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HALIFAX, WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 9, 2016

Sixty-second General Assembly

Third Session

1:00 P.M.

SPEAKER

Hon. Kevin Murphy

DEPUTY SPEAKERS

Mr. Gordon Wilson, Mr. Keith Irving

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

PRESENTING AND READING PETITIONS

PRESENTING REPORTS OF COMMITTEES

TABLING REPORTS, REGULATIONS AND OTHER PAPERS

STATEMENTS BY MINISTERS

GOVERNMENT NOTICES OF MOTION

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

RESOLUTION NO. 522

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

Whereas Kristallnacht, or Night of the Broken Glass, is named for the broken glass that covered the streets of Nazi Germany during horrendous attacks on November 9^th and November 10^th of 1938; and

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Whereas horrific atrocities were put upon the Jewish people as the Nazis murdered, ransacked, and destroyed, while thousands were sent to concentration camps; and

Whereas this unspeakable assault on the Jewish people was an alarm to the world of the merciless anti-Semitic regime of the Nazis;

Therefore be it resolved that all members of the House never forget this terrible event in our world's history, and remain ever-vigilant in the defence against attacks on human rights and lives around the globe.

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

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

Is it agreed?

It is agreed.

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

The motion is carried.

The honourable Minister of Municipal Affairs.

RESOLUTION NO. 523

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

Whereas Councillor Reg Rankin recently wrapped up his long and dedicated service on Halifax Regional Council; and

Whereas Mr. Rankin has worked tirelessly for the people of Timberlea-Beechville- Clayton Park West over the past 25 years; and

Whereas he saw his community through amalgamation into the regional municipality and, more recently, fought to preserve the beauty and ecological significance of the Blue Mountain-Birch Cove Lakes Wilderness Area;

Therefore be it resolved that this House commend Mr. Rankin on his dedication to public service to the people of his community and to the entire Halifax Regional Municipality.

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

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

Is it agreed?

It is agreed.

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

The motion is carried.

The honourable Minister of Municipal Affairs.

RESOLUTION NO. 524

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

Whereas in the recent municipal elections, there were 379 council and mayoral positions and 740 candidates who competed for these positions; and

Whereas these candidates invested a lot of time, resources, and commitment to run for public office so that they can make a positive difference in their communities; and

Whereas I attended part of a training session this morning where we were providing new councillors, mayors, and wardens the opportunity to be welcomed into their positions;

Therefore be it resolved that all members of the House commend the Nova Scotians who put their names forward in the municipal elections and congratulate those who are now forming new municipal councils to lead healthy, vibrant communities across the province.

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

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

Is it agreed?

It is agreed.

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

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The motion is carried.

The honourable Minister of Labour and Advanced Education.

HON. KELLY REGAN » : I beg leave to make an introduction.

MR. SPEAKER « » : Permission granted.

MS. REGAN « » : I would like to direct the members' attention to the east gallery, where we are joined today by some student representatives from Students Nova Scotia across this province. I'm going to read their names, and I would ask that they stand as I do so: Taylor Chase, Brianna Jarvin, Sam Sproule, Brandon MacDonald, Roy Karam, Collette Robert, Annie Sirois, and Ben Gaunce. Please give them a warm welcome here in the House. (Applause)

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

HON. MARGARET MILLER « » : Can I also make an introduction?

MR. SPEAKER « » : Permission granted.

MS. MILLER « » : I would like to draw the House's attention to the east gallery, where we are joined by Robert Niven of CarbonCure Technologies. I would ask him to please stand and receive the warm welcome of the House. (Applause)

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

RESOLUTION NO. 525

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

Whereas Robert Niven of CarbonCure Technologies recently won the Ernest C. Manning Innovation Award for his work in developing a new technology for concrete resulting in improved strength, less environmental impact, and a lower manufacturing cost than traditional concrete; and

Whereas CarbonCure Technologies has been focusing on clean industry and environmental solutions for over nine years, and Mr. Niven and his CarbonCure team are part of the global Carbon XPrize Competition, which challenges teams to come up with innovative ways to convert carbon dioxide into valuable products; and

Whereas the global competition puts Halifax in the spotlight for environmental innovation, and Mr. Niven's acclamation of the Ernest C. Manning Innovation Award highlights the global potential for this technology's improvement to concrete production;

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Therefore be it resolved that we recognize the inventive spirit shown by Mr. Niven and his CarbonCure team while acknowledging their innovative and creative approach to a serious environmental issue, their success merits congratulation, and we wish them luck in the competition.

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

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

Is it agreed?

It is agreed.

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

The motion is carried.

The honourable Minister of Finance and Treasury Board.

HON. RANDY DELOREY « » : Before I read my notice of motion, may I make a couple of introductions?

MR. SPEAKER « » : Permission granted.

MR. DELOREY « » : I know these two individuals have already been introduced, but I have to give a shout-out because they come from my alma mater, St. F.X.: student union president Taylor Chase and vice-president Annie Sirois. (Applause)

In addition to my fellow St. F.X. connection, there's also Hector MacNeil and Trueman Matheson, if you could please stand. Hector and Trueman are both very active in the Gaelic community. You may recall we passed some resolutions earlier this session recognizing their great contributions. If we could give them the warm welcome of the House today. (Applause)

Finally, Nicola Young, MBA, FCPA, and FCA, professor of accounting at the Sobey School of Business at Saint Mary's University, if she could please stand and receive the warm welcome of the House. (Applause)

MR. SPEAKER « » : The honourable Minister of Finance and Treasury Board.

RESOLUTION NO. 526

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

Whereas the Chartered Professional Accountants of Canada celebrated their First Annual CPA Canada Volunteer Awards in recognition of volunteers' outstanding contribution and significant impact in the accounting profession and their integral role in achieving the organization's mission and vision; and

Whereas the CPA Canada Standards Award recognizes the commitment and extraordinary contributions made by volunteers to an independent standards setting in Canada and is awarded to a volunteer who has demonstrated dedicated service to the development of standards for auditing and assurance or private or public sector accounting; and

Whereas Saint Mary's University Professor Nicola Young was awarded the Standards Award for her volunteer service as Vice-Chair of the Public Sector Accounting and Auditing Committee and their work establishing accounting standards for the public sector and providing guidance for financial and other performance information reported by the public sector;

Therefore be it resolved that all members of this Legislature recognize and congratulate Nicola Young on receiving the CPA Canada Standards Award.

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

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

Is it agreed?

It is agreed.

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

The motion is carried.

The honourable Minister of Finance and Treasury Board.

RESOLUTION NO. 527

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

Whereas the Chartered Professional Accountants of Canada celebrated their First Annual CPA Canada Volunteer Awards in recognition of volunteers' outstanding contribution and significant impact in the accounting profession and their integral role in achieving the organization's mission and vision; and

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Whereas the CPA Canada Lifetime award recognizes a CPA Canada volunteer for their leadership or contributions over an extended period of time including being active and productive participants in task forces, committee, or working groups and having made a significant impact on the profession; and

Whereas Leo Gallant, a retired professor from St. Francis Xavier University, was awarded the Lifetime Award for his many contributions to the profession including a 43-year teaching career, his leadership on several Canadian Institute of Chartered Accountants boards and committees, as well as his work as a member of CPA Canada's Board of Governors and Education and Qualifications Advisory Committee;

Therefore be it resolved that all members of this Legislature recognize and congratulate Leo Gallant on receiving the CPA Canada Lifetime Award.

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

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

Is it agreed?

It is agreed.

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

The motion is carried.

The honourable Minister of Health and Wellness.

HON. LEO GLAVINE « » : Mr. Speaker, may I make an introduction?

MR. SPEAKER « » : Permission granted.

MR. GLAVINE « » : Thank you, Mr. Speaker. In the gallery today we have two guests from the Lung Association of Nova Scotia. If they could please rise as I introduce them: Robert MacDonald, Director of Health Initiatives, and Caitlin Gray, Manager of Communications & Special Events. I would ask members of the House to join me in giving them a warm welcome. (Applause)

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

RESOLUTION NO. 528

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

Whereas November is Radon Awareness Month and Lung Cancer Awareness Month in Nova Scotia; and

Whereas radon exposure is the second-leading cause of lung cancer after smoking; and

Whereas the Lung Association of Nova Scotia has been working to promote lung cancer and radon awareness by providing 500 free radon test kits across Nova Scotia;

Therefore be it resolved that all members of this House recognize the important work of the Lung Association of Nova Scotia in raising awareness about radon and helping Nova Scotians with lung disease.

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

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

Is it agreed?

It is agreed.

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

The motion is carried.

The honourable Minister of Health and Wellness.

HON. LEO GLAVINE « » : Mr. Speaker, may I make an introduction?

MR. SPEAKER « » : Permission granted.

MR. GLAVINE « » : Mr. Speaker, in the gallery today, we have six guests from Peter's Place and could they please rise as I introduce them: Carla Hirtle, Director of Operations; Jim Becket, Finance Director; Erin MacDonald, Site Manager; Carina Lopez, ABI Support Worker; Ian Freeman, LPN and ABI Support Worker; and Patricia Rose, Registered Psychologist. I would ask members of the House to join me in giving them a warm welcome. (Applause)

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

RESOLUTION NO. 529

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

Whereas those who have suffered an acquired brain injury require ongoing medication, monitoring and review, physical and cognitive rehabilitation, clinical counselling, and family and public support and awareness; and

Whereas Peter's Place opened in 1994 to offer rehabilitation for Nova Scotians who have suffered an acquired brain injury, to help increase physical and cognitive function and independence; and

Whereas Peter's Place offers six beds on the South Shore and four beds in Halifax, in a home-like environment that offers programs delivered by caring and qualified staff;

Therefore be it resolved that all members of the House thank the staff of Peter's Place for their dedication and hard work, and wish their clients and families support and encouragement through their recovery.

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

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

Is it agreed?

It is agreed.

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

The motion is carried.

The honourable Minister of Communities, Culture and Heritage.

RESOLUTION NO. 530

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

Whereas Falmouth, Nova Scotia, native Mark Smith, the Women's National Softball Team head coach, is the recipient of the prestigious 2016 Jack Donahue Award; and

Whereas this award recognizes a coach who exemplifies the great qualities that made Jack Donahue a legendary coach, like honesty, integrity, a positive attitude, competitiveness, a love for the sport - and that sport is about more than just wins and losses; and

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Whereas Mark has been involved with Softball Canada in a coaching capacity since 1999, and gives so much by working with coaches at all levels to provide them with learning opportunities to continue to develop and grow;

Therefore be it resolved that all members of the House of Assembly express their heartfelt congratulations to Mark Smith on his significant achievement, and wish him continued success.

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

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

Is it agreed?

It is agreed.

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

The motion is carried.

INTRODUCTION OF BILLS

Bill No. 69 - Entitled an Act to Amend Chapter 1 (1992 Supplement) of the Revised Statutes of 1989. The House of Assembly Act. (Hon. Denise Peterson-Rafuse)

Bill No. 70 - Entitled an Act to Amend Chapter 18 of the Acts of 1998. The Municipal Government Act. (Ms. Karla MacFarlane)

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

NOTICES OF MOTION

STATEMENTS BY MEMBERS

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

STUDENT ADVOCACY WK.: STUDENTS N.S. INIT. - CONGRATS.

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MR. EDDIE ORRELL « » : Mr. Speaker, November 7^th to November 10^th is Student Advocacy Week in Nova Scotia. This week, many of us in the Chamber have had the pleasure of meeting with student leaders to hear their concerns and work towards solutions. Students Nova Scotia is using this week to identify the many barriers that prevent students from accessing education. Their particular focus is on low-income students and under- represented student groups.

I want to congratulate the student leaders of Students Nova Scotia for the initiative they have shown and for their persistence in trying to improve access to higher education for all Nova Scotian young people.

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

LOBSTER SEASON: SAFETY - PRIORITIZE

HON. STERLING BELLIVEAU « » : Mr. Speaker, in preparation for the lobster season in LFA 34 and 33, man-overboard drills are being held in some ports. The Fisheries Safety Association of Nova Scotia is a big supporter of these drills. The association wants to ensure that while fishers are preparing their traps and lines, they are also ensuring that their safety equipment is ready to go in case of emergency.

At sea, anything can happen. It is very difficult to get someone back on board once they're in the water, especially in nasty weather. While a dry run is not the same as the real thing, it can help familiarize fishers with the equipment and procedures used in the event of an emergency.

I want to encourage all fishers to make safety a top priority as they head out to make a living on the sea.

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

HON. DIANA WHALEN « » : Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. I have a number of people to introduce in the gallery today before I read my statement, if I could.

Today we're joined in the east gallery - and I would ask the members to have their attention there - by quite a number of world-class paddlers. They are coaches and team members from Maskwa Aquatic Club. I'd like to introduce them by name, and I'll go through quite quickly. I'd ask that you rise when I say your name, and then we'll all give you a warm welcome.

First of all we have John Moore, who is the past commodore of Maskwa. John is joined by master paddler Elaine Moore. We have head coach Jon Pike and the vice-commodore and father of one of the athletes, Brian Toole.

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Now I'm going to name some of the paddlers. We have Morgan Pugh-Toole, Anna Negulic, Ashley Card, Beth Young, Andrew Jessop, Samantha Morse, and Andrew Billard. With them we have family members as well, and I'd like to go through quickly. They're all volunteers. We have Patty Card, Mary Negulic, Annie Young, Art Veith - who is a grandfather - and Keith Billard. I think that's everybody. Have I got you all? I hope so.

I wonder if everybody would give a warm welcome to the national winners, Maskwa Aquatic Club. (Applause)

There is somebody I did miss. This is terrible. I'll name him separately right now. Mark de Jonge is with the group. Mark is our Olympic bronze medal winner and the fastest man in water. I'm sorry, that is a great omission on my part. Thank you, Mark. I was saving you for last. (Applause)

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

MASKWA AQUATIC CLUB: ACHIEVEMENTS - RECOGNIZE

HON. DIANA WHALEN « » : It's my great pleasure to recognize the amazing achievements of Maskwa Aquatic Club. Maskwa was established in 1974 and has grown to become a powerhouse in the paddling world. Maskwa put itself on the map this year by winning its first national championship. Maskwa led the field in medals and points out of more than 40 teams at the national regatta. This is a huge accomplishment for Maskwa's paddlers and coaches.

The club has the distinction of being home to Olympian Mark de Jonge, and having a world champion on their team is inspiring to all of the paddlers. They've trained hard under head coach Jon Pike, and all that work paid off in an historic win. Maskwa has now taken its place among the best in the country by winning this prestigious banner. It will hang proudly in the clubhouse on Kearney Lake, along with Mark de Jonge's Olympic-winning kayak, to inspire and motivate the paddlers of all ages and levels who call Maskwa their home.

I ask that all members of the House congratulate the co-commodores of Maskwa - Bruce Piercey and Mark Peachey - and their executive, as well as the coaches, athletes, and volunteers, on winning the Canoe Kayak Canada 2016 national burgee, and wish them continuing success in the future. (Applause)

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

DIABETES MO. (11/16): AWARENESS - RAISE

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HON. CHRISTOPHER D'ENTREMONT « » : Mr. Speaker, November is Diabetes Month and November 14^th is World Diabetes Day. Led by the International Diabetes Foundation, World Diabetes Day was created in 1991 by the IDF and the World Health Organization in response to growing concerns about the escalating health threat posed by diabetes. World Diabetes Day became an official United Nations day in 2006.

It is estimated that one in 10 deaths in Canadian adults was attributed to the disease in 2008-09. People with diabetes are three times more likely to be hospitalized with cardiovascular disease, 12 times more likely to be hospitalized with end-stage renal disease, and 20 times more likely to be hospitalized for non-traumatic lower limb amputation compared to the general population.

Diabetes Month is a time to raise awareness about the disease and thank the many health care professionals, advocates, and volunteers, who work so hard to prevent diabetes and treat those with the disease. Thank you very much.

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

MURRAY, MARY: 55+ CANADA SENIOR GAMES - CONGRATS.

MS. MARIAN MANCINI « » : Mr. Speaker, I'd like the House to join me in congratulating Mary Murray on her accomplishments in this year's 55+ Canada Senior Games.

Mary is a resident of Dartmouth and won two medals - silver in 50-metre backstroke and bronze in the 100-metre individual medley. Beyond these outstanding placements, the most memorable aspect of the games for Mary was when she had the opportunity to represent Nova Scotia by carrying the flag of our province.

This year's games were held in Brampton, Ontario, with 1,700 Canadians over the age of 55 participating - 150 of those participants were from Nova Scotia, Mr. Speaker.

I'd like to congratulate Mary and all the Nova Scotians who participated in this year's games on their discipline, their vigour, and the inspiration they provide the rest of the province.

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

N.S. LEGISLATIVE LIBRARY:

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HANSARD DEBATES/JOURNALS/STATUTES - DIGITIZATION

MR. TERRY FARRELL « » : Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize the hard work, dedication, and patience, of those working in the Nova Scotia Legislative Library.

In 2011 library staff began the formidable task of digitizing the available Hansard debates when they scanned the collection of 1965 to 1993 debates. In 2015 they were able to digitize the remaining available Hansard debates from 1867, and in the summer of 2016 they made these debates available to the public. Now, anyone with Internet access can view historic debates such as those on prohibition and workers' compensation in 1910 and the proceedings on April 17, 1879, when members spoke in English, French, Gaelic, and Dutch.

In the last month the Nova Scotia Legislative Library made the Journals of the House of Assembly from 1867 to 1900 available online. They found several interesting reports, including a report on an 1888 explosion in the Albion Mines. This is the only source in the Legislative Library devoted completely to documenting this event.

In addition, the library has digitized the Statutes of Nova Scotia from 1836 to 1997 and the Revised Statutes of Nova Scotia, 1851 to 1967. The library plans to continue its digitization efforts and hopes that over the next few years it can make the remaining journals, from 1901 to 2003, available online. These journals contain significant reports …

MR. SPEAKER « » : Order, please. The time allotted for the Member's Statement has long since expired. (Interruptions) I tried. He's talking about the great library staff.

The honourable member for Colchester-Musquodoboit Valley.

VETERANS' STORIES - LISTEN & LEARN

MR. LARRY HARRISON « » : Mr. Speaker, our veterans' actions, courage, and stories, continue to impact our communities, our people, and our families. Their stories contribute to history lessons and fiscally contribute to our economy through publications of novels like Henry Decker's book, From Whence I Came. The 91-year-old Upper Musquodoboit veteran served in the front lines with the 1st Royal Hamilton Light Infantry, and with over 35 years of written notes he decided to compile them into a book which was published last year.

Another example was a program through the Eastern Shore-Musquodoboit Valley Community Learning Initiative which compiled a series of stories by veterans to assist Level 1 and 2 adult literacy learners to enhance their reading skills.

These are fine examples of listening to, and learning from, our veterans' stories. May we all listen and learn along with them. Thank you.

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

U.S. PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION: RESULTS - SADNESS

MS. LENORE ZANN « » : Mr. Speaker, it is with mixed emotions that I rise today to speak about a missed opportunity.

First of all, I'd like to say I'm proud to acknowledge the 15 women MLAs who currently serve in the Nova Scotia Legislature, a contribution that began in 1960 with Gladys Porter and then Alexa McDonough as the first female leader of any recognized Party.

There are many who had hoped that today would be an historic day for women, a day to celebrate the election of the first female President of the United States. Today, Mr. Speaker, is not that day.

I want to acknowledge the sadness that many women across North America are feeling right now. As the African American poet Langston Hughes once said:

Hold fast to dreams

For if dreams die

Life is a broken-winged bird

That cannot fly.

So let us celebrate the many women and girls who hold great dreams and let us nurture them, Mr. Speaker.

And finally, to all the women who are feeling disappointed, disillusioned, distressed and even angry today, I say to you, don't give up. Don't ever let them tell you it can't be done.

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

KARAM, ROY/MACDONALD, BRANDON:

CBU STUDENTS UNION EXEC./STAFF - RECOGNIZE

MR. DEREK MOMBOURQUETTE « » : Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize Roy Karam and Brandon MacDonald who are with us in the gallery today as executive members of the Students Union at Cape Breton University.

The Students Union at Cape Breton University is the primary voice for undergraduate students at Cape Breton University and they do tremendous work supporting students in their academics, supporting students' endeavours and supporting their families as they go through their educational journey.

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The Students Union at Cape Breton University was a big part of my career, Mr. Speaker, and I am honoured to rise in my place today to recognize all the executive and staff of the Cape Breton University Students Union for the advocacy they play for students in Cape Breton and the services they provide to students and families across the Island.

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

MACCUISH, KEELEY/X-WOMEN:

RUGBY ACCOMPLISHMENTS - CONGRATS.

HON. PAT DUNN « » : Mr. Speaker, I rise in my place to recognize an outstanding athlete, Keeley MacCuish from Trenton. Keeley was a member of the X-Women ruggers that claimed their fifth national title last weekend in Victoria, B.C., with a 27-19 win over the Ottawa Gee-Gees.

MacCuish is known around Pictou County as a star rugby player when she played at North Nova Education Centre. Keeley is presently in her second year at X and is already looking forward to next season. St. F.X. entered the championship game undefeated in the season. It was the second national title in three years for the X-Women and fifth overall.

I would like all members of this Legislature to join me in congratulating Keeley MacCuish and the X-Women for accomplishing an outstanding season.

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

U.S. ELECTION - RESULTS: PARENTS' EXPLANATIONS

MS. LISA ROBERTS « » : Mr. Speaker, I'd like to express solidarity with parents who are trying to explain the results of last night's election to their children. The school yard consensus reported to me by my own was that Hillary Clinton was the better candidate. The results are therefore confusing to children attuned to fairness. Several mothers I know in Halifax Needham cried this morning with their daughters. One girl said, I think I'll wear my pants suit today and her mom said, so will I. They shared the photo through social media and gave many of us a reason to smile.

I want to particularly express solidarity with Muslim moms and Black moms and immigrant moms of all backgrounds. I am glad and so grateful to live in a country where it is beyond the pale to blame the failures of neo-liberal capitalism, disappearing manufacturing jobs, and rising inequality on scapegoats.

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

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PRIDY, JEFF: SACKVILLE HEIGHTS ELEM. SCH.

- PEACE POLE CONGRATS.

MR. STEPHEN GOUGH « » : Mr. Speaker, I was recently made aware of a program at one of my schools in my constituency, that Sackville Heights Elementary School has a peace pole initiated by Grade 4 teacher Jeff Pridy. The peace pole is a handcrafted monument that displays a message and prayer - May Peace Prevail on Earth - on all its sides, usually in different languages.

There are over 2,000 peace poles around the globe and it links our community with over 180 countries. The languages on the pole at Sackville Heights Elementary School are English, French, Mi'kmaq, Arabic, Vietnamese, Chinese Mandarin and Korean. These represent many of the backgrounds found within the student population and our community.

I would like to thank Mr. Pridy for connecting our community with others around the world.

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

PAYZANT FAM.: BUS. SUCCESS - CONGRATS.

MR. TIM HOUSTON « » : Mr. Speaker, I'd like to recognize the Payzant family for their hard work and dedication to their business. Payzant Building Products has been serving communities with building materials and hardware needs since 1964. The company has grown from one location to five locations, serving all Halifax, East Hants and Sackville, New Brunswick.

Although they have grown in size, they still operate with the values of a local family business. The company is proud to be family-owned and operated. The family brings hundreds of years of experience in the home improvement industry. I want to congratulate the Payzant family on their successful business over the years and wish them continued success.

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

RCL CALAIS BR 162: COMMUN. EFFORTS - THANK

HON. DAVID WILSON « » : Since 1921, the poppy has stood as a symbol of remembrance for all Canadians. It represents our visual pledge to never forget those 117,000 Canadians who have fallen in war and military operations to protect the freedom that we enjoy today. Every year, Legions conduct the Poppy Campaign across Canada, with the funds collected held in trust. These funds are used to provide housing, accommodation, care facilities, medical training, and research. They're also used to support veterans with drop-in centres, Meals on Wheels, accessibility modifications, and other quality-of-life needs such as wheelchair repairs, prosthetics, and transition programs.

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While we all are committed to wearing a poppy at this time of year, it's important that in doing so, we understand the significance. I want to thank Calais Branch 162 of the Royal Canadian Legion in my community for what they do for our veterans and community.

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

DRHS ROBOTICS: ROBOFEST CHALLENGE (2015-16) - CONGRATS.

MR. GORDON WILSON « » : I rise to congratulate the DRHS Robotics of Digby Regional High School for finishing second at the provincial level of the 2015-16 Robofest Challenge held at the Jodrey School of Computer Science at Acadia University. It is a programming challenge where students have to develop algorithms to solve specific problems. This year, the robots had to be programmed to hit four golf balls into boxes, and the programming had to be done immediately prior to each round. Initially intimidated by the other teams' robots, the simplicity of the design of the DRHS robot may have given the team an advantage in this task. Finishing sixth in Round 1 because of a little hitch in their programming, the team did go on to win the second round. Also, their coach, Tim Mollins, was named Robofest outstanding coach.

The team was also able to go to the World Robofest at Lawrence Technological University. I would also like to wish Rachel Creighton, Max Hampton, Jinwon Ko, and Jayden MacDonald, the members of DRHS Robotics, and their coach good luck at the worlds.

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

ADVOCATE PRINTING & PUBLISHING - LEADERSHIP IN BUS. AWARD

MS. KARLA MACFARLANE « » : I am pleased to rise to congratulate Advocate Printing and Publishing for receiving the Leadership in Business Award at the Pictou County Chamber of Business Gala evening. Advocate Printing and Publishing has grown to be the largest independent printer in Atlantic Canada, offering printing services, data management, design, photography, signage, as well as a variety of publications.

President and CEO Mr. Sean Murray believes in growing business for succession and the ability to leave a legacy for future generations. Mr. Murray was recognized as one of the top 50 CEOs in Atlantic Canada for five consecutive years. In 2011, he was inducted into the Atlantic CEO's Hall of Fame, and in 2005, he was recognized as one of Canada's Top 40 Under 40. I congratulate Mr. Sean Murray and Advocate Printing and Publishing, and wish them continued success.

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

DOCTOR SHORTAGE: ELECTION PROMISE - NEW LIBERAL SLOGAN

HON. STERLING BELLIVEAU « » : The Premier promised a family doctor for every Nova Scotian during the 2013 election campaign. However, a couple of weeks ago, the member for Clare-Digby announced that the goal has been pushed down the road until 2026. This trial balloon - or should I say lead balloon - is not going over very well with Nova Scotians. Mr. Speaker, 100,000 residents are without a family doctor. Perhaps the members for Halifax Citadel-Sable Island and Lunenburg West may wish to clarify this statement made by the member for Clare-Digby. If not, this must result in a new Liberal slogan because 2026 is too long for 100,000 people in Nova Scotia to wait for a family doctor.

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

WILSON, DALE - PHOTOS: RYL. CDN. MINT - SELECTIONS

MS. JOYCE TREEN « » : I rise today to tell you about Dale Wilson, a professional photographer and long-time resident of Cow Bay. The Royal Canadian Mint has just released coin number three in its 13-coin series celebrating Canada's 150^th Anniversary in 2017. Dale has been honoured with his photos being chosen for two provinces in the series. This is a great honour for him and something to be recognized within our community.

Dale has been working from his home base for the past 25 years and indicates this is the first time a picture of his has been struck into a silver coin. Dale's photographs have appeared on more than 150 book covers by publishers around the world. His client listing includes National Geographic, Washington Post, Smithsonian, Conde Nast, Women's World, the Globe and Mail, and the New York Times. I ask all the members of this House of Assembly to congratulate Dale on this great honour.

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

CONRAD, LEAH - JOHN HUGH ROBINSON SCHOLARSHIP

MR. JOHN LOHR « » : Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to recognize a determined young woman who when met with adversity, rises above it - Leah Conrad.

The John Hugh Robinson Scholarship is awarded to a third-year Acadian student in the Bachelor of Business Administration program with a GPA of 3.0 or better who embodies entrepreneurial spirit. This scholarship expands the definition of entrepreneur to include those who not only own their own business but also show initiative in the context of community and university, undertaking innovative projects and doing old things in a new way.

[Page 1356]

Leah embodies these qualities. Since losing her mother to family violence 10 years ago, Leah put her life on hold to raise her siblings yet still finds time to volunteer for such projects as The Coldest Night of the Year, and Campaign Silent Witness.

Mr. Speaker, Leah Conrad is an amazing young woman and I admire her unstoppable determination.

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

CDN. PREMATURE BABIES FDN.: FAM. PROGS. - DEVELOPMENT

MS. LISA ROBERTS « » : Mr. Speaker, on Thursday, November 17^th, landmarks and buildings across Canada will be lit with purple light to honour preterm babies and their parents. Organized by the Canadian Premature Babies Foundation to mark World Prematurity Day, this project aims to help raise awareness about preterm birth.

One in 12 babies in Canada is born preterm, before 37 weeks. Preterm birth is the number one cause of death for children under the age of five and the number of babies born preterm is rising - one in 10 worldwide. With lengthy hospital stays ranging from one week to three months or longer, families are under significant emotional and financial stress as preterm babies often have comprised immune systems and respiratory issues.

More support is needed for families in the community, and organizations like the Canadian Premature Babies Foundation are working to develop programs and support groups for families across Canada.

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

HON. JOANNE BERNARD » : I would like the members to turn their attention to the east gallery where we have Guyleigh Johnson and her mom, Shonda Johnson. Shonda's uncle actually was our prestigious Sergeant-at-Arms many years ago, Buddy Daye. Guyleigh is a published poet and I have a Member's Statement to explain that.

Mr. Speaker, we all have a story to tell. Some express themselves through music, some through dance, but for Guyleigh Johnson it is through the power of poetry. It's the written word that allows her to bring her ideas to life.

Ms. Johnson, a young mentor in Dartmouth North dedicates a lot of her time to the Boys & Girls Club in our constituency. On November 10^th which is tomorrow night, Guyleigh will hold a book launch at Dartmouth North Community Centre for her first published book of poetry titled Expect the Unexpected, stories from the North End. In the first week of distribution, online sales soared, and now the only available copies lay in local bookstore shelves and with the author herself.

[Page 1357]

Please join me in congratulating Guyleigh on her new book and for being a positive and empowering young women in the community of Dartmouth North. (Applause)

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

LAHEY, IRENE: RETIREMENT - CONGRATS.

HON. ALFIE MACLEOD « » : Mr. Speaker, I rise today to acknowledge Irene Lahey of Catalone who retired this year after 47 years in the classroom. Irene started teaching at Margaret MacVicar School on her 19^th birthday. She took over the position of teaching principal when her mother retired, running the school and teaching the Grade 3 class. In total, she taught for 31 years in Catalone then moved on to Riverside Elementary in 2000 where she taught Grade 3 for the past 16 years.

Mr. Speaker, I ask all members of the House of Assembly to congratulate Irene on her well-deserved retirement and wish her many happy years ahead to enjoy her family.

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

NATL. TRUTH & RECONCILIATION COMMN.

- 82^nd CALL TO ACTION

MS. LENORE ZANN « » : I rise today to enter another call to action from the National Truth and Reconciliation Commission report into the public record. The TRC 82^nd Call to Action reads as follows: "We call upon provincial and territorial governments, in collaboration with Survivors and their organizations, and other parties to the Settlement Agreement, to commission and install a publicly accessible, highly visible, Residential Schools Monument in each capital city to honour Survivors and all the children who were lost to their families and communities."

I ask all members of this House to work together, Mr. Speaker, to ensure that the Shubenacadie Residential School is memorialized across this province. A monument would go a long way in redressing the legacy of residential schools both in Nova Scotia and across the country. Thank you.

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

HFX. CITADEL - WWI BELGIAN ARMY UNIFORM EXHIBIT

[Page 1358]

MR. IAIN RANKIN « » : Mr. Speaker, I would like to say it was an honour for the government caucus to visit the Army Museum, at Halifax Citadel, in the lead-up to Remembrance Day, for the unveiling of the First World War Belgian Army Uniform Exhibit, the only one of its kind on display in Canada.

Today the Army Museum Halifax Citadel has formally announced the partnership between Canada and the Memorial Museum Passchendaele 1917 and the plans to erect a bookend to The Last Steps Memorial in the Canadian Poppy Garden on the grounds of that museum on November 10, 2017, marking the 100^th Anniversary of the last day of the Battle of Passchendaele.

Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank Curator Ken Hynes for his dedication in retelling the stories and memories of our fallen and the Canadian contribution to freedom around the world. Thank you.

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

LANCELEVE, COLBY: PROFESSIONAL HOCKEY - ROMANIA

MR. LARRY HARRISON « » : Realizing a dream is quite a feat, but a dream to play professional hockey has become a reality for one of my young constituents. Colby Lanceleve, of Stewiacke, had played for four years with the Truro Bear Cats Junior A team, winning three division titles, one Kent Cup, and one Fred Page Cup. From there he joined the NCAA Division 3 team at Plymouth State College in New Hampshire. His hard work and dedication to the sport was rewarded with an opportunity to play professional hockey this season in Romania.

I wish to extend congratulations to Colby on signing his first pro contract with the MOL League in Romania, and wish him luck as he embarks on his new adventure. Thank you.

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

STRONG, DR. DARREN - COMMUN. COMMITMENT

MR. DAVID WILTON « » : Mr. Speaker, I'd like to recognize Dr. Darren Strong. Back in 2008 Dr. Strong decided to open his own chiropractic office in New Waterford. Strong's Chiropractic is a full-service clinic that, along with chiropractic, also offers massage therapy and physiotherapy. Along with this, Dr. Strong has helped numerous residents in New Waterford find their love of distance running with the Learn to Run program. This program not only helped a lot of people get into shape, it has become a support system for those involved.

Please help me in congratulating Dr. Strong on his success here in Cape Breton, as well as his commitment to educating the community on the importance of physical fitness in our daily lives.

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

AECON ATLANTIC PICTOU SHIPYARD - PICTOU CO. C OF C AWARD

MS. KARLA MACFARLANE « » : Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to rise today to congratulate Aecon Atlantic Pictou Shipyard for being chosen as the Large Business of the Year at the Pictou County Chamber of Commerce annual gala evening.

Aecon Atlantic purchased the Pictou Shipyard in 2008 and has employed hundreds of people. This facility has the capacity and capability for planning and building large-scale marine projects. Recently a second turbine was completed and is destined to become a piece of North America's first commercial scale grid connected tidal array in the Bay of Fundy.

Mr. Speaker, Pictou County is indeed fortunate to have the many economic benefits that Aecon continues to provide. I wish to congratulate them on their Pictou County Chamber Award and I wish them continued success. Thank you.

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

ANTIGONISH CO. MUN.: ELECTION - COUNCILLORS CONGRATS.

HON. RANDY DELOREY « » : Mr. Speaker, on October 15^th Nova Scotians went to the polls to select their new municipal leaders. I would like to take a moment today to introduce some of the new faces of municipal politics in my constituency to my colleagues in the House.

John Dunbar will be representing District 7 of the Municipality of the County of Antigonish for the next term. John was inspired to take part in the political process to be a strong voice for the residents of District 7.

Gary Mattie will also be joining Antigonish County's Council Table as the new councillor for District 8. Gary has balanced a healthy dose of work and community involvement during his life, having managed an ATV business for 20 years while dedicating time to work for Nova Scotians with disabilities and accessibility issues. He hopes to continue his hard work as an advocate for the residents of his district.

I look forward to continuing the positive working relationship with these new, and all county councillors, Mr. Speaker. May I ask my colleagues in the House of Assembly to join me in congratulating John Dunbar, Gary Mattie, and all elected councillors on their success in the 2016 municipal elections for the Municipality of the County of Antigonish, and wishing them the best of luck for their term in office. Thank you.

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

HUNTLEY FAM.: BIG WIGS FAM. DINER - OPENING

MR. JOHN LOHR « » : Mr. Speaker, I rise from my seat today to acknowledge the work of the Huntley family in opening one of Canning's newest restaurants, Big Wigs Family Diner. The new 1950s- and 1960s-style diner is serving up family-style meals at affordable prices with excellent customer service. The restaurant's owners, Nancy and Oscar Huntley, as also owners of the Canning Village Meat Market and other busy and thriving businesses in the Village of Canning.

Mr. Speaker, I would like to congratulate the Huntley family on their newest venture and wish them great success.

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

MACDONALD-LINDERS, CHRISTY: HRSB SERV. - RECOGNIZE

MS. PATRICIA ARAB « » : Mr. Speaker, I would like to recognize Christy MacDonald-Linders on a long and dedicated service to the people of Peninsula North Fairview for her time on the Halifax Regional School Board. Over her career as the HRSB representative for Peninsula North Fairview, Ms. Linders helped form a committee to research the Auditor General's Report on governance, and says that the final report will be ready for the incoming 2017-18 school year and that the board is ready to take action on it.

She has worked incredibly hard for the parents and students of the Peninsula North Fairview area and has done so with a steady hand and a large heart. I would like the members of this Nova Scotia House of Assembly to join me in thanking Christy Linders for her hard work and dedication to her position on the HRSB. Thanks.

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

TWO RIVERS WILDLIFE PARK: WELCOME CTR.

- OFFICIAL OPENING

HON. ALFIE MACLEOD « » : Mr. Speaker, I rise today to acknowledge the Two Rivers Wildlife Park. The park marked the official opening of its new Welcome Centre this past Spring. The new development has had an immediate impact on the park's ability to provide quality service for its visitors. The new facility will also add to the long-term sustainability of the park through revenues generated from the new gift shop. The new addition will allow the park to better serve its 44,000 annual visitors.

I know we are all proud to see the Two Rivers Wildlife Park acquire these additions and I know all the hard work by its manager, John Huntington, and his excellent staff, is greatly appreciated by all its patrons. Congratulations to the staff and board on a job well done. Thank you.

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

FALL RIVER SCH. OF PERFORMING ARTS:

RAGE DANCE GROUP - TROPHIES CONGRATS.

MR. BILL HORNE « » : Mr. Speaker, I wish to congratulate the Fall River School of Performing Arts dance group Rage in winning the first place trophies in both hip-hop and contemporary dance categories. Credit goes to artistic choreographer for the group, Katie Patton. The success of the school was further honoured with their novice group earning highest overall for a piece called "Coming Home" at the Fever International Dance Championships. These successes were followed up with awards at the VIEW dance competition in Moncton.

We are fortunate to have this performance arts school in our community. It is quite an accomplishment for the small dance school to be presented with so many awards and achievements. I wish them every success in the future. Thank you.

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

HON. MARK FUREY « » : Mr. Speaker, I'd like to draw my colleagues' attention to the east gallery where I'd like to introduce Mike Ryan, a well-known Cape Breton musician and member of the Town Heroes. At the Nova Scotia Musical Awards this past weekend, the Town Heroes received Group Recording of the Year and the Town Heroes will actually represent Nova Scotia on December 1^st at the Boston Christmas Tree Lighting.

I'd like to ask my colleagues to extend Mike a warm welcome to the House. (Applause)

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

POTTIE, DONICA: AMBASSADORIAL ROLES - RECOGNIZE

HON. MARK FUREY « » : Mr. Speaker, I'd like to take the opportunity today to recognize a former resident of Lunenburg County, Donica Pottie. Canada's newest ambassador to Thailand is a graduate of Park View Education Centre class of 1980. Having received a Bachelor of Arts in Asian Studies from Saint Mary's University, Donica has spent time in China, Jordan, and Cambodia, working for Canada's Foreign Affairs and International Trade Department.

In addition to being ambassador to Thailand, Donica is also the representative to the Kingdom of Cambodia and the People's Democratic Republic of Laos. I'd like to extend my congratulations to Donica Pottie for this incredible opportunity, and wish her all the best as she represents Canadians in her ambassadorial role. Thank you.

[Page 1362]

MR. SPEAKER « » : Thank you very much. Time allotted for Statements by Members has expired. We'll now move on to Oral Questions Put by Members to Ministers.

ORDERS OF THE DAY

ORAL QUESTIONS PUT BY MEMBERS TO MINISTERS

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

TIR: COBEQUID PASS TOLLS - EXTENSION

HON. JAMIE BAILLIE « » : Nova Scotians have good reason not to trust this government with toll roads. A freedom of information request shows that for the one toll road we already have, the Cobequid Pass, this government has decided to collect tolls for eight years beyond that which is required to pay off the Cobequid highway itself. The Premier and his government have condemned motorists in Cumberland County to pay tolls for eight years longer than necessary to pay for the road. I will table that from the Public Accounts of the province.

I would like to ask the Premier, why did he decide to condemn Cumberland County motorists to pay tolls eight years longer than necessary?

HON. STEPHEN MCNEIL « » : I will ask the Minister of Transportation and Infrastructure Renewal to respond.

HON. GEOFF MACLELLAN » : That's certainly not the case. There's a number of different scenarios, as the member would know, in the life-cycle and the payment schedule of the Cobequid Pass. There are a number of different components to that, in particular prepayments that were made over a period of time. As the member would also know, using that corridor, there's a significant amount of maintenance and work that has to be done to that year over year - including the repaving - which is happening at this point, and it will continue to happen over the next number of years.

Those decisions are a long way away, and there will certainly be lots of public discussion about that. None of those decisions have been made, and we haven't strapped any extra payments, or anything in particular to the Cobequid Pass at this point.

MR. BAILLIE « » : That is not the case at all. The only decision that's been made is to stick it to the drivers of Cumberland County for eight years longer than necessary. The deal was that they would pay tolls until the debt for the road was paid off, and then those payments would cease. Because the toll revenue is higher than projected, the debt will be paid off in 2018, but this government decided to keep collecting tolls anyway, until 2026, when they don't need it. That's not fair. That wasn't the deal. No wonder Nova Scotians will never trust any Liberal Government when it comes to toll roads.

[Page 1363]

I would like to ask the Premier or the minister, how can the motorists of Cumberland County trust this government when they're taking toll money that does not belong to them?

MR. MACLELLAN « » : This is the typical play by the Leader of the Official Opposition. It's fear-mongering on this particular decision - that's absolutely not the case. There are a number of decisions that have to be made before 2018, before 2020 - at specific intervals on this particular highway. There's a number of things that previous governments have done, including ours, about how we would subsidize so that there wouldn't have to be a toll increase on that highway, for example. There are a number of moving parts. That was done in the best interest of the motorists, particularly in the area that the member represents.

There will be no trickery. There will be no work under the table. There will be nothing going on other than the best interests of the people of Nova Scotia, the people of the province, which includes that member's constituency. At the end of the day, we'll do the right thing for the people of Nova Scotia.

MR. BAILLIE « » : It is typical of this Liberal Government to collect more and more in taxes, and more and more in tolls, when they told Nova Scotians that they would not. The minister is trying to tell the people of Cumberland County that that money is for maintenance. It is not for maintenance.

The minister's own briefing note, which I will table, makes clear that that toll money - which should be used to pay off the debt and free the people of Cumberland County of those tolls - is actually falling to the bottom line of the province. This is from his own note. Last year, $2.6 million not to debt, but to the books of the province to make them look better; this year, $2.8 million not for maintenance but to make the books of the province look better.

Will the minister apologize to the motorists of Cumberland County, and put them back on schedule to get rid of those tolls in 2018 when it was originally planned?

MR. MACLELLAN « » : I'll apologize to the residents for their member playing politics on a very specific issue. I truly hope that the constituents that the member represents (Interruptions)

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

[Page 1364]

MR. MACLELLAN « » : It's not that simple. It's a very complex relationship. There's no trickery happening. There's nothing happening. (Interruptions) They're going to keep screaming and yelling. At the end of the day (Interruptions)

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

MR. MACLELLAN « » : The member is obviously trying to play politics. It's nice to see, all of a sudden, a couple of weeks into the session that he's so passionate about this issue.

At the end of the day, we are collecting tolls to pay the bondholders for this highway. We're paying for maintenance, we're paying for increases and enhancements to the road, and we're subsidizing so that the toll doesn't have to go up for those residents. At the end of the day we'll do the right thing for Nova Scotians, not play politics with every single issue that comes to this place.

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

PREM.: LAE MIN. - MEDIATOR APPT.

HON. STERLING BELLIVEAU « » : Mr. Speaker, my question is for the Premier. Yesterday the Minister of Education and Early Childhood Development said she is listening to teachers; unfortunately, she forgot to tell the Nova Scotia Teachers Union. We just learned that the Minister of Labour and Advanced Education will not appoint a mediator to help with the ongoing negotiations with teachers.

Mr. Speaker, will the Premier explain to the teachers, the parents, and the students, why the minister is not appointing a mediator?

THE PREMIER « » : Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the Minister of Education and Early Childhood Development for continuing to work with her partners, the Teachers Union, and her partners across the province continue to respond to the classrooms across this province. I hope the honourable member would acknowledge the decision made by the minister yesterday. It was in the best interests of teachers that we have said to them we'll continue to work with them, looking forward to the partnership meeting tomorrow so that dialogue could continue.

It is our wish, it is our goal that we continue to streamline what is being asked of teachers that has built up over decades, Mr. Speaker. There's no question, as I've heard from teachers across this province, their frustration didn't just happen in the last 12 months, this has been decades of building. We have responded to them and we're going to continue to respond to them - and I've been grateful to the teachers that I've heard from who have been encouraged by the decision the minister made yesterday.

[Page 1365]

MR. BELLIVEAU « » : Mr. Speaker, it has been two weeks since the teachers voted and we are getting closer to the first province-wide teachers strike in the history of this province. Is it how this government wants to be remembered - as a government that has driven teachers into the street? I don't think so.

Mr. Speaker, in order to listen to the teachers, you have to show up. Will the Premier agree to meet and get back to the bargaining table to negotiate with the Nova Scotia Teachers Union?

THE PREMIER « » : I've said all along we continue to have a conversation. I've made it clear, though, that the parameters around the fiscal envelope is what they are. If I've said that the Teachers Union can find savings and want to bring it back, we'll be happy to share those facts with the members. Otherwise, like all public servants, the financial envelope is what it is.

MR. BELLIVEAU « » : Mr. Speaker, the Premier can talk all he wants about his record on education, the fact is that the Nova Scotia Teachers Union has a strong strike mandate from their members. Teachers, parents and students agree on the issues about the classroom and this government is refusing to take part in that discussion.

Mr. Speaker, will the Premier admit that his heavy-handed approach is not working and it's time to return to a fair collective bargaining?

THE PREMIER « » : Mr. Speaker. I want to thank the honourable member for the question. I want to remind him that two consecutive executives, two different executives of the Nova Scotia Teachers Union accepted a deal. They brought it back to the membership who resoundingly said no. They gave the union a strike mandate. They will have to make the decision on what is next for them.

We're going to continue to focus on the classrooms across this province, going to continue to make sure we make those investments. We have made $65 million investments over the last three years, making up for the cuts that were done by the NDP Government when they were in power. We're going to continue to listen to teachers to make sure that the classroom environment is improved.

Mr. Speaker, it is my goal, the goal of the minister, the goal of our government, to continue to improve the classrooms across this province.

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

EMO - C.B. THANKSGIVING FLOOD:

[Page 1366]

DISASTER FIN. ASSISTANCE - PMTS.

MR. EDDIE ORRELL « » : Mr. Speaker, my question is to the Minister for EMO. Victims of the Thanksgiving Day flood continue to feel abandoned by the Liberal Government. Families haven't received funding from the province's Disaster Financial Assistance program and the department isn't sure when they will. Desperate homeowners have to rely on private donations through a fundraising website called GoFundMe to get by.

My question to the minister, will the government speed up this process so homeowners don't have to rely on the GoFundMe accounts to rebuild their lives?

HON. ZACH CHURCHILL « » : Mr. Speaker, as the member knows, the province has been working very diligently in allocating additional resources to expedite this process. We understand how hard the situation is on families and on households and that's why we gave $0.5 million that is being administered through the Salvation Army for emergency needs; we've upped the cap that residents can receive for work on their houses or replacement, from $80,000 to $200,000; we've eliminated the deduction on people's claims for disaster relief program; and we have sent additional resources into the area to help process these claims. We are currently processing about 345 claims and the first cheque will actually be issued today to the members of Cape Breton.

MR. ORRELL « » : Mr. Speaker, it's been a month since homeowners lost everything, and the government is now just starting to provide funds to these people. Thousands of dollars have been poured in with the GoFundMe, but this money is only starting now from the government. Why is this process taking so long, and when can the rest of the homeowners expect to hear back from the government?

MR. CHURCHILL « » : Mr. Speaker, it's not accurate for the member to say the government has not sent funding in. In fact, in the first few days of this issue, we sent half a million dollars to help with emergent needs, and we've heard back from many members of that community that have appreciated that. We are working very hard to expedite this process, get as much money out as quickly as we can.

It is complicated, I know that's frustrating, but we're dealing with people's insurance claims. People are still waiting to receive their letters from their insurance companies, inspectors have to provide the appraisals of the damage done. It is a very complicated process. I want to assure the member we are expediting as quickly as possible. Additional resources have been sent, and I'm very happy to tell the member today that money is starting to flow.

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

HEALTH & WELLNESS - MODERNIZATION/AD HOC CUTS

[Page 1367]

HON. DAVID WILSON « » : Mr. Speaker, last week, in the Public Accounts Committee meeting, the Deputy Minister of Health and Wellness, Peter Vaughan, criticized the long-term care sector saying it needed to modernize and stop being run in an ad hoc way. This is pretty rich coming from a government that has surprised the sector with funding cuts for two years in a row.

I would like to ask the Minister of Health and Wellness, how does the minister expect long-term care facilities to modernize when the government continues to make ad hoc cuts to their budget year after year?

HON. LEO GLAVINE « » : I can assure the member and all Nova Scotians that in no way did the deputy minister diminish the work that's going on in our nursing homes. We know that we have to modernize the approach, also that they use a more co-operative approach in terms of purchasing, using administrative collaboration, as well to, in other words, achieve efficiencies, and we needed to make changes, and this is part of the process.

MR. DAVID WILSON « » : Also at the Public Accounts Committee meeting, we heard from Janet Knox and Peter Vaughan. They said that if seniors only spent two years in long-term care rather than the current average of three years, we wouldn't need to increase the number of beds in the province. We know that people want to live in their homes longer, but there is a time when it's no longer safe or appropriate. Health care decisions need to be based on patient needs, not the needs of the system, or the government's bottom line. So, how does the minister expect long-term care facilities to meet the needs of more acute clients with such a shrinking budget they've seen over the last two years?

MR. GLAVINE « » : Just by changing the policy around entering a nursing home, we've been able to cut the wait-list by over 50 per cent. We now finally have an instrument whereby risk and need will be the determination for people entering a nursing home, and I think we'll see our wait-list more appropriate for the care that our seniors will need at a different point in their lives.

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

PREM.: MEDIATED SETTLEMENT - DENIAL EXPLAIN

HON. JAMIE BAILLIE « » : Mr. Speaker, my question is to the Premier. Today, the Minister of Labour and Advanced Education issued a statement where she concluded that she does not believe an external mediator can resolve the dispute between teachers and the government. She is required to review all available information from both sides to reach that conclusion. Clearly, teachers who asked for mediation were prepared to make it work. That leaves the Premier as the culprit here. So, I will ask him, why did he say no to try a mediated settlement?

THE PREMIER « » : We did not say no, Mr. Speaker. What we have said is that we have a fiscal envelope. If you want to go back to the table, teachers need to be able to prepare to bring savings that we're prepared to share back with them, but the fiscal envelope that is being distributed across the entire public sector has been clearly laid out to them, and that's the position of the government.

[Page 1368]

MR. BAILLIE « » : Every other government in this province's history has taken their fiscal envelope to the table and worked it out with teachers. This government actually has it easier than other governments because the teachers have said their number-one issue is classroom conditions. The teachers wanted to bring all this to the table with an independent mediator. They said yes, the Premier said no. It's as simple as that. Parents want a settlement, students want a settlement, and teachers want a settlement - only the Premier, because he's not listening to any of them.

Why has he turned his back on the parents and students of the province who want to see a mediated settlement?

THE PREMIER « » : I want to thank the honourable member for the question. It gives me the opportunity to remind him, and all members of this House, that we came to two tentative agreements with two different executives of the Nova Scotia Teachers Union. We continued to invest over the last three years into classrooms, we have clearly heard from teachers that there needed to be change in the classrooms. The minister made an announcement yesterday and we are looking forward to the meeting tomorrow to work with NSTU school boards across the province to continue to respond to the challenge in the classroom - which I might add has built up over decades in this province having been ignored for decades by governments of all political stripes.

We made a commitment to respond to the classrooms. I am looking forward to the outcomes of the meeting tomorrow and the ongoing conversation that will happen with our partners in education, but I want to say that we have been very clear from the beginning that we have a fiscal envelope when it comes to wage and long-term service benefits. It's across the entire public sector. We have committed to that, Nova Scotians have responded positively to that, and we have said we are prepared to go back to the table if they can find savings.

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

LAE - MEDIATED SETTLEMENT: DENIAL - INFO.

HON. JAMIE BAILLIE « » : I would like to ask a question of the Minister of Labour and Advanced Education. In her statement today she said, "I have considered the information available and I don't believe an external mediator could assist in resolving this dispute at this time." Well, teachers asked for a mediated settlement, they were prepared to submit everything to an independent mediator, but it's the government that has not done so. The minster is required to be independent; she is required to assess the information from both sides when she makes her decision.

[Page 1369]

Mr. Speaker, what information did the minister use to come to this conclusion and will she table it in the House today?

HON. KELLY REGAN « » : Mr. Speaker, as the honourable member well knows this is a confidential process. I take my role as Labour and Advanced Education Minister seriously, even if the folks on the other side of the House do not. That means I cannot share what my labour team is told by people in confidence. What I can tell you is that it was an important decision to make for Nova Scotians, I took it very seriously, and should the circumstances change I am prepared to revisit it.

MR. BAILLIE « » : To be perfectly honest that minister has failed the parents and teachers of Nova Scotia today, who wanted to see a mediated settlement and she won't tell them why. Let me tell you something, Mr. Speaker, her independence is under question here. It is very obvious that she is not on the agenda of parents and students or the teachers, she is following the bidding of the Premier of Nova Scotia. She is not being independent, she is putting the interest of the Liberal Party ahead of our classrooms. If she does not see it, then she should not be the Minister of Labour and Advanced Education when the classroom year is on the line.

I would ask the minister, how can parents and students trust her now to do her job when obviously she is not interested in trying a mediated settlement?

MS. REGAN « » : I understand that previous to Question Period today the honourable member called me a puppet outside this House and on a day when women in this Chamber, women around the world are feeling disfranchised, defenseless (Interruptions)

MR. SPEAKER « » : Order, please. Order, please. (Interruptions) Order, please. Order, please. Order, please. (Interruptions) The honourable member for Argyle-Barrington will come to order. (Interruption) Order, please.

The honourable member for Argyle-Barrington will come to order. If I have to speak again, I will have to ask you to excuse yourself.

MS. REGAN « » : As I indicated, on a day when all women around this world, all women in this House are so disappointed in misogynistic comments, for a member on that side of the House to call me a puppet when what I did was my job - I took it seriously, and I have never spoken to him about that. (Applause)

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

PREM.: MI'KMAQ CONSULTATION - POSITION

[Page 1370]

MS. LENORE ZANN « » : Mr. Speaker, it's great to see people are paying attention here today.

My question today, if I can get it through, is for the Premier in his capacity as Minister of Aboriginal Affairs. Earlier this year, the Sipekne'katik band appealed the Department of Environment's approval of the Alton Gas project. The Environment Minister upheld that decision, and a further appeal was lodged with the court soon after.

In a written legal brief dated July 29, 2016, government lawyers told the court that since the band submitted its sovereignty in 1760, the government does not have a constitutional duty to consult them. Rather, they say, the province only has a duty to consult "unconquered peoples." I'll table that, Mr. Speaker.

My question for the Premier today is, does the Premier agree with his government's written legal brief that Nova Scotia is exempt from the duty to consult our First Nations people, and does he identify the Sipekne'katik band as a "conquered people"?

MR. SPEAKER « » : I'd like to remind the honourable member that it's unparliamentary to ask the minister's opinion on a legal matter, so I'm going to disallow the question. Do you have a supplementary?

MS. ZANN « » : Yes, Mr. Speaker. Thank you.

The policy and guidelines for consultation with the Mi'kmaq of Nova Scotia, unveiled just last year, state that this province recognizes a 2004 Supreme Court of Canada ruling that each province has a duty to consult with indigenous peoples and accommodate their interests. I'll table that as well, Mr. Speaker.

The Crown's current position completely contradicts this policy. Insinuating that the term "conquered" describes a band that has been victimized throughout their colonial experience and to argue that their voices do not need to be heard is incredibly disrespectful. My question for the Premier today is, why was this position considered acceptable in the first place?

THE PREMIER « » : Mr. Speaker, I don't want to comment on what was put in by someone else. I can tell you that as the Minister of Aboriginal Affairs I've taken this issue, this duty to consult, very seriously. The very project she was talking about had gone through a process in 2007-08. No activity had happened. All of a sudden, activity began. They believed there had been a duty to consult. We halted that project to go through the process, because it was important to us to make sure that the duty to consult was done in this province.

At the end of the day, that doesn't always mean that all parties agree, but we believe the duty to consult - this obligation - was fulfilled. We take it very seriously that the First Nations of this province - the Mi'kmaq, the people whose land we are on - are part of the process as we go through any development in Nova Scotia.

[Page 1371]

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

STUDENTS FOR TEACHERS LEADER: CYBERBULLYING - DETAILS

MR. ANDREW YOUNGER « » : Mr. Speaker, two weeks ago, Kenzi Donnelly, the 17-year-old leader of Students for Teachers, was here to listen to the Premier respond to her concerns. She came here again a couple days later at the invitation of Derek Hawes, who is the partner of the Liberal caucus manager and presumptive Liberal candidate, and he indicated to her that he represented caucus. However, she did not agree with the answers she heard in Question Period, and said so on Facebook.

The response from Mr. Hawes was to berate Kenzi online, not once but repeatedly, when she supported comments in support of teachers by the PC candidate in Dartmouth East, Mr. Tim Halman.

What is the Premier's response to Mr. Hawes, an adult man claiming to be closely connected with the Minister of Education and Early Childhood Development, the Premier, and the Cabinet, berating a 17-year-old young woman for no reason than that she decided she disagreed with the government position?

THE PREMIER « » : Mr. Speaker, I don't know about the particular conversation that the honourable member is referring to. I believe, if you look at what happens online across this province, there's activity that I believe that no one should be interacting with. There are activities from members of this House that I believe no one should be interacting with.

I don't know the context related to what was there, but I can tell you that he was not representing me. He was not defending my position. I hope I have an opportunity to talk to the young lady who came here. I would encourage the honourable member to provide her with an opportunity to come and speak to me. I'd be happy to talk to her directly. I take this position very - it's important to be able to talk to young people, and I'd be more than happy to do that. But no one, Mr. Speaker, will represent my thoughts online.

MR. YOUNGER « » : I largely agree with what the Premier is saying except hours after the public post, they escalated the next day to roughly 20 private messages to her over a period of hours, with Kenzi asking him to stop. This is an adult male boasting about discussions he was having with her about the Education Minister. Kenzi said she felt bullied by Mr. Hawes and this government just for speaking her views. She said Mr. Hawes also suggested to her that her teacher, the PC candidate Mr. Tim Halman was using her and his other students to further his own political ambitions. Let me tell you, I know Mr. Halman is a decent and honourable person, and I doubt that to be true.

[Page 1372]

Kenzi has been left feeling bullied by someone who is claiming to speak for Cabinet Ministers and caucus. She is upset and has decided to come here today and go public because of how emotional this has been for her and her family over the past week. It's wrong. Will the Premier stand in his place and apologize to Kenzi, who is with us today, over this very serious issue?

THE PREMIER « » : If in any way anyone who she believed was representing me was in a back-and-forth in an inappropriate way online with her, of course, I would apologize because in no way is that how I behave, myself, when I talk to people across this province. It would be inappropriate for me to do otherwise. If Kenzi is here today, I encourage her, and I hope to have an opportunity to have a meeting.

No young person - no person - in this province who wants to have a conversation online should become a victim of cyberbullying. It's inappropriate. It happens. If you look across - when articles are put out back and forth, people are saying inappropriate things, looking back and forth - every member of this House has been called things that I don't think anyone wants to be called. My children read what people say about me online. It's completely inappropriate, and I hope through what we're learning here from Kenzi, how she's feeling, other people in this building might take note of how what they say online impacts people other than just the very person they're talking about.

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

MUN. AFFS. - GUYSBOROUGH MUN. DIST. WARDEN:

EXPENSES (2011) - FORENSIC AUDIT CALL

MR. JOHN LOHR « » : My question is for the Minister of Municipal Affairs. Yesterday I tabled documents showing that on July 15, 2011, the warden of Guysborough claimed two meals and three per diems all for one day. Today I received an email from the CAO of Guysborough, stating that, in fact, the expenses were incurred over a number of days, which I'll table. However, the July 2011 expense claim was, in fact, made for that one day, July 15^th. It may have been an error.

My question for the minister is, given that this new information indicates a serious discrepancy with the July 2011 expense claim, will this new information cause the Minister of Municipal Affairs to call for a forensic audit to clear up this situation?

HON. ZACH CHURCHILL « » : As the member is aware, there is an ongoing investigation that is being conducted in Guysborough by the Ombudsman's Office. I think it's appropriate for all of us in this House to allow that process to take its due course, as is the situation in Richmond. When we received that independent report from the Ombudsman, there were a number of recommendations in that report for the department to consider. If there are recommendations, or evidence that's presented in this report that we need to consider and act on, we of course will be there to do that.

[Page 1373]

MR. LOHR « » : In fact, I was under the impression the Ombudsman was doing an audit in Richmond County, and we are talking about Guysborough County. The former warden has a right to have his name cleared of any wrongdoing. A forensic audit would accomplish that. It would also lay to rest the concerns of the people of Guysborough County that their tax dollars are being used inappropriately. An audit was done in Richmond County; it can be done in Guysborough County. The minister has the authority to call for an audit. My question for the minister is, will he call for a forensic audit for Guysborough County simply for the benefit of the former warden, to clear his name, and lay this matter to rest?

MR. CHURCHILL « » : If there is evidence that comes forward that suggests a forensic audit is needed, of course we will consider that. But what I will not consider is conducting forensic audits of municipalities to satisfy the political intentions and motivations of the Opposition Party. I will not do that. I do not believe that is fair. What we need to do is focus on evidence as it's presented and act appropriately. In the meantime, we are working with municipalities across the province to modernize and standardize expense accounting from one end of this province to the other. We want our municipalities all to have their expenses online so we can have a system in place that makes sure Nova Scotians can have full confidence in how taxpayers' dollars are being expensed.

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

MUN. AFFS.: GUYSBOROUGH DIST. MUN.

- MULTI-YEAR FORENSIC AUDIT CALL

MR. ALLAN MACMASTER « » : A question for the Minister of Municipal Affairs, are they political intentions or are they the voices of taxpayers?

We know there were spending irregularities in Guysborough - my colleague tabled evidence yesterday and more today, two sets of explanations provided by the same CAO for the same expenses. The CAO was upset with information I tabled here yesterday with respect to himself. He said he was shocked and appalled and he accused me of lying - which I know, Mr. Speaker, is unparliamentary. I will table that letter.

Mr. Speaker, the CAO has been responsible for overseeing all the expenses in Guysborough for many years. Would the minister assist that CAO in clearing his name by calling for a multi-year forensic audit in Guysborough to see if the expenses he oversaw were appropriate?

HON. ZACH CHURCHILL « » : It's very interesting for members of the Opposition to lay claims of misconduct by our municipal officials and then ask me to help those individuals clear their names, Mr. Speaker. Am I the only person who sees the irony of that in this situation? What is happening here is we have members of the Opposition who are taking this opportunity for political gain, they are not allowing the independent authorities to conduct the investigations that they are undergoing, and I think that is inappropriate. I do think that member owes those folks an apology until there's evidence to suggest otherwise.

[Page 1374]

In the meantime, Mr. Speaker, what we do have control over, as a province, is the MGA and we are modernizing that Act to ensure that all expenses will be put online - that is the goal we want to achieve - and have a standardized level of expense accounting from one end of the province to the other.

MR. MACMASTER « » : Mr. Speaker, it's hard to take that answer seriously. Would the minister suggest that's what happened in Richmond? Nothing to see here, is what they were saying in Richmond. We know the CAO was so involved there that he has since resigned and the RCMP are investigating.

Will the minister take the word of the CAO and former Warden of Guysborough, like he did in Richmond, and fail taxpayers like he did in Richmond?

MR. CHURCHILL « » : Again, Mr. Speaker, the member presents an account of events that are not accurate and that simply reflect what he wants to believe in this situation.

Here's what happened in Richmond County - there was an annual audit that is mandated by the province that had red flags. That led to action by the Department of Municipal Affairs. It led to a forensic audit, it led to an Ombudsman's investigation, and an RCMP investigation. That process seems to have worked fine in uncovering some of the problems we have there.

Why won't that member allow that same process to be undergone in other municipalities, Mr. Speaker?

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

COM. SERV.: CHILDREN & FAM. SERV. ACT

- PROCLAMATION UPDATE

MS. MARIAN MANCINI « » : My question is for the Minister of Community Services. Last year the minister introduced amendments to the Children and Family Services Act. At the Law Amendments Committee social workers, legal aid lawyers, members of the First Nations, and African Nova Scotian communities all expressed significant concerns with this legislation.

The bill was sent back to the department several times due to serious flaws and the lack of consultation, but it passed in December 2015. The government has said the legislation would be proclaimed in the Fall of 2016. Can the minister provide an update on the timeline for proclamation?

[Page 1375]

HON. JOANNE BERNARD « » : I thank the honourable member for the question. I was proud of the process of the Children and Family Services Act last Fall where it was introduced in one session and set aside so that we could further go out into the community and meet with our stakeholders. We met with over 30 groups and ended up with over 100 amendments, including 25 that were specific to the Mi'kmaq community in Nova Scotia, which is unprecedented in the Children and Family Services Act.

That Act will be proclaimed in the coming weeks; I'm proud to say that. It took us this long to really develop the regulations and the standards that go along with the Act and I look forward to this proclamation in the coming weeks.

MS. MANCINI « » : Mr. Speaker, I voted against this bill because the changes unfairly impact families living in poverty, families of African and indigenous descent, women leaving violent relationships, and those who have been in contact with the child welfare services in the past. I voted against Bill No. 112 because it gives total discretionary power to community services workers and agencies, while reducing the powers of impartial judges.

I provided the minister with a case from the Court of Appeal in Newfoundland and Labrador that struck down the very clause that we have in that bill. Now, I'm sure that the Premier is not going to want to open his fiscal envelope to fight needless court battles in the courtroom, so I'm asking, how does the minister plan to address these important concerns?

MS. BERNARD « » : One of the major aims of the goal that was neglected to be mentioned by the member across the aisle is the protection of children in Nova Scotia - vulnerable children. We have opened the fiscal envelope for this Act. We have invested $1.2 million in new programs, we have more than doubled the Parenting Journeys in Nova Scotia including tailoring them to the African Nova Scotians, the Mi'kmaq, and the Acadians. So we have made investments so that we are not reacting to child protection. We are trying to be proactive in keeping families together.

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

BUS.: JOB LOSSES - MIN. ACTIONS

MR. TIM HOUSTON « » : Mr. Speaker, my question is for the Minister of Business. Time after time, we hear members opposite stand up and talk about how wonderful the economy is doing here in Nova Scotia, but the reality is, according to Statistics Canada, since last month alone, Nova Scotia has lost 2,500 full-time jobs. Too many Nova Scotians have been facing job losses. Nova Scotians want to move home and make a life for themselves, but there are no jobs, and you can talk in this House all you want, but you can't convince somebody that they have a job when they don't, which is what this government is constantly trying to do.

[Page 1376]

So I would ask the minister today, what talking points can the minister share with those Nova Scotians who are looking for work about all the wonderful, ineffective things he is doing?

HON. MARK FUREY « » : Mr. Speaker, I appreciate the opportunity to stand and speak to the work that's being done. Significant investments have been made in growing the economy in Nova Scotia, but as that member wouldn't know, before you build a house, you have to put a foundation in, and that's what we're doing. We've made investments in post-secondary and our school systems, we've made investments in immigration, we've made investments in infrastructure and innovation, we've made investments in venture capital and start-ups - the list goes on and on.

MR. HOUSTON « » : Well, I guess peering out from the top of an office tower in Halifax, you wouldn't know that before you build a house you actually need a job, and what we have in Nova Scotia is 4,200 fewer jobs since this government has taken office - 4,200 fewer jobs.

Last week I asked the minister what was happening with a buyer for DSTN, and at the prompting of the Premier, the minister implied we got Web.com instead. Apparently, that's his plan - nothing, no update on DSTN. Nobody knows what's going on with a buyer there. So I would ask the minister again, what's the plan for DSTN? Does he actually have a plan to create jobs, or is he going to build homes that he can't pay for?

MR. FUREY « » : Mr. Speaker, I want to recognize the Minister of Labour and Advanced Education. Through her public policy changes, over 2,000 students, graduate students, have found work in Nova Scotia since our government came to power.

Two-and-a-half years ago, when the Ivany commission released their report, they identified population decline and economic decline as challenges this province had to face. If we didn't, we were doomed for failure. Two-and-a-half years later, we see population stability and population growth, we see economic stability and economic growth, and that member can't see it.

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

HEALTH & WELLNESS - DOCTORS: ACCESS PROMISES - FULFILL

[Page 1377]

HON. ALFIE MACLEOD « » : Mr. Speaker, it's not just jobs that people in Nova Scotia don't have - they don't have doctors either. So my question is to the Minister of Health and Wellness. People waiting for a doctor have been directed to call 811. This service was intended to help people receive medical advice to avoid the emergency department. Now, people who are looking for a doctor are being referred to an American call centre, and receive a callback from an automated system. Now, I don't know how much this costs, but I know one thing: we have a number of my constituents who have told me that it's not a call, or a waiting list that they need to be on, it's a doctor they need. So I want to know if this minister is going to live up to his government's promise of a doctor for every Nova Scotian. When will he live up to the promise?

HON. LEO GLAVINE « » : Mr. Speaker, what I can tell the member opposite is that the 811 line is actually answered by five people who were hired to gather the information from Nova Scotians, so we would have a registry that would be up to date and inclusive of all those who in fact are looking for a doctor.

MR. MACLEOD « » : Mr. Speaker, as I said earlier, people are tired of being put on a list. They already know they need a doctor - they don't need a list to tell them that.

Mr. Speaker, it was more than three years ago that this government promised a doctor for every Nova Scotian and it is clear we are going in the opposite direction. Now the list has gotten so long and the situation is so dire that the government has outsourced finding a doctor, while the Liberals are showing no sign of efforts to hire here.

Mr. Speaker, I've had people tell me they have received calls from the U.S., answering their call to the 811 number. So why isn't a real person, a real individual, a Nova Scotian, talking to the people who need the doctors and calling them back and telling them how to get a family doctor, that this government has promised them time and time, and time, and time again?

MR. GLAVINE « » : Mr. Speaker, I thank the member for the question. I thank him for his passion on this particular issue. What I do know is that not just Nova Scotia but all provinces have had enormous challenges with getting the right number of doctors in the right places. We will have much better information to target some of the areas through the 811 initiative.

I can also update the member on this - after the Trump win last night we've already had inquiries from doctors in the U.S. about relocating in Nova Scotia.

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

ENERGY - SHELL DRILLING PROJ.: OPERATOR - EXPERIENCE LEVEL

[Page 1378]

HON. STERLING BELLIVEAU « » : Mr. Speaker, my question is for the Minister of Energy. An incident offshore earlier this year has raised concerns about the safety of Shell's ongoing deepwater drilling project. In rough waters a massive string of steel pipes fell to the seabed mere metres away from the wellhead. A report following the incident noted that the senior crews' combined level of skills were relatively low. Furthermore, the report noted that the available procedures did not address the risk. I will table that, Mr. Speaker.

I'd like to ask the minister, why was the operator allowed to operate with a low level of senior experience, and why were the necessary procedures required to address the skills not available?

HON. MICHEL SAMSON » : Mr. Speaker, as the member would be well aware, our offshore is governed by the Canada-Nova Scotia Offshore Petroleum Board. We have a tremendously impeccable safety and environmental record here in Nova Scotia. Obviously these matters are what the board would look at with their expertise in talking with Shell and talking with the owners of the vessel in carrying out any of the activities that they do carry out. Clearly in this case there was an unfortunate incident, but there are certainly lessons that have been learned from it. But as far as the enforcement and decisions being made on that side, that's under the jurisdiction of the Offshore Petroleum Board.

MR. BELLIVEAU « » : Mr. Speaker, the CBC reported that these facts about the low level of senior experience and the lack of necessary procedures were contained in a preliminary version of Shell's incident report; however, it was noted that these key details were omitted from the final report.

Mr. Speaker, if this is indeed true, there is an obvious question here and the question is, why? So I'd like to ask the minister, why were these key details removed from the final version of Shell's incident report? I know the minister actually visited that site.

MR. SAMSON « » : Mr. Speaker, this is the first I hear of this. Again, these are decisions that are made by the Offshore Petroleum Board, and I'd be more than happy to raise his concerns with the board in order to determine the response to the issue he has raised today.

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

HEALTH & WELLNESS - SOUTHWESTERN N.S.:

RADIATION THERAPY PROG. - CONSIDER

HON. CHRISTOPHER D'ENTREMONT « » : Mr. Speaker, my question through you is to the Minister of Health and Wellness. We know people in southwestern Nova Scotia when they have a cancer diagnosis, if they need radiation therapy they need to travel to Halifax in order to receive that. That means a lot that these individuals have to leave their families, spend an inordinate amount of time here in Halifax, whether at The Lodge That Gives or other facilities for them when they come to Halifax. We know that in Yarmouth right now at the regional hospital for our area, they're able to get chemotherapy, but they can't get the radiation therapy.

[Page 1379]

My question to the minister is, what are his thoughts on actually getting a radiation therapy program going in southwestern Nova Scotia?

HON. LEO GLAVINE « » : I want to thank the member for raising an important question on the floor of the Legislature today. This is an area that continues to be explored. The member for Yarmouth and I have had several discussions with radiologists and with nuclear physicists who work in the radiation lab here in the city. We have team members who have not only great competencies but also great compassion. They were the ones who actually were promoting the concept of radiation for Yarmouth Regional. We will continue to explore it.

MR. D'ENTREMONT « » : I appreciate the answer for that, and I also appreciate the work that the member for Yarmouth is doing on this particular case as well, but we do need to understand that it's important to all of southwestern Nova Scotia. I would say the people from Clare-Digby, the people from Queens-Shelburne, the people from Argyle-Barrington - all of that area would be a catchment area for that kind of service. Maybe even people in Annapolis would find it better to drive down to Yarmouth than it would be to come here to Halifax.

I'm just wondering if the minister has some costing available because we know our foundation is ready to go to start fundraising for that. What kind of cost goes into this? Is the minister ready to go to his colleagues to find that kind of money?

MR. GLAVINE « » : There has been preliminary work carried out by the engineering team, I think in combination with TIR and the Department of Health and Wellness. We will certainly have an opportunity to look at this. He is absolutely right - it will be the foundation that would be a partner. I will have some information and work with both members here in terms of the future of radiation treatment at Yarmouth Regional.

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

HEALTH & WELLNESS - PICTOU CO.: DIALYSIS SERVICES - UPDATE

HON. PAT DUNN « » : I was wanting to talk about mediation today and jobs and a shortage of doctors and so on, that has taken place. Perhaps with the guidance of my colleague, the member for Colchester-Musquodoboit Valley, I'll ask the Minister of Health and Wellness about dialysis.

Several residents of Pictou County have been experiencing dialysis challenges. There is no question that the demand for this procedure will continue to grow. It is not unusual to meet patients from Pictou Centre requiring dialysis and having to commute to Truro. I'm aware that this is a challenge throughout the province. Will the minister give the residents of Pictou County an update with regard to improving dialysis services in Pictou County?

[Page 1380]

HON. LEO GLAVINE « » : In terms of our dialysis program, we do have great information available not just for those who are currently receiving dialysis but also those who are heading in that direction based on their current renal condition. I know that there are a number of sites now that have had to go to a second - I guess two or even three times a day putting people through the current number of machines that are available. I know one of those sites is the Aberdeen.

MR. DUNN « » : The minister has said on many occasions that dialysis service needs to be expanded and that the Department of Health and Wellness is looking at the provincial program. We are also aware that a number of regional hospitals are requesting a dialysis unit. Considering the population base of Pictou County and therefore the increasing demand for more dialysis chairs, will the minister commit today to informing Pictou County residents when they will no longer have to travel outside of their area to receive dialysis treatment?

MR. GLAVINE « » : We certainly know the pressures of this life-saving procedure right across the province. It's something that the department continues to monitor . . .

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

HON. MICHEL SAMSON « » : Mr. Speaker, on a point of order. While things can get heated at times, here in this House, I believe that there is a level of decorum that's still expected of all members and I find it ironic that we would have student representatives here to see the performance that was put on by certain members today.

Mr. Speaker, during Question Period, the member for Argyle-Barrington could be heard repeatedly shouting at the Minister of Labour and Advanced Education that she was "a puppet". As if that wasn't offensive enough, following the exchange of that question, the member for Inverness could clearly be heard saying if she was a man she'd still be a puppet.

I don't think anyone would say that is appropriate language to be used either in this House, or anywhere else. It would appear that there is more than one reason to refer to the member for Inverness as Donald Trump. On that basis, I would ask you to review the comments that were made, and determine the appropriateness of the remarks made by both members.

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

[Page 1381]

HON. CHRISTOPHER D'ENTREMONT « » : Mr. Speaker, I would like to first of all apologize. If "puppet" was the word that I used, or that I was heard using, I will come up front and say I apologize for that. But I also want to say that there has been some stuff on both sides of this House that many of us are having a hard time with. There has been a number of occasions where I have seen someone flip the bird, or give the finger, to many people across this House, so there is a lot of things going on. I apologize for what I've said, but please take into consideration that there is a lot of stuff going on in this House that maybe people can't see on the cameras.

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

MR. ALLAN MACMASTER « » : Mr. Speaker, I would like to take the opportunity to apologize to the member for Bedford for making that comment. I felt badly after saying it, and I just want her to know that I sincerely do apologize, and I thank the member for Cape Breton-Richmond for raising it as well. Thank you.

OPPOSITION MEMBERS' BUSINESS

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

HON. DAVID WILSON « » : Mr. Speaker, would you please call the order of business, Private Members' Public Bills for Second Reading.

PRIVATE MEMBERS' PUBLIC BILLS FOR SECOND READING

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

HON. DAVID WILSON « » : Mr. Speaker, would you please call Bill No. 66.

Bill No. 66 - Public Services Sustainability (2015) Act.

MR. SPEAKER « » : The honourable member for Victoria-The Lakes on a quick introduction.

MS. PAM EYKING « » : I would ask the House to turn their attention to the east gallery. I want to recognize my constituency assistant, Sean Tobin, who is taking a moment to join us here in the House today. I want to thank him for his hard work and dedication, and I ask him to stand while the House gives him a warm welcome. (Applause)

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

HON. DAVID WILSON « » : Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Unfortunately, I have to stand once again in my place to discuss an important issue in our province, about the relationship between the current Liberal Government and the workers of this province, especially our Public Service Commission, those who work in our correctional facilities, teachers, those who have all been affected by a previous bill that really shows the true colours of the current government and their appetite to deal with the Public Service and negotiations here in the Province of Nova Scotia.

[Page 1382]

So what Bill No. 66 does - and it's one line, but that's all that it needs to be - it actually repeals Chapter 34 of the Public Services Sustainability Act of 2015, which is Bill No. 148. I think it's a most appropriate time for us to stand to try to get across to the government members, the Cabinet, and the Premier, how important it is to respect the workers of this province, and I think we have seen loud and clear with Bill No. 148, Bill No. 100, and others, a lack of that respect. We have a lot of pieces of legislation that we introduced in this session, some we reintroduced because of the proroguing of the House but they are very near and dear to our caucus, to our members, to our Party but to Nova Scotians.

We know we have limited opportunities to stand on Opposition Day to discuss some of our legislation but this one really, I think, was one that all members of our caucus agreed that we needed to call because of the environment we are in today. For example, we know that we're just around the corner from potentially the first in Nova Scotia's history of a strike by teachers. I know during Question Period and other debates it gets quite heated in this House, especially today during Question Period, when we talked about how we get out of the predicament of the first ever teachers' strike in our province.

There's a lot of emotion behind it, Mr. Speaker. I know there's a lot of people with personal experience, from either knowing or maybe being a partner or a spouse of a teacher, but for most of us, a lot of us, it's being a parent. Myself, having two children - one who just finished going through high school and is off to university, and another one, my son is in Grade 10. I care about their education and, just as important, I care about the teachers who deliver that education to my daughter and to my son. I know that many members here feel the same way.

I have to say that in my almost-14 years in this Legislature - I think I said this during the hoist motion where we tried to push off Bill No. 148 - it was the only time I had ever seen teachers take a stance where they came down to the Legislature, they were engaged in Law Amendments Committee, they picketed around this historic House. In those 14 years, there was never anybody in the Legislature (Interruption) I don't know if the Minister of Community Services heard what I said - I said around this historic Chamber, teachers were not here, Mr. Speaker.

Anyway, the government and the Minister of Community Services will have to answer for that and will have to explain to teachers why she supported and why government members supported a bill like Bill No. 148. It has been described as draconian in an attempt to try to involve the government's ability to put conditions on future negotiations.

[Page 1383]

Something that this Premier and the Liberal Party said to Nova Scotians was that they would respect collective bargaining when they were knocking on doors, asking for votes to get elected to have the privilege to sit on that side of the House, Mr. Speaker. We know from the sheer number of people who showed up in the first few days of this new government session, how those workers of the province felt the government lived up to that commitment. They didn't live up to that commitment.

We find ourselves today, I think, dealing with the pending teachers' strike because of Bill No. 148, because of this big hammer being held over the heads of workers in this province, Mr. Speaker. I think Bill No. 66 would go a long way in trying to repair some of the damage done with the relationship between government, government MLAs, government Cabinet Ministers and those who are affected by Bill No. 148, Bill No. 100 and others.

Here's an opportunity for the government, for the Premier to live up to their commitment to respect the bargaining process here in Nova Scotia. We've seen in history that governments had to bring forward legislation dealing with individual bargaining units when there was an impasse or when they came to a point where negotiations broke down and there was no other avenue that the government felt at the time they could go down to try to come to a resolution of that situation.

With Bill No. 148, we're talking about some 75,000 workers - 75,000-plus workers - some who were not in negotiations, some were - 75,000 workers who have worked extremely hard, many of them over decades and decades and decades to get to the point where they are today through bargaining, through improvement of labour standards, through improvement of legislation to allow for free collective bargaining here in the Province of Nova Scotia. I think I said this at the time, it really took back the labour movement and those who have worked so hard for decades, took us back to a point where a lot of rights were lost by a couple of pieces of legislation especially Bill No. 148.

That's why we introduced Bill No. 66. That's why we feel that the repeal of that piece of legislation is extremely important and, I think it's an opportunity for government to show the teachers of this province that they're serious about trying to figure a way to get through what's in front of us, what's pending, what potentially could happen. Potentially, teachers could walk off the job. They could have a strike, first time ever in our province. I don't think it's the history that the Liberal Government wants to create. I would hope it's not. It's not one I want to see in my time here.

Nobody wants to see a strike, nobody wins in a strike, nobody is better off after a strike. People always lose something and often what's lost is the relationship between their employer and the employees, between the government and the sector or the bargaining unit.

[Page 1384]

I don't often like to just call it a bargaining unit. What we're talking about are men and women who have, many of them, worked for years and years and years in our province providing services that are needed, that are important. I'm frustrated and I feel myself getting to the point of getting angrier when I hear a response from our Premier for example when asked, why don't you go to conciliation, why don't you go to mediation for the teachers and the response is a quick throwback of, well, they get paid enough, they have benefits that are way too rich, if they want to take some away then maybe we'll bargain.

These men and women have bargained with other governments, with past Liberal Governments, past New Democratic Party Governments, past Progressive Conservative Governments to achieve certain benefits in this province and nobody should be responding in a manner that I think hurts or diminishes that achievement and those successes in the past. I think it is a disservice to those people, to those men and women who provide services on behalf of the Government of Nova Scotia.

That's why I think this is a great opportunity for the government to take a stance today to try to create a path forward and rebuild a relationship that I think has been very damaged when it comes to the relationship between the Liberal Government and those workers of the province, especially the unionized workers in Nova Scotia.

I've heard from a lot of those workers who feel disrespected, and they feel disrespected from a government or from a Party that they supported. Many people voted for a Liberal MLA in the last election, too many in my opinion, but many Nova Scotians voted Liberal in the last election. I heard from many of them, and it wasn't just me - we heard from them at the Law Amendments Committee meeting when Bill No. 148 and Bill No. 100 and the other bills went through the process in this House. I spent a lot of time supporting my colleagues who are the permanent members of the Law Amendments Committee to listen to them, to engage and try to find out from those individuals what the issues were that they were facing every day.

The nurses who work on the burn unit see things that most people would never want to see in a lifetime, and they see it on a daily basis. They were telling the government that they wanted to be treated with respect. They weren't there to try to ask for the sun and the moon in the next bargaining process for salaries and benefits. They wanted improvements to their working conditions. It sticks out to me, the young lady who came forward and talked about her working conditions and what she saw on a daily basis. She wasn't there to ask for a raise or to increase her pension or get more vacation. She was there to ask for improvements in working conditions, and we're hearing the same with the teachers.

I think having Bill No. 148 over the heads of many of these very professional individuals in our province, it is a disservice for this government to say, we respect collective bargaining, and we're open to free collective bargaining in the province. Yes, of course you are, as long as it falls within these criteria, in this box that we set out in Bill No. 148.

[Page 1385]

That's why I think this is a great opportunity to show respect to nurses, show respect to correctional officers, show respect to teachers and so many more people who work every day in this province, taking care of our families, educating our young, making sure roads are safe in the winter, improving access to services and those programs that we depend on so much here in Nova Scotia. That's why we took the stance to introduce this bill and call it on Opposition Day, because it's so important. I think it could lead to a resolution not only of the pending labour strike in front of us but also future negotiations.

I would hope that the Premier would reconsider this, and I look forward to them supporting Bill No. 66 and supporting the people who voted for them in the last election.

MR. CHAIRMAN: The honourable member for Lunenburg West with a quick introduction.

HON. MARK FUREY « » : Joining us today in the east gallery is Courtney Baker and her best friend and mom, Suzanne Baker. Courtney is a graduate of Bridgewater Junior Senior High School, at the time an honours student and a competitive volleyball player. She led her team to two Division 1 championships as a Division 3 school. That's quite an accomplishment in itself. Throughout her high school years, Courtney led her club team, the under 14, under 16, and under 17, to provincial championships. She is presently a member of the Dalhousie Tigers, a second-year kinesiology student, a Canadian junior team member, and just this year a National Senior Women's A team member. I would ask my colleagues to join me in welcoming Courtney to the Legislature. (Applause)

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

MR. EDDIE ORRELL « » : It gives me pleasure to rise today to speak to Bill No. 66, the Public Services Sustainability (2015) Act. Basically, what this does is repeal Bill No. 148, a bill that was brought in last year, which most people think - parents, teachers, students, members of this House - was a negotiating tool the Liberal Government wanted to use to make sure that they could impose restrictions in bargaining, restrictions in contracts, restrictions in what teachers can attain through the collective bargaining process. We saw the same type of deal happen just the year before that, with I think Bill No. 100, where something like this was imposed on the health care workers in the province.

We have a pattern where we bring in a bill - basically it's a bill that allows them not to have to negotiate with the group of people they're trying to have a collective agreement with. This is a government that campaigned on their great faith in collective bargaining, a government that actually wrote the nurses of the province during the election campaign that they would respect collective bargaining. A government that says they're competent to run the finances of this province.

[Page 1386]

Mr. Speaker, there's no one in this Chamber who likes to see a strike, especially a teachers' strike, something that we haven't seen in this province to date. I worry about the children in Grade 12 who have their whole future ahead of them. If this year gets ruined somehow, these children, these students, these young adults get to come back, stay back for half a year or a year, a year that would be lost because they can't enter university because of not being able to finish their Grade 12 year.

Mr. Speaker, nobody wins in a strike, especially the children, especially the teachers. I had the unfortunate opportunity to be involved in a strike situation in the health care system basically back in 1990. The thought around the table at that time was, let's leave them out as long as we can to save the money to put back into the coffers so we can give them a little more. I believe it was 13 weeks of strike. People on the picket line lost 13 weeks of pay and in the end they settled for what they were offered before they went out, because it was just too hard on people.

It's not the financial loss that's the biggest concern. The relationships of people who were on the picket line with the people who had to cross the picket line with the people who represent the government - all those relationships were tarnished to the point where hard feelings took over the workplace. When that happens, the care, the ability to teach, the ability for people to go in the community all hurts.

So how do we get here, Mr. Speaker? The government starts down the road of negotiations, they come to a tentative agreement, they bring it back to the membership - that's not good. So we start again and we hear Bill No. 148. It was reported that if they have to, they'll bring in Bill No. 148. That's quite a hammer, Mr. Speaker. That's quite a negotiating tool to hang over any group of people in this province.

Mr. Speaker, we could come to a lot better agreement if we can negotiate in fairness and we can come to a better agreement if everybody seems to either give or take a little bit. But the threat of Bill No. 148 being piled into the negotiations where this is what you're getting, you're not getting any more, that has to hurt. So the Teachers Union asked for conciliation and we were told that the government refused, and we come to Question Period and we're told they didn't refuse.

Mr. Speaker, they said they conciliated with the teachers, with conditions. Now that's not real conciliation. So then they asked for mediation and no, that's not going to happen at this present time.

You know we all want to see a government live within its means. Of course we want to see a financial plan that actually works for the government, but it has to actually work for the employees as well. But after seeing cut, cut, cut the most basic groups in our society, now they are completely messing up these negotiations with the teachers. They don't want to negotiate with the public sector workers - where is this faith and ability to trust the government?

[Page 1387]

Mr. Speaker, threatening groups of people with Bill No. 148, with any other tactics that may throw negotiations off track, actually makes situations worse. You know, we hear where they're not sidetracking the collective bargaining. If the teachers find savings somewhere else, we'll go back to the table with them. I don't think it's the duty of the teachers to find those savings. Our teachers want to teach. They want to be in front of the children in our classrooms, and I will say, we have probably one of the best education systems in the country. We're all products of that education system in here, in one form or another, we've all gone through that system, and for the most part, I think we're all good people. We're all able to stand here in this hallowed hall, speak our minds, help form legislation, and help shape how the province runs.

So why not sit down with the teachers? Which brings us to this bill to eliminate Bill No. 148. Bill No. 66 does just that. It's not a long bill, there's not much to it. It's to get rid of Bill No. 148, let everybody negotiate in good faith, allow them to go to the bargaining table, give and take, like it normally is, avoid a strike situation, like it has been done for the last 100 or 150 years in this building. But, you know, they did the same thing with Bill No. 100. Then they said they'd bring in an arbitrator. We got the arbitrator, they didn't like what he said - they fired the arbitrator not once, not twice, but three times.

So there is question, Mr. Speaker, that this bill is not actually constitutional or even legal. We've seen, and we've heard that yes, they've done their due diligence, and that it is, and that isn't within the bounds of the Constitution. I'm told that Ontario just struck down a similar type of legislation. The NSGEU says it can be challenged, and if a bill gets challenged in a court, it's going to cost a lot more. Their fiscal envelope is going to have to bust and explode, or I'm going to have to open it, in order to fight that court challenge. Why not use it to better purposes, better means? Use that money to help negotiate with these teachers, with these health care workers, not threaten them with a tool like Bill No. 148.

If we're not operating within the rules of the Constitution, that can cost us a lot more money, but as in a lot of other bills and as some other things are brought forward by this government, bring the bill forward first - as in, put your toe in the water, and if it goes through and nobody says anything, fine and dandy, we'll enact it. But if not, let's pull it back and have our options looked at. We've seen it with the Pharmacare system for seniors, and once the seniors grouped together, united, spoke out against the bill, it was retracted; we did more consultation. That was a year ago, we still haven't seen that consultation yet, and seniors are concerned. There's another budget year coming. We're told it's not going to affect their Pharmacare rates this year, but we've heard that before.

We know we're trying to get the finances of the province under control, but if we have to start fighting court challenges on bills that don't actually have to be here in place, we're going to use that money for the wrong purposes, and if we can go back to the bargaining table and let these people do their jobs, let them go to work, bargain in good faith, not have this hanging over their heads, come to a conclusion where students, especially the Grade 12 students, won't lose out on that year and be set back.

[Page 1388]

The big thing we need here is that we need to create more jobs, grow our economy so that more money will go into the coffers of the government from the taxpayers. Then, we'd have this extra money for infrastructure such as roads, such as teachers' contracts, such as health care. When we have to stand here and try to negotiate extra money for a person to get cancer care - oral cancer drugs - to make sure our seniors get the Pharmacare they need; if we had that money coming into the coffers through jobs and the growing economy, we wouldn't have to worry about that.

We could use that money to improve the conditions in the classrooms. We could use that money to give public servants a raise. Just because people work for the government doesn't mean their cost of living doesn't rise as everybody else's does. They have to pay their bills as well. If we had more taxpayers, if we had more people working, then we would have more money in that system. By having more money, we could, again, make the system better.

We could be here talking about education or the learning environment, but instead we're here talking about revoking a bill - a bill that ties the hands of unions, of workers in this province, and holds a threat over their head: if they don't vote for what the government is giving them, we'll just bring this bill in.

I think this would be a good bill to enact now if the government is concerned about bargaining in good faith with our teachers to take this bill off the table, to let them go back to the table and negotiate freely and openly and make sure that those negotiations move forward and allow our teachers to stay in the classroom. Allow them to do what they do best.

Mr. Speaker, in this Chamber we hear almost daily about the lack of doctors we have in our system. There are all kinds of reasons for that - the working conditions and financial conditions. I think our time in here would be much better spent talking about how we improve that instead of trying to get rid of a bill that ties the hands of the people who do the negotiation.

If we can negotiate and get whatever fiscal framework they want, while we stumble and fumble with a questionable bill, it costs the taxpayers more. As I say, we could use that money in the health care system. Who in this Chamber wouldn't want an extra doctor in their area or wouldn't want their emergency room open? God only knows I could use the emergency room hours in my area, Mr. Speaker. That emergency room is open from 8 to 3 daily, and that's it. Most emergencies don't have a time on them. If we had extra money by having more people working, then we'd have to worry about fewer and fewer things.

[Page 1389]

I think if the government were to call Bill No. 66 in this Legislature and allow it go through, repeal Bill No. 148, make sure we know that teachers could bargain in good faith and use the skills they use to do what they do best - to make sure the young people in this province move forward and are able to compete and work in our province and contribute to how we can run the province and/or be the citizens we want them to be so that they're there to look after us. We're all aging. We all have medical needs of some sort, or we will eventually. Let's eliminate Bill No. 148, bring in Bill No. 66, and make sure that teachers get back to the negotiating table and keep doing what they do best.

MR. SPEAKER « » : The honourable Minister of Finance and Treasury Board.

HON. RANDY DELOREY « » : Thank you, Mr. Speaker, for the opportunity to speak for a few moments on Bill No. 66. I appreciate the comments from those who have spoken about this bill thus far from the two Parties across the way.

As noted, the bill is quite straightforward. It doesn't take very long to review. It is one line, and it boils down to repealing Bill No. 148. So rather than really talking about Bill No. 66, I guess the focal point of comments is whether or not this bill is a good bill for this Legislature to consider moving forward with. What we're really being asked to consider here in the Legislature is Bill No. 148.

With Bill No. 148, if we conclude as we did as a Legislature, as the elected members representing the Province of Nova Scotia, the people of Nova Scotia, in December 2015, just over a year ago, we did consider and we debated for many hours through the legislative process, throughout the second and third readings, Committee of the Whole House, the Law Amendments Committee, there was extensive debate where representatives spoke passionately at times, articulately, about this Bill No. 148. At the end of that process it came to a vote and it was a vote in which that piece of legislation passed and it exists - it hasn't yet been proclaimed, but it did pass through the legislative process.

If we consider Bill No. 66 today, it is effectively asking us, as members of this Legislature, to go back and revisit the decision we made just over a year ago. If we are going to do that, Mr. Speaker, we must ask ourselves, what has changed from when Bill No. 148 passed? Well, when Bill No. 148 was introduced and debated and then subsequently passed in this Legislature, we had before us a tentative agreement reached with the NSTU. That tentative agreement had been voted down before Bill No. 148 was ever introduced into the Legislature. So at the time that Bill No. 148 was being debated and going through the legislative process, we had a tentative agreement which, when brought to the membership, was turned down.

We had, Mr. Speaker, a tentative agreement with the same fiscal package reflected in Bill No. 148 that was negotiated at the table with the NSTU. That same package was accepted as a tentative agreement by the NSGEU representatives. That didn't come to a vote before Bill No. 148 was introduced, nor during the time that Bill No. 148 was being debated.

[Page 1390]

Mr. Speaker, before us today we still haven't seen the members of the NSGEU vote on that tentative agreement that was reached almost a year ago. So the circumstances there between those two bargaining units have not changed. We have a tentative agreement with the NSGEU that has yet to be voted on, a tentative agreement that has, in fact, a richer compensation package than what is presented in Bill No. 148. The wage package is the same, the treatment of the Long Service Award is preferential in the tentative agreement currently being brought before a vote and consideration by the NSGEU membership. That is essentially the same circumstance we were in a year ago when we passed Bill No. 148 in this Legislature.

What has changed, Mr. Speaker, is that we have nine public sector bargaining units that have ratified and accepted a collective agreement negotiated with the government, with the same wage pattern and compensation that was negotiated and accepted as tentative agreements by the NSTU, the NSGEU. So while the NSTU turned down the tentative agreement in December of last year, they made it very clear to us - when members of the Opposition talked about Bill No. 148, they talked about the reasons why teachers were voting against that tentative agreement. They made it clear that it was the classroom conditions, that we, as a province, owed it to our students and to our teachers to improve the learning environment.

Mr. Speaker, you'll never see a member on this side of the Legislature who disagreed with that point. We made it very clear, indeed you can go back and look at my own comments through the debate and acknowledge that there was more work to be done. That's why negotiations continued throughout the year, right through to the summer, with a new executive, a new bargaining team, and a new tentative agreement was reached.

It was a tentative agreement that maintained the same compensation package, one that was fair and respected the ability of Nova Scotia to pay, one that was consistent with nine other bargaining units that have ratified and accepted those terms. It was consistent with the agreement that is still before the NSGEU membership, but what changed was the attention, over that time, of the government representatives at the negotiating table and the Nova Scotia Teachers Union representatives at the bargaining table, which focused on addressing the concerns in the classroom.

It's my understanding that through that process and those discussions, consistent with what I've been hearing from teachers in my hometown and indeed from my own family members - it's been pointed out to me by some teachers who have written. In many families that have teachers in the profession of teaching, there tends to be a lot of people in the same family, and my family is no different. So, yes, I hear from lots of teachers. We understand that the concerns that they're expressing, first, didn't happen overnight. They were not created or complicated by Bill No. 148.

[Page 1391]

The concerns being raised by teachers have come over the course of time. I believe that both parties at the negotiating table throughout 2016 - winter and Spring and into the summer - came to the realization that there are a lot of complexities. There are a lot of different reasons and levers at play, and it wouldn't be easy or timely, at a bargaining table, to negotiate specific changes. That's why they recognize that it's not just even the two parties sitting at that negotiating table, that some of the complexity comes in with the fact that there are local agreements with school boards, a third party at play. Each individual school, with school advisory councils and principals and administration within the school, has different roles and responsibilities as to the administrative work, the classroom structure, and the work assignments allocated, and that that varies. So the complexities and the variables at play are not ones that could be fully resolved between the government, representing the employer, and the NSTU, representing the employees.

That's why they recognized and developed a broader committee with representatives from the teachers; from the employer, the Department of Education and Early Childhood Development; and from the school boards to come together to discuss the magnitude and the multitude of concerns that could be brought forward: so they could discuss and identify solutions that could be brought forward to resolve it, for both students and teachers. That is the framework and the structure of change between the first and the second tentative agreement. That apparently was not acceptable.

So we move on from there. But our commitment to the classroom, I think, has been demonstrated. The Minister of Education and Early Childhood Development recognized the opportunity to step forward and begin addressing those concerns or continuing to address those concerns of teachers in the classroom to create a better learning environment for our students, a better work environment for our teachers and support staff. That we didn't have to wait to go through the collective bargaining process but, rather, that the framework that was developed in the second tentative agreement was a good framework, a good committee, and a worthwhile initiative to begin initiating right away. That's why she reached out. It's my understanding the NSTU and school boards have accepted, and they'll be meeting I believe as early as tomorrow to begin that process.

I'm confident that it is through that body that we will begin to see, identify, and prioritize those things that can be done to address the classroom conditions and environment and improve our education system for our students, and for those who work there. I'm flabbergasted at anyone who questions our commitment, particularly to education.

As all the members here would know, if they reflect back on when they first made the decision to put their name on the ballot, I suspect most people took some time to consider the complexities and the gravitas of that decision - the impact on their personal lives, but also for the lives of their family. There are likely some incidents and events that took place while they were making that decision, that stand out, that led individuals to making the decision.

[Page 1392]

One of those incidents for me, personally, was in the Spring of 2013. It was the AGM of the Liberal Party. I went there to see the Honourable Bob Rae speak in the Province of Nova Scotia. What I thought would be an historic opportunity, but I tell you, I don't remember a single word that Bob Rae said that night. What I remember are the words of the now-Premier of Nova Scotia. The Leader of the Liberal Party stood up on that stage and he spoke passionately about the importance of education to him, in running for the next election, and campaigning for Nova Scotians' support. How he felt there were needs within the classroom that needed to be addressed, that the problems and challenges were compounded in the four years preceding, because of the fundamental fiscal cuts, totalling $65 million that took place over that point in time.

And since we have come into government, we have invested almost $59 million on top of the inflationary pressures. If you look at the budget from 2013-14, to the one most recently tabled, $174 million more is being spent in education today, in 2016-17, than in 2013-14. You can take a look at the budget documents and the members opposite can look at those documents, they are available for all Nova Scotians. And shame on the members opposite if they haven't looked at those documents yet, because that is a very important part of our jobs.

That $59 million that goes on top of the inflationary pressures, if you were to take a look at that, the $59 million, after you consider retirements and enrollment declines, is over 300 teachers. The salaries alone - at the average salary of teacher - is over $24 million. So our commitment to education is clear, our commitment to Bill No. 148 and the people of Nova Scotia, to ensure that the programs and services that Nova Scotians deserve are maintained - that we do so by providing those programs and services by matching our ability to pay.

That is what this is about. It is about bringing out expenses in line with our revenues so that we do not saddle our students, our future, our next generation, with ongoing deficits and debt. That's what Bill No. 148 is about, and Bill No. 66 would undo that good work.

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

MS. LISA ROBERTS « » : Mr. Speaker, before I speak to what I have been able to glean of the importance of Bill No. 66, I wanted to speak quickly about relationships. Relationships have power in them, and they take time, and in any relationship between and employer and an employee, the employee has less power than the employer.

That is the whole point of collective bargaining, to equalize the power between the employees as a group, as a unit, through their union with the employer. Then the relationship can go through its most difficult conversations within a structure, and that structure includes bargaining at the bargaining table, mediation, arbitration, the whole suite of tools which have been developed over decades and what we understand as the collective bargaining process. It is not necessarily expedient. It is not necessarily convenient. It is not what one person can dictate.

[Page 1393]

Bill No. 66, in its brevity, repeals Bill No. 148. I know you recall the debate; I know you were here for long hours. I decided not to review Hansard, because I imagined it would be many volumes in that particular debate. Instead, I decided to look at the written submissions to the Law Amendments Committee from last December. What I found there was so interesting, because in my view, those submissions, the people who spoke to it, predicted the predicament that we are in now.

Jason MacLean from the NSGEU said:

"Collective bargaining is a process whereby two parties of equal footing: the employees represented by the union of their choice and the employer, negotiate all matters affecting the work of the employees . . .

This Bill" - speaking to Bill No. 148 - "effectively stops whatever collective bargaining was underway, and prevents that which had not yet been started, from even beginning at all."

That has been the power of Bill No. 148, even though it hasn't been proclaimed, because it is hanging over the heads of the unions. Mike McNeil - and I'll table these - from CUPE called it ". . . devastating to workplace morale to have government raise the fist of legislation over the collective bargaining process."

Janet Hazelton said:

". . . government has decided to establish bargaining under the specter of punitive legislation - don't step out of line, or collective bargaining will be cut short by a legislated agreement. It is bargaining under duress. We are asked to enter into free, collective bargaining while we know that it is not free. We are free to negotiate, provided we accept what the government has set before us. It is bad faith bargaining from the outset. And even if we do bargain, we know that what we agree on collectively with employers now can be removed unilaterally by the government later. In short, this legislation undermines the integrity of the entire process."

Those were their comments related to this bill.

[Page 1394]

I think what I got from speaking with teachers is that it's not just that effect of the bill. It's the effect of that bill on the relationship, that this bill is one of the ways that teachers have felt so disrespected.

The Premier said today in Question Period, as I have heard him say a number of times in the House this Fall, that the government reached a tentative agreement with the NSTU. I find that depiction of the events over the past eight or 12 months disingenuous. Last week, when Nova Scotia Parents for Teachers held a press conference here, it just so happened that NSTU executive members were in Halifax for a meeting, so some of them came to that press conference before they left.

They reminded me of something I didn't know: the first round, that tentative agreement was not arrived at by negotiation. There was a first exchange of starting positions and negotiating positions, and then there was never a meeting at a table. There was a second envelope: this is our final offer, take it or leave it. That was the agreement that was recommended to the members of the NSTU as a collective agreement. That showed disrespect to that relationship.

Then the second round happened under Bill No. 148. I know that the Liberal Government feels that its fiscal envelope doesn't have any space in it, but I don't believe that you save money by disrespecting relationships and by negotiating in this manner. If it was effective, we wouldn't have developed the collective bargaining process as we have through trial and error over decades. And I don't agree with the premise anyhow.

The Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives talks about the fiscal situation of Nova Scotia, and I'll table that.

"It would be difficult to argue that Nova Scotia's public sector workers are overpaid or that their compensation increases have been out of line with regional and national averages . . .

"To the critics who might argue that public sector workers are 'overpaid' because they tend to earn more than their private sector counterparts, there are at least two counter-arguments. First . . . differences in education, training, skill level, job tenure, pay equity and other factors must be considered. Second," and at a deeper level of analysis, "while critics may claim that public sector workers are overpaid because they tend to be paid more than private sector workers, the exact opposite conclusion could be reached: private sector workers are underpaid relative to their public sector counterparts, in part because they lack union representation."

Finally, the CCPA argued, "Instead of flagging public sector wage levels or the rate of growth of public sector compensation as problematic, the government of Nova Scotia may want to address a more urgent fiscal problem, namely the historically high levels of income inequality in Nova Scotia."

[Page 1395]

I disagree with the premise under which the Liberal Government brought in Bill No. 148. But the Liberals are the Party in power, and they had every right to bring that position with them to the bargaining table, to go to the table with their view. Why I support the repeal of Bill No. 148 is because there is actually no shortcut. There is actually no shortcut to having a respectful relationship with the union, and that's what Bill No. 148 was. It's an attempt to shortcut that relationship to impose rather than negotiate.

Janet Hazelton called it a poisonous cure "being proposed before there is even an illness to speak of." I think now, 11 months later, we've actually seen the effect of the poisonous cure, or we wouldn't be in the position that we are in now.

Bill No. 66 would simply remove Bill No. 148 and redress the imbalance of power at the bargaining table so that a tentative agreement is reached through the process as it was intended.

The honourable member opposite asked what has changed since last December. In my ideal and perhaps Pollyannaish world, what might have changed is that the government might have learned from its own mistakes and be in a position to be willing to admit that. If it were, then I think it would accept this bill and do the work of repairing relationships that have been damaged, especially with the Nova Scotia Teachers Union but with labour in Nova Scotia in general, through the introduction of that legislation. I still think there's nothing wrong with learning, and there's nothing wrong with admitting that one had to learn. That's something that I would like to hear more from the government benches.

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

HON. DAVID WILSON « » : That concludes Opposition business. I'll pass it over to the Government House Leader to call business.

GOVERNMENT BUSINESS

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

HON. MICHEL SAMSON « » : Mr. Speaker, would you please call the order of business, Public Bills for Third Reading.

PUBLIC BILLS FOR THIRD READING

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

HON. MICHEL SAMSON « » : Mr. Speaker, would you please call Bill No. 55.

[Page 1396]

Bill No. 55 - Municipal and Other Authorities Pension Plan Transfer Act.

MR. SPEAKER « » : The honourable Minister of Finance and Treasury Board.

HON. RANDY DELOREY « » : Mr. Speaker, I move that Bill No. 55, an Act to Facilitate the Transfer of Pension Plans of Municipal and Other Authorities to the Public Service Superannuation Plan, be now read a third time and do pass.

Mr. Speaker, I thank you for bringing this bill forward. It is enabling legislation, as I mentioned in second reading, to allow municipalities and other authorities to join the stronger, more stable Public Service Superannuation Pension Plan.

I just want to make reference to and acknowledge and thank my colleagues opposite for their comments in second reading. In particular, I want to recognize those who spoke at Law Amendments Committee on Monday, in particular Corinne Carey of the NSGEU, who spoke about how the legislation that allowed universities to transfer into the superannuation plan was positive. Indeed, Ms. Carey said that this piece of legislation also has the potential to bring retirement security to more Nova Scotians.

As that is the intention of the bill, I hope the concerns raised by the members in second reading have been alleviated as it went through Law Amendments Committee and Committee of the Whole House. I look forward to any further remarks in this third reading, Mr. Speaker.

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

HON. DAVID WILSON « » : Mr. Speaker, we do support Bill No. 55 moving through this process and getting onto third reading, but we do want just a couple of cautionary words on hopefully ensuring that those smaller pensions that might look at the benefits of joining the larger Public Service Superannuation Pension Plan fully understand the risks that are involved.

The government said that the responsibility of those risks and ensuring the information - it is the responsibility of the trustee to ensure that, and also that the Public Service Superannuation Pension Plan and its current members are not negatively affected by any future plan joining them. But there's little in the bill that talks about the smaller pension plans to ensure that they're aware of the potential risks of joining a larger superannuation plan.

I do see it as a positive thing, potentially, but there are risks, and I would hope that any members of a smaller plan who make the decision to move in or have a vote - which I believe would have to take place to join the larger plan - know about these risks. Also, if they are to vote on joining or not joining the plan, I think it's important that members of the smaller plan are educated about the potential risks, as I said, and the benefits, so that they can make an informed decision.

[Page 1397]

For example, if they join the larger plan, those in a smaller plan would be placing faith in the trustee of the larger Public Service plan to act in their best interest. This trustee may have different considerations when contemplating or negotiating changes to the plan, as compared to a trustee who might be overseeing their current plan, which might be much smaller.

This is just one example, but it highlights the need to ensure that people make informed decisions about the future of their plan.

To conclude, many Nova Scotians pay into a pension plan with the purpose of preparing financially for a time later in their life when they are exiting the workforce. Decisions they make in the short term could have a significant impact on their future later down the line. Therefore, while having this option available to a smaller pension plan could be seen as a worthwhile choice, I think it's important, that everyone is educated on the risks and benefits associated with such change.

So we do support it, but I hope that there's enough material available and provided to anybody, or any future plan, that might think about coming into the larger plan. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

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

The honourable Minister of Finance and Treasury Board.

HON. RANDY DELOREY « » : Mr. Speaker, I thank the member for Sackville- Cobequid for his comments and support of the bill.

I guess I'd like to take this opportunity to echo the member's comments about the importance of members of any pension plan, I would actually encourage those members to make sure that whether they're being considered for the potential transfer into the superannuation plan or indeed, with any of their annual statements that they receive from the trustees, I would certainly encourage members to pay attention to the information provided to them on reports relating to the health of their pension plan and any potential changes to those plans and that correspondence does take place from the trustees.

Much of those responsibilities and the fiduciary responsibilities of the trustees are outlined in the Pension Benefits Act, Mr. Speaker. That responsibility carries through until such time that a formal transfer into the superannuation plan comes into play. So indeed, during that transitionary period this particular Act provides the framework to allow the negotiations and consideration of the agreement to take place, as well as outlining the framework for the notifications and the need for a vote and so on, to be in place and also, again, stressing the importance of protecting the membership from any undue hardship.

[Page 1398]

With that, Mr. Speaker, I'd like to thank all members who spoke in the Legislature or at Law Amendments Committee on this bill, and I'd like to thank all the staff and members of the broader community who have provided input and feedback that has actually led to identifying this as a good move and a good piece of legislation for the Public Service pension plans that are out there.

So with those few words, I close debate.

MR. SPEAKER « » : The motion is for third reading of Bill No. 55. Would all those in favour of the motion please say Aye. Contrary minded, Nay.

The motion is carried.

Ordered that this bill do pass. Ordered that the title be as read by the Clerk. Ordered that the bill be engrossed.

The honourable Government House Leader.

HON. MICHEL SAMSON « » : Mr. Speaker, would you please call Bill No. 62.

Bill No. 62 - Municipal Government Act and Halifax Regional Municipality Charter.

MR. SPEAKER « » : The honourable Minister of Municipal Affairs.

HON. ZACH CHURCHILL « » : Mr. Speaker, I'm happy to move third reading of Bill No. 62. Again, for clarity's sake in the House, this is the bill that will grant municipalities a new financing tool to help their individual homeowners finance water conservation projects or well upgrades.

I do look forward to hearing what the comments are from my colleagues opposite.

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

HON. CHRISTOPHER D'ENTREMONT « » : Mr. Speaker, I'm not going to spend too much time on this bill, but I want to maybe bring a few issues forward now that I've had the chance to consult with some of my municipalities in southwestern Nova Scotia.

First of all, I think the tool that's being used here by Municipal Relations that will enable the municipalities to borrow money through the Municipal Finance Corp., allow them to lend money out over a certain amount of time to their citizens, I think is a fair idea - I can't say it's a great idea but I think it's a fair idea in trying to put money in the hands of people who do need the help.

[Page 1399]

As you know, this is precipitated from the lack of precipitation in southwestern Nova Scotia. I know there are a number of individuals, families, in the minister's constituency, my constituency - I know maybe in Queens-Shelburne, up the South Shore - of individuals who are right now having trouble trying to cope with lack of water in their wells, and this is the impetus of why we have this bill before us.

So, this has been an issue in southwest Nova Scotia since I would say June, somewhere around June. We did get a little bit of rain in the Spring, but not a whole lot since then. So, those individuals who did not have adequate wells ran dry, basically rendering their homes almost useless, because can you imagine trying to run a household without water?

EMO, I think, did - and the municipalities - so there's a partnership between the EMOs of each municipality with EMO Nova Scotia, maybe even the parks helped out a little bit with DNR. There was an action put together to try to help support those families over a longer period of time until, hopefully, it started to rain, and of course, I thank all those individuals, and all those departments, and agencies, that did work very hard to help individuals. The school boards opened up their schools and other facilities. The Mariners Centre in Yarmouth had their showers open. So it went on, all the support that was put forward.

So, we get to a point now where, you know, many of these families have been impacted by the drought since June, and it's hard to rate disasters - I think a disaster is a disaster - but maybe a flood in Cape Breton is a harder disaster than a drought in southwest Nova Scotia, but I think they are disasters. If you can imagine trying to run your home without water, especially if you have a family. You need to do the wash, you can't flush the toilet, you can't wash the clothes, you can't wash the dishes, and you can't just do those basic things that you need to do to run your household.

So, a lot of these homes right now are very much unusable, and I don't know what the number is today of how many households are still - the minister says less than 1,000, but 1,000 is still a sizeable number when we consider that as a reasonable size of a disaster.

What I was hoping that might be able to go in conjunction with this bill would maybe be some help from the province themselves. Maybe $1,000 a household to help them do their connections, help out with the construction of a well, or what have you. I think the province is sort of the main - I think maybe through DFAA, and I don't know all the regulations around, or what all the requirements are around that, in order to get funding through the province, and the federal government. I don't know how that all works, but I would have thought at some point along the way here that there would be some appreciation in that way, and I think the minister found a tool here that at least allows the secondary partners to try to help out in providing some kind of loan towards the construction of a well, but the problem we run into now is that this is again just enabling. So, it allows the municipalities to go out and create their own bylaw, and create their own programs, in order to do it.

[Page 1400]

If we talk about equity across the municipalities, or we talk about the similarities of the program - who is going to be able to apply to those programs - that's out of our hands, and in the hands of the municipalities. I just hope that there's going to be some support by the department as those bylaws are being developed, as the program is being developed, so that there is going to be a consistency amongst those things. I can only imagine that if Argyle is doing one thing, Barrington is doing another, the municipality of the District of Yarmouth is doing something different, the criteria are different, the amounts of monies are different. You can imagine the chaos that we create when the intention of the bill is such that it was to help out individuals who could not afford to put a well in themselves.

I hope the minister can provide us some clarity on how some of that is going to get rolled out, because I do believe that that's going to create a whole lot of confusion on how these loans are going to be.

The other thing is, I find when I was talking to the municipalities, that there was very little consultation on this one. Some municipalities are actually surprised to hear that the department was doing this. So I am hoping, again, that the department does provide support as the next pieces roll out.

If I can sort of sum up what I've said over the last few minutes, there are two things that I maybe want to hear when the minister closes up. First is the availability of extra funding, provincial funding - not just municipal finance, not just to the municipalities - actual provincial funding to at least acknowledge the disaster that we have been living in southwest Nova Scotia. Again, if you qualify for the loan through the municipalities, whenever that gets ironed out, then why couldn't there be some sort of grant from the province to help out with that? Let's say it's a $4,000 well: the municipalities would lend out $3,000 that's required, and maybe the province provides a $1,000 grant to make sure things are done correctly - something like that. I am not asking them to pay for everything, but at least some appreciation for the disaster.

Second is that the department have some oversight on this so that there is an equal program put out across those municipalities. I know how close our municipalities are and how closely they work together and how close the families are that we represent. If something happens in Argyle, the people in Yarmouth know what happened. Things that happen in Cape Island are known in Woods Harbour. Everybody will know about everybody else's program, and if they are all different, that will create some kind of problem.

If I'm to throw a third thing in here, it is the issue of backdating. Will they be allowed to do that as well? This drought started in June, and we know people probably started to build new wells sometime in August. Are we going to be backdating to a later date to at least acknowledge these other individuals have been have been affected by the drought?

[Page 1401]

With that I am kind of lukewarm to it. I do support it because it is a tool, but I did wish there was a lot more that could come from this province.

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

The honourable Minister of Municipal Affairs.

HON. ZACH CHURCHILL « » : I appreciate the sentiments expressed by my colleagues opposite.

Just to speak specifically to the questions posed by the member for Argyle-Barrington, in terms of provincial funding, there are grants available for low-income Nova Scotians for well upgrades, similar to housing grants that we all help administer in our offices. For those Nova Scotians who do qualify under the income criteria for grants, that availability is there for them to upgrade their well system. I think that's important for people to know. I know that member and other members in the House will help us disseminate that information if people are requesting it in our offices.

In terms of overall provincial funding, there has actually been significant investment by the province in this regard. We have worked collaboratively with our municipalities, volunteers, our corporate partners - including Sobeys, Loblaws, and Labatt - to make sure that every single person who was impacted by this water shortage received a source of water both for drinking and for daily use. That obviously did come at a cost for the province to do that, and it will continue to cost the province.

I want members of this House to be sure that we will be there for the duration of this situation. We will continually ensure that each and every household that has been impacted by this water shortage does receive water for daily use and for drinking. I know that the anxiety around this issue is increasing as the weather gets colder and as the water table still does not come up to the level that is required to keep wells stable. We have other options available, in the event that this does continue into winter months, to have indoor water tanks made available to citizens dealing with this so they will have a large and ready source of water during this period. We will make sure that nobody goes without. This is a very difficult issue.

Obviously, when the weather strikes us like this, it is very humbling for us as people. All we can do is our very best to ensure that those among us have what they require to get through these situations. I think this tool is very appropriate to help private homeowners who do own their well system, and their properties, to have a flexible financing option where the money can be fronted by municipalities and then repaid over time. I think it's a very good mechanism. The feedback I'm getting from - I know members in my community, which was affected at the largest rate - we had over 800 people who were impacted in Yarmouth, Mr. Speaker.

[Page 1402]

It has been positive to date. We have consulted with each and every single municipal unit that was impacted here. They have all indicated that this is a program they will proceed with. Of course to the member's point, we will continually work in partnership with those units to ensure that this is executed appropriately and effectively for the citizens who want to utilize it. With that said, Mr. Speaker, I move to close third reading on Bill No. 62.

MR. SPEAKER « » : The motion is for third reading of Bill No. 62. Would all those in favour of the motion please say Aye. Contrary minded, Nay.

The motion is carried.

Ordered that this bill do pass. Ordered that the title be as read by the Clerk. Ordered that the bill be engrossed.

The honourable Government House Leader.

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

MR. SPEAKER « » : The House will now recess for a few minutes while it resolves itself into a Committee of the Whole House on Bills.

[4:12 p.m. The House resolved itself into a CWH on Bills with Deputy Speaker Mr. Keith Irving in the Chair.]

[5:00 p.m. CWH on Bills rose and the House reconvened with Deputy Speaker Mr. Gordon Wilson in the Chair.]

MR. SPEAKER « » : The Chairman of the Committee of the Whole House on Bills reports:

THE CLERK » : That the Committee of the Whole House on Bills has met and considered the following bills:

Bill No. 60 - Public Interest Disclosure of Wrongdoing Act.

Bill No. 61 - Construction Projects Labour Relations Act.

without amendment; and

[Page 1403]

Bill No. 52 - Halifax Regional Municipality Charter.

which was reported with certain amendments by the Law Amendments Committee to the Committee of the Whole House, without further amendments, and the chairman has been instructed to recommend these bills to the favourable consideration of the House.

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

The honourable Government House Leader.

HON. MICHEL SAMSON « » : Mr. Speaker, that concludes the government's business for today. The House will meet again tomorrow, on Thursday, November 10^th, from 11:00 a.m. until 11:59 p.m.

Following the daily routine we will go into third reading of Bill Nos. 52, 61, 60, and any other business that may be required.

With that, Mr. Speaker, I move that the House do now rise to meet again from 11:00 a.m. to 11:59 p.m., Thursday, November 10^th.

MR. SPEAKER « » : The motion is that the House rise to meet again on November 10^th, between the hours of 11:00 a.m. and 11:59 p.m. Would all those in favour of the motion please say Aye. Contrary minded, Nay.

The motion is carried.

We stand adjourned until November 10^th, at 11:00 a.m.

[The House rose at 5:02 p.m.]

NOTICES OF MOTION UNDER RULE 32(3)

[Page 1404]

(Tabled November 8, 2016)

RESOLUTION NO. 431

By: Hon. Kevin Murphy « » (The Speaker)

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

Whereas Gloria Redmond is a long-time resident of Head of Chezzetcook and has been active in her community in various volunteer roles; and

Whereas Gloria has been a parishioner of Saint Genevieve's Roman Catholic Church in East Chezzetcook and St. Anselm's Roman Catholic Church in West Chezzetcook, assisting in various fundraising events; and

Whereas for approximately 20 years Gloria has volunteered in the Tuck Shop convenience store at The Birches Nursing Home, Musquodoboit Harbour;

Therefore be it resolved that members of this House of Assembly join me in thanking Gloria Redmond for giving of her time and talents for the betterment of residents of the Eastern Shore.

RESOLUTION NO. 432

By: Hon. Kevin Murphy « » (The Speaker)

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

Whereas Allan Robicheau is a lifelong resident of West Chezzetcook and has been active in his community in various volunteer roles; and

Whereas Allan is a member of the Knights of Columbus Council 9033, assisting with various Council activities, including fundraising and socials; and

Whereas Allan has been a life-long parishioner of St. Anselm's Roman Catholic Church, West Chezzetcook, assisting with various parish activities, including fundraising;

Therefore be it resolved that members of this House of Assembly join me in thanking Allan Robicheau for giving of his time and talents for the people served by the local Knights of Columbus and St. Anselm's Parish.

RESOLUTION NO. 433

[Page 1405]

By: Ms. Lisa Roberts « » (Halifax Needham)

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

Whereas Melinda Daye, a respected educator and community member, has given years of service and commitment to the education of children in the Halifax region; and

Whereas Ms. Daye served as the African Nova Scotian representative for the Halifax Regional School Board since 2012; and

Whereas Ms. Daye also served as the Chair of the Halifax Regional School Board;

Therefore be it resolved that all members of this Nova Scotia Legislature thank Melinda Daye for her tireless service and commitment to our community and to the education of our children.

RESOLUTION NO. 434

By: Ms. Lisa Roberts « » (Halifax Needham)

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

Whereas the education of our children relies on the selfless service of community leaders who are willing to contribute to their skills and time; and

Whereas Christy Linders has been an active and involved volunteer in the public school system for over 18 years; and

Whereas Ms. Linders served as a respected school board representative for Halifax Regional School District 5 (Peninsula North and Birch Cove/Rockingham/Fairview);

Therefore be it resolved that all members of this Nova Scotia Legislature thank Christy Linders for her service and commitment to our community and to the education of our children.

RESOLUTION NO. 435

[Page 1406]

By: Hon. Labi Kousoulis « » (Internal Services)

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

Whereas Dahlia Day is an annual event at the Halifax Public Gardens, showcasing a variety of dahlias and educating the public on their upkeep and care; and

Whereas Dahlia Day has become a much-anticipated event, held every August, that also serves as an added excursion to both locals and tourists alike;

Therefore be it resolved that members of the House of Assembly thank dahlia curator Amy Soosaar-Joseph, floral arranger Neville MacKay, the Halifax Public Gardens, the Nova Scotia Dahlia Society and everyone associated with this event for having such a positive impact on our community and Nova Scotia's horticulture scene.

RESOLUTION NO. 436

By: Hon. Labi Kousoulis « » (Internal Services)

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

Whereas bioethicist Dr. Françoise Baylis was recently invested into the Order of Nova Scotia; and

Whereas Dr. Baylis is a renowned expert in public policy on stem cell research, reproductive technologies, and for making those issues more accessible and understandable to the public; and

Whereas Dr. Baylis's notable work has earned her an induction into the Order of Canada, as well as the distinct honour of being Canada's Research Chair in Bioethics and Philosophy, and a major contributor to Dalhousie University's health care studies as part of its faculty;

Therefore be it resolved that members of the House of Assembly congratulate Dr. Françoise Baylis on her investment into the Order of Nova Scotia, and for her significant contribution to the field of health care ethics in Canada.

RESOLUTION NO. 437

[Page 1407]

By: Hon. Labi Kousoulis « » (Internal Services)

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

Whereas Carbon Arc Cinema, an independent art house, showcases local animation and special screenings; and

Whereas Carbon Arc Cinema also hosts their annual Animation With Love Festival, an innovative and exciting way to feature new releases, as well as allow local animators to host panel discussions and workshops for all interested;

Therefore be it resolved that members of this House of Assembly commend Carbon Arc Cinema for their contribution to the local arts scene and for playing a key role in our community.

RESOLUTION NO. 438

By: Hon. Labi Kousoulis « » (Internal Services)

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

Whereas the inaugural Paint the Park initiative was a local event to give Mulgrave Park an artistic reshaping through murals done by artists from across Canada; and

Whereas Jeremy Williams was the community leader who spearheaded this cause, deciding it was not only a beautification project, but a way to give his neighbourhood a community beacon in a unifying endeavour;

Therefore be it resolved that members of this House of Assembly commend Jeremy Williams and all those who made the Paint the Park initiative possible.

RESOLUTION NO. 439

By: Hon. Labi Kousoulis « » (Internal Services)

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

Whereas The Old Apothecary Bakery & Café has become a staple of downtown Halifax's eatery scene; and

Whereas Laura MacLeod, owner and manager of the café, has brought her culinary expertise, community leadership, and eye for innovation to this community hub; and

[Page 1408]

Whereas Laura MacLeod and her staff seek to provide our community with delicious fare, locally sourced when possible, and a welcoming environment to all those who stop in;

Therefore be it resolved that members of this House of Assembly congratulate Laura MacLeod and The Old Apothecary Bakery & Café for its already tremendous success, and for becoming one of the pillars of the downtown Barrington Street area.

RESOLUTION NO. 440

By: Hon. Labi Kousoulis « » (Public Service Commission)

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

Whereas Dr. Robert Beiko is leading a research team at Dalhousie University focused on antibiotic resistance in bacteria; and

Whereas Dr. Beiko's team of researchers, based off of metagenomics, will be developing new software to interpret the data sets from these DNA profiles, this will encourage stronger surveillance on antimicrobial resistance;

Therefore be it resolved that members of the House of Assembly commend Dr. Robert Beiko and his team at Dalhousie University on their remarkable efforts thus far and for their contribution to the critical study of antibiotic resistance.

RESOLUTION NO. 441

By: Hon. Kevin Murphy « » (The Speaker)

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

Whereas John White is a resident of Grand Desert and has been active in his community in various volunteer roles; and

Whereas John is a parishioner of St. Anselm's Roman Catholic Parish in West Chezzetcook assisting in various parish activities; and

Whereas John is a charter member of the Knights of Columbus Council 9093 and active in various activities of the Council;

Therefore be it resolved that members of this House of Assembly join me in thanking John White for giving his time and talents for the betterment of residents of the Eastern Shore.

[Page 1409]

RESOLUTION NO. 442

By: Hon. Kevin Murphy « » (The Speaker)

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

Whereas Eugene Justason is a resident of Musquodoboit Harbour and has been active in his community in various volunteer roles; and

Whereas Eugene has been a softball coach at Cole Harbour and Musquodoboit Harbour, and recently a volunteer member with the Truck 7 Music Festival in Musquodoboit Harbour; and

Whereas Eugene has had a sixteen-year career in firefighting with HRM, and currently is district captain for fire stations between Lawrencetown and Oyster Pond;

Therefore be it resolved that members of this House of Assembly join me in thanking Eugene Justason for his volunteer service and for his work serving the residents of the Eastern Shore who are covered by the fire departments between Lawrencetown and Oyster Pond.

RESOLUTION NO. 443

By: Hon. Kevin Murphy « » (The Speaker)

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

Whereas Margaret Randall is a long-time resident of East Chezzetcook and has been active in her community in various volunteer roles; and

Whereas Margaret is a parishioner of St. Genevieve's Roman Catholic Parish, in East Chezzetcook, and has assisted in various parish activities including various caterings and the weekly card socials; and

Whereas Margaret has been a volunteer member of the Chezzetcook and District Volunteer Fire Department's Ladies Auxiliary for 55 years, assisting in various fundraising events;

Therefore be it resolved that members of this House of Assembly join me in thanking Margaret Randall for giving her time and talents for the betterment of residents of the Eastern Shore.

[Page 1410]

RESOLUTION NO. 444

By: Hon. Margaret Miller « » (Environment)

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

Whereas Freeman "Douglas" Knockwood, a much loved and respected elder of Sipekne'katik First Nations East Hants, holds an Honorary Doctorate of Humanities from Acadia University and is the recipient of the Order of Nova Scotia; and

Whereas he has survived the effects of childhood abuse, overcome alcoholism, homelessness, loss of ribs, a lung, and profound heartache by relearning and reclaiming his culture; and

Whereas Freeman "Douglas" Knockwood, using his spiritual teachings, dedicated himself to assisting youth and other community members to reclaim their language, culture, and overcome addictions;

Therefore be it resolved that members of this House of Assembly acknowledge the great contribution Doug Knockwood has made to his community through the drug and alcohol treatment programs that he co-founded and delivered across this country, and for overcoming the abuse that has destroyed so many others, and congratulate him for being a role model for his people.

RESOLUTION NO. 445

By: Hon. Margaret Miller « » (Environment)

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

Whereas the East Hants Karate Club was established in 1972 and is the provincial headquarters for Chito-Ryu Karate in Nova Scotia; and

Whereas the East Hants Karate Club encourages their members to reach their potential as individuals, develop life skills to meet daily challenges with self-confidence and respect for others; and

Whereas from August 4 to 7, 2016, the East Hants Karate Club competed at the World Chito-Ryu Bogu Championship in Rothesay, New Brunswick;

[Page 1411]

Therefore be it resolved that members of the House of Assembly congratulate Connor Jensen and Christian Wentzell on winning Gold Team Kata.

RESOLUTION NO. 446

By: Hon. Stephen McNeil « » (The Premier)

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

Whereas the community of Cornwallis Park will be blooming with pride next spring when 1,000 red and white tulips will herald Canada's 150^th birthday celebration; and

Whereas hard-working volunteers in the Cornwallis Community Gardens secured the enviable award by applying and competing against hundreds of other communities across the country; and

Whereas Cornwallis Park will join with 150 other communities across Canada to plant the bulbs, symbolizing the country's international reputation for kindness and hospitality;

Therefore be it resolved that members of the House of Assembly join me in congratulating Elizabeth McMichael and her team of gardeners for being selected as a 150^th Celebration Garden.

RESOLUTION NO. 447

By: Hon. Stephen McNeil « » (The Premier)

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

Whereas the small, scenic costal community of Port Lorne, Annapolis County, is known for its big community spirit, hosting many events year round, including a Canada Day Parade and Fireworks; and

Whereas Canada's 150^th birthday celebration in 2017 will be especially bright with the planting of 1,000 red and white tulips symbolizing the country's and community's reputation for kindness and hospitality; and

Whereas the 150^th Celebration Garden was made possible through the hard work of the Port Lorne Planters, a group of hard-working community volunteers who competed for the honour by applying to the Canadian Garden Council for the much sought-after bulbs;

[Page 1412]

Therefore be it resolved that members of the House of Assembly join me in congratulating the Port Lorne Gardeners on the "Happy Birthday Canada" award.

RESOLUTION NO. 448

By: Hon. Margaret Miller « » (Environment)

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

Whereas sports are a vital part of healthy, active living; and

Whereas the 2016 NSSAF Northumberland Regional Boys Golf Championship was held on September 26th^th at the Brookfield Golf and Country Club; and

Whereas the HERH boys golf team placed second in the 2016 championship;

Therefore be it resolved that members of the House of Assembly congratulate Zach Brown on a game well played.

RESOLUTION NO. 449

By: Hon. Margaret Miller « » (Environment)

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

Whereas sports are a vital part of healthy, active living; and

Whereas the 2016 NSSAF Northumberland Regional Boys Golf Championship was held on September 26^th at the Brookfield Golf and Country Club; and

Whereas the HERH boys golf team placed second in the 2016 championship;

Therefore be it resolved that members of the House of Assembly congratulate Ty Clarke on a game well played.

RESOLUTION NO. 450

[Page 1413]

By: Hon. Margaret Miller « » (Environment)

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

Whereas sports are a vital part of healthy, active living; and

Whereas the 2016 NSSAF Northumberland Regional Boys Golf Championship was held on September 26^th at the Brookfield Golf and Country Club; and

Whereas the HERH boys golf team placed second in the 2016 championship;

Therefore be it resolved that members of the House of Assembly congratulate Dave McGrath on a game well played.

RESOLUTION NO. 451

By: Hon. Margaret Miller « » (Environment)

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

Whereas sports are a vital part of healthy, active living; and

Whereas the 2016 NSSAF Northumberland Regional Boys Golf Championship was held on September 26^th at the Brookfield Golf and Country Club; and

Whereas the HERH boys golf team placed second in the 2016 championship;

Therefore be it resolved that members of the House of Assembly congratulate Matt Payne on a game well played.

RESOLUTION NO. 452

By: Hon. Margaret Miller « » (Environment)

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

Whereas sports are a vital part of healthy, active living; and

Whereas the 2016 NSSAF Northumberland Regional Girls Golf Championship was held on October 3^rd in Antigonish; and

[Page 1414]

Whereas the HERH girls golf team won the 2016 championship;

Therefore be it resolved that members of the House of Assembly congratulate Emma Shive on finishing in third place.

RESOLUTION NO. 453

By: Hon. Margaret Miller « » (Environment)

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

Whereas sports are a vital part of healthy, active living; and

Whereas the 2016 NSSAF Northumberland Regional Girls Golf Championship was held on October 3^rd in Antigonish; and

Whereas the HERH girls golf team won the 2016 championship;

Therefore be it resolved that members of the House of Assembly congratulate Olivia Shive on finishing in first place.

RESOLUTION NO. 454

By: Hon. Margaret Miller « » (Environment)

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

Whereas the Canada 55+ Games is a program that promotes the spiritual, mental, and physical well-being of Canadians 55 years of age and older; and

Whereas the 2016 Canada 55+ Games were held in Brampton, Ontario, from August 16^th-19^th; and

Whereas Nova Scotia finished sixth with 25 gold, 10 silver, and 13 bronze;

Therefore be it resolved that members of the House of Assembly congratulate Luann Doyle of Lantz for being part of the gold medal hockey team.

RESOLUTION NO. 455

[Page 1415]

By: Hon. Margaret Miller « » (Environment)

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

Whereas the Canada 55+ Games is a program that promotes the spiritual, mental, and physical well-being of Canadians 55 years of age and older; and

Whereas the 2016 Canada 55+ Games were held in Brampton, Ontario, from August 16^th-19^th; and

Whereas Nova Scotia finished sixth with 25 gold, 10 silver, and 13 bronze;

Therefore be it resolved that members of the House of Assembly congratulate Elsie Bond of Upper Rawdon on bringing home the silver medal in individual bowling over 85.

RESOLUTION NO. 456

By: Hon. Margaret Miller « » (Environment)

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

Whereas the Canada 55+ Games is a program that promotes the spiritual, mental, and physical well-being of Canadians 55 years of age and older; and

Whereas the 2016 Canada 55+ Games were held in Brampton, Ontario, from August 16^th-19^th; and

Whereas Nova Scotia finished sixth with 25 gold, 10 silver, and 13 bronze;

Therefore be it resolved that members of the House of Assembly congratulate Cindy Miller of Lantz for being part of the gold medal hockey team.

RESOLUTION NO. 457

By: Hon. Margaret Miller « » (Environment)

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

Whereas Russell Julian of Sipekne'katik First Nations, East Hants, has been bestowed with the honour of being chosen as Keptinaq of the Atlantic Grand Council of the Mi'kmaq people; and

[Page 1416]

Whereas membership on the Grand Council is determined by a person's kindness and contribution to his community; and

Whereas Russell has worked diligently as a support worker for youth, dealing with drug and alcohol addictions as well as suicide prevention and assisting people living on the street get into shelters and supporting his church;

Therefore be it resolved that all members of this House of Assembly congratulate Russell for being chosen to sit on the Grand Council as Keptinaq.

RESOLUTION NO. 458

By: Hon. Margaret Miller « » (Environment)

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

Whereas the East Hants District Chamber of Commerce held their annual Business Excellence Awards Gala on October 25, 2016; and

Whereas the Municipality of East Hants will be able to provide businesses in East Hants with a substantial edge in the technology sector through East Hants Open Data and SmartCities; and

Whereas the Municipality's Interactive Open Data mapping portal was the first to be used at a Nova Scotia municipal level;

Therefore be it resolved that members of the House of Assembly congratulate the Municipality of East Hants on being the recipient of the East Hants and District Chamber of Commerce 2016 Innovative/Technology Award.

RESOLUTION NO. 459

By: Hon. Margaret Miller « » (Environment)

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

Whereas the East Hants District Chamber of Commerce held their annual Business Excellence Awards Gala on October 25^th, 2016; and

Whereas Sheila joined the Chamber four years ago and has been a Board Director, a Board 2^nd Vice-President, for the last three years has lead sponsorship on the Gala Event committee, active on the Finance committee and the HR committee; and

[Page 1417]

Whereas Sheila's goal is to grow the Chamber's awareness and give back to East Hants community;

Therefore be it resolved that members of the House of Assembly congratulate Sheila Bianchi on being the recipient of the 2016 East Hants & District Chamber of Commerce Tom Parker Chamber Member of the Year Award.

RESOLUTION NO. 460

By: Hon. Margaret Miller « » (Environment)

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

Whereas the East Hants District Chamber of Commerce held their annual Business Excellence Awards Gala on October 25^th, 2016; and

Whereas PROTx Services Inc. has been providing East Hants with physiotherapy, massage therapy, and chiropractic services in a positive and professional environment since April, 2015; and

Whereas PROTx Services Inc. has a caring and compassionate approach that helps clients to meet or exceed their treatment goals;

Therefore be it resolved that members of the House of Assembly congratulate PROTx Services Inc. on being the recipient of the 2016 East Hants District Chamber of Commerce People's Choice in Customer Service Award.

RESOLUTION NO. 461

By: Hon. Margaret Miller « » (Environment)

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

Whereas the East Hants District Chamber of Commerce held their annual Business Excellence Awards Gala on October 25^th, 2016; and

Whereas established in 1917 Elmsdale Lumber Company Ltd. (ELCO) is a fourth-generation, family-owned and -operated sawmill in Elmsdale; and

Whereas ELCO's management team promotes employee inclusion, satisfaction, safety, and a commitment to life-long learning;

[Page 1418]

Therefore be it resolved that members of the House of Assembly congratulate Elmsdale Lumber Company Ltd. On being the recipient of the 2016 East Hants District Chamber of Commerce Employer of the Year Award.

RESOLUTION NO. 462

By: Hon. Margaret Miller « » (Environment)

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

Whereas the East Hants District Chamber of Commerce held their annual Business Excellence Awards Gala on October 25^th, 2016; and

Whereas the Sweet Spot Chocolate Shop in Elmsdale has been named by The Huffington Post one of the best chocolate shops in Canada; and

Whereas the Sweet Spot Chocolate Shop owners, Greg and Nancy McTiernan, understand the importance of marketing, have an active presence on social media, and have redesigned their logo and website;

Therefore be it resolved that members of the House of Assembly congratulate the Sweet Spot Chocolate Shop on being the recipient of the 2016 East Hants District Chamber of Commerce Marketing Champion Award.

RESOLUTION NO. 463

By: Hon. Margaret Miller « » (Environment)

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

Whereas the East Hants District Chamber of Commerce held their annual Business Excellence Awards Gala on October 25^th, 2016; and

Whereas since 1992, Scotiabank in Elmsdale has been giving back to the community, and in 2016 through the Volunteer Matching Program, has matched over $75,000 in funds raised by various community organizations; and

Whereas through the Scotiabank Employee Volunteer Program, various sports teams, community events, charitable causes, and Home and School associations in East Hants have been supported;

[Page 1419]

Therefore be it resolved that members of the House of Assembly congratulate Scotiabank in Elmsdale on being the recipient of the 2016 East Hants District Chamber of Commerce Community Booster Award.

RESOLUTION NO. 464

By: Hon. Margaret Miller « » (Environment)

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

Whereas the East Hants District Chamber of Commerce held their annual Business Excellence Awards Gala on October 25^th, 2016; and

Whereas since 2007 on his land in Gore, Michael Blois has constructed and implemented several outdoor adventure events including Mudcraft which is Atlantic Canada's first homegrown obstacle adventure run; and

Whereas Michael has developed the Empire Trails, which is becoming known as the best mountain bike trail system in Eastern Canada;

Therefore be it resolved that members of the House of Assembly congratulate Michael Blois on being the recipient of the East Hants & District Chamber of Commerce 2016 Young Entrepreneur Award.

RESOLUTION NO. 465

By: Hon. Margaret Miller « » (Environment)

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

Whereas the East Hants District Chamber of Commerce held their annual Business Excellence Awards Gala on October 25^th, 2016; and

Whereas in 2014, Derek Mostert and Richard Metcalfe of Windmill Holstein Inc. installed a bio-gas plant on their farm in Shubenacadie; and

Whereas Windmill Holstein Inc. is the first full dairy farm in Nova Scotia with a power-producing digester;

Therefore be it resolved that members of the House of Assembly congratulate Windmill Holstein Inc. on being the recipient of the 2016 East Hants District Chamber of Commerce Green Leader Award.

[Page 1420]

RESOLUTION NO. 466

By: Hon. Margaret Miller « » (Environment)

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

Whereas Chignecto-Central Regional School Board elections for the East Hants area were held on October 16^th, 2016; and

Whereas school board members are an integral part of the education system and an important decision-making body; and

Whereas Trudy Thompson was elected as a board member by acclamation for East Hants District 9 of the Chignecto-Central Regional School Board, returning to the position she has held since 1993;

Therefore be it resolved that members of the House of Assembly congratulate Trudy on her successful election as a member of the Chignecto-Central Regional School Board representing East Hants District 9.

RESOLUTION NO. 467

By: Hon. Margaret Miller « » (Environment)

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

Whereas Chignecto-Central Regional School Board elections for the East Hants area were held on October 16^th, 2016; and

Whereas school board members are an integral part of the education system and an important decision-making body;

Whereas Wendy Matheson-Withrow was elected as a board member by acclamation for East Hants District 10 of the Chignecto-Central Regional School Board;

Therefore be it resolved that members of the House of Assembly congratulate Wendy on her successful election as a member of the Chignecto-Central Regional School Board representing East Hants District 10.

RESOLUTION NO. 468

[Page 1421]

By: Hon. Margaret Miller « » (Environment)

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

Whereas Chignecto-Central Regional School Board elections for the East Hants area were held on October 16^th, 2016; and

Whereas school board members are an integral part of the education system and an important decision-making body; and

Whereas Reg Pauley was elected as a board member by acclamation for East Hants District 5 of the Chignecto-Central Regional School Board;

Therefore be it resolved that members of the House of Assembly congratulate Reg on his successful election as a member of the Chignecto-Central Regional School Board representing East Hants District 5.

RESOLUTION NO. 469

By: Hon. Margaret Miller « » (Environment)

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

Whereas the 39^th Annual Nova Scotia 4-H Pro Show took place this Fall in Truro at the Nova Scotia Provincial Exhibition Grounds; and

Whereas the 4-H leaders are integral in assisting 4-H members to gain skills and knowledge through hands-on education and to develop leadership skills; and

Whereas Patti Grant is a leader of the Hardwood Lands 4-H Club of Hardwood Lands, Nova Scotia;

Therefore be it resolved that members of the House of Assembly congratulate Patti Grant for her role in preparing the 4-H members to participate in competitions such as the 4-H Pro Show so that they may expand their future potential.

RESOLUTION NO. 470

[Page 1422]

By: Hon. Margaret Miller « » (Environment)

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

Whereas the 39^th Annual Nova Scotia 4-H Pro Show took place this Fall in Truro at the Nova Scotia Provincial Exhibition Grounds; and

Whereas the 4-H Pro Show provides a venue for competing 4-H members to showcase their skills and learn from their competitors; and

Whereas Laura Ackerman of Shubenacadie, Nova Scotia, is a member of the Shu-Mil 4-H Club;

Therefore be it resolved that members of the House of Assembly congratulate Laura Ackerman on winning the Royal Dairy Classic Competition at the Nova Scotia 4-H Pro Show.

RESOLUTION NO. 471

By: Hon. Margaret Miller « » (Environment)

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

Whereas the 39^th Annual Nova Scotia 4-H Pro Show took place this Fall in Truro at the Nova Scotia Provincial Exhibition Grounds; and

Whereas the 4-H Pro Show provides a venue for competing 4-H members to showcase their skills and learn from their competitors; and

Whereas Emma Munroe of Enfield, Nova Scotia, is a member of the Shu-Mil 4-H Club;

Therefore be it resolved that members of the House of Assembly congratulate Emma Munroe on winning the Champion Rabbit Showman Competition at Nova Scotia 4-H Pro Show.

RESOLUTION NO. 472

[Page 1423]

By: Hon. Margaret Miller « » (Environment)

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

Whereas the 39^th Annual Nova Scotia 4-H Pro Show took place this Fall in Truro at the Nova Scotia Provincial Exhibition Grounds; and

Whereas the 4-H leaders are integral in assisting 4-H members to gain skills and knowledge through hands-on education and to develop leadership skills; and

Whereas Michelle Fraser is a leader of the Hardwood Lands 4-H Club of Hardwood Lands, Nova Scotia;

Therefore be it resolved that members of the House of Assembly congratulate Michelle Fraser for her role in preparing the 4-H members to participate in competitions such as the 4-H Pro Show so that they may expand their future potential.

RESOLUTION NO. 473

By: Hon. Margaret Miller « » (Environment)

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

Whereas the 39^th Annual Nova Scotia 4-H Pro Show took place this Fall in Truro at the Nova Scotia Provincial Exhibition Grounds; and

Whereas the 4-H leaders are integral in assisting 4-H members to gain skills and knowledge through hands-on education and to develop leadership skills; and

Whereas Jennifer Kendal is a leader of the Hardwood Lands 4-H Club of Hardwood Lands, Nova Scotia;

Therefore be it resolved that members of the House of Assembly congratulate Jennifer Kendal for her role in preparing the 4-H members to participate in competitions such as the 4-H Pro Show so that they may expand their future potential.

RESOLUTION NO. 474

[Page 1424]

By: Hon. Margaret Miller « » (Environment)

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

Whereas the 39^th Annual Nova Scotia 4-H Pro Show took place this Fall in Truro at the Nova Scotia Provincial Exhibition Grounds; and

Whereas the 4-H Pro Show provides a venue for competing 4-H members to showcase their skills and learn from their competitors; and

Whereas Ryan Barrett of Hardwood Lands, Nova Scotia, is a member of the Hardwood Lands 4-H Club;

Therefore be it resolved that members of the House of Assembly congratulate Ryan Barrett on winning the Champion Woodworking Judge Competition at the Nova Scotia 4-H Pro Show.

RESOLUTION NO. 475

By: Hon. Margaret Miller « » (Environment)

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

Whereas the 39^th Annual Nova Scotia 4-H Pro Show took place this Fall in Truro at the Nova Scotia Provincial Exhibition Grounds; and

Whereas the 4-H leaders are integral in assisting 4-H members to gain skills and knowledge through hands-on education and to develop leadership skills; and

Whereas Cathy Caswell is a leader of the Shu-Mil 4-H club of Shubenacadie, Nova Scotia;

Therefore be it resolved that members of the House of Assembly congratulate Cathy Caswell for her role in preparing the 4-H members to participate in competitions such as the 4-H Pro Show so that they may expand their future potential.

RESOLUTION NO. 476

[Page 1425]

By: Hon. Margaret Miller « » (Environment)

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

Whereas the 39^th Annual Nova Scotia 4-H Pro Show took place this Fall in Truro at the Nova Scotia Provincial Exhibition Grounds; and

Whereas the 4-H Pro Show provides a venue for competing 4-H members to showcase their skills and learn from their competitors; and

Whereas Kelsey Morehouse of Shubenacadie, Nova Scotia, is a member of the Shu-Mil 4-H Club;

Therefore be it resolved that members of the House of Assembly congratulate Kelsey Morehouse on winning the following: Champion Dairy Goat, Reserve Champion Dairy Goat, Champion Goat Judge, Champion Miniature Horse Judge, Champion Goat Showman, and Goat Clipping Competition at the Nova Scotia 4-H Pro Show.

RESOLUTION NO. 477

By: Hon. Margaret Miller « » (Environment)

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

Whereas East Hants municipal elections were held on October 16, 2016; and

Whereas municipal councils are a vital level of government and an important decision-making body that takes a great deal of commitment and a strong sense of community; and

Whereas Wayne Greene was the successful candidate for councillor of East Hants District 6, returning to the position he has held since October 2008;

Therefore be it resolved that members of the House of Assembly congratulate Wayne on his successful bid for councillor of East Hants District 6.

RESOLUTION NO. 478

[Page 1426]

By: Hon. Margaret Miller « » (Environment)

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

Whereas East Hants municipal elections were held on October 16, 2016; and

Whereas municipal councils are a vital level of government and an important decision-making body that takes a great deal of commitment and a strong sense of community; and

Whereas Keith Rhyno was the acclaimed candidate for councillor of East Hants District 5, returning to the position he has held since October 1997;

Therefore be it resolved that members of the House of Assembly congratulate Keith on his successful bid for councillor of East Hants District 5.

RESOLUTION NO. 479

By: Hon. Margaret Miller « » (Environment)

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

Whereas East Hants municipal elections were held on October 16, 2016; and

Whereas municipal councils are a vital level of government and an important decision-making body that takes a great deal of commitment and a strong sense of community; and

Whereas Elie Moussa was the successful candidate for councillor of East Hants District 9;

Therefore be it resolved that members of the House of Assembly congratulate Elie on his successful bid for councillor of East Hants District 9.

RESOLUTION NO. 480

By: Hon. Margaret Miller « » (Environment)

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

Whereas East Hants municipal elections were held on October 16, 2016; and

[Page 1427]

Whereas municipal councils are a vital level of government and an important decision-making body that takes a great deal of commitment and a strong sense of community; and

Whereas Cyril McDonald was the acclaimed candidate for councillor of East Hants District 8, returning to the position he has held since October 2012;

Therefore be it resolved that members of the House of Assembly congratulate Cyril on his successful bid for councillor of East Hants District 8.

RESOLUTION NO. 481

By: Hon. Margaret Miller « » (Environment)

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

Whereas East Hants municipal elections were held on October 16, 2016; and

Whereas municipal councils are a vital level of government and an important decision-making body that takes a great deal of commitment and a strong sense of community; and

Whereas Stephen King was the successful candidate for councillor of East Hants District 2;

Therefore be it resolved that members of the House of Assembly congratulate Stephen on his successful bid for councillor of East Hants District 2.

RESOLUTION NO. 482

By: Hon. Margaret Miller « » (Environment)

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

Whereas East Hants municipal elections were held on October 16, 2016; and

Whereas municipal councils are a vital level of government and an important decision-making body that takes a great deal of commitment and a strong sense of community; and

Whereas Jim Smith was the acclaimed candidate for councillor of East Hants District 10, returning to the position he has held since October 2008;

[Page 1428]

Therefore be it resolved that members of the House of Assembly congratulate Jim on his successful bid for councillor of East Hants District 10.

RESOLUTION NO. 483

By: Hon. Margaret Miller « » (Environment)

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

Whereas East Hants municipal elections were held on October 16, 2016; and

Whereas municipal councils are a vital level of government and an important decision-making body that takes a great deal of commitment and a strong sense of community; and

Whereas Eleanor Roulston was the acclaimed candidate for councillor of East Hants District 11, returning to the position she has held since October 1997;

Therefore be it resolved that members of the House of Assembly congratulate Eleanor on her successful bid for councillor of East Hants District 11.

RESOLUTION NO. 484

By: Hon. Margaret Miller « » (Environment)

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

Whereas East Hants municipal elections were held on October 16, 2016; and

Whereas municipal councils are a vital level of government and an important decision-making body that takes a great deal of commitment and a strong sense of community; and

Whereas Cecil Dixon was the acclaimed candidate for councillor of East Hants District 1, returning to the position he has held since October 2012;

Therefore be it resolved that members of the House of Assembly congratulate Cecil on his successful bid for councillor of East Hants District 1.

RESOLUTION NO. 485

[Page 1429]

By: Hon. Margaret Miller « » (Environment)

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

Whereas East Hants municipal elections were held on October 16, 2016; and

Whereas municipal councils are a vital level of government and an important decision-making body that takes a great deal of commitment and a strong sense of community; and

Whereas Pam MacInnis was the successful candidate for councillor of East Hants District 4;

Therefore be it resolved that members of the House of Assembly congratulate Pam on her successful bid for councillor of East Hants District 4.

RESOLUTION NO. 486

By: Hon. Margaret Miller « » (Environment)

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

Whereas East Hants municipal elections were held on October 16, 2016; and

Whereas municipal councils are a vital level of government and an important decision-making body that takes a great deal of commitment and a strong sense of community; and

Whereas Heather Smith was the successful candidate for councillor of East Hants District 7;

Therefore be it resolved that members of the House of Assembly congratulate Heather on her successful bid for councillor of East Hants District 7.

RESOLUTION NO. 487

By: Hon. Randy Delorey « » (Finance and Treasury Board)

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

Whereas the St. Francis Xavier University Men's Cross Country team recently won first place at the 2016 Subway AUS Cross Country Championships; and

[Page 1430]

Whereas the X-Men displayed truly outstanding individual performances, with the seven team members sweeping the podium and dominating the top 12 placings; and

Whereas their performance during these championships and throughout their season is reflective of the hard work and dedication of all team members and the calibre of the St. F.X. cross country program;

Therefore be it resolved that the members of the House of Assembly congratulate the St. Francis Xavier Men's Cross Country team on being named the 2016 AUS Cross Country Champions.

RESOLUTION NO. 488

By: Hon. Randy Delorey « » (Finance and Treasury Board)

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

Whereas Scott Donald of the St. Francis Xavier University Men's Cross Country team recently placed third in the Men's 10 kilometre race at the 2016 Subway AUS Championships; and

Whereas Mr. Donald's leadership and effort was crucial to the team's remarkable first place effort; and

Whereas Mr. Donald's outstanding performance during the championships also secured his place as a 2016 AUS Cross Country All-Star;

Therefore be it resolved that the members of the House of Assembly congratulate Scott Donald for placing third in the men's 10 kilometre race at the 2016 Subway AUS Championships.

RESOLUTION NO. 489

By: Hon. Randy Delorey « » (Finance and Treasury Board)

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

Whereas Mary MacDonald of the St. Francis Xavier University Women's Cross Country team recently placed fifth in the women's six kilometre race at the 2016 Subway AUS Championships; and

[Page 1431]

Whereas Ms. MacDonald's effort was crucial to the team's silver medal effort; and

Whereas Ms. MacDonald's outstanding performance during the championships also secured her place as a 2016 AUS Cross Country All-Star;

Therefore be it resolved that the members of the House of Assembly congratulate Mary MacDonald for placing fifth in the women's six kilometre race at the 2016 Subway AUS Championships.

RESOLUTION NO. 490

By: Hon. Randy Delorey « » (Finance and Treasury Board)

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

Whereas Liz MacDonald of the St. Francis Xavier University Women's Cross Country team recently placed third in the women's six kilometre race at the 2016 Subway AUS Championships; and

Whereas Ms. MacDonald's effort was crucial to the team's silver medal effort; and

Whereas Ms. MacDonald's outstanding performance during the championships also secured her place as a 2016 AUS Cross Country All-Star;

Therefore be it resolved that the members of the House of Assembly congratulate Liz MacDonald for placing third in the women's six kilometre race at the 2016 Subway AUS Championships.

RESOLUTION NO. 491

By: Hon. Randy Delorey « » (Finance and Treasury Board)

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

Whereas Calvin DeWolfe of the St. Francis Xavier University Men's Cross Country team recently took first in the men's 10 kilometre race at the 2016 Subway AUS Championships; and

Whereas Mr. DeWolfe's effort was crucial to the team's remarkable first place effort; and

[Page 1432]

Whereas Mr. DeWolfe's outstanding performance during the championships also secured her place as a 2016 AUS Cross Country All-Star;

Therefore be it resolved that the members of the House of Assembly congratulate Calvin DeWolfe for winning first place in the men's 10 kilometre race at the 2016 Subway AUS Championships.

RESOLUTION NO. 492

By: Hon. Randy Delorey « » (Finance and Treasury Board)

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

Whereas Alex Neuffer of the St. Francis Xavier University Men's Cross Country team recently placed fifth in the men's 10 kilometre race at the 2016 Subway AUS Championships; and

Whereas Mr. Neuffer's effort was crucial to the team's remarkable first place effort; and

Whereas Mr. Neuffer's outstanding performance during the championships also secured her place as a 2016 AUS Cross Country All-Star;

Therefore be it resolved that the members of the House of Assembly congratulate Alex Neuffer for placing fifth in the men's 10 kilometre race at the 2016 Subway AUS Championships.

RESOLUTION NO. 493

By: Hon. Randy Delorey « » (Finance and Treasury Board)

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

Whereas Alex Cyr of the St. Francis Xavier University Men's Cross Country team recently placed second in the men's 10 kilometre race at the 2016 Subway AUS Championships; and

Whereas Mr. Cyr's effort was crucial to the team's remarkable first place effort; and

Whereas Mr. Cyr's outstanding performance during the championships also secured her place as a 2016 AUS Cross Country All-Star;

[Page 1433]

Therefore be it resolved that the members of the House of Assembly congratulate Alex Cyrfor placing second in the men's 10 kilometre race at the 2016 Subway AUS Championships.

RESOLUTION NO. 494

By: Hon. Randy Delorey « » (Finance and Treasury Board)

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

Whereas Angus Rawling of the St. Francis Xavier University Men's Cross Country team recently placed sixth in the men's 10 kilometre race at the 2016 Subway AUS Championships; and

Whereas Mr. Rawling's effort was crucial to the team's remarkable first place effort; and

Whereas Mr. Rawling's outstanding performance during the championships also secured her place as a 2016 AUS Cross Country All-Star;

Therefore be it resolved that the members of the House of Assembly congratulate Angus Rawling for placing sixth in the men's 10 kilometre race at the 2016 Subway AUS Championships.

RESOLUTION NO. 495

By: Hon. Randy Delorey « » (Finance and Treasury Board)

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

Whereas on October 26, 2016, the Right Honourable Brian Mulroney, 18^th Prime Minister of Canada, announced plans for the Brian Mulroney Institute of Government to be established at St. Francis Xavier University; and

Whereas this new institute, to be housed in the highly anticipated Mulroney Hall, will aim to be the national leading centre for undergraduate teaching and research in the field of public policy; and

Whereas this substantial project will expand St. Francis Xavier's ability to offer students comprehensive undergraduate programs in their desired fields, while attracting highly skilled teaching and research faculty;

[Page 1434]

Therefore be it resolved that the members of the House of Assembly congratulate St. Francis Xavier University on the announcement of the Brian Mulroney Institute of Government.

RESOLUTION NO. 496

By: Hon. Randy Delorey « » (Finance and Treasury Board)

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

Whereas the Atlantic Rowing Championships and Atlantic University Rowing Championships took place in Lochaber, Antigonish County, from October 15 to 16, 2016; and

Whereas this co-operative effort between the Saint Francis Xavier University Rowing Club, the Antigonish Rowing Club, and the community of Lochaber resulted in a fantastic weekend for both participants and spectators; and

Whereas Lochaber has become the site of an increasing number of high-calibre regattas in the past few years, which is a reflection of both the contributions of countless volunteers in the creation of new rowing facilities and the increasing competitiveness of our local clubs;

Therefore be it resolved that the members of the House of Assembly congratulate the Saint Francis Xavier Rowing Club, the Antigonish Rowing Club, and the community of Lochaber for successfully hosting the 2016 Atlantic Rowing Championships and Atlantic University Rowing Championships.

RESOLUTION NO. 497

By: Hon. Randy Delorey « » (Finance and Treasury Board)

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

Whereas Riley Broussard of Dr. John Hugh Gillis Regional High School was recently awarded the Pengrowth-Nova Scotia Energy Scholarship; and

Whereas recipients are chosen based on their anticipated program of study, academic standing, community involvement, and interest in the Nova Scotia energy industry; and

[Page 1435]

Whereas this non-renewable scholarship for the amount of $2,500 will support Riley in his endeavour to become a certified power engineer;

Therefore be it resolved that members of the House of Assembly congratulate Riley Broussard on being named a recipient of the Pengrowth-Nova Scotia Energy Scholarship.

RESOLUTION NO. 498

By: Hon. Randy Delorey « » (Finance and Treasury Board)

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

Whereas the Dr. John Hugh Gillis Regional Royals Cross Country Team showed a tremendous performance, bringing home top awards for Senior Boys, Senior Girls and Intermediate Girls divisions at the Nova Scotia School Athletic Federation Cross Country Provincial Championships on October 24, 2016; and

Whereas the results of this competition clearly demonstrate the hard work and dedication that these young athletes bring to their sport; and

Whereas regardless of the endeavours these athletes decide to pursue after they leave Dr. John Hugh Gillis, the skills and attitudes that they have developed while competing as a team are assets they can carry with them for the rest of their lives;

Therefore be it resolved that members of the House of Assembly congratulate the Dr. John Hugh Gillis Regional Royals Cross Country Team for their outstanding performance at the 2016 NSSAF Cross County Championships.

RESOLUTION NO. 499

By: Hon. Randy Delorey « » (Finance and Treasury Board)

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

Whereas the first-ever Peace for Syria Walk was held at St. Francis Xavier University on October 23, 2016, to raise funds to help settle new families and to raise awareness about the continuing conflict in Syria; and

Whereas this co-operative effort between the St. F.X. Students' Union, St. F.X. Athletics, and St. F.X. for SAFE Society will support the continuing work of Syria Antigonish Families Embrace (SAFE), a local sponsorship group that has been working to sponsor, settle, and integrate Syrian refugee families in the Antigonish community; and

[Page 1436]

Whereas it is inspiring to see that Antigonish residents and organizations are continuing to do all they can, not only to welcome those refugees to our community but to bring as many families as possible to a new, safe home;

Therefore be it resolved that the members of the House of Assembly congratulate all involved with the first-ever Peace for Syria Walk on their successful event.

RESOLUTION NO. 500

By: Hon. Randy Delorey « » (Finance and Treasury Board)

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

Whereas Maureen Fraser and the Maureen Fraser School of Dance recently celebrated the grand opening of their new, expanded dance studio; and

Whereas Ms. Fraser has become an institution in the dance community in Antigonish, where she has shared her experience with hundreds of students over a career that spans more than 25 years; and

Whereas this new, expanded facility will allow Ms. Fraser and her staff to reach even more students, while giving current students the space to practice and excel;

Therefore be it resolved that members of the House of Assembly congratulate Maureen Fraser and the Maureen Fraser School of Dance on the opening of their new, expanded dance studio.

RESOLUTION NO. 501

By: Hon. Randy Delorey « » (Finance and Treasury Board)

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

Whereas the St. Martha's Regional Hospital Foundation's aim is to supplement hospital funding through non-traditional funding sources in response to increasing costs and demands in the health care field; and

Whereas for the past 23 years, St. Martha's Regional Hospital Foundation and 98.9 XFM have hosted Hospital Help Day in support of the St. Martha's Regional Hospital Foundation; and

[Page 1437]

Whereas this year staff, volunteers, and donors raised a total of $58,900 to go toward the purchase of a simulation mannequin, an important piece of training equipment for medical professionals;

Therefore be it resolved that the members of the House of Assembly congratulate the St. Martha's Regional Hospital Foundation, 98.9 XFM, and all involved on another successful Hospital Help Day.

RESOLUTION NO. 502

By: Hon. Randy Delorey « » (Finance and Treasury Board)

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

Whereas the St. Andrew Junior High School Highlanders Cross Country Team showed a tremendous performance bringing home the top award for Junior Girls division at the Nova Scotia School Athletic Federation (NSSAF) Cross Country Provincial Championships on October 24, 2016; and

Whereas the results of this competition clearly demonstrate the hard work and dedication that these young athletes bring to their sport; and

Whereas regardless of the endeavours these athletes decide to pursue in their futures, the skills and attitudes that they have developed during the course of their competitions are assets that they can carry with them for the rest of their lives;

Therefore be it resolved that the members of the House of Assembly congratulate the St. Andrew Junior High School Highlanders Cross Country Team for their outstanding performance at the 2016 NSSAF Cross Country Championships.

RESOLUTION NO. 503

By: Hon. Randy Delorey « » (Finance and Treasury Board)

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

Whereas each year the Government of Canada helps Canadian institutions attract and retain highly qualified doctoral students through the Vanier Canada Graduate Scholarship, considered by many to be the most prestigious award for doctoral students; and

[Page 1438]

Whereas Britney Benoit, an Antigonish native and current nursing PhD student at Dalhousie University, was selected as a 2016 Vanier Scholar for her research on the influence of breastfeeding on cortical and bio-behavioural indicators of procedural pain in newborns; and

Whereas this support will allow Ms. Benoit to focus her time and energy on contributing to the science surrounding pain assessment and management in newborns and minimizing pain newborns experience during painful procedures;

Therefore be it resolved that the members of the House of Assembly congratulate Britney Benoit for being named a 2016 Vanier Scholar for her work in newborn pain assessment and management.

RESOLUTION NO. 504

By: Hon. Randy Delorey « » (Finance and Treasury Board)

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

Whereas Blair Fraser took home the gold medal during the 2016 Quebec Cup Downhill Bike Race at Owl's Head Mountain in Masonville, Quebec; and

Whereas conditions for the event could be described as challenging at best given the steep, rugged slopes and constant rain; and

Whereas despite the conditions and caliber of his opponents Mr. Fraser posted a time of 3 minutes, 43 seconds to garner the top spot on the podium;

Therefore be it resolved that the members of the House of Assembly congratulate Blair Fraser for his gold-medal performance at the 2016 Quebec Cup Downhill Bike Race.

RESOLUTION NO. 505

By: Hon. Randy Delorey « » (Finance and Treasury Board)

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

Whereas the 10^th year of the Antigonish International Film Festival (AIFF) took place from October 21^st to October 23^rd; and

Whereas the festival is a unique artistic and cultural outlet showcasing local filmmakers working beside selections from around the globe; and

[Page 1439]

Whereas film festivals such as AIFF allow our communities to share our own stories in our own words with audiences that might never be reached otherwise;

Therefore be it resolved that the members of the House of Assembly congratulate the Antigonish International Film Festival and all those involved on their successful decade sharing local and international films with the Antigonish community.

RESOLUTION NO. 506

By: Mr. Chuck Porter « » (Hants West)

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

Whereas small but mighty Tyler Eddy is a force to be reckoned with on the football field this year; and

Whereas Tyler's passion for football began when he was a young boy and at 16 years old he has achieved the status of captain on the Avon View Avalanche Football team at the high school in Windsor; and

Whereas while keeping up his grades at school, Tyler is playing offense and defense for his team and enjoys track & field where he is also said to be one of the fastest runners in the province;

Therefore be it resolved all members of this House of Assembly congratulate Tyler Eddy on his fantastic athletic abilities and wish him all the best in future years.

RESOLUTION NO. 507

By: Mr. Chuck Porter « » (Hants West)

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

Whereas in 1961, Vince Hazel launched his drag racing career with a 1959 Oldsmobile 88 at the race track in Maitland, and went on to set four NHRA national records and two IHRA national records during his career; and

Whereas the 55 years later, Vince, who resides in Falmouth with his wife Marilyn, was inducted into the Canadian Drag Racing Hall of Fame; and

Whereas during his drag racing years, Vince became a staple in the drag racing circuits not just in the Maritimes, but across the country and the New England states;

[Page 1440]

Therefore be it resolved that all members of this House of Assembly congratulate Vince Hazel on a very successful racing career and his induction in the Canadian Drag Racing Hall of Fame.

RESOLUTION NO. 508

By: Hon. Margaret Miller « » (Environment)

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

Whereas Blind Nova Scotia is non-profit charitable organization, chapter of the Canadian Council of the Blind, division of the Canadian Blind Sports Association, and associate member of Sport Nova Scotia; and

Whereas Blind Sports Nova Scotia's mission is to provide blind and visually impaired people of all ages the opportunity to participate in competitive or recreational sport, while promoting active and healthy lifestyles; and

Whereas Ryan McNamara is a member of the Nova Scotia Junior Boys' goalball team that won a silver medal at the Canadian National Junior Goalball Championship in Calgary;

Therefore be it resolved that all members of this House of Assembly congratulate Ryan and his teammates for winning a silver medal.

RESOLUTION NO. 509

By: Hon. Margaret Miller « » (Environment)

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

Whereas Blind Nova Scotia is non-profit charitable organization, chapter of the Canadian Council of the Blind, division of the Canadian Blind Sports Association, and associate member of Sport Nova Scotia; and

Whereas Blind Sports Nova Scotia's mission is to provide blind and visually impaired people of all ages the opportunity to participate in competitive or recreational sport, while promoting active and healthy lifestyles; and

Whereas The Golden Age Car Club, Truro, presented a $1,000 cheque for Blind Sport Nova Scotia to Ryan McNamara, a member of the Nova Scotia Junior Boys' goalball team who won a silver medal at the Canadian National Junior Goalball Championships in Calgary;

[Page 1441]

Therefore be it resolved that all members of this House of Assembly congratulate Blind Sport Nova Scotia on receipt of the donation and thank The Golden Age Car Club for their generosity.

RESOLUTION NO. 510

By: Hon. Margaret Miller « » (Environment)

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

Whereas Shannon Lumsden, Sandra Drew, and Judith Tunbridge recognized a need to help families with limited resources to provide the necessary supplies for their children returning to school in the Fall in the Elmsdale area; and

Whereas they and their co-workers engaged in a friendly competition to see which team could bring in the most school supplies, resulting in a collection of over 700 school supply items; and

Whereas Sandra Drew also uses the money she makes from selling crafts to purchase additional school items;

Therefore be it resolved that all members of this House of Assembly thank Shannon, Sandra, and Judith, and their co-workers for their generosity.

RESOLUTION NO. 511

By: Hon. Margaret Miller « » (Environment)

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

Whereas the Women's Resource Centre in Truro has been hosting Girl Power Summer Camp for fourteen years; and

Whereas Girl Power Summer Camp is for girls age 8 to 11 years old; and

Whereas the camp exposes the girls to more traditionally male-dominated fields of work, and helps boost their confidence and self-esteem;

Therefore be it resolved that I would like to thank camp organizer, Raechelle Lindsay, and her team for bringing girl power to Kennetcook.

[Page 1442]

RESOLUTION NO. 512

By: Hon. Margaret Miller « » (Environment)

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

Whereas sports are a vital part of healthy, active living; and

Whereas the 2016 Under-10 Fast Pitch Provincial Championship was held in Antigonish from August 20 to 21; and

Whereas the three out of the five teams that competed to win the provincial gold medal were the East Hants Orange, East Hants Blue and East Hants Black;

Therefore be it resolved that members of the House of Assembly congratulate the East Hants Blue Under 10 Fast Pitch team on winning the championship.

RESOLUTION NO. 513

By: Hon. Margaret Miller « » (Environment)

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

Whereas sports are a vital part of healthy, active living; and

Whereas the 2016 Under-11 Mosquito A Provincial Championship was held at the Enfield Legion from September 2 to 4; and

Whereas the East Hants Red Nationals won a provincial silver medal;

Therefore be it resolved that members of the House of Assembly congratulate Kyle Hunter on receiving the special award of Announcer of the Tournament.

RESOLUTION NO. 514

By: Hon. Margaret Miller « » (Environment)

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

Whereas a marriage anniversary is the celebration of love, trust, enduring partnership; and

[Page 1443]

Whereas anniversaries are an occasion for family and friends to gather together to celebrate this happy event; and

Whereas on September 25, 2016, a very special occasion took place when Joseph and Lucy Cormier of Enfield celebrated their 65^th Wedding Anniversary;

Therefore be it resolved that all members of this House of Assembly congratulate Joseph and Lucy Cormier on this remarkable milestone in their life together and wish them love, laughter, joy and contentment throughout the years ahead.

RESOLUTION NO. 515

By: Hon. Margaret Miller « » (Environment)

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

Whereas a marriage anniversary is the celebration of love, trust, enduring partnership; and

Whereas anniversaries are an occasion for family and friends to gather together to celebrate this happy event; and

Whereas on November 5, 2016, a very special occasion took place when Edmund and Dorothy Miller of Enfield celebrated their 50^th Wedding Anniversary;

Therefore be it resolved that all members of this House of Assembly congratulate Edmund and Dorothy on this remarkable milestone in their life together and wish them love, laughter, joy and contentment throughout the years ahead.

RESOLUTION NO. 516

By: Hon. Stephen McNeil « » (The Premier)

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

Whereas The Big Scoop Family Restaurant in Middleton, owned by Angie and Greg Cress, found a way to assist members of their community through the recycling of pop can tabs; and

Whereas the restaurant collected more than 48 large buckets of tabs that will be sold as scrap metal in Halifax; and

[Page 1444]

Whereas the money collected will be donated to the Middleton Lions Club to purchase a wheelchair for a local community member in need of assistance;

Therefore be it resolved that members of the House of Assembly join me in recognizing the efforts of the Cress family in turning trash to treasure for those who need it the most.

RESOLUTION NO. 517

By: Hon. Labi Kousoulis « » (Internal Services)

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

Whereas The Lodge That Gives provides care, meals, and free accommodation to those seeking cancer treatment in Halifax away from their own home; and

Whereas The Lodge That Gives also provides various other much-need items like the wig loan program, mastectomy bras and breast prostheses, the lodge also has plans to expand its programing to include massage therapy, reiki, and other support programs and sessions for its patients;

Therefore be it resolved that members of the House of Assembly thank and commend The Lodge That Gives for the unwavering compassion, care, and hospitality - a home away from home - that they provide to those as they undergo the toughest battle of their lives, the lodge is an integral part of our community.

RESOLUTION NO. 518

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

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

Whereas the Agriculture/Agri Small Business Award recognizes an individual group or organization or business where the principles of running a successful agricultural or related operation are applied and result in a thriving and environmentally-friendly endeavour; and

Whereas Maja and Willem van den Hoek, owners and operators of That Dutchman's Cheese Farm, of Economy, Colchester North, produce and direct sell quality, local artisan cheeses made form 100% pure, local milk which is sold at farm markets, shops, and many restaurants; and

[Page 1445]

Whereas that That Dutchman's Cheese Farm gets about 40,000 people on site each year to enjoy their expanded animal and nature park as well as their national, award-winning cheeses;

Therefore be it resolved that the members of this House of Assembly join me in congratulating Maja and Willem van den Hoek for receiving the 2016 Agriculture/Agri Small Business Award for That Dutchman's Cheese Farm which they have operated successfully for 35 years expanding with the second generation of their family but staying small enough to keep close contact with their customers.

RESOLUTION NO. 519

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

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

Whereas The Hugh Douglas Langin Fund was established in 2013 in memory of a Halifax resident who was injured at birth and faced many challenges throughout his life while his greatest passion was music and his happiest moments were spent at Stayner's Wharf listening to musicians perform; and

Whereas the Dream Hughie Award $2,500 top cash prize is to serve as a major gift to a musician in the community who has a dream, a vision and a plan, and needs financial assistance to put it all together; and

Whereas this year's winner, Josh Simm from West Earltown, Colchester North, performed an original tune and a Merle Haggard song at the awards gala at Stayner's Wharf in late September and thanks to this prize money he can now purchase a sound system and produce a professional CD;

Therefore be it resolved that all members of this House of Assembly congratulate Josh Simm for winning the Dream Hughie Award and wish him every success with his future singing career.

RESOLUTION NO. 520

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

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

Whereas The Prime Minister's Youth Council is made up of 15 members who are chosen based on leadership, creativity, diversity, as well as current and anticipated contribution to community and country; and

[Page 1446]

Whereas Aaron Taylor from Debert, Colchester North, a master's student in the Institute of European, Russian, and Eurasian Studies (EURUS) at Carleton University was selected from the thousands of applicants to be a member of the Prime Minister's Youth Council; and

Whereas Aaron graduated from Dalhousie University with a Bachelor of Arts in Russian Studies, was involved with numerous student-led societies and activities, has a passion for language acquisition and speaks seven fluently, and was recognized by the Dalhousie community as one of the top five students in regards to academics and outstanding contributions in the extracurricular realm;

Therefore be it resolved that all members of this House of Assembly congratulate Aaron Taylor for being selected for this unique opportunity to serve his country and to be a voice for his generation.

RESOLUTION NO. 521

By: Hon. Diana Whalen « » (Justice)

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

Whereas on June 1, 2016, I was privileged to attend the Grand Opening of the Holiday Inn Express & Suites on Parkland Drive with special guests including Amil Taneja, president of Palm Holdings, who acted as MC, and general manager Kathy Perriaut and her team; and

Whereas the hotel has undergone a ten-month transformation to make it one of the first smart design hotels that the Intercontinental Hotels Group has opened in Canada offering business and other travelers options to better suit changing demands; and

Whereas this renovated hotel now provides more modern amenities, speedy self-service check-in desks, and a communal work area which provides users the ability to do group planning;

Therefore be it resolved that members of this House of Assembly congratulate Kathy Perriaut, general manager, and the excellent team of hotel staff of Holiday Inn Express & Suites on the opening of this smart hotel and wish them every success in meeting the ever-changing needs of travellers.

NOTICES OF MOTION UNDER RULE 32(3)

[Page 1447]

(Tabled November 9, 2016)

RESOLUTION NO. 531

By: Ms. Joyce Treen « » (Cole Harbour-Eastern Passage)

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

Whereas Wendy Smith is a part of a small group of knitters called Release the Fleece; and

Whereas she knits and crochets warm, fuzzy items for those who may not have the proper things to keep them warm this winter; and

Whereas this year they will be donating their items to Alice Housing, Bryony House, and the IWK Health Centre;

Therefore be it resolved that Members of this House of Assembly join me in congratulating Wendy and Release the Fleece for donating to such a worthy cause.

RESOLUTION NO. 532

By: Ms. Joyce Treen « » (Cole Harbour-Eastern Passage)

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

Whereas Davilyn Williams is a part of a small group of knitters called Release the Fleece; and

Whereas she knits and crochets warm, fuzzy items for those who may not have the proper things to keep them warm this winter; and

Whereas this year they will be donating their items to Alice Housing, Bryony House, and the IWK Health Centre;

Therefore be it resolved that Members of this House of Assembly join me in congratulating Davilyn and Release the Fleece for donating to such a worthy cause.

RESOLUTION NO. 533

[Page 1448]

By: Ms. Joyce Treen « » (Cole Harbour-Eastern Passage)

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

Whereas Leanne Schmidt is a part of a small group of knitters called Release the Fleece; and

Whereas she knits and crochets warm, fuzzy items for those who may not have the proper things to keep them warm this winter; and

Whereas this year they will be donating their items to Alice Housing, Bryony House, and the IWK Health Centre;

Therefore be it resolved that Members of this House of Assembly join me in congratulating Leanne and Release the Fleece for donating to such a worthy cause.

RESOLUTION NO. 534

By: Ms. Joyce Treen « » (Cole Harbour-Eastern Passage)

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

Whereas Charlene Billard is a part of a small group of knitters called Release the Fleece; and

Whereas she knits and crochets warm, fuzzy items for those who may not have the proper things to keep them warm this winter; and

Whereas this year they will be donating their items to Alice Housing, Bryony House, and the IWK Health Centre;

Therefore be it resolved that Members of this House of Assembly join me in congratulating Charlene and Release the Fleece for donating to such a worthy cause.

RESOLUTION NO. 535

By: Ms. Joyce Treen « » (Cole Harbour-Eastern Passage)

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

Whereas Lily Roch is a part of a small group of knitters called Release the Fleece; and

[Page 1449]

Whereas she knits and crochets warm, fuzzy items for those who may not have the proper things to keep them warm this winter; and

Whereas this year they will be donating their items to Alice Housing, Bryony House, and the IWK Health Centre;

Therefore be it resolved that Members of this House of Assembly join me in congratulating Lily and Release the Fleece for donating to such a worthy cause.

RESOLUTION NO. 536

By: Ms. Joyce Treen « » (Cole Harbour-Eastern Passage)

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

Whereas Mitchell Hardy was awarded Athlete of the Month; and

Whereas he was nominated by his coaches and peers; and

Whereas this award recognizes the hard work and dedication of Mitchell;

Therefore be it resolved that members of this House of Assembly join me in congratulating Mitchell on his achievement.

RESOLUTION NO. 537

By: Mr. Iain Rankin « » (Timberlea-Prospect)

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

Whereas David Reynolds of Haliburton Hills has been training very hard in Brazilian jiu-jitsu at Bushido Kai in Halifax for the past two years; and

Whereas David has earned the status of Blue Belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu; and

Whereas David recently won gold at the IBJJF 2016 World Championship in San Francisco and all his matches were a result of submission victories;

Therefore be it resolved that members of the House of Assembly join me in recognizing David and the support he gets from his wife, Leah, for all of the travelling to many areas and placing in many competitions while furthering his academic career, raising a young family, and ultimately being crowned a World Champion.

[Page 1450]

RESOLUTION NO. 538

By: Mr. David Wilton « » (Cape Breton Centre)

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

Whereas since Greenfield Elementary opened in 2000, Francis Reid has been a familiar face during the breakfast program and at lunch time; and

Whereas Francis has been volunteering his time every day, providing the children with a healthy breakfast as well as returning to the school for the lunch period to help heat up food, clean up between groups, and generally provide a smiling face for the children; and

Whereas Francis freely gives of his time and enjoys the time spent at Greenfield Elementary School;

Therefore be it resolved that all members of the House of Assembly congratulate Francis Reid on his community volunteerism and his commitment to the children of Greenfield Elementary.

RESOLUTION NO. 539

By: Hon. Denise Peterson-Rafuse « » (Chester-St. Margaret's)

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

Whereas birthdays are an occasion for family and friends to gather together to celebrate the life of an individual; and

Whereas on September 11, 2016, Ruby North of Chester celebrated her 105^th birthday; and

Whereas to have reached 105 years of age, to be active, and to be able to share the memories gathered over a lifetime with your loved ones are wonderful reasons to celebrate;

Therefore be it resolved that all members of this House of Assembly congratulate Ruby North on reaching this milestone in her life and wish her continued good health.

[Page 1451]

RESOLUTION NO. 540

By: Hon. Denise Peterson-Rafuse « » (Chester-St. Margaret's)

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

Whereas Sheila Boutilier is a long-time resident of Northwest Cove; and

Whereas summer 2016 marked the 25^th year that people have enjoyed the delicious fresh fish and chips offered by Sheila's Fish & Chip Truck on Bayswater Beach; and

Whereas Sheila's business has been so successful that she has opened a second Fish & Chip Truck called "Sheila 2" in Hubbards;

Therefore be it resolved that all members of this House of Assembly congratulate Sheila on her amazing 25 years of food service at Bayswater Beach and now Hubbards, with hopes for many more years of offering a taste of Nova Scotia.

RESOLUTION NO. 541

By: Hon. Denise Peterson-Rafuse « » (Chester-St. Margaret's)

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

Whereas Richard Learning is a resident of St. Margaret's Bay, Nova Scotia; and

Whereas Richard, at the age of 69, successfully paddled his kayak 800 kilometres along the Labrador coast during summer 2016; and

Whereas this adventure is a great example of what one may accomplish at any age with determination and good planning;

Therefore be it resolved that the members of this House of Assembly join me in congratulating Richard on his hard work, dedication, resolve, and accomplishment, and may his future hold many more successes.

RESOLUTION NO. 542

[Page 1452]

By: Hon. Denise Peterson-Rafuse « » (Chester-St. Margaret's)

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

Whereas John Boileau, a resident of Moser Island, Glen Margaret, has recently published his twelfth book, titled Too Young to Die, about Canada's boy soldiers, sailors, and airmen in the Second World War; and

Whereas Mr. Boileau, with his co-author Dan Black, tells the story of many underage boys who managed to get into uniform and serve their country, sharing not only the military history in this, the 75^th Anniversary of several Second World War battles, but also the social and family histories of these remarkable young men; and

Whereas these stories might well be lost to Canadians without the history captured in this beautifully illustrated collection of stories;

Therefore be it resolved that the members of this House of Assembly join me in congratulating John Boileau on the publication of his book Too Young to Die.

RESOLUTION NO. 543

By: Hon. Kevin Murphy « » (The Speaker)

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

Whereas Reginald Roma is a long-time resident of Head Chezzetcook and has been active in his community in various volunteer roles; and

Whereas Reginald is a life-long parishioner of St. Anselm's Roman Catholic Parish, assisting in various activities including usher, collector, and altar server; and

Whereas Reginald is a member of the Knights of Columbus Council 9033, assisting in various activities within the council, including fundraising and social events;

Therefore be it resolved that members of this House of Assembly join me in thanking Reginald Roma for giving his time and talents for the betterment of people served by the local Knights of Columbus and St. Anselm's Parish.

RESOLUTION NO. 544

[Page 1453]

By: Hon. Diana Whalen « » (Justice)

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

Whereas the Halifax West High School Boys Soccer team stayed golden on November 5^th as they defended their 2015 Provincial Boys Soccer title in Bridgewater; and

Whereas the West is a powerhouse in soccer, and in the final, the team met their rivals from last year, the Park View Panthers, where, in front of an enthusiastic crowd, they had a decisive 3-0 win; and

Whereas the Warriors player Enrico Rodriguez scored two goals, supported by his friend Ayoub Al-arabi, who scored one, to clinch the Provincial Division 1 Boys High School Championship;

Therefore be it resolved that this House of Assembly congratulate the Halifax West Warriors Boys Soccer team and their coach, George Iatrou, on continuing the tradition of amazing soccer at the West, and wish them every success in the future.

RESOLUTION NO. 545

By: Hon. Diana Whalen « » (Justice)

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

Whereas on October 30^th at the Sunday service at St. Peters Anglican Church, Birch Cove, Rev. Dave Dellapinna announced his retirement from the ministry; and

Whereas Dave has been the priest at St. Peters since 2013, and one of the highlights of his service has been the celebration this year of the 65^th Anniversary of this parish; and

Whereas Dave was drawn to the ministry after teaching for many years at the Nova Scotia Community College, and his varied life experiences have given him a sensitive and caring approach, which his parishioners will miss;

Therefore be it resolved that the members of the House congratulate Rev. Dave Dellapinna on his upcoming retirement and wish him every success in his future endeavours.

RESOLUTION NO. 546

[Page 1454]

By: Hon. Diana Whalen « » (Justice)

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

Whereas 2016 has been a banner year for Mezza Lebanese Kitchen, owned by Tony and Peter Nahas; and

Whereas the brothers opened their newest location in Clayton Park in March 2016 to great reviews, and in its first year, have won the coveted Gold as Best Restaurant in Clayton Park in The Coast's Best of Halifax annual awards; and

Whereas this year has also seen the first franchise of the popular restaurant, which will see a new location open in Sydney, N.S., heralding a new chapter in the future of Mezza Lebanese Kitchen;

Therefore be it resolved that members of this House of Assembly congratulate entrepreneurs Peter and Tony Nahas on their business growth and awards in 2016, and wish them continued success in all their future endeavours.

RESOLUTION NO. 547

By: Hon. Diana Whalen « » (Justice)

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

Whereas Marianne Arab was named the Outstanding Lebanese Professional of the Year at the 2016 Cedar & Maple Gala; and

Whereas the Gala is hosted annually by the Lebanese Chamber of Commerce in Nova Scotia, and this year the prestigious award was presented to Marianne for her consummate professionalism, and her dedication to her work with individuals in cancer and palliative care; and

Whereas in receiving her award, Marianne spoke movingly of her remarkable work, and described it as a great privilege to be part of people's lives as they face challenges and end-of-life decisions;

Therefore be it resolved that members of this House of Assembly congratulate Marianne Arab on receiving this prestigious award for her caring and compassionate work, and wish her every success in the future.

RESOLUTION NO. 548

[Page 1455]

By: Ms. Pam Eyking « » (Victoria-The Lakes)

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

Whereas the Royal Canadian Legion is Canada's largest veteran support and community service organization with more than 300,000 members in over 1,400 branches across Canada; and

Whereas the Royal Canadian Legion makes a difference in the lives of veterans and their families, providing essential services within our communities, and remembering the men and women who made the ultimate sacrifice for our country; and

Whereas Mr. George Vincent Walker has received his 50-year Long Service Medal from the Royal Canadian Legion;

Therefore be it resolved that members of the House of Assembly acknowledge his remarkable service, and offer thanks to Mr. Walker for making a difference in his community.

RESOLUTION NO. 549

By: Ms. Pam Eyking « » (Victoria-The Lakes)

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

Whereas the Royal Canadian Legion is Canada's largest veteran support and community service organization with more than 300,000 members in over 1,400 branches across Canada; and

Whereas the Royal Canadian Legion makes a difference in the lives of veterans and their families, providing essential services within our communities, and remembering the men and women who made the ultimate sacrifice for our country; and

Whereas Mr. Clifford Duchesney has received his 45-year Service Pin from the Royal Canadian Legion;

Therefore be it resolved that members of the House of Assembly acknowledge his remarkable service, and offer thanks to Mr. Duchesney for making a difference in his community.

RESOLUTION NO. 550

[Page 1456]

By: Ms. Pam Eyking « » (Victoria-The Lakes)

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

Whereas the Royal Canadian Legion is Canada's largest veteran support and community service organization with more than 300,000 members in over 1,400 branches across Canada; and

Whereas the Royal Canadian Legion makes a difference in the lives of veterans and their families, providing essential services within our communities, and remembering the men and women who made the ultimate sacrifice for our country; and

Whereas World War II Veteran Roderick MacRae has received his 65-year Long Service Medal from the Royal Canadian legion;

Therefore be it resolved that members of the House of Assembly acknowledge his remarkable service, and offer thanks to Mr. MacRae for making a difference in his community.