowering Critical Thinking in a Digital Media World.

Anne d'Entremont, a teacher at the learning centre at École secondaire de Par-en-Bas was recognized for her work in helping her students develop the skills they need to better understand, create, and interpret text in print, on screen, in digital format, and how to be respectful and ethical. This education enables her students to learn to be responsible when using digital media, and I understand that that is a skill that she teaches even in her own household.

I wish to congratulate Anne d'Entremont on receiving this award and thank her for her tireless efforts in the work that she does and her devotion to her students and other people near her who may use digital media from time to time.

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

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LANCASTER, SCOTT: RETIREMENT - CONGRATS.

MR. BILL HORNE « » : I rise to acknowledge Scott Lancaster, coach of the Lockview Dragons Boys Basketball team in Fall River. Scott has held the position of head coach for the past 10 years. At Christmastime, he decided it would be the last year that he'd be on the team bench. Scott is a dedicated and focused coach who expected the best from his players. They did not disappoint him as he led them all the way to the battle for a berth in the provincial finals.

The community hosted a surprise party to honour the retiring coach on Saturday, March 12^th. The surprised coach was overwhelmed as he received congratulations and best wishes from many players, friends, fellow coaches, and family. Congratulations, Scott, and thanks for your hard work and dedication to Lockview High and Fall River basketball.

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

RHYNOLD, MARY & JAMES/CONVENIENCE STORE - COMMUN. SUPPORT

HON. LLOYD HINES « » : Mr. Speaker, Guysborough County holds one of the most beautiful areas on Highway No. 316 toward Country Harbour. There lies a lovely little community called Stormont. As you drive through this community, you will come across a convenience store that has been in business for over 30 years.

Mary and James Rhynold of Stormont are two very friendly store owners who have many high hopes for their business. They're still going strong after many years and plan to for many years to come.

Many know this business as "the Rhynolds'"; however, Mary has been working at the store, which was passed down from her parents, since she was 14 years old. She always had hopes of naming the business after her hard-working parents, the Joneses. But as years went by, locals decided that "the Rhynolds'" was quite fitting.

I am very proud to state that this little business has been running in my constituency for over 30 years and will still be running for years to come. Knowing these two joyful, pleasant, welcoming people, Mary and James Rhynold, has been a great pleasure.

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

KING, KAREN: RETIREMENT - WELL WISHES

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HON. MARGARET MILLER « » : Public libraries in Nova Scotia provide valuable resources to the community. Libraries are far more than a collection of books; they are centres of literacy, leadership, innovation, support, and imagination. The important place a library holds in a community is a testament to the people who work there. It is to the credit of staff that our libraries remain relevant in an ever-changing world as gathering places for both people and knowledge.

I rise today to recognize Karen King and her dedication to the Elmsdale branch of the Colchester-East Hants public library. After 23 years of service, Karen King has retired as our branch manager. Ms. King has seen the transition of the branch from a decommissioned rail station to a beautiful expanded facility. She has planned, hosted, and facilitated many wonderful programs, from children's story time and summer reading programs to workshops and homework help.

Ms. King has done a great service for the people of East Hants, young and old, and will be greatly missed. We wish her a very happy retirement.

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

GHOSN, CYNTHIA: HEALTH RECOVERY - CONGRATS.

HON. LENA DIAB « » : I rise today to share a happy story about a young constituent, Cynthia Ghosn. Three years ago, Cynthia was diagnosed with B-cell non-Hodgkin lymphoma. She fought cancer with her faith, the loving support of her family, and all the resources available in the health care system.

The Children's Wish Foundation gave her a special gift. Cynthia didn't want a wish that could be bought but a once-in-a-lifetime experience. Her wish, which the foundation was able to make happen, was to attend the 2016 Grammy Awards at the Staples Centre on February 16^th. Cynthia got to walk the Hollywood red carpet with music's hottest stars instead of the typical Disneyland trip.

Cynthia will be attending Dalhousie University this Fall, studying kinesiology, and hopes to transfer into nursing - a choice inspired by empathy for others battling illness. I ask that all members of the House of Assembly join me in congratulating Cynthia and wishing her continued good health.

MR. SPEAKER « » : The honourable member for Cole Harbour-Portland Valley with a 30-second statement.

ORTIZ, MS. JORDAN/ORTIZ, MR. CALEB

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- DUKE OF EDINBURGH'S AWARDS

HON. TONY INCE « » : I would like to acknowledge the efforts and accomplishments of two young people in Cole Harbour-Portland Valley, Ms. Jordan Ortiz and Mr. Caleb Ortiz. These siblings have achieved and been awarded the Bronze Standard of the Duke of Edinburgh's International Award. These certificates acknowledge the diligence and the hard work toward earning such an award, and demonstrate to other youth the opportunities that such endeavours can bring to young people willing to work hard toward achieving such milestones.

MR. SPEAKER « » : Order, please. The time allotted for Statements by Members has expired. We'll now move on to the order of business, Oral Questions Put by Members to Ministers.

ORDERS OF THE DAY

ORAL QUESTIONS PUT BY MEMBERS TO MINISTERS

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

HEALTH & WELLNESS: PRESCRIPTION DRUG MONITORING PROG.

- AG RECOMMENDATIONS

HON. JAMIE BAILLIE « » : Mr. Speaker, my question is for the Acting Premier. For over six years Dr. Sarah Jones allegedly ran an opioid pill trafficking scheme here in Nova Scotia. This dangerous scheme continued despite the presence of the Prescription Drug Monitoring Program. The Auditor General actually made recommendations to prevent this danger to the public in 2012, but nothing was done.

I'd like to ask the Acting Premier, why did the government ignore these important recommendations to prevent drug trafficking?

HON. DIANA WHALEN « » : For that question, I'd like to call on the Minister of Health and Wellness.

HON. LEO GLAVINE « » : Mr. Speaker, I thank the member, the Leader of the Official Opposition, for the question. There's no question that the Auditor General made important recommendations. Three of those recommendations were around the information technology system, the data collection.

It look much longer than anticipated to have every one of our pharmacies, ERs across the province, to complete the project. In fact, after coming into office, I had to lengthen the project and invest more in getting it done. It will be completed in June of this year.

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MR. BAILLIE « » : Mr. Speaker, what is the point of the Auditor General's recommendations if the government takes so long to act on them? It takes leadership to make these things happen. You can't put it on the backs of our pharmacies; it takes leadership to drive this forward.

In the last four years over 50,000 oxyneo and oxycodone pills were put out there that put young people at risk - it puts people at risk for addiction and abuse, and this government did virtually nothing.

I'll ask the Acting Premier, will she now recognize and apologize to the people of Nova Scotia who were put at risk by the negligence of her government?

MR. GLAVINE « » : Mr. Speaker, there are certain pieces of information that are difficult to address here on the floor. This case is before the courts. In fact, they will see that PMP actually played a role, an important role in the last analysis of being able to catch the fraudulent work that went on for a period of time.

What I'm pleased to tell Nova Scotians today is that we didn't quite reach the 80 per cent mark of all recommendations; we reached 75 per cent of all recommendations across the Health and Wellness Department - the highest in the history of the Health and Wellness Department.

MR. BAILLIE « » : Mr. Speaker, this one problem, 50,000 pills from one source alone, went ignored by this government for their entire term of office. The PMP program flagged it and they did nothing; the Auditor General recommended they plug these holes in 2012 and they did nothing.

Mr. Speaker, it is a lack of leadership that led to so many Nova Scotians being put at risk with 50,000 illegal pills on the market - that is not acceptable. One hundred per cent is what people expect from a government when young people are at risk of drug abuse, but they did nothing. The government should take responsibility for their negligence.

I'll ask the Acting Premier now, will you apologize for what happened for those people who were put at risk and table for this House a schedule that sees when these recommendations will be implemented, so people can be safe?

MR. GLAVINE « » : Mr. Speaker, three of the four recommendations are information technology being implemented as we speak here; it will be complete by June. The fourth recommendation is rightly what the Auditor General should tell any department, and that is that all recommendations be implemented. That will be done by June as an external review of PMP that now has been assigned to the college to hire someone to, in fact, take a look at what PMP really needs: that is administration, governance, and the ability to start its own investigations.

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

WATERSHED ASSOC. DEV. ENTERPRISE: FUNDING CUTS - DETAILS

MS. MARIAN MANCINI « » : Mr. Speaker, yesterday board members of the Watershed Association Development Enterprise spoke out about the government's decision to cut its funding. Since 1983, young African Nova Scotians who live in North and East Preston, Cherry Brook, and Lake Loon have relied on this organization to help them find jobs, and now after many years of service to local communities, the organization's future is in jeopardy.

My question for the Acting Premier is, why has the government decided to cut funding to this group that for 20 years performed vital work in African Nova Scotian communities?

HON. KELLY REGAN « » : Mr. Speaker, I want to be very clear to the honourable member. This is part of a Careers Nova Scotia province-wide revamp. We asked our various partners to come together, work collaboratively, and put together plans that would be in certain geographical areas.

Unfortunately, in the particular area where WADE operates, that did not happen. As a result we asked for a call for concepts and at the end of the day a panel, which included African Nova Scotian representation, chose the proposal from the YMCA.

I want to be very clear: there will be services in the Preston area, Mr. Speaker; there is no cut to funding to this program. The services that will be provided will be top-notch by people who are certified people in that particular area.

MS. MANCINI « » : Services in Cole Harbour, Mr. Speaker, which is a fundamentally flawed plan - our caucus spoke with members of WADE and they expressed that they felt blindsided by this decision to cut their funding, making decisions without consultation, which is becoming the trademark of this government. So my question for the Acting Premier is, prior to this decision, who did the government consult with in the African Nova Scotian communities that WADE had served for more than two decades?

MS. REGAN « » : I want to thank the honourable member for the question. In fact, we consulted with all of the service providers throughout the province, for the better part of a year, Mr. Speaker. So there was lots of consultation, number one, and there are four other African Nova Scotian organizations that will continue to provide service. This was about which organization had the best proposal and unfortunately, in that particular area, the organizations did not come together. As a result, we have some folks who will not be providing services in the future. That does not mean that area will not be served.

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I want to be very clear to the honourable member that this area will get top-notch service.

MS. MANCINI « » : Mr. Speaker, this cut has been most untimely given the hurt already being felt in these communities. Now WADE members are frustrated that the work that they do is being moved out of the communities that they serve.

So I will ask the minister, will she commit to reinstating the funding for WADE to allow it to perform its valuable work in our African Nova Scotian communities?

MS. REGAN « » : I want to assure the honourable member there is no cut to Careers Nova Scotia Centres across the province. The same money that is in the system now will be in the system at the end. Furthermore, Mr. Speaker, the YMCA, which was the successful proponent, has a track record of being very inclusive, of offering top-notch service, and I want to assure her that the people of Preston will receive excellent service in the future. Thank you.

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

TIR: SHELBURNE MEDICAL CLINIC - REPLACEMENT

HON. JAMIE BAILLIE « » : Mr. Speaker, my question is to the Acting Premier. Last August the Premier travelled to Shelburne to announce much-needed renovations to their community's medical clinic. He told them that the government was already in the final design stages for those renovations and that construction would begin, actually, right about now.

Yesterday, it became apparent that that is not going to happen. No renovations will occur. They're not possible. They need a whole new plan.

The Mayor of Shelburne, Karen Mattatall, said this is completely insulting to the people of the community; they, the government, are treating us like second-class citizens. I'd like to ask the Premier, why did the Premier make this promise to the people of Shelburne when he knew he couldn't keep it?

HON. DIANA WHALEN « » : Mr. Speaker, for the details of that question, I'm going to turn to the Transportation and Infrastructure Renewal Minister.

HON. GEOFF MACLELLAN « » : I thank the member opposite for the question. With respect to the delivery of this service in this important facility in Shelburne, the Premier did make that commitment because we are standing by that commitment. It is one that is important for that particular community and for the region.

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The reality is that when the commitment was made there was an understanding of what would be required, vis-à-vis that retrofit. When our engineer's architect went into the facility in November, they determined there was another whole host of additional issues with respect to the facility, with respect to the structural integrity, and also the roof. It added a whole host of problems that obviously require addressing. We're not going to put any Nova Scotian, particularly in the delivery of health care, in harm's way whatsoever.

We've got to get this right. We will get this right. I've just got off the phone with Mayor Mattatall. Certainly it's frustrating after eight years of being promised this, but we have made that commitment and we will deliver, Mr. Speaker.

MR. BAILLIE « » : Mr. Speaker, if the government truly cared about the health care of the people of Shelburne, they wouldn't be sending the Premier down to make political promises that they can't keep. Surely they would check out whether they can renovate or not before they go and make such a commitment, if they were serious about the health care needs of that area.

That's not what happened. Just like the NDP in 2011, who promised a new community centre that didn't happen, this Premier of the Liberal Government promised them a renovated centre, and that's not going to happen either. That's why Mayor Mattatall has been very clear when she said, "We need to have this clinic, we need to have doctors, we need to have services at our hospital." What they don't need is more empty political promises from the Liberal Government or from the NDP that came before them.

I'm going to ask the Acting Premier, why is the government ignoring the health needs of Shelburne, just like the NDP did before them?

MR. MACLELLAN « » : Mr. Speaker, this is an important issue. It's an important project in the community of Shelburne, and it does support health care delivery in the region.

With respect to the comments from the Leader of the Official Opposition, it's really par for the course. It's ridiculous to suggest that when we go in for an inspection with the professionals - the architects, the engineers, the people on the ground who make these decisions - and they determine issues with the roof, issues with the structure of the facility, that they would ignore them and stick to some plan that no longer makes sense for the protection and the vitality of this (Interruptions)

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

MR. MACLELLAN « » : Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Again, with respect to this facility, the mayor is certainly frustrated. She represents her community well. After eight years of these promises, they are frustrated. They didn't anticipate that there would be additional issues with the facility; no one could.

[Page 8200]

We found them, we identified them, and now we've presented a number of options that ultimately will be decided to make the very best decision. We will support that facility. We'll get that centre built in Shelburne once and for all, so that the members of the community and the members of the region will benefit from the new delivery of health care that this government is providing.

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

HEALTH & WELLNESS - LONG-TERM CARE: CUTS - C.B. EFFECTS

HON. DAVID WILSON « » : Mr. Speaker, we know the Minister of Health and Wellness has made the decision to cut funding from our province's long-term care system. The minister and Premier have said that these cuts in funding will not impact services provided to Nova Scotian seniors. However, this decision posed a significant burden to seniors waiting for long-term care in Cape Breton.

Cape Breton seniors are already waiting an average of 604 days for placement in long-term care. In one facility, the wait is 901 days.

Will the minister explain how it's possible that these funding cuts will not impact seniors in Cape Breton waiting for long-term care placements?

HON. LEO GLAVINE « » : Mr. Speaker, the 1 per cent cut is about the facilities, about 100 nursing homes across the province. I've met with their organization. They have not in the past looked at group purchasing using HealthPRO, using other efficiencies, that they collectively now want to start to do.

If there are any major issues through the fiscal year, we have committed to looking after those, especially those that are infrastructure in nature.

MR. DAVID WILSON « » : Mr. Speaker, we are hearing troubling news coming out of Cape Breton in regard to the transitional beds that are at the Cape Breton Regional Hospital. The plan is to cut those beds this Fall, which are currently being used by seniors in Cape Breton who no longer can live safely at home. Transitional beds are needed when home care is no longer an option in the case in Cape Breton. They are used by seniors who need the care and who may wait years to get in a long-term care.

Will the minister confirm today that he's shutting down transitional beds at the Cape Breton Regional Hospital, and how can he justify this?

MR. GLAVINE « » : It has taken the Opposition member a little while to catch on to the fact that the Nova Scotia Health Authority makes decisions around daily operations. What I'm pleased to convey to the member opposite and all Nova Scotians is that since coming into office, when I first reported to the House, there were 2,563 waiting for nursing homes; today it's an easy number to remember, 1,492.

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

COM. SERV.: AVALON SEXUAL ASSAULT CTR. - FUNDING

HON. JAMIE BAILLIE « » : Mr. Speaker, my question is to the Acting Premier. The Avalon Sexual Assault Centre has launched a crowdfunding campaign to meet the increased demand for critical intervention and prevention services for their clients. Government funding is insufficient to meet the demand for services related to sexual violence. One of the biggest issues has been the lack of long-term sustainable funding for the Avalon Sexual Assault Centre and others like it. Now one of the ways that the Avalon centre is trying to sustain its prevention, support, and intervention programs is by crowdfunding, hoping to raise $10,000.

My question to the Acting Premier is, will she stand by and allow these important services to rely on crowdfunding or will she today guarantee that Avalon and other important sexual assault services in our province get the long-term sustainable multi-year funding that they need to do their job?

HON. JOANNE BERNARD « » : I want to congratulate Avalon on the great work that they do. They've been around in our community for a very long time. I also congratulate them on fundraising. Ten thousand dollars is not a lofty goal; I know many non-profits around the province do that every day to sustain some of their services that go beyond core. I'm also proud to say that government provides core funding of $341,000 to Avalon. Last year, when there was a bump in services due to the tragedy around Rehtaeh Parsons, their core funding was bumped to $481,000.

We also know through the consultations we've done with the strategy that no one organization in this province meets the needs of everyone. That's why I was so proud of the $6-million three-year commitment to the Sexual Violence Strategy, including the increased services through this same program.

MR. BAILLIE « » : Avalon is doing great work, but they need core funding, not these one-time announcements that come from time to time from the government. They need to know the money is there for them to do their work because they are struggling to meet the increasing demand for their services. In fact, they're also hesitant to tell their story because they don't want victims and survivors to think that they won't be there for them when they need them, because they'll do everything they can to make sure they are.

But this is the sad reality - today there are 45 Nova Scotians who are on the wait-list of the Avalon Sexual Assault Centre. These are survivors of historic or childhood sexual abuse or people who are in crisis today, and they need help. This is for today, but it's for the long run.

[Page 8202]

So I'll ask the Acting Premier, will she today ensure that Avalon and the other sexual assault services are given the funding they need - multi-year funding - to clear up that wait-list and get these brave survivors the help that they need every year?

MS. BERNARD « » : As I stated before, one of the things that we did hear in the consultations across this province is that sexual violence counselling does not belong in the home of any one organization. There are many organizations that were providing it, but it was not a coordinated response. We met with over 200 stakeholders in nine areas of Nova Scotia - including Avalon, including the Colchester Sexual Health Centre - and we all know that working together better we can provide more coordinated services. We have put $1.25 million into those community hubs, and we continue to provide core funding to Avalon to meet the need within the HRM area.

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

FISH. & AQUACULTURE - LOBSTER-HANDLING COURSE:

IMPOSITION - EXPLAIN

HON. CHRISTOPHER D'ENTREMONT « » : My question is to the Minister of Fisheries and Aquaculture. The first rule of market development is presenting your product at its best, and that should be easy for Nova Scotia lobster. The landed value of the lobster fishery in Atlantic Canada was $396 million in 2010. It is the highest of any fishery in Canada, and I will table that document.

Talking about it isn't the problem. Imposing a handling course on the industry without knowing about it is a large ramification to that industry. In media interviews on Friday and in estimates this week, the Minister of Fisheries and Aquaculture said that talking about his own mandatory lobster-handling course hurts international markets. He said he wants to keep it quiet.

The minister imposes the course, sending a signal that the quality of Nova Scotia lobsters needed improving. So my question through you to the minister is, why did the minister risk our reputation with existing international markets by imposing a lobster-handling course for buyers?

HON. KEITH COLWELL « » : As indicated in estimates, we have an agreement with four of the groups in the industry to improve handling in the program. As was discussed at that time, it's very important as we move forward to renew the industry. It's one of the most important industries in the province, if not the most important.

MR. D'ENTREMONT « » : Mr. Speaker, our lobster industry is vital to this province and is vital to southwestern Nova Scotia. It is the source of significant pride for our province.

[Page 8203]

The minister says he is moving forward with the course for all fishermen, handlers, and buyers. Let us call it for what it is: red tape. It even violates the Premier's own Charter of Governing Principles for Regulation. So my question to the minister is, will the minister scrap this unnecessary course and start marketing Nova Scotia lobster for what it is - the best in the world?

MR. COLWELL « » : Number one, the member wants to check his information. It is not going to be for harvesters. It is going to be for buyers only. You want to get your facts straight. Indeed, as we move forward with this, we (Interruptions)

MR. SPEAKER « » : Order, please. I would like to remind the honourable minister not to speak directly to members opposite, and I would like to remind the members opposite to listen for the answer when they pose a question.

The honourable Minister of Fisheries and Aquaculture.

MR. COLWELL « » : Indeed, we have buy-in from the industry on this. We have made arrangements with them to move forward with this program. They are excited about it, and it is time it is in place. The industry itself says that they do not want to discuss it in public anymore. They came forward and said it is definitely hurting the industry.

It is unfortunate that that Party never did anything toward economic development in the province when they were in government.

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

HEALTH & WELLNESS: BLOOD PLASMA COLLECTION COMPANIES

- MIN. REVIEW

HON. DAVID WILSON « » : Mr. Speaker, we know that a private, for-profit blood plasma collection company has set its sights on Nova Scotia. The minister has met with Canadian Plasma Resources and seems to have no problem with them coming to our province. We are joined today by safe-blood advocates who work with survivors of the tainted blood scandal and are calling for a ban of these clinics in Nova Scotia and across Canada.

We have not heard from the minister on why these clinics are needed in Nova Scotia. What analysis has the minister conducted to support these clinics opening in Nova Scotia, and will he commit to providing the public with this analysis?

HON. LEO GLAVINE « » : Mr. Speaker, what I can convey to the member and also to all Nova Scotians is that there is no application from any private company to come to Nova Scotia to collect blood for payment.

[Page 8204]

We are certainly aware of what has taken place across the country. Ontario and Quebec passed legislation to prevent it from taking place. Saskatchewan - which is surprising to most - is allowing pay for plasma. We in Nova Scotia have had no official ask to look at this idea.

MR. DAVID WILSON « » : Mr. Speaker, the principle of voluntary donation is critical to Canada's blood system. It was enshrined in our public blood system by the Krever Commission after the Canadian tainted blood scandal. The commission also recommended that our national blood system be administered by a single integrated national blood service.

Canadian Plasma Resources does not uphold these values that are enshrined in the Krever Report. This company has set up blood plasma donations in storefronts and next to universities, food banks, and homeless shelters.

Mr. Speaker, given that Canadian Plasma Resources has targeted vulnerable populations in other jurisdictions, will the minister commit today to blocking any expansion of private, for-profit blood plasma collection in Nova Scotia?

MR. GLAVINE « » : Mr. Speaker, what I'm very proud to be able to stand in the Legislature and say is that Nova Scotians have a phenomenal past, in terms of donation of blood and blood products. I'm sure that will continue into the future.

I certainly like the direction the World Health Organization is providing all of us and that is by 2020 they would like to see all blood and blood products be done through donation.

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

CCH: CULTURAL INDUSTRIES - UNDERSTANDING IMPROVE

MR. ANDREW YOUNGER « » : Mr. Speaker, my question is for the Minister of Communities, Culture and Heritage. In a presentation to deputy ministers just two weeks ago, on April 11^th, about the state of cultural industries, it was stated by the minister's department that industry stakeholders in all sectors were concerned with Nova Scotia Business Inc.'s consultation and understanding of industry requirements. The minister's department stated to the deputy ministers that other than film, responsibility for funding programs related to cultural sectors would be moved away from NSBI and to Communities, Culture and Heritage on March 23^rd, in yet another departmental switch of responsibility for some creators.

Mr. Speaker, I'll table that. What is being done by the minister to improve understanding of industry requirements by those tasked with supporting it?

[Page 8205]

HON. TONY INCE « » : Thank you for that question. As was stated, most of those departments or most of the funds or most of the things that are within Communities, Culture and Heritage are directed to work and help grow the sector, help grow our economy with those sectors that traditionally did not have access to those funds. Thank you.

MR. YOUNGER « » : The minister's department also reminded the deputy ministers that the government is behind on commitments to support the music industry through a tax credit or other similar program, which his department told deputies just two weeks ago was supposed to have been implemented in the Fall of 2014 and I'll table that.

Measures such as this were intended to grow cultural sector employment. Now his department states that it will ultimately assess its success through the number of people employed in Nova Scotia through cultural industries on a number of criteria, using Statistics Canada data that will include live performance, film, written work and cultural education. I'll table that, too.

Mr. Speaker, what year will the minister use as a baseline for cultural jobs in Nova Scotia to assess whether the jobs have actually increased and what steps are being taken to increase the jobs as a result of that presentation?

MR. INCE « » : Thank you again for that question. The baseline and the information for that baseline will be available this Fall.

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

HEALTH & WELLNESS: LEGIONELLA - DICKSON CTR. - WATER SUPPLY

HON. CHRISTOPHER D'ENTREMONT « » : Mr. Speaker, my question through you is to the Minister of Health and Wellness. Last week I asked the minister to provide cost analysis on the plan to rid water supply at the VG site - or actually at the Dickson Centre just behind it - of Legionella bacteria to ensure that patients have access to safe water.

The minister mentioned provisions that have been made in the past, such as providing bottled water to patients and clinicians. Nova Scotia expects plans for a new facility to address decades-old hazards like unsafe drinking water.

My question to the minister, will the renovations at the Dickson Centre eradicate the water supply of Legionella bacteria?

HON. LEO GLAVINE « » : Mr. Speaker, what is planned at the Dickson site, which I know is very exciting to oncologists and the teams that work there, is that there will be a refurbishment of the building, an expansion that will really make it the Maritime centre of cancer care excellence. Part of that will be to make sure that we finally have a water system that is free of Legionella.

[Page 8206]

MR. D'ENTREMONT « » : Mr. Speaker, the plans announced last week contain very little detail but the government would not have been able to make these announcements without having done at least some background work.

The minister is right that Nova Scotians are looking forward to a safer site but they want guarantees that all safety concerns are addressed, which of course includes the water. Will the minister table the cost analysis and the plans to eradicate Legionella bacteria from the Dickson Centre's water supply?

MR. GLAVINE « » : Mr. Speaker, obviously it will be TIR and the Nova Scotia Health Authority that will develop the final plans for the Dickson Centre and also the other centres that will either be built or added to, and all of those details will be coming forward and Nova Scotians will see this phase project over the next five or six years.

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

FIN. & TREASURY BD.: EXPENSES - TRANSACTION YR.

MR. TIM HOUSTON « » : Mr. Speaker, my question is for the Minister of Finance and Treasury Board.

In responding to the 2013 NDP budget, the honourable member for Clayton-Park West said, "It's important that we . . . recognize payments in the year that they are accounted for. So this is a manipulation . . ." - she said referring to their budget. My, how times have changed. This year this government decided to book almost $13 million of Yarmouth ferry money in last year.

So I'd like to ask the minister, why is he stuffing expenses into previous years, the kind of practice that his colleagues have previously said was manipulative?

HON. RANDY DELOREY « » : Mr. Speaker, through you to the member opposite, I guess with respect to the around $13 million that he's referring to, that particular transaction that was recorded in the 2015-16 fiscal year is a transaction that took place within that fiscal year. It was recorded in the fiscal year in which that transaction took place, which would be consistent with public accounting policies and the policies of accounting that we follow for the province. So it was accounted as it was supposed to.

MR. HOUSTON « » : Well, Mr. Speaker, not so fast; not so fast. The money was dispersed in March, but it actually is going to offset future years' charter fees. So this government has said that the amounts will offset the charter fees from the future. If not for this transaction, charter fees in the future would be higher, the expenses for this year wouldn't be $10 million as disclosed - they would be more like $14 or $15 million.

[Page 8207]

So in the face of that, why is the minister not trying to be honest about the cost for the expenses this year?

MR. SPEAKER « » : Order, please. I would like to remind the honourable members they can't infer that any member of this House is not honest. So I'll ask you to retract that.

MR. HOUSTON « » : Thank you, I'll retract that comment. The question simply is, why aren't we properly acknowledging the full cost of this coming year in this year's budget as opposed to putting some of it in last year, when it clearly relates this year?

MR. DELOREY « » : Mr. Speaker, I thank the member for the question and for the opportunity to actually highlight and congratulate my colleague, the Minister of Transportation and Infrastructure Renewal, for the work that was done on the Nova Scotia to Portland ferry. (Interruptions)

As was noted by the member opposite, that . . .

MR. SPEAKER « » : Order, please. The honourable Minister of Finance and Treasury Board has the floor.

MR. DELOREY « » : Through the agreement that was reached that money is going towards retrofitting that needed to be done. Mr. Speaker, that work was being done, what the Minister of Transportation and Infrastructure Renewal managed to do through his negotiations on this particular deal was to see that work that needed to be done, work that we committed to doing and that was part of that transaction, that invoice is actually going to result in savings for the province in the out years.

The payment was not, Mr. Speaker, related to forward looking, but it was for work being done for retrofitting the boat and facilities, to let it run.

MR. SPEAKER « » : The honourable member for Sydney River-Myra-Louisbourg.

TIR - BLUENOSE II: RUDDER SYSTEM - FUNDS

HON. ALFIE MACLEOD « » : Mr. Speaker, my question through you is to the Minister of TIR. The steering system of Bluenose II continues to be a worry. In March we learned that the new rudder is expected to cost up to $1 million to design, build, and install. That brings that troubled project to over $25 million. However, department officials have confirmed that the money has not been set aside in this budget for the replacement and design work for the new rudder, and this has not been done.

So my question to the minister is, where is the money coming from to pay for the new rudder and steering system in Bluenose II?

[Page 8208]

HON. GEOFF MACLELLAN « » : I thank the member opposite for the question. First and foremost, there has never been an assignment of a dollar amount for the new rudder. That became a report. That was not anything that was released from our department. There is no number associated with the rudder. The consultants are putting two designs together now, one for a composite rudder and one for a wooden rudder. There has been no talk of figures or facts, so the $1 million doesn't exist anywhere other than when it's being reported by the member opposite or in some media. That has never been a number established. The total amount of the allotment was $25 million for Bluenose II. We're at $23.8 million at this point.

We're going to wait for the consultants' reports, their analysis of the options that we have in front of us, and obviously do the cost analysis at that point. When that is the case, we'll certainly make it public for all Nova Scotians to know the answer.

MR. MACLEOD « » : It's interesting because the Bluenose II project is years behind schedule and millions of dollars over the budget. Individuals from his department have indicated that there was no money put aside for this expenditure for the rudder and the design work. My question is, will the minister confirm that this much-needed work will be completed in the 2016 budget and that the money will not affect the capital cost of paving roads in this province?

MR. MACLELLAN « » : First and foremost, I will confirm what the member opposite just suggested: there is money that will be allocated from our department to cover these costs. Again, we can't speculate on what those costs are, but when we have that consultants' report, we'll certainly make those public. For the reference of the public, the steel rudder, to be very clear, is not a safety issue. It becomes about the long-term viability and longevity of the Bluenose II vessel. For us, this is about ensuring that long-term stability. When you look back at the history of this project and how it was mismanaged from day one, back in 2008, we're realizing that the rudder has to be replaced. We have to get this vessel to a positive story. I'm sure the members opposite will help us get to that positive story for Bluenose II for all Nova Scotians.

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

TIR: SHELBURNE MEDICAL HEALTH CTR. - ANNOUNCEMENTS

HON. STERLING BELLIVEAU « » : My question is for the Acting Premier. In August of last year, the Premier and the Minister of Health and Wellness were in Shelburne to announce the renovations to Roseway. Residents were told at the time that the construction of the Shelburne Medical Health Centre would start in the Spring of 2016. I will table that.

Well, Mr. Speaker, it is now Spring 2016, and the residents of Shelburne and surrounding communities are extremely disappointed to learn that there will be more delays in the start of this new building. My question for the Acting Premier is, why does this government continue to mislead residents of southwestern Nova Scotia about health services in this region?

[Page 8209]

MR. SPEAKER « » : Order, please. I'd like to remind the honourable member that it is unparliamentary to infer the government is misleading anybody. I would ask you to retract that and rephrase your question.

The honourable member for Queens-Shelburne has the floor.

MR. BELLIVEAU « » : I'll retract that. My question to the Acting Premier is, why do they go to the community of Shelburne and make these announcements?

HON. GEOFF MACLELLAN « » : On behalf of our government to the member, the Premier went to Shelburne to make that announcement because we believe in the project, because it is an important one for his community. With respect to the particular envelope of the financial outlay and the timeline, our engineers and architects first went into the facility in November 2015. They determined a number of serious issues with the structure, with the roof, and with other challenges related to the piping, the plumbing - all aspects of the operations of the building - and realized that there would be a significant increase in the overall cost, which clearly leads to a number of different options that we have to consider as government and make the very best decision for that member's community. That's exactly the process we're in. That's exactly what we're going to do.

I assured Mayor Mattatall that we would be proceeding with this as soon as possible. We have been committed. The Premier committed. Our government is committed. We'll get this project done, and we'll get it done right.

MR. BELLIVEAU « » : We have established two things in this session: that the Acting Premier will duck the question, and the Premier just simply loves photo ops regarding this topic. There is an immediate problem with ER closures at Roseway that needs to be addressed. It is clear that this government had a plan and it is not working. The most recent announcement of construction delays has many residents worried about the short-term situation.

My question to the Acting Premier is, with the announcement of more delays in constructing this clinic, what more is being done to address the rash of ER closures at Roseway?

HON. LEO GLAVINE « » : Mr. Speaker, what I'd like to convey to the member for Shelburne-Queens and all residents of that area is that we are committed to a collaborative practice in a new medical centre in Shelburne. It has been announced on an unfortunate delay - what has been able to be achieved in the last year or so is the first recruitment of a doctor to Shelburne in a long, long time.

[Page 8210]

MR. SPEAKER « » : The honourable member for Sydney River-Myra-Louisbourg.

COM. SERV.: APT. REPAIRS - FUNDING DETAILS

MR. ALFIE MACLEOD « » : Mr. Speaker, my question through you is to the Minister of Community Services. Recently a constituent of mine came into the office. He is a landlord who has a number of apartments, who had applied for assistance in repairing some of those apartments under the program offered by the minister's office. You can imagine his surprise when he found out that he could not qualify because he had students as tenants.

I would like to know why the department would not allow a landlord who has students for tenants to qualify for a program. Why are they discriminated against?

HON. JOANNE BERNARD « » : Mr. Speaker, I thank the member for the question. Many of the programs - in fact, most of the programs - that come down for assistance of renovating through landlord assistance programs are federally regulated, and part of those regulations talk about long-term housing. Maybe - and I'm only guessing here, but I certainly will find out for the member - student housing would not qualify under that envelope of funding. I'll certainly find out and talk to him offline about that.

MR. MACLEOD « » : Mr. Speaker, the question really remains as to why a government of any level would operate a program that discriminates against the students in our province and against a landlord who has the ability and the confidence to rent to such people. The real question is - and it's right on the form, as we found out as we looked into it. It's on the form saying that if you have students in your facility, you don't qualify. There's something wrong with that.

Madam Minister, we need to get an answer. We shouldn't be discriminating against people who will take students in as tenants.

MS. BERNARD « » : When I met with my federal counterpart in February and talked about housing issues, one of the things that myself and many other ministers asked for was flexibility within the regulations that come down from CMHC. I'll certainly bring that to him when I meet with all of my counterparts - for the first time in the last 10 years, actually - in Victoria in June. I will look at that program and make sure that it's on my agenda to bring forth.

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

TIR - GRAVEL ROADS: REPAIRS - TIME FRAME

[Page 8211]

MR. TIM HOUSTON « » : Mr. Speaker, my question is to the Minister of Transportation and Infrastructure Renewal. The Laggan Road, the Mountville Road, the Piedmont Road, Centredale, Lamont, Finlay Dan, Chance Harbour, Brookfield, Gray - I could go on. All roads that are in need of some help. In the case of gravel roads, they should get gravel at least every eight to 10 years, and many gravel roads haven't seen gravel in decades, in some cases.

My question for the minister is, what does the minister say to the people that live on and use these roads about when they can see some relief?

HON. GEOFF MACLELLAN « » : Mr. Speaker, I do thank the member for the question. As we said many times during estimates and during a number of different opportunities at QP, this is a problem and an issue that our MLAs are hearing about on all sides of the House.

Quite frankly, Mr. Speaker, we're looking seriously at some innovative ways to address gravel roads. With the several thousand that we now have in our inventory across the province, it is becoming an increasing problem, and for whatever reason, precipitation and the particular Spring thaw that we experienced this year, the problems have been magnified and the issues are very serious. Obviously there's a component of this for the mobility of residents and for commercial vehicles, but the emergency situations weigh into that as well.

We've got to look at different ways. We've talked a number of times about the capitalization of gravel roads - so not using operating money but looking at capital projects to do some of the long-term upgrades to the gravel roads. It is certainly a pertinent topic, and it's one that we're looking into at TIR. Thank you.

MR. HOUSTON « » : Mr. Speaker, I do thank the minister for that response because a bad road is an inconvenience; it's a household budget issue for repairs to cars; and it's a social issue when your friends and neighbours don't want to come and visit you because they don't want to drive down your road. (Laughter) All right, fair enough - the minister thinks there are other factors in my case, but I'm glad to hear that the department is looking at this.

My question for the minister is, can he give some expectation as to when people can see some policy changes or some changes that would allow some changes to the roads?

MR. MACLELLAN « » : Thank you to the member opposite for the question. Really it's something that we have to address immediately. Again, the operational parameters for our fiscal envelopes are really strained at this point, as is - the member would know that all too well in his area, so we do have to look at how we get into the capitalized portion of our envelope at TIR. We are moving on that with the Department of Finance and Treasury Board. We've got to clear it through our auditors to basically have a new asset class to put the operational pieces of gravel roads into the capital plan.

[Page 8212]

It's not something that we can wait for much longer, again seeing the impact of this season. We know that when we round the clock and get back to this point next year that we'll have problems that are not only the same, but they'll probably deteriorate because of it.

It is something that is important to all members of this House and we'll move on it certainly as soon as we can. We are in the details of it as we speak.

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

JUSTICE: CEASEFIRE HALIFAX/LEAVE OUT VIOLENCE NOVA SCOTIA

- FUNDING SUPPORT

MS. MARIAN MANCINI « » : Mr. Speaker, on Sunday hundreds of Nova Scotians and many members of this House came together at a rally calling for an end to violence. In The Coast, community leader Lindell Smith said the community suffering after Halifax's recent murders are not comforted by the fact that these acts were not random - and I will table that.

CeaseFire Halifax and Leave Out Violence Nova Scotia are working hard to address the issue of violent crime, but they rely on unstable year-to-year grant funding. Will the Premier commit to ongoing support for these valuable organizations?

HON. DIANA WHALEN « » : The member opposite raises a very serious question, an important question for all of us in the wake of what has been a tragic week here in Nova Scotia and in Halifax. I've spoken a number of times about the CeaseFire program which has federal and provincial funding in it. I believe it is a five-year program; it should be good I think until 2018. We are definitely speaking to our federal counterparts about its success. A lot of it is to measure the success of the program and see then that will make the case for continued funding.

I know that in the first year of its operation here we have seen a significant decrease in violence and we really hope that it continues to be effective.

MS. MANCINI « » : With all due respect to the Acting Premier, I will acknowledge that if anyone from her side of the floor gets it, I believe that she does. There is ample research supporting the fact that if you want to get tough on crime you have to get tough on poverty, social exclusion, and income inequality.

We need to move upstream. We cannot continue to leave large segments of the population behind, continuing to drive up crime rates and health care costs in this province. I ask again, will the Acting Premier explain the specific steps the government is taking to address the root cause of inequality?

[Page 8213]

MS. WHALEN « » : Mr. Speaker, it would take a lot more than a minute for me to begin to tell you all the steps we are taking - in Education, $65 million reinvested, an increase in SchoolsPlus across the province. Every single school board has SchoolsPlus and hub programs. They are not in every single school; they are in the schools that need them most.

We could talk about the $6 million strategy, the first-ever strategy for sexual assault in this province; there was none previously. We know it's a huge problem, sexual violence. Again with even the reinvestment in Community Services, we're working across the board and we really do - I appreciate the member's comments that we understand the connection between the social determinants of health and the link to poverty as well, and crime. Thank you.

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

MR. EDDIE ORRELL « » : Mr. Speaker, my question will be to the Minister of Health and Wellness. With the latest budget announcement . . .

MR. SPEAKER « » : Order, please. The time allotted for Oral Questions Put by Members to Ministers has expired.

GOVERNMENT BUSINESS

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

HON. MICHEL SAMSON » : Mr. Speaker, would you please call the order of business, Government Motions.

GOVERNMENT MOTIONS

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

HON. MICHEL SAMSON « » : Mr. Speaker, I move that you do now leave the Chair and the House resolve itself into Committee of the Whole on Supply unto Her Majesty.

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

HON. PAT DUNN « » : I welcome the opportunity to have a few minutes to speak on Supply. The budget that was tabled here recently certainly has a lot of questionable items in it, as one continues to peruse through it. Sometimes I wonder if they used political math to conjure the various scenarios in this particular budget. Perhaps before I get into that, I would like to mention a couple of areas I was pleased with.

[Page 8214]

Of course, that was the additional funding for early childhood development. I think most people, especially educators across the province and the country, would agree that investing dollars into early childhood development is certainly the thing that governments should be doing. We know through many studies that the ages of birth to six years of age are the critical years for youth as far as learning.

By spending money, by having the resources, and by having the support in childhood development, we certainly are saving money on the other end. We know that the brains of these young children are like sponges during this particular time of their life. It's also another opportunity to identify difficulties in youngsters in the preschool years, to help them be prepared when they enter the school system. So again, the dollars that were allocated for early childhood development are great dollars to invest.

We're also very pleased that they took our advice and realized that the farmers' tax credit was indeed a good idea. We certainly support this measure. That was a bill introduced by my colleague from Kings North last Fall, one that we were very pleased by, and we're glad now that it is going to happen. Farmers certainly deserve this tax credit.

We are also supportive of increased funding for mental health professionals, an issue we've been pushing for during the past few years. Let's hope that this extra funding is just a beginning. There is a lack of mental health professionals in our communities across Nova Scotia.

I'll have an opportunity to speak in a few minutes about mental health again, Mr. Speaker, but when we think of our schools - elementary, middle, junior high, and high school - and you're talking to the citizens on the streets or in Tim Hortons, they always refer to needing more mental health professionals in high school. That's incorrect: we need mental health professionals in all areas of our schools, including elementary. In fact, talking to elementary teachers and to elementary guidance counsellors, one of their biggest challenges is dealing with students who have learning and intellectual difficulties along with behavioural difficulties. Their wish list is to get as much mental health professional help that they can get and the supports and resources that go with it.

Again, throughout the school system, there is a lack of this support; there is a lack of these resources. Again, hopefully, this is a small beginning to correct that.

Mr. Speaker, the most important question that Nova Scotians will ask you if you again meet them on the corners or at Sobeys or Tim Hortons or wherever, they want to know how this budget is improving their lives. Does this budget improve my quality of life? That is the important thing to the average Nova Scotian. They want to know if they will have more money in their pocket to spend. They are very anxious to find out, did this budget lower my taxes? The status quo is just not good enough. Residents expect that we have reached a point now where there should be a modest or a small decrease in taxes to give them a little more money in their pockets to spend.

[Page 8215]

How did the government balance the budget? What programs and services (Interruption) I will get around to telling you that. I really believe it was political math on how they balanced it, not economic math. I am sure the member for Timberlea-Prospect would probably agree with me if he had the opportunity, but that's for another day. But what programs and services had to be cut to balance the budget? That is the important thing. What programs, what services had to be cut to balance this budget?

Approximately four months ago, the government thought it would complete the year with approximately $240 million in debt. Most Nova Scotians felt it was not possible to have the budget balance with this previous forecast especially in such a short time. We were hoping that the government would decrease small business or other corporate taxes to spur investment. Technology, science, innovation, and entrepreneurship must be connected to expand the small business base of this province.

We also have a cloud covering the $110.3 million one-time revenue infusion intended for the Halifax convention centre. That's a large cloud, and there seems to be every day a lot of rain falling down from that cloud, so we are getting wet again. There appears once again to be a one-time accounting marvel used to create the end result of the $17.1 million surplus.

This is a budget that flies under the radar; nothing major in it. It does not really upset citizens of the province or rock the boat. It is, in other words, more or less a good-feeling budget basically preparing the road for the next budget where there is a considerable amount of federal infrastructure money available which will occur down the road.

However, the biggest disappointment is that there does not appear to be a plan for job creation and growth. It is not likely we will see the kind of job creation and wage increases to make people want to stay in this province or able to stay in this province. The budget did not indicate that real tax relief was on the horizon. I am sure I do not have to say that Nova Scotians wants jobs - Nova Scotians are looking for jobs. Nova Scotians want a modest decrease in the amount of tax dollars that leave their pockets.

The government revenue projections were very healthy. The government believe that they will receive an extra $146 million in income tax revenue. Well, where is this revenue coming from? Can Nova Scotians be expected to pay more? I believe the answer is no. They already have a difficult time making ends meet. They certainly do not want to pay additional taxes.

Mr. Speaker, government financial projections were created around assumptions. If anything happens - unexpected costs, the Yarmouth ferry, health issues for example - the surplus of $17.1 million will disappear quickly. Risky projections is not the way to govern. We must balance our need for fiscal sustainability through creating conditions for real job growth.

[Page 8216]

Mr. Speaker, Nova Scotians were looking and expecting additional funding for repairing roads. Needless to say, they are disappointed. During estimates, I listened to my colleague for Sydney River-Mira-Louisbourg talk about the condition of roads in his vast constituency. We often hear people in the House referring to constituencies as ridings and we know that ridings are federal. In his constituency he certainly has a great number of roads, many kilometres of roads. We often hear him talk about the New Boston Road. He is still waiting and hoping that something will be done to that particular road.

There are a lot of roads for the member for Inverness and some of them are deteriorating to the point where it's not safe to drive on them. I can remember my colleague from beautiful Colchester-Musquodoboit Valley talking about his gravel roads with the potholes. When we think of those roads with the potholes, we think about emergency vehicles, we think about commercial vehicles, we think about the ordinary person who lives on those roads and travels to work every day or to school; the potential safety factor, the potential damage to vehicles and so on. I hope the government will address this situation sometime in the near future.

Mr. Speaker, one thing we know for sure, and the minister alluded to this a number of times, we have great workers working in the transportation system across our province and they do whatever they can with the limited resources they have. We have the dubious task of twinning our highways in Nova Scotia. There's certainly more than one area but an area closer to where I live - from Sutherlands River to the causeway - is one area that there has been a lot of discussion on, that this particular area should be twinned for people who are using that, for some of my members. However, we also realize that it's a great deal of dollars. The minister mentioned that they are studying it, looking at it, and seeing how they can make this stretch of road as safe as possible, until such time that they can perhaps twin part of it, or twin all of it.

Mr. Speaker, the budget certainly doesn't repair the damage suffered by the film industry. We continue to hear from this industry practically every day. The budget doesn't appear to tackle repairs to our railway system.

Mr. Speaker, something that hits home very close to me is it's very disappointing that the government decided not to increase the base funding to libraries. What is the value of libraries? Well we could probably go on here all day and talk about libraries. Unemployed Nova Scotians use the Internet connection to apply for jobs at libraries. Reference librarians help senior citizens with genealogy research. Families save money by borrowing books and DVDs instead of buying them.

Mr. Speaker, this could be another broken campaign promise, lack of funding for additional base funding. Libraries are faced with perhaps closing their doors for an extra day, shorter hours, part-time workers may lose some benefits, laying off employees. Again, Mr. Speaker, it's a situation that they're facing in their seventh year without any base funding. We know several government-sanctioned reports confirmed that public libraries are underfunded, but their recommendations have remained on the shelf.

[Page 8217]

Mr. Speaker, with those few words, I'll take my place.

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

MR. CHUCK PORTER « » : It's a pleasure to rise today and speak for a few minutes going into Supply, something I've probably done once or twice in the past over my years here. (Interruption) More than that, the honourable member for Cape Breton-Richmond reminds me, more than that - well maybe three times, then.

It's hard to believe this June, very shortly now, I'll have been in this House for ten years. It's been quite an honour to serve the people in Hants West for ten years - and I look forward to a few more years yet, if all things being good. We've been very fortunate at home to have such a great team of people to help work not only at campaign time, but throughout the course in between campaigns to get things done.

We're all familiar with fundraising and how hard that is these days, and people to stay with you during times when it's a little bit tough. I've been very fortunate to have that happen in my area - very, very fortunate. (Interruption) A few heckles over there, but he's right. Some of those have stayed with us and have stayed with us a long time and are still with us. That's a great thing and a great feeling to have. As I said, Mr. Speaker, those people have worked not only for me and my campaign team, but for all candidates who have run over the course of those ten years and those elections.

It's great to see people all over the province who volunteer their time. Of course we've recognized volunteers in the last few weeks in this Province of Nova Scotia, not only here in Halifax - and those are important, don't get me wrong, those provincial recognition pieces are very, very important for the folks who get them and it truly speaks volumes to how much work they do in their communities. But besides those that we recognize in Halifax, we have great numbers in each of our communities who do wonderful things.

It might be just going to the local long-term care facilities like the Windsor Elms, or Dykeland in my area, or Haliburton - or other long-term care type places and assisting there, or it may be many hours a week.

I'm not sure what the most recent data is, but I know over the years Nova Scotia had the most volunteers per capita in the country. I'm not sure if we still hold that title or not, but we're probably darned close to it, with the numbers that we see continuing to work.

[Page 8218]

I go into these long-term care facilities on a regular basis, monthly, into each of them. I play a little music in there, have some fun, entertain, talk with folks, and listen to their issues - like many of us probably are in those places around the province. The number of people who volunteer is quite phenomenal and what they do, not only that music part, or taking people out for lunch or appointments or whatever it might be.

Bus rides are a common thing in my area; I don't know what it's like around the province in other areas. We have a seniors' bus society currently raising new funds for a new bus that's going to be due in two or three years' time, but they've taken the initiative to start that process early.

Those folks as well are all volunteers. The folks who sit on the boards of each of these places are volunteers. That just touches on one small - not really a small piece, I guess it's a large piece. The long-term care piece in my area is quite a large piece, volunteers across the constituency of just Hants West alone, and it doesn't matter whether you're down the shore along towards the Walton shore or the Kempt shore.

Saturday, like probably most members, I was travelling throughout my constituency to events. I get a great number of invitations, and I try to attend as many as I can - breakfasts and suppers and so on, and other kinds of events and anniversaries and birthdays and all of those great things where people celebrate wonderful milestones.

Saturday I found myself in a place called Centre Burlington at a community hall. There was a dance there, of all things, for seniors. They used to have these kinds of things in the evening, but the seniors wouldn't come out to them. When asked the question in the community by the folks who ran the hall, they said we can't drive at night like we used to, it gets more difficult. So they said okay, we're going to adjust. So on Saturday afternoons, twice a month, the band comes in, they play music, and they do all the things they would have typically done on Saturday night - and the place was full.

I didn't realize what the function was exactly until I arrived there, mind you I had a good time. I got to see a lot of people that I know and see regularly. It was interesting to see how many seniors actually come out in the middle of the afternoon on a Saturday to enjoy dancing and a little bit of fellowship, and the odd pop there with their friends. It was quite interesting to take that in. That was just volunteers looking after the interest of folks in and around our communities and throughout the constituency.

It doesn't stop. We have our firefighters, Mr. Speaker, who spend numerous hours training, besides responding to calls. They are putting on suppers and dinners. The Brooklyn Fire Department and Civic Centre are doing shows, plays written by Carol Peterson, who is a local writer, who will write just about any kind of entertainment you might like and they put those on and work hard. All of these folks volunteering and it doesn't matter where you go around the constituency, you will find these folks from Ellershouse and the monthly breakfast that they have, or the suppers at other places, Vaughn's Fire Hall, better known as Station 2 out of Windsor, and that area host breakfasts and dinners, and suppers as well.

[Page 8219]

They are currently raising funds to build a helipad at that fire station out there for their community, which is probably about 20 kilometres outside the Town of Windsor, so a significant ride into a rural part of Nova Scotia. Route No. 14 covers a very large population, especially in the summertime with cottage country. A lot of folks come in from out of town to spend a good portion of their summer in the nicer weather out in that area. Certainly we have responses that are required and that helipad will be very valuable.

We saw the EHS LifeFlight yesterday afternoon actually at the Windsor Hospital, Mr. Speaker, doing a call out there. It's nice to have the helipad there. Things have changed a great deal since helipads have gone in around the province to allow for certain types of responses and transfers. That's a huge asset in this province, and the folks who run it are second to none, very qualified on many fronts.

I want to go back to the volunteers for a minute, Mr. Speaker, as we recognize them throughout the province. One of the volunteers that was recognized a few weeks ago here in Halifax was Bette Smith, 83-years young I believe she is. She's been a nurse for 45 or so years, I think, in the Town of Windsor at the Hants Community Hospital. It started at the Windsor Baptist Church every Thursday - there's a meal provided for those who are less fortunate and that has been going on for around 20 years now. They've been providing that and it's all volunteer; that food is donated by numerous people throughout the community. Other organizations, anonymously, will come in and they will do that to assist. It's hard to believe - there's not much to her, she's a small frail woman with big ideas. I can tell you she can carry them out and she give the orders as necessary, and does a great job out there on behalf of our community.

I spoke a few minutes ago about Hants Community Hospital. Now, we are extremely fortunate to have that hospital in the Town of Windsor but more importantly, geographically located in the Windsor-West Hants area, it serves a very large populated area. It's not just Windsor it's all of West Hants, portions of East Hants also use that facility regularly. I know when I was a paramedic, Mr. Speaker, working out of that area, the Town of Windsor where I started, we would do calls into the Rawdon area and the Gold Mines, into Walton, East Walton, Tennycape and that area. That was all the coverage area for that Hants Community Hospital. It's a big circle of service area that it does cover.

The announcement earlier this week by the Premier with regard to services that will be provided at the Hants Community Hospital for many years to come, that is extremely valuable and people are very excited about that, to say the least. I've had a number of conversations with local folks at home and calls from around that area I just referred to. They are very excited to see this expansion taking place in the second surgical unit, more importantly what it will offer and what it will do by way of the long-term wait-list that we've heard, in all of my ten years here, I've heard one thing consistently: wait-lists, wait-lists, and more wait-list discussion. There hasn't been a lot over the years, some would argue.

[Page 8220]

We've heard it even recently. Some would argue the wait-list has never been dealt with, but in fact, this more than deals with it, Mr. Speaker. This will be a huge contribution to reducing those folks who are waiting for surgeries - some who we know may wait a year or more that we've heard others talk about. This will be a huge asset to the area. It will employ people. The renovation will bring Hants Community Hospital in line with the latest technology and uses.

One of the things that has come up is the folks who will work there, the surgeons and the nurses, and do we have commitments? It was interesting to hear the other day when the physicians spoke at the QEII that those commitments are in place, and we're excited about that. We look forward to the long term, Mr. Speaker.

Again, as I said, over the years there were always rumours floating around that the hospital would close, and for whatever reason, every once in a while that would surface. Yet in all my time here, I never heard once that that hospital was ever in danger of closing.

The ER - we've been very fortunate there, with it never being closed as well. We've always had a physician there. We've had a handful of physicians there - not even a handful now; I think there are three who remain that have serviced that hospital. When there was no one to work, they would be there. Dr. Cathryn Smith is one of those. I don't know how long she has been a doctor, but it is a long time. They always seem to be there to fill in when there was a shortage.

Bill Enright was one of those who had worked a long time; Woody Grandy, Mark Kazimirski - those physicians are the reason the hospital remains open.

Today we have a number of physicians who travel from the city area. I know a couple from the Bedford area who travel from Kentville. They come to Hants Community to work because they enjoy working there. It's a great spot. It's busy enough, and they have everything they need and great staff.

With all the work that has been done over the last number of months, as we talk - and we'll talk more about - the detail of Hants Community and the expansion in that role, the management team that has helped to create that, working out of Hants Community Hospital, deserves a lot of credit for that. It takes a lot to get that done. I'm sure they've been at it for a while now, and we need to give them all the credit in the world for that.

I know that going forward through the planning and the design and the completion of the work, they'll be right there, ensuring that services are provided, second to none, to the good people who will come there from across the province.

[Page 8221]

It is interesting to note there are 40 per cent who come from rural Nova Scotia to access - in some way, shape, or form - parts of the QEII or its VG site or whatever site it may be here in the HRM when needing services. It's nice to see some of that making its way outside of town, especially, as I said, to areas like home at the Hants Community, whereby those travelling from rural Nova Scotia will maybe have a shorter drive. They won't have to battle the traffic getting downtown.

I know in talking to seniors and others - not only the senior population, but others who are not quite familiar with travelling down through the city - they are uncomfortable with that. They don't necessarily know how to get downtown. They may need someone to bring them in, and that creates a little bit more stress.

We have heard a lot of talk in this House about things like dialysis. I know at home we've worked for many years to try to create an opportunity for dialysis to be held at Hants Community Hospital. I don't know if that will ever happen or not. We'll continue to work hard on that. There are patients - I've got anywhere between 35 and 40, unfortunately, travelling all the time either to Berwick or to Halifax for treatment.

If it moves somewhere closer, through one of the outpatient clinics, that may move a little bit further outside of town, that too would be a very valuable asset, Mr. Speaker.

We also know that, unfortunately, there are a large number of people who travel into Halifax for cancer treatment. That has its challenges as well. So the services that are being provided, the ideas around the new development through the VG site and its move to the Dartmouth General, the third floor and the fourth floor and now the fifth floor - those expanded services will be fascinating for those using them and all the latest technology.

Our new people coming out of school, just being trained, it will give them some excitement around seeking employment opportunities, with more surgical opportunities and ORs being opened. It will also give them, again, that latest technology. They want to work within that. We know that most want to work in the more urban areas, and we know that Windsor is not that far out of the urban area, as an example. It's in that one-hour circle, and it makes a lot of sense, Mr. Speaker, for that announcement - to be part of that and we're excited about that, as I said.

I see I'm almost out of time, so with those few words, I'll take my seat.

MR. SPEAKER « » : The motion is carried.

[3:20 p.m. The House resolved itself into a CW on Supply with Deputy Speaker Mr. Gordon Wilson in the Chair.]

[Page 8222]

[7:32 p.m. CW on Supply rose and the House reconvened. Mr. Speaker, Hon. Kevin Murphy, resumed the Chair.]

MR. SPEAKER « » : Order, please. The Chairman of the Committee of the Whole on Supply reports:

THE CLERK » : That the Committee of the Whole on Supply has met and made good progress and begs leave to sit again.

MR. SPEAKER « » : Is it agreed?

It is agreed.

The honourable Government House Leader.

HON. MICHEL SAMSON « » : 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. MICHEL SAMSON « » : Mr. Speaker, would you please call Bill No. 161.

Bill No. 161 - Service Dog Act.

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

HON. DIANA WHALEN « » : Mr. Speaker, we had an introduction but we're going to wait until after I speak, I believe, just so my colleague knows.

I am very pleased today to rise to move that Bill No. 161, the Service Dog Act, be now read a second time - to get it officially on the agenda, exactly. Mr. Speaker, I cannot tell you enough, and members of the House, how excited we are to see this bill actually here today. It has been the work of a number of people who put an awful lot of effort into this, so before I begin to explain what's in this bill, I would like to acknowledge a few people in the House.

First and foremost, the member for Cole Harbour-Eastern Passage, my colleague, has been instrumental in seeing this work done and seeing this legislation arrive here at the Legislature. (Applause) The member for Cole Harbour-Eastern Passage has helped to educate me, to explain to me the importance of this bill when I came in as the Minister of Justice last summer, and to bring me up to speed about where it was in the process and how it was moving forward. She certainly understands the issues that are addressed in the bill and how we're going forward, and I cannot thank her enough for her support in helping me as well.

[Page 8223]

I would also like to acknowledge the member for Halifax Armdale, as well, who had been the Minister of Justice and began the consultation phase on this bill. She has been very supportive in ensuring that it reaches the floor of the House and arrives here for second reading as we are today.

Mr. Speaker, as well, I would like to acknowledge you, the member for Eastern Shore, just in making us more aware of the needs and things that can be done through legislation and here at the Legislature that can help make lives easier, more accessible, and really more fair for people who are living with disabilities. I'd like to acknowledge you for that work as well.

We are here with a new bill in front of us, Bill No. 161, and it does a number of things. Before I speak about the specifics of it, I'd like to just mention the introduction of the bill, when we did the bill briefing, and so on. I was really delighted to have with us at that time four service dog teams, two guide dog teams, and a professional therapy dog team. I think it's important to note the differences. In my learning about this bill and what we're doing here, which is specifically for service dogs, I've learned about dogs that are called facility dogs who are trained to go into the courthouses, for example, and help people give testimony in court, which is something that's happening in other places and has begun to happen here. In the same capacity, at the IWK we have facility dogs and therapy dogs who help children when they have been traumatized, to give their story, to tell their story. There are just so many ways that dogs are being trained to help today.

I want people in the House to understand that service dogs are a very special category of dog and that they are trained specifically to work in a team - so they're trained not to help any number of people but to help one person - and they become a service dog team together. In order to be a service dog, they usually have three functions that they can perform for the person that they are teamed up with. So they can do a number of things: they can hear doorbells, answer doors; detect people who might be having seizures; they can detect when your anxiety level is high; and they can interrupt night terrors. There are quite a number of different things depending on the condition that they are trained to work with. It's an amazing thing to see how a service dog can change lives.

Just recently, I had the opportunity to meet somebody who has a service dog in training, they're in the 90-day training period, and the dog has been matched to the new team. So they're becoming a team, and he actually was here with Maggie, the dog in training. What's so interesting and wonderful to see is how this has completely turned this man's life around. His life is so different today just compared to a month ago because of the introduction of this dog. It is completely allowing him now to go into the public to do so many things that he couldn't do before. He was here at the Legislature for the introduction of the bill, which would have been impossible just a few weeks before.

[Page 8224]

I think we can see with our own eyes the power and impact that having a dog that's so well-trained for your needs can have. So I think that that's the backdrop to everything we are talking about here today: the power that this has. I think it's important to note that in the whole province right now we're talking about possibly 200 service dog teams. We don't have an exact count because we don't have record keeping or an identification process at the moment, but our guess is perhaps about 100 in HRM and perhaps another 100 in the province. With the introduction of this bill we'll have a better idea, because the bill does call for identification and an identifiable harness as well, so that we'll actually know the people who have registered to be recognized as legitimate service dog teams.

It really is a lot about education, about us understanding the role that service dogs play, and helping to ensure that people who have service dogs will have their rights respected in every aspect of travelling through the community and taking their full place in the community.

At the outset, when we did the bill briefing, we also had with us Medric Cousineau, who spoke at that time. I thought his words were very powerful. He asked us to think about a service dog and replace that in a sentence with the word "wheelchair," and imagine how ludicrous it would be if somebody asked you to leave your wheelchair at the door, or please not go near the food with your wheelchair. A service dog is really a medical device; it's a support that is medically necessary. The dogs are so highly trained that it's clear that they can go anywhere with great safety.

That is part of what we are looking at in this bill as well, Mr. Speaker. We're looking at how to protect the safety of the public. We want to be sure that the dogs that are recognized to be allowed into all of the places we're talking about - hotels, taxis, transit, any stores that they might want to go to, shopping malls, hospitals, doctors' offices - you should be allowed to go into all these places, and with a certified service dog, you know that the training level is so high that there will be no problem whatsoever. A good example was to see how many dogs we had here at the bill briefing. They were just as quiet as could be. There is no problem when the dogs are well-trained.

When I was first brought in as minister, we were in the midst of the consultation phase, so I'll take you back to that chronologically. During that time we did a number of sessions around the province. We also had an opportunity for people to send in their comments, and through that we heard from many service dog users. We heard from guide dog users and businesses, concerned citizens, and some general members of the public as well. From that, we really took a lot of our lead about where to go with this. It was made clear that service dogs are, as I said, very highly trained medical aids that provide their handlers with a level of support essential in their daily lives.

It also became very clear that people who have service dogs were feeling discrimination every day. It was a struggle to ensure your rights, to ensure your access to places that you should have rights to.

[Page 8225]

This bill is going to just make it clear for all of those people in society, really all of the business owners, anybody who's in any public place - it will be very clear what the rights of legitimate service dog teams are. That was really important. Reading some of their comments and understanding the struggles that people are having every day was very instructive for us as we set out to craft this legislation.

I think that the members of the House will be interested to know on a jurisdictional scan that there are only three other provinces that have passed any legislation. British Columbia is the one that we most closely modelled this on, and they're the furthest ahead in terms of introduction and actually having some experience with this. Alberta has an Act that has begun as well; it's not as well established, and we didn't think it had as many features that we wanted to follow. Newfoundland and Labrador has an Act but not yet proclaimed. They haven't written their regulations yet.

So we really were pretty much starting off in early days here. It's an area that many other provinces are not moving on just yet, and they're waiting to see. But I feel very compelled that this is the right thing to do in that the model we've chosen is the right one to go with.

Overall, the participants in the consultation said they wanted government to take action to clarify service dog rights because they felt that these rights are very poorly understood, and I think that that is very true.

So the two issues that are primarily addressed in this bill are the guarantee of access to everywhere that is public, that you could travel freely and have access without any discrimination and, secondly, an issue that many people may not be aware of and that is the issue of fake service dogs. Mr. Speaker, I was surprised to hear that, that people would take their pets that may have some training, but they would actually pass them off as legitimate service dogs.

It's very awkward and difficult for somebody in a store or in a hotel, for example, to challenge somebody who is wearing a vest and their dog has a vest and appears to be a service dog, and yet they may not be well-behaved because they don't have that same level of training. This is where we come to the idea of the worry about safety and whether or not the public is safe if you have other dogs that do not have this high level of training. I can't stress enough how well-trained the dogs are - they are very valuable, their value is something in the range of about $25,000, I believe. I was told by one person anyway that it was around $25,000 to train and provide a dog to a person who needs one.

This is a high level of training and you just can't compare it to somebody who feels their dog is a pretty well-behaved dog and they are going to pass them off as a service dog. We've addressed both those issues - the access and the idea of people who were improperly passing their dogs off as service dogs.

[Page 8226]

Mr. Speaker, I've talked about the places that we should be allowed to go. It's really important that at present even choosing an apartment is difficult because a lot of apartments don't allow dogs and it wasn't clear in any legislation of course that you are allowed to have a service dog and rent an apartment that otherwise wouldn't have dogs.

In preparation, again, for introducing the bill we did contact the Investment Property Owners Association to ensure they understood and that their members will understand. There certainly will be a period of time for education, again, with all the business community when we get there.

Again, the problem of impersonating a dog is really big. In fact you can go online and actually order these vests; they have no legitimacy, you can just order them for a small price. We've even heard of people being able to get a card that says medically you need the dog. It seems to be maybe it's impersonating a doctor because it seems to be a medical card that authorizes you to have the service dog.

All of this is really not legitimate; it's not recognized at all. It's just an effort to really manipulate the situation. It downgrades and actually puts at risk the legitimate service dogs and I think that's important. If you are in a public place with a legitimate service dog that is well trained, which I've just said is very expensive to train and very valuable to you in so many ways, your dog is at risk with an untrained dog that could, in fact, hurt your legitimate service dog or hurt other members of the public, so it's very important. We want the public to have the highest confidence as well that when they are around service dogs there's nothing at all to fear. Even if you are nervous of dogs, there's no fear with a service dog, they are so well trained.

Mr. Speaker, I'm just looking at all the points we have in this bill. It's just amazing that we've pulled it all together. I've talked about the safety and importance of this and I was very pleased at the launch of the bill that Mr. Jim Cormier joined us from the Retail Council of Canada. That was our one business voice at that time and I know that we'll be doing a lot more outreach with the business community.

Mr. Cormier spoke on behalf of all his members, making it very clear that most business owners are anxious to have customers and have them come in and want to open their doors to service dog users, as long as they can be sure that they are legitimate. That was a big key for him.

He was saying how his members have called and been confused in the past, calling him with examples of somebody demanding entrance to a store because they say they must have their dog with them - and then the dog promptly walks off and, as he said, in a supermarket ran off to the meat department instead of staying with the person they were supposed to stay with. It was really quite an excellent example of this is not a service dog, this is not what that dog was trained to do, so you get a very good example. He has fielded these questions. People don't want to trample on the rights of somebody who needs a service dog so they are really unsure, and what we're going to do is provide clarity with this bill, Mr. Speaker.

[Page 8227]

I want to just mention a few things that are in it. The objectives of the bill, as I said, are to protect the rights of service dog users; to prevent further discrimination that is experienced by service dog users today when they report being refused access to places that many of us take for granted every day.

We want to ensure that the safety is maintained for the public who are in these public places, so we're looking at the safety risks that are associated with people who are trying pass off their pets as legitimate service dogs with fake identification and equipment that is widely available online. We also want to help businesses and the general public be able to differentiate between which dogs are legitimate and should have these rights protected under the legislation and which do not.

I should mention again there is a growing diversity of service dogs, and it's important that you don't always recognize that a person has a disability when they have a service dog. That's why it's really important that the vest and the markings and the identification card are very clear, that this will be a Nova Scotia properly identified service dog. That will provide clarity for everybody, as I said, whether you're in a doctor's office, a mall, or a store - anywhere that we would expect people to be able to go.

In doing this, we're going to achieve these objectives by establishing a registrar who will oversee the application, certification, and identification processes for qualified service dog users. Those details are going to be coming out in regulations that will be required. Many of us are familiar here in the Legislature that a bill may pass and then require some more work on the details, how we'll register, and exactly what the processes will be. That's important for people to note.

It will also be confirming service dog user rights and responsibilities associated with public access and tenancy. It will establish penalties for denying access or false representation of a service dog. Those penalties are expected to be the same for both. They'll be outlined in the bill. They are from $500 to a top penalty of $3,000.

To be clear again, Mr. Speaker, this Act will apply to service dogs only. Service dogs, as I said, are highly trained to minimize the functional limitations of a person with a disability. They undergo such extensive training to hold high standards of obedience, and they serve their handler in and out of public places. Visual identification standards will be introduced, which means service dog teams will need a provincial identification card to benefit from the provisions under this Act.

[Page 8228]

It's important to note here - we had quite a bit of discussion about having an identification card and what would be required - we do not intend to have any fee associated with that. I recognize that a fee could be onerous on the service dog owner, and we want to make sure there's no impediment to somebody getting the card and being properly identified and recognized as a legitimate service dog user.

Training and certification standards are also going to be needed to qualify for the provincial certification and ID card, and they'll be outlined as well in the future regulations. The majority of people who participated in the consultations felt that rigorous training standards are essential to protect handlers and the general public, as well as to ease the concerns of businesses, which I've outlined to you.

As I mentioned, we'll have penalties outlined in the Act, and also, there's going to be a need for some extensive education of the public. Some of it we can do through business associations; I mentioned the investment property owners, who are the landlords in the province. But we'll want to talk to all of our business groups to ensure that they fully understand and that they recognize what the identification will be for a legitimate service dog.

I think it's important, too, to note that we're going to have to educate the public. I know when you see a service dog, the immediate reaction, really, is to touch the dog, to reach down. It's a natural reaction we have. We need to recognize that a service dog is a working dog, and when the harness and vest is on, they're working and it's not appropriate to touch the dog.

Interestingly, Mr. Speaker, because I was so involved in this and getting ready for the introduction of this bill, I noted when I visited one of the schools in my riding, Park West School, that they had a sign on the front door saying there is a service dog now in the school. I was quite interested to see that. Their newsletter that month, which was the month that the dog had begun to work and become a team with one of the students, had a great section, about three long paragraphs, about the proper behaviour around a service dog and what to expect and how you should treat them, really advising parents and children in the school about that proper etiquette and about not interfering with or distracting the dog when they're doing their work.

I thought that was just the first step because we'll be seeing many more dogs introduced over time. I mentioned we may have roughly 200 today, but we can expect many more in the future. I'm very pleased with the bill, as you can tell. I believe that the more we work together to remove barriers facing our family members, friends, and neighbours, the stronger our communities and our province will become, and this is one step towards that.

So thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. I look forward to hearing from our other colleagues. (Applause)

[Page 8229]

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

MS. JOYCE TREEN « » : Mr. Speaker, I beg leave to make an introduction.

MR. SPEAKER « » : Permission granted.

MS. TREEN « » : I would like to draw everybody's attention to the east gallery. I would like to introduce my husband, Joe Treen, and my son, Ryder Treen. Also in the gallery is my constituency assistant, Kim Preeper, and her husband, Lance Preeper, and their daughter Emma Joy. So if you would all please rise so the members can give you the warm welcome of the House. (Applause)

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

MR. ALLAN MACMASTER « » : Man's best friend, Mr. Speaker. I think most of us had a chance to see Rocsie, who is visiting with us as well tonight and who is a service dog. I face that same temptation as well, to want to pat Rocsie, she is such a gorgeous dog.

This is a very good bill; we will be pleased to support it. I think about service dogs and dogs in general, but certainly service dogs with their training and how special they are. We know how dogs have a sense of smell that is 50 times stronger than ours. We know about their loyalty. I was trying to find it, Mr. Speaker, but I couldn't find it, I was thinking about an old story that goes back to Scotland about a dog, I think it was with the MacLeod Clan, and after its master died I think some people say he appears to this day at his grave, showing his loyalty for his owner.

We think about their intelligence, Mr. Speaker, and also about the emotion you can see in dogs and their ability to, it would seem, experience emotion and feeling for people. So we are very pleased to be supportive of this legislation.

I think also of Medric Cousineau who has been an advocate for this legislation. I had a chance to hear Medric speak at a Remembrance Day dinner in Inverness this past Fall. Everybody was captivated by his story, what he experienced during his time during a rescue mission and what he went through and how it affected him afterwards, and how it affected his family afterwards and how having a service dog has made such a difference in his life and in the life of his family.

Mr. Speaker, we know that service dogs play an incredible role in our society. It's great that our province, that Nova Scotia is going to be enacting legislation that recognizes that and that makes it easier for people who have service dogs to benefit from what they provide.

Mr. Speaker, we are pleased to support this bill. I know my colleague from Pictou East introduced a similar bill in May last year, so we are fully behind this. I think this bill is also about fairness and justice; it's the right thing to do. People who use service dogs shouldn't experience discrimination; they should not be afraid for themselves or for the safety of their dogs; and they should not be denied access to any place that a person who does not use a service dog can enter.

[Page 8230]

Anyone who has witnessed the interaction between a service dog and the person they serve knows what a difference that dog can make to that person. These dogs are trained in accordance to the specific needs of an individual - these are working dogs, they are not pets.

I think of another example, at the SeaStar Centre at the IWK, where children who have been assaulted or abused are taken, if they are lucky enough to be taken there, because they do such good work there. When children come there after a very traumatic experience, they have service dogs there.

Mr. Speaker, I think about how important that is and what an important role those dogs are playing in the lives of those children who need a lot of support, who are going through something that they certainly never wanted to go through. They probably don't understand a lot of what they've gone through, but at least they have the support of that kind dog that's staring back at them, and what a connection is made at that point.

I talked about a dog's sense of smell being 50 times stronger than ours; a dog can actually pick up the scent of hormones that we release when we're stressed. I believe cortisol is the hormone that is released when people are under serious, significant stress. A dog that is trained can smell that hormone and take action to comfort the person they're helping. These are much more than pets and we need this legislation to recognize them as such. The minister made a good point also about the public, and educating the public. A lot of people don't understand. It's certainly not intentional on their part, but people need to be educated. We all need to be educated, Mr. Speaker, I know there are things that I need to be educated on.

I also think about somebody who might be working in a store, somebody who might not have training in all of this and somebody comes in with a service dog, they may not be sure how to act. They may be working in an entry-level job, but need to make a decision about whether this dog can enter the store or whatever the place is where they're working. Hopefully this legislation will assist those people so that they can make decisions that are helpful and that help people who are coming to that store who have a service dog with them.

Mr. Speaker, we are also pleased to see that there is a fine in place for anyone who might falsely represent a service dog. It's hard to believe, but it certainly has happened and we need legislation to protect against that.

Mr. Speaker, in closing, I think this bill will make life easier on Nova Scotians who rely on service dogs. We also intend to introduce legislation this Spring that will build on this legislation and address the costs associated with service dogs. We hope the government members will be open to supporting that legislation, certainly as we are today in supporting this legislation. If it's good legislation, why not pass it in this sitting instead of bringing it back as a government bill in the next sitting?

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Mr. Speaker, in short, this is a good bill, one that is welcomed by stakeholders and one that speaks to fairness and justice. We look forward to hearing other members' comments. Thank you.

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

MR. BEN JESSOME « » : Mr. Speaker, I would like to direct members' attention to the east gallery, and if I may make a couple of separate introductions, that would be helpful. Thank you, sir.

We have with us today Angie Robar and a friend of hers, Lisa Partridge, who have joined the Minister of Justice and the member for Cole Harbour-Eastern Passage as they've endeavoured to make this service dog legislation a reality for Nova Scotians. I'll commend them and folks in the gallery for their work on this particular piece of legislation, and I ask everybody to welcome Angie and Lisa to the House today. (Applause.)

MR. SPEAKER « » : The honourable member for Dartmouth South. (Interruptions) Oh, we'll come back to you.

The honourable member for Dartmouth South has the floor.

MS. MARIAN MANCINI « » : Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of this; the NDP caucus supports this legislation. It's a welcome opportunity for greater protections for this small but vulnerable group.

The important thing about a piece of legislation is that it will make something - when my friend was talking about the strangeness that people might feel with a dog coming into a store or whatever - it will turn it into a norm. People will get used to it. People will accept it. It provides for our citizens who are disabled. It reflects the fact that we are hopefully moving toward removing barriers. Again, I support that.

It is very positive, but when I first read the legislation, the first thing I thought of was, this is good; this is what we need. It furthers that road we want to go down of removing barriers and making people who have whatever issues they have be included. It's reflective of that.

At the same time, though, I had to remember that the funding to the CNIB was cut by this government last year. That is a registered charity whose main focus is delivering programs and services that enable Nova Scotians who are blind or partially sighted to acquire skills and techniques to live and travel safely and independently. Although the funding cut was later reinstated, as of December 2015, the organization said they were operating at a deficit of more than $300,000 in delivering rehabilitation therapy.

[Page 8232]

Their rehabilitation services for people who experience vision loss are a vital part of keeping people healthy and in their homes, and it's a vital part of supporting those who are in the labour market. The time has come for these services to be recognized as a necessary part of a publicly-funded health care system. I regret to say that I'm not seeing that in this current budget.

However, again, I congratulate the minister on the legislation. The NDP caucus supports it, and we look forward to Law Amendments Committee to see if there are any additional concerns that are brought forward.

MR. SPEAKER « » : The honourable member for Hammonds Plains-Lucasville on part 2 of his introduction.

MR. BEN JESSOME « » : Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

AN HON. MEMBER: To be continued.

MR. JESSOME « » : I'm still waiting for that epic climax.

Mr. Speaker, in the east gallery, we're joined this evening by Teresa Trider, who has been my constituency assistant for the past year and a half. Tomorrow is Administrative Professionals Day, and I think that I can jump the gun a little bit, given that she's here with us this evening, to introduce her and say thank you for the work that you've done for the people of Hammonds Plains-Lucasville and for keeping things on the straight and narrow in Hammonds Plains-Lucasville.

I wanted also to wish her the best as she continues her pursuits serving Nova Scotians for Geoff Regan. Thank you. (Applause)

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

MS. JOYCE TREEN « » : I'm very happy today to speak to Bill No. 161, the Service Dog Act.

This is a very important subject to me. I have several constituents who are service dog users. When I was first elected in 2013, these constituents met with me regarding issues they were having with being denied access to public transportation, other public areas, and businesses. So this has been a burning torch for me.

[Page 8233]

For several years, I have been working with the Department of Justice - the former Minister of Justice and the present one, and many others - to bring this important need to light. After being educated on the importance of service dogs and the independence they give to their handlers, I am thrilled to speak today.

I have met with many service dog users and their dogs over the past two and a half years. I have watched handlers get to meet their dogs for the first time. It is very emotional to watch and witness the hope these dogs bring to people.

As an example, when meeting with Medric Cousineau, a constituent with PTSD, I have watched Thai, his service dog, at work. Medric explained to me how the dog knew he needed help. When Medric starts having thoughts that trigger his PTSD the body reacts by releasing cortisol and then pheromone into his skin. Thai can smell it and immediately starts to calm Medric down. This emotional calming then releases oxytocin into his system which counteracts the effect of the cortisol. So Thai not only recognizes when there is a problem, she is also the solution. Thai is with Medric 24/7, 365 days a year and is the best alternative therapy, and it is pretty amazing.

You will hear people talk about service dogs and therapy dogs, both are wonderful to help people deal with their everyday lives, but there is a huge difference. A therapy dog is trained to help provide affection and comfort; they are found performing their emotional support in many situations. They have therapy dogs at senior care facilities, schools, children's hospitals, public libraries for children doing reading time, and support groups. Not only are therapy dogs used in public settings, they are also used for personal use.

A service dog is a highly trained dog used by a person with a disability for reasons relating to that specific disability. They must be able to perform at least two to three tasks for their handler. The dogs are specially trained to help with different conditions relating to PTSD, seizures, epilepsy, diabetes, autism, suicide watch, hearing impaired, and many more. The service dog helps their users achieve greater independence in equality.

There has been a steady incline in the use of service dogs over the last 25 years, and society for the most part has embraced the work of the service dogs and their users. Despite the increase of public education and the increase in the number of working dogs, accessibility for many is still challenging. Handlers and their service dogs are being denied access to public transportation, public places, stores, taxis, many businesses, and accommodations. The reasons these denials are happening are due to confusion over whether they should allow access and whether the accompanying dog is actually a service dog. It is unbelievable that people would falsely present their dog as a service dog but it is true, you can actually go online and purchase a fake dog vest with ID.

It is confusing for store owners and other businesses to know whether a dog, in fact, is a service dog. An untrained dog granted public access can be unsafe for others. People are wanting to bring their therapy dogs or self-proclaimed service dog with them while out doing their business but these dogs are not trained to the high level of a service dog. Therapy dogs do have a very useful place in our world, but do not have the public access training to be exposed to public places.

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Service dogs are trained to move safely about with their handlers through public areas. Service dogs must complete a public access test for the protection of the team and public safety. In this bill it addresses the need for ID for the handler and the dog, which are also referred to as a team. Some people have produced a doctor's note as the need to have a service dog, but this does not identify the dog as a service dog. A doctor's note is not enough to protect the public; there still needs to be identification of the service dog itself and its handler.

A year ago I had a summer student do a telephone survey asking if she and a friend with a PTSD service dog would be allowed to stay at hotels and dine in restaurants. The results were quite interesting. They ranged from "yes," "no," "unsure," "I'll have to ask," "no pets," "I'll call back (but never did)," "there is an extra cost," "are they friendly?", and "must show ID."

So it is clear that people do not know how to deal with service dogs and access. The public needs clear direction on how to deal with access of service dogs and their handlers. Bill No. 161 will address this need. This piece of legislation will support and ensure that people with disabilities who use the assistance of a service dog are able to gain public access and participate in all aspects of living.

Can you imagine going to catch a bus or to a store to buy your groceries and being told no because you needed a service dog to help you in life? These service dogs are working dogs. They are people with disabilities' white canes. These dogs are their wheelchairs.

We would not discriminate against a person with a white cane or a wheelchair. Why would we discriminate against a handler with a service dog?

There is a gap between two Nova Scotia laws that protect people with disabilities who use a service dog. There is the Blind Persons' Rights Act and the Human Rights Act. This legislation will fill that gap. It will confirm the rights of handlers and service dogs. It will give them back their independence and freedom that the rest of us take for granted. It will address public awareness and enforce penalties to those who deny access to or falsely represent a service dog.

Let us all join today to support this important bill of equality and stop the discrimination. Thank you. (Applause)

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

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HON. CHRISTOPHER D'ENTREMONT « » : Mr. Speaker, I too wanted to lend my support to this bill and maybe just ask a question. I know this is really not Question Period, and I know there is a suite of regulations that have to be put together in order to make this a law.

It basically comes from a visit that we had just the other day to the Garron Centre. The Garron Centre is in the IWK, which is of course where youth and teens go for some mental health help. In the next number of months, I believe it is somewhere from 12 to 18 months from now, the Garron Centre will be receiving a therapy dog/facility dog.

Their concern as they expressed to us was "what happens if?" Let us say that there is a youth who comes in and of course needs the support of that therapy dog and also needs to bring that dog out into the community. What happens at the Garron Centre is that there are a fair amount of outings that happen as well. They will go shopping; they will go to a movie; they do other outings that regular teenagers and youth would do, regardless of what their situation might be for them as an in-patient at the Garron Centre.

The concern that was brought to us at the time by the director of the Garron Centre was that, because of the way the rules and regulations are right now, you really can't take the therapy dog out of the hospital to use it as a service dog, because only a service dog can be accepted that way. My only point here would be that, when the minister is working on her regulations, she maybe thinks of some of those special situations that do happen that would be a tremendous help to teens and youth and patients across Nova Scotia who will require the help of a therapy dog/service dog, depending on where they are used.

The other point that I did want to bring up on this one - I had the opportunity to meet Thai and Medric a number of months ago. They are a phenomenal team. It is really hard to understand the connection that that dog has with that person until you see it actually happen. Medric, on that occasion, explained how it works: you know, I feel anxious, or I'm going to feel anxious right now, to see how Thai reacted to that. Within a nanosecond, he was there to tell his human to snap out of it, smarten up and to see it all sort of work out. So you understand that all of us had been anxious to a certain point in our lives, but to see somebody with PTSD and to see how that service dog goes and corrects the situation. It is a very, I think, almost a humbling thing to see that actually work in action. So, again, I thank the minister for bringing this bill forward.

Now, if there is a criticism, there's only one little, tiny criticism that I might bring up. (Interruptions) One. One. This is what it is - the member for Cole Harbour-Eastern Passage is the one that heralds this bill and I thought maybe her name should be on the bill. So maybe we should think of having her name on this bill, not the minister.

With that, I thank you very much for the opportunity.

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

[Page 8236]

The honourable Minister of Justice.

HON. DIANA WHALEN « » : Mr. Speaker, I want to thank all the members of the House who spoke tonight. I'm sure there are others - I know that the Minister of Health and Wellness was thinking he'd like to say a few words as well, but I know it's late. I appreciate it's late and we're tired but I think we've learned a lot just in the different speakers and what we've heard.

I wanted to answer just a couple of things. I think it was wonderful that the member opposite mentioned the SeaStar program at the IWK. That's something that I've learned as well on this journey to get the bill here today. Knowing that they have therapy dogs there to help children who are in times of trauma and crisis, I think that that's an excellent example of where therapy and facility dogs are able to help, and the Garron Centre as well, which is going to welcome their first facility dog very soon. I think Lisa, who is a guest with us today, was actually training the dog to go there if I'm not mistaken, I believe, but we have heard of it and we know the IWK is forging ahead and introducing more dogs that can perform these very important tasks of calming children, and I think it's important to note.

I wanted to mention the guide dogs which the MLA for Cole Harbour-Eastern Passage mentioned, that there are other Acts. One of the differences between this bill and the bill that was brought in by the Progressive Conservatives a few months ago was that guide dogs were included in the Opposition Member's Bill. We heard from the community that have guide dogs that they are very happy and comfortable with the current Act that governs their rights, and that's under the Blind Persons' Rights Act. So we didn't want to withdraw that Act or replace it, so it stays in place and covers that group - and then we have the Service Dogs Act in addition.

So that was really, again, part of what we learned through consultation. So I wanted to mention that. We'll have a growing number, I'm sure in coming years, of service dogs, as we talk about the different kinds of disabilities and conditions that can be really so well addressed with the introduction of a service dog and creating a service dog team allowing people to live more fully. So I expect we'll see many more in the future and, as I said, there are about 200 but we want to be sure that the cost will not be on those dog handlers to have to pay for that. I think that that may in some way address the concerns raised by my colleague in the New Democratic Party about cost, but we are conscious of the cost of this and not wanting to put any burden on people who have service dogs, even as we can anticipate that the numbers will grow.

With that, Mr. Speaker, I will certainly look forward to people coming to Law Amendments if there are any further aspects that we can learn through that process, and I look forward to seeing the bill make its way through the House. Thank you very much.

MR. SPEAKER « » : The motion is for second reading of Bill No. 161. Would all those in favour of the motion please say, Aye. Contrary minded, Nay.

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The motion is carried.

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

The honourable Government House Leader.

HON. MICHEL SAMSON « » : Mr. Speaker, would you please call Bill No. 158.

Bill No. 158 - Securities Act.

MR. SPEAKER « » : The honourable member for Inverness with 37 minutes left.

MR. ALLAN MACMASTER « » : Mr. Speaker, 37 minutes. The 23 I spoke on Friday seemed a lot longer than that so imagine what I can do with 37 minutes.

Mr. Speaker, I think I pretty much covered what I wanted to cover on Friday so we will be supportive of this legislation. I think there were some points highlighted on Friday. There is a reason to be looking at more of this kind of thing. It makes sense for Securities Commissions in each of the provinces to be communicating with one another. Some people have suggested that there should be just one Securities Commission.

I will leave with this point though, Mr. Speaker, we need to protect investors from all the things, all the aspects, and government should never give up all its interest or attention in this matter because even if an industry is self-regulated, government still has to watch out to make sure that decisions made by that industry are not perhaps benefiting them, as can be seen in some cases. Thank you.

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

The honourable Minister of Finance and Treasury Board.

HON. RANDY DELOREY « » : Mr. Speaker, I rise to close debate on Bill No. 158. Before I continue I just want to clarify, do I get the full hour or just the remainder of the 37 minutes? Now I won't take that much time.

We did hear earlier this week, or on Friday, Mr. Speaker, some comments on second reading from members across the way. I want to thank them for their feedback. I believe by and large that feedback was, as noted and reiterated here, supportive of the direction and the move to protect Nova Scotians through this particular amendment. With that, we'll just let this bill continue to move.

I just want to remind people, including the members opposite, what the purpose of this bill is, which is to protect Nova Scotians. We already have the authority to reciprocate orders issued against people who have come from other jurisdictions. This amendment just initiates them automatically to protect Nova Scotian investors more quickly.

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Again, I look forward to this bill proceeding, continued support of the members throughout the Legislature, and we'll hear what the public has to say in Law Amendments Committee.

MR. SPEAKER « » : The motion is for second reading of Bill No. 158. 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. MICHEL SAMSON « » : Mr. Speaker, would you please call Bill No. 162.

Bill No. 162 - Elections Act.

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

HON. DIANA WHALEN « » : Mr. Speaker, I move that Bill No. 162, the Elections Act, now be read for a second time. I am happy to introduce this bill to the House and I believe members of the House will be interested, as we are all active in elections and that is how we find ourselves here in the Legislature. These are changes that have come to us from Elections Nova Scotia and also from the Election Commission so I want to thank them for their help.

At the introduction of the bill, we were joined by Richard Temporale, who is the Chief Electoral Officer of Elections Nova Scotia. He was able to speak some at the bill briefing and answer some media questions about this bill.

As you will recall, there was a recent change about a year ago to the Elections Act and just to let you know, these changes have come about largely because of the very long federal election that we all witnessed very recently in the Fall of 2015 and also some lessons learned in the by-elections we had last summer in Nova Scotia.

The Elections Act sets out all of the rules for running an election in Nova Scotia, everything from the writ for an election, how to set polling days and hours, and what to do if a candidate passes away or leaves their position.

The changes we are proposing will do a number of things. They will better align Nova Scotia's legislation with best practices from across the country. They will correct issues raised in previous implementations of the Act. They will allow for administrative changes that are going to make it more efficient and productive.

[Page 8239]

I understand that significant amendments, as I said, were made recently. These have been brought to our attention as important improvements that needed to be added. Now, Mr. Speaker, I wanted to go into some detail about what they are. I'm skipping ahead in my notes just to make the House Leader and others happy.

The first proposed amendment deals with the writ period. Currently there is in Nova Scotia, no maximum writ period in our legislation. With these amendments, that will change. The proposed changes include the establishment of a maximum writ period of 46 days. I mentioned the federal government having an 11-week election. They currently have no maximum period in their legislation.

Some have questioned why we need a maximum writ period, and they've also questioned why 46 days is the chosen period of time. Choosing a maximum writ period was a recommendation brought forward by the Elections Commission, which is chaired by Mr. Vince MacLean. Their rationale for this amendment addresses the administrative costs of elections as well as timely access to the elections.

On the cost, it's worth noting that a single week in an election costs $750,000. That's the cost to maintain the elections offices that are open, where we have voting almost from day one in the election, and having the staff at those election offices around the province in every single riding. A single by-election would be $15,000 per by-election as well per week. The cost is important, and having an unlimited time period just increases the cost, if the elections are too long.

When it came to the 46 days, that was a recommendation from the Elections Commission. They looked across Canada and saw various lengths of time. I think our elections generally are between about 31 and 35 or 36 days, something like that. We have a minimum period of 28 days, so it can't be shorter than four weeks. This just sets a maximum. Also it allows for things like if the election might go over the Christmas period, for example. We talk about making allowances for any religious or special holidays. I think Christmas would be the most extensive one, which would lead to a time period when you wouldn't be campaigning and you wouldn't want to be knocking on the public's doors, so that allows enough time.

This amendment reduces the maximum window for filling vacant seats in the Legislature from the current one year down to seven and a half months. It's basically six months in order to announce when the election would be, and then the Premier of the day would have to set it within 46 days of that period, so six months plus 46 days rather than a full year. In our history, Mr. Speaker, I think the longest one was about eight and a half months, which was a by-election called by Premier Rodney MacDonald when he was in this seat. It does shorten that down. We don't believe it's going to be the practice to have it so long, but it just minimizes that. Again, the 46 days was chosen to be consistent with that the Elections Commission thought we should have, so we're taking that recommendation forward.

[Page 8240]

The next amendment that I will talk about would be the advertising restriction. Those of us who have been in the House for a while know that there had previously been a restriction against having any of your election signs within 60 metres of a polling station. That was missed actually, in the reiteration of the Act. The rule was still in place for 60 metres from the returning office, but it wasn't in place for polling stations. In order to be consistent and, we think, to be fair, we've moved to reinstate that, and it will now be 60 metres from any polling stations as well.

The next amendment introduces the ability for any candidate to vote in the electoral district where they reside or where they are running. So if you don't live in the exact boundaries of the riding you're running in, you now have a choice to vote either where you live, in that riding, or where your name is on the ballot. I think most of us would choose where your name is on the ballot. That option was previously available to incumbents but not to any candidate. The change we've made today will make it available to any candidate who is on the ballot to have that option and also to their spouse, if they have a spouse. That would be included in that. We think that is fair, it's extending that right to others and we think that is fair for consistency.

The next one is for new political Parties. If any of us decide to start a new political Party, we'll have to know the rules here. It doesn't happen very often. If you are starting a new political Party in Nova Scotia, what you needed before was 25 electors from 10 different electoral ridings, but there was no limit to how long it would take you to gather up all the names. What I think Elections Nova Scotia found was that sometimes those names were stale-dated a little bit. It might have been that you gathered them up two or three years ago before you presented it. The new rule says you have to have them all within one year.

If the effort is under way, you have to gather the names and present them to Elections Nova Scotia within one year. I think that's fair, just to show your momentum and that you mean business, so that's very important.

The next amendment, Mr. Speaker, addresses the new requirement for unused tax receipts to be returned to the CEO of Elections Nova Scotia within 30 days of election day. That's very important to gather those up. The previous rule told you to return it to your local returning office or returning officer. At the end of an election, though, the 30 days afterwards, those offices are all closing, and the returning officers are taking a well-earned break after the election, so they are often hard to find and locate. The new rule is one for efficiency. It's really just for administrative efficiency that all those unused tax receipts should be brought directly back to Elections Nova Scotia and returned to the CEO there, so that's important.

[Page 8241]

Lastly, we'll be improving the privacy for all electors and preventing the misuse of the list of electors. We'll be doing this by taking extra steps to ensure that electoral lists are being used properly by providing authorization to add seeds, also known as fictitious names, to the list of electors provided to municipalities and school boards for their elections.

Mr. Speaker, I think I've probably shared this with many members of the House, I was unaware that our provincial election lists have fictitious names included in them. As I got prepared for the introduction of this bill, we learned that they are seeded with names that Elections Nova Scotia would be able to identify, if the lists are ever improperly used. If they were used for advertising, for example, if some had gotten the list and decided to do a complete advertising blitz for whatever product they want to sell, then if you mailed them out to all those addresses, some of them would be going to fictitious names that will go to the post office box that Elections Nova Scotia checks and Elections Nova Scotia would be able to identify where that came from, from the way they have seeded the lists.

That was interesting to me that there is that particular check in place, a mechanism to prevent the misuse of those lists. Because they do it currently for our provincial electoral list, they are now, through this change that we are proposing in the bill, able to do it for municipal and school board elections as well. I think that's an interesting concept and good for us all to know. That's going to ensure that the lists are only used for their intended purposes.

Mr. Speaker, all these changes, as I've said, have come to us with the recommendation of Elections Nova Scotia. I know they've reached out to the caucuses to offer any briefing necessary. It's really consistent with the best practices in elections across the country. We're very pleased to see that our partners at Elections Nova Scotia and the Election Commission have helped us in bringing these amendments forward.

With that, I look forward to hearing from our colleagues as well.

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

MR. ALLAN MACMASTER « » : Mr. Speaker, when are we going to have an election? That is a tough question to answer and despite the passing of this bill, it will still be a tough question to answer because it's not proposing fixed election dates.

Mr. Speaker, that is something we've noticed and I just had to point it out. (Interruption) Actually it's a good point. My colleague has just reminded me that the government members have all campaigned on that, so when the election happens, they will have to campaign on why they did not insert fixed election dates into this legislation.

I see a lot of heads dropping there, because they don't really want to hear what I am about to say, but we have some researchers in the office who have come up with a couple of quotes that I would like to share with everyone.

[Page 8242]

The Premier in 2007 actually introduced legislation. It was Bill No. 74, calling for elections to be held the second Tuesday in October every fourth year - like a fixed-date election. On December 4, 2013, our very own Minister of Justice spoke in favour of fixed election dates, saying we were the last province not to set fixed dates or set parameters for them. In fact, it was suggested that we should get in sync with the rest of the country and move forward with modernizing our approach to elections. (Interruptions)

Mr. Speaker, I can assure you I do not enjoy pointing out these past quotes. I take no joy in it at all. (Laughter)

We do support some of the motions or some of the aspects of this bill. I know an interesting one. The minister was talking about the fictitious names, and that is interesting, because it is a way of checking up to see how those lists of names are used. I do not know if perhaps the member for Cole Harbour-Portland Valley - I know he had a very big night, if I may say respectfully, but when it happened he knocked off the Premier at the time.

I wonder - and I am just joking here, but I wonder if the graveyard vote was a factor in that one. I am only joking, Mr. Speaker. The "graveyard vote," for those who are not familiar with it - to explain it, apparently years ago, in past elections years back, people would keep track of names from the graveyard - perhaps people who recently passed on who may still be on the list and may still have gotten a vote cast some way or other.

All joking aside, we are going to be supportive of this bill, and we do believe that fixed election dates should have been part of it. It is also something that Elections Nova Scotia has asked for: fixed election dates. They feel that it would level the playing field, and of course, it is an advantage to the government, and probably why this government has chosen not to put it in the legislation.

Maybe they'll do like a lot of legislation they introduce: they will look at something we introduced in the past that they thought was good, and maybe introduce it at a future date and claim credit for it. It will be wonderful to see the government members show a little graciousness while they hold power in this Chamber, and perhaps one day maybe give us a little credit for trying to put something forward that makes sense. I will hold out some hope for that - perhaps with the legislation that we will be introducing related to the service dog legislation. Wouldn't that be wonderful, to see the government members support an Opposition bill because it is the right thing to do for Nova Scotians?

With that, I will take my place. Thank you.

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

MS. MARIAN MANCINI « » : Mr. Speaker, we're pleased to see the government taking steps to limit the cost to Nova Scotian taxpayers of lengthy elections and increasing the ability of Elections Nova Scotia to track any misuse of the lists of electors. It is important to keep the Elections Act aligned with promising practices from other jurisdictions.

[Page 8243]

We recognize that a maximum writ period is still longer than the average across the country. We look forward to Law Amendments to see if any additional concerns are brought forward.

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

MR. TIM HOUSTON « » : Mr. Speaker, it is a pleasure to rise tonight and speak to this bill, because it is important; the Elections Act is an important thing. We all have experience with the Elections Act. The members in this Chamber have all been through that process at least once, and some of them many, many times.

It is something that is of keen interest to me and I think a lot of people are interested in the aspect of fixed election, no fixed election. We know that the members opposite have maybe changed their mind or maybe think this is not the right time for a fixed election date from the quotes we heard from my colleague, the member for Inverness. I'm hopeful that when the minister rises for closing comments on this particular reading, we might hear a little bit of some of the reasoning behind the changing of the mind about fixed election dates and maybe a little bit of a glimmer as to if there will be an opportunity for fixed election dates under this particular government, or if that is something that has - has that ship sailed?

I'm really curious to see (Interruption) My colleague is reminding me that there are always some difficulties with ships sailing with this particular government, but maybe we can speak to whether fixed election dates are something we can hear or not. Maybe we'll even hear from the Minister of Internal Services who seems to have awoken here in the Chamber this evening, but I do look forward to hearing more about fixed election dates from the minister in the closing comments.

Mr. Speaker, with those few words, I'll take my seat.

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

The honourable Minister of Justice.

HON. DIANA WHALEN « » : Mr. Speaker, I rise to close debate on second reading of Bill No. 162.

Mr. Speaker, I appreciate the support from the members opposite about the changes that are recommended here in the bill. Certainly, I've been a member of the House now since 2003. I've had one municipal and four provincial elections that I have run in and am very happy to report that I won all of them, which was very fortunate in this world, I do say.

[Page 8244]

I respect the process and I know all of us do. It's a very humbling thing to put your name on a ballot and to go through the intensity of an election campaign. I know that all of us here have had that experience, regardless of which Party we represent. I think it's an experience that we share and it's a bonding experience, if I could say as much, that we know what's involved, the courage it takes and the ability to get out there and really put your own beliefs and hard work on the line and go back to the public again and ask them to support you again.

I can certainly appreciate the comments that were raised. I always certainly welcome the Opposition members' bills. There was some talk about Opposition members introducing legislation, I would welcome that. We always look at the legislation that is presented. Certainly I can say that in each one. I can remember myself, Mr. Speaker, when I was in Opposition, having bills passed, which was a big moment and certainly an important time, and I appreciated that. (Interruption) Yes, it happened rarely, but occasionally it did happen and I recognize that.

Mr. Speaker, I know we are going to have more opportunity to talk about this. It's late tonight. This is second reading, it will go forward to the Law Amendments Committee and it will be back again for third reading. I look forward to hearing what we'll hear at Law Amendments Committee and with that, I will close debate today.

MR. SPEAKER « » : The motion is for second reading of Bill No. 162. 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. MICHEL SAMSON « » : Mr. Speaker, I move that you do now leave the Chair and the House resolve itself into a Committee of the Whole on Bills.

MR. SPEAKER « » : The House will now recess for a couple of minutes while we resolve ourselves into a Committee of Whole on Bills.

[8:50 p.m. The House resolved into a CW on Bills with Deputy Speaker Mr. Keith Irving in the Chair.]

[8:55 p.m. CW on Bills rose and the House reconvened. Mr. Speaker, Hon. Kevin Murphy, resumed the Chair.]

[Page 8245]

MR. SPEAKER « » : Order, please. The Chairman of the Committee of the Whole on Bills reports:

THE CLERK « » : That the committee has met and considered the following bills:

Bill No. 152 - Municipal Government Act and Halifax Regional Municipality Charter.

Bill No. 156 - Public Archives Act.

Bill No. 157 - Government Records Act.

and the chairman has been instructed to recommend these bills to the favourable consideration of the House.

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

The honourable Government House Leader.

HON. MICHEL SAMSON « » : Mr. Speaker, that concludes the government's business for today. The House will meet again tomorrow, Wednesday, April 27^th, from the hours of 1:00 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. It being Opposition Day for the Official Opposition, I would now ask the House Leader for the Official Opposition to call business for tomorrow.

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

HON. CHRISTOPHER D'ENTREMONT « » : Mr. Speaker, after the daily routine and Question Period we will be calling the order of business, Private Members' Public Bills for Second Reading. I'll give you three just in case: Bill No. 153, the Canadian Coast Guard Auxiliary Appreciation Act; Bill No. 163, Dignity for Victims of Sexual Violence Act; and Bill No. 164, Sexual Violence Action Plan Act.

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

MR. SPEAKER « » : The motion is that the House do now rise, to meet again tomorrow, April 27^th, between the hours of 1:00 p.m. and 5:30 p.m. Would all those in favour of the motion please say Aye. Contrary minded, Nay.

The motion is carried.

The House stands adjourned until tomorrow, Wednesday, April 27^th, at 1:00 p.m.

[Page 8246]

[The House rose at 8:57 p.m.]

NOTICES OF MOTION UNDER RULE 32(3)

[Page 8247]

RESOLUTION NO. 3209

By: Hon. Christopher d'Entremont « » (Argyle-Barrington)

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

Whereas the birth of a child is a momentous event and marks the beginning of a very satisfying journey down a long road where the rewards far outnumber the challenges; and

Whereas "A new baby is like the beginning of all things - wonder, hope, a dream of possibilities." author Eda J. LeShan wrote; and

Whereas on January 18, 2016, Jessica Trenholm and Michael Cameron welcomed their son into the world;

Therefore be it resolved that all members of this House of Assembly congratulate Jessica and Michael on this miraculous event in their lives and wish them many more happy years as parents.

RESOLUTION NO. 3210

By: Hon. Christopher d'Entremont « » (Argyle-Barrington)

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

Whereas the birth of a child is a momentous event and marks the beginning of a very satisfying journey down a long road where the rewards far outnumber the challenges; and

Whereas "A new baby is like the beginning of all things - wonder, hope, a dream of possibilities." author Eda J. LeShan wrote; and

Whereas on January 6^th, 2016, Kayleigh Nickerson and Cody Wright welcomed their son into the world;

Therefore be it resolved that all members of this House of Assembly congratulate Kayleigh and Cody on this miraculous event in their lives and wish them many more happy years as parents.

RESOLUTION NO. 3211

[Page 8248]

By: Hon. Christopher d'Entremont « » (Argyle-Barrington)

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

Whereas the birth of a child is a momentous event and marks the beginning of a very satisfying journey down a long road where the rewards far outnumber the challenges; and

Whereas "A new baby is like the beginning of all things - wonder, hope, a dream of possibilities." author Eda J. LeShan wrote; and

Whereas on December 31, 2015, Naomi and Aaron Acker welcomed their son into the world;

Therefore be it resolved that all members of this House of Assembly congratulate Naomi and Aaron on this miraculous event in their lives and wish them many more happy years as parents.

RESOLUTION NO. 3212

By: Hon. Christopher d'Entremont « » (Argyle-Barrington)

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

Whereas the birth of a child is a momentous event and marks the beginning of a very satisfying journey down a long road where the rewards far outnumber the challenges; and

Whereas "A new baby is like the beginning of all things - wonder, hope, a dream of possibilities." author Eda J. LeShan wrote; and

Whereas on December 2, 2015, Dayna Cunningham and Devin Nickerson welcomed their son into the world;

Therefore be it resolved that all members of this House of Assembly congratulate Dayna and Devin on this miraculous event in their lives and wish them many more happy years as parents.

RESOLUTION NO. 3213

[Page 8249]

By: Hon. Christopher d'Entremont « » (Argyle-Barrington)

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

Whereas the birth of a child is a momentous event and marks the beginning of a very satisfying journey down a long road where the rewards far outnumber the challenges; and

Whereas "A new baby is like the beginning of all things - wonder, hope, a dream of possibilities." author Eda J. LeShan wrote; and

Whereas on January 15, 2016, Ashley Garron and Matthew Nickerson welcomed their son into the world;

Therefore be it resolved that all Members of this House of Assembly congratulate Ashley and Matthew on this miraculous event in their lives and wish them many more happy years as parents.

RESOLUTION NO. 3214

By: Hon. Christopher d'Entremont « » (Argyle-Barrington)

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

Whereas the birth of a child is a momentous event and marks the beginning of a very satisfying journey down a long road where the rewards far outnumber the challenges; and

Whereas "A new baby is like the beginning of all things - wonder, hope, a dream of possibilities." author Eda J. LeShan wrote; and

Whereas on November 27, 2015, Rachel and Randall Stoddard welcomed their daughter into the world;

Therefore be it resolved that all members of this House of Assembly congratulate Rachel and Randall on this miraculous event in their lives and wish them many more happy years as parents.

RESOLUTION NO. 3215

[Page 8250]

By: Hon. Christopher d'Entremont « » (Argyle-Barrington)

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

Whereas the birth of a child is a momentous event and marks the beginning of a very satisfying journey down a long road where the rewards far outnumber the challenges; and

Whereas "A new baby is like the beginning of all things - wonder, hope, a dream of possibilities." author Eda J. LeShan wrote; and

Whereas on March 6, 2016, Nicole and Rob Hurlburt welcomed their daughter into the world;

Therefore be it resolved that all members of this House of Assembly congratulate Nicole and Rob on this miraculous event in their lives and wish them many more happy years as parents.

RESOLUTION 3216

By: Hon. Christopher d'Entremont « » (Argyle-Barrington)

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

Whereas the birth of a child is a momentous event and marks the beginning of a very satisfying journey down a long road where the rewards far outnumber the challenges; and

Whereas "A new baby is like the beginning of all things - wonder, hope, a dream of possibilities." author Eda J. LeShan wrote; and

Whereas on December 16, 2015, Shannon Devine and Connor Nickerson welcomed their daughter into the world:

Therefore be it resolved that members of this House of Assembly congratulate Shannon and Connor on this miraculous event in their lives and wish them any more happy years as parents.

RESOLUTION 3217

[Page 8251]

By: Hon. Christopher d'Entremont « » (Argyle-Barrington)

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

Whereas the birth of a child is a momentous event and marks the beginning of a very satisfying journey down a long road where the rewards far outnumber the challenges; and

Whereas "A new baby is like the beginning of all things - wonder, hope, a dream of possibilities." author Eda J. LeShan wrote; and

Whereas on January 28, 2016, Melanie and Justin d'Entremont welcomed their daughter into the world:

Therefore be it resolved that members of this House of Assembly congratulate Melanie and Justin on this miraculous event in their lives and wish them any more happy years as parents.

RESOLUTION 3218

By: Hon. Christopher d'Entremont « » (Argyle-Barrington)

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

Whereas the birth of a child is a momentous event and marks the beginning of a very satisfying journey down a long road where the rewards far outnumber the challenges; and

Whereas "A new baby is like the beginning of all things - wonder, hope, a dream of possibilities." author Eda J. LeShan wrote; and

Whereas on January 4, 2016, Kara and Jeremy Smith welcomed their daughter into the world:

Therefore be it resolved that members of this House of Assembly congratulate Kara and Jeremy on this miraculous event in their lives and wish them any more happy years as parents.

RESOLUTION 3219

[Page 8252]

By: Hon. Christopher d'Entremont « » (Argyle-Barrington)

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

Whereas the birth of a child is a momentous event and marks the beginning of a very satisfying journey down a long road where the rewards far outnumber the challenges; and

Whereas "A new baby is like the beginning of all things - wonder, hope, a dream of possibilities." author Eda J. LeShan wrote; and

Whereas on January 6, 2016, Diana and Jonathan Fry welcomed their daughter into the world:

Therefore be it resolved that members of this House of Assembly congratulate Diana and Jonathan on this miraculous event in their lives and wish them any more happy years as parents.

RESOLUTION 3220

By: Hon. Christopher d'Entremont « » (Argyle-Barrington)

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

Whereas the birth of a child is a momentous event and marks the beginning of a very satisfying journey down a long road where the rewards far outnumber the challenges; and

Whereas "A new baby is like the beginning of all things - wonder, hope, a dream of possibilities." author Eda J. LeShan wrote; and

Whereas on February 27, 2016, Denise and Curt Reashore welcomed their daughter into the world:

Therefore be it resolved that members of this House of Assembly congratulate Denise and Curt on this miraculous event in their lives and wish them any more happy years as parents.

RESOLUTION 3221

[Page 8253]

By: Hon. Karen Casey « » (Education and Early Childhood Development)

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

Whereas at the 90^th Anniversary Charter Night for the Rotary Club of Truro the prestigious Community Service Award was presented to a deserving citizen from Colchester County who had provided outstanding service through volunteer work or financial support to organizations and/or individuals in the community; and

Whereas this year's recipient was Stuart (Stu) Rath, considered one of the most successful business people and most outstanding community supporter in Colchester County as a member of the Truro and Area Chamber of Commerce, chairman of the Industrial Commission, board member of CORDA, member of the Colchester Park Development Commission, member of the Colchester Regional Hospital Foundation, on the board of governors for the Maritime Junior Hockey League, and presently chairman of the Provincial Exhibition Park in Bible Hill, and

Whereas Stu has owned and operated the Truro TSN Bearcats, owned and operated the Truro Jr. A Bearcats, provided leadership and assistance with education to many young players, sponsored the development of the Rath Eastlink Community Centre, the Rotary House campaign, Palliative Care Wing in the Colchester East Hants Health Centre, and on and on.

Therefore be it resolved that members of this House of Assembly congratulate Stuart Rath as there could be no one more deserving of this Community Service Award.

RESOLUTION 3222

By: Hon. Karen Casey « » (Education and Early Childhood Development)

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

Whereas fundraising is a vital part of keeping many community groups operational and the Tatamagouche branch of Scotiabank in Colchester North has been helping fundraise in the community for more than a decade; and

Whereas Scotiabank has helped over 30 not-for-profit groups in the local area helping to put $155,000 back into the community; and

Whereas in 2015 the dedicated staff attended more than 50 events on their own time, which amounted to over 300 volunteered hours; held barbecues outside the bank every Friday in the summer to help raise money for various groups; helped at dinners, picnics, school fairs, hockey events, auctions, and suppers;

[Page 8254]

Therefore be it resolved that members of this House of Assembly congratulate the staff at Scotiabank in Tatamagouche for their fundraising efforts helping their community.

RESOLUTION NO. 3223

By: Hon. Karen Casey « » (Education and Early Childhood Development)

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

Whereas Emma Eisses from Debert, Colchester North, received the Nova Scotia International Business Development Internship; and

Whereas the internship was an open competition for graduates of Dalhousie's Faculty of Agriculture and Sobey's School of Business at Saint Mary's University, funded by the Nova Scotia Department of Agriculture; and

Whereas Emma will spend six months in Iceland, where she will work under the trade commissioner to Iceland, focusing on possible export opportunities for Nova Scotia businesses for the ports of Halifax and Reykjavik;

Therefore be it resolved that all members of this House of Assembly recognize Emma Eisses for the valuable work she is doing to determine if it is profitable for a Nova Scotia business to explore the Icelandic market.

RESOLUTION NO. 3224

By: Hon. Karen Casey « » (Education and Early Childhood Development)

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

Whereas the book titled Memories From Nova Scotia chronicles life in Colchester County and East Hants in the mid-20^th Century; and

Whereas the book features stories from community members and includes tales of old grocery stores, barbershops, smithies, and the heydays of the railway; and

Whereas the author of the book, 83-year-old Hattie Dyck, has previously authored 11 books which are an entertaining way to learn of the history of the area;

[Page 8255]

Therefore be it resolved that all members of this House of Assembly congratulate Hattie for writing these stories of ordinary people doing extraordinary things that will be lost if they are not recorded for future generations to read, learn from, and enjoy.

RESOLUTION NO. 3225

By: Hon. Karen Casey « » (Education and Early Childhood Development)

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

Whereas 15-year-old Jenna Mattatall, a Truro-North River 4-H member, and her father, Basil Hoare, the club's beef leader, attended the Junior Beef Expo in London, Ontario; and

Whereas Mattatall's heifer, the only one from out of the province, claimed the title of Grand Champion in the breeding female Angus category and was also named the Supreme Champion in Overall Breeds, earning a $1,000 prize for this prestigious distinction; and

Whereas Jenna has been involved in 4-H for seven years and not only enjoys it but appreciates the skills it has helped her to develop;

Therefore be it resolved that all members of this House of Assembly congratulate Jenna Mattatall and her heifer for their recent wins and for the time and effort it takes to prepare for this type of show.

RESOLUTION NO. 3226

By: Hon. Karen Casey « » (Education and Early Childhood Development)

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

Whereas Eric Jennings from Masstown, Colchester North, best known as the founder and owner of the Masstown Market, wanted a place where he could sell his own produce and built a 26 x 40 building, and the "buy local" concept became a reality in West Colchester; and

Whereas now one of Nova Scotia's most well-known shopping destinations, it includes a grocery store, two restaurants, a deli, a bakery, an ice cream counter, a gift shop, a garden centre, an outdoor picnic area, a fish market, dog kennels for use by visitors, a lighthouse complete with Bay of Fundy interpretive displays, and a Nova Scotia Liquor Corporation outlet, all on a 9.5-acre property; and

[Page 8256]

Whereas across the road are a corn maze with a playground, a welcome centre, and a gas station with Tim Hortons Express, altogether employing 120 people in the winter and an additional 30-50 in the summer;

Therefore be it resolved that all members of this House of Assembly congratulate Eric Jennings for his generosity, his entrepreneurial spirt, his work ethic, his support for agriculture, and his desire to build the economy of the area in a well-respected, friendly family business.

RESOLUTION NO. 3227

By: Hon. Karen Casey « » (Education and Early Childhood Development)

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

Whereas Mercedes Blair, 26, who lives in North River, Colchester North, is becoming recognized as one of Nova Scotia's creative photographers, specializing in nature in all its forms and in all seasons; and

Whereas on her outings she is accompanied by Jazzy, her beloved German Shepherd/Husky, whom she considers her best buddy as well as a great model for her photographs; and

Whereas Mercedes has had pictures published in several mediums, including Reader's Digest, and then was discovered by Land and Sea producers, where she and Jazzy will be featured in a Land and Sea episode on CBC Television airing abandoned homes, a subject which is one of her photography passions;

Therefore be it resolved that all members of this House of Assembly wish Mercedes Blair well with her passion for photography.

RESOLUTION NO. 3228

By: Hon. Karen Casey « » (Education and Early Childhood Development)

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

Whereas Tatamagouche, Colchester North, was chosen by Bauer Hockey and Hockey Canada to host the First Shift Program, a program designed to ease kids and their families into the sport of hockey by offering a manageable time commitment that is affordable, convenient, and fun; and

[Page 8257]

Whereas with the dedication and commitment of the coaches, the program was set up for 6- to 10-year-olds who had never played hockey and wanted to try the sport; and

Whereas for $199 it included all gear from head to toe, six beginner lessons, and registration for the year with the Tatamagouche and Area Minor Hockey Association;

Therefore be it resolved that all members of this House of Assembly congratulate all those who worked to make this program such a great success and fun for the 45 boys and girls who participated.

RESOLUTION NO. 3229

By: Hon. Karen Casey « » (Education and Early Childhood Development)

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

Whereas the West Colchester Cobras defeated Trenton to become Hockey Nova Scotia's North Conference Midget B Champions, winning a 5 to 4 victory in the third and deciding game of their playoff series; and

Whereas the Cobras went on to capture the provincial title with a 6 to 3 win over the West Hants Warriors; and

Whereas during the 2014-15 season, the Cobras participated in the Bluenose Tournament, winning the Bantam B banner, and won gold in the 13-team SEDMHA tournament with a 6 to 1 record;

Therefore be it resolved that all members of this House of Assembly congratulate these outstanding players of the West Colchester Cobras for focusing on hard work and team play, winning all possible titles for which they competed.

RESOLUTION NO. 3230

By: Hon. Karen Casey « » (Education and Early Childhood Development)

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

Whereas small brewing companies are springing up around the province and water, which makes up to 90 per cent of beer, is often ignored as an ingredient in these new specialty beers; and

[Page 8258]

Whereas the Tatamagouche Brewing Company starts with water from the local water treatment plant, a state-of-the-art facility on the French River, it then passes through a charcoal filter and an additional chlorine filter; and

Whereas staff do not have to adjust the water for this North Shore Lagered Ale because the water is so soft, however, for the Deception Bay American India Pale Ale, they add calcium sulphate (in the form of gypsum) to enhance the aroma, flavour, and bitterness;

Therefore be it resolved that all members of this House of Assembly congratulate the Tatamagouche Brewing Company for producing this North Shore Lagered Ale, now available, and the Deception Bay American India Pale Ale will be on store shelves in the near future.

RESOLUTION NO. 3231

By: Hon. Karen Casey « » (Education and Early Childhood Development)

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

Whereas Randy Goodwin from North River, Colchester North, has been designing and producing a feeder for small birds that keeps small, pesky, seed-stealing critters away; and

Whereas Randy has made some improvements to his unique birdfeeder, which is made with PVC piping and aviation cables and, unlike other feeders, it hangs horizontally, with access at both ends; and

Whereas small birds can fly right through the feeder, grabbing the seed on their way, and this unusual feeder will last a lifetime;

Therefore be it resolved that all members of this House of Assembly wish Randy Goodwin success with this project and many more to come.

RESOLUTION NO. 3232

By: Hon. Karen Casey « » (Education and Early Childhood Development)

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

Whereas Sergio Garrido located to Nova Scotia from Guatemala so he could attend school, and during his third year of university he decided he was going to start his own coffee brand, Aroma Maya; and

[Page 8259]

Whereas now Sergio and his wife Kristi are opening a coffee house in North River, Colchester County, in hopes to raise the profile of the coffee from the seven regions of Guatemala; and

Whereas with consumers looking o access as much information as they can on the food they eat and the beverages they drink, Garrido believes it is the perfect time to open a coffee house and to allow people the opportunity to walk around and check out the entire process, just like beer lovers are able to do at a brewery;

Therefore be it resolved that all members of this House of Assembly congratulate this young entrepreneur and his wife for offering coffee aficionados an experience that is unique in Colchester County.

RESOLUTION NO. 3233

By: Hon. Karen Casey « » (Education and Early Childhood Development)

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

Whereas Peter Thiesen, a twenty-one-year-old student and business owner from Valley, Colchester North, is an excellent example of a successful young entrepreneur, establishing his business in 2012 as a way to pay for his education; and

Whereas he handles property management, landscaping, lawn care, and snow removal, with the help of four part-time workers, including his brother Tim; and

Whereas Peter manages to juggle his business, PT Property Care, with full-time studies at Dalhousie Agricultural Campus where he will finish his Bachelor of Science with a major in agricultural business this spring;

Therefore be it resolved that all members of this House of Assembly congratulate Peter Thiesen for his recent win of the regional competition for the Global Student Entrepreneur Awards, and for competing at the national competition in Toronto.

RESOLUTION NO. 3234

[Page 8260]

By: Hon. Karen Casey « » (Education and Early Childhood Development)

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

Whereas the Emergency Services Exemplary Medal was created in 1994 as part of a national recognition program for paramedics who have shown exemplary service for at least twenty years, with at least ten years in a position that could put them at risk; and

Whereas Dwayne Semple of Tatamagouche, Colchester North, was one of the recipients of this medal; and

Whereas Dwayne has worked as a field paramedic, operation supervisor, educator, quality control paramedic, advanced chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear, explosive (CBRNE) responder, certified information security manager (CISM), peer referral agent, and leader;

Therefore be it resolved that all members of this House of Assembly congratulate Dwayne Semple, Manager of Provincial Programs, for receiving this award and for his six years of service as the Regional Operations Manager for Emergency Health Services Northeastern Nova Scotia.

RESOLUTION NO. 3235

By: Hon. Karen Casey « » (Education and Early Childhood Development)

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

Whereas Aaron Taylor, a fourth- year Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences student at Dalhousie University is a recent recipient of the 2016 Dalhousie University Board of Governors Award for Academics and Extracurricular Accomplishments on Campus, the school's most prestigious student leadership award; and

Whereas Aaron is fluent in Russian and six other languages and one of his first projects was to re-establish Dalhousie's Russian Society from four members to sixty, as well as a co-founder of the Dalhousie Arctic Society representing Dalhousie at the Canadian Conference on Student Leadership; and

Whereas next year Aaron begins pursuit of a Master of Arts degree at the Institute of European, Russian, and Eurasian Studies at Carleton University in Ottawa;

Therefore be it resolved that all members of this House of Assembly congratulate Aaron Taylor for this award, and wish him all the best in his future endeavors.

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RESOLUTION NO. 3236

By: Hon. Karen Casey « » (Education and Early Childhood Development)

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

Whereas the Salvation Army has a kettle drive each year at the Christmas holiday season; and

Whereas Winston and Ann Langille of North River, Colchester North, have spent the last six holiday seasons volunteering for this very worthwhile cause; and

Whereas the money Winston and Ann collect is used for programming all year round, not just Christmas, as many people depend on the Salvation Army for help;

Therefore be it resolved that all members of this House of Assembly recognize Winston and Ann Langille for showing the true Christmas spirit through their volunteer work.

RESOLUTION NO. 3237

By: Hon. Karen Casey « » (Education and Early Childhood Development)

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

Whereas the Rotary Club of Truro has provided assistance to countless individuals with special needs for medical treatment or equipment since its beginning 90 years ago, and it continues to focus on the needs of children with disabilities; and

Whereas the Paul Harris Fellowship was established in part to perpetuate the memory of Paul Harris, the founder of Rotary; and

Whereas donors of US $1,000 or more to the annual Programs Fund, PolioPlus, or the Humanitarian Grants Program, or people who have that amount contributed in their name, can be recognized as Paul Harris Fellows and receive a commemorative certificate and a pin;

Therefore be it resolved that all members of this House of Assembly congratulate Garth Coffin, from Colchester North, as a recipient of the Paul Harris Fellowship at the 90^th Anniversary Charter Night held recently.

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RESOLUTION NO. 3238

By: Hon. Karen Casey « » (Education and Early Childhood Development)

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

Whereas the Rotary Club of Truro has provided assistance to countless individuals with special needs for medical treatment or equipment since its beginning 90 years ago, and it continues to focus on the needs of children with disabilities; and

Whereas the Paul Harris Fellowship was established in part to perpetuate the memory of Paul Harris, the founder of Rotary; and

Whereas donors of US $1,000 or more to the annual Programs Fund, PolioPlus, or the Humanitarian Grants Program, or people who have that amount contributed in their name, can be recognized as Paul Harris Fellows and receive a commemorative certificate and a pin;

Therefore be it resolved that all members of this House of Assembly congratulate Jim Goit, from Colchester North, as a recipient of the Paul Harris Fellowship at the 90^th Anniversary Charter Night held recently.

RESOLUTION NO. 3239

By: Hon. Karen Casey « » (Education and Early Childhood Development)

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

Whereas Seven Randall is a Grade 12 student at North Colchester High School in Tatamagouche who very capably balances his academic and extracurricular activities; and

Whereas Seven is a dedicated athlete playing soccer, basketball, track and field, softball, and badminton; and

Whereas as well as participating on all these sport teams, Seven participates in Math League, is a valuable member of Reach for the Top, and is the treasurer of the Student Council;

Therefore be it resolved that all members of this House of Assembly congratulate this talented, smart, reliable and ambitious student for the many contributions he makes to school life at NCHS and also for being named the Student of the Month for November 2015

[Page 8263]

RESOLUTION NO. 3240

By: Hon. Karen Casey « » (Education and Early Childhood Development)

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

Whereas Matthew Ross, a Grade 11 student at North Colchester High School in Tatamagouche, is described by his classmates as an all-around great guy; and

Whereas Matthew's sense of responsibility and leadership capabilities are shown by his involvement in numerous activities, including class representative for Student Council, junior leader in 4-H, and volunteer at Willow Lodge, as well as by having a part-time job at the Train Station Inn; and

Whereas Matthew, a quiet student, is also an excellent student who takes pride in his work, has a good sense of humour, always takes a positive approach, is respectful of and gets along well with others, and serves as an excellent role model, leading by example;

Therefore be it resolved that Matthew Ross be congratulated for serving as an excellent asset to North Colchester High School and for being named the Student of the Month for October 2015.

RESOLUTION NO. 3241

By: Hon. Karen Casey « » (Education and Early Childhood Development)

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

Whereas Noah Bush, a Grade 12 student at Colchester North in Tatamagouche and an honours with distinction student, obviously has excellent time management skills and is hard-working; and

Whereas Noah plays softball and soccer for NCHS, is captain of the soccer team, plays hockey, coaches young players, skis and golfs; and

Whereas Noah also belongs to Math League, competes in Reach for the Top, helps with Boys' Leadership, takes riding lessons, is involved in 4-H, volunteers as a camp leader, holds the vice-president position for Student Council, plans activities and fundraisers, DJs most school dances, and has a part-time job;

[Page 8264]

Therefore be it resolved that all members of this House of Assembly congratulate Noah Bush for his active, healthy lifestyle, academic excellence, volunteering, and for being selected as September 2015 Student of the Month at NCHS.

RESOLUTION NO. 3242

By: Hon. Karen Casey « » (Education and Early Childhood Development)

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

Whereas Megan Flanagan is a Grade 9 student at North Colchester High School in Tatamagouche; and

Whereas Megan is extremely organized, conscientious, and willing to put time and effort into producing her best work; and

Whereas she is captain of the soccer team and displays the same effort and hard work in her game and support of her teammates;

Therefore be it resolved that all members of this House of Assembly congratulate Megan Flanagan for her academic work, her athletic ability, her active healthy lifestyle, and for being named the Student of the Month for October 2015 at NCHS.

RESOLUTION NO. 3243

By: Hon. Karen Casey « » (Education and Early Childhood Development)

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

Whereas Sara Veno is a Grade 12 student at North Colchester High School in Tatamagouche; and

Whereas Sara is an articulate, well-organized, hardworking student with a positive attitude and a good sense of humor; and

Whereas her academic performance, leadership skills, and service to school and community make her an excellent role model and the recipient of the Lieutenant Governor's medal in Grade 11;

Therefore be it resolved that all members of this House of Assembly congratulate Sara Veno for her excellent scholastic performance, her public spirit, and for being named the September Student of the Month at NCHS.

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RESOLUTION NO. 3244

By: Hon. Karen Casey « » (Education and Early Childhood Development)

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

Whereas Phoebe Waugh, a Grade 8 student at North Colchester High School in Tatamagouche is hardworking and approaches her school life as an opportunity to grow as a learner and a person; and

Whereas a positive attitude and school spirit are two of her most outstanding traits, as she is always ready to volunteer and take a leadership role in extracurricular activities, including on the soccer field, at track and field, and cross country running events; and

Whereas art, reading, and writing involve her main interests and allow her to best display her creative and artistic abilities;

Therefore be it resolved that all members of this House of Assembly congratulate Phoebe Waugh for the many contributions she makes toward her school and her classmates, and for being named Student of the Month for November 2015 at NCHS.

RESOLUTION NO. 3245

By: Hon. Karen Casey « » (Education and Early Childhood Development)

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

Whereas Nova Scotia's volunteer fire brigades are made up of individuals who show their dedication to serving others by contributing hard work, skills and time, often risking their lives, taking on the role of first responders, and dealing with incidents of great emotional stress; and

Whereas training, fundraising, recruitment and public relations are only a few of the additional responsibilities of members of a fire brigade; and

Whereas the members of volunteer fire brigades seldom receive the accolades they deserve, an annual banquet is usually held to thank all their members and to present special awards;

Therefore be it resolved that all members of this House of Assembly congratulate Betty Hudson for 5 years of service with the Ladies Auxiliary at the annual banquet of the Great Village and District Fire Brigade in Colchester North.

[Page 8266]

RESOLUTION NO. 3246

By: Hon. Karen Casey « » (Education and Early Childhood Development)

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

Whereas Nova Scotia's volunteer fire brigades are made up of individuals who show their dedication to serving others by contributing hard work, skills and time, often risking their lives, taking on the role of first responders, and dealing with incidents of great emotional stress; and

Whereas training, fundraising, recruitment and public relations are only a few of the additional responsibilities of members of a fire brigade; and

Whereas the members of volunteer fire brigades seldom receive the accolades they deserve, an annual banquet is usually held to thank all their members and to present special awards;

Therefore be it resolved that all members of this House of Assembly congratulate Adam Boertjes for completing his Level 1 Firefighter Course in 2015 and for receiving the Wendell Barnhill Award for Most Improved Firefighter at the annual banquet of the Debert Fire Brigade in Colchester North.

RESOLUTION NO. 3247

By: Hon. Karen Casey « » (Education and Early Childhood Development)

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

Whereas Nova Scotia's volunteer fire brigades are made up of individuals who show their dedication to serving others by contributing hard work, skills, and time, often risking their lives, taking on the role of first responders and dealing with incidents of great emotional stress; and

Whereas training, fundraising, recruitment, and public relations, are only a few of the additional responsibilities of members of a fire brigade; and

Whereas the members of the volunteer fire brigades seldom receive the accolades they deserve, an annual banquet is usually held to thank all their members and to present special awards;

[Page 8267]

Therefore be it resolved that all members of this House of Assembly congratulate Chris Congdon for Officer of the Year Award at the annual banquet of the Great Village and District Fire Brigade in Colchester North.

RESOLUTION NO. 3248

By: Hon. Karen Casey « » (Education and Early Childhood Development)

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

Whereas Nova Scotia's volunteer fire brigades are made up of individuals who show their dedication to serving others by contributing hard work, skills, and time, often risking their lives, taking on the role of first responders and dealing with incidents of great emotional stress; and

Whereas training, fundraising, recruitment, and public relations, are only a few of the additional responsibilities of members of a fire brigade; and

Whereas the members of the volunteer fire brigades seldom receive the accolades they deserve, an annual banquet is usually held to thank all their members and to present special awards;

Therefore be it resolved that all members of this House of Assembly congratulate Douglas Congdon for forty years of Firefighter Service at the annual banquet of the Great Village and District Fire Brigade in Colchester North.

RESOLUTION NO. 3249

By: Hon. Karen Casey « » (Education and Early Childhood Development)

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

Whereas Nova Scotia's volunteer fire brigades are made up of individuals who show their dedication to serving others by contributing hard work, skills, and time, often risking their lives, taking on the role of first responders and dealing with incidents of great emotional stress; and

Whereas training, fundraising, recruitment, and public relations, are only a few of the additional responsibilities of members of a fire brigade; and

[Page 8268]

Whereas the members of the volunteer fire brigades seldom receive the accolades they deserve, an annual banquet is usually held to thank all their members and to present special awards;

Therefore be it resolved that all members of this House of Assembly congratulate Derrick Works for five years of Firefighter Service at the annual banquet of the Great Village and District Fire Brigade in Colchester North.

RESOLUTION NO. 3250

By: Hon. Karen Casey « » (Education and Early Childhood Development)

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

Whereas Nova Scotia's volunteer fire brigades are made up of individuals who show their dedication to serving others by contributing hard work, skills, and time, often risking their lives, taking on the role of first responders and dealing with incidents of great emotional stress; and

Whereas training, fundraising, recruitment, and public relations, are only a few of the additional responsibilities of members of a fire brigade; and

Whereas the members of the volunteer fire brigades seldom receive the accolades they deserve, an annual banquet is usually held to thank all their members and to present special awards;

Therefore be it resolved that all members of this House of Assembly congratulate Chasidy Works for five years of Firefighter Service at the annual banquet of the Great Village and District Fire Brigade in Colchester North.

RESOLUTION NO. 3251

By: Hon. Karen Casey « » (Education and Early Childhood Development)

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

Whereas Nova Scotia's volunteer fire brigades are made up of individuals who show their dedication to serving others by contributing hard work, skills, and time, often risking their lives, taking on the role of first responders and dealing with incidents of great emotional stress; and

[Page 8269]

Whereas training, fundraising, recruitment, and public relations, are only a few of the additional responsibilities of members of a fire brigade; and

Whereas the members of the volunteer fire brigades seldom receive the accolades they deserve, an annual banquet is usually held to thank all their members and to present special awards;

Therefore be it resolved that all members of this House of Assembly congratulate Barrett Jenkins for Firefighter of the Year Award at the annual banquet of the Great Village and District Fire Brigade in Colchester North.

RESOLUTION NO. 3252

By: Hon. Karen Casey « » (Education and Early Childhood Development)

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

Whereas Nova Scotia's volunteer fire brigades are made up of individuals who show their dedication to serving others by contributing hard work, skills, and time, often risking their lives, taking on the role of first responders and dealing with incidents of great emotional stress; and

Whereas training, fundraising, recruitment, and public relations, are only a few of the additional responsibilities of members of a fire brigade; and

Whereas the members of the volunteer fire brigades seldom receive the accolades they deserve, an annual banquet is usually held to thank all their members and to present special awards;

Therefore be it resolved that all members of this House of Assembly congratulate Brandon Slack for being named Fire Officer of the Year at the annual banquet of the Debert Fire Brigade in Colchester North.

RESOLUTION NO. 3253

By: Hon. Karen Casey « » (Education and Early Childhood Development)

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

Whereas Nova Scotia's volunteer fire brigades are made up of individuals who show their dedication to serving others by contributing hard work, skills and time, often risking their lives, taking on the role of first responders, and dealing with incidents of great emotional stress; and

[Page 8270]

Whereas training, fundraising, recruitment, and public relations are only a few of the additional responsibilities of members of a fire brigade; and

Whereas the members of volunteer fire brigades seldom receive the accolades they deserve, an annual banquet is usually held to thank all their members and to present special awards;

Therefore be it resolved that all members of this House of Assembly congratulate Derek Lockhart for receiving a 15-Year Service Award at the annual banquet of the Debert Fire Brigade in Colchester North.

RESOLUTION NO. 3254

By: Hon. Karen Casey « » (Education and Early Childhood Development)

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

Whereas Nova Scotia's volunteer fire brigades are made up of individuals who show their dedication to serving others by contributing hard work, skills and time, often risking their lives, taking on the role of first responders, and dealing with incidents of great emotional stress; and

Whereas training, fundraising, recruitment, and public relations are only a few of the additional responsibilities of members of a fire brigade; and

Whereas the members of volunteer fire brigades seldom receive the accolades they deserve, an annual banquet is usually held to thank all their members and to present special awards;

Therefore be it resolved that all members of this House of Assembly congratulate Daniel Dodsworth-Lush for receiving the Junior Firefighter Award at the annual banquet of the Great Village and District Fire Brigade in Colchester North.

RESOLUTION NO. 3255

[Page 8271]

By: Hon. Karen Casey « » (Education and Early Childhood Development)

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

Whereas Nova Scotia's volunteer fire brigades are made up of individuals who show their dedication to serving others by contributing hard work, skills and time, often risking their lives, taking on the role of first responders, and dealing with incidents of great emotional stress; and

Whereas training, fundraising, recruitment, and public relations are only a few of the additional responsibilities of members of a fire brigade; and

Whereas the members of volunteer fire brigades seldom receive the accolades they deserve, an annual banquet is usually held to thank all their members and to present special awards;

Therefore be it resolved that all members of this House of Assembly congratulate Donald Glenjen for receiving Top Training Hours at the annual banquet of the North River and District Fire Brigade in Colchester North.

RESOLUTION NO. 3256

By: Hon. Karen Casey « » (Education and Early Childhood Development)

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

Whereas Nova Scotia's volunteer fire brigades are made up of individuals who show their dedication to serving others by contributing hard work, skills and time, often risking their lives, taking on the role of first responders, and dealing with incidents of great emotional stress; and

Whereas training, fundraising, recruitment, and public relations are only a few of the additional responsibilities of members of a fire brigade; and

Whereas the members of volunteer fire brigades seldom receive the accolades they deserve, an annual banquet is usually held to thank all their members and to present special awards;

Therefore be it resolved that all members of this House of Assembly congratulate Kurtis Burgess for 15 years of service at the annual banquet of the North River and District Fire Brigade in Colchester North.

[Page 8272]

RESOLUTION NO. 3257

By: Hon. Karen Casey « » (Education and Early Childhood Development)

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

Whereas Nova Scotia's volunteer fire brigades are made up of individuals who show their dedication to serving others by contributing hard work, skills and time, often risking their lives, taking on the role of first responders, and dealing with incidents of great emotional stress; and

Whereas training, fundraising, recruitment, and public relations are only a few of the additional responsibilities of members of a fire brigade; and

Whereas the members of volunteer fire brigades seldom receive the accolades they deserve, an annual banquet is usually held to thank all their members and to present special awards;

Therefore be it resolved that all members of this House of Assembly congratulate Guy Gallant for being one of three to receive the Medical First Responder of the Year Award at the annual banquet of the North River and District Fire Brigade in Colchester North.

RESOLUTION NO. 3258

By: Hon. Karen Casey « » (Education and Early Childhood Development)

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

Whereas Nova Scotia's volunteer fire brigades are made up of individuals who show their dedication to serving others by contributing hard work, skills and time, often risking their lives, taking on the role of first responders, and dealing with incidents of great emotional stress; and

Whereas training, fundraising, recruitment, and public relations are only a few of the additional responsibilities of members of a fire brigade; and

Whereas the members of volunteer fire brigades seldom receive the accolades they deserve, an annual banquet is usually held to thank all their members and to present special awards;

[Page 8273]

Therefore be it resolved that all members of this House of Assembly congratulate Evan Hansen for being one of three to receive the Medical First Responder of the Year Award at the annual banquet of the North River and District Fire Brigade in Colchester North.

RESOLUTION NO. 3259

By: Hon. Karen Casey « » (Education and Early Childhood Development)

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

Whereas Nova Scotia's volunteer fire brigades are made up of individuals who show their dedication to serving others by contributing hard work, skills, and time, often risking their lives, taking on the role of first responders and dealing with incidents of great emotional stress; and

Whereas training, fundraising, recruitment, and public relations are only a few of the additional responsibilities of members of a fire brigade; and

Whereas the members of volunteer fire brigades seldom receive the accolades they deserve, an annual banquet is usually held to thank all of their members and to present special awards;

Therefore be it resolved that all members of this House of Assembly congratulate Doug McNutt for five years of service at the annual banquet of the North River and District Fire Brigade in Colchester North.

RESOLUTION NO. 3260

By: Hon. Karen Casey « » (Education and Early Childhood Development)

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

Whereas Nova Scotia's volunteer fire brigades are made up of individuals who show their dedication to serving others by contributing hard work, skills, and time, often risking their lives, taking on the role of first responders and dealing with incidents of great emotional stress; and

Whereas training, fundraising, recruitment, and public relations are only a few of the additional responsibilities of members of a fire brigade; and

[Page 8274]

Whereas the members of volunteer fire brigades seldom receive the accolades they deserve, an annual banquet is usually held to thank all of their members and to present special awards;

Therefore be it resolved that all members of this House of Assembly congratulate Cheryl Reade for 25 years of service at the annual banquet of the North River and District Fire Brigade in Colchester North.

RESOLUTION NO. 3261

By: Hon. Karen Casey « » (Education and Early Childhood Development)

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

Whereas Nova Scotia's volunteer fire brigades are made up of individuals who show their dedication to serving others by contributing hard work, skills, and time, often risking their lives, taking on the role of first responders and dealing with incidents of great emotional stress; and

Whereas training, fundraising, recruitment, and public relations are only a few of the additional responsibilities of members of a fire brigade; and

Whereas the members of volunteer fire brigades seldom receive the accolades they deserve, an annual banquet is usually held to thank all of their members and to present special awards;

Therefore be it resolved that all members of this House of Assembly congratulate Read Craig for being one of three to receive the Medical First Responder of the Year Award at the annual banquet of the North River and District Fire Brigade in Colchester North.

RESOLUTION NO. 3262

By: Hon. Karen Casey « » (Education and Early Childhood Development)

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

Whereas Nova Scotia's volunteer fire brigades are made up of individuals who show their dedication to serving others by contributing hard work, skills, and time, often risking their lives, taking on the role of first responders and dealing with incidents of great emotional stress; and

[Page 8275]

Whereas training, fundraising, recruitment, and public relations are only a few of the additional responsibilities of members of a fire brigade; and

Whereas the members of volunteer fire brigades seldom receive the accolades they deserve, an annual banquet is usually held to thank all of their members and to present special awards;

Therefore be it resolved that all members of this House of Assembly congratulate Peter Dodsworth-Lush for receiving the Most Improved Firefighter Award at the annual banquet of the Great Village and District Fire Brigade in Colchester North.

RESOLUTION NO. 3263

By: Hon. Karen Casey « » (Education and Early Childhood Development)

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

Whereas Nova Scotia's volunteer fire brigades are made up of individuals who show their dedication to serving others by contributing hard work, skills, and time, often risking their lives, taking on the role of first responders and dealing with incidents of great emotional stress; and

Whereas training, fundraising, recruitment, and public relations are only a few of the additional responsibilities of members of a fire brigade; and

Whereas the members of volunteer fire brigades seldom receive the accolades they deserve, an annual banquet is usually held to thank all of their members and to present special awards;

Therefore be it resolved that all members of this House of Assembly congratulate Trudy MacNeil for 25 years of service with the Ladies Auxiliary at the annual banquet of the Great Village and District Fire Brigade in Colchester North.

RESOLUTION NO. 3264

By: Hon. Karen Casey « » (Education and Early Childhood Development)

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

Whereas Nova Scotia's volunteer fire brigades are made up of individuals who show their dedication to serving others by contributing hard work, skills, and time, often risking their lives, taking on the role of first responders and dealing with incidents of great emotional stress; and

[Page 8276]

Whereas training, fundraising, recruitment, and public relations are only a few of the additional responsibilities of members of a fire brigade; and

Whereas the members of volunteer fire brigades seldom receive the accolades they deserve, an annual banquet is usually held to thank all of their members and to present special awards;

Therefore be it resolved that all members of this House of Assembly congratulate Terri-Lynn Kinsman for 15 years of firefighter service at the annual banquet of the Great Village and District Fire Brigade in Colchester North.

RESOLUTION NO. 3265

By: Hon. Karen Casey « » (Education and Early Childhood Development)

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

Whereas Nova Scotia's volunteer fire brigades are made up of individuals who give of their time, skills, and dedication in the service of others, risking their lives in the role of firefighters and dealing with great emotional stress in the role of first responders; and

Whereas Wade Jennings has been the chief of the Debert Fire Department for the last seven years, has represented the brigade at the Canadian Firefighter Association meeting for the past year, sat on the executive as a representative for the Fire School, and attended annual meetings of Fire Service of Nova Scotia; and

Whereas Wade's additional responsibilities with the Debert Fire Brigade include training, fundraising, recruitment, and public relations and at their recent annual banquet, Chief Jennings expressed his thanks to the members, officers, and executive for their hard work and for their many hours of volunteer time;

Therefore be it resolved that all members of this House of Assembly congratulate Chief Wade Jennings for serving as an excellent role model and for having the respect of his brigade, as well as the members of the area he serves.

RESOLUTION NO. 3266

[Page 8277]

By: Hon. Karen Casey « » (Education and Early Childhood Development)

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

Whereas Nova Scotia's volunteer fire brigades are made up of individuals who give of their time, skills, and dedication in the service of others, risking their lives in the role of firefighters and dealing with great emotional stress in the role of first responders; and

Whereas training, fundraising, recruitment, and public relations are only a few of the additional responsibilities of members of a fire brigade; and

Whereas the members of volunteer fire brigades seldom receive the accolades they deserve, an annual banquet is usually held to thank all their members and to present special awards;

Therefore be it resolved that all members of this House of Assembly congratulate Maureen Eagles for five years of service with the Ladies Auxiliary at the annual banquet of the Great Village and District Fire Brigade in Colchester North.

RESOLUTION NO. 3267

By: Hon. Karen Casey « » (Education and Early Childhood Development)

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

Whereas Nova Scotia's volunteer fire brigades are made up of individuals who give of their time, skills, and dedication in the service of others, risking their lives in the role of firefighters and dealing with great emotional stress in the role of first responders; and

Whereas training, fundraising, recruitment, and public relations are only a few of the additional responsibilities of members of a fire brigade; and

Whereas the members of volunteer fire brigades seldom receive the accolades they deserve, an annual banquet is usually held to thank all their members and to present special awards;

Therefore be it resolved that all members of this House of Assembly congratulate Larry Kinsman for receiving the Claude O'Brien Fellowship Award at the annual banquet of the Great Village and District Fire Brigade in Colchester North.

RESOLUTION NO. 3268

[Page 8278]

By: Hon. Karen Casey « » (Education and Early Childhood Development)

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

Whereas Nova Scotia's volunteer fire brigades are made up of individuals who give of their time, skills, and dedication in the service of others, risking their lives in the role of firefighters and dealing with great emotional stress in the role of first responders; and

Whereas training, fundraising, recruitment, and public relations are only a few of the additional responsibilities of members of a fire brigade; and

Whereas the members of volunteer fire brigades seldom receive the accolades they deserve, an annual banquet is usually held to thank all their members and to present special awards;

Therefore be it resolved that all members of this House of Assembly congratulate Mike Hepburn for being presented with the Firefighter of the Year Award at the annual banquet of the Debert Fire Brigade in Colchester North.

RESOLUTION NO. 3269

By: Hon. Karen Casey « » (Education and Early Childhood Development)

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

Whereas Nova Scotia's volunteer fire brigades are made up of individuals who give of their time, skills, and dedication in the service of others, risking their lives in the role of firefighters and dealing with great emotional stress in the role of first responders; and

Whereas training, fundraising, recruitment, and public relations are only a few of the additional responsibilities of members of a fire brigade; and

Whereas the members of volunteer fire brigades seldom receive the accolades they deserve, an annual banquet is usually held to thank all their members and to present special awards;

Therefore be it resolved that all members of this House of Assembly congratulate Muir Murdoch for 40 years of service at the annual banquet of the North River and District Fire Brigade in Colchester North.

RESOLUTION NO. 3270

[Page 8279]

By: Hon. Karen Casey « » (Education and Early Childhood Development)

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

Whereas Nova Scotia's volunteer fire brigades are made up of individuals who give of their time, skills, and dedication in the service of others, risking their lives in the role of firefighters and dealing with great emotional stress in the role of first responders; and

Whereas training, fundraising, recruitment, and public relations are only a few of the additional responsibilities of members of a fire brigade; and

Whereas the members of volunteer fire brigades seldom receive the accolades they deserve, an annual banquet is usually held to thank all their members and to present special awards;

Therefore be it resolved that all members of this House of Assembly congratulate Wilson's Gas Stop for receiving the Steve Francis Memorial Award at the annual banquet of the Great Village and District Fire Brigade in Colchester North.

RESOLUTION NO. 3271

By: Hon. Karen Casey « » (Education and Early Childhood Development)

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

Whereas Nova Scotia's volunteer fire brigades are made up of individuals who show their dedication to serving others by contributing hard work, skills, and time, often risking their lives, taking on the role of first responders, and dealing with incidents of great emotional stress; and

Whereas training, fundraising, recruitment, and public relations are only a few of the additional responsibilities of members of a fire brigade; and

Whereas the members of the volunteer fire brigades seldom receive the accolades they deserve, an annual banquet is usually held to thank all their members and to present special awards;

Therefore be it resolved that all members of this House of Assembly congratulate Murray Hayman for 30 years of service at the annual banquet of the North River and District Fire Brigade in Colchester North.

RESOLUTION NO. 3272

[Page 8280]

By: Hon. Karen Casey « » (Education and Early Childhood Development)

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

Whereas Nova Scotia's volunteer fire brigades are made up of individuals who show their dedication to serving others by contributing hard work, skills, and time, often risking their lives, taking on the role of first responders, and dealing with incidents of great emotional stress; and

Whereas training, fundraising, recruitment, and public relations are only a few of the additional responsibilities of members of a fire brigade; and

Whereas the members of the volunteer fire brigades seldom receive the accolades they deserve, an annual banquet is usually held to thank all their members and to present special awards;

Therefore be it resolved that all members of this House of Assembly congratulate George Chestnut for five years of service at the annual banquet of the North River and District Fire Brigade in Colchester North.

RESOLUTION NO. 3273

By: Hon. Karen Casey « » (Education and Early Childhood Development)

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

Whereas Nova Scotia's volunteer fire brigades are made up of individuals who show their dedication to serving others by contributing hard work, skills, and time, often risking their lives, taking on the role of first responders, and dealing with incidents of great emotional stress; and

Whereas training, fundraising, recruitment, and public relations are only a few of the additional responsibilities of members of a fire brigade; and

Whereas the members of the volunteer fire brigades seldom receive the accolades they deserve, an annual banquet is usually held to thank all their members and to present special awards;

Therefore be it resolved that all members of this House of Assembly congratulate Donald Glenjen for the Medical First Responder Training Hours Award at the annual banquet of the North River and District Fire Brigade in Colchester North.

[Page 8281]

RESOLUTION NO. 3274

By: Hon. Karen Casey « » (Education and Early Childhood Development)

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

Whereas Nova Scotia's volunteer fire brigades are made up of individuals who show their dedication to serving others by contributing hard work, skills, and time, often risking their lives, taking on the role of first responders, and dealing with incidents of great emotional stress; and

Whereas training, fundraising, recruitment, and public relations are only a few of the additional responsibilities of members of a fire brigade; and

Whereas the members of the volunteer fire brigades seldom receive the accolades they deserve, an annual banquet is usually held to thank all their members and to present special awards;

Therefore be it resolved that all members of this House of Assembly congratulate Guy Gallant for receiving the Member of the Year Award at the annual banquet of the North River and District Fire Brigade in Colchester North.

RESOLUTION NO. 3275

By: Hon. Karen Casey « » (Education and Early Childhood Development)

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

Whereas Nova Scotia's volunteer fire brigades are made up of individuals who show their dedication to serving others by contributing hard work, skills, and time, often risking their lives, taking on the role of first responders, and dealing with incidents of great emotional stress; and

Whereas training, fundraising, recruitment, and public relations are only a few of the additional responsibilities of members of a fire brigade; and

Whereas the members of the volunteer fire brigades seldom receive the accolades they deserve, an annual banquet is usually held to thank all their members and to present special awards;

[Page 8282]

Therefore be it resolved that all members of this House of Assembly congratulate Ron MacCallum for receiving the Chief's Choice at the annual banquet of the North River and District Fire Brigade in Colchester North.

RESOLUTION NO. 3276

By: Hon. Karen Casey « » (Education and Early Childhood Development)

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

Whereas Nova Scotia's volunteer fire brigades are made up of individuals who show their dedication to serving others by contributing hard work, skills, and time, often risking their lives, taking on the role of first responders, and dealing with incidents of great emotional stress; and

Whereas training, fundraising, recruitment, and public relations are only a few of the additional responsibilities of members of a fire brigade; and

Whereas the members of the volunteer fire brigades seldom receive the accolades they deserve, an annual banquet is usually held to thank all their members and to present special awards;

Therefore be it resolved that all members of this House of Assembly congratulate Kent Gallant for five years of service at the annual banquet of the North River and District Fire Brigade in Colchester North.

RESOLUTION NO. 3277

By: Hon. Karen Casey « » (Education and Early Childhood Development)

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

Whereas Nova Scotia's volunteer fire brigades are made up of individuals who show their dedication to serving others by contributing hard work, skills, and time, often risking their lives, taking on the role of first responders, and dealing with incidents of great emotional stress; and

Whereas training, fundraising, recruitment, and public relations are only a few of the additional responsibilities of members of a fire brigade; and

[Page 8283]

Whereas the members of the volunteer fire brigades seldom receive the accolades they deserve, an annual banquet is usually held to thank all their members and to present special awards;

Therefore be it resolved that all members of this House of Assembly congratulate Ken MacLean for 40 years of service at the annual banquet of the North River and District Fire Brigade in Colchester North.

RESOLUTION NO. 3278

By: Ms. Joyce Treen « » (Cole Harbour-Eastern Passage)

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

Whereas the Eastern Passage Cow Bay Benevolent Society is in its 25^th year of existence; and

Whereas Eileen Cassell has been with the society since its start and is a dedicated part of the team; and

Whereas over the past 25 years the Eastern Passage Cow Bay Benevolent Society has raised $100,000 to help residents of the community with unexpected medical bills;

Therefore be it resolved that all members of this House of Assembly recognize Eileen Cassell and the Eastern Passage Cow Bay Benevolent Society on their service to the community.

RESOLUTION NO. 3279

By: Ms. Joyce Treen « » (Cole Harbour-Eastern Passage)

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

Whereas the Eastern Passage Cow Bay Benevolent Society is in its 25^th year of existence; and

Whereas Eva Naugle has been with the society since its start and is a dedicated part of the team; and

Whereas over the past 25 years the Eastern Passage Cow Bay Benevolent Society has raised $100,000 to help residents of the community with unexpected medical bills;

[Page 8284]

Therefore be it resolved that all members of this House of Assembly recognize Eva Naugle and the Eastern Passage Cow Bay Benevolent Society on their service to the community.

RESOLUTION NO. 3280

By: Ms. Joyce Treen « » (Cole Harbour-Eastern Passage)

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

Whereas the Eastern Passage Cow Bay Benevolent Society is in its 25^th year of existence; and

Whereas Peter Gill has been with the society since its start and is a dedicated part of the team; and

Whereas over the past 25 years the Eastern Passage Cow Bay Benevolent Society has raised $100,000 to help residents of the community with unexpected medical bills;

Therefore be it resolved that all members of this House of Assembly recognize Peter Gill and the Eastern Passage Cow Bay Benevolent Society on their service to the community.

RESOLUTION NO. 3281

By: Ms. Joyce Treen « » (Cole Harbour-Eastern Passage)

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

Whereas the Eastern Passage Cow Bay Benevolent Society is in its 25^th year of existence; and

Whereas Marilla Stephenson has been with the society since its start and is a dedicated part of the team; and

Whereas over the past 25 years the Eastern Passage Cow Bay Benevolent Society has raised $100,000 to help residents of the community with unexpected medical bills;

Therefore be it resolved that all members of this House of Assembly recognize Marilla Stephenson and the Eastern Passage Cow Bay Benevolent Society on their service to the community.

[Page 8285]

RESOLUTION NO. 3282

By: Ms. Joyce Treen « » (Cole Harbour-Eastern Passage)

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

Whereas the Eastern Passage Cow Bay Benevolent Society is in its 25^th year of existence; and

Whereas Don Warwick has been with the society since its start and is a dedicated part of the team; and

Whereas over the past 25 years the Eastern Passage Cow Bay Benevolent Society has raised $100,000 to help residents of the community with unexpected medical bills;

Therefore be it resolved that all members of this House of Assembly recognize Don Warwick and the Eastern Passage Cow Bay Benevolent Society on their service to the community.

RESOLUTION NO. 3283

By: Ms. Joyce Treen « » (Cole Harbour-Eastern Passage)

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

Whereas the Eastern Passage Cow Bay Benevolent Society is in its 25^th year of existence; and

Whereas Chris Ritchie has been with the society since its start and is a dedicated part of the team; and

Whereas over the past 25 years the Eastern Passage Cow Bay Benevolent Society has raised $100,000 to help residents of the community with unexpected medical bills;

Therefore be it resolved that all members of this House of Assembly recognize Chris Ritchie and the Eastern Passage Cow Bay Benevolent Society on their service to the community.

RESOLUTION NO. 3284

[Page 8286]

By: Ms. Joyce Treen « » (Cole Harbour-Eastern Passage)

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

Whereas the Eastern Passage Cow Bay Benevolent Society is in its 25^th year of existence; and

Whereas Ed Deyoung has been with the society since its start and is a dedicated part of the team; and

Whereas over the past 25 years the Eastern Passage Cow Bay Benevolent Society has raised $100,000 to help residents of the community with unexpected medical bills;

Therefore be it resolved that all members of this House of Assembly recognize Ed Deyoung and the Eastern Passage Cow Bay Benevolent Society on their service to the community.

RESOLUTION NO. 3285

By: Ms. Joyce Treen « » (Cole Harbour-Eastern Passage)

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

Whereas the Eastern Passage Cow Bay Benevolent Society is in its 25^th year of existence; and

Whereas Larry Varin has been with the society since its start and is a dedicated part of the team; and

Whereas over the past 25 years the Eastern Passage Cow Bay Benevolent Society has raised $100,000 to help residents of the community with unexpected medical bills;

Therefore be it resolved that all members of this House of Assembly recognize Larry Varin and the Eastern Passage Cow Bay Benevolent Society on their service to the community.