|
Oral
Questions
December 17, 2008
Home
| In the House | Question
Period
MS
JONES:
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Mr. Speaker, we started
this session of the House of Assembly by asking
questions around youth mental health services in the
Province, and the lack of services that were available
to our young people.
We understand that the
minister will be receiving a briefing – if he has not
already today – on the 2003 Youth Mental Health Report
that has been in the department for the past five years.
I ask
the minister today to provide us with an update in the
House of Assembly on what immediate action the
government will take to address this issue, now that
your officials have had an opportunity to go through the
report thoroughly.
MR. SPEAKER: The
hon. the Minister of Health and Community Services.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear,
hear!
MR. WISEMAN: Thank
you, Mr. Speaker.
The member opposite is
correct; I have had an opportunity to be briefed by
officials, because I have reported in the House in
previous weeks that I have instructed officials in the
department to take that 2003 report, to do an analysis
of it, and to bring forward to me some recommendations,
some commentary, to be able to update the
recommendations that were there, update the data that
was there to see if the recommendations are indeed
valid.
We did meet; we did have
a discussion. There are a number of things that came out
of that. There is some additional information that I
believe is important to better understand. I have asked
them now to follow up on a couple of very significant
parts of the report to me, that I need further
information on, and within the next couple of days we
will be back together again to have some further
discussions with that new insight, and I am hoping to be
in a position to bring forward to my colleagues in
Cabinet, early in the new year, some suggestions and
recommendations as to how we might want to move forward
with a view of making some improvements and some
enhancements to mental health services in the Province.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear,
hear!
MR. SPEAKER: The
hon. the Leader of the Opposition.
MS JONES: Thank
you, Mr. Speaker.
I
would like to ask the minister if he and his officials
have reviewed the idea now of a residential treatment
facility for the Province for young people suffering
from mental illness, and the programs that would entail,
and I would like to ask, Mr. Speaker, if this is
something that they are prepared to consider at this
stage, because we know a few weeks ago it was not on the
radar of government and it did not look like they were
prepared to even consider it.
MR. SPEAKER: The
hon. the Minister of Health and Community Services.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear,
hear!
MR. WISEMAN: Thank
you, Mr. Speaker.
Before I answer the
question, let’s not cheapen the discussion here, I say
to the member opposite. I never did indicate in this
House that I was not prepared to consider anything. I
have been very clear in this House in my comments that,
as a government, as a Minister Responsible for Health
and Community Services, I was prepared to consider
anything that would make improvements to the health
services that we provide in the Province, and in
particular the issue at hand here is mental health
services for the children of Newfoundland and Labrador.
The 2003 report that has
been referenced in this House many times is a point of
reference for the discussion, a point of reference for
the evaluation I have asked officials to undertake.
Whether it is a residential program or other
enhancements in mental health services, as a government,
yes, we are prepared to consider any and all issues, any
and all improvements, any and all recommendations that
would see us improve services.
I say, Mr. Speaker,
fundamentally, it is the part of the review that I just
commented on, and in the next few days I will be able to
conclude my discussion with officials with a view to
having some conversation with my colleagues in Cabinet
early in the new year.
MR. SPEAKER: Order,
please!
I ask the hon. minister
to conclude his answer.
MR. WISEMAN: Thank
you, Mr. Speaker.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear,
hear!
MR. SPEAKER: The
hon. the Leader of the Opposition.
MS JONES: Mr.
Speaker, we asked questions in the House of Assembly, I
guess earlier this week, about the method of transfer
that was used by Eastern Health over the weekend to move
two mentally ill youths from the Janeway to the
Waterford Hospital. We asked the minister if he could
investigate the circumstances around this. I am sure he
has had an opportunity to do that at this stage, so I
would like to ask him today: number
one, if he has had a chance to investigate the
circumstances around it; and, number two, can you give
us some assurances that other methods of transfer will
be put in place for cases like this?
MR. SPEAKER: The
hon. the Minister of Health and Community Services.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear,
hear!
MR. WISEMAN: Thank
you, Mr. Speaker.
Yes, I have had an
opportunity to have discussions with officials of
Eastern Health. I had an opportunity to have some
discussions with my colleague, the Minister of Justice,
with respect to the protocols that currently exist
between Eastern Health and the two police forces with
respect to the transport.
I have asked officials at
Eastern Health as recently as yesterday if they would
re-evaluate that MOU with a view of looking at whether
that is an appropriate way to do it on a go-forward
basis, what other mechanisms we may be able to use with
the transportation of people with mental illness, and
whether or not the MOU needs a revision and needs an
update. That is again, as I said a moment ago, Mr.
Speaker, a part of the intense piece of work that myself
and officials in our department are doing in and around
mental health services right now, today.
MR. SPEAKER: The
hon. the Leader of the Opposition.
MS JONES: Thank
you, Mr. Speaker.
This morning we learned
that the Province’s only infectious disease specialist
will be leaving. This will put more stress on an already
overburdened system in our Province. One of the measures
that Eastern Health has discussed publicly is to have
Internal Medicine specialists handle these cases, but we
already know, Mr. Speaker, that these specialists are
already understaffed and have huge caseloads.
I would like to ask the
minister, Mr. Speaker: What
government action will take in conjunction with Eastern
Health to ensure that they address this shortage
immediately and ensure that the people in the Province
with infectious diseases are not marginalized because of
this?
MR. SPEAKER: The
hon. the Minister of Health and Community Services.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear,
hear!
MR. WISEMAN: I
am very pleased, Mr. Speaker, to stand this afternoon
and be able to tell the people of Newfoundland and
Labrador that we have a physician who is going to be
doing a site visit early in the new year. Eastern Health
has had some success in identifying someone who has an
interest in this position and they will be visiting the
Province early in the new year. We are very hopeful,
very optimistic that will result in him or her deciding
that this is a great place to live, a great place to
practice. Early in the new year I will be able to update
the House and members of the Province as to what will
happen with that particular discipline.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear,
hear!
MR. SPEAKER: The
hon. the Leader of the Opposition.
MS JONES: Thank
you, Mr. Speaker.
My next questions are for
the Minister of Fisheries and Aquaculture.
Mr. Speaker, the global
economic crisis is affecting all of us, and that
includes those in the fishery. Recent financial woes in
Iceland have left Newfoundland and Labrador fishing
firms on the books for up to $250 million and created a
real credit crunch for most of them.
Considering that
provinces like Quebec and New Brunswick, in particular,
have developed programs for the manufacturing sector,
which now are also being offered to people in the
fishing industry, I ask the minister: Does
you department have any contingency plans in place to
address some of these problems that obviously are
affecting the industry today?
MR. SPEAKER: The
hon. the Minister of Fisheries and Aquaculture.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear,
hear!
MR. HEDDERSON: Thank
you, Mr. Speaker.
In response to the
question from the Leader of the Opposition, certainly
within our department right now there are programs, as
in the loan guarantee programs, that can address some
financial concerns of harvesters as they are refitting
or getting new boats. As well as on a forward basis, Mr.
Speaker, we know that the fishing industry is not immune
from the forces with regard to the economics outside of
this Province. I am talking with the union, with the
processing sector, with all stakeholders in the fishing
industry to make sure that we are aware of the
challenges that are coming and to put some sort of plans
in place to address those.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear,
hear!
MR. SPEAKER: The
hon. the Leader of the Opposition.
MS JONES: Thank
you, Mr. Speaker.
We will certainly be
looking in the new year, I say to the minister, to see
what kind of programs or response will be developed
around that.
Mr. Speaker, another
issue is with regard to the lobster fishery. As we know,
it is one of Canada’s most valuable seafood export
industries. We also know that it contributes to a large
part of the revenue in the industry in Newfoundland and
Labrador. Still today, there is lobster warehoused in
this Province that has not found a marketplace. We know
that is going to contribute to what happens in the
industry this spring and we also know that the prices
are dropping rapidly.
I would like to ask the
minister: Is your department
looking at any kind of a program or assistance that you
may be able to provide in the case that the bottom falls
out of this lobster industry in the spring of the year?
MR. SPEAKER: Order,
please!
The hon. the Minister of
Fisheries and Aquaculture.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear,
hear!
MR. HEDDERSON: Thank
you, Mr. Speaker.
As the Leader of the
Opposition has alluded to, obviously, it is not only
going to be a credit crunch, but it is going to be a bit
of a market meltdown. With the economics as they are
developing outside of the Province, and within the
Province too I might add, is that it is the market that
is going to dictate whether or not we can unload
inventory, whether the markets that we had last year are
there this year. Of course lobster, as you pointed out,
is a high-end product with a very specific market, and
as we have seen in the other Atlantic provinces as they
began their lobster fishery this year, that the price
really was not there for them to even put it on the
markets.
I would say to the hon.
member, that we are looking at ways in which we can sort
of cut that off, but again, it is months down the road.
We do not know what the extent of it is going to be. All
I can say is that we are gathering the intelligence that
we need in order to make the informed decisions that are
going to be necessary as we prepare perhaps for the
worst.
Thank you.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear,
hear!
MR. SPEAKER: The
hon. the Leader of the Opposition.
MS JONES: Thank
you, Mr. Speaker.
Mr. Speaker, earlier this
fall one of the provincial ferries, the Apollo,
which operates on the Strait of Belle Isle, was unable
to dock because an oil tanker had tied up at the ferry
wharf in St. Barbe and was refusing to move.
I ask the minister: Will
government consider bringing forth regulations that
ensure that provincial ferries are given preference at
our provincial docking facilities throughout the
Province in locations outside of St. Barbe as well?
MR. SPEAKER: The
hon. the Minister of Transportation and Works.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear,
hear!
MR. TAYLOR: Thank
you, Mr. Speaker.
Mr. Speaker, I appreciate
the challenges that people in Southern Labrador, in
particular, faced last fall as a result of not being
able to dock in St. Barbe. However, I think it is also
fair to point out that had we forced that oil tanker in
heavy seas to stay at sea and run into trouble, which
the Captain was obviously concerned about – if he had
not been concerned about that, he would not, after a day
or so of jogging off the West Coast, it is my
understanding, put himself into port in St. Barbe and
refused to leave the wharf because he was concerned
about the wind conditions. If we had forced that
Captain, which we would not be able to do, I expect,
under the Canada Shipping Act, be able to force him away
from the wharf in heavy seas, if something untoward had
happened and that ship had been lost on Anchor Point,
Mr. Speaker, I suspect that the Member for
Cartwright-L’Anse au Chair would be here today asking
why we forced that ship away from the wharf.
No, Mr. Speaker, I
don’t think we will be bringing in any policies or
legislation that will force any ship away from our
facilities in a time of need.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear,
hear!
MR. SPEAKER: The
hon. the Leader of the Opposition.
MS JONES: Thank
you, Mr. Speaker.
I am not going to get
into a debate on the floor of the House in Question
Period over this issue, but the minister well knows that
there were a number of ports on that particular stretch
of the Peninsula where this oil tanker could have
docked; and, Mr. Speaker, they were instructed that the
ferry was going to be docking at that particular wharf.
Mr. Speaker, this ferry
had several hundred passengers on board and vehicles.
They had to turn around in unsafe conditions, as well, I
say to the minister, and make a trip right back across
the Strait of Belle Isle in order to find a port to dock
in.
I
think that in this Province ferries should have a
primary berthage place, and I ask the minister to give
some consideration to putting that in place, Mr.
Speaker.
MR. SPEAKER: The
hon. the Minister of Transportation and Works.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear,
hear1
MR. TAYLOR: Thank
you, Mr. Speaker.
Mr. Speaker, I have
looked into this incident, but if the member thinks, and
the Captain of the ferry thought, that it was unsafe for
him to be at sea, then they maybe should not have put to
sea themselves; when you talk about that ship being
forced to turn around off St. Barbe and make it back
across the Straits.
Mr. Speaker, there are
judgement calls made every day by the captains of ships
in our waters and elsewhere in the world. They make
these value judgements. They make the judgements based
on the safety of their crew, the safety of their ship,
and the safety of their cargo.
I, Mr. Speaker, wasn’t
at sea that day. If I was out to sea that day, I would
have been forced to make a decision just as I have had
to make them in the past.
Mr. Speaker, the Captain
of the oil tanker decided that St. Barbe was where he
needed to go in order to take his ship out of danger. I
am not going to question the Captain of an oil tanker
any day, nor do I think the Leader of the Opposition is
equipped to do so.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear,
hear!
MR. SPEAKER: The
hon. the Leader of the Opposition.
MS JONES: Thank
you, Mr. Speaker.
We are not dealing with
unsafe conditions here, and the minister knows that. We
are dealing with a situation where ferries in this
Province do not have right access to berthing at docks,
and I think, Mr. Speaker, that provincial ferries should
have a priority. If it is a safety issue, it is a
different matter. When it is not a safety issue, there
should be primary berthing.
I ask
the minister, why he will not consider that?
MR. SPEAKER: Order,
please!
The hon. the Minister of
Transportation and Works.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear,
hear!
MR. TAYLOR: Mr.
Speaker, if we were not dealing with unsafe sea
conditions – which is what we all understand to have
been that day, the Leader of the Opposition has admitted
that, I have admitted that, the Captain of the oil
tanker admitted that, the people in the department who
have looked into this have admitted that.
Mr. Speaker, I do not
know what we would – if it was not unsafe sea
conditions my understanding is that the ferry would have
been able to dock. The problem is, with the way the wind
blows in St. Barbe, if the ferry – there are two ramps
in St. Barbe, you have to go in on one side when the
wind is eastern, you have to go in on the other side
when the wind is western. Now that is as simple as that,
Mr. Speaker.
My understanding, there
was a gale or a storm of southwest wind. The oil tanker
was off St. Barbe for some period of time prior to
docking. It had stayed at sea until the Captain - in my
understanding now, she can correct me if I am wrong, but
what I have been told by my officials is the oil tanker
stayed at sea until the Captain determined that he could
stay at sea no longer and he had to make port.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear,
hear!
MR. SPEAKER: The
hon. the Leader of the Opposition.
MS JONES: Thank
you, Mr. Speaker.
Earlier this month I
wrote the Public Utilities Board with regard to gas
price regulation on the Coast of Labrador, and, Mr.
Speaker, prices are frozen in one part of Labrador, and
since the freeze went into play, the prices have dropped
in the Province four times. In fact, between one zone in
my district, and the other zone, there is a price
difference of thirty cents per litre on gasoline.
I
would like to ask the minister today, if he has had a
chance to review this and what the petroleum pricing
board is going to do to address that issue?
MR. SPEAKER: The
hon. the Minister of Business.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear,
hear!
MR. ORAM: Thank
you, Mr. Speaker.
This is certainly an
issue on the Coast of Labrador, and in Labrador, and the
minister is actually at this time looking at this
particular issue, and he will certainly report back to
the House as soon as he has the information he needs to
make a better decision.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear,
hear!
MR. SPEAKER: The
hon. the Leader of the Opposition.
MS JONES: Thank
you, Mr. Speaker.
This is an issue that has
been ongoing now for a month. The Combined Councils of
Labrador raised it directly in meetings with the
minister as well, Mr. Speaker. Right now today, if you
look at every zone of pricing for gasoline around the
Province, the difference from one zone to the other is
usually between three cents to five cents on a litre. In
my district, it is thirty cents in the difference in a
seventy-six kilometre basis, and I say it is unfair to
the customers there. It is unfair that they have to pay
those rates, and I ask that you
make a decision to reduce the rates in that area and
bring it in line with the rest of the Province.
MR. SPEAKER: The
hon. the Minister of Business.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear,
hear!
MR. ORAM: Thank
you, Mr. Speaker.
Mr. Speaker, there is no
doubt that any particular program that is brought in and
put in place is not always perfect, and the department
realizes that this particular program is probably not
perfect but, at the end of the day, it is what we have
in place right now. Again, the department is looking at
every option that may be available and we will certainly
be looking at that in the future, to find if there is a
better way of dealing with this issue.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear,
hear!
MR. SPEAKER: The
hon. the Member for the District of Port de Grave.
MR. BUTLER: Thank
you, Mr. Speaker.
In June of this year, the
government announced the awarding of $50.5 million
contracts for construction of two new ferries to Peter
Kiewit. It is my understanding that 25 per cent of the
work was to be subcontracted to Clarenville Dockyard,
Limited. With all the uncertain economic times, the work
for those areas and for the Province is crucial.
I ask
the minister, would he please give us an update on what
date does he expect the construction of the two new
ferries?
MR. SPEAKER: The
hon. the Minister of Transportation and Works.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear,
hear!
MR. TAYLOR: Yes,
Mr. Speaker.
Mr. Speaker, the member
is correct, we did make an announcement back earlier
this year on construction of two new ferries in –
basically led in Marystown but part in Clarenville.
Mr. Speaker, discussions
with Peter Kiewit and Sons have been proceeding. As the
member may know, the construction of these two ferries
is basically a design-build approach, where
approximately 70 per cent of design has been done. The
testing on the hull and what have you was done at the
Centre for Ocean Dynamics, or the Centre for Marine
Dynamics over at back of MUN.
Basically, where we are
right now – actually, just earlier this morning there
was a meeting between officials of the department and
representatives from the Marystown Dockyard. Mr.
Speaker, it is moving along. I hope that in the very
near future we will be able to begin construction. There
are some relatively minor, I would hope, matters around
the design of the vessel and the performance of the
vessel that Peter Kiewit and Sons have to commit to.
When we sign off on the vessel, we want them to
guarantee us that the ship is going to float and that
the ship is going to perform and have the appropriate
sea keeping as was required and that is what we are –
MR. SPEAKER: Order,
please!
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear,
hear!
MR. SPEAKER: The
hon. the Member for the District of Port de Grave.
MR. BUTLER: Thank
you, Mr. Speaker.
I thank the minister for
his answer. I know that first when this was announced I
believe one of the new ferries was to be delivered by
the end of 2009 and the other one in the spring of 2010.
I am
just wondering, what are the new target dates for the
completion of those vessels? If he is able to answer
that, and if there are any overruns on the cost now by
those minor or extensive delays, whichever way you want
to look at it?
MR. SPEAKER: The
hon. the Minister of Transportation and Works.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear,
hear!
MR. TAYLOR: Thank
you, Mr. Speaker.
In all honesty, I cannot
- I wish I could, but I cannot - give a revised
timetable because we have not concluded discussions with
Peter Kiewit & Sons. Once those discussions are
concluded, one way or the other, I will be able to
update the House and the public as to what the revised
timetable would be.
I can tell the member and
the House that the propulsion systems for both ships
have already been bought. They are here in a warehouse
in St. John’s right now. As for cost overruns, Mr.
Speaker, given the current state of the world economy
and the declining demand for steel and cooper and
everything else that you would be required to put into a
ship, we would not expect any cost overruns. If
anything, Mr. Speaker, our indication to Peter Kiewit
& Sons is that we would probably see a decline in
some of this stuff.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear,
hear!
MR. SPEAKER: The
hon. the Member for the District of Port de Grave.
MR. BUTLER: Mr.
Speaker, I want to thank the minister again. We noticed
in the exemptions to the Tender Act, I guess, that was
delivered to the House here only recently, we saw that,
with regard to the equipment the minister just
mentioned, it was purchased and I think has something to
do with the motors or thrusters or whatever and is on
stock.
Mr. Speaker, my next
question: At a recent meeting of the Joint Councils of
Conception Bay North and the Joint Mayors of Trinity-Bay
de Verde, concerns were expressed with the Greater
Avalon Waste Management Committee. They felt that they
were only messengers for the City of St. John’s.
I ask the minister: Can
she explain the mandate of this committee, as there is
much uncertainty within the municipalities outside of
the Greater St. John’s area.
MR. SPEAKER: The
hon. the Minister of Municipal Affairs.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear,
hear!
MS WHALEN: Mr.
Speaker, we do have regional committees throughout the
Province working with our Waste Management Strategy, and
they are working.
Yes, he heard in the news
there the week that we had a member resign from the
board, and it is unfortunate, but we have had many
expressions of interests of people wanting to go on that
board so I will be looking at that.
We are committed to this
waste management and we are going to move it forward
through the committees.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear,
hear!
MR. SPEAKER: The
hon. the Member for the District of Port de Grave.
MR. BUTLER: Mr.
Speaker, we know that the MMSB is sitting on millions of
dollars. Last week the minister stated that this money
was for infrastructure being used at Robin Hood Bay, and
many members opposite were saying, have we seen the
site?
Knowing that the money
from the MMSB is for the infrastructure at Robin Hood
Bay, I ask the minister: If
that is the case, why are the tipping fees for Robin
Hood Bay doubling at this particular time?
MR. SPEAKER: The
hon. the Minister of Municipal Affairs.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear,
hear!
MS WHALEN: Mr.
Speaker, I understand that the tipping fee in Robin Hood
Bay has increased, but that operation is a break-even,
not-for-profit, there. They have had to hire extra
security there in the operation of the facility; so,
with that, their tipping fees had to go up.
Thank you.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear,
hear!
MR. SPEAKER: The
hon. the Member for the District of Port de Grave.
MR. BUTLER: Mr.
Speaker, the waste that is collected in the Conception
Bay North area is not separated before going to Robin
Hood Bay. There are concerns that this could add an
additional charge for their service.
I ask the minister: Will
she commit to a transfer station for the Conception Bay
North area?
MR. SPEAKER: The
hon. the Minister of Municipal Affairs.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear,
hear!
MS WHALEN: Mr.
Speaker, those issues are dealt with, with the
committee. They would make the decisions and make
recommendations of how they would deal with their two
streams.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear,
hear!
MR. SPEAKER: The
hon. the Member for the District of Port de Grave.
MR. BUTLER: Mr.
Speaker, my final question to the minister is this: The
City of Mount Pearl recently stated their concerns
related to this committee. They feel the structure adds
an extra level of bureaucracy and gives St. John’s
significant control over decision-making.
I ask the minister: Is
she willing to make improvements to the board structure
so that municipalities outside St. John’s feel they
have a greater input into decision-making?
MR. SPEAKER: The
hon. the Minister of Municipal Affairs.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear,
hear!
MS WHALEN:
Mr. Speaker, that committee is made up of sixteen
members: 50 per cent for St. John’s and 50 per cent
outside of St. John’s, and one independent chair, so I
think they all have fair and equal representation on
that committee.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear,
hear!
MR. SPEAKER: The
hon. the Opposition House Leader.
MR. KELVIN PARSONS: Thank
you, Mr. Speaker.
My question is for the
Minister of Justice.
Mr. Speaker, last weekend
The Telegram ran a feature story on access to
information and this government’s lack of openness and
accountability. We have our own frustrations in trying
to pry information out of this government and various
departments, of course. We have also been frustrated
with the way this government handles the release of
information, and we have been forced to apply for
reviews with the Information and Privacy Commissioner to
the point where this has been a severe backlog now in
his office of appeals.
I ask the minister: Will
government allocate extra funding to the Information and
Privacy Commissioner’s Office to enable a backlog of
appeals to be dealt with in a timely fashion?
MR. SPEAKER: Order,
please!
The hon. the Minister of
Justice and Attorney General.
MR. T. MARSHALL: Thank
you, Mr. Speaker.
I thank the hon. member
for his question. I believe the request was whether
government would give additional resources to the
Information and Privacy Commissioner. I believe, and the
hon. member can correct me if I am wrong, that the
Commissioner is an officer of this House of Assembly and
the request for resources would have to come to
Management Commission and dealt with by the members in
this House.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear,
hear!
MR. SPEAKER: The
hon. the Opposition House Leader.
MR. KELVIN PARSONS: Thank
you, Mr. Speaker.
Mr. Speaker, after
receiving information from a concerned citizen, our
office submitted an Access to Information Request
regarding the William Marshall review of the Inland Fish
and Wildlife Enforcement Program. Executive Council
withheld most of the information and we were forced to
appeal to the Information and Privacy Commissioner. He
recommended the release of the information in accordance
with the legislation, yet government is still hiding
these documents. It has been eight months and this issue
is still not resolved.
I ask the minister: Why
is government withholding significant amounts of
information related to the Marshall review?
MR. SPEAKER: The
hon. the Minister of Justice and Attorney General.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear,
hear!
MR. T. MARSHALL: Mr.
Speaker, with respect to the review being undertaken by
retired Judge William Marshall, I believe the review is
not completed to this point. Obviously, the information
could not be disclosed until we have the results of the
review.
MR. SPEAKER: Order,
please!
The hon. the Member for
the District of Signal Hill-Quidi Vidi.
MS MICHAEL: Thank
you very much, Mr. Speaker.
My questions today are
for the Minister of Education.
Mr. Speaker, a year ago
the Eastern School Board recommended that the government
dedicate funds to renovate and extend Virginia Park
Elementary School in St. John’s to maintain the K-6
configuration. This recommendation was subsequently
supported by the Minister of Education and the
department in correspondence and in a meeting with the
minister, yet there still has been no action on this
extension.
Mr. Speaker, I ask the
Minister of Education: Will the minister commit to an
engineering study as the first step needed in the
expansion of Virginia Park Elementary?
MR. SPEAKER: The
hon. the Minister of Education and Government House
Leader.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear,
hear!
MS BURKE: Mr.
Speaker, the hon. member certainly is asking a very
important question about one particular school in the
St. John’s area. Certainly, the department and the
Eastern School Board are very concerned about the plan
of how we are going to proceed with schools in St.
John’s.
Certainly there has been
work identified at Virginia Park, and following the
assessment that we had regarding that particular school,
any of the immediate concerns regarding life safety
issues had been addressed.
Mr. Speaker, this
government certainly has put more money into school
capital and renovations, particularly in last year’s
budget, which reached a record high of $88.8 million. We
certainly take it very seriously, as to the work that
needs to be done in our schools. I can assure the hon.
member that we need to seriously look at the St.
John’s area. We have some very serious issues in the
school here. We have St. Theresa’s, we have Holy
Heart, we have Virginia Park, and we certainly need to
make sure that we work with the board –
MR. SPEAKER: Order,
please!
I ask the hon. minister
to conclude her answer.
MS BURKE: -
so that on a go-forward basis we are able to address
some of the schools in the St. John’s area in a
coordinated way so that we can roll out a plan and
understand year by year what work will be completed in
this area.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear,
hear!
MR. SPEAKER: The
hon. the Member for the District of Signal Hill-Quidi
Vidi.
MS MICHAEL: Thank
you, Mr. Speaker.
In very recent
correspondence with the minister’s department, they
stated that redevelopment of Virginia Park Elementary
would be considered based on priorities set by the
Eastern School District, and I know that and I accept
that.
However, Mr. Speaker, the
Eastern School District has clearly stated, since I have
become the Member for Signal Hill-Quidi Vidi, that
expansion of Virginia Park Elementary is a priority, but
the department seems to be lagging behind. It seems to
be hesitating, refusing to commit to the expansion.
So I ask the minister:
Why are you backing away? When I first met with the
minister, when I first became a member, I had a much
more positive response from the minister than I do now.
So I want to know why the minister is backing away from
the previous support that she showed.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
MR. SPEAKER: The
hon. the Minister of Education.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear,
hear!
MS BURKE: Mr.
Speaker, I want to assure the hon. member that we
certainly have not backed away from Virginia Park, nor
do we have any intentions to do so.
When we look at
priorities of how we are going to spend the capital
budget with regards to schools, we have to look at the
board priorities that come up and the condition of the
buildings. We also have reports on life safety concerns
that have to be addressed. We have issues from our
enhanced assessments regarding air quality and issues
that have to be addressed there. We also have capacity
issues because we now have a cap size on from
kindergarten to Grade 9, which will roll out over the
next couple of years.
So, we have competing
demands for the budget, and although the budget seems
like it is a lot of money at $88 million, we certainly
have all these other issues and demands that we have to
also look at as we begin to spend the money and to be
able to address the priorities of the school board.
SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear,
hear!
MR. SPEAKER: Order
please!
The time allotted for
questions and answers has expired. |
