MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Leader of the Opposition.

MS JONES: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Speaker, last year, our office carried out a survey of municipalities around the Province on a number of issues. One of those issues was the Provincial Waste Management Strategy. A majority of the respondents stated that they were not satisfied with government’s plan and that they were concerned with the cost that was associated with it. A year later, many of these concerns are still being expressed.

I ask the minister: What process does the government have in place to address the serious concerns that are being raised by municipalities, especially on issues around increased cost?

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Minister of Municipal Affairs.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MS WHALEN: I thank the Leader of the Opposition for her question.

We have in place fifteen regional committees and subcommittees that are working together right now. We have spent up to this date $62 million in implementing that strategy. As the previous Administration had brought in that strategy with no funding or no plans to implement that, we have also budgeted $26 million. With regard to the cost, we are working through that. The committees are looking at options with regard to the cost. So, in fact, all across the Province – I am actually meeting tomorrow morning with the Eastern Waste Management Committee.

Thank you.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Leader of the Opposition.

MS JONES: Thank you, Mr. Speaker, and I certainly thank the minister for her response.

Mr. Speaker, many of the municipalities do support the intentions of the waste management program. However, there are concerns with regard to the level of taxation that will have to be imposed in order to be able to carry it out. One of those groups that have recently been expressing concerns is the Exploits Joint Council.

I ask the minister: If government has considered providing any assistance to these municipalities who do not have the ability to pay in implementing the program, or will they automatically have to download the expenses on to the residents of those communities?

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Minister of Municipal Affairs.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MS WHALEN: Mr. Speaker, I have listened to the concerns people are raising about what it is going to cost to discard our waste. Right now, we looked at, in some cases it is less than $200 a year. In some cases it is the price of a cup of coffee. I think it is a new way of distributing our waste and getting rid of our waste. It is going to take an education for people to understand what we are trying to do here as a Province. We are far behind the times when it comes to getting rid of our waste. It is not acceptable any more. We need to protect our environment. We cannot be taking our waste and throwing it out into the barrens in rural Newfoundland. Just look at Robin Hood Bay, what has happened down there. We have put a tremendous amount of money in Robin Hood Bay and it is a first-class facility. Out in Norris Arm, they also have a facility.

So, Mr. Speaker, we are indeed concerned about the cost. We are going to explore all options and make it as sustainable as we can for our communities.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Leader of the Opposition.

MS JONES: Mr. Speaker, last year the federal government announced that it would be requiring municipalities across Canada to treat their waste water. These regulations have since been publicized and it has caused a great deal of concern for municipalities in the Province, as the implementation of the proposed regulations will hit smaller rural and urban communities especially hard, both financially and in their capacity to deliver on the necessary infrastructure.

I ask the Minister of the Environment: How is it that government is preparing to assist these municipalities sector with the implementation of the new water waste regulations being put forward by the federal government?

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Minister of Environment and Conservation.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MS JOHNSON: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I thank the Leader of the Opposition for her question. It is a very good question and it has very valid points. It is the exact reason, Mr. Speaker, why I did not, and why this Province did not sign on to the strategy back in Whitehorse in 2009, Mr. Speaker, because of the cost that it would incur to the municipalities in this Province. We have over 700 outfalls in the Province, Mr. Speaker, and we expect that this will cost the Province anywhere upwards of $2.9 billion over thirty years. So at that CCME meeting I put forward to the Minister of Environment federally, that unless there was something in there to assist provinces with the cost, we were not going to sign, we did not sign. Now we see other provinces who did sign and we see all the uproar that is being caused there.

Mr. Speaker, it is one that we are working on but we did not sign it for those very reasons, and it is a valid question.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Leader of the Opposition.

MS JONES: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

It is my understanding that just because the Province has not signed on as a government it does not mean that our residents are going to be exempt from this policy. What I am understanding from the Federation of Municipalities, Mr. Speaker, is that they will have to comply with these federal regulations, and in doing so, Mr. Speaker, it will cost approximately $67 million per year just to dedicate to the capital project. This is money that they do not have in funding arrangements and they feel that there is an inability to be able to raise that money as taxes in many of their municipalities.

So I ask the minister: Whether we sign on as a Province or whether we do not, how do we relieve the financial stress and pressures that are going to be encountered by these municipalities who are forced to comply with federal regulations?

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Minister of Environment and Conservation.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MS JOHNSON: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Again, very valid questions. I just got back from Fredericton, New Brunswick, where we met with the Atlantic ministers, and this is one of the items that was on the agenda. We agreed, as Atlantic ministers, to write the federal minister in terms of the cost and to ask for assistance to provide municipalities throughout Canada with assistance for this cost, Mr. Speaker.

There was also an opportunity to comment to the federal minister by May 19 of this year, and I know the Municipalities Newfoundland and Labrador wrote. I also provided a nine page letter to the federal minister, which I would be more than happy to share with the member opposite, outlining all of our concerns, but again, on numerous occasions I have raised this with the federal minister how cost is very important and we are looking for assistance from the federal government.

Thank you.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Leader of the Opposition.

MS JONES: Thank you, Mr. Speaker, and I would appreciate the minister giving me a copy of that presentation.

Mr. Speaker, municipalities are already overburdened with a great many services, waste management being one and waste water treatment programs that will cripple them as well. The government committed to a new fiscal arrangement with municipalities now for a number of years but so far they fail to deliver on this arrangement.

I ask the minister: Given the enhanced fiscal ability of the government, when can municipalities expect to have a finalized fiscal sharing arrangement to address some of these concerns?

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Minister of Municipal Affairs.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MS WHALEN: Mr. Speaker, we are working closely with the Federation of Municipalities for new fiscal framework for the municipalities. We have contributed to all of the municipalities millions of dollars; we work with municipalities in projects that they put forward. There is a ninety-ten that we brought in – the ratios.

In fact, Mr. Speaker, I am looking forward to trying to complete a piece of work that is involved with the fiscal framework that I will be putting forward to our government to look at to help municipalities with their downloading, as you put it, Opposition Leader.

Thank you.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Opposition House Leader.

MR. KELVIN PARSONS: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

The Premier commissioned Mr. Bill Marshall to complete a review of the Inland Fish and Wildlife Program in 2005. A draft copy of the report was submitted to the Premier in 2006 with a final report said to be imminent. However, various ministers have stated in this House over the past two years that the report has not been completed yet.

I ask the Premier: We have been waiting four years now for this report to be released; where is it?

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Minister of Justice and the Attorney General.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. F. COLLINS: Mr. Speaker, we do not have Mr. Marshall’s final report as of yet, but having said that, the Inland Fish Program is working exceedingly well. It is not broke, so there is no need to fix it at this point in time. The results from inland fish have been very good and we are quite pleased with the efforts that they are making.

When Mr. Marshall was solicited to do this report, Mr. Speaker, there were some human resource problems with that program, but they have since been worked out and the program is functioning very well.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Opposition House Leader.

MR. KELVIN PARSONS: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

We have spoken with employees of the Inland Fish and Wildlife Program who were promised this report some four years ago. We received portions of a 100 page preliminary report that Mr. Marshall submitted under the Access to Information request that we filed some four years ago. Of course, most of that was blacked out as well, which is standard government policy, it seems.

I ask the minister: When do you expect to receive the report and finally be in a position to release it to the public? It is just not good enough to say we asked him and he has not complied. Is he doing the job or not doing the job and when do you expect to hear from him?

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Minister of Justice and the Attorney General.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. F. COLLINS: Mr. Speaker, the policy that the hon. member referred to is the ATIPP policy and one that this government abides by. So the hon. member should understand that.

Mr. Speaker, when we get Justice Marshall’s report and recommendations, and we will look forward to receiving them, if they can be implemented and can improve the system, we will certainly consider that. As for now, Mr. Speaker, the system is working very well, and when we get Judge Marshall’s report, we will consider it then.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Opposition House Leader.

MR. KELVIN PARSONS: Mr. Speaker, it is important for the people of the Province that they see Mr. Marshall’s final report. In his preliminary findings he stated, and I quote, that he had a "troubling image of an area of the public service with the potential of imploding on itself."

I ask the minister: With such strong statements being made, why are you still sitting back, doing nothing, and continue to do nothing after four years? Is this just another case, Mr. Speaker, that you did not like the findings and recommendations that were made in the preliminary report and you have therefore buried it within government?

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Minister of Justice and Attorney General.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. F. COLLINS: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Speaker, Justice Marshall did make some preliminary recommendations, which this government considered, and in fact, the system did not implode. As a matter of fact, quite the reverse happened. If it had imploded, Mr. Speaker, then we would have, I think, different results. The results we are getting today shows that the system is working very well, and there is no sign anywhere, in my estimation, of any implosion in that service.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Opposition House Leader.

MR. KELVIN PARSONS: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Well maybe the minister should read the report, because I quoted exactly from the piece that we did manage to siphon out of the government under the freedom of access to information.

Mr. Speaker, you can get a university degree in four years. Mr. Marshall was also contracted four years ago to conduct a review of the Crown Prosecutor’s office, as a result of a recommendation of the Lamer Inquiry - four years ago.

I ask the minister: Has this report on the Crown Prosecutor’s Office been completed and submitted to the government, and if not, why do you feel it is acceptable to have two very important reports, of such importance to this Province in fact, being delayed for four years by the same person?

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Minister of Justice and Attorney General.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. F. COLLINS: Mr. Speaker, in the interim, this government has also commissioned another report on prosecutions, which made some sweeping recommendations and changes to the prosecutorial service, which has served this Province very well.

Again, we have not received Justice Marshall’s report. If he can add anything in his recommendations to what we have, we will certainly consider it when we get it.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Member for the District of Port de Grave.

MR. BUTLER: Mr. Speaker, the Stephenville Theatre Festival begins on June 30. This is one of the largest and most anticipated events of the year for this community and those in the surrounding area. The festival relies on their signs to attract tourists. Therefore, they purchased and installed new signs to promote this event. However, government recently removed their brand new signs without notice.

I ask the minister: Why were these signs removed and what is the rationale behind taking down signs during tourist season when we know that the TODS program will not be fully implemented for years down the road?

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Minister of Government Services.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. O’BRIEN: Yes, Mr. Speaker, in regard to the TODS system, one of the most recognized and most effective signage programs in the world, I say that the hon. member must know something that I do not know in that it is going to take years and years to implement it. We are in the process of implementing that and certainly we have done a lot of work to the TODS system.

In regard to your question to the Stephenville festival, I gave an interview on Radio Noon today. We are there to work with those particular groups around the Province and certainly we see the need in regard to promoting their festivals as a tourist destination. It is important to the region. In turn, I have to say that the proper permitting was not in place in regard to those signs and that is the reason why they were taken down last fall.

As well, I have an official in the area at this very moment meeting with the festival committee, to work with them, get the proper permits in place and the applications in place. Certainly, we will work with them in regard to any cost (inaudible).

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Member for the District of Port de Grave.

MR. BUTLER: Mr. Speaker, in two recent newspaper articles relating to the TODS program there was a notable discrepancy coming from the Department of Government Services. On the one hand the department is saying they are not at this point of removing signs, yet on the other hand, the minister has explained that sign removal has been taking place in preparation for the implementation of the TODS program.

I ask the minister: Can you explain to us today why your department is claiming that signs have not been taken down when clearly they are?

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Minister of Government Services.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. O’BRIEN: Mr. Speaker, back about June last year, in 2009, we implemented a process, we gave proper notice in regard to removal of illegal signs, or signs that just do not have any permits in place. We started that process in probably about August or September of last year. The signs in question that the hon. member mentioned in his past question were removed last fall. Any signage that has been removed any time after that date is being in an illegal category and we will continue that process.

We are not absolutely 100 per cent in everything we do. We have missed certain signs that are not meeting the regulations surrounding the TODS system, the current regulations that are in place for that signage policy, but we are continuing the process in regard encouraging each and every one of those organizations to enter into the TODS system.

MR. SPEAKER: Order, please!

The hon. the Member for the District of Port de Grave.

MR. BUTLER: With all due respect to the minister, Mr. Speaker, legal signs have been removed in this Province.

Mr. Speaker, after a recent meeting with the municipalities in the Bay St. George area, the Minister of Government Services stated that he will take into consideration the concerns that have been brought forward to him regarding the new TODS program.

I ask the minister: If you are willing to address these concerns, why are you still removing signs before those issues can be rectified?

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Minister of Government Services.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. O’BRIEN: Mr. Speaker, I do not think the hon. member listens very well, because I have already indicated that the only signs that are being removed with regard to our provincial highways and our Trans-Canada Highway are signs that have not been permitted in the correct manner or are illegal. Those are the ones that have been removed.

Also, as well, if we have removed any signs that are in the legal category and properly permitted, we have worked with the organizations in question - as a matter of fact, a couple in regard to the West Coast - and we have redeveloped those signs to the proper way that they had them developed and they have been placed. We will work with each and every one. If we have removed any signs that are legal and have been properly permitted, we will work with those particular people in regard to redeveloping…

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Member for the District of Port de Grave.

MR. BUTLER: Mr. Speaker, in one minute the minister is saying we have not removed any legal signs but now he is saying if we have, we will probably deal with those people.

Mr. Speaker, we have heard from the minister many times that they are not removing legal signs. However, there is obvious confusion in the industry as to what is expected of them when putting up their business signs and signs are still coming down. As I stated earlier, the minister met with the people on the West Coast and he stated that he would consider the concerns in that area during the development of the new policy and regulations for the TODS program.

I ask the minister: When will the new policies and regulations be in place that will give clear direction to the business operators?

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Minister of Tourism, Culture and Recreation.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. FRENCH: Mr. Speaker, we are currently in - the hon. member is getting confused, because there is currently a signage policy in this Province. In order to put up a sign you have to apply for a permit and put up a sign. If you are given permission and it is appropriate, you are allowed to put up the sign in the place that is designated. However, Mr. Speaker, this has nothing to do with the TODS system whatsoever.

The TODS system is a new program that we are developing. We are currently in the early stages of development. We are consulting with municipalities throughout the Province, Mr. Speaker. We are consulting with Hospitality Newfoundland and Labrador and, Mr. Speaker, somewhere down within the next twenty-four months, Mr Speaker, we will have a provincial signage policy called TODS.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Leader of the Opposition.

MS JONES: