HALIFAX, THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 27, 2025

 

COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE ON SUPPLY

 

3:49 P.M.

 

CHAIR

John White

 

 

THE CHAIR: Order. The Committee of the Whole on Supply will now come to order. It is now 3:49 p.m. The committee must rise and report to the House before the hour of adjournment, which today will be 7:49 p.m.

 

With 2:09 left in the NDP time, the honourable member for Cape Breton Centre-Whitney Pier.

 

KENDRA COOMBES: The inability of ditches to deal with the large quantities of rain we have experienced in the past number of years - is this just a problem with our ditches, or is there a larger problem of drainage infrastructure at hand here?

 

THE CHAIR: The honourable Minister of Public Works.

 

HON. FRED TILLEY: One of the things with this government that I'm very proud of is the doubling of the RIM Program. The RIM Program has been doubled the last number of years. That's an extra $11 million that has been put into things like patching, ditching, road maintenance, shoulders, all these things that have been neglected - not neglected by our team, of course - but weren't put in the budget under past governments. This government took the initiative to recognize the issue and deal with that. On the other side of things, when the member talks about the increased rains that we're getting, we see that annually in the last number of years, we've had some rainstorms in Cape Breton. When we talk about a one-in-a-hundred-years storm, we've had them as one-in-five-years storms, really. The department has done a fantastic job of getting inventory in place, replacement culverts, replacement bridges, all in place in the event - our infrastructure in the province and in some of the municipalities has been around a long, long time.

 

THE CHAIR: Order. The NDP time is up. We begin now the Liberal time.

 

The honourable member for Sydney-Membertou.

 

HON. DEREK MOMBOURQUETTE: I'll start by recognizing all the staff in the department, ten years later. You meet a lot of people on the way who have done a lot of great work at home in Sydney and beyond. (Interruption)

 

Well, we all are 10 years later. Technology. Anyway, back to my comments.

 

I do want to put a big shout-out to staff I've worked with. I saw them work first-hand on some pretty significant projects in Cape Breton, that the Cape Bretoners would be aware of. I do want to recognize their work.

 

I'm going to get right into it. My first topic is going to be around bridges, around Seal Island Bridge. It's something that - I think it's probably the highest bridge, I believe, or one of them, in the province. We know that there's been work going on, with the Seal Island Bridge over the last couple of years. There's more work to be done. I'll start there, if I can ask for an update on the Seal Island Bridge.

 

FRED TILLEY: Seal Island Bridge is a very important piece of infrastructure in Cape Breton and for the province. It's a link to Boularderie Island. As a Cape Breton MLA, similar to the member asking the questions, I travel that bridge weekly and I am thankful for that bridge. It saves me a lot of time when I'm heading to the city.

 

Just a little history - there are over 5,000 vehicles that cross that bridge on a daily basis. It's inspected regularly, it's maintained very well, and in 2023 there was a report as to what needed to be done with Seal Island Bridge. There are several options there - and I'm going from memory here - but I believe several of the options would include the current entrances, I guess you'd call them, and a new bridge could be built alongside.

 

In the meantime, there is some work that is being done: vertical strengthening of the members, the pillars that go up. Tenders have been issued for that and I believe that work was completed in 2024. There is another piece of work that's required for the bridge around the concrete footings, and that work is slated to be completed in 2028, which will give us an additional 15 years with regular maintenance.

 

One of the things that - again, I know I say this a lot, but I am super proud of this department and of the government with the $500 million, Five-Year Highway Improvement Plan that we introduced this year. Within that plan there's $60 million for bridge replacements and repair which is a significant amount of funds. We take great care and our bridges are safe. Our roads are safe. There are 23,000 kilometres of road and 4,100 bridges in Nova Scotia. Each of these bridges is on an inspection plan. There is a bridge crew. We have our areas that look after each of the specific bridges, and with the Seal Island Bridge in particular, that one is very important because of the economic drivers it helps create.

 

When you think of my constituency, Northside-Westmount, being the gateway to Newfoundland and Labrador, there is a lot of traffic that needs to get to the ferry terminal. In a lot of cases some of these trucks are - my dad used to call them piggyback trucks or B-trains, I think they're called - they would be unable to travel maybe down Route 4 because of the weight restrictions and those types of things, so we need to - and over the next four years on the Seal Island Bridge we are scheduled to spend about $45 million. That's a significant repair budget for that particular bridge. I guess that's the update that I would have on Seal Island Bridge.

 

DEREK MOMBOURQUETTE: I will stay on the theme of bridges. A lot of conversation around the removal of tolls on the bridges here in Halifax. Some people agree; a lot of people don't.

 

[4:00 p.m.]

 

My question, through you, Chair: What is the revenue annually that the bridge toll takes in, from a revenue perspective? Ultimately - I'll start with that question.

 

FRED TILLEY: The revenue for the bridge, obviously, would vary year to year because of whatever the traffic flows were, but it's around $39 million.

 

DEREK MOMBOURQUETTE: Okay, so $39 million. My next question is around - so $39 million of revenue, on average, is now lost. I remember when I first started out as MLA, they were doing the Big Lift of the Macdonald Bridge, coming in, which was kind of interesting to see how they did that. A lot of work and a lot of money went into that.

 

We know that the MacKay is going to have to be replaced. Does the government have a price tag on replacing the MacKay Bridge?

 

FRED TILLEY: There's a current study on the go right now as toward the MacKay Bridge and what could be done with the bridge. No, there's no price tag.

 

DEREK MOMBOURQUETTE: My next question is: Will there be any layoffs as a result of removing the tolls?

 

FRED TILLEY: When you look at the bridge tolls in general - the removal of the bridge tolls is about fairness. It's about fairness for those people who are going to work, going to appointments, going to the hospital, or going to visit their grandkids. It's the last toll in Nova Scotia.

 

The member mentioned that some people are not happy with it. I'm not sure what he meant by that. When we look at tolls across the province, this being the last toll - in the last number of years, tolls were removed for ferries in Nova Scotia. We look at the Englishtown ferry and we look at the Little Narrows ferry and the other five or six ferries that we have in Nova Scotia - the tolls were removed there. The tolls were removed in the Cobequid Pass.

 

At the end of the day, this is about fairness. It's about - and you know what? One thing I'm really proud of is that during the election, the Premier said, We're going to remove tolls from the Halifax bridges - and now we're removing tolls from the Halifax bridges. That is keeping a commitment to the people of Nova Scotia, and I'm super proud of that. We'll continue to do those things.

 

DEREK MOMBOURQUETTE: I'm just going through my notes here. I'm going to move away from bridges.

 

I want to talk about the QEII redevelopment. We're seeing the project now that has been delayed for years and significantly more when it comes to the budget for the project. Can I get an update from the department on their plan, moving forward, for the QEII redevelopment? Are they confident that it's going to be on time and on budget?

 

FRED TILLEY: That would be a question for the Minister of Health and Wellness, who is managing that project.

 

DEREK MOMBOURQUETTE: I'm going to ask a question in regard to the health care redevelopment in Cape Breton and look for an update on the Northside General Hospital - if it's on time and on budget?

 

FRED TILLEY: The redevelopment at the Northside General Hospital, again, as the member knows, is managed by the Department of Health and Wellness, but I'm so excited to see that building going up. I drive by it every day when I'm home. The work that's happening there - what the residents of Cape Breton and Northside will have in that facility when it's completed will be second to none.

 

Again, with regard to budget and timing, I would ask the member to direct those questions to the Minister of Health and Wellness.

 

DEREK MOMBOURQUETTE: What do I want to ask next here?

 

There's a lot of conversation around waste water infrastructure in Ingonish. I'm receiving emails from folks who are looking for some direction. I want to know: Is the provincial government involved with any of that infrastructure work in Ingonish in the proposed new - there's a lot of new development up there, and there's been a lot of conversation in the community about ensuring that the infrastructure is adequate for what is needed. I'll ask the department that.

 

FRED TILLEY: On this issue, we're going to have to get back to the member, which we will do. There are several projects in Cape Breton that are funded by - some are federal and some are provincial. This one might be led by the Department of Municipal Affairs. We'll - the staff will check on it and get back to you.

 

DEREK MOMBOURQUETTE: Thank you, Chair. It's a nice suit, by the way. I like that suit. You don't see that in Glace Bay very often, that colour suit.

 

THE CHAIR: Thank you.

 

The honourable member for Sydney-Membertou.

 

DEREK MOMBOURQUETTE: It had to be said. I want to talk about cellular and the program. In this budget, I believe there's $22.4 million to the program. The total for the project in July 2024 was $69.2 million. I'm seeing a decrease in spending. Can I get an update on the cellular program and a kind of a timeline to ensure that we can continue to increase the folks (inaudible) cell phone coverage?

 

FRED TILLEY: We all know how important cellular is for Nova Scotians. As I said earlier, I drive a lot from Sydney Mines through here to Halifax and there are certain areas when your cell service drops off. It's really important to have the safety - the cell coverage for safety. When I think of cell coverage, I think back - it was 1992. I know you probably thought I was just born then, Chair, but it was 1992 and I think it was a Thursday night. Well, it was a Thursday morning, Wednesday night. I had just finished my CMA exams, and I was that wired I couldn't sleep, so I decided that instead of sleeping and coming home in the daylight, I would head for Sydney Mines.

 

I was working for Sobeys in New Glasgow, so I jumped in the car at about three in the morning, everything was going great, and then just outside Baddeck, between Baddeck and Kellys Mountain, a deer pops up out of the drain, smacked into the side of the car, ripped the engine hood off. There was no grass growing under the tires. I was cruising. It hit the front of my car and blew the radiator. I was pulled off to the side of the road. I was done. Back then, I remember, I had a little car, and it had a CD player. It had a single CD player in it and didn't have a phone. I didn't have a phone. It was 1992.

 

All of a sudden, I'm sitting there, I'm 22 years old, I've got a dead deer back behind me. Funny story on that one is, buddy stops in a pickup truck and the deer is cut in two. He's like, “Can I take this deer? I want to take it home.” I'm like, “No, I need it for evidence” but that's not the gist of the story. This jeep pulls up. A guy gets out of the car and he says, “Do you need help?” I said, “Well, I'm stuck. I don't know.” He said, “I have a cellphone. Would you like to use it?”

 

[4:15 p.m.]

 

I thought I was going to have to get in the car and help him pick up the cellphone. It was this big. It was one of those big box cellphones with the little antenna on it.

 

He gave me the phone, and I called my dad. I'm like, “You've got to come get me. I hit a deer.” He came and got me, long story short.

 

That was 1992. Now we're in 2025, and our biggest concern is when we drop a call when we're driving. It just shows where society has gone with regard to cellphone service. Now we have more power in our cellphones than we had in our computers back then. You know what? I'm going back to the proud part again. This is the first government to tackle cell coverage in Nova Scotia. They started it in 2022 with the Cell Gap Study. We're working super hard.

 

Let me tell you what the goals are for cell coverage in Nova Scotia. The objectives of the cell program for Nova Scotians is to have 99 per cent basic voice call service. What we mean when we say that is we pick up the phone and say hello, and the other person says hello. That's basic voice service. That's the goal.

 

Ninety-five per cent standard definition service, that provides quality audio or video transmission for emails, internet browsing, and social media. We want 95 per cent to have a standard level of service, and 85 per cent high-definition service. High-def services are similar to your TV. You're going to have high-quality audio, high-quality video for emails, internet browsing, social media, and videoconferencing, and for streaming movies. You can imagine the geography of our province with the breadth that we have. In my humble opinion, that's a great goal to have.

 

There was a Phase 1 of this project - I'm going again from memory. Again the staff at Build Nova Scotia who are up in the gallery and who have been spearheading this program have briefed me very well on this project. It's absolutely amazing. Twenty-seven towers were put up in Phase 1.

 

Now we're moving into Phase 2, the RFP for which was completed in December. That RFP is currently under review. Things are really improving when it comes to cell coverage. Twenty-seven sites - when we look at an actual cost, we are investing over $65 million in cellphone coverage in Nova Scotia. To me that's a significant amount. While I'm at it - I'm not sure if the member will have a question on this - I'll give a little update on the internet project, as well. With internet, our goal was to hit 95 per cent of coverage; we've hit 99 per cent coverage, and with the satellite program - the rebate program that's available - it's 100 per cent coverage.

 

Hats off to the folks at Build Nova Scotia for pulling this together, improving our cell coverage in our communities, our commutes, and our safety, and for providing internet service across Nova Scotia.

 

DEREK MOMBOURQUETTE: I'm going to move on to rail. This is always a big question at home. I had this question in conversation multiple times with the previous minister from Queens. She'd be laughing if she were here right now because I asked her this question so many times. She was great.

 

Rail is a big piece of the infrastructure in the history of Cape Breton. I've asked this question in the House before because work has been done over the years by governments. I do want to recognize the former MLA in your constituency, Speaker - Geoff - who put his heart and soul into making sure that railbed wasn't abandoned and wasn't removed from the Island in the event there was an economic development opportunity for home.

 

I remember those days. He was the Minister of Transportation and Infrastructure Renewal at the time, and there was a lot of work done to make sure we worked closely with the rail companies of the day to negotiate a deal that ensured that railbed was maintained.

 

We all know there's a lot of work - infrastructure work - that would need to be done, but fundamentally, as part of our fabric as an island, that railbed matters. I would not want to see it gone in the event - because there is lots of talk about various port developments, as you know, Speaker, in talking to many stakeholders at home. The rail is a big component of that, not only for port development but potentially for other businesses in and around the Island that would use it.

 

In a world where we're talking about interprovincial trade, that railbed, believe it or not - as much work as it may need, and I know there have been some assessments done - but if we're talking about interprovincial trade now, that line cannot be abandoned. As Cape Bretoners, we're proud of it, and we're going to need it if we're going to start talking about interprovincial trade.

 

My question to the minister is: Is he committed to keeping that railbed in Cape Breton?

 

FRED TILLEY: The member talks about rail. Again, I can remember many years of travelling on VIA Rail along that route from Sydney Mines to Antigonish. It cost $12 from 1987 to - I think it was 1989 or 1990 when VIA stopped travelling.

 

When the member talks about breaking down trade barriers, that's very important as well. When you look at what the Premier has done this past week - being a leader, working with the other provinces, trying to break down those barriers so that we can look at what the benefits are for Nova Scotia, so we can better insulate ourselves, I guess would be the answer. When it's specific to the rail, I would say that the member would certainly need to talk to the Department of Growth and Development as well.

 

Again, as the member knows, the rail line is owned by a private company. If there were discussions, they would have to be discussions with that private company. The last study required - again, I'm sure the member is aware of this. The last number to repair that rail line was upward of $500 million. I'm assuming it would be significantly higher than that today.

 

Nothing was done with it during those eight years. The investments were not made in that rail line. We're making investments in this province, including in Cape Breton. With regard to rail, at this time, that's about all I can say. We'll have to take a look.

 

DEREK MOMBOURQUETTE: I'm going to take that as a no. I would urge the government that the conversation is very different now. This isn't just about one significant project that the CBRM or whoever was looking at.

 

[4:30 p.m.]

 

This is the message from the government: If you're going to get into resource development - say there's a copper mine in Coxheath, for example. That's one that I believe is in the minister's constituency, so that development takes place. The government is going to push that now - that mine, and you need to get critical minerals off the Island. Maybe you truck it; I don't know. I doubt it, but you're going to need to move these earth minerals - no different than the coal in our coal mines. Some of it is taken by truck, the ideal situation is taken by rail, but you are into all of these conversations now because the government is pushing resource development, which we support.

 

In saying that, having a conversation about interprovincial trade - you need rail. One thousand per cent, you need rail and Cape Breton is going to need that rail line. That rail line has a price tag on it, sure, to fix, but we know the private companies - if there's a business opportunity, they've looked at investing in it, as well. That rail line now, because of the narrative of this government and what's happening in this world, has become important again.

 

It has become important again, and this government - if you recall the conversation we were having in the last mandate of this government, I asked these same questions about the rail. The argument at the time was that, well, there's no customer for it and all of a sudden a study came for a rail study - from CBU, which hopefully we will get an update on, as well. Now we are dealing with a whole new situation in the United States. We are dealing with the threat of tariffs, we are talking about expanding interprovincial trade, but we are also talking about negotiating and working with other countries - exports.

 

How do you get exports to other countries? Sure, you fly. With seafood they fly, but when you are into critical minerals, you need rail. You need rail to get it to port, you need it. Trucking in Cape Breton is hard enough as it is and, Chair, you would know that yourself. We don't have divided highways. We have essentially three ways out and they are all beautiful. It's a great drive with lots and lots of scenery and all that stuff. There's a good staff at TIR doing good work in maintaining those roads for us the best they can, but you are going to need rail. This government, that argument that I gave a few years ago, they essentially said that no, there's no use for it, so we are not going to do it.

 

The railbed is still there and you need that line if you are going to move product the way you want to. My question is: Does the minister support the railbed staying in Cape Breton for the future economic opportunities that this government is talking about and the prosperity of the Island?

 

THE CHAIR: Order in the Chamber. Please stop chatting.

 

The honourable Minister of Public Works.

 

FRED TILLEY: This is Estimates and I love the political theatre from the member. All he's interested in is what he can clip from this video to say to the people of Cape Breton: Oh look, Minister Tilley doesn't support rail. Well, I can tell you, Minister Tilley supports Cape Breton.

 

THE CHAIR: Order. I'm informed that the minister cannot refer to himself by name.

 

The honourable Minister of Public Works.

 

FRED TILLEY: The Minister of Public Works. What I can tell you is the Minister of Public Works and the member for Northside-Westmount supports Cape Breton. I'm wearing my Cape Breton tie, Chair. If there's a project, if there's a way for us to support Cape Breton, we're darn well going to do it. That I can guarantee you.

 

I've sat over here and one of the main reasons that I am sitting over here is because of the leadership that I saw from this Premier. The government has done everything that has been asked. Glucose monitoring has helped Cape Bretoners. Indexing tax brackets has helped Cape Bretoners. The personal amount on the income taxes has helped Cape Bretoners. The 1 per cent reduction in HST helps Cape Bretoners.

 

We are about helping Nova Scotians. We are about taking the no out of Nova Scotia. I've sat here and I've listened to the snide comments and the little things about, Oh, wait till we mine in Coxheath. Wait till we mine in Coxheath. I've heard that.

 

At the end of the day - just for the record, the mine is not in my constituency, but if it were, I would be supportive of safely extracting product from our environment to improve the economy of Nova Scotia. We need to create jobs. We need to create wealth in Nova Scotia. People are struggling. We have resources in this province that we are able to deliver on safely, efficiently, and cleanly. That's what we will do. At the end of the day, if there are enough resources in Cape Breton that would warrant rail, then I'm sure the private owner of that rail line - of which we are the regulator, not the owner - would be coming to us to say, Hey, we've got a business case, and we need investment, at which time we could then work with the federal government. We could then work with municipal governments. We could work with private investors. We could potentially create a rail if it was warranted and if it was needed. That's something that a government could do.

 

For a member to literally just assume or interpret what you say as a “no” - we're taking the no out of Nova Scotia. There are many critical minerals that are needed to move this province forward, to move forward with things like wind, to move forward with electric cars. All these things are needed and by outright banning industries, we don't unlock that potential. By unlocking the potential or by saying we're not banning an industry gives the opportunity for those discussions to take place.

 

At the end of the day, Nova Scotia is poised for a great future. When you look at the budget that was put forward by this Finance and Treasury Board minister in this session, it's about - to me, when I look and I read into that budget, I see hope. I see hope for Nova Scotia, and I've seen it from this government for the last four years - the incremental changes.

 

Another thing, when we talk about transportation, I look at the $500 million that has been spent on roads and infrastructure in Nova Scotia this year. When I go and I talk to folks in my constituency or in other constituencies, and I talk to them about the great work that the Department of Public Works does, and the great work in putting out $500 million of tenders a year - and I think about the spin-off jobs.

 

There's 10,000 people in Nova Scotia that are either directly or indirectly employed by the road building industry. That's phenomenal. These are jobs that are good paying jobs. They're careers. They're careers that people can enjoy, they can raise their family, they buy houses, they buy cars, they pay for education for their kids. They contribute to our economy.

 

One of the important things about the work that we do - and a lot of times when you think about the work that we actually do, you think of it as service work. You don't actually tie it in to what's happening in the economy. Another thing, when you think about firsts for Nova Scotia, I think about Link Nova Scotia. I think about the JRTA.

 

It was the first project of its kind in Atlantic Canada. That's something for this side of the aisle and over there, to be super proud of. It's gaining attention across Canada. It's designed to reduce congestion, reduce traffic. I know how frustrating it is for folks to sit in traffic on a daily basis. The member talks about moving goods back and forth across this great province, and across Canada. Well, darn it, we're building the highway system that's going to allow us to do that.

 

When you travel from Cape Breton - and you only have to travel it once to see the improvements that this government is making the highway system. You travel that Highway No. 104 through the Barneys River area, and another 11 kilometres that's going to be twinned in the next number of years there, from Taylors Road to Paqtnkek.

 

Not to mention the work that's being done on Highway No. 103. I've heard nothing but rave reviews about the work on the recently opened Highway No. 107, the Sackville-Bedford-Burnside Connector. When we talk about our connections - and what this department is about is making lives better for Nova Scotians, making commutes better, making commutes safer, moving goods quicker.

 

[4:45 p.m.]

 

We'll go back to the bridge tolls. Removing those bridge tolls is going to put more money in the pockets of Nova Scotians. It's going to remove that barrier. I loved the story the Premier told in Question Period the other day about the three or four young gentlemen he spoke to and asked them what he could do to make their lives easier and one of the things they talked about was removing those tolls. When the member says not everybody is interested in those, there are certainly people who are interested in the tolls being removed and it's going to help them on their daily commute.

 

That's what makes me excited about working for the Department of Public Works. That's what makes me excited to have such a great team of support behind me and beside me every single day. When I first - and this is kind of a bit of a funny story - when I first walked into the Johnston Building on that day - December 13^th, I think it was - it was one of the most overwhelming moments of my life. When you think about the responsibility involved with this department, the fear that goes across you is like, Oh boy, how am I going to do this? But then you start out with conversations, and you listen to people and you have great folks who have been doing this for so many years. They know the system, they know the roads, they know the issues and they're so conscientious and so good to a newbie minister to help me learn the ropes. For me, I'll be forever grateful for that.

 

I want to go back. There's immense pride in the Department of Public Works. There's immense pride in this government. There's also, when I think of the folks back home in my constituency of Northside-Westmount, there's a responsibility that I feel to them to make sure that we're putting a system in place, that we're putting programs in place, that we're helping them to move forward in their lives.

 

This budget - back to the budget of the Minister of Finance and Treasury Board, that he put forward, we think about the Seniors Care Grant. We think about the Heating Assistance Rebate Program. We think about some of those very important programs, the Housing Repair Program. I can't tell you the number of folks who have come into my office who have asked for help, and we were able to help them stay in their homes longer. We were able to help them repair their homes, and we're able to improve their driving experience.

 

Getting back to the JRTA and Link Nova Scotia and how proud I was that this government created it, I'm super proud that now we're taking the initiative to expand that province-wide. When you look at the ability to improve traffic flow so that people can get from one end of this province to the other, whether it be ferry, whether it be bus, whether it be some other transit that we haven't spoken of, and when we talk a little bit about rail - the member asked about rail and the light rail. He wanted to find out about that. Well, there's a study on the go right now for light rail in Cape Breton. That could be a game changer. We eagerly await that report.

 

You know something, Chair? Link Nova Scotia allows this government to own and operate assets. It also allows this government to unlock the potential of $30 billion of federal transit funding - $3 billion per year for 10 years. Right now, Nova Scotia is only one of two proponents. Because of our making this province-wide, we fit the criteria to apply for that funding.

 

Can you imagine the impact that some of that funding could have on the transportation systems of Nova Scotia - creating a future transportation system that's vibrant, safe, and efficient. I look forward to - and when we talk about light rail as part of the JRTA, there's a study that will be put out to look at light rail in this part of the province.

 

Again, when we talk about problems and talk about problem solvers, I think that's what this government is doing. We're not stretching anything. We are looking at solving the problems of transportation within Nova Scotia, and it will help us to do that as we move forward. That's all I can do as Minister of Public Works: work with the team, work with my government colleagues, work with members of the Opposition . . .

 

THE CHAIR: Order. The Liberals' time for questioning is up.

 

Before I go on to the NDP, I want to recognize that the background noise level has picked up in the last few minutes. I'm asking members: If you're having conversations, please take it outside the Chamber. I'm sure it's hard enough for a minister or somebody else to stand up and ask questions here and keep their thoughts together. Please take the bigger conversations outside.

 

The honourable member for Cape Breton Centre-Whitney Pier.

 

KENDRA COOMBES: The minister and I had what I believe was a great question and answer, and I hope we can continue that today. I'm going to switch over to schools.

 

Reserve Mines school: There has been rumour that the new school's location would be moved to Glace Bay instead of Reserve Mines, where it was selected to go on the former high school's location.

 

Can the minister confirm that the school will be in Reserve Mines and will go to the preferred site location?

 

HON. FRED TILLEY: It will be in Reserve Mines.

 

KENDRA COOMBES: I'm wondering if the minister could provide a timeline, as now site selection has occurred. My understanding is that the diocese or the church has provided the land, and the CBRM provided their land.

 

I'm wondering: Are we going to start having a timeline on when things are going to be moving along?

 

FRED TILLEY: We've been working with the municipality. They have been great. Working with the church and they've also been great. They're just finalizing the final details.

 

KENDRA COOMBES: Thank you to the minister and thank you to someone else from the Department of Public Works for coming down to help answer these questions about schools. Hopefully the minister identifies later who this person is.

 

I'm wondering how many schools currently have shovels in the ground. Can the minister table a list of where those schools are going to be located?

 

To clarify for the minister: How many schools currently have shovels in the ground and can the minister table a list of where those schools are located, please?

 

FRED TILLEY: There are currently five, going to be maybe six. We can table a list of the names and locations.

 

KENDRA COOMBES: Can the minister confirm if any necessary land has been purchased for the new and replacement schools announced in the Fall? I'm asking if any land has had to be purchased. If the minister wants to provide us with that information, he can just table it at a later date.

 

FRED TILLEY: We will - there's a list. We'll get back to the member with where we are on certain land purchases.

 

[5:00 p.m.]

 

KENDRA COOMBES: I thank the minister. I just ask that by the time the House rises, if that could be tabled.

 

I am also wondering if the minister can let me know, are there plans to expand the schools using modulars or portables to ensure that children and staff are a part of the school?

 

FRED TILLEY: I was remiss in not introducing Mr. Gerard Jessome. (Applause) He's a chief engineer in infrastructure of buildings. I got that all wrong, but it is Gerard.

 

I want to talk a little bit - I hope you don't mind - about modulars. They are not - I can remember when I went to school and we went to the modulars. You don't remember the old ATCO trailer. They are completely not like that today. They are gorgeous. I think Greenfield Elementary has some of those modulars. When the population in a school would warrant needing to go modular, it's certainly a way to go. They have great airflow; most of them have heat pumps; they're heated and cooled, which is a great - the thing about them is that construction can happen year-round because of the modular nature. They are built in a giant warehouse and then delivered to the site, so you don't lose that construction season. When you are building bricks and mortar or a stick-based school, you have a certain season when you can - basically, when it comes down to how modulars are used, the Department of Education and Early Childhood Development would identify the need for modulars. Then our group, as Public Works, would go out and do the tender and that sort of thing, get them built, and have them delivered.

 

KENDRA COOMBES: I want to take, from the minister's comments, that there are no plans to actually expand the schools as they are but just to continue on the course of using modulars. That is what I am taking from that response. More or less, what we are asking is if schools are going to be expanded, the building itself would be expanded? From the minister's response, I would assume that no, it's going to be continuing on the path of the modulars. There is no dissing of the modulars; it's just many people have the inklings, and staff have come and said that they don't feel as part of the school, being in those modulars, as they would like to. They feel fairly removed from the schools, the school environment itself.

 

This is not about school builds. This is more regarding weather events and schools. I know years ago the Department of Public Works had and - I think - it continues to be involved in the decision-making process to determine if roads are safe for travelling. I am wondering if that partnership is continuing with the regional centres for education. And I am wondering when those determinations are being made, is there a consideration about the bus stops - the school bus stops. What conditions they are in - are being made for children who are taking the bus? As well as sidewalk conditions for children who are forced to walk. Oftentimes what I have heard from schools is that if the buses are not travelling on roads, the kids aren't getting to school. If the sidewalks are not clear, kids can't walk to school and may not have an alternative way to get there. I am wondering: Are we looking at those policies? Does the Department of Public Works still - is it part of that decision-making process?

 

FRED TILLEY: I want to go back to your previous question on modulars before I answer this one.

 

It would depend on a particular project of a school. If something was going to - needed to be expanded, it would be looked at to ask: Is it best to go modular or to do a renovation? Sometimes when you do a renovation, it's disruptive to the folks who are in there. Again, it would be project specific.

 

When it comes to school cancellations, I am so glad, in February and March, that I'm not the principal of NSCC anymore. That was one of the biggest things that we hated doing. It's 100 per cent EECD that makes the call whether to cancel school. From past experience, that usually starts at 5:00 in the morning - there's a call. I don't want to say how the EECD does it, but they would have a direct line to the RCMP and the regional police. They'd make a decision on busing, then they'll make a decision on opening and those types of things.

 

We don't get involved in those decisions because those would be done - because of the fact that it's so regional. When you think of Cape Breton Centre, and then you've got Halifax, Chignecto - all those different areas. Those decisions on cancelling school would be at the local level.

 

KENDRA COOMBES: Switching gears, I'm going to ask the minister: Is Hogan Court still with the Department of Public Works, or is it with the Department of Health and Wellness?

 

FRED TILLEY: That would be with the Department of Health and Wellness.

 

KENDRA COOMBES: Moving along to bridges. My first question is going to be regarding the Auditor General's report. The Auditor General's follow-up report to the 2019 audit of Selection and Quality Management of Bridge Projects in Central and Western Districts found that, as of Spring 2024, six of seven recommendations had not been completed.

 

Can the minister confirm where these recommendations now stand? Have they all been completed, or are some still outstanding?

 

FRED TILLEY: Lots of work has been done and completed on every recommendation, working on final details on some of the recommendations. They're almost complete, but they need to be 100 per cent complete before it's considered check, it's complete.

 

Most of the remaining items are in follow-up. You send it in and then they come back and say maybe do this and this, so it's in follow-up, back and forth, but lots of progress has been made.

 

KENDRA COOMBES: I ask that if the minister is able to, could he table where those recommendations stand as of today, by the end of the sitting, if he is able to?

 

The Auditor General raised a concern about the Department of Public Works not taking steps to complete bridge inspections as required during that audit. Can the minister outline the specific actions the department has taken to improve the completion of bridge inspections?

 

FRED TILLEY: We've purchased a multi-million-dollar software tracking program that will allow better listing and better timing around inspections. We've also hired a structural bridge engineer who will oversee that program.

 

KENDRA COOMBES: Another concern raised by the Auditor General in that same audit was that the department had not implemented consistent criteria to prioritize bridge repair and replacement.

 

My question to the minister is: Can the minister outline what steps have been taken to address this? Do we have the criteria in place to prioritize bridge repair or replacement?

 

FRED TILLEY: This is one of the things that's being worked on that we talked about. The data we have is now being entered into the software management system. Once that's all in there, that will be in a better place to do that tracking and when things come due.

 

[5:15 p.m.]

 

KENDRA COOMBES: The Auditor General also brought up - I was on the committee, so I remember it quite well - the fact that in other provinces, they actually put out reports on their bridges and the conditions of those bridges and what exactly the issues are with them, if any, on the conditions of the bridges. It's similar to what we have when it comes to our child care facilities. You can go on Education and Early Childhood Development's website, and you can see the reports on all of our child care places that we have around the province. We can do that. I'm wondering, are we going to adopt that, as well, putting the conditions of our bridges and what's wrong with them and what's going to be fixed and timelines on repairs on the Department of Public Works's website?

 

FRED TILLEY: Annually, we do a bridge inspection, a Level 1 inspection, on every bridge. Then based on that inspection, it may require a Level 2 inspection. We don't release those reports because they're very technical in nature, and it would be very difficult to interpret. Rest assured, all the bridges are safe. If they weren't safe, they would be closed down. A Level 1 inspection is done annually on every bridge.

 

KENDRA COOMBES: The minister and I will probably go with agree to disagree, because this is something that, as I said, the Auditor General has stated. Other provinces are doing it. It's a good idea. I tend to take that advice. We'll respectfully disagree on this topic.

 

I'm wondering, what is the Department of Public Works doing to make sure warranty repairs are covered by the responsible parties and not Nova Scotian taxpayers - and that would be on our bridges?

 

FRED TILLEY: With every bridge, there's a contract, and within that contract would be a warranty period. We have staff who deal with those inspections and anything that's identified in that particular inspection would be immediately triggered for the contractor to get that work done.

 

KENDRA COOMBES: How many of the repairs in the last year were covered through warranty, and how many were covered by taxpayers? If the minister could provide that. If it's a longer answer, maybe table it before this sitting is finished.

 

FRED TILLEY: We wouldn't have that information off the cuff, so we'll have to get back to you.

 

KENDRA COOMBES: I ask that it be tabled by the end of the sitting, if that's doable.

 

We're going to switch gears again. We're ticking along here. This has been great. I thank all the staff and the minister.

 

The JRTA - that's where we're going next - to help out the staff. The JRTA's regional transportation plan for Halifax and the surrounding areas was supposed to be released in Fall 2024, which did not occur.

 

I was wondering if the minister could provide a new date on when we can expect to see this plan.

 

FRED TILLEY: The member will remember some interesting things that happened in the Fall. There was an election that took place, which put things into caretaker mode, and then we ran from there right into Christmas and the holiday season.

 

We have received the report, and it's currently under review by the department. It will be released when the review is complete. I don't have a timeline on that for you right now.

 

KENDRA COOMBES: As we know that the department has received this report, can the minister provide the date on which the plan was received?

 

FRED TILLEY: No, I can't.

 

KENDRA COOMBES: The JRTA is going through changes with recently tabled legislation. Can the minister outline what the consultation process that led to these changes looked like?

 

FRED TILLEY: You're correct. Originally, the JRTA was put in place to look at a 100-kilometre radius around HRM. At the end of the day, the purpose of the JRTA is to fix traffic - to fix that congestion - but your specific question is around who was consulted around JRTA.

 

The partners - there were six core partners in that piece: HRM, Public Works, Halifax Harbour Bridges, Halifax International Airport Authority, ACOA, CN, and the Halifax Port Authority.

 

KENDRA COOMBES: If the minister could briefly answer: When did the consultation begin, and how many sessions were held?

 

FRED TILLEY: As the plan was being put in place, all these partners were part of it. They helped put it together, so I can't tell you how many meetings there were or who was there. There were multiple engagement sessions held with the public and community groups, as well. I don't have the answer to how many there were.

 

Again, as soon as the JRTA was created in 2022, consultations began. There was lots of consultation around that plan and the issues around the congestion. You'll see from that - even early on - announcements around Highway No. 102, the Hammonds Plains connector, the opening of the Sackville-Bedford-Burnside Connector, Highway No. 107.

 

I'm not sure if any of your members travel that road, but I have heard lots of positive feedback. That's a great example of collaboration between Public Works and HRM. When you think about that road - I forget, maybe Mark can correct me. There are nine roundabouts or seven - seven-ish roundabouts - that were built. There's a lot of collaboration required between partners to get all that done. That's what this is about.

 

I'm not sure if you wanted me to talk about the changes at the JRTA - the new changes. No, okay.

 

KENDRA COOMBES: We might be getting into some of that. I'm not sure.

 

I'm going to ask the minister if, by the end of the sitting, he could table how many engagement sessions took place, along with their dates if that is possible.

 

Here we are. Changes to the JRTA - don't want to get ahead of ourselves. It's easier to break things down piece by piece when we're here in these types of sessions. At least, that has been my experience in the past five years.

 

The changes to the JRTA are increasing the minister's powers to - for lack of a better word - overrule the municipality's decision‑makers. I was wondering if the minister could explain why this was believed to be a necessary move.

 

FRED TILLEY: Before I answer this, I want to go back to the engagement. It's all on the JRTA website. The summary of what they heard at the engagement sessions - all that info - is there, so you should be able to access that.

 

The JRTA - I'm not sure if you were here when I was talking to the - I know I can't say that. I'm not sure if you heard me say, when the other member was asking the question about JRTA, that it was the first of its kind in Atlantic Canada. It's ahead of its time. It's a great piece of work around the HRM area - 100 kilometres around HRM. Traffic congestion is a huge issue. We all have heard the stories of people sitting in their cars for hours while they're trying to get to and from work. There's nothing more frustrating than traffic. This government has said it's going to fix the traffic situation in HRM and farther. The JRTA was developed - hugely successful, getting rave reviews across Canada. People are talking about the work that's being done on the JRTA.

 

[5:30 p.m.]

 

So based on that great work of the JRTA, some of the changes are - and the biggest change is the fact that's now going to be province-wide. Obviously the name is changing from JRTA to Link Nova Scotia to better reflect the work that the JRTA can and will do across the whole province.

 

It's about linking people to work. It's about linking people to families. It's about linking people to communities. It's about linking businesses to goods and services. It's about linking businesses to get their products across Canada. It's about unlocking the potential for Nova Scotia. That's why it became more provincial in nature - expanding that scope of the agency and changing the governance structure.

 

There was a board of directors; it's now an advisory board to the minister. There will also be a technical advisory committee, which will include a lot of the partners that were involved in the - more localized. It's about moving away from an HRM-specific, one-time project to an agency. It's aligning it with the corporate agency piece.

 

It will also clarify the municipal roles and responsibilities and the ministerial oversight that comes with that. It will allow the creation of regulation. A big piece of this is to allow us to access the federal transit funds and other federal funds. The Canada Public Transit Fund is $30 billion over 10 years. That's $3 billion a year. Right now Nova Scotia is one of two proponents that are eligible to apply. That's huge.

 

It will move JRTA from more of a planning to now an implementer. It will allow the JRTA to implement things. It will allow the JRTA - or Link Nova Scotia - to own and operate assets if it's in the best interest. The end goal is to get people around the province faster, safer, and to move goods and unlock Nova Scotia's potential.

 

THE CHAIR: Before I recognize the next question I just want to remind everybody in the Chamber and in the gallery that your phones should be on silent. We are hearing it, a dinging there somewhere.

 

KENDRA COOMBES: The minister said a lot there but I wasn't hearing about any issues that came up that would explain why the minister needed more powers. Maybe I'll break it down just a little bit more.

 

To the minister's knowledge, Chair, have there been any issues with the provincial government being able to work collaboratively with municipalities on transportation plans that would make it necessary to make this type of move?

 

FRED TILLEY: I want to be very clear with the member. Our partnerships with our municipal cousins, I guess you'd call them, are very strong. We collaborate on projects all the time. This is a tool in the tool kit.

 

Our relationships are great, our projects - our work is strong, but that being said, our responsibility is to fix traffic and congestion in Nova Scotia. Our job is to efficiently and safely move people and goods. Our job is to unlock the potential for Nova Scotia, moving forward with our internal trade barriers and our interprovincial trade barriers. These are tools that are there. We don't anticipate using them, but at the same time, we have to get things done. This is a government of fixing things, and we're going to fix the traffic situation.

 

KENDRA COOMBES: I feel like we're kind of fixing a problem that doesn't exist. That's kind of what - from what the minister said, there have been no issues in the collaboration process, which is great to hear. It's what you want to hear. I guess for me it sounds like there's a non-problem that we're trying to fix. As I said, maybe we'll respectfully agree to disagree on fixing problems that don't exist.

 

As the minister said, the legislation is going to be called Nova Scotia Link. The Nova Scotia Link bill actually falls within the Department of Municipal Affairs, is my understanding. No, it does not? Okay, then. Great.

 

This part of the bill creates an avenue for developers to temporarily gain access to adjacent land. I'm going to ask if the minister could clarify which part of this bill does the access to adjacent lands fall under?

 

FRED TILLEY: The adjacent lands piece would fall under Municipal Affairs. You're right.

 

KENDRA COOMBES: Knowing that, I'm wondering if the minister could actually explain why this action was needed in the present moment. I'm sure I'll be asking the Minister of Municipal Affairs when Municipal Affairs comes up, but I'm hoping maybe the Minister of Public Works could also provide some enlightenment on this. More specifically, why was this change made in the same bill that made the changes to the structure of the JRTA? That's specifically what I really want to know. Why was the change that's under the Department of Municipal Affairs made in the same bill that makes changes to the structure of the JRTA?

 

FRED TILLEY: Sorry for the delay. Questions around the bill itself I would defer to my colleague in the Department of Municipal Affairs.

 

KENDRA COOMBES: I thought I'd take a chance, considering it's part of the JRTA bill, and see if we can find out exactly why there's a connection there.

 

Many residents in the Sandy Lake and Hammonds Plains area have raised concerns about the Sandy Lake connector project announced in the Fall. Can the minister outline what community engagement happened, if any, before this announcement was made?

 

FRED TILLEY: The actual announcement on that new road was to begin the study and the pre-engineering. The consultation will come as part of that. That is yet to come.

 

KENDRA COOMBES: I am wondering if the minister can explain where the idea came from, with regard to Sandy Lake and Hammonds Plains connector project. Why was it announced when it was, and how long was this idea in the development stage before it was announced?

 

The other question I have, and I might as well ask them all in one part, seeing as time is slowly ticking by. What evidence is there to support a notion that the connector will improve the traffic flow?

 

FRED TILLEY: Obviously, Highway No. 102 and the Hammonds Plains area are a hot spot. It faces a lot of congestion and traffic. The department would have planners who would be looking at these things. It doesn't - and I don't want this to sound glib or anything, but - you don't really need a study to determine when you have a problem in an area that you need to address.

 

Part of our commitment is that we are going fix traffic congestion within the HRM and the rest of the province, and this is a potential way to do it. It is going to the pre-engineering work, at which point the consultations and all those things will take place.

 

KENDRA COOMBES: I am going to switch gears a little bit, keeping us on our toes. This is going to be on cell service and internet. I'm wondering if the minister is able to tell me how many civic addresses or households are not connected to cell or internet service. I'm wondering if that information is available.

 

[5:45 p.m.]

 

FRED TILLEY: On the internet piece, the goal was 95 per cent, and we've hit 99 per cent. I'm going from memory here, but in 2024, there were 10,000 addresses that still didn't have internet; that's now down to 900. When you factor in the satellite, 100 per cent of homes in Nova Scotia have - now we're down to less than - 100 per cent of homes would have access through the cell program. That's been hugely successful.

 

On the cell piece, right now there are 20,000 addresses and 1,000 kilometres of roadway underserved. The first sites for the cell program that was - so we've invested $65 million - the first government to tackle cell service in Nova Scotia. In 2025, we'll have those first sites online.

 

THE CHAIR: With just under six minutes left - the member for Cape Breton Centre-Whitney Pier.

 

KENDRA COOMBES: This is a reminder that areas connected to my constituency, like Reserve Mines, have several places where it drops altogether and even their internet is fairly spotty - putting a good shout-out to Reserve Mines, as well as the Lingan Road, where cell service is quite spotty.

 

I don't know if I heard it in the minister's answer - if you did, I probably didn't hear it: Does the department have an estimated timeline when all Nova Scotians will be connected? The minister may have said that; I just didn't hear the answer.

 

FRED TILLEY: One hundred per cent of Nova Scotians are connected to the internet now, either by wire or by the satellite program. To have 100 per cent cell connection coverage, there are areas of the province where geography and other things that would come into play - you would never get to 100 per cent.

 

KENDRA COOMBES: Can the minister outline how areas are selected, on a priority basis, to receive upgrades in cell infrastructure?

 

FRED TILLEY: On the website, residents can go in and can also submit a form to advise of their service.

 

With regard to areas that are spotty for internet, I would have them look at the satellite component because they can get their equipment covered, and the service with the satellite is generally really good. There's no prioritization in area. Everything is looked at equally.

 

KENDRA COOMBES: In July, Rogers Communications was selected to deliver more cell infrastructure. Can the minister tell us how many other private companies applied to deliver this work, how much is the contract with Rogers worth, is this amount spread over multiple years, and when does the contract expire? - with two minutes to go.

 

FRED TILLEY: We can get that information to you - because with a minute left, we're not going to - but Phase 2 of the project closed in December. The tenders are currently under review for that. We're moving more, faster with the technology, and we want to continue to grow the cell program.

 

We will get back to you on the contracting information you requested.

 

KENDRA COOMBES: There's only 45 seconds left in this round of questioning. With that, I want to take some time to thank the Public Works staff for being here with all of us this evening and for providing the information that we need here in Estimates. I have so much appreciation for all of you and the work you do. I'm in constant contact with a lot of you on quite a regular basis. I thank you always for trying to provide the information and to hear the concerns from my residents. I will see you in the next round of questioning. Thank you all so very much.

 

THE CHAIR: The time for the NDP questions is ended. Before I go to the Liberal time again - I'm looking to the minister and his staff to see if you want a break. Five or ten minutes? Ten?

 

The committee's in recess for 10 minutes.

 

[5:53 p.m. The committee recessed.]

 

[6:00 p.m. The committee reconvened.]

 

THE CHAIR: Order, please. It is now the Liberals' turn. The honourable Leader of the Liberal Party.

 

HON. DEREK MOMBOURQUETTE: I'm actually going to concede my time to the member for Cumberland North. Just a quick response to the last question that was asked: I think it's important to recognize this isn't about clippable moments. You're not even allowed to clip it. It's against the rules to clip it. When I ask a question about rail, it's not about clipping it in an “I gotcha” moment. It's a government that's talking about interprovincial trade that now years later - I feel that the railbed we have in Cape Breton should be protected or at least discussed.

 

The government is big on interprovincial trade. We're big on resource development. We all support that, and the best way you can move critical minerals is by train - period. It's safer, safer for our highways. It's better for our waterways if we're not barging. It doesn't impact fishing. There's a whole number of reasons why I brought that up. It's nothing to do with politics.

 

There's staff in this building who were involved those years ago with former ministers ensuring that we could keep that railbed from being taken out. There are parts of it that will never be used again. I know that myself. There's parts in Sydney that probably will never be used again. If you're going to talk about interprovincial trade, if you're going to talk about growing industries, you need to have the infrastructure to move product, move product around from province to province and move product to port. That's why I'm asking a question around rail, and that's why I asked the question of the minister.

 

Before he was minister, this government wasn't supporting that rail line. There was no business. They said there was no business case. I understand there's a report being done in conjunction with CBU on light rail in Sydney. We'll wait to see what that is.

 

Now the stakes are very different. We now have a completely different relationship with the United States. We're all now talking about breaking down interprovincial trade barriers. The Premier tabled his bill two days ago. We're happy to support it as a caucus on the record publicly multiple times.

 

If you're going to do that, that railbed now becomes more significant in the whole scheme of things.

 

I just wanted to get that on the record. I have no questions at this point. I'm actually going to pass at this point my time over to my colleague for Cumberland North.

 

HON. FRED TILLEY: Look, I recognize that the member is passionate about Cape Breton, as I am as well. I continue to advocate for Cape Breton. I always will, always do. At the end of the day this government is doing great things for Nova Scotia, great things for Cape Breton. The member talks about before. Well, this is now. When I look at what this government has done, I have to get it on the record. When I was in Opposition, we were looking for continuous glucose monitoring for diabetic patients. It was done. We were looking for indexing tax brackets for Nova Scotians. That was done. School lunch program, that was done. Raising the income levels for home improvement grants, that was done. Now we're looking at building interprovincial trade for Nova Scotia.

 

For me, it has been a pleasure to be supportive of this. To see the Minister of Finance and Treasury Board stand here and table the budget that we tabled this past year - it did my heart good to see the things in there that are there to help Nova Scotians, including a tax break for every Nova Scotian family - $1,000 per family approximately, depending on the situation.

 

Those are the things - when people are thinking about how they are going to heat their homes, how they're going to put food on the table - any reduction they can get in the tax base is helpful for them. I am proud of that.

 

When it comes to resource development, this government has said we're taking the No out of Nova Scotia, and that's the right thing to do. It's the absolute right thing to do. It is time we grow the province. It's time for us to come into our own as a province. Wouldn't it be wonderful if, at some point, Nova Scotia stood on its own and didn't have to rely on payments from other provinces to make things work here?

 

That's what this government is trying to do. We're trying to pave the way for the future. We're trying to grow, we're trying to build, and we're trying to solve issues as we go. That's what it's all about. I wanted to get that on the record, as well; what's good for Cape Breton is good for Nova Scotia. What's good for Nova Scotia is good for Cape Breton. We'll continue to work hard for both.

 

When I look at the areas of development and the projects that are under way for Nova Scotia, if I look specifically at Cape Breton: the New Waterford school that just opened and had it's first Coal Bowl; the health centre in New Waterford; the hospital that's being built on the Northside; the hospital redevelopment; and the new community college in Sydney. I was part of that, as was the member for Sydney-Membertou, as was the previous government, and as is this government.

 

It takes more than - I know he's been around for a long time, and I know he's been around for ten years, but at the same time, that community college made a real difference. It put people to work, it revitalized a downtown core, and it helped us to grow that college. The programming we put in place there is going to benefit Cape Breton for many years to come, and that's what's important.

 

The people who work - the people who came home from out west to work on those projects and the new projects - the new school that's announced. There are two: one for Glace Bay and one for Northside. That's going to put people to work. I met recently with some of the construction folks, and I'm understanding there's work there for seven years plus in Cape Breton.

 

In this role, I have to look provincially and make sure that, when we look at our transportation systems - from the isthmus to the ferry in Cape Breton and every part in between, from the ferry in Digby, the ferry in Yarmouth, Englishtown. All of these things keep our individuals moving, keep our goods moving across the province, keep our economy rolling. I think I mentioned in the last section, when we talked about the economic impact that that has on Nova Scotia. We talk about 10,000 people employed directly and indirectly in this province through road-building activities. That's just the salaries that come from that work, not even taking into account the actual materials, the equipment, the stakeholders, all that are involved in growing the economy of Nova Scotia. I feel this department absolutely does its part in building up Nova Scotia.

 

We're working diligently. We're putting a five-year plan out. Every single year, we're investing half a billion dollars in the future. We have the JRTA. We're future-proofing our transportation system. We're building for growth. This province is going to continue to grow because of the work of this government, because of the investments that are being made.

 

We have to build the infrastructure to support that. We're building - I think it's 242 - new housing units. We're twinning new highways. We're constantly thinking about the future.

 

I just wanted to get that out there. I'll sit down now.

 

THE CHAIR: The honourable member for Cumberland North.

 

ELIZABETH SMITH-MCCROSSIN: I'm wondering if I could ask the minister a couple of questions around infrastructure and funding for Cumberland North, specifically some of our bridge projects. There have been some concerns around safety and infrastructure for the Tidnish Bridge. I'm wondering if the minister would be able to provide an update around planned work for the Tidnish Bridge.

 

[6:15 p.m.]

 

THE CHAIR: The honourable Minister of Public Works.

 

HON. FRED TILLEY: That bridge has been identified and it's currently in the planning stages. When that's completed it will be put out to tender.

 

ELIZABETH SMITH-MCCROSSIN: I'm wondering if there may be a timeline associated with that, or an estimated timeline?

 

FRED TILLEY: We don't have a timeline on that one.

 

ELIZABETH SMITH-MCCROSSIN: The second bridge that's been a priority - and I know I've spoken with the department staff about this a few times - is the bridge in Wallace that connects Wallace to Ferry Road. I believe one of the reasons that work was postponed is because it came in over budget. I think it was double, if I recall.

 

I guess some of the concerns - and this is something I've discussed with the area manager, who is very good, I might add - but there's a significant safety concern with the decking on the bridge. There are quite a few pieces missing. If a motorcycle were to come along, they've identified that as a significant safety risk.

 

I'm wondering if there's any update or report on when the decking on that bridge in Wallace might be replaced.

 

FRED TILLEY: The member is right. It was tendered and I think it came in at double what the expectations were. It's currently being monitored by the maintenance team. If there's an issue there, you should certainly bring that forward and let the area manager know the issue and then they'll pass it forward to me.

 

ELIZABETH SMITH-MCCROSSIN: I guess three other bridges also identified that are on our priority lists would - all three of them share a common infrastructure in that they have wooden decking. All three have had to have repairs in the last 12 months. One in particular is the one in Shinimicas, on that road. It had a lot more extra traffic because of the Oxley Creek culvert that was out for an extended period of time.

 

I'll just mention those three bridges: Shinimicas Road bridge, Thompson Road bridge, and Pugwash River Road bridge. All three are that old style with the wood decking. Every time I get pictures sent or complaints, I always send them off to the area manager, and they do a temporary fix. But they may need more of a permanent fix in the future.

 

Another infrastructure project that we've been waiting patiently for in our area, is in Pugwash, the storm drains, the storm sewer. That was identified back after Hurricane Dorian. The storm sewer there is very aged, so it's not able to accommodate the large demand that's on it now.

 

The municipality, the Village of Pugwash, had a great infrastructure water project, I think the former MP for our area might have actually had something to do with that, who is now an MLA here in the House from Colchester. But that work, which was desperately needed - ever since that infrastructure project was done, the village people would like to have sidewalks.

 

We've been very blessed in that village. We have a new library, a new hospital now, and a new stage on the waterfront. There's been some investment with housing in the village - a farmers' market, one of the most successful in the province. It's just a going concern - a new bank by the credit union. This growth that's happening is seeing a lot of activity and the village people really would like to have improved sidewalks.

 

There is quite an older population there which triples or quadruples in the Summer months, so for safety and accessibility they've been asking me for sidewalks. But the sidewalks can't get done until the storm drains get replaced, until the storm sewer gets done. The area manager did tell me half of it is on track for 2026. He said there's not a date for the second half scheduled.

 

It was my understanding it was going to be part of the capital plan last Summer, and the work didn't get done. And it's not scheduled for this Summer. I bring it up with the minister because it is such an important infrastructure need in our area. Just in case, somewhere, somehow there happens to be a little extra money lying around, this is definitely a priority for the North Shore.

 

We also have another significant project that's under way there, and that's our yacht club and marina is expanding. Mr. Bill Mundle, who was an incredible businessman here in Nova Scotia, he actually did drilling all over the world, the Logan Drilling Group - his son owns the company now. He made a significant donation, over $100,000 dollars to the marina. It's called the Bill Mundle Marina now. The yacht club has been working with the federal government to get dredging done. I'm sharing this all with the minister to emphasize new sidewalks in the village is a piece that's - everybody has been waiting to get this done because there's so much else.

 

I'm starting to hear from community groups. I'm hearing from East Cumberland Lodge Board of Directors, I'm hearing from Communities in Bloom, all advocating. The minister may have even received some correspondence on that too. I don't know if the minister wants to respond if they have any updated information on that infrastructure project that's needed for Pugwash or not.

 

I will add, I know the area manager for Colchester who's responsible for Malagash and Wallace, he also has on his list, Wallace - it's not a village, but it's a small community. It also needs new storm drains. It's had to have patchwork done on several occasions and it's right across from an elementary school. Sometimes there are big holes and they have to patch them up, because it's not safe in case a child were to fall into it.

 

I don't know if the minister would have an update on those two storm drain projects or not.

 

FRED TILLEY: I am going to separate these out. With Pugwash, the design has been completed. You're right, it is slated in the 2026-27 year.

 

With Wallace, the survey is complete, so designs to be done after that.

 

ELIZABETH SMITH-MCCROSSIN: I know that will be great when those projects can be done.

 

One of the issues that I brought to the department each year is the concern around management. I do think that it's not purposeful. I think that maybe it's a capacity issue for the manager. Wallace and Malagash have been under the management of Colchester for - actually, I don't know how many years, but I think it's around 12 or 15 years.

 

When I first became an MLA, it was very evident that Wallace and Malagash were certainly not getting managed like the rest of the area that I served in Cumberland. They did go through four different area managers in four years, so I'm sure that did make a difference.

 

Whenever I would call about things like vegetation management on the side of the road or something, they would say, well, we have only one grass cutter - for lack of a better word - and it's broken down. It was the middle of July.

 

One of the things that I have asked, on behalf of the people, is for Wallace and Malagash to be placed back under the management of Cumberland County instead of Colchester County. The area manager for Colchester is great. I know he is doing his best.

 

I think he probably gets 80 per cent of his calls from this little area of Wallace and Malagash. They're a very vocal, politically active group of people in that area. The area manager certainly has done a lot, actually, in the last 12 months in that area - small projects and larger projects. I do want to give him some credit. He's very responsive, as well, whenever I reach out to him with concerns.

 

I do think that overall, in the big picture, it may be better. I'm still making that request, that that area be placed back under Cumberland management.

 

Your staff might be able to correct me. I don't think it was last Winter, I think it was the Winter before, we had a very significant snowfall. Literally, it was so obvious in the Wallace area where my roads were managed under Cumberland versus where they were managed under Colchester. There was literally no provincial equipment, with the exception of ones that came into Wallace and Malagash for snow removal, for about four days.

 

There was some snow removal done on the provincial highways, but it was all done by local contractors - local farmers and local businessmen who had equipment. Thank goodness we had them. Even on Trunk 6, the main thoroughfare, where it ended under Cumberland management was around Highway No. 368, the truck route. It went from being completely cleared of snow, even the sides of the roads, to one pathway through the middle of Trunk 6.

 

I will leave this with the minister. I don't know if the minister is aware. This is the first time I've brought it up with him. I know the department has told me several times that they're working on this, that it was actually with the union, and they were looking at the negotiations.

 

From the infrastructure standpoint, there is a Public Works garage in Wallace. There is the ability to have equipment placed back in Wallace in that area. I know that's certainly what the people of the area would like.

 

[6:30 p.m.]

 

FRED TILLEY: You're correct. It is managed under Colchester, and that's part of an agreement that was made in 2012. Currently, there are no plans to change the work boundaries. Regardless of the zones - you talked about the service level - there are service levels for the department that we strive to meet. If you're seeing service levels not being met, then certainly bring that forward to supervisors and management in the area.

 

Every year is different with the levels of snowfall. This year, it's been an ice situation. We've had more ice than snow. We've had ice multiple days in a row, and then it gets cold. The service standards are there. You know what they are, so if you're feeling they're not being met, bring those things forward.

 

ELIZABETH SMITH-MCCROSSIN: We've a great crew up there, in Cumberland and in Colchester, but the Colchester manager has a lot on his plate with Colchester. Workers - local workers - it's natural that, if you live in a community, you tend to take care of that community first. If the workers are living in Tatamagouche or River John, those areas seem to be getting service versus Malagash and Wallace, where they're not in that garage. On behalf of the residents there, I make that request.

 

I grew up with a family - my father worked for Public Works for 35 years as a road grader, an operator. He served - in the role of I guess it would be operating supervisor or area manager, but I'm not sure which his title was - for about seven years. That was back in the day when the government changed, they lost their job. That did happen, but thankfully, he was able to go back to being an operator.

 

I want to share with you the dangers. I don't ever overreact if there is snow and that on the ground because I was growing up watching - having a father who was out there during the snowstorms. I know first-hand what it's like. It's not an easy job, and they sacrifice a lot. In fact, one year, Minister, he was driving in front of one of the operators, and the road conditions changed very fast, turned to ice. He pulled off to the side of the road to talk to the operator and a car came around, lost control, and actually hit my father. If he hadn't jumped, he probably would have been killed, but it broke both his legs, while he was working. It's very dangerous. It can be a very dangerous job.

 

Minister, when it comes to roadside maintenance, I don't know if the department has looked at making any significant changes there. I know it costs a lot of money, but I do have to bring this up, because it is a budget line somewhere. It's been an ongoing issue, each Summer in particular, roadside vegetation management. It's pretty much the same everywhere, I would say.

 

The area manager for Colchester, who's taking care of Wallace and Malagash, he actually tried something new last Summer. There's this crazy weed - I don't know the name of it - in Malagash that just takes over. He actually tried something new last Spring, and cut it before it got out of control, and it actually managed it much better in the Summer.

 

I'm wondering if there's been any look in the department to increase the budget for roadside management. Part of it is for safety, is why I bring this up. There's one road called the Tyndal Road, for example, that has moose in that area and a lot of deer. There's a lot of deer on the Gulf Shore Road too. Most of the complaints I get about vegetation management are to do with safety, roadside safety, people not able to see the animals before they come up onto the highway.

 

There's also another reason, and that is tourism. All one has to do is go over to Prince Edward Island in the Summer and see the difference between the manicured roadsides, and I do believe - I'm a little biased, but I do believe that Cumberland North is one of the most beautiful places around. On one side we have the Bay of Fundy - my colleague from Cumberland South, that's in his jurisdiction; they call it the little Cape Breton - and Cape d'Or. Just beautiful, beautiful sights.

 

Then on my side, it's the Northumberland Strait. Just beautiful tourism potential. We have a lot of tourism business there now. The Amherst Shore Country Inn is in Lorneville, Amherst Head area, and Cambra Sands in Malagash, and, of course, Jost Vineyards - they have a lot going on there in the Summer - and, of course, Pugwash, and all the things that I shared there. Not to leave out all of our beautiful provincial parks, which are some of the best in the province.

 

But our roadsides are really not good. Even if they could be cut back twice a season, instead of - usually in my area, Minister, and I don't know if it's the same in the province, I think it is - they're usually only able to get them done once, and a lot of the time that's late August, so they are pretty overgrown by the time they're even done the first time.

 

I'm just wondering if this is something the department has looked at, and if it's something that maybe we could have more investment in, in both equipment for the operators and staffing time to make it more of a priority.

 

FRED TILLEY: As the member was talking, it brought me back to my childhood. I think that weed that you're talking about is the Japanese knotweed, or as we affectionately called them when we were kids, elephant ears. I can remember those. We had them in our backyard. We played hide-and-seek in them. You wouldn't do that today because of the ticks, but back then we used those weeds for hide-and-seek. I can remember my dad getting a little angry with the kids and me because we would pull them out and fight with them, and then, of course, you're pulling out the weeds and spreading it all out through the yard. He'd be out trying to pull the darn weeds all over the place. I had to chuckle when you brought that up. It brought me back.

 

Minister Lohr talked about 1902 and him being here for that. I feel like I was here for that too.

 

Vegetation management is obviously something that's very important. Safety is a top priority. Again, when we talk about the government and we talk about things that they've done, one of the things that they've done over the last number of years is double the RIM program. The RIM program - Rural Impact Mitigation - I keep wanting to say “rural infrastructure.” The Rural Impact Mitigation Program - that's designed to do that maintenance patching and the shouldering and the ditching, but also that brush cutting.

 

That was $11 million when this government came in. It's been doubled to $22 million. The last two years, there was an additional $14 million put into that. The department recognizes the issue of vegetation management and safety. We start with the 100-Series highways and then move off to the trunks, routes, and local roads.

 

I guess one of the things that I would want to emphasize is that if a resident - and again, with deer strikes. We have that information. With a deer strike we get notified. If there's an issue with vegetation, it's taken care of. If a resident notices an issue that they feel is unsafe due to vegetation around stop signs, that sort of thing, the OCC - give them that number and get them to call. When they do that - I advise all of the constituents, because you get that ticket number. That's your ticket to getting things done. You get the ticket number and then if nothing happens, when you follow up - I know you know this - you can quote the ticket number to the supervisor.

 

I believe I got this right. A ticket comes in, gets assigned by the OCC by area to the supervisor, and then the supervisor has to physically go in and clear that ticket and log all of those. That would be the same with any safety issue that's noticed.

 

ELIZABETH SMITH-MCCROSSIN: I'm smiling because most people - I thank the minister for the answer - most people don't really like that OCC number. I'm smiling because if the centre were in Cumberland County and the people in Cape Breton were told: Call Cumberland County to issue your road complaint, you'd probably hear the same thing. People want to talk to someone local.

 

[6:45 p.m.]

 

I understand from a systems management why it's done and why there are tickets and all this. There may not be a different response time on things if it was a local number, but I do feel - I want to just mention that to the minister. I actually hear from people about that a fair amount. They get annoyed that they have to call - 30 years ago, they called their local manager, and everybody probably had that person's phone number or cell number or home number, I guess. A lot of people don't like that. In my area, they don't like that they have to call Cape Breton - nothing against Cape Bretoners. There's lots of similarities between the people of Cumberland and Cape Breton, actually, I think - strong people.

 

Minister, I also had here on my list the Blue Route. That's something that we have talked about in the past. There are a lot of tourists, and there are a lot of avid cyclists in our area. Ferry Road was just paved three Summers ago, I think a seven-kilometre stretch. It's part of the Blue Route, but the roadsides weren't done. The shoulders of the road weren't paved, whereas I know in Colchester it was just done, and the shoulders were paved there. It doesn't seem to always be consistent. The reason I bring it up is we had a real sad tragedy this Summer on Route 366. It was close to the area where the Oxley Creek culvert was being fixed. Anyway, tragically, we had a cyclist killed.

 

I received a lot of correspondence from people. We have a lot of cottages there, thousands of cottagers. I had a lot of correspondence from people asking for not only Route 366 to be repaved and maintained better but also for the shoulders to be paved so that cyclists could travel that road more safely. My understanding was Route 366 is part of the Blue Route, and when it is repaved, the shoulders will be done and brought up to those standards.

 

Can the minister share if there's a date in mind for Route 366 to be repaved and made part of the Blue Route?

 

FRED TILLEY: You're right. Route 366 is identified as Blue Route. I understand it's beautiful country up there. It has been identified as a future project. When they do the design for that project, they'll determine whether or not - when the shoulders get done is based on traffic volumes and other metrics and criteria which all get covered during the pre-planning phase for a project. Once the pre-planning for that specific - so they'll know what the scope is for the project. We don't have a timeline on it right now.

 

ELIZABETH SMITH-MCCROSSIN: I have a question that's not really budget related. It's more about policy. It's a specific, unique request. It's come up to the staff before, but I'd be remiss if I didn't bring it up for the people of this area.

 

One of our provincial beaches is called Heather Beach. It has been a highly populated area for years now. Over the last seven to 10 years, we have more and more permanent residents there.

 

It's a provincial road, and it's - the houses and cottages are very close to the road. Not the last time but the time before when I met with the department staff to do my plan, they brought it up on Google Earth, took a look, and were surprised. You could literally be driving down the road, and the cottage or home was right there.

 

The reason I bring it up is because I had a request from the residents there. They've formed a formal society - I encouraged them two years ago to form - so now they have a Heather Beach society. They put forth formal requests to different departments and the municipality. One of their requests is to have the speed limit lowered to below 50 km because of the dense population and because of the proximity of the homes and cottages to the road.

 

Our understanding is that it is under the minister's discretion that the speed limit can be lowered to 25 or 30 km, if the minister were to deem that appropriate. I would like to make that request to the minister on behalf of the residents of that area. A lot of us have summer cottages, summer homes, and family there - even some of my colleagues here in this House.

 

I will put that there. I don't know if the minister wants to ask any questions about that specifically. I will add that I have two roads for which that request has been made: Seagrove and Heather Beach. They're both provincial roads and both heavily populated - Heather Beach more so. I have had requests from residents for both of those roads.

 

FRED TILLEY: I'm chuckling because this situation reminds - when I was first elected. I was first elected in 2021. Some folks have heard this story. The election was on a Tuesday. On Wednesday, two old guys came to see me. They have been to see me every week since. There is even a picture of them in my office. They came in so often that one day JoAnn put them to work.

 

We called them Statler and Waldorf, from the Muppets. When they came, I didn't even have an office. They met me in my garage. They said, Fred, there's a crosswalk on Park Road in Florence. It's by a school. There are lots of seniors around. We want a flashing light.

 

In my naive mind, I'm like, piece of cake. This is my first win, right? They didn't tell me that they'd been working on it for nine years and so I committed. I said, we're going to get you guys a flashing light. That's going to be the first thing I do. They left all happy; I was the best thing since sliced bread.

 

Needless to say, I still don't have a flashing light. I still don't have their flashing light, but I've worked with those guys and we've worked really hard to mitigate the situation that was there. We have a speed sign now and all those things and that was done a couple of years ago.

 

I guess the whole reason that I go into this point is because unbeknownst to me, and I know you have been around a while so you know the process, but there's an actual person in the department by zone who looks at all of the different traffic speeds and what I've come to find out through investigation is that they are very, very busy. They have to do all of the detours. They have to figure out - because I'm not the only MLA looking for a crosswalk. There are 55 of us or however many in their particular area.

 

At the end of the day, all of this to say is we will take it back and have a look and get the department staff to take a peek at it.

 

THE CHAIR: The honourable member for Cumberland North with three and a half minutes remaining.

 

ELIZABETH SMITH-MCCROSSIN: I extend an invitation to the minister to come up and take a look. He could approve - he could come up and take a look. We love doing road trips with our ministers and staff.

 

The last question that I will bring up is probably in honesty the most important priority - I'll save the best for last but - and that is our Trunk 6 highway. I know the staff know this. I know the area managers have been trying to get funding for this, but it's been in a bit of a deplorable state, I would say. It's heavily, heavily driven. We have a lot of the population that drives from Amherst to Pugwash or back and forth each day. Salt trucks go on that from the Pugwash salt mine so there is a lot of heavy traffic - a lot of pulp trucks on that road.

 

I know the area manager told me that I think half of it is scheduled for this coming Summer, and then 50 per cent for next year. I bring it up because this has been the No. 1 priority for four years and I know our trunks are important to get maintained and I know that, again, if there happens to be a pot of money found somewhere, it would be the No. 1 issue in my area and that is getting the Trunk 6 completely done. If there was any way it could be all done this Summer and not just half - I think six kilometres or six and a half kilometres is scheduled for this Summer and six and a half for next or something. It actually does leave exactly three kilometres with not being planned at all. I did bring that up to our area manager and so he is aware. He said he will try to find a way to get it done.

 

I will leave that with the minister just knowing that definitely the highest priority for the people of Cumberland North is that trunk highway between Warren - three kilometres were done this Summer and people were grateful for three kilometres, but the whole stretch really does need to be done, so I'll leave that with the minister. Thank you, Chair.

 

[7:00 p.m.]

 

FRED TILLEY: I recognize it's a Number 1 priority in your area, and this Summer - so, you said everyone was happy with three, well, they'll be double happy. This year it's going to be - from the Beecham Road and Shinimicas River, 6.4 . . .

 

THE CHAIR: Order, please. It is now time for the NDP. Before I recognize the member, I'd like to ask the minister, for time management, about how much time will you need for closing remarks?

 

FRED TILLEY: Just a couple of minutes. Say, three minutes.

 

THE CHAIR: Thank you.

 

The honourable member for Halifax Needham.

 

SUZY HANSEN: I have a question about the bridges and the decision with removing the tolls. With the removal of the tolls, what role will the Halifax-Dartmouth Bridge Commission play once the tolls are removed? Will the commission continue to exist in the same form? What will happen to the staff employed to support the tolls and the folks who are responsible for the MACPASS? Could the minister please explain what will happen?

 

HON. FRED TILLEY: The Halifax-Dartmouth Bridge Commission will remain to operate and maintain the bridges.

 

SUZY HANSEN: I'm grateful for that answer. I received a few emails about people's uncertainty with their staffing positions. I'm glad to hear that things will maintain as is.

 

My next question is, with the removal of the tolls, does the Province anticipate having to allocate more provincial dollars for the replacement bridge? And does the department have an idea of how much that will cost?

 

FRED TILLEY: Obviously, that's far out. There's a study under way right now to look at the A. Murray MacKay Bridge and the challenges with maintaining and repairing it, and that sort of thing. We're looking forward to that. It would be the same whether it was Halifax Harbour Bridges' or the Province's. It would come out of the capital. It's capital.

 

SUZY HANSEN: I'm just curious to know, what stage is the department at with planning the replacement bridge? I've spoken to the Halifax Harbour Bridges folks - actually, that was two years ago. They said that they were behind in getting a new replacement bridge. Now that we're taking this on as a government, I'm just curious to know where we are in the planning stages of the new MacKay Bridge.

 

FRED TILLEY: As I mentioned, an independent study is currently looking at the possible rehabilitation of the MacKay Bridge. It's in progress, and it'll be shared when it's completed. Then we'll know more.

 

SUZY HANSEN: I'm just curious to know a little bit more information, and maybe this might be something we could talk about offline. I'm just curious to know what the placement of the MacKay Bridge will be. I was given two options, and I'm curious to know which one of those options is where they've decided upon placing the new MacKay Bridge.

 

FRED TILLEY: We're way too early to look at where or how or what would be required there. I can't give you any specifics on a replacement.

 

SUZY HANSEN: Hopefully, the minister and I can have a conversation about this offline. I'm going to pass it over to my colleague for Cape Breton Centre-Whitney Pier.

 

THE CHAIR: The honourable member for Cape Breton Centre-Whitney Pier.

 

KENDRA COOMBES: Switching gears again, going back to cell and internet services. There were a number of projects in the Eastern Zone that have a note saying the provider will be determined in the future. Can the minister outline the timeline for when the providers will be selected for projects that are supposed to come online? I believe it's next year.

 

HON. FRED TILLEY: I'm just wondering if you can be more specific about the projects you're discussing so we can get you an accurate answer.

 

KENDRA COOMBES: I don't have any particular in mind. It was more or less a general question about the projects. Some of the projects in the Eastern Zone had a completion date of 2026 and are under way, and others are not. I'm more or less - those that are not on the way, is the minister confident that all the projects on the Build Nova Scotia website will be completed on schedule? On the Build Nova Scotia website.

 

FRED TILLEY: I just want to confirm with the member that we're talking cell service and not internet. You're talking internet. Okay, we need a couple more minutes.

 

With internet, there are fewer than 900 addresses remaining, and they are the most challenging addresses with regard to geography, et cetera. I want to stress that those 100 per cent with the satellite program are available. If folks are having difficulty getting connected through - or getting service, or what have you, the satellite program is still operational, still there, still ready to go. They should take a look at that one.

 

KENDRA COOMBES: I thank the minister. We've heard from constituents in Cape Breton and other rural areas that land lines can also be unreliable, due to weather conditions. Is the department aware of the problem? Is any work being done to find weatherproof solutions to ensure that Nova Scotians have reliable access to land lines?

 

FRED TILLEY: Land lines are not mandated by the department.

 

KENDRA COOMBES: I believe I heard the minister say that it's not part of the department. I'm just wondering, is it under consideration that for a number of residents in Nova Scotia having these issues with land lines - would it ever become something that the department would be looking into?

 

FRED TILLEY: That would be regulated federally. Any concerns on that one you should probably direct to the CRTC.

 

KENDRA COOMBES: It is my understanding that Build Nova Scotia tracks feedback it receives to understand the challenges Nova Scotians are facing and advocates on behalf of Nova Scotians, with telecommunications partners.

 

Can the minister tell us how many individuals have submitted feedback on cell coverage in this last year?

 

FRED TILLEY: The website just went live. Previous to that, it would have been written correspondence, so we don't have numbers for that.

 

KENDRA COOMBES: I'm just wondering if the minister could tell me - the minister said - I'm wondering if the minister could provide me with a time frame of when it went live, please.

 

[7:15 p.m.]

 

FRED TILLEY: It has been in this calendar year - so several weeks. There wouldn't be data that - there wouldn't be enough time to give you an accurate date.

 

KENDRA COOMBES: I guess that will be a question for next year. We'll book our appointment date then for that question.

 

I only have two more on this. Can the minister outline what the department's advocacy with telecommunication partners has looked like this past year?

 

FRED TILLEY: I'm going to brag a bit here. We were the first government to deal with trade barriers - interprovincial. We were also the first and only province to advocate with the CRTC around - and I saw those letters that were sent. There were two separate letters that were sent this year - since December - advocating on the cell piece. I'm proud of the team for doing that advocacy on our behalf.

 

KENDRA COOMBES: Unfortunately, the minister led me to another question that I didn't realize I had. Has the minister had any meetings or has the department had any meetings with the CRTC?

 

FRED TILLEY: I'm so happy you asked, Chair. As a result of the feedback that we provided, our department, through Build Nova Scotia, was invited to attend hearings in Ottawa. Again, I think it was a bit of a shock when the Province walked into these hearings to provide feedback. Yes, we've been involved, and kudos to Build for doing that work.

 

KENDRA COOMBES: I thought I only had two; then you asked that, and I had three. It's my understanding that the government is investing in provincially owned telecommunications - correct me if I'm wrong on that - in unserved areas. If that is the case, how many towers are currently - are there any towers currently in place and, if so, how many? How many will be added in the next year?

 

THE CHAIR: The honourable Minister of Public Works.

 

FRED TILLEY: In Phase 1, Rogers Communications had 27 towers, and the Province has 27 towers. The first of those will hit the ground this Summer. Then Phase 2, as I mentioned earlier, just closed in December.

 

KENDRA COOMBES: With the provincially owned towers, does the government expect to have great connection reliability?

 

FRED TILLEY: I can't remember if it was this member who asked the question or the other member, so I'm going to go through this. The Cellular for Nova Scotia Program will improve cellular network access to unserved areas of Nova Scotia. The Cellular for Nova Scotia Program objectives are to reach the following service coverage areas. So, our goal, where Nova Scotians live, work and play, is to have 99 per cent basic voice coverage.

 

That means, you pick up the phone, there's a dial tone, I can call you - ninety-five per cent standard definition service. Standard definition service would provide quality audio or video for emails, internet browsing, and social media. Then, when we go into higher quality, the goal would be to have 85 per cent high-definition service. So, high definition, provide high-quality audio or video for emails, internet browsing, social media, video conferencing, and movie streaming.

 

KENDRA COOMBES: The minister, who knows me fairly well, I think, is going to enjoy this question: Are there other reasons why the government-owned towers are at times superior to privately-owned towers?

 

FRED TILLEY: So, the towers are the same. There's no difference between our towers and the other towers, but our towers will serve a different purpose. With our towers, we'll have TMR for emergency management. I don't profess to know anything about that stuff. That would be a question for Service Nova Scotia or Emergency Management.

 

There would be just the radios on ours, and we would then allow services providers to put their infrastructure on the towers.

 

KENDRA COOMBES: Of course, they would be far superior. (Laughter)

 

It's okay, Minister. I know quite a bit about TMRs, spending a lot of time around fire departments as well as other emergency personnel.

 

I'm going to switch gears a little again. I want to finish up on some questions here regarding J-Class roads. After our discussion the night before last, I actually received an email from an individual. I've summed up what that email had said. The constituent had said that the minister's answer to J-Class roads, in their opinion, was inaccurate. It was explained by this constituent that municipalities submit roads to the department for consideration, but not all roads submitted by HRM recently have met the requirements for funding. This person asked if we would ask this question of the minister. Can the minister outline what the department is doing to better communicate the requirements for this program?

 

FRED TILLEY: With regard to the actual email, I'm wondering if you could table it so we can have a look at it and maybe understand it a little better.

 

I'll just explain how J-Class roads are allocated. As you know, J-Class roads are a 50/50 split. At the same time every year, we go out to all the municipalities, ask them to submit their priorities. We allocate the funding that's available on our side, based on the number of J-Class kilometres in a given municipality. If there's 100,000 kilometres, and CBRM has 10,000, they would get 10 per cent of the allocation. Then whatever portion of the allocation is met by a given municipality, we would award that piece to them. Then we could go forward from there. I hope that answers your question.

 

[7:30 p.m.]

 

KENDRA COOMBES: I am going to first receive permission from that individual who emailed us if we could pass along their email to the minister. Since I didn't fully read it, I actually don't have to submit it because I didn't read it in full. I summarized.

 

I want to get permission first, I think that's the most appropriate thing to do. Then maybe the minister can follow up with that constituent at a later time.

 

Within that email, there were some other questions that came about. Maybe these might be another way of going about this. Are the roads submitted by municipalities through the J-Class program publicly listed anywhere, with a note on whether they were approved by the province or not?

 

I know, in CBRM, we have our list. The CBRM would have a list of our J-Class roads, and when entering budget, you'd get the list of what was going forward. I think that what was being asked by a couple of constituents was if there is a place where they can get a list of which roads were approved, and which ones were not, and if they were anywhere public.

 

FRED TILLEY: What I would say to those constituents is that they should probably ask their local councillor about what gets submitted. Then we advise the municipality on the ones we are approving.

 

If they want to see what's being done, that would be a public tender. When we're actually ready to go forward with a road, then the tender, they'll see which roads. Based on the tenders, they can infer which ones were approved.

 

KENDRA COOMBES: I understand the minister's point. I think what's being asked here is if there was a publicly listed area with a note of whether J-Class roads were approved to be done or not to be done and reasons as to why or why not.

 

We know which roads are going to be done because they're going to be on the council budget, on the budget lines for the council, so we know those are going to be done. I think what they're looking for is reasons as to why their road was not approved by the Province.

 

This might my final, depending on the answer, because I might have a follow-up: What measures are in place to ensure that this program is meeting its intended goal to maintain local roads?

 

FRED TILLEY: Just to go back to the previous comment, there is no - It's not “not approved” by the province, if you get my drift. The municipality would know what their allocation is. There's $2 million available provincially right now. Then the municipality would put their priority list in, and they would know what their allocation is.

 

The only reason something would or wouldn't be approved is if it was top priority for a municipality and it fit within their allocation. Then it would be approved and then we would move forward there.

 

We recognize that it's a bit of an outdated system and it's one of those negotiation things with the service agreement that the Department of Municipal Affairs would be working on. At some point, hopefully, there will be a new allocation, a new system, to make that work. I can tell you that J-Class roads in my area are an issue, and I hear from my colleagues all the time, on both sides, that J-Class roads are an issue and it's something that needs to be addressed.

 

KENDRA COOMBES: I just want to take this last moment to, again, express my appreciation for the staff at the Department of Public Works and give a big shout-out to Cape Breton because the staff there - I deal with them a lot and they are truly an amazing group of people. I'm sure they are in every area.

 

Again, thank you to the staff here tonight helping and providing answers to us. It is immensely appreciated. Thank you for all the work you do within Nova Scotia and within all our communities. You stand in high regard, in my estimation. Thank you to the minister for answering my questions and having this great, respectful dialogue with me.

 

FRED TILLEY: Thank you for that to the member. Thank you, Chair, and thank you to all the members of the committee. I do appreciate your thoughtful questions and I hope that our time here has provided you with insight into my department's work.

 

Of course, the Department of Public Works would achieve nothing without the hard work and dedication of our staff, both here in Halifax and across this great province. Many of these exceptional people have worked overtime during this budget and legislative sitting, tonight being no exception. You all have no idea how much I appreciate that. We owe them all - not just me - I think we all owe the staff a debt of gratitude. It was great to hear the words from the member complimenting the staff because we know how hard they work. I want to thank each and every one for their professionalism and dedication to the department.

 

Chair, my appreciation extends beyond the walls of my department to our Crown corporations. I know the staff have been working equally hard at Build Nova Scotia and the new Link Nova Scotia and the Halifax Harbour Bridges. Again, thank you so much. In my opening remarks I said that I am proud of the work we do. I'm proud of the work we do to grow our economy and unlock our full potential, fix traffic, make transportation safer and more efficient, build and upgrade our schools, courts, health care facilities, and so much more.

 

This is the work of thousands of the most committed public servants in government. They do it every day on behalf of Nova Scotians and they do a great job. I absolutely feel privileged to be the minister of this department. Tonight is an example. We've had some snow earlier, followed by rain, and members of the Public Works family across the province are out keeping our roads safe so that we all get home.

 

THE CHAIR: Shall Resolution E38 stand?

 

The resolution stands.

 

THE CHAIR: We have a choice to make. We have 16 minutes and we can sit in silence or I am asking for unanimous consent to consider the four hours of Estimates elapsed.

 

Can I have unanimous consent? Thank you.

 

The time for consideration of Supply has elapsed.

 

I'm going to pause. We're going to recess.

 

[7:40 p.m. The committee recessed.]

 

[7:41 p.m. The committee reconvened.]

 

THE CHAIR: Order. The committee is back in session.

 

The substitute House Leader.

 

JOHN A. MACDONALD: I move the committee do now rise and report progress to the House, and beg leave to sit on a future day.

 

THE CHAIR: The motion is carried.

 

The committee will now rise and report business to the House.

 

[The committee adjourned at 7:42 p.m.]