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HALIFAX, WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 3, 2018

Sixty-third General Assembly

Second Session

1:00 P.M.

SPEAKER

Hon. Kevin Murphy

 

DEPUTY SPEAKERS

Ms. Suzanne Lohnes-Croft, Mr. Brendan Maguire

MR. SPEAKER » : Order, please. Before we begin the daily routine the topic for late debate, as submitted by the honourable member for Halifax Needham, is:

Therefore be it resolved that the Liberal Government is failing to address that 43 per cent of tenants in Nova Scotia cannot afford their rent.

That is the topic of the late debate, coming today at the moment of interruption.

PRESENTING AND READING PETITIONS

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

MR. GARY BURRILL « » : Mr. Speaker, I beg leave to present a petition with this operative clause:

"We, the undersigned, call on the provincial government to take meaningful action to address the health care crisis . . . ."

It is signed by 303 people in various locations across the province, and I have signed my own name as well.

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MR. SPEAKER « » : The petition is tabled.

The honourable member for Dartmouth North.

MS. SUSAN LEBLANC « » : Mr. Speaker, I beg leave to present a petition with the operative clause being:

"We, the undersigned, petition the Government of Nova Scotia to take immediate action to resolve the health care crisis . . . ."

It is signed by a number of people from Dartmouth, and I have affixed my own name as per the Rules of the House.

MR. SPEAKER « » : The petition is tabled.

The honourable member for Cape Breton Centre.

MS. TAMMY MARTIN « » : Mr. Speaker, I beg leave to present a petition with the operative clause being:

". . . we the undersigned citizens of Nova Scotia call on the Nova Scotia government to stop the closure of Nova Scotia community hospitals . . . ."

It is signed by numerous people in Cape Breton, and I have affixed my own name as per the Rules of the House.

MR. SPEAKER « » : The petition is tabled.

The honourable member for Dartmouth South.

MS. CLAUDIA CHENDER « » : Mr. Speaker, I beg leave to present a petition, the operative clause being:

"We, the undersigned, petition the Government of Nova Scotia to take immediate action to resolve the health care crisis . . . ."

It is signed by a number of people from Dartmouth, and I have affixed my own name as per the Rules of the House.

MR. SPEAKER « » : The petition is tabled.

PRESENTING REPORTS OF COMMITEES

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TABLING REPORTS, REGULATIONS AND OTHER PAPERS

STATEMENTS BY MINISTERS

GOVERNMENT NOTICES OF MOTION

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

RESOLUTION NO. 365

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

Whereas the Clean 50 Award recognizes groups and people who have made the biggest contributions to sustainable development or clean capitalism in the past year; and

Whereas Shannon Harding, Director of Programs for the Clean Foundation, was recognized for her work to develop environmental education for students across the province, from Primary to university; and

Whereas the Ecology Action Centre was also recognized for its renovated office in north-end Halifax, which cut its energy usage in half while increasing size by 50 per cent;

Therefore be it resolved that all members of this House recognize and congratulate Shannon Harding of the Clean Foundation, and the Ecology Action Centre, for this much-deserved award.

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 Education and Early Childhood Development.

RESOLUTION NO. 366

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

Whereas October is Learning Disabilities Awareness Month, which aims to raise awareness around the challenges faced by those with learning disabilities; and

Whereas this month is about reducing stigma around learning disabilities to allow people to get the supports they need to reach their full potential; and

Whereas Nova Scotia's Department of Education and Early Childhood Development, and our provincial government, is working to develop an inclusive education policy framework and multi-tiered systems of support, which will help students with learning disabilities realize that potential;

Therefore be it resolved that all members of this Legislature recognize October as Learning Disabilities Awareness Month, and help raise awareness and reduce the stigma that surrounds learning disabilities.

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 Health and Wellness.

HON. RANDY DELOREY « » : Mr. Speaker, I beg leave to make an introduction.

MR. SPEAKER « » : Permission granted.

MR. DELOREY « » : I'd like to draw the attention of members to the east gallery where I'd like to introduce two special guests who are both cancer survivors. Judy and Jim Edgar, please rise, and I ask the House to join me in giving our guests a warm welcome and extend our thanks for all the wonderful work they do. (Applause)

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

RESOLUTION NO. 367

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

Whereas breast cancer continues to be the most commonly diagnosed cancer, with one out of every eight women in Nova Scotia developing it in her lifetime; and

Whereas important services like the Nova Scotia Breast Screening Program are vital to help improve early detection and diagnosis and increase the chances of successful treatment for many women; and

Whereas October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month in Nova Scotia, a time to increase awareness, take action for breast health, and thank all our dedicated advocates for the important work they do;

Therefore be it resolved that all members of this House acknowledge October as Breast Cancer Awareness Month and do what they can to support this important cause.

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

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

Is it agreed?

It is agreed.

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

The motion is carried.

The honourable Minister of the Public Service Commission.

HON. TONY INCE « » : Mr. Speaker, may I make an introduction?

MR. SPEAKER « » : Permission granted.

MR. INCE « » : If I could ask everyone to cast their eyes to the east gallery where I have a number of great people with me today whom I am very proud to introduce. As I call your names, please rise.

Jason MacLean, President of the Nova Scotia Government and General Employees Union - NSGEU, let me say it that way; Robin MacLean, Executive Director of NSGEU; Darren McPhee, Secretary-Treasurer; Sandra Mullin, 1^st Vice-President; Kim Jenkins, 2^nd Vice-President; Tammy Gillis, 3^rd Vice-President; Deedee Slye, Communications Officer; Steve Joy, President of CUPE; Anna MacIsaac, Executive Director of the Nova Scotia Long Term Disability Trust Fund; Martin E. Herschorn, Q.C. - I hope I said that right, Martin - Director, Public Prosecutions, Province of Nova Scotia; and our Commissioner, Laura Lee Langley.

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I also have with us from the Office of Workplace Mental Health, employees: Carolyn Campbell, Director; Krista Boyd, Office Manager; Colleen Bob, Navigator; Patricia Wall, Navigator; Frances Tufford, Statistical and Research Specialist; Victoria - now I'm going to get this wrong, Victoria - Victoria Shugarue; Theresa Williams, Nova Scotia Public Service Long Term Disability Trust Fund; Jackie Van Amburg, Communications; and Michelle MacDonald, Navigator.

I'll have everyone in the House please join me in welcoming all these people for the great work they have been doing. (Applause)

MR. SPEAKER « » : The honourable Minister of the Public Service Commission.

RESOLUTION NO. 368

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

Whereas the Nova Scotia Government and General Employees Union and the Public Service Commission announced today the official opening of the Office of Workplace Mental Health; and

Whereas it is important that provincial government employees feel safe and valued when they come to work so that they can be comfortable contributing their best ideas; and

Whereas the Office of Workplace Mental Health will help create a positive culture of mental health and wellness, help navigate employees to the resources and services they need in a confidential manner, and help leaders and managers create a safe and supportive workplace;

Therefore be it resolved that all members of this House of Assembly please congratulate Jason MacLean, President of the Nova Scotia Government and General Employees Union, and Ms. Laura Lee Langley, Commissioner of the Public Service Commission, and their teams for their dedication to creating healthy and safe government workplaces in Nova Scotia.

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

[1:15 p.m.]

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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 Justice.

HON. MARK FUREY « » : Mr. Speaker, I beg leave to make an introduction.

MR. SPEAKER « » : Permission granted.

MR. FUREY « » : I draw your attention to the east gallery where we're joined today by Mr. Mark Knox, QC. I would ask Mr. Knox to rise and receive the warm welcome of the House. (Applause)

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

RESOLUTION NO. 369

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

Whereas Mark Knox, QC, is an alumnus of the Schulich School of Law and a highly accomplished lawyer specializing in criminal, family, and civil litigation in Halifax and Granville Ferry; and

Whereas Mark has made immeasurable contributions to his community as a volunteer and is a driving force behind the 7th Step Society, an organization that helps repeat offenders change their behaviour and attitudes using a basic self-help philosophy; and

Whereas Mark's compassion, energy, selflessness, and inspirational leadership was recently recognized and honoured with the Weldon Award for Unselfish Public Service by his alma mater, Dalhousie University;

Therefore be it resolved that the members of this Legislature join me in congratulating Mark Knox, QC, on this prestigious award and for his continued advocacy and work to improve the lives of individuals within and outside of the criminal justice system.

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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 African Nova Scotian Affairs.

HON. TONY INCE « » : Mr. Speaker, I again ask for your leave to make an introduction.

MR. SPEAKER « » : Permission granted.

MR. INCE « » : Joining us today in the east gallery are delegates who represented Nova Scotia at the 10^th annual African Youth and Governance Conference in Ghana, West Africa, in August. I ask them to rise as I call their names, please, Nnamdi Chiekwe, thank you, Nakie Davies - I've said that wrong, I know I did, Sasha Hayward-Isaac, Mukisa Kakembo, Samuel Provo-Benoit, Samantha Reid, Rashida Symonds, Jayde Tynes, Charisma Grace Walker, and Chavasse Bain. I'd like to ask the House please to help me in congratulating these folks. (Applause)

MR. SPEAKER « » : The honourable Minister of African Nova Scotian Affairs.

RESOLUTION NO. 370

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

Where, in August, 10 African Nova Scotian youth participated in the 10^th annual African Youth and Governance Conference in Ghana, West Africa, a leadership development initiative organized by the Youth Bridge Foundation of Ghana designed to groom future leaders of African descent and create positive change in communities; and

Whereas our Nova Scotia delegation participated with over 80 other youth of African descent from more than 15 countries including participating in a mock UN, United Nations General Assembly, and they will present their findings to specific issues including health, education, youth leadership, and governance to legislators and policy makers here in Nova Scotia this Fall; and

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Whereas, throughout the conference, the African Nova Scotian delegates were acknowledged for their outstanding leadership and were all called upon as collaborators, facilitators, and mediators for other delegates and received noteworthy praise from the Canadian High Commissioner of Ghana, the Youth Bridge Foundation Executive Director, NGOs, and Office of the President of the Diaspora Organizations Directorate;

Therefore please be it resolved that members of the House of Assembly join me in congratulating the Nova Scotia Youth Delegation for representing our province in an outstanding manner and for their exemplary demonstration of leadership at the 10^th Annual African Youth and Governance Conference.

Mr. Speaker I ask for 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. 79 - Entitled an Act to Amend Chapter 293 of the Revised Statutes 1989. The Motor Vehicle Act. (Hon. Lloyd Hines)

Bill No. 80 - Entitled an Act Respecting Highways and Traffic Safety. (Hon. Lloyd Hines)

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

NOTICES OF MOTION

STATEMENTS BY MEMBERS

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

ALBARAZI FAM.: WELCOMED TO PICTOU - CELEBRATE

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MS. KARLA MACFARLANE « » : Mr. Speaker, today I rise to celebrate the third Syrian refugee family welcomed to the town of Pictou by Communities Assisting Refugees NOW. The organization is also known as CAiRN, in partnership with the Pictou United Church.

The Albarazi family, consisting of Fakher, Bader, Rima, and Ayah, fled Syria eight years ago, escaping the crisis and civil war in their county. They had to leave behind their extended family, farmland, and their possessions. Bader was hired by the Canadian government to process refugee claims and it helped lead to their family being introduced to CAiRN. The Albarazi family is excited to build their future in Canada.

Mr. Speaker, I am so proud and grateful to CAiRN, the Pictou United Church, and the people of Pictou West for their hard work and for welcoming our newest neighbours and friends.

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

MS. LISA ROBERTS « » : Mr. Speaker, I beg leave to make an introduction.

MR. SPEAKER « » : Permission granted.

MS. ROBERTS « » : I direct everyone's attention to the west gallery where we are joined by a number of guests who I'll ask to stand as I say their name: Gillian Mitts, Matthew Bonn, and Paulette Doyle who are all members of HANDUP, about which I will read a Member's Statement shortly; and Melody MacLaughlan who works in operations with Direction 180. I ask all members to give the warm welcome of the House. (Applause)

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

HANDUP: COM. ADVOCATES - CONGRATS.

MS. LISA ROBERTS « » : Mr. Speaker, Matthew Bonn, Gillian Mitts, Paulette Doyle and other volunteer members with the Halifax Area Network of Drug Using People (HANDUP) work tirelessly to improve the lives of people who use drugs through user-based peer support and education. Their advocacy efforts give people who use drugs an opportunity to have a say in the policy decisions that are made for them and about them.

Members of HANDUP are working to promote harm reduction and end drug overdoses in our communities. Members of HANDUP believe we can save lives by ending the stigmatization of people who use drugs. By advocating for supervised access and overdoes prevention sites, more humane opioid use treatment plans and better primary care for people who use drugs, HANDUP is making a lasting difference in the lives of many. Please join me in congratulating them on their crucial work.

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

MS. SUZANNE LOHNES-CROFT « » : Mr. Speaker, I beg leave to make introductions. I'd like to draw the attention of the House to the east gallery where my two constituency assistants are sitting - Sherrie Wessell, who is my part-time staffer, and Ruth Wawin who is my full-time constituency assistant.

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

NALOXONE PROG.: COM. WELLNESS - RECOG.

MS. SUZANNE LOHNES-CROFT « » : Mr. Speaker, on August 3^rd my constituency assistant Ruth Wawin and I sat down with Susan Beresford, a pharmacist at the Kinburn Pharmasave in Mahone Bay, and received our naloxone training. The training took approximately 30 minutes. We were taught how to identify the signs of an overdose and how to properly administer the naloxone kit.

The Take Home Naloxone Program is a partnership between the Government of Nova Scotia, the Health Authority and the Pharmacy Association of Nova Scotia. This program removes barriers such as accessibility and costs for all Nova Scotians.

As Susan Beresford, dispensary manager and pharmacist said: "These kits don't save lives sitting in drawers."

Mr. Speaker, I would ask that you and the members of this House of Assembly please aid me in encouraging individuals who are in a position where they may need to respond to an opioid overdose to pick up a free kit at their local pharmacy.

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

GRACE, DAVID ALLEN: DEATH OF - TRIBUTE

MR. BRAD JOHNS « » : Mr. Speaker, it's with a heavy heart today that I inform the Legislature, as well as the residents of my district, of the unexpected passing of a lifelong resident of Sackville, David Allen Grace, who passed on September 29^th.

Dave was a local business owner, a well-known real estate agent who was certainly a pillar of the Sackville community. He was the Chair of the Sackville Civil Status Review Committee, a member of the Sackville-Beaver Bank Advisory Board, a Scout leader, a Commissioner for the Nova Scotia Boxing Commission, President of the Sackville Chambers of Commerce, and a member of the Sackville, Kinsmen and K-40 clubs.

Mr. Speaker, on behalf of this House as well as the residents of Sackville, I wish to extend my sympathies to Dave's wife, Sue, and the other members of his family. There will be a remembrance service this Friday, October 5^th at 1:00 p.m. at the Sackville Legion.

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Mr. Speaker, Dave will be missed.

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

CARBON EMISSIONS: EFFECTS ON ATL. OCEAN - RECOG.

MS. LENORE ZANN « » : Researchers, led by the University of Washington, looked at the ocean area south of Newfoundland where the Gulf Stream and Labrador current interact and discovered climate change is causing the deeper waters of the Gulf of St. Lawrence and the Scotia Shelf to become warmer and lose oxygen faster than almost anywhere else in the global oceans.

Why? Carbon emissions, Mr. Speaker, carbon emissions in the atmosphere, large-scale circulation of the ocean is adjusting to global warming caused by greenhouse gas. They consider the de-oxygenation of the ocean to be one of the big three threats to climate change and we need to act on these changes. The oxygen decline has the potential to affect a variety of species in the Atlantic, including cod, snow crab, and Greenland halibut.

Mr. Speaker, this proves we need to keep working on preventing the greenhouse gas emissions and carbon emissions in Nova Scotia.

MR. SPEAKER « » : The honourable member for Yarmouth on an introduction.

HON. ZACH CHURCHILL « » : Mr. Speaker, I'd like to bring the attention of the House to the east gallery where we're joined by a very distinguished guest, Dr. Gordon Porter with Inclusive Education Canada. Dr. Porter has agreed to take on a big challenge with our Department Education and Early Childhood Development, helping us with oversight implementation, evaluation, and accountability in terms of our inclusive education report.

Dr. Porter also holds the Order of Canada, so I'd like the House to join me in welcoming Dr. Porter here. (Applause)

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

MS. RAFAH DICOSTANZO « » : Mr. Speaker, may I make an introduction? I have Valerie Metlege, who is in the east gallery. Valerie is also the member from Halifax Armdale's niece. Valerie and her mother Diana are here. I predict that this lovely young woman will one day receive the Nobel Prize and I would like to read my member's statement.

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[1:30 p.m.]

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

METLEGE, VALERIE: VOL. AND ACAD. ACHIEVEMENTS - COMMEND

MS. RAFAH DICOSTANZO « » : Mr. Speaker, I would like to recognize a young woman who has made incredible academic achievements.

Valerie Metlege received the highest average in history, English, chemistry, and French immersion in her senior year. I was present for that graduation. She also received the award for having an average of over 95 per cent and was the recipient of the Dalhousie Medical Sciences Scholarship of $20,000.

In her spare time, Valerie loves to give back. She is the youth events coordinator at the Diman Association of Canada. Each year, Valerie participates in the Lebanese Cedar Festival while planning and supervising activities for the church's religious education program.

Mr. Speaker, I would like to ask that this House of Assembly join me in commending Valerie on combining academic excellence, volunteerism, and helping her community.

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

BROOKFIELD HOMECOMING FEST.: BUILDING COM. - RECOG.

MR. LARRY HARRISON « » : On many occasions, I have mentioned the sense of belonging and purpose evident in small communities across the province. At no time is this more evident than on the occasion of annual community celebrations.

As an example, I cite the recent Brookfield Homecoming festivities in my own constituency. In the space of six short days, members of the Brookfield community hosted numerous sports, musical, and food events; historic tours and lectures; and fellowship, garden, and craft displays.

Former residents returned home from Whitehorse, Florida, Winnipeg, Ontario, and Alberta. Among the celebrated participants were Lindsey Burgess, junior world curling champion, and former NHL player Zach Sill.

These celebrations keep our communities strong and are necessary to our province's well-being. I salute the many organizers and participants who bring these events together.

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

LOW POINT LIGHTHOUSE SOC.: PRESERVATION - RECOG.

MS. TAMMY MARTIN « » : Mr. Speaker, Sydney Harbour's Low Point Lighthouse offers a memorable coastal experience for tourists and local residents.

The lighthouse, built in 1938, is situated on a wide, grassy point with an adjacent beach. The light tower, an iconic landmark, is a recognized federal heritage building because of its historical associations and its architectural and environmental values. The Low Point Lighthouse, while still active, has been declared surplus under the Heritage Lighthouse Protection Act.

Located on the historic and scenic Collier Route, over 150,000 cruise ship passengers landing at the Port of Sydney are only a 20-minute drive from the Low Point Lighthouse. The Low Point Lighthouse Society has a vision for the lighthouse and the grounds that will make it a positive economic impact within our community. As a demonstration of the high level of community support, the society entered the National Trust's This Lighthouse Matters online voting contest and won the grand prize of $75,000.

The preservation of this lighthouse is imperative for culture and community alike.

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

WALSH, ZACH: WORLD SKILLS COMPETITOR - CONGRATS.

MR. KEITH IRVING « » : Mr. Speaker, to be a national gold medallist is an outstanding achievement.

Zach Walsh is a young apprentice from Cambridge, Nova Scotia, who has earned that distinction twice at the Skills Canada Nationals. He won gold both in 2017 and 2018 as part of Team Nova Scotia's Refrigeration and AC team. As a result of these first place finishes, Zach has been invited to Ottawa to train as a World Skills Team Canada prospect with the goal to represent Canada at the World Skills Competition to be held in Russia in August 2019. This prestigious event is held every two years and is the biggest vocational, educational, and skill excellence event in the world.

I invite all members of the Nova Scotia House of Assembly to join me in congratulating Zach Walsh on his gold medal achievements and wish him continued success in competing in his chosen trade.

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

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WOLFE, DOUGLAS: 65 YRS. OF VOL. FIREFIGHTING - THANKS

MS. KIM MASLAND « » : Mr. Speaker, I rise to congratulate Douglas Wolfe, who has volunteered for the North Queens Fire Department for the amazingly long period of 65 years.

Still active to this day, answering calls at all hours of the day and night and working at the never-ending fundraising required to keep a rural volunteer fire department in operation, he has served as a past fire captain, witnessed the building of three fire stations, and seen numerous replacement fire trucks.

Mr. Speaker, I ask all members of this House to join me in honouring Douglas Wolfe and thank him for his dedication and hard work to protect the North Queens community.

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

MI'KMAQ HIST. MO.: COMING TOGETHER - PLEDGE

MS. LISA ROBERTS « » : Mr. Speaker, on Monday I was pleased to briefly attend, along with the Minister of African Nova Scotian Affairs, the Treaty Day celebration that happened just a few blocks away. As I arrived to park at Province House, I witnessed almost a parade of Mi'kmaq people in ribboned skirts and shirts, making their way from Parade Square to the Marriott Harbourfront - a tremendous vision of resilience.

As we begin Mi'kmaq History Month, I'm struck by how much I have to learn and how much we all can learn from the original inhabitants of this unceded land, including how to welcome new settlers and how to live from our environment without leaving it depleted for future generations.

A phrase that has stuck with me from the celebration of Treaty Day on Monday was "To move forward, we first have to come together." Today and every day, as a settler in Nova Scotia and a member in this House, I pledge to work toward making this so.

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

WHYNOT, DAVID: INTL. LIONS AWARD - CONGRATS.

HON. MARK FUREY « » : Mr. Speaker, David Whynot, a member of the New Germany and Area Lions Club, is this year's recipient of the Melvin Jones Fellowship Award. Lions International recognizes outstanding individuals by honouring them with this nationwide award, named for its founder. The Fellowship Award is the highest form of recognition a club can bestow on a member who generously gives of themselves and follows the motto "We Serve."

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This award is not given out lightly or freely. David gives outstanding service to his club and community. He has a great sense of humour and a tender heart, and gives 100 per cent of himself because he cares. Fellow Lions said that David has a heart as big as all outdoors. He steps up to the plate and is always one of the first to say that he will help, and he commits.

David volunteers an average of three or four days a week, sometimes as much as 30 hours. He contributes to the running of the club, looks after the Lions Express train, and volunteers with the apple pie project, catering, and the duck race, to name a few.

Congratulations to David Whynot, well-deserving of this special honour.

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

MR. TIM HOUSTON « » : Mr. Speaker, seated in the west gallery today we have my parents, Lloyd and Sharon Houston, both cancer survivors. My father had a long career in the military and is known to some members of this House as the commissionaire at the Johnson Building, and my mother is making her first appearance at Province House today. Maybe they can receive the warm welcome of the House. (Applause)

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

NORTHSIDE DOWNS: 120^th ANNIV. - PARTICIPATE

MR. EDDIE ORRELL « » : Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize the 120^th anniversary of the Northside Downs in North Sydney. The track opened on July 1, 1898, and a new agreement was struck this year by Harness Racing Cape Breton and the Federation of Agriculture to keep the track racing for the next 10 years.

I'd like to take this opportunity to invite all members of the House to join me every Saturday from May to November to enjoy an exciting afternoon of live racing at the Northside Downs.

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

BRUCE, JUNE: OUTSTANDING LEGIONNAIRE - COMMEND

HON. KELLY REGAN « » : Mr. Speaker, June Bruce has been volunteering with the Bedford Legion for more than 13 years. She has been recognized for her efforts by twice being named Bedford's Legionnaire of the Year. She's received the President's Award, the Legion Executive Service Medal, the Silver Jubilee Medal, the Branch Service Medal, and four certificates of appreciation, and in May, she was honoured at the Bedford Volunteer Recognition reception.

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June has served the Legion as its treasurer, bingo assistant chair, sports coordinator, and member at large. She has been especially busy promoting the youth dart program, and has often served as their team manager, which has involved some road trips across Canada and the U.S.

June always has a smiling face and a kind word for those who enter the Legion, and I'm sure that smiling face is a great welcome to the many children June has fostered over the years. She's a natural leader who is always willing to step up to lend a hand to veterans or children in need of a family. We're lucky that she's part of our Bedford family.

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

TWO RIVERS WILDLIFE PARK: UNIQUE EXPERIENCE - VISIT

MS. ALANA PAON « » : Mr. Speaker, I would like to highlight the Two Rivers Wildlife Park, located in Huntington, Cape Breton-Richmond. This outstanding facility has over 500 acres and offers a unique experience for everyone, from the avid nature lover to the casual observer, year round. These experiences include 50 species of native and non-native animals, a petting zoo, hiking and cross-county ski trails, sleigh and wagon rides, and much more. There are also 75 overnight campsites available within the park. The Two Rivers Wildlife Park is a former provincial park, and like many other locally run public facilities, needs our support to meet budget targets and necessary maintenance.

I encourage all Nova Scotians to visit and support this beautiful gem within our province and experience the adventure of a visit as I did this past summer.

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

HON. TONY INCE « » : Mr. Speaker, may I make one more introduction, please?

MR. SPEAKER « » : Permission granted.

MR. INCE « » : Thank you. If I can have the members' attention to the east gallery where I have a good community advocate and worker, DeRico Symonds. Thank you, DeRico. (Applause)

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

SYMONDS, DERICO: INSPIRING COM. CONTRIB. - RECOG.

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HON. TONY INCE « » : DeRico Symonds holds an undergraduate degree in Child and Youth Study, has completed an M.Ed. in Counselling at Acadia University, and he is currently completing the Canadian Certified Counsellor Certification.

In 2017, DeRico began an annual campaign called the Give BACK to raise money for families across HRM who have difficulty in providing a Christmas meal for their families. In two years the campaign raised close to $5,000, provided meals to 40 families, and donated 65 kgs of canned goods and $700 to Feed Nova Scotia.

DeRico received the Queen's Diamond Jubilee Century of Service Award in 2013, was accepted to the 21 Inc. 21 Leaders Program in 2014, and received the Irving & Ruth Pink award for youth development and social justice in 2016.

DeRico co-founded Future Roots Halifax, a social enterprise employing young people from the ages of 13 to 17 in the north end. DeRico has been working and collaborating tirelessly in communities on housing, poverty, homelessness, employment, and education issues.

I would ask the members of the House to join me in recognizing DeRico Symonds who has inspired community members and young people to join him in his goals and I wish him all the best in his future endeavours.

MR. SPEAKER « » : I'd just like to remind all the honourable members the time limit for member statements is, in fact, one minute.

The honourable member for Cumberland North.

MURPHY, COLIN/WILKIE, JASPER: BIRTHDAY DONATIONS - THANKS

MS. ELIZABETH SMITH-MCCROSSIN « » : Mr. Speaker, I would like to recognize Colin Murphy and Jasper Wilkie, of Amherst.

These young men shared a birthday party together and instead of receiving gifts, they asked for donations to the local animal shelter. Together Colin and Jasper were able to donate $140 to the Lillian Animal Shelter in Amherst.

These two boys recognized that it is indeed better to give than to receive. Their appreciation for what they already have is very commendable.

I would like to thank these two boys for their willingness to give to those in need and commend them for their selfless generosity.

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

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MACUMBER, TIM: SOFTBALL N.S. HALL OF FAME - CONGRATS.

HON. KAREN CASEY « » : Mr. Speaker, Tim Macumber from Valley Colchester North has had a very successful softball career. In 1992, he won gold at the junior men's Canadian championship and again in 1996 at the senior men's national tournament. He also has three silver medals and a bronze at the national senior level.

A pitcher and first baseman, Macumber was chosen for the senior men's Canadian Championship all-star team in 1995, 2000, and 2005. He also very successfully represented his country internationally playing for Canada in 2002, 2003, 2005, and 2006. When Canada won gold at the Pan-American Games in 2003, his valuable contribution was to lead the team in RBIs.

At Keith's Brewery in Halifax this past July, Tim Macumber was named to Softball Nova Scotia's Hall of Fame, a well-deserved, prestigious honour for this outstanding athlete.

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

WALK A MILE IN OUR BOOTS: N.S. FIRE DEPTS. - COMMEND

MR. TORY RUSHTON « » : This past weekend, the Westchester Volunteer Fire Department participated in the 150th anniversary of the Truro Fire Department.

The Westchester Fire Department participated in the "Walk a Mile in Our Boots" challenge and won first place.

Members of the Westchester team included Noah Moore, Kendall McNutt, Justin Rushton, and Troy Moore - who I all have served with.

I ask all members to join me in congratulating all fire departments across this great province that are always ready to answer the call at any time, unselfish sacrifices that they have made for our province.

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

[1:45 p.m.]

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SEXUAL VIOLENCE SURVIVORS: SANE ADVOCATES - THANKS

MS. LENORE ZANN « » : While U.S. senators try to squeeze themselves into pretzels to decide whether to believe a woman over a judge with respect to an alleged sexual assault, I was busy putting together a coalition of women to join me on Monday at the Truro Town Council to speak about the urgent need for a sexual assault nurse examiner in Truro and Colchester County.

As survivors of sexual assault ourselves, we stressed the fact that survivors of sexual violence need someone with expertise to take proper care of them after an assault. Many thanks to the passionate women who presented with me as I know it's not easy to speak in public about these issues: Tracey Dorrington Skinner, Margaret Mauger, Kendra MacKinnon, and Linda MacDonald - and thank you to the Truro Town Council for the unanimous support.

The Minister of Health and Wellness can expect a letter from the council requesting a SANE immediately. It is so important to have women of all kinds and in various positions of power come together and work together to move human rights forward. Together we can.

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

STONE, CHRIS - SWIM COACH: CAREER ADVANCEMENT - CONGRATS.

HON. LEO GLAVINE « » : Mr. Speaker, I rise today to welcome Coach Chris Stone as the new head coach of the Greenwood Dolphins Swim Club. Coach Stone officially took over the role, which was previously filled by interim head coach Sherry Deutsch.

Coach Stone brings over 20 years of experience at the provincial and junior national level and has coached swimmers across the country: British Columbia, Alberta, and Nova Scotia. A graduate of Dalhousie University, Coach Stone has volunteered for the Dalhousie Tigers swimming program, in addition to previously serving as the head coach of the Halifax Trojan Aquatic Club.

Mr. Speaker, on behalf of the Province of Nova Scotia, I'd like to extend my best wishes to Chris Stone as the new head coach for the Greenwood Dolphins Swim Club, and wish the staff and all swimmers the very best for a successful season this year.

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

RUBBER BOOT EXPO.: 1^st YR. - BEST WISHES

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MS. KARLA MACFARLANE « » : Mr. Speaker, I would like to rise and congratulate the keen organizers and volunteers of the 1^st Rubber Boot Expo in River John. It was a great success. Local resident Nick Bigney purchased River John Consolidated School to prevent this important community hub from being demolished.

At first plans were to convert the building into storage units, but after receiving an online comment with the idea of the Rubber Boot Expo, plans evolved. This Expo allowed local vendors to showcase and sell their products, promote themselves, and meet with the public.

Mr. Speaker, I want to thank everyone involved in the Expo and wish them success in the coming years.

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

DOHERTY, MATT: HEAVYWEIGHT ATHL. - CONGRATS.

HON. RANDY DELOREY « » : Mr. Speaker, Antigonish is known as the Highland Heart of Nova Scotia. Scottish roots and traditions run deep in my constituency and the Scottish pride is on display all over the community, especially in early July when the Antigonish Highland Games are taking place.

The heavy events are often a big draw at any games, and Antigonish has been fortunate to have many heavyweight competitors over the years. Matt Doherty is one of them. Matt has been a competitor at national and international events with many wins to his record. His most recent accomplishment was placing first at the Maritime Heavyweight Championship that was held September 8^th and September 9^th at the Colchester Highland Games and Gathering. Matt also secured his fifth Canadian Scottish Athletics Federation championship in July.

Mr. Speaker, I ask my fellow members in the House of Assembly to join me in congratulating Matt on his continued success competing in heavyweight competitions.

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

E. PASSAGE COW BAY LIONS CLUB: RENO. FUNDRAISER - THANKS

MS. BARBARA ADAMS « » : Mr. Speaker, today I would like to recognize the Eastern Passage Cow Bay Lions Club and especially their Kitchen Renewal Committee. For over a year and a half this committee was headed by Lion Darlene Hiltz. Through the Lions Club bingo and all the other events that the Lions Club does, the Lions Club raised much-needed funds for this huge renovation.

Darlene and her team also worked to secure $10,000 from the Department of Communities, Culture and Heritage. Without all their efforts, this project would not have been able to go forward.

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The kitchen has been completely renovated. It has been made accessible for those with disabilities, as well as seniors. It is going to make a complete difference for our whole community who use this hall for any number of events.

I ask all members of the Legislature to join me in thanking Darlene Hiltz and the Lions Club Kitchen Renewal Committee for providing a fully accessible kitchen for our community.

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

HEUKSHORST, AUTUMN: SCIENCE RESEARCH - CONGRATS.

HON. MARGARET MILLER « » : Mr. Speaker, you wouldn't think that one of the most common food products would lead to a winning science fair project, but for Autumn Heukshorst, a Grade 11 student at Hants East Rural High School, growing up on a dairy farm gave her the inclination to investigate the ability milk might have to improve water quality.

Her winning entry at the science competition at Saint Mary's University in May proved that a protein in milk, combined with chlorine, can do just that. The pH in water is improved with this process, allowing water from streams, ponds, and brooks to be more suitable for human consumption. This is a significant discovery, given the inadequate and unsafe drinking water sources that many people are dealing with around the globe.

I'd like to offer Autumn Heukshorst our sincere admiration and congratulations and best wishes for her future successes. We commend the dedicated teachers who inspired and encouraged her.

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

BIG BROS./SISTERS: KIDS N' KOPS - FOSTERING RESPECT

MR. LARRY HARRISON « » : Mr. Speaker, I rise to commend Big Brothers Big Sisters of Colchester, which recently sponsored a week-long Kids N' Kops program. Kids N' Kops is designed to promote trust and respect between youth and law enforcement, and to give kids a better understanding of what police do in our communities.

Through a partnership with Truro Police Services, the participants learn about all aspects of police work, including drug awareness, fingerprinting, helmet and bike safety, handling of tracking dogs, cyberbullying, safe Internet usage, and responsible social media practices.

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Too often, children are conditioned to have a negative impression of law enforcement and this program, under the guidance of Mary Samson, program coordinator with Big Brothers Big Sisters, helps to dispel those beliefs and reinforces the positive aspects of policing.

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

OUTHOUSE, DONALD: BOOK, STORIES OF THE PAST - CONGRATS.

MR. GORDON WILSON « » : I rise today to congratulate Donald Outhouse on the recent publication of his book, Stories of the Past, from Long and Brier Islands and Digby Neck.

Born in Tiverton in 1941, he spent his youth on the island, working in the local fishing industry before becoming a fishery inspection officer in 1960. After retiring, he

published two walking tours of Tiverton, one in 1992, the other in 2008. Between the two walking tours, he wrote his first book, Glimpses of the Past from Long and Brier Islands in which he used only part of his research he had done.

Prompted by friends to write a second book, and having many unpublished stories in his files, he decided with his daughter's and granddaughters' help to write a second book. It includes stories about the sea and people's memories of lives in their villages. There's the one about the first car in Freeport. Dr. Bishop's McKay Penn, which was manufactured in Kentville.

As time goes by, these stories are fading from our collective memory and it is important to record them before they are forgotten. I'd like to thank Donald Outhouse for that work.

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

CUSHING, THOS.: 65 YRS. IN FIREFIGHTING - HONOUR

MS. KIM MASLAND « » : Mr. Speaker, I rise today to congratulate Thomas Cushing who has volunteered for the North Queens Fire Department for the amazingly long period of 65 years.

Still active to this day, answering calls at all hours of the day and night and working at the never-ending fundraising required to keep a rural volunteer fire department in operation, he has served as a past fire chief, witnessed the building of three fire stations, and seen numerous replacement fire trucks.

I ask all members of this House to join me in honouring Thomas Cushing, and thank him for his dedication and hard work in protecting the North Queens community.

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

DORT, VANESSA: BASEBALL ATHL. - CONGRATS.

HON. LLOYD HINES « » : I would like to congratulate Vanessa Dort of Cooks Cove and the Under-14 Girls team for bringing home gold at the 2018 Baseball Atlantic Championship held in Newfoundland and Labrador on September 9^th.

Vanessa pitches and plays centre field for the team and with a 10-5 win for Nova Scotia, she clearly knows how to lean into the pressure that comes with those key positions.

Mr. Speaker, Vanessa credits teamwork as the reason for the championship win and hopes she will be able to continue to play with the same girls on a Nova Scotia Under-16 team as they have become like family. I think that speaks volumes about Vanessa Dort's character, and with humility and team spirit like that, I am sure she will go very far.

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

MACDONALD'S BACKHOE/APOLLO MASONRY: COM. SERV. - THANKS

MR. EDDIE ORRELL « » : I rise today to salute two community business owners: Bobby MacDonald of MacDonald's Backhoe and Trucking, and Paul Jabalee of Apollo Masonry. The duo really stepped up to help their community after the Lakeside Cemetery was vandalized. Three brick pillars at the entrance were torn down and heavily damaged.

The graveyard was established in 1876 and has close to 10,000 graves. With a yearly budget of $70,000, repairs would mean other areas of the graveyard would be neglected.

I'd like to take this opportunity to thank those two community contractors who volunteered to repair the damage and remind us of what community spirit is all about.

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

BETHANY UNITED CHURCH: FALL FAIR - RECOG.

HON. LENA METLEGE DIAB: Mr. Speaker, every Autumn in Armdale the community gathers at Bethany United Church for their much-anticipated Fall Fair. I've had the pleasure of stopping by for a number of years and I'm excited that Saturday, October 13^th will mark the church's 15^th year hosting the fair.

Organizers have been putting the fair together since June, and this year promises to have great fun and finds for everyone. Plans include a barbecue and chowder lunch, a silent auction, pumpkin painting, crafts, as well as a flea market, boutiques for Halloween items, Christmas fares, furniture, toys, jewellery, and much, much more.

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I want to thank co-chairs Cheri Wilson, Sue Bolton, and Margie Guy as well as drop-off coordinator Karen Hatcher for their work organizing this year's fair. I'm looking forward to stopping by Bethany United next weekend, and I encourage all to come join in the fun.

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

PORT HAWKESBURY CEILIDHS: 23^rd SEASON - CONGRATS.

MS. ALANA PAON « » : Mr. Speaker, the Port Hawkesbury Ceilidhs returned for their 23^rd season at the Port Hawkesbury Civic Centre. The Port Hawkesbury Ceilidhs serve as a great gathering space for local Celtic enthusiasts and attract visitors from all over the world. Some of the performers this year are Cyril MacPhee, Michael Hall, Dara MacDonald, Adam Young, Pat Lamey, Heather Richards, Hailee LeFort, and Rita Rankin.

The Port Hawkesbury Ceilidhs will wrap up on October 2^nd with a pre-Celtic Colours concert featuring Troy MacGillivray, Shelly Campbell, Allan Dewar, MaryJane Lammond, Sabra MacGillivray, and the Celtic Touch Dancers. Sponsored by the Strait Area Waterfront Development Society, the Ceilidhs are organized and presented by community volunteers, with proceeds supporting Leeside Transition House in Port Hawkesbury.

Mr. Speaker, I would like to wish congratulations to the organizers of the Port Hawkesbury Ceilidhs on another very successful 23^rd season.

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

DRISCOLL, AL: RETIREMENT - BEST WISHES

MR. BRENDAN MAGUIRE « » : Mr. Speaker, I'd like to take a moment to recognize an individual from my community; a true leader. Somebody who's had a positive impact on countless youth and Haligonians' lives for the better part of three-and-a-half decades. Al Driscoll, the general manager of the Halifax Forum, is retiring December 31^st after 34 years on the job.

Al has not only been a fixture at the Forum, but also a fixture in many people's lives, right across Halifax. Al has always been there for advice, to help out our local athletes, and to be a friend and confidant. Thank you, Al, for your many years of work, but more importantly, for always supporting our youth and our communities. December 31^st may be your last day employed at the Halifax Forum, but I guarantee we will still see Al walking up and down the hall.

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

JONES, GREG - FIRE CHIEF: PROF. DESIGNATION - CONGRATS.

MS. ELIZABETH SMITH-MCCROSSIN « » : Mr. Speaker, I'd like to congratulate Amherst Fire Chief Greg Jones, who has become one of only 74 fire chiefs in Canada to obtain the Executive Chief Fire Officer designation; this year, one of only six chief officers across the country to be awarded this.

Chief Jones joined the Amherst Fire Department on January 1, 2000, as a front-line firefighter, a position he held until 2009 when he was promoted to lieutenant as leader of safety and support team. He became fire chief on April 14, 2014.

Please join me in congratulating Chief Jones and thanking all firefighters for their services across this province.

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

GRIMM, SHAWN/WYMAN, MIKE - PHARM.:

TAKE YOUR MLA TO WORK DAY - THANKS

MR. BILL HORNE « » : Mr. Speaker, I'd like to thank the Fall River Guardian Pharmacy and the owners, Shawn Grimm and Mike Wyman, for their inside look at how a pharmacist operates.

Pharmacists can now assess and write prescriptions for 31 ailments, as well as provide a number of immunizations, renew prescriptions, and provide thorough medication reviews. Community members trust and rely on our local pharmacies as part of their overall health services.

Thanks to Shawn and Mike for taking the time on Take Your MLA to Work Day and for the informative tour and presentations of the services they provide.

MR. SPEAKER « » : The time allotted for Statements by Members has expired.

[2:00 p.m.]

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ORDERS OF THE DAY

ORAL QUESTIONS PUT BY MEMBERS TO MINISTERS

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

PREM. - AG RPT.: FRAUD ASSESS. - INSUFFICIENT

MS. KARLA MACFARLANE « » : Mr. Speaker, my question is for the Premier. Yesterday, we were reminded that last year only 17 per cent of government departments had completed a fraud assessment. That works out to be three in 18 departments according to the Auditor General's numbers. Now we find out that a year later only one whole department has completed its fraud assessment. This is despite Executive Council agreeing that and I quote ". . . government departments and organizations should continually address weaknesses and risks to the Province". in the critical areas outlined. I can table that. Is the Premier satisfied that one department a year shows sufficient effort to address weaknesses and risks?

HON. STEPHEN MCNEIL » : No.

MS. MACFARLANE « » : So I guess we would like to know what's going to be done about that. But it's rather shocking that included among the departments without a risk assessment is the Department of Internal Services. The Department of Internal Services is responsible for much of the province's procurement. Now, we all had to complete, as we all know in this Chamber, a fraud training assessment and we had to prove it. It's odd that the department responsible for procurement wouldn't be on top of this fraud assessment. So, can the Premier explain why the Department of Internal Services hasn't completed its risk assessment?

THE PREMIER « » : Mr. Speaker, they're in the process of completing that.

MS. MACFARLANE « » : Well, Mr. Speaker, last spring, we were given a very clear picture of how well the Department of Internal Services deals with its risks. Every Auditor General report has recommendations and responses. Last year's report was examined by the Public Accounts Committee and it didn't seem to prompt government to be any more diligent on following its own promises. So you can see why we're less than enthused about the new Public Accounts Committee. So given the province's inaction on its own promise to address weaknesses and risks, why should Nova Scotians trust anything this government tells the Auditor General?

THE PREMIER « » : Mr. Speaker, as the honourable member would know, the Auditor General is independent from government. It's the Auditor General actually who reviews what government does. It's the Auditor General who tells Nova Scotians when he sees there are weaknesses. It's up to government to respond to the request from the Auditor General. We're doing so.

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I would encourage the honourable member to show respect for the Auditor General and her Party to do the same when the Auditor General is before the committee. I would encourage them to show respect for the independence of the Auditor General and take the opportunity they had before the Public Accounts Committee and ask them to fulfill those very questions. The Auditor General will be very clear to continue to say what concerns him about the direction of our government.

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

PREM. - NURSING HOME: ABUSE COMPLAINTS - LACK OF FOLLOW-UP

MR. GARY BURRILL « » : According to family members quoted in a news report yesterday, which I'll table, reporting incidents of nursing home abuse in Nova Scotia is, these are their words, "like talking to a wall." The source of the frustration here is the practice that complaints that don't lead to a formal investigation, and - this is the majority of complaints - that these complaints do not receive any written response at all. Can the Premier explain why the government has continued the practice that there's no written follow-up to a majority of nursing home abuse complaints?

THE PREMIER « » : Mr. Speaker, there is an ongoing conversation between the complainant and the family and those who are reviewing it. It is a verbal conversation that's happening. Some of those do end up being investigated by outside agencies, those ones will continue. But I also want to say to the honourable member, as he knows, there's an independent committee looking at the whole issue of long-term care, the structure of it, what are the changes that we can make to continue to ensure that we provide the supports for our loved ones and, quite frankly, answer the questions that their families may have.

MR. BURRILL « » : Thank you, but the difficulty is that administrative procedure regarding nursing home abuse complaints is not within the terms of reference of the expert panel. So I want to return to the difficulty that in order for a family whose nursing home complaint has not led to a formal investigation, to be able to find out why this is so they have to file, at the moment, a formal freedom of information request. It's not hard to understand why people in that situation would feel that their complaint had not been respected and that something was being hidden from them. So, will the Premier establish a practice in nursing homes whereby every complaint of an abusive situation in a nursing home receives a formal response and is not behind the wall of FOIPOP?

THE PREMIER « » : I want to commit to the honourable member that if it is not in what has come back from the expert panel, I will give him my word that I will look into this situation and find out why we are not writing directly to families of residents of ours and do what we can to ensure that we do that as much as possible.

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MR. BURRILL « » : I appreciate this answer, and I respect it. I think it reflects an understanding that at some basic level, something somewhere here isn't as it ought to be. I want to ask the Premier, finally, if he wouldn't agree that the present general climate of unopenness about nursing homes is contributing to a lack of public confidence in our overall health care system.

THE PREMIER « » : No, Mr. Speaker, I don't share the issue of the lack of confidence in the health care system. Day in and day out, there are Nova Scotians who are accessing many parts of our health care system who talk to me about the great service they're receiving, whether it's in primary care, long-term care, or other aspects of delivering care.

I do want to go back to what was the genesis of his original question. When a family is concerned about their loved one in long-term care, the issue of written communication back to them is an important question. If that is not in that report I will endeavour to ensure that, whenever that is possible, we will do that and correct that issue.

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

H&W - NSHA: EXEC. DINNERS - COST

MR. EDDIE ORRELL « » : Mr. Speaker, the Auditor General noted in his Fall report that the Nova Scotia Health Authority is playing fast and loose with hard-earned Nova Scotia tax dollars when it comes to hospitality for top-level officials.

I raised the issue of a constituent on income assistance who had to travel four times by taxi at a cost of $30 each way to the Cape Breton Regional Hospital. Mr. Speaker, she's without a family doctor, and the Northside General emergency was closed. To put it in perspective, that senior executive dinner for just five people cost taxpayers over $300, which accounts for almost half the money she receives on income assistance.

My question to the Minister of Health and Wellness is: Does he believe it's okay for the NSHA to spend Nova Scotia tax dollars on fancy dinners for its executives when Nova Scotians are struggling to access the services they deserve?

HON. RANDY DELOREY « » : I thank the member for the question. Indeed, the Auditor General identified some concerns with hospitality events. In some areas, he recognized that there needed to be improved controls and policies around when and how these types of events take place. The executive within the Health Authority took those recommendations seriously. They've updated their policies, Mr. Speaker. I believe they brought them to the board at their last meeting earlier this month. Those policies have been updated and approved.

MR. ORRELL « » : Mr. Speaker, the government likes to pat itself on the back and roar from the high heavens at how they are the most accountable government the province has ever seen. Talk is cheap.

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I'll remind the minister we have over 100,000 Nova Scotians without a family doctor. We have ambulances parked 14 deep at Nova Scotia emergency departments. We have an emergency room that has been closed completely.

It's great that the NSHA has updated their policies after the AG highlighted the close to $10,000 they spent on hospitality, but it's not good enough, and Nova Scotians deserve better. My question to the minister: How can the minister sleep at night knowing that while his department is responsible for lavish soirées, Nova Scotians across the province are being denied the health care they deserve?

MR. DELOREY « » : As the member would know, we as a government have been working with our partners at the health authorities, both at the Nova Scotia Health Authority and the IWK. We've worked with our partners in Doctors Nova Scotia to listen to what their concerns and priorities were on behalf of their members, what we can do to improve recruitment and retention.

One of the main areas that they have focused on in the last year has been around compensation. We entered into an agreement to change the compensation model for an area that Nova Scotians share, which is the area of primary care, Mr. Speaker, how to get comprehensive primary care as well as increased attachment rates of Nova Scotians to primary care providers. We invested almost $40 million to move those initiatives forward.

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

ENV. - TIRE BURNING: GHG EMISSIONS - CALCULATE

MS. LENORE ZANN « » : My question is for the Minister of Environment. Next week we'll find out if the minister is going to approve tire burning in Nova Scotia. It will be a good opportunity for Nova Scotians to judge whether the environment really is the minister's primary concern, as she often repeats.

Mr. Speaker, this project is being sold as green because it will reduce emissions at the Lafarge plant, but as experts point out, the project will also increase greenhouse gas emissions overall in aggregate mining.

The minister assures us that all her decisions are based on science, so I just want to ask: Before the minister makes her decision, will she be calculating the overall impact on provincial greenhouse gas emissions?

HON. MARGARET MILLER « » : I thank the honourable member for that question. As she noted, my first concern is the environment of Nova Scotia.

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Mr. Speaker, Lafarge does have an environmental assessment approval for a one-year pilot to test the program. There will be coming forward in the next days their approval for an industrial approval. The decision will be made by October 9^th.

MS. ZANN « » : I've asked the minister before when it comes to glyphosate spraying if she can make the decision and she says that her staff makes these decisions. So if the minister is going to actually approve this project, the public's money will be subsidizing Lafarge, Nova Scotians will be paying for the burning, not for tire recycling.

Recyclers have told us that if these tires were not being burned that they could be recycled. Recycling means they store their carbon and toxins instead of releasing them into the atmosphere. Recycling means that tires can replace other non-recycled products in ways that reduce overall emissions.

Mr. Speaker, burning is not recycling, so I have a very basic question for the minister: Can she simply agree that recycling tires is better for the environment than burning them?

MS. MILLER « » : Thank you, Mr. Speaker, and I'll thank the member for that question as well. Whenever there's an environmental assessment done that means exactly that, there's extensive scientific information, everything is science and evidence-based to show what the effects will be on the environment.

The decision has not yet been made on industrial approval. That will be made, again, by October 9^th.

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

SNS - DRIVER LICENCES: FACIAL RECOG. DATABASE - DETAILS

MR. ALLAN MACMASTER « » : Mr. Speaker, in previous sessions my colleagues have asked questions on the new drivers' licence cards for Nova Scotians. The cards are produced in Ontario, which has led to some additional turnaround time and they are supposed to have features that enhance security. But according to a lecture given by senior investigator at the Office of the Information and Privacy Commissioner, the photos taken for these cards are being compiled into a facial recognition database. Are these photos being kept in a facial recognition database?

HON. GEOFF MACLELLAN » : Mr. Speaker, I thank the member for the question. That's certainly part of the new identification cards, drivers' licences are around facial recognition to beef up security. I don't know if there's a facial recognition database or if there's any component that is being compiled anywhere, but I'd be happy to get that answer for the House and for the member.

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MR. MACMASTER « » : If the province is getting a better product for less money, is there a catch? According to that same lecture, the current privacy legislation in Nova Scotia doesn't set any rules around what can be done with this data. It doesn't stop it from being shared or sold.

What safeguards are in place to ensure that this facial recognition database will be used for drivers' licences and drivers' licences only?

MR. MACLELLAN « » : I thank the member for the question. I would note for the House that this is a procurement that was done with the Atlantic Provinces, so it certainly isn't just Nova Scotia, it's our sister provinces as well that entered into this procurement.

Again, from the security perspective, obviously, they'll be upheld, the standards that are required to the highest level of security. Clearly, we have no vested interest in collecting the facial identities or facial recognition information on any Nova Scotian or any citizen. We're doing this for good reasons, for good purposes, we want to protect the security of our citizens, Mr. Speaker, not jeopardize it.

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

JUSTICE - CANNABIS STORES: PERSONAL DATA - SECURITY

MS. KARLA MACFARLANE « » : Mr. Speaker, my question is for the Minister of Justice. Last week the Ontario Government reassured future government-run cannabis stores that their customers and their privacy is top priority. I'll table that story.

Like Nova Scotians, Ontarians have expressed concerns that their personal data will be stored in the United States or be vulnerable to be hacked. In 2018, a cannabis report by Deloitte ranked privacy and data security among the top demands of Canadian cannabis consumers. Ontario, though, has guaranteed any data collected at Ontario cannabis stores that it will only stored in Ontario. Can the minister make the same guarantee here in Nova Scotia?

HON. MARK FUREY « » : Mr. Speaker, we know the Nova Scotia Liquor Corporation continues to develop their platform. My understanding if there is any data retained it will all be stored within Canada.

MS. KARLA MACFARLANE « » : Mr. Speaker, Nova Scotians are all too familiar with this prospect of our personal information being hacked as we've witnessed in the last year. Cannabis will be legal in just 14 days. Ontario and other provinces have been very clear that online buyers will not be required to create an online account profile. Ontario buyers specifically will be required to show identification when the order is delivered, but no copy will be made. Ontario consumers know that all information will be deleted after a very short period of time. With the legalization such a short time away, and this government's spotty history with personal information, why hasn't the minister made the same kind of assurances the Ontario government has for users in Nova Scotia?

[Page 1145]

MR. FUREY « » : Mr. Speaker, my colleague would know from past discussions both in this House and outside this House that we have taken our time to ensure that the foundation of this legislation is ground in good public policy and advice from those who had past experience in the retail of cannabis. I want to assure my colleague that with the delivery of this service, the online platform, number one, we will respect the rights of those individuals who consume and purchase through online but, as I indicated in my first response, any of the data, if there is data retained, would be stored within Canada.

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

FTB - GAMING CORP. WITNESSES: REMUNERATION - SHELL GAME

MR. BRAD JOHNS « » : Mr. Speaker, my question today is for the Minister responsible for the Nova Scotia Gaming Corporation. On Monday, we learned that the NSGC paid witnesses to appear before Law Amendments Committee to support proposed changes to the voluntary self-exclusion program. In response to questions yesterday, both the Premier and the minister made it clear that they were not in support of the decision and that the NSGC should find the cost for those witnesses within their own operations.

I accept that the minister and the Premier agree that this is wrong, but the remedy here seems somewhat incomplete. Every dollar of profit that the NSGC makes is turned over to general revenues of the province. The money has been spent and will not be flowing back to the province.

Does the minister agree that this is just a question of moving money around and that Nova Scotians will never see these dollars, and can she tell me how this is not a shell game?

HON. KAREN CASEY « » : Mr. Speaker, as the member indicated, both the Premier and I responded yesterday to say that the practice of bringing expert witnesses into Law Amendments Committee - it was an honourable decision and I commend the Gaming Corporation for bringing those folks here.

We do not support that their expenses were paid, and we've indicated that, both of us yesterday and to the media. In fact, I did indicate to the media and all others that I had directed my deputy to work with those at the Gaming Corporation to ensure that any of those dollars came out of their operating budget, not out of revenue that would come back to the province.

MR. JOHNS « » : Mr. Speaker, I certainly wouldn't use the words "honourable decision" when talking about this.

[Page 1146]

If I can continue, according to the business plan of the NSGC for 2018-2019 the only expenses that are actually listed there are responsible gambling programs and commitments to community programs. In order to cover these costs within their budget, which the minister has stated, something is going to have to be cut.

How will the minister ensure the responsible gambling initiatives and the community programs that are listed will not be affected by their requirement for the NSGC to find the costs for the witnesses within their own budget?

MS. CASEY « » : Mr. Speaker, as I've said here many times on the floor of the House, one of the things we want to make sure and we take every step to ensure is that there are programs available for those who may be experiencing some challenges within their own playing practices within their own gaming practices.

We will continue to make sure that those programs are funded and none of those expenses that we were talking about yesterday will come out of any community program.

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

H&W - HSHC: FUNDING SHORTFALL - ADDRESS

MS. TAMMY MARTIN « » : Mr. Speaker, my question is for the Minister of Health and Wellness. The Halifax Sexual Health Centre depends on physician contributions to help keep the clinic running. The departure of five family doctors from the centre has created a funding shortfall. Test for blood-borne infections like HIV, syphilis, hepatitis C and hepatitis B are now offered just one day a week instead of three and the centre's executive director says they will be able to offer testing to only one-third of the regular clients this year.

Mr. Speaker, what is the minister doing to ensure that Nova Scotians can get the preventive sexual health care that they need?

HON. RANDY DELOREY « » : I appreciate the member raising the question. As I understand it and as the member noted, the circumstances at this clinic site have changed throughout the year this year. That's a situation that they have recently brought forward in their discussions within the Health Authority and the department.

Indeed, I'd like to advise the member that we do support this clinic with over $100,000 per year. In addition, as part of our broader commitment to agencies in this area, we do provide a pool of funding as well that supports other clinics, including this one and some others, so we do invest to provide supports in this area across the province.

MS. MARTIN « » : Mr. Speaker, sexually-transmitted infections are ramping up in Nova Scotia. Confirmed cases of HIV doubled this summer and the rates for gonorrhea are on track to be the highest they have been in five years.

[Page 1147]

Anonymous testing provided by the Halifax Sexual Health Clinic helps to keep infection rates down, but the funding crunch the clinic faces could undermine that preventive work. Will the minister commit to provide the Halifax Sexual Health Centre with the funding it needs to get this testing back on track?

MR DELOREY: I thank the member for the question. As the member noted, there are some data coming in that shows there are some shifts in behaviours and blood-borne and sexually-transmitted infections that are growing not just in this province but in other jurisdictions. The member referenced specifically HIV, so I am pleased that earlier this year we moved forward to introduce the PrEP treatment, Mr. Speaker, as part of our programming.

Again, Mr. Speaker, we're taking the concerns in this area very seriously and we're continuing our investments.

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

COM. SERV. - INCOME ASSIST. CLIENTS: DECISION NOTICES - CLARIFY

MR. LARRY HARRISON « » : My question is for the Minister of Community Services. Income assistance recipients at times receive a letter via mail indicating any decisions made on their case - a notice of ineligibility, for example. The letter also informs the recipient of their right to appeal said decision within 30 days of the recipient getting the letter.

Caseworkers have no way of knowing when a recipient received the letter at the post and therefore goes by the date that the letter was written. Since the letter is mailed, this reduces the actual appeal period the recipient has.

Will the minister look at removing the ambiguity of the various notices of decisions by implementing the need to clarify, to clearly state, the actual appeals decision deadline date which also considers the transition period for the letter to be sent by mail?

HON. KELLY REGAN « » : I want to thank the honourable member for the question. We do not only send out letters, we also do try to reach out by phone, Mr. Speaker. I do want to be clear that if the honourable member has any cases that he has dealt with in recent times where someone has not had the opportunity to appeal in a timely manner, he can always bring that to our department and we can look at that.

MR. HARRISON « » : The same letter also informs recipients of a pamphlet called How to Appeal Decisions About Assistance. These pamphlets are noted to be available in the local offices. If recipients choose to make appeals but are unfamiliar with the process, they either have to figure out how to get it physically or request a pamphlet to be mailed to them. Both these options take time.

[Page 1148]

My question to the minister is: Would the minister look at eliminating this potential barrier to appeal by ensuring that the How to Appeal Decisions About Assistance information pamphlet be always mailed with the letter of the notice?

MS. REGAN « » : That is, indeed, a good suggestion and I would be happy to look into it for the member.

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

ENVIRON. - BOAT HBR. CLEANUP:

ASSESSMENT PROCESS - START DATE

MS. KARLA MACFARLANE « » : Mr. Speaker, my question is for the Minister of Environment.

We all know that the deadline is looming to cease using Boat Harbour for Northern Pulp's effluent. It is less than 16 months away, which means that in 16 months the constituents of Pictou County will be expecting the project to start. The cleanup requires a Class 2 environmental assessment, which itself requires 275 days, which is more than half of the days left before the deadline.

My question to the minister is: Can the minister confirm whether an application has been received to begin the Class 2 assessment of the Boat Harbour cleanup?

HON. MARGARET MILLER « » : I thank the honourable member for that question. No, I can't confirm. I don't believe that it has been received at this point.

MS. MACFARLANE « » : Don't believe? It's troubling, Mr. Speaker. It's troubling because this is probably our biggest environmental mess in Nova Scotia right now.

The cleanup from the effluent requires a Class 2 assessment. That is because there are so many chemicals such as dioxins, mercury, furans, et cetera., but the new process that is supposed to remove all these chemicals only requires a Class 1.

I know there is a lot of wording around what is a new project and what is a modification to an existing project. My question to the minister is: If cleaning up the effluent is a Class 2, then how can cleaning the effluent be only considered a Class 1?

MS. MILLER « » : As the honourable member pointed out, there is a discrepancy between Class 2 and Class 1. It's very clear with Boat Harbour, with the effluent plant, that it would be Class 1. These are actually water treatment plants, which is something that is done in many different municipalities in different ways. Even though it's treating the effluent, it still would fall under the Class 1.

[Page 1149]

I can't say enough about the Boat Harbour cleanup. I actually stood on the shores of Boat Harbour with Chief Andrea Paul and witnessed the tragedy that has happened there. All of us in government are very concerned about Boat Harbour and about the cleanup ad we are looking forward to seeing it all cleaned up.

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

ENVIRON. - BOAT HBR. CLEANUP: CONTINGENCY PLAN - CONFIRM

MR. TIM HOUSTON « » : Mr. Speaker, my question is also for the Minister of Environment.

I share the minister's concern and excitement over the cleanup of Boat Harbour. I wish the minister would share our concern over the treatment of the new effluent. It is well within the minister's power, but the minister choses to hide behind words.

The treatment of the cleanup is a Class 2, but the assessment for the new effluent treatment plant is only a Class 1. Class 2 after the fact and Class 1 before. It doesn't make sense to me and I think we need to understand that when this House resumes it will be less than a year away. When we come back in the Spring this will all be less than one year away.

The minister doesn't believe an application has been received for the Boat Harbour cleanup. My question to the minister is: Does she know if an application has yet to be received for the new effluent treatment plant?

HON. MARGARET MILLER « » : As the Opposition member says, the application now has not yet come in. We have not received an application yet from Northern Pulp for the environmental assessment.

MR. HOUSTON « » : No application yet for the cleanup of Boat Harbour. No application yet for the new treatment effluent plant. Time is ticking. We've seen how this government performs when they go to execute on major projects. We don't have to think very long back to the rollout of the pre-Primary. We don't have to think very far back to the way this government handled the FOIPOP breach. Sloppy, sloppy, sloppy.

[2:30 p.m.]

[Page 1150]

Mr. Speaker, there's no room for sloppiness with the Northumberland Strait. There's no room for sloppiness with the new effluent treatment plant.

I'd like to ask: Does the minister have any contingency plan if the new effluent treatment plant is not ready by the self-imposed date of this government?

MS. MILLER « » : Mr. Speaker, I kind of have to wonder at the comments coming from the member opposite.

We can't proceed with an environmental assessment until we have an application. Maybe in another government, in another day, they would choose to do that. But this government is going to wait until . . . . (Interruption)

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

MS. MILLER « » : My department will wait until they receive the application before we make a determination.

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

MUN. AFFS.: MUN. EQUALIZATION FORMULA - INCREASE

MS. LISA ROBERTS « » : Mr. Speaker, my question is for the Minister of Municipal Affairs. Rural municipalities are on the front lines of challenges facing Nova Scotia, from more severe storms and rising sea levels to aging infrastructure and depopulation. Meeting these challenges takes resources. The cost of services municipalities provide keeps growing, but the transfers municipalities receive from the province have not increased. The province continues to take one dollar out of every five of property tax that municipalities collect, forcing municipalities to make difficult decisions that they shouldn't have to make.

My question for the minister is: When can municipalities expect to see more resources from the province?

HON. CHUCK PORTER » : Mr. Speaker, this comes back to something we've heard a lot about in the House over the last year - at least since Spring, anyway - around the equalization formula that currently exists. We're committed to reviewing that along with our municipal partners and seeing whether or not there'll be a new formula that may put more funds into some of those more rural municipalities that are experiencing some of these challenges.

We're also working on something called municipal modernization, where we're having regional co-operation to also help offset some of the costs as we move forward and work together, and partner where we can, to meet some of the challenges that lie before us.

[Page 1151]

MS. ROBERTS « » : Mr. Speaker, we have indeed been hearing about equalization and municipal modernization, but I'm wondering in which modern era we are actually going to see the rubber hit the road here. The Nova Scotia Federation of Municipalities has described the situation that municipal leaders are facing in Nova Scotia as "managing decline." The economic indicators that the Premier is so proud of don't speak to the experience in much of Nova Scotia. Municipalities are frustrated that this government has no clear regional vision for economic development, and instead they're left to compete against each other for investment and development dollars.

When will municipalities have a new framework to collaborate and share resources instead of competing?

MR. PORTER « » : Mr. Speaker, I guess perhaps the honourable member missed earlier this week that we had Law Amendments Committee around Windsor and West Hants as an example - two municipalities in this province that are moving forward together in a positive way, which will grow economic development in this province.

We've got others lined up that are interested in talking about the same thing. With regard to other money that's going in, and other funds, each and every municipality has the opportunity to receive grants. We put a lot of those out in a variety of different forms. All that information is public and available online, should the honourable member choose to have a look.

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

JUSTICE - MACINTOSH, ERNEST FENWICK: NEPAL RELEASE - STATUS

MR. ALLAN MACMASTER « » : My question is for the Minister of Justice. Convicted pedophile Ernest Fenwick MacIntosh is back in Canada. It was not clear whether Nepal released MacIntosh or if he was being transferred under the International Transfer of Offenders Act.

Did our government fly him home? Where is he now? Will Canada require him to serve the remainder of his sentence, or is he a free man in Canada, as he has always been?

HON. MARK FUREY « » : Mr. Speaker, the individual my colleague referred to has been released by a nation, consistent with international requirements. We respect those requirements. I don't know where this individual is at the present time.

MR. MACMASTER « » : Mr. Speaker, that doesn't give me a lot of confidence, nor the people who have suffered at that man's hands.

[Page 1152]

There will be young boys at risk wherever MacIntosh decides to live. That's what happened in Nepal. After 17 years of delays in our justice system, passport errors, and other mistakes, the court process in Nova Scotia deemed that MacIntosh would have a low risk to reoffend. Then he proved once again that he is a serial pedophile.

Why does the government continue to fumble justice for Fenwick MacIntosh and the tens, and possibly hundreds, of boys he has sexually assaulted over his lifetime?

MR. FUREY « » : Mr. Speaker, my colleague would know that the Province of Nova Scotia and this nation had nothing to do with the release of Mr. MacIntosh from the country where he was detained. I have full confidence in our law enforcement community and the intelligence community of Interpol. I'm confident that the work they do and the interest they have, specifically within our province, will continue to provide the protection to Nova Scotians that we would expect them to.

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

BUS. - LAURENTIDE RE-SOURCE ATL., INC. (SPRINGHILL):

RELOCATION - JOB LOSSES

MR. TORY RUSHTON « » : Mr. Speaker, my question is for the Minister of Business. I rise today in a matter of great concern for many residents in Springhill. We have recently learned that Laurentide Re-Source Atlantic, Inc. will be moving its operations from Springhill to New Brunswick. This will ultimately result in 16 jobs lost in a small town or moved to the New Brunswick area. This kind of uncertainty is destabilizing to everyone and many are looking to the province for assistance. Is the minister aware of these pending job losses at Laurentide, and what might his department be able to do to support the economy in this area?

HON. GEOFF MACLELLAN « » : Mr. Speaker, I thank the member for the question. In fact, the member did bring this to my attention and he did talk about the concern, not only for the specific 16 individuals, their families, and those in indirect jobs that would be connected to this operation, but obviously for the stability of the region.

The sad reality with the private sector is sometimes we have the fortunate opportunities where we gain jobs and gain enterprise and then the unfortunate sad times where we lose them for a number of reasons. To the member, if there's anything we can do from a department perspective, if he would like me to meet with the officials and the company to see if there's anything we can do from our tools in NSBI or the Department of Business, I'd certainly be happy to do so.

MR. RUSHTON « » : I thank the minister for that response and it leads into my next question. Sixteen jobs doesn't seem like a lot for the whole province, but for this small town it's significant. A once-proud mining town is struggling now to find long-term industry. The residents are still proud but weary as the community starts to despair. If an agreeable time can be met, we would like to invite you to come to Springhill and sit down and meet with this business.

[Page 1153]

MR. MACLELLAN « » : To the member's point about 16 jobs and one business; that's what the economy is built on now. It's no longer that large-scale operation. It's 16 jobs at a time. It's the spinoffs that come with that, the enterprise, the entrepreneurship, and the innovation that comes from operations of that size. I'd certainly be happy to work with the member on a time and we can have that meeting sooner than later.

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

TIR: CHAPEL COVE RD. (L'ARDOISE) - IMPROVEMENTS

MS. ALANA PAON « » : Mr. Speaker, people in the L'Ardoise area in my constituency have been patiently waiting for improvements to the Chapel Cove Road. This road, like so many in Cape Breton, has been unsightly and dangerous to motorists for many, many years and now, despite some improvements from the department. Collapsed and blocked culverts are not being replaced in the process of new ditching. It doesn't take an engineer to know that a new ditch is only good if the water has somewhere to go. Constituents are now worried as well about well damage and related problems from the water flow.

Can the Minister of Transportation and Infrastructure Renewal explain how his department can pave and ditch but forget to write into the scope of the project to replace ancient - and I know the minister loves that word - collapsed culverts?

HON. LLOYD HINES « » : Mr. Speaker, I thank the member opposite for the question. I will undertake to look into that situation and see if that can be repaired.

MS. PAON « » : It concerns me, and those in L'Ardoise, that maintenance work on the Chapel Cove Road could end up costing everyone more in the long run because of cutting corners. It also causes me to wonder whether other local maintenance like the Lennox Passage Bridge repairs promised by next summer could have similar issues. I'm sure the minister will agree that a job worth doing is worth doing correctly, not to mention on budget. What confidence does the minister have that the same corners cut on Chapel Cove Road won't be cut on the Lennox Passage Bridge?

MR. HINES « » : I'm very proud to rise today and compliment the over 2,200 workers that we have across the province who do an absolutely exemplary job of disbursing and dispatching the budgets that we give them to get the job done. They do a fabulous job. Their heart is in what they do. At all times, they're trying to do the best job that they can, particularly the workers who are in the area that the member represents.

[Page 1154]

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

COM. SERV. - ESIA RECIP.: EI BENEFITS - POLICY CHANGE

MS. SUSAN LEBLANC « » : My question is for the Minister of Community Services. The department has made changes to allow income assistance recipients to keep more of what they earn if they work. Those who are fortunate enough to have long-term employment are eligible for EI. If they're laid off and receive benefits they've paid into, this money is clawed back at 100 per cent. Will the minister change the policy to treat EI benefits the same as employment earnings?

HON. KELLY REGAN « » : I thank the honourable member for the question. This gives me an opportunity to talk about some of the changes we have made at Community Services in recent months including, but not limited to, the changes to the wage exemption. What that does, Mr. Speaker, is allow people to keep more of the money they earn. The amount that your income assistance is reduced is at a lower rate.

I have not looked into this particular issue at this time, but I would be happy to take a look.

MS. LEBLANC « » : I would be very pleased if the minister would take a look and get back to us as soon as possible, because there are many, many people who that change could affect in a positive way, especially given that their rates are so low in general.

Some ESIA recipients may also be eligible for severance payments when they lose their jobs. This type of payment is meant to compensate for weeks or months of lost work. The department deducts these amounts from IA payments. Mr. Speaker, will the minister change the policy to allow IA recipients to spread out their severance payments over the weeks and months the payment is meant to compensate for?

MS. REGAN « » : As the honourable member would know, we have in fact doubled the amount of allowable assets in recent years so that people can keep more of that kind of money as she references. Again, I am happy to look into this EI question for her.

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

BUS. - RURAL INTERNET DEV.: ADMIN. EXPENSES - REPORT

MS. ALANA PAON « » : Mr. Speaker, this week the Auditor General's financial report cast some caution on this government's plan for rural Internet development. In the chapter on financial audit work results, AG Michael Pickup highlighted $238 million allocated to the Nova Scotia Internet Funding Trust over the past two fiscal years. The AG notes that trusts are not reported in provincial financial statements. I will table that document.

[Page 1155]

Surely, any reasonable government would want to make sure all those trust dollars are accountable to taxpayers. My question for the minister is: With this sizeable piece of infrastructure placed in an independent trust, will it report any administrative or compensation expenses to Nova Scotians?

HON. GEOFF MACLELLAN « » : We certainly want to abide by all the recommendations and the suggestions from the Auditor General, Mr. Speaker. I think we've made that very clear this week with respect to our direction on Public Accounts Committee.

I think that with the Internet trust, the purpose of that structure is exactly for that reason. I do have a meeting upcoming with the Auditor General, and I'll be happy to bring that forward. We're going to fully disclose every single dollar that's spent under the Internet trust.

MS. PAON « » : Mr. Speaker, I thank the minister for that response. Nova Scotians from one end of this province to the other deserve reliable high-speed Internet. But it needs the process by which it is rolled out to be transparent. The process this government has decided upon, an expanded Crown corporation to administer money from an off-book trust through private sector partners, is an awful lot of layers, and it's an awful lot of money that any reasonable government would want to expose to some sunlight.

Would the minister arrange for the Auditor General to conduct regular performance and financial audits of the Nova Scotia Internet Funding Trust?

MR. MACLELLAN « » : We're about to embark on an injection of funds for broadband, $193 million - unprecedented for any province or territory in this country, Mr. Speaker. We want to establish and provide all the sunlight that we can on these expenditures to make sure that not only are we getting it right, but also that we're maximizing every dollar when we're providing Internet service to all Nova Scotians. So, yes, we will.

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

H&W: DELIVERY, CONTINUING CARE STRAT. - WHEN?

HON. CHRISTOPHER D'ENTREMONT « » : In July 2015, the government released a review of the 2006 Continuing Care Strategy. One of the last sentences of the review said: These findings together with the continued engagement of key stakeholders will then inform the development of our five-year Continuing Care Strategy set for release in 2017.

[2:45 p.m.]

[Page 1156]

Mr. Speaker, 2017 has come and gone but we've yet to see a new continuing care strategy. We all know that Nova Scotia has one of the oldest populations in the country and in the next five years it is estimated that 22 per cent of our population will be over the age of 65. It's not time to drag our feet on continuing care planning.

My question to the Minister of Health and Wellness is: Will the minister admit that he is letting seniors and their families down by promising a continuing care strategy that he has failed to deliver?

HON. RANDY DELOREY « » : Mr. Speaker, indeed we've done anything but drag our feet. We've listened to Nova Scotians, we've recognized that many Nova Scotians want to stay at home as long as they can, but recognizing that they can stay there only if they had the appropriate supports in place. That's why we've increased investments over the last number of years in our home care support programs, to provide those opportunities.

Beyond that, Mr. Speaker, we recognize that within our long-term care population and services, that there are concerns about quality of care, and we're looking to a panel of experts to provide us with recommendations as to how we can further improve the delivery of those services to residents of Nova Scotia.

MR. D'ENTREMONT « » : Mr. Speaker, I still can't believe how many questions we got asked and answered today if we don't ask questions to the Minister of Health and Wellness. It's painfully obvious that this government doesn't have a plan for continuing care. All too frequently ambulances are lined up at regional hospitals because there are no beds. Many of those beds are occupied by Nova Scotians waiting for placement in a long-term care facility.

This government's inaction is causing a problem that impacts, of course, the whole system. Would the minister commit today to delivering a continuing care strategy before the end of this session?

MR. DELOREY « » : Mr. Speaker, indeed I'm pleased to report to the House, and the member opposite who raised the question, that, in fact, what we have seen under this government's leadership is a reduction in the number of people in our hospital system waiting to access long-term care.

We've seen a reduction not just in the number of people waiting in our hospitals to access long-term care, but those who are waiting in our hospitals to access long-term care are waiting for shorter periods of time.

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

H&W – MIN.: NEW WATERFORD COM. MEETING - ATTENDANCE

[Page 1157]

MS. TAMMY MARTIN « » : Mr. Speaker, my question is for the Minister of Health and Wellness. Minister Delorey, will you please . . .

MR. SPEAKER « » : Order, please. I'd like to remind the honourable member not to refer to members opposite by their proper name.

MS. MARTIN « » : Will the honourable minister please attend the meeting on October 14^th in New Waterford? I sincerely plead with you to come.

HON. RANDY DELOREY « » : Mr. Speaker, as the member would know, the concerns being raised by her community we are certainly well aware of. The member has brought them to the floor of the Legislature, as well has our colleague in Northside-Westmount.

We understand the concerns of the people in the communities of Cape Breton, but I assure the member that we have, as our first priority, the care and the health care needs of their community and their citizens, indeed for all of Cape Breton. That's why we're investing in new primary health care centres. We're expanding our long-term care services, we're expanding our emergency room services. We're doing all those things on behalf of those residents.

MS. MARTIN « » : Mr. Speaker, once again and finally I will ask, will the honourable member please, please attend the meeting and listen to the concerns of the constituents in Cape Breton Centre and Cape Breton?

MR. DELOREY « » : Mr. Speaker, again as we announced back in June when we advised the communities and all Nova Scotians what the plans are for moving forward, the investment in new infrastructure, we identified that the next stage, which has begun, is the functional planning.

We have representatives out there, Mr. Speaker, engaging with front-line health care workers to identify exactly how these investments are best distributed to achieve the care needed in these communities.

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

OPPOSITION MEMBERS' BUSINESS

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

HON. CHRISTOPHER D'ENTREMONT « » : Mr. Speaker, would you please call the order of business Private Members' Public Bills for second reading.

PRIVATE MEMBERS' PUBLIC BILLS FOR SECOND READING

[Page 1158]

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

HON. CHRISTOPHER D'ENTREMONT « » : Mr. Speaker, would you please call Bill No. 47.

Bill No. 47 - Cancer Survivors Day Act.

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

MS. BARBARA ADAMS « » : Mr. Speaker, I move that Bill No. 47, the Cancer Survivors Day Act, be read a second time.

I am extremely honoured today to stand here to speak about Bill No. 47, the Cancer Survivors Day Act. Shortly after I was elected, a lovely and determined lady named Judy Edgar and her husband, Jim, came into my office. They were pulling together multiple levels of government on all sides of the aisle to bring together her dream of a cancer survivors park in the HRM. It was during our first meetings that I wondered if there was a Cancer Survivors Day that we could celebrate in this park. Indeed there is a national survivors day in Canada for cancer survivors. It was and is held on the first Sunday of June each year. In fact, there have been celebrations of this day in the early 2000s in metro. So the idea that I had was to raise awareness of this day once again in Nova Scotia.

Around the world, there are over 18 million new cases of cancer every year and, sadly, over 9.5 million people die every year from this disease, but fortunately in Canada that death rate is much lower. But that means that over half of all of those diagnosed with cancer do survive. I have worked as a health professional in hospitals and communities with people suffering from catastrophic illness and injury, but there is nothing that strikes more fear in the hearts of Nova Scotians than one word and that word is cancer.

I was only 25 years old when I received a call from my father, John Hare, we called him Jack, who at the age of 60 told me that the pain that he'd had in his abdomen for a few days that derailed a trip he was taking with my mother a few days earlier was in fact leukemia. I flew home, and I begged his oncologist to do a bone marrow transplant; I'd sign up right away. His oncologist looked at me sadly and said it's too late. There isn't anything we can do. A few weeks later on April 30, 1988, my father passed away. Nothing in this world has ever been the same since that day.

We take some comfort from the fact that my dad, who was an accountant who worked for the Minister of Health as the head of the MSI department, died on income tax day. Perhaps he went home when God was waiting for him. But there are over 40 per cent of Nova Scotians who will have cancer at some point in their life, which means that everyone in this House knows someone who has had cancer and knows someone who they have lost to cancer.

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In one week, a few years ago, my mother and a cousin were both diagnosed with skin cancer and my Uncle Alan Hutchinson was diagnosed with lung cancer, the three of them in one week. Sadly, we lost my Uncle Alan to his lung cancer shortly after diagnosis. My mother, Marjorie Hare, and my cousin went on a very different journey with their cancer. I lost my mother-in-law, also called Barbara Ann Adams, to ovarian cancer over 20 years ago.

I currently have three very dear friends whose world was rocked by the diagnosis of breast cancer. They are breast cancer survivors at various stages in their journey. They have been to this House. Janet Landry who I met at the age of 12, who educated me on how to be a good person, who gave me my future career and my destiny working with those who had disabilities; she's on her journey right now. Good friends Rhonda Vickers and Ginny Eisan are further down the road. I thank God and I celebrate that they are cancer survivors, I celebrate it every day. But there are babies with cancer, children, mothers, grandparents, friends, and coworkers who are all dealing with this condition now. We celebrate their lives every day and we continue to celebrate the lives of those we have lost.

Those of us who are family members and friends of those with cancer are also survivors and we would like to have a day that honours all of us. There are people who have buried a parent who want a place to go to celebrate together.

When I worked in Ontario on the Stroke Survivor Unit, and it was called the Stroke Survivor Unit, I was immediately struck by the fact that the day after anyone had a stroke, members from the Stroke Survivor Club came in to visit them, the second day they were admitted to hospital. They said we are here because we have been on this journey with you. We know what it's like, we know how hard it's going to be, and we are here to offer you comfort and, more importantly, hope.

One of the things you lose is the hope for a long healthy life when you receive a diagnosis of cancer, so those stroke survivors were there to offer hope and comfort and guidance.

Mr. Speaker, Cancer Survivors Day will be an opportunity across this province to encourage people to speak about the condition they had, to speak about family members and friends they have lost to this condition, and to unite everybody in celebrating the advances in research, to support research to make sure that there are more of us who are on the Cancer Survivors Day celebration.

Mr. Speaker, I am so grateful to Judy Edgar for coming up with the idea of a cancer survivors' park in Dartmouth. I know that the municipality is working with her on this and I know they have a meeting even tomorrow night, and I encourage them to move this along because we don't want just one cancer survivors' park; we want one in every community.

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Mr. Speaker, when I go to my father's gravesite I celebrate his life, but if we have a cancer survivors' park, I can go there and celebrate all of those who have been on this journey, both family members, friends, children, and mothers.

Mr. Speaker, I am so grateful that this House has given me this opportunity to introduce this bill and grateful to my caucus for bringing it forward on a day like today and I am grateful to the government for being willing to speak on it today, as well as the other members of the Opposition.

I just want to say thank you to everyone today for bringing this forward and for speaking about it. I look forward to the comments from the other members of the Legislature.

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

MR. BRENDAN MAGUIRE « » : Mr. Speaker, I am proud to stand here today to speak on this private member's bill that the member for Cole Harbour-Eastern Passage has put forward. She is absolutely right - I think every single person in here has a story of survivors and also loved ones they lost.

Today I want to talk about two individuals, one being Ruby Campagna. Ruby was born in Springdale, Newfoundland and Labrador. A "flaming redhead" is what they called her - she had the reddest hair you've ever seen. She moved to Nova Scotia in her early 20s and she met a young man from Quebec, who actually resembled Burt Reynolds quite a bit - if you had seen his pictures from when he was younger he looked identical to Burt Reynolds.

They quickly fell in love and decided to move to Nova Scotia to raise a family. Ruby was full of energy and over the next 40 years she dedicated her life to children in care and youth at risk. I spoke to an individual who had just recently retired from the Department of Community Services, and she was well known as a foster home where she would take in children long-term but also for emergencies. So for children who were removed from situations that needed a place, children who needed 24, 48 hours a week, her place was the place to go.

I'm proud to say that I was one of those children who lived there and was able to call her Mum. There were a lot of lessons learned in that house, a lot of lessons around acceptance, diversity, culture. We get together - Yves, my foster father, my father, he throws this barbecue every summer. He just started this tradition and he invites all the children who are now all adults who have ever gone through that house to attend the barbecue to catch up, to bring their children, and for some of them, their grandchildren, and he does this every summer. Thank goodness he has a large piece of property because the place is packed with people who have gone through that house that were shown love, care, and acceptance at a time when they needed it the most.

[Page 1161]

Ruby wasn't just a foster parent and a parent to her own two children - she was also a long-term care worker. She spent the majority of her professional life working with the elderly and helping the sick.

Aside from her professional life, Ruby was also somebody whom people in the community knew they could rely on for help. Ruby bought furniture for individuals who needed it and she paid rent and mortgage payments for people who needed it.

She would load up her minivan with groceries and drop them off to kids who lived in her home, who were now moved out. Individuals she had heard about in the community who were down on their luck a little bit and needed a little bit of assistance. She was always there to help.

Besides the great lessons of love and acceptance that she taught us - it's funny, I was thinking about this earlier today and sometimes I get a bit emotional. Sometimes I can have a bit of a temper, but I blame that on her, the flaming redhead in her. She taught us to stand up for ourselves and never back down.

She loved the outdoors. One of the things that I will always remember about her is she would take these kids who had not seen love, some of them in their entire lives, and we'd go to the cottage in the summer where she let us be kids. We'd be free, and we'd have fun, and she just showed us that it was okay to be a child; it was okay to kind of put all that stuff behind you and just feel accepted.

I'm wrapping it up. I just wanted to say that she was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2001/2002. It was a very public battle that she decided to be open about. She opted for a double mastectomy. She spoke to cancer survivors, and over the next year you could see the energy being sapped out of her. Cancer took her physically, but it never took her mentally.

I just wanted to say that I applaud the member for bringing this forward. We've all been touched by the horrible disease and I am proud to stand here today to talk about Ruby, a deeply religious lady, who truly was an angel. (Applause)

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

MS. SUSAN LEBLANC « » : Thank you to my colleague for bring this bill before us today and to the member from Halifax Atlantic for speaking to it. I am honoured to speak to it today.

My daughter just ran her second Terry Fox Run earlier this week and, when we were encouraging her to go out and get pledges for the run, and encouraging her to actually do the run because she doesn't love running, it brought to our table at dinner a conversation about cancer and what it was, who had cancer. We were, unfortunately, able to say very quickly we know a lot of people who have had cancer and who have cancer. Some who have died from it and some who are living very well, having had it, and it was easy for us to name several people.

[Page 1162]

I just want to talk about a couple of the survivors of cancer in my own family, and I am going to take big breaths so that I don't start crying.

My children have two aunts, Auntie Tanya and Tante Natalie, who are survivors of cancer, and two grandfathers who currently live very well with prostate cancer, so I consider them survivors because they are living full lives with cancer right now. My Auntie Gerry, my mom's sister, is a survivor three times of malignant melanoma and my cousin Neil had childhood leukemia and into his young adulthood and now lives a healthy life.

I want to tell you a little bit about my sister-in-law Tanya Leblanc, who was diagnosed in the early 1990s with nodular sclerosing Hodgkin's lymphoma shortly after she met my brother and when she came into our lives. At that time, I remember her treatments being scary, terrifying. She had to have surgeries and we were all rallying of course and praying for her recovery.

She has been cancer-free since 1994. When I was living with my brother and his now wife Tanya, in Vancouver, we had a party to mark her and my cousin Neil, the aforementioned, a party to mark their five-year cancer-free date. It was very exciting, it was a great party and we were truly celebrating their struggles and their lives.

Actually, I'll just read you a little bit of what Tanya has said about her own survival of cancer. She said to me that she was happy to be alive and eternally grateful to the amazing team of the Nova Scotia Cancer Centre. She said it gave her an optimistic outlook on life, having going through cancer at the young age of 22 and in the final year of her university degree. It gave her an attitude of cautious joie de vivre, as she calls it, which led her on a path to marrying my brother, the love of her life, and to the birth of their three beautiful children.

For all the time I have known her, she has lived with this cautious joie de vivre. She has now encountered some serious health issues connected to her radiation treatments that she received when she was 22 and has had cardiac issues and has had to receive a valve replacement. She lives daily now with the effects of her cancer. To me she is a true survivor. I think she lives that every single day of her life, especially that she now again is living with the effects of her first illness.

We don't know if we have never had the experience of a diagnosis of cancer in our own bodies. We can only observe it in other people and we can't understand that fear. The physical illness itself - obviously pain and the actual sickness, but the fear around what it means to have cancer and what it means to be a survivor even - will it come back? I remember my aunt talking about the third time she encountered her malignancy, she was convinced this was it for her. That was 25 years ago now.

[Page 1163]

I just want to thank the member for Cole Harbour-Eastern Passage for bringing this to us, because anyone who has experienced that kind of fear and that illness is a hero. We may not be able to know what someone has gone through when we encounter them on a daily basis, so it is important for us to recognize that we should offer a day. We should obviously be honouring our survivors every day but to reserve a day that people can be honoured, celebrated, lifted up as being strong, healthy fighters. I think it's a wonderful idea and I look forward to hopefully having this bill passed.

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

MR. TIM HOUSTON « » : Mr. Speaker, a pleasure to rise this afternoon and say a few words on Bill No. 47, Cancer Survivors Day.

Permission to make an introduction, Mr. Speaker? My sister has joined us in the gallery as well, so Leanne Houston, thank you for joining us today. (Applause)

I am so proud of my colleague for bringing this bill forward and the caucus for speaking to it today in Breast Cancer Awareness Month. We are truly all touched by cancer in our lives. My mother is a breast cancer survivor, my father is a survivor of adenoid cancer, my mother-in-law has leukemia, and my father-in-law is a survivor of prostate cancer. Everyone in this Chamber will have similar stories and it would not surprise me, Mr. Speaker, if somebody in this Chamber is a personal survivor of cancer. It is just around us everywhere we go.

I remember very clearly as a young teenager, my parents gathering my sister and myself and my brother together to inform us that my mother had breast cancer. There's a feeling of hopelessness when you hear that in your family. I remember going outside and being on the porch and just taking a bit of time for myself and my father came out and put his arm around me and said, "It'll be all right."

He was right, but there's a battle and a struggle in between those two things and we all have our ways of grieving and remembering those we have lost to cancer. When I think about the impact that cancer has on families, everyone in the family becomes a cancer survivor in one way or another. Every single person touched by that life is surviving the impact of cancer.

I could not have known all those years ago when I had that discussion with my father on the porch that 35 years later, we would be gathered around a hospital bed with my brother as he ended his battle with cancer. A very short, powerful battle with cancer. And I remember looking around that room - my mom, my sister, my father, my wife, my nephews and niece - and knowing the impacts that that day would have on us forever. Cancer creates holes in lives that can never be filled.

[Page 1164]

My colleague is right to bring this before us today so we can celebrate those small victories in the face of cancer. We should have a time when people recognize those that have beaten the disease and beaten the odds in many cases. There's not a day that goes by that we don't remember somebody who impacted our lives and there's certainly not a day that goes by that I don't think of my brother and his courageous fight. When he arrived at the hospital, we could not have known the diagnosis that he was about to receive and it was just weeks later that he left us.

My brother knew that was the reality that he was facing. I did not and it still is something that I find very surreal. A big strong person like my brother and watching cancer take him from us so quickly and so swiftly. I always talk about my brother who was always a bouncer in the bars for many years, and then he became a customs agent at the airport. He took great pride in his job at the airport as a customs agent where he described himself as a bouncer for Canada.

His colleagues took the situation very hard as well. They renamed the interrogation hall at the airport and I hope none of the members here ever have the opportunity to enter that hall. But if you do - you will be in Houston Hall which was where my brother made a name for himself in the Canada Border Services Agency. He made a number of very significant arrests and discoveries, even just in the past year that would have been career-makers. He was very good at his job.

We can remember what was before, and we will remember what's going forward in front of us. This bill, in some small measure in many ways, will help us remember. That's why it's a good piece of legislation. I know that the members in this Chamber right now are remembering stories of their own loved ones who were successful and who lost their battle. I encourage them to continue to do that.

I'm pleased to have had an opportunity to speak to this bill; I was honoured to hear my colleagues speaking to this bill as well. It's great that my mother and my sister just happened to make their first appearance at Province House today for this occasion as well, because I think you might be about to witness something unique happen here in this Chamber in terms of a bill from the Opposition. I hope you do.

With those few words, I would ask the members to remember those who have been impacted by cancer, and I thank my colleague for bringing this bill forward.

[3:15 p.m.]

[Page 1165]

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

HON. ALFIE MACLEOD « » : I must say that the stories we've heard so far today are very heartwarming. The fact is we all know how much cancer affects so many people.

On Sunday past, I had the opportunity to attend a walk for a young boy by the name of Caleb. Caleb was three years old when cancer took him. His parents decided to take that experience and make sure that their son was remembered. They made sure that people understand that this disease doesn't worry about age; it has no favourites. Nicole and Mike decided that they were going to stand up and celebrate the fact that their son had three great years.

They also decided, Mr. Speaker, that they were going to leave a legacy so the people would know what can happen to a family. They set about a journey of awareness to the community. A young family with four other children decided that their son's death was not for naught.

As a result of that, there have be a number of fundraisers and items that have happened. Caleb's Superhero Walk had its fourth Sunday, just past. At that, there were literally hundreds of people who showed up to show their support but also because they, too, were affected in some way by cancer.

But here's the unique thing about Nicole and Mike. They have raised enough funds that they actually have a room now in the cancer centre at home, in the palliative care centre. It's done up as a superhero room because Caleb was known as a little superhero - his grandfather called him his superhero. There's this room in palliative care that's done up in superhero decorations, so when other young children who are fighting the same fight go there, they're in a different atmosphere and at a comfort level.

Just recently, I was asked by a company in Port Hawkesbury, Station Terminals, to do an auction. They did an auction and they did a golf tournament, and all the proceeds from that affair went towards Caleb's Courage.

Now they're building an endowment fund, a fund to help other children who may succumb to cancer whose families need help as they move forward. At this point, Mr. Speaker, they have raised over $200,000. (Applause) Through the courage and conviction of a mom and dad who have lost a very, very special person in their life. The recognition that has been put forward for Cancer Survivors Day by my colleague is one that I am sure each and every Nova Scotian will appreciate and will take time to reflect on someone who they know who has been affected by cancer in one way or another.

My mother-in-law is a 27-year survivor of breast cancer, and every day we are so thankful for that.

[Page 1166]

Mr. Speaker, I am so pleased that the House has given my colleague the opportunity to bring this bill forward, and I look forward to hearing the results as we move forward.

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

MR. BILL HORNE « » : I am glad to rise today in support of this bill. I also have experiences of being a survivor and my parents both died of cancer. My dad was 56. He had prostate cancer that went through his total body and every organ, and passed away. It was my first day of university and I had to go to his funeral. I've never really gotten over that. I never really had a dad to talk to about all my problems that I've had in my life as sincerely as I would like to. I talk to him, I guess after he passed away about my problems of being 16 or 17 years old, and I am very pleased that I have obtained the age of 56 and maybe a few more decades after that I will.

My mother, God bless her, she died of ovarian cancer at the age of 80. You never know what time - a young person, an older person, it just happens to be in the world that we live in that cancer is a very bad disease that is somewhat being resolved now. We are finding that the amount of survivals is increasing as the years go by.

My mother brought me up and my brother and sister from that point on and she went back to work. She was an RN at the VG for only a few years and then she had children - me and my brother. For 20 years she did family housekeeping, keeping us fed and clothed and busy. It was due to her insightfulness that I am here today. I have to say that she helped me very much to get an education. Every day she'd say, you get out and you study. You do all this, and things will be happening for the family.

I did that, my brother did, and my sister, who is also an RN with a degree in Nursing Science from McGill who is still working after 46 years as a nurse. She was just here in Halifax at White Point celebrating 46 years of nursing.

As you have heard from some of the stories, everyone has had cancer. I'm sure there is not one in this room who doesn't know somebody, a relative, or a very good friend, who has succumbed to cancer.

As I said, survival is increasing. I think that over 60 per cent of Canadians diagnosed with cancer are expected to survive for five years or more after a cancer diagnosis.

Survival rates can be high and low, depending on the type. For instance: a five-year survival rate for lung cancer is as low as 17 per cent; a five-year survival rate for colorectal cancer is about 64 per cent; a five-year net survival for prostate cancer, 95 per cent; and breast cancer is 87 per cent.

[Page 1167]

These numbers are all over the place. I think a lot of it depends on the person who gets cancer. I think if they have a fight in them to fight it, there are more chances of survival - some of the cancers, but not all.

For me, cancer is very local - in my family, my wife is a cancer survivor of five years, and it just so happens that next Friday she is going to have an operation for breast cancer - melanoma of the lymph nodes. Never heard of that. Even the doctor says it doesn't happen very often. Anyway, she's got a tough battle to go. She has this operation, and then there are spots on three other organs in the body, so we'll wait and see how that goes.

I'm so happy to be up here to speak on something that's so personal. I know it's personal for everyone who spoke, and those who haven't can certainly tell stories too.

On behalf of our government, I am supporting, and the government is supporting, Bill No. 47. I, too, would like to thank Judy and Jim Edgar of Cole Harbour, who are up here in the east gallery, for seeing this important bill recognizing cancer survivors. It is important that we speak about it.

We know that there's more research being done every day. There are more new drugs that help us kill off the cancer cells. But we have a lot of young people who are recognizing that cancer can be solved if it's recognized and detected early in its course. I'm hoping that's the same with my family.

With that, I'd like to say that seeing this important Cancer Survivors Day - and I thank members on both sides of the House for bringing this forward. With that, I'll take my seat. (Applause)

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

The honourable member for Cole Harbour-Eastern Passage.

MS. BARBARA ADAMS « » : Mr. Speaker, I rise to close debate on Bill No. 47, the Cancer Survivors Day Act.

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

The motion is carried. (Applause)

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

The honourable Government House Leader.

[Page 1168]

HON. GEOFF MACLELLAN « » : Mr. Speaker, I'd like to thank all the members who spoke today.

With the unanimous consent of the House, I'd like to ask for waiver for the Law Amendments Committee and the Committee of the Whole House on Bills, and move immediately to third reading for this bill.

MR. SPEAKER « » : Is it agreed?

It is agreed.

[PRIVATE MEMBERS' PUBLIC BILLS FOR THIRD READING]

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

MS. BARBARA ADAMS « » : Mr. Speaker, I move that Bill No. 47 be read a third time and do pass.

I would just like to say to all the members of the House that I will remember this day forever. It is a day that everyone in this House put aside our differences and the colours, and we came together to support all Nova Scotians who have had cancer, who have passed away from cancer, or who may face it down the road.

I anticipate that this day will grow over the years. I hope that cancer survivors parks spring up all over the province.

I realize that this took the co-operation of every single person in this House. I don't want to say - I've only been here for a little less than a year and a half, and I've gotten to know a lot of the members a little bit better. I do believe that every single one of us ran for this office because we care about each other. We may say things in the Legislature that suggest that we don't fully respect what each other is doing or how we want to go about doing it. But I know that everyone I have spoken to, on all sides of the Legislature, care very much, to the point where they have put their family life and their social life and whatever free time they might have had in the past on hold to be here to represent all Nova Scotians.

Today is one of those good days where we have all come together and put aside our differences. I want to thank all the members of the NDP, the Liberal Party and the PC Party for uniting on what is a very important bill. I am so grateful to all of us for taking the time to do this now. (Applause)

Mr. Speaker, I ask to close debate on Bill No. 47, the Cancer Survivors Day Act.

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

[Page 1169]

The motion is carried.

Ordered that the bill do pass. Ordered that the title be as read by the Clerk. Ordered that the bill be engrossed. (Standing Ovation)

The honourable Official Opposition House Leader.

HON. CHRISTOPHER D'ENTREMONT « » : Thank you to the government for their support of that bill, it's phenomenal. I know we're sort of way off the schedule that we had, but we're again going to go for rounds of 15.

[PRIVATE MEMBERS PUBLIC BILLS FOR SECOND READING]

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

HON. CHRISTOPHER D'ENTREMONT « » : Mr. Speaker, would you please call Bill No. 71.

Bill No. 71 - Pressure Sore Accountability Act.

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

MS. KARLA MACFARLANE « » : Mr. Speaker, it is my pleasure to stand in my place and begin debate in second reading for Bill No. 71, the Pressure Sore Accountability Act. Most Nova Scotians want to live independently in their own homes for as long as possible. We all want to have our comfort zones, our family and those things that we are used to having around us every day, but for some this isn't always possible. Many people sometimes require more intensive care.

For families placing a loved one in a long-term care home is an act of love, as difficult and heart-wrenching as it can be to go through that transition. It's a place where they can get round-the-clock medical care. Nursing homes are places where people can socialize and get the support they need, whether it be physical or emotional.

Nursing homes aren't places, Mr. Speaker, where one should die. Nursing homes are places for one to live, meet people, socialize, and be taken care of. After contributing all their lives, Nova Scotians deserve nursing homes that meet all those needs. Unfortunately for at least two Nova Scotians, a long-term care facility was where they got pressure sores or bedsores and they were so severe that it killed them. We know this to be a fact.

On June 15^th, many of us had a rude awakening when we opened the Chronicle Herald and we read about the death of Chrissy Dunnington and saw the horrific photograph of the pressure sore that killed her. It is impossible to look at those pictures and not have an emotional reaction, to wonder if perhaps it would be one of your loved ones some day, or even a friend. The sore was so very deep that her tailbone was exposed; it was visible.

[Page 1170]

Thank goodness for Chrissy's brave sisters and family. They went public. They knew the story had to be told, as difficult as it was for them. They took that step because they didn't want Chrissy to die in vain. They didn't want her death to be remembered as something that could not be corrected because it is happening to so many across this country. There's actually a national association - the pressure sore association of Canada. Through Chrissy's family's grief and pain, they acted. They acted out of love. I believe we all owe them a debt of gratitude and being thankful they had the courage and the strength to come forward and share that story of Chrissy, whom they so dearly loved.

I will say that Chrissy's sister Dorothy has publicly endorsed this bill and many of the ideas contained in this legislation come from the experience of the Dunnington family. I want to also thank Chrissy's sister Dorothy and her other sisters for meeting me personally and sharing many of their stories and thoughts - a lot of happy stories about Chrissy. But their main intent of meeting me was so that we could come up with this bill.

The Silversteins are another family who have gone public about their loss in order to change things for all Nova Scotians. Norma Silverstein of Albert Bridge lost her father, 93-year-old John Ferguson, to a pressure sore. She also has been in contact with our staff and caucus and supports this bill as well. She said that her father died because of neglect: neglect to a bedsore that could have been, and should have been, treated.

These stories are heartbreaking and it's terrifying to know that there were 150 other families who have loved ones with stage three or four pressure sores when the government last counted in this province. That means 150 families are worried these preventable wounds - which are absolutely preventable - will get out of control, become infected, and take the lives of the people they love. I think that's the key - they are preventable.

Wounds are a serious health care issue with profound personal, clinical, and economic implications. They can be excruciating and debilitating and they can undermine function, mobility, and quality of life. These chronic wounds, in particular, present unique healing challenges to those who are in the health profession, but they are trained to look after these wounds. The treatments, medications, interventions, and dressings associated with these wounds also represent a significant financial burden to the health care system, and that's why we need a preventable measure for us to not let this get out of control. This is exactly what this bill will do. Mr. Speaker, again many wounds are avoidable with the provision of better health care services and greater focus on prevention, whether that means that there needs to be more staff hired or if it's just accountability with the fact that it has to be recorded daily so that it doesn't get to stage three or four. We have to do better for our loved ones in nursing homes. It's time for us collectively as politicians to take meaningful action to prevent these kinds of deaths.

[Page 1171]

That is exactly what this bill does. It makes sure people who have bedsores get appropriate care, an air bed, and a referral to a wound specialist. It also requires the government to make the results of nursing home inspections public to provide some openness and transparency for families. This is exactly what many other provinces do.

Looking at Ontario, as a government they have decided to put a webpage up that contains a searchable database that provides broad results of annual inspections and the number of times an inspector finds something that has not met the requirements to prevent bedsores. Any of us can go log on and go through the database. It seems like the least any of us politicians or any government across this country could do. In doing so, it goes in line with being the most open and the most transparent, to have that database to look up and find out who has these pressure sores.

I know the minister has a committee examining the issue, and I'm grateful for that. We look forward to the outcome of this examination. It doesn't mean that we can't also take the simple steps contained in Bill No. 71 to ensure people in long-term care who get pressure sores don't die from them.

This issue should be above politics. It's about stopping preventable deaths. It's about acknowledging the deaths of Chrissy Dunnington and John Fergusson and the pain and the bravery of their families. People shouldn't die because of bedsores. It should not be one of the worries of families as they transition a loved one into a long-term care facility.

In conclusion, I want to thank the Dunningtons and the Silversteins for supporting this bill. It truly means a lot, them taking the time to share their heartbreaking stories with myself, staff in the PC caucus, and perhaps other members in this Legislature. More than that, I want to thank them specifically for taking the very difficult and I'm sure very painful step of going public with their stories.

I don't think these stories are far from being over. I think we will continue to hear about them, Mr. Speaker. I hope that the government will give all consideration to this bill.

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

MS. SUZANNE LOHNES-CROFT « » : I'm rising today, and I guess reluctantly, speaking about pressure sores with Bill No. 71, the Pressure Sore Accountability Act. I thank the member for Pictou West for bringing this topic to the floor of the Legislature.

Like she said earlier, the stories in the Chronicle Herald were an eye-opener to many of us, and horrific. The photographs were disturbing. Just the whole situation is disturbing, Mr. Speaker.

Pressure sores happen to many people who are in wheelchairs or in bed for long periods of time, not just residents of nursing homes. Often, they just start as a very tiny pinpoint, and it takes a really acute eye to detect them. Someone has to be looking for them to see them when they start. I know many people who are healthy people working who are using wheelchairs, who have developed pressure sores and have been hospitalized for long periods of time in their recovery, so they can go home. It is something that people should be aware of.

[Page 1172]

For my own situation, we'll be celebrating the anniversary of my mother's death on Tuesday. She died last Thanksgiving. She was living in a long-term care facility with dementia. My mother, on occasion, did get pressure sores. They were detected very early. Fortunately, there were days that she would prefer to stay in bed because of the pressure sores, so that she could be turned.

That's really important. When you have a pressure sore, you need to be turned on a regular basis. Sometimes you can't sit for long periods of time. Those who are bound to their beds most of the time have an even larger challenge because they need to be turned over on a regular basis.

I also have two sisters who are nurses, and they were very diligent about checking the dates on the bandages. Believe me, we had special bandages we purchased for my mother to have the dressings and a special bandage to help with her healing. My mother's never got out of control, fortunately, but they were still painful and they irritated her.

[3:45 p.m.]

As you said, it affected her quality of life. She liked to be in the common room when the piano was being played and there was a sing-song. Often she would have to stay in her room because of her limitations for comfort, so that she could lay in her bed and also take meals in her room because she wasn't comfortable to sit in the dining room.

Pressure sores do affect the quality of life, whether you are active. My mother was a diabetic, so it is more of a concern when you are diabetic because you don't heal. You can imagine if your pressure sore was usually on your bottom, that's an area that needs to be cleaned regularly as well. So, there are all sorts of complications that can arise from having pressure sores.

In June, I believe it was around June 21^st, the Department of Health and Wellness did put out a statement and I will table it - not a statement but an announcement about action they were taking regarding pressure sores and how they were going to approach this with long-term care facilities in particular. They made it a requirement that long-term care homes report the number of pressure sores and injuries in their facilities, and the severity.

That reporting identified 152 Stage 3 and Stage 4, and I think those are the ones that the member for Pictou West was really concerned with; those are the ones that are serious. So, they now have wound care experts identified, and early in July they started visiting the facilities that have reported these Stage 3 and Stage 4 bed wounds - any of the residents with Stage 1 and Stage 2 would also be seen by these experts.

[Page 1173]

Also, when these experts go to long-term care facilities these experts are now required to help staff and train staff how to identify, as I said. They start as a very tiny pinpoint and they are very hard to detect. When they get infected they get seriously infected and the infection spreads quickly. It's really important to know how to find these pressure sores, so these experts are now out in long-term care facilities teaching the staff how to detect the start of pressure sores, but also the standards of treatment for pressure sores as well. They are getting trained on the care and the cleanliness that needs to take place and special wound care. That now is available - I think it has always been available if a facility requested it from Continuing Care, but I think now it is just part of the protocol that these wound experts go to facilities that have identified these wounds.

Also, these people are collecting data which is shared with the Department of Health and Wellness. So, management and prevention is essential. It needs to be done in our long-term care facilities and our residential treatment homes because we also have people in residential treatment homes, not just long-term care homes, who are bedridden and need to be turned often. They need to be checked for the beginnings of pressure wounds.

Many of these people are like my mother, with dementia - couldn't articulate exactly where she was sore. She would be uncomfortable or she hurt, so it's really important in some of the residential facilities, people who don't have communication, who are mentally challenged to the point where they can't communicate that they have a sore, so staff really need to be on the ball and they really need to pay attention to the care of the people in our facilities here in Nova Scotia and everywhere to prevent. That's really essential, preventing these pressure wounds for people who are in long-term care and residences.

They have also found that supporting long-term care facilities with information and training has really increased reporting which is good. We need to know that these wounds are happening.

I know that in my mother's case, we were always told when my mother had – if my mother fell, I got a phone call. I know that many times, as I was her care advocate and her power of attorney, I was sitting here in the Legislature when my phone would ring, and I'd quickly leave the Chamber to take a call. Often it was from the facility reporting that my mom had a fall or when she did on occasion get a pressure sore.

I think communication with families is really important. Families need to know this is happening. But there are also people who don't have families; they don't have visitors.

[Page 1174]

I was going in to see my mother at least once a week in her long-term care facility. There are people in units who don't have family members or an advocate present, so that's why it's really important that staff are well-trained to detect that if somebody is complaining about discomfort in certain areas of their body, to really check and check closely. Lighting is important to be able to identify, not in a dark room where the lights are out. Flashlights are often used by nurses to detect the starts of pressure sores.

Also, the minister has appointed a panel that is going to report. It's not just going to be on pressure wounds, but long-term care facilities in general and the care of people. That report is to be out, I would say, at the end of November, early December, to the minister showing ways that we can improve in the long-term care.

You know, it could be ratios that maybe there isn't time to spend checking for wounds. Maybe that's something that needs to be part of the protocol in every facility, that there is someone on staff who, on a regular basis, is going around and checking the condition of people's skin.

As we know, as you get older, and hopefully none of us are at that stage, our skin breaks down, anyway. So, it's really important that even in a long-term care home taking care of the skin, preventable care, those are all things that we can be doing to make sure that people are living comfortably, because it's their home. They've left their homes and they're in a long-term care home or residential treatment facility and that is their home. As the member for Pictou West said, people want the comforts of their home and being well looked after and kept clean, which is part of pressure care treatment and prevention, is all very important.

Also, I know we all can take a part in this, as well. When families have concerns - I know my office has received calls from family members who are concerned about the care of their loved one in a long-term care home. And just like it is our responsibility to report child abuse, it is our responsibility to help these people know who to contact to lodge a complaint or a concern. Call Continuing Care and the Adult Protection Services through Continuing Care to empower families to report any concerns that they do have.

I know in my mother's facility we had a family committee that used to meet once a month and family members were welcome to attend and discuss. There were portions of the meetings with staff from the facility who came back and reported on concerns and turning patients was one of them. Some people really felt their loved ones were not being turned enough or weren't up walking around enough to get circulation flowing. Those concerns were brought to these family meetings.

Also, there were portions of the meetings that were just the family members, so that they were free to discuss and prioritize things they felt the long-term care facility could do to help improve the care or maybe even provide new recreational programs and whatnot.

[Page 1175]

I really would encourage anyone who has a family member in a long-term care facility to be regularly visiting the facility, asking questions, not in an accusing tone, but asking about the care of their loved one. In my case, I gave permission as my mother's advocate for every member of my family, my siblings, to have the authority to ask questions about my mother's health care. That doesn't always happen in families and often you get one family member with all the knowledge about what's happening with the care and the others are left out in the dark. It causes all sorts of problems.

But a co-operative way of dealing with the staff makes it easier for you to ask questions and we should all be asking questions if we have any concerns. And with that, I'll take my seat, Mr. Speaker.

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

MR. GARY BURRILL « » : Mr. Speaker, this summer I had the experience of going door-to-door in Cornwallis. A woman at this one house came to the door, and when I explained who I was and what I was doing she became visibly very upset and she said to me, "I don't want to talk to anybody that has got anything to do with the government or politics."

Naturally, I said, "Okay. Would you mind telling me why that is?" She said, "I was a friend of Chrissy Dunnington. I went to school with Chrissy Dunnington. What happened to Chrissy Dunnington should never have happened to anybody in the care of the Government of Nova Scotia."

I told her, as any of us would, that I agreed with her and I spoke with her, as the member for Pictou West has spoken about, how I had the privilege of speaking after these terrible events with her sisters and talking with them about her passing and how it had been caused from inadequately attended-to bedsores. I told her how she was absolutely right. It ought never to have happened. As we spoke across the space that had opened up between us originally, we began to have a very long and constructive conversation.

Out of that, I spoke with her about how the Party that I belong to in the government process of the province is dedicated to making the changes that will keep what happened to Chrissy Dunnington from happening in the future.

With the attention that has surrounded the death of Ms. Dunnington and the deaths of others under parallel circumstances – some of whom my colleagues have spoken about – by now the Nova Scotia public, with all of that attention that has surrounded these cases and with the outcries that attended them from families and advocate organizations in different parts of the province, with all of this, the public has become - if they weren't earlier through their own families or other experiences - well acquainted with what a pressure ulcer or bedsore is. It is, namely, an entirely preventable injury that is related to the inadequate positioning or frequency of repositioning the person who develops or suffers from the condition.

[Page 1176]

[4:00 p.m.]

The people of the province by now have become well acquainted with how widespread this problem is in Nova Scotia. The reporting that the government made compulsory following the outcry about the cases of Ms. Dunnington, Mr. Ferguson, and others resulted in the finding that there were 621 cases of bedsores among residents of long-term care facilities in the province, 152 of them in the very serious stage 3 and stage 4 categories as my Liberal and Progressive Conservative colleagues have noted.

But what people are less aware of and what has not been as much a part of the public conversation and what people need to be aware of and which is deeply troubling and needs to be brought before us here is that, in addition to there being a clinical pathology of bedsores, bedsores have an economics also.

The economics of bedsores are the cutbacks in nursing home funding that have taken place over the last four years from the Government of Nova Scotia, the extent of which is $5 million. Now, I anticipate that there would be objections to this statement, the statement that there is a political economy of bedsores and that its name is Liberal Government cutbacks. The government may be anticipated to object that the cutbacks since they came to office weren't cutbacks in staff and such that they were rather cutbacks in programming and dietary spending which is, I would say, unconscionable enough.

I have spoken, as members of this caucus have and I assume that other caucuses have as well, with a number of groups of continuing care assistants in the last couple of years across the province. Out of those conversations, I challenge the government to find a single continuing care assistant in long-term care anywhere in Nova Scotia who will say anything other than working short - that is working without the adequate complement of CCAs required to care for residents as they ought to be cared for - is more common today than it was in the period before the government's nursing home cutbacks began.

This is a fact which has been repeatedly corroborated by different sectors of the long-term care world: by administrators, by employees' organizations, by families. It is entirely false to contend that the cutbacks to nursing homes of the past four years have resulted in anything other than severe staffing pressures on the floors and in the rooms of the nursing homes of Nova Scotia.

The government may be anticipated to object that the cuts in those two years' budgets have been ameliorated, addressed by having been partially reinstated a year ago. The truth though is that $8 million was removed from the operating funds of nursing homes over a two-year period and then, in a subsequent year, $3 million of that was reinstated specifically, by the way, for dietary and program spending which was a pretty bare-faced acknowledgement that those areas had been negatively affected by the cutbacks. But this change still left a $5 million shortfall. To claim, as the government does, that the $3 million being put back to this $5 million shortfall effectively addressed any problems that came out of the nursing home cuts would be akin to someone knocking out eight of your teeth, paying the dental bills for three, and then saying that we're squared up about the other five.

[Page 1177]

I submit that the 621 bedsores reported this summer in Nova Scotia have a political economy. They have a political economy and a context and that political economy and context is the Government of Nova Scotia's failure to increase nursing home staffing levels over the past five years and the Government of Nova Scotia is cutting $5 million from our province's long-term care institutions.

When I said to that woman on her doorstep in Cornwallis, the really grief-stricken friend of Chrissy Dunnington, that I belonged to a Party which is ready to address this problem so that tragedy of this sort is no longer part of our Nova Scotian landscape, I was in that conversation referring to precise proposals for improvement of the long-term care situation which our Party has brought forward. I'm referring to our proposal that there should be a specific guaranteed minimum level of staffing in nursing homes and that the mix of care professionals within that staffing level should be mandated also, and these levels of care should be placed beyond the capacity of any government to diminish them by being set in legislation. I was referring also to our repeated proposals to the government that information about nursing home care and inspections should be available publicly, as it is in most of Canada and as is being proposed by the legislation that is before the House at this moment.

I ask the government: What purpose is being served by the government having discontinued since June the mandatory reporting of incidents of bedsores? What purpose is being served by our being one of the very few jurisdictions in Canada that do not require the reporting of bedsores to the Canadian Institute for Health Information? In a province with a bedsore incidence rate, as we have it, of 7 per cent, which equals one in every 14 residents in a nursing home in our province, why do we not even have the most rudimentary benchmarks for addressing the problem - unlike the Province of Ontario, where their bedsore incidence rate is a mere one-third of ours?

We need benchmarks on this subject. We need openness on this subject. We need investment on this subject. But most of all, what we need is seriousness of purpose and commitment - commitment to this principle: the principle that the budget surplus of the Government of Nova Scotia is not as important as the quality of care received by the long-term care residents of Nova Scotia.

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

MR. EDDIE ORRELL « » : Mr. Speaker, I'd like to say it's an honour to rise to speak to this bill today but I can't say it's an honour. It's important to speak to this bill because people are suffering from injuries or wounds that are preventable, and it shouldn't have to come to this where we have to bring a bill in to make sure that there's accountability and monitoring of pressure sores. It'd be nice to be able to stand here and say this is a bill we want to bring in, but we don't have to do that.

[Page 1178]

The reality is that everybody wants to keep their loved ones at home as long as possible. We're doing that over the last number of years, we've provided funding in this Legislature to make sure that people could stay at home longer. When that happens, people are sicker when they enter facilities. As long as we stay at home, we hope people are continuing to be mobile, that they're able to get up out of their bed every day on their own or with the assistance of others, sit in their comfortable chair, maybe go for a drive in the car, watch some TV, and live a nice comfortable life for the rest of the days that they have. But we know that doesn't happen with everybody.

There comes a point where we're all going to end up needing more care than we can provide at home, more care than the government can fund for our loved ones to be at home. The ideal situation would be to give them 24-hour care, but we know that's not possible. It's cheaper to do it within a long-term care facility, residential care facility, or a hospital setting. When they enter the hospital or the long-term care setting, we know they are sicker. They're there because they can't be looked after at home. If we look back at when nursing homes we're built 20 years ago, they were built with parking lots that could house or accommodate every resident in the nursing home where they had a car; they could drive there. The reason for nursing homes then was different. People wanted to live in these homes because they couldn't look after their own home, but now that's not the case.

Most people live in nursing homes today because they can't be looked after at home and it's too expensive to look after them in a hospital. When people do end up in long-term care, they're usually not mobile anymore so it's up to the staff and the homes themselves to provide that care, and to make sure that people get the care they deserve and need to try to prevent this, we say "preventable" injury.

Mr. Speaker, if you understand what a pressure sore and ulcer is, it is usually from a person laying on a certain area or sitting in a certain area of their body for so long that the blood supply gets cut off to that area, the skin starts to die, the tissue underneath starts to die, the skin gets thin, it peels off, and you get an area that's open.

What happens then, Mr. Speaker? We need the resources, we need the tools to make sure that that area, that pressure sore, that ulcer, whatever you like to call it, can heal - frequent turning, change of positions, specialized mattresses. You know it comes right down to even dietary things. If a person is not getting the right food they need to survive and live and live properly, they can't heal these wounds.

We saw a couple of years back, cutbacks in the nursing homes where we've heard stories that they were feeding individuals on $4.60 a day. Now I can stand here and tell you that you can't make a pile of nourishing and good food with that, I don't believe that. I believe the nursing homes did the best they could, but I believe that might have contributed to some of these areas and some of these sores and injuries that happen.

[Page 1179]

We can say to add more staff. That's a great idea but that's not necessarily the only problem and the only solution. They need beds. There are specialized beds out there that distribute the pressure equally throughout the body so that not one area gets that one particular pressure on it that causes that skin to become necrotic.

We could have specialized cushions and chairs; we could use lifts. Mr. Speaker, lifts have come a long way. When I started working, lifts were cranked up and you moved them over. Now they have them attached to the ceiling and throughout the whole home where you can wheel a person around, put them in the chair, take them back out of that chair. They are expensive, but if they are placed properly within an institution a lot more can be done by a few people. That change in position means a great big difference in someone either developing a pressure sore or treating a pressure sore.

I do also believe, Mr. Speaker, that the number of nursing home beds we have in our province is not enough to make sure that this doesn't happen. When people are waiting in acute care facilities they are not getting the same kind of care they deserve in a long-term care facility. They don't have that time to spend with them in a long-term care facility.

You know, Mr. Speaker, we've been asking questions here in this Legislature and I've been asking them specifically about the changes that are going to happen to care in Cape Breton, on the Northside in New Waterford.

I hear we're going to build 50 new nursing home beds and that's going to solve a lot of the problems. You know, Mr. Speaker, it's a great thing that they're going to do that, but there are almost 50 people alone waiting in the Northside General to go into a nursing home. So, we build that home, we put those people from that hospital in there, the people who are home now who the loved ones can't look after, go in and take up those beds. So, lo and behold, those beds aren't going to be there anymore, they're gone. Those acute care beds now are not going to be there, so we're going to have people at home longer again, doing their best but, again, when they reach that facility they are going to be sicker.

Mr. Speaker, we're going to transfer those acute care beds to another hospital, a hospital that is already full, and they say the problem is going to be - we're going to build these nursing home beds. But the ones that are at the Regional aren't going to be leaving because they have already been taken up by the ones they are taking from North Sydney. It's just a backup and that's what happens.

Someone like Chrissy Dunnington, her family did what they could as long as they could. She was loved, Mr. Speaker, she was kept at home as long as they could possibly keep her. She was the light of her family's eyes but there came a point where they just physically couldn't do it anymore, so her parents had to let her go to a nursing home.

[Page 1180]

She went to a long-term care facility, Mr. Speaker, and she was cared for in that facility. But lo and behold, the family was visiting her often, they didn't recognize the situation to look for. I mean most people are not going to take their loved one in a nursing home, turn them over and have a look at their back or their backside to see what might be there. So, she develops this pressure sore.

When it gets to the point where you can - and I hate to say this - either see the drainage on the beds or the dressings or the sheets, or actually smell it, it has gone too far. When it gets to that stage, a wound care specialist is needed. That could be a plastic surgeon, or a nurse who specializes in wound care and treatment - anyone who's trained to recognize and do that.

[4:15 p.m.]

They also need specialized dressings. They need specialized equipment. Then that person needs that bed with the mattress on it, or the chair with the cushion, and we don't have that.

I don't know about anyone else in this Legislature, but I saw the pictures of that pressure sore. I don't know about anyone else in this room, but I was shocked to see what I saw, that it could get to that stage before it was either reported or treatment could begin. I believe everybody would have been angry to see that it got that bad, because that could have been our loved ones. It could be any one of us in this room who had that happen to them.

I know I wouldn't want that to happen to a friend, a loved one, or family. I wouldn't even want that to happen to an enemy. It's torture for everybody.

How bad was it for the Dunnington family, that they decided they had to go to the media to try to get some changes to happen? That, Mr. Speaker, is the purpose of this bill - that - if I can - long-term care facilities put in place measures to decrease the number of patients in care who develop pressure sores.

This is not designed to punish a nursing home or to punish the staff who are there. It is designed to maybe make them aware that this stuff happens, that people can then go out and do more inspections, do more turning of patients. Without the staff, it's tough to do, but with the proper equipment and a little bit of staff, it's easier to do. We try to prevent that.

The other thing is, when it does happen and if we catch it early, it's a lot easier to treat. We treat it before it gets to the stage where - stage three or four - it gets infected or causes sepsis. It spreads a lot more quickly that way.

[Page 1181]

They're required to refer a patient who's getting these sores to a wound care specialist, as we talked about - someone trained in wound care - to make sure that proper positioning is done, to teach the rest of the staff or the family members so that proper wound care is in place so that the right dressing and the right medicine is on the dressing with the right depth - if a sore has to be packed, if it has to just have a bandage on it.

It requires the minister to make publicly available the results of some of the inspections that go on in these nursing homes. Like I said, it's not designed to punish the nursing homes. It's designed to make sure that we have the proper things in place so that these nursing homes can do the proper inspection when a person arrives in the facility, for one thing - because they could be coming into the facility with that on them. Then the treatment can start right away and can prevent it from getting any further along. For another thing, to make sure that when they do have that, they get the care that's needed and designed to make sure it doesn't get to that stage.

Mr. Speaker, I hear about this minister's panel that we're talking about, and you know what? It's a great idea that we sit down and talk about it. When his panel has its results come in, will the minister be bound to accept those results, like they did with the education report that they brought in and took right away?

This is as important to the people and their families as some of these other reports that have come in and have been accepted without any real discussion and without any real complaints or worries about it. But in there, there is not a recommendation for this panel to study if there are enough nursing home beds in this province to make sure that our parents get the care they need.

Chrissy Dunnington, as we talked about, was a young lady. Her skin should have been able to handle a lot more than someone like John Ferguson, who was not young. His skin was probably thinner, so every movement has a possibility of tearing that skin or putting pressure on it. He was 93 years old. He was a vulnerable one, so we would expect that he would get a different kind of care than Chrissy Dunnington would have gotten when she entered the facility, but the results for those two individuals were the same.

Because of the difference in their ages, they had different issues, but the results were the same. They were both in a long-term care facility. They had families who loved them. They had families who cared for them. They had families to look after them, but they still developed these pressure ulcers. No one should have to go through that. No family should have to watch a loved one die because of a preventable, treatable injury.

This bill acknowledges that we can do better. We can take relatively small actions and make big impact on the lives of people and their loved ones. People living in nursing homes would like to see that we are doing this as well, so that they know when they go in there - if they have the ability - they'll know that we're looking out for their welfare. The families would be more comfortable.

[Page 1182]

Last weekend, on a CBC radio show, as I mentioned here in Question Period yesterday, White Coat, Black Art examined long-term care facilities in Ontario. One seniors advocate noted that Ontario has the most robust rules and open system in the country and there are still some issues around long-term care. This person noted that Nova Scotia's long-term care system is not open and it is not transparent.

That is the idea of the bill, Mr. Speaker - to make long-term care facilities more open and more transparent so people going into these facilities will know what they are going into, they will know what they are going to get if they have an issue, and they will know the type of care that they can get if a problem does develop.

We can put all the things in the world in place, but sometimes things do happen that we cannot prevent. But being able to recognize that this is what's going on, this is what we need to do to treat these issues, these injuries, and making sure that is in place in these facilities that need them, this is the idea of this bill.

As I said before, this is not to punish any individuals, not to punish any long-term facilities, but to make sure that we have the proper care in place, the proper number of beds, the proper equipment, and the proper staffing to make sure that we can prevent this. If for some reason it is not preventable and something happens, it's to make sure that we can treat this. Because an injury like this, if it does happen and it is treated early, can be healed, and if it is treated early enough, a person can go back and live a fairly normal life. Knowing that we have to change and move them around, with that equipment in place would make the biggest difference.

With that, I will take my place.

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

HON. CHRISTOPHER D'ENTREMONT « » : Mr. Speaker, that concludes Opposition business for today. Again, I thank the government members for their support of Bill No. 47. That is something we don't see very often in this House, but I do want to thank the government for that support.

With that, I will call on the Deputy Government House Leader to call business for tomorrow.

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

MR. KEITH IRVING « » : Mr. Speaker, I move that the House now do rise to meet again tomorrow, Thursday, October 4^th between the hours of 1:00 p.m. and 6:00 p.m. Following Daily Routine and Question Period, business will include second reading of Bill No. 79 and Bill No. 80. As well, the Committee of the Whole shall meet to consider Bills No. 47, 51, 55, 58, 63, and 67.

[Page 1183]

MR. SPEAKER « » : The motion is for the House to adjourn to rise again tomorrow, Thursday October 4^th between the hours of 1:00 p.m. and 6:00 p.m.

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

The motion is carried.

We have now reached the moment of interruption. The topic for late debate, as submitted by the honourable member for Halifax Needham, is:

"Therefore be it resolved that the Liberal Government is failing to address that 43 per cent of tenants in Nova Scotia cannot afford their rent."

ADJOURNMENT

MOTION UNDER RULE 5(5)

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

GOV'T. (N.S.) - RENT: FORTY-THREE PER CENT UNABLE TO PAY - FAILURE TO ADDRESS

MS. LISA ROBERTS « » : Mr. Speaker, I really appreciate this opportunity to speak to a crisis in housing affordability that so many Nova Scotians are experiencing in their daily lives. Fifty-three thousand Nova Scotians report spending more on their rent than they can afford. This is 43 per cent of all renters in the province.

According to the Canadian Rental Housing Index, in Nova Scotia about 43 per cent of renters are paying more than 30 per cent of their income on housing and a disturbing 19.3 per cent are paying more than 50 per cent of their income on housing. This is the highest rate in Atlantic Canada.

In our housing market, we have an incredibly small social housing component, less than 5 per cent. As a result, this gives a disproportionate and unhealthy amount of power to private landlords. It also gives us very few alternatives for people who are really struggling to find a decent place to live. This situation contributes to poor quality housing in Nova Scotia. If a landlord can rent to people who are essentially desperate for any place that they can afford, there's very little incentive to maintain the housing stock in good quality.

[Page 1184]

According to a survey of low-income Nova Scotians conducted by ACORN in 2016, almost 90 per cent of respondents had property standards violations in their apartments. More than half had trouble getting repairs done in their buildings, and over 60 per cent had experienced bed bugs in the previous two years. Those statistics represent hundreds of stories of Nova Scotians struggling to get by, struggling to participate in the economy, and struggling with unhealthy and undignified living conditions.

In particular, the following groups in our population are more likely to be facing housing affordability challenges: households led by an Aboriginal person, a recent immigrant, a youth, a senior, a person with a disability, and one-parent and one-person households.

Unaffordable housing and low-quality housing also have economic costs, contributing to depressed consumer demand, low labour market participation rates, and increased costs for government services. We need an ambitious plan to address housing affordability, including through reinvestment in new social market housing stock. We need investment that will right these wrongs and will pay off for Nova Scotians.

In May 2013, the NDP introduced Nova Scotia's first affordable housing strategy. The focus of the strategy was to invest $500 million over the following 10 years to support the development of affordable housing and affordable homeownership with a focus on diverse communities with different housing and tenure types, income levels, and family composition.

Unfortunately, that plan has not been followed up on. The Liberals have significantly underspent the plan that the NDP had in place. In fact, last year, the province only created 123 new units. It's a drop in the bucket of the need. As deputy mayor of Halifax, Waye Mason, said, it's not enough to address the increased demand.

Over and over again, the Liberal Government has signalled that its plan to address our affordable housing needs is to "invest" - which isn't really investment, but to spend on rent supplements primarily to for-profit landlords. To quote the minister's message in this year's business plan for Housing Nova Scotia, the plan is based on ". . . an emphasis on making more rent supplements available . . . for affordable rental housing in the private . . . market."

There are a number of problems with this strategy, including that we are currently in a tight rental market. When we have a tight rental market, rent supplements are not attractive to landlords. They involve additional red tape. There's a longer wait to get a tenant into a place. If you have folks lining up for a place they can afford to rent, landlords will never choose to go through the rigmarole with Housing Nova Scotia to rent through a rent supplement. Increasingly, that is what I'm hearing from front-line workers - even with a rent supplement, they cannot find units for people who are looking for a home.

[Page 1185]

Federal funding for rent supplements is subject to negotiation. It can decrease or be cancelled. What will the province do then? Spend more to make up for the reductions in federal funding or reduce the amounts of supplements? When you reduce the amounts of supplements, you're actually facing possibly kicking someone out of their home. Once you assign a rent supplement to someone, it's kind of there in perpetuity, unless their fortunes suddenly increase.

Rent supplements are not investments. They don't add up to new units for our future. They are transfers from the public sector to the private sector and they have to happen year after year.

[4:30 p.m.]

The government seems to think that only private, for-profit developers can build housing, but that's not true and the evidence is abundant particularly in my community but also in many, many communities across Nova Scotia. Much of the best housing all over the world, in fact, has been based on public and community involvement and community-driven, non-profit projects. I just look at the Hydrostone neighbourhood which is one of the most coveted neighbourhoods in the country. It gets design awards. It was built with public dollars with a major thrust of energy and vision and investment immediately after the Halifax Explosion. Or, further north in Halifax Needham, I can look at all the smaller storey-and-a-half and two-bedroom, one-bathroom houses that were built after the war.

I met recently with the board of that Needham Housing Co-op. They have 23 units. They recently rented one of their four bedrooms for $1,100. They are engaged in recapitalizing their units, putting in new bathrooms, new bedrooms, new kitchens, and fixing roofs where they need to. They would love to invest - with some public investment - in some additional units particularly targeting residents in their co-ops that are currently in two bedrooms or three bedrooms, but maybe because their families have aged only need a one-bedroom. But you can't rent a one-bedroom in Halifax Needham for the cost that they are spending now on a two-bedroom or a three-bedroom. We need more small units and those are the sorts of initiatives that not only build housing they also build social fabric. They build community.

When I look around my own neighbourhood, the whole street I live on was built through a builder's co-op organized by the parish priest back in the 1960s. I still have some residents who have some neighbours who remember building their own homes.

These are the sorts of investments that we need to revive and reinvest in. They create a legacy of good homes for Nova Scotians. They also create a legacy of diverse communities where people with a mix of incomes and a mix of experiences can actually contribute to their communities by living and working in the place that they choose to call home.

[Page 1186]

So, I look forward to this government deciding to take some leadership in a new way and actually get building affordable housing in Nova Scotia again.

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

MR. BRENDAN MAGUIRE « » : Mr. Speaker, today I rise in my place to speak about the measures this government and past governments have taken to make housing more affordable for all Nova Scotians. I do want to, before I get into some of this, I do want to say that Halifax has changed quite a bit just over the last 20 to 30 years that I remember it. The member for Halifax Needham speaks of the beautiful, vibrant community that she lives in and I remember when I was in high school going to St. Patrick's High School at the time, most of the homes in the North End at that time was affordable housing.

So, it has shifted quite a bit with people willing to pay more for their homes and it has pushed out the people that have been in those communities for a long time, people who have raised families in that community for a long time. And that's an issue not just in the North End. We're starting to see that in my community, the community that I grew up in in Spryfield. We're starting to see these big homes being built, and a lot of this affordable housing, the rent going up and the mortgages on these homes going from - I mean, I've talked to friends that grew up in the North End who are my age saying, when their parents were young a house in the Hydrostone was $80,000, $50,000. You couldn't get a house in the Hydrostone for $350,000 probably now. So, the price has gone through the roof in these communities and it has pushed out people that have called these communities home and are not able to afford them anymore.

That's why, looking at my community, I'm very proud of Habitat for Humanity realizing the need for housing not just in what people like to think of as "low-income" neighbourhoods and communities, but creating mixed housing and housing throughout HRM. In particular, they're building a very big housing sector in the Spryfield area by some of the new buildings in Governor's Brook, which is more of a $350,000 to $400,000 range for these homes. They're building affordable housing in and around them. They're building them on transit routes. They're building them next to the high school, close to an elementary and junior high. When they're planning out these affordable housing units, they're looking at the community as a whole and realizing some of the barriers low-income people face, in particular with transportation and things like that.

I wanted to take a moment and give a big shout-out to Habitat for Humanity for working with the government and working with the private sector. They've built a few homes in our community, but nothing as ambitious as this community that they're about to build. I think it's probably the largest community they've built anywhere in Canada, so we're very proud of that. (Applause) That will definitely have an impact.

The conversation that I've had with the people at Habitat for Humanity is that this will have an impact on some of the people who are living in this community and other communities, who are renting apartments that are potentially affordable or are affordable. They will hopefully be moving into some of these homes, which will open up some of the stock here in HRM.

[Page 1187]

We all know it is very difficult. We've all been there, trying to rent an apartment in and around HRM, especially around the downtown core. It is extremely expensive.

The member talked about rent subsidies. I've had the privilege to go into housing a few times and speak to some of the individuals who work in housing. I can tell you that their hearts are in the right place. They think about this every single day. Some of the individuals in that department who I've talked to have said that their dreams are filled with housing - that's how much they're engrossed in the situation.

One of the individuals they brought in for expertise - and someone I'm actually personally connected to, as he's my brother-in-law's father - is Jim Graham from AHANS. When I speak about affordable housing to him, Jim is probably one of the most foremost experts in all of Nova Scotia, if not in Canada, on affordable housing. Jim has travelled all around the world, including places like South Africa, to try to change and diversify their affordable housing. Some of the suggestions that have come out and some of the recommendations that are being followed through with consultation from AHANS and ACORN and different organizations is subsidies. Rent subsidies were one of the things that they said that were needed.

Rent subsidies aren't just about a roof over your head. It's also about a choice. It's giving individuals a chance to live somewhere that they want to live. I use the North End as an example. Someone who normally would not be able to afford an apartment in the North End, or in some of the new areas in Spryfield that are being built, or Dartmouth, or Truro, or anywhere, would be able to stay in the community of their choice with a rent subsidy. A lot of times they're choosing these communities because this is where they work, this is where their friends are, and this is where their family is.

I'm not saying that a rent subsidy is the magic bullet that's going to cure all, but it's part of the solution. That's one of the things that speaking to people on the ground and working with the Minister of Community Services and individuals within housing - they understand that this is a multi-pronged approach to housing.

Rent subsidies are not going to work for everybody, so we have to incorporate other methods, and one of them is co-ops. When I think of co-ops, I always think of the expression "everything that's old is new again", because even 10 or 15 years ago in housing, especially in HRM, the big thing was co-ops. We're starting to move back to that, to sustainable co-ops where people have a buy-in to where they live.

I know that AHANS is working hard, hand-in-hand with Housing Nova Scotia, to incorporate some co-ops, some in the Dartmouth area. I know they're working on something there. They use an example in Ottawa - I think it's the City Centre development up there, where they've seen great success when working with co-ops. So, when I talk about a multi-pronged approach it's not just government that needs to be engaged here. It has to be government, private sector, public sector - everybody has to be involved here, all the stakeholders have to be engaged, the people who are living in the homes and, most important, the people who are living there, the people who are searching for affordable housing.

[Page 1188]

These are the people we need to listen to, these are the people who we are listening to, and these are the reasons why we came into government with 1,700 rent subsidies. We now just introduced another 1,500 rent subsidies, almost doubling the amount. We heard this from people living in affordable housing, included in the rent subsidies was a program where it's a floating rent subsidy that's not just associated with the apartment because this is what we see a lot with rent subsidies, that it's attached to an apartment. So, it could be the member for Lunenburg or the member for Cole Harbour, it doesn't matter, whoever lives in that apartment gets that rent subsidy, but it doesn't move with them.

What we've seen in other jurisdictions. Working with stakeholders with extensive consultation, I can tell you that I've attended at least half a dozen meetings where affordable housing stakeholders have been consulted - and that's only a small percentage of the individuals who have been consulted. Some of the things they said were they wanted the rent subsidies attached to the individual, not the apartment.

There is a long way to go. Nobody is saying that the current state of public housing is perfect. I look at my community and Greystone, for example, and I can tell you that there have been massive investments in the public housing. One of the issues we've seen is government after government - and everybody is guilty of it - deferred maintenance on these homes. So, we're seeing people living in public housing where the roof is leaking, where the windows don't shut, where they are infested with rodents. I've seen on the ground in my community massive investments in the public housing sector, in Greystone in particular, in the seniors' homes, to try to address some of these issues.

I'll go back to saying it - and I hate repeating expressions over and over - it is a multi-pronged approach. This is about setting up and ensuring that government is there to support people for their first-time down payment - a massive program to allow people who normally would not be able to afford a mortgage to get into a home. It's about rent subsidies - and the member is right - it's about creating more affordable housing and, most importantly, taking care of the individuals who live in those houses now, giving them a voice and giving them the respect they deserve so that when they go to bed at night there's a roof over their head and they feel safe and secure.

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

MS. BARBARA ADAMS « » : This has been a good day where the House is all co-operating with each other, so I want to continue on in that vein. I do want to thank the member for Halifax Needham and the NDP because they are always bringing this issue to the attention of the Legislature.

[Page 1189]

For those who aren't aware - I know we all are, but for those who aren't, our provincial budget is a little over $11 billion and Community Services takes up almost $1 billion of that. It's a huge budget and it has to be spread around so that all of the community services are supported.

When you look at the recent Ombudsman Annual Report, because it's an independent third party, outside of political pressure, they report on how many people called to complain about the services of various government departments. I notice for this 2017-18 the Department of Community Services received more complaints than any other government department. The one next to that is the Department of Justice, and then the Department of Health and Wellness, which is odd because when you think of how many issues we raise in this House about the Department of Health and Wellness you would think that more people would be calling the Ombudsman than are. But they are not, they are calling about Community Services.

The two things they call the most about, one is Child, Youth and Family Services and, of course, housing goes into that because if children are not living in affordable housing then there can be issues that are raised.

[4:45 p.m.]

We also have employment support and income assistance complaints which are greater than those received by the Department of Health and Wellness. Given the number of complaints we listen to in the House about the Department of Health and Wellness, that's a lot of people calling to complain about income assistance. If you don't have enough money, it's very difficult to find affordable housing.

The Housing Nova Scotia complaints were 41 in 2015-16; 42 in 2016-17; and 41 in 2017-18. While I'm aware that the government has brought out more affordable housing opportunities and they've announced in the past that they were going to invest $18 million to create 1,500 new affordable housing opportunities, the number of complaints has not gone down.

By comparison, the number of complaints to the Nova Scotia Health Authority was 39. That's all of the Nova Scotia Health Authority, every single Nova Scotian. Housing Nova Scotia had 41 complaints.

Complaints about continuing care were 29. Complaints about Housing Nova Scotia were 41.

There were only three complaints in Nova Scotia Pharmacare and we all know that Nova Scotians are struggling with Pharmacare. I want to drive home the point that 41 complaints to the Ombudsman is a serious situation, and it has not improved over the last two years and I don't know how far back.

[Page 1190]

So the NDP has raised the issue that there is not enough affordable housing. There are too many people who are homeless. There are women in Cape Breton who, if they are being abused, have nowhere to go. We have no homeless shelters for youth on the Dartmouth side of Halifax Harbour, something I know that there are many who are passionate about. The question, then, is how have we gotten here and what has the oversight been?

I'm a huge policy-and-procedure kind of person. When you Google the Auditor General's Reports and what he has investigated and reported on - which they then talk about at Public Accounts - you find in 2003, the Auditor General did a report on housing services. In 2007, the Auditor General did a report on regional housing authorities. Since then, there was one on rent supplement housing in 2010, and then, nothing.

The Auditor General is not looking to see how we're spending the money and this would have covered over three different governments. We have to ask, how do we know if the money is being spent wisely? Well, we don't know. The number of complaints that I get as the Critic for Community Services suggests that we're not where we need to be.

I do thank the member for Halifax Atlantic for talking about the non-government ways that we can increase our housing. Of course, the community being involved in that is critical. We need that because government doesn't solve all problems.

I do know that there is a builder in my community, Fred Southern, who I happened to run into one day at City Council because he was looking for a variance in order to build a triplex instead of a duplex. He had to go to a committee of the municipality just to get permission to change one little housing structure. We've had conversations since then on how difficult it is to build low-income housing in this municipality.

I said I didn't even know Fred at the time, but I felt compelled to stand up and say that I worked with elderly my whole life and I know that when they are in housing that does not support their needs for mobility, they move into long-term care.

The more we have affordable housing for those of all ages, the more people we can get out of the hospitals, back into their homes, and keep them out of long-term care for longer. This isn't just a Community Services issue, this is a health care issue. As I mentioned earlier, I have a constituent who is sitting at the Nova Scotia Rehabilitation Centre and can't go home because she doesn't have a wheelchair. The wait time for the wheelchair is over a year.

When we look at the Auditor General's reports, there haven't been any, so then the other group that gets to oversee what Community Services and other government agencies are doing is the agencies, boards and commissions. As many of the members know who've been on the Human Resources Committee, a meeting a short time ago we were appointing people to various agencies, and that was the first time I got to find out that all the housing boards that are under the responsibility of the Department of Community Services were vacant - all of them - except for one person. So, we don't have anybody on those boards to oversee what Community Services is doing. We're missing a voice, Mr. Speaker.

[Page 1191]

When you look at the advertisements for agencies, boards and commissions, 12 of the 14 boards for Community Services have vacancies. I think 10, give or take, are looking for a chairman and a vice-chairman. I'll put to you that I've been to a lot of boards and committees, and if you don't have a chairman or a vice-chairman on a board, you don't have a board. So, we're missing some voices.

Although the New Democratic Party and the Progressive Conservative Party can raise that voice, we're missing the public voice, so I'm calling on the Department of Community Services to try to fill those positions on those boards. Trust me, I know it's not easy. You can advertise but there are people out there I know who would want to be on there. We may need to go beyond applying online for those who don't have access to the Internet, especially those in rural areas, people who don't have computers, people who might not read the newspaper. I think we can do a better job reaching out to those people because I can tell you there's probably about 20 constituents of mine who have called me about Community Services issues who'd be happy to serve on those boards.

The other thing I'd like to call on is for the Auditor General to be asked to do reports on all areas of Community Services: housing; child, youth, and family services; the disability support program; and especially on the employment support and income assistance. So, I'm calling on the minister to call for the Auditor General to do those reports, because health care is directly related to your social situation, and that is directly related to where you live. The number of people who have called my office with nowhere to go and I've had to drive them to homeless shelters, it drives home the point that if you don't have a safe place to live, your health is going to suffer: your physical health, your mental health, and your social health.

I applaud the members from the New Democratic Party, for Halifax Needham, for bringing this forward and I thank the member from across the aisle for bringing his points up. I look forward to further comments in the House.

MR. SPEAKER « » : Thank you very much. The House now stands adjourned.

[The House rose at 4:53 p.m.]

NOTICES OF MOTION UNDER RULE 32(3)

[Page 1192]

RESOLUTION NO. 371

By: Kim Masland (Queens Shelburne)

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

Whereas I celebrate the athletic achievements of Sarah Mitton from Brooklyn, Queens County, in the women's shot put event; and

Whereas she is now ranked in the top 20 in the world with an 18.52 metre throw on August 10, 2018, the second longest in Canadian women's history; and

Whereas while competing in Pennsylvania, she beat her personal best three times in the same evening to achieve this phenomenal feat;

Therefore be it resolved that members of this House of Assembly offer congratulations to Sarah Mitton on her achievements, the dedication she continues to show in the women's shot put, and to wish her every success in fulfilling her Olympic dreams.

RESOLUTION NO. 372

By: Ms. Kim Masland « » (Queens-Shelburne)

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

Whereas for 73 years, aspiring and talented young musicians have performed and competed in the annual Queens County Music Festival; and

Whereas this year's festival took place between April 27^th and May 6^th, involving 70 volunteers who worked to bring us a week of unprecedented local musical talent; and

Whereas I would like to congratulate and thank the festival's executive and organizing committee for the countless hours it takes to plan and implement such an event;

Therefore be it resolved that all members of this House of Assembly join me in offering congratulations.

RESOLUTION NO. 373

[Page 1193]

By: Ms. Kim Masland « » (Queens-Shelburne)

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

Whereas I celebrate the Shelburne County Kings Boys Basketball team, who won the Provincial Under 16 Division 2 Basketball Championship in Dartmouth in April 2018; and

Whereas coming from Shelburne and Lockeport High Schools, their coaches are Tim Roache and Darren Jacklin; and

Whereas with 15 wins and no losses, they were also undefeated in Basketball Nova Scotia play this past season;

Therefore be it resolved that members of this House of Assembly offer congratulations to the players and coaches of the Shelburne County Kings Basketball Under 16 team.

RESOLUTION NO. 374

By: Ms. Alana Paon « » (Cape Breton-Richmond)

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

Whereas any loss of life is tragic and imparts upon family and friends feelings of emptiness and loneliness; and

Whereas Kyle MacMillan of Port Hawkesbury deserves all the respect and honour we have to give for a life that touched so many people and left a lasting impression on his family and community; and

Whereas as we mourn, we also celebrate the contributions of the life, love, and memory of all residents, past and present, of Cape Breton-Richmond;

Therefore be it resolved that all members of this House of Assembly honour and commemorate the life of Kyle MacMillan having his name forever written as historical record in the Nova Scotia Legislative Assembly.

RESOLUTION NO. 375

[Page 1194]

By: Ms. Alana Paon « » (Cape Breton-Richmond)

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

Whereas any loss of life is tragic and imparts upon family and friends feelings of emptiness and loneliness; and

Whereas William Walton "Bill" Charlton of Port Hawkesbury deserves all the respect and honour we have to give for a life that touched so many people and left a lasting impression on his family and community; and

Whereas as we mourn, we also celebrate the contributions of the life, love, and memory of all residents, past and present, of Cape Breton-Richmond;

Therefore be it resolved that all members of this House of Assembly honour and commemorate the life of William Walton "Bill" Charlton having his name forever written as historical record in the Nova Scotia Legislative Assembly.

RESOLUTION NO. 376

By: Ms. Alana Paon « » (Cape Breton-Richmond)

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

Whereas any loss of life is tragic and imparts upon family and friends feelings of emptiness and loneliness; and

Whereas Mary Eleanor Landry of Louisdale deserves all the respect and honour we have to give for a life that touched so many people and left a lasting impression on her family and community; and

Whereas as we mourn, we also celebrate the contributions of the life, love, and memory of all residents, past and present, of Cape Breton-Richmond;

Therefore be it resolved that all members of this House of Assembly honour and commemorate the life of Mary Eleanor Landry having her name forever written as historical record in the Nova Scotia Legislative Assembly.

RESOLUTION NO. 377

[Page 1195]

By: Ms. Alana Paon « » (Cape Breton-Richmond)

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

Whereas any loss of life is tragic and imparts upon family and friends feelings of emptiness and loneliness; and

Whereas Mildred Theresa Sampson of Lynche River deserves all the respect and honour we have to give for a life that touched so many people and left a lasting impression on her family and community; and

Whereas as we mourn, we also celebrate the contributions of the life, love, and memory of all residents, past and present, of Cape Breton-Richmond;

Therefore be it resolved that all members of this House of Assembly honour and commemorate the life of Mildred Theresa Sampson having her name forever written as historical record in the Nova Scotia Legislative Assembly.

RESOLUTION NO. 378

By: Ms. Alana Paon « » (Cape Breton-Richmond)

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

Whereas any loss of life is tragic and imparts upon family and friends feelings of emptiness and loneliness; and

Whereas Nora Ann Landry of Arichat deserves all the respect and honour we have to give for a life that touched so many people and left a lasting impression on her family and community; and

Whereas as we mourn, we also celebrate the contributions of the life, love, and memory of all residents, past and present, of Cape Breton-Richmond;

Therefore be it resolved that all members of this House of Assembly honour and commemorate the life of Nora Ann Landry having her name forever written as historical record in the Nova Scotia Legislative Assembly.

RESOLUTION NO. 379

[Page 1196]

By: Ms. Alana Paon « » (Cape Breton-Richmond)

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

Whereas any loss of life is tragic and imparts upon family and friends feelings of emptiness and loneliness; and

Whereas Arlene Joy Tower of Port Hawkesbury deserves all the respect and honour we have to give for a life that touched so many people and left a lasting impression on her family and community; and

Whereas as we mourn, we also celebrate the contributions of the life, love, and memory of all residents, past and present, of Cape Breton-Richmond;

Therefore be it resolved that all members of this House of Assembly honour and commemorate the life of Arlene Joy Tower having her name forever written as historical record in the Nova Scotia Legislative Assembly.

RESOLUTION NO. 380

By: Ms. Alana Paon « » (Cape Breton-Richmond)

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

Whereas any loss of life is tragic and imparts upon family and friends feelings of emptiness and loneliness; and

Whereas Nathan Paul Sampson of Lower L'Ardoise deserves all the respect and honour we have to give for a life that touched so many people and left a lasting impression on his family and community; and

Whereas as we mourn, we also celebrate the contributions of the life, love, and memory of all residents, past and present, of Cape Breton-Richmond;

Therefore be it resolved that all members of this House of Assembly honour and commemorate the life of Nathan Paul Sampson having his name forever written as historical record in the Nova Scotia Legislative Assembly.

RESOLUTION NO. 381

[Page 1197]

By: Ms. Alana Paon « » (Cape Breton-Richmond)

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

Whereas any loss of life is tragic and imparts upon family and friends feelings of emptiness and loneliness; and

Whereas Patricia Helena Hall of River Bourgeois deserves all the respect and honour we have to give for a life that touched so many people and left a lasting impression on her family and community; and

Whereas as we mourn, we also celebrate the contributions of the life, love, and memory of all residents, past and present, of Cape Breton-Richmond;

Therefore be it resolved that all members of this House of Assembly honour and commemorate the life of Patricia Helena Hall having her name forever written as historical record in the Nova Scotia Legislative Assembly.

RESOLUTION NO. 382

By: Ms. Alana Paon « » (Cape Breton-Richmond)

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

Whereas any loss of life is tragic and imparts upon family and friends feelings of emptiness and loneliness; and

Whereas Jane Elizabeth Martell of Rockdale deserves all the respect and honour we have to give for a life that touched so many people and left a lasting impression on her family and community; and

Whereas as we mourn, we also celebrate the contributions of the life, love, and memory of all residents, past and present, of Cape Breton-Richmond;

Therefore be it resolved that all members of this House of Assembly honour and commemorate the life of Jane Elizabeth Martell having her name forever written as historical record in the Nova Scotia Legislative Assembly.

RESOLUTION NO. 383

[Page 1198]

By: Ms. Alana Paon « » (Cape Breton-Richmond)

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

Whereas any loss of life is tragic and imparts upon family and friends feelings of emptiness and loneliness; and

Whereas Katherine Florence "Kaye" MacDougall of Port Hawkesbury deserves all the respect and honour we have to give for a life that touched so many people and left a lasting impression on her family and community; and

Whereas as we mourn, we also celebrate the contributions of the life, love, and memory of all residents, past and present, of Cape Breton-Richmond;

Therefore be it resolved that all members of this House of Assembly honour and commemorate the life of Katherine Florence "Kaye" MacDougall having her name forever written as historical record in the Nova Scotia Legislative Assembly.

RESOLUTION NO. 384

By: Ms. Alana Paon « » (Cape Breton-Richmond)

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

Whereas any loss of life is tragic and imparts upon family and friends feelings of emptiness and loneliness; and

Whereas Mary Isabelle Boudreau of Arichat deserves all the respect and honour we have to give for a life that touched so many people and left a lasting impression on her family and community; and

Whereas as we mourn, we also celebrate the contributions of the life, love, and memory of all residents, past and present, of Cape Breton-Richmond;

Therefore be it resolved that all members of this House of Assembly honour and commemorate the life of Mary Isabelle Boudreau having her name forever written as historical record in the Nova Scotia Legislative Assembly.

RESOLUTION NO. 385

[Page 1199]

By: Ms. Alana Paon « » (Cape Breton-Richmond)

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

Whereas any loss of life is tragic and imparts upon family and friends feelings of emptiness and loneliness; and

Whereas Mary Irene Marchand of Arichat/Louisdale deserves all the respect and honour we have to give for a life that touched so many people and left a lasting impression on her family and community; and

Whereas as we mourn, we also celebrate the contributions of the life, love, and memory of all residents, past and present, of Cape Breton-Richmond;

Therefore be it resolved that all members of this House of Assembly honour and commemorate the life of Mary Irene Marchand having her name forever written as historical record in the Nova Scotia Legislative Assembly.

RESOLUTION NO. 386

By: Ms. Alana Paon « » (Cape Breton-Richmond)

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

Whereas any loss of life is tragic and imparts upon family and friends feelings of emptiness and loneliness; and

Whereas Cecilia Anita Baccardax of River Bourgeois deserves all the respect and honour we have to give for a life that touched so many people and left a lasting impression on her family and community; and

Whereas as we mourn, we also celebrate the contributions of the life, love, and memory of all residents, past and present, of Cape Breton-Richmond;

Therefore be it resolved that all members of this House of Assembly honour and commemorate the life of Cecilia Anita Baccardax having her name forever written as historical record in the Nova Scotia Legislative Assembly.

RESOLUTION NO. 387

[Page 1200]

By: Ms. Alana Paon « » (Cape Breton-Richmond)

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

Whereas any loss of life is tragic and imparts upon family and friends feelings of emptiness and loneliness; and

Whereas Mary Claire Fogeron of Martinique deserves all the respect and honour we have to give for a life that touched so many people and left a lasting impression on her family and community; and

Whereas as we mourn, we also celebrate the contributions of the life, love, and memory of all residents, past and present, of Cape Breton-Richmond;

Therefore be it resolved that all members of this House of Assembly honour and commemorate the life of Mary Claire Fogeron having her name forever written as historical record in the Nova Scotia Legislative Assembly.

RESOLUTION NO. 388

By: Ms. Alana Paon « » (Cape Breton-Richmond)

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

Whereas any loss of life is tragic and imparts upon family and friends feelings of emptiness and loneliness; and

Whereas Roy Wilford Malcolm of Port Malcolm deserves all the respect and honour we have to give for a life that touched so many people and left a lasting impression on his family and community; and

Whereas as we mourn, we also celebrate the contributions of the life, love, and memory of all residents, past and present, of Cape Breton-Richmond;

Therefore be it resolved that all members of this House of Assembly honour and commemorate the life of Roy Wilford Malcolm having his name forever written as historical record in the Nova Scotia Legislative Assembly.

RESOLUTION NO. 389

[Page 1201]

By: Ms. Alana Paon « » (Cape Breton-Richmond)

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

Whereas any loss of life is tragic and imparts upon family and friends feelings of emptiness and loneliness; and

Whereas Shirley Ann Carpenter of D'Escousse deserves all the respect and honour we have to give for a life that touched so many people and left a lasting impression on her family and community; and

Whereas as we mourn, we also celebrate the contributions of the life, love, and memory of all residents, past and present, of Cape Breton-Richmond;

Therefore be it resolved that all members of this House of Assembly honour and commemorate the life of Shirley Ann Carpenter having her name forever written as historical record in the Nova Scotia Legislative Assembly.

RESOLUTION NO. 390

By: Ms. Alana Paon « » (Cape Breton-Richmond)

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

Whereas any loss of life is tragic and imparts upon family and friends feelings of emptiness and loneliness; and

Whereas Sharon Veronica Corbett of Port Hawkesbury deserves all the respect and honour we have to give for a life that touched so many people and left a lasting impression on her family and community; and

Whereas as we mourn, we also celebrate the contributions of the life, love, and memory of all residents, past and present, of Cape Breton-Richmond;

Therefore be it resolved that all members of this House of Assembly honour and commemorate the life of Sharon Veronica Corbett having her name forever written as historical record in the Nova Scotia Legislative Assembly.

RESOLUTION NO. 391

[Page 1202]

By: Ms. Alana Paon « » (Cape Breton-Richmond)

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

Whereas any loss of life is tragic and imparts upon family and friends feelings of emptiness and loneliness; and

Whereas Shirley Mary Bonin of Poirierville deserves all the respect and honour we have to give for a life that touched so many people and left a lasting impression on her family and community; and

Whereas as we mourn, we also celebrate the contributions of the life, love, and memory of all residents, past and present, of Cape Breton-Richmond;

Therefore be it resolved that all members of this House of Assembly honour and commemorate the life of Shirley Mary Bonin having her name forever written as historical record in the Nova Scotia Legislative Assembly.

RESOLUTION NO. 392

By: Ms. Alana Paon « » (Cape Breton-Richmond)

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

Whereas any loss of life is tragic and imparts upon family and friends feelings of emptiness and loneliness; and

Whereas William Joseph "Billy" MacInnis of Port Hawkesbury deserves all the respect and honour we have to give for a life that touched so many people and left a lasting impression on his family and community; and

Whereas as we mourn, we also celebrate the contributions of the life, love, and memory of all residents, past and present, of Cape Breton-Richmond;

Therefore be it resolved that all members of this House of Assembly honour and commemorate the life of William Joseph "Billy" MacInnis having his name forever written as historical record in the Nova Scotia Legislative Assembly.

RESOLUTION NO. 393

[Page 1203]

By: Ms. Alana Paon « » (Cape Breton-Richmond)

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

Whereas any loss of life is tragic and imparts upon family and friends feelings of emptiness and loneliness; and

Whereas Donna Jeannette Marchand of Louisdale deserves all the respect and honour we have to give for a life that touched so many people and left a lasting impression on her family and community; and

Whereas as we mourn, we also celebrate the contributions of the life, love, and memory of all residents, past and present, of Cape Breton-Richmond;

Therefore be it resolved that all members of this House of Assembly honour and commemorate the life of Donna Jeannette Marchand having her name forever written as historical record in the Nova Scotia Legislative Assembly.

RESOLUTION NO. 394

By: Ms. Alana Paon « » (Cape Breton-Richmond)

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

Whereas any loss of life is tragic and imparts upon family and friends feelings of emptiness and loneliness; and

Whereas Mary Edith Burton of Arichat deserves all the respect and honour we have to give for a life that touched so many people and left a lasting impression on her family and community; and

Whereas as we mourn, we also celebrate the contributions of the life, love, and memory of all residents, past and present, of Cape Breton-Richmond;

Therefore be it resolved that all members of this House of Assembly honour and commemorate the life of Mary Edith Burton having her name forever written as historical record in the Nova Scotia Legislative Assembly.

RESOLUTION NO. 395

[Page 1204]

By: Ms. Alana Paon « » (Cape Breton-Richmond)

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

Whereas any loss of life is tragic and imparts upon family and friends feelings of emptiness and loneliness; and

Whereas Jennie Walsh (nee Peinsznski) of Port Hawkesbury deserves all the respect and honour we have to give for a life that touched so many people and left a lasting impression on her family and community; and

Whereas as we mourn, we also celebrate the contributions of the life, love, and memory of all residents, past and present, of Cape Breton-Richmond;

Therefore be it resolved that all members of this House of Assembly honour and commemorate the life of Jennie Walsh (nee Peinsznski) having her name forever written as historical record in the Nova Scotia Legislative Assembly.

RESOLUTION NO. 396

By: Ms. Alana Paon « » (Cape Breton-Richmond)

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

Whereas any loss of life is tragic and imparts upon family and friends feelings of emptiness and loneliness; and

Whereas Arlene Faith LeBlanc McNamara of Lower River Inhabitants deserves all the respect and honour we have to give for a life that touched so many people and left a lasting impression on her family and community; and

Whereas as we mourn, we also celebrate the contributions of the life, love, and memory of all residents, past and present, of Cape Breton-Richmond;

Therefore be it resolved that all members of this House of Assembly honour and commemorate the life of Arlene Faith LeBlanc McNamara having her name forever written as historical record in the Nova Scotia Legislative Assembly.

RESOLUTION NO. 397

[Page 1205]

By: Ms. Alana Paon « » (Cape Breton-Richmond)

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

Whereas any loss of life is tragic and imparts upon family and friends feelings of emptiness and loneliness; and

Whereas Lexina Groom of Grande Greve deserves all the respect and honour we have to give for a life that touched so many people and left a lasting impression on her family and community; and

Whereas as we mourn, we also celebrate the contributions of the life, love, and memory of all residents, past and present, of Cape Breton-Richmond;

Therefore be it resolved that all members of this House of Assembly honour and commemorate the life of Lexina Groom having her name forever written as historical record in the Nova Scotia Legislative Assembly.

RESOLUTION NO. 398

By: Ms. Alana Paon « » (Cape Breton-Richmond)

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

Whereas any loss of life is tragic and imparts upon family and friends feelings of emptiness and loneliness; and

Whereas George Edward Stone of River Bourgeois deserves all the respect and honour we have to give for a life that touched so many people and left a lasting impression on his family and community; and

Whereas as we mourn, we also celebrate the contributions of the life, love, and memory of all residents, past and present, of Cape Breton-Richmond;

Therefore be it resolved that all members of this House of Assembly honour and commemorate the life of George Edward Stone having his name forever written as historical record in the Nova Scotia Legislative Assembly.

RESOLUTION NO. 399

[Page 1206]

By: Ms. Alana Paon « » (Cape Breton-Richmond)

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

Whereas any loss of life is tragic and imparts upon family and friends feelings of emptiness and loneliness; and

Whereas Mary "Mae" Marjorie Mombourquette of Lower L'Ardoise deserves all the respect and honour we have to give for a life that touched so many people and left a lasting impression on her family and community; and

Whereas as we mourn, we also celebrate the contributions of the life, love, and memory of all residents, past and present, of Cape Breton-Richmond;

Therefore be it resolved that all members of this House of Assembly honour and commemorate the life of Mary "Mae" Marjorie Mombourquette having her name forever written as historical record in the Nova Scotia Legislative Assembly.

RESOLUTION NO. 400

By: Ms. Alana Paon « » (Cape Breton-Richmond)

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

Whereas any loss of life is tragic and imparts upon family and friends feelings of emptiness and loneliness; and

Whereas Lorraine Gloria MacKillop of Grand River deserves all the respect and honour we have to give for a life that touched so many people and left a lasting impression on her family and community; and

Whereas as we mourn, we also celebrate the contributions of the life, love, and memory of all residents, past and present, of Cape Breton-Richmond;

Therefore be it resolved that all members of this House of Assembly honour and commemorate the life of Lorraine Gloria MacKillop having her name forever written as historical record in the Nova Scotia Legislative Assembly.

RESOLUTION NO. 401

[Page 1207]

By: Ms. Alana Paon « » (Cape Breton-Richmond)

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

Whereas any loss of life is tragic and imparts upon family and friends feelings of emptiness and loneliness; and

Whereas David Everett Clow of River Bourgeois deserves all the respect and honour we have to give for a life that touched so many people and left a lasting impression on his family and community; and

Whereas as we mourn, we also celebrate the contributions of the life, love, and memory of all residents, past and present, of Cape Breton-Richmond;

Therefore be it resolved that all members of this House of Assembly honour and commemorate the life of David Everett Clow having his name forever written as historical record in the Nova Scotia Legislative Assembly.

RESOLUTION NO. 402

By: Ms. Alana Paon « » (Cape Breton-Richmond)

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

Whereas any loss of life is tragic and imparts upon family and friends feelings of emptiness and loneliness; and

Whereas Muriel Mary Nicholl of Arichat deserves all the respect and honour we have to give for a life that touched so many people and left a lasting impression on her family and community; and

Whereas as we mourn, we also celebrate the contributions of the life, love, and memory of all residents, past and present, of Cape Breton-Richmond;

Therefore be it resolved that all members of this House of Assembly honour and commemorate the life of Muriel Mary Nicholl having her name forever written as historical record in the Nova Scotia Legislative Assembly.

RESOLUTION NO. 403

[Page 1208]

By: Ms. Alana Paon « » (Cape Breton-Richmond)

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

Whereas any loss of life is tragic and imparts upon family and friends feelings of emptiness and loneliness; and

Whereas John Theodore Landry of Petit-de-Grat deserves all the respect and honour we have to give for a life that touched so many people and left a lasting impression on his family and community; and

Whereas as we mourn, we also celebrate the contributions of the life, love, and memory of all residents, past and present, of Cape Breton-Richmond;

Therefore be it resolved that all members of this House of Assembly honour and commemorate the life of John Theodore Landry having his name forever written as historical record in the Nova Scotia Legislative Assembly.

RESOLUTION NO. 404

By: Ms. Alana Paon « » (Cape Breton-Richmond)

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

Whereas any loss of life is tragic and imparts upon family and friends feelings of emptiness and loneliness; and

Whereas William George Baldwin of L'Ardoise deserves all the respect and honour we have to give for a life that touched so many people and left a lasting impression on his family and community; and

Whereas as we mourn, we also celebrate the contributions of the life, love, and memory of all residents, past and present, of Cape Breton-Richmond;

Therefore be it resolved that all members of this House of Assembly honour and commemorate the life of William George Baldwin having his name forever written as historical record in the Nova Scotia Legislative Assembly.

RESOLUTION NO. 405

[Page 1209]

By: Ms. Alana Paon « » (Cape Breton-Richmond)

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

Whereas any loss of life is tragic and imparts upon family and friends feelings of emptiness and loneliness; and

Whereas Margaret "Evelyn" Burke of River Bourgeois deserves all the respect and honour we have to give for a life that touched so many people and left a lasting impression on her family and community; and

Whereas as we mourn, we also celebrate the contributions of the life, love, and memory of all residents, past and present, of Cape Breton-Richmond;

Therefore be it resolved that all members of this House of Assembly honour and commemorate the life of Margaret "Evelyn" Burke having her name forever written as historical record in the Nova Scotia Legislative Assembly.

RESOLUTION NO. 406

By: Ms. Alana Paon « » (Cape Breton-Richmond)

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

Whereas any loss of life is tragic and imparts upon family and friends feelings of emptiness and loneliness; and

Whereas Mary "Christena" Rosello of Port Hawkesbury deserves all the respect and honour we have to give for a life that touched so many people and left a lasting impression on her family and community; and

Whereas as we mourn, we also celebrate the contributions of the life, love, and memory of all residents, past and present, of Cape Breton-Richmond;

Therefore be it resolved that all members of this House of Assembly honour and commemorate the life of Mary "Christena" Rosello having her name forever written as historical record in the Nova Scotia Legislative Assembly.

RESOLUTION NO. 407

[Page 1210]

By: Ms. Alana Paon « » (Cape Breton-Richmond)

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

Whereas any loss of life is tragic and imparts upon family and friends feelings of emptiness and loneliness; and

Whereas Georgina Catherine "Jean" Richardson of Evanston deserves all the respect and honour we have to give for a life that touched so many people and left a lasting impression on her family and community; and

Whereas as we mourn, we also celebrate the contributions of the life, love, and memory of all residents, past and present, of Cape Breton-Richmond;

Therefore be it resolved that all members of this House of Assembly honour and commemorate the life of Georgina Catherine "Jean" Richardson having her name forever written as historical record in the Nova Scotia Legislative Assembly.

RESOLUTION NO. 408

By: Ms. Alana Paon « » (Cape Breton-Richmond)

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

Whereas any loss of life is tragic and imparts upon family and friends feelings of emptiness and loneliness; and

Whereas Marie Cameron of Creignish/St. Peter's deserves all the respect and honour we have to give for a life that touched so many people and left a lasting impression on her family and community; and

Whereas as we mourn, we also celebrate the contributions of the life, love, and memory of all residents, past and present, of Cape Breton-Richmond;

Therefore be it resolved that all members of this House of Assembly honour and commemorate the life of Marie Cameron having her name forever written as historical record in the Nova Scotia Legislative Assembly.

RESOLUTION NO. 409

[Page 1211]

By: Ms. Alana Paon « » (Cape Breton-Richmond)

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

Whereas any loss of life is tragic and imparts upon family and friends feelings of emptiness and loneliness; and

Whereas Mary Veronica Marshall of Potlotek deserves all the respect and honour we have to give for a life that touched so many people and left a lasting impression on her family and community; and

Whereas as we mourn, we also celebrate the contributions of the life, love, and memory of all residents, past and present, of Cape Breton-Richmond;

Therefore be it resolved that all members of this House of Assembly honour and commemorate the life of Mary Veronica Marshall having her name forever written as historical record in the Nova Scotia Legislative Assembly.

RESOLUTION NO. 410

By: Ms. Alana Paon « » (Cape Breton-Richmond)

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

Whereas any loss of life is tragic and imparts upon family and friends feelings of emptiness and loneliness; and

Whereas Alonzo Leo Martell of L'Ardoise deserves all the respect and honour we have to give for a life that touched so many people and left a lasting impression on his family and community; and

Whereas as we mourn, we also celebrate the contributions of the life, love, and memory of all residents, past and present, of Cape Breton-Richmond;

Therefore be it resolved that all members of this House of Assembly honour and commemorate the life of Alonzo Leo Martell having his name forever written as historical record in the Nova Scotia Legislative Assembly.

RESOLUTION NO. 411

[Page 1212]

By: Ms. Alana Paon « » (Cape Breton-Richmond)

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

Whereas any loss of life is tragic and imparts upon family and friends feelings of emptiness and loneliness; and

Whereas Jason Anthony Marryatt of Petit-de-Grat deserves all the respect and honour we have to give for a life that touched so many people and left a lasting impression on his family and community; and

Whereas as we mourn, we also celebrate the contributions of the life, love, and memory of all residents, past and present, of Cape Breton-Richmond;

Therefore be it resolved that all members of this House of Assembly honour and commemorate the life of Jason Anthony Marryatt having his name forever written as historical record in the Nova Scotia Legislative Assembly.

RESOLUTION NO. 412

By: Ms. Alana Paon « » (Cape Breton-Richmond)

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

Whereas any loss of life is tragic and imparts upon family and friends feelings of emptiness and loneliness; and

Whereas Darren Ralph Theriault of Arichat deserves all the respect and honour we have to give for a life that touched so many people and left a lasting impression on his family and community; and

Whereas as we mourn, we also celebrate the contributions of the life, love, and memory of all residents, past and present, of Cape Breton-Richmond;

Therefore be it resolved that all members of this House of Assembly honour and commemorate the life of Darren Ralph Theriault having his name forever written as historical record in the Nova Scotia Legislative Assembly.

RESOLUTION NO. 413

[Page 1213]

By: Ms. Alana Paon « » (Cape Breton-Richmond)

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

Whereas any loss of life is tragic and imparts upon family and friends feelings of emptiness and loneliness; and

Whereas Laura Bernice Fougere of Poulamon deserves all the respect and honour we have to give for a life that touched so many people and left a lasting impression on her family and community; and

Whereas as we mourn, we also celebrate the contributions of the life, love, and memory of all residents, past and present, of Cape Breton-Richmond;

Therefore be it resolved that all members of this House of Assembly honour and commemorate the life of Laura Bernice Fougere having her name forever written as historical record in the Nova Scotia Legislative Assembly.

RESOLUTION NO. 414

By: Ms. Alana Paon « » (Cape Breton-Richmond)

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

Whereas any loss of life is tragic and imparts upon family and friends feelings of emptiness and loneliness; and

Whereas John Henry Hopkins of Arichat, formerly of Louisdale, deserves all the respect and honour we have to give for a life that touched so many people and left a lasting impression on his family and community; and

Whereas as we mourn, we also celebrate the contributions of the life, love, and memory of all residents, past and present, of Cape Breton-Richmond;

Therefore be it resolved that all members of this House of Assembly honour and commemorate the life of John Henry Hopkins having his name forever written as historical record in the Nova Scotia Legislative Assembly.

RESOLUTION NO. 415

[Page 1214]

By: Ms. Alana Paon « » (Cape Breton-Richmond)

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

Whereas any loss of life is tragic and imparts upon family and friends feelings of emptiness and loneliness; and

Whereas Florence "Annie" Ann Hines of Three Island Cove deserves all the respect and honour we have to give for a life that touched so many people and left a lasting impression on her family and community; and

Whereas as we mourn, we also celebrate the contributions of the life, love, and memory of all residents, past and present, of Cape Breton-Richmond;

Therefore be it resolved that all members of this House of Assembly honour and commemorate the life of Florence "Annie" Ann Hines having her name forever written as historical record in the Nova Scotia Legislative Assembly.

RESOLUTION NO. 416

By: Ms. Alana Paon « » (Cape Breton-Richmond)

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

Whereas any loss of life is tragic and imparts upon family and friends feelings of emptiness and loneliness; and

Whereas Roderick Bonin of Lochside deserves all the respect and honour we have to give for a life that touched so many people and left a lasting impression on his family and community; and

Whereas as we mourn, we also celebrate the contributions of the life, love, and memory of all residents, past and present, of Cape Breton-Richmond;

Therefore be it resolved that all members of this House of Assembly honour and commemorate the life of Roderick Bonin having his name forever written as historical record in the Nova Scotia Legislative Assembly.

RESOLUTION NO. 417

[Page 1215]

By: Ms. Alana Paon « » (Cape Breton-Richmond)

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

Whereas any loss of life is tragic and imparts upon family and friends feelings of emptiness and loneliness; and

Whereas Roy Clifford Fougere of River Bourgeois deserves all the respect and honour we have to give for a life that touched so many people and left a lasting impression on his family and community; and

Whereas as we mourn, we also celebrate the contributions of the life, love, and memory of all residents, past and present, of Cape Breton-Richmond;

Therefore be it resolved that all members of this House of Assembly honour and commemorate the life of Roy Clifford Fougere having his name forever written as historical record in the Nova Scotia Legislative Assembly.

RESOLUTION NO. 418

By: Ms. Alana Paon « » (Cape Breton-Richmond)

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

Whereas any loss of life is tragic and imparts upon family and friends feelings of emptiness and loneliness; and

Whereas Maizie Christine DeMone (Hebb) of St. Peter's deserves all the respect and honour we have to give for a life that touched so many people and left a lasting impression on her family and community; and

Whereas as we mourn, we also celebrate the contributions of the life, love, and memory of all residents, past and present, of Cape Breton-Richmond;

Therefore be it resolved that all members of this House of Assembly honour and commemorate the life of Maizie Christine DeMone (Hebb) having her name forever written as historical record in the Nova Scotia Legislative Assembly.

RESOLUTION NO. 419

[Page 1216]

By: Ms. Alana Paon « » (Cape Breton-Richmond)

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

Whereas any loss of life is tragic and imparts upon family and friends feelings of emptiness and loneliness; and

Whereas Alfred Thomas Paon of D'Escousse deserves all the respect and honour we have to give for a life that touched so many people and left a lasting impression on his family and community; and

Whereas as we mourn, we also celebrate the contributions of the life, love, and memory of all residents, past and present, of Cape Breton-Richmond;

Therefore be it resolved that all members of this House of Assembly honour and commemorate the life of Alfred Thomas Paon having his name forever written as historical record in the Nova Scotia Legislative Assembly.

RESOLUTION NO. 420

By: Ms. Alana Paon « » (Cape Breton-Richmond)

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

Whereas any loss of life is tragic and imparts upon family and friends feelings of emptiness and loneliness; and

Whereas Mary Lila Carter of Sampsonville deserves all the respect and honour we have to give for a life that touched so many people and left a lasting impression on her family and community; and

Whereas as we mourn, we also celebrate the contributions of the life, love, and memory of all residents, past and present, of Cape Breton-Richmond;

Therefore be it resolved that all members of this House of Assembly honour and commemorate the life of Mary Lila Carter having her name forever written as historical record in the Nova Scotia Legislative Assembly.

RESOLUTION NO. 421

[Page 1217]

By: Ms. Alana Paon « » (Cape Breton-Richmond)

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

Whereas any loss of life is tragic and imparts upon family and friends feelings of emptiness and loneliness; and

Whereas Margaret Alice Landry of Rockdale deserves all the respect and honour we have to give for a life that touched so many people and left a lasting impression on her family and community; and

Whereas as we mourn, we also celebrate the contributions of the life, love, and memory of all residents, past and present, of Cape Breton-Richmond;

Therefore be it resolved that all members of this House of Assembly honour and commemorate the life of Margaret Alice Landry having her name forever written as historical record in the Nova Scotia Legislative Assembly.

RESOLUTION NO. 422

By: Ms. Alana Paon « » (Cape Breton-Richmond)

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

Whereas any loss of life is tragic and imparts upon family and friends feelings of emptiness and loneliness; and

Whereas Lucille Mary LeJeune of West Arichat deserves all the respect and honour we have to give for a life that touched so many people and left a lasting impression on her family and community; and

Whereas as we mourn, we also celebrate the contributions of the life, love, and memory of all residents, past and present, of Cape Breton-Richmond;

Therefore be it resolved that all members of this House of Assembly honour and commemorate the life of Lucille Mary LeJeune having her name forever written as historical record in the Nova Scotia Legislative Assembly.

RESOLUTION NO. 423

[Page 1218]

By: Ms. Alana Paon « » (Cape Breton-Richmond)

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

Whereas any loss of life is tragic and imparts upon family and friends feelings of emptiness and loneliness; and

Whereas Gervis Lawrence Benoit of L'Ardoise deserves all the respect and honour we have to give for a life that touched so many people and left a lasting impression on his family and community; and

Whereas as we mourn, we also celebrate the contributions of the life, love, and memory of all residents, past and present, of Cape Breton-Richmond;

Therefore be it resolved that all members of this House of Assembly honour and commemorate the life of Gervis Lawrence Benoit having his name forever written as historical record in the Nova Scotia Legislative Assembly.

RESOLUTION NO. 424

By: Ms. Alana Paon « » (Cape Breton-Richmond)

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

Whereas any loss of life is tragic and imparts upon family and friends feelings of emptiness and loneliness; and

Whereas Julia Beatrice Roberts of Kempt Road deserves all the respect and honour we have to give for a life that touched so many people and left a lasting impression on her family and community; and

Whereas as we mourn, we also celebrate the contributions of the life, love, and memory of all residents, past and present, of Cape Breton-Richmond;

Therefore be it resolved that all members of this House of Assembly honour and commemorate the life of Julia Beatrice Roberts having her name forever written as historical record in the Nova Scotia Legislative Assembly.

RESOLUTION NO. 425

[Page 1219]

By: Ms. Alana Paon « » (Cape Breton-Richmond)

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

Whereas any loss of life is tragic and imparts upon family and friends feelings of emptiness and loneliness; and

Whereas Joseph David "Joe" McNamara of Evanston deserves all the respect and honour we have to give for a life that touched so many people and left a lasting impression on his family and community; and

Whereas as we mourn, we also celebrate the contributions of the life, love, and memory of all residents, past and present, of Cape Breton-Richmond;

Therefore be it resolved that all members of this House of Assembly honour and commemorate the life of Joseph David "Joe" McNamara having his name forever written as historical record in the Nova Scotia Legislative Assembly.

RESOLUTION NO. 426

By: Ms. Alana Paon « » (Cape Breton-Richmond)

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

Whereas any loss of life is tragic and imparts upon family and friends feelings of emptiness and loneliness; and

Whereas Bernard Lawrence Samson of Petit-de-Grat deserves all the respect and honour we have to give for a life that touched so many people and left a lasting impression on his family and community; and

Whereas as we mourn, we also celebrate the contributions of the life, love, and memory of all residents, past and present, of Cape Breton-Richmond;

Therefore be it resolved that all members of this House of Assembly honour and commemorate the life of Bernard Lawrence Samson having his name forever written as historical record in the Nova Scotia Legislative Assembly.

RESOLUTION NO. 427

[Page 1220]

By: Ms. Alana Paon « » (Cape Breton-Richmond)

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

Whereas any loss of life is tragic and imparts upon family and friends feelings of emptiness and loneliness; and

Whereas Thomas Leonard Covin of Chapel Island deserves all the respect and honour we have to give for a life that touched so many people and left a lasting impression on his family and community; and

Whereas as we mourn, we also celebrate the contributions of the life, love, and memory of all residents, past and present, of Cape Breton-Richmond;

Therefore be it resolved that all members of this House of Assembly honour and commemorate the life of Thomas Leonard Covin having his name forever written as historical record in the Nova Scotia Legislative Assembly.

RESOLUTION NO. 428

By: Ms. Alana Paon « » (Cape Breton-Richmond)

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

Whereas any loss of life is tragic and imparts upon family and friends feelings of emptiness and loneliness; and

Whereas Isaac MacInnis of St. Peter's/Skye Glen deserves all the respect and honour we have to give for a life that touched so many people and left a lasting impression on his family and community; and

Whereas as we mourn, we also celebrate the contributions of the life, love, and memory of all residents, past and present, of Cape Breton-Richmond;

Therefore be it resolved that all members of this House of Assembly honour and commemorate the life of Isaac MacInnis having his name forever written as historical record in the Nova Scotia Legislative Assembly.

RESOLUTION NO. 429

[Page 1221]

By: Ms. Alana Paon « » (Cape Breton-Richmond)

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

Whereas any loss of life is tragic and imparts upon family and friends feelings of emptiness and loneliness; and

Whereas Joseph Howard Samson of Arichat deserves all the respect and honour we have to give for a life that touched so many people and left a lasting impression on his family and community; and

Whereas as we mourn, we also celebrate the contributions of the life, love, and memory of all residents, past and present, of Cape Breton-Richmond;

Therefore be it resolved that all members of this House of Assembly honour and commemorate the life of Joseph Howard Samson having his name forever written as historical record in the Nova Scotia Legislative Assembly.

RESOLUTION NO. 430

By: Ms. Alana Paon « » (Cape Breton-Richmond)

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

Whereas any loss of life is tragic and imparts upon family and friends feelings of emptiness and loneliness; and

Whereas Carol Joseph Meunier of West Arichat deserves all the respect and honour we have to give for a life that touched so many people and left a lasting impression on his family and community; and

Whereas as we mourn, we also celebrate the contributions of the life, love, and memory of all residents, past and present, of Cape Breton-Richmond;

Therefore be it resolved that all members of this House of Assembly honour and commemorate the life of Carol Joseph Meunier having his name forever written as historical record in the Nova Scotia Legislative Assembly.

RESOLUTION NO. 431

[Page 1222]

By: Ms. Alana Paon « » (Cape Breton-Richmond)

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

Whereas any loss of life is tragic and imparts upon family and friends feelings of emptiness and loneliness; and

Whereas Bernard Amable Boudreau of West Arichat deserves all the respect and honour we have to give for a life that touched so many people and left a lasting impression on his family and community; and

Whereas as we mourn, we also celebrate the contributions of the life, love, and memory of all residents, past and present, of Cape Breton-Richmond;

Therefore be it resolved that all members of this House of Assembly honour and commemorate the life of Bernard Amable Boudreau having his name forever written as historical record in the Nova Scotia Legislative Assembly.

RESOLUTION NO. 432

By: Ms. Alana Paon « » (Cape Breton-Richmond)

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

Whereas any loss of life is tragic and imparts upon family and friends feelings of emptiness and loneliness; and

Whereas Mary Frances "Francy" Hewings of Lochside deserves all the respect and honour we have to give for a life that touched so many people and left a lasting impression on her family and community; and

Whereas as we mourn, we also celebrate the contributions of the life, love, and memory of all residents, past and present, of Cape Breton-Richmond;

Therefore be it resolved that all members of this House of Assembly honour and commemorate the life of Mary Frances "Francy" Hewings having her name forever written as historical record in the Nova Scotia Legislative Assembly.

RESOLUTION NO. 433

[Page 1223]

By: Ms. Alana Paon « » (Cape Breton-Richmond)

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

Whereas any loss of life is tragic and imparts upon family and friends feelings of emptiness and loneliness; and

Whereas Melissa Holly Burke of St. Peter's deserves all the respect and honour we have to give for a life that touched so many people and left a lasting impression on her family and community; and

Whereas as we mourn, we also celebrate the contributions of the life, love, and memory of all residents, past and present, of Cape Breton-Richmond;

Therefore be it resolved that all members of this House of Assembly honour and commemorate the life of Melissa Holly Burke having her name forever written as historical record in the Nova Scotia Legislative Assembly.

RESOLUTION NO. 434

By: Ms. Alana Paon « » (Cape Breton-Richmond)

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

Whereas any loss of life is tragic and imparts upon family and friends feelings of emptiness and loneliness; and

Whereas Harriett "Jean" Harris of Port Hawkesbury deserves all the respect and honour we have to give for a life that touched so many people and left a lasting impression on her family and community; and

Whereas as we mourn, we also celebrate the contributions of the life, love, and memory of all residents, past and present, of Cape Breton-Richmond;

Therefore be it resolved that all members of this House of Assembly honour and commemorate the life of Harriett "Jean" Harris having her name forever written as historical record in the Nova Scotia Legislative Assembly.

RESOLUTION NO. 435

[Page 1224]

By: Ms. Alana Paon « » (Cape Breton-Richmond)

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

Whereas any loss of life is tragic and imparts upon family and friends feelings of emptiness and loneliness; and

Whereas Bruno John Isaac of Potlotek deserves all the respect and honour we have to give for a life that touched so many people and left a lasting impression on his family and community; and

Whereas as we mourn, we also celebrate the contributions of the life, love, and memory of all residents, past and present, of Cape Breton-Richmond;

Therefore be it resolved that all members of this House of Assembly honour and commemorate the life of Bruno John Isaac having his name forever written as historical record in the Nova Scotia Legislative Assembly.

RESOLUTION NO. 436

By: Ms. Alana Paon « » (Cape Breton-Richmond)

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

Whereas any loss of life is tragic and imparts upon family and friends feelings of emptiness and loneliness; and

Whereas Joy Violet Gibson of River Bourgeois deserves all the respect and honour we have to give for a life that touched so many people and left a lasting impression on her family and community; and

Whereas as we mourn, we also celebrate the contributions of the life, love, and memory of all residents, past and present, of Cape Breton-Richmond;

Therefore be it resolved that all members of this House of Assembly honour and commemorate the life of Joy Violet Gibson having her name forever written as historical record in the Nova Scotia Legislative Assembly.

RESOLUTION NO. 437

[Page 1225]

By: Ms. Alana Paon « » (Cape Breton-Richmond)

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

Whereas any loss of life is tragic and imparts upon family and friends feelings of emptiness and loneliness; and

Whereas Hazel Loyola "Roseann" Proctor of Evanston deserves all the respect and honour we have to give for a life that touched so many people and left a lasting impression on her family and community; and

Whereas as we mourn, we also celebrate the contributions of the life, love, and memory of all residents, past and present, of Cape Breton-Richmond;

Therefore be it resolved that all members of this House of Assembly honour and commemorate the life of Hazel Loyola "Roseann" Proctor having her name forever written as historical record in the Nova Scotia Legislative Assembly.

RESOLUTION NO. 438

By: Ms. Alana Paon « » (Cape Breton-Richmond)

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

Whereas any loss of life is tragic and imparts upon family and friends feelings of emptiness and loneliness; and

Whereas William Murray Marshall of Potlotek deserves all the respect and honour we have to give for a life that touched so many people and left a lasting impression on his family and community; and

Whereas as we mourn, we also celebrate the contributions of the life, love, and memory of all residents, past and present, of Cape Breton-Richmond;

Therefore be it resolved that all members of this House of Assembly honour and commemorate the life of William Murray Marshall having his name forever written as historical record in the Nova Scotia Legislative Assembly.

RESOLUTION NO. 439

[Page 1226]

By: Ms. Alana Paon « » (Cape Breton-Richmond)

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

Whereas any loss of life is tragic and imparts upon family and friends feelings of emptiness and loneliness; and

Whereas Ralph Richard Sampson of Rockdale deserves all the respect and honour we have to give for a life that touched so many people and left a lasting impression on his family and community; and

Whereas as we mourn, we also celebrate the contributions of the life, love, and memory of all residents, past and present, of Cape Breton-Richmond;

Therefore be it resolved that all members of this House of Assembly honour and commemorate the life of Ralph Richard Sampson having his name forever written as historical record in the Nova Scotia Legislative Assembly.

RESOLUTION NO. 440

By: Ms. Alana Paon « » (Cape Breton-Richmond)

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

Whereas any loss of life is tragic and imparts upon family and friends feelings of emptiness and loneliness; and

Whereas Frances "Lorraine" Kennedy of Port Hawkesbury deserves all the respect and honour we have to give for a life that touched so many people and left a lasting impression on her family and community; and

Whereas as we mourn, we also celebrate the contributions of the life, love, and memory of all residents, past and present, of Cape Breton-Richmond;

Therefore be it resolved that all members of this House of Assembly honour and commemorate the life of Frances "Lorraine" Kennedy having her name forever written as historical record in the Nova Scotia Legislative Assembly.

RESOLUTION NO. 441

[Page 1227]

By: Ms. Alana Paon « » (Cape Breton-Richmond)

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

Whereas any loss of life is tragic and imparts upon family and friends feelings of emptiness and loneliness; and

Whereas Zilda Mary Gerard of West Arichat deserves all the respect and honour we have to give for a life that touched so many people and left a lasting impression on her family and community; and

Whereas as we mourn, we also celebrate the contributions of the life, love, and memory of all residents, past and present, of Cape Breton-Richmond;

Therefore be it resolved that all members of this House of Assembly honour and commemorate the life of Zilda Mary Gerard having her name forever written as historical record in the Nova Scotia Legislative Assembly.

RESOLUTION NO. 442

By: Ms. Alana Paon « » (Cape Breton-Richmond)

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

Whereas any loss of life is tragic and imparts upon family and friends feelings of emptiness and loneliness; and

Whereas Martha Jane Briand of Arichat deserves all the respect and honour we have to give for a life that touched so many people and left a lasting impression on her family and community; and

Whereas as we mourn, we also celebrate the contributions of the life, love, and memory of all residents, past and present, of Cape Breton-Richmond;

Therefore be it resolved that all members of this House of Assembly honour and commemorate the life of Martha Jane Briand having her name forever written as historical record in the Nova Scotia Legislative Assembly.

RESOLUTION NO. 443

[Page 1228]

By: Ms. Alana Paon « » (Cape Breton-Richmond)

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

Whereas any loss of life is tragic and imparts upon family and friends feelings of emptiness and loneliness; and

Whereas Glen MacDonald of Port Hawkesbury deserves all the respect and honour we have to give for a life that touched so many people and left a lasting impression on his family and community; and

Whereas as we mourn, we also celebrate the contributions of the life, love, and memory of all residents, past and present, of Cape Breton-Richmond;

Therefore be it resolved that all members of this House of Assembly honour and commemorate the life of Glen MacDonald having his name forever written as historical record in the Nova Scotia Legislative Assembly.

RESOLUTION NO. 444

By: Ms. Alana Paon « » (Cape Breton-Richmond)

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

Whereas any loss of life is tragic and imparts upon family and friends feelings of emptiness and loneliness; and

Whereas Daniel MacKenzie "Kenzie" Jones of Port Hawkesbury deserves all the respect and honour we have to give for a life that touched so many people and left a lasting impression on his family and community; and

Whereas as we mourn, we also celebrate the contributions of the life, love, and memory of all residents, past and present, of Cape Breton-Richmond;

Therefore be it resolved that all members of this House of Assembly honour and commemorate the life of Daniel MacKenzie "Kenzie" Jones having his name forever written as historical record in the Nova Scotia Legislative Assembly.

RESOLUTION NO. 445

[Page 1229]

By: Ms. Alana Paon « » (Cape Breton-Richmond)

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

Whereas any loss of life is tragic and imparts upon family and friends feelings of emptiness and loneliness; and

Whereas Jacob William Cluett of Port Hawkesbury deserves all the respect and honour we have to give for a life that touched so many people and left a lasting impression on his family and community; and

Whereas as we mourn, we also celebrate the contributions of the life, love, and memory of all residents, past and present, of Cape Breton-Richmond;

Therefore be it resolved that all members of this House of Assembly honour and commemorate the life of Jacob William Cluett having his name forever written as historical record in the Nova Scotia Legislative Assembly.

RESOLUTION NO. 446

By: Ms. Alana Paon « » (Cape Breton-Richmond)

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

Whereas any loss of life is tragic and imparts upon family and friends feelings of emptiness and loneliness; and

Whereas Mary Bernardine Samson of Sampson's Cove deserves all the respect and honour we have to give for a life that touched so many people and left a lasting impression on her family and community; and

Whereas as we mourn, we also celebrate the contributions of the life, love, and memory of all residents, past and present, of Cape Breton-Richmond;

Therefore be it resolved that all members of this House of Assembly honour and commemorate the life of Mary Bernardine Samson having her name forever written as historical record in the Nova Scotia Legislative Assembly.

RESOLUTION NO. 447

[Page 1230]

By: Ms. Alana Paon « » (Cape Breton-Richmond)

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

Whereas any loss of life is tragic and imparts upon family and friends feelings of emptiness and loneliness; and

Whereas Teresa Margaret Stephens of St. Peter's deserves all the respect and honour we have to give for a life that touched so many people and left a lasting impression on her family and community; and

Whereas as we mourn, we also celebrate the contributions of the life, love, and memory of all residents, past and present, of Cape Breton-Richmond;

Therefore be it resolved that all members of this House of Assembly honour and commemorate the life of Teresa Margaret Stephens having her name forever written as historical record in the Nova Scotia Legislative Assembly.

RESOLUTION NO. 448

By: Ms. Alana Paon « » (Cape Breton-Richmond)

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

Whereas any loss of life is tragic and imparts upon family and friends feelings of emptiness and loneliness; and

Whereas David "Conrad" DeGruchy of Port Hastings deserves all the respect and honour we have to give for a life that touched so many people and left a lasting impression on his family and community; and

Whereas as we mourn, we also celebrate the contributions of the life, love, and memory of all residents, past and present, of Cape Breton-Richmond;

Therefore be it resolved that all members of this House of Assembly honour and commemorate the life of David "Conrad" DeGruchy having his name forever written as historical record in the Nova Scotia Legislative Assembly.

RESOLUTION NO. 449

[Page 1231]

By: Ms. Alana Paon « » (Cape Breton-Richmond)

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

Whereas any loss of life is tragic and imparts upon family and friends feelings of emptiness and loneliness; and

Whereas James Albert Fougere of Petit-de-Grat deserves all the respect and honour we have to give for a life that touched so many people and left a lasting impression on his family and community; and

Whereas as we mourn, we also celebrate the contributions of the life, love, and memory of all residents, past and present, of Cape Breton-Richmond;

Therefore be it resolved that all members of this House of Assembly honour and commemorate the life of James Albert Fougere having his name forever written as historical record in the Nova Scotia Legislative Assembly.

RESOLUTION NO. 450

By: Ms. Alana Paon « » (Cape Breton-Richmond)

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

Whereas any loss of life is tragic and imparts upon family and friends feelings of emptiness and loneliness; and

Whereas Brian Joseph Samson of West Arichat deserves all the respect and honour we have to give for a life that touched so many people and left a lasting impression on his family and community; and

Whereas as we mourn, we also celebrate the contributions of the life, love, and memory of all residents, past and present, of Cape Breton-Richmond;

Therefore be it resolved that all members of this House of Assembly honour and commemorate the life of Brian Joseph Samson having his name forever written as historical record in the Nova Scotia Legislative Assembly.

RESOLUTION NO. 451

[Page 1232]

By: Ms. Alana Paon « » (Cape Breton-Richmond)

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

Whereas any loss of life is tragic and imparts upon family and friends feelings of emptiness and loneliness; and

Whereas Kenneth Joseph Walker of Louisdale deserves all the respect and honour we have to give for a life that touched so many people and left a lasting impression on his family and community; and

Whereas as we mourn, we also celebrate the contributions of the life, love, and memory of all residents, past and present, of Cape Breton-Richmond;

Therefore be it resolved that all members of this House of Assembly honour and commemorate the life of Kenneth Joseph Walker having his name forever written as historical record in the Nova Scotia Legislative Assembly.

RESOLUTION NO. 452

By: Ms. Alana Paon « » (Cape Breton-Richmond)

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

Whereas any loss of life is tragic and imparts upon family and friends feelings of emptiness and loneliness; and

Whereas Anne Marie Samson of Arichat deserves all the respect and honour we have to give for a life that touched so many people and left a lasting impression on her family and community; and

Whereas as we mourn, we also celebrate the contributions of the life, love, and memory of all residents, past and present, of Cape Breton-Richmond;

Therefore be it resolved that all members of this House of Assembly honour and commemorate the life of Anne Marie Samson having her name forever written as historical record in the Nova Scotia Legislative Assembly.

RESOLUTION NO. 453

[Page 1233]

By: Ms. Alana Paon « » (Cape Breton-Richmond)

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

Whereas any loss of life is tragic and imparts upon family and friends feelings of emptiness and loneliness; and

Whereas Mary Alma Sampson of St. Peter's/L'Ardoise deserves all the respect and honour we have to give for a life that touched so many people and left a lasting impression on her family and community; and

Whereas as we mourn, we also celebrate the contributions of the life, love, and memory of all residents, past and present, of Cape Breton-Richmond;

Therefore be it resolved that all members of this House of Assembly honour and commemorate the life of Mary Alma Sampson having her name forever written as historical record in the Nova Scotia Legislative Assembly.

RESOLUTION NO. 454

By: Ms. Alana Paon « » (Cape Breton-Richmond)

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

Whereas any loss of life is tragic and imparts upon family and friends feelings of emptiness and loneliness; and

Whereas Mary Catherine (Gladys) C&?ocirc;té of St. Peter's deserves all the respect and honour we have to give for a life that touched so many people and left a lasting impression on her family and community; and

Whereas as we mourn, we also celebrate the contributions of the life, love, and memory of all residents, past and present, of Cape Breton-Richmond;

Therefore be it resolved that all members of this House of Assembly honour and commemorate the life of Mary Catherine (Gladys) Côté having her name forever written as historical record in the Nova Scotia Legislative Assembly.

RESOLUTION NO. 455

[Page 1234]

By: Ms. Alana Paon « » (Cape Breton-Richmond)

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

Whereas any loss of life is tragic and imparts upon family and friends feelings of emptiness and loneliness; and

Whereas Irwin MacInnis of Port Hawkesbury deserves all the respect and honour we have to give for a life that touched so many people and left a lasting impression on his family and community; and

Whereas as we mourn, we also celebrate the contributions of the life, love, and memory of all residents, past and present, of Cape Breton-Richmond;

Therefore be it resolved that all members of this House of Assembly honour and commemorate the life of Irwin MacInnis having his name forever written as historical record in the Nova Scotia Legislative Assembly.

RESOLUTION NO. 456

By: Ms. Alana Paon « » (Cape Breton-Richmond)

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

Whereas any loss of life is tragic and imparts upon family and friends feelings of emptiness and loneliness; and

Whereas Louis Daisley Felix of Louisdale deserves all the respect and honour we have to give for a life that touched so many people and left a lasting impression on his family and community; and

Whereas as we mourn, we also celebrate the contributions of the life, love, and memory of all residents, past and present, of Cape Breton-Richmond;

Therefore be it resolved that all members of this House of Assembly honour and commemorate the life of Louis Daisley Felix having his name forever written as historical record in the Nova Scotia Legislative Assembly.

RESOLUTION NO. 457

[Page 1235]

By: Ms. Alana Paon « » (Cape Breton-Richmond)

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

Whereas any loss of life is tragic and imparts upon family and friends feelings of emptiness and loneliness; and

Whereas John Anthony Hello of Point Michaud deserves all the respect and honour we have to give for a life that touched so many people and left a lasting impression on his family and community; and

Whereas as we mourn, we also celebrate the contributions of the life, love, and memory of all residents, past and present, of Cape Breton-Richmond;

Therefore be it resolved that all members of this House of Assembly honour and commemorate the life of John Anthony Hello having his name forever written as historical record in the Nova Scotia Legislative Assembly.

RESOLUTION NO. 458

By: Ms. Alana Paon « » (Cape Breton-Richmond)

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

Whereas any loss of life is tragic and imparts upon family and friends feelings of emptiness and loneliness; and

Whereas Alma Mary Burke of River Bourgeois deserves all the respect and honour we have to give for a life that touched so many people and left a lasting impression on her family and community; and

Whereas as we mourn, we also celebrate the contributions of the life, love, and memory of all residents, past and present, of Cape Breton-Richmond;

Therefore be it resolved that all members of this House of Assembly honour and commemorate the life of Alma Mary Burke having her name forever written as historical record in the Nova Scotia Legislative Assembly.

RESOLUTION NO. 459

[Page 1236]

By: Ms. Alana Paon « » (Cape Breton-Richmond)

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

Whereas any loss of life is tragic and imparts upon family and friends feelings of emptiness and loneliness; and

Whereas Lorne (Ralph) Neil of Port Hawkesbury deserves all the respect and honour we have to give for a life that touched so many people and left a lasting impression on his family and community; and

Whereas as we mourn, we also celebrate the contributions of the life, love, and memory of all residents, past and present, of Cape Breton-Richmond;

Therefore be it resolved that all members of this House of Assembly honour and commemorate the life of Lorne (Ralph) Neil having his name forever written as historical record in the Nova Scotia Legislative Assembly.

RESOLUTION NO. 460

By: Ms. Alana Paon « » (Cape Breton-Richmond)

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

Whereas any loss of life is tragic and imparts upon family and friends feelings of emptiness and loneliness; and

Whereas Eva Mae Briand of L'Ardoise deserves all the respect and honour we have to give for a life that touched so many people and left a lasting impression on her family and community; and

Whereas as we mourn, we also celebrate the contributions of the life, love, and memory of all residents, past and present, of Cape Breton-Richmond;

Therefore be it resolved that all members of this House of Assembly honour and commemorate the life of Eva Mae Briand having her name forever written as historical record in the Nova Scotia Legislative Assembly.

RESOLUTION NO. 461

[Page 1237]

By: Ms. Alana Paon « » (Cape Breton-Richmond)

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

Whereas any loss of life is tragic and imparts upon family and friends feelings of emptiness and loneliness; and

Whereas Paul Lawrence Theriault of Arichat deserves all the respect and honour we have to give for a life that touched so many people and left a lasting impression on his family and community; and

Whereas as we mourn, we also celebrate the contributions of the life, love, and memory of all residents, past and present, of Cape Breton-Richmond;

Therefore be it resolved that all members of this House of Assembly honour and commemorate the life of Paul Lawrence Theriault having his name forever written as historical record in the Nova Scotia Legislative Assembly.

RESOLUTION NO. 462

By: Ms. Alana Paon « » (Cape Breton-Richmond)

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

Whereas any loss of life is tragic and imparts upon family and friends feelings of emptiness and loneliness; and

Whereas Mary Margaret Bourque of River Bourgeois deserves all the respect and honour we have to give for a life that touched so many people and left a lasting impression on her family and community; and

Whereas as we mourn, we also celebrate the contributions of the life, love, and memory of all residents, past and present, of Cape Breton-Richmond;

Therefore be it resolved that all members of this House of Assembly honour and commemorate the life of Mary Margaret Bourque having her name forever written as historical record in the Nova Scotia Legislative Assembly.

RESOLUTION NO. 463

[Page 1238]

By: Ms. Alana Paon « » (Cape Breton-Richmond)

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

Whereas any loss of life is tragic and imparts upon family and friends feelings of emptiness and loneliness; and

Whereas James A. Corbett of Port Hawkesbury deserves all the respect and honour we have to give for a life that touched so many people and left a lasting impression on his family and community; and

Whereas as we mourn, we also celebrate the contributions of the life, love, and memory of all residents, past and present, of Cape Breton-Richmond;

Therefore be it resolved that all members of this House of Assembly honour and commemorate the life of James A. Corbett having his name forever written as historical record in the Nova Scotia Legislative Assembly.

RESOLUTION NO. 464

By: Ms. Alana Paon « » (Cape Breton-Richmond)

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

Whereas any loss of life is tragic and imparts upon family and friends feelings of emptiness and loneliness; and

Whereas Mary Stella Gallant of Arichat deserves all the respect and honour we have to give for a life that touched so many people and left a lasting impression on her family and community; and

Whereas as we mourn, we also celebrate the contributions of the life, love, and memory of all residents, past and present, of Cape Breton-Richmond;

Therefore be it resolved that all members of this House of Assembly honour and commemorate the life of Mary Stella Gallant having her name forever written as historical record in the Nova Scotia Legislative Assembly.

RESOLUTION NO. 465

[Page 1239]

By: Ms. Alana Paon « » (Cape Breton-Richmond)

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

Whereas any loss of life is tragic and imparts upon family and friends feelings of emptiness and loneliness; and

Whereas Eileen Lorraine Madden of Point Michaud deserves all the respect and honour we have to give for a life that touched so many people and left a lasting impression on her family and community; and

Whereas as we mourn, we also celebrate the contributions of the life, love, and memory of all residents, past and present, of Cape Breton-Richmond;

Therefore be it resolved that all members of this House of Assembly honour and commemorate the life of Eileen Lorraine Madden having her name forever written as historical record in the Nova Scotia Legislative Assembly.

RESOLUTION NO. 466

By: Ms. Alana Paon « » (Cape Breton-Richmond)

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

Whereas any loss of life is tragic and imparts upon family and friends feelings of emptiness and loneliness; and

Whereas Paul Allan "PA" King of Port Hawkesbury deserves all the respect and honour we have to give for a life that touched so many people and left a lasting impression on his family and community; and

Whereas as we mourn, we also celebrate the contributions of the life, love, and memory of all residents, past and present, of Cape Breton-Richmond;

Therefore be it resolved that all members of this House of Assembly honour and commemorate the life of Paul Allan "PA" King having his name forever written as historical record in the Nova Scotia Legislative Assembly.

RESOLUTION NO. 467

[Page 1240]

By: Ms. Alana Paon « » (Cape Breton-Richmond)

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

Whereas any loss of life is tragic and imparts upon family and friends feelings of emptiness and loneliness; and

Whereas Mary Bernice O'Laughlin of Port Hawkesbury deserves all the respect and honour we have to give for a life that touched so many people and left a lasting impression on her family and community; and

Whereas as we mourn, we also celebrate the contributions of the life, love, and memory of all residents, past and present, of Cape Breton-Richmond;

Therefore be it resolved that all members of this House of Assembly honour and commemorate the life of Mary Bernice O'Laughlin having her name forever written as historical record in the Nova Scotia Legislative Assembly.

RESOLUTION NO. 468

By: Ms. Alana Paon « » (Cape Breton-Richmond)

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

Whereas any loss of life is tragic and imparts upon family and friends feelings of emptiness and loneliness; and

Whereas Barbara Anne Hynes of Cape La Ronde deserves all the respect and honour we have to give for a life that touched so many people and left a lasting impression on her family and community; and

Whereas as we mourn, we also celebrate the contributions of the life, love, and memory of all residents, past and present, of Cape Breton-Richmond;

Therefore be it resolved that all members of this House of Assembly honour and commemorate the life of Barbara Anne Hynes having her name forever written as historical record in the Nova Scotia Legislative Assembly.

RESOLUTION NO. 469

[Page 1241]

By: Ms. Alana Paon « » (Cape Breton-Richmond)

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

Whereas any loss of life is tragic and imparts upon family and friends feelings of emptiness and loneliness; and

Whereas Catherine Jane Cameron of St. Peter's deserves all the respect and honour we have to give for a life that touched so many people and left a lasting impression on her family and community; and

Whereas as we mourn, we also celebrate the contributions of the life, love, and memory of all residents, past and present, of Cape Breton-Richmond;

Therefore be it resolved that all members of this House of Assembly honour and commemorate the life of Catherine Jane Cameron having her name forever written as historical record in the Nova Scotia Legislative Assembly.

RESOLUTION NO. 470

By: Ms. Alana Paon « » (Cape Breton-Richmond)

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

Whereas any loss of life is tragic and imparts upon family and friends feelings of emptiness and loneliness; and

Whereas Louis Robert Bissonnette of Port Hawkesbury deserves all the respect and honour we have to give for a life that touched so many people and left a lasting impression on his family and community; and

Whereas as we mourn, we also celebrate the contributions of the life, love, and memory of all residents, past and present, of Cape Breton-Richmond;

Therefore be it resolved that all members of this House of Assembly honour and commemorate the life of Louis Robert Bissonnette having his name forever written as historical record in the Nova Scotia Legislative Assembly.

RESOLUTION NO. 471

[Page 1242]

By: Ms. Alana Paon « » (Cape Breton-Richmond)

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

Whereas any loss of life is tragic and imparts upon family and friends feelings of emptiness and loneliness; and

Whereas Elizabeth "Ann" England of Grand Anse deserves all the respect and honour we have to give for a life that touched so many people and left a lasting impression on her family and community; and

Whereas as we mourn, we also celebrate the contributions of the life, love, and memory of all residents, past and present, of Cape Breton-Richmond;

Therefore be it resolved that all members of this House of Assembly honour and commemorate the life of Elizabeth "Ann" England having her name forever written as historical record in the Nova Scotia Legislative Assembly.

RESOLUTION NO. 472

By: Ms. Alana Paon « » (Cape Breton-Richmond)

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

Whereas any loss of life is tragic and imparts upon family and friends feelings of emptiness and loneliness; and

Whereas AnnaBelle DeWolfe of Arichat deserves all the respect and honour we have to give for a life that touched so many people and left a lasting impression on her family and community; and

Whereas as we mourn, we also celebrate the contributions of the life, love, and memory of all residents, past and present, of Cape Breton-Richmond;

Therefore be it resolved that all members of this House of Assembly honour and commemorate the life of AnnaBelle DeWolfe having her name forever written as historical record in the Nova Scotia Legislative Assembly.

RESOLUTION NO. 473

[Page 1243]

By: Ms. Alana Paon « » (Cape Breton-Richmond)

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

Whereas any loss of life is tragic and imparts upon family and friends feelings of emptiness and loneliness; and

Whereas Patricia Marlene MacLean of Port Hawkesbury deserves all the respect and honour we have to give for a life that touched so many people and left a lasting impression on her family and community; and

Whereas as we mourn, we also celebrate the contributions of the life, love, and memory of all residents, past and present, of Cape Breton-Richmond;

Therefore be it resolved that all members of this House of Assembly honour and commemorate the life of Patricia Marlene MacLean having her name forever written as historical record in the Nova Scotia Legislative Assembly.

RESOLUTION NO. 474

By: Ms. Alana Paon « » (Cape Breton-Richmond)

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

Whereas any loss of life is tragic and imparts upon family and friends feelings of emptiness and loneliness; and

Whereas Shirley Anne LeBlanc of Arichat deserves all the respect and honour we have to give for a life that touched so many people and left a lasting impression on her family and community; and

Whereas as we mourn, we also celebrate the contributions of the life, love, and memory of all residents, past and present, of Cape Breton-Richmond;

Therefore be it resolved that all members of this House of Assembly honour and commemorate the life of Shirley Anne LeBlanc having her name forever written as historical record in the Nova Scotia Legislative Assembly.

RESOLUTION NO. 475

[Page 1244]

By: Ms. Alana Paon « » (Cape Breton-Richmond)

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

Whereas any loss of life is tragic and imparts upon family and friends feelings of emptiness and loneliness; and

Whereas John Wallace Ellison of West Ray Road deserves all the respect and honour we have to give for a life that touched so many people and left a lasting impression on his family and community; and

Whereas as we mourn, we also celebrate the contributions of the life, love, and memory of all residents, past and present, of Cape Breton-Richmond;

Therefore be it resolved that all members of this House of Assembly honour and commemorate the life of John Wallace Ellison having his name forever written as historical record in the Nova Scotia Legislative Assembly.

RESOLUTION NO. 476

By: Ms. Alana Paon « » (Cape Breton-Richmond)

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

Whereas any loss of life is tragic and imparts upon family and friends feelings of emptiness and loneliness; and

Whereas John Ryan Isaac of Potlotek deserves all the respect and honour we have to give for a life that touched so many people and left a lasting impression on his family and community; and

Whereas as we mourn, we also celebrate the contributions of the life, love, and memory of all residents, past and present, of Cape Breton-Richmond;

Therefore be it resolved that all members of this House of Assembly honour and commemorate the life of John Ryan Isaac having his name forever written as historical record in the Nova Scotia Legislative Assembly.

RESOLUTION NO. 477

[Page 1245]

By: Ms. Alana Paon « » (Cape Breton-Richmond)

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

Whereas any loss of life is tragic and imparts upon family and friends feelings of emptiness and loneliness; and

Whereas Catherine Joyce Aitken of River Bourgeois deserves all the respect and honour we have to give for a life that touched so many people and left a lasting impression on her family and community; and

Whereas as we mourn, we also celebrate the contributions of the life, love, and memory of all residents, past and present, of Cape Breton-Richmond;

Therefore be it resolved that all members of this House of Assembly honour and commemorate the life of Catherine Joyce Aitken having her name forever written as historical record in the Nova Scotia Legislative Assembly.

RESOLUTION NO. 478

By: Ms. Alana Paon « » (Cape Breton-Richmond)

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

Whereas any loss of life is tragic and imparts upon family and friends feelings of emptiness and loneliness; and

Whereas John Francis "Jack" Landry of Port Hawkesbury deserves all the respect and honour we have to give for a life that touched so many people and left a lasting impression on his family and community; and

Whereas as we mourn, we also celebrate the contributions of the life, love, and memory of all residents, past and present, of Cape Breton-Richmond;

Therefore be it resolved that all members of this House of Assembly honour and commemorate the life of John Francis "Jack" Landry having his name forever written as historical record in the Nova Scotia Legislative Assembly.

RESOLUTION NO. 479

[Page 1246]

By: Ms. Alana Paon « » (Cape Breton-Richmond)

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

Whereas any loss of life is tragic and imparts upon family and friends feelings of emptiness and loneliness; and

Whereas MaryBelle Martell of Little Anse deserves all the respect and honour we have to give for a life that touched so many people and left a lasting impression on her family and community; and

Whereas as we mourn, we also celebrate the contributions of the life, love, and memory of all residents, past and present, of Cape Breton-Richmond;

Therefore be it resolved that all members of this House of Assembly honour and commemorate the life of MaryBelle Martell having her name forever written as historical record in the Nova Scotia Legislative Assembly.

RESOLUTION NO. 480

By: Ms. Alana Paon « » (Cape Breton-Richmond)

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

Whereas any loss of life is tragic and imparts upon family and friends feelings of emptiness and loneliness; and

Whereas Dr. Royden Trainor of Port Hawkesbury deserves all the respect and honour we have to give for a life that touched so many people and left a lasting impression on his family and community; and

Whereas as we mourn, we also celebrate the contributions of the life, love, and memory of all residents, past and present, of Cape Breton-Richmond;

Therefore be it resolved that all members of this House of Assembly honour and commemorate the life of Dr. Royden Trainor having his name forever written as historical record in the Nova Scotia Legislative Assembly.

RESOLUTION NO. 481

[Page 1247]

By: Ms. Alana Paon « » (Cape Breton-Richmond)

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

Whereas any loss of life is tragic and imparts upon family and friends feelings of emptiness and loneliness; and

Whereas Wendy Marlene Beaton of Port Hawkesbury deserves all the respect and honour we have to give for a life that touched so many people and left a lasting impression on her family and community; and

Whereas as we mourn, we also celebrate the contributions of the life, love, and memory of all residents, past and present, of Cape Breton-Richmond;

Therefore be it resolved that all members of this House of Assembly honour and commemorate the life of Wendy Marlene Beaton having her name forever written as historical record in the Nova Scotia Legislative Assembly.

RESOLUTION NO. 482

By: Ms. Alana Paon « » (Cape Breton-Richmond)

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

Whereas any loss of life is tragic and imparts upon family and friends feelings of emptiness and loneliness; and

Whereas Allan MacKay of Port Hawkesbury deserves all the respect and honour we have to give for a life that touched so many people and left a lasting impression on his family and community; and

Whereas as we mourn, we also celebrate the contributions of the life, love, and memory of all residents, past and present, of Cape Breton-Richmond;

Therefore be it resolved that all members of this House of Assembly honour and commemorate the life of Allan MacKay having his name forever written as historical record in the Nova Scotia Legislative Assembly.

RESOLUTION NO. 483

[Page 1248]

By: Ms. Alana Paon « » (Cape Breton-Richmond)

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

Whereas any loss of life is tragic and imparts upon family and friends feelings of emptiness and loneliness; and

Whereas Angus John "A.J." Beaton of Port Hawkesbury deserves all the respect and honour we have to give for a life that touched so many people and left a lasting impression on his family and community; and

Whereas as we mourn, we also celebrate the contributions of the life, love, and memory of all residents, past and present, of Cape Breton-Richmond;

Therefore be it resolved that all members of this House of Assembly honour and commemorate the life of Angus John "A.J." Beaton having his name forever written as historical record in the Nova Scotia Legislative Assembly.

RESOLUTION NO. 484

By: Ms. Alana Paon « » (Cape Breton-Richmond)

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

Whereas any loss of life is tragic and imparts upon family and friends feelings of emptiness and loneliness; and

Whereas Mary Helen Samson of Arichat deserves all the respect and honour we have to give for a life that touched so many people and left a lasting impression on her family and community; and

Whereas as we mourn, we also celebrate the contributions of the life, love, and memory of all residents, past and present, of Cape Breton-Richmond;

Therefore be it resolved that all members of this House of Assembly honour and commemorate the life of Mary Helen Samson having her name forever written as historical record in the Nova Scotia Legislative Assembly.

RESOLUTION NO. 485

[Page 1249]

By: Ms. Alana Paon « » (Cape Breton-Richmond)

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

Whereas any loss of life is tragic and imparts upon family and friends feelings of emptiness and loneliness; and

Whereas Leo Joseph MacDonald of Soldiers Cove deserves all the respect and honour we have to give for a life that touched so many people and left a lasting impression on his family and community; and

Whereas as we mourn, we also celebrate the contributions of the life, love, and memory of all residents, past and present, of Cape Breton-Richmond;

Therefore be it resolved that all members of this House of Assembly honour and commemorate the life of Leo Joseph MacDonald having his name forever written as historical record in the Nova Scotia Legislative Assembly.

RESOLUTION NO. 486

By: Ms. Alana Paon « » (Cape Breton-Richmond)

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

Whereas any loss of life is tragic and imparts upon family and friends feelings of emptiness and loneliness; and

Whereas Alice Mary Nieforth of St. Peter's deserves all the respect and honour we have to give for a life that touched so many people and left a lasting impression on her family and community; and

Whereas as we mourn, we also celebrate the contributions of the life, love, and memory of all residents, past and present, of Cape Breton-Richmond;

Therefore be it resolved that all members of this House of Assembly honour and commemorate the life of Alice Mary Nieforth having her name forever written as historical record in the Nova Scotia Legislative Assembly.

RESOLUTION NO. 487

[Page 1250]

By: Ms. Alana Paon « » (Cape Breton-Richmond)

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

Whereas any loss of life is tragic and imparts upon family and friends feelings of emptiness and loneliness; and

Whereas Anne Marie McNamara of Evanston deserves all the respect and honour we have to give for a life that touched so many people and left a lasting impression on her family and community; and

Whereas as we mourn, we also celebrate the contributions of the life, love, and memory of all residents, past and present, of Cape Breton-Richmond;

Therefore be it resolved that all members of this House of Assembly honour and commemorate the life of Anne Marie McNamara having her name forever written as historical record in the Nova Scotia Legislative Assembly.

RESOLUTION NO. 488

By: Ms. Alana Paon « » (Cape Breton-Richmond)

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

Whereas any loss of life is tragic and imparts upon family and friends feelings of emptiness and loneliness; and

Whereas Bernard Gerrard MacIntyre of Port Hawkesbury deserves all the respect and honour we have to give for a life that touched so many people and left a lasting impression on his family and community; and

Whereas as we mourn, we also celebrate the contributions of the life, love, and memory of all residents, past and present, of Cape Breton-Richmond;

Therefore be it resolved that all members of this House of Assembly honour and commemorate the life of Bernard Gerrard MacIntyre having his name forever written as historical record in the Nova Scotia Legislative Assembly.

RESOLUTION NO. 489

[Page 1251]

By: Ms. Alana Paon « » (Cape Breton-Richmond)

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

Whereas any loss of life is tragic and imparts upon family and friends feelings of emptiness and loneliness; and

Whereas Myrtle Velda Clyde King of Port Hawkesbury deserves all the respect and honour we have to give for a life that touched so many people and left a lasting impression on her family and community; and

Whereas as we mourn, we also celebrate the contributions of the life, love, and memory of all residents, past and present, of Cape Breton-Richmond;

Therefore be it resolved that all members of this House of Assembly honour and commemorate the life of Myrtle Velda Clyde King having her name forever written as historical record in the Nova Scotia Legislative Assembly.

RESOLUTION NO. 490

By: Ms. Alana Paon « » (Cape Breton-Richmond)

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

Whereas any loss of life is tragic and imparts upon family and friends feelings of emptiness and loneliness; and

Whereas Mary "Marlene" Waechter of Port Hawkesbury deserves all the respect and honour we have to give for a life that touched so many people and left a lasting impression on her family and community; and

Whereas as we mourn, we also celebrate the contributions of the life, love, and memory of all residents, past and present, of Cape Breton-Richmond;

Therefore be it resolved that all members of this House of Assembly honour and commemorate the life of Mary "Marlene" Waechter having her name forever written as historical record in the Nova Scotia Legislative Assembly.

RESOLUTION NO. 491

[Page 1252]

By: Ms. Alana Paon « » (Cape Breton-Richmond)

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

Whereas any loss of life is tragic and imparts upon family and friends feelings of emptiness and loneliness; and

Whereas Marjorie Mary Young of D'Escousse deserves all the respect and honour we have to give for a life that touched so many people and left a lasting impression on her family and community; and

Whereas as we mourn, we also celebrate the contributions of the life, love, and memory of all residents, past and present, of Cape Breton-Richmond;

Therefore be it resolved that all members of this House of Assembly honour and commemorate the life of Marjorie Mary Young having her name forever written as historical record in the Nova Scotia Legislative Assembly.